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Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on April 1, 2024 at 8:43am

Researchers discover evolutionary 'tipping point' in fungi

Scientists have found a "tipping point" in the evolution of fungi that throttles their growth and sculpts their shapes. The findings, published in the journal Cell Reports, demonstrate how small changes in environmental factors can lead to huge changes in evolutionary outcomes.

Fungi are nature's great composters. They wait within the forest floor  to feed on fallen trees and autumn leaves, releasing essential nutrients from these plants back into the Earth.

Although fungi often bring to mind mushroom caps, fungi also have underground "roots" called mycelia. Mycelia are made up of thousands of interconnected, microscopic, finger-like cells called hyphae that grow into vast networks. Hyphae worm their way through the soil by growing from their tips. To do so, they inflate themselves, similar to the long balloons used to make balloon animals.

Their elongated forms allow hyphae to locate and consume nutrients within the soil. But not all hyphae are the same shape: some have rounded tips, while others are pointed. The hyphae of water molds—fungus-like pathogens that cause blight in crops—are particularly pointy.

A major challenge in biology is to identify the specific evolutionary factors that determine the shape—or form—of a given organism.

Part 1

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on March 30, 2024 at 9:34am

People with diabetes, atrial fibrillation (a common type of irregular heart rhythm) and treated high blood pressure were at highest risk of going on to develop heart and circulatory diseases.
Nearly half of those at highest risk smoked or were living with obesity. Modeling showed that if all current smokers living with obesity were supported to lose weight and quit smoking, the mean 10-year risk in this group would fall from nearly 22% to around 16%.

 Kelvin P Jordan et al, Determining cardiovascular risk in patients with unattributed chest pain in UK primary care: an electronic health record study, European Journal of Preventive Cardiology (2023). DOI: 10.1093/eurjpc/zwad055

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on March 30, 2024 at 9:23am

Unveiling gender differences in cancer: New insights into genomic instability

Recent research casts a new light on the nuanced interplay between gender and cancer, uncovering significant sex-specific disparities in copy number alterations (CNA) across various cancer types.

Published in Health Data Science, this study delineates the intricate ways in which these alterations influence cancer biology, offering a beacon for future therapeutic strategies.

At the crux of cancer research, understanding the divergent paths this disease takes in men and women is paramount. These latest findings  delve into the heart of this divergence, revealing distinct genomic imbalances that underscore the importance of a gender-tailored approach in cancer prognosis and treatment.

The study unveils pronounced differences in genomic instability, particularly in cancers of the kidney, lung, liver, and head and neck, spotlighting the profound impact of sex-biased CNAs on gene expression and their potential as prognostic biomarkers. Remarkably, over 60% of genes within these CNA regions are significantly swayed by these alterations, with approximately 14% of their mRNA abundance being influenced by both gender and CNA.

Insights into these gender-specific genetic alterations pave the way for more personalized cancer care, highlighting the necessity of integrating gender considerations into prognostic models and therapeutic interventions.

Further validating its methodology, the study corroborates the robustness of the CNGPLD tool over traditional statistical approaches, enhancing the accuracy of detecting sex-specific genetic differences. Notably, the research expands its implications beyond the widely acknowledged sex disparities in lung and kidney cancers, identifying critical sex-biased CNA regions in head and neck cancer and lower-grade glioma.

Researchers envision a future where these findings catalyze the development of gender-specific biomarkers and therapeutic avenues, reinforcing the commitment to personalized medicine.

Chenhao Zhang et al, Identification and Analysis of Sex-Biased Copy Number Alterations, Health Data Science (2024). DOI: 10.34133/hds.0121

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on March 30, 2024 at 9:12am

Research has demonstrated that  individuals with adequate health literacy had better physical and mental health outcomes.

And that is why we bring all this information before you through science communication portals like ours.

Monique R. Pappadis et al, The Relationship of Health Literacy to Health Outcomes Among Individuals With Traumatic Brain Injury: A Traumatic Brain Injury Model Systems Study, Journal of Head Trauma Rehabilitation (2023). DOI: 10.1097/HTR.0000000000000912

Part 2

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on March 30, 2024 at 9:10am

Nearly one-third of patients with TBI have marginal or inadequate health literacy

Low health literacy is a problem for a substantial proportion of people with moderate to severe traumatic brain injury (TBI), according to research published in The Journal of Head Trauma Rehabilitation (JHTR).

Personal health literacy as an individual's ability to find, understand, and use information about health and health services to make well-informed health decisions for themselves and/or others.

Researchers  emphasize that health literacy can impact the comprehension, assimilation, and utilization of health care education and recommendations, and they urge clinicians to attend to health literacy when providing education and recommendations to individuals with TBI.

To help patients with TBI better understand health-related information, the researchers suggest:

• Ask patients their preferences for health information format (visual, verbal, or written)
• Provide frequent reminders of important health information and related recommendations
• Ask patients to express their understanding of the recommendations in their own words
• Deliver supplemental instructions via the e-health portal when feasible
• Involve care partners in key discussions (eg, those about physical therapy instructions, medication adherence, and healthy lifestyle behaviors)
• Flag marginal/inadequate health literacy in the electronic medical record so other clinicians can adapt their treatment planning and patient education

Part 1

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on March 30, 2024 at 9:01am

Although the study's observational design means it could not prove cause and effect, the findings possess strong biological plausibility since some of the specific metabolites highlighted in this study can only be produced by bacteria and not by the human body.

The study also relied on self-reported dietary fiber intake from participants. Dietary fiber is important to metabolic health, and we're beginning to understand why.

