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Health

Physicists build inexpensive land mine detection system using off-the-shelf components

College Park, MD (June 17, 2010) -- Anyone who is an online shopper and humanitarian might find this research project appealing. Physics professor John Scales is working on a low-cost, human-focused, high technology effort to stop the devastation of unexploded buried land mines with a novel acoustical/microwave detection system. The work is described in the Journal of Applied Physics, which is published by the American Institute of Physics (AIP). In a project sponsored by the U.S. Army Research Laboratory's Army Research Office, Scales, his collaborator Martin Smith, and students at the Colorado School of Mines have built a new system using microwave-based sensors to detect vibrations the ground (or other structures) remotely. Cost is key. Made from off-the-shelf parts -- including online auction deals -- the system costs about $10,000. This compares to laser-based Doppler remote detection systems that sells for upwards of $1 million. Microwaves have many other advantages including that they can see through foliage. "Land mines are an enormous problem around the world for both military personnel and civilians," explains Scales. "We've developed an ultrasound technique to first shake the ground and then a microwave component to detect ground motion that indicates location of the land mine. We hope that the two components together enable us to detect the land mines in a safe fashion, from a distance." Many other applications exist for remote vibration sensing, including monitoring the structural integrity of buildings, bridges, and dams. Multiple approaches exist for land mine detection, from trained dogs and rats that detect chemicals used in the explosives to biosensor plants that change colors in response to soil conditions altered by mines. But there's still a pressing need for innovation. "The reason so many people are working on this problem from so many angles," says Scales, "is there is no one scheme that works well all the time. You need an arsenal of tools." The article, "A low-cost millimeter wave interferometer for remote vibration sensing" by John A. Scales et al will appear in the Journal of Applied Physics. See: http://jap.aip.org/ Journalists may request a free PDF of this article by contacting [email protected]. ABOUT JOURNAL OF APPLIED PHYSICS Journal of Applied Physics is the American Institute of Physics' (AIP) archival journal for significant new results in applied physics; content is published online daily, collected into two online and printed issues per month (24 issues per year). The journal publishes articles that emphasize understanding of the physics underlying modern technology, but distinguished from technology on the one side and pure physics on the other. See: http://jap.aip.org/ ABOUT AIP The American Institute of Physics is a federation of 10 physical science societies representing more than 135,000 scientists, engineers, and educators and is one of the world's largest publishers of scientific information in the physical sciences. Offering partnership solutions for scientific societies and for similar organizations in science and engineering, AIP is a leader in the field of electronic publishing of scholarly journals. AIP publishes 12 journals (some of which are the most highly cited in their respective fields), two magazines, including its flagship publication Physics Today; and the AIP Conference Proceedings series. Its online publishing platform Scitation hosts nearly two million articles from more than 185 scholarly journals and other publications of 28 learned society publishers.

Jun 16, 2010

Health

Almost three quarters of women with rheumatoid arthritis worldwide suffer pain daily

Rome, Italy, Wednesday 16 June 2010: Almost three quarters (72%) of women with Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) suffer pain daily, despite the fact that three quarters (75%) receive pain relief medication, according to a new study presented today at EULAR 2010, the Annual Congress of the European League Against Rheumatism in Rome, Italy. Furthermore the physical pain appears to affect women to such an extent that it impacts negatively on emotional and social aspects of their lives. Key results from data collected across seven countries (UK, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, USA and Canada) highlighted the health-related emotional, social and physical impact of RA on women's lives. Women with RA reported suffering feelings of detachment and isolation and said hat their condition had negatively affected intimate relationships; with 40% of single women stating that it was more challenging to find a partner and 22% of divorced or separated respondents indicating that RA played a role in their decision to separate from their partner. Sixty eight percent of women with RA reported concealing their pain from those closest to them, and 67% said they constantly look for new ideas to address the pain they suffer. "These data confirm that pain is a paramount issue for women with RA, fundamentally striking at the heart of their physical, social and emotional wellbeing. The research highlights the complexity of the management of RA, and the pain associated with RA, over and above basic symptom control," said Professor Paul Emery, President of EULAR and arc Professor of Rheumatology, Leeds Institute of Molecular Medicine, University of Leeds, UK. "The adoption of treatment pathways and strategies to reduce pain, reinstate productivity at work and manage the social impact of RA is of huge importance in the clinical management of this patient population." The survey further explored the negative impact of the disease and pain on respondents' productivity at work with 71% of those who were employed at the time of the survey (n=1,108), reporting they were less productive at work because of their RA. Many respondents reported that RA had a long term effect on their work life, with 23% of respondents stopping work altogether and 17% of respondents reporting a switch to part-time employment as a result of their RA. "PARE (People with Arthritis and Rheumatism in Europe) believes firmly that putting the patient at the centre of all discussions on the management of rheumatic conditions is imperative. The results of this study highlight that a continuing dialogue between Healthcare practitioners and patients is essential for long term conditions such as RA," said Neil Betteridge, Vice President, PARE and Chief Executive Officer of Arthritis Care in the UK. "PARE has developed a set of eight practical recommendations* organising patient involvement in clinical research which we hope will enable the successful inclusion of a patient perspective in future research projects, in particular in the context of EULAR studies. These recommendations follow a progressive model from which we believe the whole world can learn." 27,459 women aged 25-65 (mean age 46) were recruited for the study via an online research panel, 1,958 of these participants completed the questionnaire between 30th July and 31st August 2009. Seventy five percent had been formally diagnosed with RA for longer than one year, and 69% self reported moderate to severe RA disease activity. * Abstract SP0094 ("EULAR recommendations for the inclusion of patient representatives in scientific projects -- a EULAR initiative") is being presented as part of a Joint Clinical / HPR / PARE Session in Room 10 DE on Friday 18 June from 13:45. Abstract Number: OP0002-PARE For further information on this study, or to request an interview with the study lead, please do not hesitate to contact the EULAR congress Press Office on the 1st floor in Hall 5 of the Congress Centre during EULAR 2010 or on: Email: [email protected] Rory Berrie: Onsite tel: +44 7901 513 297 Caroline Butt: Onsite tel: +44 7789 270 392 About EULAR The European League Against Rheumatism (EULAR) is the organisation which represents the patient, health professional and scientific societies of rheumatology of all the European nations. In line with The European Union of Medical Specialists (UEMS), EULAR defines rheumatology as including rheumatic diseases of the connective tissue, locomotor and musculoskeletal systems. The aims of EULAR are to stimulate, promote, and support the research, prevention, treatment and rehabilitation of rheumatic diseases. To this end, EULAR fosters excellence in education and research in the field of rheumatology. It promotes the translation of research advances into daily care and fights for the recognition of the needs of people with rheumatic diseases. EULAR 2010 is set to be the biggest rheumatology event in Europe with over 15,000 scientists, physicians, allied health professionals, and related audiences in attendance from over 100 countries. Over the course of the congress, almost 300 oral and more than 1600 poster abstract presentations will be featured, with 300 invited speaker lectures taking place in more than 140 sessions. To find out more about the activities of EULAR, visit: www.eular.org

