Culture
At a glance:
Neuroscientists have discovered neurons that control hibernation-like behavior, or torpor, in mice.
Stimulating these neurons induces torpor, while blocking their activity disrupts natural torpor.
Findings inform efforts to better understand and control torpor in mice, other animal models and enable applications in humans.
Athens, Ga. - A team of researchers at the University of Georgia has successfully demonstrated that a set of drug-like small molecules can block the activity of a key SARS-CoV-2 protein--providing a promising path for new COVID-19 therapeutics.
Led by Scott Pegan, director of UGA's Center for Drug Discovery, the team was the first to evaluate the SARS-CoV-2 protein PLpro, known to be essential in other coronaviruses for both its replication and its ability to suppress host immune function.
WASHINGTON, DC (June 10, 2020)--The Journal of Alzheimer's Disease has just published a paper with a comprehensive review of the COVID-19's effect on the nervous system which classifies brain damage caused by COVID-19 into three stages. One of the authors, nationally-recognized neurologist Dr.
Hackers in possession of quantum computers represent a serious threat to today's cryptosystems. Researchers are therefore working on new encryption methods based on the principles of quantum mechanics. However, current encryption protocols assume that the communicating devices are known, trustworthy entities. But what if this is not the case and the devices leave a back door open for eavesdropping attacks?
NEW YORK, NY (June 11, 2020)--A study led by researchers at Columbia University Irving Medical Center confirms that minimally invasive surgery for early-stage cervical cancer is linked to higher rates of recurrence and death compared with open surgery.
The study was published online today in JAMA Oncology.
- Research released during Diabetes Awareness Week (8-14 June 2020) shows people living with both type 1 and type 2 diabetes are at greater risk of bone fractures
- One in 15 people in the UK have diabetes, but until now bone fracture was not a well-known complication of the condition
- People with type 1 diabetes are at increased risk of hip fractures compared to people with type 2 diabetes
- Severity and length of time someone has lived with the condition increases risk of fractures for those with type 2 diabetes
Researchers at the Francis Crick Institute have found that a protein which is initially helpful in the body's immune response to a virus, can later interfere with the repair of lung tissue. The work, published in Science, highlights the need for careful consideration regarding the use of this protein to treat viruses, including coronavirus.
A new analysis of blood sera taken from 63 COVID-19 patients, 71 controls, and various coronavirus-exposed animals provides strong support for the use of the SARS-CoV-2 virus' receptor-binding domain (RBD) as an antigen for reliable tests to detect antibodies to the virus. The study confirms that, because the SARS-CoV-2 RBD is distinct from those in related coronaviruses, it is capable of inducing antibodies that are highly specific to SARS-CoV-2.
Chronic exposure to interferons being tested for COVID-19 therapy may increase the risk of bacterial
Two separate studies in mice suggest that a class of interferons being evaluated in clinical trials as a therapy for COVID-19 may increase susceptibility to bacterial infections, depending on how long patients are exposed to it, and when they receive it. The results suggest that timing and duration of this treatment may need to be carefully selected, as trials move forward, to avoid deleterious effects. Interferons (IFNs) help fight viral infections in the lung.
Viruses and other disease-causing microbes influence the type of immune response their hosts will develop against them. In some cases, the predominant response involves antibodies, proteins made by the immune system that specifically recognize parts of the invading microbe and mediate its destruction. In other cases, immune cells are trained to recognize the microbe and lead the attack against it.
Suicide is the second leading cause of death for persons ages 10-24. And according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), youth suicide rates have nearly tripled from 2007 to 2017. Understanding risk factors in younger children can increase the likelihood of a child receiving behavioral health services in a timely fashion and can contribute to the development of interventions dedicated to preventing a first suicide attempt in at-risk youth.
The discovery of large well-preserved footprints belonging to an ancestor of modern-day crocodiles from the Lower Cretaceous Jinju Formation of South Korea is reported this week in Scientific Reports. The study suggests that footprints found previously, thought to have been made by giant pterosaurs walking on two legs, may have instead been made by ancient crocodile relatives.
More than 120,000 novel human genetic variations that affect large regions of DNA have been discovered, some of which are linked to immune response, disease susceptibility or digestion. Scientists at the Wellcome Sanger Institute identified these changes affecting multiple bases of DNA, known as structural variations, in a study of the most diverse worldwide populations examined to date. This included variations in medically-important genes in populations from Papua New Guinea that were inherited from Denisovan ancestors.
Trinidadian guppies behave like matadors, focusing a predator's point of attack before dodging away at the last moment, new research shows.
The tiny fish (10-40mm) draw attention by turning their irises black, which makes their eyes very conspicuous.
This encourages pike cichlids - a large fish that is the guppies' main predator - to charge at their head rather than their body.
What The Viewpoint Says: Possible outcomes of the COVID-19 pandemic on low- and middle-income countries are described.
Authors: Daniel Vigo, M.D., Lic. Psych., Dr.P.H., of the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, Canada, is the corresponding author.
To access the embargoed study: Visit our For The Media website at this link https://media.jamanetwork.com/
(doi:10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2020.2174)