Comment

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on December 24, 2020 at 9:00am

** Highest levels of microplastics found in molluscs, new study says

Mussels, oysters and scallops have the highest levels of microplastic contamination among seafood, a new study reveals.

The research looked at more than 50 studies between 2014 and 2020 to investigate the levels of microplastic contamination globally in fish and shellfish.

Scientists are still trying to understand the health implications for humans consuming fish and shellfish contaminated with these tiny particles of waste plastic, which finds its ways into waterways and oceans through waste mismanagement.

The paper, "Microplastic contamination of seafood intended for human consumption: a systematic review and meta-analysis" is published in Environmental Health Perspectives.

Research reveals microplastic content levels in seafood

---

Journal information: Environmental Health Perspectives 

https://phys.org/news/2020-12-highest-microplastics-molluscs.html?u...

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on December 24, 2020 at 8:55am

Research team reports new class of antibiotics active against a wide range of bacteria

 Scientists have discovered a new class of compounds that uniquely combine direct antibiotic killing of pan drug-resistant bacterial pathogens with a simultaneous rapid immune response for combatting antimicrobial resistance (AMR).

Existing antibiotics target essential bacterial functions, including nucleic acid and protein synthesis, building of the cell membrane, and metabolic pathways. However, bacteria can acquire drug resistance by mutating the bacterial target the antibiotic is directed against, inactivating the drugs or pumping them out.

However, harnessing the immune system to simultaneously attack bacteria on two different fronts makes it hard for them to develop resistance. 

So researchers focused on a metabolic pathway that is essential for most bacteria but absent in humans, making it an ideal target for antibiotic development. This pathway, called methyl-D-erythritol phosphate (MEP) or non-mevalonate pathway, is responsible for biosynthesis of isoprenoids—molecules required for cell survival in most pathogenic bacteria. The lab targeted the IspH enzyme, an essential enzyme in isoprenoid biosynthesis, as a way to block this pathway and kill the microbes. Given the broad presence of IspH in the bacterial world, this approach may target a wide range of bacteria.

Researchers used computer modeling to screen several million commercially available compounds for their ability to bind with the enzyme, and selected the most potent ones that inhibited IspH function as starting points for drug discovery.

The team demonstrated that the IspH inhibitors stimulated the immune system with more potent bacterial killing activity and specificity than current best-in-class antibiotics when tested in vitro on clinical isolates of antibiotic-resistant bacteria, including a wide range of pathogenic gram negative and gram positive bacteria. In preclinical models of gram negative bacterial infection, the bactericidal effects of the IspH inhibitors outperformed traditional pan antibiotics. All compounds tested were shown to be nontoxic to human cells.

IspH inhibitors kill Gram-negative bacteria and mobilize immune clearance, Nature (2020). DOI: 10.1038/s41586-020-03074-x , www.nature.com/articles/s41586-020-03074-x

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2020-12-team-class-antibiotics-wide-...

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on December 23, 2020 at 10:26am

We Just Got Closer to Smartphone Screens That Can 'Heal' Their Own Cracks

Dropping your smartphone often means living with a cracked screen until your next upgrade, or footing an expensive repair bill – but researchers have been busy bringing self-healing display technology closer to a practical reality.

A team from the Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST) has developed a self-healing electronic material that can repair its own cracks and other physical damage, and it has one secret ingredient: linseed oil.

Linseed oil is made from flax plant seeds, and these same seeds were adapted by the researchers in a similar way in order to add them to colourless polyimide (CPI) – an alternative to glass that's already finding uses in folding smartphone screens.

That added oil ingredient is able to seep into cracks made when the CPI is fractured, and – if the scientists are able to get it working reliably at scale, could mean screens that are able to bandage their own wounds after a smash.

Researchers were able to develop a self-healing, colourless polyimide that can radically solve the physical properties and lifespan of damaged polymer materials.

The linseed oil that aids this self-healing was first loaded into microcapsules which were then mixed with a silicone material. That material was then used as a coating on top of CPI in the experiments the researchers ran.

The way that the material is designed means that breaks in the CPI also lead to breaks in the microcapsules, releasing the stored oil to repair the damage. When the oil substance hits the air, it hardens, and the material is almost as good as new.

Even better, this all works at room temperature and without the need for external pressure, unlike similar self-healing materials that have been explored before. Higher temperatures, greater humidity and ultraviolet light can speed up the healing process, the researchers report.

