Randgold Resources announces Total Voting Rights

June 5, 2010 By Leave a Comment

RANDGOLD RESOURCES LIMITED
Incorporated in Jersey, Channel Islands
Reg. No. 62686
LSE Trading Symbol: RRS
Nasdaq Trading Symbol: GOLD
(“Randgold Resources” or the “Company”)

TOTAL VOTING RIGHTS

London, 4 June 2010 – Randgold Resources Limited announces that, in
accordance with FSA’s Disclosure Rules and Transparency Rules, its
issued share capital at 31 May 2010 consists of 90,565,098 (ninety
million five hundred and sixty five thousand and ninety eight) ordinary
shares of US$0.05 each.

Each ordinary share carries the right to one vote in relation to all
circumstances at general meetings of Randgold Resources. Randgold
Resources holds 7,200 (seven thousand two hundred) issued ordinary
shares in Treasury. In addition, 81,506 (eighty one thousand and five
hundred and six) ordinary shares, including ordinary shares represented
by American Depositary Shares (“ADSs”) are currently held by
Computershare Investor Services, Inc. on trust for former shareholders
of Moto, who have yet to claim the ordinary shares (or ADSs, as
applicable) to which they are entitled following the acquisition of
Moto in October 2009. These shares (and ADSs, as applicable) will not
confer voting rights whilst held on trust.

Therefore, the total number of voting rights in the Company is
90,476,392 (ninety million four hundred and seventy six thousand three
hundred and ninety two).

The above figure can be used by shareholders (and others with
notification obligations) as the denominator for the calculations by
which to determine if they are required to notify their interest in, or
a change to their interest in, Randgold Resources under the FSA’s
Disclosure and Transparency Rules.

Randgold Resources Enquiries:

Chief Executive Financial Director Investor & Media Relations
Dr Mark Bristow Graham Shuttleworth Kathy du Plessis
+44 788 071 1386 +44 1534 735 333 +44 20 7557 7738
+44 779 775 2288 +44 779 614 4438 Email: randgoldresources@dpapr.com

Website: www.randgoldresources.com

This information is provided by RNS
The company news service from the London Stock Exchange

END

Contacts:
RNS
Customer
Services
0044-207797-4400
rns@londonstockexchange.com

http://www.rns.com

Copyright 2010, Market Wire, All rights reserved.

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Patients have misconceptions, anxiety about anaesthesia

May 21, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Washington, May 20 (ANI): Patients have misconceptions and high levels of anxiety about general anaesthesia, a new research has revealed.

Eight-five per cent of patients who were quizzed for a survey shortly after day surgery said they had been anxious about receiving a general anaesthetic.

Seventeen per cent of respondents said they were very or extremely anxious, 22 per cent said they were quite anxious, 46 per cent said they were a little anxious and 15 per cent experienced no anxiety at all.

Key concerns included dying while asleep, not waking up after surgery, waking up during surgery and anxiety while waiting to go into surgery or arriving at the theatre door.

Dr Mark Mitchell, senior lecturer in the Faculty of Health and Social Care at the University of Salford, the UK, said: “Our survey underlines the importance of patients receiving planned and timely information about anaesthesia, prior to the day of surgery, in order to limit their anxiety.

“This should include information about how anaesthesia is managed, the notion of carefully controlled and supervised anaesthesia and dispelling misconceptions associated with general anaesthesia.”

Patients scheduled for elective surgery in three day surgery units in England were invited to take part in the survey and 460 patients – a response rate of 37 per cent – completed the questionnaire within 24 to 48 hours of surgery.

The patients who took part were aged between 18 and 75, with an average age of 46, and 59 per cent were female.

The majority had undergone gynaecological, general, orthopaedic, urological and ear, nose and throat surgery.

Patients were asked to indicate their anxiety levels about 24 different issues. This showed that:

The top three concerns that made patients very anxious were the thought of not waking up (26 per cent), dying while asleep (25 per cent) and waking up during surgery (20 per cent).

When the researchers combined all the patients who were anxious, the top five concerns were: waiting for their turn in theatre (59 per cent), the thought of arriving at the theatre door (56 per cent), dying while asleep or not waking up afterwards (both 48 per cent) and waking up during surgery (46 per cent).

Forty-one per cent said that they didn”t like the thought of having to put their trust in strangers and 12 per cent felt very anxious about this.

Anxiety levels were lowest when it came to interactions with medical staff and the support of a partner or friend.

Thirty per cent felt very calm about the anaesthetist explaining the procedure, 28 per cent about the anaesthetist visiting and 17 per cent about the nurse explaining the procedure.

Twenty-six per cent felt very calm about having a friend or partner with them during recovery.

Dr Mitchell said: “Undergoing day surgery and general anaesthesia is very common.

“The development of less invasive techniques means that the surgical effects on the body are now markedly reduced and, as a direct consequence, the amount of physical nursing care required before and after surgery is also considerable reduced.

