Cystic fibrosis breakthrough points to zinc as infection buster

Zinc has been found to be important in keeping lung infections at bay in people with cystic fibrosis, whose immune cell’s natural bacteria-fighting ability has been reduced by the genetic mutation that causes the disease. The discovery could result in … Continue reading Cystic fibrosis breakthrough points to zinc as infection buster

79% of Crohn’s disease patients in remission after early intervention

Giving an immunotherapy drug as soon as possible after diagnosis with Crohn’s disease significantly reduces complications, including the need for surgery by a factor of 10, a clinical study has found. Compared to conventional treatment, which favors de… Continue reading 79% of Crohn’s disease patients in remission after early intervention

Asthma drug staves off food allergies in up to 68% of patients

Omalizumab, currently used to treat asthma, has been shown to substantially reduce the risk of potentially life-threatening reactions in people aged one and older with multiple common food allergies, including peanuts, following accidental exposure. Wh… Continue reading Asthma drug staves off food allergies in up to 68% of patients

Using your nose to regenerate knees eroded by osteoarthritis

Having already demonstrated that a small amount of cartilage taken from the nose can be used to repair injured knees, researchers will soon commence a clinical trial to investigate whether the technique can be used to regenerate joints that have been s… Continue reading Using your nose to regenerate knees eroded by osteoarthritis

Stubborn liver cancer may have met its match in century-old TB vaccine

A single injection of the 102-year-old tuberculosis vaccine, BCG, has proven effective at triggering an immune response in mice and shrank their liver cancer tumors, according to research by UC Davis Health. The findings suggest that BCG might be an al… Continue reading Stubborn liver cancer may have met its match in century-old TB vaccine

Software tweak doubles computer processing speed, halves energy use

Existing processors in PCs, smartphones and other devices can be supercharged for enormous power and efficiency gains using a new parallel processing software framework designed to eliminate bottlenecks and use multiple chips at once.Continue ReadingCa… Continue reading Software tweak doubles computer processing speed, halves energy use

Radioactive ‘fruit sugar’ lights up cancer and inflammation

A radioactive form of fructose, a natural sugar found in fruit, given to mice lit up areas of cancer and inflammation on a diagnostic medical scan. The researchers say the approach makes diseases easier to spot than current techniques and opens the doo… Continue reading Radioactive ‘fruit sugar’ lights up cancer and inflammation

Fangs a lot! Synthetic antibody could be key to universal antivenom

Scientists have made a synthetic antibody that can prevent paralysis and death inflicted by the venom of elapids, a large family of mostly deadly snakes found around the world. The discovery has us slithering ever closer to developing a single, univers… Continue reading Fangs a lot! Synthetic antibody could be key to universal antivenom