Tracking heart rate, blood pressure and oxygen levels is a standard practice to give doctors valuable information on patients’ heart and lung health over time and guide treatment decisions.
Q&A: Alzheimer’s disease basics and what you can do to prevent it
Alzheimer’s disease is feared by many―and for good reason. The brain disorder slowly destroys memory along with a person’s ability to reason, speak, carry out daily tasks and recognize loved ones. To date, there’s no cure. The good news, however, is that there are steps you can take to lessen your chances of developing Alzheimer’s disease, and promising possibilities for treating it, experts say.
Novel predictor of prediabetes in Latino youth identified in new study
A team of researchers from the Keck School of Medicine of USC have identified two metabolites, substances produced by the body during metabolism, that may help predict which young Latino people are most likely to develop prediabetes, a precursor to developing type 2 diabetes.
The world’s first gene therapy for sickle cell and thalassemia has been approved
Britain’s medicines regulator has authorized the world’s first gene therapy treatment for sickle cell disease, in a move that could offer relief to thousands of people with the crippling disease in the U.K.
Big Pharma scrambles to feed demand for weight-loss treatments amid rising US obesity rates
Obesity rates in the U.S. have been rising steadily for well over a decade and some of the world’s biggest drug developers are tapping into the growing treatment market.
Excessive fluid consumption: Habit or hormonal disorder?
People who drink more than three liters of fluid a day may be suffering from a rare hormone deficiency. For many, however, it is just a harmless habit. Failing to differentiate the two correctly can be fatal, so researchers have been investigating what kind of test delivers a reliable diagnosis.
Social assistance programs found to be an effective strategy to mitigate the impact of economic crises on child health
Social assistance programs have strongly reduced child mortality in Brazil, and their expansion could prevent nearly 150,000 child deaths by 2030. The study, led by the Barcelona Institute of Global Health (ISGlobal), shows that social pensions and conditional cash transfers are an effective strategy to mitigate the impact of the current multiple global economic crises in low- and middle-income countries (LIMCs).
Working with community leaders found to boost family planning in Tanzania
Researchers at Weill Cornell Medicine found that partnering with local religious leaders boosted adoption of family planning methods in Tanzania. The findings present a novel strategy for increasing global awareness and use of contraception in regions where faith leaders are trusted messengers in the community.
Researchers develop antibacterial material for use with internal medical devices such as hip replacements or pacemakers
Researchers at Colorado State University and the University of St. Andrews in Scotland have developed an effective and flexible antimicrobial material that could be used to coat medical devices placed inside the body.
New research advances understanding of cancer risk in gene therapies
Medical research has shown promising results regarding the potential of gene therapy to cure genetic conditions such as sickle cell disease and the findings of this study, published in Nature Medicine, offer important new insights into processes happening in the body after treatment.