Green tea boosts working memory, study suggests

 Entertainment
Apr 112014
 
Among the many health benefits associated with green tea is an improvement in memory and cognitive function. ©Humannet/shutterstock.com

Among the many health benefits associated with green tea is an improvement in memory and cognitive function.
©Humannet/shutterstock.com

(Relaxnews) – A beverage with multiple benefits, green tea has inspired a number of research projects in recent years. One of the latest studies on the subject, published in the journal Psychopharmacology, offers additional evidence on how the drink can improve working memory and cognitive performance.

According to various studies, the antioxidant-rich beverage may help in maintaining a healthy weight and fighting bad cholesterol, in addition to improving memory and preventing cognitive decline. The latter benefits in particular were the subject of a key study by Chinese researcher Bai Yun published in Food Science and Molecular Nutrition and Food Research in June 2012.

Eager to evaluate claims of green tea’s power to improve memory and to identify the mechanism behind it, researchers in Basel, Switzerland asked a group of healthy volunteers to consume a soft drink with green tea extract before solving a series of working memory tasks. The test subjects’ brain activity was analyzed using an MRI machine.

The researchers, led by Christoph Beglinger and Stefan Borgwardt, of the University Hospital of Basel and the Psychiatric University Clinics respectively, observed improved connectivity between the frontal and parietal brain regions in the test subjects who were given green tea extract.

This improved connectivity between the two brain regions correlated with enhanced performance of the memory tasks. “Our findings suggest that green tea might increase the short-term synaptic plasticity of the brain,” Borgwardt indicated.

In the future, the findings of the study could be used to assess the effectiveness of green tea extract in treating dementia and other neuropsychiatric illnesses, according to the researchers.

The study was published in the journal Psychopharmacology.

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Signing of annex draws int’l praise, aid pledges

 News
Jan 262014
 
Signing of annex draws int’l praise, aid pledges

Miriam Coronel-Ferrer, seated left, chairperson of Philippine Government Peace Panel, and Mohagher Iqbal, seated right, chief negotiator for the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF), sign documents with Malaysian facilitator Abdul Ghafar Tengku Mohamed, sitting center, as witness, during the 43rd GPH-MILF Exploratory Talks in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Saturday, Jan. 25, 2014. AP PHOTO/LAI SENG SIN MANILA, Philippines—The Philippines on Sunday won global praise as well as pledges of support to help in achieving lasting peace and economic development in Mindanao following the signing between the government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) of the last agreement needed before the conclusion of a final peace accord. Messages of congratulations poured in from nations and international organizations aiding the peace talks a day after the government and the MILF signed the normalization annex of the Framework Agreement on the Bangsamoro in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The United States, United Kingdom, Japan, Switzerland, European Union and United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon sent separate statements commending the negotiating panels of the two sides as well as President Aquino and MILF chair Murad Ebrahim for Saturday’s achievement. Ban, in a statement on the UN website, commended Aquino and Murad for their “vision and leadership,” and the peace panels for their “perseverance, commitment and courage” in the peace process. Ban also expressed his “sincere gratitude” to Malaysia for its role as negotiator. “The UN secretary expresses the readiness of the United Nations to accompany the final phase of the peace process and the implementation of Read More …

Swiss grants await Filipino grads, doctors

 News
Oct 122013
 
Swiss grants await Filipino grads, doctors

By Dona Z. PazzibuganPhilippine Daily Inquirer 2:53 am | Sunday, October 13th, 2013 Education Secretary Armin Luistro. FILE PHOTO MANILA, Philippines—The Swiss government is offering scholarships to those currently taking up doctorate studies in the Philippines and to medical doctors wishing to undertake specializations in select universities in Switzerland, according to Education Secretary Armin Luistro. Luistro said the research scholarships were open to those studying for a doctorate degree who wish to conduct a 12-month research with a professor in a Swiss university. The scholarship is also open to medical doctors undertaking specializations. Scholarships are also available to those wishing to go through a Ph.D. program in a Swiss university for a maximum of three years. The Swiss government is also offering a grant for researchers with a doctorate degree wishing to conduct post-doctoral research at a Swiss university for 12 months. The deadline for applications for academic year 2014-15 is Nov. 15. “We welcome this offer which is part of the continuing promotion of understanding and cooperation between our country and the Swiss Confederation,” Luistro said. The scholarship and research grants offered by the Swiss government are almost similar to those offered by the Commission on Higher Education (CHEd) through the Philippine-California Advanced Research Institutes (PCARI) that was organized only last year. Follow Us Recent Stories: Complete stories on our Digital Edition newsstand for tablets, netbooks and mobile phones; 14-issue free trial. About to step out? Get breaking alerts on your mobile.phone. Text ON INQ BREAKING to 4467, for Read More …

Phl banks among group with high risk factors

 Economy
Jun 152013
 
Phl banks among group with high risk factors

MANILA, Philippines – The Philippines has been grouped among countries whose banking systems have higher risk factors. The country is among Group 7 nations, with Group 1 as those with lowest risk levels while Group 10 has the highest risk levels. Standard & Poor’s (S&P) Ratings Services’ recently released its Banking Industry Country Risk Assessment (BICRA), which assessed 86 banking systems worldwide. “We also present economic and industry risk trends that we are introducing this year for those banking systems,” S&P said. The Philippine banking system’s credit risk to its economy was ranked “very high” by the rating agency. Among the countries with “low risks” are Switzerland and Germany, while nations with “extremely high risk” include Belarus, Jamaica, Greece, Egypt, Cambodia and Vietnam. The Philippines is lumped with Latvia, Uruguay, Bulgaria, Iceland, Jordan, Morocco, Portugal, Indonesia, Ireland, Russia and El Salvador in Group 7. These countries banking systems have strong or high-risk impact on their respective economies. BICRA is scored on a scale of 1 to 10, ranging from what S&P’s view as the lowest-risk banking systems (Group 1) to the highest-risk (Group 10). The BICRA methodology has two main analytical components: economic risk and industry risk. Business ( Article MRec ), pagematch: 1, sectionmatch: 1 The rating agency’s industry risk ranking of the Philippine banking system is a 6 with the highest industry risk level at 10 (Belarus). Some of the 1 ranking, or the lowest risk level, are Hong Kong, Canada, Germany, France and Singapore. The country’s banking Read More …

Richard Gutierrez, Sarah Lahbati expecting baby?

 Entertainment
Jun 152013
 

MANILA, June 14 (Mabuhay) -– Beauty queen turned actress Ruffa Gutierrez distanced herself from rumors that her younger brother Richard is currently in Switzerland with Fil-Swiss actress Sarah Lahbati “to welcome the new addition to their family.” Ruffa said she is not in the position to comment on the matter because she hasn’t talked to […]