Tag: Medical

Saliva provides information about possible heart failure. Alzheimer’s, meanwhile, is often diagnosed through an analysis of the cerebrospinal fluid after changes in cognitive capabilities. But loss of smell can be an initial warning sign. Enter an American research team and its new nasal swab aimed at early detection. In a 22-person study, different immune and nerve cells were removed...

A powder can staunch heavy bleeding in seconds. But if our heart stops, resuscitation has to occur within four minutes. Only, who has a defibrillator to hand? Aware that 80% of heart attacks happen domestically, a Paris-based startup is seeking to make defibrillators more accessible in private settings. The team, comprising cardiologists and emergency physicians, developed the pocked-sized shock...

Tree bark can be an alternative to single-use plastic. Meanwhile a Finnish PhD student has alighted on pine bark as a filter for removing pharmaceutical residues from liquid waste. Treated wastewater often contains traces of medication such as blood pressure medicine or antidepressants. Antibiotics are particularly problematic as their presence helps pathogens develop resistance. The female researcher fortified the...

Cardamom provides protection against pathogens. And, as an Australia-based research team recently discovered, pathogens can also be held at bay using peppermint essential oil. This could be particularly important in the context of medical devices. In an initial test, plasma was used to apply an extremely thin film of peppermint oil to a urinary catheter. Enabling the oil molecules...

Oral cancer can be detected using saliva. But, as an Australian research team recently discovered, saliva can also provide information about possible heart failure. Key here: new biomarker S100A7. Heart failure patients have twice as much of it in their saliva as healthy people. The team developed a protein detector which the biomarker could attach itself to, thus making itself...

Parkinson’s could soon be detected early using a diagnostic pen. Meanwhile, in Portugal a startup has developed a table lamp that monitors epileptic fits. Seizures present a particular risk at night with some 86% going undetected during sleep. An infrared light sensor in the lamp registers movements and an algorithm analyses any data recorded. If movement patterns are consistent...

Melting ‘pinecones’ provide safeguards against wildfires. A new sensor created by a Norwegian startup, meanwhile, ensures that food or medication preserves its integrity for as long as possible when transported by the cold chain. The measuring device is fitted to palettes, packages or containers. Integrated into an IoT platform, it wirelessly transmits the data it captures on temperature, light...

A frame for endotracheal tubes helps protect patients. Equally important: quickly staunching blood when wounds bleed profusely. Now, a Taiwanese startup is showing how this can be done with biocompatible agents like amino acids. The latter build proteins in the body and assist with the production of enzymes. Using a newly-developed biotechnological method, the team combined amino acid molecules...