Tech

Highlights

In a recent study, a new algorithm outperformed the standard method for predicting which hospitalized patients will develop acute kidney injury.

Results from the study will be presented online during ASN Kidney Week 2020 Reimagined October 19-October 25.

Washington, DC (October 23, 2020) -- A new artificial intelligence-based tool can help clinicians predict which hospitalized patients face a high risk of developing acute kidney injury (AKI). The research will be presented online during ASN Kidney Week 2020 Reimagined October 19-October 25.

AKI is common among hospitalized patients and has a significant impact on morbidity and mortality. Unfortunately, it's difficult to predict which patients are most likely to develop AKI and could benefit from preventative treatments.

To address this, investigators at Dascena, Inc. developed and evaluated a prediction algorithm based on machine learning, a type of artificial intelligence. The algorithm analyzed 7,122 patient encounters and was compared with standard of care, the Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (SOFA) scoring system.

The Dascena algorithm outperformed SOFA, demonstrating superior performance in predicting acute kidney injury 72 hours prior to onset.

"Through earlier detection, physicians can proactively treat their patients, potentially resulting in better outcomes and limiting the severity of AKI symptoms," said Ritankar Das, MSc, president and chief executive officer of Dascena. "This presentation highlights our algorithm's ability to provide this earlier detection over traditional systems, which could profoundly impact AKI management in the hospital setting in the future."

Dascena has received Breakthrough Device Designation from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for its AKI algorithm. This is the first Breakthrough Device Designation of a machine learning algorithm developed for the early detection of AKI.

Study: "Development and Validation of a Convolutional Neural Network Model for ICU Acute Kidney Injury Prediction"

ASN Kidney Week 2020 Reimagined, the largest nephrology meeting of its kind, will provide a forum for more than 13,000 professionals to discuss the latest findings in kidney health research and engage in educational sessions related to advances in the care of patients with kidney and related disorders. Kidney Week 2020 Reimagined will take place October 19-October 25.

Highlights

New research examines the risk of acute kidney injury in people with sickle cell trait or disease, as well as the effect of acute kidney injury on kidney function decline in these individuals.

Results from the study will be presented online during ASN Kidney Week 2020 Reimagined October 19-October 25.

Washington, DC (October 23, 2020) -- Sickle cell trait and sickle cell disease are risk factors for experiencing kidney function decline among Black individuals. A new study indicates that the risk of acute kidney injury is also higher in adults with sickle cell trait or disease, and it may play a role in the kidney function decline experienced by these individuals. The findings come from a study that will be presented online during ASN Kidney Week 2020 Reimagined October 19-October 25.

People with sickle cell trait carry 1 copy of an altered hemoglobin gene and rarely have clinical symptoms related to the disease, whereas people with sickle cell disease carry 2 copies of the altered gene and have chronic, severe anemia, or low hemoglobin levels.

Using medical records from multiple large Boston hospitals, investigators examined the risk for acute kidney injury among Black adults: 8,968 with normal hemoglobin genes, 1,279 with sickle cell trait, and 254 with sickle cell disease. Participants were followed for a median of 7.6 years, and their kidney function was monitored.

"Our study showed that there was an increased risk for certain types of acute kidney injury in Black people with the sickle cell gene compared with Black people without the sickle cell gene," said lead author Kabir Olaniran, MD (University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas). "Furthermore, we examined loss of kidney function over time and found that acute kidney injury increased the risk for faster loss of kidney function in Black people with the sickle cell gene compared with Black people without the sickle cell gene who also experienced acute kidney injury. Both outcomes were worse in sickle cell disease compared with sickle cell trait."

Dr. Olaniran noted that the study adds important information to the sparse data on the risk for acute kidney injury in Black people carrying the sickle cell gene. "If these findings are supported by future research, then we need to (1) clarify how the presence of the sickle cell gene mediates increased risk for acute kidney injury, (2) determine the best criteria for identifying Black people with the sickle cell gene most at risk for acute kidney injury, and (3) develop protective therapies that lower the risk for acute kidney injury among Black people who carry the sickle cell gene," he said.

Study: "Acute Kidney Injury among African Americans with Sickle Cell Trait and Disease"

ASN Kidney Week 2020 Reimagined, the largest nephrology meeting of its kind, will provide a forum for more than 13,000 professionals to discuss the latest findings in kidney health research and engage in educational sessions related to advances in the care of patients with kidney and related disorders. Kidney Week 2020 Reimagined will take place October 19-October 25.

