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Released: 17-Nov-2020 11:00 AM EST
Story Tips From Johns Hopkins Experts On COVID-19
Johns Hopkins Medicine

For many of us, this year’s holiday season may look different, and many are asking how we can enjoy the fellowship of the season while keeping ourselves, our loved ones and our communities safe from COVID-19.

Released: 17-Nov-2020 8:55 AM EST
Patients taking statins experience similar side effects from dummy pills
Imperial College London

People taking dummy pills and statins experienced similar side effects in a new study.

Released: 16-Nov-2020 12:05 PM EST
Cleveland Clinic Led Trial Shows Drug Effective in 96% of Patients with Recurrent Pericarditis
Cleveland Clinic

Cleveland: Cleveland Clinic researchers leading a global clinical trial have found that rilonacept, an FDA approved drug for other inflammatory diseases, resolved acute pericarditis episodes and reduced risk of pericarditis recurrence. The study was published today in the New England Journal of Medicine and presented at the American Heart Association’s Scientific Sessions.

13-Nov-2020 4:30 PM EST
Study Shows Ablation Procedure More Effective Than Medications for Initial Treatment of Atrial Fibrillation
Cleveland Clinic

Cleveland: Cleveland Clinic researchers have found that cryoballoon ablation as the initial treatment for atrial fibrillation is more effective than current standard-of-care management using medications. The study was published today in the New England Journal of Medicine.

15-Nov-2020 10:40 AM EST
A Novel Monoclonal Antibody Therapy Cuts LDL Cholesterol by Half in a High-Risk Patient Population, Study Shows
Mount Sinai Health System

The investigational drug evinacumab reduced low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol—the so-called “bad” cholesterol—by 50 percent in patients with severe hypercholesterolemia whose condition is resistant to standard treatments, a phase 2 study from the Icahn School of Medicine of Mount Sinai and other global academic sites has found.

12-Nov-2020 3:05 PM EST
Polypill along with aspirin cuts heart attacks and strokes by up to 40%: International study
McMaster University

The information came from the International Polycap Study 3 (TIPS-3) study which followed the participants an average of 4.6 years. The study of 5,714 people from nine countries, particularly India and the Philippines, looked at the polypill alone compared to a placebo; aspirin alone versus a placebo, and the polypill plus aspirin versus a double placebo. The men in the study were 50 or older and the women were 55 or older.

10-Nov-2020 11:20 AM EST
Study of Nearly 2,000 Marine Recruits Reveals Asymptomatic SARS-CoV-2 Transmission Among Young Adults During Supervised Quarantine
Mount Sinai Health System

Results suggest the need for widespread surveillance testing to reduce COVID-19 transmission in group settings

Released: 2-Nov-2020 1:45 PM EST
NEJM Features University of Miami Expertise in Handling Elective Surgeries during Pandemic Surges
University of Miami Health System, Miller School of Medicine

Three medical authors published a clinical decisions article in the New England Journal of Medicine documenting three approaches to managing elective surgery during COVID-19 given the same scenario.

Released: 30-Oct-2020 8:25 AM EDT
NEJM: Clinical Trial Indicates Monoclonal Antibody Lowered Hospitalizations and Emergency Visits
Cedars-Sinai

COVID-19 (coronavirus) patients who were administered a novel antibody had fewer symptoms and were less likely to require hospitalization or emergency medical care than those who did not receive the antibody, according to a new study published in the The New England Journal of Medicine.

Released: 23-Oct-2020 11:00 AM EDT
Healthcare's earthquake: Lessons from COVID-19
Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center

The COVID-19 pandemic has fundamentally disrupted U.S. healthcare organizations.

22-Oct-2020 8:20 AM EDT
Clinical trial shows experimental drug safely slows progression of diabetic kidney disease
University of Chicago Medical Center

Patients with diabetic kidney disease can potentially be treated with a new investigational medication that may slow the progress of their illness without harmful side effects to their hearts, according to the results of a global clinical trial announced Friday.

Released: 22-Oct-2020 2:25 PM EDT
Tocilizumab doesn't ease symptoms or prevent death in moderately ill COVID-19 inpatients
Massachusetts General Hospital

The drug tocilizumab (Actemra) does not reduce the need for breathing assistance with mechanical ventilation or prevent death in moderately ill hospitalized patients with COVID-19, according to a new study led by researchers at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH).

Released: 13-Oct-2020 12:30 PM EDT
Act now on wildfires, global climate change, human health, study says
Monash University

Immediate actions are needed to limit the greenhouse gas emissions that are driving climate change that helps fuel wildfires, a Monash University study says.

Released: 6-Oct-2020 11:00 AM EDT
Antibiotics Could Replace or Delay Surgery for Appendicitis in Adults
Michigan Medicine - University of Michigan

Michigan Medicine participated in a large clinical trial which found that, in many cases, appendicitis can be safely and effectively treated with antibiotics instead of surgery.

