With Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s we often refer to the brain cells “communicating” with each other through connections, and how that communication ceases when those connections are destroyed. But what if they actually “talked” to one another? Researchers claim that listening to the “conversations” of … Read More
Keep the weight off and diabetes stays away as new study shows benefits of slimming
The original research into the effect that weight loss had on type 2 diabetes was startling – it cured it! Hardly believable. Now researchers have gathered data from a three-year extension of that landmark Diabetes Remission Clinical Trial (DiRECT) and it’s thrown … Read More
Scientists hopeful after making HIV drug breakthrough in hunt for dementia cure
Dementia comes in different forms but a common feature is the build-up in the brain of clusters of abnormal proteins which leads to the eventual death of brain cells. One of the ways our body rids itself of these toxic … Read More
Health inequalities continue between North and South – when will we tackle it?
The North/South divide deepens, and it doesn’t surprise me that a new report, involving University of Manchester researchers, has found a continuing pattern of lower life expectancy, higher infant mortality, and worse health and wellbeing in the North of England … Read More
‘Scaffolding’ made from spider webs could be used to repair injured nerves
Spider webs are such incredibly intricate things, you can’t help but be impressed. And as well as being clever ways to catch a fly, webs could be used to patch up severed nerves. Yes, repairing damaged nerves with silk from silk … Read More
Talk therapies for people with depression lower risk of stroke and heart attacks
Using talk therapies, like cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) to alleviate depression and lower the risk of a heart attack sounds like a sensible idea doesn’t it? UCL researchers decided to run with this idea and, in the first-of-its-kind study, they … Read More
It’s great that a scheme to reduce rugby injuries is being tailored for women
What’s good for the goose… Yes, well, could strategies to prevent injuries and boost male rugby players’ resilience be equally good for women? My instinctive answer would be yes. Why not? And I’m very glad to hear the Activate programme – a … Read More
Key research could show exactly how best to get a child to start talking quickly
From everything I’ve read and studied I’ve concluded the best way to help a baby master the complex task of talking is to talk to them. A lot. Victorian nannies knew how important this was and kept up a running … Read More
Game-changing Botox can offer patients long-term relief without nasty effects
Botox isn’t just something to get rid of wrinkles. It has several important medical applications – the latest one being valuable and worth studying for the millions of people living with chronic pain. You see, a modified form of Botox could give … Read More
Clever new tool predicts your risk of developing lung cancer
Lung cancer is not only the second most common cancer, with nearly 50,000 new cases a year, it’s also one of the most difficult to diagnose as it has few obvious symptoms. It’s therefore often well advanced when discovered and survival … Read More