Shedding light on the secret reproductive lives of honey bees

NORTH CAROLINA STATE UNIVERSITY

Research News

 

Honey bee health has been on the decline for two decades, with U.S. and Canadian beekeepers now losing about 25 to 40% of their colonies annually. And queen bees are failing faster than they have in the past in their ability to reproduce. The reason has been a mystery, but researchers at North Carolina State University and the University of British Columbia are finding answers.

IMAGE: NC STATE UNIVERSITY RESEARCHER ALISON MCAFEE PREPARES QUEEN CELLS TO GO INTO HONEY BEE MATING COLONIES. view more 

CREDIT: PHOTO BY ALISON MCAFEE.

Their latest research, published Jan. 8 in the journal Communications Biology, offers clues about what's behind queen bee failure, finding that when sperm viability is low, the expression of a protein known to act against pathogens such as bacteria and viruses is high.

David Tarpy, a University Faculty Scholar and professor in NC State's Department of Entomology and Plant Pathology, says the study has important implications for beekeepers and their customers, the farmers who rely on honey bees to pollinate their crops.

"Beekeepers have identified problem queens as a top management concern, but what's causing the problem is largely invisible. Queens go bad, and we don't know why," Tarpy said.

Alison McAfee, a postdoctoral scientist at NC State and UBC, was the study's lead author. She explained that to have a healthy hive, honey bees depend on a healthy queen, the only female bee in a colony that can reproduce.

The queen mates with many males, but only early in life, storing all the sperm that she'll use in her lifetime in her spermatheca, an abdominal organ that looks like a tiny pearl. When the sperm begin to die, the queen can't produce as many fertilized eggs. That causes the colony's population to decline.

"Queens have the potential to live for five years, but these days, half the time queens (in managed honey bee colonies) are replaced within their first six months because they are failing," McAfee said. "If a beekeeper is really lucky, a queen might live two years. Beekeepers need answers about why their queens are failing.

"The more we can find out about what is actually happening within these failed queens, the closer we can get to understanding why this queen failure is happening in the first place."

In their research, McAfee, Tarpy and their colleagues found that queens that were failing reproductively had significantly fewer sperm than ones that were reproductively thriving. And a higher percentage of the sperm they did have were dead. The researchers also discovered that compared to reproductively healthy queen bees, the failed queens were more likely to have higher levels of two viruses - sacbrood virus and black queen cell virus.

"The high levels of these viruses and poor sperm viability made us interested in seeing if there was a trade-off happening in the honey bee queen," McAfee said. "There's a classical hypothesis in reproductive biology that you can't do everything well, so there's a trade-off between immunity and being able to reproduce. It's been found in quite a few other organisms, including insects, that there are such trade-offs."

To find out if the same would be true with the honeybee queen, the researchers used a tool known as a mass spectrometer to gain a better picture of what was going on in the spermatheca of the healthy and failed queens. They identified 2,000 different proteins and determined which ones were linked to sperm viability.

One of the most significant proteins linked to sperm viability, McAfee said, was lysozyme. Lysozyme is an enzyme that's part of animals' immune systems.

"The queens with the highest sperm viability had the lowest abundance of lysozyme, indicating that they weren't investing resources in this kind of immune response," McAfee added. "That supports this idea that there's a trade-off between the queens being able to fight off infections and being able to maintain their stored sperm."

Tarpy said that the research could begin allowing researchers to find the cause of queen failure and find molecular tools that could "help identify bad queens upstream in the process before beekeepers use them and before they realize they're bad."

Right now, the cause of queen failure isn't clear. "The underlying mechanisms could be disease. They could be pesticides. They could be improper nutrition," he said. "We don't know, so we are working our way backward to identify the causes."

Once the causes are clearly understood, Tarpy added, scientists can then work forward "to help beekeepers keep mortality levels down to sustainable levels and thus keep their colonies thriving."

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This research was supported by grants from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada, Genome Canada and Genome British Columbia, Project Apis m, the Boone Hodgson Wilkinson Trust, the Canadian Bee Research Fund and the U.S. Department of Agriculture's National Institute for Agriculture.

An abstract of the paper follows.

"Trade-offs between sperm viability and immune protein expression in honey bee queens (Apis mellifera)"

DOI: 10.1038/s42003-020-01586-w

Authors: Alison McAfee, North Carolina State University and the University of British Columbia; Abigail Chapman and Leonard J. Foster, University of British Columbia; Jeffery S. Pettis, Pettis and Associates; and David R. Tarpy, North Carolina State University

Published: Jan. 8, 2021 in Communications Biology.

