Latest news with #MedicalDetectionDogs
Time of India
5 days ago
- Health
- Time of India
Dogs can detect Parkinson's disease through smell, study reveals
Dogs' incredible sense of smell has long been used to track fugitives, find human remains, and uncover hidden drugs, but now, researchers say they can also detect Parkinson's disease with remarkable accuracy. In a recent study published in the Journal of Parkinson's Disease, two specially trained dogs identified the condition using skin swabs, with up to 80% success in detecting confirmed Parkinson's cases and up to 98% accuracy in ruling out healthy individuals. Scientists believe this discovery could pave the way for a quick, non-invasive, and cost-effective method for early diagnosis. Dogs trained to sniff out Parkinson's symptoms Parkinson's disease is a progressive brain disorder that affects movement, often causing tremors, stiffness, and coordination problems. One little-known symptom is the overproduction of sebum, an oily substance secreted by the skin. Researchers believe this excess sebum emits a distinct odour that dogs can be trained to recognise. Five dogs initially began training, but only two passed the rigorous selection process: Bumper, a 2-year-old Golden Retriever, and Peanut, a 3-year-old Black Labrador. These dogs trained on over 200 skin swab samples from both Parkinson's patients and healthy individuals, learning to identify the disease through scent alone. Promising accuracy in early diagnosis During double-blind testing, where researchers did not know which samples were from Parkinson's patients, the dogs demonstrated impressive accuracy. Bumper and Peanut correctly identified Parkinson's samples about 80% of the time and avoided false positives with 98% accuracy, even when other health conditions were present. Lead researcher Dr. Nicola Rooney of the University of Bristol said dogs could help develop early detection tools for Parkinson's, a disease that often goes undiagnosed for years. Claire Guest, CEO of Medical Detection Dogs, emphasised that early diagnosis could allow for interventions to slow disease progression and improve quality of life.
Fox News
7 days ago
- Health
- Fox News
Trained dogs can smell Parkinson's disease before symptoms show up, study finds
Man's best friend could provide more than just companionship. In a new study from the University of Bristol, dogs were found to detect Parkinson's disease well before symptoms appear. Previous research has shown that people with Parkinson's have increased amounts of sebum — an oily, waxy substance with a distinctively musky odor — on the skin. In the new study, two dogs that had been trained on more than 200 odor samples were presented with skin swabs from 130 people with Parkinson's and 175 people without the disease, according to a press release. The dogs — a golden retriever named Bumper and a black labrador named Peanut — were rewarded for positively identifying Parkinson's samples and for ignoring negative ones. The dogs showed sensitivity of up to 80% — which means they identified people who had the disease 80% of the time. They achieved specificity of up to 98%, which is how good they were at ruling out people who did not have Parkinson's. "The dogs … showed there is an olfactory signature distinct to patients with the disease." The University of Bristol collaborated with Medical Detection Dogs and the University of Manchester on the study, which was published in The Journal of Parkinson's Disease on July 15. While there is no early screening available for Parkinson's, some early warning signs can appear years or even decades before diagnosis, according to experts. "Identifying diagnostic biomarkers of PD, particularly those that may predict development or help diagnose disease earlier, is the subject of much ongoing research," said lead study author Nicola Rooney, associate professor at Bristol Veterinary School at the University of Bristol, in the release. "The dogs in this study achieved high sensitivity and specificity and showed there is an olfactory signature distinct to patients with the disease," she went on. "Sensitivity levels of 70% and 80% are well above chance, and I believe that dogs could help us to develop a quick, non-invasive and cost-effective method to identify patients with Parkinson's disease." Claire Guest, chief scientific officer at Medical Detection Dogs in the U.K., reiterated that the study confirmed dogs can "very accurately" detect disease. "Timely diagnosis is key, as subsequent treatment could slow down the progression of the disease and reduce the intensity of symptoms," she said in the release. Perdita Barran, professor of mass spectrometry at The University of Manchester, said the study "adds to the growing body of evidence showing that simple, non-invasive skin swabs can be used to diagnose Parkinson's disease, offering a faster and more accessible method for early detection." For more Health articles, visit Looking ahead, the team plans to conduct longer-term studies to assess dogs' capacity to detect Parkinson's before diagnosis. The Michael J. Fox Foundation and Parkinson's UK provided funding for this study.
