Impairments found in neurons derived from people with schizophrenia and genetic mutation
A scientific team has shown that the release of neurotransmitters in the brain is impaired in patients with schizophrenia who have a rare, single-gene mutation known to predispose people to a range of neurodevelopmental disorders. Significantly, the results from the research with human-derived neurons validated previous and new experiments that found the same major decrease […]
Walmart’s Low-Price Insulin Is a Band-Aid on a Broken System
Walmart just announced a new low-priced insulin for patients with diabetes. Is this good news? Yes, for some patients. Walmart already offers an older formulation of human insulin, ReliOn Novolin, for $25 per vial. Adding a low-cost rapid-acting analog insulin — ReliOn Novolog — to the Walmart ReliOn brand should help patients who are better […]
Some Liver Transplant Patients Got Hepatitis B From Donors
Hepatitis B virus (HBV) was discovered in patients receiving liver transplants, despite donors testing negative for the virus, CDC researchers found. From 2014 to 2019, the agency received reports of 20 patients who contracted HBV after liver transplants from donors who had no evidence of prior HBV infection, according to Danae Bixler, MD, and colleagues […]
Heart, Death Risks Linked With CKD-Related Iron Deficiency
Regardless of anemia, iron deficiency in patients with late-stage chronic kidney disease (CKD) was linked with adverse health outcomes, an observational study found. In 5,145 patients with stage 3-5 CKD not on dialysis, a transferrin saturation (TSAT) of 15% or less was associated with a higher risk for all-cause mortality before reaching dialysis or kidney […]
Did Fecal Transplant Stop COVID in Its Tracks?
Fecal microbiota transplant (FMT) was safe in two hospitalized patients who were co-infected with cases of COVID-19 that quickly resolved, raising questions about the procedure’s effect on the virus. FMT was effective for the two patients, who were receiving the treatment for Clostridium difficile (C. difficile) infections and subsequently tested positive for COVID-19, reported Jaroslaw […]
One GI Symptom Stuck Around Months After Severe COVID
While most gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms resolved for patients hospitalized with COVID-19, inability to gain weight persisted for months, researchers found in a retrospective study. Half of all patients (50.6%) could not regain weight at 3 months, while 32.4% of patients reported an inability to gain weight 6 months later, reported Arvind J. Trindade, MD, from […]
Poorly Managed Diabetes Raises Odds for More Severe COVID
Latest Coronavirus News TUESDAY, June 29, 2021 (HealthDay News) Hospitalized patients with diabetes who hadn’t been taking their medication had more severe cases of COVID-19, a new study shows. “Our results highlight the importance of assessing, monitoring and controlling blood glucose [sugar] in hospitalized COVID-19 patients from the start,” said study author Sudip […]
Managing attention deficit disorder by training the brain
Scientists explored a technique called ‘neurofeedback,’ which enables ADHD patients to train their attention, based on instant feedback from the level of their brain activity. The team of neuroscientists found that not only did the training have a positive effect on patients’ concentration abilities, but also that the attention improvement was closely linked to an […]
LDCT Screening Linked to Lower Risk of Brain Mets in Lung Cancer
Patients with primary lung cancer detected with low-dose computed tomography (LDCT) screening have a lower risk of developing brain metastases than patients whose cancer was detected through other methods, researchers found. After adjusting for age at diagnosis, cancer stage, histology, and smoking status, patients whose lung cancer was detected with LDCT screening had a significantly […]
Tenofovir Treatment Lessened Risk of Severe COVID Infection in HBV
Treatment with tenofovir reduced the risk of severe COVID-19 infection among patients with chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV), a researcher reported. In the database study of adults with HBV already on tenofovir (Biktarvy) or entecavir at 28 Spanish hospitals, patients on tenofovir had a 6% lower risk of developing severe COVID-19 versus 36% of those […]