Novel enzyme to give you guilt-free sugar cravings

(Novel enzyme to give you guilt-free sugar cravings (Getty Image))

    Scientists including an Indian-origin researcher have discovered a key enzyme that can stop the toxic effects of sugar in various organs of the body.

    This enzyme, named glycerol 3-phosphate phosphatase (G3PP), plays a central role in controlling glucose and fat utilisation.

    Led by Dr. Marc Prentki and Dr. Murthy Madiraju from the University of Montreal Hospital Research Centre (CRCHUM), the team demonstrated that G3PP is able to detoxify excess sugar from the cells.

    The discovery can lead to the development of therapeutics for obesity and Type 2 diabetes.

    It is extremely rare since the 1960s that a novel enzyme is discovered at the heart of metabolism of nutrients in all mammalian tissues.

    "We identified the enzyme while looking for mechanisms enabling beta cells to get rid of excess glucose as glycerol," said Dr. Madiraju.

    This mechanism has also been found to be operating in liver cells, and this enzyme is present in all body tissues, he added.

    "We found that G3PP is able to breakdown a great proportion of excess glycerol phosphate to glycerol and divert it outside the cell, thus protecting the insulin producing beta cells of pancreas and various organs from toxic effects of high glucose levels," explained Dr. Prentki, principal investigator at the CRCHUM.

    "By diverting glucose as glycerol, G3PP prevents excessive formation and storage of fat and it also lowers excessive production of glucose in liver, a major problem in diabetes," noted Dr. Madiraju.

     The findings were published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Source: www.sciencedaily.com

A new green power source

(Blue-green algae (stock image))

    As world leaders prepare to gather in France for the 2015 United Nations Conference on Climate Change next week, global warming and how to stop it is a hot topic.

    To limit climate change, experts say that we need to reach carbon neutrality by the end of this century at the latest. To achieve that goal, our dependence on fossil fuels must be reversed. But what energy source will take its place? Researchers from Concordia University in Montreal just might have the answer: blue-green algae. 

    In a study published in the journal Technology, a team led by Concordia engineering professor Muthukumaran Packirisamy describe their invention: a power cell that harnesses electrical energy from the photosynthesis and respiration of bluegreen algae. 

    As world leaders prepare to gather in France for the 2015 United Nations Conference on Climate Change next week, global warming and how to stop it is a hot topic.

    Why blue-green algae? Because it's everywhere.

    Also known as cyanobacteria, blue-green algae are the most prosperous microorganisms on earth, evolutionarily speaking. They occupy a broad range of habitats across all latitudes. And they've been here forever: the planet's early fauna and flora owe their makeup to cyanobacteria, which produced the oxygen that ultimately allowed higher life forms to flourish.

    "By taking advantage of a process that is constantly occurring all over the world, we've created a new and scalable technology that could lead to cheaper ways of generating carbon-free energy," says Packirisamy.

    He notes that the invention is still in its early stages. "We have a lot of work to do in terms of scaling the power cell to make the project commercial."

    Currently, the photosynthetic power cell exists on a small scale, and consists of an anode, cathode and proton exchange membrane. The cyanobacteria or blue green algae are placed in the anode chamber.

    As they undergo photosynthesis, the cyanobacteria release electrons to the electrode surface. An external load is connected to the device to extract the electrons and harness power.

    As Packirisamy and his team develop and expand the project, he hopes that the micro photosynthetic power cells will soon be used in various applications, such as powering cell phones and computers. And maybe one day they'll power the world.

Source: www.sciencedaily.com

Climate change warming world's lakes at alarming rate

     NEW DELHI: Freshwater lakes across the world are rapidly warming due to changing climate change, a new study supported by NASA has found. This could have serious impact on freshwater supplies and ecosystems.

    The study used satellite temperature data and long-term ground measurements to monitor 235 lakes, representing more than half of the world's freshwater supply, for at least 25 years. It found lakes are warming an average of 0.61 degrees Fahrenheit (0.34 degrees Celsius) each decade. That's greater than the warming rate of either the ocean or the atmosphere, and it can have profound effects, the scientists say. The research is published in Geophysical Research Letters.

