Could Stem Cells Cure AIDS?

NEWS FEATURE

Could Stem Cells Cure AIDS?
A UCLA professor behind an astounding stem-cell study discusses the possibility that a cure could be within our grasp.

By Neal Boverman

Source: The Advocate
http://www.advocate.com/Health_and_Fitness/Ask_the_Doctor/More_on_HIV/Could_Stem_Cell_Discovery_Be_Cure_for_HIV_/

Researchers at the University of California, Los Angeles, made an astounding announcement Monday — stem cells could be engineered to target and kill HIV. In an interview with Advocate.com, Scott Kitchen, assistant professor of medicine at UCLA's David Geffen School of Medicine, talks about the technology that made this discovery possible and how close these findings lead us to a vaccine.

How do the stem cells work against HIV?
As you know, HIV is a lifelong infection. The immune system of a human is capable of responding to the virus and having an effect on its ability to replicate within the body, but ultimately it fails to clear the virus from the body, versus influenza or cold viruses. So what we were looking to do was find ways to restore the immune response in HIV-affected people in a way that specifically targets HIV itself. So we took cells from the blood of HIV-infected people — people who have an ongoing infection but [not enough T] cells to completely eliminate the virus from the body. We took the cells that were there, identified a specific cell and a specific molecule on that cell that targets the cell toward HIV. So we molecularly cloned that molecule and took stem cells from another tissue source, another donor. This tissue is basically blood stem cells, and we engineered those blood stem cells ... to target HIV infection.

In order to test this in a living system, the genetically modified stem cells were placed into tissue that had been implanted into a mouse. This allows us to study the effects of the development of the stem cell into a mature T cell that is targeted to HIV in a living, breathing organism. In this model, we established this procedure allows the development of HIV-specific cells. So, the next step is to expand this into a system that allows us to examine the effects of these cells on HIV replication in vivo — basically another animal-based system that allows us to look at the effects of these types of cells, these targeted HIV-specific cells, in eliminating the virus or lowering viral infection.

For the full article:
http://www.advocate.com/Health_and_Fitness/Ask_the_Doctor/More_on_HIV/Could_Stem_Cell_Discovery_Be_Cure_for_HIV_/

Advocate.com © 2010 Here Media Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Debate Still Raging over Cell Phone, Tumor Link

CANCER

Debate still raging over cell phone, tumor link
Results of major study not likely to quell fears

By Scott LaFee

San Diego Union-Tribune

Source:
http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/2010/jan/03/debate-still-raging-over-cell-phone-tumor-link

The final results of an international study intended to produce definitive evidence on whether cell phones cause cancer could be released any day now.

But those findings likely will just deepen an already acrimonious debate that has lasted about 20 years.

Nine years ago, the World Health Organization launched Interphone to determine whether brain tumors can be linked to electromagnetic radiation from cell phones. The researchers analyzed cell phone use by 14,000 people in 13 countries. Half of the participants had brain tumors; half did not.

For the full article:
http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/2010/jan/03/debate-still-raging-over-cell-phone-tumor-link


© Copyright 2010 The San Diego Union-Tribune, LLC. All Rights Reserved.

Amid H1N1 Flu Fears Garlic Prices Surge in China

FOOD AS MEDICINE

Amid H1N1 Flu Fears Garlic Prices Surge in China
Rumors that garlic helps defend against the H1N1 virus have sent prices of garlic rocketing in recent months

Garden of Healing®

BEIJING

Garlic prices have jumped so high in China recently that the crop has outperformed gold and stocks to be the country's best performing asset this year.

As H1N1 swine flu continues to worry China's leaders, its people seek a more traditional remedy. Just as some Chinese turned to turnips to prevent the SARS virus in 2003, garlic has emerged as a swine flu fighter in 2009.

"Garlic kills bacteria, and I eat at least half a bulb each day," says Liu Zhan, 43, whose prices have leapt from just five cents a pound in February to almost 55 cents today.

Although Chinese government experts have cautioned consumers about the lack of scientific proof for garlic's flu-killing powers, its supporters remain adamant. "Garlic can definitely help prevent swine flu," claims Li Jingfeng, chairman of the Jinxiang Garlic Association in eastern China's Shandong province.

