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Biology megaprojects offer ‘diminishing returns,’ warns ex-National Academy of Sciences chief

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OTTAWA The editor of the worlds best-known science journal has issued a call to avoid getting carried away with massive human biology projects that show clear signs of diminishing returns.

Bruce Alberts is editor-in-chief of Science magazine, and a biochemist by training.

What triggered his warning, published Wednesday in an editorial, is the latest biology megaproject: 10 years of work by 442 scientists to create an encyclopedia of DNA elements.

Biology has megaprojects of all sorts. There was the 15-year Human Genome Project, deciphering three billion pieces of our DNA code.

Equally massive studies keep spinning off: proteomics (identifying all the proteins in cells), transcriptomics, epigenomics and metabolomics see the creation of encyclopedia-sized works by hundreds of researchers at many universities and governments, and their staffs.

Whats wrong with that? Alberts warns that the governments funding these projects are producing mountains of data, but not enough understanding.

As a coauthor of a textbook in cell biology that is updated at 5-year intervals, I am painfully aware of the huge gap that remains in our understanding of even the simplest cells, he writes.

For instance, he argues, after 50 years of using the E. coli bacterium as a model, nearly a quarter of its more than 4,000 proteins have unknown functions. He calls this very sobering.

There are clear signs of diminishing returns from the megaprojects, he said. But the culture supporting them remains difficult to stop, and he says its grabbing all the available money.

Alberts is one of the worlds most influential figures in science policy, a past president of the U.S. National Academy of Sciences with a global audience. Hes also a divergent thinker who has railed against the gobbledygook of science jargon and pleaded with researchers to speak (and write) plainer English.

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Biology megaprojects offer ‘diminishing returns,’ warns ex-National Academy of Sciences chief

Ember Therapeutics Announces Cell Publication of Key Data Showing TRPV4 Inhibition Activates Brown/Beige Fat and …

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BOSTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

Ember Therapeutics, Inc., a company harnessing breakthroughs in brown fat biology and insulin sensitization to revolutionize the treatment of metabolic disease, today announced the publication of key preclinical data demonstrating that inhibition of the Transient Receptor Potential Vanilloid (TRPV) family of ion channels - specifically TRPV4 - resulted in activation of brown/beige fat and protection from diet-induced obesity, inflammation and insulin resistance. Ember holds an exclusive option to license these TRPV4 findings and technology.

This breakthrough TRPV4 research was led by Ember co-founder Bruce Spiegelman, Ph.D., professor of cell biology at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Harvard Medical School, in collaboration with fellow company co-founder Patrick Griffin, Ph.D., professor and chair of the department of molecular therapeutics and director of the Translational Research Institute at The Scripps Research Institute. Additional co-authors on the paper included researchers from Boston Childrens Hospital, Duke University Medical Center and Massachusetts General Hospital. The research was supported by grants from the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

This research is exciting in that it looks at the role of TRPV4 and, from high throughput screening to in vivo pharmacological inhibition, demonstrates the important impact it could have on obesity and metabolic disease, said Louis Tartaglia, Ph.D., president and interim chief executive officer of Ember. Not only do these findings identify TRPV4 as a compelling therapeutic target, but they continue to build out our understanding of the role of brown fat in humans and in developing novel brown fat treatments for metabolic disease.

The publication details how researchers first developed a high throughput screen to identify molecules that increase PGC1 gene expression in white fat cells. PGC1 is a key regulator of energy metabolism and drives the browning of white fat and increased thermogenesis. The researchers then demonstrated that small molecule inhibition of TRPV4 not only increased PGC1 levels, but also expression of UCP1 - a gene that is specifically expressed in brown/beige fat. In cultured fat cells, blocking TRPV4 resulted in reduced expression of multiple proinflammatory genes that are involved in the development of insulin resistance. Finally, preclinical mouse models using either mice with a null mutation for TRPV4 or wild-type mice treated with a TRPV4 antagonist demonstrated increased thermogenesis in brown/beige fat tissues and protection from diet-induced obesity, inflammation and insulin resistance. Collectively, these findings demonstrate the compelling therapeutic potential of small molecule TRPV4 inhibition in obesity, type 2 diabetes and other metabolic diseases.

The paper, TRPV4 is a Regulator of Adipose Oxidative Metabolism, Inflammation and Energy Homeostasis, is now available online and will publish in the print edition of Cell on September 28.

