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Human Behavior

Anthropomorphized Animals Fail to Teach Altruism – Pacific Standard

Care Bears.

(Image: ABC)

In this time of increased hate and intolerance, many parents are no doubt eager to teach their children to become generous, caring human beings. So they share with them stories about altruistic behavior, usually featuring talking animals or other fantastic creatures.

Newly published research reports such tales, however adorable, are surprisingly ineffective.

"Contrary to the common belief, realistic stories, not anthropomorphic ones, are better for promoting young children's pro-social behavior," reports a research team led by Patricia Ganea of the University of Toronto.

She notes that, in this first-of-its-kind study, four to six-year-olds "were more likely to act on the moral of a story when it featured human behavior."

Turns out those tykes are more literal than we realized.

The study, published in the journal Developmental Science, featured 96 children, who began by "choosing 10 stickers to take home for agreeing to participate." They were also told that another child of their own gender was not chosen and thus would not get any stickers. If they wished, they could share some of theirs by placing them in an envelope.

They were then randomly assigned to read one of three books. One-third read Little Raccoon Learns to Share by Mary Packard, which uses anthropomorphic animals to express the idea that "sharing makes you feel good." Another third read an identical story, except the illustrations of the animal characters were replaced with images of humans. The final third read a book about seeds that did not address the concept of sharing.

After answering questions about their view of the characters, they chose another 10 stickers as a thank-you gift, and were again given the opportunity to donate one or more to another child.

"After hearing the story containing real human characters, young children became more generous," the researchers report. "In contrast, after hearing the same story but with anthropomorphized animals, children became more selfish."

The researchersNicole Larsen, Kang Lee, and Ganeaare quick to note that generosity also declined in the group that read about seeds. In both cases, this seems to reflect a reluctance to give a second time. The animal-centric story didn't induce selfishness, but it didn't block it either.

Further analysis revealed that "children who could relate these characters to humans and human behaviors were able to act according to the moral of the story." But perhaps surprisingly, "children overall attributed animal characteristics to anthropomorphized characters far more often than they attributed human characteristics to the same characters."

So the fanciful creatures caught their attention, but they didn't truly relate to them, and thus didn't emulate their behavior. That may change if parents who read the story to or with the child point out the parallels; future research will explore that possibility.

For now, however, these results have a clear moral: "For children at a very young age, fantastical stories may not be as effective for teaching real-world knowledge, or real-life social behaviors, as realistic ones."

They're cute and all, but it's unlikely the Care Bearscreate much caring.

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Anthropomorphized Animals Fail to Teach Altruism - Pacific Standard

Biochemistry

Chemistry, biochemistry instructors to provide no-cost course materials – Daily Bruin

Students taking classes from the chemistry and biochemistry department may start paying less for course materials.

Starting fall, the department will require instructors to provide students with no-cost alternatives to course materials and are required to state in their syllabuses whether they profit off the sale of any written course material.

No-cost alternatives include online copies or hard copy library reserves of written course materials. Professors must explain how to access those alternatives in their syllabuses.

Catherine Clarke, chair of the department of chemistry and biochemistry, said an email that Chancellor Gene Block forwarded her from a students mother first brought the problem of textbook prices to her attention. In the email, the mother said she was upset over the high cost of a course reader in an introductory chemistry class.

It came to my attention that this was a really inappropriately priced material and the mom felt very outraged that her son was required to buy this, Clarke said.

She said she met with the department about the issue of textbook costs and the faculty decided to create a committee to approve written materials that impose a cost on students.

All instructors that use course materials that impose a cost upon our students must submit these materials so that they can be reviewed and approved by the committee, Clarke said. (The committee) will only approve items that provide value in proportion to cost.

Clarke added because this policy is still new and fall quarter has not started yet, the department will do its best to ensure compliance.

We do have a pretty good idea of the kinds of written materials that instructors have used in the past, Clarke said. Were particularly aware of which instructors have used these sorts of materials in the past and will follow up with them.

Clarke added she hopes every department will implement this policy.

Divya Sharma, the Academic Affairs commissioner of the undergraduate student government, said he thinks it is problematic if professors try to profit off students since the university already pays them. He added he thinks providing downloadable copies of textbook materials is better than asking students to use library reserves.

I know having reserves in a library does become an issue if students are all trying to access (the same book) at a time, Sharma said. I hope (this is implemented) in conjunction instead of one or the other.

