Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Research: 'Electronic Skin' Could Return Sense Of Touch To Prosthetic Users
Reuters: Scientists Inspired By 'Star Wars' Create Artificial Skin Able To Feel
Singapore researchers have developed “electronic skin” capable of recreating a sense of touch, an innovation they hope will allow people with prosthetic limbs to detect objects, as well as feel texture, or even temperature and pain. The device, dubbed ACES, or Asynchronous Coded Electronic Skin, is made up of 100 small sensors and is about 1 sq cm (0.16 square inch) in size. (8/3)
The New York Times: Dementia On The Retreat In The U.S. And Europe
Despite the lack of effective treatments or preventive strategies, the dementia epidemic is on the wane in the United States and Europe, scientists reported on Monday. The risk for a person to develop dementia over a lifetime is now 13 percent lower than it was in 2010. Incidence rates at every age have steadily declined over the past quarter-century. If the trend continues, the paper’s authors note, there will be 15 million fewer people in Europe and the United States with dementia than there are now. (Kolata, 8/3)
CNN: Dinosaur Diagnosed With Malignant Cancer That Still Afflicts Humans Today
Like humans, dinosaurs got sick. T. rex may have suffered from gout, duck-billed dinosaurs had bone tumors and many species would have scratched at lice. Now, scientists say they have, for the first time, found that dinosaurs suffered from osteosarcoma -- an aggressive malignant cancer that afflicts humans today. (Hunt, 8/3)
CNN: Your Hair Knows What You Eat, Study Says
You are what you eat, so the saying goes. But few people would suspect that dietary choices are reflected, inch by inch, in the hair growing on your head. Your mop can potentially shed light on whether you prefer veggie burgers or cheeseburgers, a new study has suggested. Researchers from the University of Utah collected discarded hair from barbers and hair salons from 65 cities across the United States. From the chemical traces in the cuttings the scientists found that American diets are dominated by animal-derived protein like meat and dairy. (Hunt, 8/3)
Houston Chronicle: Could Brain Massage Therapy Be The Key To Pain Reduction? One Houston Doctor Tests The Theory
Dr. Hyochol “Brian” Ahn, professor at UTHealth’s Cizik School of Nursing, suggested that pain could be zapped away using electric currents. The concept behind his research is transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS), a noninvasive way to stimulate certain parts of the brain using a low intensity current. At first, Harrison was skeptical - especially when she saw the “hat” she would need to wear as part of the experiment. The headgear would carry a weak electric current, powered by batteries. (Peyton, 8/4)
In news about sexual health —
Live Science: Sperm Don't Swim Anything Like We Thought They Did, New Study Finds
Under a microscope, human sperm seem to swim like wiggling eels, tails gyrating to and fro as they seek an egg to fertilize. But now, new 3D microscopy and high-speed video reveal that sperm don't swim in this simple, symmetrical motion at all. Instead, they move with a rollicking spin that compensates for the fact that their tails actually beat only to one side. (Pappas, 7/31)
CNN: Bacterial Vaginosis: Penis Microbes May Contribute To A Common Yet Serious Vaginal Infection, Study Finds
Ever heard of bacterial vaginosis? It's caused when the normal bacterial flora in the vagina go haywire, allowing "bad" bacteria to proliferate. If the answer is no, you're not alone. Even though bacterial vaginosis, otherwise known as BV, is the most common vaginal infection in women between the ages 15 and 44, many have never heard of it. Yet bacterial vaginosis is a serious condition, difficult to treat and eliminate. If a woman is infected during a pregnancy, vaginosis can cause the baby to be born prematurely or with a low birth weight. (LaMotte, 8/4)
