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A new drug developed by US scientists can turn the deadly SARS-CoV-2 virus against itself, shielding people from being infected. The medicine, NMT5, is expected to be effective against the newly emerging SARS-CoV-2 variants, according to experts from The Scripps Research Institute. The medication coats SARS-CoV-2 with chemicals that can momentarily change the human ACE2 receptor, a molecule the virus typically grabs onto to infect cells. It is detailed in the journal Nature Chemical Biology. The ACE2 receptor blocks the virus’s entry into human cells when it is near. Stuart Lipton, a professor at The Scripps Research Institute and the study’s principal author, said: “What’s so neat about this drug is that we’re actually turning the virus against itself.”  The research team examined a library of compounds and identified NMT5 as having two crucial characteristics: it could identify and bind to a pore on the surface of SARS-CoV-2 and chemically alter human ACE2 using a nitroglycerin warhead. The scientists realised this might make the virus a means of self-destruction. They examined and tested NMT5 in both animals and isolated cells. The research demonstrated how NMT5 firmly adheres to SARS-CoV-2 viral particles as the viruses circulate within the body. The details of how the medicine adds a chemical, akin to nitroglycerin, to specific molecules if it comes close enough were then made public by the researchers. NMT5 adds a “nitro group” on the receptor when the virus is close enough to ACE2 to infect a cell. This alters the structure of ACE2 for around 12 hours, making it impossible for the SARS-CoV-2 virus to attach to it and infect cells. “What’s really beautiful is that this only knocks down availability of ACE2 locally when the virus is coming at it. It doesn’t knock down all the function of ACE2 elsewhere in the body, allowing for normal function of this protein,” Lipton stated. The drug inhibited 95% of viral binding in cell culture tests measuring how efficiently the Omicron form of SARS-CoV-2 can bind to human ACE2 receptors. According to the researchers, NMT5 significantly reduced viral levels in hamsters with COVID-19, reversed blood vessel damage in the animals’ lungs, and reduced inflammation. They said that the drug demonstrated efficacy against more than a dozen other viral variations, including the Alpha, Beta, Gamma, and Delta strains. The majority of anti-viral medications function by specifically inhibiting a virus, which can force it to develop treatment resistance. The researchers believe that the drug will likely be successful against many more SARS-CoV-2 variations because NMT5 is simply using the virus as a carrier. Because it doesn’t rely on attacking parts of the virus that frequently evolve, Chang-ki Oh, a senior staff scientist and the study’s first author, anticipated that the drug would remain effective even as new variants emerged. The molecule has only been tested in animal models, but the researchers are currently developing a drug version to test for usage in humans while doing additional safety and efficacy studies in animals.  

During the launch of 5G services in India on Saturday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi stated that since even the country’s poorest people have always stepped forward to adopt new technologies, technology has truly become democratic in its truest sense. In his view, and that of Aatmanirbhar Bharat, this is a significant milestone. “Talking about Digital India, some people think that this is just a government scheme. But Digital India is not just a name, it is a big vision for the country’s development,” PM Modi made this statement when introducing 5G services and addressing the 6th India Mobile Congress at Pragati Maidan in Delhi. The objective of this vision, according to PM Modi, is to make technology that benefits the general public and collaborates with it accessible to them. In his words, “I have seen even the poor of the country always come forward to adopt new technologies… Technology has become democratic in its truest sense,” he stated.  Modi added that there was a time when a small number of wealthy individuals questioned the benefits of digital technology for the underprivileged. “Many people made fun of my vision of Aatmanirbhar Bharat…a handful of elite people used to think digital is not for the poor. Go see what political leaders used to say in Parliament. But I had the conviction in the inquisitiveness of the common public,” PM Modi said. He continued, “I have always had faith in the understanding of the country’s common man, his conscience, and his curious mind.”  PM Modi urged everyone to observe his transparency. According to the prime minister, fewer people are using the internet in countryside than in cities. PM Modi also recalled a time when, as Gujarat’s chief minister, he went to an event in a remote village and was shocked to discover tribal women using their cellphones to take pictures. “I was so surprised. I went to them and asked them what they will do with these photos. They said, ‘download karenge’. They knew the word ‘download’,” PM Modi recounted. According to PM Modi, there were only two mobile manufacturing facilities in India in 2014, but there are now more than 200. “Internet users now consume 14GB per month. This used to cost Rs 4,200 per month in 2014. But now it costs somewhere between Rs 125 to Rs 150,” PM Modi stated.

