Medical – Page 5 – Bianca Nogrady

Patient selection key to lowering placebo response rates in lupus clinical trials

July 18, 2023No Comments

From Rheumatology News, 13 June 2023: A major challenge for clinical trials in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is how to get the placebo response rate down low enough that the effectiveness of a drug can actually be seen. Better patient selection may be the key. Speaking at an international congress on SLE, Joan Merrill, MD, … Continue reading Patient selection key to lowering placebo response rates in lupus clinical trials

Strategies for complete B-cell depletion evolve for patients with lupus nephritis

July 18, 2023No Comments

From Rheumatology News, 13 June 2023: B cell–depleting therapies in patients with lupus nephritis have a higher likelihood of complete response if B cells are almost completely depleted, and strategies for achieving more complete B-cell depletion continue to be tested, according to evidence presented by Richard A. Furie, MD, at an international congress on systemic … Continue reading Strategies for complete B-cell depletion evolve for patients with lupus nephritis

Australia bans all vapes except on prescription to stem use in children

June 29, 2023No Comments

From BMJ, 4 May 2023: The importation and sale of all e-cigarettes, regardless of whether they are labelled as containing nicotine or not, will soon be banned in Australia, unless they are supplied by prescription through a licensed pharmacist. The crackdown by the Australian government was announced amid concerns that a growing black market in … Continue reading Australia bans all vapes except on prescription to stem use in children

‘You mean there’s nothing?’ The families fighting for their children with dementia

June 29, 2023No Comments

From the Guardian, 15 May 2023: In many ways, Ronin and Ethan are typical young boys. They love Hot Wheels toy cars, Shaun the Sheep, rude noises and pizza nights. Nine-year-old Ethan dotes on the family pets. Ronin, seven, is always booting a soccer ball around the back yard. “They’re two absolutely lovable friendly kids, … Continue reading ‘You mean there’s nothing?’ The families fighting for their children with dementia

‘Hollywood skinny jab’: what do we know about anti-obesity drugs such as Ozempic in Australia?

May 23, 2023No Comments

From the Guardian, 8 April 2023: Dr Kathryn Williams has had patients cry when they go on anti-obesity drugs. “[They] say, ‘oh my God, this is the first time I haven’t felt hungry,’” says Williams, an endocrinologist at the University of Sydney, “because hunger is just something they have to live with every single day.” … Continue reading ‘Hollywood skinny jab’: what do we know about anti-obesity drugs such as Ozempic in Australia?

Australia bans all vapes except on prescription to stem use in children

May 5, 2023No Comments

From the BMJ, 4 May 2023: The importation and sale of all e-cigarettes, regardless of whether they are labelled as containing nicotine or not, will soon be banned in Australia, unless they are supplied by prescription through a licensed pharmacist. The crackdown by the Australian government was announced amid concerns that a growing black market … Continue reading Australia bans all vapes except on prescription to stem use in children

Enzyme loss linked to age related muscle wasting

May 5, 2023No Comments

From Nature Middle East, 22 March 2023: Deficiency of an enzyme vital for the integrity of the membranes that encase muscle fibres is behind age-related muscle wasting and an inherited genetic disorder that causes severe neurological and muscle problems, researchers have found.In humans, genetic mutations affecting the function of the enzyme phosphatidylethanolamine cytidyltransferase (PCYT2) lead … Continue reading Enzyme loss linked to age related muscle wasting

Lack of data hinders long Covid response

February 20, 2023No Comments

From The Saturday Paper, 18 February 2023: In historical accounts of the 1918 influenza pandemic, references can be found to people experiencing exhaustion, nervous complications, apathy and depression for weeks, even months, after they recovered from infection. And reports of persistent, chronic fatigue-like symptoms have emerged following the major respiratory disease outbreaks of the past … Continue reading Lack of data hinders long Covid response

Australian floods lead to spread of mosquito-borne disease

December 31, 2022No Comments

From The Lancet Infectious Diseases, June 2022: Mosquito-borne Japanese encephalitis is spreading across Australia in the wake of record rainfall. Read more (subscription required).

Pandemic’s cancer backlogs receive treatment from AI innovation

December 28, 2022No Comments

From Nature, 12 October 2022: The COVID-19 pandemic has stretched health-care workforces around the world to their limits, as illness and burnout extract a toll from clinicians, nurses and staff. The need for innovations that can reduce workloads is pressing and has intensified interest in artificial intelligence (AI) and robotics as potential technologies to help … Continue reading Pandemic’s cancer backlogs receive treatment from AI innovation