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Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa 5 hours ago

Standing at work can be detrimental to blood pressure, study suggests

Hmmm! Whole day sitting is not good. Right.

Now a Finnish study found that prolonged standing at work had a negative impact on the research participants' 24-hour blood pressure. In contrast, spending more time sitting at work was associated with better blood pressure.

The study, published in the journal Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, suggests that activity behavior during working hours may be more relevant to 24-hour blood pressure than recreational physical activity.

Regular exercise is important for controlling blood pressure. In particular, more vigorous, aerobic exercise is effective for lowering blood pressure, but everyday physical activity can also have a beneficial impact. Previous studies have shown that exercise in leisure time is more beneficial for the cardiovascular system than physical activity at work, which can even be detrimental to health.

In the Finnish Retirement and Aging study (FIREA) conducted at the University of Turku, the physical activity of municipal employees approaching retirement age was measured using thigh-worn accelerometers during working hours, leisure time, and days off. In addition, the research participants used a portable blood pressure monitor that automatically measured their blood pressure every 30 minutes for 24 hours.

The latest results confirm previous findings that physical activity at work can be harmful to the heart and circulatory system. In particular, prolonged standing can raise blood pressure as the body boosts circulation to the lower limbs by constricting blood vessels and increasing the pumping power of the heart.

A standing desk can provide a nice change from sitting at the office, but too much standing can be harmful. It's a good idea to take a break from standing during the work day, either by walking every half an hour or sitting for some parts of the day, the researchers recommend.

In addition, the results of the study suggest that sedentary work in itself is not necessarily harmful to BP. Instead, researchers stress the importance of recreational physical activity.

It is good to remember that being physically active at work is not enough on its own. Engaging in diverse physical exercise during leisure time helps to maintain fitness, making work-related strain more manageable. Similarly, employees with predominantly sedentary jobs should ensure that they get enough exercise during their leisure time.

Jooa Norha et al, Associations between Leisure and Work Time Activity Behavior and 24 H Ambulatory Blood Pressure among Aging Workers, Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise (2024). DOI: 10.1249/MSS.0000000000003594

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Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa 6 hours ago

2 million mph galaxy smash-up seen in unprecedented detail

A massive collision of galaxies sparked by one traveling at a scarcely-believable 2 million mph (3.2 million km/h) has been seen in unprecedented detail by one of Earth's most powerful telescopes.

The dramatic impact was observed in Stephan's Quintet, a nearby galaxy group made up of five galaxies first sighted almost 150 years ago.

It sparked an immensely powerful shock akin to a "sonic boom from a jet fighter"—the likes of which are among the most striking phenomena in the universe.

Stephan's Quintet represents "a galactic crossroad where past collisions between galaxies have left behind a complex field of debris", which has now been reawakened by the passage of the galaxy, NGC 7318b.

The collision was spotted by a team of scientists using the first observations from the new 20-million Euro (£16.7million) William Herschel Telescope Enhanced Area Velocity Explorer (WEAVE) wide-field spectrograph in La Palma, Spain.

The discovery of NGC 7318b smashing through Stephan's Quintet was observed by a team of more than 60 astronomers and has been published in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society.

M I Arnaudova et al, WEAVE First Light Observations: Origin and Dynamics of the Shock Front in Stephan's Quintet, Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society (2024). DOI: 10.1093/mnras/stae2235

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa yesterday

During 30 years of monitoring, 4,356 premature deaths were recorded, including 1,459 from cancer, 304 from cardiovascular diseases, and 90 from respiratory diseases.

Overall, the rate of all-cause premature death for women with and without confirmed endometriosis was 2.0 and 1.4 per 1,000 person years, respectively.

After taking account of age and other confounding factors such as weight (BMI), diet quality, physical activity, and smoking status, endometriosis was associated with a 31% higher risk of premature death, largely driven by deaths due to gynecological cancers.

Uterine fibroids were unrelated to all-cause premature death, but were associated with a greater risk of death due to gynecological cancers.
The researchers acknowledge that these are observational findings that relied on self-reports.
Nevertheless, this was a large study with regular follow-up over nearly three decades, which reduced potential recall errors.
As such, they conclude, "Our results suggest that women with a history of endometriosis and uterine fibroids might have an increased long term risk of premature mortality extending beyond their reproductive lifespan."

"These conditions were also associated with an increased risk of death due to gynecological cancers. Endometriosis was also associated with a greater risk of non-cancer mortality. These findings highlight the importance for primary care providers to consider these gynecological disorders in their assessment of women's health."

 Yi-Xin Wang et al, Endometriosis and uterine fibroids and risk of premature mortality: prospective cohort study, BMJ (2024). DOI: 10.1136/bmj-2023-078797

Part 2

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Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa yesterday

History of endometriosis and fibroids linked to heightened risk of early death, study suggests

Women with a history of endometriosis and uterine fibroids might have an increased long term risk of premature death, finds a large study published by The BMJ .

