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Bitter melon: A Medicine at the Greengrocery

2011-01-03T15:15:00.000-08:00

By Syed K.Haque, MD

Just as many drugs are bitter, so is the bitter melon with it's medicinal properties. Bitter melon, also known as bitter gourd or Karela (in India) often tastes like medicine. But does it have true medicinal properties? Does it have side effects?

Anti-Diabetic properties of Bitter melon

In a study conducted on rats, bitter mellon extracts were given to diabetic rats for 30 days. Following this treatment, blood was sampled from these rats to analyse for blood glucose, lipid profiles, and antioxidants. Results showed that the vegetable helped maintain normal glucose levels, improved lipid profiles, as well as increased antioxidant levels. Thirty days following the cessation of treatment, all three diabetic parameters in rats reversed to their abnormal levels.(1)

Bitter melon: A Dietary Supplement for Prevention of Breast Cancer

Breast cancer is a major killer disease. In 2010, it's documented that 39,840 females and 390 males were killed by this illness.(2) The surgeon, Dr. Patrick Soon-Shiong who co-developed the most popular drug Abraxane (an injectable formulation of paclitaxel wherein it is bound to albumin) is found amongst Forbes 400 list of billionaires. Paclitaxel was isolated from the bark of pacific yew tree. Monroe E. Wall and Mansukh C. Wani isolated the drug from the bark.

Similarly, in a study on the effects of bitter melon extract on human breast cancer cells, researchers at Saint Louis University found a significant decrease in cell growth and a reversal of the cancer process. They suggested it's potential use as a dietary supplement for breast cancer.(3)

Possibility of Side effects of Bitter melon

Recently in 2010, Indian researchers reported vomiting blood (haematemesis) due to gastric ulceration induced from consumption of bitter melon extract.(4) However in 2009, another group of Indian researchers found that the methanolic extract of bitter melon healed gastric ulcers and prevented the development of gastric and duodenal ulcers in rats.(5)

References:

1.Chaturvedi P, George S;Momordica charantia maintains normal glucose levels and lipid profiles and prevents oxidative stress in diabetic rats subjected to chronic sucrose load.J Med Food. 2010 Jun;13(3):520-7

2.Breast Cancer.National Cancer Institute; http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/types/breast.

3.Ray RB, Raychoudhuri A, Steele R, Nerurkar P.Bitter melon (Momordica charantia) extract inhibits breast cancer cell proliferation by modulating cell cycle regulatory genes and promotes apoptosis.Cancer Res. 2010 Mar 1;70(5):1925-31.

4.Nadkarni N, D'Cruz S, Sachdev A.Hematemesis due to bitter melon (Momordica charantia) extract-induced gastric ulcerations.Indian J Gastroenterol. 2010 Jan;29(1):37-8.

5.Alam S, Asad M, Asdaq SM, Prasad VS.J Ethnopharmacol.Antiulcer activity of methanolic extract of Momordica charantia L. in rats. 2009 Jun 25;123(3):464-9.

The copyright of the health article, "Bitter melon: A Medicine at the Greengrocery," in "Interesting Health Articles" is owned by Dr.Syed K.Haque M.D. Permission to republish this article in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.

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Sipping Green Tea Can Alter How We Perceive Flavor

2010-12-31T09:21:00.000-08:00

By Stacey Shackford

While trying to figure out what makes certain beverages cloudy, Cornell researchers made the startling discovery that certain chemicals in green tea -- and perhaps red wine -- react with saliva in ways that can alter how we perceive flavors.

Specifically, regular consumption of the polyphenol-rich drinks can boost astringent sensations and our sensitivity to acids, reports Karl Siebert, professor of food science, in an article published online in Food Quality and Preference Sept. 21 and in print January 2011.

Siebert also discovered that we all have varying levels of polyphenols already stored in our systems.

Siebert, who worked for 18 years in a brewery before becoming an academic, stumbled upon the finding while studying the relationship between polyphenols -- chemical compounds found in plants -- and protein chains in such drinks as beer and apple juice.

