Nuclear medicine is now one of the fastest-growing fields in modern healthcare, with more than 50 million procedures performed worldwide each year. New radioactive drugs that both find and treat cancer cells are showing striking results for patients with advanced disease, and clinical trials of these treatments have more than doubled since 2015. 

A new Curtin University study has found almost half of people who experience a concussion still experience problems a year later, while also revealing which factors put patients most at risk of long-term symptoms.

Researchers have carried out the first single-cell analysis of mitochondrial DNA in a population of brainstem neurons that are particularly vulnerable to degeneration in Parkinson’s disease.

 

The study, published today (7 October) in Brain, reveals extensive damage to mitochondrial DNA in these neurons and identifies evidence of a potentially protective response involving the mitochondrial quality-control gene PINK1. This response was particularly pronounced in people who survived longer after their Parkinson’s diagnosis.

Hospital-based nurses and midwives have higher rates of long-term sick leave and are more frequently diagnosed with back disorders during the first four years. Around 13 per cent leave hospital work within six years, and the analyses show increasing health problems in the period leading up to their departure and improvements in some health outcomes afterwards.

Results from a pilot randomized trial, which are published in Obesity Science & Practice, suggest that structured support may attenuate early weight gain after GLP-1 cessation.

Kratom, a tropical tree whose leaves have been chewed or brewed as tea for generations in Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, and Myanmar for pain relief and general wellness, has attracted scientific attention primarily because of its two main active alkaloids, mitragynine and 7-hydroxymitragynine, which interact with opioid receptors to produce analgesic, mood-modulating, and potentially neuroprotective effects.

Scientists calculated the total gross ecosystem product that the world’s oyster reefs could deliver to planetary health and human wellbeing, given adequate interventions for habitat restoration and protection. They estimated that the combined potential ecosystem services of oyster reefs, including food production, carbon sequestration, water filtration, and coastline protection, could be worth up to $12 trillion per year. For this potential to be realized, 90% of sites suitable for oyster reefs would require restoration, while 80% would need protection through conservation efforts.

The Gerontological Society of America (GSA) and the Journalists Network on Generations are welcoming 15 distinguished reporters for the next class of the Journalists in Aging Fellows Program, now in its 17th year.