LATEST STUFF

What is Clinical Research

2009-07-30T20:31:00.000-07:00

Clinical Research is a Multinational, Multibillion, Multidisciplinary Industry
What is Clinical Research?Clinical Research is a systematic study for new drugs in human subjects to generate data for discovering or verifying the Clinical, Pharmacological (including pharmacodynamic and pharmacokinetic) or adverse effects with the objective of determining safety and efficacy of the new drug.
Clinical Research is Conducted in 4 Phases
Phase I trialsThis is the first time the new drug is administered to a small number, around 20-80 healthy, informed volunteers under the close supervision of a doctor. The purpose is to determine whether the new compound is tolerated by the patient’s body and behaves in the predicted way.
Phase II trialsIn this phase, the medicine is administered to a group of approximately 100-300 informed patients to determine its effect and also to check for any unacceptable side effects.
Phase III trialsIn this phase, the group is between 1000 and 5000, for the company to use statistics to analyze the results. If the results are favourable, the data is presented to the licensing authorities for a commercial licence.
Phase IV trialsThis is a surveillance operation phase after the medicine is made available to doctors, who start prescribing it. The effects are monitored on thousands of patients to help identify any unforeseen side effects.

10 Reasons To Trade in Forex

2009-07-30T20:28:00.000-07:00

You are probably wondering why should you consider investing your time and energy in FOREX? There are many benefits in this market and i has chosen top 10 reasons why so many people go for it:

1. No hidden fees or commissionsAren't you exhausted of all these "pay upfront" deals? Almost everywhere you have to pay to join, pay to be trained, pay to make a transaction. There is no commission fee, exchange fee or trading fee. What about the broker? Your broker makes their money by taking the difference in price between the ask price and bid price for the currency being traded. In short, you won't be asked a penny for any FOREX services.

2. No middlemen
Forex doesn't have and doesn't need middlemen, unlike for example equity exchanges. This gives you opportunity to access market maker directly. In simple words, you buy or sell directly from the entity that has put a price on a certain currency pair and, therefore, gain a quick access to trades.

3. A 24-hour market
You won't have to set an alarm to wake up early in the morning or drink 10 cups of black coffee to stay awake at night. Forex market is as flexible as it gets and welcomes traders from all over the world at any time of the day! You choose the trading hours – morning, noon or night!

4. Much less complicated then stocks
There are tones of stocks available for trading and it is difficult to keep up with the updates, read up the news and perform the analysis before each new trade. Unlike stocks, Forex market is much less demanding. You have access to many different currencies, but generally FOREx focuses on the four major currency pairs. That means less time wasting on research and much faster entrance to the market itself.

5. Leverage
Not long ago only the owners of million dollars account could participate in currency exchange. Today due to expended international growth FOREX became available to anyone from the comfort of your own home. Every individual including you have the same leverage guarantees that were available only to international banks back then. What does it mean? In simple words, a small margin deposit can control a much larger total contract value. Leverage provides each trader with a chance to profit with a minimum capital risk. For example, let's say that your broker offers 200 to 1 leverage, meaning a $20 dollar margin deposit enables you to buy or sell $20,000 worth of currencies. What about bigger deposits? In a similar fashion, $200 dollars can be used to hold $200,000 worth of another currency

6. High LiquidityThe daily turnover in Forex Market reaches 2 trillion dollars. Let me picture this for you: 2,000,000,000,000!! Forex is an enormous market and it never stays still. Almost every country in the world has institutional and individual traders who are active and have a personal interest in this largest of commodities. That's where the liquidity comes from. Buying and selling is done by a simple click of a mouse.
7. Practice makes perfect
Almost all online Forex brokers offer demo account, easily to download and install, to practice your skills. You won't have to deposit anything. The demo account works exactly like the real account with all capabilities and information. For example, with your free demo account you have an access to breaking forex news and charting services, buy and sell capabilities and realistic "play" money account with active profit and loss. This is a perfect way to master your trading skills and tactics with virtual money before becoming a real thing and opening a live trading account.

8. Free software
Forex software offered by the brokers is specifically designed for the average home computer. The software provides the trader with real-time charting, lots of indicators, live price feed and ability to sell and buy currency pairs immediately online. There is also an option to upgrade the software program for an additional cost to get an access to advanced features, but it is more then unnecessary for a beginner. Start small, think big!

9. Small deposits are allowed
Don't blame yourself for not marrying a milliner's daughter or a Saudi Arabian prince yet. You don't need tons of money to start as a currency trader. Unlike trading stocks, online forex brokers have "mini" and "micro" account options with a minimum account deposit of 250$ and lower, which makes Forex accessible to almost anyone! You might wonder what can possibly come out of $250. With proper training and patience within several months a minimal investment can turn into a $25,000 account.

10. Limit your risk with Forex
FOREX platforms are designed to automatically assign a margin call if the margin amount required by your account exceeds the actual capital available in your account. In simple words, the most you can possibly lose is the money you have got in your account and no penny more. You cannot get into minus and trade amount not available in your account.

Over all, Foreign Currency Exchange markets have become a profitable hobby and satisfying lifestyle for many individual investors. Forex is fun, user-friendly and lucrative market available to anyone of us.

Mars rover devours budgets

2009-07-13T21:58:00.001-07:00

Ever-growing cost of the planned Mars Science Laboratory threatens other space missions.

Eric Hand

Cost estimates for the Mars Science Laboratory have risen again.NASA

The Mars Science Laboratory (MSL), NASA's souped-up 1-tonne rover due for launch in 2011, needs yet more money. The latest budget overrun could for the first time delay other missions in the agency's cash-strapped planetary-science division.

The rover's latest price tag is US$2.286 billion — 40% more than the official $1.63-billion estimate made in 2006. But even that will not be enough. In a 'breach report' due to be handed to the US Congress by the end of July, NASA will report that the troublesome mission, now also called Curiosity, needs $15–115 million more on top of the $2.286-billion estimate.

NASA has so far avoided delays and cancellations to other missions by raiding technology-development funds within the Mars programme. But officials are now considering delays to two planned Moon missions.

"The time for some tough decisions is here," said NASA science chief Ed Weiler. He broke the news to planetary scientists at an advisory-committee meeting on 9 July at NASA headquarters in Washington DC, along with Jim Green, director of the planetary science division, and Mars programme chief Doug McCuistion.

Slippery issue

The cause of the latest overrun is problems with motors, gearboxes and avionics controls. After switching from a dry to a wet lubricant, engineers have had trouble verifying the reliability of motors for the rover's robotic arm. Moreover, McCuistion says, a new snag was recently discovered: some of the premier instruments — the Sample Analysis at Mars or SAM instrument set — will suck twice as much power as was expected, and that means the rover needs to carry bigger batteries.

“Where's it going to end?”

Clive Neal
University of Notre Dame

McCuistion says he won't have confidence in the estimates for the rover's latest needs until November, when an independent cost estimate is finished. If the additional costs stay towards the $15-million end of the spectrum, McCuistion and Green think they can keep the pain within the Mars programme, by cutting money for later Mars missions in 2016, 2018 and 2020.

But if the extra costs rise toward $115 million, the agency may have to delay the Lunar Atmosphere and Dust Environment Explorer, a small orbiter due to be launched in 2012, and the International Lunar Network, a planned system of robotic lunar research stations. The agency could also delay work on New Frontiers, a planned $870-million programme of missions to many Solar-System destinations that has just begun accepting competitive proposals.

"Where's it going to end?" asks Clive Neal, a planetary scientist at the University of Notre Dame in Indiana and chair of NASA's Lunar Exploration Analysis Group. "Everything is getting sick because of one mission. And I'm not happy with that."

Too big to fail?

Like many bloated scientific endeavours, however, the MSL may be too big to fail. In January, after NASA decided to delay the rover's launch from 2009 to 2011, the planetary-science advisory committee was presented with a shocking, but presumed final, $400-million overrun. The committee recommended that NASA press ahead with the mission and try to limit cuts to the Mars programme.

At the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, the project manager, Richard Cook, was replaced by Peter Theisinger, a former project manager for the Mars rovers Spirit and Opportunity. McCuistion says he will order an independent "lessons learned" investigation in 2010.

By then the extent of the damage to NASA's long-term plans may be known. Weiler says that it looks like the agency may not be able to be able to afford a 2020 launch of a major mission to Jupiter's moon Europa. With Mars technology budgets decimated, a Mars Sample Return mission is moving even further down the schedule. Such a mission, which would cost $6–8 billion, isn't likely to start until around 2024, says Weiler.

Obesity links found between mothers and daughters, fathers and sons

2009-07-13T21:54:00.001-07:00

Scientists have found a strong obesity link between mothers and daughters and fathers and sons, but the link was absent across the gender divide.

In a study of 226 families by Plymouth's Peninsula Medical School, researchers found that obese mothers were 10 times more likely to have obese daughters and for fathers and sons, there was a six-fold rise.

But in both cases children of the opposite sex were not affected.

According to the researchers, it was "highly unlikely" that genetics was playing a role in the findings, as it would be unusual for them to influence children along gender lines.

On the other hand, they attributed the link to some form of "behavioural sympathy" where daughters copied the lifestyles of their mothers, and sons copied the lifestyles of their fathers.

And, thus, experts believe that the government policy on tackling obesity should be re-thought.

To date, researchers have focussed on younger age groups in the belief that obese children become obese adults.

But the new findings indicate that obese adults led to obese children.

"It is the reverse of what we have thought and this has fundamental implications for policy," the BBC quoted study leader Professor Terry Wilkin as saying.

He added: "We should be targeting the parents and that is not something we have really done to date."

The researchers took weight and height measurements for children and parents over a three-year period.

It was found that 41 percent of the eight-year-old daughters of obese mothers were obese, as compared to four percent of girls with normal-weight mothers.

However, there was no difference in the proportion for boys.

For boys, 18 percent of the group with obese fathers were also obese, compared to just three percent for those with normal-weight fathers.

And again, there was no difference in the proportion for girls.

The findings of the study have been published in the International Journal of Obesity.

Pre-Hispanic Zapotec rulers carried around human thighbones as symbol of power

2009-07-13T21:53:00.002-07:00

New findings from a Field Museum (Chicago) excavation team has confirmed that pre-Hispanic Zapotec rulers carried around human femurs, or thigh bones, as a symbol of power and legitimacy.

Scientists had earlier found evidence of this theory from a carved lintel at the site of Lambityeco, where a ruler is depicted with a femur in his hand.

Now, a Field Museum excavation team has confirmed that they did remove femurs from earlier graves and that this custom may have been widely practiced by heads of households outside of the ruling class.

The missing femur was located in an early adobe cist internment, circa 500 AD, that lay under an excavated house at the Mitla Fortress, in the Valley of Oaxaca, some 322 miles southeast of Mexico City.

While excavating this residential terrace, or house lot, the Museum team found a total of 16 burials that include 21 individuals.

The systematic excavations are the largest ever conducted at this site well known to archaeologists for more than 150 years.

Field Museum Curator of Mesoamerican Anthropology, Gary Feinman, and Adjunct Curator of Anthropology, Linda Nicholas, are analyzing the burial sample and other finds from the Mitla Fortress.

The Fortress is less than two miles west of Mitla, which is indigenously known as the "Place of the Dead."

Although this ancient Zapotec custom of bearing a femur of a corpse has long been recognized, the excavated burial provides clear evidence of the re-opening of an earlier burial in order to remove a bone.

The evidence could further reveal that this bone-carrying custom may apply beyond rulers - since the excavated house is not a ruler's residence.

Field Museum archaeologists hope to excavate a more elaborate house in the future to gain more perspective.

Archaeologists discover previously unknown Inca road in Peru

2009-07-13T21:53:00.001-07:00

A team of archaeologists has discovered an Inca road in Peru, which was unknown until now and apparently held sacred, leading to the citadel of Machu Picchu.

According to a report in Today's News, the discovery was made by archaeologists from the Peru National Culture Institute and technicians from Jaume I University in Castellon, Spain.

The Inca road is made of stone masonry approximately 1 meter (3 1/4 feet) wide, with sustaining walls along the way rising some 4 to 5 meters (13 to 16 feet) high, according to a communique from the Project Ukhupacha.

Several stretches of the road have collapsed that began at what is now the Wuarqtambo archaeological premises.

They went up Machu Picchu mountain and then came down from the citadel.

According to Fernando Astete Victoria, the director of the Machu Picchu National Historical Sanctuary, there had been evidence of an Inca road to the citadel different from the one that was known, and so its discovery became one of the Ukhupacha Project's goals.

A large part of Peruvian territory is united by different extensions of a great Inca road leading to the sanctuary of Machu Picchu, built high on a ridge and declared a World Heritage Site in 1983.

The archaeologists involved in the project said that this road could have been held sacred, so it was only traveled by spiritual leaders who celebrated religious rites.

The team of experts will carry out another expedition to determine the route and length of the road, since it is apparent that several stretches have been destroyed on the western slope of Machu Picchu mountain.

New compound could be a promising treatment for Alzheimer's disease

2009-07-13T21:52:00.002-07:00

A compound called NIC5-15 has been found to be a safe and effective treatment to stabilize cognitive performance in Alzheimer's disease patients, according to a study.

The two researchers in the study, Dr. Giulio Maria Pasinetti, and Dr. Hillel Grossman, have presented the Phase IIA preliminary clinical findings, and have said that NIC5-15's potential to preserve cognitive performance will be further evaluated in a Phase IIB clinical trial.

Early evidence has suggested that NIC5-15 is a safe and tolerable natural compound that may reduce the progression of Alzheimer's disease-related dementia by preventing the formation of beta-amyloid plaque.

Beta-amyloid plaque is a waxy substance that accumulates between brain cells and impacts cognitive function.

"With Alzheimer's disease affecting 5.2 million Americans, another 5 million with early-state disease, and nearly a half million new cases reported annually, treatments like NIC5-15 would make a significant difference in the lives of many Alzheimer's patients. We are hopeful that the follow up clinical study will support this preliminary evidence," said Pasinetti.

Grossman said: "There are no FDA-approved Alzheimer's disease modifying drugs available today."

He added: "Current drugs approved for use help maintain cognitive function, but only for a limited time. NIC5-15 is part of a new class of natural compound we found to have the potential of precluding the generation of _-amyloid and, eventually, attenuating cognitive deterioration in preclinical models of Alzheimer's disease."

The Phase IIA preliminary clinical findings of the study were presented at the Alzheimer's Association 2009 International Conference on Alzheimer's Disease (ICAD) in Vienna.

Alzheimer's disease drug may treat traumatic brain injury too

2009-07-13T21:52:00.001-07:00

A class of drugs used for the treatment of Alzheimer's Disease (AD) has been found to be effective in treating traumatic brain injury as well, according to researchers from Georgetown University Medical Center (GUMC).

The scientists have found that the destructive cellular pathways activated in AD are also triggered after traumatic brain injury, indicating that a new therapy could successfully treat both conditions.

Now, the researchers are all set to show that deactivating these pathways in part by using a class of AD drug, called gamma secretase inhibitor, could reduce loss of neurons in animal models of traumatic brain injury.

The drug also protected the animals against motor and cognitive deficits.

"The goal for both diseases is to prevent neuronal cell death, and this study suggests that one therapy could possibly work for both," said the study's lead author, neuroscientist Dr. Mark Burns.

Both disorders are associated with build-up of beta amyloid, a toxic brain peptide.

Burns says that build-up of beta amyloid occurs in a second wave of damage that follows immediate "necrotic" death of nerve cells after traumatic brain injury.

This secondary injury can last months, if not years, resulting in large holes within brain tissue.

Amyloid peptides are produced when a long brain protein known as the amyloid precursor protein (APP) is cut in two by the enzyme beta secretase, and then cut once again by a second enzyme known as gamma secretase.

Agents that inhibit the activity of gamma secretase are now being studied as treatment for Alzheimer's disease.

In the study, researchers used mice that were either treated with DAPT, an experimental gamma secretase inhibitor, or mice which were "BACE knock-outs" -genetically altered in such a way that they could not produce beta secretase.

It was found that DAPT and BACE knockout mice had brain lesions that were as much as 70 percent smaller than control animals and they experienced minimal impairment.

Burns said that the findings further cement the connection between Alzheimer's disease and traumatic brain injury.

In addition, the study showed that "modulation of beta and gamma secretase may provide novel therapeutic targets for the treatment of traumatic brain injury."

The findings of the study will be presented at the Alzheimer's Association 2009 International Conference on Alzheimer's Disease.

Robo fish to shed light on how fish swim upstream

2009-07-13T21:51:00.001-07:00

Soon, with the help of a swimming robotic fish, scientists would be able to understand how fish swim upstream.

According to a report by the Independent News and Media Limited, five research institutions, including the University of Bath, have been given 1.8 million euros by the European Commission to build the swimming robot.

The consortium is led by the Tallinn University of Technology in Estonia, with partners Riga Technical University in Latvia, Italian Institute of Technology and the Universities of Verona and Bath.

The robotic fish will react to changes in current or flow, as a real fish might encounter in a fast-flowing stream or near the seashore.

It will also be used to film marine life near the shore, where conventional propeller-driven submersible robots have difficulty maneuvering due to shallow water, kelp and currents created by waves.

The researchers will try to mimic the sense organ found in fish, called the lateral line, which allows the fish to detect the flow of water around it and react to it.

The fish's complex nervous system will be emulated by computer software, which will allow the robot to adjust its swimming behaviour to compensate for the flow of water.

When the robot hits the water in a few years' time, it can also be used in biological research, de-mining activities, pollution control and monitoring the world's ecosystems.

The team at the Ocean Technologies Lab at Bath in the University's Department of Mechanical Engineering will be leading the fish biology for the project, looking at how fish respond to changes in flow.

According to Dr William Megill, lecturer in Biomimetics at the University of Bath, "Currently, most aquatic robots can't maneuver very well in the shallow water near the shore because they just get smashed against the rocks by the force of the waves."

"However, even in a tsunami, fish manage to sense and swim against the current so that they stay in the water, rather than ending up on the beach," he said.

"So this project is interesting on two levels - firstly we want to understand more about how the fish manages to react to changes in current, and secondly we want to create a robot that mimics this artificially," he added.

Shuttle Endeavour mission delayed again by weather

2009-07-13T21:50:00.001-07:00

Lightning strikes and thunderstorms near the seaside launch pad forced NASA on Monday to delay yet again the launch of shuttle Endeavour on a mission to the International Space Station.

"The weather has just bitten us again," launch director Pete Nickolenko radioed to the Endeavour crew, as the spaceship's liftoff was postponed for the fifth time in about a month.

Endeavour had been scheduled to blast off at 6:51 p.m. EDT

(2251 GMT) on a mission to install a Japanese-built outdoor research platform at the space station. The launch was rescheduled for 6:03 p.m. EDT (2203 GMT) on Wednesday.

Two launch attempts last month were scuttled by hydrogen fuel leaks. A third attempt ended on Saturday when NASA ordered checks of the shuttle's electrical systems following a spate of lightning strikes and Sunday's launch was canceled due to poor weather.

NASA is trying to complete construction of the $100 billion orbital outpost, a project of 16 nations, by Sept. 30, 2010, so it can retire the shuttle fleet and ramp up development of replacement ships that can journey to the moon and other destinations farther from Earth.

Endeavour's cargo includes the Japanese-built platform that is to be mounted to the front of the $2.4-billion Kibo lab where it will serve as an outdoor perch for science experiments that need to be exposed to the open environment of space.

Experiments on the platform can be installed and retrieved remotely with a robotic arm, eliminating the need for time-consuming and potentially risky spacewalks by station crewmembers. The first two sections of Kibo were attached to the station in 2008.

The platform is to be installed during the first of five spacewalks planned during Endeavour's 12-day stay at the station. Astronauts also are expected to replace batteries that are part of the station's solar power system and store spare parts needed to keep the outpost operational after the shuttle fleet is retired.

Space shuttle Endeavour grounded again

2009-07-13T21:49:00.001-07:00

The space shuttle Endeavour was grounded for the fifth time on Monday with stormy weather again causing NASA to cancel a scheduled launch.

A storm south of the Cape Canaveral, Florida launch site threatened not just the launch, but also a landing site should the flight need to be aborted after lift-off. The decision to scrub the launch came shortly before the planned 6.51 p.m. (2251 GMT)

launch.

NASA said it would try again Wednesday at 6.03 p.m. (2203 GMT).

'When the time is right, we'll be here and we'll be ready,' said Commander Mark Polansky, who had been strapped into the shuttle along with the rest of the crew when the effort was scrubbed.

The seven-member crew is to deliver an outside porch to be installed on the International Space Station's Japanese Kibo module to expose scientific experiments to the extremities of space.

The mission has suffered a slew of delays that kept the craft on the ground for weeks longer than planned. A planned Sunday launch was cancelled due to storms and a Saturday launch was also scrubbed due to lightening the night before that struck the launch pad, but sparred the shuttle itself.

NASA was forced to postponed the launch twice in just four days last month, after technicians detected hydrogen gas leaks during fuelling, just hours before scheduled liftoff.

How Java's seafarers built their boats in the 6th and 7th centuries

2009-07-11T08:59:00.003-07:00

The recent discovery of an ancient boat in Indonesia has shed light on how Java's seafarers in the 6th and 7th centuries built their boats.

According to a report in The Jakarta Post, the ancient boat, measuring 15.6 meters long and 4 meters wide, was found in Punjulharjo village, Rembang district, in Rembang regency.

A team from the Yogyakarta Archaeology Center made a detailed study of the site, about 200 meters inland from the Java Sea coastline, from June 17 to 26 this year.

The boat, approximately 1,200 years old, was found buried near the Central Java northern coastline, with its bow lying to the west and its stern in the east.

The ancient boat is the most complete ever found in Indonesia, according to the chairman of the Yogyakarta archaeology team, Novida Abbas.

"So far, we have only got wooden planks and other separate pieces. The discovery in Rembang is 50 percent intact," Novida said. "We can see the actual shape of the boat and its construction technology," he added.

Novida estimates that the boat could hold 30 people.

Its skeleton remains complete, including its sides, bottom, curved ribs (to support the sides), stringers (to fasten the ribs) and wooden pegs, as well as palm-fiber ropes to fasten the ribs to knobs on the inside of the sides. There are also rattan and bamboo items.

According to Priyatno Hadi, a team member and archaeology graduate from Yogyakarta's Gadjah Mada University, the main body of the boat was unbroken.

The hull was built using a very simple method that did not require any metal components.

"Planks were first arranged to form an arc and then the curved wooden ribs were placed in parallel rows from the stern to the bow. Thereafter, they were fastened and strengthened with wooden pegs," said Hadi, showing the thumb-sized pegs.

Twelve of the boat's 17 ribs are still joined to its flanks, with their palm-fiber ropes still partly tied in their knots.

Unusually, there are also L-shaped planks in the stern - with those in the bow probably having been lost - for reinforcement due to the palm-fiber rope holes.

Missing are the upper parts of the boat and some parts of the bow, according to Novida.

"The entire boat may have been larger than what has been found today. Its age of 12 centuries and its almost complete state provide good material for more comprehensive research," he said.

"So, we will finally have an idea of what Indonesia's ancient boats looked like without having to speculate much. This finding gives us a good idea," he added.

As coastal cities expand, quality of life deteriorates there

2009-07-11T08:59:00.001-07:00

Expansion of coastal cities is accompanied by a decline in the quality of life of the people, says a new study.

Many megacities such as Tokyo (population 36 million), New York (22 million) and London (12 million) are found in the coastal zone. Coastal protection measures give a sense of false security and require increasingly expensive infrastructure, the study says.

The treatment and cure of these coastal cities include renewable energy, recycled water and solid waste, sourcing locally grown foods and attention to social equity issues, especially in education and healthcare.

These are the conclusions of 40 international experts from wide ranging disciplines including economics, social sciences and natural sciences who met for a five-day workshop near Oslo, Norway, organised by LOICZ (Land-Ocean Interactions in the Coastal Zone), a core project of the International Geosphere-Biosphere Programme and the International Human Dimensions Programme on Global Environmental Change.

Up to now, governments at all scales, from local to international, have largely failed to seriously implement integrated management in coastal zones, said a release of Helmholtz Association of German Research Centres.

This has placed people at risk of disasters such as hurricane Katrina and the Banda Aceh tsunami. The interconnection of coastal processes with upstream management in river catchment has widely been ignored, causing coastal erosion, lack of runoff, nutrient shortage and subsiding deltas.

What makes cheetah the fastest running animal on Earth

2009-07-11T08:58:00.003-07:00

Using high-speed cameras, a team of scientists is attempting to discover exactly what makes cheetahs the fastest running animals on the planet.

According to a report by BBC News, a Royal Veterinary College (RVC) team is using high-speed cameras and a sensitive track to monitor the big cats as they sprint.

The study is being carried out with North African cheetahs from ZSL Whipsnade Zoo in England.

Cheetahs can reach speeds of at least 104km/h (64mph) and they can achieve their top speed in just a few paces.

"The cheetah is fascinating because it can run 50 percent faster than any of the other animals we are familiar with, so in terms of understanding what limits how fast you can run, the cheetah is a wonderful animal to study," said professor Alan Wilson, head of the structure and motion laboratory at RVC.

Just as most domestic cats cannot resist chasing a piece of string, cheetahs also find the temptation of some twitching twine too difficult to ignore, especially if a tasty treat is dangling from the end.

So, the research team entices the zoo's cheetahs to run by attaching some choice chicken pieces to a loop of fast-moving string that is pulled along the enclosure by an electric motor.

As the cats chase the chicken feast, four high-speed cameras, which record at 1,000 frames per second, capture their every move.

"We use two cameras on each side of the enclosure so we can see the cheetah from both sides," said Penny Hudson, a PhD student at RVC.

"When a cheetah gallops, it does different things with either side of its body - it has an asymmetric gait," she added.

The scientists are also using special plates that are embedded within the cheetahs' running track.

"The plates are like sophisticated weighing scales that are able to measure all the forces going through their legs," Hudson explained.

The scientists are going to compare their results with other studies that have been carried out on greyhounds, which can reach top speeds of approximately 60km/h (40mph).

"Cheetahs can run much faster than a racing greyhound. So, we're trying to get them running at similar speeds to see what they do that's the same and what they do that makes them go that little bit faster," Hudson said.

The data from the experiments will be used to examine the forces and dynamics of the cats' legs, their speed, the length of each stride, as well as joint angles and posture.

Losing sight of people can spell disaster

2009-07-11T08:58:00.001-07:00

Losing sight of people in a crowd can spell disaster, warns a new report on terrorist threats and crowd control.

The report, based on other reports on understanding crowd behaviour, also claims that over-reliance on technical and IT solutions implies failure to learn from past disasters.

The reports were compiled for the British cabinet office by researchers from two centres within Leeds University Business School (COSLAC and CSTSD), and are the first to bring together sociological and psychological research on events and crowd behaviour, reviewing over 550 academic papers.

They also drew on in-depth interviews with 27 specialists in the field (police, emergency planners and event managers) to produce detailed guidelines for event organisers.

The findings will be of use to all those managing events involving large numbers of people and are particularly timely in the run up to 2012 (Olympics in London), said a Leeds University release.

Researchers cite the recent debacle at the opening of Heathrow's Terminal Five as a prime example of a situation where faith in the power of new software and other technology meant that the importance of people was overlooked.

Almost 300 flights in and out of Heathrow Airport were cancelled during the first five days as teething problems at the new Terminal 5 caused chaos, according to a BBC report last year.

'Believing new technology can be the answer to all problems means we are more likely to overlook basic lessons from past events,' the study authors wrote.

Government inefficiency places people in coastal zones at risk from tsunamis

2009-07-11T08:57:00.000-07:00

A team of international experts has determined that governments have largely failed to seriously implement integrated management in coastal zones, placing people at risk of disasters such as hurricane Katrina and the Banda Aceh tsunami.

This was the conclusion of 40 international experts from wide ranging disciplines including economics, social sciences and natural sciences who met for an intensive, 5 day workshop near Oslo, Norway.

Many Megacities such as Tokyo, New York and London are found in the coastal zone.

According to researchers, coastal protection measures give a sense of false security and require increasingly expensive infrastructure.

The treatment and cure of these coastal syndromes includes renewable energy, recycled water and solid waste, sourcing locally grown foods and attention to social equity issues, especially in education and healthcare.

The researchers said that up to now, governments at all scales, from local to international, have largely failed to seriously implement integrated management in coastal zones.

This has placed people at risk of disasters such as hurricane Katrina and the Banda Aceh tsunami.

The interconnection of coastal processes with upstream management in river catchment has widely been ignored, causing coastal erosion, lack of runoff, nutrient shortage and subsiding deltas.

The pace of change in general is increasing and regionally, the world is already seeing both economic and climate-change refugees.

In parallel, there are climate entrepreneurs eager to exploit Arctic resources.

Climate change is exposing the fragile Arctic coasts and ecosystems as well as their vulnerable inhabitants, who subsist on traditional lifestyles, to increasing risks.

Innovation is needed to solve the widespread problems, if we are to turn the tide of losses.

According to researchers, we must enable governance at all scales from intergovernmental engagement to the individual, personal choices that may counteract the tyranny of "small and short sighted decisions".

