Category: Bulletins - Sci-Tech Bulletin

How Household Activities Increase Propylene Exposure upto 30 times

Propylene exposure above 1500 ppmv (as per Protective Action Criteria) from the residential sources such tobacco, wood combustion, cleaning agents and air fresheners are the largest contributors of acute health effects like dizziness, lightheadedness, headaches, nausea, eye irritation and respiratory discomfort. Severe exposure may also lead to central nervous system (CNS) toxicity, hyperosmolarity, hemolysis, cardiac arrhythmia, seizures, agitation, and lactic acidosis, especially in children. Indoor smoking is the largest contributor to rise the propylene levels up to 30 times and major source for individuals without occupational exposure.

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Suramin identified as a promising drug against Nipah Virus

Suramin, known for curing sleeping sickness and river blindness has been identified as a potent inhibitor of Nipah Virus (NiV) replication. At 100 µM, suramin completely abolishes the de novo RNA synthesis in NiV by binding within the NTP entry channel of the viral L protein, forming strong interactions with key conserved residues E291, K542, R551, K724, N833, and K893. By occupying this channel, the drug blocks the entry of nucleotide substrates into the active site, thereby preventing RNA synthesis n both biochemical assays and kidney cell–based systems.

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Cryo-electron microscopy reveals the structure of Nipah virus replication machinery

Study conducted by scientist at The Hormel Institute, University of Minnesota revealed the 2.9-Å cryo-electron microscopy structure of the Nipah virus L–P polymerase complexes. The L protein complex consists of conserved N-terminal domain, RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp), and GDP poly ribonucleotidyltransferase while the P protein complex consists of central oligomerization domain and the C-terminal X domain. These interact using the flexible antiparallel β-sheets domain of the P protomers and the fingers subdomain of RdRp forming a tetrameric organization crucial for replication and transcription mechanisms of the virus.

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Nipah Virus–Pseudotyped Lentiviral Vectors: A Promising Strategy for Precision Gene Therapy

Engineered Nipah virus glycoproteins pseudotyped onto lentiviral vectors enable highly selective and efficient gene delivery. These vectors achieve up to 10–100-fold higher titers than measles-based systems, resist antibody neutralization, and preferentially target membrane-proximal receptors, significantly enhancing transduction efficiency and demonstrating strong potential for targeted gene therapy applications.

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How Maternal Depression Impacts Teen Academic Success

Study found that postnatal depression among women increase risk of their children not performing well academically by 1.5 times. Maternal depression after delivery affects child’s attention by 16% while maternal anxiety during pregnancy affects the cognitive memory of the child by 17%.

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NanoLuc Biosensor Technology Offering a simple & rapid detection of Nipah virus infection

NanoLuc technology developed using a split NanoLuc biosensor, enables simple mix-and-read detection of Nipah virus antibodies. The biosensor is 98.6 sensitive and 100% specific for detecting IgG antibodies in Nipah virus infected patients. The NanoLuc Biosensor thus offers a fast, sensitive, and scalable approach for serological surveillance and retrospective analysis of the deadliest viral infections

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Drug VV116 New Hope in the Fight Against Nipah Virus

Scientist have identified the VV116 as a drug to control growth of Nipah virus and prevent development of acute encephalitis. At an effective dose of 400mg/kg in humans, the virus demonstrated favourable pharmacokinetics, minimal tissue damage and improved survival rates of 67%, VV116 is suggested as an effective oral therapeutic candidate against Nipah virus.

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A Bacteria That Destroy Plastics A Sustainable Solution to PET Pollution

Scientists have discovered strains of Ideonella sakaiensis that can degrade polyethylene terephthalate (PET), a plastic commonly used in beverage bottles, packaging containers, and synthetic fibres. These bacteria utilize the enzymes PETase and MHETase to degrade PET as its major energy and carbon source, achieving 100-fold efficiency at room temperatures within approximately 6 weeks.

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Your Breath Could Reveal Cancer: How AI Is Changing Early Detection

A breath analyzer based on a hierarchical deep convolutional neural network (HD-CNN) framework can detect and classify cancer subtypes with accuracies of 95.1% and 98.1% for lung and gastric cancers, respectively. The sensor array within the device detects volatile organic compounds present in the breath of cancer patients and converts these signals into digital data for analysis.

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Preclinical Screening of T-Cell Therapies

Preclinical screening strategy for T-cell therapies, developed by Sanderson and colleagues at the (Adaptimmune (ADAPY), provides a comprehensive framework to evaluate the safety and efficacy of T-cell therapies like CAR-T and SPEAR- T therapies, helping to minimize the unexpected toxicities before advancing engineered T cells into human trials.

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