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Ludhiana hosts seminar on Sufism

September 20, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Ludhiana, Sep 19(ANI): Ludhiana recently played host to a national seminar on Sufism. This time, the theme was the influence of Sufism on modern times.

The Sahitaya Academy of New Delhi and the Punjab Sahitaya Academy organized the seminar.

The seminar also focused on the ‘pain of separation from God’ and intellectuals, poets and Sufi singers.

“Sufism says that God, whom a man looks for all over, is within him. And once he realizes this fact, he will be free of his ego and will find happiness,” said Vaasthe Mohi, a Sindhi poet from Ahmedabad.

While, Gulshan Majith, a poet from Jammu and Kashmir, said: “When God is everything, so what is the importance of religion and caste discrimination, this is the message of Sufism. Shaivaism, Buddhism and Sufism give same message to the world and consider this world as the manifestation of that supreme power and do not make a distinction with the other. There are no boundaries. Everybody in this world is equal for God.”

The participants also put forth the argument that many Punjabi poets make use of themes from popular Punjabi culture. r. Chandraprakash Deval, a poet from Rajasthan, said Sufism is the paramount method to fight terrorism.

“Sufism is the best way to fight terrorism. If the minds of people can be changed, they will start respecting other religions, humanity and the feeling of brotherhood and secularism will increase, terrorism will be finished then. So to fight terrorism it is important to popularize the way shown by Sufism, adopt and follow that way and spread the feeling of brotherhood,” Deval said.

Sufi singer Balbir Kaur, who also teaches singing at Guru Nanak College in Ludhiana, held the audience spellbound and she also highlighted that school students must be made aware of the great cultural heritage, traditional folk art and literature of the Sufi saints, to promote Punjabi language.

Associating Sufism with any one religion is against its very basic tenets. Underlining this basic fact, renowned Sufi singers Idrim Khan and Skakur Khan from Rajasthan sung the verses of Bulle Shah, Guru Nanak, Kabir and Sajjan Shah. By Karan Kapoor (ANI)

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Despite IAEA findings, Iran sings its old nuke-for-peaceful-purposes tune

September 19, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Tehran, Sep. 18 (ANI): Even as a secret IAEA report revealed that Iran is capable of making a nuclear bomb and is developing a missile system to carry an atomic warhead, Iranian officials have reiterated claims that the Islamic nation’s nuclear program is intended for peaceful purposes.

Fox News quoted Iran’s ambassador to the International Atomic Energy Agency, Ali Asghar Soltanieh, as saying that Iran is sincere in wanting to negotiate with the West.

He added that Western countries should “read between the lines” about Iran’s intentions.

Although the prospects of finding anything between the lines were almost nil after the surfacing of the IAEA report, but Soltanieh insisted that discussions with the West would be a “real, new window of opportunity.”

The secret U.N. watchdog report, titled “Possible Military Dimension of Iran’s Nuclear Program,” concludes:

*Iran worked on developing a chamber inside a ballistic missile capable of housing a warhead payload “that is quite likely to be nuclear.”

*Iran engaged in “probable testing” of explosives commonly used to detonate a nuclear warhead – a method known as a “full-scale hemispherical explosively driven shock system.”

*Iran worked on developing a system “for initiating a hemispherical high explosive charge” of the kind used to help spark a nuclear blast.

“Iran has sufficient information to be able to design and produce a workable implosion nuclear device (an atomic bomb) based on HEU (highly enriched uranium) as the fission fuel,” The agency assessed.

On October 1, Iran is scheduled to meet with the U.S. and five other world powers seeking curbs on its atomic activities for the first time in more than a year.

However, Tehran says it is not prepared to discuss its nuclear activities. (ANI)

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‘Two for one’ breast boosting technique not as viable as it seems

September 17, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

London, Sep 16 (ANI): A technology that was claimed as the ultimate solution to give a boost to women’s breasts by using fat removed from thighs is not viable as it seems, say experts.

Mel Graham, chairman of the Harley Medical Group, recently claimed that the “two for one” procedure could extract excess fat from where it was not wanted – the belly, hips or thighs – and relocate it to the bust.

However, rival cosmetic surgeons criticised the “hype” surrounding the new operation, insisting that it was “premature”.

“(This) is setting consumers up for disappointment and there are many reasons for vigilance,” the Independent quoted Dai Davies, of Plastic Surgery Partners in Harley Street, as saying.

He said that doctors have long been experimenting with innumerable aids to give women larger busts, including using body fat as a procedure.

The technique of removing fat by liposuction, and then injecting it into the chest has been tried for almost 20 years but with limited success, said Davies.

“Where you are injecting small amounts of fat into the face, which has a good blood supply, there is good evidence that it works. Most plastic surgeons would agree there is a place for it. But this involves injecting a large blob of fat into the breast area. Fat consists of living cells and living cells must have a blood supply, otherwise they die,” he explained.

