Aurora magazine

Francesco Papaleo's team of the Italian Institute of Technology (IIT) has identified the bases of long-term memory. The researchers found the mechanisms behind multitasking and memory. The discovery will find application in personalized treatment of schizophrenia and other psychiatric disorders.

25% of the population has a genetic variation, which helps long-term memory or multitasking. According to the study, every person can be proficient in just one of two things. Or you have a good long-term memory, or you can do many things together. Both skills can not live in the same subject for genetic reasons.

The COMT gene regulates the dopaminergic system, responsible for controlling voluntary movements, cognitive and motivational functions. Research has also revealed its role in the endocannabinoid system, which controls memory and learning. It also emerged that 25% of the population has a mutated version of the gene.

The mutation can determine the hyperactivity of COMT. Subjects with the hyperactive gene have a better memory, but are less skilled in multitasking. Those without the mutation, on the other hand, have a worse long-term memory and greater multitasking capabilities.

Source: ansa.it

A new study on animal models proves that vaccinating females before pregnancy protects the fetus from Zika. The trials examined two types of vaccines and both proved to be effective. The next step will be to verify its effectiveness on the human being.

Last year the team of Michael S. Diamond and Pei-Yong Shi had developed an animal model of Zika. Starting from this, the authors evaluated the efficacy of two vaccines against the virus. The first vaccine is based on the genetic patterns of two viral proteins and has already been tested on non-pregnant women. The second is a weakened form of the virus and has been tested only on animals.

The team analyzed groups of about 20 guinea pigs vaccinated with one or two vaccines or with a placebo. Some animals also received a second dose of the same vaccine one month later. Three weeks after the first vaccine, researchers measured antibody levels in mice. Both vaccines neutralized the virus.
At a later time, the team made the rags snatched and infected them at the 6th week of pregnancy. A week after infection, researchers measured the levels of the virus in mothers and fetuses. Both vaccines have proven to be 100% effective in more than half of the cases. In other specimens, however, virus levels were just above the measurable limit. It is unclear whether they are the traces of a new infection or the remnants of the past.

For the time being, it is not known whether it is perfectly safe to vaccinate in pregnancy, but the risks would be lower than those of the virus itself. It will also be necessary to check whether the vaccines also work on the human being.

Source: medicine.wustl.edu

More sperm donors are being sought in China. The reason? Pollution and stress have lowered China's reproductive potential by 80%. That is why Chinese couples are turning to masses at fertility clinics.

In 2015, the Chinese government abandoned the single child policy, thus increasing the workforce of the country. Many couples however had to deal with fertility problems that were neglected first. The increase in pollution and stress has in fact reduced the fertility of Chinese men. It is estimated that in the 1970s a Chinese man had averaged 100 million sperm per milliliter of sperm. Today, there are only 20 million.

Reducing male reproductive abilities has led to mass exodus to fertility clinics. In 2016, the Chinese market for in vitro fertilization was worth 670 million dollars. In 2022 it should reach 1.5 billion. The biggest beneficiaries will be foreign companies, as only 18% of Chinese men are able to donate their sperm. It is therefore inevitable to turn to Australian and Californian companies to meet growing demand.

It is difficult for foreign companies to obtain the permits needed to operate in China. This has resulted in an increase in medical tourism aimed at assisted procreation. Several travel agencies in China collaborate with Australian companies or located in Singapore so that they can fulfill their parenting dream.

Source: wired.it

Verrucid epidermodysplasia (EV) is a rare hereditary disease. The disease causes chronic skin infection by the human virus papilloma. This leads to the formation of polymorphic skin lesions, such as warts, nodules and small skin pads. These lesions have a high probability of developing into a skin cancer.
The number of patients with verrucal epidermodysplasia is uncertain.

To date, little more than 200 cases are known, but the exact prevalence is unknown. According to scientific literature, illness occurs during childhood and much more rarely in neonatal times. 61.5% of the known cases occurred during the first years of life, 22% during puberty and 7.5% in the first few months of life.

The first symptom is the appearance of vertebral papules, followed by the irregular plaques. The lesions are hyperpigmented or hypopigmented, brown-reddish and similar to the bark of a tree. They appear on all skin areas exposed to the sole, then on the trunk, neck, face and back of hands and feet.
The lesions are derived from the papilloma virus subtypes, which in 30-60% of cases develop into skin cancers. The tumors are different from the most common melanoma and form carcinomas and squamous cells, similar to real tree branches. They are often localized tumors, which rarely form metastases.

To date there is no resolving therapy for verrucid epidermodysplasia. In the few cases detected, cryotherapy and topical use of immunomodulators are performed. It is also important that subjects avoid exposure to the sun as much as possible to reduce the risk of cancer. In the case of highly developed tumors, doctors are surgically eliminated.