New possibilities for flu antiviral and vaccine research emerge from 'Spanish flu' virus
Findings reported in Science help explain why Spanish flu was so lethal. The 1918 Spanish flu was a global disaster, killing an estimated 20 to 50 million people, many of them otherwise healthy adults. By partially reconstructing the Spanish flu virus, researchers have now discovered at least part of what made the virus so lethal, thus providing essential information for influenza drug and vaccin...New possibilities to fight pests with biological means
Corn plants emit a cocktail of scents when they are attacked by certain pests, such as a caterpillar known as the Egyptian cotton leaf worm. Parasitic wasps use these plant scents to localize the caterpillar and deposit their eggs on it, so that their offspring can feed on the caterpillar. Soon after, the caterpillar dies and the plant is relieved from its attacker. In the case of corn, o...Three-dimensional, miniature endoscope opens new diagnostic possibilities
Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) researchers have developed a new type of miniature endoscope that produces three-dimensional, high-definition images, which may greatly expand the application of minimally invasive diagnostic and therapeutic procedures. In the October 19 issue of Nature, the team from the Wellman Center for Photomedicine at MGH describes their prototype device and a demonstra...Heart failure: Intervention possibilities from imaging programmed cell loss
Using a nuclear medicine technique and molecular imaging to "see" programmed cell loss—the body's normal way of getting rid of unneeded or abnormal cells—may help in early identification of those individuals who are at risk of developing heart failure, say researchers in the April Journal of Nuclear Medicine. "Our study indicates that it is feasible to noninvasively identify cell loss—or a...The quest for an effective HIV vaccine presents new possibilities, challenges
A vaccine that prevents HIV infection remains an important goal in the fight against AIDS, but the current top HIV vaccine candidates may not work in this way, say scientists at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Rather, the first successful preventive HIV vaccines, if administered prior to HIV infection, may reduce...Indian trade possibilities boggle the mind
As I am still in the middle of an Illinois trade mission, this column will focus on some key facts about India, whereas the next one will focus on impressions, some of the peopl...Research on fruit flies opens up possibilities for human treatments
The study, authored by researchers including UW-Madison molecular ge...Islands in the Clickstream: A Vision of Possibilities
is a collection of over 150 reflections on the digital world. WTN will be reprinting excerpts from selecte...Readers respond - Imagining the possibilities
What a difference a week makes. In last week's issue, I noted that while wireless communications were about to get dramatically better, data services for mobile phones were still rather uninspired. For all the hype around mobile data services, we were pretty much wallowing in news, sports, and weather - the fare that was easier and cheaper to receive on the car radio than on the mobile phone. <br...Alien expert illuminates audience on extraterrestrial possibilities
MADISON - Some of extraterrestrial expert s beliefs may leave people bewildered. Speaking to an audience of 300 at the University of Wisconsin-Madison Feb. 19, Drake, director of the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence Institute in Mountain View, Calif., explained the reasons why he believes in...British Healthcare Mission Explores Partnership Possibilities With Indian Healthcare Sector
The Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) and British High Commission organized a seminar to explore the possibility of pushing medical tourism in India along with joint ventures in services and manufacturing. They invited the // United Kingdom Trade and Investment's (UKTI) healthcare mission to lead the discussion with Indian partners in Chennai on Wednesday. The British delegation w...Stem Cell Research - Changing Wishes to Possibilities and Possibilities to Reality
The first International symposium on Stem cell Research and Therapy was conducted in Chennai, on the 6th of January. The programme was organized by LifeCell//, a pioneer in stem cell banking in association with Sri Ramachandra Medical College and Research Institute, one of the reputed medical institutions in the country. Dr. Mammen Chandy, a leading hematologist, CMC, Vellore, headed...Telemedicine Offers New Possibilities in Health Care
Telemedicine, the amalgamation of medicine and modern communications technology, is raising hopes in health care. The ability to monitor patients at a distance means they// can leave the hospital earlier and avoid unnecessary visits to the doctor, which also saves money. Christian Weigand, a computer scientist at the Fraunhofer Institute for Integrated Circuits in Erlangen, Germany, s...Hot Flashes: Studies Explore the Various Possibilities Involved
Many women in the menopausal transition experience hot flashes: unpredictable, sometimes disruptive, periods of intense heat in the upper //torso, neck and face. Although generations of physicians have prescribed hormones to reduce these symptoms, very little research has focused on the underlying causes of hot flashes. Three new studies explore the role of genes, obesity and alcohol c...