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Category: food – Page 105

Will today’s wars over oil be over water in the future? For years this question has been at the heart of a scientific debate on the causes of these wars and how they should be studied.

A study published in the prestigious Nature Sustainability by a group of researchers from the Politecnico di Milano has investigated the phenomenon, also in light of “new” types of in which paramilitary groups seem to capitalize on .

In order to define the relationship between water and conflict, speaking only of —or lack thereof—is not enough: in fact, conflicts tend to be associated with specific and complex socio-hydrological conditions, which in turn deal with the socio-economic value of water as a form of livelihood, especially in agriculture, and with the effects that human use of water has on the accessibility of this resource.

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Veteran actor Tabassum Govil best known for hosting India’s first TV talk show Phool Khile Hain Gulshan Gulshan passed away at the age of 78 following a cardiac arrest on Friday (November 18). Elderly or people over 70 are more at risk of sudden cardiac arrest than the rest as one may have more chronic conditions like diabetes, high BP, smoking, previous heart attacks, weak heart. According to studies, elderly individuals have lower resuscitation and survival rates than younger individuals after in-hospital cardiac arrest. Staying active, eating healthy — food rich in fibre, devoid of saturated fats, added sugar and salt and high in whole grains can help keep your heart strong and healthy. Managing risk factors for heart attack is also advisable. (Also read: Tabassum of Phool Khile Hain Gulshan Gulshan fame dies at 78)

“In elderly, we have to identify the risk factors for sudden cardiac arrest, like, diabetes, high BP, smoking, previous heart attacks, weak heart. If any of these are present, a cardiologist’s consultation should be taken who would conduct simple tests like ECG, Echo and TMT to ascertain risk of sudden cardiac arrest. If the risk is high, they should be counselled to control their diabetes, blood pressure, and regular medical check-ups to detect any red flags,” says Dr. Nishith Chandra, Principal Director — Interventional Cardiology, Fortis Escorts Heart Institute, Okhla Road, New Delhi.

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A University of Maryland researcher and colleagues found that the fungus Metarhizium robertsii removes mercury from the soil around plant roots, and from fresh and saltwater. The researchers also genetically engineered the fungus to amplify its mercury detoxifying effects.

Mercury pollution of soil and water is a worldwide threat to public health. This new work suggests Metarhizium could provide an inexpensive and efficient way to protect crops grown in polluted areas and remediate -laden waterways.

The study, which was conducted by UMD professor of entomology Raymond St. Leger and researchers in the laboratory of his former post-doctoral fellow, Weiguo Fang (now at Zhejiang University in Hangzhou, China), was published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) on November 14, 2022.

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A research team has identified a molecular target that could open up new therapeutic options to treat aging-associated diseases like Parkinson’s. Scientists at the University of Cologne have discovered how cells can eliminate mutated mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA). Mitochondria are the powerhouses of our cells. Due to their evolutionary descent from bacteria, they still have genetic material packaged in chromosome-like structures (nucleoids). They convert the chemical energy in our food into a biologically usable form. A team of researchers from the University of Cologne’s Physiology Centre at the Faculty of Medicine, the Centre for Molecular Medicine Cologne (CMMC) and the CECAD Cluster of Excellence for Aging Research has now shown that mutations of the mtDNA lead to a local rearrangement of proteins in the mitochondrial membrane. The mutated mtDNA is targeted, eliminated, and subjected to autophagy, the cellular ‘waste disposal’. The results have appeared in Nature Communications under the title ‘Mitochondrial membrane proteins and VPS35 orchestrate selective removal of mtDNA’.

In many tissues, mutations in mtDNA accumulate as a result of normal aging. These kinds of mutations are an important cause of many aging-associated diseases. There are thousands of copies mtDNA in every cell, so mitochondrial function is only impaired when the percentage of mutated mtDNA molecules exceeds a certain threshold value. It has long been established that mitochondrial damage, including acute mtDNA damage, triggers the process of mitophagy. In this process, dysfunctional mitochondrial parts are selectively degraded and recycled.

Dr David Pla-Martin, the lead author of the current study, explained the details: ‘What is new in our study is that this mechanism does not affect the cells’ endowment with mitochondria, but only clears out the damaged mtDNA. By labelling neighbouring proteins — so-called proximity labelling — we showed that mtDNA damage leads to the recruitment of endosomes in close proximity to nucleoids.’ Their removal is coordinated by the interaction of the nucleoid protein Twinkle and the mitochondrial membrane proteins SAMM50 and ATAD3 controls their distribution, SAMM50 induces the release and transfer of the nucleoid to the so-called endosomes. ‘This additionally prevents the activation of an immune response. The protein VPS35, the main component of the retromer, mediates the maturation of early endosomes into late autophagy vesicles, where degradation and recycling ultimately take place,’ said Pla-Martin.

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The devices are so sensitive that even a soft tap is enough to make them glow. The researchers also made the devices glow by vibrating them, drawing on their surfaces, and blowing air on them to make them bend and sway—which shows that they could potentially be used to harvest airflow to produce light. The researchers also inserted small magnets inside the devices so that they can be magnetically steered, glowing as they move and contort.

The devices can be recharged with light. The dinoflagellates are photosynthetic, meaning they use sunlight to produce food and energy. Shining light on the devices during the day gives them the juice they need to glow during the night.

The beauty of these devices, noted Cai, is their simplicity. “They are basically maintenance-free. Once we inject culture solution into the materials, that’s it. As long as they get recharged with sunlight, they can be used over and over again for at least a month. We don’t need to change out the solution or anything. Each device is its own little ecosystem—an engineered living material.”

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