This was not known till now. Scientists from Japan and USA have identified the molecule in the cell that makes one susceptible to fluorosis.
Monitoring asthma over the Internet? Possible, say researchers of IIT Bombay, a private company in Bangalore. They have developed a portable spirometer. The instrument measures the volume of air inhaled and exhaled by the patient, and can be connected to a computer to send data online to a doctor. Its use, however, is limited because of lack of trained personnel in the country. This is the first spirometer that allows the use of the Internet to send data to a doctor elsewhere, the researchers say.
“The Internet has reached smaller cities and towns in India but there are very few specialist doctors. The aim of developing the portablespirometer was that its use could be widespread even if a doctor is not at hand,” said Vivek Agarwal of IIT Bombay and one of the authors of the study. Other than receiving data, the doctors can interact with patients online and instruct them. The instrument uses an embedded web server. It has a pressure sensor built into the mouthpiece, which registers airflow. This information is amplified and digitised. The results can be read on the spirometer’s screen or transferred to a computer or loadedonline onto the webserver . A doctor needs to log into a website to access his patient’s information. An added advantage is that the data is presented in a form that helps the doctor analyse it easily. The data is also saved at the spirometer’s web server and can be downloaded by the doctor when needed. As the instrument is portable, it can be taken to the patient by the trained health worker.
In the study, published in the International Journal of Biomedical Engineering and Technology (Vol 1, No 4), the authors estimated that makingspirometer would cost us $80. The spirometer also has a power down mode to save battery power. Whether the market for such an innovation can be tapped needs to be seen. “It will take time for thespirometer to evolve as a functional device,” Agarwal says.
S K Chhabra, physician with the Vallabhbhai Patel Chest Institute, New Delhi, stresses technical expertise. “Spirometers are not used enough due to lack of trained technicians. Hence the data sent online has little value. A portable spirometer will not help the situation,” he says.
Fluoride in water causes dental fluorosis. But how exactly? This was not known till now. Scientists from Japan and USA have identified the molecule in the cell that makes one susceptible tofluorosis.
It’s that molecule that gives you fluorosis!
Fluoride in water causes dental fluorosis. But how exactly? This was not known till now. Scientists from Japan and USA have identified the molecule in the cell that makes one susceptible tofluorosis . They hope their findings would lead to a drug for the ailment that has no cure. It will also benefit those suffering from dental caries and damaged enamel.
Millions of people, who drink water with high fluoride levels, are at risk of fluorosis. Excessive fluoride in drinking water weakens bones and discolours teeth.
The symptom—discolouration—occurs first, at exposure to low levels of fluoride. Drinking fluoride free water helps avoid the problem. Also, a calcium, vitamins C, E and antioxidant-rich diet minimises its adverse effects.
Researchers from Forsyth Institute, Boston, USA and Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan studied the effect of fluoride on the formation of tooth enamel and found that it interfered with the process of making the enamel. The group studied molecular responses of cells exposed to fluoride.
They used ameloblasts, epithelial cells responsible for enamel formation and carried out experiments to see how fluoride affected the functioning of endoplasmic reticulum, a cell component that makes proteins. The proteins produced by the endoplasmic reticulum must be correctly folded and assembled before being transported to different parts of the cell for the enamel to remain healthy.Ameloblasts were exposed to various levels of fluoride.
The amount of proteins, indicating endoplasmic reticulum stress, produced by the cells, was measured. In another experiment, mice were fed with water containing fluoride and their teeth were studied. The experiments showed that with increasing levels of fluoride, there was an increase in the endoplasmic reticulum stress.
Enamel, the hardest substance produced by the body, is vulnerable in the early stages of development. It is 96 per cent mineral and 4 per cent organic. Presence of fluoride during tooth formation increases the protein content and decreases mineral content. It does this by affecting the functioning of endoplasmic reticulum. Fluoride levels as low as 2.4 parts per million can lead to a softer and porous enamel.
The researchers will now test chemicals that are known to reduce this stress.
“We can establish a screening process to establish whether a person is susceptible to fluoride,” says John D Bartlett, the lead author of the study published in September issue of Environmental Health Perspectives.
The researchers now plan to copy the process of making the enamel in the lab to fill dental cavities and replace malformed enamel. According toTilmann Wurtz of Cordelier Research Centre in Paris, the hypothesis needs to be tested in a model closer to real life.
“The knowledge of the behaviour of cells will improve understanding of tissue formation. We know that fluorosis is cause by too much fluoride, so the best remedy is already evident—to drink good quality water,” he said.
