The Xiaomi Phone managed to pique our interest by packing a 1.5Ghz dual-core processor into a fairly sleek, inexpensive package -- and, like all interesting new devices, it's now been torn completely apart. You can thank the folks at LeiPhone for doing the hard work in this case, the results of which can be found at the source link below. We'll soon also have some more impressions of the (intact) phone ourselves, and it looks like Xiaomi will be giving its own forum members the first crack at pre-orders for the device. Those start at 10PM Eastern tonight for those with the requisite number of points, and we're told that the first 600 orders (200 each day from the 29th to the 31st) will receive an "engineering special edition" version of the phone -- not to mention a slight discount off the list price.
Health Reporter Helen Rae takes a look at a project that is helping men in the North East get fit and active
HEALTH trainers at Newcastle United are using their skills to tackle men?s health in the region.
Iqbal Ahmed and Stephen Hutchinson are working with men from Newcastle, North Tyneside and Northumberland in a bid to raise their awareness of health and wellbeing through the medium of football.
The pair recently passed their City and Guild Level 3 Health Trainer Certificate and Newcastle United Foundation is helping to tackle the issue of men?s health through an initiative known as Premier League Health.
The project encourages local dads to play more sport, stop smoking and lose weight in order to lead a fitter and healthier lifestyle.
The scheme, funded by the new Football Pools, NHS North East and National Social Marketing centre, also points the dads in the direction of local agencies that can help them in their quest to become more fit and healthy.
Currently, the scheme runs regular football sessions at the Westgate Centre for Sport in the West End of Newcastle and at the Hirst Welfare Centre in Ashington, Northumberland.
The initiative is aimed at men aged 18 or over who are either unemployed, on low income or claiming benefits; people who have learning disabilities; vulnerable adults; ex-offenders; migrant communities, refugees and asylum seekers and those who have experienced or are experiencing mental ill-health.
Iqbal, 33, had a variety of customer service jobs before becoming a health trainer with Newcastle United Foundation but was always a keen football fan.
Now that he is fully qualified as a community health trainer Iqbal said: ?Working in your local community is great ? that combined with working for your local football club makes this a fantastic job.?
Iqbal works mainly with men in the West End of Newcastle motivating and supporting them in making changes to improve their health.
This may vary from wanting to take part in more exercise to taking part in one or more of the weekly football sessions.
Some of the men may also attend the HealthWORKS gym where Iqbal creates weight plans, smoking cessations and personal health plans. he also visits local mosques, where he offers health checks and advice, mainly on diabetes and stop smoking services.
Stephen, 25, previously worked as a sports coach with Newcastle United Foundation before moving to the USA to be a football coach. he then worked as a gym instructor and a football referee before qualifying as a community health trainer with the Foundation.
He said: ?being fully qualified in the role is great. although it was a big piece of work I can do my job better because I?m fully qualified and I?ve had the training to enable me to do this.
?I feel really privileged to work for Newcastle United Foundation as it allows me to use my passion for football and health to improve the health and fitness of the people of the region.?
Currently, Stephen focuses on running football, gym and one-to-one sessions with local dads. The aim of all these sessions is to reduce their amount of alcohol consumption, improve their diet, help them to quit smoking and to increase the amount of exercise they take part in.
In order to become fully qualified in their roles the pair had to complete four units in topics surrounding communication and strategy.
These units ensured the pair could communicate with local people as well as ensuring they had the relevant knowledge and ability to put together strategies to help people improve their lifestyle.
Part of the training also involved shadowing others with similar roles. Iqbal was also required to study for the City and Guild Level 3 Health Trainer Certificate which allowed him to build on both practical and knowledgeable skills around aspects of the NHS trainer role.
Doing this certificate meant Iqbal learned about topics including empowerment, relationship development and responsibilities.
Other topics the pair carried out training in included food and nutrition, mental health, first aid, understanding obesity, NHS basic observations, mentoring, food hygiene and the FA Level 2 coaching course.
Iqbal describes men?s health as ?a very broad spectrum? and says he wishes to continue training in the role, mainly focusing on issues that most men in our region are facing such as diabetes, being overweight and smoking.
