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

Oropouche virus transmission to unborn child confirmed

The first confirmed case of vertical transmission of Oropouche virus (OROV) has been reported by 23 researchers from eight distinct institutions in Brazil.

OROV, a zoonotic arbovirus, was first isolated from the blood of a charcoal worker with a high fever in 1955 on the Caribbean island of Trinidad. Outbreaks have typically occurred south of the Amazon, isolated within Amazonian villages.

In 2024, OROV infections were detected in previously non-endemic areas across all five Brazilian regions. These expansions into previously unaffected regions involve new virus variants emerging from genetic reassortment.

In a letter to the editor titled "A Case of Vertical Transmission of Oropouche Virus in Brazil," published October 30, 2024, in the New England Journal of Medicine, researchers report on a case from Ceará, a state historically free from OROV, finding its first infection case through active laboratory surveillance.

Subsequent investigations identified 171 cases, predominantly in the rural valleys of the Baturité Massif. Agricultural landscapes in this region favor the Culicoides paraensis midge, a small biting fly sometimes referred to as "no-see-ums" due to their tiny size. Culicoides is the primary vector for OROV transmission to humans.

A notable case involved a 40-year-old pregnant woman at 30 weeks gestation who developed fever, chills, muscle aches, and severe headache. Routine prenatal care had previously identified gestational diabetes, managed with metformin, and four routine obstetric ultrasounds.

Part 1

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on November 18, 2024 at 11:47am

Self-treatment sparks ethics debate

Virologist Beata Halassy treated her own breast cancer by injecting the tumour with viruses she grew in the lab. In 2020, Halassy discovered she had a second recurrence of breast cancer at the site of a previous mastectomy. To avoid another bout of chemotherapy, she self-administered experimental oncolytic virotherapy. Halassy has now been cancer-free for four years. Her decision to treat herself, and subsequently publish a report detailing the process, has sparked discussion about the ethics of self-experimentation and the risk it might encourage others to try unproven treatments. “It took a brave editor to publish the report,” says Halassy.

Nature | 
Reference: https://www.mdpi.com/2076-393X/12/9/958

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on November 18, 2024 at 11:42am

For instance, participants who wore makeup daily in the first and third trimesters had 14% and 17% higher plasma and breast-milk PFAS concentrations, respectively, compared to people who did not wear makeup every day. In addition, the researchers found that people using colored-permanent dye one to two days postpartum had higher PFAS levels (16% to 18% increases compared to never using them) in human milk concentrations.

The researchers noted that the study examined only four types of PFAS among thousands that are used in industry and commerce. Thus, the study likely underestimated the extent of exposure to all PFAS from these products during pregnancy.

Amber M Hall et al, Personal care product use and per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances in pregnant and lactating people in the Maternal-Infant Research on Environmental Chemicals study, Environment International (2024). DOI: 10.1016/j.envint.2024.109094

Part 2

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on November 18, 2024 at 11:41am

Using personal care products during and after pregnancy can increase exposure to toxic chemicals

For people who are pregnant or nursing, more use of personal care products is associated with higher detectable levels of synthetic chemicals known to have adverse health effects, a new study by researchers has found.

The study,   published in Environment International, found that using personal care products like nail polish, makeup and hair dye while pregnant or lactating is associated with significantly higher levels of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, known as PFAS, in blood plasma and breast milk.

While PFAS are ubiquitous in the environment, this study indicates that personal care products are a modifiable source of PFAS. People who are concerned about their level of exposure to these chemicals during pregnancy or while breastfeeding may benefit from cutting back on personal care products during those times.

PFAS are synthetic chemicals that have been used in consumer products and industrial settings since the 1950s due to their ability to resist oil, water and heat. The study notes that PFAS have been associated with a range of adverse health effects, including liver disease, cardiometabolic and cardiovascular issues, and various cancers.

While several studies have detected these chemicals in personal care products directly, few have evaluated whether using these products impacts internal PFAS concentrations.

This is important, she added, because exposure to PFAS during pregnancy could contribute to adverse birth outcomes such as decreased birth weight, preterm birth, some neurodevelopmental disorders and diminished vaccine response in children.

The analyzed data from the Maternal-Infant Research on Environmental Chemicals Study, which enrolled 2,001 pregnant people from 10 cities across Canada between 2008 and 2011. The researchers evaluated the contribution of the use of personal care products on PFAS concentrations in prenatal plasma (6 to 13 weeks gestation) and human milk (2 to 10 weeks postpartum). Participants reported frequency of use across eight product categories during the first and third pregnancy trimesters, one to two days postpartum, and 2 to 10 weeks postpartum.

In first-trimester pregnant people, the researchers found that higher use of nail care products, fragrances, makeup, hair dyes and hair sprays or gels was associated with higher plasma PFAS concentrations. Similar results were observed for third-trimester personal care product use and breast-milk PFAS concentrations at 2 to 10 weeks postpartum.

