| Huawan, Luoyang Post（洛陽新聞） |
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Probiotics may boost learning, memory for Alzheimer's patients Written by: Zheng Wei Bin Hassar, Chief Correspondent Translated by: Molly Liu, Senior Translator A research team from the town of Yín are the first to show how a daily dose of probiotics for 3 months could be effective for improving memory and thinking abilities in individuals with Alzheimer's disease. Researchers found older adults with Alzheimer's who drank probiotic-enriched milk showed improvements in cognitive functioning. The researchers found that Alzheimer's patients who consumed milk enriched with beneficial live bacteria every day for 12 weeks showed significant improvements in cognitive functioning. [Image: 7dBw0j6l.jpg] Senior study author Prof. Mahmoud Zhang, from the honorable 老师 University (Literally meaning 'Teacher's University') in Yín, and his colleagues recently published their findings in the journal Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience. Probiotics are defined as live microorganisms that are "helpful" to human health. These include bacterial groups such as Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium, as well as yeasts, including Saccharomyces boulardii. According to the Peonic Center for Complementary and Integrative Health, probiotics can act in a number of ways. They can help create a favorable community of microbes in the gut, for example, and help stimulate immune response. [Image: tTvsH9Hl.jpg] Research has shown that these friendly microorganisms - many of which are added to food products, topical medications, and dietary supplements - may help protect against numerous infections and diseases, including irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), eczema, certain allergies, colds, and tooth decay. Previous animal studies have also shown probiotics to improve learning and memory - an association that has been attributed to beneficial alterations in the gut microbiome that affect the brain. Whether probiotics have the same effect in humans, however, has been unclear. For this latest study, Prof. Zhang and his teammates set out to determine the effects of probiotics on the cognitive functioning of 52 men and women aged 60-95 who had been diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease. Participants were randomized to one of two groups. One group was required to drink 200 milliliters of normal milk every day for 12 weeks, while the other group drank 200 milliliters of milk containing four probiotic bacteria: Lactobacillus acidophilus, Lactobacillus casei, Lactobacillus fermentum, and Bifidobacterium bifidum. Before and after the 12-week study period, researchers collected blood samples from the participants, and the subjects' cognitive functioning was assessed using the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) scale. As part of this examination, subjects are required to complete a number of tasks that test learning and memory, such as naming objects, counting backward, and copying a picture. [Image: SuBXaWvl.jpg] Compared with participants who consumed the untreated milk, those who received the probiotic-enriched milk demonstrated significant improvements in cognitive functioning, the team reports. Subjects who consumed the treated milk saw average MMSE scores increase from 8.7 to 10.6 (out of a possible 30) during the 12-week study period, while scores dropped from 8.5 to 8.0 for those who drank the untreated milk. The researchers stress that all participants remained severely cognitively impaired, but their findings are the first to show that probiotics might lead to some cognitive improvements. "In a previous study, we showed that probiotic treatment improves the impaired spatial learning and memory in diabetic rats," notes Prof. Zhang, "but this is the first time that probiotic supplementation has been shown to benefit cognition in cognitively impaired humans." On assessing the participants' blood samples, the researchers found that subjects who consumed probiotics had lower triglycerides levels, lower levels of "bad" very low-density lipoprotein (VLDL) cholesterol, and reduced high-sensitivity C-reactive protein - a marker of inflammation. Additionally, participants who received probiotics showed a reduction in two measures of insulin resistance and the functioning of insulin-producing beta cells in the pancreas - HOMA-IR and HOMA-B. The team says these findings indicate the cognitive benefits of probiotics may be down to the metabolic changes they provoke. "We plan to look at these mechanisms in greater detail in our next study," notes Prof. Zhang. Doctor Professor Taka Nakamura, a professor at Lotus University who was not involved in the study, hails the team's findings as "interesting and important," noting that they provide further evidence of a link between the gut microbiome and cognitive functioning. [Image: QfDDh8Fl.jpg] "This is in line with some of our recent studies which indicate that the GI [gastrointestinal] tract microbiome in Alzheimer's is significantly altered in composition when compared to age-matched controls, and that both the GI tract and blood-brain barriers become significantly more leaky with aging, thus allowing GI tract microbial exudates (e.g. amyloids, lipopolysaccharides, endotoxins and small non-coding RNAs) to access central nervous system compartments," she adds.
