Eight healthy babies were born in Britain with the help of an experimental technique that uses DNA from three people to help mothers avoid passing devastating rare diseases to their children, researchers reported Wednesday. Most DNA is found in the nucleus of our cells, and it's that genetic material — some inherited from mom, some from dad — that makes us who we are. But there's also some DNA outside of the cell's nucleus, in structures called mitochondria. Dangerous mutations there can cause a range of diseases in children that can lead to muscle weakness, seizures, developmental delays, major organ failure and death.
City officials and private developer Joe Gramando have struck a deal to convert a city-owned downtown property that was the site of Waterbury's first Catholic school into apartment housing for hospital workers. The Board of Aldermen is being asked to approve a purchase agreement to sell the former St. Mary Catholic Grammar School complex to New York-based Kaybar Development Corp. for $1.6 million.
Dogs trained to detect Parkinson's disease using scent have shown remarkable accuracy in new research. In a double-blind trial, they identified skin swabs from people with Parkinson's with up to 80% sensitivity and 98% specificity, even when other health conditions were present. The findings offer hope for a simple, non-invasive diagnostic method using biomarkers that appear long before traditional symptoms, potentially allowing earlier treatment and slowed disease progression.
A stem cell trial on a dozen Type 1 diabetes patients suffering from a severe form of the disease has provided at least a temporary cure for 10 participants. The remaining two also dramatically reduced the amount of insulin they require daily. The treatment, with an infusion called Zimislecel, was created by Vertex Pharmaceuticals and has been the life's work of Boston-based researcher Dr. Douglas Melton, whose stem cell research began at Harvard University. He now works in the stem cell and gene therapy program at Vertex. Melton's interest in 'curing' diabetes began more than 25 years ago when his infant son and then adolescent daughter were both diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes.
Nine people are dead and at least 30 injured after a fire broke out at an assisted living facility in Fall River on Sunday night, according to city officials. Firefighters responded to a fire at Gabriel House Assisted Living Facility at about 9:50 p.m. and found heavy smoke, flames and residents trapped inside the Oliver Street building. About 50 firefighters responded to the call, including about 30 who were off-duty at the time, the state department said. Multiple residents of the facility were declared dead at the scene, with dozens of others taken to area hospitals in varying conditions. One person is in critical condition. Five firefighters were also taken to hospitals for non-life threatening injuries. About 70 people lived at the Gabriel House before the fire, according to the state.
Healthcare providers in about 30 countries are doing social prescribing to address symptoms of Type 2 diabetes, chronic pain, dementia, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, anxiety and depression, among others. And a growing number of providers — around 250 so far — in the United States are starting to use them, too, according to Social Prescribing USA, a non-profit organization advocating for this approach.