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Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on October 18, 2024 at 9:30am

Cats associate human words with images, experiment suggests

A small team of animal scientists  has found via experimentation that common house cats are capable of associating human words with images without prompting or reward. In their study, published in the journal Scientific Reports, the group tested volunteer cats looking at images on a computer screen to see if they form associations between the images and spoken words.

Prior research has shown that cats know when a human is speaking their name—they respond in ways that are different than when hearing other words.

Other experiments have shown that they are able to match photos of people they know to their names. In this new effort, the researchers found that cats may be able to understand many of the words spoken to them.

To find out if cats have the ability to match a word to an object, the research team enlisted the assistance of 31 volunteer adult house cats. Each was given a word test originally designed to learn more about word association in growing human infants. It involves being shown short animations.

While the image is displayed, a nonsensical word is broadcast. Each cat saw two such animations—one was accompanied by the word "keraru," the other "parumo." The videos were played on a loop until the cats looked away.

After giving each cat a break, each was once again placed in front of the computer screen and the same two animations were shown on a loop. But this time, the spoken words were reversed.

As the cats watched the videos, the researchers watched the cats.

They found that they stared longer when hearing the word than during the original broadcast—some even showed pupil dilation. Both were signs that the cats were confused by the switch-up and were looking intently to find an explanation, evidence that they had associated the words with the images on the computer screen, even in the absence of a reward.

This finding, the team suggests, indicates that it is likely that cats commonly associate words they hear from humans with objects in their environment.

Saho Takagi et al, Rapid formation of picture-word association in cats, Scientific Reports (2024). DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-74006-2

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I am not very convinced with this work, though!

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on October 17, 2024 at 11:03am

New type of insulin that switches on and off could help diabetics avoid sudden drops in blood sugar levels

A modified insulin that can prevent sudden drops in blood sugar has been demonstrated in laboratory experiments and animal models, reports a paper in Nature. This could provide a more flexible way to supplement insulin for individuals with diabetes and reduce sudden drops in blood glucose.

For some people with diabetes, supplementary insulin injections are needed to control blood glucose levels. Fluctuations in blood glucose levels are difficult to predict, making it hard to select the appropriate insulin doses. Even a slightly high dose can lead to hypoglycemia (blood glucose levels decreasing too much), which can be life-threatening.

This has happened to my mother twice. As I used to give her the injections, this bothered me a lot then.
Researchers now present a modified form of insulin with activity that varies according to the levels of glucose in the blood. The molecule, named NNC2215, is equipped with a switch that can open and close in response to glucose. Under high glucose concentrations, the switch opens, and the insulin becomes more active, removing glucose from the blood. When glucose levels decrease, the switch moves to a closed state, which prevents glucose uptake.
Laboratory experiments showed that upon an increase in glucose concentration from 3 to 20 mM (approximately the fluctuation range experienced by individuals with diabetes), the NNC2215 insulin receptor affinity increased by 3.2-fold, validating its potential to respond to changes in blood glucose levels. In rat and pig models of diabetes, NNC2215 proved to be as effective as human insulin in lowering blood glucose. Its increased glucose sensitivity was shown to provide protection against hypoglycemia in these animal subjects.

This modified insulin shows promise in preventing the sharp drops in glucose that can severely affect individuals with diabetes, especially during sleep. This could improve both long- and short-term complications associated with diabetes, the authors note.

Oh, what a relief from the concerns people like me face?!

Rita Slaaby, Glucose-sensitive insulin with attenuation of hypoglycaemia, Nature (2024). DOI: 10.1038/s41586-024-08042-3

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on October 17, 2024 at 10:29am

The study found:

Blocking the opioid system with naloxone inhibited meditation-based pain relief in men, suggesting that men rely on endogenous opioids to reduce pain.
Naloxone increased meditation-based pain relief in women, suggesting that women rely on non-opioid mechanisms to reduce pain.
In both men and women, people with chronic pain experienced more pain relief from meditation than healthy participants.
These results underscore the need for more sex-specific pain therapies, because many of the treatments we use don't work nearly as well for women as they do for men.
The researchers conclude that by tailoring pain treatment to an individual's sex, it may be possible to improve patient outcomes and reduce the reliance on and misuse of opioids.

