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Feb. 3, 2010 Healthy Adults Need Less Sleep

Healthy older adults need less sleep than their younger counterparts
and, even with less sleep under their nightcaps, are less likely to feel
tired during the day.

Science

News in Brief Liquid Glass Study Focuses on

‘Suicide’ Molecule Halts
Rheumatoid Arthritis
A researcher from Northwestern University Feinberg
School of Medicine has invented a novel way to halt and
even reverse rheumatoid arthritis. He developed an imita-
tion of a suicide molecule that floats undetected into over-
active immune cells responsible for the disease.
Whimsically referred to as Casper the
Ghost, the stealthy molecule causes the im-
mune cells to self-destruct, ScienceDaily
reported.
The approach, tested on mice, doesn’t
carry the health risks of current treatments.
“This new therapy stopped the disease
cold in 75 percent of the mice,” reported Harris Perlman,
the lead author. “The best part was we didn’t see any toxic-
ity. This has a lot of potential for creating an entirely new
treatment for rheumatoid arthritis.”
Healthy immune cells are supposed to die after they at-
tack an invading virus or bacteria. But in rheumatoid ar-
thritis, the immune cells called macrophages live and go
rogue.
They proliferate in the blood, build up in the joints and
A Revolutionary Spray
Liquid glass, a revolutionary invisible non-toxic spray that protects against everything from
bacteria to UV radiation, could soon be used on a vast range of products.
The spray, which is harmless to the environment, can be used to protect against disease,
guard vineyards against fungal threats and coat the nose cones of high-speed trains, it has been
claimed.
The versatile spray, which forms an easy-clean coating one millionth of a millimeter thick--
500 times thinner than a human hair--can be applied to virtually any surface to protect it against
water, dirt, bacteria, heat and UV radiation, Telegraph wrote.
It is hoped that liquid glass, a compound of almost pure silicon dioxide, could soon replace a
variety of cleaning products which are harmful to the environment, leaving our world coated in
an invisible, wipe-clean sheen.
The spray forms a water-resistant layer, meaning it can be cleaned using only water. Trials
by food-processing companies showed that sterile surfaces covered with a film of liquid glass
were equally clean after a rinse with hot water as after their usual treatment with strong bleach.
The patent for the technology is owned by a German company, Nanopool.
Several organizations are said to be testing the product, including a train company in Britain,
which is using liquid glass on both the interior and exterior of the train, a luxury hotel chain, a
designer clothing company and a German branch of a hamburger chain.
Key to the product’s versatility is the fact it can be sold in a solution of either alcohol or water,
depending on what surface needs to be coated. The layer formed by the liquid glass is said to be
flexible and breathable.
Transplants for Leukemia
Leukemia patients, who have blood stem cell transplants, survive just as long on average as those
who undergo the more invasive procedure of having a bone marrow transplant, scientists said.
But patients with acute forms of blood cancer appear to do better if they have bone marrow as
opposed to blood stem cell transplants, the scientists said, suggesting that for some the benefit of the
complex treatment is greater in the long run, Reuters reported.
Bone marrow transplants involve the collection of stem cells from the bone marrow--a compli-
cated procedure in which the patient must have a general anesthetic and surgery.
In peripheral blood stem cell transplantation (PBSCT), stem cells are collected from blood, avoid-
ing some of the complications of bone marrow collection.
Researchers from the Charite Medicine University in Berlin, Germany, looked at survival rates
in 329 patients from 42 transplant centers in 13 European countries, Israel and Australia who had
received PBSCT or bone marrow transplants.
They found that rates of survival after 10 years were similar, at 49.1 percent for blood stem cell
recipients and 56.5 percent for bone marrow transplant recipients.
But they found “notable differences in survival in patients with acute leukemia’s”, they said in
the study. After 10 years, patients with acute lymphoblastic leukemia had a survival probability of
28.3 percent after bone marrow transplant compared with 13.0 percent after PBSCT. In patients with
acute myeloid leukemia, the probabilities were 62.3 percent for bone marrow and 47.1 percent for
blood stem cell transplants.
“Different patient groups might still benefit from transplantation with bone marrow,” the research-
ers concluded.

