Curio Cabinet

It may sound like something out of science fiction, but breathing xenon gas might be good for your brain. Researchers at Mass General Brigham and Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have found that the gas may have the potential to treat Alzheimer’s disease. While xenon gas sounds like an exotic substance, it's actually a commonly used anesthetic. Some mountaineers have found that the noble gas may be useful in conquering mountains, as it increases erythropoietin levels in the body. Erythropoietin is the hormone that regulates red blood cell production, and more red blood cells means more oxygen for the body to use at high altitudes.
 
Now, it seems that xenon could have neuroprotective properties as well. Researchers began looking into xenon gas because of previous studies showing its potential neuroprotective properties, but also because it can cross the blood-brain barrier, something that few drugs can do safely. When they placed mice with Alzheimer’s disease in a chamber filled with 30 percent xenon gas for around 40 minutes, they found decreased amounts of amyloid plaques in the rodents’ brains. Amyloid plaques are misfolded proteins that build up in the brains of patients with Alzheimer's disease. The mice also showed decreased brain inflammation and brain shrinkage, as well as improved cognitive functions, with mice returning to their regular behaviors like nest-building. The findings were so promising that human clinical trials are set to begin soon, but of course, there’s no guarantee that the gas will have the same effect on people. Alzheimer’s disease seems to work a little differently in people than it does in rodents. In the U.S. alone, there are 6.9 million people who suffer from the disease. Worldwide, it accounts for around 70 percent of dementia cases. If this new treatment does work, it could literally change the world. If it doesn’t, at least xenon is harmless. A noble gas, indeed.

 
[Image description: A digital illustration of a brain against a black background.] Credit & copyright: KATRIN BOLOVTSOVA, Pexels

There’s no pain in the neck quite like chronic pain. On top of the fact that it hurts, chronic pain can be difficult since different patients have varying degrees of pain tolerance. However, researchers at Western University, the University of Maryland School of Dentistry (UMSOD), and Neuroscience Research Australia (NeuRA) have identified biomarkers that might help professionals identify a patient’s pain sensitivity, according to a study published in JAMA Neurology. Chronic pain is any type of pain that lasts for three months or longer. It can be caused by a variety of issues, from diseases to injuries to nerve disorders. Unfortunately, chronic pain is extremely common, with around 20 percent of Americans experiencing some degree of chronic pain in 2021 alone. Things often get complicated when it comes to diagnosing and treating the pain, since it can have so many different causes. The problem is compounded by the fact that it’s hard for patients and doctors to objectively describe pain and its severity. Thankfully, there may soon be a way to quantifiably determine how pain is experienced by different people. Using 150 participants suffering from temporomandibular disorders (problems in the joint or muscles of the jaw), researchers measured two biomarkers. PAF, which is associated with cognitive performance, was measured using electroencephalography (EEG) recording, while CME, associated with excitability, was measured using transcranial magnetic stimulation. According to their findings, those who have slow PAF before an episode of prolonged pain and low CME after are more likely to experience pain for a longer period of time. Hopefully, doctors could check those with chronic pain for these biomarker responses and use that information to create better treatment plans. The measurements aren’t perfect, but they have an 88 percent accuracy rate, which is pretty impressive. That’s accurate enough to be a bane to pain.

[Image description: A digital illustration of a brain against a black background.] Credit & copyright: KATRIN BOLOVTSOVA, Pexels
 

My, what big ears you have! Not many animals can boast ears as large nor fur as beautiful as the serval, a medium-sized wild cat native to Africa. These spotted-and-striped beauties have an unusual, lanky build and sharp facial features that, in addition to their patterned coats, make them an unfortunate target of the illegal pet trade. In fact, a serval recently made headlines in England after its owner was charged with animal abuse and the cat was sent to Dartmoor Zoo to live in better conditions. In the wild, every aspect of the serval’s striking appearance serves a specific purpose to help it survive.
 
While Africa is dominated by big cats like lions and leopards, servals grow to be just 39 inches long and around 24 inches tall, usually weighing between 20 to 40 pounds. These petite felines have been around for at least 5.6 to 8.5 million years, when their ancestors arrived in Africa and adapted to the grasslands and savannahs there. While servals’ spots and stripes allow them to hide in the dappled light that shines through tall grass, their tall bodies allow them to leap high into the air when prey, like small birds, fly overhead. In fact, despite their small size, servals can jump up to 10 feet into the air and a single serval catches around 4,000 rodents per year. Servals’ most striking feature, their large ears, evolved to help them pinpoint prey’s exact location, even when the cats are crouched in tall grass. Servals have the largest ears of any cat relative to their body size. In fact, if humans’ ears were as large as servals’, they’d be the size of dinner plates.
 
Although servals are illegally hunted for their fur and are often targeted by the illegal pet trade, only one subspecies of serval is endangered. This is partially because servals are highly adaptable, able to live on different kinds of prey and in different habitats. Their other secret to survival is their elusiveness. These cats are simply difficult to spot or approach, and their small size makes it easy for them to slip away from prying, human eyes. The spotlight can really burn if you’re an at-risk animal.

 
[Image description: A serval, a medium-sized spotted cat with large ears, lying in green grass.] Credit & copyright: Vassil, Wikimedia Commons.

What kind of turtle doesn’t mind a cold snap? A snapping turtle, of course! Sea turtles, on the other hand, are out of luck. At least, they would be, if it weren’t for the tireless efforts of organizations like the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) officials, who rescued 30 sea turtles that were struggling with the unusually cold weather.
 
After a historic winter storm left up to eight inches of snow in Florida recently, sea turtles that swim in the Gulf coast were left stunned by the sudden temperature change. When waters dip below 50 degrees Fahrenheit, sea turtles become lethargic and eventually lose their ability to swim. Since turtles need to surface frequently for air, cold temperatures can quickly prove fatal. Even cold-stunned turtles are able to get to warmer waters, the cold-blooded creatures have a difficult time recovering on their own. That’s why Florida wildlife officials quickly scooped up 30 cold-stunned turtles and began rehabilitating them at a specialized facility.
 
Some were released into warmer waters near Florida, but a further 40 from around the state remain in treatment, with more turtles still on the way. Florida isn’t the only state to rescue turtles in crisis, though. Around 200 sea turtles affected by this winter’s arctic blast were rescued off the coast of Texas by Sea Turtle, Inc., a rescue and rehabilitation center based out of South Padre Island. Late last year, over 500 cold-stunned Kemp’s ridley sea turtles were found off the coast of Massachusetts, and some of them were flown to Mississippi for rehabilitation. For many of the turtles, however, being cold-stunned can be a blessing in disguise. Many of the turtles who were rescued in these instances showed signs of diseases or injuries which can now be treated in captivity. No rush—slow and steady wins the race, after all.

 
[Image description: A Kemp’s Ridley sea turtle crawling across sand.] Credit & copyright: USFWS National Digital Library, David Bowman, 2C5E7D2B-1298-4A78-9F3BA8BA05A0A3B9. Public Domain.