Aussie soldiers in Afghanistan to get new life-saving undies

Wednesday 28 August 2013

Canberra, Aug 29 (Newswire): Australian soldiers serving in Afghanistan are to be issued with special silk underwear as part of a five million dollars uniform overhaul.

The lightweight underwear will be trialled along with armoured outerwear as part of an upgrade to the combat uniform to improve mobility and prevent shrapnel injuries, news.com.au reports.

Soldiers received a new, lightweight combat body armour developed by the new Federal Government-funded equipment unit Diggerworks in June.

Defence Minister Stephen Smith said the department would be trialling an extra-layer of protective clothing for the pelvic area, adding that the system, already in use by British soldiers serving in Afghanistan, aimed to guard against shrapnel.

"Defence has begun a trial of a tiered pelvic protection system currently used by the British Army in Afghanistan. Personnel in Afghanistan will be issued with this protective underwear by November this year," Smith added.

The replacement of the old, heavier combat uniform with the Tiered Body Armour System (TBAS), which will weigh about 3kg less, allows soldiers in combat to adjust the number of layers worn. Diggerworks director, Colonel Jason Blain, said the multi-tiered pelvic protection system would complement the new uniform. He said troops currently wear their own underwear.

Colonel Blain said the ballistic silk underwear, which cost 55 dollar a pair, had been found to be effective in preventing small particles and shrapnel from injuring soldiers.

The second armoured layer, costing 231 dollar each, was designed for soldiers in high-threat environments, he said.

A defence spokesman said three Australian soldiers had sustained wounds to the upper thigh and pelvis region between 2010 and 2011. He also said that soldiers would receive the ballistic silk underwear by October 11, and it would cost about 340,000 dollars.

The second armoured layer, estimated to cost about 500,000 dollars, will be given to some soldiers this month.

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Few treatment options for Afghans as drug use rises

Kabul, Aug 29 (Newswire): Once a river flowed under the low Pul-i-Sokhta bridge here, but now the thin stream is clotted with garbage, the banks are piled with refuse and crowds of heroin and opium addicts huddle in the shadows, some hanging like moths near the bridge's supports, then slumping in the haze of narcotic smoke.

When outsiders venture in, dozens of the addicts — there are 200 or 300 here on any given day — drift over to see the newcomers. Most of the visitors are health care workers trying to persuade the addicts to visit their clinic for a shower and a medical screening.

"Are you taking names for treatment?" one man asks, his soiled salwar kameez hanging loosely around his thin body. "Put me down, my name is Zainullah."

This is another of Afghanistan's afflictions: a growing drug addiction problem and all the ills that come with that, not least H.I.V., the virus that causes AIDS, which can be transmitted when addicts share needles. There were about 900,000 drug users in Afghanistan in 2010, according to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, a marked increase from previous years. That means about 7 percent of the adult population of 14 million is using narcotics.

A vast majority take opium-based drugs, which are extraordinarily pure here and very cheap — about $3.50 for enough to get high, addicts say. Afghanistan is the world's leading producer of opium poppy, and the opium produced and sold here and its derivatives, including heroin, are among the most potent on earth. About 150,000 of those using opium-based drugs are injecting heroin, according to the World Health Organization.

A measure of the problem is that surveys show that 12 to 41 percent of police recruits test positive for some form of narcotic — most are hashish smokers — according to a recent report by the Government Accountability Office. Another indicator of the problem is a recent report by the Ministry of Public Health in partnership with Johns Hopkins University that found H.I.V. present in about 7 percent of drug users, double the figure just three years ago, said Dr. Fahim Paigham, who until recently directed the Ministry of Public Health's AIDS control program.

Unlike the situation in many countries, where H.I.V. is transmitted primarily through sexual contact, in Afghanistan the primary transmission is through shared needles.

The Pul-i-Sokhta bridge — the name means "burned bridge" — and another bridge nearby are the most recent refuges for many of Kabul's heroin and opium addicts who used to gather in the ruins of the Russian cultural center on the east side of the city. They were forced out in late 2010; although some remained in the neighborhood, many came to the bridges.

