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Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on September 17, 2024 at 8:34am

Scientists discover key features of language sites that could help preserve function after brain surgery

When surgeons perform brain surgery on people with brain tumors or epilepsy, they need to remove the tumor or abnormal tissue while preserving parts of the brain that control language and movement.

A new Medicine study may better inform doctors' decisions about which brain areas to preserve, thereby improving patients' language function after brain surgery. The study expands the understanding of how language is encoded in the brain and identifies key features of critical sites in the cerebral cortex that work together to produce language.

If you think of the brain's language network as a social network, scientists have essentially found the person who is the link between lots of subnetworks of people. They wouldn't know each other if not for this single person. In the brain, these "connectors" serve the same function for language. If the connector sites were removed, the patient would make more language errors after surgery—such as difficulty naming objects—because the subnetworks couldn't work together.

https://news.northwestern.edu/stories/2024/september/vital-language...

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-024-51839-zNature Communications (2024).

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on September 17, 2024 at 8:24am

Astronomers detect black hole 'starving' its host galaxy to death

Astronomers have used the NASA/ESA James Webb Space Telescope to confirm that supermassive black holes can starve their host galaxies of the fuel they need to form new stars. The results are reported in the journal Nature Astronomy.

The astronomers used Webb to observe a galaxy roughly the size of the Milky Way in the early universe, about two billion years after the Big Bang. Like most large galaxies, it has a supermassive black hole at its center. However, this galaxy is essentially 'dead': it has mostly stopped forming new stars.

This galaxy  is massive for such an early period in the universe: its total mass is about 200 billion times the mass of our sun, and most of its stars formed between 12.5 and 11.5 billion years ago.

In the early universe, most galaxies are forming lots of stars, so it's interesting to see such a massive dead galaxy at this period in time. If it had enough time to get to this massive size, whatever process that stopped star formation likely happened relatively quickly.

Using Webb, the researchers detected that this galaxy is expelling large amounts of gas at speeds of about 1,000 kilometers per second, which is fast enough to escape the galaxy's gravitational pull. These fast-moving winds are being 'pushed' out of the galaxy by the black hole.

Like other galaxies with accreting black holes, "Pablo's Galaxy" has fast outflowing winds of hot gas, but these gas clouds are tenuous and have little mass. Webb detected the presence of a new wind component, which could not be seen with earlier telescopes. This gas is colder, which means it's denser and—crucially—does not emit any light. Webb, with its superior sensitivity, can see these dark gas clouds because they block some of the light from the galaxy behind them.

The mass of gas being ejected from the galaxy is greater than what the galaxy would require to keep forming new stars. In essence, the black hole is starving the galaxy to death.

 A fast-rotator post-starburst galaxy quenched by supermassive black-hole feedback at z=3, Nature Astronomy (2024). DOI: 10.1038/s41550-024-02345-1. www.nature.com/articles/s41550-024-02345-1

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on September 15, 2024 at 1:52pm

The researchers  successfully performed a liver organ transplant in a rat using their fortified blood system.

These results highlight the immense potential of silicified erythrocytes [red blood cells] as a safe and efficient transfusion alternative, which effectively meets the growing clinical demand for blood," the researchers conclude.

Of course, this new blood technology is still in its infancy so it has many more challenges to endure before it can be determined safe for humans.

Meanwhile, for those of us in good health, donating blood remains a valuable way to help address current shortages and potentially save lives.

https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.2322418121

Part 2

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on September 15, 2024 at 1:52pm

New Blood Cell 'Coats' Could Allow Cross-Species Transfusions

Chronic blood shortages are driving a search for a universal blood system that would allow doctors to save more lives. Researchers may have just brought us a step closer, by creating miniscule silicon coats for donated blood cells to wear. Incredibly, the new nanotechnology allowed biomedical engineers to successfully transfuse blood between species.

Silicified red blood cells not only escape immune activation in different species, but also function perfectly for oxygen transport," the research team writes in their paper.

By building a silicon coating for blood cells, Lei and team were able to cover the surface proteins that our bodies use to recognize blood types. This allows a different blood type to be safely used, including blood from another species.

The team successfully transfused these silicon clothed human blood cells into mice.

The best part: in every test so far, the cloaked cells otherwise act just like naked red blood cells. Their membrane remains intact, they can still float through blood plasma, produce their usual cellular fuel, and carry vital oxygen to where it's needed.

"The silicified blood retains all essential functions of red blood cells, has superior mechanical properties, is resistant to adverse environmental conditions, can be stored for extended periods, and is highly effective in preventing immune system activation," the research team explains.

