ICI-Related Myocarditis Deaths Down With Tailored Non-Corticosteroid Strategy
For immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI)-associated myocarditis, increased vigilance of respiratory muscle failure and initiation of JAK‐STAT pathway inhibition led to a jump in patient survival at a Paris hospital. Based on 40 consecutive cancer patients admitted to Assistance Publique-Hôpitaux de Paris with confirmed ICI-associated myocarditis, the incidence of related death dropped from 60% during the […]
How a high fat diet allows expulsion of intestinal parasite worms
Scientists have discovered that a high-fat diet allows the immune system to eliminate a parasitic worm which is a major cause of death and illness in the developing world. Parasitic worms affect up to a billion people, particularly in developing nations with poor sanitation. One of these parasites known as “whipworm” can cause long lasting […]
Can Biomarkers Give Early Heads-Up on Immune Checkpoint Inhibitor Myocarditis?
In the quest to catch myocarditis earlier during immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI) therapy for cancer, researchers have found a potential role for routinely measured biomarkers. Of 2,606 consecutive ICI recipients at Michigan Medicine, the 1% who developed myocarditis often or always had elevated high-sensitivity troponin T (hsTnT; 100%), alanine aminotransferase (ALT; 88.9%), aspartate aminotransferase (AST; […]
Why the Now-Dominant BQ COVID Strains Are Cause for Concern
The latest circulating COVID-19 variants have shown greater immune escape, which will likely lead to increasing cases over the coming months, experts said. New Omicron subvariants BQ.1 and BQ.1.1 together now make up more than half of all COVID cases in the U.S. (30.9% and 31.9%, respectively), according to the CDC’s COVID Data Tracker, representing […]
Higher Risk of Severe Breakthrough COVID for Certain HIV Patients
People with HIV and moderate or severe immune suppression contended with a higher risk for severe COVID-19 after breakthrough infections, researchers reported. When compared to people without HIV, the risk of severe breakthrough illness on multivariable analysis was 59% higher in HIV patients with CD4 counts below 350 cells/μL (adjusted hazard ratio [aHR] 1.59, 95% […]
Triplet in First-Line Kidney Cancer Thwarts Disease Progression
PARIS — Adding the tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) cabozantinib (Cabometyx) to dual immune checkpoint inhibition improved progression-free survival (PFS) in patients with advanced renal cell carcinoma (RCC), the phase III COSMIC-313 trial found. Among 550 patients with untreated intermediate- or poor-risk disease, those treated with the triplet therapy had a median PFS that was not […]
Cellular waste may supercharge immune cell function
The immune cells that protect us from infection and cancer seek out a wide array of fuel sources to power their function — including some long thought to be cellular waste products. The findings, published today in Cell Metabolism, lay the foundation for future personalized dietary recommendations designed to supercharge the immune system and augment […]
IV Nutrition: Few Proven Benefits for Growing Trend Among Athletes
What if you could “recover from dehydration and immune challenges, and support athletic recovery and chronic health challenges like fatigue, weight gain, and inflammation,” all with a special vitamin cocktail delivered straight into your bloodstream? Turns out, you probably can’t. But according to an editorial published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine Tuesday, elite […]
Chemo-Free Maintenance Combo Promising in Pancreatic Cancer
Pairing a PARP inhibitor and immune checkpoint inhibitor together may be a viable non-cytotoxic maintenance therapy option for patients with platinum-sensitive pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC), according to findings of a single-center phase Ib/II study. At a median follow-up of 23.0 months, combining the PARP inhibitor niraparib (Zejula) with the anti CTLA-4 antibody ipilimumab (Yervoy) achieved […]
New way in which T cells learn to tell friend from foe
The human immune system is a nearly perfect defense mechanism. It protects the body from disease-causing bacteria, viruses, and other pathogens. It detects nascent tumors and eradicates them. It cleans up cellular debris at the site of injury or infection. To perform its myriad functions, the immune system must, above all, differentiate between self and […]