NTU scientists achieve bacterium breakthrough

Posted: 25 August 2011

SINGAPORE: Scientists from Nanyang Technological University (NTU) have for the first time re-engineered a common bacterium to seek out and kill other dangerous bacteria, to target a superbug which is naturally resistant to a wide range of antibiotics.

The breakthrough could change the way medical treatment is currently done in hospitals, as it targets only harmful bacteria, unlike the existing broad-spectrum antibiotics which kill both good and bad bacteria.

In a media release on Wednesday, NTU said its scientists were able to modify a harmless strain of Escherichia coli - also known as E. coli - found naturally in the human digestive system, to target a superbug which causes infections such as upper respiratory tract infection, gastrointestinal tract infection and urinary tract infection.

The biochemically engineered E. coli, upon detection of the other bacterium, will generate "killing molecules", and then self-destruct to release these molecules to kill the superbug, while remaining harmless to the human body.

The results have generated interest in the biomedical industry, which is looking for ways to combat infection - one of the world's leading causes of death, said NTU.

The researchers, Assistant Professor Matthew Chang and Assistant Professor Poh Chueh Loo from NTU's School of Chemical and Biomedical Engineering, said the idea for the project came about after they observed that bacteria secrete toxins to kill other bacteria in their bid for survival under adverse competition.

They plan to refine the efficiency of the killing molecules and to find other possible targets, and expect to soon move into animal trials. - TODAY


Taken from ChannelNewsAsia.com; source article is below:
NTU scientists achieve bacterium breakthrough

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The boy who beat cancer

By Leong Wai Kit, channelnewsasia.com | Posted: 24 July 2011

SINGAPORE: When Wong Jun Da was diagnosed with cancer at nine years old, the boy knew there was nothing he could do about it – which was why he decided his world must not come crashing down.

"At that age, I do know about cancer and what it means to have cancer," says the acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) survivor, who is now 16.

"I thought about it for a while, and how it would affect me in future. But after about two minutes, I tried to snap out of it and accept that reality," Jun Da says, recalling his reaction in June 2004 at KK Women's and Children's Hospital.

"Even if I were to cry over it, there is nothing I can do to change that fact," he adds.

Fortunately for Jun Da, doctors did change that fact.

Childhood cancers in S'pore

Every year, about 100 new cases of cancer are reported in Singapore, with ALL being the most common one.

Treatment for ALL include chemotherapy, radiation and in some cases, bone marrow transplants.

The survival rate for children with ALL is at between 70 and 90 per cent, which is "very good", says the Children's Cancer Foundation (CCF).

A dose of determination

Jun Da began chemotherapy in June 2004 but suffered a relapse in September 2005.

He was then put through more intensive treatment, including full-body radiation in 2005 followed by a cord blood transplant in 2006.

To focus on his treatment, Jun Da stopped attending school for two years when he was in primary five.

His mom, Mdm Koh Bee Geok, says: "We didn't hire tutors because Jun Da said he could self-study so we let him do that for two years.

"A few days before his PSLE (Primary School Leaving Examination), he was warded for bronchitis and had to sit for the exam in hospital."

But that did not stop Jun Da, who aspires to be an artist, from doing well enough to get into the express stream in Bedok South Secondary School.

Something to smile about

By the time Jun Da was cleared of his cancer in May 2009 - at age 14 – he had already undergone about six surgeries.

Although his treatment was not a bed of roses, Jun Da often tries to find something to smile about.

"I was able to look on the brighter side despite my condition because I think I had some maturity to begin with.

"And I think having cancer didn't kill that optimism but instead, helped me appreciate the things around me.

"For instance, though cancer stopped me from being a child for two years, I gained in other ways, including forming close friendships with nurses and social workers (from CCF)."

These days, Jun Da the survivor has been actively giving back to the community.

Besides doing volunteer work with Make a Wish, an organisation which helps grant the wishes of children with life-threatening medical conditions, Jun Da also makes time to share his experience with other children with cancer.

And on Sunday, Jun Da will help out at the CCF's Hair for Hope event at VivoCity, to raise funds for children with cancer.

The CCF, which has served about 1,950 families since 1996, needs about S$3.5 million each year. Donations can be made to the CCF via its website at http://www.ccf.org.sg/sponsors_donors/donate.html

-CNA/wk/ac


Taken from ChannelnewsAsia.com; source article is below:
The boy who beat cancer

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Scientists find genes linked to migraines

Posted: 14 June 2011

PARIS - Scientists have uncovered a trio of genes tied to migraine headaches, including one in which the link is exclusive to women, according to a study published on Sunday.

