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Heavy water tastes sweet

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Ordinary pure water has no distinct taste, but how about heavy water – does it taste sweet, as anecdotal evidence going back to 1930s may have indicated? And if yes – why, when D2O is chemically practically identical to H2O, of which it is a stable naturally-occurring isotope?

These questions arose shortly after heavy water was isolated almost 100 years ago, but they had not been satisfactorily answered until now.

Now, researchers Pavel Jungwirth and Phil Mason with students Carmelo Tempra and Victor Cruces Chamorro at the Institute of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry of the Czech Academy of Sciences (IOCB Prague), together with the group of Masha Niv at the Hebrew University and Maik Behrens at the Technical University of Munich, found answers to these questions using molecular dynamics simulations, cell-based experiments, mouse models, and human subjects. [Read more…] about Heavy water tastes sweet

Japanese consumers more concerned about gene-editing of livestock than of vegetables, survey shows

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A statistically rigorous survey of Japanese consumers has found that they have more negative opinions about the use of new gene-editing techniques on livestock than they do about use of the same technologies on vegetables.

The survey findings were reported in the journal BMC CABI Agriculture and Bioscience on March 31st, 2021.

Because humans tend to feel closer to animals than plants, and commonly express feelings regarding animal welfare but not plant welfare, the researchers, led by Naoko Kato-Nitta, a research scientist at Tokyo’s Joint Support Center for Data Science Research and Institute of Statistical Mathematics, wanted to see if such moral or taxonomic distinctions would produce any difference in their attitudes towards use of emerging gene-editing techniques such as CRISPR-Cas9. [Read more…] about Japanese consumers more concerned about gene-editing of livestock than of vegetables, survey shows

Keep pace: Walking with a partner is great but might slow you down

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If you walk with your spouse or partner on a regular basis, you might want to speed up. Or tell them to.

A new study by Purdue University nursing, health and kinesiology, and human development and family studies researchers shows that couples often decreased their speed when walking together. Speed further decreased if they were holding hands.

The study looked at walking times and gait speeds of 141 individuals from 72 couples. The participants ranged from age 25-79 and were in numerous settings, including clear or obstacle-filled pathways, walking together, walking together holding hands and walking individually. [Read more…] about Keep pace: Walking with a partner is great but might slow you down

Experimental hearing implant succeeds in registering brain waves

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Researchers at KU Leuven (Belgium) have succeeded for the first time in measuring brain waves directly via a cochlear implant.

These brainwaves indicate in an objective way how good or bad a person’s hearing is. The research results are important for the further development of smart hearing aids.

A cochlear implant enables people with severe hearing loss to hear again. An audiologist adjusts the device based on the user’s input, but this is not always easy. [Read more…] about Experimental hearing implant succeeds in registering brain waves

New hydrogel halves recovery time from muscle injuries

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A team from the Universitat Politècnica de València (UPV) and the CIBER Bioengineering, Biomaterials and Nanomedicine (CIBER-BBN) has designed and tested, at a preclinical level, a new biomaterial for the treatment and recovery of muscle injuries.

It is a boron-loaded alginate hydrogel, which would be administered with a subcutaneous injection. According to the tests carried out so far -in animal models-, it is capable of regenerating damaged muscle very rapidly -specifically, in half the time it takes for it to regenerate naturally.

The scientific advance could also be applied to the prevention and treatment of muscle atrophy associated with aging. The results of the work of these Spanish researchers have been published in the journal Materials Science & Engineering C. [Read more…] about New hydrogel halves recovery time from muscle injuries

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  • Less sugar, please! New studies show low glucose levels might assist muscle repair
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    Less sugar, please! New studies show low glucose levels might assist muscle repairResearchers from Tokyo Metropolitan University have shown that skeletal muscle satellite cells, key players in muscle repair, proliferate better in low glucose environments. This is contrary to conventional wisdom that says mammalian cells fare better when there is more sugar to fuel their activities. Because ultra-low glucose environments do not…
    Tags: cells, muscle, team, health

Less sugar, please! New studies show low glucose levels might assist muscle repair

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Researchers from Tokyo Metropolitan University have shown that skeletal muscle satellite cells, key players in muscle repair, proliferate better in low glucose environments. This is contrary to conventional wisdom that says mammalian cells fare better when there is more sugar to fuel their activities.

Because ultra-low glucose environments do not allow other cell types to proliferate, the team could produce pure cultures of satellite cells, potentially a significant boost for biomedical research.

