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According to scientists on Tuesday, a new strain of Omicron XBB.1.5 has caused alarm in several nations, including India, where cases of it have been documented. It has the potential to infect even those who have had vaccinations. The National IMA Covid task force’s co-chairman, Dr. Rajeev Jayadevan, claims that XBB.1.5 is an improved variant of XBB, a recombinant sub-lineage of Omicron that was discovered a few months ago in several nations, including Singapore and afterwards in India.

“XBB.1.5 has a greater ability to attach itself to the human ACE-2 receptor while retaining the outstanding immune evasiveness of its ancestor,” he said. Dr. Jayadevan went on to say that this variety can infect people who have already had an illness or have even received vaccinations.

“Immune evasiveness is the ability of the virus to infect people who had prior infection or vaccination or both. XBB.1.5 achieved this by creating a rare type of mutation called F486P, located in its RBD (receptor binding domain). It is not known whether it causes more severe diseases. Experts believe it is unlikely to do so,” the expert said.

He said that further research is necessary to determine whether the virus’s continuous genetic mutations also give rise to more serious diseases. “The latest genomic surveillance data from India show XBB accounts for 20 per cent, while the older variant BA.2.75 is still dominant. This landscape could change,” he said.

When asked about the number of XBB.1.5 cases reported worldwide, Dr. Pragya Yadav, Senior Scientist, NIV-Pune, ICMR, tweeted, “The USA has the highest count while India has 1 case which was reported on December 24, 2022, from Gujarat. Country XBB.1.5: Netherlands 10, Denmark 8, Switzerland 6, Australia 5, Austria 4, United States 1357, Canada 24, France 15, Israel 13, Canada 24, France 15, and the United Kingdom 3.

According to a research done in California jails, recent immunisation and boosters lower infectiousness, but the chance of infection is still high. Researchers at UC San Francisco discovered that vaccination and boosting, particularly when recent, helped to stop the spread of COVID-19 in California prisons during the first Omicron wave. The study looked at transmission between persons living in the same cell. Even in circumstances where many individuals are still becoming sick, the study shows the benefits of vaccination and boosters in reducing the transmission. It also shows the cumulative effects of boosting and the extra protection that immunisation provides individuals who have previously developed the illness.

With each extra dose, the chance of transmission decreased by 11 per cent.
“A lot of the benefits of vaccines to reduce infectiousness were from people who had received boosters and people who had been recently vaccinated,” said Nathan Lo, MD, PhD, a faculty research fellow in the Division of HIV, Infectious Diseases and Global Medicine at UCSF and the senior author of the study in Nature Medicine. “Our findings are particularly relevant to improving health for the incarcerated population.”

Data that had been deidentified and gathered by the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation was examined by the researchers (CDCR). This includes information for 1,11,687 residents—97% of whom were male—between December 15, 2021, and May 20, 2022, including COVID-19 test results, vaccination status, and housing locations.

Despite the locals’ comparatively high immunisation coverage of 81 percent with the first vaccine series, breakthrough infections were frequent. However, there were not many major illnesses. There were 31 hospitalisations, 22,334 confirmed SARS-CoV-2 Omicron infections, and no COVID-19 deaths in a little more than five months. People who had received vaccinations were substantially less likely to spread breakthrough illnesses than residents who had not: 28% vs 36%.

But for every five weeks that passed since a person received their previous vaccination, the risk of transmission increased by 6%. The chance of spreading the virus was 23% for someone who was reinfected compared to 33% for someone who had never been infected due to natural immunity from a past infection.
Those who had acquired hybrid immunity from both infection and vaccination were 40% less likely to spread the disease. The immunity that one develops from battling infections provided half of the protection, while vaccinations provided the other half.

However, they were taken aback by how quickly the virus spread despite the inhabitants’ relatively high vaccination rates. The researchers stated they were pleased to observe that immunisation gives further protection even for people who have previously been sick.
According to Sophia Tan, a researcher in Lo’s group and the study’s first author, “There is still a significant degree of transmission in our study, regardless of the benefits you observe in vaccine and prior infection.” We believe that these results will help sustain continued efforts to safeguard this vulnerable group.
The prison staff’s vaccination rate should also be raised, as only 73% of them had gotten the primary series at the time of the research. This includes making an attempt to keep residents up to date with booster shots.

