HEALTH & MEDICINE

Victorian Government is planning to introduce a bill on assisted dying in 2017. If it becomes a law, ailing Victorians will have the right to end their life. The bill has support from within the Government. However, they call for stringent and regular reviewing.

Mission Australia, a non-denominational organisation, conducted a survey whose results were published on Dec. 5. The survey found out that mental health is the main issue young Australians face today.

The NSW government has funded the world's largest trial of medicinal cannabis that will prevent the side effects of chemotherapy.

Scurvy, an 18th century disease historically associated with sea sailors, has made a surprise comeback to Australia.

Promising Alzheimer’s drug Solanezumab by Eli Lilly & Co, which was considered a significant amyloid buster, has failed clinical trials.

In a major turnaround of events that has baffled medical experts and researchers, a protein that was long believed to cause Alzheimer’s, has proved to be one that actually fights off the degenerative disease.

Victoria is rolling out a revolutionary melanoma blood test that can diagnose the disease within hours, thereby greatly improving patients’ chances of overcoming the disease. This liquid-biopsy is an Australian-first that allows patients to begin treatment immediately. It cuts weeks off the time taken to detect the fatal skin cancer.

Experts are concerned of the overuse of anti-psychotic drugs prevalent nowadays. They say that these may damage brain and will even lead to early death. However, critics oppose the argument, contradicting the theory for lack of scientific evidence. Most of the claims are exaggerations, they say.

University of California-San Francisco Medical Center’s assistant clinical professor of dermatology, Dr. Jenny Eileen Murase, says that people who sweat excessively do not realise that they have a treatable medical condition.

People at Victoria, who are at a risk of HIV, have signed up for a new HIV trial hoping that positive outcomes may force the Federal Government subsidise PrEP drugs as preventative measure.

Australian and Belgian scientists have made a breakthrough in infertility treatment as they have developed a new in-vitro maturation (IVM) method that can eliminate painful hormone injections required in in-vitro fertilisation (IVF).

NSW medicinal cannabis trials for children with severe epilepsy are showing “promising” early signs. They have started taking an experimental cannabis-based drug Epidiolex under the supervision of the NSW government. The trials are a part of the NSW government’s $21 million commitment that will explore therapeutic use of medical marijuana.

NSW health officials have warned people of a meningococcal outbreak as the peak season for the disease approaches and five cases were reported last week. This year, nearly four people have died and 40 cases have been reported in NSW this year.

In order to investigate medicinal cannabis use in epileptic children, Australian researchers are reaching out to parents who are willing to break the law to procure marijuana for the sake of their ailing children.

Australian scientists have made a malaria breakthrough as they have found a very effective way to cure malaria by stimulating one’s immune system via a synthetic protein. The protein called PD-L2 has been developed by researchers at QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute in Brisbane. The malaria cure has been highly effective in mice.

A new study has suggested that taking the common pain-relieving medication acetaminophen during pregnancy may be associated with increased risk of multiple behavioural problems in children. Acetaminophen is used by numerous pregnant women for pain and fever and is considered safe during pregnancy.

Andrews government has revealed that an independent medical committee with 16 people will supervise the medicinal cannabis rollout in Victoria. The committee will also advise the next group of patients who will be provided access to the drug. The government committed $28.5 million in this year’s budget to make medical marijuana available next year to children suffering from severe epilepsy.

New research has revealed that a commonly-used anti-inflammatory drug may be used to treat the dreaded Alzheimer’s disease. The researchers used an experimental model of Alzheimer's and found out that the drug successfully treated the condition. The anti-inflammatory drug completely reversed brain inflammation and memory loss in mice.

Calcium oxalate crystals, the most common component of human kidney stones, may be dissolved by a natural fruit extract, US researchers have found. The finding may lead to the first advancement in treating calcium oxalate stones in 30 years.

Untested stem cell treatments are rapidly increasing in Australia because of a regulatory loophole that allows businesses offer potentially harmful or ineffective treatments. As per a new study, Australia has one of the world’s highest concentrations of stem cell businesses that advertise cosmetic and medical treatments online. There is even lack of evidence about the safety and effectiveness of some of the procedures.

People in Canberra seeking medicinal cannabis will so get the support of the ACT government as it would soon be starting a medical marijuana scheme. The government is developing an evidence-based framework for the scheme, Assistant Health Minister Meegan Fitzharris announced on Thursday.

Actinogen Medical and TauRx Pharmaceuticals are developing Alzheimer’s drugs. The former aims to block elevated cortisol levels in blood while the latter has already tested their drug that slowed the disease by 80 percent.

Medicinal cannabis trial, announced in 2015, will now be available to Queensland children who have severe drug-resistant epilepsy. They can take part in the medical marijuana clinical trial after a deal signed with a British drug company. The State Government signed a memorandum of understanding with GW Pharmaceuticals to access Epidiolex, a liquid form of pure cannabidiol.

Researchers from Columbia University Medical Centre have revealed that chronic pain increases the risk of opioid addiction. In fact, significant pain may raise the risk of opioid addiction by 41 percent.

A new study has stated that having cinnamon turns poor learners into good ones. It may also target Alzheimer's disease, mild cognitive impairment, and Parkinson's disease.

Scientists have revealed that keeping a chicken by one’s side may provide protection against malaria. The new research has shown that malaria-causing mosquitoes stay away from certain animal species, including chickens, as the mosquitoes are put off by the animals’ smell.

A study has revealed that HIV-infected mothers who have a strong immune system can benefit from a three-drug antiretroviral regimen during the breastfeeding period. Researchers found evidence that this therapy may eliminate HIV transmission to infants via breast milk.

US scientists at the Columbia University Medical Center have discovered that a toxic Alzheimer’s protein spreads inside the brain through the extracellular space that surrounds the brain's neurons. The protein spreads by jumping from one neuron to the other.

Medlab is all set to give cannabis Australia human trials a boost as it has launched a $5.36 million equity raising. The cash will be mainly used for accelerating a medicinal cannabis human trial program at a leading Australian oncology research hospital.