Programming DNA to reverse antibiotic resistance in bacteria

 

Growing bacteria in petri dishes. (stock image) At its annual assembly in Geneva last week, the World Health Organization approved a radical and far-reaching plan to slow the rapid, extensive spread of antibiotic resistance around the world. The plan hopes to curb the rise caused by an unchecked use of antibiotics and lack of new antibiotics on the market. New Tel Aviv University research published in PNAS introduces a promising new tool: a two-pronged system to combat this dangerous situation. It nukes antibiotic resistance in selected bacteria, and renders other bacteria more sensitive to antibiotics. The research, led by Prof. Udi Qimron of the Department of Clinical Microbiology and Immunology at TAU's Sackler Faculty of Medicine, is based on bacterial viruses called phages, which transfer "edited" DNA into resistant bacteria to kill off resistant strains and make others more sensitive to antibiotics. According to the researchers, the system, if ultimately applied to pathogens on hospital surfaces or medical personnel's hands, could turn the tide on untreatable, often lethal bacterial infections. "Since there are only a few pathogens in hospitals that cause most of the antibiotic-resistance infections, we wish to specifically design appropriate sensitization treatments for each one of them," Prof. Qimron says. "We will have to choose suitable combinations of DNA-delivering phages that would deliver the DNA into pathogens, and the suitable combination of 'killing' phages that could select the re-sensitized pathogens." Reprogramming the system "Antibiotic-resistant pathogens constitute an increasing threat because antibiotics are designed to select resistant pathogens over sensitive ones," Prof. Qimron says. "The injected DNA does two things: It eliminates the genes that cause resistance to antibiotics, and it confers protection against lethal phages. "We managed to devise a way to restore antibiotic sensitivity to drug-resistant bacteria, and also prevent the transfer of genes that create that resistance among bacteria," he continues. Earlier research by Prof. Qimron revealed that bacteria could be sensitized to certain antibiotics -- and that specific chemical agents could "choose" those bacteria more susceptible to antibiotics. His strategy harnesses the CRISPR-Cas system -- a bacterial DNA-reprogramming system Prof. Qimron pioneered -- as a tool to expand on established principles. According to the researchers, "selective pressure" exerted by antibiotics renders most bacteria resistant to them -- hence the epidemic of lethal resistant infections in hospitals. No counter-selection pressure for sensitization of antibiotics is currently available. Prof. Qimron's strategy actually combats this pressure -- selecting for the population of pathogens exhibiting antibiotic sensitivity. "We believe that this strategy, in addition to disinfection, could significantly render infections once again treatable by antibiotics," said Prof. Qimron. Prof. Qimron and his team are now poised to apply the CRISPR/phage system on pseudomonas aeruginosa -- one of the world's most prevalent antibiotic-resistant pathogens involved in hospital-acquired infections -- and to test whether bacterial sensitization works in a more complex microbial environment: the mouse cage. Story Source: The above story is based on materials provided by American Friends of Tel Aviv University. Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. Journal Reference: Ido Yosef, Miriam Manor, Ruth Kiro, Udi Qimron. Temperate and lytic bacteriophages programmed to sensitize and kill antibiotic-resistant bacteria. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 2015; 201500107 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1500107112

5 Reasons Alcohol is Legal

 

