Propeling Nanobots

-As all of us are working on our nanobot project, I thought this article might be useful to some groups-

A big problem with manufacturing nanobots for use in the medical field is getting the nanobot to reach its target site. Researchers at Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine are examining sperm cells in hope of recreating an artificial device that can harness the driving power in these sperm. Sperm cells have a sort of "dual-engine system" which give them their extreme power in their movement. One of these so called "engines" is located in the mid part of the sperm cell which provides the majority of its power, but another other "engine" is located in the tail of the sperm giving it an extra boost of power.

The Researchers at Cornell University aren't worried about the final product, but rather are interested in the energy delivery system in these sperm cells. As of now, the researchers have determined that there are 10 enzymes that are present in this glycolytic pathway. They have started to attach these enzymes to nickel ions and so far they have successfully binded 3 of the ten enzymes to the nickel. They are now working on getting the other seven enzymes to bind to the nickel in hopes to create an ion that is fueled by "sperm power".

http://www.cbc.ca/technology/story/2007/12/27/sperm-power.html


Patrick Long
502

Heart Patients Need to be Screened for Depression

The American Heart Association recommends that heart patients should be screened for depression. Depression is three times more common in heart patients than in the general population, but only one-half of doctors say that they treat depression in their patients. Perhaps with better awareness, patients will have more effective recoveries because patients that are depressed are less likely to follow post-treatment procedures.

http://www.cnn.com/2008/HEALTH/conditions/09/29/heart.patients.depression.ap/index.html

Fruit flys used for testing drug treatments

Scientists in Scotland have discovered a new technique for studying drug treatments by injecting fruit flies with human and jellyfish genes. The scientists from Brainwave Discovery Limited say this technique will serve as a superior alternative to similar studies in mice for drug treatments that could be used to treat Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease. The technique works by isolating genes in the central nervous system responsible for these diseases and then injecting them into a fruit fly embryo along with genes from jellyfish that cause specific regions in the brain to flash blue and green. Once the flies are hatched, scientists study their heads with microscopes searching for blue emissions, once these have been spotted the flies are injected with extremely small doses of the drug treatment and the scientists then look for green flashes which indicate the treatment is working. If the scientists see the green light they can make the experiment more complicated by adding genes to the flies offspring in order to make the drug testing much more sophisticated. If this technique can be proved successful it will save much time and money in testing as it is a much more economical and faster technique than using mice as subjects. This may also accelerate the time needed to get drugs to the public, a process that takes 10 or more years using mice. Also considering that drug testing is the largest cost pharmaceutical companies face, it could increase the amount of drugs tested as many are pushed aside due to cost. I found this article interesting because we have discussed animal research and gene engineering in class and in previous SNBAL assignments, and personally I would find it amazing if we could really use flies to study drug treatments for humans. If this technique proves to work I think it would be mind-blowing how sophisticated the flies genomes would eventually become making it easier for scientists to study all types of situations that could affect drug treatment.

http://news.scotsman.com/latestnews/How-this-brainy-fruit-fly.4512978.jp

Riley White
Section 502

New Form of Internal Imaging

A “SONIC flashlight” was created at the University of Pittsburgh by a biomedical engineer that is sort of like a set of x-ray glasses for the skin. It makes the body seem translucent by merging the visual skin of the patient with a live ultrasound scan and allows one to see blood vessels, muscle tissue, and other internal anatomy. It makes a translucent ultrasound image in 3D in real time. This new form of being able to view internal anatomy without invasive procedures, such as inserting a needle into a vein, but doctors will have to look at a display when using the new technology, which will cause a displaced sense of hand-eye coordination. The technology relies on the geometric relationship between the monitor displaying the slices, the ultrasound slices being scanned, and the mirror that is used in the process.

This is all amazing because it is a success in the field of direct vision techniques of viewing patients’ internal anatomy. It also allows a use of fewer resources, such as the special film that the slices are printed on, and also the SONIC ultrasound have the potential to replace multiple imaging machines, such as ultrasounds, x-rays, MRI’s, CT scans, and PET emissions. This would save a lot of money in manufacturing just one machine instead of many and could help provide people with more of this service since the procedure should become cheaper. It will also be useful because, as it was already stated, is non-invasive and could help people with diseases that affect blood clotting, problems with the immune system, or allergic reactions to the mediums used in other imaging techniques (not to mention that patients and technicians will not have the risk of being exposed to more harmful types of electromagnetic radiation). All in all, this technology seems like it an overall positive and does not have any particular hindering downsides to it compared to other techniques.

Source: http://www.bio-medicine.org/medicine-news/New-form-of-ultrasonic-vision-4320-1/

Unlikely drug improves conditions of those with Type 2 Diabetes.