Stephen is looking to start his nutrition level three training and mental health first aid and wellbeing qualification.
He believes by gaining qualifications in these topics he will be able to help men in the region who have difficulties opening up and speaking about their problems.
Since the initiative started two years ago 475 people have attended the sessions put on by Iqbal and Stephen, three of which have gone on to achieve their Level one award in football coaching and now volunteer at Ashington FC where they help to run younger teams.
In the second year of the initiative operating in the region, there was an increase of 53% in the number of people participating with the majority of men aged between 18 and 35.
In the coming year the pair aim to establish an 11 a side football team in Newcastle?s West End as well as a five a side league for the community. they would also like to introduce a talent spotting day to encourage more black and ethnic minority groups to become more involved in football.
The pair are planning to work more closely with local taxi drivers and aim to carry out more mini health MOTs with them to discuss the small changes they can make to ensure that they are living a healthy and active lifestyle.
For more information on the Premier League Health programme and for details on how to join contact Iqbal Ahmed on 0782589783 or Stephen Hutchinson on 07826550937.
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Arlington police officers investigate an area where a fan fell during a baseball game between the Los Angeles Angels and Texas Rangers at the Texas Rangers Ballpark in Arlington, Saturday, Aug. 27, 2011, in Arlington, Texas. The Rangers put out a release stating that a male adult fell on the stairwell that is located adjacent to the home plate entrance to the ballpark. The fan was transported to a local hospital and his condition is unknown. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)
Arlington police officers investigate an area where a fan fell during a baseball game between the Los Angeles Angels and Texas Rangers at the Texas Rangers Ballpark in Arlington, Saturday, Aug. 27, 2011, in Arlington, Texas. The Rangers put out a release stating that a male adult fell on the stairwell that is located adjacent to the home plate entrance to the ballpark. The fan was transported to a local hospital and his condition is unknown. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)
An Arlington police officer points down to a landing below as the two investigate an area where a fan fell during a baseball game between the Los Angeles Angels and Texas Rangers at the Texas Rangers Ballpark in Arlington, Saturday, Aug. 27, 2011, in Arlington, Texas. The Rangers put out a release stating that a male adult fell on the stairwell that is located adjacent to the home plate entrance to the ballpark. The fan was transported to a local hospital and his condition is unknown. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)
Arlington police officers and staff security investigate an area where a fan fell during a baseball game between the Los Angeles Angels and Texas Rangers at the Texas Rangers Ballpark in Arlingto, Saturday, Aug. 27, 2011, in Arlington, Texas. The Rangers put out a release stating that a male adult fell on the stairwell that is located adjacent to the home plate entrance to the ballpark. The fan was transported to a local hospital and his condition is unknown. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)
ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) ? A male fan fell on a stairwell near the home plate gate while leaving Rangers Ballpark.
After Texas' 8-4 loss to the Los Angeles Angels on Saturday night, the team said in a statement that it was monitoring reports of the man's condition. The adult fan got immediate attention at the stadium before being taken to a hospital, the team said.
Rangers spokesman John Blake said the team had no other information.
At Rangers Ballpark on July 7, Brownwood firefighter Shannon Stone died after tumbling over a railing and falling about 20 feet to concrete behind the left-field wall after reaching out to catch a baseball tossed his way.
Posted: August 29, 2011 at 1:09 am | Tags: port macquarie accommodation, port macquarie holiday, port macquarie hotels, port macquarie resort
Port Macquarie Holidays offer travellers the very best that New South Wales has to offer. As well as being handily found north of Sydney, the entire Hastings region offers some of the most stunning coastline and beaches along the north coast.
The tidal resort city, located close to the mouth of the stunning Hastings Brook, is the ideal location for a weekend getaway, or a much longer holiday.
What to Do On Port Macquarie Holidays
Port Macquarie holidays offer the ideal opportunitychance to enjoy a good range of activities. Whether you?re searching for family outings or something to appeal to the most intrepid holiday-maker, or everything in between, you will find it on the Hastings Coast.
The Top 5 Tourist Activities in the Hastings
Get Back to Nature
The Hastings region offers some of the most amazing natural rainforest walking trails that offer glorious scenery and an opportunity to explore the amazing nature of NSW.
