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With modifications to food production, manufacturing, and processing, nanotechnologies have transformed food technology with the goal of making our food safer and healthier. Food additives, phytosanitary treatments, processing aids, and surfaces that come into contact with stored food can all transmit nanoparticles that people might ingest. Mohammad Issa from the University of Paris-Saclay and colleagues noted in a paper that was just published in Frontiers in Allergy that such a large change to food production might have unanticipated health effects. The scientists provided data that suggests nanoparticles pass the placenta to reach growing foetuses, putting them at an increased risk of potentially fatal food allergies.

“Due to the immunotoxic and biocidal properties of nanoparticles, exposure may disrupt the host-intestinal microbiota’s beneficial exchanges and may interfere with intestinal barrier and gut-associated immune system development in fetus and neonate,” said Dr Karine Adel-Patient, corresponding author of the study. “This may be linked to the epidemic of immune-related disorders in children, such as food allergies – a major public health concern.”

An increase in allergies
When the immune system overreacts to dietary proteins, food allergies develop. Normal oral tolerance in children allows them to consume without their bodies reacting negatively to food proteins, but if the intestinal barrier or immune system are damaged, they may instead become sensitised and have an allergic reaction.
Between 2-5% of adults and 6-8% of children suffer from food allergies, and prevalence has increased significantly in recent years. The increased frequency of allergies in children indicates that early-life environmental variables are probably crucial. Environmental factors are known to have a substantial impact in the development of allergies.

Young children’s gut health is influenced by their food and surroundings, and lack of a variety of dietary proteins as well as gut bacteria might hinder the development of oral tolerance.
Nanoparticles were transmitted.

The scientists concentrated on three nanoparticle-containing chemicals that are often used in food in order to comprehend how nanoparticles might upset this delicate equilibrium. “Such agents can cross the placental barrier and then reach the developing fetus,” explained Adel-Patient. “Excretion in milk is also suggested, continuing to expose the neonate.”

While nanoparticles have been shown to pass the placenta in rats, there is evidence that the additives also do so in humans. The number of species and their proportions in the gut microbiome are altered by nanoparticles, which are not absorbed but rather concentrate there. This is significant for the emergence of allergies given the evidence supporting the significance of the gut microbiome in the formation of a well-educated immune system. Another crucial element of a healthy response to dietary proteins is the epithelial intestinal barrier, which is similarly impacted by nanoparticles.

The scientists noted that while evidence for immunotoxicity is more difficult to assemble, there is evidence to suggest that these nanoparticles have adverse effects on human gut-associated lymphoid tissue. According to data from rodent research, this shows that the impact on the immune system is larger than currently believed. These, however, often represent a proportionately larger dosage than the projected human intake.

“The impact of such exposure on the development of food allergy has not been assessed to date,” warned Adel-Patient. “Our review highlights the urgent need for researchers to assess the risk related to exposure to foodborne inorganic nanoparticles during a critical window of susceptibility and its impact on children health.”

At weddings, there are days and days of nonstop celebrations. Being responsible for the planning while also making sure you look your best on your big day may be very taxing if you’re the bride or the groom. Take heart. With these 5 tips, you can maintain your skin healthy and get a bright glow on your wedding night without exerting too much effort. We’re here to take some of the pressure off your shoulders.

No sacrificing sleep
Pay attention to your “beauty sleep.” In addition to being necessary for your body to operate properly, getting a full eight hours of sleep also offers your skin plenty of time to repair and revitalise after the day’s rigours.

Hello, fibre in the diet.
Even while there’s no need to drastically alter your diet, getting enough fibre in the months leading up to the wedding may do wonders for your complexion. Smoothies made from fruits and vegetables are a fantastic way to give your body a healthy amount of fibre.

Be cautious while using excessive skin care regimens.
Brides-to-be frequently feel the need to get pricey face procedures. Although they may appear thrilling, such treatments may not be suitable for all skin types and can even be dangerous. It is advisable to stay with the standard Cleansing-Toning-Moisturizing procedure and avoid them. Get in touch with a dermatologist before getting a face treatment if you do decide to do so.

Without fail, Moisturise, Without fail,
While moisturising your skin frequently may seem like a “unnecessary step” to most people, doing so is vital to maintaining it smooth, healthy, and naturally radiant while preventing patchiness.

Keeping tension at bay
Months of planning go into planning a wedding, which can be very stressful. Stress causes your skin to respond. You definitely don’t want to seem boring on your special day since it may happen. So make an effort to maintain as low a stress level as you can. If you see your stress levels rising, visit a spa, get a massage, or just go for a stroll in the park. Your skin instantly shines when you’re calm.

Everyone has heard of someone who has survived cancer. In 2020, there were around 10 million fatalities and 19 million new cases worldwide. Despite ongoing improvements, medicines still have the potential to destroy healthy cells or have unpleasant side effects that are challenging for patients to manage with.
There are several possible candidates in conventional medicine for creating novel, more focused cancer therapies.

