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Tuesday, April 2, 2013

Promising stem cell therapy for leukemia patients

Apr. 2, 2013 ? Leukemia patients receive a bone marrow transplant, which allows them to build a "new" immune system. However, this immune system not only attacks cancer cells but healthy tissue too. Special antibodies will be used to protect healthy tissue in future.

Not too long ago, leukemia left us with no chance. Today doctors can give patients hope by transplanting bone marrow, the starting point of a "new" immune system. These transplanted cells replace the diseased, blood-building stem cells in the bone marrow and take over their job of producing healthy blood cells, while also destroying leukemia cells. The problem is that this immune system originates from a foreign body and therefore can also attack healthy tissue in the patient. The skin, liver, and intestine are most affected by these attacks -- their cells can be destroyed and the organs damaged, sometimes so severely as to cause organ failure. The medical term for this phenomenon is graft-versus-host disease (GvHD), and the scale of the problem posed by this misdirected immune response is illustrated by statistics revealing that up to 50 percent of all patients ultimately suffer from GvHD-induced damage; in up to 20 percent of cases this damage is fatal. Not to ignore the further risk: that one in five leukemia patients suffer a relapse after the transplant.

In order to combat the cancer effectively, doctors give leukemia patients chemotherapy and radiation therapy before the transplant. These treatments destroy the patient's entire blood-building system, creating space for the donor's healthy cells. Any cancer cells that might survive this treatment are identified and destroyed by the new immune cells. So that the "foreign" immune system does not turn against healthy tissue, doctors additionally give patients immunosuppressants to artificially suppress the immune system. There is a fine balance to be struck here, as immunosuppressants not only inhibit GvHD but also the desired immune response, i.e. killing off the cancer cells.

Minimizing the risk of a misdirected immune reaction

Researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute for Cell Therapy and Immunology IZI in Leipzig are investigating how to improve the situation for leukemia sufferers. "Our goal is to avoid GvHD without changing how the new immune effect acts on the tumor," says Dr. Stephan Fricke, head of the Immune Tolerance unit at the IZI and doctor at the Department of Hematology and Oncology, University Hospital Leipzig. "Our hopes are pinned on monoclonal antibodies, which specifically bind to the surface of immune cells and prevent the immune cells reacting adversely with the patient's tissue." It's particularly important that the antibodies also act on the blood stem cells to be transplanted and on all immune cells that develop from them. This allows researchers to modulate the cells in advance of transplantation, causing them to "tolerate" the patient's healthy tissue instead of attacking it. "We're then able to effectively reduce the risk of a GvHD without any side effects," explains Fricke. The antibodies do not alter the immune response against remaining cancer cells -- they are still destroyed as before. This reduces the risk of leukemia coming back after the transplant.

IZI scientists are currently collaborating with their colleagues from the Translational Centre for Regenerative Medicine at the Universit?t Leipzig on research into the cellular foundations of these effects. What is the optimum point at which to add the antibodies to the donor bone marrow? How many antibodies should be used? Setting out to answer these questions, researchers first simulate both GvHD and the human immune system using a variety of established models. They can then determine all relevant parameters based on the simulations.

The researchers have already provided proof of principle, i.e. they were able to demonstrate that the therapy works. Now initial tests are underway on mice with a human immune system. The scientists hope that a clinical study can begin before the year is out.

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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft.

Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.

Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.

Disclaimer: This article is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/top_news/~3/ZXhGQbOk9Oo/130402091248.htm

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'OK' contact lenses: New technique shows promise in restoring near vision without glasses

Apr. 1, 2013 ? By middle age, most people have age-related declines in near vision (presbyopia) requiring bifocals or reading glasses. An emerging technique called hyperopic orthokeratology (OK) may provide a new alternative for restoring near vision without the need for glasses, according to new research.

The study, "Refractive Changes from Hyperopic Orthokeratology Monovision in Presbyopes," appears in the April issue of Optometry and Vision Science, official journal of the American Academy of Optometry. The journal is published by Lippincott Williams & Wilkins , a part of Wolters Kluwer Health.

For middle-aged patients with presbyopia, wearing OK contact lenses overnight can restore up-close vision in one eye, according to the study by Paul Gifford, PhD, FAAO, and Helen A Swarbrick, PhD, FAAO, of University of New South Wales, Sydney. "The authors have shown the feasibility of correcting one eye for near vision through OK, in which overnight contact lens wear shapes the cornea of one eye to allow in-focus near vision for reading," comments Anthony Adams, OD, PhD, Editor-in-Chief of Optometry and Vision Science.

