Health & Medicine
Timely insulin therapy to treat type 2 diabetes
Diabetes is a tricky condition to treat. While insulin can efficiently lower blood sugar levels and protect pancreatic ꞵ-cells, it can also cause harmful side effects such as hypoglycaemia and weight gain. Severe hypoglycaemia may trigger arrhythmias and cardiovascular events. Professor Markolf Hanefeld suggests that an individualised approach to start timely insulin therapy on the basis of risk/benefit balance is […]
Read More… from Timely insulin therapy to treat type 2 diabetes
How real-world experience shapes clinical practice: Following one antibiotic’s journey over time
While clinical trials are vital in getting drugs to market, these tightly-controlled studies are unable to address the diverse needs of many patients in the real world. Real-world experience research can bridge the gap between clinical trials and clinical practice. Recently, Dr Mark Redell of Melinta Therapeutics, USA, introduced a collection of research experiences on the real-world use of the […]
Reducing risks, improving outcomes: The benefits of Patient Blood Management
While blood transfusions are generally very safe and have saved millions of lives, they carry a small risk of serious side effects. These risks can be lessened through the use of Patient Blood Management (PBM), a series of interventions that seek to minimise blood loss, prevent anaemia and reduce the need for a transfusion before, during and after major surgery. […]
Read More… from Reducing risks, improving outcomes: The benefits of Patient Blood Management
A focus on beta cell mass could help prevent type 2 diabetes
Diabetes is a global health problem expected to affect nearly seven percent of the world’s population by 2035. Treatment broadly focuses on regulating glucose levels, and an increase in the range of pharmacological options means that it is usually possible to manage the condition. However, diabetes cannot be cured. Professor Yoshifumi Saisho from Keio University, Japan, advocates moving the focus […]
Read More… from A focus on beta cell mass could help prevent type 2 diabetes
Is wood ash a silent killer in sub-Saharan Africa?
Traditional cookstoves fuelled by locally sourced wood are found in homes across sub-Saharan Africa. Some 70% of the population use traditional cookstoves to burn wood, and as a result produce 19 megatonnes of ash every year across the region. The ash is generally dumped nearby or scattered on farmland, but what exactly is in the ash? Quantifying the amounts of heavy […]
Read More… from Is wood ash a silent killer in sub-Saharan Africa?
Frailty screening: Doing good and avoiding harm
Ageing populations bring both opportunities and challenges for the economy, services and society. Screening for frailty aims to match the healthcare offered with a person’s needs, circumstances and capacity to benefit. Professors Mary McNally, Lynette Reid and William Lahey from Dalhousie University, Nova Scotia, Canada, explore the legal and ethical implications of frailty screening to ensure concerns with both doing […]
Read More… from Frailty screening: Doing good and avoiding harm
When control is lost: Studying the interactions of ATP and acetylcholine in the urinary bladder
The inner lining of the bladder, known as the urothelium, not only serves as a passive barrier but also triggers the reflex controlling urination (the micturition reflex). The neurotransmitter ATP released from the stretched urothelium activates the bladder afferent nerves and evokes the release of acetylcholine that substantially contributes to the contractile response. Prof Gunnar Tobin from the University of […]
Laboratory lungs: The implications of lung organoids for health and disease
Lung disease is a major public health concern. However, research is hindered by the challenges of developing translatable human lung systems in a laboratory setting. Dr Sandra Leibel, neonatologist and Physician Scientist at UCSD and Rady Children’s Hospital in San Diego, USA, is studying lung development and disease mechanisms. In order to do this, she has developed stem cell-derived lung […]
Read More… from Laboratory lungs: The implications of lung organoids for health and disease
A novel implant enhances skull surgery outcomes
During brain surgery, the surgeon removes a piece of the skull to access the brain. The initial damage to the skull is then repaired by a procedure called cranioplasty, but the reconstruction may be complicated by infection and dehiscence (parting of the sutured lips of a wound). Cranioplasty is also used to reconstruct contour abnormalities of the skull. Recently, Professor […]
Read More… from A novel implant enhances skull surgery outcomes
Fragment-based design of isoquinoline derivatives as anti-inflammatory drugs
Fragment-based drug discovery (FBDD) is a well-established high-throughput screening method for drug generation. Fragment molecules used in FBDD tend to be structurally less complex than the compounds used in conventional high-throughput screening techniques. Dr Masakazu Atobe from Asahi Kasei Pharma Corporation in Japan and his colleagues have developed a methodology that can be applied to the discovery of effective drugs […]
Read More… from Fragment-based design of isoquinoline derivatives as anti-inflammatory drugs