Title: Scientists Pinpoint Dozens of Genes That Increase Risk of Depression
Category: Health News
Created: 4/27/2018 12:00:00 AM
Last Editorial Review: 4/30/2018 12:00:00 AM

Title: To Cut Down on Boozing, Offer Other Choices: Study
Category: Health News
Created: 5/6/2020 12:00:00 AM
Last Editorial Review: 5/7/2020 12:00:00 AM

Title: When Booze Labels Carry Health Warnings, Drinking Declines: Study
Category: Health News
Created: 5/4/2020 12:00:00 AM
Last Editorial Review: 5/4/2020 12:00:00 AM

Objective

To describe the clinical and pathologic features of a novel pedigree with heterozygous STUB1 mutation causing SCA48.

Phosphatidylcholine and phosphatidylethanolamine are two major phospholipid classes in eukaryotes. Each biosynthesis pathway starts with the phosphorylation of choline (Cho) or ethanolamine (Etn) catalyzed by either choline or ethanolamine kinase (CEK). Arabidopsis contains four CEK isoforms, but their isozyme-specific roles in metabolism and development are poorly described. Here, we showed that these four CEKs have distinct substrate specificities in vitro. While CEK1 and CEK2 showed substrate preference for Cho over Etn, CEK3 and CEK4 had clear substrate specificity for Cho and Etn, respectively. In vivo, CEK1, CEK2, and CEK3 exhibited kinase activity for Cho but not Etn, although the latter two isoforms showed rather minor contributions to total Cho kinase activity in both shoots and roots. The knockout mutants of CEK2 and CEK3 both affected root growth, and these isoforms had nonoverlapping cell-type-specific expression patterns in the root meristematic zone. In-depth phenotype analysis, as well as chemical and genetic complementation, revealed that CEK3, a Cho-specific kinase, is involved in cell elongation during root development. Phylogenetic analysis of CEK orthologs in Brassicaceae species showed evolutionary divergence between Etn kinases and Cho kinases. Collectively, our results demonstrate the distinct roles of the four CEK isoforms in Cho/Etn metabolism and plant development.

Qingxiang Guo, Yang Liu, Yanhua Zhai, and Zemao Gu

Disassembling the parasitic spores and acquiring the main subunits is a prerequisite for deep understanding of the basic biology of parasites. Herein we present a fast and efficient method to dissect the myxospores in a few steps, which mainly involved sonication, sucrose density gradient and Percoll density gradient. We tested our method on three myxozoans species and demonstrated this method allows the dismembering of myxospores, isolation of intact and clean nematocysts and shell valves within 2h by low-cost. This new tool will facilitate subsequent analyses and enable a better understanding of the ecological and evolutionary significance of parasitic spores.

Background

Canagliflozin reduced renal and cardiovascular events in people with type 2 diabetes in the CREDENCE trial. We assessed efficacy and safety of canagliflozin by initial estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR).

The Northern Paraguai Belt, at the SE border of the Amazonian Craton, central Brazil, has been interpreted as a Brasiliano–Pan-African (c. 650–600 Ma) belt with a foreland basin, recording collisional polyphase tectonism and greenschist-facies metamorphism extending from the late Precambrian to the Cambrian–Ordovician. New structural investigations indicate that the older metasedimentary rocks of the Cuiabá Group represent a Tonian–Cryogenian basement assemblage deformed in two contemporaneous fault-bounded structural sub-domains of wrench-dominated (rake <10°) and contraction-dominated (rake ~30–40°) sinistral transpression, with tectonic vergence towards the SE. The younger late Cryogenian to early Cambrian sedimentary rocks lying to the NW of the Cuiabá Group are non-metamorphic and display only pervasive brittle transtension characterized by normal-oblique faults, fractures and forced drag folds with no consistent vergence pattern. Our analyses suggest that an unconformity separates the metasedimentary Cuiabá Group basement of the Northern Paraguai Belt from the unmetamorphosed sedimentary cover. It is proposed that the latter units were deposited during a post-glacial marine transgression (after c. 635 Ma) in a post-collisional basin. The Paraguai Belt basement and its post-collisional sedimentary cover share a number of significant geological similarities with sequences in the Bassarides Belt and Taoudéni Basin in the SW portion of the West African Craton.

