Monday, October 21

Tag: diseases

The First Crispr Medicine Is Now Approved in the US
9Dec By adminNo Comments
Technology

The First Crispr Medicine Is Now Approved in the US

Casgevy uses the Nobel Prize–winning technology Crispr to modify patients’ cells so that they produce healthy hemoglobin instead. The Crispr system has two parts: a protein that cuts genetic material and a guide molecule that tells it where in the genome to make the cut.To do this, a patient’s stem cells are taken out of their bone marrow and edited in a laboratory. Scientists make a single cut in a different gene, called BCL11A, to turn on the production of a fetal form of hemoglobin that typically shuts off shortly after birth. This fetal version compensates for the abnormal adult hemoglobin. The edited cells are then infused back into the patient’s bloodstream.A total of 45 patients have received Casgevy in a clinical trial. Of the 31 patients followed for two years, 29 have been free ...
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A Cutting-Edge Cancer Treatment May Cause Cancer. The FDA Is Investigating
29Nov By adminNo Comments
Technology

A Cutting-Edge Cancer Treatment May Cause Cancer. The FDA Is Investigating

Scientists use harmless viruses to ferry and insert the new genetic material because of their natural ability to get inside cells. But the potential for these viruses to accidentally trigger another cancer has long been considered a theoretical risk. In its notice, the FDA said the use of these viruses may have played a role in patients developing secondary cancers.The downside of using viruses is that they tend to drop off their genetic cargo at a random place in a person’s genome. Depending on where this new genetic material integrates, it could potentially activate a nearby cancer gene. “The concern would be that somehow the new genetic material that you put into patients’ T cells can induce cancer in that cell, perhaps by where it gets inserted in the DNA,” Porter says.Because of this...
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Wegovy Slashes the Risk of Heart Attack and Stroke in a Landmark Trial
11Nov By adminNo Comments
Technology

Wegovy Slashes the Risk of Heart Attack and Stroke in a Landmark Trial

The current trial was sponsored by Novo Nordisk, the maker of Wegovy and Ozempic, and tracked patients for two years at locations worldwide. Half of the participants received weekly injections of semaglutide while the other half received a placebo. Neither group knew which they were getting. More than three-quarters of the patients had previously experienced a heart attack, and close to a quarter had chronic heart failure. The average age of the volunteers was 61.6, and about three-quarters were men.In patients taking semaglutide, heart rate, blood pressure, cholesterol levels, and a biomarker of inflammation dropped by a larger degree than in those getting a placebo. But what the trial investigators were most interested in was whether semaglutide could reduce the risk of major cardiovasc...
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Why knowing your genetic disorders is essential for a healthy life
28Oct By adminNo Comments
Entertainment

Why knowing your genetic disorders is essential for a healthy life

Due to the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, there has been a substantial transition towards a more personalized and tailored approach to healthcare in the preventive healthcare space. This approach integrates both lifestyle practices and genetic insights of an individual. Consequently, the understanding of our lifestyle choices in the context of our genes can help us make smarter decisions about our health and not follow the traditional ‘hit and trial’ method of caregiving. Dr. Anu Prabha, Research Scientist and Product Manager, Human Genomics, HaystackAnalytics says, “When we consider genetics in conjunction with our lifestyle practices, like what and how much we eat/ consume, what are the exercises we prefer, and what environmental factors are we exposed to, doctors can get a better und...
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Inside the Race to Stop a Deadly Viral Outbreak in India
23Sep By adminNo Comments
Technology

Inside the Race to Stop a Deadly Viral Outbreak in India

On the morning of September 11, critical care specialist Anoop Kumar was presented with an unusual situation. Four members of the same family had been admitted to his hospital—Aster MIMS in Kozhikode, Kerala—the previous day, all similarly sick. Would he take a look?He gathered his team of doctors to investigate. Soon they were at the bedsides of a 9-year-old boy, his 4-year-old sister, their 24-year-old uncle, and a 10-month-old cousin. All had arrived at the hospital with fever, cough, and flulike symptoms. The 9-year-old was in respiratory distress, struggling to breathe properly, and had needed to be put on a noninvasive ventilator, with air pumped through a mask to keep his lungs expanded.Their symptoms were concerning and mysterious—none of the team could pinpoint what was wrong. Bu...
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High Blood Pressure Is the World’s Biggest Killer. Now There’s a Plan to Tackle It
19Sep By adminNo Comments
Technology

High Blood Pressure Is the World’s Biggest Killer. Now There’s a Plan to Tackle It

The World Health Organization (WHO) is taking on the world’s worst killer, laying out its first plan to conquer hypertension—a level of high blood pressure that affects one in every three adults globally. That figure has doubled since 1990. It’s now up to 1.3 billion people.High blood pressure might sound like a disease of rich nations, but in a report released today during the United Nations General Assembly, the WHO said that three-fourths of people living with hypertension reside in low- and middle-income nations. Nearly half of them have no idea they have the condition, which causes heart attacks, kidney disease, and stroke. Four-fifths of them, including both people with a diagnosis and those who don’t know they are affected, aren’t getting adequate treatment to control it.If that co...
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This Rare Case of Green Hairy Tongue Is Pure Nightmare Fuel
22Jul By adminNo Comments
Technology

This Rare Case of Green Hairy Tongue Is Pure Nightmare Fuel

Medical imagery tends to burst with gore and horror, from grisly gashes and festering flesh to a merciless gush of other odious afflictions. But the most disturbing sights aren't always the most grievous ailments—as a recent case in Ohio demonstrates. A man there developed a completely benign condition. His prognosis was excellent. He recovered in full, quickly. Yet, for any observer, a ghastly glimpse of his mild malady may cause acute discomfort and enduring trauma.The man briefly developed an unusual condition in which a shaggy carpet of green fibers covered his tongue, according to a report in the New England Journal of Medicine. (If you dare, an image of the man's tongue can be found here.) The thick, plush mat of foul fur was a form of hairy tongue syndrome. The most common version ...
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