Queens of many social hymenoptera keep sperm alive within their specialized storage organ, the spermatheca, for years, defying the typical trade-off between lifespan and reproduction. However, whether honey bee (Apis mellifera) queens experience a trade-off between reproduction and immunity is unknown, and the biochemical processes underlying sperm viability are poorly understood. Here, we survey quality metrics and viral loads of honey bee queens from nine genetic sources. Queens rated as 'failed' by beekeepers had lower sperm viability, fewer sperm, and higher levels of sacbrood virus and black queen cell virus. Quantitative proteomics on N?=?123 spermathecal fluid samples shows, after accounting for sperm count, health status, and apiary effects, five spermathecal fluid proteins significantly correlating with sperm viability: odorant binding protein (OBP)14, lysozyme, serpin 88Ea, artichoke, and heat-shock protein (HSP)10. The significant negative correlation of lysozyme--a conserved immune effector--with sperm viability is consistent with a reproduction vs. immunity trade-off in honey bee queens.

Disclaimer: AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert system.

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Age matters in identifying maltreatment in infants and young children with fractures

SOCIETY FOR ACADEMIC EMERGENCY MEDICINE

 NEWS RELEASE 13-JAN-2021

Research News

 

IMAGE: SYSTEMATIC REVIEW AND RECOMMENDATIONS, 15 ARTICLES 1980-2020 view more 

CREDIT: KIRSTY CHALLEN, B.SC., MBCHB, MRES, PH.D., LANCASHIRE TEACHING HOSPITALS, UNITED KINGDOM.

DES PLAINES, IL -- Among children who were not in an independently verified incident, evaluation for child abuse should be done by specialty consultation in children aged less than three-years old presenting with rib fractures and children aged less than 18-months presenting with humeral or femoral fractures. That is the conclusion of a study titled Identifying Maltreatment in Infants and Young Children Presenting with Fractures: Does Age Matter?, to be published in the January 2021 issue of Academic Emergency Medicine (AEM), a journal of the Society for Academic Emergency Medicine (SAEM).

The lead author of the study is Ian C. Mitchell, MD, a pediatric surgery specialist, Departments of Surgery, University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio and Baylor College of Medicine, San Antonio, TX. The findings of the study are discussed in a recent AEM podcast.

According to the study findings, 77 percent of children presenting with rib fractures aged less than three years were abused; when those involved in motor vehicle collisions were excluded, 96% were abused. Abuse was identified in 48% of children less than 18?months with humeral fractures. Among those with femoral fractures, abuse was diagnosed in 34% and 25% of children aged less than 12 and 18?months, respectively.

Commenting on the study is Mark R. Zonfrillo, MD, MSCE, associate professor of emergency medicine and pediatrics at Alpert Medical School of Brown University and Hasbro Children's Hospital:

"Undiagnosed child abuse can lead to subsequent serious injury or death, and understanding injury characteristics that can predict increased risk of an abusive injury is critical. This systematic review identified rib fractures in children younger than three years old and humeral or femoral fractures in children younger than 18 months old, and without an independently verified injury mechanism, as higher risk for abuse. For these patients, the authors recommend diagnostic evaluation and consultation for potential abuse in order to minimize morbidity and mortality from these intentional injuries."

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ABOUT ACADEMIC EMERGENCY MEDICINE

Academic Emergency Medicine, the monthly journal of Society for Academic Emergency Medicine, features the best in peer-reviewed, cutting-edge original research relevant to the practice and investigation of emergency care. The above study is published open access and can be downloaded by following the DOI link: 10.1111/acem.14122. Journalists wishing to interview the authors may contact Tami Craig at tcraig@saem.org.

ABOUT THE SOCIETY FOR ACADEMIC EMERGENCY MEDICINE

SAEM is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization dedicated to the improvement of care of the acutely ill and injured patient by leading the advancement of academic emergency medicine through education and research, advocacy, and professional development. To learn more, visit saem.org.

Effects of head trauma from intimate partner violence largely unrecognized

Rutgers researcher speaks on new international effort to understand ramifications of injuries

RUTGERS UNIVERSITY

Research News

 

While there is an abundant amount of research about traumatic brain injuries in athletes and those serving in the military, the same data is scarce when it comes to concussions and head and neck injuries sustained due to intimate partner violence.

Carrie Esopenko, assistant professor in the Department of Rehabilitation and Movement Sciences in the Rutgers School of Health Professions says that the World Health Organization estimates that one in three women will experience intimate partner violence (IPV) in her lifetime, and studies suggest that anywhere between 30% to 90% of women who experience physical abuse at the hands of an intimate partner experience head trauma. Yet not enough data is being collected to understand how this head trauma affects cognitive and psychological functioning as well as the underlying neural effects.

Esopenko is part of a new Intimate Partner Violence Working Group studying intimate partner violence-related head trauma as part of the Enhancing NeuroImaging Genetics through Meta-Analysis (ENIGMA) Consortium, an international, multidisciplinary group that seeks to provide a collaborative framework for large-scale analysis and neuroimaging and genetic studies in patient groups. She discusses the effect that head trauma due to intimate partner violence can have on individuals and the challenges the working group faces in gathering data as recently published in the journal Brain Imaging and Behavior.

