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মঙ্গলবার, ৭ মে, ২০১৩
সোমবার, ৬ মে, ২০১৩
Portable device provides rapid, accurate diagnosis of tuberculosis, other bacterial infections
May 5, 2013 ? A handheld diagnostic device that Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) investigators first developed to diagnose cancer has been adapted to rapidly diagnose tuberculosis (TB) and other important infectious bacteria. Two papers appearing in the journals Nature Communications and Nature Nanotechnology describe portable devices that combine microfluidic technology with nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) to not only diagnose these important infections but also determine the presence of antibiotic-resistant bacterial strains.
"Rapidly identifying the pathogen responsible for an infection and testing for the presence of resistance are critical not only for diagnosis but also for deciding which antibiotics to give a patient," says Ralph Weissleder, MD, PhD, director of the MGH Center for Systems Biology (CSB) and co-senior author of both papers. "These described methods allow us to do this in two to three hours, a vast improvement over standard culturing practice, which can take as much as two weeks to provide a diagnosis."
Investigators at the MGH CSB previously developed portable devices capable of detecting cancer biomarkers in the blood or in very small tissue samples. Target cells or molecules are first labeled with magnetic nanoparticles, and the sample is then passed through a micro NMR system capable of detecting and quantifying levels of the target. But initial efforts to adapt the system to bacterial diagnosis had trouble finding antibodies -- the detection method used in the earlier studies -- that would accurately detect the specific bacteria. Instead the team switched to targeting specific nucleic acid sequences.
The system described in the Nature Communications paper, published on April 23, detects DNA from the tuberculosis bacteria in small sputum samples. After DNA is extracted from the sample, any of the target sequence that is present is amplified using a standard procedure, then captured by polymer beads containing complementary nucleic acid sequences and labeled with magnetic nanoparticles with sequences that bind to other portions of the target DNA. The miniature NMR coil incorporated into the device -- which is about the size of a standard laboratory slide -- detects any TB bacterial DNA present in the sample.
Tests of the device on samples from patients known to have TB and from healthy controls identified all positive samples with no false positives in less than three hours. Existing diagnostic procedures can take weeks to provide results and can miss up to 40 percent of infected patients. Results were even stronger for patients infected with both TB and HIV -- probably because infection with both pathogens leads to high levels of the TB bacteria -- and specialized nucleic acid probes developed by the research team were able to distinguish treatment-resistant bacterial strains.
The Nature Nanotechnology paper, being issued online today, describes a similar system using ribosomal RNA (rRNA) -- already in use as a bacterial biomarker -- as a target for nanoparticle labeling. The investigators developed both a universal nucleic acid probe that detects an rRNA region common to many bacterial species and a set of probes that target sequences specific to 13 clinically important pathogens, including Streptococcus pneumoniae, Escherichia coli and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA).
The device was sensitive enough to detect as few as one or two bacteria in a 10 ml blood sample and to accurately estimate bacterial load. Testing the system on blood samples from patients with known infections accurately identified the particular bacterial species in less than two hours and also detected two species that had not been identified with standard culture techniques.
While both systems require further development to incorporate all steps into sealed, stand-alone devices, reducing the risk of contamination, Weissleder notes that the small size and ease of use of these devices make them ideal for use in developing countries. "The magnetic interactions that pathogen detection is based on are very reliable, regardless of the quality of the sample, meaning that extensive purification -- which would be difficult in resource-limited setting -- is not necessary. The ability to diagnose TB in a matter of hours could allow testing and treatment decisions within the same clinic visit, which can be crucial to controlling the spread of TB in developing countries."
Hakho Lee, PhD, of the MGH Center for Systems Biology. co-senior author of both papers, notes that the system will also have important applications in developed countries. "The capacity of the system not only to identify bacterial species but also to differentiate factors such as antibiotic resistance will help clinicians treat patients with the 'right' drugs from the start, which also helps reduce the emergence of treatment-resistant strains. The fact that this device requires only a tiny drop of the sample to be tested will be helpful in instances when specimens can be hard to obtain, such as treating children or seniors."
