Genetherapy

Archive for November, 2009

Romeo and Juliette Laser Hair Removal Is First Center in New York City to Own Cynosure’s New Elite MPX(TM) Laser System

New York – PRNewswire – Romeo and Juliette Laser Hair Removal on East 57(th) Street is the first laser hair removal center in New York City to own the newly introduced Elite MPX laser system by Cynosure, Inc., a leading developer and manufacturer of laser and light-based aesthetic treatment systems.

The Elite MPX, which incorporates Cynosure’s patented MultiPlex sequencing technology, is a highly versatile laser aesthetic workstation that combines two gold standard wavelengths in one system: the 755 nm Alexandrite laser and the 1064 nm Nd:YAG laser, with the capability of using them individually, switching between them, or blending them with the MultiPlex sequencing technology, resulting in customized hair, vascular, and anti-aging treatments to a wider range of patients of any skin type.

“We feel the classic Elite laser has always been the best laser for darker skin types 4 and above,” said Christian Karavolas, owner of Romeo and Juliette. “Now with Elite MPX, sequential pulsing-whether it’s Alexandrite/Nd:YAG or Nd:YAG/Alexandrite- will fine tune our treatments and eliminate the fine hairs. We are especially excited to use the Elite MPX on our Indian customers. A laser that can blend wavelengths enables us to permanently reduce hair without hurting the skin.”

“We are also excited to use the 18 mm spot size,” Karavolas continued. “At 2 pulses per second, we feel it will be one of the fastest lasers on the market and will become the standard in the industry.”

Michael R. Davin, Cynosure President and CEO, commented, “We are very pleased that Romeo & Juliette will be using the new Elite MPX laser system and benefiting from the technological advances that are incorporated into it. In New York City, where there is such a diverse patient population, the Elite MPX will help provide more effective treatments on difficult to treat skin types.”

Romeo and Juliette Laser Hair Removal is located at 38 East 57(th) Street between Park and Madison Avenues in New York City. The center is open seven days a week. For more information, call Romeo and Juliette at 212-750-2000, or visit www.romeojuliettelaserhairremoval.com.

About Romeo and Juliette Laser Hair Removal
Romeo & Juliette Laser Hair Removal uses the world’s most advanced lasers. Its lasers offer optimal wavelengths for hair removal, pigmented lesions, facial and leg telangiectasias, and treatment of sun-damaged skin. Christian Karavolas, owner, has dedicated himself to laser hair removal for the last nine years. Having been educated in Europe, the Middle East as well as the United States, Christian is presently a consultant to various aesthetic laser manufacturers, including Cynosure. Christian has completed numerous laser hair removal training sessions and currently conducts workshops for doctors as well as laser hair removal professionals.

About Cynosure, Inc.
Cynosure, Inc. develops and markets aesthetic treatment systems that are used by physicians and other practitioners to perform non-invasive and minimally invasive procedures to remove hair, treat vascular and pigmented lesions, rejuvenate the skin, liquefy and remove unwanted fat through laser lipolysis and temporarily reduce the appearance of cellulite. Cynosure’s products include a broad range of laser and other light-based energy sources, including Alexandrite, pulse dye, Nd:YAG and diode lasers, as well as intense pulsed light. Cynosure was founded in 1991.

Cynosure, Inc.
800.886.2966
www.cynosure.com

Source: Cynosure, Inc.

PBA and NCA Approve Merger

Merger to create a unified trade association dedicated to the advancement of North America’s beauty industry and professionals

SCOTTSDALE, AZ (November 30, 2009) – The Board of Directors for the Professional Beauty Association (PBA) and the National Cosmetology Association (NCA) are pleased to announce that the membership of PBA and the delegates of NCA have agreed to the merger of NCA with PBA as its fourth section of membership. This merger represents another progressive step towards industry unification and furthers the strategic plan to be universally recognized as the catalyst for driving consumer loyalty, member success and the advancement of the professional beauty industry.

The merger will be official on January 1, 2010. Until then, NCA will continue to be managed by PBA. In 2010, NCA will officially join PBA as the fourth membership section, joining the current membership sections for Manufacturers, Distributors and Salon and Spa owners.

“By forming this strategic alliance, all facets of the beauty industry will now be represented by a more unified and efficient trade association capable of maximizing member value and better able to serve the professional beauty industry as a whole,” says Steve Sleeper, Executive Director of PBA. “On behalf of PBA, we welcome the addition of licensed professionals to our membership and feel in the long term, all membership sections will benefit.”

By merging, PBA and NCA will be able to serve their members and deliver upon their respective missions more effectively. By realizing multiple synergies, benefits such as more comprehensive research into the industry’s best practices, a wider array of continuing education, advanced trainings, charitable outreach and networking across multiple channels are expected. Government relations and lobbying efforts benefiting the entire industry will also be combined and will remain a core focus. In addition, members of each association will share in the benefits of the other as appropriate, including free admission to major industry events such as the International Salon & Spa Expo (ISSE) beginning in 2011 and the International Beauty Shows, as well as special pricing to events such as Cosmoprof North America, PBA Symposium and the North American Hairstyling Awards (NAHA).

“We’re excited about this opportunity for the entire professional salon industry to be represented by one unified association,” says Mark Goodman, NCA President. “This merger will allow salon professionals to have access to more advanced education and an opportunity to build their career with integrity, as has long been the NCA mission.

About the PBA
The Professional Beauty Association (PBA) is made up of salons and spas, distributors and manufacturers dedicated to improving their individual businesses and the industry as a whole. Led by industry volunteers, the association offers: business tools · education · government advocacy · networking · and more.

About the NCA
The National Cosmetology Association (NCA) is the largest organization of salon professionals in the world. Its mission, since its inception in 1921, has been and continues to be to ensure that working salon professionals have the tools and resources available to create career success with integrity.

PBA
800.468.2274 (480.281.0424)
www.probeauty.org

Story Summary: com) — Researchers at Uppsala University and University Childrens Hospital in Uppsala have devised powerful new tools for typing cells from children with acute lymphatic leukemia and for prediction of how children with leukemia will respond to chemotherapy. The study was recently published in electronic form by the prestigious hematological journal Blood. The present study analyzed DNA methylation of the DNA of bone marrow cells from 400 children with acute lymphatic leukemia (ALL) from the Nordic countries. On the basis of a preliminary analysis of 8,000 human genes, the scientists selected 400 genes for analysis of DNA methylation. Methylation analysis of only 40 genes allowed subtyping of leukemic cellsfrom the patients with a similar accuracy as is achieved by cytogenetic methods routinely used today. Our findings indicate that analysis of DNA methylation of a limited number of methylated bases in DNA can be used as markers in a DNA test to identify those groups of patients who will not respond to leukemia treatment, says Professor Ann-Christine Syvanen. Human DNA contains tens of millions of bases that can be methylated. Hopefully the results from the study will also contribute to an increased understanding of epigenetic mechanisms that cause leukemia. Epigenetics is a new research field for which technology for genome-wide studies has become available only recently. While the rate of incidences continues to rise, survival rate has not improved and the race is on . . . Chest x-ray???9 hours ago Not my first post, but had to create another username as I forgot my password and apparently there are not 7 letters in the word physics. Multiple Sclerosis & CCSVINov 26, 2009 A new approach to Multiple Sclerosis cause/treatment. or not?Nov 25, 2009 This story has my B. S. O-Meter smoking: —Quote— Belgian car crash victim who was misdiagnosed as being in a vegetative state for 23 years was conscious the whole time, it has emerged. com) — The use of antibiotic eye drops for conjunctivitis has increased by almost half since they became available over the counter at chemists in 2005, data obtained by Oxford University researchers . . . In one corner loomed the Thanksgiving table, groaning with poultry, pie and mashed potatoes….Read the Full Story

