Electric armband to banish agony of migraines: Device strapped to the upper arm during first minutes of an attack can halve symptoms

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Pills for acid reflux might be a future treatment for tuberculosis (TB).

A study at University College London and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine compared TB rates among patients taking lansoprazole, which reduces acid production in the stomach, with those taking the similar drugs omeprazole and pantoprazole.

After analysing the health records of more than 1.4 million people, the researchers found those taking lansoprazole were a third less likely to develop TB.

A previous study found lansoprazole could destroy the bacteria that causes TB — it’s thought by targeting an enzyme the TB bacteria need to produce energy. The latest results were published in PLOS medicine.

The exact cause is not fully understood. One theory is that it’s the result of brain cells activating the trigeminal nerve, one of the main nerves in the face, which then relays pain signals back to the brain.

This causes the release of neuropeptides, substances that irritate and cause blood vessels on the surface of the brain to swell. These swollen blood vessels send signals to the brainstem, an area that processes pain information.

There’s no cure for migraine — the mainstays of treatment are painkillers and drugs called triptans that are thought to work by stimulating serotonin, a brain chemical, to reduce inflammation and make blood vessels narrower.

There are also now a number of migraine therapies designed to stimulate the trigeminal nerve which block or interfere with the pain signals reaching the brain, reducing symptoms.

A few devices use stimulation as a treatment for migraine, but until now they have used wires and are attached to the head.

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ad885dc5f782d3e1139b15b8b443a084 Electric armband to banish agony of migraines: Device strapped to the upper arm during first minutes of an attack can halve symptoms

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