Podcasts about warwick uk

Maria Giuseppina Muzzarelli, Luca Molà, Giorgio Riello"Tutte le perle del mondo"Storie di viaggi, scambi e magnifici ornamentiIl Mulinowww.mulino.it«… questo vezzo di perle… Io voglio che il duca me lo comperi…perché io ne ho grandissima voglia»Eleonora di Toledo«alcuno di quegli huomini stringendosi il naso con un morso di corno, & ungendosi gli orecchi con un oglio, …con un sacchetto al fianco, si calano giù per quella corda; e quanto più presto possono, empiono il sacchetto, o canestrello pieno di quelle ostreghe»Viaggio dell'Indie orientali, di Gasparo Balbi, gioielliero venetiano, 1590Rare e preziose, le perle hanno ispirato artisti e scrittori, conquistato in ogni epoca il favore di uomini e donne che le hanno incluse fra gli ornamenti prediletti. Culturalmente assai dense, sono emblema del lusso, della raffinatezza e della purezza, sinonimo delle vette di perfezione che può raggiungere madre natura. La Venere botticelliana fuoriesce da una conchiglia marina, quasi fosse una perla, evocando eterne nascite, un ciclo perennemente rinnovato di amore e procreazione. Allo stesso tempo simboleggiano anche dolore e perdita: quante perle nei funerali più chic... Il libro ci propone un viaggio avventuroso, dal Nuovo Mondo all'Asia, dal Venezuela al golfo Persico e a quello di Mannar, dalle piazze dello smercio più frenetico, come Venezia, Anversa e Siviglia, alla Cina e al Giappone: come venivano pescate le perle? chi le commerciava? chi le indossava? come giungevano nelle botteghe di orafi dalle mani sapienti e da lì, sotto forma di splendidi gioielli, nelle corti sfarzose a decorare i corpi e le vesti di re, regine, cortigiane e cortigiani? E quali erano i loro altri usi? Se il linguaggio che parlavano era soprattutto quello del potere, del prestigio e della bellezza, mille sono le sfumature che accompagnano la fortuna delle piccole sfere bianche e luminescenti lungo i secoli e fino ai giorni nostri.Maria Giuseppina Muzzarelli ha insegnato Storia medievale, Storia delle città e Storia e patrimonio culturale della moda nell'Università di Bologna. Fra i suoi numerosi libri per il Mulino: «Guardaroba medievale. Vesti e società dal XIII al XVI secolo» (nuova ed. 2008), «Un'italiana alla corte di Francia. Christine de Pizan, intellettuale e donna» (nuova ed. 2017), «Andare per le vie italiane della seta» (2022). Luca Molà ha tenuto la cattedra di Storia dell'Europa Rinascimentale all'European University Institute di Firenze e insegna Storia del Rinascimento nell'Università di Warwick (UK). Le sue ricerche si incentrano sulla storia dei commerci e delle comunità mercantili, dell'innovazione tecnica e della cultura materiale tra Medioevo e prima età moderna, con una particolare attenzione al mondo della seta e agli scambi tra Venezia e l'Asia.Giorgio Riello insegna Storia globale dell'Età moderna all'European University Institute di Firenze ed è docente di Storia globale all'Università di Warwick (UK). Nel 2011 ha ricevuto il prestigioso Philip Leverhulme Prize. È autore di numerose pubblicazioni sulla storia della moda, del tessile e del design in Europa e Asia in età moderna.IL POSTO DELLE PAROLEascoltare fa pensarewww.ilpostodelleparole.itQuesto show fa parte del network Spreaker Prime. Se sei interessato a fare pubblicità in questo podcast, contattaci su https://www.spreaker.com/show/1487855/advertisement

In this podcast, Emily Burgess, LMSW, CGP interviews Litsa Williams, MA, LCSW-C about  grief as it pertains to reproductive and perinatal loss. This episode is a must listen to if you are trying to understand your grief and make sense of the grief experience. Litsa Williams, MA, LCSW-C is the co-founder of the online grief community What's Your Grief. She's a grief therapist with 15 years of experience specializing in grief, with expertise in sudden and traumatic loss as well as ambiguous grief. Drawing on personal and professional experience with grief, WYG was built as a resource offering concrete, practical, creative, down-to-earth, and relatable support, founded on the values of psychoeducation and creative coping. It has grown to serve more than 5 million visitors each year. Litsa received her master's degree in Clinical Social Work from the University of Maryland School of Social Work, as well as a master's degree in Philosophy from the University of Warwick (UK). She has been interviewed as a grief expert for the Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, NPR, and New York Times. She co-authored the book What's Your Grief: Lists to Help You Through Any Loss.Litsa's Contact:https://whatsyourgrief.comhttps://www.instagram.com/whatsyourgrief/Tennessee Reproductive Therapywww.tennesseereproductivetherapy.comhttps://www.instagram.com/tennesseereproductivetherapy/Arkansas Reproductive Therapywww.arkansasreproductivetherapy.comhttps://www.instagram.com/arkansasreproductivetherapy/Sponsor:www.navigatinginfertility.comhttps://www.instagram.com/navigatinginfertilitytogether/

Litsa Williams, MA, LCSW-C is a grief therapist and co-founder of the online grief community What's Your Grief. She has 15 years experience working with people who have experienced all kinds of loss and life transitions and has a specific interest in traumatic and unexpected loss, losses to addiction, and ambiguous loss. Litsa met Eleanor, What's Your Grief's co-founder while supporting families who had lost loved ones to unexpected deaths in Baltimore, MD. Drawing on their personal and professional experience with grief, WYG was built as a resource offering concrete, practical, creative, down-to-earth, and relatable support, founded on the values of psychoeducation and creative coping. It has grown to serve more than 5 million visitors each year. Litsa received her master's degree in Clinical Social Work from the University of Maryland School of Social Work, as well as a master's degree in Philosophy from the University of Warwick (UK). She has been interviewed as a grief expert for the Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, NPR, and New York Times. She is co-author of the book What's Your Grief: Lists to Help You Through Any Loss. https://whatsyourgrief.com/ ------------------------------- Watch Path 11 TV wherever you want, on the iPhone, AppleTV, Android, Amazon Fire, and Roku Apps.

Sit down with Meghan as she talks with the outstanding duo fo Eleanor Haley and Litsa Williams to talk about the publication of their recent book–What's Your Grief: Lists To Help You Through Any Loss   Eleanor Haley, MS and Litsa Williams, MA, LCSW-C are the co-founders of the online community What's Your Grief, one of the largest online grief and bereavement support organizations. Both are mental health professionals with a collective 25+ years of experience working with people coping with all types of complicated losses and life transitions. Eleanor and Litsa met while supporting families who had lost loved ones to traumatic andunexpected deaths in Baltimore, MD. Drawing on their personal and professional experience with grief, WYG was built as a resource offering concrete, practical, creative, down-to-earth, and relatable support, founded on the values of psychoeducation and creative coping. It has grown to serve more than 5 million visitors each year. Eleanor holds a master's degree in Counseling Psychology from Loyola College in Baltimore, MD and Litsa received her master's degree in Clinical Social Work from the University of Maryland School of Social Work, as well as a master's degree in Philosophy from the University of Warwick (UK). They have been interviewed as grief experts for the Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, NPR, and New York Times. They co-authored the book What's Your Grief: Lists to Help You Through Any Loss.  

Partendo dalle figure di Putin e Zelensky, due leader molto diversi fra di loro, una differenza che ha giocato un ruolo importante nella narrazione del conflitto, cerchiamo di capire come sono cambiate la Russia e l'Ucraina a un anno dall'invasione. Cosa ci dicono gli ultimi discorsi di Putin e cosa significa la sospensione del trattato New Start sulla limitazione delle armi nucleari; cosa sta succedendo all'interno della verticale del potere di Putin, con l'irruzione sulla scena di personaggi "destabilizzanti" come Prigozhin, l'oligarca a capo del gruppo di mercenari della Wagner...  La politica ucraina, intanto, è sempre più caratterizzata da un accentramento di potere da parte dell'amministrazione presidenziale. Come è cambiato il sistema di potere in Ucraina? Qual è l'impatto dell'invasione e della mobilitazione sulla società russa? Dopo i primi mesi di proteste, soffocate nella repressione, la società russa sembra sempre più atomizzata e passiva, senza una vera e propria opposizione organizzata né in patria né all'estero difficilmente una mobilitazione dal basso potrà fermare Putin. Così come è molto difficile pensare, almeno nel breve termine, a un cambio di regime. La società ucraina è al tempo stesso sempre più unita ma anche atomizzata dovrà a affrontare un futuro incerto tra milioni di ucraini fuggiti e che forse non toneranno più, le giovanissime vite, molto probabilmente la futura classe dirigente del paese, perse sul campo di battaglia, migliaia di bambini deportati in Russia, e il destino dei cittadini nei territori occupati e le tensioni inevitabili nei territori liberati. Anna Politkovskaja - nei reportage sulla seconda guerra in Cecenia - a un certo punto scrive: "È facile cominciare una guerra, quasi impossibile eliminare tutti i mostri che ha creato".  Conversazione con Giovanni Savino - storico, si occupa di nazionalismo russo e della ricezione del passato nella Russia contemporanea. Dopo aver insegnato in Russia, ha dovuto lasciare il paese nei primi giorni di guerra, e ha lavorato all'Università di Parma e ora è alla Federico II - e Oleksiy Bondarenko -  insegna Comparative politics all'Università di Warwick (UK). Si occupa di élite, istituzioni informali e rapporti tra centro e regioni in Russia e Ucraina. 

The word grief and loss is so entangled in our reproductive journey. Whether it is the loss of your sex life, the loss of friendships, the loss of a biological connection to your child or the loss of a pregnancy, grief is present.Join us this week as Cathie interviews Litsa Williams about what grief is, how grief it presents itself in our stories and how we can cope with grief.Litsa Williams MA, LCSW-C is a co-founder of the grief community What's Your Grief.  Litsa received her master's degree in social work from The University of Maryland and has a master's in Philosophy for The University of Warwick (UK). Litsa has been working in the field of grief and loss for 12 years and previously worked in homeless services in Baltimore, MD.  Before founding What's Your Grief, Litsa supported patients and families in the hospital at end of life in circumstances of unexpected and often traumatic death, and provided ongoing grief and bereavement support in the years following the loss.  Feeling frustrated with the online and print materials that were available for grievers, she co-founded What's Your Grief as a resource offering concrete, practical, creative, down-to-earth, and relatable grief support.  What's Your Grief has grown to be one of the largest online grief support communities, with over 5 million annual visitors and offering hundreds of free articles on all topics around grief and loss, a weekly podcast, and online courses.  She has been interviewed as a grief expert for NPR, Washington Post, US News, The New York Times, Huffington Post, and the BBC.

