One of the frustrations with anti-cancer therapy is that no one drug fits all: Most work well in some people but have little effect in other patients with the same type of cancer. This is as true of the newer immunotherapy treatments as it is of older types of chemotherapy. Weizmann Institute of Science researchers have now identified new markers that can help predict which patients have a better chance for a positive response to immunotherapy treatments.
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Researchers challenge new guidelines on aspirin in primary prevention
The most recent guidelines for primary prevention recommend aspirin use for individuals ages 40 to 70 years who are at higher risk of a first cardiovascular event, but not for those over 70. Yet, people over 70 are at increasingly higher risks of cardiovascular events than those under 70.
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Double success for University drug resistance research
Swansea University research into the threat posed by antifungal drug resistance has been highlighted in two prestigious international journals. Fungal disease now kills more people than malaria or TB and the Centre for Disease Control in the USA recognises emergence of multi-drug resistance in fungi as a high level threat.
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Can bilingualism protect the brain even with early stages of dementia?
A study by York University psychology researchers provides new evidence that bilingualism can delay symptoms of dementia. Alzheimer's disease is the most common form of dementia, making up 60 to 70 per cent of dementia cases. Of all activities with neuroplastic benefits, language use is the most sustained, consuming the largest proportion of time within a day. It also activates regions across the entire brain.
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Remdesivir prevents MERS coronavirus disease in monkeys
The experimental antiviral remdesivir successfully prevented disease in rhesus macaques infected with Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV), according to a new study from National Institutes of Health scientists. Remdesivir prevented disease when administered before infection and improved the condition of macaques when given after the animals already were infected.
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Scientists find ally in fight against brain tumors: Ebola
Glioblastomas are relentless, hard-to-treat, and often lethal brain tumors. Yale scientists have enlisted a most unlikely ally in efforts to treat this form of cancer - elements of the Ebola virus.
"The irony is that one of the world's deadliest viruses may be useful in treating one of the deadliest of brain cancers," said Yale's Anthony van den Pol, professor of neurosurgery, who describes the Yale efforts Feb. 12 in the Journal of Virology.
Therapeutic cancer vaccines were first developed 100 years ago and have remained broadly ineffective to date. Before tangible results can be achieved, two major obstacles must be overcome. Firstly, since tumor mutations are unique to each patient, cancer cell antigens must be targeted extremely precisely, which is very hard to achieve.
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