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3. Discovery Of Group Of Proteins Associated With Pediatric MS Could Lead To New Disease Diagnostics

Story Summary: RELEVANCE: With the ability to generate knockout cells for most human genes, the authors were able to find genes used by pathogens to enter and kill human cells. The identification of such factors could aid the future development of new therapeutics to combat infectious disease. Now Carette and co-workers have used a similar approach and used a human cell line, in which nearly all human chromosomes are present in a single copy. This could be important for rapidly responding to newly emerging pathogens or to study pathogen biology that has been difficult to study experimentally. Having knockout cells for almost all human genes in our freezer opens up a wealth of biological questions that we can look at, he says. * * *Thijn Brummelkamp is a Fellow at Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research, where his laboratory is located and all his research is conducted. Department of Physiology, Tufts University School of Medicine, 136 Harrison Avenue, Boston, MA3. Department of Biology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MAKeywords:Contact InformationAvailable for logged-in reporters onlyDescriptionWhitehead researchers have developed a new approach for genetics in human cells and used this technique to identify specific genes and proteins required for pathogens. With the ability to generate knockout cells for most human genes, the authors were able to find genes used by pathogens to enter and kill human cells. In the rare human cell line used for this genetic screen, the cells have only one copy of each chromosome, except for chromosome 8, which has two copies. In the rare human cell line used for this genetic screen, the cells have only one copy of each chromosome, except for chromosome 8, which has two copies….Read the Full Story

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Story Summary: Most gene analyses of IBD have focused on adult-onset disease, but the Center for Applied Genomics-one of the worlds largest pediatric genotyping programs-at Childrens Hospital has concentrated on childhood-onset IBD, which tends to be more severe than adult-onset disease. The study team identified five new gene regions that raise the risk of early-onset IBD, on chromosomes 16, 22, 10, 2 and 19. The most significant finding was at chromosome locus 16p11, which contains the IL27 gene that carries the code for a cytokine, or signaling protein, also called IL27. T helper 17 cells are recently discovered cells that lead to severe inflammation and tissue injury in autoimmune diseases. IBD is an autoimmune disease, in which a persons immune system runs out of control and attacks the body. There are many cytokines in our immune system, but our research strongly suggests that IL27 has a primary causative role in IBD, added Hakonarson. In addition to The Childrens Hospital of Philadelphia, other centers with principal investigators who played key roles were the Hospital for Sick Children of the University of Toronto; the University of Edinburgh, UK; Cedars Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles; Emory University, Atlanta; and the IRCCS-CSS Hospital, S. Giovanni Rotondo, Italy. The Childrens Hospital of Philadelphia supported this research, along with the Primary Childrens Medical Center Foundation and grants from the National Center for Research Resources, a member of the National Institutes of Health. The researchers used data provided by the International HapMap Consortium and the Wellcome Trust Case Control Consortium. Please send any medical news or health news press releases to: These are the most read articles from this news category for the last 6 months: What Is Diarrhea? Please send any medical news or health news press releases to: These are the most read articles from this news category for the last 6 months: What Is Diarrhea? What Causes Diarrhea?23 Jul 2009Diarrhea is the frequent passing of loose or watery stools….Read the Full Story

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Story Summary: These regulated errors comprise a novel non-genetic mechanism by which cells can rapidly make important proteins more resistant to attack when stressed, said Tao Pan, Professor of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at the University of Chicago. A team of 18 scientists from the University of Chicago and the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease led by Pan and Jonathan Yewdell published the findings Thursday in the journal Nature. Transfer RNAs (tRNA), one for each of the 20 amino acids used in building proteins, read the messenger RNA code and bring the proper amino acids to the ribosome, where they are bonded together to form a complete protein. Methionine is one of only two amino acids to carry sulphur atoms on its side chains, a feature that allows it to neutralise dangerous molecules called reactive oxygen species (ROS) that form inside an infected or stressed cell. ROS can damage proteins through a chemical process called oxidation, but methionine can be oxidised (and restored through a process called reduction) without being permanently damaged. The idea is that methionine can protect you from having oxidation of the active site of protein, which would ultimately completely block function of the protein, Goodenbour said. Cells normally put methionines near important parts of a protein to protect those segments from being damaged by reactive oxygen species. If you have a lot of methionines, to knock this protein out will take many, many hits. So this is a strategy used in cells to create a bodyguard for a protein. This sounds chaotic and doesnt make a lot of sense according to the textbook, Pan said. I think thats the most important part of this – to make every protein molecule different – and you cannot do this genetically. Source: University of Chicago Medical Centre– 23 August 2009Johns Hopkins scientists say they have figured out how bacteria that cause diarrhoea may also be the culprit in some colon cancers. Source: University of Chicago Medical Centre– 23 August 2009Johns Hopkins scientists say they have figured out how bacteria that cause diarrhoea may also be the culprit in some colon cancers….Read the Full Story

