November 2018

Endurance but not resistance training has anti-aging effects

Researchers have discovered evidence that endurance exercise, such as running, swimming, cross-country skiing and cycling, will help you age better than resistance exercise, which involves strength training with weights. In a study published in the European Heart Journal [1], researchers in Germany looked at the effects of three types of exercise – endurance training, high […]

Exposure to e-cigarette adverts linked to teenagers using e-cigarettes and smoking

The more often adolescents say they have seen adverts for e-cigarettes, the more often they use both e-cigarettes and smoke tobacco cigarettes, according to a study published in ERJ Open Research. The study took place in Germany, where regulations around tobacco and e-cigarettes advertising are more permissive than in other parts of Europe. Elsewhere there […]

Residual inflammation risk affects outcomes in patients after percutaneous coronary intervention

Patients who have persistently high levels of inflammation following percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) for coronary artery disease are significantly more likely to die from any cause or to have a heart attack within a year, according to a study of 7,026 patients published in the European Heart Journal [1]. Residual inflammatory risk (RIR) refers to […]

Bullying and violence at work increases the risk of cardiovascular disease

People who are bullied at work or experience violence at work are at higher risk of heart and brain blood vessel problems, including heart attacks and stroke, according to the largest prospective study to investigate the link, which is published in the European Heart Journal [1]. Although the study is observational and, therefore, cannot show […]

Patients with rare, incurable digestive tract cancers respond to new drug combination

Dublin, Ireland: Patients with rare, but incurable cancers of the digestive tract have responded well to a combination of two drugs that block the MEK and BRAF pathways, which drive the disease in some cases. They have survived for longer without the disease progressing than the usual average time of less than five months, even […]

Difficult-to-treat bowel cancers respond in first study of new drug combination

Dublin, Ireland: Early results from a phase I trial in a small group of patients with advanced cancer using two drugs (nivolumab and pixatimod) that stimulate the immune system report that patients with bowel cancer may benefit from the combination. Dr James Kuo, a medical oncologist and the deputy medical director of Scientia Clinical Research, […]

Combination of two immunotherapies shows activity in non-small cell lung cancer patients

Dublin, Ireland: A combination of two drugs, which prompt the body’s immune system to identify and kill cancer cells, is a safe treatment for patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer and has shown some signs of efficacy. Results from a phase I/II clinical trial in 25 patients, presented at the 30th EORTC-NCI-AACR [1] Symposium […]

Drug combination makes cancer disappear in mice with neuroblastoma: ‘significant’ findings suggest potential for effective, non-toxic treatment for this aggressive childhood cancer

Dublin, Ireland: Researchers investigating new treatments for neuroblastoma – one of the most common childhood cancers – have found that a combination of two drugs made tumours disappear in mice, making it more effective than any other drugs tested in these animals. Professor Murray Norris, deputy director of the Children’s Cancer Institute Australia for Medical […]

Two genomic tests identify groups of patients most likely to benefit from new drugs: latest results from I-SPY 2 trial

Dublin, Ireland: New results from a long-running trial to identify which new drugs or combinations of drugs are most effective in which types of breast cancer, show that two genomic tests are bringing the era of truly personalised medicine ever nearer. Professor Laura van ‘t Veer, leader of the Breast Oncology Program at the University […]