#Modified proteins as vaccines against peach allergya research conducted by the Centre for Plant Biotechnology
and Genomics (UPM-INIA) and led by Araceli DÃ az Perales has studied the allergy to peach the most common food allergy and the Pru p 3 protein.
All can be good candidates for the usage of specific immunotherapy for peach allergy and also can be used as a vaccine.
Nowadays allergy affects over 25%of the population of developed countries. Currently the treatment of food allergy consists of avoiding the intake of the food causing the allergy.
However the possibility of cross-reactivity (reaction to related food) might be ineffective. The specific immunotherapy is the only treatment to prevent more severe signs of allergy progression.
Immunotherapy consists of the intake of growing doses of allergen extracts in affected patients. However the use of this extract could induce anaphylactic reactions
or lead to sensitization to new allergens found in the mixture of allergen extracts. According to this the usage of hypoallergenic molecules (with lower ability of binding antibodies) but with the ability to stimulate the immune system would be a useful tool for immunotherapy.
The most common food allergy in Spain and the Mediterranean areas is the peach allergy
which is caused mainly by the Pru p 3 proteins. The current treatment of this allergy consists of avoiding peach consumption neither fresh nor processed peaches (juices jam.
As an alternative this allergy research has defined the regions of this allergenic protein that is involved in the antibody binding and the stimulation of the immune system cells.
After that researchers developed three hypoallergenic variants of this protein that can be used as a vaccine.
These variants are the result of modifying epitopes (regions of binding antibodies) of this protein
and they were used in a research with patient allergic to peach in order to confirm its capacity as immune system stimulation.
Each variant has a different modification that was designed by using genetic tools. Although the 1 variant (Pru p 3. 01) showed quite similar allergenic activity with the natural protein the variants Pru p 3. 02 and Pru p 3. 03
presented lower capacity for binding antibodies. Also it maintained its ability to stimulate immune system cells (lymphocytes) of the patients allergic to peach during the in vitro trials.
The results show that these two molecules (Pru p 3. 02 and Pru p 3. 03) could be good candidates for the usage of specific immunotherapy for allergy to peach.
This research work has established the basis to set a new immunotherapy strategy although it would be required further trials of these two molecules with animal to verify its effectiveness in the treatment for allergy to peach.
Story Source: The above story is provided based on materials by Universidad Politã cnica de Madrid. Note:
Materials may be edited for content and length. Journal Reference r
#Climate change: Promising future for cotton in Cameroon? While climate change threatens most crops in Africa its impact could be less on cotton cultivation in Cameroon.
and could inform the development of tailored microbiota transplants to improve intestinal health after antibiotic use or illness.
The haploid susceptibility hypothesis predicts that haploid males are more prone to disease compared to their diploid female counterparts
and is less resistant to pathogens and pests. â#oefor a long time cotton breeders have been trying to develop upland cotton with the fiber qualities of barbadense cottonâ#Pepper said. â#oeglobally everybodyâ##s trying to do it.
Our anticipation of possible improvement of resistance to abiotic stresses via phytochrome RNA interference further adds to its commercial potential. â#Story Source:
Researchers at the Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology in Jena Germany have now found that ants also keep harmful leaf pathogens in check.
and has a visibly positive effect on plant health. Study results indicate that symbiotic bacteria colonizing the ants inhibit pathogen growth on the leaves.
Myrmecophytes are plants which live in a symbiotic relationship with ants. The acacia species Acacia hindsii which is native to tropical dry forests in Central america is such a myrmecophyte.
whether the tiny bodyguards also provide protection against microbial pathogens. They compared the leaves of acacia plants
and microbial pathogens than did the leaves that had mutualistic ants. The presence of the right symbiotic partner seemed to have a positive effect on the plant's health.
Analysis of the surfaces of the leaves revealed that the number of plant pathogens as well as of necrotic plant tissues increased considerably
when mutualistic Pseudomyrmex ferrugineus ants were absent. These plants also showed strong immune responses in the form of an increased concentration of salicylic acid a plant hormone
which regulates defense against pathogens. Detailed analysis of the bacterial composition on the surfaces of the leaves suggested that the presence of mutualistic ants changed the bacterial populations and reduced harmful pathogens.
Although far less pronounced this effect could also be observed in parasitic ants. How antimicrobial protection is transferred from ants to plant is still unclear.
