Component of Grapes can Help Reduce Asthma

Red wine and grapes can help to reduce inflammatory diseases such as asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases (COPD) and middle ear infection (otitis media), claims a study.The findings, published in the journal Scientific Reports, identify that resveratrol, a compound found naturally in some plant foods such as grapes, can alleviate inflammation in airway disease and control inflammation induced by a bacterial pathogen.
The results suggested this compound could offer health benefits and be used to develop new, effective anti-inflammatory therapeutic agents. "We showed that an important component in red wine and also grapes called resveratrol can suppress inflammation," said Jian-Dong Li, researcher at the Georgia State University.

The researchers found that resveratrol suppresses a major bacterial pathogen causing otitis media and COPD by upregulating or increasing the production of a negative regulator called MyD88 short.

Resveratrol belongs to a group of compounds called polyphenols that are thought to act like antioxidants and protect the body against damage. It has long been considered a therapeutic agent for various diseases, including inflammatory diseases.

In the study, resveratrol was effective against inflammation caused by nontypeable Haemophilus influenzae (NTHi), a major respiratory pathogen. An appropriate amount of inflammation in the body is beneficial for defence against bacterial infection, but uncontrolled inflammation leads to inflammatory diseases.

Antibiotics are routinely used to treat NTHi infections, but the increasing numbers of antibiotic-resistant bacterial strains and the limited success of currently available pharmaceuticals used to manage the symptoms of these diseases present an urgent need for the development of non-antibiotic therapeutics.

This study found for the first time that resveratrol decreases NTHi-induced expression of pro-inflammatory mediators in airway epithelial cells and in the lungs of mice by enhancing MyD88 short, a negative regulator of inflammatory signalling pathways.

The researchers also found that resveratrol has anti-inflammatory effects after NTHi infection, which demonstrates its therapeutic potential.

Source: IANS

New Supplement Renovatio Extracted From Apples

By using a groundbreaking extraction method to isolate the 'holy grail' of disease-fighting molecules an Australian scientist has created a potent new antioxidant supplement.
The revolutionary new technique pioneered by Dr Vincent Candrawinata, a scientist at the University of Newcastle, extracts phenolic antioxidants from apples using just water, a method that until now has been unsuccessfully attempted for nearly eight decades.
"Our breakthrough was we were able to extract the natural extract [from apples] without chemical solvent and produce it at a commercial level," Dr Candrawinata, said.

Antioxidants boost protection against 'free radicals', which are naturally occurring chemical compounds that attack the body's healthy cells. The harmful compounds can cause deterioration in eyesight, inflammation of joints, damage to nerve cells and disease.

Dr Candrawinata, said phenolics were the 'holy grail' of dietary antioxidant and have numerous health benefits. They naturally occur in all plants, such as apples, tea and citrus fruits. However, the reason why we chose apples is because they are really nature's super fruits,' he said, adding apples have eight different phenolic types.

Renovatio, the company established by Dr Candrawinata, with support from the University of Newcastle, the NSW state government and Horticulture Australia, uses apples grown in Orange to produce a phenolics powder and tablet that can be taken once a day.

"Customers have been very, very happy about their energy level, their immune systems and the quality of their digestive system," he said.
Source:University of New Castle

New Study Finds Meditation Creates A Distinct Network Of Genes (Anti-Aging) & Improves Cellular Health

Science is now catching up to the knowledge outlined in the Vedas, Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, and other ancient texts. For approximately 5,000 years people have been practicing meditation, proving the positive impact it can have on the body and mind. Science has now accepted that meditation can have powerful effects on human health, as more research is exposing these mind-blowing benefits. Some experienced meditators have even been referred to as “superhuman” because of how their practice has affected them . A study recently published in Translational Psychiatry proved just how beneficial meditation can be for human health, as the molecular signature of meditators was found to be significantly different from those who don’t meditate on a regular basis.

  How Meditation Can Improve Your CellularHealth

A group of American researchers performed a study on participants at a 5-day retreat offered regularly by Deepak Chopra’s infamous Chopra Center for Wellbeing (Carlsbad, CA, USA) at the vacation resort OMNI La Costa Resort and Spa. Researchers invited women between the ages of 30 and 60 who did not have experience meditating to participate in the study and then divided them into two groups: those who would participate in the retreat (“novice meditators”) and those who would simply stay at the resort (“vacationers”). Researchers compared their results against each other and also to those of women already enrolled in the retreat who were in the same age bracket and meditated regularly (“regular meditators”). The participants’ health was examined before and after five days of staying at the resort and then maintenance assessments were completed one month and 10 months later.

