A nutritionist, Dr. James Oloyede has said that consuming rotten tomatoes can increase the risk of contracting cancer. Oloyede warned that rotten tomatoes contain aflatoxins which can predispose those who consume them to cancer. He further pointed out that eating foods with mucus growing on them is also not healthy.

According to the World Health Organisation, aflatoxins are poisonous substances produced by certain kinds of fungi (moulds) that are found naturally all over the world. They can contaminate food crops and pose a serious health threat to humans and livestock.

A new study has suggested that drinking coffee could help reduce the risk of chronic liver disease. The study published in the BMC Public Health Journal said that it has found evidence that all types of coffee (including decaffeinated) have protective effects against chronic liver disease outcomes.

The research was led by Oliver Kennedy of the Primary Care & Population Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, the University of Southampton with six other researchers from the United Kingdom.

Women experiencing pain during sexual intercourse should be worried as it could be a sign of infection, says a health practitioner, Dr. Amara Dr. Amara Nwabulue. Nwabulue, a resident doctor at the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, The Eko Hospital, Lagos, noted that vaginal infections are common and could be the reason for pain during sexual intercourse.

Speaking in an interview with PUNCH HealthWise, the physician stressed that women having pain during deep penetration while having sex should worry. She said, “The vagina is rough and needs some lubrication. That is why we encourage partners to engage in foreplay before having sex.

A medical officer with Zenith Kidney Centre, Dr. Nomso Benedict has alerted that more young Nigerians are coming down with hypertension.  According to the physician, the increase in the number of young people with hypertension could be responsible for the spike in cases of kidney disease.

Speaking with PUNCH HealthWise in an interview, Benedict said the nation should do more on awareness to reduce the incidence of hypertension. He said that there is an increase in the incidence of kidney disease generally.

Women taking antibiotics after having unprotected sexual intercourse to prevent pregnancy are wasting their time and money, maternal health experts have said. The experts said antibiotics can’t be used as contraceptives, adding that there is no scientific evidence to back their effectiveness in preventing pregnancy, even when used immediately after sexual intercourse

They stated further that women who are in the habit of regular intake of antibiotics are at risk of destroying important vaginal flora (good bacteria). The women, the experts warn, may also develop infections that are resistant to antibiotics.

Health experts have raised the alarm that some farmers are using hormones, steroids and a lot of antibiotics in rearing chicken and fish. This practice, they say, is inimical to public health, warning that it may cause serious health problems like allergies and asthma in children.

According to the experts, hormones such as steroidal (oestrogens, gestagens, and androgens), nonsteroidal, semisynthetic, and synthetic or designer drugs are all growth-promoting and body-partitioning agents. They stated that some farm-owners use these chemicals to improve body weight gain and increase feed conversion efficiency, stressing that this is wrong.

Maternal and child health experts say pregnant women should seek prompt medical intervention for overdue pregnancy, warning that post-term babies are at risk of neurological deficiencies and death.

The experts, Consultant Obstetrician and Gynaecologists at the Nnamdi Azikiwe University Teaching Hospital, Dr. Chioma Eze and Dr. Obi Kenechukwu urged pregnant women to take the issue of overdue pregnancy serious at all times.

In a related development, scientists are hoping that the mRNA vaccine technology could be used to cure cancer and HIV. The mRNA vaccines are believed to address any infectious disease or cancer target that would require an immune response against a protein antigen.

Scientists say mRNA vaccines could theoretically be programmed specifically for a patient’s cancer cells, to create personalised therapies. Since cancer mutations are unique and specific to every human being’s specific cancer, the mRNA vaccine would be tailored to a given patient.

A Professor of Molecular Biology and Genomics in the Department of Biological Sciences, Redeemer’s University Nigeria, Ede, Osun State, Christian Happi, says it is dangerous for Nigeria not to have facilities for vaccine manufacturing.

Prof. Happi spoke on Thursday at a webinar organised by The Conversation Africa – a platform created to drive engaging discussion on socio-economic issues in Africa. Speaking at the webinar themed: ‘Nigeria and the next pandemic: preparedness, response, and vaccine,’ Happi said it is also dangerous for Africa not to have vaccine production facilities that can help respond to an epidemic or pandemic.

Virologists have disagreed on a preliminary study saying a combination of vaccines is safe. A new Oxford study called, Com-COV, has compared a mix of two-dose schedules of AstraZeneca vaccines, and found that in any combination, they produced a high concentration of antibodies against spike protein.

The trial results, according to BBC, also hinted that people who have already received two doses of AstraZeneca vaccine could have a stronger immune response if they were given a different jab as a booster if recommended in the autumn.