Gluten-free vegan diet has been shown to lower cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein (LDL) and oxidizedLDL (OxLDL), as well as raise levels of natural antibodies which help fight compounds such as phosphorylcholine that cause symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis.

The researchers divided 66 RA patients randomly into two groups of 38 and 28 people each.

The group with 38 volunteers ate a gluten-free vegan diet, and the other with 28 volunteers ate a well-balanced but non-vegan diet for one year.

Volunteers’ blood samples were analysed for levels of fatty, lipid molecules at regular periods.

The researchers also measured oxLDL and anti-phosphorylcholine (antiPC) factor at the beginning of the experiment, at 3 months and again at 12 months.

They found that the gluten-free vegan diet not only reduced LDL and oxLDL levels and raised antiPC antibodies but lowered the body-mass index (BMI) of the volunteers in that group.

How HIV protein gets in?

A team of researchers involving an Indian origin boffin has solved the mystery of how stealthy HIV protein gets into cells. Boffins have known for quite some time that a protein called TAT is good at crossing cell membranes.

However, what they didn’t know was how it worked.

TAT is not involved in transmitting the HIV virus; it only aids the passage of other materials across the membranes of infected cells. Now, a multidisciplinary team from the University of Illinois involving Abhijit Mishra, Gerard Wong; and Vernita Gordon, has solved this mystery, something that could help improve the design of therapeutic agents that cross a variety of membrane types.

The TAT protein transduction domain of the HIV virus is a tiny part of the overall TAT protein, containing only 11 amino acids, of which six are arginine, a positively charged amino acid that gives the protein its activity.

Cancerous chemical in sauce

Soy Sauce contains a chemical that may cause cancer, according to a food regulator. Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ), the governmental body responsible for developing food standards for Australia and New Zealand, says that ethyl carbamate (EC) is found in many common foods including soy sauce.

The agency also says that EC can occur naturally in foods including breads, yoghurt and alcohol that undergo fermentation during processing or storage.

It referred to the findings of a study conducted by the International Agency for Research on Cancer last year, which upgraded the risk of EC from “possibly'” carcinogenic to humans to “probably'” carcinogenic. The regulator, however, says that this chemical is not as big a problem in Australia as in some other countries.

New aspirin safe for heart

Researchers in Italy have developed a new group of aspirin-like substances which may be safer that conventional aspirin for fighting heart disease, as well as being just as effective.

It has long been known that daily low-doses of aspirin reduce the risk of developing heart attacks and stroke in some people. However, prolonged use of the anti-inflammatory drug or NSAID can also have some side effects. It can damage the stomach lining, causing bleeding and ulcers that can be life-threatening.

Now, Alberto Gasco and colleagues have developed a new form of aspirin by attaching a special chemical structure — called a nitrooxy-acyl group — that allows the drug to resist breakdown by stomach acidity while promoting its absorption by the blood.

It was also noted that some molecules also reduced platelet aggregation and promoted artery expansion, which are hallmarks of improved heart health.

Botox tried on newborns

Woman use to it get rid of those pesky wrinkles, but a doctor at the Montreal Children’s Hospital of the McGill University Health Centre has found another use for Botulinum toxin aka Botox — saving newborns from the CHARGE Syndrome.

CHARGE Syndrome includes a variety of birth defects in different organs, such as the heart, eyes or ears, but it also affects the salivary glands. The disorder is rare but can become life-threatening in its most severe form.

Dr Sam Daniel of the Montreal Children’s Hospital injected a minute dose of Botox into each of a two and a half month old infant’s salivary glands.

This had never been done before on such a young child.