Today I want to focus on the great news about HIV research. Yesterday I featured an article about how ticks have something in their blood tht helps T-cells to ward off the HIV virus. Today in the news scientists have figured out how to REACTIVATE the Immune system in HIV patients. These two great steps come only days after various news sources were running stories about how HIV research had come to a standstill. I just want to say bravo to all the researchers out there! Thanks, and enjoy today's top 5. :)
Today's Top 5:
1. Immune System Reactivated in Adults with HIV: Thymus Producing New T-cells (Science Daily)
2. Computers 'spot Alzheimer's fast' (BBC)
3. War crime rebels get 50 years jail (News.AU)
4. Iraq Cleric Extends Truce Six Months (The Australian)
5. 10-year-old Indian Wins $1.3 mn in Dubai Raffle (Yahoo India)
Honorable Mention:
Rare cooperation to save gorillas (BBC)
Unpublishable:
Cities, states testing beet juice mixture on roadways (USA TODAY)
1. Immune System Reactivated In Adults With HIV: Thymus Producing New T-cells
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/02/080221183340.htm
ScienceDaily (Feb. 22, 2008) —
Scientists at the Gladstone Institute of Virology and Immunology and the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) have found that therapy can be used to stimulate the production of vital immune cells, called "T- cells," in adults with HIV infection.
HIV disease destroys T-cells, leading to collapse of the immune system and severe infection. The thymus gland, which produces T-cells, gradually loses function over time (a process called "involution") and becomes mostly inactive during adulthood. Because the thymus gland does not function well in adults, it is difficult for HIV-infected adults to make new T-cells. Thus, therapies that stimulate the thymus to produce new T-cells could help HIV-infected patients to rebuild their embattled immune systems.
Although it has been long assumed that the thymus cannot be reactivated in humans, new research shows that the thymus can be stimulated to produce more T-cells. This study is the first to show that pharmacologic therapies can be used to enhance human thymic function.
"These results represent new proof-of-principle findings that thymic involution can be reversed in humans" said Laura Napolitano, MD, lead author of the study, an Assistant Investigator at Gladstone and Assistant Professor of Medicine at UCSF. "Improved T-cell production may be helpful for some medical conditions such as HIV disease or bone marrow transplantation. These findings contribute new information to our understanding of T-cell production and are also an important step to determine whether immune therapies might someday benefit patients who need more T-cells."
Based on promising animal studies suggesting that growth hormone (GH) enhances thymic function in aged mice, Gladstone and UCSF investigators conducted a prospective randomized research study that yielded an exciting observation: GH increased thymic mass and T-cells in humans.
The investigators studied 22 HIV-infected adults for 2 years. One half of study participants were randomly assigned to continue their usual HIV therapy and to receive GH in the first year ("GH Arm"), and the other half continued their usual HIV therapy without GH treatment ("Control Arm"). In the second year of the study, Control Arm participants received GH, and GH Arm participants were studied off GH. Immune analyses were performed regularly in all study participants. The thymus was assessed by computed tomography (CT) scans, and the numbers and types of immune cells in the blood were determined by an advanced method called multiparameter flow cytometry.
All study participants had been receiving effective HIV therapy for at least one year (average duration of HIV therapy was approximately 3 years) with good suppression of the virus. Despite effective therapy, they still had an unusually low number of "CD4" T-cells, a type of T cell that is essential for normal immune function. At the start of the study, the patients in the two arms did not differ in average duration of effective HIV therapy, amount of HIV in the blood, age, thymic mass or in a large number of important immunologic measurements.
The results were very encouraging. Napolitano's team found that GH treatment markedly increased thymic mass and appeared to double the number of newly made T-cells. On average, GH receipt was associated with a 30% increase in CD4 T-cells (2.4 fold higher than no GH). These gains continued to increase at least 3 months beyond GH discontinuation and appeared to persist for at least one year after GH discontinuation.
