familymednews.com
Walter and Eliza Hall Institute researchers have uncovered a key factor protecting against age-related DNA damage, providing important clues about how our body guards against cancer. The discovery was made by identifying a rare genetic mutation in three patients with an unusual, early-onset form of acute myeloid leukaemia (AML). The patients all lacked a DNA repair protein called MBD4, which […]
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The day after Maggie Maine was born, doctors told her parents there was a 70 percent chance she’d never walk, talk or be able to feed or bathe herself. An MRI had found severe defects in both her heart and her brain. Relying on their faith, Jeff and Renae Maine decided to focus on the 30 percent chance that the […]
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New research, in mice, indicates that a natural sugar called trehalose blocks glucose from the liver and activates a gene that boosts insulin sensitivity, reducing the chance of developing diabetes. Activating the gene also triggers an increase in calories burned, reduces fat accumulation and weight gain, and lessens measures of fats and cholesterol in the blood. The findings, from researchers […]
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Researchers from the University of Liverpool have identified a new compound that protects against neurodegeneration in nematode worms. The discovery may enable novel treatments for human neurodegenerative diseases to be developed in the future. With the predicted growth of the global ageing population, cases of age-associated neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) are […]
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Scientists have a new tactic with potential for fighting medulloblastoma, the most common and most aggressive form of brain tumor in children. The results are scheduled for publication in Cancer Cell. Several emerging anticancer treatments are called “epigenetic therapies,” targeting the ways cancer cells shut off genes that could restrain their growth. The new tactic revives a protective gene called […]
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Early phase clinical trial results presented today at the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting 2018 of 258 patients with IDH1+ acute myeloid leukemia (AML) treated with the IDH1 inhibitor ivosidenib show an overall response rate of 41.9 percent, with median progression free survival of 8.2 months. Twenty-four percent of patients achieved a complete response. The gene IDH1 […]
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Time heals homesickness – and quickly, according to a unique long-term study on international students. A propensity towards neuroticism and the desire to keep others happy are among the factors associated with the development of homesickness. However, the study also found that the level of homesickness among those currently studying abroad is generally low. The investigation was facilitated by a […]
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Anaplastic thyroid cancer is almost uniformly fatal, with an average lifespan of about 5 months after diagnosis. And standard treatment for the condition includes 7 weeks of radiation, often along with chemotherapy. “We put patients through toxic treatment for seven weeks when most will only live five months. I’m not sure that’s how I would want to spend my time,” […]
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Action is urgently needed to address declining vaccination rates against pneumococcal pneumonia, which causes more than 2,000 deaths each year in people aged over 65. Researchers, doctors and patients have teamed with Lung Foundation Australia during this week’s Pneumonia Awareness Week to call for proactive community action to address the declining vaccination rates against pneumococcal pneumonia – an infection responsible for more […]
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For the first time, a treatment that boosts the immune system greatly improved survival in people newly diagnosed with the most common form of lung cancer. It’s the biggest win so far for immunotherapy, which has had much of its success until now in less common cancers. In the study, Merck’s Keytruda, given with standard chemotherapy, cut in half the […]
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