Megavirus nudges out Mimivirus, the former heavyweight champion of the viral world

The virus’ DNA features 1,259,197 base pairs, which encode some parasitic bacteria-like features. Unlike a virus, bacteria is a cellular organism — a virus can only infect and replicate itself within the cells of other organisms. It even has some built-in DNA repairing enzymes which allow the virus to repair damage from ultraviolet light, chemicals, and radiation.

Mimivirus was found in 1992, lurking in an amoeba in Bradford, England. Its capsid, the protein shell housing the virus’ genetic material, was 400 nanometres wide. If that still sounds pretty tiny, most viruses fall in the range between 20 and 300 nanometres, making both Mimivirus and the new Megavirus titans of the microscopic world. Mimivirus and Megavirus are believed to have diverged from a shared viral ancestor somewhere along the evolutionary road, both developing into giant viruses in their own right.

Source: Yahoo News

Turmeric is a basic ingredient in most curries

The cells eventually digest themselves and die. The results of the study were published in the British Journal of Cancer on Wednesday. Curcumin gives turmeric (curcuma zangais) its orangy-yellow colour. The rhizome, a close relative of the ginger, is commonly used in Asian cooking as well as in traditional medicine.

Chinese and Ayurvedic medical practioners use turmeric as a treatment for many ailments as it has anti-inflammatory, anti-fungal properties and believed to lower cholestrol. The results of the Cork Cancer Research Centre study were published in the British Journal of Cancer on Wednesday.

Turmeric, a close relative of the ginger, is commonly used in Asian cooking as well as in traditional medicine

“These exciting results suggest that scientists can develop curcumin as a potential anti-cancer drug to treat oesophageal cancer,” said Dr Sharon McKenna who led the study.

She said scientists had known hat natural compounds had the potential to treat faulty cells that become cancerous, adding they also suspected curcumin’s possible therapeutic value.

She said medical researcher Dr Geraldine O’Sullivan-Coyne who had been looking for new ways of killing resistant oesophageal cancer cells tested curcumin on resistant cells.

“She found that they started to die using an unexpected system of cell messages.”

“Normally, faulty cells die by committing programmed suicide – or apoptosis – which occurs when proteins called caspases are ‘switched on’ in cells.”

“But these cells showed no evidence of suicide and the addition of a molecule that inhibits caspases and stops this ‘switch being flicked’, made no difference to the number of cells which died.”

“This suggested that curcumin attacked cancer cells using an alternative cell signalling system,” she added.

Oesophagus cancer kill more than half a million people in the world each year. The cancers are exceptionally deadly, with five-year survival rates of between 12 and 31 per cent.

The number of oesophageal cancer cases have gone up tremendously since the 70s and this is thought to be linked to rising rates of obesity, alcohol intake and reflux disease.

Source: Cancer Research UK | Published Oct 29 2009 via Dailychili

French drugs group Sanofi said on Friday that its vaccine against dengue, a mosquito-borne infection that kills thousands of people around the world each year, could be launched in about four years. — PHOTO: AP

BANGKOK – FRENCH drugs group Sanofi said on Friday that its vaccine against dengue, a mosquito-borne infection that kills thousands of people around the world each year, could be launched in about four years. ‘The vaccine could be available… around 2015,’ Jean Lang, head of vaccine development at the group’s subsidiary Sanofi-Pasteur, told reporters in Bangkok.

The launch date is dependent on regulatory approval in each country based on the results of trials. The vaccine is the first for dengue to undergo advanced ‘Phase III’ clinical trials – the final stage before the results are submitted for regulatory approval.

About 4,000 children in the central Thai province of Ratchaburi, one of the worst affected areas in the country, are participating in a study that aims to establish the efficacy of the vaccine. Dengue causes severe, flu-like symptoms in about 50 million people every year, mainly in developing countries. There are four strains, one of which is a potentially lethal type. — AFP

Source: Straits Times

The caps can grow to as large as 2 cm (about 1 inch) in diameter, but because the mushrooms are prone to dehydration, they only have a few days to live once the rain stops. The tiny mushroom is one of seven new species of glow-in-the-dark fungi found around the world, bringing the total known to 71. Just goes to show you that the curiosities of the world never cease! Time to explore the world!

