A team of researchers led by Dr. X. J. Meng University Distinguished Professor of Molecular Virology has used virus strains isolated from the ongoing outbreaks in Minnesota
and Iowa to trace the likely origin of the emergent porcine epidemic diarrhea virus (PEDV) to a strain from the Anhui province in China.
but also that the U s. strains likely diverged two or three years ago following an outbreak of a particularly virulent strain in China.
They published their findings on the Origin Evolution and Genotyping of Emergent Porcine Epidemic Diarrhea virus Strains in the United states abstract in the Oct 15 issue of the American Academy of Microbiology's journal mbio.
According to the study the U s. strains of the virus share 99.5 percent of their genetic code with their Chinese counterpart.
and Chinese virus strains coincides with a porcine epidemic diarrhea virus outbreak in China back in December of 2010.
or near the Arabian peninsula and the historical deadly nature of the 2002 outbreaks of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus create further anxiety about the emergency of PEDV in the United states due to the lack of scientific information about the origin
They did however come across additional evidence that the U s. strains share several genetic features with a bat coronavirus--findings which point to an evolutionary origin from bats and the potential for cross-species transmission.
Symptoms include acute vomiting anorexia and watery diarrhea with high mortality rates in pigs less than 10 days old.
In their study the Duke team screened mature milk samples from uninfected women for neutralizing activity against a panel of HIV strains confirming that all of the detectable HIV-neutralization activity was contained in the high molecular weight portion.
while taking into account the humus balance stresses Prof. Daniela Thraen scientist at the DBFZ and the UFZ.
and/or combined heat and power stations but technology must be developed for an environmentally-friendly utilisation stresses Dr. Armin Vetter from TLL who has been operating a straw-fuelled power station for 17 years.
Tracing nervous disorders in humanswhat do pigs jellyfish and zebrafish have in common? It might be hard to discern the connection
This can be disorders like Parkinson's disease Alzheimer's disease autism epilepsy and the motor neurone disease ALS.
The study A comparison of two probiotic strains of bifidobacteria in premature infants was published recently online in the Journal of Pediatrics.
The products tested in the study were two genetically different strains of bifidobacteria normal inhabitants of the gastroentestinal tract that inhibit the growth of harmful pathogens and bacteria:
No side effects were identified from administration of the two probiotic strains Underwood said. One of the breastmilk-fed infants treated with B. lactis developed NEC early in the trial Underwood said indicating that B. lactis may not be as effective as B. infantis in protecting against NEC though the study was designed not to answer that question.
Each infant was treated with one strain for two weeks and after a one-week break received the other strain for two weeks.
In both the formula-fed and breast milk-fed newborns greater increases in fecal bifidobacteria occurred in the B. infantis groups than in the B. lactis groups.
The two strains of bifidobacteria used in the study were grown for UC Davis by a food-grade commercial facility to insure that the infants in the study would receive probiotics of known purity
For example sophisticated vintners use precise irrigation to put regulated water stress on grapevines to create just the right grape composition for a premium cabernet or a chardonnay wine.
#oethe complex Rddm machinery is composed of several proteins that guide the genome in response to growth developmental and stress signals.
and studying its response to various conditions We found that there is a mechanism that can in principle close cracks under any applied stress Demkowicz says.
A computer simulation of the molecular stucture of a metal alloy showing the boundaries between microcystalline grains (white lines forming hexagons) shows a small crack (dark horizontal bar just right of bottom center) that mends itself as the metal is put under stress.
These defects have intense stress fields which can be so strong they actually reverse what an applied load would do Demkowicz says:
The stress from the disclinations is leading to this unexpected behavior he says. Having discovered this mechanism the researchers plan to study how to design metal alloys so cracks would close
but if stress levels get too high the colony will eventually fail added Dr Bryden.
These compounds help to protect the developing fruit against predators pathogens and abiotic stresses. When the seeds are ripe the Anr gene is turned off.
and stress plants at the same time. In addition as she has repeatedly proven salty soils often host bacteria that are noxious for humans.
To better exploit these useful bacterial strains the Uzbek microbiologist has come up with a technique that allows the selective enrichment of Pseudomonas strains.
and cause developmental problems and inorganic forms of Se can cause oxidative stress. It is not clear how selenium damages the insect's internal organs
#Death of a spruce treeexamining a long-lived forest researchers have found that Black spruce trees which dominate the northern forests of North america succumb about five years after being weakened by environmental stresses.
