Rat free

Alaska’s Rat Island is finally rat-free, 229 years after a Japanese shipwreck spilled rampaging rodents onto the remote Aleutian island, decimating the local bird population. After dropping poison onto the island from helicopter-hoisted buckets for a week and a half last autumn, there are no signs of living rats and some birds have returned, according to the US Fish and Wildlife Service. Rats have ruled the island since 1780, when they jumped off a sinking Japanese ship and terrorized all but the largest birds on the island. The incident introduced the non-native Norway rat — also known as the brown rat — to Alaska.

TreatCancer

An anti-cancer compound studied for treating blood cancers may also help in treating cancers of the head and neck, say researchers at Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University. The study involved a new class of chemotherapy agents known as histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitors, which affect the availability of genes that are transcribed and translated into proteins. In many types of cancer, outof-control cell growth results from certain genes that are either too active or not active enough in producing proteins. HDAC inhibitors appear to combat cancer by restoring the normal expression of key regulatory genes that control cell growth and survival. The researchers focused on a particular HDAC inhibitor known as LBH589 that has already shown some success in clinical trials involving people with cancers of the blood.

Bad Breath

Bad breath is unpleasant and can be a major cause for embarrassment. And when it comes to dating, a majority of women admit that it’s their biggest worry, a new survey has revealed. The survey says eight out of 10 women in UK consider bad breath as a headache before a romantic encounter with a bloke. They found that 78% of women were more likely to fret about their teeth and breath before worrying what their partner thought about their clothes or appearance

Night Visiom

The night vision abilities of nocturnal animals such as mice is down to the unconventional way that DNA is packaged within the nuclei of specialised cells responsible for low-light vision, say Cambridge University researchers. The research shows that a special DNA architecture turns the rod cell nuclei into millions of tiny, light-collecting lenses. These lenses are stacked in columns which improve light transmission through the nocturnal retina and maintain vision, even at very dim light conditions.

X chromosome

Researchers have found nine new genes on the X-chromosome that, when knocked out, lead to learning disabilities. An international team of researchers, from more than 70 countries, studied almost all X chromosome genes in 208 families with learning disabilities and found approximately 1-2% of X chromosome genes, when knocked out, have no apparent effect on an individual’s ability to function in the ordinary world. Learning disability is significantly more common in males than in females and genetic causes have long been sought on the X chromosome: males have only one X chromosome and so a gene mutation on the X is more likely to have an effect in males than in females.

Stem Cell Theraphy

In what could raise hopes of people living with high blood sugar, scientists claim to have developed a stem cell treatment which can free diabetics from dependence on insulin. A team at Regional Blood Center in Brazil in Ribeirao Preto in Brazil has developed the new treatment that stops the immune systems of patients with type1 diabetes from destroying the pancreatic islet cells, which manufacture insulin hormone. According to the scientists, the treatment, tested successfully on 12 out of 20 diabetic patients, is actually a three-step process which relies on extracting and storing CD34 stem cells from blood of those with high blood sugar. In the next step, patients will receive drugs that destroy what remains of their immune systems, obliterating at the same time the components of the immune system that attack the islets. Finally, the saved stems are returned to the patient so that they can regenerate afresh an immune system that will no longer attack islet cells, the New Scientist reported.

World’s First Flying Car

The first flying automobile, equally at home in the sky and on the road, is scheduled to take to the air next month (February). If the automobile, which can transform itself from a two-seater road car to a plane in 15 seconds, survives its first test flight next month, it is expected to land in showrooms in about 18 months.

The Terrafugia Transition, developed by former NASA engineers, is powered by the same 100 Brake Horse power engine on the ground and in the air. Its manufacturer, Carl Dietrich, who runs the Massachusetts-based Terrafugia, said the flying automobile uses normal unleaded fuel and fits into a garage. Dietrich said the Terrafugia will be able to fly up to 800km on a single tank of petrol at a cruising speed of 185km per hour. Dietrich said he had already received 40 orders despite an expected retail price of $200,000.

Chetan Bhagat

Chetan Bhagat (born 22 April 1974) is an Indian English language author. He is one the most famous writer who has created the best fan club behind him than any other writer in India. His genre includes humor, management, and fiction. p
His first book, Five Point Someone - What not to do at Indian Institute of Technology (May 2004) is a novel about three boys who join Indian Institute of Technology Delhi and try to cope with the notoriously heavy workload of the institute and how they survive through to lead their life.
His second book, One Night @ the Call Center, released in India on October 2005, continues to be a bestseller as of January 2008. The book is about six people who work at a Call Center and one night which changes it all for them.
Chetan Bhagat's third book, The Three Mistakes of My Life was released in May 2008. About the Book - In late-2000, a young boy in ahmedabad called Govind Patel dreamt of having a business. To accommodate his friends Ish and Omi's passion, they open a cricket shop. Govind's wants to make money and thinks big. Ish is all about nurturing Ali, the batsman with a rare gift. Omi knows his limited capabilities and just wants to be with his friends. However, nothing comes easy in a turbulent city. To realize their goals, they will have to face it all - religious politics, earthquakes, riots, unacceptable love and above all, their own mistakes.

Valves Implanted In Beating Heart

An approach for implanting the new aortic heart valve without opening the heart is offered to patients at New York-Presbyterian Hospital. Known as the PARTNER (Placement of Aortic trans catheter valves) trial, this Phase 3 multi-centre study is being led by national co-principal investigators Martin Leon and Craig Smith and is focused on the treatment of patients who are at high risk or not suitable for open heart valve replacement surgery. The Tran catheter valve procedures take about 90 minutes, compared with four to six hours for open-heart surgery. In open-heart surgery, the surgeon cuts through the breastbone, stops the heart, removes the valve and replaces it.

Open-heart surgery can require a two-to three month recovery period, compared to only a few days for the Trans catheter approach. It is then positioned inside the patient’s existing valve, using a balloon to deploy the frame, which holds the artificial valve in place. This breakthrough technology could save the lives of thousands of patients with heart valve disease who have no other therapeutic options.