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Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on November 10, 2020 at 8:32am

New tool detects unsafe security practices in Android apps

"CRYLOGGER: Detecting Crypto Misuses Dynamically." DOI: 10.1109/SP40001.2021.00010 , www.computer.org/csdl/proceedi … 3400a160/1mbmHwIxTb2

https://techxplore.com/news/2020-11-tool-unsafe-android-apps.html?u...

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Scientists criticize use of unproven COVID drugs in India

Researchers say it is unclear on what basis the drugs were approved for ‘emergency use’.

In India, which has the world’s second-largest COVID-19 outbreak, there is a desperate need for effective treatments. But researchers are concerned about how the country’s drug regulator is handling potential therapies. The Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) has approved several repurposed drugs for ‘restricted emergency use’ for treating the disease, the first time it has used such powers. Yet scientists say it’s unclear on what basis the drugs were approved, and critics argue that the manufacturers’ data on their effectiveness is unconvincing so far.

“Transparency is even more important in the pandemic.

It’s a new virus where we don't have definitive treatments available.

Emergency approvals are typically granted on the basis of preliminary evidence that a drug works. But scientists say there is little evidence so far that favipiravir and itolizumab can treat COVID-19 successfully.

https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-020-03105-7?utm_source=Natur...

Scientists are also concerned that the emergency authorizations are influencing other countries’ decisions. One of the drugs approved for COVID-19 in India is itolizumab, which is used to treat the autoimmune condition psoriasis. This has now been approved for emergency use in Cuba, partly on the basis of Indian data and approval, according to Cuban media. And Equillium, a biotech company based in La Jolla, California, which has a licence to manufacturer itolizumab, received approval in the United States on 29 October to proceed with a large trial. Equillium’s filing to the US financial regulator notes that it was encouraged by India’s data and approval.

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on November 10, 2020 at 8:03am

New robotic ‘snake’ device grips, picks up objects

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on November 10, 2020 at 7:49am

India's clean fuel transition slowed by belief that firewood is better for well-being

India's transition to clean cooking fuels may be hampered by users' belief that using firewood is better for their families' wellbeing than switching to Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG), a new study reveals.

Women are considered primary family cooks in rural India and those featured in the study feel that both fuels support wellbeing. Understanding these viewpoints helps to explain why India's switch from traditional solid fuels is slower than expected.

Those cooks using firewood know it causes health problems, but feel that it contributes more to wellbeing than cooking with LPG would—although LPG users who previously cooked with firewood claim their new fuel has improved wellbeing.

India has more people relying on solid fuels for cooking than any other country in the world and providing universal access to clean cooking fuels has been identified as one of the UN's Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), to which the country is a signatory.

The study identifies three key lessons that have important implications for policy makers to consider:

• Users feel that both fuels support at least some key dimensions of wellbeing

  Understanding this helps to explain why people may not be persuaded to switch to cleaner fuels based only on seemingly obvious health benefits.

• Women's views on cooking fuels and wellbeing change after switching fuels.

  LPG and firewood users share some views, such as food tastes better cooked on firewood, but LPG users see more advantages in LPG than non-users.

• Wellbeing benefits of LPG use were based on time saved over using firewood

Differences in firewood users' and LPG users' perceived relationships between cooking fuels and women's multidimensional well-being in rural India, Nature Energy (2020). DOI: 10.1038/s41560-020-00722-4 , www.nature.com/articles/s41560-020-00722-4

https://techxplore.com/news/2020-11-india-fuel-transition-belief-fi...

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on November 10, 2020 at 7:33am

Wound-healing biomaterials activate immune system for stronger skin

Researchers  have developed a biomaterial that significantly reduces scar formation after wounding, leading to more effective skin healing. This new material, which quickly degrades once the wound has closed, demonstrates that activating an adaptive immune response can trigger regenerative wound healing, leaving behind stronger and healthier healed skin.