Amir Kabir Univ. Designs

invade cartilage and bone. Currently, there is no effective,
nontoxic way to stop them.
Perlman discovered that immune cells in rheumatoid ar-
thritis are low in a critical molecule, whose job is to order
the cells to self-destruct. To correct that shortage, Perlman
developed an imitation of the molecule, called BH3 mi-

Unmanned Chopper
metic.
When Harris injected his drug into mice with rheumatoid
arthritis, it floated ghostlike into their macrophages and the
misbehaving immune cells self destructed.
In his research, Harris showed the molecule could pre-
vent the development of rheumatoid arthritis as well as

trigger a remission of existing disease. After the drug was
injected in animals with the disease, joint swelling was re-
duced and bone destruction decreased.
Experimental Vaccine Works
Against Chikungunya
An experimental vaccine works against the newly spread-
ing Chikungunya virus, at least in monkeys, and the ap-
proach may also work against other exotic viruses, US gov-
ernment researchers said.
They used virus-like particles, which are mock versions
of the virus that resemble an empty shell, to vaccinate mon-
keys against the rarely fatal but painful mosquito-borne in-
fection, Reuters reported.
“At a time when there are no commercially available
vaccines...a virus-like particle vaccine has the potential to
have a considerable impact on the spread of this disease,”
Dr. Gary Nabel of the National Institute of Allergy and In-
fectious Diseases and colleagues wrote in the journal Na-
ture Medicine
They said the same approach may be useful to similar
mosquito-borne viruses, known as alphaviruses.
Chikungunya, first seen in the 1950s, resurfaced in 2004
and 2005, and has since spread to nearly 20 countries to
infect millions.
It is rarely fatal but it causes debilitating pain and ex-
haustion, and can have long-term or even permanent ef-
fects.
“Changes in trade, travel and global climate have aided
the spread of mosquito species worldwide, which may po-
tentially cause other alphavirus outbreaks,” they wrote.
“Our approach may prove useful for vaccine develop-
ment against other pathogenic alphaviruses, including
Western, Eastern and Venezuelan equine encephalitis vi-
ruses, O’nyong-nyong virus and Ross River virus.”
Lavatory Paper Machine
A Japanese company has invented, possibly, the cleverest of-
fice gadget of the year: a machine that turns wastepaper into
lavatory paper.
Instead of sending shredded documents to a recycling cent-
er, incurring expense and energy, office managers will soon be
able to feed them into a machine and turn them into lavatory
paper, Telegraph wrote.
Pop in 40 sheets of regular A4 paper, and a
half-hour later, the paper has been shredded,
mixed with water, turned into a pulp, flat-
tened, dried and converted into a roll of lava-
tory paper.
The manufacturers of the White Goat ma-
chine estimates it costs about 10c (6p) to turn
the wastepaper into lavatory paper.
However, it is estimated that the machine, made by Japa-
nese company Oriental, will cost $100,000 (£630,000), mak-
ing it suitable for large companies only.
A
team of students from the Col- way and hence can be more effective
lege of Aerospace Engineer- in missions such as carrying cargo and
ing of Amir Kabir University wounded people,” she said.
of Technology (AUT) succeeded in Kermanshahi noted that designing
building a light, unmanned helicopter RPH is more complicated than design-
for surveillance missions, aerial pho- ing airplanes.
tography, checking power transmis- “Given their high fuel consumption
sion lines, overseeing oil platforms and and loud noise, helicopters are not suit-
conducting relief operations. able for carrying passengers,” she said.
Mehdi Mortazavi, the project man- On the chopper’s technical specifi-
ager, said the project for building the cations, Kermanshahi said, “Its overall
‘Parvan’ helicopter started four years length is 120 cm and the radius of its
ago within the framework of a student main rotor is 74 cm. The helicopter can
group project, ISNA reported. fly at 1,600 meters and its operation ra-
“At the beginning, the research team dius is about 15 km with a speed of 80
spent one year on feasibility studies km per hour. The helicopter is made of
and becoming familiar with the de- aluminum and composites, and its fuel
signing process. It was decided to de- is a combination of alcohol and oil.”
sign a helicopter with the capability of RPH flight takes place in the form
carrying two kilograms of cargo for an of pilot assistance, semi-automatic
hour of flight for aerial photography, (receiving commands from the pilot
communications relay, checking pow- The project manager, said the project for building the ‘Parvan’ helicopter started four years ago and implementation of the helicop-
within the framework of a student group project. (Inset Mehdi Mortazavi)
er transmission lines and oil platforms ter’s control system) and automatic
and transmitting flight information,” test flight was completed successfully. of the project, said helicopters in general (identifying and implementing com-
he said. Mortazavi noted that at present the have advantages compared to other flying mands automatically by the helicop-
The conceptual and comprehensive project’s research team is completing objects. ter’s control system on the basis of the
design of the remotely piloted helicop- and upgrading the helicopter to increase “Helicopters can fly with lower speed course designated by ground control).
ter (RPH) was carried out in 18 months its cargo capacity and flight duration, and and remain suspended in the air, which “At present, the first method is being
based on the declared mission. Test flight also facilitate semi-automatic and auto- are of paramount importance in missions deployed and we intend to build semi-au-
for the helicopter started at the beginning matic flight. such as aerial photography and relief op- tomatic and automatic helicopters in the
of last year and in April of 2009 the first Farnaz Kermanshahi, main designer erations. They do not need a special run- near future,” she said.
HIV/AIDS Drug Puzzle Cracked
Scientists say they have solved a crucial puzzle about the HIV counterpart. Africans by almost two-fifths, a US study suggests.
AIDS virus after 20 years of research and that their findings It took more than 40,000 trials for them to come up with The lung infection is the most common cause of death
could lead to better treatments for HIV. a crystal of sufficiently high quality to allow them to see the among HIV patients in the continent, BBC reported.
British and US researchers said they have grown a crystal three-dimensional structure, they said. Journal Aids reports that Dartmouth Medical School re-
that enabled them to see the structure of an enzyme called They tested the Merck and Gilead drugs on the crystals search involving 2,000 people found significantly fewer TB
integrase, which is found in retroviruses like HIV and is a and were able to see for the first time how the medicines cases in vaccinated patients.
target for some of the newest HIV medicines, Reuters re- bind to, and block, integrase. An expert said the jab could be a cheaper option for coun-
ported. tries struggling to find money for extra anti-HIV drugs.
“Despite initially painstakingly slow progress and very HIV patients are particularly vulnerable to TB because
many failed attempts, we did not give up and our effort was their immune systems are compromised.
finally rewarded,” said Peter Cherepanov of Imperial Col- The vaccine works by boosting the immune responses of
lege London, who conducted the research with scientists patients who have already been given the BCG vaccine ear-
from Harvard University. lier in life.
In itself, the BCG jab may offer some protection against
Integrase Inhibitor TB, but this is far from certain and protection may only last
The Imperial and Harvard scientists said that having the a few years after immunization.
integrase structure means researchers can begin fully to The researchers from Dartmouth Medical School in the
understand how integrase inhibitor drugs work, how they US tested it among 2,000 HIV positive patients in Tanzania
might be improved and how to stop HIV developing resist- over a seven-year period.
ance to them. The number of confirmed TB cases was 39 percent lower
“When the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infects in the vaccinated group.
someone, it uses the integrase enzyme to paste a copy of its
genetic information into their DNA,” Cherepanov explained Milestone
in the study published in the Nature journal on Sunday. Professor Ford von Reyn, who led the study, said it was a