1. IT’S HEALTH RELATED COSTS ARE HIGHER Health-related costs for alcohol consumers are eight times greater than those for cannabis consumers, according to an assessment recently published in the British Columbia Mental Health and Addictions Journal. More specifically, the annual cost of alcohol consumption is $165 per user, compared to just $20 per user for cannabis. This should not come as a surprise given the vast amount of research that shows alcohol poses far more — and more significant — health problems than any other drug and most drugs combined. There results in more medication, therapy and medical expenses which the health system profits handsomely from. 2. DEATH IS A GREAT BUSINESS The official publication of the Scientific Research Society, American Scientist, reported that alcohol is one of the most toxic drugs and using just 10 times what one would use to get the desired effect could lead to death. According to the CDC, hundreds of alcohol overdose deaths occur in the United States each year. Again this leads to increased revenues and funding at the expense of lives. 3. CANCER CLINICS ARE MAKING A KILLING Alcohol use is associated with a wide variety of cancers, including cancers of the esophagus, stomach, colon, lungs, pancreas, liver and prostate. Researchers from the Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM) and Boston University School of Public Health (BUSPH) have shown that alcohol is a major contributor to cancer and drinking even small amounts of alcohol, as little as one drink, can increase the risk of developing cancer. Alcohol, regardless of its type (i.e. beer, wine, liquor, etc) is a class A1 carcinogen which are confirmed human carcinogens. Alcohol consumption has been causally related with breast cancer for some time. Increasing evidence indicates a stronger association with neoplasms, though the risk is elevated for other types of breast cancers too. 4. IT’S ADDICTIVE NATURE FUELS OTHER ADDICTIVE BEHAVIORS WHICH FUEL THE ECONOMY Alcohol use can result in significant and potentially fatal physical withdrawal. Those who use alcohol are also much more likely to develop dependence and build tolerance. Because alcohol is legal and often consumed in social settings, alcohol addiction is complicated. But as an addictive agent, it’s remarkably simple–and effective. Alcohol’s withdrawal syndrome is so severe that it can cause death, and its effects on the brain’s reward system cause well-documented and intense craving in heavy drinkers. Alcohol is proven to exacerabate other addictive tendencies such as gambling, smoking, overeating, other drugs and many other physical and psychological dependencies which drive economies worldwide. Research published in the journal Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research, found that 36 percent of hospitalized assaults and 21 percent of all injuries are attributable to alcohol use by the injured person which alone increases overall revenue of hospitals, clinics and many different health professionals. 5. IT CREATES ABUSERS AND PUTS MORE PEOPLE IN PRISON Once again, it’s a business. Alcohol is a major contributing factor in the prevalence of domestic violence and sexual assault. This is not to say that alcohol causes these problems; rather, its use makes it more likely that an individual prone to such behavior will act on it. For example, a study conducted by the Research Institute on Addictions found that among individuals who were chronic partner abusers, the use of alcohol was associated with significant increases in the daily likelihood of male-to-female physical aggression. Specifically, the odds of abuse were eight times higher on days when men were drinking; the odds of severe abuse were 11 times higher. According to the Rape, Abuse and Incest National Network (RAINN) website highlights alcohol as the “most commonly used chemical in crimes of sexual assault” and provides information on an array of other drugs that have been linked to sexual violence. This one drug alone is estimated for at least 12% of all incarcerations.

Vaccine-style treatment for rheumatoid arthritis retrains the immune system

 

