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150 million years old and critically endangered: assassin spider stalks its prey

150 million years old and critically endangered: assassin spider stalks its prey

The Guardian14 hours ago
The Kangaroo Island assassin spider's only known home is in the north-west of the island off the coast of South Australia, where it hides out in moist clumps of leaf litter. As parts of Kangaroo Island – still recovering from the black summer bushfires – suffer through near-record drought, scientists say an invasive plant root disease is drying out the Jurassic-era spider's habitat even further
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New weekly injection may eliminate need for daily pills in Parkinson's
New weekly injection may eliminate need for daily pills in Parkinson's

Medical News Today

timean hour ago

  • Medical News Today

New weekly injection may eliminate need for daily pills in Parkinson's

Parkinson's symptoms develop slowly, most commonly after the age of 50, and include tremor, slowness in movement, limb stiffness, problems with gait and balance, sleep disorders, and mental health with Parkinson's disease have to take several tablets each day to help alleviate their a team of scientists in Australia has developed a weekly injectable treatment for Parkinson's further research proves the injection's safety and efficacy, the long-acting implant could be life changing for people living with Parkinson' disease is the second most common neurodegenerative condition after Alzheimer's Disease. It affects almost 1.1 million people in the United States and more than 10 million worldwide. Of these, 96% are diagnosed after the age of condition occurs when nerve cells in an area of the brain called the substantia nigra stop producing enough of the neurotransmitter dopamine. This leads to a range of symptoms, including:Tremor, or shaking, in hands, arms, legs, jaw, or headMuscle stiffnessSlowness of movementImpaired balance and two main treatments for Parkinson's disease are levodopa (L-dopa), which nerve cells use to make dopamine, and carbidopa, which increases the efficacy of levodopa and helps minimize its side effects. However, people need to take the medications several times a day, which many find difficult to scientists in Australia have developed a long-acting injectable treatment combining the two medications. Because the implant releases the drugs slowly over seven days, people with the condition would no longer have to take multiple tablets every study findings suggest that the injection could be 'a promising system for the delivery of levodopa and carbidopa for Parkinson's patients'.Sneha Mantri, MD MS, Chief Medical Officer for the Parkinson's Foundation, who was not involved in the study, agreed:'If this medication is safe and effective in humans, it could be an alternative for people with [Parkinson's] compared to multiple daily pills.'The findings are published in the journal Drug Delivery and Translational alternative to multiple daily pillsThe injection contains a combination of levodopa (L-dopa) and carbidopa, two drugs used together to treat Parkinson's disease. L-dopa can cross the blood-brain barrier into the central nervous system, where it is converted to dopamine. People with Parkinson's take L-dopa to control the physical symptoms associated with the lack of dopamine prescribe carbidopa in combination with L-dopa to increase its efficacy within the nervous system, and help combat gastrointestinal symptoms, which are a common side effect of two drugs are usually taken in the form of capsules, containing a combination of the drugs in carefully calculated proportions. To reduce the chance of gastrointestinal symptoms, they should be taken with meals. As fat and protein can decrease the absorption of L-dopa, people must avoid high fat or high protein meals when taking the was the injection developed, and how does it work?The newly developed injection also administers a combination of L-dopa and carbidopa in the form of an in-situ their implant, the researchers used two organic polymers and a solvent, in different ratios to achieve the correct rate of drug release. Once the correct ratio was determined, levodopa and carbidopa were added to create the performed several in-vitro tests to determine the effect of pH (acid/alkali balance), how easy it was to inject the implant, how rapidly the implant degraded and the drugs were dispersed, and the effect of the implant on then tested the mechanism ex vivo in leg muscle tissue from a implant performed similarly in vitro and ex vivo, releasing the drugs slowly over several injection into muscle tissue, pores formed on the surface of the implant, through which the drugs diffused into the tissue. Up to 90% of the drug was released over 7 days, and the implant broke down completely within 2 formula that the researchers developed was easy to inject, so they suggest that this could be a:'Promising drug delivery system for Parkinson's patients, which will reduce the dosing frequency in the elderly patients to once-a-week injection.'Potential problems with long-acting injectionsJamie Adams, MD, associate professor of Neurology at the University of Rochester Medical Center, who was not involved in the study, highlighted potential problems with the treatment:'Given fluctuations in Parkinson's symptoms, it may be difficult to determine appropriate dosing for an entire week, and patients may still require oral medications or other therapies. If the weekly injection is dosed too high, that could also be problematic.'And Mantri also raised some issues that will need to be addressed:'Every medication is different, and this type of gel has not been used for [Parkinson's] treatment before. However, many injectable medications carry the risk of injection site reactions (for instance, rash, nodules) related to the delivery method itself.'Promising early development needs further testingThis is an early stage of development of a new mechanism of drug delivery for people with Parkinson's disease. But it has the potential to transform treatment for elderly people with Parkinson' there are several further stages of testing that would need to be undertaken before the implant could be licensed, as Mantri told Medical News Today:'This is a very preliminary study, looking at how the new treatment behaves in the lab. Further testing on animals and then humans will be necessary as it moves forward in drug development.''I would like to see the results of animal testing, as well as human testing, to ensure that this is both safe and effective,' she agreed:'This treatment is still early, and there needs to be human studies, including randomized controlled trials, evaluating safety and efficacy.''A weekly injectable therapy for Parkinson's disease could reduce the burden of frequent medication dosing and may improve quality of life.'— Jamie Adams

