Health

News

14 Jun 2024
Asia Research News monitors the latest research news in Asia. Some highlights that caught our attention this week are how drug-resistant bacteria survive in space, omnipresent microplastics, and a glowing treatment for brain tumors.
07 Jun 2024
Asia Research News monitors the latest research news in Asia. Some highlights that caught our attention this week are new biomarkers for fish, quantum theory showing fewer black holes, and how complaining can be beneficial.
Asia Research News Editors Choice
07 Jun 2024
Blue energy future, Off switch for brain cells, New Japanese lily species, Generative AI in motion, Economies take off with new airports and Braille-shaped electrodes for retinal implants. Read all in the latest Editor's Choice. Plus SciCom Coffee with Catriona Child.
04 Jun 2024
Groundbreaking research from Duke-NUS offers new hope to millions with asthma and severe food allergies, signalling a new strategy for the prevention of life-threatening reactions.
01 Jun 2024
The largest graduating class in Duke-NUS’ history saw 90 graduates, including the first-ever Master of International Translational Medicine cohort, receive their degrees. Collectively, this cohort published 99 academic publications, underscoring Duke-NUS’ role as a leader in innovation and academic rigour in medical education. Celebrating diverse pathways to a career in healthcare, the graduates’ first degrees reflect diverse backgrounds, including architecture, communication studies and engineering, among others.
31 May 2024
Asia Research News monitors the latest research news in Asia. Some highlights that caught our attention this week are how to analyze sweat without getting sweaty, man’s best (robot) friends, and a satellite made from an innovative material: wood.
Diagram of educational program
31 May 2024
Online group discussions, active learning help sustain healthy habits among countryside residents
27 May 2024
• International study, led by researchers in Singapore and Germany, unveils unexpected mechanisms of SGLT2 inhibitors, challenging the assumption that their beneficial, organ-protective effects stem from a diuretic effect. • Insights suggest the drugs, which have been developed to treat diabetes but are meanwhile widely used for chronic kidney disease and heart failure, trigger ancient and highly conserved evolutionary survival signals that may also contribute to longer healthspans.
24 May 2024
Asia Research News monitors the latest research news in Asia. Some highlights that caught our attention this week are how catching up on sleep in big chunks does not completely pay our sleep debt, a biodegradable paper placed on the brain to help with neurological diseases, and a dinosaur that shows the transition between scales and feathers.
24 May 2024
New genetic tool developed by Duke-NUS could help investigate brain function and psychiatric disorders.
23 May 2024
Harpswell’s sixth ASEAN Women’s Leadership Summit will kick-off in Penang on June 1, 2024.
More accurate detection method
22 May 2024
Novel real-time PCR method might become diagnostic tool targeting emerging bacterium responsible for food poisoning outbreaks
The Achilles tendon of a rat is irradiated with non-thermal atmospheric-pressure plasma.
20 May 2024
Promising results of helium plasma jet therapy on rats after surgery widen scope of method’s medical applications
17 May 2024
Asia Research News monitors the latest research news in Asia. Some highlights that caught our attention this week are how negative rumors affect children, a new fiber-sorting method, and an ancient Egyptian “anomaly”.
Graphical abstract: Health Expenditure Impact of Opening a New Public Transport Station: A Natural Experiment of JR-Sojiji Station in Japan
13 May 2024
Time series data and causal impact algorithm reveal the effectiveness of a new transit station over a four-year period
10 May 2024
Asia Research News monitors the latest research news in Asia. Some highlights that caught our attention this week are the lifespan of different cat breeds, the possibility of regrowing teeth, and how small creatures can help maintain our environments.
08 May 2024
Using image-based deep learning and dynamic shape classification techniques, SUTD researchers developed a novel method of checking red blood cell deformability that is less invasive, more cost-effective, more sensitive, and has higher throughput.
08 May 2024
Four delegates attending the International Network for Governmental Science Advice (INGSA) meeting in Kigali, Rwanda (1-2 May) share their work to ensure trusted science advice is integrated into decision-making and government policy.
08 May 2024
Researchers undertook a study of older adults to examine the connection between a sense of economic insecurity and a person’s participation in social activities.
26 Apr 2024
Our brains are truly miraculous. They can process vast swathes of information with very little energy supply. One of the many ways our brain may do this is through dilation of blood vessels, which enhances energy circulation and clears wasteful materials. A research team has recently developed a method that easily observes and monitors this phenomenon.
