December 2023 - BioMedWire (BMW)

FridayDec 29, 2023 12:13 pm

Highlights from Earnings Results of Major e-Commerce Sector Players

As the holiday shopping season draws to a close, more players in the e-commerce sector are reporting their earnings for the year. Below, we look at some of the major fulfillment vendors and retailers that announced earnings from their recent fiscal quarters. Amazon.com Inc. reported its highest operating income ever in its third quarter, raking in $143.1 billion. This increase represents a 343% growth, year over year (y-o-y). Walmart Inc.’s report shows that online sales in the United States rose by 24% for its 2023 fiscal third quarter. Over the same period, international e-commerce sales role 15% while global e-commerce…

ThursdayDec 28, 2023 12:10 pm

Light, Viruses Could Transform Brain-Tumor Treatment

A biomedical researcher from Spain has spent the past several years working on a novel brain-tumor treatment that would expand the boundaries of medical innovation to unseen territories. Dr. Marta Alonso shifted her focus to pediatric brain tumors after she met a teenager with medulloblastoma at the MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston more than 15 years ago. Medulloblastoma is a common pediatric cancerous brain tumor that typically starts growing in the cerebellum, the lower back region of the brain that is involved in movement, balance and muscle coordination. Treatment protocols for the pediatric cancer involve surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy,…

WednesdayDec 27, 2023 3:14 pm

FDA Announces Changes to Safety Labeling Requirements for Opioid Medications

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has announced that changes to safety labeling requirements for opioid medications are receiving final approval and implementation. These changes are part of the agency’s ongoing efforts to address the country’s opioid overdose epidemic, a crisis that has taken tens of thousands of American lives over the past several decades and is still one of the most prolific killers in the country. The changes were first announced in April 2023 when the FDA notified application holders of Abbreviated New Drug Applications (ANDAs) and New Drug Applications of the impending arrival of saget labeling updates for…

TuesdayDec 26, 2023 11:16 am

Israeli Study Offers Hope to Sleeping Sickness Patients

A multi-institutional team of Israeli researchers has made a breakthrough that could lead to more effective treatments for sleeping sickness, or trypanosomiasis. The condition is caused by Trypanosoma brucei, a microscopic parasite that is transmitted by the tsetse fly and is often fatal when left untreated. A joint Israeli research team from the Weizmann Institute in Rehovot and Bar-Ilan University (BIU) in Ramat Gan has now found that damaging the protein-production capacity essentially neutralizes the sleeping sickness parasite. Conducted by Nobel Prize laureate and BIU professor Shumali Michaeli and Weizmann Institute professor of chemical and structural engineering Ada Yonath, the…

FridayDec 22, 2023 2:27 pm

Studies Suggest Fasting Could Tone Down Alzheimer’s Signs

It is estimated that more than six million Americans suffer from Alzheimer’s, with data from the Alzheimer’s Association showing that every 67 seconds, another individual develops the illness. This progressive illness affects parts of the brain that control memory, thought and language. A common symptom that many patients experience first is mild loss of memory. Researchers believe that Alzheimer’s is caused by the buildup of proteins around and in brain cells. One of the primary proteins involved is the amyloid protein. Some studies have posited that what individuals eat can help slow or prevent the progression of this form of…

ThursdayDec 21, 2023 3:51 pm

Finnish Study Suggests Exercise Plays Smaller Role in Longevity

Common knowledge coupled with numerous polls on lifestyle and longevity indicate that exercise generally contributes to longer lives. Physicians consistently encourage their patients to exercise regularly, and many experts contend that the modern sedentary lifestyle has significantly contributed to poor health and reduced lifetimes. However, a recent Finnish Twins Cohort Study report has suggested that exercise may not be as integral to longevity as previously thought. The report notes that “leisure time physical activity” has little direct effect on lifespan, questioning the conventional knowledge that incorporating exercise into your lifestyle can help you live longer. Generally, an individual’s lifespan is…

WednesdayDec 20, 2023 2:30 pm

New Research Redefines Pathophysiology of Rheumatoid Arthritis, Paves Way for Precision Treatments

A recent paper that was published in the “Nature" journal has redefined rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and potentially opened the door to the development of targeted therapies. Researchers analyzed tissue collected from the synovial joints of almost 80 people diagnosed with moderate to high rheumatoid arthritis and built up a massive atlas of RA synovial changes from more than 314,000 single cells. This atlas could potentially lead to the development of targeted therapies that take into account the diversity of the rheumatoid arthritis disease process. Rheumatoid arthritis is an autoimmune disease that typically affects joints in the wrists, hands and knees. The…

TuesdayDec 19, 2023 9:00 am

Oncologist Explores Whether Including Fiber in Diets Boosts Immunotherapy Outcomes

We all know that a diet high in fiber is good for us, with studies suggesting that consuming a high-fiber diet can lower an individual’s risk for some cancers. Now, researchers are looking into whether a high-fiber diet can help patients with cancer fight a cancer diagnosis by boosting immunotherapy effectiveness. Previous research involving melanoma patients already determined that those with diets that were high in fiber responded better to immunotherapy. At the forefront of this latest research is assistant professor Brendan Guercio from the Wilmot Cancer Institute. Guercio has specialized in hematology/oncology and works as a medical oncologist who…

MondayDec 18, 2023 10:33 am

TikTok Restarts Indonesian e-Commerce Business with Major Investment in Tokopedia

TikTok has received approval to revive its e-commerce business in Indonesia and will invest $840 million into purchasing most of Tokopedia, the e-commerce unit of Indonesian tech conglomerate GoTo. The purchase will allow the Chinese social media company to relaunch its online shopping business in Indonesia, the largest economy in southeast Asia. TikTok already had 6 million sellers as well as 7 million creator affiliates in Indonesia before Indonesian president Joko Widodo called for stricter social media regulations and stopped transactions on the social media app in early October. The social media company already had thousands of sellers on the…

MondayDec 18, 2023 10:30 am

How Clene Inc. (NASDAQ: CLNN) CNM-Au8(R) Takes Advantage of Gold Nanocrystals to Target Neurodegenerative Disorders

Clene, a late clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company, creates clean-surfaced, catalytically active nanocrystals that directly modulate biological systems, including the central nervous system, by improving mitochondrial health The company’s lead investigational candidate, CNM-Au8(R), is currently in development as a disease-modifying treatment for people living with specific types of neurodegenerative disorders (“ND”), namely amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (“ALS”), Parkinson’s Disease, and multiple sclerosis (“MS”) Neurodegenerative disorders are characterized by neurodegeneration – the progressive loss of neuron structure, neuronal functions, and finally, the neurons themselves Nanotherapeutics are in development to stop or reverse neurodegeneration using novel approaches to address the mitochondrial deficits and bioenergetic crises…