High blood-sugar makes Alzheimer’s more deadly
Washington: A new study has revealed that high blood-sugar levels, such as those linked with Type 2 diabetes, make beta amyloid protein associated with Alzheimer’s disease dramatically more toxic to cells lining blood vessels in the brain.
The Tulane University study supports growing evidence pointing to glucose levels and vascular damage as contributors to dementia.
“Previously, it was believed that Alzheimer’s disease was due to the accumulation of ‘tangles’ in neurons in the brain from overproduction and reduced removal of beta amyloid protein,” senior investigator Dr. David Busija, regents professor and chair of pharmacology at Tulane University School of Medicine, said.
“While neuronal involvement is a major factor in Alzheimer’s development, recent evidence indicates damaged cerebral blood vessels compromised by high blood sugar play a role. Even though the links among Type 2 diabetes, brain blood vessels and Alzheimer’s progression are unclear, hyperglycemia appears to play a role,” he said.
The study is published in the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease. (ANI)
New smart glasses could help blind navigate
Washington: Scientists are in the process of developing a pair of “smart glasses” that is going to help blind people navigate unfamiliar territory by recognizing objects or translating signs into speech.
Researchers from Oxford University in England are trying to create a set of sophisticated glasses that use camera and software to find objects and display them on the lenses of glasses, Discovery News reported.
The smart glass consists of two small cameras mounted on the corners of the glasses capture two different pictures, just as human eyes do.
The glasses show data from cameras on transparent LED displays on the lenses, so the user can see an enhanced image as well as use their remaining sight.
Comparing the distance between the cameras tell how far the object is from the user.
A set of headphones takes text and is able to translate it into speech to provide directions or read signs aloud.
They are also equipped with a compass, a GPS and a gyroscope. (ANI)
How bacteria can cause diabetes
Washington: The connection between fat, bacteria, and diabetes is inflammation, which is the body’s normal reaction to infection or injury.
However, inflammation is beneficial in small, controlled doses but can be very harmful when it persists and becomes chronic.
Senior author Patrick Schlievert, Ph.D., UI professor and head of microbiology, said that the idea is that when fat cells (adipocytes) interact with environmental agents — in this case, bacterial toxins — they then trigger a chronic inflammatory process.
The researchers used immortalized fat cells to show that bacterial toxins stimulate fat cells to release molecules called cytokines, which promote inflammation.
Co-senior author of the study Al Klingelhutz, Ph.D., UI microbiologist, said that by immortalizing fat cells the UI team created a stockpile of continuously dividing, identical cells that are necessary for repeat experiments to validate results.
The UI team focused on a different bacterium, Staphylococcus aureus (staph), which appears to be important in the context of diabetes for two reasons. First, as people become obese and then progress into diabetes they become very heavily colonized with staph bacteria.
Secondly, staph is the most common microbe isolated from diabetic foot ulcers, one of the most common and health-threatening complications of diabetes.
The study has been published in the journal PLOS ONE. (ANI)
How light helps activate brain among blind
Washington: Light enhances brain activity during a cognitive task even in people who are totally blind, a study has showed.
Researchers at the University of Montreal and Boston’s Brigham and Women’s Hospital’s findings contribute to scientists’ understanding of everyone’s brains, as they also revealed how quickly light impacts on cognition.
Senior co-author Steven Lockley said that they were stunned to discover that the brain still respond significantly to light in these rare three completely blind patients despite having absolutely no conscious vision at all.
He said that light doesn’t just allow us to see, it tells the brain whether it’s night or day which in –turn ensures that our physiology, metabolism and behavior are synchronized with environmental time.
Senior co-author Julie Carrier said that for diurnal species like ours, light stimulates day-like brain activity, improving alertness and mood, and enhancing performance on many cognitive tasks. (ANI)