25 Apr 2024
Academic, clinical and industry partners signed several MoUs with City University of Hong Kong at a special ceremony on 24 April to mark the establishment of the CityUHK Institute of Digital Medicine (IDM).
Estimated mortality and economic impacts of enhanced Siberian wildfires through air pollution for selected East Asian countries and Russian administrative districts under the present climate condition with the most extreme wildfire scenario estimated by the modeling. (Teppei J. Yasunari, et al. Earth’s Future. April 24, 2024)
24 Apr 2024
As wildfires in Siberia become more common, global climate modeling estimates significant impacts on climate, air quality, health, and economies in East Asia and across the northern hemisphere.
24 Apr 2024
The enzyme PI3K plays a critical role in cell migration. Scientists have long understood this function. But researchers have recently unveiled that a subunit of this enzyme also has the ability to slam on the breaks to this process.
24 Apr 2024
Researchers from Osaka University examined how specific types of contextual changes, such as government recommendations and perceived behavior of others, influenced mask-wearing behavior during the COVID-19 pandemic. They found a complex relationship between societal norms and individual behavior during the pandemic, indicating that future strategies for public health crises interventions should consider various factors and contexts, including cultural predispositions.
Native bacteria metabolize sweat in the armpits, causing odor to arise.
22 Apr 2024
Bacteriophage therapy could be developed based on study’s results
19 Apr 2024
When epileptic patients suffer seizures, their brain is undergoing repetitive and excessive neuronal firing. But what triggers this has stumped scientists for years. Now, researchers have used fluorescence calcium sensors to track astrocytes' role in epileptic seizures, finding that that astrocyte activity starts approximately 20 seconds before the onset of epileptic neuronal hyperactivity.
Effect of plasma irradiation on broken bone
16 Apr 2024
Aiming to reduce fracture recovery times, an Osaka Metropolitan University-led research group is focusing on plasma irradiation as a treatment method
15 Apr 2024
A recent study by Tohoku University researchers has shed light on the association between dairy product consumption and odd-number carbon chain fatty acids (odd-FA) within the Japanese population, a correlation previously confirmed in Europe and Oceania but understudied in Asian countries.
12 Apr 2024
Asia Research News monitors the latest research news in Asia. Some highlights that caught our attention this week are a floating platform that needs no energy, how shredding your anger can make you feel better, and an automatic lid that can help reduce bacteria in your bathroom.
11 Apr 2024
Duke-NUS study reveals why some pancreatic and colorectal tumours resist targeted anti-Wnt drugs and suggests how to overcome it, offering new hope to patients with fully treatment-resistant cancers

Events

02 Oct 2019
Launching on 2nd October 2019 in Singapore
13 Jan 2020
Duxes is pleased to announce the launch of the Smart Wearable Device Asia Pacific Summit 2020 (SWAP), that will take place in Shenzhen, China. January 13-14. This upcoming event aims to meet the latest demands of companies in the smart wearable device market, shedding light on current hot topics, industry concerns and the latest innovations.
07 Oct 2019
Tracks include: Sustainability & Growth; Patient Experience; Unlocking the Value of AI; Value-based Care.
24 Sep 2019
The leading event that brings together Asia’s pharmaceutical companies and supplies all in one place

Researchers

Duke-NUS Medical School
Picture of Prof. David Bruce Matchar
Prof Matchar's research relates to clinical practice improvement - from the development of clinical policies to their implementation in real world clinical settings
Duke-NUS Medical School
Picture of Prof. Gavin James Smith
Prof Smith’s research programme primarily investigates the ecology and evolution of zoonotic viruses and the molecular epidemiology of human respiratory pathogens.
Duke-NUS Medical School
Prof. Ooi Eng Eong
Professor Ooi Eng Eong is a clinician-scientist by training and his research on dengue is positioned at the interface between clinical epidemiology, virology and immunology. His laboratory is interested in how antibodies either protect against or enhance dengue virus infection and what viral factors influence epidemic dengue activity.
Hiroshima University
Yohei Kawano is currently and Associate Professor at the Department of Immunology, Graduate School of Biomedical and Health Sciences, Hiroshima University.
