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01 / 05
Tongue-Stimulator Offers Hope to Millions with Sleep Apnoea

The Guardian | Health & Medical Care

Tongue-Stimulator Offers Hope to Millions with Sleep Apnoea

“Patients with a common sleep disorder have been fitted with an app-controlled device that zaps the nerves in the tongue to help them breathe overnight in a UK first…

The three-hour procedure to fit Nyxoah’s Genio implant was carried out by medics at University College London Hospitals NHS foundation trust (UCLH) this month.

One of the two patients, Natalie Boller, 63, was feeling better within days and will return to the clinic to have the device activated in the coming weeks.

She told the PA Media news agency she was looking forward to being more active, something her tiredness has prevented.”

From The Guardian.

CNN | Accidents, Injuries & Poisonings

Shark Attacks Declined Sharply in 2024

“Unprovoked attacks by sharks declined sharply in 2024, with 47 incidents logged worldwide, down 22 from the previous year and significantly below a 10-year average of 70, according to new figures released Tuesday.

The United States experienced the highest number of unprovoked attacks by sharks, with 28 reported incidents, including one fatal attack by an unknown shark species off the northwest coast of Oahu, Hawaii. That US total, however, was almost a third lower than in 2023.”

From CNN.

Nature | Health & Medical Care

Dozens of Promising New Obesity Drugs Are Coming

“Semaglutide and tirzepatide are often lumped together under the umbrella of GLP-1 drugs, but they differ in one key regard: tirzepatide mimics not only GLP-1 but also a complementary hormone called gastric inhibitory polypeptide (GIP). This hormone further revs up energy metabolism and affects how the body stores and burns nutrients. Tirzepatide’s dual action is thought to contribute to its superior weight-loss results.

In a large head-to-head trial, sponsored by tirzepatide’s maker Eli Lilly in Indianapolis, Indiana, participants who took tirzepatide lost an average of 20% of their body weight, outpacing the 14% reduction achieved with semaglutide…

Inspired by tirzepatide’s success, many companies are advancing other drugs that engage GLP-1 and GIP receptors. At least five tirzepatide-like therapies are progressing through clinical trials, with the first expected to hit the market by 2028.”

From Nature.

Scientific American | Health & Medical Care

First Person with Eye and Face Transplant Is Recovering Well

“In June of 2021 Aaron James, then 44 years old, experienced a terrible accident while working as an electrical lineman. The military veteran and Arkansas resident lost much of the left side of his face—including his left eye—to severely disfiguring electrical burns that also destroyed his left arm.

Two years later James received the first-ever partial-face and whole-eye transplant, performed by surgeons at NYU Langone Health in New York City. More than a year after that James had made a strong recovery with no evidence of tissue rejection, as reported by his medical team in a paper published last September in JAMA. He still lacks any vision in the transplanted eye, but the eye itself has maintained its shape and blood flow—and there is evidence of electrical activity in the retina in response to light.”

From Scientific American.