In a world where healthy eating and sustainable farming practices are gaining prominence, microgreens emerge as a nutritional powerhouse and an excellent addition to any diet. These tiny greens not only pack a punch in terms of health benefits but also offer a cost-effective solution for farming enthusiasts. This article will delve into the world of microgreens, their origins, health advantages, nutritional components, and how one can cultivate them in our country. What are Microgreens? Microgreens are the young, edible seedlings of various vegetables and herbs, tracing their roots back to California in the 1980s. Far from accidental, their invention resulted from meticulous research aimed at maximising the nutritional value of plants in their early growth stages.  Harvested at around 1-3 inches tall, one week aged, these tiny greens offer an incredible concentration of flavour and nutrients. They often contain 40 times more nutrients than their mature counterparts, making them a popular choice for those seeking both taste and health benefits. Easy to cultivate at home, microgreens have become a trendy and versatile culinary delight. Read more: 10 Types of Natural Honey: A Guide to Varieties, Benefits, and Uses Nutritional Components of Microgreens: Superfood of the Future These seedlings are rich in a bunch of vitamins including Vitamin C, Vitamin K, Protein, Carbohydrates, Fibre, Sodium, Iron, Selenium, Magnesium, Manganese, etc. Due to the high nutritional value, microgreens are also referred to as "superfood". 

For centuries, brick kilns, characterised by fiery chimneys and billowing smoke, have played a key role in the construction industry. Despite their contribution in providing essential building materials, their operations entail harmful impacts on human health, biodiversity and environment.  What is a Brick Kiln? A brick kiln is a specialised facility used in the production of bricks, fundamental building blocks for construction. These kilns play a vital role in shaping the urban landscape. The process involves heating clay or other materials in furnaces to create bricks and contributes to the growth of infrastructure. However, the traditional methods employed in brick kilns can have environmental and health consequences, making it imperative to explore sustainable alternatives and technologies. Impacts of Brick Kiln on Health Particulate Matter Emissions Brick kilns pose a major health risk due to the emission of particulate matter, including pollutants like sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides. Inhaling these pollutants can irritate the lungs, leading to coughing, wheezing, and shortness of breath. Prolonged exposure may contribute to chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).  Read more: 9 illegal brick kilns shut down, fined Tk 47 lakh in Sirajganj Respiratory Issues  Prolonged exposure to emissions from brick kilns can lead to a range of respiratory problems. From workers within the kilns to residents in nearby communities, the inhalation of pollutants can result in asthma, bronchitis, and other respiratory ailments. Occupational Health Risks Workers directly involved in brick kiln operations face occupational health risks due to exposure to high temperatures, dust, and pollutants. Adequate safety measures and protective equipment are crucial to mitigating these risks. Cardiovascular Problems  Brick kiln fumes, laden with pollutants, can obstruct arteries, elevate blood pressure, and disturb heart rhythms. These adverse effects heighten the likelihood of heart attack, stroke, and heart failure, underlining the severe cardiovascular risks associated with exposure.  Read more: 4 brick kilns shut down for polluting air in South Keraniganj Skin Problems  Dust and irritants emanating from brick kilns inflict skin torment on workers, causing rashes, itching, and burns. The daily grind leaves exposed skin raw, rendering workers vulnerable and uncomfortable in their work environment.  Cancer  Inhaling brick kiln fumes conceal invisible dangers, harbouring carcinogens that escalate cancer risks over time. Exposed workers face heightened threats of lung, skin, and other cancers, emphasising the risks associated with prolonged exposure.