 Jon G Dean et al, Self-regulated analgesia in males but not females is mediated by endogenous opioids, PNAS Nexus (2024). DOI: 10.1093/pnasnexus/pgae453

Part 2

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on October 17, 2024 at 10:28am

Men and women use different biological systems to process pain, study discovers

In a new study evaluating meditation for chronic lower back pain, researchers have discovered that men and women utilize different biological systems to relieve pain. While men relieve pain by releasing endogenous opioids, the body's natural painkillers, women rely instead on other, non-opioid based pathways.

Synthetic opioid drugs, such as morphine and fentanyl, are the most powerful class of painkilling drugs available. Women are known to respond poorly to opioid therapies, which use synthetic opioid molecules to bind to the same receptors as naturally-occurring endogenous opioids. This aspect of opioid drugs helps explain why they are so powerful as painkillers, but also why they carry a significant risk of dependence and addiction.

Dependence develops because people start taking more opioids when their original dosage stops working.

These findings, although speculative,  suggest that maybe one reason that females are more likely to become addicted to opioids is that they're biologically less responsive to them and need to take more to experience any pain relief.

The study combined data from two clinical trials involving a total of 98 participants, including both healthy individuals and those diagnosed with chronic lower back pain. Participants underwent a meditation training program, then practiced meditation while receiving either placebo or a high-dose of naloxone, a drug that stops both synthetic and endogenous opioids from working.

At the same time, they experienced a very painful but harmless heat stimulus to the back of the leg. The researchers measured and compared how much pain relief was experienced from meditation when the opioid system was blocked versus when it was intact.

Part 1

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on October 17, 2024 at 9:32am

Plastic pollution harms bees and their pollinator functions, research team finds

Nano- and microplastic particles (NMP) are increasingly polluting urban and rural landscapes, where bees and other beneficial insects come into contact with them. If insects ingest plastic particles from food or the air, it can damage their organs and cause changes in their behavior, preventing them from properly performing ecosystem services such as pollination and pest control.

Plastic pollution thus poses considerable risks to biodiversity, agricultural production, and global food security. These are the main findings of a new review in the journal Nature Communications, which was conducted by an international team of researchers .

Microplastic particles are between one micrometer and five millimeters in size; still smaller particles are referred to as nanoplastics. Whereas the harmful effects of NMP in water and for individual species are well documented, there have as yet been no systematic reviews on how the particles affect agricultural ecosystems.

To fill this gap, the authors of the review summarized 21 already published individual studies for the first time. They were interested particularly in the question of how pollinator insects and other beneficial insects come into contact with NMP and what consequences the ingestion of the particles has for them, as well as for the ecosystems that are dependent on them and for agricultural production. 

In this way, the researchers first succeeded in identifying different sources from which NMP end up on agricultural land, including plastic films, fertilizers, polluted water, and atmospheric depositions. The plastic particles accumulate in the soil, and pollinators and beneficial insects that are important for pest control ingest them from the air and food or use them to build nests.

The authors of the study establish that the bees' ingestion of NMP leads, for example, to damage to their digestive system, to a weakening of their immune system, and to changes in their behavior. This makes the bees more susceptible to diseases, possibly causing them to pollinate plants less effectively. This leads to decline in agriculture production.

A decline in pollination services has a negative effect on crop yield. Thus, plastic pollution could further aggravate existing uncertainties in the global food supply, the researchers warn.

In addition, NMP also exacerbates the threats posed by other environmental stressors, such as pesticides, chemical pollution, fungi, and pathogens. For example, some areas become "hotspots," where plastic particles interact with harmful viruses. As a result of such interactions, NMP could have serious effects on pollinators and thus on the stability of the food system.

It is already clear today, however, that there is a pressing need for political control of plastic pollution, the researchers stress.

