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Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on August 29, 2020 at 6:41am

Screening of the effects of a pathogenic fungus

The pathogenic fungus Candida auris, which first surfaced in 2009, is proving challenging to control. It is resistant to many fungicides and not easy to diagnose. Researchers now have discovered that the human immune system recognizes the fungus well. However, the fungus is especially dangerous for people with compromised immunity. The study has been able to pin-point the fungus' Achilles heel for new, effective drugs. 

n 2009, an unknown fungus was discovered in the infected ear of a seventy-year-old Japanese woman; this was called Candida auris. Where C. auris suddenly came from was not clear, but soon after that, different strains appeared all over the world. It turned out to be a persistent, difficult to control fungus, which was also usually resistant to fungicides.

A careful study of the human immune response to the C auris infection demonstrated that specific components of the cell wall of the fungus play an essential role in this recognition. These are unique structures that you do not encounter with other fungi. Those specific chemical structures stimulate the immune system enough to take action and clear the fungus.

Mariolina Bruno et al, Transcriptional and functional insights into the host immune response against the emerging fungal pathogen Candida auris, Nature Microbiology (2020). DOI: 10.1038/s41564-020-0780-3

https://phys.org/news/2020-08-international-screening-effects-patho...

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on August 29, 2020 at 6:32am

Brain circuit activated by hunger makes starved fish fight for longer

Depriving a zebrafish of food for six days boosts its chances of winning a fight against a well-fed fish because starvation activates a certain pathway in its brain, neuroscientists have shown. This finding could well have implications for other animals and humans since the neural pathway is conserved across species.

In this  study by a research team has found that in 75% of fights, the hungry zebrafish emerges as the victor!

In an earlier study, the team had discovered that a zebrafish would tend to win fights when a specific pathway originating in a brain structure called the habenula was activated, whereas it would have a propensity to lose fights if another pathway in the same region was activated.

There is logic to this finding. Hungry fish are more motivated to obtain food And since winners of fights secure more resources such as food, it makes sense that starved fish try harder to win fights.

Hunger may cause similar effects in people too.

hunger activated the winner pathway in the habenula via a neuropeptide called orexin. Orexin is well known for its role in regulating sleep and appetite, but it had not previously been implicated with social behaviors such as fighting. It was also the first time that orexin has been shown to regulate the expression of specific genes.

Haruna Nakajo et al. Hunger Potentiates the Habenular Winner Pathway for Social Conflict by Orexin-Promoted Biased Alternative Splicing of the AMPA Receptor Gene, Cell Reports (2020). DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2020.107790

https://phys.org/news/2020-08-brain-circuit-hunger-starved-fish.htm...

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on August 29, 2020 at 6:19am

Preventing infection, facilitating healing: New biomaterials from spider silk

New biomaterials developed by researchers eliminate risk of infection and facilitate healing processes.

A research team  has succeeded in combining these material properties which are highly relevant to biomedicine. These nanostructured materials are based on spider silk proteins. They prevent colonization by bacteria and fungi, but at the same time proactively assist in the regeneration of human tissue. They are therefore ideal for implants, wound dressings, prostheses, contact lenses, and other everyday aids.

Using biotechnologically produced spider silk proteins, they have developed a material that prevents the adhesion of pathogenic microbes. Even streptococci, resistant to multiple antibacterial agents (MRSA), have no chance of settling on the material surface. Biofilms growing on medical instruments, sports equipment, contact lenses, prostheses, and other everyday objects may therefore soon be history.

Moreover, the materials are designed to simultaneously aid the adhesion and proliferation of human cells on their surface. If they can be used for e.g. wound dressings, skin replacement, or implants, they proactively support the regeneration of damaged or lost tissue. 

 Sushma Kumari et al, Engineered spider silk-based 2D and 3D materials prevent microbial infestation, Materials Today (2020). DOI: 10.1016/j.mattod.2020.06.009

https://phys.org/news/2020-08-infection-biomaterials-spider-silk.ht...

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on August 29, 2020 at 5:59am

Energy firm says its nuclear-waste fueled diamond batteries could last thousands of years

These surreal claims are being made by a California-based battery company that says successful early test results recently competed on a nano-diamond battery brings them closer to realizing such claims.