It was well known that the two combine to form complexes. The larger these complexes grow, the less soluble they become, until they become visible to the human eye in the form of haze or turbidity.

Siebert's group discovered the strong effect of pH on haze formation, peaking at a pH level near 4. More acidic beverages like grape juice don't get as cloudy. Higher pHs also lead to less haze.

These findings led Siebert to question whether the same thing happened in people's mouths.

We perceive astringency, which is a tactile (touch) sensation, similarly to how we perceive the cooling of menthol and the heating (or pain) of capsaicin, the hot pepper compound. The traditional thinking was that the astringency was caused by a loss of lubrication when polyphenols reacted with proteins in saliva.

Siebert wondered if pH levels made a difference there too, and if so, why.

"We had this idea because of what we had seen before about the protein effect in beverages, and we knew that acid together with polyphenols tastes more astringent than either alone," Siebert said.

He presented several dilute solutions of acid to a group of panelists, who rated the intensity of astringency. While most reported a mild difference, others had more dramatic sensitivity. Digging deeper, he discovered the most sensitive had been regular green tea drinkers prior to the start of the study.

He then measured the polyphenol levels in saliva of people on days before, during and after they consumed several cups of green tea. This showed that saliva normally contains polyphenols, and there are large differences among individuals. Regular red wine and green tea drinkers had the highest levels. Drinking green tea was shown to elevate the saliva polyphenol levels.

"I would expect that red wine drinking would also, but we didn't demonstrate this," Siebert said.

The polyphenol level in saliva returns to an individual's baseline level within half an hour after consuming such beverages as coffee or tea; but over time, the underlying baseline level gradually rises with the continued consumption of tea.

"It appears that there is a metabolic pool of polyphenol that is influenced by dietary habits, and that the salivary polyphenol level influences perception of astringency caused by acids," Siebert said.

"This was the first demonstration that you normally have polyphenols in your saliva," he added. "That has some other implications, because the liquid in your saliva comes from the blood. So the long-term build-up must be in the blood."

This may help explain what has been labeled "the French paradox" -- the observation that French people have a relatively low incidence of heart disease, despite their diet rich in saturated fats. Some scientists believe it is due to their increased consumption of red wine, and have attributed it to the antioxidant benefits of polyphenols.

Republished with permission from Cornell Chronicle.
Stacey Shackford is a staff writer in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Cornell University .

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Cockroaches May Be a Source of Natural Antibiotics

2010-09-14T08:38:00.000-07:00

Dr.Kristie Leong

Image Credit : 邰秉宥 from Changhua, Taiwan

Could cockroaches be an unlikely source of natural antibiotics? Most people think of cockroaches as being “dirty”, but new research shows they may be valuable in the battle against resistant bacterial infections that no longer respond to standard antibiotics. They may also help to treat more common bacterial infections - without the side effects of conventional antibiotics.

Can Cockroaches Kill Bacteria Naturally?

Researchers at the University of Nottingham’s School of Veterinary Medicine recently discovered that cockroaches and some insects have chemicals in their brain that are toxic to infection-causing bacteria. So powerful are these insect brain chemicals that they can wipe out bacteria that conventional antibiotics can’t touch.

In one test, they were able to destroy more than 90% of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, or MRSA, which is resistant to almost all standard antibiotics. Even better, they did this without damaging normal, healthy cells.

Why Would Insects Be a Source of Antibiotics?

Because they do live in such dirty areas, these eight-legged creatures have developed natural chemicals to kill bacteria – and help protect themselves against disease. This source of natural antibiotics may not only benefit insects but humans as well.

An Alternative Way to Treat Infection?

Conventional antibiotics have become less effective in recent years as more bacteria develop resistance to them – due to overuse. Some studies show that up to half of all prescribed antibiotics are unnecessary, and instead of having benefits, they add to the problem of antibiotic resistance. Antibiotics are only effective for treating bacterial infections – and have no effect on illnesses caused by viruses.

Most antibiotics have side effects – some of which can be serious. Not only that, but they wipe out good bacteria that protect against bad bacteria and fungi. This increases the risk of yeast infections and stomach upset.

