Latest news with #EECs
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Health
- Yahoo
Something Inside Your Gut Could Be Like a Natural Ozempic
Ozempic and drugs like it have done wonders for weight loss by mimicking the natural hormone GLP-1 (glucagon-like peptide-1), which helps control blood sugar and appetite. Now a new study shows how gut microbe byproducts could have the same effect. Enteroendocrine cells (EECs) in the gut are responsible for producing natural GLP-1, and recent research has suggested a reduced number of EECs and lower GLP-1 production could be helping to drive obesity. Using tests on rats and mini-guts grown in the lab (known as organoids), researchers from Marshall University in the US have now confirmed a link between fewer EECs and obesity – and found a way to get the gut to make up the shortfall. Related: "This points to a potential therapeutic strategy that leverages the gut microbes to improve metabolic outcomes in obesity," says biochemist Alip Borthakur of the Department of Clinical & Translational Sciences at Marshall University. The researchers turned to supplements of the amino acid tryptophan to fix the EEC problem. Tryptophan was already known to promote good gut health, in part through a metabolite (or biological byproduct) called indole. What the team was able to show in their work was that tryptophan and indole could form a production line to generate new EECs, and from there, more GLP-1. In other words, it promoted a more natural way of getting the same effect as a dose of Ozempic. Tryptophan is found in foods such as poultry, eggs, cheese, and certain seeds, and the thinking is that dietary supplements or probiotics of some kind could be used to drop the amino acid into the gut and start the necessary chemical chain reaction. "Our findings suggest that microbial metabolites derived from dietary tryptophan can reverse obesity-associated reductions in hormone-secreting gut cells," says Borthakur. The researchers were also able to identify a specific cell receptor, the aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR), through which this process occurs. That gives researchers a particular target to aim at. Actual treatments are still a long way off, but these initial findings are promising. Ozempic is one of a class of drugs known as GLP-1 receptor antagonists, used to treat type 2 diabetes as well as obesity. However, these treatments do come with side effects, and it would be preferable for our bodies to produce GLP-1 more naturally. That's part of the motivation for studies like this. In recent years, other teams of scientists have identified ways to tweak gut bacteria and adapt our diets to try and boost GLP-1 production in the body. One of the next steps will be to move these experiments out of rats and organoids and into actual human beings. While the lab tests carried out here do of course provide useful pointers for researchers, the processes and reactions inside people could vary in certain ways – which further studies can look into. "The molecular players and signaling pathways involved in the regulation of EEC differentiation could be different in the normal and obese conditions," write the researchers in their published paper. The research has been published in the International Journal of Molecular Sciences. Related News New Vaccine For Two Deadly Cancers Shows Promise in Clinical Trial Scientists Identify How Young Blood Reverses Aging in Human Skin Cells Vegetarian Diets Can Slash Cancer Risk by Up to 45%, Large Study Finds Solve the daily Crossword
Time of India
16-06-2025
- General
- Time of India
Air India Crash: Did an electrical failure doom the Dreamliner as both engines failed mid-air?
Three days after the deadly crash of the Air India Express Dreamliner in Ahmedabad—an accident that killed 272 people—the aviation world is still grappling with one burning question: what caused a modern, twin-engine jet to stall and crash just 32 seconds after take-off began? The lone survivor and another pilot on the ground reported hearing a loud boom during take-off, leading experts to suspect a possible engine failure, reported TOI. While losing one engine isn't usually disastrous—modern jets can safely take off, climb, and return on a single engine—what followed defies the norm. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Jesus' Tomb Is Opened And Scientists Find Something Unbelievable Novelodge Did the second engine also fail? If not, what else could have triggered the sudden crash? A rare and puzzling event Live Events Twin-engine failures are extremely rare—only seven such cases have been recorded globally in over 70 years. Past causes include bird strikes (like the "Miracle on the Hudson" in 2009), shutting down the wrong engine (as with British Midland in 1989), or fuel contamination. But in this case, a bird strike has already been ruled out, noted the report. What makes this crash particularly unusual is the aircraft involved: the Boeing 787 Dreamliner—a "more-electric" jet designed to save fuel and reduce maintenance by replacing many traditional systems with electric ones. This shift makes the ongoing investigation unprecedented. Is this a one-off glitch, or does it expose a design flaw in one of the world's most advanced planes? According to the news outlet, a senior 787 pilot said it's likely one engine partially or completely shut down after the boom. But with one engine still working, why didn't the aircraft climb and return? One theory is that the pilots were startled by the sound and forgot to retract the landing gear, increasing drag. Another suggests that the co-pilot may have mistakenly retracted the wing flaps instead of the landing gear—though even that shouldn't have been fatal with one engine still functioning. Did the plane lose all power? Some senior pilots believe both engines failed moments after lift-off, which would explain why the landing gear was never retracted, TOI noted. One possible cause: failure of Variable Frequency Starter Generators (VFSGs)—key components that provide electric power and start the engines. If they failed, they could have knocked out the Electronic Engine Controls (EECs), essentially the jet's "throttle computers." Without them, the engines may have dropped to idle power, leaving the pilots unable to increase thrust. Worse, if both engines and the Auxiliary Power Unit (APU) were disconnected from the electrical system, the EECs would stop working altogether. While APU can act as a backup, it takes about 90 seconds to spool up and provide support—far more time than the 32 seconds the plane had before crashing. In short: even if pilots called for help, there wasn't enough time for backup systems to kick in. Interestingly, there's some speculation that the Ram Air Turbine (RAT)—a small emergency wind turbine that pops out to provide basic power—was deployed. Some pilots say a dark blur in crash footage could be the RAT, which would only appear if all main power sources had failed. Unlike the APU, though, the RAT doesn't produce enough power to safely fly or land a plane—only to operate bare-minimum systems. Weight, thrust, and possible mistakes Other theories focus on human error and aircraft weight. Captain Amit Singh, an air safety expert, suspects the aircraft may have been overloaded—possibly with cargo. TOI further reported that if the actual weight was more than what the pilots had entered into the system, it could explain the longer take-off roll and why the plane couldn't maintain altitude after losing an engine. Another senior pilot speculated that the crew might have mistakenly entered only the aircraft's "zero fuel weight"—excluding the 50–60 tons of fuel onboard. That would have led to lower thrust settings during take-off, which, when paired with an engine failure, could have proved disastrous. But others pushed back on that idea. A B787 commander argued that the aircraft's weight sensors—linked to the landing gear—would have alerted the pilots if their inputs were significantly off. Regardless, one fact appears increasingly clear: at least one of the two engines wasn't producing thrust when the plane hit the ground. Photos from the crash site show no fan blade damage or casing breaches on one engine, which experts say suggests it was either shut down, flamed out, or idling. Some have floated the idea that the wrong engine was shut down—but that action typically happens at around 400 feet of altitude, and the plane never got that high. What's next? The investigation is now focusing on the electrical systems and engine response—especially the role of the VFSGs, EECs, and whether the APU had time to engage. Sabotage has already been ruled out by the National Security Guard, shifting attention to potential maintenance lapses and design vulnerabilities. The Dreamliner is packed with cutting-edge tech, including: Four Variable Frequency Starter Generators (VFSGs) on the engines Two APU Starter Generators (ASGs) for emergency backup A Ram Air Turbine (RAT) for last-resort power Two lithium-ion batteries, including one for backup flight controls If the cause turns out to be a systems glitch or design weakness, this crash could reshape how these high-tech aircraft are flown and maintained worldwide