Some come here every day to buy and use narcotics, crouching in the dark corners to shoot up or gathering in small groups to heat the opium powder until it melts into a black liquid and gives off smoke to inhale.

The ground under the bridge is thick with discarded syringes. Six mornings a week a team of former addicts, nurses and a couple of social workers from the French group Médecins du Monde (Doctors of the World), a nonprofit health care organization, forge ahead into this particular circle of hell, with large plastic disposal jugs in one hand and long-handled pincers in the other to pluck needles from the garbage. It is not uncommon to pick up 160 or 170 needles in a morning. They hand out fresh needles and alcohol swabs, and the nurses treats the addicts' seeping wounds where they have injected themselves too many times.

Not all the addicts are sure they can tolerate treatment, and some are so high they often make little sense. "I am the Bobby Devil of this town," said a tall, bony young man in aviator glasses, cargo pants and a plaid cotton shirt, who was sprawled next to a small group smoking heroin, but had propped himself up on his elbows to talk. Bobby Devil is the stage name of an Indian actor well known here for his action movies.

"I've been using for four years," he added. "Last night I went home with money and fresh fruit, and my wife and children told me to go away. They said, 'You are a drug addict, you are a dog.' "

Could he quit? "Well, I can't decide; both my wife and the drug are strong," he said and lay back down.

Many of the addicts say they want to stop using, but treatment options are woefully few. The government, through some Afghan nonprofit groups, runs several detoxification centers and is building seven more, but the facilities offer almost no post-detoxification support and have a 92 percent relapse rate, according to the Ministry of Counternarcotics, which is involved in running them. The most efficacious treatment — opiate substitution therapy — has been all but blocked by the ministry despite pleas from the Ministry of Public Health, whose doctors are worried about the rising incidence of H.I.V.

"The results from opiate substitutes like methadone are very positive," Dr. Paigham said.

"If you stop using heroin, you stop using the needles, and if you stop using the needles there is much less risk of spreading H.I.V."

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In Afghanistan, building up means scaling down

Kabul, Aug 29 (Newswire): Goodnight, chief of engineering with the Kansas City district of the Army Corps, saw a lot of planning but not much actual constructing. When something was being built, it was usually made out of clay and straw.

"The Corps of Engineers was trying to incorporate all of our contracting techniques, our methods of design and construction into an environment that had none of that," Goodnight tells Laura Sullivan,guest host of weekends on All Things Considered. "It just wasn't working." He knew there had to be a better way.

Once he returned home, Goodnight started talking with his colleagues at the office in Kansas City. The big question: How can we help build in a place without equipment or trained engineers?

The answer was creating a program called Afghanistan Reachback. Its goal was to create buildings using the resources Afghans actually have.

A big problem, says Goodnight, was that engineers were previously using American building codes when designing for the Afghan terrain. He knew bigger results meant starting from scratch.

Goodnight and his team developed a simplified model, specifically for Afghanistan. He calls these models austere standard designs — municipal buildings customized for the country.

His designs aim to accommodate culturally. Goodnight says even simple things like bathrooms have been changed.

"They look for places for ablutions to wash their feet," he notes. "We learned some hard lessons ... because a sink doesn't last very long if you stand in it."

Progress in the region has been speeding up Goodnight's basic designs. "We've broken the code and the designs are going much quicker now," he says. He says a one-building police station used to take about two years to design and build. Now it takes about one.

Afghanistan Reachback has constructed around nine buildings, including a medical school, since the program began last summer. Goodnight is now working on his biggest project, a headquarters building for the Afghan Ministry of Interior.

Now that Goodnight has laid down the ground work for a better construction model, he sees its potential beyond Afghanistan's borders.

"This model that we've developed and the designs we've developed will continue to go to contingency operations anywhere across the globe," he says, "they'll just need to be adjusted culturally."

