Roberto Abraham Scaruffi

Saturday 22 November 2014

The European Union Times


Posted: 21 Nov 2014 03:59 AM PST


Scientists at Singapore’s Nanyang Technological University have created a new biological marker for cancer patients that lights up tumor cells and treats disease with drugs at the same time.
The breakthrough biomarker is a nanophosphor particle ten thousand times smaller than a grain of sand, which lights up when it detects tumor cells to allow scientists to take a better look.
“This is the first time we are able to do bio-imaging, and potentially target the delivery of drugs at the same time, as proven in small animal tests,” Professor Joachim Loo, a nanotechnology and bio-imaging expert, said in a NTU statement. “Our breakthrough will open up new doors in the various fields of nanomedicine, bio-imaging and cancer therapeutics.”
Professor Loo said particles that are used for bio-imaging currently on the market are only good for imaging and not able to release drugs or sense the environment that is around the tumor. He said the nanoparticle is coated with a layer of anti-cancer drugs that can be released, if necessary.
The NTU team is working on loading multiple layers of drugs onto the marker. If successful, smaller doses can be administered to tumor cells more accurately.
The biomarker invented by professors Zhang Qichun and Loo has other advantages, too. It has twice the contrast of conventional dyes and is able to emit up to three different colors of light. This means that it allows for better differentiation between healthy cells and tumor cells.
The new biomarker also taps near-infrared light, which prevents any damage to healthy cells as it uses less energy than visible light.
“Near-infrared light can penetrate 3 to 4 cm beyond the skin to deep tissue, much deeper than visible light. It also does not cause any damage to healthy cells, unlike ultraviolet or visible light,” added Professor Zhang, a materials expert.
One of the difficulties with cancer drugs is the side effects patients have to endure. Since the team from NTU’s School of Materials Science and Engineering will be looking to load multiple layers of drugs into their biomarker that would enable doctors to release two or more drugs sequentially. Smaller, targeted doses will lead to fewer side effects.
The near-infrared light also prevents photo bleaching and the destruction of fluorescence dye, a weakness in conventional bio-makers. This new biomarker is non-toxic and flushed out of the body after two days.
The breakthrough has resulted in two papers published in Small, one of the world’s top scientific journals for material science and nanotechnology. The project, which took three years to complete, is jointly funded by NTU, the Ministry of Education and the National Research Foundation in Singapore.
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Posted: 21 Nov 2014 03:54 AM PST
Iran produces crocin from saffron
Iranian scientists have developed a novel method that could provide extraction of crocin from saffron for the first time.
The researchers produced crocin by cell culture method at the laboratory level at Iran’s National Nutrition and Food Technology Research Institute (NNFTRI).
Crocin, which is a natural carotenoid chemical compound, is responsible for the color of saffron.
Crocin has been shown to be a potent neuronal antioxidant. It also has some other medicinal uses such as antiproliferative action against cancer cells in vitro as well as antidepressant properties.
Saffron’s derivatives have wide applications in nutrition, pharmaceuticals, cosmetics and health industries, making it possible to generate added value, explained a member of the scientific board of NNFTRI, Dr. Seyyed Mahdi Ziaratnia.
“The research project was conducted to produce crocin from saffron in high amounts with lower costs in pharmaceuticals and related industries,” Ziaratnia also noted.
Saffron is a spice derived from the flower of the saffron crocus.
Iran, with its cultivation of different varieties and its diverse climate and fertile soil, is the largest producer of saffron in the world with around 90-93 percent of the world’s total production.
Saffron has traditionally been known as having healing properties and used as a medicinal herb.
Several modern research studies have also hinted that the spice has possible anti-carcinogenic (cancer-suppressing), anti-mutagenic (mutation-preventing), immunomodulating, and antioxidant-like properties.
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Posted: 21 Nov 2014 03:35 AM PST

FDNY activated the Special Operations and Hazmat units after the woman, who had recently traveled from Guinea, dropped dead in Brooklyn on Tuesday, raising the alert of a suspected new Ebola case.
A woman who returned from Guinea 18 days ago and was on an Ebola monitoring list dropped dead in a Brooklyn hair salon yesterday after eyewitnesses said she began bleeding from the mouth and nose, but authorities later asserted the cause of death was an “apparent heart attack.”
“FDNY activated the Special Operations and Hazmat units after the the woman, who had traveled to Guinea three weeks ago according to a source on the scene, died at Amy Professional African Hair Braiding in the Brownsville area of Brooklyn,” reports the Daily Mail.
Despite eyewitnesses reporting that there was blood coming from the woman’s “face, nose and mouth,” health authorities claimed “she had not displayed any Ebola symptoms” and had in fact died of a heart attack. The woman, who was in her 40′s, is being tested for Ebola, the results of which will be announced later today.
The salon was later decontaminated by the Hazmat crew but was not evacuated after the woman dropped dead and people were allowed to walk in and out of the establishment unprotected. Members of the Hazmat crew said they were dealing with a “fever travel illness” but subsequently claimed that no fluids had left the woman’s body.
New York City had its first and (officially at least) only case of Ebola after Dr. Craig Spencer contracted the virus as a result of treating Ebola victims in Guinea. Spencer went on to make a full recovery after intensive treatment at the Bellevue Hospital.
Suspicions as to whether Ebola cases are being covered up by health authorities continue to linger after it was revealed earlier this month that mainstream media outlets have agreed to a government demand not to report on suspected Ebola cases in the United States.
Last month it was reported that 911 dispatchers in New York City had been forbidden from using the word “Ebola” over the radio and should instead refer to possible cases as “F/T,” as in Fever/Travel.
In an interview on the Alex Jones Show last month, Doctor James Lawrenzi revealed that health authorities are covering up potential Ebola cases in the United States and disappearing patients in an effort to avoid hysteria.
Medical professionals have predicted that the U.S. could see over one hundred Ebola cases by the end of the year, while others warn that Ebola victims may be confused with influenza sufferers given the similarity of early symptoms.
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Posted: 21 Nov 2014 03:20 AM PST
Artur Mas, the president of Catalonia is seen casting his ballot to vote in a symbolic referendum in Barcelona on Catalonia’s independence from Spain, November 9, 2014.
Spain’s chief prosecutor is set to launch a lawsuit against Catalonia’s President Artur Mas as well as other local officials over the autonomous region’s recent symbolic referendum on independence from Spain.
Eduardo Torres-Dulce is expected to investigate the alleged charges of disobedience and provocation brought against Mas, Catalan Deputy First Minister Joana Ortega, and Education Minister Irene Rigau for defying a suspension order by Spain’s Constitutional Court on the vote.
If successful, the legal action could prevent the Catalan president from taking part in future regional elections.
The final details of the legal challenge have yet to be determined. However, the prosecutor previously said that he wants to look into possible crimes including disobedience, perversion of the course of justice, improper conduct and misappropriation of funds involving the Catalan authorities.
This comes as Catalan government spokesman, Francesc Homs, has warned that the Spanish administration would expose itself to “extraordinary international ridicule” if it brought the charges against the region’s representatives.
The prosecutor has been under intense political pressure to finalize the suit, which comes in the wake of Catalonia’s November 9 vote.
According to regional officials, more than 2.2 million people, out of a total electorate of 5.4 million, participated in the vote.
The non-binding vote does not automatically lead to the secession of the region, but only gives the Catalan president the mandate to negotiate independence with the Spanish administration.
The wealthy northeastern region of Spain has a population of 7.6 million people, accounting for almost one-fifth of the country’s economy, and has been seeking independence for years.
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Posted by Roberto Abraham Scaruffi at 10:29