Drinking hot chocolate keeps brain healthy: study

Drinking two cups of hot chocolate a day may help older people keep their brains healthy and their thinking skills sharp, according to a new study.

US researchers studied 60 people with an average age of 73 who did not have dementia. The participants drank two cups of hot cocoa per day for 30 days and did not consume any other chocolate during the study.

They were given tests of memory and thinking skills. They also had ultrasounds tests to measure the amount of blood flow to the brain during the tests.

"We're learning more about blood flow in the brain and its effect on thinking skills," said study author Farzaneh A Sorond, of Harvard Medical School in Boston and a member of the American Academy of Neurology.

"As different areas of the brain need more energy to complete their tasks, they also need greater blood flow. This relationship, called neurovascular coupling, may play an important role in diseases such as Alzheimer's," Sorond said.

Of the 60 participants, 18 had impaired blood flow at the start of the study. Those people had an 8.3 per cent improvement in the blood flow to the working areas of the brain by the end of the study, while there was no improvement for those who started out with regular blood flow.

The people with impaired blood flow also improved their times on a test of working memory, with scores dropping from 167 seconds at the beginning of the study to 116 seconds at the end. There was no change in times for people with regular blood flow.

A total of 24 of the participants also had MRI scans of the brain to look for tiny areas of brain damage. The scans found that people with impaired blood flow were also more likely to have these areas of brain damage.

Half of the study participants received hot cocoa that was rich in the antioxidant flavanol, while the other half received flavanol-poor hot cocoa. There were no differences between the two groups in the results.

"More work is needed to prove a link between cocoa, blood flow problems and cognitive decline. But this is an important first step that could guide future studies," said Paul B Rosenberg, of Johns Hopkins School of Medicine in Baltimore, who wrote an editorial accompanying the study.

The study was published in Neurology, the journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

sources : the indian express

New malaria vaccine shows promise in clinical trials

A new malaria vaccine, which is being developed in the US, has shown promising results in early stage clinical trials, scientists say. Researchers found that high doses of the vaccine protected 12 out of 15 patients from the disease. The vaccine involves injecting live but weakened malaria-causing parasites directly into patients to trigger immunity.

"We were excited and thrilled by the result, but it is important that we repeat it, extend it and do it in larger numbers," said lead author Dr Robert Seder, from the Vaccine Research Center at the National Institutes of Health, in Maryland. Previous research has found that exposure to mosquitoes treated with radiation can protect against malaria. But studies have shown that it takes more than 1,000 bites from the insects over time to build up a high level of immunity.

A US biotech company called Sanaria took lab-grown mosquitoes, irradiated them and then extracted the malaria-causing parasite (Plasmodium falciparum), all under the sterile conditions. These living but weakened parasites are then counted and placed in vials, where they can then be injected directly into a patient's bloodstream. This vaccine candidate is called PfSPZ.

To carry out the Phase-1 clinical trial, the researchers looked at a group of 57 volunteers, none of whom had had malaria before. Of these, 40 received different doses of the vaccine, while 17 did not. They were then all exposed to the malaria-carrying mosquitoes, 'BBC News' reported. The researchers found that for the participants not given any vaccine, and those given low doses, almost all became infected with malaria.

However, for the small group given the highest dosage, only three of the 15 patients became infected after exposure to malaria. "Based on the history, we knew dose was important because you needed 1,000 mosquito bites to get protection – this validates that," Seder said. "It allows us in future studies to increase the dose and alter the schedule of the vaccine to further optimise it. The next critical questions will be whether the vaccine is durable over a long period of time and can the vaccine protect against other strains of malaria," he said. The results were published in the journal Science.

 

First malaria vaccine works in major trial

An experimental vaccine from GlaxoSmithKline halved the risk of African children getting malaria in a major clinical trial, making it likely to become the world's first shot against the disease.

Final-stage trial data released Tuesday showed it gave protection against clinical and severe malaria in 5- to 17-month-olds in Africa. "These data bring us to the cusp of having the world's first malaria vaccine," said Andrew Witty, chief executive of the British drugmaker that developed the vaccine along with the non-profit PATH Malaria Vaccine Initiative (MVI).

While hailing an unprecedented achievement, Witty, malaria scientists and global health experts stressed that the vaccine — known as RTS,S or Mosquirix — was no quick fix for eradicating malaria. The new shot is less effective than others against common infections like polio and measles.

"We would have wished that we could wipe it out, but I think this is going to contribute to the control of malaria rather than wiping it out," Tsiri Agbenyega, a principal investigator in the RTS,S trials in Ghana, told Reuters at a conference in Seattle about the disease.

Malaria is endemic in more than 100 countries worldwide and killed around 781,000 people in 2009, according to the World Health Organisation. Most deaths in India are of children under the age of five.

