Confocal microscopy may help identify biomarkers for chemotherapy-induced neuropathy

A University of Arizona Comprehensive Cancer Center researcher received a $2.4 million National Cancer Institute grant to develop a noninvasive, confocal microscope to examine nerve endings of cancer patients with chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy in the hopes of identifying potential biomarkers for the disease. Peripheral neuropathy is a common side effect of certain chemotherapy drugs. Chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy, or CIPN, … Read more

Triamcinolone Acetonide May Prevent Postoperative Diabetic Macular Edema

A recent retrospective study from Zhejiang, China has indicated that triamcinolone acetonide (TA) injections may successfully prevent the onset of diabetic macular edema (DME) after pars plana vitrectomy (PPV), a common postoperative complication in patients with proliferative diabetic retinopathy (PDR).1 Macular edema is a very common complication with many ocular diseases; it manifests as accumulation … Read more

Guideline-directed medical therapy boosts survival in the oldest heart attack patients

Researchers have found that prescribing guideline-directed medical treatment (GDMT), regardless of the number of medications, can improve survival rates in patients 90 years of age and older following their first heart attack, with the greatest benefit observed in patients who received all four recommended post-acute myocardial infarction (AMI) therapies. These include beta-blockers, antiplatelets, lipid-lowering drugs, … Read more

Semaglutide Protects Against Osteoporosis, Gout, in People With Obesity and Type 2 Diabetes

Semaglutide demonstrated notable protective effects on osteoporosis and gout in people with obesity and type 2 diabetes (T2D) in a new cohort study.1 “The impact of newer anti-obesity medications on skeletal health remains incompletely understood, particularly in populations with varying metabolic profiles,” lead investigator Jo-Ching Chen, Chung Shan Medical University Hospital, Taichung, Taiwan, and colleagues … Read more

Insulin resistance in the brain may link Alzheimer’s and epilepsy

Researchers at the University of São Paulo (USP) in Brazil have succeeded in showing, in an animal model, that the process of insulin resistance in the brain affects both Alzheimer’s disease and epilepsy and may be a linking factor between the two diseases. The work, supported by FAPESP, confirms clinical evidence that people with epilepsy … Read more

Long-term antidepressant use linked to higher risk of withdrawal symptoms

People who have been taking antidepressants for more than two years are substantially more likely to experience withdrawal symptoms compared to short-term users when they come off the medication, finds a new study led by UCL researchers. Long-term users also tend to experience worse withdrawal symptoms, and for a longer period of time, than short-term … Read more

New technique rapidly tracks cell state changes through density measurements

Measuring the density of a cell can reveal a great deal about the cell’s state. As cells proliferate, differentiate, or undergo cell death, they may gain or lose water and other molecules, which is revealed by changes in density. Tracking these tiny changes in cells’ physical state is difficult to do at a large scale, … Read more