Sibucao (Caesalpinia sappan)

Sibucao (Caesalpinia sappan) woods from a 10 yr old tree. Time to cut, harvest, dried and stored. I have a new batch of germinants from the seeds this season, so hopefully I can outplant more before this year 2021 ends.

These are already cut to a convenient size and are ready to be sun dried. 

One of my Sibucao mother tree. 

The dried matured pods with seeds ready for planting. The seed is orthodox so you can keep it for a long period and still viable for planting.

The seedlings of Sibucao weeks after germination.

A decoction of Sibucao woods ready for drinking.

The health benefits of drinking decoction sibucao woods. 

For more information about Sibucao or Sappan tree you can always search in the internet. 

 

Kaong/Sugar Palm (Arenga pinnata)

Ka-ong (Arenga pinnata) that germinated from seeds last Feb.2021. I will try a new batch from the ripe fruits soon.

Seeds of Arenga pinnata or Sugar Palm showing signs of life. 

The meat inside of the Sugar Palm fruit after boiling and extraction. It is now ready to be cook again and to be preserve for future use especially for fruit salad in the future.

The Kaong or Sugar Palm industry is a big potential money earner for every farmer. The tree can produce also juice which can also be process into honey and vinegar. 

 

Bagawak Morado

Pruning the Bagawak Morado (Clerodendrum quadriloculare) in order to initiate more branches soon. 

Below is the Bagawak Morado flowering at a very young age. 

I am propagating a lot of this more soon. 

 

Foraging for food

Everything is free if you just look around and you will find a variety of edibles waiting to be discovered. This is the reason why I am building a good forest where there are lots of food you can get around you. 

Bamboo shoots

Wild edible shroom

 Ube rootcrop

 

Rimas Propagation

It's been 4 months since this Rimas/Kolo/Breadfruit (Artocarpus altilis) has been detached from its mother tree.

As you can see below the other cuts I've made are also showing signs of life. This is important development on my part as I am trying to propagate more of this species for my food forest. This is one of the most important species that can help the food security of every community.

 

Time to Plant Toog (Petersianthus quadrialatus)

It is a privilege for me to acquire planting materials of this tree species. This is Toog (Petersianthus quadrialatus) or also known as Philippine Rosewood. The conservation status of this species is vulnerable because it is threatened by habitat loss. To ensure the survival of this species, we need to plant more of its kind. 

 

Sibukaw (Caesalpinia sappan) Health Benefits

SIBUKAW WOOD HEALTH BENEFITS* -Decoction of wood and bark used for- ✓Hypertension/Highblood ✓Diabetes ✓Treats Hepatitis Problem ✓Kidney problem

✓UTI ✓Dialysis Patient ✓Binat ✓Anemia ✓Good for the heart health ✓Nervous disorders ✓Tuberculosis ✓Atonic Diarrhea

✓Dysentery ✓Postpartum tonic ✓Skin Infections ✓Cold and Cough ✓Bone Marrow Problem ✓Heart Diseases ✓Stomach Aches/Ulcers ✓Good for Respiratory Ailments (ashma) ✓Cures wounds ✓Dysmenorrhea ✓Pricking Pain in the Chest and Abdomen, ✓Prostate Enlargement ✓Arthritis/Gout ✓Cancer ✓Inflammatory Complaints

Sapang is a small tree, 3 to 5 meters high, with scattered spines. Leaves are compound, up to 50 centimeters long. Pinnae are about 20, opposite, and 10 to 20 centimeters long. Leaflets are 20 to 30, obliquely oblong to oblong-rhomboid. Flowers are yellow, on terminal panicles, 2 to 2.5 centimeters in diameter with densely wooly filaments. Fruit is a hard, indehiscent, shiny pod, about 7 centimeters long, and 3.5 to 4 centimeters wide, with a hard recurved beak at the upper angle.

Distribution
- Locally abundant throughout the Philippines at low and medium altitudes in dry thickets, parang, etc.
- Introduced, and probably of prehistoric introduction.
- Also occurs in India through Burma, Thailand, Indo-China, southern China to Malaysia.

Source: Stuartxchange.org

 

High fiber diet may protect against asthma

 Posted by Neill Abayon

In the past 50 years, as fruits and vegetables have featured less and less in the Western diet, rates of allergic asthma have gone up. Now a new study suggests these trends are not coincidental, but causally linked.

