Hypoxia News and Research

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Hypoxia is a condition in which there is a decrease in the oxygen supply to a tissue. In cancer treatment, the level of hypoxia in a tumor may help predict the response of the tumor to the treatment.

Accumulation of fat droplets makes cancer cells more aggressive

It has been established that not all cancer cells are equally aggressive - most can be neutralised with radiation and chemotherapy. Researchers at Lund University in Sweden have now discovered that some cancer cells can accumulate fat droplets, which appear to make them more aggressive and increase their ability to spread.

3 Jun 2016

Cardioprotective effect proposed for metformin

A large retrospective analysis suggests that metformin could be cardioprotective in insulin-dependent patients with Type 2 diabetes.

21 May 2016

MERS individuals develop severe critical illness, higher mortality than non-MERS SARI patients

Patients with Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) develop more severe critical illness and have higher mortality than patients with non-MERS severe acute respiratory infection (SARI), according to investigators involved with the largest study of critically ill patients with MERS.

19 May 2016

New set of practice guidelines from WMS may help in treatment, prevention of drowning

Drowning is a global threat to human health. Each year, more than 372,000 people die as a result of drowning, with many of those deaths being preventable by simple water safety measures. In order to arm professionals with the most up-to-date clinical protocols, the Wilderness Medical Society has issued a new set of practice guidelines for both the treatment and prevention of drowning, published in the society's official journal, Wilderness and Environmental Medicine.

10 May 2016

Researchers examine critical role of hypoxia in induction, amplification of FOP lesions

The cellular response to the lack of oxygen fans the flames of flare-ups in a rare bone disorder. In fibrodysplasia ossificans progressiva (FOP), a mutation triggers bone growth in muscles, which limits motion, breathing, and swallowing, among a host of progressive symptoms.

3 May 2016

Researchers find new insights on disease stages for gastric cancer patients

Diagnosis of gastric cancer in the early stages is difficult because of the lack of simple and cheap methods of inspection and specific markers of gastric cancer while the symptoms of the disease are vague and tend to overlap with other common and benign conditions. Better tumor characterization and more individualized treatment planning can be expected only with the implementation of better diagnostic tools combined with advances in molecular and genetic analysis.

21 Apr 2016

Increased expression of VEGF-A promotes three common aging-related eye conditions

A Massachusetts General Hospital investigator has found that increased expression of the angiogenic factor VEGF-A promotes three common aging-related eye conditions - both versions of age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and also cataracts - in an animal model.

12 Apr 2016

Study links effects of prenatal alcohol and drug exposure with placental development

In the United States, prenatal alcohol exposure (PAE) is the most common preventable cause of developmental delay. Animal studies have shown some of the adverse effects of PAE on placental development, but few studies have examined these effects in humans. This is the first study to examine the effects of prenatal exposure to methamphetamine, marijuana, and cigarette smoking on human placental development.

5 Apr 2016

Inhalable form of Ambrisentan drug could offer faster-acting treatment option for pulmonary edema

In a new study, researchers show an aerosolized, inhalable form of the drug Ambrisentan could offer a faster-acting treatment option for pulmonary edema, a life-threatening condition in which fluid accumulates in the lungs. Pulmonary edema is a significant risk for anyone spending time at high altitudes, and also affects people with chronic conditions including congestive heart failure and sickle cell anemia.

5 Apr 2016

Low-oxygen conditions spur growth of breast cancer stem cells

Working with human breast cancer cells and mice, scientists at The Johns Hopkins University say new experiments explain how certain cancer stem cells thrive in low oxygen conditions. Proliferation of such cells, which tend to resist chemotherapy and help tumors spread, are considered a major roadblock to successful cancer treatment.

29 Mar 2016

Orexigen Therapeutics, Valeant Pharmaceuticals sign distribution agreement for Mysimba

Orexigen Therapeutics, Inc. today announced Valeant Pharmaceuticals International, Inc. will commercialize Mysimba (naltrexone HCl / bupropion HCl prolonged release) in Central and Eastern Europe.

15 Mar 2016

Regulatory immune cells compromised in PAH

Research suggests that regulatory T cells may play a part in all subtypes of pulmonary arterial hypertension.

10 Mar 2016

Wistar researchers find potential way for using STAT3 inhibitors to stop cancer progression

Imagine developing a drug designed to inhibit a protein that helps cancer cells proliferate and survive only to find that the drug does not perform very well in the clinic. This was the dilemma faced by scientists researching inhibitors of signal transducer and activator of transcription (STAT3), a protein that controls transcription by the STAT3 gene.

17 Feb 2016

Eisai's Halaven receives FDA approval for treatment of patients with metastatic liposarcoma

Eisai Inc. announced today that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved Halaven (eribulin mesylate) Injection (0.5 mg per mL) for the treatment of patients with unresectable or metastatic liposarcoma who have received a prior anthracycline-containing regimen.

29 Jan 2016

New blood biomarkers could lead to better evaluation of treatment for patients with PAH

New blood biomarkers reflecting vasoreactivity in lung blood vessels of patients with heart- and lung disease, can lead to simplified diagnostics and better evaluation of treatment for patients with the condition pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH).

18 Jan 2016

Low-oxygen exposure shortly after birth may increase learning and behavioral disorder risks

New research published in the Journal of Leukocyte Biology, shows that the development of white matter in the mouse brains is delayed when they are exposed to chronic low oxygen levels shortly after birth.

7 Jan 2016

Study reveals pathogenetic role of miR-125a in pulmonary hypertension

Pulmonary hypertension is an umbrella term used for many conditions that all result in elevation of the pulmonary arterial pressure. Of interest, many of these completely different clinical and pathophysiological entities result in a final common pathway of vasoconstriction, micro thrombosis and vascular remodelling.

10 Dec 2015

New technique may enable in-flight detection of hypoxia in pilots

Researchers working in the United States have demonstrated a technique that may enable real-time, in-flight detection of hypoxia in pilots.

29 Oct 2015

Sleep apnea may increase gout risk

Sleep apnea may increase the risk of developing gout, a new study shows. Among 9865 patients with newly-diagnosed sleep apnea and 43,598 comparators of similar weight, investigators identified 270 new cases of gout over one year of follow-up, resulting in incidence rates of 8.4/1000 and 4.8/1000 person-years, respectively. The increased risk of gout was 60% higher among patients with sleep apnea.

20 Oct 2015

Diabetic retinopathy therapy innovations: an interview with Richard Kirk, CEO of Polyphotonix

In the UK there are currently over 3.5 million people who have diabetes, with a growth rate exceeding 280,000 people per year. Diabetic retinopathy is the most common complication of diabetes.

19 Oct 2015