Researchers have made a breakthrough in HIV research, potentially leading to better treatments for HIV, according to BiologyNews.net. Researchers from Imperial College London and Harvard University grew a high quality crystal that reveals the structure of integrase, an enzyme found in retroviruses like HIV. HIV uses integrase to paste a copy of its genetic information into an infected person’s DNA. The new study, funded by the Medical Research Council and the U.S. government agency National Institutes of Health, enabled researchers to better understand how antiretroviral drugs for HIV function by blocking integrase.

The researchers used a version of integrase borrowed from a retrovirus called Prototype Foamy Virus (PFV) to grow the crystal as it is similar to its HIV counterpart. During a four-year study, the researchers carried out over 40,000 trials which allowed them to grow seven kinds of crystals, only one of which good enough quality to allow determination of the three-dimensional structure.

After growing the crystal, the researchers used the giant synchrotron machine at the Diamond Light Source in South Oxfordshire to collect X-ray diffraction data from these crystals, revealing the structure. The crystals were soaked in solutions of the integrase inhibiting drugs Raltegravir (also known as Isentress) and Elvitegravir and then researchers watched how the drugs worked to inactivate integrase.

The discovery will show researchers how existing drugs work and how to both improve them and cut resistance.

States have been legalizing medical use of marijuana since 1996, when California passed a ballot initiative, yet the idea remains controversial. The statutes of the initiative in the ballot allow wide leeway for doctors to decide when to write marijuana recommendations. This conversation is set to grow with New Jersey having recently become the 14th state to allow therapeutic use of marijuana. This could be followed by other states, such as Illinois and New York, which are considering new laws.

States’ rules on growing and dispensing medical marijuana vary. Some states license specialized dispensaries, which can range from small storefronts to bigger operations that feel more like pharmacies. Typically, they have security procedures to limit walk-in visitors. The U.S. Department of Justice has said it will not generally prosecute ill people under doctors’ care whose use of the drug complies with state rules.

Opponents of legalization say laws permitting marijuana use may spur a wider cultivation and use of the drug by people without serious medical conditions. Advocates of medical marijuana laws say very ill patients may benefit from the drug and should be able to access it with a doctor’s permission. They argue that some patients may get better results from marijuana than from prescription drugs.

Research results suggest marijuana can help patients of managing neuropathic pain, caused by certain types of nerve injury, and in bolstering appetite and treating nausea, for instance in cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy.

For those that benefit from medical use, positive effects include increased appetite, better sleep and treatment of nausea, often in cancer patients, as well as to encourage weight gain in HIV and AIDS patients. However, some have exhibited undesirable side effects, such as a racing heart, paranoia and short-term memory loss.

One major issue surrounding the use of marijuana for medical purposes is that because it is not regulated by the Food and Drug Administration, there is no way to check the potency and quality or to standardize dosages.

For those researchers that want to study the effect of marijuana, and its main ingredient, THC, the problem is getting funding. A recent American Medical Association (AMA) review found fewer than 20 randomized, controlled clinical trials of smoked marijuana for all possible uses. These involved around 300 people in total, resulting in less evidence than is required for a pharmaceutical to be marketed in the U.S.

Meanwhile, the AMA review said three controlled studies with 43 participants showed a “modest” anti-nausea effect of smoked marijuana in cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy. A trial of 50 AIDS patients published in Neurology in 2007 found that 52% of those who smoked marijuana reported a 30% or greater reduction in pain while 24% of those who got placebo cigarettes reported the same lessening of pain.

An analysis published in Lancet in 2007 linked marijuana use to a higher rate of psychotic conditions, such as schizophrenia, but there was no data to suggest causation, versus a correlation. Other possible issues include dependence, though it is not as addictive as nicotine or alcohol, says Columbia University Medical School Professor Margaret Haney. Smoked marijuana may also risk lung irritation, but a large 2006 study published in Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention found no link to lung cancer.

Click here for the full article from The Wall Street Journal

Bamboo is quickly becoming ingredient of choice for companies in the cosmetics and personal care industry looking to improve their sustainability credentials, according to the recent Consumer Packaged Goods trend report from market researcher Datamonitor.

According to Datamonitor’s Product Launch Analytics, the number of new products utilizing bamboo both within packaging and as an ingredient in cosmetics and hair and nail products has risen from 52 new products in 2005 to 221 new product reports in 2009, an 325% increase. However, Analyst Tom Vierhile said some of the new products use bamboo as a shade or as part of the product branding, rather than as an active ingredient or in packaging. According to Vierhile, bamboo is such a popular choice for green packaging because of its versatility and rapid growth rate—it can grow up to 24 inches in a day.