The new complexes Zn(ITZ)₂Cl₂ (1) and Zn(ITZ)₂(OH)₂ (2) were synthetized by a reaction of itraconazole with their respective zinc salts under reflux. These Zn-ITZ complexes were characterized by elemental analyses, molar conductivity, mass spectrometry, ¹H and ¹³C{¹H} nuclear magnetic resonance, and UV-vis and infrared spectroscopies. The antiparasitic and antifungal activity of Zn-ITZ complexes was evaluated against three protozoans of medical importance, namely, Leishmania amazonensis, Trypanosoma cruzi, and Toxoplasma gondii, and two fungi, namely, Sporothrix brasiliensis and Sporothrix schenckii. The Zn-ITZ complexes exhibited a broad spectrum of action, with antiparasitic and antifungal activity in low concentrations. The strategy of combining zinc with ITZ was efficient to enhance ITZ activity since Zn-ITZ-complexes were more active than the azole alone. This study opens perspectives for future applications of these Zn-ITZ complexes in the treatment of parasitic diseases and sporotrichosis.

Nine hundred Haemophilus influenzae clinical isolates from 83 U.S. and European medical centers were tested for susceptibility by reference broth microdilution methods against ceftolozane-tazobactam and comparators. Results were stratified by β-lactamase production and infection type. Overall, ceftolozane-tazobactam MIC_50/90 values were 0.12/0.25 mg/liter, and 99.0% of isolates were inhibited at the susceptible breakpoint of ≤0.5 mg/liter; the highest MIC value was only 2 mg/liter. Our results support using ceftolozane-tazobactam to treat H. influenzae infections.

Of four genotypes of Encephalitozoon cuniculi, E. cuniculi genotype II is considered to represent a parasite that occurs in many host species in a latent asymptomatic form, whereas E. cuniculi genotype III seems to be more aggressive, and infections caused by this strain can lead to the death of even immunocompetent hosts. Although albendazole has been considered suitable for treatment of Encephalitozoon species, its failure in control of E. cuniculi genotype III infection has been reported. This study determined the effect of a 100x recommended daily dose of albendazole on an Encephalitozoon cuniculi genotype III course of infection in immunocompetent and immunodeficient mice and compared the results with those from experiments performed with a lower dose of albendazole and E. cuniculi genotype II. The administration of the regular dose of abendazole during the acute phase of infection reduced the number of affected organs in all strains of mice and absolute counts of spores in screened organs. However, the effect on genotype III was minor. Surprisingly, no substantial effect was recorded after the use of a 100x dose of albendazole, with larger reductions seen only in the number of affected organs and absolute counts of spores in all strains of mice, implying variations in albendazole resistance between these Encephalitozoon cuniculi genotypes. These results imply that differences in the course of infection and the response to treatment depend not only on the immunological status of the host but also on the genotype causing the infection. Understanding how microsporidia survive in hosts despite targeted antimicrosporidial treatment could significantly contribute to research related to human health.

A soundtrack to Nile Koetting’s 2016 installation of the same name at Maison Hermès, Tokyo. Following recommendations from the Amazon algorithm, artist Nile Koetting purchased a selection of devices, including a wireless LAN system, a Dyson humidifier, an air purifier, an aroma diffuser, a 5.1ch home theater speaker, a line array speaker system, and a […]

The post Nozomu Matsumoto turns punk lyrics into text-to-speech ambient on <em>Sustainable Hours</em> appeared first on FACT Magazine.

The world according to two of the scene’s most dedicated rave architects. Gabber Eleganza and HDMIRROR make a formidable duo on their new collaborative track ‘Frozen Dopamina’, which arrives with a video capturing the world at its most euphoric. The track is taken from The Real Life, a new collaborative release from the two producers […]

The post Gabber Eleganza & HDMIRROR chase euphoria on ‘Frozen Dopamina’ appeared first on FACT Magazine.

