Friday, January 27, 2023

MSU expert: An ‘extreme lack of consistency’ hampers the potential of nanosized medicines

MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY

EAST LANSING, Mich. – Michigan State University researcher Morteza Mahmoudi studies factors impeding the development of very promising and extremely tiny diagnostics and therapeutics known as nanomedicines.

One of those factors is a lack of standards when it comes to how these medicines are analyzed and characterized in the laboratory. Mahmoudi was part of a team that recently revealed a shocking level of disagreement between lab results that researchers rely on as they create and test new nanomedicines. That team included Ali Ashkarran at MSU and collaborators at the University of California, Berkeley and the Karolinska Institute in Sweden.

Mahmoudi, an assistant professor in MSU’s Department of Radiology, explains why addressing such disagreements with stronger standards will help ensure future nanomedicines are safe, effective and successful.

The following answers are excerpts and adaptations from an article originally published in The Conversation.

What are nanomedicines?

Nanomedicines took the spotlight during the COVID-19 pandemic. Researchers are using these very small and intricate materials to develop diagnostic tests and treatments. Nanomedicines are already used for various diseases, such as the COVID-19 vaccines and therapies for cardiovascular disease. The “nano” refers to the use of particles that are only a few hundred nanometers in size, which is significantly smaller than the width of a human hair.

If we’re already using nanomedicines, why is there a need to develop and implement new standards for how we study them?

Although there are success stories in the field, many scientists — including myself — believe there aren’t enough, especially considering the amount of effort and taxpayer money we’ve invested in nanomedicine development.

To that end, researchers have been working to improve the safety and efficacy of nanomedicine through various approaches. These include modifying study protocols, methodologies and analytical techniques to standardize the field and improve the reliability of nanomedicine data.

Aligned with these efforts, my team and I have identified several critical but often overlooked factors that can influence the performance of a nanomedicine, such as a person’s sex, prior medical conditions and disease type.

Taking these factors into account when designing studies and interpreting results could enable researchers to produce more reliable and accurate data and lead to better nanomedicine treatments.

Can you give an example of how?

Nanomedicines, just like all medications, are surrounded by proteins from the body once they come into contact with the bloodstream. This protein coating, known as a protein corona, gives nanoparticles a biological identity. This biological identity determines how the body will recognize and interact with the particles, like how the immune system has specific reactions against certain pathogens and allergens.

Knowing the precise type, amount and configuration of the proteins and other biomolecules attached to the surface of nanomedicines is critical to determine safe and effective dosages for treatments.

However, one of the few available approaches to analyze the composition of protein coronas requires instruments that many nanomedicine laboratories lack. So these labs typically send their samples to separate proteomics facilities to do the analysis for them. Unfortunately, many facilities use different sample preparation methods and instruments, which can lead to differences in results.

Those are the types of differences you investigated in your team’s new study. What did you find?

We wanted to test how consistently these proteomics facilities analyzed protein corona samples. To do this, my colleagues and I sent biologically identical protein coronas to 17 different labs in the U.S. for analysis.

We had striking results: Less than 2% of the proteins the labs identified were the same.

Our results reveal an extreme lack of consistency in the analyses researchers use to understand how nanomedicines work in the body. This may pose a significant challenge not only to ensuring the accuracy of diagnostics, but also the effectiveness and safety of treatments based on nanomedicines.

Read on MSUToday.

Nanoparticles, the white disks, can be used to deliver treatment to cells, shown in blue.

CREDIT

Brenda Melendez and Rita Serda/National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, CC BY-NC

Michigan State University has been advancing the common good with uncommon will for more than 165 years. One of the world's leading research universities, MSU pushes the boundaries of discovery to make a better, safer, healthier world for all while providing life-changing opportunities to a diverse and inclusive academic community through more than 200 programs of study in 17 degree-granting colleges.

For MSU news on the Web, go to MSUToday. Follow MSU News on Twitter at twitter.com/MSUnews.

JOURNAL

Nature Communications

Nanoparticles and nanocarriers based pharmaceutical formulations

Book Announcement

BENTHAM SCIENCE PUBLISHERS

Nanomedicine consist of wide varieties of nanocarriers which has generated great opportunities to address and treat challenging diseases.Nanocarriers, through active manipulation in size, material used, method of development can be transformed into smart systems, encasing therapeutic and imaging agents as well as bearing stealth property.

