Daily Gister

South Korea has become the first east Asian country to legalise medical cannabis in a surprising move to expand the treatment options for patients with epilepsy and other rare diseases in the conservative country. The country’s national assembly approved amending the Act on the Management of Narcotic Drugs on Friday to allow non-hallucinogenic doses of medical marijuana. Still, using weed even for medical purpose will be strictly controlled with patients required to apply to the Korea Orphan Drug Centre, a government body facilitating patient access to rare medicines, after receiving a doctor’s prescription. Approval will be granted on a case-by-case basis, according to the country’s Ministry of Food and Drug Safety. South Korea has some of the toughest rules on cannabis consumption with citizens prosecuted for using weed in other countries where recreational marijuana is legalised. Under the country’s anti-drug laws, smoking and trading marijuana remains illegal with th...

Olufowora Olorunleke Yinka, the publisher and owner of Daily Gister is a Microbiologist by profession who bagged a B.Sc degree from Ekiti state University (EKSU) Nigeria, where he got lots of academic and social awards; and also finished as the best graduating student in the department. He was also the President of the Nigerian Association of Microbiology Students (NAMS), Ekiti State University chapter for the 2014/2015 Academic session. In 2018, the passionate blogger and Microbiologist won a Scholarship (Korean Government Scholarship Program KGSP) to study for a Master's in Microbiology and Biotechnology at Chungbuk National University sponsored by the South Korean Government. He is also the publisher of  Microbophiles Magazines Olorunleke currently has an academic publication on "Plasmid Profile of Multiple Antibiotics Resistant (MAR) Bacteria Isolated from Leachate Samples in Ebira Communities of Ekiti Central and Ekiti South, Ekiti State, Nigeria" ...

A BRITISH doctor insists a breakthrough is near which can tackle the effects of ageing and allow humans to live until they are 1,000 years-old. ‎ Doctor Aubrey de Grey likens the human body to a car and is developing a new form of medicine based on regenerative therapies. ‎ He is the co-founder of Strategies for California based Engineered Negligible Senescence (SENS) Research Foundation says they have identified seven specific reasons we age, which can all be targeted. ‎ He said: "We are developing a new kind of medicine: regenerative therapies that remove, repair, replace, or render harmless the cellular and molecular damage that has accumulated in our tissues with time" "People have this crazy concept that ageing is natural and inevitable, and I have to keep explaining that it is not. "The human body is a machine with moving parts and like a car or an aeroplane, it accumulates damage throughout life as a consequence of normal operation." ...

Researchers at Philadelphia's Temple University have made a thrilling breakthrough on the path to cure HIV/AIDS. In a recent experiment, they managed to remove HIV-1 DNA out of the human genome. And when they reintroduced HIV to the edited genomes, the cells were no longer infected with the virus .‎ It's a huge leap towards the goal of curing the disease that has killed over 25 million people since the 1980's. Treatment has come a long way in the last few years, yet the scientists said antiretroviral drugs, which can regulate the disease, are not a permanent solution. As soon as a person stops receiving the treatment, their cells are once again open to the infection, and the virus usually progresses into AIDS. At this point, doctors are able to keep the virus at bay, but not cure it. The Temple University scientists may have brought us one step closer to a cure. They employed CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing technology, first developed in 2012 , to cut HIV-1 out of th...

Weight loss pills are one of the most controversial topics in the entire fitness world simply because many have tried various pills, but still on the "Fat" side. However, T5 Fat Burners have proven it's effectiveness in diverse ways.‎ With this recent development, you don't have to be over-weight anymore if you want. Read more here

Eating right can help our bodies function their best, but determining exactly where to focus your energy in regards to eating right can feel overwhelming. Fortunately, by starting with one simple ingredient—sugar—you can dramatically change the way you feel. Try cutting down on sugar, and see what happens. When you eat less sugar, you will become more aware of these five ways eating sugar affects your mental performance. ‎ 1. Focus: When we eat sugar, it forms free radicals in the membrane of our brains. These free radicals make it more difficult for our nerve cells to communicate, which can leave us feeling clouded. Skip the sugar for greater mental clarity. Sugar spikes your dopamine. This can feel good at the moment, but it leads to a crash later. Avoid this dip in your mood by opting for regular meals of protein and fiber, which will help keep your insulin level consistent. 3. Memory: Sugar has been linked to memory impairment in the short term and to long-term, more ...