About Ember Therapeutics, Inc.

Ember Therapeutics is a product-focused company harnessing breakthroughs in brown fat biology and insulin sensitization to revolutionize the treatment of metabolic disease. Todays rising epidemic of obesity and Type 2 diabetes coupled with the lack of innovation in the industrys metabolic disorder treatment pipeline underscores the need for novel, peripherally-acting treatments with improved safety profiles. Embers unique approach leverages recent research breakthroughs in brown fat biology to develop a pipeline of proprietary large and small molecules designed to amplify the bodys innate ability to efficiently burn fuels like glucose. Embers expertise is also driving the development of the next generation of highly selective insulin sensitizers that have robust anti-diabetic effects, but lack the serious side effects of currently approved insulin sensitizers. Ember is a private company launched in 2011 by renowned scientific founders, an experienced leadership team and Third Rock Ventures. For more information, please visit http://www.embertx.com.

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Ember Therapeutics Announces Cell Publication of Key Data Showing TRPV4 Inhibition Activates Brown/Beige Fat and ...

The Physiological Society and Wiley renew partnership

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Public release date: 26-Sep-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Ben Norman sciencenewsroom@wiley.com 44-012-437-70375 Wiley

Hoboken, NJ, September 25, 2012. John Wiley & Sons, Inc., and The Physiological Society have announced the renewal of their publishing partnership, building on over eight years of collaboration. The renewed partnership will ensure the society's titles, The Journal of Physiology and Experimental Physiology, continue to develop as thought leaders of physiological research.

"Since their establishment The Society's journals have built a reputation for excellence and quality," said Professor Jonathan Ashmore, President of The Physiological Society. "Over the last eight years this reputation has grown and our partnership with Wiley has helped to build on this."

Professor Ashmore continued, "Our journals already accommodate the needs of funders and research scientists around the world, offering an open access route for those who wish to make their article available to non-subscribers through Wiley's OnlineOpen option, and all our journal content becomes free to access after 12 months. Our renewed partnership with Wiley will ensure that the journals stay at the forefront of innovation in a time of rapid evolution in academic publishing."

"The renewal of Wiley's partnership with The Physiological Society allows us to build upon almost a decade of collaboration, with new initiatives that benefit both authors and readers of these prestigious journals," said Stephen M. Smith, President and CEO, Wiley. "Together we will continue to support and promote the latest world-class physiological research through sustained innovation using new delivery channels and models."

The Journal of Physiology publishes the latest research from across the discipline, with the aim of developing our understanding of the principles and mechanisms which govern our bodies. Published since 1879, the journal's international editorial board is led by Editor-in-Chief, Professor David Paterson of Oxford University, and currently holds an Impact Factor of 4.881.

Wiley has supported the journal's role as an opinion leader with new initiatives including the publication of dedicated neuroscience issues eight of which will be published in 2012.

Experimental Physiology, edited by Professor Paul McLoughlin of University College Dublin, focuses on emerging areas of physiological and pathophysiological research, with emphasis on molecular and cellular functions. The journal holds an impact factor of 3.211 and will move to online-only publication from 2013.

Under this renewed agreement The Physiological Society and Wiley will also collaborate closely on a number of new initiatives including Wiley's role as principal sponsor of the 2013 Union of Physiological Sciences Congress.

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The Physiological Society and Wiley renew partnership

AMP appeals breast cancer gene patent case to US Supreme Court

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Public release date: 26-Sep-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Mary Steele Williams mwilliams@amp.org 301-634-7921 Association for Molecular Pathology

Bethesda, MD, September 26, 2012: The Association for Molecular Pathology (AMP) has petitioned the United States Supreme Court to review the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit's (CAFC's) recent ruling in Association for Molecular Pathology v. U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, a case that challenges the validity of patents on two human genes, BRCA1 and BRCA2, that predispose women to hereditary breast and ovarian cancer. The American Civil Liberties Union and the Public Patent Foundation filed the appeal to the High Court on behalf of AMP and other medical and professional organizations representing over 150,000 physicians and scientists. Other plaintiffs in the suit include individual physicians and scientists, genetic counselors, women's groups and patients.