JOHANNESBURG -- The dealer had a stash, but the young woman wasn't getting through the door without an introduction. That's where her friend, already a trusted customer, came in. And even then there were complications.The woman wanted Stuyvesants. The dealer had Courtleighs. But in a South Africa where the sale of cigarettes is newly illegal, quibblers risk nicotine fits.She took the Courtleighs and high-tailed it out of there."I feel like I'm buying cocaine," said the woman, 29, who asked not to be named for fear of being fined or arrested.In late March, in the midst of the coronavirus outbreak, the South African government banned the sale of tobacco and alcohol as part of a broad lockdown -- one of the strictest anywhere. But even as the government has begun rolling back the lockdown, the bans remain in effect.A government minister, Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, cited "COVID-19 reasons" for maintaining the ban.Dlamini-Zuma, a doctor who served as health minister in the 1990s and is now cooperative governance minister, said that "besides the effects itself on the person's lungs," there were concerns that smoking could promote coronavirus infection."The way sometimes tobacco is shared does not allow for social distancing," she said, "but actually encourages the spread of the virus."Defending the ban of alcohol sales amid cries of protest from the liquor industry, President Cyril Ramaphosa said alcohol was "a hindrance to the fight against coronavirus.""There are proven links between the sale and consumption of alcohol and violent crime, motor vehicle accidents and other medical emergencies at a time when all public and private resources should be preparing to receive and treat vast numbers of COVID-19 patients," the president said in a statement.The government has also cited the risk of domestic violence in households where families are isolated at home.Perhaps not surprisingly, an underground market in both cigarettes and alcohol quickly sprung up.Like bootleg markets everywhere, it relies on word-of-mouth, as the 29-year-old woman who settled for the Courtleighs soon learned.She made her purchase in a suburb of Vereeniging, a city south of Johannesburg, where dealers are said to sell only to buyers referred by someone they know. And they sell only from their homes to avoid driving around with large quantities of cigarettes, since if they were to be caught at one of the dozens of police roadblocks set up around the country, they could be arrested on the spot.Instead, the smoker carries the risk -- and the cost. A pack of 20 cigarettes now goes for upward of 150 rand (about $8), three times the old legal price. Underground alcohol prices have also skyrocketed. A bottle of low-end vodka that usually sells for 120 rand ($6) now sells for at least 400 rand ($21).South Africa lifted its nationwide lockdown on May 1 but is continuing to implement strict social distancing and face mask rules. Already under siege from HIV, the country has around 8,200 confirmed cases of the coronavirus and has reported about 160 deaths.The country had implemented one of the world's most stringent lockdowns after recording its first coronavirus-related death in March. In addition to banning the sale of cigarettes and alcohol, the regulations banned jogging and dog-walking, and shuttered parks.Before the lockdown, with a ban looming, some smokers stocked up on cartons of cigarettes. But when the ban on cigarettes was extended beyond May 1, things for smokers began to grow tense.Now it's a matter of who you know. The cafe owner willing to slip a box under a container of milk, perhaps, or a supermarket cashier willing to steal and resell cigarettes languishing in the storeroom.In one Pretoria township where everyone knows everyone -- including the police -- few dare sell cigarettes from their homes. Instead, dealers hide among young men milling around on the neighborhood corner.A 23-year-old smoker said that when he saw a group of four men sharing a cigarette, he approached them to find out where they had found the contraband. They just so happened to be selling, they told him.Desperate after a failed attempt to quit smoking, he said, he paid 160 rand for his favorite brand and "ran home," where he took a photograph of the sealed pack, planning to share it on WhatsApp with envious fellow smokers.But when he opened the pack, a cloud of sawdust choked him. There was not a cigarette to be found.Smokers say they are finding fake cigarettes in sealed boxes that look exactly like legitimate brands. And those who are desperate enough are buying unknown brands that have appeared during the lockdown, with names like Pineapple and Chestel, and are notorious for inducing immediate coughing.The tobacco industry has not taken kindly to the government's new policy.The ban has fueled an underground cigarette trade that was thriving even before the lockdown. By some estimates, it made up more than 30% of the market, depriving the above-ground tobacco industry of profit and the government of tax revenue.Now both industry and government are losing even more.The country's largest cigarette manufacturer, British American Tobacco South Africa, at one point threatened legal action if the government did not drop its ban, but Wednesday changed course. "We have taken the decision not to pursue legal action at this stage," it said in a statement, "but, instead, to pursue further discussions with government."The company said, "We are convinced that by working together we can find a better solution that works for all South Africans and removes the threat of criminal sanction from 11 million tobacco consumers in the country."The ban on cigarettes and alcohol has set off a debate on civil liberties in a country with one of the world's most liberal constitutions. While South Africa was an early adopter of public smoking regulations, many see the bans as a symbol of government overreach.Though its coronavirus policies may have succeeded in keeping the outbreak in check, some are calling the government hypocritical. Junk food remains readily available. And officials strictly limited outdoor exercise during the lockdown.In a country increasingly struggling with diabetes and obesity, such inconsistencies undercut the government's argument that it is guarding the public's health, said one South African constitutional law expert, Pierre De Vos."In the long term, if the government overreaches and it wants to continue imposing these limits when the threat has subsided, I think the courts will invalidate this," he said.Still, the ban may have yielded at least one former smoker: the man who bought the box of sawdust."I cannot just go around losing money like that," he said. "I just said to myself, 'Nah, man, it's not worth it. I'll stay home and eat sweets, as that's what's legal now.'"This article originally appeared in The New York Times.(C) 2020 The New York Times Company

Sharon Osbourne hoped seeing their father''s battle with addiction would put her children off, but she was wrong.

Trying to make sense of calamities that have already caused more destruction to people’s livelihoods than the Great Recession

Follow our live coronavirus updates HERE Coronavirus: the symptoms

Coronavirus: The symptoms

Sex offender Jeffrey Epstein visited Harvard University dozens of times after his conviction - and was even given his own office.