The key to their revolutionary batteries is radioactive nuclear waste. There are massive quantities of leftover nuclear waste from nuclear plant facilities. Such waste is extremely toxic, lasts thousands of years and poses a challenge when it comes to disposing of it (burying and encasing it) safely.

The company, NDB, says it can safely utilize this waste to generate power in its nano diamond batteries. It can achieve this by processing graphite nuclear waste into a pure form and then converting it into diamonds. As the waste product enveloped by the diamond decays, it interacts with the carbon to generate a small electric current.

Depending on the power drain, the battery, which never needs recharging, would last for a user's lifetime, and beyond.

It could be used for common mobile devices, medical products, satellites and could provide energy in hard-to-reach locations or remote areas where routine maintenance would be difficult.

Good ideas …. nuclear-waste fueled diamond batteries that could last thousands of years

https://techxplore.com/news/2020-08-energy-firm-nuclear-waste-fuele...

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on August 29, 2020 at 5:51am

How cells can find their way through the human body

A team of researchers  has discovered how cells are able to travel so accurately through the human body

In their paper published in the journal Science, the group describes a theory they developed to explain cell orienteering and how they tested it using mazes.

When the body is injured, such as being poked with a needle, the immune system responds by sending white blood cells to kill any bacteria that might be trying to enter through the wound. But how do the cells know how to find the wound? Prior research has shown that cells use chemicals in the body known as chemoattractants to navigate short distances. White blood cells can sense and move toward them—but it only works for short distances. In this new effort, the researchers found that cells can use such chemoattractants in a different way to navigate longer and more complicated pathways.

The researchers theorized that certain cells navigate by breaking down chemoattractants that are close to them. They then sense the degree to which the chemoattractants are replenished, and most importantly, in which direction. By noting the position of the new chemoattractants, they are able to move toward their desired destination. As an example, a white blood cell working its way to a wound upon finding a fork in the road would choose the path with the most or newest chemoattractants after it breaks them down in both directions.

Seeing around corners: Cells solve mazes and respond at a distance using attractant breakdown, Science  28 Aug 2020: Vol. 369, Issue 6507, eaay9792 , DOI: 10.1126/science.aay9792 , science.sciencemag.org/content/369/6507/eaay9792

https://phys.org/news/2020-08-cells-human-body.html?utm_source=nwle...

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on August 29, 2020 at 5:45am

Demonstrating vortices as Brownian particles in turbulent flows

https://phys.org/news/2020-08-vortices-brownian-particles-turbulent...

https://www.quora.com/q/sciencecommunication/Demonstrating-vortices...

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Fossil trees on Peru's Central Andean Plateau tell a tale of dramatic environmental change

https://phys.org/news/2020-08-fossil-trees-peru-central-andean.html...

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New malaria transmission patterns emerge

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2020-08-malaria-transmission-pattern...

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on August 28, 2020 at 6:56am

CRISPR treatment inserted directly into the body for first time

Experiment tests a gene-editing therapy for a hereditary blindness disorder.

https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-020-00655-8?utm_source=Natur...

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It opens up a whole new universe’: Revolutionary microscopy technique sees individual atoms for first time

Cryo-electron microscopy breaks a key barrier that will allow the workings of proteins to be probed in unprecedented detail.

https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-020-01658-1?utm_source=Natur...

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Why deforestation and extinctions make pandemics more likely

Researchers are redoubling efforts to understand links between biodiversity and emerging diseases — and use that information to predict and stop future outbreaks.

https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-020-02341-1?utm_source=Natur...

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In a first, a person’s immune system fought HIV — and won

Analysis of 1.5 billion cells from this rare case found no trace of the virus

https://www.sciencenews.org/article/hiv-immune-system-elite-control...

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Women develop a more robust T-cell immune response against the coronavirus than men do, a new study shows

https://news.yale.edu/2020/08/26/sex-differences-covid-19-immune-re...

https://www.businessinsider.in/science/news/women-develop-a-more-ro...

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on August 28, 2020 at 5:51am

Ocean acidification causing coral 'osteoporosis' on iconic reefs

Scientists have long suspected that ocean acidification is affecting corals' ability to build their skeletons, but it has been challenging to isolate its effect from that of simultaneous warming ocean temperatures, which also influence coral growth. New research from the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) reveals the distinct impact that ocean acidification is having on coral growth on some of the world's iconic reefs.

