An elevated pre-pregnancy hemoglobin A1c–which measures average blood glucose concentration–is associated with a higher risk of adverse pregnancy outcomes even in women without known diabetes, according to a new study published this week in PLOS Medicine by Joel Ray of ICES and the University of Toronto, Canada, and colleagues. Diabetes mellitus and obesity are both…
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Scientists have identified metabolites in the blood that accurately predict whether a woman will develop type 2 diabetes after experiencing a transient form of illness during pregnancy. This discovery could lead to a test that would help doctors identify patients at greatest risk and help them potentially avert the disease through interventions including diet and…
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In complex operations, is there a correlation between the volume of service provided per hospital and the quality of the treatment outcome? This question is addressed in eight commissions on minimum volumes that the Federal Joint Committee (G-BA) has issued to the Institute for Quality and Efficiency in Health Care (IQWiG). The IQWiG report is…
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The first COVID-19 vaccine to reach phase 1 clinical trial has been found to be safe, well-tolerated, and able to generate an immune response against SARS-CoV-2 in humans, according to new research published in The Lancet. The open-label trial in 108 healthy adults demonstrates promising results after 28 days–the final results will be evaluated in…
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A large observational study suggests that treatment with the antimalarial drug chloroquine or its analogue hydroxychloroquine (taken with or without the antibiotics azithromycin or clarithromycin) offers no benefit for patients with COVID-19. The study analysed data from nearly 15,000 patients with COVID-19 receiving a combination of any of the four drug regimens and 81,000 controls.…
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NHS patients will benefit from easier access to clinical research opportunities, following a £7 million government investment to launch five new regional Patient Recruitment Centres (PRCs) across England. The five new centres are distributed across the country to provide opportunities for patients in regions across England who may not previously have been able to take…
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Boston, MA — A research team led by investigators from Brigham and Women’s Hospital has evaluated real-world evidence related to outcomes for COVID-19 patients who were treated with hydroxychloroquine or chloroquine analogues (with or without a macrolide). Investigators found no evidence that either drug regimen reduced the death rate among patients. Patients treated with hydroxychloroquine…
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A person who has a stroke that causes vision loss is often told there is nothing she can do to improve or regain the vision she has lost. New research from the University of Rochester, published in the journal Brain, may offer hope to stroke patients in regaining vision. The Rochester team found that survivors…
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Bypassing clinical trials for a potential SARS-CoV-2 vaccine would be “catastrophic,” says Science Advances deputy editor Douglas Green in this Editorial. Instead, it’s vital to take time to ensure any vaccine candidate’s safety and investigate potential adverse effects, he says. A vaccine able to trigger strong neutralizing antibody responses in clinical tests will still not…
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Methylation (namely addition of a methyl group) of arginine amino acid residues of proteins is a post-translational modification (PTM) catalyzed by a family of nine enzymes called Protein Arginine Methyl-Transferases (PRMTs). PRMTs have been gaining increasing attention in the scientific landscape due their role in several essential physiological processes and implication in various diseases, including…
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