Source: Understanding How Omega 3 Dampens Inflammatory Reactions
How the Emotions of Others Influence Our Olfactory Sense
How the Human Brain Detects the ‘Music’ of Speech
Summary: Researchers at UCSF discover neurons in the superior temporal gyrus change activity depending on where emphasis falls in a sentence.
Source: UCSF.
Researchers at UC San Francisco have identified neurons in the human brain that respond to pitch changes in spoken language, which are essential to clearly conveying both meaning and emotion.
The study was published online August 24, 2017 in Science by the lab of Edward Chang, MD, a professor of neurological surgery at the UCSF Weill Institute for Neurosciences, and led by Claire Tang, a fourth-year graduate student in the Chang lab.
“One of the lab’s missions is to understand how the brain converts sounds into meaning,” Tang said. “What we’re seeing here is that there are neurons in the brain’s neocortex that are processing not just what words are being said, but how those words are said.”
Changes in vocal pitch during speech – part of what linguists call speech prosody – are a fundamental part of human communication, nearly as fundamental as melody to music. In tonal languages such as Mandarin Chinese, pitch changes can completely alter the meaning of a word, but even in a non-tonal language like English, differences in pitch can significantly change the meaning of a spoken sentence.
For instance, “Sarah plays soccer,” in which “Sarah” is spoken with a descending pitch, can be used by a speaker to communicate that Sarah, rather than some other person, plays soccer; in contrast, “Sarah plays soccer” indicates that Sarah plays soccer, rather than some other game. And adding a rising tone at the end of a sentence (“Sarah plays soccer?”) indicates that the sentence is a question.
The brain’s ability to interpret these changes in tone on the fly is particularly remarkable, given that each speaker also has their own typical vocal pitch and style (that is, some people have low voices, others have high voices, and others seem to end even statements as if they were questions). Moreover, the brain must track and interpret these pitch changes while simultaneously parsing which consonants and vowels are being uttered, what words they form, and how those words are being combined into phrases and sentences — with all of this happening on a millisecond scale.
Previous studies in both humans and non-human primates have identified areas of the brain’s frontal and temporal cortices that are sensitive to vocal pitch and intonation, but none have answered the question of how neurons in these regions detect and represent changes in pitch to inform the brain’s interpretation of a speaker’s meaning.
Neurons in Temporal Cortex Distinguish Speaker, Phonetics, and Intonation
Chang, a neurosurgeon at the UCSF Epilepsy Center, specializes in surgeries to remove brain tissue that causes seizures in patients with epilepsy. In some cases, to prepare for these operations, he places high-density arrays of tiny electrodes onto the surface of the patients’ brains, both to help identify the location triggering the patients’ seizures and to map out other important areas, such as those involved in language, to make sure the surgery avoids damaging them.
In the new study, Tang asked 10 volunteers awaiting surgery with these electrodes in place to listen to recordings of four sentences as spoken by three different synthesized voices:
“Humans value genuine behavior”
“Movies demand minimal energy”
“Reindeer are a visual animal”
“Lawyers give a relevant opinion”
The sentences were designed to have the same length and construction, and could be played with four different intonations: neutral, emphasizing the first word, emphasizing the third word, or as a question. You can see how these intonation changes alter the meaning of the sentence: “Humans [unlike Klingons] value genuine behavior;” “Humans value genuine [not insincere] behavior;” and “Humans value genuine behavior?” [Do they really?]
Tang and her colleagues monitored the electrical activity of neurons in a part of the volunteers’ auditory cortices called the superior temporal gyrus (STG), which previous research had shown might play some role in processing speech prosody.
They found that some neurons in the STG could distinguish between the three synthesized speakers, primarily based on differences in their average vocal pitch range. Other neurons could distinguish between the four sentences, no matter which speaker was saying them, based on the different kinds of sounds (or phonemes) that made up the sentences (“reindeer” sounds different from “lawyers” no matter who’s talking). And yet another group of neurons could distinguish between the four different intonation patterns. These neurons changed their activity depending on where the emphasis fell in the sentence, but didn’t care which sentence it was or who was saying it.
To prove to themselves that they had cracked the brain’s system for pulling intonation information from sentences, the team designed an algorithm to predict how neurons’ response to any sentence should change based on speaker, phonetics, and intonation and then used this model to predict how the volunteers’ neurons would respond to hundreds of recorded sentences by different speakers. They showed that while the neurons responsive to the different speakers were focused on absolute pitch of the speaker’s voice, the ones responsive to intonation were more focused on relative pitch: how the pitch of the speaker’s voice changed from moment to moment during the recording.
