Body

PHILADELPHIA - Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients with higher measures of tumor mutations that show up in a blood test generally have a better clinical response to PD-1-based immunotherapy treatments than patients with a lower measure of mutations.

NEW YORK (February 26, 2020) -- Vaporized hydrogen peroxide (VHP) failed to completely sterilize surgical tools 76 percent of the time when the tools were soiled with salts or blood and not cleaned prior to sterilization, according to a study published today in Infection Control & Hospital Epidemiology, the journal of the Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America.

Philadelphia, February 26, 2020 - The Roberts Individualized Medical Genetics Center (RIMGC) at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) launched in 2014 as a first-of-its-kind system to help families navigate the complex process of genetic and genomic testing and standardize how genetic testing is performed across different clinical disciplines.

CLEVELAND, Ohio (February 26, 2020)--Increased fat distribution during menopause has long been shown to increase insulin resistance and the risk of diabetes. A new study based on data from the Women's Health Initiative (WHI) shows that being metabolically unhealthy increases diabetes risk, even in women of normal weight. Results are published online today in Menopause, the journal of The North American Menopause Society (NAMS).

Aggressive colorectal cancers set up an interactive network of checkpoints to keep the immune system at bay, scientists report.

Immune checkpoints found throughout the body are intended to protect your body from being attacked by your immune system. But in the structural framework a tumor lays down, they instead protect the tumor, says Dr. Yan Cui, immunologist in the Georgia Cancer Center and Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at the Medical College of Georgia at Augusta University.

A portable 'electronic nose' can accurately pick up the precursor condition to food pipe (oesophageal) cancer, known as Barrett's oesophagus, indicates a proof of principle study, published online in the journal Gut.

This inexpensive and non-invasive technique may be a promising test for diagnosing oesophageal cancer in primary care, say the researchers.

The number of new cases of this cancer has risen sixfold over the past few decades, with most cases being diagnosed when the disease is already advanced and difficult to treat.

Mid-life weight gain is linked to an acceleration in the natural decline in lung capacity that comes with ageing, reveals a 20-year study published online in the journal Thorax.

But mid-life weight loss is associated with the slowing of this ageing process, emphasising the importance of maintaining a healthy weight, to stave off serious respiratory ill health, say the researchers.

Lung capacity is measured by forced vital capacity (FVC) and forced expiratory volume (FEV). It's an important indicator of future ill health and life expectancy.

The age at which a woman's periods stop, and the menopause starts, doesn't seem to be linked to the development of the risk factors typically associated with cardiovascular disease, suggests research published online in the journal Heart.

But the loss of oestrogen production does compromise heart health, so women should routinely be given hormone replacement therapy (HRT) to stave this off, argue specialists in a linked editorial.

4-10% of adults worldwide have a chronic cough - a cough lasting more than eight weeks.

Phase 2b clinical trial of drug to treat unexplained chronic cough, a condition that has a significant impact on quality of life, shows promising results.

Currently, no effective licensed therapies exist for this problem.

Some species of deaf moths can absorb as much as 85 per cent of the incoming sound energy from predatory bats -- who use echolocation to detect them. The findings, published in Royal Society Interface today [25 February], reveal the moths, who are unable to hear the ultrasonic calls of bats, have evolved this clever defensive strategy to help it survive.

Patients with opioid use disorder (OUD) receiving treatment with opioid agonists (medications such as methadone or buprenorphine) had an 80 percent lower risk of dying from an opioid overdose compared to patients in treatment without the use of medications.

The new findings, published online February 25 in the journal Addiction, are a collaboration between researchers at NYU Grossman School of Medicine, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, the Maryland Department of Health, and multiple Maryland State agencies.

MINNEAPOLIS - Pingpong may hold promise as a possible form of physical therapy for Parkinson's disease. People with Parkinson's who participated in a pingpong exercise program once a week for six months showed improvement in their Parkinson's symptoms, according to a preliminary study released today that will be presented at the American Academy of Neurology's 72nd Annual Meeting in Toronto, Canada, April 25 to May 1, 2020.

Boston - A new study shows that people with opioid use disorder who enter inpatient medically managed withdrawal treatment (detox) do not usually receive further treatment, including medication for opioid use disorder or additional inpatient treatment. Those who did receive further treatment with medication (methadone, buprenorphine or naltrexone) or residential treatment were more likely to survive to 12 months.

Globally, an estimated 1.9 billion adults and 380 million children are overweight or obese. According to the World Health Organization, more people are dying from being overweight than underweight. Researchers at Concordia are urging health authorities to rethink their approach to obesity.