Knowledge Update

New York, Nov 29 (IANS) Your genes and place of birth can have a major effect on the formation of the microbial community in the gut -- which plays an important role in keeping one healthy, a research has showed.

The study proved that gut microbiome plays a leading role in the body's immune response. Thus, controlling the microbes in the gut could influence the immune system and disease vulnerability.

The findings showed the early life environment is very important for the formation of an individual's microbiome. 

The moderate shifts in diet, as we age, also determines exactly what functions the microbes carry out in the gut.

"We are starting to tease out the importance of different variables, like diet, genetics and the environment, on microbes in the gut. It turns out that early life history and genetics both play a role," said Janet Jansson at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) in Washington.

For the study, the scientists analysed more than 50,000 genetic variations in mice and linked specific genes in mouse to the presence and abundance of specific microbes in its gut.

The researchers found that the microbiome retained a clear microbial signature formed where the mice were first raised -- effectively their "hometown". 

The microbial trait -- which plays an important role in fighting infections -- also gets carried over to the next generation, the researchers said.

Further, the gut was also found to have in abundance, a specific probiotic strain of lactobacillales -- a microbe linked with higher levels of important immune cells known as T-helper cells. 

"We found that the level of T-helper cells in the blood of mice is well explained by the level of lactobacillales -- found in yogurt and very often used as a probiotic, in the gut," added Antoine Snijders from Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) in California, US. 

The study was published in the journal Nature Microbiology.

​London, Nov 29 (IANS) If you drink 3-5 cups of coffee a day, new research spells good news for you! A moderate intake of coffee may provide protection against age-related cognitive decline and other neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease, says recent research.

The researchers, from the University of Coimbra (CNC) in Portugal, suggested that regular, long-term coffee drinking may reduce the risk of Alzheimer's disease by up to 27 per cent.

The greatest protection against cognitive decline can be seen at an intake of nearly 3-5 cups of coffee per day, they said.

"Moderate coffee consumption could play a significant role in reducing cognitive decline which would impact health outcomes and healthcare spending," said Professor Rodrigo A. Cunha, at the university.

Caffeine, anti-inflammatory agents as well as antioxidants such as caffeic acid -- a polyphenol (antioxidant) found in coffee -- may be associated with the improved cognitive function, the researchers said.

Intake of up to 400mg of caffeine -- the equivalent of up to 5 cups of coffee per day -- from all sources do not raise any concerns for healthy adults, suggested European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) in its scientific opinion on the safety of caffeine. 

The research was presented at ISIC's symposium held during the European Union Geriatric Medicine Society's 2016 Congress in Lisbon recently. 

​Toronto, Nov 28 (IANS) Children exposed to tobacco smoke in early childhood adopt anti-social behaviour, engage in proactive and reactive aggression, and face conduct problems at school, even drop out at age 12, a research has showed.

Exposure to tobacco smoke is toxic to the developing brain at a time when it is most vulnerable to environment input, the researchers said.

"Young children have little control over their exposure to household tobacco smoke, which is considered toxic to the brain at a time when its development is exponential," said lead author and Professor Linda Pagani from the University of Montreal in Quebec, Canada. 

Parents who smoke near their children often inadvertently expose them to second- and third-hand smoke. 

Abnormal brain development can result from chronic or transient exposure to toxic chemicals and gases in second-hand tobacco smoke. These compounds eventually solidify and create third-hand smoke. 

In the study, the researchers found compelling evidence that suggests other dangers to developing brain systems that govern behavioural decisions, social and emotional life as well as cognitive functioning.

Anti-social behaviour is characterised by proactive intent to harm others, lack prosocial feelings, and violate social norms. 

Such behaviours include aggression, criminal offences, theft, refusal to comply with authority, destruction of property and is also associated with academic problems in later childhood. 

"These long-term associations should encourage policy-makers and public health professionals to raise awareness among parents about the developmental risks of second-hand smoke exposure," Pagani said. 

For the study, published in the journal Indoor Air, the team examined 1,035 boys and girls born in 1997 and 1998. 

Their parents reported whether anyone smoked at home when their children were aged 1.5 to 7.5 years. At age 12, their children self-reported their anti-social behaviour and academic characteristics.

London, Nov 28 (IANS) Using a combination of artificial intelligence (AI) and brain scanning technology, a team of researchers has developed a novel method that can help remove specific fears from the brain.

The new technique that could read and identify a fear memory can pave way of treating patients with conditions such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and phobias, the study said.

Neuroscientists, from the University of Tokyo, developed 'Decoded Neurofeedback' -- which used brain scanning to monitor activity in the brain, and identify complex patterns of activity that resembled a specific fear memory. 

In the study, the team included 17 healthy volunteers in whom a fear memory was created by administering a brief electric shock when they saw a certain computer image. 

Using brain scanner, the researchers monitored the volunteers' mental activity and were able to spot signs of that specific fear memory. Using AI algorithms, they also developed a fast and accurate method of reading the fear.

