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Researchers studying the Northern Finland Birth Cohort 1966 found that elevated blood pressure during pregnancy, regardless of type and even without known risk factors, signals high risk of later cardiovascular disease, chronic kidney disease, and diabetes.

Clinical monitoring, risk factor evaluation, and early intervention could benefit women with hypertension in pregnancy.

Canadian scientists used new high-throughput gene sequencing technology to
characterize the gut microbiota of 24 healthy infants from the CHILD birth cohort.

DNA sequencing allowed bacteria that are difficult to culture to be included in the survey. There were significant differences in bacterial species between infants, especially those who were formula-fed or born by cesarean delivery. Although any antibiotic use was recorded for most patients, the small sample size made it difficult to investigate how antibiotics may have influenced the differences observed.

Britain’s HPA has reported a second novel coronavirus case in the UK, the 10th worldwide.

The novel coronavirus is similar to the virus that caused SARS and also causes severe respiratory illness.

The 10 cases identified so far have all been in people who lived in, or who had recently travelled to, the Middle East or Pakistan.

Scientists at Caltech have used 4D electron microscopy to visualize the biomechanics of DNA.

DNA was made to vibrate with a laser pulse and then probed with electron pulses to observe the specimen in space and time, revealing the natural resonant frequency. With selective nanocutting, it was possible to determine the stiffness of the DNA filament at different points.

Pictures and a summary of the research are available from Caltech, along with details of the 4D electron microscope.

Researchers at OSU have identified a negative feedback loop that regulates innate immune function through zinc metabolism in mice.

Activation of the transcription factor NF-κB is essential for innate immune function and requires strict regulation. The micronutrient zinc modulates proper host defense, and zinc deficiency is associated with elevated inflammation and worse outcomes in response to bacterial infection and sepsis.

Daren Knoell, senior author of the study and a professor of pharmacy and internal medicine at Ohio State, said:

“Without zinc on board to begin with, it could increase vulnerability to infection. But our work is focused on what happens once you get an infection – if you are deficient in zinc you are at a disadvantage because your defense system is amplified, and inappropriately so.

The benefit to health is explicit: Zinc is beneficial because it stops the action of a protein, ultimately preventing excess inflammation.”

Meta-analyses by the CREAM identified multiple new genes associated with refractive error and myopia.

Up to 30% of Western populations and 80% of Asians are short sighted. The genome-wide meta-analyses included over 37000 people from 27 studies of European ancestry and over 8000 from 5 Asian cohorts. 16 mutations that may be responsible for myopia were identified, in genes with functions in neurotransmission, ion transport, retinoic acid metabolism, extracellular matrix remodelling, and eye development.