News by Subject Medicine & Health

Bicuspid aortic valve (BAV), the most common heart valve birth defect, is associated with genetic variation in human primary cilia during heart valve development, report Medical University of South Carolina researchers in Circulation. Crucial to cilia development is the exocyst, which shuttles cilia cargo to the cell membrane. Disrupting the exocyst impaired ciliogenesis and caused a spectrum of cardiac defects in zebrafish and BAV in mice. The findings could inspire new therapeutic strategies.

A Phase III, NRG Oncology clinical trial that compared radiosurgery (SRS) or stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT) to the conventional radiotherapy (cEBRT) for patients with spinal metastases indicated that there was no statistically significant difference between the treatments for pain response, adverse events, FACT-G, BPI, and EQ-5D scores.

Major physical changes occurred in the human heart as people shifted from hunting and foraging to farming and modern life. As a result, human hearts are now less 'ape-like' and better suited to endurance types of activity.

Initial results of NRG Oncology Clinical Trial RTOG 9601 in men with biochemically recurrent prostate cancer receiving salvage radiotherapy (SRT) demonstrated improvement in OS from the addition of long-term hormone therapy to SRT. However, a secondary analysis indicates that all patients do not benefit and the addition of long-term anti-androgen therapy did not improve overall survival (OS) rates and could increase other-cause mortality (OCM) for some patients depending on pre-treatment PSA level.

Four substances isolated from Mimosa caesalpiniifolia were found to be more effective against thrush and candida than was fluconazole. Brazilian researchers are developing an ointment.

Some of the anti-cancer benefits of tomatoes, specifically those from a compound called lycopene, could disappear when they're eaten with iron-rich foods, according to a new study from The Ohio State University.

A new needle-free flu vaccine patch revved up the immune system much like a traditional flu shot without any negative side effects. The research represents an important step toward a technology that could replace needle-based vaccination methods that are difficult to deploy in developing countries.

At-home measurements are more accurate, less expensive, and easier to obtain than blood pressure screenings done in medical settings.

Scientists have shown for the first time evidence that early sampling of blood for microorganisms in sepsis is critical to treating the common and potentially fatal condition.