What is the risk for traumatic brain injury in those who suffer abuse?

Although intimate partner violence occurs at any age, it is most prevalent in the 18- to 24-year-old age group, and older adults are also vulnerable. Males and females experience IPV, but violence against women tends to result in more severe and chronic injuries. Due to the high degree of physical aggression associated with this type of abuse, there is a significant risk for traumatic brain injury caused by blunt force trauma, being violently shaken or pushed.

Another significant concern is anoxic brain injury, which can occur due strangulation or attempts to impede normal breathing. The prevalence of head injuries in women who have sustained IPV is estimated to be between 30 percent and 92 percent, with a high proportion of these women reporting injuries as a result of strangulation. It is estimated that more than 50 percent of women exposed to intimate partner violence suffer multiple brain injuries due to abuse-related head trauma.

What are the consequences of such injuries?

Past research suggests that IPV can impact cognitive and psychological functioning as well as have neurological effects. These seem to be compounded in those who suffer a brain injury as a result of trauma to the head, face, neck or body due to physical and/or sexual violence. However, our understanding of the neurobehavioral and neurobiological effects of head trauma is limited.

Studies suggest that women who experience IPV report cognitive dysfunction, including impaired reaction time, response inhibition, working memory, attention and a range of other cognitive, behavioral and emotional difficulties. They often report a high degree of mental health disorders, such as depression, anxiety, substance use disorders, suicidal ideation and PTSD. There is evidence that intimate partner violence-related brain injury also alters brain function and structure.

What is unknown about traumatic brain injury in victims of domestic violence?

While research on traumatic brain injury in other populations, like athletes and the military, has dramatically increased over the past two decades, research on intimate partner-related brain injury is vastly understudied. We need to know more about the effect of sex, socioeconomic status, race and/or ethnicity, age at first exposure - including childhood trauma, duration and severity of IPV exposure, and psychiatric disorders on the neural, cognitive and psychological outcomes associated with IPV-related brain injuries. Knowing this can help us to predict outcomes and help personalize treatment and intervention strategies.

What are the working group's goals?

There remain important challenges to understanding the interaction between intimate partner-related brain injury and cognitive and psychosocial functioning, mental health and neural outcomes. Of importance is the identification and characterization of brain injury in this population, which is often difficult because brain trauma is often overlooked or not diagnosed in this population. By forming a global collaboration across disciplines -- researchers, clinicians, first responders, community organizations and policymakers -- we hope to help tailor measures that can be used across groups for consistent data collection that will enable us to combine large-scale datasets to answer these difficult questions and facilitate further translation of research outcomes to clinical care and community-based supports.

Stats on HIV among men who have sex with men could help resolve China's epidemic

In China's decades-long war against HIV, the time has come to explore infections among young men who have sex with men, new study shows

CACTUS COMMUNICATIONS

Research News

 

IMAGE: RISING INCIDENCE OF HIV INFECTION IN YOUNG MEN WHO PRACTICE SEX WITH MEN HIGHLIGHTS THE NEED FOR IMPROVED PREVENTIVE MEASURES EARLY ON, IF CHINA'S EPIDEMIC IS TO BE BROUGHT TO... view more 

CREDIT: CHINESE MEDICAL JOURNAL

Since the dawn of the 21st century, there has been a rapid rise in the number of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infections in China, and today, the epidemic continues to grow. Several populations are victims of this virus, including injection drug users, sex workers, and men who have sex with men (MSM). In the various decades since HIV has gripped China, these groups and others have variously been at the forefront or background of national efforts to tackle the epidemic.

In the recent past, the prevalence of HIV has been high among the MSM population, particularly, MSM students. According to China CDC's national data on newly reported HIV/AIDS cases, there was a 35% annual increase in cases among student MSM from 2011 to 2015. Between 2005 and 2007, the HIV prevalence among this population was 3%. This increased to 6% between 2008 and 2010.

Dr. Jing Zhang, researcher at the NHC Key Laboratory of AIDS Immunology (China Medical University) and lead scientist on a recent study on HIV incidence among MSM youth in China, says, "This increasing HIV prevalence could be because of expanding HIV testing in China in the recent years, or it could be that the number of recent infected cases has truly been growing." Explaining her rationale for the study, she continues, "To clarify why this increase is happening and its proportions, we need data on the 'incidence'. The incidence is one of the most crucial indicators of the trend of the epidemic and is key to understanding the impact of prevention measures. Because unlike 'prevalence', which accounts both recent and established cases, 'incidence' more specifically records only the recent cases. Data on incidence is what is lacking among the MSM student population."

In their study, which has been published in Chinese Medical Journal, Dr. Zhang and her colleagues conducted a multi-center study, measuring not only the incidence but also the rate of transmitted drug resistance (TDR) among MSM college students in seven cities across China during 2012 and 2013. The TDR negatively impacts the prognosis of HIV-infected individuals when receiving antiretroviral therapy, the main measure China has taken to combat the epidemic over the years.

