A landmark clinical trial has shown impressive results for a CAR-T cancer treatment in refractory large B-cell lymphoma patients, achieving complete remission in 42% of cases. However, severe side effects including cytokine release syndrome and neurologic problems were also observed, affecting up to 95% of patients.
A Phase 2 study of axi-cel, a CD19-targeting CAR T cell therapy, reported remarkable improvement in outcomes for patients with relapsed or refractory large B-cell lymphoma. The study showed that 42% of patients remained in remission at 15 months, with complete responses in 54% and measurable responses in 82%.
The Kymriah treatment demonstrated long-lasting remissions in non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL) patients, with significant durability in responses seen across multiple trials. Durable remission rates were observed among 43% of DLBCL patients in the single-site pilot study and 73% at six months in the global trial.
Researchers from the University of Pennsylvania's Abramson Cancer Center have shown encouraging results in treating multiple myeloma patients with CAR T cell therapy and an experimental monoclonal antibody. The studies targeted the B-Cell Maturation Antigen (BCMA) receptor, which is highly expressed in myeloma cells.
Daily low doses of interleukin-2 (IL-2) have been found to be safe and beneficial for patients with chronic graft-versus-host disease, including significant improvements in pediatric patients. IL-2 therapy boosts the production of inflammation-damping Treg cells, providing a mechanism for promoting tolerance in patients with chronic GVHD.
A new review article challenges current methods for forecasting the persistence of slow-growing species, finding that reproductive success is a more reliable predictor. Researchers argue that conservation planners often get it wrong and suggest alternative tools based on realistic parameters.
Scientists sequenced 186 bone marrow biopsies from patients with smoldering multiple myeloma, identifying mutations more frequent in high-risk patients. The study also found that cell-free DNA sequencing may help monitor patients with myeloma and its precursor conditions.
Research found that leukemia patients who rely on blood transfusions face difficulties enrolling in hospice care, leading to shorter hospice stays and delayed access to palliative care. The study suggests that adding support for transfusions to the Medicare hospice benefit could maximize its benefits.
Researchers found that Apple Watch activity data correlated with standard patient-reported outcome measures, including physical function and quality of life. The study used emojis to measure quality of life, which showed significant associations with traditional scales.
Early evidence suggests that a gene therapy developed at St. Jude improves immune systems in infants as young as 2 months old with XSCID, offering broad protection and reducing the need for protective isolation. The treatment has been shown to be well-tolerated and effective in restoring immune function.
A single Black-backed Oriole bird's arrival in rural Pennsylvania attracted over 1,800 birders from across the US and Canada, generating an estimated $223,851 for the local economy. The study reveals that ecotourism events can have a substantial impact on the economy through travel, food, and accommodation costs.
Researchers developed a genetic model that predicts outcomes in primary myelofibrosis patients under 70 using gene mutations and clinical variables. The model improves on previous predictive models, which only used clinical variables.
Abatacept significantly improves survival and disease-free rates for patients with severe acute graft-versus-host disease, a life-threatening complication of stem cell transplantation. The treatment reduces the occurrence of acute GvHD from 32% to 3% in pediatric and adult patients.
Preliminary results from a clinical trial of nivolumab indicate effectiveness and significant side effects, prompting further trials in this group. The drug ipilimumab also produced responses in nearly one-third of patients with relapsed hematologic malignancies after an allogeneic stem cell transplant.
Physicists from Friedrich Schiller University Jena have developed a new method to obtain multiple types of information simultaneously from the interior of nanoscale building blocks. The method uses a finely focussed X-ray beam to extract data on composition, oxidation grade and internal electrical fields without damaging the components.
A University of Liverpool-led trial found that sildenafil, commonly used to treat erectile dysfunction, is ineffective in improving outcomes for pregnancies complicated by fetal growth restriction. The study recruited 135 pregnant women with severely growth-restricted fetuses and found no benefits from administering sildenafil.
A phase II trial shows that combining olaparib, a PARP inhibitor, with durvalumab, an immunotherapy drug, achieves 80% disease control at 12 weeks. The treatment is well-tolerated and produces fewer serious side effects compared to chemotherapy.
A new study reveals that men whose wives retain their own surnames after marriage are perceived as submissive and less powerful. The research, conducted by UNLV psychology professor Rachael Robnett, found a connection between gender-typed personality traits and perceived power dynamics in relationships.
A study found that bi-annual dynamic contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (DCE-MRI) exams were more effective in detecting breast cancer in younger women with a high-risk genetic profile than an annual mammogram. The intensive surveillance strategy reduced anxiety levels and improved quality of life for participants.
A UMass Amherst team discovers electrically conducting filaments in several microbe species, greatly broadening the research field. The discovery reveals that some larger pilins can also yield e-pili, and the ability to express e-pili has arisen independently multiple times.
