A Fermented-Food Diet Increases Microbiome Diversity and Lowers Inflammation
med.stanford, UK
Stanford researchers discover that a 10-week diet high in fermented foods boosts microbiome diversity and improves immune responses. A diet rich in fermented foods enhances the diversity of gut microbes and decreases molecular signs of inflammation, according to researchers at the Stanford School of Medicine.In a clinical trial, 36 healthy adults were randomly assigned to a 10-week diet that included either fermented or high-fiber foods. The two diets resulted in different effects on the gut microbiome and the immune system... read more

Oxford Researchers Develop Tool to Predict Where People Go After a Disaster
Oxford Science Blog, UK
When disasters such as earthquakes happen, governments and humanitarian organisations need to rapidly allocate aid resources to facilitate recovery, minimise the number of people displaced and reduce the long-term effects. This is a complex task that needs be undertaken in a very short space of time, with potentially serious consequences if not done well... read more

Papua New Guinea Battles COVID-19 and Health Workers’ Vaccine Scepticism
healthcare-in-europe, UK
Papua New Guinea (PNG), like many other Pacific Island countries, successfully held COVID-19 at bay last year, aided by early shutting of national borders. However, by March this year, the pandemic was surging in the most populous Pacific Island nation, and by July, it had reported 17,282 cases of the virus and 175 fatalities. PNG has a steep battle against the virus ahead, made more problematic by a high rate of refusal by health workers to take the vaccine... read more