BioMedWire Stocks Archives - BioMedWire (BMW)

TuesdayApr 15, 2025 10:00 am

New Blood Test Shows Potential in Revolutionizing Early Parkinson’s Detection

A team of researchers has developed a “cost-effective” and simple blood test with the potential to detect Parkinson’s disease years before the disease’s symptoms start manifesting. The study’s findings appeared in the Nature Aging journal. Approximately 153,000 individuals live with Parkinson’s disease in the United Kingdom, and the team that conducted this recent research is optimistic that their innovation could revolutionize how early the disease can be detected. This early diagnosis would then allow treatment teams to initiate interventions that improve the clinical outcomes for patients. The new test developed focuses on analyzing fragments of transfer RNA (tRFs), which are…

FridayApr 11, 2025 10:00 am

Blocking an Enzyme in Melanoma Patients Could Overcome Resistance to Immunotherapy

Approximately 65% of patients diagnosed with melanoma are unresponsive to immunotherapy. New research suggests that blocking the HPGDS enzyme can be a viable way to improve patients’ response to immunotherapy since the activity of this enzyme contributes to immunotherapy resistance. This approach can also increase immunotherapy response in other types of cancer with similar attributes to those of melanoma. Over the last 10 years, significant advances have been made in leveraging immunotherapy to treat melanoma and other cancers. However, more than half (65%) of melanoma patients don’t respond to immunotherapy. TAMs (tumor-associated macrophages) play a major role in this immunotherapy…

ThursdayApr 10, 2025 10:00 am

Health Insurance Shares Climb After Medicare Reimbursements are Boosted

Shares of health insurance firms in the U.S. jumped after the federal government announced a reimbursement rate increase which was higher than what had been expected by the industry. The rate increase applies to Medicare Advantage plans and will take effect next year. This increase was welcome news to the industry that had seen their margins squeezed by rising costs of medical care. Humana, an insurer specializing in Medicare, saw its shares soar by 16% while other firms, such as Centene, UnitedHealth Group and CVS saw upticks ranging from 5% to 10%. After the Covid-19 pandemic, there was a surge…

TuesdayApr 08, 2025 10:00 am

Study Shows the Gut is Key in Protecting the Brain After Stroke

Many patients who have had a stroke often suffer secondary brain damage as a result of the inflammation that is triggered during the stroke. Scientists have been working to find ways to forestall this secondary brain damage and a recent preclinical study conducted by a team at UTHealth Houston could provide a viable way to address neuroinflammation after stroke episodes. For their study, the team focused on molecules whose role is to bind to particular receptors. These molecules are called ligands, mainly produced in the gut. Ligands are vital in facilitating cell function and signaling between different parts of the…

MondayApr 07, 2025 10:00 am

Study Uncovers Drivers of Brain Tumor Growth, Could Open New Treatment Approaches

A new study has uncovered key drivers of brain cancer growth that could make it possible to predict or even slow down the rate at which these tumors regrow. This could open a new chapter in personalized cancer treatment. The research team, led by Professor Parag Katira of San Diego State University, together with Moffit Cancer Center’s Ana Gomes and Noemi Andor, discovered how brain tumor cells grow and transform in response to the environment in which they find themselves. These findings could enable doctors to predict the cancer’s response to any treatments to be administered. The team focused their…

ThursdayApr 03, 2025 10:00 am

Study Suggests Possible Link Between ADHD and Heightened Dementia Risk

ADHD, or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, is usually diagnosed during one’s childhood, but more adults are being diagnosed with this condition. Experts have observed that among adults diagnosed with ADHD, the likelihood of developing dementia is heightened, but it hasn’t been clear why this is the case. Now a new study suggests a possible explanation for the increased possibility of dementia development among adult ADHD sufferers. A press release issued by Prof. Paul Unschuld, who initiated this study, indicates that while epidemiological studies indicated a heightened risk of dementia development among adults diagnosed with ADHD, the mechanisms behind this link…

TuesdayApr 01, 2025 10:00 am

Study Explains Why Melanoma, Other Cancers Evade and Resist Immunotherapy

Cutaneous melanoma is the most aggressive skin cancer type and it is characterized by manifesting diverse mutations. Under normal circumstances, several of these mutations could be identified as threats by the immune system, but in this type of cancer, this doesn’t happen. Consequently, most patients are unresponsive to immunotherapy. This challenge has baffled oncology researchers for years. Now new research conducted by CNIO Melanoma Group located at the National Cancer Research Center in Spain has discovered the mechanism through which aggressive tumors like cutaneous melanoma evade the immune system in a way that isn’t expected. The study team, headed by…

FridayMar 28, 2025 10:00 am

Report Shows the Growth of Medicare Advantage Plans is Decelerating

A recently published report indicates that the rate at which Medicare Advantage plans are growing is slowing down. The report was authored by HealthScape Advisors, a consulting company, together with Chartis, a healthcare advisory company. The report says the Medicare Advantage (MA) market is experiencing a correction following the explosive growth the segment experienced over the past four years. Data shows that people enrolled in MA plans increased by 3.9% (1.3 million enrollees) last year. This is in contrast to the 7% rate of growth registered in 2023, which was also a reduction from the growth rate of 9.4% recorded…

ThursdayMar 27, 2025 10:00 am

Firefighters Have an Increased Chance of Having Gene Mutations Associated with Brain Cancer, Study Says

New research shows that firefighters diagnosed with gliomas tend to have a particular set of genetic mutations that aren’t so common in individuals engaged in other occupations. In the past, those specific gene mutations had been linked to haloalkane exposure. Haloalkanes are chemicals often used in fire extinguishers and fire retardants. This study is the first one ever to confirm that haloalkane exposure is a possible risk factor heralding the development of gliomas. Gliomas have proven to be difficult to treat. The study lead, Prof. Elizabeth Claus, based at Yale School of Public Health, explains that their study is the…

TuesdayMar 25, 2025 10:00 am

New Study Finds Possible Explanation for Higher Parkinson’s Prevalence in Men

Scientists have for long been baffled as to why men have a higher likelihood of developing Parkinson’s disease when compared to women. A new study suggests a possible reason why this higher risk exists, and the culprit is a usually harmless protein within the brain. PINK1, or PTEN-induced kinase 1, is a protein that is involved in regulating the energy use of brain cells. Under normal circumstances, this protein isn’t a threat. However, as this new study found, the immune system in some people with Parkinson’s disease mistakes these proteins to be threats and attacks brain cells found to be…