Insects as a Source of Antibiotics: The Bottom Line?

Those creepy creatures that crawl around on kitchen counters could have some benefit after all. Scientists are hoping to harvest insect brain chemicals to make better antibiotics to treat infection with fewer side effects. Could cockroaches offer a solution to antibiotic resistance? Stay tuned for more developments in the battle to safely treat antibiotic-resistant infections – and put cockroaches to good use.

References:

Eurekalert.org."Insect brains are rich stores of new antibiotics"

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Can Taking Antihistamines Cause Weight Gain?

2010-09-11T09:06:00.000-07:00

Dr.Kristie Leong
Taking antihistamines may relieve allergy symptoms, but these commonly used medications can also make it harder to fasten your belt. A new study carried out at Yale University shows that people who take antihistamines are more likely to be obese or overweight than those who don’t.

Antihistamines and Weight Gain

When Yale researchers looked at the body weight of 268 prescription antihistamine users, they made an interesting observation. Forty-five percent of antihistamine users were overweight compared to thirty percent of the general population. All in all, taking antihistamines was associated with a fifty-five percent greater risk of being overweight or obese.

Why Do People Take Antihistamines and Why Do They Cause Weight Gain?

Prescription antihistamines are frequently prescribed to treat allergy symptoms – particularly hay fever and seasonal allergies. They block the production of histamine – a chemical involved in producing allergic symptoms - such as itchy eyes, a runny nose, and sneezing.

Why the association between antihistamines and weight gain? Researchers are quick to point out that the results don’t necessarily mean that antihistamines cause weight gain. It could be that having allergies predisposes a person to put on weight.

On the other hand, the brain has receptors for antihistamine, and antihistamine receptors in the brain play a role in appetite, and, possibly, the rate at which the body burns fat. So, people who take antihistamines may unconsciously eat more – and taking antihistamines may slow down their metabolism slightly. The not so happy results? Weight gain.

Other Medications That Cause Weight Gain

Antihistamines aren’t the only medications that cause weight gain. Other common drugs that can cause “stealth” weight gain include antidepressants, beta blockers, steroids, insulin, and medications to treat seizures. Some people taking these medications experience gradual weight gain – and don’t know why – and it can be tough to take if off once it lands in all the wrong places.

Antihistamines and Weight Gain: Other Options?

Are there alternatives to taking antihistamines to treat allergies – that don’t cause weight gain? Anyone who’s experiencing weight gain on antihistamines should talk to their doctor about using a steroid-based nasal spray. These are quite effective for treating nasal stuffiness and won’t cause weight gain. There are also antihistamines eye drops available for itchy eyes and since they aren’t absorbed systemically to a significant degree, they don’t cause weight gain.

Antihistamines and Weight Gain: The Bottom Line?

There are lots of medications that cause weight gain that few people are aware of. Whether you’re taking antihistamines or any other drug, check your medication list if you’re gaining weight - and don’t know why.

References:

Medscape.com. "Antihistamines Linked to Extra Pounds"

The copyright of the health article, "Can Taking Antihistamines Cause Weight Gain?," in "Interesting Health Articles" is owned by Dr.Kristie Leong M.D. Permission to republish this article in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.

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Two New Health Benefits of Water

2010-07-17T08:09:00.000-07:00

Dr.Kristie Leong

When the summer sun creates a powerful thirst, many people reach for a sports drink, soft drink, or a cup of fruit juice to replace lost fluids. Maybe they should reach for a glass of water instead. A recent study highlighted some newly discovered health benefits of drinking water. Are you drinking enough of this underappreciated liquid?

Health Benefits of Water: It Could Keep You from Fainting

Scientists at the Vanderbilt University Medical Center recently discovered that plain, ordinary drinking water stimulates baroreceptors in the body that regulate blood pressure. When a person drinks water, it activates the sympathetic nervous system and causes the blood vessels to constrict - increasing blood flow to the brain, while reducing drops in blood pressure.

