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Japanese boffins unveil life-like robogirl

Thu, 09 Oct 2008 03:01:00 -0400

Scientists in Japan have unveiled a life-like robot that looks like a five-year-old girl.

The team at Osaka University''s robotics department behind the robogirl, known as Repliee R-1, has claimed that it is the most realistic robot suit ever created.

Repliee R-1 has flexible silicone skin and contains dozens of sensors and motors, enabling it to move and interact with its surroundings like a human, reports the Telegraph.

The robogirl, which also has eyes that blink and pig tails, has been designed to do basic tasks for the elderly and disabled, such as fetching objects.

With their new creation, the scientists hope that its life-like features will put people at their ease, and help them get over their reluctance to interact with a robot.

According to reports, Cyberdyne, a robotics firm, hopes to start mass-producing the models within days. (ANI)

How bacteria beat the blues

Thu, 09 Oct 2008 03:01:00 -0400

In a remarkable discovery, scientists have for the first time unravelled bacteria''s stress buster— a "co-ordination centre” that directs a bacteria''s defence systems to fight off external threats and stresses.

The team of British and Australian researchers has shown how the centre alerts the bacteria to danger and prompts it to create proteins to negate the threat, reports ABC Online.

According to co-author Associate Professor Peter Lewis, in the School of Environmental and Life Sciences at University of Newcastle, it’s not a single receptor system, but a network of sensors connected to a signalling hub, which they named "stressosome" that controls how bacteria react to stress.

The stressosome triggers a "global response" to the threat, creating an army of new proteins to counterattack the threat or stress.

The study may offer new insights into the mechanisms at work in some of the world''s oldest microorganisms and also help in the development of anti-infective therapies.

The researchers made use of a cryo-electron microscope to examine the common Bacillus subtilis - a bacteria used in biological nappy cleaners. The microscope, according to Lewis gave an accurate picture of the bacteria''s structure because it freezes samples quickly, preventing distorting ice crystals forming.

And the team found that the stressosomes regulated the cell''s response to stress.

"Rather than being on or off, [the stressosome] is able to modulate the signal in proportion to the stressful situation," he said.

Lewis said that by making the bacteria "drink a beer" they were able to induce stress and then track the impact on the cell.

They found the stressosomes held together and were still able to respond to any new stress.

The study is published in the latest edition of Science. (ANI)

Mouthrinses really do fight bad breath, but some cause temporary staining

Thu, 09 Oct 2008 02:59:00 -0400

Mouthrinses really do put a stop to bad breath but some can temporarily stain your tongue and teeth, according to new research.

The first systematic review on the effectiveness of mouthrinses shows that they play an important role in reducing levels of bacteria and chemicals that cause mouth odours.

However, picking which one to use is an important step as some can temporarily stain tongue and teeth.

Bad breath is generated by bacteria that accumulate on the tongue and produce sulphur compounds including hydrogen sulphide.

This is the same compound that makes rotten eggs smell bad.

To combat this, mouth rinses are classified in two categories, those that kill the bacteria producing the sulphur compounds and those that neutralise or mask the odour of these compounds.

Antibacterial mouthrinses are widely used to treat bad breath, despite some uncertainty about their effectiveness.

"We found that antibacterial mouthrinses, as well as those containing chemicals that neutralise odours, are actually very good at controlling bad breath,'' said lead researcher, Zbys Fedorowicz, who works at the Ministry of Health in Bahrain.

Although the different mouthrinses had similar effects on odours, the researchers point out that products containing chlorhexidine resulted in noticeable but temporary staining of the tongue and teeth, and also can temporarily alter taste sensations.

The review, carried out by a team of Cochrane Researchers, included the results of five separate trials involving 293 participants.

The researchers found that mouthrinses employing antibacterial agents such as chlorhexidine and cetylpyridinium were significantly more effective than placebos in reducing mouth odours, as judged by human noses.

Mouthrinses containing chlorine dioxide and zinc were more effective in neutralising odour compounds.

Researchers also found that more studies are needed to compare the effectiveness of different mouthrinses in treating bad breath. (ANI)

Gene variant that causes fatal heart rhythm disorder identified

Thu, 09 Oct 2008 02:59:00 -0400

Researchers at the University of Iowa and colleagues in France have identified a gene variant that causes a potentially fatal human heart rhythm disorder called sinus node disease or ‘sick sinus syndrome.’

While the newly discovered gene variant is rare, the study sheds light on cellular mechanisms that regulate sinus node function and identifies an unanticipated new pathway for developing future therapies to regulate more common forms of sinus node disease.

For the study, the researchers analyzed data from two families in France: a family of 74 individuals, 26 of whom had sinus node dysfunction, and a family of 44 individuals, 13 of whom had the disease.

Many of the affected individuals carried the same gene variant, and many experienced variable heart rate and bradycardia (dangerously low heart rate).

The researchers found that variants in a gene called ankyrin 2, or ANK2, resulted in dysfunction in the protein ankyrin-B in the members of these two different families.

"While a small number of the patients displayed heart disease symptoms, including ventricular arrhythmias, the prevalence of sinus node dysfunction in these patients was extremely high. In fact, most required the implantation of cardiac pacemakers," said the study''s senior author Peter Mohler, Ph.D., associate professor of internal medicine in the University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine.

"We predict that there are likely additional unidentified ankyrin variants in the larger general population that predispose humans to a combination of heart disease symptoms, including sinus node dysfunction, atrial fibrillation and ventricular arrhythmias," he added.

The findings were published online Oct. 1 by the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. (ANI)

Heparin-compression combo may help prevent deep vein thrombosis

Thu, 09 Oct 2008 02:52:00 -0400

A team of Cochrane Researchers says that combining short periods of leg compression with medications like heparin can be helpful in significantly decreasing a patient’s risk of deep vein thrombosis (DVT), the formation of a blood clot in a deep vein.

The researchers analysed data from 11 trials involving 7,431 patients, and found that a combined approach to prevention reduced the risk of DVT from 4 in 100 to less than 1 in 100 when compared to anticoagulants alone.

When compared to compression alone, the risk of DVT was reduced from 4 in 100 to 1 in 100.

"Our results support guidelines that already recommend the combined use of medication and leg compression to prevent deep vein blood clots," says lead researcher, Stavros Kakkos of the Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit, Michigan.

The researchers, however, are still unsure whether the combined approach can decrease a patient’s risk of a life-threatening pulmonary embolism, which is caused by a clot travelling to the lungs.

"If these clots get into the lungs they can be fatal. We urgently need more studies to find out whether combined preventative approaches are also useful in preventing pulmonary embolism," says Kakkos. (ANI)