Introduction & Purpose
Knowledge update and Industry update at Skyline University College (SUC) is an online platform for communicating knowledge with SUC stakeholders, industry, and the outside world about the current trends of business development, technology, and social changes. The platform helps in branding SUC as a leading institution of updated knowledge base and in encouraging faculties, students, and others to create and contribute under different streams of domain and application. The platform also acts as a catalyst for learning and sharing knowledge in various areas.
Super User
From Different Corners
London, June 2 (IANS) It appears that the elixir of life is near us. The telomeres and telomerase group at the Spanish National Cancer Research Centre (CNIO) has succeeded in creating mice in the laboratory with hyper-long telomeres and with reduced molecular ageing.
Telomeres -- the protective structures located at the ends of chromosomes -- are essential to the stability of our genetic material and to maintain the "youthful state" of our cells and of our bodies.
However, telomeres get shorter as we age.
Once they reach a critical length, cells enter a state of senescence or die.
This is one of the molecular causes of cellular ageing and of the emergence of ageing-related diseases.
Based on epigenetic changes, the new technique avoids the manipulation of genes in order to delay molecular ageing.
The study also underlines the importance of this new strategy in generating embryonic stem cells and iPS cells with long telomeres for use in regenerative medicine.
When telomeres are extra-long -- as achieved for the first time by the group headed by Maria A. Blasco using the expression of the telomerase gene -- they exert a protective role against ageing and ageing-related diseases, thus significantly extending the lives of the mice.
“The in vitro expansion of the embryonic stem cells results in the elongation of the telomeres up to twice their normal length,” explained the authors in a paper described in the journal Nature Communications.
The cells with hyper-long telomeres in these mice appear to be perfectly functional.
When the tissues were analysed at various moments, these cells maintained the additional length scale, accumulated less DNA damage and had a greater capacity to repair any damage.
In addition, the animals presented a lower tumour incidence than normal mice.
The results show that pluripotent stem cells that carry hyper-long telomeres can give rise to organisms with telomeres that remain young at the molecular level for longer.
According to the authors, this "proof of concept means that it is possible to generate adult tissue with longer telomeres in the absence of genetic modifications".
The next step is to "generate a new species of mice in which the telomeres of all the cells are twice as long as those in normal mice.”
Super User
From Different Corners
New York, June 2 (IANS) Asthma patients may soon do away with their inhalers as researchers, including one of Indian origin, have developed an integrated, wearable system that monitors a user's environment, heart rate and other physical attributes with the goal of predicting and preventing asthma attacks.
"We have tested the system in the benchtop and on a limited number of human subjects for proof of concept demonstration and have confirmed that all of the sensors work, and that the system accurately compiles the data," said study co-author Veena Misra, professor at North Carolina State University in the US.
The system, called the Health and Environmental Tracker (HET), incorporates a host of novel sensing devices, which are incorporated into a wristband and a patch that adheres to the chest.
The patch includes sensors that track a patient's movement, heart rate, respiratory rate, the amount of oxygen in the blood, skin impedance and wheezing in the lungs.
The wristband focuses largely on environmental factors, monitoring volatile organic compounds and ozone in the air, as well as ambient humidity and temperature.
The wristband also includes additional sensors to monitor motion, heart rate and the amount of oxygen in the blood.
The system also has one nonwearable component: a spirometer, which patients breathe into several times a day to measure lung function.
Data from all of these sensors is transmitted wirelessly to a computer, where custom software collects and records the data.
"This summer, we plan to begin testing HET in a controlled environment with subjects suffering from asthma and a control group, in order to identify which environmental and physiological variables are effective at predicting asthma attacks," Misra noted.
Asthma patients currently rely on inhalers to deal with their symptoms, which can include often-debilitating asthma attacks.
"Our goal was to design a wearable system that could track the wellness of the subjects and in particular provide the infrastructure to predict asthma attacks, so that the users could take steps to prevent them by changing their activities or environment," principal investigator Alper Bozkurt, Assistant Professor at NC State, noted.
A paper describing the work was published in the IEEE Journal of Biomedical and Health Informatics.
"Preventing an attack could be as simple as going indoors or taking a break from an exercise routine," lead author James Dieffenderfer, PhD student in the joint biomedical engineering programme at NC State and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, explained.
