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Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on June 13, 2025 at 9:24am

Testing their findings across multiple human and mouse cancer cell lines confirmed that cholesterol levels were consistently related to heat resistance. The researchers further validated their discovery in living mice with implanted tumors, using gold nanoparticles and near-infrared light to create localized heating. Tumors treated with both cholesterol depletion and hyperthermia showed dramatic shrinkage, with most tumors completely disappearing—a far superior result compared to heat treatment alone.

This research suggests that measuring cholesterol levels in tumors could help doctors identify which patients are most likely to benefit from hyperthermia treatment. More importantly, the combination of cholesterol-depleting drugs with localized heat therapy could transform hyperthermia from an inconsistent treatment into a powerful weapon against cancer. Since cholesterol depletion primarily triggers necrosis, this approach may also enhance the immune system's ability to recognize and attack the remaining cancer cells.

 Taisei Kanamori et al, Cholesterol depletion suppresses thermal necrosis resistance by alleviating an increase in membrane fluidity, Scientific Reports (2025). DOI: 10.1038/s41598-025-92232-0

Part 2

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on June 13, 2025 at 9:23am

Cancer cells use cholesterol armor to survive heat shock treatment, study discovers

Cancer has been recognized long back as being sensitive to heat. Today, this principle forms the basis of hyperthermia treatment—a promising cancer therapy that uses controlled heat to kill tumor cells while sparing healthy ones.

Unlike chemotherapy or radiation, hyperthermia works by heating cancerous tissue to temperatures around 50°C, causing cancer cell death while simultaneously activating the body's immune system against the tumor. This approach holds particular promise when combined with immunotherapy, as heat-killed cancer cells can trigger a stronger anti-tumor immune response.

Researchers have discovered that some cancer cells—even those from the same organ—react differently to heat shock, with some surprisingly more heat-resistant than others. This resistance involves two distinct cell death types: necrosis, which occurs rapidly through direct physical damage to cell membranes, and apoptosis, a slower, programmed cell death that happens hours later. In particular, how heat-resistant cancer cells regulate necrosis has received little scientific attention, limiting hyperthermia's potential as a standard cancer treatment.

Through a series of experiments in mice and cell cultures, the researchers compared the characteristics and behaviors of heat-sensitive cancer cells with heat-resistant ones. They discovered that cholesterol could act as a protective shield for cancer cells during heat treatment. Heat-resistant cancer cells contained significantly higher levels of cholesterol than heat-sensitive ones. This, in turn, helped maintain the stability of cell membranes when exposed to heat, preventing the rapid membrane breakdown that leads to necrosis.

Notably, when researchers artificially removed cholesterol from cancer cells using a cholesterol-depleting drug, even the most heat-resistant cells became vulnerable to hyperthermia treatment.

Using advanced imaging techniques, the researchers observed that heat treatment causes cell membranes to become more fluid (increased membrane fluidity). In cells with high cholesterol levels, this increase in membrane fluidity was suppressed, thereby protecting the cells from heat damage. However, when cholesterol was removed, membrane fluidity increased, making the cells much more susceptible to heat-induced damage, leading to rapid cell death through necrosis.

Part 1

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on June 13, 2025 at 9:13am

When bacteria get hungry, they kill—and eat—their neighbours!

Scientists have discovered a gruesome microbial survival strategy: when food is scarce, some bacteria kill and consume their neighbours.

The study, published in Science, was conducted by an international team. 

The researchers show that under nutrient-limited conditions, bacteria use a specialized weapon—the Type VI Secretion System (T6SS)—to attack, kill, and slowly absorb nutrients from other bacterial cells.

The T6SS is like a microscopic harpoon gun. A bacterium fires a needle-like weapon into nearby cells, injecting toxins that fatally rupture them.

Historically, scientists thought this system was mainly for competition, clearing out rivals to make space, but the multi-institutional research team discovered that bacteria aren't just killing for territory, they're strategically killing for dinner, and to help themselves grow.

Using time-lapse imaging, genetic tools, and chemical labeling, the scientists watched in slow-motion the microscopic assassins at work.

In both ocean bacteria and human gut microbes, bacteria equipped with T6SS attacked neighbors when starved of nutrients, and then grew by feeding off the deceased's leaking remains.

To prove this wasn't just coincidence, the researchers then genetically "turned off" the T6SS in some strains. When these genetically edited bacteria were placed in a nutrient-poor environment with potential prey, they couldn't grow. But the unedited bacteria, the ones still able to kill, thrived.

Their survival depended on murder.

The team also analyzed bacterial genomes across marine environments and found that these killing systems are widespread.

This isn't just happening in the lab. It's present in many different environments and it's operational and happening in nature from the oceans to the human gut.

This insight has wide-ranging implications.

If scientists can better understand how and why these bacterial weapons work, they can begin to design smarter probiotics, ones that don't just coexist in your gut, but actively protect it by taking out harmful microbes.

It could also lead to new antibiotics, at a time when drug resistance is on the rise. The same harpoon that bacteria use to extract nutrients from competitors could be harnessed to deliver drugs directly into problem pathogens—offering a new frontier in targeted, resistance-proof therapies.

