An integrated metabolic model combined with experimental studies using cell lines and mice model helped identify arginine metabolism as a key driver of disease-causing ability of Candida and the ALT1 enzyme as being crucial for the pathogen’s survival and virulence
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Although usually seen as an adult problem, genetic roots of dyslipidemia start in childhood. Studying lipid levels in Indian children is not only important for predicting future cardiac complications but can also provide critical insight into how genetic risks are inherited and further amplified by lifestyle factors common in India
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The newly discovered Himalayan Long-tailed Myotis bat from Uttarakhand is a small, insectivorous bat weighing 6 grams and less than 5 cm long from snout to vent. The tail is nearly as long as the body. Like all insectivorous bats in India, this species is a fluffball with dark brown hair, and its face is bare and salmon pink
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Not only did the electrons in ultrapure graphene flow in a fluid state, they violated the Wiedemann-Franz law. As per the law, when electrical conductivity increases, thermal conductivity should also increase, and when one reduces the other should also reduce. But in ultrapure graphene, electrical and thermal conductivities shared an inverse relationship — as electrical conductivity increased, thermal conductivity decreased and vice versa
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After only five minutes of direct contact between Toxoplasma gondii tachyzoites and sperms, 22.4% of spermatozoa were headless, compared with just 1.6% in controls. By 10 minutes, the proportion of headless sperm became fourfold relative to controls, and by 15 minutes, it had increased eightfold. Many sperm developed twisted, rolled, or shortened tails, impairing their motility
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Globally, Entamoeba histolytica, the parasite behind amoebiasis, causes 55,000-1,00,000 deaths annually — 9,229 deaths in India alone in 2021 — making it the third deadliest parasitic disease after malaria and schistosomiasis. Yet, neither has WHO listed it under Neglected Tropical Diseases nor has any country, including India, launched a national eradication programme against this amoeba
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Despite best efforts, Kerala was not able to further reduce IMR from 12-10. This was due to the persistently high neonatal mortality (death before 28 days of birth) rates. Focused initiatives helped reduce neonatal mortality and thus bring down IMR to seven per 1,000 in 2018, six in 2019, and five in 2023
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Sclerostin plays a crucial role in bone formation but restrains abnormal bone growth in joints, which can worsen osteoarthritis. This paradox inspired the design of two short peptides with opposite functions — one restores bone in osteoporosis, while the other protects cartilage in osteoarthritis
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The Madras High Court’s order to lift the ban on the sale of non-iodised salt was not based on scientific evidence but on a procedural flaw: the expert committee that informed the regulation was deemed not inclusive enough of dissenting voices. The court’s remedy — dismantling a life-saving public health shield to fix a process issue — is a perilous overcorrection
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By reducing the GST rate for bidis from 28% to 18% while increasing the GST rate for other tobacco products to 40%, the new GST rates, labelled as “landmark tax framework” and “next-generation GST reforms”, are a public health disaster
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Two studies provide new insights into one of the most consequential episodes in human history. Genomic evidence links Y. pestis to the plague of Justinian, marking the begining of the First Pandemic (AD 541-750) in the ancient city of Jerash, Jordan. Genomic evidence also shows Y. pestis was circulating in human populations for millennia even before the Justinian outbreak
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A strange statistic emerges in the data on child suicides in India — contrary to what is seen in other age groups, a higher number of girls die by suicide when compared to boys. 55% of all suicides under-18 years age are among girls. The reasons: higher incidence of sexual assault, love failure, unwanted marriage and pregnancies, and limited emotional support from family members
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Stressing that “nothing in this historical record” can “justify” the horrors faced by a civilian population in Gaza, the over 4,400 scientists have in a statement urged the Israeli Government to “act immediately to end this human-made humanitarian crisis”
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