A phase 2 clinical trial has found that combining a molecular targeted drug called temsirolimus with chemotherapy shows promise in the treatment of rhabdomyosarcoma, the most common soft tissue sarcoma in childhood. The Children’s Oncology Group trial was led by Leo Mascarenhas, MD, MS, Deputy Director of the Children’s Center…
Why people gain weight as they get older
Many people struggle to keep their weight in check as they get older. Now new research at Karolinska Institutet in Sweden has uncovered why that is: Lipid turnover in the fat tissue decreases during ageing and makes it easier to gain weight, even if we don’t eat more or exercise…
Action-oriented goals produce higher probability of purchases under tight deadlines
If you want something done, ask a busy person — or so the saying goes. According to a new paper co-written by a University of Illinois scholar who studies attitudes and persuasion psychology, if you want to sell something quickly, it helps to try a busy consumer. People on a…
Decline in sports-related sudden cardiac death linked with rise in bystander resuscitation
Fewer sports-related sudden cardiac arrest victims die nowadays, a trend linked with increased bystander cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), reports a study presented today at ESC Congress 2019 together with the World Congress of Cardiology. The late breaking study also found that the incidence of sudden cardiac arrest during sports has not…
Vaccinations not a risk factor for multiple sclerosis
Data from over 12,000 multiple sclerosis (MS) patients formed the basis of a study by the Technical University of Munich (TUM) which investigated the population’s vaccination behavior in relation to MS. It showed that five years before their diagnosis, MS patients were statistically less likely to receive vaccinations than comparator…
Cardiac device complications vary widely among hospitals
The chances of patients experiencing complications after having a cardiac device implanted vary according to where they have the procedure. A study of 174 hospitals in Australia and New Zealand published today in the Annals of Internal Medicine shows that the quality of care people receive may account for the…
New tech for multiple sclerosis diagnosis and treatment: Patent-pending tool creates 3D images of brain lesions
Researchers at the Center for BrainHealth®, part of The University of Texas at Dallas, in collaboration with a team from UT Southwestern, have developed technology for a novel diagnostic method for multiple sclerosis (MS). The new approach has the potential to determine which damaged regions in an MS patient’s brain…
Combined breast and gynecologic surgery: Study says not so fast
Breast cancer patients and women undergoing cancer-preventive breast surgeries may consider combining these procedures with hysterectomy and/or ovarian removal. However, a University of Colorado Cancer Center study published in Breast Journal argues against this combined approach: Patients undergoing coordinated breast and gynecologic procedures had a significantly longer length of hospital…
Data demonstrate efficacy of more flexible dose of regorafenib to relieve side-effects in mCRC patients
Medical oncologists administer anticancer drug regorafenib to try to improve overall survival in patients with metastatic colorectal cancer who have ceased to respond to standard therapy (known as refractory mCRC). However, some of the adverse events related to the use of this drug often limits its use in clinical practice….
Mutation discovery leads to precise treatment for child with severe lymphatic disorder: A repurposed drug reshapes anatomy, brings dramatic clinical improvement
Faced with a preteen boy in pain and struggling to breathe from a severe, deteriorating rare condition, researchers at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia identified the responsible gene mutation and harnessed that knowledge to develop a novel treatment that dramatically improved the problem. The patient had been born with a complex…
To increase bike commuters, look to neighborhoods: New research shows downtown and campus dwellers more likely to travel by bicycle
People agree that bike commuting improves health, reduces air pollution and eases traffic, a recent survey suggests. But that wasn’t enough to get most people to commute by bike. The new research indicates that a person’s neighborhood may play a large role in influencing the decision to commute by bike….