Brazil lays down the law on coffee tastes, aromas

May 26, 2010 By Leave a Comment

World top coffee producer Brazil is imposing legally binding standards on the quality of ground, roasted coffee sold in its shops in a bid to help encourage consumption.

Agriculture minister Wagner Rossi chose Monday, Brazil’s “National Coffee Day,” to sign a regulation which from Feb. 1, 2011, will do away with products that consistently score less than four out of 10 on a specified set of industry criteria.

“Now this is a regulation everyone has to meet … It will make Brazilian coffee better,” Rossi said after signing the law, which even apply to coffees that are imported, usually for the purpose of bringing a certain taste to a blend.

Laws prohibiting impurities in coffee above 1 percent already exist but the new rules add standards for criteria such as taste, aroma and acidity that can only be determined by the highly sensitive palettes of professional coffee tasters.

“What we hope … is that the better quality will increase consumption,” said Manoel Bertone, head of production at the agriculture ministry. Local coffee industry association ABIC, says studies show people are more likely to become coffee drinkers if they start out drinking better quality brews.

Teams of inspectors around the country will carry out spot checks on coffees taken from supermarket shelves, and roasters flouting the rules will be fined. Persistent offenders could be banned from selling their brand altogether.

Almost all of the coffee exported from Brazil is raw or “green” produce. Preferences for darker or lighter roasts differ around the world and roasters can do this fine-tuning

more accurately when closer to the end consumer or retailer.

But the government and Brazilian roasters want to ensure that, as living standards rise, the local population will not overlook home grown produce because of a perception that Brazil is better at producing quantity rather than quality.

“Those products of lower purity will have more difficulty competing,” Bertone said.

Asked whether relying on human taste buds could lead to bad coffees slipping through the net or good coffees being failed, ABIC executive director Nathan Herskowicz said tasting methods were thorough and virtually infallible.

“Sensorial evaluation is not subjective but objective because it is done by highly trained technicians. It is totally reliable,” he said.

Coffee quality is susceptible to alteration at any stage of its journey from the tree to the jar. It can be damaged by adverse weather during the beans’ development, and also

requires skilled processing after harvesting and when being roasted.

(Editing by Raymond Colitt and Lisa Shumaker)

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Into the blue

March 29, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Marine ecosystems are the most complex and least well-known to man despite being significant indicators of global health. It is known that the waters, which cover two-thirds of our planet, are home to several ‘oxygen factories’ like the phytoplankton. However, the world of oceanic microbes remains largely unexplored. In a bid to create a database of these remarkably complex organisms, nearly 100 oceanographers, biologists, geneticists and physicists from some of the world’s best laboratories have set out on an incredible expedition across international boundaries, aboard the sailboat Tara Oceans, to study them.

Tara Oceans, sponsored by the United Nations Environment Programme and French fashion designer Agnes B, set sail from Lorient, Brittany, on September 5, and was in Mumbai for a brief stopover from Thursday to Saturday, before moving on to Goa and then to Male, Maldives. Chris Bowler, a scientist from the French National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS), who is heading the expedition, said: “Our effort is to provide snapshots of how the ocean looks in the 21st century so that 100 years from now, there’s a record, which can form a basis for further research. Today, we know that the seas are acidifying and scientists often speculate how the condition would affect the food chain.”

Three years on the high seas

For the next three years, Tara Oceans will sail around the world collecting samples of deep water ecosystems, documenting sea temperatures, salinity, acidity and pollution and understanding marine life adaptation to environmental stress. “We plan to sail 80,000 nautical miles covering the Indian Ocean this year, the South Atlantic and the South Pacific the next, and across the northern seas in 2012 before returning to Lorient,” said Romain Troublé, operational manager for Tara Oceans. At any given time, the boat will lodge six scientists, six sailors and two international journalists.

A thousand litres of sample waters from different depths will be collected every two days. Plankton and other organisms collected will be preserved. Every three weeks, 300 kg of the samples will be couriered from the sailboat to the European Molecular Biology Laboratory in Heidelberg, and from there to labs in France, Spain, Arizona, etc., Troublé explained. Having travelled 15,000 nautical miles so far, the team is set to see the outcome of their first leg of research in the Mediterranean Sea and the Red Sea.

