Phthalate levels correlated with infertility in men.
Federal researchers recently spent four years tracking 501 couples as they tried to have children in a study on the impact of everyday chemicals on fertility. One of the findings stood out: while both men and women were exposed to known toxic chemicals, men seemed much more likely to suffer fertility problems as a result.
Continue reading… “Widely-used phthalates a threat to male fertility”
Tiny ultrasonic device
The less invasive a surgical procedure is, the better. Less invasive surgeries reduce patient discomfort, foster faster recoveries, and limit the risk of infection. Problem is, you have to get your eyes on a problem to solve it.
Continue reading… “Tiny ultrasonic chip will travel the arteries and heart to image blockages”
WHO recommends that adults have less sugar per day than is found in one glass of many soft drinks.
Scientists are gearing up for a battle with the food industry after the World Health Organization (WHO) moved to halve its recommendation on sugar intake.
Continue reading… “WHO proposal to cut recommended sugar intake by half”
The discovery of cannabinoid receptors may help explain why marijuana users say they take the drug mainly to reduce anxiety.
Researchers at Vanderbilt University have found cannabinoid receptors, through which marijuana exerts its effects, in a key emotional hub in the brain involved in regulating anxiety and the flight-or-fight response.
Continue reading… “Researchers discover marijuana’s anxiety relief effects”
Vascularized tissue constructed by printing cell-laden inks in a layered zig-zag pattern.
Harvard researchers say they have created tissue interlaced with blood vessels in what may be a critical breakthrough for creating artificial organs.
Continue reading… “3D printing may finally give artificial organs a blood supply”
Synapse’s system is like a real-time monitor, reminding people to wash their hands.
A Huntsville, Ala.-based sensor-network company called Synapse Wireless is moving from the machine-to-machine world into cloud platforms and big data. Here’s how it did it and how it thinks its work could actually end up saving lives.
Continue reading… “The internet of things is big data’s latest killer app”
Technique lets children avoid inheriting certain diseases – and give them genes from another woman besides mom.
Last week, the U.K. government issued proposed regulations that would allow researchers to try a new and controversial in vitro fertilization (IVF) procedure in patients. The technique could allow women who are carriers of mitochondrial disease to have healthy, genetically related children. But it also transfers DNA from one egg or embryo into another, a form of genetic alteration that could be passed on to future generations. Altering the genes of human egg cells or embryos in IVF procedures is now forbidden in the United Kingdom.
Continue reading… “UK government proposes regulations on making ‘three-parent embryos’”
Stretchable electronics make it possible to custom fit pacemakers for each patient.
Scientists have developed an interconnected web of sensors and electrodes that can monitor someone’s heart around the clock, as well as deliver tiny electrical impulses to ensure it keeps beating properly. This even applies to catastrophic events such as a heart attack, which the device can often reverse. Thanks to the use of 3D printing, each device can be custom fitted to an individual patient to ensure the best possible results.
Continue reading… “3D printed bio patch can reverse heart attacks and keep hearts beating”
Doctors successfully transplanted wombs into nine women.
Four women who underwent womb transplants have received embryos in an attempt to get pregnant, according to Swedish doctors. The women are the recipients of wombs from their mothers or other relatives, as part of an experiment to see whether a womb transplant can yield a successful pregnancy. The embryos are the result of in vitro fertilization before the women had their transplants.
Continue reading… “Four women with transplanted wombs are trying to get pregnant with IVF”
Embedded tracking technologies are being used to remotely monitor individual health and performance.
Personal wearable devices are painting a more intimate picture of your health and overall fitness level by the data they are collecting. The real opportunity of wearables may be in connecting that information to a person who can help us make sense of the data and in turn, build a new relationship between patients and experts, one that carries with it highly personalized layers of analysis and recommendations.
Continue reading… “How wearables will redefine the doctor-patient relationship”
Stem cell therapy could be used to help older patients recover from muscular injuries.
People become less able to bounce back from injuries as they age. This is a problem that adds risk to many of the common medical procedures the elderly face. At the same time, stem cells’ greatest promise is to allow people to produce new, healthy tissue to recover from illness or injury. But because stem cell therapies remain cutting edge, they have largely been used to target life-threatening problems such as heart failure.
Continue reading… “Stem cells repair and strengthen muscles in aged mice”
World’s first 3D printed exoskeleton.
Amanda Boxtel suffered a vicious skiing accident that left her paralyzed from the waist down in 1992. Doctors said she would never walk again. This week, with the help of the world’s first 3D printed exoskeleton that gives her the ability to climb out of her wheelchair and walk once again she proved the doctors wrong. (Video)
Continue reading… “Paralyzed skier walks again with world’s first 3D printed exoskeleton”
By delving into the futuring techniques of Futurist Thomas Frey, you’ll embark on an enlightening journey.
Learn More about this exciting program.