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Study finds the real reason you get goosebumps
No, its not just to keep you warm with hair you don't have.
23 July, 2020
By Flystock/Shutterstock
- A new study suggests that goosebumps are part of a larger system that not only keeps us warm, but also helps hair to heal.
- The sympathetic nerve system reacts to cold air with goose skin. If it stays on long enough, it orders new hair growth.
- The authors note that other, currently unknown, connections between this system and other parts of the body are likely to exist.
<p>Everybody gets goosebumps, but have you ever wondered why? Until now, the leading hypothesis was that by elevating hair-follicles on the skin, goosebumps helped keep the body warm by providing more space for warm air to be collect near the body. However, many scientists have puzzled over this explanation, as the lack of body hair on modern humans leaves us with the ability to have goose skin but without the ability to benefit from it.</p><p> Evolutionarily, that makes little sense, if it really was that useless we'd expect more than a few people to not have the ability to get them by now. </p><p>A new <a href="https://www.cell.com/cell/pdf/S0092-8674(20)30808-4.pdf?_returnURL=https%3A%2F%2Flinkinghub.elsevier.com%2Fretrieve%2Fpii%2FS0092867420308084%3Fshowall%3Dtrue" target="_blank">study</a> published in <em>Cell </em>suggests a different reason for this reaction. Its authors argue that the same cells that cause goosebumps might be responsible for helping hair growth in the first place, giving a reason for evolution to retain this familiar phenomenon. </p>
A hair-raising study
<p>In animals, many organs are made of three kinds of tissue: epithelium, mesenchyme, and nerve. In the skin, which is an organ, a nerve connects to muscle in the mesenchyme. This nerve is part of the sympathetic nervous system and helps maintain homeostasis. The muscle itself is connected to stem cells in the epithelium that heal wounds and regenerate hair follicles.</p><p>The researchers focused on mice, as is typical in these studies, but suggest that the findings are also applicable to humans given the similarity between our skin and hair cells. </p><p>The researchers examined the behavior and structure of the nerve under an electron microscope. To their surprise, the nerve was not only attached to the previously mentioned muscle tissue but also wrapped around hair follicle stem cells. </p><p>In normal conditions, the sympathetic nervous system is always operating at a low level. This keeps the body functioning normally. When the researchers observed this behavior, they noticed signals being sent by the nervous system to the stem cells in the hair follicles. These signals seem to keep the stem cells at the ready for potential use. </p><p>However, when the researchers exposed the tissues to the cold, the activity ramped up. A flood of neurotransmitters was released, and the stem cells activated. This prompted new hair growth to begin. </p><p>Another experiment dove into how the nerve reached the stem cells in the first place. Co-Author Yulia Shwartz explained the findings in a press release:</p><p>"We discovered that the signal comes from the developing hair follicle itself. It secretes a protein that regulates the formation of the smooth muscle, which then attracts the sympathetic nerve. Then in the adult, the interaction turns around, with the nerve and muscle together regulating the hair follicle stem cells to regenerate the new hair follicle. It's closing the whole circle -- the developing hair follicle is establishing its own niche." </p><p>Putting this together, it appears that goosebumps are part of a two-phased response to cold. In the first, the muscle below the skin is stimulated to form goosebumps. If this stimulation lasts long enough, the second phase kicks in, with the sympathetic nervous system calling for new hair growth and repairs for the old ones to be made in response to the cold. </p>This is interesting and all, but what possible application could this information have?