Type 2 diabetes, the most common form among type 1 and 2, is a disease where the pancreas does not produce enough insulin or the cells ignore insulin. Those affected by this disease must maintain a specific diet and/or take insulin to stabilize blood glucose levels. If blood glucose levels are not maintained within normal ranges, complications such as blindness, heart attacks and strokes are more likely to occur. A recent study published in the February 2008 edition of Diabetes Care, a new, unlikely drug was found to help stabilize blood glucose levels and reduce inflammation in obese young adults. The drug known as Salsalate is more commonly known as a drug to relieve pain, tenderness, swelling and stiffness in patients with rheumatoid arthritis and other conditions involving swelling. This nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug works by stopping the production of the substance known to cause associated pain. Researchers are hopeful this early studies shows promising ways to prevent diabetes in the future by use of this medication. According to the video, researchers also found that over 100 years ago the basic form of Salsalate was used to treat someone with diabetes. More follow-up studies are scheduled to take place later this year. If proven successful, this simple drug could help with complications plaguing over 15 million diabetics in America.

Link:

http://www.wftv.com/health/17589821/detail.html

Lance Wyatt

501

Brain-machine Interface Learns with Brain, Increasing Prosthetic Control

Researchers are working on the development of brain-machine interfaces to allow patients to control artificial limbs more efficiently. Until recently, these devices have been limited to one-way communication from the computerized interface to the prosthetic limb by interpreting brain signals. A University of Florida research team is now working on improving such devices, allowing the interface to adapt to an individual's habits and unique needs. Such adaptation makes controlling artificial limbs more natural.
Researchers worked with rats in the development of the brain-machine interface. The device uses a much more complex set of algorithms than current devices, and these algorithms were developed through a goal and reward system. By implanting tiny electrodes to detect brain waves in mice taught to mentally control a robotic arm, the computer formulated ways to increase efficiency. As the computer earned points as a reward, the mice received drops of water. Points for the computer corresponded to more accurate and efficient attempts at reaching the target, indicating intelligence and habit-forming memorization.
This developing method of prosthetic implant control will make future prosthetic control more user-friendly. This article reveals the ability of manufactured devices to become more efficient than natural body components. Like the discussion of Cheetah blades, this new technology raises ethical questions of elective surgery. Where will society draw the line on the looming reality of the bionic man?


Biology News Net Article:
http://www.biologynews.net/archives/2008/06/24/researchers_develop_neural_implant_that_learns_with_the_brain.html


~Angie Burrer
Section 501

Penicillin bug genome unravelled

Dutch researchers of DSM Anti-Infectives have decoded the DNA sequence of the fungus which produces penicillin.  For years antibiotics have been found by looking at what the fungi produce, but recently researchers have been trying to modify treatments that are already in use.  The discovery of the genome sequence could quite possibly lead to the development of new antibiotics.

By having a better understanding for the genome we can use that knowledge in manipulating the genes.  This provides information on what genes encode for, how to manufacture, and new compounds to be identified and tested.  This decoding has had many unexpected results.  Unexpected genes and gene families have been discovered in the biosynthesis of penicillins which the researchers did not think were involved.

Around one billion people are taking antibiotics every year made up of penicillin, and immunities to the antibiotics are becoming more frequent.  Experts warn the overuse of antibiotics and are in need of new drugs that our bodies are not resistant against.  Decoding of the fungus which produces penicillin will not only help against the combating resistance, but also may help improve the manufacturing of antibiotics.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/7638379.stm

Robotic Surgery Lowers Risk Of Complication Of Gastric Bypass

The efforts of the biomedical engineering community are paying off. Statistical data gathered at The University of Texas Medical School at Houston compared operative times, length of hospital stay, and complications in patients who underwent laparoscopic Roux-en-Y gastric bypass surgery (normal procedure) and the same procedure done with the assistance of a robot. The statistics showed that when the surgery was done with the assistance of a specifically engineered robot, the time spent in the operating room was only a few minutes longer, hospital stay was the same, and the instance of complication was reduced significantly.

Standing tall amongst the reduced complications was the zero instances of gastrointestinal leaks. Gastrointestinal leaks can occur post-op in the area where the small intestine is reconnected to the small pouch created in the stomach. If this leak occurs, the patient can have chest and abdominal pains, shortness of breath, nausea, vomiting, and even death. When performing this surgery, surgeons encounter challenging suture placement, awkward angles, and small spaces to work in. With robotic guidance, a 3-D view is presented via a monitor and the challenges mentioned above can be dealt with in confidence. The nonexistent gastrointestinal leakage is due entirely to the precision of the robotics.

