However, recent data from the research group led by Markus Hengstschläger of the Institute for Medical Genetics of the Medical University of Vienna now suggest that another protein complex,
and may also be relevant for developing new tumour therapies in the future, "explains Markus Hengstschläger g
#Nanospheres shield chemo drugs, safely release high doses in response to tumor secretions Scientists have designed nanoparticles that release drugs in the presence of a class of proteins that enable cancers to metastasize.
so that the very enzymes that make cancers dangerous could instead guide their destruction.""We can start with a small molecule
and build that into a nanoscale carrier that can seek out a tumor and deliver a payload of drug,
"said Cassandra Callmann, a graduate student in chemistry and biochemistry at the University of California, San diego,
The system takes advantage of a class enzymes called matrix metalloproteinases that many cancers make in abundance.
The shell fragments form a ragged mesh that holds the drug molecules near the tumor.
The work, led by Nathan Gianneschi a professor of chemistry and biochemisty at UC San diego, builds on his group's earlier sucess using a similar strategy to mark tumors for both diagnosis and precise surgical removal.
To package the drug into the spheres, Callmann had to add chemical handles. As it turns out, a group of atoms essential to the drug molecule's effectiveness,
and also toxicity, made for a good attachment point. That means the drug was inactivated as it flowed through the circulatory system until it reached the tumor.
The protection allowed the researchers to safely give a dose 16 times higher than they could with the formulation now used in cancer clinics,
in a test in mice with grafted in fibrosarcoma tumors. In additional preliminary tests, Callmann and colleagues were able to halt the growth of the tumors for a least two weeks,
using a single lower dose of the drug. In mice treated with the nanoparticles coated with peptides that are impervious to MMPS or given saline,
the tumors grew to lethal sizes within that time. Gianneschi says they will broaden their approach to create delivery systems for other diagnostic and therapeutic molecules."
"This kind of platform is not specific to paclitaxel. We'll test this in other models--with other classes of drug and in mice with a cancer that mimics metastatic breast cancer, for example."
"They'll also continue to modify the shell, to provide even greater protection and avoid uptake by organs such as liver, spleen and kidneys,
he said.""We want to open up this therapeutic window.""Additional authors include Matthew Thompson in Gianneschi's chemistry research group and Christopher Barback, David Hall and Robert Mattrey in UC San diego's Moores Cancer Center.
All animal procedures were approved by UC San diego's institution animal care and use committee. Callmann holds a fellowship through the Cancer Researchers in Nanotechnology Program at UC San diego. The National Institute of Biomedical Imaging
and Bioengineering provided financial support. This novel approach to using enzyme-directed assembly of particle theranostics (EDAPT) is patent pending g
#Investigational drug prevents life-threatening side effects of kidney disease treatment A yearlong study of more than 300 patients found that the investigational drug patiromer can reduce elevated blood-potassium levels--a common side effect of drugs
essential in the treatment of chronic diabetic kidney disease. The drug, given in this trial at one of four doses based on disease severity,
returned blood potassium levels to normal when measured at four weeks and kept them under control for one year, the length of the trial.
By quickly bringing potassium levels back to normal and keeping them there patiromer can prevent life-threatening adverse events.
The study, published July 14, 2015, in JAMA: The Journal of the American Medical Association, is the first to follow patients taking patiromer for more than a few weeks.
In patients with mild or moderate potassium elevation, known as hyperkalemia, patiromer for oral suspension decreased serum potassium levels within 48 hours.
For most of those patients, potassium levels remained within the target range at every scheduled visit for the next year.
a huge deal,"said George Bakris, MD, professor of medicine and director of the Comprehensive Hypertension Center at the University of Chicago Medicine."
Patients most at risk are those with chronic kidney disease combined with diabetes and hypertension or heart failure.
patients with hyperkalemia, hypertension, type 2 diabetes and chronic kidney disease. All patients were taking RAAS inhibitors to treat their CKD prior to and during study treatment.
Thirty-five percent of patients also suffered from heart failure. Depending on the severity of their hyperkalemia
The combination of chronic kidney disease, type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, hyperkalemia and, in about one-third of cases, heart failure, can be deadly.
and worsening of hypertension, plus constipation and diarrhea. Events related to patiromer primarily involved low magnesium, mild to moderate constipation and diarrhea.