Feeding Baby Solid Foods

Babies may be able to try solid foods at age 6 months. But
how do you know when they’re ready?
According to HealthDay, the Nemours Foundation says ba-
bies who are ready for solid foods may show these signs:
• A decrease in baby’s tongue-thrusting reflex.
• Baby has good control of his or her head.
• Reaches for an adult’s food.
Some new drugs for HIV--like isentress from Merck &
Co and elvitegravir, an experimental drug from Gilead
Sciences--work by blocking integrase, but scientists are not
clear exactly how they work or how to improve them.
The only way to find out was to obtain high-quality crys-
tals--a project that had defeated scientists for many years.
“We went back to square one and started by looking for a
better model of HIV integrase, which could be more amena-
ble for crystallization.”
The researchers grew a crystal using a version of inte-
grase borrowed from another retrovirus very similar to its
Almost 60 million people have been infected with HIV
and 25 million people have died of HIV-related causes since
the beginning of the AIDS epidemic. There is no cure and no
vaccine, although drug cocktails can keep patients healthy.
Vaccine Cuts HIV TB Deaths
A vaccine can cut tuberculosis cases among HIV-positive
“significant milestone”.
One theory now suggests that patients could be given the
booster jab as soon as they are diagnosed with HIV, before
antiretroviral drugs are needed.
Alvaro Bermejo, executive director at the International
HIV/Aids Alliance, said that the other way of fighting TB in
HIV patients might be to give them antiretrovirals earlier, an
expensive option compared with a vaccination program.
“This is a very important finding--it is the first time we
are going to have a vaccine, which is influential in prevent-
ing opportunistic infections in HIV patients,” he said.