Tag Archives: neuropathy

Drug Targets Offer Hope for Less Painful, More Survivable Pancreatic Cancer

Image courtesy Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Image courtesy Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Scientists have identified drug targets that could one day make pancreatic cancer less painful — and more survivable — by knocking out key molecular signals. The signals form an essential part of the process by which cancer cells invade and spread through nearby nerves, wounding nerve endings.

Read/listen to my full story at KJZZ’s Arizona Science Desk:

New Drug Targets Could Reduce Pancreatic Cancer Pain, Improve Outcomes

Maggot Therapy: Seven Debridement’s for Seven Brothers

Maggots (small brown dots) in BioBag (left) , ready for work

During World War I, an American surgeon named William Baer noted that the maggot-ridden wounds he found on some soldiers looked surprisingly healthy, showing fewer signs of inflammation or infection. Baer’s observation was really a rediscovery of the medical value of maggots, a quality known to Napoleon’s Army doctors and probably used by civilizations as far back as the ancient Maya.

Today, doctors use the creepy crawlies to stem infections, speed healing and save money, particularly in cases of chronic wounds like diabetic foot ulcers. Ask your doctor if medical maggots are right for you – but first read

How Maggot Therapy Works