Migraines are acutely debilitating headaches - sometimes with an "aura", in which patients have the impression of seeing through frosted glass - that strike up to 20 percent of the population.

Scientists describe the condition, which is three to four times more common in women, as a brain disorder in which neurons, or brain cells, respond abnormally to stimuli.

The precise cause is unknown, but inheritance is thought to play a significant role.

To assess the genetic component, Markus Schuerks of Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston coordinated an international sweep of genomes in 23,230 women, 5,122 of whom suffered from migraines.

So-called genome-wide association studies compare differences between individuals across the approximately three billion pairs of basic molecular building blocks found in the human genetic code.

The study, published on Sunday in the British journal Nature Genetics, is the largest to date of its kind. It found variations in three genes that showed up more frequently in migraine patients.

Two of them, known as PRDM16 and TRPM8, were specific to migraines, as opposed to other kinds of headaches.

TRPM8, in addition, was linked to migraines only in women. Earlier studies have shown that the same gene contains the genetic "blueprint" for a pain sensor, in both men and women.

The third suspect gene, LRP1, is involved in sensing the external world and in chemical pathways inside the brain.

"The brain of a person with migraine responds differently to certain stimuli, their nerve cells 'talk' differently to each other," explained Shuerks in an email.

"Many neurotransmitters are involved in this cross-talk and some seem to have a special role in migraines. LRP1 interacts with some of these neurotransmitter pathways and may thus modulate nerve responses that promote or suppress migraine attacks."

None of the genetic variants appeared to be connected specifically to migraines with or without auras.

The findings, published in Nature Genetics, were replicated in two smaller population-based studies, one in the Netherlands and the other in Germany, and in a clinical group followed by the International Headache Genetics Consortium.

"Inheritance of any of the genetic variants alters migraine risk by about 10 to 15 percent," said Schuerks.

The influence of these genes is probably not large enough to be immediately used as a diagnostic tool. But the result "is an advancement of the understanding of migraine biology," he said.

- AFP/al


-----

Taken from ChannelNewsAsia.com; source article is below:
Scientists find genes linked to migraines

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How to dull the brain

This may be one study that proves the old, old saying:

"Better to be the rat among the cats,
than to be the cat among the rats."

Read on...
-----

Brain patterns predict mistakes: study

CHICAGO - It turns out that dull tasks really do numb the brain. Researchers have discovered that as people perform monotonous tasks, their brain shifts towards an at-rest mode whether they like it or not.

And by monitoring that area of the brain, they were able to predict when someone was about to make a mistake before they made it, a study published Monday in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences found.

"There's this thing that's probably intrinsic where your brain says I do need to take a little break here and there's nothing you can do about it," said study author Tom Eichele of Norway's University of Bergen.

"Probably everyone knows that feeling that sometimes your brain is not as receptive or as well performing and you didn't do anything to actually induce that."

When that happens, blood flows into the part of the brain which is more active in states of rest.

And since this state begins about 30 seconds prior to a mistake being made, it could be possible to design an early-warning system which could alert people to be more focused or more careful, Eichele said.

That could significantly improve workplace safety and also improve performance in key tasks such as airport security screening.

"We might be able to build a device (that could be placed) on the heads of people that make these easy decisions," he told AFP.

"We can measure the signal and give feedback to the user that well, your brain is in the state where your decisions are not going to be the right one."

Eichele and his colleagues in the United States, Britain and Germany were able to detect these brain patterns with MRI scans, which are not portable.

The next step is to see if more mobile EEG devices are able to detect the phenomenon.

A prototype of a wireless, mobile, and lightweight EEG amplifier is currently in development and could be ready for the market in 10 to 15 years, he said. - AFP/ar


From ChannelNewsAsia.com; source article is below:Brain patterns predict mistakes: study
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This proves the concept of how to draw, alternate method

If you think that you don't have the talent to draw, one method suggested by researchers is that you invert the image, or that you turn it upside down, or whatever position - to break away the brain's recognition of that object you want to draw - then your brain can freely follow the lines and curves and everything else - then you are able to draw in a 'normal' way.

Watch this video. Would you be able to guess from the start what she was drawing/painting?

This proves that concept.

Happy drawing!

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