In a Japanese study last year, 230 women underwent fat transfer, and it was found that, on average, half the fat injected was lost and all the women needed a second procedure after a year.

There are also fears that dying fat cells could cause micro-calcification in the breast leading to difficulties in breast screening and an increase in biopsies – an invasive procedure to remove tissue to check for cancer.

“I don’t think we should be a testing ground for all these techniques. You are feeding on a susceptible group of people. There should be controls but, sadly, the Government has decided it won’t implement regulation,” said Davies.

Professor David Sharpe, a plastic surgeon in Yorkshire and the founding chairman of the breast special interest group of BAAPS, said: “This sounds like another example of creative marketing. Breast implants are a well-tried and tested method. At the moment, I would stick with that.”

Mel Braham, chairman of the Harley Medical Group, said results of a US trial to be presented next month would demonstrate the success of the operation.

“The results will be assessed by our medical board and, if approved, the operation will be introduced next year. I don’t take risks with patients. I am confident this is a safe procedure,” he said. (ANI)

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New e-nose can reveal smokers without need for blood, urine tests

September 17, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

London, September 16 (ANI): An electronic nose foil some people’s attempt to deceive their doctors by telling them that they are non-smokers, in order to get cheaper life insurance.

Paul Thomas at the University of New South Wales in Sydney, Australia, has revealed that their invention is a tweaked form of a commercially available e-nose.

The researcher says that it can detect the volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in the breath of a person who had smoked a cigarette.

The e-nose uses an array of 32 sensors whose electrical resistance changes as different VOCs are detected.

During a test, the researchers could correctly identified 37 out of 39 volunteers as either smokers or non-smokers relying upon on the resultant “smellprint”.

Based on their observations, the team came to the conclusion that such e-noses could quickly and reliably reveal smokers without the need for a blood or urine test.

The current method of measuring the carbon monoxide content of exhaled breath to confirm smoking activity picks up a smoker for only a few hours after their last cigarette.

It is even prone to error because it cannot tell whether carbon monoxide in the breath came from other sources such as traffic exhaust fumes.

Insurers are very interested in whether a person applying for health or life insurance smokes – for obvious reasons.

“Some insurance providers don’t ask questions about smoking at all, while others ask the question on an application form but do not require a test as the applicant is expected to answer the question honestly,” New Scientist magazine quoted Kelly Ostler-Coyle, of the Association of British Insurers, as saying.

By making the test simple and reliable, an e-nose could provide doctors with the truth in minutes, according to the researchers.

They, however, admit that their system needs further testing to prove its worth.

“This e-nose idea, whilst of interest, will require larger-scale trials to demonstrate clinical efficacy and patient acceptability before it can be considered for use,” says a spokesman for the UK Department of Health.

A research article describing the innovation has been published in the Journal of Breath Research. (ANI)

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Gene linked to male infertility identified

September 17, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Washington, Sept 16 (ANI): Scientists from Virginia Commonwealth University have identified a gene that may contribute to male infertility.

The research team hopes that the new findings would lead to new approaches to male contraception.

Sperm are produced in the testicles through a three-step process called spermatogenesis.

During the final stage, known as spermiogenesis, a lot of changes take place, including the packaging of DNA into the sperm head and the formation of the sperm tail, which propels the sperm cell toward the egg.

The study conducted using mouse model showed that mice lacking a protein called meiosis expressed gene 1, or MEIG1, were sterile as a result of impaired spermiogenesis – the process that encompasses changes in the sperm head and the formation of the tail.

The team also found that MEIG1 associates with the Parkin co-regulated gene protein, or PACRG protein, and that testicular PACRG protein is reduced in MEIG1-deficient mice.

PACRG is thought to play a key role in assembly of the sperm tail, and the reproductive phenotype of PACRG -deficient mice mirrors that of the MEIG1-mutant mice.

“We discovered that MEIG1 is essential for male fertility. Moreover, our findings reveal a critical role for the MEIG1/PACRG partnership in the function of a structure that is unique to sperm, the manchette. The absence of a normal manchette in mice lacking MEIG1 totally disrupts the maturation process of sperm,” said Dr Jerome F. Strauss III, dean in the VCU School of Medicine.

“In addition to having an impact on fertility, the discovery identifies a new target for drug discovery for a much needed reversible male method of contraception,” he added.

The study is published in the Early Edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. (ANI)

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New method to monitor early sign of oxidative stress that triggers cancer

September 12, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Washington, Sept 12 (ANI): Scientists from University of Michigan have developed a new method to monitor early sign of oxidative stress that triggers cancer spread.

Lead researcher Kate Carroll suggests that being able to monitor a marker of oxidative stress that is associated with the activation of tumor cell growth pathways, particularly at an early stage, and then tailor treatments accordingly would allow for more targeted studies and might improve the odds of success with antioxidants and pro-oxidants.

