Posts in category: Uncategorized

A new radiotracer, 68Ga-FAP-2286, has been found to be more effective than the most commonly used nuclear medicine cancer imaging radiotracer, 18F-FDG. In a study published in the March issue of The Journal of Nuclear Medicine, 68Ga-FAP-2286 detected 100 percent of primary tumors across multiple cancer types as compared to 18F-FDG, which identified only 80 percent. 68Ga-FAP-2286 was also more effective in detecting lymph node metastases and distant metastases.

In virtually all persons with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and in up to half of all cases of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and frontotemporal dementia, a protein called TDP-43 is lost from its normal location in the nucleus of the cell. In turn, this triggers the loss of stathmin-2, a protein crucial to regeneration of neurons and the maintenance of their connections to muscle fibers, essential to contraction and movement.

In an editorial in the journal Frontiers in Neurology, two leading multiple sclerosis (MS) experts are advocating for genetic testing to identify MS patients who are at higher risk of developing a devastating side effect from their medications.

A new paper published in the Journal of Medical Internet Research describes how generative models such as DALL-E 2, a novel deep learning model for text-to-image generation, could represent a promising future tool for image generation, augmentation, and manipulation in health care. Do generative models have sufficient medical domain knowledge to provide accurate and useful results? Dr. Lisa C Adams and colleagues explore this topic in their latest viewpoint titled “What Does DALL-E 2 Know About Radiology?”

An animal tranquilizer has flooded the illicit drug market in Maryland, according to a new study by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and the Maryland Department of Health. When injected, the tranquilizer, xylazine, causes wounds at the injection site, in some cases so severe that people need to have their arms or legs amputated.

In the late 1980s, when smoking was still allowed on some airline flights, California boosted its tax on cigarettes from 10 to 35 cents a pack, devoting 5 cents to programs to prevent smoking.

In Quebec, colorectal cancer is the second leading cause of cancer deaths in men and the third in women. The appearance and progression of this cancer has been linked to the composition of the gut microbiome. It appears that certain bacteria found in the gut can promote its development.

Chronic toxicity tests conducted by Industrial Bio-Test Laboratories (IBT) on behalf of its client Monsanto Corporation revealed information on certain products of the tobacco, asbestos, and lead industries that were found to be toxic. However, the companies were not forthcoming about what they knew about the dangers of these products. This ultimately led to the indictment and conviction of employees of IBT and the Monsanto Corporation.

A Kaiser Permanente study confirms the benefit of nirmatrelvir-ritonavir, also known as Paxlovid, as an early-stage treatment to prevent hospitalization for people with mild to moderate COVID-19, regardless of prior immunity or age.

Most people with obstructive sleep apnea—a condition in which normal breathing is regularly interrupted during sleep—are prescribed a continuous positive airway pressure, or CPAP, machine as treatment. Yet many people do not use their devices as often or as long as recommended, reducing their effectiveness.