A synthetic version of the camouflage mechanism could be injected into the patients, which would teach our immune system to identify HIV and neutralize it.  This idea has been devised into a candidate vaccine and is being evaluated in animals and possibly in humans within two years.  The research is led by Ben Davis, Professor of Organic Chemistry at University of Oxford and is the latest breakthrough in AIDS research.

Moreover, the largest candidate vaccine trial in Thailand indicated that an agent, RV144, can reduce the chances of acquiring an HIV infection by a third.  Although the results and statistical significance were small, this discovery may help us immunize people against the virus and ensures that it is possible to do so.

Another research published last month also provided some breakthrough in AIDS research as they identified two antibodies, which neutralize a wide range of HIV strains.  These antibodies maybe used in designing the vaccines that are far more effective than the RV144.

However, Professor Davis offers a novel method in combating HIV through creation of improved vaccines using the field of synthetic biology.  The scientists are pursuing to recreate natural molecules with slight modifications in hope that they would be pathologically useful.  When HIV binds to the T-cells of the immune system, it uses a surface molecule, glycoprotein 120 (GP-120) in order to infect them.  Although most of the GP-120 mutates quickly, one segment of it always remains uniform, the silent face.  The silent face could be a key target for antibodies produced by vaccines.   The silent face is invisible to human immune system because it is coated by sugars which are too complicated for antibodies of the immune system to distinguish and remove.  “The virus uses this trick to decorate itself with what is effectively camouflage.  It has a cloak of invisibility, as it were,” said Professor Davis.   In most patients, as the silent face goes uncovered, the immune system does not produce antibodies against it; however, in one patient an antibody has been discovered, 2G12.

Davis’s team formulated synthetic sugars which surround the virus’s silent face and slightly altered it so that it would be easy for the immune system to identify it.  Through lab tests, researchers discovered that 2G12 antibody binds to these synthetic molecules, concluding that they should prepare and teach the body to make these antibodies.  “We’ve done the whole thing with chemistry,” he said.  “We’ve built constructs that look like the silent face, but which the body recognizes as being unnatural.  We hope it will create an immune response.  We’re turning the virus’s shield into its Achilles’ heel.  If we can build something that elicits antibodies towards the silent face, we could have a vaccine against HIV.”

In order to test the synthetic silent face molecules, 30 different ones have been created which are implemented in rabbits to reveal whether or not their body would encourage the production of antibodies to fight the silent face.  The results should be available within three to six months.

Remaining hopeful, Professor Davis said, “As soon as one shows neutralizing properties, we hope within two years we could see it in people.”

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Christopher Li, PhD and an associate member of the Fred Hutchison Cancer Research Center in Seattle, conducted a research examining tamoxifen’s effect on women who developed breast cancer in their other breast, almost six months from when they were first diagnosed.

Before examining the research, one must first understand the two types of breast cancer.  ER positive or estrogen receptor positive is the most common type of breast cancer, which grows when exposed to estrogen.  Tamoxifen and other hormone therapies are used to stop the ER-positive breast cancer cells from dividing.  While, the ER negative breast cancers are uncommon and extremely aggressive when compared to ER positive breast cancers.  These cancers are not treated with tamoxifen or other estrogen related drugs, since ER-negative breast cancers are not sensitive to estrogen.

Li’s team researched data on a group of 1,100 Seattle women between the ages of 40-79 who were treated for ER-positive breast cancer.  These women were treated for the cancer between 1990 and 2005.  Out of the 1,100 women, 367 of them developed breast cancer in their other breast almost six months from when they were first diagnosed.

Through careful interviews and examination of medical records and usage of tamoxifen or other hormone therapies (how much was used and how often the drugs were used), the team came to a surprising conclusion.

Compared to women who never used tamoxifen, women who did were 60% less likely to develop an ER-positive cancer in the other breast.

However, women who used tamoxifen for a time period of five years or longer were four times more prone to developing ER-negative breast cancer in their other breast, compared to women who never used tamoxifen or other hormone therapy.

One must keep in mind that tamoxifen’s link to ER-negative breast cancer risk was found in those who used the drug for five years or more.