After a district court initially declared the BRCA1 and BRCA2 patents invalid in March 2010, the CAFC reversed. That decision was appealed to the Supreme Court, which remanded the case to the lower court for further consideration in light of its recent decision in Mayo v. Prometheus. In Mayo, the Supreme Court found a method patent on another biological relationship was invalid under section 101 of the Patent Act because it claimed an unpatentable natural phenomenon. Upon reconsideration, the CAFC again upheld the patents on the breast cancer genes, claiming that the patentees had invented a new chemical substance through their identification of the disease-causing genetic mutations.

"AMP is now looking to the Supreme Court to correct this wrong on behalf of patients and their at risk family members. Patents on genes such as BRCA1 and BRCA2 grant diagnostic test monopolies to commercial companies, which often assemble the genetic knowledge acquired through testing in proprietary databases to which the medical community lacks access," stated Mary Steele Williams, Executive Director of the Association for Molecular Pathology.

Iris Schrijver, MD, President of the Association for Molecular Pathology added, "Gene patents prevent pathologists from reading their patients' DNA sequences to assess their risks for disease, their prognoses, or their potential responsiveness to therapy. The result of this lack of competition is increased test costs; decreased patient access; reduced innovation in the development of new test methods; and dramatically reduced knowledge dissemination."

"The Court of Appeals' decision was disappointing," said Roger D. Klein, MD, JD, Chair of the AMP Professional Relations Committee, "but we are optimistic the High Court will continue to uphold longstanding precedents that prohibit the patenting of natural phenomena. The CAFC's majority opinion failed to acknowledge the reasoning underlying the Mayo decision. Further, it took an extremely narrow approach to the question of patent eligibility of the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes, considering only whether there were physical changes to the genes' organizational arrangements, not whether these changes altered their fundamental properties. The essence of DNA is its ability to store the blueprints for human life within its code. The CAFC's decision was analogous", he added, "to treating genes as computer hardware, when their essence is really that of software. In this case, of course, the software code was written by nature, not man."

###

ABOUT AMP:

The Association for Molecular Pathology (AMP) is an international medical professional association dedicated to the advancement, practice, and science of clinical molecular laboratory medicine and translational research based on the applications of molecular biology, genetics, and genomics. For more information, please visit http://www.amp.org.

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AMP appeals breast cancer gene patent case to US Supreme Court

KFC Nutrition – Calories In KFC Food – Healthy Options #LLTV – Video

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25-09-2012 21:27 I LOVE IT when you: Click LIKE, COMMENT, & SUBSCRIBE & SHARE these videos! ? FULL BLOG POST AT: ? MY SITE: ? GO SHOPPING ? LIVE LEAN CLOTHING: ? FOLLOW: ? INSTAGRAM: (@BradGouthro) ? LIKE: ? PINTEREST: ? FREE E-BOOK STARTER GUIDE: LIVE LEAN FOREVER: Music by: Kevin MacLeod - Cut And Dry, Kevin MacLeod (www.incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons "Attribution 3.0" http

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KFC Nutrition - Calories In KFC Food - Healthy Options #LLTV - Video

Molecular process in fat cells that influences stress and longevity identified

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ScienceDaily (Sep. 26, 2012) As part of their ongoing research investigating the biology of aging, the greatest risk factor for type 2 diabetes and other serious diseases, scientists at Joslin Diabetes Center have identified a new factor -- microRNA processing in fat tissue -- which plays a major role in aging and stress resistance. This finding may lead to the development of treatments that increase stress resistance and longevity and improve metabolism.

The findings appear in the Sept. 5 online edition of Cell Metabolism.

Over the past several years, it has become clear that fat cells (adipocytes) are more than just repositories to store fat. Indeed, fat cells secrete a number of substances that actively influence metabolism and systemic inflammation. Previous studies have found that reducing fat mass by caloric restriction (CR) or surgical or genetic means can promote longevity and stress resistance in species from yeast to primates. However, little is known about how CR and fat reduction produce these beneficial effects. This study investigated one type of molecular mediator -- change in microRNAs (miRNAs) and the processing enzymes required to make them- that is influenced by aging and reversed by caloric restriction. miRNAs are involved in the formation of mature RNA.

Based on studies conducted using human cells, mice and C. elegans (a microscopic worm used as a model organism for aging studies), the researchers demonstrated that levels of multiple miRNAs, decrease in fat tissue (adipose) with age in all three species. This is due to a decrease in the critical enzyme required from converted pre-miRNAs to mature miRNAs, Dicer. In the human study, which compared the miRNA levels in preadipocytes (fat cell precusors) of young, middle-aged and older people, people aged 70 and older had the lowest miRNA levels. "The fact that this change occurs in humans, mice and worms points to its significance as a general and important process," says lead author C. Ronald Kahn, MD, Chief Academic Officer at Joslin Diabetes Center and the Mary K. Iacocca Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School.