Healthy muscles are an important part of a healthy life. With the wear and tear of everyday use, our muscles continuously repair themselves to keep them in top condition. In recent years, scientists have begun to understand how muscle repair works at the cellular level. [Read more…] about Less sugar, please! New studies show low glucose levels might assist muscle repair

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  • Better diet and glucose uptake in the brain lead to longer life in fruit flies
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    Better diet and glucose uptake in the brain lead to longer life in fruit fliesResearchers from Tokyo Metropolitan University have discovered that fruit flies with genetic modifications to enhance glucose uptake have significantly longer lifespans. Looking at the brain cells of aging flies, they found that better glucose uptake compensates for age-related deterioration in motor functions, and led to longer life. The effect was…
    Tags: glucose, cells, life, health
  • Disposable surgical masks best for being heard clearly when speaking, study finds
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    Disposable surgical masks best for being heard clearly when speaking, study findsResearcher Ryan Corey recently heard from a friend who teaches at a school where some of the students have hearing loss. The friend wanted to know if he had any ideas to help her communicate with these students while wearing a mask to slow the spread of Covid-19. Corey, who…
    Tags: life, health, uncategorized
  • How to prevent and treat high blood pressure with exercise
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    How to prevent and treat high blood pressure with exerciseThe first personalised advice on the most effective exercise to lower blood pressure is published today in the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology, a journal of the European Society of Cardiology (ESC). The ESC consensus document recommends specific activities according to an individual's current blood pressure level. One in four heart…
    Tags: life, health, uncategorized
  • New hydrogel halves recovery time from muscle injuries
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    New hydrogel halves recovery time from muscle injuriesA team from the Universitat Politècnica de València (UPV) and the CIBER Bioengineering, Biomaterials and Nanomedicine (CIBER-BBN) has designed and tested, at a preclinical level, a new biomaterial for the treatment and recovery of muscle injuries. It is a boron-loaded alginate hydrogel, which would be administered with a subcutaneous injection.…
    Tags: muscle, cells, team, health

How Fortnite and Zelda can up your surgical game (no joke!)

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Video games offer students obvious respite from the stresses of studies and, now, a study from a University of Ottawa medical student has found they could benefit surgical skills training.

Arnav Gupta carries a heavy course load as a third-year student in the Faculty of Medicine, so winding down with a game of Legend of Zelda always provides relief from the rigorous of study.

But Zelda may be helping improve his surgical education, too, as Gupta and a team of researchers from the University of Toronto found in a paper they recently published in the medical journal Surgery. [Read more…] about How Fortnite and Zelda can up your surgical game (no joke!)

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  • Mobile game that uses implicit learning improved children's short-term food choices
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    Mobile game that uses implicit learning improved children's short-term food choicesRates of overweight and obesity in children are rising around the world, with serious long-term consequences for health and health care costs. In prior research, video and mobile games have helped children eat healthier and exercise more. A new study examined how Indian 10- and 11-year-olds' food choices were affected…
    Tags: game, study, health, games, video, university
  • Program to improve outcomes for surgery for older patients shows promise
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    Program to improve outcomes for surgery for older patients shows promisePeople age 65 years and older account for 40 percent of inpatient operations and one-third of outpatient procedures, and these older patients are more vulnerable to longer hospital stays and other complications after surgery than younger patients. A beta test of a program for older adults who undergo major surgery…
    Tags: surgery, surgical, study, news, health

New method uses smartphone cameras to measure pulse, breathing rate and could help telehealth

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Telehealth has become a critical way for doctors to still provide health care while minimizing in-person contact during Covid-19. But with phone or Zoom appointments, it’s harder for doctors to get important vital signs from a patient, such as their pulse or respiration rate, in real time.

A University of Washington-led team has developed a method that uses the camera on a person’s smartphone or computer to take their pulse and respiration signal from a real-time video of their face. The researchers presented this state-of-the-art system in December at the Neural Information Processing Systems conference.

Now the team is proposing a better system to measure these physiological signals. This system is less likely to be tripped up by different cameras, lighting conditions or facial features, such as skin color. The researchers will present these findings April 8 at the ACM Conference on Health, Interference, and Learning. [Read more…] about New method uses smartphone cameras to measure pulse, breathing rate and could help telehealth

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  • Making health care more personal
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    Making health care more personalThe health care system today largely focuses on helping people after they have problems. When they do receive treatment, it’s based on what has worked best on average across a huge, diverse group of patients. Now the company Health at Scale is making health care more proactive and personalized –…
    Tags: health, care, people

Unique AI method for generating proteins will speed up drug development

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Artificial Intelligence is now capable of generating novel, functionally active proteins, thanks to recently published work by researchers from Chalmers University of Technology, Sweden.

“What we are now able to demonstrate offers fantastic potential for a number of future applications, such as faster and more cost-efficient development of protein-based drugs,” says Aleksej Zelezniak, Associate Professor at the Department of Biology and Biological Engineering at Chalmers.

Proteins are large, complex molecules that play a crucial role in all living cells, building, modifying, and breaking down other molecules naturally inside our cells. They are also widely used in industrial processes and products, and in our daily lives. [Read more…] about Unique AI method for generating proteins will speed up drug development

Researchers discover why cold induces tooth pain and hypersensitivity — and how to stop it

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Researchers report in Science Advances that they have uncovered a new function for odontoblasts, the cells that form dentin, the shell beneath the tooth’s enamel that encases the soft dental pulp containing nerves and blood vessels.

“We found that odontoblasts, which support the shape of the tooth, are also responsible for sensing cold,” says pathologist Jochen Lennerz, MD, PhD, one of the paper’s senior authors and medical director of the Center for Integrated Diagnostics at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH).

“This research contributes a new function to this cell, which is exciting from a basic-science standpoint. But we now also know how to interfere with this cold-sensing function to inhibit dental pain.” [Read more…] about Researchers discover why cold induces tooth pain and hypersensitivity — and how to stop it