Whilst careful logic applied to science is the hall mark of science, observation and chance also play a significant in new discoveries.When Jenner listened to the milk maid talking about the protective abilities of cow pox against small pox a new era entered social medicine. Similarly Withering responded to an account of the therapeutic benefits…
Read moreWater is vital to life The American Museum of Natural History has an exhibition on Water ( Water : H2O = Life.)The exhibition shows the difference in usage in different parts of the world. The average North American, uses between 227 and 340 litres of water per day. Yet Atlanta, Georgia, will run out of…
Read moreIn cells genes are turned off or on according to the requirements and type of cell. Clearly an intestinal cell will behave differently to a nerve cell yet arising from the same germinal cell line. Yet the genes are the same.The silencing of genes can be controlled by the Polycomb group of proteins. These alter…
Read moreSeveral fines of evidence have suggested extensive proliferaton activity and pluripotency of germline stem cells, including spermatogonial stem cells .In an early embryo a cell has the potential to generate many different cell types. During development cells generally lose this potential or ’potency’, and become restricted to making one or a few cell types. Cells…
Read moreFood Standards Agency www.food.gov.uk www.food.gov.uk/eatwell.gov.uk www.salt.gov.uk Statistics UK www.statistics.gov.uk Defra UK www.defra.gov.uk Allergy www.food.gov.uk/safereating/allergyintol Allergy UK www.allergyuk.org British Heart Foundation www.bhf.org.uk www.heartstats.org Cancer www.cancerresearchuk.org Diabetes www.diabetes.org.uk
Read moreEarly age related macular degeneration is characterised clinically by yellow deposits known as drusen and changes in pigmentation of the retina. Late age related macular degeneration develops when there is a growth of new blood vessels that bleed into the subretina] space or when the macula atrophies. Both conditions usually lead to severe loss of…
Read moreThis is not nutrition but is of interest, at least to me.Burnout and prolonged fatigue are both characterised by the symptom of fatigue. Both come from different backgrounds. Prolonged fatigue has a medical cause. Burnout has a psychological origin eg work conditions .There is considerable overlap between the two conditions. However burnout is seen as…
Read moreThis is not nutrition but is of interest, at least to me.Burnout and prolonged fatigue are both characterised by the symptom of fatigue. Both come from different backgrounds. Prolonged fatigue has a medical cause. Burnout has a psychological origin eg work conditions .There is considerable overlap between the two conditions. However burnout is seen as…
Read moreThere have been a number of obesity prevention schemes for children in schools. The reasonable premise is the young are receptive and they have a life ahead to be influencedA Cochrane report found that in 27 intervention schemes success was meagre. Possibly because they were too short termAn intervention scheme in the South of England…
Read moreAn old question is not why do we go to sleep but why do we wake up again ?Similarly multicellular creatures are made of an array of different cellular structures all of which are dividing and developing until death for whatever reason.One cause of death which is feared is cancer. To some extent the puzzle…
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