news
Health
Results 1 - 20 of 1562.
Health - Life Sciences - 09.01.2025
Precision gene editing could prevent vision loss from Stargardt disease
Researchers have developed a therapy to treat Stargardt disease, the most common form of inherited macular degeneration, which often leads to vision loss. Their study shows promising results using a precise technique for gene correction. The Stargardt disease affects around 1 in 6500 people and is therefore a rare disease.
Health - Electroengineering - 09.01.2025
Overcoming muscle spasms to help paraplegics walk again
Thanks to new high-frequency electrical stimulation that blocks spasticity, two paralyzed patients suffering from muscle stiffness after spinal cord injury benefit from rehabilitation protocols for walking again.
Health - Pharmacology - 02.01.2025
Tuberculosis Strains Resistant to New Drugs Are Transmitted Between Patients
Tuberculosis (TB) is the world's biggest infectious disease killer with multidrug-resistant TB (MDR-TB) posing a particular threat to global health. A study led by the Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute (Swiss TPH) shows that resistance to the new MDR-TB treatment regimen recently recommended by the World Health Organization is already spreading between patients.
Pharmacology - Health - 19.12.2024
Antibody that Neutralizes Inhibitory Factors Involved in Nerve Regeneration Leads to Enhanced Motor Function after Acute Spinal Cord Injury
Antibody that Neutralizes Inhibitory Factors Involved in Nerve Regeneration Leads to Enhanced Motor Function Antibodies can improve the rehabilitation of people with acute spinal cord injury. Researchers at 13 clinics in Germany, Switzerland, the Czech Republic and Spain have investigated this with promising results.
Health - Pharmacology - 18.12.2024
New cancer models could help personalize lymphoma treatments
Scientists at EPFL have developed "lymphomoids," a pioneering cancer model that preserves the structure and multicellular composition of lymphoma tumors in the lab. Lymphomoids offer an innovative way to test the efficacy of lymphoma treatments and better predict individual responses. Cancer is notoriously complex, with each tumor responding to different therapies.
Pharmacology - Health - 10.12.2024
Delivering medicines with microscopic flowers
These small particles are reminiscent of paper flowers or desert roses. Physicians can use them to guide medicines to a precise destination within the body. Better yet, the particles can easily be tracked using ultrasound as they scatter sound waves. How can medicines be directed to the precise location within the body where they need to act? Scientists have been researching this question for a long time.
Health - Life Sciences - 06.12.2024
How harmless is arsenic in seafood?
An interdisciplinary study from the University of Bern reveals that gut bacteria play a crucial role in converting arsenobetaine into toxic arsenic compounds. Results show that arsenobetaine, commonly found in seafood and previously considered harmless, is partly transformed into toxic arsenic compounds by the action of gut bacteria in the mammalian body.
Health - Pharmacology - 04.12.2024
How the latest sensors analyse body fluids
A new generation of wearable sensors will fundamentally change medicine. Researchers at ETH Zurich have now published an overview showing what is possible with such sensors and what questions their developers should consider to ensure their successful future use. Using a smartwatch to measure pulse, and a smartphone app to monitor blood pressure: wearable sensors already track some of the body's vital functions fairly reliably, and some of these devices can already be used in clinical diagnostics.
Life Sciences - Health - 03.12.2024
Decoding protein interactions: A step toward personalized medicine
Understanding how proteins interact is essential to decoding cellular processes and communication. In a groundbreaking study, researchers at the Friedrich Miescher Institute (FMI) have explored how every possible mutation in a protein affects its ability to bind with its partners, shedding light on how mutations influence cellular functions and the evolution of proteins.
Social Sciences - Health - 02.12.2024
The social status of an AI influences its acceptance
How do people evaluate the performance of an AI system? New research results from a group of sociologists at the University of Lucerne show that even non-human actors are subject to social prejudices. Imagine two doctors with identical skills and impeccable performance: Would your judgment of their actions change if one worked in a world-class hospital or was male or female?
Health - Life Sciences - 02.12.2024
Stimulating hypothalamus restores walking in paralyzed patients
The discovery that an unexpected brain region is crucial for walking recovery in mice with spinal cord injuries has led a deep brain stimulation therapy in humans. The approach restored enough leg control in two individuals with partial spinal injuries to walk unaided and even climb stairs. Researchers at EPFL and Lausanne University Hospital (CHUV), led by professors Grégoire Courtine and Jocelyne Bloch, have achieved a major milestone in the treatment of spinal cord injuries (SCI).
Life Sciences - Health - 28.11.2024
Brain stimulation effectiveness tied to learning ability, not age
A study from EPFL reveals that the effectiveness of brain stimulation on motor skills is determined by an individual's learning ability rather than age, highlighting the need for a more personalized approach to neurorehabilitation. As we age, our cognitive and motor functions deteriorate, which in turn affects our independence and overall quality of life.
Health - Psychology - 27.11.2024
Caregivers Experience Decline in Well-Being
New research from the University of Zurich, based on data from more than 28,000 caregivers in three countries, shows that the longer individuals spend caring for loved ones, the more their well-being suffers, regardless of the caregiving context. These findings underscore the need for policy discussions to alleviate the burden of informal care.
Health - 27.11.2024
The role of social media in the stigmatization of person living with obesity
A team from the University of Geneva and the HUG has revealed that the majority of tweets published about obesity between 2019 and 2022 convey negative feelings.
Life Sciences - Health - 25.11.2024
A new clock to structure sleep
Scientists at the FBM-UNIL have identified a new role for the locus coeruleus in sleep and sleep disorders. This brain region enables the transition between sleep states and the maintenance of essential unconscious vigilance. Stress disrupts its functions and impacts sleep quality. Sleep disorders affect a growing number of people, with potentially serious consequences for their health.
Life Sciences - Health - 20.11.2024
Mapping Protease Activity: A Breakthrough in Drug Design
Researchers at the Friedrich Miescher Institute (FMI) have developed an innovative tool that maps how proteases—enzymes that process proteins—interact with their targets. This tool sheds light on the highly selective nature of proteases, which were previously thought to be indiscriminate in their function.
Health - Life Sciences - 18.11.2024
Cause of the yo-yo effect deciphered
Researchers at ETH Zurich have discovered a mechanism behind the yo-yo effect: fat cells have a memory that is based on epigenetics. Anyone who has ever tried to get rid of a few extra kilos knows the frustration: the weight drops initially, only to be back within a matter of weeks - the yo-yo effect has struck.
Life Sciences - Health - 18.11.2024
A new model to explore the epidermal renewal
A UNIGE study has uncovered an unexpected mechanism used by the protein interleukin-38 to form condensates, major drivers of skin renewal. The mechanisms underlying skin renewal are still poorly understood. Interleukin-38 (IL-38), a protein involved in regulating inflammatory responses, could be a game changer.
Life Sciences - Health - 12.11.2024
Using CRISPR to decipher whether gene variants lead to cancer
Researchers at ETH Zurich have combined two gene editing methods. This enables them to quickly investigate the significance of many genetic mutations involved in the development and treatment of cancer. In recent years, scientists have created a range of new methods based on CRISPR-Cas technology for precisely editing the genetic material of living organisms.
Health - Campus - 12.11.2024
A technological shift unveils the impact of gestational diabetes
Using new wearable devices, a team from UNIGE, CHUV, HUG, UNIL and EPFL identifies persistent dysfunctions in glucose regulation in women who have had gestational diabetes. A common complication linked with pregnancy, gestational diabetes increases the risk of developing metabolic disorders, such as type 2 diabetes.