Vegan and omnivorous diets promote equivalent muscle mass gain, study shows University of São Paulo (Brazil), May 19, 2021 Protein intake is more important than protein source if the goal is to gain muscle strength and mass. This is the key finding of a study that compared the effects of strength training in volunteers with a vegan or omnivorous diet, both with protein content considered adequate.  In the study, which was conducted by researchers at the University of São Paulo (USP) in Brazil, 38 healthy young adults, half of whom were vegans and half omnivores, were monitored for 12 weeks. In addition to performing exercises to increase muscle strength and mass, the volunteers followed either a mixed diet with both animal and plant protein, or an entirely plant-based diet, both with the recommended protein content (1.6 gram of protein per kilogram of body weight per day). At the end of three months, there was no difference between vegans and omnivores in terms of muscle strength and mass increase.  “Like any other protein in our organism, such as the proteins in our skin and hair cells, which die and are renewed, our muscles undergo synthesis and breakdown every day. Diet [protein intake] and exercise are the main protein balance regulators, favoring synthesis over breakdown,” said Hamilton Roschel, last author of the published study. Roschel is a University of São Paulo professor affiliated with both USP’s Sports and Physical Education School (EEEE) and Medical School (FM). He also heads the Applied Physiology and Nutrition Research Group jointly run by EEEE-USP and FM-USP. Protein sources are characterized primarily on the basis of essential amino acids, especially leukin, which plays a key role in anabolic stimulation of skeletal muscles. “Animal protein has more leukin than plant protein. Leukin is an essential amino acid in the anabolic stimulus signaling process. A plant-based diet is often thought to contain less leukin and hence trigger less anabolic stimulation, potentially affecting vegans’ capacity for muscle mass gain,” Roschel said. The study is published in Sports Medicine and resulted from the master’s research of Victoria Hevia-Larraín, with support from FAPESP.  The study innovated by including a clinical analysis of the effects of protein source quality on muscle adaptation in vegans as compared with omnivores, since most research on the topic to date has focused on the acute anabolic response of muscles to protein intake under laboratory conditions and not on muscle mass as such. “Our findings show that there is no impairment of muscle mass gain for young adult vegans if they ingest the right amount of protein. In fact, the outcome of both diets was the same in this respect,” Roschel said.  However, the researchers stress that, for the purposes of experimental control, protein intake was made the same in both diets by means of protein supplements. Omnivores and vegans were given milk serum protein isolate or soy protein respectively in accordance with individual dietary needs in order to attain the targeted protein intake.  “In clinical practice, we know foods of animal origin generally have a higher protein content,” Roschel said. “Meat, milk and eggs contain more protein per gram than rice and beans, for example. In a clinical application with plant-based foods as the sole protein source, vegans would need to ingest a large amount of food to obtain the same amount of protein. In some specific cases, this could be a major challenge.” The protein source (mixed or plant-based diet) made no difference, provided each subject received an adequate amount of protein. “This result corroborates other data in the literature showing that a vegan diet can absolutely be complete if it is properly planned and executed,” Roschel said. “Previous studies suggest it can even be healthier than an omnivorous diet. For this to be the case, however, it requires appropriate nutritional counseling and education regarding people’s choices in restricting their intake to plant-based sources.”  Another point noted by Roschel is that the subjects were healthy young adults, and the results might be different for older people or subjects with health problems. “Aging entails a phenomenon known as anabolic resistance, meaning a suboptimal anabolic response to the stimuli provided by diet and exercise compared with young people. Optimal response is possible in older people only if their protein intake is higher than that of the average healthy youngster. So we should be cautious about generalizing our findings for the entire population.”   Yoga and breathing exercises aid children with ADHD to focus Ural Federal University, May 17, 2021 Yoga and breathing exercises have a positive effect on children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). After special classes, children improve their attention, decrease hyperactivity, they do not get tired longer, they can engage in complex activities longer. This is the conclusion reached by psychologists at Ural Federal University who studied the effect of exercise on functions associated with voluntary regulation and control in 16 children with ADHD aged six to seven years. The results of the study are published in the journal Biological Psychiatry. "For children with ADHD, as a rule, the part of the brain that is responsible for the regulation of brain activity - the reticular formation - is deficient," said Sergey Kiselev, head of the Laboratory of Brain and Neurocognitive Development at UrFU, head of the study. "This leads to the fact that they often experience states of inadequate hyperactivity, increased distraction and exhaustion, and their functions of regulation and control suffer a second time. We used a special breathing exercise based on the development of diaphragmatic rhythmic deep breathing - belly breathing. Such breathing helps to better supply the brain with oxygen and helps the reticular formation to better cope with its role. When the reticular formation receives enough oxygen, it begins to better regulate the child's state of activity". In addition to breathing exercises, psychologists used body-oriented techniques, in particular, exercises with polar states "tension-relaxation". The trainings took place three times a week for two to three months (depending on the program). "Exercise has an immediate effect that appears immediately, but there is also a delayed effect. We found that exercise has a positive effect on regulation and control functions in children with ADHD and one year after the end of the exercise. This happens because the child's correct breathing is automated, it becomes a kind of assistant that allows better supply of oxygen to the brain, which, in turn, has a beneficial effect on the behavior and psyche of a child with ADHD," says Sergey Kiselev. This technique was developed by the Russian neuropsychologist Anna Semenovich as part of a neuropsychological correction technique. UrFU psychologists tested how well this approach helps children with ADHD. But the study is pilot, says Kiselev. It showed that these exercises have a positive effect. However, more work needs to be done, involving more children with ADHD. This will also take into account factors such as gender, age, severity of the disease, concomitant problems in children (speech, regulatory, etc.).     Study findings suggest vitamin D deficiency may be associated with reduced arterial elasticity Guizhou Medical University (China), May 17, 2021   According to news reporting out of Guizhou, People’s Republic of China, research stated, “There is evidence that serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25-(OH) D] levels may be associated with cardiovascular disease and its risk factors. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between 25-(OH) D levels and blood pressure (BP), blood lipids, and arterial elasticity in middle-aged and elderly cadres in China.In this retrospective study, we included 401 civil servants and cadres aged >42 years who underwent medical examinations at Guiyang Municipal First People’s Hospital, China in 2018.” Our news journalists obtained a quote from the research from Guizhou Medical University, “The participants were assigned to deficiency ( 20 ng/mL), insufficiency (20-30 ng/mL), and sufficiency ( 30 ng/mL) groups according to 25-(OH) D levels in their blood. Demographics, brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity (baPWV), BP, ankle-brachial index (ABI), and blood lipids were compared among groups. The associations between 25-(OH) D and other parameters were evaluated using linear regression analysis.Median (range) 25-(OH) D levels in the deficiency (n = 162), insufficiency (n = 162), and sufficiency (n = 77) groups were 15.32 (2.93-19.88), 25.12 (20.07-29.91), and 33.91 (30.23-82.42) ng/mL, respectively. There were significant differences in systolic BP, pulse pressure, baPWV (left and right sides), ABI (left side), high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol, and triglycerides (TGs; all P< .05) among groups.” According to the news editors, the research concluded: “Multivariate linear regression revealed that TG, left baPWV, and right baPWV were significantly negatively correlated with 25-(OH) D levels (all P< .05).In this study, 25-(OH) D levels were found to be associated with TG, left baPWV, and right baPWV values. 25-(OH) D deficiency may be associated with reduced arterial elasticity.”     Icing muscle injuries may delay recovery Kobe University and Chiba Institute of Technology (Japan), May 19, 2021 A study using a mouse model of eccentric contraction (*1) has revealed that icing injured muscles delays muscle regeneration. The discovery was made by a research group including Associate Professor ARAKAWA Takamitsu and then PhD. Student KAWASHIMA Masato from Kobe University's Graduate School of Health Sciences, and Chiba Institute of Technology's Associate Professor KAWANISHI Noriaki et al. In addition, the researchers illuminated that this phenomenon may be related to pro-inflammatory macrophages' (*2, 3, 4) ability to infiltrate damaged cells. This research raises questions as to whether or not severe muscle injuries (such as torn muscles) should be iced. These research results were published online as one of the Journal of Applied Physiology's Articles in Press on March 25, 2021. Main points The research results revealed that applying an ice pack to a severe muscle injury resulting from eccentric contraction may prolong the time it takes to heal. The cause of this phenomenon is that icing delays the arrival of pro-inflammatory macrophages, which are responsible for the phagocytosis (*5), or removal, of damaged tissue. Furthermore, this makes difficult for the macrophages to sufficiently infiltrate the damaged muscle cells. Research Background Skeletal muscle injuries encompass a range of damage to muscles; from a microcellular level to a severe level. These injuries include not only those that happen during sports or schools' physical education lessons but also external injuries that occur as a result of accidents and disasters. 'RICE treatment' is a common approach for skeletal muscle injuries, regardless of the extent of the injury. This acronym stands for Rest, Ice, Compression and Elevation and is often used in physical education, sports and even medicine. Ice is commonly applied regardless of the type of muscle injury, yet little is known about the long-term effects of icing. Ice is used to suppress inflammation, however, inflammation in response to tissue injury is one of the body's healing mechanisms. This has come to be understood as a vital response for tissue regeneration. In other words, suppressing inflammation with ice may also inhibit the body's attempt to repair itself. Experiments investigating the effect of icing muscles after injury have produced conflicting results. Some have reported that it delays muscle regeneration while others have stated that it doesn't inhibit this process. However, none of the research up until now has investigated the effects of icing using an injury model that mimics common sports injuries caused by muscle contraction. Using a mouse model of eccentric contraction injury, the current research team decided to observe the effects of post-injury icing. In this mouse model, injuries were induced to resemble severe torn muscles. Research Methodology and Results Eccentric contraction was induced by electrically stimulating the leg muscles of the mice and then exerting a stronger force during this stimulation to make the leg muscles move in the opposite direction. After this, the muscles were harvested. Icing was performed by placing polyurethane bags of ice on top of the skin over three 30 minute sessions per day, with each session being 2 hours apart. This was continued until two days after the injury. The icing was based on the usual clinically recommended method. The researchers investigated the regenerated skeletal muscle two weeks after injury, comparing the icing group with the non-icing group. A significantly higher percentage of smaller regenerated muscle fibers were found in cross-sections from the icing group, with a greater number of medium to large fibers in the non-icing group (Figure 1). In other words, this revealed that skeletal muscle regeneration may be delayed as a result of icing. Next, the researchers periodically took samples of muscle from the icing and non-icing groups of animals in order to investigate what was happening in the regeneration process up until this point. In the regeneration process, inflammatory cells gather at the site of the injury, remove the debris from the damaged muscle and then begin to build new muscle. However, the results revealed that it is harder for inflammatory cells to enter the injured muscle cells if ice is applied (Figure 2). Macrophages are typical of the inflammatory cells that enter the injured muscle. These consist of pro-inflammatory macrophages, which phagocyte damaged tissue thus causing inflammation, and anti-inflammatory macrophages (*6), which suppress the inflammatory reaction and promote repair. It is thought that pro-inflammatory macrophages change their characteristics, becoming anti-inflammatory. The results of this research team's experiments showed that icing delays the arrival of pro-inflammatory macrophages at the site of the injury (Figure 3). These results indicate the possibility that macrophages are unable to sufficiently phagocyte the damaged muscle when ice is applied after severe muscle injuries caused by eccentric contraction, consequently delaying the formation of new muscle cells. Comment from Associate Professor Arakawa In sports, the mantra of immediately applying ice to an injury is commonplace, regardless of the injury's severity. However, the mechanism that we illuminated through this research suggests that not icing a severe muscle injury may lead to faster recovery. The idea of immediately cooling any type of injury is also entrenched in schools' physical education classes. I hope that in the future, the alternative option of speeding up recovery by not cooling severe muscle injuries will become known. However, even though icing may disrupt the recovery process for severe muscle injuries, there is no denying the possibility that there are degrees of mild muscle injuries that can be iced. The next issue is to work out where to draw the line. We are now in the middle of investigating what effect icing has on slight muscle injuries. Next, we will continue to investigate how icing should be carried out according to the extent of the muscle injury. We aim to contribute guidelines that will enable people in sports and clinical rehabilitation to make accurate judgements about whether or not to ice an injury.     Probiotics associated with fewer respiratory symptoms in overweight and older people Findings provide further evidence of relationship between the gut and lungs Imperial College London, May 14, 2021 Daily probiotic use was associated with fewer upper respiratory symptoms in overweight and older people, according to a study that suggests a potential role for probiotics in preventing respiratory infections. The study was selected for presentation at Digestive Disease Week® (DDW) 2021.  "This is not necessarily the most intuitive idea, that putting bacteria into your gut might reduce your risk of respiratory infection," said Benjamin Mullish, MD, a lead researcher on the study and clinical lecturer in the Division of Digestive Diseases, Imperial College London, England, "but it's further evidence that the gut microbiome has a complex relationship with our various organ systems. It doesn't just affect how our gut works or how our liver works, it affects aspects of how our whole body works." Researchers re-analyzed detailed daily diaries of 220 patients who participated in an earlier double-blind placebo-controlled study on probiotics and weight loss. Reviewing the entries for common symptoms of upper respiratory infection, including cough, sore throat and wheezing, researchers found that participants who took probiotics during the six-month study had a 27 percent lower overall incidence of upper respiratory tract symptoms compared to the placebo group. The effect was largest among participants who were aged 45 years or older, as well as those with obesity. People with obesity are at higher risk for respiratory infections. Previous research has shown that probiotics reduce upper respiratory infections in healthy adults and children, but little data exists on this vulnerable population of older, overweight and people with obesity. "These findings add to growing interest in the gut-lung axis -- how the gut and the lungs communicate with each other," Dr. Mullish said. "It's not just the gut sending out signals that affect how the lungs work. It works in both directions. It adds to the story that changes in the gut microbiome can affect large aspects of our health." The researchers did not measure immune response, only respiratory symptoms. Future randomized clinical trials could help identify the mechanisms related to the reduction in respiratory symptoms and explore the possible impact of probiotics on the immune system, Dr. Mullish said.     Fruit discovery could provide new treatments for obesity, type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease University of Warwick (UK), May 11, 2021    A combination of two compounds found in red grapes and oranges could be used to improve the health of people with diabetes, and reduce cases of obesity and heart disease. The find has been made by University of Warwick researchers who now hope that their discovery will be developed to provide a treatment for patients.   Professor Thornalley who led research said: "This is an incredibly exciting development and could have a massive impact on our ability to treat these diseases. As well as helping to treat diabetes and heart disease it could defuse the obesity time bomb."   The research 'Improved glycemic control and vascular function in overweight and obese subjects by glyoxalase 1 inducer formulation' has been published in the journal Diabetes, and received funding from the UK's innovation agency, Innovate UK. The project was a collaboration between the University of Warwick and University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire (UHCW) NHS Trust.   A team led by Paul Thornalley, Professor in Systems Biology at Warwick Medical School, studied two compounds found in fruits but not usually found together. The compounds are trans-resveratrol (tRES) - found in red grapes, and hesperetin (HESP) - found in oranges. When given jointly at pharmaceutical doses the compounds acted in tandem to decrease blood glucose, improve the action of insulin and improve thehealth of arteries.   The compounds act by increasing a protein called glyoxalase 1 (Glo1) in the body which neutralises a damaging sugar-derived compound called methylglyoxal (MG). MG is a major contributor to the damaging effects of sugar. Increased MG accumulation with a high energy diet intake is a driver of insulin resistance leading to type 2 diabetes, and also damages blood vessels and impairs handling of cholesterol associated with increased risk of cardiovascular diseases. Blocking MG improved health in overweight and obese people and will likely help patients with diabetes and high risk of cardiovascular disease too. It has already been proven experimentally that blocking MG improves health impairment in obesity and type 1 and type 2 diabetes.   Although the same compounds are found naturally in some fruits, the amounts and type required for health improvement cannot be obtained from increased fruit consumption. The compounds that increase Glo1 and are called a 'Glo1 inducer'. Pharmaceutical doses for patients with obesity, diabetes and high risk of heart disease could be given to patients in capsule form.   Professor Thornalley increased Glo1 expression in cell culture. He then tested the formulation in a randomised, placebo-controlled crossover clinical trial. Thirty-two overweight and obese people within the 18-80 age range who had a BMI between 25-40 took part in the trial. They were given the supplement in capsule form once a day for eight weeks. They were asked to maintain their usual diet and their food intake was monitored via a dietary questionnaire and they were also asked not to alter their daily physical activity. Changes to their sugar levels were assessed by blood samples, artery health measured by artery wall flexibility and other assessments by analysis of blood markers.   The team found that the highly overweight subjects who had BMIs of over 27.5 with treatment displayed increased Glo1 activity, decreased glucose levels, improved working of insulin, improved artery function and decreased blood vessel inflammation. There was no effect of placebo.   Professor Thornalley said: "Obesity, type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease are at epidemic levels in Westernised countries. Glo1 deficiency has been identified as a driver of health problems in obesity, diabetes and cardiovascular disease."   "Diabetic kidney disease will be the initial target to prove effective treatment for which we are currently seeking commercial investors and partners. Our new pharmaceutical is safe and expected to be an effective add-on treatment taken with current therapy.   "The key steps to discovery were to focus on increasing Glo1 and then to combine tRES and HESP together in the formulation for effective treatment. "As exciting as our breakthrough is it is important to stress that physical activity, diet, other lifestyle factors and current treatments should be adhered to."   Professor Martin O Weickert, Consultant in Diabetes and Endocrinology at UHCW NHS Trust, and co-applicant for the grant, said: "We were really excited to participate in this study with Warwick Medical School, as taking part in world-leading research makes a real difference to our patients both now and in the future. "As well as the positive effects for the UHCW patients who took part in the trial, we hope this study will lead to new treatments to help patients with diabetes and cardiovascular diseases all over the world."   Prof. Thornalley and his team are now hoping manufacturers will want to explore the use of the compound as pharmaceutical products.       Vitamin D supplementation associated with less time spent in ICU among critically ill patients Lishui People’s Hospital (China), May 18, 2021 According to news originating from Lishui, People’s Republic of China, research stated, “Vitamin D deficiency is a common scenario in critically ill patients and has been proven to be associated with poor outcomes. However, the effect of vitamin D supplementation for critically ill patients remains controversial.” Our news correspondents obtained a quote from the research from Lishui People’s Hospital: “Thus, we conducted a meta-analysis to evaluate the effect of vitamin D supplementation among critically ill patients. Electronic databases PubMed, Embase, Scopus, and the Cochrane Library were searched for eligible randomized controlled trials between 2000 and January 2021. The primary outcome was overall mortality, and the secondary ones were the length of intensive care unit stay, the length of hospital stay, as well as the duration of mechanical ventilation. Subgroup analyses were performed to explore the treatment effect by type of admission, route of administration, dose of supplemented vitamin D, and the degree of vitamin D deficiency. A total of 14 studies involving 2,324 patients were finally included. No effect on overall mortality was found between vitamin D supplementation and control group [odds ratio (OR), 0.73; 95% CI, 0.52-1.03; I2 = 28%]. The vitamin D supplementation reduced the length of intensive care unit stay [mean difference (MD), -2.25; 95% CI, -4.07 to -0.44, I2 = 71%] and duration of mechanical ventilation (MD, -3.47; 95% CI, -6.37 to -0.57, I2 = 88%). In the subgroup analyses, the vitamin D supplementation for surgical patients (OR, 0.67; 95% CI, 0.47-0.94; I2 = 0%) or through parenteral way (OR, 0.42; 95% CI, 0.22-0.82, I2 = 0%) was associated with reduced mortality.” According to the news reporters, the research concluded: “In critically ill patients, the supplementation of vitamin D has no effect on overall mortality compared to placebo but may decrease the length of intensive care unit stay and mechanical ventilation. Further trials are necessary to confirm our findings.”