DURHAM, N.C., October 23, 2020 - Burt's Bees, a pioneer in natural skin care, today announced new research supporting the role of efficacy-first, natural regimens to defend, replenish and restore vibrant, healthier-looking skin. The studies will be presented at the virtual Integrative Dermatology Symposium (IDS) from October 23 - November 1, 2020.

The latest research findings from Burt's Bees highlight:

Anti-aging and anti-inflammatory properties of bakuchiol, a natural alternative to retinol that is well tolerated on sensitive and photo-damaged, aging skin.

In vitro and in vivo data on a natural lip balm containing antioxidant-rich turmeric and its ability to provide therapeutic benefits in dry or compromised lip conditions.

"At Burt's Bees, our research and data are at the center of all that we do. The results from our latest studies further support the proven power of nature-based ingredients in skin care, providing valuable insight into the efficacy of bakuchiol, a natural retinol alternative, and the potent antioxidant-rich botanical turmeric," said Hemali Gunt, Ph. D., Head of Clinical and Scientific Affairs at Burt's Bees. "Scientific evidence suggests a rise in inflammatory skin conditions, which is likely to be exacerbated by consistent mask wear paired with the approaching winter months. Bakuchiol and turmeric are proven to be powerful yet gentle nature-based ingredients that are key to helping to improve the condition of the skin and lips."

Burt's Bees posters at IDS 2020 will be available on the meeting platform until Sunday, Nov. 1 and include:

Bakuchiol, a natural alternative to retinol, inhibits inflammatory markers in vitro and clinically improves appearance of aging, sensitive skin; Gunt H. and Levy S.; virtual presentation.

About the Research: The anti-inflammatory effects of topical bakuchiol, a natural alternative to retinol, was evaluated in vitro on test tissues before and after UVB exposure. The tolerability and efficacy of a topical bakuchiol was also studied in a 4-week study with female subjects with sensitive, photo-aging skin.

Results indicated a significant reduction in release of inflammation and irritation markers, demonstrating bakuchiol's unique anti-inflammatory properties.

The study showed significant improvements in investigator-graded and subject-rated efficacy measures, indicating bakuchiol's ability to improve the health of photodamaged skin without signs of irritation and supporting its use in topical treatments as a natural alternative to retinol.

In vitro anti-inflammatory activity and in vivo efficacy of a natural lip balm containing antioxidant-rich turmeric for extremely dry lips; Gunt H. and Levy S.; virtual presentation.

About the Research: A natural lip balm containing turmeric, a potent botanical, combined with beeswax, cocoa and shea butters, and castor and coconut oils, replenishes the lips' moisture barrier and improves hydration to help repair dry, sensitive lips.

The first study examined in vitro antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activity of a lip balm formulation containing turmeric via test tissues. Results demonstrated a significant reduction in ROS formation and inflammatory mediator release.

A second 2-week study examined in vivo efficacy of the lip balm on human lips. Results indicated significant improvements in clinical grading at measurement intervals (baseline, day 3, week 1 and week 2), with lip hydration increasing dramatically at day 3.

Overall, in vitro and in vivo results demonstrated that a well-formulated natural lip balm containing turmeric can boost antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activity to provide therapeutic benefits in dry or compromised lip conditions.

"As more and more patients express a preference for using natural skincare products, this significant research helps us better understand the properties and efficacy of nature-based ingredients and how they can be used to positively impact skin health, especially for those with sensitive or compromised skin conditions," said Stanley Levy, M.D., a board-certified dermatologist in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, and study investigator. "Clinical results help drive scientific support for natural regimens, as dermatologists seek natural solutions for their patients."

Burt's Bees provides resources for healthcare professionals through BurtsBeesDermatology.com, including the latest clinical data in nature-based skin care. Visit the site to explore the latest from Burt's Bees and learn about our in-office sampling program for dermatologists.

What The Study Did: Researchers investigated whether state-imposed stay-at-home orders and the proportion of African American population in a state were associated with the state-level COVID-19 cases from March to May 2020.

Authors: Bisakha Sen, Ph.D., of the University of Alabama at Birmingham, is the corresponding author.

