BACKGROUND A longstanding debate in allergy is whether or not specific immunoglobulin-E antibodies (sIgE), recognizing cross-reactive carbohydrate determinants (CCD), are able to elicit clinical symptoms. In pollen and food allergy, ≥20% of patients display in-vitro CCD reactivity based on presence of α1,3-fucose and/or β1,2-xylose residues on N-glycans of plant (xylose/fucose) and insect (fuco...

Carcinoma of the colon and rectum is the 2nd commonest cancer in the United States; the leading cancer being lung cancer. It has been estimated that 130,200 new cases of colorectal cancer will be diagnosed annually while 56,300 sufferers will die from the disease (Murphy et al., 2000). In developing countries especially West Africa, the rate has not yet reached such magnitude. This suggests tha...

Background: Acinetobacter baumannii is a highly virulent bacterium. It causes opportunistic and nosocomial infections and is a threat to healthcare settings. It has also developed multidrug resistance (MDR) capacity. The nosocomial bacteria and antibiotic resistance are primordial and a significant public health concern. These bacteria and their threat can be prevented by reducing infected food...

The Olmec civilization (1500 BC) was the first to transform the cocoa bean into a form of chocolate. For a long time, the cocoa bean has been used as a foodstuff as well as currency. It also has had both religious and divine aspects. In the eighteen-century, the Europeans found it had some aphrodisiac properties [1]. Although chocolate is no longer reserved for the elite, from a scientific poin...