April 2022 "Science" Rumors List: Drinking Coke will cause a positive antigen test? Dogs also shed tears when they are wronged?

The monthly "science" rumor list is guided by the Beijing Association for Science and Technology, the Beijing Municipal Cyberspace Administration, and the Capital Internet Association, and jointly released by the Beijing Science and Technology Journalists and Editors Association and the Beijing Regional Website Joint Rumor-Refuting Platform, and is supported by the Science and Technology Journalists and Editors Professional Committee of the China Science Writers Association, the China Evening News Science Editors and Journalists Association, the Shanghai Science Communication Association, and the Institute of Science and Technology Information of the Beijing Academy of Science and Technology.

1. Sleeping east-west can cause insomnia

gossip:

When sleeping, your body should follow the direction of the earth's magnetic field, that is, lying in a north-south direction. Sleeping in an east-west direction can cause insomnia.

the truth:

The influence of the earth's magnetic field on the human body is minimal, and no research has yet confirmed that the direction of lying down will affect the quality of sleep. In this regard, experts from the Chinese Medical Association's Sleep Disorders Collaboration Group said that humans are in various magnetic fields all the time, and the human body also has its own magnetic field, but the human body's magnetic field is one ten-millionth of the earth's magnetic field strength, and the two have established a certain balance, so the earth's magnetic field has a minimal impact on the human body, and no research has yet confirmed that the sleeping direction will affect sleep.

Insomnia is mainly caused by sleep rhythm disorders. For example, frequent changes in sleep schedules, going to bed late and getting up late, doing things unrelated to sleep in bed (reading, playing with mobile phones), etc., may affect the body's rhythm and aggravate insomnia.

In addition, insomnia is also affected by age, genetic factors, health environment, etc. Mental illness, medication, etc. can also cause varying degrees of sleep disorders. Because there are many causes of insomnia, the treatment of insomnia cannot be "one size fits all". Targeted treatment plans should be given, including improving the sleeping environment, establishing good living habits, improving emotional state, appropriate medication and physical therapy, etc.

2. Frequent "hand shaking" is Parkinson's disease

gossip:

As society ages, the incidence of Parkinson's disease is also increasing: some people often experience hand tremors, which are symptoms of Parkinson's disease.

the truth:

The term "hand shaking" is tremor, which is a typical symptom of Parkinson's disease in the public's eyes. However, having hand shaking symptoms does not necessarily mean that you have Parkinson's disease. Psychological stress, muscle fatigue or taking certain medications can also cause tremors.

On the other hand, not all Parkinson's patients will have hand tremors - some patients only have limb stiffness without tremors, which is called non-tremor Parkinson's.

In fact, slow movements are the core symptom of Parkinson's disease. Patients may feel that fine movements such as brushing teeth and beating eggs are not flexible, their arms cannot swing freely when walking, their handwriting becomes smaller, their expressions become dull, etc. Patients may also experience lateral tilt of the trunk, involuntary limb movements, or obvious abnormal postures at certain times, which is medically known as dyskinesia or dystonia.

As the disease progresses, patients in the late stage of Parkinson's disease will experience symptoms such as unsteady walking and easy falls. Eventually, they will be unable to walk independently and will need to rely on a wheelchair or stay in bed.

In addition, Parkinson's disease also has many non-motor symptoms, including loss of smell, depression, sleep problems, intellectual impairment, frequent urination, stubborn constipation, etc., which usually require the joint participation of multiple disciplines to provide a better comprehensive treatment plan, and cannot just look at whether the "hands shake" or not.

If middle-aged and elderly people continue to experience slow movements in their daily lives, such as reduced or absent natural arm swings when walking, dragging their feet when walking, slower turning, difficulty unbuttoning and dressing, slow turning over at night, and slower using chopsticks and writing, they need to be vigilant. These slow movements are not necessarily caused by old age, but may also involve diseases such as Parkinson's disease, Parkinson's syndrome, and Parkinson's plus syndrome.

3. Negative pressure wards can cause breathing difficulties for patients

gossip:

Although negative pressure wards can isolate pathogens, the reduced air pressure may cause patients to have difficulty breathing.

(Photo source: a hospital website)

the truth:

Negative pressure wards are mainly used to treat patients with infectious diseases that are transmitted through aerosols and droplets. Since the air pressure in such wards is lower than that outside, only fresh air from outside is allowed to flow into the wards, and the air contaminated by pathogens in the ward will not leak out, but will be discharged to a fixed place in a timely manner through a special channel. Although the air pressure in negative pressure wards is lower than that outside, it is generally only 15 Pa less, while the atmospheric pressure on the ground is generally around 100 kPa. A change of 15 Pa will not affect the patient's breathing at all.

Not only that, professional negative pressure wards are equipped with fresh air equipment. The fresh air entering the ward needs to be purified, and the exhausted air also needs to be fully treated to ensure safety before it can be discharged into the external environment.

4. Eating oranges and drinking cola will cause a positive antigen test

gossip:

You cannot eat oranges or drink cola before taking the new coronavirus antigen test, otherwise the result will become positive.

the truth:

Drinking Coke, eating oranges and other daily diet will not affect the antigen test results.

