Category Archives: Medical research

Australian women to get home self tests for chlamydia and gonorrhoea – but experts urge caution

Posted on by

People with genital or pelvic symptoms may feel a sense of false reassurance with a negative result, sexual health expert warns

With rates of some sexually transmitted infections in Australia on the rise, women will soon be able to test themselves for chlamydia and gonorrhoea at home – but sexual health experts have urged caution.

Australia’s drugs regulator, the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA), has approved the rapid home test for sale, and it is expected to be available in pharmacies from 13 December, with a recommended retail price of $24. The test involves taking a vaginal swab, which is then placed in a container with testing solution.

Sign up for Guardian Australia’s breaking news email

Continue reading...

Bird flu in Canada may have mutated to become more transmissible to humans

Posted on by

Scientists are racing to understand what a hospitalized teen’s case of bird flu may mean for future outbreaks

The teenager hospitalized with bird flu in British Columbia, Canada, may have a variation of the virus that has a mutation making it more transmissible among people, early data shows – a warning of what the virus can do that is especially worrisome in countries such as the US where some H5N1 cases are not being detected.

The US “absolutely” is not testing and monitoring bird flu cases enough, which means scientists could miss mutated cases like these, said Richard Webby, a virologist at St Jude children’s research hospital’s department of infectious diseases.

Continue reading...

Fears for spread of malaria in Africa as study finds resistance to frontline drug

Posted on by

Signs of resistance to artemisinin in tenth of children with severe malaria similar to situation in Asia, say researchers

Researchers have found “troubling” evidence for the first time that a lifesaving malaria drug is becoming less effective in young African children with serious infections.

A study of children being treated in hospital for malaria in Uganda, presented at a major conference on Thursday, found signs of resistance to artemisinin in one patient in 10.

Continue reading...

UK trial to assess if red grape chemical can prevent bowel cancer

Posted on by

Resveratrol, which is also found in blueberries and peanuts, has been found to slow tumour growth in mice

Red wine was once heralded as a boon for health that could protect the heart and even extend life expectancy. But while scientists have debunked this claim, they believe that at least one red wine ingredient – a compound called resveratrol – may hold genuine health benefits.

A trial launched this week will assess whether a low dose of the chemical, also found in red grapes, blueberries and peanuts, could help keep bowel cancer at bay. The study, one of the largest to date testing drugs for cancer prevention, will recruit patients who are at risk of the disease.

Continue reading...

Adding five minutes exercise a day can help lower blood pressure, study says

Posted on by

Researchers say choosing to climb stairs or cycle to the shops is enough to have a positive effect

Doing just five extra minutes of exercise a day could help lower blood pressure, a study suggests.

High blood pressure affects 1.28 billion adults worldwide and is one of the biggest causes of premature death. It can lead to strokes, heart attacks, heart failure, kidney damage and many other health problems, and is often described as a silent killer due to its lack of symptoms.

Continue reading...

Researchers study treatment for chronic pain in childhood cancer survivors

Posted on by

Team at Nottingham Trent University is investigating how chemotherapy in early life could damage nerve cells

Treatments that could help alleviate the chronic pain experienced by thousands of childhood cancer survivors are being investigated by scientists and researchers in the UK.

About eight out of 10 children survive their cancer for 10 years or more but more than half of them report delayed and ongoing pain in adulthood.

Continue reading...

Concerns raised over access to UK Biobank data after ‘race scientists’ claims

Posted on by

Expert says any suggestion of Human Diversity Foundation accessing sensitive data could affect public trust in science

Concerns have been raised about access to a scientific trove containing the genetic data and medical records of more than 500,000 people, after an investigation revealed that “race scientists” appeared to claim to have obtained the data.

A senior scientist has warned that the leadership responsible for the data held by UK Biobank “have to be very careful with ensuring that correct processes are followed” around access to the information in order to maintain public confidence.

Continue reading...

Which disease-modifying Alzheimer’s drugs are the most promising?

Posted on by

Many drugs in development aim to delay, slow or reverse symptoms, but which are causing the biggest stir?

This week England’s health spending watchdog rejected a new Alzheimer’s drug – the second such drug it has turned down this year.

Both donanemab and lecanemab were approved by the UK’s Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), yet the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (Nice) said their benefits were too small to justify their costs, while there have also been concerns over potential side-effects – such as brain swelling and bleeding.

Continue reading...

NHS in England to trial AI tool to predict risk of fatal heart disease

Posted on by

‘Superhuman’ technology known as Aire can detect potential problems doctors cannot see from ECG results

The NHS in England is to trial a “superhuman” artificial intelligence tool that predicts a patient’s risk of disease and dying early.

The new technology, known as AI-ECG risk estimation, or Aire, is trained to read the results of electrocardiogram (ECG) tests, which record the electrical activity of the heart and are used to check for problems.

Continue reading...

Rise of almost untreatable superbug linked to a common antibiotic

Posted on by

‘Surprising’ finding by Australian-led study is first recorded instance of one antibiotic causing resistance to another in a different class

The rise of an almost untreatable superbug has been linked to a common antibiotic, an Australian-led study has found.