“To me this was one of the most exciting aspects of our study,” Tang said. “We were able to show not just where prosody is encoded in the brain, but also how, by explaining the activity in terms of specific changes in vocal pitch.”
These findings reveal how the brain begins to take apart the complex stream of sounds that make up speech and identify important cues about the meaning of what we’re hearing, Tang says. Who is talking, what are they saying, and just as importantly, how are they saying it?
“Now, a major unanswered question is how the brain controls our vocal tracts to make these intonational speech sounds,” said Chang, the paper’s senior author. “We hope we can solve this mystery soon.”
Epilepsy Center Volunteers Enable Deeper Look into Human Brain
The patients involved in the study were all at UCSF undergoing surgery for severe, untreatable epilepsy. Brain surgery is a powerful way to halt epilepsy in its tracks, potentially completely stopping seizures overnight, and its success is directly related to the accuracy with which a medical team can map the brain, identifying the exact pieces of tissue responsible for an individual’s seizures and removing them.
The UCSF Comprehensive Epilepsy Center is a leader in the use of advanced intracranial monitoring to map out elusive seizure-causing brain regions. The mapping is done by surgically placing a flexible electrode array under the skull on the brain’s outer surface or cortex and recording the brain’s activity in order to pinpoint the parts of the brain responsible for triggering seizures. In a second surgery a few weeks later, the electrodes are removed and the unhealthy brain tissue that causes the seizures is removed.
This setting also permits a rare opportunity to ask basic questions about how the human brain works, such as how it controls speaking. The neurological basis of speech motor control has remained unknown until now because scientists cannot study speech mechanisms in animals and because non-invasive imaging methods lack the ability to track the very rapid time course of the brain signals that drive the muscles that create speech, which change in hundredths of seconds.
But presurgical brain mapping can record neural activity directly, and can detect changes in electrical activity on the order of a few milliseconds.
Understanding How Omega 3 Dampens Inflammatory Reactions
Source: Norwegian University of Science and Technology.
Omega-3 supplements may help slow the development of diseases like cancer, Alzheimer’s and multiple sclerosis.
Omega-3 fatty acids, which we primarily get through eating fatty fish, have long been thought to be good for our health. Many dietary studies have suggested that high intake is associated with a reduced risk of various disorders. Clinical trials have also shown beneficial anti-inflammatory effects in patients taking omega-3 supplements.
Recent research from NTNU supports previous discoveries, and has also found new, useful effects of omega-3 supplements and how these lipids dampen harmful inflammatory reactions in the body.
Effects little known
Despite numerous published dietary and clinical studies, we still don’t fully understand how omega-3 fatty acids affect our cells and if this varies from person to person, between healthy and ill individuals, or whether the mechanism of action varies in different tissues and cells. What we are most sure of is that omega-3 fatty acids can dampen inflammatory reactions. Inflammatory reactions are very important in combating infections, but they can be harmful if activated too strongly or in the absence of bacteria and viruses, like in autoimmune diseases and organ transplants.
Macrophages, which are immune cells that live in all tissues and organs, play a key role in coordinating inflammatory reactions in the body and monitor everything that happens in our tissues. The macrophages convert the information they obtain through various sensors or receptor on their surface to secretion of various hormone-like signal substances that control all parts of inflammatory reactions.
Inflammation can be harmful
We have increasingly become aware that macrophages can be more or less potent in activating inflammatory reactions. So-called sterile inflammatory reactions, such as autoimmune diseases, are often directly harmful.
The ability of macrophages to stimulate inflammatory reactions depends on processes within the macrophage.
Autophagy is one of the processes within macrophages that is important for whether a macrophage is calm or hyperactive. Autophagy (meaning “self-eating”) is a key process for degradation of dysfunctional or unnecessary proteins and other components within our cells.
In the last few years, we’ve learned a lot about how important this process is, say the researchers. The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 2016 was given to Yoshinori Ohsumi for his discovery of the key genes that control autophagy.
Autophagy is constantly going on in all cells and increases if the cells are starving or injured. We hypothesized that omega-3 fatty acids could dampen inflammatory reactions by elevating autophagy in macrophages. If so, we surmised that this effect might change the signal transformation in the macrophage and as a result, suppress activation of inflammatory reactions.
Activates self-cleaning process
By studying macrophages isolated from mice and humans, we found that the omega-3 fatty acids activated the autophagy and specifically affected some proteins that transform the signals from the environment. Furthermore, we found that omega-3 fatty acids dampened many inflammatory mechanisms within the macrophages, but especially reduced what is known as the type 1 interferon response.