Keep your eyes open, as the Port Macquarie area is home to lots of Australian wildlife, including kangaroos, koalas, platypus, wallabies, all sorts of reptiles and lots of species of birds to look out for. If you don?t don?t desire to hunt for wildlife out in natural habitats, head out to the Billabong Koala and Wildlife Park for a great zoo experience.
Get Out On the Water
With more than 16kms of relaxing golden beaches surrounded by lovely green hinterland along the Hastings River, there?s nothing better than getting out on the water. Enjoy a slow cruise along the waterways or get the adrenalin pumping in a jet boat thrill ride, or brave the waves on a jet-ski, or perhaps even a little water skiing is more your pace. There?s lots to enjoy out on the waves of the Pacific Ocean.
Port Macquarie holidays are ideal for whale and dolphin lovers, with a large number of sightings within view off the coast. The spotless beaches are also ideal for a relaxed family picnic, or merely enjoying the sun.
Make Your Own Journey
One of the explanations Port Macquarie is a popular holiday maker vacation locations is that it?s possible to build your own exciting experience to suit your own preferences. The big attraction in the Hastings area is definitely the Great Outdoors, and there?s certainly an abundance of things to do. Enjoy a leisurely game of golf or a pleasant game of tennis before pony riding along the beach or along the nature trails.
If you?re after something a bit more exciting, head out for some sky-diving, rock climbing, abseiling, surfing, water skiing, jet-skiing, canoeing, or just hire a 4-wheel drive and explore the area to see what you will find.
Explore Local Wineries
The Hastings area around Port Macquarie is swiftly becoming widely recognised as a premier destination for fine food and premium wine. The many wineries and boutique breweries in the neighborhood offer enthusiasts the opportunity to truly get out and taste the wonders created from regional produce.
Head Into Town
The Port Macquarie Township offers lots to keep adults and children alike entertained, excited or interested. Browse through some of the local boutique shops or arts and crafts centers in the area to fulfil your shopping desires.
You will find lots of studios to explore, or learn more about the heritage of the region with a trip to one of the museums. Of course, there are lots of fantastic coffee shops bistros, and diners to enjoy that truly showcase the best of Port Macquarie?s locally grown produce.
With such a lot to do and see, it should be easily apparent why Port Macquarie Vacations should be your first choice to spend your next vacation away.
If you?re looking for a Port Macquarie Hotel, Beach Blue Resorts offers high quality Holiday Stays at a reasonable cost. You?ll find out additional information about whats on in Port Macquarieor availablePort Macquarie Accommodationby going to our site.
Amsterdam, a Netherlands ? Royal Philips Electronics (NYSE:PHG, AEX: PHI) now announced a appointment of Carole Wainaina as Chief Human Resources Officer, effective Sep 1, 2011. Ms. Wainaina will attain Hayko Kroese and will news directly to Philips Chief Executive Officer Frans outpost Houten.
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?I am assured Carole will pro-actively assistance figure a right sourroundings for Philips to accelerate a essential growth, while ensuring we serve raise a lure as a association to work for,?? pronounced Philips Chief Executive Officer Frans outpost Houten. ?She brings a prolonged career in opposite continents and clever qualities in change government and caring growth to Philips. At a same time we would like to demonstrate my appreciation to Hayko for his past contributions to Philips, and appreciate him for his joining and comfortable heart for a tellurian side of a business. He has been a valued HR partner to a Board of Management and we wish Hayko a really best for his future.
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?I am really vehement to join Philips, a truly tellurian association with activities in some-more than 100 markets,? pronounced Ms. Wainaina. ?I demeanour brazen to leveraging my tellurian knowledge to assistance pierce Philips forward.?
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Carole Wainaina (Kenyan, 1966) joins Philips from The Coca-Cola Company, where she is now formed in London and obliged for Human Resources in Europe. Having started her career during Price Waterhouse in Kenya in 1989 as a consultant, Carole assimilated a Coca-Cola Company in 1998 and has worked for that association in Africa, Eurasia, Europe and a United States. She was Chief of Staff and Executive Assistant to Coca-Cola?s former Chairman and CEO in Atlanta between Jun 2007 and Dec 2008.
