Israeli Science: Cranberries Can Indeed Heal

(Image: Cranberry harvest in New Jersey, Credit: Keith Weller / USDA Agriculture Research Service)

It looks as if an Israeli researcher has helped turn a common folklore into scientific fact. Often seen as nothing more than "folk medicine," Israeli scientists have now proven that cranberries can in fact help those suffering from urinary tract infections(or UTI)--at least for women.

(Israel 21^st Century) "Cranberries started as a folk medicine in the US," Ofek told ISRAEL21c. "Every fourth American in the '60s knew it was good for urinary tract infection." Ofek's goal was to find out the truth behind the myth.

With his research funded by the cranberry juice-producing monolith Ocean Spray, Ofek recently published his findings in the journal Molecular Nutrition & Food Research. There is only one snag: the benefits of cranberries, though prodigious, appear to apply only to women.

"It appears that in certain infections, such as ulcers caused by H. pylori bacteria, a clinical trial showed that the cranberry has beneficial effects for women only," says Ofek. "In urinary tract infections (UTI), the cranberry has been tested only on women and has proven to be beneficial, although UTI is primarily an infectious disease most common in women."

This research will no doubt boost sales for cranberry juice, especially Ocean Spray, who is already promoting this fact on their website.

Although this is great news for doctors and women around the world, hopefully Ofek can find something similar for the other half of humanity (note: as us guys feel left out).

Israel: A New Way To Fix Broken Leg Bones?

Traditionally when leg bones are severely broken, doctors would need to open up the patient's leg and insert a rod with screws--a painful process as far as the patient is concerned.

But now it looks as if an Israeli doctor has come up with an alternative that may not only be less painful, but easier on their bodies as well.

(Israel 21^st Century) Orthogon is developing a magnetically activated, telescopic, intramedullary (IM) orthopedic nail for treatment of long bones. Traditionally, IM nails are inert rods inserted into the bone marrow to align and stabilize fractures in the femur or tibia.

Orthogon's device magnetizes parts in the rod mechanism, so the nail can be manipulated via an external magnetic coil, allowing it to vibrate, compress or elongate the bone. [...]

Once the IM nail is implanted, patients are treated daily by placing their leg into a coil system that creates a magnetic pulse. The magnetic force inside the nail is amplified by mechanical means, in steps of 0.5 microns, to a distraction force of over 100k, forming a flexible callus tissue that is pulled incrementally.

Despite the fact that similar solutions already exist in Germany and the US, Orthogon's solution may actually be cheaper (and more effective) than its rivals (which could result in lower medical bills).

Note: Orthogon's solution is still in development (and awaiting FDA approval) although readers can check out a video explanation (flash required) of what their technology is all about.

Kosher Science: Using Seaweed To Power Everything?

One word sums up the current financial crunch afflicting our lovely but rowdy planet: oil.

It powers our cars, planes and keeps the lights on at night. With most of it concentrated it the hands of a prominent few, the price of oil will probably accelerate into the near future.

Fortunately for us, Israeli scientists are working on some new technology that may allow our societies to run on seaweed--not to mention a few other items.

(Ha'aretz) What if it turned out that corn and cane sugar fuels, considered substitutes for more polluting fuel, were also the cause of serious environmental damage? We would then search for greener substitutes: seaweed, animal fat and other fruits and vegetables containing oil. Over the past year, Israeli researchers have accelerated attempts to develop various types of "green" fuel, and research groups are hard at work developing technology that will become part of a global oil substitute trend. At Ben-Gurion University of the Negev (BGU), they are working on a new diesel fuel based on plant and animal fat. Several researchers are trying to develop the technology to produce oil from seaweed, which would then serve as a basis for fuel. [...]

"We are using fat that remains as surplus from meat processing, and a wide variety of oils from plants," says Prof. Moti Hershkowitz of BGU. "What is unique about our product is that as opposed to other biological fuels, which at present cannot be placed directly into the engine and have to be mixed with other components, we have developed a diesel fuel that can be used directly in the vehicles."

