A vial containing the some of the biosensors Over the past few years, Profusa Inc has been developing tiny biosensors that get injected under the skin, and then provide the user with health information via their smartphone. The technology was recently approved for marketing in Europe, with US approval possibly following soon. Each sensor is...
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In some elderly patients, levothyroxine may be linked with increased mortality
Treating some elderly people with levothyroxine may put them at increased risk of death, new research from Israel reports. The results will be presented on Tuesday, March 20, at ENDO 2018, the 100th annual meeting of the Endocrine Society in Chicago, Ill. “In patients who are 65 years of age or above with subclinical hypothyroidism...
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Some patients on levothyroxine have continued symptoms
People who take replacement thyroid hormone may have more comorbidities and lower quality of life than those who don’t take the hormone, a large population-based study from the University of Groningen in the Netherlands reports. The study results will be presented Tuesday, March 20, at ENDO 2018, the 100th annual meeting of the Endocrine Society...
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Breakthrough antimalarial drug delivery system using mesoporous silica nanoparticles
Drug delivery systems (DDSs) control when and how much drugs are delivered to the body. Numerous DDS studies have been conducted but most have focused on treatments for cancer. New research from Kumamoto University uses a DDS to treat malaria. The existing treatment for malaria is taken orally and has three main problems: (1) most...
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The bassoon causing new brain disorder
IMAGE: MRI ANALYSIS OF A PATIENT WITH PSP-LIKE SYMPTOMS SHOWED SEVERE ATROPHY OF THE BILATERAL HIPPOCAMPUS, MESENCEPHALIC TEGMENTUM, CEREBELLUM, AND BRAINSTEM. Newly discovered gene mutations may help explain the cause of a disease that drastically impairs walking and thinking. Mutations have been found in the bassoon (BSN) gene, which is involved with the central nervous system,...
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Home genetic tests should be interpreted by experts
Results from at-home genetic tests are not always accurate. A new study in the journal Genetics in Medicine, published by Springer Nature, now shows that up to 40 percent of direct-to-consumer (DTC) genetic tests provide incorrect readings in the raw data. Stephany Leigh Tandy-Connor, study leader at Ambry Genetics Corp in the US, expressed concern about...
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A wearable system to monitor the stomach’s activity throughout the day
San Diego, Calif., March 22, 2018 — A team of researchers has developed a wearable, non-invasive system to monitor electrical activity in the stomach over 24 hours–essentially an electrocardiogram but for the gastro-intestinal (GI) tract. Applications include monitoring GI activity for patients outside of a clinical setting, which cuts down costs. Monitoring for longer periods...
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We’ve come up with a TB test that’s cheaper, quicker and more accurate
Tuberculosis (TB) is a disease that kills more people due to a bacterial infection than any other disease in the world. In 2016, the World Health Organisation reported over 10 million new infections and 1.7 million deaths. In South Africa, TB remains one of the leading causes of death. Countries with high TB burdens are tackling the...
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Six unusual signs that you may have heart disease
The heart, so integral to life, sits in its protective cage in the chest, going about its work without any external sign to the owner. In the West, where one in four people die of cardiovascular disease, the importance of keeping the heart in good working order is hard to overstate. Sadly, the first sign...
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Researchers discover a ‘security chief’ that sounds the alarm against infections
Corresponding author Thirumala-Devi Kanneganti, Ph.D., pictured with first authors Ein Lee, M.D., and Rajendra Karki, Ph.D. Credit: St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital scientists have identified a key molecule that serves as a “security chief” to help the immune system quickly recognize and fight infections with dangerous gram-negative bacteria like Salmonella....