Malaria parasites able to sense their hosts' calorie intake

Malaria parasites able to sense their hosts' calorie intake.Scientists have found that the odds of dying with a malaria infection are lower when the host eats lower amounts of food. A new study has shown that the infectious agent responsible for malaria, the Plasmodium parasite, is able to to sense and actively adapt to the host's nutritional status.Using mouse models of malaria infection, scientists from Instituto de Medicina Molecular in Lisbon (iMM Lisboa), found that mice who ate 30% fewer calories had a significantly lower parasite load. Plasmodium parasites reproduce inside red blood cells every 48 hours. The study in Nature reveals for the first time that the parasite's rate of replication depends on the calories ingested by the host. This may ultimately dictate the outcome of a malaria infection: survival or death.more

Pesticides Linked to Depression In Farmers.

Pesticides Linked to Depression In Farmers. A landmark study indicates that seven pesticides, some widely used, may be causing clinical depression in farmers. Will the government step in and start regulating these chemical tools? Earlier this fall, researchers from the National Institute of Health finished up a landmark 20-year study, a study that hasn’t received the amount of coverage it deserves. About 84,000 farmers and spouses of farmers were interviewed since the mid-1990s to investigate the connection between pesticides and depression, a connection that had been suggested through anecdotal evidence for far longer. We called up Dr. Freya Kamel, the lead researcher on the study, to find out what the team learned and what it all means. Spoiler: nothing good. more

Gamifying diabetes with mySugr for easy management.

Gamifying diabetes with mySugr for easy management. Austrian diabetes management start-up, mySugr has been specializing in app-based, all-around care for people with diabetes since 2012. Pioneer in gamification and creator of the diabetes monster, mySugr has already over a million registered users, is available in 52 countries and in 13 different languages. It was recently acquired by global pharmaceutical company, Roche. One third of the team has diabetes and that makes mySugr credible to the community. The mantra has always been “user first”. That will not change at all. However, with the backing from Roche they will be able to focus even more on the user's needs and not have to spend so much energy on our next funding round. Roche is now the exclusive shareholder of mySugr. It’s only been a couple of weeks since the announcement but they have been working on this for a long time. They will remain a separate legal entity and keep our platform open to other companies. The user data will be strictly contained within our legal entity. The users are excited and a 4.7-star rating in the app stores prove that. Some people who tattooed the mySugr logo on their arm,and the company have so much heart-warming user feedback about how mySugr has helped them managing their diabetes better or reducing their A1C. Healthcare professionals and big pharma companies were skeptical first but along the way we’ve convinced them.

AGRIBUSINESS PROVIDES A PATH TO YOUTH EMPLOYMENT IN AFRICA.

AGRIBUSINESS PROVIDES A PATH TO YOUTH EMPLOYMENT IN AFRICA.Young entrepreneurs like Audrey Allotey are starting and growing food businesses that provide key products and create jobs in their communities. The agricultural sector in many parts of Africa provides large potential to create economic opportunity for youth. However, youth are increasingly moving away from agriculture and rural areas to find employment in urban areas. Rural youth often do not consider agribusinesses as a viable option for employment. Yet increasing employment on farms and in value chains is a necessary component to creating a sustainable and inclusive food system. The African Youth Agripreneurship Program (AYAP), funded in partnership with Barclays Africa, is working to encourage youth employment in the agribusiness.The program provides support to start-up businesses, as well a serving as a business accelerator to established businesses, which have been in operation for more than three years and have high growth potential for expansion and creating youth employment. Frustrated with the time-consuming nature of cooking her meals due to a lack of ready made ingredients, Audrey Allotey, a single and very busy woman entrepreneur realized that Ghanaian culture was shifting to faster-paced lifestyle, where the time for cooking at home meals has become limited. With that in mind, the then 29-year-old launched Audylot Company Limited, which provides ready-to-use spices and flavoring products to eager Ghanaian consumers.Audrey found support from AYAP and TechnoServe’s Enhancing Growth in New Enterprises (ENGINE) program, which provided her with technical and financial support to grow the business. Today the company has seen production capacity increase by 50 percent. She has also been able to hire five permanent staff members, all women and mothers, and has up to 10 casual workers when production is high. source

Korean pepper (Beauty Pepper) claims to reduce high blood sugar levels.

