Boosting body's natural flu killers as way to offset virus mutation problem

May 23, 2013 ? The known difficulty in fighting influenza (flu) is the ability of the flu viruses to mutate and thus evade various medications that were previously found to be effective. Researchers at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem have shown recently that another, more promising, approach is to focus on improving drugs that boost the body?s natural flu killer system.

Emergence of new influenza strains, such as the recent avian influenza (H5N1) and swine influenza (H1N1 2009), can lead to the emergence of severe pandemics that pose a major threat to the entire world population. Recently, the concern regarding the emergence of such a pandemic arose when a new and deadly avian influenza strain (H7N9) was discovered in China, causing the death of six people in only one month.

?The body?s immune system can fight influenza infection. Natural killer (NK) cells, which are an essential component of this system, can recognize and eliminate influenza-virus-infected cells and inhibit the spread of the virus in the respiratory system.

But, as Ph.D. student Yotam Bar-On and Ofer Mandelboim, the Dr. Edward Crown Professor of General and Tumor Immunology at the Institute for Medical Research Israel Canada (IMRIC) of the Hebrew University Faculty of Medicine, have revealed in a paper published in Cell Reports, the influenza virus is able to escape from the NK cells activity, allowing it to spread in the respiratory system.

They show that this is accomplished by the influenza virus utilizing the enzymatic activity of the neuraminidase protein to neutralize the NK cells' receptors that are responsible for detecting the influenza-virus-infected cells. This, in effect, neutralizes the NK cells? ability to accomplish their designated flu-killing duty.??

With the aid of the neuraminidase protein, the influenza virus is free to exit from the infected cell, enabling it to infect new neighbor cells and spread in the respiratory system. Anti-flu drugs were developed to inhibit this spread of the virus by inhibiting the neuraminidase enzymatic activity. But, as with other, earlier anti-influenza drugs, the flu viruses are able to gain the upper hand. The extensive use of neuraminidase inhibitors has caused the emergence of new, drug-resistant influenza strains.

For example, during the spread of the swine influenza pandemic in 2009, the Health Protection Agency in the UK reported that 99% of the viruses analyzed were resistant to these inhibitors. It was shown that the virus was able to change the neuraminidase structure so the drug can no longer bind this protein, and therefore the desired inhibitory effect is lost.

But, despite this, Bar-On and Mandelboim have shown that this type of widely used drug has the effect of boosting the activity of the NK cells, enabling them to better eliminate the influenza virus. They stress, therefore, that efforts should be focused on developing effective new drugs that would maintain and enhance this NK cell activity, thereby leading to more effective elimination of the influenza virus and better recovery from flu infection without the susceptibly to the changes in the neuraminidase protein structure currently brought about by mutating flu viruses.?

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/top_news/top_health/~3/GiYc28o_k4U/130523083046.htm

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Bank of England's Fisher says does not want U.S.-style QE pledge

By William Schomberg

CARDIFF (Reuters) - A Bank of England policymaker said on Friday he favored small additional amounts of bond purchases over time, but not a hard-to-manage commitment to longer-term stimulus like that of the U.S. Federal Reserve.

"I don't think I want to get into the American position of saying it is indefinite and then stopping," said Paul Fisher, one of the British bank's rate-setters. "I think the Americans are finding it a bit hard - as we have seen recently - to get out, because they have got this indefinite horizon."

Global financial markets took fright at comments this week by Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke that the U.S. central bank could begin scaling back its $85 billion monthly pace of bond purchases in the next few meetings, depending on the data.

While Bernanke also stressed that the Fed needed to see more signs of recovery before weaning the economy off its stimulus, the upset among investors underscored the problems of managing a smooth exit from the Fed's bond-buying.

A majority of Bank of England policymakers remain against a resumption of their own bond-buying program although Fisher has voted in favor of it, along with governor Mervyn King and another member of the Monetary Policy Committee.

"My view is that we should be doing a slow amount over a period of time. Twenty-five (billion pounds) over three months is a slow rate," Fisher told reporters after making a speech to business leaders in the Welsh capital.

"That would be what you kick off with. And then you would stop when you thought conditions were looking a lot better."

Investors are waiting for the arrival of the Bank of England's next governor, Canadian Mark Carney who starts his new job in London on July 1, to have a better sense of the chances of a resumption of bond-buying by the BoE.

Fisher declined to comment on a policy that Carney is expected to bring to Britain - giving explicit guidance on how long interest rates will be kept at rock-bottom levels, in order to boost confidence and investment.

