Whether measles, the flu, or pneumonia: Many of these diseases can be prevented. To the fact Professor Dr. Thomas Weinke, expert for infectious disease Loge at the Klinikum Ernst Bergmann in Potsdam pointed out, the pharmacon in Schladming/Austria. The measles protection act, which was recently decided by the Bundestag (aponet.de reported) shows Weinke, according to […]
Stop Following Your Significant Other on Social Media
For the past six months that Niamh has been with her boyfriend, she’s done something others might find shocking in today’s day and age: not follow him on social media. Due to the negative impact it’s had in her past relationships, she’s actively chosen to keep social media out of this one. After having an […]
Measles infection wipes our immune system’s memory leaving us vulnerable to other diseases
Scientists have shown how measles causes long-term damage to the immune system, leaving people vulnerable to other infections. Researchers from the Wellcome Sanger Institute, University of Amsterdam and their collaborators revealed that the measles virus deletes part of the immune system’s memory, removing previously existing immunity to other infections, in both humans and ferrets. Importantly, […]
A silver lining like no other
Vaccinations are the world’s frontline defence against infectious diseases yet despite decades of interventions, unsafe injection practices continue to expose billions of people to serious infection and disease. Now, new technology from the University of South Australia is revolutionising safe vaccination practices through antibacterial, silver-loaded dissolvable microneedle patches, which not only sterilise the injection site […]
Research describes how neurons could disconnect from each other in Huntington’s disease
A hallmark of neurodegenerative diseases like Huntington’s is the progressive death of nerve cells in the brain. The cells don’t die quickly, though. They first start to disconnect from each other because their neurites—long finger-like extensions that make connections all through the brain—become smaller. Now, using animal models and nerve cells grown in the lab, […]
Two ways cancer resists treatment are actually connected, with one activating the other
Drugs that target BRAF and MEK in cancer have shown promise in treating a subset of melanoma that carries a mutation in the BRAF gene, but drug resistance usually emerges, reversing the benefit of these drugs and limiting the survival of patients. Research has shown tumors have two common ways of resisting this approach. Until […]
What I've Learned About Parenting From Other People's Moms
I’m not a mother yet, but as a nearly 30 non-mom, I’m at the age when my social media feed is a steady stream of baby announcements, gender reveals and growing family photos. I’m often asked questions about my own family plans. “Are you guys thinking about kids yet?” And Google certainly seems to think […]
Broke your arm? Exercise the other one to strengthen it…
If you have ever broken an arm and had to wear a cast or splint for a few weeks, you will be familiar with the alarming loss of muscle and uneasy feeling of weakness experienced after removing your cast. Most people do not do much exercise while a broken arm is healing and can struggle […]
Study of protein ‘trafficker’ provides insight into autism and other brain disorders
In the brain, as in business, connections are everything. To maintain cellular associates, the outer surface of a neuron, its membrane, must express particular proteins—proverbial hands that reach out and greet nearby cells. And, like a creepily long handshake, surface molecules can overstay their welcome: A protein that lingers too long on the membrane may […]
Discovery presents treatment hope for Alzheimer’s and other neurodegenerative diseases
There is new hope for the treatment of Alzheimer’s and other neurological diseases following a ground-breaking discovery made by an Australian-Chinese research collaboration. Researchers from the University of South Australia and the Third Military Medical University in China have discovered a signal pathway within cells, and also invented a potential drug that could stop degeneration […]