(VOR News) – A study that was conducted not too long ago suggests that in the future, a portable pinprick blood test might potentially offer results in as little as one hour.

The researchers published their findings on the portable gadget on October 16 in the journal Science Advances. The device, which is small enough to fit in the palm of your hand and utilizes sound waves to break down a small sample of a whole blood test into minute biomarkers, was also described.

According to the conclusions of the researchers, the entire process should be able to produce reliable findings and should take less than seventy minutes to complete.

“We have created a system that is highly intuitive, adaptable to different environments, and offers significant diagnostic data quickly,” said Wyatt Shields, a senior researcher and assistant professor of chemical and biological engineering at the University of Colorado-Boulder.

“We have created a blood test system that offers significant diagnostic data quickly.”

The researchers are conversant with the fact that there have been previous assertions regarding the creation of a pinprick blood test prototype. A single blood test drop was used to discover hundreds of biomarkers, according to a claim made by Theranos Inc. in the year 2015.

Elizabeth Holmes, the founder of the company, was sentenced to eleven years in prison for fraud after it was discovered that the company’s claims proved to be false.

In addition to being supported by systematic trials and research that have been examined by experts in the field, the developers of this new device claim that it functions in a unique manner.

Cooper Thome, the lead researcher and a doctoral candidate in Shields’ lab, made the following statement: “A lot of researchers are hoping that something similar will be possible one day, even though what they claim to do isn’t possible right now.” “This work may be a step toward that goal, but it is supported by science and available to all.”

According to the findings of the study, blood tests now require the collection of one or more vials’ worth of Blood Test using a needle or syringe, and the time it takes for a laboratory to return the results might range from hours to days.

An immediate “yes” or “no” answer regarding the presence of a single biomarker, such as a virus or protein, in blood or urine can be acquired by using a rapid Blood Test such as COVID or pregnancy Blood Test, according to the findings of researchers. On the other hand, these Blood Tests are not capable of determining the amounts of these biomarkers.

FNACPs, which stand for functional negative acoustic contrast particles, are the fundamental building blocks of this innovative approach. They are able to be developed to detect a variety of biomarkers that are present inside a serum sample.

Blood is syringed from the patient to combine the blood test with these particles.

Sound waves are then used to separate the particles, and according to the researchers, these sound waves also wash away any remaining blood sample and propel the particles to the border of the collection chamber.

When lasers are used, it is possible to determine the quantity of each biomarker that is present in the particles, each of which is equipped with a fluorescent tag.

Thome is quoted as saying, “We’re basically using sound waves to manipulate particles in order to quickly isolate them from a really small volume of fluid,” as stated in a news release issued by the institution. “This is a completely new method of determining blood biomarkers.”

Despite the fact that additional research is necessary before the device is suitable for use, researchers see a future in which crucial medical information might be collected in a short amount of time from a finger prick of blood obtained at a side or in a mobile clinic.

“The ability to measure what’s happening in real time and with great accuracy is crucial when you have viral infections that spread quickly, acute respiratory diseases, or inflammatory diseases,” Shields explained to reporters.

Researchers believe that the blood test may also be able to establish whether or not a person has certain sensitivities, whether or not they require a booster shot, or whether or not they possess proteins that are connected to specific cancers.

SOURCE: USN

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(VOR News) – Some encouraging developments have been made in the treatment of locally advanced cervical cancer. According to a new study, adding chemotherapy to normal treatment for a six-week period reduces the risk of death by about forty percent.

In a press release from Cancer Research UK, the organization that funded the study, Principal Investigator Dr. Mary McCormack of the University College London Cancer Institute said, “this represents the most significant advancement in outcomes for this disease in over two decades.”

“We have collected the requisite evidence to enhance the treatment of cervical cancer patients globally, and I am exceedingly proud of all the patients who participated in the trial.”

The new protocol reduces the risk of cervical cancer recurring by 35 percent.

This study, which was published this week in The Lancet, divided 500 patients from 32 medical facilities in Brazil, India, Italy, Mexico, and the United Kingdom into two groups using random assignment.

The inquiry was carried out from 2012 until 2022. There were no examples of cancer that had spread to other organs; all of the patients had locally progressed cervical cancer.

Chemoradiotherapy, a traditional treatment regimen consisting of radiation and cisplatin, was the only treatment given to the control group. The experimental group received chemotherapy with carboplatin and paclitaxel six weeks before receiving chemotherapy.

What details did they find out?

Forty-two percent of patients who underwent a restricted course of chemotherapy did not experience any metastasis or recurrence of the disease, while eight percent of patients received chemotherapy.

Eight percent of patients survived for at least five more years after starting treatment. Of those in the control group, 64% did not have any cancer metastases or recurrences, and 72% of them lived for at least five years.

According to a news statement from Cancer Research UK’s executive head of research and innovation, Dr. Iain Foulkes, “timing is paramount in cancer treatment.” He went on to say that the most important aspect of cancer treatment is time.