Sharma added his office is working to make sure other departments implement similar policies. For example, Sharma said humanities professors often make reading materials accessible online, even though their departments do not have official policies on controlling textbook prices. His office will lobby to make this policy explicitly official.

Dawn Setzer, a UCLA Library spokesperson, said in a statement the library supports the policy and will work with instructors to align the UCLA Librarys collections with professors instructional needs.

We are fully supportive of the policy and provided the department with information we had gathered through our course materials initiative, our course reserves service, and ongoing partnership with the UCLA Store on course packs, she said.

Kahlo Baniadam, a third-year psychobiology student, said he thinks the policies will benefit students who are sometimes expected to pay hundreds of dollars in textbooks for chemistry-related classes.

Since the authors (of the textbooks) are definitely making money, the biggest thing for me is that there will be a free option, Baniadam said. (Having free alternatives) is the main thing that will solve all the problems, if the policy is enforceable.

Baniadam said in some classes, textbooks and course readers were strongly recommended and necessary for practice problems. He added students often had to buy the course readers brand-new because of frequent changes to the material, which he said he thinks caused financial burden to some.

Baniadam added he thinks professors should post lecture notes online instead of requiring students to buy them as textbooks or course readers.

Janet Song, a third-year biochemistry student, said she thinks the new policies increase transparency between students and faculty.

Textbooks are expensive, Song said. My financial situation wasnt too bad, but I could see how it could be difficult for other people.

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Chemistry, biochemistry instructors to provide no-cost course materials - Daily Bruin

Biochemistry

GEM awards $150000 in third round of funding for microbiome and genomic research – University at Buffalo Reporter

Research News

Understanding the connection microorganisms have with our bodies may enable the development of precision medicine and empower individuals to have greater control over their health.

By MARCENE ROBINSON

Published August 21, 2017

Four studies focused on improving our understanding of the humangenome and microbiome were awarded funding through the third roundof research pilots supported by UBs Community of Excellencein Genome, Environment and Microbiome (GEM).

The projects, which total $150,000, will study how therelationship between the human body and the collection ofmicroorganisms that reside on or within it affect our risk forcertain diseases.

Understanding the connection these microorganisms have with ourbodies may enable the development of precision medicine and empowerindividuals to have greater control over their health.

The pilot grants award researchers from a variety of disciplinesup to $50,000 to develop innovative projects focused on themicrobiome. The funds support up to one year of research.

The awards are provided through GEM, an interdisciplinarycommunity of UB faculty and staff dedicated to advancing researchon the genome and microbiome. GEM is one of UBs threeCommunities of Excellence, a $9 million initiative to harness thestrengths of faculty and staff from fields across the university toconfront the challenges facing humankind through research,education and engagement.

Changes in the genome our own or those of themicrobes in, on or around us have a tremendous impact onhuman health and our environment, says Jennifer Surtees, GEMco-director and associate professor in the Department ofBiochemistry in the Jacobs School of Medicine and BiomedicalSciences.

With these newest projects, UB scientists from acrossdisciplines have come together to dig deeper into these changes andto help establish the infrastructure necessary for advancedprecision medicine.

Along with Surtees, GEM is led by Timothy Murphy, executivedirector and SUNY Distinguished Professor in the Department ofMedicine; and Norma Nowak, co-director, professor in the Departmentof Biochemistry, and executive director of UBs New YorkState Center of Excellence in Bioinformatics and Life Sciences.

The funded projects involve faculty teams from the Jacobs Schoolof Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, the School of Public Healthand Health Professions, and the School of Dental Medicine.

Vulnerability to seizures

Inflammation in the central nervous system can increasesusceptibility to seizures.

Given the role the intestinal microbiome plays in shapinginflammation in the body, UB researchers believe the tiny organismsmay have an impact on the onset, strength and duration ofseizures.

The study, led by Ira J. Blader, professor in the Department ofMicrobiology and Immunology, and Alexis Thompson, senior researchscientist in UBs Research Institute on Addictions, willexamine in mice the composition of the microbiome and which of itscomponents affect seizures.

If correct, this may suggest the gut microbiome as a therapeutictarget for the treatment of seizures and epilepsy.

Genomic research with Spit For Buffalo

To better understand how the human genome and microbiomeinteract to influence health, UB researchers will establish SpitFor Buffalo, a project that will collect DNA samples from volunteerUBMD patients for use in future studies.

The researchers will collect saliva samples, anonymously linkthe samples to each patients electronic medical record, andsequence the genome and oral microbiome. By determining which genesare associated with which diseases, new connections betweenspecific genes and diseases will be made.

