Reinvention Of Hunter In A New And Menacing Image

 by Jonathan Turley,

Below is an expanded version of my New York Post column this week on the latest moves by Hunter Biden and his team. It is the latest reinvention of Hunter but it is unlikely to succeed any more than the earlier incarnations. Yesterday, the deadline to turn over evidence passed for Hunter, his uncle, and one of his associates. They have decided to go full Bannon, even though this course took the former Trump adviser to a speedy conviction for contempt.

Here is the column:

It appears that the Biden franchise is about to follow a new vision for the male scion of President Joe Biden. Just as Christopher Nolan introduced a darker Batman, a new team of political advisers and lawyers have reinvented Hunter Biden in a new and more menacing image. Biden is threatening lawsuits and reportedly preparing a scorched Earth campaign against political and media critics. He is even in court trying to prevent his own daughter from using his name.

Welcome to the new Dark Biden.

Hunter Biden has long been a reclamation project for the media and the Biden team. Despite ample evidence that he and his family may have engaged in one of the largest influence peddling operations in history, the media has struggled to find a redeeming image for someone who has committed his life to a toxic mix of nepotism, narcissism, and narcotics.

First, there was the “Hunter: the wrongly accused international businessman.”

This blanket denial of wrongdoing was maintained by his father and dutifully repeated by the media. Hunter Biden did “nothing wrong” and reporters pressing questions of corruption were immediately attacked.

Then came “Hunter Biden: victim of Russian Disinformation.”

Before the 2020 election, the media repeated the false claim that the Hunter Biden laptop was likely “Russian Disinformation.” Despite the denial of American intelligence and self-verifying emails on the laptop, the media accepted without question the dubious claims of former intelligence figures organized by longtime Democratic operatives.

Then came “Hunter Biden: heroic recovering addict.”

As the media denials became more difficult to maintain on his dealings, Biden released a book that detailed his struggle with drugs and debauchery. The media again launched into the same fawning, unquestioning mode.   Hunter appeared on every network touting his book “Beautiful Things,” that Simon and Schuster reportedly gave him $2 million to write (despite less than 10,000 book sales in the first week). He was portrayed as the very image of courage in speaking openly of the details of his sex and drug addictions even though he repeatedly claimed no memory on issues related to his business dealings or the laptop.

Now we have the Dark Biden.

Hunter’s handlers are reinventing Hunter in a more combative image. He is an edgy and aggressive antagonist ready to fight fire with fire against Republicans. A team was assembled to reportedly attack potential witnesses and critics. With a possible criminal indictment and congressional investigations looming, Hunter the businessman or recovering addict or victim will not do.

Hunter appears to have acquired lawyers by the gross, including former Clinton counsel Abbe Lowell. Lowell recently sent out a letter that caused a stir by not only seemingly confirming the authenticity of the laptop but threatening a host of critics. Biden called for groups to be stripped of tax exemptions, suggested a host of possible defamation actions, and even demanded criminal investigations against critics.

The problem is that, unlike Dark Batman, Dark Biden is missing one critical element: a credible threat.

Undeterred, Lowell recently defied a demand for evidence from the House Oversight Committee. In a letter to House Oversight Committee Chair James Comer (R-KY), Lowell declared “Peddling your own inaccurate and baseless conclusions under the guise of a real investigation, turns the Committee into ‘Wonderland’ and you into the Queen of Hearts shouting, ‘sentence first, verdict afterwords.’”

Lowell categorically refused to turn over a single document to House Oversight Committee Chair James Comer (R-Ky.), saying there was no “legitimate legislative purpose” for the investigation into Hunter. He left open the possibility the House might convince Hunter to cooperate. Perhaps the House could try to “say it nicer,” as Hunter once instructed ABC News reporter Amy Robach.

The message is “fear us” but it could not be less convincing than if Lowell put black tights and an eared mask on his client. It just does not fit.

Congress clearly has a legitimate interest in investigating whether millions of dollars from foreign interests, including some connected to foreign intelligence, were funneled to the Biden family to influence President Biden.