Disclaimer: This article is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.
Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/0QSQ9pXVxkc/130505150042.htm
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Scientists build a living patch for damaged hearts
May 6, 2013 ? Duke University biomedical engineers have grown three-dimensional human heart muscle that acts just like natural tissue. This advancement could be important in treating heart attack patients or in serving as a platform for testing new heart disease medicines.
The "heart patch" grown in the laboratory from human cells overcomes two major obstacles facing cell-based therapies -- the patch conducts electricity at about the same speed as natural heart cells and it "squeezes" appropriately. Earlier attempts to create functional heart patches have largely been unable to overcome those obstacles.
The source cells used by the Duke researchers were human embryonic stem cells. These cells are pluripotent, which means that when given the right chemical and physical signals, they can be coaxed by scientists to become any kind of cell -- in this case heart muscle cells, known as cardiomyocytes.
"The structural and functional properties of these 3-D tissue patches surpass all previous reports for engineered human heart muscle," said Nenad Bursac, associate professor of biomedical engineering at Duke's Pratt School of Engineering. "This is the closest man-made approximation of native human heart tissue to date."
The results of Bursac's research, which is supported by the National Heart Lung and Blood Institute, were published on-line in the journal Biomaterials.
Bursac said this approach does not involve genetic manipulation of cells.
"In past studies, human stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes were not able to both rapidly conduct electrical activity and strongly contract as well as normal cardiomyocytes," Bursac said. "Through optimization of a three-dimensional environment for cell growth, we were able to 'push' cardiomyocytes to reach unprecedented levels of electrical and mechanical maturation."
The rate of functional maturation is an important element for the patch to become practical. In a developing human embryo, it takes about nine months for a neonatal functioning heart to develop and an additional few years to reach adult levels of function; however, advancing the functional properties of these bioengineered patches took a little more than a month, Bursac said. As technology advances, he said, the time should shorten.
"Currently, it would take us about five to six weeks starting from pluripotent stem cells to grow a highly functional heart patch," Bursac said.
"When someone has a heart attack, a portion of the heart muscle dies," Bursac said. "Our goal would be to implant a patch of new and functional heart tissue at the site of the injury as rapidly after heart attack as possible. Using a patient's own cells to generate pluripotent stem cells would add further advantage in that there would likely be no immune system reaction, since the cells in the patch would be recognized by the body as self."
In addition to a possible therapy for patients with heart disease, Bursac said that engineered heart tissues could also be used to effectively screen new drugs or therapies.
"Tests or trials of new drugs can be expensive and time-consuming," Bursac said. "Instead of, or along with testing drugs on animals, the ability to test on actual, functioning human tissue may be more predictive of the drugs' effects and help determine which drugs should go on to further studies."
Some drug tests are conducted on two-dimensional sheets of heart cells, but according to Bursac, the 3-D culture model provides a superior environment for functional maturation of cells. This is expected to better mimic real-world heart muscle responses to different drugs or toxins. Engineered heart tissues made with cells from patients with a cardiac genetic disease could be used as the model to study that disease and explore potential therapies.
The current experiments were conducted on one human pluripotent stem cell line. Bursac and his colleagues have reproduced their findings on two other cell lines and are testing additional lines. They are also planning to move to larger animal models to learn how the patch would become functionally integrated with its host and how the patch establishes connections with the circulatory system.
Other members of the research team were Donghui Zhang and Ilya Shadrin from Duke, and Jason Lam, Hai-Qian Xian and Ralph Snodgrass, from VistaGen Therapeutics, San Francisco, who provided cardiomyocytes for these studies. Bursac's team and VistaGen are collaborating to develop engineered cardiac tissues for more predictive drug screening and development.
Disclaimer: This article is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.
Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/most_popular/~3/wY8_b4kJi6s/130506132405.htm
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Attack on northeast Nigeria church, market kills 10
KADUNA, Nigeria (Reuters) - Gunmen killed 10 people in an attack on a market and a church in northeast Nigeria before fleeing over the border to Cameroon, police said on Monday.
The attack took place on Sunday in the farming village of Njilang, Adamawa state, near the border, an area that has become a haven for Islamist sect Boko Haram.
"The gunmen opened fire in the village market, killing six persons, then proceeded to the church and opened fire there too, killing four more," Adamawa state police spokesman Mohammed Ibrahim said by telephone.
Nine others were being treated in hospital for wounds.
Ibrahim did not know who the culprits were. Although much of northeast Nigeria is plagued by Islamist militants, criminal gangs and ethnic militias also operate there.
The Boko Haram sect and offshoots such as the al Qaeda-linked Ansaru, as well as criminal networks, are seen as the main threat to stability in Nigeria, Africa's biggest energy producer. Its favorite targets have been churches, security forces and moderate Islamic clerics.
Violence in the north, particularly along the area where it borders Cameroon, Niger and Chad, shows no sign of letting up.
President Goodluck Jonathan has set up a committee to work out the terms of an amnesty for the rebels but their leader, Abubakar Shekau, has shown no interest in it so far.
(Reporting by Isaac Abrak; Additional reporting by Ibrahim Mshelizza and Lanre Ola in Maiduguri; Writing by Tim Cocks; Editing by Angus MacSwan)
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/attack-northeast-nigeria-church-market-kills-10-094059984.html
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Nintendo reportedly offering Wii U game conversion software to smartphone app devs
While we knew Nintendo was happy to hook up its newest consoles with smartphones, we thought that would only extend to social networking and shopping. Nope, it looks like the company is planning to go a step further, with a report from Japan Times suggesting that the games maker is offering high-level conversion software to app developers "so they can produce smartphone games that can be played on Wii U." A weak existing games library has been blamed for Nintendo's recent financial woes and the company is hoping the addition of some popular titles will offer enough of a reason to invest in a dedicated device. We just hope it's able to glean some fresh gaming gems -- the first Angry Birds title launched in 2009.
Via: ZDNet
Source: Japan Times
Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/ibb7HkVqL3U/
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Preterm infants may need 800 IU of vitamin D3 per day
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Public release date: 5-May-2013[ | E-mail |
Share ] Contact: Debbie Jacobson
djacobson@aap.org
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American Academy of Pediatrics
Largest study to date of preemies shows 800 IU more effective than 400 IU in decreasing vitamin D insufficiency
WASHINGTON, DC Preterm infants may need to be given 800 international units (IU) of vitamin D a day to ensure they develop strong bones, according to a study to be presented Sunday, May 5, at the Pediatric Academic Societies (PAS) annual meeting in Washington, DC.
Preemies are known to be at risk for vitamin D insufficiency. If levels of vitamin D are too low, infants and children can get rickets, which leads to softening and weakening of the bones.
Recommendations from medical organizations on how much vitamin D should be given to preemies range from 400 IU to 1000 IU per day. This lack of consensus prompted researchers from All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, to conduct the largest study to date on vitamin D supplementation in preterm infants.
Subjects included 96 infants born between 28 and 34 weeks' gestation who were receiving milk feeding. Blood samples were taken from the infants to determine their serum vitamin D levels. The infants then were randomly assigned to receive either 800 IU or 400 IU of oral vitamin D3. Neither the parents nor the primary investigator was aware of which dose the infants were receiving.
Researchers compared whether the prevalence of vitamin D insufficiency (VDI) at 40 weeks and at 3 months corrected age differed between the groups. They also looked at whether infants with higher vitamin D levels also had stronger bones at 3 months corrected age and whether supplementation led to vitamin D levels that were too high.
