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AGA publishes new COVID-19 recommendations for gastroenterologists

AGA has published new expert recommendations in Gastroenterology: AGA Institute Rapid Review of the GI and Liver Manifestations of COVID-19, Meta-Analysis of International Data, and Recommendations for the Consultative Management of Patients with COVID-19.

5 May 2020

Different types of white fat may play distinct roles in metabolic diseases

Excess white fat causes obesity, which in turn can drive diabetes and many other metabolic diseases that are growing at epidemic rates around the world.

5 May 2020

Researchers discover new gene involved in regulating the body's cholesterol

Precision medicine has the potential to tailor treatments to a patient's unique genetic sequence. But achieving this precision -- or developing new drugs -- requires knowing which genes are involved in disease.

4 May 2020

Scientists develop a highly sensitive COVID-19 diagnostic platform

Cima Universidad de Navarra researchers have developed a large-scale, highly sensitive COVID-19 diagnostic platform more efficient than the commercial PCR test kits currently available.

4 May 2020

AHA calls for specialized care for pregnant women with cardiovascular conditions

Women with cardiovascular conditions should be cared for during pregnancy by a cardio-obstetrics team or health care providers experienced in high-risk pregnancies to provide specialized maternity care for the mother and fetus, according to a new American Heart Association scientific statement, Cardiovascular Considerations in Caring for Pregnant Patients, published today in the Association's flagship journal Circulation.

4 May 2020

Inventor of hepatitis C cure wins prestigious award from University of Edinburgh

A medicinal chemist who found a cure for the viral disease hepatitis C has received a prestigious award from the University of Edinburgh.

3 May 2020

Cancer patients with COVID-19 more likely to die from the disease

People with cancer who develop COVID-19 are much more likely to die from the disease than those without cancer, according to physician-researchers at Montefiore Health System and Albert Einstein College of Medicine.

2 May 2020

Racial inequalities in liver cancer mortality increased after introduction of hepatitis C drugs

In the United States, hepatocellular or liver cancer deaths have doubled since 1979. Hepatitis C virus is the leading cause of liver cancer.

30 Apr 2020

FMT improves clinical outcomes in extremely ill patients with drug-resistant bacteria

Transferring fecal matter from the digestive systems of healthy donors to extremely ill patients who had previously been infected with drug-resistant bacteria resulted in shorter hospital stays, fewer bloodstream infections and infections that were easier to treat, according to research that was selected for presentation at Digestive Disease Week 2020.

30 Apr 2020

Changes to gut microbiome could improve cancer outcomes for smokers

Changes to the gut microbiome interacted with the immune system to slow the growth of cancer in mice exposed to cigarette smoke, according to research that was selected for presentation at Digestive Disease Week 2020.

30 Apr 2020

Researchers discover cause for the lack of immune defense against tumors

One of the reasons why cancer develops is because regulatory cells inhibit the body's immune defense. Researchers under the helm of the Technical University of Munich have discovered a mechanism for identifying regulatory cells in tumor tissue that suppress an immune response.

29 Apr 2020

How toxic are chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine to cells?

The spread of the pandemic disease COVID-19 caused by the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has now reached almost every country of the world, with over 3.11 million cases and over 217,000 deaths as of April 29, 2020.

29 Apr 2020

New guideline provides evidence-based recommendations for clinical management of EoE

Eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE) is a chronic inflammatory disease of the esophagus triggered by allergens that causes difficulty with swallowing in adults, which grows more frequent and intense over time, affecting patients' quality of life.

28 Apr 2020

Excess weight may cause mental fatigue, research suggests

Obesity has been shown to place physical stress on the body, but new research suggests that excess weight may also cause mental fatigue.

27 Apr 2020

Study can lead the way to new treatment methods for hepatitis C in infants

Only about five per cent of the babies born to mothers with hepatitis C are themselves infected by the disease.

27 Apr 2020

Research shows how the immune system reacts to hepatitis C viruses

If a virus penetrates a cell, the immune system reacts immediately and produces the signaling protein interferon.

24 Apr 2020

1.7 billion people at higher risk from COVID-19, study says

The COVID-19 pandemic affecting 185 countries and territories the world over has already claimed over 190,000 lives and sickened well over 2.7 million as of April 24, 2020. Research shows that most of these fatalities are in older people or those who have underlying medical conditions.

23 Apr 2020

Is the confidence in hydroxychloroquine for the management of COVID-19 justified?

A new review paper published in the preprint open-access journal medRxiv in April 2020 reports that there is not enough evidence to justify the widespread use of the drug hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) in the treatment or prophylaxis of the current COVID-19 illness.

23 Apr 2020

RAS inhibitors and COVID-19 severity in hypertensive patients

A new study published in the journal JAMA Cardiology in April 2020 reports that patients with hypertension who are taking medications called ACE inhibitors (ACEI) or ARBs are not at higher risk for death or more severe illness with COVID-19. This conclusion supports current guidelines for the treatment of hypertension during this pandemic.

23 Apr 2020

Study identifies key nose cells as likely COVID-19 virus entry points

Two specific cell types in the nose have been identified as likely initial infection points for COVID-19 coronavirus. Scientists discovered that goblet and ciliated cells in the nose have high levels of the entry proteins that the COVID-19 virus uses to get into our cells.

23 Apr 2020