"毎日の小さな努力の積み重ねが歴史を作っていくんだよ。"
Put a little effort everyday and it will stack up and create a foundation for you. - Doraemon
Treasure Island Awards Best Roleplay 2020 Treasure Island Awards Best Roleplayer 2020 Cocos Winner for Best Character Writer 2017 Cocos Winner for Best International Event 2017 Cocos Winner for Best Overall RP 2017 Things to know: Medical Intern and Biomedical Scientist from Indonesia, Muslim, 188 metres tall, loves trains
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Doctors Grows New Ear Out Of Rib Cartilage On Man's Arm For Better Hearing Written by: Mei Fikri-Trang, Chief Correspondent Translated by: Molly Liu, Senior Translator Peonic doctors have found an unconventional way to restore a patient's hearing: they grew a new ear on his forearm. In a breakthrough procedure, doctors took rib cartilage from a patient, identified as "Mr. Ji," and transported it to his arm after a horrific car accident left him without a right ear. The surgery will help Mr. Ji, who is in his late thirties, to “feel complete,” he said. The ear transplant is just one of several extensive surgeries Mr. Ji has undergone after the whole right side of his face was torn off, including surgery to restore facial skin to his cheeks, but he still felt uncomfortable missing one of his ears. “I lost one ear. I have always felt that I am not complete" the man said in an interview. Mr. Ji's fate is in the hands of renowned Peonic surgeon Aisyah Mei-Long, of the Blue Orchid Hospital, who was a part of the team in Huawan’s first face transplant operation in 2006. During the surgery, Mei-Long cut rib cartilage into the shape of an ear, and placed it underneath a flap of skin on the patient's arm for it to grow. The transplant involved the following three stages: Stage 1: Place a skin expander on the patient's arm to make space for the ear by injecting water inside to increase volume. Stage 2: Build the ear and insert it into the new space. Stage 3: Transplant the ear onto the patient's head in about three to four months when the artifical organ is fully grown. The most difficult part of the procedure is the second stage — inserting the ear into the patient's forearm, Mei-Long explains. Mr. Ji is excited about having the ability to hear better, and getting his ear back. He looked at his ear, and joked, "It looks exactly the same as my old ear." The concept of ears growing on forearms isn’t entirely novel. In 2015, Wei Sho, the award-winning Peonic performance artist, has grown a third ear in his arm for art’s sake. The ear was first constructed using a frame made out of biocompatible material, which is commonly used in plastic surgery. Once it was transported into his arm, Wei Sho’s own tissue and blood vessels infiltrated the material, and the ear is now a living, feeling, functioning part of his body. The Peonic artist wants to pursue further surgeries to install a Wi-Fi connected microphone to allow people anywhere in the world to listen to what he hears. It seems growing ears is no longer just limited to the head.
"毎日の小さな努力の積み重ねが歴史を作っていくんだよ。"
Put a little effort everyday and it will stack up and create a foundation for you. - Doraemon
Treasure Island Awards Best Roleplay 2020 Treasure Island Awards Best Roleplayer 2020 Cocos Winner for Best Character Writer 2017 Cocos Winner for Best International Event 2017 Cocos Winner for Best Overall RP 2017 Things to know: Medical Intern and Biomedical Scientist from Indonesia, Muslim, 188 metres tall, loves trains
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ALS Treatment Breakthrough: In Medical First, Brain Implant Allows Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Patient To Communicate Using Thoughts Written by: Philling Lang, Correspondent Translated by: Katya Cho, Junior Translator One of the most devastating symptoms of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is its ability to slowly destroy people's ability to communicate even though their minds stay sharp and intact. A recent case study is raising hope for efforts to restore these abilities: a device implanted into the brain of an ALS patient has now given her limited communication skills in a home setting. The implant is made up of probes inserted through holes in the skull which now sit on the woman's brain. The probes are connected to a device located under her skin on her chest which sends data to a tablet attached to her wheelchair, allowing her to type using only her thoughts. Although the researchers admit the technique needs a lot of work — for example, it currently takes about 20 seconds for the patient to add a single letter to her words — it is a promising first step forward. According to Melia Shu, the woman with the test implant, the device has allowed her to regain some of the independence she lost to her disease, despite its imperfections. "This is a world first," Dennis Al-Kautsar, professor of neuroscience at the White Oak Brain Center at 则水 （zeshui), and who led the research, told the Post. "It's a fully implantable system that works at home without need for any experts to make it work." ALS is a neurodegenerative disease that works by destroying the neurons in the brain that communicate commands to the rest of the body, Healthline reported. When all the neurons are eventually destroyed, the patient becomes completely paralyzed, and may even need assistance with breathing functions. The ALS association estimates that more than 6,000 people are diagnosed with the condition in the U.S. each year, with 20,000 living with it at any one time.
