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in

http://www.xaam.in/2015/01/thehinduscienceandtechnology_29.html

TheHinduScienceAndTechnology(Thursdayspecial)
articlescompilation
BuildingamolecularlegotofightmalariaandTB
Weneednewermethodsanddrugstokillthesepathogensmycobacterium
tuberculosisandplasmodiumfalciparum.
Tuberculosisandmalariaarethemostprevalentdiseasesthatkillmankindtoday.Currentlyavailable
methodsanddrugsareunabletostemthetide.Thisiswhygovernments,theGatesFoundation,Wellcome
Trustandothersareinvestinglargesumstofindwaystostoporreducetheirprevalenceandtohelp
developnewmethodsandmoleculesasdrugs.
Thebattlebetweenthesepathogensandpeopleisacolossalone.Weneednewermethodsanddrugstokill
thesepathogensmycobacteriumtuberculosis(Mtb)andplasmodiumfalciparum(andp.vivax).Andthe
battleisliterallymindovermutations.Thehumanmindhascontinuouslyattemptedtodevisenovel
moleculesasdrugssuchasthefluoroquinolones,rifampicin,andartemisinin.Ontheotherside,even
thoughlargenumbersarekilledbythesedrugs,anoccasionaloutlierbugwhichdoesnotsuccumbtothe
drug,thankstoarandomerrorinitsgeneticsequence(mutation),survivesandreproducesmoreofitself.
Prettysoon,thisdrugresistantmutantpropagatestobecomethemainstrain,andthethoughtfullycrafted
drugisnolongereffective.
Itisalsoabattleoftimescale.Whilewetakeyearstocreateeffectivedrugsanddistributethemfor
everydayuse,microbestakejusthoursanddaystoreproduceandpropagatetobillionsinmonths.While
theTBstrainsofjustafewyearsagocouldnotsurviverifampicin(whichblocksthebugsRNAmaking
machinery,thusstoppingitsgrowth),todaysstrainshaveevolvedtofindalternatepathstocarryon.
Similarly,withmalaria,whileartemisinin(thewonderdrugofyesteryears)actsonthebloodingestedbythe
parasite,burnsitthroughoxidativestressandthuskillsthepathogen,todaysplasmodiumstrainshave
evolvedwithamechanismtodetoxifythisoxidativestressandbecomeartemisininresistant.Wearethus
facinghostsofmultidrugresistantpathogensinfectingus.
Itisagainstthisbackgroundthatsomenewideashavecomeaboutwhichcouldhopefullysidestepthis
resistanceissue.Notethattheearlierdrugsactonthepathogenafteritentersthetargetcellsinthebody
beitblood,liverorelsewhereandusethehostmachinerytogrowandmultiply.Whatifwestoptheentry
itself?Wouldthatwouldstopthepathogenonitstrackandthusstoptheinfection?
Somemindshavebeenthinkingsuchathoughtandcarriedoutresearchtowardsthisidea.Themostrecent
one,publishedtwoweeksago(onPongalDay,1412015)inthejournalNatureCommunicationsisbyDrs.
AnandRanganathan,PawanMalhotraandtheircolleaguesattheInternationalCentreforGenetic
EngineeringandBiotechnology,andAllIndiaInstituteofMedicalSciences,bothinNewDelhi,India
(6:6049/DOI:10.1038/ncomms7049/www.nature.com/naurecommunications).
Thegrouphascapitalisedontheideathatsomemoleculesonthesurfaceofcells,termedintercellular
adhesionmolecules(ICAMs,whicharepartoftheimmunoglobulinsuperfamily)actassentries,regulating
theentryandadhesionofothercells,nativeorforeign.ThemoleculeICAM1isseenonvariouscelltypes,
notablymacrophages(atypeofwhitebloodcellsthatingestsforeignmaterial).ICAM4,ontheotherhand,
isrestrictedtothesurfaceofredbloodcells.OnecanthusseethatwhileICAM1wouldregulatetheentry
andinvasionbyMtbintomacrophages,ICAM4wouldregulatemalariaparasiteslikewise.
Ifonlywecoulddiscoverorinventadecoymoleculethatsitsatthisgate,blockingtheentryofMtb,wecould
overcomeinfectionbythisdeadlypathogen.Likewise,ifwecanblocktheentryandinvasion
byplasmodiumintoredbloodcells,usingadecoymoleculethatbindstoICAM4,wewouldhaveadrug