“However, while patients need less physical nursing care, our survey shows that more attention needs to be paid to the psychological aspects of their care.

“The formal and timely provision of information about the planned surgery – together with a patient-centred approach to the provision of information, such as pre-assessment clinics – are vital first steps.”

He added: “It is clear from our study that many patients do not know how the anaesthesia process works and that this has led to misconceptions about, for example, waking up during surgery. It is vital to tackle these misconceptions if we are to reduce patient anxiety before day surgery.”

The study has appeared in the May issue of the Journal of Advanced Nursing. (ANI)

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Argonaut octopuses use shells as flotation devices

May 19, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Melbourne, May 19 (ANI): Australian researchers have found that unique, free-swimming octopuses called argonauts, use their stunning white shells to remain neutrally buoyant beneath the sea surface.

For the first time, Dr Julian Finn and Dr Mark Norman from Museum Victoria in Melbourne have observed the animals, Argonauta argo, in the wild, in the Sea of Japan.

The research say that females of these rarely-seen octopuses actively fill their shells with air, and then jet down into the water column, where the air compresses as water pressure increases with depth.

This allows argonauts to remain neutrally buoyant at depths of up to 10 metres, with the volume of air in their shells exactly compensating for their weight, they researchers say.

Finn took three female argonauts captured by Japanese fishermen scuba diving in Okidomari Harbour on the western coast of Honshu, and released them at depths of 2-7 metres. Prior to release, the shells were depleted of air.

All three argonauts jetted to the surface and rocked their shells forward to ”gulp” air, which they then sealed in their shells with specially-adapted tentacles.

The argonauts then dived until buoyancy from the trapped, compressed air cancelled their weight.

“To my delight the argonauts immediately put to rest decades of conflicting opinions, demonstrating their expert ability at obtaining and managing surface-acquired air,” ABC Science quoted Finn as saying.

“Female argonauts released with no air in their shells flailed from side-to-side when swimming, struggling to maintain vertical orientation. Argonauts released with ample air in their shells at the water surface displayed no difficulty in diving to depth,” Finn added.

The findings have been reported in the Proceedings of the Royal Society B. (ANI)

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New-look CSIRO will ‘improve science’

April 10, 2010 By Leave a Comment

The head of the CSIRO’s new super division says the merger will create new opportunities for scientists to work together.

The divisions of Entomology and Sustainable Ecosystems will form one research section based at Black Mountain from July, incorporating around 800 staff.

The new head of the unit Dr Mark Lonsdale says the two branches are a natural fit.

“We both work on sustainable agriculture, adaptation to climate change, around water availability and around energy,” he said.

“In a larger scale division we’ll have much more room to do interesting science and the resources to do it.”

He says it will bring scientists from different fields together.

“Some of the greatest challenges of our time for Australia are best solved through multidisciplinary science,” he said.

“We’ll be bringing social scientists into the same division as biotechnologists, and that’s an interface that will be a really interesting one.”

He says he has received positive feedback about the decision from staff.

“I’m going to be out there consulting with staff over the next few weeks to listen to their concerns, but so far I’ve just had a lot of positive messages.”

‘Pushed around’

But CSIRO Staff Association president Michael Borgas says streamlining the organisation will cause problems.

“It’s a false economy just to think you can make things bigger and cut out administration positions,” he said.

“We just don’t accept that there’s economies to be had by forever gobbling up and getting into these great big bureaucracies, you’ve got to work with people and not just push them around like cattle.”

He says staff are sceptical the move will be beneficial.

“I think there’s a paradox because the organisation wants to simplify and make working relationships better but these massive mergers and shifts just leave everyone wondering whether things are going to get worse rather than better.”

‘Great science’

Federal Science Minister Kim Carr has backed the move, saying it will ensure researchers have access to the latest equipment.

Senator Carr says moving people from one building to another will not affect their ability to produce the best science.

“We want to ensure that our scientists have access to the latest equipment, that they’re up to date with their research work, and they’re able to work effectively with each other,” he said.

“Great science comes from great teamwork. We’re about strengthening the teams within the CSIRO.”

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Main cause of Big Freeze identified

April 1, 2010 By Leave a Comment

London, April 1 (ANI): A new study has been successful in identifying the key factor that triggered the rapid global cooling period known as the Big Freeze or Younger Dryas that occurred about 13,000 years ago.

The study team, which included Dr Mark Bateman from the University of Sheffield”s Department of Geography, identified a mega-flood path across North America that channelled melt-water from a giant ice sheet into the oceans setting off the Younger Dryas cold snap.

The researchers discovered that a mega-flood, caused by the melting of the Laurentide ice sheet, which covered much of North America, was routed up into Canada and into the Arctic Ocean.

