One of the largest ever studies of patients with untreatable bipolar disorder has shown that ECT (Electroconvulsive Therapy) was able to reduce suicide risk by 84% in high-risk patients, as well as giving effective treatment to around 72% of sufferers.
Scientists have discovered that measuring brainwaves produced during REM sleep can predict whether a patient will respond to treatment from depression. This enables patients to switch to a new treatment rather than continue the ineffective treatment (and the depression) for weeks without knowing the outcome.
Nagoya University bioscientist Michitaka Notaguchi and colleagues in Japan recently found that the tobacco plant Nicotiana promotes adhesion of tissue and can maintain grafts between a broad range of species. They also identified "β-1,4 glucanases" as a key molecule in facilitating tissue adhesion of grafts. Their findings could aid crop production and lessen impact on ecosystems.