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Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on June 26, 2023 at 12:52pm

Some Babies Are Born With 'Tails'

 In very rare cases, humans can be born with boneless rear-end appendages, sometimes up to 18 centimeters long. To date, official records have tallied about 40 babies born with 'true tails', consisting of soft, boneless, finger-like protrusions that are easily removed via surgery.

Nevertheless, the rare case studies tend to generate "an unusual amount of interest, excitement and anxiety", according to researchers. Often, this is because the 'tails' are conisidered to be benign, evolutionary remnants of a long lost ancestor.

As it turns out, that's based on an outdated theory that has been contentious for decades now. The reality for these children may be much darker, and they deserve medical attention, not our morbid fascination.

The appendages some babies are born with have historically been deemed 'true' or 'vestigial' tails. But that's a bit of a misnomer, as they aren't really like any other tail known in nature. They typically don't contain bones, cartilage, or a spinal cord. They just kind of hang there without a clear function.

Still, that doesn't mean these appendages are as harmless as scientists used to think.

The misunderstanding over the tail's origin starts with Charles Darwin himself. Over a century ago, Darwin proposed that human vestigial tails are evolutionary accidents, or rudimentary leftovers from a primate ancestor that was once tailed itself.

In the 1980s, scientists took this theory and ran with it. They argued that a genetic mutation, evolved by humans to erase our tails, could sometimes revert back to its ancestral state.

In 1985, a seminal paper defined two different types of 'tails' that human babies can be born with. The first, as mentioned before, is a vestigial or true tail, originally thought to be inherited from our ancestors.

But another type of outgrowth from the tailbone, which sometimes does include bone, is known as a 'pseudotail'.

Historically, the pseudotail has been the one associated with birth defects, and as such, it is not considered vestigial.

Part 1

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on June 26, 2023 at 12:24pm

Understanding Earth gives us the means to better protect it.

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on June 24, 2023 at 10:17am

All the immunity, none of the symptoms, through dietary intervention

Worldwide, more than a million deaths occur each year due to diarrheal diseases that lead to dehydration and malnutrition. Yet, no vaccine exists to fight or prevent these diseases, which are caused by bacteria like certain strains of E. coli. Instead, people with bacterial infections must rely on the body taking one of two defense strategies: kill the intruders or impair the intruders but keep them around. If the body chooses to impair the bacteria, then the disease can occur without the diarrhea, but the infection can still be transmitted—a process called asymptomatic carriage.

Now,  scientists have found that pairing specific diets with disease-causing bacteria can create lasting immunity in mice without the costs of developing sickness, revealing a new potential vaccination strategy. Their findings, published in Science Advances on June 23, 2023, pave the way for the development of new vaccines that could promote immunity for those with diarrheal diseases and possibly other infections.

They  discovered that immunization against diarrheal infections is possible if they allow the bacteria to retain some of its disease-causing behaviour.

Researchers looked at how dietary interventions can create an asymptomatic infection, which they call a cooperative relationship between bacteria and host (the person or animal that the bacteria have infected) where the host does not experience any symptoms. They discovered that an iron-rich diet enabled mice to survive a normally lethal bacterial infection without ever developing signs of sickness or disease.

The high-iron diet increased unabsorbed sugar (glucose) in the mice's intestines, which the bacteria could feast on. The excess sugar served as a "bribe" for the bacteria, keeping them full and incentivized to not attack the host.

This process produced long-term asymptomatic infection with the bacteria, leading the researchers to think that the adaptive immune system (cells and proteins that "remember" infections) may be involved.

Grischa Chen et al, Cooperation between physiological defenses and immune resistance produces asymptomatic carriage of a lethal bacterial pathogen, Science Advances (2023). DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.adg8719. www.science.org/doi/10.1126/sciadv.adg8719

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on June 24, 2023 at 10:00am

Global diabetes cases expected to soar from 529 million to 1.3 billion by 2050

More than half a billion people are living with diabetes worldwide, affecting men, women, and children of all ages in every country, and that number is projected to more than double to 1.3 billion people in the next 30 years, with every country seeing an increase, as published recently in The Lancet.

The latest and most comprehensive calculations show the current global prevalence rate is 6.1%, making diabetes one of the top 10 leading causes of death and disability. At the super-region level, the highest rate is 9.3% in North Africa and the Middle East, and that number is projected to jump to 16.8% by 2050. The rate in Latin America and the Caribbean is projected to increase to 11.3%.

Diabetes was especially evident in people 65 and older in every country and recorded a prevalence rate of more than 20% for that demographic worldwide. The highest rate was 24.4% for those between ages 75 and 79. Examining the data by super-region, North Africa and the Middle East had the highest rate at 39.4% in this age group, while Central Europe, Eastern Europe, and Central Asia had the lowest rate at 19.8%.