Litsa Williams MA, LCSW-C is a co-founder of the grief community What's Your Grief. Litsa received her master's degree in social work from The University of Maryland and has a master's in Philosophy for The University of Warwick (UK). Litsa has been working in the field of grief and loss for 12 years and previously worked in homeless services in Baltimore, MD. Before founding What's Your Grief, Litsa supported patients and families in the hospital at end of life in circumstances of unexpected death, and provided ongoing grief and bereavement support in the years following the loss as the director of family and community services for the Living Legacy Foundation of Maryland. Feeling frustrated with the online and print materials that were available for grievers, she co-founded What's Your Grief as a resource offering concrete, practical, creative, down-to-earth, and relatable grief support. What's Your Grief offers in-person support including workshops, trainings, and support groups and online support including hundreds of articles on all topics around grief and loss, a weekly podcast, and online courses. She has been interviewed as a grief expert for NPR, Washington Post, US News, The New York Times, Huffington Post, and the BBC. During this episode, Litsa talks about the death of her father when she was in college and the tension she felt being away from home and then going back home where the grief really lived. To contact Litsa, reach out on social media @Whatsyourgrief or Litsa@whatsyourgrief.com. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

As we move out of October we want to make one more effort to honor those who Shepard us every week of the year. Today on the podcast we talk to a friend who comes from a long line of pastors and in this episode shares his appreciation for doing clinical work with pastors and their families. We are very excited to have Dr. Richard Serbin with us today to discuss some of the stressors and boundaries that pastors need to be aware of. Below are some of the links he mentions as tools or resources to access. Helpful Resources:Miller-Clarkson, Jeannie. (2019). The emotionally intelligent pastor: A guide for clergy and other church leaders. Indianapolis: Wesleyan Publishing House.Duke Divinity Clergy Health InitiativeLeslie Frances, The University of Warwick - UK

