Role of vital proteins in allergic reactions, other conditions

Apr. 25, 2013 ? Itchy eyes, scratchy throat, running nose--it's allergy season! What triggers these allergic reactions, and how do allergy medications work?

The outer surface of many of our cells, including those in the airways, has a protein called the H1 receptor. This protein attaches to histamine, an organic compound involved in immune responses. In some people, the binding triggers allergic reactions, such as hay fever or food and pet allergies. Antihistamine drugs work by preventing histamine from attaching to H1 receptors.

H1 receptors belong to a special family of proteins called G protein-coupled receptors, or GPCRs. Scientists estimate that there are about 800 different types of GPCRs in the membranes of our cells. Some are sensing molecules that let us see, smell and taste; others give us a boost after a few sips of coffee, make us retreat during a conflict or help fight off infection. GPCRs also are associated with diseases ranging from asthma to schizophrenia, and they are the target of more than a third of marketed drugs, including heart medications and antidepressants.

Yet GPCRs' structures--key to understanding how they work and to designing more effective drugs--have remained relatively hidden from view. Researchers funded by the National Institutes of Health have given us a peek at some of them, and the improved methods these scientists have developed could reveal lots more structures in the near future.

Structural Clues

Labs around the world have tried for years to obtain detailed images of human GPCRs because the precise, three-dimensional arrangement of a protein's atoms provides important details about how a protein interacts with its natural partner molecules in the body or with drug molecules. But the structures of membrane proteins, including GPCRs, are as difficult to determine as they are valuable to understand.

One challenge is that GPCRs are exceedingly flimsy and fragile when not anchored within their native cell membranes. This makes it very hard to coax them to form crystals so that their structures can be determined through X-ray crystallography.

Right now, we know the structures of about 1 percent of all human GPCRs, and researchers are using two key approaches to generate and study more. Stanford University's Brian Kobilka, who shared the 2012 Nobel Prize in chemistry for his work on GPCRs, is among the scientists who are focusing on specific GPCRs to better understand how they function and interact with other molecules, including drugs.

Other scientists, such as Raymond Stevens at The Scripps Research Institute, are taking a complementary approach to get structures that represent each of the major branches of the GPCR family tree. Knowing more about one member could enable scientists to computationally model the others.

GPCR

In addition to the H1 histamine receptor, some of the key structures that the Stevens group and its collaborators, including Kobilka and other scientists around the world, have solved using the family tree approach include the:

? ?2 adrenergic receptor, or the molecular "fight or flight" switch.

? A2A adenosine receptor, sometimes called the "caffeine receptor."

? CXCR4 chemokine receptor, which has been linked to more than 20 types of cancer.

?D3 dopamine receptor, which plays a vital role in the central nervous system, affecting our movement, cognition and emotion.

? Kappa opioid receptor, a protein on the surface of brain cells that is centrally involved in pleasure as well as in pain, addiction, depression, psychosis and related conditions.

Technical Breakthroughs

What was the game-changing technical breakthrough that has made determining these structures possible?

"I'm always asked that question," says Stevens, "and the answer is that there wasn't just one breakthrough, there were about 15 separate developments by several different investigators around the world, each breakthrough critically needed in combination with one another, and they came together after a long time."

Some of these breakthroughs have improved researchers' ability to produce and purify GPCRs in quantities sufficient for crystallization. Other breakthroughs have been aimed at stabilizing GPCRs, making them more crystallizable and holding them in a specific structural conformation. Scientists continue to improve other methods, including the ability to model new GPCR structures from known ones.

These developments have had an enormous impact on furthering our understanding of GPCRs, and they should lead to new insights on biological processes and aid progress in drug discovery.