"The findings of this study are exciting," said senior author Joseph M. McCune, a Professor of Medicine at UCSF, "and dispel the previously-held notion that the thymus cannot be summoned into action later in life. If these findings bear out in larger studies, this news should be of particular interest to those in need of new T-cells, for instance, adults with HIV disease or other forms of T cell depletion."
"However," both Napolitano and McCune cautioned, "GH should not be used as a treatment for immune purposes in HIV disease or in any other individuals at this time, unless this treatment occurs within a research study. More research is needed to learn whether stimulating the production of new T-cells actually provides a health benefit.
"We have shown an increase in the quantity of T-cells, but must also determine whether a recovered thymus produces good quality T-cells that provide satisfactory immune protection." Napolitano added, "This was a relatively small study of carefully selected adults receiving effective therapy for HIV infection and our findings may not apply to the majority of individuals."
While the sample in this study is relatively small, Napolitano said a larger, multi-center study conducted by the AIDS Clinical Trial Group (ACTG) has yielded similar results in preliminary analyses and is expected to report these results in the future. "The ACTG study will provide additional data that will add to our understanding of GH effects on the immune system," said Napolitano who is also a member of the ACTG Team conducting the multi-center study.
"GH is a protein hormone that acts upon mosT-cells of the body, which can result in several side effects," stated Napolitano. "We are interested in learning the specific way that GH affects the thymus so that therapy can be more narrowly directed to the thymus.
It should be noted that in an accompanying commentary in the Journal of Clinical Investigation, Kiki Tesselaar and Frank Miedema, at University Medical Center Utrecht, The Netherlands, warn that the long-term immunological and clinical benefits of growth hormone administration need to be thoroughly determined before this approach can be used more widely in the clinic.
Other participants in the research included Erin Filbert, Myra Ng, Julie Clor, and Kai Li of the Gladstone Institute of Virology and Immunology; and Diane Schmidt, Michael Gotway, Niloufar Ameli, Lorrie Epling, Elizabeth Sinclair, Paul Baum, Marisela Lua Killian, and Peter Bacchetti of UCSF. Research was conducted in the Clinical Research Center at San Francisco General Hospital. Funding was provided by the National Institutes of Health, the Gladstone Institutes, Serono Inc., and the UCSF AIDS Research Institute.
Journal reference: Growth hormone resurrects adult human thymus during HIV-1 infection, Journal of Clinical Investigation. March 2008. https://www.the-jci.org/article.php?id=32830
2. Computers 'spot Alzheimer's fast'
Computers can diagnose Alzheimer's disease faster and more accurately than experts, research suggests. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/7258379.stm
Friday, 22 February 2008, 10:31 GMT
University College London researchers say their work may help ensure patients are diagnosed earlier, increasing the chances of effective treatment. Their study, published in the journal Brain, found computers can identify brain damage caused by Alzheimer's with an accuracy as high as 96%.
At present a definitive diagnosis is usually only possible after death. Alzheimer's is caused by the build up in the brain of plaques and tangles of brain tissue filaments, which causes tissue to start wasting away. It is currently diagnosed using a combination of brain scans, blood tests and patient interviews, but distinguishing the disease from other forms of dementia is difficult, and time consuming, and the accuracy of diagnosis is only about 85%.
The new method works by teaching a standard computer the differences between brain scans from patients with proven Alzheimer's, and people with no signs of the disease. The two conditions can be distinguished with a high degree of accuracy on a single clinical MRI scan.
Researcher Professor Richard Frackowiak said: "The advantage of using computers is that they prove cheaper, faster and more accurate than the current method of diagnosis. "The new method makes an objective diagnosis without the need for human intervention. "This will be particularly attractive for areas of the world where there is a shortage of trained clinicians and when a standardised reliable diagnosis is needed, for example in drug trials."
