CLEVELAND, Ohio — This week in Cleveland Medical Information … A brand new instrument within the struggle in opposition to blindness, one more good thing about the load loss drug Ozempic, and a ban on poisonous gentle drink components, Plus OSU scientists goal non-small cell lung most cancers
Saving cells, saving sight
An affiliate professor of ophthalmology and visible sciences on the Case Western Reserve College College of Drugs, is hoping to supply the primary oral remedy for the genetic eye illness retinitis pigmentosa.
RP causes blindness when the cells within the retina that reply to mild — referred to as photoreceptors — die. It may be attributable to quite a lot of underlying genetic mutations, for a lot of of which no remedy is out there.
The brand new remedy, say researchers, protects susceptible cells of the retina by blocking a selected protein that causes them to die. This protein is widespread among the many varied genetic mutations that trigger RP illness in addition to different neurodegenerative mind illnesses, and due to this fact might be a possible therapy for a lot of sorts of genetic blindness in addition to different mind illnesses like ALS or Alzheimer’s illness the place cell loss of life is the first driver of signs.
Ozempic to the rescue, once more?
In case you’ve been following the information concerning the weight reduction drug Ozempic, you understand that it not solely helps folks reduce weight completely with few if any critical uncomfortable side effects, nevertheless it additionally has been proven to have a bunch of different facet advantages like decreasing irritation, diminishing the chance of heart problems, enhancing kidney perform, and even aiding with infertility.
And now it has been proven to assist folks cease ingesting. I imply, pardon me, however is there something this drug can’t do?
The examine discovered that in contrast with different anti-obesity drugs, semaglutide, the energetic ingredient in Ozempic, is related to a 50%-56% decrease danger for each the incidence and recurrence of alcohol use dysfunction in sufferers who had been adopted for over a 12 months.
The findings are from a brand new examine led by Case Western Reserve College and printed within the journal Nature Communications.
OSU analysis targets non-small cell lung most cancers
Ohio State College researchers are tapping into the physique’s pure defenses to kill lung most cancers cells.
By understanding how cells naturally restore DNA harm, researchers hope to interrupt this course of in most cancers cells, and in flip make them extra susceptible to therapy.
OSU researchers found that by blocking one in every of these chemical compounds, referred to as checkpoint kinase 1, and mixing it with parts of the physique’s antioxidant system, they’re simpler at killing non-small cell lung most cancers cells.
The mix of proteins makes most cancers cells extra vulnerable to therapy, researchers stated. The findings had been lately printed within the journal Nature Communications.
Simply say no to BVO
The U.S. Meals and Drug Administration final week introduced its resolution to enact a ban on the chemical brominated vegetable oil utilized in meals merchandise.
Brominated vegetable oil is a vegetable oil that’s modified with bromine. It’s used as an emulsifier in citrus flavored sodas and drinks to maintain the flavoring distributed all through the drink.
As Gretchen reported, the ban, which is able to take impact Aug. 2, has been a very long time coming. It was first banned within the UK greater than 20 years in the past and has subsequently been faraway from meals merchandise in quite a few different nations, together with nations within the EU, Japan, and India. Nonetheless, regardless of considerations over its security, it remained in use within the U.S. after the FDA deemed it secure for human consumption.
Latest after research demonstrated that BVO broken the thyroid of rats that consumed it, the FDA to reverse its resolution, concluding that BVO is not thought of secure in meals.
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