Additionally, the overall rate of boosting might be markedly increased. Only 59% of residents and 41% of staff had received all the dosages advised by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), depending on their age and health condition, at the time of the research.

According to Lo, “people are least contagious two months after immunisation, suggesting that booster shots and widely spread scheduled vaccination programmes may help limit transmission in surges.” Since the danger of infection in this vulnerable group is still so high, new solutions are required.

Women’s capacity to utilise fat as a fuel source is considered to be impaired by the oestrogen deficit that occurs after menopause. The pace at which middle-aged women are able to use fat at rest or during activity is not clearly determined by menopausal status or blood oestrogen levels, according to a study done at the Faculty of Sport and Health Sciences of the University of Jyvaskyla. Better glucose tolerance was not associated with higher fat consumption.
Estrogen is thought to be a hormone that encourages fat burning. Elevated oestrogen levels after menopause. Because of the consequent oestrogen deficit, women may be less able to utilise fat for energy, which might result in weight gain and metabolic health issues.

Hormone replacement treatment can raise oestrogen levels (HRT). According to a study from the University of Jyvaskyla, menopause’s impact on fat metabolism is probably negligible in comparison to dietary status or physical fitness. Energy balance served as the main driver when the rate of fat oxidation was assessed at rest following an overnight fast. Fat was consumed more quickly by women whose calorie intake was less than their energy expenditure. Blood fatty acid and ketone levels were also greater, which was a sign of enhanced fat utilisation. Postmenopausal women did not utilise fat any differently from women who were either using hormone replacement therapy (HRT) or were not yet at menopause.

“This was an expected result. Women burn fat also after menopause if their energy intake is less than their expenditure,” says Doctoral Researcher Jari Karppinen.

Using a bicycle, the peak fat utilisation rate was determined. Women with the greatest levels of physical activity and fitness had the highest rates. Women who had had menopause or taken HRT did not vary from postmenopausal women in any way.

“If you want to improve the ability to burn fat during exercise, focus on improving your fitness with endurance training,” Karppinen continues. “In this case, you do not need to worry about menopause that much. Previous research has shown that the ability to burn fat while exercising improves with training even after menopause.”

The study also investigated the relationship between increased fat consumption and improved glucose tolerance. The outcomes were fairly unexpected. During a later glucose tolerance test, blood glucose and insulin levels increased more in the women who burned fat more quickly when at rest. Peak fat consumption during exercise was higher, but this did not imply improved glucose tolerance.

“This finding can be explained by basic physiology,” Karppinen says. “When you use more fat at rest as an energy source, eating carbohydrates may raise your blood glucose levels more. The body is momentarily tuned to use more fat.”

The popular diet right now is the ketogenic diet. Its success in helping people lose weight is promoted by the idea that when someone sticks to the diet, their bodies start to burn more fat from internal sources.

“This is a common misunderstanding,” Karppinen emphasizes. “A high-fat diet indeed raises the total amount of fat used in energy production. However, this is due to increased fat intake and does not mean that you suddenly begin to shed more body fat. When energy intake is less than energy expenditure, the weight drops similarly regardless of diet macronutrient distribution.”

Today marks the formal start of the new year and the end of 2022. While the 365 days of 2023 will present us with a variety of options, some of us must feel renewed and refreshed, while others may still be feeling a little bloated from all the food, alcohol, and partying that took place on New Year’s eve.

This time of year, party fun and revelry are unmissable, as are the accompanying exhaustion and confusion. When the music stops and the lights go out, our body needs a classic detox session to unwind and return to a healthier condition. Take heart.

Here are 5 foods you may eat to detox your body after a wild night out:

WATER: If you’ve been drinking while having a good time, you’ll eventually become dehydrated. Here, water saves the day. Additionally, it will help with the digestion of all the junk food that is consumed there.

BACTERIAL DRINK: Probiotic beverages aid in the body’s detoxification of harmful substances and provide relief from hangovers, bloating, and digestion-related issues.

SUNFLOWER WATER: Coconut water, which contains electrolytes, aids in locking in the body’s water levels and relaxing the body in addition to aiding in rehydration and digestion.

