Clinical Trials & Research

The hypothalamus, one of the most complex brain regions in the mammalian nervous system, contains an astonishing heterogeneity of neurons that regulate endocrine, autonomic and behavioral functions. It not only regulates food consumption, water intake, body temperature, circadian rhythm and sleep to maintain the survival of individual organisms, but also controls puberty onset and reproductive

The method by which a baby was delivered is associated with how its immune system will respond to two key childhood vaccines, research suggests. Babies born naturally were found to have higher antibody levels, compared with those born via Caesarian section after receiving their jabs that protect against bacteria that cause lung infections and meningitis.

Asthma + Lung UK is calling for lung health to become an urgent priority after a damning report, released ahead of World COPD Day tomorrow, reveals that almost a quarter of people surveyed with the deadly lung disease chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), waited more than five years for a diagnosis, whilst one in eight waited

A recent study posted to the medRxiv* preprint server examined adverse reactions after administration of a bivalent BNT162b2 coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccine booster. Vaccination is critical against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), but emerging mutant variants of the virus impair the effectiveness of vaccines based on the original/wildtype SARS-CoV-2. Consequently, bivalent vaccines with

One of every 10 patients with appendiceal cancer carries a germline genetic variant associated with cancer predisposition, according to a study in JAMA Oncology that is the first to show inherited risk factors for this rare cancer. Appendiceal cancer affects about one or two people per million annually. Historically it has been thought that appendiceal

Nov 11 2022 Since their first publication in 2010, the EULAR recommendations for the use of disease-modifying anti-rheumatic treatments (DMARDs) in people with RA have become a most important publication in the field, and their updates are relied upon by many healthcare professionals, professional organisations and other stakeholders to offer an up-to-date and robust analysis

More people die from pneumonia in the UK than anywhere else in Europe, according to new analysis by leading lung charity, Asthma + Lung UK. Now, the charity is raising awareness of the signs and symptoms of pneumonia, and urging people who are eligible, such as those with severe asthma, pulmonary fibrosis and COPD, to get

microRNAs can play a role in cancer development and are thought to exclusively suppress protein expression in dividing cells, such as tumor cells. But new research published in ACS Central Science shows that some of these tiny molecules can elevate the expression of a particular gene in dividing human cells and in cancer cells, challenging

Exoskeletons — motorized mechanical devices attached to an individual’s body to assist movement — have been a popular feature in science fiction movies from Robocop to Iron Man as a means to give someone  superhuman skills. Ankle exoskeleton. Image Credit: Victoria University But researchers at Victoria University’s (VU) Institute for Health and Sport are using

A year-long study of the dietary habits of 9,341 Australians has backed growing evidence that highly processed and refined foods are the leading contributor of rising obesity rates in the Western world. The new study, in the latest issue of the journal Obesity conducted by the University of Sydney’s Charles Perkins Centre (CPC), was based

Launched today by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (the MHRA), the seventh annual #MedSafetyWeek is running until 13 November to encourage widespread public engagement and improve patient safety by reporting suspected side effects associated with medicines and adverse incidents involving medical devices. This year’s campaign is a truly global effort and involves healthcare

Night owls may be looking forward to falling back into autumn standard time but a new study from the University of Ottawa has found Daylight Saving Time may also suit morning types just fine. Research from Dr. Stuart Fogel, a cognitive neuroscientist, professor at the University of Ottawa’s School of Psychology, and researcher at the

When life should have been ripe with possibilities, Mandy Murry instead faced a devastating diagnosis. Murry was diagnosed with cervical cancer when she was 22. She had her cervix and uterus removed to treat it. Her doctor believes the cancer was caused by the human papillomavirus (HPV). “I was expected to have that ‘happily ever

In a recent study published in the Current Opinion in Pharmacology journal, researchers assessed the impact of environmental toxicants and brown adipose tissue (BAT) on obesity and metabolic disorders. Obesity results from higher energy intake compared to energy expenditure, which in turn results in an increase in adiposity. The calorie gap for preventing weight gain

From PittconNov 3 2022Reviewed by Mychealla Rice Pittcon is a dynamic, transnational conference and exposition on laboratory science, a venue for presenting the latest advances in analytical research and scientific instrumentation, and a platform for continuing education and science-enhancing opportunity. Pittcon is for anyone who develops, buys, or sells laboratory equipment, performs physical or chemical