To access the embargoed study: Visit our For The Media website at this link https://media.jamanetwork.com/

(doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2020.26010)

Editor's Note: Please see the article for additional information, including other authors, author contributions and affiliations, conflict of interest and financial disclosures, and funding and support.

What The Study Did: University students in France who experienced quarantine during COVID-19 were surveyed to assess how common were mental health issues and to identify factors associated with these disorders.

Authors: Fabien D'Hondt, Ph.D., of the Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Lille in Lille, France, is the corresponding author.

To access the embargoed study: Visit our For The Media website at this link https://media.jamanetwork.com/

(doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2020.25591)

Editor's Note: The article includes conflict of interest disclosures. Please see the article for additional information, including other authors, author contributions and affiliations, conflict of interest and financial disclosures, and funding and support.

Oncotarget recently published "A novel format for recombinant antibody-interleukin-2 fusion proteins exhibits superior tumor-targeting properties in vivo which reported that here, the authors describe four novel formats for the L19-IL2 fusion, featuring different arrangements of antibody and IL2. A comparative quantitative biodistribution analysis in tumor-bearing mice using radioiodinated proteins revealed that the novel format exhibited the best biodistribution results.

In vitro assays on peripheral blood mononuclear cells showed a decreased activation of regulatory T cells when single IL2 domain was used.

In vivo, both L19-IL2 and L19L19-IL2 inhibited tumor growth in immunocompetent mouse models of cancer.

T-cell analysis revealed similar levels of CD4 and FoxP3 cells, with an expansion of the CD8 T cell in mice treated with L19-IL2 and L19L19-IL2. The percentage of CD4 regulatory T cells was markedly decreased with L19L19-IL2 combined with a mouse-specific PD-1 blocker.

Collectively, these data indicate that the new L19L19-IL2 format exhibits favorable tumor-homing properties and mediates a potent anti-cancer activity in vivo.

Dr. Dario Neri from The Swiss Federal Institute of Technology and Dr. Alessandra Villa from Philochem AG said, "There is a growing interest in the use of immunotherapy approaches for the treatment of cancer, which has been promoted by the clinical results obtained against various types of malignancies using anti-PD-1 and anti-PD-L1 antibodies."

Pegylated forms of IL2 have shown superior properties in mouse models of cancer and encouraging results in patients as single agents or in combination with anti-PD-1 antibodies.

The masking of IL2 epitopes using antibodies allowed the selective activation of lymphocytes sub-populations, improving immune-stimulatory activity.

While some researchers have fused the IL2 moiety at the C-terminal extremity of the heavy chain or of the light chain of antibodies in full IgG format, these Oncotarget authors have preferred to use antibody fragments, as they may exhibit more favorable tumor: organ ratios and as those products may clear more rapidly from circulation, thus avoiding prolonged cytokine-related toxicity.

"These Oncotarget authors have preferred to use antibody fragments, as they may exhibit more favorable tumor"

L19 is a fully human, clinical grade antibody that targets the alternatively spliced EDB domain of fibronectin.

The Neri/Villa Research Team concluded in their Oncotarget Research Paper that L19-IL2 has been administered to more than 200 patients with different types of malignancies.

The most advanced clinical studies include its use in combination with L19-TNF for the treatment of fully resectable stage IIIB, C melanoma and in combination with stereotactic ablative radiotherapy for the treatment of oligometastatic tumors.

It is likely that the substitution of L19-IL2 with L19L19-IL2, ideally in combination with PD-1 blockade, may lead to a further increase of therapeutic activity.

Phase II studies with L19-IL2 in patients with metastatic melanoma had shown that some patients enjoyed major durable responses with favorable safety profiles but more than 50% of the subjects did not achieve a partial response.

L19L19-IL2 could represent a promising monovalent alternative to L19-IL2, which deserves to be clinically investigated, because of its favorable tumor homing properties and reduced activation of regulatory T cells.

With Telsa in the lead, the electric vehicle market is growing around the world. Unlike conventional cars that use internal combustion engines, electric cars are solely powered by lithium ion batteries, so the battery performance defines the car's overall performance. However, slow charging times and weak power are still barriers to be overcome. In light of this, a POSTECH research team has recently developed a faster charging and longer lasting battery material for electric cars.

