Nation of Lifesavers™ to turn bystanders into lifesavers through nationwide CPR & AED awareness, education

The American Heart Association launches movement to double survival rate from sudden cardiac arrest by 2030; Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin to serve as National Ambassador

Business Announcement

AMERICAN HEART ASSOCIATION

DALLAS, June 1, 2023 — Seven in 10 people in America say they feel powerless to act in the face of a cardiac emergency[1]. As a result, less than half of all people who need this lifesaving skill receive CPR from bystanders before professional help arrives[2]. On this first day of National CPR and AED Awareness Week, the American Heart Association is challenging everyone to join the Nation of Lifesavers™ and commit to make CPR and AED (automated external defibrillator) awareness and education a permanent fixture in all communities across the country.

More than 350,000 out-of-hospital cardiac arrests occur in the United States each year[3], according to the Association, which is working to increase the number of bystanders who use CPR in an emergency. More than 90% of people who experience a cardiac arrest outside of the hospital will not survive. The Association is the world’s leading voluntary organization dedicated to building healthier lives for all, free of cardiovascular diseases and stroke.

“Seven in ten Americans say they feel powerless to act in the face of a cardiac emergency,” said Nancy Brown, chief executive officer of the American Heart Association. “We can change that. Each of us has the power in our own hands to respond to a sudden cardiac arrest. We simply need to know what to do and have the confidence to act. Through our science, brand and grassroots footprint, the American Heart Association has the capacity and unique capability to develop evidence-based clinical guidance and to lead with instruction and policy change. The moment is now. The momentum is here. Let's meet it and build a nation of lifesavers.” 

The Association is committed to turning a nation of bystanders into lifesavers. The new multi-year initiative will ensure teens and adults can learn about CPR and AED use, share that knowledge with friends and family and engage employers, policymakers, philanthropists and others to create support for a nation of lifesavers. The long-term goal: to ensure that in the face of a cardiac emergency, anyone, anywhere is prepared and empowered to perform CPR and become a vital link in the chain of survival.

Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin, cardiac arrest survivor and founder of the Chasing M’s Foundation, will serve as the National Ambassador for the movement.

“CPR saved my life on the field, and it could save your life or the life of someone you love,” said Hamlin. “Learning Hands-Only CPR is a simple process and can be the difference between life and death. I share the American Heart Association’s commitment to creating future generations of lifesavers.”

Damar Hamlin’s team, the Buffalo Bills, has joined the Nation of Lifesavers through a financial commitment of $1 million to the initiative. The Association, with support from the Bills, will train thousands of Western New Yorkers in Hands-Only CPR over the next five years through community empowerment events, each aimed at training hundreds of people.

Creating a Nation of Lifesavers means the Association will simultaneously focus on efforts to drive policy change at both the federal and state levels. The Association has endorsed the federal Access to AEDs Act, which would create a grant program for K-12 schools to provide CPR and AED training; purchase AEDs; and create cardiac emergency response plans that establish specific steps to reduce death from cardiac arrest in school settings. The Association also joins the National Football League—its longtime collaborator—in its Smart Heart Sports Coalition. Along with other major sports leagues and organizations, the coalition is advocating for states to adopt evidence-based public policies that will prevent fatal outcomes from sudden cardiac arrest among high school students. The Association encourages everyone, regardless of where they live, to take 90 seconds to learn how to save a life now at www.heart.org/HandsOnlyCPR.

Hands-Only CPR is chest compression-only CPR. Following a cardiac arrest of a teen or an adult, compression-only CPR can be equally effective as traditional CPR in the first few minutes of emergency response. If a teen or adult suddenly collapses, witnesses should immediately call emergency services and begin chest compressions at a rate of 100-120 beats per minute and a depth of approximately two inches.

In 2009, the Association launched a nationwide Hands-Only CPR campaign to raise awareness about this life-saving skill. Since 2012, more than 10.5 million people have learned Hands-Only CPR via events, training kiosks and video education with the support of Elevance Health Foundation.

