Wheelchair News and Research

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New research advances understanding of Parkinson's disease stages

From a study that analyzed brain images of more than 2,500 people with Parkinson's disease in 20 different countries, scientists were able to identify patterns of neurodegeneration and create metrics for each of the five clinical stages of the disease.

12 Feb 2025

Led by RFK Jr., conservatives embrace raw milk. Regulators say it's dangerous.

In summertime, cows wait under a canopy to be milked at Mark McAfee's farm in Fresno, California. From his Cessna 210 Centurion propeller plane, the 63-year-old can view grazing lands of the dairy company he runs that produces products such as unpasteurized milk and cheese for almost 2,000 stores.

29 Jan 2025

Researchers shed light on risk factor and diabetes development interplay

Findings indicate a 12.8% 10-year diabetes risk, driven by fasting plasma glucose, age, sex, and BMI, highlighting the need for targeted prevention strategies.

28 Jan 2025

Advances and challenges in brain implant technology

In a paper recently published in the leading journal "The Lancet Digital Health", a scientific team led by Stanisa Raspopovic from MedUni Vienna looks at the progress and challenges in the research and development of brain implants.

24 Jan 2025

For homeless seniors, getting into stable housing takes a village — and a lot of luck

Over two years ago, Kim Hilton and his partner walked out of their home for the final time. The house had sold, and the new landlord raised the rent.

17 Jan 2025

Novel drug holds promise for treating Duchenne muscular dystrophy

A novel drug holds promise for treating Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD), a rare genetic disorder that causes severe muscle degeneration.

16 Dec 2024

Women face greater barriers to accessing mobility aids despite higher need

Women are more likely than men to experience mobility limitations that could benefit from the use of mobility aids but are much less likely to use them when needed, according to a new study from researchers at UCL and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM).

14 Dec 2024

Hypothalamic DBS therapy improves recovery of lower limb movements after spinal cord injury

Researchers at EPFL and Lausanne University Hospital (CHUV), led by professors Grégoire Courtine and Jocelyne Bloch, have achieved a major milestone in the treatment of spinal cord injuries (SCI).

2 Dec 2024

StitchR technology delivers large genes for muscular dystrophy treatment

Gene therapy can effectively treat various diseases, but for some debilitating conditions like muscular dystrophies there is a big problem: size.

14 Nov 2024

Deletion of long non-coding RNA linked to rare neurodevelopmental disorder

When a gene produces too much protein, it can have devastating consequences on brain development and function. Patients with an overproduction of protein from the chromodomain helicase DNA binding (CHD2) gene can develop a rare and severe neurodevelopmental disorder that renders them wheelchair-bound, nonverbal and with profound intellectual delays.

24 Oct 2024

Patients are relying on Lyft, Uber to travel far distances to medical care

When Lyft driver Tramaine Carr transports seniors and sick patients to hospitals in Atlanta, she feels like both a friend and a social worker.

17 Oct 2024

More restrooms have adult-size changing tables to help people with disabilities

The blue-and-white highway sign for the eastbound rest stop near here displays more than the standard icon of a person in a wheelchair, indicating facilities are accessible to people who can't walk.

3 Oct 2024

Study aims to uncover sex-specific causes of shoulder pain in wheelchair users

Josh Leonardis received funding from the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development of the National Institutes of Health to study why female manual wheelchair users experience shoulder pain and pathology at greater rates than males.

23 Sep 2024

Across North Carolina, medical debt exacts a heavy toll

On March 30, 2019, a swerving car upended Tom Burke's life.

23 Sep 2024

Tossed medicine, delayed housing: How homeless sweeps are thwarting Medicaid’s goals

Andrew Douglass shoved his clothes and belongings into plastic trash bags as five police officers surrounded his encampment — a drab gray tent overflowing along a bustling sidewalk in the gritty Tenderloin neighborhood, where homeless people lie sprawled on public sidewalks, sometimes in drug overdoses.

16 Sep 2024

MSK researchers identify a new, rare type of small cell lung cancer

A team of doctors and researchers at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSK) have identified a new, rare type of small cell lung cancer that primarily affects younger people who have never smoked.

11 Sep 2024

Cancer drug offers life-changing results for severe lupus patient

The team at Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin is astounded by the huge improvement seen in a female patient with severe systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) after being treated with the cancer medication teclistamab. Not long ago, the 23-year-old was wheelchair-bound due to the autoimmune disease.

6 Sep 2024

WHO and IPC collaborate to promote global access to assistive technology during Paris 2024 Paralympics

The World Health Organization (WHO) and International Paralympic Committee (IPC) are joining forces to highlight the transformative impact of assistive technology on sports during the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games.

28 Aug 2024

First comprehensive description of neuropathic pain experiences among SCI athletes

With the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games just around the corner, the extensive training and the sacrifices athletes make to compete at the games take centre stage.

27 Aug 2024

Disability rights activist pushes government to let him participate in society

Garret Frey refuses to be sidelined. Frey has been paralyzed from the neck down for more than 37 of his 42 years. He has spent decades rejecting the government's excuses when he and others with disabilities are denied the support they need to live in their own homes and to participate in society.

23 Aug 2024