The new method detects sulfenic acid in proteins-a tip off to early oxidative stress and to a specific protein modification associated with cell growth pathways.

Sulfenic acid is produced when a particular oxidant, hydrogen peroxide, reacts with the protein building block cysteine. But because the chemical modification involved is so small and transient, it has been difficult to detect.

To get around that problem, Carroll and Seo used a chemical probe that “traps” sulfenic acid and tags it for recognition by an antibody.

The antibody is labeled with a fluorescent dye that glows when observed with a fluorescence microscope.

The researchers then used the method to assess sulfenic acid levels as a marker of oxidative stress in several systems, including a panel of breast cancer cell lines.

“For each line, we saw a very distinct pattern of sulfenic acid modifications,” indicating different oxidative stress levels and hinting at differences in the underlying molecular events associated with tumor growth,” said Carroll, assistant professor of chemistry and a research assistant professor in the Life Sciences Institute.

“Whether the patterns we see will correlate with response to antioxidant treatment or other therapies that modulate oxidative stress level remains to be seen, but now we at least have a way to investigate that question,” the expert added.

The study appears in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. (ANI)

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Sound recordings can help detect obstructive sleep apnoea

September 12, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Melbourne, Sept 11 (ANI): Australian scientists have come up with a non-invasive screening tool for detecting obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA).

Snoring is a very early symptom of sleep apnoea, however, monitoring the changes in pitch, frequency and other characteristics of the snores can help detect OSA.

Biomedical engineer and co-researcher Dr Udantha Abeyratne, of the University of Queensland have developed a non-contact method of screening patients suspected of OSA, which could eventually be used at home.

Abeyratne says the device records the sounds of a person’s snoring, which “is a very early symptom of sleep apnea.”

Currently, the only way to diagnose a person with OSA is to have them spend a night at a sleep centre or hospital, hooked up to a machine that monitors their sleep continuously.

“There are very long waiting lists to come into the hospital and get tested,” ABC Online quoted Abeyratne as saying.

He said compared to the traditional method of diagnosing OSA, the sound recordings method is 90pct accurate.

Abeyratne hopes the technology will be available for use in people’s homes in the next three to five years. (ANI)

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New biomarker can bring rapid relief from major depression

September 12, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Washington, Sept 11 (ANI): Scientists from University of California have identified a biomarker that can help accurately predict whether a particular drug will be effective in treating major depression.

During the study, the researchers measured changes in brain-wave patterns using quantitative electroencephalography (QEEG), a non-invasive, computerized measurement that recognizes specific alterations in brain-wave activity.

These changes precede improvement in mood by many weeks and appear to serve as a biomarker that accurately predicts how effective a given medication will be.

The new non-invasive test would help predict within a week whether a particular drug will be effective.

The added benefit of the biomarker test is that it ispainless and fast – about 15 minutes – and only involves the placement of six electrodes around the forehead and on the earlobes.

The researchers recruited a total of 375 people who had been diagnosed with major depressive disorder (MDD) and prescribed the antidepressant escitalopram, commonly known as Lexapro.

Then they examined a biomarker called the antidepressant treatment response (ATR) index – a specific change in brain-wave patterns.

The study showed that the ATR predicted both response and remission with an accuracy rate of 74 percent, much higher than any other method available.

The researchers also found that they could predict whether subjects were more likely to respond to a different antidepressant, bupropion, also known as Wellbutrin XL.

“Until now, other than waiting, there has been no reliable method for predicting whether a medication would lead to a good response or remission,” said Dr. Andrew Leuchter, professor of psychiatry at the Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior at UCLA and lead author of the study.

“And that wait can be as long as 14 weeks. So these are very exciting findings for the patient suffering from depression,” said Leuchter.

The study results appear in the journal Psychiatry Research. (ANI)

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Three genes linked to Lou Gehrig’s disease identified

September 10, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Washington, Sep 10 (ANI): Researchers at Michigan Technological University have identified three genes that play a major role in the most common type of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), generally known as Lou Gehrig’s disease.

The team of mathematicians, led by Shuanglin Zhang, isolated the genes from the many thousands scattered throughout human DNA.

Zhang noted that the discovery does not mean an end to ALS, but it could provide scientists with valuable clues as they search for a cure.

“I felt very urgent to find the genes for ALS,” Zhang said.

“This is very nice work. It’s very challenging to map genes for complex diseases, and while many statistical methods have been developed, most don’t work well in practice. Zhang’s group has developed a method to detect genes and gene-gene interaction in complex diseases and provided evidence that it works,” said Xiaofeng Zhu, an associate professor of epidemiology at Case Western Reserve University’s School of Medicine.

