People with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and people who currently smoke may have higher levels of a molecule, called angiotensin converting enzyme II (ACE-2), in their lungs according to a study published in the European Respiratory Journal. [1] Previous research shows that ACE-2, which sits on the surface of lung cells, is the ‘entry point’ […]
Newborns infected with COVID-19 in China experienced mild symptoms
Researchers have identified a total of four cases of newborn babies with COVID-19 infection in China. In all cases the babies experienced only mild symptoms with none requiring intensive care or mechanical ventilation according to research published in in the European Respiratory Journal. [1] The study was carried out by Dr Zhi-Jiang Zhang and colleagues […]
Blood test accurately detects over 50 types of cancer, often before symptoms show
Test also identifies where in the body the cancer has originated Researchers have developed the first blood test that can accurately detect more than 50 types of cancer and identify in which tissue the cancer originated, often before there are any clinical signs or symptoms of the disease. In a paper published in the leading […]
Psychiatric disorders after first birth reduce likelihood of subsequent children
Women who suffer from psychiatric disorders such as depression, anxiety, mania and schizophrenia following the live birth of their first child are less likely to go on to have more children, according to the first study to investigate this in a large nationwide population. The study, which is published in Human Reproduction [1], one of […]
Bariatric surgery is linked to significantly fewer heart attacks and strokes
A nationwide study of nearly 7,500 people who are obese or severely obese has found that bariatric surgery is linked to significantly fewer heart attacks and strokes. The study, which is published in the European Heart Journal [1], found there were 60% fewer fatal and non-fatal heart attacks and stroke among 3,701 men and women […]
Higher concentrations of IGF-1 are a probable cause of breast cancer
A growth hormone called insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) is likely to play a role in the development of breast cancer, according to new research published in the leading cancer journal Annals of Oncology [1]. IGF-1 is already known to encourage the growth and proliferation of cancer cells. Now, two analyses of information from several hundred […]
The world faces an air pollution ‘pandemic’. Researchers say people’s lives are shortened by an average of nearly three years worldwide from different sources of air pollution
Air pollution is responsible for shortening people’s lives worldwide on a scale far greater than wars and other forms of violence, parasitic and vector-born diseases such as malaria, HIV/AIDS and smoking, according to a study published in Cardiovascular Research [1]. Professors Jos Lelieveld and Thomas Münzel, of the Max Planck Institute for Chemistry and the […]
Study of 418,000 Europeans finds different foods linked to different types of stroke
Different types of food are linked to risks of different types of stroke, according to the largest study to investigate this, published in the European Heart Journal [1]. Until now, most studies have looked at the association between food and total stroke (all types of stroke combined), or focused on ischaemic stroke only. However, the […]
First baby born to cancer patient from eggs matured in the lab and frozen
Fertility doctors in France have announced the birth of the first baby to be born to a cancer patient from an immature egg that was matured in the laboratory, frozen, then thawed and fertilised five years later. A letter in the leading cancer journal Annals of Oncology [1] describes how the baby boy was born […]
Bleeding may be a sign of bowel cancer not just a side-effect of blood-thinning drugs: study of 125,500 atrial fibrillation patients
Patients who are being treated with blood-thinning drugs for irregular heart beat should always be investigated for bowel cancer if they experience gastrointestinal bleeding, say the authors of a study published in the European Heart Journal [1]. If doctors see bleeding in patients with atrial fibrillation, they may assume that it is due to oral […]