Released: 5-Oct-2020 7:30 PM EDT
Study Shows Antibiotics May be Viable Treatment Option for Appendicitis
Henry Ford Health

Every year more than 250,000 people undergo surgery for appendicitis, making it one of the 20 most common surgeries performed in the United States. In the largest randomized U.S. study of appendicitis published today in the New England Journal of Medicine, researchers from Henry Ford Health System and 24 other sites around the U.S. report that seven in 10 patients who received antibiotics avoided surgery and that patients who took antibiotics for symptom relief fared no worse in the short term than those who underwent surgery.

Released: 5-Oct-2020 3:50 PM EDT
Pioneering research shows the benefits and risks of treating appendicitis with antibiotics instead of surgery
University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston

Results of a first-of-its-kind clinical trial shed light on when antibiotics instead of surgery might be the better choice for treating appendicitis in some patients, according to results from the national Comparing Outcomes of Antibiotic Drugs and Appendectomy (CODA) trial published today in the New England Journal of Medicine.

Released: 5-Oct-2020 11:00 AM EDT
Antibiotics treat appendicitis as well as an appendectomy in the short term for most patients
American College of Surgeons (ACS)

Seven of 10 adults with appendicitis can safely avoid surgical removal of their appendix (appendectomy) for at least several months by receiving a course of antibiotics.

1-Oct-2020 7:05 PM EDT
Benefits, risks seen with antibiotics-first for appendicitis
University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), Health Sciences

Antibiotics may be a good choice for some, but not all, patients with appendicitis, according to results from the Comparing Outcomes of Drugs and Appendectomy (CODA) trial.

28-Sep-2020 11:30 AM EDT
Yale Trial Validates Immunotherapy Treatment for Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer
Yale Cancer Center/Smilow Cancer Hospital

The immunotherapy drug atezolizumab improves survival over standard chemotherapy for many patients with newly diagnosed non-small cell lung cancer, according to a new study led by Yale Cancer Center researchers.

Released: 30-Sep-2020 3:45 PM EDT
Investigational COVID-19 vaccine well-tolerated, generates immune response in older adults
NIH, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID)

A Phase 1 trial of an investigational mRNA vaccine to prevent SARS-CoV-2 infection has shown that the vaccine is well-tolerated and generates a strong immune response in older adults.

Released: 21-Sep-2020 9:00 AM EDT
Study Reinforces Benefit Using Targeted Therapy for Early Stage NSCLC
Yale Cancer Center/Smilow Cancer Hospital

According to updated findings led by researchers at Yale Cancer Center, treatment with the targeted therapy osimertinib following surgery continues to significantly improve disease-free survival (DFS) in patients with early-stage, non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) with epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) gene mutations.

18-Sep-2020 8:25 PM EDT
KRAS inhibitor sotorasib appears safe, achieves durable clinical benefit in early trial
University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center

For patients with advanced solid cancers and KRAS G12C mutations, the targeted therapy sotorasib, a KRAS G12C inhibitor, resulted in manageable toxicities and durable clinical benefits, particularly in lung and colorectal cancer, in Phase I study

Released: 10-Sep-2020 4:45 PM EDT
UNC Researchers Publish Striking Images of SARS-CoV-2 Infected Cells
University of North Carolina School of Medicine

UNC School of Medicine researchers took striking images of the SARS-CoV-2 virus produced by infected respiratory epithelial cells inside human respiratory tract cultures. The New England Journal of Medicine featured this work in its “Images in Medicine” section.

   
Released: 4-Sep-2020 1:40 PM EDT
New weight-loss hope for those with highest obesity risk: Underserved, low-income patients
Pennington Biomedical Research Center

Low-income Louisiana patients enrolled in a tailored obesity intervention program lost much more weight than counterparts receiving usual care.

31-Aug-2020 10:05 AM EDT
Existing Class of Drugs May Improve Neurological Function in Patients with Rare, Aggressive Genetic Disorder
Children's Hospital of Philadelphia

New findings show that some patients with a rare and aggressive form of leukodystrophy may benefit from receiving treatment with a class of targeted therapy drugs that could improve their neurological function.

Released: 31-Aug-2020 1:30 PM EDT
National Study in Children, Adults Weighs Effectiveness of Three Anti-Seizure Drugs
UT Southwestern Medical Center

DALLAS – Aug. 31, 2020 – Three anticonvulsant drugs commonly used to stop prolonged, potentially deadly seizures each work equally well, according to a national study led by physicians at UT Southwestern. The results provide reassurance to patients who may have drug allergies and to physicians and hospitals that may not have supplies of all three.

