The bungled effort to contain African swine fever could result in higher Chinese food costs for years and shows the limits of Beijing’s top-down approach to problems.
For many years, chili has been hailed for its therapeutic properties, and now researchers have found that eating chili peppers regularly can cut the risk of death from heart disease and stroke.
Carried out in Italy, where chili is a common ingredient, the study compared the risk of death among 23,000 people, some of whom ate chili and some of whom didn’t.
A self-cleaning surface that repels even the deadliest superbugs: Researchers create the ultimate non-stick coating, with medical settings and food industry in mind.
A team of researchers at McMaster University has developed a self-cleaning surface that can repel all forms of bacteria, preventing the transfer of antibiotic-resistant superbugs and other dangerous bacteria in settings ranging from hospitals to kitchens.
A recent Forbes article discussed how minestrone soup could stave off growth of a particular type of malaria. No, this did not mean that we should forget about being excited about a potential new malaria vaccine or no longer take malaria pills when traveling to malaria-ridden regions. Nor did it mean that treating malaria would now become a gourmet endeavor for discerning palates. But the concept was interesting: a science teacher engaged students in an experiment, and found that compared to other soups (yes, soups), minestrone in particular had the strongest ability to prevent growth of the organism causing malaria. In a test tube, that is.
Other foods have also been found to reduce bacteria and stave off illness, but again, this has been in the laboratory, not necessarily in the gut, respiratory tract, urinary tract, or skin. Let’s take garlic. Some like it, some don’t. But using garlic in its pure form or as an extract has become increasingly popular, especially for those exploring alternative medicine options. Its potential uses have ranged far and wide, including treatment of chronic illnesses such as diabetes mellitus and heart disease, as well as infections ranging from bacteria, fungi, and cold viruses. The active antimicrobial component of garlic is allicin, which acts to inhibit enzyme activity necessary for bacterial growth and replication. While studies on garlic’s benefits have been extensive, and many both in and out of the laboratory have been positive, there continues to be need for longer term trials and placebo-controlled studies to assess its actions. The larger studies, to date, have been in the lab. Or perhaps in the kitchen. A study looking at the antibacterial effects of garlic on hamburger meat, specifically limiting growth of the bacteria staphylococcus aureus, demonstrated that adequate amounts of garlic extract added to hamburger meat kept these nasty bugs out for up to two months when refrigerated. If you like garlic-flavored hamburgers, then this is certainly a good way to go. Tasty, and staphylococcus-free!
Curcumin, the active ingredient in turmeric, has also had its day in the limelight when it comes to various medicinal properties. Besides its potential benefit in reducing growth of cancerous tumors, it has also been investigated regarding properties including anti-viral, anti-bacterial, and anti-fungal effects. Many of the results regarding curcumin’s effects have remained in the laboratory, with clinical trials still pending. The most promising work in curcumin’s anti-bacterial effect has been in combating growth of helicobacter pylori, a bacterial pathogen which contributes to gastritis and gastric ulcers. But even in this setting, curcumin was found to be beneficial only when combined with existing medications to treat this disease.
From lab grown meat to object-manipulating robots, the tech that will transform our future is bound to be much bigger than the internet or smart phone.
Taking advantage of powerful advances in CRISPR gene editing, scientists at the University of California San Diego have set their sights on one of society’s most formidable threats to human health.
A research team led by Andrés Valderrama at UC San Diego School of Medicine and Surashree Kulkarni of the Division of Biological Sciences has developed a new CRISPR-based gene-drive system that dramatically increases the efficiency of inactivating a gene rendering bacteria antibiotic-resistant. The new system leverages technology developed by UC San Diego biologists in insects and mammals that biases genetic inheritance of preferred traits called “active genetics.” The new “pro-active” genetic system, or Pro-AG, is detailed in a paper published December 16 in Nature Communications.
Widespread prescriptions of antibiotics and use in animal food production have led to a rising prevalence of antimicrobial resistance in the environment. Evidence indicates that these environmental sources of antibiotic resistance are transmitted to humans and contribute to the current health crisis associated with the dramatic rise in drug-resistant microbes. Health experts predict that threats from antibiotic resistance could drastically increase in the coming decades, leading to some 10 million drug-resistant disease deaths per year by 2050 if left unchecked.
Plant regeneration at the cellular and tissue level is a unique process. Similar to animals, the stem cells in plants have properties that help stimulate and regenerate plants after injury. The unique properties of plant stem cells have been a recent area of interest and focus both in developing new cosmetics and studying how these extracts/phytohormones will influence animal skin. This special report focuses on the current evidence-based trends in plant stem cell-based cosmetics and sheds light on the challenges that we need to overcome in order to see meaningful changes in human skin using topical cosmetics derived from plant stem cells.
Keywords: : aging skin, antiaging, Ayurveda, cosmetics, epidermal stem cells, herbs, plant stem cells, regeneration.
Plants are equipped with a robust mechanism for regeneration of their tissues under stress. Significant efforts have been put into understanding this mechanism in the expanding field of plant biotechnology [1]. In animals, tissue regeneration occurs following a wound stimulus, resulting in the initiation of organ repair. By contrast, the regenerative efforts made by the plants are not only for tissue repair from damage, but also for the development of a new plant [2]. In other words, cutting the branch of a tree also results in a new bud/branch growth. Can we use this unique property in plants for improving tissue regeneration in animals? “Eat an apple a day…But can it keep aging away?” is thus the question. This report focuses on current applications of plant stem cell-based cosmetics and current research into effects of plant stem cells in human skin.
A ketone-supplemented diet may protect neurons from death during the progression of Alzheimer’s disease, according to research in mice recently published in JNeurosci.
Early in the development of Alzheimer’s disease, the brain becomes over excited, potentially through the loss of inhibitory, or GABAergic, interneurons that keep other neurons from signaling too much. Because interneurons require more energy compared to other neurons, they may be more susceptible to dying when they encounter the Alzheimer’s disease protein amyloid beta. Amyloid beta has been shown to damage mitochondria — the metabolic engine for cells — by interfering with SIRT3, a protein that preserves mitochondrial functions and protects neurons.
Cheng et al. genetically reduced levels of SIRT3 in mouse models of Alzheimer’s disease. Mice with low levels of SIRT3 experienced a much higher mortality rate, more violent seizures, and increased interneuron death compared to the mice from the standard Alzheimer’s disease model and control mice. However, the mice with reduced levels of SIRT3 experienced fewer seizures and were less likely to die when they ate a diet rich in ketones, a specific type of fatty acid. The diet also increased levels of SIRT3 in the mice.
