Renal Failure :: Nano for artificial kidneys
Nanotechnological filters could lead to wearable or implantable artificial kidneys.
Health
Diabetes :: Severe hypoglycemia is rare after islet transplantation
Episodes of dangerously low blood glucose, or hypoglycemia, were greatly reduced in people who received an islet transplant for poorly controlled type 1 diabetes, according to an analysis of outcomes in 138 patients who had the procedure at 19 medical centers in the United States and Canada. This is one of the conclusions of the Collaborative Islet Transplant Registry (CITR), which tracks many factors affecting the success of this experimental procedure in people with severe type 1 diabetes.
Asthma :: Bacteria in household dust may trigger asthma symptoms
New research shows that bacteria lurking in household dust produce chemicals that may trigger asthma and asthma-related symptoms such as wheezing. These bacterial chemicals, called endotoxins, particularly those found on bedroom floors, were linked with increased respiratory problems in adults. This study, supported by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS), a part of the National Institutes of Health, is the first nationwide study of endotoxins in the household environment, and it involved analysis of more than 2,500 dust samples from 831 homes across the U.S.
Multiple Sclerosis :: Depression improved during telephone therapy
Patients with multiple sclerosis showed significant improvement in their depression during 16 weeks of telephone-administered psychotherapy treatment, according to an article in the September issue of the Archives of General Psychiatry, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.
Anorexia Nervosa :: Serotonin activity linked with anorexia nervosa
Women who have had a certain type of anorexia nervosa show an alteration of the activity of a chemical in their brain that is widely associated with anxiety and other affective disorders more than one year after recovery, according to a study in the September issue of the Archives of General Psychiatry, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.
Cancer :: Surgeons removed a tumour with aid of 3-D computer modelling software
German cancer surgeons have, for the first time, successfully removed a tumour with the aid of new 3-D computer modelling software which the designers say will make these operations safer and more accurate.
Pregnancy :: Fine-tuning fertility testing with take-home technology
A take-home fertility-testing kit under development in a Massey University laboratory will give women and couples further control over pregnancy planning.
Skin Care :: Spray-on skin to be trialed on burns victims
British doctors are about to conduct the first major trial of “spray-on” skin after the technique saved the life of a man with 90 per cent burns.
Peptic Ulcer :: Painkillers can cause fatal stomach bleeding
Dr. Angel Lanas, at University Hospital in Zaragoza, and team, gathered data from 26 Spanish hospitals on patients hospitalized for problems related to peptic-ulcers and on the drugs they took during the month before the incident.
Dementia :: Sex, mental and physical exercise, fight dementia
Professor Perry Bartlett of University of Queensland’s Brain Institute recommends sex, cryptic crosswords and a good run to stave off dementia.