Antigen nucleic acid testing should be carried out strictly in accordance with the instructions. If the operation does not meet the standards, the results obtained are meaningless, but it cannot be considered that the antigen test results are inaccurate. The principle of the test kit is simply to capture viral antigens through specific antibodies, but the binding of antigens and antibodies needs to occur at an appropriate pH (acidity and alkalinity). Under normal circumstances, the sample processing liquid used to soak the swab contains a buffer system that can ensure that the antigen and antibody bind at an appropriate pH. However, if liquids such as cola and orange juice are dropped directly on the antigen test kit, an inappropriate pH value will cause non-specific false positive results.

So, can you do an antigen test after eating acidic food? The answer is yes. After the swab is collected, it needs to be soaked in a sample processing solution before testing. The sample processing solution contains Tris-glycine, high-concentration sodium chloride and other substances, which can effectively stabilize the structure of the gold-labeled antibody and avoid interference reactions. As long as you follow the standard operating procedures, mix the collection swab with the sample processing solution before testing, you don't have to worry about false positives caused by acidic substances.

5. Taking "smart drugs" can improve students' concentration

gossip:

Taking "smart drugs" before important exams can improve concentration and help candidates achieve better results.

the truth:

The so-called drugs that can "improve concentration" were once popular among candidates, parents, online writers, and those preparing for postgraduate and civil service examinations under the name of "smart drugs". In fact, "smart drugs" are central nervous system stimulants such as modafinil, Ritalin, and Concentrate, which belong to a class of controlled psychotropic drugs.

This type of drug is clinically used to treat children's attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, severe narcolepsy, etc. Healthy people will feel energetic at the beginning of taking it, but will soon show side effects such as nausea, insomnia, headache, etc., and may also develop drug dependence.

6. Dogs also shed tears when they are wronged

gossip:

Dogs are emotional animals, so when they are wronged they will cry and shed tears just like human children.

the truth:

Many vertebrates, including mammals such as cattle and sheep, can secrete tears to protect and flush the ocular surface. Pet dogs at home often shed tears not because they have been wronged, but because they have nutritional or health problems.

The tear glands of dogs are located above the eye sockets. Under normal circumstances, excess tears enter the tear sac and nasolacrimal duct through the tear duct opening (tear point) at the inner corner of the eye, and evaporate with the air when reaching the nasal cavity, so there will be no tears. If tears accumulate, it may be because the eyes are stimulated by adverse factors or the tear duct is blocked and cannot discharge tears normally, or it is in the early stage of infection of some infectious diseases.

If local inflammation occurs, in addition to tears, it is generally accompanied by red eyes, swelling around the eyes and other symptoms. If the tear duct is blocked, it will be accompanied by moist dermatitis under the inner corner of the eye and mucopurulent secretions can be squeezed out of the tear point. If an infectious disease occurs, it may be accompanied by fever, vomiting, diarrhea, runny nose, cough, loss of appetite and other symptoms.

In addition, pet dogs' tears are not always caused by diseases, but may also be caused by overnutrition. If you find that your dog has a lot of tears, accompanied by excessive eye mucus (eye mucus), and no other symptoms, it may be related to overnutrition, which can be adjusted by reducing the amount of meat fed.

7. Foods made from glutinous rice are difficult to digest

gossip:

Foods such as glutinous rice balls and Yuanxiao are made of glutinous rice. They are sticky and difficult to digest, so you can't eat too much at a time.

the truth:

People think that glutinous rice is difficult to digest, probably because foods such as glutinous rice balls, rice dumplings, and eight-treasure rice also contain a lot of sugar and fat, giving people a "greasy" feeling. In fact, sticky glutinous rice is easier to digest than other pasta.

The starch structure of staple foods such as rice and flour is mainly straight chain starch, while more than 99% of glutinous rice is amylopectin, which has many branches in its molecular structure and is therefore easier to gelatinize. When the human digestive system breaks down starch, it hydrolyzes it from the end of the molecule, so amylopectin with many branches is actually more efficient in being hydrolyzed and digested.

However, because it digests faster, the glycemic index (GI) of glutinous rice is also higher than the rice and white flour we usually eat (the GI of rice is 82, while the GI of glutinous rice is 87), so it is not advisable to eat too much at one time.

8. The sampling swabs for COVID-19 testing are toxic

gossip:

The cotton swabs used in nucleic acid testing and antigen testing are stained with toxic carcinogens such as fluorescent agents, which can cause pharyngitis and even cancer.

the truth:

The swabs used for testing and sampling do not contain any reagents, nor do they need to contain any reagents. At the same time, sampling swabs are medical devices, and the basic requirement is that they are non-toxic and harmless. The claim that sampling swabs are "toxic" is completely nonsense.

The raw material of cotton swabs in daily life is absorbent cotton. The sampling swab looks similar to an ordinary "cotton swab", but the top is actually a flocked swab. The flocked swab is made of nylon fiber flocking technology. The front end is coated with nylon short fibers fixed in a vertical manner, so that there are no absorption holes in the collection area of ​​the entire collection swab. In this way, the collected samples will not be dispersed and retained in the fibers, which is conducive to faster and more efficient sample elution. Relevant data shows that flocked swabs can elute more than 85% of the sample collection volume. In contrast, cotton swabs made of absorbent cotton cannot completely collect and elute samples due to their strong absorption capacity.

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(Sources of this issue: Science and Technology Daily, China News Service, Beijing Youth Daily, Beijing Science and Technology Daily, Beijing Evening News WeChat official account, Shanghai Online Rumor Refutation, Qianlong.com, Shangguan News, Science Rumor Refutation Platform)

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Produced by: Beijing Science and Technology News | Beijing Science and Technology Media

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