Research by University of Delaware scientist Danielle Dixson and her team found that decorator crabs primarily decorate their arms and legs first, which helps them hide from predators. The study also showed that habitat presence affects decorating patterns, with crabs decorating faster in the absence of a shelter.
The USDA's National Institute of Food and Agriculture has awarded six grants totaling $836,494 to support farmer safety and health. The AgrAbility program provides direct agricultural assistance, education, and networking to farmers with disabilities, while the Youth Farm Safety Education and Certification (YFSEC) Program delivers time...
A simple blood test detecting tumor cells in blood may predict high or low risk of breast cancer relapse. The study found that 5% of cancer-free women had a positive CTC test, associated with a 35% recurrence risk after two years.
Researchers found that Mars' atmosphere is well-protected from the solar wind due to its induced magnetosphere. The study, led by Robin Ramstad, suggests that only a small portion of atmospheric pressure was lost over 3.9 billion years, contradicting previous assumptions.
A study from Karolinska Institutet found that family members without an inherited CDKN2A mutation still have a higher risk of developing melanoma. This phenomenon, called phenocopy, is attributed to other risk-modifying genes or environmental factors within the families.
University of Illinois researchers create an oxygen-sensitive molecular beacon that emits ultrasound signals in response to light, enabling real-time imaging of hypoxic tumors and constricted arteries. This non-invasive method has the potential to guide surgical procedures and treatment plans.
Research found that consuming high amounts of fructose during pregnancy and early childhood increases the risk of developing asthma in mid-childhood. Mothers who drank a lot of sugar-sweetened beverages while pregnant were more likely to have children with asthma.
A study found that a subset of patients with bladder cancer is resistant to checkpoint inhibitors due to the tumor's immune desert microenvironment. Researchers identified a potential therapeutic strategy involving the inhibition of TGF-β activity, which may improve treatment outcomes for these patients.
In a concerning study, nearly 500 Bangladeshi children aged 9-12 tested positive for recent second-hand smoke exposure. The results reveal alarming rates of SHS exposure among Bangladeshi children, with 95% showing evidence of biochemically validated exposure.
A comprehensive study found that wind and solar energy have lower indirect greenhouse gas emissions compared to fossil-based technologies. The researchers' findings suggest that a full decarbonization of the global power sector is achievable with these clean energy sources, resulting in modest indirect greenhouse gas emissions.
Researchers analyzed monkey brains infected with SIV on antiretroviral therapy and found persistent lymphocyte-dominant inflammation, suggesting underlying cognitive problems. The study suggests that adjunctive immunomodulatory therapies may be useful in patients with HIV-associated neurocognitive disorders.
A study by University of Plymouth researchers shows that marine organisms can break down a single plastic carrier bag into 1.75 million microscopic fragments. The presence of a biofilm accelerates the process, suggesting that marine life may be contributing to the spread of microplastics.
A novel compound omaveloxolone has been shown to restore immune response in patients with melanoma, improving antitumour responses when combined with checkpoint inhibitors. The study found a 57% overall response rate in patients who had not received prior checkpoint inhibitor treatment.
The European Research Council has awarded a €2 million ERC Consolidator Grant to TU Darmstadt's Heinz Koeppl for his project 'CONSYN', which aims to improve the design of synthetic genetic circuits. The grant will support computational modelling and computer-aided circuit synthesis to overcome experimental challenges in synthetic biology.
Researchers at the University of Konstanz have successfully prevented chronic antibody-mediated organ rejection in a rat model using immunoproteasome inhibition with the selective inhibitor ONX 0914. This approach reduces activated plasma cells producing allo-antibodies and leads to improved renal function.
A UCLA-led team used extreme fieldwork and climate modeling to unravel a meltwater mystery on Greenland's ice sheet. They discovered that sunlight penetrating into the ice causes subsurface melting and storage of meltwater, leading to discrepancies between models' estimates and real-time data.
Scientists at Scripps Research Institute found that taurine helps spark a process called remyelination, crucial for repairing nerve cells damaged in multiple sclerosis. Combining taurine with existing MS drugs and future remyelination-inducing treatments may improve overall efficacy.
The University of Illinois Chicago has received a $4.2 million grant from the U.S. Department of Energy to evaluate and install highly efficient combined heat and power technologies. This technology produces both thermal energy and electricity, achieving typical efficiencies of 65-75% compared to conventional systems.
Researchers developed a QKD system that achieves high secret key rates using time-bin encoding, resolving major challenges for practical applications. This breakthrough enables ultra-high rate quantum secure communication, paving the way for image and video encryption and large encrypted databases.
