Where Music Meets Medicine

Posted on March 19, 2018 by | 2 comments

Since the beginning of civilization, humans have been inseparable from music. So inseparable, in fact, that certain melodies literally activate a reward center in our brains, creating that ‘spine tingling’ feeling down our backs. Hence, it’s not surprising how science continues to reveal how important music really is for us; especially our health. Here’s just a handful of ways music can improve our well-being:

 

Stress

source: flickr

Researchers are now discovering the stress-reducing properties of music. For instance, a recent Swedish study prescribed either (i) relaxing music or (ii) silent bed rest to patients who just underwent intensive heart surgery, and found that patients who listened to music had drastically lower levels of cortisol (a hormone associated with stress). In addition, a separate study went one step further by comparing music to actual prescription medicine; music still came out on top. In this study, patients who were about to undergo surgery were either given midazolam, an anti-anxiety drug, or a healthy dose of calming music. Amazingly, those who listened to music reported feeling much more calm and prepared than those given midazolam!

 

Memory

source: flickr

Music is also attributed with being an amazing memory aid. A team of Finnish researchers studied how music might affect the verbal memory (memory of sounds and words) recovery time of stroke victims. Ultimately, it was found that those who listened to music on a daily basis recovered their verbal memory and attention span much quicker than those who didn’t listen to music at all. Furthermore, in addition to helping us regain memory, a 2014 study has revealed how music can also improve our ability to create memories. In this experiment, participants were required to memorize foreign language phrases by (i) singing the phrases, (ii) speaking the phrases, or (iii) listening to the phrases. In the end, those who incorporated singing into their studying were able to memorize the phrases much quicker than who spoke or listened. However, while musical memory-aids might be the reason you ace your next Spanish exam, they’re also responsible for all the low-budget commercial jingles you’ve had stuck in your head for the last 10 years…

Mood

source: flickr

It’s well established that speaking with/relating to others about issues is an effective way to deal with depression. Knowing this, it makes sense that music may act as a two-way street by allowing musicians to express themselves and allowing listeners to emotionally relate with someone. A famous poet, Robert Browning, speaks of this when he states, “He who hears music feels his solitude peopled all at once.” But if poets can’t convince you, let science! Erkkila et al. studied this phenomenon by treating depression patients with either music therapy (playing, singing, or listening to music) or standard care. In case you haven’t noticed the common theme of this blog post yet, the patients who incorporated music into their therapy amazingly displayed less depression symptoms at the end of the study!

 

 

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The truth behind people who only need a little sleep

Posted on March 18, 2018 by | 3 comments

Have you ever felt that 24 hours a day is not enough? The first time I went to the university, a senior student said that “you can only chose two among study, sleep, and social life”. Well, I am willing to sleep only 4 hours a day as long as I can get all As on my grade report and be a social star. However, the truth is that I am pathetic sleep-alcoholics!

Sweet baby sleep in the bed http://maxpixel.freegreatpicture.com/Girl-Toddler-Sleep-Child-Portrait-Sweet-Baby-1151351

Enough sleep is essential to everyone since it ensures that our brain functions well. Human brain is like a network of many functional regions. When people are sleeping, this network will coordinate each brain region and deal with a load of information we take in at the daytime. Sleep loss will disrupt this coordinated activities and the damage of this network is associated with bad memory, Alzheimer’s disease and many other consequences.

Here is a Ted-talk video explained the negative consequences of sleep deprivation.

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However, there is no doubt that many successful people in the world only need a little sleep to keep creative and productive during the work. Jack Dorsey, the founder of Twitter, sleeps 4-6 hours a day; Apple CEO Tim Cook starts work at 4:30 A.M.; Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer reduced sleep time by sleep under her desk. How can these people success living with such a little sleep? Is it because of their talented genes? A study found the answer.

Researchers from the University of Utah have studied 800 people who claimed that they don’t need full-time sleep(i.e. 7-9 hours sleep). Researchers monitored the participants’ brain activities at daytime. They found that short sleepers have increased motions of amygdala — a region in brain that manages emotion and sensation. This implied that short sleepers pushed themselves to keep awake by engaging into busy works. Even though some people claimed that they function well during the day, but to some extent their brain works like drunk.