Funded by the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF), and led by Benjamin Marsland, an assistant professor at Lausanne University Hospital (CHUV) in Switzerland, researchers report their work in a recent online issue of Nature Medicine.

Using laboratory mice, they found that when gut bacteria digest dietary fiber, such as that contained in fruits and vegetables, they release fatty acids into the bloodstream, and these affect how the immune system behaves in the lungs.

The finding builds on knowledge that has been around for some time: that having a rich and diverse mix of microbes in the gut that digests and ferments fiber, helps prevent cancer of the intestines.

More here.

Bacteria linked to premature birth

Premature birth can have long-term health effects for both mothers and children

By Helen Briggs  
BBC News 

A major cause of premature birth - where waters break too soon, triggering labour - may be caused by specific bacteria, according to research.

 The findings could lead to screening and possible treatment for women at risk of early labour, says a US team.

The study, published in the journal PLOS ONE, suggests certain bacteria may lead to thinning of the membranes around the baby, causing them to tear.

Early rupture of membranes causes almost a third of all premature births.

The membranes that make up the sac that holds the baby usually break at the start of labour.

If a mother's waters break before the baby has reached full term, the medical term is preterm premature rupture of the membranes (PPROM).

If this happens early, before contractions start, it can - but does not always - trigger early labour.

Researchers at Duke University School of Medicine have found high numbers of bacteria at the site where membranes rupture, which are linked with the thinning of membranes.

If the bacteria are the cause rather than the consequence of early membrane rupture, it may be possible to develop new treatments or screen for women at risk, they say.

Study author Amy Murtha, associate professor of obstetrics and gynaecology at Duke University School of Medicine, said: "For instance, if we think that certain bacteria are associated with premature rupturing of the membranes, we can screen for this bacteria early in pregnancy.

More here.

New obesity treatment possible with novel protein discovery

  

Posted by Neill Abayon

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), more than one-third of US adults are now obese. But new research published in the Journal of Neuroscience details how a protein in the brain regulates food intake and body weight - opening new doors for the treatment of obesity.

The research team, led by Maribel Rios, associate professor of the department of neuroscience at Tufts University School of Medicine, say their findings may also help explain why some drugs, such as gabapentin and pregabalin, can cause people to gain weight.

The investigators discovered that alpha2/delta-1 - a protein that has not previously been associated with obesity - assists the function of a protein called brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF).

Rios notes that in one of his previous studies, it was found that BDNF is crucial for appetite suppression.


But in this most recent study, the research team found that low levels of BDNF were linked to reduced function of alpha2/delta-1 in the hypothalamus - an area of the brain that plays an important role in regulating weight and food intake.

More here.


 

'Heat maps' find cervical cancer

Posted by Neill Abayon

A new test that uses heat to examine blood can be used to detect cancer, according to US scientists. 

The "plasma thermogram" examines the proteins inside blood, including those produced by tumours.
A study, in the journal Plos One, showed the test could detect cervical cancer and how advanced it was.
Cancer Research UK said thermograms might improve detection, but more evidence on the accuracy and reliability was needed.

Screening for cervical cancer currently involves a looking for abnormal cells in a smear test and detecting high-risk viruses that can cause the disease.

The study, at the University of Louisville, used the plasma thermogram technology to analyse blood samples.
The sample will respond differently to heat depending on the types of proteins contained in the blood. It results in a thermogram - like a fingerprint - of the protein content.

The system was tested on 67 women with different stages of the cervical cancer to see if it could detect the differences between the patients and healthy people.

More here.


 

Weight loss surgery: do the benefits really outweigh the risks?

Posted by Neill Abayon

Obesity prevalence is the highest it has ever been. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) states that more that one-third of American adults are affected. And with the increase in obesity comes an increase in the number of weight loss surgery procedures. But how safe are the procedures, and do the benefits outweigh the risks?


There is no doubt that obesity is a major cause of a number of serious and potentially life-threatening diseases.

The condition can lead to type 2 diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and it has also been linked to some cancers, including breast cancer and colon cancer. A recent study reported by Medical News Today even suggested a link between obesity and pancreatic cancer.

Furthermore, the condition can severely damage a person's quality of life, leaving them immobile and often triggering depression.

Based on these factors, it is not difficult to understand why excessively overweight individuals look to various weight loss interventions in order to combat their obesity.

And weight loss surgery, also known as bariatric surgery, is now one of the most common interventions to which obese individuals turn.

According to the American Society of Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery (ASMBS), the number of surgical weight loss procedures carried out in the US has increased from 13,000 in 1998 to more than 200,000 in 2008.


