When it comes to morning routines, people do their own thing, whether it is waking up, exercising and eating a wholesome breakfast or waking up, washing and wearing fresh clothes and immediately going for coffee. Many coffee drinkers say that they simply cannot start their day without a fresh cup 'a joe, and not having coffee eventually leads them to have a headache or feeling groggy. While you may think that having coffee is the reason why caffeine intake has risen in the US, there is a catch to it. Less and less people are drinking coffee in the past few years, but the few people who have continued to drink it have increased their caffeine intake by a lot!

The latest research shows that fewer Americans are drinking the usual caffeinated drinks like coffee, soda, and tea but, those who still enjoy these drinks are choosing stronger versions, meaning they're getting more caffeine in each serving. So, even though fewer people are drinking these beverages, the total amount of caffeine Americans are consuming is going up. Even with this increase, the average person's caffeine intake is still below the safe limit of 400 milligrams per day. Researchers say the market for caffeinated drinks has changed a lot, and they need to keep track of these changes to understand how it affects people's health.

A recent study, published in the Food and Chemical Toxicology, involving over 49,000 American adults reveals a significant shift in caffeine consumption patterns. Coffee has become the most popular way for Americans to get their caffeine fix. Now, 70% of all caffeine consumed comes from coffee. This is a big jump from ten years ago. On the other hand, sodas are losing their popularity as a caffeine source. Only 15% of caffeine now comes from sodas, which is a big drop. Tea is also seeing a decline. Fewer people are drinking tea overall. However, those who still drink tea are drinking more of it, almost doubling their caffeine intake from tea. This means that while fewer people are drinking tea, those who do are drinking stronger brews or more cups. It's clear that people's choices for caffeinated drinks are shifting.

Study author Diane Mitchell of the Institute for Advancing Health through Agriculture, Texas A&M AgriLife, said in a news release, “We are all aware that the caffeinated beverage market has changed dramatically over the past 10 years, yet no comparable, comprehensive caffeine intake data have been published in recent years".

Do Energy Drinks Make The List?

While many people may not know this, energy drinks are a notorious source of caffeine, and many people do not even know that many of their favorite drinks contain an a lot of caffeine. Energy drinks are becoming a more common way for people to get their caffeine. These drinks, which weren't as popular a decade ago, now account for 6% of total caffeine intake. This increase is because there are now many more energy drink brands available. The number of brands has almost doubled. This gives people more choices, and many are opting for these high-caffeine beverages. Energy drinks often contain a lot of caffeine in a small can or bottle, which can quickly boost energy levels. The growing number of energy drink options is changing how people consume caffeine.

“With a constantly evolving market of caffeinated beverages and the potential impact it has on beverage consumption patterns, continued monitoring of caffeine intakes is warranted," the authors concluded.

What is the Recommended Healthy Caffeine Intake?

Even though people are changing how they consume caffeine, the average intake is still below the recommended safe limit. Health experts recommend that adults consume no more than 400 milligrams of caffeine per day. This is roughly equal to two or three regular cups of coffee. While the types of drinks people choose are changing, and some are opting for stronger options, overall consumption remains within a safe range. Researchers believe it's important to keep monitoring caffeine intake because the market for caffeinated drinks is constantly changing. They want to make sure that people understand how these changes might affect their health.

Laughing gas or nitrous oxide is making headlines not for its role in dental clinics or surgical procedures, but as a potential treatment for depression. Once only considered a part of short-term anaesthetics used to relieve pain or anxiety during surgical procedures, like childbirth, nitrous oxide is now gaining attention in the world of mental health research for its potential to alleviate symptoms of depression, especially in people who have not responded to traditional treatments.

Even A Low Dose Of Laughing Gas Provides Rapid Relief From Depression

Several studies in recent years have shown that even a low dose of laughing gas can provide rapid relief from depressive symptoms. Unlike conventional antidepressants, which can take weeks to show results, nitrous oxide has demonstrated an almost immediate impact in some patients. Scientists believe this fast-acting effect could be a game-changer in managing treatment-resistant depression.

How Was The Research Conducted?

Researchers at Washington University School of Medicine and the University of Chicago conducted clinical trials on people with severe depression who had not responded well to typical medications. Participants were given a single one-hour inhalation session of nitrous oxide. Remarkably, many reported relief from symptoms within just a few hours, and in some cases, the effects lasted for several days.

Laughing gas is thought to work differently from traditional antidepressants, which usually act on serotonin and other neurotransmitters. Nitrous oxide instead affects the NMDA receptors in the brain, which are involved in mood regulation and cognitive functions. This is similar to how ketamine—another fast-acting antidepressant—works. However, nitrous oxide has the added advantage of being less intense and more manageable in terms of side effects.

Patients who received nitrous oxide in the study experienced a noticeable reduction in their depression scores, even when given low concentrations of the gas. Researchers found that a 25% concentration of nitrous oxide was nearly as effective as the 50% dose but caused fewer side effects, such as nausea or dissociation.