The significant reduction of complications with biomedically engineered robotics has brought focus upon the bioengineering community. There is a calling for increased integration of robotics in surgeries like gastric bypass, which opens infinite possibilities for aspiring bioengineers. Literally giving a guiding hand to physicians across the discipline is the future of bioengineering. Having statistical data, such as that provided in Houston, shows that technological advancements created by bioengineers can be integrated into medicine effectively and proves that the presence of engineering in modern medicine is a must. The staggering demand for robotic assistance and other surgical aids brings promise to our career choice as biomedical engineers, as we in essence, will be building jobs for ourselves. Medicine is changing in a way that will require professionals of the future to have knowledge of the human machine and the machine working on the human. I think as the medical community sees more proof of the benefits of bioengineering, it will not be outlandish to consult your bioengineer before your enter the operating room.


http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/09/080924151013.htm

New hope may lie in lab-created heart

With heart disease the leading cause of death in America, a new form of heart replacement could be very beneficial. Currently, there are two options for those whose hearts are beyond simple repair. Either a heart is transplanted from another person, who unfortunately must have died recently, or a completely mechanical and artificial heart can be inserted. Both have their major drawbacks. Relying on human transplants can leave patients waiting for a very long time, they may never receive the heart they need to survive. If the heart is obtained, there is a small window to complete the transplantation. If all goes well, the patient must still hope his own body does not reject the new heart, in which case all is lost and the patient is back where he started. Artificial hearts are easier to obtain, but they are not very reliable. They tend to fail rather easily after a long time.
So a new method could revolutionize the treatment of heart failure and save many lives. A team at the University of Minnesota has found a possible solution. It is still in the early stages of development, but it shows much promise. Their idea is to take a heart and dissolve out the interior portions leaving only the outer case. Then undifferentiated cells could be pumped into the case and hopefully they would form the new heart. This would be like gutting a house and using the outermost shell to create the new house instead of tearing it down and rebuilding it from scratch.
Currently, the researchers have only experimented with rat hearts and some pig hearts; however, they have yet to attempt an actual heart transplant into either the pig or the rat. They hope to be far enough along in their research to move to human trails within 3 to 5 years
If the technology works out, the idea of heart transplants would a lot less complicated. It would be relatively easy to obtain a donor heart to clean out as the heart does not need to be completely functioning. The only criterion is that the case be intact. Also, the recipients own heart cells or embryonic cells could be used to create the new heart meaning that the body should accept the heart as its own, thus the heart would be less likely to be rejected.
Overall, this new technology could save many of the people who must wait forever on the heart transplant list and still never get the heart they need. Obtaining the heart would be a lot less demanding, and complications after transplant would be greatly reduced. If this new method proves successful, heart failure may no longer be such a life threatening situation.



http://www.cnn.com/2008/HEALTH/01/14/rebuilt.heart/index.html?iref=newssearch

New Technique Sees Into Tissue At Greater Depth, Resolution

Medical imaging has become an essential tool in the detection, diagnosis, and treatment of disease in the modern era. As it becomes a staple in everyday procedures, researchers are constantly trying to develop ways to image deeper into tissue with more detail. Led by Joseph Izatt, the researchers, scientist, and bioengineers at Duke University may have found the answer when they combined “tightly focused heat” with optical coherence tomography (OCT).

OCT is able to produce extremely detailed, high resolution images on a very tiny scale. Used in conjunction with gold nanospheres attached to targeting antibodies, this OCT technique yields impressive resolutions on the cellular level, allowing them to specifically target the cells they are looking for, and even more.

To target these cells, the Duke team attached the nano-sized gold particles to a “monoclonal antibody.” This antibody targets epidermal growth factor receptors (EFGR) on the cellular surface and is typically found in larger numbers on the surfaces of cancerous cells. Gold is the ideal particle to tag the antibodies with due to its ability to conduct heat and its non-harmful nature in tissue. Placing these gold nanospheres in a tissue sample that contained cancerous and non-cancerous cells, the OCT was able to detect and show the location of the particles in the tissue. Their experiment indicated that the cancerous cells gave a signal that was nearly 300 percent stronger than that of the non-cancerous cells.

Upon using the OCT to image the tissue, they also found that by altering the temperature of the gold particles, it distorted the emitted light’s wavelength. Through reading these changes in wavelength, they not only saw the cells, but they effectively tracked and were able to “see” the antibodies connecting to the receptors on the cells surface. This ability to target cells and customize the emitted wavelengths in the material potentially allows for use on a wide range of targets. The Duke team indicated that the technology could have many applications from “studying the margins of tumors as they are removed to assessing the effect of anti cancer drugs on blood vessels that nourish tumors.”

I stumbled across this article as I was searching for potential ways to target cancerous tissue for our Device Design Project, and was intrigued by the potential to see images on the molecular level. The degree to which this type of technology can be used seems boundless, and could potentially allow us to track a multitude of molecules in the body, for both research and medicine.

-Shawn Schepel

Source: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/09/080917095400.htm

This is the Brain on Age

As commonly known, in a mainly healthy person, the older we get, the more we age and our bodies change. When these changes occur, there’s a varying, but acceptable, range of age. But does the fact that you’re male or female affect the age of and type of change? Researchers Carl Cotman and Nicole Berchtold have found the answer to be yes. They found that men’s brains gene activity changer earlier than in women’s brains; and also that there are different genes affected.

