Little chance for ebola vaccine

Scientists researching the lethal ebola virus have told the BBC that a commercial vaccine to prevent the onset of infection may never be developed.

Two companies with leading vaccine candidates have had their funding from the Pentagon suspended in recent weeks.

An expert said it was now "unlikely" a prophylactic vaccine would ever be used to prevent outbreaks of the disease.

Ebola is often described as the most frightening disease on Earth.

The virus causes a severe haemorrhagic fever, where victims bleed both internally and externally.

The virus attacks white blood cells and blood vessels, causing a rash, red eyes, severe abdominal pain and vomiting.

Continue reading the main story

?Start Quote

Overall we've made great progress but unfortunately we are still far away from commercial use. It is hard to say when a vaccine might be available, if ever?

End Quote Dr Heinz Feldmann Rocky Mountain Laboratories

In recent weeks, an outbreak in western Uganda claimed the lives of at least sixteen people. There is no specific treatment and the virus can kill up to 90% of those who become infected.

Efforts to develop a vaccine have been funded in the main by the US Department of Defense and the National Institutes of Health. They have poured millions of dollars into scientific research because of concerns that the virus could be turned into a biological weapon.

As a result of this funding, several vaccine candidates have been developed and have shown themselves effective in animal trials.

Two companies, Sarepta and Tekmira have begun human safety trials of their vaccines.

But in recent days, both companies have been told by the Defense Department to temporarily stop work on their vaccines due to funding constraints. It is expected that a decision to either resume testing or completely terminate the contracts will be made by early September.

Scientists say their understanding of the nature of the virus has markedly improved over the past decade. But the chances of turning that knowledge into a vaccine are very dependant on money.

All about the money

Gene Olinger, a virologist at the US Army Research Institute of Infectious Disease at Fort Detrick in Maryland, told BBC News: "With the current funding, if it doesn't change, I would say there should be a vaccine in five to seven years. It could double or triple it if the funding goes away."

There is also a big concern over the lack of a large pharmaceutical company which might be willing to develop and market a vaccine for ebola. Since the disease was first discovered in 1976, slightly more than 2,200 people have been infected. And outbreaks have been almost impossible to predict.

Continue reading the main story

Where does Ebola come from?

Scientists at the World Health Organisation believe that fruit bats from the Pteropodidae family are the natural hosts of the ebola virus. Although non human primates are often the source of the infection they are not thought to be a reservoir but rather an accidental host.

The virus gets into humans through the consumption of infected animals or through contact with their blood, secretions and organs. It can pass from human to human via bodily secretions and fluids. Burial ceremonies in some parts of Africa where mourners have direct contact with the body of the deceased have played an important role in spreading the disease.

There are five different strains of ebola, three of which have caused outbreaks in Africa. The Reston species discovered in monkeys imported from the Philippines can infect humans but doesn't appear to have caused illness or death to date. Due to its high mortality rate, ebola is classified as a category A bio terrorism agent by the US Centers for Disease Control.

Larry Zeitlin is the president of Mapp Biopharmacueticals, a small company involved in the development of a therapy for ebola. He says that since the disease is sporadic and extremely deadly, it limits the numbers of people who are affected. But it also limits the commercial potential of any therapy.

"I think it's unlikely that a large pharmaceutical company would get involved," he explained.

"There isn't a huge customer base and big pharma is obviously interested in big profits. So these niche products which are important for biodefence are really driven by small companies."

This uncertainty over funding and the absence of interest from large pharmaceutical firms is leading some scientists to argue that a preventative vaccine might never see the light of day.

Heinz Feldmann is one of the world's leading experts on ebola. He oversees haemorrhagic fever research at Rocky Mountain Laboratories in the United States. He strikes a realistic note about the prospects for a vaccine.

"Overall we've made great progress but unfortunately we are still far away from commercial use. It is hard to say when a vaccine might be available, if ever," he said.

Practical steps

Others are even more sceptical on the basis of the science. Larry Zeitlin says that the challenges in developing a working therapy and worries over a mass innoculation programme will severely limit any prospective ebola vaccine.

"I think it's unlikely you'll see a vaccine that's used in millions and millions of people to prevent the disease, that might only come about if the nature of the disease changed, if it became something spread through airborne contact more like the flu," he said.