The research teams of Professor Byoungwoo Kang and Dr. Minkyung Kim of the Department of Materials Science and Engineering at POSTECH and Professor Won-Sub Yoon in the Department of Energy Science at Sungkyunkwan University have together proved for the first time that when charging and discharging Li-ion battery electrode materials, high power can be produced by significantly reducing the charging and discharging time without reducing the particle size. These research findings were published in the recent issue of Energy & Environmental Science, a leading international journal in the energy materials field.

For fast charging and discharging of Li-ion batteries, methods that reduce the particle size of electrode materials were used so far. However, reducing the particle size has a disadvantage of decreasing the volumetric energy density of the batteries.

To this, the research team confirmed that if an intermediate phase in the phase transition is formed during the charging and discharging, high power can be generated without losing high energy density or reducing the particle size through rapid charging and discharging, enabling the development of long-lasting Li-ion batteries.

In the case of phase separating materials that undergo the process of creating and growing new phases while charging and discharging, two phases with different volumes exist within a single particle, resulting in many structural defects in the interface of the two phases. These defects inhibit the rapid growth of a new phase within the particle, hindering quick charging and discharging.

Using the synthesis method developed by the research team, one can induce an intermediate phase that acts as a structural buffer that can dramatically reduce the change in volume between the two phases in a particle.

In addition, it has been confirmed that this buffering intermediate phase can help create and grow a new phase within the particle, improving the speed of insertion and removal of lithium in the particle. This in turn proved that the intermediate phase formation can dramatically increase the charging and discharging speed of the cell by creating a homogenous electrochemical reaction in the electrode where numerous particles is composed of. As a result, the Li-ion battery electrodes synthesized by the research team charge up to 90% in six minutes and discharge 54% in 18 seconds, a promising sign for developing high-power Li-ion batteries.

"The conventional approach has always been a trade-off between its low energy density and the rapid charge and discharge speed due to the reduction in the particle size," remarked Professor Byoungwoo Kang, the corresponding author of the paper. He elaborated, "This research has laid the foundation for developing Li-ion batteries that can achieve quick charging and discharging speed, high energy density, and prolonged performance."

As much of Europe is engulfed by a second wave of Covid-19, and track and trace struggles to meet demand, modelling support tools are being increasingly used by policymakers to make key decisions. Most notably, models have been used to predict the Covid-19 R0 rate - the average rate of secondary infections from a single infection, which has formed the basis for many lockdown decisions across the UK.

Models can represent the most effective tool for identifying interventions that can balance the risks of widespread infection and help assess socio-economic disruption until an effective treatment is established. However, not all models are equal, and differences in model predictions during the Covid-19 pandemic have caused confusion and suspicion.

A recent paper 'Three questions to ask before using model outputs for decision support' published in Nature Communications aims to help decision makers choose the best available model for the problem at hand. The paper proposes three screening questions that can help critically evaluate models with respect to their purpose, organisation, and evidence, and enable more secure use of models for key decisions by policy makers.

One of the authors of the paper, Dr Alice Johnston, Lecturer in Environmental Data Science at Cranfield University, said: "From Covid-19 to the stock market, models are increasingly used by policymakers to support their decisions.

"However, different models are based on different assumptions and so can produce conflicting results, even when they represent the same system. Models used early on in the Covid-19 pandemic were a prime example of this, which led to confusion over which models to trust to support the decision-making process. This really highlights the need for clear communication of a model's context, so that policymakers have confidence in which models to trust.

"We propose that before engaging with a model, policymakers ask themselves three screening questions focusing on the model's purpose, organisation and evidence base, with the aim of bringing greater clarity to the decision-making process."

Time crystals sound like something out of science fiction, but they may be the next major leap in quantum network research. A team based in Japan has proposed a method to use time crystals to simulate massive networks with very little computing power.

They published their results on October 16 Science Advances.

First theorized in 2012 and observed in 2017, time crystals are arrangements of matter that repeats in time. Normal crystals, such as diamonds or salt, repeat their atomic self-organization in space, but do not show any regularity in time. Time crystals self-organize and repeat their patterns in time, meaning their structure changes periodically as time progresses.

"The exploration of time crystals is a very active field of research and several varied experimental realizations have been achieved," said paper author Kae Nemoto, professor in the principles of informatics research division at the National Institute of Informatics. "Yet an intuitive and complete insight of the nature of time crystals and their characterization, as well as a set of proposed applications, is lacking. In this paper, we provide new tools based on graph theory and statistical mechanics to fill this gap."