Professor Frackowiak emphasised that as symptoms only emerge after a considerable amount of damage has already occurred in the brain it is important to make an accurate diagnosis early to improve the chances of effectively preventing further deterioration. He said: "The next step is to see whether we can use the technique to reliably track progression of the disease in a patient. "This could prove a powerful and non-invasive tool for screening the efficacy of new drug treatments speedily, without a need for large costly clinical trials."
Dr Susanne Sorensen, of the Alzheimer's Society, said: "Currently, MRI imaging is not routinely used in diagnosing the diseases causing dementia. "This paper puts a strong case for the wider use of this technique." Dr Sorensen said it was vital the National Dementia Strategy currently being produced by the government makes early diagnosis a high priority.
Rebecca Wood, of the Alzheimer's Research Trust, said: "This promising computer aided technique could act as a second opinion to increase the accuracy of a doctor?s diagnosis. "However, this research is in the early stages and further analysis is required to understand the full benefits and accuracy of this technique and to see if it can be used to assess the effectiveness of new drugs." It is estimated that over 700,000 people in the UK are currently living with dementia, of which Alzheimer's is the most common form.
3. War crime rebels get 50 years jail
From correspondents in Freetown
February 22, 2008 11:57pm
http://www.news.com.au/story/0,23599,23262108-23109,00.html
A SPECIAL UN-backed court for Sierre Leone confirmed jail terms of up to 50 years for three former rebel leaders found guilty of crimes against humanity during the country's civil war.Tamba Brima and Santigie Borbor Kanu were jailed for 50 years by the court last year while Brima Kamara was sentenced to 45 years.
Supporters of former Liberian president Charles Taylor, the three were accused of carrying out murders, mutilations of civilians and rapes."The appeals chamber is satisfied that the trial chamber was justified in imposing the sentences of 50 years for Brima and Kanu and 45 years for Kamara," Judge George Gilaga King said.
4. Iraq Cleric Extends Truce Six Months
Correspondents in Baghdad February 23, 2008 http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,23262189-2703,00.html
LEADING Shia cleric Moqtada al-Sadr last night announced a renewal of the ceasefire his Mahdi Army militia had been observing for the past six months, giving Iraq a chance to continue its fragile recovery from brutal sectarian violence.
The ceasefire extension came after Iraqi police yesterday said they had found the bodies of 15 men, including 10 soldiers, who had been blindfolded and shot execution-style in the head. In central Baghdad, a bomb strapped to a horse-drawn cart exploded, killing one person.
The bodies were found in ditches in Diyala province close to the city of Baquba, 65km north of Baghdad. Last week, police found 13 bodies dumped in a hole in the town of Muqdadiya, 25km north of Baquba.
Sadr's message was sent by Shia clerics during prayer services in mosques dominated by followers of the cleric.
"According to an order by Sayyid Moqtada, activities of the Mahdi Army will be suspended ... for another six-month period," Sadr's aide Hazim al-Aaraji said at the Kazimiyah mosque in Baghdad.
Sadr's decision to halt the activities of his powerful militia for up to six months last August was one of three critical steps that have been widely credited with bringing the Iraqi death toll down more than 60 per cent in recent months.
The other pieces of the puzzle are the surge of US troops and the move by American-backed Sunni fighters to switch allegiances and start working against al-Qa'ida in Iraq.
The US military welcomed initial word of the decision, but pledged to continue cracking down on what it calls breakaway factions that persist in violence.
"This extension of his August 2007 pledge of honour to halt attacks is an important commitment that can broadly contribute to further improvements in security for all Iraqi citizens," the military said in a statement.
"It will also foster a better opportunity for national reconciliation and allow the coalition and Iraqi security forces to focus more intensively on al-Qa'ida terrorists. Those who continue to honour al-Sayyid Moqtada al-Sadr's pledge will be treated with respect and restraint.
"Coalition and Iraqi security forces will continue to work closely with the Iraqi people to protect them from these criminals who violate the law and dishonour the commitment made by al-Sayyid Moqtada."