This resulted in huge amounts of fresh water mixing with the salt water of the Arctic Ocean. Consequently, more sea-ice was created which flowed into the North Atlantic, causing the northward continuation of the Gulf Stream to shut down.

Without the heat being brought across the Atlantic by the Gulf Stream, temperatures in Europe plunged from similar to what they are today, back to glacial temperatures with average winter temperatures of -25oC. This cooling event has become known as the Younger Dryas period with cold conditions lasting about 1400 years.

The cold of the Younger Dryas affected many places across the continent, including Yorkshire in the Vale of York and North Lincolnshire which became arctic deserts with sand dunes and no vegetation.

Before now, scientists have believed that the mega-flood was the main cause of the abrupt cooling period, but the path of the flood waters has long been debated and no convincing evidence had been found establishing a route from the ice-sheet to the North Atlantic.

The scientists studied a large number of cliff sections along the Mackenzie Delta and examined the sediments within them. They found that many of the cliff sections showed evidence of sediment erosion.

This evidence spanned over a large region at many altitudes, which could only be explained by a mega-flood from the over-spilling of Lake Agassiz, which was at times bigger than the UK, at the front of the Laurentide Ice-sheet rather than a normal flood of the river.

Dr Bateman, who has been researching past environmental changes both in the UK and elsewhere in the world for almost 20 years, runs the luminescence dating lab at Sheffield.

The lab was able to take the MacKenzie Delta sediment samples from above and below the mega-flood deposits, and find out when the mega-flood occurred, enabling its occurrence to be attributed to the start of the Younger Dryas.

The study will help shed light on the implications of fresh water input into the North Atlantic today.

The findings, which show the cause, location, timing and magnitude of the mega-flood, will enable scientists to better understand how sensitive both oceans and climates are to fresh-water inputs and the potential climate changes, which may ensue if the North Atlantic continues to alter.

Dr Bateman said: “The findings of this paper through the combination of luminescence dating, landscape elevation models and sedimentary evidence allows an insight into what must have been one of the most catastrophic geological events in recent earth”s history. They also show how events within the Earth-climate system in North America had huge impacts in Europe.”

The findings of the study have appeared in the journal Nature. (ANI)

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Coastal microbes may offer smart solution to clean up plastic contamination

March 29, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Washington, March 29 (ANI): In a new research, a team of scientists has determined that coastal microbes may offer a smart solution to clean up plastic contamination.

The research was carried out by scientists from the University of Sheffield and the Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science.

They have shown that the combination of marine microbes that can grow on plastic waste varies significantly from microbial groups that colonise surfaces in the wider environment.

This raises the possibility that the plastic-associated marine microbes have different activities that could contribute to the breakdown of these plastics or the toxic chemicals associated with them.

Plastic waste is a long-term problem as its breakdown in the environment may require thousands of years.

“Plastics form a daily part of our lives and are treated as disposable by consumers. As such plastics comprise the most abundant and rapidly growing component of man-made litter entering the oceans,” explained Jesse Harrison, the lead researcher.

Over time, the size of plastic fragments in the oceans decreases as a result of exposure to natural forces.

Tiny fragments of 5 mm or less are called “microplastics” and are particularly dangerous as they can absorb toxic chemicals that are transported to marine animals when ingested.

While microbes are the most numerous organisms in the marine environment, this is the first DNA-based study to investigate how they interact with plastic fragments.

The new study investigated the attachment of microbes to fragments of polyethylene – a plastic commonly used for shopping bags.

The scientists found that the plastic was rapidly colonized by multiple species of bacteria that congregated together to form a ‘biofilm’ on its surface.

Interestingly, the biofilm was only formed by certain types of marine bacteria.

The group, led by Dr. Mark Osborn at Sheffield, plans to investigate how the microbial interaction with microplastics varies across different habitats within the coastal seabed – research which they believe could have huge environmental benefits.

“Microbes play a key role in the sustaining of all marine life and are the most likely of all organisms to break down toxic chemicals, or even the plastics themselves,” suggested Harrison.

“This kind of research is also helping us unravel the global environmental impacts of plastic pollution,” he said. (ANI)

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Beekeepers battle mighty mite

March 25, 2010 By Leave a Comment

New Zealand beekeepers are concerned by the spread of a pesticide-resistant mite that can decimate honeybee hives.

For now, Australia remains the only major beekeeping region in the world where varroa destructor has not yet been found.

But most experts agree that it is just a matter of time before it arrives, most likely by hitching a ride into one of the ports.

Dr Mark Goodwin of the New Zealand Institute for Plant & Food Research says while varroa has been in New Zealand for 10 years, researchers only recently found evidence of resistance to the synthetic treatments used to control them.

“Last October a hive near Auckland tested positive for pesticide-resistant varroa, but we don’t have a handle on how far this resistance has spread,” he said.

“The problem with this is that beekeepers have to decide now what chemical to use for the autumn treatment of their hives.”

