Sitting in an aisle seat means you are much more likely to stand up and stretch your legs The plane truth
It could make sense to choose an aisle seat next time you take a long-haul flight. The reason? According to experts being hemmed in next to a window means you’re less likely to get up and walk about and staying in the same position for too long is a key risk factor for deep vein thrombosis.
Seeing stripes
Zebra fish have the capacity to repair damage to their retina (the layer of light-sensing cells at the back of the eye). And now scientists have discovered a naturally occurring substance that stimulates certain retinal cells to regenerate that is key to this process. If this can be replicated in humans it may be possible to slow or reverse conditions like age-related macular degeneration and glaucoma.
New heart cells
An injection could be used to repair the tissue damage caused by a heart attack in the not too distant future. Specially cleansed heart tissue is freeze-dried, milled into a powder, then turned into a fluid that becomes a gel on reaching body temperature. The gel acts as a scaffold over which new heart cells can start to grow.
Hope for pancreatic cancer
At last, some encouraging news on pancreatic cancer. A new drug, rigosertib, which allows pancreatic cancer cells to rush through replication then stops them dead, has shown promise in a phase 1 safety trial. Further trials to test its efficacy in people with the disease are now under way.
Like father like son?
One in five men has a variation of the male-only Y chromosome, which could push up their heart disease risk, according to a study from Leicester University. The scientists hope this discovery will lead to new tests and/or treatments for men.
Parkinson’s promise
‘Tweezers’ made up of a complex molecular compound could be the way to halt the progress of Parkinson’s disease. In a US study these were successfully used to prevent a build-up of a protein called α-synuclein, thought to be a culprit in killing brain cells in PD. They may also reverse and even break up existing clumps - all without affecting normal brain function.