‘One-two-punch' cancer vaccine weaponises the immune system to attack ANY tumour – raising hopes of universal jab
‘One-two-punch' cancer vaccine weaponises the immune system to attack ANY tumour – raising hopes of universal jab

The Sun

time3 hours ago

  • The Sun

‘One-two-punch' cancer vaccine weaponises the immune system to attack ANY tumour – raising hopes of universal jab

A NEW experimental cancer jab could one day be used to fight any type of tumour, US scientists claim. Experts from the University of Florida say they've developed a powerful mRNA vaccine that trains the immune system to target and destroy cancer cells. 1 It's dubbed the 'one-two punch' after the powerful boxing move where a jab sets up a cross to knock the opponent down. This is because this jab also works in two steps: first by waking up the immune system, then helping it attack cancer cells more effectively. It does this by boosting the effects of immunotherapy, a type of cancer treatment that helps the immune system recognise and attack cancer cells. The groundbreaking discovery brings us closer to a universal cancer jab that could work across many tumour types, it is hope Research in mice showed that combining the jab with a common immunotherapy drug called an immune checkpoint inhibitor helped fight even resistant tumours. Dr Elias Sayour, the study's senior author, said: 'This paper describes a very unexpected and exciting observation: that even a vaccine not specific to any particular tumour or virus, so long as it is an mRNA vaccine, could lead to tumour-specific effects.' He added: 'This finding is a proof of concept that these vaccines potentially could be commercialised as universal cancer vaccines to sensitise the immune system against a patient's individual tumour.' Unlike previous cancer vaccines that try to hone in on a particular protein in the cell, the new jab works by simply firing up the immune system, tricking it into responding as if it were under viral attack. By boosting levels of a protein called PD-L1 inside tumours, it makes them more receptive to immunotherapy and helps immune cells recognise them as dangerous. Lead scientist Dr Duane Mitchell, co-author of the study, said: 'What we found is by using a vaccine designed not to target cancer specifically but rather to stimulate a strong immunologic response, we could elicit a very strong anticancer reaction. The signs and symptoms of cancer 'And so this has significant potential to be broadly used across cancer patients, even possibly leading us to an off-the-shelf cancer vaccine.' For the past eight years, Dr Sayour's lab has been developing cutting-edge vaccines using the same mRNA technology found in Covid jabs. Last year, they trialled a personalised version in four patients with glioblastoma - an aggressive and usually deadly brain tumour. They saw a fast and fierce immune response that helped fight off the cancer. 'Profound' The latest study, published today in Nature Biomedical Engineering, tested a more generalised version of the jab, not tailored to individual tumours, and still saw dramatic results. In mice with melanoma, a type of deadly skin cancer, combining the jab with an immunotherapy drug called a PD-1 inhibitor led to tumour shrinkage While in some skin, bone, and brain cancer models, the jab alone eliminated tumours completely. Dr Sayour explained: 'Even an immune response that is seemingly unrelated to the cancer may be able to activate T cells that weren't working before, allowing them to multiply and kill the tumour if the response is strong enough.' Dr Mitchell said: 'It could potentially be a universal way of waking up a patient's own immune response to cancer. 'And that would be profound if generalisable to human studies.' The team are now working to improve the formula and begin human trials as soon as possible. Cancer treatments explained – from chemotherapy to radiotherapy and surgery Because everybody is different and people's cancers are caught at different stages, there is no one size fits all treatment. It's also common for patients to be offered a combination of treatments to provide the best chance of survival. According to the NHS, there are six main ways of treating cancer. Surgery: Removes the tumour physically; not used for cancers like blood or lymphatic system tumours. Radiotherapy: Uses high-energy rays (like X-rays) to destroy cancer cells and shrink tumours. Nearly half of cancer patients receive this. Common side effects include fatigue and sore skin. Chemotherapy: Systemic treatment with powerful drugs that kill fast-dividing cells throughout the body. May be given before or after surgery to shrink tumours or reduce recurrence risk. Side effects range from hair loss to nausea. Hormonal therapy: Stops certain cancers (like breast or prostate) from growing by blocking hormone production or function. Targeted/biological therapy: Focuses on specific cancer-linked proteins or genetic changes; also includes some immunotherapy drugs. Stem cell/bone marrow transplant – Replaces damaged blood-forming cells after high-dose chemotherapy or radiotherapy; used in cancers like lymphoma, leukemia and myeloma.

