British soldiers will be getting germ-fighting underwear. The antimicrobial underpants have been introduced by the Ministry of Defence as part of a new desert uniform for soldiers. They are the first undergarments issued to British troops, who traditionally have had to supply their own. Military officials said Thursday the unisex trunks were made from artificial fibres for comfort, with silver particles woven into the material to prevent sweating. According to Colonel Silas Suchanek: It is coated to prevent bacterial infection, and we have tried to arrange the seams so that they don’t chafe
Using human fetal cells, Swiss scientists have developed a new type of biological bandage for severe burns that appears to dramatically speed and improve the healing process and may well prove an effective treatment for other serious skin wounds. But the novel type of therapy is likely to generate some controversy in countries like the United States and Italy, which restrict the use of human embryos in scientific research, since the bandages are derived from the skin cells of aborted foetuses
In an ongoing effort to stop the spread of HIV, scientists in Australia have discovered that crocodiles can fight off HIV and kill the virus. This is a major boon to medicine because the crocodile serum can also fight things that are penicillin resistant such as staphylococcus aureus
According to Foresight, a government think-tank, mind-altering drugs could be as common as coffee within a couple of decades
Brazil’s Ministry of Health has demanded that Abbott Laboratories cut the price of its AIDS drug Kaletra by 42%, threatening to break the company’s patent and produce generic versions of the drug if it does not comply. The Abbott Park, Illinois-based company has 10 days from the time it received Friday’s ruling to agree to reduce Kaletra’s price to $0.68 per pill from $1.17. If Brazil follows through on its threat, the move would mark the first time the country has adopted compulsory licensing — via BoingBoing
First there was the printing press, around 1452. Then, in 1799, there was lithographic printing. And now, in 2005, there’s bacterial printing. The new technique allows live bugs to be pressed onto solid surfaces at very precise distances from each other and in a variety of patterns. The aim is to explore how bacteria influence each other at various distances. Understanding how they operate will help efforts to develop new ways to thwart their attacks on the human body
South Korean scientists say they have made stem cells tailored to match the individual for the first time. Each of the eleven new stem cell lines that they made were created by taking genetic material from the patient and putting it into a donated egg. The resultant cells were a perfect match for the individual and could mean treatments for diseases like diabetes without problems of rejection — via Warren Ellis
Brazil has rejected the retarded monkey boy‘s AIDS-relief money because it came with strings attached: a requirement to condemn prostitution, rather than working with sex-workers to promote safe sex. The Bush AIDS money comes with requirements to block abortion, birth control and sex education in favour of abstinence programs — via BoingBoing
Researchers from the University of California and the Doheny Eye Institute have successfully implanted a tiny electronic eye implant with a video camera mounted on a pair of sunglasses into 6 patients, allowing them to detect light and motion. The implant is a 4-by-4 grid of electrodes which connects to damaged photoreceptors (rods and cones) on the patient’s retina. It works by stimulating the photoreceptors, transmitting signals through the optic nerve to the brain. The implant only works on patients with degenerated rods and cones, and is named after Argus, the Greek god who had 100 eyes. If the implants continue to be a success, the artificial retinas could be available to the public within the next three years — via Slashdot
Following the Federal Court decision that the Department of Immigration has breached its duty of care by failing to provide adequate psychiatric treatment for two Baxter detainees, Senator Kerry Nettle revealed another case where DIMIA spent $13,159 to prevent him from receiving proper psychiatric treatment
For the first time ever, those who have been blind since birth will have a chance to see the world. It’s still in the early stages, but this is a giant leap forward in medical science. The bionic eye comprises a computer chip that sits in the back of the individual’s eye, linked up to a mini video camera built into glasses that they wear. Images captured by the camera are beamed to the chip, which translates them into impulses that the brain can interpret
A report from the University of Pennsylvania claims that psychological therapy and counselling can be just as effective as drugs in the early stages of treating moderate to severe depression. The findings run counter to current practice in the United States
An Australian mosquito-borne virus has become the basis of a possible vaccine for cancer and HIV. The Queensland Institute of Medical Research, the University of Queensland and the Department of Health have launched a company that hopes to one day market the vaccines. QIMR laboratory head Andreas Suhrbier says the Kunjin virus, which is found in northern Australia, has been modified to cure cancerous cells in mice. The Scots are also working on a vaccine
Bioengineers at the University of Maryland are developing contact lenses that change colour in response to changes in blood sugar. The approach would benefit diabetics who traditionally use skin prick tests to monitor their glucose levels — via BoingBoing
A team of South Korean scientists say they have found a way to produce the human body’s own cancer-killing cells through gene therapy, offering new hope to cancer sufferers
A rigorous study in Italy has confirmed claims that professional soccer players have a higher than normal risk of developing a type of motor neuron disease, also known as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. The reason remains a mystery. ALS involves the death of motor neurons, the nerve cells responsible for voluntary movement, and eventually leads to paralysis and death
An elderly Thai monk who mistook a tube of superglue for eye drops can see again after doctors unglued one eye. Phra Kru Prapatworakhun, 81, had been unable to see for nearly a week after applying the superglue, which he found in his temple’s medicine cabinet — via Ben Templesmith
American soldiers traumatised by fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan are to be offered the drug ecstasy to help free them of flashbacks and recurring nightmares — via BoingBoing
Plans to privatise the £48 billion clean-up of UK nuclear sites could put public safety at risk. Government advisers fear that financial pressures will encourage the companies to cut corners and will increase the risk of accidents
Scientists have successfully modified the AIDS-causing HIV in such a way that it can attack metasticised melanoma (cancer cells). The impact of genetic research on cancer research is in and of itself amazing. To mix this with the strategy of using one strong enemy against another is brilliance. Research will continue, obviously, but they are already reporting success on living creatures
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