Alternately they also placed samples of the silicon-nanotube sandwiches under tensile stress--pulling them apart instead of compressing them.
Reactive oxygen species are known to damage somatic cells a condition referred to as oxidative stress. Particular substances so-called antioxidants which are also found in fruit vegetables
and the oxidative stress they trigger have a health-promoting impact. Cells can cope well with oxidative stress
and neutralise it says Ristow. Substance mimics endurance sportin earlier studies on humans Ristow demonstrated that the health-enhancing effect of endurance sports is mediated via an increased formation of reactive oxygen species
which mitigates the oxidative stress caused by alcohol tobacco and obesity. As such these population groups in particular could benefit from the positive effects of fruit
and stress in animals improves welfare and encourages biodiversity using native shrubs and trees. Additionally shrubs and trees with edible leaves and shoots along with pasture plants produce more food for animals per unit area of land than pasture plants alone.
It also reduces stress by enabling the animals to hide from perceived danger. The planting as forage plants of both shrubs
and could worsen water shortages in areas that already are under significant water stress. The overall environmental impacts will be said severe Jackson.
These injuries--pitcher's elbow swimmer's shoulder runner's knee tennis elbow tendinitis--are the result of repetitive stress on tendons bones and joints.
and this type of early specialization leads to more stresses and more overuse injuries than you normally would see.
The modification of oxidative stress in adipose tissue (or fat tissue) can help in the prevention of cardiovascular risk associated with childhood obesity
and that will reduce water flow The researchers speculate that the ring of pectin around the torus functions as a buffer to help relieve mechanical stress during the deformation of the pit membrane
Noting that high temperatures can be challenging to modify the authors recommended that growers could reduce the irrigation interval during hot days to prevent heat stress.
when farmers carried certain nonedible strains nonfarmer spore production was reduced in some cases by more than half.
and Advanced Studies (Cinvestav) who use different strains of fungi and bacteria to promote development
Prior to joining Dr. Bowden's laboratory Dr. Dickinson earned her Phd through the Genetics Graduate Interdisciplinary Program at the UA studying oxidative stress and heart disease.
Over recent years many pieces of research have identified a link between adherence to a Mediterranean diet and a lower risk of age-related disease such as dementia.
and nutritious and our systematic review shows it may help to protect the ageing brain by reducing the risk of dementia.
While the link between adherence to a Mediterranean diet and dementia risk is not new ours is the first study to systematically analyse all existing evidence.
In particular research is needed to clarify the association with mild cognitive impairment and vascular dementia. It is also important to note that
whether or not adherence to a Mediterranean diet protects against dementia. Story Source: The above story is provided based on materials by University of Exeter.
#The team sequenced the genome of a strain of H contortus that was susceptible to all major classes of drugs against parasitic worms.
and resist environmental stress. The report looks in depth at the intimate relationship between microbes and agriculture including why plants need microbes
Within ducks and later within chickens various strains of avian H7n9 H7n7 and H9n2 influenza exchanged genes with one another in different combinations.
#Psychiatric patients given smoking-cessation treatment less likely to be participated rehospitalizedpatients who in a smoking-cessation program during hospitalization for mental illness were able to quit smoking
The average life expectancy for people with severe mental illness is 25 years less than that of the general population
if these patients quit smoking it would be detrimental to their recovery--that they would lose a critical crutch for coping with stress.
However she pointed out that the daily cycle of nicotine withdrawal a smoker experiences creates a great deal of stress
and offers evidence that it may have helped their mental health recovery said Prochaska who focuses on developing interventions to treat tobacco dependence in people with mental illness or addictive disorders.
For instance it increases the body's elimination of olanzepine a drug used for psychosis or psychotic depression by more than 90 percent and of Haldol a common schizophrenia drug by 44 percent.
The patients had a range of psychiatric diagnoses including depression bipolar disorder and schizophrenia; three in four were actively suicidal.
Focusing on the avian flu virus strain H5n1 research published today in the journal PLOS ONE identifies key stages in the poultry trade chain which lead to its transmission to other birds animals and humans.
Mice typically used in labs come from strains bred in captivity for decades. They lack the territoriality shown by wild mice.
#MRSA strain in humans originally came from cattlea strain of bacteria that causes skin and soft tissue infections in humans originally came from cattle according to a study to be published in mbio the online open-access journal of the American Society for Microbiology.
The researchers who conducted the genetic analysis of strains of Staphylococcus aureus known as CC97 say these strains developed resistance to methicillin after they crossed over into humans around forty years ago.