Nemoto and her team specifically examined how the quantum nature of time crystals -- how they shift from moment to moment in a predictable, repeating pattern -- can be used to simulate large, specialized networks, such as communication systems or artificial intelligence.

"In the classical world, this would be impossible as it would require a huge amount of computing resources," said Marta Estarellas, one of the first authors of the paper from the National Institute of Informatics. "We are not only bringing a new method to represent and understand quantum processes, but also a different way to look at quantum computers."

Quantum computers can store and manipulate multiple states of information, meaning they can process huge data sets with relatively little power and time by solving several potential outcomes at the same time, rather than one by one like classical computers.

"Can we use this network representation and its tools to understand complex quantum systems and their phenomena, as well as identify applications?" Nemoto asked. "In this work, we show the answer is yes."

The researchers plan to explore different quantum systems using time crystals after their approach is experimentally tested. With this information, their goal is to propose real applications for embedding exponentially large complex networks in a few qubits, or quantum bits.

"Using this method with several qubits, one could simulate a complex network the size of the entire worldwide internet," Nemoto said.

A new study led by Marc Veldhoen, principal investigator at Instituto de Medicina Molecular João Lobo Antunes (iMM; Portugal) with an interdisciplinary team of clinicians and researchers from Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade de Lisboa (FMUL) and Centro Hospitalar Lisboa Norte (CHLN) and collaborators at Instituto Português do Sangue e Transplantação (IPST), shows that 90% of subjects have detectable antibodies 40 days up to 7 months post contracting COVID-19. These results, now published in the scientific journal European Journal of Immunology, also show that age is not a confounding factor in levels of antibodies produced, but disease severity is.

This comprehensive and cross-sectional study was thought off in the early days of the pandemic, back in March 2020. The researchers Patrícia Figueiredo-Campos and Birte Blankenhaus, first authors of this study, setup an in-house sensitive specific and versatile COVID-19 serology test. The optimization and validation of the assay was performed as part of Serology4COVID, a consortium of 5 research institutes of Lisbon and Oeiras. Collaborating with physicians in the campus of the Santa Maria Hospital, the research team started to monitor the antibody levels of over 300 COVID-19 hospital patients and healthcare workers, and over 200 post-COVID-19 volunteers.

"Our immune system recognizes the virus SARS-CoV-2 as harmful and produces antibodies in response to it, which helps to fight the virus." "The results of this 6 months cross-sectional study show a classic pattern with a rapid increase of antibody levels within the first three weeks after COVID-19 symptoms and, as expected, a reduction to intermediate levels thereafter", explains Marc Veldhoen, adding that "in this early response phase, on average men produce more antibodies than women, but levels equilibrate during the resolution phase and are similar between the sexes in the months after SARS-CoV-2 infection". In the acute phase of the immune response, the team observed higher antibody levels in subjects with more severe disease. Also, the results show that age is not a confounding factor for the production of antibodies, as no significant differences were observed between age groups. Globally, 90% of subjects have detectable antibodies up to 7 months post contracting COVID-19.

Next, the research team, evaluated the function of these antibodies, i.e. their neutralizing activity against the virus SARS-CoV-2. In collaboration with Instituto Português do Sangue e Transplantação (IPST), the research team analysed the neutralizing capacity of the antibodies produced by the patients and volunteers. "Although we observed a reduction in the levels of antibodies over time, the results of our neutralizing assays have shown a robust neutralisation activity for up to the seventh month post-infection in a large proportion of previously virus-positive screened subjects", explains Marc Veldhoen.

On the importance of this study, Marc Veldhoen states: "Our work provides detailed information for the assays used, facilitating further and longitudinal analysis of protective immunity to SARS-CoV-2. Importantly, it highlights a continued level of circulating neutralising antibodies in most people with confirmed SARS-CoV-2. The next months will be critical to evaluate the robustness of the immune response to SARS-CoV-2 infection, and to find clues for some open questions, such as the duration of circulating antibodies and the impact of reinfection."

Researchers at National University of Science and Technology MISIS (NUST MISIS) have managed to develop a unique method to process bulk metallic glasses. According to the authors of the study, they have managed to find processing conditions that significantly improve the quality of this promising material. The research results were published in Journal of Alloys and Compounds.