And beyond our bodies, in the ocean, bacteria help regulate the planet's carbon cycle. When killer bacteria take out the ones breaking down algae and recycling carbon, it can shift how we understand how much carbon stays in the ocean or gets released back into the atmosphere.

By decoding how microscopic bacteria kill and consume each other, the research could reshape how we think about ecosystems—from the human gut to the vast oceans that regulate Earth's climate.

Astrid K. M. Stubbusch, Antagonism as a foraging strategy in microbial communities, Science (2025). DOI: 10.1126/science.adr8286. www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.adr8286

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on June 13, 2025 at 8:56am

Humans have unique breathing 'fingerprints' that may signal health status

A study published in Current Biology demonstrates that scientists can identify individuals based solely on their breathing patterns with 96.8% accuracy. These nasal respiratory "fingerprints" also offer insights into physical and mental health.

The study found that the respiratory fingerprints correlated with a person's body mass index,sleep-wake cycle, levels of depression and anxiety, and even behavioral traits. For example, participants who scored relatively higher on anxiety questionnaires had shorter inhales and more variability in the pauses between breaths during sleep.

 The results suggest that long-term nasal airflow monitoring may serve as a window into physical and emotional well-being.

Humans Have Nasal Respiratory Fingerprints, Current Biology (2025). DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2025.05.008. www.cell.com/current-biology/f … 0960-9822(25)00583-4

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on June 13, 2025 at 8:49am

Cellular assays measured oxidative stress, antioxidant protein expression, nitric oxide bioavailability, endothelin production, and fibrinolytic capacity. Capillary electrophoresis immunoassay and ELISA were used to quantify expression of superoxide dismutase-1 (SOD-1), catalase, endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS), phosphorylated eNOS, endothelin-1 (ET-1), and tissue-type plasminogen activator (t-PA).

Cells exposed to erythritol exhibited a substantial increase in oxidative stress. Reactive oxygen species levels rose by approximately 75% relative to untreated controls. Antioxidant defense markers were also elevated, with SOD-1 expression increasing by approximately 45% and catalase by approximately 25%.

Nitric oxide production declined by nearly 20% in response to erythritol. Although total eNOS expression remained unchanged, phosphorylation at the Ser1177 site, which is associated with enzymatic activation, fell by approximately 33%. In contrast, phosphorylation at the inhibitory Thr495 site increased by approximately 39%.

In another test, t-PA release in response to thrombin stimulation was blunted in erythritol-treated cells, indicating reduced fibrinolytic responsiveness.

The researchers conclude that erythritol exposure disrupts multiple mechanisms vital to maintaining cerebral endothelial health. Although results are limited to acute in vitro conditions, the findings align with prior epidemiological associations between erythritol and elevated stroke risk.

Auburn R. Berry et al, The Non-Nutritive Sweetner Erythritol Adversely Affects Brain Microvascular Endothelial Cell Function, Journal of Applied Physiology (2025). DOI: 10.1152/japplphysiol.00276.2025

Part 2

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on June 13, 2025 at 8:48am

Major sugar substitute found to impair brain blood vessel cell function, posing potential stroke risk

Erythritol may impair cellular functions essential to maintaining brain blood vessel health, according to researchers. Findings suggest that erythritol increases oxidative stress, disrupts nitric oxide signaling, raises vasoconstrictive peptide production, and diminishes clot-dissolving capacity in human brain microvascular endothelial cells.

Erythritol has become a fixture in the ingredient lists of protein bars, low-calorie beverages, and diabetic-friendly baked goods. Its appeal lies in its sweetness-to-calorie ratio, roughly 60–80% as sweet as sucrose with a tiny fraction of the energy yield, and its negligible effect on blood glucose. Erythritol is also synthesized endogenously from glucose and fructose via the pentose phosphate pathway, leaving baseline levels subject to both dietary and metabolic influences.

Concerns about erythritol's safety have escalated following epidemiological studies linking higher plasma concentrations with increased cardiovascular and cerebrovascular events. Positive associations between circulating erythritol and incidence of heart attack and stroke have been observed in U.S. and European cohorts, independent of known cardiometabolic risk factors. 

In the study, "The Non-Nutritive Sweetener Erythritol Adversely Affects Brain Microvascular Endothelial Cell Function," published in the Journal of Applied Physiology, researchers designed in vitro experiments to test the cellular consequences of erythritol exposure on cerebral endothelial function.

Human cerebral microvascular endothelial cells were cultured and exposed to an amount of erythritol equivalent to consuming a typical beverage. Experimental conditions included five biological replicates per group.

Part 1

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on June 13, 2025 at 6:36am

New therapeutic strategy designed to help lower cholesterol levels

When the amount of cholesterol in the blood is too high, hypercholesterolemia can develop, causing serious damage to the arteries and cardiovascular health. Now, a study presents a new therapeutic tool capable of regulating blood cholesterol levels and thus opening up new perspectives in the fight against atherosclerosis caused by the accumulation of lipid plaques in the artery walls.