Samples currently are being collected from patients in the UBMDNeurology, Internal Medicine and OBGYN clinics in the ConventusCenter for Collaborative Medicine.

The project will provide an infrastructure resource for genomeand microbiome investigations at UB.

The research is led by Richard M. Gronostajski, professor in theDepartment of Biochemistry and director of both the WNY Stem CellCulture and Analysis Center and the Genetics, Genomics andBioinformatics Graduate Program; Gil I. Wolfe, professor and Irvinand Rosemary Smith Chair of the Department of Neurology; MichaelBuck, associate professor in the Department of Biochemistry anddirector of the WNY Stem Cell Sequencing/Epigenomics Center; andNowak.

How RNA provides parasite with shape-shifting abilities

The parasite Trypanosoma brucei, the cause of HumanAfrican Trypanosomiasis commonly known as sleeping sickness radically alters its physiology and morphology as it movesbetween insect and mammal over the course of its life cycle.

These changes, researchers have found, are caused by various RNAbinding proteins, allowing the organism to survive in environmentsthat range from the human bloodstream to the insect gut. UBresearchers will examine how these proteins regulate theparasites transformations.

The study is led by Laurie K. Read, professor in the Departmentof Microbiology and Immunology; and Jie Wang, research assistantprofessor in the Department of Biochemistry.

Effects of oral and gut bacteria on heart health

UB researchers will investigate the connection between oral andgut bacteria and the onset and progression of atheroscleroticcardiovascular disease (CVD), or the buildup of plaque around theartery walls that eventually blocks blood flow.

The study will seek to understand how the microbes in the bodycontribute to plaque formation in the arteries, providing the basisfor interventions that reduce the effects of the microorganisms onCVD.

Previous studies have found microbes present in arterialplaques, but have not provided conclusive links to the parts of thebody where the microbes originate. Researchers will usenext-generation sequencing and advanced bioinformatics analysismethods to identify and characterize microorganisms in the arterywalls and compare the bacteria with those present in oral, gut andskin microbiomes.

Environmental factors such as smoking, blood cholesterol andperiodontal disease status also will be examined as potentialfactors that influence the bacteria-CVD relationship.

The research is led by Robert J. Genco, SUNY DistinguishedProfessor in the departments of Oral Biology and Microbiology andImmunology, and director of the UB Microbiome Center; and MichaelJ. LaMonte, research associate professor in the Department ofEpidemiology and Environmental Health.

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GEM awards $150000 in third round of funding for microbiome and genomic research - University at Buffalo Reporter

Biochemistry

Out through the window – Penn State News

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. High-resolution crystal structure reveals a new pathway for RNA during a nontraditional form of transcription the process by which RNA is produced from a DNA template. Caught during the act of reiterative transcription, a form of transcription in which a single base of DNA (represented by the letters A, T, C, and G) codes for several corresponding bases in the RNA (one G in DNA leads to several Gs in the RNA, for example), the new crystal structure reveals RNA exiting the polymerase enzyme through an alternative channel to enable this unconventional mode of transcription. A paper describing the findings by a team of researchers at Penn State and the University of Alabama at Birmingham appears in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

In the classical view of X-ray crystallography, you would think that the enzyme RNA polymerase would be inactivated and we couldnt capture a biochemical process in action in a crystallized state, said Katsuhiko S. Murakami, professor of biochemistry and molecular biology at Penn State and an author of the paper. But in some systems, including ours, the RNA polymerase is still alive, so we can monitor the structures while they are in the process of making RNA.

Reiterative transcription was discovered by Penn State alumnus and Nobel Laureate in chemistry Paul Berg, the Robert W. and Vivian K. Cahill Professor of Cancer Research, Emeritus, at Stanford University, in the early 1960s. Although it could appear to be a simple error in accurately transcribing the DNA sequence into RNA reiterative transcription occurs when the strand of RNA slips relative to the strand of DNA inside the polymerase enzyme it has function in the cell. Reiterative transcription plays a key role in controlling gene expression for many genes, but despite this important role, its mechanism has remained a black box.

Our work expands our understanding of the flexibility of the molecular mechanisms involved in RNA transcription, said Vadim Molodtsov, a research associate at Penn State and an author of the paper. By capturing the crystal structure of RNA polymerase during reiterative transcription we were able to identify a new pathway used by RNA to exit the enzyme. Instead of leaving through the door, it sneaks out the window.

