1. Lyme disease has the potential to emerge in a wider range of habitats than previously thought

2. How conspiracy theorizing may soon get you labelled a ‘Domestic Terrorist’

3. The Delusions of High-Tech Warfare

4. Living in a World Without Stars

5.   COVID Tracking Apps Have Eerie Echoes of Chinese Surveillance System

6. Nearly 46m Americans would be unable to afford quality healthcare in an emergency

7. The Difficulty of Defining the Anthropocene 

8. ‘Outrageous’: 46 Million Americans Say They Would Not Be Able to Afford Healthcare If They Needed It

9.   We sampled tap water across the US – and found arsenic, lead and toxic chemicals

10. Dozens in Central Florida contract COVID-19 after being fully vaccinated

11. Vanden Bossche, vaccines and variants – where are we now?

12. Vaccination in Israel: Challenging mortality figures?

13. ‘A Crisis for Climate Stability’: Data Shows Rainforest Destruction Accelerated in 2020

Changes in mouth bacteria after drinking beetroot juice may promote healthy ageing

University of Exeter (UK), March 30, 2021

Drinking beetroot juice promotes a mix of mouth bacteria associated with healthier blood vessels and brain function, according to a new study of people aged 70-80.

Beetroot – and other foods including lettuce, spinach and celery – are rich in inorganic nitrate, and many oral bacteria play a role in turning nitrate to nitric oxide, which helps to regulate blood vessels and neurotransmission (chemical messages in the brain).

Older people tend to have lower nitric oxide production, and this is associated with poorer vascular (blood vessel) and cognitive (brain) health.

In the new study, by the University of Exeter, 26 healthy older people took part in two ten-day supplementation periods: one with nitrate-rich beetroot juice and another with nitrate-free placebo juice, which they drank twice a day.

The results showed higher levels of bacteria associated with good vascular and cognitive health, and lower levels of bacteria linked to disease and inflammation.

Systolic blood pressure dropped on average by five points (mmHg) after drinking the beetroot juice.

“We are really excited about these findings, which have important implications for healthy ageing,” said lead author Professor Anni Vanhatalo, of the University of Exeter.

“Previous studies have compared the oral bacteria of young and older people, and healthy people compared to those with diseases, but ours is the first to test nitrate-rich diet in this way.

“Our findings suggest that adding nitrate-rich foods to the diet – in this case via beetroot juice – for just ten days can substantially alter the oral microbiome (mix of bacteria) for the better.

“Maintaining this healthy oral microbiome in the long term might slow down the negative vascular and cognitive changes associated with ageing.”

The researchers ran tests to identify clusters (or “modules”) of oral bacteria that tend to thrive together in similar conditions.

A module (Prevotella-Veillonella) that has been associated with inflammation was reduced after nitrate supplementation, including a decrease of Clostridium difficile (which can infect the bowel and cause diarrhoea).

Professor Vanhatalo stressed that more research is needed to confirm the findings and see whether similar effects are found in other groups.

“Our participants were healthy, active older people with generally good blood pressure,” she said. “Dietary nitrate reduced their blood pressure on average, and we are keen to find out whether the same would happen in other age groups and among people in poorer health.

“We are working with colleagues in the University of Exeter Medical School to investigate interactions between the oral bacteria and cognition to better understand the how diet could be used to delay cognitive decline in older age.”

Much research has been conducted into the benefits of a healthy gut microbiome, but far less is known about the oral microbial community, which plays a crucial role in “activating” the nitrate from a vegetable-rich diet.

 

Study finds high-fiber diet brings significant changes to human gut microbiome

University of California at Irvine, March 29, 2021

A short-term intervention in daily fiber consumption can significantly alter the gut microbiome and nutrient intake, according to a study led by University of California, Irvine researchers. The research was recently published by the American Society for Microbiology.

Dietary fiber consists of resistant carbohydrates found in fruits, vegetables and whole grains. Fiber persists in our digestion system, and while not digestible by humans, our gut bacteria can metabolize fiber into short-chain fatty acids and other byproducts critical to human health.