The factor CXCL-10, which macrophages secrete as part of this interferon response following many types of stimuli, was the most clearly reduced factor after adding omega-3 to the cells.
We then examined blood samples from a clinical study in cardiac transplant patients where we knew that omega-3 supplements improved their clinical status. In these cases, we found that omega-3 fatty acids reduced the level of CXCL-10.
Supplements beneficial
Autophagy thus changes in macrophages in response to omega-3 fatty acids and specifically inhibits the secretion of inflammatory factors that belong to the interferon response, with CXCL-10 showing the clearest reduction. The results of this study are being published in the journal Autophagy.
These findings indicate that omega-3 fatty acid supplements may be particularly beneficial in patients who have conditions that are driven or aggravated by a strong interferon response and CXCL-10.
Our research group hopes that this one day will benefit patients with different forms of cancer, meningitis, multiple sclerosis, Alzheimer’s disease or jaundice. But we must emphasize that a lot of work remains.
ABOUT THIS NEUROSCIENCE RESEARCH ARTICLE
The work being published by PhD candidate Jennifer Mildenberger and colleagues was conducted at CEMIR and at NTNU’s Department of Biomedical Laboratory Science in the Faculty of Natural Science. In addition, researchers in St. Louis, USA carried out important sub studies. The blood tests were from a clinical trial conducted at Oslo University Hospital.
Article author Geir Bjørkøy is a professor in the Department of Biomedical Laboratory Science at NTNU.
Article author Jennifer Mildenberger works for NTNU-Cemir.
Source: Jennifer Mildenberger – Norwegian University of Science and Technology
Image Source: NeuroscienceNews.com image is in the public domain.
Original Research: Abstract for “N-3 PUFAs induce inflammatory tolerance by formation of KEAP1-containing SQSTM1/p62-bodies and activation of NFE2L2” by Jennifer Mildenberger, Ida Johansson, Ismail Sergin, Eli Kjøbli, Jan Kristian Damås, Babak Razani, Trude Helen Flo & Geir Bjørkøy in Autophagy. Published online August 18 2017 doi:10.1080/15548627.2017.1345411
CITE THIS NEUROSCIENCENEWS.COM ARTICLE
Norwegian University of Science and Technology “Understanding How Omega 3 Dampens Inflammatory Reactions.” NeuroscienceNews. NeuroscienceNews, 24 August 2017.
<http://neurosciencenews.com/inflammation-response-omega-3-7369/>.
<http://neurosciencenews.com/inflammation-response-omega-3-7369/>.
Abstract
N-3 PUFAs induce inflammatory tolerance by formation of KEAP1-containing SQSTM1/p62-bodies and activation of NFE2L2
Inflammation is crucial in the defense against infections but must be tightly controlled to limit detrimental hyperactivation. Our diet influences inflammatory processes and omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (n-3 PUFAs) have known anti-inflammatory effects. The balance of pro- and anti-inflammatory processes is coordinated by macrophages and macroautophagy/autophagy has recently emerged as a cellular process that dampens inflammation. Here we report that the n-3 PUFA docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) transiently induces cytosolic speckles of the autophagic receptor SQSTM1/p62 (sequestosome 1) (described as SQSTM1/p62-bodies) in macrophages.
We suggest that the formation of SQSTM1/p62-bodies represents a fast mechanism of NFE2L2/Nrf2 (nuclear factor, erythroid 2 like 2) activation by recruitment of KEAP1 (kelch like ECH associated protein 1). Further, the autophagy receptor TAX1BP1 (Tax1 binding protein 1) and ubiquitin-editing enzyme TNFAIP3/A20 (TNF alpha induced protein 3) could be identified in DHA-induced SQSTM1/p62-bodies. Simultaneously, DHA strongly dampened the induction of pro-inflammatory genes including CXCL10 (C-X-C motif chemokine ligand 10) and we suggest that formation of SQSTM1/p62-bodies and activation of NFE2L2 leads to tolerance towards selective inflammatory stimuli. Finally, reduced CXCL10 levels were related to the improved clinical outcome in n-3 PUFA-supplemented heart-transplant patients and we propose CXCL10 as a robust marker for the clinical benefits mobilized by n-3 PUFA supplementation.
“N-3 PUFAs induce inflammatory tolerance by formation of KEAP1-containing SQSTM1/p62-bodies and activation of NFE2L2” by Jennifer Mildenberger, Ida Johansson, Ismail Sergin, Eli Kjøbli, Jan Kristian Damås, Babak Razani, Trude Helen Flo & Geir Bjørkøy in Autophagy. Published online August 18 2017 doi:10.1080/15548627.2017.1345411
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How the Emotions of Others Influence Our Olfactory Sense
Source: RUB.
