Singing may reduce Parkinson’s symptoms

Singing may reduce stress and symptoms of Parkinson’s disease, say scientists who found that the benefits of musical therapy were similar to taking medication. Researchers measured heart rate, blood pressure and cortisol levels for 17 participants in a therapeutic singing group. Participants also reported feelings of sadness, anxiety, happiness and anger. Data was collected prior to and following a one-hour singing session. “We see the improvement every week when they leave singing group. They’re feeling better and their mood is elevated,” says researcher Elizabeth Stegemoller. “Some of the symptoms that are improving, such as finger tapping and the gait, don’t always readily respond to medication, but with singing they’re improving,” adds Stegemoller. This is one of the first studies to look at how singing affects heart rate, blood pressure and cortisol in people with Parkinson’s disease. All three levels were reduced, but Stegemoller says with the preliminary data the measures did not reach statistical significance. There were no significant differences in happiness or anger after class. However, participants were less anxious and sad. The research builds upon the team’s previous findings that singing is an effective treatment to improve respiratory control and the muscles used for swallowing in people with Parkinson’s disease. 

Childhood exercise can combat diabetes

Besides promoting long-lasting health, regular exercise in childhood can also counteract negative health effects such as diabetes inherited by father’s obesity, researchers say. A study found that children of fathers with a high-fat diet or who are obese are more likely to have low-insulin sensitivity. People with low-insulin sensitivity do not respond to insulin resulting in an increase in blood sugars levels, leading to the development of Type-2 diabetes. Exercising early in life reverses the negative effect of low-insulin sensitivity in adulthood for children and can, therefore, prevent the risk of diabetes. “Obesity due to a high-fat diet in the father can have a negative effect on the metabolism of their kids,” says study author Filippe Falcao-Tebas.  “The study showed that exercise in early life of the kids can have long-lasting beneficial effects on their health by normalising their muscle insulin sensitivity in adulthood,” adds Falcao-Tebas. For the study, published in the Journal of Physiology, the team involved breeding obese male rats with healthy female rats. Their offspring underwent exercise training for only four weeks after weaning. They were then assessed as adults in terms of responsiveness to glucose and insulin, skeletal muscle function and pancreas structure. The findings showed that the offspring of obese fathers had reduced whole body and skeletal muscle insulin sensitivity and reduced insulin secretion. 

New skin-like sensor can map blood-oxygen levels 

US engineers have developed a new lightweight, thin and flexible sensor that can map blood-oxygen levels over large areas of skin, tissue and organs, potentially giving doctors a new way to monitor healing wounds in real time. Injuries cannot heal without a constant influx of blood’s key ingredient — oxygen. The device can track oxygenation of healing wounds in real time. The sensor is made of organic electronics printed on bendable plastic that moulds to the contours of the body and can be placed anywhere on the skin. It could potentially be used to map oxygenation of skin grafts, or to look through the skin to monitor oxygen levels in transplanted organs, say researchers. “Patients with diabetes, respiration diseases and even sleep apnoea could use a sensor that could be worn anywhere to monitor blood-oxygen levels 24/7,” an expert adds. The new sensor, described in the journal PNAS, is built of an array of alternating red and near-infrared organic LEDs and organic photodiodes printed on a flexible material. — Agencies