Lutein, a nutrient found in several highly coloured vegetables and fruits, can suppress inflammation, according to a new study by researchers at Linköping University, Sweden. The results, published in Atherosclerosis, suggest that lutein itself has anti-inflammatory effects in patients with coronary artery disease. Inflammation is a key factor in many types of coronary artery disease, such as myocardial infarction and angina. “A considerable number of patients who have experienced myocardial infarction still have low-level chronic inflammation in the body, even after receiving effective treatment with revascularisation, drugs and lifestyle changes. We know that chronic inflammation is associated with a poorer prognosis,” says Lena Jonasson, professor in the Department of Medical and Health Sciences and consultant in cardiology, who has led the study. Previous research has suggested that our diet influences inflammatory processes in the body. One group of substances that may be interesting are the carotenoids, a large family of fat-soluble natural colouring agents found in plants. Beta-carotene and lycopene are among the more well-known substances in the family. Several previous studies have shown that the levels of carotenoids are inversely correlated with inflammation markers. The question has thus arisen whether carotenoids themselves have anti-inflammatory effects.

 

Following a daily movement programme can improve children’s physical development levels and has the potential to boost their chances in the classroom, researchers from Loughborough University have found. Academics from the University’s School of Sport, Exercise and Health Sciences have been working with two schools and more than 40 Foundation Stage children in a year-long study. They found that those who took part in a daily movement programme for one academic year showed greater improvements in throwing/catching, balance and manual dexterity compared to those not taking part in the programme. The participating children also improved their overall levels of physical development from the 32nd percentile to the 50th (an improvement of approximately 18 percentile points) bringing them back in line with scores for children of the same age established in 2007. A child’s physical development level impacts their ability to complete simple tasks such as sitting still, holding a pencil, putting on their shoes, and reading – all skills essential for school. Tests carried out by the team in 2016 found a larger number than previously estimated were starting school with lower than desirable levels of physical development, with almost 30% of children presenting with symptoms typically associated with dyslexia, developmental coordination disorder (dyspraxia), and ADHD.

 

 

Coastal communities are struggling with the complex social and ecological impacts of a growing global hunger for a seafood delicacy, according to a new study from the University of British Columbia. "Soaring demand has spurred sea cucumber booms across the globe," says lead author Maery Kaplan-Hallam, who conducted the research as a master’s student with the Institute for Resources, Environment and Sustainability (IRES) at UBC. "For many coastal communities, sea cucumber isn’t something that was harvested in the past. Fisheries emerged rapidly. Money, buyers and fishers from outside the community flooded in. This has also increased pressure on other already overfished resources." Sea cucumber can sell for hundreds—sometimes thousands—of dollars a pound. The “gold rush” style impacts of high-value fisheries exacerbate longer-term trends in already vulnerable communities, such as declines in traditional fish stocks, population increases, climate change and illegal fishing. "These boom-and-bust cycles occur across a range of resource industries," says co-author Nathan Bennett, a postdoctoral fellow at UBC. “What makes these fisheries so tricky is that they appear rapidly and often deplete local resources just as rapidly, leaving communities with little time to recover."

You may have experienced sleepless nights when you were anxious, stressed or too excited. Such emotions are well-known to affect wakefulness and can even cause insomnia, though the underlying mechanisms in our brain have still been unclear. Scientists in the Sleep Institute in Japan spotted neurons that play crucial roles in connecting emotions and sleep, shedding light on the future discovery of drug targets for anxiety disorder and/or sleep disorders. Encountering predators, adapting to a novel environment or expecting a reward ― these stressful or emotionally-salient situations require animals to shift their behavior to a vigilant state, altering their physiological conditions through modulation of autonomic and endocrine functions. The bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST) is a part of the extended amygdala, which is generally considered as a key player in stress response, fear and anxiety. Through projections to various brain regions including relay nuclei of the autonomic nervous system, hypothalamic regions and the central nucleus of the amygdala, the BNST controls endocrine and autonomic reactions in response to emotionally-salient stimuli, along with behavioral expression of anxiety and fear.

 

Hate crime victims throughout the United Kingdom are being let down by the Government and criminal justice agencies, according to a new report undertaken by University of Leicester experts in collaboration with Amnesty International UK. Through a series of case studies the report, which is based on research by experts from the University of Leicester’s Centre for Hate Studies, illustrates significant levels of under-reporting, inadequate support provision for victims, insufficient training for police officers and low investment in educational and rehabilitative interventions.