As numerous nanocarriers have been developed over the past decade, “Nanoparticles and nanocarriers based pharmaceutical formulations” is not only limited to nanoparticles, but also covers all other nanocarriers used in pharmaceutical formulations composed of organic and inorganic materials as well as proves their clinical benefit in the drug delivery. The chapters are designed to be authoritative sources of foundational knowledge. Since the subject matter is interdisciplinary, it will attract student, teachers and researchers of various disciplines, such as from pharmaceutical sciences, nanotechnology, material technology, biomedical fields or material sciences. Apart from this, we hope that persons working in academic, industrial, and scientific fields concerned in pharmaceutical medication delivery would find the book useful.

About the editors:

Dr. Akhlesh K. Jain is currently working as an Assistant Professor of Pharmaceutics at School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Guru Ghasidas Central University, Bilaspur, India and having 20 years of teaching and research experience. Dr. Jain has authored more than 45 scientific publications in peer reviewed journals with total citations of more than 1600 and h-index 13. He has also authored five book chapters at international level and a text book. He has successfully investigated two research project and guided two PhD. Students. He is an inventor of one international Patent and three Indian patents. His research focused on nanoparticles, nanocarriers based delivery systems, mucosal vaccination, non-invasive protein delivery and ligand conjugated colloidal carriers for cancer therapy.

Keerti Mishra is a visiting Assistant Professor in Shambhunath Institute of Pharmacy, Prayagraj, India. She has completed her M. Pharm from School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Guru Ghasidas Central University, Bilaspur, India. She has written two books on NDDS and Biopharmaceutics, and has published 5 research and 3 review articles in reputed international journals. She twice cleared GPAT with high ranks before her B. Pharm degree. Mainly her research is focused on the nanocarriers based drug delivery system for the cancer treatment.

Keywords:

Drug delivery, Herbal nanoformulation, Nanotechnology, Nanomedicine, Drug targeting, Cancer therapy, Gastro-retentive drug delivery system, Green synthesis, Nanoemulsion , Targeted therapy, Liposomes, Functionalized Nanocarriers, Niosomes, Controlled drug delivery system, Resealed erythrocytes, Multifunctional nanoparticles, Gene therapy, Nanomaterial, Dendrimers, Nanostructured devices

Please visit the link for more information: http://bit.ly/3Xawp8r

Quantum sensors see Weyl photocurrents flow

Boston College-led team develops new quantum sensor technique to image and understand the origin of photocurrent flow in Weyl semimetals

Peer-Reviewed Publication

BOSTON COLLE

Quantum sensors see Weyl photocurrents flow — IMAGE: A TEAM OF BOSTON COLLEGE RESEARCHERS DISCOVERED THAT THE PHOTOCURRENT FLOWS IN (ILLUSTRATED IN BLUE) ALONG ONE CRYSTAL AXIS OF THE WEYL SEMIMETAL AND FLOWS OUT (ILLUSTRATED IN YELLOW/ORANGE) ALONG THE PERPENDICULAR AXIS, REPRESENTED HERE AS A RESULT OF A NEW TECHNIQUE THE TEAM DEVELOPED USING QUANTUM MAGNETIC FIELD SENSORS TO VISUALIZE THE FLOW OF ELECTRICITY. view more
CREDIT: ZHOU LAB, BOSTON COLLEGE

Chestnut Hill, Mass (1/26/2023) – Quantum sensors can be used to reveal a surprising new mechanism for converting light into electricity in Weyl semimetals, Boston College Assistant Professor of Physics Brian Zhou and colleagues report in the journal Nature Physics.

A number of modern technologies, such as cameras, fiber optic networks, and solar cells rely on the conversion of light into electrical signals. But with most materials, shining a light onto their surface will not generate any electricity because there is no preferred direction for the electricity to flow. The unique properties of electrons in Weyl semimetals have made them a focus of researchers trying to overcome those limits and develop novel optoelectronic devices.

“Most photoelectrical devices require two different materials to create an asymmetry in space,” said Zhou, who worked with eight BC colleagues and two researchers from the Nanyang Technological University in Singapore. “Here, we showed that the spatial asymmetry within a single material – in particular the asymmetry in its thermoelectric transport properties – can give rise to spontaneous photocurrents.”

The team studied the materials tungsten ditelluride and tantalum iridium tetratelluride, which both belong to the class of Weyl semimetals. Researchers have suspected that these materials would be good candidates for photocurrent generation because their crystal structure is inherently inversion asymmetric; that is to say, the crystal does not map onto itself by reversing directions about a point.