Finally, the lack of sleep results in the same negative effect on everyone. If you wonder why some people can sleep 4 hours and still keep up enthusiasm but you can’t, the only difference is that successful businessmen/women have a stronger motivation and push themselves live in an intense living pattern. However, health is also very important and chronic sleep deprivation may lead to irreversible damages. It is like a race between health and ambition, nobody knows who will touch the line at the first.

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Will electric cars fully replace combustion engine cars in the future?

Posted on March 12, 2018 by | 4 comments

Vehicle emission is one of the largest contributions to air pollution in the world. In order to reduce exhausts, people can choose to drive electric cars. Although electric cars seem to be more environmentally friendly, in my view, petrol and diesel-fueled cars cannot be completely replaced in the future because of their convenience and efficiency.

Electric cars vs. diesel-fueled cars; Photo courtesy by Chris Tosic

In terms of fuel efficiency, fuel-filling cars are more efficient than electric cars. Due to the limited capacity of batteries, fully charged electric cars normally cannot drive as far as fully fueled petrol and diesel cars. The usual battery life for today’s electric cars is about 100 to 150 kilometers. However, a fully fueled car with combustion engine can travel at least 400 to 500 kilometers normally. Although today’s most popular electric car brand “Tesla” has developed more powerful batteries for their electric cars to allow the driving distance to increase up to 572 kilometers, the price of the car with higher electric capacity becomes so high that it can be economically inefficient.
Apart from driving distance, the way of getting energy is another big concern for electric cars. In today’s community, we can find a lot more fuel-filling stations than electric charging stations in cities. Here is an example for the United States:

NO. of US Gas Stations VS. Electric Charging Stations; Data table provided by Loren McDonald

Moreover, the fuel charging only takes a few seconds or minutes to complete. In this case, we do not need to worry if the car does not have much fuel left. Conversely, electric cars take a much longer time to charge, and we do not have many electric charging stations in the city at present. For example, the total time required for a Tesla “90kWh Model S” electric car to be fully charged at a 30A public charging station is about 17.8 hours; even “Tesla Supercharger Station,” which is recognized as worlds’ fastest charging station, still takes 75 minutes to recharge an electric car. As we know, the higher capacity battery takes longer charging time. Therefore, petrol and diesel-fueled cars save much more time on fueling and cannot be completely replaced by the inconvenient electric cars.

In the future, people may develop more advanced electric cars that require shorter charging time and have longer battery life. It is important to note that recycling of large batteries may also become a significant environmental issue. Consequently, there are still many challenges in the development of advanced electric cars.
By Jenny Tang

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How far is virtual from reality?

Posted on March 12, 2018 by | 2 comments

When you are watching movies or playing video games, do you want to join the fictional world and start a new life in it? Virtual reality (VR) technology could make your dream come true. Scientifically, VR is a computing technology which will generate an immersive environment similar to the real world.

 

Figure 1 The Matrix describe a mimic virtual world created by machine
https://io9.gizmodo.com/warner-bros-is-considering-a-return-to-the-matrix-1793280066

There are many fictional work about VR. In The Matrix series the whole world people lived in is a virtual reality made sentient machines and humans are harvested for their bioelectricity as energy sources to machines. Another work, Sword Art Online describes VR based video games in near future world. VR games in this novel series could give users a fully immersed experience by simulating human’s five senses directly through their brain. Players can control their characters in the games just like controlling our own body in real world. The VR helmet worn by players could also kill them since it could send strong electric signal to their brain.

Figure 2 Sword Art Online shows how can we use VR to build a world
https://www.quora.com/Do-sword-art-online-players-need-to-sleep

So far, the VR technology and devices are not as powerful and dangerous as they are depicted in fictions. Currently VR equipment like headsets could generate realistic sounds, images and other sensations and users could “look around” to see the virtual world through the headset which giving better experience than screens. However, these sensations are still delivered by our eyes and ears and we also need some external control systems to connect with the devices to make any movement in the virtual environment such like infrared sensors or wearing some wireless controllers on your body.

