Sci-Ed Update 320

Placenta reflects fetal brain health, epigenetic reset, COVID-related cancer, orange peels are magic, bird flu vaccines ready, universal vaccine, reversing liver aging, protein changes gut flora, more

Jul 08, 2024

Conspiracy theorists have for years now insisted that COVID-19 vaccines were the real killers, especially among young men — but a new study shows that there's no data to back that up.
Published in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, the new study conducted by the Oregon Health Authority's public health division used data from June 2021 through December 2022 to investigate whether there was any actual link between COVID vaccines and cardiac deaths in young men, which conspiracists have relentlessly claimed are linked.

Kevin Patton comment→ With all my COVID boosters, I should be long dead from vaccination by now.

A protein-rich diet may change gut bacteria and aid weight loss

The composition of the gut microbiome is being increasingly recognized as essential for overall health and effective weight management.
A new study in mice suggests that protein-rich diets can influence gut bacteria and their byproducts, potentially affecting body weight and composition.
More research is needed, but the findings suggest that personalized diets based on an individual’s gut microbiome could promote better health outcomes in the future.

Researchers successfully rejuvenate aging livers in preclinical study

Researchers have been able to reverse age-related damage to liver cells in mice and in human cell cultures in a new study.
The study homes in on ferroptosis — a form of iron-dependent cell death — as an age-related process affecting a set of key cells in the liver, called ‘hepatocytes.’
Its authors found gene clusters associated with this process in both mice and human cells.
The takeaway is that it may be possible to reverse aging in affected liver cells through pharmaceutical interventions.

NEW VACCINE COULD PROTECT AGAINST ANY STRAIN OF A VIRUS WITH ONE SHOT

Scientists seem to be close to creating a "one-and-done" vaccine that can protect against any strain of a virus with just one shot.
In a press release from the University of California — Riverside, one of the researchers behind the new RNA vaccine, Rong Hai, explained why he and his colleagues are so excited about their experimental — and allegedly universal — shot.
"What I want to emphasize about this vaccine strategy is that it is broad," said Hai, a virologist and coauthor of a new paper on the vaccine candidate in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. "It is broadly applicable to any number of viruses, broadly effective against any variant of a virus, and safe for a broad spectrum of people."
"This could," he continued, "be the universal vaccine that we have been looking for."

Scientists Preparing Bird Flu Vaccines For Humans in Case of Pandemic

As the first reports of animal-to-human bird flu transmission begin to appear in the latest bird flu outbreak in the United States, health experts are concerned that the virus might adapt to spread from human to human.
So far, there is no evidence that that is happening, but a new study looks at what vaccines are currently in the works to protect us if it ever does.
We already have several hundred thousand shots stockpiled, left over from past trials. However, there are questions over how effective they'd be against the latest strains of bird flu, and how quickly we could scale up production efforts.
Virologists Flavio Faccin and Daniel Perez, from the University of Georgia, analyzed current efforts to prepare for a human pandemic involving the current bird flu variants – and they've identified several promising options for vaccine development.
"This deep delve into the landscape of avian influenza vaccines for humans shows vaccination remains the primary defense against the spread of these viruses," says Faccin.

Orange Peels Could Have Surprising Health Benefits For Your Heart

The bitter peel of an orange is there to protect the fruit, and it could protect our own insides, too, if only we stopped throwing the rinds away.
The zest of oranges has now been found to contain a novel, bioactive compound, called feruloylputrescine (FP), that could benefit heart health when eaten.

Kevin Patton comment→ Penzey’s dried orange peel (hand ground) is also one of the secret ingredients of my signature (and apparently heart-healthy) BBQ rub. Not so secret anymore, eh?

‘Unusual’ cancers emerged after the pandemic. Doctors ask if covid is to blame.

Kashyap Patel, second from left, consults with other doctors at Carolina Blood and Cancer Care Associates in Rock Hill, S.C. As they see increasing episodes of rare cancers, they have wondered about a link to the coronavirus. (Kate Medley for The Washington Post)

The uptick in aggressive, late-stage cancers since the dawn of the pandemic is confirmed by some early national data and a number of large cancer institutions. Many experts have mostly dismissed the trend as an expected consequence of disruptions to health care that began in 2020.
But not everyone.
The idea that some viruses can cause or accelerate cancer is hardly new. Scientists have recognized this possibility since the 1960s, and today, researchers estimate 15 to 20 percent of all cancers worldwide originate from infectious agents such as HPV, Epstein-Barr and hepatitis B.
It will probably be many years before the world has conclusive answers about whether the coronavirus is complicit in the surge of cancer cases, but Patel and other concerned scientists are calling on the U.S. government to make this question a priority knowing it could affect treatment and management of millions of cancer patients for decades to come.

Lab-grown sperm and eggs: ‘epigenetic’ reset in human cells paves the way

The day when human sperm and eggs can be grown in the laboratory has inched a step closer, with the discovery of a way to recreate a crucial developmental step in a dish¹.
The advance, described on 20 May in Nature, addresses a major hurdle: how to ensure that the chemical tags on the DNA and associated proteins in artificially produced sperm and eggs are placed properly. These tags are part of a cell’s ‘epigenome’ and can influence whether genes are turned on or off. The epigenome changes over a person’s lifetime; during the development of the cells that will eventually give rise to sperm or eggs, these marks must be wiped clean and then reset to their original state.
“Epigenetic reprogramming is key to making the next generation,” says Mitinori Saitou, a stem-cell biologist at Kyoto University in Japan, and a co-author of the paper. He and his team worked out how to activate this reprogramming — something that had been one of the biggest challenges in generating human sperm and eggs in the laboratory, he says.

Placental Cells Indicate Fetal Brain Health

*Interestingly, the sex of the fetus impacted how maternal obesity affects the placenta and the fetal brain. Credit: Neuroscience News*

Fetal placental macrophages can serve as indicators of fetal brain microglia health, which are crucial for brain development. Immune activation in pregnant women, such as from infections or obesity, can negatively affect fetal brain development.
The study used mouse models and found that male fetuses are more affected by maternal obesity than females. This research opens avenues for early identification and intervention in neurodevelopmental disorders.
Key Facts:
Fetal placental macrophages can indicate the health of fetal brain microglia.
Immune activation during pregnancy negatively affects fetal brain development.
Male fetuses are more susceptible to maternal obesity’s effects than females.

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