A natural product found in both coconut oil and human breast milk – lauric acid – may offer treatment for acne, say a scientist.

The bioengineering graduate student from the UC San Diego Jacobs School of Engineering developed a “smart delivery system” – published in the journal ACS Nano in March – capable of delivering lauric-acid-filled nano-scale bombs directly to skin-dwelling bacteria (Propionibacterium acnes) that cause common acne.

Bioengineering graduate student Dissaya “Nu” Pornpattananangkul will present her most recent work on this experimental acne-drug-delivery system at Research Expo, the annual research conference of the UC San Diego Jacobs School of Engineering.

PhD student Dissaya “Nu” Pornpattananangkul is developing a smart system of drug delivery.

Lauric-acid-based treatments could avoid these side effects, the UC San Diego researchers say.

“It’s a good feeling to know that I have a chance to develop a drug that could help people with acne,” said Pornpattananangkul, who performs this research in the Nanomaterials and Nanomedicine Laboratory of UC San Diego NanoEngineering professor Liangfang Zhang from the Jacobs School of Engineering.

The new smart delivery system includes gold nanoparticles attached to surfaces of lauric-acid-filled nano-bombs. The gold nanoparticles keep the nano-bombs (liposomes) from fusing together. The gold nanoparticles also help the liposomes locate acne-causing bacteria based on the skin microenvironment, including pH.

Once the nano-bombs reach the bacterial membranes, the acidic microenvironment causes the gold nanoparticles to drop off. This frees the liposomes carrying lauric acid payloads to fuse with bacterial membranes and kill the Propionibacterium acnes bacteria.

“Precisely controlled nano-scale delivery of drugs that are applied topically to the skin could significantly improve the treatment of skin bacterial infections. By delivering drugs directly to the bacteria of interest, we hope to boost antimicrobial efficacy and minimize off-target adverse effects,” said Zhang. “All building blocks of the nano-bombs are either natural products or have been approved for clinical use, which means these nano-bombs are likely to be tested on humans in the near future.” DNA India

When you eat a fatty meal, a certain mechanism is activated in the heart, which prevents dangerous substances from being deposited in the heart muscle. This is one of the findings of research carried out at Wageningen University, The Netherlands, in association with the Dutch Heart Foundation.

It is thought that this defence mechanism is less effective in people with a high percentage of body fat. The results will be published today on the website of the American journal ‘Circulation Research’.

The study provides important information about the fat balance in the heart. The heart muscle uses fat as a fuel to enable it to pump the blood around the body. But too much fat is detrimental as it causes dangerous and potentially damaging substances (oxy radicals) to be produced as a by-product of combustion. Damage to the heart muscle can cause all kinds of problems, including fatigue and tightness in the chest.

Sander Kersten is Associate professor of nutrition, metabolism and genomics at Wageningen University. While studying the fat balance in the heart, he and his team discovered that if mice are fed a piece of fat, a specific protein (Angptl4) is activated in the heart muscle.

This protein protects the heart from harmful particles that result from excess fat. “It’s like a barrier that can open and close “, explains Kersten.”The fat from the first couple of mouthfuls closes the barrier to the damaging effects of the fat that is on its way.”

A wonderful mechanism, but does it mean that we can now eat as much fat as we like? Unfortunately not. Although your heart can cope with the odd fatty meal, eating too much fat on a long-term basis can compromise this handy defence mechanism.

Nutrition is not the only important factor; the amount of body fat also plays an important role. Kersten: “Now we know that fat tissue produces substances that affect the defence mechanism in the heart muscle, we are faced with the following question: what is the impact of too much body fat on the fat balance in the heart?”

At present, we cannot pinpoint the exact BMI (body mass index, an index used for assessing body weight) at which the heart muscle becomes compromised. “This is not an easy matter. Up until recently, it was impossible to measure the amount of fat in the hearts of living people, “explains Kersten.”But new advanced technology, such as proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy, is making this easier and will provide a wealth of fresh information.” PhysOrg

It is a known fact that gamblers are a diverse and heterogeneous group. And relative herein, some played on the big casinos, some player’s use them as a break from playing the slots, some only buy scratch and win tickets, some only play their favorite numbers in the lottery games, and some only play bingo or betting on horses. But most players will bet on a variety of games. Playing Online Casinos knows no age, race or ethnic group. It knows no time limit or specific year or place and it happens everywhere, all the time, with all nations around the world. Now you can see that it is one of the fastest growing industries in some parts of the country.