Source: National Geography via Slightlywarped

A mutant mosquito could worsen the situation in Malaysia. Who knows?

A similar trial in the Cayman Islands last year – the first time genetically modified mosquitoes have been set loose in the wild after years of laboratory experiments and hypothetical calculations – resulted in a dramatic drop in the mosquito population in a small area studied by researchers. The plan has sparked criticism by some Malaysian environmentalists, who fear it might have unforeseen consequences, such as the inadvertent creation of uncontrollable mutated mosquitoes. Critics also say such plans could leave a vacuum in the ecosystem that is then filled by another insect species, potentially introducing new diseases.

Death caused by dengue will rise if no counter-measure action is taken

Government authorities have tried to allay the concerns by saying they are conducting small-scale research and will not rush into any widespread release of mosquitoes. The Malaysian government-run Institute for Medical Research said it released about 6,000 sterile male lab mosquitoes in an uninhabited forest area in eastern Malaysia on Dec. 21. Another 6,000 wild male Aedes aegypti mosquitoes were also placed in the area for scientific comparison, it said in a statement.

The institute provided few details of the experiment, but said it was “successfully” concluded Jan. 5, and that all the mosquitoes were killed with insecticide. It said it is not planning to release any more mosquitoes until it analyzes the results. It was the first such trial in Asia, an official in the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment said on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to make public statements.

Duane Gubler, a professor specializing in infectious diseases at Singapore’s Duke-NUS Graduate Medical School who was not involved with the research, said the plan is likely to be effective in fighting dengue if it is combined with other biological control methods.

“We need new tools. Nothing we’ve done in the past 40 years has had an impact” on dengue, Gubler told the AP.

Using genetically altered sterile male insects against fruit flies and other flies that cause damage in cattle has been successful in places like the United States, Gubler said. He added that environmentalists should not be concerned, because the genetically modified mosquitoes would die quickly.

In the Cayman Islands, genetically altered sterile male mosquitoes were also set loose by scientists in a 40-acre (16-hectare) region between May and October last year. By August, mosquito numbers in that area dropped by 80 percent compared with a neighboring area where no sterile mosquitoes were released. Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak said last year the project was an “innovative” way to fight dengue after a lack of success in campaigns urging Malaysians to keep neighborhoods free of stagnant water where mosquitoes can breed.

The number of dengue-linked deaths in Malaysia increased 52 percent last year from 88 in 2009. The total dengue infections rose 11 percent from 2009 to more than 46,000 cases last year. Dengue fever is common in Asia and Latin America. Symptoms include high fever, joint pains and nausea, but in severe cases, it can lead to internal bleeding, circulatory shutdown and death. There is no known cure or vaccine.

Source: AP

So, since you know it now, you can help a friend in need by letting him know or just drink some sour sop juice yourself as prevention from time to time. The taste is not bad after all. It’s completely natural and definitely has no side effects. If you have the space, plant one in your garden. The other parts of the tree are also useful.

The next time you have a fruit juice, ask for a sour sop. How many people died in vain while this billion-dollar drug maker concealed the secret of the miraculous Graviola tree? This tree is low and is called graviola in Brazil, guanabana in Spanish and has the uninspiring name “soursop” in English.

The fruit is very large and the subacid sweet white pulp is eaten out of hand or, more commonly, used to make fruit drinks, sherbets and such. The principal interest in this plant is because of its strong anti-cancer effects. Although it is effective for a number of medical conditions, it is its anti tumor effect that is of most interest. This plant is a proven cancer remedy for cancers of all types.

Besides being a cancer remedy, graviola is a broad spectrum antimicrobial agent for both bacterial and fungal infections, is effective against internal parasites and worms, lowers high blood pressure and is used for depression, stress and nervous disorders. If there ever was a single example that makes it dramatically clear why the existence of Health Sciences Institute is so vital to Americans like you, it’s the incredible story behind the Graviola tree.

