Nerdy Science Blog

Oxidant pollutants have pro-inflammatory effects and lead to cellular oxidative stress, hence causing asthma.  Researchers at University of California, Los Angeles, showed that broccoli and other cruciferous vegetables (like cabbage) help in mediating respiratory inflammation, such as asthma, allergic rhinitis, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.  Sulforaphane, a compound in these vegetables, appears to have a potent biologic effect in the stimulation of antioxidant response in humans.  The study involved 65 volunteers.  They were given either broccoli sprouts or alfalfa sprouts.  Alfalfa sprouts do not contain any sulforaphane, so they are used as placebo.  Researchers found that those who consumed broccoli sprouts had two to three fold increases of antioxidant enzymes in upper airway of human.  Maximum dosage of broccoli sprouts yielded 101% increase of the antioxidant enzyme GSTP1 and 199% increase of enzyme NQo1 in the nasal airway cells of human subjects.  The result is published in the latest journal Clinical Immunology.  Authors are Riedl MA, Saxon A, and Diaz-Sanchez D.

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If you are a vegetarian, the following news might be useless to you.

Scientists from University of Adelaide discovered a bacterium cause disease among meat lovers.  The discovery led by microbiologists Dr Adrienne Paton and Professor James Paton was published in Nature on 30 October.

E. coli bacteria will release Subtilase cytotoxin, a potent bacterial toxin, to target Neu5Gc sugar on cell surface.  This will cause bloody diarrhoea and haemolytic uraemic syndrome (HUS) in humans.  However human does no make Neu5Gc naturally, and we the toxin release by the bateria should do us no harm.  The secret to the triumph of the bacterium is because we eat too much meat and fairy products.  While we are creating more carbon emmission by eating the food we love, we also uptake Neu5Gc sugar which is rich in these food into our body.  Scientist emphasized that it is important to eat well-cooked meat and pasteurised dairy products as the bacteria are killed in these food products.

Other researchers involved in this study included scientists from Monash University, the University of California and Emory University.

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Meredith F. Small wrote that sarcasm is skill for social survival.  Dr. Katherine Rankin, neurophysiologist at the University of California discovered that sarcasm is important (both positive and negative) in human social interaction.  If  you don’t get sarcastic jokes, it is probably your part of your right brain (parahippocampal gyrus) is damaged.  It is said that people decide how important a friend is based on how well one get their jokes.  So don’t blame me being sarcastic (which I always do, and that proves I’m more evolved than those who don’t get my sarcastic jokes).