For additional ways to raise awareness during National CPR and AED Awareness Week, visit heart.org/CPRWeek.

Additional Resources: 

• Downloadable B-roll, photos and infographics are available on the right column of this release link. 
• Video interview with expert, Annie Arens, M.D., CPR/AED photos, demos and infographic available here.
• Bystander CPR | Bystander CPR Infographic (PDF) 
• Hands-Only CPR Resources
• Hands-Only CPR vs CPR with Breaths 
• Women and CPR
• Cardiac Arrest vs. Heart Attack
• Reducing Disparities for Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest – Community Toolkit: English and Spanish versions available
• Take 90 seconds to learn how to save a life at www.heart.org/HandsOnlyCPR. 
• Download free materials to help celebrate CPR and AED Awareness Week at www.heart.org/CPRWeek.

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About the American Heart Association

The American Heart Association is a relentless force for a world of longer, healthier lives. We are dedicated to ensuring equitable health in all communities. Through collaboration with numerous organizations, and powered by millions of volunteers, we fund innovative research, advocate for the public’s health and share lifesaving resources. The Dallas-based organization has been a leading source of health information for nearly a century. Connect with us on heart.org, Facebook, Twitter or by calling 1-800-AHA-USA1. 

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[1] 2021 Hands-Only CPR perceptions survey, conducted for AHA https://newsroom.heart.org/news/new-survey-only-6-out-of-10-adults-feel-comfortable-taking-charge-and-giving-cpr

[2] Heart Disease and Stroke Statistics—2022 Update: A Report From the American Heart Association, Table 19-2 https://www.ahajournals.org/doi/epub/10.1161/CIR.0000000000001052

[3] Heart Disease and Stroke Statistics—2022 Update: A Report From the American Heart Association, Table 19-2 https://www.ahajournals.org/doi/epub/10.1161/CIR.0000000000001052

Study aims to uncover link between environmental toxins and lymphoma in dogs

Grant and Award Announcement

MORRIS ANIMAL FOUNDATION

Denver/June 1, 2023 – Lymphoma is a common cancer in dogs, but unlike human studies, which have associated the disease with environmental toxins, little is known about how it originates in dogs. A new Morris Animal Foundation-funded study from researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison is focused on looking for links between toxins in the environment and the development of lymphoma in dogs as a step toward early detection and prevention.

The team, led by Dr. Lauren Trepanier, Professor of Internal Medicine and Assistant Dean for Clinical and Translational Research, will analyze blood and urine samples from 60 Golden Retriever Lifetime Study participants diagnosed with lymphoma. These dogs will be compared to a control group of 60 age- and sex-matched healthy dogs from the same study.

“Morris Animal Foundation’s Golden Retriever Lifetime Study is an invaluable resource,” Trepanier said. “These data allow us to look at the chemical exposures not only at the time of diagnosis, but a year prior to diagnosis to see whether there is early DNA damage that can be seen in the blood in association with chemical exposures. This might help us screen high-risk animals or understand the impacts the chemical exposures have on dogs.”

Trepanier added there is enough available data to suggest that people should avoid using herbicides on their lawns as some have been associated with bladder cancer and lymphoma. As the study progresses, she hopes to shed more light on risk factors for canine lymphoma to help dog owners minimize exposure to cancer-causing chemicals.

"Through the identification of potential modifiable risk factors for lymphoma in dogs, we hope to make substantial progress in preventing and treating this devastating disease,” Trepanier said.

Recently, Trepanier discussed her research on this topic on Morris Animal Foundation’s Fresh Scoop podcast, as well as in a virtual talk in collaboration with TEDxMileHigh.

About Morris Animal Foundation
Morris Animal Foundation’s mission is to bridge science and resources to advance the health of animals. Headquartered in Denver, and founded in 1948, it is one of the largest nonprofit animal health research organizations in the world, funding more than $149 million in critical studies across a broad range of species. Learn more at morrisanimalfoundation.org.

