Search Results (5)

Type 2 diabetes (T2D) is one of the most significant and fast-growing health challenges of the 21st century. Despite the variety of available glucose-lowering agents, many patients do not attain or maintain adequate glycaemic control. Bariatric surgery demonstrates a profound anti-diabetic effect, which is almost immediate and weight-loss independent. The significant improvement in diabetes after bariatric surgery together with the endoscopic accessibility of the duodenum has led to the development of new metabolic endoscopic procedures that capitalise on the importance of the proximal small bowel in glycaemic control. Clinical trials have shown a clear efficacy signal, and now, several devices are undergoing evaluation as primary T2D treatments. Establishing where these procedures fit into the treatment algorithms for T2D and how they can be combined with modern pharmacotherapies is needed in a rapidly changing landscape. Ultimately, through metabolic endoscopy, gastroenterologists are on the cusp of providing safe and effective treatments for the multidisciplinary management of T2D. Full article

Modern medicine has been working to find a cure for cancer for almost a century, but thus far, they have not been very successful. Although cancer treatment has come a long way, more work has to be carried out to boost specificity and reduce systemic toxicity. The diagnostic industry is on the cusp of a technological revolution, and early diagnosis is essential for improving prognostic outlook and patient quality of life. In recent years, nanotechnology’s use has expanded, demonstrating its efficacy in enhancing fields such as cancer treatment, radiation therapy, diagnostics, and imaging. Applications for nanomaterials are diverse, ranging from enhanced radiation adjuvants to more sensitive early detection instruments. Cancer, particularly when it has spread beyond the original site of cancer, is notoriously tough to combat. Many people die from metastatic cancer, which is why it remains a huge issue. Cancer cells go through a sequence of events known as the “metastatic cascade” throughout metastasis, which may be used to build anti-metastatic therapeutic techniques. Conventional treatments and diagnostics for metastasis have their drawbacks and hurdles that must be overcome. In this contribution, we explore in-depth the potential benefits that nanotechnology-aided methods might offer to the detection and treatment of metastatic illness, either alone or in conjunction with currently available conventional procedures. Anti-metastatic drugs, which can prevent or slow the spread of cancer throughout the body, can be more precisely targeted and developed with the help of nanotechnology. Furthermore, we talk about how nanotechnology is being applied to the treatment of patients with cancer metastases. Full article

We present ionization cross-sections for antiproton and helium collisions based on an ab initio time-dependent coupled channel method. In our calculations, a finite basis set of regular helium Coulomb wave packets and Slater function were used. The semiclassical approximation was applied with the time-dependent Coulomb potential to describe the antiproton–electron interaction. Three different projectile energies were considered as 10, 50 and 100 keV. We found clear evidence for the formation of the anti-cusp in the differential distributions. Full article

Background: Glioblastoma represents the most common primary brain tumor in adults. Despite technological advances, patients with this disease typically die within 1–2 years after diagnosis. In the search for novel therapeutics, drug repurposing has emerged as an alternative to traditional drug development pipelines, potentially facilitating and expediting the transition from drug discovery to clinical application. In a drug repurposing effort, the original CUSP9 and its derivatives CUSP9* and CUSP9v3 were developed as combinations of nine non-oncological drugs combined with metronomic low-dose temozolomide. Methods: In this work, we performed pre-clinical testing of CUSP9v3 in different established, primary cultured and stem-like glioblastoma models. In addition, eight patients with heavily pre-treated recurrent glioblastoma received the CUSP9v3 regime on a compassionate use basis in a last-ditch effort. Results: CUSP9v3 had profound antiproliferative and pro-apoptotic effects across all tested glioblastoma models. Moreover, the cells’ migratory capacity and ability to form tumor spheres was drastically reduced. In vitro, additional treatment with temozolomide did not significantly enhance the antineoplastic activity of CUSP9v3. CUSP9v3 was well-tolerated with the most frequent grade 3 or 4 adverse events being increased hepatic enzyme levels. Conclusions: CUSP9v3 displays a strong anti-proliferative and anti-migratory activity in vitro and seems to be safe to apply to patients. These data have prompted further investigation of CUSP9v3 in a phase Ib/IIa clinical trial (NCT02770378). Full article

In a leading article by Sir Percival Philips in the UK popular newspaper, the Daily Mail, July 16, 1928, came the following headlines: “Millions Lost by Noise – Cities’ Worst Plague – Menace to Nerves and Health – What is Being Done to Stop it”. The article was supported by research from Prof Henry J. Spooner, who had been researching and campaigning on the ill-effects of noise and its economic impact. The article sparked subsequent discussion and follow-up articles in the Daily Mail and its international partners. In an era of rapid technological change, that was on the cusp of implementing sound pressure measurements, the Daily Mail, in collaboration with the Columbia Graphophone Company Ltd, experimented with sound recording technology and commentary in the field to help communicate perceived loudness and identify the sources of “unnecessary noise”. This resulted in the making of series of environmental sound recordings from five locations across central London during September 1928, the findings of which were documented and discussed in the Daily Mail at the time, and two recordings commercially released by Columbia on shellac gramophone disc. This was probably the first concerted anti-noise campaign of this type and scale, requiring huge technological efforts. The regulatory bodies and politicians of the time reviewed and improved the policies around urban noise shortly after the presentation of the recordings, which were also broadcast from the BBC both nationally and internationally, and many members of the public congratulated and thanked the Daily Mail for such an initiative. Despite its unpreceded scale and impact, and the recent scholarly attention on the history of anti-noise campaigning, this paper charts and contextualises the Daily Mail’s London Street Noise campaign for the first time. As well as historical research, this data has also been used to start a longitudinal comparative study still underway, returning to make field recordings on the site on the 80th and 90th anniversaries and during the COVID-19 lockdown, and shared on the website londonstreetnoises.co.uk. Full article