Since 1993 there has been no local contamination with leprosy in Chile. For this reason the World Health Organization (WHO) has classified Chile as leprosy free. Chile is after Jordan only the second country in the world with this status.
related: #leprosy #Chile
For many year land mines were a horrible legacy of the Croatia war. After the end of the war more than 200 people were killed by exploding land mines, among them 6 children. After a huge effort to find and neutralize all remaining land mines, the country now declared itself free of land mines.
related: #landmine #Croatia
A humpback whale was stranded in the Baltic Sea near the north German city of Lübeck. There was general concern for the whale. With the help of some channel that had been dug to free him, the whale managed to save himself and return to the open sea.
related: #humpback_whale #freed
In Germany, somebody put up a 10 metre high tree with 36 smallish wind turbines, which are allegedly not noisy and produce about 10kW of electricity. Unfortunately, the price is still more than triple of that of a comparable photovoltaic installation.
related: #wind_turbine #electricity
Researchers have designed a variant of the Escherichia coli bacteria, called EcN (Escherichia coli Nissle 1917), in a way that they produce romidepsin, an anticancer agent. In experiments with mice, EcN accumulated inside tumours and released there the romidepsin, delivering this way the drug in a targeted way. More research is needed before this can be tested on humans.
related: #cancer #bacteria #E_coli
In research designed to find alternatives to high altitude training for runners, scientists found that regular heat exposure by hot baths (40 degrees Celsius) lead to similar physiological changes as high altitude training (e.g., more red blood cells).
related: #bath #hot #fitness
In the German town St. Goar, a novel power plant in the river Rhine is planned, which is to produce around two million kilowatt hours of electricity per year without any major interference with the ecosystem. Of the finally 124 turbines, so-called energy fishes, 3 are already installed and transform the current of the river into electricity.
related: #river #electricity #turbine
The American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) has evaluated 137 reviews with more than 30,000 participants and updated their recommendations in strength training to build up muscle, strength, and overall fitness for healthy adults: The exact work plan does not matter, but consistency does. Hence the best training for you is the one that you stick with.
related: #strength_training #consistency
A new study finds that longevity is related to many different things such as good genes, healthy lifestyle, but also to avoiding high levels of stress and maintaining a positive outlook.
related: #longevity #stress #positive_outlook
In a small study with 12 patients using immunotherapy with a new antibody injected directly into tumors meant for 6 patients that their tumors shrank and for 2 that they went in complete remission.
related: #cancer #immunotherapy
A new method called "jerk" can predict volcano eruptions with a more than 90 percent accuracy. It works by detecting subtle ground movements which indicate magma injections. Warning times are between a few minutes and eight hours.
related: #volcano #eruption #prediction
Exercising has many positive effects on general health including fighting diabetes type 2. Now there is a better understanding why this is the case. Exercising triggers a particular enzyme, called AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK for short), which in turn makes mitochondria, the cells' energy powerhouses, to get active and to convert nutrients into the energy needed in many cells, including muscle cells, in form of adenosine triphosphate (ATP).
related: #exercising #mitochondria
A new study finds that the dementia risk can almost be halved by avoiding certain risk factors such as smoking, cardiovascular disease, high blood fats, and high blood pressure. These in turn can be strongly influenced by lifestyle choices and/or medication.
related: #dementia #risk #lifestyle
A new study finds that taking vitamin D supplements does not protect against getting Covid-19, but it makes it less likely that patients have long term problems from the infection such as long Covid.
related: #vitamin_D #long_covid
Mushrooms contain vitamin D. A study found that their content of vitamin D2 can be significantly increased when they are exposed to ultraviolet light (in particular to sun light) by 30 to 120 minutes.
related: #mushroom #vitaminD #sunlight
A new study finds that high quality olive oil - part of the Mediterranean diet - has a positive effect on the gut microbiome and as a consequence a positive effect on brain health and cognitive functions, in particular for older people.
related: #olive_oil #brain
When koala numbers collapsed in Australia, there was the worry that this may lead also to a dangerous reduction in genetic diversity. However, new research found that after a rapid demographic recovery there had also been a at least partial recovery in genetic diversity.
related: #koala #recovery #gene_pool
A recently published study finds that 12 digital 10-minute well-designed online intervention sessions can elevate depressive symptoms. More research is needed to get a sustained change this way.
related: #depression #online #intervention
New research found that common statins may support immunotherapy against cancer in that they prevent cancer cells to weaken immunotherapy.
related: #immunotherapy #cancer #statins
In Brazil, chocolate-infused honey has been produced from cocoa waste using ultrasound waves. The product contains antioxidants. Since it tastes good it has the potential to become a popular healthy food.
related: #cocoa #chocolate #honey
Limonoids are chemical substances produced by plants, in particular by citrus, in order to protect them against enemies. A particular newly discovered limonoid of a plant called Munronia henryi has now proved highly effective against a particularly aggressive form of breast cancer.
related: #limonoids #breast_cancer
Many devices such as modern batteries make use of rare earths, but these are difficult to come by and expensive. Now a new configuration of aluminium, a metal that is abundantly available, has been built that has the potential to substitute rare earths in applications.
related: #aluminium #configuration
