July 2018

Treatments for cancer and sickle cell disease deplete germ cells in young boys

Scientists have discovered that some treatments for cancer and sickle cell disease can destroy the germ cells that go on to develop into sperm in the testes of young boys. In some pre-pubescent boys, the treatment for sickle cell disease results in complete destruction of all their germ cells, which are called spermatogonia. The study, […]

Researchers map ‘family trees’ of acute myeloid leukaemia for the first time in patients treated with enasidenib

Paris, France: For the first time, a team of international researchers have mapped the family trees of cancer cells in acute myeloid leukaemia (AML) to understand how this blood cancer responds to a new drug, enasidenib. The work also explains what happens when a patient stops responding to the treatment, providing important clues about how […]

Sleep disorder linked with changes to brain structure typical of dementia

Obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) is associated with changes to the structure of the brain that are also seen in the early stages of dementia, according to a study published in the European Respiratory Journal. OSA, where the walls of the throat relax and narrow during sleep stopping breathing, is known to reduce levels of oxygen […]