Fight against a deadly pathogen
Researchers have discovered several genetic biomarkers that can accurately identify hypervirulent Klebsiella pneumoniae, a pathogen that infects healthy people and can cause blindness in one day. It can also lead to flesh-eating infections, brain abscesses and death. Hypervirulent K. pneumoniae, which is also resistant to all antibiotics, is a rare but increasingly common strain of K. pneumoniae. There is no accurate method for distinguishing between the hypervirulent strain from the classical strain of K. pneumoniae, which is most often seen in the Western hemisphere. It is less virulent and usually causes infections in hospital settings. In a study published in the Journal of Clinical Microbiology, the researchers detailed a few biomarkers that can identify hypervirulent K. pneumoniae. “Presently, there is no commercially available test to accurately distinguish classical and hypervirulent strains,” said Thomas Russo, Professor at Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences at the University at Buffalo in New York.
Soup first for weight loss
Savoury foods, be it dairy products, fish, or meat, can impact the brain and promote healthy eating. Researchers at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center have found that consuming a broth rich in umami — or savoury taste — can cause subtle changes in the brain that promote healthy eating behaviours and food choices, especially in women. Umami is a Japanese word used to express a delicious, savoury meal, and it represents one of the five basic tastes, together with sweet, salty, bitter, and sour. A key component of umami taste is glutamate, a naturally occurring non-essential amino acid that can be found in nearly all foods, and especially in foods high in protein such as dairy products, fish, and meat.
Inheritance of childhood stress
Experiencing childhood trauma resulting from separation of parents or witnessing violence at home may have long-term effects, suggests a new study that found that ill effects of such stress can reach the kids of the sufferer. The results of the study showed that the children of parents who themselves had four or more adverse childhood experiences were at double the risk of having attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and were four times more likely to have mental health problems. “This is the first research to show that the long-term behavioural health harms of childhood adversity extend across generations from parent to child,” said study lead author Adam Schickedanz. For the study, the team analysed information from a US national survey containing information from four generations of families.