Novel Chemo Delivery System Achieves High Response Rate in Bladder Cancer
CHICAGO — An investigational intravesical delivery system designed to provide sustained local release of gemcitabine into the bladder produced high rates of complete response (CR) in difficult-to-treat non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC), data from an ongoing phase IIb study showed. Preliminary results from the SunRISe-1 trial demonstrated that monotherapy with the novel treatment, dubbed TAR-200, led […]
All Opioid Pain Meds to Get New Safety Warnings, FDA Says
The FDA is making several updates to prescribing information for opioid pain medications to provide guidance on safe use, according to a Drug Safety Communication, including a new warning that they can increase sensitivity to pain. Changes to the prescribing information and labeling for immediate-release (IR) and extended-release or long-acting (EX/LA) opioids will be made […]
Mail-Back Envelopes Will Be Dispensed With Outpatient Opioid Scripts
The FDA will require manufacturers of opioid drugs that are dispensed in outpatient settings to provide prepaid mail-back envelopes to outpatient pharmacies and other dispensers, the agency announced Monday. The move is part of the FDA’s comprehensive approach to addressing the overdose crisis, according to FDA Commissioner Robert Califf, MD. “We believe these efforts will […]
AAP Guidelines: ‘Watchful Waiting’ No Longer the Right Call for Child Obesity
In contrast to previous recommendations, pediatricians and other pediatric healthcare providers are advised to provide “immediate, intensive obesity treatment to each patient” as soon as they receive a diagnosis, according to new guidance from the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP). The guidance, published in Pediatrics, marks the AAP’s first clinical practice guideline outlining evidence-based evaluation […]
Green tea extract may harm liver in people with certain genetic variations
Long-term use of high-dose green tea extract may provide some protection against cancer, cardiovascular disease, obesity and type 2 diabetes, but it also may create liver damage in a small minority of the population. Who is at risk? Research from Rutgers, published in The Journal of Dietary Supplements, provides the first solid clue: two genetic […]
Benzodiazepines or Antihistamines for Acute Vertigo?
Moderately strong evidence suggested antihistamines provide greater acute vertigo relief than benzodiazepines, a meta-analysis showed. Single-dose antihistamines led to a 16.1-point (95% CI 7.2-25.0) greater decrease in vertigo symptom scores on a 100-point visual analog scale (VAS) compared with single-dose benzodiazepines at about 2 hours after treatment, reported Benton Hunter, MD, of Indiana University School […]
Satellites and drones can help save pollinators
Satellites and drones can provide key information to protect pollinators, researchers say. A new study examines new ways of using these technologies to track the availability of flowers, and says this could be combined with behavioural studies to see the world through the eyes of insects. The flowers available to insects vary from day to […]
Meningitis B Vaccine May Protect Against … Gonorrhea?
Vaccination against meningococcal serogroup B may also provide modest protection against gonorrhea, evidence from the U.S. and Australia showed. According to surveillance records from New York City and Philadelphia, complete vaccination with the four-component meningococcal serogroup B vaccine (MenB-4C; Bexsero) provided 40% protection against gonorrhea infection compared with no vaccination (adjusted prevalence ratio [APR] 0.60, […]
Large study challenges the theory that light alcohol consumption benefits heart health: Any observed benefit likely results from other lifestyle factors common among light to moderate drinkers, say researchers
Observational research has suggested that light alcohol consumption may provide heart-related health benefits, but in a large study published in JAMA Network Open, alcohol intake at all levels was linked with higher risks of cardiovascular disease. The findings, which are published by a team led by researchers at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) and the Broad […]
Immunological memory provides long-term protection against coronavirus
Exposure to SARS-CoV-2 by infection or vaccination generates immune cells that provide long-term immunity. These long-lived memory T cells play a key role in preventing severe cases of Covid-19. Researchers at the University of Zurich have now discovered how these memory T cells form. Many questions about how exposure to SARS-CoV-2 by infection or immunization […]