RAMBO a small but powerful magnet: System allows high-magnetic-field experiments on a tabletop

Jan. 6, 2014 — Rice University scientists have pioneered a tabletop magnetic pulse generator that does the work of a room-sized machine -- and more.

The device dubbed "RAMBO" -- short for Rice Advanced Magnet with Broadband Optics -- will allow researchers who visit the university to run spectroscopy-based experiments on materials in pulsed magnetic fields of up to 30 tesla. (A high-resolution magnetic resonance imaging system is about 10 tesla in strength.)

The Rice lab of physicist Junichiro Kono created RAMBO in collaboration with Hiroyuki Nojiri at the Institute for Materials Research at Tohoku University in Sendai, Japan. Details appeared online recently in the American Institute of Physics journal Review of Scientific Instruments.

The advantages of such a small machine are many, said Timothy Noe, a postdoctoral research associate in Kono's group and lead author of the paper. Aside from its size and powerful performance, RAMBO has windows that allow researchers to directly send a laser beam to the sample and collect data at close range.

"We can literally see the sample inside the magnet," Kono said. "We have direct optical access, whereas if you go to a national high magnetic field facility, you have a monster magnet, and you can only access the sample through a very long optical fiber. You cannot do any nonlinear or ultrafast optical spectroscopy.

"RAMBO finally gives us the ability to combine ultrastrong magnetic fields and very short and intense optical pulses. It's a combination of two extreme conditions."

The device's unique configuration allows for the best access ever in a powerful magnetic field generator meant for scientific experimentation. Researchers can collect real-time, high-resolution data in a system that couples high magnetic fields and low temperatures with direct optical access to the magnet's core, Kono said.

In addition, the unit can run a new experiment in a 30-tesla field every 10 minutes (or less for smaller peak fields), as opposed to waiting the hours often required for field generators to cool down after each experiment at large laboratories.

The device has already paid dividends for Kono's group, which studies superfluorescence by hitting materials with femtosecond laser pulses to trigger quantum effects. RAMBO allows the laser pulse, the magnetic field pulse and the spectrometer to work in sync.

RAMBO is possible, he said, because of Nojiri's development of a small and light mini-coil magnet. A little bigger than a spool of thread, the magnet allows Rice researchers to perform on campus many of the experiments they once carried out at the National High Magnetic Field Laboratory at Florida State University or at Los Alamos National Laboratory.

The Florida State facility has produced continuous magnetic fields of 45 tesla; Los Alamos has produced pulses over 100 tesla.

"I would say we've been able to do 80 percent of the experiments here that we used to have to do elsewhere," Kono said. "And that's not all. There are things that only we can do here. This is a unique system that doesn't exist anywhere else in the world.

"High magnetic fields have been around for many years. Ultrafast spectroscopy has been around for many years. But this is the first combination of the two," he said.

Kono's group built the system to analyze very small, if not microscopic, samples. A sample plate sits on a long sapphire cylinder that passes through the coil's container and juts through one end of the magnet to place it directly in the center of the magnetic field.

The cylinder provides one direct window to the experiment; a port on the other side of the container looks directly down upon the sample. The coil is bathed in liquid nitrogen to keep it cool at around 80 kelvins (-315 degrees Fahrenheit). The sample temperature can be independently controlled from about 10 K to room temperature by adjusting the flow of liquid helium to the sapphire cylinder.

Kono said he expects RAMBO to make Rice one center of an international network of researchers working on modern materials. "This opens up all kinds of possibilities," he said. "Scientists working in different areas will come up with new ideas just by knowing such a thing is possible."

He said the team has already collaborated with Jean Leotin, a co-author of the paper and a professor at the Laboratoire National des Champs Magnetiques Intenses in Toulouse, France, to perform one of the first time-domain terahertz spectroscopy experiments in high magnetic fields.

Co-authors include Joseph Lee, a student at Clements High School, Sugar Land, Texas, who works in Kono's lab, and Gary Woods, a professor in the practice of computer technology and electrical and computer engineering.

The National Science Foundation, the Department of Energy and the Robert A. Welch Foundation supported the research.

