A fully autonomous bat-like terrestrial robot, named Robat, can use echolocation to move through a novel environment while mapping it solely based on sound, according to a study published in PLOS Computational Biology by Itamar Eliakim of Tel Aviv University, and colleagues.

A study suggests “good bacteria” have little or no effect inside the body.

Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital Trust already faced allegations over avoidable deaths and injuries.

E-cigarette users should not have to “come face to face with the thing they are trying to give up”, MPs hear.

Adriano Guedes hit the headlines for refusing to leave a Norfolk hospital for more than two years.

Seeing blood in the toilet after peeing isn’t exactly a shocking event. Women get periods; periods equal blood; end of story.

But uh, what if that blood in the toilet or on your toilet paper doesn’t really look like the period kind – say, if your urine is a pinkish, reddish or brownish colour, or you see spots of red blood in your stream (and you’re nowhere near that time of the month)?

First: Don’t freak – but don’t brush it off, either. Seeing blood in your urine is never a normal thing, so finding out what’s going on – a.k.a., getting to a doctor ASAP – should be the first thing on your list.

Read more: 7 most common bladder infection symptoms in women

So… why might there be blood in my pee?

For starters, this has a medical name: Haematuria. According to the US National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, there are two types: Gross haematuria (when you can actually see blood in your urine) and microscopic haematuria (when the blood isn’t visible to the naked eye, but can be detected under a microscope).

There are a few reasons why you might suddenly have blood-laced pee. The likeliest causes are kidney stones – small, but hard masses that can form in your kidneys and pass through your urine –  and your favourite, urinary tract infections (UTIs), says Dr Jennifer Linehan, urologist and associate professor of urologic oncology at the John Wayne Cancer Institute at Providence Saint John’s Health Center in Santa Monica, California.

In some cases, vigorous exercise (think running a marathon or taking a spinning class) can cause you to have blood in your urine too, though it’s pretty rare and typically only happens in professional athletes, says Dr Linehan.

Other, less frequent causes of bloody urine include endometriosis (when endometrial tissue grows outside of the uterus – in this case, the bladder), an infection in the bladder or kidneys (or the prostate, for men), and in very rare cases, bladder or kidney cancer, says Dr Linehan.

Read more: See a doctor if your pee looks, smells or feels like this

So… do I need to see a doctor about my bloody urine?

Um, yes please. Again, peeing blood is never okay or normal, says Dr Linehan.

That’s true whether you’re having bloody pee with no other symptoms, or if it comes along with things like a burning sensation or pain in your back.

“If it’s to the point where you’re seeing the blood in your urine, you need to get it checked out,” says Dr Linehan. “It could be an infection and advancing to the kidneys,” which could result in more complications like kidney failure or chronic kidney disease, per the NIDDK.

When you see your doctor, they’ll likely do a physical exam (i.e., pressing on your abdomen to check for tender areas), as well as a urinalysis (a.k.a. a pee test) to look for an infection, like a UTI, says Dr Linehan.

If that’s all clear, you may then need to get an MRI or CT scan to see if you have kidney stones or (again, in rare cases) a tumour, she adds.

And if you couldn’t already guess: There is nothing you can and should do for this at home, other than grab your car keys and book it to the doctor, even if the Internet tells you otherwise.

^{This article was originally published on www.womenshealthmag.com}

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Kayden Urmston-Bancroft died of natural causes “contributed to by neglect”, a coroner concludes.

New York – Couch potatoes, take note: Sedentary living has put more than one quarter of the world’s adults at risk for serious disease, a new study says.

More than 1.4 billion adults face a higher risk for heart disease, diabetes, dementia and certain types of cancer because they get too little physical activity, World Health Organization (WHO) researchers concluded.

Low physical activity levels not falling

The researchers analysed findings from hundreds of surveys that included 1.9 million adults, 18 and older, in 168 countries.

In 2016, nearly one-third of women and one-quarter of men worldwide did not get the recommended levels of physical activity to stay healthy, the researchers found. Weekly guidelines call for at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity or 75 minutes of vigorous-intensity physical activity.

The study was published in The Lancet Global Health.

“Unlike other major global health risks, levels of insufficient physical activity are not falling worldwide, on average, and over a quarter of all adults are not reaching the recommended levels of physical activity for good health,” lead author Regina Guthold said in a journal news release.

Women were less active than men in all regions of the world except in East and Southeast Asia.

More sedentary occupations

Of particular concern were increases in already low levels of physical activity for men and women. Insufficient physical activity rose 5% in high-income countries, and increased just 0.2% in low-income countries.

The transition toward more sedentary occupations and motorised transportation in richer countries could help explain the higher levels of inactivity, researchers said.

It’s important that governments provide infrastructure that promotes more walking and bicycling to work and active sports and recreation, they noted.

Eliminating inequalities in physical activity levels between men and women will be critical to achieving global activity targets, study co-author Fiona Bull said. And this will require efforts “to promote and improve women’s access to opportunities that are safe, affordable and culturally acceptable,” she noted.

Barriers to physical activity

Melody Ding, a researcher from the University of Sydney in Australia, authored an accompanying journal editorial. In it, she said in certain parts of the world women face more environmental, social and cultural barriers to participate in physical activity.

Those restrictions likely contribute to overall low activity levels. In restrictive Saudi Arabia and Iraq, for instance, more than half of all adults were insufficiently active, the study found.

Comparatively, around 40% of US adults and 36% of British adults got too little activity.

Also, “although high-income countries have a higher prevalence of insufficient physical activity, it is important to note that low- and middle-income countries still bear the larger share of the global disease burden of physical inactivity,” Ding wrote.