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Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/7jU6qt4OqNY/130425103157.htm

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eat sleep dream love food: Diet Review: Paleo Diet

One question I often get asked is what I think of various?diets. The Paleo diet is one of these, and seems to have become very popular amongst fitness circles, cafes and even restaurants. But do we really have to go back in time to become healthy individuals, and is this diet really sustainable in the long term? These are just a couple of questions I posed to Bronwyn Goddard, who has kindly put on her white dietetic coat to give us a review of this ever-so-popular diet.
I am so delighted to introduce Bronwyn as today's guest blogger. Not only is Bronwyn a dedicated student at the Queensland?University of Technology (the same university that I studied at), but Bronwyn and her family are also very close to my heart. You see, it was many years ago that I met Bronwyn, back when we were both training hard as gymnasts in Brisbane. Thanks to facebook we've stayed in touch, and it was not so long ago that I was over the moon to find out that Bronwyn had pursued a career in dietetics.

Bronwyn Goddard is currently studying nutrition and dietetics at QUT in Brisbane. She enjoys every opportunity to travel the world, experiencing a variety of weird and wonderful cuisines as she goes. Bronwyn aspires to work internationally, improving the lives and nutrition of underprivileged children living in third world countries.?
Connect with Bronwyn on LinkedIn


Introducing the Paleo Diet?

The Atkins diet, Tony Ferguson, the grapefruit diet, the one-food-diet, the Dukan diet, the blood type diet? the list goes on! With so many different diets on the market ? many claiming to be the new ?miracle weight loss diet?, how do you know which one to follow, which one gives the best results, and which is the healthiest? Let?s take a closer look at the Paleo diet and see how it measures up.

What is the Paleo Diet?

The paleolithic diet, more commonly referred to as the ?paleo? diet, is an increasingly popular weight loss diet. ?Paleolithic? refers to the ?early phase of the Stone Age, lasting about 2.5 million years, when primitive stone implements were used?. Accordingly, the paleo diet is an extension of this, encouraging us to eat as our ancient ancestors did ? hopefully without needing to use primitive stone implements in the process!

What makes the Paleo Diet popular?

The paleo diet markets itself by claiming that our ancestors (who followed this diet day-in day-out) were free of many diseases now very common throughout society. These include obesity, type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, cancer, and osteoporosis - just to name a few. Some research suggests that the paleo diet reduces ?bad? cholesterol levels ? preventing cardiovascular disease. This may have some merit, as cholesterol levels are affected by certain types of fats consumed in our diet. The typical Western diet consists of many processed foods, including processed meats, takeaway foods and baked goods, which often contain high amounts of saturated or trans-fats, more commonly known as the ?bad? fats. On the other hand, the paleo diet is rich in nuts, seeds, and fish, all of which contain unsaturated fats or ?good? fats. These have been found to have the opposite effect, improving cholesterol levels. Whilst our ancient ancestors were free of these various chronic diseases, their life expectancy was also much shorter than it is today ? so many would not live long enough to develop these diseases.

Is the Paleo Diet good for us?

If we rewind 35,000 years, and consider the diet of our ancestors; at first glance it seems relatively healthy. After all, the paleo diet is rich in fresh meat, seafood, fruit, vegetables, seeds and nuts, all of which are components of a healthy diet. To its credit, the paleo diet is free from refined sugars and processed foods, which are consumed in abundance in the typical western diet. However, the paleo diet restricts dairy foods, cereals, grains and legumes, which are very nutritious and important components of a balanced diet. Research suggests that both dietary changes and increasingly sedentary lifestyles have contributed to the increased prevalence of chronic disease throughout society since Paleolithic times. Dietary changes include the introduction of trans-fats into food production, reduced intake of various vitamins, antioxidants and dietary fibre and increased intake of carbohydrate foods with a high glycaemic index. As the paleo diet restricts processed foods, and encourages whole foods, it is no surprise that people following this diet have improved blood pressure and cholesterol levels, with or without weight loss.

Whilst the paleo diet promotes positive dietary changes through reducing intake of processed foods, it is unbalanced and restricts core food groups which can lead to poor health outcomes. For example, restricting dairy foods can compromise bone health, as dairy foods (such as milk, yoghurt and cheese) are rich in calcium. As calcium is essential for maintaining bone strength, in the long term, poor calcium intake can contribute to the development of osteoporosis later life.

