Tag: Medical

Biodegradable pantyliners are not just good for nature. Bacteria and microbes present in menstrual blood provide information about women’s gynaecological health. Which is why a female founder’s startup in London has developed a new service which makes vaginal infections easier to detect while also enabling personalised treatment plans. Customers buy a special screening kit and input their medical data...

A self-dissolving electrode can close open wounds. Plasters with pain-free microneedles do the same. Antibiotics inside them aim to prevent inflammation - but some germs are resistant. How can nature help? The question was posed by Australian researchers experimenting with nanometre-sized particles from black phosphorus. These particles degrade in the presence of oxygen, triggering a chemical reaction which splits...

Wood can replace window glass when its biopolymer lignin is removed. Now, a US research team has discovered that the same polymer can be used in a medical context. They combined lignin from spruce trees with positively charged ammonium ions, whose mildly acidic qualities are effective against mould, viruses and bacteria. Tests showed that an infectious but antibiotic-resistant type...

Those looking to change their diets can turn to seaweed or cream alternatives. But rich food causes more than just bloating or queasiness. In extreme cases of heartburn, proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) provide a solution by suppressing the build-up of stomach acid, shielding the oesophagus and intestinal tract from harm. However, they also reduce the body’s intake of nutrients...

A wristband could help menopausal women cool down. Breast cancer can affect young people, too, and the earlier it’s treated, the better. Which is why an MIT research team has developed a wearable ultrasound scanner to be incorporated into a bra. The device is an egg-shaped, honeycomb-like patch with six magnetic slots spread across it; a small tracker containing...

The spicy compound in chillies can do wonders for our health. Now, a US research team is looking for a silver bullet when it comes to the Big C. They’re nearly there, with a new study taking in more than 70 cancer types. Key here is a specially developed molecule that targets a cancerous variant of PCNA, a protein...

Sweating can help power smartwatches. Sweat itself contains proteins, which provide information about our general health. Enter a Californian research team, which has developed a wearable sensor aimed at detecting inflammation. Inside the device, a graphene layer and gold nanoparticles are embedded with antibodies which react to the protein CRP, a biochemical marker secreted by the liver. Additional molecules...

Mobile and solar-powered beds can provide speedy relief to babies with jaundice. During outbreaks of infectious diseases such as Ebola or Polio, however, many doses of vaccines are required locally. To help with logistics and storage, a research team from MIT has developed a mobile printer to produce vaccination patches. They can be stored at room temperature for months....