Endometriosis and uterine fibroids are common disorders among women of reproductive age. Endometriosis occurs when tissue similar to the lining of the womb grows in other places, such as the ovaries and fallopian tubes, while uterine fibroids are non-cancerous growths within or around the womb.

Growing evidence shows that both conditions are associated with a greater long term risk of chronic diseases, such as high blood pressure, heart disease, and some cancers, but their effect on risk of death before the age of 70 remains unclear.

To explore this further, researchers drew on information provided by 110,091 women taking part in the Nurses' Health Study II who were aged 25–42 years in 1989 and had no history of hysterectomy before endometriosis or fibroids diagnosis, cardiovascular diseases, or cancer.
Starting in 1993 and every two years thereafter, these women reported any diagnosis of endometriosis (confirmed by laparoscopy) and uterine fibroids (confirmed by ultrasound or hysterectomy).

Other potentially influential factors including age, ethnicity, reproductive history, HRT and oral contraceptive use, regular use of aspirin or anti-inflammatory drugs, and other health-related issues were also taken into account.

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa yesterday

Survey shows millions of people hurt by others' drinking, drug use

The risks of alcohol and other drug consumption to the user are well known, but many Americans—nearly 160 million—say they've been harmed by someone else's substance use, according to a new study in the Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs.

In a national survey of U.S. adults, researchers found that 34% said they'd ever suffered "secondhand harm" from someone else's alcohol use—ranging from marriage and family problems to financial fall-out to being assaulted or injured in a drunk-driving accident. Meanwhile, 14% said they'd been harmed by someone else's use of marijuana, opioids or other drugs.

In sheer numbers, that amounts to 113 million Americans who've suffered consequences from another person's drinking, and 46 million who've been hurt by others' drug use. What's more, there was plenty of "overlap" between those two groups: Of survey respondents reporting secondhand harms from alcohol, 30% said they'd also been impacted by other people's drug use. There are more harms than people think.

These habits affect families, relationships and communities.

It makes sense that risky drinking and drug use have far-reaching consequences, but it's only in recent years that research has delved into the secondhand harms of alcohol and drug use. 

 Rosen, E. M. et al.. Prevalence and correlates of alcohol and drug harms to others: Findings from the 2020 U.S. National Alcohol Survey. Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs (2024). DOI: 10.15288/jsad.23-00387

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa yesterday

Study reveals RNA's unknown role in DNA damage repair

A multi-institutional team of researchers has discovered a previously unknown role for RNA. 

RNA molecules are best known as protein production messengers. They carry genetic instructions from DNA to ribosomes—the factories inside cells that turn amino acids into the proteins necessary for many cell functions. But this study found that RNA can also help cells repair a severe form of DNA damage called a double-strand break, or DSB.

A DSB means both strands of the DNA helix have been severed. Cells have the tools to make some repairs, but a DSB is significant damage—and if not properly fixed can lead to mutations, cell death, or cancer. (Interestingly, cancer treatments, like chemotherapy and radiation, can also cause DSBs.)

When a DSB happens in DNA, it's like a load-bearing beam in a building breaking. A careful, precise repair is needed to ensure the building's—or the DNA's—stability. The pieces must be rejoined accurately to prevent further damage or mutation. Repairing a damaged building requires having a reliable foreman on the job site. A DSB requires something very similar.

A key mechanism the researchers identified is that RNA can help position and hold the broken DNA ends in place, facilitating the repair process.

Specifically, they found that RNA molecules and the broken section of DNA can match up like puzzle pieces. When RNA has this kind of complementarity with the DNA break site, it acts as a scaffold, or a guide, beyond its traditional coding function, showing the cellular machinery where to make repairs. Over millennia, cells have evolved complex mechanisms to fix DSB, each of them functioning like different tools from the same toolbox.

This research work showed that RNA can influence which tools are used, depending on its complementarity to the broken DNA strands. This means that in addition to being the important protein production messenger, RNA acts as both a foreman and laborer when it comes to DNA repair.

A deeper understanding of RNA's role in DNA repair could lead to new strategies for strengthening repair mechanisms in healthy cells, potentially reducing the harmful effects of treatments like chemotherapy and radiation.

 Youngkyu Jeon et al, RNA-mediated double-strand break repair by end-joining mechanisms, Nature Communications (2024). DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-51457-9

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa yesterday

Organic geochemical analysis revealed the presence of levoglucosan and significant amounts of retene in the structure's matrix, compounds associated with the combustion of resinous plant materials. Lipid analysis showed straight-chain n-alkanes of odd carbon numbers and n-alkanols of even carbon numbers, biomarkers indicative of fresh leaf wax from plants like rockrose.

