Botany on the Rock brings together plant focused people
The four and a half day conference is filled with activities such as public lectures, discussion, and even some field trips.
Meghan McCarthy hosted one of the field trips to MUN's Botanical Garden. She told CBC News how excited she is to show plant focused people the lesser seen side of the gardens.
"As much as we love the garden side, we do a lot of things," McCarthy said.
A group of almost thirty people showed up in a yellow school bus. They pulled into the parking lot where McCarthy greeted them and handed out maps to the garden.
However, instead of heading into the gardens, they went across the street to the greenhouses. They got to look at some rare plants there and some seedlings that had just started to grow.
Ben Falthan is a MUN student and was volunteering on this trip. He said it's been a very big deal to have this huge conference here in our little city.
"Newfoundland is such a nice place. It has such a great and unique biodiversity and plant ecosystems," Felthan said.
Felthan is a biology undergrad student. He was selected for the volunteer position by his professor. He said he loves plants and was happy to spend the day around them.
"There's a lot of very passionate people here about plants, " Felthan said. "It's great to bring everyone together."
In total around 100 people traveled to the island for this conference, McCarthy said. Professors, students, experts and amateurs have come together for the common interest of plants, conservation, and sustainability.
"Over half the conference is students, so it's a really great opportunity for students to share their research," said McCarthy.
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Medscape
3 hours ago
- Medscape
Walking and Diet Boost Cognition in At-Risk Adults
Growing evidence suggests that lifestyle interventions such as walking may help slow cognitive decline in individuals with the apolipoprotein E ( APOE ) ε4 allele, who have a genetically higher risk of developing Alzheimer's disease (AD) — and may even provide greater benefits than in noncarriers. Preliminary findings from a new study show that while men and women APOE ε4 carriers experienced steeper declines in cognition over a 10-year period, regular walking appeared to mitigate these effects by preserving global cognition and executive function. The results underscore the value of accessible physical activity programs for individuals genetically at risk for AD, study investigator Cindy Barha, PhD, Canada Research Chair in Neuroscience, Brain Health, and Exercise, and assistant professor, Faculty of Kinesiology, University of Calgary, Alberta, Canada, told Medscape Medical News . 'We can start telling people that if you're at risk, we know this one thing — walking — will be beneficial for you,' Barha said, adding this is part of an overall effort to 'start personalizing our interventions so we can maximize benefit.' The findings were presented on July 29 at the Alzheimer's Association International Conference (AAIC) 2025. Risk Variation by Sex APOE ε4 accounts for almost 50% of the genetic risk for late-onset AD, but evidence suggests the risk is more pronounced in women than men. One copy of this allele is associated with a twofold increased risk in men and an eightfold greater risk in women, while two copies are associated with a fourfold increased risk in men and a 12-fold increased risk in women, Barha said. 'We know exercise and walking are good for the brain, and we wondered whether they would be even more beneficial for ε4 carriers and if they're sex-dependent.' Meanwhile, research showed that the ε2 version of APOE may protect against cognitive decline compared with the ε3 allele, which is the most common and neutral variant. 'We also wondered if exercise would provide a kind of 'double hit' in ε2 carriers,' Barha said. 'If you're an ε2 carrier and you're walking a lot, maybe you're going to be super protected.' The analysis included 2981 participants with a mean age of 74 years, from the Health, Aging, and Body Composition (Health ABC) study. It began in 1997 with a cohort of cognitively unimpaired community-dwelling older adults in Memphis, Tennessee, and Pittsburgh. Walking was self-reported and assessed annually. Participants were queried about their walking habits, and walkers were asked about the total number of minutes they engaged in this activity over the past 7 days. To assess cognition, researchers used the Digit Symbol Substitution Test (DSST), which measures a range of cognitive functions such as attention, working memory, and information processing, and the Modified Mini-Mental State Exam (3MS), a tool for evaluating global cognition. Both tests were administered at baseline and approximately every 2 years over a 10-year period. Researchers categorized APOE genotypes into ε2, ε3, and ε4 groups. Study results showed that APOE ε4 carriers — both men and women — experienced steeper declines on both cognitive tests than ε3 carriers. Among women, the decline was significant on the DSST (β = -0.10; P < .001) and the 3MS (β = -0.13; P < .001). In men, the decline was also significant on the DSST (β = -0.07; P = .005) and more pronounced on the 3MS (β = -0.22; P < .001). The APOE ε2 allele appeared protective against cognitive decline, but only in women on the 3MS (β = 0.15; P = .002). Simple Activity, Strong Impact Walking showed the strongest protective effect on both cognitive measures in APOE ε4 carriers of both sexes. A 10% increase in walking was associated with a 