Microscopic cells race to victory in first World Cell Race at ASCB meeting

Public release date: 3-Dec-2011
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Contact: John Fleischman
jfleischman@ascb.org
513-706-0212
American Society for Cell Biology

World Cell Race pulls 70 entries for title of world's fastest cell

DENVER, CO, December 3, 2011--A "team" of fast-moving, bone marrow stem cells from a research laboratory in Singapore has run away with the first World Cell Race, finishing first with a cellular speed record of 5.2 microns per minute (or 0.000204 inches per minute) in results announced today at the 51st Annual Meeting of the American Society for Cell Biology (ASCB).

The mesenchymal bone marrow stem cells grown at the National University of Singapore by Yuchun Liu, PhD, were one of 70 cell lines entered by labs from all over the world and raced on specially designed micro-tracks, a few microns wide and 400 microns long. The micro-tracks, donated by CYTOO Cell Architects of Grenoble, France, were coated with fibronectin, a natural substrate on which the cells could get traction. The racing cell lines were frozen for shipment to one of six labs around the globe where they were thawed, stained with fluorescent dyes, and raced against the clock. The action was video recorded for 24 hours and the times were sorted by custom software created at the Institut Curie in Paris, according to Manuel Thry, PhD, who along with Ana-Maria Lennon-Dumnil, PhD, and Matthieu Piel, PhD, organized the World Cell Race. Piel and Lennon-Dumnil are at the Institut Curie. Thry is with the Institut de Recherche en Technologies et Sciences pour le Vivant (iRTSV) in Grenoble, France. The institute is part of the Commissariat l'Energie Atomique (CEA).

"We measured the position and speeds of all individual cells in each group," says Thry. "For each cell line, we then determined the fastest run over 400 microns."

Thry says the idea for a cell race came to them at last year's ASCB Annual Meeting in Philadelphia where the three French scientists were struck by the large number of papers and the lively discussions about cell migration. How cells move is one of the hottest fields in research today because of the implications in cancer where motilitythe ability of tumor cells to move autonomously--is critical to understanding how cancer metastasizes. Cell movement is also vital to normal biology including embryonic development and human growth. Thry says that the World Cell Race was a way to mix the fun of a scientific sporting event with serious research into how speed reflects the nature of certain cells.

The results of the race were announced in Denver as the climax of an ASCB Special Interest Subgroup titled, "Mechanisms for Rapid Cell Migration." More information on cell mobility can be found at: http://www.ascb.org/meetings/subgroup/subgroup.cfm#I

Finishing second and third place were cell lines provided by Odile Filhol-Cochet, PhD, of iRTSV/CEA in France. The second place winners were "wild type" normal mammary breast epithelial cells, clocked along the 400 micron track at 3.2 microns per minute. Third place award went to a cell culture of these mammary epithelial cells altered in the lab with a knocked-down casein kinase 2 and an overactive Ras pathway. The re-engineered cells roared down the track at 2.7 microns per minute.

In fourth place were human keratinocytes cultured from samples taken from patients suffering from Kindler syndrome, a rare genetic skin disorder, entered by Rumena Begum of King's College London, UK. Their speed over 400 microns was 2.5 microns per minute.

The winners will receive a Nikon camera and a World Cell Race medal.

In addition to being enjoyable, the first World Cell Race generated valuable data. "Data analysis revealed an unknown feature of cell migration," says Thry. "Fast cells were persistent?they rarely changed the direction of their migration. Slow cells were not persistent. They went back and forth." Correlating the speed of cells to their invasive behavior in cancer, for example, could uncover new approaches to treatment, Thry believes.

If the First World Cell Race is a success at ASCB, Thry hopes for a second running next year. "Maybe with additional games," he suggests. "Swimming and weightlifting."