"For an epidemiologist and public health provider, concrete data on these trends of recent incidence and TDR is valuable evidence for understanding the epidemic and evaluating the outcomes of the prevention measures employed thus far," Dr. Zhang says.

In the study, a total of 4496 candidates--565 MSM college students, 1094 non-student MSM youth < 25 years of age, and 2837 non-youth MSM ≥ 25 years of age--were enrolled from Shenyang, Nanjing, Shanghai, Ji'nan, Changsha, Zhengzhou, and Kunming. Blood samples of these participants were tested for antibodies against HIV (via the "BED-CEIA test") to confirm recent HIV infection (less than 168 days). In case of HIV strains with resistance associated sequences, TDR was recorded.

The scientists found 436 HIV-positive participants, 186 of whom were recent infections. Among MSM college students, the proportion of HIV recent infections was 70.3%, among non-student MSM youth it was 50.8%, and among non-youth MSM it was 35.1%. The TDR prevalence rates were ~7%, 2%, and ~5%, respectively, for these groups. In short, in the recent past, more MSM college students had become infected than the other groups, and they were more likely to be resistant to antiretroviral therapy.

Drawing on previous studies about behavioral changes among young MSM, Dr. Zhang explains, "The median age of first anal intercourse for these men in China has significantly decreased from 33 years for those born during 1940-1959 to 18 years for those born during 1990-1996. This could be indicative of the gap in current sexual health education in China. China has taken many actions to mitigate the HIV epidemic among students in higher education institutions, including comprehensive education on sexual health and more accessible HIV testing. According to our findings, and given these changing trends, this education should be provided as early as possible during college, or preferably in high school, as soon as youth become sexually active."

Further highlighting and underlining the importance of her team's study, Dr. Zhang remarks, "This study unravels the high proportion of recent HIV infections among college student MSM in 2012-2013. This is expected to facilitate an understanding of the growing HIV epidemic among MSM college students in China today. The study also addresses the importance of regular HIV testing among students and young MSM, emphasizing to this population the importance of early diagnoses. It further brings to the fore the need for TDR testing among this population before initiation of antiretroviral therapy for better response and prognosis."

With such meticulous data collection and proactive measures, perhaps the HIV epidemic in China will soon see an end.

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Reference

Title of original paper: Disparity of human immunodeficiency virus incidence and drug resistance in college student, non-student youth and older men who have sex with men: a cross-sectional study from seven major cities of China

Journal: Chinese Medical Journal

DOI: 10.1097/CM9.0000000000001161

Depression and stress could dampen efficacy of COVID-19 vaccines

Interventions and health behavior changes could boost

ASSOCIATION FOR PSYCHOLOGICAL SCIENCE

Research News

Decades of research show that depression, stress, loneliness, and poor health behaviors can weaken the body's immune system and lower the effectiveness of certain vaccines. A new report accepted for publication in Perspectives on Psychological Science suggests that the same may be true for the new COVID-19 vaccines that are in development and the early stages of global distribution. Fortunately, it may be possible to reduce these negative effects with simple steps like exercise and sleep.

Vaccines are among the safest and most effective advances in medical history, protecting society from a wide range of otherwise devastating diseases, including smallpox and polio. The key to their success, however, is ensuring that a critical percentage of the population is effectively vaccinated to achieve so-called herd immunity.

Even though rigorous testing has shown that the COVID-19 vaccines approved for distribution in the United States are highly effective at producing a robust immune response, not everyone will immediately gain their full benefit. Environmental factors, as well as an individual's genetics and physical and mental health, can weaken the body's immune system, slowing the response to a vaccine.

This is particularly troubling as the novel coronavirus continues to rage across the world, trigging a concurrent mental health crisis as people deal with isolation, economic stressors, and uncertainty about the future. These challenges are the same factors that have been previously shown to weaken vaccine efficacy, particularly among the elderly.

"In addition to the physical toll of COVID-19, the pandemic has an equally troubling mental health component, causing anxiety and depression, among many other related problems. Emotional stressors like these can affect a person's immune system, impairing their ability to ward off infections," said Annelise Madison, a researcher at The Ohio State University and lead author on the paper. "Our new study sheds light on vaccine efficacy and how health behaviors and emotional stressors can alter the body's ability to develop an immune response. The trouble is that the pandemic in and of itself could be amplifying these risk factors."

Vaccines work by challenging the immune system. Within hours of a vaccination, there is an innate, general immune response on the cellular level as the body begins to recognize a potential biological threat. This frontline response by the immune system is eventually aided by the production of antibodies, which target specific pathogens. It is the continued production of antibodies that helps to determine how effective a vaccine is at conferring long-term protection.

"In our research, we focus most heavily on the antibody response, though it is just one facet of the adaptive immune system's response," said Janice Kiecolt-Glaser, director of the Institute for Behavioral Medicine Research at The Ohio State University and senior author on the paper.