Forty-four patients, 14.5 percent of the total, had serious adverse events. None of the serious events was attributed by the investigator to patiromer.
and evaluate aldosterone blockade in heart failure patients.""Previous research demonstrated the short-term benefits of patiromer,
The findings"have the potential to fundamentally change the current treatment approach to hyperkalemia,"according to an accompanying editorial by nephrologist Wolfgang Winklemayer, MD, Scd, of Baylor College of Medicine.
Additional authors include Bertram Pitt, University of Michigan; Matthew Weir, University of Maryland School of medicine; Mason Freeman, Massachusetts General Hospital;
David Bushinsky, University of Rochester; and Martha Mayo, Dahlia Garza, Yuri Stasiv, Rezi Zawadzki and Lance Berman, from Relypsa a
#Noninvasive device could end daily finger pricking for people with diabetes A new laser sensor that monitors blood glucose levels without penetrating the skin could transform the lives of millions of people living with diabetes.
Currently, many people with diabetes need to measure their blood glucose levels by pricking their fingers,
squeezing drops of blood onto test strips, and processing the results with portable glucometers. The process can be uncomfortable,
messy and often has to be repeated several times every day. The new technology, developed by Professor Gin Jose and a team at the University of Leeds
uses a small device with low-powered lasers to measure blood glucose levels without penetrating the skin.
This could help improve the lives of millions of people by enabling them to constantly monitor their glucose levels without the need for an implant.
or invasive continuous monitors, which use implanted sensors that need regular replacement. Professor Jose said:"
"Unlike the traditional method, this new noninvasive technology can constantly monitor blood glucose levels.""As well as being a replacement for finger-prick testing,
this technology opens up the potential for people with diabetes to receive continuous readings, meaning they are alerted instantly
when intervention is needed. This will allow people to self-regulate and minimise emergency hospital treatment.
which sends alerts to smart phones or readings directly to doctors, allowing them to profile how a person is managing their diabetes over time."
"The technology is licensed to Glucosense Diagnostics, a spin out company jointly formed and funded by the University of Leeds and Netscientific plc, a biomedical and healthcare technology group specialisingin commercialising transformative technologies from leading universities and research institutes.
Sir Richard Sykes, Chairman of Netscientific, said:""Diabetes is a growing problem, with the need for noninvasive glucose monitoring becoming ever more critical.
This unique technology could help empower millions of people to better manage their diabetes and minimise interventions with healthcare providers.
The ultimate development of two distinct products--a finger-touch and a wearable--could give people with different types of diabetes the option of a device that best suits their lifestyle."
"At the heart of the new technology is a piece of nano-engineered silica glass with ions that fluoresce in infrared light when a low power laser light hits them.
When the glass is in contact with the users'skin, the extent of fluorescence signal varies in relation to the concentration of glucose in their blood.
The device measures the length of time the fluorescence lasts for and uses that to calculate the glucose level in a person's bloodstream without the need for a needle.
Professor Jose said:""The glass used in our sensors is hardwearing, acting in a similar way as that used in smartphones.
Because of this, our device is more affordable, with lower running costs than the existing self-monitoring systems."
"Currently, we are piloting a bench top version in our clinical investigations but aim to develop two types of devices for the market.
One will be a finger-touch device similar to a computer mouse. The other will be a wearable version for continuous monitoring."
"The results of a pilot clinical study, carried out at the Leeds Institute of Cardiovascular and Metabolic Medicine under the supervision of Professor Peter Grant,
suggest that the new monitor has the potential to perform as well as conventional technologies. More clinical trials and product optimization are required for regulatory approvals
Professor Grant, Professor of Medicine at the University of Leeds and Consultant diabetes specialist, said:"
"Noninvasive monitoring will be particularly valuable in young people with Type 1 diabetes. Within this group, those who are attempting very tight control such as young women going through pregnancy
"Professor Jose's research is based in the Institute for Materials Research in the University of Leeds'School of Chemical and Process Engineering.
and the research was supported by the Engineering and Physical sciences Research Council (EPSRC) and the University of Leeds Research and Innovation Services s
including investigators from the University of Mississippi Medical center (UMMC), has identified a gene that underlies healthy information processing--a first step on a complicated road to understand cognitive aging and age-related diseases, such as Alzheimer's disease.
The study, published online and expected to come out this fall in a print edition of the journal Molecular Psychiatry,
is one of the the largest genetics study to date to link a specific genetic mutation and information processing speed."