Figure 3 The rapid growing VR industry
https://thenextweb.com/contributors/2018/03/11/5-virtual-reality-trends-watch-2018/

VR is a growing industry as its users increased from 200 thousand in 2014 to 90 million in 2017. The industry is predicted to worth 5.2 billion US dollar in 2018 and $45 billion by 2025. This prosperity would introduce more investment and research in this area. Hopefully it will give more “realer” experience to users. Recently a 360 degrees headphone was introduced by HEAR360. It is said to produce a more immersive sound environment by using 8 microphones around your head so you can hear sound like it is in front of, above, below, around, or behind your head. There is also some research on using your muscles to control VR and giving sensible force feedback to your body. Directing connection from the devices to your brain might be still fictional as current research about our brain is not so advanced and there are many ethical and health problems related to it. Even the current “not real enough” VR technology has raised many concerns about health, safety and privacy protection while using VR devices. For example, Virtual Boy, released by Nintendo in 1995 with headpiece displayer, was reported to cause dizziness, nausea, and headaches. Long-time exposure to virtual environment could give similar discomforts. The health problems related to immersive experience could slow down the development of VR if no convincible resolution is given.

Figure 4 A headphone giving sound around your head
https://techcrunch.com/2018/02/21/hear360-begins-shipping-its-asmr-ready-omni-binaural-microphone-the-8ball/

With wide applications in video games, movies, educational and military training, health care etc., the emerging VR industry attracts many researchers, investors and users. We are not sure if we can enjoy another life in virtual worlds in the future, but the advancing VR technology give us the hope.

by Jun Ling

References:

  1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virtual_reality
  2. https://www.completegate.com/2016070154/blog/virtual-reality-explained
  3. https://thenextweb.com/contributors/2018/03/11/5-virtual-reality-trends-watch-2018/

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A “Smart” Way of Eating

Posted on March 12, 2018 by | 4 comments

You may know that it is a good idea to eat fruits and vegetables to keep healthy; you may know that we can lose weight by controlling the calories input. But do you know that we can simply stay healthy and lose weight by having a “smart” eating pattern while not changing what we eat? What does the eating pattern mean in this case?

Different eating patterns including a regular way and a non-traditional way –TRF, which stands for time-restricted feeding. TRF simply means we restrict the total amount of time of food consumption every day. The time spread of the regular eating pattern is usually 16 hours. But if we eat the same amount of food but reduce the total time spread to less than 16 hours, we can easily stay healthy and even lose weight by maintaining a relatively stable heartbeat.

The figure below can better explain different eating patterns.

[source: http://www.pnas.org/content/pnas/111/47/16647/F3.large.jpg]

As the five figures are shown above: the blue area of the circle represents the daytime and the black area represents the night time. The regular eating pattern is shown as the pattern A. It includes three large meals plus snacks during a 16-hour period of wakefulness. Pattern B, C, and D illustrate the concept of TRF, which is what we recommend in this article. The common idea shared among the TRF eating patterns is the limited eating time — the total time spread of food consumption is less than 16 hours.

To be more specific, eliminating midnight snack and limiting eating to 12 hours is the “smart” eating pattern that we are encouraged to have. A research conducted by Tina Hesman Saef found that fruit flies with only 12-hour spread had steadier heartbeats in old age than flies with unrestricted eating time.

[source: www.sciencenews.org/sites/default/files/main/articles/ti_fly_feeding_graph.png]

The experiment was designed to have two groups of flies. One group ate a cornmeal diet anytime they want; another group had access to same food for 12 hours only. Both groups ate about the same amount of food and had similar amounts of activity. The result of the research shows that after 5 weeks, the group with TRF had the steadier heartbeat. Stable heartbeat can help maintain fat metabolism by adjusting the tolerance of glucose and adjusting blood pressure. Therefore, TRF helps weight loss due to its effect on the heartbeat and metabolism.

However, does this eating pattern mean we only need to consider the time sprints of food consumption without thinking about the frequency or time of food taken? The answer is no. If we do not stick to the same eating schedule every day, our body clock will be in a mess. This will cause unstable heartbeat and harm our immune system. In general, the recommended frequency of food intake should be three times a day. A research on female participants with different meal frequency supports this by analyzing the level of energy intake and expenditure.

