Super-antibodies against influenza identified. Newly discovered antibodies can neutralise all types of flu.
Scientists may now be on the trail of a universal influenza vaccine. (Photo: Colourbox) An international research team has identified antibodies which not only act against a single type of flu, but are able to fight off most types. Modafinil - the time-shifting drug. The wonders of pharmacology keep appearing regularly, each new drug seemingly too good to be true.
In recent times there have been several killer apps for the drug industry – chemical substances that replace depression with a happy disposition or bolster a flagging sex drive to royal command performance (with encore) levels. Prozac and Viagra provided benefits so compelling they have entered everyday language and have a global following. 3D printed robotic exoskeleton gives young girl a helping hand. Emma's custom 'magic arms' were created using 3D printing technology Image Gallery (5 images)
Your Diet Affects Your Grandchildren's DNA, Scientists Say. You are what you eat, the saying goes.
And, according to two new genetic studies, you are what your mother, father, grandparents and great-grandparents ate, too. Diet, be it poor or healthy, can so alter the nature of one's DNA that those changes can be passed on to the progeny. Stanford and Venter Institute Simulate an Entire Organism With Software. The scientists and other experts said the work was a giant step toward developing computerized laboratories that could carry out many thousands of experiments much faster than is possible now, helping scientists penetrate the mysteries of diseases like cancer and Alzheimer’s. “You read in the paper just about every week, ‘Cancer gene discovered’ or ‘Alzheimer gene discovered,’ ” said the leader of the new research, Markus W. Media.mercola.com/imageserver/public/first-genetically-modified-babies-born-ref.pdf. Will these Genetically Modified Babies Alter Human Species?
By Dr. Mercola When I first read that genetically modified humans have already been born, I could hardly believe it. Chanel No. 5: A brain parasite may be the secret to the famous perfume. Photograph by Thinkstock.
On the fifth day of the fifth month of 1921, Coco Chanel changed the scent of the world. She released Chanel No. 5 as her final vaudeville act—her only child. The perfume would grow to be “le monstre" of the perfume industry, a $300-per-ounce, elegant mist still anchoring the multibillion-dollar Chanel empire. It succeeded where others had never tried by combining the cheap, musky scent of the courtesan demi-mondaines—the “women of the half-world,” as Coco herself was—with the light, single florals reserved for the upper class of Parisian women. Needing a musky base note, Coco resorted to an old perfumer’s trick: scrapings of sexual pheromones from the perianal gland of the Abyssinian civet cat. Tropical tree extract can clean drinking water. The tropical tree Moringa oleifera has a special quality that makes it very suitable for cleansing water.
The tree is to be used to cleanse water of eggs from intestinal parasites, which plague more than one billion people around the world. (Photo: J.M. Garg) Invention allows 'living without breathing' Scientists have invented particles able to keep a person alive even if they are unable to breath.
The breakthrough treatment works by oxygenating the blood through an injection that can keep someone alive for up to 30 minutes even if they are unable to breath at all and could save thousands of lives. The injected particles contain oxygen within a layer of natural molecules known as lipids. Previous attempts at developing a treatment of this nature had failed because the injections caused a gas embolism rather than oxygenation of the cells. New vaccine could provide lifetime immunity to nicotine addiction.
Researchers at Weill Cornell Medical College have developed a vaccine that could help existing smokers quit for good and prevent those yet to try cigarettes from ever becoming addicted.
Making Norway's deadliest food. Helga Næs from Nofima.
(Photo: Preben Forberg) The only facility of its kind in Europe, the new laboratory at Ås will offer researchers the opportunity to contaminate foodstuff of every kind with pathogenic microbes. “The pathogen processing plant will be a national resource centre, available for researchers from across Norway and abroad who wish to conduct experiments with hazardous food production,” explains Helga Næs, Research Director Food Safety and quality at the research institute Nofima - one of the partners behind the project, alongside the Norwegian University of Life Sciences and funder The Research Council of Norway. Tests of Parents Are Used to Map Genes of a Fetus. The accomplishment heralds an era in which parents might find it easier to know the complete DNA blueprint of a child months before it is born.
That would allow thousands of genetic diseases to be detected prenatally. But the ability to know so much about an unborn child is likely to raise serious ethical considerations as well. It could increase abortions for reasons that have little to do with medical issues and more to do with parental preferences for traits in children. “It’s an extraordinary piece of technology, really quite remarkable,” said Peter Benn, professor of and developmental biology at the University of Connecticut, who was not involved in the work. “What I see in this paper is a glance into the future.” Ultra-sensitive biosensor could detect diseases in their earliest stages.
