How primary tumours prepare lung for invasion – Nature Cell Biology
Loss of a key enzyme can substantially alter how the immune system recognizes tissue antigens according to a report in the January issue of Nature Immunology.Nilabh Shastri and colleagues took a close look at mice lacking the enzyme called ERAAP, to discover if these mice bore any immunologic defect. ERAAP trims bits of protein that are displayed on cell surfaces by molecules known as major histocompatibility antigens (MHC), which are the tissue-matching antigens doctors use to identify potential organ donors for transplant patients. Essentially, this trimming process is akin to fitting an oversized hot dog into a bun; ERAAP clips the protruding end of the peptide to nestle snugly within the confines of the MHC molecule.The study shows vigorous immune reactions resulted when researchers mixed cells from ERAAP-deficient mice with those of wild-type mice that express ERAAP protein. These immune responses were as strong as those seen during rejection episodes of MHC-mismatched transplant patients. These results suggest vast differences exist in the collection of peptides presented by the ERAAP-deficient cells as compared to otherwise genetically identical wild-type mice. The authors speculate inhibiting ERAAP function in tumours might enhance their ability to be targeted and destroyed by the immune system, or conversely, spontaneous loss of ERAAP function in otherwise healthy tissues might lead to autoimmune disease.
Primary tumours prepare the lung for invasion by inducing factors that guide migration of both inflammatory and tumour cells to the lung according to a study in the December issue of Nature Cell Biology.Many solid tumours develop through a process of metastasis, where the cancer spreads from the primary site to other places in the body. Metastasis reduces both the chances of treatment and underlies late stage symptoms, yet research into the process is in its infancy.Sachie Hiratsuka and colleagues studied tumour-bearing mice and found that certain proteins called chemokines are induced in the lung by a set of factors secreted by the primary tumour. The chemokines induce migration of both inflammatory and tumour cells to the lung. An amplifying circuit is created between the primary tumour and the premetastatic tissue to facilitate metastatic tumour invasion. Interrupting this circuit of signals between the primary tumour and cells in the lung efficiently blocked lung metastases in mice. Blocking migration of tumour cells to the metastatic sites at an early stage presents a promising clinical avenue to prevent the spread of cancer.
A new technique for analyzing bacterial genetic information is outlined in the January issue of Nature Methods, opening the door for a comprehensive study of all bacteria in our guts. The technique allows researchers to capture and analyze the genetic hitchhikers of the bacterial world – small bits of bacterial genetic information that usually escape scrutiny.For many organisms once the genome is sequenced all the information needed to determine functionally important genes becomes available. This is not the case for bacteria however. Many bacteria possess hitchhiker genes in the form of small circular DNA molecules called plasmids. Not only do the plasmids contain genes that provide new abilities to the bacteria but copies of these plasmids can also be transferred to other bacteria.Most large-scale sequencing efforts to characterize all the microorganisms in an ecosystem are unsuitable for analyzing the complex population of plasmids that provides extra-genomic genes. Julian Marchesi and colleagues describe a method to selectively capture these bacterial hitchhikers so they can be sequenced. They tested their method on the bacterial ecosystem living in the human gut and discovered plasmids containing genes of known and unknown function. This method should help determine just how important these small hitchhikers are and what effect they have on microbial ecosystems.

Treatment for low sperm count improves chances of pregnancy
Chicago, Nov 28- Couples struggling with infertility
face uncertain odds when considering various treatments, but anew study shows that embolisation, a minimally invasive curefor low sperm count, the most common cause of infertility inmen, significantly improves chances of preganancy.The study also identified the level of sperm motility(movement) prior to treatment as a key predictor of asuccessful pregnancy.These finding were presented at the Radiological Surveyof North America, a 92nd Scientific Assembly, which is theworld's largest five-day annual medical meeting attended byaround 70,000 radiological experts from across the globe."We found that spermatic vein embolisation combined withanti-inflammatory treatment improves sperm motility and spermcount in infertile men with varicoceles," said SebastianFlacke, assistant professor of radiology at the University ofBonn in Germany."Six months after treatment, 26 per cent of couples hadconceived," Flacke said.Normally, blood flows to the testicles and returns to theheart via a network of tiny veins that have a series ofone-way valves to prevent the blood from flowing backward tothe testicles.If the valves that regulate the blood flow from theseveins become defective, blood does not properly circulate outof the testicles, causing swelling and a network of tangledblood vessels in the scrotum called a varicocele or varicosevein.