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Story Summary: Article5Article number: 327 Published online: 17 November 2009Dissection of a complex transcriptional response using genome-wide transcriptional modellingDepartment of Molecular Heamatology and Cancer Biology, UCL Institute of Child Health, London, UKCoMPLEX (Centre for Mathematics and Physics in the Life Sciences and Experimental Biology), University College London, London, UKDepartment of Mathematics, Imperial College London, London, UKReceived 4 May 2009; Accepted 5 October 2009; Published online 17 November 2009This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Licence, which permits distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited. By measuring both mRNA accumulation and degradation over a short time course, we were able to construct a mechanistic model of the transcriptional response. Experimental inhibition of NFB, c-Jun and p53 confirmed that target predictions were accurate. GWTM is an economical and effective method for identifying the main transcriptional activators in a complex response and confidently predicting their targets. TopIntroductionEstablishing major gene regulatory networks in a cell and modelling their interactions are key goals of systems biology (Camacho and Collins, 2009; Carter et al, 2009). This has advantage that the biological connections are experimentally verified, and, particularly in single-cell organisms like yeast, these approaches have led to excellent results (Liao et al, 2003; Workman et al, 2006). In multicellular organisms, however, modelling based primarily on documented network architecture is subject to certain limitations. Summarizing from the literature usually entails averaging evidence gathered from different cell types and in different experimental contexts. The most commonly applied microarray analysis methods are generally derived from classical multivariate analysis. Differentially expressed genes can then be grouped into classes according to the similarity of their expression patterns using supervised or unsupervised clustering, or else the main sources of variability in the data can be detected and synthesized into principal components (PCA). These classifications then serve as the basis for identifying, often, large lists of genes with contrasting or predictive patterns of expression. However, a widely applicable and experimentally verified method for genome wide transcriptional analysis is yet to be established. Lists of differentially expressed genes from microarray experiments are frequently extensive. Typically only low numbers of replicates (usually just three per condition) are run, and so the application of conventional statistics is seldom adequate to determine the extent to which these gene lists are interpretable. The cells show a normal response to damage and die by apoptosis in a p53-dependent manner (Barenco et al, 2006). We developed a mathematical modelling approach called Hidden Variable Dynamic Modelling (HVDM) (Barenco et al, 2006), available as an R package in Bioconductor (Barenco et al, 2009). The most likely explanation for these findings was the effect of differential mRNA degradation rates. The influence of RNA degradation on transcript accumulation had received little attention in a systems context in which emphasis is typically put on mRNA production and activation. Therefore, in this study we used microarrays to estimate the RNA degradation rates of all transcripts and used this information to generate a new approach we call genome-wide transcriptional modelling (GWTM). TopResultsModel System–the response of human MOLT4 cells to ionizing radiationIonizing radiation causes double-strand DNA breaks and activates a complex transcriptional response in mammalian cells. The network centres on the transcription factor and tumour suppressor, p53. We aimed to explain the behaviour of as high a proportion of the response as possible. During the dynamic response to ionizing radiation, the rate of change of transcript concentration is a function of its production and degradation rates, and can be described by the following ordinary differential equation. The rate at which a gene jis produced can be divided into a constant (or basal) transcription rate, Bj, and a rate that varies during the response as a consequence of transcription factor activity, f(t). As the activation profile of a gene is potentially gene specific, we will attach to f(t)an index, j. A transcription factor can act on multiple target genes, but its effect on each gene will depend on specific target gene sensitivity, Sj–for example, as a result of differing affinity for the promoter. We assume the overall degradation rate to be proportional to transcript concentration Xj(t). The higher the degradation rate, the more the expression profile will tend to track the activator profile. To obtain degradation rates that are as specific as possible to our system, we measured them directly by activating the DNA-damage response for 4 h, blocking the transcription using actinomycin D, then running a microarray time course to measure transcript levels at intervals over the following 6 h (see Materials and methods and Supplementary information). By measuring the degradation rate and transcript time profile on microarrays, we experimentally quantified the terms Djand Xj(t)in our model equation above. This creates an identifiable term, Gj, which is equivalent to a compound production term for a given transcript at a given time. This shape invariance can be exploited to group genes together. Genes that share similar Gjprofiles are likely to be directly controlled by the same regulatory activity. Generation of discrete Gjprofiles from microarray dataTo generate Gjvalues for all changing transcripts, we used the same transcript time series values used in HVDM (Barenco et al, 2006). We assume that the damage response network is in equilibrium before irradiation, that is, the rate of change of its constituents is zero. Therefore, individual, discrete Gjprofiles can be calculated usingwhere Iis the identity matrix. One profile of Gjvalues was generated for each experimental replicate time series (Gj,r; r=1, 2, 3). Genes that share a similar activation profile will have a correlation coefficient approaching 1. This should allow clustering of genes that share similar activation profiles. However, the real situation is more complicated because Gjis a composite production term. If this blurring is a common occurrence, then clearly separated clusters are unlikely to appear. We observed that genes expressed just above detection limits tend to have a high level of noise, and that some degradation rates could not be calculated with sufficient precision (for example, because of very rapid degradation). To solve these problems we applied a graph representation to locate regions where the density of Gjprofiles is high. Graphical representation has previously been used in the context of gene expression profiles clustering (Sharan and Shamir, 2000). We then calculated the correlation coefficient between each replicate Gjprofile and excluded genes with poorly correlated (2) was then compared with a ranked list of 69 predictions made by GWTM for activity profile 1. The subsequent analysis of transcripts, IR-induced upregulation of which was inhibited by c-Jun knockdown revealed that although a few of the global activity 1 transcripts were direct c-Jun/AP-1 targets, many of the established NF-B targets were also partially reduced by c-Jun/AP-1 inhibition (Figure 4, A2). This suggests that many of the genes in this category are in fact co-regulated by NF-B and c-Jun/AP-1. The data for this knockdown have been previously published (Barenco et al, 2006). The resulting list of 95 transcripts knocked down by siRNAp53 was then compared with a ranked list of the 93 predictions made by GWTM for activity profile. However, it is noteworthy that the verification scores for the three transcriptions factors under review are, as should be expected, generally poor for this particular set (Figure 4, C1-C3 in contrast with, respectively, A1 and A2 and B3). Conversely, the predicted targets of the first principal activity show little p53 inhibition (Figure 4; A3, contrast with B3). Transcript degradation rates have a significant effect on resulting expression profilesUsing GWTM predictions, measured degradation data and experimental inhibition of the chief activities, we were able to verify that degradation rates significantly contribute to transcript time profiles as initially predicted (Figure 1). The individual activity profiles are similar because the three genes under review are activated by the same transcription factor, p53. (D) TNFSF3 expression results from the combination of a fast onset activation (controlled by NF-B) with a relatively slow degradation component. In contrast, RNFB19B is activated by a slower transcription factor (p53) but tends to track its movement more closely because of a relatively high transcript turnover rate. Lymphotoxin-(TNFSF3) and RNF19B share a similar expression profile (Figure 5C), peaking at 4 h and declining steadily to 12 h. GWTM using measured degradation rates predicted correctly that despite these similar profiles, Lymphotoxin-is a target of NF-B, whereas RNF19B is a p53 target gene (Figure 5D). It is noteworthy, however, that a principled approach to individual gene attribution to activities is indeed necessary (see Transcription factor target predictions using global activity profiles section above), as lower ranked genes (36-60) tend to have a noisier profile (Figure 5F). By incorporating known degradation rates, GWTM improves on existing methodsAlthough no previous knowledge of p53 targets was used in the