Many people have accepted the idea that taking a placebo—for example, a pill with no active medicine in it—can have powerful effects on the body. The reality is quite different, according to the authors of a Perspective published today by the Medical Journal of Australia. A placebo is designed to…
Antipsychotic drugs may have protective effect against COVID-19
Two studies led by the Mental Health Unit of the Virgen del Rocio University Hospital and involving researchers from the US conclude that antipsychotic drugs could have a protective effect against SARS-CoV-2. For this reason, patients treated with these drugs have a lower risk of becoming infected or suffer a…
Effect of Siponimod on Cognition in MS Patients Explored
THURSDAY, Dec. 17, 2020 — Some cognitive tests but not others suggest siponimod may speed cognitive processing in patients with secondary progressive (SP) multiple sclerosis (MS), according to a study published online Dec. 16 in Neurology. Ralph H.B. Benedict, Ph.D., from the University at Buffalo in New York, and colleagues…
Immunotherapy side effect could be a positive sign for kidney cancer patients
An autoimmune side effect of immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI) drugs could signal improved control of kidney cancer, according to a new study by researchers in UT Southwestern’s Kidney Cancer Program (KCP). The study, published today in the Journal for ImmunoTherapy of Cancer, may have broad implications for patients being treated…
Lockdown could have lasting effect on survivors of sexual violence and the services that support them
The lack of public acknowledgement of sexual violence against women and children during the first month of UK lockdown could have long-term implications not only for individuals but for the services put in place to support them, a group of UK experts have argued in a new article published by…
Smoking ban takes effect in Austrian bars, restaurants
A ban on smoking in Austrian bars and restaurants took effect Friday, making it one of the last European countries to stub out the habit in indoor public places after years of protracted debate and protests. Parliamentarians approved the ban in July in a bid to rid Austria of its…