UC Science Today

Researchers at UCLA conducted a proof-of-concept study to see if gut bacteria could affect brain function. Dr. Emeran Mayer says their 4-week study looked at healthy women who regularly ate probiotics in yogurt.

"We saw an extensive network of brain regions that differed from the beginning of the study to the end of the study. This network included sensory regions, as well as pain modulatory regions. And what was most interesting is that the intervention showed a change in the connectivity of this network. So the individuals that consumed the probiotic mix had a decrease in this network, so they showed a decreased response to negative emotional recognition tests, as opposed to the control group that got non-fermented milk product that did not show change or the group that had no intervention at all, which should a slight increase during that time."

These findings could have significant implications for future dietary or drug interventions to improve brain function.

Sometime this year, consumers will be able to buy a first-generation version of a wearable patch that can serve as a protective shield against bloodthirsty mosquitoes. The Kite Patch works by rendering the user seemingly invisible to mosquitoes by emitting odors that block their ability to detect the carbon dioxide that humans exhale. The technology is based on University of California, Riverside research and as Anandasankar Ray, who led the project, explains, it will hit the market soon because it uses ingredients that are considered safe by the EPA.

"Most of the chemicals we are using are actually classified as ‘generally regarded as safe – GRAS’, so a very special classification for the food and flavor industry. That means that there’s a lot of testing that has already occurred with those chemicals."

Nearly a billion people worldwide are affected by mosquito-borne diseases and half a million people die each year from malaria – many are young children.

"So there are immediate needs to try and find ways to prevent the spread of these diseases."

http://www.kitepatch.com/

Researchers at UCLA conducted a proof-of-concept study to see if gut bacteria could affect brain function. Dr. Emeran Mayer says their 4-week study looked at healthy women who regularly ate probiotics in yogurt.

"We saw an extensive network of brain regions that differed from the beginning of the study to the end of the study. This network included sensory regions, as well as pain modulatory regions. And what was most interesting is that the intervention showed a change in the connectivity of this network. So the individuals that consumed the probiotic mix had a decrease in this network, so they showed a decreased response to negative emotional recognition tests, as opposed to the control group that got non-fermented milk product that did not show change or the group that had no intervention at all, which should a slight increase during that time."

These findings could have significant implications for future dietary or drug interventions to improve brain function.

Researchers at UCLA conducted a proof-of-concept study to see if gut bacteria could affect brain function. Dr. Emeran Mayer says their 4-week study looked at healthy women who regularly ate probiotics in yogurt.

"We saw an extensive network of brain regions that differed from the beginning of the study to the end of the study. This network included sensory regions, as well as pain modulatory regions. And what was most interesting is that the intervention showed a change in the connectivity of this network. So the individuals that consumed the probiotic mix had a decrease in this network, so they showed a decreased response to negative emotional recognition tests, as opposed to the control group that got non-fermented milk product that did not show change or the group that had no intervention at all, which should a slight increase during that time."

These findings could have significant implications for future dietary or drug interventions to improve brain function.

Planning to make some carrot cake this winter? It turns out carrots grow sweeter in the colder weather, so it may be great timing for your sweet tooth. Science educator and UCLA fellow, Liz Roth-Johnson, says because plants are immobile, they need to adapt to the cold and in the case of carrots, these protective measures make them sweeter.

"So, they’ve developed all these amazing adaptations to deal with their environment, to deal with things that want to eat them, to deal with the cold. And so a vegetable like a carrot that’s growing in the ground in the cold weather, in order to defend itself against the cold, it’s developed all these amazing physiologic responses, including increasing the sugar content."

This defends the carrot against ice crystal formation …

"Which can do all kinds of terrible things to cells like dehydrate them, crush them and rupture them and so along with many other responses, this increase in sugar content helps defend the carrot against frost and cold. And the great benefit of that is when we harvest those carrots in colder weather, they taste much sweeter."

Planning to make some carrot cake this winter? It turns out carrots grow sweeter in the colder weather, so it may be great timing for your sweet tooth. Science educator and UCLA fellow, Liz Roth-Johnson, says because plants are immobile, they need to adapt to the cold and in the case of carrots, these protective measures make them sweeter.

