Mummifying Alan won Royal Television Society Award

In June 2011, INFOVALLEY's Digital Autopsy Technology was featured in a documentary entitles Mummifying Alan: Egypt’s Last Secret, produced by Blinks Film for BBC channel 4. The documentary was first aired on October 24th, 2011. For the first time in the history, the inside and the outside of the freshly mummified body could be visualized digitally using a digital visualization technology developed by a Malaysian Company, iGene Sdn. Bhd., a subsidiary of INFOVALLEY Group. Quite recently, the documentary, won The Royal Television Society Award for Science & Natural History, UK Award.

Group of experts including Archeologist, Chemist, Scientist and Forensic Pathologist was involved in replicating the way the Egyptians preserved bodies during the 18th century. Professor Dr. Peter Vanezis, the world-renowned UK Forensic Pathologist involved in removing the external organs of Alan. He also examined the mummy both physically and digitally using Digital Autopsy Technology and stated that it is a history made and in the making as the world could now understand and continue to learn about the science of mummification in years to come without having to destroy the invaluable body of Mr. Alan Billis.

A CT scan of Alan was performed prior to the embalming process, and after the mummification process ended. Alan’s body was scanned using standard CT scanner with a specific protocol  developed by iGene for pre and post-mummified visualization. He was scanned at a thickness of 625 microns (0.625mm), several times thinner than the 750 microns slices used to create the 3D visualization of the last Egyptian Mummy, King Tutankhamen. 

Next, the raw data was loaded into the Digital Autopsy Software System, which provided accurate details of the new age mummy. The first complete full body data of Alan was visualized using iDASS^TM (Digital Autopsy Software System). The mummy was rendered in 3D volume by reconstructing thousands of slices of CT scan raw images in an elegant manner. A high definition 3D volume of Alan which allows researchers to distinguish finer details of the body was generated by iDASS^TM. This allows the research team (forensic pathologist, chemist and forensic anthropologist) to analyze and have meaningful visualization of the mummy, most importantly, without invasion and destruction to the physical body. The mummified body of Alan has also presented an opportunity for further study using the Digital Autopsy Technology to appreciate changes in tissues and structures over the period of mummification. The advanced medical imaging technology as introduced by iGene has made what was not possible before a real possibility today.

About the Documentary:

Title: Mummifying Alan: Egypt’s Last Secret 

Channel: Channel 4, aired 24th Oct 2011, 9pm 

Cast and Crew - Blinks Films 

Director: Kenny Scott 

Executive Producer: Justine Kershaw, Gillian Mosely 

Executive Producer: Gillian Mosely 

Producer: Laura Jones 

Visualization Technology: iGene Sdn. Bhd. (a subsidiary of INFOVALLEY group)

 

By Syazana Jalaludin, Forensic Scientist - R&D 

Full Report of Mummifying Alan

Nutrition Instead Of A Diet

“You are what you eat” they say, so does that make you a chicken if you eat poultry?  Maybe not, but what you eat definitely determines the way you look and feel about yourself.

Let’s start this article with probably the most overused and misunderstood word in the English
vocabulary: Diet.

The Encarta world English dictionary describes the word diet as ‘food or drink that is intended for
people to lose weight’.
 
Newsflash: Forget dieting. It doesn’t work. The problem with dieting is that it has to end at some point.

Excuse my use of pun, but if you look at the first three letters of the word its ‘die’.

Instead of dieting, look at your nutrition plan as an eating blueprint for life. Something that lasts longer.

Finding the balance between healthy eating, exercise and the foods you love will allow you to live and perform better, be it at work, sport or life’s daily activities.

Below are listed 6 best on improving your nutrition plan and lifestyle.
 
1. Plan ahead
Start with making a list of all the healthy options you can think of and that could help you improve your energy and lifestyle demands.
Secondly, plan your meals and snacks ahead of time. Finding healthy food on the road can be a nightmare, so If you’re going to be away all day, make sure you prepare your food before you leave home. Make healthy choices that keep you well-nourished and energized throughout the day.
 
2. The 80/20 rule
There is no perfect ‘diet’ or ‘nutrition plan’, so stop putting pressure on yourself. Nobody is perfect and no eating plan will be either
Aim for the 80/20 rule. That means staying on track 80% of the time and ‘letting go’ 20% to enjoy the ‘forbidden foods’.
Feeling guilty about having a treat now and again isn’t worth it. Allow yourself to have that chocolate when you feel you've deserved it. Believe me, if you are following the 80/20 rule you won’t see a difference. Also your body and mind needs treated from time to time.
 
3. Smarter, better options
Start with one less sugar in your coffee, low fat instead of full cream milk and order the sauce separate to the pasta. These small changes are what I mean when I talk about smarter choices that can make a difference to how you feel and look.
 