Caloric restriction, which has been shown to prolong lifespan and improve stress resistance in both mice and worms, prevents this decline of Dicer, and in the case of the mice, restore miRNAs to levels observed in young mice. Conversely, exposure of adipocytes to major stressors associated with aging and metabolic diseases, including toxic agents, Dicer levels decreased. Mice and worms engineered to have decreased Dicer expression in fat showed increased sensitivity to stress, a sign of premature aging. By contrast, worms engineered to "overexpress" Dicer in the intestine (the adipose tissue equivalent in worms) had greater stress resistance and lived longer.

Overall, these studies showed that regulation of miRNA processing in adipose-related tissues plays an important role in longevity and an organism's ability to respond to age-related and environmental stress. "This study points to a completely new mechanism by which fat might affect lifespan and is the first time that anyone has looked at fat and miRNAs as factors in longevity," according to co-author T. Keith Blackwell, MD, PhD, co-head of Joslin's Section on Islet Cell and Regenerative Biology and Professor of Pathology at Harvard Medical School.

Based on this study, Blackwell suggests that "finding ways to improve miRNA processing to keep miRNA levels up during aging might have a role in protecting against the stresses of everyday life and the development of age- and stress-related disease."

Dr. Kahn and the study investigators are currently working on ways to genetically control Dicer levels in the fat tissues of mice, to create mouse models that are more or less resistant to stress. "We would love to find drugs that would mimic this genetic manipulation to produce a beneficial effect," says Dr. Kahn. "If we can better understand the biology of aging, we might also understand how age impacts diabetes," says Kahn.

Study co-authors include Marcelo A. Mori, Prashant Raghavan, Jeremie Boucher, Stacey Robida-Stubbs, Yazmin Macotela, Steven J. Russell, and T. Keith Blackwell of Joslin; and James L. Kirkland and Thomas Thomou of the Mayo Clinic.

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Male DNA found for first time in female brains

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Male DNA has for the first time been found inside the female brain, according to new research led by a Canadian scientist.

No, the finding doesn't explain why women sometimes know what their husbands are thinking.

But it could lead to refining what "the self," biologically speaking at least, really means.

Plus, in an unexpected finding, the researchers found that women with Alzheimer's disease had less male DNA in their brains -- and in lower concentrations in the brain region's most affected by the memory-robbing disease -- than women without Alzheimer's.

Observers said the finding also raises the hypothesis that, if male DNA can infiltrate a woman's brain, it might have some "masculinizing" affect on the female brain.

And, if that's so, "what consequences does this have on how the brain functions -- in other words, thinking and behaviour?" said neuroscientist Dr. Sandra Witelson, a professor in the department of psychiatry and behavioral neurosciences at the Michael G. DeGroote School of Medicine at McMaster University in Hamilton.

Appearing in the latest edition of the journal, PLOS ONE, the study is the first to describe the presence of male "microchimerism" in women's brains.

Microchimerism is the "intermingling" of small numbers of cells or portions of DNA in a person or animal from a genetically different inpidual.

In this case, the male DNA found in women's brains most likely came from cells from a pregnancy with a baby boy.

But women can acquire male DNA without ever having a son. In women without boys, male DNA can come from sharing her mother's womb with a male twin, from a non-irradiated blood transfusion and possibly even from an older sibling.

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Male DNA found for first time in female brains

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Book fair raises funds for speech pathology students

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By Staff Posted on September 25, 2012 | News | No comment

Last week a book fair was conducted in the Don Morris Center to raise scholarship money for speech pathology students.

The ACU Chapter of the National Student Speech-Language-and Hearing Association (NSSLHA) put on the book fair where a variety of books were offered. Anystudent or faculty member could shop at the fair, but the sale was aimed towards speechpathology and education students.

The communication sciences and disorders students were involvedin running the fair.

Dr. Denise Barnett, assistant professor of communication sciences and disorders,said that the fair was very beneficial for students in her department.

They usethese books a lot with children, and here is a perfect way to acquire them right oncampus, Barnett said.