The Gary Null Show is here to inform you on the best news in health, healing, the environment. Green tea ingredient may ameliorate memory impairment, brain insulin resistance, and obesity Northwest A&F University (China), July 28, 2020 A study published online in The FASEB Journal, involving mice, suggests that EGCG (epigallocatechin-3-gallate), the most abundant catechin and biologically active component in green tea, could alleviate high-fat and high-fructose (HFFD)-induced insulin resistance and cognitive impairment. Previous research pointed to the potential of EGCG to treat a variety of human diseases, yet until now, EGCG's impact on insulin resistance and cognitive deficits triggered in the brain by a Western diet remained unclear. "Green tea is the second most consumed beverage in the world after water, and is grown in at least 30 countries," said Xuebo Liu, Ph.D., a researcher at the College of Food Science and Engineering, Northwest A&F University, in Yangling, China. "The ancient habit of drinking green tea may be a more acceptable alternative to medicine when it comes to combatting obesity, insulin resistance, and memory impairment." Liu and colleagues divided 3-month-old male C57BL/6J mice into three groups based on diet: 1) a control group fed with a standard diet, 2) a group fed with an HFFD diet, and 3) a group fed with an HFFD diet and 2 grams of EGCG per liter of drinking water. For 16 weeks, researchers monitored the mice and found that those fed with HFFD had a higher final body weight than the control mice, and a significantly higher final body weight than the HFFD+EGCG mice. In performing a Morris water maze test, researchers found that mice in the HFFD group took longer to find the platform compared to mice in the control group. The HFFD+EGCG group had a significantly lower escape latency and escape distance than the HFFD group on each test day. When the hidden platform was removed to perform a probe trial, HFFD-treated mice spent less time in the target quadrant when compared with control mice, with fewer platform crossings. The HFFD+EGCG group exhibited a significant increase in the average time spent in the target quadrant and had greater numbers of platform crossings, showing that EGCG could improve HFFD-induced memory impairment. "Many reports, anecdotal and to some extent research-based, are now greatly strengthened by this more penetrating study," said Thoru Pederson, Ph.D., Editor-in-Chief of The FASEB Journal.       Medieval medicine remedy could provide new treatment for modern day infections University of Warwick UK, July 28, 2020 Antibiotic resistance is an increasing battle for scientists to overcome, as more antimicrobials are urgently needed to treat biofilm-associated infections. However scientists from the School of Life Sciences at the University of Warwick say research into natural antimicrobials could provide candidates to fill the antibiotic discovery gap. Bacteria can live in two ways, as individual planktonic cells or as a multicellular biofilm. Biofilm helps protect bacteria from antibiotics, making them much harder to treat, one such biofilm that is particularly hard to treat is those that infect diabetic foot ulcers. Researchers at the University of Warwick, Dr Freya Harrison, Jessica Furner-Pardoe, and Dr Blessing Anonye, have looked at natural remedies for the gap in the antibiotic market, and in the paper, 'Anti-biofilm efficacy of a medieval treatment for bacterial infection requires the combination of multiple ingredients' published in the journal Scientific Reports today the 28 July, researchers say medieval methods using natural antimicrobials from every day ingredients could help find new answers. The Ancientbiotics research team was established in 2015 and is an interdisciplinary group of researchers including microbiologists, chemists, pharmacists, data analysts and medievalists at Warwick, Nottingham and in the United States. Building on previous research done by the University of Nottingham on using medieval remedies to treat MRSA, the researchers from the School of Life Sciences at University of Warwick reconstructed a 1,000-year-old medieval remedy containing onion, garlic, wine, and bile salts, which is known as 'Bald's eyesalve', and showed it to have promising antibacterial activity. The team also showed that the mixture caused low levels of damage to human cells. They found the Bald's eyesalve remedy was effective against a range of Gram-negative and Gram-positive wound pathogens in planktonic culture. This activity is maintained against the following pathogens grown as biofilms:   1. Acinetobacter baumanii- commonly associated with infected wounds in combat troops returning from conflict zones. 2. Stenotrophomonas maltophilia- commonly associated with respiratory infections in humans 3. Staphylococcus aureus- a common cause of skin infections including abscesses, respiratory infections such as sinusitis, and food poisoning. 4. Staphylococcus epidermidis- a common cause of infections involving indwelling foreign devices such as a catheter, surgical wound infections, and bacteremia in immunocompromised patients. 5. Streptococcus pyogenes - causes numerous infections in humans including pharyngitis, tonsillitis, scarlet fever, cellulitis, rheumatic fever and post-streptococcal glomerulonephritis.   All of these bacteria can be found in the biofilms that infect diabetic foot ulcers and which can be resistant to antibiotic treatment. These debilitating infections can lead to amputation to avoid the risk of the bacteria spreading to the blood to cause lethal bacteremia. The Bald's eyesalve mixtures use of garlic, which contains allicin, can explain activity against planktonic cultures, however garlic alone has no activity against biofilms, and therefore the anti-biofilm activity of Bald's eyesalve cannot be attributed to a single ingredient and requires the combination of all ingredients to achieve full activity. Dr Freya Harrison, from the School of Life Sciences at the University of Warwick comments: "We have shown that a medieval remedy made from onion, garlic, wine, and bile can kill a range of problematic bacteria grown both planktonically and as biofilms. Because the mixture did not cause much damage to human cells in the lab, or to mice, we could potentially develop a safe and effective antibacterial treatment from the remedy. "Most antibiotics that we use today are derived from natural compounds, but our work highlights the need to explore not only single compounds but mixtures of natural products for treating biofilm infections. We think that future discovery of antibiotics from natural products could be enhanced by studying combinations of ingredients, rather than single plants or compounds. In this first instance, we think this combination could suggest new treatments for infected wounds, such as diabetic foot and leg ulcers. " Jessica Furner-Pardoe, from the Medical School at the University of Warwick comments: "Our work demonstrates just how important it is to use realistic models in the lab when looking for new antibiotics from plants. Although a single component is enough to kill planktonic cultures, it fails against more realistic infection models, where the full remedy succeeds." In previous research Christina Lee, from the School of English at the University of Nottingham, had examined the Bald's Leechbook, an Old English leatherbound volume in the British Library, to see if it really works as an antibacterial remedy. The Leechbook is widely thought of as one of the earliest known medical textbooks and contains Anglo-Saxon medical advice and recipes for medicines, salves and treatments. Christina adds: "Bald's eyesalve underlines the significance of medical treatment throughout the ages. It shows that people in Early Medieval England had at least some effective remedies. The collaboration which has informed this project shows the importance of the arts in interdisciplinary research."   First clinical trial of its kind studies whether cannabidiol could help treat cannabis use disorder, compared to placebo University of Bath (UK), July 28, 2020   Prescription medication of cannabis extract cannabidiol, or CBD, is safe for daily use in treating cannabis use disorder, and could help people to cut down on cannabis use, according to an initial randomised controlled trial published in The Lancet Psychiatry journal. The study is the first to report that daily prescribed medical-use CBD use can cause reduction in cannabis use among people with cannabis use disorder, but the four-week study was not designed to provide robust estimates of the magnitude or duration of efficacy and further studies are needed. Researchers found an optimal daily dose of between 400mg and 800mg of CBD, which is considerably higher than concentrations found in CBD products that are available without prescription (which typically contain around 25mg CBD). They warn that such products should not be used for medicinal purposes. The authors say that these findings are important in light of major policy changes surrounding the production and sale of cannabis products, increases in the number of people entering treatment for cannabis use disorders worldwide, and the current absence of recommended treatments for cannabis use disorder. Dr Tom Freeman, the study's lead author and Director of the Addiction and Mental Health Group at the University of Bath, UK, said: "Our study provides the first causal evidence to support cannabidiol, or CBD, as a treatment for cannabis use disorders. This is encouraging, as there are currently no drug treatments for cannabis addiction. CBD products are widely available in many countries but we would not advise people to self-medicate with these products. People with concerns about their cannabis use should always speak to a healthcare professional in the first instance." [1] Cannabis addiction affects an estimated 22 million people worldwide - similar to the prevalence of opioid use disorders - and the proportion of people seeking help for cannabis use disorders has risen in all world regions apart from Africa. However, there are currently no medications recommended for the treatment of cannabis use disorders. Cannabidiol, also known as CBD, is one of more than 80 chemicals present in cannabis. By itself, CBD has been reported to induce feelings of relaxation and calm, but it does not cause the "high" associated with cannabis use, which is caused by a different chemical called tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC. As a result, CBD is sold legally in many countries in oils, capsules, creams, tea and other products. Previous studies have suggested that taking CBD products could help to reduce withdrawal symptoms in people who are actively trying to quit cannabis use. However, it hasn't been possible to determine whether these effects were due to CBD, because the studies either used an open-label design (where the participants knew what medications they were taking and so the results could have been biased), or CBD was given together with THC so it wasn't possible to say to which chemical the effects were attributable. In this latest study, researchers carried out the first randomised clinical trial of cannabidiol for the treatment of cannabis addiction. All 82 people who took part in the study had been diagnosed with a cannabis use disorder of at least moderate severity, which means they experienced at least four out of 11 possible symptoms of addiction. They had all expressed a desire to quit within the next month, and had tried to quit on at least one occasion before. Participants were randomly assigned to treatment groups and asked to take two capsules of CBD twice daily for four weeks. The placebo group were given sham capsules containing no CBD, while the others received a daily dose of either 200mg, 400mg or 800mg CBD. All of the participants received six counselling sessions designed to help them quit using cannabis, which took place before and during the study period. Weekly urine samples were tested for levels of THC to assess how much cannabis had been consumed in the past week. Participants were also asked to report how many days they had abstained from using cannabis that week. The trial used an adaptive design to identify which doses of CBD were effective or ineffective compared to placebo. In the first stage of the trial, 12 people per group were assigned to either placebo, 200mg, 400mg or 800mg CBD (48 total). After the first phase of the study, the 200mg dose was found to be ineffective and these participants were removed from the trial. A further 34 people were recruited to the second stage of the study and randomly assigned to receive daily doses of either the placebo (11 people), 400mg CBD (12 people) or 800mg CBD (11 people). Daily CBD doses of 400mg and 800mg were both found to reduce participants' cannabis intake (reducing THC levels in the urine by -94.21ng/mL and -72.02ng/mL, respectively). In addition, abstinence from cannabis use increased by an average of 0.5 days per week in the group who received the 400mg daily dose of CBD and 0.3 days per week in the group who received 800mg CBD daily. The researchers observed no difference in side effects experienced by the placebo group and those receiving any dose of CBD. 77 of 82 participants completed the treatment and those who dropped out did so because of missing study visits, being lost to follow up, not taking the study medication, or taking additional medications, and not because of the CBD treatment. There were no serious adverse events during the study, suggesting that CBD is safe and well tolerated at the doses tested. Professor Valerie Curran, senior author and Director of the Clinical Psychopharmacology Unit at University College London, UK, said: "Our findings indicate that CBD doses ranging from 400mg to 800mg daily have the potential to reduce cannabis use in clinical settings, but higher doses are unlikely to bring any additional benefit. Larger studies are needed to determine the magnitude of the benefits of daily CBD for reducing cannabis use." [1] The study was carried out over a four week treatment period with follow up extending to six months. The researchers say additional research is needed to investigate the extent to which their findings translate to different durations of treatment. Studies are also needed to investigate whether CBD directly reduces cannabis use or if it reduces other mental health symptoms which might indirectly affect cannabis use, such as anxiety.   Pessimistic outlook on life linked to life expectancy QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute (Australia). July 28, 2020   A new QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute study has found people who are strongly pessimistic about the future are at greater risk of dying earlier than those who are not pessimists. The researchers also found, however, that being an optimist did not extend life expectancy. The lead researcher, Dr. John Whitfield from QIMR Berghofer's Genetic Epidemiology group, said study participants who scored higher on pessimism in a questionnaire were likely to die on average two years earlier than those with low scores. "We found people who were strongly pessimistic about the future were more likely to die earlier from cardiovascular diseases and other causes of death, but not from cancer," Dr. Whitfield said. "Optimism scores on the other hand did not show a significant relationship with death, either positive or negative. "Less than nine percent of respondents identified as being strongly pessimistic. There were no significant differences in optimism or pessimism between men and women. On average, an individual's level of either optimism or pessimism increased with age. "We also found depression did not appear to account for the association between pessimism and mortality." The researchers used data collected from almost 3,000 participants who completed the Life Orientation Test as part of a broader questionnaire that looked at the health of Australians aged over 50 between 1993 and 1995. The participants were invited to agree or disagree with a number of statements including positive statements such as, 'I'm always optimistic about my future' or negative statements such as, 'If something can go wrong for me, it will'. The participants' details were then cross checked with the Australian National Death Index in October 2017 to find out how many people had died and their cause of death. (More than 1,000 participants had died.) Previous studies have shown a correlation between optimism and pessimism and specific diseases such as cardiovascular disease or stroke, but most previous studies also put optimism and pessimism on one scale. This resulted in people who received low scores on the pessimism questions being classed as optimists, but Dr. Whitfield said that was not always an accurate reflection of people's outlooks. "Optimism and pessimism are not direct opposites," Dr. Whitfield said. "The key feature of our results is that we used two separate scales to measure pessimism and optimism and their association with all causes of death. "That is how we discovered that while strong pessimism was linked with earlier death, those who scored highly on the optimism scale did not have a greater than average life expectancy. "We think it's unlikely that the disease caused the pessimism because we did not find that people who died from cancer had registered a strong pessimism score in their tests. If illness was leading to higher pessimism scores, it should have applied to cancers as well as to cardiovascular disease." Dr. Whitfield said the research findings raised questions about the practical health benefits of training people out of pessimism. "Understanding that our long term health can be influenced by whether we're a cup-half-full or cup-half-empty kind of person might be the prompt we need to try to change the way we face the world, and try to reduce negativity, even in really difficult circumstances." The study findings have been published this week in the journal Scientific Reports.   