Positive emotions build resilience, boost life satisfaction

2009-07-11T08:55:00.000-07:00

People who make sure that their lives are filled with frequent moments of positive emotions, tend to have increased resilience against challenges, according to a new study by researchers at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Dr. Barbara Fredrickson and her colleagues have suggested that people should build on a daily diet of positive emotions to ensure increased levels of life satisfaction.

"This study shows that if happiness is something you want out of life, then focusing daily on the small moments and cultivating positive emotions is the way to go," she said.

She added: "Those small moments let positive emotions blossom, and that helps us become more open. That openness then helps us build resources that can help us rebound better from adversity and stress, ward off depression and continue to grow."

The month long study involved 86 participants, who were asked to submit daily "emotion reports", rather than answering general questions like, "Over the last few months, how much joy did you feel?"

"Getting those daily reports helped us gather more accurate recollections of feelings and allowed us to capture emotional ups and downs," said Fredrickson.

She said that building up a daily diet of positive emotions does not require banishing negative emotions, and the study helps to show that to be happy, people do not need to adopt a "Pollyanna-ish" approach and deny the upsetting aspects of life.

"The levels of positive emotions that produced good benefits weren't extreme. Participants with average and stable levels of positive emotions still showed growth in resilience even when their days included negative emotions," said Fredrickson.

She suggested that one should focus on the "micro-moments" that can help unlock one positive emotion here or there.

"A lot of times we get so wrapped up in thinking about the future and the past that we are blind to the goodness we are steeped in already, whether it's the beauty outside the window or the kind things that people are doing for you," she said.

She added: "The better approach is to be open and flexible, to be appreciative of whatever good you do find in your daily circumstances, rather than focusing on bigger questions, such as 'Will I be happy if I move to California?' or 'Will I be happy if I get married?'"

The study, titled 'Happiness Unpacked: Positive Emotions Increase Life Satisfaction by Building Resilience', has been published in the journal Emotion.

CAUSES OF CHIRROSIS

2009-07-11T08:48:00.000-07:00

INTRODUCTION

LIVER CIRRHOSIS

Cirrhosis is a complication of many liver diseases that is characterized by abnormal structure and function of the liver. The diseases that lead to cirrhosis do so because they injure and kill liver cells, and the inflammation and repair that is associated with the dying liver cells causes scar tissue to form. The liver cells that do not die multiply in an attempt to replace the cells that have died. This results in clusters of newly-formed liver cells (regenerative nodules) within the scar tissue. There are many causes of cirrhosis; they include chemicals (such as alcohol, fat, and certain medications), viruses toxic metals (such as iron and copper that accumulate in the liver as a result of genetic diseases), and autoimmune liver disease in which the body's immune system attacks the liver.

Cirrhosis refers to scarring of the liver. Scar tissue forms because of injury or long-term disease. It replaces healthy tissue.

Scar tissue cannot do what healthy liver tissue does—make protein, help fight infections, clean the blood, help digest food, and store energy for when you need it. Scar tissue also blocks the normal flow of blood through the liver. Too much scar tissue means that your liver cannot work properly. To live, you need a liver that works.

Cirrhosis can be life-threatening, but it can also be controlled if treated early.

CAUSES OF CHIRROSIS:

Cirrhosis has many causes, including

alcohol abuse (alcoholic liver disease)
chronic viral hepatitis (hepatitis B, C, or D)
autoimmune hepatitis, which is destruction of liver cells by the body’s immune system
nonalcoholic fatty liver disease or nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), which is fat deposits and inflammation in the liver
some drugs, toxins, and infections
blocked bile ducts, the tubes that carry bile from the liver
some inherited diseases such as

hemochromatosis (HEE-moh-KROH-muh-TOH-sus), a disease that occurs when the body absorbs too much iron and stores the excess iron in the liver, pancreas, and other organs
Wilson disease, which is caused by the buildup of too much copper in the liver
protoporphyria (PROH-toh-pour-FEAR-ee-uh), a disorder that affects the skin, bone marrow, and liver

Sometimes the cause of cirrhosis remains unknown even after a thorough medical examination.

INTRODUCTION

Most liver diseases lead to hepatocyte dysfunction with the possibility of eventual organ failure. The replacement of diseased hepatocytes and the stimulation of endogenous or exogenous regeneration by stem cells are the main aims of liver-directed

Bone marrow appears to contain three types of stem cell populations hematopoietic (hscs)endothelial progenitor and mesenchymal .the hscs produce all types of blood cells in the body .endothelial flat cells that line the blood and lymphatic vessels ,the heart,and various other body cavities .mesenchymal cells,a network of cells derived from the embronic mesoderm ,give rise to connective tissues and other parts of the cardiovascular system .each of these kinds of stemcells can be isolated from adult marrow and apper to have the potential for multiple lineges of sifferentation

Bone marrow differentiation

The transdifferentiation of BMSC into hepatic cells invivo was described in rats[3,17], mice[7] and humans[8,18]. Thishas brought new hope to cell therapy using autologous bone marrow . MSC can easily be obtained following a simple bone marrowaspiration procedure, and may be subsequently culturedand expanded in vitro without losing their stem cellpotential, making them an attractive target for cell therapy

THERAPETIC APPLICATIONS OF BONE MARROW –DERIVED STEM CELLS IN LIVER TRANSPLANTATION FOR END –STAGE LIVER DISEASES

Bone marrow-derived stem cells (BMDSCs) are capable of differentiating into hepatocyte-like cells and contribute to liver injury repair. The microenvironment of liver injury caused by rejection, ischemia/reperfusion, loss of liver mass, recurrence of HCV and â€œsmall-for-size syndromeâ€� after LT can attract a variety of bone marrow-derived stem cell population to the peripheral circulation and then migration to the injury liver to promote the hepatic function restoration. Additionally, BMDSCs can also take part in the functional regeneration of living donor liver after LDLT. This participation in liver regeneration may be associated to the interaction between SDF-1and its receptor CXCR4, involving HGF, IL-8, MMP9, and VEGF/VEGFR-2. BMDSC with its bio-characteristics could maintain the allograft tolerance from different angles and in different ways.

ADIPOSE STEM CELLS:

Adipose tissue-derived mesenchymal stem cells as a source of human hepatocytes

Recent observations indicate that several stem cells can differentiate into hepatocytes; thus, cell-based therapy is a potential alternative to liver transplantation. The goal of the present study was to examine the in vitro hepatic differentiation potential of adipose tissue-derived mesenchymal stem cells (AT-MSCs). We used AT-MSCs from different age patients and found that, after incubation with specific growth factors (hepatocyte growth factor [HGF], fibroblast growth factor [FGF1], FGF4) the CD105(+) fraction of AT-MSCs exhibited high hepatic differentiation ability in an adherent monoculture condition. CD105(+) AT-MSC-derived hepatocyte-like cells revealed several liver-specific markers and functions, such as albumin production, low-density lipoprotein uptake, and ammonia detoxification. More importantly, CD105(+) AT-MSC-derived hepatocyte-like cells, after transplantation into mice incorporated into the parenchyma of the liver..

Stem cells are a population possessing 1) self-renewal capacity, 2) long-term viability, and 3) multilineage potential. The multilineage potential of embryonic stem cells and adult stem cells from the bone marrow has been characterized extensively. Although embryonic stem cell potential is enormous, many ethical and political issues accompany their use. Therefore, adult stem cells from the bone marrow stroma (i.e., mesenchymal stem cells, MSCs) have been proposed as an alternative source. Originally identified as a source of osteoprogenitor cells, MSCs differentiate into adipocytes, chondrocytes, osteoblasts, and myoblasts in vitro

Adipose tissue differentiation

Adipose tissue provides an abundant and accessible source of adult stem termed adipose tissue-derived stem cells (ADSC) ADSC differentiationinto tissues of nonmesodermal origin, an initial effort hasbeen made to differentiate ADSC into hepatocytes, endocrinepancreatic cells, neurons, cardiomyocytes, hepatocytes, andendothelial/vascular cells

ADSC treated with HGF, oncostatin M (OSM), and dimethyl sulfoxidehave the potential to develop a hepatocyte-like phenotype expressingalbumin and alpha-fetoprotein. HGF is a potent mitogenthat acts via the HGF receptor c-Met, a transmembrane proteinwith an intracellular tyrosine kinase domain. HGF plays an importantrole in liver regeneration and embryonic development. OSM isa member of the IL-6 cytokine family regulating hepatocyte differentiation.

OSM isa member of the IL-6 cytokine family regulating hepatocyte differentiation

Expanding on these in vitro data, intravenously injected ADSCshow integration into the liver in mice, an effect that canbe enhanced after partial hepatectomy that promotes liver regeneration

Comparative between Bone marrow and Adpiose stem cells:

In one study comparing bone marrow-derivedmesenchymal stem cells (BMMSC) and lipoaspirate-derived ADSC[28] from the same patient, no significant differences wereobserved regarding the yield of adherent stromal cells, growthkinetics, cell senescence, multilineage differentiation capacity,or gene transduction efficiency. Metabolic characteristics andfat cell viability seem not to differ when comparing standardliposuction with syringe aspiration, and no unique combinationof preparation or harvesting techniques has appeared superiorto date [25] cell therapy

ADSC compared with MSC from other sources possessed the longest culture period and the highest proliferation capacity[23]. Thus, adipose tissue may be an ideal source of large amounts of autologous stemcells attainable by a less invasive method than BMSC

” In addition, a comparative study of the hepatogenic differentiation potential in vitro of both types of MSC has not yet been performed”.

Based on these previous fi ndings, the aim of this study was to investigate and compare the hepatic differentiation of human MSC from bone marrow (BMSC) and adipose tissue (ADSC) obtained from healthy donors. To this end, these cells were isolated and cultured under similar prohepatogenic conditions to those of liver development to define the different capacities of hepatic differentiation of the two subsets in vitro

Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) isolated from bone marrow (BM), cartilage, and adipose tissue (AT) possess the capacity for self-renewal and the potential for multilineage differentiation, and are therefore perceived as attractive sources of stem cells for cell therapy. However, MSCs from these different sources have different characteristics. We compared MSCs of adult Sprague Dawley rats derived from these three sources in terms of their immunophenotypic characterization, proliferation capacity, differentiation ability, expression of angiogenic cytokines, and anti-apoptotic ability. According to growth curve, cell cycle, and telomerase activity analyses, MSCs derived from adipose tissue (AT-MSCs) possess the highest proliferation potential, followed by MSCs derived from BM and cartilage (BM-MSCs and C-MSCs). In terms of multilineage differentiation, MSCs from all three sources displayed osteogenic, adipogenic, and chondrogenic differentiation potential. The result of realtime RT-PCR indicated that these cells all expressed angiogenic cytokines, with some differences in expression level. Flow cytometry and MTT analysis showed that C-MSCs possess the highest resistance toward hydrogen peroxide -induced apoptosis, while AT-MSCs exhibited high tolerance to serum deprivation-induced apoptosis. Both AT and cartilage are attractive alternatives to BM as sources for isolating MSCs, but these differences must be considered when choosing a stem cell source for clinical application.

Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) represent a promising tool for new clinical concepts in supporting cellular therapy. Bone marrow (BM) was the first source reported to contain MSCs. However, for clinical use, BM may be detrimental due to the highly invasive donation procedure and the decline in MSC number and differentiation potential with increasing age. More recently, umbilical cord blood (UCB), attainable by a less invasive method, was introduced as an alternative source for MSCs. Another promising source is adipose tissue (AT). We compared MSCs derived from these sources regarding morphology, the success rate of isolating MSCs, colony frequency, expansion potential, multiple differentiation capacity, and immune phenotype. No significant differences concerning the morphology and immune phenotype of the MSCs derived from these sources were obvious. Differences could be observed concerning the success rate of isolating MSCs, which was 100% for BM and AT, but only 63% for UCB. The colony frequency was lowest in UCB, whereas it was highest in AT. However, UCB-MSCs could be cultured longest and showed the highest proliferation capacity, whereas BM-MSCs possessed the shortest culture period and the lowest proliferation capacity. Most strikingly, UCB-MSCs showed no adipogenic differentiation capacity, in contrast to BM- and AT-MSCs. Both UCB and AT are attractive alternatives to BM in isolating MSC: AT as it contains MSCs at the highest frequency and UCB as it seems to be expandable to higher numbers

Distinctions between PLA and MSC Population

Analysis of PLA cells and MSCs in this study has identified many similarities between the two populations, lending support to the theory that stem cells can be found within adipose tissue. However, these similarities may also indicate that PLA cells are simply an MSC population located within the adipose compartment, perhaps the result of infiltration of MSCs from the peripheral blood supply. However, we do no believe this to be the case. First, the presence of MSCs in the peripheral blood is controversial. Moreover, if present within the peripheral blood, the number of MSCs within the bone marrow stroma is extremely low (~1 MSC per 10⁵ stromal cells; Rikard et al., 1994 ; Bruder et al., 1997 ; Pittenger et al., 1999 ) and is likely to be even lower in the peripheral blood. This low level is unlikely to give the relatively high levels of differentiation observed in this study. Second, we have observed several distinctions between PLA and MSC populations that suggest they are similar, but not identical, cell types: 1) Preliminary results on PLA cells indicate that sera screening is not necessary for their expansion and differentiation (Zuk et al., 2001 ), a requirement for MSCs (Lennon et al., 1996 ). 2) MSCs did not undergo chondrogenic or myogenic differentiation under the conditions used in this study, suggesting distinctions in differentiation capacities and/or kinetics. 3) Immunofluorescence analysis identified differences in CD marker profile between PLA and MSC populations. In contrast to MSCs, expression of CD106 was not observed on PLA cells, whereas PLA cells were found to express CD49d. 4) Distinctions between PLA and MSC populations may also extend to the gene level. For example, osteocalcin expression was restricted to PLA samples induced specifically with VD. Although treatment of MSCs with VD also induced OC expression, expression of this gene was also observed in dexamethasone-treated and non-induced MSCs, albeit at lower levels (our unpublished data; online Figure S5). In addition, PLA cells and MSCs exhibited distinctions in BMP-2 and dlx5 expression, both of which were found in induced MSCs only. Because dlx5 and BMP2 are known to mediate expression of multiple osteogenic genes, it is possible that PLA and MSC populations differ in their regulation of the osteogenic differentiation pathway. Taken together, these differences may indicate that adipose tissue contains stem cells, distinct from those found in the bone marrow stroma. However, the possibility that PLA cells are a clonal variant of circulating MSCs cannot be ruled out.

Adipose tissue, like bone marrow, is derived from the mesenchyme and contains a supportive stroma that is easily isolated. Based on this, adipose tissue may represent a source of stem cells that could have far-reaching effects on several fields. We have previously identified a putative stem cell population within human lipoaspirates (Zuk et al., 2001 ). This cell population, called processed lipoaspirate (PLA) cells, can be isolated from adipose tissue in significant numbers and exhibits stable growth and proliferation kinetics in culture. Moreover, PLA cells, like MSCs, differentiate in vitro toward the osteogenic, adipogenic, myogenic, and chondrogenic lineages when treated with established lineage-specific factors. The multilineage differentiation capacity of PLA cells led us to speculate that a population of multipotent stem cells, comparable with MSCs, can be isolated from human adipose tissue.

To confirm whether PLA cells represent a stem cell population, we conducted an extensive molecular and biochemical characterization of the PLA population and several clonal isolates, termed adipose-derived stem cells (ADSCs). PLA cells expressed several CD marker antigens similar to those observed on MSC controls. Induction of PLA cells and clones toward multiple mesodermal lineages resulted in the expression of several lineage-specific genes and proteins similar to those observed in induced MSC controls and lineage-committed precursor cell lines. Moreover, established biochemical assays confirmed lineage-specific metabolic activity in induced PLA populations. In addition to mesodermal capacity, PLA cells and clones differentiated into putative neurogenic cells exhibiting a neuronal-like morphology and expressing several proteins consistent with the neuronal phenotype. Finally, PLA cells exhibited unique characteristics distinct from that seen in MSCs, including differences in CD marker and gene expression profiles. In conclusion, the results presented in this study suggest that adipose tissue may be an additional source of unique, pluripotent stem cells with multi-germline potential.

Cell Culture and Differentiation

PLA cells were obtained from raw human lipoaspirates and cultured as described in a previous study (Zuk et al., 2001 ). Briefly, raw lipoaspirates were washed extensively with sterile phosphate-buffered saline (PBS) to remove contaminating debris and red blood cells. Washed aspirates were treated with 0.075% collagenase (type I; Sigma-Aldrich, St. Louis, MO) in PBS for 30 min at 37°C with gentle agitation. The collagenase was inactivated with an equal volume of DMEM/10% fetal bovine serum (FBS) and the infranatant centrifuged for 10 min at low speed. The cellular pellet was resuspended in DMEM/10% FBS and filtered through a 100-μm mesh filter to remove debris. The filtrate was centrifuged as detailed above and plated onto conventional tissue culture plates in control medium (Table 1). Normal human osteoblasts (NHOst), normal human chondrocytes from the knee (NHCK), and a population of MSCs from human bone marrow were purchased from Clonetics (Walkersville, MD) and maintained in commercial medium. The murine 3T3-L1 preadipocyte cell line (Green and Meuth, 1974 ) was obtained from American Type Culture Collection (Manassas, VA). NHOst, PLA cells, and 3T3-L1 cells were treated with mesenchymal lineage-specific media as outlined in Table 1. MSCs were induced using commercial control medium supplemented with the growth factors outlined in Table 1. NHOst and NHCK cells were induced using commercially available induction media (Clonetics).

PLA Cells Are Phenotypically Similar to MSCs

Characterization of MSCs has been performed using the expression of cell-specific proteins and CD markers (Bruder et al., 1998b ; Conget and Minguell, 1999 ; Pittenger et al., 1999 ). Like MSCs, PLA cells expressed CD29, CD44, CD71, CD90, CD105/SH2, and SH3 and were absent for CD31, CD34, and CD45 expression (online Figure S1). Moreover, flow cytometry on PLA cells confirmed the expression of CD13, whereas no expression of CD14, 16, 56, 62e, or 104 was detected (Table 2). These results demonstrate that similar CD complements are expressed on both PLA cells and MSCs. However, distinctions in two CD markers were observed: PLA cells were positive for CD49d and negative for CD106, whereas the opposite was observed on MSCs. Expression of CD106 has been confirmed in the bone marrow stroma and, specifically, MSCs (Levesque et al., 2001 ) where it is functionally associated with hematopoiesis. The lack of CD106 on PLA cells is consistent with the localization of these cells to a non-hematopoietic tissue.

Liver transplantation is the primary treatment for various end-stage hepatic diseases but is hindered by the lack of donor organs and by complications associated with rejection and immunosuppression. There is increasing evidence to suggest the bone marrow is a transplantable source of hepatic progenitors. We previously reported that multipotent bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells differentiate into functional hepatocyte-like cells with almost 100% induction frequency under defined conditions, suggesting the potential for clinical applications. The aim of this study was to critically analyze the various parameters governing the success of bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cell-based therapy for treatment of liver diseases.

METHODS: Lethal fulminant hepatic failure in nonobese diabetic severe combined immunodeficient mice was induced by carbon tetrachloride gavage. Mesenchymal stem cell-derived hepatocytes and mesenchymal stem cells were then intrasplenically or intravenously transplanted at different doses.

RESULTS: BMSC and ADSC exhibited a fibroblastic morphology that changed to a polygonal shape when cells differentiated. Expression of stem cell marker Thy1 decreased in differentiated ADSC and BMSC. However, the expression of the hepatic markers, albumin and CYPs increased to a similar extent in differentiated BMSC and ADSC. Hepatic gene activation could be attributed to increased liver-enriched transcription factors (C/EBPβ and HNF4α), as demonstrated by adenoviral expression vectors.

CONCLUSION: Mesenchymal stem cells can be induced to hepatogenic transdifferentiation in vitro . ADSCs have a similar hepatogenic differentiation potential to BMSC, but a longer culture period and higher proliferation capacity. Therefore, adipose tissue may be an ideal source of large amounts of autologous stem cells, and may become an alternative for hepatocyte regeneration, liver cell trans transplantation or preclinical drug testing.

Adipose tissue is a source of multipotent stem cells that can be easily isolated, selected, and induced into mature, transplantable hepatocytes. The fact that they are easy to procure ex vivo in large numbers makes them an attractive tool for clinical studies in the context of establishing an alternative therapy for liver dysfunction.

Bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells can effectively rescue experimental liver failure and contribute to liver regeneration and offer a potentially alternative therapy to organ transplantation for treatment of liver diseases.

CT scans deepen murder mystery of 1,700-year-old mummy

2009-07-10T09:25:00.001-07:00

The murder mystery of a 1,700-year-old Graeco-Roman mummy has deepened, with CT scans revealing that a 'metallic' object stuck in its neck is in fact one of three or four fragments lodged in the base of the skull.
According to a report by Sky News, the 1,700-year-old mummy was scanned along with two other Egyptian mummies from Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery, in a quest for more information on the circumstances surrounding their deaths.
The scans were arranged by Bob Loynes, previously an orthopaedic consultant at Mid-Staffs Hospital, UK, and a keen Egyptologist.
In the past, it has been necessary to unwrap mummies to carry out investigations, but this risky process can now be avoided.
"The opportunity to help with the further investigation of these mummies was a very exciting one for me," Loynes said.
"The CT Scans have shown amazing details, which have produced as many questions as they have given answers," he added.
Scans of the second mummy, that of Padimut, priest of the goddess Mut and probably of the 21st Dynasty (1085-935 BC), showed evidence of high quality mummification, including removal of the brain and plates in front of the eyes.
Investigations into the third mummy threw up another mystery.
The mummy, from the Namenkhetamun of the 26th Dynasty (664-525BC), was described as 'the daughter of Amunkhau' on the coffin lid.
But, the scan has revealed the mummy is male.
Researchers also discovered another mystery - an unexplained hole in the mummy's back, about the size of a fist.
According to curator Adam Jaffer, "This scanning has produced views of the museum's mummies which have never been seen before. We have been able to 'virtually unwrap' them without causing any damage."
"However, scanning poses new questions about the life and death of these ancient Egyptians which we will try to find the answers for," he said.

Now, cheap, efficient, flexible solar cells made from nanopillars

2009-07-10T09:24:00.002-07:00

Scientists have found a new way to make cheap, efficient, and flexible solar cells by using nanopillars made of low-cost and flexible materials.
The design by researchers at the U.S. Department of Energy's Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and the University of California at Berkeley, grows optically active semiconductors in arrays of nanoscale pillars, each a single crystal, with dimensions measured in billionths of a meter.
"To take advantage of abundant solar energy we have to find ways to mass-produce efficient photovoltaics. Single-crystalline semiconductors offer a lot of promise, but standard ways of making them aren't economical," said Ali Javey, lead author of the study.
Solar cell basically converts light energy into charge-carrying electrons and "holes" (the absence of an electron), which flow to electrodes to produce a current.
But, unlike a typical two-dimensional solar cell, a nanopillar array offers much more surface for collecting light.
Computer simulations have indicated that, compared to flat surfaces, nanopillar semiconductor arrays should be more sensitive to light, have a greatly enhanced ability to separate electrons from holes, and be a more efficient collector of these charge carriers.
Thus, Javey created a new, controlled way to use a method called the "vapour-liquid-solid" process to make large-scale modules of dense, highly ordered arrays of single-crystal nanopillars.
Inside a quartz furnace, the researchers grew pillars of lectron-rich cadmium sulfide on aluminum foil, in which eometrically distributed pores made by anodization served as a template.
And in the same furnace they submerged the nanopillars, once grown, in a thin layer of hole-rich cadmium telluride, which acted as a window to collect the light.
The two materials in contact with each other form a solar cell in which the electrons flow through the nanopillars to the aluminum contact below, and the holes are conducted to thin copper-gold electrodes placed on the surface of the window above.
The efficiency of the test device was measured at six percent, which while less than the 10 to 18 percent range of mass-produced commercial cells is higher than most photovoltaic devices based on nanostructured materials.
It is possible to make a flexible solar cell, by removing the aluminum substrate, substituting an indium bottom electrode, and embedding the 3-D array in clear plastic.

Middle-aged mice fed with antibiotic live longer

2009-07-10T09:24:00.001-07:00

Middle-aged mice, fed with the anti-biotic rapamycin, lived between nine and 14 percent longer than other mice, according to a new study. The drug has the potential to become an anti-aging pill.
The drug, among other things, is currently used to suppress immune systems in transplant patients.
The finding was the result of a collaboration between the University of Texas (UT) Health Science Centre, University of Michigan Ann Arbor and Jackson Lab, Maine.
'Rapamycin' is named after Easter Island's Polynesian name, Rapa Nui. The increased lifespan in the mice would be the equivalent increase in life expectancy that would result in humans if cancer and heart disease were cured and prevented,' said UT researchers in a press statement.
The mice were given the drug at the human equivalent of age 60.
The study is one of several in the National Institute on Aging (NIA) interventions testing program which is looking for compounds that might help to keep people active and free of disease for their whole lives.
Arlan G. Richardson, director of the Barshop Institute for Longevity and Aging Studies at UT, said: 'I've been in aging research for 35 years and there have been many so-called 'anti-aging' interventions over those years that were never successful.'
'I never thought we would find an anti-aging pill for people in my lifetime; however, rapamycin shows a great deal of promise to do just that,' he added.
First discovered in the 1970s, rapamycin is an antifungal compound secreted by bacteria. It is used as an immuno-suppressant to stop donated organ rejection in transplant patients, particularly those receiving kidneys, said a UT release.
It is also used in stents that are implanted in patients who undergo angioplasty to prop open arteries. The compound is also undergoing clinical trials for the treatment of cancer.
These findings were published online this month in Nature.

Migraines linked to reduced breast cancer risk

2009-07-10T09:23:00.001-07:00

For women who suffer from migraines, here's some good news: New study shows that your risk of breast cancer may be reduced by as much as 26 percent.
And no matter what a woman's age or what migraine triggers a woman might be avoiding, the risk of breast cancer is still reduced, according to the study, led by Christopher I. Li, M.D., Ph.D., a breast-cancer epidemiologist and associate member of the Hutchinson Center's Public Health Sciences Division.
Li led the first-of-its-kind study linking migraines with breast cancer risk reduction that was published last November.
This time researchers found that the risk reduction remained statistically similar regardless of a woman's menopausal status, her age at migraine diagnosis, use of prescription migraine medications or whether she avoided known migraine "triggers" such as alcohol consumption, smoking and taking hormone replacements. These triggers are also well-established breast cancer risk factors.
Some key differences between this study and the initial one that discovered the link include: the sample size was more than four times larger this time - more than 4,500 cases and controls versus about 1,000 each in the first study - and was more diverse geographically, drawing women from five metropolitan areas instead of only one.
"From an epidemiological perspective, having a larger and more diverse study in its underlying population helps in replicating the finding," Li said.
The age range of women studied was wider this time, 34-64 years of age versus 55-74 years old.
"We were able to look at whether this association was seen among both pre-menopausal and post menopausal women. In breast cancer this is relevant because there are certain risk factors that are different between older and younger women. In this study we saw the same reduction in breast cancer risk associated with a migraine history regardless of age," Li said.
Researchers were able to ascertain whether women in the study had lifestyle behaviours that are known migraine triggers - alcohol consumption, smoking and taking hormone replacement therapy.
Researchers posited that perhaps women who had migraines drank and smoked less and didn't take hormone replacements.
"But in this study we looked at women who never drank, never smoked and who also didn't use hormones and found the same association within each of those groups, suggesting that the association between migraine and reduced breast cancer risk may be independent of those other factors and may stand alone as a protective factor," he said.
What remains unknown is how migraine confers its apparent protection against breast cancer.
"We know that migraine is definitely related to hormones and that's why we started looking at this in the first place. We have different ideas about what may be going on but it's unclear exactly what the biological mechanisms are," Li said.
The study appears in the July 2009 issue of Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers and Prevention.

Experimental drug found effective against anthrax poisoning

2009-07-10T09:21:00.000-07:00

An experimental drug called raxibacumab has been found to be effective in treating anthrax poisoning, say researchers.
"The results published today showed that a single dose of raxibacumab was highly effective as a treatment for inhalation anthrax in both rabbits and monkeys," said Dr Sally D. Bolmer, R.A.C, lead author and Senior Vice President, Development and Regulatory Affairs, HGS.
"Raxibacumab acted quickly to provide a significant survival benefit to animals showing clinical signs of disease caused by exposure to a dose of aerosolized anthrax spores that was approximately 200 times the median lethal dose.
"We also note that the safety profile shown in healthy human volunteers provides support for use of raxibacumab in the clinical setting of immediately life-threatening inhalation anthrax disease," she added.
The drug works by targeting anthrax toxins after they are released by the bacteria into the blood and tissues.
In an inhalation anthrax attack, people may not know they are infected with anthrax until the toxins already are circulating in their blood, and it may be too late for antibiotics alone to be effective.
"We are very proud that the importance of these data and the rigor and high quality of our scientists' work have led to publication in The New England Journal of Medicine," said Dr David C. Stump, Executive Vice President, Research and Development, HGS. Based on these results, we believe raxibacumab has the potential to be a significant step forward in the treatment of inhalation anthrax," he added.
The study has appeared in the New England Journal of Medicine.