And other stories from around the world

ZeroZeroZero – A new crime drama based on the world’s cocaine trade and starring Dane De Haan, Andrea Riseborough and Gabriel Byrne . It premieres on Amazon prime on Friday March 6th

The post ZeroZeroZero appeared first on UKFilmNews.com.

After just over five years of ownership, versatile TV and film actor Christopher Meloni (“Oz,” “Law & Order: SVU,” “The Handmaid’s Tale,” “Wet Hot American Summer,” “Happy!”) and his longtime wife Sherman Williams have punted their historic Hollywood Hills home back onto the open market, where it’s landed with a nearly $6.5 million thud. The […]

'I've realized my comments on risks around opening schools have confused and upset people'

'If people are fighting over toilet rolls instead of booze, there's something wrong,' laughed the comedian

Sharon Osbourne hoped seeing their father's battle with addiction would put her children off, but she was wrong.

Piers Morgan has launched a scathing attack on Arsenal's highest-paid player Mesut Ozil amid reports he refused to take a 12.5 per cent pay cut along with his team-mates.

Mesut Ozil is believed to be among three Arsenal players stalling on a pay-cut.

Former Tottenham striker Darren Bent has condemned the "disgusting" abuse aimed at Mesut Ozil after the German stalled over a pay-cut agreement.

Manchester United legend Roy Keane has offered his support to players like Mesut Ozil, insisting he would have refused to take a pay cut if he found himself in the situation Premier League stars are currently faced with.

Ray Parlour has blasted former club Arsenal's lack of leadership, defending Mesut Ozil as he stalls on taking a pay cut.

Former Arsenal striker Kevin Campbell says the time has come for the club to move on from Mesut Ozil – and believes either Jack Grealish or James Maddison would be an ideal replacement.

Welcome to the Evening Standard's live blog covering the latest transfer news and rumours from the Premier League and Europe.

Sudden stratospheric warming it's great for the ozone layer at the South Pole, but not so great for heat and rain levels over the next few months.

Ozil's Arsenal career is seemingly coming to an end with little over a year remaining on his current contract, but Leno has responded to claims his teammate is no longer up to the task

A look at technology business trends for 2018 and beyond shows Amazon’s market-munching power shows no sign of waning.

Keep on reading: Amazon 2018: Bulldozing More Market Leaders

Antonia Morales has lived in her historic El Paso neighborhood since 1965 and sees no reason to leave now. Until she and a few other holdouts depart, demolition cannot begin.

The pair shared video of people gathering in the sunshine

Bristol Myers Squibb and Acceleron Pharma’s Reblozyl (luspatercept) has secured a positivr opinion from the European Medicines Agency’s Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) for use in the treatment of transfusion-dependent anaemia in two adult patient populations.

BASF Corporation has agreed, under a Clean Air Act settlement filed today in federal court in Beaumont, Texas, to reduce the use of refrigerant chemicals that destroy the earth’s stratospheric ozone layer.

Dov Shellef, a businessman from Great Neck, N.Y., was convicted today on 86 counts, following a five-week jury trial, for conspiring to defraud the Internal Revenue Service in the collection of approximately $1.9 million in excise taxes due on sales of the ozone-depleting greenhouse gas known as CFC-113.

Stephen C. Delaney, 55, of Quincy, Mass., was found guilty on April 8, 2011, by a federal jury in Boston of falsely labeling frozen fish fillets from China.

“Sharis is a highly experienced antitrust enforcer and I am confident that she will continue to lead the Antitrust Division in its mission to vigorously enforce the antitrust laws,” said Attorney General Holder.

"T-Mobile has been an important source of competition among the national carriers through innovation and quality enhancements," said Acting Assistant Attorney General Pozen.

"When the Attorney General announced that he had selected me to serve as Acting Assistant Attorney General, he stated it would be a seamless transition. That is what I am working to deliver—vigorous enforcement of the antitrust laws, as well as transparency and certainty for consumers and business," said acting Assistant Attorney General Pozen.

Following a comprehensive investigation, the Justice Department today announced its findings that the state of Florida’s oversight system failed to detect and sufficiently address harmful practices at both the Arthur G. Dozier School for Boys and the Jackson Juvenile Offender Center.

"The pillars of the division’s work are civil merger and non-merger enforcement, criminal enforcement, competition advocacy, and international activities and we have been active in all those areas," said Acting Assistant Attorney General Pozen.

Acting Assistant Attorney General Sharis A. Pozen announced her resignation from the Department of Justice today, effective as of April 30, 2012.

"The auto parts investigation is the largest criminal investigation the Antitrust Division has ever pursued, both in terms of its scope and the potential volume of commerce affected by the alleged illegal conduct," said Acting Assistant Attorney General Pozen.