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Hayko Kroese, following a longer HR career with a company, has been a Group Chief HR Officer given 2007. After his depart per 1st of Sep he will take some months off after that he will be deliberation destiny career options.
Royal Philips Electronics of a Netherlands (NYSE: PHG, AEX: PHI) is a diversified health and contentment company, focused on improving people?s lives by timely innovations. As a universe personality in healthcare, lifestyle and lighting, Philips integrates technologies and pattern into people-centric solutions, formed on elemental patron insights and a code guarantee of ?sense and simplicity?. Headquartered in a Netherlands, Philips employs about 117,000 employees with sales and services in some-more than 100 countries worldwide. With sales of EUR 22.3 billion in 2010, a association is a marketplace personality in cardiac care, strident caring and home healthcare, appetite fit lighting solutions and new lighting applications, as good as lifestyle products for personal contentment and pleasure with clever caring positions in masculine shred and grooming, unstable party and verbal healthcare. News from Philips is located at?www.philips.com/newscenter.
Forward-looking statements
This recover might enclose certain forward-looking statements with honour to a financial condition, formula of operations and business of Philips and certain of a skeleton and objectives of Philips with honour to these items. By their nature, forward-looking statements engage risk and doubt since they describe to events and count on resources that will start in a destiny and there are many factors that could means tangible formula and developments to differ materially from those voiced or pragmatic by these forward-looking statements.
Katherine Heigl lunches with daughter Naleigh and husband Josh Kelley (not pictured) at a restaurant in the actress's Los Feliz, Calif., neighborhood on Tuesday.
A garden would be easy to do, if all you needed was to put some seed in the ground and watch it grow, but it doesn?t work that way. After you get most of the hard work carried out, and your plants start to grow, that is when the pests show up to attack your plants. Keeping the garden as clean as possible will help to protect against pests from showing up. A compost pile wouldn?t seem to be a problem area, but lots of waste, and unkempt spots that are uncared for could be a problem.
Several of the organic helps for ridding your garden of pests are earthworms, and their continuous stirring of the soil, keeping it open to air and water. Several kinds of birds, like robins and sparrows, prey on typical insects. Some insects, like the ladybug, do a good deed by feeding on harmful insects. You should be thankful when you hear toads croaking because that implies they?re eating lots of your potential pest insects. Setting up a garden that is appealing to birds and toads is advisable for a gardener who wants to keep away those harmful insects.
Birds are going to hang all over your yard if you have a birdhouse, sprinkle some grain in early spring, and have a place for water. To fix things up for the toads, you will certainly require a nice shady spot. Find a nice shrub and place some damp leaves along with a few stones within its shade. The toads would take pleasure in the cool shade in the sizzling summer and enjoy feasting on insects during the evening. To figure out which general class of insects an insect belongs to you, need to take a look at how the insect works.
Grasshoppers and caterpillars are of the kind that gnaws, and chews parts of the plant. Mosquitoes and plant lice are actually scale insects that fasten themselves to a plant after which draw all the juice from it. Gnawing insects are usually poisoned using a spray that is applied on the plant; they will ingest it along with the plant. Another option would be to spray the plants, and thus the insects, directly with insecticides. Each one does a deadly job on the insects. By seeing what kind of damage has been done and viewing the insect itself, gardeners can then verify which species of insect is attacking their plants.
When the stalk of one of your delicate plants has been completely severed, you can anticipate that a cutworm is the culprit. In case you happen to see a caterpillar with gray stripes, it is usually a cutworm. As they do their work at night instead of during the day, they are hard to find. Make use of paper or tin collars to protect your plants. Plant lice are generally more widespread and will be green, red, brown, or yellow. They?re not really hard to find as they hold fast to the plant.
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Tags: Gardening, home, Home Garden
This entry was posted on Friday, August 26th, 2011 at 13:39 and is filed under Gardening. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
[unable to retrieve full-text content]Panic anxiety disorder is actually quite common. However, people that suffer from this disorder on a very high level are then forced to get medical help, and this is for the individual to cope properly. There are moments when individuals have ...