Super User
From Different Corners
New York, June 2 (IANS) If you like to observe whether the person sitting next to you is rhythmically drumming his fingers because he's anxious or if someone is preoccupied because she's gazing off into the distance, make sure to use this talent at the workplace.
According to an interesting study, such “observing” people are high in mind-reading motivation (MRM) which can lead to many social benefits, including better teamwork.
MRM is a newly coined term for the practice of observing and interpreting bits of social information. It is the tendency to engage with the mental states and perspectives of others.
“We're not talking about the psychic phenomenon or anything like that but simply using cues from other people's behaviour, their non-verbal signals, to try to figure out what they're thinking," said Melanie Green, associate professor in University at Buffalo.
Individuals high in MRM enjoy speculating on others' thoughts based on the potentially hundreds of social cues they might receive.
Those low in MRM dislike or have no interest in doing so.
MRM is about the motivation to engage with other minds, and is distinct from the ability to accurately interpret others' cues.
“We didn't measure ability directly in our study of teamwork but the research suggests that just the motivation to understand others, and presumably the behaviours that go along with that motivation, appear to lead to benefits," Green added.
In addition to facilitating cooperation and better teamwork, people high in MRM also consider people in great detail and have a nuanced understanding of those around them.
Those high in MRM seem to develop richer psychological portraits of those around them.
“High MRM people are more drawn to and pay more attention to messages with an identifiable source - a spokesperson or an ad focusing on company values - that is, someone whose perspective they can try to understand,” Green noted.
On the other hand, low MRM people seem to pay more attention to ads that are more impersonal, like those that just discuss the product - a message that does not appear to come from a particular person or group.
Green and her colleagues think there might be a difference in how much people enjoy or were motivated to speculate on people's thoughts in situations where there was no situational need or institutional pressure.
It could be as simple as a bus passenger considering the thoughts of those across the aisle.
"This hadn't been previously considered from the standpoint of individual differences," Green stated in a paper published in the journal Motivation and Emotion.
The concept of MRM has been developed by Green and her coauthors Jordan M. Carpenter at the University of Pennsylvania and Tanya Vacharkulksemsuk at Haas School of Business, University of California, Berkeley.
SUC Editing Team
Information Systems
New York, June 2 (IANS) A new software developed by scientists at the Brown University in the US can help website owners and developers to determine which page or content a visitor is looking at.
Super User
From Different Corners
New York, June 1 (IANS) Researchers from Duke University have discovered a potential new class of small-molecule drugs that simultaneously block key targets in the treatment of pain.
The findings could lead to the development of a new drug to treat conditions including skin irritation and itching, headaches, jaw pain, and abdominal pain stemming from the pancreas and colon.
"We are very pleased with what is a first chapter in a highly promising story," said Wolfgang Liedtke, Professor at Duke University School of Medicine in Durham.
"We hope to be able to develop these compounds for clinical use in humans or animals," Liedtke noted.
In the new study, published in the journal Scientific Reports, the researchers initially aimed to develop more effective blockers of TRPV4, a molecule their previous research had shown transmits skin irritation elicited by sunburn, and painful sensations coming from the head and face.
The researchers used a prototype TRPV4 blocker in a 2009 study and then set out to develop more potent versions.
Compared to the prototype, one of the new candidate drugs, called "16-8," worked 10 times more effectively in cells with active TRPV4 that are key for the development of osteoarthritis.
It also worked well in another cell type involved in nerve cell injury, stroke and epilepsy.
But to their surprise, when assessing the specificity of 16-8, the scientists discovered that it also blocked TRPA1, which is a promising target in pain and itch research.
"As a physician, I soon realised the enormous potential that these compounds might have, given how beneficial dual-target molecules can be in clinical medicine," Liedtke said.
In this study, the drug 16-8 also quelled pain in living animals, including abdominal aches in mice with pancreas inflammation.
Liedtke sees potential for the 16-8 drug to treat osteoarthritis and other types of joint pain as well as head, face and jaw pain.
In general, it might also treat aches radiating from internal organs or resulting from nerve cell injury, the study said.
Super User
From Different Corners
New Delhi, June 1 (IANS) With rising cases of prostate enlargement among elderly men, surgeons have suggested the problem can be tackled in a much easier way if the patient undergoes Prostatic Artery Embolisation (PAE), as it ensures fast recovery.
