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| Billions Of Particles Of Anti-matter Created In Laboratory Posted: 18 Nov 2008 11:00 AM PST Take a gold sample the size of the head of a push pin, shoot a laser through it, and suddenly more than 100 billion particles of anti-matter appear. The anti-matter, also known as positrons, shoots out of the target in a cone-shaped plasma "jet."  |
| Protein Compels Ovarian Cancer Cells To Cannibalize Themselves Posted: 18 Nov 2008 11:00 AM PST A protein known to inhibit the growth of ovarian cancer works in part by forcing cancer cells to eat themselves until they die, researchers report in Cancer Research.  |
| Newborn Neurons In Adult Brain Can Settle In The Wrong Neighborhood Posted: 18 Nov 2008 11:00 AM PST In a study that could have significant consequences for neural tissue transplantation strategies, researchers report that inactivating a specific gene in adult neural stem cells makes nerve cells emerging from those precursors form connections in the wrong part of the adult brain.  |
| First At-home Test For Vasectomized Men Proves To Be Safe And Accurate, Study Finds Posted: 18 Nov 2008 11:00 AM PST In a new report, researchers have confirmed the accuracy and reliability of SpermCheck Vasectomy, the first FDA approved at-home immunodiagnostic test for detecting low concentrations of sperm.  |
| NASA Satellites Capture Images Of Southern California Wildfires Posted: 18 Nov 2008 11:00 AM PST Images from NASA satellites give a wider perspective of the full extent and devastation of the wildfires raging in Southern California.  |
| Children Distressed By Family Fighting Have Higher Stress Hormones Posted: 18 Nov 2008 11:00 AM PST A new study found that children who are very distressed when their parents fight have higher levels of the stress hormone cortisol. Distress, hostility, and level of involvement parental arguments were measured in 208 six-year olds. Cortisol levels were measured by taking saliva samples before and after simulated telephone arguments between their parents. Children who were very distressed and very involved in response to parental fighting had especially high cortisol levels.  |
| Gamma-Ray Evidence Suggests Ancient Mars Had Massive Oceans Posted: 18 Nov 2008 08:00 AM PST As much as a third of Mars could have been underwater, scientists say. An international team of scientists who analyzed data from the Gamma Ray Spectrometer onboard NASA's Mars Odyssey reports new evidence for the controversial idea that oceans once covered about a third of ancient Mars.  |
| Gene Chips Accurately Detect Pneumonia In ICU Patients On Ventilators Posted: 18 Nov 2008 08:00 AM PST Even seasoned doctors have a difficult time diagnosing pneumonia in hospitalized patients breathing with the assistance of a ventilator. That's because a patient's underlying illness often skews laboratory test results and masks pneumonia's symptoms. Now, researchers report they have validated the use of gene chip technology to rapidly and accurately detect pneumonia associated with ventilator use in hospitalized patients.  |
| Damage Inflicted During Cardiac Attacks More Widespread, Researchers Find Posted: 18 Nov 2008 08:00 AM PST Cholesterol crystals released in the bloodstream during a cardiac attack or stroke can damage artery linings much further away from the site of the attack, leaving survivors at greater risk than previously thought.  |
| Posted: 18 Nov 2008 08:00 AM PST The mysterious process that orchestrates cells to move in unison to form human and animal embryos, heal wounds, and even spread cancer depends on interaction between two well-known genetic signaling pathways, researchers have discovered.  |
| Physicists Steer Electrons With Laser Pulses Posted: 18 Nov 2008 08:00 AM PST Three theoretical physicists explained how attosecond laser pulses can be used to direct the motion of an electron inside a hydrogen molecule, and what the measurable consequences of this control over the electron would be.  |
| Kids Not Eating Their Five Fruits Or Vegetables A Day, UK Study Shows Posted: 18 Nov 2008 08:00 AM PST Most children are still failing to eat five pieces of fruit and vegetables a day, though their levels of physical activity do meet current government recommendations, according to a new study.  |
| World's Earliest Nuclear Family Found Posted: 18 Nov 2008 05:00 AM PST The earliest evidence of a nuclear family, dating back to the Stone Age, has been uncovered by an international team of researchers.  |
| Researchers Identify Toehold For HIV's Assault On Brain Posted: 18 Nov 2008 05:00 AM PST Scientists have unraveled in unprecedented detail the cascade of events that go wrong in brain cells affected by HIV, a virus whose assault on the nervous system continues unabated despite antiviral medications that can keep the virus at bay for years in the rest of the body.  |
| Studying Individual Breast Cancer Cells For Days At A Time, Using New Method Posted: 18 Nov 2008 05:00 AM PST Scientists describe for the first time a method of viewing individual breast cancer cells for several days at a time.  |