###

Media contacts:
John Fleischman
ASCB Science Writer
513-706-0212
jfleischman@ascb.org

Cathy Yarbrough
ASCB Media Coordinator
858-243-1814
cyarbrough@ascb.org

In Denver, December 3-7, 2001
ASCB Newsroom, Room 204
Colorado Convention Center
303-228-8380

Manuel Thry
manuel.thery@cea.fr
(33) 6 6204 2122
http://www.worldcellrace.com/

---

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AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.

Public release date: 3-Dec-2011
[ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: John Fleischman
jfleischman@ascb.org
513-706-0212
American Society for Cell Biology

World Cell Race pulls 70 entries for title of world's fastest cell

DENVER, CO, December 3, 2011--A "team" of fast-moving, bone marrow stem cells from a research laboratory in Singapore has run away with the first World Cell Race, finishing first with a cellular speed record of 5.2 microns per minute (or 0.000204 inches per minute) in results announced today at the 51st Annual Meeting of the American Society for Cell Biology (ASCB).

The mesenchymal bone marrow stem cells grown at the National University of Singapore by Yuchun Liu, PhD, were one of 70 cell lines entered by labs from all over the world and raced on specially designed micro-tracks, a few microns wide and 400 microns long. The micro-tracks, donated by CYTOO Cell Architects of Grenoble, France, were coated with fibronectin, a natural substrate on which the cells could get traction. The racing cell lines were frozen for shipment to one of six labs around the globe where they were thawed, stained with fluorescent dyes, and raced against the clock. The action was video recorded for 24 hours and the times were sorted by custom software created at the Institut Curie in Paris, according to Manuel Thry, PhD, who along with Ana-Maria Lennon-Dumnil, PhD, and Matthieu Piel, PhD, organized the World Cell Race. Piel and Lennon-Dumnil are at the Institut Curie. Thry is with the Institut de Recherche en Technologies et Sciences pour le Vivant (iRTSV) in Grenoble, France. The institute is part of the Commissariat l'Energie Atomique (CEA).

"We measured the position and speeds of all individual cells in each group," says Thry. "For each cell line, we then determined the fastest run over 400 microns."

Thry says the idea for a cell race came to them at last year's ASCB Annual Meeting in Philadelphia where the three French scientists were struck by the large number of papers and the lively discussions about cell migration. How cells move is one of the hottest fields in research today because of the implications in cancer where motilitythe ability of tumor cells to move autonomously--is critical to understanding how cancer metastasizes. Cell movement is also vital to normal biology including embryonic development and human growth. Thry says that the World Cell Race was a way to mix the fun of a scientific sporting event with serious research into how speed reflects the nature of certain cells.

The results of the race were announced in Denver as the climax of an ASCB Special Interest Subgroup titled, "Mechanisms for Rapid Cell Migration." More information on cell mobility can be found at: http://www.ascb.org/meetings/subgroup/subgroup.cfm#I

Finishing second and third place were cell lines provided by Odile Filhol-Cochet, PhD, of iRTSV/CEA in France. The second place winners were "wild type" normal mammary breast epithelial cells, clocked along the 400 micron track at 3.2 microns per minute. Third place award went to a cell culture of these mammary epithelial cells altered in the lab with a knocked-down casein kinase 2 and an overactive Ras pathway. The re-engineered cells roared down the track at 2.7 microns per minute.

In fourth place were human keratinocytes cultured from samples taken from patients suffering from Kindler syndrome, a rare genetic skin disorder, entered by Rumena Begum of King's College London, UK. Their speed over 400 microns was 2.5 microns per minute.

The winners will receive a Nikon camera and a World Cell Race medal.

In addition to being enjoyable, the first World Cell Race generated valuable data. "Data analysis revealed an unknown feature of cell migration," says Thry. "Fast cells were persistent?they rarely changed the direction of their migration. Slow cells were not persistent. They went back and forth." Correlating the speed of cells to their invasive behavior in cancer, for example, could uncover new approaches to treatment, Thry believes.

