Sugary drinks linked to earlier onset of menstrual periods

Girls who frequently consume sugary drinks tend to start their menstrual periods earlier than girls who do not, according to new research published online in Human Reproduction [1], one of the world’s leading reproductive medicine journals. In the first study to look at the relation between sugar-sweetened drinks and the age at which girls have […]

Lung cancer predicted to overtake breast cancer as leading cause of cancer death among European women in 2015

Death rates from lung cancer will exceed those for breast cancer for the first time among European women in 2015, according to the latest predictions published in the leading cancer journal Annals of Oncology [1]. The study by researchers in Italy and Switzerland predicts that although the actual number of deaths from all cancers in […]

Largest study of babies born after infertility treatment shows significant improvements in health over past 20 years

The last two decades has seen a steady improvement in the health outcomes of children born after assisted reproduction (ART), with fewer babies being born preterm, with low birth weight, stillborn or dying within the first year of life. These findings come from the largest study to date to investigate the health of ART babies […]

Drinking moderate amounts of alcohol is linked to reduced risk of heart failure

Evidence already exists for the beneficial effects of drinking moderate amounts of alcohol on the risk of developing a number of heart conditions; however, the role it plays in the risk of developing heart failure has been under-researched with conflicting results. Now, a large study of nearly 15,000 men and women, published in the European […]

Blood sugar levels in heart failure patients predict risk of early death, hospitalisations and diabetes

New research suggests that people who arrive at hospital emergency departments with acute heart failure should have their blood sugar levels checked on arrival. This simple and inexpensive measure could identify patients at high risk of early death, further hospitalisations, or the development of more health problems, such as diabetes. Results of a large study […]

New analysis of the SYMPLICITY HTN-3 trial of renal denervation to lower blood pressure highlights key factors that may have contributed to the unexpected outcome

A new analysis of an important trial of the blood pressure-lowering procedure, renal denervation, shows that the main results may have been affected by a number of confounding factors that partially explain the unexpected blood pressure responses in patients. The analysis, published in the European Heart Journal [1], identified factors in the SYMPLICITY HTN-3 trial, […]

‘Utter neglect’ of rheumatic heart disease revealed by results from global study

Rheumatic heart disease (RHD) – the most common acquired heart disease in children in many countries of the world – is being neglected and poorly treated, according to new findings from the Global Rheumatic Heart Disease Registry (the REMEDY study), published online in the European Heart Journal [1]. RHD accounts for up to 1.4 million […]

Early results of new drug, ASP8273, show response in Japanese patients with treatment-resistant non-small cell lung cancer

Barcelona, Spain: In a second presentation looking at new ways of treating non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) that has both the EGFR and T790M mutations, researchers told the 26th EORTC-NCI-AACR [1] Symposium on Molecular Targets and Cancer Therapeutics in Barcelona, Spain, that an oral drug called ASP8273 has caused tumour shrinkage in patients in a […]

Three drugs may be better than one for certain patients with advanced colorectal cancer

Barcelona, Spain: Patients with a form of advanced colorectal cancer that is driven by a mutated version of the BRAF gene have limited treatment options available. However, results from a multi-centre clinical trial suggest that the cancer may respond to a combination of three targeted drugs. Professor Josep Tabernero, head of the medical oncology department […]

Early results show response to new drug in patients with lymphomas and advanced solid tumours

Barcelona, Spain: Patients with B-cell Non-Hodgkin lymphomas and advanced solid tumours have responded to a new drug that is being tested for the first time in humans in a phase I clinical trial. Preliminary results from the trial were presented on Thursday at the 26th EORTC-NCI-AACR [1] Symposium on Molecular Targets and Cancer Therapeutics in […]