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A standard parasite may ship medicine to the mind— turning Toxoplasma gondii from foe into pal – NanoApps Medical – Official web site

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A standard parasite may ship medicine to the mind— turning Toxoplasma gondii from foe into pal – NanoApps Medical – Official web site


Parasites take an infinite toll on human and veterinary well being. However researchers could have discovered a manner for sufferers with mind problems and a standard mind parasite to turn out to be frenemies.

A brand new examine printed in Nature Microbiology has pioneered using a single-celled parasite, Toxoplasma gondii, to inject  into mind cells. The mind may be very choosy about what it permits, together with many medicine, which limits  for neurological circumstances.

As a professor of microbiology, I’ve devoted my profession to discovering methods to kill harmful parasites comparable to Toxoplasma. I’m fascinated by the prospect that we might be able to use their weaponry to as a substitute deal with different maladies.

Microbes as drugs

Ever since scientists realized that microscopic organisms may cause sickness—what’s known as the Nineteenth-century germ idea of illness—humanity has been on a quest to maintain infectious brokers out of our our bodies. Many individuals’s comprehensible aversion to germs could make the concept of adapting these microbial adversaries for therapeutic functions appear counterintuitive.

However stopping and treating illness by co-opting the very microbes that threaten us has a historical past that lengthy predates germ idea. As early because the 1500s, individuals within the Center East and Asia famous that these fortunate sufficient to outlive smallpox by no means bought contaminated once more. These observations led to the observe of purposefully exposing an uninfected particular person to the fabric from an contaminated particular person’s pus-filled sores—which unbeknownst to them contained weakened —to guard them from extreme illness.

This idea of inoculation has yielded a plethora of vaccines which have saved numerous lives.

Viruses, micro organism and parasites have additionally developed many methods to penetrate organs such because the mind and may very well be retooled to ship medicine into the physique. Such makes use of may embrace viruses for gene remedy and intestinal micro organism to deal with a intestine an infection often called C. diff.

Why can’t we simply take a tablet for mind ailments?

Capsules provide a handy and efficient approach to get drugs into the physique. Chemical medicine comparable to aspirin or penicillin are small and simply absorbed from the intestine into the bloodstream.

Biologic medicine comparable to insulin or semaglutide, alternatively, are massive and sophisticated molecules which are weak to breaking down within the abdomen earlier than they are often absorbed. They’re additionally too huge to cross via the intestinal wall into the bloodstream.

All medicine, particularly biologics, have nice issue penetrating the mind as a result of blood-brain barrier. The blood-brain barrier is a layer of cells lining the mind’s blood vessels that acts like a gatekeeper to dam germs and different undesirable substances from having access to neurons.

Toxoplasma provides supply service to mind cells

Toxoplasma parasites infect all animals, together with people. An infection can happen in a number of methods, together with ingesting spores launched within the stool of contaminated cats or consuming contaminated meat or water. Toxoplasmosis in in any other case wholesome individuals produces solely gentle signs however might be severe in immunocompromised individuals and to gestating fetusus.

In contrast to most pathogens, Toxoplasma can cross the  and invade mind cells. As soon as inside neurons, the parasite releases a set of proteins that alter gene expression in its host, which can be an element within the behavioral modifications it causes in contaminated animals and other people.

In a brand new examine, a worldwide workforce of researchers hijacked the system Toxoplasma makes use of to secrete proteins into its host cell. The workforce genetically engineered Toxoplasma to make a hybrid protein, fusing one among its secreted proteins to a protein known as MeCP2, which regulates gene exercise within the mind—in impact, giving the MeCP2 a piggyback trip into neurons. Researchers discovered that the parasites secreted the MeCP2 protein hybrid into neurons grown in a petri dish in addition to within the brains of contaminated mice.

A genetic deficiency in MECP2 causes a uncommon mind improvement dysfunction known as Rett syndrome. Gene remedy trials utilizing viruses to ship the MeCP2 protein to deal with Rett syndrome are underway. If Toxoplasma can ship a type of MeCP2  into mind cells, it might present one other choice to deal with this at present incurable situation. It additionally could provide one other remedy possibility for different neurological issues that come up from errant proteins, comparable to Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s illness.

