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Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on December 8, 2021 at 9:02am

Researchers develop a world-first antibody-drug delivery system

Imagine this: a man-made crystal that can be attached to antibodies and then supercharge them with potent drugs or imaging agents that can seek out diseased cells with the highest precision, resulting in fewer adverse effects for the patient.

That is precisely what researchers  have developed: the world's first metal-organic framework (MOFs) antibody-drug delivery system that has the potential to fast-track potent new therapies for cancer, cardiovascular and auto-immune diseases.

The in vitro study showed that when MOF antibody crystals bind to their target cancer cells and if exposed to the low pH in the cells, they break down, delivering the drugs directly and solely to the desired area.   

The metal-organic framework, a mixture of metal (zinc) and carbonate ions, and a small organic molecule (an imidazole, a colorless solid compound that is soluble in water) not only keeps the payload attached to the antibody but can also acts as a reservoir of personalized therapeutics. This is a benefit with the potential to become a new medical tool to target specific diseases with customized drugs and optimized doses.

With just 0.01 per cent of chemotherapy currently reaching the cancer tissue, this revolutionary new method can boost the potency of the drugs reaching their target.

With over 80 different monoclonal antibodies approved for clinical use, this approach has enormous potential to improve these antibodies for the targeted delivery of diagnostic agents and therapeutic drugs. The goal is that ultimately the clinical translation of this technology will improve the quality of life for patients suffering from serious diseases.

Karen Alt et al, Self‐Assembly of Oriented Antibody‐Decorated Metal‐Organic Framework Nanocrystals for Active Targeting Applications, Advanced Materials (2021). DOI: 10.1002/adma.202106607

https://phys.org/news/2021-12-world-first-antibody-drug-delivery.ht...

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on December 8, 2021 at 8:54am

How SARS-CoV-2 evades the immune system

Researchers have found SARS-CoV-2 can knock out an important molecular pathway linked to an immune complex called MHC class I. The finding should help scientists better understand how COVID-19 infection takes hold.

Scientists used a bioinformatics approach to look at how SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, changes gene expression in the immune systems of COVID-19 patients compared to uninfected individuals. This is a useful way to look into the function of complicated cell signaling pathways that trigger immune responses to fight off harmful bacteria and viruses.

MHC (major histocompatibility complex) class I molecules are a central weapon in the immune response against viruses. When a virus infects a cell, the cell facilitates the expression of viral antigens on the surface of infected cells, drawing the attention of immune cells called cytotoxic T cells. These immune cells zero in on and destroy the infected cells, together with the invading virus inside them. In addition to analyzing gene expression in COVID-19 patients, the research team also infected human cell lines with the SARS-CoV-2 virus to validate their findings.

The results showed that a protein from the SARS-CoV-2 virus, called ORF 6, suppresses a host cell protein, called NLRC5, responsible for activating the MHC class I pathway.

The study showed this happens in two ways. ORF6 hampers cell signaling, which turns off the expression of NLRC5. ORF6 also blocks the function of NLRC5.

Other infectious viruses, including HIV and MERS, are known to also target the MHC class I pathway. Researchers believed that SARS-CoV-2 probably did as well, but this study is the first to unravel the mechanism.

"Without the activation of the MHC class I pathway, viruses in the infected cells are essentially hidden from the immune system. That helps to explain why SARS-CoV-2 virus persists in the body and why it keeps infecting others, leading to the pandemic.

Further research could help find and test drugs that block the activity of the ORF6 viral protein, to restore host cell ability to activate the major histocompatibility complex. If successful, such drugs could encourage the host immune system to clear the virus itself, effectively boosting immune responses.

Ji-Seung Yoo et al, SARS-CoV-2 inhibits induction of the MHC class I pathway by targeting the STAT1-IRF1-NLRC5 axis, Nature Communications (2021). DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-26910-8

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2021-12-sars-cov-evades-immune.html?...

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on December 7, 2021 at 10:34am

In their scientific publication, the researchers list the possible explanations for the lack of dark matter one by one. For example, AGC 114905 could have been stripped of dark matter by large nearby galaxies. Mancera Piña: "But there are none. And in the most reputed galaxy formation framework, the so called cold dark matter model, we would have to introduce extreme parameter values that are far beyond the usual range. Also with modified Newtonian dynamics, an alternative theory to cold dark matter, we cannot reproduce the motions of the gas within the galaxy."

According to the researchers, there is one more assumption that could change their conclusions. That is the estimated angle at which they think they are observing the galaxy. "But that angle has to deviate very much from our estimate before there is room for dark matter again," says co-author Tom Oosterloo (ASTRON).