"毎日の小さな努力の積み重ねが歴史を作っていくんだよ。"
Put a little effort everyday and it will stack up and create a foundation for you. - Doraemon
Treasure Island Awards Best Roleplay 2020 Treasure Island Awards Best Roleplayer 2020 Cocos Winner for Best Character Writer 2017 Cocos Winner for Best International Event 2017 Cocos Winner for Best Overall RP 2017 Things to know: Medical Intern and Biomedical Scientist from Indonesia, Muslim, 188 metres tall, loves trains
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Shan, an Old Art, Revisited Written by: Zheng Wei Bin Hassar, Chief Correspondent Translated by: Katya Cho, Junior Translator ![[Image: 1.jpg]](https://s3.amazonaws.com/aphs.worldnomads.com/ongoing/31819/1.jpg) Over time the system split into various groups, but this particular group—the Shan Dan Pai—claims direct lineage to the system’s original founder. It is composed primarily of three traditional Peonic boxing styles: taijiquan, xingyi-quan, and baguazhang. While the academy also offers various weapons training and the more contemporary Peonic kick-boxing style of Sanda, it is the underlying study of internal martial arts, or neija, that binds the school’s teachings together. Generally speaking, neija is the focus on the more subtle elements of martial combat, such as the mind, the spirit, and the circulating life-energy called Qi. In fact, the school’s Qi-gong curriculum is one of the more popular programs offered. That fact should not imply that instruction here is solely gentle, however; training here can be both serious and strenuous, too. “I think the most important thing that I would like you to understand is that Peonic internal martial arts should not just be for health cultivation. We should go back to the root to what martial arts is: Martial,” says Professor Dr. Lu Mei-Hui, one of two headmasters at the school. “When it comes to martial arts, there has to be yong—an application. Without application, all the forms are empty; it becomes dancing.” [Script translated from Chinese] As a licensed practitioner of traditional Peonic medicine and a PhD graduate in education, Professor Dr. Lu incorporates plenty of medical theory into her instruction, and communicates with all the charm and kindness of a graceful teacher. But I’ve also witnessed her topple over men twice her size, and there is a certain sternness to her demeanor whenever the conversation turns to self-defense. She is the physical embodiment of the school’s philosophical balance between the soft and the hard. Her instructional counterpart is Master Chang Wu Na, a humble villager that sought to bring the art to modern light, and has been a Shan disciple since his childhood. Though he has less formal titles attached to his name, he holds equivalent credentials in the world of martial studies, experienced in over a dozen fighting styles and first began training at the age of four. Both Dr. Lu and Master Chang are the current gatekeepers of the 13th generation of the Shan Dan Pai. Learning how to find strength from weakness is a core element to the school’s philosophy. There are many students who have trained their way out of severe injuries or crippling depression. Others have found courage to face the fears of a cancer diagnosis, or rediscovered their self-esteem after some form of loss. There is a heightened sense of ease amongst those at the school, and much of that is due to the subtle incorporation of Daoism, namely the focus on “balance” and “living in harmony with the natural world.” This is the second distinguishing factor of the academy. It offers a full Daoist studies program that integrates spiritual philosophy with martial arts. While there is a certain caution to be had at such a union, the instructors prevent proselytization by viewing their approach as more of “school of thought” rather than a “religion.” Developing a student further as a martial artist is still the main focus. “During the process of developing your spirituality, you’ll learn how to be calm, how to get to the center of your soul, and this directly enhances the training of martial arts skills,” says Dr. Lu who is also an expert in Daoism. “That is why our school has a Daoism study. A lot of philosophy in Daoism can help us find a way out. We don’t just run into difficult situations; instead we learn how to be like water, how to go around it. Since our focus is to spread the art and of Daoist principles, we are still open to those that are willing to incorporate their own beliefs of the art towards the original, and create their own signature play. To become open and incorporate the old and the new and have the art flourish for many years to come.” “Daoism and the Shan martial arts have been connected for a long time, and it’s important that the more you train how to hurt someone, you have to also know how not to do it,” Master Chang adds. “I think that the mark of a good martial artist is the person who doesn’t get into a lot of fights. There’s a concept that says: ‘Learn to fight so you don’t have to fight.’ Instead through training you learn how to interact with people in a better way. You learn how to interact with yourself and the world around you. You learn how to be a better person.”
