Novel algorithms could allow portable, low-cost thermal cameras to detect breathing problems and monitor stress Researchers have developed new software that makes it possible to use low-cost, thermal cameras attached to mobile phones to track how fast a person is breathing. This type of mobile thermal imaging could be used for monitoring breathing problems in...
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Hi-tech patch available on prescription could end the pain of needle tests for diabetes sufferers
The Freestyle Libre patch will be available on NHS prescription for the first time It could spell the end for patients having to subject themselves to finger pricks The device automatically reads blood sugar levels and sends it to a smartphone Thousands of people with diabetes are to get NHS access to a life-changing device which...
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Finnish mobile device for detecting arrhythmia soon available for consumers
The VTT spin-off, VitalSignum, is making a small mobile device that detects arrhythmia by measuring the patient’s ECG – available to consumers. The first production batch is being completed and will be retailed to consumers in early October. The device has been tested, with good results, on heart patients for three years at the University Hospital of...
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Aircon Watch promises to keep you cool around the clock
Can you control your whole body’s temperature by heating or cooling just one small part of it? Can you control your whole body’s temperature by heating or cooling just one small part of it? More specifically, the wrist? It seems a little far-fetched, but the makers of the Aircon Watch certainly believe you can, and...
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Biopen Used to Deposit Stem Cells, Repair Tissue Within Joints
Stem cells have the capacity to be used to reconstruct and repair native tissues, but to apply them so that they survive and live on in their new home can be quite challenging. Now researchers at the Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Electromaterials Science have developed a “biopen” that can deposit stem cells...
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Google Glass autism app is a real conversation-starter
Although Google Glass never did reach the market, the technology could presumably be adapted to other smart glasses Among other things, children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) often have difficulty initiating and maintaining conversations. That’s why a team of scientists, led by University of Toronto assistant professor Azadeh Kushki, created Holli. It’s an app...
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Researchers develop new strategy to target KRAS mutant cancer
Although KRAS is one of the major oncogenes associated with aggressive cancers, drugs designed to block KRAS function have not been able to halt cancer progression in a clinical setting. Until now, KRAS has remained infamously “undruggable.” In a new study, published this month in Cancer Discovery, University of California San Diego School of Medicine researchers...
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Lower thyroid stimulating hormone levels elevate risk of thyroid cancer
There is an increased risk of thyroid cancer associated with lower-than-normal thyroid hormone levels, a finding that could have a major impact on patients fighting the disease. The Yale-led study, published in American Association for Cancer Research journal examined the effect of Thyroid Stimulating Hormone (TSH) on the development of human papillary thyroid cancer (PTC). Study findings were based...
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New research on probiotics in the prevention and treatment of colon cancer
In an innovative approach to colorectal cancer (CRC) prevention and treatment, scientists are studying ways to replace missing metabolites in patients prone to gut inflammation and CRC. A new study in The American Journal of Pathology describes how administration of histamine-producing gut microbes to mice lacking the enzyme histidine decarboxylase (HDC) reduced inflammation and tumor formation. These...
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Scientists combine antimalarial drug with light sensitive molecules for promising treatment of cancer
Artemisinin, a potent anti-malarial drug, has been widely hailed as a promising alternative cancer treatment. Scientists from the National University of Singapore (NUS) recently showed that its anti-cancer properties could be enhanced by 10 fold when used in combination with aminolevulinic acid (ALA), a photosensitiser which, upon exposure to light, leads to generation of free...