| How Cells Take Out The Trash To Prevent Disease Posted: 18 Nov 2008 05:00 AM PST Garbage collectors are important for removing trash; without them waste accumulates and can quickly become a health hazard. Similarly, individual cells that make up such biological organisms as humans also have sophisticated methods for managing waste.  |
| Arsenic Linked To Cardiovascular Disease At EPA-regulated Drinking Water Standards Posted: 18 Nov 2008 05:00 AM PST When mice are exposed to arsenic at federally-approved levels for drinking water, pores in liver blood vessels close, potentially leading to cardiovascular disease, say researchers. The study, while preliminary, also reveals how an enzyme linked to hypertension and atherosclerosis alters cells, and may call into question current US Environmental Protection Agency standards that are based solely on risks for cancer.  |
| Helping Children And Teens Deal With Stress In An Uncertain Time Posted: 18 Nov 2008 05:00 AM PST A psychologist whose research focuses on the relationship between psychological thriving and coping processes during major life transitions says that in these uncertain times, children of any age, including teens, need to be reassured that they are safe and will be cared for no matter how the family is faring.  |
| 'Orphan' Genes Play An Important Role In Evolution Posted: 18 Nov 2008 02:00 AM PST Every group of animals possesses a small proportion of genes which are extremely variable among closely related species or even unique. Such genes are referred to as "novel," "orphan" or "taxonomically restricted." Their function and origin are often obscure. What are these genes needed for? A new paper, published in this week's issue of the online open access journal, PLoS Biology, explores this question in the freshwater polyp Hydra, which belongs to the same branch of the evolutionary tree as jelly fish.  |
| Immune System And Intestinal Bacteria: The Key To Balanced Cohabitation Posted: 18 Nov 2008 02:00 AM PST Researchers have just discovered a key mechanism that maintains the essential balance between bacteria living in our intestine and the immune system controlling them. Their research, published in the journal Nature, paves the way for new forms of treatment for infectious diseases of the intestine, such as dysentery, or chronic inflammatory diseases, such as Crohn's disease.  |
| Protein Can Nurture Or Devastate Brain Cells, Depending On Its 'Friends,' Researchers Find Posted: 18 Nov 2008 02:00 AM PST Researchers have uncovered new insights into the "Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde" nature of a protein that stimulates stem-cell maturation in the brain but, paradoxically, can also lead to nerve-cell damage.  |
| Posted: 18 Nov 2008 02:00 AM PST Regular magnetic resonance imaging evaluations show that only about half of patients with multiple sclerosis achieve and sustain a response to treatment with interferon beta over three years, according to a new study in the Archives of Neurology.  |
| Vans Go Green: Novel Spoiler Design Reduces Fuel Consumption Posted: 18 Nov 2008 02:00 AM PST Research published in the International Journal of Vehicle Design, the team describes how a new vehicle spoiler design can improve fuel consumption as well as vehicle handling.  |
| Survey Highlights Support For Nanotech In Health Fields But Disapproval Elsewhere Posted: 18 Nov 2008 02:00 AM PST A landmark national survey on the use of nanotechnology for "human enhancement" shows widespread public support for applications of the new technology related to improving human health. However, the survey also shows broad disapproval for nanotech human enhancement research in areas without health benefits.  |
| Water Vapor Confirmed As Major Player In Climate Change Posted: 17 Nov 2008 11:00 PM PST Water vapor is known to be Earth's most abundant greenhouse gas, but the extent of its contribution to global warming has been debated. Using recent NASA satellite data, researchers have estimated more precisely than ever the heat-trapping effect of water in the air, validating the role of the gas as a critical component of climate change.  |
| Nicotine: A Receptor From The Past Helping To Develop Drugs Of The Future Posted: 17 Nov 2008 11:00 PM PST Researchers have just determined the structure of a bacterial protein similar to the human nicotine receptor, and have published this result in the journal Nature. This is an important step for the molecular modeling of substances able to interact with this receptor and which could help treatment of nicotine addiction.  |
| A New Way To Remove Unwanted Heparin From Blood Posted: 17 Nov 2008 11:00 PM PST Scientists in Poland are reporting development of a potential new way to quickly remove the anticoagulant heparin from patients' blood in order to avoid unwanted side effects that can happen with the current use of that blood thinner.  |
| Posted: 17 Nov 2008 11:00 PM PST Researchers have identified three bedside clinical features that can help more accurately distinguish transient ischemic attacks from disorders that might mimic their symptoms.  |
