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Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on November 12, 2021 at 1:20pm

Second instance of canine coronavirus found in a person

 A University of Florida research team is helping to build the case that coronaviruses move between animals and people at a more frequent rate than previously understood. Earlier this year, the team reported the first known instance of a coronavirus common in pigs to have "spilled over" into people. Spillovers refer to events where a virus that is adapted to a certain kind of host—say, a dog, or pig—acquires features that allow it to infect an entirely different species of host, such as a person. In their newest work, the team retrospectively uncovered an instance where a coronavirus known from dogs, called a canine coronavirus, infected at least one person visiting Haiti in early 2017. The infected person had a mild illness with fever and fatigue. The new work published in Clinical Infectious Diseases on Oct. 28,2021. In an unusual twist, the virus was determined to closely match a canine coronavirus reported earlier in 2021.

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on November 12, 2021 at 12:37pm

Scientists appeal for immediate climate action at COP26

More than 200 scientists told the COP26 summit Thursday to take immediate action to halt global warming, warning in an open letter that some climate change impacts were "irreversible" for generations.

The central task of the Glasgow meeting is to implement the Paris Agreement, with its goal of limiting temperature rise to between 1.5 and 2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels.

But as negotiations enter their final days, commitments made so far could still lead to "catastrophic" warming of as much as 2.7C by 2100, according to the UN.

"We, climate scientists, stress that immediate, strong, rapid, sustained and large-scale actions are necessary," to keep warming within the Paris target, said the letter, signed by researchers across the world.

In August, a bombshell "code red" report from the world's top climate science body, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), warned that Earth's average temperature will hit the 1.5C threshold around 2030, a decade earlier than projected only three years ago.

To keep from overshooting that temperature target the IPCC says emissions must fall 45 percent this decade.

Thursday's open letter, signed by some of the IPCC's report authors, calls on delegates in Glasgow to "fully acknowledge" the scientific evidence they have compiled of the severe threats posed by climate change.

"Cumulative greenhouse gas emissions to date already commit our planet to key changes of the climate system affecting human society and marine and terrestrial ecosystems, some of which are irreversible for generations to come," said the letter.

https://phys.org/news/2021-11-scientists-appeal-climate-action-cop2...

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on November 12, 2021 at 12:27pm

Once connected to the receptors, the moving molecules trigger two cascading signals, both of which are critical to spinal cord repair. One signal prompts the long tails of neurons in the spinal cord, called axons, to regenerate. Similar to electrical cables, axons send signals between the brain and the rest of the body. Severing or damaging axons can result in the loss of feeling in the body or even paralysis. Repairing axons, on the other hand, increases communication between the body and brain.

The second signal helps neurons survive after injury because it causes other cell types to proliferate, promoting the regrowth of lost blood vessels that feed neurons and critical cells for tissue repair. The therapy also induces myelin to rebuild around axons and reduces glial scarring, which acts as a physical barrier that prevents the spinal cord from healing.

The signals used in the study mimic the natural proteins that are needed to induce the desired biological responses. While the new therapy could be used to prevent paralysis after major trauma (automobile accidents, falls, sports accidents and gunshot wounds) as well as from diseases, researchers think the underlying discovery—that "supramolecular motion" is a key factor in bioactivity—can be applied to other therapies and targets.

Zaida Alvarez et al, Bioactive Scaffolds with Enhanced Supramolecular Motion Promote Recovery from Spinal Cord Injury, Science (2021). DOI: 10.1126/science.abh3602. www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.abh3602

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2021-11-molecules-successfully-sever...

Part 2

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on November 12, 2021 at 12:25pm

'Dancing molecules' successfully repair severe spinal cord injuries in mice

Researchers have developed a new injectable therapy that harnesses "dancing molecules" to reverse paralysis and repair tissue after severe spinal cord injuries.

In a new study, researchers administered a single injection to tissues surrounding the spinal cords of paralyzed mice. Just four weeks later, the animals regained the ability to walk.

The research will be published in the Nov. 12 issue of the journal Science.

By sending bioactive signals to trigger cells to repair and regenerate, the breakthrough therapy dramatically improved severely injured spinal cords in five key ways: (1) The severed extensions of neurons, called axons, regenerated; (2) scar tissue, which can create a physical barrier to regeneration and repair, significantly diminished; (3) myelin, the insulating layer of axons that is important in transmitting electrical signals efficiently, reformed around cells; (4) functional blood vessels formed to deliver nutrients to cells at the injury site; and (5) more motor neurons survived.

After the therapy performs its function, the materials biodegrade into nutrients for the cells within 12 weeks and then completely disappear from the body without noticeable side effects. This is the first study in which researchers controlled the collective motion of molecules through changes in chemical structure to increase a therapeutic's efficacy.

The secret behind Stupp's new breakthrough therapeutic is tuning the motion of molecules, so they can find and properly engage constantly moving cellular receptors. Injected as a liquid, the therapy immediately gels into a complex network of nanofibers that mimic the extracellular matrix of the spinal cord. By matching the matrix's structure, mimicking the motion of biological molecules and incorporating signals for receptors, the synthetic materials are able to communicate with cells.

Part 1

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on November 12, 2021 at 12:18pm

Sustainable, biodegradable, vegan glitter

Glitter is a bane of modern living. But beyond its general annoyance factor, it's also made of toxic and unsustainable materials, and contributes to plastic pollution.

Now, researchers from the University of Cambridge have found a way to make sustainable, non-toxic, vegan, and biodegradable glitter from cellulose—the main building block of cell walls in plants, fruits and vegetables—and that's just as sparkly as the original.