Indian-origin researcher unveils biodegradable scaffold to fix damaged knees

2009-07-10T09:20:00.000-07:00

A research team at Hospital for Special Surgery, including an Indian-origin scientist, have developed a biodegradable scaffold that can be used to treat patients with damaged knee cartilage.
Dr Asheesh Bedi, a fellow in sports medicine and shoulder surgery at Hospital for Special Surgery, has revealed that his team's invention is a Trufit plug that has mechanical properties similar to cartilage and bone.
"The data has been encouraging to support further evaluation of this synthetic scaffold as a cartilage repair technique," he said.
Damage to so-called articular cartilage can occur in various ways, ranging from direct trauma in a motor vehicle accident to a noncontact, pivoting event on the soccer field.
The Trufit plug has two layers. The top layer has properties similar to cartilage and the lower layer has properties similar to bone.
The bilayered structure has mechanical properties that approximately match the adjacent cartilage and bone.
During the study, surgeons inserted the plug in the knees of 26 patients with donor lesions from OATS procedures and followed up with imaging studies (with MRI and T2-mapping) at various intervals for a period of 39 months.
"Quantitative MRI, when combined with morphologic assessment, allows us to understand the natural history of these repair techniques and define those patients who are most likely to benefit from the surgery," said Hollis Potter, M.D., chief of the Division of Magnetic Resonance Imaging, director of Research in the Department of Radiology and Imaging at Hospital for Special Surgery and lead author of the study.
"We gain knowledge about the biology of integration with the host tissue, as well as the repair tissue biochemistry, all by a noninvasive imaging technique," he added.
"What we found was that the plug demonstrated a predictable process of maturation on imaging studies that paralleled the biology of their incorporation," Bedi said.
The findings were presented at annual meeting of the American Orthopedic Society for Sports Medicine.

How TB bacteria remain latent in body for decades

2009-07-10T09:19:00.000-07:00

Scientists from Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Centre have identified a protein that helps TB bacteria resist immune response, and remain latent in the body for decades.
They hope that the new discovery may lead to new drugs to eliminate those strains of mycobacterium tuberculosis that have grown resistant to therapies currently available.
"Tuberculosis can resist the host immune system and remain latent for decades," said Michael Glickman, of the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Centre.
"To do so, the mycobacterium responsible must resist an arsenal of DNA-damaging mutagens produced within the macrophage, the immune cell in which it lives.
"It's incompletely understood how it can do that. We've identified one such mechanism," he added.
According to the researchers, secret to TB's success is a protein called CarD.
"The mycobacterium tailors its translational machinery in response to stress within the host and we have identified CarD as a critical mediator of this response" said Glickman.
The study showed that loss of CarD is fatal to M. tuberculosis living in cell culture.
CarD depletion leaves the pathogen sensitive to killing by oxidative stress, starvation, and DNA damage as it fails to cut its transcription of rRNA.
Glickman said that they were able to show in infected mice that the mycobacterium depends on CarD not just when it is in its early, most active phase of growth, but also later in the course of infection.
He added that drugs that target CarD's interaction with RNA polymerase could, therefore, lead to sorely needed, new TB drugs.
The study has been published in the journal Cell, a Cell Press publication.

Scientists develop faster, more cost-effective DNA test for crime scenes

2009-07-09T21:24:00.002-07:00

Scientists in Japan are reporting development of a faster, less expensive version of the fabled polymerase chain reaction (PCR), which is a DNA test widely used in criminal investigations, disease diagnosis, biological research and other applications.

According to the researchers, the new method could lead to expanded use of PCR in medicine, the criminal justice system and elsewhere.

In the new study, scientist Naohiro Noda and his team note that PCR works by "amplifying" previously undetectable traces of DNA almost like photocopiers produce multiple copies of documents.

With PCR, crime scene investigators can change traces of DNA into amounts that can be identified and linked to a suspect.

Biologists can produce multiple copies of individual genes to study gene function, evolution, and other topics.

Doctors can amplify the DNA from microbes in a patient's blood to diagnose an infection.

Current PCR methods, however, are too expensive and cumbersome for wide use.

The scientists describe development and testing of a new PCR method, called the universal QProbe system, which overcomes these problems.

Existing PCR processes require several "fluorescent probes" to seek out DNA.

QProbe substitutes a single "fluorescent probe" that can detect virtually any target, saving time and cutting costs.

The new method also is more specific, accurately detecting DNA even in the presence of unfavorable PCR products in the samples that may interfere with quantification results.

Most cognitive tests fail to predict Alzheimer's, vascular dementia

2009-07-09T21:24:00.001-07:00

Most of the cognitive tests fail to predict whether someone has Alzheimer's disease or vascular dementia, say researchers.

Both Alzheimer's disease and vascular dementia affect learning and memory, behaviour and day-to-day function.

The researchers suggest when older people are confused and forgetful, doctors should base their diagnoses on many different types of information, including medical history and brain imaging.

Dr Jane Mathias and Jennifer Burke, M.Psych.(Clinical), both from the University of Adelaide, analysed 81 previously published studies that compared the cognitive testing of people diagnosed with dementia of the Alzheimer's and vascular type .

Of the 118 different tests that were used only two were able to adequately differentiate between Alzheimer's and vascular dementia.

The Emotional Recognition Task (the ability to identify facial expressions in photographs and match emotional expressions to situations, at which people with Alzheimer's were better) and Delayed Story Recall (at which people with vascular dementia were better), were the only tests that appeared to reliably tell the two groups apart.

Many commonly used tests-such as Digit Span (repeating a set of numbers forward, backward), verbal fluency (generating words by first letter or category, such as animals), drawing tasks and more - were unable to distinguish between dementia types. While these tests may assist in diagnosing dementia, they do not adequately discriminate between Alzheimer's disease and vascular dementia," wrote the authors.

They suggest that all cognitive tests should be used cautiously and only in conjunction with other information (imaging, medical history) when diagnosing patients.

The study appears in the journal Neuropsychology.

2000-year-old statue of Greek athlete sheds light on metal corrosion

2009-07-09T21:23:00.001-07:00

The restoration of a 2,000-year-old bronze sculpture of the famed ancient Greek athlete Apoxyomenos may help modern scientists understand how to prevent metal corrosion, discover the safest ways to permanently store nuclear waste, and understand other perplexing problems.

That's the conclusion of a new study on the so-called "biomineralization" of Apoxyomenos.

Best known as "The Scraper," the statue depicts an athlete scraping sweat and dust from his body with a small curved instrument.

Scientist Davorin Medakovic and his team point out that Apoxyomenos was discovered in 1998 on floor of the Adriatic Sea.

While the discovery was a bonanza for archaeologists and art historians, it also proved to be an unexpected boon to scientists trying to understand biomineralization.

Biomineralization is the process in which animals and plants use minerals from their surroundings and form shells and bone.

Apoxyomenos was encrusted with such deposits.

"As studies of long-term biofouled manmade structures are limited, the finding of an ancient sculpture immersed for two millennia in the sea provided a unique opportunity to probe the long-term impact of a specific artificial substrate on biomineralizng organisms and the effects of biocorrosion," according to the researchers.y evaluating the mineral layers and fossilized organisms on the statue, the researchers were able to evaluate how underwater fouling organisms and communities interacted with the statue as well as how certain mineral deposits on the bronze sculpture slowed its deterioration.

Promising drug target for aggressive form of breast cancer identified

2009-07-09T21:22:00.000-07:00

Researchers at Andel Research Institute (VARI) have identified a potential target for the treatment of the most aggressive forms of breast cancer.

They found that the Met gene may play a critical role in the development of an aggressive form of breast cancer known as basal breast cancer.

"Breast cancer mortality rates are actually declining, but the cancers that don't respond to traditional treatments tend to be more aggressive and have decreased survival rates," said VARI Research Scientist Carrie Graveel, Ph.D., lead author of the study.

VARI Distinguished Scientific Fellow George Vande Woude, Ph.D., who heads the laboratory that conducted the research, said: "Met has already been associated with decreased survival in breast cancer, but this study identifies its importance in specific types that can be distinguished at the molecular level."

In the 1980's, Dr. Vande Woude's laboratory at the National Cancer Institute demonstrated that inappropriate levels of Met occur in human tumours, and that cells with inappropriate Met signaling dramatically impact the spread of cancer.

This signaling is implicated in most types of human cancers and high Met expression often correlates with poor prognosis.

"We found Met in the majority of breast cancers. But levels were highest in aggressive types, making Met a promising drug target that could help patients that currently have few treatment options," said VARI Research Technician Jack DeGroot, another of the study's authors.

The study has been published this week in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences U.S.A.

Positive emotions increase resilience against challenges

2009-07-09T21:21:00.002-07:00

A new study by researchers from a University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill has revealed that people who seed their life with frequent moments of positive emotions increase their resilience against challenges.

"This study shows that if happiness is something you want out of life, then focusing daily on the small moments and cultivating positive emotions is the way to go," said Barbara Fredrickson, Ph.D., Kenan Distinguished Professor of Psychology in UNC's College of Arts and Sciences and the principal investigator of the Positive Emotions and Psychophysiology Laboratory.

"Those small moments let positive emotions blossom, and that helps us become more open. That openness then helps us build resources that can help us rebound better from adversity and stress, ward off depression and continue to grow," Fredrickson added.

In the month long study, 86 participants were asked to submit daily "emotion reports," rather than answering general questions like, "Over the last few months, how much joy did you feel?"

"Getting those daily reports helped us gather more accurate recollections of feelings and allowed us to capture emotional ups and downs," said Fredrickson.

She said that building up a daily diet of positive emotions does not require banishing negative emotions.

The study helps show that to be happy, people do not need to adopt a "Pollyanna-ish" approach and deny the upsetting aspects of life.

"The levels of positive emotions that produced good benefits weren't extreme. Participants with average and stable levels of positive emotions still showed growth in resilience even when their days included negative emotions," she said.

Fredrickson suggested focusing on the "micro-moments" that can help unlock one positive emotion here or there.

"A lot of times we get so wrapped up in thinking about the future and the past that we are blind to the goodness we are steeped in already, whether it's the beauty outside the window or the kind things that people are doing for you," she said.

"The better approach is to be open and flexible, to be appreciative of whatever good you do find in your daily circumstances, rather than focusing on bigger questions, such as 'Will I be happy if I move to California?' or 'Will I be happy if I get married?," she said

The study appears in the June issue of the bimonthly journal Emotion.

New test predicts heart disease risk more accurately

2009-07-09T21:21:00.001-07:00

Scientists have come up with a new test that can help predict a person's risk of heart disease more accurately.

An independent external validation of QRISK, a new score for predicting a heart disease risk has been found to be more accurate than the existing test.

Researchers from the University of Oxford have recommended its widespread use across the UK, in place of the more commonly used Framingham equation.

"We are delighted to receive another strong endorsement of the value of QRISK in assessing the risk of heart disease," said Professor Julia Hippisley-Cox of The University of Nottingham's Division of Primary Care.

"We believe this formula has the potential to save many thousands of lives, by helping clinicians to more accurately predict those at risk of developing cardiovascular disease.

"It will arm doctors with all the information they need to decide how best to target patients with preventative measures such as lifestyle advice and cholesterol-lowering treatments," she added.

During the study, the researchers tracked the progress of 1.07 million patients registered at 274 general practices in England and Wales for up to 12 years after first diagnosis of cardiovascular disease. All participants were aged between 35 and 74 at the start of the study.

Soon every patient's record will contain an automatically calculated heart risk score allowing GPs to identify and target those at greatest risk.

The new research has been published in the British Medical Journal.

Round Three—“Mixing & Matching” Biological Building Blocks: Mouse-Human Chimeras Are Here!

2009-07-09T20:36:00.000-07:00

Gong—Welcome to round three of the human reproductive technology advances—mouse-human chimeras. Round one, framed by the praiseworthy intent of overcoming human infertility, placed human gametes, sperm and eggs, into a Petri dish to procreate at will. Round two, capitalizing on the inefficiencies within the in vitro fertilization clinic, took apart “left over” human embryos for embryonic stem cells. Round two and a half extended the logic of embryonic stem cells to make genetically matched embryonic stem cells through “therapeutic” cloning. These second rounds have an equally imperative goal of curing millions from heretofore untreatable maladies.1

Round three is driven by the accessibility of human biological building blocks for developmental biology’s toolkit. In order to learn how early life develops, developmental biologists artfully explore reproduction and development by mixing and matching biological building blocks such as genes and embryonic stem cells. The gold standard laboratory model—the mouse—is logically the place to try out these human biological building blocks. Mixing and matching genes was first. Technology allowed inserting one or two genes at a time into the germ line or genetic inheritance. More recently, artificial chromosome technology has allowed insertion of 100s of genes at a time. Both techniques create what is called a ‘transgenic.’ For twenty years now, transgenic mice containing human genes in their genetic inheritance have been scurrying about in laboratory cages.

Mixing and matching human and mouse embryonic stem cells has just begun in the last few years. Embryonic stem cells are inserted into a developing embryo with other genetically distinct embryonic stem cells. The mixed embryonic stem cells blend together and form one organism creating what is called a ‘chimera.’ A chimera, then, fuses multiple genetic life forms into one creature. An analogy for chimera is a rose graft. For example, often a rose bush has the root of one genetic inheritance with vines from another grafted together to form a single plant. They co-exist for the life of that organism, but never genetically intermingle to make genetically blended offspring.

The rationale for the latest mouse-human chimera is to make an animal model to study human brain development and disease.2 The new study injected human embryonic stem cells into the brains of fetal mice. These human embryonic stem cells went on to form human brain cells, neurons, and glia within the mouse brain. The human cells were found in many brain regions, and testing the electrical workings of the chimeric brain showed normal activity 18 months after transplantation. The scientists suggest that these hybrid animals will be a great model for studying human brain diseases and extrapolate that they may even be useful for screening drugs. (This latter statement, that mouse-human chimeras may serve as model for screening therapeutic drugs, is over-reaching at this stage. Proving that this model can predict whether drugs work for human brain cells will require a lot of complicated experimental work.)

The justification for creating mouse-human chimeras is laudatory, but can these ends justify creating these hybrid mice-humans? What is at the heart of this debate? The central issue is not whether animal models useful for overcoming human brain diseases should be made, but rather, which ways of pursing this goal are ethical and which are not. In short, is blending a mouse and human together into one creature ethical?

The President’s Council on Bioethics considered some definitive lines for the blending of human and animal in March of 2004.

“One bright line should be drawn at the creation of animal-human hybrid embryos, produced ex vivo by fertilization of human egg by animal (for example, chimpanzee) sperm (or the reverse): we do not wish to have to judge the humanity or moral worth of such an ambiguous hybrid entity (for example, a “humanzee,” the analog of the mule); we do not want a possibly human being to have other than human progenitors. A second bright line would be at the insertion of ex vivo human embryos into the bodies of animals: an ex vivo human embryo entering a uterus belongs only in a human uterus.”3

They offered two recommendations for regulating creation of human-animal hybrids.

· Prohibit the transfer, for any purpose, of any human embryo into the body of any member of a nonhuman species; and

· Prohibit the production of a hybrid human-animal embryo by fertilization of human egg by animal sperm or of animal egg by human sperm.4

Both of these recommendations were aimed at prohibiting procreation of hybrids or crossing the inheritance line. Chimeras were considered, but the similarities of a chimera to transplantation of an animal part into a human shaped their conclusion that . . . “Likewise in the context of biomedical research, we now see nothing objectionable in the practice of inserting human stem cells into animals—though we admit that this is a scientifically and morally complicated matter.”5

Another national body, The National Academy of Sciences, recommended prohibiting creating just one type of animal-human chimera—introducing human embryonic stem cells into a non-human primate embryo6. Other types of chimeras, such as human-mouse, could be allowed if they passed a review by a special ethics panel. A further recommendation was that no hybrid with human embryonic stem cells should be allowed to breed. The current project of injecting 100,000 cells into each fetal mouse brain passed review because the chimeric brain would be more than 99 percent mouse. It is important to note that while this project was limited to introducing 100,000 cells, the success of this experiment supports the scientific logic for increasing the proportion of human cell within a mouse-human chimeric brain model.

Earlier, some principles were put forth to guide Christians in formulating a response to the possibility of such animal-human hybrids.7 Christians hold a stewardship role over animals and are permitted to use them to benefit humanity. Using animals in scientific studies then can be ethical for Christians. But a more fundamental principle is at stake, the divinely created order. Species are created purposely by God. Ultimately God is the author of life with a unique value placed on man. Man’s gift of procreation is to fulfill God’s purposes, not our own. Using human procreation to fuse animal-human runs counter to the sacredness of human life and man created in the image of God.

Further, you don’t have to be clairvoyant see that chimera experiments are paving the way for round four—synthetic biology and artificial life. Conceptually, synthetic biology takes the same biological building blocks, genes and embryonic stem cells, but does not constrain the imagination by restricting the assembling of these biological building blocks into known species. This opens the door to designing altogether original organisms. Artificial life tries to make novel organisms in another way. Instead of using known building blocks such as genetic material made of DNA or RNA, this field endeavors to create novel building materials using new compounds and recreating life processes with these materials. Equally troublesome is the percolating philosophical framework called transhumanism that not only justifies but applauds pursuing artificial life and synthetic biology full force.8

Creating animal-human chimeras, as The President’s Bioethics Council points out, is a scientifically and morally complicated matter. The fact that chimeras can’t procreate blended offspring but rather co-exist for only that one life span lessens some of our moral concern. But the larger context of probing the developmental stages of human life and gaining unprecedented insight into ways to control and manipulate animal and human reproduction must be our focus. Medicine knows full well the responsibility one must bear when welding knowledge that can be used for great good or great harm. Science struggles with assuming responsibility as easily as asserting scientific freedom. Moral deliberations must go arm-in-arm with scientific investigation to ensure that our society fully considers the stated hopes, and carefully deliberates on the by-products of the “breakthroughs.” For example, in order to overcome infertility, IVF creates more embryos that can be implanted. The end has clearly blurred the means. One cannot underestimate the urgency of wrestling now with this scientifically and morally complicated morass and corporately seeking God’s wisdom.

Genetically Enhancing Athletes?

2009-07-09T20:34:00.000-07:00

Readers of both the academic and popular literature in bioethics will be well aware that genetic and other forms of so-called human enhancement are clearly on the drawing board. No one knows how long it will take to develop these technologies, but they are most certainly coming. Already, of course, through the use of preimplantation genetic diagnosis, human embryos are screened for undesirable genetic traits and embryos with those traits are not transferred to a woman’s uterus—they are discarded or used in embryo-destructive research. This is not enhancement, but negative eugenics.

Soon, however, we will be able to direct our DNA to make ourselves different. I say "different," because it is unclear to me that having keener than normal eye sight is necessarily a good to be desired. Likewise, I hardly think that being able to choose one’s eye color is something worth the cost of genetic intervention. And, while I suppose 10 additional IQ points would be nice, I am quite certain that merely having them will not make people nicer. Finally, physical immortality, it seems to me, is something only some of the well-healed would want.

The venues for the most rapid development of genetic enhancement will not (and are not) in the medical sector, but in the military and athletics. Competitive advantage means a great deal on both battlefields. For instance, articles in Scientific American (July 2004) and the New York Times Magazine (January 18, 2004), pointed out that athletes are already trying to access genetic intervention for enhancement purposes. More efficient killing machines (aka soldiers) and a speedier fast pitch seem to be "goods" for many people. But are they?

News junkies could not help but read about Marion Jones’ tearful plea for forgiveness as she returned her Olympic Medals because of her past steroid use. In response, Olympic javelin bronze-medalist Kate Schmidt maintained that athletes take enhancement drugs because of the expectation of fans and that doping is so pervasive it ought to be made acceptable. Olympic officials are loath to do so not only because most of the drugs have deleterious side-effects, including sudden death, but because doing so would fundamentally alter the nature of competitive sports. Even presumably safe enhancements would give unfair advantage.

Happily, and without nearly as much publicity the U.S. Congress passed legislation at the end of last year banning "gene doping" in the United States. HR 6344 was signed into law on December 29, 2006, defining gene doping as, "the nontherapeutic use of cells, genes, genetic elements, or of the modulation of gene expression, having the capacity to enhance athletic performance."

"At its best, athletics celebrates remarkable human achievements that result from hard work, dedication, not from hypodermics and DNA labs," said Jaydee Hanson, Director for Human Genetics Policy for the International Center for Technology Assessment. "This ban represents an important milestone for human dignity in the fight against a new eugenics that ultimately intends to engineer all human life."

Keeping amateur athletics amateur athletics is especially important with the 2008 Olympics in China just around the corner. The bill states that "The United States Anti-Doping Agency shall . . . ensure that athletes participating in amateur athletic activities recognized by the United States Olympic Committee are prevented from using performance-enhancing drugs or performance-enhancing genetic modifications accomplished through gene-doping . . . (and) permanently include ‘gene doping’ among any list of prohibited substances adopted by the Agency."

This is not only good news for amateur athletics, but good news for our humanity.

Ethics and Genetics of Human Behaviour

2009-07-09T20:30:00.000-07:00

A behaviour can often be defined as the conduct of a person, the manner and mode of action in which this person treats others and the way he or she responds to a stimulus. Characterising the behaviour of a person is therefore not a simple affair, with any research in this field becoming a highly complex undertaking, including many variables such as social but also genetic effects.

However, these variables have not always been considered as having comparable weight. For example, many researchers believed, in the past, that only an environmental and social component influenced the behaviour of a person, with any biological theory of behaviour being rejected out of hand. This happened, for example, when Communists and other international socialist organisations sought to protect their egalitarian politics by repudiating any links between genetics and personal skills. The Russian geneticist, Vavilov was even allowed to die in prison in January 1943, because he maintained that every person did not have identical chromosomes, a conclusion based on heredity, which was seen as being in conflict with the ideologies, at the time, of the USSR.

In the same way, others were concerned that new information resulting from behavioural genetics would support a perceived reductionist threat in which all personal characteristics were explained by chemical and physical laws. These concerns resulted in a situation in which any suggestion of a genetic component to behaviour was automatically ridiculed, derided or considered as racist. The Nobel Prize winner Konrad Lorenz was sometimes even vilified at the end of the 20^th century, because his discoveries in inherited animal behaviour had been used by others to support racist ideas.

These examples demonstrate that research in the genetics of human behaviour can become a very sensitive and complex political issue. It has even been discouraged, in the past, as being potentially dangerous and disruptive to society. This has especially been the case with research relating to intelligence, aggression, antisocial behaviour, anxiety, novelty-seeking, alcoholism, addiction, obesity, and homosexuality.

However, though research in this field has often been contentious, scientific results in this domain, as in any other scientific discipline, should not be confused with the possible use of these results by individuals or society. As was stated in a recent UK House of Lords’ report, entitled Science and Society, "Knowledge obtained through scientific investigation does not in itself have a moral dimension; but the ways in which it is pursued, and the applications to which it may be put, inevitably engage with morality."In other words, even though science in itself can be considered as neutral, the applications of science, on the other hand, should be carefully examined while balancing any advantages with the possible risks involved.

One example of the advantages relating to the ‘medicalisation’ of some behavioural characteristics can be demonstrated in some cases of schizophrenia, when these were shown to be related to genetic factors and not just the result of a certain kind of upbringing. Indeed parents of children with schizophrenia were often noticed to welcome these findings. This means that for some traits in which a certain amount of stigma is attached, the ‘medicalisation’ of the traits could confirm the personal ‘innocence’ of those in the past considered responsible for the existence of these traits.

However, this ‘medicalisation’ of a behaviour may also have its disadvantages, since some individuals could be led to believe that nothing could be done with a certain trait because of its genetic origin. A kind of hopelessness and fatalism may then occur in affected persons as well as in those around them.

For example, Mark Rothstein states that if one assumes that there is a genetic component to alcoholism, then "[on] the one hand, it could be argued that the genetic component vitiates the moral taint from individuals with alcoholism. On the other hand, the genetic, heritable nature of the disorder may increase the stigma associated with alcoholism; it may increase the pressure for genetic screening for the mutation; it may contribute to individuals feeling a sense of resignation and a reluctance to enter treatment; and it may lead to disdain for individuals who, despite knowledge that they have the mutation, proceed to drink nonetheless."

Another concern relates to the possibility of discrimination, which may arise from studies in behavioural genetics. This could exist as a form of negative discrimination in which a person may be disadvantaged, bullied or even persecuted because of a genetic behavioural difference over which he or she has no control. Positive discrimination, on the other hand, may take place when persons are selected because of some specific unearned trait. For example, many will, and should, enjoy the recognition and appreciation given by their peers for traits such as charisma, intelligence or even eloquence at committee meetings, but these individuals should also remember that no real effort was made, on their part, to obtain these genetic characteristics. In other words, no additional special respect should, theoretically, be bestowed on these persons just because of their capacities.

Too often in our societies, relationships between individuals are seen as being competitive. This has arisen because many modern biological theories defending the survival of the fittest and the hierarchies of status wealth and power, in all walks of life, have been accepted without critical judgement. But this may not be a true reflection of biology. Indeed, society could also be considered as a system whereby every person exists to complement each other’s gifts and capabilities (be they genetic or otherwise). This would then resemble the ‘society’ of 100 trillion cells which make-up a human person, whereby each cell complements the other without competition. In fact, in such a representation, competitive discrimination would only be found in diseased or cancerous cells.

Results obtained from research in behavioural genetics should, therefore, not be shunned by ethical commentators but considered, instead, as an opportunity to encourage members of society to become more tolerant and compassionate towards each other in a spirit of solidarity. However, this would only be possible if the scientific results are explained and presented in the appropriate manner and in the right context. If genetic behavioural results are presented in an unbalanced and irresponsible manner and misused as a means to providing arguments for racism, discrimination and eugenic selection, then serious social problems will become inevitable.

Researchers identify genes that cause melanoma

2009-07-08T09:30:00.000-07:00

Scientists from the Queensland Institute of Medical Research (QIMR) have found two new genes that together double a person's risk of developing melanoma.

As part of an international study, a team at QIMR, led by Professors Nick Hayward and Grant Montgomery, studied the genes of almost 6,000 people together with their mole count. Specific changes in two genes were found to make people more susceptible to developing moles. The researchers went on to show, in another 4,000 people, the same two genes increased the risk of developing melanoma - the most deadly form of skin cancer.

"These are the first genes found to increase melanoma risk by influencing the number of moles a person has," explained Professor Hayward. "This finding improves our understanding of the genetics of melanoma and therefore the molecular pathways that lead to its development."

"It has long been known that having a large number of moles is the biggest risk factor. Therefore we predicted we would find genes linking moles and melanoma. We now have conclusive genetic evidence that having a large number of moles increases an individual's risk of developing melanoma."

The study found that people who carry one of these two gene variants have a 25% increased chance of developing melanoma, while for individuals carrying both variants their risk is doubled.

"In the long term, this research will be useful in developing screening techniques, and will also allow us to identify potential new drug targets and ultimately develop new therapies to treat melanoma," said Professor Hayward.

Moles are normal but people should seek advice from their doctor if they observe any changes in size, colour or shape. People with lots of moles are at a higher risk of developing melanoma and should therefore take extra care to avoid overexposure to ultraviolet radiation.

Australia has the highest incidence of melanoma in the world with more than 10,000 new cases and 1000 people dying from the disease every year. Queensland has the highest incidence of any state with seven Queenslanders diagnosed with melanoma every day. More than one in 20 Queenslanders is expected to develop melanoma during their lifetime.

Building a Successful Biotech Incubator

2009-07-08T09:24:00.000-07:00

Proximity to Academic Hubs and Capital Remains a Crucial Factor in Hatching a Thriving Cluster

Regions are looking to biotech to make the difference between boom and bust for their economies, but it takes more than tax incentives, buildings, and land to construct a winning biotech incubator. Unfortunately, the regions doing the planning often ignore that basic fact and proceed blithely onward despite a scarcity of the type of human capital and infrastructure that makes the difference between success and failure.
“A lot of things have to happen in order to have a successful biotech initiative, and the state can only do so much to build a better environment,” stresses Maik Klasen, senior healthcare consulting director at Frost & Sullivan.

Without the key ingredients, “it’s difficult to understand why regions think they can compete with established clusters,” muses Joe Panetta, CEO of BIOCOM, San Diego’s biotech association. Success, he says, “comes down to the ability to do the most innovative research.” Intellectual property must be on the cutting edge.

“Go to any established cluster,” Panetta says, “and there are strong universities.” San Diego’s companies can collaborate with researchers at the University of California at San Diego, The Scripps Institute, the Salk Institute, and other nearby stellar resources.

San Francisco companies have the University of California at San Francisco, Stanford University, UC-Berkeley and, to some extent, Cal Tech. Boston has Harvard University and MIT. Seattle has the University of Washington. Research Triangle Park is relatively near Duke and the University of North Carolina. Buffalo, NY, cites the Hauptman-Woodward Medical Research Institute, as well as the University of New York at Buffalo with its strong departments of chemistry, engineering, and bioinformatics.

Having worldclass researchers nearby fosters an intellectual climate in which ideas are exchanged easily and partnerships are developed. Consequently, both business and academia are strengthened. “The combination of abilities to do innovative work is a powerful stimulus,” Panetta says.

MaRS is another good example. Located in the heart of downtown Toronto, the MaRS facility is less than a mile from five major teaching hospitals, the Ontario legislature, and the University of Toronto. More than two dozen research institutes and Toronto’s financial district are also nearby.