Based on these findings, the Red Cross did a study on blood donors who were prone to fainting during the process of donating blood. They found that blood donors who drank a sixteen ounce glass of water before donating reduced their risk of fainting during the procedure by twenty percent. This effect seems to be mediated through a protein called Trpv4 that comes into play when the body’s salt concentration is lowered slightly by drinking water.

How can this discovery help? Some people are prone to lightheadedness or dizziness, when they get up too quickly, because of transient drops in blood pressure. Drinking water could help to prevent this. It also offers another explanation as to why drinking water reduces the risk of fainting when a person is outside in the summer heat. It’s also possible that some people who have low blood pressure could benefit from drinking more water.

Other Health Benefits of Drinking Water: Weight Loss?

When water activates the sympathetic nervous, it causes the production of a hormone called epinephrine. Epinephrine increases the rate of fat breakdown - adding further support to the hypothesis that drinking water helps with weight loss. Researchers at Vanderbilt estimate that drinking three glasses of water a day could lead to an additional weight loss of five pounds per year. Drinking very cold water is even better since the body has to expend energy to warm the water to body temperature – further boosting caloric expenditure.

The Health Benefits of Water

It’s the most important liquid on earth, it’s free, and now there are even more reasons to drink it. Take advantage of the many health benefits of water!

References:

Medical News Today. "The Unexpected Role of Water In Blood Pressure Control"

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Shark Cartilage for Treatment of Cancer?

2010-06-10T08:22:00.000-07:00

By Dr.Kristie Leong M.D.

Image Credit: Zac Wolf
A popular book entitled Sharks Don’t Get Cancer first popularized the use of shark cartilage as an alternative treatment for cancer. Although taking shark cartilage to treat cancer has always been unproven, there is some limited evidence that it slows down the growth of new blood vessels that supplies nutrients and oxygen to growing cancer cells in the laboratory. Unfortunately, what holds true in the laboratory doesn’t always apply to to humans Now, a well designed study shows that taking shark cartilage for treatment of cancer doesn’t offer any benefits.

Shark Cartilage for Cancer: What a New Study Shows

In a rigorously designed study, researchers recruited almost 400 patients with advanced small cell lung cancer. Half of the recruits were given shark cartilage in a standardized formulation along with chemotherapy and radiation. The other half received chemotherapy and radiation - but no shark cartilage. Because many shark cartilage supplements on the market contain substandard quality and quantities of shark cartilage, a pharmaceutical company created a shark cartilage “drug” to ensure that each patient got a standardized amount.

The results? The patients who received shark cartilage along with chemotherapy and radiation died, on average, a month sooner than those who got standard treatment. Taking shark cartilage for cancer, at least in these patients, didn’t have any benefits in terms of survival - and the tumors showed no response to the shark cartilage treatment.

Other smaller studies including one sponsored by the National Cancer Institute failed to show that taking shark cartilage for cancer is of benefit. Taking shark cartilage is also not side effect free. Some people using it have reported nausea, bloating, and abdominal cramping.

The whole premise behind this book - the idea that sharks don’t get cancer, has been called into question. It’s now known that they do get cancer, but they’re probably more resistant to it than humans are.

Taking Shark Cartilage for Treatment of Cancer: The Bottom Line

This well designed, rigorously conducted study is in line with previous studies that show that shark cartilage is ineffective for treating cancer. This should put to rest any idea that shark cartilage is good medicine for cancer.

References:

Medscape.com. "Study: Shark Cartilage No Help for Cancer"

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Does an apple a day keep the doctor away?

2010-03-27T23:00:00.000-07:00

By Dr Syed K.Haque

A few weeks back I ate Washington apples. They were of the red delicious variety. My friends and I loved those crunchy, sweet, apples. They asked me why doesn’t, “A papaya, or mango, or any other fruit a day keep the doctor away? What is so unique about an apple that sets it apart from other fruits?”
It seems very true that we can pick up any fruit and then enumerate its several health benefits. Yet it’s interesting to explore what sets the apple apart.

General Health
Apples are low in Vitamin C compared to other fruits. However, they are very rich in other antioxidant compounds. Apples do not have cholesterol, and combined with fibers and low energy density, they’re a good potion for heart disease, weight loss, stroke, etc.