4. Forget what your mother told you
Instead of the traditional three big meals per day we were brought up on, eat smaller, more often. Aim to have 6 - 8 smaller meals per day. Here’s why:
By eating smaller portions more often spread across the day, allows you to burn fat more efficiently and provides the body with a steady energy flow in place of that heavy feeling you have after a big meal that requires more energy to digest.
 
5. Pro lean = Protein
Include a lean protein source with every meal. Options include chicken, fish and lean red meat.
These better choices provide a low fat and lean option of eating.
After exercise the body is in a catabolic state (the breakdown of muscle tissue). By taking 15 grams of protein, within 30 minutes of intense exercise, helps the body to recover faster and aids damaged muscle tissue. The easiest and best way after exercising or competing is to take a shake with a ratio of 80% protein to 20% carbs.
 
6. Hollywood
Next time you’re at the supermarket checkout, grab one of those magazines that most likely will have either Brad Pitt or Megan Fox on the cover. These magazines, like the fashion and fitness ones, all portray a false image of how one should look.

These Hollywood diets are quick fix, temporary solutions.

 

You should assess yourself on the effort you gave and took to reach your goal,

rather than the goal itself.

An extra one for the road: Become a ‘human doing’ instead of a ‘human being’.

by Utprabh Mohan, Marketing Executive

Don't see Red with Red Meat

Have you stopped eating red meat as you have been advised by most experts due to its associated risks of heart attacks, cancers and so on & so forth? A recent study indicates eating red meat in moderation combats depression and anxiety among women. Dr.Felice Jacka, Associate Professor, Psychiatric Research Unit, Deakin’s University investigated link between red meat eating & presence of depressive & anxiety disorders in more than 1000 women from Geelong region, Australia.

It was originally thought that red meat might not be good for mental health, as most studies found it to be associated with health risks. The study found that women not eating red meat or less than recommended amount were two times more likely to have been diagnosed with depressive & anxiety disorders, compared with those consuming red meat in recommended amount regularly. She has a specific suggestion, asking people to stick with grass-fed meats as far as possible. The good effect is due to the proteins in the red meat.
 

Next time you see red meat, don’t see red, sit back & enjoy.

by Dr. Pramod G. Bagali

Overcome the Obesity

Hi Friends when is the last time you did proper exercise? Most of us in IT industry especially get glued to our desktops-laptops-notebooks & missing out on little essentials of life. How about a refreshing walk in the outside? New studies have shown that an hour long regular walk proves to be a boon for those fighting the fat. Scientists have proven that regular walks can reduce the influence of genes which are considered to cause obesity, by down-regulating the gene expression. This conclusion was reached after a recent study which involved ten thousand people with a genetic predisposition to obesity. It was conducted by the Department of Nutrition at Harvard School of Public Health in Boston, USA.

Dr.Qibin Qi, a lead researcher of study said that regular walks could reduce the BMI by half. In contrast those who get stuck to the sofa watching TV/surfing net for up to four hours a day may have their genetic risk of obesity increase by 50%. Walking not only reduces your risk of obesity, it has lot of other health benefits including strong toned muscles, healthy heart, better stamina and cheerful disposition.

Keep Walking, Keep Walking…..

by Dr. Pramod G. Bagali

Eat, but love thyself

Life these days is blessed for most,

in Malaysia even more,
the variety of food to choose
we live to eat, ah bliss!
Workouts and exercises, not a routine,
sedentary lifestyle, obesity a norm.
 

It is then no surprise,
Non-communicable diseases are on the raise.
Non-communicable? Uh?
Diseases of long duration with slow progression,
Heart disease, stroke, cancer, diabetes, to name a few.
 

Steam, poach, grill, roast,
styles highly recommended,
deep frying, barbequing to be avoided.
Unsaturated fats are advocated
for cholesterol lowering.
 

Start by changing what you consume
Lean meat to the minimum, poultry and fish at moderate
A little bit of buttermilk, yogurt, cheese for dairy intake.
Fruits and vegetables, greens and coloured
Broccoli, spinach, carrots, tomatoes
Apricots, melon, peaches, berries
Spices and herbs, nuts and seeds,
Cloves, coriander, ginger, thyme,
Hazelnuts, walnuts, almond and sunflower seeds
With anti-inflammatory, antioxidants properties.
 

Whole-wheat, brown rice, cereal, oatmeal
foods with low glycemic load,
Nasi lemak, roti canai, teh tarik
and junk foods should be off limits.
Forget not your fluids
but not from soft, carbonated beverages,
small quantity of sugar and sodium
are acceptable
as it is not cool being diabetic or hypertensive.

Limit your intake to your needs,

Female, 1900; male, 2400 calories.