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S135983682033...

https://www.sciencealert.com/we-re-another-step-towards-smartphone-...

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on December 23, 2020 at 10:16am

How Does SpaceX Build Their Rockets

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on December 23, 2020 at 10:08am

Scientists invent glue activated by magnetic field

Scientists from Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (NTU Singapore), have developed a new way to cure adhesives using a magnetic field.

Conventional adhesives like epoxy which are used to bond plastic, ceramics and wood are typically designed to cure using moisture, heat or light. They often require specific curing temperatures, ranging from room temperature up to 80 degrees Celsius.

The curing process is necessary to cross-link and bond the glue with the two secured surfaces as the glue crystallizes and hardens to achieve its final strength.

NTU's new 'magnetocuring' glue can cure by passing it through a magnetic field. This is very useful in certain environmental conditions where current adhesives do not work well. Also, when the adhesive is sandwiched between insulating material like rubber or wood, traditional activators like heat, light and air cannot easily reach the adhesive.

The new adhesive is made of two main components—a commercially available epoxy that is cured through heat, and oxide nanoparticles made from a chemical combination including manganese, zinc and iron (MnxZn_1-xFe₂O₄).

These nanoparticles are designed to heat up when electromagnetic energy is passed through them, activating the curing process. The maximum temperature and rate of heating can be controlled by these special nanoparticles, eliminating overheating and hotspot formation.

Richa Chaudhary et al, Magnetocuring of temperature failsafe epoxy adhesives, Applied Materials Today (2020). DOI: 10.1016/j.apmt.2020.100824

https://phys.org/news/2020-12-scientists-magnetic-field.html?utm_so...

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on December 23, 2020 at 9:46am

Chemists describe a new form of ice

Scientists have described the structure and properties of a novel hydrogen clathrate hydrate that forms at room temperature and relatively low pressure. Hydrogen hydrates are a potential solution for storage and transportation of hydrogen, the most environmentally friendly fuel.
Ice is a highly complex substance that has multiple polymorphic modifications that keep growing in number as scientists make new discoveries. The physical properties of ice vary greatly, too: for example, hydrogen bonds become symmetric at high pressures, making it impossible to distinguish a single water molecule, whereas low pressures cause proton disorder, placing water molecules in many possible spatial orientations within the crystal structure. Ice around us, including snowflakes, is always proton-disordered. Ice can incorporate xenon, chlorine, carbon dioxide or methane molecules and form gas hydrates which often have a different structure from pure ice. The vast bulk of Earth's natural gas exists in the form of gas hydrates.
In their new study, the chemists focused on hydrogen hydrates. Gas hydrates hold great interest both for theoretical research and practical applications, such as hydrogen storage. If stored in its natural form, hydrogen poses an explosion hazard, whereas density is way too low even in compressed hydrogen. That is why scientists are looking for cost-effective hydrogen storage solutions.
This is not the first time we turn to hydrogen hydrates. In our previous research, we predicted a novel hydrogen hydrate with 2 hydrogen molecules per water molecule. Unfortunately, this exceptional hydrate can only exist at pressures above 380,000 atmospheres, which is easy to achieve in the lab, but is hardly usable in practical applications. The new paper describes hydrates that contain less hydrogen but can exist at much lower pressures.

Yu Wang et al. Novel Hydrogen Clathrate Hydrate, Physical Review Letters (2020). DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.125.255702

https://phys.org/news/2020-12-chemists-ice.html?utm_source=nwletter...

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on December 23, 2020 at 9:30am

Masks not enough to stop COVID-19's spread without distancing: study

Simply wearing a mask may not be enough to prevent the spread of COVID-19 without social distancing.

In Physics of Fluids, researchers tested how five different types of mask materials impacted the spread of droplets that carry the coronavirus when we cough or sneeze.

Every material tested dramatically reduced the number of droplets that were spread. But at distances of less than 6 feet, enough droplets to potentially cause illness still made it through several of the materials.

"A mask definitely helps, but if the people are very close to each other, there is still a chance of spreading or contracting the virus".

Without a face mask, it is almost certain that many foreign droplets will transfer to the susceptible person. "Wearing a mask will offer substantial, but not complete, protection to a susceptible person by decreasing the number of foreign airborne sneeze and cough droplets that would otherwise enter the person without the mask. Consideration must be given to minimize or avoid close face-to-face or frontal human interactions, if possible."