Today methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) strain CC97 is an emerging human pathogen in Europe North and South america Africa and Asia.
Corresponding author Ross Fitzgerald of the Roslin Institute and the University of Edinburgh in Scotland says strains of CC97 found in cows appear to be the ancestors of CC97 strains from humans.
Bovine strains seemed to occupy deeper parts of the phylogenetic tree--they were closer to the root than the human strains.
This led us to conclude that the strains infecting humans originated in cows and that they had evolved from bovine to human host jumps says Fitzgerald.
Although the CC97 strains from animals were quite genetically diverse the human isolates cluster together in two tight distinct clades
After they made the jump the human CC97 strains acquired some new capabilities says Fitzgerald thanks to genes encoded on portable pieces of DNA called mobile genetic elements.
the bovine strains have their own mobile genetic elements. Perhaps the most problematic new capability the human strains acquired is the ability to resist methicillin an important antibiotic for fighting staphylococcal infections.
Only human strains of CC97 were able to resist the drug which indicates that the bacteria acquired resistance after they crossed over into humans presumably through exposure to antibiotics prescribed for treating human infections.
This sequence of events contrasts with the case of A s. aureus strain from pigs Fitzgerald points out since a study in 2012 revealed that MRSA ST398 strains evolved the ability to resist methicillin before they crossed over into humans.
Any number of factors could create these differences making pigs--but not cattle--a source of a drug-resistant bacterium.
whether differences in the S. aureus strains differences between pigs and cattle or differences between swine and dairy farming practices might be responsible.
A wider variety of S. aureus strains Fitzgerald says from a wider variety of locations
and hopefully prevent the birth of the next pandemic S. aureus strain. Story Source: The above story is provided based on materials by American Society for Microbiology.
These brightly coloured mothers also experienced relatively lower levels of stress hormones during arduous periods of chick rearing.
Two almost genetically identical virus strains were isolated from each patient suggesting transmission from father to daughter.
One strain was isolated but was genetically different to the two strains isolated from the patients.
The researchers acknowledge some study limitations but say that the most likely explanation for this family cluster of two cases with H7n9 infection is that the virus transmitted directly from the index patient to his daughter.
An amino acid used in energy drinks taurine plays a critical role in the metabolism of fats stress responses
If the trend continues at its current rapid pace it will place significant stress on terrestrial ecosystems around the world
and human health we'll likely see substantial stress from severely hot conditions. The scientists also projected the velocity of climate change defined as the distance per year that species of plants
#Diets lacking omega-3s lead to anxiety, hyperactivity in teens: Generational omega-3 deficiencies have worsening effects over timediets lacking omega-3 fatty acids--found in foods like wild fish some eggs
Published in Biological Psychiatry the Pitt team found that in a rodent model second-generation deficiencies of omega-3s caused elevated states of anxiety
We have assumed always that stress at this age is the main environmental insult that contributes to developing these conditions in at-risk individuals
because adolescence is a very vulnerable time for developing psychiatric disorders including schizophrenia and addiction.
The Pitt team administered a set of behavioral tasks to study the learning and memory decision making anxiety and hyperactivity of both adults and adolescents.
Moreover each viral strain attacks a very limited number of insect species. This host specificity means that the Guatemalan potato moth can be targeted
and memory in the classroom affect impulse control and mood regulation lead to anxiety and even depression Avis said.
or sets of all genes of five 19th century strains of the Phytophthora infestans pathogen with modern strains of the pathogen
and 1880s were quite different from modern-day P. infestans genes including some genes in modern plants that make the pathogen more virulent than the historical strains.
The genetic blueprints or genotypes of the historical strains were distinct from modern strains and genes related to infection were also quite different Ristaino says.
In the areas of the genome that today control virulence we found little similarity with historical strains suggesting that the pathogen has evolved in response to human actions like breeding more disease-resistant potatoes.
Ristaino's previous work pointed the finger at the 1a strain of P. infestans as The irish potato-famine pathogen
or strains of parasites into some areas the authors warn. According to co-author of the study Professor William Hughes of the University of Sussex:#
Even though both weedy strains arose in Asia he says weedy rice became a problem in Southeast asia only in the last few decades.
In the U s. weedy rice is combatted increasingly by growing herbicide resistant crop strains Olsen says.
or the diversion of corn to non-food uses such as ethanol suggests that significant stresses in these areas could jeopardize food security.
and several of the up-regulated genes are involved in oxidative stress neural function and foraging behavior.
