Voice control smart devices, such as Alexa, Siri, and Google Home, might hinder children’s social and emotional development, argues an expert in the use of artificial intelligence and machine learning in healthcare, in a viewpoint published online in the Archives of Disease in Childhood. These devices might have long term effects by impeding children’s critical thinking, capacity for empathy and compassion, ...
Read More »HEALTH
Frozen embryo transfers linked with high blood pressure risks in pregnancy; What is sibling comparison?
In vitro fertilization (IVF) using frozen embryos may be associated with a 74% higher risk of hypertensive disorders in pregnancy, according to new research published today in Hypertension, an American Heart Association journal. In comparison, the study found that pregnancies from fresh embryo transfers – transferring the fertilized egg immediately after in vitro fertilization (IVF) instead of a frozen, fertilized egg – ...
Read More »MIT engineers build a battery-free, wireless underwater camera; captures color photos even in unclear environment
Scientists estimate that more than 95 percent of Earth’s oceans have never been observed, which means we have seen less of our planet’s ocean than we have the far side of the moon or the surface of Mars. The high cost of powering an underwater camera for a long time, by tethering it to a research vessel or sending a ...
Read More »Immune targets for chemotherapy-resistant breast cancers identified
Scientists have identified immune cell types that could be targeted to develop specific immunotherapies in chemotherapy-resistant breast cancers. Researchers from King’s College London and The Institute of Cancer Research, London, with support from Breast Cancer Now, have performed a deep dive into the different immune markers within tumour tissues and blood samples of early breast cancer patients whose cancer failed ...
Read More »Even Viruses may have “eyes and ears” on us: New UMBC research
New UMBC-led research in Frontiers in Microbiology suggests that viruses are using information from their environment to “decide” when to sit tight inside their hosts and when to multiply and burst out, killing the host cell. The work has implications for antiviral drug development. A virus’s ability to sense its environment, including elements produced by its host, adds “another layer of complexity ...
Read More »Washable, wearable sensors made from ‘PECOTEX’ styled into t-shirts and face masks to monitor body activities
Wearable sensors styled into t-shirts and face masks Imperial researchers have embedded new low-cost sensors that monitor breathing, heart rate, and ammonia into t-shirts and face masks. Potential applications range from monitoring exercise, sleep, and stress to diagnosing and monitoring disease through breath and vital signs. Spun from a new Imperial-developed cotton-based conductive thread called PECOTEX, the sensors cost little ...
Read More »Poshan Vatikas being set up across country to provide affordable access to fruits, vegetables, medicinal plants and herbs
Under various interventions taken up by the Ministry of Women and Child Development jointly with Ministry of Ayush, close to 4.37 lakh Anganwadi Centres have set up Poshan Vatikas. Additionally, so far, 1.10 lakh medicinal saplings have also been planted across some of the selected districts of 6 States. Under ongoing Poshan Maah 2022, activities for setting-up nutri-gardens or retro-fitting ...
Read More »Tiny swimming robots sent inside mice treat deadly pneumonia successfully
Nanoengineers at the University of California San Diego have developed microscopic robots that can swim around in the lungs, deliver medication and clear up life-threatening cases of bacterial pneumonia, according to a study published in Nature Materials.. The so-called microrobots safely eliminated pneumonia-causing bacteria in the lungs and resulted in 100% survival. By contrast, untreated mice all died within three ...
Read More »Evidence that babies react to taste, smell in the womb; Carrot for “laughter-face” response, kale for “cry-face” response: Study
A study led by Durham University’s Fetal and Neonatal Research Lab, UK, took 4D ultrasound scans of 100 pregnant women to see how their unborn babies responded after being exposed to flavours from foods eaten by their mothers. Researchers looked at how the fetuses reacted to either carrot or kale flavours just a short time after the flavours had been ...
Read More »Colorful Diapers smell bad? Soon new diapers lock not just liquid but odour too: Study
Activated carbon is used in kitchen fans to eliminate food odours. A new dissertation from the University of Gothenburg shows that activated carbon could also eliminate the smell of urine from diapers. Experiments with the odour molecule p-cresol show that activated carbon, which largely consists of the carbon variant graphene, can lock in odour instead of it being released to ...