To survive heart disease and high blood pressure, people need to change lifestyle and increase walking with a healthy diet, said Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen. Momen said a playground at Kalapathar is being set up at Shahi Eidgah for sports entertainment to help the people of Sylhet maintain a healthy lifestyle. The minister said these at a public awareness discussion on high blood pressure prevention and control in Sylhet district organized by National Heart Foundation of Bangladesh and Jalalabad Association in collaboration with the Health Ministry, the NCD Control Program of the Health Department. The minister also said work has already started on a 17-storey building on the south-east part of Sylhet Osmani Medical College and Hospital. “It will provide treatment for heart disease, cancer and kidney patients so that we do not have to go abroad for treatment in the future.” Read: Advice shifting on aspirin use for preventing heart attacks The Sylhet National Heart Foundation Hospital has also been able to set up a non-profit and service-oriented hospital for heart patients with financial support from the government, expatriates from various organizations. Meanwhile, founder and president of National Heart Foundation of Bangladesh Brigadier (Retd) Abdul Malik said, 20-25 per cent of adults in Bangladesh suffer from high blood pressure. In order to increase the detection and control of high blood pressure patients in the country, the Health Ministry, the NCD Control Program of the Health Department and the National Heart Foundation of Bangladesh in collaboration with the US-based NGO Resolve to Save Lives have come forward. Besides, Habibur Rahman Habib MP, while making a proposal, said that if a 10-kilometer walkway can be made along the banks of Surma, there would be no need to make people aware by holding seminars. "We have to plan for the development of Sylhet from now on," he said. He also proposed to increase the treatment of heart disease at the upazila level. Moreover, A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) has been signed between the National Heart Foundation of Bangladesh and the Jalalabad Association to accelerate this activity in 37 upazilas of four districts of Sylhet division and to encourage people to take regular medication to control high blood pressure. Read: Trans-fat must be regulated to combat heart diseases: Speakers President of Jalalabad Association Dr. AK Abdul Mobin said, "We hope that Jalalabad Association will be able to play a successful role in the public awareness program on prevention and control of high blood pressure in 37 upazilas in four districts of Sylhet division." Dr Sohail Reza Chowdhury, General Secretary of the Department of Epidemiology, General Secretary of the Hypertension Committee of the National Heart Foundation of Bangladesh, said that heart disease is the leading cause of death in Bangladesh. Thirty percent of deaths are due to non-communicable heart disease. “That's why people need to be made aware of the causes of heart disease by raising awareness. The main reason for this is high blood pressure and we need to be aware of the reasons why this high blood pressure occurs.” Abu Taleb Murad, Publicity Secretary of National Heart Foundation, Former Secretary General of National Heart Foundation of Bangladesh Prof. Dr. Khandaker Abdul Awal Rizvi and Hafiz Ahmed Mazumdar MP were present at the program among others.

Older adults without heart disease shouldn't take daily low-dose aspirin to prevent a first heart attack or stroke, an influential health guidelines group said in preliminary updated advice released Tuesday. Bleeding risks for adults in their 60s and up who haven't had a heart attack or stroke outweigh any potential benefits from aspirin, the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force said in its draft guidance. For the first time, the panel said there may be a small benefit for adults in their 40s who have no bleeding risks. For those in their 50s, the panel softened advice and said evidence of benefit is less clear. The recommendations are meant for people with high blood pressure, high cholesterol, obesity or other conditions that increase their chances for a heart attack or stroke. Regardless of age, adults should talk with their doctors about stopping or starting aspirin to make sure it's the right choice for them, said task force member Dr. John Wong, a primary-care expert at Tufts Medical Center. "Aspirin use can cause serious harms, and risk increases with age,'' he said. Read: Eating chili peppers may prevent fatal heart attacks and stroke If finalized, the advice for older adults would backtrack on recommendations the panel issued in 2016 for helping prevent a first heart attack and stroke, but it would be in line with more recent guidelines from other medical groups. Doctors have long recommended daily low-dose aspirin for many patients who already have had a heart attack or stroke. The task force guidance does not change that advice. The task force previously said a daily aspirin might also protect against colorectal cancer for some adults in their 50s and 60s, but the updated guidance says more evidence of any benefit is needed. The guidance was posted online to allow for public comments until Nov. 8. The group will evaluate that input and then make a final decision. The independent panel of disease-prevention experts analyzes medical research and literature and issues periodic advice on measures to help keep Americans healthy. Newer studies and a re-analysis of older research prompted the updated advice, Wong said. Aspirin is best known as a pain reliever but it is also a blood thinner that can reduce chances for blood clots. But aspirin also has risks, even at low doses — mainly bleeding in the digestive tract or ulcers, both of which can be life-threatening. Dr. Lauren Block, an internist-researcher at Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research in Manhasset, New York, said the guidance is important because so many adults take aspirin even though they have never had a heart attack or stroke. Read: Millions should stop taking aspirin for heart health Block, who is not on the task force, recently switched one of her patients from aspirin to a cholesterol-lowering statin drug because of the potential harms. The patient, 70-year-old Richard Schrafel, has high blood pressure and knows about his heart attack risks. Schrafel, president of a paperboard-distribution business, said he never had any ill effects from aspirin, but he is taking the new guidance seriously. Rita Seefeldt, 63, also has high blood pressure and took a daily aspirin for about a decade until her doctor told her two years ago to stop. "He said they changed their minds on that,'' recalled the retired elementary school teacher from Milwaukee. She said she understands that science evolves. Wong acknowledged that the backtracking might leave some patients frustrated and wondering why scientists can't make up their minds. "It's a fair question,'' he said. ''What's really important to know is that evidence changes over time.''