The glitter is made from cellulose nanocrystals, which can bend light in such a way to create vivid colors through a process called structural color. The same phenomenon produces some of the brightest colors in nature—such as those of butterfly wings and peacock feathers—and results in hues which do not fade, even after a century.

Using self-assembly techniques which allow the cellulose to produce intensely-colored films, the researchers say their materials could be used to replace the plastic glitter particles and tiny mineral effect pigments which are widely used in cosmetics.

The films of cellulose nanocrystals prepared by the team can be made at scale using roll-to-roll processes like those used to make paper from wood pulp, and this is the first time these materials have been fabricated at industrial scale. The results are reported in the journal Nature Materials.

Silvia Vignolini, Large-scale fabrication of structurally coloured cellulose nanocrystal films and effect pigments, Nature Materials (2021). DOI: 10.1038/s41563-021-01135-8. www.nature.com/articles/s41563-021-01135-8

https://phys.org/news/2021-11-sustainable-biodegradable-vegan-glitt...

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on November 11, 2021 at 9:21am

Giant Study Identifies The Best Time to Fall Asleep to Lower Risk of Heart Problems

While the link between sleep and a healthy heart is well established, researchers are still sussing out the details. A new study suggests there might even be an optimal time, within our 24-hour body clock, for falling asleep.

Of course, the reasons for not obtaining the right sleep, whether it's the best amount or right timing are not always within our control. So anyone struggling with their sleep should seek medical advice and focus on whatever they need to do that works for them – as dictating a specific bedtime may be counterproductive for some.

But for the rest of us it may be helpful to know that falling asleep between 10-11 pm seems to hit the sweet spot for a healthy cardiovascular system.

The body has a 24-hour internal clock, called circadian rhythm, that helps regulate physical and mental functioning. While we cannot conclude causation from our study, the results suggest that early or late bedtimes may be more likely to disrupt the body clock, with adverse consequences for cardiovascular health.

The team found falling asleep after midnight or before 10 pm both was associated with around a 25 percent increase in risk of cardiovascular disease, compared to falling asleep between 10-11 pm. This increase in risk dropped to 12 percent for those who fell asleep between 11-12 pm.

"The riskiest time was after midnight, potentially because it may reduce the likelihood of seeing morning light, which resets the body clock.

This trend remained when taking into account age, gender, sleep duration, being an early bird or night owl, smoking status, weight, diabetes, blood pressure, cholesterol level, and socioeconomic status. It was also more pronounced for women, but the researchers aren't yet sure why.

https://academic.oup.com/ehjdh/advance-article/doi/10.1093/ehjdh/zt...

https://www.sciencealert.com/huge-accelerometer-study-suggests-the-...

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on November 11, 2021 at 8:56am

https://mcusercontent.com/2c6057c528fdc6f73fa196d9d/images/eadad212..." alt="Protein vaccines 101: An infographic that shows how COVID-19 protein-based vaccines are made, and how the body reacts to them."/>

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on November 11, 2021 at 8:55am

Protein-based COVID vaccines

Some people can’t get current COVID-19 vaccines for health reasons, but protein-based vaccines offer hope that they might soon be immunized. To elicit a protective immune response, these shots deliver proteins, along with immunity-stimulating adjuvants, directly to a person’s cells, rather than sending in a fragment of genetic code that the cells must read to synthesize the proteins themselves. After months of quality-control setbacks and manufacturing delays, the protein-based jab from US biotechnology firm Novavax has just received its first emergency-use authorization, in Indonesia. Meanwhile, Clover Biopharmaceuticals, based in China, and Biological E in India are on track to file for authorization in various countries in the coming weeks and months.

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on November 11, 2021 at 8:52am

The team looked at 145 datasets, in total covering 41,966 participants who did the Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire. The five facets are observing, describing, acting with awareness, non-judging inner experience and non-reactivity to inner experience.

What the team found was that there was little 'convergence' across these facets across participants in non-clinical settings. Put simply, we're not embracing the whole package.

Researchers found that people seem to conceptually understand that mindfulness involves engagement, the general public is not walking the talk. Our results suggest that laypeople may understand what awareness is, but the next step of acceptance may not be well understood – limiting potential for engaging with problems.

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S027273582100...

Part 2

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Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on November 11, 2021 at 8:51am

We're Doing Mindfulness Wrong, Psychologists Say

What does mindfulness mean to you? Is it about being aware of what comes your way without distraction? Or is it engaging with life's challenges without judgement, and responding as required?

A new meta-analysis of almost 150 studies has found that most of us understand that mindfulness is about both being aware and engaging with whatever comes our way. Unfortunately, we're much worse at putting this 'engaging' part into action.

Scientific understanding of mindfulness goes beyond mere stress-relief and requires a willingness to engage with stressors. It is, in fact, the engagement with stressors that ultimately results in stress relief. More specifically, mindfulness includes two main dimensions: awareness and acceptance.

Mindfulness derives from Buddhist traditions, and has become used in Western settings since the 1970s as part of psychiatry and psychology. It has been shown to help reduce depression, stress, anxiety, and even drug addiction, and is regularly recommended as a coping mechanism as part of therapy. 

In terms of regular people's understanding of mindfulness, we're really good at the 'awareness' part, the researchers say – where we take stock of what's around us, and any potential issues coming our way.

But the team found that we then tend to use mindfulness as a passive endorsement of the experience: the mindfulness equivalent of a shrug emoji. 

What we should do to get the full benefits of mindfulness is engage with our experiences, finding solutions and responses to our environment – something that the researchers found that we're aware of, but we just don't do.

"These modern applications of mindfulness have recently faced substantial criticism. Scholars suggest that popular definitions cast mindfulness as a 'quick fix' for suffering rather than a longitudinal practice of re-orienting, re-framing, and engaging with daily experience," the team writes in their paper.

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