Knowledge Update

New York, Feb 11 (IANS) Finding it tough to cope with stress in your life? Eat prebiotics fibers that may help protect the beneficial bacteria in your gut and restore healthy sleep patterns after a stressful event, researchers suggest. Prebiotics are certain types of non-digestible fibers that probiotic bacteria feed on, such as the fibers found in many plant sources like asparagus, oatmeal, and legumes as well as in breast milk. The findings showed that stress could upset the gut's microbiome, as well as restful sleep -- essential elements for a healthy life. "Acute stress can disrupt the gut microbiome," said Agnieszka Mika, postdoctoral fellow at the University of Colorado Boulder, in the US. A diet rich in prebiotics was found to increase beneficial bacteria as well as protect gut microbes from stress-induced disruptions. In addition, prebiotics also lead to the recovery of normal sleep patterns, since they tend to be disrupted after stressful events. "So far no adverse effects from prebiotics have been reported...and they are found widely in many plants, even present in breast milk, and are already commercially available," Mika added. For the study, published in the journal Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience, the team tested rats that received prebiotic diets for several weeks prior to a stressful test condition and compared with control rats that did not receive the prebiotic-enriched diet. The rats that ate prebiotics prior to the stressful event did not experience stress-induced disruption in their gut microbiota and also recovered healthier sleep patterns sooner than controls, the researchers said. As the stressor that the rats received was the equivalent of a single intense acute stressful episode for humans, such as a car accident or the death of a loved one, the results may be relevant in humans, noted Robert S. Thompson from the University of Colorado Boulder.

Washington, Feb 11 (IANS) Comet hunters have a chance to spot comet 45P/Honda-Mrkos-Pajdusakova in the next few days using binoculars or a telescope, NASA said on Saturday.

"It's the first of a trio of comets that will -- between now and the end of 2018 -- pass close enough to Earth for backyard observers to try to spot and for scientists to study using ground-based instruments," the US space agency said.

The recommendation for backyard astronomers is to use binoculars or a telescope to look for the comet several times during the coming days, NASA said.

Discovered in 1948, 45P is a short-period comet, with an orbit that takes it around the sun and out by Jupiter about every 5-1/4 years. 

This weekend's encounter will be the comet's closest with Earth - passing by at a distance of about 12.4 million kilometres -- through the end of this century.

The comet will pass by our planet again in 2032 but will be much farther away - at a distance of nearly about 48 million kilometres.

Scientists have taken advantage of 45P's approach, making observations using powerful ground-based telescopes such as NASA's Infrared Telescope Facility to investigate the gases, dust and ice particles that are released from the comet nucleus and show up in the coma and tail. 

By looking for water, methane and other important compounds, astronomers get clues about how the comet is put together and where it originated in the cloud of material that surrounded the young sun as the solar system formed.

By observing the same comet more than once, astronomers can see how the object changes over time.

"Observing a comet multiple times over successive orbits is like taking snapshots at different stages of life," said Joseph Nuth, a senior scientist at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. 

NASA said ground-based observations also are planned for comet 41P/Tuttle-Giacobini-Kresak, which will pass closest to Earth on April 1, 2017, and for comet 46P/Wirtanen, passing closest to Earth on December 16, 2018. 

By studying this trio of comets, astronomers can learn more about the differences among comets -- information they use to fill in the comet family tree.

Kathmandu, Feb 11 (IANS) Nepal has recorded a new species of bird from upper Dolpa, the largest district of the mid-western development region.

Organising a press meet here on Friday, discovery of a single individual of Rufous-tailed Rock Thrush Monticola saxitilis was made public, Xinhua news agency reported. 

The bird was seen and photographed in May near the Shey monastery within the Shey-Phoksundo National Park of Dolpa.

The Rufous-tailed Rock Thrush is considered as an autumn passage migrant in Pakistan and India.

A four-member team including young wildlife researcher of Nepal Naresh Kusi and Geraldine Werhahn from University of Oxford made the record during their visit to the region.

The team was studying the Himalayan wol., wild yak and snow leopard while they discovered this new bird species.

Bird experts have claimed that more researches are needed to ascertain the status of Rufous-tailed Rock Thrush in other parts of Nepal.

With this record, Nepal now has a total of 886 species of birds.

