Resources

Triple Lung Cancer Therapy With Experimental Drugs And Radiation Targets Most Resistant Cancers

The four most common gene mutations that occur in lung cancer include KRAS, TP53, STK11, and EGFR, These are often what make those cancers treatment-resistant. As a result, it’s far more difficult to choose the right therapy for lung cancers with genetic mutations. One new study out of Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia, however, has been experimenting with a triple therapy that has proved effective for KRAS gene mutations in mice. The triple therapy involves

Only 6 in Every 100,000 Abortions in England Performed to Save Life of the Mother

Just 6 in every 100,000 abortions being performed in England and Wales were undertaken to save the mother from a life-threatening situation, a new report has found. That means in 99.994 percent of abortions the baby was terminated even though the mother’s life was not immediately at risk. The new report issued by the British government highlights the alarming number of legal abortions conducted over recent decades with only a tiny fraction being conducted to

Hospice care increasing for nursing home patients with dementia

A new study of nursing home records shows more residents with dementia are seeking a hospice benefit and using it longer. The study also estimates that 40 percent of nursing home residents die with some degree of dementia. Researchers hope the new data will help policymakers preserve the hospice benefit even as they seek to control Medicare costs. In newly published research analyzing data on more than 3.8 million deceased nursing home residents, researchers at

Spinal disc herniation

Spinal disc herniation, also known as a slipped disc, is a medical condition affecting the spine in which a tear in the outer, fibrous ring of an intervertebral disc allows the soft, central portion to bulge out beyond the damaged outer rings. Disc herniation is usually due to age-related degeneration of the anulus fibrosus, although trauma, lifting injuries, or straining have been implicated. Tears are almost always postero-lateral in nature owing to the presence of

Biologic Drugs: How They Treat Conditions Like Rheumatoid Arthritis, And How They Stack Up To Synthetics

When we take a trip to the medicine cabinet, chances are most of us are on the hunt for a synthesized, complex compound. Basically, the medications we know and love are mostly made in labs, created through a series of chemical reactions. There are, however, other types of drugs around, even if they’re not as well-known? biologic agents. These drugs are derived from proteins; and are produced by living organisms like yeast and bacteria, rather

Parkinson’s disease

Parkinson’s disease (PD), also known as idiopathic or primary parkinsonism, hypokinetic rigid syndrome, or paralysis agitans, is a degenerative disorder of the central nervous system mainly affecting the motor system. The motor symptoms of Parkinson’s disease result from the death of dopamine-generating cells in the substantia nigra, a region of the midbrain. The causes of this cell death are poorly understood. Early in the course of the disease, the most obvious symptoms are movement-related; these

Medical Miracle Or Playing God: Human Chimeras Made With Man, Animal Cells Provide New Hope For Organ Transplants

In a world where the demand for organ transplants greatly outnumbers the availability of organ donors, a small division of scientists believes they have a solution: growing human organs inside the bodies of farm animals. Despite the National Institutes of Health (NIH) recently denouncing such projects, some independent U.S. research centers have decided to go ahead with plans to grow humans tissue and organs inside the bodies of genetically altered pigs and sheep. The complicated

Irritable bowel syndrome

Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) or spastic colon is a symptom-based diagnosis. It is characterized by chronic abdominal pain, discomfort, bloating, and alteration of bowel habits. Diarrhea or constipation may predominate, or they may alternate (classified as IBS-D, IBS-C, or IBS-A, respectively). As a functional gastrointestinal disorder (FGID), IBS has no known organic cause; however, excessive mast cell activation has a central pathophysiological role in the disorder. IBS is a disorder of the gut?brain axis. Onset

New Blood Test Is 99.6% Accurate, Safely Identifies Patients At Low Risk Of Heart Attack

A simple blood test can accurately identify patients at very low risk for heart attack, say, researchers. Almost two-thirds of people who arrive in an emergency room complaining of chest pain and fearing cardiac arrest might be safely discharged, the results of the new study suggest. “Implementation of this approach would reduce avoidable hospital admission and have major benefits for both patients and health-care providers,” wrote the authors sponsored by the University of Edinburgh and

Plantar fasciitis

Plantar fasciitis, also known as plantar fasciosis or jogger’s heel is a disorder that results in pain in the heel and bottom of the foot. The pain is usually most severe with the first steps of the day or following a period of rest. Pain is also frequently brought on by bending the foot and toes up towards the shin and may be worsened by a tight Achilles tendon. The condition typically comes on slowly.