Include some movement in your idle lifestyle,

Five times a week; 30 minutes a day,

Mixture of endurance, strength, flexibility, agility regimes,

wonders you'd see.

What is then left to live for, you ask?

Healthy heart, healthy mind,

your future, your decision,

Moderation is the key!

~Jagdish Kaur Chahil~

Wonder Food – Fresh Vegetables and Berries?

How often do you eat (1) fresh vegetables; (2) fresh fruits; (3) fresh or frozen berries?

If your answer is ‘‘daily or several times a day’’ for at least two of these three questions, then you are on the right track towards combating heart disease.

There were many interesting research and development in the area of the Therapeutics LifeStyle Changes and how it affects the genes in the past few years. In October last year, big title such as “Raw vegetables and fruit 'counteract heart risk genes'” and “Fruit and veg 'stops inherited gene' that causes heart attacks” made its way to the headlines at BBC news (1) and NHS website (2). These articles described about a study conducted by McGill University, Canada, published in medical journal Public Library of Science (PLoS) Medicine (3) and gained a lot of public attention.

Back to the Basics: Combating Heart Risk Genes with Raw Vegetables and Fruits

The study by Ron. Do et. al. investigated the effects of diet towards the risk of heart attack of 3820 patients who possessed certain risk of genetic predisposition towards heart diseases. The study subjects were extracted from 5 ethnicities- Europeans, South Asians, Chinese, Latin Americans and Arabs, whom had had a non fatal heart attack. The main analysis was separated into 2 parts. Firstly, the effect of 4 genetic variations in a region of the chromosome called 9p21 on the risk of heart attack. And secondly, how does this risk influenced by smoking, activity level and diet.

The diet focus on 19 food items which were grouped into three dietary categories:

1.    Oriental (soy sauce, tofu, pickled foods, green leafy vegetables, eggs and low sugar),

2.    Western (eggs, meats, fried and salty foods, sugar, nuts and desserts)

3.    Prudent (raw vegetables, fruits, green leafy vegetables, nuts, desserts and dairy products).

Here comes the interesting part, the result shows that all the four genetic variations increased the risk of heart attack by about a fifth, with South Asians at the highest risk among all other ethnicity (The application of this study to the general population is likely to be high as about 50% of the ethnic groups tested carried one of the four risk variants). The risk was further affected by whether or not the study subject had a prudent diet pattern and which specific genetic variation he possessed.  For example, those with rs2383206 (4) variant (which increases the risk of the heart disease), but ate a good diet in fruit (such as berries) and raw vegetable, had the same risk as those without the risk variant.

However, the study shows that effect of these four genetic variations on the risk of heart attack was not influenced by physical activity level or smoking.

What Does This Means to You?

To put it in a layman term, some of us are born with inherent risk towards certain diseases such as heart disease. This inherent risk is in the form of genetic variations i.e. change/s in genetic sequences which is quite impossible to be altered / treated in today’s clinical settings. However, this does not spell doom for the person. Various studies had shown that lifestyle, diet and environmental factors can help to reverse or stop the effect of these genetic variations.

To believe that our health is predetermined because we are “born this way” is out-dated (except for those with rare monogenic disease). We may not know how much of what we are is determined by DNA (Nature) or by the external factors such as lifestyle and environment (Nurture), but we do know that both play a part. Knowing how your genes may impact your health can help you to pro-actively plan to intervene and to manage the health risk. And this involves simple steps of ordering an appropriate genetic test to determine the risk of disease predisposition, and subsequently adopt a healthy lifestyle which can be tailored according to the risk level.  

In short, Therapeutic Lifestyle Changes (TLC) is definitely not a rocket science, a simple action such as to consume fresh vegetable and berries everyday helps to keep heart disease away!

(1)    http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-15254471

(2)    http://www.nhs.uk/news/2011/10October/Pages/fruit-vegetables-counter-heart-risk.aspx

(3)    http://www.plosmedicine.org/article/info%3Adoi/10.1371/journal.pmed.1001106

(4)    http://snpedia.com/index.php/Rs2383206

Submitted by Susan Ong Su Ming, Product Portfolio Manager

INFOHaem MSS Brochure

Molecular Screening Services is the analysis of human genetic makeup to screen a panel of mutation/genetic variation which may predispose an individual to either increased or decreased risk of developing a condition/disease. 

While CAN12™ evaluates the lifetime risk of developing 12 prevalent types of cancers, FH1536™ evaluates the lifetime risk of developing Hypercholesterolemia (high blood cholesterol level) and determines whether the condition is due to familial factor (genetically associated).

Genetic Tests or Cake Baking?