Zhou’s research group set out to understand why Weyl semimetals are efficient at converting light into electricity. Previous measurements could only determine the amount of electricity coming out of a device, like measuring how much water flows from a sink into a drainpipe. To better understand the origin of the photocurrents, Zhou’s team sought to visualize the flow of electricity within the device – similar to making a map of the swirling water currents in the sink.

“As part of the project, we developed a new technique using quantum magnetic field sensors called nitrogen-vacancy centers in diamond to image the local magnetic field produced by the photocurrents and reconstruct the full streamlines of the photocurrent flow,” graduate student Yu-Xuan Wang, lead author on the manuscript, said.

The team found the electrical current flowed in a four-fold vortex pattern around where the light shined on the material. The team further visualized how the circulating flow pattern is modified by the edges of the material and revealed that the precise angle of the edge determines whether the total photocurrent flowing out of the device is positive, negative, or zero.

“These never-before-seen flow images allowed us to explain that the photocurrent generation mechanism is surprisingly due to an anisotropic photothermoelectric effect – that is to say, differences in how heat is converted to current along the different in-plane directions of the Weyl semimetal,” Zhou said.

Surprisingly, the appearance of anisotropic thermopower is not necessarily related to the inversion asymmetry displayed by Weyl semimetals, and hence, may be present in other classes of materials.

“Our findings open a new direction for searching for other highly photoresponsive materials,” Zhou said. “It showcases the disruptive impact of quantum-enabled sensors on open questions in materials science.”

Zhou said future projects will use the unique photocurrent flow microscope to understand the origins of photocurrents in other exotic materials and to push the limits in detection sensitivity and spatial resolution.

In addition to Zhou and Wang, co-authors of the report “Visualization of bulk and edge photocurrent flow in anisotropic Weyl semimetals” include Boston College Associate Professor of Physics Ying Ran, Professor of Physics David Broido, and Assistant Professor of Physics Fazel Tafti; graduate students Xin-Yue Zhang, Thomas Graham, and Xiaohan Yao; and post-doctoral researcher Chunhua Li; as well as Nanyang Technological University Professor Zheng Liu and post-doctoral researcher Ruihuan Duan.

JOURNAL

Nature Physics

DOI

10.1038/s41567-022-01898-0

METHOD OF RESEARCH

Experimental study

SUBJECT OF RESEARCH

Not applicable

ARTICLE TITLE

Visualization of bulk and edge photocurrent flow in anisotropic Weyl semimetals

UK STUDY

Sugary drinks tax may have prevented over 5,000 cases of obesity a year in year six girls alone

Peer-Reviewed Publication

UNIVERSITY OF CAMBRIDGE

The introduction of the soft drinks industry levy – the ‘sugary drinks tax’ – in England was followed by a drop in the number of cases of obesity among older primary school children, according to Cambridge researchers. Taking into account current trends in obesity, their estimates suggest that around 5,000 cases of obesity per year may have been prevented in year six girls alone.

The study, published today in PLOS Medicine, looked at the impact of the levy on reception age children and those in year six, but found no significant association between the levy and obesity levels in year six boys or younger children from reception class.

Obesity has become a global public health problem. In England, one in ten reception age children (four to five years old) is living with obesity and this figure doubles to one in five children in year six (10 to 11 years). Children who are obese are more likely to suffer from serious health problems including high blood pressure, type II diabetes and depression in childhood and in later life.

In the UK, young people consume significantly more added sugars than is recommended – by late adolescence, they typically consume 70g of added sugar per day, more than double the recommended amount (30g). A large source of this is sugar-sweetened drinks. Children from deprived households are more likely to be at risk of obesity and to be heavy consumers of sugar-sweetened drinks.

In April 2018, to protect children from excessive sugar consumption and tackle childhood obesity, the UK governments introduced a two-tier sugar tax on soft drinks – the soft drinks industry levy. The tax was targeted at manufacturers of the drinks to incentivise them to reduce the sugar content of soft drinks.

Researchers from the Medical Research Council (MRC) Epidemiology Unit at the University of Cambridge tracked changes in the levels of obesity in children in England in reception year and year six between 2014 and 2020. Taking account of previous trends in obesity levels, they compared changes in levels of obesity 19 months after the sugar tax came into effect.

The team found that the introduction of the sugar tax was associated with an 8% relative reduction* in obesity levels in year six girls, equivalent to preventing 5,234 cases of obesity per year in this group alone. Reductions were greatest in girls whose schools were in deprived areas, where children are known to consume the largest amount of sugary drinks – those living in the most deprived areas saw a 9% reduction.