Dr Sanjay Singh, CEO of Pune-based Gennova Biopharmaceuticals Ltd, which has been involved with MVI and hopes to launch an Indian malaria vaccine next year, described the news as "very encouraging", and a sign that a malaria vaccine was possible. — Reuters with ENS, Pune, Kate Kelland & Ben Hirschler

 

Malaria Vaccine Shows Strongest Protection Yet Against Parasite

Healthy adults immunized with an experimental malaria vaccine may be completely protected from infection, according to government researchers.

The vaccine, called PfSPZ, is being developed by an American biotech company Sanaria and contains weakened forms of the live parasite — Plasmodium falciparum — responsible for causing malaria.

The vaccine is made from sporozoites, or early-stage parasites extracted from infected mosquitoes, which are the most common carriers of P. falciparum. The sporozoites were incapacitated so they can’t develop into disease-causing maturity, and infused intravenously into vaccinees. Among 40 healthy volunteers, those who received the higher doses of the vaccine showed more antibodies against the malaria parasite’s proteins than those getting lower doses. When the immunized participants where tested with exposure to P. falciparum, none of the six who received six doses of the vaccine developed malaria, while five of the six who were not vaccinated became infected.

That’s encouraging news, say the scientists, led by Dr. Robert Seder of the Vaccine Research Center at the National Institutes of Health, who were supported by the  National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research and the Naval Medical Research Center.

The trial was only the first phase of clinical testing for the vaccine, but, said Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the NIAID in a statement, it is an “important step forward” in controlling malaria, which infects about 219 million people worldwide annually and leads to 600,000 deaths. While drug treatments can protect against infection, they are most effective when used in combination with bed nets and insect repellent.

(MORE: Early Results: A First-Ever Malaria Vaccine Protects Children)

“It allows us in future studies to increase the dose and alter the schedule of the vaccine to further optimise it. The next critical questions will be whether the vaccine is durable over a long period of time and can the vaccine protect against other strains of malaria,” Seder told the BBC.

The results, which were published in the journal Science, are especially encouraging after initially promising findings from another malaria vaccine developed by Glaxo Smith Kline proved less robust than thought. In 2012, a trial involving infants in seven African counties, where malaria is endemic, showed that the vaccine, called RTS,S, was 30% effective in protecting babies aged five to 17 months from infection. At the time, public health officials debated whether that was sufficient to start vaccinating kids in countries where the disease is more rampant. TIME wrote:

At its current power, the candidate vaccine “potentially translates to tens of millions of malaria cases among children that can be averted annually,” Dr. Tsiri Agbenyega, head of the malaria research unit at the Komfo-Anokye Hospital in Ghana and chair of the RTS,S Clinical Trials Partnership Committee, told reporters during Tuesday’s briefing. “The study found that RTS,S also reduced risk of severe malaria by 47%. That’s remarkable when you consider that there has never been a successful vaccine against a human parasite, nor against malaria.”

(MORE: Drug-Resistant Malaria Is Spreading, and It Could Be a Public Health Disaster)

But an updated report in the New England Journal of Medicine this past March found that the protection from the vaccine didn’t last. Beginning eight months after vaccination, the shot’s effectiveness started to wane, and four years later, its efficacy dropped to about 17%. “It was a bit surprising to see the efficacy waned so significantly over time. In the fourth year, the vaccine did not show any protection,” follow-up study leader Ally Olotu of the Kenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI) Wellcome Trust Research Programme in Kenya, told Reuters in March. Researchers continue to test RTS,S in final-stage trials with over 15,000 kids, and the results are expected by the end of next year, according to Reuters.

That vaccine, however, used snippets of the malaria parasite’s proteins that were fused with proteins from the hepatitis B virus in order to activate the immune system into producing antibodies against P. falciparum. Researchers hope that the weakened, live form of the the parasite contained in PfSPZ produces more lasting responses, but more research will need to be done to see if that’s the case. It’s also not clear how practical the IV delivery of this vaccine will be, since countries where malaria is common often have weak health systems and fewer medical resources.

Still, the findings hold promise that it may be possible to protect against malaria with a vaccine, and avoid hundreds of thousands of deaths.
sources : the indian express

