Treatment

Optogenetics is a very promising technique – among other things, it may one day be used to reduce anxiety, treat addiction, and even reverse blindness. A newly developed device could soon also make it considerably less invasive, and thus more doable.

For many people with arthritic knees, a surgical procedure known as a high-tibial osteotomy (HTO) often brings relief. Thanks to 3D printing technology, however, it could soon be even more effective – and also safer to perform.

After someone has suffered a heart attack, non-beating scar tissue grows back in place of the damaged cardiac tissue, leaving the heart permanently weakened. A newly developed spray-on medication, however, may someday help change that.

Studies have already shown that electrical stimulation helps heal wounds, including broken bones. Scientists have now developed what could be a better way of delivering electricity to such bones, in the form of a biodegradable implant.

Bacterial infections of the middle ear are quite common, particularly in children, yet they can be difficult to treat. An experimental new device has been designed to help, by zapping the bacteria with plasma.

Presently, orthopedic surgeons use screwed-in metal plates to hold unstable broken bones together. There may soon be a less problematic, more customizable alternative, though, which incorporates a light-cured composite material.

Although hiccups are a temporary nuisance for most of us, they can be a major problem for people who experience them chronically. There may be new hope for such folks, though, in the form of what is essentially a fancy drinking straw.

Getting traditionally administered drugs into the brain can be challenging, due to the body's protective blood-brain barrier. There may be new hope, however, in the form of a patch that gets shoved up the patient's nose.

Microneedle patches already show a great deal of promise as a painless alternative to hypodermic needles. A new one, however, could find use as a more effective means of treating serious bacterial infections of the skin.

Although we may all get a dry mouth from time to time, for some people it can be an ongoing debilitating condition. There could be new hope for such folks, however, thanks to a recent accidental discovery.

Although the drinking of hydrogen-gas-infused water can help treat rheumatoid arthritis, the effects are limited. Scientists have developed what could be a better alternative, though, in the form of tiny injectable gas-emitting "micromotors."

Chronic skin wounds such as pressure ulcers can become very serious if left untreated, potentially even leading to amputations. A new "smart" bandage could help, by changing color before such wounds occur in the first place.