Chilean researcher Marcia Gonzã¡lez-Teuber first author of the publication suspected that microorganisms associated with the ants might play a role.
Because acacia leaves are touched mainly by ants'legs she extracted the legs of mutualistic and parasitic ants and tested the effect of the extracts on the growth of bacterial pathogens in the lab. Plant pathogen Pseudomonas syringae was sensitive to the application of leg extracts of both ant species
and its growth was inhibited. In the next step the scientist isolated and identified bacteria from the legs of the ants.
In lab tests bacterial strains of the genera Bacillus Lactococcus Pantoea and Burkholderia effectively inhibited the growth of Pseudomonas bacteria isolated from infected acacia leaves.
Interestingly some of the bacterial genera associated with the ants are known to produce antibiotic substances.
From northwest Denmark circa 1500-1300 BC to the Swedish island of Gotland as late as the first century AD Nordic peoples were imbibing an alcoholic grog
and probable medicinal purposes--and the first chemically attested evidence for the importation of grape wine from southern or Central europe as early as 1100 BC demonstrating both the social and cultural prestige attached to wine and the presence
notes Dr. Patrick E. Mcgovern lead author of the paper. They were not averse to adopting the accoutrements of southern
According to Dr. Mcgovern the importation of southern wine grew apace in the Bronze and Iron ages and eventually eclipsed the grog tradition--but never completely.
About the closest thing to the grog today is produced on the island of Gotland in the Baltic sea Dr. Mcgovern noted.
#Ramularia and the 4 Rsthe gene that has provided spring barley with resistance to powdery mildew for over 30 years increases susceptibility to newly-important disease Ramularia leaf spot.
Since 1980 the mlo gene has transformed mildew from the most important disease of barley to an occasional nuisance in wetter areas of the UK.
and widely-used resistances to an important crop disease has the detrimental effect of increasing susceptibility to another we took a closer look says Professor James brown from the John Innes Centre.
However the research also paves the way for barley lines to be bred that are resistant to both diseases by selecting for multiple genes.
It has struck us that plant breeding relying on the successful use of a single major resistance gene can increase susceptibility to another disease said R&d breeder Peter Werner from KWS UK.
but are notoriously hard to diagnose because of their similarity to other syndromes. In collaboration with Neil Havis of Scotland's Rural College Professor Brown came up with a simple new method of scoring Ramularia in field trials:
and Drug Administration and considered safe from a food safety perspective improve the cattle's natural ability to convert feed into more lean muscle.
However Merck Animal health manufacturer of Zilmax voluntarily suspended sales of the product last September when major U s. meat packer Tyson announced it would stop buying cattle fed Zilmax due to an animal welfare concern
Cattle fatigue syndrome may be caused by many factors such as summer heat and exertion prior to harvest.
and fall and Reinhardt said this issue perhaps due to cold stress must be looked at more closely as well.
because the cattle that are feed eating more are also eating more of the drug. Really we don't know the economic impact from these intake losses Reinhardt said.
or should the decision be made in extremely warm weather to not use the drug for a period of weeks until the weather abates?
While Merck recently announced that it is too early to determine when Zilmax will return to the market many feedlots might have switched to using a competing beta-agonist called Optaflexx or ractopamine.
Adolescent pranksters responding to the widely cited National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health in the mid-1990s may have faked nonheterosexuality.
Preliminary results from the landmark study--known as Add Health--stunned researchers parents and educators alike recalls Cornell's Ritch C. Savin-Williams professor of human development licensed clinical psychologist author
and Bisexual Adolescents of Add Health. Over the years analyzing Add Health's sexual-orientation data became a cottage industry for scholars of human sexuality--Savin-Williams among them.
We offer this essay with data to forestall such wrongheaded scholarly work in the future Savin-Williams
Questions in subsequent Add Health surveys actually used the S word as in sexual orientation.
'That and the adolescent pranksters are the most likely explanations for the dubious assessment of Add Health data the authors conclude.
Yet he is saddened that the Add Health data led researchers clinicians and policymakers to an inflated sense that gay youth are depressed more suicidal
and psychologically ill than are straight youth. We need to be careful when we do our research that our sexual-minority participants are representative of the gay youth population
Do we have heat stress mitigation plans in place at the feeding facilities? Are we pushing that boundary of having too heavy weight carcasses?
