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Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on December 28, 2021 at 11:49am

The microneedles themselves are made of a non-degradable, biocompatible hydrogel that also contains zwitterionic poly-sulfobetaine (poly-SPB). As reported in previous studies by the same authors, this polymer suppresses protein aggregation. Thus, the researchers incorporated it during the fabrication process and showed that the proteins pre-loaded in the microneedles were stable even when subjected to various external stresses.

Additionally, the scientists developed a straightforward and cost-effective way to fabricate microneedle arrays made from the abovementioned materials. They resorted to photolithography, a process in which a photomask is used to selectively block UV light from reaching a target surface to control chemical reactions locally.

To test the performance of these microneedle arrays for drug delivery, the researchers loaded them with 50 microliters of drug solutions containing rhodamine B as a dye alongside lysozyme and insulin as example proteins. Through various experiments on porcine skin, the teams verified that their microneedle patches offered both high drug-loading capacity and high drug-release rate. Moreover, they confirmed that the microneedles could both load and preserve various water-soluble drugs and proteins simultaneously, eliminating the need for refrigeration.

Overall, the proposed microneedle arrays seem to be a remarkably promising platform for administering therapeutic drugs and vaccines.

Harit Pitakjakpipop et al, Facile Photolithographic Fabrication of Zwitterionic Polymer Microneedles with Protein Aggregation Inhibition for Transdermal Drug Delivery, Biomacromolecules (2021). DOI: 10.1021/acs.biomac.1c01325

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2021-12-rethinking-drugs-breakthroug...

Part 2

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Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on December 28, 2021 at 11:46am

Rethinking how drugs are administered: A breakthrough in microneedle patches

The painful feeling of receiving an injection through a hypodermic needle or with the unpleasant sensation of swallowing a large pill is a globally familiar sensation. But what if a revolutionary and gentler way of administering drugs was in the works? For over two decades, researchers have been investigating various types of microneedles as a minimally invasive method for transdermal drug delivery. Arrays of microneedles can be designed to be loaded with a drug or chemical, which they then release over time onto the blood stream after piercing slightly beyond the skin layers.

Microneedles offer several advantages compared to other types of drug delivery. First, they are painless and cause virtually no damage to the skin nor bleeding. Second, they can be self-administered. Third, unlike traditional needles, the disposal of microneedles is much easier as they don't leave behind hazardous waste. Unfortunately, there are still a few challenges that need to be addressed before microneedles become the next big thing in healthcare. One is their fabrication cost, which generally involves expensive molds, materials, and machinery. Another issue is the aggregation and degradation of proteins when microneedles are pre-loaded with a protein-based medicine, as these molecules are quite sensitive to external conditions such as temperature, acidity and salt concentration.

In a recent study published in Biomacromolecules, two research teams from Japan and Thailand collaborated to address the main limitations of existing microneedles.

One team developed and applied a functional polymer that effectively suppresses protein aggregation. The other team perfected a microneedle fabrication method suitable for the industrial scale based on photolithography. By combining these two efforts, the teams managed to produce microneedles patches with several attractive properties and potential scalability to clinical settings.

Part 1

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on December 28, 2021 at 11:42am

Heavy metals have a reputation for being dangerous, but some are essential nutrients that you can't live without.

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on December 28, 2021 at 7:37am

Snapshots from high in the sky allow new insight into ecosystems around the world

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on December 28, 2021 at 7:28am

Mountain spring water isn't as clean as you think it is

 Mountain spring water is often touted as the cleanest water you can drink. But a new study revealed this isn't the case.

Using data collected over 40 years, researchers detailed how water quality in high-elevation streams has been negatively affected by a combination of historical events and modern changes, namely sediment from rural roads and agricultural runoff.

Unpaved roads are just one of several factors contributing to sediment runoff.

When streams carry a lot of sediment, it makes it more difficult for animals to see food in the water, and it affects fish growth and disease resistance. Sediment also continues to flow downstream and into public water supplies, where it costs cities and towns more to filter.

The landscape you see now isn't what it was like in 1900. For generations, people farmed the valleys  and left the hillsides forested, for hunting and gathering. But the new settlers cut the forests and even tried to farm the hills, causing erosion and sediment to move into the streams. Today, stream beds continue to show evidence of sediment deposited more than a century ago, even as new sediment pushes through the waters.

Many years later, a new kind of development in the region created a different kind of land disturbance. For generations, residents considered the steep mountain slopes undevelopable. But the 1980s and '90s brought a desire for mountain getaway homes with views.

By building homes on mountain ridges, he said, it created more land disturbance through carving out unpaved roads and cutting into hillsides, sometimes creating landslides.

"Roadside ditches and unpaved roads produce a lot of sediment, and their sediment production increases as roads get steeper and as gravel roads get more use. in areas with both mountain and valley development, the researchers found sediment concentrations four to six times higher.

