Tag: Cancer

Maintaining a low room temperature can reduce MS symptoms. During chemotherapy, meanwhile, a cool head can - literally - help prevent hair loss. The blood vessels under the scalp constrict in the cold, meaning they are reached by fewer chemicals. Minimising damage to the roots. Hair loss is one of the most feared side-effects associated with chemo, and existing...

Fasting can help our nerves to regenerate. Now a research team from Tel Aviv University has removed glioblastoma, a nasty type of brain tumour, by starving it. Literally. With no known effective treatment, the team investigated what helped the tumour to survive and grow. They discovered that so-called astrocytes in its vicinity played a key role. These brain cells...

This lab allows older women to stay healthy. An all-female BIPOC team from a Californian not-for-profit organisation has developed an app to help Black and Indigenous women navigate breast cancer, with comprehensive digital support available post diagnosis. Support includes introductory information about the illness and treatment methods, as well as costs and associated side effects. In addition, there is...

Vibrations could help us learn, while sound waves stimulate bone cell growth. Now, a research team from Michigan University has developed a strong, microsecond-length ultrasound to combat tumours of the liver. The targeted sound wave creates, accurate to the millimetre, microbubbles within the affected tissue. Through their expansion the bubbles destroy cancer cells before collapsing. In lab tests, up...

Windscreen-wipers aren’t just useful in cars. For doctors examining lungs, it’s equally important to have a clear view. During a feasibility study, a research team at Leeds University developed a mini-robot that can reach the lungs’ smallest bronchial tubes. Manually-operated instruments currently used in lung examinations are either too wide in diameter, or too difficult to control. The robot,...

The ideal prosthetic limb is both stiff and flexible. The human protein P53 helps the body to fight cancer, preventing damaged cells from turning into cancer cells, and the latter from spreading. It is, however, very ‘floppy’, infrequently produced by the body and quickly broken down. Which explains why a research team in Sweden took a closer look at...

Special sponges could remove oil slicks from the ocean. If only treating cancer was as simple. A bioengineering research team from Houston has developed a process that offers hope. First step: ovarian and colorectal cancer. Globule-sized powerpacks of highly-dosed cells are implanted next to tumours and within the peritoneum. A minor procedure that minimises the side-effects of treatment. The...

Tests for fertility or breast cancer can now be conducted from home. Colorectal cancer screenings not so much. In the USA, only 40-55% of Hispanic adults show for appointments, with women more likely to attend than men. The lack of early diagnosis leads to a disproportionately high death rate for colorectal cancer in Hispanic individuals. Now, a Rhode Island...