Released: 27-Aug-2020 8:30 AM EDT
UVA-Developed Artificial Pancreas Effective for Children Ages 6-13, Study Finds
University of Virginia Health System

An artificial pancreas originally developed at the University of Virginia Center for Diabetes Technology safely and effectively manages blood sugar levels in children ages 6 to 13 with type 1 diabetes, a national clinical trial has found.

26-Aug-2020 3:05 PM EDT
Lung cancer trial of RET inhibitor selpercatinib achieves durable responses in majority of patients with RET gene fusions
University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center

For patients with non-small cell lung cancers marked by RET gene fusions, the targeted therapy selpercatinib was well tolerated and achieved durable objective responses, or tumor shrinkage, in the majority of patients in a Phase I/II trial.

18-Aug-2020 2:15 PM EDT
Major weight loss — whether from surgery or diet — has same metabolic benefits
Washington University in St. Louis

A longstanding theory has suggested that gastric bypass surgery may have unique, weight loss-independent effects in treating type 2 diabetes. But new research from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis indicates that weight loss after surgery, rather than the surgery itself, drives metabolic improvements, such as the remission of diabetes.

17-Aug-2020 1:40 PM EDT
New Study Identifies Better Treatment Option for Common Complication of Dialysis
Mount Sinai Health System

Use of drug-coated balloon angioplasty to treat blocked blood vessels used for hemodialysis offers hope for millions of patients globally

Released: 13-Aug-2020 12:10 PM EDT
Flipping a metabolic switch to slow tumor growth
University of California San Diego

The enzyme serine palmitoyl-transferase can be used as a metabolically responsive “switch” that decreases tumor growth, according to a new study by a team of San Diego scientists, who published their findings Aug. 12 in the journal Nature. By restricting the dietary amino acids serine and glycine, or pharmacologically targeting the serine synthesis enzyme phosphoglycerate dehydrogenase, the team induced tumor cells to produce a toxic lipid that slows cancer progression in mice.

Released: 12-Aug-2020 5:00 PM EDT
Combination therapy significantly improves survival outcomes for patients with acute myeloid leukemia
University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center

A combination regimen of venetoclax and azacitidine was safe and improved overall survival (OS) over azacitidine alone in certain patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML), according to the Phase III VIALE-A trial led by The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center.

Released: 11-Aug-2020 1:55 PM EDT
COVID-19 clinical trials lack diversity
University of Georgia

Despite disproportionately higher rates of COVID-19 infection, hospitalization and death among people of color, minority groups are significantly underrepresented in COVID-19 clinical trials.

Released: 27-Jul-2020 6:35 PM EDT
John Theurer Cancer Center Investigators Participated in ZUMA-2 Study Leading to FDA Approval of First CAR T-Cell Therapy for Recurrent/Persistent Mantle Cell Lymphoma
Hackensack Meridian Health

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration granted accelerated approval for brexucabtagene autoleucel (TECARTUS™, formerly KTE-X19) as the first and only CAR T-cell therapy for patients with mantle cell lymphoma (MCL) relapsed or refractory to prior treatments. Investigators from Hackensack Meridian John Theurer Cancer Center (JTCC) at Hackensack University Medical Center in New Jersey participated in the pivotal trial which the approval was based: the ZUMA-2 clinical trial, which assessed the safety and effectiveness of brexucabtagene autoleucel in patients with relapsed or refractory MCL who had received up to five prior regimens of treatment and had exhausted all other therapies. That transformative study showed that 93% of patients responded to treatment, with 67% achieving a complete response (no evidence of disease). The data were published in the April 2, 2020 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.

22-Jul-2020 1:00 PM EDT
COVID-19 and Health Equity: Time to Think Big
University of North Carolina School of Medicine

Authors of a new perspective on health inequities say that, in addition to health policy and individual-level efforts, social policy solutions are needed. They identify two key lessons from the pandemic: public policy enables public health and health equity requires big investments in public policy.

Released: 21-Jul-2020 4:50 PM EDT
Coronavirus antibodies fall dramatically in first 3 months after mild cases of COVID-19
University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), Health Sciences

A study by UCLA researchers shows that in people with mild cases of COVID-19, antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 — the virus that causes the disease — drop sharply over the first three months after infection, decreasing by roughly half every 36 days on average. If sustained at that rate, the antibodies would disappear within about a year.

Released: 15-Jul-2020 3:00 PM EDT
Survey: Most Ophthalmologists Support Efforts to Reduce Medicine’s Big Carbon Footprint
American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO) and ASCRS

A just published survey of more than 1,300 U.S. cataract surgeons and nurses shows 93 percent believe that something needs to be done to reduce the excessive amount of waste produced by surgery.

   
Released: 13-Jul-2020 11:20 AM EDT
Single-Dose Flu Drug Reduces Spread Within Households
University of Virginia Health System

Only 1.9% of uninfected household contacts who took a single dose of baloxavir marboxil came down with the flu.

