After going fishing in the Gulf of Mexico, a 70-year-old woman became infected with a flesh eating bacteria. Vibrio vulnificus is incredibly dangerous. If might expand to an entire limb and, most of the time, it needs to be amputated to prevent the infection from further spreading.

Last month, the woman went fishing in Fairhope, Alabama. As she needed some bait, she reached for some shrimp in a bucket, and this is when she stung the back of her hand. She noticed how she was starting to feel ill and, after three hours, her husband reported she was in a precarious condition.

The woman escaped amputation

The woman was immediately transported to a hospital in Mississippi, where she had to spend over 10 days to regain a stable condition. A lot of dead tissue had accumulated on her hand, so she had to undergo two operations to remove it and avoid amputation.

The final step towards her recovery is a reconstructive surgery, as the bacteria ate deep into her tissue. Although she had to suffer a lot, doctors regarded her case as a miracle. Usually, statistics show that most people who contract flesh eating bacteria rarely survive and, when they survive, they often lose a limb.

Where does this flesh eating bacteria come from?

Now, officials are investigating the bait carrying the flesh eating bacteria, and are trying to find where it came from. In case it came from the Gulf, they need to issue a warning against a possible infection, and inform people to be careful.

You can contract Vibrio vulnificus if you eat raw or undercooked seafood, or if a wound on your body gets into contact with infected sea water. In 2016, 46 people became infected with the flesh eating bacteria in the area around the Gulf of Mexico, and 10 of them died days after contracting the infection.
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A professor from Stanford Law School came up with an interesting hypothesis regarding procreation. He believes, in about 20 or 30 years, humans will no longer use sex as the primary method to make babies. Instead, we would opt for selecting embryos for in-lab breeding, as this method would turn out cheaper and more practical.

A new method of procreation

Professor Hank Greely, director of the Center for Law and the Biosciences at Stanford Law School, is the one who thinks sex will become outdated in the next decades – at least as a method of procreation. A few days ago, during the Aspen Ideas Festival, he presented his idea of future, where people would opt for this cheaper method of selecting embryos and growing them into human beings in a laboratory.

He even described how the entire process should go. First of all, scientists have to collect DNA from both parents, and then scan it together. This will assure them the embryo is not susceptible to any genetic diseases, or that it doesn’t contain any genetic variants which make it vulnerable.

Parents would be able to customize their baby

What would be interesting about this method is the fact that parents would be able to ‘customize’ their child. Certain traits, such as eye color or hair color, could be selected beforehand. Also, it might be possible for intelligence genes to be sneaked into the genetic code. All of these will be possible thanks to CRISPR, the genetic editing technique currently used in labs.

This is not the first time when such an idea is suggested by scientists. As expected, it comes with certain ethical concerns. Removing genetic diseases from an embryo’s genes might sound fine, but introducing cosmetic features or improving the structure of the brain comes brings tons of controversy.

However, Greely says such a procreation technique is inevitable in the future. Also, this process won’t produce super babies. He claims the final result won’t exceed the traits that can be taken from two people, so there shouldn’t be any ethical concerns.
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A new study put up by the Seaver Autism Center for Research and Treatment in New York and King’s College in London discovered that older fathers were more likely to have geekier sons. Therefore, if they wait until they are older before having a child, they will probably have a socially awkward child, but of an outstanding smartness.

When is a child geekier?

First of all, researchers wanted to see what makes a child geekier. For this, they analyzed 15,000 pair of twins from Great Britain, and tested several of their features which might influence geekiness. These characteristics were IQ, social awkwardness, how much they focused on certain subjects, which activities they engaged the most in, and how much attention they gave to the others’ opinion on them.

According to these factors, researchers determined a geek index for each child. Results showed that those kids with older fathers were geekier. This shouldn’t be regarded as something bad, since these children are more intelligent, tend to care less about their peers’ opinion on them, and are better at focusing.

Having an older father also has advantages

Previously, children with older fathers were regarded as more likely to develop autism. Now, this study shows that they also have some benefits. Geekier kids have better prospects regarding career and education prospects, which brings some hope for those dads who had children later in life.

The explanation for this phenomenon is rather social than genetic. Usually, older fathers are more concentrated on their career, and have a better situation both economically and socially. Therefore, their children grow in the same enriching environment, and become more career-oriented.