    Algal blooms, which can ultimately rob water of oxygen, are projected to increase 20 percent in lakes over the next century as warming rates increase. Algal blooms that are toxic to fish and animals would increase by 5 percent. If these rates continue, emissions of methane, a greenhouse gas 25 times more powerful than carbon dioxide on 100-year time scales, will increase 4 percent over the next decade.

    "Society depends on surface water for the vast majority of human uses," said co-author Stephanie Hampton, director of Washington State University's Center for Environmental Research, Education and Outreach in Pullman. "Not just for drinking water, but manufacturing, for energy production, for irrigation of our crops. Protein from freshwater fish is especially important in the developing world.“

    The temperature of water influences a host of its other properties critical to the health and viability of ecosystems. When temperature swings quickly and widely from the norm, life forms in a lake can change dramatically and even disappear.

    "'These results suggest that large changes in our lakes are not only unavoidable, but are probably already happening," said lead author Catherine O'Reilly, associate professor of geology at Illinois State University, Normal. Earlier research by O'Reilly has seen declining productivity in lakes with rising temperatures.

    The researchers said various climate factors are associated with the warming trend. In northern climates, lakes are losing their ice cover earlier, and many areas of the world have less cloud cover, exposing their waters more to the sun's warming rays.

    Previous work by Hook using satellite data indicated that many lake temperatures were warming faster than air temperature and that the greatest warming was observed at high latitudes, as seen in other climate warming studies. This new research confirmed those observations, with average warming rates of 1.3 degrees Fahrenheit (0.72 degrees Celsius) per decade at high latitudes.     

    Warm-water, tropical lakes may be seeing less dramatic temperature increases, but increased warming of these lakes can still have large negative impacts on fish. That can be particularly important in the African Great Lakes, where fish is an important source of food.

    "We want to be careful that we don't dismiss some of these lower rates of change," said Hampton. "In warmer lakes, those temperature changes can be really important. They can be just as important as a higher rate of change in a cooler lake."

Source: www.thehindu.com

Zika virus: the growing outbreak

     The Zika virus is a mosquito-borne illness, first discovered in 1947 when it was isolated from a monkey found in Uganda's Zika Forest. The virus has been reported in humans in Asia and Africa since the 1950s, and was first found outside its usual geographic area in 2007, when there was an outbreak in Micronesia, a small cluster of islands in the western Pacific Ocean. The virus is primarily transmitted through the Aedes aegypti mosquito. Transmission occurs when this mosquito feeds on a person infected with Zika, and then spreads the virus by biting an uninfected person. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), there has been one possible case of transmission through blood transfusion and one possible case of transmission through sexual activity. So far there is limited evidence on whether Zika can be transferred from mother to child during pregnancy or at the moment of childbirth. ​But because of the rash of microcephaly cases in Brazil, which spiked after the first confirmed case of Zika, this maternal link is "strongly suspected" and being closely studied.

    The most symptoms are mild, and include fever, rash, headache, muscle and joint pain, and conjunctivitis (red eyes). They can last for two to seven days. Most symptoms can be easily treated with rest and plenty of fluids. If symptoms worsen, a doctor should be consulted. There's no vaccine to prevent the Zika virus and no medication to treat it.

    Zika is currently present in 24 countries and territories, 22 of which are in the United States of America. Most of the countries affected by the virus are in Central and South America, according to the U.S.-based Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (CBC).

    "Since the primary transmitter of Zika is the Aedes mosquito, efforts are being made to prevent reproduction by eliminating their breeding grounds. Another way to prevent transmission is to avoid mosquito bites. The use of mosquito repellent, clothing that covers most of the body, mosquito nets at night and screens on windows and doors will all help prevent bites. In Brazil, officials have vowed to soon mobilize some 220,000 troops to help eradicate the Aedes mosquito through door-to-door visits. Those efforts may be doubled again in August 2016, when the country plays host to the Olympic Games.