Read More »India wins UN awards for Initiative against Hypertension
In a significant achievement and recognition to country’s efforts against hypertension, India has won an UN award for its “India Hypertension Control Initiative (IHCI)”, a large-scale hypertension intervention under National Health Mission. IHCI has been recognized for its exceptional work within India’s existing primary healthcare system. Complimenting the healthcare initiative, Dr. Mansukh Mandaviya, Union Minister of Health & Family Welfare ...
Read More »Scent, sweat from human skin attract disease-spreading mosquitoes
Mosquitoes that spread Zika, dengue and yellow fever are guided toward their victims by a scent from human skin. The exact composition of that scent has not been identified until now. A UC Riverside-led team discovered that the combination of carbon dioxide plus two chemicals, 2-ketoglutaric and lactic acids, elicits a scent that causes a mosquito to locate and land ...
Read More »Not just chemotherapy, now phototherapy is here for cancer treatment [Details]
One approach to treating cancer is photodynamic therapy using photo-uncaging systems, in which light is used to activate a cancer-fighting agent in situ at the tumor. However, suitable agents must be stable under visible light, have an anti-tumor effect in low-oxygen environments, and have the ability to be activated by low-energy tissue-penetrative red light – a combination of properties that is difficult to ...
Read More »Electronic health records: Quick access to patient’s records improves patient care
When a patient gets transferred from a hospital to a nearby specialist or rehabilitation facility, it is often difficult for personnel at the new facility to access the patient’s electronic health records – which includes important patient-specific information such as their medication history and allergies. This lack of electronic compatibility often leads to wasteful and expensive duplication of tests, X-rays ...
Read More »People who are ‘night owls’ face greater risk of diabetes: Study
Are you an early bird or a night owl? Our sleep cycles could influence our risk of diseases, such as type 2 diabetes and heart disease, said a new study published in Experimental Physiology. As sleep cycles cause metabolic differences and alter our body’s preference for energy sources, those who stay up later have a reduced ability to use fat ...
Read More »Facemask can detect coronavirus in air droplets or from infected person; wearers gets alert via smartphone[Details]
Scientists have created a face mask that can detect common respiratory viruses, including influenza and the coronavirus, in the air in droplets or aerosols. The highly sensitive mask, presented September 19 in the journal Matter, can alert the wearers via their mobile devices within 10 minutes if targeted pathogens are present in the surrounding air. “Previous research has shown face mask ...
Read More »Take a deep breath, your smartphone could help measure blood oxygen levels at home [Details]
First, pause and take a deep breath. When we breathe in, our lungs fill with oxygen, which is distributed to our red blood cells for transportation throughout our bodies. Our bodies need a lot of oxygen to function, and healthy people have at least 95% oxygen saturation all the time. Conditions like asthma or COVID-19 make it harder for bodies ...
Read More »What’s Lass fever? Death toll reaches 171 in Nigeria, 917 active cases, 6,660 suspected
An acute viral hemorrhagic illness caused by the Lassa virus, the Lassa fever in Nigeria this year has risen to 171, despite measures by the government to reduce infections across the country, the Nigeria Center for Disease Control (NCDC) said. In its latest Lassa fever situation report, the NCDC said there have been a total of 917 confirmed cases, with ...
Read More »Covid update: India logs 4,858 new Covid-19 cases, 18 deaths
Sep 19 (IANS) In the last 24 hours, India logged 4,858 new Covid-19 cases and 18 deaths, the Union Health Ministry said on Monday. The new fatalities have pushed the nationwide death toll to 5,28,355. The active caseload rose to 48,027, accounting for 0.11 per cent of the country’s total positive cases. The recovery of 4,735 patients in the last 24 ...
Read More »Daily 4 cups of black or green or Oolong tea can cut diabetes risk by 17%
Sep 18 (IANS) A moderate consumption of black, green or Oolong (traditional Chinese drink) tea is linked to a lower risk of developing type 2 diabetes, a study involving over a million adults from eight countries has revealed. The findings suggest that drinking at least four cups of tea a day is associated with a 17 per cent lower risk of ...
Read More »