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Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on October 1, 2024 at 9:18am

Researchers witness nanoscale water formation in real time

For the first time ever, researchers have witnessed—in real time and at the molecular-scale—hydrogen and oxygen atoms merge to form tiny, nano-sized bubbles of water.

The event occurred as part of a new  study, during which scientists sought to understand how palladium, a rare metallic element, catalyzes the gaseous reaction to generate water. By witnessing the reaction at the nanoscale, the  team unraveled how the process occurs and even uncovered new strategies to accelerate it.

Because the reaction does not require extreme conditions, the researchers say it could be harnessed as a practical solution for rapidly generating water in arid environments, including on other planets.

The research is published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Yukun Liu et al, Unraveling the adsorption-limited hydrogen oxidation reaction at palladium surface via in situ electron microscopy, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (2024). DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2408277121

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on October 1, 2024 at 8:33am

Myelin fatty acid metabolism could serve as an energy reserve for the central nervous system

The brains of mammals expend a significant amount of energy in the form of adenosine triphosphate (ATP). This is the molecule that cells use to transfer energy, ultimately fueling several biological processes.

Unlike other organs that have fat cells, neurons and other cells in the central nervous system (CNS) have so far not been known to possess obvious local energy reserves. While astrocytes can use stored glycogen to temporarily protect neurons in the event of low blood sugar levels (i.e., hypoglycemia), a persistent lack of glucose has been found to contribute to neurodegeneration in the long-term.

Researchers   worldwide recently carried out a study investigating the contribution of glial fatty acid metabolism to the storage of energy that can also be used by other cells in the CNS.

Their findings, published in Nature Neuroscience, suggest that the oligodendroglial lipid metabolism can serve as an energy reserve, helping to overcome glucose deprivation and associated neurodegeneration.

Their experiments showed that lack of glucose was surprisingly well tolerated by oligodendrocytes, but only if they could degrade fatty acids from myelin and generate ATP by oxidizing the breakdown products in mitochondria.

When conducting further experiments, the researchers found that the energy generated by oligodendrocytes from lipids could also support the electrical spiking activity of myelinated axons in the optic nerve. Using cell-specific mouse mutants, they showed that oligodendroglial peroxisomes, small organelles found within oligodendrocytes and myelin, also play a role in the turnover of fatty acids.

The findings gathered by them suggest that the myelinated brain of adult mammals could possess a significant reserve of energy that can help to transiently make up for shortages in energy. These findings could have important implications for the study of disorders associated with the loss of brain white matter as a result of starvation, such as anorexia nervosa.

Neurodegenerative diseases that are associated with gradual myelin loss may also reflect this mechanism of metabolizing fatty acids from the myelin sheath.

Ebrahim Asadollahi et al, Oligodendroglial fatty acid metabolism as a central nervous system energy reserve, Nature Neuroscience (2024). DOI: 10.1038/s41593-024-01749-6.

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on September 28, 2024 at 11:38am

Scientists Just Discovered a New Cell

Researchers  have found a whole new type of cell that fills a major hole in our understanding of how the mammal body heals.

For over a century, scientists have hypothesized that a cell like this existed – and now, an adult version has been found at last, hiding in the aorta of grown mice.

The discovery was nine years in the making. Researchers have named the cells 'EndoMac progenitors', and the team is now searching for similar players in the human body.

These cells have an important job, to help grow blood vessels when the body calls for it.

They are activated by injury or poor blood flow, at which point they rapidly expand to aid in healing.

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-024-51637-7

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on September 28, 2024 at 11:07am

Can a virus reverse antibiotic resistance?

Bacteriophages — viruses that infect bacteria — are being used alongside antibiotics in a two-pronged attack to treat bacterial infections. Some phages target the ‘efflux pumps’ that bacteria use to expel unwanted molecules from inside their cells. Bacteria treated with phages face a dilemma: if they remove the efflux pumps to evade the phages, then antibiotics will kill them. If they evolve to modify the efflux pumps to expel the antibiotics, the phages will kill them instead. In the lab and in the clinic, researchers are having some success using phages to reverse antibiotic resistance, but it remains very case specific.

https://knowablemagazine.org/content/article/health-disease/2024/ph...

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on September 28, 2024 at 10:31am

One-electron bond 

Scientists have observed a single-electron covalent bond between two carbon atoms for the fi.... Researchers synthesized a molecule with a stable ‘shell’ of fused carbon rings that stretched out a carbon–carbon bond in its centre. The pull makes it susceptible to losing one electron in an oxidation reaction, leaving the elusive one-electron bond. With the new finding, the team hopes to better understand what defines a chemical bond in the first place. “The covalent bond is one of the most important concepts in chemistry,” says chemist Takuya Shimajiri. “At what point does a bond qualify as covalent, and at what point does it not?”

Nature | 5 min read
 Nature paper

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on September 28, 2024 at 10:28am

Diabetes reversed with stem cells
A woman with type 1 diabetes started producing her own insulin less than three months after a transplant of reprogrammed stem cells. This case represents the first successful treatment for the disease using stem cells from the recipient’s own body, which could avoid the need for immunosuppressants. She was injected with the equivalent of 1.5 million stem-cell-derived islets in June 2023. While promising, the woman’s cells must continue to produce insulin for up to five years before considering her ‘cured'.

The studies are among a handful of pioneering trials using stem cells to treat diabetes, which affects close to half a billion people worldwide. 

https://www.cell.com/cell/abstract/S0092-8674(24)01022-5?_returnURL=https%3A%2F%2Flinkinghub.elsevier.com%2Fretrieve%2Fpii%2FS0092867424010225%3Fshowall%3Dtrue

https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-024-03129-3?utm_source=Live+...