According to the National Institutes of Health, mostcases occur in young men between the age group of 15 to 25.Many varicoceles cause no symptoms and are harmless. Butsometimes it cause pain, shrinkage or fertility problems.Though, it has long been regarded as key contributors toinfertility in men, Flacke said, adding common belief heldthat the warm blood pooling in the varicocele increasedscrotum temperature and reduced sperm count and motility.However, some recent studies have argued that varicocelesare not factor and that treating them will not increase malefertility.
The traditional treatment for problematic varicoceles hasbeen open surgery, but recently varicocele emboliastion hasemerged as a minimally invasive outpatient alternative.Recovery time is minimal, and patients can return to workthe next day, he said. Flacke and colleagues set out toidentify predictors of pregnancy after embolisation ofvaricoceles in infertile men.The study included 223 infertile men, aged 18-50, with atleast one varicoceles. The patients varicoceles weresuccessfully treated.A semen analysis performed on 173 patients three monthsafter the procedure showed that on average, sperm motility andsperm count had significantly improved. "Six months later, 45couples or 26 per cent, reported a pregnancy," he added.Anti-inflammatory treatment and hormone substitution wasinitiated if required.

Doctors test heart implant to block strokes
Washington, Nov 28- Every year at least 120,000Americans and several million outside the United States sufferstrokes because of a common irregular heartbeat, one that ison the ascendancy, is hard to treat and can shoot deadly blood
clots straight to the brain.Now doctors are experimenting with a new way to preventthose brain attacks: a tiny device that seals off a littlesection of the jiggling heart where the clots form.If it works _ a major study is under way to determinethat _ the Watchman device might provide long-neededprotection for thousands of people with atrial fibrillation,whose main hope now is a problematic blood-thinning drug thattoo many cannot tolerate."I don't think I'm biased, but it could potentiallyrevolutionise a-fib, which is a ton of people," said Dr.Steven Almany, vice chief of cardiology at William BeaumontHospital in Michigan. He has implanted the Watchman into morethan a dozen patients so far.About 2.8 million Americans have atrial fibrillation, themost common type of irregular heartbeat. It is most commonamong the elderly, and cases are increasing as the populationgrays.A-fib occurs when the heart's top chambers, called theatria, become unsynchronized with the bottom chambers'pumping. The atria speed up, sometimes so fast that theyquiver like a bag of worms. Blood pools inside a pocket of theheart, which allows clots to form.About 20 per cent of the nation's strokes are blamed onthe condition, and they tend to be particularly severe. Abouta third of the victims die, and another third aresignificantly disabled, Almany says.

Organized Criminal Groups and Terrorist Groups - The New Phenomenon of “Narcopolterrorism”
This article tries to shed some light on the possible collaboration between organized criminal groups dealing with drugs, and terrorists, and thereby seeks to explore the linkages between the two global wars – the war on terrorism and the war on drugs.
Dr. Mustafa AlaniSenior Advisor and Program Director of the Security andTerrorism Department at the Gulf Research CenterTwo invisible, yet formidable, wars are in progress in the world today. They are classified as low intensity wars and characterized by an unconventional, protracted confrontation through a combination of methods, including military, intelligence, and political methods. First, there is the old yet continuing war, that is ‘the war on drugs’ which was officially declared in 1971 by then US President Richard Nixon and has expanded to become part of the international community’s war against the activities of organized crime. Secondly, there is the recently declared war, ‘the global war on terrorism’ which was officially launched by the US after the September 11, 2001 attacks. Both these wars
have not achieved decisive victory as yet and, for the foreseeable future, it seems unlikely they will.Organized criminal groups dealing with narcotics as well as terrorist groups are non-state actors. They are leading a war against states, or the international community, and they operate on a transnational level. Therefore, a state acting on its own is not able to play a decisive role in the progress of these wars. This article tries to shed some light on the possible collaboration between organized criminal groups dealing with drugs, and terrorists, and thereby seeks to explore the linkages between the two global wars – the war on terrorism and the war on drugs.In February 2004, the Executive Director of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), the main international organization in charge of counter narcotics, stated that “fighting drug trafficking equals fighting terrorism.” This statement was not an attempt to establish a direct link between the two invisible wars; rather the director was expressing concern that the recently declared war against terrorism has taken precedence over, and could be taking away much needed resources from, the war against drugs. The director emphasized that equal effort should be directed towards the war against drugs. However, the Afghan political leadership saw a means to serve their self interest by supporting the view that a link exists between the drug trade and terrorism activities. Afghan President Hamed Karzai, for