Health
Exercise in a pill closer to reality after scientists discover molecule produced during workouts
- Stanford Medicine and Baylor University researchers have discovered that lac-phe, an amino acid produced after physical activity, is responsible for suppressing appetite.
- The research team found that administering a high dose of synthesized lac-phe in lab rodents reduced their food consumption by half over a period of 12 hours when compared to that of a control group.
- According to the study authors, plasma lac-phe levels also spike in racehorses and humans following physical activity.
- The scientists believe their findings could potentially lead to an “anti-hunger” pill in the near future and even function as an alternative to exercise.
- “Our next steps include finding more details about how lac-phe mediates its effects in the body – including the brain,” noted lead author Yong Xu. “Our goal is to learn to modulate this exercise pathway for therapeutic interventions.”
Scientists from Stanford Medicine and Baylor University have discovered a molecule that may be used to stop hunger cravings.
In a study published in the journal Nature on Wednesday, researchers analyzed blood plasma from mice that had just engaged in strenuous activities.
2 women cannabis experts aim to destigmatize weed among AAPI with their ‘Conscious Consumption’ guide
- Modern Cannabis, an education-anchored project launched by Eunice Kim and Sysamone Phaphon, features the booklet “Modern Cannabis: A Beginner’s Guide to Conscious Consumption.”
- It aims to destigmatize weed in the Asian American and Pacific Islander community.
- The guide was originally written in English but has been translated into 11 AAPI languages.
- It tackles the history of cannabis, the ways in which it is consumed and how to read product labels.
- Kim and Phaphon are also organizing community events throughout California and New York to educate the community, especially older generations and non-English speakers, about the wellness benefits of cannabis.
A project led by Asian Americans aims to destigmatize cannabis in the Asian American and Pacific Islander community with their beginner’s guide to the “conscious consumption” of weed.
Modern Cannabis, an education-anchored project launched by Eunice Kim and Sysamone Phaphon, features the booklet “Modern Cannabis: A Beginner’s Guide to Conscious Consumption.” It was originally written in English and then translated into 11 Asian languages, including Bahasa, Cambodian, Hindi, Japanese, Korean, Lao, Malay, Mandarin, Tagalog, Thai and Urdu.
Texas teens die from fentanyl overdose weeks before high school graduation
- Irene Sunderland and Grant Blodgett, two high school seniors in Texas, were found dead after a fentanyl overdose.
- They suffered from drug addictions for many years, according to investigators.
- Mandy, Irene’s mother, found her daughter dead in her bedroom surrounded by drugs on the day she was reportedly going to take her to rehab.
- Investigators found phone records on both teenagers’ cellphones, leading to the arrest of Abdulbaaith Abiodun Adewale, a 19-year-old dealer.
- Adewale was charged with two second-degree felony charges of manufacturing or delivering a controlled substance causing death or serious bodily injury. His bond was set at $150,000.
Two high school seniors in Texas were found dead from a fentanyl overdose after suffering from drug addictions for years, according to investigators.
The Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office deputies responded to a double overdose call at a home on Stanwick Place, The Woodlands. They found Irene Sunderland, 18, and her boyfriend Grant Blodgett, 17, dead in a bedroom on May 5.
North Korea records first COVID-19 deaths after ‘explosive’ outbreak
- North Korea has recorded its first COVID-19 deaths after the hermit nation reported an “explosive” outbreak that possibly infected over 350,000 people.
- Around 18,000 people experienced new “fever cases” on Thursday alone.
- One of the six people who have died as of Friday was reportedly infected with the BA.2 subvariant of Omicron.
- The country has called the outbreak in Pyongyang a "major national emergency" but has yet to confirm the exact number of confirmed positive cases.
- News of its first-ever COVID-19 death was confirmed after the government imposed “maximum emergency measures,” including a nationwide lockdown, to contain the outbreak in the capital.
- Some experts stated that a significant outbreak could quickly overwhelm North Korea’s poorly equipped health facilities. They also pointed out that only a few of the country’s 25.8 million citizens have been vaccinated.
