Did you know that...

March is over, April is almost half-way done, Mother's Day is long gone now, and maybe over Easter time we can skip some Netflix or Amazon Prime easy entertainment to get our eyes on some very interesting reads. It's never easy to find enough time, I totally understand, but if you love science you always take some minutes to educate yourself. I myself am afflicted by very limited time to check all the science news that emerge daily like a Spring-scented garden. But if from a list of say, 14 interesting links, you pick a single one to really lay your eyes on, you will be automatically more informed than the moment that preceded it.

One single article may provide you with the information that you've been craving concerning that health issue you are affected by, that trick to get rid of fat stains from your new carpet, that medical advance that might be relevant for someone you know, or even that charity that is doing some philanthropic work in an African country that you've always wanted to visit... Who knows?, let the flow of an interesting article entice and seduce you into knowing a bit more science. A learned information cannot be unlearned, it will stay with you forever and one day might be useful.

Find below a list of topics I personally believe are extremely interesting with potential to draw a smile on your face today, for knowledge is not only power, knowledge is also very sexy!

Careers

The 2018 Employee Engagement Report for the Life Sciences Industry is live. Access it to read the 18 pages distilling the relevant information on key motivations and differential, company type, Management and Non-Management, Demographics, Type of contracts and the interesting findings observed. A very interesting reading for anyone on the industry, be it employee, and especially employers.

Environment

The Pacific plastic vortex is being cleaned up by System 001, a gigantic net created by the startup Ocean Cleanup to collect floating plastic from oceanic waters (Portuguese Language only). 

If you would like to know more on the plastic island floating through the pacific vortex read the post published by The Toxicologist Today in 2011.

Lifestyle

And if you're into diets, learn from specialists on how detrimental to one's health can it be the currently famous ketogenic diet (Portuguese language only).


And for those like myself, concerned with animal rights and the lack of options to wear, a great online shop I found for satiating your clothing desires.

Pharmaceuticals

A Universal flu vaccine is entering Phase 3 trial and intends to counteract known limitations of other vaccines against seasonal flu. BiondVax Pharmaceuticals apparently is leading the way towards a great prevention against the 8th leading cause of death that is costing America $87bn.

A new anti-malaria drug in the making; one that might actually be targeting the mosquito parasite at an early stage of life rather than focusing on the reduction of symptomatic impact. A good read with very promising results.

Research

Lego! Your children love eating those colourful plastic bricks at all times. But now a group of paediatricians decided to determine typical transit times for a swallowed Lego figurine head, as a matter of example.

The role of MicroRNA in autoimmunity, with special focus on Sjogren's syndrome, is discussed in this interesting article.

An investigation on whether TNF-like weak inducer of apoptosis (TWEAK) plays a role in cerebral involvement in human systemic lupus erythematosus and primary Sjögren's syndrome with neuropsychiatric implications. 

Discover who is talking about your research by accessing this web page by Altmetric. They track a range of sources to capture and collate activity concerning your publications.

Some researchers are studying the role of the vagus nerve (one of the cranial nerves that has gastric, respiratory and cardiovascular implications in the human body) in fatigue and tiredness in Sjogren's syndrome patients. True or not, the judge is still out there.

If you would like to know more on how I overcame tiredness and fatigue related to my Sjogren's by applying the Wim Hof method, please access this post.

Researchers published pertinent cardiovascular/oncology information in the British Medical Journal concerning the increased risk of lung cancer for those patients taking blood pressure medication, namely ARB and ACEI products (Portuguese language only).


Post image kindly obtained from Motor24, [https://www.motor24.pt/motores/ecologia/projeto-ecologico-ja-comecou-limpar-as-toneladas-plastico-do-oceano-pacifico/?utm_source=ojogo.pt&utm_medium=recomendadas&utm_campaign=afterArticle&_ga=2.151878137.1518736998.1536680189-840951596.1535967158].