UK experts believe that a vaccine that prevents infections known to cause cervical cancer could be available to women within three years. By guarding against human papilloma virus, it could save thousands of lives and may end the need for smears tests. The vaccine would be given to girls before they are sexually active. Trials have shown a jab can offer 100% protection against strains of HPV linked to about 70% of cervical cancers
Scientists at Singapore’s Institute of Bioengineering and Nanotechnology have developed contact lenses that deliver eye medication to treat diseases like glaucoma. If the drug is water-soluble, it will be trapped within a network of tiny inter-connected, water-filled channels in the material. If it’s water-insoluble, it will be trapped within nano-spaces in the polymer matrix, and slowly leach out into the channels. In contact with fluid on the eyeball, these channels open up and release the drug
Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus — known as MRSA — an antibiotic-resistant germ is increasingly causing skin infections and pneumonia in otherwise healthy children and adults. What’s particularly worrisome is that these infections are being acquired in the community — not the hospital, as has been the usual case until now. Michael Levey’s team at Pharmaceutica in Worcestershire, UK, claims to have discovered a compound that renders the MRSA superbug vulnerable to the antibiotic it normally resists
Biological heart pacemakers made from human embryo cells have been successfully tested in pigs, raising the possibility that tissue transplants could replace electronic pacemakers. Because they would be natural, the cell implants would need no power source and, over time, would integrate naturally with the heart. They could even be genetically engineered or manipulated to enhance or alter their function
University of Washington scientists plan to infect monkeys with a killer flu virus grown from tissue exhumed from victims of the 1918 epidemic. They hope the insight they gain will unravel the mystery of why tens of millions of people worldwide died from the virulent flu strain and lead to development of better vaccines and drugs that may save lives in the future
Cannabis-based treatments may have longer-term benefits for multiple sclerosis patients. The findings of a short, 15-week trial of MS patients published last year were inconclusive because although patients reported relief in muscle stiffness, rigidity and mobility, the findings could not be confirmed by physiotherapists. But Dr John Zajicek, of the Peninsula Medical School at the Universities of Exeter and Plymouth in southwestern England who headed the study, told a conference there seemed to be further benefits for patients who continued treatment for a year
The Royal College of General Practitioners has accused pharmaceutical companies of disease-mongering in order to boost sales, bringing the NHS to the brink of collapse
A jawbone, grown on his shoulder, using a titanium mold, bone marrow, and recombinant bone morphogenic protein, enabled a man to chew for the first time since he lost his lower jaw in radical surgery for cancer. Since then he was able to eat only soup and soft foods. But just four weeks after a pioneering jaw-creation and transplantation procedure, he tucked into a meal of sausages and bread
There’re so many Prozac-takers in the UK that urine-borne traces of unmetabolised antidepressent have contaminated the drinking-water supply. The exact amount of Prozac in the nation’s drinking water is not known — via Rogue Sun
Can you live without a pulse? Yes, now you can. The reason why we have a pulse is because it’s hard for evolution to result in turbines or continuously spinning things. The next generation of artificial hearts may have no pulse. They also have no bearings, so they should last much longer than previous attempts. In fact, engineers don’t give a predicted lifespan on these models
A recent scientific study that indicate marijuana consumption can improve night vision. The results backed up claims by the Observer columnist Sue Arnold, who suffers from retinitis pigmentosa and is officially registered blind. She noticed several years ago that drawing on strong Jamaican skunk suddenly and temporarily enabled her to see things clearly. But Ms Arnold has since warned of side-effects that could impede night-time navigation. Only trouble was,
she said, I couldn’t stand up
— via Pagan Prattle
A new technique might allow surgeons to operate on internal organs without making any cuts in the skin. The Johns Hopkins University team says a mini-telescope could go down the throat and make a cut in the stomach wall to reach abdominal organs. The technique, tested in pigs, could mean faster recovery times say the authors in Gastrointestinal Endoscopy — via Die Puny Humans
Researchers have moved a little bit closer to the day when new teeth can be grown to replace damaged or missing teeth. One set of researchers has succeeded in growing teeth tissue on bio-degradable scaffolding
in rats. Another group has been able to coax stem cells to form tooth structures in mice. Both reports appear in the July issue of the Journal of Dental Research
A one-year-old Pakistani boy saw the world for the first time through an eye donated [BugMeNot] by an Indian. Mohammed Ahmed gained partial vision after a difficult operation at the Agarwal Eye Institute in the southern city of Madras. Doctors said Ahmed, who was born blind, would get near-normal sight by the time he heads back to Karachi next week
The first Australian patients to be cured from type one diabetes have spoken about their treatment. Doctors from Sydney’s Westmead Hospital transplanted cells from a donated pancreas into the patients and they are now producing their own insulin. Barbara Dunn and Julie Mudd are among the first Australian patients to undergo the ground-breaking transplant. After being diabetic for 37 years, Ms Dunne is now free of daily injections
Folk cures abound for curing a hangover, yet only time — to let the body clear out the toxins — seems to really do the trick. But help may be on the way. Researchers from Tulane University and the University of California, San Francisco report that an extract from Opuntia ficus indica, a type of prickly pear extract, eases the symptoms of a hangover when taken before drinking begins — via Rogue Sun
Somewhere in Germany is a baby Superman, born in Berlin with bulging arm and leg muscles. Not yet five, he can hold seven-pound weights with arms extended, something many adults cannot do. He has muscles twice the size of other kids his age and half their body fat. DNA testing showed why: The boy has a genetic mutation that boosts muscle growth — via Die Puny Humans
The net is having a profound effect on medicine, as in all fields, not least because researchers in medical labs can share research with colleagues around the world. The net is providing many with what they want, and this is creating a growing breed of so-called cyberchondriacs. However, self-diagnosis over the net can be a real minefield. The information can cause confusion and unnecessary alarm. More worryingly, surfers could also be left out of pocket
A breakthrough in polymer development means that soon there may be a radical new treatment for people with broken bones — a special kind of material that can glue the bone back together and support it while it heals. The material is designed to break down as the bone regrows leaving only natural tissue
Chemical giant Monsanto has confirmed it will withdraw from its attempt to grow genetically modified (GM) canola in Australia. The announcement comes just days after the company’s international arm announced it was pulling out of GM wheat trials in the United States and Canada
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