Are we using low-stress cattle handling techniques? How far away from the load out facility are the fat cattle being moved?
and Drug Administration (FDA) and considered safe from a food safety perspective to improve the cattle's natural ability to convert feed into more lean muscle.
However Merck Animal health manufacturer of Zilmax voluntarily suspended sales of the product last September when major U s. meat packer Tyson announced it would stop buying cattle fed Zilmax due to an animal welfare concern
what he calls cattle fatigue syndrome. This isn't a new phenomenon Thomson said. We've seen this in other species. The swine industry 15 to 20 years ago discovered pig fatigue syndrome.
It occurred about the time they started feeding beta-agonists at a very high level to pigs.
and were going through stress. Thomson said many in the swine industry started calling these pigs NANI pigs meaning non-ambulatory non-injured.
and they don't have any clinical signs of injury besides that they don't move Thomson said.
while the others did not experience any stress. They were able to recreate the same syndrome that we're now seeing in some cattle Thomson said.
Generally physical stress whether they were on a beta-agonist or not showed clinical signs of fatigue in these market hogs.
Still the swine industry has since cut the dose of beta-agonists in feeding by about 75 percent Thomson said.
A closer look at cattle fatigue syndromethe beef industry has a really good start on understanding
what cattle fatigue syndrome is said Thomson but the reason more research must be done is that like the NANI pigs the syndrome has shown up in cattle that were fed a beta-agonist
and cattle that were fed not a beta-agonist. In our research when we've looked at cattle that are stressed not
and they're on one of the beta-agonists on the market we've not seen anything
when we have seen the issues with this fatigue cattle syndrome at packing facilities it's during the summer months
when we have heat stress. Moving forward Thomson said the industry needs to better-understand the clinical and physiological responses of beta-agonists in cattle
if dosages in cattle feeding rations might need to be altered and if there is a potential genetic component to it as well.
While Merck recently announced that it is too early to determine when Zilmax will return to the market (Merck Animal health Shares Progress on Zilmax
and the Five-Step Plan for Responsible Beef) many feedlots might have switched to using a competing beta-agonist called Optaflexx or ractopamine.
when on different drugs for example creating beautiful webs on LSD and terrible webs on caffeine.
'Working with Dr Donald Edmonds from Oxford university's Department of physics Professor Vollrath showed that webs like that of the garden cross spider also cause local distortions in Earth's electric field
#How fiber prevents diabetes, obesityscientists have known for the past twenty years that a fiber-rich diet protects the organism against obesity
and diabetes but the mechanisms involved have eluded so far them. A French-Swedish team including researchers from CNRS Inserm
They will give rise to new dietary recommendations to prevent diabetes and obesity. Most sweet fruit and many vegetables such as salsify cabbage or beans are rich in so-called fermentable fibers.
and are less likely to develop diabetes than animals fed a fiber-free diet. Nevertheless the mechanism behind this effect has remained until now a mystery.
it is detected by the nerves in the walls of the portal vein (which collects the blood coming from the intestine)
In response the brain triggers a range of protective effects against diabetes and obesity: the sensation of hunger fades energy expenditure at rest is enhanced
and were protected also against the development of diabetes thanks to significantly increased sensitivity to insulin.
these mice became fat and developed diabetes like those fed a fiber-free diet. It is therefore the production of glucose by the intestine from propionate and butyrate that is behind the positive effects of fermentable fibers on the organism.
and to highlight new therapeutic targets for preventing or treating diabetes and obesity. Story Source:
The above story is provided based on materials by CNRS (DÃ lã gation Paris Michel-Ange. Note:
#And that is how the desert locust lost its memorythe desert locust (a type of grasshopper) much like Dr Jekyll/Mr Hyde goes from being an innocuous solitary-living individual to become a voracious gregarious animal
The work out in Current Biology looked into the mechanism that allowed gregarious locusts to change their diet surprisingly fast--just a few hours after solitarious locusts are crowded they are eating toxic plants
To Simå es and colleagues'surprise it was found that this was due to an incapacity by newly gregarious locusts to acquire negative/aversive memories that made them on encountering toxic plants see these as appetitive.
and its protection against predators (toxic plants make locusts unpalatable) how could such major adaptation occur in just a few hours?
So next Simå es and colleagues used hyoscyamine--a toxic alkaloid substance present in plants of the locust's natural habitat that are avoided by solitarious forms (because of their bad taste)
when locusts are exposed re to the toxic plants. This capacity to override previous memories which only occurs during the initial stages of gregarization/crowding is crucial for survival in the swarm because with increasing numbers of individuals also raises not only competition for food but also exposure to predators.