While progress has been slow in developing new therapies or vaccines, experts say that big steps have been taken in learning how to manage outbreaks and trace the contacts of those who come down with the disease.

Gene Olinger believes the recent outbreak in Uganda shows that developing new drugs is not the only approach that can be successful against ebola.

"I think they have the infrastructure now to do their own diagnostics, they can then call in help when they need it," he explained.

"The rapid response we saw in the Uganda outbreak indicates they have a greater control over their ability to respond. That makes a big difference. They've done a really good job."

Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-19112510#sa-ns_mchannel=rss&ns_source=PublicRSS20-sa

tony romo big sean sherri shepherd sherri shepherd arkansas razorbacks trisomy 18 ozzie guillen

Bloody day of blasts in Iraq kills more than 70

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - A series of bombings and shootings killed more than 70 people across Iraq on Thursday in a bloody day of attacks underscoring the country's struggle with a stubborn insurgency more than half a year after the U.S. military withdrew.

In the worst of the blasts that erupted in the morning and ended in the evening, at least 27 people were killed when a car bomb exploded outside a cafe in Baghdad's Zafraniya district as Iraqis took to the streets to end daily fasting for the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.

Shortly before the Zafraniya blast, another bomb tore into a busy intersection outside a popular ice cream store in the mainly Shi'ite district of Sadr City, killing 16 and wounding 40 more, police and hospital officials said.

"I was sitting in the cafe when I felt a huge spark like electricity in my eyes, and a huge explosion. After that I woke up in hospital with injuries to my arms and shrapnel in my back," said Amjad Saad, 23, a college student.

No group claimed responsibility for Thursday's bombings and shootings, but a local al Qaeda affiliate and other Sunni Islamist groups have carried out at least one major assault a month since the last American troops left in December.

Al Qaeda's local wing, the Islamic State of Iraq, says it has begun a new offensive against mainly Shi'ite targets, and security experts say it has benefited from cash and morale thanks to the inflow of fighters into neighboring Syria.

Security had been tightened in Baghdad ahead of the end of Ramadan next week, a period when analysts had said they believed insurgents may attempt a major coordinated attack.

Earlier in the day, a car bomb killed six civilians and wounded 28 in the mainly Shi'ite Baghdad district of Husainiya, police and hospital sources said. Just north of the capital, in Taji, another car bomb killed one and wounded nine more people.

Another six police and army soldiers were killed by gunmen who opened fire on their checkpoint from two speeding cars in the north of the capital, police said.

Four car bombs exploded in the city of Kirkuk, 250 km (150 miles) north of Baghdad, killing two people and wounded 18, police and hospital sources said.

Kirkuk, which sits on massive oil reserves, is at the heart of a dispute between Baghdad's central government and the country's autonomous Kurdistan region, both of which claim the city as part of their area of territorial control.

Overnight attacks on police checkpoints in the cities of Baquba and Falluja killed six policemen and wounded 13, police and hospital sources said. More attacks and smaller bombings hit several other towns across Iraq.

Sunni Muslim insurgents have launched a string of attacks on Shi'ite targets to try to reignite the sectarian violence that killed tens of thousands of people in 2006-2007 and to undermine the country's Shi'ite-led government.

The Islamic State of Iraq insurgents have also said their suicide bombers attacked a counter-terrorism unit in Baghdad earlier in August to try to free prisoners held there. Police managed to fend off the attack and kill the attackers.

Iraq's security forces are generally seen as capable of containing the insurgents, but a crisis among Shi'ite, Sunni and Kurdish factions is fueling sectarian tensions and paralyzing their power-sharing government.

(Additional reporting by Raheem Salman in Baghdad, Mustafa Mahmoud in Kirkuk, Jamal al-Badrani in Mosul, Fadhil al-Badrani in Falluja and Ali Mohammed in Baquba; Writing by Patrick Markey and Barry Malone; Editing by Alison Williams and Will Dunham)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/iraq-blasts-shootings-kill-18-wound-scores-103620359.html

jerusalem artichoke bud shootout aretha franklin stevie wonder new orleans weather new orleans weather sparkle

What Is the Picture Archiving and Communication System in Health ...

PACS, or the picture archiving and communication system is a standard for image storage and movement across a network. Other similar standards are emerging as the need for storing and moving large amount of image data is on the increase in the health care system. X-ray technicians, radiologists, and other health care workers in the imaging fields are seeing a need to store and move their images over networks in one building and across many miles of interconnected networks.