“Their findings will need to be confirmed by other researchers, but I think this will be very useful for the investigators who are trying to find genes underlying complex diseases such as ALS,” said Zhu.

According to the ALS Association, only about 10 percent of patients have familial ALS, a directly inherited form of the usually fatal neuromuscular disorder, while the remaining 90 percent are diagnosed with the sporadic form of the disease.

While everyone has the three genes in question, but in people with sporadic ALS, they differ from those in people who don’t have ALS.

The mathematicians were not surprised when they tracked down the location of the genes.

“Everybody has 23 chromosomes, and the three genes on chromosomes 2, 4, and 10 interact. If you have this combination of the three genes, you are at high risk of developing the disease. It’s really exciting, especially because my husband has sporadic ALS. Maybe they can find a cure by blocking the genes,” explained Zhang’s wife Qiuying Sha.

ALS destroys the nerves in the brain and spinal cord that control voluntary movement, eventually leading to paralysis.

Zhang’s team used a new statistical method to analyse the genetic codes of 547 individuals, 276 with sporadic ALS and 271 without.

The method, a two-locus interaction analysis approach, allows the researchers to identify multiple genes associated with a complex illness.

The data set they analyzed was provided by National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) Human Genetics Resource Center at the Coriell Institute, a publicly funded “bank” or repository for human cells, DNA samples, clinical data, and other information that aims to accelerate research on the genetics of nervous system disorders.

The study has been published in the open access journal BMC Medical Genetics. (ANI)

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Forgotten memories still exist in the brain

September 10, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Washington, Sept 10 (ANI): A new research by UC Irvine neuroscientists suggests that memories exist even when forgotten.

With the help of advanced brain imaging techniques, the study’s scientists discovered that a person’s brain activity while remembering an event is very similar to when it was first experienced, even if specifics can’t be recalled.

“If the details are still there, hopefully we can find a way to access them,” said Jeff Johnson, postdoctoral researcher at UCI’s Center for the Neurobiology of Learning and Memory and lead author of the study, appearing Sept. 10 in the journal Neuron.

“By understanding how this works in young, healthy adults, we can potentially gain insight into situations where our memories fail more noticeably, such as when we get older,” he said.

“It also might shed light on the fate of vivid memories of traumatic events that we may want to forget,” he added.

In collaboration with scientists at Princeton University, Johnson and colleague Michael Rugg, CNLM director, used functional magnetic resonance imaging to study the brain activity of students.

Inside an fMRI scanner, the students were shown words and asked to perform various tasks: imagine how an artist would draw the object named by the word, think about how the object is used, or pronounce the word backward in their minds. The scanner captured images of their brain activity during these exercises.

About 20 minutes later, the students viewed the words a second time and were asked to remember any details linked to them. Again, brain activity was recorded.

Utilizing a mathematical method called pattern analysis, the scientists associated the different tasks with distinct patterns of brain activity. When a student had a strong recollection of a word from a particular task, the pattern was very similar to the one generated during the task.

When recollection was weak or nonexistent, the pattern was not as prominent but still recognizable as belonging to that particular task.

“The pattern analyzer could accurately identify tasks based on the patterns generated, regardless of whether the subject remembered specific details,” Johnson said.

“This tells us the brain knew something about what had occurred, even though the subject was not aware of the information,” the expert added. (ANI)

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Novel biosensor can detect typhoid bacteria instantly

September 10, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Washington, Sept 9 (ANI): Scientists from Rovira i Virgili University (URV) in Tarragona have come up with a novel biosensor that can instantly detect Salmonella typhi, the bacteria that causes typhoid fever.

The technique uses carbon nanotubes and synthetic DNA fragments that activate an electric signal when they link up with the pathogen.

“We have developed a new biosensor that can detect extremely low concentrations of bacteria immediately, easily and reliably”, F. Xavier Rius, lead author of the study and a professor in the Chemometrics, Qualimetrics and Nanosensors research group in the Analytical Chemistry and Organic Chemistry Department of the URV, told SINC.

The new biosensor functions using a method, which involves carbon nanotubes with inbuilt aptamers providing electrochemical readings.

According to the researchers, the aptamers are small fragments of artificial DNA or RNA designed to attach themselves specifically to a particular molecule, cell or micro organism, in this case Salmonella.

If the bacteria are not present, the aptamers remain on the walls of the carbon nanotubes.

However, if they detect bacteria, they become activated and stick to it, and the carbon nanotubes generate an electric signal that is picked up by a simple potentiometer connected to the biosensor.

“The presence of the bacteria sparks a change in the interaction between the aptamers and the nanotubes, which takes place in a few seconds and creates an increase in the voltage of the electrode”, said Ruis, who led the research along with researcher Jordi Riu.

“This technique means small quantities of micro organisms can be detected simply and practically in real time, just the same as measuring the pH of water”, Ruis added.