Results showed that VDI was common in both groups before they received supplements (79 percent of the 800 IU group and 83 percent of the 400 IU group).
After supplementation, the prevalence of VDI at 40 weeks was 43 percent lower in the 800 IU group than the 400 IU group (38 percent vs. 67 percent). In addition, VDI was significantly lower in the 800 IU group when the infants were 3 months old (12 percent vs. 35 percent).
Four infants needed to be supplemented with 800 IU daily to reduce one case of vitamin D insufficiency, said lead author Chandra Kumar Natarajan, DM.
"The study results show conclusively that in preterm infants with high rates of vitamin D insufficiency at baseline, supplementation with 800 IU of vitamin D3 per day compared to 400 IU per day reduces vitamin D insufficiency at term equivalent age and at 3 months," Dr. Natarajan said. "There also is a trend toward a decrease in the prevalence of vitamin D insufficiency even in the 400 IU group at 3 months. Therefore, 400 IU per day may be sufficient after 3 months."
Despite significant improvement in serum vitamin D levels in the 800 IU group, higher levels did not result in better bone mineralization at 3 months of age as measured by dual energy X-ray absorptiometry (DEXA). In addition, weight, length and head circumference did not differ significantly between the groups.
Dr. Natarajan also noted that one infant in the 800 IU group had vitamin D levels that were higher than recommended levels at 3 months of age despite the levels at term age being normal. Excess vitamin D for at least one month can cause decreased muscle tone, decreased appetite, irritability and constipation, among other problems. The infant did not experience any major effects.
"The incidence of vitamin D excess in the 800 IU group may indicate the need for monitoring vitamin D levels in infants on vitamin D supplementation, but we need larger studies to answer this," he said. "Similarly, larger studies with longer duration of follow-up may be needed to find out any meaningful difference in clinical outcomes such as bone mineralization."
###
To view the abstract, "Daily Vitamin D Supplementation with 800 IU vs. 400 IU in Preterm Infants: A Randomized Trial," go to http://www.abstracts2view.com/pas/view.php?nu=PAS13L1_2183.8.
The Pediatric Academic Societies (PAS) are four individual pediatric organizations that co-sponsor the PAS Annual Meeting the American Pediatric Society, the Society for Pediatric Research, the Academic Pediatric Association, and the American Academy of Pediatrics. Members of these organizations are pediatricians and other health care providers who are practicing in the research, academic and clinical arenas. The four sponsoring organizations are leaders in the advancement of pediatric research and child advocacy within pediatrics, and all share a common mission of fostering the health and well-being of children worldwide.For more information, visit http://www.pas-meeting.org. Follow news of the PAS meeting on Twitter at http://twitter.com/PedAcadSoc.
[ | E-mail | Share ] ?
AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
Public release date: 5-May-2013[ | E-mail |
Share ] Contact: Debbie Jacobson
djacobson@aap.org
847-434-7084
American Academy of Pediatrics
Largest study to date of preemies shows 800 IU more effective than 400 IU in decreasing vitamin D insufficiency
WASHINGTON, DC Preterm infants may need to be given 800 international units (IU) of vitamin D a day to ensure they develop strong bones, according to a study to be presented Sunday, May 5, at the Pediatric Academic Societies (PAS) annual meeting in Washington, DC.
Preemies are known to be at risk for vitamin D insufficiency. If levels of vitamin D are too low, infants and children can get rickets, which leads to softening and weakening of the bones.
Recommendations from medical organizations on how much vitamin D should be given to preemies range from 400 IU to 1000 IU per day. This lack of consensus prompted researchers from All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, to conduct the largest study to date on vitamin D supplementation in preterm infants.
Subjects included 96 infants born between 28 and 34 weeks' gestation who were receiving milk feeding. Blood samples were taken from the infants to determine their serum vitamin D levels. The infants then were randomly assigned to receive either 800 IU or 400 IU of oral vitamin D3. Neither the parents nor the primary investigator was aware of which dose the infants were receiving.
