A new paper in Brain, published by Oxford University Press, indicates that a COVID-19 infection may prompt Guillain-Barré syndrome. Since early 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic has affected the entire world, either by direct infection or through its social and economic consequences. Besides the well-known severe respiratory signs, and the risk […]
Zolgensma—which treats spinal muscular atrophy, a rare genetic disease that damages nerve cells, leading to muscle decay—is currently the most expensive drug in the world. A one-time treatment of the life-saving drug for a young child costs US$2.1 million. While Zolgensma’s exorbitant price is an outlier today, by the end […]
A procedure widely used to treat birth-related brain damage in newborn babies in low and middle income countries (LMICs) may increase the risk of death. This is the finding of research led by Imperial College London, together with several large hospitals in South Asia, published in the journal The Lancet […]
The Food and Drug Administration’s approval in June of a drug purporting to slow the progression of Alzheimer’s disease was widely celebrated, but it also touched off alarms. There were worries in the scientific community about the drug’s mixed results in studies — the FDA’s own expert advisory panel was […]
The health outcomes of preterm babies can be significantly improved by timely and appropriate interventions in women presenting with preterm labor. However, the non-specific nature of presenting signs and symptoms of preterm labor make it challenging to diagnose, and unnecessary overtreatment is both common and costly. A study published in […]
Streptococcus pneumoniae is a major human pathogen and a leading cause of several infectious diseases including pneumonia, the third-leading cause of death in Portugal. In Europe, S. pneumoniae is the most common cause of community-acquired bacterial pneumonia in adults. Still, very little is known about its colonization within this age […]
A type of psychotherapy that changes how people regulate thinking patterns may reduce anxiety and depression for people recovering from heart problems, new research shows. The study, published Monday in the American Heart Association journal Circulation, found 1 in 3 people who took part in metacognitive therapy, or MCT, during […]
Taking more steps per day, either all at once or in shorter spurts, may help you live longer, according to preliminary research to be presented at the American Heart Association’s Epidemiology, Prevention, Lifestyle & Cardiometabolic Health Conference 2021. The meeting is virtual, May 20-21, and offers the latest science on […]
Engaging in household chores may be beneficial for brain health in older adults. In a recent Baycrest study, older adults who spent more time on household chores showed greater brain size, which is a strong predictor of cognitive health. “Scientists already know that exercise has a positive impact on the […]
Patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) whose cancer cells have low levels of aneuploidy—an abnormal number of chromosomes—tend to respond better to immune checkpoint inhibitor drugs than patients with higher levels, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute researchers will report at the virtual AACR Annual Meeting 2021. In analyzing data from hundreds […]