"So, they’ve developed all these amazing adaptations to deal with their environment, to deal with things that want to eat them, to deal with the cold. And so a vegetable like a carrot that’s growing in the ground in the cold weather, in order to defend itself against the cold, it’s developed all these amazing physiologic responses, including increasing the sugar content."

This defends the carrot against ice crystal formation …

"Which can do all kinds of terrible things to cells like dehydrate them, crush them and rupture them and so along with many other responses, this increase in sugar content helps defend the carrot against frost and cold. And the great benefit of that is when we harvest those carrots in colder weather, they taste much sweeter."

Planning to make some carrot cake this winter? It turns out carrots grow sweeter in the colder weather, so it may be great timing for your sweet tooth. Science educator and UCLA fellow, Liz Roth-Johnson, says because plants are immobile, they need to adapt to the cold and in the case of carrots, these protective measures make them sweeter.

"So, they’ve developed all these amazing adaptations to deal with their environment, to deal with things that want to eat them, to deal with the cold. And so a vegetable like a carrot that’s growing in the ground in the cold weather, in order to defend itself against the cold, it’s developed all these amazing physiologic responses, including increasing the sugar content."

This defends the carrot against ice crystal formation …

"Which can do all kinds of terrible things to cells like dehydrate them, crush them and rupture them and so along with many other responses, this increase in sugar content helps defend the carrot against frost and cold. And the great benefit of that is when we harvest those carrots in colder weather, they taste much sweeter."

Concussion rates in young adults have been on the rise, but thanks to new laws and media attention, this has led to more treatment. Dr. Khizer Khaderi of the University of California, Davis started a sports division lab on campus and developed a device that uses a mobile solution to quickly test if an athlete has just suffered a concussion. Khaderi says the sooner you know you have a concussion, the better – and he should know as he suffered one while snowboarding.

"With my concussion, I had this feeling of – I wasn’t quite myself. I had this kind of fogginess and I’ve heard other people describe it this way as well. And it took about two to three days for it to clear out. The current guidelines is it can take up to two weeks with treatment. So, basically that means mental rest and physical rest as well. But there’s a lot of people where you don’t quite feel right, but you feel that you can continue doing whatever activities, but you might be at a danger to yourself or even to others by doing those activities without getting the proper treatment."

Concussion rates in young adults have been on the rise, but thanks to new laws and media attention, this has led to more treatment. Dr. Khizer Khaderi of the University of California, Davis started a sports division lab on campus and developed a device that uses a mobile solution to quickly test if an athlete has just suffered a concussion. Khaderi says the sooner you know you have a concussion, the better – and he should know as he suffered one while snowboarding.

"With my concussion, I had this feeling of – I wasn’t quite myself. I had this kind of fogginess and I’ve heard other people describe it this way as well. And it took about two to three days for it to clear out. The current guidelines is it can take up to two weeks with treatment. So, basically that means mental rest and physical rest as well. But there’s a lot of people where you don’t quite feel right, but you feel that you can continue doing whatever activities, but you might be at a danger to yourself or even to others by doing those activities without getting the proper treatment."

Concussion rates in young adults have been on the rise, but thanks to new laws and media attention, this has led to more treatment. Dr. Khizer Khaderi of the University of California, Davis started a sports division lab on campus and developed a device that uses a mobile solution to quickly test if an athlete has just suffered a concussion. Khaderi says the sooner you know you have a concussion, the better – and he should know as he suffered one while snowboarding.

"With my concussion, I had this feeling of – I wasn’t quite myself. I had this kind of fogginess and I’ve heard other people describe it this way as well. And it took about two to three days for it to clear out. The current guidelines is it can take up to two weeks with treatment. So, basically that means mental rest and physical rest as well. But there’s a lot of people where you don’t quite feel right, but you feel that you can continue doing whatever activities, but you might be at a danger to yourself or even to others by doing those activities without getting the proper treatment."