Evolution in real time

ISTA scientists predict—and witness—evolution in a 30-year marine snail experiment

Institute of Science and Technology Austria

 

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Crab-ecotype snails (1992) evolved to strikingly resemble the lost Wave-ecotype snails on a skerry.

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Credit: ISTA, images by Kerstin Johannesson

It is 1988. The Koster archipelago, a group of islands off the Swedish west coast near the border with Norway, is hit by a particularly dense bloom of toxic algae, wiping out marine snail populations. But why would anyone care about the fate of a bunch of snails on a three-square-meter rock in the open sea? As it turns out, this event would open up the opportunity to predict and see evolution unfolding before our eyes.

Before, the islands and their small intertidal skerries—rocky islets—were home to dense and diverse populations of marine snails of the species Littorina saxatilis. While the snail populations of the larger islands—some of which were reduced to less than 1%—were restored within two to four years, several skerries could not seem to recover from this harsh blow.

Marine ecologist Kerstin Johannesson from the University of Gothenburg, Sweden, saw a unique opportunity. In 1992, she re-introduced L. saxatilis snails to their lost skerry habitat—starting an experiment that would have far-reaching implications more than 30 years later. It allowed an international collaboration led by researchers from the Institute of Science and Technology Austria (ISTA), Nord University, Norway, the University of Gothenburg, Sweden, and The University of Sheffield, UK, to predict and witness evolution in the making.

Wave snails and Crab snails

L. saxatilis is a common species of marine snails found throughout the North Atlantic shores, where different populations evolved traits adapted to their environments. These traits include size, shell shape, shell color, and behavior. The differences among these traits are particularly striking between the so-called Crab- and Wave-ecotype. These snails have evolved repeatedly in different locations, either in environments exposed to crab predation or on wave-exposed rocks away from crabs. Wave snails are typically small, and have a thin shell with specific colors and patterns, a large and rounded aperture, and bold behavior. Crab snails, on the other hand, are strikingly larger, have thicker shells without patterns, and a smaller and more elongated aperture. Crab snails also behave more warily in their predator-dominated environment.

The Swedish Koster archipelago is home to these two different L. saxatilis snail types, often neighboring one another on the same island or only separated by a few hundred meters across the sea. Before the toxic algal bloom of 1988, Wave snails inhabited the skerries, while nearby shores were home to both Crab and Wave snails. This close spatial proximity would prove crucial.

Rediscovering old traits

Seeing that the Wave snail population of the skerries was entirely wiped out due to the toxic algae, Johannesson decided in 1992 to reintroduce snails to one of these skerries, but of the Crab-ecotype. With one to two generations each year, she rightfully expected the Crab snails to adapt to their new environment before scientists’ eyes. “Our colleagues saw evidence of the snails’ adaptation already within the first decade of the experiment,” says Diego Garcia Castillo, a graduate student in the Barton Group at ISTA and one of the authors leading the study. “Over the experiment’s 30 years, we were able to predict robustly what the snails will look like and which genetic regions will be implicated. The transformation was both rapid and dramatic,” he adds.

However, the snails did not evolve these traits entirely from scratch. Co-corresponding author Anja Marie Westram, a former postdoc at ISTA and currently a researcher at Nord University, explains, “Some of the genetic diversity was already available in the starting Crab population but at low prevalence. This is because the species had experienced similar conditions in the recent past. The snails’ access to a large gene pool drove this rapid evolution.”

Diversity is key to adaptation

The team examined three aspects over the years of the experiment: the snails’ phenotype, individual gene variabilities, and larger genetic changes affecting entire regions of the chromosomes called “chromosomal inversions”.

In the first few generations, the researchers witnessed an interesting phenomenon called “phenotypic plasticity”: Very soon after their transplantation, the snails modified their shape to adjust to their new environment. But the population also quickly started to change genetically. The researchers could predict the extent and direction of the genetic changes, especially for the chromosomal inversions. They showed that the snails’ rapid and dramatic transformation was possibly due to two complementary processes: A fast selection of traits already present at a low frequency in the transplanted Crab snail population and gene flow from neighboring Wave snails that could have simply rafted over 160 meters to reach the skerry.

