A joint study by University of Newcastle in Australia and University of Science and Technology in China can lead to innovative new approach to treating cancer, lead Investigator Professor, Xudong Zhang of University of Newcastle, said. He says while global research usually focuses on two per cent of human Genome, ignoring the non-functioning cancer cells, scientists involved in the collaborative project decided to investigate the noncoding genes known as ncRNA. He says “it seems the unorthodox approach worked, with researchers identifying two unique pathways that can lead to the development of new, more targeted cancer therapies. “One of these ncRNA genes,…
Author: Abdallah el-Kurebe
The Country Director of HarvestPlus Nigeria, Dr. Paul Ilona says the NGO was working to meet the nutritional needs of about 100 million Nigerians by the year 2030. In an interview on Thursday in Lagos, he said that the food culture in Nigeria had made it challenging for people to stay healthy because the diets consisted mainly of carbohydrates, thereby lacking in other essential nutrients the body requires. “We’re looking at 100 million Nigerians consuming more nutritious staple foods by the year 2030. We’re not looking at consumers in the urban areas but more of those in the rural areas who…
Research undertaken in South Africa’s Kruger National Park (KNP) has shown that some of the world’s most sensitive and valuable riverine habitats are being destroyed due to an increasing frequency of cyclone-driven extreme floods. As part of a Natural Environmental Research Council (UK) funded project, researchers from the universities of Hull, Aberystwyth, and Salford and the engineering consultants “Architecture, Engineering, Consulting, Operations, and Maintenance” (AECOM), used laser survey technology (LiDAR) flown from an aircraft, to measure the impacts of cyclone-driven extreme floods in 2000 and 2012 on rivers in the KNP. The KNP game reserve has global significance for its…
By Jennifer Couzin-Frankel For a condition that affects up to 10% of reproductive-age women worldwide, polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) remains mysterious. It’s a leading cause of female infertility and often boosts the risk of metabolic problems such as type 2 diabetes. It’s also highly heritable: The sister of an affected woman has at least a 20% chance of developing it herself, and the risk for identical twins is even higher. Yet although there are many symptoms of PCOS—including lack of ovulation, ovarian cysts, and excess hair growth on the face and body—no one seems to know how it starts. Is…
The Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) has donated N50 million to fund its Professorial Chair on Malaria Elimination and Phytomedicine Research programme at the University of Port Harcourt (UNIPORT). The commission’s Director of Corporate Affairs, Ibitoye Abosede said in a statement on Wednesday that NDDC’s Managing Director, Nsima Ekere inaugurated the governing board for the research programme. Ekere, who was represented by the commission’s Executive Director of Projects, Mr Samual Adjogbe said the fund would be used to fight malaria in the region. He also said the fund would be used to control, curtail breeding and transmission as well as…
Frequency of the adaptive allele in several human populations (from the 1000 Genomes dataset). Colors and letters represent different populations in the dataset, and the pie charts reflect the proportion of individuals in those populations who have the variant TRPM8 allele. FELIX M. KEY, MPI-EVA MULTIMEDIA DEPARTMENT AND COLLEAGUES
Governor Abubakar Bello of Niger state on Tuesday said that the state government had procured 130 tractors and accessories worth N2.2 billion, to boost agricultural mechanisation ahead of the 2018 farming season. Inaugurating the 2018 farming season, fertiliser sales and distribution of tractors in Minna, he said that the measure to procure tractors would ensure food security in the state and the nation at large. “The state government in its deliberate efforts toward boosting agricultural mechanisation activities has procured 130 tractors valued at N2.2 billion,” Bello said adding that the equipment would be distributed to genuine farmers at 25 percent…
The C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group, a non-governmental organisation (NGO), says it will provide technical assistance to nine African cities in order to prevent climate change catastrophe. The Executive Director of C40, Mr Mark Watts disclosed in Lagos on Tuesday during the unveiling of the “C40 Climate Action Planning Africa Programme” that the nine African cities include Lagos, Accra, Addis Ababa, Cape Town, Dakar, Dar es Salaam, Durban, Johannesburg and Tshwane. Watts said that the unveiling signified the official start of the C40’s Climate Action Planning (CAP) technical assistance programme in the African region. He said that the CAP technical…
As the virus spreads in Democratic Republic of Congo, the World Health Organization is preparing to immunize people as soon as this week. By Kerry Grens The World Health Organization, the government of Democratic Republic of Congo, and Merck have agreed to use Merck’s unapproved Ebola vaccine as an outbreak of the virus expands in DRC. “The cold chain is on standby, the stockpile is on standby, the teams have been put on standby including up to 40 people that conducted the initial ring vaccination trial in Guinea,” Peter Salama, the World Health Organization’s (WHO) deputy director-general of emergency preparedness…
Yogurt might help lessen chronic inflammation linked to bowel disease, arthritis and asthma. According to a study published in the Journal of Nutrition, inflammation is the body’s first line of defense against illness and injury. However, it could also wreak biological havoc on organs and systems and is associated with obesity, metabolic syndrome, cardiovascular disease, and other chronic diseases. The new study led by researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison showed that yogurt can reduce inflammation by improving the integrity of the intestinal lining, thus preventing endotoxins, the pro-inflammatory molecules produced by gut microbes, from crossing into the blood stream.…