In New Zealand, beehives are routinely treated for varroa in autumn and spring with one of three registered chemicals.

“Two of the three chemicals are synthetic pyrethroids, which have a similar mode of action,” Dr Goodwin said.

He recommends that beekeepers alternate the use of one of these chemicals with an antiparasitic drug to prevent resistance developing, but admits it is hard to get the message out there.

Pesticide-resistant varroa mites can be spread through the introduction of queen bees or worker bees, but it is typically by infected bees drifting from hive to hive.

Rapid spread

The agricultural industry relies on bees for pollination of food and pastoral crops, as well as for honey and beeswax.

Hives are regularly transported around the country to pollinate seasonal crops, an industry estimated to be worth $NZ3 billion ($2.4 billion).

In 2009, the country’s Ministry for Agriculture and Fisheries lifted all bans restricting the movement of bees after discovering the widespread presence of varroa in the South Island.

Dr Goodwin says the free movement of hives will allow chemically resistant varroa to spread much more quickly throughout the country and there is likely to be a significant increase in the annual hive death rate from its current level of 5 per cent.

“It is hard to know exactly how high this figure could escalate, as it is down to the individual beekeepers to monitor their colonies and ensure treatment protocols are adhered to,” he said.

Precautionary measures

Dr Goodwin also believes that among beekeepers, particularly hobby beekeepers, ther i’s a lack of awareness of and preparedness for dealing with varroa resistance.

A former president of the National Beekeepers’ Association of New Zealand, Jane Lorimer, keeps more than 1,000 commercial hives in the Waikato region.

She alternates between pesticides and carries out oxalic acid treatment during winter, but admits it will become more difficult.

“We [still] expect to see resistance at some point,” she said.

Pesticide importer Peter Lyttle says several beekeepers around Auckland, Tauranga and the southern part of the North Island have found their spring treatment to be less effective than in previous years.

While scientific tests have not been carried out, it is possible these hives could contain varroa that are resistant to synthetic pyrethroids.

“We’ve noticed that autumn sales of [antiparasitic strips] have doubled in comparison with the same period last year”, Mr Lyttle said.

“As yet, even in countries like France where they have been used since 1995 there have been no reported cases of resistance.”

Dr Goodwin and his team are hoping to release a new weapon to combat varroa – a biological control method that uses a strain of the insect fungus metarhizium.

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New way to fight fat with cold temperatures shows promise

March 24, 2010 By Leave a Comment

New York, March 24 (ANI): An experimental procedure has raised hopes of being a new way to decrease fatty deposits under the skin by applying cold temperatures.

The procedure, cryolipolysis, is yet to receive a green signal from the Food and Drug Administration but has been predicted as a potential “dermatologic weapon”.

Dr. Mathew Avram, director of the Massachusetts General Hospital Dermatology Laser and Cosmetic Center and author of a recent review of the procedure, told ABC News cryolipolysis “takes advantage of the differential in fat”s susceptibility to the cold.”

“Fat freezes at a higher temperature than the rest of the skin does. Thus, at a certain temperature, you can freeze the fat but not harm the skin,” the New York Daily News quoted him as telling ABC.

Avram further pointed out the results were “not comparable to liposuction, and … not a weight-loss device,” but held potential in the treatment.

Dr. Mark Berman, president of the American Academy of Cosmetic Surgery, said: “The good news is that there does not seem to be any problem caused when the body is reabsorbing the [fat]. I can see this becoming another dermatologic weapon. This is going to be a nice little device.” (ANI)

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Galaxy in early Universe went through ‘teenage growth spurt’

March 22, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Washington, March 22 (ANI): Reports indicate that an international team of scientists has found a massive galaxy in the early Universe creating stars like our sun up to 100 times faster than the modern-day Milky Way, which they have described as “a teenager going through a growth spurt”.

Due to the amount of time it takes light to reach Earth, the scientists observed the galaxy as it would have appeared 10 billion years ago – just three billion years after the Big Bang.

They found four discrete star-forming regions within the galaxy known as SMM J2135-0102.

Each region was more than 100 times brighter than star-forming regions in the Milky Way, such as the Orion Nebula.

The researchers suggested that star formation was more rapid and vigorous in the early Universe as galaxies went through periods of huge growth.

The findings provide a unique insight into how stars formed in the early Universe, the scientists added.

According to lead author Dr Mark Swinbank, in the Institute for Computational Cosmology, at Durham University, “This galaxy is like a teenager going through a growth spurt. If you could see it today as an adult, you’d find the galactic equivalent of the football player Peter Crouch.”

“We don’t fully understand why the stars are forming so rapidly but our results suggest that stars formed much more efficiently in the early Universe than they do today,” he said.

“Galaxies in the early Universe appear to have gone through rapid growth and stars like our sun formed much more quickly than they do today,” he added.