Brasilia, Feb 11 (IANS) Cancer was the leading cause of death by disease among young Brazilians, according to a study released by the country's National Cancer Institute (INCA).

The study issued on Friday said over 17,500 Brazilians aged 15 to 29 died of cancer from 2009 to 2013, accounting for 5 per cent of all deaths on the age group. It was only surpassed by deaths caused by violence and accidents, Xinhua news agency reported.

Among Brazilians aged 1-14, cancer was the leading cause of death by disease as well.

Data from the INCA indicated that the most common tumours in teenagers and young adults were carcinomas, followed by lymphomas and skin tumours. 

Carcinomas were frequently found in the urinary and reproductive system, thyroid, breast, head and neck.

Among Brazilian women aged 15 to 29, cervical cancer was the most common disease. 

Brazil has already started to take steps to curb the disease by establishing nationwide campaigns to vaccinate children against the human papilloma virus (HPV), which was the cause of most cervical cancer cases.

To prevent cancer, doctors also recommended precaution measures including avoiding smoking, having a healthy diet and not exposing oneself to the sun in excess.

The INCA expects about 600,000 new cases of cancer in Brazil this year. About a third of them are estimated to be skin tumours. 

Beijing , Feb 11 (IANS The China Securities Regulatory Commission (CSRC) has approved 12 IPO applications.

The 12 firms will be allowed to raise a maximum of 7 billion yuan (1.03 billion $US), a Xinhua news agency quoted a CSRC statement on Saturday.

New York, Feb 11 (IANS) Facebook said it intends to make ad data available for independent audit this year to verify the accuracy of the information it delivers.

The move comes after the social networking giant admitted last year that it had overstated some ad metrics.

​London, Feb 11 (IANS) Augmented Reality (AR) has the potential to become as big as the ubiquitous samrtmphone and help people out in daily life, Apple CEO Tim Cook has told The Independent newspaper.

​Beijing , Feb 11 (IANS) China will spend 50 billion yuan (about $7.3 billion) on building methane projects in rural areas as the government seeks to increase the use of clean energy.

​Brussels, Feb 11 (IANS) The European Commission on Friday announced it had approved three French schemes to support solar and hydropower energy generators in the country.

New Delhi, Feb 11 (IANS) As 36-year old Egyptian woman Eman Ahmed, who is believed to be the heaviest women in the world, arrived in Mumbai to undergo a weight reduction programme, we took a look at how some of the world's heaviest individuals fared post weight reduction programme.

In November 2016, a 32-year-old Mexican Juan Pedro, who weighed nearly 500 kgs, after spending six years confined to his bed, was dubbed as the 'World's heaviest man'.

According to doctors treating him, Pedro, who suffers from Type 2 diabetes, thyroid problems, hypertension and liquid in his lungs, will need at least six months of treatment to stabilise his body before gastric bypass surgery can be undertaken.

Obesity -- a disorder involving excessive body fat -- is a major risk factor for cardiovascular disease, metabolic diseases like diabetes, all which increases the risk of mortality.

According to WHO, nearly 13 per cent of the world's adult population (11 per cent of men and 15 per cent of women) were obese in 2014.

Earlier this month, a 44-year-old woman from California, who weighed nearly 300 kgs, underwent weight loss surgery and shed 86 kgs.

Erica Wall, who was overweight as a child, had her stomach stapled when she was only 16 years old.

Five years later, she gained weight so rapidly that her staple line burst and her weight continued to spiral out of control.

A 310 kgs father of three from the US, who turned to food after being sexually abused in childhood, lost 100 kgs in a year with the help of surgery.

Thirty-six year old Doug Armstrong's gastric bypass surgery was a success. Post the surgery, he started going to gym, where he did cardio and lifted weights and began shedding a lot.

In another case, a 172 kg woman crowdfunded money to undergo weight-loss surgery.

Kami Perritt, lost 37 kgs post the surgery last year and aims to weigh 90 kgs by the end of 2017.

Eman Ahmed suffered a stroke which left her bedridden and has since then not been able to leave home for the past 25 years, which triggered a series of ailments including diabetes, high blood pressure.

She will undergo a series of weight loss treatments under bariatric surgeon Muffazal Lakdawala and his team at Saifee Hospital in Mumbai over the next few months.