Bacteria continue to evolve resistance to our best drugs, but probiotics help keep bad bugs at bay. Now, MIT researchers have found a way to combine probiotics and antibiotic drugs into an uneasy alliance that seems to work better than either treatment alone.
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Superbugs are evolving to outfox even our very best medicines, presenting a real and emerging danger to humans in every corner of the globe. A new study has explored how they develop in newborns in particular, and how a mother’s breastmilk might help fend them off.
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A cheap new diagnostic test from researchers at UC Berkeley promises to effectively identify antibiotic-resistant bacteria in just minutes from a urine sample. The test is currently being commercialized with a view on rolling it out into hospital and clinical settings as soon as possible.
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Scientists have discovered a protein than can predict whether a patient’s metastasized breast cancer is dormant or about to turn deadly. The research points to new treatments that may be able to stimulate dormancy in cancer cells before they metastasize.
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New research, led by scientists at the University of Cambridge, suggests spontaneous DNA mutations that occur when a baby's brain is growing in the womb may help explain why so many people develop dementia without having any prior family history with the disease.
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New research presents an intriguing hypothesis aiming to explain the causal mechanism that triggers premature birth. It’s suggested a specific small protein, released by the immune system, could be a major cause of preterm birth, and inhibiting its release may prevent premature labor.
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Three new studies have revealed a striking rise in global rates of babies born through caesarean sections. The papers suggest that in middle- and high-income countries the procedure is significantly overused, with many calling for a worldwide reduction in unnecessary use of the procedure.
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A new study has found patients suffering from cancer-related fatigue displayed significant improvement in their symptoms after the were knowingly given an inert placebo. This study adds to a growing body of work suggesting “honest” placebos may play a role in certain kinds of clinical treatments.
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If you've ever tried using eye drops, then you'll know that a great deal of the medication simply ends up being flushed from your eye by flowing tears. Drug-dispensing contact lenses are an alternative, with an experimental new one changing color to verify that it's done its job.
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Using data from nearly half a million people, researchers have developed a DNA test called a Genomic Risk Score (GRS), which can assess a person's genetic risk factor for developing heart disease. The test will allow doctors to combine a GRS with other factors to better target at risk individuals.
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