10 best airports in the world

Here's the top 10 list

1. Singapore Changi Airport

Singapore Changi Airport, Changi International Airport, or simply Changi Airport, is the main airport in Singapore. A major aviation hub in Southeast Asia, it is about 17.2 km (10.7 mi) north-east from the commercial centre in Changi, on a 13 square kilometres (3,200 acres) site.
The airport, operated by the Changi Airport Group, is the home base of Singapore Airlines, Singapore Airlines Cargo, SilkAir, Scoot, Tiger Airways, Jetstar Asia Airways, and Valuair. As of May 2013, Changi Airport serves more than 100 airlines operating 6,400 weekly flights connecting Singapore to over 250 cities in about 60 countries and territories worldwide. Until 30 March 2013, the airport served as a secondary hub for Qantas, which used Singapore as the main stopover point for flights on the Kangaroo Route between Australia and Europe. Qantas is the largest foreign airline to operate from the airport, with over two million passengers annually. An important contributor to the economy of Singapore, more than 28,000 people are employed at the airport, which accounts for over S$4.5 billion in output.
Changi Airport has three passenger terminals with a total annual handling capacity of 66 million passengers. Terminal 1 opened in 1981, followed by Terminal 2 in 1990 and Terminal 3 in 2008. The Budget Terminal, opened on 26 March 2006 and closed on 25 September 2012, will make way for Terminal 4 which will be ready by 2017.
In 2012, the airport handled 51.2 million passengers, a 10% increase over the previous year. This made it the seventh busiest airport by international passenger traffic in the world[9] and the second busiest in Asia by international passenger traffic in 2012. The airport registered 4.92 million passenger movements in December 2012, a growth of 8.6% year-on-year. Changi’s daily record was broken on 22 December 2012, the Saturday before Christmas Day, with 180,400 passengers passing through the 24 hours. In addition to being an important passenger hub, the airport is one of the busiest cargo airports in the world, handling 1.81 million tonnes of cargo in 2012. The total number of commercial aircraft movements was 324,722 in 2012.
The airport has won over 430 awards since 1981, including 30 'Best' awards in 2012. Changi Airport's efforts to counter the onset of age include periodic physical upgrades to its existing terminals and building new facilities.

visit for mor diteil : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Singapore_Changi_Airport

2. Incheon International Airport

Incheon International Airport is the largest airport in South Korea, the primary airport serving the Seoul National Capital Area, and one of the largest and busiest airports in the world. For seven years in a row (2005–2012), it was rated the best airport worldwide by Airports Council International.[2][3] The airport has a golf course, spa, private sleeping rooms, ice skating rink, a casino, indoor gardens and a Museum of Korean Culture. Airport authorities claim that average departure and arrival takes only 19 (60 minutes world-wide industry average) and 12 minutes (45 minutes) respectively, significantly lower than the rest of the world, making it one of the fastest airports in the world for customs processing. Its duty-free shopping mall has been rated the world's best for three years in a row in 2012 by Business Traveler. Incheon International Airport also claims that it has only a 0.0001% baggage mishandling rate.
Located 48 km (30 mi) west of Seoul, the capital and largest city of South Korea, Incheon International Airport is the main hub for Korean Air, Asiana Airlines, Jeju Air and Polar Air Cargo. The airport serves as a hub for international civilian air transportation and cargo traffic in East Asia. Incheon International Airport is also currently Asia's eighth busiest airport in terms of passengers, the world's fourth busiest airport by cargo traffic, and the world's eighth busiest airport in terms of international passengers in 2010. In 2011, 35,062,376 passengers used the airport.
The airport opened for business in early 2001, replacing the older Gimpo

visit for mor diteil : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Incheon_International_Airport

3. Amsterdam Schiphol Airport

Amsterdam Airport Schiphol  is the Netherlands' main international airport, located 20 minutes (4.9 NM (9.1 km; 5.6 mi) southwest of Amsterdam, in the municipality of Haarlemmermeer. The airport's official English name, Amsterdam Airport Schiphol, reflects the original Dutch word order (Luchthaven Schiphol). The airport used to have the IATA code of SPL, which has fallen into disuse and has been replaced by AMS.
The airport is the primary hub for KLM as well as for Arkefly, Corendon Dutch Airlines, Martinair and Transavia. The airport also serves as a European hub for Delta Air Lines and as a base for Vueling. Schiphol is considered to be an airport city. The airport occupies an area of 13 square kilometres (3,200 acres).

visit fir mor diteil : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amsterdam_Airport_Schiphol

4. Hong Kong International Airport

Hong Kong International Airport is the main airport in Hong Kong. It is located on the island of Chek Lap Kok, which is largely reclaimed for the construction of the airport itself. The airport is also colloquially known as Chek Lap Kok Airport to distinguish it from its predecessor, the closed Kai Tak Airport.
The airport has been commercially operational since 1998, replacing the former Kai Tak Airport, and is an important regional trans-shipment centre, passenger hub and gateway for destinations in Mainland China (with over 40 destinations) and the rest of Asia. The airport is currently the world's busiest cargo gateway and one of the world's busiest passenger airports.
The Hong Kong International Airport is also home to one of the world's largest passenger terminal buildings (the largest when opened in 1998). It is operated by the Airport Authority Hong Kong, 24 hours a day, and is the primary hub for Cathay Pacific, Dragonair, Hong Kong Airlines, Hong Kong Express Airways and Air Hong Kong (cargo). The airport is one of the hubs of Oneworld alliance, and it is also one of the hubs of Asian-Pacific cargo hubs for UPS Airlines.[1] It is a focus city for many airlines, including China Airlines and China Eastern Airlines, which serves 18 flights to Hong Kong per day (one direction) from 15 cities. Virgin Atlantic, United and Air India use Hong Kong as a stopover point for flights respectively from London to Sydney, from Tokyo to Singapore and Ho Chi Minh City as well as from India to Osaka and Seoul.
HKIA is an important contributor to Hong Kong's economy, with approximately 60,000 employees. About 90 airlines operate flights from the airport to over 150 cities across the globe. In 2012 HKIA handled 56,057,751 passengers, making it the 12th busiest airport worldwide by passenger traffic. It also surpassed Memphis International Airport to become the world's busiest airport by cargo

visit fir mor diteil :http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hong_Kong_International_Airport 