The truth is stunningly simple:

Deep within the Amazon Rainforest grows a tree that could literally revolutionize what you, your doctor, and the rest of the world thinks about cancer treatment and chances of survival. The future has never looked more promising.

Research shows that with extracts from this miraculous tree it now may be possible to:

* Attack cancer safely and effectively with an all-natural therapy that does not cause extreme nausea, weight loss and hair loss
* Protect your immune system and avoid deadly infections
* Feel stronger and healthier throughout the course of the treatment
* Boost your energy and improve your outlook on life

The source of this information is just as stunning: It comes from one of America ‘s largest drug manufacturers, the fruit of over 20 laboratory tests conducted since the 1970′s! What those tests revealed was nothing short of mind numbing…

Extracts from the tree were shown to:

* Effectively target and kill malignant cells in 12 types of cancer, including colon, breast, prostate, lung and pancreatic cancer.
* The tree compounds proved to be up to 10,000 times stronger in slowing the growth of cancer cells than Adriamycin, a commonly used chemotherapeutic drug!
* What’s more, unlike chemotherapy, the compound extracted from the Graviola tree selectively hunts-down and kills only cancer cells. It does not harm healthy cells! The amazing anti-cancer properties of the Graviola tree have been extensively researched– so why haven’t you heard anything about it? If Graviola extract is as half as promising as it appears to be– why doesn’t every single oncologist at every major hospital insist on using it on all his or her patients?

The spine-chilling answer illustrates just how easily our health– and for many, our very lives(!)–are controlled by money and power.

Graviola–the plant that worked too well

One of America’s biggest billion-dollar drug makers began a search for a cancer cure and their research centered on Graviola, a legendary healing tree from the Amazon Rainforest. Various parts of the Graviola tree–including the bark, leaves, roots, fruit and fruit-seeds- -have been used for centuries by medicine men and native Indians in South America to treat heart disease, asthma, liver problems and arthritis.

Going on very little documented scientific evidence, the company poured money and resources into testing the tree’s anti-cancerous properties– and were shocked by the results. Graviola proved itself to be a cancer-killing dynamo. But that’s where the Graviola story nearly ended.

The company had one huge problem with the Graviola tree–it’s completely natural, and so, under federal law, not patentable. There’s no way to make serious profits from it. It turns out the drug company invested nearly seven years trying to synthesize two of the Graviola tree’s most powerful anti-cancer ingredients.

If they could isolate and produce man-made clones of what makes the Graviola so potent, they’d be able to patent it and make their money back. Alas, they hit a brick wall. The original simply could not be replicated. There was no way the company could protect its profits–or even make back the millions it poured into research.

As the dream of huge profits evaporated, their testing on Graviola came to a screeching halt. Even worse, the company shelved the entire project and chose not to publish the findings of its research! Luckily, however, there was one scientist from the Graviola research team whose conscience wouldn’t let him see such atrocity committed. Risking his career, he contacted a company that’s dedicated to harvesting medical plants from the Amazon Rainforest and blew the whistle.

Miracle unleashed

When researchers at the Health Sciences Institute were alerted to the news of Graviola, they began tracking the research done on the cancer-killing tree. Evidence of the astounding effectiveness of Graviola–and its shocking cover-up–came in fast and furious. The National Cancer Institute performed the first scientific research in 1976.

The results showed that Graviola’s leaves and stems were found effective in attacking and destroying malignant cells. Inexplicably, the results were published in an internal report and never released to the public. Since 1976, Graviola has proven to be an immensely potent cancer killer in 20 independent laboratory tests, yet no double-blind clinical trials– the typical benchmark mainstream doctors and journals use to judge a treatment’s value- -were ever initiated.

