Medical News

• share
• favorite_border

Penn Medicine researchers have singled out a bacterial enzyme behind an imbalance in the gut microbiome linked to Crohn’s disease. The new study, published online this week in Science Translational Medicine, suggests that wiping out a significant portion of the bacteria in the gut microbiome, and then re-introducing a certain type of “good” bacteria that lacks this enzyme, known as urease, may be an effective approach to better treat these diseases.

• share
• favorite_border

Denise Cai, PhD, Assistant Professor of Neuroscience at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, has been selected as one of the Allen Institute for Brain Science’s 2017 Next Generation Leaders.

• share
• favorite_border

By focusing on genetic variations within a primary tumor, differences between the primary and a metastatic tumor, and additional diversity from tumor DNA in the blood stream, physicians can make better treatment choices for patients with gastric and esophageal adenocarcinoma. This study challenges current guidelines and supports evaluation of metastatic lesions and circulating tumor DNA.”

• share
• favorite_border

Ganesh Halade has published a functional and structural compendium of the simultaneous changes taking place in the heart, spleen and kidneys in mice during the period of acute heart failure immediately following a heart attack and during the longer period of chronic heart failure that comes next.

• share
• favorite_border

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced today the authorization of MSK-IMPACT™ (which stands for integrated mutation profiling of actionable cancer targets), a high throughput, targeted-DNA-sequencing panel for somatic mutations. Created by the Department of Pathology at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSK), MSK-IMPACT is a 468-gene oncopanel intended to detect gene mutations and other critical genetic aberrations in both rare and common cancers.

• share
• favorite_border

A stem cell therapy did not improve walking ability in people with peripheral artery disease, although exercise did lead to significant improvements, according to a new study. This is the largest trial of this type of therapy in people with blockages in leg arteries. Scientists were disappointed that stem cell therapy didn’t improve walking, because earlier research suggested it could be beneficial.

• share
• favorite_border

Anaheim Convention Center Anaheim, California Nov. 11-15

• share
• favorite_border

Fortified and biofortified foods are at the forefront of efforts to combat vitamin A deficiency worldwide. But little is known about what influence processing may have on the retention of vitamin A precursors in these foods. Now in a study appearing in ACS Omega, scientists report that a high percentage of these healthful substances — in some cases, almost all — can survive cooking, depending on the preparation method.

• share
• favorite_border

• share
• favorite_border

The American Thoracic Society (ATS) and the Japanese Respiratory Society (JRS) have published additional clinical practice guidelines regarding four specific questions related to the diagnosis of lymphangioleiomyomatosis (LAM) and management of pneumothoraces in patients with LAM.

• share
• favorite_border

After boys and young men with Duchenne muscular dystrophy received cardiac progenitor cell infusions, medical tests indicated that the patients’ hearts appeared improved, results from a new study show. Patients in the study also scored higher on arm strength tests after receiving the cell infusions.

• share
• favorite_border

Using smartphone cameras, parents can reliably take high-quality photographs of their child’s skin condition to send to a dermatologist for diagnosis. This finding suggests that direct-to-patient dermatology can accurately provide pediatric dermatology care.

• share
• favorite_border

• share
• favorite_border

For patients suffering from eczema (atopic dermatitis), dermatologists will sometimes recommend bleach baths to decrease bacterial infection and reduce symptoms. But a new Northwestern Medicine study found no difference in the effectiveness of a bleach bath compared to regular water baths. In addition, bleach baths can cause stinging and burning of skin, and occasionally even trigger asthma flare-ups in patients.

• share
• favorite_border

Ronald V. Maier, MD, FACS, was elected President-Elect of the ACS at the College’s Annual Business Meeting held during the 2017 Clinical Congress.

• share
• favorite_border

Seattle Children’s today launched a $1 billion initiative, It Starts With Yes: The Campaign for Seattle Children’s, with a bold vision: to transform children’s health. It Starts With Yes is the largest campaign in Seattle Children’s 110-year history.

• share
• favorite_border

A research team at The University of Texas at El Paso is one step closer to developing an effective human vaccine for cutaneous leishmaniasis, a tropical disease found in Texas and Oklahoma, and affecting some U.S. troops stationed in Afghanistan and Iraq.

• share
• favorite_border

The court-ordered publication of “corrective statements” by major U.S. tobacco companies later this month should serve as a reminder that tobacco addiction remains a major health problem in the country and that Big Tobacco has a long history of marketing practices aimed at hooking a new generation on a lethal product, according to an editorial published online in the Annals of the American Thoracic Society.

• share
• favorite_border

Research from The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center finds adherence to surgical treatment guidelines has improved significantly among older Texas patients with colon cancer since 2001, while adherence to chemotherapy guidelines has remained largely unchanged. The study, published today in Cancer, identifies factors influencing adherence rates, including socioeconomic status and access to skilled physicians.

• share
• favorite_border

Representative Jaime Raskin (D-MD) joins Fight Colorectal Cancer's Congressional Committee to advocate for CRC patients from the Hill. Raskin is a stage III survivor.