Results from a University of Otago, Christchurch trial suggest fresh hope for the estimated one-in-twelve people worldwide suffering from a fear of flying, needles, heights, spiders and dogs.

The trial, led by Associate Professor Cameron Lacey, from the Department of Psychological Medicine, studied phobia patients using a headset and a smartphone app treatment programme - a combination of Virtual Reality (VR) 360-degree video exposure therapy and cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT).

Immunotherapy is a new cancer treatment that activates the body's immune system to fight against cancer cells without using chemotherapy or radiotherapy. It has fewer side effects than conventional anticancer drugs because it attacks only cancer cells using the body's immune system. In addition, because it uses the memory and adaptability of the immune system, patients who have benefited from its therapeutic effects experience sustained anticancer effects.

It takes a lot of time - and money - to diagnose Alzheimer's disease. After running lengthy in-person neuropsychological exams, clinicians have to transcribe, review, and analyze every response in detail. But researchers at Boston University have developed a new tool that could automate the process and eventually allow it to move online.

Down Syndrome, also known as Trisomy 21, is the most common chromosomal abnormality causing developmental delay and intellectual disability and can be identified in utero. Many pregnant women seek to determine whether their fetus has this abnormality.

Now researchers from the Institute of Automation of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CASIA) have developed an intelligent prediction model to achieve non-invasive screening of Down Syndrome using ultrasound image.

In a recent article, Kessler Foundation scientists advocated for the incorporation of virtual reality (VR) technology in cognitive rehabilitation research in multiple sclerosis (MS). They presented a conceptual framework supporting VR as an adjuvant to traditional cognitive rehabilitation and exercise training for MS, theorizing that VR could strengthen the effects of traditional rehabilitative therapies by increasing sensory input and promoting multisensory integration and processing.

The Universidad Carlos III de Madrid (UC3M) is conducting research that analyses antibiotic resistance patterns with the aim of finding trends that can help decide which treatment to apply to each type of patient and stop the spread of bacteria. This study, recently published in the scientific journal Nature Communications, has been carried out together with the University of Exeter, the University of Birmingham (both in the United Kingdom) and the Westmead Hospital in Sydney (Australia).

A cutting-edge artificial intelligence (AI) system that can accurately predict the areas of an image where a person is most likely to look has been created by scientists at Cardiff University.

Based on the mechanics of the human brain and its ability to distinguish between different parts of an image, the researchers say the novel system more accurately represents human vision than anything that has gone before.