North Korea has recorded its first COVID-19 deaths after the hermit nation reported an “explosive” outbreak that possibly infected over 350,000 people.
Around 18,000 people in the East Asian country experienced new “fever cases” on Thursday alone. One of the six people who have died as of Friday was reportedly infected with the BA.2 subvariant of Omicron.
Korean former YouTuber and pharmacist sentenced to jail for spreading STD
- Park Seung-jong, a former Korean YouTuber and pharmacist, was found guilty of knowingly spreading the herpes virus to various women.
- He was sentenced to eight months in prison and two years of probation.
- Park was first accused in 2020 when a victim claimed that he disregarded her wish to use protection during sexual intercourse. She sued him in June of that year.
- The victim shared her story online, and, since then, Park has disappeared from the public eye.
A former Korean YouTuber and pharmacist was sentenced to jail for knowingly spreading a sexually transmitted disease.
Park Seung-jong, who went by the name “Yakult,” was charged with injury and violation of the Pharmaceutical Affairs Act and sentenced to eight months in prison and two years of probation.
Korean scientists create world’s first photothermal air filters that kill influenza, COVID-19 viruses
- South Korean researchers have created the world’s first photothermal-effect-based high-efficiency particulate air filter (HEPA) filter that can kill 99.9% of influenza and COVID-19 viruses.
- The new filters, which can be easily installed into existing air purifying systems, were developed by the Korea Institute of Energy Research.
- The researchers coated existing HEPA filters with plasmonic metal nanoparticles to achieve photothermal effects – the mechanism that results in a substance’s production of heat energy.
- “By applying the photothermal HEPA filter technology, up to 99.9% of viruses collected in the filter can be removed, so any secondary contamination can be prevented because bacteria and viruses cannot proliferate in the filter,” lead researcher Yoo Seung-hwan said, according to Korea Herald.
- The new filter, which has been licensed to local air filter developer Cleantech, may be available on the market later this year.
Scientists in South Korea have developed a high-efficiency particulate air filter (HEPA) that can stop 99.9% of influenza and COVID-19 viruses.
On Tuesday, the Korea Institute of Energy Research announced that they have manufactured the world’s first photothermal-effect-based HEPA air filter, reported The Korea Herald.
Mental health in Asian American communities: Why we must break the silence together
Editor’s note: The opinions expressed in this piece are those of the author’s and do not necessarily represent the views of NextShark.
May is Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month as well as Mental Health Awareness month. It is a unique time to be an Asian American psychologist, as it is the one month in which Asian American mental health issues become highlighted across many platforms. I am often asked, “What is the state of Asian American mental health?” Truth be told, less than three years ago, it was a topic that was mostly siloed within cultural competency courses in graduate schools, and rarely discussed by the public. People were not accustomed to acknowledging Asian American identity, and even less attention was placed on exploring Asian American mental health.
Canadian man says hospital denial of visits to his dying mother will ‘haunt’ him forever
- As his mother was dying in the hospital, a Canadian man, John Wu, was told by hospital staff that he could not visit her due to COVID-19 visitation policies.
- On March 7, Wu was turned away after he went to the hospital to drop off cantaloupes for his mother, Zhong Ying Zhao, and received a call while leaving that his mother had passed.
- Zhong had been in isolation care at Scarborough’s Birchmount Hospital following a COVID outbreak at her assisted living home.
- Wu had requested visitation permission for 11 days straight but was rejected each time, even after Zhong had twice tested negative for COVID.
- In response to Wu’s situation, Scarborough Health Network is currently reviewing its visitation policy.
A man in Canada, John Wu, said he now has a “lifetime regret” after a hospital barred him from visiting his dying mother at Scarborough’s Birchmount Hospital due to COVID-19 visitation policies.
Wu’s mother, Zhong Ying Zhao, was admitted to the hospital on Feb. 24 after falling unconscious at her assisted living facility. Due to a COVID-19 outbreak at the facility, Zhong was placed under isolation at the hospital, reported CBC News.
