PRESS-NEWS.org - Press Release Distribution
PRESS RELEASES DISTRIBUTION

Monitoring the body's fat burning by breath

Monitoring the body's fat burning by breath
2021-02-10
(Press-News.org) Your breath holds the key to monitoring fat burning, and now a research group from Tohoku University has created a compact and low-cost device that can measure how our body metabolizes fat.

The device uses an ultraviolet lamp to gauge exhaled acetone gas, which is produced in the blood through the metabolic reaction of fat.

"Precise measurements of acetone gas concentration allows us to determine the body's ability to metabolize fat and develop exercise methods for efficient fat burning," says Professor Yuji Matsuura from Tohoku University's Graduate School of Biomedical Engineering, who led the research group.

The details of their study were published in the journal Sensors on January 12, 2021

Matsuura and his team focused on ultraviolet light, which due to its extremely short wavelength is strongly absorbed by acetone gas. They succeeded in measuring the acetone concentration with high accuracy: 0.03 ppm--while the acetone concentration is about 1 ppm in exhaled air.

To do this, they trapped exhaled air in a thin tubular optical fiber--called a hollow optical fiber--that had been exposed to vacuum ultraviolet light produced from an ultraviolet lamp. The group measured the degree to which the light is weakened as a result of the absorption of acetone gases to ascertain the acetone gas concentration.

When putting the device to use the group discovered that fat burning rates gradually increased after exercise. In contrast, the rate remained constant during exercise, indicating that a substantial part of fat metabolization occurs after exercise.

Until now, a large mass spectrometer was required to monitor fat metabolization. The new device, however, comprises only three components: a lamp, a hollow optical fiber, and a small spectrometer making it compact and low cost.

"The present research may also lead to non-invasive diagnosis methods for diabetes, since diabetic patients have high concentrations of acetone gas in their breath," added Matsuura.

INFORMATION:


[Attachments] See images for this press release:
Monitoring the body's fat burning by breath

ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

Really random networks

Really random networks
2021-02-10
Many natural and human-made networks, such as computer, biological or social networks have a connectivity structure that critically shapes their behavior. The academic field of network science is concerned with analyzing such real-world complex networks and understanding how their structure influences their function or behavior. Examples are the vascular network of our bodies, the network of neurons in our brain, or the network of how an epidemic is spreading through a society. The need for reliable null models The analysis of such networks often focuses on finding interesting properties and features. For example, does the structure of a particular contact network help diseases spread ...

Object transparency reduces human perception of three-dimensional shapes

Object transparency reduces human perception of three-dimensional shapes
2021-02-10
The research team led by Masakazu Ohara, graduate student of the Department of Computer Science and Engineering at Toyohashi University of Technology (student in the Leading Program doctoral program); Associate Professor Kowa Koida of the Electronics-Inspired Interdisciplinary Research Institute; and Associate Professor Juno Kim of the University of New South Wales (Australia) discovered that when people judge the thickness of an object, objects with glass-like transparent optical properties are perceived to be flatter than they actually are. It was previously known that objects made of metallic or glossy materials are perceived to be thicker than what they are, but now the current research has identified that transparent ...

Placing cosmological constraints on quantum gravity phenomenology

2021-02-10
A description of gravity compatible with the principles of quantum mechanics has long been a widely pursued goal in physics. Existing theories of this 'quantum gravity' often involve mathematical corrections to Heisenberg's Uncertainty Principle (HUP), which quantifies the inherent limits in the accuracy of any quantum measurement. These corrections arise when gravitational interactions are considered, leading to a 'Generalized Uncertainty Principle' (GUP). Two specific GUP models are often used: the first modifies the HUP with a linear correction, while the second introduces a quadratic one. Through new research published in EPJ C, Serena Giardino and Vincenzo ...

Spectacular 'honeycomb heart' revealed in iconic stellar explosion

2021-02-10
A unique 'heart-shape', with wisps of gas filaments showing an intricate honeycomb-like arrangement, has been discovered at the centre of the iconic supernova remnant, the Crab Nebula. Astronomers have mapped the void in unprecedented detail, creating a realistic three-dimensional reconstruction. The new work is published in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society. The Crab, formally known as Messier 1, exploded as a dramatic supernova in 1054 CE, and was observed over the subsequent months and years by ancient astronomers across the ...

Using Nature's strategies in the development of new drugs

2021-02-10
Dimerization (Note: combination of two identical or different molecules) of the human neuropeptides oxytocin and vasopressin can produce new types of bioactive molecules. In a recent study, an international research team led by MedUni Vienna and the University of Vienna demonstrated that dimerized and therefore significantly larger versions of oxytocin and vasopressin are still able to activate their receptors. Such new constructs provide several opportunities to optimize the efficacy of these neuropeptides for therapeutic application. The researchers were inspired for this approach from naturally occurring dimers. The results have been published in the journal "Chemical Science". Oxytocin/vasopressin receptors are typical examples of so-called G protein-coupled receptors - the most ...

