Scientists are developing flexible materials to 3D print blood vessels for treating vascular defects in children. The team has been awarded a grant totaling $211,000 from the NIH for their cause. 3D Printed medical magic: Since the introduction of 3D printing technology, the world is taken by storm. From fashion industry to traditional home construction,...
Category: <span>Research Updates</span>
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Coeliac disease could be triggered by common strain of reovirus, research finds
What is coeliac disease? It’s an immune response to gluten, a protein found in wheat, rye, barley and oats It causes damage to the small bowel, leading to a reduced surface area for nutrient absorption Only 1 in 30 people with a genetic susceptibility to coeliac will develop the disease 80 per cent of Australians...
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Turning skin cells into blood vessel cells while keeping them young
Researchers from the University of Illinois at Chicago have identified a molecular switch that converts skin cells into cells that make up blood vessels, which could ultimately be used to repair damaged vessels in patients with heart disease or to engineer new vasculature in the lab. The technique, which boosts levels of an enzyme that keeps...
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Very low frequency electromagnetic field exposure linked to motor neurone disease
An MRI with increased signal in the posterior part of the internal capsule which can be tracked to the motor cortex consistent with the diagnosis of ALS. Workplace exposure to very low frequency electromagnetic fields may be linked to a doubling in risk of developing the most common form of motor neurone disease—amyotrophic lateral...
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Molecular therapy set to protect at-risk patients against heart attack and stroke
A blood clot forming in the carotid artery. Even a single dose of a specific ribonucleic acid molecule, known as a small interfering RNA (siRNA), offers patients at high risk of cardiovascular disease long-lasting protection against high LDL cholesterol – one of the main risk factors for heart attack and stroke. This is the...
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Study shows aphasia may not solely be a language disorder
Aphasia, a language disorder commonly diagnosed in stroke patients, may not be solely a language issue as traditionally believed, according to a Penn State study. The study adds to a growing body of research highlighting other cognitive functions affected by aphasia, and indicates that the consequences of brain damage in aphasia patients may be more extensive than...
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Virtual reality therapy helps decrease pain in hospitalized patients
Virtual reality therapy is effective in significantly reducing pain for hospitalized patients, according to a new Cedars-Sinai study. In the study, published online today by JMIR Mental Health, a sister publication of the Journal of Medical Internet Research, investigators examined 100 hospitalized patients who reported pain scores of greater than 3 on the Numeric Pain Rating Scale from...
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Can virtual reality therapy help alleviate chronic pain?
Chronic pain due to disease or injury is common, and even prescription pain medications cannot provide acceptable pain relief for many individuals. Virtual reality as a means of distraction, inducing positive emotions, or creating the perception of “swapping” a limb or bodily area affected by chronic pain in a virtual environment can be a powerful...
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Proton pump inhibitor use ups pneumonia risk in dementia
(HealthDay)—For patients with dementia, proton pump inhibitor (PPI) use is associated with increased risk of pneumonia, according to a study published online March 21 in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society. Sai-Wai Ho, M.D., from the Chung Shan Medical University in Taichung, China, and colleagues conducted a retrospective cohort study involving 786 patients with dementia with new...
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Drug Tied to Dementia Risk Overprescribed to Seniors: Study
A drug linked to a raised risk of dementia is taken by millions of older Americans who have an overactive bladder, researchers say. More than one-quarter of patients with the urinary problem had been prescribed the drug oxybutynin (Ditropan), an international team of investigators found. Yet, “oxybutynin is a particularly poor drug for overactive bladder...