modelling, GWTM was successful in identifying verifiable targets. More importantly, knowledge and incorporation of the degradation rate permitted a re-ranking of predictions. Inclusion of the known degradation rate caused a slight deterioration in the model fit, but greatly improved the robustness of the sensitivity rate, which we used in both methods to rank the predictions. Overall, this change benefits the quality of predictions (Figure 6, green curve). This shows that taking into account extra information, in the form of individual transcript degradation rates, can provide perceivable benefits for the prediction quality. Finally, it is noteworthy that basing predictions and ranking of putative targets only on the correlation coefficient also delivers inferior results (Figure 6, red curve). This percentage improves for most upregulated genes, with GWTM explaining 76% of the 100 most upregulated genes and 82% for the first 50 (Figure 8, black curve). A Z-score representing degree of DNA damage-induced upregulation was computed for each differentially expressed gene. Some of those may be co-regulated targets of more than one activity. We developed a mathematical modelling approach called HVDM that incorporates RNA production and degradation terms, and allows transcription factor activity to be deduced from microarray data. We term this activity the hidden variable because information needed to derive it is hidden in the transcript values reported in the array data. While studying the transcriptional response to stress in yeast, Shalem et al(2008) found co-ordinated mRNA production and degradation such that greater message stability could lead to a sustained level of transcript despite a short production period. The time course data yielded transcript production profiles, which we are able to cluster on the basis of correlation. The three clusters were, therefore, likely to correspond to three global activity profiles influencing transcript production during the response to ionizing radiation. The first activity is an early response that peaks 2 h after treatment with ionizing radiation. The kinetics of this pathway must be rapid as GWTM recognizes this regulation as one activity. However, it is not clear whether this population represents cells surviving irradiation (unlikely at the dose of irradiation applied), or cells aberrantly re-entering cycle before undergoing apoptosis. A total of 76 of the 100 most confidently changing genes were assigned by the model to a controlling factor and verified experimentally. Although it is ideal if the transcription factors controlling the discovered activities can be identified, this may not always be possible due to limitations in the bioinformatics databases. However, by synthesizing the causes of a complex response involving hundreds of genes to a considerably smaller number of activities, the search for activators is substantially simplified. Using this approach it may even be possible to analyse co-regulated genes with unknown transcription factors to identify common regulatory motifs–akin to orphan receptors–where the binding domain is known before the transcription factor that binds it. One potential solution to this problem could come with a switch to a less error-prone technology. We noticed a number of highly upregulated transcripts behaviour of which was also not predicted accurately by the model, but which were knocked down by the verification experiments. Similarly, of the six genes that are predicted targets of global activity 1 and 2, two (CD70 and PTP4A1) present good verification scores for NF-B and p53 dependence (Supplementary Tables IV and V). Other experimental methods like ChIP-Chip and ChIP-Seq, which measure binding of transcription factors to regulatory domains, are gaining in power and affordability, and are revealing the complexity of gene regulation (Valouev et al, 2008; Visel et al, 2009). Combining ChIP-seq data with data-driven modelling approaches, like GWTM, will allow us to identify targets for Chip-seq, and to quantitatively relate transcriptional dynamics with the kinetics of transcription factor binding. Together these approaches could lead to a better understanding of how gene networks are regulated in complex responses. The approach can dissect complex transcriptional responses into their major controlling activities and identify the targets of each one. Our approach, therefore, offers a data-driven method for accurately identifying gene network components, establishing their connectivity and quantifying the controlling activities at the transcriptome level. Transcript degradation rate estimationMOLT4 cells in log phase (1 106cells per ml) were irradiated with 4-Gy irradiation at room temperature, at a dose rate of 2. Aliquots of culture were removed at hourly intervals and RNA was extracted (TRIzol; Invitrogen). The clustering algorithm was implemented using a mixture of R code (filtering and individual activity profile computation) and C++ (graph theory algorithms and clustering) combined with a scripting language (Python). The degradation rate computation and screening procedure were implemented in R. Data are available in MAGE-ML format through ArrayExpress (E-MEXP-2176 for the c-Jun downregulation experiment, E-MEXP-2177 for the NF-B inhibition experiment and E-MEXP-2179 for the degradation rate measurement experiment). Cells were then irradiated with 4 Gy irradiation at room temperature, at a dose rate of 2. The quantity and quality of RNA and cDNA were determined by Nanodrop spectrophotometer and Bioanalyser 2100 (Agilent). The suspension was kept on ice for 30 min and agitated occasionally. DNA probes were prepared by end-labelling both strands of the oligonucleotide using -32PATP (Amersham Biosciences) and T4 polynucleotide kinase (New England Biolabs). Inhibition of c-Jun/AP-1 activityCells were transfected with 100 nM siRNAc-Jun (Santa Cruz Biotechnology, sc-44204) using electroporation. Bioinformatic methodsTo identify the transcription factors responsible for each controlling activity, we took advantage of several bioinformatics resources. Mathematical methodsDegradation rate measurement from microarray dataTypically gene turnover rates are measured over a short time span (Yang et al, 2003). Reasoning that this would be problematic in estimating slow decaying transcripts with sufficient precision, we decided to extend the period up to 6 h after transcription blocking. In standard microarray experiments, overall gene expression is assumed to be constant across experimental conditions and individual microarrays are normalized accordingly to some central statistic, such as the trimmed average or the median. A similar procedure was used in the study by Yang et al(2003). Imagine we are given two time points x(t1)and x(t3)and want to estimate the slope x at the intermediate time point between these two (t2). The simplest way is to simply taking the slope of the line passing through these points:which can be rewritten as:Thus, this estimation is a linear combination of the function values weighted by coefficients that depend only on the time intervals between the points. In this case, a polynomial of degree n-1 is used for the fit. It should be noted that all the rows in this matrix sum up to 0, and that the first row of Ais filled with zeros as we suppose that the net rate of change of every transcript is still nil at the moment (t=0) in which we apply the stimulus. If the P-value (corresponding to the right tail of the distribution) was less than 0. An edge is drawn between two individual genes if the correlation between their individual activity profiles is above a certain threshold, . This is the first parameter. Choosing a high value of tends to reduce the overall connectivity of the graph and thus satisfies the first objective (more distinct merged cliques). Conversely, a low value of increases the connectivity of the graph and thus tends to increase the size of the cliques. We reasoned that this could be due to two possible effects. Second, genes that are hampered by a high level of noise could also create this bridging. Although nothing can be done against the first effect, the second possibility was handled by introducing a second parameter, . Genes for which smaller inter-replicate correlation coefficient was below were excluded from the analysis. 75), whichever value was chosen for , caused two important merged cliques (corresponding to activities 1 and 2 in the main paper) to agglomerate into one. These four merged cliques were found, in varying size and composition, over a range of couple of values for these two parameters (for example, (0. Next we looked for enriched GO terms for each of the four merged cliques (see main article). Although for three of these main cliques it was easy to identify the underlying activity, we could not find enriched terms for the fourth. This merged clique being a clear technical artefact caused by probe saturation, we eliminated it. Further, we also eliminated from the subsequent screening all those genes for which expression values were too highly correlated with the scaling factors. We retained only those genes that are significantly upregulated; we applied the Benjamini-Hochberg criteria (with controlled false discovery rate of 5%) on the maximal upregulation P-value computed on all six time time points after system activation following the control time point (Benjamini and Hochberg, 1995). Next, to avoid a biased degradation rate measurement, we kept only those genes for which the intercept value calculated on the degradation time course was between 5 and 1500. We reasoned that outside this range the degradation rate was more likely to be underestimated because of compression effects….Read the Full Story