More here.

 

Excessive alcohol consumption triggered by gene mutation

Posted by Neill Abayon

In a study involving mice, researchers have found a gene that regulates alcohol consumption. When this gene is faulty, the mice are prompted to drink excessive amounts of alcohol, suggesting a potential genetic component at play in human alcohol consumption.

The research was undertaken by researchers from five universities in the UK and was funded by the Medical Research Council (MRC), Wellcome Trust and the European Foundation for Alcohol Research (ERAB).

Results of the findings were published in the journal Nature Communications.

Researchers observed that normal mice showed no interest in alcohol presented to them, choosing a bottle of water over a bottle of diluted alcohol.

But when mice with a mutated Gabrb1 gene were offered alcohol, they consistently opted for alcohol over water, consuming nearly 85% of their daily fluid intake as alcohol.

"It's amazing to think that a small change in the code for just one gene can have such profound effects on complex behaviors like alcohol consumption," says Dr. Quentin Anstee, consultant hepatologist at Newcastle University and joint lead author.

More here.

 

How torture affects pain perception

Everyone feels pain differently, but the expectation of something hurting may make the experience even more painful.

 Posted by Neill Abayon

Torture survivors are likely to experience chronic pain, even decades later. And now, researchers from Tel Aviv University say the effects of torture may be permanent, particularly in how survivors perceive pain.
 
If you have experienced extreme pain, the memory of it can linger. Studies have shown that the memory of pain may even overshadow the primary experience, and researchers have shown when pain is anticipated, patients report a worsening of pain.

Conversely, even the expectation of pain relief can produce a placebo effect, diminishing the experience of pain.

Researchers from Israel set out to study the long-term effects of torture on the human pain system, publishing their results in the European Journal of Pain. They claim that torture survivors "regulate pain in a dysfunctional way." 

More here.


 

Music training in childhood boosts the brain in adulthood

The effects of playing a musical instrument as a child may endure into adulthood, with musically trained adults processing sound more quickly than non-trained ones.

 Posted by Neill Abayon

If you have to endure hours of squeaky tunes while your child practices their music, take heart. A new study has shown that even a little musical training in early childhood has a lasting, positive effect on how the brain processes sound.

Researchers from Northwestern University state that playing a musical instrument changes the anatomy and function of the brain. But they questioned whether these changes continue after the music training stops.

For the study, published in The Journal of Neuroscience, the researchers tested 44 adults, some of whom had previously had musical training and others with no training at all.

The musical groups began their training at around age 9, a common age for schools to start teaching music. The researchers tested the participants' brains to see how they responded to fast-changing sounds.

More here.


 

Cabbage compound protects healthy tissue from radiation damage

Posted by Neill Abayon


A team of US researchers has discovered that an anti-cancer compound present in cruciferous vegetables, such as cabbage, cauliflower and broccoli, also protects rodents from lethal doses of radiation.  

 The compound, called 3,3'-diindolylmethane, and known more simply as "DIM," is already shown to be safe in humans, and so the researchers expect it could serve as a shield to protect healthy tissue in human cancer patients from damage by radiation therapy, or lessen its side effects.

The team, from Georgetown University Medical Center (GUMC) in Washington, DC, reports its findings in the latest online issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS).

One of the researchers, Eliot Rosen, a professor of oncology, biochemistry and cell and molecular biology, and radiation medicine at Georgetown Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center, a part of GUMC, says:

"DIM has been studied as a cancer prevention agent for years, but this is the first indication that DIM can also act as a radiation protector."

More here. 

 

Family caregiving linked to longer life expectancy

 Posted by Neill Abayon

A new US study led by Johns Hopkins researchers contradicts long-standing beliefs that the stress of caregiving leads to early death and instead shows that family caregivers live around 9 months longer than non- caregivers.

Lead author Dr. David L. Roth, director of the Johns Hopkins University Center on Aging and Health, and colleagues report their findings in the latest online issue of the American Journal of Epidemiology.

Commenting on the findings, Dr. Roth says:

"Taking care of a chronically ill person in your family is often associated with stress, and caregiving has been previously linked to increased mortality rates. Our study provides important new information on the issue of whether informal family caregiving responsibilities are associated with higher or lower mortality rates as suggested by multiple conflicting previous studies."

More of the story here.