The money earned will fund scholarships for speech pathology students and assist with the cost to attend a professional convention in the spring.

Denysha Taylor, a junior speech pathology major, said she bought books at the book fair so she can use them in her field where she hopes to work with children.

Books like these are good therapy for kids, she said. They will help me inworking with them and helping them to learn.

Taylor said she was impressed with the fairs selection and was happy to see some of her childhood favorites on the shelves. She said when working with kids, the books cant be too easy or too hard, andthey have to keep the childs interest, so keeping a variety is always a good thing.

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Book fair raises funds for speech pathology students

FBI makes headway on DNA testing backlog, report says

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By Carol Cratty, CNN Senior Producer

updated 9:50 AM EDT, Wed September 26, 2012

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

Washington (CNN) -- The FBI lab has made strides in cutting down its backlog of forensic DNA cases, according to a report released Tuesday by the Justice Department's Office of Inspector General.

As of March 2012 the backlog stood at 403 cases compared to 3,211 cases two years prior.

The report attributed the improvement to increased use of automation, more staff and a focus on using DNA analysis in situations in which it's most likely to yield useful results.

The FBI lab tests biological evidence found at crime scenes and items like envelopes, drinking glasses and articles of clothing. The lab does the work for not just the FBI but also for local police departments that don't have forensic labs.

FBI, Justice Department reviewing forensic evidence in thousands of cases

The report found the biggest reduction in cases came in the area of nuclear DNA, in which biological fluids like blood and semen are analyzed. There was not as large a drop in the backlog of cases involving mitochondrial DNA, which looks at such things as teeth, hair and highly degraded fragments of bones.

According to the inspector general, the FBI decided not to examine samples in 300 of the backlogged mitochondrial DNA cases that came from the FBI's Terrorist Explosive Device Analytical Center. The report said it had been policy to submit all hairs found on improvised explosive devices. "The FBI told us that there have been no documented instances for which probative results were generated from these mitochondrial DNA examinations," said the report. The FBI changed its policy on analyzing samples from all such cases.

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FBI makes headway on DNA testing backlog, report says

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DNA of victim's partner on rapist

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26 September 2012 Last updated at 09:43 ET

A rapist has been jailed for six years after DNA from his victim's boyfriend led to his conviction.

Mold Crown Court heard the teenage girl had consensual sex with her boyfriend on the night Adam Stapleton raped her.

Stapleton, 48, from Acrefair, near Wrexham, denied rape but was found guilty after a jury heard the boyfriend's DNA was discovered on him.

Judge Niclas Parry also ordered Stapleton to register as a sex offender for life for the "unspeakable" offence.

The prosecution said the transfer of DNA had occurred during the rape.

Stapleton claimed it must have been an accidental transfer from a toilet seat, but the victim said she had not used the toilet.

He held his head in his hands and wept when he was convicted unanimously by the jury.

Sentencing, judge Parry said it was "a dreadful, unspeakable thing that you did".

He said the victim was vulnerable and Stapleton had taken advantage of her.

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DNA of victim's partner on rapist

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DNA recovered during Rayney probe

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Up to two male DNA profiles were recovered during the investigation into Corryn Rayney's murder that could not be matched to people in a national database, the trial of her estranged husband Lloyd Rayney has heard.

Forensic scientist Laurance Webb told the WA Supreme Court trial on Wednesday that the DNA profiles, one of which was only partial, were found but could not be matched.

Mr Webb said the DNA profile was weak and there was only a 'low level' indication of a second person.

The court heard Rayney, a prominent Perth barrister, could not be 'included or excluded' as a potential source of the DNA found on a handkerchief at Ms Rayney's grave site.

Under cross-examination, Mr Webb agreed that DNA results from a street directory inside Ms Rayney's car indicated at least three people, although it was unclear if Rayney was one of them.

He also agreed that DNA recovered from the CD button in Ms Rayney's car and from her debit card indicated a male who was not Rayney.

Mr Webb also gave evidence about a cigarette butt found outside the Rayney's home, which the court previously heard was DNA matched to a person 'well known to police'.

A full DNA profile was recovered from the butt, indicating that it had not been there for a long time, Mr Webb said.

The cigarette butt was among items found on a footpath during a police search on August 22, 2007.

The prosecution alleges Rayney murdered his estranged wife at their home in August 7, 2007 and then dragged her across the front yard to her car before burying her body head-first in a bush grave at Kings Park.

