The Centre of Functional Materials for Energy and Sustainability (CFMES) of the University of Hong Kong (HKU) has been officially approved for admission to the third InnoHK research cluster, SEAM@InnoHK, which focuses on sustainable development, energy, advanced manufacturing, and materials. This marks an important expansion of HKU’s involvement in InnoHK, adding to the existing seven HKU research labs within the Health@InnoHK and AIR@InnoHK clusters.

New research could pave the way for a simple blood test to spot dementia - years before a traditional diagnosis is possible. Scientists have discovered that subtle changes in the blood may reveal the earliest signs of cognitive decline long before symptoms become obvious. These changes are caused by chemicals produced by gut bacteria - reinforcing the idea that the gut–brain connection plays an important role in early memory changes. While not yet at the point of providing a diagnostic test, it is hoped that the research could one day help catch the presence of dementia earlier in life - potentially even before significant brain damage has happened. 

Having more brothers and sisters may make it easier to cope with the death of a parent, in midlife, particularly when it’s the mother who dies, suggests research published online in the Journal of Epidemiology & Community Health.

Kinesio taping, or ‘KT tape’ as it’s usually known—widely used to ease joint/muscle pain and boost range of movement—may not be all that effective, suggests a pooled data analysis of the existing evidence, published in the online journal BMJ Evidence Based Medicine.

Higher fat content in the pancreas of children and adolescents with obesity is associated with an increased level of heart and metabolic risk factors, including higher than average body mass index (BMI), elevated diastolic blood pressure, higher levels of abdominal and liver fat, and insulin resistance, according to new research presented at this year’s European Congress on Obesity (ECO) in Istanbul, Turkey (12-15 May).