Category: Features
COVID-19 virus can trigger persistent, self-damaging immune response
A Cedars-Sinai, California, research team has found infection with the virus that causes COVID-19 can stress the immune system so much to cause the production of autoantibodies that will attack the body’s own organs and tissues. The shocking discovery was noticed even among those who reported mild symptoms or no symptoms of COVID-19 at all. […]
New, multi-functional material promises more effective tendon repair
Tendons connect muscles to bones – strains or injuries to tendons are especially debilitating because the fine tissue never fully regains its former mechanical strength, thereafter, resulting in reduced mobility. Now, a team of researchers at Harvard’s Wyss Institute in Boston, US, have developed a unique two-faced biomaterial that promotes tendon healing and maintains its […]
Research looking into nasal spray for the prevention of dementia advances
The intranasal administration of drugs has been shown to be safer and improves cognitive function in mice models of dementia – more specifically, those with Alzheimer’s disease, frontotemporal dementia, and dementia with Lewy bodies – compared to traditional antibiotics. A research group from the Department of Translational Neuroscience, Osaka City University Graduate School of Medicine, […]
Spike in cases in India after festive holidays
India has reported over 27,000 new COVID-19 cases as of January 2, 2022, with infections including those of the Omicron variant seen in busy cities like Delhi and Mumbai. Delhi was among hardest hit cities during the second wave of the pandemic in India last year, with hospitals running out of beds and life-saving oxygen, […]
Oxygen production/expenditure may be key to Alzheimer’s treatment
The mutated genes found in Alzheimer’s disease has been linked to the differing ways cells produce energy for brain function in a study by researchers at the University of Adelaide (Adelaide University), South Australia. The research group had used cutting-edge gene technology and mathematical analysis to compare gene activity and detect subtle differences between normal, […]
Plant ingredient offers low-dose alternative treatment for malaria
Researchers from Germany’s Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, along with colleagues from Ethiopia’s Arba Minch and Addis Ababa universities, have identified an active ingredient from the crushed leaves of a plant, used by people in Africa to treat malaria. The plant named Ranunculus multifidus is a member of the flowering buttercup family – it produces a […]
MoH advises against wading in or playing with floodwaters
The Malaysian Ministry of Health (MoH) has advised individuals affected by floods to avoid playing with floodwaters for fear of contamination with waste from the septic tanks, animals’ droppings, and corpses. This was to prevent victims of a recent devastating floods that hit several states in West Malaysia from contracting flood-related diseases including leptospirosis. The […]
New milk and plant-based protein innovation developed in research
Scientists have enriched the nutritional content of cow’s milk this time by adding low-soluble pea protein – a nonallergenic, gluten-free, and cost-effective plant protein that assists in muscle development. The team from the Department of Food Science and Technology at The Ohio State University (OSU) hopes their innovation will help bolster declining fluid milk sales […]
Ditch New Year’s crash dieting and what you can do instead
Guilty from the holiday binge and with less than a week to New Year’s, many people have begun planning their 2022 dietary regime to get back on track with their weight, but most will – unfortunately – be unable to stick to it for various reasons. Instead of “crash diets” that are unsustainable in the […]
First oral treatment for COVID-19 approved for use in US
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has authorised the use of an antiviral treatment specifically for COVID-19, designed in pill form by pharmaceutical company Pfizer Inc. (Pfizer). Called Paxlovid, the treatment can be used by both adults and children over 12 at risk of severe COVID-19; the treatment must be initiated within five days […]
