Revolutionary discovery for blood clotting

Treatment with soluble GPV prevents the formation of a vascular-closing thrombus in an experimental mouse model for thrombosis formation (right). On the left is a vascular-closing thrombus of an untreated mouse.
Image Credit: Sarah Beck / University Hospital Würzburg

The platelet glycoprotein V is an important switching point for hemostasis and thrombus formation. This new finding could have great clinical potential.

If our blood vessels are injured by cuts or abrasions or bruises, it is vital that the bleeding is stopped and the wound closed. In technical terms, this process is called hemostasis. This consists of two processes: the hemostasis, in which platelets (platelets) attach to the wound edges, form a plug and temporarily seal the injury. And the blood clotting or coagulation cascade, in which long fibers are formed from fibrin, which together with the platelets seal the wound firmly.

However, if fibrin is formed in excess, for example in chronic wounds, vascular occlusions, so-called thrombosis, can occur. Strict regulation of fibrin formation is therefore important. However, how coagulation is limited has not yet been fully understood.

In an international project coordinated by Würzburg University Medicine, researchers have now deciphered a central regulatory mechanism for fibrin formation and derived new therapeutic approaches from it. The results are released in the renowned journal Nature Cardiovascular Research.

A readily available dietary supplement may reverse organ damage caused by HIV and antiretroviral therapy

Photo Credit: Courtesy of MitoQ

MitoQ, a mitochondrial antioxidant that is available to the public as a diet supplement, was found in a mouse study to reverse the detrimental effects that HIV and antiretroviral therapy (ART) have on mitochondria in the brain, heart, aorta, lungs, kidney and liver.

The researchers used a molecular method to measure the ratio of human and murine mitochondrial (mtDNA) to nuclear DNA (ntDNA) ratio, a measure of mitochondrial dysfunction. Reduction in this ratio reflects mitochondrial dysfunction. Compared to uninfected mice, HIV infected mice treated with ART had mitochondrial dysfunction in the human immune cells in the brain, heart, liver, lungs, and gut. ART itself also affected mitochondrial function in mouse heart cells. When treated with MitoQ for 90 days, HIV infected mice had reduced mitochondrial dysfunction in organs compared to HIV infected mice on ART.

Mitochondria are the key cell structures that are important for the smooth function of organs such as the brain, heart, liver and kidney. HIV causes a chronic state of inflammation and immune dysfunction that contribute to damage to organs. The reasons for this are unclear, but it is known that mitochondrial dysfunction contributes to organ damage and is present in chronic HIV. There are no therapies for HIV associated diseases that affect organs such as the brain, heart and liver.

Climate change threatens global fisheries

Euchaeta marina (Calanoid Copepod).
Photo Credit: Julian Uribe-Palomino IMOS-CSIRO.

A major study has found that the diet quality of fish across large parts of the world’s oceans could decline by up to 10 per cent as climate change impacts an integral part of marine food chains.

QUT School of Mathematical Sciences researcher Dr Ryan Heneghan led the study published in Nature Climate Change that included researchers from the University of Queensland, University of Tasmania, University of NSW and CSIRO.

They modeled the impact of climate change on zooplankton, an abundant and extremely diverse group of microscopic animals accounting for about 40 per cent of the world’s marine biomass.

Zooplankton is the primary link between phytoplankton—which converts sunlight and nutrients into energy like plants do on land—and fish.  Zooplankton includes groups such as Antarctic krill—a major food source for whales—and even jellyfish.

New wood-based technology removes 80 percent of dye pollutants in wastewater

Researchers at Chalmers have developed a new biobased material, a form of powder based on cellulose nanocrystals to purify water from pollutants, including textile dyes. When the polluted water passes through the filter with cellulose powder, the pollutants are absorbed, and the sunlight entering the treatment system causes them to break down quickly and efficiently. Laboratory tests have shown that at least 80 percent of the dye pollutants are removed with the new method and material, and the researchers see good opportunities to further increase the degree of purification.
Illustration Credit: David Ljungberg | Chalmers University of Technology

Clean water is a prerequisite for our health and living environment, but far from a given for everyone. According to the WHO, there are currently over two billion people living with limited or no access to clean water.