However, the team found no associations between the sugar tax coming into effect and changes in obesity levels in children from reception class. In year 6 boys, there was no overall change in obesity prevalence.

Dr Nina Rogers from the MRC Epidemiology Unit at Cambridge, the study’s first author, said: “We urgently need to find ways to tackle the increasing numbers of children living with obesity, otherwise we risk our children growing up to face significant health problems. That was one reason why the UK’s soft drinks industry levy was introduced, and the evidence so far is promising. We’ve shown for the first time that it is likely to have helped prevent thousands of children each year becoming obese.

“It isn’t a straightforward picture, though, as it was mainly older girls who benefited. But the fact that we saw the biggest difference among girls from areas of high deprivation is important and is a step towards reducing the health inequalities they face.”

Although the researchers found an association rather than a causal link, this study adds to previous findings that the levy was associated with a substantial reduction in the amount of sugar in soft drinks.

Senior author Professor Jean Adams from the MRC Epidemiology Unit said: “We know that consuming too many sugary drinks contributes to obesity and that the UK soft drinks levy led to a drop in the amount of sugar in soft drinks available in the UK, so it makes sense that we also see a drop in cases of obesity, although we only found this in girls. Children from more deprived backgrounds tend to consume the largest amount of sugary drinks, and it was among girls in this group that we saw the biggest change.”

There are several reasons why the sugar tax did not lead to changes in levels of obesity among the younger children, they say. Very young children consume fewer sugar-sweetened drinks than older children, so the soft drinks levy would have had a smaller effect. Similarly, fruit juices are not included in the levy, but contribute similar amounts of sugar in young children’s diets as sugar-sweetened beverages.

It’s unclear why the sugar tax might affect obesity prevalence in girls and boys differently, however, especially since boys are higher consumers of sugar-sweetened beverages. One explanation the researchers put forward is the possible impact of advertising – numerous studies have found that boys are often exposed to more food advertising content than girls, both through higher levels of TV viewing and in how adverts are framed. Physical activity is often used to promote junk food and boys, compared to girls, have been shown to be more likely to believe that energy dense junk foods depicted in adverts will boost physical performance and so are more likely to choose energy-dense, nutrient-poor products following celebrity endorsements.

The study was a collaboration involving researchers from the University of Cambridge, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, University of Oxford, Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health and University of Bath. It was supported by the National Institute of Health and Care Research, and the Medical Research Council.

*A relative reduction is the difference between the expected incidence of obesity had the sugar tax not been introduced and the actual incidence.

Reference
Rogers, NT et al. Associations between trajectories of obesity prevalence in English primary school children and the UK soft drink industry levy: an interrupted time series analysis of surveillance data. PLOS Med; 26 Jan 2023; DOI: 10.1371/journal.pmed.1004160

JOURNAL

PLoS Medicine

DOI

10.1371/journal.pmed.1004160

METHOD OF RESEARCH

Data/statistical analysis

SUBJECT OF RESEARCH

People

ARTICLE TITLE

Associations between trajectories of obesity prevalence in English primary school children and the UK soft drink industry levy: an interrupted time series analysis of surveillance data

ARTICLE PUBLICATION DATE

26-Jan-2023

CRISPR ALCHEMY

Secret recipe for limonoids opens door for bee-friendly crop protection

Peer-Reviewed Publication

JOHN INNES CENTRE

Innovative research has uncovered the secret of how plants make limonoids, a family of valuable organic chemicals which include bee-friendly insecticides and have potential as anti-cancer drugs.

The research team, a collaboration between the John Innes Centre and Stanford University, used ground-breaking methods to reveal the biosynthetic pathway of these useful molecules, which are made by certain plant families, including mahogany and citrus.

In the study which appears in Science, the John Innes Centre research team used genomic tools to map the genome of Chinaberry (Melia azedarach), a mahogany species, and combined this with molecular analysis to reveal the enzymes in the biosynthetic pathway.

“By finding the enzymes required to make limonoids, we have opened the door to an alternate production source of these valuable chemicals,” explained Dr Hannah Hodgson, co-first author of the paper and a postdoctoral scientist at the John Innes Centre.

Until now limonoids, a type of triterpene, could only be produced by extraction from plant material.

Dr Hodgson explains, “Their structures are too complicated to efficiently make by chemical synthesis. With the knowledge of the biosynthetic pathway, it is now possible to use a host organism to produce these compounds.” she added.