8-Jul-2020 8:55 AM EDT
Experimental drug shows early promise against inherited form of ALS, trial indicates
Washington University in St. Louis

A clinical trial conducted at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis and other sites has found evidence that the experimental drug tofersen lowers levels of a disease-causing protein in people with an inherited form of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or ALS, caused by mutations in the gene SOD1.

Released: 30-Jun-2020 7:55 AM EDT
Rutgers Pediatricians Co-Author First Nationwide Study of COVID-19 Related Multiple Inflammatory Syndrome in Children
Rutgers University-New Brunswick

Rutgers pediatricians co-lead first nationwide study describing the diagnosis, treatments and outcomes of COVID-19 related multiple inflammatory syndrome in children

   
Released: 29-Jun-2020 3:40 PM EDT
New York State Department of Health Announces Study on Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children
University at Albany, State University of New York

The New York State Department of Health today announced that the Department has led a study on multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C) associated with COVID-19, which was published today in the New England Journal of Medicine. The Department collaborated with the University at Albany School of Public Health and the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to complete the study.

Released: 17-Jun-2020 6:05 PM EDT
PSA screening affords men long-term benefits, study finds
University of Washington School of Medicine

Prostate cancer researchers and clinicians recommend reconsidering screening guidelines, saying benefits may outweigh potential harms.

17-Jun-2020 5:05 PM EDT
New Study Examines Long-Term Benefits of Prostate-Specific Antigen (PSA) Screening for Prostate Cancer
Seattle Cancer Care Alliance

Genitourinary cancer specialists from Seattle Cancer Care Alliance, University of Washington School of Medicine, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, and Weill Cornell Medicine have published an article , “Reconsidering the Trade-offs of Prostate Cancer Screening,” in the New England Journal of Medicine on the long-term benefits of prostate-specific antigen (PSA) screening for prostate cancer in men. In the article, investigators concluded that the advantages of widespread screening – including reduced mortality and the potential to avoid metastases – are likely greater than estimates cited in current guidelines.

15-Jun-2020 1:30 PM EDT
Multispecialty Centers that Treat Pediatric Swallowing Disorders Deliver Better Outcomes and Reduced Health Care Costs Compared to Traditional Specialist Visits
Massachusetts Eye and Ear

Children who choke when they drink or eat may have what’s known as dysphagia, or a swallowing disorder -- one of the most common medical complaints seen in young children. A new study has found that by combining different medical disciplines in one center rather than a typical care journey making appointments one specialist at a time, children had better outcomes, reduced the number of procedures needed, and health care costs were reduced.

Released: 15-Jun-2020 10:25 AM EDT
COVID-19 may trigger new diabetes, experts warn
King's College London

Emerging evidence suggests that COVID-19 may actually trigger the onset of diabetes in healthy people and also cause severe complications of pre-existing diabetes.

10-Jun-2020 1:00 PM EDT
Reprogramming of Immune System Cures Child with Often-Fatal Fungal Infection
University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), Health Sciences

In the June 11 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine, a team of UCLA physicians and scientists describes the first case of immune modulation being used to cure a severe and often fatal fungal infection. The team “retuned” a 4-year-old’s immune system so that it could fight off disseminated coccidioidomycosis.

Released: 7-Jun-2020 10:35 PM EDT
New report examines challenges and implications of false-negative COVID-19 tests
Dartmouth College

As communities across the U.S. have struggled to cope with the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, many have focused on the lack of widespread testing as a major barrier to safely reopening the country.

Released: 4-Jun-2020 3:35 PM EDT
UMN trial shows hydroxychloroquine has no benefit over placebo in preventing COVID-19
University of Minnesota

Today, University of Minnesota Medical School researchers published the results from the first randomized clinical trial testing hydroxychloroquine for the post-exposure prevention of COVID-19.

Released: 29-May-2020 10:30 AM EDT
Targeted therapy tepotinib for non-small cell lung cancer with MET exon 14 skipping mutation shows durable response
University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center

Patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and the MET exon 14 (METex14) skipping mutation had a 46.5% objective response rate to the targeted therapy drug tepotinib, as shown in a study published today in the New England Journal of Medicine and presented at the 2020 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting (Abstract 9556 – Poster 322) by researchers from The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center.

Released: 28-May-2020 9:40 AM EDT
As hospitals walk the tightrope of patient data-sharing, one system offers a new balance
Michigan Medicine - University of Michigan

Every major medical center in America sits on a gold mine of patient data that could be worth millions of dollars to companies that could use it to develop new treatments and technologies. A new framework could help them do so more responsibly, going beyond the minimum legal requirements and respecting patients by giving them more say in how their individual data may be used.

   


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