These researchers from the University of California, Irvine, collected several brains of those deceased of the age of 20-99 and isolated the mRNA. They specifically looked at the hippocampus, entorhinal cortex, postcentral gyrus, and the superior frontal gyrus sections of the brain.

As we know, mRNA carries codes in their genes to build proteins, and the more mRNA, the more active. As the brain ages, gene activity changes, and the sections these researchers predicted to have the most change (hippocampus and entorhinal cortex, because of their susceptibility to aging diseases), actually didn’t have much change. Also, these parts of the brain have the least amount of change in older people than in younger people.

After seeing variability in the 20-59 range and the 60-99 range in gene activity, they decided to look for gender differences. The intriguing piece of information found was that in men, genes in charge of energy are less active for the ages of 60-80, but at 80, gene activity stabilizes. This change occurs in women, but later on and the gene activity continues to decline. Also found in women, is that there is change in genes that control information exchange.

Though Cotman and Berchtold were examining healthy brains, this is still important, especially since it’s an understudied area, and also if something does go wrong, people are better informed of what could be affect what, and there can be preventative actions made.

This article was of interest to me because of our recent topic of sexual differentiation, and it led me to think about how/where this could fit into the process. I was also interested in learning about the difference in the aging process between males and females.

http://www.sciencenews.org/view/generic/id/36708/title/This_is_the_brain_on_age

Nano Bot Soccer

Nano-bot soccer is currently one of the pioneering groups paving the way through the upcoming nano-frontier. "Nano soccer provides a fun way to road test the basic abilities that future nano robots will need to perorm useful work" (Craig McGray). Five teams from three nations competed at the first public RoboCup nanosoccer compeition in Atlanta. All of the events took place under a microscope, and included such categories as, the 2 millimeter dash, the obstacle course, and the ball handling drill. The technology that was developed just for these simple drills is not only amazing, but also will be the building blocks of more complicated nano-processes in a variety of fields. The potential in both medical and industrial fields is mind-blowing. In the future, it may be a clot it is handling, or a tumor it is destroying rather than a soccer ball, but what a novel idea to think that developments made through Nano-soccer are what’s making these leaps.

The tiny bots are six times smaller than an amoeba, and are controlled by electromagnetic fields. The game itself is played on a field the size of a grain of rice and the soccer ball is no wider than a human hair!

The field is 2500 by 1500 micrometers in size with goals about 900 micrometers. There are tiny electrodes that produce electric and magnetic fields to control the robots; these have 2 micrometer gaps between each prong, with a pitch of 30 micrometers, and run in a pattern around the perimeter of the rectangular plate.

These exciting break throughs are being made at a rapid pace because of the appeal that is brought to the table by making it a sport. It is a genius idea to take research technology and make it fun a competitive.

http://www.deviceguru.com/2008/09/22/get-ready-for-nanosoccer/

--andy

New Motion Sensors Aid Recovering Stroke Patients

Strokes occur when there is a disturbance in a brain vessel, depriving the brain of blood and oxygen. This causes the brian to not function correctly, often times leading to neurological damage and even immobility of the limbs. A stroke makes it much more difficult to do every day tasks, leading many scientists to strive to develop more effective and quicker physical therapy treatments. Researches from the University of Oxford have developed a new system utilizing test sensors that aid stroke patients in relearning many of their forgotten functions in a more timely and encouraging fashion. These test sensors are very similar to ones found in the controls of the Wii, a video game console made by Nintendo. Their working prototype is a collection of twelve infrared cameras that work in unison, following reflective markers placed on the patient. This is a similar method as to ones used on the creation of computer- generated movies that monitor actors' movements. In the Oxford University's system,  the sensors monitor movement of the patient, allowing their motions to be tracked. This gives the physiotherapists a better idea of what in particular needs to be done to help the patient. Exercises can thus be specialized for individual patients, insuring quicker recovery times. The hope is to develop a smaller model of this system that can be used at home without a need of a professional supervisor. After an initial test in the physician's lab, all test will be run at home where they will be sent back to the doctor elctronically for interpretation. The records of these tests will allow patients to easily gauge improvement, which can be very encouraging in that situation. Many doctors see the significance of a positive mentality towards sticking with therapy, and believe this could be a major lift to patient's spirits. With the increase in smaller, cheaper, and more effective technology (especially from video games) it seems that home units will be easily produced and quite affordable. Clinical trails are in the planning stages, and with the further development of the technology it seems this could be a reality for stroke patients in the next few years.   

 

BBC

Getting Lost: A Newly Discovered Devolpmental Brain Disorder

A group of researchers at the University of British Columbia and Vancouver Coastal Health Research Institute have discovered a developmental topographical disorder in which a patient cannot orient himself in his environment but also does not have any obvious brain damage or cognitive impairments. Functional magnetic resonance imaging has proved that no malformations exist in the brain while behavioral tests have proven that the problem is specific to the inability to form cognitive maps.

