TIT BITS
Slightly high BP raises chances of stroke
Washington: Even if your blood pressure (BP) is slightly elevated, you may be prone to a stroke, new research says.
Prehypertension is a clinical category to describe patients whose BP is elevated but still considered within normal range. People with prehypertension have a 55 percent higher chance of experiencing a stroke than people without it, University of California School of Medicine noted. That hypertension or abnormally high BP is a major risk for cardiovascular diseases and strokes is well-known, but much less is known about the dangers of prehypertension, the journal Neurology reports. A stroke is a condition where a blood clot or ruptured artery or blood vessel interrupts blood flow to the brain. A lack of oxygen and glucose (sugar) flowing to the blood leads to brain damage, causing impairment in speech, movement and memory.
Hands-free computer for disabled
Washington: An innovative technology that could enable people to operate a computer without using a keyboard or mouse-only their brainwaves-have been developed by Ben-Gurion University of the Negev software engineering students. The BGU technology features a helmet equipped with 14 EEG connect points that sense brain activity. ‘’The technology is designed to assist those who are physically disabled who might otherwise be unable to manipulate a computer mouse or keyboard,” said Rami Puzis. The student team, Ori Ossamy, Ofir Tam and Ariel Rozen, developed the prototype application for their bachelor’s degree project under the supervision BGU Prof Mark Last, Rami Puzis, Prof Yuval Lovitz and Lior Rokah. As part of a recent demonstration, a student composed and sent a hands-free email using only thought combined with the adaptive hardware.
Cure to back pain is only exercise
London:A study has confirmed that the key to curing agonising long-term back pain is not by resting but by doing more exercise. Research showed those who were as active as possible recovered far more quickly and were not left depressed. Patricia Olaya-Contreras, a researcher of the University of Gothenburg, Sweden, randomly advised 109 patients to either “stay active even though it hurts” or “adjust your activity to the pain”. The results showed that the active group recovered more quickly and did not feel depressed. “If you don’t keep moving, it’s easy to get locked into a downward spiral,” the Daily Express quoted Olaya-Contreras as saying.
Prostate cancer ‘wonder’ pill launched
London: A ‘miracle’ pill that can help prostate cancer patients live around five months longer has been launched in the UK, following a green signal from the European medical authorities earlier this month.
The 3000 pounds-a-month drug, developed by British scientists and marketed under the trade name Zytiga, can increase life expactency even in men with advance, aggressive cancers, reports the daily express.
Zytiga works by cutting off the tumour’s supply of testosterone, stopping it from growing. It can be used in up to 80 per cent of patients with drug-resistant prostate cancer who have already tried-anti-hormonal therapies and chemotherapies. A trial of 2,000 men showed that patients given the one-a-day pill lived 15.8 months on average compared with 11.2 months for those taking a placebo. The drug still needs to be approved by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) for the NHS.
Electricity from the nose?
Washington: Electricity from the nose? Well, it may appear weird, but engineers claim they are working on a technique which would generate power from human respiration, reports PTI.
A team at the University of Wisconsin-Madison says that it is actually working on a method which would someday power sensors in one’s body via the respiration in one’s nose, the ‘Energy and Environmental Science’ journal reported. The engineers have already created a plastic microbelt that vibrates when passed by low-speed airflow such as human respiration.
Camel dung market
New Delhi: Handmade paper, woolen mats and rugs and even mosquito repellents made out of camel dung is finding its way into urban market shelves, reports PTI.
Novelty items made from camel milk, wool and dung are being introduced into cities through Camel Charishma, the marketing arm of Rajasthan’s Lokhit Pashu Palak Sanshtan (LPPS), a society aimed at supporting livestock dependent people. “We have introduced a variety of paper products like diaries, journals, calendars, mobile covers, greeting cards and other stationery items made from the dung of camels,” says Hanwant Singh Rathore, Director of LPPS, which is exhibiting for the first time at the 19th edition of the annual Dastkar Mela here.