ScienceDaily (Aug. 25, 2011) ? For a few years now, scientists have known that humans and their evolutionary cousins had some casual flings, but now it appears that these liaisons led to a more meaningful relationship.
Sex with Neanderthals and another close relative -- the recently discovered Denisovans -- has endowed some human gene pools with beneficial versions of immune system genes, report researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine in an article to be published online by the journal Science at the Science Express website on Aug. 25.
Although modern humans, Neanderthals and Denisovans share a common ancestor in Africa, the groups split into separate, distinct populations approximately 400,000 years ago. The Neanderthal lineage migrated northwestward into West Asia and Europe, and the Denisovan lineage moved northeastward into East Asia. The ancestors of modern man stayed in Africa until 65,000 years or so ago, when they expanded into Eurasia and then encountered the other human-like groups. In some cases, the rendezvous were amorous in nature.
Last year, a partial genome sequence of Neanderthals, who died out approximately 30,000 years ago, revealed that these trysts left as much as 4 percent Neanderthal DNA in the genetic blueprint of some present-day humans. Last December, the genome of another human cousin, the extinct Denisovans, made clear that up to 6 percent of some people's genomes are Denisovan in origin.
Now, a team of researchers led by Peter Parham, PhD, professor of structural biology and of microbiology and immunology, has found that these matings had a positive effect on modern human fitness. "The cross breeding wasn't just a random event that happened, it gave something useful to the gene pool of the modern human," said Parham, who is senior author on the study.
The useful gift was the introduction of new variants of immune system genes called the HLA class I genes, which are critical for our body's ability to recognize and destroy pathogens. HLA genes are some of the most variable and adaptable genes in our genome, in part because the rapid evolution of viruses demands flexibility on the part of our immune system.
"The HLA gene system, with its diversity of variants, is like a magnifying glass," said lead author Laurent Abi-Rached, PhD, explaining that it provides a lot more detail about the history of populations than typical gene families. Abi-Rached is a research associate in the Parham lab.
Prior to the sequencing of the Neanderthal and Denisovan genomes, Parham and his group had suspected that at least one HLA variant came from archaic humans. They determined that the variant known as HLA-B*73 is rare in present-day African populations but occurs with significant frequency in West Asian populations. The ethnic distribution of HLA-B*73 and its similarity across populations suggested that it came from a relatively recent co-mingling of modern human and archaic human DNA, which most likely would have happened outside of Africa. Parham's team wanted to discern which archaic humans were the source of the HLA-B*73 gene type. In the last year they have found the answer in the genome sequence of a recently discovered human relative, the Denisovans, whose existence first came to light in 2008 with the discovery of an unfamiliar finger bone and tooth in a cave in Siberia.
By comparing the HLA genes of the archaic humans with modern humans, the researchers were able to show that the HLA-B*73 allele likely came from cross breeding with Denisovans. Little is known about what the Denisovans looked like (the finger bone and the tooth are the only known fossils), but the genome sequence extracted from the finger bone gives insight into where they overlapped with modern humans. Gene flow from the Denisovans into modern humans has left the highest frequency of the HLA-B*73 allele in populations in West Asia, the most likely site for the fortuitous mating to have taken place.
Even in West Asian populations, the HLA-B*73 variant never represents more than 5 percent of all known variants of that gene. However, other human HLA types that arose from ancient matings are found in much greater frequencies. "Certain traits coming from these archaic humans have become the dominant form," said Parham. For example, another HLA gene type, called HLA-A*11, is absent from African populations, but represents up to 64 percent of variants in East Asia and Oceania, with the greatest frequency in people from Papua New Guinea. "The likely interpretation was that these HLA class variants provided an advantage to modern human and so rose to high frequencies," Parham said.
A similar scenario is seen in some HLA gene types found in the Neanderthal genome, which was also sequenced from DNA extracted from ancient bones. These gene variants are common in European and Asian populations but rare in African populations. "We are finding frequencies in Asia and Europe that are far greater than whole genome estimates of archaic DNA in modern human genomes, which is 1 to 6 percent," said Parham. Within one class of HLA gene, the researchers estimate that Europeans owe half of their variants to interbreeding with Neanderthals and Denisovans, Asians owe up to 80 percent and Papua New Guineans, up to 95 percent.