Evolution in the face of pollution and climate change

In theory, scientists know that a species with high enough genetic variation can adapt more rapidly to change. However, few studies aimed to experiment with evolution over time in the wild. “This work allows us to have a closer look at repeated evolution and predict how a population could develop traits that have evolved separately in the past under similar conditions,” says Garcia Castillo.

The team now wants to learn how species can adapt to modern environmental challenges such as pollution and climate change. “Not all species have access to large gene pools and evolving new traits from scratch is tediously slow. Adaptation is very complex and our planet is also facing complex changes with episodes of weather extremes, rapidly advancing climate change, pollution, and new parasites,” says Westram. She hopes this work will drive further research on maintaining species with large and diverse genetic makeups. “Perhaps this research helps convince people to protect a range of natural habitats so that species do not lose their genetic variation,” Westram concludes.

Now, the snails Johannesson brought to the skerry in 1992 have reached a thriving population of around 1,000 individuals.

Two ecotypes of Littorina saxatilis marine snails, adapted to different environments. 

The Crab ecotype (left) is larger and wary of predators. The Wave ecotype (right) is smaller and has bold behavior.

Credit

David Carmelet

The donor shore of the transplanted snail population (foreground) and the experimental skerry (little dot in the sea to the right).

The experimental skerry in the Koster archipelago off the Swedish west coast. 

Crab-ecotype L. saxatilis snails were brought here in 1992 after toxic algae wiped out the original Wave-ecotype population.

Credit

Kerstin Johannesson

Kerstin Johannesson on the experimental skerry 

Johannesson is a marine ecologist at the University of Gothenburg, Sweden.

Credit

Bo Johannesson

First author Diego Garcia Castillo, graduate student at ISTA, visiting the experimental skerry.

Credit

Pierre Barry

Swedish L. saxatilis marine snails.

Credit

Daria Shipilina

Information on animal studies

To better understand fundamental processes, for example, in the fields of neuroscience, immunology, or genetics, the use of animals in research is indispensable. No other methods, such as in silico models, can serve as an alternative. The animals are raised, kept, and treated according to the strict regulations of the respective countries. The research with animals was conducted in Sweden.

About ISTA

The Institute of Science and Technology Austria (ISTA) is a PhD-granting research institution located in Klosterneuburg, 18 km from the center of Vienna, Austria. ISTA employs professors on a tenure-track model, post-doctoral researchers and PhD students. The Graduate School of ISTA offers fully funded PhD positions to highly qualified candidates with a Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in biology, mathematics, computer science, physics, chemistry, and related areas. While dedicated to the principle of curiosity-driven research, ISTA aims to deliver scientific findings to society through technological transfer and science education. President of the Institute is Martin Hetzer, a renowned molecular biologist and former Senior Vice President at The Salk Institute for Biological Studies in California, USA. www.ista.ac.at

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Journal

Science Advances

DOI

10.1126/sciadv.adp2102 

Method of Research

Observational study

Subject of Research

Animals

Article Title

Predicting rapid adaptation in time from adaptation in space: A 30-year field experiment in marine snails

Article Publication Date

11-Oct-2024

 

Coffee during pregnancy safe for baby’s brain development

A University of Queensland-led study has failed to find any strong links between drinking coffee during pregnancy and neurodevelopmental difficulties in children

University of Queensland

A University of Queensland-led study has failed to find any strong links between drinking coffee during pregnancy and neurodevelopmental difficulties in children, but researchers are advising expectant mothers to continue following medical guidelines on caffeine consumption.  

Dr Gunn-Helen Moen and PhD student Shannon D’Urso from UQ’s Institute for Molecular Bioscience (IMB) led an in-depth genetic analysis of data from tens of thousands of families in Norway.  

“Scandinavians are some of the biggest coffee consumers in the world, drinking at least 4 cups a day, with little stigma about drinking coffee during pregnancy,” Dr Moen said.

“Our study used genetic data from mothers, fathers and babies as well as questionnaires about the parents’ coffee consumption before and during pregnancy.

“The participants also answered questions about their child’s development until the age of 8, including their social, motor, and language skills.”

“Our analysis found no link between coffee consumption during pregnancy and children’s neurodevelopmental difficulties.”

The researchers said physiological changes during pregnancy prevent caffeine breaking down easily and it can cross the placenta and reach the foetus, where there are no enzymes to metabolise it.

Caffeine accumulation was thought to impact the developing foetal brain, but Dr Moen said previous observational studies couldn’t account for other environmental factors such as alcohol, cigarette smoke or poor diet.