Researchers compared whether the prevalence of vitamin D insufficiency (VDI) at 40 weeks and at 3 months corrected age differed between the groups. They also looked at whether infants with higher vitamin D levels also had stronger bones at 3 months corrected age and whether supplementation led to vitamin D levels that were too high.
Results showed that VDI was common in both groups before they received supplements (79 percent of the 800 IU group and 83 percent of the 400 IU group).
After supplementation, the prevalence of VDI at 40 weeks was 43 percent lower in the 800 IU group than the 400 IU group (38 percent vs. 67 percent). In addition, VDI was significantly lower in the 800 IU group when the infants were 3 months old (12 percent vs. 35 percent).
Four infants needed to be supplemented with 800 IU daily to reduce one case of vitamin D insufficiency, said lead author Chandra Kumar Natarajan, DM.
"The study results show conclusively that in preterm infants with high rates of vitamin D insufficiency at baseline, supplementation with 800 IU of vitamin D3 per day compared to 400 IU per day reduces vitamin D insufficiency at term equivalent age and at 3 months," Dr. Natarajan said. "There also is a trend toward a decrease in the prevalence of vitamin D insufficiency even in the 400 IU group at 3 months. Therefore, 400 IU per day may be sufficient after 3 months."
Despite significant improvement in serum vitamin D levels in the 800 IU group, higher levels did not result in better bone mineralization at 3 months of age as measured by dual energy X-ray absorptiometry (DEXA). In addition, weight, length and head circumference did not differ significantly between the groups.
Dr. Natarajan also noted that one infant in the 800 IU group had vitamin D levels that were higher than recommended levels at 3 months of age despite the levels at term age being normal. Excess vitamin D for at least one month can cause decreased muscle tone, decreased appetite, irritability and constipation, among other problems. The infant did not experience any major effects.
"The incidence of vitamin D excess in the 800 IU group may indicate the need for monitoring vitamin D levels in infants on vitamin D supplementation, but we need larger studies to answer this," he said. "Similarly, larger studies with longer duration of follow-up may be needed to find out any meaningful difference in clinical outcomes such as bone mineralization."
###
To view the abstract, "Daily Vitamin D Supplementation with 800 IU vs. 400 IU in Preterm Infants: A Randomized Trial," go to http://www.abstracts2view.com/pas/view.php?nu=PAS13L1_2183.8.
The Pediatric Academic Societies (PAS) are four individual pediatric organizations that co-sponsor the PAS Annual Meeting the American Pediatric Society, the Society for Pediatric Research, the Academic Pediatric Association, and the American Academy of Pediatrics. Members of these organizations are pediatricians and other health care providers who are practicing in the research, academic and clinical arenas. The four sponsoring organizations are leaders in the advancement of pediatric research and child advocacy within pediatrics, and all share a common mission of fostering the health and well-being of children worldwide.For more information, visit http://www.pas-meeting.org. Follow news of the PAS meeting on Twitter at http://twitter.com/PedAcadSoc.
[ | E-mail | Share ] ?
AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
Source: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2013-05/aaop-pim042613.php
রবিবার, ৫ মে, ২০১৩
Israel Syria strike targeted Iran missiles to Hezbollah: source
May 3 (Reuters) - Bayern Munich have left Franck Ribery, Arjen Robben, Philipp Lahm and Bastian Schweinsteiger out of their squad for Saturday's Bundesliga match at Borussia Dortmund, a dress rehearsal for this month's Champions League final. Coach Jupp Heynckes, expected to make other changes for the awkwardly-timed match, said the quartet have minor injuries following Tuesday's 3-0 win at Barcelona in their Champions League semi-final second leg. Bayern have wrapped up the Bundesliga and second-placed Dortmund are guaranteed a place in next season's Champions League group stage. ...
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/israel-syria-strike-targeted-iran-missiles-hezbolla-source-044002434.html
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