The scientists estimate that the observed galaxy is producing stars at a rate equivalent to 250 suns per year. (ANI)

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Natural hydrogel may boost spinal cord healing

September 19, 2009 By Leave a Comment

Washington, Sep 18 (ANI): A jab of biomaterial gel into a spinal cord injury site may significantly improve healing, according to researchers at the Barrow Neurological Institute at St. Joseph’s Hospital and Medical Center.

Dr. Mark Preul and Dr. Alyssa Panitch have found in a study that injection of an engineered hydrogel made up mainly of hyaluronic acid (a naturally-occurring body substance) into the spinal cord injury site decreases scarring, and promotes a realignment of the spinal cord fibres around the injury site.

The hyaluronic acid, which forms a scaffold-like configuration may help to structurally stabilize the spinal cord injury site.

The researchers traced cells in the brain stem after injury, and found much higher levels in the hydrogel treated animals as compared to animals that did not receive the treatment, and approached nearly normal levels.

Treated animals had higher functional scores than their non-treated counterparts.

“Spinal cord injury is devastating to civilian and military populations – especially to the young. There has been little progress toward paradigms of regeneration and few results that show real, sustained functional recovery. We’ve been so pre-occupied with regeneration, but that is a highly complicated and difficult to define goal. This project is a synergy of neurosurgeons and bioengineers that attempts repair of the SCI lesion cavity using a tissue-engineering biomaterials approach,” says Preul.

He added that the team aimed at finding ways to structurally allow the body to better heal itself.

“In this project we did not add anything to the hyaluronic acid. It may be that adding growth factors or cells into the gel matrix may allow even better results,” he said.

Preul said that the results show “we may be on a practical path that can give hope to the many people who suffer this sort of injury.”

The work was presented at the Annual Meeting of the American Association of Neurological Surgeons in San Diego where it won the Synthes Prize for Spine Research. (ANI)

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High recurring heart attack, stroke rates prevail globally despite use of many medicines

September 1, 2009 By Leave a Comment

Washington, September 1 (ANI): An international study has shown that patients with vascular disease have a surprising high rate of events like strokes, heart attacks, hospitalisations and mortality, despite the use of many medicines and other treatments.

The study has also shown that patients in North America, including the U.S., experience an above-average rate of such events.

While the highest rate of these events was observed among patients in Eastern Europe, the lowest was among those in Australia and Japan.

A presentation on the results from the international REACH (Reduction of Atherothrombosis for Continued Health) Registry was recently made by a researcher from Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine at the European Society of Cardiology Congress 2009 in Barcelona on August 31.

The study examined data for 32,247 patients one and three years after they enrolled in the registry.

A European Heart Journal report on the study says that patients who had symptomatic vascular disease had a 14.4 percent rate at one year and 28.4 percent rate at three years of having a heart attack, stroke, rehospitalisation for another type of vascular event or vascular death.

The report further states that patients with vascular disease in more than one location of the body had the highest event rate at 40.5 percent at three years.

When projected over the global population who would mirror the patients in REACH, this represents millions of serious vascular events occurring every few years, many of which could be prevented.

“We were surprised by the high rate of these recurring vascular events,” said lead author Dr. Mark J. Alberts, a professor of Neurology at the Feinberg School and the director of the stroke program at Northwestern Memorial Hospital.

“We know how to prevent vascular disease and the events that it produces. This points to the need for better prevention, better use of medications and a need to develop more potent medications. These are the number one and two causes of death throughout the world,” he added.

Many of the patients in the REACH study were taking the appropriate medications for their vascular disease.

“But that doesn’t mean the medications worked or were being adhered to properly. Perhaps they need more or different medications,” Alberts said.

According to him, this study shows the need for more patients to adopt healthier lifestyles with increased exercise, a healthy diet and smoking cessation.

The author points out that these are inexpensive approaches to reducing and preventing the occurrence of vascular events. (ANI)

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Scientists guide stem cells to damaged tissue using nanomagnets

August 18, 2009 By Leave a Comment

Washington, August 18 (ANI): University College London scientists have shown that it is possible to guide stem cells to sites of cardiovascular injury using microscopic magnetic particles, in a new method designed to increase the capacity of cells to repair damaged tissue.

Writing about their achievement in The Journal of the American College of Cardiology: Cardiovascular Interventions, the researchers said that their work demonstrates a technique where endothelial progenitor cells – a type of stem cell shown to be important in vascular healing processes – have been magnetically tagged with a tiny iron-containing clinical agent, then successfully targeted to a site of arterial injury using a magnet positioned outside the body.

Conducting experiments on rats, the researchers observed that there was a five-fold increase in cell localisation at a site of vascular injury after magnetic targeting.

They also showed a six-fold increase in cell capture in an in vitro flow system, where microscopic particles are suspended in a stream of fluid and examined to see how they behave.

