Now, make your teeth 'cavity proof' in 60 seconds

LONDON: Scientists have developed a new chemical which they claim could make the teeth 'cavity proof" and do away with your need for visits to the dentists forever.

Developed by a team of researchers from the US and Chile, the chemical, called 'Keep 32', wipes out all the bacteria that cause cavities in just 60 seconds in tests.

The chemical could be added to any current dental care product, turning toothpaste, mouthwash and chewing gum into 'super cleansers' that could get rid of the underlying cause of tooth decay, the researchers said.

According to them, the chemical targets 'streptococcus mutans', the bacteria that turns the sugar in your mouth into lactic acid which erodes tooth enamel.

By exterminating the bacteria, 'Keep 32' prevents the damage to teeth before it happens. It also keeps your teeth cavity proof for several hours, the Daily Mail reported.

The chemical could even be added to foods to stop bacteria damaging teeth as you eat, the researchers said.

The product has been under test for seven years, and is now going into human trials. It could be on the market in 14 to 18 months. pti, said researchers Jose Cordoba of Yale University and Erich Astudillo of the University of Chile. They are now hoping to licence the patent to chemical giants such as Procter and Gamble.

"We are currently in talks with five interested in investing in our project or buy our patent," they added.

A tool to help hearing impaired talk

LONDON: Scientists have developed a hi-tech glove capable of converting sign language into speech, a feat they say could improve the quality of life of millions in the world with speech and hearing impairments. The "super" glove by a Ukrainian team of inventors is fitted with a complex network of sensors that recognize hand movements and translate signs, which are then converted into spoken word by a smartphone app.

The glove, called EnableTalk, has already won an award for its inventors who hope their work will help improve the quality of life of millions of people around the world with speech and hearing impairments, the Daily Mail reported.

The hi-tech glove comes complete with flex sensors, touch sensors, gyroscops and accelerometers, as well as solar cells that help keep it powered. It even allows users to create and programme their own signs, which the app will then recognize. EnableTalk is still in a prototype stage, but it's already winning admirers in high places. The project was a winner at the recent Microsoft Imagine Cup in Australia, a competition to promote technical innovations.

And the team behind it are confident they'll end up with a product that will change the lives of people with speech disabilities. "We were inspired to help our friends who are hearing - and speech-impaired to have the ability to communicate like everyone else," said a team member. Maxim Osika. The inventors claimed that the hardware for their prototype did cost them just 50, meaning they would be able to offer a finished product that doesn't break the banks.

Fake sugars won’t help you lose weight Published: Wednesday, Jul 11, 2012, 18:02 IST Place: NEW YORK | Agency: ANI

If you think sprinkling that packet of Equal or Splenda over foods or beverages may help you shed extra pounds, then you may be wrong. A new statement by the American Heart Association and the American Diabetes Association has claimed that replacing regular sugar with artificial sweeteners won’t always make you thin. The study behind it says that substituting fake sweeteners into your diet can help you reduce your intake of calories and sugar, both major culprits of obesity. But there is ‘limited and inconclusive’ evidence that artificial sweeteners help consumers lose weight in the long run, New York Daily News reported. Those small bags of Nutrasweet and Truvia “are not magic bullets” against extra body-baggage, said Christopher Gardner, the main author of the study Artificial sweeteners only work when consumers don’t “overcompensate.” Which basically means: don’t throw away all those precious calories you’ve saved by drinking a diet soda only to eat a chocolate-chip cookie and a chili-cheese dog People do this more often than you’d think, and the study said it happens more often with foods containing artifical sugar than with beverages For years, websites across the Internet have criticised America’s range of fake sweeteners, going so far as to claim that they can in fact cause obesity because of the chemical changes they produce in the body. “The sweeteners that people use to lose weight are actually causing them to not only gain weight, but to make weight loss efforts extremely difficult,” the website MomsWhoThink.com argues. The Sugar Association’s “Truth About Splenda” page urges viewers to “take action to inform your family and friends about the realities concerning the chlorinated artificial sweetener Splenda. And warnings about the dangers of the chemical Aspartame in artificial sweeteners can be found across YouTube, where users like Dr Nordquist have uploaded videos claiming that “there are over 92 different health side-effects associated with aspartame consumption, killing over 300,000 people every year.”