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People's brains aged more rapidly during the pandemic, even among those who were not infected with COVID-19, new research has found. The study found that structural changes in brain scans pointed to accelerated ageing, with an average brain age gap of 5.5 months among people exposed to the pandemic compared with controls. The brain age [...]
Shoulder Innovations is planning to raise around US$100m in an IPO as it looks to expand its orthopaedic implant business in the US and globally. The company will offer 5 million shares on the New York Stock Exchange, priced between US$19 and US$21 each, and will trade under the ticker SI. Founded in 2009, Shoulder [...]
Avalyn Pharma has raised US$100m in new funding to develop inhaled therapies for rare lung diseases including pulmonary fibrosis. The clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company, formerly known as Genoa Pharmaceuticals, has now raised around US$300m since its launch in 2011. Its lead programmes target inhaled versions of existing drugs for pulmonary fibrosis—a condition that causes lung scarring [...]
Walking 7,000 steps a day may significantly reduce the risk of cancer, dementia and heart disease, offering a more realistic alternative to the 10,000-step target. Researchers found that compared to walking just 2,000 steps a day, 7,000 steps was associated with a 25 per cent drop in cardiovascular disease risk, 38 per cent lower dementia [...]
Music therapy could offer an alternative to medication for distress in dementia patients, with NHS trials reporting improvements in wellbeing and reduced agitation. The MELODIC music therapy manual was piloted on two NHS dementia wards, where therapists delivered clinical sessions and developed personalised music care plans. Led by Anglia Ruskin University and Cambridgeshire and Peterborough [...]
Sir Alex Ferguson has become ambassador for Playlist for Life, a dementia charity using personalised music to improve the lives of people with memory conditions. The former Manchester United and Aberdeen manager visited the charity’s Glasgow office this week to learn how music therapy supports people living with dementia. He also shared his own playlist [...]
Exposure to “forever chemicals” used in everyday items may raise the risk of type 2 diabetes by 31 per cent, according to new research. The study analysed blood samples from 360 people to measure levels of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) – synthetic compounds widely used in products such as non-stick cookware, waterproof clothing and [...]
A new genetic scoring tool may help identify children at risk of adult obesity, offering earlier opportunities for prevention before other risk factors develop. Researchers developed a system that analyses thousands of genetic variations to produce a polygenic risk score (PGS) – a measure combining the effects of multiple genes linked to weight. Using data [...]
A portable brain scanner being trialled in Kent could help speed up dementia diagnosis by bringing scans into local clinics rather than relying on hospital visits. The low-field MRI machine is smaller, cheaper and more portable than traditional hospital scanners, potentially enabling quicker and more accessible assessments in community settings. Led by Kent and Medway [...]
A new detective novel uses mystery-solving to help children understand dementia through the adventures of twelve-year-old sleuth Scarlett Buckling. Scarlett Buckling and the Case of the Missing Pictures follows a young detective whose grandmother goes missing while searching for lost photographs, introducing memory loss through an age-appropriate mystery. Author Mario Ambrosi based the story on [...]