Currently, the average person in North America consumes less than 50 percent of the recommended dietary fiber levels due to decreased consumption of plant-based foods, as processed foods have become widespread. A reduced fiber diet is concerning health officials because low consumption of dietary fiber may be associated with diseases like type II diabetes and colon cancer. Furthermore, new studies have begun to demonstrate how gut microbial changes can indirectly impact human health. Therefore, a better understanding of dietary fiber’s role on gut microbiota constitution could provide insights into managing diseases associated with the gut microbiome.

“The lack of fiber intake in the industrialized world is starving our gut microbes, with important health consequences that may be associated with increases in colorectal cancer, auto-immune diseases and even decreased vaccine efficacy and response to cancer immunotherapy,” said Katrine Whiteson, associate professor of molecular biology & biochemistry who co-directs the UCI Microbiome Initiative.

To determine if increasing dietary fiber for a short time could alter the gut microbiome diversity and metabolite production, a research team led by UCI Microbiome Initiative co-directors Whiteson and Jennifer Martiny, professor of ecology & evolutionary biology, along with Julia Massimelli Sewall, assistant teaching professor, implemented a two-week dietary intervention during an undergraduate biology course at UCI.

Students who participated in the study were given 10 high fiber unprocessed meals each week for two weeks. During the time, they collected samples to track their gut microbial composition before and after the intervention. The students also recorded their dietary information of macronutrients to reach a goal of 50 grams/day during a two-week intervention period.

Sewall, the course instructor, noted how much she and the students enjoyed learning which foods are enriched in fiber. “We were amazed to find how high in fiber berries and avocados are and exchanged ideas for how to prepare beans and lentils,” she said. “I think this experience will have a life-long impact on how we all look at nutrition labels.”

She also noted that the research experience highly motivated students in the course. “The students came to class very excited to discuss what they had eaten and could not wait to analyze the microbiome sequencing information to make data-driven conclusions. The study had an interesting and educational impact,” she added. “Our education research showed that the experience increased student‘s interest in science and heightened the awareness of their diet habits.”

Graduate student Andrew Oliver, a teaching assistant for the course, coached students during the process and advised them to drink plenty of water in addition to offering instruction in microbiology methods and analysis. “Students raised their fiber intake by an average of 25 grams per day, but the variability of pre-intervention fiber intake was substantial,” he said. “A few students had to go from nearly zero to 50 grams daily by the end of the study. We all became a little obsessed with how much fiber was in the food we were eating.”

After the intervention, the researchers compared overall bacterial composition using DNA sequencing and measured short-chain fatty acids production using gas chromatography. In addition to sequencing, the team ran additional experiments targeting the known-fiber degrader, Bifidobacterium. The researchers found that the two-week intervention significantly altered individual gut microbiome composition, including an increase in the abundance of Bifidobacterium. However, despite the observed gut microbiome composition changes, they did not detect a significant shift in the abundance of these fatty acids.

“We hope to carry out longer dietary fiber interventions and study how fiber can support the gut microbiome and promote health. At this time during a pandemic, when we need our immune health and healthy vaccine responses, we encourage everyone to think about the plant diversity of their diets and add some beans, berries and avocados where they can,” said Whiteson.

Fucoxanthin inhibits induced inflammation and oxidative stress

University of Connecticut, March 26, 2021

According to news reporting out of Storrs, Connecticut, research stated, “Anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects of fucoxanthin (FCX), a xanthophyll carotenoid, have been suggested. However, underlying mechanisms are elusive.”