Jun 16, 2010

Health

Understanding robustness in organisms -- a potential weapon against infectious diseases

College Park, MD (June 17, 2010) -- "Robust" is an adjective appreciatively applied to certain vintage wines, but when describing viruses and pathogens, robustness is a property that may be much less desirable. It evokes drug resistant microbes and other superbugs that can wreak havoc as researchers struggle to deal with new pandemics. How can we undercut this robustness? A study in the journal Chaos, which is published by the American Institute of Physics (AIP), examines the ability of organisms to survive and sustain themselves in the face of various kinds of change. C. Brandon Ogbunugafor and his team at Yale University looked at new and existing data to determine the strengths and weaknesses of the study of robustness as a formal concept and its application in infectious systems. They found that while one must be careful in defining and applying the premise of robustness, the infectious disease paradigm was full of examples where further application might be useful. While preliminary, Dr. Ogbunugafor's work could have far-reaching implications in a world with increasing numbers of drug-resistant strains of disease. "We believe that further application of the robustness concept, with experiments designed to test it in other systems, might aid in how we study and treat infectious diseases of various kinds," Ogbunugafor says. "This is quite exciting, as it uncovers fertile ground for the application of an exciting concept in the context of infectious diseases that is highly relevant to everyday life." While there are still a number of unanswered questions, researchers are hopeful that the application of this concept could help predict how organisms evolve. Ultimately, Ogbunugafor predicts that the application of the robustness concept could serve as a "Rosetta Stone" for predictive evolution, which might constitute the next paradigm shift in evolutionary biology. "Perhaps by understanding how robustness manifests in diseases like influenza and malaria, for example, we'll be better able to predict drug resistant variants before they arise and stay a step ahead of the enemy in the ubiquitous arms race between us and the microbes that threaten our well-being," he says. The article, "On the Possible Role of Robustness in the Evolution of Infectious Diseases" by C. Brandon Ogbunugafor et al will appear in Chaos: An Interdisciplinary Journal of Nonlinear Science. See: http://Chaos.aip.org/ Journalists may request a free PDF of this article by contacting [email protected]. Chaos Chaos is an interdisciplinary journal of non-linear science. The journal is published quarterly by the American Institute of Physics and is devoted to increasing the understanding of nonlinear phenomena and describing the manifestations in a manner comprehensible to researchers from a broad spectrum of disciplines. Special focus issues are published periodically each year and cover topics as diverse as the complex behavior of the human heart to chaotic fluid flow problems. See: http://Chaos.aip.org/ ABOUT AIP The American Institute of Physics is a federation of 10 physical science societies representing more than 135,000 scientists, engineers, and educators and is one of the world's largest publishers of scientific information in the physical sciences. Offering partnership solutions for scientific societies and for similar organizations in science and engineering, AIP is a leader in the field of electronic publishing of scholarly journals. AIP publishes 12 journals (some of which are the most highly cited in their respective fields), two magazines, including its flagship publication Physics Today; and the AIP Conference Proceedings series. Its online publishing platform Scitation hosts nearly two million articles from more than 185 scholarly journals and other publications of 28 learned society publishers.

Jun 16, 2010

Health

Analysis of atmosphere in Phoenix, Ariz., suggests new model for sound urban growth policies

College Park, MD (June 17, 2010) -- Atmospheric research often focuses on clouds' impact on weather and climate. Yet even low clouds are a long way off, with a base some 6,000 feet above earth. University of Notre Dame fluid dynamics and engineering professor Harindra Fernando works the other end of the air column closer to home -- the bottom of the atmosphere in the city, which is known as the urban boundary layer. A report on his team's work appears in a recent journal article in Physics of Fluids, which is published by the American Institute of Physics (AIP). The goal is to understand atmospheric impact on people's health and comfort due to elements such as wind and airborne particle flow, dispersal and transport. Think of it as the physics of comfort. Dr. Fernando puts it this way: "The urban boundary layer of the atmosphere is where people live. And the long term-viability of cities and our ability to assure a high quality of urban life is affected by how clean our environment is and how fast it is changing by human impacts." Dr. Fernando's team used fluid mechanics to understand flow and help devise mathematic models to predict periods of high particulate pollution that affect human health and periods of extreme temperature impacting human comfort. Explains Dr. Fernando, who also is an emeritus professor at Arizona State University: "Our team started applying fluid dynamic analysis in a rapid urban growth situation of Phoenix because it is a useful test bed for developing an understanding of complex processes. We then built models to provide a basis for sound growth policy. Even though they must be further validated in the field, now policy and decision makers come to us for guidance. It's been very encouraging, because we want our cities and their residents to flourish." The article, "Flow, turbulence, and pollutant dispersion in urban atmospheres" by H. J. S. Fernando et al was published on May 13, 2010 in the journal Physics of Fluids. See: http://link.aip.org/link/PHFLE6/v22/i5/p051301/s1 Journalists may request a free PDF of this article by contacting [email protected]. ABOUT Physics of Fluids Physics of Fluids is published by the American Institute of Physics with the cooperation of The American Physical Society Division of Fluid Dynamics. The journal is devoted to the publication of original theoretical, computational, and experimental contributions to the dynamics of gases, liquids, and complex or multiphase fluids. Content is published online daily and collected into monthly online and printed issues (12 issues per year). See: http://pof.aip.org/ ABOUT AIP The American Institute of Physics is a federation of 10 physical science societies representing more than 135,000 scientists, engineers, and educators and is one of the world's largest publishers of scientific information in the physical sciences. Offering partnership solutions for scientific societies and for similar organizations in science and engineering, AIP is a leader in the field of electronic publishing of scholarly journals. AIP publishes 12 journals (some of which are the most highly cited in their respective fields), two magazines, including its flagship publication Physics Today; and the AIP Conference Proceedings series. Its online publishing platform Scitation hosts nearly two million articles from more than 185 scholarly journals and other publications of 28 learned society publishers.

