Knowledge Update

New York, Nov 29 (IANS) Your genes and place of birth can have a major effect on the formation of the microbial community in the gut -- which plays an important role in keeping one healthy, a research has showed.

The study proved that gut microbiome plays a leading role in the body's immune response. Thus, controlling the microbes in the gut could influence the immune system and disease vulnerability.

The findings showed the early life environment is very important for the formation of an individual's microbiome. 

The moderate shifts in diet, as we age, also determines exactly what functions the microbes carry out in the gut.

"We are starting to tease out the importance of different variables, like diet, genetics and the environment, on microbes in the gut. It turns out that early life history and genetics both play a role," said Janet Jansson at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) in Washington.

For the study, the scientists analysed more than 50,000 genetic variations in mice and linked specific genes in mouse to the presence and abundance of specific microbes in its gut.

The researchers found that the microbiome retained a clear microbial signature formed where the mice were first raised -- effectively their "hometown". 

The microbial trait -- which plays an important role in fighting infections -- also gets carried over to the next generation, the researchers said.

Further, the gut was also found to have in abundance, a specific probiotic strain of lactobacillales -- a microbe linked with higher levels of important immune cells known as T-helper cells. 

"We found that the level of T-helper cells in the blood of mice is well explained by the level of lactobacillales -- found in yogurt and very often used as a probiotic, in the gut," added Antoine Snijders from Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) in California, US. 

The study was published in the journal Nature Microbiology.

​London, Nov 29 (IANS) If you drink 3-5 cups of coffee a day, new research spells good news for you! A moderate intake of coffee may provide protection against age-related cognitive decline and other neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease, says recent research.

The researchers, from the University of Coimbra (CNC) in Portugal, suggested that regular, long-term coffee drinking may reduce the risk of Alzheimer's disease by up to 27 per cent.

The greatest protection against cognitive decline can be seen at an intake of nearly 3-5 cups of coffee per day, they said.

"Moderate coffee consumption could play a significant role in reducing cognitive decline which would impact health outcomes and healthcare spending," said Professor Rodrigo A. Cunha, at the university.

Caffeine, anti-inflammatory agents as well as antioxidants such as caffeic acid -- a polyphenol (antioxidant) found in coffee -- may be associated with the improved cognitive function, the researchers said.

Intake of up to 400mg of caffeine -- the equivalent of up to 5 cups of coffee per day -- from all sources do not raise any concerns for healthy adults, suggested European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) in its scientific opinion on the safety of caffeine. 

The research was presented at ISIC's symposium held during the European Union Geriatric Medicine Society's 2016 Congress in Lisbon recently. 

​New York, Nov 29 (IANS) Soon after reports surfaced of the next Samsung Galaxy S8 flagship phone having a personal assistant, rumours are now doing rounds that the device will have different names for male and female voice assistants. The device is said to include "Bixby" as the female AI and "Kestra" as the male voice which can be easily accessible with a special button, US-based tech website Android Community reported on Tuesday. Reportedly, a trademark protection has been filed to ensure that no one will be able to use "Bixby" and "Kestra". The new Galaxy S line is expected to be introduced at the Mobile World Congress (MWC) next year. So far, it has been learnt that the Galaxy S8 will have two variants -- Galaxy S8 and S8 Plus -- which will have dual camera system, iris scanner, 5.5-inch 4K display, 8GB RAM, 2K screen or two screen sizes and touch force technology. Rumours about Samsung's own virtual assistant surfaced after the South Korean tech company acquired Viv -- a California-based startup in October. According to Tech Crunch, Viv is an artificial intelligence (AI) and assistant system co-founded by Dag Kittlaus, Adam Cheyer and Chris Brigham who created Siri, which was acquired by Apple in 2010. The Galaxy Note 7 debacle where several complaints of battery explosion were reported worldwide, forced Samsung to recall 2.5 million devices and finally shut down its production. Introduction of an AI assistant is seen as a move to recover from the Galaxy Note 7 fiasco and to give a competition to Apple's Siri, Amazon's Alexa and newly launched Google Assistant.

​New York, Nov 29 (IANS) The rising levels of Apple calendar spamming is frustrating the Cupertino-based tech giant's iPhone or iPad customers by "reminding" them of buying stuff they never asked for, the media reported on Tuesday. Apple's calendar app allows invites to be sent by unauthenticated users and pushed directly to a handset, a report in Forbes said. "You get a bubble alert on the calendar app, text in your inbox you have to read and depending how you have set up your device you might get a 'useful' notification that you have no choice but to read and clear," the report pointed out. The problem that Apple may face with this issue is that the success of this route to potential customers will become a popular route for spammers. According to the report, being able to mark invites as spam, to be able to blacklist addresses and to have some processing done on the server side to stop a flood of invites from a single source may help the customers deal with the issue. "If this can be implemented quickly, then calendar spam would be nothing more than a short-term annoyance," the report said. Until Apple finds a permanent solution to this problem, the tech giant's loyalists could push all spam requests into a separate calendar and then deleting that calendar eventually swiping out all the entries at once. Users may also change iCloud calendar settings from desktop to invite notifications from 'in-app' to 'email' and use email client to filter the spam.

​London, Nov 29 (IANS) Fitch Ratings has lowered India's GDP outlook for the current year to 6.9 per cent from the 7.4 per cent estimated earlier.

According to its Global Economic Outlook (GEO) report, released here on Tuesday, this was due to the cash crunch created in the economy following the demonetisation move.

​London, Nov 29 (IANS) While frequency and duration of online social networking may have a negative effect on mental health outcomes, a new study suggests that for some people, Facebook and Twitter may also serve as a resource for managing depression, thereby contributing to more positive outcomes.

​London, Nov 29 (IANS) IT consulting company Cognizant has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire privately-held Mirabeau BV -- a digital marketing and customer experience agency.

London, Nov 29 (IANS) The go-ahead was given on Monday for what will be the tallest building in City of London here, media reports said.

The 73-storey building, towering to a height of 305 metres, won approval despite a protest from the Royal Palaces because of the impact it will have on the iconic Tower of

Seoul, Nov 29 (IANS) Samsung Electronics Co. on Tuesday confirmed that it was reviewing the "possibility" of creating a holding company structure to improve the company's corporate structure and enhance its transparency.

New York, Nov 29 (IANS) Individuals who suffer problems associated with walking such as reduced speed, imbalance, among others, can be at an significant risk of developing decline in memory and thinking, a study has found. Walking is part of the complex cognitive task known as gait that includes everything from a person's stride length to the accompanying swing of each arm. Previous studies have reported that slower gait speed might predict cognitive impairment and dementing illnesses, supporting the role of gait speed as a possible subclinical marker of cognitive impairment. In the study, researchers from Mayo Clinic in Minnesota, US, used a non-invasive computerised gait analysis test that could identify patients at high risk for cognitive decline and to target appropriate therapies. They measured gait parameters, such as stride length, ambulatory time, gait speed, step count, cadence, stance time, arm swing on each patients. The results showed that alterations in several of the gait parameters were associated with decline in memory, thinking and language skills, and visual perception of the spatial relationship of objects. "The presence of gait disturbances increases with advancing age and affects the independence of daily living, especially in the elderly," said lead author Rodolfo Savica, neurologist at Mayo Clinic. For the study, the researchers analysed 3,426 cognitively normal participants who were between ages 70 to 89. The study was published in the Journal of Alzheimer's Disease.