Drug ‘reverses’ age in animals
Who does not want to be young forever? A new drug that has done just that has been found. A team of researchers at the Erasmus University Medical Centre in Netherlands has tested a new drug on old mice which has not only helped them restore stamina and fur but partial organ function as well. The approach, says the researchers, work by pulling out cells that have stopped dividing, from the body. While researchers from around the globe have remained sceptical of the same, the news certainly is interesting and cannot be dismissed directly.
Synthetic Blood
Blood scarcity is one of the most important factors plaguing major parts of the world today. However, according to a team of researchers from University of Bristol and NHS, this might soon be eradicated. They claim to have developed, what they hope, is a process to mass produce red blood cells at the laboratory. However, the scale of operation is not viable as the mass produced blood would still be more costly than a conventional donation. The process can be used for rare blood types. The process, as they documented, is to trap stem cells in an early stage, so that they can multiply indefinitely. Once there are enough stem cells, they can simply be triggered to become blood cells. While the biological map for creating the blood cells are already available, the technology to scale it up is not yet available. Expansion of yield is a new phase: say the researchers.
Trump withdraws his American Healthcare Act
US president Donald Trump has withdrawn a Healthcare bill after it failed to gather enough support from the Congress. In fact, repealing the programmed known as the Obamacare was one of his major election pledges, and the failure to do so is being seen as a big blow to the Trump administration.
Parasitic Twin Removed
A major breakthrough in the field of childcare surgery has been achieved at the Advocate Children’s Hospital in Chicago. A highly rare case of a parasitic twin was observed in the case of baby Dominique. The parasitic twin was attached at a very important junction of neck and thoracic spine and posed a major complication during the surgery. The doctors used state of the art imaging technique to map out the whole problem and conducted the surgery to ensure she was not left paralysed. Needless to say, baby Dominique will go live her life happily with her family.
Blood Tests and Diagnosing Cancer
A new blood test, which can diagnose and pinpoint cancer BEFORE it has manifested has been developed. The breakthrough can revolutionise cancer treatment, say, researchers. The test called Cancer Locator has been developed by the University of California and works by searching for blood that circulates from the tumours in the blood of cancer patients. While the technique is still being developed, it has the potential to be a very big help to cancer patients.
Some Cancers are unavoidable
Around two thirds of cancers are simply unavoidable, even if you lead a healthy life, says a new study. According to scientists in the US, cancers are caused by random mistakes in the genes when cells divide. This changes a long standing belief that cancer is influenced by environmental and genetic factors and puts it all down to luck. The research article, published in the journal Science, points out that nearly 66% of all cancers are due to DNA copying errors.
Contraceptive Pills
The simple contraceptive pill does more than just prevent pregnancy. According to a new study, it seems that it also protects women from cancer even 35 years from when they stop taking it. While there is a slight risk in increased breast and ovarian cancer, the study noted that this was temporary and vanished a few years after the pill was stopped.