Rich Haridy An exciting new technology, called transdermal optical imaging, can turn your smartphone into an accurate diagnostic device that can measure your blood pressure by analyzing a short video taken of your face. The University of Toronto-led research has demonstrated the system is 95 percent accurate and a smartphone app is already in development....
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Got Pain? A Virtual Swim With Dolphins May Help Melt It Away
August 19, 20195:04 AM ET Virtual reality is not new. But, as people search for alternative ways to manage pain — and reduce reliance on pills — VR is attracting renewed attention. Imagine, for a moment you’ve been transported to a sunlit lagoon. And, suddenly, it’s as if you’re immersed in the warm water and...
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Insomnia treatment linked to faster recovery from concussion in kids
by Brian Brooks, And Lianne Tomfohr-Madsen, The Conversation Active kids sustain injuries. It is estimated that every year more than 100,000 Canadian children and adolescents get a concussion while participating in normal childhood activities, like sports and play. Most kids return to school and activities within about one month of the injury, but sometimes they...
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Dacomitinib in advanced lung cancer: Disadvantages outweigh survival advantage
by Institute for Quality and Efficiency in Health Care Since its approval in April 2019, dacomitinib has been available for the first-line treatment of adult patients with locally advanced or metastatic non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) with epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR)-activating mutations. The German Institute for Quality and Efficiency in Health Care (IQWiG) now examined in an early benefit assessment whether...
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What chronic illnesses are people with HIV more likely to experience?
By Ana Sandoiu Fact checked by Paula Field New research looks into the chronic illnesses that people living with HIV are at most risk of developing. In the United States, over 1 million people are currently living with an HIV infection. Worldwide, 1.8 million people have HIV. Overall, the incidence of HIV infections has declined...
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Women more likely to have ‘typical’ heart attack symptoms than men
by British Heart Foundation Women who have heart attacks experience the same key symptoms as men, quashing one of the reasons given for women receiving unequal care. The British Heart Foundation-funded research puts into question a long-held medical myth that women tend to suffer unusual or ‘atypical’ heart attack symptoms, and emphasises the need for...
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Vehicle exhaust pollutants linked to near doubling in risk of common eye condition
by British Medical Journal Long term exposure to pollutants from vehicle exhaust is linked to a heightened risk of the common eye condition age-related macular degeneration, or AMD for short, suggests research published online in the Journal of Investigative Medicine. Exposure to the highest levels of air pollutants was associated with an almost doubling in...
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MEK Inhibitor Mechanism of Action, Side Effects, and Uses
By Dr. Liji Thomas, MDReviewed by Dr. Jennifer Logan, MD, MPH Metastatic melanoma is a deadly cancer for which conventional chemotherapy provides little benefit. However, newer therapies involving a pathway called the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathway have demonstrated success in inducing remission. The MAPK pathway is more accurately termed the RAS-RAF-MEK-ERK pathway, and involves...
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Cancer more common in females with severe sleep apnea
By Catharine Paddock PhD Fact checked by Isabel Godfrey Some studies have identified links between sleep apnea and cancer. Now, new research reveals that rates of cancer are higher among females with pronounced symptoms of apnea. The recent study, which features in the European Respiratory Journal, analyzed data on 20,000 adults with sleep apnea. About...
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Type 1 diabetes: Genetic risk reflected in gut microbiome
By Ana Sandoiu Fact checked by Jasmin Collier New research finds differences in the gut microbiome of children who are at high genetic risk of developing type 1 diabetes. The findings suggest that certain species of bacteria may have a protective effect in autoimmune conditions. Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune condition that can develop...