Study design may overcome barriers of cannabis research

A novel collaboration may establish a framework to help researchers overcome regulatory barriers they often face when conducting interventional cannabis trials.
Investigators in Minnesota partnered with their state’s medical cannabis program on a pilot trial that evaluated whether medical cannabis could ease symptom burdens among individuals newly diagnosed with advanced pancreatic cancer.
Results showed the approach is feasible, safe and well-received by patients. Researchers also observed a preliminary efficacy signal among trial participants who received early access to medical cannabis.

Anxiety influences quality of life after achalasia treatment

Adults with high esophageal hypervigilance and anxiety and worse esophageal function prior to achalasia treatment experienced improved post-treatment esophageal-specific quality of life, according to published data.
Those with high hypervigilance and anxiety but better esophageal function, however, reported poorer esophageal-specific quality of life after treatment.
“Psychological factors shaped how physiological severity affected quality of life after treatment,” Livia Guadagnoli, PhD, research assistant professor at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, told Healio.

MET signaling’s protective role shows promise for treating acetaminophen-induced acute liver failure

A new study has found that MET (hepatocyte growth factor receptor) signaling plays a critical protective role in acetaminophen-induced acute liver failure (ALF). This pathway is shown to work as a dual-action mechanism that both reduces liver damage and accelerates regeneration. The findings from a novel study published in The American Journal of Pathology suggest that targeting MET signaling could become a game-changer for the treatment of drug-induced ALF.

Study tracks 2,539 teens: Most IBS symptoms ease by age 24

Two out of three adolescents with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) start adulthood without the disease, according to a long-term study that followed more than 2,500 individuals. The researchers also note that several factors in adolescence that increase the risk of adult IBS can be influenced.

Revenues from drugs subject to price reduction under Inflation Reduction Act not essential for R&D

New research from the Center for Integration of Science and Industry at Bentley University shows that public companies with products subject to price negotiations in the first two years of the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) were more profitable than comparable companies in the S&P 500 and that revenues from these drugs were not essential for corporate operations or R&D. This research also shows the estimated margins from sales of these drugs exceeded the average cost of product development, including normal returns, before beginning IRA price negotiations.

It takes two: Genes ATP13A2 and GBA1 interact to drive neurodegeneration

Parkinson's disease (PD) is the second most common neurodegenerative disease after Alzheimer's disease, affecting more than 10 million people worldwide. People with this condition may experience tremors, limb stiffness, gait and balance problems and move slowly, like when buttoning a shirt or walking. These symptoms happen because certain brain cells die over time. Although scientists have known some of the factors that raise a person's risk, the question remains of why some people with genetic risk factors develop the disease while others never do.

Five things to know about measles

In light of a sustained surge in measles outbreaks last year, a pediatric infectious disease physician from Stanford Medicine shares key insights. After a sustained surge of measles outbreaks last year, the United States is likely to lose its status as a country that has eliminated the highly infectious disease.