A breath of fresh microbes

0 Comments read Health & Science

By Neena Bhandari

Sydney 12.11.20 (The Medical Republic): Microbiomes of the gut and the skin, in particular, and their interactions with other organs, have been increasingly linked to human health status.

Now, most recently, scientists have begun investigating at another microbial community, called the aerobiome – that is, the airborne microbial communities we live in and breathe in every day.

Recent research by scientists from the University of Tasmania has found urban environments alter people’s exposure to the aerobiome, which has potentially important, but underexplored, health impacts.

“People living in urban environments can inhale approximately 100 million bacteria each day. This microbial exposure helps shape our internal microbiomes and seems to be connected to the rise in allergic and inflammatory diseases in urban areas”, says Emily J. Flies, lead author and lecturer at University of Tasmania’s School of Natural Sciences.

Continue reading →

Mothers can pass on allergies to babies in the womb

0 Comments read Health & Science
Photo Credit: © Neena Bhandari

By Neena Bhandari

Sydney, 10.11.20 (SciDev.Net): Mothers can pass on allergies to offspring while they are developing in the womb and that is one reason why babies exhibit allergies early in life, according to a Singapore preclinical study.

Findings from the research published 30 October in Science show that the key antibody, immunoglobulin E (IgE), responsible for triggering allergic reactions, can enter the foetus from the mother’s body through the placenta. Once inside the foetus, it binds with foetal mast cells which are immune cells responsible for causing allergic reactions, such as runny noses and asthma.

Globally, 10—30 per cent of the population is affected by allergies and this number continues to increase. The sensitisation rates for allergies in school children are close to 40—50 per cent, according to the World Allergy Organization White Book on Allergy 2013 update.

Continue reading →

Waste to wealth with new generation nanocatalyst

0 Comments read Climate Change, Health & Science

By Neena Bhandari

Sydney, 05.11.2020 (SciDev.Net): Researchers have developed a new and cheaper method of recycling used cooking oil and agricultural waste into biodiesel, which also has the potential to efficiently convert food scraps, micro-plastics and old tyres into valuable molecules used in medicines, fertilisers and biodegradable packaging.

The findings of the research, an international collaboration led by RMIT University in Melbourne (Australia) published 26 October in Nature Catalysis, point to the multifunctional properties of the new and more efficient catalyst, a highly porous, micron-sized ceramic sponge that contains different specialised active components that accelerate chemical reactions. Molecules enter the sponge through large pores, where they undergo the first chemical reaction, and then pass into smaller pores to undergo the second reaction with the help of nanoparticles.

“Biodiesel is currently manufactured using soluble catalysts (substances that accelerate chemical reactions). These are difficult to recover (for reuse) from the fuel product, can corrode engines and are rapidly ‘poisoned’ by contaminants present in the oil feedstocks,” says Adam Lee, co-lead investigator and professor of sustainable chemistry at RMIT University.

Continue reading →