Daily Record
7 days ago
- Health
- Daily Record
Dogs can detect incurable disease years before signs appear with near 100% accuracy
The lead author of the study said dogs' ability to sniff out the condition, that affects thousands of Scots, were "well above chance" Dogs are wonderful creatures and there is a reason they are often referred to as man's best friend. Most canines are loyal, affectionate, and there for you in times of hardship. And there is perhaps no tougher time than when you're ill. Now, new research has uncovered an astounding fact about pooches that could change the way we approach Parkinson's disease in Scotland, of which around 13,000 people have been diagnosed, and the number is growing, according to Parkinson's UK. Parkinson's disease is a condition in which parts of the brain become progressively damaged over many years, according to the NHS. The main symptoms are tremors, slow movement, and stiff and inflexible muscles. A person with Parkinson's disease can also experience depression and anxiety, balance problems, loss of smell, insomnia, and memory problems. However, the new study has proved that people with Parkinson's disease have an odour that can be reliably detected from skin swabs by trained dogs. In a double-blind trial, the animals identified skin swabs from people with Parkinson's with up to 80 per cent sensitivity and 98 per cent specificity, even when other health conditions were present. The findings offer hope for a simple, non-invasive diagnostic method using biomarkers that appear long before traditional symptoms, potentially allowing earlier treatment and slowed disease progression. "We are extremely proud to say that once again, dogs can very accurately detect disease," said Claire Guest, Medical Detection Dogs CEO and Chief Scientific Officer. "There is currently no early test for Parkinson's disease and symptoms may start up to 20 years before they become visible and persistent leading to a confirmed diagnosis. Timely diagnosis is key as subsequent treatment could slow down the progression of the disease and reduce the intensity of symptoms." The Medical Detection Dogs and the Universities of Bristol and Manchester research was published on July 15 in The Journal of Parkinson's Disease. The study's two dogs were Golden Retriever, Bumper and Black Labrador, Peanut. Bumper and Peanut were trained by the charity, Medical Detection Dogs, to distinguish between sebum swabs from people with and without Parkinson's. As mentioned, in a double blind trial, they showed sensitivity of up to 80 per cent and specificity of up to 98 per cent. And not only that - they also detected it in samples from patients who also had other health conditions. The dogs were trained over a number of weeks on over 200 odour samples from individuals that had tested positive for PD and control samples from people who did not have the disease. Samples were presented to the dogs on a stand system and the dogs were rewarded for correctly indicating a positive sample and for correctly ignoring a negative sample. In the double-blind testing, meaning that only a computer knew where the correct samples were, each line was also presented in reverse order so that samples for which no decision was made were re-presented. Then any unsearched samples were collected together in new lines, until a decision had been made for all samples. Join the Daily Record WhatsApp community! Get the latest news sent straight to your messages by joining our WhatsApp community today. You'll receive daily updates on breaking news as well as the top headlines across Scotland. No one will be able to see who is signed up and no one can send messages except the Daily Record team. All you have to do is click here if you're on mobile, select 'Join Community' and you're in! If you're on a desktop, simply scan the QR code above with your phone and click 'Join Community'. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. To leave our community click on the name at the top of your screen and choose 'exit group'. A definitive diagnostic test for Parkinson's does not yet exist, so identification of potential biomarkers could help diagnosis and timely intervention. Nicola Rooney, Associate Professor at Bristol Veterinary School and lead author, said: "Sensitivity levels of 70 per cent and 80 per cent are well above chance. "I believe that dogs could help us to develop a quick non-invasive and cost-effective method to identify patients with Parkinson's disease."
Time of India
17-07-2025
- Health
- Time of India
Researchers train dogs to identify Parkinson's patients, say they can help develop diagnostic test
New Delhi: A new study has shown that dogs can be trained to identify patients with Parkinson's disease using skin swabs, suggesting the existence of biomarkers that could aid in developing diagnostic tests for this neurodegenerative disorder. Two dogs, trained to distinguish the odour between swabs of sebum -- oil secreted by skin -- taken from people with and without Parkinson's disease, showed high levels of accuracy in detecting the ageing-related neurological disorder. Researchers from the universities of Bristol and Manchester, along with Medical Detection Dogs , a UK-based charity organisation, noted that a definitive diagnostic test for the ageing-related neurological disorder remains elusive, identifying potential biomarkers could help with diagnosis and timely intervention. "This study adds to the growing body of evidence showing that simple, non-invasive skin swabs can be used to diagnose Parkinson's disease, offering a faster and more accessible method for early detection," author Perdita Barran, professor of mass spectrometry at The University of Manchester, said. Published in The Journal of Parkinson's Disease, the study involved training two dogs over 38 to 53 weeks using 205 samples of skin swabs from individuals with Parkinson's disease and those without. The samples were presented to the dogs, who were rewarded for correctly indicating a positive sample and for correctly ignoring a negative sample. The dogs achieved an accuracy rate of 80 per cent in identifying true positives - accurately recognising individuals with the condition - and over 90 per cent for true negatives - correctly identifying individuals without the condition. "These results support earlier research showing that dogs can be trained to reliably detect the smell of Parkinson's disease," the authors said. Lead author Nicola Rooney, an associate professor at the University of Bristol, said, "The dogs in this study achieved high sensitivity and specificity and showed there is an olfactory signature distinct to patients with the disease." "Sensitivity levels of 70 per cent and 80 per cent are well above chance, and I believe that dogs could help us to develop a quick, non-invasive and cost-effective method to identify patients with Parkinson's disease," Rooney noted.