5. Beijing Capital International Airport

Beijing Capital International Airport is the main international airport serving Beijing. It is located 32 km northeast of Beijing's city center,[citation needed] in an enclave of Chaoyang District and the surroundings of that enclave in suburban Shunyi District. The airport is owned and operated by the Beijing Capital International Airport Company Limited, a state-controlled company. The airport's IATA Airport Code, PEK, is based on the city's former romanized name, Peking.
Beijing Capital has rapidly ascended in rankings of the world's busiest airports in the past decade. It had become the busiest airport in Asia in terms of passenger traffic and total traffic movements by 2009. As of 2012, Beijing Capital International Airport is the second busiest airport in the world in terms of passenger throughput behind Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport. The airport registered 557,167 aircraft movements (take-offs and landings), which ranked 6th in the world in 2012.[2] In terms of cargo traffic, Beijing airport has also witnessed rapid growth. By 2012, the airport had become the 13th busiest airport in the world by cargo traffic, registering 1,787,027 tonnes.
Beijing Capital International Airport is the main hub for Air China, the flag carrier of the People's Republic of China, which flies to around 120 destinations (excluding cargo) from Beijing. Hainan and China Southern Airlines also use the airport as their hub.
To accommodate the growing traffic volume, Beijing Capital added the enormous Terminal 3 in 2008 in time for the Olympic Games, the second largest airport terminal in the world after Dubai International Airport's Terminal 3, and the fifth largest building in the world by area.

visit for mor diteil : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beijing_Capital_International_Airport

6. Munich Airport

Munich Airport is an international airport located 28.5 km (17.7 mi) northeast of Munich, Germany, and is a hub for Lufthansa and Star Alliance partner airlines. It is located near the old city of Freising and is named in memory of the former Bavarian Prime minister Franz Josef Strauss. The airport is located on the territory of four different municipalities: Oberding (location of the terminals; district of Erding), Hallbergmoos, Freising and Marzling (district of Freising).
Between 1995 and 2006, passenger numbers doubled from under 15 million per annum to over 30 million, despite the impact of the 11 September attacks in 2001 and 2002. In 1996, the airport overtook Düsseldorf as Germany’s second busiest airport and currently handles almost twice as many passengers as the country’s third busiest airport. However (once the new airport opens), Berlin is expected to catch up in terms of passenger numbers. Munich Airport serves as Lufthansa’s second hub in Germany besides Frankfurt.
Munich Airport is the second busiest airport in Germany in terms of passenger traffic behind Frankfurt Airport, and the seventh busiest airport in Europe, handling 38,360,604 passengers in 2012. It is the world's 12th busiest airport in terms of international passenger traffic, and was the 27th busiest airport in the world in 2011.

visit for mor diteil : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Munich_Airport

7. Zurich Airport

Zurich Airport also known as Kloten Airport, is Switzerland's largest international airport, and the principal hub of Swiss International Air Lines. It serves Zurich, Switzerland's largest city, and, with its surface transport links, much of the rest of the country.
The airport is owned by Flughafen Zürich AG, a company quoted on the SIX Swiss Exchange. Major shareholders include the canton of Zurich, with 33.33% of the shares, and the city of Zurich, with 5% of the shares. No other shareholder has a holding exceeding 5% Skyguide is responsible for all Air Traffic Control for Zurich.
The airport is 13 kilometres (8 mi) north of downtown Zurich, in the municipalities of Kloten, Rümlang, Oberglatt, Winkel and Opfikon, all of which are within the canton of Zurich

visit for mor diteil : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zurich_Airport

8. Vancouver International Airport

Vancouver International Airport is located on Sea Island in Richmond, British Columbia, Canada, about 12 km (7.5 mi) from Downtown Vancouver. In 2011 it was the second busiest airport in Canada by aircraft movements (296,942) and passengers (17.0 million), behind Toronto Pearson International Airport, with non-stop flights daily to Asia, Europe, Oceania, the United States, and Mexico, and other airports within Canada. The airport has won several notable international best airport awards; it won the Skytrax Best North American Airport award in 2010, 2011, 2012 and 2013 the second, third, fourth and fifth time respectively it has received the honour (the first was in 2007). It is the only North American Airport included in the top 10 for 2013. YVR also retains the distinction of Best Canadian Airport in the regional results. It is a hub for Air Canada, Air Canada Express and Air Transat as well as a focus city for WestJet. Vancouver International Airport is one of eight Canadian airports that have US Border Preclearance facilities. Vancouver International Airport (YVR) has been named, "The Best Airport in North America". The airport also made the list of top 10 airports in the world, rated at 9th overall, for the first time in 2012. In 2013 it is rated 8th overall worldwide. It is also one of the few big international airports to have a terminal for scheduled floatplanes.
Vancouver International Airport is owned by Transport Canada and is managed by Vancouver Airport Authority, which also manages other airports around the world through its Vancouver Airport Services subsidiary.