The reason why later gregarious locusts continue to eat toxic plants despite being able to gain aversive memories lies in their learning mechanism.
This suggest that the gregarious'learning mechanism is post-ingestive and most probably dependent on food toxicity instead of taste.
since they simply do not acquire new negative memories suggesting that they are even more resilient to toxicity than gregarious.
researchers sayscientists led by experts at Durham University have discovered a natural mechanism in plants that could stimulate their growth even under stress and potentially lead to better crop yields.
and the University of Warwick have discovered that plants have the natural ability to regulate their growth independently of Gibberellin particularly during times of environmental stress.
when plants are experiencing stress. The interaction between the proteins can be modified in a number of ways including by conventional plant breeding methods and by biotechnology techniques.
Corresponding author Dr Ari Sadanandom Associate Director of the Durham Centre for Crop Improvement Technology in Durham University's School of Biological and Biomedical sciences said the finding could be an important aid
Dr Sadanandom said: What we have found is a molecular mechanism in plants which stabilises the levels of specific proteins that restrict growth in changing environmental conditions.
This mechanism works independently of the Gibberellin hormone meaning we can use this new understanding for a novel approach to encourage the plant to grow even when under stress.
and wounding each other while the elephants themselves fought still better putting forth their whole strength
Otherwise the animals are perfectly healthy and normal points out Dr. Hubert Pausch lead author of the study.
Sabine KÃ lle and Dr. Matthias Trottmann from Munich's Ludwig Maximilian University. Trottmann helps couples with infertility problems.
and also the diseases that animals pass on. With this knowledge we can not only improve yield
#Resolve to fight cancer: More than ever before, we know how to reduce some riskin 1971 President Nixon funded research to wage a war on cancer a long battle that we're still fighting today.
While the last 40 years haven't brought us a cure we have made some meaningful progress in developing tools
and knowledge to take a bite out of our cancer risk. Mark Varvares M d. director of the Saint louis University Cancer Center suggests that lifestyle changes
and screening tools that have been proven to reduce our cancer risk and to catch cancer early can make a real impact across the span of our lifetime.
There are some aspects of our cancer risk that are outside of our control said Varvares who is also a SLUCARE otolaryngologist.
But we also know that there are things we can do that can significantly decrease our risk of getting cancer.
I urge people to take advantage of these advances. This information and these screening opportunities weren't always available to our parents and grandparents.
Healthy choices and preventive screenings won't totally erase cancer but they can reduce our risk in a really meaningful way.
They offer us the chance to change the course of the future if we take advantage of them.
According to the American Cancer Society More than half of all cancer deaths could be prevented by making healthy choices like not smoking staying at a healthy weight eating right keeping active
and getting recommended screening tests. New Year's resolutions can be forgotten fleeting commitments by the end of January.
Instead of making short-lived pledges for better health consider that a commitment to these lifestyle changes
and screening tools can over the course of your lifetime significantly reduce your risk of cancer.#
when it comes to the connection between lung cancer and smoking. Smoking causes the vast majority of lung cancer deaths in the U s. The silver lining of this well-established cause-and-effect is that it makes lung cancer one of the most preventable forms of cancer.
The data is clear: stop smoking and you will reduce your lung cancer risk. TAKE ACTION:
SLU Cancer Center offers free eight-week smoking cessation classes four times throughout the year. Personalized smoking cessation consultations are also available.#
#2: Eat a healthy diet. Obesity is a risk factor for many cancers including esophagus pancreas colorectal and breast cancers.
Besides eating well to maintain a healthy weight foods like fruits vegetables and whole grains are linked to reduced cancer risk.
Limiting red meats and processed meats can lower your risk of colorectal cancer. Many specific foods like leafy green vegetables
or blueberries have been shown to have specific anticancer actions. TAKE ACTION: Eat vegetables fruits whole grains
and Dietetics to find a registered dietician in your area.##3: Exercise. Staying active has many health benefits including lowering your risk of developing cancer.