4.7% improvement in complex thinking performance over time in women and a 2.6% improvement in men. For global cognitive performance, the same increase in walking was linked to an 8.5% improvement in women and a 12.0% improvement in men. Regular walking may help preserve cognition through several potential mechanisms, the authors noted. These include enhancing cerebral blood flow — improving the delivery of oxygen and nutrients to the brain — increasing levels of brain-derived neurotrophic factor, which supports neurogenesis and synaptic plasticity, promoting angiogenesis, and reducing neuroinflammation and oxidative stress. Barha speculated that because APOE ε4 carriers begin with lower cognitive performance and decline more rapidly, they may have more room to improve and therefore stand to gain more from walking interventions. The findings highlight a key takeaway for people at elevated risk for dementia: Doctors should promote regular walking for their patients, especially as they age and if they have an elevated risk for dementia, she said. Still to be determined are the optimal intensity and frequency of walking — and whether other forms of exercise may offer similar benefits for ε4 carriers. Looking ahead, the research team plans to study the impact of physical activity earlier in life. 'A lot of Alzheimer's disease biomarkers start to accumulate in the brain during midlife — not when you're 70 years old or already showing signs of cognitive decline, but 20 years before that,' Barha noted. One limitation of the study is that walking was self-reported; however, Barha noted that data collected through actigraphy closely correlates with self-reported activity levels. Another limitation of the study was its focus solely on walking. The authors noted that if data on more vigorous activities like running and weight training had been included, the observed impact on slowing cognitive decline in this high-risk group might have been even greater. Additionally, the study did not account for other factors known to affect cognition, such as diet, stress, and sleep. Greater Cognitive Gains for APOE ε4 Carriers Building on these findings, results from another study presented on July 28, 2025, at the AAIC suggested that the benefits of physical activity and other lifestyle interventions may be even greater for APOE ε4 carriers than noncarriers. The meta-analysis pooled data from three randomized clinical trials involving older adults at risk for dementia or with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) who had known APOE status: the Finnish Geriatric Intervention Study to Prevent Cognitive Impairment and Disability (FINGER; n = 1109), the Multidomain Alzheimer Preventive Trial (MAPT; n = 934), and the Japan-Multimodal Intervention Trial for Prevention of Dementia (J-MINT; n = 426). FINGER and J-MINT randomly assigned participants to lifestyle interventions — including physical activity, healthy diet, cognitive training, and risk monitoring — or control groups. The MAPT combined lifestyle interventions with omega-3 supplements; for this analysis, participants receiving only supplements were excluded, and those receiving lifestyle interventions with or without supplements were combined. Researchers estimated cognitive change using each trial's original primary outcome: A composite cognition score based on multiple neurocognitive tests. The analysis compared carriers of one or two APOE ε4 alleles with noncarriers. Preliminary results showed greater benefits of the intervention among APOE ε4 carriers than noncarriers at 24 months for both global cognition and executive function. The overall effect size for the composite score among carriers was 0.282 (95% CI, 0.111-0.454; P = .001), with the largest effect observed in J-MINT, followed by FINGER and MAPT. Multiple Mechanisms at Play Healthy eating and exercise likely affect brain health through multiple mechanisms — possibly those related to cholesterol metabolism and vascular mechanisms, study investigator Jenni Lehtisalo, PhD, researcher at the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare, Helsinki, Finland, told Medscape Medical News. Lehtisalo noted that cognitive benefits among APOE ε4 carriers appeared consistent across diverse populations — Asian and European — and cognitive groups, including at-risk individuals and those with MCI. The research team plans to examine additional studies to see if these findings hold in more geographically and ethnically diverse populations. These findings offer hope for patients with a family history of AD who may feel powerless to reduce their risk. Individuals can still act and benefit from lifestyle changes, Lehtisalo said. While carriers may derive greater benefit from lifestyle interventions, she emphasized that everyone gains from healthy habits. The analysis could not determine which specific components of the intervention — physical activity, healthy diet, cognitive training, or risk factor monitoring — most benefited APOE ε4 carriers. Lehtisalo noted that healthy habits often cluster; for example, physically active individuals tend to eat healthier diets. The study also did not assess sex differences. Commenting on the two studies for Medscape Medical News , Rebecca M. Edelmayer, PhD, vice president of Scientific Engagement at the Alzheimer's Association, noted the importance of understanding what puts people at risk for AD, including genetics. 'That's why looking at these associations between genetic risk and some type of lifestyle intervention is critical,' she said.