visit for mor diteils : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vancouver_International_Airport

9. Tokyo International Airport (Haneda)

Tokyo International Airport, commonly known as Haneda Airport Tokyo Haneda Airport, is one of the two primary airports that serve the Greater Tokyo Area in Japan. It is located in Ōta, Tokyo, 14 km (8.7 mi) south of Tokyo Station.
Haneda handles almost all domestic flights to and from Tokyo, while Narita International Airport handles the vast majority of international flights. In 2010, a dedicated international terminal was opened at Haneda in conjunction with the completion of a fourth runway. This allowed for a dramatic increase in international flights going to Haneda, which previously had only "scheduled charter" flights to Seoul, Shanghai, Hong Kong and Taipei. The Japanese government plans to further expand Haneda's international role in the future.
Haneda handled 66,795,178 passengers in 2012. By passenger throughput, it was the second busiest airport in Asia and the fourth busiest in the world, after Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson Airport, Beijing Capital Airport (Asia's busiest) and London Heathrow Airport. With Haneda and Narita combined Tokyo has the third busiest city airport system in the world, after London and New York City.
Haneda is the primary base of Japan's two major domestic airlines, Japan Airlines (Terminal 1) and All Nippon Airways (Terminal 2), as well as low-cost carriers Hokkaido International Airlines, Skymark Airlines, Skynet Asia Airways, and StarFlyer. It is able to handle 90 million passengers per year following its expansion in 2010.
In December 2009, ForbesTraveller.com recognized Haneda Airport as the most punctual airport in the world for two years in a row, with 94.3% of its flights departing on time and 88.6% arriving on time.

visit for mor diteils : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haneda_Airport

10. London Heathrow Airport

London Heathrow Airport or Heathrow is a major international airport serving London, England. Located in the London Borough of Hillingdon, in West London, Heathrow is the busiest airport in the United Kingdom and the third busiest airport in the world (as of 2012) in terms of total passenger traffic, handling more international passengers than any other airport around the globe. It is also the busiest airport in Europe by passenger traffic and the third busiest by traffic movements, with a figure surpassed only by Paris-Charles de Gaulle Airport and Frankfurt Airport. Heathrow is London's main airport, having replaced RAF Northolt and the earlier and better-known Croydon Airport, and together with Gatwick, Southend, Stansted, Luton and London City, London is the busiest city airport system in the world by passenger traffic (with 133,666,888 passengers travelling through the six airports); and second only to New York City in terms of traffic movements. The airport sustains 76,600 jobs directly and around 116,000 indirectly in the immediate area,[6] and this, together with the large number of global corporations with offices close to the airport, makes Heathrow a modern aerotropolis which contributes an estimated 2.7% to London's total GVA.
The airport is owned and operated by Heathrow Airport Holdings, which also owns and operates three other UK airports, and is itself owned by FGP TopCo Limited, an international consortium, which includes Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec and GIC Special Investments, that is led by the Spanish Ferrovial Group.Heathrow is the primary hub for British Airways and the primary operating base for Virgin Atlantic.
Heathrow lies 12 nautical miles (22 km; 14 mi) west of Central London, and has two parallel east–west runways along with four operational terminals on a site that covers 12.14 square kilometres (4.69 sq mi). Terminal 5 was officially dedicated by Queen Elizabeth II on 14 March 2008 and opened to passengers on 27 March 2008. Construction of a new Terminal 2 complex to replace the old terminal building and adjacent Queen's Building began in 2009 with the first phase expected to open in 2014. Terminals 3 and 4 underwent major refurbishments between 2007 and 2009. In November 2007, a consultation process began for the building of a new third runway and a sixth terminal, which was controversially approved on 15 January 2009 by UK Government ministers. The project was subsequently cancelled on 12 May 2010 by the Cameron Government.
The airport holds a Civil Aviation Authority Public Use Aerodrome Licence (Number P527), which allows flights for public transportation of passengers or for flying instruction.

Read more: http://www.news.com.au/travel/travel-advisor/the-10-best-airports-in-the-world/story-fn6yjmoc-1226653086339#ixzz2a8GaBKbF

Gene that may stop spread of breast cancer identified

Scientists, including one of Indian-origin, have found that limiting the function of a gene can stop the spread of breast cancer and reduce the risk of death.

The study by Kiran Chada, professor of biochemistry and molecular biology at Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, part of Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, and his team shows that metastasis in breast cancer and the risk of death are reduced when the function of the gene HGMA2, is limited.

"Our research has shown that HGMA2 plays a part in regulating the spread of cancer and could be considered a driver of the process," said Chada, who was principal investigator of the study.