Almost all global cases (96%) are type 2 diabetes (T2D); all 16 risk factors studied were associated with T2D. High body mass index (BMI) was the primary risk for T2D—accounting for 52.2% of T2D disability and mortality—followed by dietary risks, environmental/occupational risks, tobacco use, low physical activity, and alcohol use.

Global, regional, and national burden of diabetes from 1990 to 2021, with projections of prevalence to 2050: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2021, The Lancet (2023). DOI: 10.1016/S0140-6736(23)01301-6. www.thelancet.com/journals/lan … (23)01301-6/fulltext

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Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on June 23, 2023 at 12:15pm

Y chromosome affects cancer risk

The Y chromosome could be the reason that colorectal and bladder cancers are more aggressive ... and others who carry the chromosome. Researchers have found that the loss of the entire Y chromosome in some cells — which occurs naturally with age — raises the risk of aggressive bladder cancer and could allow bladder tumours to evade detection by the immune system. Separately, scientists identified a Y-chromosome gene in mice that bumps up the risk of some colorectal cancers spreading to other parts of the body by weakening connections between tumour cells. When the gene was deleted, tumour cells became less invasive, and were more likely to be recognized by immune cells. Together, the studies suggest that genetic factors — not just lifestyle — are responsible for the male bias that many cancers have.'

How the Y chromosome makes some cancers more deadly for men

Two studies help to explain why colorectal and bladder tumours take a bigger toll on men than on women.

https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-023-01987-x?utm_source=Natur...

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on June 23, 2023 at 11:59am

Even 'safe' air pollution levels can harm the developing brain, study finds

Air pollution is known to contribute to disease, which is why regulators such as the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) set limits on emissions. But mounting evidence suggests that even pollution levels long thought to be safe can increase the risk of health problems, including in the brain.

Now new research  has shown that even levels of certain pollutants considered safe by the EPA are linked to changes in brain function over time. The study, just published in the journal Environment International, used brain scan data from more than 9,000 participants in the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) study, the largest-ever nationwide study of youth brain health. Children exposed to more pollutants showed changes in connectivity between various brain regions. In some areas, they had more connections than normal; in other areas, they had fewer.

A deviation in any direction from a normal trajectory of brain development—whether brain networks are too connected or not connected enough—could be harmful down the line.

 

Communication between regions of the brain help us navigate virtually every moment of our day, from the way we take in information about our surroundings to how we think and feel. Many of those critical connections develop between the ages of 9 and 12 and can influence whether children experience normal or atypical cognitive and emotional development.

Air quality across the world, even though 'safe' by EPA standards, is contributing to changes in brain networks during this critical time, which may reflect an early biomarker for increased risk for cognitive and emotional problems later in life.

Devyn L. Cotter et al, Effects of ambient fine particulates, nitrogen dioxide, and ozone on maturation of functional brain networks across early adolescence, Environment International (2023). DOI: 10.1016/j.envint.2023.108001

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on June 23, 2023 at 11:41am

Space travel can alter gene expression in white blood cells, weakening our immune system

Evidence is mounting that astronauts are more susceptible to infections while in space. For example, astronauts on board the International Space Station (ISS) commonly suffer from skin rashes, as well as respiratory and non-respiratory diseases. Astronauts are also known to shed more live virus particles; for example, the Epstein-Barr virus, varicella-zoster responsible for shingles, herpes-simplex-1 responsible for sores, and cytomegalovirus. These observations suggest that our immune system might be weakened by space travel. But what could cause such an immune deficit?

New research work shows that the expression of many genes related to immune functions rapidly decreases when astronauts reach space, while the opposite happens when they return to Earth after six months aboard the ISS.

The researchers studied gene expression in leukocytes (white blood cells) in a cohort of 14 astronauts, including three women and 11 men, who had resided on board the ISS for between 4.5 and 6.5 months between 2015 and 2019. Leukocytes were isolated from 4 milliliters blood drawn from each astronaut at 10 time points: once pre-flight, four times in flight, and five times back on Earth.

In total, 15,410 genes were found to be differentially expressed in leukocytes. Among these genes, the researchers identified two clusters, with 247 and 29 genes respectively, which changed their expression in tandem along the studied timeline.

Genes in the first cluster were dialed down when reaching space and back up when returning to Earth, while genes in the second followed the opposite pattern. Both clusters mostly consisted of genes that code for proteins, but with a difference: Their predominant function was related to immunity for the genes in the first cluster, and to cellular structures and functions for the second.

These results suggest that when someone travels to space, these changes in gene expression cause a rapid decrease in the strength of their immune system.

A weaker immunity increases the risk of infectious diseases, limiting astronauts' ability to perform their demanding missions in space. If an infection or an immune-related condition was to evolve to a severe state requiring medical care, astronauts while in space would have limited access to care, medication, or evacuation.