Wealthier men are more likely to develop high blood pressure Hokkaido University Graduate School of Medicine (Japan), 26 July 2020:    Working men with higher incomes are more likely to develop high blood pressure, reports a study presented at the 84th Annual Scientific Meeting of the Japanese Circulation Society (JCS 2020). JCS 2020 takes place online from 27 July to 2 August in conjunction with the Asian Pacific Society of Cardiology Congress 2020 (APSC 2020). Joint scientific sessions are being held by the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) and JCS as part of the ESC Global Activities programme.1 "Men with higher incomes need to improve their lifestyles to prevent high blood pressure," said study author Dr. Shingo Yanagiya of the Hokkaido University Graduate School of Medicine, Sapporo, Japan. "Steps include eating healthily, exercising, and controlling weight. Alcohol should be kept to moderate levels and binge drinking avoided." More than one billion people have high blood pressure worldwide.2 Around 30-45% of adults are affected, rising to more than 60% of people over 60 years of age. High blood pressure is the leading global cause of premature death, accounting for almost 10 million deaths in 2015. Of those, 4.9 million were due to ischaemic heart disease and 3.5 million were due to stroke. Japan alone has more than 10 million people with high blood pressure, and the number continues to rise. Dr. Yanagiya said: "High blood pressure is a lifestyle-related disease. As a physician seeing these patients I wanted to know if risk varies with socioeconomic class, to help us focus our prevention efforts." This analysis of the J-HOPE3 study examined the relationship between household income and high blood pressure in Japanese employees. A total of 4,314 staff (3,153 men and 1,161 women) with daytime jobs and normal blood pressure were enrolled in 2012 from 12 workplaces. Workers were divided into four groups according to annual household income: less than 5 million, 5 to 7.9 million, 8 to 9.9 million, and 10 million or more Japanese yen per year. The researchers investigated the association between income and developing high blood pressure over a two-year period. Compared to men in the lowest income category, men in the highest income group were nearly twice as likely to develop high blood pressure. Men in the 5 to 7.9 million and 8 to 9.9 million groups had a 50% higher risk of developing high blood pressure compared to men with the lowest incomes, although the positive association did not reach statistical significance in the 8 to 9.9 million group. The findings were consistent regardless of age, and were independent of baseline blood pressure, worksite, occupation, number of family members, and smoking. The relationships were slightly weakened after accounting for alcohol consumption and body mass index (BMI; kg/m2), both of which were higher for men in the higher income groups. In women, there was no significant link between income and blood pressure. However, women with higher household income tended to have a lower risk of developing high blood pressure. "Some previous Japanese surveys have reported that higher household income is associated with more undesirable lifestyles in men, but not in women," said Dr. Yanagiya. "Our study supports this: men, but not women, with higher household incomes were more likely to be obese and drink alcohol every day. Both behaviours are major risk factors for hypertension." He concluded: "Men with high-paying daytime jobs are at particular risk of high blood pressure. This applies to men of all ages, who can greatly decrease their chance of a heart attack or stroke by improving their health behaviours." Dr. Yusuke Yoshikawa, public relations coordinator for JCS 2020, said: "Hypertension is one of the most important risk factors of cardiovascular disease in Japan, because the average daily salt intake in Japan (approx. 10 g/day) is much higher than desired. As the current guidelines2 strongly recommend healthy lifestyle to control high blood pressure, this study suggests a potential key to successful intervention for those who are at risk of heart disease and stroke." Professor Michel Komajda, a Past President of the ESC and course director of the ESC programme at JCS 2020, said: "The ESC is delighted to be part of JCS 2020 in Kyoto. We value our special partnership with JCS and the high quality of Japanese research. Japan is among the top submitters of abstracts to ESC Congress."   Acute exercise has beneficial effects on the immune system during prostate cancer Victoria University (Australia), July 28, 2020   New research published this week in Experimental Physiology found that in prostate cancer survivors, a moderate bout of exercise kept the cell count of certain type of immune cells at a normal level, suggesting the exercise is safe for prostate cancer survivors. After 24 hours after a moderate bout of cycling, the immune cell count of natural killer (NK) cells, part of the body's first line of defence, had returned to resting levels. Prostate cancer treatments, including androgen deprivation therapy (ADT), have numerous adverse effects that reduce physical function and quality of life. Exercise is recommended for cancer survivors to reduce the side effects of treatment and has shown to have many benefits. However, the effects of prostate cancer treatment and acute exercise on the immune system have only been briefly examined. Exercise oncology guidelines were initially based on the responses seen in healthy, older adults. But individuals with cancer have different physiological responses to exercise, many of which we are only just beginning to understand. Exercise helps the immune system mobilise by causing NK cells to move into the blood and be transported them to areas of need, such as sites of infection or tumours. At the tissues, these cells move out of circulation and in cancer patients they can the infiltrate the tumour and potentially slow the tumour's rate of growth. This has been shown very elegantly in animal models but the exercise and immune response in cancer survivors is limited, with only a few studies in prostate cancer. The researchers, based at Victoria University in Australia, had volunteers (11 cancer survivors currently receiving ADT treatment, and 14 men with prostate cancer not on ADT, and 8 healthy controls) completed a cycling task to determine their maximal aerobic fitness. The researchers chose to use a moderate intensity exercise session that was consistent with current exercise oncology guidelines but was also a bout that would be practical for prostate cancer survivors to perform on their own. To ensure that the exercise bout used to stimulate the immune system was the same degree of difficulty for everyone, they standardised based on their maximal effort. To determine immune function, they obtained blood samples before exercise, immediately after and 2h after they finished cycling. The participants then came back the next day (24h) after exercise, and immune function was assessed again after one night of recovery. They also measured several key hormone levels, including adrenaline and noradrenaline, as they play a role in activating and mobilising the NK immune cells. The researchers found that 24 hours after a moderate bout of cycling, the immune cell count of natural killer (NK) cells, part of the body's first line of defence, had returned to resting levels. They also showed that the immune cell mobilisation with exercise does not appear to be significantly altered during prostate cancer treatment, which provides direct evidence that acute exercise that falls within current oncology guidelines also appears to be beneficial for the immune system. A limitation of the study is the modest sample size, and also that they examined cytokines and proteins that are related to NK cell function but did not directly assess the killing capacity of the NK cells. Erik D Hanson, first author on the study said, "One of the most enjoyable aspects of working with these men is how willing these men are to help their fellow prostate cancer survivors. Many of them realise that these studies are not likely to benefit them directly. However, they do not hesitate to volunteer and are willing to do just about whatever is asked of them for the collective good."   Study shows mango consumption has positive impact on inflammatory bowel disease Texas A&M University, July 29, 2020  Initial results of a study by researchers in the department of nutrition and food science at Texas A&M University in College Station show mango consumption has a positive impact on people with inflammatory bowel disease. Dr. Susanne Talcott, Texas A&M AgriLife Research scientist, and others recently investigated the use of fresh mangoes as an adjuvant to conventional therapy in mild to moderate inflammatory bowel disease. "Inflammatory bowel disease presents a major risk factor for colon cancer with the most common forms of this disorder being Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis," Talcott said. "Previous studies indicate that IBD affects about 1.5 million individuals in the U.S., about 2.2 million in Europe and many more in other countries." "Colorectal cancer can develop from precursor lesions that can be caused by inflammatory bowel disease over periods of 10 to 15 years, which provides an extended time for preventive measures," she said. Talcott said multiple studies have demonstrated the health benefits of secondary plant compounds in fruits and vegetables including pomegranate, citrus and curcuminoids, and polyphenolics have been found to reduce inflammatory processes in chronic diseases such as cardiovascular disease, cancer and inflammatory bowel diseases. "However, few human clinical studies using polyphenolics in the treatment of inflammatory bowel disease have been conducted," she said. Mangos are rich in gallotannins, a group of large molecular polyphenols that can be broken down to small, absorbable, bioactive molecules by certain intestinal bacteria. To investigate the impact of mango polyphenolics on humans, Talcott's team, which included husband Dr. Stephen Alcott, also an AgriLife Research scientist, designed a clinical trial conducted at Texas A&M. Trial subjects were recruited in the College Station area and at the Ertan Digestive Disease Center at the Memorial Hermann Hospital in Houston under the direction of Dr. Andrew Dupont, MD. The study was designed as a controlled clinical pilot trial in subjects with mild-to-moderate active Crohn's disease or mild-to-moderate ulcerative colitis. Subjects ate mango as an adjunct to their common drug treatment for mild-to-moderate IBD. Male and female individuals from 18 to 79 years old with Crohn's disease or ulcerative colitis were enrolled in the study. Those included were individuals undergoing current or previous IBD drug treatment within the past six months and those on a stable drug regimen for at least three weeks before the start of the treatment phase of the study. Excluded from the study were those with chronic health conditions or recurrent hospitalizations, as well as those who smoked more than one pack of cigarettes per week, had a current liver or renal dysfunction, were pregnant or lactating or had a known lactose intolerance, gluten sensitivity or celiac disease. Also excluded were those with planned or scheduled IBD-related surgery, current IBD-related intestinal stricture, current infection with C. difficile or a previous bowel resection. Medical personnel evaluated more than 300 subjects for the study based on medical records or surveys. Twenty subjects participated in some aspect of the study, including the screening, with 14 completing the study. Subjects were provided with and asked to include 200-400 grams of commercially available frozen mangos of the Keitt variety in their daily diet. They were asked to increase their mango consumption slowly over the first week. "Since the tolerability of large amounts of fiber-rich fruit varies between subjects and for each patient over time, this study allowed subjects to consume mango within a range rather than a fixed amount," Talcott said. "This range was from 200 grams twice daily to 400 grams three times a day." She said subjects could skip their mango consumption or reduce it to accommodate any possible digestive issues, but were required to document their daily mango intake. Subjects who underwent an endoscopy before the beginning of this study were asked to wait at least one week before the study treatment could be started. The treatment phase of the study was eight weeks. "Despite a relatively small subject number, this study yielded significant findings and several biomarkers would have been significantly reduced with a higher number of subjects," Talcott said. She said symptoms of ulcerative colitis were significantly reduced in the test subjects and several biomarkers associated with inflammation were decreased after eight weeks of mango consumption. Additionally, the presence of GRO, a molecule associated with colon cancer growth, was significantly reduced. "Intestinal Lactobacilli and other beneficial probiotic bacteria were significantly increased after the consumption of mango as were certain short-chain fatty acids essential for a healthy intact intestinal tract," she said. Talcott said high endotoxin levels are not only associated with intestinal inflammation but also with other chronic inflammatory diseases, but after eight weeks of mango consumption, high endotoxin levels in blood plasma were significantly decreased. "Taken together, our results indicate mango intake exerted beneficial effects in the progression and severity of the IBD after eight weeks of nutritional intervention," she said. She noted mango consumption might also mitigate inflammation in part by improving the composition of the intestinal microbiota and decreasing the serum endotoxin level. "All subjects who completed the study stated they would continue to consume mangoes regularly and will recommend this to others who suffer from IBD and also tell their physicians," Talcott said. She said if mango or any other polyphenolic-rich food can be identified as helpful in shortening or reducing severity of episodes of inflammatory bowel disease, the addition of mango polyphenolics to conventional IBD drug treatment could have a significant positive impact on public health.   Meta-analysis supports potential of omega-3s for ADHD Kings College London, July 28, 2020 Omega-3s fatty acid supplements may improve symptoms and cognitive performance in children and adolescents with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), according to a meta-analysis of gold standard clinical trials. Data from seven clinical trials involving over 500 children and adolescents indicated that omega-3s were associated with improvements in clinical symptoms of ADHD, while data from three clinical trials involving over 200 children and adolescents indicated a positive impact on cognitive measures associated with attention. “[W]e provide strong evidence supporting a role for n3-PUFAs deficiency in ADHD, and for advocating n-3 PUFAs supplementation as a clinically relevant intervention in this group, especially if guided by a biomarker-based personalization approach,” wrote the authors, led by Jane Pei-Chen Chang from King's College London, in Neuropsychopharmacology . Boosting EPA/DHA intakes Commenting independently on the meta-analysis, Harry Rice, PhD, VP of regulatory & scientific affairs for the Global Organization for EPA and DHA Omega-3s (GOED): “In the past, I've been lukewarm on whether or not increasing EPA/DHA intake benefits children with ADHD. Results from this meta-analysis put me a little closer to believing. “Minimally, given the low side effect profile of omega-3s versus the drugs of choice to treat ADHD, I would highly recommend first increasing intake of EPA/DHA. This is particularly true if a child doesn't eat at least two servings of fatty fish a week or doesn't take an omega-3 supplement on a regular basis.” Meta-analysis details The new meta-analysis was performed using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA) guidelines and used established scientific literature databases to identify appropriate studies for inclusion. Data from seven randomized controlled trials (RCTs) with 534 young people indicated that that omega-s3 supplementation significantly improved inattention and hyperactivity symptoms, according to parental reports. Additional analysis revealed that the improvements in hyperactivity were only observed when doses of EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid) of 500 mg/day or more were used. Interesting, the researchers did not find improvements in hyperactivity and inattention when they looked at teacher's reports, unlike what was reported by parents. Omega-3 supplements were associated with improvements in select measures of cognitive performance, said the researchers. “N-3 PUFAs are crucial for optimal neurotransmitter function: for example, incorporating more EPA and DHA in the cell membrane can increase cholesterol efflux, modulate lipid raft clustering and disruption, and affect the function of the dopamine transporter (DAT), which in turn may affect attention and executive function by regulating synaptic dopamine levels,” wrote the researchers. Omega-3 levels Data from case-control studies were also collected to assess if omega-3 levels were also associated with ADHD, with results indicating that children and adolescents with ADHD had lower levels of EPA, DHA (docosahexaenoic acid),and total omega-3s. “In the context of ‘personalised medicine', it is tempting to speculate that a subpopulation of youth with ADHD and with low levels of n-3 PUFAs may respond better to n-3 PUFAs supplementation, but there are no studies to date attempting this stratification approach,” wrote the researchers. “However, we have [previously] shown that individuals at genetic risk of developing depression in the context of the immune challenge, interferon-alpha (IFN-alpha), have lower levels of RBCs n3-PUFAs, and that n-3 PUFAs supplementation prevents the onset of IFN-alpha-induced depression, arguably by replenishing the endogenously low anti-inflammatory PUFAs in the ‘at risk' individuals.”

