Envisioning Utilization of Super Grains for Healthcare
Megh R. Goyal, Preeti Birwal, Santosh K. Mishra in Phytochemicals and Medicinal Plants in Food Design, 2022
Vitamins and minerals also play an important role in normal growth of human body. They must be present in adequate amount in human body as their deficiency can cause various disorders. Therefore, our diet should contain adequate amount of these nutrient as they are involved in controlling the growth hormones and regulators as well as providing protection from oxidative stress. For instance, tocopherols are mainly responsible for vitamin E activity since they react and deactivate the free radicals responsible for oxidation of unsaturated fatty acids [112]. Minerals are the inorganic matter that cannot be synthesized by the human body. Sodium, calcium, potassium, iron, phosphorus, zinc, sulfur, magnesium, and copper are the few examples of mineral. Among these, iron, calcium, and magnesium are well known for being deficient in gluten-free products. In such cases, super grains like amaranth, buckwheat, and quinoa play an important part as they are rich in these minerals and provide a complete diet to the celiac patients [6]. Also, the high calcium content of these grains protects the celiac patients from disorders like osteoporosis and osteopenia [64]. The proper combinations as well as processing techniques need to be considered for adequate intake of minerals and vitamins [48, 187].
Kyrgyzstan
Ebby Elahi in World Compendium of Healthcare Facilities and Nonprofit Organizations, 2021
Kyrgyzstan has a rich and long history, having been a part of the Uyghur Empire and Mongol Empire during the 13th century. After becoming part of the USSR, Kyrgyzstan achieved independence in 1991. The country is rich in natural resources such as hydropower, gold, rare earth metals, coal, oil, natural gas, deposits of nepheline, mercury, bismuth, lead, and zinc. As a result, the economy is focused primarily on the extraction of minerals. Despite a relatively resource-rich economy, the overall well-being of the population is lacking. Though unemployment is low, many people live below the poverty line—as much as 32 percent of the population. Notably, Kyrgyzstan’s standard of living as well as its economic and educational attainment levels are some of the lowest among the former Soviet republics.
Medicine in ancient civilizations: Mesopotamia and Egypt
Lois N. Magner, Oliver J. Kim in A History of Medicine, 2017
Remedies fortified by spells were said to open and close the bowels, induce vomiting, expel worms and demons, cure fevers, rheumatism, cough, bloody urine, dysentery, and a plethora of other diseases. Hemorrhages, wounds, and crocodile bites could be dressed with a mixture of oil, honey, and roasted barley, and covered with fresh meat. Other prescriptions called for crocodile dung, human urine, myrrh, beans, dates, and ostrich eggs. Gold, silver, and precious stones were identified with the flesh and limbs of gods; thus, they were used in amulets and talismans to ward off disease. Less exotic minerals, such as sulfur, natron, and heavy metal salts, were commonly associated with skin diseases, but one interesting ointment called for burnt frog in oil. Minerals were used either in their native form or as powders recycled from broken pottery, bricks, or millstones. Egyptian medical texts recommended using copper to clean chest wounds and protect drinking water. This is particularly interesting because modern scientists have attempted to use copper to kill or control the microbes responsible for nosocomial (hospital acquired) infections. The well-known contact killing power of copper is rarely used in modern hospitals because it is so much cheaper to produce fixtures from plastics and stainless steel. Of course, the costs of deadly hospital-acquired infections are horrific.
Estimating the injury rates and causes of fatalities in the Japanese mining industry, 1924–2014
Published in International Journal of Occupational Safety and Ergonomics, 2022
In the early 20th century, the Japanese mining industry experienced rapid growth. The mining industry became one of the largest employers from the Meiji Restoration period until the end of the Second World War [19]. In 1913, the total number of persons employed in both open pits and underground mines was 263,163 workers, with 730 deaths from accidents in the same year [2]. At the end of the 1950s, increased productivity led to a decrease in the number of workers in the mines [20]. The Mining Act in Japan was enacted in 1950, which selected new projects for exploration [21]. In 1966, the Mining Industry Council prepared the first domestic exploration long-term plan covering six minerals, including copper, lead, zinc, manganese, gold and tungsten. The death rates in mines were higher than in other industries, such as forestry, fisheries, construction, manufacturing, transportation and water, gas and electricity services [22].
Biologics and atherosclerotic cardiovascular risk in rheumatoid arthritis: a review of evidence and mechanistic insights
Published in Expert Review of Clinical Immunology, 2021
George A Karpouzas, Viet L Bui, Nicoletta Ronda, Ivana Hollan, Sarah R Ormseth
TNF and IL-6 promote vascular smooth muscle cell (VSMC) proliferation and migration from the media to the intima, leading to intima-media thickening. Impaired removal of apoptotic macrophages and foam cells from atherosclerotic lesions leads to secondary necrosis and lipid core formation. Initially, lipid cores are protected under thick fibrous caps rich in VSMCs and proteoglycans. In response to cytokine production by plaque macrophages, VSMCs in the fibrous cap may undergo apoptosis, release extracellular vesicles due to stress, or switch phenotype to osteoblastic cells to survive. All of these processes entail mineral nucleation and local calcification [108]. As inflammation persists, macrophage recruitment and microcalcifications in the fibrous cap increase [109]. Microcalcifications along with matrix metalloproteinases degrade and destabilize the fibrous cap. An expanding network of vasa vasorum from the adventitia into the plaque may lead to intraplaque hemorrhage yielding increases in plaque area and luminal stenosis. This network simultaneously facilitates further inflammatory cell recruitment and retention in the arterial wall.
Informal-sector occupational hazards: an observational workplace assessment of the traditional medicine trade in South Africa
Published in International Journal of Occupational Safety and Ergonomics, 2021
Busisiwe Shezi, Rajen N. Naidoo, Sheena Muttoo, Angela Mathee, Laura Alfers, Richard Dobson, Patrick Ndlovu, Renee A. Street
One informal-sector craft which provides job opportunities across Africa and in other developing countries is the traditional medicine trade. Plants, animals and minerals are used in traditional medicine [9] and the informal markets are used as processing and preparation hubs. Plant and animal preparation activities may be a source of organic dust which in formal work settings has been associated with respiratory symptoms [10,11]. The use of animal products (i.e., hooves, skins, bones, feathers) in traditional medicine practices is reported in many countries, including China [12], India [13], Tanzania [14] and South Africa [15], and highlights the risk of zoonotic disease transmission and the possibility of toxic or allergic reactions to animal product handling [12]. Minerals and metals are a deliberate component of traditional remedies [16–18]. In a study conducted by Street et al. [18] traditional healers reported metallic mercury administration for various reasons, with childbirth and protection against guns being the most common. If minerals and metals are not handled correctly they may pose a risk to human health.
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