UNITED STATES AND TANZANIA SIGN FIVE-YEAR, $3.1 BILLION HEALTH COOPERATION MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING - U.S. Embassy in Tanzania (.gov)

John Innes Centre researchers have trained scientists from across Tanzania to use new loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) assays to rapidly detect wheat blast, a looming fungal threat to wheat harvests. Hosted at the Tanzanian Agricultural Research Institute (TARI), the training covered how to use LAMP assays as low-cost, rapid tests to detect the presence of a fungal disease known as wheat blast (caused by Magnaporthe oryzae pathotype Triticum). The disease has not been found in Tanzania yet, but has been confirmed in neighboring Zambia. Providing rapid detection tools such as LAMP helps to improve Tanzania's ability to identify and respond to the threat of wheat blast, should the disease reach the country.

Researchers examined millions of NHS health records to investigate how ethnicity relates to rare disease prevalence and why recorded COVID-19 infections differ between communities. Study: Prevalence of 406 rare diseases by ethnicity and recorded COVID-19 infection rates among 62.5 million people in England. Image Credit: vetre / Shutterstock

From full-fat milk to probiotic yogurt and whey protein, researchers examine whether what we consume, how it is prepared, and when we eat it could influence blood sugar regulation. The Role of Milk and Dairy Products in Type 2 Diabetes and Prediabetes: A Narrative Review of Randomized Trials. Image Credit: Madeleine Steinbach / Shutterstock

From Libby Sallnow and Richard Smith, Co-chairs of the Lancet Commission on the Value of Death, London, UK