"Further studies could result in the development of therapeutic treatments for patients with breast cancer which could prevent HGMA2's function, reduce the spread of cancer and extend a patient's life," he said.

According to Chada, only a subset of cancer cells in the primary tumour is potentially metastatic and these cells are found at the edge of the tumour in a region known as the invasive front.

Chada's laboratory showed that normal cells do not express HMGA2, and the expression of this gene product converts normal cells into metastatic cells. Furthermore, the majority of cells which express HMGA2 in human breast cancer tissue were found to be at the invasive

front. In additional studies, the researchers showed mice that could not express the HMGA2 gene were found to have a

substantially reduced incidence of breast cancer.

The study was published in Cancer Research, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR).

sources : the Indian express 

Australian researchers find new drug to tackle malaria

Australian researchers have said that a new drug that stops the malaria parasite from using vitamin B1 to multiply is now plausible.

Pharmacologist Kevin Saliba of Australian National University along with his team have reported their findings in recent issue of Nature Communications, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation reported.

Just like humans, malaria parasites need vitamins to grow and multiply. Thiamine (vitamin B1) is converted in cells to a cofactor, which then binds a number of enzymes involved in energy production.

Saliba and colleagues worked on if it might be possible to inhibit this thiamine metabolism pathway.

"We can target the pathways by which the parasite takes up the vitamin and metabolises it. These pathways can serve as drug targets," Saliba said.

As a 'probe drug', they used an analogue of thiamine, which looks similar to the vitamin but cannot actually be used in energy production.

To provide proof of principle they looked at what happens to the pathway involving two enzymes – oxoglutarate dehydrogenase and pyruvate dehydrogenase.

In an invitro experiment, the researchers found that the parasite metabolised the analogue into a cofactor which binds to the enzymes, but they found evidence that the analogue was inhibiting one of the enzymes.

Saliba and the team also gave the thiamine analogue to mice infected with malaria and found they lost weight.

"That's consistent with the drug having some toxicity," said Saliba.

The thiamine analogue used here would interfere with energy metabolism in humans so any anti-malarial drug based on these findings would have to be designed very carefully, he added.

"The idea is that you come up with a drug that would selectively target the parasite pathway. We would have to rely on slight differences between the human and parasite thiamine metabolism pathways," said Saliba.

There are currently anti-malarial drugs that target folate metabolism,which means there is a precedent for having a drug that targets a metabolic pathway in a pathogen that also exists in humans.

A major problem with anti-malarials is the development of resistance.

"The malaria parasite has become resistant to just about all the drugs we've used against it," Saliba said.

He said it is exciting to have one drug that is metabolised in the parasite that targets multiple enzymes in energy metabolism.

"It will be more difficult for the parasites to become resistant to a drug that's binding to several enzymes," said Saliba.

According to the World Health Organisation, about 3.3 billion people - almost half of the world's population – are at risk of malaria.

source : the Indian express

Skipping breakfast increases heart attack risk

Men who regularly skip breakfast may be at a 27 per cent higher risk of heart attack than those who take their morning meal, a large 16-year study has warned.

According to the study published in the American Heart Association journal Circulation, men who reported they skipped breakfast had a higher risk of heart attack or death from coronary heart disease.

The timing of meals, whether it's missing a meal in the morning or eating a meal very late at night, may cause adverse metabolic effects that lead to coronary heart disease.

Even after accounting for modest differences in diet, physical activity, smoking and other lifestyle factors, the association between skipping breakfast (or eating very late at night) and coronary heart disease persisted.

Researchers analysed food frequency questionnaire data and tracked health outcomes for 16 years (1992-2008) on 26,902 male health professionals ages 45-82. During the study, 1,572 of the men had first-time cardiac events.

The study found that men who reported eating late at night (eating after going to bed) had a 55 per cent higher coronary heart disease risk than those who didn't. However, researchers were less convinced this was a major public health concern because few men in the study reported this behaviour.

"Skipping breakfast may lead to one or more risk factors, including obesity, high blood pressure, high cholesterol and diabetes, which may in turn lead to a heart attack over time," said Leah E Cahill, study lead author and Postdoctoral Research Fellow in the Department of Nutrition at Harvard School of Public Health in Boston.

"Our study group has spent decades studying the health effects of diet quality and composition, and now this new data also suggests overall dietary habits can be important to lower risk of coronary heart disease," said Eric Rimm, senior author and Associate Professor of Epidemiology and Nutrition, Harvard School of Public Health and Associate Professor of Medicine at the Harvard Medical School.

Men who reported eating breakfast ate on average one more time per day than those who skipped breakfast, implying that those who abstained from breakfast were not eating additional make-up meals later in the day.

