Revolutionary new self-diagnostic devices to provide early warning of deadly and debilitating illnesses like cancer, diabetes and heart disease are the aim of a €22.5m Science Foundation Ireland research facility to be established at Dublin City University.
The Biomedical Diagnostics Institute will carry out cutting-edge research to develop this range of next-generation biomedical devices that will directly affect the quality of people’s lives worldwide over the next decades.
A combination of airway-opening drugs and inhaled inflammation-reducing steroids works better at preventing severe asthma attacks than a normal dose of steroids alone, according to a new review of recent studies.
However, higher doses of steroids seem to be just as effective as the combination therapy in preventing these attacks, a second review concludes.
The studies focus on the effects of long acting beta-2 agonist (LABA) drugs. Unlike “rescue” inhalers, which can i
Treating a rare form of eye cancer with radiation therapy can spare patients from significant vision loss, according to new research at Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center.
The research involved 57 patients with malignant melanoma of the uvea which is the pigmented layer of the eye. The results were reported today at the American Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology (ASTRO) meeting in Denver.
“These are very encouraging results,” said Kathryn Greven,
Harvard Center for Risk Analysis explores this issue
Fish has been a staple of human nutrition in many cultures, but there has been some controversy recently about the benefits and risks of fish consumption. For example, fish supplies polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs), substances that might protect against coronary heart disease (CHD) and stroke. On the other hand, fish supplies methyl mercury (MeHg), a compound implicated in impairment of cognitive development and IQ. How can the
Shaped-beam radiation therapy is a promising treatment for life-threatening metastatic liver tumors, according to researchers at the University of Rochester Medical Center who report an 88 percent success rate for controlling the lesions. This is the first evidence that doctors can treat these tumors with radiation, and the results doubled the average length of survival.
“Radiation therapy has not been a recommended treatment for liver metastases because of the poor results w
Led by Professor Jukka Lekkala, the Wireless research project is developing miniscule subcutaneous sensors, which can be used to monitor, for example, the function of the heart or prosthetic joints even over long periods of time. The Academy of Finland is funding the project, whose goal is to provide the more accurate prediction of changes in patient condition and, in turn, even save lives. ”For example, a subcutaneous EKG monitor will be able to detect cardiac arrhythmia, and the data for t
Researchers say they have identified a biomarker that indicates a more agressive form of prostate cancer. Fox Chase Cancer Center’s chairman of radiation oncology, Alan Pollack, M.D., Ph.D., presented the findings today at the 47th Annual Meeting of the American Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology in Denver, Colo.
“Staging factors for prostate cancer such as PSA and the Gleason score are extremely useful in predicting prostate cancer outcome,” explained Pollack. “H
Four of the most widespread environmental toxins–lead, trihalomethanes (found in drinking water), ionizing radiation from indoor radon gas, and tobacco smoke–can cause serious damage to health even at very low levels, say researchers in the international medical journal PLoS Medicine.
What this means, say the researchers Donald Wigle of the University of Ottawa and Bruce Lanphear of Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, is that there are simply no safe levels of exposur
Scientists have developed a new tool that may prove to be invaluable for investigating the long-term mutagenic effects of chemotherapy and radiation, therapies that are widely used for the treatment of cancer. The research study, published in the October issue of Cancer Cell, provides evidence that a genetically engineered mouse model faithfully recapitulates treatment-associated cancers that occur in humans and may be useful for investigating the mechanisms involved in the development of ther
For patients with rectal cancer, receiving radiation therapy and chemotherapy before surgery to shrink the tumor so it can be more easily removed helps keep the cancer from coming back, according to a study presented October 17, 2005, at the American Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology’s 47th Annual Meeting in Denver .
Beginning in 1992, doctors in France enrolled 733 patients suffering from rectal cancer into the study. The patients were split into two group
A new method of radiation — accelerated partial breast irradiation using balloon brachytherapy — makes it more convenient for breast cancer patients to receive radiation therapy after surgery and appears to be safe, offer good cosmetic results, and keep cancer from coming back, according to four-year results of an ongoing study presented October 17, 2005, at the American Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology’s 47th Annual Meeting in Denver.
“This radiation tech
Heredity plays a major role in determining the blood lipid profile and heart rate variability of blacks and whites, two major risk factors for coronary artery disease, researchers say.
“There are some interesting ethnic differences in cardiovascular risk factors, including the fact that blacks tend to have higher HDL (high-density lipoprotein) and lower triglycerides, which is an advantage, and we suspect it is due to genetic influences,” says Dr. Catherine L. Davis, clinical hea
Patients whose cancer has spread to the brain can avoid typical hair loss (alopecia) when treated with newer radiation techniques, thereby improving their quality of life while still controlling their cancer, according to a study presented October 16, 2005, at the American Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology’s 47th Annual Meeting in Denver.
Most brain cancer patients whose cancer has spread to the brain receive whole brain radiotherapy. This treatment uses two simple rad
Penn State researchers have developed the first powder injection molding process for pure niobium, a biocompatible material similar to platinum and titanium but cheaper.
The researchers, who are based in the University’s Center for Innovative Sintered Products, say the new process could open the door to injection-molded niobium parts ranging from rocket nozzles, to wires, to human bone replacements, to orthodontic braces.
Gaurav Aggarwal, doctoral candidate in engineerin
Academics who have developed a tool to help vulnerable people to manage their medicines have received an award from the NHS.
Dr Karen Rosenbloom from the School of Pharmacy at the University of Hertfordshire and Ruth Goldstein from the Midlands have won first prize in the regional Health and Social Care Awards awarded by the NHS Institute for Innovation and Improvement. Their research now goes forward to the national awards final which will take place on 13 December.
Researchers at The University of Manchester funded by the Fungal Research Trust have discovered millions of fungal spores right under our noses – in our pillows.
Aspergillus fumigatus, the species most commonly found in the pillows, is most likely to cause disease; and the resulting condition Aspergillosis has become the leading infectious cause of death in leukaemia and bone marrow transplant patients. Fungi also exacerbate asthma in adults.
The researchers dissected bo
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