Although magnetic fields have been used to guide cellular therapies, this is the first time cells have been targeted using a method directly applicable to clinical practice.

The researchers have revealed that their technique uses an agent that is already approved for monitoring cells in humans using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).

Dr Mark Lythgoe, UCL Centre for Advanced Biomedical Imaging, the senior author on the study, said: “Because the material we used in this method is already FDA (U.S. Food and Drug Administration) approved we could see this technology being applied in human clinical trials within 3-5 years. It’s feasible that heart attacks and other vascular injuries could eventually be treated using regular injections of magnetised stem cells.

The technology could be adapted to localise cells in other organs and provide a useful tool for the systemic injection of all manner of cell therapies. And it’s not just limited to cells – by focusing tagged antibodies or viruses using this method, cancerous tumours could be much more specifically targeted”

Panagiotis Kyrtatos, also from the UCL Centre for Advanced Biomedical Imaging and lead researcher of the study, added: “This research tackles one of the most critical challenges in the biomedical sciences today: ensuring the effective delivery and retention of cellular therapies to specific targets within the body.

“Cell therapies could greatly benefit from nano-magnetic techniques which concentrate cells where they are needed most. The nano-magnets not only assist with the targeting, but with the aid of MRI also allow us to observe how the cells behave once they’re injected.” (ANI)

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Alzheimer’s disease drug may treat traumatic brain injury too

July 14, 2009 By Leave a Comment

Washington, July 13 (ANI): A class of drugs used for the treatment of Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) has been found to be effective in treating traumatic brain injury as well, according to researchers from Georgetown University Medical Center (GUMC).

The scientists have found that the destructive cellular pathways activated in AD are also triggered after traumatic brain injury, indicating that a new therapy could successfully treat both conditions.

Now, the researchers are all set to show that deactivating these pathways in part by using a class of AD drug, called gamma secretase inhibitor, could reduce loss of neurons in animal models of traumatic brain injury.

The drug also protected the animals against motor and cognitive deficits.

“The goal for both diseases is to prevent neuronal cell death, and this study suggests that one therapy could possibly work for both,” said the study’s lead author, neuroscientist Dr. Mark Burns.

Both disorders are associated with build-up of beta amyloid, a toxic brain peptide.

Burns says that build-up of beta amyloid occurs in a second wave of damage that follows immediate “necrotic” death of nerve cells after traumatic brain injury.

This secondary injury can last months, if not years, resulting in large holes within brain tissue.

Amyloid peptides are produced when a long brain protein known as the amyloid precursor protein (APP) is cut in two by the enzyme beta secretase, and then cut once again by a second enzyme known as gamma secretase.

Agents that inhibit the activity of gamma secretase are now being studied as treatment for Alzheimer’s disease.

In the study, researchers used mice that were either treated with DAPT, an experimental gamma secretase inhibitor, or mice which were “BACE knock-outs” -genetically altered in such a way that they could not produce beta secretase.

It was found that DAPT and BACE knockout mice had brain lesions that were as much as 70 percent smaller than control animals and they experienced minimal impairment.

Burns said that the findings further cement the connection between Alzheimer’s disease and traumatic brain injury.

In addition, the study showed that “modulation of beta and gamma secretase may provide novel therapeutic targets for the treatment of traumatic brain injury.”

The findings of the study will be presented at the Alzheimer’s Association 2009 International Conference on Alzheimer’s Disease. (ANI)

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How Parkinson’s disease can alter a patient’s ability to learn from rewards

July 1, 2009 By Leave a Comment

Washington, July 1 (ANI): Scientists at Rutgers University, Newark, have developed a new neuropsychological memory test that could uncover how Parkinson’s disease can alter people’s ability to learn about the consequences of the choices they make.

Using the novel feedback-learning task on patients in Hungary, Dr. Mark Gluck at Rutgers’ research team found that non-medicated patients in the early stages of Parkinson’s were selectively impaired at learning from reward.

“What we are seeing in recently diagnosed patients is that prior to being put on any medications, they exhibit a selective impairment in their ability to learn from positive (rewarding) outcomes while their sensitivity to learning from negative (or punishing) outcomes is normal,” said Gluck.

The researchers observed that the reward-learning deficit in un-medicated Parkinson’s patients is quite opposite to that in patients who begin treatment with dopamine agonists-a standard therapy for treating the disease’s motor symptoms.

On dopamine agonists, a patient’s ability to learn from positive rewarding outcomes improved to normal levels, but their ability to learn from negative (or punishing) outcomes, which had previously been normal, was now impaired.

Gluck said that an increased sensitivity to learning from events that results in positive outcomes, coupled with a decrease in the ability to learn from negative outcomes, could explain why some Parkinson patients treated with dopamine agonists develop impulse-control disorders, including pathological gambling, hypersexuality, alcoholism, and compulsive eating and shopping.

Such behaviours can be understood as reward-seeking behaviours in the absence of appropriate sensitivity to their negative consequences.