Overnight OK Lens Wear Restores Near Vision in One Eye

The study included 16 middle-aged patients (43 to 59 years) with age-related loss of near vision, or presbyopia. Presbyopia is caused by age-related loss of flexibility in the cornea -- the transparent front part that lets light into the eye.

Orthokeratology is a clinical technique to correct vision using specially designed rigid contact lenses to manipulate the shape of the cornea. Dr Adams likens OK therapy to orthodontic treatment using braces to change the alignment of the teeth.

Drs Gifford and Swarbick evaluated a "monocular" technique, with patients wearing a custom-made OK lens in one eye overnight for one week. To preserve normal distance vision, the other eye was left untreated.

In all patients, the monocular OK technique was successful in restoring near vision in the treated eye. The improvement was apparent on the first day after overnight OK lens wear, and increased further during the treatment week. Eye examination confirmed that the OK lenses altered the shape of the cornea, as they were designed to do.

Nightly Lens Wear Needed to Retain Correction

Vision in the untreated eye was unaffected, and all patients retained normal distance vision with that eye; essentially this gives the patient the dequivalent of 'monovision' that is usually done with contact lenses or surgery. To retain the correction in near vision, patients had to continue wearing their OK lenses every night. Dr Adams likens this ongoing treatment to the "retainer" that orthodontic patients have to wear nightly. As expected, when patients stopped wearing their OK lens after the treatment week, presbyopia rapidly returned.

By about age 45 to 50, most people need bifocals or some other form of vision correction to restore vision for reading and other up-close tasks. Alternatives for presbyopia have been introduced, including fitting a contact lens for distance vision in one eye and a lens for near vision in the other eye. This is the so called monovision, now the authors show it can be achieved without the need to wear a contact lens during the day. "However, the chief problem with monovision for many people is that their stereoscopic 3D vision is degraded and many find that hard to tolerate," according to Dr Adams.

Although overnight OK is not a new technique, it has been mainly used to reduce nearsightedness (myopia) in younger patients. The new study shows that OK is similarly effective in changing corneal shape, and achieving desired correction in near vision, in older patients with presbyopia.

The new study suggests that overnight OK lenses are a feasible alternative for correction of presbyopia, "sufficient to provide functional near vision correction white retaining good distance visual acuity," Drs Gifford and Swarbick write. The technique is safe, with the cornea returning to its previous shape about a week after the patient stops wearing the lenses.

"This study demonstrates that OK is quite viable as a nonsurgical option for monovision that does not require wearing contact lenses during the day, although it does require 'retainer' orthokeratology contact lenses to be worn overnight," Dr Adams adds. "This possibility will certainly appeal to many people, especially since the changes in the corneal curvature of the treated eye are fully reversible."

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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Wolters Kluwer Health, via EurekAlert!, a service of AAAS.

Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.

Journal Reference:

Paul Gifford, Helen A. Swarbrick. Refractive Changes From Hyperopic Orthokeratology Monovision in Presbyopes. Optometry and Vision Science, 2013; 90 (4): 306 DOI: 10.1097/OPX.0b013e318287328e

Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.

Disclaimer: This article is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/most_popular/~3/4HHbSvv34OQ/130401075243.htm

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'BUCKWILD' star, 2 others found dead in W.Va.

FILE - This Jan. 2, 2013 file photo shows Shain Gandee, from MTV's "Buckwild" reality series in New York. Gandee and his uncle have been reported missing in West Virginia. The Kanawha County Sheriff's Department said 21-year-old Shain Gandee and his uncle, 48-year-old David Gandee, were last seen around 3 a.m. Sunday, March 31, at a bar in Sissonville, W. Va. Family members said the men planned on riding their all-terrain vehicles, but did not say where. They reported the men missing after they couldn't get in contact with them Sunday. (Photo by Amy Sussman/Invision/AP, file)

SISSONVILLE, W.Va. (AP) ? A cast member of the MTV reality show "BUCKWILD" was found dead Monday in a sport utility vehicle in a ditch along with his uncle and a third, unidentified person, authorities said.

Kanawha County Sheriff's Department Cpl. B.D. Humphreys said the bodies of cast member, Shain Gandee, 21, his uncle David Gandee, 48, and the third person were found Monday in a remote area near Sissonville.

Authorities had been searching for the men since early Sunday morning. They were last seen around 3 a.m. Sunday at a bar in Sissonville and they told people they were going driving off-road.

Humphreys said state police were getting ready to send out an aviation unit to search for the men when authorities received a call Monday morning that a vehicle was found wrecked in a muddy area a few miles from Gandee's home in Sissonville, about 15 miles outside of Charleston.