Emails repeated references not only Joe Biden and suggest knowledge of the dealings despite his repeated denials of any knowledge or involvement. There is also a clear effort to hide Joe Biden’s involvement.  In one email, Biden associate James Gilliar instructed Tony Bobulinski, then Hunter’s business partner: “Don’t mention Joe being involved, it’s only when u [sic] are face to face, I know u [sic] know that but they are paranoid.” Bobulinski has given sworn statements that he personally met with Joe Biden to discuss these dealings.

Emails used code names for Joe Biden such as “Celtic” or “the big guy.” In one, “the big guy” is mentioned as possibly receiving a 10% cut on a deal with a Chinese energy firm. There are also references to Hunter paying off his father’s bills from shared accounts.

Code names, cuts for “the big guy” and millions in mysterious foreign transactions are ample reasons for congressional inquiry.

The new buff Biden is a bluff and the Committee just called it. He has until Wednesday 11:59 p.m ET to hand over documents to the House Oversight Committee related to his foreign business dealings or else face a potential subpoena from Republicans.

He would then become less Batman and more Bannon. Unless Lowell backs down, he will follow the same strategy of Steve Bannon who was ultimately charged with contempt and convicted. At the time, I said that Bannon was asking for a contempt charge.

Despite the considerable risk, Hunter Biden is holding to character. He has not shared information on his art sales despite concerns over influence peddling and money laundering. Now his art dealer, Georges Bergès, has also reportedly refused to provide the House Oversight Committee with the identities of the buyers of Biden’s high-priced art work.

It won’t work. It is a course that could lead to a criminal charge entirely separate from the underlying allegations. It just shows, as Joker stated in the Dark Knight, “Madness…is a lot like gravity. All it takes is a little push.”

https://www.zerohedge.com/political/dark-biden-rises-reinvention-hunter-new-and-menacing-image

U.S. formally ends fight against Meta's purchase of VR fitness content maker

 The U.S. government said on Friday it was formally ending its effort to stop Facebook parent Meta Platforms Inc from buying virtual reality (VR) content maker Within Unlimited.

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC), which lost a fight in court to block the acquisition, said in a filing that it has decided to formally end its effort.

The FTC sued Meta in July to stop the Within deal, arguing that Meta's purchase would reduce competition in a new market. The deal for Within, which makes the Supernatural fitness workouts, was reportedly worth about $400 million.

Judge Edward Davila of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California rejected the FTC's concerns, and declined to order a preliminary injunction. The FTC did not appeal, and the deal closed in February.

The FTC's effort had been seen as a test of the agency's ability to prevent Meta from acquiring small would-be rivals.

Meta said in a statement that it was "excited" to have wrapped up the transaction to buy Within.

https://finance.yahoo.com/news/1-u-formally-ends-fight-224358000.html

FDA approves first over-the-counter at-home test for COVID-19, flu

 The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the first over-the-counter at-home test for both COVID-19 and the flu on Friday. 

The FDA said in a release that the test can differentiate between and detect Influenza A and B, which most commonly cause the flu in humans, and SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. 

Jeff Shuren, the director of the FDA’s Center for Devices and Radiological Health, said in the release that the test is a “major milestone” to increase consumers’ access to tests that can be taken at home. 

“The FDA strongly supports innovation in test development, and we are eager to continue advancing greater access to at-home infectious disease testing to best support public health needs,” he said. “We remain committed to working with test developers to support the shared goal of getting more accurate and reliable tests to Americans who need them.” 

The all-in-one test, called the Lucira COVID-19 & Flu Test, is meant for people who have symptoms of a respiratory tract infection. People 14 years old and older will be allowed to collect the samples themselves, while an adult can collect the samples for testing for individuals as young as 2 years old. 

To use the test, a user will move a nasal swab with a sample in a test unit to learn in 30 minutes or less if they are positive for the flu or COVID-19. 