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Rebuilding shattered health system an urgent priority in next phase of Typhoon Haiyan response

6 December 2013 | Manila, Philippines - One month after Typhoon Haiyan hit the Philippines, WHO identifies as top priorities expanding essential health services, reviving clinics and hospitals, preventing disease and scaling up mental health services as the relief effort shifts from emergency to early recovery programmes.

The typhoon, one of the strongest ever recorded, tore through the central Philippines on 8 November, sweeping away villages, killing over 5700 people, wreaking havoc on the lives of more than 11 million others and damaging the majority of medical facilities.

From the outset of the disaster, WHO has been working side-by-side with the Philippines Department of Health to assess and address the life-saving needs of survivors and coordinate the emergency health response.

“Our immediate goal was to help plug critical gaps in medical services and to get the right experts and supplies into the right places swiftly and efficiently,” says Dr Julie Hall, WHO Representative in the Philippines.

One month into the crisis, 181 medical teams (65 foreign, 116 local) are delivering critical care in affected areas. WHO has coordinated the distribution of more than 72 tonnes of medicines and supplies to support the relief effort. A mass campaign to vaccinate children under 5 against measles and polio is underway in storm-hit communities and evacuation centres. WHO and partners have also worked with the government to reactivate disease monitoring and reporting to ensure cases of infectious diseases are quickly identified and responded to.

The risk of infectious diseases remains high, particularly in the crowded and unsanitary environments where hundreds of thousands of homeless people are now sheltering. Infectious diseases like measles, water-borne diseases such as typhoid fever and vector-borne diseases like dengue, can thrive in such conditions.

However, the primary reasons people in affected areas are seeking medical care right now are acute respiratory infections, fever, diarrhoea, high blood pressure, skin diseases, new injuries from clearing debris and follow-up care for injuries and wounds sustained in the typhoon.

The medical teams are also tending to on-going health needs, including maternal and child health care. An average of 865 women give birth every day in affected areas, of whom an estimated 15% will experience complications, some of them life-threatening.

With many foreign medical teams preparing to leave within the next month or two and others arriving, WHO is working with the Department of Health to ensure a smooth transition. Dr Hall says it is critically important that gaps in services do not emerge and that international attention and support to the health sector does not wane.

“We must ensure that essential health services are not interrupted and that in the months to come, the Philippine Government as well as humanitarian aid organizations and other key partners have adequate resources to restore health services across the affected regions,” says Dr Hall.

At the one-month mark in the crisis, priorities for the health sector include:

• Extending and expanding treatment: Providing free primary and emergency health care as Philippine medical services are re-established. Special attention is required for obstetric and neonatal care and treatment of chronic diseases and infections like tuberculosis.
• Preventing disease: Strengthening disease surveillance and response systems to inform health care needs and prevent the spread of disease. Other essential preventive measures include increasing coverage with recommended vaccines, pre-positioning supplies for possible outbreaks and improving waste management and water supply.
• Restoring health infrastructure and systems: Supporting the Philippine Government as it repairs and rebuilds medical facilities and restores the drug supply and routine health programmes. Health authorities are still tallying total costs, but say they need an initial P 1.4 billion (around US$ 32 million) for basic repairs and replacement of equipment and medicines.
• Integrating healthcare with other key services: Linking health care with social support programmes, especially mental health assistance. WHO and the Department of Health have trained Filipino health professionals who will in turn train field workers to deliver psychological first aid to typhoon survivors.

“Rebuilding the health system is going to be part and parcel of rebuilding lives and livelihoods in central Philippines,” says Hall. “Given the scale of this disaster, it’s going to take a healthy population to fuel the region’s recovery.”

For more information, interviews, or to arrange field visits, please contact:

Paulo Lyra in Manila
Mobile: +63 915 896 6345,
E-mail: lyrapaul@who.int

Aphaluck Bhatiasevi in Tacloban
mobile: +63 917 490 9757 and +63 947 170 7512,
E-mail: bhatiaseviap@who.int

Melissa Winkler in Geneva
Mobile: +41 79 445 2518
E-mail: winklerm@who.int

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New discovery on early immune system development

Nov. 12, 2013 — Researchers at Lund University have shed light on how and when the immune system is formed, raising hope of better understanding various diseases in children, such as leukemia.

The immune system is complex and a number of genetic diseases are attributed to defects in the cells that form its origins. The study from Lund and Oxford University presents unique findings on the formation of these cells.

