Tag: treating

Inflammation protection may be critical to treating multiple sclerosis

Prolonging a cellular defense response to inflammation could help regenerate the protective coating of axons that is degraded in diseases such as multiple sclerosis (MS), according to a Northwestern Medicine study published in eLife. There are currently no FDA-approved drugs that have been shown to effectively regenerate this coating, called myelin. This new strategy could

Research reduces barriers for doctors treating children with autism

While autism specialists are crucial in the diagnosis and treatment of children with autism, primary care providers are very often the first to care for children with autism spectrum disorder. Two new studies reveal a range of barriers these clinicians face in recognizing and treating autism symptoms, as well as evidence that an innovative tele-mentoring

Solving long-sought protein structure opens new avenues for treating disease

Scientists at Sanford Burnham Prebys have identified the long-sought structure of an essential blood protein: vitronectin. Knowing the protein’s structure—an advance that enables rational drug design—could lead to medicines that kill multi-drug-resistant bacteria, halt cancer metastasis, treat age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and more. The study was published in Science Advances.  “For decades, scientists have speculated

Treating stroke patients just 15 minutes earlier can save lives

Initiating stroke treatment just 15 minutes faster can save lives and prevent disability, according to a new UCLA-led study, published today in JAMA. The research also determined that busier hospitals—those that treat more than 450 people for stroke each year—have better outcomes than those that treat fewer than 400 stroke patients per year. Researchers at

Hospitals may divert ambulances to avoid treating certain patients

Some hospitals may strategically divert ambulances to avoid treating low‐paying patients who are uninsured or who have Medicaid, according to a recent analysis. Charleen Hsuan, assistant professor of health policy and administration at Penn State, led a study that examined whether hospitals are more likely to temporarily close their emergency departments to ambulances—a process known

A new way of diagnosing and treating disease—without cutting skin

University of British Columbia researchers have developed a specialized microscope that has the potential ability to both diagnose diseases that include skin cancer and perform incredibly precise surgery—all without cutting skin. The researchers describe the technology in a study published today in Science Advances. “Our technology allows us to scan tissue quickly, and when we

Health Tip: Treating Dry Eye

— Dry eye syndrome occurs when your eyes do not make enough tears. As adults get older, they are more likely to have medical conditions that trigger dry eye, such as autoimmune diseases, diabetes, stroke and thyroid problems, the AARP says. Certain medications also may affect tear glands’ ability to function properly. AARP suggests how

A new hope in treating neurodegenerative disease

Korean researchers have identified the inhibition of autophagy in microglia, brain immune cells. It is expected to help develop treatments for Alzheimer’s disease which occur due to the inhibition of autophagy. Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is the most representative degenerative brain disease, accounting for 60 to 80 percent of all dementia cases. In search for new

First-ever guidelines for detecting, treating perimenopausal depression

It is well-recognized that women are at increased risk of depression during postpartum when hormone levels are changing, but the risk of depression associated with perimenopause—the time right before menopause when female hormones are in decline—remains under-recognized and clinical recommendations on how to diagnose and treat this kind of depression in women have been lacking

New approach to treating chronic itch

Researchers at the University of Zurich have discovered a new approach to suppressing itch by targeting two receptors in the spinal cord with the right experimental drug. In a series of experiments in mice and dogs, they successfully alleviated different forms of acute as well as chronic itch. For the chronic itch, current treatment options

Acupuncture and cognitive behavioral therapy for treating insomnia in cancer survivors

A Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI)-supported randomized clinical trial of cancer survivors showed that eight weeks of either acupuncture or cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBT-I) decreased the severity of insomnia among cancer survivors, though improvements were greatest among patients receiving cognitive behavioral therapy. The study will be presented at the upcoming 2018 ASCO Annual

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