Health & Medicine
Regenerative medicine: Revolutionising osteoarthritis treatment
Osteoarthritis (OA) is the most common joint disease, affecting over 528 million people worldwide. OA results in chronic pain, stiffness, and reduced joint function. Conventional treatments focus on symptomatic relief rather than addressing underlying causes. Dr Torbjörn Ogéus from the Stockholms led- & smärtspecialist (SLS) clinic in Sweden is pioneering regenerative medicine approaches to treating OA using patients’ stem cells. […]
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Barth syndrome: A potential treatment for a rare disease
Barth syndrome is a rare disorder in males caused by a variant of the gene TAFAZZIN. It affects the metabolism of the fat molecule cardiolipin in mitochondria, resulting in the dysfunction of skeletal muscle and the heart. The syndrome doesn’t have a specific therapy, so patients who suffer from it have health problems their entire lives and are more likely […]
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Curing the incurable: RNA isoforms may hold the key to defeating Alzheimer’s disease
Groundbreaking research on RNA isoforms in Alzheimer’s disease (AD) has revealed another layer of genetic complexity that has been previously overlooked. Using cutting-edge sequencing technology, Dr. Mark Ebbert and colleagues at the Sanders-Brown Center on Aging at the University of Kentucky, USA, performed a detailed analysis of RNA isoforms in the human brain. They discovered multiple, previously unknown RNA isoforms […]
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Rethinking thinking about figures
Statistics influence opinion, and scientists have a role to play in that regard. Professor Jane E Miller of Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, USA is a specialist in numeric literacy. She has published guidelines to help scientists and those communicating their work to clearly convey the methods, results, and implications of quantitative research. Her work challenges entrenched norms […]
The potency puzzle: Understanding cannabis in the modern age
Traditional methods of chemical testing cannabis potency often fall short in accurately capturing the complex interactions between cannabinoids and the human body. This leads to challenges in identifying relevant medicinal cannabinoids, ensuring consistency in product potency and consumer confidence. However, the innovative CannaMetrix EC50 Array™ technology offers a solution. By measuring cellular responses to cannabinoids in real-time, this high-throughput method […]
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WHO moves mpox response to the next level
Mpox is an infectious disease caused by the monkeypox virus (MPXV). Outbreaks result from person-to-person spread through close contact, which may include sexual contact. In some settings outbreaks follow contact with an infected animal or consumption of contaminated meat. The World Health Organization (WHO) has released a new Strategic Framework for enhancing prevention and control of mpox in order to […]
Conquering sunlight sensitivity: Dersimelagon’s promise in photodermatoses
Two rare genetic dermatological conditions, erythropoietic protoporphyria and X-linked protoporphyria, bring about excruciating pain and skin damage upon exposure to sunlight. In groundbreaking research, a new medication called dersimelagon is addressing these conditions. Led by Dr Kirstine Belongie and her expert team at Mitsubishi Tanabe Pharma America, a clinical trial was conducted to evaluate dersimelagon’s impact on the onset time […]
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Conundrum in pharmacoepidemiology: Contextualising biases in case-crossover studies
Dr Kiyoshi Kubota, physician and pharmacoepidemiologist based at the NPO Drug Safety Research Unit Japan, has pioneered innovative methods for analysing data in case-crossover studies. By tackling biases inherent to case-crossover studies, including within-subject exposure dependency and lack of pair-wise exchangeability, his methodologies offer a clearer lens for evaluating medication safety and effectiveness. The contributions of Kubota and his collaborator, […]
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Obesity and inflammation: A recipe for depression in women
A team led by Dr Julie Pasco, Professor of Epidemiology at Deakin University and Barwon Health, Australia, analysed data from the longitudinal Geelong Osteoporosis Study over 16 years. The researchers discovered that metabolically unhealthy obesity, defined by low-grade inflammation in combination with obesity, puts women at higher risk of developing depression. These novel findings highlight inflammation as both a key […]
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The importance of image viewing conditions for timing and precision in minimally invasive surgery
Minimally invasive medical procedures such as laparoscopic surgery are challenging because they involve navigating the instruments in use via image views from tiny cameras attached to them. Surgeons need to interpret visual information correctly to guide their instruments with precision. Understanding how the brain adapts to these procedures will help improve fine surgical skills. Dr Birgitta Dresp-Langley, Research Director at […]