Hiroshima University
Prof. Kiyomi Shitaoka's research aims to obtain effective antibody genes and T cell receptor genes by single-cell analysis of B cell and T cell receptors on lymphocytes. In addition, to apply these genes to develop new treatments for overcoming infectious diseases and cancer.
Duke-NUS Medical School
Picture of Semra Ozdemir Van Dyk
Semra Ozdemir is an Assistant Professor at Lien Centre for Palliative Care and the Signature Programme in Health Services and Systems Research, Duke-NUS. Her main research areas are medical decision making and health economics
Hong Kong Baptist University (HKBU)
Picture of Dr. Ren Kangning
Dr. Ken is currently an assistant professor in the department of Chemistry at HKBU. His current research interests center on advanced analytical chemistry technologies, with particular emphasis on creating and applying novel instrumental analysis technologies based on microfluidics and materials engineering.
Hiroshima University
Prof. Tomoharu Yasuda
Prof. Tomoharu Yasuda's laboratory studies how immune system is regulated through the antigen receptor, intracellular signaling and lymphocyte programming.
Dr. Yuichi Ohya
Dr Yuichi Ohya’s research fields are functional polymers and biomaterials, especially biodegradable polymers and drug delivery systems.
Monash University
Dr Yap is currently a senior lecturer and course coordinator for the Bachelor of Medical Bioscience at Monash University Malaysia. She is dedicated to toxin pharmacology and toxicology research. She has strong background in biomolecular modelling, proteomics, immunological and molecular pharmacology of bioactive toxins. She leads the Toxin Pharmacology Research Group. Her research group now focuses on molecular mechanisms of cytotoxin with the ultimate goal of developing next-generation biotherapeutics. Her research works have been featured in prominent media outlets, including the International Snakebite Awareness Day campaign. Besides active in research, she is also an education innovator who adopts various active learning strategies with technology. She teaches undergraduate units with an emphasis on student-cantered learning using the andragogy approach. Dr Michelle enjoys promoting STEM education to the public. She has organized and hosted several workshops and forums to advance the disciplines in medical sciences through research and education.
Dr. Indika Neluwa-Liyanage is a lecturer in Biochemistry at the Faculty of Medical Sciences of University of Sri Jayewardenepura. His research focuses on the metabolic alterations underlying autism spectrum disorders and inherited metabolic disorders.
Dr. Mohammed N. Abdulrazaq is currently an Assoc. Prof. at Department of Engineering & Technology, Management & Science University (MSU), Malaysia.
Universiti Malaysia Sabah
Dr. Connie Cassy Ompok is an early childhood education expert and a Senior Lecturer at the Faculty of Psychology and Education, Universiti Malaysia Sabah. She Started her career in Early Childhood Education as a preschool teacher (2004-2007), a lecturer in early childhood education at the Malaysian Institute of Teacher Education (2008-2016) before serving as a Senior Lecturer in Early Childhood Education at UMS (2016 until now).
University of Malaya
Assoc Prof Dr Loh Siew Yim is a senior lecturer at the faculty of Medicine in University of Malaya, Malaysia Her research interest is cancer survivorship, and behavioural medicine .
Earth-Life Science Institute (ELSI), Tokyo Institute of Technology
Tony Z. Jia is a researcher at Japan’s Earth-Life Science Institute (ELSI), based at the Tokyo Institute of Technology. His research focuses on astrobiology, prebiotic chemistry, and origins of life.
Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology (UNIST)
Yoon-Kyoung Cho is currently a group leader in the Center for Soft and Living Matter at the Institute for Basic Science (IBS) and a full professor in the Department of Biomedical Engineering at Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology (UNIST) in the Republic of Korea.
Prof. Khader has spent more than 30 years researching economic empowerment of Rural, Farm, Fisher and Tribal Women. Gender aspects underpins her research on livelihoods, food and nutrition security, growth and well-being of community.
University of Malaya
Picture of Durriyyah Sharifah Hasan Adli
The Neuroscience Research Group is a multi-disciplinary team investigating the nervous system. They are focusing on animal behavioral models for memory in the laboratory. They are studying the effects of food, such as Habbatus Sauda/Black cumin (Nigella sativa) and honey, on brain microstructures and memory. They also compare Islamic and neuroscience perspectives on issues like learning and sleep for children with and without autism spectrum disorders.
