FEBRUARY 2022 // SCITECH
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Study proves that chewing sugar-free gum reduces preterm births BEN NIVERA
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large study in Malawi concluded that chewing sugar-free gum twice a day during pregnancy reduced premature births. The gum that they used contains xylitol instead of regular sugar. Xylitol is a natural sugar alcohol found in most fruits and vegetables. It has a sweet taste and is usually used as a substitute for sugar. Despite the sweet taste, it does not cause tooth decay and even reduces the levels of decay-causing bacteria in our saliva. The effect seems to happen because the chewing gum reduces gum disease, which has previously been linked with a higher rate of preterm births. Previous studies have shown that chewing xylitol gum leads to fewer cavities and suggest it can reduce inflammation. The trial was led by Kjersti Aagaard at the Texas Children’s Hospital and Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Texas. They chose
Malawi because it had the highest rate of premature births in the world. More than 10,000 women who were in their early pregnancies or before their pregnancies were asked to take part in the research, with only roughly half of them given a jar of the gum. The half who were given the gum were advised to chew it for 10 minutes in the morning and evening. They also received standard advice on looking after their teeth. Among the women who were given the sugar-free gum, 549 out of 4,349 pregnancies were preterm, said the researchers on February 3 at the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine’s Annual Pregnancy Meeting. Even though it still sounds like a lot, that’s a huge difference compared with the group who didn’t receive the gum. Among those women, 878 out of 5,321 of the babies were born before 37 weeks.
The team also wants to look into the development of the children born prematurely and those born on time. “No matter how cost-effective an intervention may be, we still want to make sure you’re making a difference in somebody’s life,”says Aagaard, “and the ultimate outcome is how do those kiddos do.” Aagaard and her team are planning to research more on what’s going on at the microbial level to understand how better oral health reduces premature birth. [R]
PHOTO SOURCE | SCIENCE NEWS
Parker Solar Probe captures the first visible-light images of Venus’ surface BEN NIVERA
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ASA’s Parker Solar Probe has taken visible-light images of the surface of Venus from space for the first time. Venus is covered in thick clouds, and its surface is usually covered from sight. But in two recent flybys, Parker used its Wide-Field Imager, or WISPR, to capture the surface of the planet in wavelengths of the visible spectrum – the type of light visible to a human eye. The WISPR is an imaging instrument used by the Parker Solar Probe. Its main purpose is to capture visible light images of the sun’s corona, solar winds, shocks, etc. Compiled into a video, the images show a faint glow from the surface that shows different features like continental regions, plains, and plateaus. A luminescent halo of oxygen in the atmosphere can also be seen enveloping the planet. Nicola Fox, division director for the Heliophysics Divisions at NASA Headquarters, said that they were
thrilled with the information that the Parker Solar Probe has given them. “Parker continues to outperform our expectations, and we are excited that these novel observations taken during our gravity assist maneuver can help advance Venus research in unexpected ways,” he added. Images like these can help scientists have a better understanding on other planets. It can help them learn more about the planet’s geography, the minerals present, and the planet’s evolution. Even though the probe was designed to observe the sun, it must make regular flybys of Venus. This is due to the fact that the gravity of the planet pulls the probe, tightening its orbit and bringing it closer to the sun. This assist from Venus has helped the Parker Solar Probe to become the first ever probe to enter the sun’s atmosphere, which made headlines last December. While Parker Solar Probe’s primary goal is solar science, these flybys are
providing extra data that weren’t expected at the mission’s launch. NASA and the European Space Agency (ESA) are planning to launch more spacecraft headed to Venus. With NASA’s DAVINCI and VERITAS missions and ESA’s EnVision mission, scientists would receive more images and samples of Venus’ atmosphere. These images would also help remap the surface at a higher resolution with infrared wavelengths. “By studying the surface and atmosphere of Venus, we hope the upcoming missions will help scientists understand the evolution of Venus and what was responsible for making Venus inhospitable today,” said Lori Glaze, director of the Planetary Science Division at NASA Headquarters. “While both DAVINCI and VERITAS will use primarily near-infrared imaging, Parker’s results have shown the value of imaging a wide range of wavelengths.” [R]