The study appears in the scientific journal Angewandte Chemie International Edition. (ANI)

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Scientists using laser light to generate underwater sound

September 6, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Washington, September 6 (ANI): The United States Naval Research Laboratory is working on a new technology that uses flashes of laser light to remotely create underwater sound.

Researchers behind the project say that the new technology has the potential to expand and improve both Naval and commercial underwater acoustic applications, including undersea communications, navigation, and acoustic imaging.

Dr. Ted Jones, a physicist in the Plasma Physics Division, is leading a team of researchers from the Plasma Physics, Acoustics, and Marine Geosciences Divisions in developing this acoustic source.

The researchers used a 532 nm laser pulse for their study at the Salt Water Tank Facility.

They also used air bubblers and controlled water and air temperatures to create ocean-like conditions in the laboratory.

The research team could efficiently convert light into sound by concentrating the light sufficiently to ionize a small amount of water, which then absorbed laser energy and superheats.

They said that the result was a small explosion of steam that could generate a 220 decibel pulse of sound.

Given that the driving laser pulse has the ability to travel through both air and water, the researchers say that a compact laser on either an underwater or airborne platform can be used for remote acoustic generation.

They believe that their method would be a significant addition to traditional direct backscattering acoustic data. (ANI)

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Punjab authorities launch drive to uproot “Congress Grass”

September 6, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Nag Khurd (Amritsar), Sep.5 (ANI): Farmers in Punjab are confronted with an unusual problem these days. A weed described as “Congress Grass” has covered all soil-bunds in the fields here and the administration is taking up measures to educate farmers about how to obviate it.

The “Congress Grass” is said to be a major biological pollutant of the environment. It is described as one of the seven most destructive weeds of the world.

Locally known as ‘Gajar Buti’, the Congress Grass has become an ecological nuisance especially on sides of link roads and other waste lands. It causes Asthma, Allergy and skin diseases to humans and also the animals.

It becomes a host for dangerous insects. Nowadays the vast growth of this weed can also be seen on roadsides and other wastelands.

Observing its harmful effects on the fields, the agriculture department has decided to pull out the “Congress grass” from its roots.

It is a mechanical technique in which fodder cutter machines attached to tractors are to be used to clear the area covered up by Congress Grass.

The novel technique of mechanical removal of this weed from the sides of link roads and wastelands in Amritsar district was started on Thursday.

Authorities are spreading public awareness among farmers through demonstrations about the new technique with the help of fodder cutting machine by eradicating Congress Grass.

With the help of the machines, the farmers are able to get rid of this menace of “Congress Grass” more effectively and rapidly.

The idea to use fodder cutting machine for this purpose has been conceived by Deputy Commissioner, Amritsar, Kahn Singh Pannu.

On Thursday, Pannu demonstrated to farmers by driving a tractor in Nag Khurd village in Majitha area about how to pull out the “Congress Grass”.

Talking to ANI Pannu said, this is first time in Punjab that they are cutting the hazardous weed “Congress Grass” with fodder cutter machines and it is giving god results.

According to Pannu, Congress Grass is not only harmful to the crop but also causes severe skin problems like rashes and itching and some time cause respiratory diseases.

“Through demonstration, we are creating awareness and educating the farmers to get rid of this unwanted weed by applying new methods,” Pannu said.

With the help of department of Agriculture, Animal Husbandry and Rural Development, about 20 Fodder Cutter Machines in the district will be employed for the removal of the Congress Grass from the berms and the waste lands in the district.

The farmers, who own these machines, will operate them to remove the weed and they will be paid for their services by the Panchayats (village councils).

“Since these day we have ample time so we would pull out the Congress Grass by applying the new method,” said Satnam Singh, a farmer, while adding that it is more convenient as there has been always a shortage of labour in Punjab.

“Apart from the damage to crop through reduced yields, Congress Grass is weakening the strength of the land,” said Inder Preet Singh, another farmer.

Appreciating the efforts being made by administrative authorities, Singh said he feels that agriculture department should organize more camps so that the more farmers could benefit by eradicating the Congress Grass from their field. By Ravinder Singh Robin(ANI)

Filed Under: International News Tagged With: ''cause, administration., Agriculture, Agriculture Department, allergy, Amritsar, ANI, ANI Pannu, animal, Appreciating, area, asthma, Asthma Allergy, awareness, Bunds, Buti, Congress, crop, cutter, Cutting Machine, damage, Dangerous Insects, day, demonstration, department, Deputy Commissioner, Development, district, drive, environment, farmer, farmers, field, fodder, Gajar, god, grass, grass roots, growth, help, host, husbandry, idea, inder, Kahn, Khurd, labour, land, link, Link Roads, machine, Majitha, Mechanical Removal, menace, method, nag, novel, Novel Technique, nowadays, nuisance, panchayats, Pannu, pollutant, Preet, problem, public awareness, Punjab, purpose, Ravinder, removal, rural, Satnam, Sep, shortage, Singh, Singh Pannu, Singh Robin, skin, skin diseases, strength, technique, Thursday, time, tractor, uproot, village, waste, wastelands, weed, world

Sohail’s diatribe against Butt for Pak’s World Cup hosting fiasco

September 4, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Lahore, Sep.4 (ANI): Former Pakistan captain and left hand opener Aamir Sohail has criticized Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chief Ijaz Butt for misleading board patron, President Asif Ali Zardari and the public on the 2011 World Cup hosting issue.