Although there was some overlap between those who skipped breakfast and those who ate late at night, 76 per cent of late-night eaters also ate breakfast, researchers said. While the current study group was composed of men who were of 97 per cent white European descent, the results should also apply to women and other ethnic groups, but this should be tested in additional studies, researchers said.

source : the Indian express

10 All-Time Greatest Books

10. E.B. White, Charlotte's Web (1952)

Author :  E. B. White
Illustrator : Garth Williams
Country : United States
Language : English
Genre    Children's
Publisher    Harper & Brothers
Publication date    1952
Pages    192 pp
Charlotte's Web is a children's novel by American author E. B. White and illustrated by Garth Williams; it was published in 1952 by Harper & Brothers. The novel tells the story of a pig named Wilbur and his friendship with a barn spider named Charlotte. When Wilbur is in danger of being slaughtered by the farmer, Charlotte writes messages praising Wilbur (Some Pig) in her web in order to persuade the farmer to let him live.

9. Toni Morrison, Beloved (1987)

Beloved is a novel by the American writer Toni Morrison. Set after the American Civil War, it is inspired by the story of an African-American slave, Margaret Garner, who temporarily escaped slavery

Beloved is a novel by the American writer Toni Morrison. Set after the American Civil War(1861–1865), it is inspired by the story of an African-American slave, Margaret Garner, who temporarily escaped slavery during 1856 in Kentucky by fleeing to Ohio, a free state. A posse arrived to retrieve her and her children under the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850, which gave slave owners the right to pursue slaves across state borders. Margaret killed her two-year-old daughter rather than allow her to be recaptured.

 

 

 

 

8. John Updike, The Rabbit Quartet (1960-1990)

  ''Rabbit'' Angstrom runs from marriage and responsibility and runs smack into them again in Updike's masterful chronicle of a man's four-decade race against the American zeitgeist

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

7. J.K. Rowling, Harry Potter: The Complete Series (1997-2007)

  Surprised to see Harry so high on our list? Well, his is the richest coming-of-age tale ever. Thanks to Rowling's luminous storytelling and dazzling imagination, people will still be tearing through it in a hundred years.

 

 

 

 

6. Willa Cather, My Ántonia (1918)

  My Ántonia, first published 1918, is considered one of the greatest novels by American writer Willa Cather. It is the final book of her "prairie trilogy" of novels, the companion volumes being O Pioneers! and The Song of the Lark.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

5. Gabriel García Márquez, One Hundred Years of Solitude(1967)

  One Hundred Years of Solitude, is a novel by Colombian author Gabriel García Márquez that tells the multi-generational story of the Buendía family, whose patriarch, José Arcadio Buendía, founds the town of Macondo, the metaphoric Colombia

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

4. Charles Dickens, Great Expectations (1861)

  Great Expectations is Charles Dickens's thirteenth novel. It is the second novel, after David Copperfield, to be fully narrated in the first person.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

3. Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice (1813)

Pride and Prejudice is a novel by Jane Austen, first published in 1813. The story follows the main character Elizabeth Bennet as she deals with issues of manners, upbringing, morality, education, and marriage in the society of the landed gentry of early 19th-century England. Elizabeth is the second of five daughters of a country gentleman living near the fictional town of Meryton in Hertfordshire, near London.
Though the story is set at the turn of the 19th century, it retains a fascination for modern readers, continuing near the top of lists of "most loved books" such as The Big Read. It has become one of the most popular novels in English literature and receives considerable attention from literary scholars. Modern interest in the book has resulted in a number of dramatic adaptations and an abundance of novels and stories imitating Austen's memorable characters or themes. To date, the book has sold some 20 million copies worldwide

 

 

2. F. Scott Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby (1925)

  The Great Gatsby is a 1925 novel written by American author F. Scott Fitzgerald that follows a cast of characters living in the fictional town of West Egg on prosperous Long Island in the summer of 1922.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1. Leo Tolstoy, Anna Karenina (1878)

Anna Karenina is a novel by the Russian writer Leo Tolstoy, published in serial installments from 1873 to 1877 in the periodical The Russian Messenger.

Britain's royal baby billionaire even before birth

As Britain counts the hours before Prince William and Kate Middleton announce the birth of their first child, a global intelligence firm on ultra high net worth (UHNW) individuals has estimated that the royal baby could inherit as much as 1 billion pounds in royal legacy.
Wealth-X found that the unborn child of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge is already a billionaire, given the fortunes of the immediate members of the British royal family, including great grandmother Queen Elizabeth II, great grandfather Princes Philip, grandfather Charles and father William.
Queen Elizabeth II, who celebrated her diamond jubilee as Britain's monarch last year, tops the wealth stakes with a personal net worth of USD 660 million with her income in 2014 is expected to rise by 15 per cent from USD 54 million to nearly USD 58 million, after the Crown Estate reported an increase in profits in June.
However, the net worth figures do not include the possible inheritance of the crown jewels and the Royal Collection.
Prince Charles is worth around USD 370 million and William around USD 20 million, making the combined net worth of the immediate members of the royal family over USD 1 billion.
The royal baby, who will be third in line to the throne and the future King or Queen of England, is expected any time now.
Buckingham Palace has not confirmed an exact date for Kate to give birth, but speculation has centered on this weekend.
She has opted for a natural birth at the private Lingo wing of St Mary's hospital in Paddington, central London, where a police presence has increased in recent days.
Media from the world over have camped out at the hospital, which was also where Princess Diana gave birth to both princes William and Harry.
William, who took leave from official duties as an air-sea rescue helicopter captain with the Royal Air Force (RAF) based at Anglesey in North Wales, is whiling away the wait by playing polo.
The father-to-be played at a fundraising match in Hampshire for a charity run by the Duchess of Cornwall's brother and was to play again today at a club in Wiltshire, despite predictions that Sunday is the most likely day for his wife to give birth.
Buckingham Palace said the prince would play unless he had to be at his wife's side.
William's cousin, Zara Phillips, was also playing polo at a separate event on Saturday, the week after she announced that she and her husband Mike Tindal, the former England rugby captain, are expecting their first child in the New Year.
source : The Indian Express

