World Health Day is celebrated annually on April 7. On this day in 1948, World Health Organization was established. Since that historic year, almost all countries in the world have become WHO members. The tradition to celebrate World Health Day dates back to 1950, and its main purpose is to raise people’s awareness of what health means. It is also a day to publicly address the role of health organisations in improving people’s health around the world. Every World Health Day has its own theme that reflects one of the contemporary challenges facing humanity. The topic of this year’s World Health Day is Universal Health Coverage. According to WHO, every second person on the planet still does not have full coverage of essential health services. By 2030, WHO is planning to reach universal health coverage under Sustainable Development Goals.
World Health: SUSU Contribution
South Ural State University does not participate in ensuring universal health coverage directly, but its scientists advance health research. With over 40 research and education centres functioning at the University, SUSU strives to address global issues and offer solutions to contemporary challenges, including stress management and posture correction.
Stress Management
In collaboration with National Institute of Technology Warangal and the University of Melbourne, researchers of the School of Medical Biology (South Ural State University) conduct experiments on synthesis and analysis of food ingredients to develop innovative foods that reduce stress. The development of biologically active compounds with antioxidant and immunostimulating activity is one of the key research initiatives at South Ural State University. At the centre of collaborative research is the idea of applying acoustic cavitation to food emulsions. This method allows enhancing food quality by using ultrasound and enabling the synthesis, extraction, and enrichment of food ingredients. Ultrasound is used to extract separate compounds such as vitamins and antioxidants, which positively affects human well-being and food quality. The research collaboration between the universities resulted in the development of anti-stress foods (bread and milk products) that are rich in biologically active compounds and promise to become the next breakthrough in nutrition and stress management. These food products show high antioxidant activity and improved product characteristics and help reduce stress. Enriched with beneficial additives, the innovative foods might be used to treat stress and pollution-related diseases.
Feet Correction
The musculoskeletal system is a vital part of the human body responsible for the postural balance and movement. Intense activities often negatively affect the musculoskeletal system and lead to its abnormalities. The foot condition has a significant effect on muscles elasticity and viscosity. Food disorders negatively impact the primary functions of the musculoskeletal system and can further have a detrimental impact on the spine. The university research team has developed a method of foot correction with silicone insoles.
The designed FizioStep silicone insoles enable to:
- restore normal foot anatomy and essential gait mechanics;
- restore the natural protective cushioning in the ball of the foot;
- stimulate the biologically active points of the foot creating a constant massaging effect and increasing blood circulation.
Adaptive Medicine
Stress is one of the most significant contemporary challenges related to health. To address this problem, South Ural State University is working on the non-invasive diagnosis of stress-related diseases. Hair is chosen as the biological material for the research as a reliable indicator of stress-related changes in its proteins, in particular, keratins. The scientists are planning to research the level of keratin sensitivity to the inducers of oxidative stress. The research team hopes to determine the number of biophysical properties of hair cells that undergo noticeable changes during the development of stress-related diseases. The researchers expect that as the disease develops, the level of keratin sensitivity to the inducers of oxidative stress will keep increasing. As a result, it will be possible to detect stress-related disease markers during the latent period. This research can have fundamental implications for the early detection of cancer, cardiovascular diseases and respiratory system diseases.