A non-drug nasal spray could theoretically help stop the spread of respiratory viruses like the flu and COVID-19 better than wearing a mask, a new study suggests. The spray uses ingredients that are medically inactive to trap germs in the nose before they can infect a person, researchers said. “We developed a drug-free formulation using these compounds to block germs in three ways,” said co-senior study author Nitin Joshi, an assistant professor of anesthesiology at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston. The nasal spray “forms a gel-like matrix that traps respiratory droplets, immobilizes the germs, and effectively neutralizes them, preventing infection,” Joshi explained in a hospital news release. Researchers call their discovery Pathogen Capture and Neutralizing Spray (PCANS). Most viruses enter the human body through the nose. Vaccines can help the immune system fend off an immune attack, but they can’t stop the attack at its source, researchers noted. “The COVID pandemic showed us what respiratory pathogens can do to humanity in a very short time. That threat hasn’t gone away,” said co-senior study author Jeffrey Karp, distinguished chair in anesthesiology at Brigham and Women’s. “Not only do we have the flu to deal with seasonally, but we now have COVID, too.” Using a 3D-printed replica of the human nose, researchers showed that the spray captured twice as many droplets as would be trapped by…  read on >  read on >

Green Bay Packers legend and NFL Hall of Famer Brett Favre announced Tuesday that he has been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease. Favre, 54, made the announcement while testifying to Congress on his potential misuse of taxpayer funds. The former quarterback has been presenting testimony in Washington to the House Ways and Means Committee, following accusations that he used political connections to funnel public money to himself and his alma mater, the University of Southern Mississippi. As reported by NBC News, Favre told assembled lawmakers that, “Sadly, I also lost an investment in a company that I believed was developing a breakthrough concussion drug I thought would help others, and I’m sure you’ll understand why it’s too late for me because I’ve recently been diagnosed with Parkinson’s.” Frequent head injuries could be a risk factor for Parkinson’s. One study published last year found that people with a history of playing football were 61% more likely to be diagnosed with the brain illness. According to the Parkinson’s Foundation, Parkinson’s is an incurable, degenerative brain disease with symptoms developing over a period of years. Not everyone will experience the same symptoms, but they can include tremor, slowness and other difficulties in walking and limb stiffness. Cognitive impairments, sleep issues, depression, apathy, anxiety, constipation, falling upon standing and other issues can also arise. Medicines such as dopamine-replacing drugs can…  read on >  read on >

The Federal Assault Weapons Ban (FAWB) would have prevented as many as 38 mass shootings that have taken place since the law lapsed in 2005, a new study estimates. Enacted by Congress in 1994, the ban prohibited the sale and manufacture of certain military-style semiautomatic weapons in the United States – including notoriously deadly weapons like AK-47s, AR-15s, TEC-9s and “Street Sweeper” shotguns with high-capacity revolving cylinders. There have been multiple attempts to renew the ban, but none have succeeded. While the ban was in place, would-be mass shooters denied access to an assault weapon did not turn to other types of firearms to carry out a massacre, researchers found. “These results suggest that the FAWB discouraged potential perpetrators from committing a mass shooting with an assault weapon, and, furthermore, that these potential perpetrators did not simply carry out attacks with other types of weapons,” said lead researcher Alexander Lundberg, an assistant professor of emergency medicine at Northwestern University School of Medicine, in Chicago. For the study, researchers looked for events in which at least four people were killed by a firearm. A total of 184 such mass shootings have occurred between 1966 and 2022. The researchers then looked at trends before, during and after the assault weapon ban, to estimate the number of mass shootings that relied on such firearms. While it was active,…  read on >  read on >

Research in rats and hibernating squirrels has pinpointed a naturally occurring protein that appears to reverse cataracts, scientists report. Animal studies don’t always pan out in people, of course. But the discovery of the RNF114 protein raises the possibility of surgery-free cataract removal, according to a team from the U.S. National Eye Institute (NEI). “Understanding the molecular drivers of this reversible cataract phenomenon might point us in a direction toward a potential treatment strategy,” said the study’s co-lead investigator, Wei Li. He’s a senior investigator in the NEI’s Retinal Neurophysiology Section. His team published its findings Sept. 17 in the Journal of Clinical Investigation. As the NEI explained, “a cataract is a cloudy area in the lens of your eye [the clear part of the eye that helps to focus light]. This can make your vision cloudy.” Right now, surgery is a patient’s only treatment option, and almost 4 million such procedures are conducted in the United States each year. A non-surgical approach has long been a holy grail of ophthalmological research. Meanwhile, anyone living in the American heartland has probably seen a 13-lined ground squirrel. These hardy creatures are perfect for cataract research, Li’s team explained, because their retinas contain light-sensitive photoreceptor cells that are mostly cones, not the “rods and cones” found in the human eye. Cones are especially tied to color vision. These prairie squirrels can also withstand…  read on >  read on >