In his speech earlier, Fisher warned that pumping too much money into the economy might fuel inflation.

"We cannot guarantee that a specific monetary boost will split the real and inflationary outcomes in the way that we might all wish," he said.

He also said a further cut in the bank's key lending rate, which has been at a record low of 0.5 percent since 2009, would probably not boost demand.

(Editing by Ruth Pitchford)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/bank-englands-fisher-says-does-not-want-u-095546119.html

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Nikkei off 5-1/2-year high after weak China factory activity data

Thu May 23, 2013 4:00am BST

* Weak China factory activity cuts Nikkei gains     * Bernanke remarks sees yen at 103 to dollar, aids exporters     * Fast Retailing jumps as retail investors in hot pursuit      By Dominic Lau     TOKYO, May 23 (Reuters) - The Nikkei average trimmed gains after hitting a 5-1/2-year high on Thursday after factory activity in China, one of Japan's major export markets, shrank for the first time in seven months in May.      By the midday break, the Nikkei added 0.2 percent to 15,662.95 after falling as much as 0.6 percent at one point on the back of the China HSBC flash PMI data.      "People are taking profit after the China PMI," said Kyoya Okazawa, head of global equities and commodity derivatives at BNP Paribas in Tokyo.     "China has a huge link with Europe in terms of exports. Looking at the OECD leading indicator for Europe ... the European economy is gradually coming back," he said. "China's economy can't get worse."     The index earlier climbed to a peak of 15,942.60, its highest since December 2007, aided by some exporters as the yen weakened against the dollar after the U.S. Federal Reserve chief suggested the central bank could scale back stimulus in coming months.        Ben Bernanke's comments lifted the dollar to a fresh 4-1/2-year high of 103.74 yen on Wednesday. The Japanese currency was last traded at 103.15 on Thursday.      Stefan Worrall, director of equity cash sales at Credit Suisse in Tokyo, said the soft yen would help support the Tokyo market.     "It's going to be a huge fillip for the market. Any weakening of the yen would be. Also, it's evident of the strength of retail investors and their optimism," he said.      Exporters on the rise included Honda Motor Co, Canon Inc, TDK Corp and Ricoh Ltd, up between 1 and 2.8 percent.      But Mitsubishi Motors Corp slumped 11.5 percent and was the second most traded stock on the main board by turnover after sources said the automaker is considering wiping out about 920 billion yen in accumulated loses by reducing capital stock by an equivalent amount.      Such a move is a common step for Japanese firms with a history of deep losses that have returned to profitability and want to begin paying dividends.     The broader Topix reversed early gains to trade down 1.1 percent at 1,262.22, with volume at 96 percent of its full daily average for the past 90 days.          FAST RETAILING RIDING HIGH     Fast Retailing Co Ltd, which has the biggest weighting in the Nikkei, climbed 3.9 percent, extending a 7.4 percent surge in the previous session as retail investors were in hot pursuit of the operator of casual fashion chain Uniqlo. It was the top-weighted gainer, contributing 64 positive points to the benchmark.     "Retail investors are very active in this market. They are using Fast Retailing as a home camp," a Tokyo-based trader said. "It's an indicator of the extent of the retail investors' involvement in this market."     Interest from foreign investors was also high, with government data showing they bought 716 billion yen ($6.9 billion) worth of Japanese equities last week. They have ploughed a total of 8.28 trillion yen into Japanese stocks since the end of 2012.     The benchmark Nikkei is up 13 percent so far this month, on track for a 10th straight monthly gain - its longest such winning streak since 1972.      The index has rallied more than 50 percent this year, supported by aggressive government and central bank policies to revive growth, and it has risen 10.4 percent since May 9, when the dollar broke above the 100-yen mark.

Source: http://uk.reuters.com/article/2013/05/23/markets-japan-stocks-idUKL3N0E40LL20130523?feedType=RSS&feedName=rbssFinancialServicesAndRealEstateNews

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TD Bank profit rises 2 percent on trading, U.S. income

reported a 2 percent increase in quarterly earnings, driven by stronger trading-related revenue and higher income from its U.S. retail banking unit.

The bank, Canada's second-largest, said on Thursday that it had earned a net C$1.72 billion ($1.66 billion), or C1.78 a share, in the second quarter ended April 30. That compared with a year-earlier profit of C$1.69 billion, or C$1.78 a share.

