Pulse Beat

Prof Dr BM Hegde 18 August 2016

Single People Are Happier!

Single people are usually classified as sad and lonely. On the contrary, a new study shows how they actually have better psychological growth and are more satisfied.

The research, titled “What no one ever told you about being single”, and presented at the American Psychological Association’s 124th Annual Convention, challenges the depiction of single life to offer a more accurate portrayal of single people. “The preoccupation with the perils of loneliness can obscure the profound benefits of solitude,” says Bella DePaulo, PhD, a scientist at the University of California-Santa Barbara.

Where Is the Zika Virus Epidemic?

The New England Journal of Medicine published the preliminary results of a large study of pregnant Colombian women infected with Zika. Of the nearly 12,000 pregnant women with clinical symptoms of Zika infections until 28 March 2016, no cases of microcephaly were reported as of 2 May 2016. At the same time, four cases of Zika and microcephaly were reported for women who were symptomless for Zika infections and, therefore, not included in the study itself.

Brazil’s microcephaly epidemic continues to pose a mystery—if Zika is the culprit, why are there no similar epidemics in other countries also hit hard by the virus? Perhaps there is another reason for the epidemic in Brazil.

According to a new report by the New England Complex Systems Institute (NECSI), the number of missing cases in Colombia and elsewhere raises serious questions about the assumed connection between Zika and microcephaly. Months ago, I had debunked the Zika virus-microcephaly mystery; but no one takes notice. The wrong assumption is good for business but bad for the common man.

Epigenetic Process of Evolution

“It is known that the epigenetic alterations of ‘tagging’ are regulated by environmental effects. The authors suggest that environmental factors and the mother’s lifestyle will thus affect ‘tagging’ of the offspring DNA, which will dictate how the offspring genes will be utilized. Interestingly, epigenetic changes also take place throughout life depending on the life style of the person.” This is a remarkable study in the right direction which clearly shows that the environment and not the gene is the boss as was thought earlier.

“Cancer cells possibly hijack a mechanism operative in normal cells which provides way how the methyl tagged DNA will be untagged by cutting the DNA at the site of tag and repairing it. It is an interesting idea which needs to be tested,” writes Sibajit Sircar, the first author of this study titled “The Evolution of Epigenetics: From Prokaryotes to Humans and Its Biological Consequences”.

Secrets of Malaria and Toxoplasmosis Parasite Revealed

To survive, the parasites responsible for malaria and toxoplasmosis depend on mechanisms inherited from the plant world. This is what a team of researchers from CNRS1 (Institute for Advanced Biosciences, CNRS/INSERM/Université Grenoble Alpes) and the University of Melbourne2 has shown.

This discovery is a major advance for the development of new therapeutic targets for these parasites. It might take some years before a successful vaccine could be manufactured using this idea. Even the Nobel Prize-winning artimesanin has been found to be useless in many patients, thanks to resistance!

“This discovery of a plant-based ‘Achilles heel’ in the toxoplasmosis and malaria parasites opens a path to new therapeutic perspectives that only target the parasite, without affecting humans,” say the researchers in their paper.

Comments