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Story Summary: And perhaps even more concerning was the fact that nearly all the cases were detected in patients under the age of 60, representing a complete reversal of typical demographic patterns of infection. Having a high fever and cough and then feeling miserable and then feeling better and then suddenly taking a turn for the worse–that is a serious warning sign, she explained. Pharmaceutical giant Merck currently produces a vaccine called Pneumovax that is aimed specifically at protecting adult patients against 23 different varieties of streptococcal bacteria. Health experts suggest that adult smokers as well as those suffering from diabetes, asthma and other conditions can particularly benefit from the vaccine. However, she also expressed confidence that the vaccine has proven safe despite earlier fears that it had been too hastily produced and pushed through FDA screening procedures. So far, the vaccine data suggests that this is a safe vaccine, Schuchat said. Official estimates from the CDC show that some 22 million U. S. citizens have contracted the swine flu thus far this year, while health experts from the World Health Organization say that the pandemic appears to be spreading from the west to the east and has likely already peaked in Europe and the Americas. Official estimates from the CDC show that some 22 million U. S. citizens have contracted the swine flu thus far this year, while health experts from the World Health Organization say that the pandemic appears to be spreading from the west to the east and has likely already peaked in Europe and the Americas….Read the Full Story

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Story Summary: Tailor-made HIV treatment closer to realityA new type of stem cells found in prostate may be involved in cancer– 9 Sep 2009 — A new type of stem cell found in the prostate of adult mice can be a source of prostate cancer, according to a new study. This is a vaccine made for the individual patient – an haute couture therapy, instead of an off-the-rack treatment said Dr Routy. Phase 2 of the clinical trial, which is nearly complete, is testing the therapys efficacy on its own at 8 different sites in Canada. They are the grand conductors of the immune response, explains Dr Routy. With them, you push the immune system, in all its functions, at the same time. In the current trial, dendritic cells were exposed to a sample of HIV RNA (ribonucleic acid) specific to the patient involved. In the current trial, dendritic cells were exposed to a sample of HIV RNA (ribonucleic acid) specific to the patient involved. — full story– 16 August 2009Scientists at St. Jude Childrens Research Hospital have identified inherited variations in two genes that account for 37 percent of childhood acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL), including. — full story– 29 July 2009Researchers at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute have shown that they can engineer mouse and human cells to produce brown fat, a natural energy-burning type of fat that counteracts obesity. — full story– 29 July 2009Researchers at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute have shown that they can engineer mouse and human cells to produce brown fat, a natural energy-burning type of fat that counteracts obesity….Read the Full Story

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1. Tailor-made HIV/AIDS treatment closer to reality
2. Tailor-Made HIV/AIDS Treatment Closer To Reality
3. Laser-Controlled Humans Closer to Reality | Wired Science

Story Summary: Unlike traditional vaccines, therapeutic cancer vaccines are designed to halt or reverse the course of the disease after it has developed. While cancer vaccines come in several variations, the general approach is to trigger the immune system to recognize and destroy cells bearing a cancer-specific marker. The immune system can be tuned to cancer cells by injecting patients with specific molecules linked to different types of cancer, or by injecting irradiated cancer cells. Scientists have also tried to enhance this process by training the immune cells in a controlled environment outside the body–the cells are isolated from the patients blood and exposed to cancer-specific molecules. A polymer scaffold, made of the same material used in biodegradable sutures and other surgical products, is impregnated with cytokines, signaling molecules produced by the immune system that attract immune cells known as dendritic cells. CytokinesIncreasing cytokines has been tried unsuccessfully in both rat and humans about 20 years ago. In every issue youll learn about new technologies and new ideas FIRST. In every issue youll learn about new technologies and new ideas FIRST….Read the Full Story

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Story Summary: }{Interviews with researchers pursuing therapeutic vaccines can be arranged through contacts. }Newswise — In honor of World AIDS Day, The AIDS Institute (TAI), one of the nations leading advocacy organizations for support of people with HIV/AIDS and their providers, joined Nobel Laureate Dr. Francoise Barre-Sinoussi, in calling for government leaders, patient advocates and the research community to expand therapeutic HIV vaccine research. We need to have more funding for new scientists, young scientists that would like to come to us with innovative, new, creative ideas. Researchers hope that one day therapeutic vaccines can be given to already infected individuals to help fight the disease by adjusting their immune response. TAI Executive Director Michael Ruppal said expanded HIV vaccine funding for biotechnology research is crucial for scientists so they can conduct more trials and determine whether certain therapeutics are working. These trials will help us determine whether the vaccines are working, and in return, help achieve our goal of improved HIV care. We know that data from therapeutic vaccine research clearly indicates significant survival benefits and a decrease in disease progression. We need to make this the highest priority of research at the NIH and at leading vaccine research institutions. A growing number of treatment activists who have seen compelling data believe these vaccines can change the current course of the AIDS crisis. The AIDS Institute depends on the support of its various communities to achieve its mission to promote action for social change through public policy research, advocacy and education. Help ensure TAI has the resources to fight AIDS and ensure quality healthcare for all people by making a donation or giving of your time and talents. Your contribution is tax deductible to the fullest extent of the law. About HIV/AIDS:When HIV infects a person, the cells it infects most often are CD4 cells, which are a type of white blood cell. The genetic code of the virus becomes part of the cells. 7 million people are in immediate need of life-saving AIDS drugs; of these, only 2. Results have consistently shown that immune responses were evident as a result of vaccination. Over the years, TAI expanded its vision to become a leading national public policy research, advocacy, and education organization with offices in Tampa, and Washington, DC….Read the Full Story

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Story Summary: According to Kalorama, cancer vaccine sales will more than double from $1. This unprecedented growth is creating countless opportunities for market participants. These will lead to tailored treatments based on a tumors specific genetic profile, allowing physicians to treat tumors based on their genetic make-up rather than their location. Several promising vaccines are in late stage development and are preparing for regulatory review in the United States and internationally, notes Kalorama Information analyst Melissa Elder. These vaccines will, however, have to overcome a few hurdles, including the reimbursement issue. Manufacturers must not only demonstrate that new vaccines are superior to other products on the market but also that pharmacogenomics and personalized medicine are worth the anticipated additional cost. Kalorama Informations report Emerging Cancer Vaccines: Market Forecasts, New Developments and Pipeline Analysis, 3rd Edition, focuses on both preventative and therapeutic cancer vaccines in development. Contact Our News EditorsFor any corrections of factual information, or to contact the editors please use our feedback form. Stages of Breast CancerBreast cancer stages tell us the characteristics of the cancer and if it has spread beyond the breast tissue….Read the Full Story

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Story Summary: Factors causing immunogenicityThe factors that cause immunogenicity of these products could be patient-related, disease-related and product-related. Some patients with chronic infections may be more prone to an immune response against a therapeutic protein. Patients with autoimmune disease, with an altered immunological tolerance to self-proteins, may react differently. In some conditions such as malnutrition, advanced metastatic disease, organ failure, an immune response against a therapeutic protein might be less likely to occur due to an impaired immune system. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in the USA has a policy to include immunogenicity as part of the review of clinical safety assessments for biologic license applications. However as of now, no comprehensive guidelines exist on the approaches that are required for immunogenicity testing during product development. The various analytical approaches that have been used to monitor or detect the presence of antidrug antibodies in the last couple of decades are:1) Immunological based technologies (e. g. Western blots, immunoassay)2) Chromatographic formats (e. g. size exclusion, capillary electrophoresis) 3) Surface plasma resonance biosensors and 4) Bioassays (e. g. immortalized cell lines). Antibodies are needed for western blot, immune precipitation, and protein purification among other methods. Peptides for antibody production are generally of 15 to 25 amino acids. Such peptides can be conjugated to a protein carrier such as KLH, BSA etc. which can induce antibody production and used for both in vitro and in vivo assays. Our staff of highly experienced and qualified chemists, biologists and immunologists has reliably and consistently provided products and services to large pharmaceuticals and universities across the country that meet the most demanding requirements for quality, turnaround and expert technical support. We believe our quality control and speed is unmatched in the industry. Our organic synthesis divisions have successfully completed a number of projects with various biotechnology companies. com. com….Read the Full Story