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Early embryos can correct genetic abnormalities during development

Islamabad, Aug 29 (Newswire): Professor William G. Kearns told the annual meeting of the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology that a three-day-old embryo (called a cleavage stage embryo) with an incorrect number of chromosomes (known as "aneuploidy") was capable of undergoing "a dynamic process of genetic normalisation" so that by day five, when it had developed to the blastocyst stage, it had become euploid, with the correct number of chromosomes.

The findings have significant implications not just for preimplantation genetic screening (PGS) during fertility treatment, but also for future, cell-based, stem cell treatments for conditions ranging from haematological disorders to neurological damage.

Prof Kearns, senior author of the study, who is an associate professor in the department of gynecology and obstetrics, at the Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions in Baltimore (USA) and the director of the Shady Grove Center for Preimplantation Genetics, LabCorp in Rockville (USA) explained: "There has been mounting evidence that PGS using cells from the outer layer of the blastocyst, the trophectoderm, at day five results in higher pregnancy rates than evaluating a blastomere at the cleavage stage on day three. There are also good data to suggest that there are a substantial number of genetically different cells existing in many cleavage stage embryos -- a condition known as 'mosaicism'. Additionally, tests performed on pregnant women to determine if genetic abnormalities exist in the developing fetus show that aneuploid cells of placental origin are relatively common in fetal blood. These observations led to our hypothesis that mechanisms may exist in the developing embryo that could cause mosaic embryos to marginalise abnormal aneuploid cells and preserve normal cells, and thus 'genetically correct' to a genetically normal embryo.

"Preimplantation genetic screening (PGS) refers to the removal of a cell from a developing embryo and evaluating this cell for all chromosome abnormalities. If the results of this screening show that the embryo is normal, then either it undergoes uterine transfer or is frozen for future use. In cases where PGS evaluation yields a biopsied cell that is chromosomally abnormal, standard practice is to discard the corresponding embryo."

From April 2010 onwards, Prof Kearns and Dr Paul Brezina, an obstetrics and gynaecology doctor and an infertility fellow at the Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions, and their colleagues recruited 12 women who required PGS by microarrays of all 23 pairs of chromosomes and, after undergoing in vitro fertilisation (IVF), there were 126 embryos that they were able to biopsy at day three. (Microarrays are a method of rapidly scanning large amounts of DNA).

In a statement before the conference, Dr Brezina explained: "In the IVF laboratory, all embryos that undergo PGS on day three are cultured to the blastocyst stage of development at day five, at which time the PGS results are available. In this study we evaluated all embryos that developed to the blastocyst stage with documented chromosomal abnormalities not compatible with a live birth from a cell taken from the embryo on day three. At the blastocyst stage, the embryo has developed into two parts; the inner cell mass (ICM), which has cells that will form the fetus, and the trophectoderm (TE), which has cells that will form the placenta. Instead of taking a biopsy from either of these cell types, we dissected the entire embryo and captured as much of the ICM and TE cells as possible. These ICM and TE cells were isolated into two separate groups. Using microarrays we tested these groups for chromosomal abnormalities. We had the potential to detect mosaicism (the presence of several different cell lines within a single embryo) at a rate of approximately five percent, but we did not see mosaicism in any of the ICM or TE samples evaluated.

"This underscores the importance of our methodology, as mosaicism could not be ruled out with a biopsy of a single cell from each cell type at the blastocyst stage. Incredibly, a high proportion (64%) of embryos showed complete genetic correction in both the ICM and TE cell populations. In other embryos, either the ICM or TE, but not both, showed genetic correction. In still others, both the ICM and TE remained abnormal. Interestingly, in all samples, the type of abnormalities that were documented at day three were different to the abnormalities observed at the later, blastocyst stage."

Out of the 126 embryos, 62 (49.2%) were euploid and 64 (50.8%) were aneuploid at day three; of these 43 (69.4%) of the euploid embryos developed to the blastocyst stage, while only 25 (39.1%) of the aneuploid embryos did. Of the 25 aneuploid day-five embryos, 68% possessed a euploid ICM and 76% possessed a euploid TE, with 64% having both a euploid ICM and TE. Therefore, 16 of the 25 had correction in both the TE and ICM cells.

