Worse problems with SARS-CoV-2 variants may be on the way
The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the virus that causes the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), continues to spread globally.
With this spread, new variants and strains have emerged, posing a threat to the recently developed and distributed SARS-CoV-2 vaccines efficacy.
Researchers at the Department of Integrative Biomedical Sciences, University of Cape Town, South Africa, found evidence of a significant change in the selective forces acting on immunologically important SARS-CoV-2 genes, such as N and S. These likely coincided with the emergence of the 501Y lineages.
In the study, published in the pre-print server
How do viruses evolve in bats?
Bats have played a crucial epidemiological role in the evolution of many viruses and house many coronaviruses. Until 2002, coronaviruses had been known to cause mild respiratory ailments in human beings. However, this notion changed in the same year when a bat-borne virus caused the severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) pandemic.
Seventeen countries were severely affected, with the fatality rate for patients above 60 years reaching 50%. This epidemic was followed by the middle east respiratory syndrome (MERS) epidemic in 2012 and, finally, the current pandemic that had spread to 192 countries and territories by the end of 2020.
It is believed that bats were involved in each of these three episodes, although direct evidence regarding bats role in the current pandemic is still lacking.
Britain approves ‘world’s most expensive’ drug costing ₹18 crore
March 09, 2021
Zolgensma is used to cure Spinal Muscular Atrophy The UK’s National Health Service (NHS) has approved the world’s most expensive drug that can prevent a rare genetic disorder, as per media reports.
The drug, called Zolgensma and manufactured by Novartis Gene Therapies, has been approved by Britain. The drug costs ₹18 crore (£1.79 million) per dose, according to the official statement NHS England.
The drug is used to cure Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA). SMA is rare and can be a fatal genetic disease that causes paralysis, muscle weakness and progressive loss of movement.
Researchers from the University of Tsukuba have found that expression of genes on the X chromosome of male fruit fly germ cells is only half that of their female counterparts. Other cells in the male body undergo dosage compensation, meaning that X-linked genes are expressed at higher levels to make up for only having one X chromosome. These intriguing findings help address a controversial question in the field and will be crucial for future research.
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IMAGE: The image depicts myelin (Cyan) and specialised brain stem cells Oligodendrocyte Progenitor Cells (OPCs) in the grey and white matter of the brain. Myelin is an insulation produced by cells. view more
Credit: Dr Andrea Rivera
A new study led by the University of Portsmouth has identified that one of the major factors of age-related brain deterioration is the loss of a substance called myelin.
Myelin acts like the protective and insulating plastic casing around the electrical wires of the brain - called axons. Myelin is essential for superfast communication between nerve cells that lie behind the supercomputer power of the human brain.