Researchers at the University of Pittsburgh have developed an ultra-small implantable neural stimulation device that can be activated using a laser and which doesn’t require a cable that tethers it to a controller outside the body. The researchers hope that the device could pave the way for less invasive neural stimulation therapy in neurological disorders...
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First gene therapy operation for macular degeneration is a success
A woman treated at Oxford Eye Hospital has become the first person in the world to undergo a gene therapy operation that could combat the most common cause of vision loss in the Western World. The treatment is the first to target the underlying genetic cause of age-related macular degeneration (AMD), which affects more than...
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Inhibiting Cancer-Causing Protein Could Prevent Scleroderma Fibrosis
A protein known to play a role in cancer may also be increasing fibrosis in scleroderma patients. Scleroderma, a rare, chronic autoimmune disease, is marked by hardening of the skin and internal organs. Symptoms often include pain, stiffness, fatigue and breathing difficulties. “The disease creates excessive fibroblast activation that ultimately results in tissue damage and...
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Exciting Study Shows Some Immune Cells Can Fight Every Known Flu Virus
DAVID NIELD20 FEB 2019 The dreamlike goal of having universal, one-off flu jabs just got a little bit closer, thanks to the discovery that certain immune cells can fight off all three strains of influenza – perhaps permanently, or at least for several years. At the moment, the various types of influenza – strains A,...
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Scientists identify unique subtype of eczema linked to food allergy
Atopic dermatitis, a common inflammatory skin condition also known as allergic eczema, affects nearly 20 percent of children, 30 percent of whom also have food allergies. Scientists have now found that children with both atopic dermatitis and food allergy have structural and molecular differences in the top layers of healthy-looking skin near the eczema lesions,...
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Viruses that linger in the gut could trigger type 1 diabetes
Researchers at the Center for Infection and Immunity (CII) at the Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health and the University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia, provide new evidence supporting an association between elevated levels of enteroviruses in the intestinal tracts of children and islet autoimmunity, a precursor to Type 1 diabetes. The paper...
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Wearable sensor may cut costs and improve access to biofeedback for people with incomplete paraplegia
A new electromyography biofeedback device that is wearable and connects to novel smartphone games may offer people with incomplete paraplegia a more affordable, self-controllable therapy to enhance their recovery, according to a new study presented this week at the Association of Academic Physiatrists Annual Meeting in Puerto Rico. Electromyography (recording electrical activity of muscles) biofeedback...
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Can a nerve injury trigger ALS?
UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS AT CHICAGO A growing collection of anecdotal stories raises the possibility that nerve injury in an arm or a leg can act as a trigger for the development amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or ALS — a progressive neurodegenerative disease also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease, named after the famous New York Yankee who...
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Salt could be a key factor in allergic immune reactions
Atopic dermatitis: Elevated salt concentrations in affected skin TECHNICAL UNIVERSITY OF MUNICH (TUM) Salt apparently affects allergic immune reactions. A team working with Prof. Christina Zielinski at the Technical University of Munich (TUM) has demonstrated in cell cultures that salt leads to the formation of Th2 cells. These immune cells are active in allergic conditions such as...
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UBC researchers discover how blood vessels protect the brain during inflammation
Findings could lead to new treatments for neurodegenerative diseases UNIVERSITY OF BRITISH COLUMBIA Researchers from the University of British Columbia have discovered how blood vessels protect the brain during inflammation–a finding that could lead to the development of new treatments for neurodegenerative diseases such as stroke, epilepsy and multiple sclerosis. In a study published today...