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Category: genetics – Page 378

Melinjo Seed Extracts May Help Improve Diabetes And Obesity

Researchers from Kumamoto University have found that Melinjo seed extracts may help to improve diabetes and obesity by stimulating the production of adiponectin which is a hormone that works to help improve both conditions; individual genotype differences were also discovered that were responsible for variations in its efficacy.

Melinjo fruit contain high levels of antioxidant and antibacterial properties as well as high levels of polyphenols such as resveratrol that has been shown to induce adiponectin and may help to improve lifestyle related diseases such as metabolic syndrome. A type of resveratrol called Gnetin C which is found in MSE has higher antioxidant activity and has been shown to stay in the blood longer than resveratrol, but the exact mechanisms of how they exert their biological activity remains unknown.

Genetic analysis was used to find that differences in the type of DsbA-L gene affects adiponectin activation; meaning that DsbA-L induction may promote adiponectin activation and help to improve lifestyle related diseases. Their recent research has attempted to determine whether MSE enhances the function of DsbA-L; whether MSE promotes adi[onectin activation; and whether MSE has a therapeutic effect on either obesity and diabetes.

Tech’s Biggest Leaps From the Last 10 Years, and Why They Matter

As we enter our third decade in the 21st century, it seems appropriate to reflect on the ways technology developed and note the breakthroughs that were achieved in the last 10 years.

The 2010s saw IBM’s Watson win a game of Jeopardy, ushering in mainstream awareness of machine learning, along with DeepMind’s AlphaGO becoming the world’s Go champion. It was the decade that industrial tools like drones, 3D printers, genetic sequencing, and virtual reality (VR) all became consumer products. And it was a decade in which some alarming trends related to surveillance, targeted misinformation, and deepfakes came online.

For better or worse, the past decade was a breathtaking era in human history in which the idea of exponential growth in information technologies powered by computation became a mainstream concept.

Resveratrol and Other Polyphenols Support Genomic Stability

New research shows that resveratrol, a chemical found in red wine, contributes to genomic stability by reducing the occurrence of DNA double-strand breaks and prolongs lifespan in genetically modified mice that are prone to carcinogenic mutations [1].

DSBs and genomic instability

Genomic instability, one of the hallmarks of aging, is a condition characterized by frequent mutations within the genome, and it has long been associated with cancer [2]. The authors of this study state that one of its major causes is the erroneous repair of DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs). High numbers of DSBs have been found in pre-cancerous cells, and DNA lesions caused by unrepairable DSBs accumulate with time, both in organisms and in cultured cells. One of the possible culprits is the degradation of DNA repair mechanisms in aged cells [3].

Personalized microrobots swim through biological barriers, deliver drugs to cells

Tiny biohybrid robots on the micrometer scale can swim through the body and deliver drugs to tumors or provide other cargo-carrying functions. The natural environmental sensing tendencies of bacteria mean they can navigate toward certain chemicals or be remotely controlled using magnetic or sound signals.

To be successful, these tiny biological robots must consist of materials that can pass clearance through the body’s immune response. They also have to be able to swim quickly through viscous environments and penetrate to deliver cargo.

In a paper published this week in APL Bioengineering, from AIP Publishing, researchers fabricated biohybrid bacterial microswimmers by combining a genetically engineered E. coli MG1655 substrain and nanoerythrosomes, small structures made from red cells.

Potential therapy for rare neurologic disease

A targeted therapy, currently being studied for treatment of certain cancers including glioblastoma, may also be beneficial in treating other neurologic diseases, a study at the University of Cincinnati shows.

The study, being published online April 6 in the journal EBioMedicine, revealed that the effects of a delivery system using microscopic components of a cell (nanovesicles) called SapC-DOPS may be able to provide targeted treatment without harming healthy . This method could even prove to be successful in treating other , like Parkinson’s disease.

This study is led by Xiaoyang Qi, professor in the Division of Hematology Oncology, UC Department of Internal Medicine, and Ying Sun, research professor in the UC Department of Pediatrics and a member of the Division of Human Genetics at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center.

New genetic engineering strategy makes human-made DNA invisible

Scientists can identify pathogenic genes through genetic engineering. This involves adding human-made DNA into a bacterial cell. However, the problem is that bacteria have evolved complex defense systems to protect against foreign intruders — especially foreign DNA. Current genetic engineering approaches often disguise the human-made DNA as bacterial DNA to thwart these defenses, but the process requires highly specific modifications and is expensive and time-consuming.

In a paper published recently in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences journal, Dr. Christopher Johnston and his colleagues at the Forsyth Institute describe a new technique to genetically engineer bacteria by making human-made DNA invisible to a bacterium’s defenses. In theory, the method can be applied to almost any type of bacteria.

Johnston is a researcher in the Vaccine and Infectious Disease Division at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center and lead author of the paper. He said that when a bacterial cell detects it has been penetrated by foreign DNA, it quickly destroys the trespasser. Bacteria live under constant threat of attack by a virus, so they have developed incredibly effective defenses against those threats.

Aubrey de Grey — COVID19 — Fighting Infections with Rejuvenation Biotechnology

Can Rejuvenation Biotech Help Boost Immune Response to Infectious Diseases? Aging of the immune system makes reduces immune response in elderly — 3 main reasons: cell loss (naive t-cells), accumulation of cells we don’t want (death resistant cells), and changes to internal constitution of the cells.

Early stage research by Janko Nikolich-Žugich indicates that the naive T-cells* produced by the thyamus may not work properly because of something going on with the lymph nodes.

Also vaccines don’t really work well in the elderly either because of other parts of the immune system not working so well.

* T-cells as part of the adaptive immune system rely for it’s function on genetic diversity.

Audio here: https://archive.org/details/aubreydegreycovid19audio

Many thanks for watching!

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Creating Superman (and woman): Who benefits from human enhancement?

Research involving bowhead whales has suggested that it may one day be possible to extend the human lifespan to 200 years.

From the demigods of Greek mythology to the superheroes of 20th century comic books, we’ve been intrigued by the idea of human enhancement for quite a while, but we’ve also worried about negative consequences. Both in the Greek myths and modern comics and television, each enhanced human has been flawed in some way.

In the area of lifespan enhancement, for instance, Tithonus, though granted eternal life, shrunk and shriveled into a grasshopper, because his immortal girlfriend Eos, forgot to ask Zeus to give him eternal youth. Achilles, while super strong and agile, had a weak spot at the back of his heal, and Superman would lose his power if exposed to “kryptonite”. As for Khan’s people, their physical superiority, both physical and mental, made them overly ambitious, causing a third world war that nearly destroyed humanity in the Star Trek backstory.

Using genetic modification, nanotechnology, bionics, reconstructive surgery, hormones, drugs or any combination of these approaches, real-life human enhancement is looking ever more achievable. As with the fictional examples, the idea of enhancement being a double-edged sword will surely remain part of the discussion. At the same time, though, because enhancement means mastering and manipulating human physiology and the basis of consciousness and self-awareness, the road to enhancement will be paved with advances beneficial to the sick and the disabled. This point must be at center stage when we weigh the pluses and minuses in various enhancement categories, especially physical capability, mental function, and lifespan.