Jun 16, 2010

Health

Little is understood about alcohol's effect on fetal development, Georgetown researchers say

Washington, DC -- It's long been known that alcohol use in pregnancy can lead to children with mental retardation and birth defects, but researchers who study fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS) have not made definitive progress on preventing the disorder, detecting it early, or effectively treating it, say researchers from Georgetown University Medical Center. In the issue of Developmental Neuroscience, four first-year medical students at Georgetown University School of Medicine looked into the science and clinical treatment of FAS, and found that although there is much ongoing study, no new medical strategies exist to change the grim outcome that can occur when a fetus is exposed to alcohol. "Although there is a lot of research in the field to determine how alcohol acts on the developing brain, there is not much translation into the clinic," says Sahar Ismail, now a second year medical student. "What surprised us the most was the lack of sensitive and specific diagnostic tools to identify children with FAS, given its prevalence and harmful effects on the child, family, and society." Working with her on the study were medical students Stephanie Buckley, Ross Budacki, and Ahmad Jabbar -- each student contributed equally. Their study was a project for the Sexual Development and Reproduction Module under directorship of G. Ian Gallicano, PhD, an associate professor in the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular & Cellular Biology. "This is a very important review, because it combed the research literature on FAS, and concluded that nothing has changed clinically," Gallicano says. "Not every woman who drinks alcohol will have a child with FAS, but because so much remains unknown, women are still advised not to drink any time during pregnancy." Even the question of whether alcohol is a teratogen (a chemical that causes nervous system abnormalities) in the first days or weeks of pregnancy -- when a woman may not know she is pregnant -- has not been answered fully, says Ismail. Mouse studies show alcohol can have detrimental effects at any stage of fetal development, but "only so much can be concluded about humans from mouse studies," she says. "All we can say now is that there is no safe period to drink." What is clear, however, is that alcohol is the leading cause of preventable mental retardation, the researchers say. FAS is relatively uncommon, affecting .2 to 1.5 live births in every 1,000, but fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD), the less severe form of FAS, is much more common and has a broad range of the same symptoms, they say. "Taken together, both FAS and FASD, are more common than the public realizes but are entirely preventable," Ismail says. The study authors say FAS research shows: Alcohol can have a range of effects on the baby but the fetal brain is particularly at risk because of its complex blood networks. Alcohol is carried from the mother to the child through blood that flows through the umbilical cord. Many factors influence the severity of alcohol's effects, such as maternal genetics, increased maternal age, history of alcohol abuse, poor prenatal care. In the genetics realm, for example, researchers have found that women with a more efficient enzyme that breaks down alcohol have a decreased risk of giving birth to a child with FAS. Alcohol can cause dramatic and irreversible effects on the fetus, such as developmental delay, head and facial irregularities, seizures, hyperactivity, attention deficits, cognitive deficits, learning and memory impairments, poor psychosocial functioning, facial irregularities, and motor coordination deficits. However, the exact developmental phases in which alcohol has these specific effects on the fetus are not entirely known Based on animal studies, consumption of alcohol during the times in animals that correspond to the first 2-3 weeks in human brain growth are detrimental to the brain. But much remains unknown about alcohol's vast mechanism in growth development in humans, most importantly on neurogenesis. It is very important to identify FAS early in life in order to provide the child with the appropriate counseling and guidance as early as possible. But, at this point, there is no treatment or specific and sensitive diagnostic tools to diagnose FAS early in pregnancy or early after birth. Still, the authors say there is ongoing research aimed at devising better diagnostic tools for FAS. These include a panel of genes that are altered in a developing fetus and a kit to examine a newborn's stool for telltale chemicals. Research is underway to find biomarkers that can inform physicians if a pregnant woman is using, or chronically abusing, alcohol. One marker, for example, can be detected in a woman's bloodstream for at least 28 days after alcohol use. Other researchers are studying biomarkers in amniotic fluid that can distinguish between high-risk and low-risk pregnancies. Still, the authors say there is comparatively little investigation on these ideas. Prevention of FAS is an important goal primarily because so little is understood about the adverse effects that alcohol has on the developing fetus. Current prevention programs focus on educating potential mothers at risk for conceiving a child with FAS. However, potentially powerful approaches are being studied in animals, such as the use of agents to protect the developing brain early in pregnancy or to treat brain malformations caused by alcohol exposure. Although there is vast research in this area, clinical strategies to reverse the effects of alcohol are not foreseeable in the near future, the authors say. The authors report no related financial interests. There was no funding for the study. About Georgetown University Medical Center Georgetown University Medical Center is an internationally recognized academic medical center with a three-part mission of research, teaching and patient care (through MedStar Health). GUMC's mission is carried out with a strong emphasis on public service and a dedication to the Catholic, Jesuit principle of cura personalis -- or "care of the whole person." The Medical Center includes the School of Medicine and the School of Nursing and Health Studies, both nationally ranked, the world-renowned Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center and the Biomedical Graduate Research Organization (BGRO), home to 60 percent of the university's sponsored research funding.