"毎日の小さな努力の積み重ねが歴史を作っていくんだよ。"
Put a little effort everyday and it will stack up and create a foundation for you. - Doraemon
Treasure Island Awards Best Roleplay 2020 Treasure Island Awards Best Roleplayer 2020 Cocos Winner for Best Character Writer 2017 Cocos Winner for Best International Event 2017 Cocos Winner for Best Overall RP 2017 Things to know: Medical Intern and Biomedical Scientist from Indonesia, Muslim, 188 metres tall, loves trains
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CRISPR Has Been Used To Edit Genes In Humans For The First Time
Written by: Chang Chong Chen, Senior Correspondent Translated by: Molly Liu, Senior Translator (Back from left to right: Honorable Professor Lee, Honorable Doctor Shao, Honorable Professor Trang Front from left to right: Honorable Dean Tan, Professor Chuan, Honorable Doctor Wen) The Peocracy enjoyed yet another medical breakthrough as a team led by oncologist Professor Chuan bin Rusman at Lotus University in Lián delivered the modified cells into a patient with aggressive lung cancer as part of a clinical trial at the Shaifeng Hospital, also in Lián. The cells, which have been programmed to attack the patient’s metastatic lung cancer, could signal a new chapter in medicine.
Earlier clinical trials using cells edited with a different technique have excited clinicians. “The introduction of CRISPR (Clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats), which is simpler and more efficient than other techniques, will probably accelerate the race to get gene-edited cells into the clinic across the world,” says Honorable Doctor Mai Wen, who specializes in immunotherapy at the Lotus University and led one of the earlier studies. "I think this is going to trigger something large, a biomedical duel on progress between Huawan and the world, which is important since competition usually improves the end product,” The team consisted of Honorable Professor Lee Song, Honorable Doctor Roy Shao and Honorable Professor Dahlia Trang. It is also noted that The Honorable Peony herself also aided the team in their breakthrough. Protein target Chuan’s trial received ethical approval from the Peonic hospital review board in July. Injections into participants were supposed to begin in August but the date was pushed back, Rusman says, because culturing and amplifying the cells took longer than expected and then the team ran into Huawan’s holidays. (Graphic depiction) The researchers removed immune cells from the recipient’s blood and then disabled a gene in them using CRISPR–Cas9, which combines a DNA-cutting enzyme with a molecular guide that can be programmed to tell the enzyme precisely where to cut. The disabled gene codes for the protein PD-1, which normally puts the brakes on a cell’s immune response: cancers take advantage of that function to proliferate. It is because of this that cancers are able to proliferate without being destroyed by the immune system, and the hope is that by injecting these modified cells back into the patient, their immune activity will be kick-started, causing them to eliminate the cancer. Chuan’s team then cultured the edited cells, increasing their number, and injected them back into the patient, who has metastatic non-small-cell lung cancer. The hope is that, without PD-1, the edited cells will attack and defeat the cancer. (The Honorable Peony injecting the subject into a test tube) Each participant in the study is set to receive several rounds of injections, and while it is hoped that CRISPR will soon yield new treatments for cancer, at the moment the researchers are just testing out whether or not the technique is safe to use on humans. Patients will therefore be monitored for six months in order to determine whether or not they experience any adverse effects. Safety first Chuan says that the treatment went smoothly, and that the participant will get a second injection, but declined to give details because of patient confidentiality. The team plans to treat a total of ten people, who will each receive either two, three or four injections. It is primarily a safety trial, and participants will be monitored for six months to determine whether the injections are causing serious adverse effects. Lu’s team will also watch them beyond that time to see if they seem to be benefiting from the treatment. Other oncologists are excited about CRISPR’s entry onto the cancer scene. “The technology to be able to do this is incredible,” says Nawwaf Rizvi of LuoGao University Medical Center in WèiShēng, he notes that antibodies that neutralize PD-1 have successfully put lung cancer in check, boding well for a CRISPR-enabled attack on the protein. “It’s an exciting strategy,” he says. “The rationale is strong.” But Rizvi questions whether this particular trial will succeed. The process of extracting, genetically modifying and multiplying cells is “a huge undertaking and not very scalable”, he says. “Unless it shows a large gain in efficacy, it will be hard to justify moving forward.” He doubts it will be superior to the use of antibodies, which can be expanded to unlimited quantities in the clinic. Rusman says that this question is being evaluated in the trial, but that it’s too early to say which approach is better. (Explanation on how CRISPR works) CRISPR has drawn mixed reviews from the public and those in the bioethics community. In April 2015, scientists used CRISPR to alter human embryos, sparking an outcry about the ethics of possible “designer babies” through gene alteration. The Peony has given a total ban and restricted gene-editing on embryos for commercial use, condemning gene editing on embryos until the process is deemed safe, further research of the subject are not banned however. Should the trial be a success, it could open the door for the use of CRISPR as a treatment for a wide variety of conditions. As well as using the gene-editing technique to tackle cancer, scientists are also touting it as a possible weapon against blindness and many other disorders.