Armed with the complete biosynthetic pathway researchers can now produce the chemicals in commonly used host plants such as Nicotiana benthamiana. This method can produce larger quantities of limonoids in a more sustainable way.

Increasing the supply of limonoids could enable the more widespread use of azadirachtin, the anti-insect limonoid obtained from the neem tree and used in commercial and traditional crop protection. Azadirachtin is an effective, fast degrading, bee-friendly option for crop protection but is not widely used due to limited supply.

The team made two relatively simple limonoids, azadirone from Chinaberry and kihadalactone A from citrus, and believe that the methods used here can now be applied as a template for making more complicated triterpenes.

Professor Anne Osbourn, group leader at the John Innes Centre and co-corresponding author of the study said: “Plants make a wide variety of specialised metabolites that can be useful to humans. We are only just starting to understand how plants make complex chemicals like limonoids. Prior to this project, their biosynthesis and the enzymes involved were completely unknown, now the door is open for future research to build on this knowledge, which could benefit people in many ways.”

Another example of a high value limonoid which the team hopes to produce is the anti-cancer drug candidate nimbolide, this work could enable easier access to limonoids like nimbolide to enable further study. As well as producing known products like nimbolide, the research team say the door may open to understanding new activities for limonoids that have not yet been investigated.

The team at the John Innes Centre were funded by Syngenta and BBSRC via an industrial partnership award.

Complex scaffold remodeling in plant triterpene biosynthesis appears in Science. DOI: 10.1126/science.adf1017

Research Method in More Detail

The team at John Innes used genomic tools to assemble a chromosome level genome for Chinaberry (Melia azedarach), within which they found the genes encoding 10 additional enzymes required to produce the azadirachtin precursor, azadirone. In parallel, the team working at Stanford were able to find the 12 additional enzymes required to make khidalactone A.

Expressing these enzymes in N. benthamiana enabled their characterisation, with the help of both Liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry (LC-MS) and Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) Spectroscopy, technologies that allow molecular level analysis of samples.

JOURNAL

Science

DOI

10.1126/science.adf1017

METHOD OF RESEARCH

Experimental study

ARTICLE TITLE

Complex scaffold remodeling in plant triterpene biosynthesis

ARTICLE PUBLICATION DATE

27-Jan-2023

TEMPERATURE-SENSING BUILDING

MATERIAL CHANGES COLOR TO SAVE

ENERGY

Researchers at the University of Chicago’s Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering (PME) have designed a chameleon-like building material that changes its infrared color—and how much heat it absorbs or emits—based on the outside temperature. On hot days, the material can emit up to 92 percent of the infrared heat it contains, helping cool the inside of a building. On colder days, however, the material emits just 7 percent of its infrared, helping keep a building warm.

“We’ve essentially figured out a low-energy way to treat a building like a person; you add a layer when you’re cold and take off a layer when you’re hot,” said Asst. Prof. Po-Chun Hsu, who led the research published in Nature Sustainability. “This kind of smart material lets us maintain the temperature in a building without huge amounts of energy.”

IMAGE: THE MATERIAL CONTAINS A LAYER THAT CAN TAKE ON TWO CONFORMATIONS: SOLID COPPER THAT RETAINS MOST INFRARED HEAT, WHICH HELPS KEEP THE BUILDING WARM; OR A WATERY SOLUTION THAT EMITS INFRARED, WHICH CAN HELP COOL THE BUILDING. view more

CREDIT: UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO PME - IMAGE COURTESY OF HSU GR

Driven by climate change
According to some estimates, buildings account for 30 percent of global energy consumption and emit 10 percent of all global greenhouse gas. About half of this energy footprint is attributed to the heating and cooling of interior spaces.

“For a long time, most of us have taken our indoor temperature control for granted, without thinking about how much energy it requires,” said Hsu. “If we want a carbon-negative future, I think we have to consider diverse ways to control building temperature in a more energy-efficient way.”

Researchers have previously developed radiative cooling materials that help keep buildings cool by boosting their ability to emit infrared, the invisible heat that radiates from people and objects. Materials also exist that prevent the emission of infrared in cold climates.

“A simple way to think about it is that if you have a completely black building facing the sun, it’s going to heat up more easily than other buildings,” said PME graduate student Chenxi Sui, the first author of the new manuscript.

That kind of passive heating might be a good thing in the winter, but not in the summer.