Tailor-made drugs to treat epilepsy or cardiovascular diseases

Tailor-made drugs to treat epilepsy or cardiovascular diseases
2021-02-10
In order for a drug to be effective at the right places in the body, it helps if scientists can predict as accurately as possible how the molecules of that drug will interact with human cells. In a joint research project, scientists from Collaborative Research Centre 1423 at Leipzig University and the Chinese Academy of Sciences in Shanghai have succeeded in elucidating such a structure, namely that of the neuropeptide Y receptor Y2 with one of its ligands. This is the first time that a molecular blueprint for this receptor is available, which will enable the development of tailor-made new drugs, for example to treat epilepsy or cardiovascular diseases. The researchers' findings have now been published in Nature Communications. The Y2 receptor plays ...

The therapeutic potential of peptides

2021-02-10
"Insulin is a prime example for a successful peptide drug that has been essential for the health of millions of diabetic patients in the past 100 years," says Markus Muttenthaler, who leads research groups at the Institute of Biological Chemistry of the Faculty of Chemistry at University in Vienna as well as at the Institute for Molecular Bioscience, at the University of Queensland in Brisbane. Worldwide, peptide therapeutics account for 5% of the global pharmaceutical market, with global sales exceeding US$ 50 billion. More than 150 peptides are in clinical development and another 400-600 peptides undergoing preclinical ...

'Sleep hygiene' should be integrated into epilepsy diagnosis and management - study

2021-02-10
Children with epilepsy sleep poorly compared to healthy children, and are more likely to experience disruptions such as night terrors, sleep walking or sleep disordered breathing, according to a new study. A team at the University of Birmingham's Centre for Human Brain Health analysed 19 published studies on sleep and epilepsy in children and adolescents to try to better understand and articulate the links between them. Their findings, published in Sleep Medicine Reviews, highlight the significantly poorer sleep experienced by children and adolescents with epilepsy, and present a strong argument for screening children for sleep problems as an integral part of diagnosis and management of the condition. Lead author Alice Winsor explains: "We know that sleep and epilepsy ...

Quantum effects help minimise communication flaws

2021-02-10
Among the most active fields of research in modern physics, both at an academic level and beyond, are quantum computation and communication, which apply quantum phenomena such as superposition and entanglement to perform calculations, or to exchange information. A number of research groups around the world have built quantum devices that are able to perform calculations faster than any classical computer. Yet, there is still a long way to go before these devices can be converted into marketable quantum computers. One reason for this is that both quantum computation and ...

Cell biology - Overseers of cell death

2021-02-10
A new study shows that proteins called IAPs, which can trigger programmed cell death, are inhibited by a specific chemical modification, and reveals that they play a wider role in protein quality control than previously assumed. N-terminal acetylation - the attachment of an acetyl group (CH3-COO-) directly to the N-terminus of a protein - is one of the most common modifications found in the protein complements of higher organisms. The chemical tag has been linked to a wide variety of cellular signaling pathways. Now researchers led by Tanja Bange (Institute of Medical Psychology, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universitaet (LMU) in Munich) have shown that N-terminal acetylation shields certain proteins from degradation, and inhibits programmed cell death ('apoptosis'). ...

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:

Scientists find the first ice core from the European Alps that dates back to the last Ice Age

Yoga, Tai Chi, walking and jogging may be best forms of exercise for insomnia

Medical tourism for bariatric/weight reduction surgery needs urgent regulation

Funding for lifesaving global health programs forecasted to reach 15-year low, threatening to reverse decades of progress

Exercise could ease symptoms for people with Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia, but support and adequate guidance is lacking

Lost English legend decoded, solving Chaucerian mystery and revealing a medieval preacher’s meme

Stigma driving depression in alopecia patients, rather than illness severity

Eyes on the prize: Decoding eye contact

Technician-led eye clinics could lead to more timely NHS care

University of Birmingham and CBMM partner to drive disruptive innovation in carbon recycling

New study reveals gendered language patterns in children’s television across 60 years

Ancient fault line poses future earthquake hazard in Canada’s North

Scientists uncover DNA secrets to bolster corn crop traits

Hidden bacterial redundancy could be antibiotic game-changer

New study reveals how corals teach their offspring to beat the heat

Understanding relationship development: Towards a more rigorous approach

Surgical stroke initiative targets deadliest brain bleeds

Understanding how the superfungus Candida auris withstands antifungal treatment

Call for papers: CPA special issue on polypharmacology in cancer therapy—overcoming resistance and enhancing efficacy

An alternative adhesive for wearable medical devices

Pavlov’s dogs were conditioned to go to their treat. Why do some animals learn to interact with the bell instead?

Call for Young Editorial Board members at Current Molecular Pharmacology

MSU team develops scalable climate solutions for agricultural carbon markets

Playing an instrument may protect against cognitive aging

UNM study finds link between Grand Canyon landslide and Meteor Crater impact

Ultra-hot Jupiter’s death spiral could reveal stellar secrets

You only get one brain! The best helmet material for protecting your noggin

Neurodegeneration and stroke after GLP-1RAs in diabetes and obesity

Pediatric COVID-19 hospitalization trends by race and ethnicity, 2020-2023

Research spotlight: New genetic roadmap offers insights into obesity and diabetes

[Press-News.org] Monitoring the body's fat burning by breath