The good news, according to the researchers, is that the COVID-19 vaccines already in circulation are approximately 95% effective. Even so, these psychological and behavioral factors can lengthen the amount of time it takes to develop immunity and can shorten the duration of immunity.

"The thing that excites me is that some of these factors are modifiable," said Kiecolt-Glaser. "It's possible to do some simple things to maximize the vaccine's initial effectiveness."

Based on prior research, one strategy the researchers suggest is to engage in vigorous exercise and get a good night's sleep in the 24 hours before vaccination so that your immune system is operating at peak performance. This may help ensure that the best and strongest immune response happens as quickly as possible.

"Prior research suggests that psychological and behavioral interventions can improve vaccine responsiveness. Even shorter-term interventions can be effective," said Madison. "Therefore, now is the time to identify those at risk for a poor immune response and intervene on these risk factors."

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Reference: Madison, A. A., Shrout, M. R., Renna, M. E., Kiecolt-Glaser, J. K. (2021). Psychological and behavioral predictors of vaccine efficacy: Considerations for COVID-19. Advance: Social Sciences & Humanities.

Additional information in APS Research Topic on Vaccination.

Studying chaos with one of the world's fastest cameras

CALIFORNIA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY

Research News

 

IMAGE: A VIDEO RECORDED WITH A CAMERA SHOOTING AT ONE BILLION FRAMES PER SECOND SHOWS HOW TWO PULSES OF LASER LIGHT TAKE DIFFERING PATHS WHILE REFLECTING WITHIN A CHAOTIC OPTICAL CAVITY. view more 

CREDIT: CALTECH

There are things in life that can be predicted reasonably well. The tides rise and fall. The moon waxes and wanes. A billiard ball bounces around a table according to orderly geometry.

And then there are things that defy easy prediction: The hurricane that changes direction without warning. The splashing of water in a fountain. The graceful disorder of branches growing from a tree.

These phenomena and others like them can be described as chaotic systems, and are notable for exhibiting behavior that is predictable at first, but grows increasingly random with time.

Because of the large role that chaotic systems play in the world around us, scientists and mathematicians have long sought to better understand them. Now, Caltech's Lihong Wang, the Bren Professor in the Andrew and Peggy Cherng department of Medical Engineering, has developed a new tool that might help in this quest.

In the latest issue of Science Advances, Wang describes how he has used an ultrafast camera of his own design that recorded video at one billion frames per second to observe the movement of laser light in a chamber specially designed to induce chaotic reflections.

"Some cavities are non-chaotic, so the path the light takes is predictable," Wang says. But in the current work, he and his colleagues have used that ultrafast camera as a tool to study a chaotic cavity, "in which the light takes a different path every time we repeat the experiment."

The camera makes use of a technology called compressed ultrafast photography (CUP), which Wang has demonstrated in other research to be capable of speeds as fast as 70 trillion frames per second. The speed at which a CUP camera takes video makes it capable of seeing light--the fastest thing in the universe--as it travels.

But CUP cameras have another feature that make them uniquely suited for studying chaotic systems. Unlike a traditional camera that shoots one frame of video at a time, a CUP camera essentially shoots all of its frames at once. This allows the camera to capture the entirety of a laser beam's chaotic path through the chamber all in one go.

That matters because in a chaotic system, the behavior is different every time. If the camera only captured part of the action, the behavior that was not recorded could never be studied, because it would never occur in exactly the same way again. It would be like trying to photograph a bird, but with a camera that can only capture one body part at a time; furthermore, every time the bird landed near you, it would be a different species. Although you could try to assemble all your photos into one composite bird image, that cobbled-together bird would have the beak of a crow, the neck of a stork, the wings of a duck, the tail of a hawk, and the legs of a chicken. Not exactly useful.

Wang says that the ability of his CUP camera to capture the chaotic movement of light may breathe new life into the study of optical chaos, which has applications in physics, communications, and cryptography.

"It was a really hot field some time ago, but it's died down, maybe because we didn't have the tools we needed," he says. "The experimentalists lost interest because they couldn't do the experiments, and the theoreticians lost interest because they couldn't validate their theories experimentally. This was a fun demonstration to show people in that field that they finally have an experimental tool."

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The paper describing the research, titled "Real-time observation and control of optical chaos," appears in the January 13 issue of Science Advances. Co-authors are Linran Fan, formerly of Caltech, now an assistant professor at Wyant College of Optical Sciences at the University of Arizona; and Xiaodong Yan and Han Wang, of the University of Southern California.

Funding for the research was provided by the Army Research Office Young Investigator Program, the Air Force Office of Scientific Research, the National Science Foundation, and the National Institutes of Health.