One of the advantages of moving image data over a network is for doctors in one facility to be able diagnose patients who could be many miles away. The images can be transported in real time across networks, so that the time from imaging to diagnoses can be the same as if the doctor was right there with the patient.

As imaging technology improves, the amount of data that each image requires increases. The more data per image, the more information that can be determined about the patient?s condition. As the amount of data per image increases, data storage and network bandwidth become limiting factors in keeping up with the technology. Information technology departments in hospitals are also under pressure to keep pace with the new requirements on data size.

As facilities are improved or built, optical network cable is being installed with its increased bandwidth capability over copper wire. Data server computers with many layers of redundant hard drive storage are also becoming part of the necessary equipment in health care facilities.

Another consideration with imaging storage is the linkage between the image and the patient?s identity and privacy concerns. The HL7 systems that track a patient?s records and interfaces with a number of other systems in a health care facility can also link image files and the patient?s identity. That way, there is one common set of files that can be passed around that include personal information, as well as the actual medical records of the patient.

The picture archiving and communication system is the portion of the software that deals with managing the image data on one end, and on the interface with the computer network system on the other. It is the link between the data, itself, and all the individuals who want to access that data.

In the future, it is hoped that the size of the data image files will not outgrow the capacity to store them, nor the bandwidth to transmit them. These technologies must advance fast enough so that the information that is gathered is made useful to those who desire to see it.

Where can I find information on certification? Could benefit from an online medical assistant program or find out how to enroll in one of several x-ray technical schools online! Get started in obtaining an exciting career in health field with growth potential. Find out more today!

Source: http://toddsblogs.com/referenceandeducation/2012/08/15/what-is-the-picture-archiving-and-communication-system-in-health-care/

ncaa football brian van gorder blazing saddles lsu alabama lsu game lsu game beezow doo doo zopittybop bop bop

Tips: "How I Write About Science" By Established Science Writers

'); } else { $('#'+formID+' > .error').fadeOut('slow'); $('#'+formID+' > .error').html(json.MESSAGE); } $('#'+formID+' > .error').fadeIn('slow'); } else { $('#'+formID).hide(); $('#'+formID).after('

' + json.MESSAGE + '

'); $('#'+formParentID+' > .result').fadeIn('slow'); $('#'+formID+' > .error').fadeOut('slow'); if (formID == "gigyaConnect") { var regParams = { timestamp: Number(json.TIMESTAMP), siteUID: json.UID, signature: json.SIG, callback: function reload_giga_blogs() {gigya.services.socialize.getUserInfo({callback:authenticateThroughGigya, context:"firstLogin"});} }; gigya.services.socialize.notifyRegistration(regParams); $('.gHideThisAfterSuccess').hide(); } } }, "json"); }); });

Source: http://rss.sciam.com/click.phdo?i=80613593504228c9862e74bcf73e17f8

yahoo.com/mail baylor sofia vergara april 9 albatross louis oosthuizen phil mickelson

Obama Defends Biden After 'Chains' Remark

President Obama has been known to quibble with his vice president for upstaging him on matters of policy or committing unintended rhetorical gaffes.

But after Vice President Joe Biden suggested Tuesday that Republicans want to put voters in "chains," triggering a fierce war of words between the rival campaigns, Obama is standing by Biden's side.

In an interview with People magazine from Dubuque, Iowa, Obama called the vice president an "outstanding" figure who is "passionate about what's happening in middle-class families."

He shrugged off the controversy over Biden's remark, defending and clarifying the overarching argument Biden was trying to make.

Biden was saying "you, consumers, the American people, will be a lot worse off if we repeal these [Wall Street reform] laws as the other side is suggesting," the president said, backing up his No. 2.

"In no sense was he trying to connote something other than that," Obama told the magazine.

The VP sparked the controversy during a campaign rally in Danville, Va., where he was attempting to argue that the House GOP budget, partly written by newly-minted GOP vice presidential running mate Rep. Paul Ryan, gives an indication of the Republican presidential ticket's values.

"Look at what they value and look at their budget and what they're proposing. Romney wants to let the - he said in the first 100 days he's going to let the big banks once again write their own rules, 'unchain Wall Street.' They're going to put y'all back in chains," he said.

