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With the world facing the COVID19 pandemic, washing hands and maintaining hand hygiene has become all the more important and need of the hour. It is also one of the cheapest and easiest ways to prevent coronavirus. Here’s everything you need to know about washing your hands to protect against COVID19. Global Handwashing Day is… Read More »Global Handwashing Day 2020: Steps to wash your hands to protect against COVID19

The SARS-CoV-2 virus shares an important feature with some viruses that cause the common cold, and the structural similarity suggests that people with a history of the common cold may carry some immunity against SARS-CoV-2 infection, new evidence reveals. Infection with SARS-CoV-2 also boosts production of memory B cells, long-lasting components of immune protection. Even… Read More »Common Cold History Could Confer Some COVID-19 Immunity Protection

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has expanded the indication for mepolizumab (Nucala, GlaxoSmithKline) to include patients with hypereosinophilic syndrome (HES). Mepolizumab is indicated for adults and children aged 12 years and older with HES for 6 months or longer without an identifiable nonhematologic secondary cause. “[This] approval marks the first time in over a decade… Read More »FDA OKs Mepolizumab (Nucala) for Hypereosinophilic Syndrome

An international survey provides new insights into how COVID-19 has affected, and may continue to affect, the field of oncology. The survey showed that “COVID-19 has had a major impact on the organization of patient care, on the well-being of caregivers, on continued medical education, and on clinical trial activities in oncology,” stated Guy Jerusalem, MD,… Read More »Survey Quantifies COVID-19’s Impact on Oncology

For women with breast cancer and vulvovaginal atrophy (VVA) unresponsive to non-hormonal therapy, other treatments may be effective, but safety is “controversial and a major concern,” say authors of a systematic review. “I was surprised that clinical studies assessing the safety of the vaginal laser or androgen therapies, with regard to serum estradiol levels or… Read More »Safety a Concern for Vulvovaginal Atrophy Treatments in Breast Cancer Survivors

Eleven high-income countries are on track to meet World Health Organization targets to eliminate hepatitis C infection by 2030, compared with nine countries 2 years ago, researchers report. But 28 countries, including the United States, are not expected to eliminate HCV until 2050. “In the countries making progress, the common elements are political will, a clear national… Read More »Many Advanced Countries Missing Targets for HCV Elimination

Colchicine usage found to reduce the risk of cardiovascular death, heart attack and stroke by almost one third, according to an Australian-Dutch trial led by Perth GenesisCare cardiologists, Professor Peter Thompson and Dr Mark Nidorf, in collaboration with the Dutch Network for Cardiovascular Research (WCN) in the Netherlands. The trial confirmed that low dose colchicine… Read More »Gout Medication Prevents Progression of Coronary Disease

Patients with metastatic pancreatic cancer should undergo germline and somatic testing to identify those who can benefit from targeted therapies, according to an updated guideline from the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO). The 2018 ASCO guideline focused on second-line therapy for patients who had experienced progression or intolerable toxicity after first-line therapy. The updated… Read More »Updated Guidelines Endorse Genomic Tests, Targeted Treatments for Metastatic Pancreatic Cancer

In the United States in recent years, mortality rates from the most common lung cancer, non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), have fallen sharply, due primarily to recent advances in treatment, said new study. The study was led by researchers at the National Cancer Institute (NCI), part of the National Institutes of Health. “Reduced tobacco consumption… Read More »Lung Cancer Mortality Rate: New Findings

Aspirin may decrease the risk of developing cancer, according to the study conducted by a binational team led by researchers at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH), the Berman Center in Minnesota, and Monash University in Australia. Compelling evidence from clinical trials that included predominantly middle-aged adults demonstrates that aspirin may reduce the risk of developing cancer,… Read More »Aspirin may Hasten Progression of Cancers in Elderly Patients

Patients receiving interleukin-1£] (IL-1£]) inhibitors had lower rates of total hip or total knee replacements over an average follow up of 3.7 years, according to an exploratory analysis of data from the CANTOS (Canakinumab Anti-inflammatory Thrombosis Outcomes Study), which is a randomized double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. These findings are important, as no treatments currently exist that… Read More »Canakinumab Holds Potential In Treating Large Joint Osteoarthritis