A team of researchers from Northwestern University has managed to develop a flexible, soft microfluidic device which can easily stick to human skin. This new first of its kind skin patch can measure and analyze the sweat of wearer to determine how the body responds to exercise.

The skin patch is similar in size and thickness to a quarter Its both a simple and low-cost device that can analyze key biomarkers found in sweat to help people learn how to better take care of their bodies during exercise. It can determine whether a person needs to drink more water or to replenish electrolytes, or if anything is medically wrong with your sweat.

It is fortunate that the device is inexpensive since it is meant for only a one-time use and only for a few hours after it is first applied on the skin of the forearm or on your back. Another great health benefit of the skin patch is that it detects the presence of a biomarker specific to cystic fibrosis. This feature is what makes scientists think that the device could see a broader use in disease diagnosis.

According to John A. Rogers, the leader of the multi-institution development team of the skin patch, the wearable skin interface allows for a new type of measurements that were not possible with any other type of pads or sponges used to collect sweat. He emphasized the importance of sweat in determining a person’s overall health, as it stores important chemical compounds which provide a lot of physiological information.

The skin patch provides relevant information through integrated electronic which communicate wirelessly to a smartphone, where anyone can see the results of the sweat analysis and the recommendations based on the results.

Researchers tested the accuracy and durability of the skin patch in two different experiments. One involved indoor cyclists while for the other experiment, the skin patch was worn by participants in the El Tour De Tucson long bicycle race in arid and harsh conditions. The skin patch collected the sweat forming  on the athletes back in  both experiments.

The study is titled “A Soft, Wearable Microfluidic Device for the Capture, Storage, and Colorimetric Sensing of Sweat” and was published in the journal Science Translational Medicine

Image credit: Northwestern University

The Attorney General of the state of Pennsylvania has filed a lawsuit against the Grane Healthcare nursing homes company. The filed documents claim that the institution meant to provide care for the elderly and assist them in their daily lives did not have enough staff to provide basic patient care.

According to the consumer protection lawsuit filed on Friday, the accusations against the company also involve the fact that during a visit from the Department of Health inspectors, the company lied about its staff levels. Several patients and their needs were ignored for a high number of days, even weeks in some cases.

For example, a resident in one of the nursing homes administered by the company did not for two weeks and wasn’t able to wash his hair for almost a month. Additionally, the same patient required daily treatments of a medical cream which was skipped 19 times in just a month.

Grane Healthcare is based in the O’Hara Township near the city of Pittsburg, but the official lawsuit was filed at the Commonwealth Court in Harrisburg. This specific court deals with issues which involve a business that is regulated by the state, as is the situation of this case.

The company has released a statement in which they deny the claims as being completely unfounded. The company has suggested that this lawsuit is motivated partly by the fact that a new private law firm stands to gain financially by partnering with the state.

According to Bruce Beemer, the Attorney General of Pennsylvania, the state has ample evidence that the nursing homes were severely understaffed which led to a major decrease in the quality of the care provided if there was any at all. This situation happened despite Grane advertising as having a high staff-to-patient ratio. The reality of the situation, according to the state, is that when the inspectors were not there, the number of staff dropped.

The state also claims that the low levels of staff and other problems led to fraudulent billing. This is due to the fact that the patients did not receive the care paid by their healthcare insurance programs, either public or private. As such, the lawsuit seeks damages worth $1,000 per every violation of the consumer law of Pennsylvania, or $3,000 if the victim was 60 or older.

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In the US, fewer men underwent prostate surgeries in the last months thanks to a screening advice. New recommendations were made and they warned men that screening was not necessary and might even harm them. People are now debating prostate surgeries.

The issue here is that screening men for prostate cancer might do more harm than good. A new report shows that in the last period of time there has been a decline in the number of prostate surgeries in the U.S. This might be because fewer men got screened for prostate cancer.

The report that was published recently shows how this debate affected men across the U.S.  Many doctors agree that screening is necessary because men might not be aware of the fact that they have cancer. If they don’t know about this disease, they can’t treat it and it might become worse.

Doctors also mentioned that some of the recommendations are out of line and might harm people.  Reports also showed that prostate cancer is a common disease and almost 250,000 men from the U.S have it every year. It is a dangerous disease that kills more than 26,000 men every year.

The problem is that some tests might harm men because they can detect small non-cancerous tumors that wouldn’t have harmed them. If doctors detect these tumors they can’t be sure if the person has cancer and the treatment that most men receive can cause other side effects like incontinence and impotence.

This is why more and more people are thinking of skipping the usual screening tests. If this happens, a person can’t know if he is sick which is another problem. Both ways men can suffer from their choice. If they choose screening and they treat their tumor they might develop incontinence. If they choose to avoid screening they might have cancer that remains untreated.

The ones that really need the screening are men between 55 and 70 because there are more risks for them. If doctors find something there they will make prostate surgeries to get cancer out, if it spread too much.

The fact that the number of prostate surgeries is declining is not a great thing because people need to go to check-ups and fight any diseases or illness they have.

Image source: Wikipedia

Recent research suggests that cranberries are not an effective remedy against UTI but merely a myth. Although previous surveys indicated that these fruits might reduce multiple infections which occur in younger women, they cannot be regarded as a treatment.

In other words, doctors underline that the best way to address this issue consists of antibiotics. Dr. Manisha Juthani-Mehta, a Yale School of Medicine infectious disease specialist, said that she hoped cranberries would be a reliable natural treatment, but it turned out they weren’t.

Dr. Manisha is the lead author of the latest study, which has revealed that these fruits do not reduce UTIs in female patients although during the survey they took many cranberry capsules for twelve months.

Also, according to Dr. Lindsay Nicolle, UTI expert, these findings can be regarded as solid proof that cranberry products are not a reliable medical recommendation to women suffering from urinary tract infections.

She continues by saying that doctors should not promote cranberry products as having any benefit. Based on the statistics, around 50 percent of all women will experience minimum one UTI during their lifetime.

Regarding symptoms, younger women might suffer from a constant need to urinate, while they will also experience an excruciating pain during this process. On the other hand, women who are no longer in the reproductive age, especially senior patients over the age of 65, will experience malaise, fatigue, and fever.

It is worth mentioning that men can suffer from this condition as well, especially seniors due to problems related to enlarged prostates. According to Dr. Kalpana Gupta, UTI expert from the Boston University School of Medicine, spermicides and sexual activity are the leading causes that increase the risk of UTI among younger women.

She explains these risks by underlining that sex stimulates bacteria movement inside the urethra. Women, unlike men, have a much shorter urethra, so bacteria can quickly reach the bladder causing an infection.

Worse, spermicides promote this conditions because they kill beneficial bacteria and allow the dangerous ones to thrive. She further added that UTI could not be regarded as a health condition related to hygiene management.

There are other theories which suggest that cranberries are rich in proanthocyanidins, a substance which tackled the E. coli responsible for UTI infection. That is why Dr. Gupta believes that some women suffering from recurrent UTIs may want to consider cranberry products based on their doctor’s suggestion.

Image Source:Sunny Side Nursery