Hamilton Spectator
21 hours ago
- Hamilton Spectator
P.E.I. precipitation no longer in the range considered acid rain
After an air-quality agreement Canada signed in the 1990s, P.E.I.'s precipitation no longer falls into the range of acid rain. A few decades ago, there were concerns about precipitation quality in the eastern half of North America, including Prince Edward Island, with severe acid rain recorded throughout the region. In 1991, the federal government signed the Canada-United States Air Quality Agreement , and many North American industries began to focus on creating products that were more sustainable for the environment. In a phone interview with The Guardian on July 4, UPEI biology professor Michael van den Heuvel explained the significance of the air quality agreement. 'While it was particularly about protecting the waters of the Great Lakes, that agreement was to reduce sulphur and nitrogen compounds,' he said. Acid rain may not be making the news anymore, but Prince Edward Island is still monitoring it. Acid rain is a phenomenon that includes any form of precipitation with acidic components, such as sulfuric or nitric acid, that falls to the ground from the atmosphere in wet or dry forms. To improve air and water quality, industrial factories began to separate the sulphur compound by what is known as a scrubber, said van den Heuvel. 'It turns into gypsum, the same stuff in some people's walls. They were able to obtain quite dramatic reductions of sulphur very quickly, which was the main form of acid rain,' he added. While acid rain still can occur occasionally, it is less severe than it used to be, said van den Heuvel. P.E.I. has never had major impacts from acid rain, van den Heuvel said. It all has to do with the geology, he added. Because P.E.I.'s groundwater contains fair amounts of calcium and magnesium, it has been able to resist the acidic changes within the soil, said van den Heuvel. Emily Vanlderstine, the province's air and water monitoring supervisor, said while acid rain can have effects on freshwater aquatic species, including fish, amphibians and invertebrates sensitive to changes in pH, the water in P.E.I. helps protect these species. 'P.E.I.'s naturally alkaline waters help buffer the effects of acid rain, reducing its impact on wildlife. The alkaline conditions help neutralize acidity, so species found in P.E.I. waters are generally less affected compared to areas with lower pH levels,' she said. Vanlderstine said acid rain could also include forms of snow, fog, hail, or even acidic dust. 'Acidity and alkalinity are measured using a potential of hydrogen scale for which 7.0 is neutral. The lower a substance's pH (less than 7), the more acidic it is. The higher a substance's pH (greater than 7), the more alkaline it is,' she said. Normal rain consists of a pH of 5.6 due to the dissolving of carbon dioxide, forming weak carbonic acid, Vanlderstine said. She added that acid rain usually has a pH ranging between 4.2 and 4.4. In P.E.I., precipitation samples are collected at the Southampton air monitoring station at the eastern P.E.I. forestry office. The monitoring station is equipped with a collection system that gathers and stores precipitation for measurement, Vanlderstine said. A bucket is used to collect rainfall and other forms of precipitation, allowing for an accurate assessment of the accumulated volume, she added. 'Each week, the collected precipitation is transferred to sample bottles and sent to the P.E.I. analytical lab for chemical analysis,' Vanlderstine said. The station also features an automated sensor that detects precipitation events. 'When precipitation begins, the sensor triggers the opening of a protective lid, allowing rainfall and other precipitation to enter the collection bucket. Once precipitation stops, the lid automatically closes to prevent contamination,' Vanlderstine said. The average pH in 2024 was 6.1, Vanlderstine said. At this level, the acidity is mild and unlikely to cause significant harm to the environment, she added. 'Once a week, precipitation samples are collected and tested for pH along with several other parameters,' she said. Since 1982, samples have been collected to store and monitor the atmosphere above P.E.I. 'The annual average pH value has increased from 4.8 in 2004 to 6.1 in 2022. The average pH for the last five years is 6.2,' she said. Acid rain results when sulphur dioxide (SO2) and nitrogen oxides (NOX) are emitted into the atmosphere and transported by wind and air currents, Vanlderstine said. 'The sulphur dioxide and nitrogen dioxide react with water, oxygen, and other chemicals to form sulfuric and nitric acids. These then mix with water and other materials before falling to the ground,' she said. The major sources of SO2 and NOX in the atmosphere are the burning of fossil fuels to generate electricity, vehicles and heavy equipment emissions, manufacturing, oil refineries and other industries. Yutaro Sasaki is a Local Journalism Initiative reporter, a position funded by the federal government. He can be reached at ysasaki@ and followed on X @PEyutarosasaki . Error! Sorry, there was an error processing your request. There was a problem with the recaptcha. Please try again. You may unsubscribe at any time. By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google privacy policy and terms of service apply. Want more of the latest from us? Sign up for more at our newsletter page .