<div class="rm-shortcode" data-media_id="a1mxkAJg" data-player_id="FvQKszTI" data-rm-shortcode-id="34227067ef7afd2e24cf95e8c455de17"> <div id="botr_a1mxkAJg_FvQKszTI_div" class="jwplayer-media" data-jwplayer-video-src="https://content.jwplatform.com/players/a1mxkAJg-FvQKszTI.js"> <img src="https://cdn.jwplayer.com/thumbs/a1mxkAJg-1920.jpg" class="jwplayer-media-preview" /> </div> <script src="https://content.jwplatform.com/players/a1mxkAJg-FvQKszTI.js"></script> </div> <p>In their <a href="https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2020-07/hu-trr072020.php" target="_blank">press release</a>, the authors suggest that further research can focus on how the body repairs itself in response to environmental stimuli in various situations. The findings also imply that other currently unsuspected connections between the sympathetic nervous system and other parts of the body exist. These potential interactions will undoubtedly be searched for and examined.</p><p> Everybody gets goosebumps now and then. We've always assumed we knew why we still get them, even though the hypothesis had some holes. This study's findings show that the benefits of getting goosebumps are more complex than initially thought. It just goes to remind us that we still have much to learn about even the most mundane things.</p>
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UK medical student creates handbook to show clinical symptoms on darker skin
Doctors may be missing fatal illnesses because medical textbooks are biased toward white skin.
22 July, 2020
Photo Credit: St George's University of London
- A medical student in the UK recently created a handbook to help trainee doctors recognize life-threatening conditions on black and brown skin.
- "Mind the Gap" includes images that display how certain illnesses appear on both darker and lighter skin tones.
- The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated problems with suspected coronavirus patients being asked if they are "pale" or if their lips "turned blue".
<p>Look in a medical textbook for the symptoms of a rash and you'll probably find "red bumps." Look up oxygen deprivation and you'll get "blue lips" as a common sign. Melanin typically alters those colors, so those diagnostics don't always apply to non-white skin — i.e., most of the world's population. And it can have fatal consequences.</p>After being taught clinical signs and symptoms on white skin, a Black medical student at St. George's University of London, Malone Mukwende, recently created a handbook to help trainee doctors recognize life-threatening conditions on black and brown skin.
Mind the Gap
<img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yMzUwMzY4MC9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY0NDA2MjE4N30.LtHZlsQNOQdcpPiCKiFs-ooHpJS5fd9ZuzGt3gyR7dA/img.jpg?width=1245&coordinates=0%2C1605%2C0%2C507&height=700" id="23357" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="bce1d08be9de55c4f969d605723bec67" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" alt=""Mind the Gap" handbook" />Photo Credit: St George's University of London
<p>Mukwende has been working with Senior Lecturer in Diversity and Medical Education, Margot Turner, and Clinical Lecturer in Clinical Skills, Peter Tamony on the handbook "Mind the Gap" as part of a <a href="https://www.sgul.ac.uk/for-students/student-experience/student-staff-partnership-grants" target="_blank">student-staff partnership project</a> looking at clinical teaching on black and brown skins.</p><p>According to the <a href="https://www.bmj.com/content/369/bmj.m2578" target="_blank">British Medical Journal</a>, Mind the Gap aims "to teach medical students and other health professionals about the importance of recognizing how some conditions can present differently in darker skins."</p><p>The book includes images that display how certain illnesses appear on both darker and lighter skin tones. Additionally, it includes suggestions for appropriate phrases and vernacular for doctors to use with their patients. </p><p>"It is important that we as future healthcare professionals are aware of these differences so that we don't compromise our care for certain groups," said Mukwende in a St George's University press release, noting that medical textbooks contain a 'white skin bias,' which has put the health of those groups at risk. </p><p>Though Mind the Gap is not currently published or available for distribution, discussions with potential publishers are ongoing according to St George University's statement. </p>Coronavirus and need for change
<p>Mukwende explained that the COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated problems with suspected coronavirus patients being asked if they are "pale" or if their lips "turned blue".</p><p>"These are not useful descriptors for a black patient and, as a result, their care is compromised from the first point of contact," said Mukwende. "It is essential we begin to educate others so they are aware of such differences and the power of the clinical language we currently use. We will be hosting a training session for clinical skills peer tutors which will take place in July 2020."</p><p>He pointed out that conversations currently taking place regarding health disparities in the United Kingdom are pressuring universities to take real action to address those concerns. For example, at St George's there <a href="https://www.change.org/p/gmc-medical-schools-must-include-bame-representation-in-clinical-teaching" target="_blank">was a petition</a> calling for teaching clinical skills on black and brown skin. </p><p>"The petition, Covid-19 pandemic and the Black Lives Matter movement all illustrate there is an urgent need for change," said Mukwende. </p>
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Century-old vaccine may lower coronavirus deaths, finds new study
A new study suggests that an old tuberculosis vaccine may reduce the severity of coronavirus cases.
