Researchers at the University of Virginia School of Medicine have found that overuse of antibiotics lessens the immune system’s effectivity against infections and weakens the intestinal barrier against invading bugs. They found that antibiotic use reduces the effectivity of neutrophils, a type of immune cell, that play an important role as a first-line ‘innate immune [...]
Around 3.6 million people all over the world were killed by two of the most common chronic lung diseases in 2015, according to a study. Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), caused mainly by smoking and pollution, was responsible for 3.2 million deaths, while 400,000 people died from asthma. COPD is a group of lung conditions [...]
Researchers from Australia have found that an oral peanut allergy treatment given to kids was still effective even after four years from its administration. A probiotic containing peanut protein was given to children every day for 18 months. When tested one month later, 80% could tolerate peanuts without any allergic symptoms and after four years, [...]
The recent cholera outbreak in the war-torn Yemen has already affected half a million people in the country, with 5,000 people being infected every day, the World Health Organization (WHO) reported. At least 1,975 people have died since the waterborne disease began to spread rapidly at the end of April. Even though the overall caseload [...]
Biomedical engineering Professor Milica Radisic and her colleagues at the University of Toronto Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering in Canada have developed a new technique that can repair damaged heart tissues without the need for invasive open-heart surgeries. The technique uses a new biomaterial, an expanding tissue bandage a little smaller than a postage [...]
Factory farming in Asian countries could lead to major global health risks, according to the report “Factory Farming in Asia: Assessing Investment Risks”. In over just a decade, the use of antibiotics in factory farms in Asia is set to more than, with potentially damaging effects on antibiotic resistance around the world. Factory farming of [...]
Medical errors that go unreported by hospital employees and that are not made public continue to be an “invisible crisis” for the healthcare sector, said Tami Minnier, Vice Chair of Board Joint Commission International at the APHM 2017 conference and exhibition held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia from July 25 to 27. According to a 1999 [...]
Researchers at the University of Virginia School of Medicine have found that overuse of antibiotics lessens the immune system’s effectivity against infections and weakens the intestinal barrier against invading bugs. They found that antibiotic use reduces the effectivity of neutrophils, a type of immune cell, that play an important role as a first-line ‘innate immune [...]
Researchers from Australia have found that an oral peanut allergy treatment given to kids was still effective even after four years from its administration. A probiotic containing peanut protein was given to children every day for 18 months. When tested one month later, 80% could tolerate peanuts without any allergic symptoms and after four years, [...]
Biomedical engineering Professor Milica Radisic and her colleagues at the University of Toronto Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering in Canada have developed a new technique that can repair damaged heart tissues without the need for invasive open-heart surgeries. The technique uses a new biomaterial, an expanding tissue bandage a little smaller than a postage [...]
The natural supplement glucosamine, which is often marketed for joint pain, has no effect on either knee or hip pain caused by arthritis, according to a new review of available research. The analysis of randomized controlled trials from which data have been made public found that at both three-month and 24-month follow-up points, the supplement [...]
Australian scientists said they made a major breakthrough in the field of pregnancy research as they discovered that intake of the dietary supplement vitamin B3, also known as niacin, could cut miscarriages and birth defects worldwide. They found that deficiency in a key molecule among pregnant women stopped embryos and babies’ organs from developing correctly [...]
Researchers from the Jerusalem College of Technology and the ShaareZedek Medical Center in Israel have developed a new device using a technique called photoplethysmography to more accurately measure systolic blood pressure. An estimated 1 in 3 US adults have high blood pressure. Blood pressure levels are often assessed by using automatic blood pressure devices. But [...]
Also, download this story from the electronic issue here Polymeric materials, with their broad range of properties, are ushering in advancements for cardiovascular devices, says Angelica Buan in this article. Like a thief in the night”, that is how cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) are epitomised, bringing havoc to patients unexpectedly and silently. CVDs are the number one [...]
A novel nanochip technology that can reprogram cells to repair or replace injured tissue or restore function of aging tissue including organs, nerve cells and blood vessels has been developed by researchers at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center and Ohio State’s College of Engineering have developed a new technology, Tissue Nano transfection (TNT) [...]
Healthcare providers in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) department can now push the ICU bed easily, with the new ARVÜNNCARE plus, the ICU bed that is able to move laterally. Malaysia-based WTK Technologies introduced the ARVÜNNCARE bed three years ago. Now, the model returns as ARVÜNNCARE plus, with a motorised caster for easier movement. “The [...]
