Medical Breakthroughs, Research, and News

[WstateU]

My family has experienced Dementia and Alzheimer’s firsthand; parents and grandparents. It’s a terrible disease and I wouldn’t wish it on anyone…

This Reel is uplifting to me and hits close to home.

https://www.instagram.com/reel/C5PRwjePET2/?igsh=MWdkYmp5azdpbGEwYQ==

[SubGod22]

Man Injured in Work Accident Gets 3D-Printed Fingers - A Glove That Gives His Life Back

An amputee who lost his fingers in a work accident is thrilled to be doing everyday tasks again, after being being the first person to receive new 3D-printed fingers.

Michael Altheim who had four fingers on his right hand amputated finally had his independence restored after British company Open Bionics fitted him with their state-of-the-art ‘Hero Gauntlet’.

The 52-year-old is now returning to his beloved hobbies of fishing and cycling, and can grip everyday objects.

“I previously had partial finger solutions, but the weight was really heavy, operation minimal and it wasn’t waterproof,” said the former truck driver. “I could maybe fold a towel but that was it. I’ve never been able to properly hold a screwdriver or hammer, or use it for fishing.”

“When I slipped the Hero Gauntlet on and moved my joint and my fingers, I thought in amazement, ‘Oh yes, look there!’.

“They got a ball, then a screwdriver… I could finally control the hardness of my grip.”

After ten years of living without his fingers, the German from Frankfurt was particularly impressed by the speed at which he was able to grasp objects with the glove.

“The new hand works perfectly without any delay,” he said, adding that he was once again able to hold a shopping basket with one hand whilst using his free hand to select and pick up items.

The partial prosthetic hand is lightweight and works by flexing the wrist to control finger movement. Each Hero Gauntlet is custom-made for each wearer using 3D scanning, printing and modeling technology.

I love things like this that can help give people their lives back. Sometimes, it's the simplest of things that we take for granted until it's taken from us.

[SubGod22]

Light Therapy Can Help People Recover From Major Brain Injuries, Shows Study

Lights of different wavelengths have been studied for years for their wound-healing properties.

Now, low-level light therapy appears to positively affect healing in the brains of people who suffered significant brain injuries, according to a study published last month in Radiology, a journal of the Radiological Society of North America.

Researchers at Massachusetts General Hospital conducted low-level light therapy on 38 patients who had suffered moderate traumatic brain injury—an injury to the head serious enough to alter cognition or be visible on a brain scan. They all received light therapy within 72 hours of their injuries through a helmet that emits near-infrared light.

“The skull is quite transparent to near-infrared light,” said study co-lead author Rajiv Gupta, M.D., Ph.D., from the Department of Radiology at Mass General. “Once you put the helmet on, your whole brain is bathing in this light.”

The researchers used an imaging technique called functional MRI to gauge the effects of the light therapy. They focused on the brain’s resting-state functional connectivity, the communication between brain regions that occurs when a person is at rest and not engaged in a specific task.

The researchers compared MRI results during three recovery phases: the acute phase of within one week after injury, the subacute phase of two to three weeks post-injury and the late-subacute phase of three months after injury.

Of the 38 patients in the trial, 21 did not receive light therapy while wearing the helmet. This was done to serve as a control to minimize bias due to patient characteristics and to avoid potential placebo effects.

Patients who received low-level light therapy showed a greater change in resting-state connectivity in seven brain region pairs during the acute-to-subacute recovery phase, compared to the control participants.

[SubGod22]

Lung Cancer Drug Elicits Unprecedented Results in New Trial

With lung cancer being the leading cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide, news of the unprecedented success of a new drug is sure to be celebrated.

The five-year results of a phase III trial present the longest progression-free survival data ever reported when treating non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) with a single targeted intervention.

Called lorlatinib, the drug is from a class of pioneering medications known as anaplastic lymphoma kinase inhibitors or ALK-inhibitors. ALK is a protein that can be utilized by tumor cells to help lung cancers, including NSCLC to spread, and is present in about 3 to 5% of cases—typically in young people with little or no smoking history. ALK-positive NSCLC is also more aggressive.