The social and emotional development of children may be hampered by voice-controlled smart gadgets like Alexa, Siri, and Google Home, says an expert in the use of artificial intelligence and machine learning in healthcare. The Archives of Disease in Childhood released the study’s findings online. According to Anmol Arora of the University of Cambridge, these gadgets may have long-term repercussions by limiting children’s capacity for empathy and compassion as well as their ability to think critically. While voice-control devices may serve as “friends” and help youngsters learn to read and communicate better, their sophisticated artificial intelligence (AI) and “human” sounding voices have raised worries about the long-term consequences on children’s developing brains. The author identifies three main areas of concern. These include inappropriate responses, inhibiting social growth, and hindering learning. He provides several well-known instances of inappropriate responses, such as a device that advised a 10-year-old to try touching a live plug with a coin. He notes that privacy concerns have also surfaced in relation to the recording of private conversations and that it is difficult to apply strict parental restrictions on such gadgets without drastically impairing their performance. He notes that since there is no requirement for a “please” or “thank you,” and there is no need to take voice into account, these devices are unable to educate children how to behave respectfully. Use of the devices is a poor way to acquire social interaction because it prevents non-verbal communication, according to his writing. “While in normal human interactions, a child would usually receive constructive feedback if they were to behave inappropriately, this is beyond the scope of a smart device.”  The early research on the use of voice assistants as social companions for lonely adults is encouraging. He points out that it’s not quite obvious, though, if this also applies to children. He emphasises that this is crucial at a time when COVID-19 limits may have already hampered children’s social development and they may have been spending more time alone with smart devices at home. Devices are made to quickly find answers to questions and search for information when it is requested, but the author worries that this may impede the natural ways that kids learn and take in knowledge. He claims that this process cannot be replicated by these devices because when children ask an adult a question, the adult can ask for context information, explain the boundaries of their knowledge, and test the child’s logic. He says that conducting research is a crucial learning experience that fosters logical reasoning and critical thinking. The population has benefited greatly from the rise of voice devices. The author recognises the significance and value of their capacities to quickly give information, help with daily tasks, and provide social companionship to lonely individuals. But he argues that “urgent research is required into the long-term consequences for children interacting with such devices.” In his conclusion, he states that “Interacting with the devices at a crucial stage in social and emotional development might have long-term consequences on empathy, compassion, and critical thinking.” Source: ANI

Several states had secondary school dropout rates that were greater than the national average of 14.6%, including West Bengal, Gujarat, Bihar, and Tripura, according to official data. These states have been advised by the central government to take further measures to lower the dropout rate. The Project Approval Board (PAB), which is part of the Ministry of Education, received this information from the minutes of its meetings about the “Samagra Shiksha” programme for 2022–2023. Between April and July, these meetings were held with several states. As stated in the new National Education Policy, the government aspires to achieve a 100% Gross Enrolment Rate (GER) at the school level by 2030 and views dropout as a barrier. According to the PAB, the dropout rate at the secondary level in 2020–21 was 21.4% in Bihar, 23.3% in Gujarat, 23.8% in Madhya Pradesh, 16.4% in Odisha, 16.6% in Jharkhand, 16.6% in Tripura, and 16.6% in Karnataka. The documents state that there were approximately 61,051 children with special needs (CWSNs) enrolled in Delhi schools throughout the relevant period, of which 67.5 percent either dropped out or were unable to be located. The Delhi administration has been tasked by the PAB to swiftly finish the process of resettling dropout children into the system of mainstream education. In Andhra Pradesh, the secondary dropout rate was 37.6% in 2019–20; however, that number dropped to 8.7% in 2020–21. The PAB has urged the state to keep up its efforts to further lower the dropout rate. The documents state that in Uttar Pradesh, secondary school dropout rates were 12.5% in 2020–21, with an average of 11.9% for boys and 13.2% for girls. In ten districts in West Bengal, there are more than 15% of secondary school dropouts. The state has been urged by the PAB to create a unique action plan to lower this rate. Over 30% of secondary school dropouts were recorded in 19 districts in Assam in 2020–21. In eight districts of Nagaland, this rate exceeded 30%. In Kerala, 7.1% of secondary school students dropped out, compared to 8.41% in Uttarakhand and 10.17% in Goa. According to a recent UNICEF poll, 25 percent of girls drop out of school owing to marriage and 33 percent are affected by domestic work. The UNICEF reported that it was also discovered in numerous locations that children began working as labourers with their families or cleaning people’s homes after finishing school. Anil Swarup, a former secretary of the Department of School Education and Literacy, recommended “mapping” children who are not enrolled in school at the ward and gram panchayat levels. Additionally, he recommended holding teacher-parent level meetings in schools at least once a month to raise awareness of this crucial topic. He said that dropout kids should be found and contacted by going to their homes because, occasionally, poor exam results or a difficult family situation are also reasons why students leave school. Source: PTI

