While looking for something else, I stumbled upon these three articles that give such good news in medical research that I had to share them:
Ebola vaccine efficacy trial suggest vaccine provides high protection against disease
Date: July 31, 2015, Source: The Lancet
Summary: Tests of the experimental Ebola vaccine VSV-ZEBOV in over 7500 participants in Guinea suggest that the vaccine provides high protection against the disease as early as ten days after vaccination, in adults who have potentially been exposed to the virus by coming in close contact with a recently infected person.
for more: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2015/07/150731103901.htm
Brain-controlled prosthesis nearly as good as one-finger typing
Years of work yield technique that continuously corrects brain readings to give people with spinal cord injuries a more precise way to tap out commands by using a thought-controlled cursor (May be used by those affected by ALS!!!)
Date: July 31, 2015, Source: Stanford School of Engineering
Summary: Brain-controlled prostheses sample a few hundred neurons to estimate motor commands that involve millions of neurons. Sampling errors can reduce the precision and speed of thought-controlled keypads. A new technique can analyze this sample and make dozens of corrective adjustments in the blink of an eye to make thought-controlled cursors more precise.
for more: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2015/07/150731103744.htm
Paralyzed men move legs with new non-invasive spinal cord stimulation
After training, men move legs independently, without stimulation
Date:July 30, 2015, Source:NIH/National Institute of Biomedical Imaging & Bioengineering
Summary: Five men with complete motor paralysis were able to voluntarily generate step-like movements thanks to a new strategy that non-invasively delivers electrical stimulation to their spinal cords. The strategy, called transcutaneous stimulation, delivers electrical current to the spinal cord by way of electrodes strategically placed on the skin of the lower back. This expands to nine the number of completely paralyzed individuals who have achieved voluntary movement while receiving spinal stimulation.
For more: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2015/07/150730162240.htm