In a study, the test successfully detected 100 percent of negative and 88.3 percent of positive COVID-19 samples, 99.3 percent of negative and 90.1 percent of positive Influenza A samples and 99.9 percent of negative Influenza B samples.

Not enough cases of Influenza B are circulating to include in a study, and Lucira will continue to collect samples to determine how the test is able to detect it in real-world settings, the release said.

The company, however, is also facing financial difficulties, as it announced on Wednesday that it is filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy and seeking to sell its business. Lucira said in its announcement that it had expected to receive emergency use authorization from the FDA in August, but the approval process took longer than expected and caused “high expenditures without new revenue.”

Officials and health experts warned of a particularly difficult flu season this year as many people were resuming normal activities during the winter for the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic began. 

The level of people reporting a fever along with a cough or sore throat reached what the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention considers “very high” throughout most of the country by November. But the rate has largely subsided in most states in recent weeks.

Reported COVID-19 levels have also stayed relatively low throughout the winter, but that is dependent on the amount of testing. COVID-19 hospitalizations rose somewhat starting in mid-November but have fallen since the start of January.

https://thehill.com/policy/healthcare/3873245-fda-approves-first-over-the-counter-at-home-test-for-covid-19-flu/

East Palestine residents file class-action against Norfolk Southern

 A Youngstown, Ohio-based law firm has announced a class-action lawsuit against Norfolk Southern Railway over the derailment of a train in East Palestine, using a strategy it says echoes the state’s 1990s lawsuit against tobacco companies.

The firm, Johnson and Johnson, is partnering with class-action law firm Hagens Berman on behalf of all residents within 30 miles of the derailment site. The lawsuit specifically invokes the legal doctrine of “public nuisance,” the backbone of both the landmark 1990s lawsuits against the tobacco industry and ongoing litigation against opioid manufacturers and fossil fuel companies. Hagens Berman represented the state of Ohio in tobacco litigation as well as an ongoing opioid suit.

In addition to punitive damages, the lawsuit also seeks the creation of a fund for medical monitoring, new testing and cleaning procedures and injunctive relief in the form of safety and compliance oversight.

The Environmental Protection Agency has already said it will compel Norfolk Southern to cover all cleanup expenses, as well as the lodging costs for residents who were temporarily evacuated. In an email to The Hill, Hagens Berman managing partner Steve Berman said the lawsuit’s aims were distinct from those expenses.

“All of our lawsuit’s proposed benefits (monetary damages for all injured businesses & residents/individuals within 30 miles of the derailment, establishment of testing & cleaning protocols, a medical monitoring fund, injunctive relief oversight to Norfolk Southern’s safety & compliance programs) would be above and beyond what the EPA would have for residents,” Berman said. “Additionally, we will want a say in what an effective cleanup is.”

The Norfolk Southern train derailed Feb. 3, toppling multiple cars containing hazardous materials, including vinyl chloride, a toxic substance used in the manufacture of plastics. State and federal authorities have said the air and water are safe for residents, but earlier this week, the state Department of Natural Resources updated its estimate of animals that have died in the area from 35,000 to more than 43,000.

A Norfolk Southern spokesperson said the company cannot comment on ongoing litigation.

https://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/3872818-east-palestine-residents-file-class-action-against-norfolk-southern/

Changes in Alzheimer's Pathology Don't Match Clinical Trends

 While recent studies have suggested a decrease in the incidence of clinical dementia in the United States, there does not seem to have been a corresponding reduction in neurodegenerative pathologies, a new study shows. 

The researchers say their results have "important implications in terms of understanding dementia," and suggest that "any improvements over time in clinical dementia are likely associated with improved resilience to pathology."

The study was published online February 20 in JAMA Neurology.

Lead author Francine Grodstein, ScD, Rush Alzheimer's Disease Center, Chicago, Illinois, explained that resilience to Alzheimer's pathology is characterized by individuals having no clinical symptoms of dementia despite having significant pathology that would be expected to be associated with such symptoms.

