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Three patients with chronic paraplegia were able to walk thanks to precise electrical stimulation of their spinal cords via a wireless implant. In a double study published in Nature and Nature Neuroscience, Swiss scientists Grégoire Courtine (EPFL and CHUV/Unil) and Jocelyne Bloch (CHUV/Unil) show that after a few months of training, the patients were able to control previously paralyzed leg […]
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Liver cancer is the second leading cause of cancer-related mortality worldwide, claiming 700,000 lives each year. Most cases are discovered too late for a cure—but now a study offers hope of early detection, and targets for new treatments. Published in Frontiers in Cell and Developmental Biology, the results show a dramatic increase in expression of sugar-burning ‘glycolytic’ enzymes in precancerous […]
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(HealthDay)—Three experimental Ebola vaccines trigger an immune response that lasts for more than two years against the deadly disease, researchers report. In addition to being welcome news for the Ebola outbreak that’s now spreading throughout the Democratic Republic of Congo, this success story is spurring research into the development of similar vaccines for other infectious diseases, the researchers added. In […]
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Behavioral risk factors including smoking, obesity, limited physical activity and a less healthy diet strongly predict the likelihood of depression—and that likelihood increases with each additional risk factor a person possesses. Additionally, the risk factors most strongly linked to depression change with age. Previous studies had identified behavioral risk factors for depression, but it was unclear how these variables changed […]
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A new ultrasound technique can help distinguish benign breast tumours from malignant ones. The technology was developed with support from the Swiss National Science Foundation. Ultrasound is one of the three main technologies used in medical imaging. It is more compact and affordable than nuclear magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) techniques, and safer than x-rays. But the images it produces are […]
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About half of babies born prematurely struggle to grow, putting them at risk of health problems that can last a lifetime. Despite years of research, physicians lack a method that consistently helps these infants thrive. A study suggests that the gut microbiome – the trillions of tiny bacteria that live in the digestive tract – could help doctors personalize nutrients […]
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Actor Amy Schumer is as irreverent as ever — and her pregnancy is definitely comedic fodder. Schumer is a full six months out from her due date, but she recently quipped that apparently, inquiring minds must know: "Are you crowning yet?" On Sunday, Schumer cracked up the crowd with this and other gems at "A Night With Amy Schumer" in […]
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Could microbes in our guts be sending out the wrong message? Queen’s University Belfast researchers have, for the first time, found a specific microbe in the gut that pumps out protein molecules that mimic a human protein, causing the human defence system to turn on its own cells by mistake. The culprit in this case is called Bacteroides fragilis, a […]
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Britain’s Treasury chief is planning to pour 2 billion pounds ($2.5 billion) into mental health services as he delivers his final budget before the country leaves the European Union. Philip Hammond’s infusion is one of the expected highlights of the spending blueprint to be delivered to the House of Commons on Monday. He’s also signaled he intends to increase National […]
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By Ankita A Talwar What if I were to tell you that when your child wants that extra shut-eye time in the morning, it’s a good idea to let them sleep in? It would be ideal, especially if schools also fell in line with this thinking. The fact is, especially for your teens, children’s brains and bodies require late morning […]
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