Media Contact: Annie Mehl

UK’s poorest children likelier to have less understanding of personal finances, study finds

Experts call for curriculum improvements as they find children from lower socio-economic groups not building key financial skills

Peer-Reviewed Publication

TAYLOR & FRANCIS GROUP

A new study of 3,745 families from across the UK demonstrates a “sizeable” gap in the financial knowledge of children depending on which socio-economic group they come from.

The research highlights significant inequalities in young people’s financial capabilities, with the results pointing toward disadvantaged children not developing key financial skills.

In findings published in the peer-reviewed British Journal of Educational Studies, an expert team from UCL are calling for a greater emphasis on developing financial skills amongst children starting at primary school, particularly aimed towards those from disadvantaged social backgrounds, with “a particular need to consider how financial education is provided” for this group.

“There has been much concern in the UK about a lack of social mobility and the propensity for educational and social disadvantage to perpetuate across generations. This includes intergenerational cycles of money problems, poverty, and debt, which may be linked to socio-economic inequalities in the financial capabilities of young people.

“With sizeable socioeconomic gaps emerging, the issue of inequality in financial capabilities needs more public scrutiny and debate,” lead author Professor John Jerrim, from the Social Research Institute at UCL, explains.

“What we find in our study is children from more disadvantaged backgrounds are less likely to report covering money issues during their school lessons, with a particularly large socio-economic status gap in financial education provision towards the end of primary school.

“The gaps emerge early in life and can often persist into the teenage years. Only part of these gaps can be explained by differences in children’s cognitive and socio-emotional skills. It seems that socio-economic differences in financial capabilities may not merely be a reflection of inequalities in these other areas.

“Our results generally suggest that it may be helpful for young people from disadvantaged backgrounds to be engaged with about money earlier in their lives.”

The study used a nationally representative data sample taken from the 2019 Children and Young People’s Financial Capability Survey, measuring the financial capabilities and behaviours among British 7 to 17-year-olds. The authors then carried out online and face-to-face parental questionnaires.

Their findings show financial knowledge is far stronger for those children from wealthier backgrounds – with those young people from affluent background having greater exposure to financial education before secondary school.

Part of the issue, the experts found, is to do with the interactions that children have with their parents. Those from more disadvantaged backgrounds have less frequent money conversations with their parents and are “less likely to be shown how money ‘works’” by their caregivers.

“However,” adds, co-author Dr Jake Anders, Deputy Director of the UCL Centre for Education Policy & Equalising Opportunities, “whilst we find these parental interactions can account for part of the socio-economic gap in money confidence, money management, financial connections, and financial behaviours, these interactions are less important in boosting financial abilities”.

The authors state that going forward government and financial providers could, potentially, play a more important role.

“Disadvantaged children are much less likely to have a bank account – particularly when they are young – which may mean they are less likely to develop a firm connection with the financial world. To help improve financial connection – particularly aspects of their mindset and skills – more could be done to encourage use of financial services amongst disadvantaged socio-economic families and their children.

“This might include, for instance, a young person’s account linked to the government’s Help to Save account available to those with low incomes which effectively pay higher rates of interest and provide rewards for positive saving behaviours.”

Limitations of this research, funded by St James’s Place Wealth Management, includes only one parent taking part in the survey. The quality of some of the measures available was also limited, such as the information collected about children’s educational achievement and socio-emotional skills.

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JOURNAL

British Journal of Educational Studies

DOI

10.1080/00071005.2023.2195478 

METHOD OF RESEARCH

Survey

SUBJECT OF RESEARCH

People

ARTICLE TITLE

Socio-economic inequality in young people’s financial capabilities

ARTICLE PUBLICATION DATE

2-Jun-2023

Poor UK households more vulnerable to climate shocks

New research found rising temperatures and climate shocks increase wealth inequality

Peer-Reviewed Publication

ANGLIA RUSKIN UNIVERSITY

Poorer households in the UK are more vulnerable to climate change because temperature shocks are associated with deepening wealth inequality, according to new research published today in the journal Environmental Science and Pollution Research.