| Ethanol Will Curb Farm Income Until Economy Rebounds, Economist Says Posted: 17 Nov 2008 11:00 PM PST Ethanol helped drive two years of record profits for grain farmers, but also will hold income down during a looming recession that has already sliced crop prices in half, an economist says.  |
| More Than Half Of US Chronically Ill Adults Skip Needed Care Due To Costs Posted: 17 Nov 2008 11:00 PM PST Compared to patients in seven other countries, chronically ill adults in the United States are far more likely to forgo care because of costs; they also experience the highest rates of medical errors, coordination problems, and high out-of-pocket costs, according to a new study from the Commonwealth Fund. US patients are significantly more likely to call for fundamental change in their country's health-care system; one-third say the system needs to be rebuilt completely.  |
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1 comment:
It is a long way to make use of the epigenetic effects in medicine.
The Epigenetic (biofield) control system of the organism is a most complex phenomenon ignored by physics - see:www.misaha.com
The following is a preprint of my article to be published in the January issue of the EXPLORER.
YET ANOTHER CHANGE IS NEEDED
Perhaps the most popular word during the election campaign was CHANGE. However, one necessary change was never mentioned. That was about the stagnation of American (fundamental) science. I use the phrase “stagnation of science” since it is a subject of the ongoing discussion among members of one of the rebellious scientific groups – the Society of Scientific Exploration (see http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/SSE/).
The American academic community supported by Government agencies has dogmatized the current scientific paradigm in a fashion similar to the way that religions protect their dogmas. I am not talking about technology that applies existing knowledge to useful ends, resulting in substantial progress. Progress in science is about discovering the yet-unknown, about things that do not necessarily promise immediate economic benefit but potentially could improve the human condition.
I edited and published the book LIFE and MIND – in Search of the Physical Basis (Trafford/MISAHA, 2007, ISBN: 978-1-4251-1090-1, see www.misaha.com). It is a collection of 12 articles written by scientists from four countries, written for scientists. The book presents the 100-year-long history of the epigenetic (biofield) control system of the organism and postulates its structure. It also presents reports on four experimental studies shedding light on the physical carrier of the latter. Five physicists suggest their alternative physical models that might incorporate the phenomenon of life. Needless to say that all of the peer-reviewed scientific journals that we contacted after publishing refused to review or even mention the book – it challenges the dogmatized paradigm that is threatening the stability of the entire scientific community funded by the U.S. Government. Here are some examples:
Current nuclear physics cannot explain room-temperature biological nuclear reactions discovered in agricultural studies in the middle of the19th century and presented during the 1960-80s by French scholar Louis Kervran. A study funded by U.S. Army Mobility Equipment Research & Development Command, Ft. Belvoir, VA in the 1970s confirmed the phenomenon (http://www.papimi.gr/biological_transmutations.htm) but the Army couldn’t make use of it and discontinued funding. In our book a group of scientists from Moscow and Kiev Universities also confirmed the phenomenon in a methodologically impeccable way, showing that bacterial cultures growing in an iron-deficient medium synthesize two isotopes of iron, Fe57 and Fe54. No peer-reviewed American scientific journal would publish any reference to the works of Kervran and others because billions of dollars had been spent on building more and more expensive accelerators and colliders.
Current physics cannot explain the memory of water manifested in homeopathy. The late French biologist, J. Benveniste, studied this phenomenon starting in the 1970s. In 1988 the journal Nature (with a page of apologies) published results of his study because they had been confirmed by a number of other laboratories. Biomedical application of homeopathy would challenge the pharmaceutical industry, but accumulating experimental data in this field is important because it will bring us closer to understanding the physical basis of life, the control system of the organism. The Institute of Biochemical Physics of the Russian Academy of Sciences has been studying the effect of homeopathic concentrations of biologically active substances on living organisms, colonies and cells for 20 years. Their article in our book refers to 196 original scientific studies in the field. Well, if it is not explainable by contemporary physics better not to touch it? Unfortunately, that seems to be the outcome thus far, and I think that needs to change.