"This is not the pattern seen genome-wide," said Abi-Rached. "The HLA system is unique in its diversity and the strength of natural selection acting on it, but it's possible that other gene systems, particularly the ones under similar pressure for variation, could show a similar pattern."
Other Stanford-affiliated authors include Matthew Jobin, PhD, lecturer in the Department of Anthropology; postdoctoral scholar Subhash Kulkarni, PhD; research assistant Farbod Babrzadeh; visiting scholar Baback Gharizadeh, PhD; and research associates Lisbeth Guethlein, PhD, and Paul Norman, PhD. The Stanford researchers collaborated with colleagues at the Royal Free Hospital, in the United Kingdom; Ankara University, in Turkey; the National Marrow Donor Program, in Minneapolis; the University of Manitoba; the University of Nairobi; the National Cancer Institute; Liverpool University; UCLA; Canadian Blood Services; and UC-Santa Cruz.
The study was funded by National Institutes of Health, the Yerkes Center, the National Science Foundation and the National Cancer Institute.
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Story Source:
The above story is reprinted (with editorial adaptations by ScienceDaily staff) from materials provided by Stanford University Medical Center. The original article was written by Susan L. Young.
Journal Reference:
Laurent Abi-Rached, Matthew J. Jobin, Subhash Kulkarni, Alasdair McWhinnie, Klara Dalva, Loren Gragert, Farbod Babrzadeh, Baback Gharizadeh, Ma Luo, Francis A. Plummer, Joshua Kimani, Mary Carrington, Derek Middleton, Raja Rajalingam, Meral Beksac, Steven G. E. Marsh, Martin Maiers, Lisbeth A. Guethlein, Sofia Tavoularis, Ann?Margaret Little, Richard E. Green, Paul J. Norman, Peter Parham. The Shaping of Modern Human Immune Systems by Multiregional Admixture with Archaic Humans. Science, 2011; DOI: 10.1126/science.1209202
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.
I received good an out-of-state fin.aid, if i prove that I am in-state,will they reduce it?
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SixfeettallI certainly hope not, but if you find out, I'd be interested in knowing that. What an appalling idea. Law-abiding peop...
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Are there any government funding or grants that help low income senior citizens?Any grants to help with home repairs or bills? Food?
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Single vaccines to protect against both rabies and EbolaPublic release date: 25-Aug-2011 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Steve Graff stephen.graff@jefferson.edu 215-955-6300 Thomas Jefferson University
Partnering with the NIH, Thomas Jefferson University successfully tests a vaccine in mice that could lead to a more effective public health tool in Africa
PHILADELPHIAResearchers from Thomas Jefferson University, among other institutions, including the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, have developed single vaccines to protest against both rabies and the Ebola virus.
Successfully tested in mice, these bivalent vaccines have several advantages over other Ebola candidates that could help speed up development for use in humans and primates. It's built on the same platform as the already approved and financially viable rabies vaccine, and it protects at-risk populations against two viruses, not just one, making it an effective and ideal public health tool.
"Many Ebola vaccine candidates have been proven effective, but none are close to licensure," said Matthias Schnell, Ph.D., director of the Jefferson Vaccine Center. "One of the challenges is the market: There's rather limited incentive in creating a vaccine for Ebola. But these vaccines could change that."
The findings were published ahead of print online August 17 in the Journal of Virology.
The Ebola virus belongs to the Filoviridae family and is comprised of five distinct species. The Zare, Sudan and Bundibugyo species have been associated with large Ebola hemorrhagic fever outbreaks in Africa. According to the World Health Organization, more than a thousand people have died from the virus since it was discovered in 1976.
"Rabies still poses a health threat for people worldwide, and is especially devastating in developing nations where a post exposure treatment is often not available. And Ebola still exists in parts of Central Africa and is also a chief bioterrorism concern worldwide," said Dr. Schnell, who is also a Professor in the Department of Microbiology and Immunology at Thomas Jefferson University. "You can protect these people from two very lethal diseases in an area where they don't have the best access to medical care."