Researchers from Anglia Ruskin University (ARU) and institutions in South Africa and Germany examined wealth inequality data against climate date from the period 2006-2018 to ascertain the impact of both temperature changes and climate shocks, such as extreme heat, on wealth inequality in the UK.

The study used wealth inequality data from the Office of National Statistics, while monthly temperature data was collected from the Met Office, using year-on-year temperature growth and its volatility shocks as measures of climate risk.

The study found that both temperature growth and extreme temperature events have positive and statistically significant effects on all measures of wealth inequality in the longer term. This was particularly pronounced when comparing the 10% wealthiest households with the 10% poorest.

It also found that climate risk shocks harm the poorest the most relative to the richest households, exacerbating long-term wealth inequality. Researchers believe this could be because of several factors, including the impact on health of poorer people due to increased air pollution and the effect on food supply chains.

The study also found that show that, upon the impact of climate shocks, wealth inequality increases significantly between the 20% and 10% wealthiest households compared to the households of median wealth, while also reducing the inequality between the average household and the poorest.

Lead author Dr Xin Sheng, Associate Professor in the Faculty of Business and Law at Anglia Ruskin University (ARU), said: “Even within higher-income countries, poorer people can also be more vulnerable to the impact of climate change. For example, the UK recorded the highest number of heatwave deaths in 2020, and also has among the highest level of income inequality in relation to other developed countries in Europe.

“The findings highlight the disproportionate increased burden of climate change on households that are already experiencing poverty, particularly households in high-climate risk areas. For example, climate change can pose a serious health threat through food insecurity and increased toxic air pollution. Extreme weather can affect crop production, which can push up food and fuel costs.

“As such, measures to mitigate the adverse effects of climate change need to be tailored so as not to overburden the poor.”

The research paper is open-access and can be accessed here: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11356-023-27342-1

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DOI

10.1007/s11356-023-27342-1 

METHOD OF RESEARCH

Data/statistical analysis

SUBJECT OF RESEARCH

People

ARTICLE TITLE

Climate shocks and wealth inequality in the UK: evidence from monthly data

ARTICLE PUBLICATION DATE

1-Jun-2023

The 'breath' between atoms — a new building block for quantum technology

 

IMAGE: MO LI view more 

CREDIT: UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTO

University of Washington researchers have discovered they can detect atomic "breathing," or the mechanical vibration between two layers of atoms, by observing the type of light those atoms emitted when stimulated by a laser. The sound of this atomic "breath" could help researchers encode and transmit quantum information. 

The researchers also developed a device that could serve as a new type of building block for quantum technologies, which are widely anticipated to have many future applications in fields such as computing, communications and sensor development.

The researchers published these findings June 1 in Nature Nanotechnology.

"This is a new, atomic-scale platform, using what the scientific community calls 'optomechanics,' in which light and mechanical motions are intrinsically coupled together," said senior author Mo Li, a UW professor of both electrical and computer engineering and physics. "It provides a new type of involved quantum effect that can be utilized to control single photons running through integrated optical circuits for many applications."

Previously, the team had studied a quantum-level quasiparticle called an "exciton." Information can be encoded into an exciton and then released in the form of a photon — a tiny particle of energy considered to be the quantum unit of light. Quantum properties of each photon emitted  — such as the photon’s polarization, wavelength and/or emission timing — can function as a quantum bit of information, or "qubit," for quantum computing and communication. And because this qubit is carried by a photon, it travels at the speed of light.

"The bird’s-eye view of this research is that to feasibly have a quantum network, we need to have ways of reliably creating, operating on, storing and transmitting qubits," said lead author Adina Ripin, a UW doctoral student of physics. "Photons are a natural choice for transmitting this quantum information because optical fibers enable us to transport photons long distances at high speeds, with low losses of energy or information."