World’s oldest person dies at 119 in Japan
- Kane Tanaka, the Japanese woman who was recognized as the world’s oldest living person by Guinness World Records, died on April 19 at the age of 119.
- “She became the oldest living person in January 2019 at the age of 116 years and 28 days,” the Guinness World Records tweeted. “She is also the second oldest person ever recorded, behind only Jeanne Calment who lived to the age of 122.”
- Tanaka was residing in a nursing home in Japan’s Fukuoka Prefecture, where she enjoyed solving math problems, playing board games, eating chocolate and drinking cola.
- The supercentenarian has lived through two world wars and the 1918 Spanish flu.
The Japanese woman who was recognized as the world’s oldest living person by Guinness World Records passed away at 119 years old.
Kane Tanaka, the supercentenarian from Japan’s Fukuoka Prefecture, died of old age in a hospital on April 19.
Scientists say racism among causes of disproportionate cancer rates among Asian Americans
- The Journal of the National Cancer Institute (JNCI) recently published a commentary on last year’s “Conversations on Cancer: Advancing Equity in Asian American and Pacific Islander Communities: Racism and Injustice” meeting by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Oncology Center of Excellence.
- “Asian Americans are unique as the first U.S. population to experience cancer as the leading cause of death,” the authors point out. “Bigotry against Asian Americans, pervasive since the 19th century, but especially during the COVID-19 pandemic, is only exacerbating the cancer disparities that are costing Asian Americans their lives.”
- The authors further highlighted that while Asians are the fastest-growing racial population in the U.S. of the past three decades, there are a limited number of studies focused on Asian Americans.
- The researchers have called for an approach to research that includes “disaggregated data, assessment of the impact of lived experiences… and listening to community voices” to better represent the diversity among Asian American and Pacific Islander subgroups.
Seven researchers from across the U.S. recently released a joint commentary calling out the lack of cancer research focusing on Asian Americans, who are disproportionately affected by the disease.
On Tuesday, the Journal of the National Cancer Institute (JNCI) published a commentary based on last year’s “Conversations on Cancer: Advancing Equity in Asian American and Pacific Islander Communities: Racism and Injustice” virtual meeting by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Oncology Center of Excellence.
Video of 3-year-old boy using a stool to care for his dad, who is in a vegetative state, goes viral
- A video of a son helping his father went viral on Chinese social media after the 3-year-old boy’s mother, Liu Na, posted it on Douyin on March 27.
- Liu said that while she was on her lunch break, she checked in on her husband Ding Yong, who has been in a vegetative state since Feb. 27, 2020.
- The camera she installed in their house captured their son, nicknamed Tutu, helping his father adjust his head.
- “When Tutu was about to take a nap, he noticed his father’s head tilted to the side, so he went over to help him adjust it… He once told me, ‘I want to grow up to be Ultraman to protect dad,’” Liu shared.
A video of a 3-year-old boy standing on a stool while trying to help his sick father has gone viral on Chinese social media.
Liu Na, 31, did not expect that her video would go viral after she posted it on her Douyin account on March 27. The clip shows her son, nicknamed Tutu, climbing a stool to adjust his father’s head.
Vietnamese family finds support online amid mother’s battle with stage 4 breast cancer
- My Ngoc Nguyen was diagnosed with stage 4 secondary breast cancer at the end of February and has since been in treatment at the University of Michigan Hospital.
- The local and online communities have stepped up to donate to the family’s GoFundMe, which the family has said made “a huge difference in care” for their mother.
- With the donations received, the Nguyen family is hoping to provide My Ngoc with integrative medicine and a home that is located closer to the treatment center with a bathroom on the first floor.
A Vietnamese family has been finding love and support from strangers and the University of Michigan community amid their mother’s battle with stage 4 breast cancer.
According to the Nguyen family’s GoFundMe page, which has a goal of $100,000, Haley Huong and her brother An Nguyen found out that their mother, My Ngoc Nguyen, was diagnosed with stage 4 secondary breast cancer at the end of February.
