medicine - SlashGear

Alzheimer’s cure and cause hypothesized in new research

Chris Burns | Jan 24, 2019

This week Alzheimer's Disease was found to be scientifically associated with the simple act of brushing one's own teeth. Several studies have been converging on porphyromonas gingivalis (PG), or (PG), bacteria associated with the proliferation of gum disease. A study published this week puts PG in position to be a major factor in breaking down the brain on the pathway to Alzheimer's Disease. In studies performed thus far, results seem to be pointing in a major way toward PG having something major to do with AD - extremely major.

This $20 wearable aims to cut America’s opioid overdose epidemic

Eric Abent | Dec 28, 2018

As it seems like the opioid crisis here in the US keeps getting more severe, a new accessory may help curb the number of deaths associated with overdoses. Developed by students at Carnegie Mellon University and dubbed the HopeBand, this device is worn on the wrist and keeps watch for potential opioid overdoses by watching for decreases in blood oxygen levels.

Study warns CBD may increase eye pressure in glaucoma patients

Brittany A. Roston | Dec 21, 2018

A new study warns that cannabidiol (CBD), a major compound in marijuana, may cause an increase in eye pressure. This is bad news for glaucoma patients currently taking medical marijuana and highlights the need to further study this potential complication. The opposite effect was associated with the other major compound in cannabis, THC, though its positive effect was eliminated when taken with CBD.

CDC issues stern Kellogg’s cereal warning as salmonella outbreak grows

Brittany A. Roston | Sep 5, 2018

The CDC is back with a stern warning regarding Kellogg's Honey Smacks breakfast cereal: no store should be selling it and no consumer should be eating it. The warning specifies all boxes of the Honey Smacks cereal, the advisory following a multi-state salmonella outbreak involving thirty more individuals who became ill after eating the food. According to the CDC, some stores are still selling the product.

Study finds high blood pressure associated with Alzheimer’s disease

Brittany A. Roston | Jul 11, 2018

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.

This drug may stop Parkinson’s disease, human trials set for 2019

Brittany A. Roston | Jul 4, 2018

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.

FDA approves first marijuana-based epilepsy medication

Brittany A. Roston | Jun 25, 2018

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.

Common cold cured (or so it would seem)

Chris Burns | May 15, 2018

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.

After losing her ear, soldier grows a replacement – on her arm

Chris Davies | May 12, 2018

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.

3D printer used to synthesize drugs paves way for on-demand medicine

Brittany A. Roston | Jan 23, 2018

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.

Cancer blood test detects eight types of the disease

Shane McGlaun | Jan 19, 2018

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.

FDA approves Abilify MyCite, a digital pill with a sensor that tracks doses

Brittany A. Roston | Nov 14, 2017

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.