“Collaboration is the essence of the new economy,” insists Ross Wallace, director of strategic partnerships at MaRS. “There’s a new focus on the power of institutions to generate intellectual property and ideas, and then build around them.”

Consequently, MaRS is a vertical incubator, with a wide variety of companies and stages of development. That mix helps companies better understand the conditions that foster growth. MaRS is home to more than 65 organizations, including The Hospital for Sick Children, the Ontario Institute for Cancer Research, Merck Frosst Canada, the McEwen Centre for Regenerative Medicine, Celtic House Venture Partners, AIM Therapeutics, and AstraZeneca Canada.

Single gene mutation behind catastrophic epilepsy

2009-07-08T09:23:00.000-07:00

Researchers at Baylor College of Medicine have found a mutation in a single gene to be responsible for catastrophic epilepsy - characterized by severe muscle spasms, persistent seizures, mental retardation and sometimes autism.

Dr. Jeffrey Noebels, professor of neurology, neuroscience and molecular and human genetics at BCM and director of the Blue Bird Circle Developmental Neurogenetics Laboratory at BCM, said that the team replicated the defect in mice, developing a mouse model of the disease that could help researchers figure out effective treatments for and new approaches to curing the disease.

"While many genes underlying various forms of childhood epilepsy have been identified in the past decade, most cause a disorder of 'pure' seizures," said Noebels.

Why some children have a more complicated set of disorders beginning with major motor spasms in infancy followed by cognitive dysfunction and developmental disorders such as autism remained a mystery until the discovery by the BCM team that a mutation in only a single gene explains all four features of catastrophic epilepsy.

A gene known as Aristaless-related homeobox or ARX has a specific mutation called a triplet repeat, which means that a particular genetic (in this case, GCG) is repeated many times in the gene.

When the researchers duplicated this particular mutation in specially bred mice, the animals had motor spasm similar to those seen in human infants.

Recordings of their brain waves showed that they had several kinds of seizes, included absence epilepsy and general convulsion. They also had learning disabilities and were four times more likely to avoid contact with other mice than their normal counterparts.

This behaviour is similar to that seen in children with autism or similar disorders in the same spectrum.

"The new model is an essential tool to find a cure for the disorder," said Noebels.

The study appears in the current issue of the Journal of Neuroscience.

New discovery can help thwart Parkinson's disease

2009-07-08T09:22:00.000-07:00

Scientists from King's College London say that blocking the release of chemical glutamate in the brain may help prevent Parkinson's disease.

Dr. Susan Duty said that one of the contributing factors to nerve cell death is an excess of the chemical glutamate in the motor control pathways in the brain.

An excess of this chemical changes the way these pathways operate, and makes movement even less well controlled.

She said that stimulating 'trigger points' responsible for the release of a chemical that can kill brain cells can help thwart Alzheimer's.

"The way we hope to achieve this is by stimulating protein targets on the nerve cell called metabotropic glutamate receptors. Certain types of these receptors, when stimulated, are known to prevent release of glutamate in other brain regions," said Duty.

"We, and others, have now taken these ideas into regions relevant to Parkinson's disease in the hope of reversing both the clinical signs and cell death associated with this condition.

"We, and others, have now taken these ideas into regions relevant to Parkinson's disease in the hope of reversing both the clinical signs and cell death associated with this condition," she added.

Duty said that current drugs could only treat the symptoms but not the underlying cause of the disease.

"They provide relief of symptoms by replacing the chemical, dopamine, which the dying cells would normally secrete in order to maintain proper control of movement," she said.

"However, they do little to combat the ongoing progressive cell death meaning that symptoms get worse, higher doses of drug are needed to control the worsening symptoms, the result being appearance of disabling side-effects such as involuntary flailing limb movements and painful twisting of joints.

"Given the disease is progressive in nature, the continued death of cells in the substantia nigra leads to gradual worsening of symptoms and decline in patients' quality of life over time.

"Finding drugs that can provide protection or repair to the dying cells - as well as relieve the clinical signs of Parkinson's - is therefore a key area of interest in this field," she added.

The study was presented at The British Pharmacological Society's Summer Meeting in Edinburgh.

Earth may become 'Waterworld' if rise in sea level continues

2009-07-08T09:21:00.000-07:00

If the alarming rise in sea level is anything to go by, the fictional world depicted in the Hollywood movie 'Waterworld' may soon be a reality.

According to a report in the Telegraph, this grim picture of planet Earth has been painted by climate scientists, who say that sea-level rise is now inevitable and will happen much quicker than most of us thought - and will last for centuries.

Even if greenhouse gas emissions stopped tomorrow, the oceans will continue to swell as they warm and as glaciers or ice sheets slide into the sea.

Scientists say that the "official" estimate of sea level rise by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change - 20cm to 60cm by 2100 - is misleading.

It could well be in the region of one to two metres, with a small risk of an even greater rise.

"When we talk of sea level rising by one or two metres by 2100 remember that it is still going to be rising after 2100," said climate expert Dr Eric Rignot, of California University.

According to Dr Stefan Rahmstorf, of the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research in Germany, ""There is a very close and statistically highly significant correlation between the rate of sea level rise and the temperature increase above the pre-industrial background level."

His calculations suggest sea level will rise between 0.5 and 1.4 metres - and the higher estimate is more likely because emissions have been rising faster than the IPCC's worst case scenario.

"I sense than now a majority of sea level experts would agree with me that the IPCC projections are much too low," he said.Most of my community is comfortable expecting at least a metre by the end of this century," said Dr Robert Bindschadler, of the NASA Goddard Space Flight Centre in Maryland.

For many islands and low lying regions including much of the Netherlands, Florida and Bangladesh even small rises will spell catastrophe.

Large parts of London, New York, Sydney and Tokyo could be among cities submerged beneath the waves unless a massive engineering effort can protect them against the waves.

Discovery of new gene locations gives new hope for multiple sclerosis patients

2009-07-08T09:19:00.000-07:00

A team of researchers from Australia and New Zealand claim that they have identified two new gene locations that appear to be linked to multiple sclerosis and other autoimmune diseases.

"For decades the cause of MS has remained a mystery. This discovery reveals important new insights into the genetic susceptibility to the disease," Nature magazine quoted Professor Trevor Kilpatrick, Director for Neurosciences at the University of Melbourne, as saying.

In a genome-wide study, the researchers have found two new gene locations in chromosomes 12 and 20.

"They also reveal a link between genetic susceptibility to MS and other autoimmune diseases including Type 1 diabetes, Rheumatoid Arthritis and Graves' Disease and the also the potential involvement of Vitamin D metabolism in the risk of developing these diseases," said Kilpatrick

"These results are like the key in the door - leading us to where to look for MS susceptibility," he added.

Dr. Justin Rubio of Florey Neurosciences Institutes, who coordinated the study along with Kilpatrick, said that the new discovery was a major advancement.

"We expect that within one to two years we will be able to fine map these new regions and identify the genetic changes that underpin these findings," said Rubio.

"Our next steps include studying how changes in these target genes might influence the development of MS. This work could provide insight into the development of novel therapeutics," he added.

The study has been published in the journal Nature Genetics.

How Biotechnology Works

2009-07-06T20:11:00.000-07:00

The DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) from different organisms is essentially the same — simply a set of instructions that directs cells to make the proteins that are the basis of life. Whether the DNA is from a microorganism, a plant, an animal or a human, it is made from the same materials.

Throughout the years, researchers have discovered how to transfer a specific piece of DNA from one organism to another.

A researcher's first step in transferring DNA is to "cut" or remove a gene segment from a chain of DNA using enzyme "scissors" to cut at a specific site along the DNA strand.

The researcher then uses these "scissors" to cut an opening into the plasmid — the ring of DNA often found in bacteria outside of a cell. Next, the researcher "pastes" or places the gene segment into the plasmid. Because the cut ends of both the plasmid and the gene segment are chemically "sticky," they attach to each other, forming a plasmid containing the new gene. To complete the process, researchers use another enzyme to paste or secure the new gene in place.

Decades of research have allowed Monsanto specialists to apply their knowledge of genetics to improve various crops, such as corn, soybeans, canola, cotton and potatoes.

Our researchers continue to work carefully to ensure that improved crops are the same as current crops, except for the addition of one beneficial trait which, for example, protects them from a particular insect or virus.

"...to maintain the productivity of agriculture, we must continue to improve the agricultural seeds that are used... We are now blessed through research and technology with new methods of actually speeding up the process of improving the seeds and the products we get from them...

Acting Assistant Secretary of State for Oceans and International and Environmental Scientific Affairs
Melinda Kimble;
May 26, 1999

Plant biotechnology

2009-07-06T20:10:00.000-07:00

or centuries, humankind has made improvements to crop plants through selective breeding and hybridization — the controlled pollination of plants.

Plant biotechnology is an extension of this traditional plant breeding with one very important difference — plant biotechnology allows for the transfer of a greater variety of genetic information in a more precise, controlled manner.

Traditional plant breeding involves the crossing of hundreds or thousands of genes, whereas plant biotechnology allows for the transfer of only one or a few desirable genes. This more precise science allows plant breeders to develop crops with specific beneficial traits and without undesirable traits.

Many of these beneficial traits in new plant varieties fight plant pests — insects, weeds and diseases — that can be devastating to crops. Others provide quality improvements, such as tastier fruits and vegetables; processing advantages, such as tomatoes with higher solids content; and nutrition enhancements, such as oil seeds that produce oils with lower saturated fat content.

Crop improvements like these can help provide an abundant, healthful food supply and protect our environment for future generations.

"Modern techniques of genetic engineering are essentially a refinement of the kinds of genetic modification that have long been used to enhance plants, micro-organisms, and animals for food. The products of the newer techniques are even more predictable and safer than the genetically engineered foods that have long enriched our diet."

Henry Miller, M.D., Fellow at Stanford University's Hoover Institution; June 17, 1999

Genzyme Fails to Win U.S. Approval for New Pompe Drug

2009-04-11T20:50:00.001-07:00

Genzyme Corp., the maker of treatments for rare genetic disorders, said it failed to win approval for Lumizyme, a version of its drug for Pompe disease made in larger batches.Genzyme must reach an agreement with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for a post-approval study of the treatment, the Cambridge, Massachusetts-based company said in a statement today on Business Wire. The company also said it must respond to an FDA warning letter citing deficiencies in its manufacturing plant that would produce the larger batches of the drug.Genzyme sells Myozyme for children and infants with Pompe disease, which leads to a buildup of sugar in the body that can harm the heart, liver, muscles and nervous system. The company said it has asked regulators to approve Myozyme in 2,000-liter containers under the name Lumizyme for adults in addition to the 160 liters now allowed. Genzyme said the warning letter was “unexpected” because it had responded Oct. 31, 2008, with a plan to address regulators’ requests and was on schedule to finish its corrective actions by March 31.“We have made an enormous effort for more than two years to make this product broadly available in the United States, so we are obviously surprised and disappointed by this further delay,” said Genzyme Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Henri Termeer, in the company’s statement. “We are confident we will be able to resolve all remaining issues with the FDA within three to six months.”Genzyme fell 6.2 percent to $53 at 5 p.m. New York time in extended trading after a drop of $4.41, or 7.2 percent, to $56.52 in Nasdaq Stock Market composite trading.

AstraZeneca Warned Japanese Doctors of Diabetes Link

2009-04-11T20:49:00.000-07:00

AstraZeneca Plc pushed salespeople to tell U.S. doctors its antipsychotic drug Seroquel didn’t cause diabetes more than two years after warning physicians in Japan of possible links to the disease, internal documents show.The London-based drugmaker issued a letter to Japanese physicians in November 2002 that said AstraZeneca had received 12 reports that Seroquel users were diagnosed with high blood-sugar levels over a 21-month period, according to company documents unsealed last week in connection with litigation over the drug.“Since February 2001 when Seroquel started to be marketed, 12 serious cases (including 1 death) of hyperglycaemia, diabetic ketoacidosis and diabetic coma where causality with the drug could not be ruled out have been reported,” AstraZeneca officials said in the letter.Almost three years later, AstraZeneca sales managers were instructing company representatives to tell U.S. physicians that “the available data has not established a causal link between diabetes and Seroquel,” according to a transcript of an August 2005 voice-mail unsealed last week.More than 15,000 patients have sued AstraZeneca, claiming the company withheld information about links between diabetes and Seroquel use from doctors and patients. Many of the lawsuits also claim AstraZeneca promoted Seroquel, approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, for unapproved uses.Second-Biggest SellerSeroquel, which generated sales of $4.45 billion in 2008, is the company’s second-biggest seller after the ulcer treatment Nexium. AstraZeneca has denied wrongdoing in its handling of the drug and is vowing to fight the lawsuits in court.AstraZeneca officials said today they sent the letter to Japanese doctors at the request of that nation’s regulators.“Every country has a different regulatory administration with different regulatory standards and requirements,” Tony Jewell, an AstraZeneca spokesman, said in an e-mailed statement. “AstraZeneca marketing companies are required to comply with the rules and regulations of the regulatory authorities in the country in which they operate.”Sidney Wolfe, director of Washington-based Public Citizen’s health-research group and a member of the FDA’s drug safety committee, called AstraZeneca’s failure to make a similar disclosure to American doctors “irresponsible.”“They’re depriving doctors and patients of the right to know the downside,” Wolfe said in a telephone interview. “If there’s enough evidence to warn people in Japan, there’s enough evidence to warn people here.”FDA-Approved LabelJewell noted that under U.S. law, drug company salespeople are required to use information from “the label approved by the FDA.” AstraZeneca officials contend that Seroquel’s warning label provided “adequate and appropriate information” about possible diabetes-related side effects.“When first approved, the Seroquel labeling alerted physicians that diabetes mellitus, hyperglycemia, and weight gain had been observed in clinical trials,” Jewell said in his e- mail. “We have continued to update the label on these topics as the science has developed.”AstraZeneca’s American depositary receipts, each representing one ordinary share, fell 42 cents, or 1.3 percent, to $31.17 at 4:07 p.m. in New York Stock Exchange composite trading. They have declined 24 percent this year.130,000 PatientsAstraZeneca agreed to release more than 100 files with information about the drug last week after Bloomberg News filed a motion in federal court in Orlando, Florida, to unseal records in the case. All federal-court suits over the drug have been consolidated in Orlando. The letter to Japanese doctors became publicly available when it appeared on the court’s electronic docket on Feb. 27.In the letter, AstraZeneca officials noted that the 12 diabetes-related cases emerged from 130,000 patients who had taken Seroquel through the end of September 2002. That means only 0.009 percent of those who had taken the drug reported any diabetes-related problems.Hyperglycaemia is the medical term for high blood-sugar levels. Diabetic ketoacidosis refers to a condition where the human body doesn’t produce enough insulin.The company advised Japanese doctors not to prescribe the drug for diabetic patients and to ensure that users monitor their blood-sugar levels, according to the letter. Seroquel’s label didn’t advise U.S. doctors to monitor blood-glucose levels until January 2004, Jewell said.‘Neutralize Objections’In the 2005 voice-mail, AstraZeneca manager Christine Ney offered the company’s U.S. sales reps information that they could use to “neutralize customer objections to Seroquel’s weight and diabetes profile.”Ney noted that while “hyperglycemia-related adverse events have been reported in patients taking atypical antipsychotics, including Seroquel, to date the available data has not established a causal link between Seroquel and diabetes,” according to the transcript.“Hyperglycemia, in some cases extreme and associated with ketoacidosis, hyperosmolar coma or death, has been reported in patients treated with atypical antipsychotics, including Seroquel,” she said.Ney also suggested that salespeople “refocus” doctors away from questions about Seroquel’s links to diabetes to its “Trusted Tolerability profile,” according to the transcript.Lawyers for ex-Seroquel users question whether AstraZeneca had a pattern of giving foreign regulators and doctors more information about the drug’s diabetes links than their U.S. counterparts.Safety PaperPlaintiffs’ lawyers point to a 2000 “safety position paper” on Seroquel that AstraZeneca sent to Dutch regulators reviewing the drug for the European Union.Dr. Wayne Geller, the drugmaker’s global safety officer, said in the paper that there was “reasonable evidence to suggest that Seroquel therapy can cause impaired glucose regulation including diabetes mellitus in certain individuals,” according to the transcript of a May deposition unsealed last week.AstraZeneca also found a “fairly sizable” number of cases where Seroquel users’ blood-sugar levels were affected by the drug, Geller said in the report, according to the transcript.“You did not tell the FDA, you being AstraZeneca, that you have a fairly sizable number of diabetes cases, did you?” Scott Allen, a Houston-based lawyer for former Seroquel users, asked Geller, according to the transcript.

Genes From Fireflies And Jellyfish Shed Light On Possible Causes Of Infertility And Autoimmune Diseases In Humans

2009-04-10T20:09:00.001-07:00

Genes taken from fireflies and jellyfish are literally shedding light on possible causes of infertility and autoimmune diseases in humans.

Scientists are using the luminescent and florescent genes to illuminate cells that produce a hormone linked to conditions, which include rheumatoid arthritis and lupus.

The technique will help scientists track the production of the hormone prolactin, which is crucial in ensuring supplies of breast milk in nursing mothers but can be overproduced by some pituitary tumours, causing infertility.

Prolactin has been linked to more than 300 biological functions. It is believed to play a role in autoimmune diseases, such as lupus and rheumatoid arthritis, as well as in the inflammation of cells and tissues.

Scientists from the Universities of Edinburgh, Manchester and Liverpool harnessed firefly and jellyfish genes, which enable these creatures to emit light, and used them to create a chemical reaction to light up cells expressing prolactin in rats.

The technique means that scientists can identify when and where prolactin is expressed to look at how the hormone works in real time.

Sabrina Semprini, whose study is published in the journal Molecular Endocrinology, said: "The lighting up of cells expressing this hormone will help us to understand its role within the body and could help research looking for treatments for conditions in which prolactin is involved."

The research, funded by the Wellcome Trust, identified cells producing prolactin throughout the body. This included the pituitary gland, the thymus - an organ in the chest which helps protect against autoimmunity - the spleen and inflammatory cells in the abdominal cavity.

Delivery Of Rx Estrogen Through The Skin May Show Safety Benefits As Opposed To Oral Delivery

2009-04-10T20:08:00.003-07:00

Transdermal delivery of estrogen therapy available by prescription "seems not to alter" the risk of venous thromboembolism (VTE), or blood clotting, in postmenopausal patients when compared to oral delivery, a new study suggests. The study was conducted by researchers at NYU Langone Medical Center and was published in the latest issue of Menopause: The Journal of the North American Menopause Society.

Prescription transdermal estrogen therapy is bioidentical to estrogen produced by a woman's ovaries before menopause and delivered through the skin. Transdermal estrogen is available in a variety of formulations which have been quality controlled and approved safe and effective by the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

The team at NYU Langone sought to determine the effects of delivery of estrogen therapy on postmenopausal women. Blood obtained from 84 postmenopausal women was tested for clotting activity before and after administration of oral or transdermal estrogen for a period of eight weeks. Women with borderline clotting issues showed "a significant acceleration" of clotting after oral estrogen therapy, but no significant change after transdermal estrogen therapy.

"Venous thromboembolic complications or blood clots represent an established risk factor of estrogen therapy, and evidence is now mounting that the route of estrogen administration influences this risk," said researcher Lila Nachtigall, M.D., Director of the Women's Wellness Program at NYU. "These new data on the safety of transdermal HT delivery may prove to be useful information for postmenopausal women deciding whether to take estrogen therapy and whether to take it orally or through the skin."

The research team studied platelet activity in the study participants' blood. Platelets serve a central role in forming pathological arterial thrombosis that causes myocardial infarction and stroke. The study's authors further concluded that the ability to identify postmenopausal women with an increased risk of arterial thrombosis or clotting before even starting estrogen therapy is an important goal to help physicians determine which women may be at the least risk to benefit from estrogen therapy.

"The effect of estrogen therapy on cardiovascular risk remains a point of controversy; however, these data suggest that estrogen delivered transdermally may not increase the likelihood of clotting for women who are at borderline risk," said Dr. Nachtigall. "This study supports the emerging data suggesting that oral, not transdermal estrogen may increase the risk of venous thromboembolism in postmenopausal women."

Better Oral Hygiene Could Reduce Complications In Pregnancy And Help Newborn Babies

2009-04-10T20:08:00.001-07:00

Bacteria from a mother's mouth can be transmitted through the blood and amniotic fluid in the womb to her unborn child. This could contribute to the risk of a premature delivery, a low birth-weight baby, premature onset of contractions, or infection of the newborn child. This evidence could have an important implication for women and babies' heath since simple improvement of dental hygiene may help to reduce the incidence of unknown complications in pregnancy and newborn babies.

In work presented at the Society for General Microbiology meeting in Harrogate (Tuesday 31 March), Ms Cecilia Gonzales-Marin and colleagues from Queen Mary University of London, described how they had tested the gastric aspirates (stomach contents containing swallowed amniotic fluid) of 57 newborn babies and found 46 different species of bacteria in the samples. The most prevalent bacteria in the samples may have come from the vagina; however, two of the species were recognised as coming from the mouth and are not normally found elsewhere in the body. These particular bacteria, Granulicatella elegans and Streptococcus sinensis, are known to be able to enter the bloodstream and have previously been associated with infections remote from the mouth such as infective endocarditis.

"Our studies show that sampling the stomach contents of newborn babies by using gastric aspirates can provide a reliable method of microbial identification. Hospitals routinely take these samples as part of the care of the babies born from a complicated pregnancy and/or at risk of serious infection. They provide a more accessible alternative to amniotic fluid," said Ms Gonzales-Marin, "Our research group is using DNA techniques to confirm if bacteria from the newborn matches the bacteria in the respective mother's mouth".

Yale Stem Cell Researchers Awarded $4 Million In State Grants

2009-04-10T20:07:00.001-07:00

Yale University researchers received almost $4 million from the state of Connecticut to study ways human embryonic stem cells can be used to treat ailments as diverse as spinal cord injuries, cancer and mental retardation.

Five researchers received grants worth $2.5 million and seven other researchers received seed grants worth $1.4 million, the Connecticut Department of Public Health announced April 1. The grants by the Connecticut Stem Cell Advisory Committee were made under a 2005 state law that designated $100 million over 10 years to promote stem cell research in Connecticut. Connecticut was the third such state to pass legislation authorizing use of funds to study embryonic stem cells.

Project titles, Yale principal investigators and grant amounts are:

Cellular transplantation of neural progenitors derived from human embryonic stem cells to remyelinate the nonhuman primate spinal cord, Jeffery Kocsis, $500,000.

piggyBac Transposon for Genetic Manipulation and Insertional Mutagenesis in Human Embryonic Stem Cells, Tian Xu, $500,000.

MicroRNA regulation of (Human Embryonic Cell) fates, Jun Lu,$500,000.

Derivation and Functional Characterization of Heart Cells from Human Embryonic Stem Cells, Yibing Qyang, $200,000.

The Influence of Aberrant Notch Signaling on Rb Mediated Cell Cycle Regulation in Megakaryopoiesis & Acute Megakaryoblastic Leukemia, Stephanie Massaro, $200,000.

Investigating the role of nuclear RNA quality surveillance in embryonic stem cells, Sandra Wolin, $200,000.

Molecular profiling and cell fate potential of hESC-derived early neural crest precursors, Martín I. García-Castro, $200,000.

Neural Stem Cell Responses to Hypoxia, Qi Li, $200,000.

Induction and differentiation of beta cells from human embryonic stem cells, Evan Herold, $200,000.

Transcriptional control of keratinocyte differentiation in human ES cells, Valerie Horsley, $200,000.00.

Derivation and Functional Characterization of Heart Cells from Human Embryonic Stem Cells, Yibing Qyang, $200,000.00.

Balancing Hormones May Help Prevent Preterm Births Main Category: Endocrinology

2009-04-10T20:06:00.001-07:00

The relationship between two different types of estrogen and a hormone produced in the placenta may serve as the mechanism for signaling labor, according to a new study accepted for publication in The Endocrine Society's Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism (JCEM). This finding may help doctors intervene and prevent preterm birth much more effectively.

"The trigger for the onset of labor in women has been a puzzle for a long time," says Dr. Roger Smith, MD, PhD, of John Hunter Hospital in Newcastle, Australia and lead author of the study. "Our findings show we may have an answer, and furthermore may be able to delay or advance labor."

Humans have two types of estrogen called estradiol (E2) and estriol (E3). When E2 and E3 are in roughly equal amounts there is no drive to labor, but the opposite holds true once one becomes in greater excess than the other. This study evaluated the ratio of E3 to E2 in 500 pregnant women and found that it went up rapidly as labor approached indicating that E3 could stimulate the onset of labor.

Dr. Smith and his colleagues then sought to understand what was causing the increase in E3 and they believe they found an answer. In a previous study they showed that a hormone in the placenta, called corticotrophin-releasing hormone (CRH), rises rapidly through pregnancy, peaking at the time of labor. CRH levels rise earlier in women who deliver prematurely and later in women who deliver late, forming a biological clock that regulates the length of pregnancy.

Researchers also showed that CRH can act on the adrenal glands of the fetus to stimulate the production of a steroid hormone which the placenta uses to make E3. This study showed a strong relationship between CRH levels in the mother's blood in the weeks before birth and the levels of E3 supporting the view that CRH increases E3.

"CRH may be the catalyst for the onset of labor, by driving steroid hormone production in the fetus, which then leads to an increase in E3 so that it exceeds E2," said Dr. Smith. "If this progression is correct, it may explain why women with a baby who dies in utero can still go into labor. In this scenario, levels of E3 would drop making E2 more dominant and triggering the onset of labor."

"It may be possible to delay or advance labor by varying the ratio of E3 to E2 by giving either E2 or E3 to the pregnant woman," said Dr. Smith. "It may also be possible to predict the timing of birth by monitoring this ratio between the two estrogens."

Dr. Smith notes that this is the first study to show these results and confirmation through further research is needed.

Other researchers working on the study include Julia Smith, Patricia Engel, Maria Bowman, Andrew Bisits and Shaun McGrath of the Mothers and Babies Research Centre at the University of Newcastle in Australia; and Patrick McElduff of the Hunter Medical Research Institute in Newcastle, Australia; David Smith of the University of Western Australia; and Warwick Giles of the University of Sydney in Australia.

Hoenig Says Few Big U.S. Banks to Need More Bailouts

2009-04-10T20:05:00.001-07:00

Government stress tests of U.S. banks’ ability to withstand a deeper recession are likely indicate that most don’t need more taxpayer money, Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City President Thomas Hoenig said.

“I would point out, first, that although the United States has several thousand banks, only 19 have more than $100 billion of assets, and that after supervisory authorities evaluate their condition, it is likely that few would require further government intervention,” Hoenig said in the text of a speech in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

The remarks came as stocks rallied worldwide today as better-than-estimated earnings at Wells Fargo & Co. boosted confidence in the financial system and speculation that American banks will pass stress tests. Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis President Gary Stern said that while “appreciable strains” remain in credit markets, the resumption of U.S. economic growth “should not be too far off.”

President Barack Obama will get a progress report on stress tests at the 19 biggest U.S. banks when he meets tomorrow with his economic team. The exams, to conclude by the end of April, are designed to show how much extra capital banks may need to survive a deeper economic downturn.

Hoenig didn’t discuss the current U.S. economic outlook or interest-rate policy in his speech.

Speaking in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, Stern said, “while it is still far too early to fully tally results, there has been progress and I anticipate more to come.”

Failing Banks

In his speech, Hoenig repeated his view that the government shouldn’t prop up failing financial institutions. Instead, officials should take over institutions temporarily and wind them down, such as the takeover of Continental Illinois National Bank & Trust Co. in 1984.

“There has been much talk lately about a new resolution process for systemically important firms that Congress could enact, and I would encourage this be implemented as quickly as possible, but we do not have to wait for new authority,” Hoenig told the Tulsa Metro Chamber of Commerce. “We can act immediately, using essentially the same steps we used for Continental.”

Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner and Fed Chairman Ben S. Bernanke last month called for new powers to take over and wind down failing financial companies after the government’s rescue of American International Group Inc. Bernanke and Geithner also called for stronger regulation to constrain the risks taken by firms that could endanger the financial system.

Conservatorship

“An extremely large firm that has failed would have to be temporarily operated as a conservatorship or a bridge organization and then reprivatized as quickly as is economically feasible,” Hoenig said. “We cannot simply add more capital without a change in the firm’s ownership and management and expect different outcomes.”

While the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. has the power to take over failing deposit-taking firms and wind down their assets, no such authority exists for financial firms that aren’t classified as banks, such as AIG or a hedge fund with extensive links throughout the banking system.

Hoenig said calling a firm “too big to fail” is a “misstatement” because a bank deemed insolvent “has failed.”

“I believe that failure is an option,” he said.

Condom Sales in Eastern Europe to Bolster Durex Maker

2009-04-09T20:51:00.001-07:00

SSL International Plc Chief Executive Officer Garry Watts is taking the manufacturer of Durex condoms to eastern Europe just as the region’s economic meltdown turns investors away.

The U.K. maker of Durex and Contex brands plans to raise its stake in a unit that distributes contraceptives in Russia and nine other eastern European countries to 50 percent by April and expects to take full ownership by 2010, Watts said. The 200 million-pound ($283 million) takeover will raise SSL’s sales in the region by 100 million pounds a year starting from April.