Does this sound great? We can easily lose weight by limiting our meal time while eating the same things! Try to eat within 12 hours every day and don’t eat the midnight snack. Let’s see how easy and comfortable it is to live a healthy life!

by Qingyue Wang

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Washing your Clothes: Hygiene or Pollution?

Posted on March 12, 2018 by | 1 comment

Whether you roll out of bed and slap on whatever you can find laying around, or are a regular attendee of Shopaholics Anonymous, you at one point wear and wash your clothing. Did you know however, that washing your clothes is actually doing more harm than good?

Early Electric Washing Machines
Published under the Creative Commons License; photo courtesy of a Wikimedia User

The Problem

For centuries, people have been washing their clothes to rid them of the foul odours and bacteria build up; with the invention of the electric washing machine in the early twentieth century, washing clothes has since become a common household chore.  However, what the masses neglect to realize with every load of laundry they do, is the fact that millions of tiny fibres, known as microplastics, are released into the water ways, which, eventually find their way to the ocean.

Many recent studies have been targeted at investigating the exact amounts of microplastics released each time a load of laundry is washed. One such study showed that an average 13-pound load of laundry can release five-hundred thousand fibres from polyester and close to one million from acrylic-based clothing.  The numbers are shocking.

Ocean Plastic Pollution Published under the Creative Commons License; photo courtesy of Wikimedia User Kevin Krejci

In fact, one of the worst culprits in polluting the World’s Oceans is the water-repellent raincoat. Chances are, most people have at least one rain jacket hanging in their closet. These jackets are made up of special microplastics known as Perfluorinated Chemicals, or PFCs. They give the raincoat its waterproofing properties but are shed when washed. Once in the oceans, they do not break down. These fibres, which are not visible to the human eye, pose massive threats to, and have adverse effects on marine life. Studies have shown that fish are particularly prone to the effects of microplastics. When they ingest microplastics, it is not passed out as waste. Therefore, they accumulate. Consequently, their digestion is affected, and many organisms do not survive to the age where they can reproduce, destroying entire ecosystems.

The video below shows the the rising threat of such a problem and highlights that immediate action needs to be taken.

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Video from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZHCgA-n5wRw

What can we do to help?

A practical solution that we can implement in our own lives is making changes to our shopping and washing habits. For instance, instead of buying many cheap basics loaded with synthetic fibres with the expectation that they last a year and then are dumped away, it is better to buy a few quality items that are not composed of as many synthetic fibres. Furthermore, as oppose to washing clothes on a daily basis or in high frequency, it is better to wash them less regularly. Lastly, we can take it upon ourselves to hand wash out clothes and then instead of throwing the water down the drain, where it will end up in the oceans, perhaps use the waste water to water the garden or other agriculture. Simple solutions like this can prevent the shedding of massive amounts of synthetic fibres into the ocean, and reduce the risks faced by marine life.

By: Wesley Louie

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Shrooms That Trip Together, Stay Together

Posted on March 12, 2018 by | 2 comments

I’m sure that many of you have heard of magic mushrooms, maybe you’ve even had first-hand experience with them, but where exactly does their name originate from, and why are there so many different kinds?

Psilocybe Cubensis (magic mushroom); photo courtesy of Flickr user Dick Culbert

Basically, magic mushrooms are hallucinogens. They are substances that cause alterations to your perception, your thoughts, and even to your feelings. Essentially, they cause you to “trip,” or “trip out,” because it’s almost as if they are taking you on a mind-altering journey.

The substance behind all of these fascinating effects is a naturally occurring drug known as psilocybin, and it is produced in more than 100 different species of mushrooms. When psilocybin is ingested, it is converted into psilocin, and this is the element that actually causes the hallucinogenic effects characteristic of most magic mushrooms.

For those of you still interested in the psychedelic effects of psilocybin, here is an interesting video of psychopharmacologist Roland Griffiths’ knowledge on this drug and how it may even prove to be beneficial to the terminally ill.

