Knowledge Update | Horizon University UAE – Essential Insights

​New York, Nov 16 (IANS) Researchers at The Rockefeller University in New York said they discovered two promising new antibiotics by sifting through the human microbiome with the help of a software.

​New York, Nov 16 (IANS) Adverse childhood experiences such as abuse or neglect, dysfunctional homes or low socio-economic status may be associated with a risk of poor blood pressure regulation, a study has found.

The study showed that children who experienced such adverse environments in early life were far more likely to have higher blood pressure at night as well as blood pressure variability over 24 hours.

In addition they are also prone to rapid onset of hypertension -- risk factor for cardiovascular disease -- at an earlier age.

"Adverse environments in early life have been consistently associated with the increased risk of hypertension in later life," said lead author Shaoyong Su, Associate Professor at the Augusta University in Georgia, US. 

Blood pressure variability has been linked to a number of problems in adults, including decreased brain function in older adults, as well as increased risk of stroke and poorer post-stroke recovery. Likewise, early-onset hypertension and prehypertension have been linked to adverse preclinical cardiovascular disease, including left ventricular hypertrophy and evidence of increased arterial stiffness.

For the study, the team conducted periodic around-the-clock blood pressure monitoring to capture day and nighttime pressure readings in 373 participants between the ages of seven and 38 during a 23-year period. 

Those who reported childhood adversity were 17 per cent more likely to have blood pressure higher than the clinical definition of hypertension during the daytime.

Most physicians focus on average blood pressure readings, but the new findings suggest that they should also ask younger patients about childhood adversity and watch for high blood pressure variability, Su noted.

The research was presented at the American Heart Association's Scientific Sessions 2016 in Louisana, US.

​London, Nov 16 (IANS) Love to binge on fatty foods such as oily samosas and cheese-laden pizzas? Beware, as a new study warns that such children may be at risk of developing cognitive and psychiatric problems such as schizophrenia or Alzheimer's disease in their adulthood. According to the study, diets rich in fat deplete the levels of a key protein known as reelin which help synapses in the brain to work properly. This hampers behavioural flexibility and memory. Low levels of reelin have been associated with a higher risk of developing Alzheimer's disease in later life. "These changes from a young age onwards are more the result of the fatty foods themselves, and the impact they have on young brains, rather than arising from the mere fact of being obese," said Urs Meyer from ETH Zurich in Switzerland. The authors focused on a prefrontal cortex -- a brain region -- associated with the planning of complex actions and decision making, expressing one's personality and controlling one's social behaviour. Adolescents eating high-fat diets were found to have cognitive deficits due to the immature character of the prefrontal cortex during this time frame. "We saw that plasticity in the prefrontal cortex was impaired in animals fed high-fat foods during adolescence and quite remarkably we then observed that when restoring reelin levels, both synaptic plasticity and cognitive functions went back to normal," explained Pascale Chavis from the INMED Institute in France. A careful nutritional balance during this sensitive period is pivotal for reaching the full capacity of adult prefrontal functions, the researchers said, in the paper published in the journal "Molecular Psychiatry".

​Washington, Nov 16 (IANS) To help learn more about the primitive building blocks of the solar system and answer questions about Earths neighbours like the moon and Mars, three federal entities in the US, including NASA, are reaffirming their commitment to search for Antarctic meteorites.

NASA, the National Science Foundation (NSF) and the Smithsonian Institution (SI) recently renewed their agreement to search for, collect and curate Antarctic meteorites in a partnership known as ANSMET -- the Antarctic Search for Meteorites Program, the US space agency said in a statement on Tuesday.

The signing of this new joint agreement advances the programme for an additional decade, replacing an earlier agreement signed in 1980.

"Antarctic meteorites are posing new questions about the formation and early history of our solar system. Some of these questions are spurring new exploration of the solar system by NASA missions," Smithsonian meteorite scientist Tim McCoy said.

Since the US began searching for meteorites in Antarctica in 1976, the ANSMET programme has collected more than 23,000 specimens, dramatically increasing the number of samples available for study from Earth's moon, Mars and asteroids. 

Among them are the first meteorites discovered to come from the moon and Mars, and the well-known ALH 84001 Martian meteorite, which helped renew interest in Mars exploration in the 1990s.

Meteorites are natural objects that fall to Earth from space and survive intact so they can be collected on the ground, or -- in this case -- on ice. 

Antarctica provides a unique environment for the collection of meteorites, because the cold desert climate preserves meteorites for long periods of time, NASA said. 

Abu Dhabi, Nov 16 (IANS/WAM) The United Arab Emirates and France will cooperate to protect cultural heritage during armed conflicts.

This initiative will be launched by Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, and Francois Hollande, President of France, it was announced at the Safeguarding Endangered Cultural Heritage Conference here.

The conference is being organised in response to the growing threats to some of the world's most important cultural resources arising from sustained periods of armed conflicts, acts of terrorism and illicit trafficking of cultural property.

The systematic destruction or looting of historic sites and monuments representing civilisations that go back millennia, like in Afghanistan, Syria, Iraq, Mali, and throughout the world, are among the cases that have motivated the UAE and France to partner and to support Unesco's global mandate to protect cultural heritage during armed conflicts, according to Abu Dhabi Tourism and Culture Authority.

Beijing, Nov 15 (IANS) China's leading locomotive maker, CRRC Zhuzhou Institute Co Ltd, has made the country's first bulk export of eight-inch chips to India, the company said on Tuesday.

New York, Nov 15 (IANS) Oil prices extended last week's declines on Monday, dragged down by worries about oversupply as Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) saw record crude production last month.

​Toronto, Nov 16 (IANS) Exercise may help improve gait, balance and reduce risks of falls in individuals living with Parkinson's disease, researchers say.

Parkinson's Disease -- a neurodegenerative disease that impacts movement, often including tremors -- affects nearly seven to 10 million persons around the world, according to the Parkinson's Disease Foundation. 

Despite the progressive nature of the disease, people living with Parkinson's disease can expect to improve their physical condition by being more physically active, the researchers said.

"Exercise should be a life-long commitment to avoid physical and cognitive decline, and our research shows that this is also true for individuals with Parkinson's disease," said Christian Duval, Professor at the Universite du Quebec a Montreal in Canada. 

The study found that exercise in Parkinson's disease patients majorly benefitted physical capacities -- strength, flexibility --, physical and cognitive functional capacities -- gait, mobility, cognitive functions.

The physical activity was also effective for limb strength, endurance, flexibility or range of motion, motor control, and metabolic function in patients with Parkinson's disease. 

Exercise showed nearly 67 per cent improvement in upper limb strength, the researchers explained. 

However, physical activity seems less efficient at improving clinical symptoms of Parkinson's disease -- rigidity, tremor, posture alterations -- and psychosocial aspects of life -- quality of life and health management --, with only 50 per cent or less of results reporting positive effects. 

The impact of physical activity on cognitive functions and depression also appeared weaker, the researchers reported the in the paper published in the Journal of Parkinson's Disease. 

New Delhi, Nov 15 (IANS) In a boost to Prime Minister Narendra Modis 'Make in India' initiative, automaker Ford has decided to export to the US its Ecosport SUVs manufactured at its plantsin Chennai.