The latest research claims that merely washing off your apples in water will not get rid of the pesticides on their skin, and offers advice on how to best clean them instead.

So Which Is the Best Method to Wash Apples?

The team behind this new study states that the shortest answer is this. People should soak their apples in a solution of water and baking soda for about 12 to 15 minutes.

Scientists part of the University of Massachusetts at Amherst are behind this research. They published a paper with their results in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry. This tested three different methods that are currently being used to wash apples. One is putting them under regular tap water like most people do, while another is the baking soda concoction. The third and last method is a bleach solution often used by farmers at the end of the harvesting period.

The study focused not only on the outside of the apples but also whether or not pesticides actually managed to leak in through their skin. The good news is that the baking soda solution can get rid of all the pesticides on the outside of the fruit. However, the bad news is that some of them still managed to get through and infect the inside of the apple. About 20 percent of the fungicides and around 4 percent of the insecticides managed to bypass the apples’ watertight skin.

Pesticides are chemicals that kill bugs and mold, both of which can be harmful to fruits. The exact effect of these chemicals on humans is not clear, but many studies, as well as the World Health Organization, warn that these could be harmful to the nervous system, especially for fetuses and young children.

Other of the proposed cleaning methods imply buying organic fruit, but aside from being more expensive, many of these use organic pesticides. In turn, these may be just as harmful as their artificial cousins. People can also peel off the skin of the apple, but again, this will only take care of the surface layer but not the chemicals that might have gotten inside.

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The Zika virus was discovered in the 1940s, but only became well-known when it caused a global health emergency as it spread throughout Latin America and the Caribbean in 2015 and 2016. Also called the ZIKV, this virus causes many congenital disabilities, including microcephaly, a condition that causes babies to have underdeveloped heads and brain damage.

Mosquitoes are the primary spreading source of the ZIKV. A human can contract the virus when they are bitten by a mosquito that had previously bitten a person with the virus. However, it was recently discovered that the virus might also be sexually transmitted. If someone who has been bitten by a Zika infected mosquito has intercourse with someone who hasn’t, that person may also contract it.

Cocktail of Antibodies to Stop the ZIKV

Researchers at Inovio Pharmaceuticals Inc. and South Korea’s GeneOne Life Science Inc. have recently discovered that a combination consisting of three different antibodies has proven to be effective in preventing the disease, at least in primates.

The three antibodies, SMZAb1, SMZAb2, and SMZAb5, were isolated from a pregnant Zika patient. A “cocktail” was made out of them and administered to primates. The following day, the test subjects were exposed to the ZIKV.

According to reports, the virus never appeared in the primates that had received the antibody cocktail. In contrast, all of the specimens that had not been given the cocktail became infected within seven days of being exposed to the virus.

According to David Watkins, a professor at the University of Miami’s Miller School of Medicine and the study lead, none of these three antibodies is harmful to pregnant women or their unborn fetus. He says that it wouldn’t take long for the combination to be turned into a vaccine for expecting mothers that are not infected with the virus already to prevent various congenital disabilities.

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The news came earlier this week on Monday, October 02, that the 2017 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine was awarded, jointly, to 3 scientists. These were bestowed for their discovery of the molecular mechanisms behind the circadian rhythm.

The prize was awarded by the NIH or the National Institutes of Health It was received by grantees Jeffrey C. Hall of the University of Maine, Orono, Michael W. Young, part of Rockefeller University, New York City, and Michael Rosbash of the Brandeis University in Waltham, Massachusetts.

The 2017 Nobel Prize in Physiology Or Medicine Won Over by the Circadian Rhythm

The Nobel Assembly at Karolinska Institutet was reported to have decided to award this prize to the three scientists “for their discoveries of molecular mechanisms controlling the circadian rhythm”.

According to a statement from the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences” “the paradigm-shifting discoveries by the laureates established key mechanistic principles for the biological clock.”

Namely, the statements point out that every living organisms on this planet functions thanks to an internal, biological clock. Still, not much is known about the way in which this actually functions.