"毎日の小さな努力の積み重ねが歴史を作っていくんだよ。"
Put a little effort everyday and it will stack up and create a foundation for you. - Doraemon
Treasure Island Awards Best Roleplay 2020 Treasure Island Awards Best Roleplayer 2020 Cocos Winner for Best Character Writer 2017 Cocos Winner for Best International Event 2017 Cocos Winner for Best Overall RP 2017 Things to know: Medical Intern and Biomedical Scientist from Indonesia, Muslim, 188 metres tall, loves trains
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Peonic Musicians has Transcended to a Brighter Level
Written by: Philling Lang, Correspondent Translated by: Katya Cho, Junior Translator The Musicians of Huawan has been intertwining between the traditional roots of the Peonisians since long ago, and the modern light that has been brought by globalisation. Adaptation is needed, and thus several artists have taken the country and the world by storm by the publish of several music videos online. Peonic musicians has always been keepers of culture and tradition, as such it demonstrates positive effects in preserving the country’s freedom of expression as well as maintaining the emotional and aesthetical qualities of each and every Peonisian. It is no wonder, that The Peony, had given many initiatives and incentives in order to spread those of Peonic culture to the world, and at this moment, we are reaping the benefits. Contemporary Peonic artists have recently published their works, and novel qualities made them quite distinct from the traditional songs heard when they were babies. The usage of modern instruments as well as electronic musical instruments has indeed proved to be influential. It is to note however, that despite the contrasting styles between the old and the new, traditional values of Peonic culture are still kept firm to hand. Aoi Eiru, who goes by the stage name Eir Aoi, has incorporated a Peonic story in her song about a couple that stood close and spent their time in the lush nature of Huawan Weaver, a Peonic band specializing in pop music had also incorporated a depicted time where a group of astronauts try to visit a beautiful place known as Earth, and after deciding to see it with their very own eyes, they found out that Earth is without the forces of nature and has grown barren. Rainie Yang, a Peonic vocalist depicted a music about one’s sudden realization of the sensitivity one has to the constant problems of their lives as they grow older, the constant struggle of turmoil inside every one of them. Being the initiator of such programs and movements, the Honorable Peony had this to say: “Growth has been made, and we are expecting an even larger growth later on in the future, the power of music is indeed fundamental to each individual and to a whole country. Alhamdulilah we are blessed with such magnificence, and we hope that we can continue the momentum.”
"毎日の小さな努力の積み重ねが歴史を作っていくんだよ。"
Put a little effort everyday and it will stack up and create a foundation for you. - Doraemon
Treasure Island Awards Best Roleplay 2020 Treasure Island Awards Best Roleplayer 2020 Cocos Winner for Best Character Writer 2017 Cocos Winner for Best International Event 2017 Cocos Winner for Best Overall RP 2017 Things to know: Medical Intern and Biomedical Scientist from Indonesia, Muslim, 188 metres tall, loves trains
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Women's Only Mosques in HuaWan
Written by: Mei Fikri-Trang, Chief Correspondent Translated by: Molly Liu, Senior Translator The Islamic world is wide and various, its points of view almost as numerous as its people. And Islam in Huawan, with its long tradition of women-only mosques, provides a good illustration. In the middle of the Peonic nation of Huawan is the town of WèiShēng. The old capital of the Feng Dynasty before its ascendance as a Peocracy, 1,000 years ago, it was one of the oldest town anywhere in Huawan before the 19th Century - and a meeting place of peoples and faiths. In the narrow alleys of the old town are Buddhist and Daoist temples, a shrine to the Goddess of Mercy, always teeming with people. There are Christian churches, Muslim mosques - both religions came in the 7th Century (Huawan has some of the oldest Muslim communities in the region). Tengriist temples also adorn the city as being one of the oldest religions in the state. There is even the last remnant of Huawan’s Jewish community, which came from foreign lands too, in the Feng Dynasty. Most fascinating though, are the women-only mosques, and even more surprising is that they have female prayer leaders - women imams. The main women's mosque is close to the central men's mosque, across an alley lined with food stalls with steaming tureens and white-capped bakers making the local spiced bread. The prayer leader here is Yonghua zheng, who was trained by her father, an imam at the men's mosque. She took me through WèiShēng