Planning to switch to Stevia from sugar? Beware of its side-effects

Stevia leaves are 200 times sweeter than the regular processed sugar. It was being used to sweeten beverages since 16th century. As more countries like Japan and China are now growing stevia plant, its uses as a herbal supplement and sweeter has increased. Though, it’s now widely available, health experts argue to discuss its side effects. They believe that raw stevia leaves are not good for health and may pose some heath threats. It is being used a sweetener, certain studies link its usage with some side effects. Read on to know more.

Stevia may cause allergy: As it’s ragweed plant, it may cause some allergy to some people. People who are sensitive to ragweed may also be sensitive to stevia. It’s not possible to know about the allergy however, if you think you may be allergic to plants, avoid use.

Stevia may not be safe for pregnant and breast-feeling women: Though, it’s not confirmed how stevia can affect the health of expecting mother, but because of it’s derived from a plant, it may cause some allergy or inflammation. It’s always better to consult with your doctor if you are breast feeding or expecting a bay.

Stevia may increase the diabetes risk: There are some researches done which has contradictory results to its benefits. It may lower sugar level to an extent that may interfere with the sugar level control. If you are diabetic, consult with your doctor before switching to stevia.

Stevia may result in low blood pressure: Stevia is known to lower blood pressure. However, some experts believe that stevia’s prolonged use might result in drastic dip in blood pressure which could also lead to serious health problems. Try to limit the use for better health.

Stevia can affect kidneys: Stevia accelerates the process and rate at which body expels water out of body in the form of urine. As kidneys are responsible for this process, stevia consumption puts unnecessary pressure on kidneys leading to kidney issues. However, more information is required on this. Still it’s advisable to use it in limited amount.

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Cure for HIV moves closer as scientists find potential genetic switch

A genetic switch that causes HIV hidden inside the cells to replicate can be manipulated to completely eradicate the virus from the human body, a study has found.

Cells harbouring latent HIV are "invisible" to the natural defences of the immune system, said researchers.

During infection, the DNA of HIV makes its way into the host cell's nucleus and integrates itself into the host genome.

The Tat gene circuit is a key piece of HIV DNA that controls the HIV gene transcription and activation, according to the study.

When activated, it initiates a takeover of the cell's machinery to churn out new copies of the HIV virus, which eventually burst from the cell and infect neighbouring cells.

HIV-specific immune effector cells kill cells infected with HIV, but only when the cells are being used to produce more of the virus, meaning that the Tat gene circuit is switched on.

In cells that are latently infected, the Tat gene circuit is off, and the cell goes about its normal business all the while harbouring quiescent HIV.

"By targeting the Tat gene circuit with drugs or small molecules to activate it, we would be able to cause latently-infected cells to start producing more virus, and then they can be destroyed by the immune system," said a researcher.

So far, there are no drugs successfully targeting this circuit, researchers said.

People infected with the HIV virus can live relatively normal lives with exceedingly low or even undetectable viral loads thanks to powerful antiretroviral therapies that work to suppress viral replication.

However, even in people where the virus is undetectable, it doesn't mean it's completely absent.

The HIV virus can hide in cells in an inactivated state, meaning it isn't actively replicating.

This is a dire situation and makes life-long antiretroviral therapy the only option for HIV infected patients.

"It is extremely difficult to flush latently-infected cells out of their latency," he said.

Techniques developed to reactivate latent HIV-infected cells so that they become susceptible to the body's natural immune response or to drug therapies have had mixed results.

This is mostly because the technique, known as "shock and kill," relies on a class of drugs called HDAC inhibitors that come with severe adverse effects, researchers said.

"We need to better understand the mechanisms that regulate HIV latency so we can identify new opportunities for intervention and develop better drugs that can either lock viral particles in a latent state, or kill latent cells, or both,"he said.

The Tat gene circuit has a random probability of being active or inactive, and the switch from inactive to active can happen spontaneously.

"In HIV-infected cells, reactivation of the Tat gene circuit is still a very rare event," he said.

The researchers developed advanced computational algorithms to study the Tat gene circuit under different conditions.

"Using different models and algorithms, we were able to accurately map a 'probability landscape' of the cellular reactions that can impact Tat gene circuit reactivation, and our results suggest new ways of targeting latent cells that may lead to the eradication of the HIV virus from a host," he said.

Researchers identified ways to manipulate the Tat gene circuit so that the "shock and kill" technique would be more effective.

They also looked at a "block and lock" strategy, where latent viral particles are locked into latency by permanently blocking activation of the Tat gene circuit.

"Our results suggest that by controlling HIV latency through manipulation of the Tat gene circuit, effective therapeutic strategies can be identified that would one day provide a cure for HIV," he said.

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'On-off' switch can help coma patients come to life

Do you know there is an "on-off" switch in our brain that controls consciousness? Scientists have found one that can help coma patients regain consciousness.

Researchers at George Washington University made an epileptic patient go to sleep by applying an electrical impulse in a specific brain region.

After they stopped the stimulation, the patient came out of coma and had no memory of what had just happened.

"It is like the ignition of a car when turning a key can bring all the other components of the car to life," Mohamad Koubeissi from George Washington University was quoted as saying.


The effect was produced by stimulating the patient's claustrum - a thin sheet of neutrons at the lower part of the central brain.

Once stimulation of the claustrum stopped, the patient regained consciousness.

Koubeissi found that low-frequency stimulation reduced epileptic seizures in patients by 92 percent without impairing memory.

The discovery of the switch could be very useful in certain areas of medicine, said the study reported by New Scientist.

THIS IS ONLY FOR INFORMATION, ALWAYS CONSULT YOU PHYSICIAN BEFORE HAVING ANY PARTICULAR FOOD/ MEDICATION/EXERCISE/OTHER REMEDIES.

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Switch controlling growth of aggressive brain tumour cells identified

Researchers have identified a cellular switch that can be turned off and on, to slow down, and eventually restrict the growth of the most commonly diagnosed and aggressive malignant brain tumour.

The findings show that the protein RIP1 acts as a mediator of brain tumor cell survival, either protecting or destroying cells.

According to the researchers the protein, found in most glioblastomas, can be targeted to develop a drug treatment for these highly malignant brain tumors.

Senior author , said that their study identifies a new mechanism involving RIP1 that regulates cell division and death in glioblastomas.

She said that for individuals with glioblastomas, this finding identified a target for the development of a drug treatment option that currently does not exist.

In the study, researchers used animal models to examine the interactions of the cell receptor EGFRvIII and RIP1. Both are used to activate NFkB, a family of proteins that is important to the growth of cancerous tumour cells. When RIP1 is switched off in the experimental model, NFkB and the signalling that promotes tumour growth is also inhibited. Furthermore, the findings show that RIP1 can be activated to divert cancer cells into a death mode so that they self-destruct.

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