Is the paleo diet a suitable weight loss diet?
They say variety is the spice of life, and as the paleo diet is reasonably restrictive in the types of foods you can eat - it is likely that such a restrictive diet will get pretty boring, pretty quickly. Typically, high protein diets such as the paleo diet cause rapid weight loss. This is because these diets often restrict carbohydrate foods ? which break down into glucose and provide ?fuel? for our brain and body to function properly. When we don?t eat enough carbohydrates, our body compensates, and gets its ?fuel? by breaking down our muscle stores. The rapid weight loss experienced reflects this loss of muscle mass, not body fat. In addition, the paleo diet also restricts dairy foods which contain calcium - a very important nutrient for our bone health. There is a very strong association between poor calcium intake and the risk of osteoporosis in later life.
The paleo diet does promote healthy food choices, such as lean meats, foods high in healthy fats including fish, nuts and seeds, and there is no reason why these foods shouldn?t be incorporated into your usual diet. When it comes to sustainable, long term weight loss, it really is about having ?everything in moderation?. Incorporating these elements of the paleo diet into your everyday life is a great idea ? aiming for 2 serves of fresh fruit and 5 serves of fresh vegetables a day, opting for lean cuts of meat, having 2-3 serves of fish each week and limiting the amount of processed foods in your diet are all common elements of the paleo diet and a nutritious, balanced diet. ?The difference is not restricting food groups, such as dairy foods, cereals and grains, and legumes. Eating a variety of foods from all of the food groups will not only maintain variety and excitement in your diet, it will also ensure you receive all the nutrients you need to live a healthy and happy life! Editor's comment:

Thanks Bron! I have no doubt that this will help answers a lot of questions for our readers. At the end of the day my thoughts are that reducing nutrient-poor, highly processed foods with added salt and sugar can only be a good thing, BUT don't forget to add wholegrains, legumes and dairy to your meals to bring them to complete fulfillment.??Any questions for Bron? Feel free to post below!

?

Source: http://eatsleepdreamlovefood.blogspot.com/2013/04/diet-review-paleo-diet.html

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WHO: Bird-to-human infections easier with new flu

BEIJING (AP) ? World Health Organization officials say a lethal new strain of bird flu that emerged in China over the past month appears to spread more easily from birds to humans than the one that started killing people in Asia a decade ago.

Scientists are watching the H7N9 virus closely to see if it could spark a global pandemic but say so far there is little evidence to show the virus can spread easily from human to human.

Health officials at a news conference Wednesday in Beijing said they believe the infections with the H7N9 strain are primarily taking place at live poultry markets.

The virus has infected more than 100 people in China, seriously sickening most of them, and killing around 20 ? mostly near the eastern coast around Shanghai.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/bird-human-infections-easier-flu-051053020.html

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Russian cargo ship suffers glitch after launch

NASA TV

After launching from Kazakhstan early Wednesday morning, a Russian Progress capsule suffered a glitch when in orbit.

By Miriam Kramer
Space.com

An unmanned Russian cargo spacecraft launched toward the International Space Station this morning, but once in orbit, the capsule encountered a problem, officials said.

The?Progress 51 supply spacecraft?failed to deploy an antenna used for navigation after lifting off from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan at 6:12 a.m. EDT. Specifically, the antenna is used to "measure the orientation" of the ship, NASA officials said.?

Ground controllers are now working to assess and fix the problem.

"Update: Once in orbit, an antenna used as a navigational aid on the Progress did not deploy," officials from NASA wrote on Twitter after the glitch was discovered. "Russian ground controllers are assessing a fix."

Progress is scheduled to dock with the International Space Station on Friday at 8:26 a.m. EDT. While some Progress spacecraft can launch and dock on the same day, that wasn't possible with this particular launch?due to orbital dynamics, so the vehicle will take two days to catch up to the International Space Station in orbit.

It is unclear whether the scheduled docking time will be affected by the glitch.

"The Russian flight controllers are continuing to monitor the spacecraft and to determine if there is a way to get the antenna deployed," NASA spokesman Josh Byerly wrote Space.com in an email. "They are also analyzing ways to dock the Progress to the station in its current configuration, including having the crew perform a manual docking."