The lengthy highway forward

The highway from laboratory bench to bedside is lengthy and stuffed with obstacles, so don’t count on to see engineered Toxoplasma within the clinic anytime quickly.

The plain complication in utilizing Toxoplasma for medical functions is that it could produce a severe, lifelong an infection that’s at present incurable. Infecting somebody with Toxoplasma can harm essential organ techniques, together with the mind, eyes and coronary heart.

Nevertheless, as much as one-third of individuals worldwide at present carry Toxoplasma of their mind, apparently with out incident. Rising research have correlated an infection with elevated threat of schizophrenia, rage dysfunction and recklessness, hinting that this quiet an infection could also be predisposing some individuals to severe neurological issues.

The widespread prevalence of Toxoplasma infections might also be one other complication, because it disqualifies many individuals from utilizing it for remedy. For the reason that billions of people that already carry the parasite have developed immunity towards future an infection, therapeutic types of Toxoplasma could be quickly destroyed by their immune techniques as soon as injected.

In some circumstances, the advantages of utilizing Toxoplasma as a drug supply system could outweigh the dangers. Engineering benign types of this parasite may produce the proteins sufferers want with out harming the organ—the mind—that defines who we’re.

Canada Inexperienced Buildings Technique a optimistic, partial step ahead for cleaner development and decrease power payments

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Canada Inexperienced Buildings Technique a optimistic, partial step ahead for cleaner development and decrease power payments


Photograph by: By EE Picture Database through Flickr (CC BY-NC 2.0)

TORONTO — Ollie Sheldrick, program supervisor at Clear Power Canada, made the next assertion in response to the federal authorities’s Canada Inexperienced Buildings Technique.

“As we speak’s launch of the federal authorities’s Canada Inexperienced Buildings Technique exhibits a transparent understanding of the important thing priorities wanted to assist affordability-constrained Canadians and our altering local weather. In some areas, nonetheless, it additionally lacks an implementation plan to fulfill the second.

“It’s encouraging to see a dedication to transitioning away from one-way air conditioners towards warmth pumps in addition to to part out costly and closely polluting oil heating techniques. However in each circumstances, the tempo of change is simply too sluggish and readability over how these efforts might be achieved is missing on this technique.

“In 2024, we shouldn’t be setting up any new buildings with oil heating specifically. It’s costly to run and can go away householders quickly stranded with out-of-date expertise and an avoidable retrofit price within the close to future.

“The brand new Greener Properties Affordability Program is a much-needed substitute for the Greener Properties Grant, which was wrapped up firstly of the yr, and can assist many low-to-median-income households reap the advantages and financial savings of fresh power retrofits.

“It’s additionally thrilling to see Canada be a part of different main international locations by advancing house power labeling, which helps households perceive the power prices and carbon footprint of a house they’re shopping for. Getting this applied as quickly as attainable is essential, in addition to increasing the rollout of power labels to rental models. Each house power labeling and the Greener Properties Affordability Program will even present job alternatives for inexperienced constructing staff, a lot of whom confronted an unsure future after the earlier Greener Properties Grant program closed.

“Lastly, we welcome the technique’s Purchase Clear chapter. Purchase Clear—the setting of presidency procurement insurance policies to incentivise and require the usage of low-carbon constructing supplies—is an strategy that, if wielded totally, would maximize the federal government’s return on its industrial decarbonization investments, stage the enjoying discipline with the U.S., and assist Canadian jobs.

“The chapter builds on the necessities for federal departments and crown firms introduced as a part of the Greening Authorities Technique to date. The dedication to use measures to reveal and cut back embodied carbon in future infrastructure spending applications is a very essential step that can broaden the affect of Purchase Clear, and is complemented by commitments to fund pilot initiatives and broaden the low-carbon supplies database to extend consciousness of fresh materials choices. However whereas the chapter combines quite a lot of optimistic present and new measures, clearer and extra bold actions would have seen additional alternatives unlocked for Canadian producers and builders and higher aligned us with Purchase Clear within the U.S.