Authorities found the 1984 Ford Bronco that belonged to the Gandee family in a ditch with all three men inside. Humphreys did not provide details on the condition of the vehicle or the bodies. He said no foul play was suspected.

The terrain in the Thaxton Hollow area was "very muddy, very rough," Humphreys said, adding that authorities had to use all-terrain vehicles to get to the site.

Kanawha County Commission President Kent Carper said the news was devastating for the small community near Charleston.

"It's a very sad day for the Sissonville area and for these families," he said. "This is a small community, and most of us know directly members of these families. We're keeping them in our hearts and prayers."

Shain, nicknamed "Gandee Candy" by fans, was a breakout star of the show that followed the antics of a group of young friends enjoying a wild country lifestyle. It was filmed last year, mostly around Sissonville and Charleston.

MTV issued a statement saying it was shocked and saddened to learn of its star's death.

"We are waiting for more information but at this time, our main concern is for the Gandee family and their friends," the network said. "Our thoughts and prayers are with them. Shain had a magnetic personality, with a passion for life that touched everyone he met and we will miss him dearly."

A neighbor, Swanna Frampton, said she had known Shain Gandee since he was a small child.

"He loved to live and have fun. He was a great person," Frampton said. "He did what (the show) wanted him to do, but he wasn't like that. He was a real person. If you needed help, if needed something, he would come help you no matter what."

Shooting for the second season of "BUCKWILD" had begun, but MTV spokesman Jake Urbanski said Monday afternoon it has been suspended. He had no further details.

MTV said the half-hour series in the old "Jersey Shore" time slot was pulling in an average of 3 million viewers per episode since its premiere and was the No. 1 original cable series on Thursday nights among 12- to 34-year-olds.

Shain Gandee is the third BUCKWILD cast member to make headlines.

Last week, 24-year-old Salwa Amin was sent back to jail for violating the terms of her bond following a February arrest. She was charged with two counts of drug possession with intent to deliver and initially jailed on $200,000 bond. That was later reduced to $100,000, but Amin remained behind bars without bond on Monday.

State Police say a multi-agency task force arrested Amin and two other people at a Summersville residence after receiving a tip from an informant. A search found oxycodone pills, heroin and $3,000 in cash.

Another cast mate, Michael Douglas Burford, was charged in February with driving under the influence.

Urbanski said none of Gandee's cast mates was available to do an interview Monday, and none immediately planned to issue a statement. But their feelings came through on Twitter, where Ashley Whitt called her friend "the most amazing person I've ever known."

"I know you will be watching over me every time I hit a mudhole. You will always be my best friend, I love you!" she wrote.

Cast mate Cara Parrish and others asked fans to pray for Gandee's parents, Loretta and Dale. "This is the emptiest I've ever felt," she wrote in a tweet.

___

Associated Press Writer Vicki Smith contributed from Morgantown.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/386c25518f464186bf7a2ac026580ce7/Article_2013-04-01-BUCKWILD%20Death/id-7fdee3c4bf3945749eb8bc008011b8e4

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Reasons why Vietnam's real estate market has ... - Property Report

Difficulties in real estate market in the second half of 2011 have extended till the end of 2012. All regions and segments experienced lack of liquidity; many businesses went bankrupt, and many brokers gave up their jobs, etc. The confidence in the market hardly increases even when investors decrease property prices and provide buyers with many great deals.

First of all, difficulties of the macro economy should be mentioned. Vietnam?s economy in particular and the global one in general continue to face recessions and crises. In 2011 and 2012, the fact that businesses made lower profits led to limited investments in the real estate market. Many people had to sell their properties to address difficulties in other businesses.

Over the last two years, many real estate projects have been delayed or stretched due to loan cuts. For projects with investment up to hundreds or billions VND, investors often faced financial obstacles because banks refused to lend to them. In the past, even when the projects were unfinished, they could still sell their properties and quickly gain super-profits. However, the situation has changed. Now even when the projects are finished, investors still have great difficulties selling their properties.

Secondly, there is a lack of information and transparency, which leads to a distorted market and ?investment in movement?. Perhaps only in Vietnam can anyone become real estate investors without knowledge about the market and investment, which in turn contributes to the lack of professionalism of the market. The number of real estate companies has considerably increased; nevertheless, most of them are newly established or separated from real estate ? unrelated fields such as garment and textile, petroleum and agriculture. Many Vietnamese businesses with limited resources still invest in different projects, resulting in unprofessional and inconsistent working procedures.