Prof Kearns said: "These results suggest that there is a dynamic process of genetic normalisation that occurs in the developing human embryo. It is likely that there is considerable cellular mosaicism in many cleavage stage embryos and that there are mechanisms in place that cause marginalisation of abnormal cells while allowing growth of normal cells. The exact mechanisms that allow this, however, at this time are still unknown. The existence of such a process has significant implications for furthering numerous scientific fields."

For fertility treatment, the discovery that a large percentage of embryos deemed to be abnormal at day three could become normal at day five suggests that during PGS, day five is the better time to predict the ultimate chromosomal status of the embryo, rather than day three. In addition, if a day-three embryo was found to be aneuploid, then these findings suggest that it would be worth waiting and testing the trophectoderm at day five before making the final decision about whether to implant the embryo or discard it.

The findings also have implications outside the field of reproductive medicine. Prof Kearns said: "The applications to other fields are numerous. Based on these results, it is likely that some level of aneuploid mosaicism is extremely common, and possibly a normal part of embryogenesis. A current challenge within stem cell biology is the high rate of acquired aneuploidy that is observed with cell colonies in extended culture. Dissecting the mechanism underlying the normalisation observed in this study in a stem cell system would be highly useful and may be applied to cell-based therapeutic approaches using stem cells. An understanding of such in vitro reparative mechanisms could potentially add to current strategies for gene repair and stem cell transplant therapy. Stem cell therapies have been suggested for a wide swath of medical diseases, ranging from haematological disorders to neurological damage."

Determining the mechanisms that govern the process of genetic normalisation in the developing human embryo is the next stage of research for Dr Brezina and Prof Kearns and their colleagues.

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Simple way to grow muscle tissue with real muscle structure

Islamabad, Aug 29 (Newswire): Researchers at Eindhoven University of Technology (TU/e) have found a simple way to grow muscle tissue with real muscle structure in the laboratory.

They found that the muscle cells automatically align themselves if they are subjected to tension in one direction -- this is essential for the ability of the muscle cells to exert a force. The endothelial (blood vessel) cells in the culture also automatically grouped themselves to form new blood vessels.

This finding is a step forward towards the engineering of thicker muscle tissue that can for example be implanted in restoration operations.

Another important aspect of the finding is that it was not necessary to add any biochemical growth factors to initiate the process. These substances are normally required for processes of this kind, but their action is difficult to control, according to TU/e researcher Dr. Daisy van der Schaft.

Other researchers have also succeeded in engineering muscle tissue containing blood vessels, but in these cases the muscle cells and blood vessels were disorganized. To give the muscles their strength, all the muscle cells need to be aligned in the same direction. Additionally, the muscles need blood vessels to supply them with oxygen and nutrients.

The TU/e research team produced engineered muscle tissue from a mixture of precultured stem cells and blood vessel cells (both from mice) in a gel.

They then fastened the pieces of cultured tissue, measuring 2 x 8 mm, in one direction using pieces of Velcro. The stem cells then changed into muscle cells. This process normally involves shrinkage of the tissue. However, because the tissue was fastened this shrinkage was prevented, and the resulting tension caused the muscle cells to become aligned during the culturing process. This alignment is essential for the muscles to be able to exert a force.

In addition, the blood vessel cells organized themselves to form blood vessels, without the researchers needing to add any growth factors -- these were created automatically. Measurements by the researchers showed that the muscle cells produced the required growth factor themselves, as a result of the tension to which they were subjected.

The formation of blood vessels is an important step to allow the engineering of thicker muscle tissue. Up to now the maximum thickness that could be achieved was 0.4 mm, because the cells must be located no further than 0.2 mm from a blood vessel or other source of nutrients to ensure that they receive sufficient oxygen. The blood supply through the blood vessels means that in the near future it will be possible to feed the engineered muscle tissue from within, making it possible to culture thicker tissue.
The aim of the research is ultimately to allow the treatment of people who have lost muscle tissue, for example through accidents or surgery to remove tumors. "Just one example is the restoration of facial tissue," explains Van der Schaft. Using these engineered muscle tissues would not just be cosmetic, but would give function back to the tissue." She expects that this should be possible within the next ten years.
One of the following steps to achieve this is the engineering of thicker muscle tissue, which the TU/e researchers will start working on in the near future. The same techniques will also have to be applied on human cells. "Researchers at the University Medical Center Groningen have already started, in partnership with us, to engineer human muscle tissue," Van der Schaft concludes.

