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Uplifting Water Melons

Posted by David Bradley on July 4th, 2008
Citrulline"The more we study watermelons, the more we realize just how amazing a fruit it is in providing natural enhancers to the human body," says Bhimu Patil, director of Texas A&M’s Fruit and Vegetable Improvement Center in College Station. Enhancing indeed" He and his colleagues have now added a rather uplifting property to the list ...

A Chilli Gut Feeling

Posted by David Bradley on June 10th, 2008
Red hot chilli peppersSufferers of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) apparently have more protein receptors for the active compounds in chilli peppers, according to a study to be published June 11 in the journal Gut (PDF). The findings might one day lead to new treatments for IBS. IBS is a painful, often chronic, condition which causes ...

Naturally Fibrous Mimic

Posted by David Bradley on May 20th, 2008
One of the important components of the extracellular matrix is collagen, which comprises the major structural protein component of higher organisms. However, it remains a major challenge to emulate the unique structural and biological properties of native collagenous biomaterials in synthetic analogues. Consequently, numerous opportunities exist for synthetic collagens in biomedical applications as extracellular matrix analogues, if the appropriate ...