If the First World Cell Race is a success at ASCB, Thry hopes for a second running next year. "Maybe with additional games," he suggests. "Swimming and weightlifting."

###

Media contacts:
John Fleischman
ASCB Science Writer
513-706-0212
jfleischman@ascb.org

Cathy Yarbrough
ASCB Media Coordinator
858-243-1814
cyarbrough@ascb.org

In Denver, December 3-7, 2001
ASCB Newsroom, Room 204
Colorado Convention Center
303-228-8380

Manuel Thry
manuel.thery@cea.fr
(33) 6 6204 2122
http://www.worldcellrace.com/

---

[ | E-mail | Share ]

?

AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.

Source: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2011-12/asfc-mcr120111.php

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AMR: What does Chapter 11 bankruptcy mean for American Airlines fliers?

American Airline parent corporation, AMR Corp., filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy Tuesday.?With peak travel season just around the corner, experts are split over what it could mean.

American Airlines' parent corporation filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy proceedings Tuesday, while simultaneously assuring the flying public that things will be "business as usual" while the company restructures.

Skip to next paragraph

The parent firm, AMR Corp., said American will keep flying its routes, honoring mileage awards, and paying full salaries and benefits for employees.

That still leaves many travelers wondering about the future of a once-leading airline. And the unsettling news comes with a peak travel season just around the corner.

Users of the social network Twitter revealed the uncertainty with comments like, "probably not going to fly with American Airlines" and "i'm so glad i fly @delta."

At the same time, many fliers are aware that bankruptcy has become a periodic fact of life in this competitive industry. American is just the last holdout among the "legacy" carriers, struggling with higher wage and pension costs than discount rivals.

United Airlines, Delta, US Airways, and other carriers have flown this route before ? cutting labor costs and debt burdens in bankruptcy.

Thomas Horton, who was named the new CEO of American's parent company, said the airline may modestly reduce the number of routes it flies.?

Such court-approved restructuring can be a tool of survival, by which companies avoid outright failure. But some industry analysts say the maneuver into bankruptcy Tuesday doesn't assure American's future success.

"This did not come as a surprise with AMR's stock trading under $2 a share," says George Hobica of the website Airfarewatchdog, by e-mail. "The real question is whether the airline will survive long-term, or go the way of other iconic 'flag carrier' airlines such as TWA and Pan American."

Can American afford to make the investments needed to retain customer loyalty?

Before entering bankruptcy, the airline agreed to buy lots of new planes from Boeing and Airbus. The airline's stated goal in its bankruptcy filing is to "enable the Company within five years to operate the youngest and most efficient fleet among its U.S. competitors."

Airline blogger Steven Frischling describes this as a gamble, and says it remains to be seen whether a bankruptcy judge in the Southern District of New York will see things the company's way.

"While the airline needs to address more immediate needs, including operating costs, employee salary, benefits ... this financial aspect of the airline?s bankruptcy is unusual," Mr. Frischling wrote Tuesday.

Mr. Hobica says a next step for American to survive will be to look for a merger partner, as other legacy airlines have done.

In the short run, the bankruptcy filing may give some travelers a reason to migrate elsewhere for ticket purchases. Fairly or unfairly, the B-word brings connotations of financial instability and uncertainty.

Longer-term though, a successful run through bankruptcy could open the door to a healthier airline that more customers want to fly.

"American has a chance to straighten up and fly right," travel journalist David Armstrong writes on his website. "The changes will be painful for workers and shareholders but, long-term, travelers will probably benefit from a streamlined, modernized airline."

Under its previous CEO Gerard Arpey, AMR prided itself on having avoided bankruptcy. But higher labor costs resulted in American posting losses even as rivals returned to profitability.

With roughly average ratings on its service quality, and with consumers focused squarely on price, raising fares isn't on American's menu of options for financial revival.