Our news journalists obtained a quote from the research from the University of Connecticut, “The objective of this study was to elucidate the mechanisms by which FCX and its metabolites inhibit lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced inflammation and oxidative stress in macrophages. The effects of the FCX on mRNA and protein expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines and antioxidant genes, and reactive oxygen species (ROS) accumulation were determined in RAW 264.7 macrophages. A potential role of FCX in the modulation of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K)/AKT/nuclear E2-related factor 2 (NRF2) axis was evaluated. FCX significantly decreased LPS-induced interleukin (Il)6, Il1b, and tumor necrosis factor alpha (Tnf) mRNA abundance and TNF alpha secretion. FCX attenuated LPS or tert-butyl-hydroperoxide-induced ROS accumulation with concomitant increases in the expression of antioxidant enzymes. Also, trolox equivalent antioxidant capacity assay demonstrated that FCX had a potent free radical scavenging property. FCX markedly increased nuclear translocation of NRF2 in LPS-treated macrophages, consequently inducing its target gene expression. Interestingly, the effect of FCX on NRF2 nuclear translocation was noticeably diminished by LY294002, an inhibitor of PI3K, but not by inhibitors of mitogen-activated protein kinases. Phosphorylation of AKT, a downstream element of PI3K, was also markedly increased by FCX. FCX metabolites, such as fucoxanthinol and amarouciaxanthin A, significantly attenuated LPS-induced ROS accumulation and pro-inflammatory cytokine expression.”

According to the news editors, the research concluded: “FCX exerts anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects by the activation of NRF2 in the macrophages activated by LPS, which is mediated, at least in part, through the PI3K/AKT pathway.”

This research has been peer-reviewed.

Selenium supplementation protects against obesity and may extend lifespan

Supplementation of the nutrient selenium protects against diet-induced obesity and may extend the lifespan of mice by controlling energy-regulating hormones

Orentreich Foundation for the Advancement of Science, March 30, 2021

Adding the nutrient selenium to diets protects against obesity and provides metabolic benefits to mice, according to a study published today in eLife.

The results could lead to interventions that reproduce many of the anti-aging effects associated with dietary restriction while also allowing people to eat as normal.

Several types of diet have been shown to increase healthspan – that is, the period of healthy lifespan. One of the proven methods of increasing healthspan in many organisms, including non-human mammals, is to restrict dietary intake of an amino acid called methionine.

Recent studies have suggested that the effects of methionine restriction on healthspan are likely to be conserved in humans. Although it might be feasible for some people to practice methionine restriction, for example, by adhering to a vegan diet, such a diet might not be practical or desirable for everyone. In the current study, a research team from the Orentreich Foundation for the Advancement of Science (OFAS), Cold Spring, New York, US, aimed to develop an intervention that produces the same effects as methionine restriction, while also allowing an individual to eat a normal, unrestricted diet.

An important clue for developing such a treatment is that methionine restriction causes a decrease in the amounts of an energy-regulating hormone called IGF-1. If a treatment could be found that causes a similar decrease in IGF-1, this might also have beneficial effects on healthspan. Previous research has shown that selenium supplementation reduces the levels of circulating IGF-1 in rats, suggesting that this could be an ideal candidate.

The team first studied whether selenium supplementation offered the same protection against obesity as methionine restriction. They fed young male and older female mice one of three high-fat diets: a control diet containing typical amounts of methionine, a methionine-restricted diet, and a diet containing typical amounts of methionine as well as a source of selenium. For both male and female mice of any age, the authors found that selenium supplementation completely protected against the dramatic weight gain and fat accumulation seen in mice fed the control diet, and to the same extent as restricting methionine.

Next, they explored the effects of the three diets on physiological changes normally associated with methionine restriction. To do this, they measured the amounts of four metabolic markers in blood samples from the previously treated mice. As hoped, they found dramatically reduced levels of IGF-1 in both male and female mice. They also saw reductions in the levels of the hormone leptin, which controls food intake and energy expenditure. Their results indicate that selenium supplementation produces most, if not all, of the hallmarks of methionine restriction, which suggests that this intervention may have a similar positive effect on healthspan.