Self-promoted as China's "hometown of garlic," Jinxiang county grows a quarter of all garlic in China, which in turn provides more than a quarter of global output, says Wang Hao, marketing manager for the China Garlic website. Jinxiang, whose name means Gold Village, has enjoyed its best sales year, says Li.

"Next year, the price will be even higher, but our American and European buyers still think it's cheap, as garlic sells for $6.60 for a pound in their countries," he says.


© 2009 The Garden of Healing® Company. The Star Raconteur™. All Rights Reserved.

What Does Anger Smell Like?

ANIMALS

What Does Anger Smell Like?
A whiff of a rage-inducing pheromone can turn peaceful fruit flies into violent brawlers.

By Eric Bland

Discovery News
http://news.discovery.com/animals/anger-smell-fruit-flies.html


The scent of a single chemical can turn peaceful, happy fruit flies into flying fists of fury.

For the first time, scientists have found a rage-inducing pheromone and the neuron that detects it in fruit flies. The research, detailed in the journal Nature, could help explain everything from bar fights to species-wide population control.

"Not only did we identify the pheromone that leads to aggression and its neuron," said David Anderson, a scientist at Cal Tech and co-author of the Nature study, "but we were able to manipulate the ability of the flies to increase aggression."

For the most part, fruit flies are a peaceful species. Give a group of flies a piece of food, and they graze peacefully. Give them some land, and they usually share the territory without incident.

For the full story:
http://news.discovery.com/animals/anger-smell-fruit-flies.html


Copyright © 2009 Discovery Communications, LLC. All Rights Reserved.

Boeing 787 Dreamliner is a Breath of Fresh Cabin Air

TOXICITY

Boeing 787 Dreamliner is a breath of fresh cabin air
The successful launch of the Boeing Dreamliner this week has highlighted concerns about the amount of toxic air in conventional aircraft cabins.

By Charles Starmer-Smith

Source: Telegraph.co.uk

The new lightweight plane, which is designed to cut fuel costs by 20 per cent, has been hailed as the answer to the problem of contaminated air that scientists claim affects up to 200,000 British passengers each year – known in the industry as aerotoxic syndrome.

Since 1963, all commercial aircraft have used the "bleed air" system, whereby compressed air is drawn through the engines and into the cabin. The air passes through filters that remove bacteria or viruses but do not remove fumes or vapours from the engine – so if there is an oil or hydraulic fuel leak, toxic chemicals can contaminate the air supply.

On its new Dreamliner, Boeing is to pump fresh cabin air from a separate source (away from the engines) for the first time since the Fifties. This had previously been deemed too expensive.

"This marks a serious milestone in aviation history, with the long-awaited first flight of the Boeing 787 Dreamliner," said Tristan Lorraine, a former commercial pilot and spokesman for the Global Cabin Air Quality Executive (GCAQE), which represents thousands of airline staff. "The GCAQE urges other manufacturers to design aircraft with this new 'bleed-free' design and stop using out-of-date technologies, which fail to protect passengers and crews from being exposed to toxic chemicals."

Earlier this year, undercover investigators claimed to have found high levels of a dangerous toxin on several planes using the bleed-air system. Of 31 swab samples taken secretly from the aircraft cabins of popular airlines, 28 were found to contain high levels of tricresyl phosphate (TCP), an organophosphate contained in modern jet oil as an anti-wear additive, which can lead to drowsiness, respiratory problems and neurological illnesses.

Dr Mackenzie Ross, a clinical neuropsychologist at University College London, has claimed that contaminated cabin air may affect up to 200,000 passengers each year. A Telegraph Travel investigation last year disclosed that hundreds of incidents of contaminated air had been reported by British pilots.

Reports linking exposure to contaminated air with long-term harm to health have led to an increase in the number of passengers and crew seeking redress. Earlier this year a former American Airlines attendant, Terry Williams, 40, launched a lawsuit against Boeing over illnesses she claims were caused by toxic fumes.

A spokesman for the Civil Aviation Authority said that investigations were continuing, but that there was no evidence of a link between cabin air and ill health.


© Copyright of Telegraph Media Group Limited 2009. All Rights Reserved.


Related Links: http://www.aerotoxic.org/

Wisconsin Man Argues Right to Sell Raw Milk

FOOD

Wisconsin man argues right to sell raw milk

By Chris Hubbuch

La Crosse Tribune

VIROQUA, WI

Max Kane Farley thinks unpasteurized milk saved his life.