1 in 2,000 British people may carry 'mad cow' disease

Posted by Neill Abayon

Around 1 in every 2,000 people in the UK may carry variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (vCJD) proteins, more commonly known as "mad cow" disease or bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE). This is according to a study published in the BMJ.

 Variant CJD is a fatal degenerative brain disease. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the median duration of illness from vCJD is 14 months, while the median age at death from the disease is 28-years-old.

The illness was first described in the UK in 1996 and is thought to have resulted from transmission of infection from BSE in cattle to humans through meat products.

According to the team of UK researchers, there have been 177 clinical cases of vCJD to date in the UK.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), there have been only three cases of vCJD reported in the US between 1996 and March 2011. However, previous studies have estimated that around 1 in 4,000 people may carry vCJD prions.

There is uncertainty surrounding the number of people who will eventually develop the disease, and it is unclear whether carriers risk transmitting the disease through blood transfusion or surgery.

Because of these cloudy areas, the researchers wanted to conduct a survey in order to more accurately determine how many people in the UK could be carriers of vCJD, and to identify the genotype of the carriers.

The research team analyzed more than 32,000 appendix samples over 41 hospitals from people who had their appendix removed between 2000 and 2012. 

More here.


 

Check for blood in urine, urges kidney cancer campaign

West Bromwich Albion midfielder Youssouf Mulumbu and referee Dave Nixon are supporting the campaign

 Posted by Neill Abayon

If you see blood in your urine, even if it is just once, it could be a sign of cancer, a public health campaign warns.

Kidney cancer diagnoses have risen by a third in the past 10 years in England.

And the death toll has increased by 7%, with about 3,500 people dying from kidney cancer in England in 2011.

Public Health England (PHE) says the rise is linked to unhealthy lifestyles - smoking and obesity both raise the risk of kidney cancer - but early diagnosis could drive down death rates.

When kidney cancer is diagnosed at the earliest stage, the one-year survival rate is close to 97%, compared with about 32% at a late stage. 

Visible blood in the urine is a symptom in more than 80% of bladder cancer patients and in most of those with kidney cancer.

However, when asked to name cancer signs and symptoms, only a third of people mention unexplained bleeding, according to PHE.

Prof Kevin Fenton, PHE director of health and wellbeing, said: "Our message is clear - as soon as you spot blood in your pee, visit the GP.

"It's probably nothing serious, but it could also be a sign of something else that needs treatment, so don't ignore the symptoms or put off a trip to the doctor."

More here.

 

Air pollution 'still harming Europeans' health'

By Mark Kinver

Air pollution is still continuing to damage European citizens' health and the environment, latest figures show.

The European Environment Agency (EEA) listed tiny airborne particles and ozone as posing a "significant threat".

However, the authors said nations had significantly cut emissions of a number of pollutants, including sulphur dioxide, lead and carbon monoxide.

In a separate study, research identified a link between low birth-weight and exposure to air pollution.

EEA executive director Hans Bruyninckx said that EU nations had made considerable progress over recent decades to reduce the visible signs of air pollution, with cities now no longer shrouded in blankets of smog.

However, he added: "Air pollution is causing damage to human health and ecosystems. Large parts of the population do not live in a healthy environment, according to current standards.

"To get on to a sustainable path, Europe will have to be ambitious and go beyond current legislation."

The EEA report showed that data suggested that up to 96% of the EU's urban population was exposed to fine particulate matter concentrations above UN World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines.

More here. 


 

Activating aging in tumor cells may help lymphoma treatment

Posted by Neill Abayon

Perhaps the key to fighting some cancers is to reactivate a process that normally prevents cell proliferation. Now in the case of large B-cell lymphoma, scientists have found such a mechanism.

They reactivated a gene that controls the normal aging program in tumor cells so they can no longer divide. The researchers believe the discovery may lead to new drug targets for treating the cancer.

In a report about their work published online this week in Nature Communications, the researchers describe how they found a new tumor-suppressive role for a protein called Smurf2 that is known to enforce cell aging (senescence) in a subset of diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL).

Senior author Hong Zhang, assistant professor of cell and developmental biology at University of Massachusetts (UMass) Medical School, says:


"It's possible that restoration of Smurf2 expression may provide therapeutic benefits for patients and help encourage remission in difficult to treat cases."


He explains that normally this pathway regulates cell aging and stops B cells dividing and multiplying.
But humans with DLBCL show low expression of Smurf2, and such low activity of the protein affects a pathway that promotes unchecked cell division and tumor growth.
 
 More here.