Cancer Prevention
1. Mayo Clinic (USA) study: Quercetin, a flavonoid abundant in apples, helped prevent the growth of prostate cancer cells.
2. Cornell University (USA) study: Phytochemicals in the skin of an apple inhibited the reproduction of colon cancer cells by 43%.
3. National Cancer Institute (USA) study: Flavonoid rich foods reduce the risk of lung cancer by 50%.

Brain Power
In a recent study comparing mice that drank apple juice to those that didn’t, the juice was found to increase mental equity and decrease oxidative stress. This study was conducted in the University of Massachusetts at Lowell, and was published in a recent issue of Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease. The finding suggests that apple juice in conjunction with a balanced diet can protect from age related memory loss.

Interesting Facts
• Apples originated in Kazakhstan and were carried east by traders on Silk Road.
• Apple seeds are like people, you’ll never get the same type of apple from a planted seed.
• One apple has 5grams of fiber, supplying 20% of the recommended daily dose.
• If you took all the Washington apples picked in a year and placed them side by side, they would circle the earth 12 times.

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How to Tell if You Really Need Antibiotics

2010-03-26T08:20:00.000-07:00

By Dr Kristie Leong M.D

Do you really need an antibiotic for congestion and a sore throat? In many cases, the answer is no. Overuse of antibiotics has become a major health problem and has led to an increase in the number of antibiotic resistant strains of bacteria. Doctors are as guilty as patients when it comes to the problem of antibiotic overuse. Most cases of sinusitis and bronchitis get better without antibiotics, but doctors are still too quick to whip out the prescription pad to prescribe antibiotics.

Fortunately, there may be a better way to determine whether a person needs an antibiotic. In a study published in the European Respiratory Journal, researchers found that a simple blood test could be used to see whether an infection is caused by a bacteria or a virus.

This test involves drawing blood to check for levels of a bacterial marker called procalcitonin or PCT. In people with bacterial infections, PCT levels start to rise within the first three hours after they’re infected with a bacteria, whereas people with viral infections show very little or no rise in PCT. This test could be used to quickly and easily see whether a person needs an antibiotic and could help to reduce the overuse of antibiotics.

Antibiotics are only effective for treating infections caused by bacteria, although they’re commonly prescribed to treat viral infections because doctors can’t always determine in the office whether the patient’s symptoms are caused by a bacteria or virus. Prior to PCT testing, the only way to tell was to take cultures and see if bacteria grew up. This method has its drawbacks. It can be difficult to get a good specimen and it takes several days to get results.

Using PCT testing to get a diagnosis and curb the overuse of antibiotics has advantages. The test has good sensitivity and specificity and is easy to interpret, but there are some things that can alter the results. If a patient has been on steroids for any reason, it could cause the test to be falsely negative – meaning there’s a bacterial infection that the test doesn’t pick up. In some cases a doctor’s clinical judgment may override the results of the test – if a patient looks seriously ill, but has negative PCT test results.

Could PCT testing make patients and doctors happy while reducing the overuse of antibiotics? It certainly looks promising.

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Gut Bacteria – Healthy or Unhealthy?

2010-03-06T21:20:00.000-08:00

Dr.Alicia Prater PhD

Inside all of us is a horde of bacteria. More than a thousand species of the single-celled organisms reside in the human digestive tract, undergoing a constant daily cycle of reproduction and excretion. At a young age we become aware of antibiotics, antibacterial products, and the nastiness of germs. So then what are all of those bugs doing inside of us without making us sick?

Healthy Bacteria

There are a number of bacterial species living in our large intestines that we would be nutritionally lost without. The large intestine is home to most of the bacteria in our guts, and it is where these bacteria aid in the digestion of food and the absorption of vitamins and minerals. Examples of such bacteria are clostridium, E. coli, some streptococcus species that break down sugars, and Lactobacillus acidophilus, which is necessary for the breakdown of ingested lactose, a protein found in dairy products, as well as the formation of Vitamin K and folic acid.

