TITANIUM PROFESSIONALS

Multiple randomized clinical trials and electronic health record studies now show that metformin, a widely used and well-established medication, significantly reduces the risk of developing Long COVID when taken during or shortly after acute infection with SARS-CoV-2. The findings were published in Clinical Infectious Diseases.

In the paper, the University of Minnesota Medical School research team provides information about metformin and summarizes several studies in low, standard and high risk populations

A short-term oat-based diet appears to be surprisingly effective at reducing the cholesterol level. This is indicated by a trial by the University of Bonn, which has been published in the journal Nature Communications. The participants suffered from a metabolic syndrome - a combination of high body weight, high blood pressure, and elevated blood glucose and blood lipid levels. They consumed a calorie-reduced diet, consisting almost exclusively of oatmeal, for two days.

Chemotherapy commonly damages the intestinal lining, a well-known side effect. But this injury does not remain confined to the gut. It reshapes nutrient availability for intestinal bacteria, forcing the microbiota to adapt.

The researchers report that chemotherapy-induced damage to the intestinal lining alters nutrient availability for gut bacteria, reshaping the microbiota and increasing the production of

Abbott (NYSE: ABT) announced that its board of directors has increased the company's quarterly common dividend to 63 cents per share, an increase of 6.8%. The company's quarterly dividend payout has increased more than 70% since 2020.

This marks Abbott's 54th consecutive year of dividend growth and is the 408th consecutive quarterly dividend to be paid by Abbott since 1924.

A newly published perspective article in Nature Nanotechnology details groundbreaking nanoparticle technology to eliminate harmful, disease-causing proteins in the body. The technology marks a transformative leap in the potential to drug "undruggable" proteins, to treat diseases such as dementia and brain cancer.

The research was led by Chair Professor in Nanomedicine Bingyang Shi from the University of Technology Sydney (UTS), together with international collaborators Professor Kam Leong from Columbia University, and Professor Meng Zheng from Henan University.

In a world first, a research team led by the University of Oxford’s Department of Engineering Science has shown it is possible to engineer a quantum mechanical process inside proteins, opening the door to a new class of quantum-enabled biological technologies.

The study, published today in Nature, reports the creation of a new class of biomolecules, magneto-sensitive fluorescent proteins (or MFPs), that can interact with magnetic fields and radio waves.

A national clinical trial led by the Alliance for Clinical Trials in Oncology has found that abemaciclib, an oral cancer drug, may slow tumor growth in patients with aggressive meningiomas that have specific genetic mutations. This primary analysis of Alliance A071401 is published in Nature Medicine.

Meningiomas, tumors that grow in the membranes that surround the brain and spinal cord, are the most common primary brain tumors.

Bristol Myers Squibb (NYSE: BMY, “BMS”), a global leader in oncology, announced an agreement with Microsoft, a market leader in AI-powered radiology and clinical workflow technologies, aiming to accelerate early detection of lung cancer.

Through this digital health collaboration, U.S. FDA-cleared radiology AI algorithms will be deployed via Microsoft’s Precision Imaging Network, part of Microsoft for Healthcare radiology solutions.

Approximately 20 to 30 percent of all people who suffer from psoriasis also develop painful inflammation in their joints over time. If left untreated, this condition known as psoriatic arthritis can lead to permanent damage to bones and joints. Until now, it was a mystery why the disease progressed this way in some patients and not in others.

Researchers from IRTA and IrsiCaixa, partners in the EPIVINF project, have identified the golden Syrian hamster as a potential relevant model for studying the biology of long COVID, also known as post-COVID-19 condition (PCC).

Long COVID is not a single disease but a complex syndrome involving a range of persistent symptoms. People suffering from it report overwhelming fatigue, memory lapses, "brain fog," difficulty concentrating, sleep disturbances, and neurological symptoms that can last for months or even years after the initial infection.

Plants make substances called alkaloids to protect themselves, and humans have long taken advantage of these chemicals, using them in painkillers, treatments for disease and household products such as caffeine and nicotine.

By understanding how plants make these substances, researchers aim to produce new and improved chemicals for medicines more quickly, cheaply and with less environmental impact.

The mucosal surfaces that line the body are embedded with defensive molecules that help keep microbes from causing inflammation and infections. Among these molecules are lectins - proteins that recognize microbes and other cells by binding to sugars found on cell surfaces.

One of these lectins, MIT researchers have found, has broad-spectrum antimicrobial activity against bacteria found in the GI tract.

Researchers at McMaster University are leading preclinical studies into a novel drug candidate developed by Espervita Therapeutics that has the potential to prevent and reverse liver fibrosis - a dangerous, disease-induced build-up of scar tissue in the liver that often leads to cancer.

The findings point to a potential new treatment for the millions of people living with liver disease, addressing a critical gap where no approved drugs currently exist in Canada.

Merck (NYSE: MRK), known as MSD outside of the United States and Canada, announced the successful completion of the cash tender offer, through a subsidiary, for all the outstanding shares of common stock of Cidara Therapeutics, Inc. (Nasdaq: CDTX) (“Cidara”).

Despite years of clinical guidelines warning against the practice, one in four Medicare beneficiaries with dementia is prescribed brain-altering medications linked to falls, confusion, and hospitalization, according to new research to be published January 12 in the peer-reviewed journal JAMA.

While prescriptions for these medications fell from 20% to 16% over the nine-year study period among all Medicare beneficiaries,

Higher consumption of food preservatives, widely used in industrially processed foods and beverages to extend their shelf life, has been linked to an increased risk of type 2 diabetes. These findings are the result of work carried out by researchers from Inserm, INRAE, Sorbonne Paris Nord University, Paris Cité University and Cnam, within the Nutritional Epidemiology Research Team (CRESS-EREN). They are based on health and dietary data from more than 100,000 adults participating in the NutriNet-Santé cohort study, and published in the journal Nature Communications.

Living with several chronic diseases at once, what is known as multimorbidity, is common among older people and puts a considerable strain on both the individual and the healthcare services. A collaborative study led by researchers at the Aging Research Center of Karolinska Institutet has now identified a small number of blood biomarkers that can predict the risk of multimorbidity. The study included over 2,200 individuals from the general Stockholm population, Sweden, above the age of 60.

Bayer and Cradle have entered a three-year strategic collaboration to deploy Cradle’s scientific AI software platform for protein engineering. As part of the collaboration, Bayer will integrate the generative AI platform into existing R&D workflows to enhance lead generation and optimization across its therapeutic antibody pipeline.

Immune checkpoint molecules play a crucial role in keeping the immune system in balance and preventing an attack on the body's own cells. Cancer cells can use these checkpoints to hide from the immune system, making them a key focus for treatments that boost the immune response against cancer. Immune checkpoint inhibitors are proteins that release this brake on the immune system and unleash our immune cells to attack tumors.

Using machine learning and a large volume of data on genes and existing drugs, researchers at Lund University in Sweden have identified a combination of statins and phenothiazines that is particularly promising in the treatment of the aggressive form of neuroblastoma. The results from experimental trials showed slowing of tumour growth and higher survival rates.