Author Archives: Rocio Gallegos, MD

A Particular Peptide’s Role in Activating Atopic Dermatitis, or Eczema

Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a skin condition characterized by itching, irritated and thickened skin at the site of the irritation. The brain natriuretic peptide (BNP) is a peptide, or short chain of amino acids, that is elevated in patients with AD. “BNP is expressed in sensory neurons, the neurons responsible for conveying sensation to the […]

Long COVID Most Prevalent in the Most Seriously Ill

A collaborative study has charted the prevalence of severe physical symptom burden amongst Scandinavians for up to two years after a SARS-CoV-2 infection. Most affected were people who had a severe COVID-19 infection, while the researchers found no elevated prevalence of long COVID in those who had never been bedridden.  In the present study, researchers […]

New Options for Treating Aggressive Prostate Cancer

Cedars-Sinai Cancer investigators have identified two promising new treatment options for men with recurrent prostate cancer — both of which helped patients live longer without their disease progressing than the current standard treatment.  Cancer of the prostate, a walnut-sized gland that helps make semen, will be diagnosed in 288,300 men in the U.S. in 2023, […]

Breakthrough in Treatment for World’s Leading Cause of Kidney Failure in Children

The commonest cause of kidney failure in children is due to toxin producing bacteria that enters the circulation through the gut resulting in a disease called Haemolytic Uraemic Syndrome (HUS). There are different types of HUS — the most common is called Shiga toxin-associated haemolytic uraemic syndrome (STEC-HUS). As one of the most common causes […]

Exercise May Reduce Depression Symptoms

In a randomized controlled clinical trial of adults with moderate-to-severe depression, those who participated in heated yoga sessions experienced significantly greater reductions in depressive symptoms compared with a control group. In the eight-week trial, 80 participants were randomized into two groups: one that received 90-minute sessions of Bikram yoga practiced in a 105°F room and […]

Probiotics to Protect the Intestines and Brain

Necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) is a debilitating and deadly condition that affects infants who were born preterm. In NEC cases, intestinal tissues become inflamed, and in severe cases there is ischemia and death of the involved intestines.  “Even after decades of research, little has changed in terms of prognosis for infants who develop NEC,” says Gail […]

Increases Cervical Cancer Survival and Reducing Recurrence

The peak incidence of cervical cancer is in women in their early thirties, with around 3,200 new cases each year in the UK. CRT has been the standard treatment for cervical cancer since 1999, but despite improvements in radiation therapy techniques cancer returns in up to 30% of cases. The five-year survival rate for cervical […]

How Brain Inflammation May Cause Neurological Disorders

Severe inflammation in early childhood is a clinically known risk factor for developing autism and schizophrenia. Now, for the first time, scientists have discovered that inflammation alters the development of vulnerable brain cells, and this could have mechanistic links to neurodevelopmental disorders.  Using single-cell genomics to study the brains of children who died from inflammatory […]

Not Getting Enough Sleep? This May Heighten the Risk of Developing Heart Disease

Lots of Americans are in the same situation and habitually get only five to six hours of sleep instead of the recommended seven to eight hours. But even a mild chronic sleep deficit may heighten the risk of developing heart disease later in life: Surveys of thousands of people have found that people who report […]