1.  Klaus Schwab — A Conversation With Albert Bourla, CEO of Pfizer (play 3:00 mins)

Articles of Interest:

FBI Conducted Potentially Millions of Searches of Americans’ Data Last Year, Report Says

I FOUND IT!!! Why do Ukrainians tie people to poles?

Antioxidants from grape powder helped ease hyperglycaemia-related cognitive dysfunction in aged rats, a study discovered.

Researchers from the Taipei Medical University said polyphenols from grape powder produced antioxidative and blood sugar-lowering properties that reduced the damage caused by a high-fat-high-fructose (HFHF) diet.

Findings revealed that 6% grape powder group had reduced RAGE, or receptor for advanced glycation end products in the brain tissue.

“Inclusion of up to 6% grape powder in the diet markedly reduced RAGE expression and tau hyperphosphorylation, but upregulated the expression of Nrf2 and BDNF, as well as the phosphorylation of PI3K and ERK, in the brain tissues of aged rats fed the HFHF diet,” the researchers reported.

Thus, while long-term diet high in fructose and fat levels can cause hyperglycemia-related cognitive dysfunction in aged rats, grape powder supplementation can help ease the damaging changes in the brain protein related to neurodegeneration.

Medical University of South Carolina, May 24, 2022

While most commonly known as “the powerhouses of the cell” because of their energy producing capabilities, mitochondria also play important roles in regulating the health of cells. These important structures can be damaged by alcohol consumption, which can cause them to rupture and release their DNA, proteins and lipids, collectively known as “damage associated molecular patterns (DAMPs).”

To understand more fully how alcohol damages mitochondria, and how this leads to mitophagy, researchers at the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) used an advanced imaging technique to investigate changes in mitochondrial function within the livers of mice that were exposed to alcohol. Their findings, published online on March 16 in the journal Autophagy, demonstrated that exposure to alcohol causes a specific type of mitochondrial damage called depolarization. In a completely novel discovery, they found that it is this depolarization that indicates to the cell that the mitochondria are damaged and thereby causes activation of the mitophagy machinery to remove the damaged mitochondria before they can cause harm.

The current study determined that mitochondrial injury, specifically depolarization, initiates mitophagy to prevent damaged mitochondria from accumulating in cells. Blocking depolarization after ethanol exposure also blocks mitophagy, preventing mitochondrial depletion.

Johns Hopkins School of Public Health, May 22, 2022

Previous research has shown that the plant-produced chemicals known as flavonoids have beneficial antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. Anthocyanins, the type of flavonoid investigated in the current study, have been detected in lung tissue shortly after being ingested, and in animals models of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). The plant chemicals appear to reduce mucus and inflammatory secretions.

The researchers analyzed data from 463 adults (average age: 44) who participated in the second and third European Community Respiratory Health Surveys from 2002 to 2012.  The researchers also analyzed the association between anthocyanin consumption and lung function in smokers, those who had never smoked and those who quit. The association between high consumption of the flavonoids and reduced lung function decline appeared to be stronger among both never smokers and those who had quit than in the general study population. Among smokers, the study did not find an association between anthocyanin intake and lung function.

“Our study suggests that the general population could benefit from consuming more fruits rich in these flavonoids like berries, particularly those who have given up smoking or have never smoked, Dr. Larsen said. 

Florida International University, May 24, 2022

For decades, most physicians, parents and teachers have believed that stimulant medications help children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) learn. However, in the first study of its kind, researchers found medication has no detectable impact on how much children with ADHD learn in the classroom.

Approximately 10% of children in the U.S. are diagnosed with ADHD and more than 90% of them are prescribed stimulant medication as the main form of treatment in school settingsbecause most physicians believe that medication will result in better academic achievement.

Researchers evaluated 173 children between the ages of 7 and 12 with ADHD participating in the center’s Summer Treatment Program, a comprehensive eight-week summer camp program for children with ADHD and related behavioral, emotional and learning challenges.  Each child was randomized to be medicated with a sustained-release stimulant medication during either the first or second of the instructional phases, receiving a placebo during the other.

Contrary to expectations, researchers found that children learned the same amount of science, social studies, and vocabulary content whether they were taking the medication or the placebo.

NYU School of Medicine May 21, 2022

Eating a Mediterranean diet may protect people from some of the harm of long-term exposure to air pollution, and reduce their risk of dying from heart attacks, stroke and other causes of death, according to new research.

The researchers analyzed data from the National Institutes of Health (NIH)-American Association of Retired Persons (AARP) Diet and Health Study. Over 17 years, the study followed 548,699 people (average age 62 at enrollment) from 6 states. During that time, 126,835 people in the study group died.

The researchers created five groups of participants based on their level of adherence to a Mediterranean diet and linked participants to estimates of long-term exposure to fine particulate matter (PM2.5), nitrous oxide (NO2) and ozone (O3) based on census tract information.

When comparing those least and most adherent to a Mediterranean diet, the study found that:

• Deaths from all causes increased by 5 percent for every 10 parts per billion (ppb) increase in long-term average NO2 exposure in those least adherent, compared to 2 percent among the most adherent.