Two scientists won the Nobel Prize in medicine on Monday for their discoveries into how the human body perceives temperature and touch, revelations that could lead to new ways of treating pain or even heart disease. Americans David Julius and Ardem Patapoutian separately identified receptors in the skin that respond to heat and pressure, and researchers are working on drugs to target them. Some hope the discoveries could eventually lead to pain treatments that reduce dependence on highly addictive opioids. But the breakthroughs, which happened decades ago, have not yet yielded many effective new therapies. Julius, of the University of California at San Francisco, used capsaicin, the active component in chili peppers, to help pinpoint the nerve sensors that respond to heat, the Nobel Committee said. Patapoutian, of Scripps Research Institute at La Jolla, California, found pressure-sensitive sensors in cells that respond to mechanical stimulation. “This really unlocks one of the secrets of nature,” said Thomas Perlmann, secretary-general of the committee, in announcing the winners. “It’s actually something that is crucial for our survival, so it’s a very important and profound discovery.” Read: Nobel Prize honors discovery of temperature, touch receptors The committee said their discoveries get at “one of the great mysteries facing humanity”: how we sense our environment. The choice of winners underscored how little scientists knew about that question before the discoveries — and how much there still is to learn, said Oscar Marin, director of the MRC Centre for Neurodevelopmental Disorders at King’s College London. “While we understood the physiology of the senses, what we didn’t understand was how we sensed differences in temperature or pressure,” Marin said. “Knowing how our body senses these changes is fundamental because once we know those molecules, they can be targeted. It’s like finding a lock, and now we know the precise keys that will be necessary to unlock it.” Marin predicted that new treatments for pain would likely come first, but that understanding how the body detects changes in pressure could eventually lead to drugs for heart disease, if scientists can figure out how to alleviate pressure on blood vessels and other organs. Richard Harris, of the Chronic Pain and Fatigue Research Center at the University of Michigan, also said the new laureates’ work might help design new pain medications, but noted the field has long been stalled. He said that because pain also includes a psychological component, simply identifying how it is triggered in the body isn’t necessarily enough to address it. Still, he said Julius’ and Patapoutian’s work would likely help doctors better treat pain that is caused by things like extreme temperatures and chemical burns. “Their discoveries are giving us the first inkling of how this type of pain starts, but whether it’s involved in many chronic pain patients remains to be seen,” he said. Still, Fiona Boissonade, a pain specialist at the University of Sheffield, said the Nobel laureates' work was especially relevant for the one in five people globally that suffer from chronic pain. Read:Medicine award kicks off week of Nobel Prize announcements Such pain — including from arthritis, migraines and chronic back problems — "is a huge medical problem, and it’s quite poorly treated across the board,” she said. “Their research may lead us to identify new compounds that are effective in treating pain that don't come with the devastating impact of opioids,” which have spawned a crisis of addiction in the U.S. In keeping with a long tradition of difficulties in alerting Nobel winners, Julius said he was awakened by what he thought was a prank phone call shortly before the prize was announced. “My phone sort of bleeped, and it was from a relative who had been contacted by somebody on the Nobel Committee trying to find my phone number,” he said from his home in San Francisco, where it was the middle of the night. It was only when his wife heard Perlmann’s voice and confirmed it was indeed the secretary-general of the committee who was calling, that he realized it wasn’t a joke. Julius said his wife had worked with Perlmann years ago. Julius, 65, later said he hoped his work would lead to the development of new pain drugs, explaining that the biology behind even everyday activities can have enormous significance. “We eat chili peppers and menthol, but oftentimes, you don’t think about how that works,” he said. The Nobel Committee tweeted a photo of Patapoutian in bed with his son while he watched the announcement on his computer. Read: 2 Americans win Nobel prize in economics for auction theory “A day to be thankful: this country gave me a chance with a great education and support for basic research. And for my labbies and collaborators for partnering with me,” Patapoutian, who was born in Lebanon, tweeted. When the team made the discovery in 2009, “we were of course so excited and literally jumping up and down. It was something we were looking for for years," Patapoutian said at a news conference. Patapoutian is paid by the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, which also supports The Associated Press’ Health and Science Department. Julius is an HHMI trustee. The prestigious award comes with a gold medal and 10 million Swedish kronor (over $1.14 million). The prize money comes from a bequest left by the prize's creator, Swedish inventor Alfred Nobel, who died in 1895. The prize is the first to be awarded this year. The other prizes are for outstanding work in the fields of physics, chemistry, literature, peace and economics.