The findings showed that the volunteers' brains showed brain patterns of that specific fear memory, even when they were resting and not consciously aware of the fear. 

Because the researchers could decode these brain patterns quickly, they gave the participants a reward of small amount of money, so that the fear memories would become associated with rewards. However, the volunteers were told that the reward depended on their brain activity, although they didn't know how. 

At the end of the reward therapy that continued for three days, the team showed the volunteers the pictures previously associated with the shocks.

"We could not identify enhanced activity in the amygdala -- the brain's fear centre. This meant that we were been able to reduce the fear memory without the volunteers ever consciously experiencing the fear memory in the process," said lead author Ai Koizumi from the University of Tokyo. 

The study was published in the journal Nature Human Behaviour.

New Delhi, Nov 28 (IANS) A father's love can have a special influence on young adults, while it can boost the maths grades of the teenage daughter, it may improve the language skills in the son, researchers said.

The study found that fathers from low-income families support their teenagers in ways that result in greater optimism, self-efficacy, and, ultimately, higher achievement at school. 

This is even true for men with low levels of education or those who were not proficient enough in English to help their children with their homework.

"Low-income fathers affect their adolescents' beliefs about themselves and their future, and these beliefs influence their achievement by increasing their determination...," said Marie-Anne Suizzo from the University of Texas in the US.

These positive effects extend to both sons and daughters, albeit in different ways, the study said. 

Experiencing their father's warmth first influences daughters' sense of optimism and then spills over into their feeling more determined and certain about their academic abilities. This in turn leads to better math grades. 

There is a more direct link between the father's involvement and teenage boy's belief in their ability to succeed on the academic front. 

Fathers' involvement with teenage boys' belief in their ability to succeed on the academic front, results in heightened self-confidence and their success in English language, arts classes, the researchers explained.

Counselors and educators should encourage fathers to communicate warmth and acceptance to their children, because of the positive influence these emotions have on their well-being, Suizzo suggested.

In the study, published in the journal Sex Roles, the team analysed 183 sixth-graders from low-income, ethnic minority families. They asked about how optimistic and motivated they were about their schoolwork, and how their experiences were with their fathers. 

New York, Nov 28 (IANS) US researchers have identified neuro-metabolite alterations across the brain that linked stuttering to changes in brain circuits that control speech production and circuits that support attention and emotion.

Stuttering is a speech disorder in which the flow of speech is disrupted by involuntary repetitions and prolongations of sounds and syllables.

The study found that affected brain regions included major nodes of the speech-production network -- associated with the regulation of motor activity, the default-mode network -- involved in the regulation of attention -- and the emotional-memory network -- responsible for regulating emotion.

Attention-regulating portions of the brain are related to control circuits that are important in governing behaviour, the researchers said. 

"People with changes here are more likely to stutter and have more severe stuttering. And emotions like anxiety and stress also tend to make stuttering worse, likely because this network interacts with language and attention control circuits," said lead author Bradley S. Peterson, Director at Children's Hospital Los Angeles (CHLA) in the US. 

For the study, the scientists performed proton shift imaging of the brain in 47 children and 47 adults, both with and without stuttering.

The results confirmed that disturbances in neuronal or membrane metabolism contribute to the development of stuttering.

The study was published online in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA).

New York, Nov 27 (IANS) A novel way to pause the development of early mouse embryos for up to a month in the lab has been identified, a finding that has potential implications for assisted reproduction, regenerative medicine, ageing and even cancer, researchers say.

In the study, the researchers were able to stop the development of early-stage mouse embryos -- known as blastocysts -- using drugs that inhibit the activity of mTor, a master regulator of cell growth.

"Normally, blastocysts only last a day or two, maximum, in the lab. But blastocysts treated with mTOR inhibitors could survive up to four weeks," said the study's lead author Aydan Bulut-Karslioglu, post-doctoral student at the University of California -San Francisco (UCSF).

The paused embryos could quickly resume normal growth when mTOR inhibiters were removed. When implanted back into a recipient mother, they developed into healthy mice, the researchers said.

"mTOR is this beautiful regulator of developmental timing that works by being a nutrient sensor. It doesn't just drive cells into growing willy-nilly. It tunes cell growth based on the level of nutrients that are available in the environment," added Miguel Ramalho-Santos, Associate Professor at UCSF. 

The new research could have a big impact on the field of assisted reproduction -- technology used to achieve pregnancy in procedures such as fertility medication, artificial insemination, in vitro fertilisation and surrogacy -- where practitioners are currently limited by the rapid degradation of embryos once they reach the blastocyst stage.

Further, pausing the development of early-stage embryos may also avoid the compromise of freezing embryos and give practitioners more time to test fertilised blastocysts for genetic defects before implanting them, Bulut-Karslioglu said.

Humans too may have the ability to delay implantation of fertilised embryos in some circumstances, suggested the practitioners of in vitro fertilisation, in the paper published online in the journal Nature.