Specifically, the team has designed a strategy to inhibit the expression of PCSK9, a protein that plays a decisive role in modulating plasma levels of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C). The new method, based on the use of molecules known as polypurine hairpins (PPRH), facilitates the uptake of cholesterol by cells and prevents it from accumulating in the arteries without causing the side effects of the most common statin-based medication.

Ester López-Aguilar et al, Inhibition of PCSK9 with polypurine reverse hoogsteen hairpins: A novel gene therapy approach, Biochemical Pharmacology (2025). DOI: 10.1016/j.bcp.2025.116976

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on June 12, 2025 at 10:40am

In utero exposure to climate disasters linked to changes in child brain development

Climate disasters may be leaving invisible imprints on developing brains before birth, according to new research.

 Scientists discovered that children whose mothers experienced Superstorm Sandy during pregnancy showed distinct brain differences that could affect their emotional development for years to come.

The study, published in PLOS One, reveals that prenatal exposure to extreme climate events, particularly when combined with extreme heat, appears to rewrite critical emotion regulation centers in the developing brain. We're seeing how climate change may be reshaping the next generation's brains before they even take their first breath. These children's brains bear invisible scars from climate disasters they never personally experienced.

The research team analyzed brain imaging data from a group of 8-year-old children whose mothers were pregnant during Superstorm Sandy, which devastated parts of New York and other coastal regions in 2012. The scans revealed that children exposed to the storm in utero had significantly larger volumes in the basal ganglia, deep brain structures involved in emotion regulation.

The combination of storm stress and extreme heat created a perfect neurological storm in developing brains.

The researchers found that while extreme heat alone didn't significantly alter brain volume, when combined with the stress of living through a major storm during pregnancy, it amplified the effects dramatically.

As extreme weather events become more frequent and severe, we need to consider the invisible toll on future generations, the researchers say.

Donato DeIngeniis et al, Prenatal exposure to extreme ambient heat may amplify the adverse impact of Superstorm Sandy on basal ganglia volume among school-aged children, PLOS One (2025). DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0324150

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on June 12, 2025 at 10:32am

Your gut microbiome could be a calorie 'super harvester'!

In the jungle of microbes living in your gut, there's one oddball that makes methane. This little-known methane-maker might play a role in how many calories you absorb from your food, according to a new study.

The entire ecosystem of microbes is called the microbiome. Some people's gut microbiomes produce a lot of methane, while others produce hardly any.

The study found that people whose gut microbiomes produce a lot of methane are especially good at unlocking extra energy from a high-fiber diet. This may help explain why different individuals get different amounts of calories from food that makes it to the colon.

The researchers note that high-fiber diets are not the villain here. People absorb more calories overall from a Western diet of processed foods, regardless of methane production. On a high-fiber diet, people absorb fewer calories overall—but the amount varies according to methane production.

That difference has important implications for diet interventions. It shows people on the same diet can respond differently. Part of that is due to the composition of their gut microbiome.

The study, published in The ISME Journal, found that methane-producing microbes called methanogens are associated with a more efficient microbiome and higher energy absorption from food.

One of the microbiome's main jobs is helping to digest food. Microbes ferment fiber into short-chain fatty acids, which the body can use for energy. In the process, they produce hydrogen. Too much hydrogen pauses their activity, but other microbes can help keep this process going by using up the hydrogen.

Methanogens are hydrogen-eaters. As they consume hydrogen, they create methane. They are the only microbes to make this chemical compound.

The human body itself doesn't make methane, only the microbes do. So researchers suggested it can be a biomarker that signals efficient microbial production of short-chain fatty acids.

The research suggests that these microbe interactions affect the body's metabolism. The team found that higher methane production was associated with more short-chain fatty acids being made and absorbed in the gut.

Insights from this study could be a foundation for personalized nutrition.

Blake Dirks et al, Methanogenesis associated with altered microbial production of short-chain fatty acids and human-host metabolizable energy, The ISME Journal (2025). DOI: 10.1093/ismejo/wraf103

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on June 12, 2025 at 10:24am

Green light activates modified penicillin only where it's needed

To treat bacterial infections, medical professionals prescribe antibiotics. But not all active medicine gets used up by the body. Some of it ends up in wastewater, where antimicrobial-resistant bacteria can develop.

Now, to make a more efficient antibiotic treatment, researchers have modified penicillin, so that it's activated only by green light. In early tests, the approach precisely controlled bacterial growth and improved survival outcomes for infected insects.

Controlling drug activity with light will allow precise and safe treatment of localized infections. Moreover, the fact that light comes in different colors gives us the ability to take the spatial control of drug activity to the next level.

Scientists can add a light-sensitive molecule to drug compounds to keep them inactive in the body until they're needed. When light shines on a modified compound, the extra molecule breaks away and then releases the active drug. This process gives scientists precise control over when and where drugs are activated.

Green-Light-Activatable Penicillin for Light-Dependent Spatial Control of Bacterial Growth, Biofilm Formation, and In Vivo Infection Treatment, ACS Central Science (2025). DOI: 10.1021/acscentsci.5c00437

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