Korean pepper claims to reduce high blood sugar levels. We all love peppers,because they spice up life, increase your tasting experience and some say that they are healthy and make you loose weight. In Korea you can now also buy a special pepper that contains high AGI Beta-Carotene contents, which claims to decrease blood sugar levels. The so-called 'Beauty Pepper' from Korean seed breeder Asia Seed rapidly wins terrain in local supermarkets and might come to a pharmacy near you soon. The Beauty Pepper is a non-pungency variety, which means it does not taste hot, sharp or spicy. Yet, the variety is tasty and crunchy. According to Asia Seed, the crunchy and juicy texture of the pepper makes it a favorite among consumers who emphasize a responsible and healthy lifestyle. "It contains high contents of Vitamin C, A, B, Zinc and. These nutrition factors are essential for modern people", the company said in a news release. The high natural AGI (alpha glucosidase inhibitor) contents in the pepper make it a natural solution to drop blood sugar levels source

AGRIBUSINESS: exploring the cashew value chain and empowering women.

AGRIBUSINESS: exploring the cashew value chain and empowering women. Innovations in the cashew value chain provide women the opportunity to become leaders in their families and communities. The cashew nut is delicious, nutritious, and it’s helping many African communities to build sustainable economies especially women. AGRIBUSINESS: exploring the cashew value chain and empowering women. The cashew apple, which is actually the swollen stalk of the true fruit, while the nut is edible with a juicy red or yellow pulp underneath its fleshy exterior and a strong, sweet taste. Despite the potential of the cashew apple as food, this cashew product is traditionally discarded upon harvesting and is considered waste. In fact, there is a great deal of unseen work and “waste” that goes into preparing a trade-ready cashew nut. The nut is first separated from the apple on the farm. Then the cashews must be dried, transported to a processing center, steamed, shelled, peeled, graded and packaged. AGRIBUSINESS: exploring the cashew value chain and empowering women. The Women Entrepreneurs in Cashew Apple Processing Project in Nigeria, an initiative funded by the Citi Foundation, seeks to increase and diversify women’s income through the use of the cashew apple. TechnoServe staff in Nigeria exploring the cashew value chain and empowering women, identified the interest of women and youth – who are largely excluded from participating in the traditional cashew harvest – in learning how to turn the cashew apple into products for local sale. Through training sessions and marketing support, TechnoServe helped 60 women from the Kwara and Kogi States to begin selling cashew plum (a dried fruit snack), cashew honey and cashew cake (locally known as kuli kuli). One of the initiative’s key results is additional income for the participants, an important additional benefit has been the feeling of empowerment gained by women within their families and communities. The project works to sustain this impact by training women to reinvest their earnings from cashew products into off-season businesses. Jemila Musa used the capital from her cashew honey and snacks in 2015 to buy a sewing machine, and established the only tailoring business in town. more

TechnoServe Innovation: the sunlight water center empowers women .

TechnoServe Innovation:The sunlight water center empowers women An innovative retail model is allowing women business leaders like Charity Dangana to sell safe and affordable water in their communities. Like many women in Nigeria, Charity Dangana is responsible for providing water for her household’s needs. During the dry season, the local wells in her village, Kubacha, dry up. For years Charity had to rely on a polluted and out-of-the-way stream to collect water for herself, her husband and their 4-year-old son. So when Charity heard about a business opportunity that could provide clean water for the community, she jumped into action. Not only would the new Sunlight Water Center (SWC) model help her secure safe and affordable water, but the opportunity would also provide Charity with a more reliable income. The sunlight water center, fulfill a perpetual and critical need of providing clean, low-cost water and steady revenue for the entrepreneurs who run them. This project was developed by Unilever and TechnoServe, the model delivers a sustainable business solution to perennial water challenges in rural and peri-urban areas. Even though boreholes have been installed in some of these places, they lack the model and incentive to ensure consistent maintenance, and many have fallen out of service. The SWC approach engages women entrepreneurs like Charity to own and run retail centers that produce, store and sell clean water alongside other everyday products, such as food and toiletries. The centers also provide services like mobile phone charging and mobile banking, and Charity is even educating community members about good hygiene. “The center provides for the daily needs of the community,” says Charity. “It provides access to clean water and other essential products that are required by families.” This retail model helps to cross-subsidize water that is sold at affordable rates and creates a profitable business venture. As a result, the women owner-operators and their community equity partners have a real incentive to maintain the boreholes long into the future. Each Sunlight Water Center benefits more than 500 individuals through access to sustainable clean water. In addition to promoting better health through safer water, this creates a positive economic ripple effect. By spending less time and money to collect water, women in the village can pursue other economic opportunities. more