Meanwhile, the researchers are examining a second ultra-diffuse dwarf galaxy in detail. If again observe no trace of dark matter in that galaxy, it will make the case for dark matter poor galaxies even stronger.

The research of Mancera Piña and colleagues is not an isolated case. Earlier, for example, the Dutch American Pieter van Dokkum (Yale University, U.S.) discovered a galaxy with hardly any dark matter. The techniques and measurements of Mancera Piña and colleagues are more robust.

No need for dark matter: resolved kinematics of the ultra-diffuse galaxy AGC 114905 arXiv:2112.00017 [astro-ph.GA] arxiv.org/abs/2112.00017 . Accepted for publication in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society.

https://phys.org/news/2021-12-evidence-emerges-dark-matter-free-gal...

Part 2

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Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on December 7, 2021 at 10:33am

Evidence emerges for dark-matter free galaxies

An international team of astronomers led by researchers from the Netherlands has found no trace of dark matter in the galaxy AGC 114905, despite taking detailed measurements over a course of forty hours with state-of-the-art telescopes. They will present their findings in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society.

discovered six galaxies with little to no dark matter, they were told "measure again, you'll see that there will be dark matter around your galaxy". However, after forty hours of detailed observations using the Very Large Array (VLA) in New Mexico (United States), the evidence for a dark matter-free galaxy only became stronger.

The galaxy in question, AGC 114905, is about 250 million light-years away. It is classified as an ultra-diffuse dwarf galaxy, with the name 'dwarf galaxy' referring to its luminosity and not to its size. The galaxy is about the size of our own Milky Way but contains a thousand times fewer stars. The prevailing idea is that all galaxies, and certainly ultra-diffuse dwarf galaxies, can only exist if they are held together by dark matter.

The researchers collected data on the rotation of gas in AGC 114905 for 40 hours between July and October 2020 using the VLA telescope. Subsequently, they made a graph showing the distance of the gas from the center of the galaxy on the x-axis and the rotation speed of the gas on the y-axis. This is a standard way to reveal the presence of dark matter. The graph shows that the motions of the gas in AGC 114905 can be completely explained by just normal matter.

Part1

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on December 7, 2021 at 9:10am

Scientists discover potential cause of Alzheimer's disease

Prevailing theories posit plaques in the brain cause Alzheimer's disease. New research instead points to cells' slowing ability to clean themselves as the likely cause of unhealthy brain buildup.

Along with signs of dementia, doctors make a definitive Alzheimer's diagnosis if they find a combination of two things in the brain: amyloid plaques and neurofibrillary tangles. The plaques are a buildup of amyloid peptides, and the tangles are mostly made of a protein called tau.

Roughly 20% of people have the plaques, but no signs of dementia. This makes it seem as though the plaques themselves are not the cause.

For this reason, researchers investigated understudied aspects of tau protein. They wanted to understand whether a close examination of tau could reveal more about the mechanism behind the plaques and tangles.

A key but difficult-to-detect difference in the form of tau allowed the scientists to distinguish between people who expressed no outward signs of dementia from those who did. These results have now been published in the Journal of Proteome Research.

Researchers scanned all the proteins in donated brain samples. Those with brain buildup but no dementia had normal tau while a different-handed form of tau was found in those who developed plaques or tangles as well as dementia.

Most proteins in the body have a half-life of less than 48 hours. However, if the protein hangs out too long, certain amino acids can convert into the other-handed isomer.

In general, the process of clearing spent or defective proteins from cells, known as autophagy, slows down in people over the age of 65. 

 Evan E. Hubbard et al, Does Data-Independent Acquisition Data Contain Hidden Gems? A Case Study Related to Alzheimer's Disease, Journal of Proteome Research (2021). DOI: 10.1021/acs.jproteome.1c00558

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2021-11-scientists-potential-alzheim...

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on December 7, 2021 at 8:48am

Researchers develop ice cube that doesn't melt or grow mold

Researchers have developed a new type of cooling cube that could revolutionize how food is kept cold and shipped fresh without relying on ice or traditional cooling packs.

These plastic-free, "jelly ice cubes" do not melt, are compostable and anti-microbial, and prevent cross-contamination.

The cooling cubes contain more than 90 percent water and other components to retain and stabilize the structure. They are soft to the touch like a gelatin dessert and change color depending on temperature. These reusable cubes can be designed or cut to any shape and size needed. You can use it for 13 hours for cooling, collect it, rinse it with water and put it in the freezer to freeze again for the next use.