This global challenge is at the center of a research group at Chalmers University of Technology, which has developed a method to easily remove pollutants from water. The group, led by Gunnar Westman, Associate Professor of Organic Chemistry, focuses on new uses for cellulose and wood-based products and is part of the Wallenberg Wood Science Center.

The researchers have built up solid knowledge about cellulose nanocrystals* – and this is where the key to water purification lies. These tiny nanoparticles have an outstanding adsorption capacity, which the researchers have now found a way to utilize.

“We have taken a unique holistic approach to these cellulose nanocrystals, examining their properties and potential applications. We have now created a biobased material, a form of cellulose powder with excellent purification properties that we can adapt and modify depending on the types of pollutants to be removed,” says Gunnar Westman.

Can Artificial Intelligence Predict Spatiotemporal Distribution of Dengue Fever Outbreaks with Remote Sensing Data?

Image Credit: Sophia University
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Researchers train machine learning model with climatic and epidemiology remote sensing data to predict the spatiotemporal distribution of disease outbreaks

Cases of dengue fever and other zoonotic diseases will keep increasing owing to climate change, and prevention via early warning is one of our best options against them. Recently, researchers combined a machine learning model with remote sensing climatic data and information on past dengue fever cases in Chinese Taiwan, with the aim of predicting likely outbreak locations. Their findings highlight the hurdles to this approach and could facilitate more accurate predictive models.

Outbreaks of zoonotic diseases, which are those transmitted from animals to humans, are globally on the rise owing to climate change. In particular, the spread of diseases transmitted by mosquitoes is very sensitive to climate change, and Chinese Taiwan has seen a worrisome increase in the number of cases of dengue fever in recent years.

Like for most known diseases, the popular saying “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure” also rings true for dengue fever. Since there is still no safe and effective vaccine for all on a global scale, dengue fever prevention efforts rely on limiting places where mosquitoes can lay their eggs and giving people an early warning when an outbreak is likely to happen. However, thus far, there are no mathematical models that can accurately predict the location of dengue fever outbreaks ahead of time.

The age of onset of Alzheimer’s disease is likely linked to genetic factors

Nick Cochran, PhD
Photo Credit: Courtesy of HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology

Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias are progressive neurodegenerative diseases that slowly rob affected individuals of their memory, personality, and, eventually, their life. As devastating as these diseases are anywhere, members of a family in Antioquia, Colombia, suffer from a particularly cruel version that strikes them in their mid-40s and results in death within 10 to 12 years. Several decades ago, a neurologist named Francisco Lopera began studying the family because of their high incidence of very early-onset Alzheimer’s disease. Lopera and colleagues discovered that the large Colombian family carries a specific mutation in a gene called presenilin 1 (PSEN1). Having the PSEN1 E280A mutation, as it is called, ensures with certainty that an individual will eventually develop a type of Alzheimer’s disease called autosomal dominant Alzheimer’s disease. 

Lopera and other colleagues have enrolled more than 6,000 individuals from 26 extended families in the study. The dementia field is learning a lot about the cause and progression of Alzheimer’s disease from this family. In return, they received an answer to their decades-long question about why so many family members were suffering from, and ultimately dying from, the devastating disease. HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology Faculty Investigators Nick Cochran, PhD, and his lab were part of a recent study that dove deeper into the individuals’ genomes and identified new potential gene variants linked to Alzheimer’s disease. 

Microplastics limit energy production in tiny freshwater species

Paramecium bursaria
Image Credit: Picturepest
(CC BY 2.0)

Microplastic pollution reduces energy production in a microscopic creature found in freshwater worldwide, new research shows.

Paramecium bursaria contain algae that live inside their cells and provide energy by photosynthesis.

A new study, by the University of Exeter, tested whether severe microplastic contamination in the water affected this symbiotic relationship.  

The results showed a 50% decline in net photosynthesis – a major impact on the algae’s ability to produce energy and release oxygen.