"We believe that certain factors can predispose to this resilience to developing dementia, one of the main ones being education — the idea of 'use it or lose it.' But resilience could also be affected by other psychological, biological, or behavioral factors such as anxiety," she added.

"It does not appear likely from our research that changes in pathology completely explain any changes in clinical dementia, and more research to better understand resilience to pathology is really important," Grodstein told Medscape Medical News. 

"Our results certainly support the growing appreciation in understanding cognitive resilience as a preventative strategy against dementia," she said.

Reduction in Cerebrovascular Pathology

The study also found that although most Alzheimer's pathologies did not seem to change over time, there was a marked reduction in cerebrovascular atherosclerosis pathology.

"Reductions in cerebrovascular pathology are very encouraging and show that we really need to continue to emphasize public health and medical efforts to reduce stroke and stroke risk factors, such as diabetes, obesity, and hypertension," Grodstein stated.  

"While these reductions could partly contribute to the suggested reductions in clinical dementia being reported, our guess is that this doesn't completely explain the trend, and cognitive resilience may also be playing a role," she commented.  

"There has been a lot of interest recently in trying to change Alzheimer's pathology and so far, at least, it has not been very successful. In parallel, there is also significant interest in cognitive resilience. If we cannot change the pathology, perhaps we can figure out how we might change resilience to that pathology."

In the study, the authors explain that in recent years, several studies have indicated the incidence of dementia in the US may be declining, but data are not entirely consistent.

However, studies of dementia incidence cannot clearly establish mechanisms by which disease rates may be changing, and to identify risk reduction strategies, characterizing mechanisms is essential, they say.

"Evaluating neuropathology trends provides insight into changes in pathways related to dementia. Additionally, since neuropathology is ubiquitous in aging brains (including those with and without clinical dementia), examining trends in neuropathologies may reflect a wider breadth of disease states than can be observed when focusing on clinical dementia," they note.   

Grodstein explained that the researchers used data from unique cohorts of individuals who had agreed to be followed throughout their life and also post-mortem, giving unique data on brain pathology over time.

For the current study, the researchers examined trends over time in neuropathologies in the two US cohorts, with autopsy data from 1997-2022 with up to 27 years follow-up. Specifically, they looked for any differences in neuropathologies in 1554 individuals with birth years in four different time periods: 1905-1914; 1915-1919; 1920-1924; and 1925-1930.

Results showed that across year of birth groups, no differences were found in prevalence of pathologic Alzheimer's diagnosis or in mean levels of global Alzheimer's pathology.

In contrast, cerebral atherosclerosis and arteriosclerosis were dramatically lower over time; for example, age-standardized prevalence of moderate to severe atherosclerosis ranged from 54% among those born from 1905-1914 to 22% for 1925-1930.

"We looked at several different neurogenerative pathologies and found no evidence that they have been decreasing over time. This is really important information and suggests that changes in pathology are not the reason for any possible change in clinical disease," Grodstein said. "The inference of that is that there is pathology but there's also increasing appreciation of resilience to pathology."

"Since neurodegenerative pathologies appear to be the strongest pathologic determinants of cognition and clinical dementia," the researchers write, "any possible decrease in dementia over time, including our finding of better cognitive function and small (albeit nonsignificant) decreases in clinical Alzheimer dementia, is likely explained by nondegenerative pathways.

"For example, enhanced resilience to neuropathology over time is plausible. Indeed, several cohorts have reported that controlling for education, a marker of cognitive resilience, attenuates apparent time trends in dementia incidence, providing evidence that changes in cognitive resilience may be an effective path to reducing dementia," they note.

Other results showed an unexpected increase over time in tau tangle density. Noting that tau pathology appears to be a primary pathologic driver of cognitive decline and dementia, the researchers say that this finding "further supports the likelihood of an increase in resilience to pathology over time."

On the reduction in cerebrovascular disease observed in the study, the researchers say: "This likely reflects concomitant decreases in clinical vascular morbidity and mortality, which began approximately in the mid-1900s."