Thirdly, ?chain effect? resulted from property speculations has created ?real estate fever?, forcing property prices to rocket. Many people buy properties, then sell for a higher deal and use this amount for further investment. To illustrate price increase, we can use a specific economic problem. Indeed, this problem has many complex variables, so to make it easier to understand, let?s imagine: Suppose that there are 10,000 speculators within the market with 10,000 houses priced X. The first sell his/her house for X+1, then use this amount to buy the second?s house at X+1 for further investment with a hope to sell at a higher price of X+2. Then, it is obvious that if these others want to sell their houses, they will price them X+1. Just like that, the first sells the second which creates ?chain effect? and pushes the market to a new price level with just a hit from the first buyer.

If transactions within market derive mainly from consuming demand, the price won?t be determined by ?confidence? and ?sense? like speculations. Similarly, when there is a lack of confidence in the market and a decrease in money flow, there will be reverse effects. The first one cannot sell his/her house at X+1, but X-1 for debt payment, and so does the others.

Fourthly, property prices, especially housing prices in big cities have been too high in comparison with people?s average income and development level of the economy. For years, property-market speculation, investment in movement and chain effect, etc. have been driving housing prices to high levels. The real estate bubble is likely to have been blown up to a maximum level and cannot be maintained anymore. Meanwhile, the macro economy continues to experience recessions with high inflation, causing housing problems for the poor with low income.

Fifthly, despite constantly increasing supply, the commodity structure of the real estate market is not balanced among segments and regions, thus hardly meet society?s demand, leading to a growing gap between supply and demand. Due to spontaneous development, many investors only focus on housing for high-income people, resulting in abundant supply for this segment. Whereas, the high demand in other segments including mid and low ones or rental housings in urban area are ignored. In addition, many projects are behind schedule, short of infrastructure connection and then abandoned, causing waste of the State?s land resources and investment.

Next, confidence in the real estate market is declining. Many people begin to realise that the property prices are too high, and expect prices to keep decreasing. Investors with financial problems, on the contrary keep selling out as many properties as possible at lower price rates with a hope to increase sales. As a result, the price is assumed to decrease more and more and few transactions are made.

Finally, the most important reason is due to governance and management with so many shortcomings in the legal system. Such inadequacies create favorable conditions for speculation, underground trading and tax evasion, which help some to easily make a lot of money out of real estate, while the majority still faces housing difficulties. Additionally, loopholes of the legal system fail to protect ordinary people when buying properties.

Source: http://www.property-report.com/reasons-why-vietnams-real-estate-market-has-been-stuck-in-such-difficulties-29007

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Eton FRX3 American Red Cross Emergency Radio review

Unless I’m in the car, I don’t listen to terrestrial, broadcast radio anymore. ?At work I have satellite radio, and at home it’s an iPod in a dock. ?I haven’t had a dedicated “AM/FM” radio in ages, but since I live in earthquake country (San Francisco Bay Area), I’m overdue. ?Thank goodness the Eton FRX3 [...]

Source: http://the-gadgeteer.com/2013/03/31/eton-frx3-american-red-cross-emergency-radio-review/

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UK gas stocks swell on LNG supplies from Qatar

By Daniel Fineren

DUBAI (Reuters) - UK stocks of liquefied natural gas have swollen over the last week, data from National Grid shows, after three big Qatari deliveries helped replenish low heating fuel supplies during the coldest March in over half a century.

Britain's relatively small gas stocks fell to just 2,594 gigawatt hours (about 225 million cubic metres) on Saturday, according to the latest data from National Grid, as prolonged cold weather kept heating demand well above seasonal norms.

But three large deliveries from Qatar of super-cooled gas over the last week, with the latest unloading in Wales on Saturday, have swelled additional stocks of liquefied natural gas (LNG) held at import terminals to 6,219 GWh, or around 540 mcm, up from 358 mcm last Sunday.

Despite gas demand expected to be around 303 mcm on Sunday, about 20 percent above normal for the time of year, National Grid expects supplies coming from Norway, continental Europe and the UK's own North Sea gas fields to exceed demand.

Britain's Met office said on Thursday that March looked set to be the coldest since 1962, with a mean UK temperature of just 2.5 degrees Celsius between March 1 and March 26.

The prolonged cold weather has drained UK stocks held in traditional storage sites in gaseous form to around 5 percent of capacity on Saturday.

But with plentiful supplies coming in by pipeline, Britain's three large LNG import terminals only made small contributions to UK gas supply over the weekend, despite large deliveries to two of them over the last week.

The terminals - two in south Wales and one near London - each have several large storage tanks, some the size of London's Albert Hall, where they keep the gas super-chilled in its liquid state before warming it back into gaseous form when needed.

The three deliveries from Qatar, the world's largest LNG exporter, have swollen Britain's LNG stocks from around 30 percent full last Sunday to over 40 percent full ahead of the working week - a time when gas demand from industry rises.

