Category Archives: Research

Britain, Health, Medical, Research, Science

Findings suggest the use of pomegranate could halt Alzheimer’s…

MEDICAL RESEARCH

British scientists have said that pomegranates could help stop the progression of Alzheimer’s disease, a debilitating illness of the brain.

They claim a chemical compound in the fruit could prevent inflammation which destroys brain cells.

The findings raise hope that punicalagin could now be used in a drug to prevent or treat the condition, while the hunt for a cure continues. Treatments could also benefit sufferers of rheumatoid arthritis and Parkinson’s disease in the future, because any resulting drug could help to combat inflammation involved in these conditions too.

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Pomegranates have been used for centuries in Middle Eastern folk medicine and are said to be effective against heart disease, high blood pressure (hypertension), and some cancers, including prostate. The breakthrough shows that punicalagin can inhibit inflammation in specialised brain cells known as micrologia. This inflammation triggers the destruction of brain cells, which makes Alzheimer’s progressively worse.

Researchers at the University of Huddersfield along with colleagues at the University of Freiburg in Germany used brain cells from rats to test their findings.

Study leader Dr Olumayokun Olajide, of Huddersfield’s Department of Pharmacy, is now looking into how much pomegranate extract would be effective in a drug. He pointed out that juice products which are 100 per cent pomegranate contain approximately 3.4 per cent punicalagin. Most of the antioxidant compounds are found in the outer skin of the fruit.

Dr Olajide, added: ‘We do know that regular intake and regular consumption of pomegranate has a lot of health benefits – including prevention of neuro-inflammation related to dementia.’

Although the link has yet to be scientifically proven, pomegranate may be useful for treating inflammation in other conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis, Parkinson’s and cancer, not just neuro-inflammation of the brain.

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Britain, Environment, Research, Science, Scotland

Rare beetle found in abundance…

MELOE BREVICOLLIS

A rare flightless beetle in Britain, thought to be close to extinction, has been found in abundance on a Hebridean island.

The short-necked oil beetle was thought to have disappeared completely until 2008, when scientific surveys uncovered two small populations in South Devon, and the Isle of Coll.

Researchers working for RSPB Scotland and charity Buglife have now found more than 150 of the threatened insects. This equates to a 400 per cent increase since the last count was made in 2010.

Scientists also identified two new sites on the island for the beetles, which rely on wild bees and their larvae to survive.

A spokesperson and natural recovery officer at RSPB Scotland, said:

… This was a beetle that was thought to be extinct for about 60 years… A small population was found in Devon and then, out of nowhere, about 20 individuals were discovered on Coll.

… To go back and find the species in such abundance now shows they are doing a lot better than we ever dreamt they could be.

The beetle – Latin name Meloe brevicollis – is named for the toxic oil secretions it produces when threatened.

A conservation officer at Buglife Scotland, said:

… The abundance of wildflowers in the machair and dunes of the island, combined with lots of warm, bare sand provide a near-perfect habitat for the solitary bees that the beetles depend on.

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Biotechnology, Britain, Environment, European Union, Government, Research, Science, Society

Pesticides require to be cut to save bees…

COLONY COLLAPSE DISORDER

Bees are an essential part of our life-cycle. Without them, flowers would not be pollinated and crops would fail. And as the world’s human population continues to grow, bee numbers in recent times have been falling, indicating that there is a big problem looming. Scientists are concerned.

Biologists and environmentalists have been puzzling about the cause for some time. Of particular concern is what has become known as colony collapse disorder, an affliction that has already led to the death of entire hives of bees during the winter months. The collapse of colonies is something which has been happening with frequent occurrence. The finger of suspicion is now pointing ever more firmly at insecticides and aggressive agricultural practices, especially those chemicals containing compounds known as neonicotinoids.

These are recently developed pesticides that have become widely used in agriculture because they are much less toxic to humans and other animals than the chemicals they replaced.

Evidence is mounting, though, that they are highly toxic to bees. A scientific study has found that hives that had similar levels of mite and parasite infestation, also thought to be a factor in colony collapse, were much more likely to die if the bees had also been exposed to neonicotinoid pesticides.

Empirically, several studies have now borne out this effect, with researchers edging closer in identifying the casual mechanism – that neonicotinoids are responsible for disrupting the immune and neurological systems of bees. This makes them less resistant to disease caused by parasites.

European and British regulators have already moved to restrict the use of neonicotinoids, but the case for a much tougher clampdown to reverse the loss of honey bees is gaining traction.

 

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