A Phase III trial led by MD Anderson Cancer Center found that talazoparib, a PARP inhibitor, extends progression-free survival and improves quality-of-life measures for patients with metastatic HER2-negative breast cancer and BRCA1/2 mutations. Talazoparib was associated with a 46% lower risk of progression compared to chemotherapy.
Researchers studied fast cockroach locomotion to develop more energy-efficient robot movement. At high speeds, cockroaches adapt their gait by reducing leg coordination, allowing for stable movement on slippery surfaces. This discovery could help robots achieve better endurance and cross-country mobility.
Scientists from the University of Surrey developed non-metal electro-catalysts for fuel cells using Halloysite clay, urea, and furfural, achieving a power density performance of 703 mW cm-2.
A study found that 3-D mammography, although more expensive upfront, is a cost-effective screening method due to its higher true negative rates and lower false positive rates compared to digital mammography. The analysis of 46,483 screening episodes showed that DBT reduced cancer diagnosis-related costs in the following year.
The job outlook for Americans with disabilities remained positive in November 2017, with a 20th consecutive month of gains in the labor market. The employment-to-population ratio increased to 30.0 percent, up from 27.7 percent in November 2016.
Researchers at Toyohashi University of Technology developed an ultrastretchable bioprobe using Kirigami designs, reducing strain-force characteristic and enabling low-invasive biological signal recording. The Kirigami-based bioprobes can follow the shape of spherical and large deformable biological samples.
A new study published in AIDS Patient Care and STDs found that HIV-infected women do not use statins as recommended by guidelines, which control blood lipid levels to prevent heart disease. This underuse may accelerate cardiovascular disease in HIV-positive individuals, underscoring the need for improved cardiac health monitoring.
MIT researchers discovered a way to make bacteria more vulnerable to quinolones, enabling existing drugs to kill bacteria that cause chronic infections. Delivering quinolones along with glucose and fumarate can eliminate several types of bacteria, including Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Staphylococcus aureus.
Nearly 3 in 10 elite footballers at top England clubs have undetected lung and airway issues that could impair performance. Lung health screening programmes are recommended to help identify and treat these problems, improving player well-being and on-field performance.
Scientists analyze NASA data to investigate solar storm impact on cetaceans' internal compasses. While space weather is not primary driver of strandings, it may be one factor among several contributing to the phenomenon.
Researchers found that areas recently treated with controlled burns fared better in the 2013 Rim Fire. The best predictor of fire severity was how severe the area last burned, indicating that reducing initial burn severity can limit future fires.
A team of Norwegian researchers has developed a tool to monitor bacterial strains in cheese cultures, enabling prompt detection and countermeasures to maintain quality. The tool uses next-generation sequencing to analyze the epsD gene, which is involved in resisting phage and producing exopolysaccharide.
A study published in Nature Communications reveals a genetic mutation in the C9orf72 gene causes a vicious cycle of toxic protein production, driving neuronal death in ALS. The researchers found that cell stress activates more toxic protein production, creating a loop that potentially drives disease progression.
A University of Strathclyde project aims to enhance online support for self-harming young people by exploring technology-enabled care and digital innovations. The six-month study, funded £60,000, will investigate impact on families and develop new solutions to advance unmet needs.
Scientists at EPFL Valais Wallis discovered that guanidinium can improve perovskite stability, delivering an average power conversion efficiency of 19.2% and stabilizing performance for 1000 hours under continuous light illumination. This breakthrough could lead to the development of more efficient and stable perovskite solar cells.
Researchers have developed a new antibiotic, EZ120, that targets the mycomembrane biosynthesis of tuberculosis pathogen Mycobacterium tuberculosis. By inhibiting key enzymes, EZ120 significantly increases the effectiveness of conventional antibiotics, offering a novel approach for tuberculosis treatment.
The protein Trigger factor recognizes a partner with unstable domains to form a stable protein duo. Chaperones like TF help folding of other proteins.
A new study in mice has identified an oxytocin-fueled brain circuit that regulates social recognition, revealing the seahorse-shaped hippocampus plays a key role in differentiating similar memories. The findings provide insight into how the brain computes cues to distinguish friend from foe and threat from reward.
Excitonium is a condensate that defies reason, consisting of a boson formed by an escaped electron and a hole it left behind. Researchers at the University of Illinois used a novel technique to measure collective excitations and observed soft plasmon phase, providing definitive evidence for excitonium discovery.
Researchers at Saint Louis University report promising results slowing DMD progression using SR8278, a nuclear receptor regulator drug that increases lean mass and muscle function while decreasing fibrosis and protein degradation.
A study found that younger women with breast cancer who underwent axillary lymph node dissection were more likely to experience arm swelling and decreased range of motion compared to those who received sentinel lymph node biopsies. The study highlights the importance of de-escalating axillary treatment in young patients.