Part1

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on November 18, 2024 at 10:44am

While the researchers cannot pinpoint the exact reasons for why the adults learn faster, they have a few theories.

"The results demonstrate that the older the participants are, the more skillful they become during the early stages of training. This suggests that they get more out of the task introduction. We suspect that cognitive development and an increased ability to process information play a role—meaning adults may have more experience receiving instructions and translating them into action.

"The difference may also be because the fully developed nervous system of an adult provides better structural conditions for learning. In other words, after many years of schooling, adults may be more experienced learners and thereby more efficient at learning new things.
The picture changes when it comes to retention.

"When the researchers looked at what happens from the end of training until the participants return the next day, the dynamic reverses. While the youngest participants actually improve overnight, adults lose some of their ability to perform. This means the youngest ones are better at consolidating and reinforcing their memory after they've practiced,
According to the researchers, this suggests that sleep benefits children's learning and memory more. But other factors could also be at play. For example, older children and adults typically sleep less and have more "competing" activities throughout the day. Memory-consolidation processes in the nervous system continue for hours after the training ends.
When a math class ends, the brain keeps working on what was taught, and in doing so, reinforces memory. Sleep is known to aid consolidation. But engaging in other activities in the hours after—especially those that involve learning—can interfere with memory processes and the consolidation of what was just learned.
While the overall learning outcome doesn't vary drastically across age groups, the study does show that the learning process differs significantly depending on age, with underlying mechanisms influenced by the maturity of one's central nervous system.

Mikkel Malling Beck et al, Distinct mechanisms for online and offline motor skill learning across human development, Developmental Science (2024). DOI: 10.1111/desc.13536

Part 2

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Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on November 18, 2024 at 10:41am

Study challenges popular belief that children are quicker at picking up new motor skills than adults

Contrary to popular belief, children aren't better at learning new skills than adults. Indeed, young adults seem to learn faster than kids—but also tend to forget more quickly. Here, better sleep seems to advantage children. This is the conclusion of a new study.

It's widely believed that children learn new motor skills faster than adults, whether it's mastering slopes or skateparks, learning new languages, doing cartwheels or picking up new dance moves from TikTok.

"There's an assumption in popular science literature and various textbooks that children in a certain age range—from roughly the age of 8 until puberty—are better at learning new skills than adults. This is often described as a 'golden age for motor skills learning.'But there's no actual physiological basis for this so-called golden age.

The popular notion of a pre-pubescent motor learning peak prompted the researchers to investigate how age-related differences in our central nervous system affect motor skill learning. Their findings are now published in Developmental Science.

In the study, the researchers tested the motor learning abilities of 132 participants from four age groups: 8–10 years, 12–14 years, 16–18 years, and 20–30 years. In a lab setting, participants practiced moving a cursor on a computer screen with fast and precise finger movements.

Participant performance was measured immediately after being introduced to the task (as a baseline), during the training session, and again 24 hours later.
During the training session itself, both the 16- to 18-year-olds and 20- to 30-year-olds improved their skills significantly more than the 8- to 10-year-olds.

"So it appears that both teenagers and younger adults are better equipped to quickly acquire new skills compared to children, who showed smaller and slower improvements. At least when it comes to short-term learning and motor skills which this study investigated,

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on November 18, 2024 at 9:59am

Young coral use metabolic tricks to resist bleaching, research reveals

Coral larvae reduce their metabolism and increase nitrogen uptake to resist bleaching at high temperatures, according to a study published November 12 in the open-access journal PLOS Biology.

High ocean temperatures cause coral bleaching, which results from the disruption of the relationship between corals and their symbiotic algae, an increasing concern as global temperatures rise. However, relatively little research has examined the effects of high temperatures during the early life stages of corals.

In this study, researchers exposed coral larvae to high temperatures at the Hawai'i Institute of Marine Biology. For three days during their first week of development, the larvae and their algal symbionts were treated to temperatures 2.5 degrees Celsius above ambient temperature, similar to expected changes in seawater due to climate change.

The coral larvae showed no signs of bleaching in the heated water, and they were able to maintain rates of algal photosynthesis and the supply of carbon-based nutrition from the algae to the host. However, there was a 19% reduction in coral metabolism, as well as increased uptake and storage of nitrogen by the coral, both of which are apparent strategies that improve coral survival.

Reduced metabolism allows the coral to conserve energy and resources, also seen in adult corals during bleaching. The change in nitrogen cycling seems to be an adaptation by the coral to limit the amount of nitrogen available to the algae, thus preventing algal overgrowth and the destabilization of the coral-algae relationship.
It remains unclear how effective these strategies are at higher temperatures and for longer durations. Further research into the details and limitations of coral reaction to high temperatures will provide crucial knowledge for predicting coral response and protecting coral reefs as global temperatures continue to rise.