Navigating and orientation are not simple processes, in fact they include several parts of the brain including the areas of memory, attention, perception, and decision-making in addition to the procedural memory system, involving landmarks and distances, and the spatial memory system. When an individual enters a new place, a "cognitive map" is created that is "read" thus enabling the individual to navigate without getting lost.

I found this article interesting because I could not imagine not being able to recognize where I am and constantly having the feeling that I am lost even in a familiar place. Since this condition is not associated with any deformities or the brain or lesions in areas where navigation is the primary function, the cause is still unknown and could be present from birth. This would cause a large number of problems including constantly asking people for directions in familiar places, not being able to drive without the constant aid of maps, and could ultimately lead to social isolation.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/09/080922135227.htm

Diabetes drug helps shed pounds

The drug, pramlintide, already approved for the treatment of diabetes, has recently been tested by obese people to lose weight and keep it off. Pramlintide is a synthetically created version of the natural hormone, amylin, made in the pancreas that tells the person when he or she has eaten enough food and also decreases the movement of the food throughout the stomach. Amylin, a small peptite hormone that is released into the blood stream by beta-cells of the pancreas after a meal, is deficient in individuals with diabetes.

Weyer and other Amylin researchers teamed with scientists at Weill Cornell Medical College in New York City and Louisiana State University’s Pennington Biomedical Research Center in Baton Rouge for the new study. They assigned 411 random obese volunteers to have two or three injections of the drug daily for four months, although one in seven received placebo shots instead for the control.

No volunteer had diabetes, and they were told to reduce calorie intake and boost their exercise. No drug can induce weight loss without these two factors affectively.

After four months, the pramlintide-treated group lost almost twice what the placebo-treated people lost, with the highest dose volunteers losing the most.

The best result was that after the full 12-month trial, the placebo group had regained most of their body fat while the group getting the medium to high doses of pramlintide had lost 14 to 18 pounds on average.

The main side effect of pramlintide is nausea, where 9 to 29 percent of the volunteers complained of this depending on dosages, but as time progressed, the nausea dissipated and wasn’t much different from other hormone based drugs, as the body gets used to it.

“Getting weight off isn’t the challenge; keeping it off is,” said George Blackburn, a physician and nutritionist at Harvard Medical School. “Medication provides an edge that provides an edge that raises an individual’s morale and motivation to comply with beneficial lifestyle changes.”

This is interesting to me, because so many people rely on drugs for almost everything now, including weight loss.

http://www.sciencenews.org/view/generic/id/36766/title/Diabetes_drug_helps_shed_pounds

Window of Opportunity for Stroke Treatment Widens

A stroke is defined as a rapidly developing loss of brain functions, due to a disturbance of the blood supply to the brain (i.e. a clot lodged in the brain). This can lead to the loss of mobility of the limbs, inability to form speech, and even death if the clot is not tended to quickly.
There are currently clot-dissolving drugs that may be used up until 3 hours after the onset of a stroke. After this much time has passed, it is unsafe (as well as too late) to deliver the drug to the patient, because of the risk of causing internal bleeding. A new study of the drug tPA (tissue plasminogen activator) extends the time a patient may be given the drug up to 90 minutes (i.e. 4 and 1/2 hours after the initial onset of the stroke). Researchers believe that this extra time could benefit thousands of stroke victims by preventing further brain damage, and ultimately avoiding many disabilities the stroke could cause.
Another study was later done in which half of the patients received tPA and half took placebos. After 3 months, 52% of people infused with the tPA (during the extra 90 minute time span) were healthy, as compared to 45% who were treated with the placebo. The number of patients that suffered from brain bleeding during the study was about equal to that in which the tPA had been given within the normal 3 hour time span of previous studies.
From the results, it is clearly seen that the new time-extended tPA drug has definite benefits over the placebo and previously used clot-dissolving drugs. Now the problem is making sure that every hospital is equipped with a doctor that is able to administer the drug effectively.
Because strokes statistically affect more adults that any other ailment, scientific research and advancements on the subject have the potential to prevent so many disabilities, and to ultimately save thousands of lives.

http://sciencenews.org/view/generic/id/36812/title/Window_of_opportunity_for_stroke_treatment_widens

STUDY OF PROTEIN-DNA INTERACTIONS WITH BIOSENSORS

Mithil Chokshi

VTPP 434

Section 501

Proteins and DNA are two most important biomolecules. Scientists have been working on the research pertaining to all the different interactions of these biomolecules since a long time. These interactions are most important tools for studying the fundamental cellular processes such as transcription, DNA damage and repair and apoptosis. This article is about the protein-DNA interactions (in particular) and a feat of biomedical engineering in it.