In addition to Murakami and Molodtsov, the research team includes Yeonoh Shin, a graduate student in the Penn State Biochemistry, Microbiology, and Molecular Biology Program, and Charles Turnbough Jr., emeritus professor of microbiology at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. The research was funded by the U.S. National Institute of General Medical Science.

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Out through the window - Penn State News

Biochemistry

MSU biochemist named NASA Early Career Fellow for research on ‘magnetic’ bacteria – Montana State University

August 21, 2017 -- By Evelyn Boswell for MSU News Service

BOZEMAN -- A group of salt-loving bacteria with magnetic powers happens to be the perfect organism for trying to understand the development of complex life, says a Montana State University biochemist who was recently named a NASA Early Career Fellow.

Since NASA and the astrobiology community have made it a priority to understand the origin, evolution and organization of multicellular organisms, he will use his fellowship to study this unique bacteria, said Roland Hatzenpichler, assistant professor in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry in MSUs College of Letters and Science.

"One of the biggest problems in evolutionary biology is how the transition from comparatively simple forms of life to something as complex as us occurs," Hatzenpichler said. "It's not really understood how that transition to organized, complex life happens. The only thing clear is that it happened very often in evolution."

These unusual bacteria, called multicellular magnetotactic bacteria, or MMB, live in the sediments below certain salt marshes and tidal pools on both coasts of the United States. The bacteria contain tiny magnetic crystals that allow the cell clumps to orient themselves in Earth's magnetic field. This leads the bacteria -- moving about as fast as a cheetah -- down into the sediments where they find nutrients needed for their survival. Beyond that, MMB are the only known bacteria that live an obligate multicellular lifestyle, which makes it ideal for his research, Hatzenpichler said.

Hatzenpichler will study MMB from three different locations in California and Massachusetts. His main study site is the Little Sippewissett salt marsh on Cape Cod, Massachusetts.

"The fellowship award speaks to the promise of Roland's scientific contributions," said Matthew Fields, director of MSU's Center for Biofilm Engineering and one of Hatzenpichler's collaborators. "In addition, my lab has worked with Roland in applying some of the techniques he developed to our environments of interest and I look forward to many fruitful collaborations with Roland in the Center for Biofilm Engineering."

Hatzenpichler said scientists have long tried to find organisms that were in the process of transitioning from single cells to multicellular organisms. They knew such transitions occurred. They had seen evidence in 25 separate lineages of life.

"We observe this over and over and over in life on our planet, but we don't understand the underlying mechanisms, Hatzenpichler said.

Past studies on the transition from single cells to multicellular entities mostly focused on algae and simple animals, Hatzenpichler said. Scientists did look at multicellular forms of bacteria, but they realized MMB were different because they don't have a stage where it exists as a single cell. Instead, it starts out as a clump of 10 to 60 cells arranged in symmetry around a central hollow compartment. When the clumps divide, they form two seemingly identical groups of cells. The number of cells around that central compartment stays the same.

"These characteristics render MMB the only identified bacteria with an obligate multicellular lifestyle and make them a prime subject for the study of the early evolution of advanced life, most importantly the origins of and environmental factors driving multicellularity, as well as the cellular organization of complex life," Hatzenpichler said.

He said he plans to study the biology of MMB with cutting-edge molecular biological and microbiological approaches. Among other things, he wants to understand how the cells communicate and stick together. He also wants to learn more about their metabolism and whether they collaborate with each other, similar to how different organs work together to keep an animal alive.

"Roland's work focuses on novel and unique microorganisms that live in different environments, but are difficult to grow in the laboratory," Fields said. "Because they are difficult to grow in the lab, we know very little about their metabolism -- including how they process carbon and other nutrients -- even though they can be abundant.

"Roland's work not only targets these organisms that play important roles in the planet's geochemical cycles, but also pioneers the techniques to bring them from their respective environments to the lab," Fields said.

Hatzenpichler is a native of Austria and was the first in his family to attend college. After earning his masters degree, he received a pre-doctoral fellowship from the Austrian Academy of Sciences. He earned his doctorate in microbial ecology at the University of Vienna in 2011. The same year, the Austrian Science Fund named him an Erwin Schroedinger Postdoctoral Fellow and the California Institute of Technology awarded him an O.K. Earl Postdoctoral Fellowship in geobiology.

Hatzenpichler moved to the United States in 2011 to conduct postdoctoral research at the California Institute of Technology. Three years later, he received a postdoctoral fellowship from the National Science Foundations Center for Dark Energy Biosphere Investigation. Dark energy in this case refers to life that doesn't need light. Hatzenpichler moved to MSU last summer and set up his laboratory in January 2017.