The authors have identified an opportunity to reduce blood usage by providing an alternative fluid to store donor organs in.

Artificially pumping blood through these organs keeps them alive for long enough to be transplanted, but it uses a lot of blood. With the silicon coat strategy, it might be possible to tap into animal sources instead of using limited human blood supplies.

Part 1

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on September 15, 2024 at 12:08pm

Ignore antifungal resistance in fungal disease at your peril, warn scientists

Without immediate action, humanity will potentially face further escalation in resistance in fungal disease, a group of scientists from across the world has warned.

According to scientists, most fungal pathogens identified by the World Health Organization—accounting for around 3.8 million deaths a year—are either already resistant or rapidly acquiring resistance to antifungal drugs. The authors argue that the currently narrow focus on bacteria will not fully combat antimicrobial resistance (AMR).

September's United Nations meeting on antimicrobial resistance (AMR) must, they demand, include resistance developed in many fungal pathogens.

Resistance is nowadays the rule rather than the exception for the four currently available antifungal classes, making it difficult—if not impossible—to treat many invasive fungal infections. Fungicide resistant infections include Aspergillus, Candida, Nakaseomyces glabratus, and Trichophyton indotineae, all of which can have devastating health impacts on older or immunocompromised people.

Most people agree that resistant bacterial infections constitute a significant part of the AMR problem. However, many drug resistance problems over the past decades have also been the result of invasive fungal diseases largely underrecognized by scientists, governments, clinicians and pharmaceutical companies. The threat of fungal pathogens and antifungal resistance, even though it is a growing global issue, is being left out of the debate.

Unlike bacteria, the close similarities between fungal and human cells which, say the experts, means it is hard to find treatments that selectively inhibit fungi with minimal toxicity to patients.

Despite the huge difficulties in developing them, several promising new agents, including entirely new classes of molecules, have entered clinical trials in recent years.

But even before they reach the market after years of development, fungicides with similar modes of action are developed by the agrochemical industry, resulting in cross-resistance. That sets us back to square one again. It is true many essential crops are affected by fungi, so antifungal protection is required for food security. But the question is, at what price?

The scientists recommend:

Worldwide agreement on restricting the use of certain classes of antifungal molecules for specific applications.

Collaboration on solutions and regulations that ensure food security and universal health for animals, plants, and humans.

Adding priority to AMR to fungal infections at the UN's meeting in September.

Norman van Rhijn et al, Beyond bacteria: the growing threat of antifungal resistance, The Lancet (2024). DOI: 10.1016/S0140-6736(24)01695-7

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on September 15, 2024 at 12:03pm

Chia (Salvia hispanica) and basil (Ocimum basilicum) seeds have the intrinsic ability to form a hydrogel concomitant with moisture-retention, slow releasing capability and proposed health benefits such as curbing diabetes and obesity by delaying digestion process.

Basil seeds absorb water by expanding into a gum-like substance called basil seed gum (BSG). The seeds' exocarp contains a layer of polysaccharides that quickly expand into BSG when the seeds are soaked in water. BSG is a natural plant-based colloid with strong hydration capabilities.

Basil seeds, also known as Sabja or Tukmaria seeds, swell up when soaked in water and develop a gelatinous outer layer. This gel-like coating helps to keep the body hydrated for longer periods, making it an excellent choice for combating dehydration during hot weather.

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on September 15, 2024 at 11:53am

The perils of space walk

A tech billionaire has become the first layperson to perform a space walk. Hundreds of miles above Earth, Jared Isaacman took part in an intricate performance of science and engineering that often comes with some serious health risks, even for professional astronauts.

At one point during the spacewalk, you're going to be hot, you're going to be cold, your hands are going to hurt.

During a space walk in 2013, Parmitano's ( Italian astronaut) cooling system suffered a major malfunction—his helmet was filling with water, creeping up his skin and over his head because of the capillary pressure at zero G.

"It covered my eyes, it covered my ears, it went inside my nose," he said. Then, his radio stopped working.

"I was on my own, isolated," he continued. "I couldn't see anything, I couldn't hear, I couldn't talk."

Major, potentially dangerous, malfunctions during a spacewalk were not pioneered by Parmitano though. Astronauts have been overcoming similar dangers for years.

Of the nine space walks (EVAs) that took place during project Gemini, three of them actually ended early due to concerns over health and safety.

Gene Cernan found himself nearly unable to move during a venture into the void during Gemini 9. The metallic coating on his suit restricted his movement more than anticipated, and the suit's interior was quickly heating up.