As global warming causes increasingly frequent extreme weather events and variable weather, there is a need for buildings to be able to adapt; few climates require year-round heating or year-round air conditioning.

From metal to liquid and back
Hsu and colleagues designed a non-flammable “electrochromic” building material that contains a layer that can take on two conformations: solid copper that retains most infrared heat, or a watery solution that emits infrared. At any chosen trigger temperature, the device can use a tiny amount of electricity to induce the chemical shift between the states by either depositing copper into a thin film, or stripping that copper off.

In the new paper, the researchers detailed how the device can switch rapidly and reversibly between the metal and liquid states. They showed that the ability to switch between the two conformations remained efficient even after 1,800 cycles.

Then, the team created models of how their material could cut energy costs in typical buildings in 15 different U.S. cities. In an average commercial building, they reported, the electricity used to induce electrochromic changes in the material would be less than 0.2% of the total electricity usage of the building, but could save 8.4% of the building’s annual HVAC energy consumption.

“Once you switch between states, you don’t need to apply any more energy to stay in either state,” said Hsu. “So for buildings where you don’t need to switch between these states very frequently, it’s really using a very negligible amount of electricity.”

Hsu Group created models of how their material could cut energy costs in typical buildings in 15 different U.S. cities, finding that, on average, the material would use less than 0.2% of the building’s total electricity, but could save 8.4% of the building’s annual HVAC energy consumption.

CREDIT

University of Chicago PME - Image courtesy of Hsu Grou

Scaling up
So far, Hsu’s group has only created pieces of the material that measure about six centimeters across. However, they imagine that many such patches of the material could be assembled like shingles into larger sheets. They say the material could also be tweaked to use different, custom colors—the watery phase is transparent and nearly any color can be put behind it without impacting its ability to absorb infrared.

The researchers are now investigating different ways of fabricating the material. They also plan to probe how intermediate states of the material could be useful.

“We demonstrated that radiative control can play a role in controlling a wide range of building temperatures throughout different seasons,” said Hsu. “We’re continuing to work with engineers and the building sector to look into how this can contribute to a more sustainable future.”

JOURNAL

Nature Sustainability

DOI

10.1038/s41893-022-01023-2

ARTICLE TITLE

Dynamic electrochromism for all-season radiative thermoregulation

ARTICLE PUBLICATION DATE

26-Jan-2023

A transnational collaboration leads to the characterization of an emergent plant virus

Peer-Reviewed Publication

AMERICAN PHYTOPATHOLOGICAL SOCIETY

Pictures of natural Physostegia chlorotic mottle virus (PhCMoV)-infected plants. — IMAGE: FIGURE 1 OF THE STUDY, SHOWING PICTURES OF NATURAL PHYSOSTEGIA CHLOROTIC MOTTLE VIRUS (PHCMOV)-INFECTED PLANTS. view more
CREDIT: THE AUTHORS

In the 21st century, “collaboration” has become a popular buzzword, but effectively working together across disciplines and countries is easier said than done. However, authentic collaboration is critical to the fight against plant pathogens; sharing information on plant diseases facilitates early detection, efficient and rapid characterization, and subsequent management. Physostegia chlorotic mottle virus (PhCMoV), a plant disease first identified in Austria in 2018, initially received inadequate characterization. This then sparked studies across Europe as new symptoms emerged on economically important crops. These independent studies converged into one study, newly published in Plant Disease, demonstrating the power of collaboration beyond a mere buzzword.

In the coalescent study, Coline Temple and colleagues from eight laboratories across five European countries utilized prepublication sharing of high throughput sequencing (HTS) data to improve knowledge on PhCMoV biology, epidemiology, and genetic diversity.

The researchers identified PhCMoV in eight European countries, in addition to Austria, and confirmed its presence in samples collected in 2002. Mechanically inoculating PhCMoV to healthy host plants in control conditions enabled the authors to validate the association of the virus with symptoms. Their results show that PhCMoV can infect at least nine plant species and cause severe fruit symptoms on economically important crops such as tomato, eggplant, and cucumber. Additionally, sequencing 21 different infected host plants from various origins allowed for comparison of genomes, which showed that the genomes of two isolates from the same site barely evolved over 17 years. This suggests that the same isolate of the microorganism can survive without adaptation in a specific ecosystem.

In addition to characterizing an emergent plant disease, this study illustrates how solidarity and trust between scientists can accelerate a common goal. Corresponding Author Sébastien Massart reminisces on the process, commenting, “The most exciting moment of this research was when we progressively realized that we were not alone, that different research groups had suddenly and independently detected this virus in different symptomatic host plants and countries all over Europe.”