To gain insight into the beneficial effects of selenium supplementation, the researchers used a different organism – yeast. The two most widely used measurements of healthspan in yeast are chronological lifespan, which tells us how long dormant yeast remain viable, and replicative lifespan, which measures the number of times a yeast cell can produce new offspring. The team previously showed that methionine restriction increases the chronological lifespan of yeast, so they tested whether selenium supplementation might do the same. As it turned out, yeast grown under selenium-supplemented conditions had a 62% longer chronological lifespan (from 13 days to 21 days) and a replicative lifespan extended by nine generations as compared with controls. This demonstrates that supplementing yeast with selenium produces benefits to healthspan detectable by multiple tests of cell aging.

“One of the major goals of aging research is to identify simple interventions that promote human healthspan,” notes senior author Jay Johnson, Senior Scientist at OFAS. “Here we present evidence that short-term administration of either organic or inorganic sources of selenium provides multiple health benefits to mice, the most notable of which being the prevention of diet-induced obesity. In the long term, we expect that supplementation with these compounds will also prevent age-related disease and extend the overall survival of mice. It is our hope that many of the benefits observed for mice will also hold true for humans.”

Maternal exposure to chemicals linked to autistic-like behaviours in children

Simon Fraser University (Canada), March 26, 2021

A new study by Simon Fraser University’s Faculty of Health Sciences researchers – published today in the American Journal of Epidemiology – found correlations between increased expressions of autistic-like behaviours in pre-school aged children to gestational exposure to select environmental toxicants, including metals, pesticides, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), phthalates, and bisphenol-A (BPA).

This population study measured the levels of 25 chemicals in blood and urine samples collected from 1,861 Canadian women during the first trimester of pregnancy. A follow up survey was conducted with 478 participants, using the Social Responsiveness Scale (SRS) tool for assessing autistic-like behaviours in pre- school children.

The researchers found that higher maternal concentrations of cadmium, lead, and some phthalates in blood or urine samples was associated with increased SRS scores, and these associations were particularly strong among children with a higher degree of autistic-like behaviours. Interestingly, the study also noted that increased maternal concentrations of manganese, trans-Nonachlor, many organophosphate pesticide metabolites, and mono-ethyl phthalate (MEP) were most strongly associated with lower SRS scores.

The study’s lead author, Josh Alampi, notes that this study primarily “highlights the relationships between select environmental toxicants and increased SRS scores. Further studies are needed to fully assess the links and impacts of these environmental chemicals on brain development during pregnancy.”

The results were achieved by using a statistical analysis tool, called Bayesian quantile regression, that allowed investigators to determine which individual toxicants were associated with increased SRS scores in a more nuanced way than conventional methods.

“The relationships we discovered between these toxicants and SRS scores would not have been detected through the use of a means-based method of statistical analysis (such as linear regression),” noted Alampi. “Although quantile regression is not frequently used by investigators, it can be a powerful way to analyze complex population-based data.”

Even small levels of nitrate in drinking water results in smaller babies

It appears that the weight of newborn babies decreases if even small amounts of nitrates are present in the drinking water that mothers drink before and during pregnancy. 

Aarhus University (Denmark), March 24, 2021

The more nitrate there is in mothers’ drinking water, the smaller the babies they give birth to. But alarmingly, the declining birth weight can also be registered when the women are exposed to nitrate levels below the EU’s threshold of 50 milligrams of nitrate per litre.

This is shown by a register-based study of more than 850,000 births in Denmark carried out in a Danish-American partnership led by Professor Torben Sigsgaard from the Department of Public Health at Aarhus University and Professor Leslie Stayner and Dr. Vanessa Coffman from the Division of Epidemiology and Biostatistics at the University of Illinois at Chicago, School of Public Health.

On the basis of Danish registry data, the research group concluded that babies born to mothers whose drinking water contains between 25 and 50 milligrams of nitrates per litre – i.e. from half of the current threshold value up to the maximum limit – on average weigh ten grams less than babies born to mothers with smaller amounts of nitrate in the tap water. Not only did the babies weigh less, they were also slightly shorter, while their head size was unaffected by the amount of nitrate – which is the form of nitrogen run off from the agricultural sector that most frequently appears in groundwater.

