Barcelona, Spain: Researchers have identified a range of genetic alterations in glioma brain cancers that will help them to understand how different mutations in one particular gene interact with other gene alterations and which ones are more susceptible to targeted treatments in adults. Presenting results from the largest group of glioma patients to date, Dr […]
Liquid biopsies can detect which cancer patients may be at higher risk of developing additional blood cancers
Barcelona, Spain: Researchers have found that liquid biopsies, which are increasingly used in the routine care of patients to identify and monitor the progress of cancer, can also detect a disorder of blood cells that places patients at higher risk of developing blood cancers as well. The findings are presented on Friday at the 34th […]
Results revealed from phase I clinical trial of the first drug to successfully inhibit the MYC gene, which drives many common cancers
Barcelona, Spain: Researchers have found that a drug that targets the key, cancer-causing gene, MYC, has for the first time been able to inhibit the function of the gene in a phase I clinical trial. Until now, no other drug has been able to do this safely and effectively. Presenting preliminary results from the trial […]
Patients waiting for urgent surgery in A&E feel calmer and experience less pain if given a music pillow
Berlin, Germany: Patients waiting in an emergency department for urgent surgery are less anxious, more relaxed and experience less pain if they are given a special music pillow to rest on, according to research presented at the European Emergency Medicine Congress [1]. Ms Lisa Antonsen, a nurse in the Department of Emergency Medicine at Odense […]
Digital technology linking care homes to clinical advice hubs reduces A&E attendances
Berlin, Germany: The use of digital technology in residential care homes can reduce the number of emergency department attendances by 10% each month, according to new research presented at the European Emergency Medicine Congress [1]. Preliminary evidence from a study that modelled the effect of implementing the UK’s National Health Service (NHS) HealthCall digital technology […]
Test for carbon monoxide poisoning is unreliable and should not be used
Berlin, Germany: Pulse oximetry is an unreliable method for spotting people suffering with carbon monoxide poisoning and it should not be used for this purpose, according to a systematic review and meta-analysis presented at the European Emergency Medicine Congress [1]. Carbon monoxide is one of the most common causes of poisoning death in the world […]
Hospital emergency departments lack policy and strategies for spotting child neglect or abuse
Berlin, Germany: In a survey of emergency department staff from across Europe, only around half said their hospital has a policy in place to help staff identify children who are being neglected or abused. The research, presented at the European Emergency Medicine Congress [1], also shows that hospitals with such a policy are more likely […]
Fourteen per cent decrease in live births in Europe nine months after the start of the COVID-19 pandemic and first lockdowns
Europe saw a 14% decrease in live births in January 2021, just nine to ten months after the first peak of the COVID-19 epidemic and the first lockdowns, compared to the average numbers of live births in January 2018 and 2019. The researchers of the study, which is published in Human Reproduction [1], one of […]
Long COVID patients show signs of autoimmune disease a year after infection
Blood samples from patients with long COVID who are still suffering from fatigue and shortness of breath after a year show signs of autoimmune disease, according to a study published in the European Respiratory Journal [1]. Autoimmune disease occurs when the immune system mistakenly attacks healthy parts of the body, instead of defending the body […]
Smoking around your young son could raise the risk of asthma for your future grandchildren
Children are more likely to develop asthma if their father was exposed to second-hand smoke when he was a child, according to a study published in the European Respiratory Journal [1]. The study also shows that children’s risk of asthma is even higher if their father was exposed to second-hand smoke and went on to […]