Health – Lifeboat News: The Blog

Jul 12
2019

Elite Athletes Have Exercise-Enhancing Gut Bacteria

A new study has discovered that the guts of elite athletes contain a particular type of bacteria that boosts exercise capacity. The bacteria are members of the genus Veillonella and are not present in the gut microbiomes of sedentary people.

The microbiome

The microbiome is an ever-changing ecosystem in the gut populated by a vast array of types of archaea, eukarya, viruses, and bacteria. Four microbial phyla, Firmicutes, Bacteroides, Proteobacteria, and Actinobacteria, make up 98% of the intestinal microbiome.

Jul 11
2019

ideaXme — Eugene Borukhovich, Global Head, Digital Health Incubation (G4A) at Bayer — Ira Pastor

Jul 11
2019

A Chinese professor explains what air pollution does to your health

Air pollution is a severe public health risk in many places around the world. At the forefront of the issue is China, which has made remarkable progress against poor air quality in recent years.

Jul 10
2019

Gut worms were once a cause of disease, now they are a cure Essays

We need worms

You might think they are disgusting. But our war against intestinal worms has damaged our immune systems and mental health.

William Parker

Jul 10
2019

Could Manipulating the Microbiome Treat Food Allergies?

As evidence grows that gut bacteria play roles in the development and persistence of food allergies, researchers begin to explore microbe-based interventions.

Jul 9
2019

Taking the Climate for Granted

It’s shocking that climate affects our health.

Jul 5
2019

Health Department warns about toxic blue-green algae

BURLINGTON, Vt. (AP) The Vermont Department of Health is reminding residents to avoid contact with toxic blue-green algae in Vermont waters.

It says warm weather creates ideal conditions for cyanobacteria to grow. Blooms can form on the surface and wash up on shorelines.

They’ve already been spotted in Mallets and Missisquoi bays in Lake Champlain. Officials say swimming or wading in water with cyanobacteria may cause skin rashes, diarrhea, a sore throat, stomach problems, or more serious health concerns. It says dogs are especially vulnerable to the toxic effects.

Jul 5
2019

Dr. Steffanie Strathdee PhD. — UCSD Center for Innovative Phage Applications and Therapeutics (IPATH) — ideaXme — Ira Pastor

Jul 3
2019

Can mathematics help us understand the complexity of our microbiome?

How do the communities of microbes living in our gastrointestinal systems affect our health? Carnegie’s Will Ludington was part of a team that helped answer this question.

For nearly a century, evolutionary biologists have probed how genes encode an individual’s chances for success—or fitness—in a specific environment.

In order to reveal a potential evolutionary trajectory biologists measure the interactions between genes to see which combinations are most fit. An organism that is evolving should take the most fit path. This concept is called a fitness landscape, and various mathematical techniques have been developed to describe it.

Jul 2
2019

How a healthy microbiome could supercharge the body’s natural cancer-fighting cells

The ways in which the communities of bacteria living within our bodies influence our overall well-being are becoming better understood all the time, and with that better understanding comes potential new ways to intervene for better health outcomes. Adding to this is a new discovery by researchers in Melbourne, who have described how a healthy microbiome can boost the activity of killer immune cells that are vital to fighting off infections and cancer.