“We used a method called Mendelian randomisation which uses genetic variants that predict coffee drinking behaviour and can separate out the effect of different factors during pregnancy,” she said.

“It mimics a randomised controlled trial without subjecting pregnant mothers and their babies to any ill effects.

“The benefit of this method is the effects of caffeine, alcohol, cigarettes and diet can be separated in the data, so we can look solely at the impact of caffeine on the pregnancy.”

The researchers use genetic analysis to understand complex traits and diseases especially in early life, with a previous study by Dr Moen showing that drinking coffee in pregnancy did not affect birth weight, risk of miscarriage or stillbirth.

They emphasise the importance of following advice from healthcare providers to limit caffeine consumption during pregnancy, as caffeine may influence other pregnancy outcomes.

The researchers are now looking to apply similar analyses to understand more about genetic and environmental causes of neurodiversity, and the effect of it from other factors on brain development during pregnancy.

The research team included international collaborators in Norway including Professor Alexandra Havdahl from PsychGen Center for Genetic Epidemiology and Mental Health, Norwegian Institute of Public Health, Oslo and England as well as IMB’s Caroline Brito Nunes, Dr Daniel Hwang and Professor David Evans. The research was conducted using data from the Norwegian Mother, Father and Child Cohort Study (MoBa).

The research was published in Psychological Medicine.

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Journal

Psychological Medicine

DOI

10.1017/S0033291724002216 

Method of Research

Data/statistical analysis

Subject of Research

People

Article Title

Mendelian Randomization Analysis of Maternal Coffee Consumption During Pregnancy on Offspring Neurodevelopmental Difficulties in the Norwegian Mother, Father and Child Cohort Study (MoBa)

Article Publication Date

9-Oct-2024

 

Research news from the Ecological Society of America’s journals

Ecological Society of America

 

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A new study in Ecosphere suggests that marine animals called zoanthids, seen here blanketing dead coral, can deter reef-eroding urchins (visible at lower right).

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Credit: Patrick Saldaña

The Ecological Society of America (ESA) presents a roundup of four research articles recently published across its esteemed journals. Widely recognized for fostering innovation and advancing ecological knowledge, ESA’s journals consistently feature illuminating and impactful studies. This compilation of papers explores the unique bai ecosystems of central Africa, a potential strategy for managing forests in a more flammable world, the protection of dead corals by secondary reef colonizers and a new approach to examining cause-and-effect relationships in ecology.

 

From Ecology:

Building a baseline for Africa’s bai ecosystems
Author contact: Evan G. Hockridge (evanhockridge@g.harvard.edu)  

Clearings known as “bais” dot the enormous expanse of rainforest extending across central Africa. Although they offer critical habitat for forest elephants, lowland gorillas and a host of other iconic African species, little is known about these canopy gaps. Remote sensing, field surveys and camera traps enabled researchers to document the distribution, abundance and physical properties of these ecosystems in the Congolese Odzala-Kokoua National Park, as well as the plants and animals that frequent them. While more numerous than expected, bais were also generally found to be small, highly clustered and restricted to low-lying areas, thus constituting a rare and unusual forest habitat. Moreover, two different types were identified based on distinguishing features like distinctive soil properties and ecological communities. Given their importance to the biodiversity of the dense forests of Central Africa, these unique ecosystems should be considered areas of high conservation priority, contend the authors.

Read the article: Spatial ecology, biodiversity, and abiotic determinants of Congo’s bai ecosystem

 

From Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment:

Defueling forests may help mitigate future fire
Author contact: Matthew D. Hurteau (mhurteau@unm.edu)  

More frequent applications of prescribed burns could help reduce the growing threat of fire for conifer forests in the western U.S. under a warmer and dryer climate, propose the authors of this study. A legacy of fire exclusion has left many western forests with denser stands than would have occurred historically. Moreover, climate change, pests and pathogens are killing trees in huge numbers, resulting in forests with increasing numbers of dead and stressed trees — woody material that can fuel intense wildfires. Analysis of data collected from prescribed burns in California’s Teakettle Experimental Forest following a 4-year drought suggested that boosting burn rates might help to alleviate the increasing flammability of forests by reducing the volume of accumulated dead fuels. The authors note that prescribed burns are not a silver bullet for forest managers, who will face additional challenges as the climate continues to warm. But the approach has global relevance for the management of forests experiencing similar changes in environmental conditions.