NOT FAD DIETS

MIND and Mediterranean diets associated with later onset of Parkinson's disease

UNIVERSITY OF BRITISH COLUMBIA

Research News

 

A new study from UBC researchers suggests a strong correlation between following the MIND and Mediterranean diets and later onset of Parkinson's disease (PD). While researchers have long known of neuroprotective effects of the MIND diet for diseases like Alzheimer's and dementia, this study is the first to suggest a link between this diet and brain health for Parkinson's disease (PD).

The MIND diet combines aspects of two very popular diets, the Mediterranean diet and the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) diet.

"The study shows individuals with Parkinson's disease have a significantly later age of onset if their eating pattern closely aligns with the Mediterranean-type diet. The difference shown in the study was up to 17 years later in women and eight years later in men," says Dr. Silke Appel-Cresswell of the Pacific Parkinson's Research Centre, the Djavad Mowafaghian Centre for Brain Health and the Division of Neurology in the UBC Faculty of Medicine. "There is a lack of medications to prevent or delay Parkinson's disease yet we are optimistic that this new evidence suggests nutrition could potentially delay onset of the disease."

In a study of 176 participants, researchers looked at adherence to these types of diets, characterized by reduced meat intake and a focus on vegetables, fruits, whole grains and healthy fats, and the age of PD onset. They found that close adherence to these diets coincided with later onset of PD in women of up to 17.4 years, and 8.4 years in men. The MIND diet showed a more significant impact on women's health, whereas the Mediterranean diet did for the men. The differences in these two diets are subtle, but could serve as clues to the impacts specific foods and micronutrients may have on brain health.

The different effects of diet adherence between sexes are noteworthy as approximately 60 per cent of those diagnosed with Parkinson's disease are men.

"If we understand the sex differences between the MIND diet and Mediterranean diet then we might better understand the sex differences that drive Parkinson's disease in the first place," says lead researcher Avril Metcalfe-Roach, a PhD student at UBC's Michael Smith Laboratories.

These findings springboard to other research questions that could have significant impacts on the understanding of PD.

"It drives home the connection between the gut and the brain for this disease," says Dr. Brett Finlay, professor in the departments of biochemistry and molecular biology, and microbiology and immunology at UBC. "It also shows it's not just one disease that healthy eating can affect, but several of these cognitive diseases."

The research team plans to further examine the potential connection between the microbiome and its effect on the brain.

"There is so much benefit to eating healthy," says Metcalfe-Roach. "It is in everybody's best interest to try to keep your microbiome healthy, to try and eat a rich variety of plant-based and other healthy foods. This study provides even more evidence for what we already know--that we should be trying to eat healthy and taking care of ourselves."

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Scientists discover new 'spectacular' bat from West Africa

AMERICAN MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY

Research News

 

IMAGE: MYOTIS NIMBAENSIS, SHOWN HERE, IS A NEW SPECIES OF BAT NAMED FOR THE MOUNTAIN RANGE IN WHICH IT IS FOUND, THE NIMBA MOUNTAINS IN WEST AFRICA. view more 

CREDIT: © BAT CONSERVATION INTERNATIONAL

A group of scientists led by the American Museum of Natural History and Bat Conservation International have discovered a new species of a striking orange and black bat in a mountain range in West Africa. The species, which the researchers expect is likely critically endangered, underscores the importance of sub-Saharan "sky islands" to bat diversity. The species is described today in the journal American Museum Novitates.

"In an age of extinction, a discovery like this offers a glimmer of hope," said Winifred Frick, chief scientist at Bat Conservation International and an associate research professor at the University of California, Santa Cruz. "It's a spectacular animal. It has this bright-orange fur, and because it was so distinct, that led us to realize it was not described before. Discovering a new mammal is rare. It has been a dream of mine since I was a child."

In 2018, Frick and her colleagues at Bat Conservation International and the University of Maroua in Cameroon were in the Nimba Mountains in Guinea conducting field surveys in natural caves and mining tunnels, known as adits, that were built in the 1970s and 1980s and have since been colonized by bats. In collaboration with the local mining company, Société des Mines de Fer de Guinée (SMFG), the scientists are trying to understand which bat species use which adits and at what times of the year. Of particular interest is Lamotte's roundleaf bat, Hipposideros lamottei, which is listed by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) as critically endangered and has only ever been recorded in the Nimba Mountains. Much of its known population lives in the adits, which are in different states of collapse and will disappear in time. While surveying for this bat, the researchers found something peculiar--a bat that looked nothing like Lamotte's roundleaf bat and did not match the descriptions of any other species that they knew occurred in the area. Later that night, they called on American Museum of Natural History Curator Nancy Simmons, a bat expert and chair of the Museum's Department of Mammalogy, for help.

"As soon as I looked at it, I agreed that it was something new," said Simmons, the lead author of the paper and Bat Conservation International Board member. "Then began the long path of documentation and gathering all the data needed to show that it's indeed unlike any other known species."

