The new composition map is overlaid onto another Cassini image of Hyperion. Blue shows the maximum exposure of frozen water. Red denotes carbon dioxide ice (dry ice).

NASA’s Cassini spacecraft has, for the first time, revealed surface details of Saturn’s moon Hyperion, including cup-like craters filled with hydrocarbons that may indicate a more widespread presence in our solar system of basic chemicals necessary for life.
Hyperion yielded some of its secrets to the battery of instruments aboard Cassini as the spacecraft flew close by in September 2005. Water and carbon dioxide ices were found, as well as dark material that fits the spectral profile of hydrocarbons.
Hyperion’s surface craters and composition were observed during this flyby, including keys to understanding the moon’s origin and evolution over 4.5 billion years. This is the first time scientists were able to map the surface material on Hyperion, Astronomy.com reported.
“Of special interest is the presence on Hyperion of hydrocarbons -combinations of carbon and hydrogen atoms that are found in comets, meteorites, and the dust in our galaxy,“ said Dale Cruikshank, a planetary scientist at NASA’s Ames Research Center and the paper’s lead author. “These molecules, when embedded in ice and exposed to ultraviolet light, form new molecules of biological significance. This doesn’t mean that we have found life, but it is a further indication that the basic chemistry needed for life is widespread in the universe.“
Cassini’s ultraviolet imaging spectrograph and visual and infrared mapping spectrometer captured compositional variations in Hyperion’s surface. These instruments, capable of mapping mineral and chemical features of the moon, sent back data confirming the presence of frozen water found by earlier ground-based observations, but also discovered solid carbon dioxide (dry ice) mixed in unexpected ways with the ordinary ice. Images of the brightest regions of Hyperion’s surface show frozen water that is crystalline in form, like that found on Earth. “Most of Hyperion’s surface ice is a mix of frozen water and organic dust, but carbon dioxide ice is also prominent. The carbon dioxide is not pure, but is somehow chemically attached to other molecules,“ explained Cruikshank.
Prior spacecraft data from other moons of Saturn, as well as Jupiter’s moons Ganymede and Callisto, suggest that the carbon dioxide molecule is “complexed,“ or attached with other surface material in multiple ways. “We think that ordinary carbon dioxide will evaporate from Saturn’s moons over long periods of time,“ said Cruikshank, “but it appears to be much more stable when it is attached to other molecules.“
“The Hyperion flyby was a fine example of Cassini’s multi-wavelength capabilities. In this first-ever ultraviolet observation of Hyperion, the detection of water ice tells us about compositional differences of this bizarre body,“ said Amanda Hendrix, Cassini scientist on the ultraviolet imaging spectrograph at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory.
Hyperion, Saturn’s eighth largest moon, has a chaotic spin and orbits Saturn every 21 days.

Researchers from the Stem Cell Transplant Program and the Amyloid Treatment and Research Program at Boston University Medical Center (BUMC) have found that tandem cycles of high-dose chemotherapy and blood stem cell transplantation can help treat patients with immunoglobulin-light chain (AL) Amyloidosis who did not respond to initial treatment with this method. These findings were published on-line in the June 25th issue of Bone Marrow Transplantation.
AL amyloidosis occurs when clonal plasma cells in bone marrow produce proteins that misfold and deposit in tissues, leading to organ failure and death. Between 1,200 and 3,200 new cases are reported each year in the United States, although researchers believe the disease is highly underdiagnosed, Science Daily said.
To determine whether a second course of this treatment could be beneficial, the researchers enrolled 62 patients on this trial, of whom 17 patients received a second course of high-dose chemotherapy and blood stem cell transplantation who had not received a complete remission from their initial treatment. Of the 17, five (31 percent) were successfully treated and achieved a complete hematologic remission of their amyloidosis after receiving a second course of treatment.
According to lead researcher, Vaishali Sanchorawala, MD, associate professor of medicine at Boston University School of Medicine, and clinical director of the Stem Cell Transplant Program, section of hematology/oncology at BUMC, this approach increases the proportion of patients who ultimately achieve a complete response and appears to be associated with an improvement in overall survival.
“For patients who can tolerate this treatment approach, such treatment appears to result in the highest complete hematologic response rate of any treatment for AL amyloidosis to date,“ said Sanchorawala. “In addition, patients showed improvements in both organ function and quality of life,“ she added.
The study was supported by grants from the National Institutes of Health, Food and Drug Administration, the Gerry Foundation, and the Amyloid Research Fund at Boston University.

