Abstract The use of virtual-reality technology in the areas of rehabilitation and therapy continues to grow, with encouraging results being reported for applications that address human physical, cognitive, and psychological functioning. This article presents a SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats) analysis for the field of VR rehabilitation and therapy. The SWOT analysis is a...
Post
How drug development is speeding up in the cloud
Image caption Developing new drugs to fight major diseases can take years and cost billions of dollars Technology of Business Has the time now come for internet voting? Facebook’s tentacles reach further than you think How Cuba’s growing internet is fuelling new businesses How DNA-testing kits are becoming big business Developing a drug from a promising...
Post
Medical Technology: What Changing Venture Capital Investments Signal
The market for medical devices historically has been dominated by big-ticket “physician preference items” such as artificial joints, spinal implants, and cardiac pacemakers. Venture capital and private equity investors have been eager to fund new firms in this expanding and lucrative domain. Changes in physician payment and organization are reducing the demand for these cost-increasing...
Post
New protein could be key in fighting debilitating parasitic disease
CORVALLIS, Ore. – A naturally occurring protein has been discovered that shows promise as a biocontrol weapon against schistosomiasis, one of the world’s most prevalent parasitic diseases, Oregon State University researchers reported today in a new study. Schistosomiasis is transmitted via flatworms shed by the freshwater snails that serve as the parasite’s non-human host. It’s...
Post
Cannabidiol: an alternative therapeutic agent for oral mucositis?
Summary What is known and objective Chemo‐ and radiotherapy are therapeutic modalities often used in patients with malignant neoplasms. They kill tumour cells but act on healthy tissues as well, resulting in adverse effects. Oral mucositis is especially of concern, due to the morbidity that it causes. We reviewed the literature on the etiopathogenesis of...
Post
Adding vitamin B3 to your water could boost eye health and help to prevent glaucoma, study finds
Mice fed water with vitamin B3 had healthier eyes for longer, reducing their risk This may offer an inexpensive and safe treatment for glaucoma sufferers Researchers also found a single gene therapy may offer a one-off treatment Adding vitamin B3 to water may protect you against glaucoma, a study reveals. In a study on mice,...
Post
Magnetic implant puts the squeeze on drug delivery
A prototype “microspouter” with a Canadian dollar coin for scale When it comes to conditions such as diabetes, which require patients to administer daily injections or take lots of pills, scientists are increasingly looking to drug-dispensing implants as a more convenient alternative. One of the latest such devices, developed at the University of British Columbia, is...
Post
Scientists develop 'lab on a chip' that costs 1 cent to make
Rahim Esfandyarpour helped to develop a way to create a diagnostic “lab on a chip” for just a penny. Researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine have developed a way to produce a cheap and reusable diagnostic “lab on a chip” with the help of an ordinary inkjet printer. At a production cost of...
Post
Nanofiber matrix sends stem cells sprawling in all directions
Human stem cells grown on Kyoto University’s “fiber-on-fiber” culturing system Mighty promising as they are, stem cells certainly aren’t easy to come by. Recent scientific advances have however given their production a much-needed boost, with a Nobel-prize winning technology that turns skin cells into embryonic-like stem cells and another that promises salamander-like regenerative abilities being just a couple...
Post
Abdominal fat may cause type 2 diabetes, heart disease
Researchers have found that abdominal fat may either cause or relate to the cause of type 2 diabetes and coronary heart disease. People who are genetically at a greater risk of having a higher waist-to-hip ratio adjusted for body mass index are likely to have an increased risk of developing these conditions. Fat buildup around...