Before coming to MSU, Hatzenpichler met Fields and Kristen Brileya, technical operations manager for the CBE, when they visited the Department of Microbial Ecology at the University of Vienna where he was conducting his doctoral research and now, they work together, he said.

He said he was drawn to MSU by the opportunity to conduct research in Yellowstone National Park.

"MSU is pretty much the perfect place to do environmental microbial research," he added.

Mary Cloninger, head of MSU's Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, said Hatzenpichler is a "fantastic addition" to the university and the department.

"We are delighted that his creative approach to complex research problems is already being recognized by the scientific community," Cloninger said. "His research involving systems that are relatively unstudied and are often difficult to grow in the laboratory opens up an exciting new area of biochemistry within the department."

In addition to the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry and the CBE, Hatzenpichler is affiliated with MSU's Thermal Biology Institute.

To learn more about Hatzenpichlers research, visit the Hatzenpichler Environmental Microbiology Lab at http://www.environmental-microbiology.com/.

Contact Roland Hatzenpichler, roland.hatzenpichler@montana.edu or 406-994-5469

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MSU biochemist named NASA Early Career Fellow for research on 'magnetic' bacteria - Montana State University

Embryology

Scottish man has twins through IVF using 27-year-old sperm – The i … – iNews

A Scottish man has earned a world record after becoming the father of twins through IVF using sperm that he froze almost 27 years ago.

The man, who lives in Glasgow but has requested anonymity, was diagnosed with cancer at the age of 21 and was advised to freeze his sperm in case the chemotherapy he needed left him infertile.

When we finally saw on a scan we were having twins I was in shock

World record holder

After surviving cancer, his sperm remained frozen for 26 years and 243 days until he and his partner decided to use it to have children through IVF in 2010.

His partner became pregnant with twins at the age of 37 and the boy and girl were born the following year, landing him a Guinness World Record for the oldest sperm ever successfully used in IVF.

Although he has known about the record for years, the man did not have it verified because he did not want to be named in public. However, he has now had it accepted on the basis of anonymity.

Read more: Male fertility alert after sperm count dives by more than half

The man said he hoped his record would show other cancer patients that they can still have children years after finishing their treatment.

People going through chemotherapy should keep hope, he added. When we finally saw on a scan we were having twins I was in shock.

I kept looking for a third heartbeat, thinking we might even be having triplets.

The mans sperm was stored at an NHS lab in Edinburgh before his chemotherapy, before being transferred to the private GCRM fertility clinic in Glasgow for use in the couples IVF.

The clinics medical director Dr Marco Gaudoin said the mans case showed that sperm could theoretically be stored indefinitely and still be used to father children.

According to the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority regulator, the standard storage period for sperm is normally ten years. In some circumstances it can be kept for up to 55 years.

Women are also able to freeze their eggs while they are young for use in later IVF treatment, while couples hoping to conceive are also able to freeze fertilised embryos before they are implanted in the womb.

Last week it emerged that two men are set to become the first same-sex couple in Scotland to have twins through IVF, after using a donor egg and a surrogate mother.

Ryan Walker and Chris Watson, from Falkirk, are expecting a boy and a girl in the next few weeks. The pregnancy came against the odds.

Like the man from Glasgow, Mr Walker had to have his sperm frozen after being diagnosed with cancer five years ago.

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Scottish man has twins through IVF using 27-year-old sperm - The i ... - iNews

Anatomy

Grey’s Anatomy Season 13’s Gag Reel Is Here to Help You Start … – E! Online

The struggle is real, Grey's Anatomy fans.

We've still got over a month before we can check back in with the good doctors of Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital to see how they're recovering after last season's (literally) explosive finale.Our impatience over waiting for the two-hour season 14 premiere may be growing stronger, but we've got a new way to distract ourselves from our Grey's hunger pangs: The season 13 gag reel.

Exclusive to E! News, and available as a bonus feature on the season 13 DVD set (in stores August 29), this year's reel has all of your faves cutting loose and cracking up. There's Ellen Pompeo continually referring to Dr. Webber as the "Director of Admissions" despite knowing full-well that's not his title, and Justin Chambers stumbling over the usually easily pronounceable phrase "surgical consult." Not to be outdone, Jesse Williams begins saying lines that aren't even his, while an extra full-on breaks a table in one scene.

"We still doing the TV show?" Chandra Wilson asks hysterically.

