New guideline: Start taking MS drugs early on

For most people, it’s better to start taking drugs for multiple sclerosis (MS) early on rather than letting the disease run its course, according to a new guideline for treating MS from the American Academy of Neurology. The guideline is published in the April 23, 2018, online issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the

What infosec pros need to know before conducting a bug bounty program

Hospital information security teams considering a bug bounty program should know a few things before entering the endeavor.  The phrase bug bounty, for the uninitiated, refers to programs where hackers are paid to detect and report back on network vulnerabilities.  Bug bounty and vulnerability disclosure programs have been proven to deliver excellent results in finding

Could vaping lead teens to pot smoking?

(HealthDay)—Teens who use e-cigarettes may be more likely to try marijuana in the future, especially if they start vaping at a younger age, a new study shows. More than 1 in 4 teenagers who reported e-cigarette use eventually progressed to smoking pot, according to the survey of more than 10,000 teens. That compared with just

Could eating moss be good for your gut?

An international team of scientists including the University of Adelaide has discovered a new complex carbohydrate in moss that could possibly be exploited for health or other uses. The scientists, from Australia’s ARC Centre of Excellence in Plant Cell Walls and University of Rhode Island, in the US, say the polysaccharide looks a bit like

Researchers make significant discovery around how inflammation works

A research team from Queen’s University Belfast, in collaboration with an international team of experts, have made ground-breaking insights into how inflammatory diseases work. This development could in time lead to new treatments for a range of diseases caused by inflammation, including sepsis, Crohn’s disease, psoriasis and Multiple Sclerosis. The findings have recently been published

‘Drug sanctuaries’ offer hope for a post-antibiotic world

We are at risk of entering a post-antibiotic era. Each year since 2013, a major global institution —including the World Economic Forum, the World Health Organization and the United Nations General Assembly —has issued this grave warning to the world. A post-antibiotic future is daunting. When the drugs don’t work, we get sicker more often.

Dementia an extra challenge in natural disasters

Natural disasters are traumatic for anyone involved but the dangers are even greater for people with dementia. A new guide from the QUT-based Dementia Centre for Research Collaboration: Carers and Consumers (DCRC-CC) aims to prepare those who care for people with dementia to cope. Created in a partnership with the Red Cross, the Preparing for

Do scientists study the right cancer cells?

Last year the rather religious sounding film The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks was released in the US. It documents the tragic real life story of a young woman who died in the early 1950s due to rapidly growing ovarian cancer. The ‘immortal’ part refers to her cancer cells, which scientists at the John Hopkins

Six-day antibiotic cellulitis treatment resulted in higher rates of relapse than 12-day treatment

Cellulitis treated with a six-day course of intravenous antibiotic flucloxacillin resulted in greater rates of relapse at 90 days post treatment despite having similar short-term results to the 12-day course, according to research presented at the 28th European Congress of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases (ECCMID). Cellulitis, a skin infection that can become life threatening,

Eating fish could prevent Parkinson’s disease

A new study from Chalmers University of Technology, Sweden, shines more light on the link between consumption of fish and better long-term neurological health. Parvalbumin, a protein found in great quantities in several fish species, has been shown to prevent the formation of certain protein structures closely associated with Parkinson’s disease. Fish has long been

People with false-positive cancer screening results may be more likely to receive future screening

An analysis of electronic medical records indicates that patients who previously had a false-positive breast or prostate cancer screening test are more likely to obtain future recommended cancer screenings. Published early online in Cancer, a peer-reviewed journal of the American Cancer Society, the findings suggest that false-positives may be reminders to screen for cancer. Additional

New vaccine could help people overcome bath salts abuse

Researchers have developed a vaccine for one of the most dangerous types of synthetic cathinones, or bath salts. The vaccine blunts the illegal stimulant’s effects on the brain, which could help recovering drug users who experience a relapse. Samantha McClenahan, a doctoral student at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, will present test results