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Article by Dr. Tereza Piskáčková on genetic predisposition to prostate cancer
Tereza Piskáčková, M.D., published an article "Hereditary predisposition for prostate cancer" in the latest issue of the periodical Acta Medicinae. The full article can be downloaded in the appendix of this article.
Single blood test predicts 30-year cardiovascular disease risks for women
Research supported by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) has found that measuring two types of fat in the bloodstream along with C-reactive protein (CRP), a marker of inflammation, can predict a woman’s risk for cardiovascular disease decades later. These findings, presented as late-breaking research at the European Society of Cardiology Congress 2024, were published in the New England Journal of Medicine.
CRISPR editor can also be used for RNA editing
Research into RNA editing could enable treatments for genetic diseases. Researchers at Montana State University have shown how the CRISPR technique can also be used to edit RNA. CRISPR (Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats) is a type of immune system bacteria use to recognise and fight viruses. This system has been used for years to cut and edit DNA, but the deployment of similar technology for RNA is new. A CRISPR protein called Cas9 is used to edit DNA, while a different CRISPR system is needed for RNA; the researchers tried a subsystem known as type III.
Modern treatment of cystic fibrosis will be covered by VZP for children from the age of two
Kaftrio for the Treatment of Cystic Fibrosis will now be available to children as young as two. Until now, it has only been given to patients over six. The extension of the indication was approved at the end of last year by the European Medicines Agency (EMA). General Health Insurance Company of the Czech Republic (VZP ČR) is now, in agreement with the professional society, lowering the age limit for its clients in the Czech Republic. The extension of the indication criteria comes less than two years after VZP started to cover the medicine Kaftrio for children over six years of age after meeting the given conditions. VZP has been reimbursing the drug to patients over 12 years of age since June 2021.