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/csm/~3/c8IUuLIAQfg/AMR-What-does-Chapter-11-bankruptcy-mean-for-American-Airlines-fliers

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Apple juice can pose a health risk _ from calories

FILE - In this Sept. 15, 2011 photo, an apple and a pitcher of apple juice are posed together in Moreland Hills, Ohio. Despite the government's consideration of new arsenic limits on the juice, the real danger, nutrition experts say, is to waistlines and teeth. Apple juice and other juice-based beverages have relatively few natural nutrients, many calories and more sugar, in many cases, than a can of soda. (AP Photo/Amy Sancetta)

FILE - In this Sept. 15, 2011 photo, an apple and a pitcher of apple juice are posed together in Moreland Hills, Ohio. Despite the government's consideration of new arsenic limits on the juice, the real danger, nutrition experts say, is to waistlines and teeth. Apple juice and other juice-based beverages have relatively few natural nutrients, many calories and more sugar, in many cases, than a can of soda. (AP Photo/Amy Sancetta)

Chart shows per capita consumption of juice

It's true ? apple juice can pose a risk to your health. But not necessarily from the trace amounts of arsenic that people are arguing about.

Despite the government's consideration of new limits on arsenic, nutrition experts say apple juice's real danger is to waistlines and children's teeth. Apple juice has few natural nutrients, lots of calories and, in some cases, more sugar than soda has. It trains a child to like very sweet things, displaces better beverages and foods, and adds to the obesity problem, its critics say.

"It's like sugar water," said Judith Stern, a nutrition professor at the University of California, Davis, who has consulted for candy makers as well as for Weight Watchers. "I won't let my 3-year-old grandson drink apple juice."

Many juices are fortified with vitamins, so they're not just empty calories. But that doesn't appease some nutritionists.

"If it wasn't healthy in the first place, adding vitamins doesn't make it into a health food," and if it causes weight gain, it's not a healthy choice, said Karen Ansel, a registered dietitian in New York and spokeswoman for the American Dietetic Association.

The American Academy of Pediatrics says juice can be part of a healthy diet, but its policy is blunt: "Fruit juice offers no nutritional benefit for infants younger than 6 months" and no benefits over whole fruit for older kids.

Kids under 12 consume 28 percent of all juice and juice drinks, according to the academy. Nationwide, apple juice is second only to orange juice in popularity. Americans slurp 267 ounces of apple juice on average each year, according to the Food Institute's Almanac of Juice Products and the Juice Products Association, a trade group. Lots more is consumed as an ingredient in juice drinks and various foods.

Only 17 percent of the apple juice sold in the U.S. is produced here. The rest comes from other countries, mostly China, Argentina, Chile and Brazil, the association says.

Television's Dr. Mehmet Oz made that a key point a few months ago when he raised an alarm ? some say a false alarm ? over arsenic in apple juice, based on tests his show commissioned by a private lab. The Food and Drug Administration said that its own tests disagreed and that apple juice is safe.

However, on Wednesday, after Consumer Reports did its own tests on several juice brands and called along with other consumer groups for stricter standards, the FDA said it will examine whether its restrictions on the amount of arsenic allowed in apple juice are stringent enough.

Some forms of arsenic, such as the type found in pesticides, can be toxic and may pose a cancer risk if consumed at high levels or over a long period.

All juice sold in the United States must be safe and meet U.S. standards, said Pat Faison, technical director for the juice association. As for making good nutrition choices, "a lot of the information that people need about fruit juices is on the label," she said.

So what's on those labels?

Carbohydrates, mostly sugars, in a much higher concentration than in milk. Juice has a small amount of protein and minerals and lacks the fiber in whole fruit, the pediatrics academy notes.

Drinking juice delivers a lot of calories quickly so you don't realize how much you've consumed, whereas you would have to eat a lot of apples to get the same amount, and "you would feel much, much more full from the apples," Ansel said.

"Whole fruits are much better for you," said Dr. Frank Greer, a University of Wisconsin, Madison, professor and former head of the pediatrics academy's nutrition committee.

