CUCUMBERS

Naked mole rats have what any animal would want. They live long lives — about 30 years — and stay healthy until the very end. Now biologists at the University of Rochester have new insights into the animal’s longevity — better-constructed proteins.

Proteins are involved in nearly all functions of an animal cell, and consequently, are essential to all organisms. But before proteins can do their job, they must fold into the appropriate shapes that allow them to connect to and interact with other structures in the cell. In a paper published this week in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Vera Gorbunova and Andrei Seluanov describe their discovery of the process in naked mole rats that leads to virtually perfect proteins.

“While this is basic research,” said Gorbunova, “we hope our findings encourage further studies on better protein synthesis.”

Their work focused on naked mole rat ribosomes — the site of protein creation in the animal’s cells — and began by happenstance. Gorbunova and Seluanov were working with ribosome RNA (rRNA) when they made a discovery. After applying a dye to a sample, they studied it under ultraviolet light only to find three dark bands — representing concentrations of different rRNA molecules — not the two bands that are characteristic of all other animals, suggesting that there is a “hidden break” in the naked mole rat rRNA. Since rRNA is an essential part of the protein-creation mechanism, the two biologists decided to see if the broken rRNA affects the quality of naked mole rat proteins.

Ribosome RNA strands act as scaffolds on the ribosome, a protein synthesis machine. Changing the shape of the scaffold can have a profound effect on the organization of the ribosome parts.

- See more at: http://www.punchng.com/healthwise/better-protein-creation-secret-of-longevity/#sthash.8R2w8fo6.dpuf

Cucumbers are the fourth most cultivated vegetable in the world and known to be one of the best foods for your body's overall health, often referred to as a super food. Cucumbers are often sprayed with pesticides so it is important to buy organic or even better, grow them yourself.

Here are 10 Benefits of cucumbers:

1.Quick pick me-up - Cucumbers are a good source of B vitamins. Put down your sodas and coffee and eat a cucumber slice.

2. Rehydrates body and replenishes daily vitamins - Cucumbers are 95 percent water, keeping the body hydrated while helping the body eliminate toxins. Cucumbers have most of the vitamins the body needs in a single day. Don't forget to leave the skin on because the skin contains a good amount of vitamin C, about 10 percent of the daily-recommended allowance.


3. Skin and hair care - If you don't like to eat the skin, it can be used for skin irritations and sunburns as aloe would be used. Place a slice over puffy eyes and its anti-inflammatory properties help reduce puffiness. The silicon and sulfur in cucumbers help to stimulate hair growth.

4. Fight cancers - Cucumber are known to contain lariciresinol, pinoresinol, and secoisolariciresinol. These three lignans have a strong history of research in connection with reduced risk of several cancer types, including breast cancer, ovarian cancer, uterine cancer and prostate cancer.

5. Home care - Eliminates a foggy mirror. Before taking a shower, rub a cucumber slice along a mirror and it will eliminate the mirror fogging up. Instead of WD40, take a cucumber slice and rub it along a squeaky hinge and your door will stop squeaking.

6. Relieves bad breath - Take a slice of cucumber and press it to the roof of your mouth with your tongue for 30 seconds, the phytochemcials will kill the bacteria in your mouth responsible for causing bad breath.

7. Hangover cure - To avoid a morning hangover or headache; eat a few cucumber slices before going to bed. Cucumbers contain enough sugar, B vitamins and electrolytes to replenish many essential nutrients, reducing the intensity of both hangover and headache.

8. Aids in weight loss and digestion - Due to its low calorie and high water content, cucumber is an ideal diet for people who are looking for weight loss. The high water content and dietary fiber in cucumbers are very effective in ridding the body of toxins from the digestive system, aiding digestion. Daily consumption of cucumbers can be regarded as a remedy for chronic constipation.

9. Cures diabetes, reduces cholesterol and controls blood pressure - Cucumber juice contains a hormone which is needed by the cells of the pancreas for producing insulin which has been found to be beneficial to diabetic patients. Researchers found that a compound called sterols in cucumbers may help reduce cholesterol levels. Cucumbers contain a lot of potassium, magnesium and fiber. These work effectively for regulating blood pressure. This makes cucumbers good for treating both low blood pressure and high blood pressure.

10. Promotes joint health, relieves gout and arthritis pain -Cucumber is an excellent source of silica, which is known to help promotes joint health by strengthening the connective tissues. They are also rich in vitamin A, B1, B6, C & D, Folate, Calcium, Magnesium, and Potassium. When mixed with carrot juice, they can relieve gout and arthritis pain by lowering the uric acid levels

Naked mole rats have what any animal would want. They live long lives — about 30 years — and stay healthy until the very end. Now biologists at the University of Rochester have new insights into the animal’s longevity — better-constructed proteins.