The new ultra-sensitive biosensor has been demonstrated by detecting very small concentrations of Prostate Specific Antigen (pictured) (Image: EAS via Wikipedia) A new ultra-sensitive test developed by scientists from the Imperial College London and Spain’s University of Vigo has the potential to detect the earliest stages of a disease, thereby giving any treatment the best possible chance of succeeding.
The researchers claim their new biosensor test is capable of detecting biomarkers (molecules which indicate the presence of a disease) at concentration levels much lower than is possible with existing biosensors. While the new test has already proven capable of detecting a biomarker associated with prostate cancer, the team says their biosensor could be easily reconfigured to detect biomarkers related to other diseases or viruses. MedlinePlus: Videos of Surgical Procedures. Dip Chip biosensor uses microbes to instantly detect almost any toxic substance.
Brain Disease Is Found in Veterans Exposed to Bombs. Gretchen Ertl for The New York Times Drs. Lee E. Goldstein and Ann McKee, authors of a paper on chronic traumatic encephalopathy. The researchers also discovered what they believe is the mechanism by which explosions damage brain tissue and trigger the wasting disease, called chronic traumatic encephalopathy, or C.T.E., by studying simulated explosions on mice. Superbug-killing coating "magnetically" draws in bacteria. Synthetic DNA is tomorrow's medicine. Biomaterials. Antibiotic resistant bacteria discovered in isolated New Mexico cave. Engineered cells seek out and kill HIV in living organisms. Bats Harbor Novel Type of Influenza. From Nature magazine Fruit bats in Guatemala are hosting a novel subtype of influenza A virus, according to a study published today in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. The virus — designated H17 — appears to have diverged from known influenza viruses long ago, shedding light on their evolution.
Therefore, it seems to pose no immediate threat to humans. However, it is similar enough to other subtypes that genetic exchange with them could pose a risk. Gold nanostars deliver drugs directly to cancer cell nucleus. While effective at killing cancer cells, chemotherapy is currently a shotgun approach that can also harm healthy cells and cause serious side effects in patients. The ability to deliver drugs directly into cancer cells would provide a more targeted approach to more effectively treat the disease with lower doses of drugs and less side effects.
Researchers at Northwestern University are claiming to be the first to develop gold nanostars that provide a much more precise approach by delivering a drug directly to a cancer cell’s nucleus. Throat Therapy. Battery-powered plasma flashlight makes short work of bacteria. The handheld plasma flashlight that can rid the skin of bacteria in an instant (Image: X.
Pei et al., Journal of Physics D: Applied Physics) An international team of scientists has created a handheld, battery powered device that has been shown to effectively rid skin of bacteria in an instant by blasting it with plasma. Money Talks, Science Walks: Millions Spent to Weaken FDA. According to the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS), the pharmaceutical, medical device, and biotechnology industries spent over $700 million in lobbying between 2009 and 2011, surpassing other special interest spending such as big oil and insurance industries. The extreme spending comes as this year's 'industry-friendly proposals' face the House and Senate, such as legislation limiting the FDA’s drug and medical device scrutiny. "Congress is also considering legislation that would relax conflict-of-interest standards for federal advisory members at the FDA, allowing scientists with a financial stake in the outcome to vote on panels that approve or reject drugs and medical devices," states UCS.
Drug and Health Product Industry Spent $700 Million on Lobbying (UCS): New Evidence in High Profile Shaken Baby Case. Toys contaminated with harmful bacteria. New plastic bleeds and heals like human skin. Successful face transplant is "most extensive to date" Save Lives Like a Combat Medic: How to Use a Tourniquet to Control Major Bleeding.
Nanopollutants Change Blood Vessel Reactivity. Scientists create anthrax-unfriendly "killer silk" Peoples' immune systems can now be duplicated in mice. Physicians grow retinas from human blood-derived stem cells. Nasty nasal parasite. Artificial vein valve could replace drugs for treating common circulatory problem. Nootropics: their effects, their risks, and where to get them - Thinking in a nutshell. Nootropic (Smart Drugs) Vaults. Autopsies in the U.S.A. Researchers discover how to fight fat ... with fat. Maintaining a brain protein’s sugar levels could prevent development of Alzheimer’s. World's first biodegradable joint implant grows new joints. Flatworms could hold key to immortality. Flesh-eating bacteria inspires highly selective instant adhesive that won't stick to fingers.