Scientists uncover cause of mysterious deaths of elephants in Zimbabwe

Photo Credit: Charl Durand

During this unique study, scientists from the Victoria Falls Wildlife Trust, the Animal and Plant Health Agency UK, the University of Surrey and laboratories in South Africa investigated the mysterious deaths of 35 elephants mostly between August and September 2020, in a 40 x 25 km radius of North-Western Zimbabwe. This incident followed the death of approximately 350 elephants in neighboring northern Botswana from May to June 2020, which triggered much international concern. 

African savanna elephants are an endangered species with only 350,000 remaining in the wild and ongoing losses estimated at eight percent annually. This finding is very worrying since elephants are on the International Union for Conservation of Nature red list already. Investigating the deaths of these elephants is crucial to sustaining the future of this majestic species. 

Post-COVID condition is not linked to ongoing infection or active brain damage

Post COVID-19 condition does not appear to be linked to direct viral invasion of the brain or active brain damage. This has been shown by a study at the University of Gothenburg. Searching for abnormal biomarkers among the participants yielded no hits in either blood or cerebrospinal fluid samples.

The condition that can follow the acute phase of COVID-19 infection, termed “Post-COVID condition,” or “long-covid” can persist for several months subsequent to the initial infection. The condition includes various combinations of fatigue, apathy, and difficulties with memory and concentration.

The current study, published in The Journal of Infectious Diseases, included 25 people with confirmed post-COVID condition, six people without residual symptoms after COVID-19, and 17 control subjects who were completely free of COVID-19.

The strength of the study lies not in the number of participants, which is fairly limited, but in the fact that they all – including the control subjects – underwent not only blood tests but also the considerably more invasive procedure of lumbar punctures to collect cerebrospinal fluid.

At the time when the samples were taken, at least three months had passed since the first symptoms of COVID-19 in those who had had the disease. The samples were taken between February and November 2021, and were analyzed for a total of 37 different biomarkers.

People with severe mental illness at 50 per cent higher risk of death following COVID-19 infection

Photo Credit: Darina Belonogova

New research from King’s College London has found that people in the UK with severe mental illness were at increased risk of death from all causes following COVID-19 infection compared to those without severe mental illness.

Published in the British Journal of Psychiatry, the study investigated the extent to which having severe mental illness, which includes schizophrenia and psychosis, increased the risk of death during the first two waves of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Researchers at the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience (IoPPN) and ESRC Centre for Society and Mental Health analyzed data from over 660,000 UK patients between February 2020 and April 2021.

Among the 7146 people with severe mental illness, there was a 50 per cent greater risk of death from all causes following COVID-19 infection compared with those without severe mental illness.

Black Caribbean/Black African people were at 22 per cent higher risk of death following COVID-19 infection than White people, and this was similar for people with and without severe mental illness. However, in around 30 per cent of patient data, ethnicity was not recorded.

SLAC scientists shed light on potential breakthrough biomedical molecule

Researchers employed advanced X-ray spectroscopic techniques at SLAC’s Stanford Synchrotron Radiation Lightsource (SSRL), which allowed them to peer deeper into the chemical properties of nitroxide.
Illustration Credit: Greg Stewart/SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory

Scientists from the Department of Energy’s SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory have gained valuable insights into producing nitroxide, a molecule with potential applications in the biomedical field. While nitric oxide (NO) has long been on researchers' radar for its significant physiological effects, its lesser-known cousin, nitroxide (HNO), has remained largely unexplored.

The study, published recently in the Journal of the American Chemical Society, was born out of a joint endeavor between teams at SLAC’s Linac Coherent Light Source (LCLS) X-ray laser and Stanford Synchrotron Radiation Lightsource (SSRL).

Nitroxide has many of the same physiological effects of nitric oxide – such as its ability to fight germs, prevent blood clots, and relax and dilate blood vessels – with additional therapeutic properties, such as efficacy in treating heart failure, as well as more potent antioxidant activity and wound healing. However, it is not a chemically long-lived species so methods that enable its targeted delivery are key to future biomedical applications.

Killer whales’ diet more important than location for pollutant exposure

Photo Credit: Thomas Lipke

Both elegant and fierce, killer whales are some of the oceans’ top predators, but even they can be exposed to environmental pollution. Now, in the largest study to date on North Atlantic killer whales, researchers in the American Chemical Society’ Environmental Science & Technology report the levels of legacy and emerging pollutants in 162 individuals’ blubber. The animals’ diet, rather than location, greatly impacted contaminant levels and potential health risks — information that’s helpful to conservation efforts.

As the largest member of the dolphin family, killer whales, also known as orcas, are found worldwide. Marine vessel traffic can disturb the hunting and communication of these black-and-white marine mammals. But they face another type of human threat — legacy and emerging persistent organic pollutants (POPs) in their environments. POPs include chlorinated hydrocarbons and flame retardants, and can accumulate in animals’ fat stores as the contaminants move up the food chain though a process called biomagnification.

Getting maximum calories in shortest time is the priority for bumblebees

Photo Credit: Michael Hodgins

A new study investigating nectar drinking in one of the most common bumblebees in the UK, Bombus terrestris, has found that when foraging they maximize the amount of nectar sugar, they take back to the colony each minute.

To make their choices, the bumblebees trade off the time they spend collecting nectar with the energy content of that nectar. This means they will forage to collect nectar that’s hard to access – but only if the sugar content of that nectar makes it worth doing so.

This big-and-fast approach contrasts with honeybee foraging: honeybees make their decisions by optimizing their individual energy expenditure for any nectar they collect. This more measured approach should prolong the honeybee’s working life.

