Hope for autistic mice

Oxytocin, it seems, may have an unexpected use: as a treatment for autism in mice.

How do you diagnose an autistic mouse? If it doesn’t sniff other mice enough. (Note: This is not a reliable method for humans.) In some cases, that’s because they’re missing a particular gene (CNTNAP2), meaning some of the connections in their brains were … different.

An international team of neuroscience researchers, though, led by a Canadian, found that injecting the mice with oxytocin rewired those brain regions.

“The injection robustly activated many brain regions of the modified mice and essentially normalized the brain connectivity differences we previously found.”

So, autism cured? Not quite, but it confirms the role of both oxytocin and CNTNAP2 in brain circuitry. Next up: Testing oxytocin on mice missing different autism-related genes.

Three more months

Students, take note: President Biden has extended the pause on federal student-loan repayments from January 31 to May 1, 2022.

At least you can trust your Roomba

If you’re going to be infected with a parasitic worm, what kind is most likely to get under your skin? The kind carried by your pet dog, cat, or fish. And you can thank the good folks at UGA for that info.

Researchers at UGA’s Center for the Ecology of Infectious Diseases found that of 737 parasitic worm species, 137 can infect people. And of those, the ones that first infect Fido, Fluffy, or Bubbles are also the ones most likely to jump to you.

Is there anything you can do? Well, keep this in mind: “Everyday behaviors like playing with and feeding our pets increase opportunities for those parasites to infect people.” So your only option is apparently to lock your pet away like Weird Uncle Harold and interact as little as possible.

Easier HIV PrEP

The FDA has approved the Apretude injection for HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis. It’s given once every two months, as opposed to a daily pill.

Covid-vaccine quickies

Oxford and AstraZeneca announced that they’re working on an Omicron-specific version of their adenovirus-based Covid-19 vaccine. Their first Covid vaccine was pretty much sidelined in favor of mRNA vaccines, but no one every called an Oxfordian a quitter. As one of them bragged, “Adenovirus-based vaccines could in principle be used to respond to any new variant more rapidly than some may previously have realised.”

Sure, why not: Israel — which to be fair has been kinda leading the world in Covid-vaccine info — announced that it’s authorizing a fourth dose of mRNA vaccines for adults ages 60 and up and medical personnel. (Side note: Two months after William Shatner rode into space on a Blue Origin rocket, Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla said a fourth dose of his company’s vaccine may be needed to fight Omicron.

The army gets into it: Scientists at the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research say they’ve got a vaccine that works against all the Covid-19 variants, including Omicron — and any potential strains. It’s just finished phase 1 human trials. Instead of mRNA, this one uses (wait for it) nanoparticles.

Pfizer’s pill gets the nod

Now there’s an at-home treatment for Covid-19 … if you catch it in time, and if you can get your hands on the Paxlovid pills.

The Food and Drug Administration authorized Pfizer’s drug for adults and children ages 12 and older with a positive COVID-19 test and early symptoms who face the highest risks of hospitalization.

Western guts weaken diabetes med

Got patients taking acarbose for diabetes? It may not work, or work well. Why not? Gut bacteria. It turns out (per Princeton molecular biologists) “that some bacteria in the mouth and gut can inactivate acarbose and potentially affect the clinical performance of the drug.”

Here comes the science: Some bacteria — including the kind that produce acarbose — produce an antidote to acarbose. If any of those bacteria are in the gut … well, you see the problem.

Yet more science: Acarbose isn’t used much in the U.S., but it’s more popular in Asia. Turns out (per a 2013 paper), that it works better for patients on an Eastern diet. Now we know why.

I can’t smile, but I’m much more relaxed

If you’re feeling anxious, here’s an idea: Inject yourself with botulinum toxin in your face, head, limbs, or neck. No matter what it does for your looks, it seems it can reduce your anxiety.

That’s what researchers from UC San Diego and Germany’s Hannover Medical School report, based on their mathematical analysis of the FDA’s Adverse Effect Reporting System. They scoured the reports of 40,000 people, but instead of looking for negative side effects, they looked for positive ones.

What they found was that the reported anxiety risk was 22 to 72 percent lower in Botox-treated patients for four of eight conditions and injection sites: facial muscles for cosmetic use; facial and head muscles for migraine; upper and lower limbs for spasm and spasticity; and neck muscles for torticollis.