We know that the first blood stem cells are formed in the aorta region and then travel to the liver, which is the body's major blood-forming organ during the fetal stage. In the liver, the blood stem cells produce the more mature blood cells that form our blood system. At the same time, T- and B-cells are formed, which comprise the basis of our advanced immune system. From birth, this process takes place in the bone marrow and the liver ceases to form blood cells.

Researchers have long believed that the first cells that lead to the development of our immune system, the immune-competent cells, are formed from blood stem cells in the liver while the fetus is developing. Blood stem cells can be found in the liver from day 11-12 in a mouse fetus, which is the equivalent of around 6-7 weeks' gestation in humans.

In the current study, which was performed on mice, researchers showed that these cells linked to our immune system are formed even earlier than this, in the embryo's yolk sac, i.e. before the first blood stem cells are formed. In the human embryo, the yolk sac is one of the three fetal sacs and appears in around the fifth week of pregnancy.

"The question we have posed is whether the immune system is formed in a different way in the fetus than in an adult and how early in the development of the fetus the cells that form our early immune system can be found. Knowledge of this is important because it helps us to understand how and when our immune system begins to form and what can go wrong in that process," explained Charlotta Boiers, a postdoctoral fellow at Lund University.

Childhood leukemia is one example of how important it is to understand how the immune system is formed. The first mutation on the path to childhood leukemia has been shown to take place while the child is still in the womb.

"It is still not known in which cell or cells this first step takes place and it is therefore important for us to continue our research on how the immune system starts in humans. The aim is now to continue our investigations in humans," said Charlotta Boiers.

If it is possible to prove that the cells mutate at this very early stage of development, then this would increase our understanding of how childhood leukemia occurs.

"These first cells seem to disappear in the late stages of development of the fetus. This may not happen when there is a mutation. Perhaps the defective cells instead remain alive, and further mutations occur that in turn could lead a child to develop cancer."

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EU lawmakers back strict new approval system for medical devices

By Charlie Dunmore

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - European Union lawmakers backed a strict new approval system for high-tech medical devices on Wednesday, raising industry fears of added delays in getting new products to market that could dull Europe's competitive edge.

Members of the European Parliament's environment committee voted in favor of a new pre-market authorization system of randomized clinical trials for implantable devices, covering everything from hip replacements to artificial heart valves.

Moves to tighten the rules followed a 2011 scandal involving France's now defunct Poly Implant Prothese (PIP), which for up to a decade made substandard breast implants with industrial-grade silicone that were used by hundreds of thousands of women around the world.

Some critics said the scandal was the result of Europe's current authorization system, which is less strict than in the United States where extensive testing is required before new products are approved for sale.

In response, the EU's executive - the European Commission - has proposed increased monitoring of device manufacturers and tougher government oversight of the 80 or so mostly private Notified Bodies that currently decide on product safety.

But Wednesday's committee vote went far beyond the Commission's original proposals, calling for the establishment of a new pre-marketing assessment system for high-risk devices, which would be identified on a case-by-case basis and only authorized with the approval of the European Commission.

Europe's 100 billion euro ($135 billion) medtech industry has said that would add years to the time it takes to bring new devices to market, removing a key advantage that EU companies enjoy over their U.S. rivals.

"The proposed regulatory system will not only unnecessarily delay by three years patient access to the latest lifesaving medical technology, but also deliver a devastating financial blow to Europe's 25,000 small and medium-sized device makers," EU trade group Eucomed said in a statement.

The body also questions whether the EMA will have the capacity to evaluate the 400 to 600 so-called "Class III", or high-risk, devices that currently reach the market each year in Europe.

Major makers of medical devices include Johnson & Johnson, Medtronic, Boston Scientific, Abbott, Allergan and Smith & Nephew.

Reflecting the deep divisions on the issue, Wednesday's parliamentary vote followed more than 900 amendments by lawmakers to the Commission's original proposal.

If the committee's stance is confirmed by the full parliament in the coming weeks, it will form the basis of the assembly's negotiating position in subsequent talks with EU governments to finalize the rules.

(This story corrects paragraph 6 to remove reference to European Medicines Agency)

(Editing by Ben Hirschler and Anthony Barker)

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U.S. approves first artificial pancreas system for diabetics

(Reuters) - The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved the first artificial pancreas system for diabetics that reads blood sugar levels and automatically shuts off the flow of insulin.