08 July, 2020
Credit: Kekyalyaynen / Shutterstock
- A new study finds a tuberculosis BCG vaccination is linked to its COVID-19 mortality rate.
- More BCG vaccinations are connected to fewer severe coronavirus cases in East Germany.
- The study is preliminary and more research is needed to support the findings.
<p>Preliminary findings from a new study show that Bacille Calmette-Guérin (BCG), a vaccine given to kids in countries where tuberculosis is prevalent, might be able to reduce COVID-19 mortality rates.</p><p>Analyzing globally-collected coronavirus mortality data, the researchers made adjustments for income, education levels, medical services, population density, age, and more. Across all variations, they saw a clear relationship where countries which had higher rates of BCG vaccinations also had lower peak mortality rates related to the coronavirus pandemic.</p><p>The study was spearheaded by Professor Luis Escobar of Virginia Tech as well as Alvaro Molina-Cruz and Carolina Barillas-Mury from the National Institutes of Health (NIH).</p>
<p><span style="background-color: initial;">Escobar, who teaches as part of the Department of Fish and Wildlife Conservation, said that the correlation they found does have some caveats.</span></p><p style="margin-left: 20px;">"In our initial research, we found that countries with high rates of BCG vaccinations had lower rates of mortality," <a href="https://medicalxpress.com/news/2020-07-preliminary-tuberculosis-vaccine-limiting-covid-.html" target="_blank">explained</a> Escobar. "But all countries are different: Guatemala has a younger population than, say, Italy, so we had to make adjustments to the data to accommodate those differences."</p><p>In the example of Germany, the scientists were able to compare two population samples – the East German, which had older periods of BCG vaccinations (1951-1975) and the West German, which started and ended later (1961 - 1998). The data demonstrated that older East Germans were more protected from COVID-19 than their West German counterparts, exhibiting a mortality rate that was 2.9 times lower. This correlated to the possible efficacy of the BCG vaccine. </p>
<img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yMzQ0MzU1Ny9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYwNTE5NDUwMX0.dqWxBj7yAvn84tZZm8-uC9rpi8axnqNZepv7pugVKs0/img.jpg?width=980" id="bf717" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="899c1432fd9723fca0cdb1c29e42acbf" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" alt="Professor Luis Escobar" />
Professor Luis Escobar
Credit: Virginia Tech
<p>"The purpose of using the BCG vaccine to protect from severe COVID-19 would be to stimulate a broad, innate, rapid-response immunity," shared Escobar, adding that previous evidence already pointed to BCG vaccines offering cross-protections not just for tuberculosis, but for a multitude of viral respiratory illnesses.</p><p>The vaccine gets its name from French microbiologists Albert Calmette and Camille Guérin, who developed it in 1919. It is widely used around the world, with 130 million people receiving it every year. It is, however, rarely given in the United States.</p>
<p>As the analysis is preliminary, more research is necessary to support the results and to recommend a course of action. Some clinical trials are <a href="https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2020/03/can-century-old-tb-vaccine-steel-immune-system-against-new-coronavirus" target="_blank">currently underway</a> to further investigate the role BCG vaccine might play in reducing the severity of COVID-19. The researchers hope that if further research supports the findings, the BCG vaccine might at least offer short-term protection from getting a bad case of the coronavirus. This can be especially helpful to frontline medical workers and people with compromised immune systems.</p><p>You can read the new study in the <a href="https://dx.doi.org/10.1101%2F2020.05.05.20091975" target="_blank">Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS).</a></p>
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Americans officially banned from entering EU, at least for now
The European Union agreed on a list of 15 countries that would be allowed to travel in its bloc. U.S. citizens were not on it.