Farming also takes its toll. The studies researchers analyzed found many streams in the area to have high nutrient concentrations—particularly nitrate. When a stream flowing through a pasture loses its buffer of trees, it loses a natural protection against nutrient runoff.

Streams without shade also have higher water temperatures.

The paper was published earlier this month in the journal Bioscience.

C Rhett Jackson et al, Distinctive Connectivities of Near-Stream and Watershed-Wide Land Uses Differentially Degrade Rural Aquatic Ecosystems, BioScience (2021). DOI: 10.1093/biosci/biab098

https://researchnews.cc/news/10775/Mountain-spring-water-isn-t-as-c...

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Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on December 28, 2021 at 7:21am

The telescope is on a 30-day long journey to cover the 15,00,000 kilometers distance between Earth and its intended orbit. It will reach the location by the end of January.

Source: https://www.indiatoday.in/science/story/where-is-james-webb-telesco...

Part 4

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Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on December 28, 2021 at 7:20am

Animation: The James Webb Space Telescope's Orbit

Part 3

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on December 28, 2021 at 7:19am

This location lets the telescope stay in line with the Earth as it moves around the Sun allowing its large sunshield to protect the telescope from the light and heat of the Sun and Earth (and Moon). The position is named in honour of Italian-French mathematician Josephy-Louis Lagrange.

There are five special points where a small satellite can orbit in a constant portion with two big masses. At these five positions part of the Earth-Sun system, three (L1, L2 and L3) lie along the line connecting the two large masses. Meanwhile, L4 and L5 form the apex.

According to Nasa, the L1 point of the Earth-Sun system affords an uninterrupted view of the sun and is currently home to the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory Satellite SOHO. The L2, where the James Webb Space Telescope is going, is ideal for astronomy because a spacecraft is close enough to readily communicate with Earth, can keep Sun, Earth and Moon behind the spacecraft for solar power and (with appropriate shielding) provides a clear view of deep space.

It is to be noted that L1 and L2 points are unstable and satellites functioning from this location need to go through regular course corrections. Meanwhile, L3 remains behind the Sun and is unlikely to be used.

WHY WAS THIS PARTICULAR LOCATION SELECTED FOR THE TELESCOPE?

The location was chosen since James Webb will be observing the universe in infrared vision which can sometimes be fe... and since it is looking for the faintest signals, it needs to be safeguarded from any bright, hot sources, the biggest being our Sun.

The telescope itself will be operating at about -225 degrees Celsius and the temperature difference between the front and back of the spacecraft will be huge. To protect the telescope, the location needs to be such that light and heat from the Sun, Moon and Earth needs to come from just one direction. The second lagrange point is the optimum location from where Sun, Moon and Earth are in the one-line direction.

Part 2

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on December 28, 2021 at 7:17am

Explained: Where is James Webb Telescope going and why do we need to send it so far away

Unlike the Hubble space telescope, the James Webb telescope will not orbit the Earth, it is headed to a location known as the second Lagrange point.

Travelling at 1.39 kilometers per second in the vacuum of space, the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) is headed to a destination that humans will never see it again — 15,00,000 kilometers away from Earth. A day after it soared into skies following a nerve-wracking launch, the telescope has covered nearly 23 per cent of its journey to the location known as the second Lagrange point.

The telescope on Sunday released its gimbaled antenna assembly, which includes its high-data-rate dish antenna. The antenna will be used to send at least 28.6 gigabytes of science data down from the observatory, twice a day.

The world’s largest and most complex space science observatory will now begin six months of commissioning in space. At the end of commissioning, Webb will deliver its first images. Webb will study infrared light from celestial objects with much greater clarity than ever before.

Unlike the Hubble space telescope, the James Webb telescope will not orbit the Earth, it is headed to a location known as the second Lagrange point from where it will observe the universe, so far back into time that it will see the origin of the universe following the big bang itself.

According to Nasa, Lagrange points are positions in space where objects sent tend to stay put. At Lagrange points, the gravitational pull of two large masses precisely equals the centripetal force required for a small object to move with them. These points in space can be used by spacecraft to reduce the fuel consumption needed to remain in position.

Part 1

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on December 28, 2021 at 7:13am

Early in the pandemic, researchers observed high levels of inflammatory cytokines—molecules which adjust or alter the immune system response—in COVID patients with poor outcomes. However, this so called 'cytokine storm' was also present in hospitalized patients with a milder version of the disease. We set out to fine tune our knowledge of which factors in the blood correlate with severe disease with more insight and accuracy.

These  findings provide a scientific foundation for the development of blood tests that could provide doctors with vital information on which treatments will be most effective for a patient.

Julie C. Wilson et al, Integrated miRNA/cytokine/chemokine profiling reveals severity-associated step changes and principal correlates of fatality in COVID-19, iScience (2021). DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2021.103672

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2021-12-blood-factors-linked-severe-...

Part 2 

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