Let's compare Genetic Tests defined by FDA in graphics with cake baking methods!
Also, understand The Blueprint of Life to see how scientists could predict and posibbly prevent disease in the future.

shared by Amia Wan, Marketing Executive

The Preventive Approach: Therapeutic Lifestyle Changes

There are many genetic screenings available in the market today which allow individual to screen for genetic predisposition towards certain diseases such as breast cancer and colorectal cancer. Have you ever wonder what would you do if the genetic test result turns out to be positive?

Many will freak out or go into depression mode. However, having a genetic predisposition is not the end of the story. Except for some rare genetic disease, genetic alone does not condemn you to disease nor determines your fate. 

Lifestyle disease such as heart disease is multifactorial in its nature. Apart from genetic predisposition, factors such as not smoking, eating a healthy diet or regular exercise may delay or offset the expression of the disease.  Many studies had showed that although the genotype (which bearing the risk allele) cannot be changed, the expression of the gene can be influenced by the external factors such as diet and environment. Recently, a researcher named Ornish D. has conducted a study to analyze the effects of Therapeutic Life Style Changes (TLC) at genetic level [1] (PMID: 18559852). It was revealed that through adoption of good diet plan and exercise regime, the genes which involves in Cancer causation were “switched off” whereas the genes which offer protection towards cancer were “switched on”. 

What is TLC?

Therapeutic Lifestyle Changes (TLC) was first introduced in the Third Report of the National Cholesterol Education Program (NCEP)’s Adult Treatment Panel (ATP) III guidelines, 2002 [2]. It was highly recommended by various health organizations such as American Diabetes Association, American Heart Association, and The Obesity Society. This therapeutic strategy includes specific dietary regime (TLC diet), weight management, and increased physical activity, targeting at obese person at risk for type 2 diabetes and/or coronary heart disease. TLC is not something new. Previously it was referred as lifestyle intervention, lifestyle therapy, or lifestyle medicine. In short, it is a patient-centered or personalized approach for disease management, reduction, and prevention, which incorporates diet and nutritional recommendations, regular exercise, adequate rest, and stress management for lifestyle-related conditions.

A major component of TLC is diet. The cumulative effect of the TLC diet components can reduce low density lipoprotein by 25-30% which is similar to the effect of drug therapy [2]. The following table describes the TLC diet. 

Table 3. Dietary Recommendations for TLC Diet [3]
Component	TLC Diet	Food Sources
Total fat	25-35% of total calories*
Saturated fat	<7% total calories	Animal-based foods, including whole-fat dairy products (milk, cream, butter, cheese), fatty meats such as beef and pork. Some vegetable-based foods such as coconut, palm, and palm kernel oils also contain relatively high levels of saturated fats.
Polyunsaturated fat	Up to 10% of total calories	The two primary types of polyunsaturated fats are omega-6 and omega-3 fats. Omega-6 fats are found in nuts, seeds, and vegetables oils such as sunflower, canola, safflower, corn, and soybean oils. Plant sources of omega-3 fats (-linolenic) include canola oil, soybean oil flaxseed, and English walnuts.
Monounsaturated fat	Up to 20% of total calories	Oils including olive, canola, and peanut oil.
Trans fat	Lower intake	Foods containing or prepared with partially hydrogenated vegetable oils, including stick margarine, pastries, fried foods, french fries, and pastries. Naturally occurring trans fats are also found in milk, butter, and meats.
Carbohydrate**	50-60% of total calories
Dietary fiber	20-30 grams per day
Protein	15-25% of total calories
Cholesterol	<200 mg/day	Foods of animal origin. Highest amounts are found in liver and egg yolks. Moderate amounts are found in full-fat dairy products, some seafood (shrimp and lobster), and fish (salmon and sardines)
Sodium	<2,300 mg/day
Dietary options
Plant sterols/stanols	Add up to 2 grams per day
Soluble fiber	Increase 5-10 grams per day
Fish (fatty fish)	Include in weekly eating plan

In conclusion, TLC is not a rocket science; it is simply a pro-active way of managing one’s health in an informed and scientific manner. With some discipline, you will be well on the way to adopting a healthy lifestyle and reducing your risk for chronic disease.

In the subsequent articles, there will be highlights of 2 famous gurus of TLC. Please stay tuned!

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[1] http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18559852

[2] http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/guidelines/cholesterol/atp3full.pdf

[3] Can Lifestyle Modifications Using Therapeutic Lifestyle Changes (TLC) Reduce Weight and the Risk for Chronic Disease? Research to Practice Series, No. 7, National Centre for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Division of Nutrition, Physical Activity and Obesity

by Susan Ong, Manager, Product Portfolio 

You Are What You Eat

Healthy and balanced diet should be adapted in your life to have a good health. 
by Dr Hemanth S Naik, Senior Medical Research Scientist

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