It comes to mind that the above mentioned Russian studies became possible because, during the 1990s, the Russian Academy of Sciences lost its function of distributing government funds – the government didn’t have money. The ‘inquisition’ slowed down for a while and this opened the gate for real science. Isn’t this a good lesson from which to learn?
A potential ray of hope for progress emerged recently. On September 29, 2008 the National Institutes of Health (NIH) announced a New Epigenomics Initiative http://www.nih.gov/news/health/sep2008/od-29.htm. Here is a brief description:
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) announces funding for the new NIH Roadmap Epigenomics Program. Epigenetic processes control normal growth and development, and epigenomics is a study of epigenetic processes at a genome-wide scale. The NIH will invest more than $190 million over the next five years to accelerate this emerging field of biomedical research. The first grants will total approximately $18 million in 2008.
The overall hypothesis of the NIH Roadmap Epigenomics Program is that the origins of health and susceptibility to disease are, in part, the result of epigenetic regulation of the genetic blueprint. Researchers believe that understanding how and when epigenetic processes control genes during different stages of development and throughout life will lead to more effective ways to prevent and treat disease. Epigenetic processes, such as modifications to DNA-associated proteins called histones, control genetic activity by changing the three-dimensional structure of chromosomes. This can affect gene expression as profoundly as changes in the DNA sequence.
"Epigenomics-based research is now a central issue in biology (author’s emphasis). We will build upon our new knowledge of the human genome and move towards a deeper understanding of how DNA information is dynamically regulated through DNA histone modifications as well as the emerging role of micro RNAs and other factors," said NIH Director Elias A. Zerhouni, M.D. "The grants now funded through this program will provide reference data that the entire community can use to understand epigenetic regulation and how it affects health and disease."
Diet and exposure to environmental chemicals throughout all stages of human development, among other factors, can cause epigenetic changes that may turn on or turn off certain genes. Changes in the regulation of genes could make people more or less susceptible to developing a disease later in life. (See scientific illustration of how epigenetic mechanisms can affect health at http://nihroadmap.nih.gov/epigenomics/epigeneticmechanisms.asp.)
The Epigenome Program promises to uncover the fundamental processes that make a liver cell different from a muscle cell or a brain cell. Understanding these processes has far-reaching implications, from reprogramming of adult cells to treat disease to learning how environmental exposures during pregnancy increase a child’s risk of developing chronic diseases, such as diabetes and cardiovascular disease,"" said Griffin P. Rodgers, M.D., director of the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.
The NIH initiative is invaluable -- it forestalled my expectation by years. Ignoring the epigenetic control system is indeed one of the roots of the upcoming financial crisis of the social health care system: current pharmacology is dealing with the signals of the still ignored control system of the organism. “Wrong” signals being compensated by new drugs more and more often will lead to negative side effects. According to the 2003 report released by Tuft Center for the Study of Drug Development, the total cost of developing a new drug, including tests done after FDA approval, averages $897 million. The FDA statistics available on the Internet shows that during the last nine years a total of 475 new drugs were tested, of which 118 did not pass the safety test (24.8%). The cost of that practice is around $100 billion, paid by the society.
However, studying chemical ‘bricks’ -- what cellular biologists involved in the project can indeed do -- will not shed light on the architecture of the edifice of a living organism as long as the fundamental physical interactions responsible for life remain unknown. These interactions carry programs of development, maintenance, reproduction and death at all levels of living organization – the entire organism, organs, tissues and cells. These interactions demonstrate properties of energy and information but defining these interactions is a task for physicists, not biologists.
I would encourage the newly elected President to take on this problem. The President could, for instance, establish a government Agency totally independent from the Academy of Sciences, NIH and NSF for the purpose of supporting and stimulating innovation in science. The Agency could start with conducting an International Scientific Symposium on Paradoxical Effects in Biophysics and Medicine aimed at developing a reasonable initial program. I believe that all coauthors of our book would be glad to participate in such an effort. Our attempt to conduct a similar Symposium in 2005 fell through due to lack of funding. However, we are still connected with the 40 scientists from 13 countries who submitted their abstracts, and have not given up on this goal.
Savely Savva
Carmel, CA
831-622-7975
misaha@aol.com
www.misaha.com
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