While diesel power (via seaweed, etc.) looks to be within reach, only time will tell whether or not other vehicles will be apart of the energy blessing.

Israel is currently pursuing ways of drawing energy from fungus, radioactive waste and even cow manure.

While some may wonder why such a tiny (yet innovative) nation would pursue so many different routes to keep its cities lit up at night, it may have to do with the fact that it is better to create your own energy, than to rely upon the grace of others.

Israeli Science: Noon Naptimes Good For The Brain?

(Image Credit: Chief Happiness Officer)

It looks like those afternoon naps in kindergarten had some benefit after all. Israeli scientists have discovered (or perhaps rediscovered) that those "noonish" naps we all took as kids may actually help improve our productivity during work.

(Israel 21^st Century) In a recent study, Prof. Avi Karni and Dr. Maria Korman of the Center for Brain and Behavior Research at the University of Haifa found that an afternoon nap changes the course of consolidation in the brain. "We still don't know the exact mechanism of the memory process that occurs during sleep, but the results of this research suggest the possibility that it is possible to speed up memory consolidation, and in the future, we may be able to do it artificially," said Karni. [...]

The researchers, who worked in cooperation with the Sleep Laboratory at the Sheba Medical Center and researchers from the Department of Psychology at the University of Montreal, found that the group that slept in the afternoon showed a distinct improvement in their task performance by that evening, as opposed to the group that stayed awake, which didn't exhibit any improvement.

Following an entire night's sleep, both groups exhibited the same skill level. "This part of the research showed that a daytime nap speeds up performance improvement in the brain. After a night's sleep the two groups were at the same level, but the group that slept in the afternoon improved much faster than the group that stayed awake," stressed Prof. Karni.

Despite the evidence, I have some strong doubts as to whether managers and bosses would approve of their workers taking naps during the day. Either way, this should help convince some co-workers to perhaps take a quick nap during their lunch break may help improve their performance on the job.

Israeli Scientist To Weaken Hurricanes With Dust?

(Image: Lockheed C-130 Hercules, Credit: US Air Force)

While no one has yet found a way to reduce the wrath of an enraged hurricane, one scientist from Israel thinks that influencing these violent storms may be possible with a "little dust."

(Israel 21^st Century) According to noted Israeli weather specialist Prof Daniel Rosenfeld of Hebrew University, seeding a hurricane with microscopic dust could sharply reduce its force.

The findings of his study - which showed that dust dropped into the lower part of Hurricane Katrina would have reduced wind speeds and diverted its course - were presented last month at the European Conference on Severe Storms in Trieste, Italy.

Rosenfeld's concept, which was developed with several colleagues, builds on empirical research which shows that large dust clouds from Africa tend to hinder the formation deep storm clouds and hinder the formation of hurricanes when tropical systems are crossing the Atlantic.

Rosenfeld's hypothesis calls for at least 5-10 Lockheed C-130s cargo planes to seed the hurricanes with fine dust particles, thus slowly (but surely) weakening the raging storms before they hit land.

A similar idea had been pursued before by the US, although America quickly gave up the idea after just four tests. Rosenfeld seems to be more persistent than that, as he probably realizes that a success here could ultimately help reduce the loss of life and property to major population centers.

Israeli Med: A New Way To Fight Osteoporosis And Menopause?

It looks as if Israeli researchers have discovered a new way to fight Menopause (which can lead towards Osteoporosis) in women, without the use of hormone drugs.

(Israel 21^st Century) Se-cure's flagship product Femarelle, which is now available in 15 countries around the world, is derived through a unique enzymatic procedure that creates a specific biochemical composition proven to combine the treatment of menopausal symptom relief and bone loss.

"Femarelle activates the estrogen to relieve menopausal symptoms and help prevent osteoporosis, but it won't activate the estrogen where it's not wanted, like in the breasts or the uterus," Yoles told ISRAEL21c.