The Gary Null Show is here to inform you on the best news in health, healing, the environment.   Antioxidant-rich powders from blueberry, persimmon waste could be good for gut microbiota Polytechnic University of Valencia (Italy), July 24, 2020 Feeding the world's growing population in a sustainable way is no easy task. That's why scientists are exploring options for transforming fruit and vegetable byproducts -- such as peels or pulp discarded during processing -- into nutritious food ingredients and supplements. Now, researchers reporting in ACS' Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry have shown that blueberry and persimmon waste can be made into antioxidant-rich powders that might have beneficial effects on gut microbiota. In recent years, fruit and vegetable powders have become popular as a way to add beneficial compounds, such as polyphenols and carotenoids (two types of antioxidants), to the diet, either by consuming the powders directly or as an ingredient in food products. However, in many cases these healthful compounds are present at similar or even higher levels in byproducts compared to those in other parts of the fruit or vegetable. Noelia Betoret, María José Gosalbes and colleagues wanted to obtain powders from persimmon and blueberry wastes, and then study how digestion could affect the release of antioxidants and other bioactive compounds. They also wanted to determine the effects of the digested powders on gut bacterial growth. The researchers obtained powders from persimmon peels and flower parts, and from the solids left behind after making blueberry juice. The type of powder, drying method, fiber content and type of fiber determined the release of antioxidants during a simulated digestion. For example, freeze-drying preserved more anthocyanins, but these were more easily degraded during digestion than those in air-dried samples. Then, the team added the powders to a fecal slurry and conducted a mock colonic fermentation, sequencing the bacteria present before and after fermentation. Incubation with the fruit powders resulted in an increase in several types of beneficial bacteria, and some bacteria grew better with one powder compared to the other. These findings indicate that persimmon and blueberry waste powders could be included in food formulations to boost the content of carotenoids and anthocyanins, which could have a positive impact on human health, the researchers say.   Plant-based diets shown to lower blood pressure even with limited meat and dairy Consuming a plant-based diet can lower blood pressure even if small amounts of meat and dairy are consumed too, according to new research  University of Warwick (UK), July 27, 2020   Consuming a plant-based diet can lower blood pressure even if small amounts of meat and dairy are consumed too, according to new research from the University of Warwick. Published online by a team from Warwick Medical School in the Journal of Hypertension today (25 July), they argue that any effort to increase plant-based foods in your diet and limit animal products is likely to benefit your blood pressure and reduce your risk of heart attacks, strokes and cardiovascular disease. They conducted a systematic review of previous research from controlled clinical trials to compare seven plant-based diets, several of which included animal products in small amounts, to a standardised control diet and the impact that these had on individuals' blood pressure. Plant-based diets support high consumption of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes, nuts and seeds, limiting the consumption of most or all animal products (mainly meat and diary). (See Notes to Editors for further details) High blood pressure is the leading risk factor globally for heart attacks, strokes and other cardiovascular diseases. A reduction in blood pressure has important health benefits both for individuals and for populations. Unhealthy diets are responsible for more deaths and disabilities globally than tobacco use, high alcohol intake, drug use and unsafe sex put together. An increased consumption of whole grains, vegetables, nuts and seeds, and fruit, as achieved in plant-based diets, could avert up to 1.7, 1.8, 2.5 and 4.9 million deaths globally respectively every year according to previous research. Vegetarian and vegan diets with complete absence of animal products are already known to lower blood pressure compared to omnivorous diets. Their feasibility and sustainability are, however, limited. Until now, it has not been known whether a complete absence of animal products is necessary in plant-based dietary patterns to achieve a significant beneficial effect on blood pressure. Lead author Joshua Gibbs, a student in the University of Warwick School of Life Sciences, said: "We reviewed 41 studies involving 8,416 participants, in which the effects of seven different plant-based diets (including DASH, Mediterranean, Vegetarian, Vegan, Nordic, high fibre and high fruit and vegetables) on blood pressure were studied in controlled clinical trials. A systematic review and meta-analysis of these studies showed that most of these diets lowered blood pressure. The DASH diet had the largest effect reducing blood pressure by 5.53/3.79 mmHg compared to a control diet, and by 8.74/6.05 mmHg when compared to a 'usual' diet. "A blood pressure reduction of the scale caused by a higher consumption of plant-based diets, even with limited animal products would result in a 14% reduction in strokes, a 9% reduction in heart attacks and a 7% reduction in overall mortality. "This is a significant finding as it highlights that complete eradication of animal products is not necessary to produce reductions and improvements in blood pressure. Essentially, any shift towards a plant-based diet is a good one." Senior author Professor Francesco Cappuccio of Warwick Medical School said: "The adoption of plant-based dietary patterns would also play a role in global food sustainability and security. They would contribute to a reduction in land use due to human activities, to global water conservation and to a significant reduction in global greenhouse gas emission. "The study shows the efficacy of a plant-based diet on blood pressure. However, the translation of this knowledge into real benefits to people, i.e. its effectiveness, depends on a variety of factors related to both individual choices and to governments' policy decisions. For example, for an individual, the ability to adopt a plant-based diet would be influenced by socio-economic factors (costs, availability, access), perceived benefits and difficulties, resistance to change, age, health status, low adherence due to palatability and acceptance. "To overcome these barriers, we ought to formulate strategies to influence beliefs about plant-based diets, plant food availability and costs, multisectoral actions to foster policy changes focusing on environmental sustainability of food production, science gathering and health consequences."   Health and happiness depend on each other Georgetown University, July 22, 2020   Good health and a happy outlook on life may seem like equally worthy yet independent goals. A growing body of research, however, bolsters the case that a happy outlook can have a very real impact on your physical well-being. New research published in the journal Psychological Science shows that both online and in-person psychological interventions -- tactics specifically designed to boost subjective well-being -- have positive effects on self-reported physical health. The online and in-person interventions were equally effective. "Though prior studies have shown that happier people tend to have better cardiovascular health and immune-system responses than their less happy counterparts," said Kostadin Kushlev, a professor in Georgetown University's Department of Psychology and one of the authors of the paper, "our research is one of the first randomized controlled trials to suggest that increasing the psychological well-being even of generally healthy adults can have benefits to their physical health." Intervention for Healthy Outcomes Over the course of six months, Kushlev and his colleagues at the University of Virginia and the University of British Columbia examined how improving the subjective well-being of people who were not hospitalized or otherwise undergoing medical treatment affected their physical health. A group of 155 adults between the ages of 25 and 75 were randomly assigned either to a wait-list control condition or a 12-week positive psychological intervention that addressed three different sources of happiness: the "Core Self," the "Experiential Self," and the "Social Self." The first 3 weeks of the program focused on the Core Self, helping individuals identify their personal values, strengths, and goals. The next 5 weeks focused on the Experiential Self, covering emotion regulation and mindfulness. This phase also gave participants tools to identify maladaptive patterns of thinking. The final 4 weeks of the program addressed the Social Self, teaching techniques to cultivate gratitude, foster positive social interactions, and engage more with their community. The program, called Enduring Happiness and Continued Self-Enhancement (ENHANCE), consisted of weekly modules either led by a trained clinician or completed individually using a customized online platform. None of the modules focused on promoting physical health or health behaviors, such as sleep, exercise, or diet. Each module featured an hour-long lesson with information and exercises; a weekly writing assignment, such as journaling; and an active behavioral component, such as guided meditation. "All of the activities were evidence-based tools to increase subjective well-being," Kushlev noted. When the program concluded, the participants were given individual evaluations and recommendations of which modules would be most effective at improving their happiness in the long term. Three months after the conclusion of the trial, researchers followed up with the participants to evaluate their well-being and health. A Happy Future Participants who received the intervention reported increasing levels of subjective well-being over the course of the 12-week program. They also reported fewer sick days than control participants throughout the program and 3 months after it ended. The online mode of administering the program was shown to be as effective as the in-person mode led by trained facilitators. "These results speak to the potential of such interventions to be scaled in ways that reach more people in environments such as college campuses to help increase happiness and promote better mental health among students," Kushlev said.   Rely on gut feeling? New research identifies how second brain in gut communicates Finders University (Australia), July 24, 2020   You're faced with a big decision so your second brain provides what's normally referred to as 'gut instinct', but how did this sensation reach you before it was too late? The Enteric Nervous System (ENS) is an extensive network of neurons and transmitters wrapped in and around the human gut with the prime function of managing digestion, but researchers at Flinders University are delving into the complexity of this brain like system to uncover it's secret capabilities.  In a new study published in the eNeuro journal, Professor Nick Spencer's laboratory has identified a particular type of neuron in the gut wall that communicates signals to other neurons outside the gut, near the spinal cord and up to the brain. "There is significant interest in how the gut communicates with the brain as a major unresolved issue because of growing evidence that many diseases may first start in the gut and then travel to the brain, an example of which is Parkinson's Disease," says Professor Spencer. "The new study has uncovered how viscerofugal neurons provide a pathway so our gut can "sense" what is going on inside the gut wall, then relay this sensory information more dynamically than was previously assumed to other organs, like the spinal cord and brain which influence our decisions, mood and general wellbeing." The results reveal why the ENS might play an increasingly important part on human health, and could shed light on potential new treatments for conditions like Parkinson's disease. This study represents a big step towards understanding ENS functions and the complexity of the gut and brain connection through the neurons that allow communication in the body.  Professor Spencer says there is increasing interest in understanding how the nervous system in the gut (ENS) communicates with the brain, to give us all those sensations we know of. "What is particularly exciting about the gut, is that it is unlike all other internal organs (e.g. heart, liver, bladder) because the gut has its own nervous system, which can function independently of the brain or spinal cord. Understanding how the gut communicates and controls other organs in the body can lead to important breakthroughs for disease treatment and this is an important step in the right direction."   The role of functional foods in treating chronic diseases Wuhan Sports University (China), July 24, 2020   In this study, researchers at Wuhan Sports University in China summarized several widely investigated bioactive components used as functional foods and their role in autophagy. Their review was published in the journal Food Science and Human Wellness. Functional foods, which could be either natural or processed foods that contain bioactive compounds, can provide health-promoting effects beyond basic nutrition. These foods also offer the benefit of preventing or treating chronic diseases. The bioactive components in functional foods often have pleiotropic effects, such as antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, hypolipidemic (cholesterol-lowering), blood sugar-regulating, cytoprotective and neuroprotective functions. Autophagy is a highly conserved cellular process used by the body to eliminate aberrant components in eukaryotic cells. It also plays an essential role in promoting health and preventing or treating several chronic diseases. When cells are in a stressful condition, autophagy accelerates the clearance of damaged or toxic cellular protein aggregates or dysfunctional cell organelles to maintain homeostasis. In this review, the researchers focused on several bioactive components of functional foods, such as resveratrol, epigallocatechin-3-gallate, curcumin and trehalose, and their regulatory functions in autophagy. They believe this review could serve as a reference or provide novel ideas for the development of functional foods capable of modulating autophagy for the treatment of chronic diseases.   Combination of vitamin E and Lactobacillius plantarum reverses mercuric chloride-induced neurotoxicity King Saud University, July 23, 2020   According to news originating from Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, by NewsRx editors, the research stated, “Mercury is the third most hazardous heavy metal and its toxicity causes a severe health risk through unfavorable detrimental pathological and biochemical effects. Mercury is widely found in many ecological and certain occupational settings.” Our news editors obtained a quote from the research from King Saud University: “The aim of this study is to elucidate the neuroprotective role of vitamin E (VE) and Lactobacillus plantarum (LTB) either alone or in combination against a toxic sublethal dose of Mercuric chloride (MC). First group served as a normal control group; rats from the second group were intoxicated with (5 mg/kg MC once daily); the third group was treated with VE; the fourth group was treated with LTB; and the fifth group was treated with VE and LTB. All treatments were given daily along with MC for fourteen days. The results of the current study confirmed that MC prompted an elevation in serum TNF-a, IL-6 and brain lipid peroxides, protein expression of mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) and mRNA expression of Bax and caspase-3 level as well as DNA degradation. However, Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and cAMP response element-binding (CREB) protein expressions, GSH level and SOD activity were down-regulated. The intake of LTB and/or VE along with MC intoxication significantly mitigated the alteration in all the previous parameters. Moreover, histopathological analysis of brain sections confirmed that MC-induced brain injury and LTB or VE alone or together were capable of ameliorating brain artitechture.” According to the news editors, the research concluded: “The combination of LTB and VE was an effective therapy in the management of MC-induced neuroioxicity and this combination can be considered a useful therapeutic candidate against brain injury induced by MC. BDNF, MAPK and CREB protein expressions are implicated in MC -induced brain injury and its treatment.”     Plant-based diets high in carbs improve type 1 diabetes, according to new case studies Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, July 24, 2020   Plant-based diets rich in whole carbohydrates can improve insulin sensitivity and other health markers in individuals with type 1 diabetes, according to two case studies published by researchers from the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine in the Journal of Diabetes & Metabolism.  Both case studies followed individuals with type 1 diabetes who adopted plant-based diets rich in whole carbohydrates--including fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and legumes. The patients' health care teams tracked their blood sugar control, heart disease risk factors, and other health measurements before and after the diet change.  One case study followed a female patient who was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes in 2018. At the time, her A1c was 8.7%. She initially adopted a low-carbohydrate (less than 30 grams of carbohydrate per day), high-fat diet that was high in meat and dairy. Her blood sugar stabilized, but she required more insulin per gram of carbohydrate consumed. Her total cholesterol also increased from 175 to 221 mg/dL. In January 2019, she switched to a plant-based diet, eliminating dairy products, eggs, and meat. The patient was able to decrease her insulin dosage, maintain her A1c level at 5.4%, and drop her cholesterol level to 158 mg/dL. "This study challenges the misconception that carbs are the enemy when it comes to diabetes," says study author Hana Kahleova, MD, PhD, director of clinical research at the Physicians Committee. "The patient in this case study experienced the opposite: Adding more healthful carbohydrates to her diet stabilized her glycemic control, reduced her insulin needs, and boosted her overall health." The other individual--a 42-year-old man who had been diagnosed with type 1 diabetes at age 25--eliminated animal products from his diet and switched to a whole food, plant-based diet. He increased his consumption of carbohydrates from 150 grams to 400-450 grams per day. After adopting a carbohydrate-rich plant-based diet, he lost weight, required less insulin, and reduced his A1c--a measure of blood sugar levels over a 3-month period--from 6.2% to a range between 5.5-5.8%.  The authors note that a previous small study supported the case studies' results, finding that a high-carbohydrate, high-fiber diet improved glycemic control in 10 people with type 1 diabetes. As a next step, the authors suggest that randomized clinical trials are needed to verify the case studies' findings, assess their generalizability, and quantify the effectiveness of plant-based diets in the management of type 1 diabetes. Previous studies have found that low-fat, plant-based diets can be beneficial for those with type 2 diabetes. Research has also shown that those eating a plant-based diet have approximately half the risk of developing type 2 diabetes, compared with non-vegetarians. "Decades of research has proven that a plant-based diet can be beneficial for those with type 2 diabetes. Now, these groundbreaking case studies are offering hope that the same may be true for those with type 1 diabetes," adds Dr. Kahleova.         Raised iron levels linked to reduced life expectancy Imperial College London, July 24, 2020   Having too much iron in the body puts your long term health at risk but it could also take years off your life. These are the findings of a study using large scale genetic data to assess the impacts across a population of having naturally raised levels of iron, in terms of years of life expectancy. According to the researchers, the findings—which help to cut through the noise caused by confounding factors such as age, sex or diet—add to the increasingly complex picture of iron's role in our health and highlight the risks of having raised levels of iron. Dr. Dipender Gill, from Imperial's School of Public Health and who supervised the study, said: "We have known for a long time that having too much or too little iron in your system can have serious impacts on your health, and that effectively modifying iron levels can help many people with underlying conditions. Our findings build on previous work to clarify that picture further, showing that people who have genetic predisposition to slightly raised levels of iron in the body have reduced life expectancy on average. While we did not look directly at the impact of taking supplements, our results suggest that there is a need to better understand the health implications of people boosting their iron levels with supplements when they don't need to." Double-edged sword Iron is used by the body to make red blood cells, which carry oxygen. Most people without underlying health conditions should be able to get enough iron from their diet. But disrupting the balance can lead to a host of health implications: too little iron is associated with fatigue and impaired immune system, while too much can cause liver failure, and in high enough doses can even be fatal. A number of studies suggest small changes in iron levels can have protective and detrimental effects for different diseases, such as heart disease, stroke and infections. But the net effect of varying iron levels on life expectancy remains unclear. In the latest study, published this month in the journal Clinical Nutrition, Dr. Gill and Mr. Iyas Daghlas from Harvard Medical School used a statistical technique called Mendelian randomization to try to explore the effect of increasing levels of iron on health—using people's genetic variation as an indicator of their iron levels. The researchers trawled genetic data from almost 49,000 people to find genetic variants linked to iron levels. They focused on three points in the genome where a single "letter" difference in the DNA—called a single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP)—can slightly increase or reduce a person's iron level. When these same SNPs were then screened in a larger dataset combing lifespan data for more than one million people, they found that the genetic markers for higher iron levels on average associated with reduced life expectancy. The analysis revealed that for every one point of standard deviation increase in genetically predicted serum iron above baseline, people had an estimated 0.7 fewer years of lifespan. Furthermore, the findings were unlikely to be biased by lifestyle factors. A body of work The work builds on a number of previous studies by Dr. Gill, which have used genetic data to investigate the role of iron in hundreds of diseases. A 2017 study revealed the link between high iron levels and lower risk of heart disease. Further studies from 2019 showed naturally higher iron levels were associated with a lower risk of high cholesterol levels, reducing the risk of arteries becoming furred with a build-up of fatty substances, but also carried with it a higher risk of blood clots and skin infections. Taken together, the studies build a complex picture of iron status in health. The authors stress that the genetic markers themselves do not indicate reduced life expectancy or risk in the wider context, but are a tool to study how iron levels relate to health without the influence of a number of complex confounding factors such as diet, economic background, or smoking status. They add that the findings should not currently be applied clinically, at the individual level. Dr. Gill explained: "It's important to put these findings in context. Our analysis is indirect and uses genetic data as a proxy for raised iron levels. But the clinical implications warrant further investigation and could be important for long-term health at the population level." Mr Iyas Daghlas, from Harvard Medical School, said: "These findings should not yet be extrapolated to clinical practice, but they further support the idea that people without an iron deficiency are unlikely to benefit from supplementation, and that it may actually do them harm. We emphasize that these results should not be applied to patient populations with a compelling reason for iron supplementation, such as patients with symptomatic iron deficiency anemia, or in patients with heart failure."     Seven reasons to eat more watermelon Life Extension, July 22, 2020   There's a reason why summer is the season for watermelon. Not only does this favorite fruit reach its peak flavors during the warmer months, watermelon is also even more nutrient-rich this time of year. From being a great source of raw lycopene to its hydrating nature, here are seven reasons to eat more watermelon. Lycopene is the pigment that gives red and pink fruits, such as tomatoes, watermelons and pink grapefruit, their characteristic color. Lycopene has been linked to health benefits ranging from heart health to protection against sunburns and certain types of cancers. 1. Watermelon is a top source of lycopene. Tomatoes get the glory when it comes to lycopene, but watermelon actually has more ? about 40 percent more, on average. Our bodies also absorb lycopene from watermelon more easily. Unlike tomatoes, which need to be cooked in order to maximize lycopene absorption, we can effectively absorb and reap the benefits of lycopene from raw watermelon. 2. It's hydrating.No surprise here. (It is called watermelon, after all!) But you may find it interesting that watermelon is 92 percent water, so by enjoying it, you really are eating your way toward better hydration. 3. It may improve blood pressure; is a top source of citrulline, which can help to improve blood flow and blood pressure 4. Because it's so sweet, watermelon has a reputation for being high in sugar, but most fruits arenaturally high in sugar, but they're also rich in nutrients. However, compared to sweet potatoes, watermelon has only one-fourth of the carbs and only half the sugar. 5. All of the goodness of watermelon (lycopene, beta carotene, vitamin C, vitamin A, fiber and overall antioxidants) gets better with age. The redder the fruit's flesh, the higher the nutrient concentration. 6. Most of us eat the red flesh and leave the rinds, but the rinds are entirely edible (just remove the outer peel), and are as nutritious as the flesh itself. The rinds can be sliced and added to your favorite stir-fry recipe, juiced or pureed for chilled soups. 7. It can be prepared in countless creative ways.Simply slice it and eat it plain, or with a sprinkle of salt. Or go with the classic pairing of watermelon: fresh mint and feta (or goat cheese, for a lower-sodium option). Make watermelon salsa, using watermelon in place of some (or all) of the tomatoes in your favorite salsa recipe. Grill it. Juice it. Puree it, rind and all, for soups and mocktails. The options are endless! Molly Kimball, RD, CSSD, registered dietitian with Ochsner Health System, manages the nutrition department of Ochsner Fitness Center and is founder of the Ochsner Eat Fit nonprofit restaurant initiative.      