Washington: Even if your blood pressure (BP) is slightly elevated, you may be prone to a stroke, new research says.
Prehypertension is a clinical category to describe patients whose BP is elevated but still considered within normal range. People with prehypertension have a 55 percent higher chance of experiencing a stroke than people without it, University of California School of Medicine noted. That hypertension or abnormally high BP is a major risk for cardiovascular diseases and strokes is well-known, but much less is known about the dangers of prehypertension, the journal Neurology reports. A stroke is a condition where a blood clot or ruptured artery or blood vessel interrupts blood flow to the brain. A lack of oxygen and glucose (sugar) flowing to the blood leads to brain damage, causing impairment in speech, movement and memory.
Hands-free computer for disabled
Washington: An innovative technology that could enable people to operate a computer without using a keyboard or mouse-only their brainwaves-have been developed by Ben-Gurion University of the Negev software engineering students. The BGU technology features a helmet equipped with 14 EEG connect points that sense brain activity. ‘’The technology is designed to assist those who are physically disabled who might otherwise be unable to manipulate a computer mouse or keyboard,” said Rami Puzis. The student team, Ori Ossamy, Ofir Tam and Ariel Rozen, developed the prototype application for their bachelor’s degree project under the supervision BGU Prof Mark Last, Rami Puzis, Prof Yuval Lovitz and Lior Rokah. As part of a recent demonstration, a student composed and sent a hands-free email using only thought combined with the adaptive hardware.
Cure to back pain is only exercise
London:A study has confirmed that the key to curing agonising long-term back pain is not by resting but by doing more exercise. Research showed those who were as active as possible recovered far more quickly and were not left depressed. Patricia Olaya-Contreras, a researcher of the University of Gothenburg, Sweden, randomly advised 109 patients to either “stay active even though it hurts” or “adjust your activity to the pain”. The results showed that the active group recovered more quickly and did not feel depressed. “If you don’t keep moving, it’s easy to get locked into a downward spiral,” the Daily Express quoted Olaya-Contreras as saying.
Prostate cancer ‘wonder’ pill launched
London: A ‘miracle’ pill that can help prostate cancer patients live around five months longer has been launched in the UK, following a green signal from the European medical authorities earlier this month.
The 3000 pounds-a-month drug, developed by British scientists and marketed under the trade name Zytiga, can increase life expactency even in men with advance, aggressive cancers, reports the daily express.
Zytiga works by cutting off the tumour’s supply of testosterone, stopping it from growing. It can be used in up to 80 per cent of patients with drug-resistant prostate cancer who have already tried-anti-hormonal therapies and chemotherapies. A trial of 2,000 men showed that patients given the one-a-day pill lived 15.8 months on average compared with 11.2 months for those taking a placebo. The drug still needs to be approved by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) for the NHS.
Electricity from the nose?
Washington: Electricity from the nose? Well, it may appear weird, but engineers claim they are working on a technique which would generate power from human respiration, reports PTI.
A team at the University of Wisconsin-Madison says that it is actually working on a method which would someday power sensors in one’s body via the respiration in one’s nose, the ‘Energy and Environmental Science’ journal reported. The engineers have already created a plastic microbelt that vibrates when passed by low-speed airflow such as human respiration.
Camel dung market
New Delhi: Handmade paper, woolen mats and rugs and even mosquito repellents made out of camel dung is finding its way into urban market shelves, reports PTI.
Novelty items made from camel milk, wool and dung are being introduced into cities through Camel Charishma, the marketing arm of Rajasthan’s Lokhit Pashu Palak Sanshtan (LPPS), a society aimed at supporting livestock dependent people. “We have introduced a variety of paper products like diaries, journals, calendars, mobile covers, greeting cards and other stationery items made from the dung of camels,” says Hanwant Singh Rathore, Director of LPPS, which is exhibiting for the first time at the 19th edition of the annual Dastkar Mela here.
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