Tag: improved

Improved vectors for ocular gene therapy

Strategies based on the use of gene therapy to mitigate the effects of mutations that cause blindness are undergoing rapid development. Novel gene vectors now achieve widespread gene delivery and reduce the risks associated with these approaches. The incidence of genetic mutations that result in rapid deterioration of the ability to see is larger than

New discovery provides hope for improved multiple sclerosis therapies

Scientists from Trinity College Dublin have made an important discovery that could lead to more effective treatments for people living with multiple sclerosis (MS) and other autoimmune diseases such as psoriasis and rheumatoid arthritis. Their work highlights the significant potential of drugs targeting a specific immune molecule (IL-17) implicated in MS. The scientists, led by

Improved safety for mother and child

Preeclampsia is a particularly dreaded pregnancy complication that threatens the lives of mother and child. A correct diagnosis, however, is currently time-consuming and, in many cases, inaccurate. The Empa spin-off “MOMM Diagnostics” is developing a fast and precise test that provides diagnostic certainty and at the same time saves healthcare costs. Nausea, swollen hands or

CF patients experience improved lung health with lumacaftor-ivacaftor but with caveats

In adolescent and adult patients with cystic fibrosis taking lumacaftor-ivacaftor (ORKAMBI), the combination drug appears to improve lung function and body weight and reduce the need for intravenous antibiotic treatment, according to a French study published online in the American Thoracic Society’s American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine. However, nearly one in five

A Mozart playlist improved mortality in epileptic mice, study finds

A Mozart playlist improved mortality in epileptic mice, surprising study finds 80% of epileptic mice exposed to Mozart survived by the end of the 21-day study Only 50% of control epileptic mice, who were not exposed to music, survived The researchers at Utah said the findings were ‘fascinating’, ‘unexpected’, and ‘a huge discovery’  e-mail View

CDC: Heart attack awareness improved since 2008

(HealthDay)—Since 2008, there has been an increase in the number of U.S. adults with awareness of heart attack symptoms and knowledge of the appropriate response to a heart attack, according to research published in the Feb. 8 issue of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. Jing Fang, M.D.,

Tailored lifestyle feedback during colorectal cancer screening improved health behaviors

A program that provided individually tailored lifestyle recommendations for patients undergoing screening for colorectal cancer helped encourage healthy behavior, according to results published in Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research. “It is well known that a healthy lifestyle decreases the risk of colorectal cancer,” said the study’s

Improved rescue kits for people with diabetes, hypoglycemia

Being with someone who has diabetes and needs immediate care to avoid a coma can be a frightening situation. Even worse, current products and injection kits to help in those emergencies can be complicated to use. Now Purdue University researchers are working on a solution similar to common EpiPen devices that could help diabetic patients

High-risk HPV linked to improved survival in cervical cancer

The presence of the human high-risk papillomavirus (hrHPV) in the diagnosis of invasive cervical cancer is linked to a greatly improved prognosis compared to cases in which hrHPV cannot be identified in the tumour, according to researchers at Karolinska Institutet in Sweden, who have published their results in the scientific journal PLOS Medicine. The researchers

MGMT promoter methylation associated with improved survival for patients with WHO Grade II Gliomas

Further exploration into the endpoints of the NRG Oncology/RTOG 0424 trial resulted in the discovery that MGMT promoter methylation is an independent prognostic biomarker of high-risk, low-grade glioma treated with temozolomide and radiation. This is the first study of its kind to validate the prognostic significance of MGMT promoter methylation in this patient population and

Improved CPR training could save more lives, research finds

More people will survive cardiac arrest if resuscitation course designers and instructors address shortcomings in educational offerings, new research shows. A new statement released today by the American Heart Association, the world’s leading voluntary health organization devoted to fighting cardiovascular disease, in its journal Circulation, indicates standardized online and in-person courses are falling short and

Surveillance intensity not associated with earlier detection of recurrence or improved survival in colorectal cancer

A national retrospective study led by researchers at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center found no association between intensity of post-treatment surveillance and detection of recurrence or overall survival (OS) in patients with stage I, II or III colorectal cancer (CRC). Published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, the study is

Treating muscle wasting improved cancer survival

Researchers from the University of Jyväskylä in Finland have found that continued treatment of muscle wasting with a soluble growth factor receptor protein, produced at the University of Helsinki, improved survival in a pre-clinical cancer model without affecting the tumour size. This effect was not found when the mice were treated with the recombinant protein