Title: National Security, Whistle-Blowers and the Nature of Secrecy This event is a part of the Global Impact Discussion Series by Founder and Moderator Patricia Schouker, IWP Alumna. About the Lecture: The significance of Edward Snowden's revelations has been viewed primarily through the prism of threats to citizen privacy. Instead, Dr. Christopher Moran argues that the most dramatic change has been a decline of government secrecy, especially around national security. While the ethical aspects of state secrets and ‘whistle-blowing' have received recent attention, few have attempted to explain the dynamics of this growing climate of exposure. The argument is largely technological and is grounded by the changing nature of intelligence work, which is increasingly merging with ‘big data'. Dr. Moran also identifies a related cultural change: many intelligence contractors are at best agnostic about the national security state. Meanwhile, the Internet itself provides the perfect medium for the anonymous degradation of secrets. Because the main driver is technology, Dr. Moran suggests this trend is likely to accelerate, presenting national security chiefs with one of their biggest future challenges. About the Speaker: Dr. Christopher R. Moran is a Reader in US National Security in the Department of Politics and International Studies (PAIS) at the University of Warwick (UK). He is the author of several books including Classified: Secrecy and the State in Modern Britain (Cambridge University Press, 2013) and Company Confessions: Secrets, Memoirs, and the CIA (St. Martin's Press, 2016). Funded by the British Academy, he is currently writing a history of the turbulent relationship between President Richard Nixon, Henry Kissinger, and the CIA, featuring new revelations about White House ‘dirty tricks' as well as critical reflections on the role played by the Agency in facilitating SALT, American withdrawal from Vietnam, and triangular politics between the United States, the Soviet Union, and China. Together with colleagues from John Hopkins and Leicester University, he is the co-editor of the new ‘Georgetown Studies in the History of Intelligence' book series.