He started to sweat profusely and the moisture in the suit started to fog his visor.

But that was decades ago. How dangerous are spacewalks today?

Roughly 20% of spacewalks encounter problems.

But will laypeople, those with no experience or proper training in space walking, be able to correct major malfunctions as well as tried-and-tested astronauts like Parmitano?

To safely return to his shuttle after his helmet began filling with water, blinding him, he had to retrace his steps back to his airlock from memory!

He doesn't take any specific credit for keeping his cool because he'd been trained his whole adult life to perform in relatively risky situations (he is an Italian Air Force colonel and test pilot)

Could you die during a space walk? It's not likely, according to NASA, because adventures outside the craft are often canceled on a moment's notice over technical malfunctions and health scares.

Source: The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on September 14, 2024 at 7:15am

Aromatic amine chemicals such as para-phenylenediamine "disrupt" a neurochemical pathway that's essential to the health of what are known as retinal pigment epithelial cells.

Cases of "retinopathy associated with the use of hair dye aromatic amines [RAHDAA]" remain rare, but doctors should be on the alert to the possibility when people show up with any retinopathy that doesn't have an easy explanation, the French team said.

Nicolas Chirpaz et al, Retinopathy Associated With Hair Dye, JAMA Ophthalmology (2024). DOI: 10.1001/jamaophthalmol.2024.3453

Part 2

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on September 14, 2024 at 7:14am

Ingredient in hair dye led to a woman's vision loss

An ingredient in the hair dye a French woman used caused her to develop a vision-robbing retinopathy, researchers report.

When she switched to a dye without these ingredients, called aromatic amines, her vision troubles resolved, according to a team led by Dr. Nicolas Chirpaz, an ophthalmologist at Edouard Herriot Hospital, in Lyon.

Such cases could be rare, the researchers said, but spreading awareness of the danger "may allow prompt consideration to remove exposure to such hair dye" so eyes aren't permanently damaged, Chirpaz and colleagues said.

They published their case report Sept. 12 in the journal JAMA Ophthalmology.

As the French team noted, this isn't the first time hair dye has been linked to retinopathy: Three prior cases were reported in 2022 among "middle-aged women following exposure to hair dyes containing aromatic amines."

In the latest case, a 61-year-old woman with no prior history of vision trouble came to doctors with progressively blurry vision in both eyes "a few days after dyeing her hair with hair dye containing aromatic amines," Chirpaz' group said. The aromatic amine in the dye used in this case was para-phenylenediamine.

Upon examination, the woman was found to have multiple retinal detachments that resembled the damage that can occur in retinopathies that are tied to certain enzymes found in the eye, called MEK1 or MEK2.

The woman's eyes also displayed an unhealthy "thickening of the neurosensory retina," the French team found.

Tests were conducted to rule out a host of possible causes, including infections and even cancer. In the end, retinal damage caused by the ingredient in hair dye was "diagnosed based on the temporal association between symptoms and hair dye exposure," the team said.

The woman soon switched her brand of hair dye, and her vision returned to 20/20 within a month. "Four years later, the patient reported using aromatic amines–free hair dye and has not experienced any recurrence," the study authors said.

Part 1

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on September 14, 2024 at 7:09am

Swallowing triggers a release of serotonin, research reveals

Why do you eat and what makes you eat more?

Researchers have identified an important control circuit involved in the eating process. The study has revealed that fly larvae have special sensors, or receptors, in their esophagus that are triggered as soon as the animal swallows something. If the larva has swallowed food, they tell the brain to release serotonin. This messenger substance—which is often also referred to as the feel-good hormone—ensures that the larva continues to eat.

The researchers assume that humans also have a very similar control circuit. The results were published in the journal Current Biology.

 It's the good feeling you have after swallowing that is largely responsible for you continuing to eat.

Researchers  identified a sort of "stretch receptor" in the esophagus. It is wired to a group of six neurons in the larva's brain that are able to produce serotonin. This neuromodulator is also sometimes called the "feel-good hormone." It ensures, for example, that we feel rewarded for certain actions and are encouraged to continue doing them.

The serotonin neurons receive additional information about what the animal has just swallowed. They can detect whether it is food or not and also evaluate its quality.

This mechanism is of such fundamental importance that it probably also exists in humans. If it is defective, it could potentially cause eating disorders such as anorexia or binge eating. It may therefore be possible that the results of this basic research could also have implications for the treatment of such disorders.

Andreas Schoofs et al, Serotonergic modulation of swallowing in a complete fly vagus nerve connectome, Current Biology (2024). DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2024.08.025

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