Standard psychological measures were used to determine participants’ depression symptoms and perceived levels of stress, mindfulness, and vitality. Participants also had their blood drawn on days one and five of the study. For more information on specifics of the blood draw, processing, biomarker assays, and RNA sequencing of blood samples, 

Although all three groups experienced significant improvements in mental health, novice meditators showed much greater improvements in regards to depression in comparison to the vacationers, especially at the 10-month marker. It is clear from these findings that short-term vacation effects improve well-being; however, it is evident that there are long-term benefits from learning meditation as well.

While on vacation, genes that are typically required for dealing with stress, wound healing, and injury are down-regulated. Among the ones that were down-regulated post retreat/vacation were MME and FOXO3, both of which are referred to as stress-related genes. This study is believed to be the first documentation that a stress reduction intervention can decrease FOXO3 expression.

Researchers also identified what they referred to as a “meditation effect,” whereby the regular meditators were found to have a distinct network of genes with cellular functions that may be associated with anti-aging. Even though a vacation often benefits the expression of gene networks in regards to well-being, the “vacation effect” cannot be sustained throughout life because you cannot go on vacations all of the time. In contrast, the “meditation effect” can actually be sustained if you’re practicing meditation regularly, so you can continuously reap the rewards.

Source:CE

Fungus Found Inside Humans Identified for First Time as Key Contributor in Crohn’s Disease

Crohn’s disease is an inflammatory bowel disorder that results in inflammation of the digestive tract. Abdominal pain, severe diarrhea and fatigue, are among the most common forms of inflammatory bowel disorder.

Crohn’s disease is an inflammatory bowel disorder that results in inflammation of the digestive tract. Abdominal pain, severe diarrhea and fatigue, are among the most common forms of inflammatory bowel disorder.

When diagnosed with Crohn’s disease, one of the first questions a patient might ask his or her doctor is whether or not it can be cured. Currently, there is no remedy for the disease, and patients are advised to focus more on managing their symptoms, preventing flare-ups, and inducing remission by way of reducing or controlling the inflammations that provokes the symptoms.

With any incurable disease, it can feel disheartening to know that you are simply “stuck” with something unhealthy happening in your body. You can’t take a magic pill to make it go away, nor can you eat a magic fruit. But when news breaks that maybe, just maybe, there is hope, it is worth listening to.

Researchers at Case Western Reserve University have discovered a fungus that works with two types of bacteria to cause symptoms of Crohn’s. This is the first study to find a fungus that plays a role in the development of the disease. The hope is that the identification leads to new ways of treating Crohn’s.

“We already know that bacteria, in addition to genetic and dietary factors, plays a major role in causing Crohn’s disease,” explained Dr. Mahmoud Ghannoum, who is a professor and director of the Center for Medical Mycology at Case Western Reserve University and lead author of the study. “Essentially, patients with Crohn’s have abnormal immune responses to these bacteria, which inhabit the intestines of all people. While most researchers focus their investigations on these bacteria, few have examined the role of fungi, which are also present in everyone’s intestines.”

Published in the journal mBio, the study reviewed the fecal samples of 20 people with Crohn’s disease, as well as samples of 28 of their family members who don’t suffer from the disease, and 21 people without the disease whose family members also did not have it.

The researchers discovered that the people with Crohn’s had two bacteria present in their feces — E. coli and Serratia marcescens — that move “in lock step” with the fungus Candida tropicalis. Together, the three produce a biofilm that triggers inflammation linked to Crohn’s disease.

The researchers also noted that the bacteria and fungus came in much bigger concentrations in samples from patients as opposed to their family members. Overall, bacterial and fungal makeup from those without Crohn’s or family with it was very different.

“Among hundreds of bacterial and fungal species inhabiting the intestines, it is telling that the three we identified were so highly correlated in Crohn’s patients,” explained Ghannoum. “Furthermore, we found strong similarities in what may be called the ‘gut profiles’ of the Crohn’s-affected families, which were strikingly different from the Crohn’s-free families. We have to be careful, though, and not solely attribute Crohn’s disease to the bacterial and fungal makeups of our intestines. For example, we know that family members also share diet and environment to significant degrees. Further research is needed to be even more specific in identifying precipitators and contributors of Crohn’s

When diagnosed with Crohn’s disease, one of the irst questions a patient might ask his or her doctor s whether or not it can be cured. Currently, there is no remedy for the disease, and patients are advised to focus more on managing their symptoms, preventing flare-ups, and inducing remission by way of reducing or controlling the inflammations that provokes the symptoms.

With any incurable disease, it can feel disheartening to know that you are simply “stuck” with something unhealthy happening in your body. You can’t take a magic pill to make it go away, nor can you eat a magic fruit. But when news breaks that maybe, just maybe, there is hope, it is worth listening to.