Paul Hergenrother and Brian Cunningham at the University of Illinois have developed a new class of disposable, microplate-based optical biosensors capable of detecting protein-DNA interactions. These biosensors can be used for the identification of the protein-nucleic acid and protein-protein interactions. You might have heard about the biosensors that break down the blood glucose with the help of an enzyme called glucose oxidase. The concept of the biosensors for the protein-DNA interactions is the same but obviously a different type of an application. Screening for compounds that inhibit particular kinds of protein-DNA binding is a very important step in drug development. The researchers say that apart from the protein-DNA interactions for which this biosensor is designed for, analogous experiments could also be conducted with the protein-protein and protein-RNA interactions.

These photonic crystal biosensors works as following: they consist of a low-refractive-index polymer grating coated with a film of high-refractive-index titanium oxide, attached to the bottom of a standard 384-well microplate. So, a researcher inserts the biomolecule that is been studied at the bottom of the so-called well of the device and then with the help of a technique called through-put screening mode, the researcher can detect the inhibition of the protein-DNA binding. The high through-put screening is a method of scientific experimentation which allows a researcher to quickly conduct millions of biochemical, genetic or pharmacological tests. Through this process one can rapidly identify active compounds, antibodies or genes that modulate a particular biomolecular pathway. Basically, one can find out how a metabolic pathway dependent on the protein-DNA interaction is inhibited and can help us find out a way around it.

These biosensors were demonstrated using two very different protein-DNA interactions. The first was the bacterial toxin-antitoxin system MazEF, which binds to DNA in a sequence-specific manner and is thought to be responsible for the maintenance of resistance-encoding plasmids in certain infectious bacteria. The second was the human apoptosis-inducing factor (AIF), a protein that binds to chromosomal DNA in a DNA-sequence-independent manner. They further utilized it in a screen for inhibitors of the AIF-DNA interaction, where approximately 1000 different compounds were screened and they identified that aurin tricarboxylic acid was the first in vitro inhibitor of AIF. It displayed an amazing 80% of inhibition of the AIF-DNA binding.

Every new technology is essentially invented to replace the current with a more cost efficient, less time consuming, mass reproducible, and a one that can lead to a more accurate biological assay. Well, guess what, you can do the same with this technology of biosensors. These photonic biosensors are mass-producible. The different biochemical interactions of potential pharmaceutical compounds can be screened against a wide range of proteins which could be a critical step towards drug discoveries. The benefit of this would be that the costly failures of the drugs by trying it on animals and humans could be avoided.

In conclusion, I think that these novel biosensors are an efficiect way to study the protein-nucleic acid and protein-protein interactions and could possibly become a reason for a breakthrough in designing various drugs and curing fatal diseases.

I thought that since we just studied in-detail structures of proteins and nucleic acids and also cellular activities like apotosis, this article should interest everyone in protein-nucleic acid and protein-protein interactions and research them to understand them better.

URL:

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/09/080923121954.htm

Epilepsy and Auras

Epilepsy is a group of disorders that are neurologically-related that involve reoccuring seizures. These seizures result from unnormal or excessive neuronal activity in the brain.

It is common for people with epilepsy to have a certain sensaton before a seizure called an aura. This aura is actually a simple partial seizure, which are smaller seizures that only affect a small portion of the brain. These occur as a warning system, so that the person will have time to lay down or get out of a situation that would be dangerous if a seizure were to take place. There are different types of auras, depending on the person; some auras can be a change in body temperature, a tense or anxious feeling, a particular taste or smell, and sometimes, it can even be a particular sight or sound. Sometimes it can be a sense of heaviness or a feeling of depression. Not all auras are followed by a tonic clonic seizure (a seizure affecting the whole brain), but if it does, it is called a secondary generalised seizure. Sometimes this aura can last several hours or days.

For me, it was a feeling of weird déjà vu feeling that made me feel sick. It is hard to describe, but sometimes I would just feel like I had done whatever I was doing before, and then I just felt like I had something incredibly heavy in my stomach. This feeling for me didn't last long, it resulted in my tiredness and it just made me sleepy.

The type of epilepsy I had was called benign rolandic epilepsy, which is a condition where the most abnormal activity occurs at night, and in most cases, it is only a childhood condition, where the children outgrow it around the age 14-18. In benign rolandic epilepsy, the seizures start around the central sulcus (centrotemporal area) of the brain which is located around the Rolandic fissure.

Central Sulcus:



Epilepsy can affect many different areas of life (seeing as how the brain controls everything that's obvious!). From standard tests, 29% of people with epilepsy suffer from a major depressive disorder. About half the time, these conditions go untreated.

Epilepsy can be treated with drugs that suppress the activity of the neurons causing the seizures, and when neurons remain inactive for long periods of time, then they eventually stop working altogether. The agreed length of time to be on medicine treating the epilepsy is 1-2 years.

