Health & Medicine
Patient and Public Involvement: A vital part of healthcare research
Patient and Public Involvement, or PPI, is an essential part of modern healthcare research. Patients are the only ones who truly understand what it is like to live with their condition and can therefore offer a uniquely valuable contribution to research. At the University of Nottingham, Professor Roshan das Nair and his colleagues have established a successful PPI group for […]
Discovering the metastasome A new way to understand cancer metastasis
Cancer treatment is improving all the time, but one area where progress has been slower is in the treatment of metastases, the secondary growths that break away from the initial tumour. Metastasis is responsible for 90% of cancer-related deaths – the development of new diagnostic and treatment methods is crucial. Professor Heike Allgayer of Ruprecht Karls University Heidelberg, Germany, believes […]
Shouldering the burden: A new approach to shoulder pain
The work of Professor Richard Page and Dr Stephen Gill, the Barwon Centre for Orthopaedic Research and Education (B-CORE), uses sophisticated and modern technologies to examine gene expression and molecular pathways in painful conditions of the shoulder, including frozen shoulder. Ultimately, they hope to improve quality of life and treatment outcomes for people of all ages suffering from musculoskeletal pain […]
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 […]