The purpose of this study was to identify novel vaccine candidates for Ebola with a maximum potential of licensure and utilization.
Researchers generated a chemically inactivated and live rabies virus expressing the Ebola Zare species glycoprotein using a reverse genetics system based on the commonly-used rabies vaccine. Immunizations with those vaccines, the researchers found, induced immunity against each virus and conferred protection from both viruses in mice.
Piggy backing, in a sense, on the rabies vaccine could accelerate development of vaccines that protects against Ebola because of the advanced state of the rabies vaccine's safety, production and distribution, according to Schnell.
"After the vaccine has been tested in primates and eventually humans, this new vaccine could kill the proverbially two birds with one stone," he said.
There are implications for nonhumans, toogorillas, in particular. The Ebola virus has eradicated thousands of gorillas, prompting the World Conservation Union to raise their status to "critically endangered" in 2007, the first time a mammal has become critically endangered as a direct result of disease. Vaccinations, though challenging, could stall those deaths.
What's more, several human outbreaks have been attributed to primate interaction or handling, so providing a vaccine for our closest relative could minimize that risk.
###
[ | E-mail | Share ]
?
AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
Single vaccines to protect against both rabies and EbolaPublic release date: 25-Aug-2011 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Steve Graff stephen.graff@jefferson.edu 215-955-6300 Thomas Jefferson University
Partnering with the NIH, Thomas Jefferson University successfully tests a vaccine in mice that could lead to a more effective public health tool in Africa
PHILADELPHIAResearchers from Thomas Jefferson University, among other institutions, including the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, have developed single vaccines to protest against both rabies and the Ebola virus.
Successfully tested in mice, these bivalent vaccines have several advantages over other Ebola candidates that could help speed up development for use in humans and primates. It's built on the same platform as the already approved and financially viable rabies vaccine, and it protects at-risk populations against two viruses, not just one, making it an effective and ideal public health tool.
"Many Ebola vaccine candidates have been proven effective, but none are close to licensure," said Matthias Schnell, Ph.D., director of the Jefferson Vaccine Center. "One of the challenges is the market: There's rather limited incentive in creating a vaccine for Ebola. But these vaccines could change that."
The findings were published ahead of print online August 17 in the Journal of Virology.
The Ebola virus belongs to the Filoviridae family and is comprised of five distinct species. The Zare, Sudan and Bundibugyo species have been associated with large Ebola hemorrhagic fever outbreaks in Africa. According to the World Health Organization, more than a thousand people have died from the virus since it was discovered in 1976.
"Rabies still poses a health threat for people worldwide, and is especially devastating in developing nations where a post exposure treatment is often not available. And Ebola still exists in parts of Central Africa and is also a chief bioterrorism concern worldwide," said Dr. Schnell, who is also a Professor in the Department of Microbiology and Immunology at Thomas Jefferson University. "You can protect these people from two very lethal diseases in an area where they don't have the best access to medical care."
The purpose of this study was to identify novel vaccine candidates for Ebola with a maximum potential of licensure and utilization.
Researchers generated a chemically inactivated and live rabies virus expressing the Ebola Zare species glycoprotein using a reverse genetics system based on the commonly-used rabies vaccine. Immunizations with those vaccines, the researchers found, induced immunity against each virus and conferred protection from both viruses in mice.
Piggy backing, in a sense, on the rabies vaccine could accelerate development of vaccines that protects against Ebola because of the advanced state of the rabies vaccine's safety, production and distribution, according to Schnell.
"After the vaccine has been tested in primates and eventually humans, this new vaccine could kill the proverbially two birds with one stone," he said.
There are implications for nonhumans, toogorillas, in particular. The Ebola virus has eradicated thousands of gorillas, prompting the World Conservation Union to raise their status to "critically endangered" in 2007, the first time a mammal has become critically endangered as a direct result of disease. Vaccinations, though challenging, could stall those deaths.
What's more, several human outbreaks have been attributed to primate interaction or handling, so providing a vaccine for our closest relative could minimize that risk.
