Measuring changes in the speed of electrical signals along nerves connecting the eyes to the brain may accurately reflect recovery from myelin loss in multiple sclerosis (MS), according to researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and could be used to evaluate new treatments for the disease. Most MS patients develop a relapsing-remitting disease, in which […]
This simple finger test 'can reveal if you have cancer'
Simple finger test that can reveal if you have lung cancer: Clubbed nails which don’t create a diamond-shaped gap when pressed back-to-back ‘could be a sign of disease’, nurse warns Healthy people should see a diamond-shaped gap between their nails together Those without a gap may have clubbed fingers, which can be a sign of […]
Smear test attendance rises for the first time in FIVE years
Smear test attendance rises for the first time in FIVE years as 11million women went for the life-saving cervical cancer tests in England in 2018 NHS statistics show 71.9 per cent of eligible women attended their appointments This was a rise from 71.4 per cent in 2017-18 and the first increase since 2014 Experts say […]
Simple test predicts older heart attack patients’ independence, function
A study just published in JAMA Internal Medicine finds that hospitals can administer a simple walking test to evaluate the likelihood of functional decline in older adults following a heart attack. Researchers say the nationwide study could have important implications for how patient care following heart attacks is managed, improving independence in older adults. The […]
DNA test reveals if surgery patients are at risk of scarring badly
Risk-free mouth-swab DNA test reveals if surgery patients are at risk of scarring badly after an operation First-of-its-kind screening takes less than a minute and is completely risk-free The simple, first-of-its-kind mouth-swab DNA test takes less than a minute After a week results can indicate the chances of an abnormal scar developing Surgery patients can […]
A liquid biopsy test can identify patients who may respond to immune checkpoint blockade
A new liquid biopsy test could detect microsatellite instability (MSI) and tumor mutational burden (TMB), indicating that it could help determine which patients are likely to respond to immune checkpoint inhibitors, according to results published in Clinical Cancer Research, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research. In May 2017, the U.S. Food and […]
Gluten response in coeliac patients could lead to diagnostic test
Distinct markers in the blood of people with coeliac disease have been detected within a few hours of gluten being consumed. The findings address a longstanding mystery about what drives the adverse reaction to gluten in coeliac disease and could lead to a world-first blood test for diagnosing the disease. A potential blood-based test would […]
Blood test detects if breast cancer will return a YEAR before scans
Pioneering blood test can detect if breast cancer will return almost a YEAR before secondary tumours appear on hospital scans The pioneering ‘liquid biopsy’ is almost 80 per cent accurate, tests have found It analyses a patient’s blood for DNA fragments released by their own tumours Charities have praised the ‘extremely exciting’ results of the […]
New blood test for human tuberculosis may also identify people at most risk
A new study conducted by researchers in Leicester and Nottingham has shown the potential for a new blood test to not only diagnose human tuberculosis (TB) but also identify those at most risk of developing the disease, according to findings published in medical journal Clinical Infectious Diseases. Despite recent reductions, England still has one of […]
Researchers develop new blood test for faster, cheaper and more accurate detection of Alzheimer’s disease
Doctors may one day be able to diagnose Alzheimer’s disease (AD), the most common cause of severe dementia, and monitor a patient’s response to treatment by doing a simple blood test. This is made possible using the APEX (Amplified Plasmonic EXosome) system invented by researchers from the National University of Singapore (NUS). Designed to pick […]