“This trial demonstrates that the simple incorporation of induction chemotherapy at the onset of chemoradiation for cervical cancer has yielded significant outcomes.”

“An increasing body of research is demonstrating the advantages of supplementary chemotherapy cycles prior to other interventions such as radiation and surgery in various cancers,” Foulkes told reporters. “It can be swiftly administered using medications that are currently widely available globally, and it may also reduce the probability of cancer recurrence.”

However, the course of treatment had a detrimental impact and produced unfavorable outcomes.

The majority of research participants suffered from a range of side effects, such as low white blood cell counts, infections, exhaustion, and gastrointestinal problems.

Compared to the 48% of patients who had chemotherapy and radiation therapy alone, 59% of patients who received their first chemotherapy reported side effects that were either extremely or potentially fatal or life-threatening.

Nowadays, the most common treatment for cervical cancer is chemotherapy based on cisplatin. It has been shown that this medication increases survival rates by 30 to 50%.

Some doctors prefer chemotherapy to surgical excision.

Dr. Otis Brawley, an oncology professor at Johns Hopkins University and the former chief medical officer of the American disease Society, told that “we comprehend that surgery will inevitably result in residual cancer.”

With chemotherapy and radiation therapy, you can completely destroy any pelvic cancer cells from your body. It is possible that in females, we will cause a long-lasting and total remission.

According to Brawley, cervical cancer—which is often brought on by particular strains of the human papillomavirus (HPV)—used to be the main cause of cancer-related death for American women. The landscape has completely changed with the advent of an HPV vaccine that serves as a prophylactic against cervical cancer.

Additionally, a new test that allows patients to collect their own vaginal samples at home to expedite the HPV screening procedure was approved by the US Food and Drug Administration in May.

According to Brawley, in most situations, the HPV vaccine or screening can be given before the problem manifests itself. “None of the 4,400 individuals who succumb to cervical cancer undergo annual screening.

SOURCE: USN

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Shares Dropped After Novavax Claimed The FDA Stopped Flu And Covid-Flu Vaccinations.

(VOR News) – Shares of Novavax fell sharply after the company said on Wednesday that the Food and Drug Administration had put a hold on the company’s application for a stand-alone flu vaccination and a combo injectable that targets both influenza and Covid.

This was the outcome of the announcement made by the corporation. The application that the company submitted has been placed on hold by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), it was reported.

The biotechnology Novavax company’s stock had a sharp decline on Wednesday of almost twenty percent, signaling a serious decline.

The so-called clinical hold has been implemented because to a single patient who suffered from nerve damage following the combo injection during a phase two experiment that was finished in July of the prior year.

The problem was caused by Novavax injections.

A clinical hold is an order granted to a company to delay or terminate a potential clinical trial being carried out on a pharmaceutical product, according to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). This particular order is known as a clinical hold.

The impact of the suspension on Novavax’s capacity to start phase three studies linked to those vaccines and to furnish information on those trials is not fully clear. Whether or not the suspension will have an effect is not made apparent.

According to the state of affairs, the biotechnology company seems to have experienced a setback as a result of this incident. The business is finding it difficult to introduce new treatments to the market as demand for its Covid vaccine is steadily declining globally.

The FDA decided to place a clinical hold on Novavax’s injectable and stand-alone flu vaccine. The firm has responded by stating that it is collaborating with the government to find a solution.

The FDA is the abbreviation for the Food and Drug Administration. Based on earlier trials of its COVID and flu vaccines, the business claimed there had been no safety concerns related to the kind of nerve harm the patient had experienced. The victim’s nerve injury was mentioned in this passage.

In the preceding statement, Novavax refers to the patient’s history of nerve damage.

While expressing its belief that there is no conclusive link between the vaccine and the patient’s nerve injury, Novavax has also said that it is making every effort to provide the FDA with further evidence as it works toward this conclusion.

Even though Novavax has stated that it does not think there is such an association, this is the case. Dr. Robert Walker, the chief medical officer of Novavax, stated in a press statement that the company’s objective is to accomplish.

“Our goal is to successfully resolve this matter and to start our Phase 3 trial as soon as possible,” Walker said. “We are committed to achieving this goal.” “Our goal is to achieve this goal as soon as possible.”

If you’re not interested in receiving mRNA doses from Pfizer and Moderna, you might want to look at the protein-based Covid vaccine offered by Novavax.

These vaccines use more advanced vaccine technologies to teach cells how to generate proteins that trigger an immune response against Covid. These immunizations are given when they are given. The vaccine developed by Novavax is an option that has several advantages, according to the public health authorities.

Conversely, the vaccine created by Novavax offers defense against the virus by employing protein-based technology. This method has been applied routinely for many years in the administration of shingles and hepatitis B vaccinations.

SOURCE: CNBC

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