Leading global medical technology companies are turning to the use of robotic systems to aid doctors in complex knee surgeries, offering quicker procedures and better results in operations that often leave patients dissatisfied. Demand for artificial replacement joints is growing fast, as baby boomers’ knees and hips wear out, but for the past 15 years [...]
The world may have taken a step towards a polio-free future as researchers make a breakthrough in vaccine development against the disease. An international consortium of scientists at the John Innes Centre in Norwich, UK was able to produce a new poliovirus vaccine by growing virus-like particles (VLPs), which are non-pathogenic mimics of the virus, [...]
Drugs therapies to cure hepatitis C and treat hepatitis B are becoming more affordable as prices are dropping dramatically, giving hope to 325 million people living with the viral liver disease that can be fatal, the World Health Organization (WHO) said. A generic antiviral drug for hepatitis C, which can be cured in three months, [...]
Corning Inc., an American manufacturer of specialty glass and ceramics, is making a US$500 million investment with US pharmaceutical giants Merck and Pfizer to manufacture a new kind of glass for injectable drug vials, US President Donald Trump announced. At a White House event, Trump said the effort will create nearly 1,000 jobs at facilities [...]
A mass vaccination campaign in New Zealand against meningitis also proved to be effective in protecting people against gonorrhea, lowering the risk of the disease by more than 30%, researchers reported. Although the bacteria that cause gonorrhea and the bacteria that cause meningitis are related, the result of the vaccination campaign is still surprising news. [...]
A pioneering cancer drug treatment developed by Swiss multinational pharmaceutical company Novartis AG has received support from an advisory panel to the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), which could lead to the drug becoming the first gene therapy to be approved in the US. The panel voted 10-0 that the drug, tisagenlecleucel, should be [...]
Plastic films that have been specially designed and integrated with “N-halamines”, special chemical groups, within the polymer matrix of the plastic can prevent bacterial contamination in the food and biomedical industries, according to a recently published research. The plastic films work by killing bacteria in biofilms, and preventing bacteria from forming biofilms in the first [...]
A pioneering immunotherapy against type 1 diabetes that has been designed to retrain the body’s immune system and slow the advance of the disease has been shown to be safe in its first trial. Tested on 27 patients in the UK, the immunotherapy also showed signs of slowing the disease, but this needs confirming in [...]
A new quality improvement report found that healthcare providers rarely practice stethoscope hygiene between patient encounters despite its importance in infection prevention. Infection control guidelines from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) state that re-usable medical equipment, such as stethoscopes, must undergo disinfection between patients. “Stethoscopes are used repeatedly throughout the day [...]
Global Science Company 3M Malaysia held a demonstration on Wednesday to share the importance of occupational safety hazard and health at OGA 2017, in the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre. Mohd Azhar Kamaruddin, the technical specialist for Fall Protection and spokesperson of the demonstration, together with MNC Asia Training Manager Elmer Sabelino, explained the basics of [...]
Higher levels of vitamin D may lower chances of developing cancer, according to a study made by Creighton University in Nebraska, US with cooperation from the University of California San Diego. Funded by National Institutes of Health (NIH), the study is a randomized clinical trial of the effects of vitamin D supplementation on many types [...]
The recent cholera outbreak in the war-torn Yemen has already affected half a million people in the country, with 5,000 people being infected every day, the World Health Organization (WHO) reported. At least 1,975 people have died since the waterborne disease began to spread rapidly at the end of April. Even though the overall caseload [...]
Factory farming in Asian countries could lead to major global health risks, according to the report “Factory Farming in Asia: Assessing Investment Risks”. In over just a decade, the use of antibiotics in factory farms in Asia is set to more than, with potentially damaging effects on antibiotic resistance around the world. Factory farming of [...]
The deans of three medical schools in Singapore say the city-state needs more “generalist” doctors who are skilled enough to treat a patient with several medical conditions to avoid having patients switch from one specialist doctor to another. “Increasingly, I think that’s what we need in the health system – we need generalists,” said Associate [...]
The healthcare industry should emulate the airline industry in collaborating with competitors and working together for the benefit of the patient, said Mike Wagner, executive director and chief teaching officer of The Advisory Board Company, at the APHM 2017 conference and exhibition held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia from July 25 to 27. The airline industry [...]