URL:
http://www.epilepsyfoundation.org/answerplace/Medical/related/Depression/epilepsy.cfm
http://www.epilepsy.org.uk/info/aura.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epilepsy

Statins 'prevent artery ageing'

Michael Whitely
VTTP 434-502

Heart disease is one of the leading causes of death in the United States, and with the continued rise of obesity, this trend does not seem to be dissipating any time soon. Patients with heart disease suffer from arteries that have effectively aged faster than their healthier counterparts. A current treatment for this disease is for the patient to be placed on statins. These drugs help to reduce the amount of cholesterol in the blood. This treatment works by reducingHMG-CoA reductase, the rate limiting enzyme of chelestoral synthesis. In recent studies these drugs are showing to have unknown benefits, such as the increased activity in heart cells.

Scientists from the University of Cambridge have found evidence that statins can hold back the aging process of arteries by increasing the “liveliness” of the arterial cells. It is known that cells of the body can only divide a given number of times. However, research has shown that statins have increased arterial cell division from 7-13 times more often than normal. These cells help to keep the patients arteries clear of potentially harmful plaque.

This advancement in cell health is due to the increase of the protein, NBS-1. This protein is invloved in the repair of DNA, and decreases the aging process of the artery. If these statins could somehow be used to assist other cells, this could be a major breakthrough in cancer treatments as well. Adverse effects of radiation and chemotherapy could be greatly reduced.

This article provide hope for a very serious dilema that thousands of americans face. Sometimes the treatment of cancer is not worth the suffering it causes. In fact, many people die from the treatment rather than the cancer. This article caught my attention becuause of the great potential it has to vastly improve the quality of cancer therapy.

URL - http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/7637937.stm

Safer Creations of Stem Cells

The very mention of embryonic stem cells carries unwarranted connotations of immoral manipulation often coupled with naive misunderstanding. Regardless of its current place in the medical realm, new research in the field has led to a technique that could ultimately “sidestep” much of this controversy. By inserting information that “free-floats” within the cell (as opposed to altering its DNA), the new technique allows for direct programming of the desired protein. These “embryonic-like” cells do not require the destruction of embryo’s, and instead may be harvested from as plain of a tissue as skin. This detail alone justifies further inquiry by the simple fact that this form off extraction alleviates a major roadblock in the research of stem cells—government intervention. Despite the technique's promise, extended research is necessary before its implementation into human medical treatments.

With modest hesitancy in my voice I have always been a supporter of such studies so long as the source of the embryo was humane. This breakthrough is of great interest to me because it helps to bypass most of my opposition for religious resistance for the matter and cuts right to the point of helping people. Yes, there is still a morality issue, but where do you draw the line? How is a transplant from a compatible donor any different from a synthesized organ of your own genetic makeup, besides of course, the better overall functionality and acceptance? I believe if something is going to improve the quality of life for an individual, its general practice should be allowed.

http://sciencenews.org/view/generic/id/36881/title/Safer_creation_of_stem_cells_

Human Exoskeleton Suit Helps Paralyzed People Walk

The ReWalk is a semi robotic mobility suit that utilizes the body's physiological characteristics in the upright position to give patients who would normally be confined to a wheelchair a better quality of life. The system involves leveraging advanced motion sensors, sophisticated robotic control algorithms, on-board computers, real-time software, actuation motors, tailored rechargeable batteries and composite materials that all aid in the patients' increased mobility. The suit consists of the leg braces and a backpack that houses the batteries to run the apparatus. When the patient wants to engage in physical activity ranging anywhere from standing walking, or climbing stairs, the patient selects an activity using a remote control device and leans forward therefore initiating the sensors to begin performing the desired action. Although the patients must use crutches in the process, the ReWalk system alleviates many of the medical problems that are associated with long term wheelchair use. The excercise of the paralyzed limbs helps alleviate serious problems with the urinary, respiratory, cardiovascular and digestive systems, as well as osteoporosis, pressure sores and other various afflictions.

ReWalk was designed by engineer Amit Goffer, the founder of the Israeli company named Argo Medical Technologies Inc. This product has the potential to revolutionize disabilitating injuries that would normally leave a person in a wheelchair. Aside from the physical aspect, a wheelchair also has emotional drawbacks. With this new techonology, patients can experience the aspects of normal walking and standing with only a slight hum of machinery. With the freedom of walking rather than sitting, the emotional impact can be positive and it can give the patients a greater sense of self-esteem by granting the gift of mobility. I feel that this bionic exoskeleton is a great advancement in the field of mobility due to the vast number of benefits, ranging from a decrease in wheelchair related health issues to a greater sense of self worth. ReWalk is a new system that has the potential to be something great. "Something of a mix between the exoskeleton of a crustacean and the suit worn by comic hero Iron Man, ReWalk helps paraplegics -- people paralyzed below the waist -- to stand, walk and climb stairs."

