Ancient source of oxygen for life hidden deep in the Earth’s crust

Jordan Stone, who conducted the research as part of his MRes in Environmental Geoscience, setting up one of the crushed rock experiments
Credit: Newcastle University

Scientists at Newcastle University have uncovered a source of oxygen that may have influenced the evolution of life before the advent of photosynthesis.

The pioneering research project, led by Newcastle University’s School of Natural and Environmental Sciences and published today in Nature Communications, uncovered a mechanism that can generate hydrogen peroxide from rocks during the movement of geological faults.

While in high concentrations hydrogen peroxide can be harmful to life, it can also provide a useful source of oxygen to microbes. This additional source of oxygen may have influenced the early evolution, and feasibly even origin, of life in hot environments on the early Earth prior to the evolution of photosynthesis.

In tectonically active regions, the movement of the Earth’s crust not only generates earthquakes but riddles the subsurface with cracks and fractures lined with highly reactive rock surfaces containing many imperfections, or defects. Water can then filter down and react with these defects on the newly fractured rock.

In the laboratory, Masters student Jordan Stone simulated these conditions by crushing granite, basalt and peridotite – rock types that would have been present in the early Earth’s crust. These were then added to water under well controlled oxygen-free conditions at varying temperatures.

New injectable gel offers promise for tough-to-treat brain tumors

Quanyin Hu, an assistant professor in the University of Wisconsin–Madison School of Pharmacy’s Pharmaceutical Sciences Division
Credit: UWM

Like the hardiest weed, glioblastoma almost always springs back — usually within months after a patient’s initial brain tumor is surgically removed. That is why survival rates for this cancer are just 25 percent in one year and plummet to 5 percent by the five-year mark.

One of the challenges of treating this disease is that surgeons can’t always remove every bit of tumor or glioma stem cells that might linger in the brain.

“One characteristic of glioblastoma is that the tumor cells are very aggressive, and they will infiltrate the surrounding tissues. So, the surgeon can’t clearly feel the boundaries between the tumor and the normal tissue, and you cannot remove as much as possible because all the tissues in the brain are extremely important — you certainly don’t want to remove too much,” explains Quanyin Hu, an assistant professor in the University of Wisconsin–Madison School of Pharmacy’s Pharmaceutical Sciences Division. “So, the tumor will come back again, and that sharply decreases the survival rate after treatment.”

But Hu’s Cell-Inspired Personalized Therapeutic (CIPT) Lab has developed a powerful immunity-boosting postoperative treatment that could transform the odds for patients with glioblastoma. Hu and his collaborators published their research on the treatment’s use in mouse models of human glioblastoma this month in the journal Science Translational Medicine.

Prevalence of gender-diverse youth in rural Appalachia exceeds previous estimates

The prevalence of gender diversity is largely unknown, especially in rural areas. To fill that knowledge gap, WVU researchers surveyed junior high and high school students in rural Appalachia about their gender identity. Over 7% of young people surveyed shared a gender identity that did not fully align with the sex they were assigned at birth.
Credit: WVU Photo/Sean Hines

Gender-diverse youth are at an increased risk of suicide and depression, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. But the prevalence of gender diversity is largely unknown—especially in rural areas, where studies of the topic are rare.

To fill that knowledge gap, researchers at West Virginia University— along with their colleagues at the University of Washington and Boise State University — surveyed junior high and high school students in rural Appalachia about their gender identity. They asked about the students’ internal sense of being male, being female or having another identity, like nonbinary. They found that more than 7% of young people surveyed shared a gender identity that did not fully align with the sex they were assigned at birth.

These findings were published in JAMA Pediatrics.

Being gender diverse, including being transgender, nonbinary or having another gender identity that doesn’t match the sex assigned at birth, is not a medical concern and is considered a normal part of human experience, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics.

Even though gender diversity isn’t an illness, some young people who are gender diverse experience distress when their gender doesn’t align with their physical characteristics or treatment in society. This distress, called “gender dysphoria,” can be associated with higher rates of depression or even thoughts of self-harm, prior research suggests.

New inhaled COVID-19 therapeutic blocks viral replication in the lungs

UC Berkeley postdoctoral scholar Chi Zhu is part of a team of researchers who are developing a new COVID-19 therapeutic that can be administered as a nasal spray. The experimental treatment is effective against all SARS-CoV-2 “variants of concern” and could be readily modified to target other RNA viruses.
UC Berkeley photo by Brittany Hosea-Small

Scientists at the University of California, Berkeley, have created a new COVID-19 therapeutic that could one day make treating SARS-CoV-2 infections as easy as using a nasal spray for allergies.