Not smooth sailing in India

THE team, however, is facing a hitch in Indian waters. “It’s a pity that we are unable to conduct research in 200 nautical miles of Indian waters because we couldn’t get the necessary permissions from authorities. However, we are now trying to get help from the National Institute of Oceanography in Goa,” Troublé said. “We are considering including a few NIO scientists in our expedition, but they will join us later, in the South Atlantic Ocean.” The only other country where the crew couldn’t get permission was Oman.

State-of-the-art system

Marc Picheral, an oceanographic engineer from France who has developed the scientific systems in the sailboat, said, “Our advanced equipments include a three-dimensional microscope called Spim which gives a complete view of organisms, flow cams and special microscopes that remain stable in a moving boat.” However, the star tool of the expedition is the Conductivity Temperature Depth (CTD) profiler, an all-in-one instrument which combines a high-resolution camera with a host of sensors to measure salinity, temperature, pressure, turbidity and depth and a system of bottles to collect water samples automatically. The CTD can be lowered to depths of up to 2,000 metres.

According to Jennifer Gillette, a cell biologist from the National Institute of Health, Maryland, USA, who has been onboard as an optical engineer for a month, “In the past month, I have documented images of thousands of phytoplankton and zooplankton, many of which have almost no reference in the existing literature. We are now studying their taxonomy.” The first large scale study will include DNA and genetic make-up, physical and chemical analysis.

Marvels of the sea

“We can’t wait to reach the southern bend of the Indian Ocean, where a unique cycle occurs. Here, gyres, or rings formed in the water, push a layer of water around Africa’s Cape Town all the way across the Atlantic Ocean to South America in a process called ‘seeding’. We are observing these waters through satellite—they are rich in planktons peculiar to the Indian Ocean, which are taken into the Atlantic to form an interesting colony. We also plan to study the water in regions with concentration of plastic waste, high pH levels, and coral reefs,” Bowler said.

The route of Tara Oceans was put together according to three factors: the areas for research chosen by the scientists, the progress of the seasons in the northern and southern hemispheres and the direction of the prevailing wind, since winds are a determining factor for the voyage of a sailing ship.
Nitya Kaushik

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Marine ecosystems under threat from ocean acidification

March 29, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Washington, March 29 (ANI): Experiments by a team of scientists has determined that acidification of the oceans as a result of increasing levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) could have significant effects on marine ecosystems.

Postgraduate researcher Michael Maguire, together with colleagues at Newcastle University, performed experiments in which they simulated ocean acidification as predicted by current trends of CO2 emissions.

The group found that the decrease in ocean pH (increased acidity) resulted in a sharp decline of a biogeochemically important group of bacteria known as the Marine Roseobacter clade.

“This is the first time that a highly important bacterial group has been observed to decline in significant numbers with only a modest decrease in pH,” said Maguire.

The Marine Roseobacter clade is responsible for breaking down a sulphur compound called dimethylsulfoniopropionate (DMSP) that is produced by photosynthesising plankton.

This end product is taken up and used by numerous bacteria as an important source of sulphur.

A fraction of DMSP is turned into Dimethylsulfide (DMS) – a naturally occurring gas that influences the Earth’s climate.

DMS encourages the formation of clouds that reflect solar radiation back into space leading to a cooling of the earth’s surface.

Maguire’s group hypothesizes that the decline of the Marine Roseobacter clade through ocean acidification may alter the release of DMS into the atmosphere and affect the amount of available sulphur.

He believes this will have a significant impact on the ocean’s productivity and the overall global climate system.

“Ocean acidification will not only have large scale consequences for marine ecosystems but also socio-economical consequences due to changes in fish stocks and erosion of coral reefs,” he explained. (ANI)

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Sea ice formed in the Arctic before it did in Antarctica

July 16, 2009 By Leave a Comment

Washington, July 16 (ANI): A new study has concluded that significant sea ice formation occurred in the Arctic earlier than previously thought, which suggests that sea ice formed in the Arctic before it did in Antarctica.