“As they forage, bumblebees are making decisions about which nectar sources will give the greatest immediate energetic return, rather than optimizing the energy efficiency of their foraging,” said Dr Jonathan Pattrick, joint first author of the report, who started the research while in the University of Cambridge’s Department of Plant Sciences.

Pattrick, now based at the University of Oxford, added: “Our results allow us to make predictions about the sorts of flowers the bumblebees are likely to visit, which could inform the choice of which flowers to plant in field margins to support these important pollinators. It’s also relevant to crop breeders who want to make varieties that are ‘better’ for bumblebees.”

Unlocking the secrets of plant cell communication

Jung-Youn Lee, a University of Delaware professor of plant molecular and cellular biology and the interim director of the Delaware Biotechnology Institute, is researching cell-to-cell communication in plants. 
Photo Credit: Evan Krape | Illustration Credit: Jeffrey C. Chase

Traffic lights signal to cars and buses when to stop, slow and go. Like traffic lights, plant cells send signals to each other to perform photosynthesis to grow or fight off destructive viruses and pathogens. 

Plant cells produce plasmodesmata, tiny tubes that act as communication channels, allowing those signals to move from cell to cell. The plasmodesmata will open and close in response to various signals that activate protein regulators such as PDLP5.  

“We knew that this protein is critical for plant defense,” said Jung-Youn Lee, a University of Delaware professor of plant molecular and cellular biology and the interim director of the Delaware Biotechnology Institute. “But how does this protein get to the plasmodesmata?”

The question — how these protein regulators find their destination to fulfill their purpose and help a cell function — had been plaguing scientists. Until the University of Delaware got involved.

In new research that made the cover of the journal The Plant Cell, UD researchers found that the protein — PDLP5 — that helps guard plants from the invasion of viruses and bacteria has not one, but two special targeting signals, or “zip codes'' as Lee calls them, unexpectedly stationed outside of cells. 

U of M study suggests even more reasons to eat your fiber

Photo Credit: Melissa Belanger

Health professionals have long praised the benefits of insoluble fiber for bowel regularity and overall health. New research from the University of Minnesota suggests even more reasons we should be prioritizing fiber in our regular diets. In a new study published in Nutrients, researchers found that each plant source of insoluble fiber contains unique bioactives — compounds that have been linked to lower incidence of cardiovascular disease, cancer and Type 2 diabetes — offering potential health benefits beyond those of the fiber itself. 

“People understand the need for fiber and how it relates to gut health — an area of wellness that is becoming increasingly important as scientific research continues to reveal its impact on overall health and wellbeing,” said Joanne Slavin, co-author of the paper and a professor in the College of Food, Agricultural and Natural Resource Sciences at the University of Minnesota. “Fiber is the marker of health that is included in our dietary guidelines and found on product labels, but our research indicates that we need to ensure the other valuable components of fiber-containing plant sources — the bioactives — are also recognized as providing valuable benefits for human health.” 

The study aggregated the available literature on the health benefits of bioactives in plant sources of insoluble dietary fiber.

Case report shows promising results using transcranial magnetic stimulation for post-stroke ataxia

Image Credit: UCLA| Health et al. Cerebellum. October 21, 2023

In a new case report, researchers at UCLA Health describe promising results using repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) in the management of post-stroke cerebellar ataxia, a debilitating condition marked by impaired coordination and balance.

Cerebellar ataxia describes a group of neurological disorders that affect coordination, balance, and control of muscle movements. It results from damage or dysfunction of the cerebellum, a part of the brain responsible for coordinating voluntary movements. Ataxia can manifest as unsteady walking, difficulties with fine motor skills, and problems with speech, among other symptoms. The severity of ataxia can vary from mild to severe, and treatments often aim to manage symptoms and improve a person's quality of life as treatment options are limited.

Writing in The Cerebellum, researchers led by Evan Hy Einstein, Department of Psychiatry & Biobehavioral Sciences at the UCLA David Geffen School of Medicine, report on the case of a 58-year-old male who had experienced a cerebellar hemorrhage approximately 12 years previously. Despite intensive rehabilitation, symptoms such as slow and unsteady gait, balance issues, and urinary incontinence persisted over the years. The patient sought consultation for potential rTMS treatment. His primary complaints focused on his slow and unsteady gait, along with challenges related to balance and stability. The decision was made to employ bilateral cerebellar rTMS, representing an innovative approach to address the condition.

How Huntington’s Disease Begins Before Symptoms Appear

A microglia cell (shown in green) and corticostriatal synapses (purple) from a patient with Huntington’s disease.
Image Credit: Dan Wilton

A new study led by researchers at Boston Children’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School reveals how the process of Huntington’s disease begins well before symptoms appear — and shows that in mice, the process can be blocked to prevent cognitive problems related to Huntington’s.

If the findings hold true in humans, they raise the possibility of intervening early in the disease in people who carry the Huntington’s gene mutation.

The work, published in Nature Medicine, also could shed light on other neurodegenerative disorders.

The team found in patient tissue samples and mouse models that two players in the immune system — complement proteins and microglia — are activated very early in Huntington’s, leading to loss of synapses in the brain before cognitive and motor symptoms emerge. The researchers revealed how and where the synapses are lost.

The findings corroborate a potential treatment that’s currently in clinical trials for the disease.

The study was led by senior author Beth Stevens, HMS associate professor of neurology at Boston Children’s, and first author Dan Wilton, HMS research fellow in neurology in the Stevens lab.