Bug on the loose
A multidrug-resistant infection that can cause life-threatening illness in people with cystic fibrosis and can spread from patient to patient has spread globally and is becoming increasingly virulent, according to new research published today in the journal Science . The study, led by the University of Cambridge and the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, also suggests that conventional cleaning will not be sufficient to eliminate the pathogen, which can be transmitted through contaminated surfaces or in the air. Mycobacterium abscessus , a species of multidrug-resistant mycobacteria, has recently emerged as a significant global threat to individuals with cystic fibrosis and other lung diseases. It can cause a severe pneumonia leading to accelerated inflammatory damage to the lungs, and may prevent safe lung transplantation. It is also extremely difficult to treat — fewer than one in three cases is treated successfully.
Fear in the brain
Scientists from The Scripps Research Institute in California, U.S., have for the first time identified a sub-region in the brain that works to form a particular kind of memory: fear associated with a specific environmental cue, or “contextual fear memory”. The study, recently published in the journal Biological Psychiatry: Cognitive Neuroscience and Neuroimaging , shows new proteins being synthesised in a specific sub-region of the prefrontal cortex, known in rodents as the pre-limbic. In humans, this area corresponds to the anterior cortex, which has been linked to processing emotional responses. They also found that if they prevented new proteins from forming in the prelimbic region right after fear conditioning took place, those memories did not form. But if the researchers waited just a few hours, inhibiting protein synthesis in the prelimbic cortex had no impact and the memories took hold.
Year of the flu
The year an individual was born plays an important role in determining his or her susceptibility to a given strain of influenza, says a study in the journal Science . This solves a long-standing question surrounding flu susceptibility; that is, why are infections with one strain, H5N1, found mainly in children and young adults, whereas H7N9 cases mostly affect older individuals. The scientists found that the year a person was born — and thus, which flu strains they were exposed to during childhood — strongly influenced their future susceptibility to various flu strains. For example, individuals born before 1968 likely experienced their first flu infection from a group 1 virus; those individuals appear protected against viruses of the same group, including H5N1.
Burning an HIV test
HIV can now be tested with a pen drive. The device, created by scientists at Imperial College London and DNA Electronics, uses a drop of blood to detect HIV, and then creates an electrical signal that can be read by a computer, laptop or handheld device. The disposable test could be used for HIV patients to monitor their own treatment. According to the journal Scientific Reports , the device is not only very accurate but can produce a result in under 30 minutes. A small sample of blood is placed onto a spot on the USB stick. If any HIV virus is present, this triggers a change in acidity which the device’s mobile phone chip transforms into an electrical signal. This is sent to the USB stick, which produces the result on a computer or electronic device.
