A new phase I/II open-label, the dose-escalation trial has recently tested the effectiveness of a “Trojan horse” drug in treating multiple types of otherwise treatment-resistant cancer in its late stages.

Recently, a team of experts from The Institute of Cancer Research in London and The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust both in the United Kingdom has conducted a phase I/II clinical trial of a newly developed anticancer drug called tisotumab vedotin (TV).To make the novel compound, scientists attached a toxic substance to an antibody that targets the “tissue factor” receptor, a protein that is abundant on the surface of numerous cancer cells and the presence of which predicts poor survival rates.

Dr Mercy Luka, a medical practitioner, has called for effective training and proper monitoring of activities of Traditional Birth Attendants (TBAs) to mitigate cases of maternal and child mortality.

Luka made the appeal in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Thursday in Abuja.

Dozens of health advocates on Thursday gathered in front of Asokoro Hospital, Abuja, to protest the death of one of their colleagues, Kafayat Addulazeez, due to alleged medical negligence.

In anticipation of the protest, over 20 policemen were stationed at the hospital gate.

No fewer than 102 people have been confirmed to be positive with Lassa fever, in addition to 15 deaths recorded in Ondo State between January and February.

Wale Oke, the State Chairman of the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA), told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Wednesday in Akure.

As Nigeria joins the rest of the world to commemorate the 2019 Zero Discrimination Day, the National Agency for the Control of AIDS (NACA) has called for legal protection against HIV-related discrimination in the country.

The Director General of the Agency, Sani Aliyu, made the call in a statement on Wednesday to mark the Zero Discrimination Day being celebrated across the globe.

A team of researchers have examined the link between vitamin D and brain function to find out why the nutrient may be the key to memory function. According to medicalnewstoday.com, the researchers published their findings in the journal, Trends in Neurosciences.

The lead author of the study, who also led the research, Dr Thomas Burne of the University of Queensland Brain Institute, St. Lucia, Australia, said that over 1 billion people worldwide suffered vitamin D deficiency. He also confirmed the existence of a well-established link between vitamin D deficiency and impaired cognition.

What informed the mandatory health insurance scheme in the state?

Health insurance is a symbiotic financing scheme for the state; it is a way of mobilizing funds for the sector. The sector is very huge and resource- demanding. So, if there is no financing scheme it would simply amount to a waste of time. This is because, with a proper financing scheme, a number of things would be taken care of, one of which is access to healthcare. In the course of doing that, the quality of care and effectiveness of care would be addressed. If we get it right with the health insurance it would change the entire picture in the health sector because it will address the core issues.

The State Primary Health Care Development Agency (SPHCDA) and The Challenge Initiative (TCI) in Taraba State have inaugurated a committee tasked to design messages for specific target audience to promote access and use of modern contraceptives.

The selected members of the committee who were drawn from the media, health sector, religious organisations and traditional institutions were trained on sensitising the public on family planning.

With the rising number of non-communicable diseases in the world, especially Nigeria, medical experts have stressed the need to embrace Bariatric surgery to prevent the adverse effects of these diseases on human lives, which sometimes leads to preventable death.

The team of medical experts from Euracare Multi-Specialist Hospital, Lagos, which comprises Bariatric surgeon and anesthesiologist, endocrinologist, cardiologist, pulmonologist and Bariatric dietician, lamented that the surgery, which has been in the country since 2011, has been undermined by Nigerians, adding that its benefits are enormous as it helps in increasing lifespan/expectancy.

Scientists have advanced in the search for natural cures for cancers. Latest findings showed onions, leeks, and garlic slash the chance of getting deadly bowel tumor; a diet rich in whole grains, bran, and cereal fiber reduces the risk of liver cancer by 40 percent; and how chronic stress boosts malignant cell growth.

A study published in the Asia Pacific Journal of Clinical Oncology found that Allium vegetables which also include garlic, leeks, chives, and shallots dramatically cut the risk of bowel cancer.