Category Health/Medical

The electric current from a flexible battery placed near the knuckle flows through the conductor and powers the LED just below the fingernail.
Credit: 2017 Someya Laboratory

New nanomesh structure lets skin breathe, prevents inflammation. A hypoallergenic electronic sensor can be worn on the skin continuously for a week without discomfort, and is so light and thin that users forget they even have it on, says a Japanese group of scientists. The elastic electrode constructed of breathable nanoscale meshes holds promise for the development of noninvasive e-skin devices that can monitor a person’s health continuously over a long period.

Wearable electronics that monitor heart rate and other vital health signals have made headway in recent years, with next-generation gadgets employing lightweigh...

DDK3 could ultimately be used to prevent heart attacks and strokes.

DDK3 could be used as a new therapy to stop the build-up of fatty material inside the arteries. A naturally occurring protein, dickkopf-related protein 3 (DKK3), could hold the key to protecting against heart attacks and strokes caused by atherosclerosis, according to new research by King’s College London researchers. The study suggests that the protein could ultimately be used to prevent heart attacks and strokes.

Scientists measured the level of DKK3 in blood samples collected from 574 people over 5 years. They found that those people with higher levels of DKK3 were less likely to develop atherosclerosis over the course of the 5 year period and were also less likely to die from a heart attack or stroke...

mRNA expression analysis of EWAS-related genes in AD CA1 pyramidal neurons AD CA1 astrocytes and AD CA1 microglia. Only two of the seven identified transcripts in the EWAS study were significantly differentially expressed, BIN1 in AD neurons and SERPINF2 in AD microglia. * indicates p < .05.

ANK1 gene expression change found in brain’s microglia cells associated with neuroinflammation. Researchers led by Arizona State University (ASU) and the Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen) have identified altered expression of a gene called ANK1, which only recently has been associated with memory robbing Alzheimer’s disease, in specific cells in the brain...

Branched-Chain Amino Acid Ingestion Stimulates Muscle Myofibrillar Protein Synthesis following Resistance Exercise in Humans. Frontiers in Physiology, 2017; 8 DOI: 10.3389/fphys.2017.00390

Popular muscle building supplements, known as branched-chain amino acids (BCAA) are ineffective when taken in isolation, according to new research from the University of Stirling. The study, involving the universities of Exeter and Birmingham and published in Frontiers in Physiology, show that while BCAA supplements do stimulate the muscle building response in individuals after they lift weights, other muscle-building supplements are far more effective.

Other supplements that contain all necessary amino acids stimulate a greater muscle growth response, which suggests that taking BCAA supplements alone is...