Neuroscientists at University of Iowa Health Care have demonstrated for the first time that noninvasive brain stimulation can alter the activity of a critical deep brain region involved in emotion and memory. Moreover, the study shows that personalizing the stimulation site using a patient’s unique brain connectivity pathway can increase the neuromodulation effect.
A blood test could help identify people at higher risk of cognitive decline years before a traditional diagnosis is possible—according to University of East Anglia research published in the journal Gut Microbes.
A research team from the Department of Orthopedics and Traumatology, School of Clinical Medicine, LKS Faculty of Medicine at the University of Hong Kong (HKUMed), has developed a titanium implant surface that can be activated by near-infrared (NIR). With just 15 minutes of NIR irradiation, this surface can eliminate 99.94% of Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) biofilms without the use of antibiotics, while simultaneously promoting bone-implant fusion.
Working with “digital twins” of patients’ hearts, doctors have improved cardiac ablation outcomes for patients with life-threatening arrhythmias. In the first clinical trials for cardiac digital twins technology, researchers at Johns Hopkins University created digital replicas of patients’ hearts, then tested procedures on those twins before performing them on the real thing. Working with digital twins resulted in faster and significantly more accurate procedures that reduced recurrences of arrhythmias for patients, compared to traditional methods.
Researchers at King’s College London have shown for the first time that AI can autonomously perform thrombectomy navigation in a physical lab setting, a step toward expanding access to life-saving stroke treatment. For their study, now published in IEEE Robotics and Automation Letters, the team developed a robotic system that uses AI to navigate the complex pathway through blood vessels from the leg to the brain during mechanical thrombectomy (MT).
“Our hope is to be able to accurately diagnose several diseases at once with a single blood test in the future,” says Vogel, who led the study. He is an assistant professor, head of a research group, and part of the strategic research area MultiPark at Lund University.
Getting past the barrier surrounding the eye is a difficult but necessary part of treating retinoblastoma (RB)—a form of eye cancer that is more common in children. Once the barrier is penetrated, RB responds well to treatment. However, current methods, such as injections, chemotherapy, and radiotherapy, are painful and often cause vision loss and other serious side effects. But, a new method, described in a study published in Science Advances, might offer a safer, more effective way to treat RB.
An acute pulmonary embolism occurs when a blood clot blocks one or more vessels in the lung. In patients at moderate or high risk, the blockage can impair the heart’s ability to pump blood through the lungs to such an extent that it becomes life-threatening. About 15% of those affected die as a result of acute pulmonary embolism. Blood-clot-dissolving medications, known as thrombolytics, can effectively dissolve vascular blockages. However, they increase the risk of severe bleeding, particularly in the brain. For this reason, they are generally used only in the most severe cases.
Scientists led by Botond Roska at the Institute of Molecular and Clinical Ophthalmology Basel (IOB) and collaborators have identified genetic pathways and compounds capable of protecting cone photoreceptors from the degeneration that underlies conditions like age-related macular degeneration.
Over one billion people worldwide are over 60, and the population is projected to more than double by 2050. But as more people live into their 60s, 70s, and 80s, health care systems across the globe may face new challenges as they attempt to manage associated increases in age-related disease.