The researchers were working with excitons in order to create a single photon emitter, or "quantum emitter," which is a critical component for quantum technologies based on light and optics. To do this, the team placed two thin layers of tungsten and selenium atoms, known as tungsten diselenide, on top of each other. 

When the researchers applied a precise pulse of laser light, they knocked a tungsten diselenide atom’s electron away from the nucleus, which generated an exciton quasiparticle. Each exciton consisted of a negatively charged electron on one layer of the tungsten diselenide and a positively charged hole where the electron used to be on the other layer. And because opposite charges attract each other, the electron and the hole in each exciton were tightly bonded to each other. After a short moment, as the electron dropped back into the hole it previously occupied, the exciton emitted a single photon encoded with quantum information — producing the quantum emitter the team sought to create.

But the team discovered that the tungsten diselenide atoms were emitting another type of quasiparticle, known as a phonon. Phonons are a product of atomic vibration, which is similar to breathing. Here, the two atomic layers of the tungsten diselenide acted like tiny drumheads vibrating relative to each other, which generated phonons. This is the first time phonons have ever been observed in a single photon emitter in this type of two-dimensional atomic system. 

When the researchers measured the spectrum of the emitted light, they noticed several equally spaced peaks. Every single photon emitted by an exciton was coupled with one or more phonons. This is somewhat akin to climbing a quantum energy ladder one rung at a time, and on the spectrum, these energy spikes were represented visually by the equally spaced peaks.

"A phonon is the natural quantum vibration of the tungsten diselenide material, and it has the effect of vertically stretching the exciton electron-hole pair sitting in the two layers," said Li, who is also is a member of the steering committee for the UW’s QuantumX, and is a faculty member of the Institute for Nano-Engineered Systems. "This has a remarkably strong effect on the optical properties of the photon emitted by the exciton that has never been reported before."

The researchers were curious if they could harness the phonons for quantum technology. They applied electrical voltage and saw that they could vary the interaction energy of the associated phonons and emitted photons. These variations were measurable and controllable in ways relevant to encoding quantum information into a single photon emission. And this was all accomplished in one integrated system — a device that involved only a small number of atoms.

Next the team plans to build a waveguide — fibers on a chip that catch single photon emissions and direct them where they need to go — and then scale up the system. Instead of controlling only one quantum emitter at a time, the team wants to be able to control multiple emitters and their associated phonon states. This will enable the quantum emitters to "talk" to each other, a step toward building a solid base for quantum circuitry.

"Our overarching goal is to create an integrated system with quantum emitters that can use single photons running through optical circuits and the newly discovered phonons to do quantum computing and quantum sensing," Li said. "This advance certainly will contribute to that effort, and it helps to further develop quantum computing which, in the future, will have many applications."

Other co-authors are Ruoming Peng, Xiaowei Zhang, Srivatsa Chakravarthi, Minhao He, Xiaodong Xu, Kai-Mei Fu and Ting Cao. This research is funded by the National Science Foundation.

For more information, contact Li at moli96@uw.edu. 

Adina Ripin

CREDIT

University of Washington

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JOURNAL

Nature Nanotechnology

DOI

10.1038/s41565-023-01410-6 

ARTICLE TITLE

Tunable phononic coupling in excitonic quantum emitters

ARTICLE PUBLICATION DATE

1-Jun-2023

MU researcher finds similarities in COVID-19 mortality rates between Canadian provinces and American states before vaccines were available

Study can help inform public health strategies to combat future pandemics, infectious diseases

Peer-Reviewed Publication

UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI-COLUMBIA

 

IMAGE: VIRUS view more 

CREDIT: UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI

COLUMBIA, Mo. -- While the overall mortality rates — the number of deaths per 100,000 people — during the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic were higher in the United States compared to Canada, a new study at the University of Missouri finds some surprising similarities in mortality rates between certain U.S. states and Canadian provinces.