At the 2009 HBA International Packaging Design Awards, both Beauty Society and Urban Decay won finalists awards for color cosmetics palettes made from bamboo. LMVH used sustainable bamboo and recycled metal as packaging material for the eye-shadow and blush make-up palette they made for Sephora.

Last year L’Oreal Portugal introduced a hair colorant with bamboo extract under its Garnier brand. The ammonia free, HerbaShine colorant is advertised as a hair strengthener that improves hair shine while offering grey coverage.
Nail care company Sally Hansen launched “nail nutrition” Green Tea and Bamboo Nail Strengthener.
Bamboo is also marketed by manufacturers for its nourishing and soothing properties in other products including mascara and lip balm.
Click here for the complete Cosmetics Design report.

The Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) and BioEnergy Solutions’ biogas-to-pipeline injection project in Fresno County, California has begun production of renewable natural gas derived from cow manure. The gas emitted from cow dung will be cleaned and transmitted via a PG&E pipeline, which the power giant will then use to make energy.

A BioEnergy Solutions system reduces emissions of methane, a greenhouse gas 21 times more potent than carbon dioxide, by 70% on a 5,000-cow dairy. BioEnergy Solution’s first project was executed at Vintage Dairy, owned by dairyman and BioEnergy Solutions Founder David Albers, in Fresno County, California.

Manure from 5,000 milk-producing cows and calves is flushed into a covered lagoon the size of almost five football fields and over three stories deep. Methane gas produced as the manure decomposes and is trapped in the lagoon, where the methane is upgraded, or “scrubbed,” to remove corrosive materials to meet PG&E standards. The cleaned gas is then transmitted via PG&E pipeline and is used to deliver renewable electricity to PG&E customers in central and northern California.

Under a long-term contract approved by the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC), BioEnergy Solutions will deliver up to three billion cubic feet of renewable natural gas to PG&E annually.

The John S. and James L. Knight Foundation recently approved a new $6 million, three-year grant for the Knight International Journalism Fellowships program run by the International Center for Journalists (ICFJ).

Knight International Fellows’ projects are designed to make long term improvements in the quality and free flow of news serving the public interest around the world. Fellows are selected for projects focused on creating new professional associations and journalism schools, developing digital corruption trackers and new cell phone services, and building networks of citizen journalists.

In 2010, Knight Fellows will launch a few of their projects including new investigative units at leading Middle Eastern news organizations; a website that will map citizen reports on corruption so that Panamanian journalists can expose abuses; and a new online association in India dedicated to improving transparency, making government data easily available to journalists for the first time.

The new grant will also provide funds for the International Journalists’ Network (IJNET) – a resource for the international media community to learn about networking and training opportunities – so that it may add Chinese to its list of offerings.

Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal is suing CVS Pharmacy for allegedly selling cough and allergy medicines, antacids, baby formula, energy drinks and dairy products past their expiration dates at 20 or more of its Connecticut stores according to ConsumerAffairs.com. Blumenthal’s investigators found the expired products on CVS shelves in the summers of 2008 and 2009.

In 2008, a quarter of CVS stores surveyed were found selling expired products. In 2009, the number increased to almost half of the surveyed CVS stores. The lawsuit potentially seeks large fines for violations of the state consumer protection laws, and includes an order barring CVS from selling products with passed expiration dates.

Recently, CVS agreed to pay $875,000 to end a probe by New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo into the sale of expired products in its New York stores, and agreed to implement new policies to prevent expired goods from being sold. Rite Aid reached a similar agreement with New York last year and agreed to pay $1.3 million and adopt new internal policies.

Click here for the complete report from Consumer Affairs

Click here for the original AG’s release

A U.S. study has raised hopes of developing a drug therapy to reverse the learning problems associated with Down syndrome, according to a published report in the journal of Science Translational Medicine. Down syndrome, a genetic disorder caused by an extra copy of chromosome 21, is associated with deficits in the memory centers, which make it difficult for the brain to store and use experiences in order to form new memories. The study pinpoints the brain deficits and suggests a possible way to tackle them.

During the study, researchers from Stanford University and the Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital worked on mice genetically engineered to mimic Down syndrome. When placed in an unfamiliar cage, the genetically engineered mice failed to start building new nests. The researchers discovered that cells in the hippocampus area of the genetically engineered animals’ brain were starved of noradrenaline, a chemical that helps nerve cells communicate with each other. The lack of noradrenaline seems to be due to the deterioration of the locus coeruleus, an area of the brain, which usually communicates with the hippocampus during the formation of memories, caused by the APP gene contained on the extra chromosome 21. The researchers found that when levels of the chemical were artificially boosted, it had an almost instant positive effect on the animals’ behavior—they started nest building, and improved their performance on other tests as well.

