Bible 'like hand-grenade' in some countries: Pope Francis

Bible 'like hand-grenade' in some countries: Pope Francis

Christians are being targeted in some parts of the world merely for wearing a crucifix or owning a bible seen as a "hidden hand-grenade", Pope Francis has said."...Christians are being persecuted for wearing a cross and showing their faith in Jesus. They are being condemned for owning a bible," Francis wrote in the preface to a new edition of the bible."Clearly the bible is an extremely dangerous book, so perilous that in some countries it is treated like a hidden hand-grenade" continued the preface.The new edition of the bible, aimed at young people is due to be published by the Italian Jesuit magazine Civilta Cattolica in the end of December.

*******

New non-toxic material for stronger dental fillings

Graphene oxide could be used to make super strong dental fillings that don't corrode, a new study says.The study suggests we chew around 800 times in an average meal, that's almost a million times a year. We put our teeth under huge strain, and often require fillings to repair them."The idea of the project was to add graphene into dental materials, in order to increase their resistance to corrosion as well as to improve their mechanical properties," said Stela Pruneanu, one of the authors of the study from the National Institute for Research and Development of Isotopic and Molecular Technologies in Romania."There is contradictory information regarding the cytotoxicity of graphene, so we first wanted to determine how toxic it is for teeth.

"Thermally reduced graphene oxide was highly toxic, making it inappropriate as a dental filling material. Nitrogen-doped graphene caused membrane damage at high doses. However, it was shown to have antioxidant properties."The results were very interesting and proved that graphene is appropriate for use in dental materials," said Gabriela Adriana Filip, another author of the study and associate professor at the Iuliu Hatieganu University of Medicine and Pharmacy Cluj-Napoca in Romania."We believe that this research will bring new knowledge about the cytotoxic properties of graphene-based materials and their potential applications in dental materials," Filip added.The study findings were published in the recent issue of journal Colloids and Surfaces B: Biointerfaces.

********

Three-four cups of coffee can cut diabetes risk

Much to coffee lovers' delight, drinking three to four cups of coffee per day can reduce the risk of developing Type 2 diabetes, said a new study.Danish scientists have identified two compounds that contribute to this health benefit, adding that this knowledge can help them develop new medications to better prevent and treat the disease.To investigate which of coffee's many bioactive components are responsible for diabetes prevention, the team tested the effects of different coffee substances in rat cell lines.The researchers investigated different coffee compounds' effects on cells in the lab.The two compounds - cafestol and caffeic acid - increased insulin secretion when glucose was added.The team also found that cafestol increased glucose uptake in muscle cells, matching the levels of a currently prescribed antidiabetic drug.

According to lead researcher Soren Gregersen from Aarhus University Hospital in Denmark, cafestol's dual benefits make it a good candidate for the prevention and treatment of Type 2 diabetes.However, because coffee filters eliminate much of the cafestol in drip coffee, it is likely that other compounds also contribute to these health benefits.Patients with Type 2 diabetes become resistant to insulin, a hormone that helps turn glucose from food into energy.

To overcome this resistance, the pancreas makes more insulin, but eventually, it just can't make enough.High blood glucose levels can cause health problems, such as blindness and nerve damage.Several genetic and life style risk factors have been linked to the development of Type 2 diabetes, but drinking coffee has been shown to help prevent its onset.The paper was reported in ACS' Journal of Natural Products.