Jun 15, 2010

Earth & Environment

Delineating primary and secondary organic carbon in neoproterozoic glacial sediments

KNOXVILLE -- How do we begin to understand what early life was like on Earth about 700 million years ago as our planet shifted from an oxygen-free and probably ice-covered realm to the oxygen-rich world that we know today? One geochemist who decodes the early record of life on Earth has found a method featuring a combination of chemical analyses for a significantly clearer picture of this dynamic environment. Alison Olcott Marshall of the University of Kansas presented her findings today at the Goldschmidt Conference in Knoxville, Tenn. The conference is attended by several thousand geochemists and features new scientific discoveries regarding the Earth, energy and the environment. It is hosted by the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, and Oak Ridge National Laboratory. Marshall is particularly interested in the time called Snowball Earth, a period at the end of the Precambrian Era when geochemists speculate that the world was covered from pole to pole with glacial ice and the existing organisms lived exclusively in water. At that time life was still primarily single-cell organisms. So Marshall looks at chemical fossils to recreate the environment. The chemical complexes left from the cell walls of these organisms are more abundant and more easily classified than body fossils within the samples. Marshall's research carries her to southeast Brazil, where there is stable sedimentary rock from the late Precambrian era. Her samples come from exploratory drilling that reached eight hundred meters down into the core of black shale that was at the bottom of a sea 700 million years ago. "The one caveat with biomarkers (chemical fossils) is that there is always a danger of contamination," Marshall said. Her initial tests using an instrument that looks at chemical compounds by molecular weight often had questionable results due to the possibility of contamination from material of a later period. However, by using another type of high resolution analysis called Raman spectroscopy, she also measured the subtle nuances of vibration that occur at the molecular level. Her high resolution results revealed two previously undetected distinctions in time generations. The Goldschmidt Conference, held the week of June 13-19 in Knoxville, Tenn., is sponsored by a number of international geochemical societies and named for Victor Goldschmidt (1888-1947), the Swiss-Norwegian scientist and father of geochemistry.

Jun 15, 2010

Technology

Geochemist raises questions about carbon sequestration at Goldschmidt Conference

KNOXVILLE -- As carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere rise, policy makers and scientists are looking at new ways to tackle the problems associated with the greenhouse gas. One method under much discussion is carbon capture and storage (CCS), otherwise known as carbon sequestration. CCS, a newly developing technology, involves injecting carbon dioxide underground to remove it from the Earth's atmosphere. Donald J. DePaolo, a distinguished geochemist from the University of California, Berkeley and the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, raised new questions about carbon sequestration today during the Goldschmidt Conference hosted by the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, and Oak Ridge National Laboratory. DePaolo's presentation focused on the significance of geochemistry in analyzing the effectiveness of proposed carbon sequestration. He examined how current plans for carbon storage could benefit by paying more attention to the critical role of underground chemical reactions. For instance, when carbon dioxide comes into contact with water in underground aquifers, it can form a weak acid that will start to dissolve minerals in the rocks. According to DePaolo, research is needed to analyze how fast such reactions proceed and which minerals are affected to better gauge the efficiency of carbon storage projects. DePaolo's presentation, entitled "Carbon sequestration geochemistry," aims to open encouragement for other geochemists to start addressing the importance of geochemical questions in carbon storage programs. This year's Goldschmidt Conference is being held during the week of June 13-18 in Knoxville, Tenn. Several thousand geochemists from around the world are presenting new scientific discoveries dealing with the Earth, energy and the environment.

Jun 15, 2010

Health

Sex, drugs and moral goals: Penn study of reproductive strategies and recreational drug use

PHILADELPHIA -- - Why is there so much disagreement about whether using recreational drugs is morally wrong? A University of Pennsylvania psychology study shows that the debate about drugs might really be about sex. The study compared two competing theories. One theory -- the conventional wisdom in political science -- sees drug attitudes as primarily coming from people's political ideology, level of religious commitment, and personality, for example, openness to experience. The other theory, proposed by the researchers and driven by ideas from evolutionary psychology, holds that drug attitudes are really driven by people's reproductive strategies. When the Penn researchers questioned almost 1,000 people in two subject populations, one undergraduate and one Internet-based, a clear winner emerged between the competing theories: Differences in reproductive strategies are driving individuals' different views on recreational drugs. While many items predict to some extent whether people are opposed to recreational drugs, the most closely related predictors are people's views on sexual promiscuity. While people who are more religious and those who are more politically conservative do tend to oppose recreational drugs, in both study samples the predictive power of these religious and ideological items was reduced nearly to zero by controlling for items tracking attitudes toward sexual promiscuity. "This provides evidence that views on sex and views on drugs are very closely related," said Kurzban, associate professor in the Department of Psychology and director of the Pennsylvania Laboratory for Experimental Evolutionary Psychology at Penn. "If you were to measure people's political ideology, religiosity and personality characteristics, you can predict to some degree how people feel about recreational drugs. But if, instead, you just measure how people feel about casual sex, and ignore the abstract items, the predictions about people's views on drugs in fact become quite a bit better." From a theoretical perspective, the study also concludes that considering morality from the standpoint of strategic reproductive interests is a potentially useful way to understand why humans care about third-party behavior. According to the researchers' evolutionary model, people develop complex differences in their sexual and reproductive strategies. One key difference that creates strategic conflict arises in people's orientations towards casual sexual activity. The relationships of people following a more committed, monogamous reproductive strategy are put at greater risk when casual sex is prevalent. On the other hand, people pursuing a less committed lifestyle seek to avoid having their choices moralized, forbidden and punished. The researchers cite prior work showing that recreational drug usage is often associated with promiscuity. The results of the study imply that attitudes against recreational drugs are part of a larger attempt to advance the cause of committed, monogamous reproductive strategies. "Condemnation of drug usage might be best understood in the context of strategic dynamics, with individuals influencing moral rules in a way that favors their own competitive reproductive strategies," Kurzban said. "We expect that this relationship between sexual strategy and moral stances will occur in other areas as well, such as attitudes toward prostitution, sexual education or abortion." The research team analyzed questionnaires from 516 undergraduate students from the University of Central Florida and 471 individuals recruited from a Web-based recruitment site, Amazon's Mechanical Turk, or Mturk. Participants reported their overall liberal/conservative political identification, rated their support or opposition to a number of current political issues and answered questions about their personalities, disgust sensitivity, moral views, sexual attitudes and level of religiosity. The measure of recreational drug attitudes consisted of questions on the morality and legal status of using marijuana, cocaine and Ecstasy, as well as general attitudes towards recreational drugs. The study, published in the current issue of Proceedings of the Royal Society B, was conducted by Kurzban of Penn's Department of Psychology in the School of Arts and Sciences, Jason Weeden of the Pennsylvania Laboratory for Experimental Evolutionary Psychology at Penn and Amber Dukes of the University of Central Florida.