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Caitlin White vomits nearly 30 times a day as a result of a rare and severe form of gastroparesis.

The 19-year-old, from Perth, Australia has suffered from the gastrointestinal disorder since she was 14.

The constant vomiting is due to a delay in the emptying of her stomach. As a result, White is unable to keep down the food she consumes and has to rely on daily nutrient infusions, which she receives from the hospital.

When she was first diagnosed she weighed 69kg, now five years later she weighs 38kg.

Deadly disorder

White’s daily hospital visits can last up to 12 hours at a time. These nutrient infusions, although beneficial to her health, does put her at risk of life threatening infections. This year alone, she has suffered from septicaemia on six different occasions. 

White’s rare case caught the attention of Scotland’s chief medical officer Dr Catherine Calderwood, who referred her to gastroenterologist, Dr Ruth Mckie, in Glasgow. Dr Mckie suggested that a total parenteral nutrition (TPN) could be a possible option, but that it was a high-risk procedure.

Speaking to the BBC Scotland, White said, “It’s a Catch 22: if they decide to give me feed (TPN) I’m at high risk of ‘re-feeding syndrome’, infections and blood clots. But if they don’t do it, I am also at risk of infection. I’m malnourished as it is, and there’s (the risk of) organ failure as well.”

White has been told by doctors that if a solution is not found, her disorder may kill her within the next six months. 

What is gastroparesis? 

Gastroparesis is a digestion disorder that commonly affects patients with Type 1 and 2 diabetes. Other causes of the disorder include hyperthyroidism, autoimmune conditions, cancer and eating disorders.

According to the National Organisation for Rare Disorders (NORD), the disorder is more prevalent in women, especially in idiopathic cases. The organisation believes that idiopathic gastroparesis may be linked to an enteric autoimmune disease.

When a patient has gastroparesis their stomach muscles are slowed or do not work at all and thus the stomach is emptied too slowly and inaccurately. As a result, the person is unable to absorb enough energy and nutrients and this then causes malnutrition and rapid weight loss.

Symptoms of the disorder include chronic nausea, vomiting undigested food, acid reflux, abdominal pain and feeling full after not eating much.

Treatment of gastroparesis usually involves a change in diet. Smaller meals are suggested to patients as well as eating foods that are well cooked and not too fibrous. In extreme cases, like that of Caitlin White, TPN can be a possible option for treatment. TPN involves pumping nutrients like glucose, amino acids, vitamins and minerals directly into the bloodstream.

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Lauren Mitchell

Realising that you won’t be 21 forever is a hard-to-swallow harsh truth. But realising that your body and mind won’t remain as sharp as your greatest years, is even worse.

Read more: Use these 4 mindfulness apps if you’re stressed all the time

That’s why adopting habits that can help you remain strong not physically, but mentally, is very important. Check out these four scientifically proven tips for boosting brain power so you can truly tell people you’re wiser because you’re older:

1. Stay active

A study published in Neurology: Clinical Practice looked at 100 existing studies of the data of more than 11 000 older people. The researchers found that over a period of six months, people who exercised 52 hours had the biggest improvements in both thinking and speed tests. 

Read more: The complete guide to staying fit in your 20s, 30s, 40s and 50s

In fact, the exercise showed an effect on people who hadn’t experience cognitive decline as well as those with dementia or mild cognitive impairment. Most people exercised for around one hour, three times a week. Three hours of exercise a week seems like a small amount for some serious brain power.

2. Have more sex. No, seriously!

According to a study by the universities of Coventry and Oxford, more frequent sexual activity has been linked to improved brain function in older adults. Those who engaged in sexual activity weekly, scored the highest when it came to verbal fluency tests. But in tests of attention, memory and language participants who were not sexually active performed just as well as those who had sex weekly or monthly. 

Read more: This study on older adults’ sex lives proves your sex life isn’t doomed

“People don’t like to think that older people have sex – but we need to challenge this conception at a societal level and look at what impact sexual activity can have on those aged 50 and over, beyond the known effects on sexual health and general wellbeing,” said lead researcher Dr Hayley Wright.

And we couldn’t agree more! If having sex can have a positive effect on boosting your brain power, then we say go for it.

3. Stick to a Mediterranean diet

A study of almost 6 000 older adults found that the participants who consistently followed a Mediterranean diet (a diet rich in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, healthy fats and fish) were more like to have stronger cognitive function when they got older. They were 40% less likely to be cognitively impaired than the people who followed the diet less strictly.

Read more: We decode 3 popular diets and discuss the pros, cons and what you should take from each

“Although the idea that a healthy diet can help protect against cognitive decline as we age is not new, the size and length of these four studies demonstrate how powerful good dietary practices may be in maintaining brain health and function,” said Dr Keith Fargo, Alzheimer’s Association Director of Scientific Programs and Outreach.

4. Listen to music

Researchers from John Hopkins have found that music really is medicine for your mind. “If you want to keep your brain engaged throughout the ageing process, listening to or playing music is a great tool. It provides a total brain workout,” says one Johns Hopkins otolaryngologist.

Read more: The story of how SA musician Francois van Coke went from fat to fit

This is because your brain has to do a lot of computing to make sense of a single song. But if you continue to listen to the same songs and genres as you did when you were a teen, as most of us do, you stop challenging your brain. Listening to your children’s or grandchildren’s music is a great way to boost brain power, according to experts, because it challenges your brain to make sense of an unfamiliar sound.

^{This article was originally published on www.mh.co.za}

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