The authors add: "Further, the striking reduction in brain atherosclerosis and arteriolosclerosis highlights the impact on brain aging of nationwide efforts to improve vascular health and the importance of redoubling these efforts since recent data suggest that stroke rates are leveling, possibly due to sustained increases nationally in obesity and type 2 diabetes."

This work was supported by the National Institute on Aging. Grodstein reports no relevant financial relationships.

JAMA Neurol. Published online February 20, 2023. Abstract

https://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/988702

Encephalitis Linked to Psychosis, Suicidal Thoughts

 Anti–N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor encephalitis (ANMDARE) can present with psychiatric symptoms, such as depression and psychosis, and is associated with suicidal thoughts and behaviors, new research suggests.

Investigators assessed 120 patients hospitalized in a neurological center and diagnosed with ANMDARE. Most had psychosis and other severe mental health disturbances. Of these, 13% also had suicidal thoughts and behaviors.

However, after medical treatment that included immunotherapy, neurologic and psychiatric pharmacotherapy, and rehabilitation and psychotherapy, almost all patients with suicidal thoughts and behaviors had sustained remission of their suicidality.

"Most patients [with ANMDARE] suffer with severe mental health problems, and it is not infrequent that suicidal thoughts and behaviors emerge in this context — mainly in patients with clinical features of psychotic depression," senior author Jesús Ramirez-Bermúdez, MD, PhD, from the neuropsychiatry unit, National Institute of Neurology and Neurosurgery of Mexico, told Medscape Medical News.

"The good news is that, in most cases, the suicidal thoughts and behaviors as well as the features of psychotic depression improve significantly with the specific immunological therapy. However, careful psychiatric and psychotherapeutic support are helpful to restores the long-term psychological well-being," Ramirez-Bermúdez said.

The findings were published online February 22 in The Journal of Neuropsychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences.

Delayed Recognition

ANMDARE is a "frequent form of autoimmune encephalitis," the authors write. It often begins with an "abrupt onset of behavioral and cognitive symptoms, followed by seizures and movement disorders," they add.

"The clinical care of persons with encephalitis is challenging because these patients suffer from acute and severe mental health disturbances [and] are often misdiagnosed as having a primary psychiatric disorder, for instance, schizophrenia or bipolar disorder; but, they do not improve with the use of psychiatric medication or psychotherapy," Ramirez-Bermúdez said.

Rather, the disease requires specific treatments, such as the use of antiviral medication or immunotherapy, he added. Without these, "the mortality rate is high, and many patients have bad outcomes, including disability related to cognitive and affective disturbances," he said.

Ramirez-Bermúdez noted that there are "many cultural problems in the conventional approach to mental health problems, including prejudices, fear, myths, stigma, and discrimination." And these attitudes can contribute to delayed recognition of ANMDARE.

During recent years, Ramirez-Bermúdez and colleagues observed that some patients with autoimmune encephalitis and, more specifically, patients suffering from ANMDARE had suicidal behavior. A previous study conducted in China suggested that the problem of suicidal behavior is not infrequent in this population.

"We wanted to make a structured, systematic, and prospective approach to this problem to answer some questions related to ANMDARE," Ramirez-Bermúdez said. These questions included: What is the frequency of suicidal thoughts and behaviors, what are the neurological and psychiatric features related to suicidal behavior in this population, and what is the outcome after receiving immunological treatment?"

The researchers conducted an observational longitudinal study that included patients hospitalized between 2014 and 2021 who had definite ANMDARE (n = 120).

Patients were diagnosed as having encephalitis by means of clinical interviews, neuropsychological studies, brain imaging, EEG, and analysis of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF).

All participants had antibodies against the NMDA glutamate receptor in their CSF and were classified as having ANMDARE based on Graus criteria, "which are considered the best current standard for diagnosis," Ramirez-Bermúdez noted.