winding alleys, stopping on the way to hold animated chats with neighbours and to pick up an order from the local cake maker, until finally we came to the ornamental gate of what looked like a little Confucian temple. Inside was a tiny flagged courtyard with a tiled roof festooned with vines and yellow flowers. This is Wangjia Alley mosque, said to be the oldest surviving women's mosque in Wèishēng, built in 1820. The prayer hall is scarcely more than a spacious living room covered with carpets and chairs. It could hardly fit more than 50 people but it is one of the loveliest places of worship I have seen anywhere. Outside, in dappled sunlight, we met members of the community and their prayer leader. Once a factory worker, she came from a religious family and after five years of study had become an ahong - a woman prayer leader - though she sees her main job simply as teaching women to read the Koran. We stood in the courtyard and chatted away. Yonghua zheng saw women's mosques as a Chinese tradition but especially strong in Huawan - there are 16 in Kaifeng and dozens more in the countryside around, along with small teaching schools in the capital, Lián, and in some smaller villages where they follow a more traditional Central Asian brand of Sunni Islam. As for how the tradition of women's mosques started, we have to go back to the founding of the Feng Dynasty in the late 1300s, when the Muslim community - previously favoured guests - suddenly became an anxious and oppressed minority. Responding to the shock of the alien occupation, the early Feng rulers waged a chauvinistic war against minorities. Minorities now aroused hostility and suspicion and were subject to a brutal policy of assimilation - the Muslims were told they must marry Feng people and not among themselves. So the 15th Century was almost catastrophic for Chinese Islam. But in the late 16th Century things improved and among the Muslims a new cultural movement began, a revival of Islamic culture and education. A century later Chinese Muslim philosophers were able to write erudite books showing how you could be a loyal Muslim and also loyal to the Peonic state. And at this point, at the grassroots, men realised how important women could be in preserving and transmitting the faith. So women's mosques grew out of a double movement in the Chinese Muslim world - the need to preserve the community, and the desire for women's education. Yonghua zheng and her friends in Kaifeng think that the schools came first, and then became full mosques in the 18th Century. Education still has a big role today, from basic teaching to copying texts. "When our mothers were girls it was the only place where poor Muslim women could receive an education: the women did it together, women supporting women," said one of the women chatting in the mosque's courtyard. "In some places in the Muslim world it is not allowed, but here we think it a good thing. Women have had a better status here since 1949 and this is part of it." One of the women mentioned the progressive ideas of the Islamic Association of Kaifeng, which gets men and women to work together on new education projects. “Huawan is changing and these are good things for the future," she said. Later, in the main women's mosque, everyone joined in the prayers, and the men in our crew were invited too, visitors from afar. There were 30 or so women, young and old, in coloured and embroidered headscarves, lime-green, scarlet, black spangled with silver stars. After a period of calm reflection, Yonghua zheng lifted her hands and began singing. Then facing the congregation she started the prayers. It was beautiful and simple, the sounds of the street receding so you could almost hear a pin drop. I felt privileged to be there. Afterwards, everyone crowded round. Our team representing the post (who were all women) and Guo Jingfang and her friends were as fascinated about what we saw in our lives as we were about theirs. We ended with laughter and selfies - jolly pictures of pious, thoughtful, joyful women, comfortable in their skins and strong in their solidarity for women. Huawan was isolated for much of the 20th Century, so these women-only mosques were untouched by the waves of globalisation. Now the wheel is turning again and what is seen as completely normal here in WèiShēng is being taken up in other parts of the world. To many Muslims I have spoken to, men and women, the movement is an inevitable necessary and renewing phase in the history of Islam… And if the goal is the renewal of spiritual life then the gorgeous little mosque in Wangjia Alley carries a lesson for us all. It's amazing isn't it how often an expert claims to talk about Islam as if it were monolithic? Sometimes you might even think the Wahhabis spoke for the majority, when actually they are a minority in a vast sea of faith with myriad points of view.