Studies show that physical activity lowers risk of colon and breast cancer. There also appear to be links between exercise
and reduced prostate lung and endometrial cancer risks. TAKE ACTION: If you'd like to start an exercise program here are two places to begin:
A St louis Post-Dispatch story offers advice for beginning an exercise routine and tips from a Saint louis University physical therapist for those who want to join the running revolution.#
#4 Limit Your Alcohol. While some studies suggest potential health benefits of moderate alcohol consumption the evidence is clear that excessive alcohol intake is bad for your health
and specifically can raise certain types of cancer risk. For women even a few drinks a week may increase breast cancer risk.
Even overuse of mouthwash which contains alcohol Varvares says has been linked to mouth cancer. TAKE ACTION:
Take a realistic look at your alcohol consumption and consider whether it falls within the recommended range:
two drinks per day for men and one drink per day for women.##5: Wear Sunscreen and Avoid Tanning Beds.
As many as one in five Americans will develop skin cancer during their lifetime. Sunscreen which blocks dangerous rays from the sun is your best bet to avoid skin cancer.
Dermatologists recommend applying sunscreen every couple of hours if you'll be outside. Avoid tanning beds altogether as evidence suggests high incidence of skin cancer for users.
Saint louis University research has even found links between driving and increased skin cancer with drivers in the U s. developing more skin cancer on the left side of their faces due to exposure while in the car.
TAKE ACTION: Wear sunscreen every day and skip the tanning bed.##6: Screen. Though you may not look forward to them preventive screenings offer some of medicine's best methods for catching cancer before it becomes deadly.
Colonoscopy pap smears and mammography for example are some of the most powerful lifesaving tools doctors have at their disposal.
Discuss with your physician which screening tests you should schedule as well as when and how often they should be performed.
Ask again at each visit because guidelines change as new data constantly refines best recommendations.
In addition your doctor may recommend a different screening schedule than the general guidelines based on your personal history your family history or other factors.
If you're uneasy about screenings talk to your doctor. He or she can ease worries about a colonoscopy for example by explaining more about the procedure.
TAKE ACTION: Talk to your doctor about your family and personal history and learn which tests you should schedule.
For motivation read a cancer screening success story.##7 Vaccinate. The HPV vaccine has a clear record of lowering cervical cancer rates in women
and is now being recommended for boys as well as girls because it shows promise in preventing head and neck cancer too.
TAKE ACTION: Take advantage of a vaccine that can prevent cancer. The HPV vaccination is recommended for girls and boys at age 11 or 12 years.#
#8: Consider Genetic counseling. For those with a family history of certain cancers information about our genes can offer choices in dealing with our genetic destiny.
A woman who carries the BRCA breast cancer gene for example who has watched families members die at an early age may choose preventive mastectomy rather than risk extremely high odds of developing the same illness.
For other cancers such as colorectal cancer the presence of a gene may signal the need for increased vigilance with more frequent screenings to catch any abnormality early.
Genetic screening took center stage last year as actress Angelina jolie shared her decision to have a preventive mastectomy in response to her own genetic risk.
Genetic counselor at SLU Cancer Center Suzanne Mahon says that In deciding whether or not to have the screening patients should ask'Is this something
I really want to know about myself. If I know I am at high genetic risk of developing cancer am I going to do something with this information?'
'Genetic counseling and testing can clarify your risk of cancer. If you underestimate your risk you might not have the information you need to make good decisions about prevention and early detection.
If we prove you don't have the risk it can be a big relief. TAKE ACTION:
Genetic counseling isn't recommended for everyone; rather it's an option for those with family history of certain cancers.
If you have a strong history of cancer in your family discuss with your physician
whether you could benefit from more knowledge about your genetic risk. Story Source: The above story is provided based on materials by Saint louis University Medical center.
Note: Materials may be edited for content and length h
#EU policy is driving up demand for pollination faster than honeybee numbersresearch conducted by the University of Reading's Centre for Agri-Environmental Research
and funded by the EU FP7 project STEP and the Insect Pollinators Initiative Crops project indicates that demand for pollination services has risen five times as fast as the number of colonies across Europe.
The study led by Professor Simon Potts compared the number of available honeybee colonies in 41 European countries with their demands for pollination services in the years 2005 and 2010.
The findings indicate that although the total number of honeybee colonies increased in some European countries the demands for the pollination services supplied by these pollinators has increased much faster due to the increasing demand for biofuel feedstocks.
Dr Tom Breeze who conducted the research said This study has shown that EU biofuel policy has had an unforeseen consequence in making us more reliant upon wild pollinators like bumblebees and hoverflies to meet demands forthis
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