Innovative surgical technique creates a nose for patients with ‘extremely rare’ genetic syndrome

Congenital arhinia (meaning patients born without a nose) is a rare condition associated with high mortality if not identified. As most babies when born are obligate nose breathers, the condition requires immediate attention. The clinical condition is a very rare genetic disorder that, in severe cases, causes congenital absence of the nose with life threatening conditions.

Psychological support can enhance quality of life for women with endometriosis

Severe abdominal pain, constipation and extremely painful periods: that is the reality for the around 5-10% of Danish women who suffer from endometriosis. Endometriosis is due to tissue resembling the uterine mucosa becoming lodged outside the uterus in the abdominal cavity, where it bleeds and causes a chronic inflammatory condition, and can lead to adhesions between the organs.

Team identifies a molecular mechanism of type 2 diabetes

Type 2 diabetes is a chronic disease in which the body does not produce enough insulin, or does not use it efficiently. It is caused by the combination of a genetic predisposition to obesity, sedentarism and an unhealthy diet, and it affects millions of people around the world. Now, researchers of the University of Barcelona (UB), the Institute for Research in Biomedicine (IRB) and the Diabetes and Associated Metabolic Diseases Networking Biomedical Centre (CIBERDEM), have identified a molecular mechanism involved in the development of this disease.

Points to consider when using interferon assays

Interferons are type of protein called a cytokine. They have important roles in the immune system. Interferons are split into three distinct families—Type I, Type II, and Type III. Due to their role in autoimmunity, Type I interferons are a therapeutic target that have been investigated in many RMDs and are also a possible biomarker that can be measured to help support diagnosis, prognosis, prediction of response to therapy, and patient stratification.