A study published in the Journal of Natural Products, following a recent study conducted at Catholic University of South Korea stated that one chemical in Graviola was found to selectively kill colon cancer cells at “10,000 times the potency of (the commonly used chemotherapy drug) Adriamycin.. .” The most significant part of the Catholic University of South Korea report is that Graviola was shown to selectively target the cancer cells, leaving healthy cells untouched. Unlike chemotherapy, which indiscriminately targets all actively reproducing cells (such as stomach and hair cells), causing the often devastating side effects of nausea and hair loss in cancer patients.

…A study at Purdue University recently found that leaves from the Graviola tree killed cancer cells among six human cell lines and were especially effective against prostate, pancreatic and lung cancers. Seven years of silence broken–it’s finally here! A limited supply of Graviola extract, grown and harvested by indigenous people in Brazil, is finally available in America.

Article Source: Melayu Kini

Although it sounds very contradicting to everyone, but researchers at Fraunhofer Institute of Solar Energy Systems ISE are now working on solar refrigeration technology that does not consume electricity but instead they take all their power from sunlight. Scientists all over the world now believe that most of the new age technology has to be on solar power because that would bring down the level of electricity consumed by these giant machines in large factories and industries all over the world. With the help of such giant solar refrigerators companies and manufacturers of perishable commodities will be able to bring down their cost of production and also contribute indirectly to make this planet a better place to live in.

These solar refrigerators are ideal for those companies where there is no electricity because they are far away from the city and even where temperatures are really high. The concept has not been revealed as of now but scientist have confirmed that they use water-glycol mixture that will absorb heat from the sunlight and pass it on to the mechanism inside the refrigerator that will keep the solar refrigerator in working condition without any problems irrespective of the season or time of the day.

Jyotsna Ramani

As per the research, it was found that more than 65 percent of the people who slept for more than 7.5 hours enjoyed a better health and longer lifespan and some patients were almost in their nineties. In recent times, people prefer to work late nights and sleep only for limited hours and that is seriously affecting their lifespan and health even when they are eating good food. It was also found that men require more sleep than women because men are involved in more hard working areas where they need to exert physical and mental strength.

Most health problems like fatigue, weakness, and insomnia were directed related to sleep deficiency and therefore most doctors now feel that they can bring improvement to their patients health by giving them more sufficient rest that would act like a natural medicine and allow the metabolism inside the body to function in a natural way rather than using various medicines to cure health related problems. Many health gurus believe that proper sleep has the potential of eradicating various health problems.

Jyotsna Ramani

The compounds are fluorescent inhibitors of the enzyme cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) – could have a wider applications for detecting tumors earlier, monitoring them during operations and defining their exact shapes for precise tumor removal. COX-2 is an attractive target for molecular imaging because it is not found in normal human tissues, and then it is used in inflammatory lesions and tumors which make it glow inside the body. However, researchers are still working on COX-2 to make it better for grown-up tumors.

Many researchers are now trying to use the same compounds in vivo imaging where they can easily get the information about the exact shape, size and location of the tumor so that doctors do not have any problems while they are operating and removing a tumor. A team of medical experts is also working on additional toxicology and pharmacology of these fluorescent compounds so that they do not have side effects inside the body. The Vanderbilt University Institute of Imaging Science is now working on different applications of this COX-2 to make it enable for cellular and animal imaging.

Jyotsna Ramani from Vanderbilt University Medical Center

Now with the invention of the so-called Robofish, MIT engineers are ready to take this device to the bottom of the ocean floor where these devices will detect the pollution levels and inspect and survey various oil and gas pipelines. The device has been designed in such a way that is mimics the movements of a real fish and since the body is more streamlined and sleek it can dive into the deeper sections of the ocean to find the information we want.

The engineers at MIT are very happy about the invention because they feel that this device will work because it has gone through some harsh conditions in the lab and the overall cost of production is very low which means that if successful they can create thousands of such devices which they can release in the bay to inspect, survey and relay information to us. In other words, this robofish acts like a watchful guard inside the sea through which we can monitor the situations happening inside the water. Currently, the research is funded by an oil exploration company named Schlumberger but MIT engineers have said that even US Navy is now interested in their robofish project.

Jyotsna Ramani