Lorlatinib is a third-generation ALK-inhibitor that was recently tested in a trail at the Peter MacCallum Cancer Center in Melbourne, Australia, of 296 patients with previously untreated, advanced ALK-positive NSCLC.

New Atlas called the findings remarkable, while the study lead author Ben Solomon told the Guardian they were unprecedented.

Five years after treatment, 60% of patients given lorlatinib were still alive without signs of disease progression, compared to 8% of patients in the control group who were given crizotinib, a first-generation ALK-inhibitor.

“This updated analysis shows that lorlatinib helped patients live longer without disease progression, with the majority of patients experiencing sustained benefit for over five years, including nearly all patients having protection from progression of disease in the brain,” Solomon told the press at the Peter Mac Center.

[SubGod22]

Millions Who Suffer Back Pain Can Ease Symptoms Simply by Walking More - For 'Huge Benefits'

Millions of people who suffer back pain can ease their symptoms simply by walking more, claims new research.

Adults with a history of lower backache went nearly twice as long without a recurrence if they walked regularly, according to the findings of the first-ever study of its kind.

Around 800 million people worldwide suffer low back pain which in 7 out of 10 people tends to be recurring, and therefore a leading cause of disability and reduced quality of life.

A clinical trial recently conducted by Macquarie University’s Spinal Pain Research Group in Sydney, looked at whether walking could be an effective, cost-efficient, and accessible intervention.

The Australian researchers followed 701 adults who had recently recovered from an episode of low back pain, allocating them to either an individualized walking program and six physiotherapist-guided education sessions over six months, or to a control group.

The participants were followed for between one and three years, depending on when they joined.

Senior author Mark Hancock, Macquarie University Professor of Physiotherapy, says the findings, published in The Lancet, could have a “profound” impact on how back pain is managed globally.

[WstateU]

Millions Who Suffer Back Pain Can Ease Symptoms Simply by Walking More - For 'Huge Benefits'

I've had back issues for 40+ years and have tried about everything. I don't walk as much as I should, but still get 2000+ steps in daily. I've had some recent health issues (nothing major) and lost about 10 lbs.; I'm still not overweight, but could lose 15-20 lbs. total and hit my target goal of 180... I'm getting close. Can't remember when my back has felt any better.

[SubGod22]

Interesting

Tongue-Zapping Device Can Rewire Your Brain to Ignore Tinnitus

20 million Americans who suffer from tinnitus may have an over-the-counter option available to them, one which improved symptoms in 84% of users.

It may seem strange, but a small device that zaps your tongue with electricity whilst playing white noise through headphones is able to refocus the brain away from the ringing in one’s ears, diminishing its effect on their lives.

The device is called Lenire, and though it costs $4,000 and most insurance won’t cover it, multiple clinical trials bear witness to its efficacy.

It’s already approved by the FDA and is being used by clinicians. Few data exist to demonstrate its long-term, continuous viability as a treatment, but early results are impressive, with 80% of users of Lenire reporting they’d recommend it to a friend, according to NPR.

“It’s not a cure, what Lenire is is a significant step forward in terms of the standards of care,” said Ross O’Neil, founder of Neuromode Devices that invented Lenire. “It’s the first and only one that’s been approved by the FDA on the basis of clinical data.”

The device works by shifting the attention of the brain away from the ringing in one’s ears, described by audiologist Brian Fligor, a consultant on the development phase of Lenire, as moving the ‘spotlight’ on a stage from one actor to another.

Users rarely report the ringing in their ears disappearing entirely, but NPR reports that it allowed one working musician—a singer-songwriter named Victoria Banks—to get back to singing, writing, and performing.

Two and a half minute video at the bottom if interested.