When the show returns for season 14, some of the laughter from the gag reel just might be making its way into the final cut, Jessica Capshaw recently admitted to E! News. When asked how the hospital was handling the events of the finale, she had this to offer:"I think it's in a recovery and I think it's not only in a recovery, but it's in sort of like a moment where you find your placeand you gain a little traction and then you move positively and forward-ly on. We did a table read for both the firstand second episodes, and they are righteously hysterical. They're so much fun and very sort of going back to firstand second season Grey's. It's very funny. It's very irreverent and funny and sort of on its side. I think it'swhat you remember and love about the beginning of the original group."

Whose flub has you cracking up the most? Sound off in the comments below!

Grey's Anatomy: The Complete 13th Season hits shelveson Tuesday, Aug. 29, while Season 14 premieres Thursday, Sept. 28 at 8 p.m. on ABC.

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Grey's Anatomy Season 13's Gag Reel Is Here to Help You Start ... - E! Online

Human Behavior

SPINELESS WONDERS: Happy itching when chiggers feast on human flesh – pharostribune.com

Dear Dr. Tim,

Every time I go out to pick raspberries I come home with chiggers. They itch like the blazes and especially so in very sensitive places. What are chiggers and why am I plagued by them?

Thanks, Itchy

Dear Itchy,

Americans should not have to tolerate rude behavior, especially from something as small as a chigger! And yet, that is just what we are exposed to every summer from May through September throughout the country. Chiggers are adolescent mites, so tiny that they are seldom seen. Several can actually fit on the period at the end of this sentence.

Most self-respecting mites feed on plants. It is only the teenage mites that bite people. Apparently, once they mature to adulthood, they grow out of their immature and obnoxious behavior of biting people, and live the rest of their lives feeding peacefully on plants.

Gangs of juvenile chiggers all have the following M.O. (modus operandi). They hang out on the tips of tall grasses, shrubs and weeds and wait to drop off onto any larger animal that happens to brush by. Usually these animals are birds, amphibians or small mammals but the mites are just as happy with the odd human that passes by. When chigger mites fall onto shoes or pant legs, they begin climbing in search of tender, moist skin to bite. They seem to concentrate in areas where clothing fits tightly against the body, such as around the ankles, groin, waist or armpits. This is exactly the rude behavior that I am talking about. A bite on an arm or back of the neck can be scratched in public. But public scratching of the groin, armpits or under the bra strap is an entirely different matter. It is socially unacceptable, politically incorrect and may even be illegal in some countries.

But, scratch you must. Once chiggers bite, there is no alternative. Chiggers do not burrow into the skin but rather pierce skin cells with their mouthparts and inject their special chigger saliva. This saliva contains enzymes that break down cell walls and causes the skin cells to liquefy. Meanwhile, human immune systems quickly react to this foreign enzyme resulting in, not only infuriatingly and intense itching, but also in the formation of a hard, red wall at the location of the bite. Chiggers capitalize on this body reaction by using the round wall, called a stylostome, as a straw to suck up their meals of dissolved body tissues, and then they promptly drop off. They are gone. They seem to never think twice about the trouble they have caused others. Meanwhile, the itching intensifies over the next 20 to 30 hours even though the mite is no longer present. Depending on the persons individual sensitivity and body reaction, itching may continue for days or even weeks.

So, what can be done? And probably most important, how does one stop chigger bites from itching?

Well, aside from amputation, physicians can sometimes prescribe an antiseptic/hydrocortisone ointment. This may help ease the itch and reduce chances of secondary infections caused by the itching and scratching, but it is not a perfect answer.

The best solution is prevention. Avoid getting into chiggers in the first place. Stay away from tall grasses and shrubs where chiggers are known to live. Chiggers love to live in brambles, as most people who pick black raspberries know or quickly learn. They also inhabit taller grasses close to the ponds and streams where bank fishermen stand. (Both raspberry pickers and fishermen can easily be spotted due to their obsessive scratching).

If you must go in those areas, tuck your pant legs into your socks and apply insect repellant containing DEET to the shoe and ankle area. This will stop many of the mites from gaining access to the skin and beginning their climb to areas where clothing fits tightly. (Theoretically, avoiding tight-fitting clothes or even going naked might help. If nothing else, it will certainly confuse the little biters not to mention friends and neighbors.)

I have found that if you know or suspect that you have been in chigger-infested habitats, take a hot, soapy shower as soon as possible. The mites are so small that it may take them several hours to crawl from shoes to where they want to bite, so you have plenty of time to wash them away. This is an effective prevention. Change your clothes and put the clothes you were wearing into the washer and dryer.

