Health & Medicine
Euthanasia: A neuropsychiatric researcher raises concerns
Euthanasia in humans remains illegal in most parts of the world. In a few countries like Belgium, Canada and the Netherlands, however, euthanasia is available to people suffering from terminal conditions. F. Hanna Campbell, a researcher in neuropsychiatric AI therapeutics at the Center for Neuronal Regrowth, The Hague, Netherlands, has raised a number of concerns on current euthanasia practices. Campbell […]
Helping families nurture children: A paediatric tube feed with food-derived ingredients
The nutritional requirements of a tube-fed child are usually met using a ready-made commercial enteral tube feed. However, increasing numbers of families are making their own blended diet to administer via the tube as this may benefit both physical and psychosocial health. To support parents and dietitians, Nestlé Health Science has developed a paediatric tube feed to include food-derived ingredients. […]
Diabetes treatment: Could carbonates be an alternative?
Diabetes affects millions of adults worldwide and is still a disease without a cure. While injections of insulin can help manage symptoms, there are currently no therapies to treat the underlying cause of diabetes. However, Dr Kenji Sorimachi has found that perhaps the answer lies in the form of carbonate complexes that show an ability to metabolise carbohydrates into glucose […]
When grow healthy rhymes with grow happy
Happiness is acknowledged as a new goal of global policies. Parents play an important role in a child’s happiness, but what skills are needed to build a happy childhood and a solid foundation for happiness in later life? A complex approach, integrating parenting, social relationships, play, nutrition, physical activity and sleep is required. And ultimately, a happy child has more […]
Meltdown Moments: When the emotions of perinatal mums are out of control
Entry into motherhood can be a testing period in any woman’s life. Sleepless nights and the responsibility for a tiny person are all the more difficult for women living with psychiatric conditions. Associate Professor Anne Sved Williams, an academic psychiatrist at the University of Adelaide, is researching the treatment of mothers affected by mental ill-health and their infants. She has […]
Off-the-shelf immunotherapy could lead to more accessible cancer treatment
Immunotherapy is a type of cancer treatment that harnesses the immune system to destroy cancerous cells. Dr Li Zhang and colleagues at Toronto General Hospital Research Institute and the University of Toronto, are pioneering a new type of “off-the-shelf” treatment using a type of immune cell—a double negative T (DNT) cell. Dr Zhang‘s work shows that DNT cells are a […]
How treatment epidemiology can shape future healthcare research
Dr Aisling Caffrey is an Associate Professor of Health Outcomes at the College of Pharmacy, University of Rhode Island. For over a decade, Dr Caffrey has been studying the treatment of diseases in real-world clinical practice, an area Dr Caffrey has termed ‘treatment epidemiology’. Dr Caffrey’s expertise is in comparative effectiveness and safety research, where she studies the benefits and harms of healthcare interventions, […]
The role of CD83: Autoimmunity, transplantation and beyond
Professor Alexander Steinkasserer is based at the Department of Immune Modulation, University Hospital, Erlangen. His research interests are focused on the immune system, with the long-term aim to develop new therapeutic strategies for patients suffering from autoimmune disorders or in need of transplantation. Along with his colleagues at the department of Immune Modulation, Professor Steinkasserer has shed much light on […]
A novel therapy could help patients with active Crohn’s disease
Professor Jørgen Jahnsen and PhD student Kristian Espeland of Akershus University Hospital and University of Oslo are responsible for a new clinical trial which aims to improve symptoms and control the inflammation of Crohn’s disease using Gliolan medication in combination with blue-light photopheresis. This approach will selectively cause the death of pro-inflammatory cells which contribute to the inflammatory bowel disease, […]
Controlled cortical impact: The animal model that may change brain injury
Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is one of the leading causes of disability and death around the world. To compound this problem, many patients go on to develop anxiety and with little known about the pathophysiology behind this complication, long-lasting and effective treatments are lacking. Using an animal model known as the controlled cortical impact (CCI) model, Dr Ann Marini and […]