Successful fertility relies on how sperm moves through fluid Before now, a complex computer was used to measure the movement of sperm But the new mathematical formula is much simpler and easy to use The sperm’s whip-like tail creates a characteristic rhythm to push it forwards, while the head is pulled backwards and sideways ...
Post
Growing Human Tissues On Apples: Regenerative Medicine Gets A Leg Up From Biohacking Advancements
Adding a page to the book of regenerative medicine that is all about treating body parts and repair of tissues with engineered alternatives, scientists at the University of Ottawa have demonstrated that human tissues can be grown on apples. In technical terms, this type of tissue development is known as biohacking. Andrew Pelling, who is heading the...
Post
Eyesight saved… by patches made out of placenta: Dressings are being used in NHS hospitals to promote wound-healing for victims of burns
Dressings made from discs of human placenta are being used in hospitals The victims of eye injuries can see pain reduction of up to 70 per cent Experts say the medical advance has transformed treatment of burns injuries Dressings made from discs of human placenta are being used in NHS hospitals on victims of eye injuries –...
Post
Study suggests new way to prevent vision loss in diabetics, premature babies
Secretogranin III induces the formation of blood vessels in the eye of a diabetic mouse (left) but has no effect on the eye of a healthy rodent (right). Researchers at Bascom Palmer Eye Institute, part of the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, have identified a new molecule that induces the formation of abnormal...
Post
Testing the Efficacy of New Gene Therapies More Efficiently
Using a new cellular model, innovative gene therapy approaches for the hereditary immunodeficiency Chronic Granulomatous Disease can be tested more rapidly and more cost-effectively in the lab for their efficacy. A team of researchers from the University of Zurich and the Children’s Hospital Zurich successfully achieved this using the ‘gene-scissor’ CRISPR/Cas9 technology. The aim is...
Post
Kurzweil Claims That the Singularity Will Happen by 2045
Kurzweil’s Predictions Ray Kurzweil, Google’s Director of Engineering, is a well-known futurist with a high-hitting track record for accurate predictions. Of his 147 predictions since the 1990s, Kurzweil claims an 86 percent accuracy rate. At the SXSW Conference in Austin, Texas, Kurzweil made yet another prediction: the technological singularity will happen sometime in the next 30 years. In...
Post
Cause of obsessive-compulsive disorder discovered
Some people have an extreme fear of dirt or bacteria. As a result, they may develop a habit of compulsive washing and repeatedly cleaning their hands or body. They are trapped in a vicious circle, as the fear of new contamination returns quickly after washing. Sufferers see no way out. They are even incapable of...
Post
Repeated eye injections for age-related macular degeneration associated with increased risk for glaucoma
Patients with age-related macular degeneration who received seven or more eye injections of the drug bevacizumab annually had a higher risk of having glaucoma surgery, according to a study published online by JAMA Ophthalmology. The advent of intravitreous (in the vitreous, the fluid behind the lens in the eye) anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) injections to...
Post
Diabetes can be reversed in just 4 MONTHS through a combination of drugs, exercising and a healthy diet
Experts tested a combination of pills, insulin and therapies on Type 2 patients This resulted in 40% of patients entering remissions, the researchers found They were able to stay in remission 3 months after stopping diabetes drugs Diabetes can be reversed in just four months by intensive medical treatment, new research shows. Despite being considered...
Post
The cholesterol drug that outperforms statins: Patients on the medication are ‘27% less likely to suffer a heart attack’, landmark trial shows
Patients were treated with the injectable drug Repatha as part of a two-year trial Bad cholesterol levels dropped by 60% more than those who were just on statins Experts say the ‘extremely potent’ drug could potentially save thousands of lives A powerful cholesterol drug cuts the risk of heart attacks by a quarter, a landmark...