Category: Disease Discoveries
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Blood Test May Predict Immunotherapy Response in Head and Neck Cancer
A new Northwestern Medicine study suggests that a simple blood test could help identify which patients with head and neck cancer are most likely to benefit from immunotherapy, according to a study published in the Journal of Clinical Investigation.
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Linking Lysosomal Dysfunction to Severe Neurological Disorders
A new study has identified mutations in a single gene as the cause of a previously unrecognized spectrum of severe neurological disorders, according to a study published in the Journal of Clinical Investigation.
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Skin-Resident Immune Cells Drive Neuropathic Pain in Diabetes
In experimental models of diabetes, Northwestern Medicine scientists have discovered that a specialized group of skin-resident immune cells drive neuropathic pain through sex-dependent signaling pathways, according to a recent study published in The Journal of Clinical Investigation.
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ALS is Driven by a Domino‑Like Chain Reaction That Begins in Nerve Cells
A new Northwestern Medicine study provides evidence that ALS unfolds through a domino‑like sequence of events that begins with an early breakdown inside motor neurons and is followed by a damaging inflammatory response.
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Metformin Slows Mitochondrial Energy Production, Promotes Glycemic Control
A new Northwestern Medicine study has found that metformin, a commonly prescribed diabetes drug, focuses primarily on the gut, acting to prevent glucose levels rising in the blood by driving glucose utilization inside cells lining the intestine.
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Treatment of Rare Childhood Epilepsy Could Begin Before Birth
A new Northwestern study suggests that interventions for epilepsy can start during pregnancy, as early as 15 weeks gestation, well before symptoms appear, according to a study published in Nature Communications.
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Reinfection Raises Long COVID Risk in Children and Adolescents
Children and adolescents who are reinfected with SARS-CoV-2 face a significantly higher risk of developing long COVID, according to a large, multi-institutional study published in The Lancet Infectious Diseases.
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Scans Can Reveal Hidden Prostate Cancer Progression
A large analysis of two major clinical trials has found that the spread of prostate cancer can be detected on imaging scans even when biomarkers remain stable, according to a study published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.
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Neighborhood Social Factors Increase Cardiovascular Disease Risk
Individuals exposed to adverse neighborhood social factors in early adulthood demonstrated a higher risk of developing coronary artery calcification in midlife, a key measure of early cardiovascular disease, according to a recent study published in Nature Communications.
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Epilepsy Gene Implicated in Severe Migraine Disorder
Northwestern Medicine scientists have identified mutations in a gene coding for key ion channels in the brain as a new cause of a debilitating form of migraine, according to a study published in Brain.