30 June, 2020
photo by scaliger/ Adobe Stock.
- The European Union made an agreement on a list of 15 countries that could travel in its bloc from July 1st.
- Citizens of the United States, as well as Russia, Brazil, and India, are not on it.
- The exclusion of the U.S. reflects concerns over its coronavirus surge.
<p>From July 1st, when its external borders will re-open, American tourists won't be welcome in Europe, decrees a new agreement from the European Union. The bloc decided on a list of 15 safe countries whose residents would be allowed to travel in the EU. Why is the United States not on it? A tremendous surge of new COVID-19 cases, demonstrating that while the EU tackled the first wave of the coronavirus, the U.S has not. <a href="https://bigthink.com/coronavirus/europe-travel-ban" target="_blank">Previous reports </a>stated that Secretary of State Mike Pompeo was in negotiations with the EU, but those must not have gone the way the U.S. planned.</p><p>This graphic shows vividly the very different directions the two regions are going:</p>
<img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yMzQyNzgxMC9vcmlnaW4ucG5nIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYzOTM5OTg2NX0.-iz3XOfQ7TspkN4ijWXPk9DrzQtO9U1t33Lq2nY_Vbg/img.png?width=980" id="3afef" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="cdaae1893efc654e4792541f8492de70" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" />
Byron Manley/Henrik Pettersson, CNN
https://www.cnn.com/2020/06/30/europe/european-union-travel-us-graphic-intl/index.html
<p>While new cases reached their peak in the EU around mid-March, they've been on an evident downward trajectory thanks to early lockdowns, mandated masks, and science-based cautious re-openings. The U.S., with inconsistent government messaging and actions as well as a divided public, has been <a href="https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/country/us/" target="_blank">adding about 40,000</a> cases every day. Dr. Fauci has been <a href="https://www.axios.com/fauci-senate-testimony-coronavirus-9d0204a8-f8e5-4deb-a8f7-07dcbd41d11c.html" target="_blank">warning</a> Congress that he wouldn't be surprised for this amount to reach <strong>100,000 </strong>if we don't get the situation under control, and he didn't sound very confident that we would.</p><p>The U.S. leads the world in overall cases (2.6 million) and deaths (at least 126,000). By comparison, the EU bloc has 116 million more people than the U.S., but <a href="https://www.ecdc.europa.eu/en/covid-19-pandemic" target="_blank">over a million fewer</a> cases. The head of the CDC also <a href="https://www.npr.org/sections/coronavirus-live-updates/2020/06/26/883799638/u-s-sets-daily-record-for-new-covid-19-cases" target="_blank">thinks</a> that the official tally is severely undercounted, with the true number of infected in the U.S. being around <strong>20 million.</strong> </p>
<p>Other countries excluded by the EU include Brazil, India, and Russia, where cases are spiking as well. Who is on the list of allowed countries? China, with some conditions. Also allowed are citizens from Algeria, Australia, Canada, Georgia, Japan, Montenegro, Morocco, New Zealand, Rwanda, Serbia, South Korea, Thailand, Tunisia, and Uruguay.</p><p>The decision by the EU will be re-examined with relative frequency, up to every two weeks. But for now, Americans wishing to travel to Europe would have to wait.</p>
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Scientists create robot skin that stores liquids
The smart skin can "sweat" like human skin and also self-heal.
26 June, 2020
Danqing Liu/Eindhoven
- Scientists have recently created a robotic skin that can be made to release stored liquid on demand.
- The skin could one day be used to apply medicine as needed to wounds or to keep surfaces at a precise level of dryness.
- More work is needed before it comes to a bandage near you.
