Medicine

A new diagnostic tool — which has an accuracy rate of 93% — developed by RMIT University researchers could detect Parkinson’s disease before symptoms emerge, according to a report published in the journal Frontiers in Neurology. The only equipment needed to run the newly developed diagnostic test is a pen, …

A simple smell test may one day be able to help identify people at greater risk of developing Parkinson’s disease up to 10 years before the disease could be diagnosed, a new study claims. Poor olfaction predicts Parkinson’s disease in short and intermediate terms, according to Chen et al. Image …

In a research article published in the American Journal of Epidemiology, Professor Koh Woon Puay of the Duke-NUS Medical School, Singapore, and colleagues report that greater consumption of red meat and poultry was associated with a significantly increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes — partially attributed to higher content …

An international team of researchers, led by Dr. Barry Paw of the Dana-Farber/Boston Children’s Cancer and Blood Disorders Center, has identified a genetic mutation that may be responsible for ‘vampire’ folklore. The research appears this week in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Different genetic variations that affect …

In a research paper published this week in the Journal of Experimental Medicine, scientists report that Zika virus could be used to target and kill brain cancer stem cells, the kind of cells most resistant to standard treatments. Space-fill drawing of the outside of one Zika virus particle, and a …

A new study from University of Pisa researchers has found that small daily portions of extra virgin olive oil-enriched dark chocolate are associated with an improved cardiovascular risk profile. Dark chocolate with extra virgin olive oil is associated with an improved cardiovascular risk profile. Image credit: Juergen Brandes. “A healthy …

When a person has diabetes, their body either doesn’t produce enough insulin or doesn’t process blood sugar properly; at the root of that is the failure of ?-cells (beta cells), whose job is to produce the sugar-regulating hormone insulin. A Brigham Young University-led study finds beta cells work better and …

A major new study has found that the combination of two drugs — rivaroxaban and aspirin — is superior to aspirin alone in preventing further heart complications in people with vascular disease. Among patients with stable atherosclerotic vascular disease, those assigned to rivaroxaban (2.5 mg twice daily) plus aspirin had …

In a recent study, scientists have revealed that ethylene can be detected in the breath of healthy volunteers shortly after bacterial infection, indicating that exhaled ethylene could be used as a biomarker for bacterial infection in the clinic. According to Paardekooper et al, ethylene release is an early and integral …

According to a new study published in the Journal of Food Science, caffeine tempers taste buds temporarily, making food and drink seem less sweet. The caffeine we habitually consume in coffee can inhibit the perception of sweet taste. Image credit: Felix Broennimann. “Caffeine is a powerful antagonist of adenosine receptors, …