Sohail, who resigned from the National Cricket Academy’s (NCA) Director post recently, flayed Butt for calling general public ‘naove’.

Let me assure Mr. Ijaz that the people of Pakistan are not naove. They are passionate about cricket, knowledgeable and fully aware of what is going on in the world of cricket. With all due respect Mr. Ijaz, you are the one who is wearing blinkers and do not have a clue as how to handle the affairs of cricket domestically and internationally,” Sohail said.

Sohail, in his statement, said Butt has no idea about tackling issues at international forums and held him responsible for the 2011 World Cup hosting fiasco.

“His letter to the ICC president accusing the chief executive officer of the ICC of influencing full members to support the IDI’s (commercial arm of the ICC) decision to relocate matches from Pakistan does not augur well with diplomatic norms when you are handling international matters, Mr Ijaz must know,” Sohail stated.

He lambasted Butt for the inept method in which the probe regarding March 3 terror attack on the visiting Sri Lankan cricket team in Lahore proceeded.

Sohail raised questions over the laid back attitude of the PCB, saying the whole issue was mishandled by the board.

“It was a major contributory factor in the subsequent developments vis-a-vis the World Cup 2011. The co-hosts were not contacted after the incident despite strong advice from some of his staff. Instead, he castigated ICC match referee Chris Broad. This did not go well in the world cricket regulatory body,” The Daily Times quoted Sohail, as saying.

“It was height of incompetence of the PCB officials that rather than accepting the responsibility they tried to persistently pass the buck on the government,” he added. (ANI)

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‘NanoPen’ may revolutionise electronics sector, medical diagnostic tests

September 3, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Washington, September 3 (ANI): A team of scientists in California have announced the creation of a ‘NanoPen’ that can simplify the method of laying down patterns of nanoparticles-from wires to circuits-for making futuristic electronic devices, medical diagnostic tests, and other much-anticipated nanotech applications.

Writing about their work in ACS’ Nano Letters, Ming Wu and colleagues point out that researchers have already developed several different techniques for producing patterns of nanoparticles, which are barely 1/50,000th the width of a human hair.

However, the researchers add, current techniques tend to be too complex and slow because they require bulky instrumentation and take minutes or even hours to complete.

The researcher further point out that these techniques also require the use of very high temperatures to apply the nanostructures to their target surfaces.

According to them, such limitations prevent widespread application of these techniques.

They claim that their NanoPen can solve all these problems.

The researchers have used the novel device in their lab to deposit various nanoparticles into specific patterns in the presence of relatively low light and temperature intensities.

They say that the process, which requires the use of special “photoconductive” surfaces, takes only seconds to complete with their NanoPen.

They further state that manufacturers can adjust the size and density of the patterns by adjusting the voltage, light intensity, and exposure time applied during the process. (ANI)

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Brain function of earthquake survivors gets acutely affected

September 1, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Washington, Sep 1 (ANI): The earthquake that jolted Wenchuan, China, in 2008 has had an acute impact on the brain function of physically healthy survivors, and even poses a risk to their mental health, according a new research.

Working with collaborators from universities in China, the US and Liverpool, researchers at the Institute of Psychiatry focussed on the survivors of the earthquake that occurred on May 12 last year.

The researchers wanted to gain a better understanding of how functional brain systems adapt to severe emotional stress.

Previous animal studies have demonstrated the importance of limbic, paralimbic, striatal, and prefrontal structures of the brain in stress and fear responses.

Human studies, which have focused primarily on patients with clinically established posttraumatic stress disorders, have reported abnormalities in similar brain structures.

But not much is known about potential alterations of brain function in trauma survivors shortly after traumatic events such as an earthquake.

The epicentre of the devastating earthquake was in Wenchuan, in the Sichuan Province of China.

The tremor measured 8.0 on the Richter scale and severely affected many geographical regions including Yingxiu, Wenchuan, Dujiangyan, and Shifang, where 45 million people were directly affected.

