Tumor response to immunochemotherapy may spare some head and neck cancer patients radical surgery

Patients with locally advanced head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) whose tumors responded to neoadjuvant immunochemotherapy (ICT) and who underwent less extensive surgery had high disease-free survival and organ preservation rates, according to a study published in Clinical Cancer Research, authored by Kunyu Yang, MD, director of Union Hospital Cancer Center at Tongji Medical College and Huazhong University of Science and Technology in China, and others.

Why researchers are looking at psilocybin for repeated mild head injuries

In female rats with repetitive mild head injury, psilocybin reduced acute imaging measures consistent with vasogenic edema and phosphorylated tau while altering vascular reactivity, functional connectivity, neurotrophic proteins, and lipid signaling. The findings provide preclinical evidence of potential therapeutic effects, but behavioral benefits were limited, and whether these biological changes translate into lasting neurological protection or benefits in humans remains unknown.

Spinal cord stimulation eases pain and improves sensation in people with diabetic nerve damage

A multicenter randomized clinical trial led by researchers from the Pain Outcomes Lab at Wake Forest University School of Medicine found that high-frequency spinal cord stimulation significantly reduced pain and improved sensory function in people with treatment-resistant painful diabetic neuropathy. Researchers also observed early evidence of increased density of small nerve fibers in the skin, although more research is needed to understand their significance and whether they persist.