ILLUSTRATIONS:
SHUTTERSTOCK
HELPINGTHE PARALYSED
Researchershavepioneereda technology
thathelpsparalysedpeoplewalk
again.AccordingtoProfessorSusan
Harkema,wholedtheresearchatthe
KentuckySpinalCordInjuryResearch
Center,US,thousandsofneuronsthat
controlmovementcandieatthesiteof
a spinalinjury.But“therearemillions
morebelowtheinjurythatarehealthy
andhavethecapacitytorelearn,make
decisionsandintegratenewconnections
fromthebrain,"shesays.
Afterimplantingelectricalstimulators
inthespinesofstudyparticipants,
researchersweresurprisedtofindthat
onecompletelyparalysed
patientcouldthenwiggle
histoes.Researchers
workedwithhimand
threemoreparalysed
patients,trainingthemfirst
tostand,thentotakesteps.
Twoarenowwalkingwith
the aid of walkers.
HeartHealth
Warning
Mostheartattacksarecaused
byplaquebuild-upthatnarrows
thearteriesandcanbeseenon
CTscans.Butwhatif doctors
couldpredictwhere– inwhich
arteries– plaquewould
accumulate?AnewCTscan
technology,developedin
Germany,theUKandtheUS,
analysestheinflammationin
arteriestodeterminewhichare
indangerofdeveloping
blockagesfiveormoreyears
beforetheyactuallydo,intime
forpeopletomakepotentially
life-saving lifestyle changes.
BeatingAntibiotic-ResistantBacteria
Around700,000peoplearoundtheworlddieofdrug-resistantdiseaseseach
year.But a combinationofantibioticsandprobiotics(so-called‘goodbacteria’
- suchasthemicrobesthatturnmilkintoyoghurt)were
recentlyshowntodestroytwostrainsofdrug-resistant
bacteriathatinfectwounds.Thoughneitherprobioticor
antibioticalonecouldentirelykillthesuper-bugs,a one-
twopunchfrombothtogether,“completelyeradicatedthe
bacteria,”accordingtoresearch scientist Dr Ana Jaklenec
of MIT in Massachusetts.
40 Augus t 2019
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