Uniting against this virus by sharing HTS data prepublication created a collaborative space free from competition, which shows how “trusting colleagues and sharing information on the most recent results between groups can facilitate synergy, accelerate virus characterization, and gather the most information in a single publication,” Massart says.

This research will ultimately benefit all plant health stakeholders and offer a solid foundation of knowledge for further studies on plant rhabdoviruses.

For additional details, read Biological and Genetic Characterization of Physostegia Chlorotic Mottle Virus in Europe Based on Host Range, Location, and Time published in Vol. 106, No. 11 November 2022 of Plant Disease.

Follow the authors and their affiliations on Twitter

@ColineTemple, @Be_Phytopath, @KrisDeJonghe2, @HeikoZiebell, @ViromeHunter, @DenisKutnjak, @AnaVucurovic, @AgroBioTech, @UniversiteLiege, @_NVWA, @Anses_fr, @INRAE_Intl, @NIB_FITO_SI

JOURNAL

Plant Disease

DOI

10.1094/PDIS-12-21-2800-RE

ARTICLE TITLE

Biological and genetic characterization of physostegia chlorotic mottle virus in Europe based on host range, location, and time

Milk’s packaging influences its flavor

New research in the Journal of Dairy Science® demonstrates that paperboard cartons—which are widely used in school meal programs—do not preserve milk freshness as well as other containers

Peer-Reviewed Publication

ELSEVIER

Philadelphia, January 26, 2023 – The dairy industry strives to preserve the quality and safety of milk products while maintaining the freshest possible taste for consumers. To date, the industry has largely focused on packaging milk in light-blocking containers to preserve freshness, but little has been understood about how the packaging itself influences milk flavor. However, a new study in the Journal of Dairy Science®, published by Elsevier, confirms that packaging affects taste—and paperboard cartons do not preserve milk freshness as well as glass and plastic containers.

Lead investigator MaryAnne Drake, PhD, of the North Carolina State University Department of Food, Bioprocessing and Nutrition Sciences, Raleigh, NC, USA, explained that “milk is more susceptible to packaging-related off-flavors than many other beverages because of its mild, delicate taste.” Besides light oxidation, “milk’s taste can be impacted by the exchange of the packaging’s compounds into the milk and by the packaging absorbing food flavors and aromas from the surrounding refrigeration environment.”

To quantify the flavor impacts of packaging, the researchers examined pasteurized whole and skim milk stored in six half pint containers: paperboard cartons, three plastic jugs (made from different plastics), a plastic bag, and glass as a control. The milk was stored in total darkness to control for light oxidation and kept cold at 4°C (39°F).

The samples were tested on the day of first processing, then again at 5, 10, and 15 days after. A trained panel examined the sensory properties of each sample, and the research team conducted a volatile compound analysis to understand how the packaging was intermingling with the milk. Finally, the samples underwent a blind consumer taste test on day 10 to see whether tasters could tell any difference between milk stored in the paperboard carton or the plastic jug compared with milk packaged in glass.

The results showed that package type does influence milk flavor, and skim milk is more susceptible to flavor impacts than whole milk. Of the different packaging types, paperboard cartons and the plastic bag preserved milk freshness the least due to the paperboard’s absorption of milk flavor and the transfer of paperboard flavor into the milk. Milk packaged in paperboard cartons, in fact, showed distinct off-flavors as well as the presence of compounds from the paperboard. The final results show that, while glass remains an ideal container for preserving milk flavor, plastic containers provide additional benefits while also maintaining freshness in the absence of light exposure.

Paperboard cartons are the most widely used packaging type for school meal programs in the United States, so these findings are especially relevant for the consideration of how young children consume and enjoy milk.

“These findings suggest that industry and policymakers might want to consider seeking new package alternatives for milk served during school meals,” said Drake. Over time, the consequences of using milk packaging that contributes significant off-flavors may affect how young children perceive milk in both childhood and adulthood.

JOURNAL

Journal of Dairy Science

DOI

10.3168/jds.2022-22060

METHOD OF RESEARCH

Experimental study

SUBJECT OF RESEARCH

Not applicable

ARTICLE TITLE

The role of packaging on the flavor of fluid milk

FRONT PAGE NEWS ABOVE THE FOLD

Legalizing recreational cannabis does not increase substance abuse, may reduce alcohol-related disorders

A study of 4,000 twins found no relationship between legalization and a wide range of psychological and social problems

Peer-Reviewed Publication

UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO AT BOULDER

Legalizing recreational cannabis at the state level does not increase substance use disorders or use of other illicit drugs among adults and, in fact, may reduce alcohol-related problems, according to new CU Boulder research.