Scientists pinpoint two key factors which increase dementia risk more than any other - one is frighteningly difficult to avoid
Scientists pinpoint two key factors which increase dementia risk more than any other - one is frighteningly difficult to avoid

Daily Mail​

time3 hours ago

  • Daily Mail​

Scientists pinpoint two key factors which increase dementia risk more than any other - one is frighteningly difficult to avoid

Tackling hearing loss early and making an effort to maintain social relationships could delay the development of dementia later in life, promising new research has found. Studies have long suggested that around four in ten cases of the memory-robbing condition could be preventable. Addressing vision loss, treating depression and doing plenty of exercise are all ways of reducing the risk. Now Swiss scientists, who tracked more than 30,000 adults, have revealed a significant link between hearing loss, loneliness and memory decline. Writing in the journal Communications Psychology, scientists at the University of Geneva said: 'Addressing hearing impairment alongside loneliness—even in socially integrated individuals—may be crucial for promoting cognitive health in later life. 'With increasing longevity, understanding the relationship between hearing impairment and cognitive functioning is of utmost importance for ageing societies.' In the study, the researchers analysed 33,741 adults aged 50 and over enrolled in the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (SHARE). Over a 17 year period they found that older adults who said they felt lonely—even if they were not socially isolated—showed steeper cognitive decline as their hearing deteriorated compared to socially integrated individuals. Participants who were both isolated and lonely consistently performed worse across all cognitive tasks including immediate and delayed recall and verbal fluency. According to the researchers, this could be because memory processes like retrieving information are used more by people who interact with others on a regular basis. Additionally, researchers found that lonely individuals found hearing loss more distressing than their non-lonely peers, highlighting the psychological burden of the condition which could contribute to memory loss. The researchers concluded that their findings support the theory that both objective and subjective social isolation are relevant to dementia risk. 'Our design uncovered a significant role for loneliness in shaping the extent to which sensory decline is linked to cognition,' the researchers added. However, the researchers acknowledged that causality could not be inferred. They added: 'Our findings indicate that both hearing impairment and psychosocial factors such as loneliness and social isolation may be relevant to cognitive functioning in later life. 'This underscores the importance of a holistic approach that combines auditory health with psychosocial support to maintain cognitive health in later life.' In response to studies such as this, experts at Alzheimer's Research UK are now calling on the government to include a hearing check in the NHS Health Check for over-40s. Dr Isolde Radford, from the charity, said: 'We don't yet know if hearing loss directly causes dementia or whether it causes other conditions that, in turn increase our risk. 'What we do know is that hearing loss, like dementia, isn't an inevitable part of ageing. 'This simple step could help millions identify hearing loss earlier and take appropriate action, such as wearing hearing aids, that may help reduce their risk of dementia.' It comes as a landmark study last year also suggested almost half of all Alzheimer's cases could be prevented by tackling 14 lifestyle factors. To reduce dementia risk throughout life, the commission also made 13 recommendations for both people and governments. These include making hearing aids available for all those who need it, reducing harmful noise exposure, and increased detection and treatment access for high cholesterol among the over-40s. Experts claimed the study, published in medical journal The Lancet, provided more hope than 'ever before' that the memory-robbing disorder that blights the lives of millions can be prevented. Alzheimer's Disease is the most common form of dementia and affects 982,000 people in the UK. It is thought to be caused by a build-up of amyloid and tau in the brain, which clump together and from plaques and tangles that make it harder for the brain to work properly. Eventually, the brain struggles to cope with this damage and dementia symptoms develop. Memory problems, thinking and reasoning difficulties and language problems are common early symptoms of the condition, which then worsen over time. Alzheimer's Research UK analysis found 74,261 people died from dementia in 2022 compared with 69,178 a year earlier, making it the country's biggest killer.

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