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DNA recovered during Rayney probe

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Australian Biology Expert To Deliver Lecture At UniMAP Tomorrow

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You are here : General News

September 26, 2012 12:35 PM

Australian Biology Expert To Deliver Lecture At UniMAP Tomorrow

KANGAR, Sept 26 (Bernama) -- Australian biology expert Dr Catherine Ann Symington will deliver an international academic lecture at Universiti Malaysia Perlis (UniMAP) tomorrow.

The lecture, titled "Bumblebees Shouldn't Be Able To Fly", will be held at UniMAP's Dewan Kapitol at 2.15pm and is open to government and private sector staff involved in environmental conservation.

UniMAP Sustainable Development Unit director Dr Mohd Mizan Mohammad Aslam said Symington's presence was timely as Perlis was working towards improving the environment.

Speaking to Bernama here today, he said UniMAP Chancellor the Raja Muda of Perlis Tuanku Syed Faizuddin Putra Jamalullail will be attending the event as well.

Symington, a University of Melbourne lecturer, is scheduled to visit the solid waste disposal centre in Padang Siding, the Al Husain floating mosque in Kuala Perlis and Istana Arau during her three-day visit. She will also tour the UniMAP campus and meet with Kangar Municipal Council employees, Dr Mohd Mizan added.

-- BERNAMA

We provide (subscription-based) news coverage in our Newswire service.

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Australian Biology Expert To Deliver Lecture At UniMAP Tomorrow

Farm Raised Salmon Need to Beef Up

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/wildlife/article/45002

When it comes to farm raised fish, it doesn't pay to let them be lazy. Fish like wild salmon, tuna and eel are built for the vigorous swimming required during migration.

These fish are "uniquely adapted to a physiology of high levels of exercise performance," says Tony Farrell, who studies fish physiology in the University of British Columbia Zoology department. "Therefore when we put them in constrained environments and remove predators, the consequences are they become a little more like couch potatoes."

When these fish are raised on farms in captivity, they are prone to a variety of health problems everything from heart disease to viral infections kind of like human couch potatoes. And, just like with humans, getting more active seems to make a big difference in their health.

There's at least 50 years of research on the physiological benefits of exercise to fish, demonstrating that when fish are good swimmers, they have better cardiovascular fitness, a stronger immune system and are less prone to disease and physical deformities than their sedentary brethren. Yet very few fish farms use exercise as a way to improve the quantity and quality of their product. New research and a new book, Swimming Physiology of Fish: Towards Using Exercise to Farm a Fit Fish in Sustainable Aquaculture, are trying to persuade the commercial fish farmer to give it a try.

Farmed fish currently make up nearly half of all fish consumed, and the industry is growing rapidly. While it produces a fairly cheap source of protein, disease, waste and a decreasing supply of traditional fish feed remain problems yet to be fully solved.

Increasing survival rates even just a few percent by exercising fish not only creates a healthier environment for them, but it may translate into billions of dollars for fish farms.

Fish exercise may aid the fish farming industry financially, Farrell says, but there's another lesson as well. "Exercise, in a world that is sedentary, is beneficialeven in fish."

So what does that mean to what you get on your dinner plate? Some experts suggest that bigger, stronger, and healthier fish may also produce changes in color, texture or overall appearance that make a more attractive meal to the consumer. But there's no evidence yet that the nutritional content is affected.

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Farm Raised Salmon Need to Beef Up

Malawi: Nation Shifts Focus to Nutrition and New Crops to Tackle Food Crisis

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Malawi: Nation Shifts Focus to Nutrition and New Crops to Tackle Food Crisis

Malawi: Focus Shifts to Nutrition, New Crops to Tackle Food Crisis

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Photo: Kristy Siegfried/IRIN

File photo of refugees at Dzaleka camp in Malawi waiting in line to collect their monthly food rations which were cut by half in March 2012 due to a funding shortfall

Lilongwe A nutrition act and new crops are at the centre of the Malawi government's latest attempts to overcome the effects of annual food shortages that affect more than 10% of the population.

From October, President Joyce Banda's government says it will give away 60,000 goats to needy families on condition that they pass on the goats' kids to designated neighbours. The landlocked south-east African country is also drafting a nutrition act that will ban the sale of non-fortified basic foodstuffs.