The findings offer a more nuanced look at the effectiveness of public health strategies like masking and social distancing before vaccines were widely available, and the findings can help inform public health response strategies at the state and local level to combat future pandemics or infectious diseases.

Tyler Myroniuk, an assistant professor in the MU College of Health Sciences, and his team compared trends in COVID-19 mortality rates between U.S. states and Canadian provinces from January 2020 to November 2020.

“Before the vaccines became available, the only mitigation strategies we had were things like masking and social distancing, and deaths are the ultimate marker of a health care system,” Myroniuk said. “The federal governments of both the U.S. and Canada gave autonomy to individual states and provinces to make their own health care decisions regarding mitigation strategies, and we found some surprisingly similar trends between certain U.S. states and Canadian provinces that many would not expect.”

For example, the Canadian province of Quebec had high mortality rates during this time period and showed very similar mortality trends compared to the U.S. states of Michigan and Delaware. In contrast, the Canadian provinces of Alberta and British Columbia had low mortality rates during this time period and showed very similar mortality trends compared to the U.S. states of Maine and Vermont.

Myroniuk said the findings were surprising due to several differences when comparing the locations, including population density, age, weather and climate, racial and ethic diversity, socioeconomic conditions, cultural preferences, infectious disease mitigation strategies, and health care systems.

“Now that we have identified these similarities, the next step could be to look further into what specific factors contributed to these similarities in trends that may seem at first unnatural or random,” Myroniuk said. “While it may be easier to say Canada handled the pandemic better in general, what we found by looking at the data is that there is a lot of nuance involved, and that nuance is important for tailoring localized response strategies whenever the next pandemic might come around.”

Myroniuk added that while overall comparisons between how different countries responded to the pandemic have been researched extensively, this is the first study to identify specific similarities at the state or provincial level, which could lead to more effective, localized solutions in the future.

“Adapting to the specific needs of a population is going to be key moving forward rather than painting with a broad brush or having a one-size-fits-all approach, especially given the demographic diversity in massive countries like the U.S. and Canada,” Myroniuk said.

“Similarities in COVID-19 mortality between Canadian provinces and American states before vaccines were available,” was published in Canadian Studies in Population. Coauthors on the study include Michelle Teti, Enid Schatz and Ifeolu David.

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JOURNAL

Canadian Studies in Population

DOI

10.1007/s42650-023-00073-x 

METHOD OF RESEARCH

Data/statistical analysis

SUBJECT OF RESEARCH

People

ARTICLE TITLE

MU researcher finds similarities in COVID-19 mortality rates between Canadian provinces and American states before vaccines were available

Smart thermometer–based participatory surveillance to discern the role of children in household viral transmission during pandemic

JAMA Network Open

Peer-Reviewed Publication

JAMA NETWORK

About The Study: In this study using smart thermometers to measure within-household transmission at a national scale, researchers discerned an important role for children in the spread of viral infection within households during the COVID-19 pandemic, heightened when schools were in session, supporting a role for school attendance in COVID-19 spread. 

Authors: Kenneth D. Mandl, M.D., M.P.H., of Boston Children’s Hospital, is the corresponding author. 

To access the embargoed study: Visit our For The Media website at this 

doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2023.16190

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.

#  #  #

Embed this link to provide your readers free access to the full-text article 

 time http://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2023.16190?utm_source=For_The_Media&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=ftm_links&utm_term=060123

About JAMA Network Open: JAMA Network Open is an online-only open access general medical journal from the JAMA Network. On weekdays, the journal publishes peer-reviewed clinical research and commentary in more than 40 medical and health subject areas. Every article is free online from the day of publication.

 

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JOURNAL

JAMA Network Open

Global, race-neutral reference equations and pulmonary function test interpretation

JAMA Network Open

Peer-Reviewed Publication

JAMA NETWORK

About The Study: The use of race-neutral reference equations to interpret pulmonary function tests resulted in a significant increase in the number of Black individuals with respiratory impairments along with a significant increase in the severity of the identified impairments. More work is needed to quantify the effect these reference equations would have on diagnosis, referral, and treatment patterns. 