The Chicago native, who goes by Max Kane, was diagnosed with the digestive disorder Crohn's disease at age 10.

He suffered abdominal and joint pain. He had thin bones and only 110 pounds on his 5 foot 10 frame.

"I looked like someone who came out of a German concentration camp," Kane said.

After 13 years, he heard about the primal diet — raw meat, raw eggs, raw milk. He gained 80 pounds, and his symptoms went away, he said. He hasn't needed medication in five years.

He credits raw milk and has devoted himself full-time to promoting its benefits and helping others get it. He rode his bike 3,600 miles, mostly on a raw dairy diet.

The 32-year-old, who lives in Viroqua, founded a Chicago-based club through which members could buy unpasteurized dairy products.

That's put him at the center of a legal battle over the state's authority to regulate food sales.

The thirst for raw milk has been growing, attracting the notice of lawmakers and health officials. As a bill to legalize the sale of unpasteurized milk makes its way through the Wisconsin Legislature, the state is cracking down on black market sales.

Kane's case started in March, after the mother of an ill 16-year-old told health officials he'd drank raw milk she got from Kane's club, Belle's Lunchbox. Although tests did not link the illness to milk, Illinois officials notified Wisconsin officials.

Kane received a letter requesting details about his club, his providers, handling practices and licenses, as well as tax returns.

He sent a "cease and desist" letter stating the department had no jurisdiction over his club and accusing officials of violating the Constitution and state law. He threatened to sue.

The state subpoenaed him.

Kane will get his chance today in Vernon County Court to explain his position.

Raw dairy proponents say unpasteurized milk is tastier, healthier and easier to digest. It has been touted as curing everything from asthma to lactose intolerance and childhood behavior problems.

Federal and state officials say uncooked animal products are dangerous and can carry bacteria capable of causing illness and death.

"All it takes is a fleck of manure on a cow's teat and you've got contamination," Department of Agriculture spokeswoman Donna Gilson said.

Raw milk advocates say the benefits far outstrip the risks.

Twenty-eight states allow on-farm sales of raw milk. In nine, consumers can buy raw milk in stores.

The Department of Agriculture estimates a couple dozen Wisconsin farmers sell raw milk.


Copyright ©2009 The Appleton Post-Crescent. All Rights Reserved.

Study; Coffee and Tea may Reduce Diabetes Risk

DIABETES

Study; Coffee and Tea may Reduce Diabetes Risk
It's possible that there's something in coffee and tea that lowers diabetes risk, but that something is likely not caffeine

Garden of Healing®

People who drink tea or coffee, even if it's decaf, seem to have a lower risk of developing type 2 diabetes, according to a review of studies reported this week.

The study, appearing in the Archives of Internal Medicine, was a meta-analysis, meaning it reviewed all the literature on coffee, tea, and diabetes risk. The researchers, led by Rachel Huxley, of the George Institute for International Health at the University of Sydney, narrowed their review down to 18 studies published between 1966 and 2009, involving almost 460,000 participants.

Six studies included information about regular and decaffeinated coffee and diabetes risk, and seven studies reported on tea consumption.

When the authors combined the data, they found that each additional cup of coffee consumed in a day was associated with a seven per cent reduction in diabetes risk.

People who drank three to four cups of coffee a day had about a 25 per cent lower risk of diabetes than those who drank two or fewer cups a day.

The researchers say the apparent protective effect of tea and coffee appeared to be independent of other factors that may raise the risk of diabetes, such as a high body mass index, increased age and family history of diabetes.

But it's also possible that there's something in coffee and tea that lowers diabetes risk. But that something is likely not caffeine, since even decaf coffee was linked to a lower diabetes risk.

Instead, other compounds in coffee and tea may be involved, including magnesium, antioxidants known as lignans or chlorogenic acids.

"The identification of the active components of these beverages would open up new therapeutic pathways for the primary prevention of diabetes mellitus," the authors write.

"It could also be envisaged that we will advise our patients most at risk for diabetes mellitus to increase their consumption of tea and coffee in addition to increasing their levels of physical activity and weight loss."


© 2009 The Garden of Healing® Company. The Star Raconteur™. All Rights Reserved.