Nitrous Oxide Has Advantage Over Others-Its Long Term Medical Use

One of the reasons nitrous oxide is being seriously explored as a depression treatment is its accessibility and long-standing safety profile. It has been used in medical settings for over 150 years, primarily for pain relief. Its safety, low cost, and ease of administration make it an appealing option for rapid intervention in psychiatric emergencies, particularly for those at risk of suicide.

Still, experts caution that laughing gas is not a magic bullet. While it shows promise, more research is needed to understand its long-term effects and how often it can be safely administered without causing dependency or neurological issues. It also needs to be administered under medical supervision. Mental health professionals are optimistic, though. With increasing cases of depression worldwide and many patients not responding to current treatments, the medical community is on the lookout for new and effective therapies. Laughing gas may not be the ultimate cure, but it represents a promising step forward.

Scientists at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine are making significant progress toward developing a brain-computer interface (BCI) that could help people with tetraplegia (paralysis) restore their lost sense of touch. In the new study published in Nature Communications, participants explored digitally represented objects using an artificially created sense of touch. Through the interface, they described sensations as vivid as the warm fur of a purring cat, the smooth, rigid surface of a door key, and the cool roundness of an apple. This collaborative effort between the University of Pittsburgh and the University of Chicago represents a major step forward in neuroprosthetics.

Unlike earlier experiments—where artificial touch often felt like undifferentiated buzzing or tingling—this study introduced a novel feature: BCI users had control over the details of the electrical stimulation that generated their tactile sensations. By enabling participants to personalise their sensory input, scientists were able to help them recreate intuitive and meaningful experiences.

"Touch is an important part of nonverbal social communication; it is a sensation that is personal and that carries a lot of meaning," said lead author Ceci Verbaarschot, Ph.D., assistant professor of neurological surgery and biomedical engineering at the University of Texas-Southwestern and a former postdoctoral fellow at Pitt’s Rehab Neural Engineering Labs. "Designing their own sensations allows BCI users to make interactions with objects feel more realistic and meaningful, which gets us closer to creating a neuroprosthetic that feels pleasant and intuitive to use."

BCI converts Brain Activity Into Signals

A brain-computer interface converts brain activity into signals that can replace, restore, or enhance bodily functions normally controlled by the brain, such as movement. BCIs can also be used to restore lost sensations by directly stimulating the brain, essentially bypassing damaged neural pathways. Over the last decade, Pitt researchers have shown that a paralysed individual can feel sensation using a mind-controlled robotic arm. However, those sensations lacked nuance—touching a person’s hand felt no different than grasping a hard rock.

In this new study, researchers moved closer to creating a realistic, intuitive sense of touch. BCI users were able to "design" different tactile experiences for objects displayed on a screen and could identify objects based on sensation alone—though not perfectly. Participants, all of whom had lost hand sensation due to spinal cord injuries, were challenged to match stimulation settings with sensations like petting a cat or touching an apple, key, towel, or toast.

Sensations Were Subjective

Describing their sensations in rich and subjective detail, one participant noted a cat felt "warm and tappy," while another described it as "smooth and silky." Even when images were removed and participants had to rely solely on touch, they correctly identified the objects 35% of the time—better than chance. "We designed this study to shoot for the moon and made it into orbit," said senior author Robert Gaunt, Ph.D., associate professor of physical medicine and rehabilitation at Pitt. "Participants had a really hard task... and they were quite successful.

Vanellope Hope Wilkins made medical history in 2017 when she was born with her heart outside her body—a condition so rare it's described by experts as "one of a kind." Recently, she underwent a procedure wherein doctors split open her ribs to insert her heart back into her chest cavity. After the successful operation, they shared how they performed the seemingly impossible surgeries.

Born in the UK with a condition known as ectopia cordis, Vanellope underwent three major operations at Glenfield Hospital in Leicester to place her heart back inside her chest. The hospital says it knows of no other case in the UK where a baby with this condition has survived. Now seven years old, Vanellope has undergone groundbreaking surgery to reconstruct a protective cage around her heart—using her own ribs. Since then, she has worn a brace around her chest for protection.

She lives with complex medical needs and requires one-to-one care 24 hours a day. Vanellope is autistic and non-verbal, but according to her mother, Naomi Findlay, 39, from Clifton, Nottingham, she is "a happy little thing" who "brings a lot of joy and happiness." Speaking to the BBC, Naomi said she is extremely proud of the fact that her daughter has not only survived her rare medical condition but also achieved. "It makes me extremely proud to see how far she's come, what she's overcome, and what she's achieving. It's a real journey of strength and bravery... she's so brave," Naomi said, adding that saying goodbye at the theatre door before surgery is always emotional.

How Was It Done?

The surgical team carefully decided that the timing was right for this next step. Vanellope was placed on a bypass machine, which temporarily took over the function of her heart and lungs. This allowed her heart to deflate, making it easier to perform the “very tricky” procedure.

Surgeons first detached part of her heart—the right ventricular outflow tract—and the pulmonary artery from where it had fused to her skin. Then came the bilateral rib osteotomy, a procedure involving breaking her ribs on both sides. The ribs were then repositioned to create a protective cage around her heart.

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