The researchers found that a significant proportion of the survivors (around 20 per cent) are likely to develop stress-related disorders, such as acute stress disorder (ASD) and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

“Given the serious and persistent impact of these highly prevalent psychiatric disorders, it is vital to develop a better understanding of the alterations of cerebral function evident in the early stages of adaptation to trauma. Such knowledge may lead to a better understanding of posttraumatic responses and the development of more effective early interventions,” said Dr Andrea Mechelli from the Institute of Psychiatry at King’s College London.

The researchers used a method known as ‘resting-state fMRI’ to examine 44 healthy survivors and 32 controls shortly after the massive psychological trauma.

They found that significant alterations in brain function similar to those observed in posttraumatic stress disorders could be seen shortly after major traumatic experiences, highlighting the need for early evaluation and intervention for the survivors.

The results of the study show that individuals experiencing severe emotional trauma showed hyperactivity in certain areas of the brain, and decreased functional connectivity in others, shortly after the massively traumatic Wenchuan earthquake.

Particularly, the findings indicated that traumatic experiences affect not only regional function but also dynamic interactions within brain networks.

It is not clear if this pattern of brain alteration remains the same or evolves further over the following weeks or months after the traumatic experiences.

“A better understanding of the impact of traumatic events on brain function may help us identify those in need of early treatment and reduce the long-term psychological impact in trauma survivors of national disasters, military conflict, and other causes of severe emotional distress,” said Mechelli.

The results of the study have been published in PNAS online. (ANI)

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Counting duplicated genome segments now possible with new computational method

September 1, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

London, August 31 (ANI): Counting copies of duplicated genome sequences and doing initial analyses of their contents are possible with the aid of a new computational method, according to a study.

Led by scientists at the University of Washington (UW), the study suggests that the number of copies of particular DNA segments can differ from one person to the next.

The researchers use the term mrFAST, an acronym for micro-read Fast Alignment Search Tool, to refer to the novel method.

In their study report, they have highlighted the fact that segmental duplications in the human genome have been associated with susceptibility and resistance to disease.

The report points out that duplicated segments have been linked to such disorders as lupus, Crohn’s disease, mental retardation, schizophrenia, colour blindness, psoriasis, and age-related macular degeneration.

It adds that segmental duplications often contain duplicated genes, many of which have an unknown function, and that individuals have different numbers of copies of some of these duplications.

The researchers write that determining the number, content, and location of segmental duplications is an important step in understanding the health significance of gene copy-number variation.

“New computational methods, combined with next-generation DNA sequencing technology, has provided for the first time an accurate census of specific genes that exist in varying number of copies,” Nature magazine quoted Alkan as saying.

“This is a way to deal with some of the most complex regions of the human genome and do what might appear to be a simple thing: Count whether a person has one, two, three or more copies of a gene. In fact, such counting is surprisingly difficult,” said Kidd.

The researchers say that next-generation technology for sequencing the human genome has far greater detection power, and costs substantially less than the traditional sequencing method known as Sanger sequencing.

According to them, the new technologies are beginning to distinguish subtle dissimilarities between nearly identical gene copies.

“This can provide researchers with a more accurate assessment of specific gene content and insight into functional constraints,” Alkan said.

“The newer, faster genome sequencing platforms may eventually make it feasible to detect the full-spectrum of genomic variation among many individuals, including patients suffering from diseases of genetic origin. Next-generation technology and computational methods promise low cost, rapid sequencing of different individuals and may lead to a fuller understanding of the patterns and significance of human genetic variation,” Alkan added.

The analytical method they devised is already being tapped for the 1000 Genome Project, an international effort to catalog and compare the genomes of hundreds of people from around the world.

Alkan, Kidd, and their colleagues note that the ability to accurately and systematically determine the absolute copy number for any genomic segment is a notable step toward a true and complete picture of individual genomes, and how the genome shapes a person’s characteristics.

“The next challenge will be defining variation in the sequence content and the structural organization of these dynamic and important regions of the human genome,” they wrote.

A research article describing their study has been published in the journal Nature Genetics. (ANI)

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New, improved zebrafish cloning method may further human health research

September 1, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

London, August 31 (ANI): In what may eventually prove very useful in human health research, scientists at Michigan State University have come up with a more efficient method to clone zebra fish.

What makes this work an important achievement is the fact that zebra fish, which have served as an excellent model for understanding normal development and birth defects for more than 20 years, are quickly becoming the animal of choice for many researchers.

“After the mouse, it is the most commonly used vertebrate in genetic studies. It is used in cancer research and cardiovascular research because they have many of the same genes we have,” Nature magazine quoted Jose Cibelli, an MSU professor of Animal Science, as saying.

While previous methods of cloning zebra fish have had very low success rates, the MSU researchers say that their novel method can increase the number of cloned fish that can be obtained from an adult fin cell or an embryonic tail clip increased by 2 percent to 13 percent, respectively.

What makes zebra fish so useful in research is their eggs are transparent and the fish’s development is easy to follow.