For over a period of years, playing at the casino-style was legal in some parts of the universe. And probably due to that success, other provinces have either legalized gambling, or are considering the legalization of such. But since this is a relatively new, most of the gambling sites, laws and activities are unknown and untested companies. It is an industry with its own language and historical products. The understanding of playing and feeling comfortable with the operation of electronic gaming machines is a new experience for many and creates work for the progress already in the industry.

In a nutshell, though most people were uncertain and probably won’t believe, but playing the online casino games is most likely, the second most visited business in the world. Oftentimes, we are constantly confronted with the opportunity, a chance to take a gamble one way or another. Mind you guys, any experts will tell you that to learn successfully in games of chance, you must have to practice the four components, such as sufficient funds, management, knowledge of the games, and of course, discipline. And for what was once used as a passing time has since then become a favorite amongst online casino players.

If you’re following any diet, chances are you’re shopping for lots of fresh, nutritious foods. To get through the grocery store in a timely fashion, stick to the perimeter of the store — it’s where you’ll find fresh dairy, produce, meat, poultry, and fish.

Most of the aisles in between have packaged goods, such as crackers, cookies, canned soups and vegetables, juices, etc. For more specific information on getting through the grocery store, check out our handy tips, below.

Produce. Load your cart with a variety of fresh, nutrient-dense, fiber-rich vegetables, like spinach, zucchini, broccoli, tomatoes, carrots and peppers. Stock up on fresh fruits, too, including apples, oranges, mangoes, pomegranates, melons, and berries.

Dairy. There are many items to choose from in the dairy aisle. For instance, eggs, part-skim ricotta cheese, and low-fat cheese are all excellent lean protein choices. Low-fat and fat-free milk count toward your daily dairy requirement, as do low-fat and non-fat plain yogurt and artificially sweetened low-fat and fat-free yogurt. You can also find unsweetened or artificially sweetened soy milk in the dairy aisle.

Meats/Fish/Poultry. Focus your attention on lean cuts of beef and poultry, which include eye of round, ground beef, tenderloin, top loin, and top round, as well as turkey and chicken breast, pork loin and pork tenderloin. Fish and shellfish are also good choices. Get to know your fishmonger — you should aim to eat fish four times a week. (Limit consumption of types of fish that contain high levels of methylmercury, including shark, swordfish, king mackerel, and tilefish.)

Frozen foods. The frozen aisle offers quick-to-cook vegetables — perfect if you’re up against the clock. You can also find soy-based meat alternatives in the freezer section. Look for those that contain less than 6 grams of fat per 2- to 3-ounce servings. If you have a sweet tooth, try frozen fudge bars with no added sugar.

Miscellaneous. Other foods to seek out from the middle of the store: nuts (avoid honey-roasted or sweetened varieties), canned light tuna fish, extra-virgin olive oil, sugar-free gelatin, vegetable juice cocktail or tomato juice, sugar-free diet sodas, and sugar-free drink mixes. You can also stock up on whole-grain breads and crackers, brown rice, whole-wheat pasta, and low-sugar, high-fiber whole-grain cereals. The Times of India

Winter has receded, spring and summer are in sight. The cold, dark season’s reign of listlessness would be over were it not for springtime lethargy.

The first warm, sunny days beckon, but many people feel tired and sluggish. The hour’s sleep lost when clocks are advanced to summer time lowers energy levels further. Springtime lethargy can be beaten, though, according to Juergen Steinacker, professor of sports and rehabilitative medicine at Germany’s Ulm University Hospital.

‘Many people become inactive during the winter,’ he said. ‘They exercise less because of the bad weather and are also exposed to less sunlight.’ They not only feel less productive as a result, they are less productive.

‘People lose about 10 per cent of their productivity during the winter,’ Steinacker estimated.

There is only one thing that helps, he said: ‘Get out of the house!’

Taking a walk in sunshine and fresh air can be mood-lifting. People sensitive to the sun should not overdo it, however, since the bright light in the first days of spring can cause mild migraines. So wearing a hat and sunglasses is advisable, Steinacker said.

Workers often find it difficult to leave their workplace to get fresh air. They can go for a short walk during their lunch break, though. And those who tend to be ‘couch potatoes’ should not plop onto the couch as soon as they get home from work, Steinacker warned.

Elderly people restrict their winter activities more than younger ones do, so their springtime lethargy is especially pronounced.

