Organoids created from patients’ bladder cancers could guide treatment: Custom 3-D mini-tumors mimic individual patient’s cancer

Columbia University Irving Medical Center (CUIMC) and NewYork-Presbyterian researchers have created patient-specific bladder cancer organoids that mimic many of the characteristics of actual tumors. The use of organoids, tiny 3-D spheres derived from a patient’s own tumor, may be useful in the future to guide treatment of patients. The study was published today in the

Deprivation skews school children’s food habits

New research has found that schools in poorer areas could be doing more to entice young people to eat at school, by making the eating areas more attractive places to socialise and treating pupils more like customers at lunchtime. The recent study was conducted by researchers at the University of Hertfordshire and has been published

Combination of medications slows down brain tumours in children

In collaboration with a number of American colleagues, researchers from Uppsala University have found an Achilles’ heel for the most common form of malignant child brain tumours. By combining two kinds of medicines, it is possible to simultaneously attack the cancer cell’s division and its reinforcement system, which is necessary in order for treatment to

Brain waves synchronize at live music performances

If you enjoy listening to music, a live performance is where that enjoyment will peak, according to a new study led by Western researchers. When individuals attend a live concert and listen to music as a group, their brains waves synchronize – a bond that indicates each individual is having a better time as part

Genetic signature predicts diabetes diagnosis

University of Queensland researchers have found a way to identify infants who will go on to develop type 1 diabetes. UQ Diamantina Institute researcher Professor Ranjeny Thomas said the discovery would lead to the development of better screening tests to identify children at highest risk. “Most children diagnosed with type 1 diabetes do not have

Online message board advice on ICDs reflects inaccuracies

Medical advice about implanted cardiac defibrillators obtained via an online message board appears to be accurate only half of the time, according to preliminary research presented at the American Heart Association’s Quality of Care and Outcomes Research Scientific Sessions 2018, a premier global exchange of the latest advances in quality of care and outcomes research

Common diabetes drug may also help with nicotine withdrawal

In a mouse study, a drug that has helped millions of people around the world manage their diabetes might also help people ready to kick their nicotine habits. In a report published this week in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), investigators say metformin, an inexpensive drug commonly used to treat patients with

Factors ID’d for breastfeeding behavior in women with BMI >30

(HealthDay)—Five psychological factors are associated with breastfeeding behaviors among women with a body mass index ≥30 kg/m², according to a review published online March 24 in Obesity Reviews. Stephanie Lyons, from the University of Manchester in the United Kingdom, and colleagues examined the correlation between any psychological factor and breastfeeding behavior among women with a

Early intervention service cuts suicide rate in schizophrenia

(HealthDay)—Early intervention (EI) services seem to improve the suicide rate for patients with first-episode schizophrenia-spectrum (FES) disorders, according to a study published online April 4 in JAMA Psychiatry. Sherry Kit Wa Chan, M.R.C.Pysch., from the University of Hong Kong, and colleagues examined the correlation of a two-year EI service with suicide reduction in patients with

A potential new therapeutic target for Ewing sarcoma

The sarcoma research group of the Bellvitge Biomedical Research Institute (IDIBELL), led by Dr. Òscar Martínez-Tirado, has identified a potential new therapeutic target for Ewing sarcoma, the second most frequent bone cancer in children and adolescents, and a tumor known for its aggressiveness and tendency to metastasize. The research is published in the International Journal

Medical Campus students to perform ‘The Addams Family’

Washington University Medical Campus students will get creepy and kooky, mysterious and spooky, and altogether ooky in their performance of “The Addams Family Musical” March 22, 23 and 24 in St. Louis College of Pharmacy’s Auditorium, 4530 Parkview Place, on the Medical Campus. The production is the 13th annual musical produced, directed and performed by

Gut microbes influence severity of intestinal parasitic infections

A new study indicates that the kinds of microbes living in the gut influence the severity and recurrence of parasitic worm infections in developing countries. The findings, by researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, suggest that manipulating the gut’s microbial communities may protect against intestinal parasites, which affect more than 1

Link between 2 key Alzheimer’s proteins explained

It’s a paradox of Alzheimer’s disease: Plaques of the sticky protein amyloid beta are the most characteristic sign in the brain of the deadly neurodegenerative disease. However, many older people have such plaques in their brains but do not have dementia. The memory loss and confusion of Alzheimer’s instead is associated with tangles of a

Macular degeneration linked to aging immune cells

As people age, their immune systems age, too. And new research at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis suggests that aging immune cells increase the risk for age-related macular degeneration, a major cause of blindness in the United States. Studying mice and cells from patients, the researchers found that as immune cells called

6 things keeping CIOs up at night

Last month, LexisNexis brought together 30 high-level executives, most of whom were CIOs from hospitals, nursing homes and health plans of all sizes from across the county to find out what data-related issues are weighing on them most as we get further into 2018. Ed Domansky, LexisNexis manager of media and analyst relations, and Erin

Unprecedented psychological distress months after Hurricane Harvey: More than half of Harris County residents are still struggling

Four months after Hurricane Harvey soaked the Houston area and displaced more than a third of the population, an alarming 52 percent of Harris County residents said they were still struggling to recover, according to a new report from The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth) School of Public Health. “What we