“Russian people aren’t going to stop having sex any more than British people are,” Watts, 52, said in an interview in London. “We’re not immune from the downturn, but it’s a bit like Pizza Hut: If you’re not going out, then you might be willing to drop a five-pound vibrator ring into your trolley.”

Kraft Foods Inc., Alcoa Inc. and Volkswagen AG are among companies that halted expansion plans and curtailed production in Europe’s former communist countries as their economies and currencies slumped. Since joining SSL in 2001, Watts has pushed the London-based company to expand outside its home market, entering eastern Europe last year by buying a 15.5 percent stake in Beleggingsmaatschappij Lemore BV for 24.6 million pounds.

Huge Markets

“Although the region is under pressure at the moment,” BLBV gives SSL “access to huge markets with massive populations,” said Martin Todd, an analyst with Scottish Widows Investment Partnership, which bought 1.07 million shares in November for a 1 percent stake. “SSL is growing in China and Russia, so those are the long-term growth markets for them.”

About 90 percent of newly reported HIV cases in Eastern Europe and Central Asia were in Russia and the Ukraine in 2006, according to a UNAIDS report. Infection rates are as much as eight times higher than in the U.K, France and Germany, according to U.K.-based AIDS awareness charity Avert.

Beleggingsmaatschappij Lemore, or BLBV, has about 60 percent of Russia’s condom market and sells the contraceptives throughout eastern Europe. SSL supplied about 400 million condoms, about 20 percent of the company’s total production, to BLBV in 2008.

The February transaction included an option for SSL to raise its stake to 50 percent for a price based on 2007 earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization and acquire the rest for an amount similarly linked to 2009 profit.

Share Sale

SSL fell 7.5 pence, or 1.6 percent, to 467.5 pence in London. The stock had gained 3.7 percent in the six months before today, compared with a 25 percent drop of Trojan condom-maker Church & Dwight Inc. The MSCI U.K. Small Cap Index fell 47 percent. SSL raised 87.3 million pounds in a share sale in January.

BLBV could boost SSL 2011 earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization by 22 million pounds, according to Sally Taylor, an analyst at house broker JPMorgan Cazenove Ltd., who rates the stock “outperform.” Four analysts surveyed by Bloomberg recommend buying the shares, and one advises selling.

SSL also makes Scholl shoes and foot-care products which it plans to distribute through BLBV. Scholl sales account for 43 percent of the company’s total, about the same as Durex. About 40 percent of SSL’s sales in fiscal year 2009, which ends in March, were in the euro region and about 25 percent elsewhere in Europe. The remainder where in Asia and the U.S.

Pound Benefit

The pound has plunged 13 percent against the euro in the last year. SSL makes most of its sales in western Europe and books them in pounds.

The economies of eastern Europe will shrink an average of 0.4 percent this year, the International Monetary Fund said Jan. 29. Latvia, Hungary, Serbia, Ukraine and Belarus have all received IMF bailouts. SSL is ramping up its presence while other western European small-caps such as Vetropack Holding AG or Dutch-Israeli Kardan NV are forced to scale down eastern operations.

SSL reported a first-half profit of 22.6 million pounds compared with a loss of 16.1 million pounds a year earlier. Full- year 2009 earnings before interest and taxes will increase more than 30 percent because of favorable currency rates, the company said in January.

Chinese Factory

The company will open a new Chinese factory with the capacity to produce one billion condoms annually in July, Watts said. SSL has not ruled out further acquisitions in countries such as Japan, Korea, Germany or South America.

Other acquisitions completed within the last two years include the purchase of Swiss condom-maker Crest for 4.6 million pounds in December 2008 and orthotic insole brand Orthaheel in November 2007. The company also took over Qingdao London Durex, in which it already controlled a 50 percent stake, for 19.1 million pounds in January 2007.

Standard Life Investments purchased 1.8 million SSL shares as of Nov. 3, raising its stake to 2.18 percent, according to filings. Blackrock Inc., the largest publicly traded U.S. asset manager, is the biggest shareholder with a 13 percent stake.

SSL’s expansion in eastern Europe bucks a trend that’s gathered pace since Ukraine’s credit rating was cut two levels to the lowest in Europe on Feb. 25, just one day after Latvia was downgraded to junk.

Harvard Scientists’ Discovery Opens Door to Synthetic Life

2009-04-09T20:50:00.003-07:00

Harvard University scientists are a step closer to creating synthetic forms of life, part of a drive to design man-made organisms that may one day be used to help produce new fuels and create biotechnology drugs.

Researchers led by George Church, whose findings helped spur the U.S. human genome project in the 1980s, have copied the part of a living cell that makes proteins, the building blocks of life. The finding overcomes a major roadblock in making synthetic self-replicating organisms, Church said today in a lecture at Harvard in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

The technology can be used to program cells to make virtually any protein, even some that don’t exist in nature, the scientists said. That may allow production of helpful new drugs, chemicals and organisms, including living bacteria. It also opens the door to ethical concerns about creation of processes that may be uncontrollable by life’s natural defenses.

“It’s the key component to making synthetic life,” Church said yesterday in a telephone call with reporters. “We haven’t made synthetic life and it’s not our primary goal, but this is a huge milestone in that direction.”

The work may be immediately helpful to companies such as Synthetic Genomics Inc., headed by J. Craig Venter, trying to make new organisms that perform specific tasks, such as converting buried coal into methane gas that’s easier to extract from the ground.

Microbes for Coal

Venter’s plan is to create man-made microbes that can help break down the coal in the earth, much as bacteria speed decomposing plant material.

In a conference for alumni today at Harvard, Church described how his team assembled a reconstituted ribosome, the first artificial version of the structure capable of remaking itself.

Naturally occurring ribosomes are used now when biotechnology companies genetically engineer cells to make the proteins for vaccines and drugs, such as Genentech Inc.’s Herceptin. Normal ribosomes make some drugs slowly, and others can’t be made at all, said Anthony Forster, a Vanderbilt University pharmacologist who has collaborated with Church on synthetic biology projects.

A man-made, or reconstituted, ribosome may be programmable to make all kinds of molecules, Forster said.

Efficient Protein Making

“There would be advantages to having ribosomes that would only make specific proteins” said James Collins, a Boston University biomedical engineer, in a telephone interview. “Then you could program ribosomes so that they shut down much of the rest of the cell, only making the proteins you want to produce. You could shift the cell’s machinery to making certain products or fuels, for example, and really increase efficiency.”

Specially programmed ribosomes might also have the ability to make mirror images of the active molecules in existing drugs, Church said. These mirror-image versions, sometimes called chirals, would be impervious to enzymes that the body usually uses to break down chemicals.

“They would have a longer stability in natural environments,” Church said.

Ribosomes have been synthesized before, some as long as 40 years ago. Because they were made only under specialized conditions of temperature and salt concentration, scientists couldn’t get them to recreate themselves, a key requirement in making artificial life.

Security Concerns

Artificial life and drugs that can’t be broken down by the body’s natural enzymes raise a number of serious concerns, said David Magnus, director of the Stanford Center for Biomedical Ethics.

As the tools of synthetic biology become easier to use, bioterrorists and criminals may attempt to exploit them, he said. Well-meaning scientists might also release potentially deadly organisms and chemicals into the environment.

“A number of proposals have been made about controlling access to this technology,” Magnus said in a telephone interview. “The synthetic biology community takes these issues seriously and are talking about what it will take to make sure we have effective oversight.”

The first artificial organisms are likely to be grown in highly controlled conditions, and would probably be unable to exist outside the laboratory, said Vanderbilt’s Forster.

Lab Escape Improbable

“It might sound scary initially, but it would almost be on life support,” he said. “It would probably be highly dependent on someone feeding it 30 or more small molecules. It wouldn’t be likely to escape into the environment and run amok.”

Church has advised 22 companies on genetic sequencing since 1984. Technology he developed was licensed to Applied Biosystems Inc., purchased last year by Life Technologies Corp. The technology is used to make Life’s sequencing products.

The Harvard geneticist last year received backing from Google Inc. for a project to decipher the genomes of 100,000 people using sequencers, machines that quickly read the genetic code, the instructions for making all its proteins that is stored in DNA molecules. A complementary molecule, called RNA, sends the genetic messages to structures called ribosomes that act like factories producing proteins.

Brain drain fears as Barack Obama lifts ban on stem-cell funding

2009-04-09T20:50:00.001-07:00

British doctors are predicting a damaging brain drain of scientists to the US after President Obama's move today to lift the Bush Administration's restrictions on federal funding for embryonic stem-cell research.

Mr Obama's decision to overturn the funding ban is aimed at increasing the chance of finding cures for Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's and other afflictions. Yet it also promises to provide a new stream of financial support that could prove tempting for British researchers who are struggling to raise the money they need for their experiments, scientists said.

Mr Obama will sign an executive order lifting Mr Bush's funding ban. It is controversial with anti-abortion groups because stem cells are harvested from embryos that are destroyed in the process, an act that President Bush said crossed a “moral line”.

Stephen Minger, of King's College London, a stem-cell scientist who left the US for Britain because of the Government's more enthusiastic attitude to his research, said that the new American position posed significant challenges for British science.

“The UK remains an extremely competitive place to do stem-cell research, but if that is to be maintained the Government needs to make a sustained commitment to funding the field properly,” he said. “Competition for grants is extremely fierce, and many good funding applications are being turned down. We want to keep British scientists in Britain, but if the NIH [US National Institutes of Health] does make a lot of money available, that will obviously be tempting to many people.”

One of Professor Minger's own projects, for stem-cell research with human-animal hybrid embryos, recently failed to attract funding from the Medical Research Council.

Even though President Bush banned the NIH from financing most embryonic stem-cell research, US funding has long outstripped that available in Britain. Scientists based in America have always been free to experiment with embryonic stem cells using private funds and many states have also provided large sums.

The Medical Research Council spent £25.5million on all stem-cell research last year, 39 per cent of which went on embryonic projects. The California Institute for Regenerative Medicine spends $300million (£210million) a year. “Not all of this goes on embryonic research, but the money is already there in the US,” Professor Minger said. “Whether President Obama's move leads to more NIH funding remains to be seen: there will be legal challenges ahead. The significance is chiefly symbolic, in that it shows there is no longer a political bias against embryonic stem cells.”

Britain's advantage over the US in stem-cell research has always been political rather than financial: while the US Government has been opposed to embryonic stem-cell research and has blocked much of it, Britain has been enthusiastic. That no longer applies, making the US more attractive for stem-cell scientists.

The US also has a single body, the Food and Drug Administration, that is responsible for all regulation of stem-cell trials. British researchers, by contrast, must deal with three agencies: the Human Tissue Authority, the Gene Therapy Advisory Committee and the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency.

Robin Lovell-Badge, of the UK National Institute for Medical Research, said: “We absolutely have to streamline the regulation, or we will get nowhere. The end of the US funding ban is undoubtedly good news – this is an international field, and we have been deprived of the leadership the NIH can bring. But it does pose challenges for the UK. We need to make sure our funding and regulation are competitive.”

Yet it may be several months before the NIH starts to spend more on this field. Mr Obama's move will almost certainly face legal challenges, based on the “Dickey-Wicker amendment”. That is a 1995 rider passed by Congress along with an appropriations Bill that bans federal grants that go toward research involving the destruction of human embryos.

Knowledge doesn’t always mean power

2009-04-09T20:49:00.002-07:00

Everyone knows that scientific advance has the capacity to do harm as well as good. Screening for cancer, for example, may detect the disease early and thus save life; but this has to be balanced against the unnecessary worry caused to those – who may be many more – who test positive but do not have the disease.

Will knowing our own genetic predisposition to disease do us more harm than good? My gut feeling is that it will.

First, most diseases are not straightforwardly genetic. To have a certain gene or combination of genes does not mean that one is certain to get a disease. Genetic differences play an important, but not an all-important part in the pattern of diseases from which we suffer.

Thus, having a certain genetic constitution may tell us that we are four times as likely to get disease X as the next man, or that we have a 17.5 per cent chance of developing disease Y after the age of 55. But what are we to do with this information, apart from worry about it?

It is difficult to keep in mind that what matters to us is not our relative chance of contracting a disease, but our absolute chance of contracting it. Why should I worry if my possession of a certain gene pattern makes me ten times more likely than my neighbour to contract a particular disease, if his chance is only one in ten million? On the other hand, if the possession of a certain gene pattern renders me susceptible to a disease whose environmental determinants are known, then I can take avoiding action if the risk is sufficiently big and the disease sufficiently severe to make it worthwhile.

Moreover, if we do not gather the information, how will we ever understand the interaction between genetic endowment and environmental factors in the causation of disease?

What about the question of whether life insurance companies should have access to our genetic code and alter our premiums accordingly? In principle, there is no objection, since they already do something similar when they ask us about the health of our relatives.

Nevertheless, there is something very Brave New Worldish about the whole idea. By the way, what exactly is wrong with the Brave New World? We all feel very strongly that it is wrong, but not many of us are able to put our fingers on precisely why.

Mosquito laser gun offers new hope on malaria

2009-04-09T20:49:00.001-07:00

AMERICAN scientists are making a ray gun to kill mosquitoes. Using technology developed under the Star Wars anti-missile programme, the zapper is being built in Seattle where astrophysicists have created a laser that locks onto airborne insects.

Scientists have speculated for years that lasers might be used against mosquitoes, which kill nearly 1m people a year through malaria.

The laser – dubbed a weapon of mosquito destruction (WMD) – has been designed with the help of Lowell Wood, one of the astrophysicists who worked on the original Star Wars plan to shield America from nuclear attack.

“We like to think back then we made some contribution to the ending of the cold war,” Dr Jordin Kare, another astrophysicist, told The Wall Street Journal. “Now we’re just trying to make a dent in a war that’s claimed a lot more lives.” The WMD laser works by detecting the audio frequency created by the beating of mosquito wings. A computer triggers the laser beam, the mosquito’s wings are burnt off and its smoking carcass falls to the ground. The research is backed by Bill Gates, the Microsoft billionaire.

It is speculated that lasers could shield villages or be fired at swarming insects from patrolling drone aircraft. “You could kill billions of mosquitoes a night,” said one expert.

Case study: Female circumcision, the daughter

2009-04-09T20:48:00.002-07:00

When Zarah was 7 she saw her older sister being pinned to the ground by a room full of women. Then she heard her sister scream and quickly realised that she was next in line to have her genitals mutilated.

Unfortunately for Zarah, now 33, there was nowhere to run in her aunt’s home in Somalia. Both she and her sister, then 10, had been taken there by their mother for a “holiday”. “When that happened to me, I immediately lost all trust in my mother and I think that hasn’t changed to this day,” Zarah said. “In fact, I’ve lost trust in both my parents because my father was also aware of what was going to happen to us.”

Zarah said that the psychological scars were worse than the pain. She has nightmares, and relationships have been ruined by her fear of intimacy.

“It always affects you psychologically because the memories never go away,” she said. “I’ve told a couple of former partners about what I had been through and they were understanding. But there’s a big part of me that seems unable to overcome it all.”

Zarah added: “My mother told me after the event, ‘Don’t ever tell anybody’.” Such secrecy was what allowed the practice to go in the UK, she said. “We all know that it goes on even here, but we have no proof. But if I do find out, I will immediately contact the police. No one deserves to go through this.”

Sir Liam Donaldson: charge by the alcoholic unit to combat culture of 'passive drinking'

2009-04-09T20:48:00.001-07:00

The Chief Medical Officer said today that excessive drinking should be made as socially unacceptable as smoking, as he proposed controversial moves to raise the minimum cost of alcohol.

Unveiling the proposals in his annual report, which set him on a collision course with government and the drinks industry, Sir Liam Donaldson proposed regulations forcing shops to charge at least 50p per unit of alcohol.

The proposals would, if implemented, result in every can of beer costing at least £1 and a bottle of wine coming to a minimum of £4.

Gordon Brown immediately emphasised that he opposed the plans, claiming that the majority of responsible drinkers should not be punished for the behaviour of the few.

However, Sir Liam stressed that they were crucial as a tool to combat a nation-wide phenomenon which he described as "passive drinking" - the devastating knock-on effect of excessive alcohol consumption on wider society, such as the loved ones of drinkers, those killed by drink-driving, and the financial burden on NHS.

Referring to the Prime Minister's decision to reject his plan, he drew parallels with the debate over the smoking ban which he initiated long before it became mainstream policy at Westminster.

"I don’t mind being a football if a goal is scored in the end," he said. "I got a very hard time when I proposed smoke-free public places."

Writing in his report, Sir Liam said that binge-drinking was "killing us as never before" and that radical measures were needed to combat it.

"England has a drink problem and the whole of society bears the burden," Sir Liam said. "The massive effects of heavy drinking on innocent parties are easily underestimated and frequently ignored.

"The concept of passive drinking and the devastating collateral effect that alcohol can have on others must be addressed on a national scale."

He added: "Cheap alcohol is killing us as never before. The quality of life of families and in cities and towns up and down the country is being eroded by the effects of excessive drinking."

The Chief Medical Officer said that, if a 50p minimum price per unit policy was introduced this year, there would be 3,393 fewer deaths, 97,900 fewer hospital admissions, 45,800 fewer crimes, 296,900 fewer sick days, and a total benefit of over £1 billion per year.

The plans received a lukewarm reception in Westminster, however, with the Prime Minister flatly rejecting a uniform price-rise along with the Conservatives, the drinks and retail industries.

"As we crack down on binge and under-age drinking it’s also right that we do not want the responsible, sensible majority of moderate drinkers to have to pay more, or suffer, as a result of the excesses of a small minority," Mr Brown said.

In further recommendations to curb binge-drinking, Sir Liam said licensing laws should be tightened to reflect the full impact of drinking in each region. In order to do this, he said that fewer bars and nightclubs should be opened in areas where there were high rates of cirrhosis of the liver or breast cancer cases caused by alcohol.

Sir Liam also unveiled a series of other proposals to improve the nation's health in his report.

These included ensuring an improvement in the diagnosis of prostate cancer, of which one case is diagnosed every 18 minutes.

He said that it was vital to better publicise the symptoms of so-called 'pussycat' prostate cancer - a chronic, slow-growing form of the disease which is often not identified in time.

Compulsory pre-testing counselling would give prospective patients a clearer idea which symptoms to look out for, he said.

"Men diagnosed with early, localised prostate cancer face an enormously difficult decision of whether to have radical treatment and risk the side effects or take the small chance that their cancer may progress and threaten their life. It is vital that men who are diagnosed with prostate cancer are truly informed of the risks and benefits of any treatment," he said.

In separate plans, hospitals and hospices should improve their management of people in chronic pain by developing a "pain score" with which to monitor patients alongside more conventional methods, such as blood tests and pulses.

The Chief Medical Officer added that awareness should be increased about the dangers of antibiotics, which he said were being used more and more frequently but which themselves caused disease.

Mosquito laser gun offers new hope on malaria

2009-04-09T20:47:00.001-07:00

Parents lose court fight to keep baby OT alive

2009-04-09T20:46:00.000-07:00

The parents of a gravely ill baby boy failed last night in their attempt to overturn a court ruling that gave doctors the power to end his treatment and allow him to die.

Born in May last year, the nine-month-old baby suffers from a rare metabolic disease and has lived in an intensive care unit since he was three weeks old, kept alive on a ventilator.

On Thursday a judge at the High Court ruled that the baby, named only as OT, was in constant pain and gave the medical team treating him the right to stop painful invasive treatment and to take him off the ventilator, replacing that treatment with palliative care.

But Mrs Justice Parker placed a temporary stay on the order to allow the child’s parents to try to reverse the decision at the Court of Appeal.

Last night that attempt failed. Two judges — Lord Justice Ward and Lord Justice Wilson — refused them permission to challenge the ruling.

Lord Justice Ward had been told that the parents could not face hearing the decision of the court and were waiting outside. “We are not unmindful of the horror of their predicament,” he said.

The parents of baby OT do not accept that his condition is as serious as doctors have claimed and still believe that he could one day recover, go home and go to school. They want doctors to keep him alive as long as possible, so long as that does not cause him unacceptable suffering.

Lord Justice Ward asked their lawyers to pass on the message that although the hearing seeking permission to appeal had been conducted “in a brusque, uncaring, unfeeling way on a crude issue of law”, it was impossible not to feel the “deepest sympathy for their predicament”.

“One has great respect and admiration for them,” he said.

The judges said that they would give their reasons for rejecting permission to appeal at a later date. The court order allowing doctors to withdraw treatment now comes into effect immediately, though Caroline Harry Thomas, QC, for the NHS Trust involved, which cannot be identified, told the court that “there will be no unseemly rush” to withdraw treatment.

The parents of OT said that they were “devastated”. The Court of Appeal ruling follows a ten-day hearing, partly conducted at the baby’s bedside this week, which Mrs Justice Parker described as a “desperately sad and anguished case”.

The baby’s condition was deteriorating and at one stage it was thought that he would not last the week.

She rejected claims by the father that doctors and nurses treating the child had infected him to speed up his death and that they could have done more. At his bedside this week she said the father had tried to interfere with treatment and shouted: “This is murder! This is murder!” She said this outburst was a result of the terrible strain of the situation.

She accepted that the baby’s parents “love him devotedly” but said the father’s belief that he would one day go to school was “sadly, wholly unrealistic”.

She said the child was already suffering severe brain damage and that after his latest relapse, it was possible that his lungs had been damaged. The evidence suggested that he would not live more than three years: he faced a future of progressive organ failure and invasive treatment to keep him alive.

As well as granting orders to take the child off the ventilator, she gave doctors and nurses the right not to keep him alive with painful invasive treatment. One doctor said what they were doing amounted to torture.

The judge said that she accepted that “the sanctity of life is not absolute, requiring treatment that is futile”.

Dr Tony Calland, chairman of the BMA’s Medical Ethics Committee, said there was “a good deal of case law” surrounding such cases.

“Sometimes there will be an agreement between the medical team and the parents. Where that breaks down and where the medical team feel that there is undue stress being put on a child, undue pain and with no chance of a decent outcome the medical team will go to the court and ask them to determine it.”

Cruel dilemmas

— Charlotte Wyatt was born in 2003 — three months prematurely and weighing only 1 lb — with severe brain and lung damage. Her parents won a court battle to ensure that she was revived in the event of a collapse. The child survived with severe disabilities, but living in care, as her parents struggled to meet her 24-hour healthcare needs

— In 2004 Luke Winston-Jones died at the age of ten months, at Alder Hey Children’s Hospital, Liverpool. Doctors had been granted permission by the High Court to withhold life-saving treatment by “aggressive” medical ventilation. Luke had been born with Edwards syndrome, a rare genetic disorder

— In 2006 a child identified only as MB, suffering from a degenerative muscle-wasting disease, was given the right to be kept alive on a life-support machine against the wishes of his doctors

— In 2007 Mr Justice Holman ruled that a seriously ill baby girl should undergo a bone marrow transplant that would give her a 50 per cent chance of life, despite her parents’ wish to spare her further suffering.

Find out your brainsex

2009-04-09T20:45:00.000-07:00

A neuropsychologist who writes about male and female-oriented brains is at the front line of the struggle to try and make the boys in Britain's schools enthusiastic about learning.

Dr Ann Moir has applied her knowledge of gender differences to the classroom and devised a series of radical - some say controversial - tactics that have resulted in schools encouraging and teaching boys to “play-fight”.

Body sex does not necessarily match brain sex so Dr Moir has devised a test to determine the gender of the brain.

Answer yes or no depending on whether you agree or not with the following statements:

1 It's easy for me to sing in tune, singing alone

2 When I was younger, winning was really important to me

3 It's easy for me to hear what people are saying in a crowded room

4 As a child I enjoyed going as high as possible when climbing trees

5 If someone interrupts what I am doing it's difficult to go back to it

6 I find it easy to do more than one thing at once

7 I find it easy to know what someone is feeling just by looking at their face

8 I like to collect things and sort them into categories

9 I solve problems more often with intuition than logic

10 As a child, I loved playing games where I pretended to be someone I knew or a character I had created

11 At school it was easy for me to write neatly

12 As a child, I enjoyed taking things apart to see how they work

13 I get bored easily so I need to keep doing new things

14 I don't like fast speeds, they make me nervous

15 I enjoy reading novels more then non-fiction.

16 I can find my way more easily using a map rather than landmark directions

17 I keep in regular contact with my friends and family

18 As a child, I enjoyed physical sports

19 Imagining things in three dimensions is easy for me. For example: I can see in my mind's eye just how an architects' drawings or plans will look once built

20 As a child, I loved doing things like 'wheelies' on my bike

Now work out your score and turn over to see how ‘male’ or ‘female’ your brain is:

If you answered ‘Yes’ to questions: 1, 3, 6, 7, 9, 10, 11, 14, 15, 17 score 1 point each.

(‘No’ answers to these questions receive 0 points.)

If you answered ‘No’ to questions: 2, 4, 5, 8, 12, 13, 16, 18, 19, 20 score 1 point each.

(‘Yes’ answers to these questions receive 0 points.)

How to work out how ‘male’ or ‘female’ your brain is

• The higher your score out of twenty, the more female your brain.

• Middle scores show a more mixed brain.

• The lower the score out of twenty, the more male your brain.

Very Male Very Female

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20

To take part in the brainsex survey go to http://www.brainsexmatters.com/

Other indicators of brainsex:

Hands are a further marker for brain organisation. Combining the questionnaire results together with the following finger pattern result may give you a clearer picture of your brain organisation.

Which hand pattern most fits yours?

A large number of studies show that comparative finger length matches brain organisation.

The key digits, counting from your thumb, are the 2nd and 4th digits (your index and ring fingers respectively). When looking at your own hands, you should view them with the palms towards you and measure from the crease at the base of your finger.

• A typical male brain correlates with:

The index finger (2nd digit) is shorter than the ring finger (4th digit).

• A typical female brain correlates with:

The index and ring fingers are the same length; occasionally the index finger is longer than the ring finger.

Sometimes, however, one hand is the male pattern and the other the female pattern – this requires further research as to the significance for brain organisation.

Background to Brainsex Test

The questions are based on a very large number of sex differences found in the research. Body sex does not necessarily match brain sex. In my experience many of us have mixed brain – we fall on a continuum.

There are a large number of studies that show relative digit length correlate with many male/female patterns of behaviour.

Japan Output Slumps for Fifth Month as Exports Tumble

2009-04-09T20:43:00.000-07:00

Japanese industrial production fell for a fifth month in February, the longest losing streak since 2001, as exports collapsed.

Factory output declined 9.4 percent from January, when it plummeted a record 10.2 percent, the Trade Ministry said today in Tokyo. Inventories fell an unprecedented 4.2 percent.

Companies surveyed said they will increase production in March and April as they begin to replenish stockpiles they managed to get rid of even as demand evaporated. Manufacturers worldwide are cutting inventories, a sign that output may pick up later this year, providing relief for a global economy that is contracting for the first time in six decades.

“Production cuts may already be bottoming out,” said Shinichiro Kobayashi, a senior economist at Mitsubishi UFJ Research and Consulting Co. in Tokyo. “We should remember that that doesn’t necessarily mean overseas demand is already recovering.”

The yen traded at 98.15 per dollar at 10:16 a.m. in Tokyo from 98.08 before the report was published. The currency is heading for its worst quarter since 2001 as the world’s second- largest economy deteriorates faster than the U.S. and Europe. The Nikkei 225 Stock Average fell 1.2 percent.

Japan’s exports plunged a record 49.4 percent in February from a year earlier as sales of cars and electronics dried up. Toyota Motor Corp., forecasting its first net loss in more than five decades, plans to cut thousands of jobs and slash domestic production by half this quarter.

Tankan Survey

Sentiment among the nation’s largest manufacturers has fallen to its lowest level in more than 30 years, economists predict the Bank of Japan’s Tankan survey will show on April 1. The country’s largest firms plan to cut investment by 12 percent next fiscal year, the biggest pullback since at least 1983, economists predict the survey will show.

Prime Minister Taro Aso is preparing his third stimulus package since October to counter the slump. Finance Minister Kaoru Yosano said on March 22 that a plan of as much as 20 trillion yen, double the total amount pledged since October, is “not out of line” as the economy heads for its worst recession since 1945.

“The longer this stretches out, the harder the domestic economy is going to be hit,” said Martin Schulz, senior economist at Fujitsu Research Institute in Tokyo. “The government really needs to come out with another package.”

Spending Billions

Governments around the world are spending billions of dollars to spur domestic demand as global trade seizes up. Economists say a Japanese recovery hinges on whether a combined $1.4 trillion of spending in the U.S. and China, the country’s two biggest markets, is enough to revive demand for its cars and electronics in the second half of the year.

There are signs a recovery may be stirring in the U.S., Japan’s biggest market. U.S. orders for durable goods rose in February for the first time in seven months. Inventories of long-lasting durable goods fell for a second month and new home sales increased for the first time since July.

In Japan, the drop in inventories adds to evidence that the worst of the manufacturing slump may be over. Companies said they would increase production 2.9 percent this month and 3.1 percent in April, today’s survey showed.

Nippon Steel Corp. said last month output should improve next quarter because customers have used up their stockpiles. Nissan Motor Co., Japan’s third-largest automaker, said on Feb. 26 it will raise domestic production next month.

“Companies have succeeded, as you can see in today’s data, at cutting inventories back,” Richard Jerram, chief Japan economist at Macquarie Securities Ltd. in Tokyo, said on Bloomberg Television. “They’re starting to move production back more into line with demand, which is still depressed but obviously going to be a stronger level than the January- February period.”

