As a remedy for slip discs, a gel made of natural seaweed has been tested by patients.
Studies in animals have demonstrated that the gel can be injected in the discs of the back to reduce pain and encourage the growth healthy tissue. A total of 40 individuals are taking part in this first human study.
According to The British Pain Society (BPS), up to 10% of Americans suffer from chronic backache. Slipped discs is one of the leading causes.
The flat, round discs, each about half an inch thick, act as shock absorbers between the spine’s 24 vertebrae.
The outer layer of each disc is called the annulus fibrusus and the centre, which is jelly-like, the nucleus.
Patients are currently testing a natural seaweed gel as a solution to slipped discs. Studies on animals have demonstrated that the gel is able to harden in just five minutes when injected into damaged discs.
If a disc herniates or slips, its centre pushes against the ring, creating a bulge. It can cause pain, inflammation and possible weakness and numbness in the legs.
Slippery discs are most commonly caused by wear and tear from age. The water content of discs declines with age and they become less pliable and shrink, increasing the space between the vertebrae — all of which makes the discs more prone to slipping.
While physiotherapy or painkillers can sometimes be useful, in severe cases a procedure called a “discectomy” is necessary.
The general anaesthetic is used to treat the area of the disc that has become irritated by a nerve. This can make the disc more susceptible to collapse or herniate.
Poor blood supply can also limit the ability for the disc pulp regenerate and fill in the spaces, leading to a shrinking spine.
It is the idea of the new treatment to replace removed tissue with the purified seaweed gel. This not only fills the space left after the discectomy — preventing further herniation — but has also been designed to stimulate the growth of new tissue, preventing more disc degeneration.
It’s thought that new cells are attracted to the gel because its structure is similar to that of the pulp in the centre of discs.
UPAL gel is an extremely purified form of seaweed that has been made by Japan’s leading company.
The trial will take place at Hokkaido University Hospital. Patients will go through standard surgery to remove any bulging disc material. After that, doctors will inject 2ml the gel using a needle into the rest of the space.
The gel was also found to lower the chance of herniation in animals. It could also be used as a scaffold for the growth of new disc tissue.
Six months later, researchers will perform MRI scans in order to evaluate the disc quality.
Ian Harding, an orthopaedic consultant at North Bristol NHS Trust, says it will be ‘interesting to see the results’, adding: ‘Ongoing degeneration of a disc and further herniation are as-yet unsolved potential problems that can occur after disc herniation.’
A ten-minute procedure using tiny synthetic balls to ‘bulk up’ spinal discs that have shrunk with age could ease back pain.
The spheres — made from polymethyl methacrylate, a material used as a bone cement in surgery and dentistry — are mixed in a solution of hyaluronic acid, a natural joint lubricant, and injected into the disc.
In a pilot trial, six patients experienced a drop of 42 percent in back pain within six months.
Researchers from the University of California and other centres said the treatment, called Discseals, may be a future option for those who don’t respond to other treatment possibilities.
Covid can cause problems with the heart later on in your life.
Covid alters the body’s reaction to stress, and in turn may affect long-term heart health.
In a study at Appalachian State University in the U.S., 16 young adults who’d recently had Covid were put through standard stress tests (such as keeping their hands in icy water).
Those who’d had the infection experienced less pain but a quicker increase in heartbeat than a comparison group, reports the Journal of Physiology.
This could be caused by inflammation.
In a study at Appalachian State University in the U.S., 16 young adults who’d recently had Covid were put through standard stress tests (such as keeping their hands in icy water)
Researchers at Keele University believe that swearing may increase strength. For ten seconds, people could lift 10 percent more and have a greater grip. The researchers also reported an improvement in their mood at the Experimental Psychology Society’s online meeting. It’s thought that swearing reduces inhibition, so people can be more focused on a task.
Diverticulitis could be treated with a protein pill
Diverticulitis is a condition in which small, inflamed pockets form within the walls of the intestinal wall. A natural remedy for this condition is currently being studied.
The condition affects up to half the population over sixty. As a potential treatment, scientists from the University of California are studying a Lglutamine-based supplement. This amino acid has anti-inflammatory and other notable properties.
The supplement is being administered twice daily to people suffering from diverticulitis in the current trial. This will last for 48 weeks.
Natural sources of the amino acid include chicken, fish, and beans.
Historical case notes
Older medical techniques still have relevance today. This week: Social distancing and masks
When the bubonic plague first hit Europe in the 1300s, ‘plague doctors’ wore a distinctive outfit that has some resonance with today — a beaked mask, full-length leather coat and a cane.
The mask wasn’t for protection but was filled with herbs such as lavender to disguise the smell of open sores caused by the disease (although some herbs are antimicrobial).
The long beak and cane were to ensure doctors didn’t get too close to their patients and catch the plague from them — effectively social distancing.
We know that the mask may have protected. In a review published in The BMJ last month, 35 major studies were examined and found that the use of masks could reduce the chance of Covid-related infection by 53 percent, as well as social distancing, by 25%.
You didn’t know this?
University of Leeds researchers believe gold particles can be used to combat antibiotic resistance. They make bacteria more susceptible to the drugs. The tiny clusters that are added to medicine attract the positively charged bacteria cells and cause them to lose their outer membrane. Chemical Science reports that this allows waning antibiotics to be accessed more easily.
Take control!
These are the conditions that lead to strength in your hands. This week: Heart Health
A study from Glasgow University found that the weaker your grip,, the greater your chance of developing heart disease. Research in The BMJ found that for every 5kg in handgrip strength there is a 19 percent greater chance of suffering from heart disease.
The reason for this was healthy lifestyle factors, with those showing greater grip strength also more likely to be more physically active with a ‘healthier pattern of eating and consumption of dietary protein, antioxidant nutrients, vitamin D and fatty fish’.
Queen Mary University of London also conducted a study in 2018 that found grip strength was associated with stronger hearts and pumped more blood per beat.
So THAT’S why some people can’t stomach broccoli!
Researchers at the University of Sydney (Australia) say whether or not you like broccoli can be attributed to genes.
When we eat vegetables from the brassica group — such as cauliflower and broccoli — they react with saliva, releasing a sulphurous compound.
It’s thought that our unique mix of mouth bacteria affects the levels of the compound — and how the food tastes. In the study, saliva samples from parents and their children were mixed with cauliflower — with each parent and child pair found to have similar levels of the compound.
The theory is that if you produce more, you’re more likely to dislike the veg, and that altering mouth bacteria could help improve our diets, reports the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry.
Research at the University of Sydney (Australia) suggests that broccoli liking is genetic.
What ultrasound can do to get medicine in the brain
In order to cure cancer, ultrasound could deliver medicine to the brain.
The blood-brain barrier, a ‘wall’ made up of cells like those that line the blood vessels, stops harmful substances entering the brain. The blood-brain barrier also blocks medication from getting to certain brain areas, which can make it difficult for tumour treatment.
Now scientists at the University of Maryland in the U.S. have shown that an ultrasound laser can ‘open’ the blood brain barrier. Inject first gas-filled balloons into the bloodstream. These are then activated by the soundwaves, and start ‘jiggling’ and vibrating, which forces temporary openings in the barrier. The drug treatment can then be slipped past.
Reports the journal PNAS that the treatment was successfully tested in 15 patients. It significantly increased the dose of the drug to reach the tumour.