Do you think you're eating healthy foods just because you're choosing the salad option over the burger? Well, as healthy as those leafy greens are, the dressing and additives in it could be sabotaging your attempts toward a healthier diet. With as hectic as life is these days, the last thing you need to be doing is sifting through long lists of ingredients trying to figure out what is good for you and what isn't. By sticking to simple healthy choices and avoiding the so called healthy foods below, you'll find yourself feeling healthier and happier in no time. 1. Juice It comes from a fruit so it must be healthy, right? Wrong. By the time juice is processed and filled with sugar, additives, and artificial coloring, there is very often little actual fruit left. While fancy advertising of people picking fresh fruit off of trees leads you to believe that you're putting the same fruit into your body, you're not. Imagine mixing a cup of water with half a cup of...

The Environmental Health Officers Association of Nigeria (EHOAN), Lagos State chapter, on Monday, said that it killed no fewer than 4,400 rats at six major markets in the state under its de-rat market programme. Its president, Mr Samuel Akingbehin, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that his association carried out the exercise at Onigongbo, Oshodi, Oke-Odo, Ikotun Idanwo, Ojuwoye and Mile 12 markets. He said that de-rating the markets was part of the association's efforts to curb the spread of Lassa fever in the state. "The exercise is strategic in our efforts toward the prevention of communicable diseases," he said. Akingbehin appealed to traders from across the state to show an understanding towards the efforts of the association to rid the markets of rats and rodents. He said that the plan was to de-rat markets in one local government area per day starting from 5.00 p.m. The association decided on this time to allow traders and buyers transact their ...

The spread of Lassa fever in Nigeria has necessitated a need to enlighten the general public about means of identifying the pest carrying the virus which is detrimental to human health. Multimammate rat The name of the rat that possesses and spreads the virus that causes lassa fever is called Multimammate rat (because it has many titss like all these local street dogs after delivery), while the botanical name is Mastomys Natalensis. There is also an upsurge of the disease everywhere. So we should all practice hand washing hygiene. Also all apple lovers should wash them with salt and warm water before refrigerating them to eat. Our wives should avoid testing of dry garri by chewing them for starch in the market. All garri soakers should let go for now. The problem is that most of our garri sellers in the market buy their garri from bush markets. These garri are often fried half dry and are subsequently dried on polythene sheets on the tarred roads or compounds i...

Tension over Lassa fever outbreak has continued to unsettled patients at the Federal Medical Centre (FMC) in Asaba, Delta State, following the death of two patients within four days. While many of the patients and nurses have fled the hospital for fear of the unknown, no fewer than over 55 persons have been reportedly killed across the country in the last few weeks of its outbreak. Health workers at FMC struggle to remove bodies of the two patients who died of Lassa Fever. The two victims, hospital sources said died two days interval after being managed for a week plus but the State Health Commissioner, Dr. Nicholas Azinge who refused to confirm the incident, said "I know some persons have died, I cannot speak further on that because the Federal Ministry of Health is already doing something to sensitize the people and we in Delta State are also sensitising our people". With twenty-two patients quarantined at present at the hospital, further investigation ...

Thiomargarita namibiensis is a gram-negative coccoid Proteobacterium, found in the ocean sediments of the continental shelf of Namibia. It is one of the largest bacteria ever discovered, as a rule 0.1–0.3 mm (100–300 µm) in diameter, but sometimes attaining 0.75 mm (750 µm). Cells of Thiomargarita namibiensis are large enough to be visible to the naked eye. Although the species holds the record for the most massive bacterium, Epulopiscium fishelsoni – previously discovered in the gut of surgeonfish – grows slightly longer, but narrower. Thiomargarita means "sulfur pearl". This refers to the appearance of the cells; they contain microscopic sulfur granules that scatter incident light, lending the cell a pearly lustre. Like many coccoid bacteria such as Streptococcus their cellular division tends to occur along a single axis, causing their cells to form chains, rather like strings of pearls. The species name namibiensis means "of Namibia". OCCURRENCE The s...