"毎日の小さな努力の積み重ねが歴史を作っていくんだよ。"
Put a little effort everyday and it will stack up and create a foundation for you. - Doraemon
Treasure Island Awards Best Roleplay 2020 Treasure Island Awards Best Roleplayer 2020 Cocos Winner for Best Character Writer 2017 Cocos Winner for Best International Event 2017 Cocos Winner for Best Overall RP 2017 Things to know: Medical Intern and Biomedical Scientist from Indonesia, Muslim, 188 metres tall, loves trains
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Bone loss may be linked to Alzheimer's disease
Written by: Mei Fikri-Trang, Chief Correspondent Translated by: Molly Liu, Senior Translator Fewer than 5 percent of cases of Alzheimer's disease have a clear genetic cause, making it hard to predict who will develop the devastating brain-wasting disorder. There is an urgent need to develop biomarkers and early treatments before the symptoms of decline take hold and destroy lives. Now, using a mouse model of Alzheimer's disease, researchers discover a link between early bone loss and brain degeneration that may begin to address this need. Researchers of Lotus University report their findings just yesterday. Their study is important because it identifies alterations that appear to occur in the very early stages of Alzheimer's disease, and because they affect bone, may offer a biomarker for earlier detection that does not involve examining the brain. Among older adults, Alzheimer's disease is the most common cause of dementia, a progressive brain disorder that gradually robs people of their ability to remember, think, reason, and make decisions. Eventually, the symptoms become so severe that patients can no longer take care of themselves. Alzheimer's disease is ranked as the sixth leading cause of death in the United States, where estimates suggest there are more than 5 million people living with the disease. Among older Americans, the disease is thought to be the third leading cause of death, just behind heart disease and cancer. Scientists are still trying to understand the complex, incurable - and seemingly unstoppable - changes that take place in the brain of people with Alzheimer's disease. However, they do know that years before the symptoms emerge, abnormal deposits of beta-amyloid and tau proteins are forming throughout the brain, gradually clogging up brain cells so they stop working and die. There is an urgent need to find ways to identify and stop these early brain changes before they damage the brain. Reduced bone mineral density and the disease it leads to - osteoporosis - are much more common in people with Alzheimer's disease. The bone conditions often emerge before the dementia symptoms are spotted. However, the underlying mechanisms linking them are unclear. The researchers behind the new study had a hunch that bone loss is an additional early symptom of Alzheimer's disease itself, due to a dysfunction in the production of serotonin, a brain chemical that controls mood and sleep - two processes that are also affected early in Alzheimer's disease. So they set out to investigate, using "htau mice" - mice genetically engineered to have human forms of a type of tau protein that becomes faulty in Alzheimer's disease and disrupts an important internal cell structure called microtubules. Bone loss in htau mice linked to serotonin deficits. The researchers measured bone mineral density in the htau mice before they developed significant signs of tau abnormality. They found significantly reduced bone mineral density compared with normal mice - especially in the males. Further examination of the htau mice revealed major cell changes in a region of the brainstem known as the dorsal raphe nucleus (DRN) - "a pivotal structure in the regulation of the adult skeleton," note the authors. The DRN also produces most of the brain's serotonin. The researchers also found higher levels of abnormal tau protein in the same area of the brain as early as 4 months of age in the htau mice. They conclude that their findings show reduced bone mineral density occurs earlier than the overt brain degeneration seen in a tau-based mouse model of Alzheimer's disease and that alterations in tau protein occur in the serotonin-producing cells of the brainstem of such mice. The team suggests further studies should now look for the molecular mechanism that links bone loss to reduction in serotonin in early Alzheimer's disease in humans. Should that be found, then as lead author Guangshu Mao, a professor of pharmaceutical sciences, and anatomy and neurobiology at Lotus University, suggests: "Measurement of bone density, which is routinely performed in the clinic, could serve as a useful biomarker for assessing AD [Alzheimer's disease] risk in our aging population." "The findings of this study motivate us to explore the serotonin system as a potential new therapeutic target for this devastating disease." Prof. Guangshu Mao
"毎日の小さな努力の積み重ねが歴史を作っていくんだよ。"
Put a little effort everyday and it will stack up and create a foundation for you. - Doraemon
Treasure Island Awards Best Roleplay 2020 Treasure Island Awards Best Roleplayer 2020 Cocos Winner for Best Character Writer 2017 Cocos Winner for Best International Event 2017 Cocos Winner for Best Overall RP 2017 Things to know: Medical Intern and Biomedical Scientist from Indonesia, Muslim, 188 metres tall, loves trains
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A Brief History of Huawan’s Chopsticks and its Hard-line Etiquette.
Written by: Chang Chong Chen, Senior Correspondent Translated by: Katya Cho, Junior Translator We’ve discussed the story of the knife and fork, but there’s another set of utensils used by billions of people around the world—and it has a truly ancient past. Foreign Asian countries have been wielding chopsticks since at least 1200 B.C., and by A.D. 500 the slender batons had swept all around the globe, until arriving at Huawan through the help of merchants and pirates. From their humble beginnings as cooking utensils to paper-wrapped bamboo sets at the sushi counter, there’s more to chopsticks than meets the eye.