These methods are for the prevention of bites, but since you have already been bitten, happy itching.

Tim Gibb is a professor of entomology at Purdue University. He can be reached at gibb@purdue.edu

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SPINELESS WONDERS: Happy itching when chiggers feast on human flesh - pharostribune.com

Cell Biology

More Droplets of Tau – Alzforum

18 Aug 2017

When it rains, sometimes it pours. In the second paper describing taus ability to undergo liquid-liquid phase separation in the past month, researchers led by Markus Zweckstetter of the German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases in Gttingen report that phosphorylation of tau dramatically enhances droplet formation, and that taus repeat domains play a key role in the process. In their August 17 paper in Nature Communications, the researchers made the case that droplets are an essential precursor in the formation of toxic tau tangles, though experiments were all conducted in cell-freeconditions.

Tau is one of many proteins involved in neurodegenerative disease that have been spotted mingling in liquid droplets (Oct 2015 webinar, Oct 2016 news). Inside the cell, the process of liquid-liquid phase separation (LLPS) leads to membrane-less organelles, including stress granules and the nucleolus. Interactions between proteinsespecially those donning low complexity domainsand nucleic acids trigger the process, and researchers have proposed the close quarters in the droplets could breed toxic aggregates, or derail essential cellular functions (May 2016 news). A recent study led by Kenneth Kosik and Songi Han of the University of California, Santa Barbara reported that tau coalesced into liquid droplets in a dish, and that interactions between positively charged tau and negatively charged RNA made the magic happen (Jul 2017 news). Researchers led by Anthony Hyman of Germanys Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics, Dresden, along with Bradley Hyman and Suzanne Wegmann of Massachusetts General Hospital in Charlestown, have also reported that tau forms droplets in vitro and in neurons (May 2017 news).

Fluorescently labeled tau (green) forms droplets at body temperature (bottom), but not at 5C (top). [Image courtesy of Ambadipudi et al., Nature Communications,2017]

In the current study, first author Susmitha Ambadipudi and colleagues investigated if, and under what conditions, tau undergoes LLPS, and how that relates to its propensity to aggregate into fibrils. They started by analyzing various regions of the tau protein with catGranule, a program that predicts propensity of a given protein region to undergo phase separation. While much of taus N-terminus scored low, its repeat domains scored high. The researchers therefore conducted most of their experiments using the K18 fragment of tau, which contains only the four repeatdomains.

They reported that under reducing conditions similar to those inside a cell, K18 formed a turbid solution. Bright field and confocal microscopy revealed K18 formed droplets under Goldilocks conditionsnot too cold (5C), not too hot (above 65C), but just right (37C). Under these conditions, K18 did not appear to form outright fibrils, although CD and NMR spectroscopy suggested the protein started exhibiting signs of b-sheet structure and that droplet-resident tau proteins formed tight molecular interactions, akin to amesh.

Could this mesh facilitate fibril formation under certain conditions? To get closer to answering this question, the researchers toggled multiple parameters, including temperature and pH, and added the polyanion heparin into the mix. They found that heparin triggered fibril formation most efficiently and under the very same conditions that facilitate LLPS, suggesting the two processes are linked. Polyanions have long been used to promote formation of tau fibrils (Goedert et al., 1996).

In the cell, tau occurs in six isoforms due to alterative splicing, and can be further processed by proteolytic fragmentation and a variety of post-translation modifications. How might these permutations affect LLPS? They found that droplet formation correlated with the number of repeats, and did not occur at all in an N-terminal fragment that lacked repeats. They also found that phosphorylation of repeat domains by the MARK2 kinase promoted LLPS. Notably, phosphorylated tau underwent LLPS at just 2 mM, a concentration similar to that inside of neurons. Interestingly, another recent study found that phosphorylation had the opposite effect on phase separation of the FUS protein, which plays a role in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (Aug 2017 news).

In this proposed model of tangle formation, phosphorylation of tau promotes the formation of liquid droplets, which crowds tau, recruits polyanions, and triggers aggregation. [Courtesy of Ambadipudi et al., Nature Communications,2017]

The in vitro findings mesh with Kosik and Hans recent study, which found that tau formed droplets in the presence of RNA. Though Zweckstetter used heparin as a polyanion instead of RNA, both studies point to the importance of electrostatic interactions between tau and negatively charged molecules in promoting LLPS and aggregation. As a post-translational modification bearing a negative charge, phosphorylation may play a similar role, Zweckstetter pointed out. Zweckstetter added that phase separation of full-length, unphosphorylated tau did not occur in their hands. Mostly likely phosphorylation or interactions with RNA would be needed to facilitate that, he toldAlzforum.