Whether something smells good or bad, does not solely depend on one’s own nose.
The emotional facial expression of others influences how positive or negative we perceive an odour. The basis of this effect seems to be the activity of a brain area that is relevant for smelling and is activated even before we perceive an odour. This is what neuropsychologists at the Ruhr-Universität Bochum found out. They published their findings in the Journal Scientific Reports. “When we see someone that makes a face, because a bad smell stings his nose, the same odour appears to be unpleasant for us as well,” says Dr Patrick Schulze, one of the authors.
The same scent smells always different
The research team around Dr Patrick Schulze, Dr Anne-Kathrin Bestgen and Prof Dr Boris Suchan investigated via functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) how the brain processes the combination of emotional information and odours. They had their participants look at a picture of a person with a happy, neutral or disgusted facial expression. Afterwards they had them rate one of twelve scents.
The picture of the facial expression affected the way the odours were perceived. The participants rated the valence of a scent higher, when they saw a happy face first and they rated the valence as poorer when they saw a disgusted face before. That applied to aromas like caramel and lemon, as well as to the smell of sweat or garlic. Only the smell of feces could not be up valued by a positive facial expression.
Expectations influence perception
Accountable for the different perception is a particular part of the olfactory brain – the piriform cortex. This brain area is activated before someone senses an odour. The piriform cortex processes what we see und creates an expectation about how a something is going to smell. This expectation influences how we actually experience the smell. The fMRI-data showed that the cells of the piriform cortex got active, before a scent was in the air.
In previous studies, researchers had always presented the pictures and the odours at the same time. “Only now that we analyzed the interaction of olfactory and visual information in a timely separated manner, we were able to see that the piriform cortex is activated before we smell something,” explains Suchan his study. The neuropsychologists plan a future study about the role of the piriform cortex in body perception. “We assume a social component,” says Suchan.
ABOUT THIS NEUROSCIENCE RESEARCH ARTICLE
Source: Judith Merkelt – RUB
Image Source: NeuroscienceNews.com image is credited to RUB, Marquard.
Original Research: Full open access research for “Preprocessing of emotional visual information in the human piriform cortex” by Patrick Schulze, Anne-Kathrin Bestgen, Robert K. Lech, Lars Kuchinke & Boris Suchan in Scienfitic Reports. Published online August 23 2017 doi:10.1038/s41598-017-09295-x
RUB “How the Emotions of Others Influence Our Olfactory Sense.” NeuroscienceNews. NeuroscienceNews, 24 August 2017.
<http://neurosciencenews.com/olfaction-emotion-7368/>.
<http://neurosciencenews.com/olfaction-emotion-7368/>.
Abstract
Preprocessing of emotional visual information in the human piriform cortex
This study examines the processing of visual information by the olfactory system in humans. Recent data point to the processing of visual stimuli by the piriform cortex, a region mainly known as part of the primary olfactory cortex.
Moreover, the piriform cortex generates predictive templates of olfactory stimuli to facilitate olfactory processing.
This study fills the gap relating to the question whether this region is also capable of preprocessing emotional visual information.
To gain insight into the preprocessing and transfer of emotional visual information into olfactory processing, we recorded hemodynamic responses during affective priming using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI).
Odors of different valence (pleasant, neutral and unpleasant) were primed by images of emotional facial expressions (happy, neutral and disgust).
Our findings are the first to demonstrate that the piriform cortex preprocesses emotional visual information prior to any olfactory stimulation and that the emotional connotation of this preprocessing is subsequently transferred and integrated into an extended olfactory network for olfactory processing.
“Preprocessing of emotional visual information in the human piriform cortex” by Patrick Schulze, Anne-Kathrin Bestgen, Robert K. Lech, Lars Kuchinke & Boris Suchan in Scienfitic Reports. Published online August 23 2017 doi:10.1038/s41598-017-09295-x
Baking soda hacks for health and wellness
Baking soda hacks for health and wellness
I drink water with a pinch of baking soda. My mouth wash contains baking soda. My face scrub is a mixture of coconut oil and baking soda. Email motherhealth@gmail.com on how you use baking soda for your health and wellnes..