Surgical And Non Surgical Facelift

2009-04-09T20:36:00.000-07:00

The mentality has changed and people now think that a facelift is not just for the rich and famous. Today facelifts are one of the most well-accepted and most frequently performed cosmetic procedures in the world and with this surgical operation one lifts up the facial tissues and skin and/or the underlying muscle, in order to have a tighter and smoother face. A facelift can really reduce saggy skin and wrinkles and produce a more alert and youthful appearance. Several factors contribute to the final result of the facelift and they are the reason every facelift is different.

If your skin is still elastic and tight, but you are concerned with sagging or excess fat in you face or under the chin, facial liposuction can be very good option. The skin is then lifted outward and the underlying tissues and muscles are tightened and fixed. Sagging skin is simply the effect of gravity over time and seems to affect the face more noticeably as it cannot be concealed by makeup. With an incision behind the hairline running over the top of the head, the skin is gently pulled upwards, the eyebrows along with it, and set into a new position. And at the same time, excess fat and skin can be removed.

When it comes to cosmetic surgery we realize that it is a big decision and it can have a big impact on a person’s life. There are a number of preparations to be made and don’t forget to have a picture taken before the operation so that the results of surgery can be compared with your new appearance. The facial rejuvenation surgery has a goal and that is to restore both men and women with a more youthful contour to your face and neck.

A facelift operation starts with a local anesthesia, or a general anesthesia. Incision often starts from the ear to behind the ear and ends near the hairline behind the ear. After the incision, undermining is done and that is separating the facial skin from the underlying tissue below the neck, chin and cheeks using scalpel and scissors. Then the facial suspension system are tightened with stitches and the skin is pulled backwards and upwards to the required extent. The skin is then tightened with stitches and the underlying excess tissue may or may not be removed. Excess skin is removed and the incisions are closed with sutures.

As opposed to conventional facelifts, which can result into undesirable scars and a plastic look, the weekend facelift leads to a natural, rejuvenated appearance without any visible scars or the look of major surgery. This means the procedure can be kept totally private if desired and the weekend facelift is usually performed on an outpatient basis, with the surgery lasting one hour or less.

Also, one of the best features of this procedure is that it will allow you to return to work the same day you receive treatment. The main goal of a facelift procedure is to give you a fresher and younger look, preserving her/his natural characteristics, unless the patient has some reasons to change the natural look too.

A.M. Best Upgrades Rating of Consumers Insurance USA, Inc

2009-04-01T19:57:00.000-07:00

OLDWICK, N.J. -- A.M. Best Co. has upgraded the financial strength rating to B++ (Good) from B+ (Good) and assigned an issuer credit rating of "bbb+" to Consumers Insurance USA, Inc. (Consumers Insurance) (Murfreesboro, TN). The outlook for both ratings is stable.

The ratings reflect Consumer Insurance's solid operating results over the past several years and its strengthened risk-adjusted capital position. The company's recent operating profitability has been driven by management's underwriting discipline, enhanced systems technology and local market knowledge.

Partially offsetting these positive rating factors is Consumer Insurance's elevated expense structure and historical modest unfavorable loss reserve development. In addition, the company's geographic concentration primarily in two states and limited product offerings, make it susceptible to judicial, regulatory and market changes as well as weather related loss activity.

For Best's Ratings, an overview of the rating process and rating methodologies, please visit www.ambest.com/ratings.

Founded in 1899, A.M. Best Company is a global full-service credit rating organization dedicated to serving the financial and health care service industries, including insurance companies, banks, hospitals and health care system providers. For more information, visit www.ambest.com.

Boosting Potential LC/MS Operations

2009-03-31T19:35:00.000-07:00

Although mass spectrometry (MS) dates back to 1897, and high-performance liquid chromatography (LC) to the 1970s, scientists are still developing methods to enhance their capabilities. Rapid advancements in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology fields are the main drivers behind new developments. Many efforts are stemming from academic labs, which are opening new avenues for these technologies.
LC/MS is now a multibillion dollar business with tandem LC/MS comprising the majority sector. In this article, a handful of researchers provide a preview of some of the topics that will be covered at “Pittcon 2009” next month.
A researcher in the University of Michigan’s chemistry department is developing analytical methods to study changes in metabolites within pancreatic islets of Langerhans cells. Charles Evans, Ph.D., says that this involves developing new liquid-chromatography methods, miniaturizing LC separations using capillary columns and multidimensional separation.
“By developing higher-resolution separation methods, we can more effectively take a complicated sample and break it up into all its components,” he says.
Islet cells contain beta cells, which are responsible for secreting insulin and maintaining constant blood glucose levels. “We are studying the metabolites present in these beta cells, which may be involved in pathways associated with diabetes development when they fail and are unable to secrete adequate insulin quantities.”
The multidimensional, 2-D separation involves two different liquid chromatography columns. A standard separation is performed first on one column and the fractions collected. These fractions are further analyzed in the second column; the columns must be different.
“Select two different columns that have as little correlation as possible between the separation on the first dimension as on the second dimension,” Dr. Evans suggests. For example, perform reverse-phase separation as one dimension and ion-exchange separation as the second dimension.
He says that the metabolites they are primarily interested in detecting are those in central carbon metabolism, glycolysis, and the TCA cycle. Additional energy transfer metabolites like NAD, NADH, ATP, and ADP can also be measured.
“One change we detect is that there are more central carbon metabolites present in the cells as a response to stimulation with glucose. We also detect changes in the energy metabolites. We’re still sorting out what all these changes mean,” states Dr. Evans.
The overall goal of this research is to develop methods to help improve the understanding of the biochemical mechanisms that underlie Type 2 diabetes. “We’re hoping that being able to measure these compounds will detect changes associated with diabetes along the course of the disease.” Dr. Evans adds that this method could have potential use for many other components—whether in disease research or understanding biochemical mechanisms that change based on environmental factors.
Mobile-Phase Modifiers

Researchers at Purdue University are working on an HPLC-MS/MS method for metabolite identification.
Ionic liquids have an advantage over organic solvents like methanol in that they don’t denature proteins as much and enable protein separation in their native confirmation. This is the driving force behind the research of Neil Danielson, Ph.D., professor of chemistry at Miami University, Ohio.
“We have been separating small molecules like caffeine and aromatic carboxylic acids by reversed-phase liquid chromatography (RPLC) using ionic liquid modifiers like ethylammonium formate (EAF) and methylammonium formate (MAF) as replacements for methanol in the mobile phase.”
Furthermore, Dr. Danielson has discovered that MAF has an advantage over EAF in that it has a lower viscosity, which makes it more compatible in terms of pressure limitations. “Organic solvents have a very low viscosity, below one centipoise (cP). MAF has a viscosity around 9 or 10 cP, which is really good for ionic liquids. This gives us better efficiency in LC if we work with a less viscous mobile phase.”
Polarity of the mobile and stationary phases, as well as that of a sample, are all involved in controlling retention of a sample compound and the separation of a mixture of sample compounds.
“We can control the polarity of the mobile phase—the amount of MAF in water. This ratio will vary the polarity, which is effective in controlling the retention of many pharmaceuticals. If we increase MAF, this lowers the retention.”
In addition, his group discovered that using low levels of MAF (1%) to replace methanol, for certain compounds like warfarin, the methylammonium ion formed an adduct and enabled easier qualitative identification by RPLC with MS detection.
When using MAF at higher concentrations (5–20%), Dr. Danielson says his group is able to control retention of water-soluble vitamins and antibacterials. “This is quite novel in that we are the first to show this ionic liquid as an organic solvent replacement in LC/MS is compatible because it’s forming volatile components in the interface.”
He adds that a compelling use of MAF is as a major mobile-phase component of LC/MS that has been shown to provide an advantage for separation of proteins as well as antibacterials. However, he says, “we’re still searching for a clear advantage for the use of MAF for small molecules.”

Better Analysis of Biofluids
In response to the current trend to develop more potent drugs with lower circulating levels, there is an ongoing effort to develop methods to increase detection sensitivity in biofluids. “Our research is focused on sensitivity in bioanalysis,” says Paul Rainville, applications chemist with Waters. One way to increase sensitivity is with smaller particles.
Waters developed the use of sub-2-micron chromatographic particles in 2004, which can increase the speed of analysis and reach up to a 10-fold increase in sensitivity. The particles consist of a patented material, bridged ethyl hybrid (BEH) that can withstand extreme pressures and operate in a wide pH range.
The advantages of using an elevated pH mobile phase include selectivity gains previously unattainable; ability to chromatograph basic analytes in a neutral state leading to improved peak shape; and the promotion of ionization of molecules that are to be detected by mass spectrometry—enabling further increases in sensitivity.
“This doesn’t eliminate steps, but it does increase the speed of running your assay without reducing chromatographic performance. Our particles maintain separation quality and are done faster, and this means increased productivity and less expense,” states Rainville.
One of the current hurdles with LC in bioanalysis is to provide a solid, inlet platform for the mass spectrometer. It must have compatible flow rates and the ability to resolve matrix interferences from the drug or metabolite undergoing quantification. “This is why we developed our sub-2-micron particles and the hardware to go around it,” he adds.
Better sensitivity also enables correct determination of the fate or pharmacokinetics of a drug molecule—both important parameters for the success of a drug. The ability of instruments to perform tasks that address regulatory concerns such as sample-matrix monitoring or metabolites is also advantageous. Rainville says that this method will soon be applied to detecting steroids in biofluids, and may lead to developing new packing material to address this. “We’ll apply the sub-2 micron particles and elevated pH for any drug that may have a challenging limit of detection.”
Phosphorylated Proteins in CSF
In-depth analysis of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) has the potential to reveal important details and malfunctions of many nervous system diseases. Dean Stuart, from the University of Cincinnati’s department of chemistry, and colleagues, are using different instruments to obtain better information from CSF components. Samples obtained from the university’s medical school were divided into three groups to compare various phosphorylated proteins and/or peptides: patients with post-subarachnoid hemmorhage, patients with arterial vasospasms, and normal patients.
“The overall goal would be to see if there’s a difference in phosphorylated proteins across that batch, and if so whether you could say that high levels of these proteins are a precursor to stroke or vasal spasm. I can see slight differences in phosphorylation using inductively coupled plasma MS (ICPMS) as the phosphorus specific detection and then using ion-trap MS to get structural data, followed by database-search software to figure out the identity of phospholated proteins,” explains Stuart.
In addition, using size exclusion chromatography, he was able to show a slight difference in phosphorylated types. This was done using a 5 kilodalton filter, to exclude anything larger than 5 kd. “We wanted to deal with small proteins or peptides, and get rid of big macromolecules like albumin.” Then, instead of fractionating the samples first, he used a size exclusion column with a range of 100 to 7,000 daltons for molecular weight exclusion. The resulting peaks were run on ion-trap MS and run through software (Agilent’s Spectrum Mill) for identification.
This size-exclusion method mimics conventional proteomic approaches. “In my case, the two dimensions are size exclusion chromatography followed by nano-reverse phase. I would hope this could be used further to find other phospholated proteins or any other type of proteins. The methodology ought to work for anything,” Stuart summarizes.

Identifying Drug Metabolites
A lab within the department of chemistry at Purdue University is developing methods for metabolite identification. “We first started developing these as a compliment to established methods of identifying functional groups in an unknown analyte,” explains Steven Habicht, a scientist working in the lab. He says there are certain situations where identifying specific impurities is not possible by MS/MS alone, and the more additional compounds, the longer it takes for analysis and the more expensive it is.
This HPLC-MS/MS method is based on ion-molecule reactions for identifying tertiary N-oxide functional groups in unknown analytes. “This is applied early in the drug discovery phase, but it could also be used for stability-indicating assays to see if any compounds will be formed when exposed to high heat, humidity, or from storage in plastic containers. If extra products are formed from the compound, you need to identify what those are and whether they are toxic.”
In order to introduce neutral molecules into a commercial quadrupole ion trap MS, his group developed an external reagent mixing manifold. This allows tri (dimethyl amino) borane (TDMAB) to be mixed with the helium buffer gas used in the trap. The analyte of interest is isolated in the trap and reacts with TDMAB for a specific time. The reaction delivers only protonated N-oxide analytes as they elute from the HPLC column. This process was demonstrated using Clozapine N-oxide and Olanzapine-N oxide.
“We’re creating our own niche in metabolite identification with these methods,” states Habicht. “There are situations where you can’t distinguish two different types of metabolites where these ion-molecule reactions can fill the void.” He adds that the main focus is to continue to develop a library of different reagents to make functional group identification a straight-forward process.
There is little doubt that many more potential applications for LC/MS will continue to be developed as more targeted drugs become available through the efforts of genomics, proteomics, and metabolomics. LC/MS may become standard for clinicians searching to identify sources of side effects or potential toxins. Who knows where these technologies will lead medicine over the next 100 years?

Intel details future graphics chip at GDC

2009-03-31T19:34:00.001-07:00

On Friday, Intel engineers are detailing the inner workings of the company's first graphics chip in over a decade at the Game Developers Conference in San Francisco--sending a signal to the game industry that the world's largest chipmaker intends to be a player.
During a conference call that served as a preview to the GDC sessions, Tom Forsyth, a software and hardware architect at Intel working on the Larrabee graphics chip project, discussed the design of Larrabee, a chip aimed squarely at Nvidia and at Advanced Micro Devices' ATI unit.
And Nvidia and AMD will no doubt be watching the progress intently. Intel's extensive and deep relationships with computer makers could give it an inside track with customers and upset the graphics duopoly now enjoyed by Nvidia and AMD. In the last decade Intel has not competed in the standalone, or "discrete" graphics chip market where Nvidia and AMD dominate. Rather, it has been a supplier of integrated graphics, a low-performance technology built into its chipsets that offers only a minimal gaming experience. (In the 1990s, Intel introduced the i740 GPU which, in relative terms, was not a success.)
Forsyth said that there is not yet a Larrabee chip to work with--it's expected late this year or early next year--and that "a lot of key developers are still being consulted on the design of Larrabee." But Intel will offer ways for developers to test the processor, he said. "On the Intel Web site there will be a C++ prototype library. It doesn't have the speed of Larrabee but has the same functionality. Developers can get a feel for the language, get a feel for the power of the machine."
Beyond games, Intel is also trying to catch a building wave of applications that run on the many-core architectures inherent to graphics chips. Nvidia and AMD graphics chips pack hundreds of processing cores that can be tapped for not only accelerating sophisticated games like Crysis but for doing scientific research and high-performance computing tasks.
One of the largest test sites for Larrabee is Dreamworks, which will use Larrabee for rendering and animation. To date, Dreamworks had to wait overnight to get a rendering project completed. "Using (the) Nehalem (processor), Dreamworks can almost do it in real time and it is only going to better with Larrabee," said Nick Knupffer, an Intel spokesperson.
Larrabee is "Intel's first many-core architecture," Forsyth said. "The first product will be very much like a GPU. It will look like a GPU. You will plug it into a machine and it will display graphics," he said. (GPU stands for graphics processing unit.)
"But at its heart are processor cores, not GPU cores. So it's bringing that x86 programmable goodness to developers," Forsyth said. Larrabee will carry the DNA of Intel's x86 architecture, the most widely used PC chip design in the world.

Apple beats Intel to Nehalem-EP chip launch

2009-03-31T19:33:00.001-07:00

Ponder this: Is an Intel product launch still a launch, if the product debuts very publicly in an Apple computer?
I won't presume to answer that question. But the fact is that Intel will launch Nehalem-EP server processors later this month, despite their manifestation Tuesday in the new Mac Pro under their official model names: the Xeon 3500 and 5500.
The chips--in their desktop variant known as the Core i7--are being offered in eight-core or four-core configurations and, like all Nehalam-architecture processors, come with an integrated memory controller for (theoretically) better performance. (Intel's Core architecture does not integrate the memory controller.)
Other Nehalem-architecture features include: Hyper-Threading for, according to Apple, "up to 16 virtual cores" (which improves multitasking), and Turbo Boost Technology, which dynamically increases the processor's frequency, as needed.
The Mac Pro also offers high-end Nvidia and ATI graphics. Systems can be configured with either Nvidia GeForce GT 120 or ATI Radeon HD 4870 graphics chips.

Intel adds crush of new mobile, server chips

2009-03-31T19:31:00.000-07:00

Intel updated its processor list Monday with new Core 2 chips for Macbook Air-class laptops and a crush of Xeon processors for workstations and servers.
The number of new processor models is 20 in all.

Intel Vice President Pat Gelsinger holds a new Xeon chip.(Credit: Intel)
As reported earlier, Intel has introduced new power-sipping low-voltage (LV) and ultra-low-voltage (ULV) processor models for laptops such as the Apple MacBook Air and Dell Adamo.
The new LV and ULV processor models include the 17-watt SL9600 (2.13GHz, $316) and 10-watt SU9600 (1.6GHz, $289). More power-hungry Intel mainstream mobile processors are typically rated at 25 watts or 35 watts.
And over a dozen new Xeon quad-core processors based on Intel's new Nehalem chip architecture were added to the Intel price list.
Processors in the Xeon 5500 series range in price from $1,600 for the 130-watt W5580 (3.2GHz) to $423 for the 60-watt L5506 (2.13GHz). Intel, for the first time, is also listing each new Xeon chip's giga-transfers-per-second rating (GT/sec). For example, the W5580 is rated at 6.40 GT/sec, while the L5506 is rated at 4.80 GT/sec.
Other Xeon 5500 series models include the 95-watt X5550 (2.66GHz, $958), the 80-watt E5520 (2.26GHz, $373), and the 60-watt L5520 (2.26GHz, $530).
Intel also debuted the Xeon 3500 series, including the 130-watt W3570 (3.2GHz, $999) and the 130-watt W3520 (2.66GHz, $284).

Revitalizing Surface Plasmon Resonance

2009-03-31T19:29:00.000-07:00

Surface plasmon resonance, or SPR, is used to measure changes in molecular weight. Thus, it has long been used to study protein-protein interactions by registering the association and dissociation of a ligand (prey) binding to an immobilized protein (bait).
SPR has recently been revitalized by its aptitude for fragment-based lead discovery. Fragments are low-molecular-weight compounds (<350 kD) that bind to targets with low affinity (µM–mM range), yet they exhibit high ligand efficiency—each atom contributes by directly contacting the target’s binding site.
Once a hit is identified, the fragment is grown or combined with other fragments, usually by structure-guided design and synthesis, to quickly generate a much more potent lead. Fragments are simple, but libraries composed of them can represent many diverse compounds and different chemistries. It is hoped that discovering drugs in this piecemeal manner will shortly yield therapeutic breakthroughs.
Biacore (now part of GE Healthcare) claims to be the first company to apply SPR to label-free protein-protein interaction analysis with its Biacore™ systems, according to Stefan Lofas, Ph.D., principle R&D scientist. The system’s various applications venture beyond protein-protein interactions to include protein-DNA interactions, peptide interactions, the binding properties of antibodies, drugs, and small molecules, and even interaction of viruses with whole cells, he adds.
Biacore makes different machines for different purposes, including screening and drug discovery. Moreover, GE Healthcare recently acquired Microcal, a market leader in calorimetry, whose instruments can detect the number of binding sites and measure the enthalpy (DH) and entropy (DS) of binding. This is a “perfect complementary technique to Biacore systems,” Dr. Lofas explains.
Tony Giannetti, Ph.D., research scientist at Genentech, uses Biacore systems to identify promiscuous binders and remove them from high-throughput screens where they would create false positives. This saves valuable time, money, and effort that might otherwise be spent crystallizing them, he notes.
Biacore systems have the ability to recognize all of the hallmarks of promiscuous binders, he insists: greater than 1:1 stoichiometry, a high Hill slope, irreversible binding, aggregation, and sensitivity to detergent. Dr. Giannetti utilized the latest methods in biosensor operation to develop a high-throughput procedure for hit identification from fragment libraries all the way to lead-generation chemistry. Key features include the ability to screen and verify thousands of compounds in a short time, the large dynamic range of the assay (kd from 200 pM to 20 mM), and the small amount of protein necessary for fragment screening (<0.5 mg protein from assay development through hit validation).
He warns of the “need to align crystallographic and SPR conditions,” lest the PEG often present in crystallography buffer destroy the binding observed in Biacore experiments; PEG should be included in the initial Biacore screen. Dr. Giannetti points out that Biacore systems can also be used to complement enzyme assays by confirming potencies. Using Biacore systems, he has identified binders to baits as varied as kinases, polymerases, cytokines, receptors, proteases, and oxidases.
Vernalis’ approach to fragment-based drug discovery is called SeeDs, for structural exploitation of experimental drug startpoints. It includes the design of a fragment library, identification of fragments that bind competitively to a target, and evolution of these hits into leads.
Unique to the SeeDs strategy is displacement of bound fragments by a potent competitor, notes Roderick Hubbard, Ph.D., of the University of York and Vernalis. This feature ensures that the fragment is binding to the target’s active site and dramatically increases the quality of the initial hits, he says.
SPR has been successfully used in two phases of the SeeDs protocol. First, it has been used to identify compounds that bind, or if NMR was used for that, to validate binding. Since it is rapid and sensitive, SPR is an especially effective way to prescreen, or triage, a library before crystallization is attempted. It also allows for the screening of more hydrophobic fragments than NMR does.
Once binding has been established, the SeeDs protocol calls for SPR to characterize binding kinetics and thermodynamics. Applying SPR to the SeeDs method has successfully ascertained why isoxazole is a much more potent growth inhibitor than pyrazole, although they both have the same IC50 against Hsp90 (pyrazole is twofold faster on, but isoxazole is 15-fold slower off).
The FujiFilm Life Sciences Affinity Screening System, or AP-3000, was specifically designed and implemented for high throughput, sensitive analysis of small molecule binding, according to the company. The target protein is immobilized on disposable sensor sticks, with a short flow path to diminish reagent use but a wide bore to alleviate clogging.
There are six parallel channels, so six compounds and their corresponding blanks are analyzed simultaneously. It offers high-throughput (3,840 compounds in 24 hours) and high sensitivity (it can detect interactions as weak as 10 mM), and it is fully automated, from protein immobilization all the way through to data analysis, according to Don Janezic, the SPR business development manager. In addition, it can find hits, run dose response curves, and obtain affinity constants in less than two weeks, he says.

Graffinity’s screening method literally turns conventional SPR methodologies upside down. Rather than immobilizing the target protein on the chip and running each compound in the library over it, it immobilizes each compound in its own sensor field and runs the target protein over them, explains Mathias Woker, CBO, who adds that this method has a number of advantages.
First, he says, it can vary the point at which the compound binds to the chip, presenting different surfaces to the target protein.
Renate Sekul, Ph.D., head of research and development at Graffinity, thinks that “it is highly important to screen an active protein,” which is feasible in this system since the protein is in solution. This also makes standardizing the binding conditions across the library much easier.
Second, it is fast, Woker notes, making it well suited to high-throughput screens. This is partially because chip regeneration is not as much of an issue, and partially because they measure light spectrum shifts rather than light angle shifts to minimize errors, Dr. Sekul said.
Woker claims that “a Graffinity screen of 110,000 compounds takes 10 days where usually an experiment would take more than three months with strong limitations concerning the solubility of the compounds screened and the conformity of the results concerning consistent protein quality over the experiment time frame.”
Since 2002, Graffinity has screened over 80 targets, including kinases, phospodiesterases, proteases, nuclear hormone receptors, and even RNAs, and found hits for all of them, Woker concludes.
Protein Interaction Studies
Bernhard Geierstanger, Ph.D., group leader for NMR at the Genomics Institute of the Novartis Research Foundation, incorporates unnatural amino acids into proteins as site-specific NMR-active labels. This is “a unique way of putting an NMR active label at a chosen site in a protein,” he says, which is essential because in a “reasonable size protein—30 kD, for example—the number of signals is tremendous and impossible to resolve.”
Dr. Geierstanger, in collaboration with Peter Schultz, Ph.D., head of the institute, has created over 50 different unnatural amino acids with different purposes, along with their cognate orthogonal tRNA/aminoacyl-tRNA synthetase pairs. Some are fluorescent, some are photoactive, and some are labeled with fluorine or 15N or 13C. They can be used in lieu of any natural amino acid and placed exactly where the investigator chooses, which is a particular boon in large systems.
A potential limitation is that only one label can be incorporated into each sample. Monitoring the chemical shift change in a series of such single resonances, however, allows site-directed screening for binders. This can reduce the number of false positives currently seen in drug development by ensuring that the drug is binding to the correct site.
In an exciting twist, Dr. Geierstanger has made photocaged serine, cysteine, and tyrosine. Once incorporated at the desired site, the NMR label can be cut off of these residues. Thus, for the first time, individual amino acids can be labeled without altering the protein’s primary sequence, which alleviates any fears about changing the protein’s conformation or interactions. This allows him to use NMR for label-free binding, much like the other investigators use SPR.

Federal Loan Consolidation for Medical Students

2009-01-27T19:31:00.000-08:00

By the time you graduate you will most likely have at least $200,000.00 in student loan debt. After interest is added you could be paying a total of over $500,000.00, so it is extremely important to make sure you are getting the best deal possible with your loan consolidation. You will probably have both federal and private loans but for this article we will be dealing with only your federal loans.

Loan forgiveness

The first thing to look into is if you will be eligible for any loan forgiveness, you dont want to lose your eligibility by not knowing what is required. In general you have to practice in a facility that serves low income people for a number of years but the conditions do vary by state. Check with your states department of education for the specific rules. http://www.ed.gov/about/contacts/state/index.html

With Stafford loans it doesnt matter if youve consolidated the loans or not, they can be forgiven either way. With Perkins loans you lose any chance of forgiveness if you consolidate them so you should check into it before deciding to add them to a consolidation.

The National Health Service Corps offers loan forgiveness programs for physicians who agree to serve a certain number of years in areas that lack adequate medical care. Many hospitals and private care facilities offer loan repayment as an employment incentive for medical personnel.

Deferral and forbearance

When you graduate and go into your residency or fellowship your loans will be switched to repayment status and you will have to make payment arrangements. Since most students in residency or fellowships do not make that much money they want put off making their payments. All federal loans come with the benefit of three years of forbearance and three years of deferral. In deferral the government pays the interest on the subsidized portion of your loans, in forbearance you are responsible for all of the interest. You must qualify for deferral, some fellowships qualify but since residency is considered employment the only option there is if you can show an economic hardship. In general your loan payments must exceed 20% of your disposable income to qualify for economic hardship.

One of the benefits to consolidation is your deferral and forbearance time is renewed. This can be important to a medical student looking at a long residency, in that case you would want to wait to consolidate until you have used all of your deferral time so you can have three more years of it. It is important to remember that you are gathering interest during this time on all but the subsidized portion of any loans in deferral, the costs can really add up. Most lenders will allow you to make payments as you can during deferral and forbearance, if you think you will be able to offset your costs by paying anything during this time make sure your lender will accept payments when you are considering a consolidation company.

Capitalizing interest

When choosing a consolidation company ask how often they capitalize interest during your deferral or forbearance period. A company that capitalizes quarterly will cost you more in the long run than a company that capitalizes yearly.

A student loan consolidation can save you thousands of dollars in interest but you must choose your company wisely. Ask questions before you decide who to consolidate with. Know how much you will be paying in total.

No Income Proof Secured Loans: Secured Source Of Financial Assistance

2009-01-27T19:28:00.000-08:00

Most of the loans are available in the market with the basic pre requisite of income proof. In fact, lenders often approve the loan, only after considering the borrower's definite source of income. However, this kind of clause can create problems for those borrowers, who do not have the provision of regular income source. Many self employed people or unemployed applicants cannot make arrangements for income proof. Hence, for this section of society, financial industry has evolved the solution of no income proof secured loans. Under this category of loans, the borrower is not required to submit any pay slip or other income proof. The only thing that settles the approval of this loan is the offered collateral. This security can be deposited in any form such as your home, proper, car or any other valuable asset.

No income proof secured loans are customized with simple and lucid regulations that are easily manageable. Moreover, as this loan scheme is is secured in nature, the borrower can expect low and affordable rate of interest. In addition to this, even your poor credit report will not create much of a hassle for the accomplishment of this loan. The amount of loan offered under the provision of no income proof secured loans is basically decided on the basis of your collateral and purpose. However, all these beneficial aspects are available only with a reliable lender. Therefore, it is important for the borrower to act extremely selective while finalizing the loan deal. Always opt for a certified money lending agency to neglect the chances of misuse and illegal possession of your collateral. Also, make attempts to evaluate the monetary value of your collateral as that will settle your loan amount.

Therefore, if you are planning to go for higher studies and wish for a decent financial help then immediately opt for the beneficial loan scheme of no income proof secured loans. For more information on no income proof secured loans, you can easily visit the finance institutions, where the financial executives will provide each and every detail about the loan. A more approachable and convenient medium is Internet. In fact, you can also inquire about the various money lending agencies offering the service of this loan. Hence, now nothing can possibly obstruct your accomplishment of convenient loan assistance.