Ali Smith joins us today to discuss how this can be done in the most simple fashion, along with unveiling some of the most common trademark misconceptions. Ali Smith is the Product Marketing Manager for Trademark.com. She has worked on intellectual property SaaS solutions for the last several years of her marketing career, and believes in making world-class resources available, accessible, and affordable to businesses of all sizes. Based in Boston, MA, Ali holds an MBA from the University of Warwick (UK). Today's show is sponsored by Audible.com and Gusto. Audible.com is a leading provider of spoken audio entertainment and information. Listen to audiobooks whenever and wherever you want. Get a free book when you sign up for a 30-day free trial at audibletrial.com/businessgrowth. Gusto offers modern, easy payroll to benefits to small businesses across the country. They were even named best online payroll by PCMag. As a listener, you’ll get three months free when you run your first payroll. Sign up and give it a try at Gusto.com/accelerate. That’s gusto.com/accelerate

Rencontre enregistrée le jeudi 28 mars à la librairie Karthala Les recherches sur les migrations offrent désormais un panorama détaillé de la diversité des expériences de déplacement. Les flux des pays du Nord vers ceux du Sud occupent toutefois une place relativement négligeable dans ce tableau d’ensemble. Ils peinent à constituer un objet de recherche unifié alors même qu’ils prennent de plus en plus d’ampleur. S’appuyant sur des travaux empiriques, l'ouvrage intitulé "Les migrations des Nords vers les Suds", qui sera présenté lors de cette rencontre invite le lecteur à observer sans a priori des modes de vie et des modes d’engagement trop souvent réduits à l’expatriation, au privilège, au tourisme ou encore au retour. Son parti pris est de faire des figures, des pratiques et des modes d’installation des individus qui empruntent le chemin des Nords vers les Suds un objet de recherche légitime au sein de la socio-anthropologie des migrations. S’intéressant aussi bien aux projets individuels qu’aux logiques structurelles qui les accompagnent, et parfois les contraignent, ce livre ouvre un chantier de recherche ambitieux et jusqu’à présent inédit. Les auteurs réunis ici explorent un ensemble de trajectoires et de phénomènes sociaux dont les dynamiques multiples participent à redéfinir les relations entre sociétés nationales. Ils nous invitent ainsi plus largement à interroger nos représentations du Nord et du Sud. Ont contribué à cet ouvrage : Ève Bantman-Masum, Clio Chaveneau, Anna Chruscinska, Chantal Crenn, Giulia Fabbiano, Farhad Khosrokhavar, Brenda Le Bigot, Amélie Le Renard, Frédérique Louveau, Jean-Baptiste Meyer, Pamela Millet-Mouity, Aziz Nafa, Michel Peraldi, Patrick Perez, Alexandra Poli, Liza Terrazzoni, Simeng Wang. Une rencontre animée par Danièle Joly, sociologue et professeure émérite de l'université de Warwick (UK). Bibliographie : http://www.karthala.com/terrains-du-siecle/3274-les-migrations-des-nords-vers-les-suds-9782811119522.html

In This Episode We Discuss: 1) How low is “too low” for low calorie days?; 2) How much do very low calorie days or fasting impact muscle retention?; 3) Is there a physiological benefit to diet breaks and refeeds? Eric is currently a Research Fellow at Auckland University of Technology, New Zealand. His work is focused on training and nutrition interventions that could have implications for bodybuilders, powerlifters and other strength athletes. Eric has many peer reviewed publications and currently has many ongoing research projects and collaborations. Previously, Eric completed his PhD at AUT. He also holds a BS in fitness and wellness, an MS in exercise science, and a MPhil in sports nutrition. Once a former business consultant specialized in advanced statistical data analysis, Menno has MSc from the University of Warwick (UK) in that area. Menno’s background in science and statistics helped him to develop a unique way of approach questions in fitness. Menno is a published academic author and has spoken at some of the world’s biggest evidence-based training conferences and events. SHOW NOTES: https://sigmanutrition.com/episode290

En el presente episodio (la ida) haremos un viaje mental a Londres para entender el Brexit de la mano de Federico Merke (Tw: @FedericoMerke). A la vuelta, usaremos ese conocimiento para imaginar cómo debería posicionarse la Argentina en este marco internacional.Federico Merke es investigador del CONICET y profesor a tiempo completo en la Universidad de San Andrés, donde además dirige las carreras de Relaciones Internacionales y Ciencias Políticas. Estudió Relaciones Internacionales en la Universidad del Salvador, realizó una maestría en Estudios Internacionales en la Universidad de Warwick (UK) y se doctoró en Ciencias Sociales en FLACSO, Buenos Aires.

Dr. Bryan Brazeau is a Senior Teaching Fellow in Liberal Arts at the University of Warwick (UK). He began at NYU as a graduate student in Italian Studies working with residential life (first on the Graduate Programming Initiative, and then as an RA in Stuy Town from 2009-2012). He obtained his Ph.D. in Italian Studies from NYU in 2015 and his MA in the same field from NYU in 2010. Prior to his arrival at NYU, Bryan obtained a BA in Western Society and Culture from Concordia University’s Liberal Arts College in Montréal in 2008. Bryan is currently editing a volume of essays on new perspectives in the study of early modern poetics, Beyond Aristotle's Poetics: New Directions in Early Modern Italian Literary Criticism—which emerges from a conference and graduate workshop that he organized at the Newberry Library in March 2017. As Senior Teaching Fellow in Liberal Arts at Warwick, Bryan teaches interdisciplinary courses such as Science, Society, and the Media; Underworlds; Paradises; and Sustaining the Serenissima: Venice and Sustainability (which includes a week at Warwick’s campus in Venice). As Study Abroad co-ordinator for the department, he also maintains and oversees exchange partnerships with international institutions in the Netherlands, Germany, and Canada. At Warwick, he has co-created programs such as the Early Career Convivium, and maintains the Centre for the Study of the Renaissance Podcast. Prior to his current role, Bryan served as Research Fellow at Warwick on a project funded by the European Research Council titled “Aristotle in the Vernacular,” with project teams at Warwick and at Ca’ Foscari in Venice. As part of his work on the project, he worked on the reception of Aristotle’s Poetics in early modern Italy, carried out the legacy migration of the Aristotle in the Vernacular Database and collaborated on an exhibition of early modern Aristotelian texts Aristotele e Venezia at the Museo Correr and Marciana Library in Venice. During this time, he also taught graduate-level seminar courses: Latin for Researchers; Early Modern Palaeography; and lectured on undergraduate courses such as Defining France; and The Epic Tradition. As part of this teaching, he helped organise field trips to the Bodleian Library (Oxford), and the British Library (London). Bryan has published several articles and book reviews in journals including MLN, Renaissance and Reformation, The Italianist, California Italian Studies, and History of European Ideas. His essays have appeared in collections such as Dante and Heterodoxy, ed. Maria Luisa Ardizzone (2014), and MLA Approaches to Teaching the Italian Renaissance Romance Epic (2018). He is also working on his first book, Hero of the Day: The Development of Christian Epic in Sixteenth-Century Italy.

Warwick (UK) in that area. Menno's background in science and statistics helped him to develop Bayesian Bodybuilding. The Bayesian method goes beyond the scientific system. It is not just a method of collecting knowledge. Bayesian methods tell us how to form rational beliefs based on the available information. Menno's work is thus data driven and evidence based. Menno is a published academic author and has spoken at some of the world's biggest evidence-based training conferences and events. In this episode we discuss: Menno's recent contest prep: why, how and lessons learned How to structure ab-libitum dieting for fat loss phases The flawed, incorrect idea that "IIFYM is the only way"

The world sends 3 million emails every second. How do Western intelligence agencies cope with such massive amounts of data? The Spy Museum's Executive Director Peter Earnest sits down to discuss the future of intelligence with historian Richard Aldrich, Professor of International Security at the University of Warwick (UK) and Director of the Institute of Advanced Study. With the prevalence of the internet, social media, integrated communications systems, and surveillance capabilities, everyone is now a de facto member of the intelligence community. Dr. Aldrich discusses Snowden, leakers, whistleblowers, and what he calls “the end of secrecy.” Who – and when – will be the next Snowden? This interview took place April 3, 2014.