 Dong Sheng et al, Plastic pollution in agricultural landscapes: an overlooked threat to pollination, biocontrol and food security, Nature Communications (2024). DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-52734-3

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on October 17, 2024 at 8:51am

Researchers call for PFAS ban after alarming findings in marine environments

Washing your pots and pans—among many other day-to-day activities—could have a significant impact on marine environments for hundreds of years, according to a new study.

Scientists have partnered with the  leading marine membership charities to investigate the presence of harmful chemicals in a protected area. They found that sewage discharges are contributing significantly to per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in marine environments.

PFAS are a complex group of nearly 15,000 synthetic substances used in consumer products around the world since the 1950s. They keep food from sticking to packaging or cookware, make clothes and carpets resistant to stains, and are found in firefighting foam.

The "forever chemicals" don't break down easily in the environment. They have been linked to adverse effects on human health and wildlife.

Wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) are not effective at removing PFAS, and therefore they are often released into the environment through combined sewer overflows (CSOs).

The findings of the study, published in Chemosphere, revealed PFAS concentrations increased significantly after sewage discharges. Eight different PFAS compounds were detected post-discharge, compared to just one detectable compound before the discharge.

Banned substances Perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) and perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) were also found at levels exceeding annual average environmental quality standards.

The paper raises concerns about the health of marine ecosystems and the potential impacts of industries using seafood products.

Samples also showed the amount of one particular PFAS called Perfluorobutanoic acid (PFBA) in the seaweed was more than 6,000 times higher than the amount found in the surrounding water.

These seaweeds could potentially be acting as a reservoir for these forever chemicals around our coasts. High concentrations of PFAS compounds in macroalgae might be harmful for marine life that graze on seaweed and as a result provide a trophic link up the food chain.

Toxicity studies in the laboratory and human epidemiological studies of those drinking PFAS contaminated water have highlighted these chemical compounds can impact the immune, nervous and reproductive systems as well as being carcinogenic and cause birth defects.

"It is important that we get these chemicals banned as we are still seeing the impacts of persistent chemical contaminants—like PCBs—impacting wildlife that were banned decades ago, which is why it is so important we act faster, the researchers say.

 Alex T. Ford et al, Insights into PFAS contaminants before and after sewage discharges into a marine protected harbour, Chemosphere (2024). DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2024.143526

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on October 17, 2024 at 8:40am

Study finds PFAS in fish far from contamination sources

Fish can accumulate high levels of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), even far from sources of contamination, according to a new study by researchers .

This study underscores the urgent need for more comprehensive monitoring of PFAS in aquatic ecosystems, particularly in regions where freshwater fishing is an important food source .

PFAS, also called forever chemicals because of their persistence in the environment, are a family of thousands of synthetic chemicals widely used for their stain-resistant, water-resistant, non-stick properties. They have seeped into our water, soil, and food, and can be found in more than 98-99% of people in some countries. 

 Freshwater fish and shellfish, a staple in many diets, often contain high levels of these forever chemicals.

The results of the study were striking: PFAS concentrations in fish tissues remained alarmingly high, even up to 8 km from the source. Despite some decline in concentration with distance, fish filet samples consistently exceeded  guidelines for safe fish consumption based on PFOS levels alone, without accounting for other PFAS identified in the samples.

The researchers found that a substantial portion of PFAS contamination remains undetected by conventional monitoring techniques, which typically target only a limited number of PFAS compounds. To fully grasp the scale of PFAS contamination and its risks, environmental monitoring programs and fish consumption advisories must include a wider range of PFAS compounds, the researchers recommend.

Heidi M. Pickard et al, Characterizing the Areal Extent of PFAS Contamination in Fish Species Downgradient of AFFF Source Zones, Environmental Science & Technology (2024). DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.4c07016

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S004565352302...

