News by Subject Medicine & Health

Researchers at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC) have developed do-it-yourself (DIY) assistive technology prototypes that are revolutionizing how people with disabilities can access tools that will help them interact with the world. The tools are effective in different cultural contexts and were developed in close consultation with people with disabilities. A future step is to scale up use of the tools in education, healthcare, and other settings.

Among the 201 7 survey's findings were processes that were effective, but underutilized by organizations, according to Dr. Phillips. "For example, partnering with a disability organization was identified as a highly effective way to identify qualified candidates. However, only 28.5% of organizations had implemented this. Interestingly, 75% of supervisors said this would be feasible to implement." Other effective, but underutilized practices were auditing of hiring practices, supervisor training in accessible application and interview methods, job shadowing, onsite training, and job sharing.

Brands should consider the language they use when marketing products to this group of consumers, according to a new study from the University of Missouri. Researchers say that "adaptive" makes the apparel seem separate from the market.

Bumetanide -- a prescription drug for oedema (the build-up of fluid in the body) -- improves some of the symptoms in young children with autism spectrum disorders and has no significant side effects, according to a new study from researchers in China and the UK.

People with facial paralysis are more likely to face depression and anxiety than the general population, especially if the paralysis occurs later in life rather than at birth, according to a recent study.

People who regularly care for or assist a family member or friend with a health problem or disability are more likely to neglect their own health, particularly by not having insurance or putting off necessary health services due to cost, according to a study published by the American Psychological Association.

After a traumatic brain injury (TBI), the most harmful damage is caused by secondary swelling of the brain compressed inside the skull. There is no treatment. In new research, scientists significantly reduced brain swelling and damage after a TBI by injecting nanoparticles into the bloodstream within two hours after the injury in a preclinical study. 'We believe this may provide the first real treatment for people with TBI,' the senior author, a neurologist, said.

'The decreased brain activation seen in this study may be a sign of more efficient processing after treatment,' said Dr. Boukrina. 'At baseline, individuals with MS often show hyperactivation during cognitive tasks which may be a necessary compensation in order to complete the task. After treatment, the task becomes less demanding, and this may account for the reduction in activation.' Identifying the brain regions associated with improvements in learning and memory may foster investigation into other modalities that may augment this effect on activation.

Mathematics and science Braille textbooks are expensive and require an enormous effort to produce -- until now. A team of researchers has developed a method for easily creating textbooks in Braille, with an initial focus on math textbooks. The new process is made possible by a new authoring system which serves as a 'universal translator' for textbook formats. Based on this new method, the production of Braille textbooks will become easy, inexpensive, and widespread.

Scientists at Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute have shown that cells from children with NGLY1 deficiency--a rare disorder first described in 2012--lack sufficient water channel proteins called aquaporins. The discovery was published in Cell Reports and may help explain the disorder's wide-ranging symptoms--including the inability to produce tears, seizures and developmental delays--and opens new avenues to find therapies to treat the disorder.