“The relationship I examined – known as photosymbiosis – is commonly found both in freshwater and the oceans,” said Dr Ben Makin, lead author and associate researcher at the Environment and Sustainability Institute on Exeter’s Penryn Campus in Cornwall.

“We know climate change can damage photosymbiotic relationships, including in corals (leading to ‘bleaching’ events).

Mapping Migration

Avian research often focuses on forests as breeding habitats, but scientists are now working to understand the vital role that small forest patches play in migration. For the first time, a team of researchers from Princeton University and the University of Delaware has created a comprehensive map of migratory pathways and stopover locations in the Eastern United States.
Illustration Credit: Jeffrey C. Chase

Researchers release first comprehensive map of migratory bird patterns in Eastern U.S.

When the song pauses in a game of musical chairs, everyone jostles for one of the remaining seats. Bird migration today is much the same. When it’s time for a break in their biannual travels, songbirds descend to rest and refuel, searching for respite in a dwindling number of forest patches.

Avian research often focuses on forests as breeding habitats, but scientists are working to understand the role that small forest patches play in migration — a vital portion of a bird’s lifecycle when you consider that some species spend as much as half the year in transit. Now, for the first time, a team of researchers from Princeton University and the University of Delaware has created a comprehensive map of migratory pathways and stopover locations in the Eastern United States.

“Small pockets of deciduous forest are often neglected in conservation planning because birds have low breeding success in these spaces,” said Princeton University doctoral candidate Fengyi Guo, lead author of the study. “But the entire population moves across the continent twice annually. Many of them depend on food and shelter in these forest pockets to complete their migration and a chain is only as strong as its weakest link. Successful conservation of migratory bird populations requires enough habitat to be protected at all stages of its annual cycle.”

Researchers discover a way to fight the aging process and cancer development

Microscope image of C. elegans 10 days after treatment with UV-B rays. Left: Worms with intact DREAM complex cannot repair DNA well. Right: Worms without DREAM complex repair damage and live longer.
Image Credit: © Schumacher Lab

Damage in the human genome can be repaired. But this works better in germ cells, sperm and eggs, than in normal body cells. Responsible for this is the DREAM protein complex, which prevents the activation of all available repair mechanisms. A research team at the University of Cologne has now shown that normal body cells can also be repaired better once this complex has been deactivated. In the long run, the scientists hope to develop better therapies to prevent cancer and aging-associated diseases. 

A protein complex prevents the repair of genome damage in human cells, in mice and in the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans, a team of researchers at the University of Cologne has discovered. They also successfully inhibited this complex for the first time using a pharmaceutical agent.

“When we suppress the so-called DREAM complex in body cells, various repair mechanisms kick in, making these cells extremely resilient towards all kinds of DNA damage,” said Professor Dr Björn Schumacher, Director of the Institute for Genome Stability in Aging and Disease at the University of Cologne’s CECAD Cluster of Excellence in Aging Research.

Drought, Heat Waves Worsen West Coast Air Pollution Inequality

Shasta Lake, Calif. on August 25th, 2014 at Bridge Bay Resort and Marina. Lake Shasta is part of the Central Valley Project, operated by the U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Reclamation.
Photo Credit: U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Reclamation

A new study led by North Carolina State University researchers found drought and heat waves could make air pollution worse for communities that already have a high pollution burden in California, and deepen pollution inequalities along racial and ethnic lines.

Published in Nature Communications, the study also found financial penalties for power plants can significantly reduce people’s pollution exposure, except during severe heat waves.

“We have known that air pollution disproportionally impacts communities of color, the poor and communities that are already more likely to be impacted by other sources of environmental pollution,” said the study’s lead author Jordan Kern, assistant professor of forestry and environmental resources at NC State. “What we know now is that drought and heat waves make things worse.”

For the study, researchers estimated emissions of sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides and fine particulate matter from power plants in California across 500 different scenarios for what the weather could look like in future years, which they called “synthetic weather years.” These years simulated conditions that could occur based on historical wind, air, temperature and solar radiation values on the West Coast between 1953 and 2008. Then by using information about the location of power plants in California and how much electricity they would be generating under different weather conditions, they estimated air pollution within individual counties.