This work builds on the team's previous research with hydrogel scaffolds, which create a structure to support tissue growth, accelerating wound healing. In their new study, the team showed that a modified version of this hydrogel activates a regenerative immune response, which can potentially help heal skin injuries like burns, cuts, diabetic ulcers and other wounds that normally heal with significant scars that are more susceptible to reinjury.

Activating an adaptive immune response from a hydrogel scaffold imparts regenerative wound healing, Nature Materials (2020). DOI: 10.1038/s41563-020-00844-w , www.nature.com/articles/s41563-020-00844-w

https://phys.org/news/2020-11-wound-healing-biomaterials-immune-str...

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on November 10, 2020 at 7:15am

Slow-living animal species could be disease 'reservoirs'

Animals that live slowly—breeding less rapidly and living longer—could be "reservoirs" of diseases that could jump to new species including humans, new research suggests.

Some species "live fast and die young", devoting effort to reproduction, while others conserve more energy for survival.

The COVID-19 pandemic has drawn attention to fast-spreading infectious diseases, but the new study—by the University of Exeter—focusses on "endemic" diseases that co-exist with host species for long periods of time.

The researchers measured what they called "demographic competence"—the ability of a host species to survive in large numbers while sustaining high levels of infection.

They showed that slow-lived species often have higher demographic competence for persistent infections, and are therefore more likely to act as reservoirs of infection that can spill over into other species.

Diseases of wildlife pose a threat to the survival of endangered species worldwide, and we know there is risk of spill-over of disease between closely related species of wildlife, livestock and humans. These spill-over events are known to be influenced by similarities in immune systems, and by increasing levels of contact between humans and wildlife caused by exploitation of natural ecosystems like rainforests.

As well as finding that slow-living species may be reservoirs of infectious disease, we show a 'flip-side' whereby species with low demographic competence may not be able to co-exist with new diseases and might therefore suffer local or complete extinction

It is important to note that pace-of-life in the host species isn't the only important factor affecting 'demographic competence'.

"Traits of the pathogen itself—such as how easily it is transmitted and how likely it is to kill a host—will also play a key role, as will the social behaviour of the host species.

"We must also consider the role of immunity. Differences in immune systems that we know exist between fast and slow hosts can influence how long individuals are ill and whether they can be re-infected."

Life history and population regulation shape demographic competence and influence the maintenance of endemic disease, DOI: 10.1038/s41559-020-01333-8 , www.nature.com/articles/s41559-020-01333-8

https://phys.org/news/2020-11-slow-living-animal-species-disease-re...

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on November 10, 2020 at 6:49am

Scientists reveal roles of microbes on methylmercury production and degradation in rice paddy soils

Rice (Oryza sativa L.) is recently confirmed as a potential bioaccumulator plant of methylmercury (MeHg). Methylation of inorganic Hg influences the MeHg content in paddy soil, which directly affects the MeHg levels in rice seeds.

Studies on the mechanism of Hg methylation in rice paddies are significant to lower MeHg accumulation in rice and to reduce human health risks through contaminated rice consumption. MeHg cycling is mostly controlled by microbes but their importance in MeHg production and degradation in paddy soils remains unclear.

Scientists now revealed the roles of microbes in MeHg cycling in rice paddy soils. They employed a series of incubation experiments and stable isotope tracer techniques to investigate the relative importance of different microbial groups of MeHg production and degradation across a Hg contamination gradient.

The results showed that sulfate-reduction was the main driver of MeHg formation and concentration at non-contaminated sites. However, methanogenesis exhibited a complex and important role in controlling MeHg cycling at Hg mining sites.

The researchers further proposed that methanogenesis directly affected MeHg degradation via oxidative demethylation and indirectly affected MeHg production by out-competing other microbial guilds.

As a result, management of methanogenesis at Hg mining sites may shed new light on the potential for mitigation of MeHg production and reducing the risk of human exposure to MeHg.

https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acs.est.0c00268

https://researchnews.cc/news/3468/Scientists-reveal-roles-of-microb...