Read the article: Managing fire-prone forests in a time of decreasing carbon carrying capacity

 

From Ecosphere:

Living zoanthid blankets protect dead corals
Author contact: Patrick H. Saldaña (psaldana@ufl.edu)

Dead corals may not be as extravagantly vibrant as live corals, but these ghostly structures still benefit tropical reef inhabitants by serving as physical habitat for other organisms. Yet dead reefs are at greater risk of damage by grazers, including booming populations of urchins. Experiments conducted on reefs off Panama’s Caribbean coast suggested that mats of a species of zoanthid — relatives of sea anemones — can form a protective coating over dead reefs, shielding them from further urchin-induced ruin. Moreover, so effective are these zoanthids “carpets” at deterring urchins that erosion of dead reefs was reduced by up to 50% over a 2-year period in areas where they occurred. The results of their experiments lead the authors to conclude that, by helping to preserve the physical integrity of dead coral structures, coral-associated colonizers like zoanthids may play critical yet largely unrecognized roles in coral reef renewal and recovery.    

Read the article: Friend of the dead: Zoanthids enhance the persistence of dead coral reef framework under high consumer pressure

 

From Ecological Monographs:

A new framework for investigating cause-and-effect in ecological systems
Author contact: James B. Grace (gracej@usgs.gov)

Correlation does not imply causation, as the saying goes, and this is a particular problem in ecology. In many scientific disciplines, cause-and-effect is explored experimentally — alter a variable and see what happens. But when it comes to answering some ecological questions, such as temperature’s role in shaping a plant’s distribution across a continent, controlled manipulations can be impractical or even impossible. In these cases, ecologists often rely on data collected through observation. As the author of this study notes, however, conventional analytical methods are relatively ineffective in teasing out causality from observational data. To address this shortcoming, a novel framework is introduced that rigorously incorporates mechanistic understanding — for instance, the intensity of cold snaps and how much a hard freeze damages a tree’s leaves — to determine causality. The author proposes that adopting a multi-pronged approach to investigating cause-and-effect relationships will greatly enhance understanding of how ecological systems work.

Read the article: An integrative paradigm for building causal knowledge

 

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The Ecological Society of America, founded in 1915, is the world’s largest community of professional ecologists and a trusted source of ecological knowledge, committed to advancing the understanding of life on Earth. The 8,000 member Society publishes seven journals including a membership bulletin and broadly shares ecological information through policy, media outreach and education initiatives. Visit the ESA website at https://www.esa.org

 

The Society’s Annual Meeting attracts 4,000 attendees and features the most recent advances in ecological science. The program and recorded content from last month’s 2024 Meeting in Long Beach, California are available for viewing until summer 2025; members of the press and institutional press officers are invited to contact Public Affairs Manager Mayda Nathan mayda@esa.org for free access.

 

Follow ESA on social media:
Twitter/X – @esa_org
Instagram – @ecologicalsociety
Facebook – @esa.org

 

Novel research suggests quitting smoking may help alleviate opioid crisis

A trailblazing study in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine details the association between smoking and opioid use, emphasizing the need for integrated treatment programs

Peer-Reviewed Publication

Elsevier

Ann Arbor, October 9, 2024 – Smoking is recognized as a leading cause of preventable disability and death. New research shows that as smokers increase their daily number of cigarettes, they report higher rates of chronic pain, more prescription opioid use, severe work limitations due to pain, and poor mental health. A novel study in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, published by Elsevier, details the results of an analysis of nationally representative data from the US Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality’s Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS), revealing a strong link between smoking and opioid use and emphasizing the need for integrated treatment programs.

Summarizing key findings, the study’s authors William Encinosa, PhD, Didem Bernard, PhD, and R. Burciaga Valdez, PhD, MHSA, Division of Research and Modeling, Center for Financing, Access, and Cost Trends, Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, and the McCourt School of Public Policy, Georgetown University, say, "Our research shows that adults who smoke 11-20 cigarettes per day use five times more prescription opioids than adults who never smoked. Adults who smoke more than a pack of cigarettes a day use almost three times as many opioids than adults who smoke 11-20 cigarettes per day. Thus, integrating smoking cessation programs into substance use treatments would be a prudent way of reducing prescription opioid use."