The therapeutic uses short snippets of synthetic DNA to gum up the genetic machinery that allows SARS-CoV-2 to replicate within the body.

In a new study published online in the journal Nature Communications, the team shows that these short snippets, called antisense oligonucleotides (ASOs), are highly effective at preventing the virus from replicating in human cells. When administered in the nose, these ASOs are also effective at preventing and treating COVID-19 infection in mice and hamsters.

“Vaccines are making a huge difference, but vaccines are not universal, and there is still a tremendous need for other approaches,” said Anders Näär, a professor of metabolic biology in the Department of Nutritional Sciences and Toxicology (NST) at UC Berkeley and senior author of the paper. “A nasal spray that is cheaply available everywhere and that could prevent someone from getting infected or prevent serious disease could be immensely helpful.”

Because the ASO treatment targets a portion of the viral genome that is highly conserved among different variants, it is effective against all SARS-CoV-2 “variants of concern” in human cells and in animal models. It is also chemically stable and relatively inexpensive to produce at large scale, making it ideal for treating COVID-19 infections in areas of the world that do not have access to electricity or refrigeration.

Greenhouse gas emissions are responsible for more than half of human pathogenic diseases

Source/Credit: University of Hawaiʻi

More than half of known human pathogenic diseases such as dengue, hepatitis, pneumonia, malaria, Zika and more, can be aggravated by climate change. That eye-opening and startling finding is the topic of a research paper published on August 8 in Nature Climate Change by a team of researchers from the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa.

The researchers carried out a systemic search for empirical examples about the impacts of 10 climatic hazards sensitive to greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions on each known human pathogenic disease. These hazards included warming, drought, heatwaves, wildfires, extreme precipitation, floods, storms, sea level rise, ocean biogeochemical change, and land cover change.

Combining two authoritative lists of all known infections and pathogenic diseases that have affected humanity in recorded history, researchers then reviewed over 70,000 scientific papers for empirical examples about each possible combination of a climatic hazard impacting each of the known diseases.

The research revealed that warming, precipitation, floods, drought, storm, land cover change, ocean climate change, fires, heatwaves and sea level changes were all found to influence diseases triggered by viruses, bacteria, animals, fungi, protozoans, plants and chromists. Pathogenic diseases were primarily transmitted by vectors, although case examples were also found for transmission pathways involving waterborne, airborne, direct contact and foodborne. Ultimately, the research found that more than 58%, or 218 out of 375, of known human pathogenic diseases had been affected at some point by at least one climatic hazard via 1,006 unique pathways.

Researcher Explores Power-Based Exercises for Improving Knee Pain

Through a $1.5 million grant from the Department of Defense, Neal Glaviano will investigate if incorporating power-based exercises into treatment will provide better long-term outcomes for people with patellofemoral pain

Neal Glaviano, assistant professor in the Department of Kinesiology and athletic training clinical education coordinator, has received $1.5 million from the Department of Defense to test a new approach to treating chronic knee pain.

Glaviano will be working on a new treatment approach to patellofemoral pain, which affects the area around the knee and kneecap. This common injury is the result of stress on the patellofemoral joint (the area under the kneecap) caused by physical activity like running or jumping. This can cause pain when performing any activity that involves flexing the knee joint, including running, walking, sitting, or squatting.

Currently, approximately two thirds of patients who seek treatment for patellofemoral pain still experience pain within two years after treatment.

The development of better treatment options is of particular interest for the Department of Defense. The physically rigorous requirements of basic training often lead cadets to develop patellofemoral pain that can put them permanently out of commission.

Glaviano, who has served in the Army National Guard, says he saw this first-hand.

“When I look at a lot of the people I served with, a lot of them were having chronic kneecap pain, and it’s one of the leading reasons people aren’t able to complete basic training,” Glaviano says.

Funding for catalyst research

The teams of Stefan Huber (left) and Dirk Tischler receive funding from the Mercator Research Center Ruhr.
Credit: RUB, Marquard

With a total of around 240,000 euros, the Mercator Research Center Ruhr supports two RUB cooperation projects with its partners of the Ruhr University Alliance.

In order to develop new tools for catalysis, the Mercator Research Center Ruhr (MERCUR) is funding two projects with Bochum participation with a total of around 240,000 euros. The team around Prof. Dr. Dirk Tischler from the Microbial Biotechnology Working Group at the Ruhr University Bochum (RUB) is developing new bio-building blocks in cooperation with a team from the Technical University (TU) Dortmund, which can be reliably and easily assembled into bio-catalysts. Prof. Dr. Stefan Huber and his working group at the Chair of Organic Chemistry I at RUB are developing new methods for catalysis using halogen bridges together with the University of Duisburg-Essen (UDE).

