Small amounts of licorice raise blood pressure, study finds
It is known that large amounts of liquorice cause high blood pressure. A study by researchers at Linköping University, Sweden, now shows that even small amounts of liquorice raise blood pressure. The individuals who react most strongly also show signs of strain on the heart. Liquorice is produced from the root of plants of the […]
Dementia Predicted 10 Years Before Diagnosis
Blood protein profiles predicted future dementia in healthy adults, a large longitudinal study showed. Blood samples from over 50,000 people in the U.K. Biobank showed that four proteins — glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP), neurofilament light (NfL), growth differentiation factor-15 (GDF-15), and latent-transforming growth factor beta-binding protein 2 (LTBP2) — consistently were associated with subsequent […]
Before Stroke Thrombectomy, Keep the Bed Flat, Trial Says
PHOENIX — For large vessel occlusion (LVO) acute ischemic stroke patients planned for mechanical thrombectomy, bed positioning made a big difference in clinical worsening, the ZODIAC trial showed. Keeping the head of the bed flat at a zero-degree angle after the CT scan while awaiting the cath lab led to 50-fold fewer cases of early […]
Could Arthritis Enhance Male Fertility?
Infertility does not seem to be a problem for men with inflammatory joint diseases, a large Scandinavian study indicated. In fact, men with arthritis showed lower rates of childlessness relative to a control group, and had fathered more children on average, according to Gudrun David Sigmo, of Stavanger University Hospital in Norway, and colleagues. National […]
Clinical Challenges: Test Your Knowledge on Recent Advances in DLBCL
Knowledge about the biology of diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) and the number of treatments approved for the disease continues to grow. This three-question quiz will test one aspect from each article in MedPage Today‘s Clinical Challenges series on DLBCL that covered the following: use of bispecific antibodies versus CAR T-cell therapy in the relapsed/refractory […]
Clinical Challenges: Secondary CNS Relapse in Diffuse Large B-Cell Lymphoma
Central nervous system (CNS) relapse occurs in roughly one in 20 patients with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL), but in some disease subtypes that risk increases substantially. “In certain subsets of patients, the risk is quite low, but in others it can be quite high so it is better to focus on the high-risk groups,” […]
Clinical Challenges: Using Pola-R-CHP for Diffuse Large B-Cell Lymphoma
Earlier this year, the FDA approved a new frontline option for patients with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL): the antibody-drug conjugate polatuzumab vedotin (Polivy) in combination with rituximab, cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, and prednisone (pola-R-CHP). Combination chemotherapy involving rituximab, cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine, and prednisone (R-CHOP) — and before that, CHOP alone — has been the established option […]
Study Links Being Breastfed to Cancer Risk in Adulthood
Additional evidence for a possible link between breastfeeding and colorectal cancer (CRC) was found in a large cohort study. In two prospective cohorts of 158,696 women followed for more than 20 years, being breastfed in infancy was associated with a 23% increased risk of CRC in adulthood (HR 1.23, 95% CI 1.10-1.38, P<0.001), Chen Yuan, […]
Resistant starch supplement reduces liver triglycerides in people with fatty liver disease
Resistant starch is a nondigestible fiber that ferments in the large intestine, and consumption of it has previously been shown to have a positive effect on metabolism in animal studies. Now, a 4-month randomized controlled trial in people with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) indicates that daily intake of resistant starch can alter gut bacteria […]
Afib Ablation Exceeds Expectations in Sickest Heart Failure Patients
AMSTERDAM — Catheter ablation conferred large clinical benefits to people with end-stage heart failure and symptomatic atrial fibrillation (Afib) in the small CASTLE HTx randomized trial that was terminated prematurely for efficacy. The trial, originally planned for 2 years, was brought to a halt upon the discovery that these patients undergoing catheter ablation had fewer […]