<p>When you think about it, our skin is kind of weird. It not only protects what lies underneath it, but emits secretions to cool, strengthen, and odorize itself. Other creatures have skin that can change color or secrete mucus to reduce friction with the water.</p><p>The ability for parts of our bodies to interact with the environment and respond to changes is something that "smart" materials seek to emulate. To that end, a team of scientists at the Eindhoven University of Technology has created an <a href="https://techxplore.com/news/2020-06-artificial-skin-wounds-robots.html" target="_blank">artificial skin</a> that can secrete liquids on <a href="https://www.cell.com/matter/pdf/S2590-2385(20)30248-4.pdf?_returnURL=https%3A%2F%2Flinkinghub.elsevier.com%2Fretrieve%2Fpii%2FS2590238520302484%3Fshowall%3Dtrue" target="_blank">demand</a>. </p>
Robotic Skin? Next stop, Westworld!
<p>The skin, made of liquid crystal molecules, is solid and features many very tiny pores. These pores store a liquid of the scientists' choosing.</p><p>Liquid crystal molecules, which are also used to make LCD television screens, react to environmental stimuli. Of importance in this case is that they can be made to respond and move when bombarded with radio waves. When the radio waves are produced, the particles that make up the membrane start to move and the liquid comes out of the pores. </p><p>Lead author Danqing Liu described the mechanism to <a href="https://www.tue.nl/en/news/news-overview/24-06-2020-artificial-skin-heals-wounds-and-makes-robots-sweat/" target="_blank">Eindhoven News</a>, "When the radio waves are turned on, the liquid crystal molecules move direction and therefore wring the liquid out of the pores. The coating even sweats more as the radio signal becomes stronger."</p><p>When the waves are stopped, the liquid can be reabsorbed. This allows for a measure of control as to how wet or dry the material becomes. </p>Why use radio waves?
<div class="rm-shortcode" data-media_id="MPDgBr40" data-player_id="FvQKszTI" data-rm-shortcode-id="b8f0802eb8023ac84f4d4d6c70a85d49"> <div id="botr_MPDgBr40_FvQKszTI_div" class="jwplayer-media" data-jwplayer-video-src="https://content.jwplatform.com/players/MPDgBr40-FvQKszTI.js"> <img src="https://cdn.jwplayer.com/thumbs/MPDgBr40-1920.jpg" class="jwplayer-media-preview" /> </div> <script src="https://content.jwplatform.com/players/MPDgBr40-FvQKszTI.js"></script> </div> <p>Liu explains why radio was used as a trigger rather than electricity: "The high frequency we use was invented for the electrical car. It cannot penetrate the body, and therefore it is completely safe to touch. It is already a common frequency in the health care industry, for example in electrical therapies." If this skin is ever used to deliver medicine directly to a wound, being safe to the touch is a big deal. </p>What possible applications will this have?
<div class="rm-shortcode" data-media_id="HsqK5wIJ" data-player_id="FvQKszTI" data-rm-shortcode-id="310c05dc9c3a23683ddec62e25095f5d"> <div id="botr_HsqK5wIJ_FvQKszTI_div" class="jwplayer-media" data-jwplayer-video-src="https://content.jwplatform.com/players/HsqK5wIJ-FvQKszTI.js"> <img src="https://cdn.jwplayer.com/thumbs/HsqK5wIJ-1920.jpg" class="jwplayer-media-preview" /> </div> <script src="https://content.jwplatform.com/players/HsqK5wIJ-FvQKszTI.js"></script> </div> <p>The authors of the study speculate that possible applications include "robotic handling of reactions, medicine release, and transfer of chemicals" and the "alteration of tribological properties of surfaces or removal of unwanted species."</p><p>Imagine it. One day you might wear a robotic bandage that secretes medicine to your wounds automatically, scientists might use tiny robots to deliver chemicals to hard to reach areas to begin reactions, and dangerous chemical spills may be neutralized by solutions brought in and emitted by machines. Further study areas include trying to make this work with sunlight and determining if a second agent can be reabsorbed.</p><p>If these obstacles can be cleared, the number of applications will go even higher.<br> <br> Don't count on getting any of this tomorrow, though. Liu warns that the next steps will likely take years to accomplish. Oh well, I guess my plan to become a cyborg might have to wait a little while longer. </p>
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