A migraine is more than just a headache. In addition to pulsating pain, people in the middle of an attack can experience nausea, vomiting, visual disturbances like tunnel vision, and sensitivity to light and sound. The FDA recently approved a new medication formulated to prevent migraine headaches. The drug has been many years in the making. A...
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Forget allergy shots. Try allergy toothpaste.
The future of allergy treatment could be as easy as brushing your teeth. Despite affecting some 50 million Americans, allergies aren’t super well understood. The sparks that ignite your immune system can range from sunlight to onions, and symptoms of an attack are just as varied. For that reason, we’re spending several weeks writing about...
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Wearable device can predict older adults’ risk of falling
July 12, 2018 by Emily Scott, the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Every year, more than one in three individuals aged 65 and older will experience a fall. Falls are the most common cause of injury in older adults and can create ongoing health problems. But treatment and awareness of falling usually happens after a fall has...
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The Digest: VR Treatment, Even Without a Therapist, Helps People Overcome Fear of Heights
OVERCOMING ACROPHOBIA. Afraid of heights? You’re not alone. In fact, acrophobia is one of the most common fears in the world. Now, a team of European researchers has found a new way to help people overcome their fear, no need to climb on any ledges or even talk to a therapist. The researchers enlisted 100 volunteers for their...
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EchoNous Vein Portable Ultrasound for Peripheral IV Placements
EchoNous, a Seattle-based firm, landed FDA clearance for its EchoNous Vein ultrasound for peripheral IV catheter delivery. It can visualize veins up to five centimeters deep and can be used on both children and adults. The transducer probe connects to a Samsung tablet, which serves as the display and control device, since the probe only...
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The ‘Big Bang’ of Alzheimer’s: Scientists ID genesis of disease
DALLAS – July 10, 2018 – Scientists have discovered a “Big Bang” of Alzheimer’s disease – the precise point at which a healthy protein becomes toxic but has not yet formed deadly tangles in the brain. A study from UT Southwestern’s O’Donnell Brain Institute provides novel insight into the shape-shifting nature of a tau molecule...
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Biochemists discover cause of genome editing failures with hyped CRISPR system
New study sheds light on biology of most-used Cas9 target UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS AT CHICAGO Researchers from the University of Illinois at Chicago are the first to describe why CRISPR gene editing sometimes fails to work, and how the process can be made to be much more efficient. IMAGE: UIC RESEARCHERS SHOW PERSISTENT CAS9 BINDING TO A DOUBLE STRAND...
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Novel approach to making therapeutic proteins at point of care
July 10, 2018, University of Maryland Baltimore County A team of researchers led by UMBC have developed a novel approach to making therapeutic proteins available at the point of care. This technology is unique because it ensures that medicines are available anywhere in the world, including remote locations, combat zones, and places impacted by natural disasters. A new paper...
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New discovery could mean improved immunity against reinfections
July 10, 2018, University of Minnesota Medical School For years, researchers have had an established viewpoint of the function of a unique protein in the body called purinergic receptor P2RX7 that triggers the innate immune response. It was considered a “bad thing” and therefore blocked. Now, University of Minnesota researchers have discovered a connection between the body’s memory cells...
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Game-changer for Parkinson’s disease outcomes
July 10, 2018 by Robyn Mills, University of Adelaide A unique gaming system called ‘OrbIT’ will play a lead role in the fight to improve life for individuals living with Parkinson’s disease, thanks to funding from the Estate of the late Olga Mabel Woolger. Immunohistochemistry for alpha-synuclein showing positive staining (brown) of an intraneural Lewy-body in...