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Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on June 19, 2024 at 11:07am

Discovery of 'new rules of the immune system' could improve treatment of inflammatory diseases, say scientists

Scientists  have discovered that a type of white blood cell—called a regulatory T cell—exists as a single large population of cells that constantly move throughout the body looking for, and repairing, damaged tissue.

This overturns the traditional thinking that regulatory T cells exist as multiple specialist populations that are restricted to specific parts of the body. The finding has implications for the treatment of many different diseases—because almost all diseases and injuries trigger the body's immune system.

Current anti-inflammatory drugs treat the whole body, rather than just the part needing treatment. The researchers say their findings mean it could be possible to shut down the body's immune response and repair damage in any specific part of the body, without affecting the rest of it. This means that higher, more targeted doses of drugs could be used to treat disease—potentially with rapid results.

Researchers have uncovered new rules of the immune system. This 'unified healer army' can do everything—repair injured muscle, make your fat cells respond better to insulin, regrow hair follicles. To think that we could use it in such an enormous range of diseases is fantastic: it's got the potential to be used for almost everything.

To reach this discovery, the researchers analyzed the regulatory T cells present in 48 different tissues in the bodies of mice. This revealed that the cells are not specialized or static, but move through the body to where they're needed. The results are published in the journal Immunity.

Most white blood cells attack infections in the body by triggering an immune response. In contrast, regulatory T cells act like a 'unified healer army' whose purpose is to shut down this immune response once it has done its job—and repair the tissue damage caused by it.

The tissue-resident regulatory T cell pool is shaped by transient multi-tissue migration and a conserved residency program, Immunity (2024). DOI: 10.1016/j.immuni.2024.05.023. www.cell.com/immunity/fulltext … 1074-7613(24)00277-2

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on June 19, 2024 at 10:15am

Study reveals genetic basis of sepsis response variability

Sepsis causes an estimated 11 million deaths worldwide per year, with one death every three seconds. 

Sepsis response varies between patients and depends on the different underlying immune response pathways.

Sepsis patients could be treated based on their immune system's response to infection, not their symptoms.

New research uncovers how different people respond to sepsis based on their genetic makeup, which could help identify who would benefit from certain treatments and lead to the development of targeted therapies.

The study, published in Cell Genomics, details the genetic basis of variability in sepsis response, and the different regulators and cell types involved in the different immune responses in each subgroup of patients.

Having a more detailed understanding of sepsis at a molecular level could identify those who would benefit from different therapies, helping to design rapid tests, organize clinical trials, and develop targeted treatments based on the individual immune response.

The ultimate aim is for patients to receive the most effective treatment for their sepsis more quickly, based on their immune response rather than their symptoms. In the future, this approach to personalized medicine could also be applied to other less severe infections, not just sepsis.

Sepsis arises when the body has an extreme response to an infection and injures its own tissues and organs. Sepsis can cause different downstream immune responses in different people. Depending on this immune response, the treatment varies. However, it is difficult to identify which response is happening based on symptoms alone. Sepsis can progress quickly, and if the wrong treatment is given, valuable time could be lost.

Understanding the regulatory networks underlying the different patient responses provides additional information for developing treatments that work with the immune system and are a step towards a personalized medicine approach to treating sepsis.

K. Burnham, eQTLs identify regulatory networks and drivers of variation in the individual response to sepsis, Cell Genomics (2024). DOI: 10.1016/j.xgen.2024.100587. www.cell.com/cell-genomics/ful … 2666-979X(24)00171-X

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on June 19, 2024 at 9:58am

More than a century ago, researchers observed that rats that consumed less food lived longer. We now know that being able to manipulate lifespan is not about specifically eating less, but actually is related to signals inside cells that turn on and off specific pathways in response to available nutrients. Many of those pathways are related to aging, such as controlling protein turnover and metabolism.

Some of those signals are the ketone bodies, which consist of acetoacetate (AcAc), β-hydroxybutyrate (BHB) and to a much lesser extent, acetone. These molecules are routinely produced in the liver. They ramp up when glucose is in short supply, whether due to caloric restriction, intense exercise or low carbohydrate intake, such as with a ketogenic diet.