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Could new drug cure nearly any viral infection?

Islamabad, Aug 29 (Newswire): Most bacterial infections can be treated with antibiotics such as penicillin, discovered decades ago.

However, such drugs are useless against viral infections, including influenza, the common cold, and deadly hemorrhagic fevers such as

Now, in a development that could transform how viral infections are treated, a team of researchers at MIT's Lincoln Laboratory has designed a drug that can identify cells that have been infected by any type of virus, then kill those cells to terminate the infection.

In a paper published in the journal PLoS ONE, the researchers tested their drug against 15 viruses, and found it was effective against all of them -- including rhinoviruses that cause the common cold, H1N1 influenza, a stomach virus, a polio virus, dengue fever and several other types of hemorrhagic fever.

The drug works by targeting a type of RNA produced only in cells that have been infected by viruses. "In theory, it should work against all viruses," says Todd Rider, a senior staff scientist in Lincoln Laboratory's Chemical, Biological, and Nanoscale Technologies Group who invented the new technology.

Because the technology is so broad-spectrum, it could potentially also be used to combat outbreaks of new viruses, such as the 2003 SARS (severe acute respiratory syndrome) outbreak, Rider says.

Other members of the research team are Lincoln Lab staff members Scott Wick, Christina Zook, Tara Boettcher, Jennifer Pancoast and Benjamin Zusman.

Rider had the idea to try developing a broad-spectrum antiviral therapy about 11 years ago, after inventing CANARY (Cellular Analysis and Notification of Antigen Risks and Yields), a biosensor that can rapidly identify pathogens. "If you detect a pathogenic bacterium in the environment, there is probably an antibiotic that could be used to treat someone exposed to that, but I realized there are very few treatments out there for viruses," he says.

There are a handful of drugs that combat specific viruses, such as the protease inhibitors used to control HIV infection, but these are relatively few in number and susceptible to viral resistance.

Rider drew inspiration for his therapeutic agents, dubbed DRACOs (Double-stranded RNA Activated Caspase Oligomerizers), from living cells' own defense systems.

When viruses infect a cell, they take over its cellular machinery for their own purpose -- that is, creating more copies of the virus. During this process, the viruses create long strings of double-stranded RNA (dsRNA), which is not found in human or other animal cells.

As part of their natural defenses against viral infection, human cells have proteins that latch onto dsRNA, setting off a cascade of reactions that prevents the virus from replicating itself. However, many viruses can outsmart that system by blocking one of the steps further down the cascade.

Rider had the idea to combine a dsRNA-binding protein with another protein that induces cells to undergo apoptosis (programmed cell suicide) -- launched, for example, when a cell determines it is en route to becoming cancerous. Therefore, when one end of the DRACO binds to dsRNA, it signals the other end of the DRACO to initiate cell suicide.

Combining those two elements is a "great idea" and a very novel approach, says Karla Kirkegaard, professor of microbiology and immunology at Stanford University. "Viruses are pretty good at developing resistance to things we try against them, but in this case, it's hard to think of a simple pathway to drug resistance," she says.

Each DRACO also includes a "delivery tag," taken from naturally occurring proteins, that allows it to cross cell membranes and enter any human or animal cell. However, if no dsRNA is present, DRACO leaves the cell unharmed.

Most of the tests reported in this study were done in human and animal cells cultured in the lab, but the researchers also tested DRACO in mice infected with the H1N1 influenza virus. When mice were treated with DRACO, they were completely cured of the infection. The tests also showed that DRACO itself is not toxic to mice.

The researchers are now testing DRACO against more viruses in mice and beginning to get promising results. Rider says he hopes to license the technology for trials in larger animals and for eventual human clinical trials.

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