The ability to test the effects on feedback learning in early onset Parkinson’s disease could provide additional insight into the impact of dopamine loss on cognition and behaviour.

It also could pave the way for identifying which Parkinson’s patients are most likely to experience agonist-related feedback problems so they can be treated with alternate medications.

The findings of the study have been published in the journal Brain. (ANI)

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What makes movie sequels superhits

June 21, 2009 By Leave a Comment

Washington, June 21 (ANI): In the era of movie sequels, the success of a film highly depends on four key variables, say researchers.

They are whether the public is aware of the parent movie; the number of theatre screens expected for opening weekend; if the first movie was widely considered good or not; and whether the sequel has the same star as the first film.

“We found that sequels have two advantages over original movies that are not sequels: They have higher average box office returns and are less financially risky,” said Dr. Mark B. Houston of the M.J. Neeley School of Business at Texas Christian University.

He said that the outcomes could be predicted accurately owing to the parent brand.

During the study, the researchers examined variables such as the perceived quality of the parent movie; public awareness of the parent movie; distribution intensity; star power; continuity of the star, director, genre, and rating; and more.

They found that parent brand awareness was by far the strongest factor. It carries more than double the impact of the number of screens, and quadruple the effect of either parent brand image or star continuity.

The study also showed that star continuity was still a kicker. For example, the researchers did the math on whether the first Spider-Man sequel, with all other factors the same, could have succeeded with a star other than Tobey Maguire.

It showed that making a similar flick not based on the Spider-Man brand would reap better returns than a Spider-Man sequel starring anyone else wearing the Spidey-suit.

“We can estimate beforehand what would happen if there was a different star or a different number of opening-weekend theaters or a different director or rating or genre,” said Houston. (ANI)

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What makes movie sequels superhits

June 21, 2009 By Leave a Comment

Washington, June 21 (ANI): In the era of movie sequels, the success of a film highly depends on four key variables, say researchers.

They are whether the public is aware of the parent movie; the number of theatre screens expected for opening weekend; if the first movie was widely considered good or not; and whether the sequel has the same star as the first film.

“We found that sequels have two advantages over original movies that are not sequels: They have higher average box office returns and are less financially risky,” said Dr. Mark B. Houston of the M.J. Neeley School of Business at Texas Christian University.

He said that the outcomes could be predicted accurately owing to the parent brand.

During the study, the researchers examined variables such as the perceived quality of the parent movie; public awareness of the parent movie; distribution intensity; star power; continuity of the star, director, genre, and rating; and more.

They found that parent brand awareness was by far the strongest factor. It carries more than double the impact of the number of screens, and quadruple the effect of either parent brand image or star continuity.

The study also showed that star continuity was still a kicker. For example, the researchers did the math on whether the first Spider-Man sequel, with all other factors the same, could have succeeded with a star other than Tobey Maguire.

It showed that making a similar flick not based on the Spider-Man brand would reap better returns than a Spider-Man sequel starring anyone else wearing the Spidey-suit.

“We can estimate beforehand what would happen if there was a different star or a different number of opening-weekend theaters or a different director or rating or genre,” said Houston. (ANI)

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Gene behind a rare form of congenital anaemia identified

May 9, 2009 By Leave a Comment

London, May 9 (ANI): Scientists have found the gene, called SLC25A38, which causes congenital sideroblastic anaemia-a rare disease mainly characterized by the presence of ringed sideroblasts in the patients’ bone marrow.

The research is a Genome Canada project, which is co-directed by Dr. Mark Samuels, an investigator with the Sainte-Justine University Hospital Research Center.

The team of scientists identified three families from Canada’s Maritime provinces, and all of them had a child suffering from this disease.

Although the families were not related officially, the researchers believed that it was possible to establish a genealogical link uniting them generations ago and that they exhibited what is called a founder effect.

By using new technologies developed by the Human Genome Project, the molecular analysis team succeeded in defining a genomic region, which was suspected to inhabit the gene responsible for congenital sideroblastic anaemia in these families.

Direct resequencing of the gene made it possible to identify a causal mutation in a gene to which no physiological role could have been attributed.

Later, the researchers identified 10 additional causal mutations of this gene in other unexplained cases of congenital sideroblastic anaemia, and also showed a direct role of the gene in haemoglobin synthesis in zebra fish.

This is the first disease of this type associated with the SLC25A38 gene, reports Nature magazine.

The discovery of the gene can now offer patients and their family members direct molecular confirmation of their condition, allowing them to know whether they are sufferers or asymptomatic carriers of the disease.

Generally speaking, the feat shows that even well known scientific processes, such as haemoglobin biosynthesis, still have surprises in store.