Balls of carbon have a talent for mopping up reactive oxygen species.

Soccer ball-shaped nanoparticles known as buckyballs may one day help to offer relief for allergy sufferers. Adapted buckyballs are capable of blocking the pathway mediating allergic responses in human immune cells, research has revealed.
Buckminsterfullerenes--spherical cages about 1-10 nanometres in size made up of 60 carbon atoms--have for years attracted interest from material scientists for their ability to make strong, lightweight materials with interesting electrical properties. But they could have medical uses too, news@nature.com reported.
It is known that buckyballs have a talent for mopping up reactive oxygen species called ’free radicals’, which can play havoc with biological systems. “C60 has a very high electron affinity. It grabs electrons easily, so it can act to neutralise free radicals,“ explains James Cross, a chemist researching fullerenes at Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut. Previous studies have shown that buckyballs can be used to protect nerve cells, for example, from damaging oxygen species1.
Chris Kepley, an immunologist at Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, wondered if the carbon balls could also help out the immune system.
Kepley’s team, working with the Virginia-based nanomaterials company Luna Innovations, tested modified versions of the nanospheres in human cells and mice. Although the specifics of their formulations remain, for the moment, under wraps, they say they were able to enhance the fullerenes’ functionality by adding side groups that increase their solubility.
The group put human immune cells called mast cells in a dish--some with buckyballs, and some without--and then challenged them with a particle that is commonly used to mimic allergens such as pollen. Those with buckyballs released 50 times less histamine, one of the chemicals responsible for inflammation and tightening of the airways in asthma, and inhibited 30-40 other mediators involved in the allergic response.
Mice injected with buckyballs also released far less histamine when presented with allergens, the team reports in the Journal of Immunology2. Untreated mice were more susceptible to a drop in body temperature associated with anaphylaxis, a rapid allergic response that can cause death in a matter of minutes.
Histamine isn’t all there is to allergic reactions, cautions Brian Lipworth, an allergy specialist at the Perth Royal Infirmary in Scotland. But he adds he will be intrigued to see the results from clinical trials in humans.
Exactly how the buckyballs prevent mast cells from releasing histamine is unclear. “It’s not really known what causes the release of histamine,“ says Kepley. “We do know that the rise in reactive oxygen species parallels the release of histamine,“ he adds. So the team’s theory is that mopping up those radicals with buckyballs could inhibit the allergic response.

A new study shows that 10 percent of youth who become hooked on cigarettes are addicted within two days of first inhaling from a cigarette, and 25 percent are addicted within a month. The study found that adolescents who smoke even just a few cigarettes per month suffer withdrawal symptoms when deprived of nicotine, a startling finding that is contrary to long-held beliefs that only people with established smoking habits of at least five cigarettes per day experience such symptoms.
The study monitored 1,246 sixth-grade students in six Massachusetts communities over four years. Students were interviewed frequently about smoking and symptoms of addiction, such as difficulty quitting, strong urges to smoke, or nicotine withdrawal symptoms such as cravings, restlessness, irritability, and trouble concentrating. Of those who were hooked, half were already addicted by the time they were smoking seven cigarettes per month. As amazing as it may seem, some youth find they are unable to quit smoking after just a few cigarettes, Science
Daily says.
Recent research has revealed that the nicotine from one cigarette is enough to saturate the nicotine receptors in the human brain. “Laboratory experiments confirm that nicotine alters the structure and function of the brain within a day of the very first dose. In humans, nicotine-induced alterations in the brain can trigger addiction with the first cigarette,“ commented Joseph R. DiFranza, MD, professor of family medicine & community health at the University of Massachusetts Medical School.
“While smoking one cigarette will keep withdrawal symptoms away for less than an hour in long-time smokers, novice smokers find that one cigarette suppresses withdrawal for weeks at a time,“ explained Dr. DiFranza. “One dose of nicotine affects brain function long after the nicotine is gone from the body. The important lesson here is that youth have all the same symptoms of nicotine addiction as adults do, even though they may be smoking only a few cigarettes per month.“

Some people who are extremely sensitive to flashing light might be at risk during holiday celebrations, physicians warn.

