Staged Lightning

Thunderbolt and lightning, very very frightening. And for good reason: lightning kills thousands around the world each year, but we know strikingly little about how these bolts from the sky impact the body. A new study has examined the effect of lightning strikes on human bones. The researchers applied an artificial bolt of lightning-mimicking energy directly through a bone sample (left, before applying the current, centre during, and right after). They saw unique patterns of damage caused by a high-pressure shock wave and the electric current that causes an internal restructuring of fibres, leading to deformation and cracking. This distinct footprint of damage could help identify victims when other telltale signs are absent, which may improve our estimates of the burden these incidents present, and builds the growing knowledge base to help inform the recovery of survivors and protect people at risk, making sure lightning doesn’t strike a killing blow.

Written by Anthony Lewis

Image from work by Nicholas Bacci and colleagues

School of Anatomical Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand Medical School, Johannesburg, South Africa and Forensic Science Research Group, School of Applied Sciences, Northumbria University, Newcastle Upon Tyne, UK

Image originally published with a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

Published in Forensic Science International: Synergy, November 2021

Brainy Bone Balls

Broken bones take time to mend but research has shown that they heal faster when there's accompanying brain damage. Scientists studying this conundrum uncovered a surprising method of crosstalk between the brain and the skeleton: damaged nerve cells release tiny balls, called small extracellular vesicles (sEVs), which travel through the bloodstream to the bones. The image shows the concentration of sEV’s, ranging from low (blue) to high (red), in the skull, long bones and vital organs at the bottom. Left and middle are samples from untreated controls. The sample on the right was infused with sEV’s from damaged brain cells and has red patches in the long bones where the balls have accumulated. Analysis of the sEV’s cargo revealed they contain biochemicals which stimulate bone growth and so accelerate healing. Since they can be assembled in the lab they have potential as a treatment to hasten fracture repair.

Written by Julie Webb

Image from work by Wei Xia, Jing Xie and Zhi-Qing Cai

Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Bone and Joint Degeneration Diseases, Department of Cell Biology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China

Video originally published with a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

Published in Nature Communications, October 2021

Overuse of cholesterol-lowering medications can cause bone damage.

A new study reveals that high doses of the cholesterol-lowering drug statins can negatively impact bone health. A 2019 study of Austrians raised concerns about statins and osteoporosis, which is a disease of the bones. This led researchers in Vienna to look into how statins affect the structure of bones. In a study on mice, researchers from the Medical University of Vienna and the Complexity…

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Reasons Why Coke Is Bad for You #health #diet #community

Reasons Why Coke Is Bad for You By Mitch Reid eHow Contributor http://www.ehow.com/info_8177592_reasons-coke-bad.html

The term “Coke” usually refers to Coca-Cola or any related soft drink products. When John Pemberton developed Coke in 1886, the drink contained amounts of coca leaves extra and kola nut. Since then, the formula has changed, but the beverage remains popular among…