Alkalize the Body with Baking Soda – Diet & Exercise | HealthCentral
Jan 19, 2013 – … foods, sugar and grains are all likely to produce an unbalanced acidic pH. … Baking soda can also help neutralize the acid and help the body to maintain … and dissolve thick mucus, while also boosting the immune system …
3 Ways to Drink Baking Soda for Better Health – The Alternative Daily
Jan 12, 2015 – Many of you may have been using baking soda around your home for years … Heat the coconut water on low and mix in baking soda until it is dissolved. … is stored in body fat – and this would throw the blood pH out of whack.
Mixing sugar, salt, and baking soda in water with a spoon. by michael …
Jan 13, 2014 – Dissolving sugar, salt, and baking soda in water with a spoon. Hypothesis: If I stir salt,baking soda and sugar in water with a spoon, I believe …
Sodium Bicarbonate – works miracles | ByzantineFlowers
Apr 22, 2012 – To increase your body’s pH, take 1/4 tsp. of baking soda dissolved in … desire for a cigarette as well as reduce the desire for sugar and sweets.
10 Clever And Surprisingly Effective Uses For Baking Soda | HuffPost
Jan 7, 2015 – Why it works: Beans contain raffinose, a sugar that our bodies cannot … Try it: Dissolve1/2 teaspoon of baking soda completely into 1/2 glass …
Are There Any Benefits From Drinking Baking Soda with Water?
Baking soda and water may have benefit in the right combination, ingested at the … soda is fullydissolved in water before ingesting and to not drink baking soda and … and processed foods, foods high in sugar and animal based foods tend to be acidic. No matter what your diet is, the body will buffer your blood pH levels to …
Baking Soda Bath | Med-Health.net
Simply dissolve baking soda in bath water and add salts and oils for a relaxing bath … People who eat a Western-style diet consisting of sugar, red meat, cheese … You can also detox your body from alcohol, caffeine, nicotine and medications.
Lemon & Baking Soda – This Combination Saves Lives
Nov 1, 2014 – The combination of lemon and baking soda has 10000 times stronger effect than chemotherapy! … Lemon is beneficial for the nervous system as well – it is a powerful … 1943) he would take sodium bicarbonate dissolved in a full glass of …. I’ve been diagnosed with high blood sugar level a month ago.
Oral Rehydration Solutions Made at Home – Rehydration Project
rehydrate.org › Oral Rehydration Salts
Jul 4, 2014 – To prevent too much liquid being lost from the child’s body, an … level teaspoons of sugarand 1/2 level teaspoon of salt dissolved in 1 litre of clean water. … or Litre solution using Sugar or Honey, Salt, Baking Soda, and Water.
Baking Soda Cancer Studies and pH Medicine – Dr. Sircus
drsircus.com/cancer/cancer-studies-ph-medicine/
May 2, 2012 – Dr. Mark Pagel, baking soda and cancer researcher. …. grains, sodas, and sugars that acidify the body, then you have a different problem.
Inhabitat’s News: Zacua debuted Mexico’s first electric car
There’s a supervolcano burbling under Yellowstone park – and if it erupts, it could end life on Earth. Fortunately, NASA has hatched a plan to save the planet by drilling into the magma chamber to cool it down. In other news, Volkswagen confirmed the date when it will relaunch its iconic Microbus, while Zacua debuted Mexico’s first electric car. And it turns out people are powering their homes with recycled laptop batteries – and some systems can store more energy than a Tesla Powerwall.
Book lovers take note – the world’s largest bookstore just opened in Iran, and it has 12 miles of shelves packed with over one million books. Meanwhile, the world’s next tallest tower has broken ground in Dubai – and when it’s complete it’ll stand 300 feet above the Burj Khalifa. Finally, architects are addressing the housing crisis with some really clever solutions – check out this floating studio under a bridge in Valencia and this tiny London house disguised as an air duct.
Greenbuild 2017 kicks off this November
The world’s biggest green building conference is coming to Boston from November 8-10 – and you won’t want to miss it. The Greenbuild International Conference and Expo will convene sustainable building experts for mind-blowing exhibits, speakers, pavilions and home tours – register today!
WIN GREEN STUFF
Score a Voltaic Converter solar backpack for Back to School!
Hey students – we’ve teamed up with Voltaic this month to give away four brand new Converter solar backpacks (worth $129 each)! We’re excited to announce that our third winner is… Patricia Hayashi! Congrats Patricia! There’s just one more bag left, so sign up now and tune in as we announce our final winner next week.