example, asserted in September 2004, that there is a direct relationship between security and drugs. He blamed three factors for insecurity in Afghanistan: terrorism, foreign support for terrorism, and opium cultivation, which, he said, also promotes terrorist activities. President Karzai has cautioned the international community categorically by asserting, “either we kill poppies, or poppies will kill us.”Thus the question of priority comes to the fore: Should the war on terror take precedence over the war on drugs or vice versa? The Afghan government attempted to implement a poppy eradication program with the support of the international community. But, the program was not supported by Afghan farmers. On the contrary, the government’s ‘war on narcotics’ led to noticeable dissatisfaction among Afghan farmers resulting in increasing support for the Taliban and al-Qaeda insurgents. Indeed, the government’s eradication program seemed to have a negative impact on the war against terrorism. It demonstrated that the war on narcotics serves the interests of terrorists and affirmed the argument that there is a direct linkage between the war on drugs and the war on terrorism.The term ‘narcoterrorism’ was coined during the last two decades, especially to describe the violent activities of the Latin American drug cartels which aimed at influencing governments’ policies as well as societal attitudes. Narcoterrorism refers to the violent and intimidation techniques employed by drug barons and mafias in support of their narcotics production, trafficking, and distribution activities. However, narcoterrorism has nothing to do with politically or ideologically motivated terrorist activities. Violent activities are an integral part of the narcotics business, and associated violence is as old as the narcotics trade itself. However, during the last few years, and more precisely since the 9/11 attacks, a new phenomenon has drawn the attention of counter-terrorism and law enforcement authorities, that is the presumed institutionalized cooperation or alliance between “narcotics terrorism” and “political terrorism” or “ideological terrorism”. So far there is no single term to describe this new phenomenon. However, in this article, we will refer to this phenomenon as ‘Narcopolterrorism.’In many reports and publications on terrorist groups, particularly in the political and academic literature published in the aftermath of 9/11, there are references to the “multiple links” that exist between resistance/terrorist groups and organized crime syndicates. They focus in particular on the drug lords and the assumed links between them and warlords. In fact, it is only in Latin America that evidence could be found proving the presence of strong relations between the narcotics producers/traffickers and some terrorist or militia groups, such as the Marxist FARC, AUC and ELN in Colombia and the Shining Path in Peru.In the Middle East, hardly any writer or journalist has offered credible evidence or solid facts to prove the links between terrorists and drug lords.Nevertheless, since 9/11, some writers on terrorism, as well as official reports produced by western government agencies or by semi-official institutions, have advanced arguments implying links between the illicit drugs trade and Islamist resistance/terrorist groups. To give one example, the Taliban movement in Afghanistan as well as its ally, the al-Qaeda, has been linked with the narcotics trade and production. While it is difficult to prove, it is a fact that the areas in which the Taliban has a strong presence, mainly in the provinces of Helmand, Kandahar as well as the Pashtun heartland in the south and the south-west/east region of the country, are also the areas which are infamous for the cultivation of opium.Some reports have even tried to link Hezbollah of Lebanon to hashish production and trafficking. Their claims about the organization’s involvement in the drug trade are based on the fact that Hezbollah militias enjoy strong influence in and control over the main hashish production areas in southern Lebanon and the Bekaá valley near the Lebanon-Syrian border. However, apart from this geographical linkage, there is no accurate information or credible evidence to prove the truth of such claims.Although the final objectives of organized criminal groups on the one hand, and terrorist groups on the other hand, differ, nonetheless a solid common ground and shared interests have existed between the two groups at the tactical, short term and operational levels.First, interests converge when both groups are operating against the established authorities (or states) and the international community or the existing world order. Secondly, both groups have an interest in undermining the power and the control of the legitimate authority, weakening state institutions and law enforcement, and operating across state borders, threatening international security. Thirdly, both groups have an interest in generating funds; while the objective of the criminal groups is to make financial gains, the terrorist groups need funds to finance their operations and achieve their political and strategic objectives. Fourthly, the nature of their transnational activities makes the two groups work closely and encourages the exchange of services and experience. Thus the cooperation between the two groups is, under certain circumstances, regarded as mutual necessity.As a general rule, drug production and narcotics trafficking has increased in the areas which are under the control of terrorist groups and vice versa. A terrorist group’s involvement in the narcotics trade could be motivated by the following factors:1) Monetary aim: Terrorist groups, directly or indirectly, get involved in drug production and marketing for financial gains which constitute a major source to fund their activities and support the group’s survival.2) Political aim: Terrorist groups could, politically and strategically, justify dealing in drugs as a means to undermine the integrity of the ‘enemy society’ of the ‘targeted state(s).’ This political objective could be achieved by providing protection and support, directly or indirectly, to drug cultivation, processing, smuggling, and marketing the illicit drugs in the ‘enemy society’ at cheap, affordable prices, through a wide distribution network with the ultimate aim of encouraging the drug habit among the youth of the targeted state(s). This would amount to a deliberate attack targeting the integrity and basic values of the ‘enemy’ society, and undermining the state’s authority and law enforcement.3) Logistical and technical cooperation: Terrorist groups can utilize the illegal activities of the drug traffickers, and their experience in operating against the law, to facilitate their activities and serve their objectives. By their very nature, organized criminal groups and terrorist groups are both illegal and pursuing clandestine activities. Consequently, both are targets of law enforcement forces. As a result, the groups learn techniques to counter these forces. Terrorist groups, as well as armed groups, offer protection and a safe haven for drug groups.The interdependence between the two groups could potentially encourage the establishment of closer ties based on practical and mutual benefits. Cooperation between the two groups could come as a result of the lack of government authority in isolated enclaves and regions (mostly near international borders or in difficult and inaccessible terrain). In certain instances, terrorist groups or drug gangs decide to turn a blind eye to each other’s activities, allowing both sides to operate freely and in a secure environment. In some cases, organized drug gangs were already established in specific geographic regions when terrorist groups came, took advantage of the situation, and decided to establish themselves in that area where the government had already lost its authority and control. In other cases, terrorist groups were already in control of a specific geographic area when drug barons took advantage and established their illegal criminal activities, taking advantage of the existing safe havens, established networks and existing infrastructure.Areas of possible cooperationThe potential alliance between organized criminal groups and terrorist groups is based on mutual need and benefits. Organized crime groups could provide the underlying conditions that terrorists seek to exploit by offering expertise and valuable services at a highly proficient level to facilitate the activities of terrorist groups. Terrorist groups could outsource or subcontract activities and logistics needs to the organized crime groups; by doing so, terrorist groups can enjoy several advantages. They could distance themselves and avoid detection by law enforcement authorities; or, they could have the means of ensuring a better rate of success of a particular operation by obtaining logistical support from the organized crime groups that are adept at running such operations professionally. This sort of ‘farming out’ policy would allow terrorist groups to concentrate their efforts on military and political activities such as recruitment, training and political propaganda. The potential areas of cooperation could be summarized as follows:1) Trafficking in arms, ammunitions, explosives and trade in WMD material and exchange of know-how. This could be done by bartering drugs with weapons or other required material.2) Human smuggling and trafficking activities which could be utilized by terrorist groups to infiltrate international borders and smuggle terrorist elements in while avoiding border control.3) Contract assassinations, kidnapping and victim transfers.4) Money laundering and illegal funds transfer.5) Terrorist groups could utilize organized crime-related corruption to provide linkage with corrupt officials and law enforcement.6) Sub-contracting documents for forgery and counterfeit. 7) Sub-contracting information and intelligence gathering.To conclude, the links between the war on drugs and the war on terror are evident in certain cases but not clear or proven in other cases. The involvement of Islamist resistance/terrorist groups, in particular, in the narcotics trade remains unclear. This article attempted to explore the possible links between organized crime groups and terrorist groups, based on the argument that cooperation between the two could be instituted on the basis of mutual needs and benefits. The article illustrated the argument by listing the areas of possible or potential cooperation between the two groups.We, hypothetically at least, assume the reality of such cooperation and the development of tacticalor ad hoc alliances between drug organizations and terrorists, based on the plausible assumption thatboth groups are united in fighting common enemies though sharply divided on strategic and final objectives. Law enforcement and intelligence authorities still lack authentic evidence to support the argument that links exist between organized criminal groups and terrorists.The main premise of such an argument rests on facts that focus on the similarities between the two groups, the hostile environment in which they operate as well as on the nature of their transnational activities.