Recent estimates indicate that deadly antibiotic-resistant infections will rapidly escalate over the next quarter century. More than 1 million people died from drug-resistant infections each year from 1990 to 2021, a recent study reported, with new projections surging to nearly 2 million deaths each year by 2050.
In an effort to counteract this public health crisis, scientists are looking for new solutions inside the intricate mechanics of bacterial infection. A study led by researchers at the University of California San Diego has discovered a vulnerability within strains of bacteria that are antibiotic resistant.
Working with labs at Arizona State University and the Universitat Pompeu Fabra (Spain), Professor Gürol Süel and colleagues in UC San Diego’s School of Biological Sciences investigated the antibiotic resistance of the bacterium Bacillus subtilis. Their research was motivated by the question of why mutant variants of bacteria do not proliferate and take over the population once they have developed an antibiotic-resistant advantage. With an upper hand over other bacteria lacking similar antibiotic resistance, such bacteria should become dominant. Yet they are not. Why?
The answer, reported in the journal Science Advances, is that antibiotic resistance comes at a cost. While antibiotic resistance provides some advantages for the bacteria to survive, the team discovered that it’s also linked with a physiological limitation that hinders potential dominance. This fact, the researchers note, potentially could be exploited to stop the spread of antibiotic resistance.
...
Spontaneous mutations of DNA arise in all living cells, including those within bacteria. Some of these mutations lead to antibiotic resistance. Süel and his colleagues focused on physiological mechanisms related to ribosomes, the micro machines within cells that play a key role in synthesizing proteins and translating genetic codes.
All cells rely on charged ions such as magnesium ions to survive. Ribosomes are dependent upon magnesium ions since this metal cation helps stabilize their structure and function. However, atomic-scale modeling during the new research found that mutant ribosome variants that bestow antibiotic resistance excessively compete for magnesium ions with adenosine triphosphate (ATP) molecules, which provide energy to drive living cells. Mathematical models further showed that this results in a ribosome versus ATP tug-of-war over a limited supply of magnesium in the cell.
Studying a ribosome variant within Bacillus subtilis called “L22,” the researchers found that competition for magnesium hinders the growth of L22 more than a normal “wild type” ribosome that is not resistant to antibiotics. Hence the competition levies a physiological toll linked to mutant bacteria with resistance.
“While we often think of antibiotic resistance as a major benefit for bacteria to survive, we found that the ability to cope with magnesium limitation in their environment is more important for bacterial proliferation,” said Süel.
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"It isn't necessary to imagine the world ending in fire or ice.
There are two other possibilities: one is paperwork, and the other is nostalgia."
Frank Zappa
"This is how humanity ends; bickering over the irrelevant."
Clinton Huxley » 21 Jun 2012 » 14:10:36 GMT
The ocean on En Saladis is bigger than Earth's ocean.
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Rationalia relies on voluntary donations. There is no obligation of course, but if you value this place and want to see it continue please consider making a small donation towards the forum's running costs.
Details on how to do that can be found here. .
"It isn't necessary to imagine the world ending in fire or ice.
There are two other possibilities: one is paperwork, and the other is nostalgia."
Frank Zappa
"This is how humanity ends; bickering over the irrelevant."
Clinton Huxley » 21 Jun 2012 » 14:10:36 GMT
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Deforestation has remained a significant issue globally, with primary forests contributing to 16 per cent of the total tree cover loss in the last two decades, driven by climate change and intensive human activity. This threatens natural resources, biodiversity, and people's quality of life. To protect forests, Lithuanian scientists, in collaboration with Swedish experts, have developed Forest 4.0, an intelligent forest data processing model integrating blockchain, Internet of Things (IoT), and Artificial Intelligence (AI) technologies. The system enables real-time monitoring of forest conditions, sustainable resource accounting, and a more transparent forest governance model.
"Imagine buying a table and knowing exactly from which forest and tree it originated. This is exactly the outcome of the proposed forest data management model," says Rytis Maskeliūnas, a professor at Kaunas University of Technology (KTU) who helped develop the system.
Researchers from Kaunas University of Technology, Vytautas Magnus University in Lithuania, and Linnaeus University in Sweden collaborated on its creation.
This system consists of multiple layers, with the first focusing on data acquisition and management. This layer is responsible for gathering information from wireless sensor networks, which include various IoT devices that measure factors such as tree sap, temperature, and soil moisture, all connected by data transmission. "This way, nobody has to go into the forest and take measurements manually," adds a KTU professor...
Rationalia relies on voluntary donations. There is no obligation of course, but if you value this place and want to see it continue please consider making a small donation towards the forum's running costs.
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"It isn't necessary to imagine the world ending in fire or ice.
There are two other possibilities: one is paperwork, and the other is nostalgia."
Frank Zappa
"This is how humanity ends; bickering over the irrelevant."
Clinton Huxley » 21 Jun 2012 » 14:10:36 GMT
6.6 million square miles
Taiga covers 17 million square kilometres (6.6 million square miles) or 11.5% of the Earth's land area, second only to deserts and xeric shrublands. The largest areas are located in Russia and Canada. In Sweden taiga is associated with the Norrland terrain.
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The world's rainforests cover about 10 million square kilometers, or 7% of the Earth's land area. The largest rainforests are in South America and Africa, and include:
Cervical cancer deaths have plunged dramatically among women under age 25, and researchers at MUSC Hollings Cancer Center believe this is likely due to HPV vaccination.
Their study, published in JAMA, is the first to suggest the impact of HPV vaccination on cervical cancer deaths.
"We observed a substantial reduction in mortality -- a 62% drop in cervical cancer deaths over the last decade, likely due to HPV vaccination," said senior author Ashish Deshmukh, Ph.D., co-leader of the Cancer Prevention and Control Research Program at MUSC Hollings Cancer Center. "We cannot think of any other reason that would have contributed to such a marked decline."
The human papillomavirus, or HPV, causes nearly all cases of cervical cancer. The HPV vaccine was introduced in 2006. At first, it was available only to adolescents, but eligibility has since been expanded to include adults up to age 45 in some cases.
Previous studies have looked at the rates of HPV infection, precancer and cervical cancer incidence since the introduction of the vaccine, and all of those indicators have declined. The next logical step was to look at death rates, Deshmukh said.
Although cervical cancer is rare in women under age 25, it does occur. By examining deaths in this age group, researchers were able to see the early impact of the vaccine. Women who were 25 in 2021, the final year included in this study, would have been 10 years old when the vaccine was introduced.
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A nuclear fusion startup just reached a milestone in its bid to commercialize unlimited clean energy
By Laura Paddison, CNN
5 minute read
Updated 6:03 AM EST, Fri November 29, 2024
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