Medical Nova Weekly: Top five trends for 2/27-3/2

Here are the top medical innovation stories making headlines this week!

EU reports decline in cancer mortality rates

Good news: cancer mortality rates are on the decline, and are estimated to continue declining in the coming year, according to a report published last week in Annals of Oncology. The data revealed that overall cancer death rates have fallen ten percent in men and seven percent in women since 2007.

Failed quadruple limb transplant: What went wrong?

Last Friday, doctors in Turkey pushed the boundaries of modern medicine when they attempted to perform a quadruple limb transplantation in a 27 year-old man, who had previously lost his extremities after being electrocuted. The procedure was not successful and the patient died on Monday. Dr. Ali Lotfizadeh explores the recent advances and continuing challenges in limb transplantation.

Hepatitis C research: Fighting the 'Silent Epidemic'

A study released last week reported that Hepatitis C, the 'silent epidemic,' now kills more people in the US every year than HIV.  Approximately 3.2 million Americans are currently infected with the Hepatitis C virus, and most have no idea. With numbers like this, Hep C cannot be ignored, and scientists are working earnestly to develop treatments and vaccines for this deadly virus.

Researchers isolate egg-producing stem cells from adult ovaries

For the first time, researchers have isolated egg-producing stem cells from the ovaries of reproductive age women and shown these cells can produce what appear to be normal egg cells, paving the way for a possible revolution in fertility.

 

Flu News

The flu season may have gotten off to a late start this year, but that didn’t stop influenza from popping up in the headlines. In particular,  reports that a type of avain flu is now spreading in fruit bats and that a universal flu vaccine may be on the horizon kept people talking about influenza.