The military also said it was open to dialogue with the Sadrists and "all groups who seek to bring about reconciliation in building the new Iraq."
The American military has continued to raid Shia groups it says are supported and trained by Iran and have splintered off from Sadr's militia. That's angered some followers of Sadr, who also are frustrated with the Iraqi Government, and they argued for an end to the ceasefire.
According to an Associated Press count, at least 609 Iraqi civilians and security forces died in Iraq last month, compared with 1920 killed in January 2007.
Sadr ordered the freeze in his militia's activities last year after allegations that his fighters were involved in bloody clashes in the shrine city of Karbala, near Najaf. The ceasefire was to expire today.
5. 10-year-old Indian Wins $1.3 mn in Dubai Raffle
Fri, Feb 22 03:32 PM
http://in.news.yahoo.com/indiaabroad/20080222/r_t_ians_bs_intl/tbs-10-year-old-indian-wins-1-3-mn-in-du-03f2e13.html
Dubai, Feb 22 (IANS)
A 10-year-old Indian boy has won five million dirhams ($1.36 million) in a mega raffle organised by a local bank in the course of the ongoing Dubai Shopping Festival.Mohit Himthani won the grand prize, the largest in the history of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), after his father Laxman Himthani bought 15 tickets for the millionaire raffle organised by Mashreq Bank.
'It is such a shock. Mohit knows that he has won but he is very small. We will save the money so my children can continue their studies,' the father of the winner told the Gulf News. He said prior to getting the news about the raffle win, he and his family were planning to return to India because of the high cost of living in the UAE.
Stating that he will use the money for the education of his two children - son Mohit and a daughter - he said: 'He (Mohit) is a very good student. His best subjects are Arabic and maths... He always gets full marks.'He wants to be a pilot - so maybe he can buy his own plane,' Laxman said, adding that he will continue to buy raffle tickets in the future.
Honorable Mention:
Rare cooperation to save gorillas
Wednesday, 20 February 2008, 11:42 GMT
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/7254357.stm
Three countries have come together for the first time, to try to save the mountain gorillas of central Africa. Rwanda, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda have launched a project to improve their security. One of the world's most endangered species, they live at the point where the three countries meet. There are only about 700 mountain gorillas still left in the world and they have been hit by the destruction of the forests - their natural habitat.
The volcanic Virunga mountains that straddle Rwanda, Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo are the heartland of these great apes. A census carried out in 2004 estimated that 380 mountain gorillas, more than half of the world's population, lived in the Virunga national park and surrounding region. More than 300 also live in southwest Uganda's Bwindi Impenetrable Forest reserve.
Last July, five gorillas were killed - shot dead execution style - inside the Virunga national park. More recently, rebel forces loyal to the dissident Congolese general Laurent Nkunda, took over large areas of the park, forcing out the rangers and leaving the gorillas vulnerable to poachers. For the first time, the three countries have decided to protect the great apes which are threatened with extinction Moses Mapesa, Uganda Wildlife Authority The BBC's Sarah Grainger in Kampala says the wildlife authorities of all three countries are well aware of how important the gorillas are as they represent an important revenue earner.
Tourists pay $500 each for a permit to track the animals, raising $5m annually for the three countries. The 10-year conservation project, which was launched in the Ugandan capital, Kampala, is to focus on greater security and ways of discouraging local communities from destroying the region's forests. It aims to give them a share of the money made from gorilla-trekking permits. "For the first time, the three countries have decided to protect the great apes which are threatened with extinction and insecurity in the region," Moses Mapesa, the head of the Uganda Wildlife Authority, told a news conference at the launch of the project. The first four years of the project are being funded by the Dutch government at a cost of $6m.
Unpublishable:
Cities, states testing beet juice mixture on roadways
Thursday Feb 21, 2008
http://www.usatoday.com/weather/research/2008-02-21-beeting-ice_N.htm
Copyright 2008 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
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