• Reader's Digest Magazine - August 2008

Reader's Digest Magazine - August 2008

Find the Reader's Digest Magazine Press Release for August 2008

• Rating:
• 
• (0 votes)
• Rate this!
  Rate this!

  Rate this feature

THE AMAZING WAVE OF MEDICAL BREAKTHROUGHS '08

An incredible new wave of medical breakthroughs is arriving, changing the way lives are saved, extended and improved. From an Aussie innovation using crab shells to remove the need for stitches - through to better ways to identify and treat common diseases - the future looks much brighter indeed.

In an annual feature report, Reader's Digest profiles the breakthroughs that are here, or around the corner, to create a better outlook for just about all of us.

“Even a few years ago, some of this stuff would have been mind-boggling,” notes Editor-in-Chief Tom Moore. “And, in fact, it still is! But now it’s within reach, and becoming a reality that we can benefit from."

WHAT WILL SAVE YOU NEXT

• Stem Cell Stunner
Amid all the moral and ethical debate about the use of embryonic stem cells, now come stem cells derived from skin which can transform themselves into different types of tissue – even cardiac cells that start beating.


• Look Mum, No Stitches!
Australian researchers have developed a thin polymer film, from crab shells, that can be smoothed like cellophane across a wound. It removes the need for stitches, which can cause complications, and is expected to be used in brain and nerve surgery.


• Squid Gel Healer
Also from Australia and the ocean, scientists have identified a squid-derived healing gel with both anti-bleeding and anti-scarring properties. It’s being described as the ‘Holy Grail of healing gels’.


• One Blood For All
Give someone the wrong blood type and you can kill them. New technology could soon be converting all blood to type O, which works for everyone.


• Zap! Clean Water For The World
About 1.7 million deaths could be avoided each year by providing access to safe drinking water. Scientists in South Australia are using electrostatic attraction to effectively remove toxins from contaminated water.


• The Brain Game
A 24-hour patch for Parkinson’s, 3D images of the brain to monitor the effects of treatments, and the ability to see where new brain cells are being generated. All are happening now.
• Cancer Breaktroughs
Heat seeking missiles to target and take out tumours, easier and effective screening for breast, skin, colon and ovarian cancer, and an early test to know whether chemotherapy is really worth it for the patient.


• An Artificial Lung
A new device may offer hope to patients in desperate need of a lung transplant. The device works with the heart’s own pumping action, allowing the patient to be active at home – rather than hooked up to the hospital. The device can also support patients after a transplant.


• But Wait, There's More
There are new devices for diabetics to avoid the dreaded finger-prick test, portable ultrasound scanners can deliver Star Trek-style answers to our problems, a revolutionary pump to improve circulation to limbs at risk of amputation, and more. The full list appears in the latest Reader's Digest.

INTERVIEWS – To arrange an interview and for a copy of this article contact : Fiona Hamann
02-9018 6224 or 0423 560 163
Tuesday-Thursday

(or Beatrix Hon on 02-9018 6227 on Mon & Fri.)