Health & Medicine
Sinus migraine: A costly blindspot in medical care
Sinus migraine is a frequently overlooked diagnosis and this oversight in clinical care has profound financial and other consequences: a leading misuse of oral antibiotics, inappropriate sinus surgery, and prolonged patient suffering and disability. Although lacking consensus on pathophysiology, diagnostic criteria and nomenclature, medical professionals need to know more about this alternative explanation for patients’ complaints of sinus pressure, pain, […]
Harnessing usability to choose appropriate incontinence care products
Urinary incontinence is costly to society and healthcare services, both financially and in terms of physical and mental health. Taking a person-centred approach, global health and hygiene company Essity AB and RISE Research institutes of Sweden have developed a scientifically-based procedure that measures the performance of absorbent incontinence products in terms of carer usability. Their findings show that belted briefs […]
Riceberry rice Thailand’s antioxidant-packed nutraceutical and super food!
It first entered the Thai market over ten years ago, and today Riceberry rice is known amongst consumers for its distinctive appearance, nutritional value and numerous health benefits. Developed at Kasetsart University’s Rice Science Centre in Thailand with the help of Apichart Vanavichit’s research team, consumption of the whole grain promises a sustainable solution to several non-communicable diseases, namely food […]
Testing in silkworms provides preventative diabetes treatment
Diabetes is a common and life-long condition. The number of people diagnosed with diabetes has reached epidemic proportions worldwide. The search for new therapy to treat diabetes has taken an unlikely twist and led to the discovery of a potential benefit in silkworms. The silkworm is an economically important insect known for producing silk, however, Dr Yasuhiko Matsumoto and his […]
Diet and cancer: Investigating the mechanisms of polyphenolic compounds in extra virgin olive oil
The health benefits of extra virgin olive oil are widely acknowledged, but we still have much to learn about the compounds which provide these benefits. Dr Limor Goren, Hunter College of the City University of New York, has recently completed her PhD which explored the anti-cancer effects of oleocanthal, a phenolic compound found in extra virgin olive oil. Dr Goren […]
Old medication, new cure? Arsenic and autoimmune diseases
A staggering 8-10% of the world’s population is affected by autoimmune diseases. This group of conditions, where the body’s immune system attacks one’s healthy cells, includes common diseases such as multiple sclerosis, Lupus and type 1 diabetes. Medsenic, a French biotech is investigating the use of arsenic salts, strikingly successful in acute promyelocytic leukaemia, in an entirely new area: autoimmune […]
Pure Green Pharmaceuticals Inc.
The company at the forefront of medicinal cannabis product development
Cannabis is said to relieve many ailments but much remains unknown about its therapeutic potential and high-quality scientific research is desperately needed. Pure Green Pharmaceuticals Inc., headed by Steve Goldner, is a cannabis drug company at the forefront of research into the therapeutic qualities of cannabis. Its clinical trials programme is well under way and aims to reveal the potential […]
Functionality of a novel follitropin alfa pen injector: Results from human factor interactions by patients and nurses
Helen Saunders, working at Gedeon Richter/PregLem, a Hungarian/Swiss based biopharmaceutical company, has focused her research on the benefits of a novel Follitropin alfa pen injector known as Bemfola®, which uses follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), a reproductive hormone for the treatment of infertility in women and men. Bemfola® has numerous benefits that make it an exciting alternative to other more complicated treatment […]
Who makes the decisions? Patient “compliance” in modern medicine
Traditionally, the term “patient compliance” was used to define how closely a patient followed their doctor’s advice. Now, with the ever-expanding information and resources available to patients, the idea of “compliance” is in need of an update. Professor Karen Lutfey Spencer, of the University of Colorado Denver, USA, looked at the experiences of patients receiving end-of-life care to gain an […]
Curiosity, cell death and caspases: One researcher’s journey to big discoveries
All comic book superheroes have an intriguing ‘origins story’; and in the case of science superman Professor Vishva Dixit he has one too. Beginning in Kenya and ending in California, this is the story of a researcher who asked big questions of himself and the world, and went on to pioneer a field of research into cell death, caspases and apoptosis. […]