In this article the authors look at the ability of spices to reduce microbial load on a cutting surface by comparing growth of bacteria cultured before and after cleaning with various spice mixtures.
Read More...Testing antimicrobial properties of common household spices in a real-world scenario
In this article the authors look at the ability of spices to reduce microbial load on a cutting surface by comparing growth of bacteria cultured before and after cleaning with various spice mixtures.
Read More...Starts and Stops of Rhythmic and Discrete Movements: Modulation in the Excitability of the Corticomotor Tract During Transition to a Different Type of Movement
Control of voluntary and involuntary movements is one of the most important aspects of human neurological function, but the mechanisms of motor control are not completely understood. In this study, the authors use transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) to stimulate a portion of the motor cortex while subjects performed either discrete (e.g. throwing) or rhythmic (e.g. walking) movements. By recording electrical activity in the muscles during this process, the authors showed that motor evoked potentials (MEPs) measured in the muscles during TMS stimulation are larger in amplitude for discrete movements than for rhythmic movements. Interestingly, they also found that MEPs during transitions between rhythmic and discrete movements were nearly identical and larger in amplitude than those recorded during either rhythmic or discrete movements. This research provides important insights into the mechanisms of neurological control of movement and will serve as the foundation for future studies to learn more about temporal variability in neural activity during different movement types.
Read More...Machine learning for the diagnosis of malaria: a pilot study of transfer learning techniques
The diagnosis of malaria remains one of the major hurdles to eradicating the disease, especially among poorer populations. Here, the authors use machine learning to improve the accuracy of deep learning algorithms that automate the diagnosis of malaria using images of blood smears from patients, which could make diagnosis easier and faster for many.
Read More...Does Music Directly Affect a Person’s Heart Rate?
People react to music by moving and dancing. This study examined if different types of music were correlated with higher heart rates and if this was at all affected by music preferences.
Read More...The Bioactive Ingredients in Niuli Lactucis Agrestibus Possess Anticancer Effects
In the field of medicine, natural treatments are becoming increasingly vital towards the cure of cancer. Zhu et al. wanted to investigate the effects of lettuce extract on cancer cell survival and proliferation. They used an adenocarcinoma cell line, COLO320DM, to determine whether crude extract from a lettuce species called Niuli Lactucis Agrestibus would affect cancer cell survival, migration, and proliferation. They found that Niuli extract inhibited cancer cell survival, increased expression of cell cycle inhibitors p21 and p27, and inhibited migration. However, Niuli extract did not have these effects on healthy cells. This work reveals important findings about a potential new source of anti-colorectal cancer compounds.
Read More...Determining the best convolutional neural network for identifying tuberculosis and pneumonia in chest x-rays
To best identify tuberculosis and pneumonia diagnoses in chest x-rays, the authors compare different deep learning convolution neural networks.
Read More...An analysis of junior rower performance and how it is affected by rower's features
In this study, with consideration for the increasing participation of high school students in indoor rowing, the authors analyzed World Indoor Rowing Championship data. Statistical analysis revealed two key features that can determine the performance of a rower as well as increasing competitiveness in nearly all categories considered. They conclude by offering a 2000-meter ergometer time distribution that can help junior rowers assess their current performance relative to the world competition.
Read More...Reducing levels of C-Reactive Protein: An eight-week, open-label clinical trial of three oral supplements
In this study, the effects of vitamin C, ginger, or curcumin supplements on C-reactive protein levels in healthy participants are determined in an eight-week open-label trial.
Read More...Combating drug resistance in cancer cells: Cooperative effect of green tea and turmeric with chemotherapeutic drug
The major drawback of chemotherapy regimens for treating cancer is that the cancerous cells acquire drug resistance and become impervious to further dose escalation. Keeping in mind the studied success of herbal formulations with regard to alternative treatments for cancer, we hypothesized that the use of a chemotherapeutic drug and proprietary herbal formulation, HF1, would combat this phenomenon when administered with common chemotherapeutic drug 5FU. Results demonstrated a cooperative effect between HF1 and 5FU on the drug resistant cell line, implying that administration of HF1 with 5FU results in cell death as measured by MTT assay.
Read More...Antimicrobial properties of common household spices on microbes cultured from two kitchen locations
The number of bacterial infections in humans is rising, and a major contributor is foodborne illnesses, which affect a large portion of the population and result in many hospitalizations and deaths. Common household cleaners are an effective strategy to combat foodborne illness, but they are often costly and contain harmful chemicals. Thus, the authors sought to test the antimicrobial effectiveness of spices (clove, nutmeg, astragalus, cinnamon, turmeric, and garlic) on microbes cultured from refrigerator handles and cutting boards. Results from this study demonstrate long-lasting, antimicrobial effects of multiple spices that support their use as alternatives to common household cleaners.
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