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Story Summary: In a second story, Reutersexamines a Chinese health officials recent warnings that the country be alert for the mixing of the H1N1 virus with the H5N1 (bird flu) virus, resulting in a more deadly virus. However, under the current timeline, the plant still needs to be licensed by the Food and Drug Administration and likely wont be producing flushots for the U. S. market until at least 2013. But Novartis officials said the plant could be brought online in two years if licensed under emergency procedures, the newspaper writes (Dooren, 11/24). In a second story, the Wall Street Journalexamines the U. S. s recent attempts to boost vaccine output: After more than five years and about $2 billion in government spending, the U. S. is still struggling to modernize and speed up production of vaccinations against deadly pandemics like swine flu. The plant has other advantages: If a deadly avian-flu virus hit, it could kill scores of chickens and endanger the supply of eggs needed to make vaccine the old-fashioned way. The article includes further information about the cell-culture technology and comments about vaccine development by Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, whose institute is spending $262 million this year on influenza research, including research on a new generation of vaccines that can be made without having to grow a virus, the newspaper writes (McKay/Whalen, 11/25). 200M H1N1 Vaccines To Go To Africa, WHO Announces During Meeting Of African LeadersRepresentatives from the WHO and leaders from Nigeria, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Rwanda, Ghana, Tanzania and Niger are participating in the five-day inter-country workshop to determine the best approach to deploy the new H1N1 pandemic influenza vaccine and other ancillary supplies, This Dayreports (Nwezeh, 11/24). Any medical information published on this website is not intended as a substitute for informed medical advice and you should not take any action before consulting with a health care professional….Read the Full Story

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Story Summary: Signal transduction is in large part controlled by a process called phosphorylation. Drugs are most effective on cancers when they attack the proteins that are activated, he added. While cancers are highly heterogeous in their make-up, the BU researchers believe that a drug that would target this collection of proteins would be effective treatment for most lung cancers. This is the first statistically validated phosphopeptide signature to diagnose any disease, much less cancer or lung cancer, explained senior co-author Martin Steffen, MD, PhD, an assistant professor of pathology and laboratory medicine at BUSM, and director, Proteomics Core Facility at BUSM. Funding for this study was provided by the National Human Genome Research Institute and the American Lung Association. Most of what you read here are press releases from the outfits named in the stories themselves. The other half of the equation is blog postsfrom readers like you. The other half of the equation is blog postsfrom readers like you….Read the Full Story

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Story Summary: The study, Exome sequencing identifies the cause of a mendelian disorder, was led by University of Washington (UW) researchers and published Nov. 13 in Nature Genetics. One of the reasons that this strategy is so powerful is that the scientists need only use a small number of unrelated cases to find the gene, said the other senior author of the study, Dr. Jay Shendure, UW assistant professor of genome sciences. People with this syndrome have a number of malformations affecting their mouths, eyelids, ears, and feet. Once we discover the causative gene, she added, we can begin to look at how the gene might lead to the development of disease and what factors predict the outcome. After scientists identify one causative gene and its repercussions, by extension they might discover other genes or environmental agents that affect the same biological pathway. For example, the malformation patterns found in Miller syndrome are similar to the birth defects in fetuses of some, but not all, mothers who took the drug methotrexate during pregnancy. The exome sequencing strategy may also prove useful in studies of common disorders with complex genetics. Other authors include co-first author Kati J. Buckingham, from the UW Department of Pediatrics; Choli Lee, UW Department of Genome Sciences; Abigail W. Bigham, UW Department of Pediatrics; Holly K. Tabor, UW Department of Pediatrics and the Treuman Center for Pediatric Bioethics at Seattle Childrens; Karin M. Dent and Chad D. Huff from the University of Utah departments of pediatrics and human genetics, respectively; Paul T. Shannon of the Institute of Systems Biology in Seattle; Ethylin Wang Jabs of the Department of Genetics and Genome Sciences at Mount Sinai School of Medicine and the Department of Pediatrics at Johns Hopkins University, and Deborah Nickerson from the UW Department of Genome Sciences. The research was funded by grants from the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Health and Human Development, the National Human Genome Research Institute, and the Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, all at the National Institutes of Health; the state of Washington Life Sciences Discovery Fund and the Washington Research Foundation….Read the Full Story

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Story Summary: (NASDAQ: MRNA), a leading RNAi-based drug discovery and development company, today announced the extension and expansion of its collaboration with the Vancouver Prostate Centre (VPC), covering the discovery and development of RNAi-based therapeutics for the treatment of bladder cancer. Research conducted by scientists and surgeons from both institutions demonstrated that MDRNAs UsiRNA targeting human survivin and delivered via DiLA2 liposomes achieved up to 90% target knockdown in a mouse model of orthotopic bladder cancer. The VPC is a National Centre of Excellence for translational research located at the University of British Columbia and the Vancouver General Hospital. In the case of the UsiRNA, UNA is substituted for specific nucleotides in both the guide and passenger strands. UsiRNAs are fully recognized by the cellular RNAi machinery, as demonstrated by their potent activity. MDRNA has also shown that substitution of UNA for specific RNA increases stability to nucleases, substantially reduces cytokine induction, and reduces passenger and guide strand-mediated offtarget effects. The DiLA2 Platform enables MDRNA to tailor the charge, linker length, and acyl chain characteristics to improve delivery of the liposomes to target tissue of interest. In addition, the platform is designed to permit attachment of peptides and other targeting molecules for delivery to a variety of tissues, and thus provide for a diverse therapeutic portfolio. SourceMDRNA, Inc. Any medical information published on this website is not intended as a substitute for informed medical advice and you should not take any action before consulting with a health care professional. Contact Our News EditorsFor any corrections of factual information, or to contact the editors please use our feedback form. Stages of Breast CancerBreast cancer stages tell us the characteristics of the cancer and if it has spread beyond the breast tissue. Living with Breast CancerThere are many options for treating breast cancer, including surgery, hormonal treatments, radiation and chemotherapy….Read the Full Story

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Story Summary: But the generally upbeat report showed that expanding access to HIV therapy was having tangible benefits. At the end of 2008 4 million individuals were receiving antiretroviral drugs. In Kenya, treatment scale-up between 2002 and 2007 resulted in a 29% decline in deaths attributable to HIV. And in Botswana where 80% of individuals in need of antiretroviral therapy are receiving it, the number of people dying because of HIV fell by half between 2003 and 2007. Furthermore, thanks to HIV treatment, there has been a dramatic fall in the number of children orphaned because of the virus. In Botswana, expanding access to antiretroviral therapy has been accompanied by a 40% fall in the number of children orphaned because of HIV. Overall, there has been a 17% fall in new HIV infections since 2001. However, the report also showed that much still remains to be done. Appropriate targeting of prevention resources remains essential, and the report highlights how there are multiple and evolving HIV epidemics around the world (see this separate aidsmap. Especially serious is the epidemic in Eastern Europe and Central Asia, the only world regions where HIV incidence is still increasing. The report concludes that HIV remains one of the worlds most serious public health challenges and that responding to it is a moral imperative….Read the Full Story

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Story Summary: We shipped about 20,000 with about another 11,000 doses to go out to them later. It isnt uncommon for vaccinations to be used in what we call the face of an outbreak, he said. Since these pigs got sick and had a confirmed diagnosis, I think more farmers are going to want to vaccinate, he said. The history is that the virus can go from people to pigs and from pigs to people just as easily, he said. Harris stresses that there is no threat of humans getting the H1N1 virus from eating pork from pigs that had the virus. Source: Hank Harris Iowa State University Any medical information published on this website is not intended as a substitute for informed medical advice and you should not take any action before consulting with a health care professional….Read the Full Story

