Medical News

Researchers test experimental cancer vaccine on mice with aggressive melanoma

An experimental cancer vaccine that boosts the immune system's ability to fight cancers could work in tandem with other cancer therapies to fight aggressive tumors, scientists reported recently in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Study finds that cues can have different effects on neural representations

Many everyday tasks require people to represent and combine information from multiple sources. For example, when a person checks the rearview mirror while driving it is important that they maintain information about how far they are from the car in front of them.

Study: Better infrastructure and governance associated with lower measures of antimicrobial resistance

An international team of researchers from CDDEP, Australian National University and Cardiff University and the Monarch Institute has published a new study showing that the proliferation of disease-causing antibiotic resistant organisms is correlated with many social and environmental factors such as poor sanitation, unsafe water and higher incomes.

Imaging with CMR can improve detection of cardiac injury in lupus patients

The number of diagnoses of systemic lupus erythematodes has tripled over the past 45 years - due in part to improved diagnostic methods.

Overweight and obese women can safely limit weight gain during pregnancy with diet and exercise

Many overweight and obese women gain too much weight during pregnancy, further ratcheting up their already-increased risk of serious complications for themselves and their babies.

Children with autism have highest frequency of rapid weight gain in first six months of life

Childhood obesity is a serious public health concern that can have a profound impact on children's health and well-being.

Study links spinal muscular atrophy disease expression with haplotypes

A natural history study has provided the first comprehensive clinical description of spinal muscular atrophy within the Amish and Mennonite communities and correlates ancestral chromosome 5 haplotypes and SMN2 copy number with disease severity.

FDA Commissioner's statement on implementing the update to iconic Nutrition Facts label

Advancing better nutrition is one of my top priorities and implementing the update to the iconic Nutrition Facts label - the first overhaul in 20 years - is a key part of that commitment.

Transcranial direct current stimulation may help aphasia patients recover use of language

Neuroscientists at the University of South Carolina and the Medical University of South Carolina have collaborated on a study in the field of aphasia that has successfully paved the way for a large clinical trial.

Whole brain analysis reveals why 'mindful people' feel less pain

Ever wonder why some people seem to feel less pain than others? A study conducted at Wake Forest School of Medicine may have found one of the answers – mindfulness.

Study: Health and longevity improves with increased fasting time

Increasing time between meals made male mice healthier overall and live longer compared to mice who ate more frequently, according to a new study published in the Sept. 6, 2018 issue of Cell Metabolism.

Penn launches formal alliance with Vingroup to improve health care and education in Vietnam

Penn Medicine and Penn Nursing have launched a formal alliance with the Vingroup – an enterprise that encompasses a newly formed private not-for-profit university project, VinUni, as well as the largest and leading private health service provider in Vietnam, Vinmec – in an effort to improve health care and to create new undergraduate and graduate medical training programs in Vietnam.

Northwestern Memorial Hospital selected as preferred provider of medical care for Emirati patients

Northwestern Memorial Hospital has been selected as a preferred provider of exceptional medical care for patients from the United Arab Emirates.

Probiotics do not really help says latest research

People have been swearing by routine intake of probiotics such as yoghurt and other good bacteria that are supposed to help in prevention of several diseases and maintain good health. A new study from a group of Israeli scientists says that these probiotics are in fact useless. The results of this study appeared in the latest issue of the journal Cell.

Men do not face same 'changing room moment' as women, finds study

The research, published in the journal Ageing and Society, was conducted by Professor Julia Twigg from the School of Social Policy, Sociology and Social Research.

Immune system that fights infection could join battle against opioid addiction

The same immune system that fights infection and the flu could join the battle against opioid addiction, new research out of the Vanderbilt Center for Addiction Research indicates.

New study aims to understand why skin grafts have high rate of rejection

When it comes to transplant rejection, some organs are far trickier than others. Some transplantable organs, such as the liver, are readily accepted by the recipient's immune system, rarely triggering an immune response and rejection

Heart attack and stroke prevention efforts need a boost says CDC

According to a new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the efforts to prevent heart attacks and strokes in the United States have reached a plateau and are not making any further progress.

Breast cancer cases among men who were at ground zero on 9/11

The after effects of the terror attacks on 11th September 2001 in the United States are still appearing. Around 15 men who were present near the Ground Zero on the fateful day have been diagnosed with rare forms of male breast cancer. Male breast cancer makes up for less than 1 percent of all breast cancers. 

This new data emerges from a client list of a law firm that is specially looking into health cases of those in and around the region on 9/11. There could be many more men who are outside of this data base say experts. Two of the men – Jeff Flynn (65 years old) and John Mormando (51 years old) who were near the zone were initially diagnosed with the cancer and are being treated for it. Both men say that there is no history of breast cancers in their family and they were exposed to toxins on the day.

Flynn was an account manager for a data-storage company Dell EMC and was assigned to Goldman Sachs on Maiden Lane on the fateful day. He was around the region for months after the attack helping Goldman and other financial services firms to set up again.

After a decade, in 2011, he first noticed an abnormality in one of his nipples and was then diagnosed with stage 3 breast cancer for which he underwent extensive operations. Soon the cancer returned as a stage 4 cancer. He was awarded compensation from the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund that helped him pay for his treatment. Mormando was a commodities broker working at the Mercantile Exchange until 2007. He is a triathlete now. Last year he noticed a lump on his chest and was diagnosed with the breast cancer.

Leon Silverstein (89 years old), an Army veteran, was diagnosed with breast cancer and had to be operated upon. As a result of the cancer both his breasts had to be removed in a double mastectomy. He used to live near Battery Park near the Ground Zero for 30 years.

Experts believe that apart from those killed during the attacks more people are emerging with long term after effects of the attack. There are over ten thousand individuals who were members of the first responders’ teams for rescue operations or were near the region when the attack took place.

These people have been diagnosed with various forms of cancers due to exposure to the toxins. Over 2000 individuals have ailments that can be attributed to the toxins on that day. The Chief of the fire Department of New York, for example, who was leading the first responder efforts died this June from cancer.

UNC and Cell Microsystems receive NIH Phase I SBIR contract to develop HIV diagnostic assay

The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill HIV Cure Center and Cell Microsystems, a provider of innovative tools and scalable solutions for the sorting and isolation of single cells, announced they have received an approximately $283,000, 12-month Phase I Small Business Innovation and Research contract from the National Institutes of Health to develop an automated platform to quantify the latent HIV reservoir.