Bright light that flickers frequently or rapidly, like a strobe light, can trigger seizures in some people--a phenomenon documented in nearly 700 children who were hospitalized in Japan 10 years ago after watching a Pokemon cartoon. The condition is much on the mind of a neurologist specializing in seizure disorders.
While Giuseppe Erba, M.D., is not aware of any instance where fireworks have actually caused a person to have a seizure, the physician at the University of Rochester Medical Center says that a few people who are extremely sensitive to flashing light might be at risk during holiday celebrations this week, and he recommends a few precautions, Science
Daily reported.
Like many seizure specialists, Erba treats patients with photosensitivity--an extreme sensitivity to bright, rapidly flickering light that is experienced by some patients with epilepsy and a few otherwise healthy people.
In most people, the brain is able to handle the flood of visual information presented by rapidly flashing lights and repeating patterns. But in some people, the extra stimulation floods the brain and sends cells called neurons into a frenzy in which they fire uncontrollably, causing seizures. The phenomenon can occur when people watch TV, play video games, dance at a concert or club, or even ride in a car, when they are exposed to rapidly flickering light coming through the trees as the car moves along.
Those at risk include people with epilepsy and relatives of people who have been diagnosed by a doctor as being photosensitive. Erba said that the phenomenon tends to run in families, and children in such families are most vulnerable. Doctors estimate that about three to five percent of people with epilepsy may be photosensitive, although they may never have a seizure caused by lights unless they are exposed to strong, provocative stimuli. As a result, many are at risk without knowing it, Erba said.
Erba offers these tips for high-risk people, “Cover one eye during the final barrage of fireworks. That reduces the amount of visual information flooding the brain and is usually enough to prevent seizures among photosensitive patients, while still allowing them to enjoy the fireworks.“
Don’t get too close to a big fireworks display. People who are sensitive to light should keep bright flickering lights like fireworks to less than half of what their eyes see at any one moment.
Get your sleep. Fatigue and sleep deprivation can make people more susceptible.
Patients with epilepsy should be sure to take their medication on schedule before viewing fireworks. One common medication, divalproex sodium, also known as Depakote and available in generic form as well, reduces photosensitivity in people with epilepsy very effectively, Erba said. Among people with epilepsy, photosensitivity is most common in adolescents with a form known as juvenile myoclonic epilepsy.
Anyone who begins to feel their body jerking while watching fireworks should cover both eyes immediately. Unlike most seizures, Erba said, those caused by photosensitivity can be stopped once they’ve begun by cutting off the visual input within one or two seconds.

What is the difference between the bacteria around a deep-sea vent and those in the human body?
Surprisingly little, according to a comparison of the genomes of bacteria from deep-sea vents with those of human and animal bacterial pathogens. Their evolutionary relationship suggests that animal pathogens came from the deep, NewScientist.com said.
Life on the ocean floor may have provided bacteria with the survival strategies to cope with life as pathogens, says Satoshi Nakagawa of the Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology, Yokosuka, whose team carried out the analysis.
Deep-sea or hydrothermal vents spew superheated water, rich in chemicals, from volcanically active mid-ocean ridges. Here, bacteria feeding on methane and sulphides support large communities of exotic animals.
The study found that vent bacteria frequently lose genes, develop new mutations, or acquire genes from evolutionarily distant sources. That is an advantage when dealing with the steep chemical gradients and extreme temperature changes in these environments.
The ability to survive in an ever-changing environment is also useful for pathogens under attack from their host’s immune system. The team suggests that the bacteria initially lived with vent invertebrates before swapping that location for life as a pathogen.
Nakagawa says he does not know how the bacteria jumped from the deep sea to the human body “The best answer might come from the fossil record,“ he says.

Insulin treatment for people with type 1 diabetes could soon see drastic improvement thanks to Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF)-funded scientists in Cambridge. Researchers at the University of Cambridge have just begun clinical trials of an “artificial pancreas“ at Addenbrooke’s Hospital.
The “artificial pancreas“ can improve control over the wide fluctuations of a patient’s glucose levels that, over time, lead to severe complications such as heart attack, stroke, kidney failure, amputations, blindness and premature death, UPI said.
The artificial pancreas, spearheaded by Drs Roman Hovorka, David Dunger and Carlo Acerini of the Department of Paediatrics, combines two pieces of technology--an insulin pump and a continuous glucose sensor, which provides real time data about trends in glucose levels and alarms the patient to intervene if levels are heading too high or too low.
Dr Hovorka is working on perfecting the algorithm that enables the pump and sensor to ’talk’ to each other by testing the technology in children, who are the most challenging age group in which to achieve consistently normal glucose levels.
“This technology will enable a child with type 1 diabetes to achieve better glucose and HbA1c levels by automatically providing the right amount of insulin at the right time, just as the pancreas does in people without the condition,“ said Hovorka. “Doctors and patients should be aware that this technology is coming.“