The helpful bacteria in the gut also prevent colonization by infectious bacteria. The colonies compete for resources and space, minimizing the impact of ingested pathogens. Antibiotic therapy kills some of the intestinal flora, the helpful bacteria, in addition to the illness being treated, making a person more susceptible to illness and digestive problems until the colonies grow back. A new approach to preventing digestive problems and the damage caused by antibiotics is the ingestion of probiotics, a mixture of commensal bacteria to aid in re-colonizing the gut.

Humans obtain the gut flora as newborns by breastfeeding, as well as during birth from both the mother and environment. The immune response is not fully developed until approximately 9 months of age, giving the bacteria time to make a hospitable home.

Unhealthy Bacteria

From time to time, the bacteria that cohabitate with us peacefully in the digestive tract may be introduced to parts of the body that cannot tolerate the organism. An example would be introduction into the bloodstream during gastrointestinal surgery or aspiration into the lungs. The usually helpful bacteria then cause infection. A recent study also found that some of the bacterial organisms colonizing our guts have genes that are associated with digestive disorders, diabetes, and obesity. Previously, the bacterial species Heliobacter pylori was associated with stomach ulcer formation. Though this bacterium is present in more than half of the world’s population, it is not known as a necessary inhabitant of the gut flora, but instead is a nuisance living among the helpful species.

Whether gut bacteria are healthy or unhealthy depends on a number of factors, such as diet, underlying conditions, and genetics, but most importantly, it is dependent on the bacterial species itself.

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Light and Immunity

2010-02-05T06:26:00.000-08:00

Dr.Syed K.Haque

Health Tip: Some people recommend blue -filter goggles for an hour or two before bedtime. It will raise melatonin levels.Melatonin aids sleep and has anti-oxidant properties.

In mammals, such as human beings, sleep, hormone levels, body temperature, immunity, etc. show circadian rhythm. (24-hour cycle).

Image Credit :YassineMrabet

The photoreceptors in the retina convert visible rays into electrical signals. The signals move to the visual cortex which deciphers the image. However, there is an alternate pathway which takes the signals to the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) in the hypothalamus. It is this, which governs circadian rhythm.(Suprachiasmatic nucleus Video )

Melatonin, norepinephrine, and acetylcholine level decrease under light, on the other hand cortisol, serotonin, GABA, and dopamine levels rise. Melatonin receptor subtypes have been detected on lymphoid tissues. The resulting neuroendocrine changes, modulate immunity. Clinically blind people also show melatonin suppression in the presence of light. Smaller wavelength visible rays, such as blue light, have a stronger effect on melatonin suppression. Some people recommend blue -filter goggles for an hour or two before bedtime. It will raise melatonin levels.Melatonin aids sleep. Studies suggest there is a non-rod non-cone photo pigment for melatonin suppression. Free radical scavenging action of melatonin indirectly assists immunity in protecting the body.

Visible light (400-700 nm i.e VIBGYOR) can enter epidermal and dermal layers of the skin. They perhaps act on circulating lymphocytes to regulate the immune function. In contrast to visible light, exposure to UV-B (280-320 nm) and UV-A (320-400 nm) radiation alters the normal human immune function by a skin mediated response mainly through their action on the antigen-presenting Langerhans cells and keratinocytes. Each UV subtype (B, A) induces an immunosuppressive response but by differing mechanisms involving the regulation of differing interleukins and growth factors. Some beneficial effects observed in humans are: inhibition of allergic contact dermatitis; inhibition of delayed hypersensitivity to an injected antigen and prolongation of skin-graft survival. However, it also promotes tumorigenesis.

