health news: warns

Sunday, 28 July 2013

New biosensor that warns when athletes are about to 'hit the wall' undergoes first human tests

Main Category: Medical Devices / Diagnostics
Also Included In: Sports Medicine / Fitness
Article Date: 26 Jul 2013 - 1:00 PDT Current ratings for:
New biosensor that warns when athletes are about to 'hit the wall' undergoes first human tests
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A new biosensor, applied to the human skin like a temporary tattoo, can alert marathoners, competitive bikers and other "extreme" athletes that they're about to "bonk," or "hit the wall," scientists are reporting. The study, in ACS' journal Analytical Chemistry, describes the first human tests of the sensor, which also could help soldiers and others who engage in intense exercise - and their trainers - monitor stamina and fitness.

Joseph Wang and colleagues explain that the sensor monitors lactate, a form of lactic acid released in sweat. Lactate forms when the muscles need more energy than the body can supply from the "aerobic" respiration that suffices during mild exercise. The body shifts to "anaerobic" metabolism, producing lactic acid and lactate. That helps for a while, but lactate builds up in the body, causing extreme fatigue and the infamous "bonking out," where an athlete just cannot continue. Current methods of measuring lactate are cumbersome, require blood samples or do not give instant results. Wang's team sought to develop a better approach.

They describe the first human tests of a lactate sensor applied to the skin like a temporary tattoo that stays on and flexes with body movements. Tests on 10 human volunteers showed that the sensor accurately measured lactate levels in sweat during exercise. "Such skin-worn metabolite biosensors could lead to useful insights into physical performance and overall physiological status, hence offering considerable promise for diverse sport, military, and biomedical applications," say the scientists. Future research will further correlate sweat lactate levels with fitness, performance and blood lactate levels, Wang added.

Article adapted by Medical News Today from original press release. Click 'references' tab above for source.
Visit our medical devices / diagnostics section for the latest news on this subject.

The authors acknowledge funding from the National Science Foundation, the National Institutes of Health IMSD program, the UCSD von Liebig Entrepreneurism Center under the U.S. Department of Energy-sponsored Southern California Clean Energy Technology Acceleration Program and the National Natural Science Foundation of China.

American Chemical Society

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'New biosensor that warns when athletes are about to 'hit the wall' undergoes first human tests'

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Sunday, 21 July 2013

New report warns of conflict threatening global nutrition progress

Main Category: Nutrition / Diet
Also Included In: Pediatrics / Children's Health; Public Health
Article Date: 19 Jul 2013 - 1:00 PDT Current ratings for:
New report warns of conflict threatening global nutrition progress
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Major progress in tackling child undernutrition in some of the world's toughest countries is under threat as military and security funding takes precedence, a new report from aid agency World Vision warns.

The number of children under five who die every year has decreased by half since 1990. Yet, World Vision's Fragile but not Helpless report (PDF) finds that this progress is under threat. Countries marred by conflict or fragility have some of the highest rates of acute and chronic undernutrition in the world.

In Africa alone it is on average 50 percent higher in fragile countries than in more stable ones.

"Striving for peace is vital - but that shouldn't mean pooling all our resources into security and sidelining basic needs like nutrition. Undernutrition kills many more children than conflict, and we need to do a better job of getting the balance right between the security needs of fragile states and the nutrition needs of fragile infants in a tight fiscal environment. When the proposed increase in defense spending by both Congress and the Administration is about double the size of the total amount the U.S.

Government spends on international humanitarian assistance, the balance can be improved within existing resources, it just requires political will and focus," said Robert Zachritz, senior director of Government Relations and Advocacy at World Vision.

Though in many cases child undernutrition is well above acceptable thresholds, nearly two-thirds of fragile and conflict-affected states have not joined up to the global movement to tackle nutrition, known as Scaling Up Nutrition (SUN).

Undernutrition contributes to the deaths of more than two million children every year. Globally, 165 million children, or one in four of all children under five, are stunted due to undernutrition, chronically undernourished and at risk of long-lasting damage to their cognitive and physical development.

Article adapted by Medical News Today from original press release. Click 'references' tab above for source.
Visit our nutrition / diet section for the latest news on this subject.

A link to the full report is available here.

World Vision