#Habits, not cravings, drive food choice during times of stressputting a new spin on the concept of stress eating research presented at the 2013 Institute of Food Technologists (IFT) Annual Meeting
& Expo found that people who eat during times of stress typically seek the foods they eat out of habit--regardless of how healthy
The results found that during peak stress like an exam participants were likely to fall back on their habitual snack.
Although this previously unrecognized strain of avian influenza A has now been associated with 132 confirmed human infections and 39 related deaths (as of June 14) the rate at
New Staph strains are emerging in people who have close contact with livestock animals and for this reason have been given the name livestock-associated Staph.
Previous studies have detected strains of drug-resistant S. aureus from livestock first among farm workers and subsequently in hospital and community settings in Europe.
In the United states such strains have been detected among industrial livestock operation workers in Iowa and now North carolina making scientists concerned that these bacteria could follow a similar trajectory into the community.
MRSA is a strain of Staph bacteria that is resistant to methicillin and certain first-line antibiotics called beta-lactams.
Infections with drug-resistant strains like MRSA can be particularly difficult to treat. The study was based on interviews
This study shows that these livestock-associated strains are present among workers at industrial livestock operations
and that these strains are resistant not just to methicillin but to multiple antibiotics--including antibiotics that are used to treat human infections said Christopher Heaney Phd corresponding author of the study and assistant professor of Environmental Health Sciences and Epidemiology at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School
Should the bees be exposed to additional stresses such as pests disease and bad weather then it is likely to increase the rate of development failure.
Over the past 20 years he said researchers have linked that aggregation process pretty convincingly to the development of diseases--Alzheimer's disease Lou gehrig's disease Huntington's disease to name a few.
Over the past 20 years he said researchers have linked that aggregation process pretty convincingly to the development of diseases--Alzheimer's disease Lou gehrig's disease Huntington's disease to name a few.
However the emergence of strain Ug99 in Uganda in 1999 devastated crops and has spread to Kenya Ethiopia Sudan
To identify the resistance gene Sr35 the team turned to einkorn wheat that is known to be resistant to the Ug99 fungal strain.
These stress impacts then caused both the plants and the herbivores to change their behaviors and change the composition of their local environment.
and over the long term warmer temperatures are going to strain workers who do a lot of physical labor and affect their productivity.
Measuring the stress hormone cortisol in the moose's coat was used as a method for appraising the long-term effect of the deer ked on the health
and Zen masters have known for years that meditation can reduce anxiety but not how. Scientists at Wake Forest Baptist Medical center however have succeeded in identifying the brain functions involved.
Although we've known that meditation can reduce anxiety we hadn't identified the specific brain mechanisms involved in relieving anxiety in healthy individuals said Fadel Zeidan Ph d. postdoctoral research fellow in neurobiology
which were deactivated during meditation-related anxiety relief. The study is published in the current edition of the journal Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience.
For the study 15 healthy volunteers with normal levels of everyday anxiety were recruited for the study.
These individuals had no previous meditation experience or anxiety disorders. All subjects participated in four 20-minute classes to learn a technique known as mindfulness meditation.
In addition anxiety reports were measured before and after brain scanning. The majority of study participants reported decreases in anxiety.
Researchers found that meditation reduced anxiety ratings by as much as 39 percent. This showed that just a few minutes of mindfulness meditation can help reduce normal everyday anxiety Zeidan said.
The study revealed that meditation-related anxiety relief is associated with activation of the anterior cingulate cortex and ventromedial prefrontal cortex areas of the brain involved with executive-level function.
During meditation there was more activity in the ventromedial prefrontal cortex the area of the brain that controls worrying.
In addition when activity increased in the anterior cingulate cortex--the area that governs thinking and emotion--anxiety decreased.
Mindfulness is premised on sustaining attention in the present moment and controlling the way we react to daily thoughts
and feelings Zeidan said Interestingly the present findings reveal that the brain regions associated with meditation-related anxiety relief are remarkably consistent with the principles of being mindful.
Research at other institutions has shown that meditation can significantly reduce anxiety in patients with generalized anxiety and depression disorders.
The results of this neuroimaging experiment complement that body of knowledge by showing the brain mechanisms associated with meditation-related anxiety relief in healthy people he said.
