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The Evolution of Sex Could Have Provided a Defense Against Cancer Cells 

“We suggest that sexual reproduction evolves to prevent invasion by transmissible selfish neoplastic cheater cells, henceforth referred to as transmissible cancer cells,” Frederic Thomas, an evolutionary biologist at the University of Montpellier and lead author of the study, says in an email. “To our knowledge, this selective scenario for the initial evolution of sex across the tree of life is novel.”

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https://www.nutreance.com/articles/redicalm?utm_medium=google_display&utm_campaign=redicalm_us_content&utm_source=9a83ecb1e2049dd4.anonymous.google&utm_term=depression%20symptoms&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIhb6VvoO94gIV7f7hCh1qNQiqEAEYASAAEgLXXPD_BwE

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Coat of proteins makes viruses more infectious and links them to Alzheimer’s disease

Herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) interact with biological fluids, creating a coat of proteins around the viral surface. This results in the viruses becoming more infectious and can contribute to the formation of amyloid plaques. In animal models, researchers found these viruses can bind to amyloid proteins, which aggregate into plaques that contribute to Alzheimer’s disease. HSV-1 is able to accelerate the transformation of soluble amyloid proteins into amyloid plaques.

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Neuron Anatomy

Dendrites - short, branched extensions that receive impulses from the environment or other neurons toward the cell body

Soma (cell body) - the largest part of a neuron, containing most of the cytoplasm and the nucleus

Axon - the long extension that carries an impulse away from the cell body

Myelin sheath - insulted membrane surrounding most axons separated by small gaps (nodes of Ranvier = ‘nodes’)

Axon terminals - branches at the end of an axon

Nerve - bundle of axons and dendrites from many neurons

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Pioneer in Human Genome Project strives to find cure for ailing son

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The treatment that cured 2 men of HIV may also help with a remarkable array of more than 70 deadly diseases

Bone marrow transplants can be used to treat a wide range of different diseases. BSIP/UIG Via Getty Images

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Connecting neurons in the brain Schmucker’s team turned to the developing fly brain to study which molecular players control synapse formation in specific subcellular compartments. Using a genetic single-cell approach, the researchers could label and manipulate individual neuronal protrusions in the nervous system of the fruit fly, a popular model organism for neuroscientists.

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https://www.mdlinx.com/neurology/top-medical-news/article/2019/04/22/7564852

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Schizophrenia Linked to Genetic Structural Abnormalities in Adolescent Brain

Schizophrenia could be caused by a genetic mutation that causes a structural abnormality in the brain during adolescence. Therefore testing for the gene SLC39A8, and brain scans for schizophrenia could predict whether or not someone will develop it.

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Cancer Cells Transformed into Harmless Fat in Mouse Study

Scientists have turned some cancer cells into fat cells in mice. The image on the left shows cancer cells that glow green because they express a “green fluorescent protein,” and fat cells that are stained red…more Credit: Department of Biomedicine, University of Basel

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Wait, then how is he still alive? I mean how does he even digest his food, I’ve seen him drinking tea. And shouldn’t he be wearing a tube to absorb nutrients? that just makes no sense at-!

…………..

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Not all heroes wear capes.

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Researchers reveal new insights into why sleep is good for our memory

Researchers at the University of York have shed new light on sleep’s vital role in helping us make the most of our memory.

Sleep, they show, helps us to use our memory in the most flexible and adaptable manner possible by strengthening new and old versions of the same memory to similar extents.

The researchers also demonstrate that when a memory is retrieved – when we remember something – it is updated with new information present at the time of remembering. The brain appears not to ‘overwrite’ the old version of the memory, but instead generates and stores multiple (new and old) versions of the same experience.

The results of the research, carried out at York’s Sleep, Language and Memory (SLAM) Laboratory, are presented in the journal Cortex.

Adapt memories

Lead researcher Dr Scott Cairney of York’s Department of Psychology said: “Previous studies have shown sleep’s importance for memory. Our research takes this a step further by demonstrating that sleep strengthens both old and new versions of an experience, helping us to use our memories adaptively.

“In this way, sleep is allowing us to use our memory in the most efficient way possible, enabling us to update our knowledge of the world and to adapt our memories for future experiences.”

In the study, two groups of subjects learned the location of words on a computer screen. In a test phase, participants were presented with each of the words in the centre of the screen and had to indicate where they thought they belonged.

One group then slept for 90 minutes while a second group remained awake before each group repeated the test. In both groups, the location recalled at the second test was closer to that recalled at the first test than to the originally-learned location, indicating that memory updating had taken place and new memory traces had been formed.  

Protective effect

However, when comparing the sleep and wake groups directly, the locations recalled by the sleep group were closer in distance to both the updated location (i.e. previously retrieved) and the original location, suggesting that sleep had strengthened both the new and old version of the memory.

Corresponding author Professor Gareth Gaskell of York’s Department of Psychology said: “Our study reveals that sleep has a protective effect on memory and facilitates the adaptive updating of memories.

“For the sleep group, we found that sleep strengthened both their memory of the original location as well as the new location. In this way, we were able to demonstrate that sleep benefits all the multiple representations of the same experience in our brain.”

Distortion

The researchers point out that although this process helps us by allowing our memories to adapt to changes in the world around us, it can also hinder us by incorporating incorrect information into our memory stores. Over time, our memory will draw on both accurate and inaccurate versions of the same experience, causing distortions in how we remember previous events.