Health

After the birth of a child, he or she cries out loud, which is a sign of health and vigour but unlike the grown-up children, the newborn babies don't shed tears. Tears, which are necessary to protect the eyes and keep them moist, are not shed by new-borns because a baby born with not fully developed tear ducts, said Sage Timberline, a paediatrician at the University of California, Davis, Children's Hospital in California. As per the doctor, tears appear when one is faced with extreme emotions such as sadness, anger or even happiness and can help release stress-inducing hormones. But in terms of newborn babies, they only produce enough tears to coat the eyes to keep it moist. They are however not enough to form drops that trickle down their cheeks, Livescience quoted the doctor. A baby's tear ducts usually mature to form teardrops associated with strong emotions after three or four weeks of their birth, Timberline said. Sometimes it may take two months for the lacrimal glands -- the … [Read more...] about Explained: Why your newborn baby doesn’t shed tears or sweat

Researchers recently revealed that a fish supper may increase the risk of people getting exposed to untreated bacteria due to the spread of superbugs at sea. As per the new study, there is a surge in antibiotic-resistant bugs which are dangerous to humans in the marine environment. It also suggests that the consumption of raw or undercooked fish diners could make a person ill due to the presence of the superbugs and the victim would suffer as there is no useful medicines. It should be mentioned that this research, which was published in the journal Aquatic Mammals included Dolphins, which themselves are a source of diet in many parts of the world such as Japan. Experts believe that mammals are a good indicator of the safety of sea life. For this research, Bottlenose dolphins were first captured, later swabbed and then released in the Indian River Lagoon on the US Atlantic Coast by Researchers at Florida Atlantic University. The team later found that those dolphins are resistance to … [Read more...] about Fish supper may expose you to incurable bacteria, says study

For the first time, scientists have used next-gen technology, gene-editing tool CRISPR to try to cure the HIV infection by transporting blood cells which were altered to resist the virus of According to a report, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, the gene-editing tool long been used in research labs by Chinese researchers to treat HIV in an adult, where the DNA changes are confined to that person. Dr Carl June, a University of Pennsylvania genetics expert said that the gene-editing tool was earlier used for research purpose and it indicates that this process was safe in the patient so far. In 2018, a Chinese doctor He Jiankui revealed that he used CRISPR, a relatively new tool used to cut DNA at a specific spot, on embryos that led to the birth of Lulu and Nana, who are the twin Chinese girls. Editing embryos is considered risky because the DNA changes can pass to future generations. The recent experiment involved a 27-year-old male HIV patient, who needed a blood stem … [Read more...] about Gene editing tool CRISPR may help curing HIV, scientists hopeful

Gynaecological health and disorders are affecting women that include bacterial vaginosis, vaginitis, uterine fibroids and vulvodynia. So overlooking these issues will cause a massive health issue for any woman. Recently it was announced that a new program for screening of potential vaginal fluid donors has been set up in US to benefit women in need of healthy vaginal microbes. The doctors are hoping to soon be able to transplant the fluid to women who could benefit from a dose of healthy vaginal microbes, which protect women against bacterial vaginosis (BV). However, a BV infection can be treated by antibiotics, but the recent move is inspired by the success of fecal transplants, Johns Hopkins University team said. BV, despite being an infection, is not a sexually transmitted disease and quite common among women. It can be characterized by an unusual discharge with a strong fishy smell. Doctors with regulatory approval from the Food and Drugs Administration have screened at least 20 … [Read more...] about Women health: Vaginal fluid transplants may soon be a reality

The visiting professor at NTU's Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine Professor Per-Olog Berggren has found a delta cell that is an effective inhibitor of the insulin-secreting beta-cell and the glucagon-secreting alpha cell. This delta cell can thereby indirectly affect glucose homeostasis in health and disease. It should be mentioned that glucose homeostasis means the balance of insulin and glucagon to maintain blood glucose. The senior author of the study, Prof Berggren at Luft Research Center for Diabetes and Endocrinology, Karolinska Institutet in Sweden also mentioned that their findings have given important insight into the activity of these cells in health and pre-diabetes and a possible mechanism for how somatostatin can so effectively exert its potent suppressive effects within the islet of Langerhans. As per the study, which was published in the journal Nature Communications, most of these delta cells are extended and have a well-defined microspike or filopodia-like structure. … [Read more...] about NTU-based researcher zeroes in on cell behind insulin secretion