Scientists Detect Malaria in 15 Minutes with 20-cent Paper Centrifuge

Stanford bioengineers have created an ultra-low-cost, hand-spun centrifuge that separates blood into its individual components in only 1.5 minutes [1]. Inspired by an ancient children’s toy called a whirligig, the “paperfuge” can be used to detect malaria in blood in just 15 minutes.

Paperfuge

January is National Cervical Health Awareness Month

The goal of National Cervical Health Awareness Month is to raise awareness about how women can protect themselves from HPV (human papillomavirus) and cervical cancer. HPV is a very common infection that spreads through sexual activity. It’s also a major cause of cervical cancer.

Rare Disease Day 2016: Patient Voice

Today is the ninth annual Rare Disease Day, an international advocacy day held on the last day of February — a rare day for rare people. Rare Disease Day 2016 recognizes the crucial role that patients play in voicing their needs and instigating change that improves their lives and the lives of their families and caregivers.

Rare Disease Day 2016

Health Highlight: We’re All Suffering from ‘Successaholism’ and It Needs to Stop

Working late

In her new book, “The Happiness Track: How to Apply the Science of Happiness to Accelerate Your Success,” Emma Seppala explains why happiness often paves the way for professional success. Unfortunately, she says, many workers have it backward, thinking that they need to be successful before they can ever be happy.

Call it workaholism or “successaholism” — Seppala, the science director for Stanford University’s Center for Altruism and Compassion Research and Education, says it’s a problematic cycle because it eventually leads to burnout and worse job performance.

Yet these behaviors are unlikely to disappear anytime soon because they’re encouraged by our friends, colleagues, and employers.

Source: Business Insider

Health Highlights is a recurring series of curated health and medical news from around the web.

Health Highlight: Natural Metabolite Might Reset Aging Biological Clocks

Polyamides linked to aging

As we age, our biological clocks tend to wind down. A Weizmann Institute research team has now revealed an intriguing new link between a group of metabolites whose levels drop as our cells age and the functioning of our circadian clocks – mechanisms encoded in our genes that keep time to cycles of day and night. Their results, which appeared in Cell Metabolism, suggest that the substance (called polyamides), which is found in many foods, could possibly help keep our internal timekeepers up to speed.

Source: Weizmann Institute of Science

Health Highlights is a recurring series of curated health and medical news from around the web.