He noted that the WIC program ? the U.S. Department of Agriculture's nutrition program for Women, Infants and Children ? revised its rules in 2005 to replace juice with baby food fruits and vegetables for children over 6 months. More than half of all infants born in the U.S. are eligible for WIC, and the government "really cut back severely on the ability of mothers to get fruit juices" through the program, Greer said.

If you or your family drinks juice, here is some advice from nutrition experts:

?Choose a juice fortified with calcium and vitamin D-3.

?Give children only pasteurized juice ? that's the only type safe from germs that can cause serious disease.

?Don't give juice before 6 months of age, and never put it in bottles or covered cups that allow babies and children to consume it throughout the day, which can cause tooth decay. For the same reason, don't give infants juice at bedtime.

?Limit juice to 4 to 6 ounces per day for children ages 1 to 6, and 8 to 12 ounces for those ages 7 to 18.

?Encourage kids to eat fruit.

?Don't be swayed by healthy-sounding label claims. "No sugar added" doesn't mean it isn't full of naturally occurring sugar. And "cholesterol-free" is silly ? only animal products contain cholesterol.

___

Marilynn Marchione can be followed on Twitter at http://twitter.com/MMarchioneAP

___

Online:

Academy of Pediatrics on juice: http://tinyurl.com/qtkls

FDA: http://www.fda.gov/ForConsumers/ConsumerUpdates/ucm271394.htm

WIC program advice: http://bit.ly/sYXqAi

Industry: http://www.fruitjuicefacts.org

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/3d281c11a96b4ad082fe88aa0db04305/Article_2011-12-01-US-MED-Apple-Juice-Advice/id-ec9d952e9e824a0aa2298178e599fcf7

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Last chance to save Kyoto deal at climate talks (Reuters)

DURBAN (Reuters) ? Countries will make a last ditch effort to save a dying Kyoto Protocol at global climate talks starting on Monday aimed at cutting the greenhouse gas emissions blamed by scientists for rising sea levels, intense storms and crop failures.

Kyoto, which was adopted in 1997 and entered into force in 2005, commits most developed states to binding emissions targets. The talks are the last chance to set another round of targets before the first commitment period ends in 2012.

Major parties have been at loggerheads for years, warnings of climate disaster are becoming more dire and diplomats worry whether host South Africa is up to the challenge of brokering the tough discussions among nearly 200 countries that run from Monday to December 9 in the coastal city of Durban.

There is hope for a deal to help developing countries most hurt by global warming and a stop-gap measure to save the protocol. There is also a chance advanced economies responsible for most emissions will pledge deeper cuts at the talks known as the Conference of the Parties, or COP 17.

But the debt crisis hitting the euro zone and the United States makes it unlikely those areas will provide more aid or impose new measures that could hurt their growth prospects.

"The South Africans are desperate to ensure that the COP does not fail, but they will not be able to deliver much," said Ian Fry, lead negotiator for the tiny Pacific island nation of Tuvalu, which could be erased by rising sea levels.

Fry blamed the United States, which has not ratified Kyoto, for blocking progress and said: "The EU seems to be going weak at the knees and will opt for a soft continuation of the Kyoto Protocol with a possible review process in 2015 to think about new legal options."

Envoys said there may be a political deal struck with a new set of binding targets, but only the European Union, New Zealand, Australia, Norway and Switzerland are likely to sign up at best. Any accord depends on China and the United States, the world's top emitters, agreeing binding action under a wider deal by 2015, something both have resisted for years.

China is unwilling to make any commitments until Washington does while Russia, Japan and Canada say they will not sign up to a second commitment period unless the biggest emitters do too.

Emerging countries insist Kyoto must be extended and that rich nations, which have historically emitted most greenhouse gas pollution, should take on tougher targets to ensure they do their fair share in the fight against climate change.

Developing nations say carbon caps could hurt their growth and programmes to lift millions out of poverty.