Research led by Professor Ranjeny Thomas has uncovered a promising new approach to preventing rheumatoid arthritis According to the American College of Rheumatology, more than one million US citizens suffer from rheumatoid arthritis. The disease gives rise to swelling and pain by causing the immune system to malfunction and attack healthy tissue. No cure is available, though aggressive and varied drug treatments can curb its effects. Now, success in an early clinical trial suggests that a new form of therapy could stop these symptoms taking hold by retraining the patient's immune system to ignore a peptide it normally identifies as a foreign foe. Normally, our immune cells trawl through our blood and tissue, sorting foreign matter from healthy tissue to fight off signs of infection. Rheumatoid arthritis takes effect when these immune cells incorrectly identify healthy cells as foreign and attack them instead. Rather than looking at ways to treat the effects once this chain of events has already played out, researchers from Australia's University of Queensland looked to zero in on the root cause. Led by Professor Ranjeny Thomas, the team developed a vaccine-style therapeutic approach, or immunotherapy, for people with the most common form of rheumatoid arthritis, known as CCP-positive. The treatment is designed to re-educate the body's immune system to leave certain naturally occurring peptides alone, therefore preventing inflammation. To accomplish this, immune cells known as dendritic cells are extracted from the body and mixed with an anti-inflammatory drug and a natural peptide found in arthritic joints, before being injected back into the body once again. "The dendritic cells are educators of the immune system," Thomas explains to Gizmag. "They show peptides to the immune system and the T lymphocytes (student soldiers) then get the message to either attack or do a peace-keeping mission for that peptide. When we deliver peptide and an anti-inflammatory drug to a dendritic cell, it teaches the T lymphocytes to keep the peace in that tissue, thus keeping it healthy." In its current state, the treatment is too expensive and time-consuming to see it adopted for widespread use. But Thomas says the study's results, which indicate a single injection of the immune-modified dendritic cells can help suppress the effects of rheumatoid arthritis, are promising enough to continue development of more practical versions of the therapy, such as using nanoparticles as a delivery mechanism. "We can use a nanoparticle to package the drug and the peptide," she says. "After injection, the nanoparticle finds the dendritic cells and delivers the payload to them in the body. So far this has been tested in animal models but we plan to test in RA (rheumatoid arthritis) patients in 2016." If the approach is proven successful for sufferers of rheumatoid arthritis, it could potentially be used to treat other autoimmune diseases, such as Type 1 diabetes and and multiple sclerosis. The research findings were published in the journal Science Translational Medicine.   Source: University of Queensland

NASA takes a stroll through 50 years of spacewalk history

 

Astronauts toiling away on the International Space Station (Credit: NASA) Image Gallery (69 images) NASA has marked half a century of spacewalks by rolling out a catalog of breathtaking photos taken across decades of extravehicular activity. June 3 marks 50 years to the day that Edward H. White II stepped out into the emptiness of space in 1965, blazing a trail for generations of NASA astronauts to follow. White ventured out into space from NASA's Gemini IV spacecraft, but he wasn't the first human to step outside a spacecraft in orbit. Only months earlier, on March 18, 1965, Russian cosmonaut Alexei Leonov took the first space walk, pipping the Americans and their exploratory aspirations at the post. Almost two decades after White spent 20 minutes making his way around the outside of the Gemini spacecraft, countryman Bruce McCandless made another huge leap. As part of the STS-41B mission aboard the Space Shuttle Challenger, McCandless would depart the spacecraft to perform the first untethered spacewalk. This was made possible by way of a nitrogen-propelled, hand-controlled jetpack known as the Manned Maneuvering Unit (MMU), which allowed McCandless to move around in open space. NASA astronauts have now completed hundreds of spacewalks. This includes 21 spacewalks on the surface of the Moon, 184 strolls outside the International Space Station, 82 walks outside of space shuttle airlocks and 166 hours logged servicing the Hubble Space Telescope. These days, NASA is turning its attention to developing more advanced spacesuits that can handle travel into deep space, namely a trip to Mars. You can see some of the many highlights of NASA's 50 year history of spacewalking in the spectacular photogallery. Source: NASA About the Author Nick was born outside of Melbourne, Australia, with a general curiosity that has drawn him to some distant (and very cold) places. Somewhere between enduring a winter in the Canadian Rockies and trekking through Chilean Patagonia, he graduated from university and pursued a career in journalism. Having worked for publications such as The Santiago Times and The Conversation, he now writes for Gizmag from Melbourne, excited by tech and all forms of innovation, the city's bizarre weather and curried egg sandwiches. All articles by Nick Lavars As Canadian astronaut Dave Williams wraps up his STS-118 shuttle mission repairing & constructing the International Space Station, years of training and technology developed in Montreal have helped him soar to great heights. For decades, NASA has been studying astronaut’s physiological responses to zero gravity, to living in outer space and to staying in a space vehicles and space stations for extended periods of time. NASA recently conducted under water research since the environment provides some useful similarities to working in space. Using off the shelf technology, developed by THOUGHT TECHNOLOGY LTD of Montreal. The device is a wearable outfit that records multiple physiological measurements simultaneously. The technology is ultra miniaturized, using a standard FlexComp Infiniti™ physiological encoder, storing the data using flash memory cards. The astronauts, Commander Dave Williams, a Canadian Physician, and Ron Garin, an American, wore the “gear” throughout the day while living in an NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) undersea habitat, off the shore of Key Largo Florida, 65 feet down, below the surface.NASA researcher William Toscano described the mission, “Our project was called Nemo Nine. It was 22 days long, with 2 astronauts participating. They wore the FlexComp Infiniti™ system for three of the mission days. What we were looking was the effect of isolation, workload and fatigue on the individuals. We’re using the Nemo Nine environment as an analog of a space station.” It was all stored on flash memory cards, “We recorded five measurements–heart rate and electrocardiogram, respiration, skin conductance, hand temperature and finger pulse volume. Throughout the day they had activities and tasks to do.” New, micro-miniaturization technologies have enabled NASA researchers to use commercially produced biomedical devices like the FlexComp Infiniti™ to do what used to take a wall full of equipment easily weighing over 1000 pounds. Now, the device, manufactured by Thought Technology a company that is the world’s largest provider of medical and consumer biofeedback instrumentation, weighs less than a pound and has built-in data storage using flash memory cards. http://www.thoughttechnology.com/blog/wp/?works=what-helps-give-canadas-dave-williams-a-steady-hand-in-space Lawrence Klein