againstmalaria.Notetoothatthesedecoysdonotworkaftertheevent(likethedrugsabovedo),butdeny
theunwelcomevisitorthevisatoenteranddodamage.
MolecularLegopieces
Tothisend,theDelhigroupdecidedtoworkonanovelideathatDrAnandRanganathanhadcomeupwith
adecadeago,whichhecallsthecodonshufflingmethodofmakingsmallproteinmolecules(seeJ.Biol.
Chem.280:23605,2005).ThisinvolvestheuseofaseriesofproperlychosenDNABricks,each6bases
long(twocodonslong,forthecognosenti),linkingthemtogethertovariouslengthstoproducealibraryof
peptide/proteinmoleculesofvarioussizesandpredictableshapes.Thisisaneasyandcraftyway,using
theseDNAbricks,tomakeawholehostofminiproteinsaspotentialdrugs.
TheynexttestedtoseewhichmembersoftheabovelibraryinteractwithICAM1andwithICAM4.Happily
enough,alargepeptidenamedM5wasfoundtobindstronglytobothICAM1andICAM4.Theynext
challengedMtbwithmacrophagesinthepresenceofM5.WhileMtbinfectscontrolsamplesefficiently,the
ratedroppedby80percentintheM5addedsamples.Likewise,whenaddedtoredbloodcells,infectionby
themalariaparasitedroppedby80percent.
Actually,thecodonshufflingapproachismoregeneralandextendabletofightotherpathogenstoo.Andthis
approachisquiteakintoLego,thetoygamewithinterlockingplasticbricks,whichcanbeputtogetherto
makemodelsofobjectslikebuildings.WhileLegoisagameofpleasure,thismolecularLegoopensthe
doorfordrugdiscovery.

Ebolavaccinesafe,generatesimmuneresponse,showstrial
ThefirsttrialresultsofEbolavaccineatOxfordUniversitysuggestthevaccinehasanacceptablesafety
profileandisabletogenerateanimmuneresponse.
TheEbolavaccinewaswelltolerated.Itssafetyprofileisprettymuchaswehadhoped,saidprofessor
AdrianHilloftheJennerInstituteatOxfordUniversitywholedthetrial.
TheresultssuggestthatthevaccineissuitableforfurthertestinginWestAfricaduringthecurrentoutbreak.
TheEbolavaccineisbeingcodevelopedbytheUSNationalInstitutesofHealth(NIH)andpharmaceutical
firmGlaxoSmithKline(GSK)againsttheZairestrainofEbola,whichistheonecirculatinginWestAfrica.
ThefirstdosesforuseinlargescaletrialsinWestAfricahavebeendeliveredtoLiberiabyGSK.
ThevaccineusesasingleEbolavirusgeneinachimpanzeeadenovirustogenerateanimmuneresponse.
AsitdoesnotcontaininfectiousEbolavirusmaterial,itcannotcauseapersonwhoisvaccinatedtobecome
infectedwithEbola.
Duringthetrial,60healthyvolunteerswerevaccinatedattheJennerInstitute.
Theresultsshowedsafetydataandimmuneresponsesforthevolunteersfor28daysafterimmunisation.
Twopeopleexperiencedamoderatefeverwithin24hoursofreceivingthevaccinebutthispassedwithina
day.
Peopletypicallyexperiencedmildsymptomsthatlastedforoneormaybetwodays,suchaspainor
reddeningattheinjectionsite,andoccasionallypeoplefeltfeverish,professorHillexplained.
Theprimarygoalofthetrialwastoassesssafety.However,thescientistsalsoassessedimmuneresponses
toEbolaseeninthevolunteersbeforeandaftervaccination.
Importantly,thevaccinegeneratedimmuneresponsesagainstEbolainthevolunteers.
Levelsofantibodiesincreasedoveraperiodof28daysaftervaccinationandtherewasnosignificant
differenceinthelevelsseenatdifferentdoses.
LevelsofTcellscellularimmunityistheotherarmofthebodysimmunesystempeakedat14days.
LargertrialsinWestAfricaareneededtotellwhetherimmuneresponsesarelargeenoughtoprotect
againstEbolainfectionanddisease,theteamadded.
TheOxfordUniversitytrialisoneofseveralsafetytrialsoftheGSK/NIHvaccinecandidateintheUSA,