Jun 15, 2010

Health

Inbred sperm fertilize fewer eggs according to University of East Anglia research

Inbred male sperm have been found to fertilise fewer eggs when in competition with non-inbred males according to a new study by the University of East Anglia. Research into the breeding habits of the red flour beetle, published today in Proceedings of the Royal Society B, shows that the reduced fitness of inbred beetles, known as 'inbreeding depression', reveals itself in competitive scenarios. Inbreeding is a potentially important problem in declining species across the world, and conserving genetic variation is now recognised as a priority by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. The new research is potentially vital for the successful implementation of recovery programmes of inbred species. When populations deplete or fragment, relatives can be forced into reproduction, often leading to inbreeding depression. Led by Dr Matt Gage, the new research into the promiscuous red flour beetle (Tribolium castaneum) measured how male reproduction responded to forced inbreeding. After mating brothers with sisters for eight generations, the research found no changes in male fertility or mating behaviour. However, inbred male sperm fertilized fewer eggs when in competition with another non-inbred male, and sperm became more variable in size. Dr Gage said: "The experiment was designed to make comparisons with non-inbred control lines. Using multiple inbred lines, we measured the effect s of inbreeding on pre and post-mating success, in the absence and presence of male-male competition." The results showed no differences between inbred and non-inbred males in terms of mating success, latency, duration, the number of mounts or persistency in a non-competitive setting. However inbred males suffered significantly reduced sperm competitiveness, fathering an average of 15 per cent fewer offspring than non-inbred males across 330 sperm competition comparisons. Dr Gage said: "It seems that inbreeding depression in sperm competitiveness was caused by a decrease in either sperm quantity or quality that is critical for relative competitiveness, but still allows full male fertilization success to be achieved under benign, competition-free conditions. "We have shown that male fertility and mating competence are not affected by inbreeding and that any decline in sperm quality under inbreeding is only detectable when sperm competition is invoked. "One limitation to this study is that the ancestral laboratory stock we have used is likely to carry relatively reduced genetic diversity. Also insect sperm do not generally manifest cellular abnormalities akin to those commonly found in more complex mammalian sperm," he added. The next stage of the research will explore ways that female beetles use multiple mating to generate sperm competition and thereby avoid inbreeding depression of their own fertility. The research is part of a three-year £400,000 project funded by the Natural Environmental Research Council (NERC). The overall results will help managers of conservation and captive breeding projects recognise when inbreeding is a problem, how it progresses and how best to manage or reverse it.

Jun 15, 2010

Health

Researchers identify a fundamental process in lysosomal function and protein degradation