Senior civil servants claim the moves mark a departure from farming policies that simply aimed to fill people up with staple maize in lean times. Food shortages affect 1.6 million people every year, and an estimated 47% of children have stunted growth because of undernutrition, making them more vulnerable to illness and learning difficulties.

Mary Shawa, the principal secretary for gender, said the nutrition act will send a signal that Banda, in power since April, considers food security a high priority. "Childhood stunting has a direct impact on the economy. It is clear that nutrition needs to be tackled across several sectors, including agriculture, education, local government and academia, and that is what we are doing," she said.

Jeffrey Luhanga, principal secretary for agriculture and food security, said stabilising food supply was his priority. Subsidies will increasingly focus on encouraging farmers to grow protein-rich crops and crops that can be exported or processed in the country, he said. "In maize, you have starch but you also need lots of protein." Malawi, whose economy is heavily dependent on agriculture, has become something of a laboratory for food policy since 2004, when former president Bingu wa Mutharika defied resistance from donors and introduced a generous seed and fertiliser subsidy programme. After years of relying on food aid, in 2005 Malawi produced a grain surplus of more than 500,000 tonnes. The country repeated the feat in 2007 and increased its surplus in 2008.

At the UN general assembly in 2008, Mutharika proclaimed that his "green revolution" was a recipe for "Africa to feed the world". To prove his point, he sent 150 tonnes of rice to Haiti after the earthquake there in January 2010.

But Mutharika died halfway through a second term during which the country was almost bankrupted by nepotism, corruption and his highly personalised "green revolution". He was replaced by his deputy, Banda.

"The subsidy programme was producing too much maize," said Luhanga.

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Malawi: Focus Shifts to Nutrition, New Crops to Tackle Food Crisis

Research and Markets: Analysis of the World Microbiology Testing Market Sales Forecasts by Country and Strategic …

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DUBLIN--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

Research and Markets (http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/2ccv6j/analysis_of_the) has announced the addition of the "Analysis of the World Microbiology Testing Market Sales Forecasts by Country and Strategic Profiles of Leading Suppliers" report to their offering.

This report provides a worldwide overview of the microbiology testing market environment, structure, size and growth.

The report includes estimates of the number of laboratories performing microbiology tests, as well as test volume and sales forecasts by country.

The report also presents strategic profiles of leading market players and emerging suppliers with innovative technologies and products in terms of their sales, product portfolios, distribution tactics, technological know-how, new products in R&D, collaborative arrangements, and business strategies.

Contains 73 pages and 3 tables

Key Topics Covered:

1. Worldwide Business Environment

2. Worldwide Market Structure

3. Worldwide Market Size and Growth

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Research and Markets: Analysis of the World Microbiology Testing Market Sales Forecasts by Country and Strategic ...

Do eunuchs really live longer?

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A study tracking Korean eunuchs during the Chosun Dynasty shows they lived 14 to 19 years longer than their counterparts.

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

(TIME.com) -- Talk about a longevity strategy no man wants to pursue. A recent study published in the journal Current Biology finds that Korean eunuchs castrated men lived 14 to 19 years longer than other men, suggesting that male sex hormones play a role in life span.

In the study, the researchers used a genealogy record called the Yang-Se-Gye-Bo that tracked eunuchs who worked in the Korean imperial court during the Chosun Dynasty, which ruled from the 14th to early 20th centuries.

Researchers were able to identify 81 eunuchs, who were castrated as boys, and determined that they lived to an average age of 70, significantly longer than other men of similar social status. Even kings didn't typically make it to age 50.

Three of the 81 eunuchs lived to 100, a centenarian rate that's far higher than would be expected in modern society. The current incidence of centenarians is 1 per 3,500 people in Japan, and 1 per 4,400 people in the United States, for instance; thus, the incidence of centenarians among Korean eunuchs was at least 130 times higher than that of present-day developed countries, according to the paper.

TIME.com: Want to live longer? Don't try caloric restriction

"Our study supports the idea that male sex hormones decrease the lifespan of men," the authors write.

Based on earlier research, the authors argue that one explanation for this could be that male sex hormones may negatively influence the immune system and "predispose men to adverse cardiovascular attacks." They note further that the theory helps explain why females -- in many species -- live longer than males.