Britain,MaliandSwitzerlandthathavebeenfasttrackedinresponsetotheEbolaoutbreakinWest
Africa.
TheOxfordUniversityscientistshavealsobeguntestingthesafetyofacandidateboostervaccineagainst
Ebola,tofindoutwhetheritcouldfurtherincreasetheimmuneresponses.
AccordingtotheWorldHealthOrganisation(WHO),theEbolaoutbreakinWestAfricahaskilledover8,000
peoplesofar.
TheinitialfindingswerepublishedintheNewEnglandJournalofMedicine(NEJM).

Affordableswinefluvaccinethatnevermadeit
Thedeathofover30personsintwomonthsandaspateofswineflucaseshaveforcedthepublicin
HyderabadtogoforvaccineshotsbyspendinganywherebetweenRs.450andRs.1,000pershot.Those
whocanaffordareabletoaccessthevaccine,butthevastmajoritywhocantareanxiousaboutthesafety
oftheirnearanddearones.
Ironically,doyouknowthattheswinefluvaccinecouldhavebeenmadeavailableforjustRs.100in
Hyderabad?Couldthelivesofover30peoplelostbeensavedifgovernments,bothCentreandState,
promotedindigenousfluvaccine?
CMD,BharatBiotech,Dr.KrishnaEllasaysthedeathscouldhavebeenprevented.Authoritieseffectively
killedtheIndianswinefluvaccineafterpromotingitinitially.Theybackedoutleavingmillionsofunsoldswine
fluvaccinesin201011.WecouldhaveofferedabetterversionofH1N1vaccineforjustRs.100andlives
couldhavebeensaved,herues.
Atpresent,H1N1vaccinesbeinggiveninHyderabadareimported.Ironically,thecellculturevaccineof
BharatBiotechwasmanufacturedatGenomeValleyinHyderabadin201011.TheGOIhadgiventhree
IndianpharmacompaniesnearlyRs.10croretomanufactureaffordablevaccinewhenswinefluwasatits
peakandpeopleweredying.Later,theypulledtheplugandweevenreturnedthemoney,hesaid.
AlongwithBharatBiotech,SerumInstitute,PuneandPanaceaBiotech,NewDelhiweretoproduce
indigenousswinefluvaccine.However,afterthepeakof2009and2010,thecasesofswineflucases
startedtodipandtheneedforavaccinewasnotfelt,doctorsprivytotheissuesaid.In201011,millionsof
dosesofindigenousH1N1vaccinesweredestroyedbecausetherewerenotakers.Theywereproducedin
thehopethatgovernmentagencieswouldstockthemforhealthcareworkersandpublicwouldget
vaccinatedforprevention.
Lookwhatshappeningnow.Swineflucasesaregoingup,thereislossoflifeandwinterwillbelongin
NorthIndia.Wecouldhavesavedlives.Decisionmakersshouldhavevision,headded.
IndiancompaniescouldhavemadeshotsavailableforRs.100hadthegovernmentencouraged
them