WEEKLY DESIGN ROUNDUP
Self-taught designer builds a secret studio under a bridge
World’s largest bookstore opens in Tehran, Iran
Ai Wewei to install fences around 300 sites in NYC
PUP Architects disguises a tiny house as a rooftop air duct
NEWS
VW confirms when the Microbus is coming back as an EV
NASA may puncture supervolcano to save life on Earth
People are powering their homes with laptop batteries
Why Los Angeles has started to paint its streets white
Zhang Chenxi creates alien creatures we wish existed
Chile halts $2.5 billion mine to protect endangered Penguins
Zacua introduces the first electric car from Mexico
New images show progress on world’s tallest building
Germany is electrifying part of the autobahn
DESIGN COMPETITIONS
Ancient Nile Museum Comp – DEADLINE: Sept 22nd
Latvian Cabin Design Comp – DEADLINE: Sept 27th
WIRED’s Creative Hack Award – DEADLINE: Sept 30th
Study: Noninvasive eye imaging may detect early signs of Alzheimer’s
Study: Noninvasive eye imaging may detect early signs of Alzheimer’s
Study: Noninvasive eye imaging may detect early signs of Alzheimer’s
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By Jeff Lagasse
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A study led by researchers at Cedars-Sinai and NeuroVision Imaging LLC provides a scientific basis for using noninvasive eye imaging to essentially detect signs of Alzheimer’s. The experimental technology, developed by Cedars-Sinai and NeuroVision, scans the retina using techniques that can identify beta-amyloid protein deposits that mirror those in the brain.
Accumulations of neurotoxic beta-amyloid protein can be detected with positron emission tomography, or PET scans, and analysis of cerebrospinal fluid. But these are invasive, inconvenient and costly, according to the study. making them impractical for routine screening and follow-up evaluation.
“This is the first study demonstrating the potential to image and quantify retinal findings related to beta-amyloid plaques noninvasively in living patients using a retinal scan with high resolution,” said Dr. Maya Koronyo-Hamaoui, an associate professor of neurosurgery and biomedical sciences and a research scientist at the Maxine Dunitz Neurosurgical Institute at Cedars-Sinai, in a statement. Koronyo-Hamaoui is also a co-founder, inventor and scientist at NeuroVision. She is the senior leading author of an article in JCI Insight published online Aug. 17.
“This clinical trial is reinforced by an in-depth exploration of the accumulation of beta-amyloid in the retina of Alzheimer’s patients versus matched controls, and a comparison analysis between retina and brain pathologies,” she said. “Findings from this study strongly suggest that retinal imaging can serve as a surrogate biomarker to investigate and monitor Alzheimer’s disease,”
“As a developmental outgrowth of the central nervous system that shares many of the brain’s characteristics, the retina may offer a unique opportunity for us to easily and conveniently detect and monitor Alzheimer’s disease,” said Dr. Keith L. Black, chairman of NeuroVision, chair of the department of neurosurgery and director of the Maxine Dunitz Neurosurgical Institute at Cedars-Sinai, in a statement. “We know that Alzheimer’s begins as many as 10 or 20 years before cognitive decline becomes evident, and we believe that potential treatments may be more effective if they can be started early in the process. Therefore, screening and early detection may be crucial to our efforts to turn the tide against the growing threat of this devastating disease.”
Steven Verdooner, NeuroVision CEO, said in a statement that the imaging system harnesses the company’s expertise in autofluorescence imaging of the retina using a specialized ophthalmic camera and sophisticated image processing software.
“It’s exciting to see these studies demonstrating the power of the technology applied to the Alzheimer’s field,” said Verdooner. “Our goal is to develop a product that is easy to use, affordable and widely accessible. We look forward to the potential of retinal imaging playing a vital role in solving the problem of Alzheimer’s, both in identifying and monitoring those who may be affected by the disease. Our next step is to continue with clinical trials, building upon the existing pharmaceutical company collaborations, to ensure our technology is ready for the medical community to help manage this disease.”
The study’s first author, Yosef Koronyo, a research associate at Cedars-Sinai and a scientist and inventor at NeuroVision, said in a statement that the latest findings cap a decade of study that has produced several landmark discoveries.
“In 2010, our research group published an article providing the first evidence for the existence of Alzheimer’s-specific plaques in the human retina, and we demonstrated the ability to detect individual plaques in live mouse models using a modified ophthalmic device,” said Koronyo.
After adapting the technology for human application, the researchers kickstarted several ongoing clinical trials in the United States and Australia to determine the feasibility of detecting, and quantifying, beta-amyloid plaques in patients with the disease.
In the new article, the researchers report on a 16-patient clinical trial to demonstrate the feasibility of identifying beta-amyloid in the eye using autofluorescence imaging. They also provide detailed analyses and several new findings on Alzheimer’s pathology in the retina, results of research with donated eyes and brains of 37 deceased patients, 23 with confirmed Alzheimer’s disease and 14 controls.