A team of Polish researchers from Adam Mickiewicz University, led by Magdalena Winkiel, looked at the glycoalkaloids, bioactive compounds found in several well-known crops, including potatoes and tomatoes, to demonstrate their potential to cure cancer.

“Scientists worldwide are still searching for the drugs which will be lethal to cancer cells but at the same time safe for healthy cells,” said Winkiel. “It is not easy despite the advances in medicine and powerful development of modern treatment techniques. That is why it might be worth going back to medicinal plants that were used years ago with success in the treatment of various ailments. I believe that it is worth re-examining their properties and perhaps rediscovering their potential.”

Making medicine out of poison: Winkiel and her colleagues concentrated on five glycoalkaloids discovered in crude extracts of the Solanaceae plant family, generally referred to as nightshades: solanine, chaconine, solasonine, solamargine, and tomatine.

This family of plants includes several well-known food plants as well as numerous harmful ones, sometimes as a result of the alkaloids they make to protect themselves against herbivorous animals. But the right dosage may transform a poison into a medicine: once alkaloids have been given in a safe therapeutic amount, they can be effective clinical instruments.
Particularly glycoalkaloids may encourage cancer cell death and limit the development of cancer cells. Future medicines have a great deal of potential since they are important target areas for reducing cancer and improving patient prognoses.

Although there may be some impacts on the reproductive system, in silico studies—a crucial first step—indicate that the glycoalkaloids are not poisonous, do not run the risk of harming DNA, and do not appear to increase the chance of developing tumours in the future.

“Even if we cannot replace anticancer drugs that are used nowadays, maybe combined therapy will increase the effectiveness of this treatment,” Winkiel suggested. “There are many questions, but without detailed knowledge of the properties of glycoalkaloids, we will not be able to find out.”

Using in vitro and model animal research to identify which glycoalkaloids are safe and promising enough to investigate in people is a key step ahead from tomatoes to therapies. Although the amounts of these glycoalkaloids in potatoes vary depending on the cultivar and the light and temperature conditions to which they are exposed, Winkiel and her colleagues emphasise compounds obtained from potatoes, such as solanine and chaconine.

Solanine inhibits metastasis and prevents several potentially carcinogenic compounds from becoming carcinogens in the body. Studies on a particular kind of leukaemia cell shown that solanine can destroy the cells when used in therapeutic quantities. The anti-inflammatory effects of chaconine may be used to treat sepsis.

Using in vitro and model animal research to identify which glycoalkaloids are safe and promising enough to investigate in people is a key step ahead from tomatoes to therapies. Although the amounts of these glycoalkaloids in potatoes vary depending on the cultivar and the light and temperature conditions to which they are exposed, Winkiel and her colleagues emphasise compounds obtained from potatoes, such as solanine and chaconine.
Solanine inhibits metastasis and prevents several potentially carcinogenic compounds from becoming carcinogens in the body. Studies on a particular kind of leukaemia cell shown that solanine can destroy the cells when used in therapeutic quantities. The anti-inflammatory effects of chaconine may be used to treat sepsis.

Using in vitro and model animal research to identify which glycoalkaloids are safe and promising enough to investigate in people is a key step ahead from tomatoes to therapies. Although the amounts of these glycoalkaloids in potatoes vary depending on the cultivar and the light and temperature conditions to which they are exposed, Winkiel and her colleagues emphasise compounds obtained from potatoes, such as solanine and chaconine.

Solanine inhibits metastasis and prevents several potentially carcinogenic compounds from becoming carcinogens in the body. Studies on a particular kind of leukaemia cell shown that solanine can destroy the cells when used in therapeutic quantities. The anti-inflammatory effects of chaconine may be used to treat sepsis.

According to recent study, nanoparticles improve the transfer of glycoalkaloids to cancer cells, improving medicine administration. There is some indication that high-temperature processing improves the properties of the glycoalkaloid.

However, the mechanisms of action of the glycoalkaloids as well as any possible safety concerns must be better understood before patients may benefit from cancer medicines that originate straight from the vegetable garden.

According to a recent study of twins, regular exercise can alter not just waistlines but also the chemicals in the body that control how genes function. According to a Washington State University study that was published in the journal Scientific Reports, identical twin pairs with more physically active siblings had fewer metabolic illness symptoms as indicated by waist circumference and body mass index. Additionally, this was tied to variations in their epigenomes—the molecular mechanisms that are located close to DNA and unrelated to DNA sequence yet affect gene expression. Epigenetic markers associated with reduced metabolic syndrome, a condition that can result in heart disease, stroke, and type 2 diabetes, were found in the more active twins.

The study reveals that signs of metabolic illness are substantially impacted by a person’s interactions with their environment as opposed to only their inherited DNA because identical twins have the same genetic makeup.