[SubGod22]

New Tech Revives 'Unusable' Organs - 10 Successful Transplants Used Kidneys That Are Normally Discarded

New technologies are often referred to as life-changing, but that phrase quite literally describes the work that 34 Lives is doing for those awaiting kidney transplants. The team’s innovative technology “revives” kidneys that might be otherwise rejected for consideration by transplant surgeons.

The team’s tenacious desire to save lives has resulted in ten successful kidney rescues and ten lives saved. And they’re just getting started.

More than 120,000 people in the US are waiting for a life-saving organ transplant and most of them are waiting for kidneys. When a patient joins the organ transplant waiting list, years can go by before a donor match is found. During this time, patients are often put on a grueling dialysis schedule and can become too sick to receive the transplant or die waiting. On average, 34 US lives are lost daily on the waitlist.

When the company considered where to plant its flag, West Lafayette, ten minutes from Purdue University, just made sense—Purdue has long supported groundbreaking startup companies like 34 Lives.

“We believe West Lafayette and the Purdue University ecosystem is the perfect fit for our startup,” said Jaynes. “Not only do we have access to world-class facilities and engineering talent, but we are able to merge our life-saving technology with Purdue’s aviation infrastructure. I can’t think of a better partnership.”

30% of kidneys recovered for transplant are discarded before they ever reach a recipient. These losses are not only devastating for those on the waitlist, but also for the families who hoped their loved ones could save a life.

“The whole mission around 34 Lives is centered around ensuring donated organs can save a life as it was intended,” said St. Jean. “To ensure we can save lives and honor the wishes of donors, we needed a holistic ecosystem to work from.”

A perfectly placed facility could change everything. That’s what 34 Lives found at Purdue Research Park.

Just minutes from Purdue University, the research park is one of the largest university-affiliated incubation complexes in the country and unites discovery and delivery. The flexibility of space in the research park meant the team could custom-build their own Organ Rescue Labs, two ORs where kidneys are revived and immediately sent out the door for transplant.

[SubGod22]

Local

KSN - KUMed-Wichita will text diabetes drug that could fight Alzheimer's

The University of Kansas Medical School in Wichita will help determine if a common drug used to treat Diabetes could also fight Alzheimer’s and Dementia.

The multi-state study led by Columbia University will work to determine if the drug Metformin can help prevent early memory loss associated with Alzheimer’s and Dementia, clinically referred to as Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI). The study was prompted by the discovery of a potential link between insulin resistance and neurodegenerative disorders.

The Alzheimer’s Association says about 1/3 of people diagnosed with MCI develop dementia due to Alzheimer’s within 5 years. More than 55% of people surveyed by the Alzheimer’s Association believed MCI was just a normal sign of normal aging.

To qualify for the study, participants must be 55-90 years old, experiencing changes in memory, not currently taking Metformin, or diagnosed as diabetic. Participants will be compensated for completing all study-related visits.

[SubGod22]

Outpatient kidney transplants?

Man Receives Kidney Transplant While Fully Awake, Goes Home The Very Next Day

Today's good news story comes from Chicago, IL.

Surgeons at Northwestern Medicine achieved a medical milestone by performing a kidney transplant on John Nicholas of Chicago while he remained awake throughout the entire procedure. Remarkably, John was able to go home the next day.

Instead of using general anesthesia, doctors administered a spinal anesthesia shot—similar to what is used for a Cesarean section—according to a press release from the hospital.

"This is the first case at Northwestern Medicine where a patient was awake during an entire kidney transplant procedure and went home the next day, basically making this an outpatient procedure," said Dr. Satish Nadig, transplant surgeon and director of the Northwestern Medicine Comprehensive Transplant Center. He described the experience inside the operating room as incredible, highlighting the unique opportunity to show a patient their new kidney before placing it inside the body.

John Nicholas shared his perspective on this groundbreaking procedure, expressing his amazement at being aware of the magnitude of what was happening in real time. "It was a pretty cool experience to know what was happening in real time and be aware of the magnitude of what they were doing," Nicholas said in a news release, adding that he felt "no sensation whatsoever." Reflecting on the moment he saw the organ in his doctor's hand, he described it as "extremely powerful."

