Category: Features
A question of mass testing to weed out COVID-19 infections in Malaysia
Malaysia is apparently still under-testing its people – some may have been infected or are spreading the deadly COVID-19 virus – and the next two weeks of the Movement Control Order (MCO) will be critical in determining if it can […]
New blood test can check for at least 50 types of cancer before symptoms of disease
New research from the UK and US, including the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute (DF) and University College London, has found a simple blood test can screen for more than 50 types of cancer. The test looks for telltale chemical changes to […]
Singaporean company develops rapid test kit which can detect COVID-19 in minutes
The current testing done to confirm patients with COVID-19 requires laboratory specialists, dedicated medical testing equipment and a few hours of waiting. However, a Singapore-based firm, Biolidics Limited (Biolidics), has fortunately come up with a rapid test kit which can […]
UK study finds weight gain may reduce risk of breast cancer before menopause
Breast cancer is the most common cancer among women – according to the World Health Organization – and also accounts for the highest number of cancer-related deaths. But new research led by the Institute of Cancer Research (ICR), London, suggests […]
Maintaining mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic
Loneliness and social isolation may increase the risk of premature death by nearly 50%, according to two meta-analyses from Brigham Young University in Utah, US, in 2017. However, as many people’s freedom of movement is now severely limited thanks to […]
Graphite nano-coating kills bacteria infesting implants, as designed by Swedish scientists
A new, antimicrobial implant coating, using carbon-based nanoplatelets, has been developed by scientists at Chalmers University of Technology (Chalmers) in Sweden – the vertically-protruding nanoplatelets can slice through the protective outer membrane of bacteria that might otherwise colonise the implant, […]
Duke-NUS scientists to start testing COVID-19 vaccine this year; other vaccine developments
As the search for a vaccine for the new coronavirus progresses, scientists from the Duke-NUS Medical School in Singapore are planning for testing to begin as soon as this year – Duke-NUS has teamed up with the Coalition for Epidemic […]
New, additional substance seen to alleviate side effects of strong antidepressants
The antidepressants used today block the return transport of serotonin and thereby also the removal of active serotonin, a chemical that plays a major role in regulating our levels of happiness. Such a blockage would require large doses of the […]
Understanding how COVID-19 affects children vital to slowing infectious diseases’ spread
A recent commentary reveals a small percentage of children infected with COVID-19 can become seriously ill – researchers thus caution that it is critical to understand how the virus affects children to model the pandemic accurately, limit the disease’s spread, […]
NIH finds new coronavirus stable for hours on everyday surfaces
A new study led by scientists from the National Institutes of Health (NIH), US, has found that the new coronavirus, which causes the deadly respiratory disease COVID-19, remains stable for hours on various surfaces, and suggests that people may acquire […]
