By NATION REPORTER THE Constitutional Court set its own peculiar precedence by decanting its previous four decisions on the eligibility of Zambia’s Sixth President Edgar Lungu and will have to live with it now that the case has yet again gone back to the court, Brebner Changala has said. Mr Changala, the civil rights and political activists has raised concerns over the credibility and consistency of Constitutional Court rulings under the UPND administration, warning that many of of its decisions could be overturned once a new government takes over. Mr. Changala said in an interview that judicial rulings should be able to stand the test of time, independent of political influence. However, Mr Changala is claiming that recent court decisions were being perceived to be driven by political interests and influences rather than the principles of justice. Mr. Changala said the UPND administration had demonstrated a pattern of interfering with key state institutions, including the […]
Neurons use simple physics to maintain their connections, but these processes change in Alzheimer’s patients
Scientists at Auburn University have uncovered a fundamental principle of how brain cells stay connected, and their discovery could change how we understand Alzheimer’s disease. Published in Cell Reports, this study reveals that neurons—the cells that make up our brain—use simple physics to maintain their connections, and that these processes change in Alzheimer’s patients.
Digital PCR identifies leukemia patients who can stop drug treatment
Researchers have found that the clinical application of BCR::ABL1 digital PCR can reliably quantify stable deep molecular remission of chronic myeloid leukemia (CML), which will help to determine for which patients chronic drug treatment could potentially be discontinued. This transcript that is unique for CML is more sensitive and accurate than the current standard, real-time quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR), for detecting ultralow levels of residual leukemic disease. Results are reported in The Journal of Molecular Diagnostics.
The role of journals in medical misconduct
Editors of medical journals deal with allegations of research misconduct, defined by the Office of Research Integrity (ORI) in the U.S. as fabrication, falsification and plagiarism. Research misconduct threatens the validity of science, undermines trust in science and contributes to misinformation and disinformation about science.
Pregnant women advised to avoid mentholated e-cigarettes
Vaping during pregnancy is becoming more common, but its impact on early human development is not well understood. A new study by scientists at the University of California, Riverside, now reports that the flavor chemical menthol used in electronic cigarettes could pose risks to a developing baby.
Study looks at recovery potential in comatose patients who died after halting life-sustaining therapy
Most comatose patients resuscitated from cardiac arrest who died after withdrawal of life-sustaining therapy (WLST) were considered by experts to have recovery potential of at least 1%, according to a study published online March 25 in JAMA Network Open.
Successful CAR-T cell therapy for end-stage multiple myeloma using advanced cellular product performed in Hong Kong
A clinical team has spearheaded the use of CAR-T cell therapy for blood cancers. The researchers recently treated the first myeloma patient with this therapy, resulting in a very good response without severe complications. The expansion of this innovative treatment to myeloma patients offers new hope for those who have not responded to traditional treatment, marking a significant milestone in advancing health care in Hong Kong.
Compelling data points to a single, unknown respiratory virus as cause of Kawasaki disease
Research from Stanley Manne Children’s Research Institute at Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago strongly suggests that Kawasaki disease is caused by a single respiratory virus that is yet to be identified. Findings contradict the theory that many different pathogens or toxins could cause this disease that can lead to serious cardiac complications in young children.
UK research highlights urgent need for national strategy to combat rising eating disorders
The increasing number of people with eating disorders and a lack of national guidance for support teams has led to researchers calling for a new national strategy that includes specific guidance to support the remote delivery of eating disorder services.
Combination of hypertension and atrial fibrillation is a ticking time bomb—experts call for simultaneous screening
A group of 29 international experts says that simultaneous screening for hypertension and heart arrhythmia could prevent thousands of strokes.