Metallic glasses (amorphous metals) are materials which, unlike crystalline forms, don't have a long range atomic order. According to the scientists, this makes the material high-strength, elastic, corrosion resistant; amorphous metals also have other useful properties, due to which they are in demand in instrument making, mechanical engineering, medicine and magneto-electrical engineering.

NUST MISIS scientists explained that the material's brittleness is one of the obstacles to its widespread use. The authors of the study believe that the new method to process metallic glasses will help eliminating this problem. The method was tested on an amorphous Zr-Cu-Fe-Al system alloy.

"Annealing before and after rolling was 'prohibited' by the canons of the science of metallic glasses, since this leads to their embrittlement in the absolute majority of cases. The choice of the alloy composition and alloying system helped us bypass this problem: annealing at about 100 degrees below the glass-transition temperature allowed to achieve ductilization of bulk samples and hardening of tape samples without embrittlement," Professor Dmitry Luzgin, the research supervisor, explained.

According to the scientists, it is the way the original amorphous matrix of the alloy decomposes that affects the resulting material's characteristics. Different results are achieved depending on the samples' geometry, bulk or tape.

"For bulk samples, we've achieved an increase in tensile plasticity of up to 1.5% at room temperature by dividing a homogeneous amorphous phase into two. For ribbon samples, a 25% increase in hardness has been achieved, which is provided with the separation of secondary-amorphous-phase glassy nanoparticles of about 7 nm with retention of plasticity on bending and compression. This is an unexpected and rather significant result," Andrey Bazlov, the author of the method, an employee at the Department of Physical Metallurgy of Non-ferrous Metals of NUST MISIS, said.

NUST MISIS scientists explained that the Zr-Cu-Fe-Al system alloy cannot be used as the main structural material due to its high cost; but they believe that the proposed technology can be applied to other amorphous alloys, in particular, titanium.

The new method will simplify the process of imparting the necessary properties to metallic glasses, thereby expanding their scope of application. In the future, the research team wants to use the new technology to produce titanium and other high-quality bulk metallic glasses.

During human evolution, the size of the brain increased, especially in a particular part called the neocortex. The neocortex enables us to speak, dream and think. In search of the causes underlying neocortex expansion, researchers at the Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics in Dresden, together with colleagues at the University Hospital Carl Gustav Carus Dresden, previously identified a number of molecular players. These players typically act cell-intrinsically in the so-called basal progenitors, the stem cells in the developing neocortex with a pivotal role in its expansion. The researchers now report an additional, novel role of the happiness neurotransmitter serotonin which is known to function in the brain to mediate satisfaction, self-confidence and optimism - to act cell-extrinsically as a growth factor for basal progenitors in the developing human, but not mouse, neocortex. Due to this new function, placenta-derived serotonin likely contributed to the evolutionary expansion of the human neocortex.

The research team of Wieland Huttner at the Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics, who is one of the institute's founding directors, has investigated the cause of the evolutionary expansion of the human neocortex in many studies. A new study from his lab focuses on the role of the neurotransmitter serotonin in this process. Serotonin is often called the happiness neurotransmitter because it transmits messages between nerve cells that contribute to well-being and happiness. However, a potential role of such neurotransmitters during brain development has not yet been explored in detail. In the developing embryo, the placenta produces serotonin, which then reaches the brain via the blood circulation. This is true for humans as well as mice. Yet, the function of this placenta-derived serotonin in the developing brain has been unknown.

The postdoctoral researcher Lei Xing in the Huttner group had studied neurotransmitters during his doctoral work in Canada. When he started his research project in Dresden after that, he was curious to investigate their role in the developing brain. Lei Xing says: "I exploited datasets generated by the group in the past and found that the serotonin receptor HTR2A was expressed in fetal human, but not embryonic mouse, neocortex. Serotonin needs to bind to this receptor in order to activate downstream signaling. I asked myself if this receptor could be one of the keys to the question of why humans have a bigger brain." To explore this, the researchers induced the production of the HTR2A receptor in embryonic mouse neocortex. "Indeed, we found that serotonin, by activating this receptor, caused a chain of reactions that resulted in the production of more basal progenitors in the developing brain. More basal progenitors can then increase the production of cortical neurons, which paves the way to a bigger brain", continues Lei Xing.