The team of researchers analyzed data from 2013 to 2021 from MEPS and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Health Interview Survey. Findings show that although only 37% of the population has ever smoked, smokers account for 69% of annual prescription opioid use. Heavy smokers, just 12% of the population, use as many opioids as the 63% who have never smoked. Smokers also report higher rates of chronic pain, severe work limitations due to pain, and poor mental health.

This paper reports the first nationally representative estimates of the association between smoking, pain, and opioid use and how it has persisted from the height of opioid prescription use in 2013 to the recent low in 2021.

Opioid dispensing rates have declined from 81.3 prescriptions per 100 people in 2012 to 43.3 per 100 people in 2020. Many policy factors have led to this decline in opioid prescriptions, such as pill mill laws, state caps on the number of prescriptions per patient, state prescription drug monitoring systems, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines for chronic pain treatment, addressing the concern that high dosages and long-term use of opioids for chronic pain can lead to opioid use disorder and its adverse health outcomes. Despite this decline, there are still prescription opioid hotspots in the US.

The researchers conclude, "Combining smoking cessation with substance abuse treatment could be crucial in addressing the opioid epidemic. Many states and localities are attempting to ban various types of cigarettes. Our research shows that any resulting smoking cessation from these bans may also contribute to easing the opioid crisis."

 

 

 

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Journal

American Journal of Preventive Medicine

DOI

10.1016/j.amepre.2024.07.010 

Method of Research

Data/statistical analysis

Subject of Research

People

Article Title

Heavy Versus Light Smoking: Its Association With Opioid Use, Chronic Pain, and Mental Health

Evidence of vaping’s harmful effects on blood vessels and the left ventricle of heart

Researchers develop smartphone-adaptable tools to determine the impact of nicotine-infused e-cigarettes

University of Southern California

A new study by researchers at the USC Viterbi School of Engineering, in collaboration with the Keck School of Medicine of USC, the Huntington Medical Research Institutes (HMRI) and UC Irvine, highlights the harmful effects of both electronic and standard cigarettes on cardiovascular health. In short, the researchers found that electronic cigarettes harm blood vessels while standard cigarettes impair the heart.

The study published in the Journal of the American Heart Association (JAHA) was led by Rashid Alavi, during his time as a mechanical engineering PhD student in the lab of Niema Pahlevan, the Gordon S. Marshall Early Career Chair in Engineering at USC and Fellow of the American Heart Association (FAHA), Pahlevan is a leading specialist in flow physics for application in medical diagnostics and treatment, and is recognized as an innovator in non-invasive measuring techniques to gain insights into heart health.

Titled “Adverse Cardiovascular Effects of Nicotine Delivered by Chronic Electronic Cigarettes or Standard Cigarettes Captured by Cardiovascular Intrinsic Frequencies,” the study applies an innovative fluid dynamics-based analysis technique to measure the impact of nicotine exposure via e-cigarette vapor and traditional cigarette vapor.  Although the study was performed on animal models,  it can also be applied to humans, as has been done in other applications including heart failure. For humans, one can use smartphone cameras to identify abnormalities in cardiovascular function.

Pahlevan explains how the process works. “For human applications, the smartphone camera captures images of the neck skin. Then an algorithm extracts vessel wall dilation from the skin vibrations recorded in the images. This dilation waveform mirrors the pressure waveform in large arteries, such as the carotid where wall viscoelasticity is minimal.”

Results: The results reveal that nicotine-containing electronic cigarettes negatively impact vascular function and left ventricle-arterial coupling. Traditional cigarettes were also found to significantly impair left ventricle contractile function. These findings demonstrate potential long-term consequences for cardiovascular health.

“Vaping with nicotine is causing accelerated aging of the vascular system,” said Pahlevan.

Impact: While electronic cigarettes with nicotine have gained popularity as a potential aid for quitting traditional smoking, their impact on cardiovascular health remained poorly understood – until now.

“People have this idea that e-cigarettes are much better than traditional cigarettes, so they quit traditional smoking and try e-cigarettes with nicotine. However, e-cigarettes with nicotine have so many adverse effects, so they need to be carefully considered,” said Pahlevan.