Authors: Alexander T. Moffett, M.D., of the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, is the corresponding author. 

doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2023.16174

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.

#  #  #

Embed this link to provide your readers free access to the full-text article 

 time http://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2023.16174?utm_source=For_The_Media&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=ftm_links&utm_term=060123

About JAMA Network Open: JAMA Network Open is an online-only open access general medical journal from the JAMA Network. On weekdays, the journal publishes peer-reviewed clinical research and commentary in more than 40 medical and health subject areas. Every article is free online from the day of publication.

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JOURNAL

JAMA Network Open

Finding possible solutions through working with parasites

Peer-Reviewed Publication

TEXAS TECH UNIVERSITY

Zemfira Karamysheva wanted to understand why a parasitic-borne disease can resist drugs so successfully in hopes of eventually applying the findings to treat humans.

“When the parasite is transmitted to a mammalian host through the bite of an insect, a huge change takes place because they are exposed to higher temperatures, the nutrition is different and the pH is different,” said Karamysheva, a research associate professor in Texas Tech University’s Department of Biological Sciences. “The lifestyles are totally different, and we wanted to know how these parasites go from their insect vector to a mammalian host and survive.”

Her laboratory at Texas Tech, as well as two others, that of Andrey Karamyshev, an associate professor in the School of Medicine at the Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, and that of Carlos Muskus, a professor at the University of Antioquia in Colombia, collaborated on the research. The focus was Leishmania, a parasite that causes leishmaniasis, and their work has recently been published in the journal Nature Communications.

“There is no good treatment,” Karamysheva said. “It is transmitted through insect bites and can infect humans and different animals. It is already endemic in Texas, and people are not aware this is a problem. As a result, physicians are sometimes not familiar with how to diagnose it.”

Leishmaniasis is found throughout Latin America and Asia, but climate change has allowed it to become common in some parts of Texas.

“Dr. Karamysheva’s research on leishmaniasis and possible treatment will make a remarkable impact on those who are afflicted with this disease in the future,” said Tosha Dupras, dean of the College of Arts & Sciences. “We are very proud of the important and impactful research that Dr. Karamysheva is conducting in her field.”

There are three major types of the disease: one that affects the skin, one that attacks the mucous membranes and one that focuses on internal organs and, if untreated is almost always fatal. About 12 million cases are known worldwide with 1 million new cases added each year. Approximately 30,000 deaths result around the world each year.

The focus of their research was on the parasite’s gene expression regulation during mRNA translation. Information in organisms is carried from genes to messenger RNA (mRNA) molecules, where the info is translated into proteins by ribosomes in the process of protein synthesis.

The scientists discovered two remarkable facts. First, they found the protein synthesis process (or mRNA translation) was very different in comparison with sensitive parasites. More than 2,000 genes changed how they expressed their information. It means the parasite is able to preemptively and quickly adapt and respond to drug treatments.

Second, when they compared resistant parasites’ response to the drug, they found it was much more targeted with only 189 genes changing how they expressed information. The drug produced a highly targeted response, and the researchers were able to look at which processes were affected as a result.

“We found they have a multifaceted response,” she said, “and there are many processes affected during drug resistance. These parasites changed. They could pump the drug out more effectively or the drug uptake was reduced. The information was modulated in such a way as to avoid the effect of the drug. Their defense systems were activated at multiple levels.”

As a result, more targeted drug treatments could be effective against the parasite. For example, future work could aim at removing certain genes, interrupting the flow of information and eliminating its previous resistance to a drug.

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JOURNAL

Nature Communications

METHOD OF RESEARCH

Experimental study

SUBJECT OF RESEARCH

Cells

ARTICLE TITLE

Translational reprogramming as a driver of antimony-drug resistance in Leishmania