The U.S. saw remarkable increases in the death rates for heart disease, diabetes and some other common killers in 2020, and experts believe a big reason may be that many people with dangerous symptoms made the lethal mistake of staying away from the hospital for fear of catching the coronavirus. The death rates — posted online this week by federal health authorities — add to the growing body of evidence that the number of lives lost directly or indirectly to the coronavirus in the U.S. is far greater than the officially reported COVID-19 death toll of nearly 600,000 in 2020-21. For months now, researchers have known that 2020 was the deadliest year in U.S. history, primarily because of COVID-19. But the data released this week showed the biggest increases in the death rates for heart disease and diabetes in at least 20 years. “I would probably use the word `alarming,’” said Dr. Tannaz Moin, a diabetes expert at UCLA, said of the trends. Read:AP source: US to buy 500M Pfizer vaccines to share globally Earlier this year, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that nearly 3.4 million Americans died in 2020, an all-time record. Of those deaths, more than 345,000 were directly attributed to COVID-19. The CDC also provided the numbers of deaths for some of the leading causes of mortality, including the nation’s top two killers, heart disease and cancer. But the data released this week contains the death rates — that is, fatalities relative to the population — which is considered a better way to see the impact from year to year, since the population fluctuates. Of the causes of death for which the CDC had full-year provisional data, nine registered increases. Those included Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s, chronic liver disease, stroke and high blood pressure. Some of the increases were relatively small, but some were dramatic. The heart disease death rate — which has been falling over the long term — rose to 167 deaths per 100,000 population from 161.5 the year before. It was only the second time in 20 years that the rate had ticked up. This jump, of more than 3%, surpassed the less than 1% increase seen in 2015. In raw numbers, there were about 32,000 more heart disease deaths than the year before. Diabetes deaths rose to 24.6 per 100,000 last year, from 21.6 in 2019. That translated to 13,000 more diabetes deaths than in 2019. The 14% increase was the largest rise in the diabetes death rate in decades. The death rate from Alzheimer’s was up 8%, Parkinson’s 11%, high blood pressure 12% and stroke 4%. Read:EXPLAINER: The US investigation into COVID-19 origins The CDC offered only the statistics, not explanations. The agency also did not say how many of the fatalities were people who had been infected with — and weakened by — the coronavirus but whose deaths were attributed primarily to heart disease, diabetes or other conditions. Some experts believe a larger reason is that many patients did not seek treatment in an emergency because they feared becoming infected with the virus. “When hospitalization rates for COVID would go up, we would see dramatic declines in patients presenting to the emergency room with heart attacks, stroke or heart failure,” Dr. Donald Lloyd-Jones, a Northwestern University researcher who is president-elect of the American Heart Association. Other possible explanations also point indirectly to the coronavirus. Many patients stopped taking care of themselves during the crisis, gaining weight or cutting back on taking high blood pressure medications, he said. Experts said the stress of the crisis, the lockdown-related disappearance of exercise options, and the loss of jobs and the accompanying health insurance were all factors, too. Increases in Kentucky, Michigan, Missouri, and West Virginia pushed the four into the group of states with the highest rates of death from heart disease, the CDC data showed. For diabetes, similar changes happened in Indiana, New Mexico, West Virginia and some other Southern and Plains states. The death rate from the nation’s No. 2 killer, cancer, continued its decline during the year of COVID-19. It fell about 2% in 2020, similar to the drop seen from 2018 to 2019, even though cancer screenings and cancer care declined or were often postponed last year. Read:FDA approves much-debated Alzheimer’s drug panned by experts Lloyd-Jones’ theory for the decline: Many of the virus’s victims were fighting cancer, “but COVID intervened and became the primary cause of death.” Earlier research done by demographer Kenneth Johnson at the University of New Hampshire found that an unprecedented 25 states saw more deaths than births overall last year. The states were Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Indiana, Kentucky, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, New Hampshire, New Mexico, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Vermont, West Virginia, and Wisconsin. Traditionally the vast majority of states have more births than deaths.

