Scientists have discovered a relationship between the intestinal bacterial flora and Alzheimer's disease, as it has been shown that the symptoms of the disease can be transmitted to a healthy young body through intestinal bacteria.
Brain magazine indicates that researchers have discovered in the stool of Alzheimer's patients a large amount of bacteria that help in the development of infections, and these changes are directly related to their cognitive abilities.
The results of experiments have shown that when microorganisms found in the feces of people with signs of dementia are transplanted into animals, the production of new neurons in the hippocampus decreases and memory impairment is observed.
As is known, Alzheimer's disease is usually diagnosed during or after the appearance of significant cognitive symptoms, and at this stage the disease becomes resistant to current therapeutic methods. Therefore, according to scientists, understanding the role of gut microbes during the early stages of dementia could help devise new methods or even personalized treatments.
Alzheimer's disease is the most common cause of dementia. It is a general term that refers to the loss of memory and other cognitive abilities, which leads to a significant deterioration in the quality of life. There is no cure for this disease yet.
“Forest Tea!” A river so dark you can't see through it
The Rocky River, a tributary of the Congo River in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, is one of the darkest bodies of water in the world.
In the first-ever scientific study of the river, researchers from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich found that the Rocky River gets its color from high levels of dissolved organic matter from the surrounding rainforest.
“Rockey is basically jungle tea,” said Dr. Travis Drake, the study's lead author.
Carbon-rich compounds seep from rotting plant material and are washed into the Rocky River by heavy rains and floods.
Speaking to MailOnline, Drake said: "DOC [dissolved organic carbon] levels are very high due to the presence of a high density of forest plants in the catchment. The organic compounds leaching from these plants absorb light, so the higher the concentration, the darker the water appears."
The area surrounding the Rocky River is covered in Congo's lowland rainforest, the second largest rainforest on Earth.
To understand how this abundance of plant material affects the color of the Rocky River, as well as the entire Congo River, Dr. Drake and his team set up a measuring station near the city of Mbandaka.
The team measured water discharge every two weeks and daily water levels for a year to determine the volume of water passing through.
Water samples were collected and sent to laboratories at ETH Zurich to determine DOC content.
Working without a permanent power source, limited infrastructure, or even an electric drill, researchers say they often had to improvise to get the data they needed.
However, taking measurements from such a remote location was vital, because it allowed the team to study a huge area from a single point.
"We only need to collect samples from one place to get information about a huge area, like a doctor taking a blood sample to determine a patient's health status," said co-author Dr. Matti Barthel.
Using these measurements, the team found that the Roque River was 1.5 times darker than the Rio Negra in the Amazon, the largest blackwater river in the world.
Researchers say understanding the flow of carbon through the Rocky River is important for understanding how carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases are stored in rainforests and river basins.
Drake explains that the Rocky River, like most rivers in the world, is a source of carbon dioxide emissions into the atmosphere.
When water passes through the soil, it picks up microorganisms that decompose plant matter, releasing carbon dioxide.
Likewise, the carbon dissolved in the river is also eaten up by microorganisms to produce more carbon dioxide.
The study found that because the Rocky River is not very turbulent, emissions levels are not exceptionally high, despite its extremely high carbon content.