“The goal of this study was to raise awareness about vaping and its long-term effects on the cardiovascular system,” said Alavi, whose thesis was recognized for the top-4 thesis in the USC Viterbi Best PhD Dissertation Award and who is now the James Boswell Postdoctoral Fellow at Caltech and HMRI. “When the vessels become impaired, this will eventually impact the heart. We want to help people to make informed decisions about whether to use a substance or not, ” Alavi added.

A smartphone tool, adds Alavi, can also be used in the final application by people who vape to allow them to assess if they are at-risk.

The intrinsic frequency method which is a new fluid dynamics-based analysis technique 'is clearly very sensitive to capture abnormalities in the cardiovascular system, even more than some standard hemodynamic measures. In addition, it is exciting that this technique can be applied to cell-phone applications to assess the heart’s function,” said Dr. Robert Kloner, Chief Scientific Officer at HMRI, and Professor of Medicine (clinical scholar) at the Keck School of Medicine of USC.

This approach holds significant potential for human applications. By developing a new, cost-effective method for detecting cardiovascular damage using only carotid pressure waveform (neck pulse) measurements, the study paves the way for faster, easier and more widespread testing.

The next step is to test the tool in human clinical trials.

Full list of authors:
Rashid Alavi , PhD; Department of Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering, University of Southern California,
Wangde Dai, MD; Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California; and Cardiovascular Research, Huntington Medical Research Institutes, Pasadena, CA
Sohrab P. Mazandarani, MA; Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, Keck School of Medicine of University of Southern California,
Rebecca J. Arechavala , PhD; Department of Environmental and Occupational Health, College of Health Sciences, University of California, Irvine, CA
David A. Herman , PhD; Department of Environmental and Occupational Health, College of Health Sciences, University of California, Irvine, CA
Michael T. Kleinman, PhD; Department of Environmental and Occupational Health, College of Health Sciences, University of California, Irvine, CA
Robert A. Kloner , MD, PhD; Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California; and Cardiovascular Research, Huntington Medical Research Institutes, Pasadena, CA
Niema M. Pahlevan , PhD: Department of Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering, University of Southern California; and Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, Keck School of Medicine University of Southern California; and Cardiovascular Research, Huntington Medical Research Institutes, Pasadena, CA

Disclosures
N.M. Pahlevan holds equity in Ventric Health (Avicena LLC) and has a consulting agreement with Ventric Health (Avicena LLC).

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Journal

Journal of the American Heart Association

Article Title

“Adverse Cardiovascular Effects of Nicotine Delivered by Chronic Electronic Cigarettes or Standard Cigarettes Captured by Cardiovascular Intrinsic Frequencies,”

 WAIT, WHAT?!

Zika virus as a treatment for brain cancer: A systematic review

“Despite limited human evidence, it shows potential benefits.”

Impact Journals LLC

 

image: 

Figure 2: Risk of bias for in vivo studies (Robins-I tool).

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Credit: 2024 de Sena Barbosa et al.

“Despite limited human evidence, it shows potential benefits.”

BUFFALO, NY- October 9, 2024 – A new review was published in Oncotarget's Volume 15 on September 30, 2024, entitled, “Zika virus and brain cancer: Can Zika be an effective treatment for brain cancer? A systematic review.”

As highlighted in the introduction of this review, many studies have identified oncolytic viruses as a promising new class of therapeutic agents for central nervous system (CNS) tumors, particularly glioblastomas (GBM). Zika virus (ZIKV) proteins, specifically targeting certain stem cells, have shown promising results in both in vitro and animal model studies.

In their review, researchers Mateus Gonçalves de Sena Barbosa, Beatriz Rodrigues Messias, Rafael Trindade Tatit, Maycon Cristian Gomes de Paula, Valdecir Boeno Spenazato Júnior, Maria Gabriella Borges Braga, Caio Vinícius Marcolino Santos, Luiza D'Ottaviano Cobos, Vinícius Otávio da Silva, Eberval Gadelha Figueiredo, Nicollas Nunes Rabelo, and Bipin Chaurasia from Atenas University Center, Passos; University of Israelita de Ciências da Saúde Albert Einstein; University of Sapucaí Valley; Atenas University Center, Sete Lagoas; Nove de Julho University, Campus Vergueiro; José do Rosário Vellano University, Alfenas; School of Medicine-University of São Paulo (FMUSP), Hospital das Clínicas/FMUSP; and Neurosurgery Clinic in Birgunj, evaluated the efficacy and safety of using ZIKV for treating CNS tumors. Data from in vivo studies were extracted and assessed for bias using the Robins-I tool, evaluating factors such as selection, performance, detection, attrition, and reporting bias.