The researchers reported a 4.7-fold increase in retinal plaque burden in patients with Alzheimer’s, compared to controls, and they provided observations regarding geometric distribution and layer location of amyloid pathology in the retina. With the imaging technology’s ability to detect autofluorescence signal related to retinal beta-amyloid, these findings may lead to a practical approach for large-scale identification of the at-risk population and monitoring of Alzheimer’s, the researchers said.
Funding for the study was provided by a National Institutes of Health/National Institute on Aging award, The Saban Family Foundation and The Marciano Family Foundation.
Connie will scan your blood in 6 sec, non-invasive, created by NIH that measures your blood anti-oxidant levels.
Fridays 6pm , Sat and Sunday noon at Whole Foods Store, Cupertino.
Email motherhealth@gmail.com or text 408-854-1883
Join us to bring this scanner to all doctors’ offices. It is available in 50 countries.
Steam your greens/veggies to get enough Folate, to make DNA and RNA
Steam your greens/veggies to get enough Folate, to make DNA and RNA
You need to steam your vegetables or greens and get enough Folate, which helps make DNA and RNA.
Boiling for typical time periods resulted in only 49 % retention of folate in spinach (191.8 and 94.4 microg/100 g for raw and boiled spinach respectively; P<0.005), and only 44 % in broccoli (177.1 and 77.0 microg/100 g for raw and boiled broccoli respectively, P<0.0001).
Steaming of spinach or broccoli, in contrast, resulted in no significant decrease in folate content, even for the maximum steaming periods of 4.5 min (spinach) and 15.0 min (broccoli).
Prolonged grilling of beef for the maximum period of 16.0 min did not result in a significant decrease in folate content (54.3 and 51.5 microg/100 g for raw and grilled beef respectively). Compared with raw values, boiling of whole potatoes (skin and flesh) for 60.0 min did not result in a significant change in folate content (125.1 and 102.8 microg/100 g for raw and boiled potato respectively), nor was there any effect on folate retention whether or not skin was retained during boiling.
Folic acid is essential for the body to make DNA, RNA, and metabolise amino acids which are required for cell division.[8] As humans cannot make folic acid, it is required from the diet, making it an essential vitamin.
For folate supplementation, visit this site:
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A 6-second scanner test can measure your anti-oxidant level. Email Connie at motherhealth@gmail.com to get scanned in the bay area or to be a distributor of this scanner created by NIH and pharma grade supplementation. Join us at the Health Care Pro Network Alliance and training on Sept 14-15 as rep and nutrition specialist in Provo, Utah.
How can you measure your metals, infections, inflammation, and oxidative stress?
A scanner created by NIH is here. Email motherhealth@gmail.com to be a distributor if your are interested and be scanned in the bay area for free.
Other tests are LPS, hsCRP, lipid peroxidation, RBC glutathione, RBC fatty acids, digestive stool analysis (microbiome), viral titers, and urinary organic acids lab tests.
LPS Test
The end products of lipid peroxidation are reactive aldehydes, such as malondialdehyde (MDA) and 4-hydroxynonenal (HNE), the second one being known also as “second messenger of free radicals” and major bioactive marker of lipid peroxidation, due to its numerous biological activities resembling activities of reactive oxygen species.[1][full citation needed]
Hazards
If not terminated fast enough, there will be damage to the cell membrane, which consists mainly of lipids. Phototherapy may cause hemolysis by rupturing red blood cellcell membranes in this way.[2]
In addition, end-products of lipid peroxidation may be mutagenic and carcinogenic.[3] For instance, the end-product malondialdehyde reacts with deoxyadenosine and deoxyguanosine in DNA, forming DNA adducts to them, primarily M1G.[3]
The toxicity of lipid hydroperoxides to animals is best illustrated by the lethal phenotype of glutathione peroxidase 4 (GPX4) knockout mice. These animals do not survive past embryonic day 8, indicating that the removal of lipid hydroperoxides is essential for mammalian life.[4]
Tests
Certain diagnostic tests are available for the quantification of the end-products of lipid peroxidation, to be specific, malondialdehyde (MDA).[3] The most commonly used test is called a TBARS Assay (thiobarbituric acid reactive substances assay).
Food combining , anti-cancer foods and supplementation
Food combining , anti-cancer foods and supplementation
Food Combo, anti-cancer foods and supplements
We choose our anti-cancer foods for optimum health and when we cannot consume whole foods and need a boost in our body, we supplement. Lately, I have been using a scanner created by NIH to measure my anti-oxidant levels and that of our clients. Doctors can use this scanner and charge $20-30 per scan and it tells us if we need more help with our anti-oxidants or we are lacking and need to supplement.
