Health & Medicine
Multiple sclerosis: Caregiver involvement may improve patient care and treatment
Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a disease with unpredictable progression, causing huge distress to the entire family of people living with the disease. Professor Jürg Kesselring at the Department of Neurology & Neurorehabilitation, Kliniken Valens in Switzerland, reviews the discussions he and other internationally acclaimed neurologists participated in regarding caregiver involvement in doctor consultations for people with MS. Although such an […]
Genetic evidence implicates respiratory muscle dysfunction in SIDS
The SIDS-Critical Diaphragm Failure (SIDS-CDF) hypothesis posits that all SIDS risk factors either increase the workload of the diaphragm or reduce its force-generating capacity, and that while SIDS has many contributing factors, it has one cause, namely the failure of the vital respiratory pump. Several SIDS risk factors can impair diaphragm function, but especially noteworthy are the prone sleeping position […]
Electrical eye activity reveals early sight damage in alcohol addicts
People addicted to alcohol often suffer loss of vision through damage to the light receptors and nerves in the eyes. Scientists have previously shown interest in measuring the electric currents in the brain related to vision, but the information gathered has not yet made an impact on preventing further sight loss. Professor Haolin Zhang at the Beijing University of Technology, […]
New molecules help battle antimicrobial resistance
The overuse of antibiotics over the years has made them less effective in fighting infectious diseases and has led to the emergence of superbugs that are resistant to many different antibiotics. Professor John Wade and Dr Wenyi Li at the University of Melbourne, Australia, together with their collaborators, focus on the development of new antimicrobials to combat infections caused by […]
Stem cell therapy brings new life to musculoskeletal regeneration
Researchers Dr Khay-Yong Saw, Dr Caroline Jee, Ms Amal Dawam, and Ms Alisha Ramlan from the Kuala Lumpur Sports Medicine Centre, Malaysia, and Dr Adam Anz, Andrews Institute, Florida, USA, recently showed how stem cell therapy can be used as a pioneering treatment in articular regeneration of the knee. There is potential to apply this technology to other musculoskeletal damage […]
How medical schools can evolve to tackle gun violence
Despite the shocking levels of gun violence in the USA and in the Americas, medical practitioners are taught little more than dealing with the direct biologic outcomes of bullets. Like other public health burdens, each tragic event results from the interplay of complex behavioural health, environmental, and social issues. Understanding gun violence as a disease requires examining these complex issues […]
The PROgress Study: An electronic solution for improving patient consultation visits in routine HIV care
HIV therapy has been a spectacular success over the past 30 years, transforming a disease that was once considered a life sentence into a manageable, chronic condition. With treatments so effective, clinical focus has now changed to looking at ways of improving patients’ quality of life. Understanding each individual’s unique situation is key yet this presents a challenge for care […]
How can diet influence women’s reproductive health?
The majority of clinical trials focus on male participants. Dr Dequina Nicholas, Assistant Professor at the University of California Irvine in the US, argues that there is an urgent need to focus more on women’s health, especially fertility-related complications. She is exploring the impact of what we eat on metabolism, inflammation, and reproduction, expanding the possibility that dietary manipulation can […]
Conjugation chemistry creates affordable childhood vaccines
The immune system provides a formidable defence against pathogens. However, many bacteria possess a protective sugar polymer coat. In children, the immune system does not respond to these polymers unless they are chemically linked to a carrier. This is the basis of conjugate vaccines, a powerful but expensive means to fight diseases like pneumonia, the leading cause of death in […]
The heart of the matter: Clinical electrophysiology and beyond
Arrythmia – abnormal heart rhythm – can be life-limiting and even life-threatening. In this interview, Research Outreach talks to Professor Benjamin J Scherlag of the University of Oklahoma, USA, about his pioneering research into what was the entirely new field of cardiac electrophysiology. We learn about the ‘His bundle’, ganglionated plexi, and how it is possible to treat the heart […]