Clinical measures were obtained both before and after treatment with immunotherapy, and all clinical data were registered prospectively and included a "broad scope of neurological and psychiatric variables seen in patients with ANMDARE.

Information regarding suicidal thoughts and behaviors was gathered from patients as well as relatives, with assessments occurring at admission and at discharge.

Biological Signaling

Results showed that fifteen patients presented with suicidal thoughts and/or behaviors. Of this subgroup, the median age was 32 years (range, 19-48 years) and 53.3% were women.

All members of this subgroup had psychotic features, including persecutory, grandiose, nihilistic, or jealousy delusion (n = 14), delirium (n = 13), visual or auditory hallucinations (n = 11), psychotic depression (n = 10), and/or catatonia (n = 8).

Most (n = 12) had suicidal ideation with intent, three had preparatory behaviors, and seven actually engaged in suicidal self-directed violence.

Of these 15 patients, seven had abnormal CSF findings, eight had MRI abnormalities involving the medial temporal lobe, and all had abnormal EEG involving generalized slowing.

Fourteen suicidal patients were treated with an antipsychotic, four with dexmedetomidine, and 12 with lorazepam. In addition, 10 received plasmapheresis and seven received immunoglobulin.

Of note, at discharge, self-directed violent thoughts and behaviors completely remitted in 14 of the 15 patients. Long-term follow-up showed that they remained free of suicidality.

Ramirez-Bermúdez noted that in some patients with neuropsychiatric disturbances, "there are autoantibodies against the NR1 subunit of the NMDA glutamate receptor: the main excitatory neurotransmitter in the human brain."

The NMDA receptor is "particularly important as part of the biological signaling that is required in several cognitive and affective processes leading to complex behaviors," he said. NMDA receptor dysfunction "may lead to states in which these cognitive and affective processes are disturbed," frequently resulting in psychosis.

Study co-author Ava Easton, MD, chief executive of the Encephalitis Society, told Medscape Medical News that mental health issues, self-injurious thoughts, and suicidal behaviors after encephalitis "may occur for a number of reasons and stigma around talking about mental health can be a real barrier to speaking up about symptoms; but it is an important barrier to overcome."

Easton, an honorary fellow in the Department of Clinical Infection, Microbiology, and Immunology, University of Liverpool, United Kingdom, added that their study "provides a platform on which to break taboo, show tangible links which are based on data between suicide and encephalitis, and call for more awareness of the risk of mental health issues during and after encephalitis."

'Neglected Symptom'

Commenting for Medscape Medical News, Carsten Finke, MD, Heisenberg Professor for Cognitive Neurology and consultant neurologist, Department of Neurology at Charité, Berlin, and professor at Berlin School of Mind and Brain, Germany, said that the research was on "a very important topic on a so far rather neglected symptom of encephalitis."

Finke, a founding member of the scientific council of the German Network for Research on Autoimmune Encephalitis, was not involved in the current study.

He noted that 77% of people don't know what encephalitis is. "This lack of awareness leads to delays in diagnoses and treatment — and poorer outcomes for patients," Finke said.

Also commenting for Medscape Medical News, Michael Eriksen Benros, MD, PhD, professor of immune-psychiatry, Department of Immunology and Microbiology, Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Denmark, said that the study "underlines the clinical importance of screening individuals with psychotic symptoms for suicidal ideations during acute phases," as well as those with definite ANMDARE as a likely underlying cause of the psychotic symptoms.

This is important because patients with ANMDARE "might not necessarily be admitted at psychiatric departments where screening for suicidal ideation are part of the clinical routine," said Benros, who was not involved with the research.

Instead, "many patients with ANMDARE are at neurological departments during acute phases," he added.

The study was supported by the National Council of Science and Technology of Mexico. Ramirez-Bermúdez, Easton, Bravo, Benros, and Finke report no relevant financial relationships.