We are what we eat. We combine food based on how we absorbed the nutrients and to get optimal nutrition. I eat colored fruits and vegetables , especially sulfur rich foods to fight cancer and for cleansing. There are powerful whole foods and so I eat my fruits 30 minutes before or 30 minutes after a meal.
I love all local foods in California and the Philippines. I wash my veggies with salt water or diluted vinegar when I know they are not organic.I take my sleep inducing supplements such as Vitamin E, B complex (anti-stress), folate, calcium and magnesium to help me sleep at night.
For pharma grade supplements, visit this site:
http://clubalthea.pxproducts.com/
Food combination takes into account the area and complexity of digestion of each food, to ensure it goes through your entire digestive system with ease. Dr. Pickering explains:
“There’s only one food that chemically breaks down in the stomach and that’s protein. Proteins require pepsin, a very highly acidic [enzyme] in conjunction with hydrochloric acid. But the hydrochloric acid doesn’t have the ability to break the food down. It just sets the medium for the concentration of the amount of pepsin that’s poured into the stomach to digest whatever food that’s in there. The intelligence of this human body is phenomenal.”
There are three primary categories of food: proteins, carbohydrates, and fats. Proteins, again, begin their digestion chemically in your stomach. Carbohydrates are divided into two categories: fruits and starches. While fruits pass through your digestive system with relative ease, starches require three levels of breakdown; the very first stage is in your mouth. That’s why it’s crucial to carefully chew starchy foods.
According to the rules of food combination, you do not want to mix proteins and starches in the same meal. This means, no bun with your hamburger, no meatballs if you have pasta, no potatoes with your meat… Why is that? Dr. Pickering explains:
“Starches require an alkaline digestive medium to digest. If you put your fist in your stomach while it’s digesting steaks and all that, chances are, you wouldn’t have a hand anymore. The acid is intense… When you mix them both together – an acid-type of food and an alkaline – basic chemistry shows that they don’t digest. They neutralize. Then what happens? If the food is not digesting… it’s going through your body [undigested], throwing it into all kinds of turmoil.”
The Three Commandments of Food Combination
Dr. Pickering lays out three basic commandments of eating that he recommends you not deviate from:
- No proteins and starches at the same meal, as they neutralize each other and prevent proper digestion of either food. To ensure proper digestion of each food, wait two hours after eating a starch before eating protein. And wait three hours after eating protein before eating a starch.
- No fruits and vegetables at the same meal. Fruits are either a single or double sugar, whereas the starches are a triple sugar. Fruits mechanically break down in your stomach, but chemically, they don’t break down until they reach the third and fourth stage of your digestive system, which are in your small intestine. Starches, again, are broken down in three different stages, starting in your mouth.
According to Dr. Pickering, this is also why it’s crucial to not eat dessert after a meal. When you do, it gets trapped in your stomach with all that other food, where it starts to rot as it’s not being chemically digested there. Therefore, eat fruit 30-60 minutes before dinner. The same applies if you want to eat another piece of fruit. Acidic fruits, such as lemons for example, also do not combine well with starches. Lemon and banana is but one example of a combination that is sure to lead to gastrointestinal upset…
Many people consider tomatoes a fruit, yet it’s commonly added to salad. Dr. Pickering classifies tomatoes as a “fruit-vegetable,” because even though they don’t have the sugar like most fruits, they’re still an acidic fruit-vegetable. As such they’re okay to combine with other vegetables. He suggests the following recipe for an excellent salad:
“Any kind of vegetable that has seed in it; for example summer squash, zucchini, eggplant, cucumbers, bell peppers, and okra—those are all fruit-vegetables. Your tomatoes go well with those. And since lettuce and celery have a neutral effect, as far as the breakdown of food, the celery and the lettuce combine very well with all of that. You can also add avocados.”
- “Eat melon alone, or leave it alone, or your stomach will moan.” In short, melons do not digest well with other foods and will frequently cause problems unless consumed by itself.
The When and What of Eating
According to Dr. Pickering, the amount and sequencing of the foods you eat can also make a difference. He recommends the following eating schedule:
- Morning meal: The least concentrated foods, in the greatest amount. Ideal food choice: fruits
- Middle of the day: More complex foods, but in a smaller amount than your first meal. Ideal food choice: starchy carbs
- Evening: The most concentrated foods, but in the least abundant amount. Ideal food choice: protein