The Disease Prevention Illusion: A Tragedy in Five Parts
Act I: An ounce of “prevention.” “Prevention is better than cure.” Aphorisms like this go back a long way. And most of our dramatic triumphs against disease come from prevention: clean water, making roads and workplaces safer, antiseptic routines in hospital, reducing smoking, immunization, stemming the spread of HIV.
Prion Detection Method Shows Promise as Alzheimer’s Test
Researchers aim to detect Alzheimer symptoms long before they appear by tweaking an existing medical tool to sleuth out misfolded proteins linked with the illness
Citizen Science Project Markets Test for Damaged DNA
A new tech start-up sells test kits to the public, measures their DNA damage to simultaneously fund research and gather data
Eye-Catching Adapter Makes Smartphone Ophthalmic Screener
Researchers are developing adapters that let smartphones take high-quality images of the eye that could be used to remotely screen patients for eye conditions or disease. Larry Greenemeier reports
During Medical Emergencies on Deep-Space Flights Fluid-Filled Domes Could Stanch Bleeding
A medical trauma in microgravity presents a unique set of problems. A sealed dome could isolate a wound to prevent blood droplets from drifting into a victim’s eyes, nose and throat as well as allow an unobstructed view during medical treatment
Need a Hand? Now You Can Print One
"Every 4 1/2 minutes, a baby is born with a birth defect." That translates to 1 of just 33 babies being born with a defect in the U.S. Of these, about 1,500 babies, or 4 out of every 10,000 babies are born missing a hand or arm ("upper limb reduction").
How Gene Therapy Targets Liver Cells [Video]
Techniques for getting past the immune system are key to safe and effective treatment
Virtual Reality Treatment Relieves Amputee's Phantom Pain
A virtual arm superimposed over a live video feed of the patient was controlled using electrodes attached to his stump
Making Babies with 3 Genetic Parents Gets FDA Hearing
A reproductive technology that taps three parents’ DNA as a way to eliminate hereditary diseases could reach clinical trials if the Food and Drug Administration gives the go-ahead
Gene Therapy Shows Promise for Treating Heart Attack Victims
Injections of a normally silent gene sparked recovery in pigs induced to have heart attacks
Robotic Surgery Opens Up
If the open-source approach to building robot surgeons can cut costs and improve performance, patients will increasingly find them at the other end of the scalpel
Eastern Yoga Joins Western Medicine to Heal Breast Cancer Survivors
New research suggests that women who survived breast cancer can reduce inflammation and fatigue by regularly practicing hatha yoga