URL:
http://www.argomedtec.com/products.asp

http://www.nhne.org/news/NewsArticlesArchive/tabid/400/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/4890/Default.aspx

http://medgadget.com/archives/2008/03/rewalk_exoskeleton.html

Researchers Find Gene Involved In Body's Defense Against Skin Cancer

Researchers at the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center are studying the cause of non-melanoma skin cancer. Their study has discovered a protein, the Fas ligand protein, which is essential for the elimination of altered skin cells due to ultraviolet radiation from exposure to sunlight which can ultimately lead to the development of cancer.

Skin cancer is derived from "genetic alterations" in the DNA resulting from UV radiation from the sun. Researchers have pinpointed the protein responsible for naturally helping the body to remove the damaged cells. The Fas ligand binds to the Fas receptor to cause cell death of the damaged skin cells, thus, reducing the risk of cancer cell development.

Twenty mice with the Fas ligand, said to be the "normal" mice, were used in comparison to twenty mice that were mutated to be without the Fas ligand. In the first part of the experiment, the two sets of mice were exposed to an hour and a half of sunlight, which is equal to forty-five minutes for humans. The genetically altered cells in the Fas ligand mice went through cell death, sixty-five damaged cells per linear centimeter of skin were experiencing cell death and elimination, while only eighteen cells per linear centimeter of skin in the Fas ligand lacking mice went through the process.

In the second part, ten mice from each group were put to an hour and a half of sunlight per day for a week, and another ten mice were exposed for the same amount of time for two weeks. The results showed that for the normal mice, only one out of the twenty subjects had damaged cells, whereas for the mutated mice, fourteen out of the twenty mice had damaged cells, showing that the Fas ligand is a significant factor in prevention of skin cancer by taking care of the genetically altered cells.

The Fas ligand has also been applied to studies regarding donor organ acceptance, autoimmune disease, and tumor growth.

URL: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/1999/08/990810070928.htm

Acacia Ho
(VTPP 434-501)

Researchers Suppress 'Hunger Hormone'

Researchers at John Hopkins University have found a way to reduce the hunger hormone without a major surgery, therefor enabling people to lose weight. They have successfully suppressed levels of ghrelin in pigs, resulting in weight loss for these pigs. The procedure is called gastric artery chemical embolization or GACE, and its result is similar to that of bariatric surgery because it lowers appetite.

Bariatric surgery calls for a complicated procedure that can potentially have major risks and even loss of life. With GACE there is a simple procedure, that although only tested on pigs, has been very successful. Researchers tested blood from pigs to determine their ghrelin levels before the procedure. During the procedure they injected sodium morrhuate into gastric arteries that supply blood to the pig's stomach. They also had a group that was injected saline to compare too. After a month, blood samples showed that the pigs with the real procedure had about 60 percent lower ghrelin levels than what they had started with, meaning the procedure worked and the pigs were able to loose weight since their hunger hormone had been suppressed.

I found this article interesting because of where I come from. South Texas has a huge obesity problem in children through adults. I know several adults who have had the bariatric surgery and have benefited from it. But I also know of a person who has lost her life from it. A good friend of mine lost his mother due to bariatric surgery, and she has not been the only person that had passed away due to this procedure. If we had a procedure like GACE, then losing weight would be easier and less riskful, and more people would take advantage of it. Hopefully in the future this procedure will prove that it can be done in humans and will be a way for obese people to lose weight.

Gene Variant Boosts Risk Of Fatty Liver Disease

Recently, researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center devised a study on the relationship between the gene PNPLA3 expression and liver disease. PNPLA3 codes for a membrane-bound protein that mediates triacylglycerol hydrolysis in adipocytes, which are tissues that store energy as fat. In the study, each participant had multiple tests performed on them, such as tomography to examine their heart and organs and proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy. Tomography is a series of sectional images taken of the body by moving an X-ray source and film in opposite directions during an exposure. Proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy is the latest, most accurate imaging system that can be used to view the fatty tissue of the liver. Researches then related this data to the DNA of the individuals and found that the presence of the PNPLA3 gene affects the amount of hepatic fat in the body.

A common result of too much hepatic fat is nonalcoholic fatty liver disease. It is the most common form of liver disease in the United States, contributing to 10 percent of liver transplants. NAFLD is also linked with obesity, diabetes, insulin resistance, and high cholesterol, which can relate to heart disease. Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease can also result in cirrhosis of the liver, inflammation of the liver and liver cancer. NAFLD is treated by minimizing alcohol intake, weight loss, exercise, and better control of diabetes.

The UT Southwestern Researches found a correlation between different ethnicities and individuals who have nonalcoholic fatty liver disease. They determined NAFLD is most prevalent in Hispanics more so than any other ethnicity. These results are even after taking into consideration diabetes, obesity and other factors. The reasons for these results are unknown.

I found this article to be interesting because doctors can determine the people who are at risk of developing this disease by testing them for PNPLA3 gene expression. From there, they can warn their patients of the possibilities that they may develop NAFLD and influence them to begin healthy habits at an early age. This discovery is proof that human health care is continuously advancing with time.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/09/080925154242.htm