People with type 2 diabetes likely to develop plagues
PEOPLE with insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes are more likely to develop plaques in the brain associated with Alzheimer’s disease. Researchers in Japan carried out a study that involved 135 elderly participants who had their blood sugar levels checked several times at the start of the study.

They were then monitored for signs of Alzheimer’s for 10 to 15 years. After they died, researchers conducted autopsies on their brains and found plaques, particularly in those who had high blood sugar levels while they were alive.

Reaction to drugs due to severe immune response
A rare and dangerous reaction to a range of common medicines including antibiotics may be caused by a severe immune response to reactivated herpes virus.

Researchers said their findings suggest that if doctors were to test for the herpes virus in patients suffering the drug reaction, they might be able to find ways to treat it and possibly stop it becoming more severe, or even fatal. The results should also help scientists find out what makes some people susceptible to the reaction. The main drugs that cause the reaction are anticonvulsants, often used for epilepsy.

Laboratory made corneas used to restore vision
Scientists say their findings offer hope to people who become blind each year because of a worldwide shortage of corneas for donation. This is the first study to show that an artificially fabricated cornea can integrate with the human eye and stimulate regeneration. A team led by Griffith and Per Fagerholm, an eye surgeon at Linkoping University in Sweden, conducted the study by removing diseased tissue from the corneas of 10 patients and replacing them with biosynthetic implants. The patients were monitored for two years after surgery. The researchers found that, eventually, the cells and nerves from nine of the 10 patients regrew.