National Diabetes Month is an annual awareness campaign that seeks to improve the public’s understanding of the issues are surrounding diabetes. Held each November in the United States, the program focuses on raising awareness amongst non-sufferers as well as people who have the condition. Continue reading
Tuberculosis, or TB, is currently responsible for an estimated 1.5 million deaths every year, according to the World Health Organization, and although a number of effective treatments for the disease exist, resistance to these treatments is increasing at a rapid pace. Indeed, the WHO consider the spread of drug-resistant tuberculosis to be at ‘crisis levels’, following a dramatic rise in new cases back in 2013. Continue reading
In recent years, the ability of some bacteria to resist drug therapies has led to rising concern amongst scientists and healthcare professionals, with many blaming the overuse and overreliance on antibiotics – and, in part, the public’s obsession with receiving antibiotic treatment even in situations where it would be largely ineffective.
The subject of obesity appears quite often in the media, generally accompanied by reports on its prevalence and warnings about what this means for both individuals and for society. In these articles, the term ‘overweight’ may be used as well, sometimes reporting on the percentages of the child or adult population deemed to be carrying excess weight. For this reason, the definitions of ‘overweight’ and ‘obesity’ can be seen as synonymous to the casual observer but there are crucial differences between the two conditions.
Ingredients
Replicating the functions of the pancreas has long been the dream of medical professionals working with patients who suffer from Type 1 diabetes. For some researchers in the life sciences sector, the emphasis has always been on finding a cure for this condition, but for others it has been more about assisting people with Type 1 diabetes to hit their recommended targets for glucose control over the long term. Without being able to regulate their body’s glucose levels, patients are left at an increased risk of developing the sometime severe complications associated with diabetes. Continue reading
Now that summer is here, it’s really tempting to serve up a salad once or twice a day. Of course, this could become a little boring if you’re not careful, but one way of avoiding that is by using a variety of dressings and there are plenty to choose from. Why not try these six for a start?
During the past decade, we have witnessed how the relationship between medicine and technology has grown increasingly complex and mutually beneficial at the same time. These two fields of expertise have something in common: their ability to improve the quality of life of millions of people around the world. Continue reading
The invaluable contribution to scientific knowledge made by rainforest exploration is well known, and the health benefits gained from the resultant yield of life-saving medications are enjoyed by billions. By contrast, we are far less aware of the world beneath the waves and, although this marine environment extends across more than two thirds of our planet, around 95 per cent of its area remains unexplored.
A novel approach to skin grafting could offer medical professionals with a breakthrough technique which will allow them to treat burns and other skin problems in new ways. Using the patient’s own skin, the procedure will lead to benefits for many burn victims who are treated in hospitals all over the world, it is hoped. Developed by Dr Wayne Kleintjes, who is head of the adult burns unit at that hospital at Stellenbosch University in South Africa, the technique has already been described as potentially life-saving in many burns cases as well as being a cost-effective transplant compared with other methods now in use.