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on October 16, 2024 at 11:07am

‘Neural tourniquet’ could stem bleeding

Electrical stimulation near the ear that targets the vagus nerves might help to reduce bleeding during surgery or childbirth. The ‘neural tourniquet’ seems to stimulate the spleen, which stores about one-third of the body’s clot-forming platelets, according to preliminary results presented at the 2024 Society for Neuroscience conference. Tests in injured pigs and mice with the blood-clotting condition haemophilia showed that the animals bled less, and for less time, than untreated ones. The time scale could be a real-world limitation for emergency treatment: platelets were most highly activated 2 hours after stimulation.

https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-024-03330-4?utm_source=Live+...

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on October 16, 2024 at 8:58am

The physics of red blood cells in bats could be a key to 'artificial hibernation' for humans

The mechanical properties of red blood cells (erythrocytes) at various temperatures could play an important role in mammals' ability to hibernate. This is the outcome of a study that compared the thermomechanical properties of erythrocytes in two species of bats and humans.

The study was published in October 2024 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. The new findings could contribute towards the development of new medical treatments.

Hibernation is common for mammals, especially bats, and even some primates hibernate. In this current study, the interdisciplinary team of researchers compared the mechanical properties of hundreds of thousands of individual erythrocytes from a hibernating native bat species, the common noctule (Nyctalus noctula), a non-hibernating bat species, the Egyptian fruit bat (Rousettus aegyptiacus), and healthy human donors. Data was collected for temperatures between 10°C and 37°C.

In all three species, the individual erythrocytes became more viscous when the temperature of the blood samples was lowered from a normal body temperature of 37°C to a temperature of 10°C, which is typical for temperatures in hibernating mammals.

The observed behaviour is a result of the properties of the cell membrane and is much more evident in both bat species than in humans. Interestingly, this special adaptation in bats is not only due to seasonal fluctuations such as changing diets and surrounding temperatures.

Humans are unable to significantly lower their core body temperature in order to save energy. Based on the collected data, it could be possible in the future to develop pharmaceutical methods that change the mechanical properties of human erythrocytes in order to optimize the blood circulation in artificially induced states similar to hibernation. If this is successful, the dream of hibernation for extended space missions could also come a step closer to reality.

Bob Fregin et al, Thermomechanical properties of bat and human red blood cells—Implications for hibernation, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (2024). DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2405169121

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on October 16, 2024 at 8:45am

This is really Funny! 

Male mice use female mice to distract aggressors and avoid conflict, study shows

A research group tracked the behaviour of mice using machine learning to understand how they handle aggressive behaviour from other mice. The researchers' findings, published on October 15 in the open-access journal PLOS Biology, show that male mice deescalate aggressive encounters by running over to a female mouse to distract the aggressive male mouse.

The researchers recorded groups of two male and two female mice interacting over five hours. Like many other animals, mice have social hierarchies, and in almost each group recorded, one male was always significantly more aggressive towards the other.

Social interactions can be challenging to study objectively, so the researchers used a machine learning approach to analyze aggressive interactions and how the mice respond. In total, they observed over 3,000 altercations between the male mice, and the machine learning algorithm helped researchers determine the most likely responses to aggression and whether these actions resolved or furthered the conflict.

The researchers found that the male mouse who was aggressively encountered often ran over to one of the female mice and that this deescalated the aggression. This may be a "bait-and-switch" tactic, as the aggressive male mouse typically followed the other male but then interacted with the female mouse instead of continuing the aggressive encounter.

Some other tactics, even if they avoided aggression for a moment, would then escalate to full fights. However, the researchers found this was not the case after the bait-and-switch. After this tactic was used, fights rarely occurred, the male mice often remaining further apart from each other with the aggressive mouse continuing to interact with the female mouse.

While the bait-and-switch may be an effective way to deescalate conflicts, there may be costs to the victim, such as sacrificing time with the female mice, and further research may look into whether these tactics are effective in larger groups of mice.

Clein RS, Warren MR, Neunuebel JP, Mice employ a bait-and-switch escape mechanism to de-escalate social conflict, PLoS Biology (2024). DOI: 10.1371/journal.pbio.3002496

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