Eye-Catching Shooting for Socks

 

 

Posted: 04 Jun 2015 07:05 AM PDT

Sammy Icon et une marque d’accessoires indépendante basée en Ukraine. Avec une mise en abyme originale, son photo-shoot présente de manière dynamique sa collection de chaussettes, mettant en scène des couples posant avec de grands portraits de leur partenaire.

Research offers a new approach to improving HIV vaccines

 

In a scientific discovery that has significant implications for preventing HIV infections, researchers at Sanford-Burnham Medical Research Institute (Sanford-Burnham) have identified a protein that could improve the body's immune response to HIV vaccines and prevent transmission of the virus. The study shows how a protein called polyglutamine-binding protein 1 (PQBP1) acts as a front-line sensor and is critical to initiating an immune response to HIV. When the PQBP1 encounters the virus, it starts a program that triggers an overall protective environment against infection and enhances the production of virus-specific antibodies. The research, which identified PQBP1 as a target for improving HIV vaccines, was published June 4 online ahead of print in the journal Cell. 'Vaccines work by teaching the immune system to react by mimicking a natural infection,' said lead author Sunnie Yoh, Ph.D., a postdoctoral fellow in the lab of Sumit Chanda, Ph.D., director of the Immunity and Pathogenesis Program at Sanford-Burnham. 'Designing a drug that mimics the interface between HIV and PQBP1 would allow an HIV vaccine to more effectively re-create an immune environment that mirrors real infection.' 'Current approaches to HIV vaccine development have thus far yielded little fruit, partly because of the lack of an effective vaccine adjuvant. Adjuvants promote a robust immune response to vaccines and are critical to eliciting long-lasting immunity,' said Chanda. 'Our study identifies a promising new target for a vaccine adjuvant that could advance the development of HIV vaccines and prevent infection.' How it works Although the major target of HIV infection is CD4+ T cells, dendritic cells are one of the first cell types to encounter HIV during sexual transmission. After HIV infects cells, its DNA forms an interface with PQBP1 in sentinel dendritic cells and initiates the immune response. Dendritic cells control the innate immune response -- a generic, non-specific defense against pathogens. These cells also activate the adaptive immune response that generates highly specific antibodies that provide protective, long-lasting immunity. Both the innate and adaptive immune systems are necessary to provide an optimal immune response to vaccines. 'PQBP1 acts as a sentry for innate immune response to HIV. The development of a highly effective HIV vaccine will likely depend on both combining the correct immunogens, which are viral proteins, and unlocking the innate response, to establish long-lived protection,' said Chanda. 'Now that we know the gatekeeper, it will be much easier to find a key.' Story Source: The above story is based on materials provided by Sanford-Burnham Medical Research Institute. The original article was written by Susan Gammon, Ph.D.. Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. Journal Reference: Sunnie M. Yoh, Monika Schneider, Janna Seifried, Stephen Soonthornvacharin, Rana E. Akleh, Kevin C. Olivieri, Paul D. De Jesus, Chunhai Ruan, Elisa de Castro, Pedro A. Ruiz, David Germanaud, Vincent des Portes, Adolfo García-Sastre, Renate König, Sumit K. Chanda. PQBP1 Is a Proximal Sensor of the cGAS-Dependent Innate Response to HIV-1. Cell, 2015; 161 (6): 1293 DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2015.04.050