‘We advise seniors to go outdoors nonetheless, but to stick to safe areas’ such as the route to a neighbourhood store or a park free of obstacles, he said.

In addition to getting lots of exercise, eating properly is important. ‘When it comes to diet, the old rules apply: It should be rich in vitamins. Eat a lot of fruit and vegetables – whatever is in season,’ Steinacker remarked. ‘Heavy fare should be avoided if possible.’ m&c

Examining the rejuvenative powers of water.

THIS is the continuation of my article Water for Life (Fit4Life, March 28, 2010). I am actually on a lecture tour with Dr Masaru Emoto, the world–renowned author of Messages from Water, Water Crystal Healing, and many other titles (11 books, about three million copies sold worldwide). Our current tour takes us to Bangkok, Jakarta, Manila, and Hong Kong.

Dr Emoto speaks about beautiful water crystals that form from pure, energised water, especially when it is exposed to good thoughts, pleasant words, prayer, melodic music and songs (hard rock and metal music produce crazy crystal patterns), pictures, and objects. He is also passionate about preserving water as the source of all life on earth.

Oxygenated water

Water that comes from springs and waterfalls contain more dissolved oxygen. Whenever water is disturbed (flowing, splashing, waves, etc), more air is mixed with the water, and more oxygen dissolves. That is why fish ponds have waterwheels and irrigation systems to keep the water flowing continuously.

Ponds and lakes that are oxygen-rich are cleaner, and have healthier and bigger fish. Commercial fish and prawn farmers know the critical value of increased oxygen-content in water.

Likewise, increased dissolved oxygen in our drinking water is also beneficial. I have often been asked about this, since in school we are taught that our body gets oxygen only from the air (our red blood cells absorb the oxygen from the lungs and release it as they circulate throughout the body).

When water is exposed to any form of energy or energy ‘footprint’, its molecular structure changes so that it resonates with that energy source.

You must remember that red blood cells float in plasma, which is over 90% water. Enriching this water with oxygen offers a supplementary supply of oxygen to our cells. Experiments have shown that those who drink oxygenated water have increased energy and endurance, and it is reasonable to expect, better health in the long term too. There are many testimonies of people who have improved their health through regular drinking of oxygenated water.

Ways to oxygenate drinking water

Distilled and RO water are unfortunately low in oxygen content. Distilled water is often called “dead water” because the method of production drives out the dissolved oxygen. When exposed to air, it dissolves carbon dioxide more readily than oxygen.

Nevertheless, pure water can dissolve oxygen better than impure water. However, the problem is retaining the dissolved oxygen as it is normally a gas at room temperature.

There is commercially available bottled oxygenated water with improved oxygen-retention. However, the “leakage” rate may still be high if you consume it some time after production, or if it has been exposed to the warm weather or high temperatures. Tests have shown that the claimed oxygen content (seven or more times higher than ordinary drinking water) is true only when the bottles are fresh from the factory, with gradual loss over time and with heat exposure.

So if you want to benefit from drinking it, you must make sure that you get the freshly-produced bottles. Once opened, you should finish it as the oxygen will quickly escape.

For those who desire an even higher oxygen-content, there is a method to make fresh oxygenated water using a stainless-steel flask and medical-grade oxygen cartridge. This gives more than 20 times the dissolved oxygen compared to ordinary drinking water. The oxygenated water is under pressure, and when released, it comes out much like the carbonated drinks from the drink-dispenser. To get maximum oxygen, you must drink it immediately, once dispensed.

A more convenient method is to use stabilised oxygen solution (oxygen that is kept stable in liquid form at room temperature). It is available in 60ml bottles that you can carry with you and use 10-20 drops per glass of water or juice. For obvious reasons, it should not be used with hot drinks.

Hydrogen water

Hydrogen is the simplest element. The hydrogen ion (H+) is the atom without its electron. However, if the atom carries two electrons (instead of the usual one), it becomes a negatively-charged ion (H-). As explained in the previous article, negatively-charged ions can act as antioxidants if they readily give-up or “donate” their electrons, since free radicals need the electrons to become stable (and stop damaging our cells).

Negatively-charged hydrogen ions (H-) are ready donors and therefore act as excellent antioxidants. Water that is rich in H- is a valuable contributor to our defence against ageing, disease, and cancer, all of which have free radicals as the major causative factor.

There are natural sources of water that is rich in H-. One example is the water in the Hunza Valley and similar areas where the melted glaciers also contain healthy colloidal minerals.