Diego Acuña-Catalán et al, Ketogenic diet administration later in life improves memory by modifying the synaptic cortical proteome via the PKA signaling pathway in aging mice, Cell Reports Medicine (2024). DOI: 10.1016/j.xcrm.2024.101593

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on June 19, 2024 at 9:54am

Large wildfires create weather that favours more fire

A new  study shows soot from large wildfires in California traps sunlight, making days warmer and drier than they ought to be.

Many studies look at the effect of climate change on wildfires. However, this study sought to understand the reverse—whether large fires are also changing the climate.

Published in the journal Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics, the study found that large fires did have an effect. They made it hotter and drier than usual on the days the fires burned. The extra heat and aridity may then make conditions favorable for more fire.

It appears these fires are creating their own fire weather.

There are likely two reasons for this. One—soot traps heat, and two —the extra heat reduces humidity in the atmosphere, making it more difficult for clouds to form.

Fires emit smoke with black carbon, or soot. Since it is very dark, the soot absorbs sunlight more readily than bright or reflective things.

There are two types of aerosols: reflective and absorptive. Sulfate aerosols, which are byproducts of fossil fuel burning, are reflective and can cool the environment. These particles reflect the sun's energy back into space, keeping it out of the atmosphere.

Recent research points to an unfortunate byproduct of improving air quality by reducing sulfate aerosols. Since these particles have a cooling effect, removing them makes climate change more severe and leads to an increase in wildfires, especially in northern hemisphere forests.

Sulfate aerosols can also help make clouds brighter, more reflective, and more effective at cooling the planet.

The researchers note that the only way to prevent additional wildfires when cleaning up reflective sulfate air pollution is to simultaneously reduce emissions of greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide and methane.

Absorptive aerosols have the opposite effect. They trap light and heat in the atmosphere, which can raise temperatures. Black carbon, the most common aerosol emission from wildfires, is an absorbing aerosol. They not only directly make temperatures hotter, but indirectly as well by discouraging cloud formation and precipitation.

Fewer clouds mean less precipitation, which is problematic for drought-prone states.While some studies have shown an association between fires and brighter, more numerous clouds, this one did not.

James L. Gomez et al, California wildfire smoke contributes to a positive atmospheric temperature anomaly over the western United States, Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics (2024). DOI: 10.5194/acp-24-6937-2024

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on June 19, 2024 at 9:41am

Massive black holes—with masses over one hundred thousand times that of our sun—exist at the center of most galaxies, including the Milky Way.

These giant monsters usually are sleeping and not directly visible. In the case of SDSS1335+0728, scientists were able to observe the awakening of the massive black hole, which suddenly started to feast on gas available in its surroundings, becoming very bright.
This process has never been observed before.
Follow-up observations are still needed to rule out alternative explanations. Another possibility is that we are seeing an unusually slow tidal disruption event, or even a new phenomenon. If it is in fact a tidal disruption event, this would be the longest and faintest such event ever observed.

SDSS1335+0728: The awakening of a ∼ 10⁶M⊙ black hole, Astronomy & Astrophysics (2024). (PDF)

Part 2

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on June 19, 2024 at 9:39am

Astronomers see a massive black hole awaken in real time

In late 2019, the previously unremarkable galaxy SDSS1335+0728 suddenly started shining brighter than ever before. To understand why, astronomers have used data from several space and ground-based observatories, including the European Southern Observatory's Very Large Telescope (ESO's VLT), to track how the galaxy's brightness has varied. In a study out recently, they conclude that they are witnessing changes never seen before in a galaxy—likely the result of the sudden awakening of the massive black hole at its core.

Some phenomena, like supernova explosions or tidal disruption events—when a star gets too close to a black hole and is torn apart—can make galaxies suddenly light up. But these brightness variations typically last only a few dozen or, at most, a few hundreds of days. SDSS1335+0728 is still growing brighter today, more than four years after it was first seen to "switch on." Moreover, the variations detected in the galaxy, which is located 300 million light-years away in the constellation Virgo, are unlike any seen before, pointing astronomers towards a different explanation.

The team tried to understand these brightness variations using a combination of archival data and new observations from several facilities, including the X-shooter instrument on ESO's VLT in Chile's Atacama Desert. Comparing the data taken before and after December 2019, they found that SDSS1335+0728 is now radiating much more light at ultraviolet, optical, and infrared wavelengths. The galaxy also started emitting X-rays in February 2024.