“The results are also especially exciting because they suggest that sea ice formed in the Arctic before it did in Antarctica, which goes against scientific expectation,” said scientific team member Dr Richard Pearce of the University of Southampton’s School of Ocean and Earth Science based at the National Oceanography Centre, Southampton (NOCS).

The international collaborative research team, led by Dr Catherine Stickley and Professor Nalan Koc of the University of Tromso and Norwegian Polar Insitute, analyzed oceanic sediment cores collected from the Lomonosov ridge in the central Arctic by Integrated Ocean Drilling Program Expedition 302 (“ACEX”).

Previous analyses of cores drilled in this region revealed ice-rafted debris dating back to the middle Eocene epoch, prompting suggestions that ice appeared in the Arctic about 46 million years ago.

But, records of ice-rafted debris do not differentiate sea ice from glacial (continental) ice, which is important because sea ice influences climate by directly affecting ocean-atmosphere exchanges, whereas land-based ice affects sea level and consequently ocean acidity.

Instead of focusing solely on ice-rafted debris, Stickley and her colleagues also garner information about ancient climate by analyzing fossilized remains of tiny single-celled plants called diatoms in the sediment cores.

Coincident with ice-rafted debris in the cores, the researchers found high abundances of delicately silicified diatoms belong to the genus Synedropsis.

“Weakly silicified diatoms are preserved only under exceptional circumstances, so to find fossilized Synedropsis species so well preserved and in such abundance is truly remarkable,” said team member Richard Pearce of NOCS.

Synedropsis species probably over-wintered within the sea ice and then bloomed there in the spring when there was enough sunlight.

They would have been released into stratified surface waters as the ice melted, rapidly sinking to the sea bottom as aggregates, leaving other diatom species to dominate summer production. And, indeed, these seasonal changes can be discerned in the sediment cores.

The researchers conclude from their analysis, which cover a two-million year period, that episodic sea ice formation in marginal shelf areas of the Arctic started around 47.5 million years ago, about a million years earlier than previous estimates based on ice-raft debris evidence only.

This appears to have been followed half a million years later by the onset of seasonal sea-ice formation in offshore areas of the central Arctic, and about 24 million years before major ice-sheet expansion in the region. (ANI)

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Diets bad for the teeth may be bad for the body too

July 10, 2009 By Leave a Comment

Washington, July 10 (ANI): Dental disease may be a warning that the high-glycemic diet that led to dental problems in the short term may, in the long term, cause harm to the body.

“The five-alarm fire bell of a tooth ache is difficult to ignore,” says Dr. Philippe P. Hujoel, professor of dental public health sciences at the University of Washington (UW) School of Dentistry in Seattle.

Hujoel weighed two contradictory viewpoints on the role of dietary carbohydrates in health and disease. The debate surrounds fermentable carbohydates: foods that turn into simple sugars in the mouth.

Fermentable carbohydrates are not just sweets like cookies, doughnuts, cake and candy. They also include bananas and several tropical fruits, sticky fruits like raisins and other dried fruits, and starchy foods like potatoes, refined wheat flour, yams, rice, pasta, pretzels, bread, and corn.

One viewpoint is that certain fermentable carbohydrates are beneficial to general health and that the harmful dental consequences of such a diet should be managed by the tools found in the oral hygiene section of drugstores.

A contrasting viewpoint suggests that fermentable carbohydrates are bad for both dental and general health, and that both dental and general health need to be maintained by restricting fermentable carbohydrates.

The close correlation between the biological mechanisms that cause dental decay and the factors responsible for high average levels of glucose in the blood is intriguing.

Hujoel explains that eating sugar or fermentable carbohydrates drops the acidity levels of dental plaque and is considered an initiating cause of dental decay.

“Eating these same foods, he says, is also associated with spikes in blood sugar levels. There is fascinating evidence that suggests that the higher the glycemic level of a food, the more it will drop the acidity of dental plaque, and the higher it will raise blood sugar. So, possibly, dental decay may really be a marker for the chronic high-glycemic diets that lead to both dental decay and chronic systemic diseases. This puts a whole new light on studies that have linked dental diseases to such diverse illnesses as Alzheimer’s disease and pancreatic cancer,” Hujoel said.