Biocatalysts from the tool case

These catalysts are complex proteins; Genes contain the building instructions for this. Different gene sections contain the building instructions for different protein components. In synthetic biology, researchers produce gene building blocks that can be used for different biocatalysts. These so-called biobricks form a kind of kit from which a catalyst can be put together for a specific purpose. The appropriate gene building blocks are put together and introduced into an organism such as the bacterium E. coli. This translates the gene into proteins with catalytic function.

Optical Fibers with Unusual Properties Created in Russia

Monocrystal.
Credit: Vladimir Petrov

Researchers of the Science Lab of Fiber Technology and Photonics at Ural Federal University have developed and produced infrared optical fibers with unique properties. The fibers are nontoxic and, as studies have shown, retain their outstanding properties when treated with ionizing beta radiation by doses up to 1 MGy. The team of scientists published an article describing the research, properties and areas of application of the obtained fibers in the scientific journal Optical Materials.

"This opens up the prospect of application of light guides made of the obtained fibers in conditions of intense ionizing radiation. That is, not only in the traditional field of optoelectronics, but also in laser surgery, endoscopic and diagnostic medicine, in determining the composition of hazardous waste from the nuclear industry, and in space," lists Liya Zhukova, Chief Scientist of the Laboratory, Professor of the Department of Physical Chemistry and Chemistry of Colloids at UrFU.

Because the fibers are capable of receiving and transmitting radiation from space objects, they can be embedded in infrared space telescopes, replacing massive mirrors and lenses. The lifespan of the fibers will be longer than the life cycle of the telescopes themselves, the developers claim.

Fibers are also highly productive in the non-hazardous for humans terahertz radiation region (between the region of mid- and far-infrared radiation, on the one hand, and microwave radiation, on the other hand). This means that fiber optic cables are suitable for creating equipment that could become a safe substitute for magnetic resonance imaging and x-rays - in medicine or in the process of pre-boarding scanning of passengers and their luggage. It would not require the use of cumbersome and expensive metal detectors, and passengers would not even feel that they are being screened.

Tracking Nitrogen Pollution

Mesoamerican Reef
Source: University of California, Santa Barbara

Tropical coastal ecosystems are among the most biodiverse areas on Earth. And they’re also on the front lines of effects caused by human activity. That’s why it’s becoming increasingly important, especially as human populations increase, to manage the impacts of runoff and wastewater that flow into the sea.

“Tropical coastal ecosystems, such as coral reefs, are oligotrophic, meaning they are located in nutrient-poor waters and have therefore adapted to these conditions,” said Madeline Berger, a researcher at UC Santa Barbara’s National Center for Ecological Analysis & Synthesis (NCEAS). “An increased influx of nutrients can therefore disrupt ecosystem functioning.”

In a paper that appears in the journal Ocean and Coastal Management, lead author Berger and her colleagues tackle the issue of nutrient pollution through a case study in coastal Central America. The result? Agricultural operations are responsible for the vast majority of nitrogen pollution that flows into the Mesoamerican Reef Region. Knowing where the pollution comes from, the researchers say, will help managers tailor solutions for mitigation.

“Our study highlights that different management strategies will need to be employed in different watersheds to help reduce nutrient input that can have detrimental impacts on coral reef and seagrass health in this area,” Berger said.

Menthol in e-cigs could hurt lungs

Source: University of Hawaiʻi

Menthol in e-cigarettes may be harmful to respiratory health, according to new research by a team of University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa experts. The findings come as e-cigarette use is on the rise among Hawaiʻi’s youth.

Yi Zuo, UH Mānoa professor of mechanical engineering and adjunct professor of pediatrics, has invented a groundbreaking method that allows the study of the health impact of e-cigarette aerosols. This breakthrough research was published in the American Journal of Physiology—Lung Cellular and Molecular Physiology, “Menthol in Electronic Cigarettes Causes Biophysical Inhibition of Pulmonary Surfactant.”

Zuo’s research found that flavorings used in e-cigarettes, especially menthol, impaired a lipid-protein film at the air-water surface of the lung. This film is called the lung surfactant. It plays a central role in maintaining the normal respiratory mechanics of the lung. Therefore, Zuo’s research indicated that menthol in e-cigarette aerosols may cause an adverse impact on the respiratory health of the user.

“E-cigarettes were initially advertised as a healthier and safer alternative to conventional tobacco smoking when they first appeared in the mid-2000s,” Zuo said. “However, increasing research evidence, especially long-term (more than 10 years) toxicological data that emerged only in recent years, has suggested that e-cigarettes are not as safe as originally promised.”