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on November 10, 2020 at 6:49am

New type of antivenom to reduce 100,000 fatalities each year from venomous snake bites being developed

One of the most neglected tropical problems, snakebites can be life-threatening when venom toxins are injected and enter the bloodstream attacking the blood circulatory system or nervous system. In particular, in poor and remote tropical regions where immediate access to specialised medical care is limited, venomous snake bites cause between 81,000 and 138,000 deaths and 400,000 disabilities in surviving victims each year, according to WHO estimates. Surviving snakebite victims often suffer from scars and disfigurement, and can be ostracised and discriminated against due to engrained cultural prejudice, adding to human and emotional burden.

Currently, the only known treatment is antivenom; an approach implemented in 1896 by Albert Calmette based on antibodies collected from horses and sheep that have become immune to the toxins in the venom. Although this treatment has saved many lives, it is weakly effective as snake venoms and their toxins vary significantly across all subspecies and only 10 to 15 per cent of the antibodies in the sera bind to the venom. To effect cure, multiple vials of antivenom are often needed but each additional vial induces higher levels of adverse side effects and increased treatment costs.

A new project will use the innovative ADDomer© platform to design an antivenom virus-like particle (VLP) therapy of unparalleled clinical effectiveness. Importantly, unlike antivenom which must be refrigerated, this new therapy is being developed so it can be stored at room temperature. Rapid treatment can significantly improve a victim’s chances of survival, this new advance would allow medication to be stored at local sites across the remote farming communities of sub-Saharan Africa where the disease is most prevalent.

Applying cutting-edge analysis techniques the team will sequence the complex genetic make-up of venom from the most prevalent and poisonous Sub-Saharan snakes; the saw-scaled viper, the green mamba and related species.

Using protein engineering the team will develop their unique type of snakebite treatment that can bind and neutralise the pathogenic function of all toxins of these snakes irrespective of species or geography, and without adverse effect risk that can be implemented with cost-effective technologies and requiring less manufacturing logistics. 

 http://www.bristol.ac.uk/news/2020/november/anti-venom.html

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on November 9, 2020 at 8:26am

Salamanders provide a model for spinal-cord regeneration  
“Salamanders are unique because they are one of the only tetrapods able to regrow spinal cords with full functionality.  After an injury, these amphibians are able to “magically” regrow their spinal cords and regain locomotion.A team of scientists is looking into exactly how the process works.  The scientists plan to combine methods from genomics, neuroscience, computer modeling and biorobotics to decipher the neural mechanisms underpinning spinal-cord regeneration.https://actu.epfl.ch/news/salamanders-provide-a-model-for-spinal-co...

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Salamanders provide a model for spinal-cord regeneration  

“Salamanders are unique because they are one of the only tetrapods able to regrow spinal cords with full functionality.  After an injury, these amphibians are able to “magically” regrow their spinal cords and regain locomotion.

A team of scientists is looking into exactly how the process works.   The scientists plan to combine methods from genomics, neuroscience, computer modeling and biorobotics to decipher the neural mechanisms underpinning spinal-cord regeneration.

https://actu.epfl.ch/news/salamanders-provide-a-model-for-spinal-co...

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on November 9, 2020 at 8:26am

Salamanders provide a model for spinal-cord regeneration  
“Salamanders are unique because they are one of the only tetrapods able to regrow spinal cords with full functionality.  After an injury, these amphibians are able to “magically” regrow their spinal cords and regain locomotion.A team of scientists is looking into exactly how the process works.  The scientists plan to combine methods from genomics, neuroscience, computer modeling and biorobotics to decipher the neural mechanisms underpinning spinal-cord regeneration.https://actu.epfl.ch/news/salamanders-provide-a-model-for-spinal-co...

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on November 8, 2020 at 7:49am

A Modem With a Tiny Mirror Cabinet Could Help Connect The Quantum Internet

Quantum physics promises huge advances not just in quantum computing but also in a quantum internet – a next-generation framework for transferring data from one place to another. Scientists have now invented technology suitable for a quantum modem that could act as a network gateway.

https://journals.aps.org/prx/abstract/10.1103/PhysRevX.10.041025

https://www.sciencealert.com/physicists-invent-a-modem-that-could-h...

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