23Feb 2023 by Janice Holland
Experimental Alzheimer’s Drug Slows Cognitive Decline in Large Study

Experimental Alzheimer’s Drug Slows Cognitive Decline in Large Study

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The experimental Alzheimer’s disease drug lecanemab slowed the progression of cognitive decline by 27 percent in a large, late-stage clinical trial, the drugmakers Biogen and Eisai said.Lecanemab is in a family of medicines designed to clear the brain of plaques formed by the buildup of a protein known as beta-amyloid, which is thought to play a role in the development of Alzheimer’s disease. In clinical trial results released by Biogen and Eisai on September 27, lecanemab also reduced amyloid levels in the brain and appeared to improve participants’ cognition and ability to perform daily tasks.“Today’s announcement gives patients and their families hope that lecanemab, if approved, can potentially slow the progression of Alzheimer’s disease, and provide a clinically meaningful impact on cognition and function,” said Michel Vounatsos, the chief executive…
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23Feb 2023 by Janice Holland
FDA Approves New Treatment Relyvrio for People With ALS

FDA Approves New Treatment Relyvrio for People With ALS

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On September 29, 2022, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved AMX0035 (Relyvrio) for the treatment of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease. The drug was developed by Amylyx Pharmaceuticals.ALS is the most common neurodegenerative disorder of midlife; more than 120,000 people worldwide have ALS, including approximately 29,000 adults in the United States. When a person has ALS, the neurons in the brain and spinal cord degenerate and can no longer communicate with the muscles.ALS is in the same family of diseases as Alzheimer’s disease or Parkinson’s disease, explains Jim Caress, MD, a neurologist and researcher at Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Dr. Caress was one of several researchers involved in the phase 2 trial of the drug. “With Alzheimer’s disease,…
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22Feb 2023 by Janice Holland
COVID-19: Does the Virus or Vaccine Mess With the Menstrual Cycle?

COVID-19: Does the Virus or Vaccine Mess With the Menstrual Cycle?

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It’s completely normal for menstrual cycles to vary slightly from month to month, but if you’ve noticed unusual changes right around the time you had COVID-19 or the vaccination or booster shots that help prevent it, it’s not all in your head. You’re part of a scientifically recognized crowd.On September 27, 2022, a large study published in BMJ Medicine confirmed the findings of previous research that linked COVID-19 vaccination with a temporary average increase in menstrual cycle length of less than one day. For study participants who received only one vaccine dose per cycle, the number of days in a cycle had returned to pre-vax lengths in the cycle after vaccination.There was a larger increase in cycle length, almost four days, for individuals who happened to receive two doses of a…
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22Feb 2023 by Janice Holland
Old Europe Cheese Recalls Brie and Camembert Cheese Due to Potential Listeria Risk

Old Europe Cheese Recalls Brie and Camembert Cheese Due to Potential Listeria Risk

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On September 30, 2020, Old Europe Cheese of Benton Harbor, Michigan, issued a voluntary recall of its Brie and Camembert cheeses because of potential contamination with Listeria monocytogenes, an organism which can cause listeriosis, a serious and sometimes fatal infection in young children, frail or elderly people, and others with weakened immune systems.The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is currently investigating an outbreak of listeria that has hospitalized five people so far; those sickened were in California, Georgia, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Jersey, and Texas. Laboratory data and interviews (four people reported eating Brie or Camembert cheese) indicate the cheeses may be the source of the outbreak, according to the FDA statement.During an inspection of the company's Michigan facility, health officials tested 120 samples, both of the products and the company’s…
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22Feb 2023 by Janice Holland
Immunotherapy Given Before Target Therapy Improves Advanced Melanoma Survival Rates

Immunotherapy Given Before Target Therapy Improves Advanced Melanoma Survival Rates

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A new clinical trial has found that the order in which cancer treatments are administered can be the difference between life and death in people with advanced melanoma. The study, published September 27 in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, found a clear benefit for those who received immunotherapy before targeted therapy to treat their skin cancer — so much so that the trial was stopped early.Investigators found that for patients with melanoma who have a mutation in the BRAF gene, specifically a BRAF V600 mutation, immunotherapy is the better initial approach than drugs that specifically target this mutated pathway.Advances in Treating Metastatic Melanoma Have Been ‘Nothing Short of Remarkable’Melanoma is the fifth most common cancer in the United States, and it develops in about 1 in 38 white people, 1…
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22Feb 2023 by Janice Holland
Lifting Weights Linked With Living Longer

Lifting Weights Linked With Living Longer

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Can building our muscles help us live longer? According to new research, the answer is yes. Investigators found that regularly lifting weights was linked to a lower risk of death from any cause, with the exception of cancer. Their findings were published online on September 27 in the British Journal of Sports Medicine.“Older adults who participated in weight lifting exercise had significantly lower mortality before and after factoring in aerobic exercise participation, and importantly, those who did both types of exercise had the lowest risk,” says lead author Jessica Gorzelitz, PhD, researcher in the division of cancer epidemiology and genetics at the National Cancer Institute, and assistant professor of health promotion at the University of Iowa in Iowa City. These findings provide strong support for the current Physical Activity Guidelines…
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22Feb 2023 by Janice Holland
People Diagnosed With Early Onset Dementia Are at Higher Risk for Suicide

People Diagnosed With Early Onset Dementia Are at Higher Risk for Suicide

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The risk of suicide is nearly seven times higher after a diagnosis of young-onset (under the age of 65) dementia, according to a new UK study published online October 3 in JAMA Neurology. The risk of suicide was also higher within the first few months of diagnosis and in people who had previously been diagnosed with depression or anxiety.“These findings suggest that memory clinics should particularly target suicide risk assessment to patients with young-onset dementia, patients in the first few months after dementia diagnosis, and patients already known to have psychiatric problems,” said the study's lead author, Danah Alothman, BMBCh, MPH, of the University of Nottingham, in a press release.“The findings of this study are important for helping to raise public awareness about how devastating it is to receive a…
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22Feb 2023 by Janice Holland
Study Shows Depression Affects IBD Patients and Their Siblings

Study Shows Depression Affects IBD Patients and Their Siblings

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Living with a chronic condition like Crohn’s disease or ulcerative colitis — both forms of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) — impacts every aspect of a person’s life. Not only do these illnesses affect physical health, they also take their toll on mental and emotional health.Research shows mental health struggles among those living with IBD are common. People with IBD are 2 to 3 times more likely to have depression and anxiety than the general population, the Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation reports.It’s easy to see how symptoms of IBD, including severe diarrhea, chronic pain, fatigue, and loss of appetite, could lead to social isolation and feelings of depression. But recent research suggests the relationship between the two conditions may be a bit more complex than that.A new study, published in April 2022 in…
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21Feb 2023 by Janice Holland
1 in 3 Heart-Related ER Visits Are Caused by Uncontrolled Blood Pressure

1 in 3 Heart-Related ER Visits Are Caused by Uncontrolled Blood Pressure

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More than 1 in 10 adults treated for heart problems in U.S. emergency rooms have what’s known as essential hypertension, a type of high blood pressure that isn’t caused by a specific medical condition, a new study suggests.Essential hypertension is the most common cause of heart-related emergencies for women, accounting for 16 percent of cases, and the second-most common cause for men, making up almost 11 percent of cases, according to study findings published September 8 in the Journal of the American Heart Association. The study examined nationally representative data on more than 20 million emergency department visits from 2016 to 2018.The good news for patients is that most people treated in U.S. emergency rooms for essential hypertension and other heart problems survive. Overall, just 2.2 percent of patients die in…
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