The report has been published in the Journal of Dental Research. (ANI)

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Shellfish threatened by rising levels of CO2

May 27, 2009 By Leave a Comment

Washington, May 27 (ANI): In a new research, scientists have discovered that shellfish are threatened from rising levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) that contribute to the acidification of open ocean.

The research was done by Smithsonian scientists, led by Whitman Miller, ecologist at the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center in Edgewater, Maryland.

For shellfish and other organisms that have calcium carbonate shells and structures, the problem begins when atmospheric CO2 dissolves in seawater and creates carbonic acid that is then rapidly transformed into carbonate and bicarbonate ions in the water.

Increased acidity tips the balance toward bicarbonate formation and away from carbonate.

Less carbonate in the water means that shellfish have fewer building blocks to generate their shells. If the water is acidic enough, shells can even begin to dissolve.

“Estuarine and coastal ecosystems may be especially vulnerable to changes in water chemistry caused by elevated CO2 because their relative shallowness, reduced salinity and lower alkalinity makes them inherently less buffered to changes in pH than in the open ocean,” said Miller.

For many calcifying organisms, CO2-induced acidification poses a serious challenge because these organisms may experience reduced rates of growth and calcification that “when combined with other environmental stresses, could spell disaster,” he added.

In Miller’s study, the larvae of Eastern oysters and Suminoe oysters were cultured in estuarine water that was held at four separate CO2 concentrations, reflecting atmospheric conditions from the pre-industrial era, the present, and those predicted in the coming 50 and 100 years.

To test the effects of acidification, Miller monitored their growth and measured the amounts of calcium carbonate deposited in larval shells over the course of one month.

Miller and his team found that Eastern oysters experienced a 16 percent decrease in shell area and a 42 percent reduction in calcium content when specimens in the pre-industrial CO2 treatment were compared with those exposed to the levels predicted for the year 2100.

The results reported suggest that the impacts of acidification may be tied to a species’ unique evolutionary history and environmental setting, implying that predictions may be more complex than previously thought.

“In the Chesapeake Bay, oysters are barely holding on, where disease and overfishing have nearly wiped them out,” said Miller.
Whether acidification will push Eastern oysters, and the many species that depend on them, beyond a critical tipping point remains to be seen,” he added. (ANI)

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Concrete may absorb more CO2 than previously believed

May 19, 2009 By Leave a Comment

Washington, May 19 (ANI): A new study has determined that concrete may absorb more carbon dioxide (CO2) than earlier estimates suggested.

Many scientists currently think at least 5 percent of humanity’s carbon footprint comes from the concrete industry, both from energy use and the CO2 byproduct from the production of cement, one of concrete’s principal components.

Yet, several studies have shown that small quantities of CO2 later reabsorb into concrete, even decades after it is emplaced, when elements of the material combine with CO2 to form calcite.

A new study suggests that the re-absorption may extend to products beyond calcite, increasing the total CO2 removed from the atmosphere and lowering concrete’s overall carbon footprint.

While preliminary, the research by civil and environmental engineering professor Liv Haselbach of Washington State University re-emphasizes findings first observed nearly half a century ago – that carbon-based chemical compounds may form in concrete in addition to the mineral calcite.

“Even though these chemical species may equate to only five percent of the CO2 byproduct from cement production, when summed globally they become significant,” said Haselbach. “Concrete is the most-used building material in the world,” she added.

Researchers have known for decades that concrete absorbs CO2 to form calcite (calcium carbonate, CaCO3) during its lifetime, and even longer if the concrete is recycled into new construction, and because concrete is somewhat permeable, the effect extends beyond exposed surfaces.

While such changes can be a structural concern for concrete containing rebar, where the change in acidity can damage the metal over many decades, the CaCO3 is actually denser than some of the materials it replaces and can add strength.

Haselbach’s careful analysis of concrete samples appears to show that other compounds, in addition to calcite, may be forming.

Although the compounds remain unidentified, she is optimistic about their potential.

“Understanding the complex chemistry of carbon dioxide absorption in concrete may help us develop processes to accelerate the process in such materials as recycled concrete or pavement,” she said.