Biden and the Obama campaign both later issued clarification of the comment, explaining that he misspoke and intended to use the word "unshackle," which has been used by the GOP in the past.

"The last time these guys unshackled the economy, to use their term, they put the middle class in shackles. That's how we got where we are," Biden said at a subsequent rally in Wyethville, Va.

Asked by People about the appropriateness of Biden's choice of words, Obama reportedly "sighed."

"The truth is that during the course of these campaigns, folks like to get obsessed with how something was phrased even if everybody personally understands that's not how it was meant," Obama said.

Also Read

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/obama-defends-biden-chains-remark-005450033--abc-news-politics.html

latkes how to make it in america how to make it in america schweddy balls schweddy balls bill conlin kendall jenner

Save Some Energy With Roller Blinds ? Guru Article Directory

Oftentimes, bare window glasses don?t have ventilation that is efficient. That is reason enough for the occupants of homes are in such a hurry to cover their bare windows in the summertime when the weather becomes much hotter. Usually, these occupants will cover their bare windows with some kind of a window shading product. Preventing the hot rays from the sun from passing through the window glass and therefore making the temperature inside the room in the home unbearably hot is one very important reason that people will use roller blinds.

Another important reason that some people want to cover their glass windows with roller blinds is that they want to be safe from the harmful effects of ultraviolet rays. The continued exposure to solar ultraviolet rays can cause premature discoloration of furniture and some skin diseases in humans.

The occupants of homes can frequently resolve this problem with extra equipment for ventilation such as air conditioners. However, there is a more ecologically sound and more practical method to deal with this problem. These days, manufacturers are continually improving the designs of their conventional products for window shading, especially roller blinds, in order to improve performance.

Therefore, people can now have energy efficient and ultraviolet filtering roller blinds for use on their glass windows. Energy efficient and ultraviolet protective roller blinds will help to control how much energy that exits and enters a room and vice versa. Also, the window roller blinds of today coated with transparent metal films that will permit people to control how much heat will enter the room and still time enjoy the view outside.

There are two kinds of window roller blinds which are horizontal and vertical window blinds. These window shadow products are better than using any other kind of treatment for windows because they are adjustable. The occupants of a home can adjust roller blinds when there isn?t much heat being felt to accommodate some sunshine. The occupants of a home can also adjust the roller blinds in order for them to be able to see the outside view. In addition, people can select operating systems that are electrically or manually powered.

Window roller blinds can help people save energy with their metal coated and reflective films. Additionally, roller blinds can control the heat in a room without spending on some extra equipment that is powered by electricity like electric fans or air conditioners. People can certainly reduce their need for electricity with energy efficient window roller blinds.

Click here for more information: http://www.brandsathome.co.uk/roller-blinds-c-33_45.html and reference source on roller blinds.

Source: http://guru3x.com/save-some-energy-with-roller-blinds/

Aurora shooting James Eagan Holmes anne hathaway klimt bastille day breaking bad breaking bad

Whirlwind ? Surlyrider's Blog

Whirlwind

Posted by surlyrider on August 2, 2012 ? Leave a Comment?

20120801-220745.jpg

What a pace I feel like I have been going at. Work, family, and the other commitments that make me tick. It could be overbearing at times and I feel that things I really care about get pushed aside, but adulthood should be called priorityhood. You gotta just set the right things in order and forget the rest.
On the way to T-town the other night to relax and watch some kieren racing, I got a phone call. A call that sounded bad from the start and because it was my sisters voice I knew it was about one of my parents.
With a gas tank on warning light empty and head not prepared for what I was heading towards, I drove past my intended exit and made my way to the hospital.
Everyone hates hospitals, but this one is especially bad for me. I just think of everyone dying in this fortress built into the mountain. My first ?family? death was there when a family friend I called uncle Jerry got in a fight with colon cancer that he lost. The place just always had this feeling of a rainy Sunday after church visiting someone who was going to be taken from me.
Whatever, I?m an adult now and have adult things to do like asses the mom situation.
Turns out she had some heart issues that they had to sort out but she?s going to be fine. These kind of events scare us all and make us look inside. Especially myself because I see myself headed to that hospital bed if I don?t get stuff in check.
Today starts 90 days of working out and blogging. It just so happens to be the first but more importantly its the day my mom was released from the hospital. I made some deals with powers greater than me and i cant back out now.
I was able to squeeze an hour on the bike over some serious hills and on a nice jaunt around the lake. I spent some time chasing a group but ended up going my own way. I need a group to push me, but they didn?t seem like the right ones.
Instead I explored some of the hills around Harveys lake.
I found a new favorite gravel climb al a Rapha epics even with a goat to warn you of the start of the gravel patch. Cool stuff.
If you want to keep up with me check strava,twitter,my fitness plan, and Facebook.
Also come out to my photo show this Friday if you are a Philly local.