But while animal studies have suggested that castration (which removes the testes, the source of male hormones) results in longer lives, studies in humans have been spotty. In one study of castrati singers, there was no difference in lifespan between them and non-castrated singers; in another study of institutionalized, mentally ill men, however, those who were castrated lived some 14 years longer than those who weren't.

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Do eunuchs really live longer?

Canadian police: DNA links now-dead U.S. prison inmate to 1974 murder of teen

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By Dominique Debucquoy-Dodley, CNN

updated 7:35 PM EDT, Tue September 25, 2012

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

(CNN) -- DNA evidence links a now-dead American convict to the murder of a Canadian teenager who disappeared in 1974, authorities in British Columbia said Tuesday.

Bobby Jack Fowler, who died in an Oregon prison in 2006, is responsible for the murder of 16-year-old Colleen MacMillen, Inspector Gary Shinkaruk of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police said at a news conference.

Authorities said while the case is closed on MacMillen's death, investigations continue into the abductions and killings of other women in the same region of Canada, and the search is still on for information in those cases.

"Today's announcement and public plea for assistance is a significant milestone in our commitment to solving a series of missing and murdered women investigations in British Columbia," said Deputy Commissioner Craig Callens, commanding officer of the RCMP in British Columbia

On August 9, 1974, MacMillen disappeared near Highway 97 in Lac La Hache, British Columbia, according to Shinkaruk. She was found dead 47 kilometers (about 29 miles) south of her last known location.

A DNA profile of an unknown male was established in 2007 from evidence in her case, but Canada's National Crime Scene Databank did not turn up a match, Shinkaruk said. A higher quality sample was submitted to INTERPOL in 2012, and the new sample was matched with Fowler.

The development brings a close to one of 18 open cases in British Columbia involving women who went missing, with some later found murdered, stretching back to 1969. The cases are being investigated by a task force named Project E-Pana.

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Canadian police: DNA links now-dead U.S. prison inmate to 1974 murder of teen

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New DNA evidence uncovers burglary suspect

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ALBANY, GA -

DNA evidence leads to a suspect in a Dougherty County convenience store burglary nearly three years after the crime.

An Albany man, currently in prison for other crimes, is now charged with a 2009 break-in at a Fast Lane convenience store.

His DNA, put in a GBI computer database when he was incarcerated, matched DNA found at the store.

South Georgia law enforcement tells us the GBI crime lab is going through backlogged evidence of crimes looking again for DNA matches.

And investigators say they are finding more and more of them.

September 30, 2009, about 3 a.m. someone breaking into the then Express Lane convenience store and took a Money Gram Money Order machine. Crime scene photos show the blood left behind.

"The front glass window was broken and when the offender reached through the window to steal the money order machine, he was cut on the glass. We were able to recover some of the blood there at the scene," said Dougherty County Police Sergeant, Chad Kirkpatrick.

That blood was given to the GBI crime lab, but there was no match to identify the burglar. Until last week.

"We received information from the GBI that a new convicted offender who had just been sentenced to prison, that his DNA matched the DNA at our crime scene," said Kirkpatrick.

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New DNA evidence uncovers burglary suspect

Posted in DNA

Research and Markets: DNA Microarray 2012: A Focus on Sales Growth

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DUBLIN--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

Research and Markets (http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/knkv97/dna_microarray) has announced the addition of the "DNA Microarray 2012: A Focus on Sales Growth" report to their offering.

From the early use of miniaturised microarrays for the analysis of gene expression in the mid 1990s, this technique has established markets that are expected to reach $3 billion by 2015. However markets are also changing as new applications are developed and new instruments and competitive technologies such as PCR, are launched. Today, more than ever, developers and vendors in the microarray field are targeting their resources in those areas that best support their own sales and growth strategies.

Purpose

This report, based on an analysis of prevailing and emerging market conditions in the DNA microarray field, has been produced to assist marketing and sales, and the identification of new opportunities. It is the outcome of an extensive global study involving more than 200 experienced DNA microarray users. It's findings provide a focus on sales growth to developers and vendors in the microarray field, and the changes that are driving these developments.

Analysis

As part of this report, market areas outlined below have been analysed to provide information relevant to marketing and sales, new market opportunities, qualified sales leads, customer needs and future plans, competitive position, new and emerging applications, growing and declining areas and threats.

Key Topics Covered:

Chapter 1 Introduction

Chapter 2 Study Participants

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Research and Markets: DNA Microarray 2012: A Focus on Sales Growth

Posted in DNA