But there is a silver lining to this cloud: The data showed that most genes in either cluster returned to their pre-flight level of expression within one year after return on Earth, and typically much sooner—on average, after a few weeks. These results suggest that returning astronauts run an elevated risk of infection for at least one month after landing back on Earth.

The authors hypothesized that the change in gene expression of leukocytes under microgravity is triggered by "fluid shift," where blood plasma is redistributed from the lower to the upper part of the body, including the lymphatic system. This causes a reduction in plasma volume by between 10% and 15% within the first few days in space. Fluid shift is known to be accompanied by large-scale physiological adaptations, apparently including altered gene expression.

 The transcriptome response of astronaut leukocytes to long missions aboard the International Space Station reveals immune modulation, Frontiers in Immunology (2023). DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2023.1171103. www.frontiersin.org/articles/1 … mu.2023.1171103/full

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on June 23, 2023 at 11:36am

The factual Face of Science

During my science communication journey, I found that the majority of people approach science in these four different ways:
Science is a subject students study in classrooms, so after the class they can leave it there and go home.
Science is something done by scientists in the lab, a thinking process that is creating a gap between the scientific world and the layman's world.
Science is a wonderful tool to authenticate their irrational beliefs, during which they can create their own new theories. Scientists call it 'junk science'.
Science is something that aids in developing the gadgets they use: cell phones, laptops, and television sets.

Now, how about expanding science from classrooms to the universal level? And present the full splendour of science to the world from several angles?
How about broadening the reach of scientific research from labs to laymen, erasing all the distances so that they can use it efficiently to its full extent?
How about making people throw junk science into trash cans by showing that science is a wonderful mechanism to accomplish several heroic things, and creating junk science is not one of them?
And how about showing people that science can develop a lot more than smart phones and laptops?

This is exactly what we do here.

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on June 23, 2023 at 11:26am

Physicists discover a new switch for superconductivity

Under certain conditions—usually exceedingly cold ones—some materials shift their structure to unlock new, superconducting behavior. This structural shift is known as a "nematic transition," and physicists suspect that it offers a new way to drive materials into a superconducting state where electrons can flow entirely friction-free.

But what exactly drives this transition in the first place? The answer could help scientists improve existing superconductors and discover new ones.

Now, physicists have identified the key to how one class of superconductors undergoes a nematic transition, and it's in surprising contrast to what many scientists had assumed.

The physicists made their discovery studying iron selenide (FeSe), a two-dimensional material that is the highest-temperature iron-based superconductor. The material is known to switch to a superconducting state at temperatures as high as 70 kelvins (close to -300 degrees Fahrenheit). Though still ultracold, this transition temperature is higher than that of most superconducting materials. The higher the temperature at which a material can exhibit superconductivity, the more promising it can be for use in the real world, such as for realizing powerful electromagnets for more precise and lightweight MRI machines or high-speed, magnetically levitating trains.

For those and other possibilities, scientists will first need to understand what drives a nematic switch in high-temperature superconductors like iron selenide. In other iron-based superconducting materials, scientists have observed that this switch occurs when individual atoms suddenly shift their magnetic spin toward one coordinated, preferred magnetic direction.

But the Physicists now found that iron selenide shifts through an entirely new mechanism. Rather than undergoing a coordinated shift in spins, atoms in iron selenide undergo a collective shift in their orbital energy. It's a fine distinction, but one that opens a new door to discovering unconventional superconductors.

Occhialini, C.A., et al, Spontaneous orbital polarization in the nematic phase of FeSe, Nature Materials (2023). DOI: 10.1038/s41563-023-01585-2. www.nature.com/articles/s41563-023-01585-2

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on June 22, 2023 at 11:44am

The Cause of Morning Sickness

A team of researchers, after decades of research, has singled out one hormone which acts on the brain to cause vomiting as the likely cause of morning sickness – and added a stack of new evidence to back up their claims.

Researchers have had their sights set on a particular hormone called GDF15 ever since it was first detected at high levels in the blood serum of pregnant women in 2000. Since then, twin studies and genomic sequencing studies of people with severe nausea and vomiting in pregnancy have pointed to a genetic component of their illness involving two genes, including the one that encodes GDF15. The lines of evidence were aligning.

Nausea and vomiting are very common in the first trimester of pregnancy, but in around 2 percent of cases or 1 in 50 pregnancies, a most severe form develops known as hyperemesis gravidarum (HG).

Researchers uncovered a few new rare and common genetic variants in the GDF15 gene which they linked to the risk of HG. But the interplay between these genetic quirks, and the GDF15 hormone remained unclear.

latest batch of evidence supports the idea that GDF15 triggers hyperemesis.

Like many other proteins, GDF15 levels surge during pregnancy, and it seems some women are more sensitive to the hormone than others.

https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2023.06.02.542661v1

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