Scientists Worry Virus Variant May Push Up COVID Cases In US
With coronavirus cases rising in parts of Europe and Asia, scientists worry that an extra-contagious version of the omicron variant may soon push cases up in the United States too. Experts are also keeping their eyes on another mutant: a rare delta-omicron hybrid that they say doesn’t pose much of a threat right now but […]
Rare Seizure Disorder Gets Its First Drug Approval
Ganaxolone (Ztalmy) won approval to treat seizures associated with cyclin-dependent kinase-like 5 (CDKL5) deficiency disorder (CDD), a rare genetic epilepsy, in patients ages 2 and older, the FDA announced. Ganaxolone is a neuroactive steroid that acts as a positive allosteric modulator of the GABAA receptor. The oral therapy is the first drug approved specifically for […]
Add-on Pembrolizumab Tied to Good QoL in Women With Advanced Cervical Cancer
PHOENIX — The addition of pembrolizumab (Keytruda) to chemotherapy, with or without bevacizumab (Avastin), in women with persistent, recurrent, or metastatic cervical cancer was linked with better quality of life (QoL), a researcher reported. Patient-reported outcomes (PRO) from the KEYNOTE-826 trial showed that changes from baseline in QLQ-C30 global health status (GHS)/QoL scores — a […]
Adjuvant Chemo Disappoints in Low-Grade Serous Ovarian Cancer
PHOENIX — Adjuvant chemotherapy was not associated with better overall survival (OS) for patients with advanced stage low-grade serous ovarian carcinoma undergoing primary cytoreductive surgery, according to an observational study presented here. There was no difference in OS between patients who did and did not receive adjuvant chemotherapy, with 4-year OS rates of 77.5% and […]
7 Ways Your Commute Is Wrecking Your Health And Relationships
Dealing with honking cars, train delays and frustrated fellow passengers can be its own kind of hellish Olympic sport. And a lot of us do it every day as we commute to work. The percentage of Americans with a commute greater than 90 minutes a day nearly doubled between 2010 and 2019. And as people […]
Mother-to-Baby COVID-19 Transmission Likely Rare
New mothers with COVID-19 had a low chance of passing the infection on to their baby, according to a systematic review and meta-analysis. In 472 studies that included over 14,000 babies born to mothers with SARS-CoV-2 infection, only 1.8% (95% CI 1.2-2.5) tested positive on an RT-PCR test, reported Shakila Thangaratinam, MD, PhD, of the […]
A new brain-computer interface with a flexible backing: The flexible backing allows arrays of micro-scale needles to conform to the contours of the brain, which improves high-resolution brain recording
Engineering researchers have invented an advanced brain-computer interface with a flexible and moldable backing and penetrating microneedles. Adding a flexible backing to this kind of brain-computer interface allows the device to more evenly conform to the brain’s complex curved surface and to more uniformly distribute the microneedles that pierce the cortex. The microneedles, which are […]
Brain differences in children with binge eating disorder
Brain scans of children ages 9-10 with a type of eating disorder that causes uncontrollable overeating showed differences in gray matter density compared to their unaffected peers, according to a USC-led study. Binge eating disorder, which affects about 3-5% of the U.S. population, is characterized by frequent episodes of eating large amounts of food and […]
People with diabetes who eat less processed food at night may live longer: Study finds eating carbs earlier in the day is linked to better heart health
The time of day that people with diabetes eat certain foods may be just as important to their well-being as portion size and calories, according to a new study published in the Endocrine Society’s Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism. Mealtimes should be in line with the biological clock — a natural, internal process that […]
Third U.S. Case of Congenital Varicella in the Last 25 Years
An Illinois mother with no history of varicella vaccination or documented disease delivered a premature infant with congenital varicella infection — reportedly only the third U.S. case of congenital varicella syndrome since 1995. The infant was born at 24 weeks gestation following induction of labor after ultrasound showed fetal abnormalities. The baby died shortly after […]