“Perhaps this could help us achieve a nearly net-zero carbon footprint, for the chemical reactions at least, over the lifecycle of such products,” she added. (ANI)

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Study validates gastric anti-ulcer properties of herb medicine Rocket ‘Eruca sativa’

May 8, 2009 By Leave a Comment

Washington, May 8 (ANI): A study conducted by Saudi Arabian researchers has confirmed that a herb called Rocket “Eruca sativa L.” (EER), a member of the Brassicacae family, has potential anti-ulcer medicinal properties.

Led by Dr. Syed Rafatullah, the research team validated the gastric anti-ulcer properties of EER on experimentally-induced gastric secretion and ulceration in albino rats.

For their research, the group undertook gastric acid secretion studies using pylorus-ligated rats.

They revealed that gastric lesions in the rats were induced by noxious chemicals including ethanol, strong alkalis, indomethacin and hypothermic restraint stress.

The levels of gastric wall mucus, nonprotein sulfhydryls and malondialdehyde were also measured in the glandular stomach of rats following ethanol administration. The gastric tissue was also examined histologically. The extract was used in two doses (250 and 500 mg/kg body weight) in all experiments.

The researchers observed that the ethanolic extract of EER significantly and dose-dependently reduced the basal gastric acid secretion, titratable acidity and ruminal ulceration.

Rocket extract significantly attenuated gastric ulceration induced by necrotizing agents, indomethacin and hypothermic restraint stress. The anti-ulcer effect was further confirmed histologically.

On the other hand, the extract significantly replenished gastric wall mucus and nonprotein sulfhydryls levels, as well as the malondialdehyde level significantly reduced by extract pretreatment.

They concluded that EER extract possesses antisecretory, cytoprotective, and anti-ulcer activities against experimentally-induced gastric lesions. The anti-ulcer effect is possibly through prostaglandinmediated activity and/or through its anti-secretory and antioxidant properties.

The study has been published in the World Journal of Gastroenterology. (ANI)

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Ulcer drugs with ibuprofen may offer Alzheimer’s treatment

April 23, 2009 By Leave a Comment

Washington, Apr 23 (ANI): A new study has revealed that common ulcer drugs when combined with an anti-inflammatory medication can offer a potential treatment for Alzheimer’s disease.

The research team from the University of British Columbia has found that drugs commonly used to treat ulcers have significant neuroprotective properties, which appear to be enhanced when used in combination with ibuprofen, a widely used anti-inflammatory drug.

“Our results show that proton pump inhibitors are also anti-inflammatory agents. They open up an entirely new application for these drugs,” said Dr. Sadayuki Hashioka, first author on the paper.

Proton pump inhibitors include lansoprazole and omeprazole. They are remarkably safe drugs, which have so far been used only to treat ulcers and other conditions where there is excess gastric acidity.

These include Helicobacter pylori infections and side effects from treatment with NSAIDs such as ibuprofen.

The finding that they also have anti-inflammatory potential opens up the possibility of using these drugs in a variety of inflammatory conditions where NSAIDs are now used.

There would be the double effect of protection from gastrointestinal side effects plus enhanced antiinflammatory activity.

“Many epidemiological studies have revealed that individuals on long term treatment with ibuprofen are relatively spared from Alzheimer disease,” said Dr. Patrick McGeer, senior investigator on the UBC team,

“Our investigation indicates that individuals taking lansoprezole or omeprazole in addition to ibuprofen might be getting even greater protection.

“It also suggests that a clinical trial of a combination of ibuprofen and a proton pump inhibitor might be effective for those already suffering from Alzheimer disease,” he added.

The study is published in Elsevier’s Experimental Neurology. (ANI)

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Pets feel the heat as mercury soars

April 6, 2009 By 3 Comments

MUMBAI: If your pet has suddenly lost its appetite or prefers to skulk in a corner and acts up at the slightest provocation, blame it on the
weather. The summer heat, which has set in early this year, may have had human beings hot under the collar but has taken a greater toll on the city’s animal kingdom. The close-to-40-degrees temperature over the past few days have resulted in a 30% rise in heat-related ailments in birds and animals compared to that in the same period last year.