Proteins are involved in nearly all functions of an animal cell, and consequently, are essential to all organisms. But before proteins can do their job, they must fold into the appropriate shapes that allow them to connect to and interact with other structures in the cell. In a paper published this week in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Vera Gorbunova and Andrei Seluanov describe their discovery of the process in naked mole rats that leads to virtually perfect proteins.

“While this is basic research,” said Gorbunova, “we hope our findings encourage further studies on better protein synthesis.”

Their work focused on naked mole rat ribosomes — the site of protein creation in the animal’s cells — and began by happenstance. Gorbunova and Seluanov were working with ribosome RNA (rRNA) when they made a discovery. After applying a dye to a sample, they studied it under ultraviolet light only to find three dark bands — representing concentrations of different rRNA molecules — not the two bands that are characteristic of all other animals, suggesting that there is a “hidden break” in the naked mole rat rRNA. Since rRNA is an essential part of the protein-creation mechanism, the two biologists decided to see if the broken rRNA affects the quality of naked mole rat proteins.

Ribosome RNA strands act as scaffolds on the ribosome, a protein synthesis machine. Changing the shape of the scaffold can have a profound effect on the organization of the ribosome parts.

- See more at: http://www.punchng.com/healthwise/better-protein-creation-secret-of-longevity/#sthash.8R2w8fo6.dpuf

Naked mole rats have what any animal would want. They live long lives — about 30 years — and stay healthy until the very end. Now biologists at the University of Rochester have new insights into the animal’s longevity — better-constructed proteins.

Proteins are involved in nearly all functions of an animal cell, and consequently, are essential to all organisms. But before proteins can do their job, they must fold into the appropriate shapes that allow them to connect to and interact with other structures in the cell. In a paper published this week in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Vera Gorbunova and Andrei Seluanov describe their discovery of the process in naked mole rats that leads to virtually perfect proteins.

“While this is basic research,” said Gorbunova, “we hope our findings encourage further studies on better protein synthesis.”

Their work focused on naked mole rat ribosomes — the site of protein creation in the animal’s cells — and began by happenstance. Gorbunova and Seluanov were working with ribosome RNA (rRNA) when they made a discovery. After applying a dye to a sample, they studied it under ultraviolet light only to find three dark bands — representing concentrations of different rRNA molecules — not the two bands that are characteristic of all other animals, suggesting that there is a “hidden break” in the naked mole rat rRNA. Since rRNA is an essential part of the protein-creation mechanism, the two biologists decided to see if the broken rRNA affects the quality of naked mole rat proteins.

Ribosome RNA strands act as scaffolds on the ribosome, a protein synthesis machine. Changing the shape of the scaffold can have a profound effect on the organization of the ribosome parts.

- See more at: http://www.punchng.com/healthwise/better-protein-creation-secret-of-longevity/#sthash.8R2w8fo6.dpuf

Naked mole rats have what any animal would want. They live long lives — about 30 years — and stay healthy until the very end. Now biologists at the University of Rochester have new insights into the animal’s longevity — better-constructed proteins.

Proteins are involved in nearly all functions of an animal cell, and consequently, are essential to all organisms. But before proteins can do their job, they must fold into the appropriate shapes that allow them to connect to and interact with other structures in the cell. In a paper published this week in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Vera Gorbunova and Andrei Seluanov describe their discovery of the process in naked mole rats that leads to virtually perfect proteins.

“While this is basic research,” said Gorbunova, “we hope our findings encourage further studies on better protein synthesis.”

Their work focused on naked mole rat ribosomes — the site of protein creation in the animal’s cells — and began by happenstance. Gorbunova and Seluanov were working with ribosome RNA (rRNA) when they made a discovery. After applying a dye to a sample, they studied it under ultraviolet light only to find three dark bands — representing concentrations of different rRNA molecules — not the two bands that are characteristic of all other animals, suggesting that there is a “hidden break” in the naked mole rat rRNA. Since rRNA is an essential part of the protein-creation mechanism, the two biologists decided to see if the broken rRNA affects the quality of naked mole rat proteins.

Ribosome RNA strands act as scaffolds on the ribosome, a protein synthesis machine. Changing the shape of the scaffold can have a profound effect on the organization of the ribosome parts.

- See more at: http://www.punchng.com/healthwise/better-protein-creation-secret-of-longevity/#sthash.8R2w8fo6.dpuf