Ways in which the state is failing in its duty to prevent and tackle hate crimes include:

• failure to increase public awareness of hate crimes across all sections of society
• failure to embed diversity-related themes within the curriculum
• failure to support victims of online hate
• failure to make public transport safe
• failure to provide parity in legislative protection
• failure to maintain a responsible tone around issues of immigration and 'difference'

According to research, 27% of all children born in Nepal have low birth weight and over three-quarters of the new born deaths in Nepal occur in these low birth weight babies. A recent research article published in the Journal of Nepal Paediatric Society has identified age, economic status, nutrition and health check-up during pregnancy as the main factors affecting low birth weight in Nepal. "Children born to mothers above 35 years of age, living in joint-families and having low economic status were found to have given birth to babies with low birth weight," explains Dr Manju Shrestha, lead author of the article. Children weighing less than 2.5kg at the time of birth are considered to be low birth weight, according to the World Health Organization definition. "Low ANC (ante-natal care) visits, not using folic acid and smoking and drinking habits were also associated with low birth weights," she adds. 

•    Un territorio polverizzato - Se oltre alla espansione urbana consideriamo le infrastrutture, scopriamo che la quota di territorio che si può considerare completamente artificializzato nel nostro Paese sale dal 7% al 10% e che aver investito prevalentemente nella realizzazione di strade e autostrade ha favorito la diffusione di una peculiare patologia nazionale: la polverizzazione dell’edificato, a bassa densità, in aree molto vaste (sprinkling), facilitata dallo squilibrio in favore della mobilità su gomma (l’Italia è seconda solo al Lussemburgo nella classifica europea della motorizzazione privata: con 608 veicoli per 1000 abitanti).
•   Isole di Natura - Una patologia quella dello sprinkling che, come viene ricordato nel Report WWF, incide sulla rete ecologica e contribuisce alla insularizzazione degli habitat naturali più preziosi del nostro Paese. Nella fascia di 1 km in immediata adiacenza ai Siti di Interesse Comunitari, negli ultimi 50 anni, l’urbanizzazione è salita da 84mila ettari a 300mila ettari, con un incremento medio su scala nazionale del 260%, dilapidando così il nostro capitale naturale.

 

 Installation mowed into the grass at Leicester’s Abbey Park marks the opening of two exhibitions at University of Leicester arts centre

 Installation forms part of ‘Leicester: Memories of Industry’, 10 June – 20 August at Attenborough Arts Centre. One man went to mow, quite literally, to create a stunning new outdoor art installation for the Attenborough Arts Centre, the University of Leicester’s arts centre. During the bright days of summer, the task of mowing the lawn is considered by most to be an inevitable chore. But artist Graham Ensor is using mown grass to literally imprint Leicester’s industrial past into its natural landscape, with an artwork created in the city’s Abbey Park for the public to appreciate and enjoy. The installation ‘Indus Tree – revolution’ forms part of ‘Leicester: Memories of Industry’, two new exhibitions by the Attenborough Arts Centre, the University of Leicester’s arts centre, from 10 June to 20 August that explores the influence of Leicester’s industrial legacy on its urban and natural landscapes.

Like many areas in Central Europe, large parts of the Black Forest are covered by spruce forests. These are particularly susceptible to climate change. Photo: Jürgen Bauhusertal_(Jürgen Bauhus)

Silver and Douglas firs could replace Norway spruce in the long run due to their greater resistance to droughts

As the climate change progresses, droughts are expected to become more and more common and more intense in Europe, as in many parts of the globe. However, many plants are not able to handle this kind of climate. This includes the Norway spruce, which is Germany’s most important commercial tree species and accounts for the majority of trees in the Black Forest. Valentia Vitali and Prof. Dr. Jürgen Bauhus from the Chair of Silviculture at the University of Freiburg are thus studying other types of needle-leaved conifers to find alternatives. Conifers play a far greater role in commercial forestry and climate protection than broad-leaved trees. In their article “Silver Fir and Douglas Fir Are More Tolerant to Extreme Droughts than Norway Spruce in South-Western Germany” published in the journal Global Change Biology, the scientists concluded that the native silver fir and the Douglas fir, which was imported from the Americas, are suitable tree replacements for the Norway spruce in the long run.

Un recente studio dell’Isac-Cnr ha scoperto come i tensioattivi organici aumentino la capacità delle nubi marine di riflettere la radiazione solare, con effetti su precipitazioni e clima. Il lavoro pubblicato su Nature Le nubi sono elementi fondamentali del bilancio radiativo del nostro pianeta, cioè del rapporto tra la radiazione solare che arriva sulla Terra e quella che viene riflessa di nuovo verso lo spazio. La limitata capacità dei modelli attualmente elaborati e utilizzati dagli studiosi di riprodurre i processi di formazione ed evoluzione delle nubi, perciò, rappresenta un fattore di incertezza essenziale nell’analisi e nella predizione dei cambiamenti climatici. Un team di ricercatori dell’Istituto di scienze dell’atmosfera e del clima del Consiglio nazionale delle ricerche (Isac-Cnr) di Bologna ha ora confermato dal punto di vista sperimentale un’ipotesi formulata due decenni fa che riveste un’importante rilevanza climatologica. I risultati sono stati pubblicati su Nature.