References:

1. J Photochem Photobiol B. 1995 Jul;29(1):3-15.Visible light induced changes in the immune response through an eye-brain mechanism (photoneuroimmunology).Roberts JE.
2. Eur J Dermatol. 2003 Nov-Dec;13(6):515-23.Mechanisms involved in ultraviolet light-induced immunosuppression.Aubin F.
3. J Photochem Photobiol B. 2009 Dec 5.Photoimmunomodulation and melatonin.Haldar C, Ahmad R.
4. Br Med J. 1920 June 12; 1(3102): 793–795. THE USE OF X RAYS AS IMMUNITY-RAISING AGENTS BEFORE AND AFTER OPERATION FOR CANCER ;Francis Hernaman-Johnson

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A New Chance for an AIDS Vaccine

2009-11-29T04:28:00.000-08:00

By Dr. Prater

New antibodies against HIV, the human immunodeficiency virus that causes AIDS, have been discovered for the first time in more than a decade. PG9 and PG16 are broadly neutralizing antibodies, and the first to be isolated from donors in developing countries.

Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) is a range of opportunistic infections and immune deficiency symptoms that occur in the context of T cell loss. The loss of immunity is the result of infection with HIV, a retrovirus recognized in the 1980s. The disease has killed more than 20 million people in less than three decades.

Antibodies against the virus are thought to be the key to creating a vaccine for HIV infection. There is currently no cure for AIDS, which is the last and fatal stage of HIV infection. Treatments currently consist of pharmaceutical cocktails to which the virus is showing signs of resistance. A vaccine has been a long sought after “holy grail” of AIDS research, but attempts at creating such a drug have hit obstacles at every turn.

Antibodies are the specific proteins produced by immune cells in response to a particular pathogen, such as HIV. After binding the pathogen, antibodies allow it to be targeted and destroyed by the body’s defenses, preventing or limiting infection. HIV is a different type of pathogen in that it infects the very cells that attack it, and it undergoes constant mutation, making most antibodies obsolete for the broad range of HIV variants. Broadly neutralizing antibodies bind a broader range of viral variants.

The new antibodies also bind to areas of the HIV molecule that have previously proven difficult to exploit, the more vulnerable areas of the pathogen. These areas are the surface proteins HIV uses to infect cells, gp120 and gp41. Once the virus infects the immune cells, it effectively hides away until the body is no longer mounting an effective response against it. Preventing this infection is key to vaccination, and also a way in which current HIV-positive individuals may avoid immune deficiency.

The task at hand is to develop a drug that promotes the creation of the broadly neutralizing antibodies against HIV, i.e. a vaccine. These are not the first broadly neutralizing antibodies to be discovered, but they are more potent against the virus than other antibodies. Increasing their levels in current patients, and arming high-risk individuals with them, may be the first step in curbing the AIDS pandemic.

Further work on these antibodies and the development of a vaccine against HIV is being carried out by the International AIDS Vaccine Initiative.

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Better by design: engineering flu vaccines

2009-03-18T23:29:00.001-07:00

New method could improve vaccines for both seasonal flu and bird flu
HOUSTON -- (March 17, 2009) -- A new computerized method of testing could help world health officials better identify flu vaccines that are effective against multiple strains of the disease. Rice University scientists who created the method say tests of data from bird flu and seasonal flu outbreaks suggest their method can better gauge the efficacy of proposed vaccines than can tests used today.
Rice's Michael Deem, the lead scientist on the project, will present the group's results March 19 at the American Physical Society's 2009 meeting in Pittsburgh. The results are also slated to appear in the forthcoming book "Influenza: Molecular Virology" from Horizon Scientific Press.
Avian flu, or bird flu, is a particularly deadly type of flu that's transmitted from birds to humans. It hasn't yet evolved into a form that can be transmitted readily between humans, but scientists and world health authorities are trying to prepare for a potential outbreak. Because the virus mutates continually, creating a vaccine in advance is problematic. For example, scientists have already found that a vaccine designed for the 1997 strain of bird flu does not work against a 2003 strain.
"Current vaccines contain only a single version of a given flu subtype," Deem said. "We wanted to gauge the effectiveness of a vaccine that contained multiple versions of a given subtype."
World health authorities currently test the efficacy of proposed flu vaccines using either ferrets, which can contract the same forms of flu as people, or genetic assays. Rice's new computerized method could be a cheaper and faster alternative.
With the new method, flu virus mutations are assigned numerical scores. Deem, Rice's John W. Cox Professor of Bioengineering and professor of physics and astronomy, and colleagues developed the method so they could assign a number that captured the amount of difference or similarity between strains. The method can also be used to test how effective a vaccine will be against divergent strains. To verify this, the team checked their results against flu vaccine data collected by the World Health Organization from 1971 to 2004.
"For seasonal influenza, we validated our model against observational data compiled by the World Health Organization's Global Influenza Surveillance Network," Deem said. "We also ran tests against bird flu data. We found that multiple-component bird flu vaccines appeared to be helpful in controlling the simultaneous multiple introduction of bird flu strains."
Influenza viruses are like chameleons. They constantly change the patterns on their outer surface to avoid being targeted by antibodies. This rapid mutation rate is the reason seasonal flu vaccines must be changed annually. However, the vaccines sometimes offer less than ideal protection against newly evolved strains. It takes about six months to produce annual vaccine supplies; also, ideal vaccine strains are often difficult to produce by the standard hen’s egg technology, and alternative strains are substituted.
"Oftentimes, bird flu seems to emerge with multiple strains, and something similar can happen with newly released or evolved strains of seasonal flu as well," Deem said. The computational approach Deem will discuss is able to estimate the need for and the efficacy of a multiple-component vaccine in the face of the emergence of multiple flu strains.
Each year, world health authorities create a flu vaccine that protects against three types of seasonal flu -- two subtypes of type A flu and one subtype of type B.
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Men vs Women:An Internet Research

