Will fish scales soon be a powersource for electronics and medical devices?

Researchers at Jadavpur University in Koltata, India have found a way to turn fish remains into biodegradable generators. Fish scales are made of collagen which has piezoelectric properties. In other words, when stress is placed on the collagen fibers an electrical charge is produced. This fish scale generator is now being called a "bio-piezoelectric Nano generator." The research team started by making the fish scales transparent and flexible. Once that was achieved they experimented to find the right hierarchical arrangement of the collagen fibers to maximize the energy output. The resulting generator can harness energy from a wide range of things. Body movements, machine and sound vibrations, and wind flow just to name a few.Not only is this technology biodegradable but it is also very efficient. A finger touching the generator on repetition was able to power 50 blue LEDs. Regardless of this being so unique and interesting this new technology shows major promise for the technology of the future. Implantable medical devices such as pacemakers; as well as technology such as phones could eventually be fueled by something sustainable. Not only is fish consumed in massive quantities throughout the world the resulting remains such as tails and scales aren't used for very much. This will help to keep fish remains out of landfills, is cheap, not to mention it is beneficial to the environment.


https://eandt.theiet.org/content/articles/2016/09/fish-scales-help-develop-biomass-power-generator-in-india/

http://www.treehugger.com/gadgets/fish-scales-made-biodegradable-energy-generator.html

Optomotrists will be in great demand in the years to come, how come?

Technology has many perks. It helps people communicate, learn new skills, and organize more effectively. However, the use of technology also has its drawbacks.  Every time we glance at our phone, tablet, or computer we are damaging our eyesight. Myopia is the medical term for being nearsighted. Meaning you can see things close but lack the ability to see distance. The eyeball becomes too long which causes light rays to fall short from the retinal. By 2050 it is hypostasized that  nearly 5 billion will become blind from technology induced myopia. As more people suffer from poor eyesight the need for optometrists will sharply increase. In the past 5 years myopia cases have increased by nearly 66%. Mostly in children, which isn't surprising as more and more schools are integrating online learning components.

http://www.educationnews.org/technology/is-technology-causing-nearsightedness-in-students/
http://www.allaboutvision.com/cvs/children-computer-vision-syndrome.htm
http://www.nature.com/news/the-myopia-boom-1.17120

A hope for Chrone's Disease

    For years the medical community has been baffled on why Crohn’s Disease actually occurs. Crohn’s Disease affects approximately 565,000 people in the U.S. For years, it has been hypothesized that the body mistakes the digestive tract as an invader, hence the immune system attacks healthy cells. Which causes inflammation, diarrhea, abdominal pain, weight loss and fatigue amongst many other symptoms.

    This week studies have found proof that Crohn’s Disease is in fact the by product of a fungus and two bacteria.  Research conducted by Mahmoud A. Ghannoum, professor and director of the Center for Medical Mycology at Case Western Reserve and University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center discovered Serratia Marcescens, E. Coli, and the fungus Candida Tropicalis  as the main cause for the inflammatory response. When the bacteria and fungus interact they produce a slime which covers organs causing inflammation.

    The experiment tested a variety of strangers and family members. This was important because family members would have similar genetics and dietary habits. ( two things that also effect Chrone's) Compared to family Serratia Marcescens, E. Coli, and the fungus Candida Tropicalis were much higher in the person with Chrone's. The strangers also showed a similar result as the rest of the family having a low percentage of these bacteria or fungus.

    Discovering the root cause of the issue will allow much better treatment of Chrone's Disease in the future. Up to this point treatment has been limited by what little they knew about Chrone's. Surgery was a main option and the medications were often a mix of steroids that brought with it many other issues.  In the years to come the research team hopes to form new medications and probiotics to help patients cope with the unpleasant symptoms of Chrone's Disease.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/crohns-disease-cause_us_57e40374e4b0e28b2b52a67c
http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2003/09/13/inflammatory-bowel-disease.aspx
http://www.health.com/crohns-disease/crohns-disease-fungus
http://knowthecause.com/index.php/health-blog/doctors-and-trade-professionals/2393-fungi-may-aggregate-crohn-s-disease

Sucrose for soothing infants in the pediatric feild.

I help out in the NICU on the weekends and something that has always intrigued me is the use of sucrose to sooth infants. Over 150 studies have been conducted on this subject. The first mention of using sweets to sooth an infant was back in 632AD; when a prophet named Mohammed suggested to give a child a pre-chewed date. Most studies have concluded that sucrose or other sweet substances are effective to sooth a baby up to 12 months of age. The reason being that there is a natural connection between a humans taste buds and opid receptors in the brain. A comprehensive review of 44 RCT's showed that sucrose did reduce signs of physical pain such as cry duration and facial expression. Heart rate also seemed to stay lower then if no sucrose was given to the babies tested in the majority of studies. The normal dosage for a pediatric patient is to administer 25% sucrose solution 2 minutes prior to procedure/ movement on top of the tongue . The effect is short lasting only 4-6 minutes and works best if it is something not overly painful. In newborns it has showed to cut crying time by a little over 2 hours a day when given twice a day. Such procedures include venipuncture and diaper change. It is sometimes also administered to sooth a fussy baby in hopes that they will relax enough to fall asleep. No studies have been conducted  on whether or not this method sets a child up to crave sweets when they become anxious as they get older. This is something that I feel is important to discover in the years to come.
http://apps.who.int/rhl/newborn/cd001069_murkis_com/en/
http://www.med.umich.edu/1libr/PedPainGroup/OralSucrose.pdf
https://www.nichd.nih.gov/cochrane_data/yamadaj_01/yamadaj_01.html
http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/130/5/918
http://www.medscape.org/viewarticle/588971