August 26th, 2010 by Medgadget in Better Health Network, News, Research
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Currently, once a donated organ has been harvested it only has a few hours on ice before it “expires.” Lengthening this time period would be an incredible breakthrough that would allow patients in a wider area to potentially receive a transplant and also it would reduce some of the insanity surrounding the time pressures of organ transplantation.
One proposed method of extending an organ’s shelf life is to alter the internal cell biology to allow cells to live longer at lower temperatures. The State University of New Jersey Rutgers-Camden just received a $385,419 grant from the NIH to study an enzyme system, AMP phosphatase, and how it can potentially create cold-tolerant Drosophila. The enzyme was originally identified in ice worms as the key enzyme that allows them to survive in glaciers. The researchers hope that if they are able to utilize this enzyme system to create a cold-tolerant fruit fly, then they would be able to apply that knowledge to donated organs. Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at Medgadget*
August 24th, 2010 by Medgadget in Better Health Network, News, Research
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Antioxidants are important substances that prevent free radicals from damaging cells, and potatoes contain substantial amounts of them.
However, researchers from Obihiro University in Japan thought that more would be better and have developed some innovative methods of boosting the potato’s antioxidant content. By immersing the potatoes in water or salt and subsequently applying ultrasound or electricity for 5 to 30 minutes, they increased the amounts of antioxidants by as much as 50 percent. Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at Medgadget*
August 22nd, 2010 by Medgadget in Better Health Network, Health Tips, News, Research
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Many women will tell you that large breasts are an impediment to exercise, both in terms of discomfort and embarrassment. According to a study of 20 women with C+ breasts in Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise (MSSE), sports bras which provide breast encapsulation, compression, and elevation (whereas traditional sports bras only provide compression and encapsulation) are more comfortable during physical activity.
Breast motion tracking was done via “infrared light-emitting diodes (2-mm diameter)…placed directly on both nipples under each bra using double-sided surgical tape, as the nipples have been found to be the best indicator of vertical breast displacement.” Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at Medgadget*
August 20th, 2010 by Medgadget in Better Health Network, Health Tips, News
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Medtronic MiniMed has recently released a new educational game for kids and young adults that takes them through an educational tour to learn how to deal with foods when you have diabetes.
A rep for the company tells Medgadget:
Called Carb Counting with Lenny, it’s offered for free download on the Apple iTunes App Store for the iPhone, iTouch and iPad. It’s great for parents (and even adults with diabetes have enjoyed it too), as the app features a guide presenting nutritious food choices with associated serving sizes and carbohydrate values. The other key components of the app are fun, interactive games that help reinforce carb counting skills and keep children engaged. And just in case you are not fully familiar with Lenny the Lion, he is a global ambassador for children’s diabetes education.
What’s more, there’s a contest with prizes for those who can beat Lenny at the app’s carb counting games.
Link: Carb Counting with Lenny!
Contest Rules….
*This blog post was originally published at Medgadget*
August 19th, 2010 by Medgadget in Better Health Network, News, Research
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The UK supermarket chain Sainsbury’s is running a trial with two different drug vending machines in two of its West Sussex stores. Basically you can drop your prescription at the machine, the pharmacy will collect the prescriptions and deliver the medications which you can later pick up.
As the machines are placed in stores with an in-store pharmacy service, the only benefit seems to be the lack of face-to-face contact (for those people who consider that a benefit). The trial will run for a year after which it will be decided whether they will be rolled out across all of England. Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at Medgadget*