Expertsgivetipstokeepswinefluatbay
Whiletherewasnoneedforpeopletogetpanickyaboutswineflu,therewaseveryneedforthemtobe
cautious,expertssaid.
ChairmanofacorporatehospitalY.RameshBabusaidthatthosesufferingfromcoughandcoldshouldnot
coughorsneezeintheopen.
Tissuepaper
Theyshouldhaveahandkerchief,tissuepaperwasevenbetterbecauseitcouldbedisposedofsafely.He
saidthatonly0.1percentofthepersonsinfectedbyswineflufacedsituationsthatwerelifethreatening.
PulmonologistwithacorporatehospitalM.S.Gopalakrishnasaidthatpersonsinfectedbyswinefluwere

contagiousforsevendaysandH1N1viruswasactivefortwohoursinthedropletsthataresneezedor
coughedoutbyapatient.
Threecategories
Hesaidthoseinfectedbyswineflucouldbeclassifiedintothreecategories.Acategorypatientswithmild
fever,cough,sourthroat,bodyandheadache,diarrhoeaandvomitingshouldbetreatedsymptomatically.
Homeisolation
BcategorypatientswithhighgradefeverandseveresourthroatsalongwithalltheothersymptomsofA
categorypatientsrequiredhomeisolationandtreatmentwithOseltamivir(Tamiflu).
Ccategorypatientswithalltheabovesymptomscombinedwithbreathlessness,chestpain,bluish
discolourationofnails,etc.shouldbehospitalised.SpecialistinInternalMedicineC.Padmawhoworkedin
theUSAwhenswineflubecameapandemic(2009)saidonlypatientswhorequiredhospitalisationneedto
betestedforswineflu.
AcorporatehospitalmanagingdirectorandspecialistincriticalcarePadmaMovvasaidallsuspectedcases
ofswinefluwerebeingtreatedwithOseltamivir,becausefacilitiesfordetectingthespecificfluwasnot
availableinVijayawada.
Earlytreatmentbetter
Theearliertreatmentwasstartedwiththespecificantiviral,bettertheresults,shesaid.

AncientstarwithfiveEarthsizeplanetsdiscovered
AfteranalysingoverfouryearsofdatafromNASAsKeplerspacecraft,ateamofastronomershas
discoveredastarthatis11.2billionyearsoldandhasatleastfiveEarthsizeplanets.
ThefindingsshowthatEarthsizeplanetshaveformedthroughoutmostoftheuniverses13.8billionyear
history,leavingopenthepossibilityfortheexistenceofancientlifeinthegalaxy,saidTiagoCampante,
researchfellowattheUniversityofBirminghamwholedtheresearchproject.
ThepaperdescribesKepler444,astarthatis25percentsmallerthanourSunandis117lightyearsfrom
Earth.
ThestarsfiveknownplanetshavesizesthatfallbetweenMercuryandVenus.
Thoseplanetsaresoclosetotheirstarthattheycompletetheirorbitsinfewerthan10days.
Atthatdistance,theyareallmuchhotterthanMercuryandarenothabitable.
Kepler444isverybrightandcanbeeasilyseenwithbinoculars.Thisisoneoftheoldestsystemsinthe
galaxy,addedSteveKawaler,anIowaStateUniversityprofessorofphysicsandastronomywhoisalsothe
coauthorofthepaper.
Kepler444camefromthefirstgenerationofstars.
Thissystemtellsusthatplanetswereformingaroundstarsnearlysevenbillionyearsbeforeourownsolar
system,Kawalernoted.
Planetarysystemsaroundstarshavebeenacommonfeatureofourgalaxyforalong,longtime.
ThatdiscoveryisgoingtohelpastronomerslearnevenmoreaboutthehistoryoftheMilkyWay.
FromthefirstrockyexoplanetstothediscoveryofanEarthsizeplanetorbitinganotherstarinitshabitable
zone,wearenowgettingfirstglimpsesofthevarietyofGalacticenvironmentsconducivetotheformationof
thesesmallworlds,theastronomerswrote.
Asaresult,thepathtowardamorecompleteunderstandingofearlyplanetformationintheGalaxystarts
unfoldingbeforeus,theyconcludedinthepaperthatappearedintheAstrophysicalJournal.

