healthfitnessnwellness

 Scientists at Washington University School of Medicine in the US have developed a new antiviral compound that blocks covid virus from entering human cells. They have named this compound MM3122. They state that if given early in the disease course they could reduce severity of the dreaded illness.  Mechanism of action of MM3122 The compound acts on the key human protein called transmembrane serine protease 2 (TMPRSS2). Covid-19, other coronaviruses and influenza virus uses this protein to enter and infect human cells. James W Janetka, senior author of this study states: “Great vaccines are now available for SARS-CoV-2, but we still need effective antiviral medications to help curb the severity of this pandemic,”  “The compound we are developing prevents the virus from entering cells,” They want to develop an oral form of this inhibitor that could help in covid infection and minimize its severity. The authors add that the compound also blocks another related protein called...

 Henna is a natural temporary coloring agent obtained from leaves and tender stems of the plant,  Lawsonia imtermis. Used on skin and hair, it gives a typical brownish orange hue to the part.  Henna and hair color Henna gives a typical color to the hair. It hides whites but does not blacken it unfortunately. Hence it is not a versatile hair dye. It also takes many hours to produce effect. The color though natural is not permanent. But how safe is it? Henna for hair and its safety Since henna is natural, it is a natural tendency to think that it is a safe option to the chemical dyes for hair. But is it so really? Henna does not penetrate into hair shaft and only remains on the hair surface. Hence it sits there preventing any hair conditioner to reach the hair cuticle. Hence hair could become lifeless and brittle with repeated use. Henna per se does not condition the hair.  Though predominantly non-allergic, henna does have a low allergic tendency. But some cases of al...

 There are two types of vaccines for coronavirus namely the inactivated one that is an old technology and the second type is the mRNA vaccine that is manufactured by a new technology. While the first one remains outside human cells and triggers antibody formation, the second one enters the body cells, becomes part of them and then trains the body to synthesize antibodies. Many people are hesitant to have the second type of vaccine though they are comfortable with the first one and prefer it.  When 32-year-old Jade Lim, a vet from Singapore opted for Sinovac-Coronavac (the inactivated vivid vaccine) instead of Pfizer or Moderna vaccine (mRNA vaccine), her friends and relatives could not believe. She says: “ As a healthy person with a good immune system, I feel that it wasn’t necessary to take something that would trigger so much reaction in the body,” “Also … what’ll happen 50 years later (is something) we wouldn’t know, whereas inactivated virus (vaccines) have been used for d...

 People were hooked onto mobile phones and corona virus has worsened the situation. Travel restrictions and lockdown forced more people to get online and hence overuse their mobile phones. Phonesand surfing has become a demand of times and an addiction. But it is also true that companies are pushing it on gullible consumers. Technology is advancing more than what humans actually need for a happy living.  Glutinous rice and its health benefits Kids and mobiles Infants and children like mobile phones. They are on the net for hours together and are totally unsupervised. I do pity the ignorant parents who are happy that their child is quiet  after taking the mobile phone in hand. And now the pandemic has forced children to go to virtual media for learning. This could have dangerous repercussions. But no one seems bothered. What are the likely bad consequences of this digital technology? Problems with mobile phones Both mobile phone and laptop use lead to eye strain. This is m...

Far east and south eastern Asian nations eat a lot of glutinous rice. It is their staple food that is also used to make a variety of main course dishes as well as snacks and desserts. How good and healthy is this type of rice? What are its nutritional values and health benefits? Let us look at it one by one. Glutinous rice It is also called as sticky rice and is grown predominantly in South eastern Asian countries. They have a unique opacity and become sticky after cooking or with heat treatment. This type of cooked rice sticks together and is easier to eat with chopsticks. Hence it is used as sushi rice.  The name suggests that it is glue like and sticky. It does not mean that it contains gluten. It is rich in amylopectin and low in amylose. Hence its glycemic index is low. Bangladesh, China, Nepal, Burma, Indonesia, the Philippines, Japan are some of the countries that consume it to a large extent.  Nutritional value of glutinous rice Taichin is a type of glutinous rice. 100...

 Viruses are those nasty organisms that infect people variably with long-lasting symptoms. Covid pandemic has made it clear that they are here to stay and cause long-term problems in humans and animals. The worst thing of these millennial viruses are that there is no effective antiviral drug against them. Passive immunization helps partially and vaccination also have limited role to play.  Viruses and symptoms Viruses cause acute symptoms that may wane off in a few days to a week or so. But what is notorious is their tendency to linger on in the body and affect localized organs or cause generalized malaise. Both of these consequences are difficult to treat and affect the individual's life for many months to years. This is called post-viral syndrome. It might be a separate entity or might be due to the virus triggering the chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) or depression in the person who has recovered from its acute insult. Symptoms of post viral syndrome The person affected with ...

 There is a natural wanderlust in humans. Traveling, exploring new destinations, meeting new people, knowing new cultures, and enjoying nature of the world provide happiness to many. But all this happiness came to a shrieking halt due to the coronavirus pandemic and the associated lockdown. And now the vaccination mandate and restrictions on unvaccinated people has made life difficult for the unvaccinated who love to travel. This us how they feel about the whole thing.  Coronavirus and the vaccination passports Covid vaccines are in but they have varying responses. Efficacy and safety studies have shown varied results. It 8s said that they minimize severity of the disease and hospitalization for those infected after vaccination (breakthrough infections). But there are also significant number of people who suffered severely and also died due to covid infection despite vaccination. And on the other hand, there are those who had no or mild symptoms despite having received no vacc...