HIGH STAKES

The stakes are high, with many experts urging immediate action. This month, two separate U.N. reports said greenhouse gases had reached record levels in the atmosphere while a warming climate is expected to lead to heavier rainfall, more floods, stronger cyclones and more intense droughts.

Despite individual emissions-cut pledges from countries and the terms of the Kyoto pact, the United Nations, International Energy Agency and others say this is not enough to prevent the planet heating up beyond 2 degrees Celsius.

Global average temperatures could rise by 3-6 degrees by the end of the century if governments fail to contain greenhouse gas emissions, bringing unprecedented destruction as glaciers melt and sea levels rise, the OECD said last week.

The warning from the OECD, whose main paymasters are the United States and other developed economies, underscored fears that the commitment to curb climate-heating gases could falter at a time when much of the world is deep in debt.

"The COP is being held on the African continent which bears the greatest social injustices due to the impacts of climate change," environmental group Greenpeace said.

Rich nations have committed to a goal of providing $100 billion a year in climate cash by 2020, which the Green Climate Fund will help manage. But the United States and Saudi Arabia have objected to some aspects of the fund's design.

South Africa has said it wants to advance an African agenda at the conference but is seen by many diplomats as not having the diplomatic muscle or prestige to broker complex talks.

As the world's poorest continent, Africa is also the most vulnerable to the extreme weather conditions and rising sea levels brought by climate change. In the Horn of Africa, some 13 million people are going hungry due to prolonged drought. In Somalia, the crisis is compounded by conflict.

(Reporting by Jon Herskovitz; editing by Philippa Fletcher)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/environment/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20111127/ts_nm/us_climate_durban

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Threatdown for mobile viruses? Maybe not (Appolicious)

In a new report on ?threats,? McAfee reported that the Android OS from Google is the biggest target for malware. The security software company said that malware aimed at Android had increased 37 percent since the second quarter.

And Kapersky Labs blogged about Android phones, especially used in corporate settings, being under threat: ?The company?s analysts noted a continued growth in cyber-attacks against some of the world?s biggest corporations throughout the period. When it comes to attacking smartphones, there were clear signs that cybercriminals have made Android their platform of choice.?

?Yet, there are questions on whether or not the threat of Android malware is really as bad as McAfee and other security companies are making it seem,? said Sue Marquette Poremba in ITBusinessEdge.

Eric Zeman asked at InformationWeek: ?Are you scared yet, Android smartphone owners? Are you quaking in your boots? Are you ready to buy anti-malware and antivirus software from these companies? Should your corporate IT department be licensing protection schemes in bulk??

Google?s Chris DiBona weighed in on Google+, warning that virus companies ?are playing on your fears to try to sell you bs protection software for Android, RIM and IOS. They are charlatans and scammers. IF you work for a company selling virus protection for android, rim or IOS you should be ashamed of yourself.?

He said traditional computer viruses are ?possible, but not probable? in the smartphone world. ?The barriers to spreading such a program from phone to phone are large and difficult enough to traverse when you have legitimate access to the phone, but this isn't Independence Day, a virus that might work on one device won't magically spread to the other,? he said.

Zeman gave a nod to points made by security companies, but sided with DiBona: ?Well, there's some truth to what the security vendors are telling us. Smartphones?and apparently Android devices in particular?can be infected with malware through careless use.

?But DiBona is right, too. How do we know that he is? Because there haven't been mass breakouts or major epidemics of malware spreading from phone to phone to phone. It simply hasn't happened yet. Could it? Yes. Will it? Probably not anytime soon.?

Poremba said her smartphone is too important to her?so she?s opting for caution and protection.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/software/*http%3A//us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/external/appolicious_rss/rss_appolicious_tc/http___www_androidapps_com_articles10299_threatdown_for_mobile_viruses_maybe_not/43727280/SIG=12olf19p7/*http%3A//www.androidapps.com/tech/articles/10299-threatdown-for-mobile-viruses-maybe-not

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