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‘Entry Point’ enzyme for COVID-19 higher in COPD patients and smokers

News-Medical speaks to Professor Don Sin on his research into COVID-19 and its effect on smokers and people suffering from COPD.

9 Apr 2020

Missing BAP1 gene renders immunotherapies ineffectual in uveal melanomas

New study from researchers in Finland and the United Kingdom reveals that tumors lacking a protein called BAP1 have an ineffective immune reaction against cancer, thus rendering immunotherapies ineffectual, particularly in uveal melanomas.

9 Apr 2020

Newsom’s ambitious health care agenda crumbles in a ‘radically changed’ world

This was supposed to be a big health care year for California.

9 Apr 2020

Discovery of key protein may lead to more effective treatments for depression

Depression is a common psychiatric disorder and one of the leading causes of disability worldwide. Antidepressants are the first-line treatment for moderate to severe major depressive episodes.

9 Apr 2020

Researchers discover novel role for dopamine that impacts gene expression related to cocaine abuse

A new role for dopamine independent of classic neurotransmission may be critical gene expression changes related to cocaine use.

9 Apr 2020

Boehringer Ingelheim steps up to fight COVID-19 with Global Support Program

Boehringer Ingelheim has significantly stepped up its support to the fight against Covid-19. A Global Support Program has been set up to bring more financial relief, protective materials and medicine donations to healthcare institutions and communities in need around the world.

From Boehringer Ingelheim International GmbH 9 Apr 2020

Benefits of marijuana for pain relief are not clear-cut, study suggests

Medical marijuana users who say they have high levels of pain are more likely than those with low pain to say they use cannabis three or more times a day, a new study finds.

8 Apr 2020

Philadelphia Eagles owner contributes $1 million to Penn Medicine to fight COVID-19 pandemic

Philadelphia Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie today announced a $1 million contribution to Penn Medicine to establish the COVID-19 Immunology Defense Fund, laying the foundation for the world's foremost experts to fight the novel coronavirus pandemic.

8 Apr 2020

Newer drug associated with significantly reduced rates of pulmonary complications

The tragic COVID-19 pandemic is creating new awareness regarding the importance of breathing problems, pneumonia and ventilators.

8 Apr 2020

Ebola drug now being tested against COVID-19

As the coronavirus pandemic claims lives and overwhelms health care systems throughout the world, scientists are closely watching several late-stage trials of the antiviral drug remdesivir.

8 Apr 2020

Potential harms associated with some drugs used for treating COVID-19 patients

Chloroquine, hydroxychloroquine and azithromycin are being used to treat and prevent COVID-19 despite weak evidence for effectiveness, and physicians and patients should be aware of the drugs' potentially serious adverse events, states a review in CMAJ.

8 Apr 2020

Cancer-causing mutation also promotes inflammation

Analyses of cell signals provide insight into the origin of severe inflammatory symptoms that appear in various types of blood cancer and point to possible therapeutic approaches: In around one-fourth of patients suffering from juvenile myelomonocytic leukemia, there is evidence of mutations in the so-called KRAS gene in the leukemia cells.

8 Apr 2020

What are the environmental effects of chemotherapeutic drugs?

Chemotherapeutic drugs, also known as antineoplastic agents, that are prescribed to treat a range of cancer types, enter the aquatic environment via human excretion and wastewater treatment facilities.

8 Apr 2020

Pandemic delays federal probe into Medicare Advantage health plans

Federal health officials, citing a need to focus on the COVID-19 pandemic, have temporarily halted some efforts to recover hundreds of millions of dollars in overpayments made to Medicare Advantage health plans.

8 Apr 2020

Trial assesses tissue plasminogen activator as a treatment for COVID-19-related respiratory failure

A new study published online in the Journal of Trauma and Acute Care Surgery in March 2020 reports that the anticoagulation drug tPA could be a potential aid in managing respiratory failure in patients with COVID-19.

8 Apr 2020

Research suggests potential treatment target to slow lymphoma tumor growth

Researchers at the MDC observe the very early stages of blood vessel development in lymph node tumors.

7 Apr 2020

Personalized biohybrid microswimmers for therapeutic cargo delivery

Tiny biohybrid robots on the micrometer scale can swim through the body and deliver drugs to tumors or provide other cargo-carrying functions. The natural environmental sensing tendencies of bacteria mean they can navigate toward certain chemicals or be remotely controlled using magnetic or sound signals.

7 Apr 2020

Research findings could aid in the recognition and management of COVID-19 pneumonia

Researchers have identified the most common clinical characteristics of 109 patients with COVID-19 related pneumonia who died in Wuhan, China in the early stages of the coronavirus pandemic, according to a new study published online in the Annals of the American Thoracic Society.

7 Apr 2020

A special diet can help in certain cases of asthma, study suggests

Can a special diet help in certain cases of asthma? A new study at the University of Bonn at least points to this conclusion. According to the study, mice that were switched to a so-called ketogenic diet showed significantly reduced inflammation of the respiratory tract.

7 Apr 2020