Top 5 Health News of the Week: 21st – 26th December 2009
Gautam Buddha once quoted ‘Every human being is the author of his own health or disease.’ Keeping to the Christmas spirit of sharing and giving, our weekly for this past week centers upon revolutionary technology innovations and future treatments developed to simplify the life of disease-afflicted individuals. With the ongoing holiday season, this week just zoomed past among the festivities. A number of ‘nano’ inventions made it to our news bulletin while new possible treatments and researches also caught our attention. Without much ado, here is the top 5 health news for the week of 21st to 26th December, 2009.
Early in the week, we saw a new lab chip that claimed to steer the behavior of heart cells. Developed by biomedical engineers at Johns Hopkins and experts from Seoul National University Korea, the chip included nanoscopic grooves and ridges. It appeared to have been capable of imitating the behavior of natural heart muscle and was also revealed to be able to grow cardiac tissue. With a help of a nanosense for collecting information, the cultured heart cells could gain knowledge for growth and function thanks to the physical patterns on the chip alone. This new chip, scientists hope could be used in the design of new therapies or diagnostic tests for cardiac disease.
Next up on our weekly are the supposed benefits of pomegranates. We’ve probably heard of its positive effects on health for a long time. It looks like the fruit may bring in a ray of hope for patients with MRSA as well. Kingston University scientists suggest that the deep red fruit could be the most recent weapon to combat MRSA along with a host of other common hospital infections. The researchers claim to have found the rind of pomegranate to be useful as an ointment in treating MRSA and other infections. Supported by a series of tests conducted over a period of three years, the super-food seems to exhibit infection fighting properties. Its potential to fight infections was found to have been particularly enhanced when the rind was combined with metal salts and Vitamin C. This interesting finding features in the British Journal of Biomedical Science.
This enthusing tidbit was followed by even more engaging news. Neuroscientists from the University of California, Berkley shed light on a human reproductive hormone that could have potential use as a contraceptive. The researchers established the presence of the gonadotropin inhibitory hormone (GnIH) in humans. Until now, it was found to be present in birds and is known to supposedly suppress reproduction. Experts associated with the finding reveal that GnIH could be used in the development of new contraceptive and may also find a place in cancer treatments. This new research should help scientists better understand the human reproduction mechanism.
This next news seems to essay advancing technology to the core. Chemical and Biochemical Engineering professor Jim Zhang at the University of Western Ontario suggests a new treatment method for patients with diabetes. The researcher showed off nanocomposites that could completely transform diabetes treatment. The scientist reveals that diabetics may soon be able to check their glucose levels through innovative contact lenses. The exciting development included contact lenses that appeared to be capable of changing their color with variations in the levels of glucose, alerting the user. The non-invasive technique appears to take maximum advantage of nanoparticles by embedding them into hydrogel lenses.
Finally, today we gained some information regarding the treatment of severe hip pain. Quite a common problem, this news may bring relief to the scores suffering from the painful condition gluteus medius tendinopathy. A recent study at the University of Montreal’s Hospital Center proposed that ultrasound guided injections could be effective in treating individuals with severe hip pain. With around 54 patients suffering from the condition included in the study, the authors were able to demonstrate the benefits of these injections. They claim to have found a marked improvement in the pain levels of nearly 72 percent of the patients after just one month of treatment. Besides, about 70 percent of the subjects seemed to have been satiated with their intervention results.
That brings us to the end of our weekly. This week surely had us in awe with the series of technological advancements marking their presence in the health-space. We’ll be back next week with more such news. Until then, happy holidays and stay healthy!