Progress is slated to deliver 1,764 pounds (800 kilograms) of propellant, 57 pounds (26 kg) of air, 48 pounds (21 kg) of oxygen, 926 pounds (420 kg) of water and 3,348 pounds (1519 kg) of experiment hardware, spare parts and other supplies to the residents of the space station, NASA officials said.?

Canadian Space Agency astronaut Chris Hadfield?currently commands the six-person crew that staffs the $100 billion orbiting laboratory. NASA astronauts Chris Cassidy and Tom Marshburn as well as Russian cosmonauts Roman Romanenko, Pavel Vinogradov and Alexander Misurkin round out the Expedition 35 crew.

Hadfield, Romanenko and Marshburn are expected to return to Earth in May after six months onboard the station, at which point Vinogradov will take over as the commander of the Expedition 36 mission.

Follow Miriam Kramer on Twitter and Google+. Follow us on Twitter, Facebook?and Google+. Original article on Space.com.

Copyright 2013 Space.com, a TechMediaNetwork company. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Source: http://feeds.nbcnews.com/c/35002/f/653377/s/2b1f728c/l/0Lscience0Bnbcnews0N0C0Inews0C20A130C0A40C240C178977130Erussian0Ecargo0Eship0Esuffers0Eglitch0Eafter0Elaunch0Dlite/story01.htm

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Former ricin suspect: I love this country

By Robbie Ward

TUPELO, Mississippi (Reuters) - U.S. prosecutors dropped charges against a Mississippi man accused of sending ricin-laced letters to President Barack Obama and a U.S. senator, according to a court order signed by a judge on Tuesday.

The decision came hours after Paul Kevin Curtis was released from a Mississippi jail on bond.

In a court order dismissing the charges, prosecutors said the "ongoing investigation has revealed new information" without providing any addition detail.

Curtis told a news conference afterward that he respected Obama and would never harm a public servant. "I love this country," he said.

The release of Curtis, 45, on bond came shortly after a judge indefinitely postponed a court hearing on his detention.

Christi McCoy, Curtis' attorney, told CNN she believed her client had been framed. The Clarion Ledger newspaper reported that law enforcement officials searched the house of a second Mississippi man in connection with the case. A spokesperson for the U.S. Attorney's Office in Oxford, Mississippi, did not return calls for comment.

"I do believe that someone who was familiar and is familiar with Kevin just simply took his personal information and did this to him," McCoy told CNN. "It is absolutely horrific that someone would do this."

Curtis was arrested last Wednesday at his home in Corinth, Mississippi. He was charged with mailing letters to Obama, U.S. Senator Roger Wicker of Mississippi and a state judge containing a substance that preliminarily tested positive for ricin, a highly lethal poison made from castor beans.

The letters were intercepted by authorities before they reached their destinations.

Over the weekend, investigators searched Curtis' home, his vehicle and his ex-wife's home, but failed to find any incriminating evidence, McCoy told the Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal.

The poison scare put Washington on edge during the same week the Boston Marathon bombings occurred.

Curtis, known in Mississippi as an Elvis impersonator, was held in the Lafayette County Detention Center prior to his release. He was charged with threatening to harm Obama and using the mail to make other threats.

In a statement last week, his family said they had not been shown any evidence of the charges against him, but added that Curtis suffers from a long history of mental illness.

Typewritten on yellow paper, the three letters contained the same eight-line message, according to an affidavit from the FBI and the Secret Service filed in court.

"Maybe I have your attention now / Even if that means someone must die," the letters read in part, according to the affidavit. The letters ended: "I am KC and I approve this message."

The initials "KC" led law enforcement officials to ask Wicker's staff if they were aware of any constituents with those initials, and the focus of the investigation then turned to Curtis, the affidavit said.

