Knowledge Update

​Ottawa, Nov 10 (IANS) Middle-aged adults suffering from arthritis, heart diseases, diabetes and depression are more likely to experience disability and limited involvement in society, a study has found.

According to the study, physical and mental chronic conditions, alone and in combination, were strongly associated with disability and social participation restrictions.

However, the impact of these combinations of conditions differed by gender and age.

"What this research shows is that depending on your age and sex, the specific chronic diseases most highly associated with disability in the population differ," said Lauren Griffith, Associate Professor, McMaster University in the study published in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health.

The study found that arthritis was consistently associated with disability for men and women across most age groups. In middle-aged adults (45-54 years), depression and arthritis were most often associated with disability and social participation restrictions, especially in women.

Compared to women, combinations of chronic conditions that included diabetes and heart disease were stronger drivers of disability in men, especially in the younger age group (45-54 years).

To conduct the study, the research team analysed population-based data from more than 15,000 participants aged 45 to 85 years.

While the association between single chronic conditions and disability is well documented, there is little research examining the combination of both physical and mental chronic conditions on disability and social participation.

The researchers concluded that knowing which chronic conditions are associated with greater disability and social participation limitations may help clinicians to target treatment strategies for patients.

​New York, Nov 10 (IANS) Individuals who regularly consume sugar-sweetened beverages such as soda, colas and other carbonated beverages, and non-carbonated fruit drinks such as lemonade and fruit punch, may be at an higher risk of developing prediabetes, new research has revealed.

Prediabetes is a condition in which blood sugar is high, but not high enough to be Type 2 diabetes. If diagnosed early, it is reversible through lifestyle changes such as diet and exercise.

"Our results suggest that high sugar-sweetened beverage intake increases the chances of developing early warning signs for Type 2 diabetes," said Nicola McKeown, Associate Professor at the Tufts University, Massachusetts in the US.

"If lifestyle changes are not made, individuals with prediabetes are on the trajectory to developing diabetes," McKeown added.

The findings showed that adults who drink a can of soda per day or a median of six 12 fluid ounce servings a week are at 46 per cent higher risk of developing prediabetes.

Further, the highest consumers of sugar-sweetened beverages had nearly eight per cent higher insulin resistance scores, compared to low- or non-consumers.

On the other hand, diet soda -- defined as low-calorie cola or other carbonated low-calorie beverages -- intake was found with no associations with risk for either prediabetes or insulin resistance, the study said.

However, and further studies are needed to reveal the long-term health impact of artificially sweetened drinks, the researchers noted.

Intake of sugar-sweetened beverage should be limited, or replaced with healthier alternatives such as water or unsweetened coffee or tea, McKeown recommended.

For the study, the researchers analysed 1,685 middle-aged adults over a period of 14 years, who did not have diabetes or prediabetes during an initial baseline examination.

The findings were published in the Journal of Nutrition.

New York, Nov 10 (IANS) Researchers have identified a gene -- previously known only to regulate bone growth and muscle metabolism in mammals -- that can also act as a promoter of brain maturation, cognition and learning in human and non-human primates.

The findings showed that osteocrin -- a gene found in the skeletal muscles of all mammals -- is completely turned off in rodent brains yet highly active in the brains of non-human primates and humans.

However, the activity of the gene was most intense in neurons of the neocortex, the topmost layer of cells covering the brain and responsible for higher-level cognition, such as long-term memory, thought and language. 

At the same time, osteocrin was noticeably absent from other parts of the brain responsible for non-cognitive functions such as spatial navigation, balance, breathing, heart rate and temperature control.

This suggests a possible role of the gene in the development of cognition -- a cardinal feature that distinguishes the brains of human and non-human primates from those of other mammals, the researchers said.

"We have uncovered what we believe is a critical clue into the evolution of the human brain, one that gives us a glimpse into the genetic mechanisms that may account for differences in cognition between mice and humans," said Michael Greenberg, Professor at the Harvard Medical School, in Boston, US.

Further analysis revealed that osteocrin's activation curbed the growth of neuronal dendrites -- branchlike projections responsible for transmitting signals from one brain cell to the next.

"Restricting dendritic growth is a precision-enhancing mechanism, essential to ensuring that neuronal wires don't get crossed and compromise signal transmission from one cell to the next," added Bulent Ataman, neurobiologist at the Harvard Medical School.

This observation suggests that osteocrin's activity may help enhance nerve cell agility and proper signal transmission to ensure robust communication across neurons, Ataman said.

For their experiments, published in the journal Nature, the team analysed RNA levels -- the molecular footprints of gene activity -- in the brain cells of mice, rats and humans. 

​New York, Nov 10 (IANS) The Indian Ocean's Agulhas Current -- one of the strongest currents in the world -- is getting wider rather than strengthening, which will have important implications for global climate change, a study says.

