Category Health/Medical

Highlights
•Mexican ZIKV strain infects primary human fetal brain-derived neural stem cells
•ZIKV inhibits neuronal differentiation in a cell-strain-dependent manner
•Majority of differentiated ZIKV-infected cells are glial cells
•ZIKV-mediated transcriptome alteration is cell-strain-dependent

A multidisciplinary team from The University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston has uncovered the mechanisms that the Zika virus uses to alter brain development. These findings are detailed in Stem Cell Reports. There are currently 70 countries and territories reporting active Zika transmission, according to the World Health Organization...

This image shows the impact of saturated fatty acids on the liver, muscles and fatty tissue. Credit: © DDZ

The global proliferation of overweight and obese people and people with type 2 diabetes is often associated with the consumption of saturated fats. Scientists at the German Diabetes Center and the Helmholtz Center in Munich (HMGU) have found that even the one-off consumption of a greater amount of palm oil reduces the body’s sensitivity to insulin and causes increased fat deposits as well as changes in the energy metabolism of the liver. The results of the study provide information on the earliest changes in the metabolism of the liver that in the long term lead to fatty liver disease in overweight persons as well as in those with type 2 diabetes.

DZD researchers working at the Germa...

High-protein paternal diet confers an advantage to sons in sperm competition. Biology Letters, 2017; 13 (2): 20160914 DOI: 10.1098/rsbl.2016.0914

New research involving Monash University biologists has debunked the view that males just pass on genetic material and not much else to their offspring. Instead, it found a father’s diet can affect their son’s ability to out-compete a rival’s sperm after mating. The study sought to understand if the nutritional history of fathers had an effect on their sons. Experiments were carried out in the fruit fly, which shares many similar pathways and characteristics with human genes.

Dr Susanne Zajitschek from the School of Biological Sciences, said the study highlighted the importance of the paternal environment on future generations, even a long time b...