The latter finding contradicts the findings of Wegmann and colleagues who did detect phase separation of full-length tau, and even of N-terminal tau completely devoid of repeat domains, she told Alzforum (May 2017 conference news). Wegmann was fascinated by this difference, adding that it underscores the complex process of phase separation, pointing to varying contributions of different regions of the tau protein in the process. For her part, Wegmann is working on pinning down the presence of liquid droplets of tau in cultured neurons, and in AD braintissue.

In a joint commentary to Alzforum, Kosik and Han agreed that understanding the physiological significance of these droplets was crucial: The in vitro studies lay the groundwork for the next big step: how might these phenomena operate in vivo where life is not only many-fold more complicated but rife with emergent properties.JessicaShugart

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More Droplets of Tau - Alzforum

Cell Biology

Can Stem Cells Finally Solve Hair Loss? – Wall Street Pit

56 million men and women in the US experience varying degrees of hair loss or baldness. Despite available medications and procedures, scientists are still striving to put an end to balding and the frustrations associated with it. Researchers from UCLAs Eli and Edythe Broad Center of Regenerative Medicine and Stem Cell Research offered a new angle to solving hair loss problems: altering metabolic pathways of hair follicle stem cells. The study was published in Nature Cell Biology.

To understand how hair is lost, we must take a look on its growth cycle which has three components: the growth phase (anagen), a regression phase (catagen) and a resting phase (telogen). All hairs in our body undergo this cycle but the duration for each phase varies depending on the hairs location. For instance, the hair growing from our scalps will have 2-3 years of anagen, 2-3 weeks of catagen and about 3 months of telogen. Hairs from other body parts typically have shorter anagens but longer telogen phases.

Hair follicle stem cells (HFSC) are unspecialized skin cells that live inside hair-producing sacs called hair follicles. HFSCs are quiescent (meaning they are normally dormant) but they quickly activate during an anagen phase. Many factors regulate their quiescence but whenever they fail to activate as required, the rate of hair loss would exceed the rate of new hair growth. We lose an average of 100 scalp hairs daily and unnecessary disruptions in the hairs cycle lead to hair loss, hair thinning and other hair problems.

HFSCs have another important quality: they have a unique metabolic process. They metabolize glucose into a compound called pyruvate. Two things can happen to pyruvate: be sent to the mitochondria (the cells powerplant) to harvest energy or be converted to another compound called lactate.

The teams interest is to limit the entry of pyruvate into the mitochondria and see if this act will increase conversion to lactate, trigger activation of HFSCs and promote hair growth. To achieve that, they genetically altered two groups of mice differently. Subjects in the first group had their capacity for producing lactate erased; the mices HFSCs remained dormant. On the other hand, members of the second group were given the ability for higher-than-normal lactate production; the mice showed signs of activated stem cells and, eventually, they grew more hair! The study proved that there is a direct correlation between lactate production and hair growth.

The team then applied two drugs on mices skins to push the stem cells towards the lactate pathway. First was RCGD423 which increased lactate production and put the stem cells into an active state, thereby promoting hair growth. To do this, the drug utilizes a signaling pathway between the cells exterior and nucleus. Second drug was UK5099 which acts in a different way. It blocks pyruvates entry into the mitochondria thus forcing the stem cells to convert all their pyruvate into lactate, which also promotes hair growth. The provisional patents for these drugs are filed and covered by the UCLA Technical Development Group.

This isnt the first time a stem-cell-based treatment has been made for treating hair loss. While this discovery of stem cells relationship with hair growth (at least in mice) has big potential to be the cure for baldness weve been waiting for, the drugs are yet to be tested on humans.

Hair loss issues aside, one aspect that makes this research groundbreaking is the new information it added in the study of stem cells, particularly the link stem cells have with human metabolism. Aimee Flores, one of the author of the study, stated, The idea of using drugs to stimulate hair growth through hair follicle stem cells is very promising given how many millions of people, both men and women, deal with hair loss. I think weve only just begun to understand the critical role metabolism plays in hair growth and stem cells in general; Im looking forward to the potential application of these new findings for hair loss and beyond.

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Can Stem Cells Finally Solve Hair Loss? - Wall Street Pit