Patients should not stop using tamoxifen because of this finding, as its benefits outweigh the risk of ever developing a rare ER-negative breast cancer.

Molecular Structure for Tamoxifen

“We don’t think that it overall changes the risk-benefit equation, in that women who are eligible to take this drug probably should still take it because of its proven benefit,” Li said.

Just like all treatments, tamoxifen has its risks and benefits.  Tamoxifen is also know to increase the risk of a stroke of endometrial cancer.  Li does not believe that the dosage requirements should be changed because in the end, the benefits still win out.

“The randomized trials looking at tamoxifen have very convincingly shown that full benefit of the drug is only obtained when it’s used for five years,” Li says. “I don’t think they should change the recommendation that women should use it for the full five years.”

Vogel from the American Cancer Society is worried that people might acquire the wrong impression regarding the study.  Vogel also notes that most women do not take tamoxifen for more than five years.

He clearly states, “”Certainly none of the data has suggested that we stop using tamoxifen or change the way we apply it. … The net benefit for tamoxifen is huge.”

In the future, Li’s team hopes to understand the exact link between ER-negative breast cancer risk and tamoxifen, especially how tamoxifen raises the risk.

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1. Can Breast Feeding reduce cancer?
2. STD’s may lead to Prostate Cancer
3. Green Tea & Cancer: Is there a link?

For years, researchers have been trying to understand how rats that eat a low calorie diet lived longer and showed a decrease in cancer and heart diseases. Through advancement in molecular biology, scientists have uncovered the gene that stimulates a survival mechanism which extends life. This gene, sirtuins, is present in almost all organisms ranging from yeast to humans and has been known to detect how quickly an organism ages. Sirtuins control aging by directing cells on how to protect themselves more efficiently; however, the gene is normally inactive. In order to activate the gene, Harvard scientists have been trying to stimulate sirtuins without genetically altering its composition.

One way to stimulate the sirtuins is through calorie restrictions or dieting. However, in order to find a compound that would do the same researchers conducted a random experiment by adding thousands of different chemicals to test tubes of yeast. To their surprise, they found a chemical that worked 10 times faster than all the other chemicals while increasing the lifetime of the yeast cells by 70% percent.  While randomly testing thousands of compounds, Sinclair, a biochemist at Harvard, found the answer: resveratrol. This same chemical, resveratrol, is found in red wines and peanuts. The effects of resveratrol might be evident in the French enigma which indicated that although French people had higher fat diet than Americans, they had an amazingly low rate of heart diseases. The answer might lie in their high consumption of red wine which contains resveratrol.

The idea of calorie restriction helping combat anti-aging is difficult to believe. However, in an experiment at the University of Wisconsin, a group of rhesus monkeys were on an extreme diet while the control group was well-fed for over two decades. The result was a clear difference between the skinny monkeys who looked younger, had shinier coats and barely suffered from arthritis, while the chunky moneys had diabetes, cancer and heart diseases. The research shows that hunger tends to stimulate the sirtuins, turning on the genetic survival switch.

Another common experiment has been tried on humans through the Calorie Restriction Society where a group of people have severely restricted their calories for years. Their diet consists of an appetizer, a low-calorie soup and an entrée composed of walnuts and baby food topped off on flour-free bread. The results were astonishing as the participants have significantly lowered their blood pressure, lessened the risk of acquiring heart disease, diabetes or cancer and reduced body fat. Also, with better health came sexier looks as a participant’s husband said, “”To be honest, if you saw her without any clothes, you’d see she looks pretty darn good, like a woman like of many, many years younger.”

However, the major concern in today’s world is about how to surviving on such a restricted diet. Let’s face it, most people would not be able to trade eating pizzas, burgers, pasta etc for soup, walnuts and baby food for the rest of their life. That is where the production of resveratrol pill comes in which could turn on the survival gene, sirtuins. If scientists are on the right track, then we could not only be able to live a longer, disease free life, but also look sexier, while not worrying about dieting and sweaty work outs.

“What we’re trying to do with our drugs here is to put the body in a defensive state to ring the alarm bells and get the body to defend itself instead of dieting to set the alarm off, pop a pill,” Sinclair said.

