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Covid-overwhelmed hospitals postpone cancer care and other treatment

It's a bad time to get sick in Oregon. That's the message from some doctors, as hospitals fill up with covid-19 patients and other medical conditions go untreated.

17 Sep 2021

Virtual follow-up care more convenient than traditional in-person appointments for surgical patients

Most patients who underwent laparoscopic appendectomy (surgical removal of the appendix) or cholecystectomy (surgical removal of the gallbladder) found virtual follow-up care more convenient than traditional in-person appointments, yet equally as satisfying, according to a study published as an "article in press" on the website of the Journal of the American College of Surgeons.

9 Sep 2021

The pandemic almost killed Allie. Her community’s vaccination rate is 45%.

The Allie Henderson who stepped out of her mother's car to a driveway full of cheering friends and family holding "Welcome Home" signs was a wisp of her former self.

7 Sep 2021

AI approach helps identify heart failure patients who will benefit from beta-blocker therapy

Researchers at the University of Birmingham have developed a new way to identify patients with heart failure who will benefit from treatment with beta-blockers.

31 Aug 2021

Study examines safety of COVID-19 vaccine in a nationwide mass-vaccination setting

The Clalit Research Institute, in collaboration with researchers from Harvard University, analyzed one of the world's largest integrated health record databases to examine the safety of the Pfizer/BioNTech BNT162B2 vaccine against COVID-19.

27 Aug 2021

Frameshift deletion mutation in ORF7a may provide fitness advantage to Australia's SARS-CoV-2 delta variants

A team of scientists from Australia has recently identified a frameshift deletion mutation in ORF7a of the delta variant of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The mutation results in the production of a truncated peptide with altered functionality. The study is currently available on the medRxiv* preprint server while awaiting peer review.

24 Aug 2021

Therapeutic-dose anticoagulation benefits moderately ill COVID-19 patients

Moderately ill patients hospitalized with COVID-19 have better chances of survival if treated with therapeutic-dose anticoagulation, according to an international study involving 121 sites, including UT Southwestern Medical Center.

20 Aug 2021

Researchers develop novel sealant patch for preventing intestinal leakage

A burst appendix or a life-threatening intestinal volvulus are emergencies that need to be treated by surgeons immediately. However, a life-saving operation, in which tissue from the digestive tract has to be reattached, bears some risks. After all, everything that is transported through the gastrointestinal tract to the outside world in fact belongs there - and should under no circumstances end up inside the abdominal cavity.

20 Aug 2021

Men have better resources than women to cope with challenges of aging

Gender differences in societal ageing favor men over women, which suggests that men have better resources to help them cope with the challenges of ageing.

5 Aug 2021

Study shows increased risk of overdose and mental health crisis following opioid dose tapering

Opioid therapy is complex. In recent years, a rise in opioid-related deaths and changing prescribing guidelines and regulatory policies have led many physicians to reduce daily doses for patients prescribed stable opioid therapy for chronic pain.

3 Aug 2021

APPC survey: Public trust in top U.S. health agencies and Fauci holds steady

With more than two-thirds of American adults vaccinated with at least one dose of an authorized Covid-19 vaccine, the top U.S. health agencies retain the trust of the vast majority of the American public, as does Dr. Anthony Fauci, the public face of U.S. efforts to combat the virus, according to a new survey from the Annenberg Public Policy Center (APPC) of the University of Pennsylvania.

20 Jul 2021

Researchers use appendiceal cancer organoids to study personalized immunotherapy response

Wake Forest researchers and clinicians are using patient-specific tumor 'organoid' models as a preclinical companion platform to better evaluate immunotherapy treatment for appendiceal cancer, one of the rarest cancers affecting only 1 in 100,000 people.

19 Jul 2021

Surgeons can avoid postoperative opioid prescriptions, studies suggest

Surgeons can ease their patients' pain from common operations without prescribing opioids, and avoid the possibility of starting someone on a path to long-term use, a pair of new studies suggests.

10 Jun 2021

Risk factors for rare COVID-19 complications in children (MIS-C)

While the earlier waves of COVID-19 relatively spared children, some of the affected children have developed a systemic inflammatory condition, with occasionally fatal outcomes. Called multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C), its pathogenesis and risk factors are the subject of a new study on the medRxiv* preprint server.

21 May 2021

Farxiga approved in the US for the treatment of chronic kidney disease in patients at risk of progression with and without type-2 diabetes

Approval is the most significant advancement in the treatment of chronic kidney disease in more than 20 years. In DAPA-CKD Phase III trial, Farxiga demonstrated unprecedented reduction in the risk of the composite of worsening of renal function, end-stage kidney disease and cardiovascular or renal death.

From AstraZeneca 14 May 2021

From rotten teeth to advanced cancer, patients feel the effects of treatment delays

With medical visits picking up again among patients vaccinated against Covid-19, health providers are starting to see the consequences of a year of pandemic-delayed preventive and emergency care as they find more advanced cancer and rotting and damaged teeth, among other ailments.

20 Apr 2021

Study compares antibiotic-only treatment versus surgery for acute uncomplicated appendicitis

An RCSI study conducted in Beaumont Hospital in Dublin has found that surgery, rather than antibiotics-only, should remain as the mainstay of treatment for acute uncomplicated appendicitis.

15 Mar 2021

PRRT technology may offer new treatment approaches for neuroendocrine tumors

Neuroendocrine tumors are cancers that begin in specialized cells called neuroendocrine cells. These cells have traits similar to those of nerve cells and hormone-producing cells.

9 Mar 2021

Interval between doses of Oxford COVID-19 vaccine can be safely extended to 3 months, suggests study

A 3-month interval between doses of the Oxford COVID-19 vaccine results in higher vaccine efficacy than a 6-week interval, with the first dose offering 76% protection in the 3 months between doses.

20 Feb 2021

Interim results show Oxford COVID-19 vaccine protects against symptomatic disease

First full results from interim analysis confirm that the Oxford COVID-19 vaccine (AZD1222) has an acceptable safety profile and is efficacious against symptomatic COVID-19 disease, with no hospitalizations or severe disease reported in the COVID-19 vaccine group so far.

9 Dec 2020