Aurora magazine

A new study confirms that exercising during pregnancy reduces the risk of obesity in children. Children exposed to prenatal sport gain less weight on average, even when they eat high-fat foods. This benefit is also valid for mothers with obesity problems, a delicate situation even for the child. This means that some sports during pregnancy are always beneficial, unless otherwise indicated by the doctor.

Researchers have studied the effects of exercise on metabolism. To this end, they analyzed a group of obese and non-obese pregnant guinea pigs. Some of these did 60 minutes of moderate exercise every morning during pregnancy. Others have led a sedentary lifestyle, acting as a control group. After giving birth, the researchers compared the two groups of puppies.

The young whose mothers had been exercising had high levels of proteins associated with brown adipose tissue. Unlike traditional adipose tissue, brown tissue converts fat and sugar into heat. The children in question had in fact a higher average body temperature, with positive effects on the metabolism. Later, the two groups followed a high-fat diet for eight weeks. Sports group mice gained less weight, with even less negative health consequences.

Source: experimentalbiology.org

Researchers from the University of Hokkaido have identified a possible therapy for Loricrin keratoderma. This is an incurable skin disease that occurs from birth. For the moment there are only symptomatic treatments, but Japanese researchers have made a discovery that could change things.

The team observed patients' skin for long periods. It emerged that in some places the patients' skin was healthy. The researchers examined the DNA extracted from these cells, looking for mutations that cause the disease. They discovered that in those areas the previously ill skin had returned to normal, the mutations had disappeared. All thanks to a somatic recombination, or natural exchanges of pieces of DNA.

Healthy areas had been present for several years, so the process seems permanent. It is likely that natural genetic editing has affected stem cells, which have therefore produced healthy cells. Now we need to understand how the process occurred, so that it can be reproduced in the laboratory over the entire skin. The researchers also found that cells with the correct DNA reproduce faster. As a result, they are more likely to produce so many healthy new cells that they create visible patches. This gives researchers new hope: if it were possible to induce recombination with drugs, there would be a new treatment against Loricrin keratoderma.

Source: global.hokudai.ac.jp

Researchers from the Air Force Research Laboratory have developed a way to predict cognitive abilities. It is a genetic test that analyzes FTCD, to complement the classic memory tests. According to the studies, in fact, the secret of perfect memory lies in the C allele of the gene, especially for subjects between 18 and 27 years.

FTCD is an enzyme that stimulates the production of glutamate and folate, which is crucial for the development of neurotransmitters. As a result, it could help cognitive skills, albeit indirectly. To test their thesis, the researchers analyzed the DNA of 642 volunteers. Then they compared the data collected with the results of classical cognitive tests. From what has emerged, there really seems to be a correlation between the C allele of the gene and the person's cognitive faculties. Based on the discovery, the researchers hypothesized two possible treatments for the future.

Subjects with a "weak" C allele could take folic acid supplements and perform cognitive exercises. Otherwise, we could think of genetic mini-editing using CRISPR. For the moment, however, it is still early: first we will have to do further tests and understand the real functioning of the gene. The discovery, if confirmed, could have military and civil applications. Genetic tests could identify the best people to perform complex tasks that require a quick way of thinking. Or to help those with cognitive problems.

Source: medicalxpress.com

Smoking during pregnancy can lower levels of oxygen in the uterus, with negative consequences for the fetus. This could also include fertility problems later in life, according to researchers at the University of Cambridge.

A team exposed a group of pregnant guinea pigs to smoking and other factors that lower the levels of oxygen to the fetus. When the young arrived at adulthood, they also examined their fertility. The females had older ovaries and fewer available eggs than the average. As a result, they were also less fertile than peers who had received the right amount of oxygen.

Prenatal hypoxia is linked to several possible causes, including smoking. Others are living at high altitude, obesity, preeclampsia. Besides being risky in the short term, it also has important consequences for the long term. For example, it increases the risk of heart disease in adulthood. However, no one had ever examined the effects on the reproductive system.

Prenatal oxygen-free guinea pigs had fewer eggs. Furthermore, the telomeres of the ovarian tissues were much shorter than they should have been. As a result, the cells had a shorter life than the average and the oocytes lived less. Rats and humans have a similar reproductive system, so the discovery is easy to translate on humans. More research will be needed, but there is reason to believe that smoking during pregnancy reduces the productive life of the offspring. And maybe not just that.

Source: cam.ac.uk