Modern science has allowed us to create “hydrogen water” (abundant in H-) from our domestic water supply using a table-top water-treatment system to give pure, alkaline, energised, hydrogen water.

Resonant water

According to Dr Emoto, the beautiful crystals formed during controlled freezing of different sources of water reflect the resonance between the water and the prevailing energy influencing it.

We already know that life is an energy phenomenon. Everything in life can be explained through energy. Einstein gave us E=mc² (implying that matter is condensed energy) and scientists believe we are getting closer to explaining everything through one simple formula (General Theory of Everything).

However, we are still struggling to explain how thoughts, words, prayers, music and songs, pictures, patterns, colours, and objects can transform health, fate, and fortune (e.g. in Feng Shui and Vastu Shastra). Well, the work of Dr Emoto has opened some doors to this mystery.

What he has shown us is that all these have their corresponding energy “footprints” or patterns, and amazingly, water is the only material that can sense or “read” this energy “footprint” and become transformed by it. One manifestation of this is the different crystals emerging after exposure to the different energy “footprints”. This is the resonance effect.

When frozen, pure water forms hexagonal crystals, with beautiful patterns sprouting out from the corners, depending on the energy it receives/contains. The centre of the hexagon somehow serves as a picture-frame where the crystal-version of a picture to which the water is exposed to is displayed.

Sometimes the crystal pattern mimics the physical form so closely, it is incredible. Water placed on a picture of an elephant actually formed crystals that showed an elephant trunk! Seeing is believing.

Among the many pictures of water crystals Dr Emoto showed us were the beautiful crystals representing the major religions. However, the crystal representing the religions put together was the most beautiful. This does not mean that we should combine our religions into one (which will be confusing), but that if all the followers of the different religions are at peace with one another, then life will be harmonious and beautiful.

As a Muslim, I am particularly fascinated by the crystal patterns representing each of the “99 Beautiful Names of Allah”. Dr Emoto has made the entire set of 99 crystal patterns, although he showed only a few during his talks.

Water and healing

In summary, when water is exposed to any form of energy or energy “footprint”, its molecular structure changes so that it “resonates” with that energy source. If the energy source can heal, the water acquires that ability. This is how prayers said over water will turn the water into healing water. We have bridged the gap between science and spirituality!

This is also how water exposed to qi (life-force), energised material (e.g. scalar energy, FIR) or programmed energy waves (e.g. MRET, molecular resonance effect therapy) become transformed into healing water. Water exposed to intense qi shows amazing transformation. Within minutes, the water will taste as sweet as syrup. For that to happen, some molecular change must have happened to the water.

At the molecular level, the energy changes the angles between the two hydrogen atoms that are attached to the oxygen atom. This changes its properties, and leads to the changes we see in its behaviour, including forming different crystal patterns when frozen.

At the cellular level, according to Dr Emoto, there are water “poles” on our chromosomes which enable water molecules to “activate” our DNA. Further research may reveal that water has many health and healing effects on our genes, and determines much of our overall wellbeing.

So don’t underestimate the value of water to your health and to our survival. Say some prayers or nice words every time you drink, and don’t forget to give love and thanks to water whenever you encounter it. By Dr Amir Farid Isahak, The Star

A plane carrying the Polish president, Lech Kaczynski, and dozens of the country’s top political and military leaders crashed in a heavy fog in western Russia on Saturday morning, killing everyone aboard.

Television showed chunks of flaming fuselage scattered in a bare forest near Smolensk, where the president was arriving for a ceremony commemorating the murder of more than 20,000 Polish officers by the Red Army as it invaded Poland.

The governor of Smolensk region, Sergei Antufiyev, said the plane did not reach the runway but instead hit the treetops and broke apart. An official with the Russia’s Investigative Committee said possible causes were bad weather, mechanical failure and human error.

The crash came as a staggering blow to Poland, killing what may be a tenth of country’s top leadership in one fiery explosion. In the numb hours after the crash, leaders in Warsaw evoked the horror of the massacre at Katyn, which stood for decades as a symbol of Russian domination of Poland.

“It is a damned place,” former president Aleksander Kwasniewski told TVN24. “It sends shivers down my spine. First the flower of the Second Polish Republic is murdered in the forests around Smolensk, now the intellectual elite of the Third Polish Republic die in this tragic plane crash when approaching Smolensk airport.”

“This is a wound which will be very difficult to heal,” he said.

Former president Lech Walesa, who presided over Poland’s transition from communism, cast the crash in similarly historic terms.