The study – published in Nature – found that rifaximin, an antibiotic used to treat liver disease, causes resistance to another antibiotic, daptomycin.

Continue reading...

New cervical cancer treatment regime ‘cuts risk of dying from disease by 40%’

Posted on by

Process tested in patients over 10-year period involves short course of chemotherapy before chemoradiation

Doctors are hailing a “remarkable” new treatment regime for cervical cancer that reduces the risk of dying by 40%, in the biggest advance against the disease in 25 years.

Cervical cancer is the fourth most common cancer in women globally, with about 660,000 new cases and 350,000 deaths every year, according to the World Health Organization. In the UK, there are about 3,200 cases and 800 deaths each year.

Continue reading...

Scientists create surgical stitch to aid healing by electrical stimulation

Posted on by

Researchers in China say their suture can speed up wound healing and reduce risk of infection by producing a charge

The humble stitch plays a crucial role in surgery, holding a gash together while tissues repair. Now scientists have created a type of suture they say can help speed up wound healing and reduce the risk of infection.

Researchers in China have created a suture that when put under strain – as occurs during movement – electrically stimulates the wound.

Continue reading...

Severe Covid infections can inflame brain’s ‘control centre’, research says

Posted on by

Scans of people hospitalised with Covid may explain the long-term breathlessness and fatigue some patients experience

Severe Covid infections can drive inflammation in the brain’s “control centre”, researchers say, leading to damage that may explain the long-term breathlessness, fatigue and anxiety some patients experience.

High-resolution MRI scans of 30 people hospitalised with Covid early in the pandemic, before the introduction of vaccines, found signs of inflammation in the brainstem, a small but critical structure that governs life-sustaining bodily functions such as breathing, heart rate and blood pressure.

Continue reading...

Study of new personalised cancer therapies could ‘transform’ how the disease is treated

Posted on by

Large-scale clinical project could give real-time view of how well treatments are working and lead to earlier diagnoses

Scientists are embarking on a large-scale clinical study of new personalised cancer therapies which could give clinicians are real-time view of how well treatments are working.

The £9m partnership between the Francis Crick Institute, five NHS trusts, charities and bioscience companies will spend four years examining the effectiveness of new immunotherapy treatments and exploring new ways to detect cancer.

Continue reading...

Migration during adolescence linked to increased psychosis risk, study finds

Posted on by

Risk found to be highest among black and north African people, as experts call for better mental health provision

People who migrate in adolescence have an increased risk of psychosis, researchers have found, noting the link is particularly strong among black and north African people.

While research has previously suggested migration could play a role in the increased risk of psychosis among people from ethnic minorities, the study suggests age could be an important factor.

Continue reading...

South Sudan medics trial AI app to identify snakes and improve bite treatment

Posted on by

Software with database of 380,000 pictures aims to aid quick and accurate identification and ensure correct use of antivenoms

The race to treat snakebite patients in time to save them could be eased by the development of software powered by artificial intelligence.

The medical charity Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) is trialling AI snake detection in South Sudan using a database of 380,000 pictures of snakes to identify venomous species.

Continue reading...

Mental health overtakes cancer and obesity as Britons’ biggest health worry

Posted on by

Ipsos survey asked people in 31 countries what they thought of their health and healthcare

Mental health has overtaken cancer and obesity as the health problem most Britons worry about, a global survey has revealed.

Experts said the shift in the public’s perception reflected the sharp rise in recent years in mental ill-health caused by the Covid pandemic, the cost of living crisis and male violence against women.

Continue reading...

Ig Nobel prize goes to team who found mammals can breathe through anuses

Posted on by

Scientific research on pigeon missiles and dead trout also win at awards for amusing studies with serious implications

In a stark demonstration of how award-winning breakthroughs can come from the most unlikely directions, researchers have won an Ig Nobel prize for discovering that mammals can breathe through their anuses.

After a series of tests on mice, rats and pigs, Japanese scientists found the animals absorb oxygen delivered through the rectum, work that underpins a clinical trial to see whether the procedure can treat respiratory failure.

Continue reading...

Pathogenic microbes blown vast distances by winds, scientists discover

Posted on by

Living microbes that cause disease in humans and host antibiotic-resistance genes carried 1,200 miles

Microbes that cause disease in humans can travel thousands of miles on high-level winds, scientists have revealed for the first time.

The winds studied carried a surprising diversity of bacteria and fungi, including known pathogens and, some with genes for resistance to multiple antibiotics. Some of the microbes were shown to be alive – in other words, they had survived the long journey and were able to replicate.

Continue reading...

Africa to finally receive first batch of vaccines for deadly mpox virus

Posted on by

The continent will belatedly get 10,000 shots amid criticism of delays to the process caused by WHO red tape

Africa’s first batch of mpox vaccines will this week finally reach the continent, weeks after they have been made available in other parts of the world.

The 10,000 shots, donated by the US, will be used to tackle a dangerous new variant of the virus, formerly known as monkeypox, after a 2022 outbreak triggered global alarm.

Continue reading...