Any applicant can apply for no income proof secured loans through the traditional method as well as the online system. Nowadays, people often opt for the online application procedure due to its simple features and quicker assistance. For this purpose, you simply have to get registered with a certified money lending agency and then you can start with the processing of the loan by downloading the online application form. This form may request for your personal details such as contact numbers, residential proof and purpose of the loan. Along with this mandatory set of requirements, you also have to send documents related to your offered collateral, so that the lender can have the complete legal assurance. Try to finalize the entire loan deal under the supervision of afinancial advisor.

Low Apr Secured Personal Loans – Tips For Finding A Suitable Deal

2009-01-27T19:26:00.000-08:00

A loan should preferably come in your hands at low costs. Such a loan is less burdensome on your earnings and you can repay it without putting much stress on your finances. While taking out a low APR secured personal loan, make sure that you have first carefully studied its all aspects.

These loans can provide greater funds against your valued property as collateral. Home, vehicle, jewelry or any asset can serve the purpose of collateral. In order to ensure low rate of interest, make sure that the borrowed amount is less than value of the property. This means that when you need greater funds, better pledge your home as collateral. Usually, under these loans, you can borrow up to £75000. The loan amount finds its use in variety of purposes like home improvements, car purchasing, enjoying a holiday tour or throwing a wedding party.

Low APR will depend on your credit history as well. If you have an excellent or good record of making timely payments in the past and your FICO score, therefore, is on higher side, then the rate of interest is low for you.

On the other hand, in case of a blemished history of late payments, defaults, arrears or CCJs, you are a high risks borrower. Hence, despite collateral, the interest may be little higher. Therefore, first check your credit report and make sure your past payments find place in it. It is advisable to apply for the loan with in improved credit rating on paying off some debts.

The loan repayment duration ranges from five to 30 years. However, choose the repayment period carefully, depending on the borrowed amount and your repayment capability. Avoid taking the loan for longer duration as you may end up making high interest payments.

In order to find a suitable deal, first take out rate quotes of as many such loan offers you see on internet. After having access to the rates, see which offer has less additional costs like fees on loan processing. Usually a low APR secured personal loan comes through online as you can compare and additional charges are fewer.

Bad Credit Secured Loans – Benefits Of A Secured Personal Loan

2009-01-27T19:21:00.000-08:00

A low credit score used to prevent many from obtaining home loans, auto loans, credit cards, and personal loans. Because bad credit can quickly improve, many lenders have become more flexible in their lending criteria, and are ready to offer a secured loan to individuals with a low credit rating. There are many types of bad credit secured personal loans. If credit is used wisely, borrowers may actually improve their credit score.

Advantages of a Secured Personal Loan with Poor Credit

Some consumers have terrible credit habits, which contributes to a low credit rating. Although credit mistakes are common, there are ways to improve a low score. The key is recognizing past mistakes and making better credit decisions.

A bad credit secured personal loan is a perfect way to re-build credit. When lenders review credit reports, many factors influence whether a line of credit is approved. These include length of credit history, outstanding debts, payment history, and current account standing. If any one of these factors falls short, lenders may either deny a credit application or charge a higher rate.

Obtaining a higher interest rate is not necessarily a bad thing. Higher rates are to be expected. Of course, this usually means higher monthly payments. However, if your aim is to raise a low credit score, do not allow a higher rate to sway you from this goal.

Types of Bad Credit Secured Loan

There are several methods of obtaining a bad credit secured loan. You have the option of visiting a local credit union or bank and completing a loan application. To get approved for these types of secured loans, sufficient collateral is needed. If you own a vehicle, the lender may accept the vehicle title. Collateral may also consist of a valuable piece of jewelry, electronic device, furniture, etc.

Borrowers in the market for a new automobile may consider applying for a new or used car financing. Auto loans are secured and a great way to improve a low credit rating. Similarly, bad credit auto loans carry much higher rates. To keep monthly payments low, consider financing an inexpensive vehicle, or have a down payment of at least 10%.

COLON CANCER

2009-01-21T07:52:00.000-08:00

What is colon cancer?
Cells normally grow and divide only when they are needed to keep our bodies functioning properly. But sometimes, the mechanisms that regulate cell growth stop working and cells divide out of control to form tumors. This is called cancer. When cancer develops in the cells lining the colon (the first part of the large intestine), it is called colon cancer.
People who have a history of colon cancer in their family are at greater risk of getting the disease themselves. The risk increases when a relative has had the disease before age 50. These families are considered high-risk, because they may have inherited one of two rare genetic conditions: FAP (familial adenomatous polyposis) or HNPCC (hereditary non-polyposis colon cancer).
FAP is caused by mutations of the APC (adenomatous polyposis coli) gene on chromosome 5. APC is a tumor suppressor gene, which means that it prevents uncontrolled cell growth. People who inherit a mutated form of this gene develop growths called polyps in their colon. By age 15, they may have hundreds of these polyps. Polyps are not cancerous at first, but if they aren't treated, they will develop into colon cancer.
HNPCC (also called Lynch syndrome) is caused by mutations in one of several genes that fix damaged DNA. People who inherit one of these mutations have a much greater risk of accumulating mutations that will lead to uncontrolled cell growth and cancer.
How do people get colon cancer?
FAP and HNPCC are both inherited in an autosomal dominant pattern. If a parent has FAP or HNPCC, his or her children run a 50 percent risk of inheriting the mutated gene. Usually when a person inherits a defective gene it does not necessarily mean he or she will develop a malignant cancer. However, the APC gene strikingly predisposes one to colon cancer. People who inherit one bad copy of the APC gene are practically guaranteed to develop colon cancer by age 40. Similarly, people who inherit one bad copy of a gene associated with HNPCC have an 80 percent chance of getting colon cancer before. HNPCC also increases a person's risk of developing other cancers, including ovarian, stomach, brain, and liver.
What are the symptoms of colon cancer?
Colon cancer affects the stomach and bowels. Common symptoms include: diarrhea or constipation, blood in the stool, vomiting, bloating, cramps, and unexplained weight loss.
How do doctors diagnose colon cancer?
When a patient shows symptoms of colon cancer, his or her doctor can screen for the disease using one of several tests:
Fecal Occult Blood Test (FOBT) - Colon cancer can sometimes cause tiny dots of blood, too small for the eye to see, in the feces The FOBT test uses a special chemical to check the patient's stool sample for these traces of blood.
Flexible-Sigmoidoscopy - Using a thin flexible tube called a simoidoscope, the doctor looks inside the patient's colon for growths called polyps.
Double Contrast Barium Enema (DCBA) - A silvery-white metallic substance called barium is inserted up the patient's colon through the rectum. The barium outlines the patient's colon on an x-ray screen.
Colonoscopy - Using a thin instrument called a colonoscope, the doctor looks inside the patient's colon. During the procedure, the doctor removes pieces of tissue (called a biopsy) to test them for cancer. If the doctor finds any polyps, he or she can also remove them. A newer method, called virtual colonoscopy, looks at the colon without going into the body, with an MRI or CT scan.
DNA-Based stool test - This test examines DNA taken from a patient's stool sample to look for genetic defects associated with colon cancer.
How is colon cancer treated?
Colon cancer is very treatable. In fact, about 90 percent of patients survive the disease after treatment. First, doctors stage the disease to see how far it has progressed. If the cancer has not spread to other tissues of the body, it can be treated with:
special chemicals (chemotherapy) or radiation (powerful x-rays) that kill all rapidly dividing cells in the body, including cancer cells
surgery to remove the polyps and/or cancerous part of the colon
Interesting facts about colon cancer
People who have FAP can develop hundreds and even thousands of polyps in their colon, whereas people with HNPCC develop relatively few.
The progression from a benign to a malignant cancer typically requires multiple mutations that allow cells to acquire new and abnormal characteristics, such as an increased growth rate, inability to adhere or stick to neighboring cells, propensity to migrate to other places in the body, etc. For example, at least seven mutations are required to produce a malignant colon tumor.
Inherited cancers often provide clues about the genes mutated in noninherited (sporadic) cancers. For example, mutations in the APC gene are found not only in FAP tumors but in 85% of all sporadic colon tumors as well.

CRI-DU-CHAT SYNDROME

2009-01-21T07:49:00.000-08:00

What is Cri-du-Chat syndrome?
The name of this syndrome is French for "cry of the cat," referring to the distinctive cry of children with this disorder. The cry is caused by abnormal larynx development, one of the many symptoms associated with this disorder. It usually becomes less noticeable as the baby gets older, making it difficult for doctors to diagnose cri-du-chat after age two. Cri-du-chat is caused by a deletion (the length of which may vary) on the short arm of chromosome 5. Multiple genes are missing as a result of this deletion, and each may contribute to the symptoms of the disorder. One of the deleted genes known to be involved is TERT (telomerase reverse transcriptase). This gene is important during cell division because it helps to keep the tips of chromosomes (telomeres) in tact.
How do people get Cri-du-Chat syndrome?
A deletion is caused by a break in the DNA molecule that makes up a chromosome. In most cases, the chromosome break occurs while the sperm or egg cell (the male or female gamete) is developing. When this gamete is fertilized, the child will develop cri-du-chat syndrome. The parent, however, does not have the break in any other cells of the body and does not have the syndrome. In fact, the break is usually such a rare event that it is very unlikely to happen again if the parent has another child.
It is possible for a child to inherit a broken chromosome from a parent who also had the disorder. However, this is rare because most people with cri-du-chat do not survive into adulthood and therefore do not have children.
What are the symptoms of Cri-du-Chat syndrome?
Babies with cri-du-chat are usually small at birth, and may have respiratory problems. Often, the larynx doesn't develop correctly, which causes the signature cat-like cry.
People who have cri-du-chat have very distinctive features. They may have a small head (microcephaly), an unusually round face, a small chin, widely set eyes, folds of skin over their eyes, and a small bridge of the nose.
Several problems occur inside the body, as well. A small number of children have heart defects, muscular or skeletal problems, hearing or sight problems, or poor muscle tone. As they grow, people with cri-du-chat usually have difficulty walking and talking correctly. They may have behavior problems (such as hyperactivity or aggression), and severe mental retardation. Unfortunately, most people with this disorder don't survive to adulthood.
How do doctors diagnose cri-du-chat syndrome?
Doctors most often identify cri-du-chat by the infant's cat-like cry. Other signs are microcephaly, poor muscle tone, and mental retardation.
It is also possible to test for cri-du-chat (and other chromosomal abnormalitites) while the baby is still in its mother's womb. They can either test a tiny sample of tissue from outside the sac where the baby develops (chorionic villus sampling (CVS)), or they can test a sample of the amniotic fluid (amniocentesis).
How is cri-du-chat syndrome treated?
Although there is no real treatment for cri-du-chat syndrome, children with the disorder can go through therapy to improve their language skills, motor skills, and to help them develop as normally as possible.
Interesting facts about cri-du-chat syndrome
The geneticist Jerome Lejeune identified cri-du-chat syndrome in 1963. He also discovered the genetic abnormality that causes Down syndrome.
Cri-du-chat is one of the most common syndromes caused by a chromosomal deletion. It affects between 1 in 20,000 and 1 in 50,000 babies.
In 80 percent of the cases, the chromosome carrying the deletion comes from the father's sperm rather than the mother's egg.
When deletions occur during the formation of an egg or sperm, it is caused by unequal recombination during meiosis. Recombination normally occurs between pairs of chromosomes during meiosis while they are lined up at the metaphase plate. If the pairs of chromosomes don't line up correctly, or if the chromosome breaks aren't repaired properly, the structure of the chromosome can be altered. When unequal recombination occurs at this location on chromosome 5, it causes cri-du-chat syndrome.

Ways of Reproduction in Plants

2009-01-20T19:12:00.001-08:00

Ways of Reproduction in Plants

rIn higher plants there are mainly two methods of reproduction-sexual reproduction that involves the formation of gametes and asexual or vegetative reproduction, in which there the vegetative parts are used for propagation.

Sexual Reproduction
Typically, plant life history involves alternation of generations, during which a diploid sporophyte gives rise to a haploid gametophyte. The gametophyte generation produces gametes that, through syngamy (fusion of gametes during fertilization), provide for another generation of diploid sporophytes, to continue the cycle. The sporophyte does not produce gametes but rather, meiosis occurs in spore mother cells and produces haploid spores. These spores divide mitotically to form gametophytes, which subsequently produce gametes via mitosis. Within the plant kingdom the dominance of phases varies. In nonvascular plants such as mosses and liverworts, the gametophyte phase is dominant. Vascular plants show a progression of increasing sporophyte dominance from the ferns and "fern allies" to angiosperms.

In angiosperms, flowers are the organs of reproduction. A typical flower has four parts arranged in circles: sepals, petals, androecium, and gynoecium from periphery to center. Androecium and gynoecium are the male and female reproductive organs.

Androecium:
The male reproductive organ of the flower is composed of units called stamens. Each stamen consists of a filament and an anther. The anther produces the male spores called pollen grains.

Gynoecium:
The female reproductive organ consists of units called pistils. Each pistil consists of terminal filament called style with stigma at its terminal part and an ovary, from which the style starts. The ovary contains ovules. The flowers may be bisexual with both male and female organs in the same flower, or it may be unisexual with anyone type of sex organs. The male flowers are the staminate flowers and the female flowers are the pistillate flowers.

Tags: Bio Genetics, Bio Technology, Reproduction

Mechanisms of Pollination in Animals & Insects

2009-01-20T19:11:00.002-08:00

There are two mechanisms whereby pollination occurs:

Animal pollination or insect pollination. Food or another reward is provided and "advertised" via color or fragrance. This mechanism can be effective in promoting pollination even in sparse populations.

Wind pollination requires dense populations.

Self-pollination (which would result in inbreeding) is frequently prevented in plants, even though they might have perfect flowers. Flowers may be imperfect, plants may be dioecious, or compatibility genes might be required for successful pollination to occur.

Once pollination occurs, the pollen coat ruptures and the pollen tube grows downward through the style to the ovary. Once it enters the embryo sac via the micropyle, the pollen nuclei migrate downward through the tube and double fertilization occurs.

Tags: Bio Technology, Bio Genetics, Pollination

What is Vegetative Reproduction in Plants

2009-01-20T19:11:00.001-08:00

It is reproduction by mitosis allowing a new, genetically identical individual to be produced. When a very desirable combination of traits is found, sexual reproduction risks losing them in the randomness of the process. Asexual reproduction does not allow genetic variation, but guarantees reproduction (no dependence on others). It rapidly increases the numbers of an organism and keeps its desired combination of traits. Many plants use a combination of sexual and asexual reproduction to get the benefits of both methods.

Most plant organs have been used for asexual reproduction, but stems are the most common.

Stems: In some species, stems arch over and take root at their tips, forming new plants. The horizontal aboveground stems, called stolons in certain plants like that of the strawberry, produce new daughter plants at alternate nodes. Various types of underground stems such as rhizomes, bulbs, corms, and tubers are used for asexual reproduction as well as for food storage.

Leaves: Leaves of certain plants like that of the common ornamental plant bryophyllum acts as the organs for vegetative multiplication. Mitosis at meristems 'along the leaf margins produce tiny plantlets that fall off and can take up an independent existence.

Roots: Some plants use their roots for asexual reproduction. The dandelion is a common example. Trees, such as the poplar, send up new stems from their roots. Sometimes, an entire grove of trees may form all part of a clone of the original tree.

Tags: Bio Technology, Bio Genetics, Reproduction in Plants

Plant Propagation

2009-01-20T19:10:00.001-08:00

Commercially important plants are often deliberately propagated by asexual means in order to keep particularly desirable traits (e.g., flower color, flavor, resistance to disease etc.). Grafting is widely used to propagate a desired variety of shrub or tree.

All apple varieties, rose varieties, for example, are propagated this way. Apple seeds are planted only for the root and stem system that grows from them. After a year's growth, most of the stem is removed and a twig (scion) taken from a mature plant of the desired variety is inserted in a notch in the cut stump (the stock).

So long as the cambiums of scion and stock are united and precautions are taken to prevent infection and drying out, the scion will grow. It will get all its water and minerals from the root system of the stock. However, the fruit that it will eventually produce will be identical (assuming that it is raised under similar environmental conditions) to the fruit of the tree from which the scion was taken. Cuttings may be taken from the parent and rooted. The same method of grafting is applicable in the case of rubber plantations.

Tags: Bio Genetics, Bio Genetics, Plant Propagation

Asexual Reproduction in Animals

2009-01-20T19:09:00.002-08:00

In animals the asexual reproduction is limited to unicellular and lower forms organisms. Following are the different methods of asexual reproductions.

1) Binary fission:
The parent cell divides into two or more daughter cells by a cleavage of the protoplast after the nuclear division. Normally two identical cells are formed. Therefore, it is known as binary fission. It is usually observed in organisms such as plasmodium, paramecium, amoeba, etc. When the parent cell is divided into a number of progenies it is called multiple fission. First, the nucleus undergoes repeated division, which is followed by cytoplasmic division into a number of daughter cells. The cell undergoing multiple fission is called schizont and the process is known as schizogamy.

2) Budding :
Here, offspring develops as a growth on the body of the parent. In some species (e.g., jellyfishes) the buds break away and take up an independent existence. In others (e.g., corals) the buds remain attached to the parent and the process results in colonies of animals. Budding is also common among parasitic animals such as tapeworms.

3) Fragmentation :
In certain tiny worms, as they grow to full size, they spontaneously break up into eight or nine pieces. Each of these fragments develops into a mature worm and the process is repeated.

4) Parthenogenesis:
In parthenogenesis ("virgin birth"), the female produces eggs, but these develop into young without ever being fertilized. Parthenogenesis occurs in some fishes, several kinds of insects, and a few species of lizards. In a few species it is the only method of reproduction, but more commonly animals turn to parthenogenesis only at certain times. For example, aphids use parthenogenesis in the spring when they find themselves with ample food. Reproduction by parthenogenesis is more rapid than sexual reproduction, and the use of this mode of asexual reproduction permits the animals to quickly exploit the available resources.

Parthenogenesis is forced on some species of wasps when they become infected with bacteria such as the genus Wolbachia. In these wasps (as in honeybees), fertilized eggs (diploid) become females; unfertilized (haploid) eggs become males. However, in Wolbachia-infected females, all their eggs undergo endoreplication producing diploid eggs that develop into females without fertilization; that is, by parthenogenesis. Treating the wasps with an antibiotic kills off the bacteria and "cures" the parthenogenesis.

Tags: Asexual Reproduction, Bio Technology, Bio Genetics

Sexual Reproduction in Animals

2009-01-20T19:09:00.001-08:00

Sexual reproduction is the most common method of reproduction in higher forms of animals. Sexual reproduction involves the formation of male and female gametes and their fusion resulting in the formation of a zygote. The gametes are produced after the meiosis and are haploid and the fusion product of gametes, the zygote, is diploid. The process of syngamy or fertilization causes the mixing of genetic materials of the male and female parent.

Animal development commonly proceeds through several stages. Gametogenesis, during which the egg and sperm mature within the reproductive organs of the parents. Fertilization, which begins when a sperm penetrates an egg and is completed when the sperm and egg nuclei fuse forming a zygote. The zygote undergoes mitotic cell divisions that form the early multicellular embryo, which develops into an organism gradually through different stages. Sexual reproduction thus shows the formation diploid and haploid stages in the life cycle alternately.

The two types of gametes-the male gametes and female gametes-may be produced in the same body or separately by the male and female parent. When separate male and female individuals are present in a species, they are called unisexual organisms. All higher forms of animals and humans are examples. Some species are capable of producing both male and female gametes in the same organisms (body) and such species are known as bisexual or hermaphrodites. Some lower forms of organisms such as earthworms, tapeworms, snails, and some fish belong to this class.

Tags : Bio Technology, Bio Genetics, Sexual Reproduction

Know the Mechanism of Reproduction in Humans

2009-01-20T19:08:00.003-08:00

Reproduction in humans occurs only by sexual methods.

The gametes in human reproduction are the sperm and egg. Sperms are the male gametes and egg is the female gamete. Both are produced after meiosis and therefore are haploid. Humans are unisexual and thus male and female gametes are produced in separate individuals. Humans have a pair of primary reproductive organs; sperm-producing testes in males and egg-producing ovaries in females, along with accessory ducts and glands. Testes and ovaries also produce hormones that influence reproductive functions and secondary sexual traits.

The hormones testosterone, LH (luteinizing hormone), and FSH, (follicle stimulating hormone) control sperm production. The hormones estrogen, progesterone, FSH, and LH control egg maturation and release, as well as changes in the lining of the uterus, the endometrium. The testis is an ovoid-shaped gland consisting of coiled tubules called seminiferous tubules. The testes are placed in a scrotal sac outside the abdominal cavity. The male gametes or sperms are produced in seminiferous tubules by a complex process called spermatogenesis. Sperm produced in the testes are carried to the copulating organ, the penis via epididymis (stores sperm until they have matured) and vas deference. Vas deference is a straight tube, which along with spermatic artery and vein, forms the spermatic cord. Seminal vesicle, prostate gland, Cowper's gland, etc. are the accessory parts present along with male genital organs.

The female reproductive organs consist of ovaries and fallopian tubes. Ovaries produce the female gamete ovum (egg) and fallopian tubes are a pair of ducts, one from each ovary, that catches the ovum released at ovulation each month. This tube carries the egg and houses the fertilized egg through its embryonic development and is lined with smooth muscle, which contracts, moving the ovum toward the uterus. The fertilization of ovum with sperm usually occurs in this tube and the initial development of resulting zygote into an embryo also occurs here. The uterus is lined with endometrium; this is where the embryo implants and completes its development the cervix is the muscular ring at the mouth of the uterus and the vagina is a thin-walled chamber into which sperm are directly deposited during intercourse. The urethra is part of the female urinary tract, but not part of the female reproductive tract, unlike males. The production of sperm is a continuous process starting from puberty and lasting throughout life in males. But in females the production of female gamete or the egg is a cyclic process with a periodicity of about 28 days. During these periods there is a great change in the structure and function of the entire reproductive system. At birth, the female has about 2 million primary oocytes, which give rise to what will become a mature egg, or ovum. Unlike the male, no more primary oocytes or cells that will give rise to a mature gamete are produced after a female is born. At birth the primary oocytes are in a resting state and will not develop any further until they are triggered by the hormone FSH released from the pituitary, at which point a few at a time will resume meiosis. Only 400 of the original 2 million primary oocytes actually develop into mature eggs.

During copulation sperm is deposited near the cervix in the vagina. These sperms are motile and active for some times-at least for three days. They move toward the fallopian tubes where they may come in contact with the egg cell. During fertilization, the sperm cell injects its nucleus into the cytoplasm of the oocyte and fertilization takes place. Only one sperm can fertilize an egg and further fusion with sperm is prevented. By fertilization the diploid number of chromosomes is restored in the fertilized egg, which is known as the zygote. The zygote starts its development in the fallopian tube and continues its development in the uterus.

Tags: Bio Technology, Bio Genetics, Human Reproduction

How does Development take place in Animals

2009-01-20T19:08:00.001-08:00

The developmental pattern of a fertilized egg into an embryo is almost identical in all animal forms at least in the initial stages. Following fertilization, the zygote undergoes a series of divisions that leads from a single cell to a collection of cells in the form of a hollow sphere, known as blastula. The cells increase in number very rapidly at the same time the size of the cells decreases. During this period some of the blastula cells begin to differentiate into endoderm, mesoderms and ectoderm.

The endoderm generally gives rise to epithelial lining of the gut, the mesoderm forms the muscles, internal skeleton; and the ectoderm develops into nerves and the outer covering of the animal. During this stage there is the rearrangement in the position of the cellular layers by a process known as gastrulation. After gastrulation the endoderm becomes the innermost layer of cells and the mesoderm surrounds the endoderm and the outermost layer is the ectoderm. Endoderm can further specialize into liver, pancreas, lung or many other cell types, but cannot reverse course and become ectoderm or mesoderm. This stage of embryo is known as gastrula. There is no significant growth in size between zygote and gastrula. All these stages are so important that all vertebrates, in spite of their great anatomical and physiological differences, follow this developmental pattern.

Once the gastrulation has taken place with the rearrangement of different layers, the cell differentiation starts rapidly. The three layers of cells differentiate and develop into various organs needed to make a functional individual. Just three weeks after fertilization, human embryos will develop a heart and by the eighth week of development the head is completely identifiable in an embryo with a 2.5 cm length. Almost all types of tissues and organs start developing by this time. By the twelfth week of development it develops external recognizable parts such as sex organs, fingers, nails, and toes. A gut also develops from the endoderm during this period.

How does an animal develop from a single cell? The answer to this fundamental question of embryology and developmental biology is based on asymmetry in the egg cell and instructions in the DNA of the developing animal. Structures form in the developing embryo under the guidance of the DNA instructions that are the same in each cell, and external cues that let the cell know where it is and what type of cell it should become. Signals include information from neighbor-neighbor contact and from gradients of protein or small-molecule morphogens.

How does Development Take Place in Plants

2009-01-20T19:07:00.001-08:00

The process of double fertilization results in the formation of zygote and an endosperm cell inside the embryo sac of ovule. The ovule is within the oyary. The zygote follows series of mitotic cell divisions and differentiates into a small plant later known as the embryo. The endosperm cell develops into the endosperm or the cotyledons. Ovules develop into the seed and the ovary forms the fruit.

The zygote within the embryo sac undergoes a number of repeated mitotic divisions to form a group of cells surrounded by the endosperm tissue, which is also under development. This structure is known as the proembryo. In the proembryo the cells are arranged in three layers:

# Protoderm, which forms the surface tissues such as the epidermis.
# Procambium, which forms the vascular tissues.
# Ground meristem, which gives rise to ground tissues.

At this stage, the embryo takes on the shape of an axis with meristems at both ends. These meristems are the apical shoot meristem and the apical root meristem, from which structures of the shoot system and root system will ultimately develop. In addition, two bumps appear near the anterior; these are the two cotyledons, characteristic of dicot embryos. The cotyledons rapidly elongate, and the embryo is divided into regions, with respect to the cotyledons. The region above the attachment of the cotyledons is the epicotyl, which contains the apical shoot meristem.

The region below the attachment of the cotyledons is the hypocotyl, which ends with the radicle, containing the apical root meristem. Typically, the embryonic axis will have to fold, to fit within the embryo sac. Endosperm may or may not be absorbed into the cotyledons. It may be consumed completely in the maturation of the embryo, or some may remain for germination. One of the main differences in the growth and development ?f plant systems from that of animal tissues is that in plants the growing ends or the meristems are very small but repeated many times above the ground as the terminal parts of shoot systems. These meristems are always active and never stop their embryonic nature. Because of this they continue to produce new tissues and cells throughout their life.

Tags: Bio Technology, Bio Genetics, Plant Development

Understanding of Immune System in Animals & Humans

2009-01-20T19:06:00.000-08:00

Firstly let us try to understand as to what is Immune Response:

All living organisms whether plants or animals or microbes are always prone to the attack of pathogenic organisms such as bacteria, fungi, viruses and other type of parasitic protozoans. There is a well-developed defense mechanism in humans and animals to fight against these parasitic and pathogenic organisms. This defense mechanism in humans and animals is known as immune system and the protective response of the body against the invading organism is called the immune response. The immune system always guards the body against the various types of microbes and parasites present in the environment. If the immune system is not responding properly, even a minor infection can become fatal.

The Immune System :
The immune system is well developed and is very complex in mammals and higher forms of vertebrates. The complexity of the immune system decreases as we go down the evolutionary scale. Organisms such as birds, reptiles, amphibians, fish, etc. have comparatively simple types of immune systems. There is no immune system in invertebrates such as starfish, hydras, earthworms, insects, etc. The immune system consists of certain specialized cells known as immune cells and certain specialized organs called lymphoid organs. The lymphoid organs in which ' the immune cells originate and mature are called the primary lymphoid organs, which include bone marrow and thymus. After maturation they migrate to other organs, the secondary lymphoid organs, where they settle down and function. These organs include the lymph nodes and the spleen.

The immune cells are distributed all over the body. Some of them reside in tissues and others circulate in the body through body fluids such as blood and lymph. The cells that carry out the immune response include phagocytic cells and natural killer cells (NK). The phagocytic cells include the white blood cells or lymphocytes and the macrophages. The macrophages engulf the invading organisms. The lymphocytes are the main immune cells and are further divided into different types. Morphologically, all lymphocytes are identical and cannot be distinguished. They can be classified based on the presence of certain specific molecules on the surface of the cell membrane and the function they perform. The most important lymphocyte groups are B-Iymphocytes or B-cells and T-Iymphocytes or T-cells.

Macrophages consist of different types of phagocytic cells. They are neutrophils, eosinophyls, and basophyls. These phagocytic cells are also called granulocytes because of the presence of granules in the cytoplasm and because they have a multi-lobed nucleus. There is another cell without any granules in the cytoplasm and without any lobes in the nucleus. These cells are called monocytes. Monocytes are the precursors of macrophages present in the tissues. The monocytes migrate into the tissues from blood and change into macrophages. Macrophages are large cells with extensive cytoplasm and have many vacuoles. The macrophages of tissues are generally called histiocytes. Those macrophages present in the liver tissues are called kupfer cells, those present in linings is known as alveolar, and those present in the peritoneal cavity are called peritoneal macrophages.

Tags: Bio Technology, Bio Genetics, Immune System

What can be done to slow diabetes complications?