J Psychiatry and Clin Neurosci. Published online February 22, 2023. Abstract

https://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/988735

Purple Warrior Rises in the Battle Against Diabetes

 Big Fruits and Vegetables is at it again. You notice how they're always like "Oh, vegetables are good for your health," and "Eating fruits every day makes you live longer," but come on. It's a marketing ploy, leading us astray from our personal savior, McDonald's.

Just look at this latest bit of research: According to researchers from Finland, eating purple vegetables can protect against diabetes. Considering nearly 40 million Americans have diabetes (and nearly 100 million have prediabetes), anything to reduce the incidence of diabetes (people with diabetes account for one-fourth of every dollar spent in U.S. health care) would be beneficial. So, let's humor the fruits and veggies people this time and hear them out.

It all comes down to a chemical called anthocyanin, which is a pigment that gives fruits and vegetables such as blueberries, radishes, and red cabbages their purplish color. Anthocyanin also has probiotic and anti-inflammatory effects, meaning it can help improve intestinal lining health and regulate glucose and lipid metabolic pathways. Obviously, good things if you want to avoid diabetes.

The investigators also found that, while standard anthocyanin was beneficial, acylated anthocyanin (which has an acyl group added to the sugar molecules of anthocyanin) is really what you want to go for. The acylated version, found in abundance in purple potatoes, purple carrots, radishes, and red cabbages, is tougher to digest, but the positive effects it has in the body are enhanced over the standard version.

Now, this all a compelling bit of research, but at the end of the day, you're still eating fruits and vegetables, and we are red-blooded Americans here. We don't do healthy foods. Although, if you were to dye our burgers with anthocyanin and make them purple, you'd have our attention. Purple is our favorite color.

Manuka honey better as building material than antibiotic

Milk, according to the old saying, builds strong bones, but when it comes to patients with bone loss caused by various medical reasons, researchers found that manuka honey, produced only in New Zealand and some parts of Australia, may also do the job. They soaked collagen scaffolds used for bone implants in various concentrations of the honey and found that 5% led to higher mineral formation and osteoprotegerin production, which suggests increased bone production.

But, and this is a pretty big one, the other half of the study – testing manuka honey's ability to ward off bacteria – wasn't so successful. Bone implants, apparently, count for almost half of all hospital-acquired infections, which obviously can put a damper on the healing process. The hope was that a biomaterial would be more effective than something like metal in lessening bacteria formation. Nope.

When the researchers soaked paper disks in honey and added them to cultures of Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Staphylococcus aureus, none of the various concentrations stopped bacterial growth in the scaffolding, even when they added antibiotics.

The sticky conclusion, you could say, is more bitter than sweet.

It may sound like Korn, but can it play "Freak on a Leash"?

Like all right-thinking Americans, we love corn, corn-based products, and almost corn. Corn on the cob grilled in the husk? Mmm. Plus, we're big fans of the band Korn. Also, we once had a reporter here named Tim Kirn. And don't even get us started with Karn. Best Family Feud host ever.

But what about Quorn? Oh sure, the fungi-based meat alternative is full of yummy mycoprotein, but can it prevent colorectal cancer? Can we add Quorn to our favorites list? Let's see what Science has to say.

Quorn is a fungi-based meat alternative

Researchers at Northumbria University in Newcastle upon Tyne, England, fed a group of 20 men some meat (240 g/day) for 2 weeks — hopefully, they were allowed to eat some other food as well — and then gave them the same amount of Quorn, excuse us, fungi-derived mycoprotein equivalents, for 2 more weeks, with a 4-week washout period in between.

Levels of cancer-causing chemicals known as genotoxins fell significantly in the mycoprotein phase but rose during the meat phase. The mycoprotein diet also improved gut health "by increasing the abundance of protective bacteria such as Lactobacilli, Roseburia, and Akkermansia, which are associated with offering protection against chemically induced tumours, inflammation and bowel cancer," they said in a statement from the university.

The meat phase, on the other hand, resulted in an increase in "gut bacteria linked with issues such as cancer, cardiovascular diseases, weight gain and other negative health outcomes," they noted.

https://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/988750