News by Subject Medicine & Health

Scientists eavesdropped on neurons and discovered a stable signal driving common movement skills like typing sneakers. They were able to preserve and reconstruct these patterns in what is a major advance for neuroprostheses for paralyzed patients.

For women with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), taking certain steps to ensure that they have a healthy pregnancy leads to a reduced risk of complicated birth or miscarriage, according to a study in Arthritis Care & Research.

Published in Arthritis & Rheumatology, a treatment involving electrical nerve stimulation helped women with fibromyalgia in a recent clinical trial.

Grizzly bears spend many months in hibernation, but their muscles do not suffer from the lack of movement. In the journal 'Scientific Reports', a team led by MDC researcher Michael Gotthardt reports on how they manage to do this. The grizzly bears' strategy could help prevent muscle atrophy in humans as well.

Eye-opening research by neurosurgeons from Barrow Neurological Institute and Montreal Neurological Institute has produced the foremost investigation of the origin and evolution of perhaps the most famous concept devised in neurobiology--the homunculus of neurosurgeon Wilder Penfield.

Successful weight loss approaches in older adults with obesity can unfortunately lead to bone loss and an increased risk of fractures. A recent Journal of Bone and Mineral Research study examined which forms of exercise might help reduce such bone loss.

New research finds that the amount of physiotherapy available following hip and knee replacements comes down to a 'postcode lottery.' Those living in London and the North of England are more likely to receive physiotherapy, patients in the South West are the least likely to receive physiotherapy. The research also reveals other factors impacting whether patients receive physiotherapy -- including how old the patient is (younger patients more likely to), gender (females more likely to) and ethnicity (non-whites more likely to).