According to experts, the procedure helps improve urinary symptoms caused by an enlarged prostate, or benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), without the risk of sexual side effects, which is the biggest advantage.
"The Embolization, unlike open surgeries, is performed through a small puncture in the groin. A catheter is inserted through the artery and directed toward the prostate. Once the catheter is positioned in the artery supplying blood to the prostate, tiny particles are injected that plug up the artery, blocking blood flow," said Pradeep Mulley, Head Interventional Radiologist, Fortis Hospital, Vasant Kunj.
Muley explained: "The process is then repeated on the other side, most commonly through the same original puncture. The procedure can take anywhere from 1-4 hours, depending on the location and size of the prostatic arteries. The procedure blocks the blood flow to the areas of the prostate that are most affected by BPH, resulting in death, or necrosis, of isolated areas and make the prostate softer."
Once the embolisation of both prostatic arteries is finished, the catheter is removed and the patient can start walking in next 6-8 hours, unlike other surgeries which take weeks for the recovery of the patient.
According to recent medical surveys, 80 per cent of men will develop BPH in India in the coming years and more than 40 per cent of men who develop an enlarged prostate will need surgery to correct symptoms from enlarged prostate.
Vishal Malhotra, a general surgeon at Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital, said the situation is such that one in four men in the age group of 50-55 has some signs and symptoms of BPF.
Suggesting some natural measures against prostate enlargement, Malhotra said: "Pumpkin seeds can prevent prostate enlargement. The seeds have unsaturated fatty seeds. The powdered seeds can be added to the food or milk. It can even be taken with honey."
Among other natural ways, he said prostate infection can be reduced by taking garlic and goldenseal. Some fruits such as juniper berries prevent swelling in the prostate glands.
"Tomatoes are also helpful in curing prostate diseases. It contains antioxidants, which can prevent prostate enlargement," said Malhotra.
SUC Editing Team
Accounting & Finance
Beijing, June 1 (IANS) SoftBank on Wednesday announced it will sell a four per cent stake in Alibaba Group in a sale that will see it dispose of shares in the Chinese e-commerce giant for the first time since it invested in 2000.
SUC Editing Team
Information Systems
San Francisco, May 27 (IANS) Microsoft and Facebook have joined hands to build a new, state-of-the-art subsea cable across the Atlantic Ocean that will help meet the growing customer demand for high speed, reliable connections for cloud and online services for Microsoft, Facebook and their customers.
SUC Editing Team
International Business
London, May 25 (IANS) London is projected to grow almost twice as fast as the rest of England over the next 10 years, the government's National Statistics Office (ONS) reported on Wednesday.
Super User
Lifestyle and Trends
London, June 1 (IANS) Countering a common perception, a new study has found no evidence of heart damage from long-term endurance training by elite master athletes.
While the media reports with depressing regularity the sudden cardiac death of endurance athletes, Belgium scientists earlier published a study that concluded that repeated bouts of intensive endurance exercise at the elite level may result in the pathological enlargement of the right ventricle, which, according to the article, is associated with potential health hazards including sudden cardiac death.
The publication of the study in European Heart Journal a few years ago was the cause of considerable debate among experts in the medical and sports communities.
Sports medicine physicians at Saarland University in Germany have now tested the conclusions of that study by examining the hearts of elite master endurance athletes.
The findings of the latest study, published in the journal Circulation, refute the hypothesis proposed by their Belgian colleagues.
The research team could find no evidence that years of elite-level endurance training causes any long-term damage to the right ventricle.
The researchers examined 33 elite master athletes (average age: 47) and compared them to a control group of 33 men who were similar in terms of age, size and weight but who had not done any kind of endurance exercise.
The group of athletes, which included former Olympians as well as previous Ironman participants and champions, have been training at an elite level for around 30 years and still continue to train for an average of about 17 hours a week.
The scientists were able to confirm that the hearts of these athletes, who have been engaged in elite level endurance activities for many years, were, as expected, significantly larger and stronger than those of members of the control group.
"But we found no evidence of lasting damage, pathological enlargement or functional impairment of either the right or left ventricle in the athletes who had been doing long-term intensive elite-level endurance exercise,” explained one of the researchers Philipp Bohm, who is now working at University Hospital Zurich in Switzerland.