“The findings provide a molecular mechanism for the link between physical activity and metabolic disease,” said Michael Skinner, WSU biologist and the study’s corresponding author. “Physical exercise is known to reduce the susceptibility to obesity, but now it looks like exercise through epigenetics is affecting a lot of cell types, many of them involved in metabolic disease.”

Through the Washington State Twin Registry, the researchers obtained cheek swabs from 70 sets of identical twins who also took part in a study on exercise.
Data on the twins were gathered by a team under the direction of WSU Professor and Registry Director Glenn Duncan from 2012 to 2019. They evaluated the individuals’ waistlines and body mass indices as well as their physical activity levels using fitness trackers. The twins provided survey responses on their communities and way of life as well.

On measures of physical activity, neighbourhood walkability, and body mass index, it was discovered that several of the twin pairs were discordant, meaning they were different from one another. The cells in the cheek swabs from the discordant twins were examined by Skinner’s lab, and this indicated epigenetic variations as well. The twin in the discordant pair who engaged in more than 150 minutes of physical activity per week showed epigenetic changes in regions of the DNA methylation that were associated with a lower body mass index and waist circumference.

Additionally, those areas are linked to more than fifty genes that have already been identified as being unique to strenuous exercise and metabolic risk factors. Scientists have previously noted that the majority of identical twins develop different diseases as they get older even though they have the same genes. Epigenetics may help explain the reason why, said Skinner. “If genetics and DNA sequence were the only driver for biology, then essentially twins should have the same diseases. But they don’t,” said Skinner. “So that means there has to be an environmental impact on the twins that is driving the development of disease.”

It’s possible that drinking alcohol while pregnant will affect how the baby’s brain develops. A recent MRI research found that drinking alcohol during pregnancy, even at low to moderate amounts, can change the baby’s brain shape and hinder brain development. The results of the study will be presented at the annual conference of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA) the following week.

“Fetal MRI is a highly specialized and safe examination method that allows us to make accurate statements about brain maturation prenatally,” said study senior author Gregor Kasprian, M.D., associate professor of radiology from the Department of Biomedical Imaging and Image-guided Therapy of the Medical University of Vienna in Austria.

Fetal alcohol spectrum diseases are a range of ailments that can affect the foetus if alcohol is used while pregnant. Babies born with foetal alcohol spectrum diseases may experience developmental delays in speech and language, learning impairments, or behavioural issues. “Unfortunately, many pregnant women are unaware of the influence of alcohol on the fetus during pregnancy,” said lead author Patric Kienast, M.D., a Ph.D. student in the Department of Biomedical Imaging and Image-Guided Therapy, Division of Neuroradiology and Musculoskeletal Radiology at the Medical University of Vienna. “Therefore, it is our responsibility not only to do the research but also to actively educate the public about the effects of alcohol on the fetus.”

Researchers examined MRI scans of 24 babies who had prenatal alcohol consumption for the study. At the time of the MRI, the foetuses ranged in gestational age from 22 to 36 weeks. Anonymous surveys given to the moms helped identify the mothers’ alcohol exposure. The T-ACE Screening Instrument, a measuring tool of four questions that identifies risk drinking, and the Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System (PRAMS), a surveillance initiative of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and health departments, were the questionnaires utilised.

The right superior temporal sulcus (STS) was shallower and the foetal total maturation score (fTMS) was considerably lower in alcohol-exposed foetuses than in age-matched controls. Language perception, audiovisual integration, and social cognition are all influenced by the STS.

“We found the greatest changes in the temporal brain region and STS,” Dr. Kasprian said. “We know that this region, and specifically the formation of the STS, has a great influence on language development during childhood.”
Brain changes were seen in the fetuses even at low levels of alcohol exposure.
“Seventeen of 24 mothers drank alcohol relatively infrequently, with average alcohol consumption of less than one alcoholic drink per week,” Dr. Kienast said. “Nevertheless, we were able to detect significant changes in these fetuses based on prenatal MRI.”

Two moms drank four to six drinks a week, while three mothers consumed one to three. One mother had at least 14 drinks each week on average. Additionally, six moms reported having at least one binge drinking incident (more than four drinks on one occasion) when they were pregnant. The researchers hypothesised that a delayed stage of myelination and a less defined gyrification in the frontal and occipital lobes were specifically responsible for the delayed foetal brain development.

The operation of the nervous system and the brain depends on the myelination process. Nerve cells are shielded by myelin, which speeds up information transmission. Myelination has a direct role in crucial newborn developmental milestones like rolling over, crawling, and language development.

“Pregnant women should strictly avoid alcohol consumption,” Dr. Kienast said. “As we show in our study, even low levels of alcohol consumption can lead to structural changes in brain development and delayed brain maturation.” It is unknown how these anatomical alterations may impact the postnatal brain development of these infants.