Picture of Priyanka Jayawardena
Priyanka Jayawardena is a Research Economist with research interests in skills and education, demographics, health, and labour markets. Priyanka has around 15 years of research experience at IPS. She has worked as a consultant to international organisations including World Bank, ADB and UNICEF. She has conducted numerous research studies relating to the human resource development in Sri Lanka for a variety of development partners and various government ministries. Her research has been published in peer reviewed national and international journals and book chapters. She holds a BSc (Hons) specialised in Statistics and an MA in Economics, both from the University of Colombo.
Picture of Sunimalee Madurawala
Sunimalee’s research interests include health economics, gender and population studies. She holds a BA (Economic Special) degree with a first class and a Masters in Economics (MEcon) degree from the University of Colombo, Sri Lanka.
A Tenured Professor at the Institute of Space Technology (Pakistan), Dr. Shabbir is working on Polymer based Nanomaterials for food safety, nano-drug delivery systems, water treatment, solar cells and carbon dioxide capture.
Duke-NUS Medical School
Eric Finkelstein is a Professor of the Programme in Health Services & Systems Research and the Executive Director of the Lien Centre for Palliative Care at the Duke-NUS Medical School, Singapore. He also holds appointments at NUS School of Public Health and Duke University Global Health Institute.
My current research is generally on the bioactive compounds, antioxidant and antimicrobial properties especially from agricultural by-product. Recently, I have found that these agricultural by-product has a promising potential to be used as biopesticide. They are not expensive, practical and will not significantly affect the environment and human health.
Women leadership to support access of sexual and reproductive health issues and stunting for women and youth very important issues in Indonesia as well as violence against women and stop child marriage. Particularly in Indonesia religious issues and culture are important to be stressed in these issues besides government policy.
Nanyang Technological University
The prospect of favorably influencing brain health through dietary habits has gained much interest. My research interest explores the therapeutic potential of functional foods and phytonutrients as neuroprotectants against mitochondrial diseases and cerebral toxoplasmosis. The scientific findings support nutritional intervention as a viable strategy for the management of human brain disorders.
National University of Singapore
Picture of Audrey Chia
I work at the intersection of Business, Medicine and Environment. Many of the world’s current problems are best addressed from multiple perspectives. I examine issues ranging from sustainable development, pandemics, diversity, environment, social innovation and philanthropy, and suggest how we can do better.
I am an Assistant Professor in Health Services Policy and Management at the University of South Carolina Arnold School of Public Health, US. As a health services researcher and a rural health advocate, I am driven to advance rural health equity via productive, insightful research collaborations. My work applies global and hyper-local perspectives (rural-urban, county-level, state-level variations) building statistical models to examine rural healthcare delivery on outcomes, access, and welfare of women.
So Yeon Leem is a professor at Sookmyung Women’s University, South Korea, and an expert in Women in STEM and cosmetic surgery practices in the country.
Ms. Mira Adhikari is a nursing faculty member on Pokhara Nursing Campus, Institute of Medicine, Tribhuvan University, Nepal. She has a rich experience of over 15 years in this profession.
Mais Aljunaidy
Dr. Mais Aljunaidy is an expert in women's mental health and an instructor at the Department of Psychology, Bilkent University, Turkey.

Giants in history

Filipina paediatrician and scientist Perla Santos-Ocampo (25 July 1931 – 29 June 2012) made important contributions to treatments and policies that curbed debilitating and sometimes deadly diarrhoea-related diseases and malnutrition in children.
Singaporean physician Oon Chiew Seng (1916 – 31 March 2022) advanced dementia care and research in Singapore, and co-founded the Apex Harmony Lodge, the nation’s first nursing home for residents with dementia.
Vietnamese surgeon Tôn Thất Tùng (10 May 1912 – 7 May 1982) developed a pioneering technique that reduced the risks and mortality rate of liver operations.
Chinese biochemist Chi Che Wang (1894 - 1979), one of the first Chinese women to study abroad, advanced to prominent research positions at American institutions including the University of Chicago and the Northwestern University Medical School.
Ruby Sakae Hirose (1904 – 1960) was a Japanese-American scientist whose research contributed significantly to our understanding of blood clotting, allergies and cancer.
Flora Zaibun Majid ( 1939–2018) was an accomplished Bangladeshi researcher in botany and nutrition science and the first female chairperson of the Bangladesh Council of Scientific and Industrial Research.