The findings suggest that intensifying winds in the region may be increasing the turbulence of the current, rather than increasing its flow rate.

"To find decades of broadening, rather than intensification, profoundly impacts our understanding of the Agulhas Current and its future role in climate change," said study co-author Shane Elipot of the University of Miami's Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science in the US.

The Agulhas Current flows along the east coast of South Africa, transporting warm, salty water away from the tropics toward the poles.

Using measurements collected during three scientific cruises to the Agulhas Current, the Indian Ocean's version of the Gulf Stream, the researchers estimated the long-term transport of the current leveraging 22 years of satellite data. 

They found the Agulhas Current has broadened, not strengthened, since the early 1990s, due to more turbulence from increased eddying and meandering.

"Increased eddying and meandering could act to decrease poleward heat transport, while increasing coastal upwelling and the exchange of pollutants and larvae across the current from the coast to the open ocean," Elipot said.

The Agulhas, which is hundreds of kilometres long and over 2,000-metres deep, transports large amounts of ocean heat and is considered to have an influence not only on the regional climate of Africa, but on global climate as part of the ocean's global overturning circulation.

"Changes in western boundary currents could exacerbate or mitigate future climate change," lead author of the study Lisa Beal, also a professor at the Rosenstiel School noted.

"Currently, western boundary current regions are warming at three times the rate of the rest of the world ocean and our research suggests this may be related to a broadening of these current systems," Beal said

​Rio de Janeiro, Nov 9 (IANS) German automaker Volkswagen announced it would invest $2.18 billion in Brazil by 2020, to cover the production of a new family of cars and to prepare the ground for an expected rise in sales across Latin America.

​Hong Kong, Nov 9 (IANS) Researchers have developed the world's first light-seeking synthetic nanorobot that can help surgeons remove tumours and enable more precise engineering of targeted medications.

​New Delhi, Nov 9 (IANS) As equity markets became jittery with Republican Donald Trump being elected the 45th President of the US on Wednesday, investors found safe haven in gold, triggering a spike in prices.

Mumbai, Nov 9 (IANS) Anil Ambani-led Reliance Entertainment on Wednesday announced a new venture, an Android app called Chillx.

The entertainment conglomerate has invested in digital media content and distribution company called FunOnGo Media & Entertainment LLP, founded by Vijay Singh and Ujjwal

​New Delhi, Nov 9 (IANS) Expanding its Zenfone 3 series, Taiwanese giant ASUS on Wednesday launched two variants of Zenfone 3 Max smartphone with a massive 4,100 mAh battery in India. The two variants -- 5.5 inch (ZC553KL) and 5.2 inch (ZC520TL) -- are priced at Rs 17,999 and Rs 12,999, respectively. "With Zenfone 3 Max, users can enjoy smartphone experience for longer durations without having to look for a plug point," Peter Chang, Region Head-South Asia and Country Manager for ASUS India, said in a statement. The smartphone features a high capacity 4,100mAh lithium-polymer battery and the device doubles up as a fast-charge power bank for charging other devices. The smartphone sports 2.5D contoured glass touchscreen in a sandblasted full-metal, aluminum alloy body with chamfered edges. Designed for photography enthusiasts, the 5.5-inch device features 16MP primary and 8MP secondary cameras while the 5.2-inch variant sports 13MP primary and 5MP secondary shooters. Zenfone 3 Max has a fingerprint sensor near the top of the rear panel. While, the 5.5-inch Zenfone 3 Max is equipped with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 430 64-bit octa-core processor, the 5.2-inch smartphone is powered by a 64-bit quad-core processor. Both of them have a 3GB RAM. The 5.5-inch Zenfone 3 Max has 32GB onboard memory which can be expanded by a 128GB memory card. The other variant's 32GB onboard memory can be expanded by 32GB. Zenfone 3 Max ZC520TL is available from Wednesday and Zenfone 3 Max ZC553KL will be available by November end.

​New Delhi, Nov 9 (IANS) Sony India on Wednesday launched a new model in Cyber-shot RX100 series with the world's fastest auto-focus (AF) speed for Rs 79,990 in India. RX100 V is equipped with a Fast Hybrid auto-focus (AF) system with AF acquisition at 0.05 seconds and comes with world's highest number of AF points on sensor -- with 315 points covering approximately 65 per cent of the frame. With a shooting speed of up to 24 frames per second (fps) at full 20.1MP resolution with auto-focus/automatic exposure tracking for up to 150 continuous shots, RX100 V is claimed to be the world's fastest for a compact camera. The camera features 4K video recording and a high-speed Anti-Distortion Shutter (maximum speed of 1/32000 second) that allows the camera to capture sharp, crystal clear images with a wide open aperture at brightness levels. RX100 V is able to record super-slow motion video at up to 40x slower than the standard rate and can achieve this for about twice as long as its predecessor. RX100 V is available at all Sony Centres, "Alpha" flagship stores and major electronic stores across India.