Researchers at the School of Chinese Medicine, LKS Faculty of Medicine, the University of Hong Kong (HKUMed), have made a breakthrough in the treatment of autoimmune diseases. Their study reveals that combining the active ingredient extracted from the traditional Chinese medicine Astragalus membranaceus (huang qi) with the widely used Western drug methotrexate (MTX) can effectively reduce chronic inflammation in autoimmune diseases such as systemic lupus erythematosus and Sjögren’s disease. This study provides a new solution to address the drug resistance and the side effects caused by long-term medication. The research findings were published in two leading international journals, Acta Pharmacologica Sinica and Journal of Leukocyte Biology, where they were featured as cover stories.

A team of researchers from the Max Planck Institute for Human Development (MPIB) and the University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf (UKE) has demonstrated in a recent pilot study that virtual forest bathing can improve emotional well-being – especially if the virtual natural environment appeals to multiple senses, such as hearing, sight and smell, at once. The results have now been published in the Journal of Environmental Psychology.

Neuroform Atlas Stent (NAS) is used in treating localized dilation of blood vessels in the brain. The stent is designed for placement in vessels of 2.0─4.5 mm diameter. However, studies that assess whether NAS is equally effective in smaller blood vessels are limited. Researchers from China addressed this critical clinical question, and report that even in smaller vessels of diameter less than 2.5 mm, NAS-assisted coiling led to fewer complications and favorable short-term outcomes.

Peak performance in elite sport relies on a myriad of physical and mental capacities – and now there is an increasing consideration of the role of good sleep for training and competition performance.

A new study led by Flinders University sleep experts in collaboration with Lumin Sports uses data from Garmin smartwatches and other monitoring technology to explore sleep, wellbeing and performance of elite male cyclists competing in the world’s most famous bike race – the Tour de France.

In an unprecedented international study, researchers at the LKS Faculty of Medicine, the University of Hong Kong (HKUMed), in collaboration with the Max Planck Institute for Molecular Biomedicine, have discovered a previously unknown type of neural stem cell located outside the experimental mouse central nervous system. It challenges the long-standing belief that ‘neural stem cells are confined to the brain and spinal cord’, opening up transformative possibilities in regenerative medicine for treating neurological diseases and injuries. The findings were published in Nature Cell Biology, and included into ‘A year of stem cell and developmental biology’ collection in this past year by Nature.