Trending News: First Clinical Trial Launched to Evaluate Coronavirus Treatment

A preliminary study has found that patients with Parkinson disease (PD) who participated in a table tennis exercise program once per week for 6 months exhibited an improvement in their motor skills, according to The American Journal of Managed Care. Researchers conducted a 6-month prospective trial involving 12 participants with mild to moderate PD who had been diagnosed with PD for an average of 7 years. Significant improvements were observed in sub-scores of speech, saliva and drooling, dressing, handwriting, and other activities.

Age at period cessation is not associated with increases in blood pressure, unhealthy blood fats, body mass index (BMI), fasting blood glucose, or waist circumference, which indicates an increased risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) and reduction of estrogen production are not related to changes in risk factors after menopause onset, according to HCP Live. In an observational study that included nearly 1000 women, researchers examined associations between age at menopause onset and trajectories of systolic and diastolic blood pressure, BMI, and waist circumference. The results suggest coronary heart disease and CVD risk factors do not explain the increased CVD risk from early menopause, according to the study authors.

The first clinical trial evaluating experimental treatments for the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) has launched in the United States, according to Contagion Live. The randomized controlled trial will assess the activity of the antiviral remdesivir among hospitalized adults at the University of Nebraska Medical Center. The study can be adapted to evaluate additional investigational treatments and to enroll participants at other treatment sites in the United States and abroad, according to the press release.