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on September 28, 2024 at 9:55am

Many troubling characteristics have a common theme: a need for self-serving hierarchical relationships, so pay attention to how he treats his friends and other people around him. People with psychopathic traits sometimes present as charming and have no reservations about lying to gain trust, making them trickier to weed out.

On the law enforcement and policy front, it's important to know that a subset of men is likely to be sexually transgressive regardless of the situation.
Sex education campaigns that focus on the need for affirmative consent are unlikely to sway these individuals, who often aren't held accountable due to roadblocks in reporting and prosecuting sexual assault.

What can help is outreach to victims, lessening their feelings of shame and self-blame while encouraging reporting and training third parties who are likely to interact with victims, such as emergency room staff.
While the study focused on heterosexual sex and casual hookups, sexual violence spans both the gender spectrum and relationship type.

 Allison M. McKinnon et al, Does No Mean No? Situational and Dispositional Factors Influence Emerging Adult Men's Intentions to Use Assault Tactics in Response to Women's Sexual Refusal During Hookups, Sexual Abuse (2024). DOI: 10.1177/10790632241268527

Part 3

**

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on September 28, 2024 at 9:54am

A high proportion of men report that they would commit a considerably violent rape if they could be assured that they would not get caught. This may sound surprising, but the men that are likeliest to commit rape also tend to carry traits that make their reporting less surprising, like high levels of impulsivity and adherence to hypermasculine ideologies that see nothing wrong with male sexual dominion.
According to the researchers findings, factors that predispose men to sexual assault include rigid adherence to traditional gender roles, which assume male dominance; personalities that exhibit a callous disregard for others; sexism, whether overtly hostile or benevolent; and low empathy. Other factors include a belief in rape myths and ideologies that promote social dominance, such as right-wing authoritarianism.
There is also a small correlation between a preference for impersonal sexual liaisons and sexual assault. Individuals with psychopathic traits tend to avoid emotional intimacy and favor impersonal sex, as do hyper-masculine men.
They found that men's sexual decisions varied more from man-to-man than for a given man across different scenarios. Stated plainly, their findings suggest that the use of sexual assault tactics appears to be more about who the man is characterologically rather than the particulars of the sexual situation in which he is found.The only aspect of the situation that reliably mattered was the level of sexual intimacy at the time the partner gave her refusal.
While clear, direct communication about sex is important, the findings suggest that the power of no isn't absolute; its influence on men's decision-making wanes as the level of intimacy ramps up.
Not all men pose sexual dangers, Mattson stressed; a sizeable subgroup of study subjects respected a woman's refusal and reported that they wouldn't pressure or coerce her in any way. However, even some of the "nice guys" were susceptible to prevailing rape myths, suggesting that education may play an important role in preventing sexual transgressions.

Unless you know someone well, it may be challenging to figure out whether they believe rape myths or have psychopathic traits. Hypermasculinity, however, tends to be performative and may be easier to spot.
Part 2

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on September 28, 2024 at 9:49am

**Which men may be more likely to commit sexual assault: women take note of this**
Research by Psychologists sheds light on which men might choose to ignore a lack of consent and why. Their research explores how men make decisions in high-risk sexual situations, which could potentially offer insights into prevention.
They found that adherence to cultural myths about what constitutes rape was the strongest predictor of assaultive behaviour, even controlling for other personality factors. We may, therefore, be able to curtail some assaults by dispelling these myths through education.

However, underlying beliefs or the particulars of a situation form only part of the picture. The risk for sexual assault is even more strongly linked to who a man actually is in terms of personality—a factor that may be less amenable to change.
The researchers focused on "emerging adults," a category that ranges from the late teens to the mid-to-late 20s. Individuals in this age range are more likely to find themselves in higher-risk sexual situations, such as hookups, rather than long-term, exclusive sexual relationships. It's also a time when individuals are still developing beliefs and behaviors related to sex, making them more amenable to intervention.
Part 1

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on September 28, 2024 at 9:14am

Multiple surgeries could contribute to cognitive decline in older people

Multiple surgeries could lead to cognitive decline, a study has found, using data from the United Kingdom's Biobank to analyze half a million patients aged 40 to 69 and followed over 20 years of brain scans, cognitive tests and medical records.

Many families have stories of how repeated surgeries and hospitalizations worsened the reaction time and memory of elderly relatives. Now, a University of Sydney led study has revealed multiple surgeries have a small effect on memory, reaction time, task-switching and problem-solving for older patients with each additional surgery.

The study also found brain MRIs of people who had surgeries also showed physical differences in areas of the brain responsible for memory.

People who had surgeries were also found to have a smaller hippocampus, the area of the brain responsible for memory and learning. They also had more evidence of brain damage associated with blocked blood vessels, compared to those who did not undergo repeated surgeries.

"The results suggest that the cognitive decline per surgery may seem small, but those changes and losses in neurodegeneration really start to add up after multiple surgeries," say the researchers. They found that surgeries are safe on average but also that the burden of multiple surgeries on the brain health of older patients should not be underestimated.

This is a reminder to medical professionals to consider all treatment options and be cautious in recommending major surgery for older and more vulnerable patients. If surgery is the best or only treatment option, patients should be reassured that the cognitive harm from each surgery is small on average. Nonetheless, careful attention in perioperative care is required to prioritize brain health and recovery."

Jennifer Taylor et al, Association between surgical admissions, cognition, and neurodegeneration in older people: a population-based study from the UK Biobank, The Lancet Healthy Longevity (2024). DOI: 10.1016/j.lanhl.2024.07.006

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