###
[ | E-mail | Share ]
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We know the Samsung Galaxy S II is coming to the US. We're almost certain that every one of the four major US carriers will get their own flavor, and it looks like we already know what the Sprint version (referred to as the Epic 4G Touch this week) is going to look like thanks to Samsung's teaser video about the US launch. We don't buy into the September 9 date shown on the weather widget being the launch date just yet, (we've seen that many times before and they rarely pan out), but the Sprint visual voicemail icon being shown off on the homescreen? That's pretty hard to just dismiss as coincidence. Add that to the fact that the version shown has the four capacitive buttons we're used to from Samsung, and a different overall shape, and it all adds up. Hopefully, it does show itself on September 9 -- it's about time someone gets one of these out in the US. If the hurricane gods allow it, we'll know more on Aug 29.
NEW YORK (AP) ? The earthquake that began in Virginia and was felt as far north as New York briefly threatened to reverse Tuesday's stock rally. The Dow Jones industrial average sank 60 points soon after the quake hit, but quickly recovered.
Lou Pastina, head of operations at the New York Stock Exchange, said the street-level trading floor in Lower Manhattan didn't shake. People in many tall buildings in the area felt a rumbling and their employees went outside and gathered on sidewalks, he said. Traders quickly became aware of the quake from television broadcasts.
"It could have been opportunistic selling," Pastina said.
The quake hit at 1:51 p.m. Eastern time (1751 GMT). The Dow immediately began falling, then began rising again 32 minutes later, at 2:23 p.m.
The quake reminded investors of the much larger Japanese earthquake and tsunami on March 11.That quake severely damaged the Fukishima Daiichi nuclear power plant.
Two Virginia-based nuclear reactors owned by Dominion Resources Inc. were taken off line automatically by safety systems around the time of the quake. Dominion's stock briefly fell about 1 percent on the news. The stock recovered and ended the day up 85 cents, or 1.8 percent, at $49.10.
Without an immediate explanation for the trembling, uncertainty ruled ? if only for a few moments. Some traders pictured a worst-case scenario, like a terror attack. The World Trade Center destroyed nearly 10 years ago was located just blocks from the stock exchange.
"It's sell first, ask questions later," said Jack Ablin, chief investment officer at Harris Private Bank.
Traders pounce on any information, no matter how incomplete, Ablin said. So the first thing many did upon learning of the quake was to sell. "That edge is measured in seconds, not days. You're always trying to get ahead."
At the NYMEX and COMEX commodities exchanges in Lower Manhattan, some employees and traders decided to leave the building, although there was no evacuation order, said Chris Grams, spokesman for CME Group, the Chicago-based operator of the exchanges.
He said the NYMEX and COMEX exchanges experienced no earthquake-related operations disruptions.
The recently-built NYSE data center was undamaged by the quake, said Pastina. The stock exchange's building structure was quickly determined to be sound enough not to require evacuation. That message was sent to those working in the building, and investors shifted back into buying mode. The Dow ended the day with its biggest gain in eight days. It rose 322.11 points, or 3 percent, to 11,176.76.
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AP Business Writers Mark Jewell in Boston and Chip Cutter in New York contributed to this report.
Indians trainer Lonnie Soloff gave an update on Travis Hafner?s status, revealing that the designated hitter is wearing a walking boot and may need season-ending foot surgery.
Hafner was placed on the disabled list yesterday with a sprained right foot, leading to speculate that the Indians will try to claim Jim Thome off waivers from the Twins to temporarily replace him at DH.
Now it turns out the replacement might not be so temporary, although several teams in front of the Indians on the waiver-wire line could make a play for Thome and force them to consider alternatives.
Hafner has hit .281 with 11 homers and an .812 OPS, but this will be the fourth consecutive season in which he fails to play 120 games and he?s batted just .220 with a .642 OPS since the All-Star break.
Injuries have turned Hafner from a middle-of-the-order, MVP-caliber monster to an oft-injured, reasonably productive DH, but because the Indians locked him up long term before the health problems started he?s still owed $13 million in 2012 with a $13 million option or $2.75 million buyout for 2013.
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Public release date: 25-Aug-2011
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