A study reveals that boys may be more at risk than girls for hospital admission when autistic children are exposed to air pollution, even for relatively brief periods of time. By limiting these children’ exposure to air pollution, the study, which was published in the journal BMJ Open, revealed that admissions for problems like hyperactivity, aggression, or self-injury might be averted. A neurodevelopmental disorder with a wide range of symptoms and severity is autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Since neuroinflammation and systemic inflammation are frequently present, the primary symptoms can be alleviated by medications, dietary changes, and supplements. Short-term (days to weeks) exposure to air pollution is thought to cause neuroinflammation and systemic inflammatory, potentially raising the risk of hospitalisation in autistic individuals. The researcher, from Seoul National University Hospital in Korea, based their findings on daily hospital admissions for autism among kids between the ages of 5 and 14 between 2011 and 2015. For up to six days, they gathered data on the national daily levels of fine particulate matter (PM2.5), nitrogen dioxide (NO2), and ozone (O3) in each of the Republic of Korea’s 16 regions. During the study period, autistic children had an average of 8.5 hospital admissions per day, with boys having a much greater rate (7) than girls (1.6). The results of the data analysis revealed that boys were more at risk than girls for hospital admission for autism and that short-term exposure to PM2.5, NO2, and O3 was related with a heightened risk. According to the study, an increase in PM2.5 levels of 10 g/m3 was linked to a 17% increased chance of hospital admission for autism. According to them, a 10% increase in NO2 and a 3% increase in O3 were linked to a 9% and 3% higher risk, respectively. With NO2 having the largest effects, the researchers concluded that exposure to these pollutants was related with a one-quartile rise, which equates to a 29% higher probability of hospital admission for autism. The researchers admitted that using regional rather than individual air pollution levels may have had an impact on the results. They added that mildly symptomatic autistic children might be less likely to receive psychiatric care and might not have been included. According to the study’s findings, short-term air pollution exposure worsens ASD symptoms, which are more severe in boys than in girls. “These results emphasise that reduction of air pollution exposure should be considered for ASD symptom management, with important implications for the quality of life and economic costs,” they said.

While underlining the significance of the labour force in India’s development on Thursday, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that the future would require flexible workplaces, a work-from-home ecosystem, and flexible work hours. In a video address to the National Conference of the Labour Ministers of all States and Union Territories, Prime Minister Modi stated that “India’s labour force has a huge role to play in realising India’s dreams and aspirations to build a developed nation in the Amrit Kaal.” With this kind of thinking, the nation is consistently working for millions of employees in both the organised and unorganised sectors, he continued. The Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana, Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojana, and Pradhan Mantri Shram-Yogi Maandhan Yojana have all offered some kind of social security protection to the workers, and the PM reaffirmed a number of government efforts. The workers now have the assurance that their labour and contribution will be valued due to these programmes. According to a study, the Emergency Credit Guarantee Scheme prevented the loss of 1.5 crore employment during the pandemic. We can see that the workers have devoted all of their effort to overcoming this epidemic, just as the country did when its citizens needed it most, he said. The prime minister stated that one of the main initiatives to include the labour force in the purview of social security is the e-Shram portal. In just one year, around 28 crore workers from 400 areas have registered on the web. The people who have benefited the most from this are domestic workers, migrant labourers, and construction workers. He requested that the state portals and the e-Shram portal be linked. He continued by saying that over the previous eight years, the government had taken steps to abolish laws from the time of slavery that still adhered to the previous way of thinking. Currently, the country is updating, simplifying, and changing such labour legislation. As a result, 29 labour laws were combined to establish four simple labour codes. Through minimum wages, job security, social security, and health security, this will ensure the empowerment of employees, he continued. Given the worldwide situation, the prime minister emphasised the need for reform. He emphasised the need for quick decisions and swift action in order to effectively capitalise on the fourth industrial revolution. In light of platform, gig, and online services, Modi emphasised the need to be conscious of how the nature of work is evolving. He asserted that “appropriate policies and initiatives in this field can help India become a worldwide leader.” Flexible work environments, a work-from-home ecosystem, and flexible hours are necessary for the future. We may use policies like flexible work arrangements as ways to encourage women to enter the workforce, he said. In his address to the nation on August 15 from the Red Fort ramparts, the Prime Minister recalled his call for the full participation of the women’s power in the nation. He claimed that by effectively utilising women’s influence, India might achieve its objectives more quickly. The need to think about how to support women in the nation’s developing sectors was another point Modi emphasised. He brought up India’s demographic dividend and said that the country’s success in the twenty-first century will depend on how well it is used. We can benefit from global opportunities by building a highly qualified workforce, he added. Modi also emphasised the fact that India and many other countries across the world are entering into cooperative agreements regarding migration and mobility, and he urged all the states in the nation to take advantage of these opportunities. We must put in more effort and impart our knowledge to one another, he said. The Prime Minister reminded everyone present that our building and construction workers are an integral part of our workforce and urged them to make the most of the “cess” that had been planned for them. “I have been informed that the states have not yet used nearly Rs 38,000 crore of this cess,” he said. He urged everyone to think about how the Ayushman Bharat programme and ESIC might benefit more and more workers. The two-day conference was organised by the Union ministry of labour and employment on August 25 and 26 in Tirupati, Andhra Pradesh, in the cooperative federalist spirit to talk about significant labor-related issues.