The official MedZine Blog

A team of researchers led by Shih-Chin Cheng, recently published proof for the controversial hypothesis of trained immunity in Science Magazine. The theory that the aspecific immune system can be influenced by external factors is still a hot item in the field of immunology. The researchers demonstrated the ability of the aspecific immune system to adapt through epigenetic changes in a glucose metabolism-regulating gene. Continue reading

Results have been presented on a new treatment for an aggressive breast cancer form at the annual congress of the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO). Definitive results of the CLEOPATRA study show a median overall survival of over fifteen months. That is promising news for patients suffering from this aggressive form of cancer, that accounts for nearly a quarter of all breast cancers. Continue reading

A study published in the New England Journal of Medicine suggests that a low dietary intake of sodium could, just like a high dietary sodium intake, lead to an increased incidence of major cardiovascular events,. The publication is the result of research performed at the McMaster University in Hamilton, Canada. Continue reading

This week, we highlight two recent publications in MedZine. One of them is a publication in Cell by researchers of the John Hopkins Institue for Cell Engineering. The cell biologists from Baltimore performed pioneering research into the mechanisms behing the onset of Parkinson’s disease (PD) by a mutation in LRRK2. The other article, by scientists of the McGill University of Montreal published in Immunity, deals with the role of prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) in influenza A infection. The researchers showed that inhibition of PGE2 causes an increase in the survival rate of mice, when infected with a lethal dose of the influenza virus. Continue reading

The natural sweetener agavin, obtained from the agave plant that is also used to make the Mexican spirit Tequila, could help to decrease blood glucose levels of diabetes type 2 patients. Research on mice has shown that agavin has beneficial effects compared to other sweeteners. Mice that had been given agavin in their drinking water ate less, lost weight and had lower blood glucose levels. Agavin was compared to other sweeteners, such as glucose, fructose, sucrose, agave syrup and aspartame. Continue reading

For the first time, scientists of the university of Georgetown (US), found biomarkers for Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) in blood samples, which were present before any visible symptoms of AD were visible. Last weekend, they published their results in Nature Medicine. These biomarkers could detect AD two to three years before any detectable memory or function loss. MedZine spoke about this development to prof. dr. Philip Scheltens, who is a professor in cognitive neurology and director of the Alzheimer Center at the VU medical center in Amsterdam, and dr. ir. Charlotte Teunissen, who is head of the neurochemistry laboratory at the VU medical center in Amsterdam and an expert on AD biomarkers. Continue reading

An experimental therapy can promote metastasis of triple-negative breast cancer. This is shown by cell biologist dr. Erik Danen and his team at the University of Leiden, The Netherlands. If you disable integrins, cell surface molecules important for adhesion, cancer cell do not die but become more motile. “An unexpected result”, according to Danen. Continue reading

MedZine highlights two examples of new application for vascular research this week. Atherosclerosis is the underlying cause of myocardial infarction and stroke. On the nano level, researches are now detecting atherosclerotic plaques, while microchip technology is employed to learn more about the conditions in with nanomedicines accumulate in atherosclerosis. Continue reading

The increase and spread of bacteria and fungi resistant to antimicrobial drugs is a global threat. Health care is depending on antimicrobials in many areas, including oncology and surgery. Last December, the annual reports from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) on the incidence and distribution of drug resistant microbes were published. Continue reading

The hygiene hypothesis states that the increasing incidence of diseases like asthma, eczema and allergy in the western world are linked to better hygiene and the elimination of childhood diseases. Is better hygiene also important for the rising prevalence of autoimmune diseases, like type 1 diabetes? Continue reading