CAPTION

This illustration shows Myotis nimbaensis, a new species of bat found in the Nimba Mountains of West Africa

Through morphological, mor¬phometric, echolocation, and genetic data, including comparative data from collections at the Museum, the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History, and the British Museum, the scientists described the new species, which they named Myotis nimbaensis ("from Nimba") in recognition of the mountain range in which it is found. A chain of "African sky islands," the Nimba Mountains have peaks rising between 1,600-1,750 meters (about 1 mile) above sea level and are surrounded by drastically different lowland habitats. As such, they are home to exceptional biodiversity, including bats.

"In addition to the Lamotte's roundleaf bat, it's possible Myotis nimbaensis could be the second bat species found only in this particular mountain range," said Jon Flanders, Bat Conservation International's director of endangered species interventions.

This study is part of an ongoing effort critical in helping the Nimba Mountain bats survive. Bat Conservation International and SMFG have already started working together to build new tunnels, reinforced to last for centuries and in habitat away from the mining project, for the Lamotte's roundleaf bat. And although little is known yet about the population and range of Myotis nimbaensis, efforts like this will likely help it as well.

CAPTION

A chain of "African sky islands," the Nimba Mountains in Guinea have peaks rising between 1,600-1,750 meters (about 1 mile) above sea level and are surrounded by drastically different lowland habitats. They are home to exceptional biodiversity, including bats.

CREDIT

© Bat Conservation International

Other authors on the study include Eric Moïse Bakwo Fils from the University of Maroua; Guy Parker, Jamison Suter, and Seinan Bamba from SMFG; Mory Douno from the Ministry of the Environment, Water, and Forests in Guinea; Mamady Kobele Keita from Guinée Ecologie; and Ariadna Morales from the American Museum of Natural History and the Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics, Dresden, Germany.

Link to study: http://digitallibrary.amnh.org/handle/2246/7249

ABOUT THE AMERICAN MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY (AMNH)

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Pulsed ultraviolet light technology to improve egg safety, help poultry industry

Novel decontamination method can be used with both table and hatching eggs

PENN STATE

Research News

 

IMAGE: LEAD RESEARCHER JOSHUA CASSER OBSERVING AGAR PLATES IN SEARCH OF MICROBIAL GROWTH RETRIEVED FROM THE SURFACE OF AN EGG. view more 

CREDIT: PENN STATE

Pulsed ultraviolet light can be an effective alternative to some of the antimicrobial technologies now used by the poultry industry to kill pathogens on eggshells, according to Penn State researchers, who simulated production conditions to test the technology.

Researcher Paul Patterson, professor of poultry science, College of Agricultural Sciences, suggests the technology has merit for commercial application in the egg industry.

"This study is unique because it scaled-up and applied components of standard egg processing to a conveyor and sanitizing eggs in a commercial setting," he said. "In the absence of water or other chemical sanitizers, this technology has the potential to achieve significant -- equal or greater -- microbial reductions than some currently available technologies."

Every year in the United States, an average of 287 eggs are consumed per person, and more than 14.1 billion eggs are set in hatchery incubators to produce chicks destined for the egg and meat bird industries. By reducing the microbial load on eggs, foodborne illness outbreaks associated with eggs and poultry meat can be reduced while chick health is maintained.

The egg industry currently uses sanitizers and detergents to decontaminate eggs and wash off any physical debris, while low-intensity ultraviolet light has been used as an additional antimicrobial step. However, pulsed ultraviolet light is more effective, explained lead researcher Josh Casser, doctoral candidate in animal science, because it delivers a higher intensity of ultraviolet light to the surface of the eggshell. That results in a greater microbial reduction in a shorter period of time than conventional ultraviolet light treatment.

In this study, the surfaces of shell eggs were inoculated with nonpathogenic bacteria strains used for research and were treated with pulsed ultraviolet light derived from a xenon flashlamp. Eggs were exposed on a modified egg-carrying conveyor that provided complete rotation of eggs under the flashlamp.

The novel conveyor devised for the experiment was instrumental in achieving acceptable decontamination, Casser noted, adding that the xenon flashlamps could be scaled up and customized for any commercial installation.

"As the egg rotates on its long axis along the way, the entire surface of the eggshell is exposed to the pulsed ultraviolet light energy, and the 27 seconds of exposure in our experiment resulted in an acceptable germicidal response," he said. "At three pulses per second, each egg is exposed to nearly 90 pulses, and each pulse has a duration of 360 microseconds -- an extremely short duration pulse."

The researchers, who recently published their results in Poultry Science, found that pulsed ultraviolet light treatment inactivated two different microbial strains, with greater energy resulting in a greater germicidal response.

The study also evaluated the effects of pulsed ultraviolet light treatment of hatching eggs on both embryo and chick growth. Using the same system, four batches of 125 fertile eggs were treated with the same and greater intensities of pulsed ultraviolet light. After processing, eggs were placed in a commercial incubator under normal incubation conditions.