During a news conference on Monday, Nicholas spoke about the life-changing nature of the experience and noted that he needed "zero opioid narcotic pain medication," which Dr. Nadig pointed out as a significant benefit. This type of "awake transplant" could reduce surgical risks and shorten the patient's hospital stay, providing substantial advantages over traditional methods.

A near two minute video at the bottom of the article on this.

[SubGod22]

Eating Baby Carrots 3 Times a Week May Provide Significant Health Benefits

A new study found that eating a snack of baby carrots just three times a week significantly increased skin carotenoids in young adults. Levels of these phytonutrients were boosted even more when combined with a multivitamin containing beta carotene.

Carotenoids are responsible for the red, orange, and yellow pigments in many fruits and vegetables—and when it’s measured in the skin it shows how many fruits and vegetables you’ve been eating.

Higher levels of skin carotenoids are linked to increased antioxidant protection, and a lower risk of chronic diseases like heart disease and some cancers. This marker also reflects improved skin health and immune function.

“Previous studies have demonstrated that skin carotenoid levels can be increased by consuming three times the recommended serving of fruits and vegetables every day for three weeks,” said Mary Harper Simmons, a Master of Science in Nutrition student at Samford University.

“Our findings suggest that a small, simple dietary modification — incorporating baby carrots as a snack — can significantly increase skin carotenoid accumulation.”

Simmons presented the findings at the annual meeting of the American Society for Nutrition held June 29–July 2 in Chicago.

For the study, the researchers randomly assigned 60 young adults to groups that received a four-week intervention of either Granny Smith apple slices (the control group), 100 grams of baby carrots (around 1/2 cup), a multivitamin supplement containing beta carotene, or a combination of baby carrots and the supplement.

Eat your carrots

[WstateU]

Eat your carrots

Love me some baby carrots... great snack and I love the crunch.

[Kung Wu]

Love me some baby carrots... great snack and I love the crunch.

Same! I try to replace my potato chip ... uhhh ... "habit", with 'em.

[WstateU]

Same! I try to replace my potato chip ... uhhh ... "habit", with 'em.

Just bought a big-ass bag of them today...

[SubGod22]

Incredible Fully Internal Cochlear Implants on the Way as Massachusetts Engineers Overcame All Obstacles

Biotech engineers have developed the first entirely internal cochlear implant that will allow users to move, exercise, swim, and enjoy a full range of human activities without worrying about external hardware.

This external hardware typically sits on top of the ear or around the head and prohibits all manner of vigorous activities—including sleep, since the device presses against the soft bones of the temple.

Despite these hindrances, cochlear implants are one of the most widely-used pieces of biotech on Earth, and have allowed over one million people to hear the world around them.

This doesn’t just include older people whose hearing has gone, but infants born deaf or hard of hearing who desperately need noise, particularly human voices, for normal social and educational development.

But because infants don’t realize the importance of the implant for their development, they’re liable to try and fiddle, or remove entirely, the external hardware, and with no other option, parents and physicians have to apply medical tape or childproof headgear that prevents them from removing it.

To try and remove this burden from all cochlear users, researchers at MIT, Massachusetts Eye and Ear, Harvard Medical School, and Columbia University have pioneered the first cochlear implant that’s entirely surgically inserted.

Its novel design relies on the single-direction vibrations of a bone in the middle part of hearing canal called the umbo.

The team had to address many challenges to produce their prototype. The umbo vibrations are measured in nanometers—requiring an extremely sensitive microphone. A microphone so sensitive would also need to have gating properties to block the equally loud sound of the electronics working within it. It would also have to measure in the low millimeters.

Any implantable sensors would also have to cope with the dynamic fluid and hot environment of the human body. However, a fully implantable cochlear device would have major advantages as well. Because they are mounted on the sides of the head, the audio amplification device can’t avail the user of the noise filtering and sound localization cues provided by the structure of the outer ear.

If this truly works out after further testing, it's an absolute game changer for those hard of hearing.