Category: Health

New Molecule for Alzheimer’s Detection

According to the Alzheimer Society of Canada, an estimated 290,000 Canadians over 65 have Alzheimer’s.  Researchers at UCLA have discovered a new compound that can map the plaques and tangles in the brains of patients with Alzheimer’s.  This may help detect and treat the disease earlier and more effectively.alzheimer.jpg

 The compound, named FDDNP, may help test new treatments for Alzheimer’s.  There may also be a reduced need for volunteers in clinical trials.

Susan Molchan, M.D., program officer in the United States’ National Institute on Aging (NIA) Neuroscience and Neuropsychology of Aging Program, said “The ability to image brain changes may allow us to see how drugs affect the accumulation of proteins in the brain that cause Alzheimer’s plaques and tangles, possibly preventing or delaying the progression of Alzheimer’s.”

Milblog Project

Voice-Activated Laptops for Our Injured Troops, known as Valour IT, tries to help wounded American soldiers psychologically recover from battle by blogging. Regardless (or irregardless if you’re Dubya Bush), of what you think of the war in Iraq and Afghanistan and Terror, humans who are injured still need support to heal their wounds. You can read about the success the program has had at the MediaShift blog at PBS.

“It started last year when Army Captain Chuck Ziegenfuss injured both his hands and wanted to get back to blogging. His blog readers pitched in for Dragon Naturally Speaking software, and he and another blogger, FbL, put together Valour-IT and have raised more than $330,000 with two online Veteran’s Day fundraisers fueled by milbloggers.”

Soy May Help Combat MS

Researchers have discovered that in lab tests on animals soy helped restore the animal’s muscles. The animals had a multiple sclerosis (MS) like disease. Now they are theorizing that a similar treatment could work on humans. The soy-based substance that was used was Bowmann-Birk Inhibitor Concentrate (BBIC), and the results were promising.

“The scientists are not sure how BBIC works in multiple sclerosis, but they theorize that it suppresses the immune response to some extent, in addition to inhibiting proteases. Dr. Rostami sees BBIC as being used as a single therapy or in conjunction with other drugs in treating MS. He notes that because current therapies for MS involve injecting drugs such as interferon and copaxane, one goal is to develop an oral agent. BBIC could be given by pill daily.”

Watermelon Wonder

When you take that fresh watermelon home, don’t put it immediately in the fridge.  Unlike most produce, watermelons do not deteriorate after being harvested.  You can benefit from storing them at room temperature, until an hour or two before serving.tomatoes.jpg

The red color of watermelons comes from lycopene, the valuable antioxidant relative of carotene.  Scientists at the USDA lab in Lane, Oklahoma discovered that watermelons held for two weeks at room temperature continue to produce lycopene and deepen in color, ending up with 10 to 40% more pigment than freshly harvested melons.  On the other hand, watermelons stored in cold temperatures lose lycopene, and develop areas where cells are damaged and leaky.  This may be a result of the fruit’s origins, namely hot and dry regions of Africa, and therefore don’t do well in cold conditions.

More About Gore!

Last night I saw An Inconvienient Truth for the first time and I was inspired to write about it today. This movie is incredible! I believe that anyone who has the slightest interest in the subject of the planet burning up into oblivion HAS TO SEE THIS FILM! Even if you haven’t taken an interest before. This is not left wing, political mumbo jumbo. It is well laid out, well articulated and completely informative.

My initial concern with watching the film was that it might leave me feeling depressed and hopeless. While it did present incredible evidence toward the truth of our planet and its fate, it also leaves the viewer with an empowered sense of hope…..That being said, I don’t usually push things on people. But I really feel ok in saying PLEASE WATCH THIS MOVIE!!!holidaycard_earthlarge.jpeg

Visit http://www.climatecrisis.net/ for more information on how you can make a difference. Also, http://www.nativeenergy.com is a great site in support of wind energy and other renewable, less impacting energy sources. You can even buy someone a holiday card that decreases 1 ton of pollution by contributing to new wind projects that will reduce Co2! We can make a difference guys!!!

 

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