Significance for brain development and evolution

"In conclusion, our study uncovers a novel role of serotonin as a growth factor for basal progenitors in highly developed brains, notably human. Our data implicate serotonin in the expansion of the neocortex during development and human evolution", summarizes Wieland Huttner, who supervised the study. He continues: "Abnormal signaling of serotonin and a disturbed expression or mutation of its receptor HTR2A have been observed in various neurodevelopmental and psychiatric disorders, such as Down syndrome, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and autism. Our findings may help explain how malfunctions of serotonin and its receptor during fetal brain development can lead to congenital disorders and may suggest novel approaches for therapeutic avenues."

Sponges are filter feeders that live on particulate matter - but they can also ingest microscopic fragments of plastics and other pollutants of anthropogenic origin. They can therefore serve as useful bioindicators of the health of marine ecosystems.

Pollution of the world's oceans owing to anthropogenic input of plastics and other industrial wastes represents an increasing threat to the viability of marine ecosystems. - And because such pollutants accumulate in fish, crustaceans and mollusks, they enter the food chain and can be ingested by human consumers. Microparticles with dimensions of less than 5 mm present a particularly insidious problem. This class of pollutants includes microplastics and textile fibers, as well as synthetic chemicals found in consumer products such as household cleansers and cosmetics. It is therefore imperative to develop methods for quantifying the magnitude of the threat in order to develop effective measures to mitigate it. In a new publication in the journal Environmental Pollution, a research team led by Ludwig-Maximilians-Universitaet (LMU) in Munich Professor Gert Wörheide (Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, and GeoBio-Center) shows that marine sponges have great potential as bioindicators for the monitoring of microscopic pollutants in the seas.

Sponges are sometimes referred to as the ocean's vacuum cleaners. They feed on tiny particles suspended in the currents, by filtering them from the seawater that passes through their highly porous tissues - which are supported by mineralized skeletons in many species. To assess their utility as bioindicators for microparticulate pollutants, Wörheide and colleagues studied 15 samples of a type of mineralized sponges belonging to the class known as 'demosponges' from a coral reef off the coast of the island of Bangka in Northern Sulawesi (Indonesia). "We chose this site because Southeast Asia is a hotspot for plastic pollutants in the oceans", says Elsa B. Girard, lead author of the study. Girard recently graduated from the Master's Program in Geobiology and Paleobiology at LMU, and her contribution to the paper was part of her Master's thesis. "In light of the impact of global warming, and the overexploitation of marine resources, local sponge species could act as useful biomonitors of micropollutants, and help us to develop appropriate measures to reduce the deleterious effects of these substances on reef communities", she explains.

In cooperation with specialists from the SNSB- Mineralogical State Collection in Munich and LMU's Department of Chemistry and Center for Nanoscience (CeNS), the biologists used two innovative methods to examine the samples collected from the reef. With the aid of two-photon excitation microscopy (TPE), they confirmed that sponges indeed incorporate microparticles into their tissues. Then they used Raman spectroscopy to characterize the nature of the particles themselves. The data obtained with the second technique revealed the presence of no less than 34 different types of microparticles in sponge tissues. The spectrum ranged from plastics such as polystyrene to cotton and titanium dioxide (TiO2). TiO2 is used in dyes and paints, as well as being a component of sunscreen lotions. Furthermore, the variation in the composition of microparticles in the different samples appears to reflect spatial variations in particle type in the surrounding water.

The researchers detected between 90 and 600 particles per gram of dried tissue in their sponge samples.  "Since sponges can weigh up to several hundred grams, we estimate on the basis of these results that each can accumulate more than 10,000 particles", says Wörheide. "This makes them promising candidates for the task of monitoring the levels of anthropogenic microparticle pollution in the oceans." With the exception of mollusks, few other species have the properties required of marine bioindicators. According to the authors of the study, sponges have several other "qualifications" for the job. They are abundant and are continuously active as filter-feeders. Moreover, measurements of pollution levels can be carried out on tissue samples (biopsies) without affecting the viability of the organisms.

Findings from the largest international research study found that using FIT is almost 100% accurate at ruling out bowel cancer in patients with suspicious symptoms.

The study has just been published in Gut, and the research already won prestigious top prizes of the two main surgical societies in the UK.

The NICE FIT study was led by Croydon University Hospital, with Mr Muti Abulafi, Consultant Colorectal Surgeon at Croydon University Hospital, as Chief Investigator. It was supported by RM Partners, the West London Cancer Alliance hosted by The Royal Marsden with funding from NHS England's cancer transformation fund.

