36 articles from SUNDAY 7.6.2020

Hope for patients with primary hyperoxaluria type 1

Lumasiran is a subcutaneously administered RNAi therapeutic targeting hydroxyacid oxidase 1 (HAO1) - the gene encoding glycolate oxidase (GO) - in development for the treatment of primary hyperoxaluria type 1 (PH1). The drug has not yet received approval from the European Medicines Agency (EMA) or other health authorities. The data presented today at the ERA-EDTA Congress have been submitted to...

Prophylaxis after relapse of ANCA-associated vasculitis

Relapses are not uncommon in ANCA-associated vasculitis (AAV). The disease can cause severe injury to kidneys and other organs, even death. After a relapse, there is an increased risk of further relapses, so there is an urgent need for the most effective relapse prevention strategy. The RITAZAREM study impressively demonstrated that the monoclonal antibody rituximab is superior to conventional...

Sex differences in participation in large-scale genetic studies may affect results

An international group of researchers have found differences in the characteristics that drive men and women to participate in genome-wide association studies, which analyse genetic variants in different individuals to see if any are associated with a trait or disease. Millions of participants are involved. This means that researchers can see smaller and smaller effects increasing the number of...

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE)

If renal remission is achieved therapeutically in cases of lupus nephritis (LN), the 10-year survival rate increases significantly. Successful therapy is therefore of great importance. As a recent presentation at the ERA-EDTA Congress showed, this can be achieved by additional administration of belimumab.

Virus DNA spread across surfaces in hospital ward over 10 hours

Virus DNA left on a hospital bed rail was found in nearly half of all sites sampled across a ward within 10 hours and persisted for at least five days, according to a new study by UCL and Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH). The study, published as a letter in the Journal of Hospital Infection, aimed to safely simulate how SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes Covid-19, may spread across surfaces in a...