Charcoal analysis uncovered partially vitrified remains of Cistaceae, or rockrose family plants, suggesting incomplete combustion under controlled conditions. Less than 10% of the charcoal was from conifer wood.

Palynological examination indicated the presence of abundant pollen grains within the structure, whereas surrounding sediments were free of pollen. This suggests the deliberate introduction of plant materials into the hearth by Neanderthals.

Micromorphological analysis showed no evidence of clay heating above 500°C, indicating that the structure was used for controlled low-temperature processes compatible with tar production.

Carbonate rocks within the structure appear placed intentionally, likely employed to maintain a seal composed of guano and sand. This seal would create a low-oxygen environment essential for effective tar distillation.

To test their hypothesis, the team conducted experimental archaeology by building a similar structure and using it to heat rockrose leaves under low-oxygen conditions. The experiment successfully produced tar sufficient to haft stone spearheads, using only tools and materials available to Neanderthals in the area.
Findings show Neanderthals organized complex fire-related activities by constructing specialized hearths for tar extraction. This confirms a level of cognitive complexity and cultural development previously expected based on their use of manufactured materials.

Juan Ochando et al, A Neanderthal's specialised burning structure compatible with tar obtention, Quaternary Science Reviews (2024). DOI: 10.1016/j.quascirev.2024.109025

Part 2

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa yesterday

Neanderthal adhesive manufacturing site found in Gibraltar cave

Cut into a Gibraltar cliff face overlooking the Alboran Sea, a cave opening leads back in time to one of the earliest manufacturing sites on the planet—a Neanderthal-built tar distillation oven hidden for 65,000 years.

Researchers have discovered a complex Neanderthal hearth structure in Vanguard Cave. Middle Paleolithic stone artifacts and residues suggest Neanderthals produced tar from rockrose plants (Cistaceae) here, showing off their advanced fire management and technological capabilities.

Neanderthals used fire for warmth, light, cooking, landscape clearing, and extracting adhesive tar from specific plants and trees. Evidence of their use of fire in tar extraction is based on the composition of the tar residues left on tools.
Tar was used as an adhesive for hafting stone tools to wooden handles, representing a significant advancement in tool-making, predating current modern human tar adhesive use by more than 100,000 years.

While the techniques Neanderthals used to extract tar have been previously back-engineered to suggest the use of underground fire pits, direct evidence of these pits has been missing from the record.

In the current study, "A Neanderthal's specialized burning structure compatible with tar obtention," published in Quaternary Science Reviews, researchers analyzed a hearth pit structure in Vanguard Cave, employing geochemical, mineralogical, palynological and micromorphological methods.

They identified a central fire pit with two opposite-sided trenches, revealing a crust of altered rocks and sediment due to prolonged fire use. This structure aligns with theoretical models requiring specialized heating installations for tar production under low-oxygen conditions.

Part 1

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on Thursday

Cadavers could be bone-marrow donors
A new technique for collecting bone-marrow stem cells from a cadaver’s spinal column could provide transplants for people with blood cancers. A company called Ossium Health is creating a bank of cryopreserved marrow from organ donors with diverse genetic backgrounds. Unlike solid organ donors, a bone-marrow donor must be a very close genetic match to the recipient. This presents a particular challenge when trying to find donors for people from racial minority groups, who are underrepresented in donor registries. The cadaver bank could widen the potential donor pool, although it is still unclear whether the freezing process could damage the stem cells.

https://www.wired.com/story/stem-cell-donation-deceased-ossium-bone...

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on Thursday

A clue was given in a 1905 paper, which pointed out that acetaldehyde phenylhydrazone was extremely sensitive to acid. Threlfall and his team tried exposing their samples to vapors of acid and ammonia. And they found that exposure to just a tiny bit of one or the other could reliably influence the compound's melting point. The acid acts as a catalyst to speed the shift from the Z to E isomer, lowering the melting point in the process.
If an element or compound can exist in two or more distinct crystalline forms, then each form will have different Gibbs energies and melt at its own distinct temperature.
In this case, the molecules of the crystal are in the cis geometry – of groups pointing towards each other – and melt to an identical geometry in the absence of acid at 100 degrees Celsius. However, in the presence of even a trace of acid, the molecules convert on melting to the trans geometry of groups pointing away from each other. This liquid has a smaller Gibbs energy and is more stable, so the melting point becomes 65 degrees Celsius."

It's similar to the effect salt has on water: adding salt to a pot of water raises the freezing and boiling points. Where it takes a lot of salt to invoke a significant change to water's phase transitions, it takes so little acid to alter acetaldehyde phenylhydrazone that it took more than a century – and Threlfall and his colleagues a decade – to figure it out.

This research is a real testament to human curiosity and tenacity. And it gives us hope for the future. How many more mysteries will be solved in the years stretching into a glittering future of discovery?

https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acs.cgd.8b01459

Part 3

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