Category Health/Medical

Leading organic chemists synthesize fungal molecule capable of reactivating the self-destruct gene in aggressive cancer cells. Cancers cells use a special technique to propagate; they delete their ‘programmed death’ gene through mutation, ‘forget’ to die when their lifetime is over, and continue to grow instead. A research team has developed a method through which a fungal compound capable of rearming the self-destruct gene in certain cancer cells can be artificially produced in marketable quantities, providing a potential cancer therapeutic strategy.

All human body cells have a certain lifespan, during which they perform their essential duties...

A good vitamin D status is beneficial both in cancer prevention and in the prognosis of sever...

An international team led by scientists at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) has recently developed the world’s first 3D artificial eye with capabilities better than existing bionic eyes and in some cases, even exceed those of the human eyes, bringing vision to humanoid robots and new hope to patients with visual impairment.

Scientists have spent decades trying to replicate the structure and clarity of a biological eye, but vision provided by existing prosthetic eyes – largely in the form of spectacles attached with external cables, are still in poor resolution with 2D flat image sensors...

Persistently engaging in negative thinking patterns may raise the risk of Alzheimer’s disease, finds a new UCL-led study.

In the study of people aged over 55, published in Alzheimer’s & Dementia, researchers found ‘repetitive negative thinking’ (RNT) is linked to subsequent cognitive decline as well as the deposition of harmful brain proteins linked to Alzheimer’s.

The researchers say RNT should now be further investigated as a potential risk factor for dementia, and psychological tools, such as mindfulness or meditation, should be studied to see if these could reduce dementia risk.

Lead author Dr Natalie Marchant (UCL Psychiatry) said: “Depression and anxiety in mid-life and old age are already known to be risk factors for dementia...