The device, made by Medtronic Inc, could help the 3 million Americans living with type 1 diabetes better manage their disease, which causes the immune system to destroy cells in the pancreas that make insulin.

Patients suffering from type 1 diabetes, the inherited version of the disease, have to regularly monitor their blood sugar levels and take insulin several times a day.

Too little or too much of insulin can lead to several health problems, ranging from kidney failure and heart disease to brain damage.

The device includes an insulin pump and a glucose sensor that stops insulin delivery when blood glucose reaches a preset level.

The system has been approved for use by diabetics aged 16 years and older. Medtronic said it would conduct a post-approval study that would include children aged 2 years and older.

The Minneapolis, Minnesota-based company said it would begin ramping up production immediately to prepare for a launch in the next few weeks.

The company will also directly follow up with patients and make certain manufacturing changes according to the requirements of the approval and an accompanying warning letter it was issued on September 19.

Medtronic said it has already addressed many of the observations in the warning letter and was committed to resolving the remaining issues as quickly as possible.

(Reporting by Esha Dey and additional reporting by Natalie Grover in Bangalore; Editing by Kirti Pandey)

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Immune system marker tied to improved bone marrow transplant outcomes

Sep. 16, 2013 — The risk of death following bone marrow transplantation can be reduced about 60 percent using a new technique to identify bone marrow donors who make the most potent cancer-fighting immune cells, according to research from St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. The findings appear in the September 16 online issue of the Journal of Clinical Oncology.

The research builds on an earlier St. Jude discovery that specialized immune cells called natural killer (NK) cells dispatched cancer cells more efficiently when the NK cells carried a particular version of a KIR protein on their surface. KIR is short for killer-cell immunoglobulin-like receptor. KIR proteins regulate NK cells.

For this study, researchers reviewed the outcomes of the 313 bone marrow transplants performed at St. Jude during the decade ending in January 2010. Investigators found that patients were far more likely to have survived the transplant and far less likely to had their disease progress if their new bone marrow came from donors whose NK cells included the same version of the protein, rather than the alternative form.

"This approach should dramatically improve the outcome for patients undergoing bone marrow transplantation, regardless of their age or underlying condition," said Wing Leung, M.D., Ph.D., the paper's corresponding author and chair of the St. Jude Department of Bone Marrow Transplantation and Cellular Therapy. "NK cells also play an important role in autoimmune disorders, chronic infections and other conditions, so these results will likely have an impact beyond cancer."

Transplant patients benefited regardless of their disease, previous treatment, completeness of the genetic match or other donor characteristics, including whether the donor was a relative. Leung said screening for the NK cell variation uses blood collected for the current donor screening process and will not slow donor selection.

NK cells account for less than 15 percent of white blood cells, but play a major role in defending against cancer and viral infections. This research focused on a protein named KIR2DL1, which belongs to the KIR family of proteins. The KIR2DL1 protein is found on NK cells of nearly all healthy individuals.

Proteins are made up of long chains of amino acids. Due to natural genetic variation, there are 25 versions of KIR2DL1, each with a slightly different amino acid sequence.

In an earlier study, Leung and his colleagues discovered that NK cells with one of the KIR2DL1 variations killed cancer cells growing in the laboratory more efficiently than NK cells with a different version of the protein. The potent NK cells featured the amino acid arginine at position 245 of KIR2DL1 rather than the amino acid cysteine in that spot. That discovery led to this study, which offers the first proof that the amino acid difference impacts patient outcomes.

Researchers checked the outcomes of all bone marrow transplants performed at St. Jude during the 10-year period. They found that donor bone marrow with two copies of the gene for the arginine 245 version of KIR2DL1 was associated with a 60 percent decreased risk of death following transplantation and a 62 percent reduced risk of disease progression compared to transplants with donor bone marrow that carried instructions for making just the cysteine version. The transplants involved patients battling both acute lymphoblastic and acute myeloid leukemia as well as other conditions.

St. Jude has patented and licensed a test to identify potential donors with the preferred amino acid. The goal is to make the screening test widely available to other transplant centers as soon as possible, officials said.

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