Researchers suspect the best approach for raising chemical levels may be to focus in tandem on noradrenaline and another brain chemical that has been implicated in Down syndrome, acetylcholine. A lead researcher involved with the study, Dr. Ahmad Salehi, said the study suggested that an early intervention with the right drugs might help children with Down syndrome to collect and make sense of information.

Click here for the complete BBC article

A study entitled “Impacts of Genetically Engineered Crops on Pesticide Use in the United States: The First Thirteen Years,” by Dr. Charles Benbrook reveals that genetically engineered (GE) corn, soybeans and cotton have increased use of weed-killing herbicides by 383 million pounds in the U.S. from 1996 to 2008. Forty-six percent of the total increase occurred during 2007 and 2008. However, a 64 million pound cut in the use of insecticide for GE corn and cotton leaves the overall use hike at 318 million pounds.

Dr. Benbrook, report author and chief scientist at The Organic Center (TOC), based his findings upon U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) data. Dr. Benbrook’s evidence links the increase in pesticide use on GE, “herbicide-tolerant” (HT) crops, to the emergence and spread of herbicide-resistant weeds. The agricultural biotechnology industry claims that the higher costs of GE seeds are justified by the benefits to farmers, including decreased spending on pesticides, a claim the report refutes.

 “The drastic increase in pesticide use with genetically engineered crops is due primarily to the rapid emergence of weeds resistant to glyphosate, the active ingredient in Monsanto’s Roundup herbicide,” said Dr. Benbrook. “With glyphosate-resistant weeds now infesting millions of acres, farmers face rising costs coupled with sometimes major yield losses, and the environmental impact of weed management systems will surely rise.”

Last April, a report released by the Union for Concerned Scientists (UCS) found that engineered crops have largely failed to increase crop yields. Industry claims that GE crops are benefitting the environment ignore the impacts of the 300+ million additional pounds of pesticides required over the course of Dr. Benbrook’s study and farmers’ growing reliance on high-risk herbicides including 2,4-D and paraquat. A report released earlier this year by TOC demonstrated that exposure to pesticides is linked to increased risk of reproductive abnormalities, birth defects and neurological problems.

Followers of the Mediterranean diet are less likely to develop depression according to the results of a recent study published in the Archives of General Psychiatry, reports NHIondemand. The Mediterranean diet is based upon traditional diet of the Mediterranean Basin region. Researchers had over 10,000 healthy, depression-free adults follow the Mediterranean diet and fill out questionnaires between 1999 and 2005. Study participants were asked to consume a diet low on meat, with a moderate level of alcohol and dairy products, and with high levels of fruits, nuts, cereals, vegetables, fish and olive oil. The researchers questioned participants again after an average of 4.4 years and found that the overall incidence of depression was 30% lower among those who had followed the diet closely. Even lower rates of depression were recognized among those that that specifically ate fruits, vegetables and olive oil. The researchers noted that adopting the Mediterranean diet is not an appropriate treatment for depression, but that the diet might serve as a preventative measure for those with a family history of depression.

Click here for the complete article.

The National Organic Standards Board (NOSB) has voted for a crackdown on the cosmetic industry’s use of the word ‘organic,’ according to Cosmeticsdesign.com. The NOSB is a government appointed panel that works to reach consensus within the organic community regarding regulatory decisions. The panel represents the views of those working in the organic sector as well as consumers.

The Organic Consumers Association (OCA) claims that many products using ‘organic’ in their description and product title are not certified. The OCA has announced a boycott on brands which have been misusing the term organic, including, but not limited to: Organics by Noah’s Naturals, Nature’s Gate Organics, Amazon Organics and Avalon Organics.

The NOSB are now calling on the USDA’s National Organic Program to enforce the proper use of term organic, a measure already in practice within the food sector. NOSB proposes that only the USDA organic certification would be recognized, while certifying a product to one of the competing standards such as the NSF’s ‘Made With Organic’ standard or the Oasis standard, would not allow the company to use the term ‘organic’. The “crackdown” would make any use of the word ‘organic’ on personal care products and cosmetics illegal without USDA certification.

Click here for the complete article

Click here for the full list of products on OCA’s boycott list

Click here for more information on NOSB