There was no significant effect of the pulsed ultraviolet light treatment on percent fertility, hatchability or hatch. Also, there were no significant effects on post-hatch observations, including chick livability and average bird weight at hatch or at 42 days of age.

"Our research supports the application of pulsed ultraviolet light as an effective antimicrobial intervention for both table and hatching eggs," Cassar said. "If the egg industry embraces pulsed ultraviolet light technology and applies it in its processing operations, food safety would be improved because of the reduced pathogen presence on the surface of the eggs. And that matters because 9% of all foodborne illness in the U.S. is associated with eggs."

The technology is especially promising because it appears to have no negative consequences for the vital hatching-eggs component of the business, even at 10 times the UV-light intensity used in the table egg study, Patterson pointed out. Hatcheries produce the replacement stock for both the egg and broiler flocks of the poultry industry, including turkeys.

"Our research showed that there are no negative effects on hatching eggs and the embryos and chicks that are derived from those treated eggs," he said. "Using pulsed ultraviolet light before incubation in a hatchery setting would improve chick health, would avoid some of the financial constraints caused by poor chick quality resulting from chicks getting sick from early exposure to microbial pathogens, and potentially would improve the food safety of poultry meat."

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Also involved in the research were Ed Mills, associate professor of meat science; Ali Demirci, professor of agricultural and biological engineering; and Lindsey Bright, undergraduate student in animal science and recipient of a College of Agricultural Sciences Undergraduate Research Award.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture's National Institute of Food and Agriculture partially supported this work. Hy-Line North America supplied the eggs used in this research, and Xenon Corp., of Wilmington, Massachusetts, provided technical assistance with the pulsed ultraviolet light technology.

'Swiss Army knife' catalyst can make natural gas burn cleaner

Lowering the combustion temperature for methane

UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS AT CHICAGO

Research News

 

IMAGE: REZA SHAHBAZIAN-YASSAR, PROFESSOR OF MECHANICAL AND INDUSTRIAL ENGINEERING AT THE UIC COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING AND ZHENNAN HUANG, A PH.D. STUDENT IN SHAHBAZIAN-YASSAR'S LAB AND CO-FIRST AUTHOR OF THE PAPER.... view more 

CREDIT: PHOTO: JENNY FONTAINE/UIC

Reza Shahbazian-Yassar, professor of mechanical and industrial engineering at the University of Illinois Chicago.

Shahbazian-Yassar and colleagues facilitated the development of a cutting edge "Swiss Army knife" catalyst made up of 10 different elements - each of which on its own has the ability to reduce the combustion temperature of methane - plus oxygen. This unique catalyst can bring the combustion temperature of methane down by about half - from above 1400 degrees Kelvin down to 600 to 700 degrees Kelvin.

Their findings are reported in the journal Nature Catalysis.

In previously-published research, Shahbazian-Yassar and colleagues demonstrated the ability to create multi-element nanoparticle catalysts, known as high entropy alloys using a unique shock-wave technique. Before this, materials scientists didn't make serious attempts to create nanoparticles out of more than three elements because of the tendency of each elements' atoms to separate from each other and become useless.

Taking advantage of the unique real-time, high-temperature electron microscopy system at UIC, Shahbazian-Yassar's team showed that high entropy nanoparticles made up of 10 metal oxides were highly stable at temperatures up to 1,073 degrees Kelvin and the individual elements were distributed evenly throughout each nanoparticle forming a single, solid-state stable crystalline structure.

Their metal oxide alloy contained various mixtures of transition metals, which are rare-earth elements, and noble metals plus oxygen.

"It is almost impossible to maintain a perfect mix of these elements in a solid phase due to the differences in atomic radius, crystal structure, oxidation potential, and electronic properties of the elements," said Zhennan Huang, a Ph.D. student in Shahbazian-Yassar's lab and co-first author in the paper. "But we were able to show that this is possible."

"Among multiple alloys with multiple elements that we created, the particles made of 10 elements not only were most effective in reducing the combustion point of methane gas but also the most stable at those temperatures," said Shahbazian-Yassar, who is a corresponding author on the paper.

The researchers believe the catalyst could be used to reduce the output of harmful greenhouse gases produced by burning natural gas in individual households, to power turbines and even in cars that run on compressed natural gas.

CAPTION

The elements that make up the metal oxide nanoparticle catalyst

CREDIT

Image: Zhennan Huang

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Tangyuan Li, Yonggang Yao, Menghao Yang, Jinglong Gao, Alexandra Brozena, Liangbing Hu, Yifei Mo, Glenn Pastel, Miaolun Jiao, Qi Dong, Jiaqi Dai and Shuke Li of the University of Maryland; Pengfei Xie, Kaizhu Zeng, Han Zong and Chao Wang of Johns Hopkins University; Zhenyu Liu and Guofeng Wang of the University of Pittsburgh; Miaofang Chi of Oak Ridge National Laboratory and Jian Luo of the University of California, San Diego, are co-authors on the paper.