The most tangible option to explain this phenomenon is that we are seeing how the core of the galaxy is beginning to show  activity. If so, this would be the first time that we see the activation of a massive black hole in real time.

Part 1

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on June 18, 2024 at 1:22pm

Bacterial batteries harvest energy from soil

Researchers developed a bacteria-powered battery which harvests energy from microorganisms in the soil to recharge itself, with a prototype already rolled out in Brazil.

Data on conditions in the field are crucial to help farmers make informed decisions and achieve the best possible yields, but powering the sensors that provide such data can be problematic.

Inventors of this technology say their low-cost, “always-on”, sustainable device – named Bactery – can help overcome some of these barriers.

The device, with an anticipated cost of around £25 per unit (US$32), operates by using bacteria present in the soil to generate electricity.

The technology makes use of microorganisms called electrigens which are naturally present in the soil and generate electrons when they consume organic matter.

One barrier to scaling, according to the researchers, is that the operating environment around the plant roots must be anaerobic – oxygen-free – to prevent the free electrons from attaching to the oxygen, which would make electricity generation unfeasible.

Therefore, he says, the system is designed to work in conditions where the plant roots are submerged in water, ensuring an oxygen-free environment and facilitating the transport of electrons.

There is a need for anaerobic conditions around one of the electrodes.

You can either install the technology in environments that accommodate this, or semi-engineer the environment to minimise the dependence on moisture.

According to Bactery, the technology promises an “install and forget” functionality and has a usable lifespan of over 25 years.

https://www.scidev.net/global/news/bacterial-batteries-harvest-ener...

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on June 18, 2024 at 12:51pm

How things appear in your mind’s eye

Picture a rose.

Most people can easily distinguish between that image in their mind’s eye and an actual rose flower. Now researchers say that they’ve worked out how the brain draws this distinction and where in the brain the process happens.

According to a study in monkeys, the key part of the brain is the primary visual cortex, which is also involved in vision. The authors found that neurons in this region displayed a different activity pattern for images conjured up from memory compared with that for real-time visual input. They conclude that the primary visual cortex is crucial for recalling images stored in memory.

The study in monkeys suggests that neurons there display a different activity pattern when images are conjured up from memory compared with real-time vision. Some researchers say that other areas, such as the prefrontal cortex, are more likely to be the seat of the ‘mind’s eye’. “There’s a possibility that the actual memory encoding is happening elsewhere, and that what you’re seeing in the primary visual cortex is the downstream consequences’, say the experts.

https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/sciadv.adk3953

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on June 18, 2024 at 11:40am

No.	Fact	Opinion
1.	Verifiable and objective	Unverifiable and subjective
2.	Universal and doesn't vary from person to person	Can vary greatly among individuals
3.	Based on evidence	Based on beliefs or feelings
4.	Remains true irrespective of belief	Can change based on belief or new information
5.	Quantifiable and measurable	Not quantifiable or measurable
6.	Deals with reality and actual existence	Deals with personal interpretations and judgments
7.	Not influenced by personal emotions or biases	Often influenced by personal emotions or biases
8.	Can be proven true or false	Cannot be definitively proven true or false
9.	Can be replicated in investigations or experiments	Cannot be replicated as they are personal
10.	Can be accepted universally	Acceptance varies from person to person

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on June 18, 2024 at 9:34am

A 2016 study led by Steckler shows that these zones are now building stress, and could produce earthquakes comparable to the one 2,500 years ago. The last one of this size occurred in 1762, producing a deadly tsunami that traveled up the river to Dhaka. Another may have occurred around 1140 CE.

The 2016 study estimates that a modern recurrence of such a quake could affect 140 million people. Large earthquakes impact large areas and can have long-lasting economic, social and political effects.
The Ganges is not the only river facing such hazards. Others cradled in tectonically-active deltas include China's Yellow River; Myanmar's Irrawaddy; the Klamath, San Joaquin and Santa Clara rivers, which flow off the U.S. West Coast; and the Jordan, spanning the borders of Syria, Jordan, the Palestinian West Bank and Israel.
Cascading hazards of a major Bengal basin earthquake and abrupt avulsion of the Ganges River, Nature Communications (2024). DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-47786-4
Part 3
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