Moderate exercise helps prevent gestational diabetes, reduce weight gain during pregnancy

 

Women who exercise during pregnancy are less likely to have gestational diabetes, and the exercise also helps to reduce maternal weight gain, finds a study published on 3 June 2015 in BJOG: an International Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology. Gestational diabetes is one of the most frequent complications of pregnancy. It is associated with an increased risk of serious disorders such as pre-eclampsia, hypertension, preterm birth, and with induced or caesarean birth. It can have long term effects on the mother including long term impaired glucose tolerance and type 2 diabetes. The children of mothers with gestational diabetes are more likely to become overweight or obese and have a higher risk of developing diabetes themselves. Gaining more weight than is recommended during pregnancy carries similar risks, and these women are also less likely to lose the excess weight after the baby is born. In this systematic review, the research team from Spain looked at the results of enrolling healthy pregnant women, who did little or no exercise, into exercise programmes. Analysis of 13 trials, involving more than 2,800 women, found that exercise reduced the risk of gestational diabetes by more than 30% -- for women who exercised throughout pregnancy this was even greater (36%). This effect was strongest for women who combined toning, strength, flexibility and aerobic exercise. Exercise was also helpful in reducing excessive weight gain -- those who exercised were on average a kilogram lighter. This held true for the weight gain even if the exercise programme was started in the second trimester of pregnancy. Gema Sanabria- Martinez, from Virgen de la Luz Hospital and lead author of the study, said, "Exercise is not something to be feared during pregnancy -- the moderate levels of exercise used in these studies had significantly positive effects on health and were found to be safe for both mother and baby." Mike Marsh, BJOG Deputy Editor-in-chief added, "This careful analysis of previous studies shows a beneficial effect of exercise on healthy pregnant women who ordinarily did little or no exercise. It may influence recommendations for exercise in pregnancy in such women. Further studies are needed to establish whether this effect is seen in all pregnant women." Story Source: The above story is based on materials provided by Wiley. Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. Journal Reference: G Sanabria-Martínez, A García-Hermoso, R Poyatos-León, C Álvarez-Bueno, M Sánchez-López, V Martínez-Vizcaíno. Effectiveness of physical activity interventions on preventing gestational diabetes mellitus and excessive maternal weight gain: a meta-analysis. BJOG: An International Journal of Obstetrics & Gynaecology, 2015; DOI: 10.1111/1471-0528.13429

Women's contribution to healthcare constitutes nearly 5% of global GDP, but nearly half is unpaid and unrecognized

 