The three 2017 Nobel Prize laureates used fruit flies to study the circadian rhythms. They analyzed them and managed to isolate one particular gene. This was established to be able to control the normal biological rhythm on a daily basis.

A further study of this gene helped reveal its day and night processes, and also the subsequent actions it determines.

“The work of these Nobel laureates to help us understand how our biological clocks work has shone a light on the significance of circadian rhythms on our health, and is informing treatments for sleep disorders, obesity, mental health disorders, and other health problems,” said Francis S. Collins, the NIH Director and a M.D., and Ph.D.

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A woman from Michigan who was suffering from brain cancer chose to give up her life so she could give birth to her sixth baby. Soon after her daughter was born, the woman passed away. She chose her baby’s life instead of hers, as she refused to endanger her pregnancy by undergoing chemotherapy.

The woman found out she was pregnant soon after the diagnose

In April, Carrie DeKlyen started experiencing headaches, which quickly turned into vomiting. She went for a checkup, and underwent a brain scan. Doctors observed a mass in her brain, and quickly identified it. Therefore, she received the diagnosis of glioblastoma, the most aggressive form of brain cancer.

Soon after that, she underwent surgery and had the tumor removed. However, after a month, she discovered the tumor had grown back. Also, at the same time, she found out she was pregnant, which left her with two choices.

Carrie put the life of the baby above her own

She could have undergone chemotherapy and prolong her life, but this would have threatened the baby. In fact, she would have had to interrupt the pregnancy. However, she chose to give up on her life, but give birth to the baby.

Carrie was a religious woman, so she couldn’t put the life of her baby on the second plan. Therefore, while she was on life support, she gave birth to Life Lynn. The girl was born prematurely, weighing only 1 pound and 4 ounces but, fortunately, her state has already gotten better. She has started gaining weight, and can almost breathe on her own.

The girl was born on Thursday and, soon after, they removed the breathing and feeding tubes which kept Carrie alive. She survived until Saturday morning, when she passed away peacefully, surrounded by her loved ones. Her husband and her other children stood close to her and, although it was extremely painful, respected her wish.
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September is the Gynecological Cancer Awareness Month, so a UK charity association dealing with gynecological cancer research, The Eve Appeal, decided to launch a poll and question men on their knowledge of the female reproductive system. The results were quite alarming, as 50 percent of the interviewed men weren’t able to correctly identify the vagina on a diagram of the female body.

Men can’t point out the vagina on a diagram

The poll was aimed to assess the level of knowledge people have on gynecological cancers. However, its results highlighted another worrying issue. Most men are unaware of how a woman’s body functions, and of the components of her reproductive system.

The Eve Appeal gathered 1,000 men, and showed them a picture containing the vulva, the vagina, the cervix, the ovaries, and the Fallopian tubes. Then, these men were asked to point out the vagina on the picture. The results were quite disastrous, as 500 of them couldn’t do it correctly.

People in general are quite unaware of the symptoms of gynecological cancer

However, the research wasn’t only meant to show men’s lack of knowledge regarding woman anatomy. One in six participants knew nothing about the symptoms of gynecological cancers or other related health problems. This happened mostly because these men thought this is a woman’s problem, and they should deal with it by themselves.

The study might indicate one clear thing. Sex, as well as reproductive or gynecological issues, have remained a taboo among many people. This is a huge problem, since most of them might suffer permanent consequences by refusing to talk about some of their issues because they find it embarrassing.

It’s quite important that men should be aware of gynecological cancer symptoms. They might help their partners detect them, and convince them to pay a short visit to the doctor and see what’s wrong. Unfortunately, women don’t score any better. They might be as unaware as their partners, and don’t encourage them to pay more attention and to take care of themselves together.
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British health officials came up with new advice for older people to stay healthy. They encourage middle-aged people to start walking faster. If they get too sedentary, their health might be in danger, as inactivity is one of their biggest enemies.

