China may be new driver of world's economy
ATLANTA, Jan. 28 (UPI) -- A Georgia Institute of Technology study of worldwide technological competitiveness suggested China might soon rival the United States as an economic power.
Should China surpass the United States as principal driver of the world's economy, it will mark the first time in nearly a century that two nations have competed for leadership as equals, researchers said.
The National Science Foundation-supported study predicted China will soon pass the United States in the critical ability to develop basic science and technology and turning those developments into products and services.
"For the first time in nearly a century, we see leadership in basic research and the economic ability to pursue the benefits of that research … in more than one place on the planet," said Nils Newman, co-author of the study.
"It's like being 40 years old and playing basketball against a competitor who's only 12 years old -- but is already at your height," Newman added. "You are a little better right now and have more experience but you're not going to squeeze much more performance out. The future clearly doesn't look good for the United States."
The research appears in the NSF's biennial report, "Science and Engineering Indicators," released Jan. 15.
Some arthritis drugs better than thought
ROCHESTER, N.Y., Jan. 28 (UPI) -- U.S. scientists have determined some drugs used to treat rheumatoid arthritis have profound, previously unrecognized positive effects on the immune system.
University of Rochester Medical Center researchers said they found drugs known as anti-tumor necrosis factor, or TNF, compounds -- including Enbrel, Humira and Remicade -- help eliminate abnormal cell activity in patients, raising the possibility the drugs improve health in a way no one has realized.
Dr. Ignacio Sanz and Dr. Jennifer Anolik found anti-TNF drugs disrupt the architecture of lymph system structures called germinal centers that produce "B cells" -- lymphocytes that help destroy bacteria and viruses.
In healthy people, once an infection is resolved, the germinal centers disappear. But in people with chronic autoimmune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis or lupus, germinal centers persist and produce immune cells that wreak havoc by mistakenly attacking healthy tissues.
Anolik said he now will compare how two different anti-TNF compounds affect B cells in rheumatoid arthritis patients. The results could help explain why some patients respond well to some medications, while other patients do not.
The study is reported in the Journal of Immunology.
Scientists ID anthrax cellular entry point
BIRMINGHAM, Ala., Jan. 28 (UPI) -- U.S. microbiologists have identified the long-sought biological "gateway" that anthrax uses to enter healthy cells.
University of Alabama at Birmingham researchers have discovered anthrax spores enter cells through something called Mac-1, a receptor located on the surface of certain cells. The scientists said their finding marks the first study to determine exactly how the bacteria get inside cells.
The researchers said the discovery is a milestone in ongoing efforts to protect humans from bioterrorism and biological warfare, and will speed the development of new drugs and vaccines to fight or prevent anthrax infection.
"We know anthrax infection can occur in wild and domestic animals, but in humans this disease is extremely rare and very dangerous," said Professor John Kearney, co-author of the study. "It is a bioweapon."
The study that included researchers Claudia Oliva and Melissa Swiecki is reported in the early online edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences and will soon appear in a print edition.
Study: Gene suppression may cut scarring
BRISTOL, England, Jan. 28 (UPI) -- British scientists have found that by suppressing one of the genes that normally switches on in wound cells, wounds can heal faster with reduced scarring.
University of Bristol researchers said their finding has major implications not just for wound victims, but also for people who suffer organ tissue damage through illness or abdominal surgery.
The scientists noted all tissues scar as they repair. For example, alcohol-induced liver damage leads to fibrosis and liver failure, and after most abdominal surgeries scars can often lead to major complications.
Tissue damage triggers an inflammatory response by white cells to protect skin from infection by killing microbes. The same white cells guide the production of layers of collagen that help a wound heal, but they stand out from the surrounding skin and result in scarring.
In the new study, Professor Paul Martin and colleagues determined the gene osteopontin triggers scarring and that applying a gel that suppresses the gene in a wound can accelerate healing and reduce scarring.
The findings appear in the Journal of Experimental Medicine.
