Category: Features
Thai research deploys natural killer cells against cancer
Natural killer cells are a component of white blood cells, which are crucial to our immune system’s detection/destruction of abnormal cells before they develop into cancerous tumours. Recently, Thai researchers have successfully used these natural killer cells in their national cancer therapy, for high-risk leukaemia (blood cancer) patients. Dr. Koramit Suppipat, Head Researcher of Cell […]
Facebook more adept at predicting health info, study finds
Health data can be gleaned through social media, as some medical conditions were – as recently found by American research – easier predicted from Facebook data instead of demographic information. Many people who take to social media in this digital age have more insightful posts, which surreptitiously provides additional information about disease management and exacerbation, […]
Deer antler study opens new cancer research possibilities
Random mutation from millions of years ago has given rise to stags with bigger antlers, despite the risk of cancerous tumours, while natural selection favoured deer with stronger resistance to the tumours, resulting in the various species we see today. The knowledge of deer’s tumour-suppressing genes could very well lead to new methods of organ […]
MS patients must watch their symptoms carefully
Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic autoimmune, inflammatory neurological disease of the nervous system, which degrades the protective sheath around nerves and causes scar tissue. The brain has a harder time signaling the body and this will later result in mental impairment and physical disability. MS affects about 2.5 million people worldwide and a few […]
Paternal secondary smoke in pregnancy risks asthma in kids
Smoke exposure from a pregnant mother has been a causative risk for childhood asthma, and it is now evident that the same exposure from fathers may likely lead to early asthma development in their kids. This comes from Taiwanese research of DNA methylation, where three genes along the DNA strand that influences gene activity, such […]
Scientists develop new laser tech to destroy cancer cells
Accurate detection of circulating tumour cells (CTC) inpatients’ blood can offer insight into the underlying tumour and predict metastases; their elimination is key to containing widespread cancer. Recently, American and Russian scientists have together developed a new kind of laser that can pinpoint and destroy CTCs without surgical interventions, which is a huge advantage to […]
Canadian research converts donor blood into a universal type
Patients who need a blood transfusion – from an accident or surgery – cannot simply settle for a donor as blood types must be universal/match to avoid fatal consequences. However, scientists from the University of British Columbia, Canada, have chanced upon a medical breakthrough – a way to convert blood types to a safer match […]
Sleep-disordered breathing leads to faster aging, study
A restless sleep pattern often results in reduced blood oxygen saturation that is restored upon waking. As the name suggests, sleep-disordered breathing, characterised by abnormal respiration during sleep, may cause excessive daytime sleepiness and adverse effects if left unchecked. Xiaoyu Li, a postdoctoral research fellow in the Division of Sleep and Circadian Disorders in the […]
Brush your teeth to retain memory
Brushing teeth serves more than good oral hygiene, as researchers from the University of Bergen (UiB) in Norway have found that gingivitis (gum disease) is a causative factor for developing Alzheimer’s disease. Researchers previously discovered a link that bacteria causing gingivitis can travel from the mouth to the brain, and now, there is DNA-based proof […]
Study highlights changing health concerns among the ages
Specific age groups are observed to have differing approaches to health and wellbeing, according to Innova Market Insights, a global researcher in the food and beverage industry. A 2018 US survey points to younger consumers adopting a more holistic view of health as more and more Generation Z (Gen Z) consumers have reportedly increased physical […]
