New UCF Lab Focuses on Healing Power of Light

The AHA! Team — Fri, 31 Jan 2025 06:23:31 +0000

University of Central Florida via EurekAlert! – The new lab will provide opportunities for UCF undergraduate, graduate, medical students, residents fellows and physicians to conduct interdisciplinary research Physicians and scientists will work side by side in a new University of Central Florida research lab to advance light-based technologies that can prevent, detect and treat disease. Scientists from the university’s world-renowned College of Optics and Photonics (CREOL) and physicians and biomedical scientists from the College of Medicine commemorated the opening of the new lab Friday at the College of Medicine’s Burnett Biomedical Sciences building in Lake Nona. They were joined by Bruce Tromberg, director of the National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering at the National Institutes of Health. He leads a national research team focused on developing technologies for biomedical imaging and therapy to improve health. These technologies will allow physicians see how the body works in real time “These technologies will allow physicians see how the body works in real time — with noninvasive procedures for patients,” says Deborah German, UCF vice president for health affairs and dean of the College of Medicine. “Working together, we can create advanced technologies that will provide better care to all of us.” David Hagan, CREOL dean, said the lab’s location in Medical City will provide opportunities for biophotonics researchers to learn from clinicians. “No matter how smart you are in biophotonics, you don’t know what’s happening inside the body,” he says. “The real trick is getting doctors talking to scientists, When that happens we can push the boundaries of what light can do for health.” UCF medical and biophotonics experts are already working on several important research projects, including: Using light and sound to improve the placement of epidurals during childbirth. Physicians place the epidural in a mother’s back by feel, but in about 30,000 cases a year, the epidural is misplaced, causing temporary paralysis or more serious complications. UCF researchers have created a new technology that uses sound and light to help physicians better place the anesthetic. Sound bounces off the spinal cord for proper placement. A tiny light in the needle illuminates the area, providing a picture that is 10 times higher resolution than ultrasound. Fiberoptic sensors that can determine immediately if blood is clotting during heart surgery. Currently, when a patient is on a heart-lung machine during surgery, doctors must use a chemical blood test to see if the blood is clotting. But the test takes 20 minutes to 30 minutes to complete. The fiberoptic sensor can determine immediately if blood cells are clotting so physicians can act faster to minimize the risk of stroke. The new lab will also provide opportunities for UCF undergraduate, graduate, medical students, residents and fellows to conduct research. Its location in Medical City will provide interdisciplinary research opportunities for UCF physicians and scientists to work with UCF Lake Nona Hospital, UCF Lake Nona Cancer Center, Nemours Children’s Health and the Orlando VA Medical Center. Tromberg says the UCF partnership is coming at the perfect time as the NIH recognizes the power of bioengineering and artificial intelligence to improve healthcare. Traditionally, many medical schools have been reluctant to form partnerships like these.. “This is the right time for you. Traditionally, many medical schools have been reluctant to form partnerships like these because doctors and engineers don’t speak the same language. But Dean German is coming to you guys,” he says, pointing to CREOL faculty and founders who attended the celebration. Guifang Li, a principal investigator on the epidural study, says he is excited to be using his research to help improve health. “Health is personal,” he says. “And technology is all about looking for solutions. If the doctors can help us understand the need, we can work together to solve it.” One of his postdoctoral scientists, Sudip Gurung, attended the celebration and created a laser ribbon cutting in honor of the partnership. He also will be working in the new lab to perfect the epidural technology. “Fiberoptics has changed the world,” he says. “It’s exciting to be creating applications that can change the world for healthcare.” To read the original article click here.

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Tricks: How Brands Manipulate Lab Tests to Deceive Consumers

The AHA! Team — Thu, 22 Aug 2024 03:09:52 +0000

Patrick Tims via NaturalHealth365 – Social scientists unanimously agree that we have rapidly transitioned from a high-trust society to one where trust is nearly nonexistent. Social change, economic uncertainty, and ongoing tech disruptions have eroded trust in both institutions and individuals. If you trust brands to be honest about food, beverages, and other consumer products, it’s time to reconsider your mindset. Brands are going to great lengths to manipulate lab tests and deceive consumers. Can you trust your favorite brands? Uncovering the deception in lab reports Brands creatively manipulate studies to persuade consumers to spend their hard-earned money on dangerous and faulty products. Comparing independent lab results with those disclosed by brands reveals the true extent of the disconnect. Lab test manipulation aims to confuse consumers so that as many products as possible can be sold. Spot checks on a wide array of consumer studies have found discrepancies in test results across several product lines. Brands’ lab tests are clearly biased, while independent testing reveals the truth. Every consumer should be aware that there is no truly independent third-party test lab when a brand’s money is involved. Any study sponsored or influenced by a brand is tainted by a conflict of interest. How brands exploit detection limits to mislead consumers One tactic brands use is labeling lab reports as “non-detect,” which means that the lab did not find the substance in question at levels above a certain threshold. However, this term can be misleading. In many cases, the detection limits (the smallest amount of a substance a lab can reliably identify) used by these brand-sponsored labs are higher than those used by independent labs. This difference in detection limits causes discrepancies in the reported results, especially in measurements like parts per million (ppm) for specific particles. Brands can manipulate the detection limits so that any substance present below a certain level is reported as “non-detect.” This allows them to claim that their products are free of harmful substances, even when they are not. These “non-detect” lab reports are then used to mislead consumers about the safety and quality of their products. For example, some brands refuse to test for substances like Teflon (a brand name for a type of chemical known as PTFE) or PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances), which are harmful chemicals often found in consumer products. Independent labs, on the other hand, do test for these chemicals, including fluorine, which is a marker for the presence of Teflon. Fluorine that bonds to carbon creates Teflon, a substance often associated with non-stick surfaces. To further obscure the presence of these chemicals, some brands use qualifiers like “intentionally added” to suggest that harmful substances were not deliberately included in the product. This qualifier is a way for companies to avoid full transparency about how PTFE and other harmful chemicals end up in products used by consumers. Additionally, some brands employ different testing methods that conveniently result in “non-detects,” even when the products contain harmful chemical compounds. This exploitation of detection limits and selective reporting creates a false sense of security for consumers, making it crucial to compare brand-sponsored lab results with those from independent labs. Brand testing quantity and frequency are also questionable Brands and testing labs often refuse to disclose the number of tests conducted to detect specific chemicals or components. It’s possible to test a product thousands of times and obtain a single result showing non-detect for the desired chemical or component. The brand can then legally use that single test result in its advertising, presenting it as the truth when it is far from it. Consumers remain unaware of the actual number of tests conducted to achieve the intended result. For example, in makeup testing, brands can cherry-pick samples that do not test positive for heavy metals, fluorine, or other harmful components. These selectively chosen lab results are then presented to the public as evidence of the supposed absence or near-absence of dangerous chemicals. Similar practices occur with other consumer products, such as lotions and lubricants. The moral of the story: Don’t take the brand’s word for it In today’s low-trust environment, it’s more important than ever to be skeptical of brand claims, especially when it comes to product safety and quality. Instead of accepting these claims at face value, take the time to compare them with independent lab results and unbiased product reviews. By digging deeper and questioning the information brands provide, you can make more informed decisions and protect yourself from potentially harmful products. Remember, your health and safety are worth the extra effort. Trust, but verify – and prioritize transparency and independent verification over slick marketing claims when in doubt. Sources for this article include: Mamavation.com To read the original article click here.

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New UCF Lab Focuses on Healing Power of Light

Tricks: How Brands Manipulate Lab Tests to Deceive Consumers