Improving on the techniques of zebra fish cloning also is important because currently only the mouse remains the best model for gene targeting.

“So far the mouse is the only one from which you can delete genes in a reliable fashion. What researchers do is mutate a gene, abolish its function completely, and then study the consequences,” Cibelli said.

A research article describing the novel technique has been published in the journal Nature Methods. (ANI)

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Novel method to make safer human stem cells uses just one gene

August 29, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

London, Aug 29 (ANI): Inching closer to curing diseases like Parkinson’s using cells generated from a patient’s own body, researchers have successfully reprogrammed human nerve cells back to an embryo-like state by using just a single gene.

It is known that embryonic stem cells are pluripotent – they can develop into any of the body’s cell types.

But such cells are not available in large numbers, as they can only be harvested from a donated egg or embryo, and, for ethical reasons, most countries have laws restricting their use.

In 2006, Shinya Yamanaka and his colleagues at Kyoto University in Japan successfully made mouse cells pluripotent by reprogramming skin cells into a state like embryo cells.

They did so by using retroviruses to insert four genes – known as “factors” – into the cells’ DNA.

They repeated the trick a year later with human cells.

However, using genes and retroviruses in this way increases the risk of the cell becoming cancerous, not just because tinkering with DNA has that effect, but also because two of the four factors are known to cause cancer.

In a bid to make these promising cells in a safe way, Hans Scholer’s team at the Max Planck Institute for Molecular Biomedicine in Münster, Germany, has been working to achieve pluripotency using fewer factors.

Last year, they did this with the two factors that do not cause cancer, and now they have simplified the recipe further, doing it with just one.

“Remarkably, it turns out that three of these four essential factors are already expressed in human neural stem cells – although not in skin cells – so we only needed to add one factor, OCT4,” New Scientist quoted Boris Greber, a member of the team, as saying.

He said that the cells from neural tissue are much easier to reprogram than skin cells, and are less prone to mutations.

It is much harder to get a sample of neural stem cells than skin cells, as it can be done via extracting the cells from the dental pulp of teeth, said Greber.

Inserting even one gene into the chromosome of a cell still permanently modifies its DNA, which is why the new method will remain a lab tool instead of being allowed in the clinic.

However, the researchers are hoping that it will help them improve methods for producing embryonic stem cells.

“Ideally, we will be able to find a chemical that does the same job of expressing the factor without the need for a gene,” said Greber.

Earlier this year, researchers in California managed just that when they reprogrammed mouse fibroblasts using a cocktail of proteins.

That technique did not involve inserting genes, and, thus, shouldn’t raise the cancer risk. But that was far less efficient.

“Without stable intervention using viruses, the frequency of reprogramming goes down and you have to wait a long time. We don’t have the perfect method yet,” said Greber.

The study has been published in the journal Nature. (ANI)

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New Cytotron treatment effective in treating cancer patients in Bangalore

August 28, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Bangalore, Aug 28 (ANI): The new Cytotron treatment that includes use of radio frequency, high power non-ionizing, non-thermal electromagnetic waves instead of high frequency radiation has emerged as a popular therapy for cancer patients in Bangalore.

Developed by Rajah Vijay Kumar of India in 1987, the Cytotron device helps in tissue regeneration, degeneration and repair for the purposes of treating several chronic or degenerative diseases such as cancer and arthritis.

The treatment modality is non-invasive, painless and free from side effects.

Clinical test have shown that Cytotron is very effective in curing certain conditions such as a damaged knee by regenerating the cartilage tissue.

Dr. Nayar of Ojus Health Care, Bangalore, said that Cytotron treated patients have survived for a longer period than patients treated by other methods.

“When there is hardly any chance of survival after one year, those kind of patients have been taken for the clinical trials and from that we found that as against the expected 0-5 per cent may be surviving after one year. We got a very interesting and encouraging result of may be up to 50 per cent in different series. So 40-50 per cent to even may be little more per cent of people are able to survive year or more,” said Dr. Nayar.

Dr. Nayar also said that the treatment is safe and healthy cells are not affected in any way.

“This is something, which is very unique. It’s safe. It’s absolutely harmless and with this machine, we can target it to the exact depth in the body tissue,” said Dr. Nayar.

One such success story of Cytotron treatment is that of Abraham, a surgeon-cum-cancer patient.

Abraham, who is a patient of arthritis, has been undergoing the treatment for the past 15 days. He said that he has found improvement in his conditions and is now able to walk without any pain.

“I felt the difference, the swelling came down and the pain also reduced. I felt some sort of relief in that one. So the actual duration day told 21 days, so after 15 days of treatment, it’s comfortable and my all the symptoms got relieved. I am finding improvement in my condition,” said Abraham.

Doctors consider Cytotron as a useful method to treat cancer. By Shweta ANI)

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