20120801-220827.jpg

Like this:

Be the first to like this.

Source: http://surlyrider.wordpress.com/2012/08/02/whirlwind-2/

seattle seahawks space shuttle space shuttle new york courtney upshaw russell wilson catch me if you can delmon young arrested

Companies resist pressure to buy export insurance ? TalkVietnam

HCM CITY ? Many exporters remain unfamiliar with export credit insurance two years after the Government introduced it, according to the Viet Nam Insurance Association.

Cash-in-advance and letters of credit are no longer competitive in the international marketplace, said Phung Dac Loc, the association?s general secretary and buying on credit was a common trend nowadays, especially in developing countries where importers usually had limited access to capital.

Export credit insurance would boost the country?s exports and help exporters reduce their risk, he said.

?Banks will provide loans to exporters without demanding collateral if they have export credit insurance, thus improving their borrowing capacity,? he said.

But despite these advantages, Vietnamese businesses were not keen on it, he told a conference in HCM City yesterday.

The total premium paid for the insurance last year was only VND1.3 billion (US$62,200), or just 0.1 per cent of the country?s total exports. The Government targets a rate of 3 per cent next year.

Businesses on the other hand said they did not need coverage because they have managed smoothly without the insurance, with some also worrying about the high cost of the insurance and its effect on their margins.

Loc said in the current situation, when most companies have high inventories, they should get export credit insurance and explore new markets.

Seven insurance companies are part of the Government?s two-year-old pilot programme ? Bao Viet, Petro Viet Nam Insurance, Bao Minh Joint Stock Corporation, Bao Viet Tokio Marine, QBE Viet Nam, Chartis Viet Nam, and United Insurance Co.

Exporters of two groups of products featuring 23 items ? including seafood, rice, coffee, fruits and vegetables, rubber, pepper, cashew nut, tea, garment and textile, footwear, electronics and computer components, ceramics, glass, iron and steel products, machinery and transport vehicles ? are encouraged to apply for the insurance.

Nguyen Hong Ha, deputy general director of the Viet Nam Chamber of Commerce and Industry?s HCM City office, said Vietnamese exporters faced high risk of losses since foreign buyers transfered money only after receiving shipments.

?Thus, even if it means lower profit margins, buying export credit insurance is imperative,? she said. ?VNS

-->

Source: http://talkvietnam.com/2012/08/companies-resist-pressure-to-buy-export-insurance/

napoleon dynamite michelle williams the descendants the descendants homeland homeland packers giants game

Gaming Servers Helps You To Play Online Games

Post navigation

? Previous

Counter Strike is the most popular game all over the world. It holds 1st position in Online Multiplayer from the last 10 years in First Person Shoot (fps) games. Its main competitors in online multiplayer are DOTA a War-crafts game. Both games holds multiplayer and popular like anything in all over the world. We talk about Counter Strike; main highlights of this game are solid graphics and different maps. Due to popularity, you can place bid on its tournaments that place in different parts of world and win cash. You can do sports trading with help of PMU service. Putting bet over good team you able to win good amount of money.

There are number of counter strike servers available on the net. Just make a search, and you will get number of free servers. If you don?t want to create your own server, you can just check out other private servers online. In online server, you can see many players are already playing there. Choose a server which is near to you for e.g. if you are from France then find server of France.

You can also sort server with the map you like, search with the map name, location, and name of server etc. parameters; and in the end you will find 100s of servers with active status. People play on server day and night; this is only due to popularity of the game.

This entry was posted in Online Business and tagged bet, cricket bet, france, france bets, online sports trading, pmu, soccer bet, sport bet, sport bets, sports, sports trading, tips on bets by marcus. Bookmark the permalink.

Source: http://normanpress.com/gaming-servers-helps-you-to-play-online-games

game of thrones season 2 trailer sag award winners girl scout cookies screen actors guild royal rumble results sag awards 2012 kyra sedgwick