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Living in a warzone is linked with an increased risk of heart attack and stroke among civilians, even years after the conflict ends, a study has found. The findings come from the first systematic review of the effects of armed conflict on heart disease risk, carried out by researchers at Imperial College London and the London School of Hygiene & […]
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Cancer therapies that use immune cells to trigger the body to attack tumours could be improved by a molecule that boosts their function. Studies with mice have found the improved therapies produced a powerful anti-cancer immune response, which led to tumours shrinking. Initial experiments show the molecule has similar effects on human cells and could boost the success of cancer […]
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Embedded at the ends of chromosomes are structures called telomeres, which in normal cells become shorter as cells divide. Progressive shortening triggers cell proliferation arrest or death. Cancer cells adopt different strategies to overcome this control mechanism that keeps track of the number of times that a cell has divided. One of these strategies is the alternative lengthening of telomeres […]
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Dysfunctional neurons in the hippocampus of adult female mice modeling dementia can be repaired and reconnected to distant parts of the brain, reports a new study published in JNeurosci. The similarity between the mouse model and the human condition underscores the therapeutic potential of targeting these cells in dementia patients. The hippocampus generates new brain cells throughout life and is […]
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Until now, researchers have assumed that the growth of solid tumors originates from cancer stem cells characterized by specific surface markers, which develop in a fixed, hierarchical order. Accordingly, such cancer stem cells are responsible for tumor progression and produce specific types of more differentiated cancer cells whose fates are predetermined. In a joint interdisciplinary project led by the Luxembourg […]
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Antibodies are currently in use to treat diseases that range from cancer to autoimmunity and are usually administered to patients in multiple doses, much like medical drugs. However, the production and storage of antibodies are comparatively more expensive, with considerable interest on finding alternative strategies to deliver them. In a recent study, Howell F. Moffett and an interdisciplinary research team […]
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More than 100 approved drugs in the U.S. warn of immune-related side effects on their labels. Countless others never make it onto shelves because of unwanted immune responses that can harm patients and limit the effectiveness of drug candidates. Most gene therapies, for instance, use viruses to enter a person’s cells and alter their DNA. But those viruses often elicit […]
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Children with type 1 diabetes find it difficult to adhere to their drug routines during school holidays and weekends. Holiday distractions cause a 20 percent reduction in adherence to taking medications that assist managing their condition and other associated conditions, which may have serious consequences for their health. “The research, published in the journal Archives of Disease in Childhood, shows […]
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(HealthDay)—A closed intensive care unit (ICU) model, whereby a patient is evaluated and admitted under an intensivist and orders involving patient care are written by the ICU team, is associated with a reduction in certain types of hospital-acquired infections, according to a study presented at the American Thoracic Society 2019 International Conference, held from May 17 to 22 in Dallas. […]
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Morphine and other opioid-based painkillers are very effective at treating pain initially, but studies have shown that the drugs can make patients more pain-sensitive, prolonging their discomfort and increasing their risks of developing chronic pain. A new type of opioid developed by researchers at Tulane University and the Southeast Louisiana Veterans Health Care System doesn’t have this side effect and […]
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