Walking briskly for 10 minutes every day improves health condition

Officials from Public Health England noticed how people started being less active starting with the age of 40. Being sedentary might lead to the development of several health problems, therefore they told people between 40 and 60 to start walking at a more rapid pace. If they take only 10 minutes of their lives to walk briskly, their condition might be significantly changed for the better. Doing this every day can reduce their risk of mortality by 15 percent.

Unfortunately, many people in this age group barely go out, and some of them manage to spend 10 minutes walking more rapidly only once a month, or even less often. The English government wants to change that, so it thought of a solution to convince people to be more active.

The English government encourages middle-aged people to be more active by using an app

It started promoting a free app called Active 10, which records the walking done by a person per day. Also, it offers people advice on how they can improve their condition, and how to perform more physical activity in their lives.

Sometimes, it might be hard to be physically active when you have to many other things which capture your attention. However, by taking small steps, you can gradually involve more physical activity in your daily life. For instance, instead of driving somewhere close, you can choose walking.

Some people have already started Active 10, and have seen the improvements. Also, doctors are advised to encourage their patients to be more active and to take brisk walks more often. The guidelines recommend about 150 minutes of physical activity per day but, unfortunately, not even half of people between 40 and 60 achieve this goal.
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Nowadays, racism is a reality in the United States, as more people become its victims and have to face it more often. Dr. Esther Choo, a medical professional of Asian descent, has recently talked about how racism affects her at her workplace. Many patients refused to receive her medical attention and required a white doctor instead.

People refused her services due to her Asian descent

Dr. Choo has been in the field for over ten years, but she still has to face reluctance from some of her patients. She lives in Oregon, where there are quite a lot of white nationalists. Recently, she has posted a detailed story of what she has to deal with from these kinds of patients.

Several times a year, there comes a patient in the emergency room who just won’t agree to receive medical attention from Dr. Choo. This happens solely on the basis of her race. When this happens, she has to stay calm, explain these people how she understands their view, but she is still qualified to offer them all the care they need.

In most cases, the only alternative these people had was to receive medical services from an intern, who was white. They either chose the intern, who clearly didn’t have the same experience, or sought a different hospital or medical facility.

Racism is a serious issue in the United States

At first, Dr. Choo was highly disappointed and lacked self confidence. Now, she managed to move on and ignore such events. Her tweets came shortly after the Charlottesville incident. Here, many white nationalists gathered for a meeting, where things got pretty intense. This led to the killing of one counter-protester.

Many people of different descent have to face these prejudices, both in the medical field and in other places. Instead of responding in the same manner, these people have learned how to overlook such incidents, and promote tolerance as much as they can.
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A recent study claims to have found a way to tell when social media users are depressed. It seems these people tend to post more photos, many of them containing faces but few having filters applied. Scientists managed to find out about this after designing an algorithm to analyze photos and identify if the person who posted it is depressed.

This project was developed by researchers from Vermont University and Harvard University. They developed a complex program which can tell if a person is likely to be depressed just by analyzing the photos and posts they share on social media. This is incredibly useful, as the algorithm can trigger an alert for people who might be really having a mental health issue.

Those photos posted by depressed people shared certain elements

The study was published in the journal EPJ Data Science. Results showed how the computer program managed to accurately identify depression in 70 percent of cases. However, something interested was also noticed. Doctors had an accuracy of only 40 percent in diagnosing depression.

Researchers identified several common elements in all photos posted by depressed people. These photos were more likely to feature a face, but without any filters. Also, they were darker, and attracted more comments than other photos.

Since people are now spending so much time online and sharing so much of their lives, finding out how to identify depression just by looking at social media posts is a huge achievement. This might lead to the development of a special app which warns your doctor if it detects any changes in your behavior.

Initially, the program analyzed the photos posted by people who were already diagnosed with depression. Then, it used what it had learnt to predict who else might be suffering from the same condition. The sample researchers used might have been a bit small, but the differences in posts were clearly visible, so the study collected important information.
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