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Story Summary: This is why the six research groups which set out to characterize a minimal cell in a project headed by scientists Peer Bork, Anne-Claude Gavin and Luis Serrano chose M. pneumoniae as a model: it is complex enough to survive on its own, but small and, theoretically, simple enough to represent a minimal cell – and to enable a global analysis. Another defined all the metabolic reactions that occurred in it, collectively known as its metabolome, under the same conditions. A third team identified every multi-protein complex the bacterium produced, thus characterizing its proteome organization. As in eukaryotes, a large proportion of the transcripts produced from M. pneumoniaes DNA are not translated into proteins. Unlike that of other, larger, bacteria, M. pneumoniaes metabolism doesnt appear to be geared towards multiplying as quickly as possible, perhaps because of its pathogenic lifestyle. This adaptability and its underlying regulatory mechanisms mean M. pneumoniae has the potential to evolve quickly, and all the above are features it also shares with other, more evolved organisms. The key lies in these shared features, explains Anne-Claude Gavin, an EMBL group leader who headed the study of the bacteriums proteome: Those are the things that not even the simplest organism can do without and that have remained untouched by millions of years of evolution – the bare essentials of life. Serrano was recently awarded a European Research Council Senior grant. —Image Caption: This image represents the integration of genomic, metabolic, proteomic, structural and cellular information about Mycoplasma pnemoniae in this project: one layer of an Electron Tomography scan of a bottle-shaped M. pneumoniae cell (grey) is overlaid with a schematic representation of this bacteriums metabolism, comprising 189 enzymatic reactions, where blue indicates interactions between proteins encoded in genes from the same functional unit. —Image Caption: This image represents the integration of genomic, metabolic, proteomic, structural and cellular information about Mycoplasma pnemoniae in this project: one layer of an Electron Tomography scan of a bottle-shaped M. pneumoniae cell (grey) is overlaid with a schematic representation of this bacteriums metabolism, comprising 189 enzymatic reactions, where blue indicates interactions between proteins encoded in genes from the same functional unit. For instance, there were various unexpected physical interactions (yellow lines) between proteins and the subunits that form the ribosome, which is depicted as an Electron microscopy image (yellow). For instance, there were various unexpected physical interactions (yellow lines) between proteins and the subunits that form the ribosome, which is depicted as an Electron microscopy image (yellow)….Read the Full Story

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Story Summary: By leveraging the favorable investment environment, relatively low operating cost and its existing facilities, this JV enables Sinovac to cost effectively establish manufacturing platforms for live attenuated vaccines and vero cell cultured vaccines, thus adding another important manufacturing site for Sinovacs vaccine products. Sinovac Dalian will be headquartered in , and will occupy a total area of approximately 1,000,000 square feet. The building area is approximately 200,000 square feet, which is comprised of a nearly 60,000 square foot manufacturing and R&D facility. The campus currently contains two vaccine production lines — one for the vero cell cultured vaccines and one for live attenuated vaccines — and has capacity to house approximately six different production lines. The -based facility has a designed annual manufacturing capacity of 20 million doses of vero cell cultured vaccines and 20 million doses of live attenuated vaccines. Sinovac Biotech through its wholly-owned subsidiary Sinovac Biotech () Ltd, shall make an initial cash contribution of , or approximately . Dalian Jin Gang Group, the other party, shall make an asset contribution, inclusive of its manufacturing facilities, production lines and land use rights, with an appraised value of , or approximately . Equity interest is divided 30% and 70% between Sinovac and , respectively. Sinovacs commercialized vaccine products include Healive(R) (hepatitis A), Bilive(R) (combined hepatitis A and B), Anflu(R) (seasonal influenza), Panflu(TM) (pandemic influenza (H5N1)), and PANFLU. These statements are made under the safe harbor provisions of the U. S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. A number of important factors could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statement. Sinovac does not undertake any obligation to update any forward-looking statement, except as required under applicable law….Read the Full Story

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Story Summary: In the 500 ug dose group 2/3 patients showed transient reductions in serum levels of HCV RNA (up to -1,5log10) and in the same two patients T cell responses to the vaccine lasting [?] This provides a proof-of-concept for the therapeutic strategy and supports further clinical development. In addition, early data from three patients who now have initiated standard of care treatment after completing the clinical trial have experienced a rapid loss of the virus, possibly suggesting a role for ChronVac-C(r) in combination therapies. This data will be monitored for as many patients as possible during the coming year to obtain a more solid data base. Tripep will therefore pursue clinical development of ChronVac-C(r) along two lines, the current ChronVac-C(r) as in as an addition to standard of care and an improved 2nd generation ChronVac-C(r) as a monotherapy. Preclinical safety testing of 2nd generation ChronVac-C(r) should start in the spring of 2010. Finally, Tripep has filed an application with the Swedish Medical Products Agency to give the last three patients a fifth booster dose. We are extremely pleased with the outcome of the clinical trial in particular considering that this was the first time ever that a DNA vaccine was delivered using in vivo electroporation against an infectious disease. Tripep is focusing on the following research projects; wound healing therapy ChronSeal and a therapeutic vaccine against Hepatitis C, named ChronVac-C(r), plus the RAS(r) technology platform. The Tripep share is admitted to trade on First North. The Tripep share is admitted to trade on First North. For more information, please refer to the companys Website: www. se….Read the Full Story