New York Post
07-07-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Post
UK man challenges himself to walk barefoot for a year: ‘It's been really liberating'
Meet the man who is spending every day barefoot – for a whole year. Bear Intentions, 34, gave up his shoes and socks back in October and has been going through life barefoot ever since. The challenge is due to end this October, but to mark its completion, Bear is planning to walk 746 miles from Italy all the way to the UK. He is taking no footwear at all on the six to eight-week journey – even though he'll be crossing difficult and mountainous terrain. 5 Bear Intentions, 34, gave up his shoes and socks back in October and has been going through life barefoot ever since. Bear Intentions / SWNS But the well-being artist has become used to things not being easy over the past year. He has faced social judgment, been kicked out of supermarkets, and even nearly barred from boarding a flight, he claims. And, he's suffered from injuries – including trench foot from spending too much time in the rain and tendonitis from straining his muscles. But Bear is still positive about the challenge, which he says has been 'liberating.' 5 Bear is planning to walk 746 miles from Italy to the UK by the end of October. Bear Intentions / SWNS Bear, from the New Forest in the UK, said: 'The barefoot challenge is part of me challenging myself to live with intention – and particularly to live authentically and stand up for what I believe in. 'It's been really liberating and helped with my confidence – especially as socially it weirds people out and physically it's uncomfortable. 'And it's also helped teach me about how to choose a different path for myself. 'Admittedly, there have been some difficulties – like getting kicked out of supermarkets. 'And in May, I was in the US, and I was trying to fly from LA to New York, and they kicked me off the flight because I didn't have any shoes on. 'I had to talk to loads of people, and explain that I couldn't wear socks or shoes, and eventually they allowed me back on. 'The hardest thing though has been getting over people's looks of disgust. Because that is the main reaction.' Soon, Bear will be walking from Aosta Valley in northern Italy to London in the UK – as a way to finish off his challenge. He'll be accompanied by his dog, a four-year-old German Shepherd called Thor. Bear said: 'I wanted to do something that would mark the end of the year and help me reflect on what I've done. 'I am feeling like the odds are stacked against me though, when it comes to completing it. 'I've had injuries thanks to repetitive strain on a tendon in my foot, and that flared up recently after just a 3-mile walk. 5 'The barefoot challenge is part of me challenging myself to live with intention – and particularly to live authentically and stand up for what I believe in,' Bear said. Bear Intentions / SWNS 'I'm aiming to walk 15 miles a day – so I'm hoping I can do it.' Bear will be using his challenge to raise money for two charities: CALM and Medical Detection Dogs, which trains dogs to support people with life-threatening health conditions. 'One charity for me, one charity for Thor,' Bear said. Interestingly, this is not the first time Bear has tackled a unique year-long challenge. 5 'The hardest thing, though, has been getting over people's looks of disgust. Because that is the main reaction,' the man continued. Bear Intentions / SWNS From October 2021 to October 2022, he spent an entire year in silence – not speaking once. In the same period the following year, he wore fancy dress costumes every single day. And last year, he focused on a year of 'volunteering', where he would ask people how he could help them. Speaking about his year of silence, Bear said: 'For the first six months, I had to wake up every day and remind myself, 'Don't speak today.' 5 Bear is still positive about the challenge, which he says has been 'liberating.' Bear Intentions / SWNS 'Then, around the halfway point, it just became the norm for me. 'I actually enjoyed not speaking. I found that very peaceful. But the impact it had on being social was really intense on my mental health.' You can donate to Bear's fundraiser for CALM, and you can donate to Bear's fundraiser for Medical Detection Dogs.
