A nasal spray containing ketamine might help relieve migraine headaches when other treatments fail, a new study suggests. Ketamine is a synthetic anesthetic with hallucinogenic effects that is sometimes used intravenously for migraine headaches. It’s being tried for treatment-resistant depression, too. But it’s also a potentially addictive “party” drug so it is not for everyone.…  read on >  read on >

That happy, confident spring in your step is likely a benefit imparted by human evolution, a new study argues. Humans may have evolved a spring-like arch in our feet to help us better walk and run upright, researchers say in their study, published May 30 in the journal Frontiers in Bioengineering and Biotechnology. It’s long…  read on >  read on >

Cataracts are the leading cause of blindness around the world, but surgery can restore vision. “Unlike many of the other major eye diseases, such as glaucoma or diabetes-related eye disease, cataracts can be easily and painlessly treated by surgery to remove and replace the eye’s lens, restoring sight for most patients,” said Jeff Todd, president…  read on >  read on >

A key to living to 100 may be the viruses living in a centenarian’s guts. “This snapshot of how the virome interacts with gut microbiomes could tell us about how microbial and viral ecology evolves over the lifetime of a person,” said Ramnik Xavier, director of immunology and co-director of the infectious disease and microbiome…  read on >  read on >

What happens when the blood supply to your bones is somehow damaged? The condition has a name, avascular necrosis, and it can trigger the death of bone cells. Other common names are osteonecrosis or bone infarction. Bone is alive and requires nourishment from the blood supply to stay healthy. If the blood supply is not…  read on >

TUESDAY, May 30, 2023 (American Heart Association News) — A risk calculator used to predict cardiovascular disease also may help predict a person’s poor cognitive function, new research suggests. The study, published Tuesday in the Journal of the American Heart Association, found that the higher a person’s 10-year cardiovascular risk score, the worse they scored…  read on >  read on >

Some short men really struggle with their lack of height, feeling that they are both literally and figuratively looked down upon by others. That’s why an increasing number of height-challenged men are turning to limb-lengthening surgery — an expensive, potentially painful, months-long procedure that will add a few extra inches to their frame. Limb-lengthening procedures…  read on >  read on >

For people who’ve lost some mental sharpness, to either aging or disease, a technique that gently “zaps” the brain circuitry is showing early promise. That’s according to a new analysis of more than 100 studies assessing the technique, called transcranial alternating current stimulation, or tACS. It involves using electrodes on the scalp to send weak…  read on >  read on >