Medicine & Healthcare

Cells translate their genetic material at rapid rates with exquisite precision to reproduce, repair damage or even combat disease. But the process can deregulate and give rise to disease. Byproducts of errant processes can build up like gunk in the gears, especially around neurons, breaking down the repair mechanisms and causing further damage and even neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer’s disease.

The nutritional status of children under five in Sri Lanka has not shown a significant improvement for the last 20 years. It has also been lagging behind most of the other health and social indicators on children. IPS research shows that household income, inadequate nutrient intake, breastfeeding practices, mothers’ education, etc., play a major role in child undernutrition in Sri Lanka. Moreover, given significant losses in household income experienced at the hands of the COVID-19 pandemic, nutrient intake may have declined further over the past year. As such, it would be a challenging task for health planners to develop effective strategies to minimise undernutrition among children under five years. This article highlights some of the facts contributing to child undernutrition in Sri Lanka and suggests ways to address this critical issue.

Researchers from Osaka City University show the benefits of mixing alginic acid with calcium phosphate cement (CPC), a common bone replacement material, with in vitro and in vivo studies. The biopolymer is shown to improve the setting time and compressive strength of CPC, as well as help it acquire porosity – which allows cells to enter the defected area and grow new bone.

An injection made of a hydrogel containing stem cells could treat damaged tissue following a heart attack.

People with autism spectrum disorder interpret facial expressions differently. A group of Tohoku University researchers have revealed more about how this comes to be. They induced abnormalities into a neural network model to explore the effects on the brain’s learning development.

Testing a large library of compounds reveals an easy-to-make lipid that can carry genetic code into the lung to treat disease.

Researchers have shown that postpartum depression can inhibit a mother’s ability to instill healthy tooth brushing habits in children. The study demonstrates the need to foster greater mental support and management for mothers and incorporate these factors when assessing children’s oral health.

Magnetic field could boost blood vessel growth to regenerate damaged tissue.

A study showed braces that give our smiles a makeover could also transform oral microflora to a pre-gum disease state. Now scientists plan to use their findings to prevent this from happening.

Scientists have developed a rapid, highly accurate test to detect antibodies against the spike protein of SARS-CoV-2 in human serum, opening a new avenue for understanding the full extent of the pandemic and evaluating the effectiveness of vaccines.

Researchers have found a way to enhance radiation therapy using novel iodine nanoparticles.

Babies younger than four weeks old, called neonates, were once thought not to perceive pain due to not-yet-fully-developed sensory systems, but modern research says otherwise, according to researchers from Hiroshima University in Japan.

Our brain has no lymphatic system; however, it does have fluid flow, which is believed to play a role in removing waste from the brain. However, the fluid's point of origin and fluid flow is still unclear. The “multi-scale stable isotopes imaging” project in Hokkaido University aims to solve this mystery using advanced technology. “We would not have been able to perform this study without Hokkaido University’s MRI technology and the isotope microscope,” said the project’s PI, Professor Kohsuke Kudo of the Department of Radiology, Faculty of Medicine.

Researchers analyze bone marrow-derived and peripheral blood-derived fibrin clots showing that the former contains more growth factors. They then show that bone marrow-derived fibrin clots can be used for meniscus suturing, even in the inner-most avascular regions, and with a 2-year post-operative follow-up, they show bone marrow-derived fibrin clots support healing better than their peripheral blood counterparts.

Japanese and Zambian scientists have shown that environmental lead poisoning in children affects not only their own health and wellbeing, but the vitality and mental health of their mothers, as well.

Researchers have identified a new treatment candidate that appears to not only halt neurodegenerative symptoms in mouse models of dementia and Alzheimer’s disease, but also reverse the effects of the disorders. The treatment candidate has been declared safe by Japan’s governing board, and the researchers plan to begin clinical trials in humans in the next year.

The inaugural virtual edition of Singapore Health and Biomedical Congress will be held on 7 & 8 October 2021. Register and submit abstracts now.

Participants competed in 17 categories covering the entire spectrum from prevention to tracking, individual to group technologies and ideas, business concept to humanitarian efforts.

Researchers from Osaka City University find that when the larva nematode C. elegans is fed a diet of Bacillus subtilis var. natto, a bacteria used to ferment soy beans into the traditional Japanese food natto, upon reaching adulthood these worms are able to survive infections from the gram-positive bacteria Staphylococcus aureus and Enterococcus faecalis longer than when fed a standard diet of non-pathogenic E. coli.

A signalling protein thought to be able to treat liver damage in paracetamol toxicity could actually worsen it. Instead, Singapore scientists discovered, blocking its effects could be the way forward.

Cryo-electron microscopy and computer simulations uncover how a cellular protein helps transport omega-3 fatty acids to the brain and eye, with implications for drug development.

This is an opinion piece by Associate Professor Dr Loh Siew Yim (Malaysia), Dr Gail Boniface (UK), Professor Sharon Britnell (Canada).

A team of scientists has shown that the healing of skin blisters is driven by hair follicle stem cells, which delay their own development in the process.

Malaysia Technology Expo (MTE) 2021 – COVID-19 International Innovation Awards returns from 14-18 June 2021 with a virtual show, allowing immersive experience for visitors with live interactions.

The devastating Great East Japan Earthquake on March 11, 2011 displaced some 500,000 people to evacuation shelters. A research team that conducted regular visits to shelters to assess their status and inhabitants well-being have analyzed their data and found that about half of shelters had inadequate clean tap water and toilets, leading to worsening health outcomes for inhabitants.

Scientists from Hokkaido University have shown that an antigen-based test for quantifying SARS-CoV-2 in saliva samples is simple, rapid, and more conducive for mass-screening.

Dr. Kazuhiro Ohtani is a certified public psychologist and a lecturer at Hokkaido University’s Graduate School of Education. His main research interest is the academic motivations of Japanese students, especially adolescents. He believes that children in the age range of puberty are more prone to depression, which often leads to the loss of academic motivation.

Revelations from a fly study could improve our understanding of protein malnutrition in humans.

A simple tool allows researchers to track how different subpopulations of the Plasmodium knowlesi parasite are changing over time.

A spinning toy meets hydrodynamics and sets point-of-care diagnostics in motion.