A major new Commission on women and health has found that women are contributing around $3 trillion to global health care, but nearly half of this (2.35% of global GDP) is unpaid and unrecognized. Published in The Lancet, the Commission offers one of the most exhaustive analyses to date of the evidence surrounding the complex relationships between women and health, and demonstrates that women's distinctive contribution to society is under-recognised and undervalued -- economically, socially, politically, and culturally. The report underlines that women are important providers as much as recipients of health care, and that globally, their changing needs in both of these respects are not being met. According to Professor Ana Langer, head of the Women and Health Initiative at Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health in Boston, USA, who co-led the commission, "Too often, women's health is essentially equated to maternal and reproductive health. However, the evidence outlined by this Commission overturns this conventional interpretation, and we urge the global health community and policymakers worldwide to embrace a more holistic -- and realistic -- understanding of women and health. It's time to acknowledge women's comprehensive health needs throughout their lives, and their productive contributions to health care and society as a whole, as well as their similarly important roles as mothers and homemakers." The Commission, which brought together leading thinkers, heads of programmes, and activists from around the world, examines the complex links between biological, economic and social factors in improving women's health throughout their lives -- including the substantial effects of rapid globalisation, urbanisation, and climate change, all of which have inequitable effects on women's health. According to Professor Afaf Meleis from the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing, Philadelphia, USA, who co-led the Commission with Langer, "Often urban areas are developed without any input from women, and without addressing their needs for adequate lighting, safe transportation, access to healthy food, to infrastructures that promote community connectivity, and to integrated health care, child and elderly care. This puts women at increased risk of violence, non-communicable diseases and stressful life overload, which may in turn have adverse consequences for their families." The authors conclude that gender equality and empowerment must be central to the policies and interventions used to improve healthcare and to human, social and economic development, especially in the post-2015 era. Additionally, the Commission analyses data from 32 countries, accounting for 52% of the world's population, to estimate that the financial value of women's paid contribution to the health system in 2010 was 2.47% of the global gross domestic product (GDP) and 2.35% of GDP for unpaid work (largely domestic care for family members, which is only officially acknowledged and compensated in a small number of countries, including Costa Rica, Turkey, and the UK). Women's contributions to health care amount to a total of US$3 trillion, more than the US and UK government's combined total annual expenditure. According to Commission co-author Dr Felicia Knaul, Director of the Harvard Global Equity Initiative, Boston, USA, who led the economic calculations, "Our findings on women's paid and unpaid financial contributions to health worldwide only begin to explore and quantify the work of women as health professionals in the paid health care labour force, and their unpaid work to support health and prevent illness undertaken in their own homes, in the homes of others and through volunteering in the health sector. The contributions of women to health and health care are myriad, and the data to fully measure them are lacking." "Worldwide, most providers of health care are women," says Professor Langer, "But the health systems to which they contribute so much are often completely unresponsive to their needs -- despite the fact that they rely heavily on their paid and unpaid contributions. Women are undervalued and unsupported by the systems in which they work, and this problem is exacerbated by inequitable access to healthcare experienced by too many women worldwide -- particularly those in the most vulnerable groups." Professor Meleis adds, "Nurses form the largest global workforce in health care, and the majority of them are women. Many nurses work in unprotected environments and their scope of authority is incongruent with education and experience. All this can lead to burnout, attrition, severe shortage and affects their health, and the health of others." The Commission concludes with a series of recommendations, including a call to recognize the importance of timely and appropriate investments in girls and women to enhance their status, strengthen health systems, and improve health outcomes, and to ensure that development planning and financing for health is responsive to the concerns and needs of women. Among other recommendations, the authors urge women to participate at all levels of decision making in society, fostering leadership in health nationally and internationally. Story Source: The above story is based on materials provided by University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing. Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. Journal Reference: Julio Frenk, MD et al. Women and Health: the key for sustainable development. The Lancet, June 2015 DOI: 10.1016/S0140-6736(15)60497-4

The Growth of Cute Baby Bunnies Over 30 Days

Posted: 04 Jun 2015 08:03 AM PDT L’artiste arefin03, basé au Bangladesh, a suivi la croissance d’un de ses bébés-lapins nommé Tooni, pendant 30 jours. Cela donne des clichés adorables et attendrissants de cette petite boule de poils qui s’étire et s’amuse avec des mugs et tasses. A découvrir en images dans la galerie.