Health authorities in Myanmar have asked the World Health Organization (WHO) for help in battling a deadly swine flu outbreak in the country that has already infected more than 30 people and killed at least six people over the last week. Most of the victims are from the country’s biggest city, Yangon, a senior health [...]
Around 3.6 million people all over the world were killed by two of the most common chronic lung diseases in 2015, according to a study. Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), caused mainly by smoking and pollution, was responsible for 3.2 million deaths, while 400,000 people died from asthma. COPD is a group of lung conditions [...]
In the Western Pacific Region, a newborn dies every two minutes because of inappropriate clinical practices at the time of birth and during the first few days of life. However, newborn mortalitycan easily be prevented through Early Essential Newborn Care (EENC), a set of simple, cost-effective interventions that can save newborn lives and give them [...]
A Bangladeshi construction worker living in Singapore died on August 4 from diphtheria in what is believed to be the first case of the bacterial infection in the country in 25 years, according to Singapore’s Ministry of Health (MOH). MOH said the last local case of infection was reported in 1992 while the last imported [...]
People who work long hours, usually more than 35 to 40 hours a week, may be at higher risk of developing atrial fibrillation, an irregular rapid heartbeat that can lead to strokes, heart failure and chronic fatigue, according to a recent study. Researchers followed more than 85,000 working men and women without an atrial fibrillation [...]
The World Health Organization has warned against the impending spread of the totally untreatable “superbug” strains of gonorrhea. The agency said there are at least three people worldwide infected with the untreatable superbug which could be spread through sex. Giving details of studies showing a “very serious situation” with regard to highly drug-resistant forms of [...]
A Canadian research team from The Ottawa Hospital, the University of Ottawa, the University of Ottawa Heart Institute and Carleton University has discovered a protein that is capable of tricking the heart into growing in a healthier way and pumping more blood akin to doing exercise or being pregnant. The growth caused by the protein [...]
Blindness and vision impairment rates worldwide are expected to triple, from the current 36 million cases to 115 million cases, within the next four decades if treatment is not improved by better funding. According to the researchers, the aging population is behind the rising numbers. Some of the highest rates of blindness and vision impairment [...]
A drug that is normally used to treat type 2 diabetes may hold the key to stopping the progression of Parkinson’s disease, a clinical trial suggests. Current drugs help manage the symptoms, but do not prevent brain cells dying. But a trial conducted on 62 patients by a team from the University College London (UCL) [...]
A team of US and South Korean scientists have, for the first time, successfully removed a piece of faulty DNA that causes deadly heart disease to run in families from embryos in what could be the beginning of the road to preventing 10,000 disorders that are passed down the generations. Science is going through a [...]
Kuala Lumpur: “With fresh thinking to patient care” as a slogan, Malaysian company Mastersteel Medical Sdn Bhd exhibited for the first time at the 25th edition of APHM (Association of Private Hospitals of Malaysia) exhibition, held in Kuala Lumpur recently. “We are new to the market,” said Eric Chan, Sales and Marketing Executive. With its [...]
KUALA LUMPUR: The medical device industry in Malaysia continues to grow and evolve amidst the emerging challenges it faces, with the country’s medical device exports forecasted to hit RM17.7 billion by the end of this year. Members of the Association of Malaysian Medical Industries (AMMI) were surveyed and more than 70% are expected to put [...]
The nutrient lutein – known to help maintain eye, skin and heart health –may also be helpful in keeping the brain healthy, according to a new study by researchers from the University of Illinois in the US. The study, which included 60 adults aged 25 to 45, found that middle-aged participants with higher levels of [...]
A new study has found that caffeine helps shorten recovery time and boost wakefulness after general anesthesia. Consumed daily by more than 90% of US adults, caffeine appears to alter physiological function in two different ways to shorten recovery time. It raises the body’s level of cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP), a compound that regulates cell [...]
A new skin film coating made out of DNA actually gets better at protecting the skin the more it is exposed to harmful ultraviolet (UV) light from the sun. The DNA coating, which also keeps the skin hydrated, was developed by researchers at Binghamton University, State University of New York in the US. According to [...]
A team of researchers in Singapore has successfully brewed beer that contains probiotic bacteria that can boost the immune system and improve gut health. Alcine Chan, a 23-year-old food researcher, worked and experimented for almost a year with a recipe of malt, alcohol, hops and a strain of probiotic bacteria, until she got the formula [...]
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