Long working hours led to 745 000 deaths from stroke and ischemic heart disease in 2016, a 29 per cent increase since 2000, say the latest estimates on Monday (May 17, 2021). The latest estimates by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the International Labour Organization (ILO) were published in Environment International on Monday.  In a first global analysis of the loss of life and health associated with working long hours, WHO and ILO estimate that, in 2016, 398 000 people died from stroke and 347 000 from heart disease as a result of having worked at least 55 hours a week. Read Create more overseas jobs for female workers: Speakers Between 2000 and 2016, the number of deaths from heart disease due to working long hours increased by 42%, and from stroke by 19%. This work-related disease burden is particularly significant in men (72% of deaths occurred among males), people living in the Western Pacific and South-East Asia regions, and middle-aged or older workers. Most of the deaths recorded were among people dying aged 60-79 years, who had worked for 55 hours or more per week between the ages of 45 and 74 years. Read: Indian COVID variant: Why is it more deadly? How is it affecting the neighboring countries? With working long hours now known to be responsible for about one-third of the total estimated work-related burden of disease, it is established as the risk factor with the largest occupational disease burden. This shifts thinking towards a relatively new and more psychosocial occupational risk factor to human health. The study concludes that working 55 or more hours per week is associated with an estimated 35% higher risk of a stroke and a 17% higher risk of dying from ischemic heart disease, compared to working 35-40 hours a week. Read: What does it feel like to get COVID-19 after taking the vaccine? Further, the number of people working long hours is increasing, and currently stands at 9% of the total population globally.  This trend puts even more people at risk of work-related disability and early death. The new analysis comes as the COVID-19 pandemic shines a spotlight on managing working hours; the pandemic is accelerating developments that could feed the trend towards increased working time. Read Uncertain, uneven recovery likely amid unprecedented labour market crisis: ILO “The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly changed the way many people work,“ said Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General. He said teleworking has become the norm in many industries, often blurring the boundaries between home and work. In addition, he said many businesses have been forced to scale back or shut down operations to save money, and people who are still on the payroll end up working longer hours. Read Homeworkers need to be better protected, says ILO  "No job is worth the risk of stroke or heart disease. Governments, employers and workers need to work together to agree on limits to protect the health of workers," said the WHO DG. “Working 55 hours or more per week is a serious health hazard,” added Dr Maria Neira, Director, Department of Environment, Climate Change and Health, at the World Health Organization. “It’s time that we all, governments, employers, and employees wake up to the fact that long working hours can lead to premature death”. Read Safe Lifestyle in COVID-19 Lockdown: Do's, Don'ts, and Precautions The WHO and ILO said Governments, employers and workers can take the following actions to protect workers’ health:   Governments can introduce, implement and enforce laws, regulations and policies that ban mandatory overtime and ensure maximum limits on working time; bipartite or collective bargaining agreements between employers and workers’ associations can arrange working time to be more flexible, while at the same time agreeing on a maximum number of working hours; and employees could share working hours to ensure that numbers of hours worked do not climb above 55 or more per week.   Read 81 million jobs lost as COVID-19 creates turmoil in Asia Pacific labour markets: ILO Two systematic reviews and meta-analyses of the latest evidence were conducted for this study. Data from 37 studies on ischemic heart disease covering more than 768 000 participants and 22 studies on stroke covering more than 839 000 participants were synthesized. The study covered global, regional and national levels, and was based on data from more than 2300 surveys collected in 154 countries from 1970-2018. Read ILO advocates better policies to protect workers & biz in the digital economy

Non-communicable diseases now make up 7 of the world’s top 10 causes of death, according to WHO’s 2019 Global Health Estimates, published on Wednesday.

The farming of broccoli is gaining popularity among farmers in Manirampur upazila of Jashore district as they found it more profitable than conventional vegetables.