This study could also offer an insight on autism as well. Researchers suspect the same genes which influence geekiness are also linked with autism. A smaller percentage of these genes might mean success in school, while a higher one might be the trigger of autism.
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After a tiring surgery lasting 11 hours, surgeons at Children’s Hospital in Philadelphia successfully separated two conjoined twins. The girls were joined at the top of their heads, which made the operation difficult and delicate. Doctors are taking good care of the girls and of their recovery.

The surgery went flawlessly

Last week, Abby and Erin Delaney, the 10-months-old twins from North Carolina, underwent the separation surgery and are currently doing well. At the moment, they are still in the intensive care unit of the hospital, and will remain there until their recovery is complete.

Doctors took all the measures necessary that the surgery should go perfectly. They had monitors for each of the baby girl, one purple and one green, and the medical staff took turns on taking care of both of them. Dr. Jesse Taylor, one of the surgeons involved, explained that separating conjoined twins is a complex procedure.

Also, the path to recovery is long, but everybody is optimistic. Dr. Taylor, a plastic surgeon, together with neurosurgeon Gregory Heuer, led the team made up of 30 experts who took care that the surgery goes perfectly. The team also contained experts in reconstructive surgery and anesthesiology.

Surgeries on conjoined twins are complex processes

The hospital has a reputable history of performing surgeries of conjoined twin separation. This is the 23^rd successful procedure in the last 60 years. However, this is the first time when they had to separate infants conjoined in the area of the head. The phenomenon, called craniopagus, occurs extremely rarely.

Surgeries dealing with such cases of conjoined twins are so difficult because infants usually share vital organs or tissues. This time, the girls shared blood vessels and the membrane which protects the brain. After the separation was over, doctors split into two teams and started performing the reconstruction of each girl.

The parents of the girls hope that their children will recover completely. They cannot wait until they can bring them back home and celebrate the victory of the doctors.
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A new study performed by German researchers from the University of Bonn found that marijuana might be good for seniors. They discovered that THC (tetrahydrocannabinol) might slow down the cognitive decline in elders, and even reverse the process of memory loss.

For the study, researchers analyzed the effects of marijuana extracts on mice, and how it influences their cognitive capabilities. THC, the main psychoactive element in cannabis, might stop and even reverse the aging of the brain.

THC boosts cannabinoids in the brain

As the brain ages, the endocannabinoids are reduced, and this is what leads to the decline of the cognitive abilities. However, offering the brain THC can boost the effect of the remaining cannabinoids even after a certain age.

Researchers studied mice aged 2 months, 12 months, and 18 months, and administered them low THC doses for 30 days. They noticed how the substance led to cognitive impairment in younger specimens. On the other hand, it had an opposite effect in older mice. It boosted the older mice’s brain tissue up to the point that it started resembling the younger samples.

Moreover, THC strengthened the formation of nerve links in the older brains. This also leads to a boost in the cognitive ability, as the brain can now gather and store more information than usual. Now, researchers want to start studying the effects of THC on the human brain.

Medicinal marijuana is frowned upon by the authorities

However, such studies are difficult to undertake, due to the strong ban on marijuana in the United States. Cannabis is listed under the Schedule I drugs, so it suffers from the same status as deadly narcotics. This means that the authorities don’t recognize the potential medicinal value of the plant.

It is vital for researchers to receive approval for such a study, as it might bring further proof that marijuana can be used as treatment for certain conditions and diseases. Centers which commercialize medical marijuana have already started campaigns of “normalization” of the product, in hope that the authorities would lift this stigma revolving around cannabis.
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Two recent studies bring proof that scientists might soon be able to use stem cells from patients to produce personalized and unlimited blood cell supplies. This comes to the help of people in need of frequent transfusions, and of those who struggle to find blood and bone marrow donors.

Stem cells can be used to produce other cells

Stem cells are especially programmed to give birth to other type of cells. In 2006, researchers were able to turn regular mouse cells into induced pluripotent stem cells (iPS). Since then, they kept exploring new ways to create such cells. Their aim was to determine these iPS cells to produce blood.