The degradation of proteins and other macromolecules in cells is vital to survival. Disruption of this process can result in serious disease. The research group of Professor Thomas Jentsch (Leibniz Institute for Molecular Pharmacology, FMP/ Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine, MDC, Berlin-Buch) has now succeeded in identifying an essential cellular process necessary for the transport and degradation of macromolecules in endosomes and lysosomes, respectively. In two studies published in the same issue of the journal Science, they showed that -- contrary to scientific consensus -- the function of these tiny cell organelles not only depends on the pH, but also on chloride ion accumulation in their interior (Science 11 June 2010, Vol. 328. no. 5984, pp. 1398-1401, DOI: 10.1126/science.1188070; pp. 1401-1403, DOI: 10.1126/science.1188072; originally published in Science Express on 29 April 2010)*. Proteins are the building blocks and machines of life. Tens of thousands of them are present in each cell, where they perform essential tasks for the organism. Once they have fulfilled their function, they must be degraded to avoid causing damage. One way in which proteins can be degraded is via the digestion processes inside tiny cellular organelles, the lysosomes. The transport of the proteins destined for degradation to these cellular "trash bins" is partly carried out by endosomes, which deliver proteins from the cell surface to the cell interior. The functionality of both endosomes and lysosomes depends on the ion concentration within their membrane-enclosed interior. In particular, an important role is ascribed to a high concentration of hydrogen ions, i.e. an acidic pH, inside those organelles. The two studies by Dr. Stefanie Weinert, Dr. Gaia Novarino and Professor Thomas Jentsch focus on two ion transport proteins, the chloride transporters ClC-5 and ClC-7. These are located in the membrane of endosomes and/or lysosomes and exchange negatively charged chloride ions for positively charged hydrogen ions (protons). ClC-5 is located in the membrane of endosomes in renal cells. If ClC-5 is defective or lacking altogether, proteins can hardly be absorbed from the urine any longer. In a cascade of indirect mechanisms, this leads to the development of kidney stones in Dent's disease. ClC-7 is located in the membrane of lysosomes in all cells of the body. The research group by Thomas Jentsch showed already a few years ago that mutations of ClC-7 in mice and humans lead to severe disease symptoms. Impaired lysosomal function in the brain results in severe degenerative changes that leads to massive neuronal death. A dysfunction of bone-degrading osteoclasts causes an excessive calcification of bones (osteopetrosis). The chloride-proton exchangers ClC-5 and ClC-7 function parallel to proton pumps, which ensures an acidic environment within endosomes and lysosomes. ClC-5 and ClC-7 transport chloride ions into these organelles, thereby electrically balancing the inward transport of positively charged protons through the "pump". Hitherto researchers had assumed that maintaining the charge balance was the sole task of ClC-5 and ClC-7, without which both the transport of endosomes and lysosomal protein degradation are impaired. However, Professor Jentsch and his team showed several years ago that the pH in lysosomes devoid of ClC-7 is normal and that nevertheless lysosomal storage disease and osteopetrosis ensue. This means that charge balancing in lysosomes may involve a different, previously unknown mechanism, and that the main task of ClC-7 may rather be the regulation of lysosomal chloride concentration. The Berlin research group proposed that the exchange of chloride for protons, which are more highly concentrated in the acidic environment of lysosomes than in the rest of the cell, accumulates chloride ions in lysosomes. A high lysosomal chloride concentration may be functionally important. "In an elegant experimental approach" as Professor Jentsch explains the test of this hypothesis, "Dr. Novarino and Dr. Weinert converted the ClC-5 and ClC-7 chloride-proton exchangers in the mouse into pure chloride conductors (channels). They exchanged a single amino acid out of a total of around 800 present in the ion transporters". These mutated transport proteins are optimally suited to compensate the charge transfer by the proton pump and therefore should, according to the hypothesis of the research group, support the acidification of the organelles very well. On the other hand, the uncoupling of chloride transport from proton transport should significantly lower the accumulation of chloride into these organelles. Indeed, this prediction was confirmed experimentally in their mouse model. "Surprisingly," Professor Jentsch said, "the corresponding mice showed almost the same disease symptoms as with a total lack of the respective proteins." With this experiment, the MDC and FMP researchers were able to show for the first time that not only the lack of endosomal/lysosomal acidification, but also a reduced accumulation of chloride ions in these organelles plays a crucial role in generating the severe symptoms of these hereditary diseases, that is a form of kidney stone disease as well as neurodegeneration. A dysregulation of organellar chloride concentration may also play a role in other human diseases. *Endosomal Chloride-Proton Exchange Rather Than Chloride Conductance is Crucial for Renal Endocytosis Gaia Novarino1, Stefanie Weinert1, Gesa Rickheit1,2 & Thomas J. Jentsch1 1 Leibniz-Institut für Molekulare Pharmakologie (FMP)and Max-Delbrück-Centrum für Molekulare Medizin (MDC), Berlin, Germany 2 Present address: TaconicArtemis GmbH, Köln, Germany * Lysosomal Pathology and Osteopetrosis Upon Loss of H+-Driven Lysosomal Cl- Accumulation Stefanie Weinert1,2, Sabrina Jabs1,2,6, Chayarop Supanchart3, Michaela Schweizer4, Niclas Gimber1,2, Martin Richter1,6, Jörg Rademann1,6,7, Tobias Stauber1,2,Uwe Kornak3,5 & Thomas J. Jentsch1,2 1 Leibniz-Institut für Molekulare Pharmakologie (FMP), Berlin, Germany 2 Max-Delbrück-Centrum für Molekulare Medizin (MDC), Berlin, Germany 3 Institut für Medizinische Genetik, Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Germany 4 Zentrum für Molekulare Neurobiologie (ZMNH), Universität Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany 5 Max-Planck-Institut für Molekulare Genetik, Berlin, Germany 6 Freie Universität, Berlin, Germany 7Present address: Institut für Pharmazie, Universität Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany Barbara Bachtler Press and Public Affairs Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine (MDC) Berlin-Buch Robert-Rössle-Straße 10; 13125 Berlin; Germany Phone: +49 (0) 30 94 06 - 38 96 Fax: +49 (0) 30 94 06 - 38 33 e-mail: [email protected] http://www.mdc-berlin.de/

Jun 15, 2010

Health

SNM 2010 image of the year: Molecular imaging shows parathyroid disease in greater detail

