In 2013, an influenza virus that had never before been detected began circulating among poultry in China. It caused several waves of human infection and in late 2016, the number of people to become sick from the H7N9 virus suddenly started to rise. As of late July 2017, nearly 1,600 people had tested positive for […]
Burning incense is psychoactive: New class of antidepressants might be right under our noses
Religious leaders have contended for millennia that burning incense is good for the soul. Now, biologists have learned that it is good for our brains too. An international team of scientists, including researchers from Johns Hopkins University and the Hebrew University in Jerusalem, describe how burning frankincense (resin from the Boswellia plant) activates poorly understood […]
Orange Juice Is Better Than Lemonade At Keeping Kidney Stones Away
A daily glass of orange juice can help prevent the recurrence of kidney stones better than other citrus fruit juices such as lemonade, researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center have discovered. The findings indicate that although many people assume that all citrus fruit juices help prevent the formation of kidney stones, not all have the […]
Adequate Levels of Vitamin D Reduces Complications, Death Among COVID-19 Patients
Hospitalized COVID-19 patients who were vitamin D sufficient, with a blood level of 25-hydroxyvitamin D of at least 30 ng/mL (a measure of vitamin D status), had a significant decreased risk for adverse clinical outcomes including becoming unconscious, hypoxia (body starved for oxygen) and death. In addition, they had lower blood levels of an inflammatory […]
Music activates regions of the brain spared by Alzheimer’s disease
Ever get chills listening to a particularly moving piece of music? You can thank the salience network of the brain for that emotional joint. Surprisingly, this region also remains an island of remembrance that is spared from the ravages of Alzheimer’s disease. Researchers at the University of Utah Health are looking to this region of […]
Highest levels of microplastics found in molluscs
Mussels, oysters and scallops have the highest levels of microplastic contamination among seafood, a new study reveals. The research — led by researchers at Hull York Medical School and the University of Hull — looked at more than 50 studies between 2014 and 2020 to investigate the levels of microplastic contamination globally in fish and […]
Percy Movie – The “David-and-Goliath” fight against Monsanto
Follow the story of small-town farmer Percy through his battle with Monsanto, when the company’s GMO canola was discovered in the then farmer’s crops. Based on events from a 1998 lawsuit, PERCY follows Saskatchewan farmer Percy Schmeiser, who challenges a major conglomerate when the company’s genetically modified canola is discovered in the 70-year-old farmer’s crops. […]
Brazilian Acai Berry Antioxidants Absorbed By Human Body, Research Shows
A Brazilian palm berry sweeping the globe as a popular health food – though little research has been done on it – now may have its purported benefits better understood. In the first research involving people, the acai (ah-sigh-EE) berry has proven its ability to be absorbed in the human body when consumed both as […]
Why eating yogurt may help lessen the risk of breast cancer
One of the causes of breast cancer may be inflammation triggered by harmful bacteria say researchers. Scientists say their idea- as yet unproven — is supported by the available evidence, which is that bacterial induced inflammation is linked to cancer. The paper in the journal Medical Hypotheses is by Lancaster University medical student Auday Marwaha, Professor Jim […]
Micro- and nanoplastics detectable in human tissues
Plastic pollution of land, water and air is a global problem. Even when plastic bags or water bottles break down to the point at which they are no longer an eyesore, tiny fragments can still contaminate the environment. Animals and humans can ingest the particles, with uncertain health consequences. Now, scientists report that they are […]