Patogens, ET AL

[Guest guest]

" University of Illinois chemists have developed a simple sensor to detect an

explosive used in shoe bombs. It could lead to inexpensive, easy-to-use devices

for luggage and passenger screening at airports and elsewhere. Triacetone

triperoxide (TATP) is a high-powered explosive that in recent years has been

used in several bombing attempts. TATP is easy to prepare from readily available

components and has been difficult to detect. It defies most standard methods of

chemical sensing: It doesn't fluoresce, absorb ultraviolet light or readily

ionize. Imagine a polka-dotted postage stamp sensor that can sniff out the

shoe-bomber explosive simply by using a digital camera to measure the changing

colors of the sensor's spots, " Suslick said. " The pattern of the color change is

a unique molecular fingerprint for TATP at any given concentration and we can

identify it in a matter of seconds. "

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/205238.php

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" In the current issue of the journal Nature Reviews Microbiology, researcher

Cheryl Nickerson and her team at the Biodesign Institute at Arizona State

University highlight an innovative approach for studying cells in 3-D. They are

examining the potential of such research to greatly expand science's

understanding of disease onset and progression, particularly the responses of

host cells to infectious pathogens. Such work provides fresh insight into the

mechanisms of infectious disease and holds the potential for the design of novel

or improved therapeutics, more accurate drug screening and improved evaluation

of potential vaccine candidates.

" Despite enormous progress in understanding how infectious pathogens

successfully evade the immune system and cause disease, and the successful

treatment or eradication of some of these deadly illnesses; infectious diseases

remain a huge health and economic burden, particularly in the developing world.

They continue to cause roughly 35 percent of all fatalities worldwide, killing

some 14-17 million people annually. Many of these deaths could be prevented

through the development of in vitro models of human cells and tissues that

better mimic in vivo environments. "

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/205227.php

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" For 70 years scientists have reasoned that evolution of nucleus was the key to

complex life. Now, in work published today in Nature, Lane and reveal

that in fact mitochondria were fundamental to the development of complex

innovations like the nucleus because of their function as power stations in the

cell. This overturns the traditional view that the jump to complex 'eukaryotic'

cells simply required the right kinds of mutations. It actually required a kind

of industrial revolution in terms of energy production, " explained Dr Lane.

" At the level of our cells, humans have far more in common with mushrooms,

magnolias and marigolds than we do with bacteria. The reason is that complex

cells like those of plants, animals and fungi have specialized compartments

including an information centre, the nucleus, and power stations - mitochondria.

These compartmentalised cells are called 'eukaryotic', and they all share a

common ancestor that arose just once in four billion years of evolution. "

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/204941.php

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" In humans, influenza A/H5N1 is associated with severe disease and a high

mortality rate.1 The multinational observational study, which is the

largest-ever analysis of confirmed influenza A/H5N1 cases, showed a survival

rate of 50% in patients who received oseltamivir within six to eight days after

the onset of their influenza symptoms, compared with 29% in patients who did not

begin antiviral treatment during the same time period. In addition, these data,

collected from 308 A/H5N1 patients occurring between 1997 and 2009 in 12

countries, showed oseltamivir was even more effective when treatment was started

soon after symptom onset, with approximately 80% of patients surviving when

oseltamivir was administered within two days of symptom onset compared to 20%

survival for those who were untreated. " The registry is funded by a contract

from Hoffmann-La Roche. About the study:

" The study is an observational study of laboratory-confirmed H5N1 infection. No

treatments were prescribed or provided for this study. Instead, what doctors

actually used for treatment was recorded for study purposes, along with whatever

information that was available about the patients symptoms and survival. "

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/205113.php

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" A daily dose of whole body vibration may help reduce the usual bone density

loss that occurs with age, Medical College of Georgia researchers report.

Twelve weeks of daily, 30-minute sessions in 18-month old male mice - which

equate to 55- to 65-year-old humans - appear to forestall the expected annual

loss that can result in fractures, disability and death. Dr. Karl H. Wenger,

biomedical engineer in the MCG Schools of Graduate Studies and Medicine,

reported the findings with his colleagues in the journal Bone. Researchers found

vibration improved density around the hip joint with a shift toward higher

density in the femur, the long bone of the leg, as well. Hip fractures are a

major cause of disability and death among the elderly. "

" While vibration lacks the same cardiovascular benefit of exercise, animal and

human studies also have shown it can improve muscle strength and weight loss. "

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/205696.php

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ADVERSE REACTIONS, CONTRAINDICATIONS:

" A company-sponsored study showed that dose-related adverse effects of a noni

products were minimal, but other reports have indicated differently. In three

cases, consumption of noni juice resulted in hepatotoxicity, possibly as a

result of its anthraquinone contents. Consuming large amounts of noni-containing

juices has caused hyperkalemia and may be harmful in patients with compromised

renal function. Also, noni juice can decrease the activity of some

chemotherapeutic agents. "

http://tinyurl.com/2bryg2a

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" In accordance with Breast Cancer Awareness Month, ONCOLOGY spoke with

Conant, MD, professor of radiology and chief of imaging at the University of

Pennsylvania Medical Center in Philadelphia. Dr. Conant is a pioneer in the

development of digital mammography, and a leader in research on the use and

benefits of early mammography screening and on the role of MRI and PET scanning.

She is also the recipient of grants from the National Institutes of Health to

compare standard surgical biopsy with digital mammography and stereotactic core

breast biopsy.

ONCOLOGY: " No screening test has been more carefully studied than mammography;

however, the true value of this test remains hotly debated. Should annual

screening mammography still be the gold standard in breast cancer detection or

is it time to rethink our screening recommendations?

DR. CONANT: " I’m still a strong believer in the benefits of yearly screening

mammography after age 40 in the general population. It’s very important to

carefully analyze the data and weigh the pros and cons and the risk to benefits

that exist within any study. Naturally, because mammography is such a widely

used screening tool, it gets quite a bit of scrutiny. But it is all about the

data, how it’s sliced and diced. Unfortunately many studies are not ideally

run. "

http://tinyurl.com/2d77jg5

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FYI,

Lottie Duthu