Yahoo
a day ago
- Yahoo
Microbix Launches QUANTDx™ Characterized Reference Materials
New Product Line Supporting Diagnostic Assay Manufacturers MISSISSAUGA, Ontario, July 29, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Microbix Biosystems Inc. (TSX: MBX, OTCQX: MBXBF, Microbix®), a life sciences innovator, manufacturer, and exporter, announces the commercial launch of QUANTDx™, a new product line of well-characterized reference materials designed to support the development and validation of diagnostic assays. QUANTDx is being launched at ADLM 2025, the conference of the Association for Diagnostic & Laboratory Medicine being held in Chicago, USA July 28-31, at which Microbix is exhibiting. The QUANTDx product line features accurately-quantified and fully-traceable reference materials that enable assay developers to establish key analytical performance metrics — such as LoD (limit of detection), Sensitivity (positive accuracy), and Specificity (negative accuracy) — that are essential for regulatory submissions and validation. The initial QUANTDx launch includes over 80 such reference materials that cover six of the most commonly tested disease panels, namely the following types of infections — fungal, human papillomaviruses, gastrointestinal, meningitis, respiratory, and sexually-transmitted. This comprehensive product line addresses a critical need within the infectious disease diagnostics industry for high-quality, reliable, and standardized reference materials. QUANTDx complements Microbix's established Quality Assessment Products (QAPs™) portfolio, which includes the industry-recognized PROCEEDx™ (RUO) and REDx™ Controls (IVD) products. Together, these product lines address a broad spectrum of quality-related needs across the diagnostic development lifecycle—from assay design, validation, and quality release through to end-user training and ongoing quality control. This holistic support reinforces Microbix's role as a trusted partner to the global diagnostics industry. Cameron Groome, CEO & President of Microbix, commented, 'The launch of QUANTDx represents a strategic expansion of our capabilities to serve assay developers and clinical laboratories. By leveraging our in-house portfolio of organisms and expertise in nucleic acid quantification, we are confident in delivering reliable and reproducible reference materials to streamline assay development and validation.' Phil Casselli, SVP of Sales and Business Development at Microbix, added, 'We are thrilled by the support we've received from prospective customers for QUANTDx. It's clear that there is strong, unmet demand for high-quality, and fully-quantified reference materials across the diagnostics industry. We believe this launch will provide Microbix with more opportunities to support assay developers, clinical labs, and manufacturers worldwide. We fully expect QUANTDx™ to drive revenue growth and expand our global customer base.' Further information about QUANTDx is available at while purchase enquiries for QUANTDx can be e-mailed to About Microbix Biosystems Biosystems Inc. creates proprietary biological products for human health, with over 120 skilled employees and revenues targeting C$ 2.0 million or more per month. It enables the worldwide commercialization of diagnostic assays by making a wide range of critical ingredients and devices for the global diagnostics industry, notably antigens for immunoassays and its laboratory quality assessment products (QAPs™) and reference materials (QUANTDx™) that support clinical lab proficiency-testing, enable assay development and validation, or help ensure the quality of clinical diagnostic workflows. Its antigens drive the antibody tests of approximately 100 diagnostics makers, while QAPs or QUANTDx are sold to clinical lab accreditation organizations, diagnostics companies, and clinical labs. Microbix QAPs are now available in over 30 countries, supported by a network of international distributors. Microbix is ISO 9001 & 13485 accredited, U.S. FDA registered, Australian TGA registered, Health Canada establishment licensed, and provides IVDR-compliant CE marked products. Microbix also applies its biological expertise and infrastructure to develop other proprietary products and technologies, most notably Kinlytic® urokinase, a biologic thrombolytic drug used to treat blood clots, and reagents or media to support molecular diagnostic testing (e.g., its DxTM™ for patient-sample collection). Microbix is traded on the TSX and OTCQX, and headquartered in Mississauga, Ontario, Canada. Forward-Looking InformationThis news release includes 'forward-looking information,' as such term is defined in applicable securities laws. Forward-looking information includes, without limitation, discussion of the QUANTDx product line or its relevance, Microbix's or others' products or services, business and business results, goals or outlook, risks associated with financial results and stability, development projects such as those referenced in its presentations, regulatory compliance and approvals, access and sales to foreign jurisdictions, engineering and construction, production (including control over costs, quality, quantity or timeliness of delivery), currency exchange rates, maintaining adequate working capital or raising new capital on acceptable terms or at all, and other similar statements about anticipated future events, conditions or results that are not historical facts. These statements reflect management's current estimates, beliefs, intentions, and expectations; they are not guarantees of future performance. Microbix cautions that all forward-looking information is inherently uncertain and actual performance may be affected by many material factors, some of which are beyond its control. Accordingly, actual future events, conditions and results may differ materially from the estimates, beliefs, intentions, and expectations expressed or implied in the forward-looking information. All statements are made as of the date of this news release and represent Microbix's judgement as of the date of this new release, and it is under no obligation to update or alter any forward-looking information except as required by applicable law. Please visit or for recent Microbix news and filings. For further information, please contact Microbix at: Cameron Groome, CEO(905) 361-8910 Jim Currie, CFO(905) 361-8910 Deborah Honig, Investor RelationsAdelaide Capital Markets(647) 203-8793 ir@ Copyright © 2025 Microbix Biosystems Inc. Microbix®, DxTM®, Kinlytic®, PROCEEDx™, QAPs™, QUANTDx™, and REDx™ are trademarks of Microbix Biosystems in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data