The study of more than 4,000 twins from Colorado and Minnesota also found no link between cannabis legalization and increases in cognitive, psychological, social, relationship or financial problems.

“We really didn’t find any support for a lot of the harms people worry about with legalization,” said lead author Stephanie Zellers, who began the research as a graduate student at CU Boulder’s Institute for Behavioral Genetics (IBG). “From a public health perspective, these results are reassuring.”

For the study, published Jan. 5 in the journal Psychological Medicine, researchers at the University of Minnesota, CU Boulder and the CU Anschutz Medical Campus tapped data from two of the nation’s largest and longest-running twin studies: one housed at IBG and the other at the Minnesota Center for Twin Family Research.

Researchers have followed participants, now aged 24 to 49, since adolescence, collecting data on use of alcohol, tobacco, cannabis (aka “marijuana”), and several illicit drugs, as well as measures of “psychosocial health.”

In 2014, Colorado became one of the first two states in the U.S. to commence legal sales of recreational marijuana. In Minnesota, recreational use of cannabis remains illegal.

The power of twin studies

By comparing the 40% of twins who live in recreationally legal states to those who live in states where it is still illegal, the researchers set out to get a general sense of the impact of legalization.

In addition, by specifically comparing twin to twin in 240 pairs in which one lives in a state that has legalized and the other in a state that has not, researchers sought to determine what changes, if any, cannabis legalization causes.

“This co-twin design automatically controls for a wide range of variables, including age, social background, early home life and even genetic inheritance” that can influence health outcomes, said John Hewitt, professor of psychology and neuroscience at CU Boulder. “If the association holds up, it provides strong evidence that the environment, in this case legalization, is having an impact.”

In a previous study, the group found that identical twins living in states where cannabis is legal used it about 20% more frequently than their twin in states where it’s illegal.

The logical next question: Does more use mean more problems?

To find out, the team compared survey results looking at 23 measures of "psychosocial distress," including use of alcohol and illicit drugs such as cocaine and heroin, psychotic behavior, financial distress, cognitive problems, unemployment, and relationships at work and at home.

“We included everything we had data on with the goal of getting a well-rounded look at the impacts on the whole person,” said Zellers. “Big picture, there’s not much there.”

Surprisingly, they found no relationship between legalizing cannabis and heightened risk of cannabis use disorder, or cannabis addiction.

While many critics of legalization have expressed concern that cannabis could serve as a “gateway drug” to other more harmful substances, the researchers found no changes in illicit drug use after legalization.

“For low-level cannabis use, which was the majority of users, in adults, legalization does not appear to increase the risk of substance use disorders,” said co-author Dr. Christian Hopfer, a medical doctor and professor of psychiatry at IBG and CU Anschutz who studies substance abuse disorders.

Twins in states where cannabis is legal did show fewer symptoms of alcohol use disorder: Specifically, they were less likely to engage in risky behavior after drinking, such as driving while intoxicated.

‘No drug is risk-free’

The authors caution that the study did not look at impacts on adolescents and did not look closely at the kinds and dosages of cannabis people were using.

“Our study suggests that we should not be overly concerned about everyday adult use in a legalized environment, but no drug is risk-free,” said Hewitt. “It would be a mistake to dismiss the risks from higher doses of a drug that is relatively safe in small amounts.”

The study found no evidence that legalizing cannabis benefits psychosocial health, either.

Today, 21 states have legalized recreational cannabis. Half the U.S. population lives in a place where it is legal, and several more—including Minnesota—are considering legalization.

Zellers, who recently earned a doctorate from the University of Minnesota, hopes the paper, and more to come, will help inform policy conversations about legalization.

“I would love for us to get past this question of, ‘Is legalization good or bad?’ and move toward more specific questions like, ‘Who is most at risk? Who can benefit the most? And how?’ So that people can make informed choices,” Zellers said.

JOURNAL

Psychological Medicine

DOI

10.1017/S0033291722003762

METHOD OF RESEARCH

Observational study

SUBJECT OF RESEARCH

People

ARTICLE TITLE

Recreational cannabis legalization has had limited effects on a wide range of adult psychiatric and psychosocial outcomes