Another LNG tanker is on course to deliver a cargo from Trinidad on Monday, according to ship tracking data on Reuters, which should boost UK gas stocks by about another 80 mcm.

According to Reuters analysis of AIS data transmitted by the world's fleet of LNG tankers on Sunday, there were no other ships indicating that they are heading to Britain.

There were three Qatari LNG tankers heading north through the Red Sea on Sunday, any of which might be destined for the UK. Qatari LNG tankers typically do not specify their final destinations until they have emerged from the Suez Canal.

(Editing by Catherine Evans)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/uk-gas-stocks-swell-lng-supplies-qatar-113249841.html

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Monday, April 1, 2013

NCAA 'BracketRacket' roundup

With Syracuse and Wichita State moving on to the Final Four, the Associated Press has a roundup of notable moments and predictions for the NCAA tournament thus far.

By Aaron Beard,?AP Basketball Writer / March 31, 2013

Wichita State Shockers' Carl Hall, Chadrack Lufile, Demetric Williams and Cleanthony Early (r. to l.) celebrate defeating the Ohio State Buckeyes in their West Regional NCAA men's basketball game in Los Angeles, California, Saturday.

Lucy Nicholson/Reuters

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Welcome back to BracketRacket, your one-stop shopping place for all things?NCAA.

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It's our first edition for the regional finals, with Syracuse and Wichita State having secured the first spots in the Final Four. Stops along our tour include: the bracket-busting Shockers, Coach K's ever-present concerns about conference realignment, former Georgia Tech star John Salley's excitement at having the Final Four in Atlanta, a heartwarming tale of sportsmanship and a farewell to tournament darling Florida Gulf Coast.

THE SHOCKING SHOCKERS

Wichita State has gone from a ninth-seeded mid-major aiming to win an?NCAA?game to an unexpected arrival in the Final Four.

Just how unexpected?

According to ESPN, less than 1 percent ? 0.24 percent, to be exact ? of 8.15 million brackets submitted in ESPN's Fantasy Tournament Challenge had the Shockers reaching the national semifinals.

Head over to Yahoo! for its Tourney Pick 'Em contest, and only 32 percent of more than 3.3 million brackets had the Shockers even winning their opener against Pittsburgh, much less beating top seed Gonzaga and No. 2 seed Ohio State on the way to the West Region title.

WICHITA STATE 101

Since Wichita State isn't a household name, here's a quick primer to impress friends with your Missouri Valley Conference knowledge:

The school opened in 1895 as Fairmount College, then became the Municipal University of Wichita in 1926 on the way to becoming a state university in 1964. It has an enrollment of 14,893 students.

The "Shockers" mascot is short for "Wheatshockers" and recalls when students shocked wheat to earn money during the harvest season, according to the school's web site.

While the Shockers reached the Final Four in 1965 and won the College World Series in 1989, the most successful athletic program has been ? surprise! ? bowling. Wichita State has 19 national championships between its men's and women's programs since 1975.

Among the school's biggest sports names: former NFL coach Bill Parcells, a former Shockers football player; former NBA player Xavier "The X-Man" McDaniel; and former big leaguer Joe Carter, who hit the World Series-clinching home run for Toronto in 1993 against Philadelphia.

K, THE ACC AND THE FUTURE

AP Sports Writer Michael Marot reports from Indianapolis that Duke's Mike Krzyzewski is thinking about more than just Sunday's regional final against future Atlantic Coast Conference member Louisville.

"For all these schools that have joined, it makes (the ACC) the most powerful basketball conference, I think ever," Krzyzewski said Saturday of the latest round of conference realignment. "I hope our league is able to understand the assets that we've accumulated and what it does to the assets we already have. I think if positioned properly, it sets us apart from anybody, and we should look at where football is or whatever."

Next year, the league will add Syracuse ? which beat Marquette in a Big East matchup for the East Regional title Saturday ? along with Pittsburgh and Notre Dame. The Cardinals are scheduled to join in 2014 when Maryland bolts for the Big Ten.

Krzyzewski is already urging ACC officials to start contemplating what they need to do to avoid other leagues from poaching ACC schools. He said the best way is to rethink how the ACC does business ? down to developing its own TV network or where it holds its tournament.

"In other words, to take a real close look at our league with the new members and say: Why are we different, why are we better and how can we be the top league?" Krzyzewski said. "If we don't do that, then we're negligent, to be quite frank with you."

CIVIC PRIDE

John Salley says he'll feel like a proud host when the Final Four returns to Atlanta.

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/csm/~3/vbjH7rRj2Uo/NCAA-BracketRacket-roundup

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