A beer pioneer, South Africa's first Black female brewery owner trains a new generation
'When you are brewing you must constantly check your mixture,' Nxusani-Mawela instructs them. 'We are looking for a balance between the sugar and the grains.'
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Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Dairy at bedtime could be affecting your sleep
People who have trouble sleeping are being urged to cut one dairy product from their bedtime routines. New studies have shown that consuming cheese could be causing disturbed sleep and frequent nightmares. Experts say they have found a strong link between getting nighttime terrors and having a form of lactose intolerance. Researchers questioned more than 1,000 students at Canada's MacEwan University about their sleep, eating habits, and any perceived tie between the two. Almost a third of those asked admitted to having regular nightmares with the majority of these respondents women. Females were also more likely to remember their dreams and nearly twice as likely as men to know that they had a food allergy or intolerance. 40 per cent of the students said they thought that eating late at night or eating specific foods had affected their sleep, while a quarter believed that consuming certain foods could make their sleep worse. The study found that people with less healthy diets were more likely to have bad dreams and less likely to remember their dreams. From comparing the data collated, the experts compared reports of food intolerances to those of bad dreams and poor sleep, and found that 'lactose intolerance was associated with gastrointestinal symptoms, nightmares, and low sleep quality'. Lead researcher Dr Tore Nielsen, who helped collate the findings from the University of Montreal, said: 'Nightmare severity is robustly associated with lactose intolerance and other food allergies. 'These new findings imply that changing eating habits for people with some food sensitivities could alleviate nightmares. They could also explain why people so often blame dairy for bad dreams. 'Nightmares are worse for lactose-intolerant people who suffer severe gastrointestinal symptoms and whose sleep is disrupted. This makes sense, because we know that other bodily sensations can affect dreaming.' Some 'grate' advice has been issued by top scientists who think they may have found the remedy to enjoying a peaceful night of slumber. Stomach pain from consuming dairy before laying down for the night plus gas during the night can affect sleep, researchers say, adding that the way to a getting a fully rested night could be as simple as cutting out cheese. Not consuming the dairy product could help improve sleep quality, which may already be disrupted thanks to a number of outside factors such as noise and light pollution or other health issues. Now, the authors are hoping to continue their studies to get a more in depth look at the impact certain foods have on our sleep quality. Nielsen added: 'We need to study more people of different ages, from different walks of life, and with different dietary habits to determine if our results are truly generalizable to the larger population.' The full findings have been published in journal Frontiers in Psychology.
Fast Company
10 hours ago
- Fast Company
Meet the woman breaking barriers in South Africa's $5 billion beer industry
After pouring brown, gritty liquid from a huge silver tank into a flute-like container known as a refractometer, South African beer brewing master Apiwe Nxusani-Mawela gives an expert nod of approval and passes it around to her students, who yell their observations with glee. 'When you are brewing you must constantly check your mixture,' Nxusani-Mawela instructs them. 'We are looking for a balance between the sugar and the grains.' The 41-year-old Nxusani-Mawela is an international beer judge and taster, and is believed to be the first Black woman in South Africa to own a craft brewery, a breakthrough in a world largely dominated by men and big corporations. Her desire is to open South Africa's multibillion-dollar beer-brewing industry to more Black people and more women. At her microbrewery in Johannesburg, she's teaching 13 young Black graduates—most of them women—the art of beer making. The science behind brewing The students at the Brewsters Academy have chemical engineering, biotechnology or analytical chemistry degrees and diplomas, but are eager to get themselves an extra qualification for a possible career in brewing. Wearing hairnets and armed with barley grains and water, the scientists spend the next six hours on the day's lesson, learning how to malt, mill, mash, lauter, boil, ferment and filter to make the perfect pale ale. 'My favorite part is the mashing,' said Lerato Banda, a 30-year-old chemical engineering student at the University of South Africa who has dreams of owning her own beer or beverage line. She's referring to the process of mixing crushed grains with hot water to release sugars, which will later ferment. 'It's where the beer and everything starts.' Nxusani-Mawela's classes began in early June. Students will spend six months exploring beer varieties, both international and African, before another six months on work placement. Beer is for everyone Nxusani-Mawela's Tolokazi brewery is in the Johannesburg suburb of Wynberg, wedged between the poor Black township of Alexandra on one side and the glitzy financial district of Sandton—known as Africa's richest square mile—on the other. She hails from the rural town of Butterworth, some 1,000 kilometers (621 miles) away, and first came across the idea of a career in beer at a university open day in Johannesburg. She started brewing as an amateur in 2007. She has a microbiology degree and sees beer making as a good option for those with a science background. 'I sort of fell in love with the combination of the business side with the science, with the craftsmanship and the artistic element of brewing,' she said. For the mother of two boys, beer brewing is also ripe for a shakeup. 'I wanted to make sure that being the first Black female to own a brewery in South Africa, that I'm not the first and the last,' she said. 'Brewsters Academy for me is about transforming the industry . . . What I want to see is that in five, 10 years from now that it should be a norm to have Black people in the industry, it should be a norm to have females in the industry.' South Africa's beer industry supports more than 200,000 jobs and contributes $5.2 billion to South Africa's gross domestic product, according to the most current Oxford Economics research in 'Beer's Global Economic Footprint.' While South Africa's brewing sector remains male-dominated, like most places, efforts are underway to include more women. One young woman at the classes, 24-year-old Lehlohonolo Makhethe, noted women were historically responsible for brewing beer in some African cultures, and she sees learning the skill as reclaiming a traditional role. 'How it got male dominated, I don't know,' Makhethe said. 'I'd rather say we are going back to our roots as women to doing what we started.' With an African flavor While Nxusani-Mawela teaches all kinds of styles, she also is on a mission to keep alive traditional African beer for the next generation. Her Wild African Soul beer, a collaboration with craft beer company Soul Barrel Brewing, was the 2025 African Beer Cup champion. It's a blend of African Umqombothi beer—a creamy brew incorporating maize and sorghum malt—with a fruity, fizzy Belgian Saison beer. 'Umqombothi is our African way, and everybody should know how to make it, but we don't,' she said. 'I believe that the beer styles that we make need to reflect having an element of our past being brought into the future.' She's used all sorts of uniquely African flavors in her Tolokazi line, including the marula fruit and the rooibos bush that's native to South Africa and better-known for being used in a popular caffeine-free tea.