The study is published in the latest electronic edition of the journal Nature Genetics. (ANI)

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Flu vaccine given in microneedle skin patches offers new hope

May 2, 2009 By Leave a Comment

Washington, Apr 28 (ANI): Researchers at Emory University and the Georgia Institute of Technology have found flu vaccine delivered through skin patches containing microneedles as effective at preventing influenza in mice as intramuscular, hypodermic flu immunization.

The researchers claims that the microneedle skin patch method could improve overall seasonal vaccination as it is simpler, safer and painless.

The patches contain an array of stainless steel microneedles coated with inactivated influenza virus.

They are pressed manually into the skin and after a few minutes, the vaccine coating dissolved off within the skin.

The coated microneedle immunizations were compared to conventional intramuscular hypodermic injections at the same dose in another group of mice.

“Our findings show that microneedle patches are just as effective at protecting against influenza as conventional hypodermic immunizations,” said Dr Richard Compans, Emory professor of microbiology and immunology and one of the paper’s senior authors.

“Unlike conventional hypodermic injections, microneedles are prepared in a patch for simple administration, possibly by patients themselves, and inserted painlessly onto the skin without specialized training,” said Dr Mark Prausnitz, professor in the Georgia Tech School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering and co-senior author.

“These micron-scale needles can be mass produced using low-cost methods for distribution to doctors’ office, pharmacies and, possibly, people’s homes,” he added.

Lower doses could be particularly important because flu vaccine production capacity sometimes is limited for seasonal vaccine, and a future influenza pandemic would require much greater production of vaccine.

Replacing a hypodermic needle with a microneedle patch also could significantly impact the way other vaccines are delivered, and could be particularly beneficial in developing countries.

A microneedle patch could fit inside an envelope for delivery by the postal service and would occupy much less storage space.

The research is published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS). (ANI)

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Biochemical changes that put sperm ‘in the mood’ identified

April 13, 2009 By Leave a Comment

Washington, April 13 (ANI): Making a significant advance towards new infertility treatments and a male contraceptive pill, scientists at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute have identified key biochemical changes that put sperm “in the mood” for fertilization.

Dr. Mark D. Platt, a researcher from the Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, notes that sperm cannot fertilize an egg immediately after entering the female reproductive tract.

He points out that sperm must acquire this ability after undergoing an activation process called “capacitation”.

He further highlights the fact that this process involves phosphorylation-common biological modification that causes cellular activities to be turned “on” by the addition of phosphate molecules to certain amino acids within proteins.

However, the specific biochemical details have been a deep mystery.

Platt and his colleagues used laboratory mice, and compared the extent of phosphorylation in both capacitated and non-capacitated sperm samples.

The researchers identified 44 peptides exhibiting differential phosphorylation, on 59 specific amino acids, suggesting that modification of those particular sites was essential for the capacitation process.

The relative ratio of phosphorylation between the capacitated and non-capacitated samples were also reported, providing the first biochemical description of what puts sperm “in the mood”.

The study appears in ACS’ Journal of Proteome Research, a monthly ublication. (ANI)

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Sports drink consumption ’causes tooth erosion’

April 5, 2009 By Leave a Comment

Washington, Apr 4 (ANI): Sports drinks may boost your performance on the pitch, but they won’t repeat the act for your sparkling smile, say scientists.

NYU dental researchers have found that the energy-boosting beverages expose people to levels of acid that can cause tooth erosion and hypersensitivity.

A recent study had revealed that prolonged consumption of sports drinks may be linked to a condition known as erosive tooth wear, in which acids eat away the tooth’s smooth hard enamel coating and trickle into the bonelike material underneath, causing the tooth to soften and weaken.

“This is the first time that the citric acid in sports drinks has been linked to erosive tooth wear,” said Dr. Mark Wolff, Professor and Chairman of the Department of Cariology and Comprehensive Care at New York University College of Dentistry, who led the study.

The study has been presented at the annual meeting of the International Association for Dental Research in Miami.

Dr. Wolff’s research team cut in half cow teeth, which were used for the study because of their close resemblance to human teeth. They immersed one half of the specimens in a sports drink, the other half in water, then compared the two halves and discovered that the one exposed to the sports drink displayed a significant amount of erosion and softening.

“Five teeth were immersed in each drink for 75 to 90 minutes to simulate the effects of sipping on sports drinks over the course of the day,” Dr. Wolff said.

The researchers then evaluated the effects of a range of top-selling sports drinks on the cow teeth.

According to Dr. Wolff, brushing teeth immediately after consuming a sports drink can compound the problem of tooth erosion, because softened enamel is very susceptible to the abrasive properties of toothpaste.

“To prevent tooth erosion, consume sports drinks in moderation, and wait at least 30 minutes before brushing your teeth, to allow softened enamel to re-harden,” Dr. Wolff advised.

“If you frequently consume sports drinks, ask your dentist if you should use an acid-neutralizing remineralizing toothpaste to help re-harden soft enamel,” the expert added. (ANI)

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