Researchers at Brown University have developed a wearable sensor that uses polarized light to improve the accuracy of photoplethysmography (PPG) signals across different skin tones. Conventional pulse oximeters often underperform on darker skin due to light absorption and scattering by melanin. The new device combines two wavelengths with cross-polarized detection to reduce superficial scattering and enhance deeper vascular signals. In tests with volunteers of light, medium, and brown skin tones, cross-polarization significantly increased perfusion index—a measure of signal strength—compared to co-polarized detection. This approach could help make wearable health technologies more equitable and reliable.

 

New psychoactive substances, originally developed as potential analgesics but abandoned due to adverse side effects, may still have pharmaceutical value if researchers could nail down the causes of those side effects. A new study from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign used deep learning and large-scale computer simulations to identify structural differences in synthetic cannabinoid molecules that cause them to bind to human brain receptors differently from classical cannabinoids.

A new study in the Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior (JNEB), published by Elsevier, evaluated a 12-week home-delivered food and education program among adults in Northwest Arkansas. Participants received diabetes-appropriate grocery boxes along with diabetes self-management education materials in English, Spanish, or Marshallese. The intervention was designed and implemented by researchers at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) Institute for Community Health Innovation (ICHI) using a community-engaged approach.

 A new UC San Diego School of Medicine study offers a unified biological model to explain how genetic predispositions and environmental exposures converge to cause autism spectrum disorder.