Category: Features
Deleted DNA segment linked to ventricular enlargement in schizophrenia
Patients may suffer from what is known as “auditory hallucinations” in schizophrenia – they hear often distressing and distracting “voices” due to enlarged cerebral ventricles, which afflicts nearly 80% of schizophrenic individuals. Uncovering the biological origins of auditory hallucinations is the first step to reducing the overall disease burden of schizophrenia – developmental neurobiologists at […]
Powerful new antibiotic to fight deadly superbugs discovered by AI system
Medical science has always strived to stay ahead of bacteria as evolving antibiotic resistance could lead to a dismal future. Researchers at leading US universities – Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and Harvard – have just identified a powerful new antibiotic called halicin, using an artificial intelligence (AI) model. The drug is effective against many […]
WHO concerned by global spread of COVID-19; China reports significantly fewer new cases
Despite a sharp fallin new deaths and cases of the coronavirus – in the Chinese epicenter Wuhan – on Saturday (US Central Time), new infections continued to rise in other countries, such as South Korea, Iran, Italy and Lebanon. The World Health Organization (WHO) warned against making predictions about the outbreak as it was deeply […]
Chemicals in drinking water supposed culprit for tooth decay in children
Certain manufactured chemicals persist in the environment and cause may health grievances, including perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), which was recently discovered to affect paediatric dental health. American scientists from the School of Dentistry at West Virginia University (WVU) have linked higher concentrations of PFAS – from drinking water systems – to greater tooth decay […]
Chinese university develops 15-minute test kit for coronavirus detection
China’s Nankai University expects its newly-developed coronavirus rapid test kit to be used in the epidemic prevention and control soon – the northern Chinese university’s Novel Coronavirus (2019-nCoV) IgM/IgG antibody detection kit was developed alongside a group of experts from other Chinese universities and biopharmaceutical companies. The Nankai test kit requires a shorter testing time […]
Bilingualism can hold back Alzheimer’s symptoms, but only for so long
A person can have many benefits from being bilingual, for the brain, it can shorten recovery times from stroke, stave off cognitive decline associated with dementia and Alzheimer’s disease, and so on. Unfortunately, it seems that bilingualism can also significantly accelerate the deterioration into severe Alzheimer’s once symptoms manifest, as found by psychology researchers at […]
Synthetic Rubber: Medical care improved with silicones
Silicones, owing to their unique qualities, enhance the efficiency of advanced medical technologies, says Angelica Buan in this article. Today’s fast-paced lifestyle predisposes populations to a myriad of health conditions that often go unchecked until it’s too late. Debilitating conditions can have a massive impact on a patient’s quality of life. But with today’s advances […]
Gloves Sector: A helping hand for Malaysian gloves growth
Scarcity and viral infections may bring out the best and the worst in situations, but for Malaysia’s glove sector, it is the catalyst to its continued growth, says Angelica Buan. When the Covid-19 (new coronavirus disease) epicentre, Wuhan in Hubei, China, was placed on cordon sanitaire, Malaysia was among the countries that responded to the […]
Cocoa found to ease walking pain in people with PAD
Peripheral artery disease (PAD) patients are able to walk slightly further if they drank a beverage containing flavanol-rich cocoa three times a day for six months, compared to those who drank the same number/type of beverage without cocoa; the test patients had improved blood flow to their calves and some improved muscle function as well. […]
Mainland China sees more than 100 new deaths from coronavirus over weekend
The Chinese National Health Commission reported on Monday that the COVID-19 death toll in mainland China reached 1,770 as of the end of Sunday – there were 2,048 new cases across mainland China, with more than 94% of the new cases on Sunday confirmed in the central province of Hubei, where the outbreak is concentrated; […]