Microplastics are not just tiny particles that can be ingested, they can also carry viruses, a University of Queensland study has revealed. The study, led by Associate Prof Jianhua Guo and Dr Ji Lu from UQ’s Australian Centre for Water and Environmental Biotechnology (ACWEB), investigated if microplastics have the ability to harbor viruses, including the

Research led by The University of Queensland has found COVID-19 activates the same inflammatory response in the brain as Parkinson’s disease. The discovery identified a potential future risk for neurodegenerative conditions in people who’ve had COVID-19, but also a possible treatment. The UQ team was led by Professor Trent Woodruff and Dr Eduardo Albornoz Balmaceda

Researchers at the Stroke Research and Prevention Group (HKU Stroke), Department of Medicine, School of Clinical Medicine, LKS Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong (HKUMed) found that the incidence of ‘young stroke’ (strokes occurring in individuals aged 18 to 55 years) has increased by 30% in Hong Kong from 2001 to 2021, thus

For World Stroke Day 2022, News-Medical speaks to Dr. Patrick Brouwer, Head of Worldwide Medical Affairs at CERENOVUS, about why saving #Precioustime is critical when it comes to recognizing and seeking medical treatment for stroke.Thought LeadersDr. Patrick BrouwerHead of Worldwide Medical AffairsCERENOVUS Please can you introduce yourself and tell us about your background, as well

Pediatric musculoskeletal ultrasound (PedMSUS) has great potential in the evaluation of children with arthritis, and since 2012 several PedMSUS courses have been endorsed by EULAR – The European Alliance of Rheumatology Associations. But despite this, there has been no agreed educational procedure for the conduct, content and format of these courses. This is critical, since

Johns Hopkins Medicine researchers say they have successfully used a cell’s natural process for making proteins to “slide” genetic instructions into a cell and produce critical proteins missing from those cells. If further studies verify their proof-of-concept results, the scientists may have a new method for targeting specific cell types for a variety of disorders

Researchers at Linköping University have identified in mice the cells in the blood vessels of the brain that are necessary for a fever reaction. The results have been published in PNAS, and answer a long-standing question of which organs are involved in producing fever. Everyone gets fevers, occasionally. If we understand the mechanisms behind fever,

An international study led by a Rutgers scientist comparing new and older treatments against complicated urinary tract infections has found a new drug combination to be more effective, especially against stubborn, drug-resistant infections. Describing the results in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), researchers in the ALLIUM Phase 3 clinical trial showed that

Major depressive disorder affects women twice as often as men, but researchers are still trying to identify the reasons why. Researchers at Michigan State University have recently received a $3 million grant from the National Institutes of Health to continue their investigation of how male and female brains respond to stress differently and how testosterone

In a recent study posted to the medRxiv* server, researchers in Germany and Switzerland evaluated 11 commercial reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) kits (A to L) for Monkeypox virus (MPXV) detection. Study: Evaluation of eleven commercially available PCR kits for the detection of Monkeypox virus DNA. Image Credit: Salov Evgeniy / Shutterstock Background From May 2022, cases of

In a recent study published in PNAS, researchers demonstrated the structural basis of how the receptor-binding domain (RBD) nested Omicron mutations have adapted to mouse angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) rather than human ACE2. Study: Structural basis for mouse receptor recognition by SARS-CoV-2 omicron variant. Image Credit: Naeblys/Shutterstock Background Speculations about the source of the severe

A team of researchers from Japan studying the processes of hair follicle growth and hair pigmentation has successfully generated hair follicles in cultures. Their in vitro hair follicle model adds to the understanding of hair follicle development which could contribute to development of useful applications in treating hair loss disorders, animal testing, and drug screenings.

In a recent study posted to the medRxiv* preprint server, University of Arizona researchers assessed the relationship between antibody responses and analgesic usage after coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccination. Study: No evidence that analgesic use after COVID-19 vaccination negatively impacts antibody responses. Image Credit: Natalia Dolgosheeva / Shutterstock Background Related Stories COVID-19 vaccines have shown high efficacy