The 14 studies demonstrated that ZIKV reduced cell viability, inhibited the growth and proliferation of glioma stem cells (GSCs), and decreased Bcl2 expression, potentially enhancing chemotherapy and radiotherapy effects. ZIKV caused cytopathic effects, induced tumor cell damage, showed oncolytic properties, and selectively killed GSCs safely. This ultimately led to significant tumor remission and improved long-term survival through an enhanced T-cell response.

“Although current evidence suggests ZIKV as a promising treatment for CNS tumors and may improve survival when combined with surgery and radiotherapy.”

Continue reading: DOI: https://doi.org/10.18632/oncotarget.28647

Correspondence to: Bipin Chaurasia - trozexa@gmail.com

Video short: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JINORGdqAO4

Keywords: cancer, Zika, neurotropism, glioblastoma, glioma, brain tumor

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About Oncotarget:

Oncotarget (a primarily oncology-focused, peer-reviewed, open access journal) aims to maximize research impact through insightful peer-review; eliminate borders between specialties by linking different fields of oncology, cancer research and biomedical sciences; and foster application of basic and clinical science.

Oncotarget is indexed and archived by PubMed/Medline, PubMed Central, Scopus, EMBASE, META (Chan Zuckerberg Initiative) (2018-2022), and Dimensions (Digital Science).

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Journal

Oncotarget

DOI

10.18632/oncotarget.28647 

Method of Research

Systematic review

Subject of Research

Not applicable

Article Title

Zika virus and brain cancer: Can Zika be an effective treatment for brain cancer? A systematic review

Article Publication Date

30-Sep-2024

COI Statement

All authors confirm that they have no affiliations with or involvement in any organization or entity that has a financial interest (including honoraria, educational grants, participation in speakers’ bureaus, membership, employment, consultancies, stock ownership, or other equity interest, and expert testimony or patent-licensing arrangements), or non-financial interest (such as personal or professional relationships, affiliations, knowledge, or beliefs) in the subject matter or materials discussed in this manuscript.

Parenting programs help kids, but provide insufficient support for parents, study finds

Research offers insights into how better to support families with young children

McGill University

Parenting programs that address both mental health and parenting skills can improve children’s development, but often fall short when it comes to offering effective mental-health support for parents, new research suggests.

“It’s a surprising contradiction,” said the study’s lead author, Marilyn Ahun, Assistant Professor in the Department of Medicine at McGill University. “Our findings show the potential of multi-component programs, while revealing gaps that need to be addressed.”

The research team reviewed and analysed 25 studies from around the world, in collaboration with colleagues from Harvard, Kuwait and Emory universities.

The researchers, who published their study in The Lancet Child & Adolescent Health, found that children under three whose parents joined integrated programs developed better emotional and cognitive skills, compared to those who received no supports. However, mothers saw little to no relief from their depression symptoms. The authors noted that there are not enough studies assessing depression in fathers to know how programs impact their symptoms.

The insights could help inform the design of programs that better support parents and their young children during a period when children’s brains are most sensitive to experiences, said the researchers. They noted that even if children still benefitted when their parents received support on child-rearing, parental mental health has a strong influence on parenting practices and the outcomes for children.

Gap in mental health support for parents

Programs for parents of young children often address either child-rearing skills or mental health support. In integrated programs that cover both, the primary emphasis is on child-rearing skills, said the authors.

“Many of these programs only dedicate one or two sessions to mental health, which isn’t enough to help parents who are struggling,” said Ahun, who is also a Junior Scientist at the Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre.

“This is particularly concerning, as about one-in-four mothers and one-in-10 fathers experience depression during the perinatal period, making it difficult for them to provide the nurturing support their children need,” she added.

With more than 250 million children worldwide falling short of their developmental potential, the researchers say their findings offer insights into how best to improve family support during a critical phase of early-childhood development. 

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Journal

The Lancet

DOI

10.1016/S2352-4642(24)00134-2 

Method of Research

Meta-analysis

Subject of Research

People

Article Title

Effects of multi-component parenting and parental mental health interventions on early childhood development and parent outcomes: a systematic review and meta-analysis