Zheng Wang et al, Gut Microbiota and Blood Metabolites Related to Fiber Intake and Type 2 Diabetes, Circulation Research (2024). DOI: 10.1161/CIRCRESAHA.123.323634

Part 2

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on March 30, 2024 at 9:00am

How might fiber lower diabetes risk?

Eating more dietary fiber may help prevent type 2 diabetes by promoting beneficial gut bacteria and substances produced during metabolism, according to new research in Hispanic adults.

Consistent evidence suggests diabetes-protective effects of dietary fiber intake, but exactly how does that protection occur?

Consistent evidence suggests diabetes-protective effects of dietary fiber intake, but exactly how that protection occurs remained unclear until recently.

Discovering the connections between dietary fiber, gut bacteria, metabolites and type 2 diabetes—a leading risk factor for heart disease, stroke and kidney disease—could lead to more effective prevention of the condition.

For example, identifying which bacteria and metabolites in the body are linked to type 2 diabetes risk paves the way for personalized diets and treatments to improve gut and metabolic health for people at risk.

The study, published in Circulation Research, looked at data from up to 11,000-plus participants in the ongoing Hispanic Community Health Study/Study of Latinos.

The researchers found that higher fiber intake was associated with specific "good" gut bacteria and certain favorable metabolites in the blood—some of which were actually produced by gut bacteria. Those gut microbes and metabolites were associated with lower risk of developing type 2 diabetes during an average follow-up of six years.

This is new evidence of why a higher intake in dietary fiber is beneficial, specifically to reduce the incidence of new-onset type 2 diabetes.

Dietary fiber is mostly found in fruits, vegetables, nuts, whole grains and cereals. It cannot be broken down, and much of it passes through the system undigested. Its most well-known job is to promote regular bowel movements. But the new research suggests fiber might also be feeding bacteria in the gut.

Bacteria can affect disease risk through a vast array of mechanisms. The complexity was both surprising and fascinating, revealing the deep and nuanced interactions within our gut microbiome.

Part 1

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on March 30, 2024 at 8:53am

Do sweeteners increase your appetite? New evidence from randomized controlled trial says no

Replacing sugar with artificial and natural sweeteners in foods does not make people hungrier—and also helps to reduce blood sugar levels, a new study has found.

The double-blind randomized controlled trial found that consuming food containing sweeteners produced a similar reduction in appetite sensations and appetite-related hormone responses as sugary foods—and provides some benefits such as lowering blood sugar, which may be particularly important in people at risk of developing type 2 diabetes.

The use of sweeteners in place of sugar in foods can be controversial due to conflicting reports about their potential to increase appetite. Previous studies have been carried out but did not provide robust evidence.

However, the researchers say their study, which meets the gold standard level of proof in scientific investigation, provides very strong evidence that sweeteners and sweetness enhancers do not negatively impact appetite and are beneficial for reducing sugar intake.

The trial consisted of three two-week consumption periods, where participants consumed biscuits with either fruit filling containing sugar, natural sugar substitute Stevia, or artificial sweetener Neotame, each separated by a break of 14-21 days. Day 1 and day 14 of the consumption periods took place in the lab.

The results from the sweetener types showed no differences in appetite or endocrine responses compared to sugar, but insulin levels measured over two hours after eating were reduced, as were blood sugar levels.

: Acute and two-week effects of Neotame, Stevia Rebaudioside M and sucrosesweetened biscuits on postprandial appetite and endocrine response in adults with overweight/obesity – a randomised crossover trial from the SWEET Consortium, eBioMedicine (2024).

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Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on March 30, 2024 at 8:45am

The researchers decided to take a movie to find out how the junctions become broken in these cells and found that the junctions fractured when the cells were stretched. The research group further showed that tight junction membrane proteins regulate the conformation change of a protein called ZO-1 in response to mechanical force, suggesting that this mechanosensor is important for cells to resist mechanical stress.
This study shows that tight junctions in addition to adherens junctions and desmosomes are important for cells to resist mechanical stress. An interesting question is why we need so many junctions to resist force and how these junctions collaborate to provide mechanical resistance. Scientists would like to tackle these issues in the future.

Thanh Phuong Nguyen et al, Tight junction membrane proteins regulate the mechanical resistance of the apical junctional complex, Journal of Cell Biology (2024). DOI: 10.1083/jcb.202307104

Part 2

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on March 30, 2024 at 8:43am

Keeping cells together—how our body resists mechanical stress

Our body consists of ~30 trillion cells. These cells need to tightly attach to each other to maintain the integrity of our body. However, we are constantly exposed to mechanical stress, which continuously challenges the integrity of our bodies. How are cells able to resist mechanical force to maintain the integrity of our body? Why doesn't our body fall apart when we fall down on the street or when the guts move to digest the food? The secret lies in the cell-to-cell adhesion apparatus that keeps our cells together.

Cells hold on to each other through junctions that serve to connect the neighboring cells. At least three types of junctions are known: tight junctions, adherens junctions, and desmosomes. Previous studies have shown that adherens junctions and desmosomes play critical roles in maintaining the integrity of our body. However, the roles of tight junctions in resisting mechanical stress have not been demonstrated till recently.
One reason that hindered the attempts to understand the roles of tight junctions was that it had been difficult to specifically and completely eliminate its activity due to the overlapping functions of its key constituents. A few years ago, a research group succeeded in generating an epithelial cell line that specifically and completely lacks tight junction membrane proteins claudins and JAM-A, and demonstrated that these cells completely lack tight junctions.

In carefully examining these cells, the researchers found something bizarre. While normal cells are always connected to each other by a continuous belt of cell-to-cell junctions, sporadic disruption and fragmentation of cell-to-cell junctions were observed in these cells. Scientists had never seen something like this before and became curious about this issue.
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