(Reporting by Kevin Gray, David Adams and Tom Brown; Editing by Gerald E. McCormick, Andre Grenon and Dan Grebler)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/mississippi-man-ricin-letter-probe-released-jail-bond-180310607.html

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Microsoft Surface Pro and Surface RT now shipping in more countries

Microsoft's Surface Pro and RT are striking out to more far flung corners of the globe. Redmond just announced this morning that its two Windows 8 tablets will be made available to even more markets, with the Surface RT being the first to branch out, shipping on April 25th to Malaysia and then soon after to Mexico, Korea and Thailand by end May / early June. When it finally hits that early summer release window, the Surface RT will be accessible to a total of 29 markets globally. As for its older sibling, the feature-packed Surface Pro, that angular slate's set to expand beyond its current limited availability (U.S., Canada and China) to 19 additional markets across Europe (including the UK), Asia and Oceania by the end of next month. And if you've been searching high and low for a 128GB Surface Pro to no avail, chin up, as Microsoft's taken note of your demand and is working with retailers to keep that model "consistently in stock."

Filed under: Tablets, Microsoft

Comments

Source: Microsoft Surface blog

Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/xqqfTnoF0Dw/

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Humans feel empathy for robots: fMRI scans show similar brain function when robots are treated the same as humans

Apr. 23, 2013 ? From the T-101 to Data from Star Trek, humans have been presented with the fictional dilemma of how we empathize with robots. Robots now infiltrate our lives, toys like Furbies or robot vacuum cleaners bring us closer, but how do we really feel about these non-sentient objects on a human level? A recent study by researchers at the University of Duisburg Essen in Germany found that humans have similar brain function when shown images of affection and violence being inflicted on robots and humans.

Astrid Rosenthal-von der P?tten, Nicole Kr?mer, and Matthias Brand of the University of Duisburg Essen, will present their findings at the 63rd Annual International Communication Association conference in London. Rosenthal-von der P?tten, Kr?mer and Brand conducted two studies. In the first study, 40 participants watched videos of a small dinosaur-shaped robot that was treated in an affectionate or a violent way and measured their level of physiological arousal and asked for their emotional state directly after the videos. Participants reported to feel more negative watching the robot being abused and showed higher arousal during the negative video.

The second study conducted in collaboration with the Erwin L. Hahn Institute for Magnetic Resonance Imaging in Essen, used functional magnetic-resonance imaging (fMRI), to investigate potential brain correlations of human-robot interaction in contrast to human-human interaction. The 14 participants were presented videos showing a human, a robot and an inanimate object, again being treated in either an affectionate or in a violent way. Affectionate interaction towards both, the robot and the human, resulted in similar neural activation patterns in classic limbic structures, indicating that they elicit similar emotional reactions. However, when comparing only the videos showing abusive behavior differences in neural activity suggested that participants show more negative empathetic concern for the human in the abuse condition.

A great deal of research in the field of human-robot interaction concentrates on the implementation of emotion models in robotic systems. These studies test implementations with regard to their believability and naturalness, their positive influence on participants, or enjoyment of the interaction. But there is little known on how people perceive "robotic" emotion and whether they react emotionally towards robots. People often have problems verbalizing their emotional state or find it strange to report on their emotions in human-robot interactions. Rosenthal-von der P?tten and Kr?mer's study utilized more objective measures linked to emotion like physiological arousal and brain activity associated with emotional processing.

"One goal of current robotics research is to develop robotic companions that establish a long-term relationship with a human user, because robot companions can be useful and beneficial tools. They could assist elderly people in daily tasks and enable them to live longer autonomously in their homes, help disabled people in their environments, or keep patients engaged during the rehabilitation process," said Rosenthal-von der P?tten. "A common problem is that a new technology is exciting at the beginning, but this effect wears off especially when it comes to tasks like boring and repetitive exercise in rehabilitation. The development and implementation of uniquely humanlike abilities in robots like theory of mind, emotion and empathy is considered to have the potential to solve this dilemma."

"Investigation on Empathy Towards Humans and Robots Using Psychophysiological Measures and fMRI," by Astrid Rosenthal-von der P?tten and Nicole Kr?mer; To be presented at the 63rd Annual International Communication Association Conference, London, England 17-21 June.

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Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/top_news/top_science/~3/q58i5B7vg1M/130423091111.htm

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