Singapore, Nov 27 (IANS) Indian-origin researchers from Singapore have developed a new material that will make vehicles and buildings cooler and quieter as compared to the current insulation materials in the market.

Known as aerogel composites, this new foam insulates against heat 2.6 times better than a conventional insulation foam.

The product, which is expected to hit the market by early 2017, was compared to traditional materials used in soundproofing. It was found that it can block out 80 per cent of outside noise -- 30 per cent more than the usual ones.

The foam is made from silica aerogels with a few other additives. The details of the new material were published in peer-reviewed Scientific Journals.

A patent has been filed for by Nanyang Technological University's (NTU) innovation and enterprise arm NTUitive.

A local company, Bronx Creative and Design Centre Pte Ltd (BDC), has licensed the aerogel composites technology with a joint venture of 7 million Singapore dollars ($5.2 million) and will produce the products in various forms such as sheets or panels, in line with current industry sizes.

According to Sunil Chandrankant Joshi, Associate Professor at the NTU, the foam will be easy to install and use as it is thinner than conventional foam.

"Our NTU thin foam is also greener to manufacture as it does not require high heat treatment or toxic materials in its production. It is, therefore, eco-friendly and less hazardous to the environment," said Joshi, who is from NTU's School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering.

Meanwhile, BDC has various negotiations underway with other companies to expand the production to India and various Southeast Asia countries within the next three years.

The new aerogel composite has been branded "Bronx AeroSil" by BDC and is being developed for various applications by Mahesh Sachithanadam, Chief Technology Officer at BDC.

"For both heat insulation and sound-proofing, we can now use less material to achieve the same effect, which will also lower the overall material and logistic costs," said Sachithanadam, who was Joshi's PhD student at the university.

Apart from being a good thermal and acoustic insulator, the new material is also non-flammable -- a crucial factor for materials used in high heat environments common in the oil and gas industries.

It is also resilient and can withstand high compression or heavy loads. 

A small 10cm by 10cm piece of the aerogel composite material weighing just 15 grams can take up to 300 kg of weight, maintaining its shape without being flattened.

​London, Nov 26 (IANS) Researchers have discovered a new drug that can potentially reduce the number of brain cells destroyed by stroke as well as help in repairing the damage done.

Stroke -- caused by a reduction in blood flow to the brain -- is a major cause of death as well as disability.

Scientists at the University of Manchester, UK, have found that in rodents with stroke, treatment with the anti-inflammatory drug, interleukin-1 receptor antagonist (IL-1Ra), can not only limit the death of existing brain cells but also promote the birth of new neurons.

These new cells are thought to help restore function to areas of the brain damaged by the stroke.

The use of IL-1Ra not only limits the initial damage to brain cells, but also helps the brain repair itself long-term through the generation of new brain cells, the researchers said.

Previous studies showed the treatment with IL-1Ra does indeed help rodents regain motor skills that were initially lost after a stroke. Early stage clinical trials in human stroke patients also suggest that IL-1Ra could be beneficial.

"The results lend further strong support to the use of IL-1Ra in the treatment of stroke; however, further large trials are necessary," said Stuart Allan, Professor at the University of Manchester.

The drug is already licensed for use in humans for some conditions, including rheumatoid arthritis.

Several early stage clinical trials in stroke with IL-1Ra have already been completed in Manchester, though it is not yet licensed for this condition, the researchers noted, in the paper published in the journal Brain, Behaviour and Immunity.

​London, Nov 26 (IANS) A component of cancer cells, which acts like a 'cellular post office', could be the key to preventing the spread of lung cancer to other parts of the body, scientists have discovered.

The 'post office' of the cell -- or the Golgi apparatus as it is more commonly known -- has the ability to package proteins in order to transport them to other parts of the cell or to deliver them to areas outside of the cell.

"If we think of the cancer cell like a tent structure: it has fixed sides to hold its shape and is firmly anchored to the ground in order to secure its contents. In order to move the tent, we have to collapse its sides in order to lift it out of its anchored position and carry it away," said Daniel Ungar from the University of York in Britain.

"A similar process happens with cancer when it metastasises -- its outer edges are altered resulting in it becoming un-anchored," Ungar said.

In the study, the researchers identified that a protein, called PAQR11, inside the 'cellular post office', receives a signal from another protein, called Zeb1.

The Golgi -- the delivery centre for communications between proteins -- receives the signal that the movement of membrane sacks around the cell should be changed.

This change in movement alters the perimeter of the cancer cell and, much like a tent's sides collapsing, allows it to move from its original resting place to anywhere in the body, the researchers explained.

The findings could point towards new therapeutics, targeted at a particular communication mechanism in the cell.

"Now that we recognise this system, there is the potential to develop a drug that interferes with this communication and prevents the Golgi apparatus from facilitating the movement of the membrane sacks," Ungar said.

The research was published in The Journal of Clinical Investigation.