A newly published study has linked high blood pressure to brain diseases, including Alzheimer's. Researchers specifically point to blood pressure later in life, finding that patients with higher systolic blood pressure had a greater risk of brain lesions. The study followed 1288 older individuals until their death, at which point their brains were studied.
A newly published study details an experimental drug that may be able to stop the progression of Parkinson's disease. The study, which was conducted by researchers with Johns Hopkins University, saw positive results in lab mice tested with the drugs and similar effects were seen with tests on cultures of human brain cells. Researchers indicate that human clinical trials of the drug may start as soon as next year.
The FDA has approved the nation's first medication based on an active ingredient from marijuana. The drug, Epidiolex, is intended to treat seizures resulting from Dravet syndrome and Lennox-Gastaut syndrome, two rare forms of epilepsy. The medication has been approved for patients aged two years or older and marks the first time the agency has approved a drug derived from cannabis.
Researchers just published a paper describing a synthetic molecule that prevents the spread of the common cold. This lab-created molecule blocks the fatty-acid attachment required for proliferation of the cold. Roberto Solari and Edward Tate at Imperial College London, UK and a whole bunch of other researchers made this discovery a reality.
A groundbreaking total ear reconstruction, which saw a new ear grown on a soldier's arm to replace one lost in an accident, has been successfully carried out by the US military. Described as the first time such a process has been carried out by the US Army, it involved cultivating a completely new ear from cartilage taken from the soldier's ribs.
The idea of printing a 3D object was utterly bizarre many years ago when the idea first became popularized. Now that the technology has become commonly available, printing a small item like a statue or DIY gadget shell isn't unusual. However, the technology holds promise for applications beyond that, ones that sound almost magical: printing organs ("bioprinting"), for example, or synthesizing on-demand pharmaceutical drugs.
Scientists have been working for a long time to develop testing methods that will detect cancer earlier and with less invasive tests. A team of researchers from John Hopkins University is now testing a new method of detecting the disease that is much faster and easier than other methods available. The new test is meant to be something that people will have performed annually to catch cancer early on and make outcomes of fighting the disease better.
The FDA has announced a new approval that marks a first for the agency: Abilify MyCite. This medication is described as a 'digital pill,' one that features both the medicine and an embedded sensor. Thanks to that sensor, patients and, more importantly, their doctors, are able to track when the medication has been taken. The pill works with a related wearable, but some worry about the privacy implications.
Massive amounts of money and effort are being put into researching treatments and ultimately a cure for Alzheimer's disease. A clinical trial has been running that is using human blood-plasma transfusions to treat the disease has found that the treatments are safe and promising for those suffering from the disease. Stanford University School of Medicine investigators have reported success with this treatment in an early-phase clinical trial.
Makers of fitness trackers or any device with health-related sensors are often careful to remind their customers that these gadgets, advanced as they may be, shouldn't be considered as conclusive medical data or replace professional opinion. Apple, however, might be going in a different direction and might soon advertise the Apple Watch as a potential medical aid. Sources close to the matter claim that Apple is working with Standford and telemedicine company American Well to determine if the wearable is accurate and sensitive enough to reliably detect abnormal heart rhythms.
People all around the world have surgeries each day to remove cancerous tissue from their bodies in an attempt to defeat the disease. The challenge for surgeons and medical personnel is to tell which tissue is cancerous and which is healthy so they know how much to remove. A team of scientists and engineers from the University of Texas at Austin has invented a new tool that will make it much easier for a surgeon to tell what tissue is cancerous and what is healthy during a surgery.
There isn't usually much doctors can do after a spinal cord injury that results in paralysis, but a new breakthrough from Mayo Clinic may give reason to hope. The clinic reports that an electrical implant placed near the site of a spinal cord injury allowed a paralyzed patient to make voluntary movements with his legs, which is a pretty big breakthrough.