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New TB treatment limits infection while reducing drug resistance
- It's estimated that nearly one-third of the world's population (more than two billion people) are infected with Mycobacterium tuberculosis (TB).
- According to the World Health Organization, 5 per cent to 10 per cent of the infected people eventually develop active TB, and can transmit the bacterium to others.
- Almost two million die from the disease each year. But the current treatment regimen for the disease is long and arduous, making patient compliance difficult.
- M. tuberculosis and several of its close relatives, including M. marinum , exploit a family of host enzymes known as ABL-family tyrosine kinases to gain entry into host cells and to survive once inside.
- The bottom line: by targeting the host — not the bacteria itself — researchers were able to reduce the host's mycobacteria load, and even target antibiotic-resistant strains, all while enhancing the effectiveness of front-line antibiotics.
Fossil moths show their true colours
- The brightest hues in nature are produced by tiny patterns in, say, feathers or scales rather than pigments. These so-called “structural colours” are widespread, giving people their blue eyes, and peacocks their brilliant feathers.
- Many animals use this type of colour for communication, notably butterflies and moths ( Lepidoptera ), which display the biggest range of structural colours and put them to uses from advertising their toxicity to choosing the best mates.
- The fossil moths came from the Messel oil shale in Germany, a site famous for exquisite fossil preservation.
Butterfly legs ‘taste' plants for egg laying study
- A species of butterfly uses its legs to taste plants to see which leaves offer its eggs the best chance of survival, Japanese scientists said
- swallowtail butterflies have an array of sensors on their forelegs that allow them to get a flavour of the leaves they land on.
- Scientists said they found that swallowtails lay eggs only when they detect the presence of specific chemicals in the leaf as they drum their forelegs on the surface.
- The study casts new light on how different species use chemical detection to boost their chances of survival, the researchers said.
How space flight impacts astronauts' eyes and vision
- North American Neuro-Ophthalmology Society (NANOS) member describes novel eye findings in astronauts after long duration space flight
- After six months of space flight, all seven astronauts had eye findings, including swollen optic nerves, distortion of the shape of the eyeball, and retinal changes.
- Most became more farsighted, and had blurred vision, especially at near. The spinal taps showed either top normal or slightly elevated pressures in the spinal fluid surrounding the brain and optic nerves.
- This could have been brought about by prolonged exposure to low gravity. The findings might represent parts of a spectrum of ocular and brain responses to extended exposure to low gravity.
Excess fat
- When all the other elements are excreted why fat alone has to be stored?
- In the kidney there is an apparatus called Glomerular capsule and renal tubules, which act as a natural filter to the body elements whose natural jobs is selective filtration and selective absorption respectively.
- If you consume excess water, excess sugar, and if there are abnormal proteins in the blood, it will be naturally excreted.
- But fat molecules will not get excreted normally, unless the tubule or Glomerular capsule is damaged.
- On the contrary, they may get excreted in the faecal matter, if any drug prevents absorption of these fatty acids (anti obesity drugs action).
- Whatever fat has been absorbed cannot circulate in the blood as the blood viscosity has to be maintained. Hence they are trapped normally as fat globules underneath the skin, mammary glands of women, peritoneum, to name a few.
- The only way to mobilize these fat molecules is by using them for the energy purposes.
A cool way to beat the heat
- Mongolia is to launch one of the world's biggest ice-making experiments later this month in an attempt to combat the adverse affects of global warming and the urban heat island effect.
- aims to “store” freezing winter temperatures in a giant block of ice that will help to cool and water the city as the block slowly melts during the summer.
- project hope the process will reduce energy demand from air conditioners and regulate drinking water and irrigation supplies.
- The project aims to artificially create naleds — the Russian term for the ultra-thick slabs of ice that occur naturally in far northern climes when rivers or springs push through cracks in the ground to seep outwards during the day and then add an extra layer of ice during the night.
- Unlike regular ice formation on lakes — which only gets to a metre in thickness before it insulates the water below — naleds continue expanding for as long as there is enough water pressure to penetrate the surface.
- The Anglo-Mongolian company believes their proposed use in Ulan Bator, the Mongolian capital, could set a positive example that allows northern cities around the world to save on summer air conditioning costs, regulate drinking supplies and create cool microclimates.
- process will work in cities where the summer is intolerably hot and winters have at least a couple of months with temperatures of -5°C to —20°C.
SAROD strikes a chord among aerodynamicists
- With the aim of deliberating on the recent advances in experimental aerodynamics and aerospace vehicle design, a three-day symposium on applied aerodynamics and design of aerospace vehicle (SAROD-2011) took off in the city
- By bringing in knowledge and experiences of several engineers, SAROD can help in finding aerodynamic innovations
- Being held for the fifth time, the biennial event is jointly organised by Aeronautical Development Establishment (ADE) and Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA).
- An improvement in any of the three parameters — analytical tools, wind tunnel testing, and flight testing — can drastically cut down time of production and increase the performance of the aircraft.
- Studies have shown that a shorter runway, planes that fly marginally slower (at .70 mach instead of .78 mach) and fly at higher altitudes, as well as using medium-sized aircrafts can cut down emissions.
- India is only BRIC (Brazil, Russia, India and China) country not to have a civil aviation programme
Now, cancer vaccine awaits human clinical trial
- A therapeutic vaccine against cancer could well be on the way. After successfully undergoing animal tests, it is all set to undergo human clinical trial in a few months.
- The vaccine, developed by scientists at the National Institute of Immunology (NII) here, may prove to be a boon to those suffering from breast, ovarian, cervical, thyroid and blood cancer.
- The vaccine centres around a new cancer treatment modality called dentiritic cell therapy, in which a patient's own immune cells are used to fight cancer. These cells, which are a kind of immune cells, are present in the body in small quantity. The therapy involves taking out blood cells from the patient and processing them in the laboratory to produce the dentiritic cells in large quantities and with improved efficacy.
- They will then be primed with an antigen called SPAG-9, discovered by the NII scientists and given back to the patients in the form of a vaccine.
Solar power at Rs 5/unit by 2015
- Power from solar photovoltaic plants, that may cost not less than Rs 12 a unit from plants set up today, is likely to decline to Rs 5 or less by 2015.
- It is because of the improvement in the efficiency of the solar modules
Bats change ear shapes to hear better
Within just one tenth of a second, certain bats are able to change the shape of their outer ear from one extreme configuration to another in order to change their hearing, researchers have discovered.
Treating leukaemia with old antibiotic drug
Research has found a novel route to fighting cancer. The antibiotic tigecycline targets and destroys leukaemia stem cells by cutting off the cell's energy production. But the drug does not affect the healthy cells.
Yawning may no longer be a wide open question
Yawning occurs not because you are tired, bored, or even need oxygen. Instead, scientists have found that yawning helps to regulate the brain's temperature. The brain is exquisitely sensitive to temperature changes.
Mouse sheds light on human depression
- Just as in humans, there are tough and delicate personality types among mice. Some mice display a passive attitude when faced with stress, and this resembles those attributed to human depression.
Tarantula nebula glows with infrared, X-rays
About 2,400 massive stars in the centre of 30 Doradus, also known as the Tarantula Nebula, are producing intense radiation and powerful winds as they blow off material. 30 Doradus, is located close to the Milky Way
Rising air pollution worsens drought
Increase in air pollution can strongly affect cloud development in ways that reduce precipitation in dry regions and seasons, while increasing rain, snowfall, and intensity of stroms in wet regions or seasons.
