Scientists develop diabetes test that detects glucose in saliva

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind., USA: Researchers from the U.S. have invented a new biosensor that could eventually eliminate or reduce the frequency of using pinpricks for diabetes testing. The sensor is able to detect minute concentrations of glucose in saliva, tears and urine in contrast to conventional diabetes tests that measure glucose in blood.

The sensor consists of several layers of nanosheets resembling rose petals that are made of graphene, which is a one-atom-thick film of carbon. The edges of the petals have dangling, incomplete chemical bonds to which platinum nanoparticles and enzyme glucose oxidase can attach. The enzyme then converts glucose to peroxide, which generates a signal on the electrode of the sensor.

The technology is able to detect glucose in concentrations as low as 0.3 μM, which is far more sensitive than other available devices. It is able to distinguish between glucose and signals from other compounds in the blood, such as uric acid, ascorbic acid and acetaminophen, that often cause interference in sensors.

"What's unique is that we can sense in all four different human serums: the saliva, blood, tears and urine," said Johnathan Claussen, a former Purdue University doctoral student and researcher at the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory. With this wide linear sensing range, the sensor thus opens possibilities for new inherently noninvasive ways to monitor glucose content in the body, he added.

Furthermore, the researchers say that the biosensor can be manufactured at low costs. The production of conventional nanostructured sensors involves lithography, chemical processing, etching and other steps. The petals, however, can be grown on almost any surface, according to Anurag Kumar, a doctoral student at Purdue University who led the project in collaboration with Claussen. "It could be ideal for commercialization," he said.

In addition, the technology could also be used for sensing of other chemical compounds to test for further medical conditions. "Because we used the enzyme glucose oxidase in this work, it's geared for diabetes but we could just swap out that enzyme with glutamate oxidase, for example, in order to measure the neurotransmitter glutamate to test for Parkinson's and Alzheimer's," Claussen said.


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TOOTH INFECTION & HAIR LOSS

There are numerous reasons for hair loss, but most often it is hereditary. It can also happen because of other aspects like hormonal imbalances and nutrition deficiencies. It can also be because of hair treatments and some types of skin infections. It can also be accounted to some diseases, treatments and medications. According to a recent study, researchers found a very close link between alopecia areata (hair loss) and teeth infection.

In majority of cases, people who are diagnosed with hair loss have hairs shaped like an exclamation mark at the hair loss patch border. Generally, hair loss occurs as the hair strands get loose and they star falling out. According to some studies, hair loss has a development that is not predictable. Experts say that in some cases, hair comes back in around couple of weeks after the hair loss. But in some cases, the hair loss situation gets bad. Balding not only becomes visible in scalp but in other parts of the body too.
Researchers lead by the Department of Stomatology professors from Granada University, found that there is a close connection between tooth infection and hair loss in a person. The study conducted at the University was the first research that showed that there is a connection between dental disease and hair loss. The researchers say that in case of such hair loss situation, “hair follicle tissue aggravates without cicatrisation”. The reason for this is that the hair follicles that are affected are attacked by the immune system by mistake. There are various products available to prevent hair loss and provillus review is one which has gained lot of attention in recent times.
The researchers also note that the hair loss patches caused due to tooth infection takes place around different parts of the body or scalp of a patient. They don’t occur on the same spot. These bald patches normally appear on face like the maxillary teeth level, the line marked through the lip line to scalp, the eyebrow and the portion of the beard.


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FLUORIDE DECREASES MEMORY POWER

The debate involving fluoride rages on. 

A recent Harvard University study indicated that children living in areas with high fluoride content in water have significantly lower IQs than children living in areas with less fluoride. The study looked back at 27 previous investigations of fluoride and made many conclusions.

It’s conceivable that fluoride may be a development neurotoxicant, according to the study. The level of fluoride that hinders brain development in children is a much lower level than would impact an adult.

Rats that came into contact with low fluoride concentration in water displayed cellular changes in their brains. They also saw higher levels of aluminum in the brain tissue.

Some studies have even concluded that there’s a correlation fluoride and beta-amyloid plaques, something often seen in the brains of Alzheimer’s patients. Fluoride may also adversely affect the brains of fetuses and newborn babies.

Still, like many previous studies regarding fluoride, much research is necessary before passing off this information as fact. There are other factors that may contribute to these health problems.

source:-What Kind of Impact Does Fluoride Truly Have

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HEAVY MOBILE PHONE USE AFFECTS SALIVARY GLANDS

Researchers have found that emission from handheld mobile phones like heat and radio frequency radiation can cause functional and volumetric changes in the parotid glands. In tests with heavy mobile phone users, a significant increase in the salivary flow rate and volume of parotid glands was observed on the side where mobile phones were frequently held.
                                           
Researchers at the Department of Oral Medicine and Radiology at the Vidya Shikshan Prasarak Mandal’s Dental College and Research Centre in Maharashtra measured salivary flow rates in 142 healthy individuals (70 male and 72 female) aged 18 to 30 who had been using handheld mobile phones for at least three years. They were divided into heavy users (50 males and 50 females) and a control group (20 males and 22 females).

The researchers found that two thirds of all participants used their mobile phones for three hours daily on average (seven calls a day), ranging from once in a fortnight for 10 to 15 minutes in the control group to seven hours daily in the heavy-user group. The researchers observed that 70 per cent of all participants predominantly used the right ear for phone use, 26 per cent the left and 4 per cent reported using both ears equally.

Among heavy users, 26 per cent more parotid salivation was measured on the dominant side, while only an 8 per cent greater salivary flow rate on the dominant side was found in controls. Of the total participants, 30 per cent (47 individuals) reported headaches (7), migraines (5), ringing or heating of the ear and skin (35) following mobile phone use. In addition, the researchers discovered that the velocity of blood flow in the external carotid artery within the parotid gland on the dominant side was almost 1.5-fold higher than on the other side in 20 of the 38 participants who agreed to ultrasonography examination.

According to the researches, tissue expansion owing to the thermal effect of mobile phone use may be responsible for the increase in the salivary flow rate on the dominant side. Although other studies have indicated that mobile phones generate only 0.1°C heat, 35 participants in the current study experienced a heating sensation on and around the ear after extended phone use. In addition, radiofrequency radiation in the form of non-ionising electromagnetic radiation may be absorbed by the water in the adjacent tissues, raising their temperature and modifying blood flow.

In May 2011, the World Health Organization and the International Agency for Research on Cancer classified radiofrequency electromagnetic fields as possibly carcinogenic to humans. According to the organisations, wireless phone use is associated with an increased risk of brain and auditory canal tumours. However, the researchers said that, unlike the brain and auditory canal, “parotid glands are without the natural protection of the skull and are at a close proximity to mobile phones when in use and therefore potentially at greater risk of adverse effects from phone use.”

The WHO estimates that the number of mobile phone subscriptions is five billion worldwide.

source:-heavy mobile phone use affects salivary glands
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