RESTON, Va. - SNM's 2010 Image of the Year illustrates the potential of hybrid molecular imaging to provide precise information about the location and function of a condition known as "hyperparathyroidism." Researchers selected this image from more than 1,500 studies presented over the course of four days during SNM's 57th Annual Meeting in Salt Lake City. "Each year, SNM chooses an image that exemplifies the most cutting-edge molecular imaging research today, as well as illustrates the potential of molecular imaging to provide physicians with a critical component for the detection and diagnosis of disease," said Michael M. Graham, Ph.D., M.D., immediate past-president of SNM. "This year's Image of the Year provides an example of a novel imaging presentation, using a combination of single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) with high resolution CT angiography, which pinpoints the abnormally functioning parathyroid adenoma and the arteries feeding it. With this information, physicians may be able determine the exact location and size of the abnormal gland and plan minimally invasive surgery that reduces operative time, thus improving patient care." The SNM Image of the Year shows the potential of fusion of high-resolution 3D anatomy with functional SPECT images to provide critical information to help physicians to diagnose and treat hyperparathyroidism, an endocrine disease that occurs when the parathyroid glands develop a small adenoma, a benign tumor that produces too much hormone and causes high levels of calcium in the blood. It is usually treated by invasive, exploratory surgery. Using fusion images, physicians can obtain detailed information about the anatomical localization, blood supply and metabolism of the overactive parathyroid adenoma. In this study, researchers scanned 31 patients with symptoms of primary hyperparathyroidism using a nuclear medicine technique called MIBI, combined with SPECT and multidetector computed tomography (MDCT). Researchers obtained thin-slice multiplanar reconstruction images of the neck using a 64-row MDCT with contrast enhancement. When the enlarged gland was successfully identified, volume-rendered images of the thyroid and parathyroid with feeding arteries were generated. Then, 2- and 3-dimensional fusion images were also obtained using dedicated workstations. The diagnostic value of 3-dimensional SPECT/CT fusion images was compared with those by MIBI SPECT alone and by ultrasound. The study shows that the hybrid molecular imaging technique was more effective than single modality scanning alone. A total of 34 glands were identified by surgery. SPECT/CT fusion image, MIBI SPECT and ultrasound identified 32 (94%), 27 (79%) and 27 (79%) adenomas, respectively. The fusion imaging technique identified five glands that were missed by ultrasound and MIBI SPECT. The fusion images successfully showed feeding arteries in 29 adenomas. With the use of fusion images for navigation, preliminary results in eight patients showed that operation time is decreased by approximately 82% compared to studies performed without fusion images. According to the National Institutes of Health, approximately 100,000 Americans develop hyperparathyroidism each year. Women outnumber men two to one, and risk increases with age. In women 60 years and older, two out of 1,000 will develop hyperparathyroidism each year. Abstract 200: K. Nakada, I. Sakuma, M. Sakurai, K. Noriyasu, Hokko Memorial Hospital, Sapporo, Japan; N. Takada, Kaisei Hospital, Sapporo, Japan; H. Takahashi, Hokkaido University Hospital, Sapporo, Japan. "Clinical Value of Fusion Images of MIBI SPECT and Enhanced MDCT Registered by Workstation in Primary Hyperparathyroidism." SNM's 57th Annual Meeting, June 5𔃇, 2010, Salt Lake City, Utah. About SNM -- Advancing Molecular Imaging and Therapy SNM is an international scientific and medical organization dedicated to raising public awareness about what molecular imaging is and how it can help provide patients with the best health care possible. SNM members specialize in molecular imaging, a vital element of today's medical practice that adds an additional dimension to diagnosis, changing the way common and devastating diseases are understood and treated. SNM's more than 17,000 members set the standard for molecular imaging and nuclear medicine practice by creating guidelines, sharing information through journals and meetings and leading advocacy on key issues that affect molecular imaging and therapy research and practice. For more information, visit http://www.snm.org.

Jun 15, 2010

Health

UM School of Medicine scientists find hormone influences sensitivity to sweetness

A hormone that helps to regulate blood sugar levels may also influence a person's sensitivity to sweet-tasting foods, according to a new study from researchers at the University of Maryland School of Medicine. They found that blocking the tongue's ability to respond to the hormone known as glucagon decreases the taste system's sensitivity to sweetness. That is, changing the actions of the hormone glucagon could control how foods taste, according to the study published online June 14 in the Federation for American Societies for Experimental Biology (FASEB) Journal. "An interesting possibility resulting from our research is that the development of new food additives could change the way you perceive your food, making it taste more or less sweet," said senior author Steven D. Munger, Ph.D., associate professor of anatomy and neurobiology at the University of Maryland School of Medicine. "From a food industry perspective, such additives could be used to enhance flavor. From a therapeutic perspective, they could be used to treat patients who under-eat or overeat." Glucagon, a hormone secreted by the pancreas, acts in opposition to insulin. Glucagon raises blood glucose levels, while insulin lowers those levels. Dr. Munger and his colleagues found that glucagon and its receptor are expressed in mouse taste receptor cells that are associated with the detection of sugars and sweetness. The scientists also found that blocking glucagon's actions using a specific drug made mice less responsive to a sweet solution they were offered. Mice are often used as models for humans in such research, since the mechanisms that regulate taste are similar in both species. "The data suggest that a person's susceptibility to sweetness might have to do with their metabolic state or nutritional needs," says Dr. Munger. Funding for the study came from the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD) and the National Institute on Aging, both part of the National Institutes of Health, and the Ajinomoto Amino Acid Research Program. The study was coauthored by School of Medicine Program in Neuroscience graduate student Amanda Elson, postdoctoral fellow Shawn Dotson, Ph.D., and Josephine Egan, M.D., of the National Institute on Aging. A previous study by the same research team found that another hormone, similar to glucagon, also plays a role in taste. The current study now shows that the actions of these hormones can be directly manipulated in the mouth. "When we blocked glucagon in this study, the mice were less sensitive to sugar," Dr. Munger says. "That leaves open the possibility that we could also enhance sensitivity to sugars by manipulating glucagon in the other direction. That could open doors for food additives to make what we eat taste sweeter without adding more sugar." "The taste system plays a non-traditional role in glucose metabolism and brings a new perspective into the control of diabetes and obesity," says James F. Battey Jr., M.D., Ph.D., director of the NIDCD. Dr. Munger and his colleagues now are pursuing the next step in their research, examining how glucagon works together with other hormones to regulate the tongue's sensitivity to sweet and savory tastes. They also are exploring how the hormones affect how much one eats -- if a subject is less sensitive to sweet tastes, does that increase or decrease the size of their meal? "Dr. Munger's findings could have great significance for patients who suffer from diabetes, metabolic disorders or obesity," says E. Albert Reece, M.D., Ph.D., M.B.A., acting president of the University of Maryland, Baltimore and John Z. and Akiko K. Bowers Distinguished Professor and dean, University of Maryland School of Medicine. "This is an example of how our world-class basic scientists are making groundbreaking discoveries that could directly impact human health down the line."