Usually, summer diseases like diarrhoea, fever, skin infection and dehydration start breaking out in the second or third week of April but this time, animals have been down with these ailments from as early as the second fortnight of March. Bai Sakarbai Hospital For Animals in Parel has already admitted about 50 dogs, 60 pigeons, 22 cats, six parrots, three owls, one falcon and two koels for temperature-related diseases.

Birds have been suffering the most. “Among birds, parrots and pigeons have taken very badly to the rising temperature. This is because there is not enough shade any more. They keep flying from one place to another but are unable to find a cool spot. They eventually get dehydrated as they roam above concrete jungles,” said S C Khanna of the Bombay Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (BSPCA). Environmentalist S G Yeragi has an appeal to everyone to do their bit to help the feathered species. “People can keep a bowl of water on their window sills so that birds can come and take sips,” he said.

Pet dogs are facing more problems than strays, maybe because of the latter’s greater immunity. Several dog owners have frequented veterinary clinics over the past one month. “Pet dogs are acclimatised to the comforts of air-conditioned rooms and cars but the heat strikes them the moment they are brought in the open. They don’t sweat, they only pant and this leads to acidity, which eventually leads to vomitting,” a Khar-based veterinary doctor said.

Episdaxis (bleeding from the nose) is not uncommon among horses, cattle and other large animals just like skin diseases are not alien to animals and birds either. “They start losing their hair, begin scratching and get irritable. High levels of heat stress lead to sun strokes. It also makes them extremely itchy,” Makarand Chavan said. His Shivaji Park clinic has been flooded with animals suffering from heat-related diseases in the past one month.

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Nutritious new low-sugar vegetable juice benefits diabetics

March 29, 2009 By Leave a Comment

Washington, Mar 27 (ANI): Chinese scientists have developed a nutritious low calorie and low sugar vegetable juice for patients with diabetes and pre-diabetic conditions.

The research team led by Dr Heqin Xing and Xiuqi Liu of Jilin University in Changchun, China have come up with a cost-effective method of preparing a special type of vegetable drink using lactic acid-producing bacteria (LAB) to remove carbohydrates while retaining good taste, vitamins and other nutrients.

“This is an exciting development. The process significantly removes sugar but retains the nutritional content of the juice’s raw materials,” Liu said.

The juice was made from pumpkin, balsam pear, onion and carrots.

People have long cultured food – including everyday eats such as yogurt, cheeses and sausage – by using the same LAB.

LAB microbes produce a compound commonly found in sour milk products called lactic acid. Because of LAB’s healthy link to food production, this class of bacteria is also referred to as probiotics.

During the study, LAB reduced sugar content of the vegetable juice by transforming carbohydrates into lactic acid by a routine conversion process called fermentation.

As this process increases the juice’s acidity, it extends its shelf life as it inhibits growth of other bacteria.

LAB is known for its ability to withstand acidic environments. In addition to the lactic acid’s protection against contamination, the acidity from fermentation could enhance flavours in the beverage.

The researchers’ use of Lactobacillus acidophilus and L. plantarum in the vegetable juice increased its acidity by about 10-fold after 12 hours of fermentation.

With the addition of sugar, and a diabetic-friendly sugar substitute called xylitol, Xing the juice had a good mix of sweet and sour taste.

“It has a good taste with reduced calories due to lower carbohydrates,” Xing said.

The findings were presented at the 237th National Meeting of the American Chemical Society. (ANI)

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Anti-HIV gel shows promise in Aids prevention

February 10, 2009 By Leave a Comment

Washington, Feb 10 (ANI): In the first human clinical trial of its kind, a vaginal gel intended to prevent HIV infection in women has shown promise in fighting against the infection.

Called PRO 2000 (Indevus Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Lexington, Mass.), the microbicide gel was found to be safe and approximately 30 percent effective.

A microbicide is a gel, foam or cream intended to prevent the sexual transmission of HIV and other sexually transmitted infections is applied topically inside the vagina or rectum.

The clinical trial, which enrolled more than 3,000 women and conducted in Africa and the United States, suggested that PRO 2000 might prevent male-to-female sexual transmission of HIV infection.

