Waist-to-height ratio detects fat obesity in children and adolescents significantly better than BMI
An inexpensive measure of obesity in children and adolescents that could replace body mass index (BMI) has been identified in a new study as waist circumference-to-height ratio. This measure detected excess fat mass and distinguished fat mass from muscle mass in children and adolescents more accurately than BMI. The study was conducted in collaboration between […]
Shorter Antibiotic Course Not as Effective for Children With UTIs
Abbreviated antibiotic treatment didn’t measure up for children with urinary tract infection (UTI), the SCOUT trial found. Stopping antibiotics when symptoms improved after an initial 5-day course yielded a 4.1% rate of persistent symptomatic UTI by follow-up at day 11-14 compared with 0.6% when kids had the full 10-day course, Nader Shaikh, MD, MPH, of […]
Higher Fetal Cortisol Levels Linked to Sleep Onset Delays
INDIANAPOLIS — Higher levels of neonatal hair cortisol, a measure of fetal cortisol production in the third trimester, may have a negative effect on sleep health among infants, according to a longitudinal study. Among 70 infants in the Care Project study, greater neonatal hair cortisol levels at birth predicted longer sleep onset latency at 7 […]
Can obesity and stress influence appetite? New study shows it’s all in your head
In a series of experiments using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to measure brain activity across networks in the brain, Johns Hopkins Medicine researchers looked at how stress might increase appetite in obese and lean adults. The researchers found that stress impacts the brain’s responses to food, and that both lean and obese adults react […]
New measure of sperm age may be predictor of pregnancy success
A novel technique to measure the age of male sperm has the potential to predict the success and time it takes to become pregnant, according to a newly published study by researchers at the Wayne State University School of Medicine. “Sperm epigenetic clock associates with pregnancy outcomes in the general population,” (link to article here), […]
Blood Biomarker Linked With Parkinson’s Disease
Serum neurofilament light (NfL), a measure of axonal injury, was associated with incident Parkinson’s disease, parkinsonian signs, and decline in physical functioning, a longitudinal study showed. Among 1,300 people in the Chicago Health and Aging Project (CHAP), a twofold higher concentration of serum NfL was associated with incident clinical Parkinson’s disease (OR 2.54, 95% CI […]
Directly into the brain: A 3D multifunctional and flexible neural interface: Novel design of brain chip implant allows for measuring neuronal activity while simultaneously delivering drugs to the implant site
Being able to measure the electrical activity of the brain has helped us gain a much better understanding of the brain’s processes, functions, and diseases over the past decades. So far, much of this activity has been measured via electrodes placed on the scalp (through electroencephalography (EEG)); however, being able to acquire signals directly from […]