'Universal' flu vaccine being developed
BETHESDA, Md., July 16 (UPI) -- A "universal" flu vaccine effective against many different strains of flu virus could be a reality within a few years, U.S. researchers say.
Early animal trials of such a vaccine using a "two-step" method of immunization have begun and could be tested on human patients by 2013, The Daily Telegraph reported Friday.
In tests on mice, ferrets and monkeys, U.S. researchers "primed" the immune system with influenza DNA then added a "booster" of seasonal flu vaccine to increase immunity, the newspaper reported.
"We are excited by these results," Dr. Gary Nabel of the U.S. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases said.
"The prime-boost approach opens a new door to vaccinations for influenza that would be similar to vaccination against such diseases as hepatitis, where we vaccinate early in life and then boost immunity through occasional, additional inoculations in adulthood," he said.
Flu viruses are notorious for their ability to mutate and become resistant to vaccines, but the new vaccine generates "universal" antibodies, The Daily Telegraph said.
2010: Warmest year on record?
WASHINGTON, July 16 (UPI) -- Record-setting temperatures in March, April and June made 2010 the warmest year worldwide since the start of record keeping in 1880, climate experts say.
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration data showed the average temperature in June to be 1.22 degrees higher than the historical average, USA Today reported Friday.
"It's part of an overall trend," Jay Lawrimore, climate analysis chief at NOAA's National Climatic Data Center, said. "Global temperatures ... have been rising for the last 100-plus years. Much of the increase is due to increases in greenhouse gases."
If the trend continues, Lawrimore said, flooding rains will become more common.
"The atmosphere is able to hold more water as it warms, and greater water content leads to greater downpours," he said.
Heavy snows, droughts and Arctic ice melts will also increase and become more severe, he said.
Not everyone agrees with the new data and its interpretation.
Marc Morano, editor of the the Climate Depot Web site, says the government "is playing the climate fear card by hyping predictions and cherry-picking data."
Meteorologist Joe D'Aleo disagrees, too. He says oceans are entering a cooling cycle that will lower temperatures, and that too many of the weather stations NOAA uses are in warmer urban areas.
"The only reliable data set right now is satellite," D'Aleo says.
NASA satellite data show the average temperature in June was 0.43 degrees higher than normal, he says, not the 1.22 degrees given by NOAA.
Obesity drug fails to win approval
WASHINGTON, July 16 (UPI) -- A U.S. drug advisory panel turned thumbs down on a new drug to treat obesity because of health concerns, said a panel member.
The advisory committee to the Food and Drug Administration voted 10 to 6 that safety concerns of increased heart rate, possible birth defects and psychiatric problems overshadowed potential benefits of the drug Qnexa, developed by Vivus, The New York Times reported Friday.
The FDA's handling of new obesity drugs has the drug industry and Wall Street paying close attention, the newspaper said.
Almost two-thirds of American adults are either obese or overweight, so a successful diet drug could garner sales of billions of dollars a year.
But safety concerns remain paramount for the FDA, as weight-loss drugs, likely to be used by millions of people for long periods of time, have a record of health risk problems.
"No one wants to conduct a large public health experiment on the population," one committee member, Elaine H. Morrato of the University of Colorado, Denver, said.
Vivus chief Leland F. Wilson said the company was disappointed with the vote but would continue trying to win approval.
"The advisory committee vote is a recommendation, not a final step," he said.
Internal Notes
Robotic legs allow paraplegics to walk
WELLINGTON, New Zealand, July 16 (UPI) -- Two British engineers living in New Zealand have developed a pair of robotic legs they say will allow paraplegics to walk again.
Dubbed Rex, for Robotic Exoskeleton, the prostheses took engineers Richard Little and Robert Irving seven years to design and build, The Daily Telegraph reported Friday.
The legs weigh 84 pounds and are activated by a small electric motor powered from a lightweight battery.
Wheelchair users can move into the device in a sitting position, strap themselves in, and control movements with a joystick and control panel on the arm, the newspaper said.
Hayden Allen, unable to walk since a motorcycle accident injured his spine, was one of the first to walk using Rex.
"I'll never forget what it was like to see my feet walking under me the first time I used Rex," Allen said.
"People say to me 'look up when you're walking' but I just can't stop staring down at my feet moving," he said.
The inspiration to develop Rex came when Irving developed multiple sclerosis, Little said.
"In addition, both of our mothers are in wheelchairs, so we are aware of some of the obstacles and access issues faced by many wheelchair users," he said.
The price for the Rex legs is expected to be around $150,000, the Daily Telegraph reported.
