Webcast - Medical and Healthcare News - 3rd Week of August 2026

Vidcast:  https://www.facebook.com/reel/1422131509978799

 

Personalized mRNA Melanoma Cancer Vaccine Saves Lives

Your Favorite Cheese Could Sharpen Your Thinking

We Now Have TWO Antivirals ?To Battle CoVid

Sound Machines Might Be Making Your Sleep Worse

A Decades Old Cancer Vaccine Suggests A Strategy For Improving Today’s Cancer Therapy

Childhood Obesity Reduces Chance of Late-In-Life Childbirth

Automated MR Imaging Aids New Stroke Therapy Development

Kids Who Prefer Solitude May Be Perfectly Normal

Exercise Helps Older Brains Eradicate Cobwebs

Sheep’s Wool Helps Repair Bone

Another Reason To Consume Fiber

 

References On My Website. 

 

#Melanoma #CancerResearch #MedicalResearch #HealthNews #ScienceNews

Melanoma, CancerResearch, MedicalResearch, HealthNews, ScienceNews

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Personalized mRNA Melanoma Cancer Vaccine Saves Lives

Vidcast:  https://www.instagram.com/p/DcWm9zAvw31/

Melanoma is a cancer uniquely sensitive to the human immune system. Use of immune-booster checkpoint inhibitors has already extended the lives of countless melanoma patients with advanced, metastatic disease.

Now, from the immunologic wizards at Boston’s Moderna, the company that crash-engineered one of the highly effective CoVid vaccines, comes another mRNA vaccine that kindles new hope for melanoma patients. This time the vaccine is a customized medication designed to turbocharge immunity to a persons own melanoma. 

Moderna calls the resultant medication intismeran autogene. It is created by analyzing the DNA of the patient’s melanoma, creating appropriate mRNA to code for tumor-specific markers, and encapsulating the mRNA in a protective lipid envelope.

A five-year update of the randomized phase IIb KEYNOTE-942 melanoma trial provides very encouraging evidence. Researchers across the globe tested this individualized mRNA-based neoantigen therapy, plus Merck’s checkpoint inhibitor pembrolizumab, Keytruda, versus pembrolizumab alone in 157 patients whose high-risk stage III or IV melanoma had been surgically removed.

After a median of about five years, the combination of the Moderna vaccine plus the Merck checkpoint inhibitor cut the risk of recurrence or death by 49% and the risk of distant metastasis or death by 59% compared with pembrolizumab alone.

At four years, 72.4% of patients receiving the combination remained recurrence-free, compared with 49.1% receiving pembrolizumab alone.

The combo treatment also produces stronger and more persistent T-cell responses, with no new safety issues.

Although overall survival currently favors the combination, a larger double-blind, randomized phase III trial will be necessary to close the deal.  Also, parallel trials of this cancer vaccine-checkpoint inhibitor combo therapy are underway for lung, kidney, and bladder cancers.

Let me finish on a personal note. I am a melanoma survivor following surgery and checkpoint immunotherapy as part of a clinical trial. I have always been a firm believer in cancer immunotherapy having earned a masters degree in immunology and having completed a 3 year fellowship in cancer surgery and immunotherapy at the NIH’s National Cancer Institute. 

So if you have cancer or are a loved on of some who does have it, know this. Cancer, while life-threatening, IS a chronic disease. You can live with it as well as die with it. If you develop it, opt for the best available therapy. That allows you to live another day when a new development, like this personal cancer vaccine, will increase yours odds of beating it for good.

References on my website.

#Melanoma #CancerVaccine #mRNA #CancerResearch #Immunotherapy #moderna
Melanoma, Cancer Vaccine, mRNA, Cancer Research, Immunotherapy, Moderna

https://ascopubs.org/doi/10.1200/JCO-26-00835

 

 

 

 

 

Your Favorite Cheese Could Sharpen Your Thinking

Vidcast:  https://www.instagram.com/p/DcWoDOruRGR/

Could eating full-fat cheese actually be associated with a lower risk of dementia? A study of 27,670 adults finds that consuming full-fat cheese is associated with a lower risk of dementia.

The Swedish epidemiologists followed study participants for a median of nearly 25 years, during which 3,208 developed dementia. People eating at least 50 grams of full-fat cheese daily have a 13% lower risk of all-cause dementia compared with those eating less than 15 grams. Even people without a genetic risk factor for Alzheimer’s have a lower statistical risk. 