“This authorities plans to construct 3.87 million properties by 2030 and retrofit thousands and thousands extra. With the proper insurance policies in place, we will construct these properties with a smaller carbon footprint, extra Canadian supplies, and in the end decrease power payments for the individuals who stay in them. The Canada Inexperienced Buildings Technique is a optimistic—if incomplete—step towards this future.”

KEY FACTS

  • Gas oil is the least environment friendly, costliest, and most polluting supply of constructing warmth in Canada. Effectivity Canada estimates that households throughout Canada may save over $4,000 per yr by heating with a chilly local weather warmth supply as an alternative of gasoline oil.
  • In a cross-Canada evaluation, the Canadian Local weather Institute discovered that usually, warmth pumps present cheaper heating and cooling than gasoline and air-con.
  • Warmth pump gross sales overtook gasoline furnace gross sales within the U.S. in 2022, that means warmth pumps are already the popular new heating supply in U.S. buildings.
  • By procuring development merchandise with a decrease carbon footprint, governments can successfully assist a large marketplace for clear constructing merchandise—an strategy referred to as Purchase Clear. By introducing an bold and really nationwide Purchase Clear coverage that spans all ranges of presidency, Canada may keep away from as much as 4 million tonnes of emissions by 2030 whereas supporting Canadian producers and staff.
  • Canada’s Housing Plan goals to construct 3.87 million new properties by 2030. That development alone may lock in 728 megatonnes of emissions (greater than a yr’s value of Canada’s complete emissions). The typical Canadian house development embodied 188 tonnes of emissions in 2018, over a 3rd of which had been imported emissions (primarily from China, the U.S., and India).
  • Seventy-eight p.c of Canadians imagine housing have to be inbuilt a method that minimizes air pollution, in line with an Abacus Information ballot carried out for the Job Power for Housing and Local weather.

RESOURCES

Report | Cash Talks 

Report | Constructing Success: Implementing Efficient Purchase Clear Insurance policies



ios – SwiftUI customized Binding inflicting sudden rendering

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ios – SwiftUI customized Binding inflicting sudden rendering


Whereas investigating efficiency points in an app I am engaged on, I observed {that a} view that incorporates a customized binding will all the time be rendered when its father or mother is rendered, even when the state that triggered the father or mother to render has nothing to do with the binding itself. Instance beneath:

struct Father or mother: View {
    @State var textual content = "textual content"
    @State var bool = false

    var physique: some View {
        let _ = Self._printChanges()
        VStack {
            CustomBindingChild(worth: Binding(
                get: {
                    textual content
                },
                set: { newValue in
                    textual content = newValue
                }
            ))
            BindingChild(worth: $textual content)
            Button("Toggle bool") {
                bool.toggle()
            }
            Button("Change textual content") {
                textual content = textual content == "textual content" ? "textual content 2" : "textual content"
            }
        }
    }
}

struct CustomBindingChild: View {
    @Binding var worth: String

    var physique: some View {
        let _ = Self._printChanges()
        Textual content(worth)
    }
}

struct BindingChild: View {
    @Binding var worth: String

    var physique: some View {
        let _ = Self._printChanges()
        Textual content(worth)
    }
}

With the setup above, in the event you faucet the “Change textual content” button all three views are printed, as I’d count on. In the event you faucet the “Toggle bool” button, then again, the father or mother view and the customized binding view are printed and I count on solely the father or mother to take action.
To avoid this problem I created my very own implementation of what I am calling a StableBinding:

@propertyWrapper
struct StableBinding: Equatable {
    typealias Getter = () -> Worth
    typealias Setter = (Worth) -> Void

    personal var getter: Getter
    personal var setter: Setter

    var wrappedValue: Worth {
        get { return getter() }
        nonmutating set { self.setter(newValue) }
    }

    var projectedValue: Self { self }

    init(get: @escaping Getter, set: @escaping Setter) {
        self.getter = get
        self.setter = set
    }

    init(_ binding: Binding) {
        self.getter = { binding.wrappedValue }
        self.setter = { newValue in
            binding.wrappedValue = newValue
        }
    }

    static func == (lhs: StableBinding, rhs: StableBinding) -> Bool {
        lhs.getter() == rhs.getter()
    }
}

The truth that it implements the Equatable protocol ensures that it does not trigger the view that is utilizing it to be rendered each time it is evaluated.
My questions are two:

  1. Is there a purpose behind Swift’s customized binding behaves like this?
  2. Is there an issue in my strategy? I’ve examined it and could not discover any however it will be actually disappointing to search out out that I missed one thing apparent after it hits manufacturing.