Chinese institute develops 100-megapixel IOE3-Kanban camera

Reporters on the 9th learned from the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Institute of Optoelectronic Technology researchers hospital lasted two years, successfully developed up to 100 million pixel camera IOE3-Kanban. The camera uses international professional company area array CCD chip, integrated developed a camera that can actually work the whole, is currently the highest in China monolithic CCD pixel digital CCD camera.

New developed the 100 million pixel camera IOE3-Kanban small size, light weight, body only 19.3 cm at its widest point, the imaging frame reaches 10240 × 10240 pixels, at -20 ℃ to 55 ℃ temperature range can achieve high-resolution imaging, and has a high sensitivity, high dynamic range, and can be used in aerial mapping, urban planning, disaster monitoring, intelligent transportation systems require more than ten kinds of high-definition imaging field.

According to reports, the Chinese Academy of optoelectronic camera configuration developed by a large field, high-precision, low distortion optics and advanced camera control system and large capacity data recording system that integrates a "national aviation remote sensing system" on the basis of remote sensor of the "big matrix CCD mapping camera system, "recently completed research also carried out after the flight test, successfully obtained high-quality digital images.

Back in the "fifth" period, the Chinese Academy of Opto-Electronics has successfully developed a 81 million pixel area array CCD camera system, reached the international advanced level. Experts said the completion of 100 million pixel camera developed, marking the Chinese Academy of Sciences Photonics Large Area Development of high-resolution CCD digital camera technology is more mature.

A Chinese institute claimed to have successfully developed a 100-megapixel camera which could produce high-resolution imaging in the fields of aerial mapping, disaster monitoring and intelligent transportation systems.

The IOE3-Kanban camera was developed by the Institute of Optics and Electronics under the Chinese Academy of Sciences making it China's highest pixel camera, CAS said in a statement.

The camera is capable of producing images with 10,240 x 10,240 pixels, the statement said. Moreover, it is small and light, with its widest part measuring only 19.3 cm, state-run Xinhua quoted the statement as saying, adding that it can be used at temperatures ranging from minus 20 degrees centigrade to 55 degrees centigrade.

Its high sensitivity and high dynamic range (HDR) features mean it will be useful in high-resolution imaging in the fields of aerial mapping, city planning, disaster monitoring and intelligent transportation systems, the statement said.

Intelligent transportation system is aimed to provide innovative services relating to different modes of transport and traffic management, enabling various users to be better informed and make safer, more coordinated, and 'smarter' use of transport networks.

The camera is equipped with advanced optical systems, camera control systems and high-capacity data recording systems, and it has proven successful in a recent trial use as a part of a national aerial remote-sensing system, it said.

The institute also developed an 81-megapixel camera during the 10th Five Year Plan period (2001-2005), and the latest achievement took the researchers two years to develop.

A megapixel is one million pixels, and is a term used not only for the number of pixels in an image, but also to express the number of image sensor elements of digital cameras or the number of display elements of digital displays.

source : the Indian express

Twitter can't beat news agencies: study

News agencies continue to have an edge over Twitter in being the first to provide people with the news, UK scientists have found.

Research into reporting of news events by Twitter and newswire services has found that while Twitter can sometimes break news before news-wires, for major events there is little evidence that it can replace traditional news outlets.

Scientists at the Universities of Edinburgh and Glasgow developed a software algorithm to track Twitter activity.

They used it to study 51 million tweets over 11 weeks in summer of 2011 and compared these with output from news outlets for the same period.

Media houses tracked for the study included the BBC, CNN and the New York Times, which seek to set the news agenda and break news stories ahead of one another.

Scientists were able to examine Twitter messages relating to major news items. They also identified a large amount of minor news items that had featured on Twitter but had been ignored by the mainstream media, researchers said.

However, neither Twitter nor news-wires was regularly faster than the other in breaking high-profile news, researchers said.

When Twitter outperformed news-wires for speed, it was for mainly for sport and disaster-related events, their findings show.

Twitter's main benefits for news are bringing additional coverage of events, and for sharing news items of interest to niche audiences or with a short lifespan, such as local sports results, the study found.

source : the Indian express