Iranian physician and bacteriologist Azar Andami (8 December 1926 – 19 August 1984) developed a cholera vaccine to combat an outbreak that swept through the Middle East, India, Southeast Asia, and Africa in 1937.
Irene Ayako Uchida’s (8 April 1917 – 30 July 2013) strides to understand genetic diseases such as Down syndrome paved the way for early screening of chromosomal abnormalities in foetuses.
Baron Kitasato Shibasaburo (29 January 1856 – 13 June 1931) was a Japanese physician and bacteriologist whose work led to a new understanding of preventing and treating tetanus, diphtheria and anthrax.
Maggie Lim (5 January 1913 – November 1995) was a Singaporean physician who promoted family planning and expanded the access to clinics to improve the quality of life for mothers and children in Singapore’s early days.
By isolating soil microorganisms and studying the compounds they produce, Satoshi Omura (born 1935) discovered almost 500 organic compounds with unique properties that were produced by these microorganisms, including many new antibiotics.
The founder of the Adyar Cancer Institute in India, Muthulakshmi Reddy (30 July 1886 – 22 July 1968), fought to uplift women and girls from impoverished situations.
Chinese-American virologist and molecular biologist Flossie Wong-Staal (27 August 1946 – 8 July 2020) was the first scientist to clone HIV and determine the function of its genes.
Maharani Chakravorty (1937 – 2015) was one of India’s earliest molecular biologists whose research paved the way for advances in the treatment of bacterial and viral infections.
Archana Sharma (16 February 1932 - 14 January 2008) conducted research into plant and human genetics that expanded the understanding of both botany and human health. In relation to botany, she uncovered the means by which asexually-reproducing plants evolve into new species.
The first Thai woman to receive a degree in medicine, Margaret Lin Xavier (29 May 1898 – 6 December 1932), is best remembered for her compassion towards her less privileged patients.
In 1915, pathologist Katsusaburo Yamagiwa and his research assistant Koichi Ichikawa became the first to prove that chronic exposure to chemicals can cause cancer.
Filipino chemist and pharmacist Manuel A. Zamora (29 March 1870 – 9 July 1929) is best remembered for his discovery of the tiki-tiki formula to combat beriberi, a disease caused by Vitamin B1 deficiency.
After witnessing death and suffering as a youth in his home village during World War II, Nguyễn Tài Thu (6 April 1931 – 14 February 2021) set his sights on alleviating pain by becoming a doctor. After studying Traditional Chinese Medicine in China in the 1950s, Thu returned to Vietnam to serve in military hospitals. Eventually, he became the country’s foremost practitioner of acupuncture, a technique he first learned by inserting needles into himself.
David T. Wong (born 1936) is a Hong Kong-born American neuroscientist who is best known for discovering the antidepressant drug fluoxetine, better known as Prozac.
Indian organic chemist Asima Chatterjee (1917 to 2006) studied the medicinal properties of plant products, especially compounds known as vinca alkaloids.
Hsien Wu (24 November 1893 – 8 August 1959) is widely regarded as the founder of biochemistry and nutrition science in China. He was the first to propose that protein denaturation was caused by the unfolding of the protein, instead of chemical alteration.
Umetaro Suzuki (7 April 1874 – 20 September 1943) was a Japanese scientist best remembered for his research on beriberi, a disease caused by vitamin B1 deficiency, characterized by limb stiffness, paralysis and pain.
Syed Qasim Mehdi (13 February 1941 – 28 September 2016) was a Pakistani molecular biologist who was a founding member of the Human Genome Diversity Project (HGDP), which assessed human diversity by studying human migration, mutation rates, relationships between different populations, genes involved in height and selective pressure.
Tsai-Fan Yu (1911 – 2 March 2007) was a Chinese-American physician and researcher who was the first female full professor at Mount Sinai School of Medicine. She discovered that gout, a condition characterized by the painful inflammation of joints, was caused by elevated levels of uric acid in the bloodstream.
Min Chueh Chang (10 October 1908 – 5 June 1991) was a Chinese-American biologist who studied fertilization in mammalian reproduction.
A Japanese surgeon, Tetsuzo Akutsu (20 August 1922 – 9 August 2007) built the first artificial heart capable of keeping an animal alive.
Ogino Ginko (3 March 1851 – 23 June 1913) was the first registered female doctor to practise modern medicine in Japan.