Researchers show a significant reduction in the density of coral skeleton along much of the Great Barrier Reef—the world's largest coral reef system—and also on two reefs in the South China Sea, which they attribute largely to the increasing acidity of the waters surrounding these reefs since 1950.

This is the first unambiguous detection and attribution of 'ocean acidification's 'impact on coral growth.

Ocean Acidification has Impacted Coral Growth on the Great Barrier Reef. Geophysical Research Letters, doi.org/10.1029/2019GL086761

https://phys.org/news/2020-08-ocean-acidification-coral-osteoporosi...

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on August 28, 2020 at 5:33am

Brain gain: Early stimulation gives mice life-long benefits

Mice that grow up in stimulating environments not only become smarter and more curious but are also more likely to develop individualized "personalities," a new study showed .

These behavioural differences become imprinted on their genomes and remain even when the rodents are put back in standard cages, indicating that early-life experiences can have long-lasting benefits to their brains.

Sara Zocher et al. Early-life environmental enrichment generates persistent individualized behavior in mice, Science Advances (2020). DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.abb1478

https://phys.org/news/2020-08-brain-gain-early-mice-life-long.html?...

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Study reveals how animals adapt between seasons

Scientists have discovered how a biological switch helps animals make the seasonal changes crucial for survival, such as growing a warm winter coat and adjusting body temperatures.

The findings reveal how the brain responds to short and long days to allow animals to adapt to changing conditions and governs vital behavior such as breeding cycles.

Researchers say the study in sheep could help explain the timings of seasonal adaptations in a number of species such as birds, reptiles and mammals.

The body's internal clock choreographs cycles in hormone levels and affects traits such as sleep and hunger. These alter over the course of the day—known as circadian rhythms —and are influenced by genetics.

Similar rhythms are also seen seasonally, but until now it was unclear how genes play a role in the biological changes that fluctuate between winter and summer.

this study found that 

found that one of two possible biological mechanisms is activated within the pituitary gland  depending on whether the day is long or short.

In summer when nights are long, the brain generates hormones that cause a cascade of gene activity leading to biological characteristics associated with summer.

When nights are short in winter, the switch is flipped—night-time hormones are released for longer, triggering biological processes linked to winter. The study found that in the sheep brain, both processes involve a circadian gene known as BMAL2, which is found in many animals but whose role in the seasonal clock was previously unknown.

S. H. Wood et al, Circadian clock mechanism driving mammalian photoperiodism, Nature Communications (2020). DOI: 10.1038/s41467-020-18061-z

https://phys.org/news/2020-08-daylight-reveals-animals-seasons.html...

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on August 28, 2020 at 5:24am

Vitamin D deficiency and poor muscle function in the over-60s

 Research  that vitamin D deficiency is an important determinant of poor skeletal muscle function in adults aged 60 years and over. Maintaining skeletal muscle function throughout life is a crucial component of successful aging, in promoting independence, mobility, quality of life and reducing falls and frailty. While resistance exercise is known to preserve muscle function, there is growing evidence that adequate vitamin D status may also be protective.

• The prevalence of muscle weakness was twice as high among older adults with vitamin D deficiency (40.4 percent) compared with vitamin D adequacy (21.6 percent).
• Similarly, impaired "muscle performance" was three times higher in older adults with vitamin D deficiency (25.2 percent) compared with vitamin D adequacy (7.9 percent).
• Based on more complex statistical analysis, the study showed that vitamin D deficiency significantly increased the likelihood of impaired muscle strength and performance.
• The study confirmed the associated benefits of physical activity. Older adults partaking in regular moderate physical activity had significantly lower likelihood of poor muscle strength and physical performance.
• In summary, vitamin D deficiency was associated with impaired muscle strength and performance in a large study of community-dwelling older people.
• It is generally accepted that vitamin D deficiency (at the 25(OH)D <30 nmol/L cut-off) should be reversed to prevent bone disease, this strategy may also protect skeletal muscle function in ageing.

Niamh Aspell et al.

Vitamin D Deficiency Is Associated With Impaired Muscle Strength And Physical Performance In Community-Dwelling Older Adults: Findings From The English Longitudinal Study Of Ageing

, Clinical Interventions in Aging (2019). DOI: 10.2147/CIA.S222143

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2019-10-vitamin-d-deficiency-poor-mu...

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