The study also did not account for leakage from masks, whether worn properly or improperly, which can add to the number of droplets that make their way into the air.

"Can face masks offer protection from airborne sneeze and cough droplets in close-up, face-to-face human interactions? A quantitative study," Physics of Fluids, aip.scitation.org/doi/10.1063/5.0035072

https://phys.org/news/2020-12-masks-covid-distancing.html?utm_sourc...

**

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on December 23, 2020 at 8:43am

Detecting COVID-19 antibodies in 10 seconds

Researchers at Carnegie Mellon University report findings on an advanced nanomaterial-based biosensing platform that detects, within seconds, antibodies specific to SARS-CoV-2, the virus responsible for the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition to testing, the platform will help to quantify patient immunological response to the new vaccines with precision.

--

Visible hydrogels for rapid hemorrhage control and monitoring

There are many different events which may lead to excessive and uncontrolled bleeding within the body. This can occur as a result of inflammation and ulcerations, abnormalities in the blood vessels or trauma-related injuries. Individuals with predisposing conditions, such as cardiac patients, are at particular risk of internal bleeding due to the anticoagulants they are often prescribed as a preventive measure. They are also prone to gastrointestinal bleeds, affecting 40% of patients who are on cardiac assistance devices. In addition to the need for an effective treatment for these conditions, there are also indications for controlling the blood flow that contribute to aneurysms and tumor cell vascularization.

**

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on December 23, 2020 at 8:15am

Scientists discover mutations associated with early onset dementia

Scientists recently announced a significant advance in our understanding of an early onset form of dementia that may also progress our understanding of conditions such as Alzheimer's disease.

Adult onset Leukoencephalopathy with axonal Spheroids and Pigmented glia (ALSP) is an ultra-rare condition characterized by mutations in a gene called Colony stimulating factor-1 receptor (CSF1R). The condition manifests initially with psychiatric and behavioral changes in patients followed by a rapid progression of dementia in the third or fourth decade of life. While the condition is very rare, for affected families it can represent a devastating diagnosis.

As the condition involves the degeneration of white matter in the brain, scientists previously thought that immune cells within the brain termed microglia were the primary culprits in driving pathology observed in this condition.

However, the Trinity team, working with patient samples as well as pre-clinical models, were able to show that dysfunctional circulating white blood cells were the key driver of neurodegeneration.

These findings have shed light on a novel mechanism of neurodegeneration that may ultimately teach us more about common forms of dementia. Importantly, the work has identified that a disruption in CSF1R function in patients, as well as in pre-clinical models, induces damage to the so-called blood-brain barrier (BBB). This damage can subsequently change the integrity of capillaries in the brain, causing them to leak and spark the deterioration of the brain. Intriguingly, dysfunctional white blood cells seem to be the main driver of this BBB breakdown.

EMBO Molecular Medicine (2020). DOI: 10.15252/emmm.202012889

Researchers discover how the brain 're-wires' after disease

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2020-12-scientists-mutations-early-o...

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on December 23, 2020 at 8:02am

Regulatory RNAs promote breast cancer metastasis

Scientists have discovered a gene-regulating snippet of RNA that may contribute to the spread of many breast cancers. In animal experiments, the researchers could reduce the growth of metastatic tumours with a molecule designed to target that RNA and trigger its destruction. The same strategy, they say, could be used to develop a new breast cancer treatment for patients.

They  identified dozens of RNA molecules that were more prevalent in breast cancer cells than in noncancerous cells of the same type. All were long, non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs)—RNA molecules that do not encode proteins and are thought to play various regulatory roles inside cells. The current study investigated how one of these, Mammary Tumor-Associated RNA 25 (MaTAR 25), impacted breast cancer cells' behavior in mice.

Experiments  indicate the molecule contributes to cancer's progression in several ways—revving up cells' growth as well as their ability to migrate and invade tissue. These effects may be due to changes in the activity of the tensin1 gene, which the team found is one of MaTAR 25's targets. Tensin1 helps connect a cell's internal cytoskeleton to the external matrix that surrounds it and is therefore positioned to influence a cell's movement as well as its growth-regulating pathways.

Nature Communications (2020). DOI: 10.1038/s41467-020-20207-y

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2020-12-regulatory-rnas-breast-cance...

• ‹ Previous
• 1
• …
• 464
• 465
• 466
• 467
• 468
• …
• 844
• Next ›
• Page