He explained that for such a therapy to be safe, it must be selective - affecting estrogen receptors only in specific sites without affecting tissues where any change can have dangerous consequences. Which is exactly what Femarelle does - acting as a novel Selective Estrogen Receptor Modulator (SERM) drug.

Previous (and current) treatments of Menopause involved using hormone drugs, which can produce harmful side affects such as blood clots which can potentially lead to strokes.

Se-cure seeks to avoid this with their product Femarelle, which may be able to effectively help women reduce the affects of menopause upon their bodies.

Disclaimer: As I am not a doctor, and it is highly recommended that you consult your physician's advice before considering this product.

Future: Israeli Doctors Could "Personalize" MS Treatments

It looks as if new findings by Israeli doctors may enable them to "personalize" treatments to patients suffering from multiple sclerosis.

(Israel National News) Prof. Doron Lancet of Weizmann's Department of Molecular Genetics says, "We analyzed the DNA sequences in 27 candidate genes from each patient participating in the trial, and we identified two genes with a high potential for determining the response to Copaxone. In the future, it may be possible to use this method to scan the genome of MS sufferers, to predict the response levels in advance, and to optimize the dosage and treatment protocol to suit each patient personally."

This is great news for patients, who previously had to undergo "trial and error" in order for doctors to determine the correct level of dosage. Hopefully this will help medical researchers prescribed the correct amount of medicine for their patients, in order to aid in our search for a cure against this horrible disease.

Can Kosher Science Bring About The Borg?

While Borg, a cybernetic organism that exists in the fantasy realm of Star Trek may be half a century away, new research in Israel may bring this technology a little bit closer to reality.

(Israel 21^st Century) For a group of researchers at Hebrew University, though, one novel approach to the measurement of brain activity has suggested how one day a metal-and-plastic limb might operate just as effectively as its flesh-and-blood prototype - and, in the process, teach us more about how the brain interacts with the body. [...]

The approach involves measuring the activity of all nerve cells located at an intermediate distance (100-200 micrometers) from a recording electrode. In this way, multiple independent readings can be obtained from many adjacent points - a crucial step in the determination of highly accurate measurements. Such accuracy might allow for a future robotic limb able to precisely obey its user's neuronal commands, or a device implanted in a paralysed limb which artificially stimulates existing muscles to move in a natural manner.

Israeli scientists have already begun testing this method with monkeys, with many of the tests proving to be 90-99% successful. Although more research is needed in order to perfect this, the "cybernetic" technology should at least help patients in need of prosthetic limbs.

Israeli Science: Green Tea Is Good For The Brain?

(Image: Dr. Silvia Mandal, Credit: Israel 21^st Century)

For those of you who actually enjoy drinking the green stuff, fans of green tea may have another reason to celebrate an extra cup or two.

A key ingredient in green tea may not only help keep ones mind healthy, but also may help repair any damages as well.

(Israel 21^st Century) But, according to Dr. Silvia Mandel of the Technion's Eve Topf Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases, the study she led was one of the first to show how the main antioxidant polyphenol of green tea extract, EGCG, actually works when it gets access into the brain. Mandel presented her findings last month in Washington DC to a rapt audience of colleagues at the Fourth International Scientific Symposium on Tea and Human Health. [...]

"We induced Parkinson's in mice and waited until the damage was evident. Then we began to administer the EGCG to the animals. The results showed that the EGCG not only prevented further deterioration, but it helped to regenerate the already damaged neurons in the brain. This phenomenon is called neurorescue or neurorestoration, and we're the first to show that green tea is effective in doing this. In the past, it was thought that once brain cells were damaged, there was no way to repair them. The major question is whether these promising results are reproducible in humans [Mandal said]."

If Mandal's research is proved to be sound for humans, then we may see green tea become a popular past time throughout the western world (as many people in the east already drink green tea according to the article).

