The promising drug is known as F8-TNF. When injected into the bloodstream, it lures killer cells from the body's immune system towards sarcomas. The killer cells then destroy the tumours. Researchers from ETH Zurich, led by Professor Dario Neri at the Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, developed F8-TNF four years ago. Since then, they have been able to show that it can completely cure sarcomas in mice when combined with a chemotherapeutic agent.
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Internet withdrawal increases heart rate and blood pressure
Scientists and clinicians from Swansea and Milan have found that some people who use the internet a lot experience significant physiological changes such as increased heart rate and blood pressure when they finish using the internet. The study involved 144 participants, aged 18 to 33 years, having their heart rate and blood pressure measured before and after a brief internet session.
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Some heart attack patients may not benefit from beta blockers
New research challenges established medical practice that all heart attack patients should be on beta blockers. The study - by a research team at the University of Leeds - looked at patients who had a heart attack but did not suffer heart failure - a complication of a heart attack where the heart muscle is damaged and ceases to function properly. It found that heart attack patients who did not have heart failure did not live any longer after being given beta blockers - yet around 95% of patients who fall into this category end up on the medication.
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Isolated Greek villages reveal genetic secrets that protect against heart disease
A genetic variant that protects the heart against cardiovascular disease has been discovered by researchers at the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute and their collaborators. Reported today in Nature Communications, the cardioprotective variant was found in an isolated Greek population, who are known to live long and healthy lives despite having a diet rich in animal fat.
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One in 3 high blood pressure patients failing to take medication
One in three people who suffer from high blood pressure are failing to take medication as prescribed by their healthcare professionals, a new study led by the University of Leicester has suggested. A study on 1,400 hypertensive patients, conducted in collaboration between the Universities of Leicester (lead authors Dr Pankaj Gupta, Dr Prashanth Patel from the Department of Cardiovascular Sciences at the University of Leicester), Manchester (Prof M Tomazweski) and Czech Republic (Prof J Widimsky) has used a novel urine test to find that non-adherence to prescribed medications is around 30-40%.
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Diabetes drug may help symptoms of autism-associated condition
Metformin, the most widely used drug to treat type 2 diabetes, could potentially be used to treat symptoms of Fragile X syndrome, an inherited form of intellectual disability and a cause of some forms of autism. A new study led by researchers at McGill University, the University of Edinburgh and Université de Montréal has found that metformin improves social, behavioural and morphological defects in Fragile X mice.
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Antibiotic doxycycline may offer hope for treatment of Parkinson's disease
A study published in the journal Scientific Reports suggests that doxycycline, an antibiotic used for over half a century against bacterial infections, can be prescribed at lower doses for the treatment of Parkinson's disease. According to the authors, the substance reduces the toxicity of α-synuclein, a protein that, under certain conditions, forms abnormal accumulations of aggregates in central nervous system cells, which are damaged as a result.
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