“Although more data are needed to conclusively determine whether PRO 2000 protects women from HIV infection, the results of this study are encouraging,” said NIAID Director Anthony S. Fauci, M.D.

He added: “An effective microbicide would be a valuable tool that women could use to protect themselves against HIV and one that could substantially reduce the number of new HIV infections worldwide.”

“The study, while not conclusive, provides a glimmer of hope to millions of women at risk for HIV, especially young women in Africa. It provides the first signal that a microbicide gel may be able to protect women from HIV infection,” said lead investigator Salim S. Abdool Karim, MBChB, Ph.D., from the Center for the AIDS Program of Research in South Africa.

Mostly, women become infected with HIV through sexual intercourse with an infected male partner. An effective microbicide could provide women with an HIV prevention method they initiate.

This would be particularly helpful in situations where it is difficult or impossible for women to refuse sex or negotiate condom use with their male partners.

The study, known as HPTN 035, began in 2005 and enrolled 3,099 women at six sites in Africa and one in the United States.

The clinical trial tested two candidate microbicide gels for safety and their ability to prevent HIV infection: PRO 2000 (0.5 percent dose), and BufferGel (ReProtect Inc., Baltimore).

PRO 2000 inhibits the entry of HIV into cells; BufferGel boosts the natural acidity of the vagina in the presence of seminal fluid, which can help to inactivate HIV and other pathogens.

In the final analysis, 194 women in the study became infected with HIV. Of these infections, 36 occurred in the PRO 2000 group, 54 in the BufferGel group, 51 in the placebo group and 53 in those who did not use gel.

Based on these data, PRO 2000 was 30 percent effective, while BufferGel had no detectable preventive effect on HIV infection. Both PRO 2000 and BufferGel were found to be safe.

Findings of the study were presented at the Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections in Montreal. (ANI)

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Scientists solve marine carbon cycle mystery

January 16, 2009 By Leave a Comment

Washington, Jan 16 (ANI): A new research has provided new insights into the mystery of the marine carbon cycle, which is undergoing rapid change as a result of global CO2 emissions.

The research reveals the major influence of fish on maintaining the delicate pH balance of our oceans, vital for the health of coral reefs and other marine life.

Until now, scientists have believed that the oceans’ calcium carbonate, which dissolves to make seawater alkaline, came from the external ‘skeletons’ of microscopic marine plankton.

This study estimates that three to 15 per cent of marine calcium carbonate is in fact produced by fish in their intestines and then excreted.

This is a conservative estimate and the team believes it has the potential to be three times higher.

Fish are therefore responsible for contributing a major but previously unrecognised portion of the inorganic carbon that maintains the ocean’s acidity balance.

The researchers predict that future increases in sea temperature and rising CO2 will cause fish to produce even more calcium carbonate.

To reach these results, the team created two independent computer models which for the first time estimated the total mass of fish in the ocean.

They found there are between 812 and 2050 million tonnes (between 812 billion and 2050 billion kilos) of bony fish in the ocean.

They then used lab research to establish that these fish produce around 110 million tonnes (110 billion kilos) of calcium carbonate per year.

Calcium carbonate is a white, chalky material that helps control the delicate acidity balance, or pH, of sea water.

pH balance is vital for the health of marine ecosystems, including coral reefs, and important in controlling how easily the ocean will absorb and buffer future increases in atmospheric CO2.

This calcium carbonate is being produced by bony fish, a group that includes 90 percent of marine fish species but not sharks or rays. These fish continuously drink seawater to avoid dehydration.

This exposes them to an excess of ingested calcium, which they precipitate into calcium carbonate crystals in the gut.

The fish then simply excrete these unwanted chalky solids, sometimes called ‘gut rocks’, in a process that is separate from digestion and production of faeces.

The study reveals that carbonates excreted by fish are chemically quite different from those produced by plankton.

This helps explain a phenomenon that has perplexed oceanographers: the sea becomes more alkaline at much shallower depths than expected.

The researchers predict that the combination of increases in sea temperature and rising CO2 expected over this century will cause fish to produce even more calcium carbonate. (ANI)

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