Category: medical science

Researchers Develop Safe Eczema Testing For Newborns

Researchers have developed a non-invasive eczema test for newborns, which analyses skin immune biomarkers to provide an accurate diagnosis of the condition during the baby’s first two years of life. According to the Australasian Society of Clinical Immunology and Allergy (ASCIA), eczema is a condition where the skin does not retain moisture, causing it to…


Moving to Mars: Researchers Investigate What’s Possible Using New Model

Experts in space medicine from the Australian National University (ANU) have developed a mathematical model to evaluate the impact that space travel to Mars would have on the human body. The lead author of the paper, Lex van Loon, a Research Fellow from the ANU Medical School, said in a news release that with the advent…


New Tech May Create Pathway For Women Suffering From Congential Reproductive Issues

Researchers have developed a new technology that permits the growth of fallopian tubes and uterine tissue, offering a better approach to female reproductive repair surgery and hope for women born with reproductive abnormalities to obtain a normal functioning reproductive system. Unfortunately, some women are born with missing or malfunctioning reproductive organs; this occurs because of…


Study Shows that High Levels of Exercise Do Not Compensate For a Poor Diet

A long-term research study investigating the independent and joint effects that exercise and diet have on a participant’s risk of death has shown that the detrimental effect a low-quality diet has on a person’s health and fatality risk cannot be eliminated by high levels of exercise. The study by the University of Sydney, which followed…


Understanding Lupus: Gene Responsible For Autoimmune Disease Discovered

Australian National University (ANU) researchers believe they have discovered the potential cause of the autoimmune disease lupus. Senior researcher Vicki Athanasopoulos from the ANU John Curtin School of Medical Research (JCSMR) said in an ANU news release that the discovery of a gene called Toll-like receptor seven or TLR7 that, when over-activated, causes the autoimmune disease…


Childhood Bronchitis Linked to Lung Issues in Later Life

Researchers from the Allergy and Lung Health Unit at the University of Melbourne in Australia have discovered that lung diseases in middle adulthood can be linked to childhood bronchitis. The researchers found that children who have had bronchitis at least once before they reach seven are more likely to develop lung problems in their later…


Researchers Develop a Cheaper and Less Invasive Alternative to IVF Treatments

University of New South Wales (UNSW) researchers have developed a cheaper and less invasive alternative to traditional fertility treatments that is now available at Sydney’s Royal Hospital for women. In vitro fertilisation or IVF has been the established treatment for infertility for a long time. However, this method is expensive, and to stimulate egg growth…


Secrets of Permanent Blindness Revealed by Stem-cell Research

Research into the retina and optic nerve using stem-cell models has unveiled specific genetic markers of glaucoma—the world’s leading cause of permanent blindness— possibly opening up new treatments for the condition. Glaucoma is a blanket term describing a group of eye conditions that do damage to the retinal ganglion cells—neurons near the inner eye— that…


Understanding Long COVID: Study Finds Biological Difference In People With Prolonged Infection

University of New South Wales (UNSW) researchers have discovered that people who develop long COVID are biologically different, with their immune systems uniquely responding to the virus. UNSW’s ADAPT study was intended to observe the mental health and neurological, respiratory and cardiac functions of patients that had contracted COVID-19 to determine how the body was…


Hidden No Longer, Eyes Reveal Rare Mental Condition

Australian researchers have made a breakthrough in a rare mental condition, aphantasia, that makes people unable to visualise images. Previously thought to be difficult to diagnose, researchers from the University of New South Wales (UNSW) have discovered a method for proving and diagnosing the rare mental condition via a person’s eyes’ responsiveness to light. Those who…