According to Professor Torben Sigsgaard from Aarhus University, it is difficult to say whether we should be concerned about public health in areas with high amounts of nitrate:

“The difference in body length and weight doesn’t sound like much at first as it’s on average only ten grams, but this is not insignificant if the newborn also begins life as underweight for other reasons. Birth weight is generally recognised as having a life-long impact on a person’s health and development,” says Torben Sigsgaard.

“There is no doubt that the results of the study challenge the threshold value that is in place throughout the Western world, and that any changes will be a bit like turning around a supertanker. But it’s important to discuss these results,” he adds with reference to the WHO, EU and American authorities who all view drinking water as harmful when the content of nitrates is higher than fifty milligrams per litre.

The study was initiated because it has long been known that very high nitrate concentrations may lead to people being exposed to nitrite. This inhibits the body’s ability to absorb oxygen and can lead to the dangerous blue-baby syndrome, or methemoglobinemia to give it its medical name. Nitrate in drinking water is also suspected of causing other chronic diseases, including bowel cancer. Research has also documented how, depending on local geological and geochemical conditions in theearth, the fertiliser used in agriculture more or less percolates down to the groundwater.

“With the study, we’ve established that there is a need to explore the effect of the low nitrate concentrations in the drinking water, if we’re to assess the adequacy of the current threshold values – and this is possible thanks to the unique Danish registers. It wouldn’t be possible to carry out corresponding studies on the basis of US data alone, because such data simply doesn’t exist,” says Torben Sigsgaard.

Study finds supplementation with antioxidant vitamins improved older individuals’ immune function

University of Madrid (Spain), March 22, 2021

The issue of Experimental Gerontology published the finding of a recent study that found immune benefits for supplementation with vitamins C and E in older individuals.

“It has been shown that the competence of the immune system is an excellent marker of health and several age-related changes in immune functions have been linked to longevity,” Monica De La Fuente of Complutense University of Madrid and colleagues wrote in their introduction to the article. They suggested that values for specific immune functions could be used as individualized markers of biological age.

The study included 22 older men and women who received 500 milligrams (mg) per day of vitamin C and 22 participants in the same age group who received 500 mg of vitamin C plus 200 mg of vitamin E for three months. Thirty unsupplemented men and women whose age averaged 35 years served as controls. Functional aspects of two types of white blood cells known as neutrophils and lymphocytes were assessed at the beginning of the supplementation period, at three months, and six months following the end of supplementation.

At three months, neutrophil values known as adherence indexes, chemotaxis indexes and phagocytosis indexes improved in supplemented individuals and more closely resembled those of the younger control group. Superoxide anion (a free radical) levels in neutrophils decreased in both supplemented groups and, in some cases, became even lower than those of the control subjects. Supplementing with both vitamins was associated with lower superoxide levels than with vitamin C alone. Superoxide levels measured six months after the end of the treatment period were still lower than those measured before supplementation in both supplemented groups.

When lymphocyte functions were evaluated, adherence index and chemotaxis values were improved in association with vitamin supplementation compared to pretreatment levels. Lymphoproliferative capacity, interleukin-2 release and natural killer cell activity, which were lower in the older subjects than in the control group, increased after supplementation to levels similar to those of the control group.

Dr. De La Fuente and her associates suggest that the benefits observed in this study in association with vitamin C and E supplementation may be due to their antioxidant and anti-inflammatory roles, although other factors may be involved. “An important number of studies show that the ingestion of diets with adequate levels of antioxidants such as vitamins E and C, beta-carotene, polyphenols and others, are able to retard or prevent the oxidative damage and therefore the general physiological impairment associated with aging, and in particular immunosenescence,” they wrote.

“It is possible to suggest that the supplementation used in the present study could improve the quality of life and extend a healthy longevity in elderly men and women,” they concluded.