It wasn’t only cheese. Higher intake of full-fat cream is associated with a 16% lower overall dementia risk.

There is a catch-22: this was an observational study. People who ate more full-fat dairy also tende to have healthier characteristics, including lower rates of diabetes, hypertension, cardiovascular disease and stroke.

So…….Don’t start wolfing down more cheese to prevent dementia. This study is intriguing, but it only shows an association, not cause and effect. The best formula for maintaining your brain is a balanced diet, exercise, and adequate sleep.

References On My Website. 

#Dementia #BrainHealth #NutritionResearch #Cheese #HealthNews

Dementia, BrainHealth, NutritionResearch, Cheese, HealthNews

https://www.neurology.org/doi/10.1212/WNL.0000000000214343

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/02/260203030540.htm

 

 

We Now Have TWO Antivirals To Battle CoVid

Vids https://www.instagram.com/p/DcWoqwXsnDI/

The the fall and winter ahead, CoVid will be on the rise. With that in mind, know that there is a new COVID antiviral available to Americans. It is unique in that it can prevent a CoVid infection following a definite exposure to the virus

Xocova, or ensitrelvir, was FDA-approved in May 2026 specifically for post-exposure prevention of symptomatic COVID-19 in adults and children 12 and over. In its Phase 3 trial, 2.9% of people receiving Xocova developed COVID, compared with 9% receiving placebo, 68% reduction.

The other antiviral, the familiar Paxlovid remains FDA-approved for treating mild-to-moderate COVID-19 in adults at high risk for severe disease. It should be started as soon as possible and within five days of symptom onset. Paxlovid has demonstrated a substantial reduction in hospitalizations and death for high-risk patients.

Know too that both of these drugs target the coronavirus protease, and both drugs have important drug-interaction warnings.

So the distinction is simple: exposed but not sick, Xocova would be the relevant option. Tested positive with symptomatic COVID and at high risk, Paxlovid remains the established oral treatment.

References on my website. 

#COVID19 #Xocova #Ensitrelvir #Paxlovid #Antiviral

COVID19, Xocova, Ensitrelvir, Paxlovid, Antiviral

 

FDA: Xocova prescribing information and 2026 approval. (FDA Access Data)

FDA: Paxlovid prescribing information and approval information. (FDA Access Data)

 

 

Sound Machines Might Be Making Your Sleep Worse

Vidcast:  https://www.instagram.com/p/DcWprVQxM2m/

That soothing pink noise playing beside your bed may not be helping your sleep after all.

A University of Pennsylvania study published in the journal Sleep tested 25 healthy adults in a sleep laboratory for seven nights. Researchers compared aircraft noise, continuous pink noise, the two together, and earplugs.

The results are surprising. Aircraft noise reduces deep sleep by about 23 minutes per night. But pink noise produces a different problem: at 50 decibels, it reduces REM sleep by nearly 19 minutes. REM is important for memory, emotional regulation and brain development.

When pink noise is combined with aircraft noise, sleep architecture deteriorated further, with both deep and REM sleep reduced and about 15 additional minutes of wakefulness.

Earplugs are more helpful. They largely prevente the sleep disruption caused by environmental noise, although their protection weakens at the loudest noise level tested. 

This was a small, short-term laboratory study, and it does not prove that every sound machine is harmful. Since millions of people use continuous broadband noise to help them sleep, the researchers say that additional studies are needed, particularly in children. 

References On My Website. 

https://academic.oup.com/sleep/article/49/5/zsag001/8452884

#SleepHealth #PinkNoise #REMsleep #SleepScience #BrainHealth

SleepHealth, PinkNoise, REMsleep, SleepScience, BrainHealth

 

 

A Decades Old Cancer Vaccine Suggests A Strategy For Improving Today’s Cancer Therapy

Vidcast:  https://www.instagram.com/p/DcWqiJwuoyQ/

More than two decades ago, women with advanced HER2-positive breast cancer received an experimental vaccine. Researchers later found that the patients who survived more than 18 years still had immune cells capable of recognizing their cancer. Their long-lasting capable killer cells all bore CD27, a marker associated with long-lasting immune memory.

