Uncategorized Archives - Page 124 of 148

FridayNov 06, 2020 1:30 pm

New Drug May Boost Cancer Patients’ Response to Immunotherapy Treatments

In order to eliminate tumors while strengthening a cancer patient’s immune system, health providers administer cancer immunotherapies to patients. Immunotherapy is revolutionizing the treatment of cancer as many patients respond very well to these treatments, with some actually experiencing a long-lasting remission. However, some types of cancer aren’t as easy to treat with this method, which is why enlarging the effect of this approach remains a high priority. A team of researchers led by Douglas Fearon and Tobias Janowitz, both scientists from Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, may have found a way to do this. In collaboration with the University of…

FridayNov 06, 2020 11:45 am

Engineers Develop Heated Face Mask to Kill COVID-19

Face masks, as we have seen, have been effective in filtering out the SARS-CoV-2 virus, thus reducing the risk of a coronavirus infection. A group of scientists from MIT now aim to develop a mask that uses heat to inactivate viruses. These innovative masks will have a built-in, heated copper mesh. When an individual who is wearing the mask breathes in and out, the air flows across the mesh repeatedly, which slows and inactivates any viral particles in the air using high temperatures and the mesh. The researchers state that this mask could be useful for health-care providers as well…

ThursdayNov 05, 2020 2:23 pm

VistaGen Therapeutics’ (NASDAQ: VTGN) New Generation Phase 3 Drug Candidate for Social Anxiety Disorder Gains Importance Amid FDA Wariness of Benzodiazepines

VistaGen has three innovative CNS drug candidates which target a wide range of anxiety, depression and neurological disorders PH94B, the Company’s most advanced drug candidate, is entering Phase 3 development for acute, on-demand treatment of social anxiety disorder Company sees potential to displace benzodiazepines currently being used to treat multiple anxiety disorders Strategy has gained in importance after U.S. FDA announced in late-September its update requirement for boxed warnings on all benzodiazepines to highlight risks of abuse, misuse, addiction, and physical dependence Benzodiazepine epidemic is as worrisome as the opioid epidemic – 92 million benzodiazepine prescriptions in 2019 according to…

ThursdayNov 05, 2020 1:00 pm

Research Discovery Suggests Fitness Trackers Could Identify COVID-19 Infections

In a study published last week in “Nature Medicine,” a group of researchers from the Scripps Research Translational Institute discovered that wearable fitness devices may improve public health efforts to control the coronavirus. The data analyzed was collected in the DETECT study, which was launched on March 25. The smartphone app gathers activity tracker and smartwatch data from consenting participants. It also collects the participants’ self-reported symptoms as well as diagnostic test results. Any adult living in the United States can participate in the study; all you have to do is download the MyDataHelps app. The team noted that devices…

ThursdayNov 05, 2020 11:30 am

How to Prepare for Future Pandemics

More than a century ago, the Spanish flu pandemic spread across the globe, claiming the lives of an estimated 50 million people. Unlike today, there were no mechanical ventilators, diagnostic tests or anti-inflammatory medications apart from aspirin. The first vaccines of the diseases weren’t even available until 1936, almost two decades after the destruction of the Spanish flu. According to forecasts by the Imperial College London, approximately 1.3 million people will succumb to the coronavirus this year. Many factors have reduced the mortality rates of the disease, including advanced technology and better execution of social-distancing measures. In the United States…

WednesdayNov 04, 2020 3:07 pm

Brain Scientific Inc. (BRSF) Is ‘One to Watch’

Brain Scientific is a commercial-stage health care company aiming to modernize the brain diagnostics market by employing cutting edge technologies to bridge the widening gap in access to neurological care The company’s current offerings are the NeuroCap(TM) and NeuroEEG(TM) – two FDA-cleared devices delivered by wholly owned subsidiary MemoryMD Inc. The company’s intellectual property portfolio includes three patents in the U.S., China and Europe Brain Scientific is developing new products, including disposable EEG headsets for pediatric patients, long-term monitoring solutions and artificial intelligence options for monitoring and recording brain activity The company was selected as a finalist at the 2020…

WednesdayNov 04, 2020 1:30 pm

New Sensors Help Monitor Bone Health Around Dental Implants

In a study published in the “IEEE Sensors Journal” on Sept. 25, 2020, scientists developed a sensor that can be integrated in dental implants to monitor bone growth. This avoids the need for multiple X-rays of the jaw. Presently, dentists use X-rays to observe jaw health after a patient gets a dental implant. Dental X-rays require low doses of radiation, and we all know that undergoing too many X-rays isn’t good for human health. This new sensor, on the other hand, not only passively monitors bone growth but also reduces the frequency with which patients neet X-rays after receiving dental…

WednesdayNov 04, 2020 12:00 pm

How AI Can, Cannot Help in Search for Coronavirus Vaccine

The use of artificial intelligence (AI) in the development of coronavirus vaccines, which started barely three months after the virus was first identified in China, has revolutionized the way vaccines are developed. According to the World Health Organization, in September 34 different vaccines were being tested in humans and an additional 145 vaccine candidates had tests being conducted in the lab or on animals. These are surprising numbers, especially considering that it takes years, sometimes decades, to develop a vaccine. Up until the COVID-19 outbreak, the mumps vaccine was the fastest-produced vaccine with a four-year record of development, from sample…

TuesdayNov 03, 2020 12:00 pm

Lab-Grown Miniature Lungs Mimic Real Lungs in All Ways, Researchers Find

A group of researchers has grown a lung-model in the lab that mimics the alveoli, which are fragile lung air sacs where lung damage as well as the COVID-19 infection occurs. This advancement has allowed Duke University researchers to observe the fight between lung cells and the SARS-CoV-2 cells at great molecular scale. The SARS-CoV-2 virus harms the alveoli. This leads to acute respiratory distress and pneumonia, which is the main cause of death in coronavirus patients. Researchers have been hindered in coronavirus studies due to the absence of experimental models that imitate human lung tissues. However, the team, led…

TuesdayNov 03, 2020 10:00 am

Researchers Can Predict Whether Rheumatoid Arthritis Patients Will Respond to Treatment

A new study conducted by researchers at the Queen Mary University of London has produced innovative biomarkers that can be used to predict patient responsiveness to DMARDs (disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs). Rheumatoid arthritis is an inflammatory disorder that can affect not only one’s joints but also blood vessels, heart, lungs, eyes and skin. The disease causes painful swelling that results in joint deformity and bone erosion. Patients with rheumatoid arthritis are usually treated using disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs. This is despite the fact that almost 50% of rheumatoid arthritis patients are unresponsive to DMARD treatment. Up until now, no method was available…