It was the largest international research study assessing the accuracy of using a faecal immunochemical test (FIT) in ruling out bowel cancer in patients with high-risk symptoms.

Results showed that a FIT test is effective at ruling out colorectal cancer with 99.8% accuracy whilst at the same reducing the need for invasive investigations and a visit to the hospital in approximately 60% of patients with a negative FIT result.

The aim of the study was to establish the diagnostic accuracy of FIT in symptomatic patients referred with suspected colorectal cancer under the current NICE guidelines

Recruitment began in October 2017, and when recruitment finished in April 2019, 25,000 patients from 55 hospital sites in England were invited to participate in the trial, and almost 10,000 patients with colonoscopy outcomes were included in the data analysis. The study was completed in January 2020.

The study has shown FIT to be as sensitive a test as colonoscopy, which is currently the gold standard for detection of colorectal cancer. The evidence generated from the study shows that FIT can potentially significantly reduce the number of colonoscopies undertaken, by identifying those who do not require the invasive test.

Further analysis of the dataset is being undertaken to examine the sensitivity of FIT at diagnosing other colorectal conditions.

Mr Muti Abulafi, Chief Investigator, said "NICE FIT is the largest diagnostic accuracy study ever performed of FIT in patients presenting with bowel symptoms. It proves that this simple, at home test is highly sensitive and can detect bowel cancer, when present, with 97% accuracy.'

'FIT will certainly revolutionise the way we manage patients with suspected bowel cancer symptoms. I cannot thank enough everyone who made this research a reality, above all the thousands of patients who volunteered to take part.'

Mr Nigel D'Souza, Colorectal Surgical Fellow, supported the NICE-FIT clinical trial during his research fellowship at Croydon University Hospital. He said: ''Our results show that FIT is essentially a very accurate home test for bowel cancer. If the test is negative in patients with symptoms, the chance of being cancer free is 99.8%. This test can be performed at home without needing to visit hospital or even your GP, which is particularly useful during this time of coronavirus. This study was unprecedented in its scale, and the results have undoubtedly transformed bowel cancer outcomes and care for patients with bowel symptoms in England."

Conventional plastic is made from oil. The production of plastic is not sustainable, and it can contain substances we know are dangerous if ingested.

In recent years, bioplastics have come onto the market as an alternative to conventional plastic. Bioplastic has some apparent advantages: it is usually made from recycled material or plant cellulose, it can be biodegradable - or both.

But a new study shows that it is not non-toxic.

Bioplastics are in fact just as toxic as other plastics, according to an article recently published in Environment International.

"Bio-based and biodegradable plastic are not any safer than other plastics," says Lisa Zimmermann from Goethe Universität in Frankfurt. She is the lead author of the recent article.

Zimmermann points out  that products based on cellulose and starch contained the most chemicals. They also triggered stronger toxic reactions under laboratory conditions.

"Three out of four of these plastic products contain substances that we know are dangerous under laboratory conditions, the same as for conventional plastic," says Martin Wagner, associate professor at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology's Department of Biology.

Wagner is one of the collaborators for PlastX, a research group at the Institut für sozial-ökologische Forschung (ISOE) in Frankfurt.

This group has just led the work on the largest survey to date of chemicals in bioplastics and plastics made from plant-based materials.

They have looked at toxic substances in these types of plastic. The substances can be directly toxic to cells in the laboratory, or they can act as hormones that in turn can disturb the body's balance.

The study includes 43 different plastic products, including disposable cutlery, chocolate packaging paper, drink bottles and wine corks.

"Eighty per cent of the products contained more than 1000 different chemicals. Some of them as many as 20 000 chemicals," says Wagner.

It goes without saying that it is almost impossible to keep track of absolutely all the possible harmful effects of so many different materials.

Even seemingly similar products have their own special chemical composition. A plastic bag made of bio-polyethylene can contain completely different substances than a wine cork made of the same material.

"Making general statements about certain materials becomes almost impossible," says Wagner.

At present, the consequences this has for the environment and for people's health are still uncertain. We don't know to what extent the substances in plastic are transferable to humans.

Nor do we know whether the alternatives to bioplastics and conventional plastics are better for us and the environment around us, since so many factors come into play. The alternatives may involve polluting production methods and limited opportunities for recycling, or food production has to give way to obtain the materials for the alternative products. More research is needed.