Modified experimental vaccine protects monkeys from deadly malaria.

Researchers from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health, modified an experimental malaria vaccine and showed that it completely protected four of eight monkeys that received it against challenge with the virulent Plasmodium falciparum malaria parasite. In three of the remaining four monkeys, the vaccine delayed when parasites first appeared in the blood by more than 25 days.Malaria symptoms occur when parasites replicate inside red blood cells and cause them to burst. full story.

Theanine: How a tea amino acid could help fight liver disease

Theanine: How a tea amino acid could help fight liver disease: Theanine, the unique amino acid present in the tea plant, can potentially be used to treat liver injury and boost immunity, a new review has shown.

Self - medicating animals and lessons they teach us.

The self-medicating animals and the lessons they teach us. Self-medicating animals opens up a new dimension of medicine in the wild ,leading to the question what can we learn from chimps and sheep and maybe even insects that practice medicine on themselves? Early accounts of animal self-medication came in the late 1980s from Michael Huffman, a primatologist at Kyoto University. His decades-long research on chimpanzees, which revealed that they use plant compounds to rid themselves of parasites, helped established self-medication as a fundamental animal behavior. “Any animal species alive today is alive in part because of its ability to adapt and to fight off diseases,” Huffman says. Self-medication does not require high intelligence, but was simply the reaction of animals to remove an ailing symptom that evolved into strategies to expel parasites. “Self-medication is a very basic behavior that’s important to the survival of so many species,” he says. The animal self-medication points to a treasure larger than mere fascination and by following the animals’ lead,its possible to tap into a medicine vault furnished by millions of years of natural selection. The world’s best bio-prospectors which are the animals themselves may very well show us new pharmaceuticals to improve the health of our livestock and ourselves. more

How to use a calf resuscitator.

Calf resuscitator is an essential tool for calf management especially after calving.The Calf Resuscitator is a constant delivery resuscitator,designed to inflate the lungs of newborns that are unable to breathe,but have a heartbeat. One person can operate the resuscitator using a simple push/pull action. Valves at each end do all of the work. Aspirator mask is attached to wide end of the pump to draw out mucus or fluids,that may be blocking the airway. Once clear,the aspirator mask is removed, and the resuscitator mask is attached to the narrow end of the pump. Bi-directional valve allows animal to exhale without the need to remove the unit, then pumps fresh air back into lungs.Calf Resuscitator includes C20 pump, aspirator mask, resuscitator mask and case. more

Veterinarians are farmer's best friend.

Veterinarians are farmer's best friend,according to a new study carried out by staff at Ulster University The study shows that farmers are more likely to off-load any worries they have to veterinarians than other professionals they come in contact with. The study according to lead author shows that veterinarians significantly outscore GPs when it comes to farmers discussing stress-related matters.Farmers obviously regard vets as a very trusting group of professionals. Farmers and their spouses have been shown to suffer more anxiety and depression than non-farmers. Suicide is the second most common cause of death, after accidents, involving young farmers. In addition, suicide is also a significant cause of mortality in older and retired farmers and amongst farmers’ wives. see The major stressors were coping with red tape and bureaucracy and occupational stress,though not limited to farming but of higher incidence in farmers. source

Disinfectants and cleaners for greenhouses.

Disinfectants and cleaners for greenhouses.Cleaning and disinfecting your buildings and equipment such as waterlines, header tanks, benches, walkways, etc. will help minimize the risk of spreading disease by ensuring that your environment is a place where biofilm is regularly attacked and eliminated. Disinfectants include; 1) Biosentry-904. 2) Virkon-greenhouse. more

Growing greenhouse produce on a polymer film.

In Japan ,a scientist has shown how to grow fruits and vegetables on a polymer film.Film farming is the brainchild of Yuichi Mori, the chemical physicist who founded Mebiol in 1995. Mori spent the majority of his career developing polymer technologies for the medical industry. However, he had long been fascinated by plant biology and found inspiration in the adaptability of the vegetable kingdom. He began by growing a small patch of grass on hydrogel film under LED lights. After more than a decade of experimentation, Mori and his colleagues developed a soil-free farming system that could be used to cultivate crops in greenhouses on a large scale. The polymer film is the key to a cutting-edge farming method that makes it possible to grow fruits and vegetables on practically any flat exterior. Made of hydrogel – a super absorbent material typically used in household products such as disposable diapers – the film works by soaking up water and nutrients through a multitude of nano-sized pores measuring one millionth of a millimetre in diameter. Plants grow on top of the film, but instead of digging into the ground, the roots spread across the surface of the membrane in wispy, fan-like formations. more