The authors add, "This research reveals that coral larvae must invest in their nutritional partnership with algae to withstand stress, offering key insights into strategies to avoid bleaching in earliest life stages of corals."

Huffmyer AS, et al. Coral larvae increase nitrogen assimilation to stabilize algal symbiosis and combat bleaching under increased temperature, PLOS Biology (2024). DOI: 10.1371/journal.pbio.3002875

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Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on November 18, 2024 at 9:55am

Plastic that dissolves in water

At a time when synthetic plastic has polluted nearly every corner of the globe and appeared in food and in the human body,  researchers have developed a new plastic that dissolves in water.

The kind of impact that human-made materials are making on the living world is resulting in climate change, pollution and more. One of the ways that we are able to address this is to make materials sustainable and also make materials which are smart or intelligent.

This new bioplastic MECHS—an acronym for Mechanical Engineered Living Materials with Compostability, Healability and Scalability is one such effort.

The researchers presented their discovery in a paper published in the journal Nature Communications.

The study showcases the researchers' most recent work with engineered living materials, which use living cells to produce functional materials.

First, the nature-inspired solutions can be made to regenerate, regulate and/or respond to external stimuli such as light and can even heal itself.

Secondly, unlike the plastics that are polluting the planet and our bodies, the materials are biodegradable in water and even the compost bin.

But while engineered living materials have been manipulated to adhere, catalyze and remediate, and be either soft or stiff, such materials have not been scalable for widespread production.

That's where MECHS comes in.

MECHS consists of engineered E. coli bacteria with a fiber matrix to create a paper- or film-like material.

The fibers give MECHS several desirable properties. It means that MECHS can stretch like plastic wrap, can be genetically engineered by adding proteins or peptides to make it more or less stiff. And it is healable—a small amount of water disentangles the fibers, which then re-entangle as the MECHS dries.

Meanwhile, a lot of water or a trip to a compost bin causes the material to dissolve. In fact, it dissolves much faster than other biodegradable plastics, the researchers found.

Finally, the material can also be easily mass produced in a process similar to paper manufacturing.

 Avinash Manjula-Basavanna et al, Mechanically Tunable, Compostable, Healable and Scalable Engineered Living Materials, Nature Communications (2024). DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-53052-4

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

Their analysis of mangrove wood revealed that the dead trees showed greater signs of salinity stress compared to living trees.

This stress indicates that the roots of the trees were struggling to cope with increased salt levels, which was a key factor in their eventual death.
The researchers found that sea levels around the Maldives rose at an accelerated rate of over 30mm per year between 2017 to 2020. Towards the end of this period, an unusually intense climate phenomenon known as the Indian Ocean Dipole occurred. This caused warmer sea surface temperatures and an increase in sea level in the Western Indian Ocean.

Although mangroves naturally build up their own sediment, allowing them to adapt to gradually rising seas, this rate of sea level rise was too fast for the mangroves to keep pace.

As tidal movements are more limited in the basin areas where many mangrove forests grow, the rising sea level meant that seawater effectively flooded the forests. This lack of tidal movement and flooding prevented the mangroves from building the sediment they needed to stay above water. They eventually lost their resilience and died off by drowning.
As the mangroves' build-up of sediment slowed down due to the pace of the rising sea level, the soil salinity increased beyond what even these salt-tolerant trees could handle. Essentially, the mangroves were drowning.

The extreme magnitude of dieback seen in the Maldives is a vivid illustration of how climate change may push natural systems past their limits, with cascading consequences for both nature and people.

Carruthers, L. et al. Sea-level rise and extreme Indian Ocean Dipole explain mangrove dieback in the Maldives, Scientific Reports (2024). DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-73776-z

Part 2

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on November 18, 2024 at 9:15am

'Drowning' and 'dying' mangrove forests in Maldives signal global coastal threat, say researchers

Researchers have found evidence that mangrove forests—which protect tropical and subtropical coastlines—are drowning in the Maldives.

Their findings, published 12 November in Scientific Reports,

The research team, led by Northumbria University, warn that the findings have implications not only for the Maldives, but also for other island nations and coastal ecosystems around the world.

In 2020, more than a quarter of the Maldivian islands containing mangrove forests saw their trees experiencing a gradual deterioration before dying, a condition known as dieback.

In 2020, more than a quarter of the Maldivian islands containing mangrove forests saw their trees experiencing a gradual deterioration before dying, a condition known as dieback.
Satellite imagery of both inhabited and uninhabited islands revealed the severity of this issue, showing that some islands lost over half of their mangrove cover.

Mangroves play an essential role in protecting coastal regions by acting as natural barriers against storms, erosion and flooding. As biodiversity hotspots, they are vital nurseries for marine species such as crabs, prawns and fish making them crucial for food security and livelihoods in many coastal communities. They also provide valuable resources such as construction materials for housing.

Researchers combined evidence from sea level, climate data and remote sensing with field observations of sediment geochemistry and dendrology to investigate the mangrove dieback.

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