"It is well known that genetic variation plays an important role in explaining individual differences in thinking skills such as memory
and information processing speed, "said Dr. Tom Mosley, director of the Memory Impairment and Neurodegenerative Dementia (MIND) Center at UMMC and senior scientist on the study."
"However, the genes that underlie thinking skills remain largely unknown. Our team has identified a genetic mutation that may help unravel this puzzle."
"The effort was conducted through the Cohorts for Heart and Aging research in Genomic Epidemiology (CHARGE) consortium, in
which researchers from around the world work together to search for genetic causes of disease in the general aging population.
Previous studies in families and in twins have shown genetics play an important role in cognitive functioning,
but finding the specific genes or genetic regions has proved difficult, requiring a combination of large sample sizes and detailed genetic measurements.
But in this case, researchers analyzed data from more than 30,000 people who were 45 or older, bringing together genetic and cognitive functioning data from participants in several studies in 12 different countries.
In addition they examined genetic variations across 2. 5 million sites along each individual's DNA, looking for associations between genetic variants and performance on several different tests of cognitive function.
Of the different cognitive skills examined, the strongest genetic association was related to performance on a test of information processing speed.
"It seems like, through this genetic analysis, we have identified a genetic variant which partly explains the differences in information processing speed between people,
"said Dr. Carla Ibrahim-Verbaas, a resident in neurology at Erasmus University Medical center in Rotterdam, The netherlands,
It is of interest that the gene has also been suggested in other studies to be involved in autism and personality traits."
"We now have the technology to measure across the entire genome in a much more fine-grained manner compared to a few years ago, in this case 2. 5 million sites,
The collaboration of leading scientists from around the world, who have agreed to pool their data
and analytic resources, is significantly enhancing our ability to identify genes related to complex brain functions and disease."
"The core CHARGE cohorts include five population-based studies, including the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities study, AGES-Reykjavik Study, Framingham Heart Study, Cardiovascular Health Study,
#Nanoparticles used to prevent inflammatory acne through slow-released nitric oxide GW researcher and dermatologist, Adam Friedman, M d,
and prevent acne through nanotechnology. This research, published in the Journal of Investigative Dermatology, identified that the nanoparticles were effective at killing Proprionobacterium acnes,
the gram positive bacteria associated with acne, and even more importantly, they inhibited the damaging inflammation that result in the large,
painful lesions associated with inflammatory acne.""Our understanding of acne has changed dramatically in the last 15-20 years,
"said Friedman, associate professor of dermatology at the GW School of medicine and Health Sciences and co-author of the study."
"Inflammation is really the driving force behind all types of acne. In this paper, we provide an effective a way to kill the bacterium that serves as a stimulus for Acne without using an antibiotic,
and demonstrate the means by which nitric oxide inhibits newly recognized pathways central to the formation of a pimple,
present in the skin even before you can see the acne.""While the body makes nitric oxide for many purposes, its impact,
such as anti-inflammatory effects, are lived short. Because nitric oxide interacts with its environment so quickly and is active for only a few seconds,
it was crucial to find a way to release nitric oxide over time to be used effectively.
Utilizing an established nanotechnology capable of generating and releasing nitric oxide over time, Friedman and his research team at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine
and University of California Los angeles explored the mechanisms by which the nanoparticles could be a new way to tackle Acne,
one of the most common dermatologic diseases affecting between 40-50 million people each year. Acne develops due to an inappropriate immune system response to various factors,
including bacteria on the skin such as P. acnes. The focus of this study was on a new pathway that was highlighted recently by the team at UCLA,
involving what is known as an inflammasome, responsible for the activation of the inflammatory process in Acne."
"Many current medications focus only on one or two part of this process,"said Friedman.""By killing the bacterium and blocking multiple components of the inflammasome,
this approach may lead to better treatment options for acne sufferers, and possibly treatments for other inflammatory skin conditions
#First-of-its-kind tornado panels installed in Montgomery Home in June, UAB's tornado panels designed to protect against flying debris were installed as an integral component of a safe room in a new construction home in the Montgomery, Alabama area.
Uday Vaidya, Ph d.,professor and chair of UAB's Department of Materials science and engineering, worked with Storm Resistant Systems
and Cooper Structural Engineers to scale the panels for use in this home. The safe room is designed in accordance with FEMA standards to withstand 250 mile-per-hour winds,
and was built to remain intact even if the house were destroyed during a strong storm, keeping its occupants from harm.