Researchers at Case Western Reserve University have discovered a fungus that works with two types of bacteria to cause symptoms of Crohn’s. This is the first study to find a fungus that plays a role in the development of the disease. The hope is that the identification leads to new ways of treating Crohn’s.

“We already know that bacteria, in addition to genetic and dietary factors, plays a major role in causing Crohn’s disease,” explained Dr. Mahmoud Ghannoum, who is a professor and director of the Center for Medical Mycology at Case Western Reserve University and lead author of the study. “Essentially, patients with Crohn’s have abnormal immune responses to these bacteria, which inhabit the intestines of all people. While most researchers focus their investigations on these bacteria, few have examined the role of fungi, which are also present in everyone’s intestines.”

Published in the journal mBio, the study reviewed the fecal samples of 20 people with Crohn’s disease, as well as samples of 28 of their family members who don’t suffer from the disease, and 21 people without the disease whose family members also did not have it.

The researchers discovered that the people with Crohn’s had two bacteria present in their feces — E. coli and Serratia marcescens — that move “in lock step” with the fungus Candida tropicalis. Together, the three produce a biofilm that triggers inflammation linked to Crohn’s disease.

The researchers also noted that the bacteria and fungus came in much bigger concentrations in samples from patients as opposed to their family members. Overall, bacterial and fungal makeup from those without Crohn’s or family with it was very different.

“Among hundreds of bacterial and fungal species inhabiting the intestines, it is telling that the three we identified were so highly correlated in Crohn’s patients,” explained Ghannoum. “Furthermore, we found strong similarities in what may be called the ‘gut profiles’ of the Crohn’s-affected families, which were strikingly different from the Crohn’s-free families. We have to be careful, though, and not solely attribute Crohn’s disease to the bacterial and fungal makeups of our intestines. For example, we know that family members also share diet and environment to significant degrees. Further research is needed to be even more specific in identifying precipitators and contributors of Crohn’s.

Source:CE

Six new groups of molecules could be the key to delaying aging

Hearing loss, brittle bones, sagging skin, a deteriorating mind: these are just some of the issues associated with growing old. For millennia, humans have fought the process of aging using everything from fountains of youth to pricey face creams, all to no avail. But a group of Montreal-based researchers is coming ever closer to achieving healthy longevity -- armed with the power of science.
In a study recently published in Oncotarget, researchers from Concordia University and Idunn Technologies assess how six previously identified plant extracts can delay aging by affecting different signalling pathways that set the pace of growing old.
Vladimir Titorenko is a biology professor and the study's senior author. He says that the potential of using these plant extracts for delaying the onset of age-related diseases is underscored by the fact that Health Canada classifies them as safe for human consumption. Five of them are recommended by the federal department as health-improving supplements with clinically proven benefits.
In the study, Titorenko and his co-authors confirmed that one extract is particularly effective: Salix alba, more commonly known as white willow bark, is the most potent aging-delaying pharmacological intervention yet described.
To make this identification, the researchers used yeast to test the effectiveness of the plant extracts. But why yeast? That's because, at a cellular level, aging progresses similarly in yeast and humans. In both, the pace of aging is defined by a distinct set of chemical reactions arranged into several cascades. These cascades, which scientists call "signalling pathways," regulate the rate of aging in a wide range of organisms.
Using yeast -- the best cellular aging model -- Titorenko and his colleagues monitored how the information flowing through each of these signalling pathways was affected by each of the six aging-delaying plant extracts.
"It's known that some of these signalling pathways delay aging if activated in response to certain nutrients or hormones," he says. "These pathways are called 'anti-aging' or 'pro-longevity' pathways. Other signalling pathways speed up aging if activated in response to certain other nutrients or hormones. These pathways are called 'pro-aging' or 'pro-death' pathways."
Co-author Éric Simard, CEO of Idunn Technologies, explains that each of the six aging-delaying plant extracts targets a different anti-aging or pro-aging signalling pathway.
It is especially noteworthy that this study revealed the following features of the six plant extracts as potential tools in decelerating chronic symptoms and diseases of old age:

• They imitate the aging-delaying effects of the caloric restriction diet in yeast
• They slow yeast aging by eliciting a mild stress response
• They extend yeast longevity more efficiently than any lifespan-prolonging chemical compound yet described
• They delay aging through signalling pathways implicated in age-related diseases
• One of them delays aging via a previously unknown pathway
• They extend longevity and delay the onset of age-related diseases in organisms other than yeast

"This study is an important step forward for science because these signaling pathways could eventually delay the onset and progression of chronic diseases associated with human aging," says Simard, who has recently published a new book on the topic.
"These diseases include arthritis, diabetes, heart disease, kidney disease, liver dysfunction, stroke, neurodegenerative diseases like Parkinson's, Alzheimer's and Huntington's diseases, and many forms of cancer."
Source:Conrcordia University