Excluding items including a C$58 million amortization charge, earnings were C$1.90 a share. Analysts on average had expected C$1.91, according to Thomson Reuters I/B/E/S.

TD has about 1,100 bank branches in Canada and about 1,300 in the United States, where it has a sizeable presence on the Eastern seaboard. It also owns 45 percent of TD Ameritrade Holding Corp.

Wholesale banking income, which accounts for trading, investment banking and corporate lending, rose 12 percent to C$220 million, due to stronger trading-related revenue and lower expenses, the bank said.

TD's U.S. retail banking network produced income of US$392 million, up 9 percent, on the back of loan and deposit growth.

Income from TD's Canadian retail bank increased 5 percent to C$847 million. Lower loan-loss provisions helped make up for sluggish loan growth as Canada's housing market continued to lose steam.

($1 = 1.0336 Canadian dollars)

(Reporting by Cameron French; Editing by Lisa Von Ahn)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/td-bank-profit-rises-2-percent-trading-u-114020231.html

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Hispanic teen birth rate decreased dramatically

The teen birth rate in America has been dropping since 1991 and, the latest numbers show, continues to decrease. In 22 states, Hispanic teen birth rates plunged at least 40 percent, astounding the study's lead author.?

By Staff,?Associated Press / May 23, 2013

Teen birth rates have continued to decline, says a new government study. Here, Courtney Smith, 18, takes a seat at Central High School in St. Joseph, Mo. But what sets her apart from most girls is she's also caring for her 3-month-old daughter. May 9.

Associated Press

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The nation's record-low teen birth rate stems from robust declines in nearly every state, but most dramatically in several Mountain States and among Hispanics, according to a new government report.

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All states but West Virginia and North Dakota showed significant drops over five years. But the Mountain States of Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Nevada and Utah saw rates fall by 30 percent or more.

In 22 states, teen Hispanic birth rates plunged at least 40 percent, which was described as "just amazing," by the report's lead author, Brady Hamilton of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

What's driving the declines? No one can say for sure. Experts believe the explanation is complicated and probably varies a bit from state to state. The national figure has been falling since 1991, aside from a brief interruption in 2006 and 2007.

The CDC report released Thursday is based on birth certificates for 2007 through 2011. Last year, the CDC announced the overall improvement in teen births: a record low of 31 births per 1,000 teens ages 15 to 19. That compares to 42 births per 1,000 five years earlier.

The new report focuses on state figures in 2011:

? Lowest rates are in New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Connecticut and Vermont, each with rates under 17 per 1,000.

? Highest rates overall continue to be in the South, led by Arkansas and Mississippi, each with rates of about 50 per 1,000. In Arkansas, the majority of teen births are to white moms. In Mississippi, the majority are black.

? White teens continue to have the lowest birth rate nationally ? about 22 births per 1,000. Black teens saw a larger improvement, but their rate was still more than twice the white rate, at 47 per 1,000.

? Overall, the Hispanic rate plummeted from 75 to 49 per 1,000, now virtually a tie with the black rate.

The teen drop in the last five years coincided with an overall decline in births, which experts attribute to a weak economy that dampened enthusiasm for having children.

Hispanic women have been part of that trend, possibly due to the economy and to illegal immigration crackdowns in some states that reduce the number of young Hispanic females entering the country from Mexico and other nations, said John Santelli, a Columbia University professor of population and family health.

That means new immigrants are having less impact on birth statistics, and second- and third-generation families are having more influence.

As time goes on, Hispanics ? like other immigrant groups before them ? tend to adopt American customs and practices.

"There is more attention on education, career, and the future," said Dr. Janet Realini, head of Healthy Futures of Texas, a San Antonio-based organization focused on preventing teen and unplanned pregnancies.

Hispanic rates, though, continue to be much higher than those for blacks and whites in most of the states with the largest Hispanic populations, including California, Texas, New York, New Jersey, Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico and Georgia.

Texas has the highest number of teen births in the nation, with nearly 43,000 in 2011. Nearly two-thirds were to Hispanic moms.

The overall improvement, though, is something to celebrate, said Bill Albert, chief program officer of the National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy.

"Geography, politics, or policy alone simply cannot explain the widespread declines," Albert said in an email. "Credit goes to teens themselves who are clearly making better decisions about sex, contraception, and their future."

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/csm/~3/Q0NJaJUAtIs/Hispanic-teen-birth-rate-decreased-dramatically

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