Apple Podcasts follows Maps’ lead by coming to your internet browser

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Apple Podcasts follows Maps’ lead by coming to your internet browser


Apple Podcasts has adopted Apple Maps by providing an internet model, permitting customers to subscribe and take heed to their favourite exhibits inside an internet browser.

Introduced on August 19, the online model of Apple Podcasts is offered on all internet browsers, resembling Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, and Microsoft Edge, in 170 international locations. You don’t want an Apple Account to make use of the online app, you possibly can seek for a present and take heed to an episode in seconds. Nonetheless, should you do register along with your Apple Account, your beforehand subscribed exhibits and play progress can be synced to the online app.



Google On-line Safety Weblog: Digital Escape; Actual Reward: Introducing Google’s kvmCTF

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Google On-line Safety Weblog: Digital Escape; Actual Reward: Introducing Google’s kvmCTF


Google is dedicated to enhancing the safety of open-source applied sciences, particularly those who make up the muse for a lot of of our merchandise, like Linux and KVM. To this finish we’re excited to announce the launch of kvmCTF, a vulnerability reward program (VRP) for the Kernel-based Digital Machine (KVM) hypervisor first introduced in October 2023.

KVM is a strong hypervisor with over 15 years of open-source improvement and is broadly used all through the buyer and enterprise panorama, together with platforms akin to Android and Google Cloud. Google is an energetic contributor to the venture and we designed kvmCTF as a collaborative manner to assist establish & remediate vulnerabilities and additional harden this elementary safety boundary. 

Much like kernelCTF, kvmCTF is a vulnerability reward program designed to assist establish and handle vulnerabilities within the Kernel-based Digital Machine (KVM) hypervisor. It presents a lab surroundings the place members can log in and make the most of their exploits to acquire flags. Considerably, in kvmCTF the main focus is on zero day vulnerabilities and in consequence, we is not going to be rewarding exploits that use n-days vulnerabilities. Particulars relating to the  zero day vulnerability will likely be shared with Google after an upstream patch is launched to make sure that Google obtains them concurrently the remainder of the open-source neighborhood.  Moreover, kvmCTF makes use of the Google Naked Steel Answer (BMS) surroundings to host its infrastructure. Lastly, given how vital a hypervisor is to total system safety, kvmCTF will reward varied ranges of vulnerabilities as much as and together with code execution and VM escape.

The way it works

The surroundings consists of a naked metallic host operating a single visitor VM. Contributors will be capable to reserve time slots to entry the visitor VM and try to carry out a guest-to-host assault. The aim of the assault should be to use a zero day vulnerability within the KVM subsystem of the host kernel. If profitable, the attacker will get hold of a flag that proves their accomplishment in exploiting the vulnerability. The severity of the assault will decide the reward quantity, which will likely be primarily based on the reward tier system defined under. All experiences will likely be totally evaluated on a case-by-case foundation.

The rewards tiers are the next:

  • Full VM escape: $250,000

  • Arbitrary reminiscence write: $100,000

  • Arbitrary reminiscence learn: $50,000

  • Relative reminiscence write: $50,000

  • Denial of service: $20,000

  • Relative reminiscence learn: $10,000

To facilitate the relative reminiscence write/learn tiers and partly the denial of service, kvmCTF presents the choice of utilizing a bunch with KASAN enabled. In that case, triggering a KASAN violation will enable the participant to acquire a flag as proof.

The right way to take part

To start, begin by studying the guidelines of this system. There you will discover data on methods to reserve a time slot, hook up with the visitor and acquire the flags, the mapping of the assorted KASAN violations with the reward tiers and directions on methods to report a vulnerability, ship us your submission, or contact us on Discord.

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