OfDarwinsline,theprofessorhasaposerondevelopment

Aresocialmovementsantidevelopment?Ordotheyexemplifytherealessence
oftheterm?
Isequitabledistributionofnaturalresourcestherealmeaningofdevelopment?Orwasittheexhaustionof
suchresourcesthroughrapidindustrialisation?Thesewerethequestionsposedbyprominentanthropologist
FelixPadel,whoisadescendentofevolutionarybiologistCharlesDarwin.
Dr.Padel,whowasdeliveringalectureonWhatisRealDevelopmentBalancingEcologyandEconomyat
OsmaniaUniversitysDepartmentofPoliticalSciencesaidthatmanysocialmovementsinIndiaandother
countrieswereresistingthetakeoveroflandandresources,orchestratedthroughforeigninvestment.Such
movementsweregenerallyledbymarginalisedgroupsandwomen.
Hesoughttoknowifthesemovementswereantidevelopmentordidtheyrepresenttherealessenceofthe
term.Realdevelopment,hefelt,wasthepropersharingofresourcestoguaranteeproperaccessto
everyoneforfood,water,justiceandhealthcare.
Prof.G.KrishnaReddy,coordinatorathedepartmentsCentreforAdvancedStudiessaidDr.Felix,whohas
publishedextensivelyontribalissues,willbedeliveringaseriesoflectures.

Newprimitivehumanspeciesdiscovered?
ResearchershaveidentifiedthefirstknownprehistorichumanfromTaiwanwhichmayrepresentanentirely
newspeciesthatlivedasrecentlyas10,000yearsago.Thenewlydiscoveredbigtoothedhuman,Penghu
1,mighthavecoexistedandeveninterbredwithourspecies.
ThediscoverysupportsthegrowingbodyofevidencethatHomosapienswasnottheonlyspeciesfromour
genuslivinginEuropeandAsiabetween200,000and10,000yearsago.
Theavailableevidenceatleastdoesnotexcludethepossibilitythattheysurviveduntiltheappearance
ofHomosapiensintheregion,anditistemptingtospeculateabouttheirpossiblecontact,coauthor
YousukeKaifutoldDiscoveryNews.
Dr.KaifuisanassociateprofessorintheDepartmentofBiologicalSciencesatTheUniversityofTokyo.Dr.
Kaifu,leadauthorChunHsiangChang,andtheirteamstudiedtheremainsofthenewhumanajawbone
withbigteethstillinit,dredgedupoffthecoastofTaiwaninPenghuchannel.
ChangandhisteamsaidPenghu1couldrepresentanewhumanspeciesoraregionalgroupofHomo
erectus,alsoknownasUprightMan.Heandhiscolleaguesbelievethat,duetoitssize,thejawbonecame
fromanadultindividualandpossiblyasenior,becauseitsteetharewornseverely.
Jawbonessize
ThejawbonessizefurtherrevealsthatPenghu1wasnotadwarf,unliketinyHomofloresiensis,whichlived
ontheislandofFlores,Indonesia,whereotheranimalswerealsosmallerthanusual.
Penghu1,instead,livedonwhatwasthenmainlandAsiainanecosystemthatincludedmanyotheranimals.
WhilePenghu1spreciseidentityremainsamysteryfornow,researchersaresurethatthisbigtoothed
humanwasnotamemberofourspecies.

Fossilfindspushbacksnakeorigins
TheoldestfoundinOxfordisofa25cmreptilethatlived167millionyearsago
SnakeshavebeenslitheringonEarthfarlongerthananyoneeverrealised.
ScientistsonTuesdaydescribedthefouroldestknownsnakefossils,themostancientofwhichwasa
roughly25cmreptilecalledEophisunderwoodiunearthedinaquarrynearOxford,England,thatlivedabout
167millionyearsago.