2009-01-20T19:05:00.000-08:00

Findings from the Diabetes Control and Complications Trial (DCCT) and the United Kingdom Prospective Diabetes Study (UKPDS) have clearly shown that aggressive and intensive control of elevated levels of blood sugar in patients with type 1 and type 2 diabetes decreases the complications of nephropathy, neuropathy, retinopathy, and may reduce the occurrence and severity of large blood vessel diseases. Aggressive control with intensive therapy means achieving fasting glucose levels between 70-120 mg/dl; glucose levels of less than 160 mg/dl after meals; and a near normal hemoglobin A1C levels (see below).

Studies in type 1 patients have shown that in intensively treated patients, diabetic eye disease decreased by 76%, kidney disease decreased by 54%, and nerve disease decreased by 60%. More recently the EDIC trial has shown that type 1 diabetes is also associated with increased heart disease, similar to type 2 diabetes. However, the price for aggressive blood sugar control is a two to three fold increase in the incidence of abnormally low blood sugar levels (caused by the diabetes medications). For this reason, tight control of diabetes to achieve glucose levels between 70-120 mg/dl is not recommended for children under 13 years of age, patients with severe recurrent hypoglycemia, patients unaware of their hypoglycemia, and patients with far advanced diabetes complications. To achieve optimal glucose control without an undue risk of abnormally lowering blood sugar levels, patients with type 1 diabetes must monitor their blood glucose at least four times a day and administer insulin at least three times per day. In patients with type 2 diabetes, aggressive blood sugar control has similar beneficial effects on the eyes, kidneys, nerves and blood vessels.

Diabetes At A Glance

Diabetes is a chronic condition associated with abnormally high levels of sugar (glucose) in the blood.
Insulin produced by the pancreas lowers blood glucose.
Absence or insufficient production of insulin causes diabetes.
The two types of diabetes are referred to as type 1 (insulin dependent) and type 2 (non-insulin dependent).
Symptoms of diabetes include increased urine output, thirst and hunger as well as fatigue.
Diabetes is diagnosed by blood sugar (glucose) testing.
The major complications of diabetes are both acute and chronic.

Acutely: dangerously elevated blood sugar, abnormally low blood sugar due to diabetes medications may occur.
Chronically: disease of the blood vessels (both small and large) which can damage the eye, kidneys, nerves, and heart may occur

Diabetes treatment depends on the type and severity of the diabetes. Type 1 diabetes is treated with insulin, exercise, and a diabetic diet. Type 2 diabetes is first treated with weight reduction, a diabetic diet, and exercise. When these measures fail to control the elevated blood sugars, oral medications are used. If oral medications are still insufficient, insulin medications are considered.

Know the Immune Response

2009-01-20T19:01:00.000-08:00

The immune response is the protective response against the invading microorganism shown by the immune cells. When a foreign cell enters the body, the body fluid, lymph, takes these cells to the lymph nodes. The lymph nodes are the filter-like organs scattered in several parts of the body. The lymph nodes contain all the cell components of the immune system-B-cells, T-cells, and macrophages. The macrophages engulf the pathogen and are digested by the enzymes present in the lysosomes of the macrophages. These digested components of the pathogens are presented to the lymphocytes. Then a number of cellular mechanisms occur and a number of substances are secreted as a result of the immune response, which is based on the nature of the antigen (the degraded product of the pathogen). Basically, there are two types of immune response, which is dependent on two cellular systems: the humoral or circulating antibody system, (B-cells immunity), and cell-mediated immunity, (T-cells immunity).

Both immune responses work by identifying antigens (foreign proteins or polysaccharides) either as part of a virus or bacterium or as a partially degraded byproduct. Both systems also recognize human antigens not made by the individual resulting in graft rejection.

The humoral antibody system (B-cell response) produces secreted antibodies (proteins), which bind to antigens and identify the antigen complex for destruction. Antibodies act on antigens in the serum and lymph. B-cell-produced antibodies may either be attached to B-cell membranes or free in the serum and lymph. The cell-mediated system acts on antigens appearing on the surface of individual cells. T-cells produce T-cell receptors, which recognize specific antigens, bound to the antigen presenting structures on the surface of the presenting cell.

Humoral-Antibody System: B-cells
Each B-lymphocyte, or B-cells produces a distinct antibody molecule (immunoglobulin or Ig). Over a million different B-lymphocytes are produced in each individual. Thus, each individual can recognize over a million different antigens. The antibody molecules are glycoproteins in nature and each one is composed of two copies of two different proteins. There are two copies of a heavy chain, over 400 amino acids long, and there are two copies of a light chain, over 200 amino acids long. There are five different kinds of antibodies. They are IgG, IgM, IgA, IgD, and IgE. Each antibody molecule can bind two antigens at one time, thus, a single antibody molecule can bind to two viruses, which leads to clumping. When a new antigen comes into the body, it binds to the B-cell, which is already making an antibody that matches the antigen. The antigen-antibody complex is engulfed into the B-cell and partially digested. The antigen is displayed on the cell surface by a special receptor protein (MHC II) for recognition by helper T-cells. The B-cell is activated by the helper T-cell to divide and secrete antibodies, which circulate in the serum and lymph. Some B-cells become memory cells to produce antibody at a low rate for a long time (long-term immunity) and to respond quickly when the antigen is encountered again. The response is regulated by a class of T-cells called suppressor T-cells.

Cell-Mediated System: T-cells :
T-cells mature in the thymus, which is why it is called a T-cell. A large number of different kinds of T-cells, each producing a different receptor in the cell membrane, are present in the system. Each receptor is composed of one molecule each of two different proteins. Each receptor binds a specific antigen but has only one binding site. Receptors recognize only those antigens, which are "presented" to it by another membrane protein of the MHC type (major histocompatibility complex). T-cell receptors recognize antigens presented by B-cells, macrophages, or any other cell type. T-cells, B-cells, and macrophages use MHC-II receptors for presentation; all other cells use MCH-I (responsible for most of tissue graft rejection). When a T-cell is presented with an antigen, its receptor binds to the antigen and it is stimulated to divide and produce helper T-cells to activate B-cells with bound antigen, suppressor T-cells to regulate the overall response, and cytotoxic "killer" T-cells to kill cells with antigen bound in MHC-I.

Tags: Bio Technology, Bio Genetics, Immune System

Electrophoresis - Seperation and purification of DNA fragments

2009-01-10T23:19:00.000-08:00

Electrophoresis refers to carrying something by applying electricity. It is an analytical device commonly used for separation and purification of DNA fragments. A gel is used in electrophoresis which is either polyacrylamide or agarose. The former is preferred for smaller DNA fragments and the latter for larger ones. Agarose is a purified powder isolated from agar, a gelatinous material of sea weeds. Agarose powder when dissolved in water and boiled results into gel form. The gel prepared in a mixture of salt and water becomes a good conductor of electricity. The gel forms small pores the size of which varies depending on its amount in a given water. These pores act as molecular sieve. These allow the larger molecules to move slowly than the smaller molecules.

The electrophoresis box consists of a positive and a negative electrode, a shelf designed to held the gel, a comb used to form the wells within the gel, and a power supply. The DNA to be electrophoresed is digested with restriction enzymes which yields DNA fragments of unequal length. The fragments are mixed with sucrose and a dye (ethidium bromide or methylene blue) which altogether is known as loading dye. Sucrose increases the density of DNA preparation and dye increases the visibility of the preparation.

The preparation is loaded into wells at one end of the gel. At least one well is filled with reference DNA (i.e. DNA fragments of known length) for comparison with those of unknown length. Electric current is applied at opposite ends of electrophoresis chamber. A current is generated between a negative electrode at the top of loading end of the gel and a positive electrode at the bottom of the end of gel resulting in movement of fragments through pores of the gel. DNA molecules have a negative electric charges due to PO4(4-) which alternate with sugar molecules. Opposite electric charges tend to attract one another. The small DNA molecules move at faster speed as compared to larger ones. All DNA molecules of a given length migrate nearly the same distance into the gel and form bands. Each band represents many copies of DNA fragments having about the same length. After completion of electrophoresis gel is removed from the chamber and stained to make bands easily seen either with ethidium bromide (EB) or methylene blue. When gel is illuminated with UV light, fluorescent orange bands appear due to EB; methylene blue results in blue bands under normal room temperature.

The Molecular Analysis of a Human Mutation

2009-01-10T23:18:00.000-08:00

How does one proceed when one has a patient with a genetic disorder known or suspected to be due to a mutation in a particular gene? For example, consider a patient with a diagnosis of β-thalassemia, an autosomal recessive defect in the β-globin gene. The initial diagnosis is generally made on the basis of clinical and hematological findings alone. However, it is important to examine the gene itself, first to confirm the clinical diagnosis and second, to determine the specific mutation in the β-globin locus both for future use in carrier testing and possible prenatal diagnosis in the patient's family, and for increasing the understanding of the relationship between specific mutations in the gene and the resulting patho-psychology.Several tests can be used initially to examine the gross integrity of the β-globin gene itself and its mRNA. Is the gene present in the patient in both normal amount (i.e., two copies) and structure? Or is one or both copies of the gene deleted or structurally rearranged, as has been described in some cases of β-thalassemia? If the gene is present, is it transcribed? The Southern blotting technique is now a standard method for using a cloned gene probe (in this case, for the β-globin gene) to examine the integrity of a DNA sample. Southern blotting can address the question of whether it is grossly normal in structure. By this method one can detect large molecular defects that are well below the level of sensitivity of chromosome analysis. However, as currently used in diagnostic laboratories, it cannot reveal the presence of single mutations, such as base-pair changes or very small deletions of only a few base pairs. In order to examine whether mRNA is present, a technique called Northern blotting is used. This approach also enables one to detect major changes in mRNA levels or structure for a specific gene, but not to detect minor alterations.Having asked whether there are gross changes in the gene or in its mRNA, one can proceed to a number of methods developed to examine gene structure and expressions at increasingly finer levels of analysis. In β-thalassemia, as in many other genetic disorders, particular mutations responsible for the disease in other patients. To determine whether one of these already known mutations is responsible for a particular case of β-thalassemia, one can apply particular direct molecular tests. Some of these entail the approach of allele-specific oligonucleotides (ASOs) that enable one to detect specific single base-pair mutations. In addition, it may be desirable to actually clone the mutant β-globin genes (or cDNAs) from the patient for comparison with a normal β-globin gene. Cloning of individual mutant genes (or portions of genes) from a patient's material is facilitated by use of polymerase chain reaction (PCR) to specifically generate many million of copies of a particular gene fragment. Once the mutant gene is isolated, one can then analyze it at the finest level possible by determining the DNA sequence of base pairs in the mutant gene for comparison with the normal gene. In this way, the specific mutation responsible for the genetic disorder in the patient can be determined and used to develop direct screening tests for that mutation in the patient's family.

Valuable products from cell culture

2009-01-10T23:15:00.000-08:00

From cultured animal cell several valuable products such as human monoclonal antibodies, and biochemicals can be produced on a large scale. Several million dollors have been earned from this industry in Europe, America, Africa, Japan and India. This industry has better future. More interestingly, the genetically engineered cells have revolutionized the cell culture industry. Several specific promoters of human origin are utilized for high expression of foreign genes.For large scale production of certain biochemicals, the genetically engineered baculovirus-infected animals cells are also in use in a bioreactor. To fulfil the process several 'perfusion systems' have been developed that retain the cells in the bio reactor at the time of replacement of conditioned medium with fresh medium. This results in increase in cell density and in turn cell productivity. For commercial production of products a large scale cell density and in turn cell productivity. For commercial production of products a large scale cell culture system and scaling up of process are required. Therefore, 'master cell banks' (MCBs) are established to meet out demand. The MCBs are used to develop master working cell bank (MWCB) which meets the demand of production system. After several sub culturing, the MWCB is regularly checked for any kind of changes occurring in cells. Thus, the large scale cultures are the sources of all valuable products which are produced in a bio reactor.Some of the important products which are produced from animal cell cultures are:i. Enzymes (asperagenase, collagenase, urokinase, pepsin, hyaluronidase, rennin, trypsin, tyrosin, hydroxylase),ii. Hormones (leutinizng hormone, follicle stimulating hormone, chorionic hormone and erythropoietin),iii. Vaccines (foot and mouth disease vaccine, vaccines for influenza, measles and mumphs, rubella and rabies),iv. Monoclonal antibodiesv. Interferons, etc.Tolbert et al (1982) got success in producing large quantities of human interleukin-2 or T-cell growth factor by culturing a permanent lymphoblastoid T-cell line in a large batch suspension culture in a bio reactor.

CES 2009: Sony unveils world's lightest eight inch notebook

2009-01-08T07:49:00.000-08:00

Las Vegas (NV, Booth #14200) - This evening at CES, Sony unveiled its new VAIO P Series Lifestyle PC, the world's lightest 8" notebook. "About the size of a business envelope and roughly as thin as a cell phone, the VAIO Lifestyle PC weighs just 1.4 pounds and is small enough to slip into a jacket pocket or handbag while integrating full-PC features," including running Vista.The 8" notebook uses a 1600 x 768 built atop Sony's XBRIGHT-ECO LED backlit LCD ultra-wide display. It includes built-in WAN 3G mobile broadband on the Verizon network, 802.11n WiFi, Bluetooth, a built-in webcam, four hours of battery life with the standard battery, and an eight-hour battery option.It's powered by an Intel Atom 1.33 GHz CPU, 2x 1 GB memory (2 GB total), a built-in eSATA 128 GB SSD, two USB 2.0 connectors, headphone, line-in, one SD slot, one Memory Stick Duo media slot.

It includes a real-time GPS, and an instant-mode option allowing the notebook to boot into Sony's Xcross Media Bar interface (separate from the OS), allowing access to music, video, photos and the web. It comes standard with Windows Vista, and supports applications typically available in larger notebooks.The VAIO P Series Lifestyle PC costs $900. It will be available for pre-order tomorrow at http://www.blogger.com/www.sony.com/pr/pseries, and later this month at Sony Style stores, and most major retailers beginning in February.

OLPC downsizes half of its staff, cuts Sugar development

2009-01-08T07:46:00.001-08:00

The One Laptop Per Child (OLPC) project announced Wednesday that it plans to downsize half of its staff and reduce the salary of the remaining employees. OLPC will also halt its development of the open source Sugar environment and focus on building its next-generation hardware device. These plans are part of a major restructuring effort that has been necessitated by the financial downturn and the organization's dwindling resources.

OLPC was originally founded by Nicholas Negroponte and his colleagues from the MIT Media Labs with the intention of building a low-cost portable computing device for education that could be sold in bulk to developing countries. The project aimed to spread constructionist learning methodologies and make technology more accessible to students who would not otherwise have an opportunity to use computers on a regular basis.
The project has been afflicted with serious setbacks, technical and logistical problems, personality conflicts, and bogus litigation. It has been on a path of steady decline for months and has largely been displaced by Intel's more sustainable Classmate PC project.
Despite the failures and challenges ahead, Negroponte still intends to push forward with the development of the organization's ambitious new prototype design, which was announced last year. The new model has two touchscreen displays and a form factor that vaguely resembles a book.
In an announcement posted to the OLPC wiki, Negroponte reveals that the organization will have to significantly scale back and cut costs in order to continue operating. The new budget constraints have necessitated major layoffs and pay cuts.
"Like many other nonprofits that are facing tough economic times, One Laptop per Child must downsize in order to keep costs in line with fewer financial resources. Today we are reducing our team by approximately 50% and there will be salary reductions for the remaining 32 people," he wrote. "While we are saddened by this development, we remain firmly committed to our mission of getting laptops to children in developing countries."
Another victim of OLPC budget cuts is the Sugar project, a Linux-based education software platform that OLPC developed for its laptops. This cut is unsurprising, because OLPC has gradually been moving away from Sugar and has increasingly sought to support Windows. It is still unclear whether OLPC will continue to encourage its large buyers to adopt Sugar, but Negroponte says unambiguously that the organization will be working on transitioning Sugar development entirely to the community.
OLPC's decision to end its participation in Sugar's evolution doesn't mean that Sugar itself will be coming to an end any time soon. Former OLPC president of software, Walter Bender, who left the organization last year, launched Sugar Labs to facilitate ongoing community-driven development of the Sugar project. Sugar Labs has done well for itself—it recently joined the GNOME Foundation and is currently in informal talks with some hardware vendors.
Alongside the cuts, Negroponte has also announced some new initiatives, including a digital book project and a no-cost connectivity program. He also says that the organization's branch in Latin America will be "spun off into a separate support unit." He intends to increase focus on the Middle East.
The OLPC project's extreme dependence on economy of scale has proven to be a fatal error. The organization was not able to secure the large bulk orders that it had originally anticipated and fell short of meeting its target $100 per unit price. The worldwide economic slowdown has made it even more difficult for OLPC to find developing countries that have cash to spare on education technology. The latest restructuring effort could help OLPC regain its focus, but the failure of its past attempts to do so don't really provide much confidence.

Windows 7 build 7000 64-bit version hits torrent sites

2009-01-08T07:42:00.000-08:00

Almost two weeks after Windows 7 build 7000 32-bit was leaked, the 64-bit version (7000.0.081212-1400_client_en-us_Ultimate-GB1CULXFRE_EN_DVD.ISO) has hit torrent sites. The first 7xxx build marks the entrance of Windows 7 into beta phase (6xxx builds were pre-beta builds) and so when the 32-bit version leaked, it was pirated by tens of thousands of users. Build 7000 was compiled on December 12, 2008, at 2:00PM, and many believe this is the build that Microsoft will be giving its testers. A public beta is also expected to be announced at the CES 2009 preshow tonight, though it's not clear when the actual download will be available (but it should arrive before or on Friday).If the 64-bit build is anything like the 32-bit, performance should be quite high. Keep in mind though, build 7000 has an MP3 corruption bug, though a patch should be released any day now. This second leak is yet another slap in the face to testers who have been patiently for something to test (although select testers have received early builds), though the good news is that they won't have to deal with the headache of corrupted MP3 files once they get Beta 1.Personally, I would just wait until the public beta, but for those that have been waiting to get their hands on the 64-bit version, the pirates have rewarded your impatience.

Novatel Invents New Class of Mobile Connectivity: The MiFi Hotspot

2009-01-08T07:40:00.000-08:00

Today Noel McKeegan and I had a chance to sit down with Jon Driscoll, Novatel Wireless' VP of Global Product Managment, and talk about their upcoming line of MiFi Hotspots.
Historically, if you needed to use your PC away from your home or office, you'd need to find a coffee shop or other business that provided public WiFi access, then sit down, sign up, and log in to a paid WiFi network.
This was followed by data only PC Cards and USB devices that plugged into your laptop as a modem and used your PC to communicate via TCP to the internet (almost like an old style dial-up connection, but at higher speed). This has the benefit of not having to pay the coffee shop for internet access, and actually let you avoid the coffee shop completely and connect wherever you can receive a mobile phone signal.
While 3G data modems are still a popular method of connecting from the field, they don't allow you to easily share your connection with multiple people. This need for sharing was solved by companies that build wireless routers with USB ports that could be used to create a local personal WiFi hotspots using your 3G modem as a link back to the internet.
Enter 2009 and Novatel has built an innovative product that combines a wireless access point, an internet router, and a 3G modem card into a package that's the size of a business card, half the thickness of your Blackberry and weights less than 80g. Additionally, their first MiFi device (based upon CDMA technology) is estimated to operate for up to 4 hours of active use with 40 hours of standby time (if nobody is connecting through your device). Connected it to a power outlet (or USB port on a PC), it can run indefinitely, while simultaneously charging it's internal battery.
Novatel is planning on following up the CDMA/1xEvDO version with two GSM/HSPA versions aimed at the US and the rest of the world. These GSM versions will be slight larger and include a micro-HCSD slot for data storage and future feature expansion.
After seeing the device in action, we were quite impressed. The default configuration allows for up to 5 users to simultaneously use a single 3G connection, and browsing speed was exactly the same as thought our PC was connected directly via a 3G modem. It's important to note that since the MiFi device only interacts with your PC as a WiFi Access Point, there are no drivers to load. Custom drivers for 3G modem cards are a common source of system instability, blue screens, and crashes.
We're sitting on the edge of our seats waiting to get hold of an actual production unit to test. Novatel expects that these device (along with shiny new data plans) will be available from wireless carriers in the US and Europe in the first half of 2009. The rest of the world, will just have to wait.

I’ve been hearing a lot of rumors regarding the MiFi WiFi, and I am really happy to find out they were more than true! In a positive way of course. Let me share the MiFi with you folks! It is a portable device allowing you to create, edit, manage and use a 3G internet connection. The really cool thing about it is that you can easily create a Hotspot that friends of yours can use. You will be able to share CDMA and GSM data at EVDO Rev. or HSPA speds with this MiFi Intelligent Mobile Hotspot.
Peter Leparulo, chairman and CEO of Novatel Wireless.
With the pocket-sized MiFi device, Novatel Wireless has invented a new category of mobile broadband solutions, pushing the envelope in design and performance and ushering in the next era of the mobile broadband experience.
It combines a cool design with pretty great skills and I hope it will come at an affordable price in Q1 of 2009 when it will be available.

Nu•M8 GPS will help you locate your child

2009-01-08T07:31:00.000-08:00

GPS technology is becoming more popular and more affordable to the average peoples. What you see in the picture above is a watch with a hidden GPS transmitter designed to help you locate your children.Instead of the standard transmitters that are placed in the backpacks or pockets, the company Lok8u decided to place the transmitter in the watch, so you can be sure that it is always with your child. Design of this watch maybe isn’t that stylish, but children should like it.You can track the position of the child on your mobile phone or computer. By sending a query about where the child is you will receive quick response presented in the form of icon on Google Maps with the street and zip code.

The device has another interesting feature. When Nu•M8 will be removed from the hand of a child by force, the device automatically sends an alarm to the cell and the computer on the current position of the child and the potential threat. You can also define a safe zone and place - if the child is out of zones of this fact, parents will also be immediately informed.The device will be officially presented at the upcoming CES. Nu•M8 will be available from the spring at a price of around £150 ($225) plus a monthly subscription charge.

800,000 children are reported missing each year in the United States. In the U.K., that number is 140,000 children and there is no greater ordeal for a parent than not knowing where they are. Gartner estimates that the worldwide market for GPS based location devices will grow from 16 million in 2007 to 300 million in 2011.Using GPS-based systems to keep track of your pets and/or children is a trade off between peace of mind and cost – we’ve detailed numerous pet and child GPS locators, and the just-announced Nu.M8’s main claim is that it does not rely upon the child being responsible enough to keep their locator with them in a bag or pocket. When Nu.M8 is securely fastened to a child’s wrist it cannot be removed without sending an alert to the parent’s phone. As it’s also discretely hidden inside a watch, it’s more likely that if something goes wrong, the parent locates their child, not the technology.
Nu.M8 has been launched by UK location services company, Lok8u, and its new GPS child locator has been designed with simplicity and ease of use in mind. Nu.M8 is accessible at home, abroad or on holiday from a computer or mobile phone.
As far as the child is concerned Nu.M8 is a digital watch. To locate your child, simply text “wru” from your mobile phone to Nu.M8 or click “where r you” on the Lok8u secure portal. Your child’s location is then presented as an icon on Google maps and/or the street address and postcode is displayed. In addition, parents can set unique “safe zones“ in which their child can safely play. This function is activated simply by texting “safe…” followed by a number, which represents the metre radius for your child’s safe area, to Nu.M8, or selecting a ‘safe zone’ from the
As long as your child remains in this area no alerts will be sent and you can still communicate with the device using the “wru” function. However, if they stray a priority alert will be sent to the parent’s mobile phone and computer.
Other features include: • Water resistant to Ipx 7 • Battery sufficient for seven days in standby • Dermatologically tested to ensure safe wearing • Use at home or abroad • Live track functionality • Home Zone for easy and safe removal of Nu.M8 • Cell ID back up with AGPS for quick and accurate GPS determined location • Accurate to within 10 feet • Metal reinforced rubber strap
Nu.M8 will be available from a selected range of major high street retailers in the UK in March 2009 and available in USA in late spring. Manufacturers recommended retail price in the UK is UKP149.99 (US retail price to be confirmed), plus a monthly subscription charge which varies according to the chosen tariff.

University of Pune's MBA in Biotechnology

2009-01-08T07:27:00.000-08:00

What: Admission notice for 2009-10 for University of Pune's MBA in Biotechnology course.

Eligibility:
Any science/medical/engineering/pharmacy graduate with 45 per cent marks (40 per cent for reserved category) from a recognised university and the candidate should have appeared for ATMA test to be conducted on February 8.

Selection process:
Based on overall merit of ATMA score and GD/PI conducted by PUMBA. Reservations
50 per cent seats are reserved for the SC/ST, DT, NT, OBC category candidates from Maharashtra State.

Important dates:
ATMA Test: 8th February 2009
Sale of forms at PUMBA: 5th Jan 2009 to 15th April 2009
Last date for submission of completed applications at PUMBA: April 30
Candidates need to qualify ATMA test being conducted on 8th February, 2009.
Last date for obtaining ATMA application kit is 17th January 2009.
For details, contact ATMA's office at Hyderabad, Tel: 040-23750248, or visit Web site www.atma-aims.org
The prospectus and the application form are available from January 5 to April 15 at PUMBA's office on payment of demand draft of Rs 900 (for reserved category: Rs 700) in favour of 'The Registrar, University of Pune', payable at Pune from any nationalised bank. Forms can also be obtained by post by sending a demand draft of Rs 950 (for reserved category: Rs 750)

Contact details:
Department of Management SciencesUniversity of Pune, GaneshkhindPune 411 007Phone: 020-2569 3380 Fax: 020-25690545Email: pumba@dms.unipune.ernet.inFor details please visit Web site: www.pumba.in

Gujarat unveils new industrial policy

2009-01-08T07:24:00.000-08:00

With a view to becoming an Asian leader in terms of industrial growth and attracting quality investment, the Gujarat government announced its industrial policy for 2009 on Monday. Among other things, the policy lays emphasis on small and medium enterprises, Special Investment Regions and mega as well as innovative projects.
Apart from textiles, gems and jewellery, engineering, chemicals and petrochemicals, which are the sectors where the state has proved its strength, the new policy will focus on potential sectors such as agri business, fisheries and informal sector. Emerging sectors such as IT/ ITEs, nano technology, biotechnology, non-conventional energy resources have been given priority in the policy.
Terming the SME sectors as the backbone of industries in Gujarat, the policy offers interest subsidy, venture capital assistance and quality certification to the sector to make it more competitive. As part of the policy, a rehabilitation package will be announced, including revival or allowance of exit for sick units. Support will also be given for market development, including initiatives for the creation of the 'Made in Gujarat' brand by the SMEs.
The new policy also provides for support to develop ancillary and auxiliary industries for value addition. "The state will continue to accord priority towards cluster development of SMEs in the entire state," said Saurabh Patel, minister of state for industries and energy and a Gujarat government spokesperson, while announcing the new policy in Ahmedabad.
The newly unveiled policy also seeks to encourage the setting up of mega projects in the state. Projects having an investment of more than Rs 1,000 crore (Rs 10 billion) and a capacity to provide employment to 2,000 people will be treated as mega projects.
Merit-based assistance packages will be given to such projects in identified sectors, which include auto components, semiconductor fabrication, nano technology, ship building and repairing, aircraft maintenance, repair and overhaul.
Special investment regions are also given a special focus under the new industrial policy. A 54,000 hectare SIR has already been planned in the Dholera area in the state.

Hot investment options in 2009

2009-01-08T07:20:00.000-08:00

2008 was one of the most dramatic years for those who invested their money across stocks, mutual funds, real estate, gold and commodities like oil.
Global economic downturn, job losses, collapse of many a venerated investment banks, high real estate prices, high gold prices, the rise and fall of crude oil, high interest rates and high inflation marked the year even as Indian stock markets, as a result of all the above factors, saw a huge fall of more than 50 per cent from its 21,000-point summit reached in January 2008.
Consequently, investors lost billions of rupees in wealth in stocks, mutual funds, real estate and oil in 2008.
However, 2009 is altogether a new year and many a dangers that threatened the India story like high inflation, high interest rates, above $ 140-dollar a barrel crude oil prices (yes crude did scale the 140-dollar mark in July 2008; currently it is trading just a tad above $ 40 per barrel) are showing signs of receding into the background thus offering investors a glimmer of hope.
So what will be hot and what will not be hot investment options in 2009? Here's a brief peek into where to invest and where not to invest in the New Year:

Assam blasts: Key accused killed in encounter

2009-01-08T07:14:00.000-08:00

A joint team of police and the army on Thursday shot dead a United Liberation Front of Assam militant, Pranjal Deka alias Biju Sarania who was alleged prime suspect behind the january 1 serial blasts in guwahati, in an encounter at Halikuchi in Rangiya sub-division of Kamrup district.A top official in Assam Police informed that two ULFA militants were engaged in an encounter by a joint team of the army and police at Halikuchi on the bank of a river in Rangiya sub-division of Kamrup district on Thursday afternoon. Pranjal Deka was killed in the exchange of fire while the other militant managed to flee by crossing the river. The January 1 serial blasts in Guwahati had claimed the lives of five persons and injured 50 others.Police had earlier released the photograph of Pranjal Deka, branding him as the prime accused in the serial blasts. Police said Pranjal planted one of the three bombs besides being the mastermind of the serial blasts. Assam Police have so far arrested about 18 persons in connection with the blasts. He was a member of 709 battalion of the banned ULFA.