This pill is composed of high concentrations of resveratrol.  To be more exact, scientist report the pill give the user the equivalent of 1,000 bottles of red wine per day. Although the pill may not increase our lifespan, it could prevent many aging diseases such as diabetes, heart diseases, cancer and Alzheimer’s as the gene, sirtuin, would be activated to protect the cells against diseases.

When tried on mice, resveratrol gave a positive feed back. When two mice were fed a high fat diet for over 10 weeks, one was able to run twice as far than the control and weighed far less.   Sinclair reported, “”Their organs looked pristine, youthful, fat-free, and their physiology was just like they were dieting. But they were fat.”

Confident that they were on the right track to a giant discovery, the resveratrol pill was placed into human trials on individuals with untreated diabetes. The pill essentially lowered both glucose and insulin levels, even though the patients had not altered their diet.

Very soon Sirtis, a company launched by Sinclair and his partner Westphal with other leading bio tech companies, will be able to make a more effective version of resveratrol which would go into human trials on cancer patients. However, we must remember that almost nine out of ten treatments that work on rats usually end up failing on human beings.

The drugs ultimate job is not only to help people live a longer life, but also to help individuals live a healthier life.   When asked the question that thousands are curious to know the answer to, “When will this pill go into mass production?” Sinclair replied, “I would say five years to be conservative, that this’ll happen within our lifetimes. I’m fairly certain about that.”

Feel free to leave your comments!

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3. B-12 Shots: A Miracle?

Are B-12 injections really for me?

While vitamin supplements such as B-12 are usually beneficial for your body, is B-12 really what you need?  Vitamin B12 is important for metabolism, the creation of red blood cells, and maintenance of the central nervous system, however, what most individuals forget is that the average American adult does receive the recommended 2.4mcg of B-12 in his or her daily diet.

Symptoms of B12 deficiency

• Fatigue and exhaustion
• Muscle Weakness
• Dizziness after work
• Diarrhea
• Mouth Sores
• Can lead to pernicious anemia
• Vegetarians are more prone to B12 deficiencies primarily because most B group vitamins are derived from meats.  A lack of protein can also lead to B-12 deficiency, once more strict vegans are more prone to this.

Okay so I have the above symptoms, what should I do now?
While many of the above symptoms do point towards B-12 deficiency, they can also attribute to a wide array of issues.  It’s important to look at what maybe causing your B-12 deficiency because if it is a ongoing issue then shots or supplements won’t necessarily be the cure to the problem.  Genetics can often lead to a B-12 deficiency.  In cases like this studies show that stress and high blood pressure often passes on to the offspring especially when these traits are common during pregnancy.  H-pylori could be another serious cause for these symptoms.  It is often overlooked by some physicians, and can be passed to your body through sexual fluids, raw eggs, and chicken.   H-pylori is a bacteria that is produced in the small intestines and symptoms of it usually include migraine, ulcers, and a mix of both diarrhea and constipation.  So why is this information important?  Well if you do have any of the above problems, especially H-pylori, then your body will always suffer from chronic symptoms of B-12 defiencies.  Before going ahead with B-12 shots or supplements it is important to have proper lab tests done (especially one for H-pylori) to see what the problem can be. Low hydrochloric acid can also lead to a deficiency in B12, and a variety of other issues.  The best way to find out if B-12 shots are for you is once more to have test done.

The article isn’t trying to debunk any of the benefits associated with B-12 shots and supplements, because, yes many users do report having a much healthier and effiencient lifestyle after taking the injections.  Instead the article is trying to inform you about the facts behind B-12 defienincies and the supplements itself before you fork out cash that could possibly be wasted.

If you have any questions or comments please submit them!

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1. Resveratrol: Anti-Aging Miracle?

Now where do the geckos come in? Well the tape uses Gecko skin to…JK. Actually the team followed the design principle the Gecko’s feet. The surface of the tape has nanoscale bumps that give the tape a few advantages, and over this is a layer of glue, created by biodegradable sugars, that allows it to stick in wet environments.  The ridges in the tape were created by the same engine used to create microchips. The product has been tested on pig intestines and proved to work very efficiently. This product could become a great tool in the future for surgeons as it will allow them to insert the tape on small incisions where suture would be extremely difficult.

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