If such an attempt were successful, researchers would be able to take cells from ill patients, perform genetic editing on them to correct the disorder, and then get them to produce healthy blood cells. Also, the same technique can be used on donor cells to create unlimited blood supply.

Two methods were successful in producing mouse blood cells

For the first study, researchers used both iPS cells and embryonic stem cells. Then, they subjected these cells to special conditions and factors which can determine them to turn into blood cells. In the end, they combined them with certain transcription factors which force them directly to turn into the desired cells. Hence, they found out which transcription factors are necessary to trigger blood cell production.

In the second research, scientists used neither embryonic nor iPS cells, but adult stem cells. They identified the necessary transcription factors and converted the cells directly, without turning them into iPS cells first.

Both methods successfully produced functional mouse blood cells. Although the second one sounds more effective and quick, researchers have not tested any of them on human cells yet. Whichever might work, it is clear that they got incredibly close to managing to produce blood supplies without the need of a donor.
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A new study shows that grandparents can endanger their grandchildren if they use old-school parenting methods. Due to lack of new child care info, grandparents rely on outdated parenting techniques that can endanger the life of the child. Since guidelines and practices have evolved over the last decades, grandparents might not have the necessary info to take care of their grandchildren.

Grandparents use outdated child care techniques

Dr. Andrew Adesman of Cohen Children’s Medical Center in New York is the lead author of the research. He surveyed more than 630 American grandparents and observed most of them rely on old-school parenting methods which can sometimes be dangerous. Most of the health and safety recommendations for children have evolved in the last years, but they are not aware of it.

Older people usually raise their grandchildren based on shared knowledge. Most of them don’t read the new guidelines; they prefer to take care of their grandchildren like they used to do with their kids. The problem is, over time, researchers and scientists called into question some of these old-school parenting methods.

“When grandparents step up to the plate, it can be wonderful for grandchildren but can also pose challenges in terms of lifestyle, finances and mental and physical health to a somewhat older or elderly cohort.”

Mistakes older people do in their parenting

Grandparents tend to be more permissive than parents. This happens because they see their grandchildren less and want to please them. Also, they base their parenting on myths which they see as truths. Since most of them are related to health care, they can put children in danger.

For instance, when a child has fever, most grandparents mentioned ice baths as the ideal treatment. However, they are unaware that it has been linked to higher risk of hypothermia. Also, they don’t know that small children should sleep on their back and not on their side or stomach, or that wounds tend to heal quicker and better when they are covered with bandages.

The research proves that being unaware of the newest parenting guidelines can be dangerous for kids. Therefore,  grandparents should update their child care techniques and offer the best care to their grandchildren. The findings were presented at the meeting of Pediatric Academics Societies on May 4^th.

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Researchers claim to have discovered a way to remove the HIV virus from mice. By using a technique called CRISPR, they succeeded in editing the genes of the infected mice and eliminating the HIV-1 provirus. They also faced some challenges, but are optimistic that the same technique will soon be applicable to humans.

The gene editing protein removes viruses from the body

The study was published in the journal Molecular Therapy, where researchers explained the process they had followed. They added some human immune cells in the mouse genome and injected them with the protein responsible with gene editing. Then, they observed how the virus was removed from the organs of the mice.

Usually, research on animals faces some challenges when it is transmitted on a human model. However, the scientists from Pittsburgh and Temple Universities are optimistic. They showed that the gene editing technique is effective on animals, and they find this promising for future research on humans.

“Excision of HIV-1 proviral DNA by in solid tissues/organs can be achieved … [in] a significant step toward human clinical trials.”

The next step is testing on primates

As the next step, they plan to inject the same protein to infected primates. Their genetic model is more similar to the human genome. The HIV virus would produce almost the same changes in a primate as it does in a human. Thus, removing the virus from a monkey would pave the way for a successful experiment on people.

This is not the first time when scientists used gene editing to remove viruses from several organisms. However, the previous studies were less refined. Dr. Wenhui Hu from Temple University said that they collected the data from the older studies and used it to improve their editing technique.

They proved that this mechanism is effective in two mouse models. One model contained an acute infection of the mouse cells, while the other was latent in human cells. Scientists still have plenty of research to do, but they made an important step towards finding the cure for HIV in humans.
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