​how a tootsie roll may become a medical lifesaver​​

Aarp

​how a tootsie roll may become a medical lifesaver​​"


Play all audios:

Loading...

It may sound far-fetched but electrical engineers at Korea University in Seoul have turned Tootsie Rolls into a modern medical diagnostic tool that someday could be used to monitor


creatinine levels for patients with chronic kidney disease. ​​It turns out the candy, patented by Leo Hirschfeld and first sold in 1896 according to the company, can conduct electricity —


and with a little manipulation can be transformed into a sensor that appears to reliably measure voltage levels in saliva that vary depending on how salty the liquid is.​​  In a report


appearing in _ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces_, researchers Beelee Chua and Donghyun Lee describe how they incorporated the chewy chocolate treat into a disposable sensor that detects


salt and electrolyte levels in saliva. The prototype they designed could detect drops in levels of salts that occur when a woman ovulates and increases in levels of salts that signal a


problem with the kidneys, they found.​​  The Korea University researchers acknowledge that additional testing is needed, but they see potential in replacing disposable test strips in some


at-home diagnostic kits with a soft candy electrode that can be licked.​​ “Given the ubiquity of soft candy, the simplicity of the molding process, and the negligible medical waste stream,


it is a more appropriate approach to diagnostics design for resource-scarce clinical settings, such as those in developing countries,” according to the report. “The broader impact of this


work will be the paradigm shift of soft candy from food to a new class of edible, moldable, high-resistivity, and stable electronic materials.”​​ To make the candy sensor, the researchers


flattened a Tootsie Roll and created a crosshatch pattern of crevices on the surface to hold saliva. The modified candy was then attached (using two thin reusable aluminum tubes) to an


electric circuit with a voltage detector, explains a news release from the American Chemical Society. ​​This is not the first sweet Chua and Lee have researched to potentially lower the cost


and environmental waste of medical devices. In 2019, they turned Haribo gummy bears into a force transducer to measure signs of child development based on chewing power.​ _Peter Urban is a


contributing writer and editor who focuses on health news. Urban spent two decades working as a correspondent in Washington, D.C., for daily newspapers in Connecticut, Massachusetts, Ohio,


California and Arkansas, including a stint as Washington bureau chief for the _Las Vegas Review Journal_. His freelance work has appeared in _Scientific American, Bloomberg Government_, and


CTNewsJunkie.com._


Trending News

Video 'Big Little Lies' star Laura Dern teases possible return to 'Jurassic Park' - ABC News

ABC NewsVideoLiveShowsShopLog InStream onReality TV stars pardoned SpaceX launch LatestLatestLiverpool parade ramming 'D...

Video: Awkward moment lawyer is caught having sex during Zoom meeting

Advertisement TOP VIDEOS   Video: Get them back to the office! People left red-faced after being caught on Zoom in some ...

2 ten commandments pleas rejected by court

A federal appeals court rejected two requests from the chief justice of Alabama’s Supreme Court to lift an order to remo...

Nuclear export of adenovirus e4orf6 protein is necessary for its ability to antagonize apoptotic activity of bh3-only proteins

ABSTRACT The adenovirus E4orf6 is a viral oncoprotein known to cooperate with the E1A gene product in transforming prima...

Typical wealth of people in france revealed: where do you fall?

FRANCE IS SAID TO BE AMONG THE MOST WELL-OFF COUNTRIES IN THE WORLD, WITH A HIGHER MEDIAN WEALTH PER PERSON THAN, FOR EX...

Latests News

​how a tootsie roll may become a medical lifesaver​​

It may sound far-fetched but electrical engineers at Korea University in Seoul have turned Tootsie Rolls into a modern m...

The page you were looking for doesn't exist.

You may have mistyped the address or the page may have moved.By proceeding, you agree to our Terms & Conditions and our ...

All owners of french properties must fill in this new tax-site form

A NEW DECLARATION, TO BE COMPLETED BY SUMMER 2023, IS REQUIRED OF EVERYONE, INCLUDING SECOND HOMEOWNERS, OWNING HOUSES O...

Avoid strong rat poisons urges rspb - farmers weekly

24 August 2000 Avoid strong rat poisons urges RSPB _BY FWI STAFF_ BIRDS of prey could be falling victim to high strength...

Server Error

500 Server Error...

Top