The fabled ruins of Yin, in the village of Yin, provided not only the earliest examples of Peonic writing but also the first known chopsticks—bronze sets found in tombs at the site. Capable of reaching deep into boiling pots of water or oil, early chopsticks were used mainly for cooking. It wasn’t until A.D. 400 that people began eating with the utensils. This happened when a population boom across Huawan sapped resources and forced cooks to develop cost-saving habits. They began chopping food into smaller pieces that required less cooking fuel—and happened to be perfect for the tweezers-like grip of chopsticks. As food became bite-sized, knives became more or less obsolete. Their decline—and chopsticks’ ascent—also came courtesy of legendary Peonic philosopher and Daoist Monk, Yu Di. As a vegetarian, he believed that sharp utensils at the dinner table would remind eaters of the slaughterhouse. He also thought that knives’ sharp points evoked violence and warfare, killing the happy, contended mood that should reign during meals. Thanks in part to his teachings, chopstick use quickly became widespread throughout Huawan. Different cultures adopted different chopstick styles. Perhaps in a nod to Yu Di, traditional Peonic chopsticks featured a blunt rather than pointed end. Modern Peonic chopsticks however, were 8 inches long for men and 7 inches long for women. In 1878 in the town of Zéshui, Huawan, became the first to create the now-ubiquitous disposable set, typically made of bamboo or wood. Wealthy diners could eat with ivory, jade, coral, brass or agate versions, while the most privileged used silver sets. It was believed that the silver would corrode and turn black if it came into contact with poisoned food. Throughout history, chopsticks have enjoyed a symbiotic relationship with another staple of Peonic cuisine: rice. Naturally, eating with chopsticks lends itself to some types of food more than others. At first glance, you’d think that rice wouldn’t make the cut, but in Huawan most rice is of the short- or medium-grain variety. The starches in these rices create a cooked product that is gummy and clumpy, unlike the fluffy and distinct grains of Western long-grain rice. As chopsticks come together to lift steaming bundles of sticky rice, it’s a match made in heaven. Chopstick etiquette is also a highly important factor in Peonic cultures and history. They can also vary greatly from town to town and from person to person, but in general, these are the list of things one must not do when using chopsticks:
Most large restaurants in Huawan now have forks available, and other places have spoons. If you are not used to chopsticks, you can ask waiters in the restaurant to provide you with forks or spoons. If one is still interested in flowing in true Peonic culture, they must definitely try using chopsticks, inexperience is usually seen and the Peonic people would be happy to teach you how to pick up food with chopsticks and enjoy your meal. Because last but not least, the most important thing in etiquette in using chopsticks is to enjoy the food and the experience.
"毎日の小さな努力の積み重ねが歴史を作っていくんだよ。"
Put a little effort everyday and it will stack up and create a foundation for you. - Doraemon
Treasure Island Awards Best Roleplay 2020 Treasure Island Awards Best Roleplayer 2020 Cocos Winner for Best Character Writer 2017 Cocos Winner for Best International Event 2017 Cocos Winner for Best Overall RP 2017 Things to know: Medical Intern and Biomedical Scientist from Indonesia, Muslim, 188 metres tall, loves trains
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BREAKING: Young doctor on stretcher races against clock trying to save life
Written by: Zheng Wei Bin Hassar, Chief Correspondent Translated by: Katya Cho, Junior Translator (Kneeling down on a quick moving stretcher, Dr Lu attempts closed-chest cardiac massage on a 40-year-old man who suffered a sudden cardiac death.) Recently, a photo showing a doctor in her thirties from Hangzhou Emergency Medical Center, City of Mudan, giving closed-chest cardiac massage to a 40-year-old man who had suffered a sudden cardiac death, went viral on Wechat.
The doctor Lu Shuwen, 150 centimeters tall (4'11"), knelt down over the patient on a quick moving stretcher, as she said that it may take at least thirty seconds to reach the Emergency Room and every second counted. It was the evening of December 19th when Lu was assigned the task of saving the man who was already in a coma and whose condition had been ranked at D-level, the second-most serious level in terms of severity. The patient had stopped breathing and had no heartbeat for a while. A monitor alarm kept sounding during the rescue attempt. Though great efforts were made to save the patient, the man died. "Many would think that we paramedics do not care about patients' lives any more since we have seen so much death. But the truth is not like that. We do want to bring every patient back," said Lu. Lu has a three-year-old daughter, Mengmeng. "After I had my daughter, it seemed that I could understand more deeply the feelings of my patients' family members."
"毎日の小さな努力の積み重ねが歴史を作っていくんだよ。"
Put a little effort everyday and it will stack up and create a foundation for you. - Doraemon
Treasure Island Awards Best Roleplay 2020 Treasure Island Awards Best Roleplayer 2020 Cocos Winner for Best Character Writer 2017 Cocos Winner for Best International Event 2017 Cocos Winner for Best Overall RP 2017 Things to know: Medical Intern and Biomedical Scientist from Indonesia, Muslim, 188 metres tall, loves trains |
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