“To assess this accurately, we need to wait for the children who were examined as fetuses at that time to get a little older, so that we can invite them back for further examinations,” Dr. Kienast said. “However, we can strongly assume that the changes we discovered contribute to the cognitive and behavioral difficulties that may occur during childhood.”

Research from the University of East Anglia indicates that people who were on the front lines of the Covid outbreak need mental health care in order to cope with or recover from the stress and trauma they endured. A recent investigation looks into how the epidemic has affected nurses who work in nursing homes. It demonstrates how the position they found themselves in left the care home nurses unprepared, which had an adverse effect on their mental health and welfare.

According to the research team, these frontline workers require a mental health and wellness approach to support recovery from the trauma and moral distress symptoms they experienced during the epidemic. Our data demonstrates that care home nurses were totally unprepared for the unprecedented scenario they found themselves in during the Covid-19 outbreak, and that this has harmed their mental health and wellbeing, according to lead researcher Diane Bunn from UEA’s School of Health Sciences.

They had to treat residents who already had advanced clinical symptoms for a highly contagious new disease with a high fatality rate. In addition to personnel shortages, continuously shifting and conflicting regulations, and little assistance from outside professionals, they managed to do this. Staff in the health and social care fields are still very much in the healing process. They need time to process all that occurred during the epidemic, and many of them will require counselling and ongoing mental health care. “Supporting care home nurses to recover from the pandemic is essential to maintain a healthy, stable workforce.”

In homes for older persons in England and Scotland, the study team conducted in-depth interviews with care home nurses about their experiences with the epidemic. They paid close attention to the nurses’ mental health and resiliency. According to the nurses Bunn and her team spoke with, they were all focused on the needs of their patients while neglecting their own needs, which had a negative impact on their wellbeing.

There are several lessons that may be applied to aid in their rehabilitation and guarantee that the right regulations are in place in anticipation of the next pandemic, she continued. The study offers recommendations on how to better prepare for next pandemics as well as a number of ways to assist nurses in accepting and recovering from their experiences.

These include:

– Developing a customised mental health and wellbeing plan for care home nurses throughout the present pandemic recovery phase and making sure that this is continuous and adaptable for next pandemics and catastrophes.
– Greater government and professional acknowledgement of the specialised abilities needed by care home nurses.
– Review recommendations to better prepare for pandemics and calamities that may affect nursing homes.
involvement of nursing staff in creating disaster response procedures in nursing homes.
– Uniformity of recommendations and techniques for communicating recommendations that are based on research.

“Support for care home nurses will likely benefit other care-home workers either directly through wider roll-out, or indirectly through improved wellbeing of nurse leaders,” added Bunn.

The University of East Anglia served as the project’s principal investigator in cooperation with scientists from the University of Leicester. The Burdett Trust for Nursing and the National Institute for Health and Care Research provided funding for it (NIHR). On December 6, 2022, the Journal of Nursing Scholarship will publish “Care-home Nurses’ Responses to the COVID-19 Pandemic: Managing Ethical Conundrums at Personal Cost: A Qualitative Study.”

According to Rajesh Gokhale, Secretary at the Department of Biotechnology, Government of India, the healthcare ecosystem in India is in transition as it has changed from being a reactive care system to a proactive one with the assistance of vaccination.

“Vaccination is an important component of proactive health where you actually take care of vaccinating yourself much before you get sick,” said Gokhale on Tuesday, adding that the government is working to develop various other curative therapies to strengthen the healthcare ecosystem in India. The Secretary made these remarks as part of his keynote address at a two-day International Meet on Preparedness for Future Epidemics “Is India ready to meet the CEPI 100 days vaccine challenge” held in Translational Health Science and Technology Institute (THSTI), Faridabad.

The goal of the meeting is to develop a roadmap for accelerating the concept, design, and delivery of vaccine development for any future pandemic.

Speaking virtually at the event, the Secretary further stressed the fact that how Covid has shown us the way how science can triumph over all sorts of adversaries in life.

“In fact, from the government’s point of view, I can just say that the Government of India is considering science and technology as one of the key attributes of the way the future of the 21st century will emerge for the Indian subcontinent.”

The Department of Biotechnology, Gokhale said, is strategically trying to bring together, nurture and strengthen the bio-economy in the country through manufacturing and research activities. He said in the present environment technological solutions have become a “weapon” on how countries prepare for any future pandemic.

Further, terming pandemic preparedness as a complex process, the Secretary said it is important for us to have scientific policies in place and have the capacity and ability to make an impact as and when required at an unprecedented pace.

“The DNA vaccine (which India developed) is the first of its kind in the country and wonderful work that was done and was published in Lancet as well. It really worth being proud of how trials and activities can be done in India at a scale that makes us all feel wonderfully happy about,” Gokhale added.