Who would have ever thought that some of the world's most notorious diseases (at least in the West) had a chance of becoming easily vanquished by a popular drink?

Science Helps Unite Israelis And Palestinians

(Hat Tip: Isrealli.org)

(Image: Mukhles Sowwan, seated, with research team members at the Nanotechnology Research Laboratory at Al-Quds University. Credit: Rina Castelnuovo of the New York Times)

With all of the "love" happening between Israel and the West Bank lately, here is something you may not hear about in the news--at least on cable and satellite.

A doctor by the name of Mukhles Sowwan at the Al-Quds University (in East Jerusalem) created the Nanotechnology Research Laboratory, the first of its kind in the West Bank and perhaps the Arab world at large.

Unfortunately for Sowwan, support for this lab was rather lacking in his area, and if it were not for the efforts of an Israeli scientist, this lab would not be in the position where it is today.

(New York Times) The lab pursues ground-breaking research under conditions that would bewilder most American and European technologists. But although Dr. Sowwan is its guiding spirit, it would not exist except for the generosity of European donors, the stubborn internationalism of a United Nations organization and the help of Dr. Sowwan's mentor, who happens to be an Israeli physicist at Hebrew University in West Jerusalem. [...]

"When he applied, it was a most difficult time," says Dr. Porath, who has a doctorate in physics. The general violence and unrest that have troubled the region since late 2000 had only recently begun, he explained. "There were even people in my group who were hesitant about his coming. I said, 'I don't want to attack people. I refuse to. And if he's any good, he's welcome.' It worked. We became friends."

Cooperation like this goes to show that Israeli's and Palestinians can work together on projects for the common good of humanity. Hopefully we will be able to see more joint projects like these, as it provides an excellent opportunity for both sides to see each other in a light that is often blurred by the main stream news.

Israel To Eucalyptus Groves: Our Bug Can Save You

Many countries will be thanking Israel as researchers discovered a natural way to combat a pesky wasp from hurting eucalyptus groves. Scientists traveled half way around the world in order to locate this wasp natural predator, in order to thwart the rising tide of damaged eucalyptus leaves.

(Ha'aretz.com) Several nations have already turned to Israel for information about this natural adversary. David Brand, head of the Jewish National Fund's (JNF) Department of Forestry and Development, says, "Six years ago, two species of wasps were discovered to create galls [abnormal swellings of plant tissue], thus damaging eucalyptus leaves: the Leptocybe invasa, which damages new leaves, and the Ophelimus maskelli, which damages mature leaves. Both wasps subject eucalyptus trees to continuous attack." [...]

Massive damage to eucalyptus trees compelled a team of JNF-funded scientists to launch research three years ago to identify the pest's biological adversaries. Professor Zvi Mendel of the Agriculture Ministry's Agricultural Research Organization (ARO), Dr. Alex Protasov, Dr. Zion Madar, Nitza Sapir and David Brand traveled to Australia to find the wasp's natural enemy. There, they were assisted by Dr. John La Salle and Joe Krycer, a member of JNF-Australia. "It was like finding a needle in a haystack," Brand says, "because there are dozens of pests and dozens of predators."

This pesky wasp was threating eucalyptus plants in not only Israel, but India, Greece, Italy, Thailand and South Africa as well. Once it was determined that the predator only attacked that specific wasp (or rather its eggs), Israel received the green light to release it into the wild.

They are already seeing positive results and other nations are asking for this bug as well, as a loss of eucalyptus leaves translates to loss of income for many businesses.

Can Kenaf Paper Save Our Trees?

(Image Credit: Wikipedia)

No matter how you slice it and dice it (no pun intended), we cut up billions of trees every year just so we can communicate ideas in the physical (on paper), not to mention build houses.

With the need for trees probably expected to increase in the near future (due to human population growth), one Israeli researcher has come up with an idea to ease our dependency upon trees for paper by replacing it with a little known plant called Kenaf.