2009-03-09T05:18:00.000-07:00

This is a comparative study on the behavior of boys and girls in various aspects of one’s life. This study is unique as it is not based on surveys, polls or questionnaire. Many of the biases associated with questionnaire is absent in this type of study. This is an objective study with huge sample size leading to high level of significance. All data has been collected using quantcast.com and google trend.
To begin with I would like to mention that external behavior of anyone depends upon what’s going on in his mind.A person is in his real self when no one is watching. A person is in his real self while using internet in the privacy of his room or cabin. Some of the heavily searched words on the internet are sex, god, money and baby. Take a look at the google trend of users in the United States -
sex god money baby
Among the four things , people search for sex the most and god the least. Now let us compare male and female pattern in different aspects of our life.
Religion
In the above chart we see females outnumber males in the search for bible or, in other word ,God. Could I interpret this graph to say that in USA christain women are more God conscious than christain men?
They say, in USA, females are coming to the fold of Islam in greater number than males (Is this because christain women are more religious than their men, and hence are more in search for the truth?-shown in the first chart).But the above chart shows that males are visiting al-islam.org more often than females. In USA males are more interested in Islam .Could I interpret this graph to say that in USA Muslim males outnumber Muslim females in religiosity?

Sex and Marriage

It’s said that males are spending a lot of time looking for sexual pleasure .But some boys contend that females are as much into it as they. Take a look at the chart below of an adult site-

Males vastly outnumber females in their hunt for sexual satisfaction. But if you look at matrimonial or dating sites the gap between males and females get reduced significantly. Do females want sexual satisfaction only through marriage?

It may be that females are not as much interested in sexual pleasure as they are interested in having husband and babies (or taking care of babies).

Did you notice the similarities between the demography of baby.com and the adult site adultfriendfinder.com? Both carry 68 and 32 percentage though in the reverse order. Just as man is for sex , female is for baby. And both these two words sex and baby are the top two most searched words on the internet worldwide.
What’s happening in the world?
Females’ news reporter and reader may be more common on Television but as far as interest in news is concerned here is another revelation-
Medical Research

Male researchers have been credited with more discoveries than female researchers. But the above chart shows that females visit medical research database, the pubmed, in greater percentage than males. They want to prove their worth or it may be an early sign of the changing trend in the days to come. So watch out there may be more female contributors to research than males in future.

Healthismoney(now Interesting-Health-Facts.com )
The statistic of this blog is also interesting. Take a look at it.

The copyright of the article, "Men vs Women:An Internet Research," in "Interesting Health Articles" is owned by Dr.Syed K.Haque. Permission to republish this article in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.

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