“This is the second disaster after Katyn,” he said. “They wanted to cut off our head there, and here the flower of our nation has also perished. Regardless of the differences, the intellectual class of those on the plane was truly great.”

The flag at the presidential palace in Warsaw was lowered as a crowd gathered, laying down flowers and lighting candles. According to Poland’s constitution, the leader of the lower house of parliament – now acting president – has 14 days to announce new elections, which must then take place within 60 days.

The plane was a Tupolev Tu-154, designed by the Soviets in the mid-1960s. Officials in Poland have repeatedly requested that the government’s aging air fleet be replaced. Former Prime Minister Leszek Miller, who survived a helicopter crash in 2003, told Polish news he had long predicted such a disaster.

“I once said that we will one day meet in a funeral procession, and that is when we will take the decision to replace the aircraft fleet,” he said.

The news channel TVN24 reported that moments before the Polish plane was to land, Russian air traffic controllers refused a Russian military aircraft permission to land. The report said the air traffic controllers could not refuse permission to the Polish plane, so they suggested it land in Minsk instead.

The crash site was cordoned off, but Russian media reported that the airplane’s crew made several attempts to land before a wing hit the treetops and the plane crashed about half a mile from the runway. Correspondents reporting from the scene said the plane’s explosion was so powerful that fragments of it were scattered as far as the outskirts of Smolensk, more than a mile from the crash site itself.

For Poland, the losses raise the question of how a country of 38 million can replace a whole political class. Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski – one of the highest-ranking Polish leaders not on board the plane – told Poland’s Radio Zet that he was the one to inform Prime Minister Donald Tusk, who “was in tears when he heard about the catastrophe.”

Among those on board, according to theWeb site of the newspaper Gazeta Wyborcza, were Mr. Kaczynski; his wife, Maria; former Polish president-in-exile Ryszard Kaczorowski; the deputy speaker of Poland’s parliament, Jerzy Szmajdzinski; the head of the president’s chancellery, Wladyslaw Stasiak; the head of the National Security Bureau, Aleksander Szczyglo; the deputy minister of foreign affairs, Andrzej Kremer; the chief of the general staff of the Polish army, Franciszek Gagor; the president of Poland’s national bank, Slawomir Skrzypek; the commissioner for civil rights protection, Janusz Kochanowski; the heads of all of Poland’s armed forces; and dozens of members of parliament.

A spokesman for Poland’s ministry of foreign affairs said 88 people were on the plane. Russian emergency officials said the total number killed, including crew members, was 96.

Mr. Kaczysnki, 61, was elected president in 2005 just as his identical twin brother, Jaroslaw, became head of the nationalist-conservative Law and Justice government, often putting Poland on a collision course with Russia. Mr. Kaczynski forged close relationships with Ukraine and Georgia and pushed for their accession into NATO, arguing passionately that a stronger NATO would keep Russia from reasserting its influence over Eastern Europe.

The president’s death on Russian soil is bound to open old wounds in the relationship between Russia and Poland.

He had been due in western Russia to commemorate the anniversary of the murder of thousands of Polish officers by the Soviet Union at the beginning of World War II.

The ceremonies were to be held at a site in the Katyn forest close to Smolensk, where 70 years ago members of the Soviet secret police executed more than 20,000 Polish officers captured after the Soviet Army invaded Poland in 1939.

The two countries had been making strides in recent months to improve their ties, which had been strained since the days of communism, when Poland was a Soviet satellite. After the collapse of communism, its leaders embraced the West and snubbed Russia.

The Katyn massacre was one point of tension. On Wednesday, Prime Minister Vladimir V. Putin took a major step to address improve relations by becoming the first Russian or Soviet leader to join Polish officials in commemorating the anniversary. He was joined there by Mr. Tusk.

At the ceremony, Mr. Putin cast the executions as one of many crimes carried out by the “totalitarian regime” of the Soviet Union.

“We bow our heads to those who bravely met death here,” he said. “In this ground lay Soviet citizens, burnt in the fire of the Stalinist repression of the 1930s; Polish officers, shot on secret orders; soldiers of the Red Army, executed by the Nazis.”

Mr. Kaczynski, who is seen by the Kremlin as less friendly to Russia, was not invited to the joint Russian-Polish ceremony on Wednesday. Instead, Mr. Kaczynski decided to attend a separate, Polish-organized event in Katyn on Saturday. By Ellen Barry, Michal Piotrowski and Nicholas Kulish, The New York Times