/oss/taxonomy/term/1824/all en /oss/article/covid-19-health/dexamethasone-triumph-chemistry-and-biotechnology <p>Whenever the “leader of the free world” has a health issue, the media explodes with a mix of facts and conjecture. President Trump’s bout with COVID-19 has focused attention on the treatments he has received which include dexamethasone, a steroid that has a wide spectrum of uses including reduction of inflammation in the bronchi, the airways that lead from the trachea into the lungs. Dexamethasone is a “corticosteroid,” one of a number of medications that chemically resembles the hormones produced in the outer layer, or “cortex,” of the adrenal glands.</p> Fri, 09 Oct 2020 18:34:34 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 8444 at /oss /oss/article/cancer-controversial-science-diets-drugs-food-health-news-supplements/green-tea-extracts-and-liver-disease <p>I think we are safe in saying that green tea doesn’t make taste buds frolic. So why do people drink it? The same reason for which the Chinese have been consuming it for millennia. Its supposed health benefits. Green tea doesn’t contain the flavourful compounds that form when tea leaves are allowed to ferment. During fermentation enzymes are released that convert the naturally occurring polyphenols in the leaves to a host of tasty compounds. Instead of being fermented, green tea is made by steaming or drying fresh tea leaves in order to prevent oxidation of the polyphenols.</p> Sat, 23 Aug 2014 13:06:03 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 2184 at /oss