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The real question now is, why is this specific chemical present in so many different species of mushrooms? Well, a few scientists shared that same inquiry and this led to a study that was published in the journal Evolution Letters. This study has suggested that the production of psilocybin is primarily used as a defense mechanism against the overconsumption of the mushroom population by insects. A common side effect of psilocybin is the suppression of appetite, therefore, by causing these insects to “trip,” the bugs become less hungry and are less likely to consume more of the mushrooms.

However, this isn’t even the most interesting part. The study actually found that the genes that cause the production of psilocybin were very similar amongst distant species of mushrooms, even more so than some genes shared between members of the same species. According to the researchers, this illustrates that these genes are not inherited from a common ancestor, but are actually transferred between different species of mushrooms. This phenomenon is known as Horizontal Gene Transfer (HGT).

In essence, the genes are passed from species to species during HGT and if the gene proves to be useful, this process will continue until as many species as possible can benefit from them. Hence, the presence of psilocybin in over 100 different species of mushrooms. HGT is thought to be rare in complex living things and much more common in single-celled organisms like bacteria, making this phenomenon even more incredible.

A very simplified version of HGT and the passing of DNA from one cell to another of a different species; photo courtesy of Gregorius Pilosus from Wikimedia Commons

In a way, these mushrooms have worked together to form a solution to a problem that their individual genetic codes could not deal with alone. Now, the presence of these psilocybin-producing genes has become very widespread and has produced a huge variety of magic mushrooms. So, the next time you’re working in a team and you hear your group members stuck in a disagreement, let them know that if mushrooms can work together, so can they, and then maybe you’ll all be able to produce a little magic too.

By Silvana Jakupovic

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There Is a Decrease in Blood Donations and It Is Concerning for All of Us

Posted on March 12, 2018 by | 1 comment

Courtesy of SciTechTrend

Blood, the ‘liquid of life’, is absolutely necessary for bodily functions. However, many people have diseases which renders their blood insufficient for necessary processes.  Therefore, many families strongly rely on blood donations to save their loved ones from life-threatening conditions.

The journey of giving blood can be an exciting one for some, but for many it is not.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6bpVqPFTja4

The organization in England responsible for handling blood donations, NHS Blood and Transplant, revealed that there were 40% less new donors compared to about a decade ago. “Regular donations are crucial to saving and improving the lives of patients with cancer, blood disorders and those suffering medical trauma or undergoing surgery”, says the organization. Without consistent blood donations, hospitals may not have blood available when patients need it.

Courtesy of user ‘brian’ (Flickr Commons)

One of the main causes of this decrease can be attributed to cultural changes among generations. President and Chief Executive of Bloodworks Northwest in Seattle, James AuBuchon, said “The older generations seemed to have internalized the message that we always have to have an adequate supply of blood on the shelves. The younger generations just seem less wired toward that message.”

International non-profit organization specializing in transfusion and cell therapy, AABB, found in their research that 60% of blood donations come from people over 40, and nearly 50% come from people older than 50.

It isn’t cool anymore to donate blood. For those that grew up during war times and Baby Boomers, blood donation was seen as a noble duty. Donating blood was a civic obligation. Marie Forrestal, president of the Association of Donor Recruitment Professionals, emphasizes that “It was a cultural thing to donate.”

Courtesy of Bloodcenters.org

Furthermore, lack of education about donating blood is another cause. Almost half (48%) of the people responding to a survey by NHS Blood and Transplant think friends are family are asked to donate when a patient needs blood. Donating blood is seen as reactive, instead of a proactive procedure. A surprising 13% think that synthetic blood is created in emergencies (which is definitely not true!)

To counter this issue, two things need to be done. Let’s increase recruitment of high school and university student donors. This can be done through organizations, such as Red Cross, hosting more high school and college blood drives. This tactic has proven to work as 16-18 and 19-22 year olds now account for 20% of blood donation, which is an increase compared to previous years.

Next, the common misconceptions about blood need to be addressed in elementary schools. If the government improves the school curriculum to incorporate discussions about blood, the future generation will be better equipped with the knowledge to make the decision about whether to donate.

All in all, a future without blood transfusions is a dark one. Without regular blood donations, we increase the risk of losing our loved ones to blood disorders. However, it isn’t too late. With the help of the younger generation, we can still make the future a ‘bloody’ one.

By Misam Ibrahimi

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