TheremarkablefossilsfromBritain,PortugalandtheUnitedStatesrewritethehistoryofsnakeevolution,
pushingbacksnakeoriginsbytensofmillionsofyears.
Untilnow,theoldestsnakefossildatedfromabout102millionyearsago,saidUniversityofAlberta
paleontologistMichaelCaldwell,wholedthestudypublishedinthejournalNatureCommunications.
Scientistssaysnakesevolvedfromlizards,andanumberofpreviouslydiscoveredfossilsofprimitive
snakesfeaturedsmallbacklegs.
ThosedescribedonTuesdaydidnotincludeentireskeletons,buttheresearcherssayallfourmayhavehad
someformofreducedforelimbsandhindlimbs.
Thatdoesnotmeantheywalked.Itseemsprobablethattheywereslithering,sotospeak,thoughthelimbs
mightstillhavebeenusedforgrasping,Mr.Caldwellsaid.
Snakeshavegeneratedfearandfascinationsinceancienttimes,saidpaleontologistSebastin
ApesteguaofArgentinasNationalScientificandTechnicalResearchCouncil(CONICET)andUniversidad
Maimonides,anotheroftheresearchers.
However,weknowverylittleabouttheirveryorigins,saidMr.Apestegua.
Thefoursnakeslivedduringtheageofdinosaurs.Eophis,theoldest,wasaswampdwellerthatprobably
atesmallminnows,insectsandtadpoles.
Thelargest,namedPortugalophislignitesanddiscoveredinacoalmineincentralPortugal,measuredabout
1.2metresandwas155millionyearsold.
Itmayhaveeatensmallmammals,youngdinosaurs,lizards,birdsandfrogs.
Diablophisgilmorei,asnakefromabout155millionyearsago,wasfoundinwesternColorado.Itwasabit
largerthanEophisandprobablyatesimilarprey.
Parviraptorestesi,foundinseacliffsnearSwanage,England,wasabout60cmlongand144millionyears
old.
Caldwellsaidthefoursnakesskullanatomywassimilartomodernsnakesandotherfossilsnakes.Caldwell
saidthecharacteristicsnakeskulldesignlikelyemergedbeforethesereptilesacquiredtheirelongatedand
leglessbodyplan.

ThebestshotyetoficydwarfplanetCeres
IfyouhaventheardofCeres,aplanetthatsitssomewherebetweenMarsandJupiter,youcanbeforgiven.
Itwasoriginallyclassifiedasatrueplanetinthe1800s,thendemotedtoanasteroidandfinallyin2006
promotedagainasadwarfplanetastatusitnowshareswithPluto.
ButtheicyCeres,rightthroughthechangingnomenclature,hasheldauniquefascinationforscientists:not
leastbecauseitisthoughttocontainvastreservesofwater.Andso,whenthesharpestimageyetofthe
dwarfplanetemerges,itiscausetocelebrate.NASAsDawnspacecrafthassentbackapictureofCeres
takenfromadistanceof237,000km.Theimagealthoughfairlyblurryis30percenthigherin
resolutionthanthosetakenbyNASAsHubbleSpaceTelescope10yearsagofrom241millionkilometres
away.
AsthespacecraftmovesclosertoCeres,theimagessentbackwillgetbetter.DawnwillenterintoCeres
orbitonMarch6tocapturedetailedimagesandmeasurevariationsinreflectedlighttogetinsightsintothe
planet'ssurfacecomposition.
Lastyear,astronomerswhostudieddatafromESAsHerschelSpaceObservatoryreportedplumesofvapour
emergingfromCeressurface,suggestingthatitcontainedregionsrichinwaterice.Dawnwillbethefirst
spacecrafttovisitanydwarfplanet.At950kmdiameterCeresisthesmallestknowndwarfplanet,butthe
largestobjectintheasteroidbeltbetweenMarsandJupiter.