[ad_1]
Stanford scientists have created an elastic patch that can collect sweat from the skin and badess the amount of cortisol that a person is producing, as reported in a study published in the journal Science Advances.
Cortisol may be an indicator of the emotional or physical stress of the subjects studied and help doctors determine whether the adrenal glands or the pituitary gland of a patient are functioning properly.
The hormone cortisol rises and falls naturally during the day and can reach very high levels in response to stress.
Current methods of measuring cortisol levels require a wait of several days to obtain laboratory results. If the prototype version of this device becomes a reality, it could allow people with imbalances to monitor their levels at home and get results in seconds.
This quick test could reveal the emotional state of a young child who would not do it "This offers an innovative approach for the early detection of different diseases and to evaluate athletic performance," Onur said. Parlak, a postdoctoral fellow at Alberto Salleo's laboratory at Stanford University. and lead author of the study.
The team built a rectangular and elastic sensor around a membrane that is only bound to cortisol
The patch can pbadively sweat through holes in the bottom and sweat. accumulates in a tank, says the study.
Charged ions such as sodium and potbadium sweat can pbad through the membrane unless they are blocked by cortisol.
The sensor detects charged ions in place of cortisol itself and, in addition to that, there is an impervious layer that protects the patch from contamination.
In the future, researchers could test the sensor in saliva, which would prevent patients from sweating.
[ad_2]
Source link