Fast forward to the present day. Duke University investigators tested this idea in mice. The results: combining a HER2 vaccine with an antibody that activates CD27 produces complete tumor regression in about 40% of mice, compared with just 6% receiving the vaccine alone. Adding additional therapy to enhance CD8 T cells pushed tumor rejection to nearly 90%.

This study suggest that CD4 “helper” T cells appear to play a much bigger role than scientists once thought. The researchers believe strengthening this immune memory by triggering CD27 could eventually make cancer vaccines more effective and longer lasting.Keep in mind, though, that this new strategy remains experimental and has not yet been shown to improve survival in people.

References On My Website. 

#CancerVaccine #BreastCancer #CancerResearch #Immunotherapy #HealthNews
CancerVaccine, BreastCancer, CancerResearch, Immunotherapy, HealthNews

https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/sciimmunol.adz2294

 

 

 

Childhood Obesity Reduces Chance of Late-In-Life Childbirth

Vidcast:  https://www.instagram.com/p/DcWreyUvRbn/

A large new Danish study , published in JAMA Network, suggests that body weight during childhood impacts when a woman later has her first child.

The investigators analyzed health records for more than 60,000 women born in Copenhagen between 1950 and 1989, tracking body weight patterns from ages 6 through 15 and reproductive outcomes for as long as 45 years. Women with an overweight or obesity trend during childhood had a lower likelihood of giving birth later in life and the association bcomes stronger with age. For these women, the incidence of giving birth was 22% lower at ages 25 to 29 and 44% lower at ages 35 to 45 compared with women who had an average weight pattern during childhood.

The good news is that the data do not demonstrate that excessive childhood weight patterns are associated with overall infertility. In fact, women with childhood obesity show a slightly lower rate of primary infertility.

References On My Website. 

#WomensHealth #ChildhoodObesity #Fertility #ReproductiveHealth #MedicalResearch
WomensHealth, ChildhoodObesity, Fertility, ReproductiveHealth, MedicalResearch

https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/2852425?utm_source=chatgpt.com#google_vignette

 

 

Automated MR Imaging Aids New Stroke Therapy Development

Vidcast:  https://www.instagram.com/p/DcWsUl8J3v5/

A new automated MRI system developed by researchers at the USC-Keck School of Medicine makes experimental stroke treatments easier to evaluate. It potentially helps prevent promising therapies from being discarded due to inconsistent laboratory data.

The open-source system was tested on 2,442 mice and rats across six research centers as part of the NIH-sponsored Stroke Preclinical Assessment Network. It automatically checks image quality, adjusts for differences among MRI scanners, identifies the brain, and measures stroke injury, swelling, displacement, and longer-term tissue loss.

When researchers compare its measurements with those made by imaging experts, the automated results are extremely close. The system is also able to reduce differences caused by scanners and imaging environments allowing researchers at multiple institutions to apply the same analytical standards to thousands of scans. More than 2,200 animals were scanned two days after experimental stroke, while about 1,750 were scanned again roughly a month later.

The technology combines deep learning to identify the brain with transparent, rule-based methods to assess the resulting injury. That is important because researchers can see how the system reaches its conclusions rather than relying entirely on a “black box” AI model.

Remember, though, that this technology does not treat stroke and is not designed to analyze human stroke scans. Its potential value is earlier in the process: by making animal studies more consistent and reproducible, it helps researchers identify which experimental stroke treatments deserve development for human clinical trials.

References on my website. 

#StrokeResearch #MRI #BrainHealth #MedicalResearch #AIinMedicine
StrokeResearch, MRI, BrainHealth, MedicalResearch, AIinMedicine

https://direct.mit.edu/imag/article/doi/10.1162/IMAG.a.1328/137726/A-robust-and-reproducible-automated-MRI-pipeline

 

Kids Who Prefer Solitude May Be Perfectly Normal

Vidcast:  https://www.instagram.com/p/DcWtB_Euen9/

 

A child who chooses to sit alone at recess isn't necessarily lonely or unhappy.  A new University of Georgia study suggests that some children genuinely prefer solitude and can be perfectly content, provided that they still feel that they belong.

Researchers studied 473 fourth- and fifth-graders from Georgia elementary schools. Children who are comfortable being alone but are comfortable with their classmates generally report satisfying relationships with both individual friends and the larger classroom group.