The UAB panels were approved by the National Storm Shelter Association to hold up against an EF5 tornado."
"To see panels pass our most extreme test the first time is said very impressive Larry Tanner, P. E.,manager of the NSSA/Texas Tech Debris Impact Test Facility."
"This material is lightweight and sustainable and looks to have a bright future in the storm-shelter industry.
If it saves even one life, it will have been worth the effort to design it."
"The composition of thermoplastic and fiberglass resins and fibers used in the panels are stronger per-unit density than the steel used in many current shelters
and weigh 80 percent less, Vaidya says. Some of the same foams and fibers are used in the latest armored military vehicles.
The team working on the safe room developed a steel frame that holds the panels, and the frame can be broken down
and carried into a closet or bathroom door and then reassembled. This prototype is the first of its kind,
and it can be replicated for installation in other homes.""The UAB panels are unique in comparison to the other products
I've seen used in that they are lightweight, similar to plywood, but they have the strength equivalent to steel,
"said David Cooper, P. E s. E.,president of Cooper Structural Engineers.""The ease of getting them in and out of a home for installation combined with the strength is
what makes these panels a step above other products on the market.""This installation comes after four years of research, testing, approvals and manufacturing, following the 2011 Alabama tornado outbreak.
Following the devastation of those storms, Vaidya and his team of UAB engineers focused their attention on the development of a material that could transform any room into a safe haven."
"2011 happened, and the work we were doing, we saw had a lot of applications for tornado-related activities,
"Vaidya said.""During a tornado or hurricane, you get a lot of two-by-fours flying in a home;
a lot of debris is picked up, and it can actually penetrate inside a house. People die from the debris that comes through the walls or other things,
so we built panels that would resist the debris completely.""The panels, secured to each other
and the floor of an interior room, protect against flying debris and are designed to keep people from being crushed
or becoming airborne.""With an average of more than 1, 000 tornadoes recorded in the U s. each year,
it was crucial that something be done to make homes more safe, "Vaidya said.""Those tornadoes result in approximately 80 deaths and 1, 500 injuries each year.
Our goal was to develop new technology that would help protect individuals against the impact of debris during natural disasters,
and I think with these panels, we've done just that.""The panels leave the assembly line looking like typical interior walls;
they do not require paint and will never corrode.""The surface could be made to look really any way you want,
"Vaidya said.""They could be tailored in any way a homeowner is interested in, and could be integrated into a room in an existing home
or brought in as part of new construction.""Made from discarded liner once used to wrap offshore oil-rig pipes,
the panels also embrace green engineering techniques. Recycled materials used in the experimental phase kept thousands of pounds of waste from landfills.
Moving forward, UAB will work with contractors and engineers seeking to integrate the panels into new construction as well as make them available to individuals who would like to purchase the panels to be retrofitted into existing homes s
#HIV uses immune system's own tools to suppress it The study's goal was to determine how HIV manages to compromise antiviral responses in the initial period of infection,
also called the acute infection stage, during which the virus establishes itself in the body.
The acute infection is considered a critical period in determining the complexity, extent and progression of the disease.
It is also during this stage that HIV establishes latent infection in long-lasting cellular reservoirs.
These viral reservoirs, which harbour the virus out of sight from the immune system and antiviral drugs, represent the primary barrier to a cure."
"An important component in this process is a group of proteins collectively called type 1 Interferons,
which are the immune system's first line of defence against viral infections and are known to have a beneficial role in the early stages of HIV infection,
"says Dr. Cohen, Director of the Human Retrovirology research unit at the IRCM.""The problem is that HIV has developed mechanisms to suppress the Interferon response and, until now,
little was known about how this was achieved.""Most of the Interferon is produced by a very small population of immune cells called pdcs (plasmacytoid dendritic cells), responsible for providing immediate defence against infections.
PDCS patrol the body to detect invaders and, when they recognize the presence of a pathogen,
they secrete Interferon. The Interferon then triggers a large array of defence mechanisms in nearby cells, creating an antiviral state that prevents the dissemination and, ultimately,
the expansion of the virus."When pdcs encounter HIV-infected cells, the production of Interferon is regulated by a protein located on the infected cell's surface called BST2,"
"explains Mariana Bego, Phd, first author of the study and research associate in Dr. Cohen's laboratory."