Jun 15, 2010

Technology

Day 57: Updated figures show oil from spill could have powered 68,000 cars for year

By day 57 (June 15), if all the oil from the Deepwater Horizon spill in the Gulf of Mexico had been used for fuel, it could have powered 68,000 cars, and 6,100 trucks, and 3,100 ships for a full year, according to University of Delaware Prof. James J. Corbett, who updates the numbers daily on his website (http://www.ceoe.udel.edu/getinvolved/oilSpill.aspx). That's based on the average estimated spill rate of 30,000 barrels of oil per day. On June 10, the science team analyzing the spill updated their estimates to range between 20,000 and 40,000 barrels per day, nearly double their original estimated flow rate. Corbett now includes calculations based on the new average on his website at UD. Visitors to the website can choose the spill rate they believe is most accurate from a range of reported estimates, and the website will automatically calculate how many cars, trucks, and ships could have been powered for a year, based on Bureau of Transportation Statistics. The website also provides information on how to reduce risks of future oil spills. Corbett, a professor of marine policy in UD's College of Earth, Ocean, and Environment, works on energy and environmental solutions for transportation. For the original story posted on day 40 of the spill, see the UDaily webpage (http://www.udel.edu/udaily/2010/jun/corbett060910.html). It includes a link to a YouTube video of Corbett.

Jun 15, 2010

Health

Elderly patients in need of heart valve replacements have alternative to surgery

Doctors at the University Heart Center in Hamburg, Germany successfully used transcatheter valve-in-valve implantation in elderly patients with degenerated bioprostheses in aortic and mitral position. This minimally invasive procedure was used as an alternative treatment option for patients who were at high surgical risk. Full details of the study are available in the June issue of Catheterization and Cardiovascular Interventions, a journal published by Wiley-Blackwell on behalf of The Society for Cardiovascular Angiography and Interventions. Recently, heart valve replacement surgery made headlines after broadcast journalist, Barbara Walters, underwent the procedure last month. Each year more than 300,000 patients worldwide have this surgery to repair problematic or diseased heart valves. The replacement valves can be mechanical, of which modern versions can last indefinitely, or tissue (xenograft) valves that on average last 15 years. With mechanical valves, patients must also be treated with anticoagulant drugs. However, reoperation which is the standard treatment to replace degenerated valves, is not always an option for patients who are at greater morbidity risk due to advanced age and other compounding issues such as renal dysfunction. In the current study, Moritz Seiffert, M.D., and colleagues report on their experience with transcatheter valve-in-valve implantation in 5 patients with significant xenograft degeneration of 15.4 years after aortic (n=4) and mitral (n=1) valve replacement. The mean age of patients was 82 years and predicted operative mortality was 55.8% based on the European System for Cardiac Operative Risk Evaluation (EuroSCORE). Successful transcatheter valve-in-valve implantation was performed in all patients through a transapical access with a 23-mm Edwards Sapien valve deployed into the degenerated valve. Post-procedure results show the mean trans-valvular gradients were reduced from 31.2 to 19.0 mm Hg in the aortic location and 9 to 3 mm Hg in the mitral position. Doctors did not report any significant regurgitation (backwards blood flow). Two high-risk patients expired within 30 days due to low cardiac output and acute hemorrhage, respectively. One of the deaths occurred in a patient who presented with a EuroSCORE of 88.9%. "Transcatheter valve-in-valve implantation offers an alternative treatment option for elderly patients who have disproportional operative risks," said Dr. Seiffert. The doctors highlight that reoperative valve surgery was not an option in these candidates and valve-in-valve implantation turned out to be a valuable bail-out procedure. "As the aged population continues to grow, a minimally-invasive procedure such as transcatheter valve-in-valve implantation is a promising alternative," concluded Dr. Seiffert. "However adequate patient selection and an interdisciplinary approach are crucial to the success of this procedure." Article: "Series of Transcatheter Valve-in-valve Implantations in High-Risk Patients with Degenerated Bioprostheses in Aortic and Mitral Position." Moritz Seiffert, Olaf Franzen, Lenard Conradi, Stephan Baldus, Johannes Schirmer, Thomas Meinertz, Hermann Reichenspurner, and Hendrik Treede. Catheterization and Cardiovascular Interventions; Published Online: June 15, 2010 (DOI: 10.1002/ccd.22618); Print Issue: June 2010. This study is published in Catheterization and Cardiovascular Intervention. Media wishing to receive a PDF of this article may contact [email protected]. Catheterization and Cardiovascular Interventions is the official journal of The Society for Cardiovascular Angiography and Interventions. This international journal covers the broad field of cardiovascular diseases. Subject material includes basic and clinical information that is derived from or related to invasive and interventional coronary or peripheral vascular techniques. The journal focuses on material that will be of immediate practical value to physicians providing patient care in the clinical laboratory setting. To accomplish this, the journal publishes Preliminary Reports and Work In Progress articles that complement the traditional Original Studies, Case Reports, and Comprehensive Reviews. Perspective and insight concerning controversial subjects and evolving technologies are provided regularly through Editorial Commentaries furnished by members of the Editorial Board and other experts. Articles are subject to double-blind peer review and complete editorial evaluation prior to any decision regarding acceptability. For more information, please visit http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/journal/117934745/grouphome/home.html. Wiley-Blackwell is the international scientific, technical, medical, and scholarly publishing business of John Wiley & Sons, Inc., with strengths in every major academic and professional field and partnerships with many of the world's leading societies. Wiley-Blackwell publishes nearly 1,500 peer-reviewed journals and 1,500+ new books annually in print and online, as well as databases, major reference works and laboratory protocols. For more information, please visit www.wileyblackwell.com or www.interscience.wiley.com. The Society for Cardiovascular Angiography and Interventions (SCAI) is the primary professional association for invasive and interventional cardiologists, representing over 4,300 physicians in 60 countries. The Society's mission is to promote excellence in invasive and interventional cardiovascular medicine through physician education and representation, its monthly journal Catheterization and Cardiovascular Interventions, and the advancement of quality standards to enhance patient care. For more information, please visit http://www.scai.org or SCAI's comprehensive patient education website, www.seconds-count.org.

Jun 15, 2010