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Story Summary: Much less commonly, cold sores may be caused by HSV-2 (herpes simplex type 2), which may result from having oral sex with a person who has genital herpes. A canker sore is a small ulcer crater in the lining of the mouth – it is frequently painful. There is no cure or prevention for infected people, but steps can be taken to reduce their frequency and duration. The viruses frequently become latent and may not be expressed for years. The herpes simplex virusThe cold sore virusor herpes simplex virusis very contagious – it is easily transmissible from human-to-human as a result of close contact. When it enters a human, for most of the time it remains inactive (dormant). For example, pain may be a symptom while a rash may be a sign. Many people infected with the herpes simplex virus have no symptoms and will never know they are infected, until an outbreak of cold sores occurs (if ever one does). The sores may take as long as three weeks to heal up. Although adults can get gingivostomatitis, most patients are young children. Adults with primary infection usually have pharyngotonsillitis – the tonsils will swell, the individual will have a sore throat and glandular fever-like symptoms. However, after the primary infection, signs and symptoms are generally limited to just those of cold sores. There will be an outbreak of cold sores, with the possibility swollen glands (less common). This is followed by fluid-filled sores, typically located on the edges of the lower lip. As the cold sore grows in size, so does the pain and irritation. A yellow crust forms and sloughs off to uncover pink skin that heals without scarring. Infection with HSV-2, usually resulting from oral sex with a person who has genital herpes, is a much less common cause of cold sore outbreaks. The virus makes its way to the nerves and lies there dormant until some trigger activates it later on. People who think they, or their child may have a primary infection, especially if the sore has not healed within a week or so, should see their doctor. The doctor may also take a sample of the fluid scraped from the cold sore – the aim is to detect the presence of the cold sore virus. Most cases of cold sore outbreaks will clear up within one to two weeks without any treatment. Some ointments and antiviral medications may slightly shorten the duration of the outbreak and alleviate discomfort and pain. These creams cannot prevent future occurrences – they do not eliminate the virus. Patients with weakened immune systems- there is a risk of complications for patients undergoing chemotherapy, or those with HIV; the infection may spread to other parts of the body, including the eye, and there is also a risk of swelling of the brain (encephalitis). Other treatments for cold sores- some creams which do not contain antivirals and can be bought without a prescription may help alleviate some of the irritation. Antiseptic mouthwash- this may help prevent secondary infections and control plaque build-up. A lip barrier cream, such as Vaseline will help prevent this. Dehydration- patients with gingivostomatitis, especially young children, are at risk of becoming dehydrated because swallowing may be uncomfortable. If the infection is severe, or gingivostomatitis symptoms continue for over two weeks, you should tell your doctor. Possible complications include: Dehydration- if there is pain in the mouth and throat the patient may be reluctant to drink. This is especially the case with herpes simplex gingivostomatitis. Herpetic whitlow- if the cold sore virus spreads to other parts of the body, for example the hands, the patient may have blisters on their fingers. Herpetic whitlow- if the cold sore virus spreads to other parts of the body, for example the hands, the patient may have blisters on their fingers. Herpetic keratoconjunctivitis- this is a secondary infection in which the eyes are affected. The eye area may become swollen and irritated (inflamed), and sores may develop on the eyelids. The eye area may become swollen and irritated (inflamed), and sores may develop on the eyelids. If left untreated the cornea may become infected, resulting in possible blindness. This type of complication is usually effectively treated with antiviral medication. This type of complication is usually effectively treated with antiviral medication. Encephalitis can occur if the cold sore virus spreads to the brain. Encephalitis can occur if the cold sore virus spreads to the brain. If you do, wash your hands with soap and warm water immediately. Avoid touching other parts of your body, especially susceptible areas, such as the genitals and eyes. Avoid touching other parts of your body, especially susceptible areas, such as the genitals and eyes. There are certain triggers which can bring on an outbreak. There are certain triggers which can bring on an outbreak. These include mental stress, catching colds and flu, sleep deprivation, or too much sun. Sunblock can help reduce your skins exposure to sunlight. Written by Christian Nordqvist Copyright: Medical News Today Not to be reproduced without permission of Medical News TodayAny medical information published on this website is not intended as a substitute for informed medical advice and you should not take any action before consulting with a health care professional. Written by Christian Nordqvist Copyright: Medical News Today Not to be reproduced without permission of Medical News TodayAny medical information published on this website is not intended as a substitute for informed medical advice and you should not take any action before consulting with a health care professional….Read the Full Story

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Story Summary: The new data shows that the lethality of the H1N1 (Swine Flu) virus has dropped from its peak of 3. The new data shows changes in the Replikin Count*, a measure of a viruss ability to rapidly replicate. In April 2008, Replikins issued a warning of an impending H1N1 influenza epidemic when the virus Replikin Count reached levels not seen since the last H1N1 pandemic in 1918. The current H1N1 Pandemic demonstrates the inherent limitations of biological vaccines, which simply do not permit the timely delivery of vaccine in sufficient quantities before a hit-and-run emergent viral disease like H1N1 has come and gone. The best intentions and efforts of governments, pharmaceutical firms, and public health authorities cannot overcome the absence of advance warning, and the many months required from outbreak to delivery of the vaccine. At a meeting of the Influenza Congress USA in Washington, DC on November 19-20, 2009, Replikins chairman Dr. Samuel Bogoch presented new confirmatory evidence of two of its Replikins-based products that offer promise for advance warning of a viral outbreak and for the timely production and delivery of safe and effective vaccines. The first, called FluForecast(R), is software that has correctly provided advance warning of two flu epidemics — H5N1 (Avian Flu) and H1N1 (Swine Flu) — by counting the increase in the number of Replikins in the virus genes over time. Replikins Ltd. has successfully tested a second promising technology that allows for the faster development and deployment of safe and effective influenza vaccines. The company has now produced completely synthetic vaccines based on both new and conserved Replikin structures, which exclude all biological components and any contact with them. The process eliminates unwanted side effects from contaminants and the need for preservatives such as thimerosol. Synthetic Replikin vaccines made in seven days, given orally or intranasally, recently have been found independently to be effective in blocking emergent viruses including H5N1 in chickens, where it totally blocked virus excretion and thus potentially, virus reservoir formation (refs). When asked at the Influenza Congress about the goals of Replikins Ltd. , Dr. Bogoch replied: Current biological vaccine technologies for emergent diseases are expected to provide, albeit too little and too late, approximately 125 million vaccine doses for people worldwide this fall (Klaus Stohr, Influenza Congress USA, Washington, DC, Nov. 19-20, 2009). The company has announced the formation of WorldVaccines(TM) Ltd to test and distribute these new Replikins technologies, and invites all interested public health, pharmaceutical, financial, and other institutions to join it in testing and distributing FluForecast(R) and Replikins synthetic vaccines against emerging diseases. com *About Replikins Replikins are a new group of genomic peptide structures in viruses, other infectious disease agents, and cancer cells, which are associated with rapid replication (refs). Two genes have been isolated in silico in viruses and relate to infectivity and lethality respectively. The characteristic high infectivity and low lethality found in counting the Replikins in these two genes in the H1N1 strain correspond to what is observed clinically, that is, high infectivity and low lethality. Dr. Bogoch is again making waves by stating that as of this month, this cycle of the outbreak has peaked. High levels of these sequences have been consistently linked with the lethality of viruses in major epidemics, and their reduction is indicative that the current outbreak is declining from a peak level earlier this year. Replikins: the Biochemistry of Rapid Replication, Begell House, New York, 2005; 3) Website Replikins Press 2006-2009; 4) CDC Weekly Reports website (google FluView); 5) Betsy McKay, Wall Street Journal, page A3, November 21-22, 2009; 6) Jackwood, M. et al. Efficacy of a Replikin Peptide Vaccine Against Low Pathogenicity Avian Influenza H5 Virus….Read the Full Story

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Story Summary: This large scale analysis of the effects of common genetic variation on plasma lipoprotein profile, a critical component of cardiovascular risk, identified 43 genetic loci contributing to lipoprotein metabolism, including 10 loci not previously recognized in other whole genome analyses. The findings are published on November 20 in the open-access journal PLoS Genetics. While the overall concentration of each of the major classes can be estimated by the clinical measures of LDL-cholesterol, HDL-cholesterol, and triglycerides, the determinations of the concentration of the sub-species by NMR methodology in the current study provide a more precise picture of lipoprotein profile. Analysis in the Framingham Heart Study was supported by the NHLBI (HL54776). Other than Amgen, which provided genotyping and collaborative scientific support, the funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript. Competing Interests: Alex Parker and Joseph Miletich are employees of Amgen. Citation:Forty-Three Loci Associated with Plasma Lipoprotein Size, Concentration, and Cholesterol Content in Genome-Wide Analysis. Contact Our News EditorsFor any corrections of factual information, or to contact the editors please use our feedback form. Contact Our News EditorsFor any corrections of factual information, or to contact the editors please use our feedback form. Please send any medical news or health news press releases to: These are the most read articles from this news category for the last 6 months: Same-Sex Behavior Seen In Nearly All Animals, Review Finds20 Jun 2009Same-sex behavior is a nearly universal phenomenon in the animal kingdom, common across species, from worms to frogs to birds, concludes a new review of existing research….Read the Full Story

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