Home-Made Cabbage Soups Could Help Combat Malaria
The title of this post is the same as that of this article in The Times.
The article comes from this page on the Imperial College web site, which is entitled Scientists And Schoolkids Find Family Soups Have Antimalarial Properties.
This is the introduction.
London schoolchildren have found that some of their families’ soup recipes have antimalarial properties, with the help of Imperial scientists.
Researchers from Imperial College London helped the schoolchildren test their family soup broths for activity against the malaria parasite.
There is also this quote from one of the researchers; Professor Jake Baum.
We may have to look beyond the chemistry shelf for new drugs, and natural remedies shouldn’t be off our watch list, as artemisinin shows.
I also wonder, if natural remedies of this type, which are generally administered by a trusted relative or friend, come with a degree of care and concern, that is often lacking in healthcare.
We should also remember, that aspirin is not a modern drug, but was known to the ancient Egyptians.
Soaring Demand For SUVs Exacerbates Climate Crisis
The title of this post is the same as that of this article in today’s copy of The Times.
This is the introductory paragraph.
The increasing demand for sports utility vehicles is eliminating the emissions savings made by those who have switched to electric cars, the global energy watchdog has warned.
According to the International Energy Agency, SUVs now account for forty percent of new car sales worldwide.
In some ways, I regard having my stroke as being one of the best things that ever happened to me.
- It was serious, but modern clot-busting drugs, left most of my brain intact.
- My eyesight was damaged, so that I am unable to drive, but I do occasionally ride a bicycle away from roads.
- Cars are now no part of my life and in the ten years, that I haven’t driven, I’ve only needed one on perhaps two or three times.
- My bank account is healthier.
- I can afford to take a black cab, as many times as I need.
You have to remember though, that my excess of survival genes; Devonian, Huguenot and Jewish, honed by living in Liverpool and Suffolk, always mean that I am up to the toughest challenge.
We all need to adjust our lifestyle to the modern world.
A Few Related Thoughts
In National Trust Looks At Car Ban In Lake District, I looked at the car problems of the Lake District.
SUVs and their owners are surely drawn to the wilder areas of the UK.
So perhaps, we should create SUV-free areas, except for residents who need one?
Extinction Rebellion want everybody to use electric cars. What would happen if kids refused to go in any car that wasn’t zero carbon?
If I put myself at say sixteen, with my father in his fifties in the present day, I would try to convince him to have an electric car. Knowing my father, he would have probably bought one on my pestering.
But can I convince my son to buy one?
No!
Home Kits Signal End Of Cervical Smear Test
This is a headline on the front page of today’s copy of The Times.
Being male and living alone, I wouldn’t know what a woman thinks!
But there must surely be some women, who would think this is at least an improvement.
Health services across the world will also be able to save money, as the procedure must be more efficient and need less staff, who can probably be redeployed, where they are needed.
Asthma Carbon Footprint ‘As Big As Eating Meat’
The title of this post is the same as that of this article on the BBC.
This is the introductory paragraph.
Many people with asthma could cut their carbon footprint and help save the environment by switching to “greener” medications, UK researchers say.
I know more than a bit about metered dose inhalers.
I backed an inhaler, which is marketed under the name of Respimat, as when I saw the technology of the company, my physics knowledge told me that they had something.
The device was purely mechanical, with no batteries, electrical supply, gases or noxious chemicals. It effectively used the principle of an old-fashioned air pistol, that fired drugs instead of pellets.
I still have the prototype in my garage.
It was a bit of a roller-coaster of an investment, but I made a good return in the end, when we sold the device to Bohringer Ingelheim.
I was saying what Cambridge University are now saying, nearly twenty years ago!
NHS Chief Wants Homeopathy To Lose Official Stamp Of Approval
This is the title of an article in today’s copy of the Times.
About time too!
If people want to use quackery, they should pay for it themselves! And not expect taxpayers to pick up the pieces!
Blood Pressure Pills ‘Work Better At Bedtime’
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on the BBC.
This is the first paragraph.
To get the best out of your daily blood pressure medication, take it just before you go to bed, say researchers.
The study was at the University of Vigo in Spain and could be very significant.
As I am on pills for high blood pressure, after discussing it with a friend, who is a senior cardiologist, I decided to give it a go.
I started on Wednesday night, so it is only a few days and it would be wrong to draw any serious conclusions.
But I can already draw one simple one. It is much easier to take the drugs at night, just because you’ve always got a drink handy. Even, if it’s just cold tea in the bottom of a mug or the last dregs of beer in the bottom of a glass.
In the morning, I now get out of bed, brush my teeth, scratch my beard, do a few simple warm up exercises, take my blood pressure and put the kettle on.
Life is simpler!
I also seem to be sleeping better!
It’s too early to come to any conclusions, but everybody on pills for high blood pressure, should read the BBC article and talk to their doctor.
Smart Lavatories Could Spot Tumours Before They Form
The title of this post is the same as that of this article on page 14 of today’s copy of The Times.
With bowel cancer being a big killer, I can understand how it might work there, but how will it spot brain tumours.
Perhaps all those school bullies, who put unfortunates’ heads down the toilet and pulled the chain, had it roight?
Pollution Charge For Diesels Has Cut City’s Toxic Fumes By A Third
The title of this post is the same as that of this article on Page 4 of today’s copy of The Times.
The only applies to London at the moment.
Surely other cities should follow the capital’s lead.
Ultrasound On A Chip
The latest episode of BBC Click is a must-watch.
One section is about a new ultrasound device from Butterfly Network.
Their product called Butterfly iQ; is an ultrasound sensor on a chip, that converts a smart phone into a full function medical ultrasound machine.
But as an engineer, who knows a bit about this sort of technology, I doubt that all the applications are medical ones.
Typical hospital ultrasound machines cost tens of thousands of pounds, but the price of the sensor on the Butterfly Network web site is in the order of a couple of grand. Software is probably extra, but even so, Southampton Hospital has bought four and one is in their paediatric ambulance.
I have one big question.
Is the device open source? This would enable, an imaginative programmer, as I once was, to convert the device, so that it is able to perform an important application.
I would be very disappointing if it wasn’t!
To get a snapshot of the power of ultrasound, read the Wikipedia entry for ultrasound.
A Video
I found this on the Internet.
As you can see, it’s not very big.
Conclusion
This is an amazing development and it will revolutionise so much of healthcare and other fields.
The Body: A Guide For Occupants
The title of this post, is the title of Bill Bryson‘s new book.
It sounded to me, that it could be a human equivalent of the invaluable Veterinary Notes For Horse Owners.
The Anonymous Widower 