The distinction is important. Children who don’t place much value on belonging are more likely to turn down social invitations, become increasingly isolated, and ultimately feel dissatisfied with their peer relationships. What starts as preferring solitude can develop into a downward spiral of social exclusion.

The investigators advise parents and teachers not to force a solitary child into a large group activity. A better approach respects the child's desire for time alone while encouraging group participation beginning with several children who share similar interests. The goal: offer the  child who prefers solitude meaningful opportunities to connect.

References On My Website.

#ChildDevelopment #KidsHealth #Parenting #SocialSkills #MentalHealth
ChildDevelopment, KidsHealth, Parenting, SocialSkills, MentalHealth

References: University of Georgia — Kids who prefer solitude; News-Medical — Kids who prefer solitude may be perfectly content

 

 

 

Exercise Helps Older Brains Eradicate Cobwebs

Vidcast:  https://www.instagram.com/p/DcWtvcxwJty/

A new research review from Victoria University suggests that exercise helps your aging brain take out the trash. Keeping your body in motion supports the brain’s glymphatic system, a waste-clearance network that goes into overdrive during sleep.

The review, published in Trends in Neurosciences, examines evidence from both human and animal studies. The consensus of the reviewed studies:  

exercise improves glymphatic function with healthier blood vessels, reduced brain inflammation, lower resting norepinephrine, and better deep sleep and slow-wave activity.

This principle is important since the glymphatic system helps clear waste products from the brain, including those implicated in neurodegenerative disease. But the study authors emphasize that their work is a review of existing evidence, not proof that exercise prevents dementia or Alzheimer’s disease. More research is needed to determine exactly how much exercise, and what type, produces the greatest benefit.

References On My Website. 

#BrainHealth #HealthyAging #Exercise #DementiaResearch #AlzheimersResearch
BrainHealth, HealthyAging, Exercise, DementiaResearch, AlzheimersResearch

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0166223626001189

 

 

 

Sheep’s Wool Helps Repair Bone

Vidcast:  https://www.instagram.com/p/DcWuazhvODJ/

The same material that creates lovely sweaters can help repair damaged bone. Prosthodontic specialists at King’s College London have developed a bone-repair scaffold  from keratin, the structural protein found in sheep’s wool. 

The researchers first demonstrated that this material can facilitate the formation of human bone from individual bone cells, osteoblasts. They then implanted the membranes into rats with large skull defects that would not normally heal on their own. The keratin scaffolds supported new bone growth and remained stable while integrating with surrounding tissue.

When comparing sheep keratin with collagen, the material conventionally used to stimulate bone regrowth, their studies show that the bone produced with keratin is more organized, has better-aligned fibers, and is anatomically more similar to natural bone. Another advantage: wool is a renewable and scalable source of this very useful keratin biomaterial. 

At this time, sheep keratin has only been tested in animals.  Once clinical studies confirm its safety and effectiveness, it may be a game-changer for reconstructive surgery.

References On My Website. 

https://www.kcl.ac.uk/news/scientists-turn-wool-into-sustainable-material-for-bone-repair.

#BoneRegeneration #RegenerativeMedicine #MedicalResearch #Biomaterials #HealthyAging
BoneRegeneration, RegenerativeMedicine, MedicalResearch, Biomaterials, HealthyAging

 

 

Another Reason To Consume Fiber

Vidcast:  https://www.instagram.com/p/DcWvLmFtfre/

When the resident bacteria in your gut run out of fiber they begin to feed on the tissues of your intestinal linings. This the discovery of the Princeton University Ludwig Institute’s molecular biologists publishing their findings in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Their studies show that gastrointestinal tract microbes break down proteins from your  gut’s protective mucus layer.  As part of this process, toxic metabolites are synthesized leading to negative effects on your general health.

How to defuse this dangerous process. Ingest fiber and other indigestible plant proteins that will direct bacterial metabolism to produce harmless and even beneficial byproducts.

Your gut bacteria do need to be fed. A diet rich in fiber and whole plant foods keeps your gastrointestinal microbes satisfied and prevents them from destroying your intestines’ protective linings.

References On My Website. 

https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.2605226123

#GutHealth #Fiber #Microbiome #Nutrition #HealthyAging
GutHealth, Fiber, Microbiome, Nutrition, HealthyAging