EGGS: Even if you might not want to eat right away after a party, having some eggs after getting adequate rest and allowing your body to naturally produce an appetite would be incredibly healthy for your body because they support blood sugar levels.

GRAPE TEA: Ginger tea, whether with or without honey, provides immediate relief from bloating and weight gain brought on by a long night out. Ginger also lessens headaches or gastrointestinal irritation brought on by alcohol or fast food.

Autism is a neurodevelopmental illness that affects how people interact and communicate with others as well as how they perceive their environment. People with autism exhibit a wide range of personality characteristics and behavioural symptoms. The condition is so frequently referred to as a spectrum disorder with a wide range of small differences.
An explanatory model provided in a research from the University of Gothenburg has made it possible to more precisely determine how autism develops. This new model clarifies how numerous risk factors affect autism and explains why there is such broad individual diversity.

The new explanatory model is theoretical but also applicable because its many parts may be measured using tools like surveys, genetic mapping, and psychological exams. The model explains several contributing elements and how they interact to diagnose autism and lead to other neurodevelopmental problems.
Three significant components are linked by the model. Together, they provide a behavioural pattern that satisfies the requirements for an autism diagnosis:
1. Autistic personality—common genetic variations that run in families and cause autistic personalities.
2. Cognitive compensation, which includes intellect and executive skills including the ability to learn, comprehend others, and adjust to social situations.

3. Being exposed to risk factors, such as bad genetic variations, infections, and other unforeseen occurrences during pregnancy and early life that impair cognitive function.
“Although the autistic personality is linked to both cognitive abilities and weaknesses, it does not imply that the diagnostic criteria are met. However, exposure to risk factors that impair people’s cognitive ability may have an impact on how well they can handle challenges, which helps explain why some people develop autism “explains Dr. Darko Sarovic, the thesis’ author and a postdoctoral researcher at Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg.
The model makes it evident that the numerous diverse risk variables working together are what cause the significant variations between people on the spectrum.

Results from earlier studies provide support for the model’s many elements.
People with high executive functioning abilities may be able to make up for their disability in a way that lessens the symptoms, lowering their likelihood of achieving the diagnostic criteria for autism. This may help to explain why persons with autism and other neurodevelopmental problems tend to have lower levels of intellect when seen as a group, according to studies. Additionally, it helps explain why intellectual impairment is more prevalent in these populations. Therefore, the model suggests that having low cognitive capacity is not a trait of being autistic but rather a risk factor for meeting diagnostic criteria.

“The autistic personality is associated with various strengths. For example, parents of children with autism are overrepresented among engineers and mathematicians. The parents themselves have probably been able to compensate for their own autistic personality traits and thus have not met the criteria for an autism diagnosis. The impact of the disorder has then become more noticeable in their children owing, for instance, to exposure to risk factors and relatively low cognitive ability,” Sarovic says.

Boys are more likely than girls to be diagnosed with autism, while females are frequently diagnosed much later in life. Some girls experience sporadic personal problems for many years before being diagnosed as adults.

“Girls’ symptoms are frequently less obvious to outsiders. Girls are considered to have more developed social abilities than boys, which suggests that they are likely better at making up for their own shortcomings. Additionally, girls are less likely to exhibit autistic characteristics and are more resistant to the impacts of risk factors. Therefore, the model can assist in providing answers to queries regarding the gender gap “Said Sarovic.
The model also suggests methods for measuring and estimating the three elements (autistic personality, cognitive compensation and exposure to risk factors).

As a result, it is feasible to organise research investigations and evaluate the outcomes using the model. Another potential application is in diagnostics. In a pilot research with 24 individuals who had received an autism diagnosis and 22 controls who had not, evaluating the three model elements allowed more than 93% of participants to be accurately classified into the appropriate category. The concept may be used to explain how other neurodevelopmental illnesses, such schizophrenia, first appear.

Darko Sarovic continues to be connected to the Gillberg Neuropsychiatry Centre at the University of Gothenburg in Sweden while working as a postdoctoral research fellow at Harvard Medical School in Boston, Massachusetts. Title: Development of Theoretical Models, Classification Methods, and Biomarkers in a Multimodal Approach to Biological Categorization of Autism.