(Israel 21^st Century) Israeli Professor Roni Aloni of Tel Aviv University has been working with kenaf for 30 years, and may have finally discovered the breakthrough that will spring kenaf from obscurity. He, along with Professor Adi Avni and graduate student Jonathon Dayan, has succeeded at silencing a gene in the kenaf plant, which causes the kenaf to produce 50% more fibers per crop - and those fibers are longer and of higher quality than before. "The idea was to increase quality and fiber and stem length," Aloni told ISRAEL21c.

The technology is still in the testing stage, but the hope is that kenaf will replace trees as the source of pulp for paper manufacture. Kenaf grows much faster than trees, and would therefore be a more efficient source of pulp even without genetic modifications. "The same acreage of land planted with kenaf can yield the equivalent quantity of pulp fibers from wood that takes 20 years to grow," explained Aloni.

The technology still has yet to be perfected, but the promise of what it may bring could ease our dependency upon our forests for paper. Although trees will still be chopped down due to lumber demands (as there is no cheap substitute for wood), we may see newspapers made out of Kenaf instead of trees (as we need the latter for oxygen).

Could Israel Cure Parkinson's Disease?

Update: I have just received word from Holly Barkhymer (from the The Michael J. Fox Foundation) who has informed me that the article in Israel 21st Century has a serious error in it (regarding Karen Leeds as the development officer at the Fox Foundation) and therefore this article has been removed.

I am trying to verify whether or not The Michael J. Fox Foundation did award grants to Cell Cure and Proneuron (both Israeli companies) in order to maintain the accuracy of this site.

~Darnell Clayton

Was Thomas Jefferson Jewish?

Researches think they may have found some DNA evidence linking the American President Thomas Jefferson with some mysterious mid-eastern roots.

(Forward) As The New York Times reported Wednesday, "Researchers studying Jefferson's Y chromosome have found it belongs to a lineage that is rare in Europe but common in the Middle East, raising the possibility that the third president of the United States had a Jewish ancestor many generations ago."

Although Jefferson was probably not a full Jew (or even half) there may be a case displaying kosher roots deep in American history (either that, or this sounds like a great rumor to start ;-)).

Israel And Scientist To Share AIDS Drug Revenues

It looks like the state of Israel and a scientists looking to help fund research to fight AIDS, have reached an agreement on how to distribute the profits of this new drug.

(Globes Online) Accountant General Dr. Yaron Zalika has reached an agreement with former Israeli State Veterinary Services and Animal Health director Prof. Zeev Treinin to develop and patent an AIDS drug. In exchange, the state will receive royalties from profits from the drug, if any. Treinin reached the agreement because he discovered the drug’s basic ingredient when he was a civil servant, which means that the state owns the intellectual property.

I did not see any more information on Globes regarding how useful this new drug is, but that may be because a patent has not been secured for the drug. Hopefully this doctor receives the necessary funds to complete his research as AIDS is one of the less friendly diseases roaming around on our planet.

Penguins, Neutrinos And Antarctica, Oh My!

Well, there were no penguins mentioned in this article, but they did mention a Jewish scientist studying neutrinos in a place I would love to visit (but never live)--the frozen continent of Antarctica.

(Israel Today) Hagar Landsman of the Technion – Israel Institute of Technology is the only Israeli participating in the "Ice Cube" research project in Antarctica along with physicists from around the world.

She and physicists from other parts of the world are conducting research on sub-atomic particles called neutrinos. [...]

"The conditions here are not easy," she said. "It's very cold and dry, and there isn't enough oxygen. In this season of the year, there is daylight round the clock, the rooms are tiny and one can shower only twice a week for two minutes."

Sounds almost fun. Apparently Hagar is using this to help all of us understand our universe a little bit more (via astrophysics). I wish her and her team all the luck and prayers in the world.

But for the life of me I would not trade places with her, as Antarctica is way too cold for me (and that is coming from somebody who enjoys snow).