Since crop production consumes more freshwater than any other human activity on the planet the study has significant implications for addressing the twin challenges of water stress
and Gerald Oppenheimer Family Center for Neurobiology of Stress and the Ahmanson-Lovelace Brain Mapping Center at UCLA appears in the June edition of the peer-reviewed journal Gastroenterology.
which is why stress and other emotions can contribute to gastrointestinal symptoms. This study shows what has been suspected
Meanwhile Mayer notes that other researchers are studying the potential benefits of certain probiotics in yogurts on mood symptoms such as anxiety.
or other brain related diseases including potentially Parkinson's disease Alzheimer's disease and autism. Answers will be easier to come by in the near future as the declining cost of profiling a person's microbiota renders such tests more routine Mayer said.
The researchers also infected pigs with the human-derived H7n9 virus. In natural settings pigs can act as a virtual mixing bowl to combine avian-and mammalian-specific influenza strains potentially allowing avian strains to better adapt to humans.
New strains arising from such mixing have the potential to infect humans and spark a pandemic so information about swine susceptibility to H7n9 could help scientists gauge the pandemic potential of the avian virus. Unlike the ferrets infected pigs in this small study did not transmit virus to uninfected pigs
and as diverse species as possible so that ecosystems are resilient to whatever stresses they face in the future.
#Whodunnit of Irish potato famine solvedan international team of scientists reveals that a unique strain of potato blight they call HERB-1 triggered The irish potato famine of the mid-nineteenth century.
We have discovered finally the identity of the exact strain that caused all this havoc says Hernã¡
A strain called US-1 was thought long to have been the cause of the fatal outbreak.
The current study concludes that a strain new to science was responsible. While more closely related to the US-1 strain than to other modern strains it is unique.
Both strains seem to have separated from each other only years before the first major outbreak in Europe says Burbano.
The researchers compared the historic samples with modern strains from Europe Africa and The americas as well as two closely related Phytophthora species. The scientists were able to estimate with confidence
when the various Phytophthora strains diverged from each other during evolutionary time. The HERB-1 strain of Phytophthora infestans likely emerged in the early 1800s
and continued its global conquest throughout the 19th century. Only in the twentieth century after new potato varieties were introduced was replaced HERB-1 by another Phytophthora infestans strain US-1. The scientists found several connections with historic events.
The first contact between Europeans and Americans in Mexico in the sixteenth century coincides with a remarkable increase in the genetic diversity of Phytophthora.
The social upheaval during that time may have led to a spread of the pathogen from its center of origin in Toluca Valley Mexico.
Perhaps this strain became extinct when the first resistant potato varieties were bred at the beginning of the twentieth century speculates Yoshida.
Rather than giving full bottles of formula that make it hard for the baby to return to the breast ELF is a small amount of supplementation with a clear end point that alleviates some of the stress new mothers feel about producing enough milk.
birds could pose risk to humansin the summer of 1968 a new strain of influenza appeared in Hong kong.
This strain known as H3n2 spread around the globe and eventually killed an estimated 1 million people.
A new study from MIT reveals that there are many strains of H3n2 circulating in birds
and pigs that are genetically similar to the 1968 strain and have the potential to generate a pandemic
The researchers led by Ram Sasisekharan the Alfred H. Caspary Professor of Biological Engineering at MIT also found that current flu vaccines might not offer protection against these strains.
From a pandemic-preparedness point of view we should potentially start including some of these H3 strains as part of influenza vaccines.
and public-health agencies'insight into viral strains that should raise red flags if detected. Influenza evolutionin the past 100 years influenza viruses that emerged from pigs
Strains of H3n2 have been circulating in humans since the 1968 pandemic but they have evolved to a less dangerous form that produces a nasty seasonal flu.
However H3n2 strains are also circulating in pigs and birds. Sasisekharan and his colleagues wanted to determine the risk of H3n2 strains reemerging in humans
whose immune systems would no longer recognize the more dangerous forms of H3n2. This type of event has a recent precedent:
In 2009 a strain of H1n1 emerged that was very similar to the virus that caused a 1918 pandemic that killed 50 million to 100 million people.
Genetic similaritiesin the new study the researchers compared the 1968 H3n2 strain and about 1100 H3 strains now circulating in pigs
After comparing HA genetic sequences in five key locations that control the viruses'interactions with infected hosts the researchers calculated an antigenic index for each strain.
The researchers then exposed some of these strains to antibodies provoked by the current H3 seasonal-flu vaccines.
or attack these H3 strains. Of the 581 HA sequences six swine strains already contain the standard HA mutations necessary for human adaptation
Sasisekharan and colleagues are now doing a similar genetic study of H5 influenza strains. The H3 study was funded by the National institutes of health and the National Science Foundation Story Source:
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