Associated Press
16 hours ago
- Associated Press
NanoViricides (NNVC) Accelerates MPox Drug Development, Citing Strong Business and Public Health Case
NanoViricides, Inc. (NYSE Amer.: NNVC), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company and a pioneer in broad-spectrum antivirals, announced today its accelerated plans to advance its lead drug candidate, NV-387, into Phase II clinical trials for MPox. This strategic decision positions the company to potentially bring a much-needed antiviral to market faster, addressing a critical global health need while also paving the way for further pipeline development. NanoViricides highlighted several key reasons for prioritizing MPox as the first indication for NV-387's Phase II development, even with strong efficacy data in animal studies for other major viral threats like RSV, Influenza, and COVID. Strategic Advantages of the MPox Focus The company believes its focus on MPox offers significant advantages: Urgent Need and Timely Trial Completion: With a continuing MPox epidemic in the African Region, there's a pressing demand for effective treatments. This also facilitates patient recruitment, enabling a more rapid completion of the clinical trial. Cost-Effectiveness: Conducting clinical trials in the African Region is substantially more economical compared to the US or Europe, allowing NanoViricides to optimize its research budget. Validation of Animal Model Data: A successful Phase II trial for MPox in humans would validate the company's use of lethal challenge animal models. This is a critical point, as NanoViricides' animal studies have consistently shown NV-387 to be significantly superior to existing drugs across all tested infections. Strong Financial and Public Health Case: The recent failure of tecovirimat (Tpoxx) in MPox clinical trials creates a clear void in the US Strategic National Stockpile (SNS) for effective antivirals against orthopoxviruses like MPox and Smallpox. Both tecovirimat and brincidofovir (Tembexa), currently approved for Smallpox under the 'FDA Animal Rule,' have shown limitations. Brincidofovir failed due to liver toxicity, and tecovirimat demonstrated no superiority over standard care. NanoViricides believes NV-387 could become a crucial addition to the SNS, potentially securing substantial initial acquisition contracts. Addressing a Critical Vulnerability: Unlike small chemical drugs that viruses can readily escape through mutations, NanoViricides' host-mimetic nanomedicine technology is designed to make it difficult for viruses to develop resistance. This is particularly important for bioterrorism readiness, as manipulated forms of viruses like Smallpox could be engineered to resist conventional treatments. The company emphasizes the strong case for the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to support NV-387 development for bioterrorism preparedness. Innovative Drug Delivery Adding to its strategic advantages, NV-387 will be administered as 'NV-387 Oral Gummies.' This soft solid formulation is designed to dissolve naturally in the oral cavity, eliminating the need for swallowing pills or capsules. This is a significant benefit for MPox patients who often suffer from painful oral lesions, making swallowing difficult. Addressing the Broader MPox Threat The ongoing MPox epidemic in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is driven by Clade 1a and the more transmissible Clade 1b subtypes, which have higher case fatality rates than the Clade 2b circulating in the Western world. While sporadic Clade 1 cases have been reported in the USA without further spread, the potential for a larger epidemic cannot be ignored. NanoViricides asserts that readiness with an effective drug against Clade 1 MPox is crucial for national health security. NanoViricides, Inc. is a publicly traded clinical-stage company focused on creating special purpose nanomaterials for antiviral therapy. The company's innovative nanoviricide™ class of drug candidates is based on technology and proprietary know-how from TheraCour Pharma, Inc. Other notable stocks to keep on top of radar include Summit Therapeutics (SMMT), Regulus Therapeutics (RGLS), Vigil Neuroscience (VIGL), Alaunos Therapeutics (TCRT), CervoMed Inc. (CRVO), Niagen Bioscience (NAGE) and Beam Therapeutics (BEAM). Source: Disclaimer: This blog post is for informational purposes only and does not constitute financial advice or an endorsement of BURU or its strategies. FOR EDUCATIONAL AND INFORMATION PURPOSES ONLY; NOT INVESTMENT ADVICE. Please ensure to fully read and comprehend our disclaimer found at has been compensated fifteen hundred dollars by a 3rd party EDM Media Consulting Group for content distribution services on nnvc or July 6th, 2025. is neither an investment advisor nor a registered broker. 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Media Contact Company Name: UsaStockReport Contact Person: Ash K Email: [email protected] City: Frisco State: Texas Country: United States Website: Press Release Distributed by To view the original version on ABNewswire visit: NanoViricides (NNVC) Accelerates MPox Drug Development, Citing Strong Business and Public Health Case
