supine sleep and fetal health related
According to a recent study, reducing supine sleep — lying horizontally with the face and torso facing up during late pregnancy — may improve maternal and fetal health. Results show that the median time spent sleeping supine was reduced significantly from 48.3 minutes during the control night to 28.5 minutes during the intervention night. An improvement was observed in both maternal and fetal parameters during the intervention night, with an increase in median minimum maternal oxygen saturation, fewer maternal oxygen desaturations, and fewer fetal heart rate decelerations. “Our findings suggest that women can comfortably sleep wearing a device around their waist that effectively stops them from sleeping on their back,” said principal investigator Jane Warland of the University of South Australia. “Using positional therapy to keep the pregnant mother off her back may reduce supine sleep in late pregnancy and may also provide both maternal and fetal health benefits.”
Ai technologyhelps spot obesity on Earth
In a novel method, researchers have used Artificial Intelligence (AI) technology that scanned through Google Maps images to estimate obesity on Earth — even without actually spotting obese people. The team lead by researchers from University of Washington, Seattle, downloaded nearly 150,000 high-resolution Google Map satellite images of select neighbourhoods in four cities — Los Angeles (California), Memphis (Tennessee), San Antonio (Texas), and Seattle (Washington State). Data on adult obesity prevalence were obtained from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and Prevention’s ‘500 Cities’ project, said the study appeared in the journal JAMA Network Open.
To feel fuller, try this chinese ingredient
A plant-derived substance widely used in traditional Chinese medicine can ‘switch on’ the feeling of fullness and help in weight loss, scientists have found. The study, published in the journal Diabetes, showed that the substance called Celastrol could offer a new option for the treatment of obesity. According to expert guidelines for the prevention and treatment of obesity, patients should aim to lose between five and 10 per cent of their body weight per year depending on their body mass index. However, despite the huge amount of dietary and lifestyle choices available, only few people reach their weight loss goal. “Yet, breaking through this ‘magical barrier’ is so important, as it leads to an improvement in metabolism and accompanying metabolic diseases such as type 2 diabetes,” said Paul Pfluger, from the Helmholtz Zentrum Munchen (Helmholtz Center Munich) in Germany.
