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Cancer drug shows promise in battling Parkinson’s disease

Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a lifelong condition that affects the nerve cells in the brain that produce dopamine. As a result, people with this neurodegenerative disease experience tremors, changes in speech, gait issues, and muscle rigidity. Though it has no cure, a new drug used to treat cancer shows promise in treating Parkinson’s.

17 Dec 2019

Pilot study shows strong results for genicular artery embolization to treat OA-related knee pain

A new study published in Journal of Vascular and Interventional Radiology details the first study of its kind in the U.S. to examine the use of genicular artery embolization (GAE) for extended treatment of knee pain caused by osteoarthritis.

17 Dec 2019

Study shows nilotinib drug is safe and well tolerated in patients with Parkinson's disease

A clinical trial investigating the repurposed cancer drug nilotinib in people with Parkinson's disease finds that it is reasonably safe and well tolerated.

17 Dec 2019

10-year results from clinical trial of extended letrozole therapy for women with HR+ breast cancer

In the updated results from NRG Oncology/NSABP B-42 trial through 10 years of observation, extending letrozole therapy for additional five years after five years of adjuvant endocrine therapy resulted in a statistically significant improvement in the 10-year disease-free survival (DFS) of postmenopausal women with hormone-receptor-positive breast cancer.

12 Dec 2019

Anastrozole can be preventive drug-of-choice for women with high breast cancer risk

The Queen Mary University of London professor leading an international breast cancer study says anastrozole - rather than tamoxifen - should be the preventive drug-of-choice for post-menopausal women at increased risk of developing the disease.

12 Dec 2019

Help for teenagers who want to quit smoking

A new study published in the journal JAMA Pediatricsreports on the use of varenicline, a drug that helps smokers quit. The study is unique in that it targeted teenagers who wanted to quit. While confirming the low overall efficacy of the drug, it shows that it may perhaps help teenage smokers to quit faster and to stay smoke-free longer.

11 Dec 2019

Evaluating safety and efficacy of migraine preventive treatment for children, adolescents

Cephalalgia, the official journal of the International Headache Society, published the article entitled "Cinnarizine and sodium valproate as the preventive agents of pediatric migraine: A randomized double-blind placebo-controlled trial", by Man Amanat, and Mahmoud Reza Ashrafi from the Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.

10 Dec 2019

UC study explores side effects in pediatric patients treated with antidepressants

Sometimes, the medications needed to function and live a quality life cause side effects that can make life quite uncomfortable.

10 Dec 2019

Study focuses on smoking cessation treatment for adolescents

Preventable deaths are those that can be stymied by public health intervention, and deaths related to tobacco use are at the top of that list in the United States as well as globally.

10 Dec 2019

Trial investigating "abortion pill reversal" stops due to safety concerns

Scientists are calling for pro-life US states to abolish an unproven medication that supposedly "reverses" medical abortion.

9 Dec 2019

Pilot clinical trial tests new treatment for type 1 diabetes

Type 1 diabetes is a chronic condition in which the body's own immune system attacks and destroys beta cells in the pancreas. Once the beta cells are destroyed, the pancreas can no longer produce insulin. Currently, there is no cure for T1D and treatment focuses on managing blood sugar levels.

6 Dec 2019

Cancer patients report less dry mouth after receiving acupuncture treatment

After receiving acupuncture treatment three days a week during the course of radiation treatment, head and neck cancer patients experienced less dry mouth, according to study results from researchers at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center.

6 Dec 2019

Clinical trial demonstrates safety and effectiveness of oral drug to treat NASH

Patients with nonalcoholic steatohepatitis, a chronic liver disease and a leading cause for liver transplantation in the U.S., currently lack an approved drug therapy, but this may soon change.

6 Dec 2019

Drug used to treat Parkinson’s shows potential as a dementia treatment

Drug used to treat hallucinations and delusions in Parkinson's shows promise as treatment for dementia-related psychosis (DRP).

5 Dec 2019

Gabapentin – a drug for nerve pain could help patients with spinal injury finds study

A preclinical study with mice has shown that Gabapentin, a drug that is commonly used in nerve pain could be useful for patients with spinal cord injury. Use of the drug showed improvement in upper limb function among the mice models of spinal cord injury, wrote the researchers. The study titled, “Gabapentinoid treatment promotes corticospinal plasticity and regeneration following murine spinal cord injury,” was published this week in the latest issue of the Journal of Clinical Investigation.

4 Dec 2019

Drops containing a specific probiotic strain can reduce colic in infants

Probiotics--or "good bacteria"--have been used to treat infant colic with varying success. In a new trial published in the journal Alimentary Pharmacology & Therapeutics, investigators have shown that drops containing a particular probiotic strain (Bifidobacterium animalis subsp. lactis BB-12) reduced the duration of daily crying by more than 50% in 80% of the 40 infants who received the probiotic once daily for 28 days.

4 Dec 2019

Common drug for nerve pain could help restore upper limb function after spinal cord injury

Long-term treatment with gabapentin, a commonly prescribed drug for nerve pain, could help restore upper limb function after a spinal cord injury, new research in mice suggests.

3 Dec 2019

Study: Most Australian GPs widely use placebos

Most Australian GPs have used a placebo in practice at least once, with active placebos (active treatments used primarily to generate positive expectations) more commonly used than inert placebos, according to a new study.

2 Dec 2019

Study shows potential of hydromethylthionine treatment for Alzheimer's disease

In a paper published in today's online issue of the Journal of Alzheimer's Disease (DOI 10.3233/JAD-190772), TauRx has reported unexpected results of a pharmacokinetic analysis of the relationship between treatment dose, blood levels and pharmacological activity of the drug hydromethylthionine on the brain in over 1,000 patients with mild-to-moderate Alzheimer's disease.

27 Nov 2019

Giving a shot of ketamine could help heavy drinkers reduce alcohol intake

A one-off dose of ketamine could help heavy drinkers reduce their alcohol intake, finds a new UCL experimental study.

26 Nov 2019

Placebo News and Research

Cancer drug shows promise in battling Parkinson’s disease

Pilot study shows strong results for genicular artery embolization to treat OA-related knee pain

Study shows nilotinib drug is safe and well tolerated in patients with Parkinson's disease

10-year results from clinical trial of extended letrozole therapy for women with HR+ breast cancer

Anastrozole can be preventive drug-of-choice for women with high breast cancer risk

Help for teenagers who want to quit smoking

Evaluating safety and efficacy of migraine preventive treatment for children, adolescents

UC study explores side effects in pediatric patients treated with antidepressants

Study focuses on smoking cessation treatment for adolescents

Trial investigating "abortion pill reversal" stops due to safety concerns

Pilot clinical trial tests new treatment for type 1 diabetes

Cancer patients report less dry mouth after receiving acupuncture treatment

Clinical trial demonstrates safety and effectiveness of oral drug to treat NASH

Drug used to treat Parkinson’s shows potential as a dementia treatment

Gabapentin – a drug for nerve pain could help patients with spinal injury finds study

Drops containing a specific probiotic strain can reduce colic in infants

Common drug for nerve pain could help restore upper limb function after spinal cord injury

Study: Most Australian GPs widely use placebos

Study shows potential of hydromethylthionine treatment for Alzheimer's disease

Giving a shot of ketamine could help heavy drinkers reduce alcohol intake

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