Health

While Americans worry every year about getting a flu shot or preventing HIV/AIDS, the deadlier silent is actually Hepatitis C; killing over 15,000 people yearly in the US since 2007 and the numbers continue to increase as the carriers increase in age. While there is no vaccine, there is hope in nanoparticle technology.

The breakthrough came from a group of researchers at the University of Florida, creating a nanozyme that eliminates the Hep C 100% of the time; before now, the six-month treatment would only work about half the time. The particles are coated with two biological agents, the identifier and the destroyer; the identifier recognises the virus and sends the destroyer off the eliminate the mRNA, which allows Hep C to replicate — via redwolf.newsvine.com

A new treatment for Alzheimer’s could halt deterioration in people with early symptoms of the disease, a limited human trial has shown. The treatment, called the most exciting drug in development by scientists, is currently prescribed to people with immune system problems but could have a significant impact on the quality of life of Alzheimer’s sufferers, the trial suggests.

The drug, intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIg), prevented the decline in cognitive skills, memory and the ability to live independently, among patients with mild to moderate symptoms of Alzheimer’s. Those who took a placebo continued to decline. The small number of patients who took the highest dose of the drug for three years showed no decline in memory.

Medical experts said the drug could be used to treat Alzheimer’s within a decade and was probably the most exciting drug we know about that is currently in the late stages of research — via redwolf.newsvine.com

After a lot of theorising, postulating, and non-human trials, it looks like bionic eye implants are finally hitting the market — first in Europe, and hopefully soon in the US. These implants can restore sight to completely blind patients — though only if the blindness is caused by a faulty retina, as in macular degeneration (which millions of old people suffer from), diabetic retinopathy, or other degenerative eye diseases.

The first of these implants, Argus II developed by Second Sight, is already available in Europe. For around $115,000, you get a 4-hour operation to install an antenna behind your eye, and a special pair of camera-equipped glasses that send signals to the antenna. The antenna is wired into your retina with around 60 electrodes, creating the equivalent of a 60-pixel display for your brain to interpret. The first users of the Argus II bionic eye report that they can see rough shapes and track the movement of objects, and slowly read large writing.

The second bionic eye implant, the Bio-Retina developed by Nano Retina, is a whole lot more exciting. The Bio-Retina costs less — around the $60,000 mark — and instead of an external camera, the vision-restoring sensor is actually placed inside the eye, on top of the retina. The operation only takes 30 minutes and can be performed under local anaesthetic — via redwolf.newsvine.com

Scientists have discovered a new molecule that will make your teeth cavity-proof and may change dental care forever. They have appropriately named it Keep 32 — for your 32 teeth — and it can kill the bacteria that produces cavities in 60 seconds flat.

José Córdoba — a researcher at Yale University — and Erich Astudillo — from the Universidad de Santiago, Chile—claim that this molecule can be added to any dental care product, from toothpaste to mouthwash. In fact, they say it can be added to anything, even candies and chewing gum.

As long as the product stays in your mouth for 60 seconds, it will eliminate the dreadful Streptococcus Mutans, making your teeth cavity proof for a number of hours — via redwolf.newsvine.com

Scientists successfully reversed diabetes in mice by transplanting mice human stem cells into mice in a discovery that may lead to way to finding a cure for a disease that affects 8.3 percent of the US population.

Researchers say that the latest study, published in the journal Diabetes, was the first to show that human stem cell transplants can successfully restore insulin production and reverse type 1 diabetes in mice — via redwolf.newsvine.com

Don’t make me angry. You wouldn’t like me when I’m angry,; the Hulk’s alter ego Bruce Banner famously said. Now researchers have made a discovery that might one day have implications for anyone considering Bruce as a potential house guest. The researchers have identified a brain receptor that malfunctions in overly hostile mice — a receptor that also exists in humans – and found a way to shut it down, offering the potential for the development of treatments for severe aggression.

The breakthrough by Marco Bortolato and Jean Shih from the University of Southern California’s (USC) School of Pharmacy, working with colleagues in Italy, builds on previous work by Bortolato and Shih, in which they identified a specific gene disposition resulting in low levels of the enzyme monoamine oxidase A (MAO A). They found that humans and mice with this congenital deficiency of the enzyme respond to stress with violent outbursts.

The same type of mutation that we study in mice is associated with criminal, very violent behavior in humans, Bortolato said. But we really didn’t understand why that it is — via redwolf.newsvine.com

Scientists say they have identified a possible genetic link between diabetes and Alzheimer’s disease.

It has been known for some time that people with diabetes have a much higher risk of developing Alzheimer’s, but not why this is so.

Now US researchers writing in Genetics say a study of worms has indicated a known Alzheimer’s gene also plays a role in the way insulin is processed.

Dementia experts said more work in humans was now needed — via redwolf.newsvine.com