The jelly ice cubes offer an alternative to traditional ice and could potentially reduce water consumption and environmental impact. They also offer stable temperatures to reduce food spoilage and could be ideal for meal prep companies, shipping businesses and food producers who need to keep items cold.

The application could potentially reduce water consumption in the food supply chain and food waste by controlling microbial contaminations. The research was published in the American Chemical Society's journal, Sustainable Chemistry & Engineering.

Jiahan Zou et al, Sustainable and Reusable Gelatin-Based Hydrogel "Jelly Ice Cubes" as Food Coolant. II: Ideal Freeze–Thaw Conditions, ACS Sustainable Chemistry & Engineering (2021). DOI: 10.1021/acssuschemeng.1c06309

https://phys.org/news/2021-11-ice-cube-doesnt-mold.html?utm_source=...

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on December 7, 2021 at 8:27am

The first international framework on open science was adopted by 193 countries attending UNESCO’s General Conference. By making science more transparent and more accessible, the UNESCO Recommendation on Open Science will make science more equitable and inclusive. 

Through open science, scientists and engineers use open licenses to share their publications and data, software and even hardware more widely. Open science should, thus, enhance international scientific cooperation. 

Open science can be a powerful tool to reduce inequalities between and within countries and further the human right to enjoy and benefit for scientific progress, as stipulated in Article 27 of the Universal Declaration on Human Rights.

Welcome this collaborative international approach. Open science is a great aim. Working together and sharing insights as a global science community is the best way to push the boundaries of knowledge and discovery.

https://www.unesco.org/en/articles/unesco-sets-ambitious-internatio...

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on December 6, 2021 at 12:04pm

Humans Are Doomed to Go Extinct

Habitat degradation, low genetic variation and declining fertility are setting Homo sapiens up for collapse 

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on December 6, 2021 at 12:01pm

A Fusion Reaction Has Generated More Energy Than Absorbed by The Fuel

For the first time, a fusion reaction has achieved a record 1.3 megajoule energy output – and for the first time, exceeding energy absorbed by the fuel used to trigger it.

Inertial confinement fusion involves creating something like a tiny star. It starts with a capsule of fuel, consisting of deuterium and tritium – heavier isotopes of hydrogen. This fuel capsule is placed in a hollow gold chamber about the size of a pencil eraser called a hohlraum.

Then, 192 high-powered laser beams are blasted at the hohlraum, where they are converted into X-rays. These X-rays implode the fuel capsule, heating and compressing it to conditions comparable to those in the center of a star – temperatures in excess of 100 million degrees Celsius (180 million Fahrenheit) and pressures greater than 100 billion Earth atmospheres – turning the fuel capsule into a tiny blob of plasma.

And, just as hydrogen fuses into heavier elements in the heart of a main-sequence star, so too does the deuterium and tritium in the fuel capsule. The whole process takes place in just a few billionths of a second. The goal is to achieve ignition – a point at which the energy generated by the fusion process exceeds the total energy input.

The experiment, conducted on 8 August, fell just short of that mark; the input from the lasers was 1.9 megajoules. But it's still tremendously exciting, because according to the team's measurements, the fuel capsule absorbed over five times less energy than it generated in the fusion process. The result also opens up new avenues for experimental research.

https://meetings.aps.org/Meeting/DPP21/Session/AR01.1

https://www.sciencealert.com/for-the-first-time-a-fusion-reaction-h...

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on December 6, 2021 at 9:20am

The researchers began their investigation into how cells can maintain mitochondrial function without oxygen by using mass spectrometry to measure the quantities of molecules called metabolites that are produced through cellular respiration in both normal and low-oxygen conditions. When cells were deprived of oxygen, researchers noticed a high level of a molecule called succinate.

When you add electrons to oxygen at the end of the electron transport chain, it picks up two protons and becomes water. When you add electrons to fumarate, it becomes succinate. This led the researchers to think that maybe this accumulation of succinate that's occurring could actually be caused by fumarate being used as an electron acceptor, and that this reaction could explain the maintenance of mitochondrial functions in hypoxia.

Usually, the fumarate-succinate reaction runs the other direction in cells—a protein complex called the SDH complex takes away electrons from succinate, leaving fumarate. For the opposite to happen, the SDH complex would need to be running in reverse.

Through a series of assays, however, the researchers were able to ascertain that this complex was indeed running in reverse in cultured cells, largely due to accumulation of a molecule called ubiquinol, which the researchers observed to build up under low-oxygen conditions.

https://phys.org/news/2021-12-tissues-oxygen.html?utm_source=nwlett...

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