Milan, Italy: Children who are born severely ill or who develop serious illness in the first few weeks of life are often difficult to diagnose, with considerable implications for their short and longer-term care. Whole genome sequencing* carried out quickly has the potential to provide an early diagnosis, and thus improve the clinical care of […]
2018
Rapid bedside genetic testing can prevent antibiotic-related hearing loss in new-borns treated for sepsis
Milan, Italy: More than a million neonatal deaths worldwide each year are estimated to be due to sepsis [1]. In the UK there are approximately 90,000 admissions to neonatal intensive care units per year. Nearly all these patients receive antibiotic therapy during their hospital stay, but babies with a specific genetic change can suffer irreversible […]
Risk of dementia is increased in 50-year-olds with blood pressure below the current threshold for hypertension
New findings from the long-running Whitehall II study of over 10,000 civil servants has found 50-year-olds who had blood pressure that was higher than normal but still below the threshold commonly used when deciding to treat the condition, were at increased risk of developing dementia in later life. This increased risk was seen even when […]
Ban e-cigarette flavourings and misleading adverts to protect youth, says international respiratory group
In a statement published in the European Respiratory Journal, a coalition of respiratory doctors and scientists from six continents have warned of the dangers posed to children and adolescents by electronic cigarettes. They say there is mounting evidence that e-cigarettes damage health and are highly addictive, yet manufacturers are marketing them as “healthier” cigarettes and […]
Man against machine: artificial intelligence is better than dermatologists at diagnosing skin cancer
Researchers have shown for the first time that a form of artificial intelligence or machine learning known as a deep learning convolutional neural network (CNN) is better than experienced dermatologists at detecting skin cancer. In a study published in the leading cancer journal Annals of Oncology [1], researchers in Germany, the USA and France trained […]
Women who eat fast food and little or no fruit take longer to become pregnant
Women who eat less fruit and more fast food take longer to get pregnant and are less likely to conceive within a year, according to a study published in Human Reproduction [1], one of the world’s leading reproductive medicine journals. During their first antenatal visit, research midwives in Australia, New Zealand, the UK and Ireland […]
Shorter courses of prostate cancer radiotherapy are safe and effective, and they could save patients’ time and reduce hospital waiting lists
Barcelona, Spain: Radiotherapy given in high doses over a shorter period of time is safe and effective for prostate cancer patients, according to research presented at the ESTRO 37 conference. The treatment, called ultrahypofractionated radiotherapy, involves hospital treatment every other day for two and half weeks, compared to every week day for eight weeks for […]
Targeted radiotherapy for breast cancer offers good quality of life and fewer side effects
Barcelona, Spain: Quality of life for women treated with a more targeted radiotherapy treatment – called accelerated partial breast irradiation – is at least as good as quality of life for women treated with standard radiotherapy, according to research presented at the ESTRO 37 conference and published simultaneously in The Lancet Oncology. The treatment uses […]
Correcting tiny differences in patient’s position for radiotherapy could increase survival chances
Barcelona, Spain: Very small differences in the way a patient lies during radiotherapy treatment for lung or oesophageal cancer can have an impact on how likely they are to survive, according to research presented at the ESTRO 37 conference. These differences of only a few millimetres can mean that the radiation treatment designed to target […]
Brachytherapy for cervical cancer patients does not increase the risk of ureteral stricture
Barcelona, Spain: A rare but potentially serious complication following radiation treatment for cervical cancer is a narrowing of the tube (the ureter) that takes urine from the kidneys to the bladder, which can lead to kidney damage and sometimes life-threatening infections. This is called ureteral stricture and, until now, there have been concerns that brachytherapy […]