In the last 10 years, 1,500 Americans died after taking too much of one of—nominally—the world’s safest drugs: acetaminophen or, as you might know it, Tylenol. This viz goes a long way to explaining why that’s the case.
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We’ve made huge advances toward conquering HIV
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Health kicks might help you feel better about yourself, but new research suggests that they could actually be reversing ageing at the cellular level, too.
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Every year, many diseases are transmitted between people because some practitioners use unsterile or reused syringes to administer injections, sometimes unknowingly. Data from the World Health Organization indicate that almost 40% of the annual 40 billion injections being administered worldwide use these dirty syringes.
Trying to bring this number down is Dr. David Swann from the Huddersfield University in England with his ABC Syringe. It’s described as a tamper-proof syringe that comes delivered in a nitrogen-filled pack. The syringe’s barrel is actually coated with a special ink which changes color upon exposure to the carbon dioxide in air.
Once it’s exposed to CO2, the clear ink changes color to a very bright and very striking red–a color that can’t be easily missed or ignored.
Dr. Swann explained: “When you compare a sterile syringe just out of its packaging with a syringe that’s been washed, how do you determine the difference? We conceived an intelligent ink that, if exposed to air by taking it out of the package or if the package is breached, would activate it and turn it red.”
The ABC Syringe is currently a finalist at the Index Awards in Denmark.
[via C|NET]
As unlikely as it might seem, fecal transplants
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It almost sounds too good to be true: Researchers have developed a tiny sponge that can reprogram immune cells to attack cancer. The treatment is less invasive than surgery and potentially more effective, too. And with human trials beginning this week, there’s a chance it will soon be available for everyone.
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A team of 20 researchers from University of Alberta proudly announced a commendable achievement on Thursday. Using no fewer than five different experimental methods, they’ve discovered over 3,000 different chemical compounds in human urine. And it only took them seven years.
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For the very first time, scientists have managed to create tiny, embryonic brains in test tubes. Say hello to baby Frankenstein.
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If you’ve ever had a migraine, you’ve probably experienced photophobia, the painful sensitivity to light that sends you scurrying, eyes closed, to the darkest dungeon you can find. In that moment, you’re probably wishing for a way to (temporarily) unplug your eyeballs and put an end to the agony. Researchers at The Salk Institute could have a potential answer: A compound that switches off light sensitivity without affecting vision.
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There’s a reason surgeons wear masks and gloves. The last thing you want is to get crap in someone’s body. That is, unless you are one of the two UC Davis Medical Center neurosurgeons who very purposely introduced their patents’ brains to poop bacteria. It was a real shit-for-brains way of trying to help.
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