"BST2 has the ability to bind to and activate a receptor called ILT7, found on the surface of pdcs,
which, in turns, sends a signal that suppresses the production of Interferon and halts its defensive functions.
Interestingly, BST2 is also responsible for restricting HIV production by trapping the virus at the cell surface before it can exit infected cells
and leads to persistent infection, "adds Dr. Bego.""We found that HIV, through Vpu, takes advantage of the role played by BST2 by maintaining its ability to activate ILT7 and limit the production of Interferon,
""The hope for a definitive cure and an effective vaccine has been frustrated by HIV's endless propensity to subvert the host's defences
despite antiretroviral therapy,"describes Dr. Cohen, who also leads Cancure, a team of leading Canadian researchers working towards an HIV cure."
"Our findings can provide tools to enhance antiviral responses during the early stages of infection.
By blocking Vpu's action, we could prevent early viral expansion and dissemination, while also allowing pdcs to trigger effective antiviral responses.
We believe that such interventions during primary infection have the potential to limit the establishment and complexity of viral reservoirs,
a condition that seems required to achieve a sustained HIV remission.""""The discovery by Drs.
or wiped out during early periods of infection, will bring us closer to ending HIV/AIDS,
this new study will advance research for an HIV cure
#Metal foams capable of shielding X-rays, gamma rays, neutron radiation Research shows lightweight composite metal foams are effective at blocking X-rays, gamma rays and neutron radiation,
and are capable of absorbing the energy of high impact collisions. The finding means metal foams hold promise for use in nuclear safety, space exploration and medical technology applications."
"This work means there's an opportunity to use composite metal foam to develop safer systems for transporting nuclear waste, more efficient designs for spacecraft and nuclear structures,
and new shielding for use in CT SCANNERS,"says Afsaneh Rabiei, a professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering at NC State and corresponding author of a paper on the work.
Rabiei first developed the strong, lightweight metal foam for use in transportation and military applications. But she wanted to determine
whether the foam could be used for nuclear or space exploration applications--could it provide structural support,
protect against high impacts and provide shielding against various forms of radiation? To that end, she and her colleagues conducted multiple tests to see how effective it was at blocking X-rays, gamma rays and neutron radiation.
The most effective composite metal foam against all three forms of radiation is called"high-Z steel-steel
"and was made up largely of stainless steel, but incorporated a small amount of tungsten. However the structure of the high-Z foam was modified
so that the composite foam that included tungsten was not denser than metal foam made entirely of stainless steel.
Different source materials produce gamma rays with different energies. For example, cesium and cobalt emit higher energy gamma rays, while barium and americium emit lower energy gamma rays.
The researchers found that the high-Z foam was comparable to bulk materials at blocking high-energy gamma rays,
but was much better than bulk materials--even bulk steel--at blocking low energy gamma rays. Similarly
"However, we are working to modify the composition of the metal foam to be even more effective than lead at blocking X-rays
In addition, the extraordinary mechanical and thermal properties of composite metal foams, and their energy absorption capabilities, make the material a good candidate for various nuclear structural applications
#Sticky tape and phosphorus the key to ultrathin solar cells The team used sticky tape to create single-atom thick layers,
termed phosphorene, in the same simple way as the Nobel-prize winning discovery of graphene. Unlike graphene, phosphorene is a semiconductor, like silicon,
which is the basis of current electronics technology.""Because phosphorene is so thin and light,
it creates possibilities for making lots of interesting devices, such as LEDS or solar cells,"said lead researcher Dr Yuerui (Larry) Lu, from The Australian National University (ANU)."
"It shows very promising light emission properties.""The team created phosphorene by repeatedly using sticky tape to peel thinner and thinner layers of crystals from the black crystalline form of phosphorus. As well as creating much thinner and lighter semiconductors than silicon,
phosphorene has light emission properties that vary widely with the thickness of the layers, which enables much more flexibility for manufacturing.
Array"By changing the number of layers we can tightly control the band gap, which determines the material's properties,
such as the colour of LED it would make.""You can see quite clearly under the microscope the different colours of the sample,
Dr Lu's team found the optical gap for monolayer phosphorene was 1. 75 electron volts,
corresponding to red light of a wavelength of 700 nanometers. As more layers were added, the optical gap decreased.
For instance, for five layers, the optical gap value was 0. 8 electron volts, a infrared wavelength of 1550 nanometres.
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