Could Two Israeli's Save Coral From Extinction?

Their research looks very promising, although they are keeping the method under wraps until they can secure a patent for this technology.

(Israel 21^st Century) In a secret location not far from the city of Haifa, Almalam and his partner Alon Efergan, a former engineer, are working around the clock raising coral for their new company - Advanced Coral Propagating Technology (ACP Tech).

The coral they produce - about 8,000 pieces of 6 cm. coral a year - is living proof that coral can be cultivated in captivity and in a closed system. It is the first large-scale operation of its kind in the world where coral are reared with no connection to nutrients in the sea.

Almalam, who is an attorney is already receiving orders "out the wazoo" as we say in the states. Hopefully their techniques (and business) can curb the poaching of coral in the oceans, as that seems to be a common habit of divers nowadays.

Update (1/26): Republished on Israpundit.

Israeli's Build Harder, Faster Stronger Antibiotic

Okay, so the antibiotic may not be "faster" per say, but a team from the Weizmann Institute has developed one that may give bacteria a reason to worry (for their very lives).

(Israel National News) The team led by Professor Yehiel Shai developed a substance that he describes as "a sort of sophisticated soap which melts the fatty part of the germ cover, compared to ordinary antibiotics which penetrate the cell and then paralyze specific systems."

Shai said the new antibiotic substance dissolves and destroys the germ too fast for it to develop a resistance to the medication.

The new antibiotic has yet to be perfected so you probably will not be able to order it by perscription (let a lone over the shelves). However, the technique for attacking these little organisms is itself ingenious, and once perfected I wouldn't be surprised to see Shai ten years from now "rolling in the shekels."

Unrelated Update: It looks like the Israelis are also heading in the Lupus department. Cool.

Fish Farming In The Desert?

(Hat Tip: Israpundit)

Although I've heard of fish farms in the US, I am quite surprised that these Israeli's were able to create one in the middle of the desert. Not to mention convince everyone to invest in this project.

(New York Times) Fish farming in the desert may at first sound like an anomaly, but in Israel over the last decade a scientific hunch has turned into a bustling business.

Scientists here say they realized they were on to something when they found that brackish water drilled from underground desert aquifers hundreds of feet deep could be used to raise warm-water fish. The geothermal water, less than one-tenth as saline as sea water, free of pollutants and a toasty 98 degrees on average, proved an ideal match. [...]

"It is important to stop with the reputation that arid land is nonfertile, useless land," said Professor Appelbaum, who pioneered the concept of desert aquaculture in Israel in the late 1980s. "We should consider arid land where subsurface water exists as land that has great opportunities, especially in food production because of the low level of competition on the land itself and because it gives opportunities to its inhabitants."

What makes this story even more remarkable is the fact that scientists have found a way to reuse the water the fished were raised in (full of yucky fish waste) and irrigate farmers crops.

This not only watered the plants, but also provided an excellent source of cheap fertilizer. Hopefully they can export these techniques to third world nations, as I'm sure they would definitely appreciate it.

Stem Cell Research Could Aid Cancer Patients

A company from Haifa, Israel has developed a product that may aid in the treatment of cancer patients, a problem all too common in the US.

(Globes Online) Pluristem's product treats blood cancer and blood disorders through the use of umbilical cord blood stem cells. These stems cells are already being used to treat blood cancer but treatment is limited to children since the quantity of stem cells in one transfusion of cord blood would be insufficient for the treatment of adults. [...]

Pluristem's PLX-1 improves the engraftment of umbilical cord blood cells, thereby enabling their proliferation after transfusion of blood to patients. As a result, it will also enable adult cancer patients to be treated with umbilical cord blood rather than other means.

As I have relatives who have survived cancer or are fighting this evil disease, news items like these help foster the hope that a cure may be discovered in the near future.

Unfortunately for me I do not have an extra umbilical chord available, although I'll make note of saving them for my future kids (after I find the future wife).