Slow reaction time linked to early deathHaving a slow reaction time in mid-life increases the risk of dying 15 years later, according to new research by University College London (UCL) and the University of Edinburgh.迷你倉The researchers looked at data from more than 5,000 participants aged 20 to 59. At the start of the study in the 1990s, participants had their reaction times measured by pressing a button when they saw an image appear on a computer screen.Over the next 15 years, they were tracked to record who had died and who survived.A total of 378 (7.4 per cent) of people in the sample died, but those with slower reaction times were 25 per cent more likely to have died from any cause, compared to those with average reaction times, said UCL in a statement.This was regardless of age, sex, ethnic group, socio-economic background and lifestyle factors.Said lead researcher Gareth Hagger-Johnson of the UCL department of epidemiology and public health: "Reaction time is thought to reflect a basic aspect of the central nervous system and speed of information processing is considered a basic cognitive ability."He added: "Reaction time may indicate how well our central nervous and other systems in the body are working. People who are consistently slow to respond to new information may go on to experience problems that increase their risk of early death. In the future, we may be able to use reaction times to monitor health and survival. For now, a healthy lifestyle is the best thing people can do in order to live longer."Clearer image of blood vessels, veinsThis image above shows the ear of a mouse after a successful cosmetic filler injection. The filler (green) rests in the tissue without blocking the blood vessels and veins.Millions of people each year remove wrinkles, soften creases and plump up their lips by injecting a gel-like material called a fil自存倉er into their facial tissue.In rare cases, patients' skin can turn red or blotchy white and the injected area becomes painful. Vital blood supply to the face is restricted and if untreated, parts of the tissue will die, leaving deep scars.New imaging technology from University of Washington engineers allows scientists to analyse what happens within the smallest blood vessels during an injection. This finding could be used to prevent accidents during procedures and help doctors reverse the ill effects if an injection doesn't go as planned, said the university in a statement.The fine-resolution imaging, called optical microangiography, produces 3-D images of the body's vascular network by shining a light onto the tissue without touching it or adding any fluorescent dyes.It could also be used to study how wounds heal, track what happens during strokes and traumatic brain injuries, and to image human eyes to study diseases such as glaucoma and macular degeneration.New antibiotics work on drug-resistant TBScientists have discovered a new class of antibiotics that could help in the fight against drug-resistant tuberculosis, a global killer.The drugs increased survival of mice infected with TB and were effective against drug-resistant strains of TB, said researchers from St Jude Children's Research Hospital in the United States, who led the international effort.The antibiotics, called spectinamides, were created by changing the chemical structure of an existing antibiotic, spectinomycin, which does not work against TB, said the hospital.This new class of antibiotics works against TB by disrupting the function of a part of the cell responsible for protein synthesis.The researchers are now working on combining the new antibiotic with new or existing TB drugs, so multiple drug cocktails can be used in clinical trials on patients.Compiled by Chang Ai-Lien迷你倉新蒲崗
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