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View Full Version : The Ethical Frontier: Recombineering and Its Potential Effect on the Human Genome



Tesla_WTC_Solution
21st October 2013, 18:09
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/e1/Knockout_Mice5006-300.jpg/800px-Knockout_Mice5006-300.jpg


Useful links:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Recombineering
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Knockout_mouse
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homologous_recombination
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anthrax_vaccines

http://openwetware.org/wiki/Recombineering/Lambda_red-mediated_gene_replacement



A Closer Look at Genetic Engineering and Its Modern Capabilities


Those of you who live in Washington state are well aware of the term "genetic engineering", and most of you probably have a clear understanding of the basic meaning of the phrase. We understand vaguely how invested companies crudely inject genetic material into plants -- in order to render them resistant to harsh herbicides that other plants cannot tolerate. There is little difference, in fact, between these herbicides used in the USA and the Agent Orange herbicides that were dumped on Vietnam.

However, where the public interest meets the most heinous neglect is in the realm of the shortcuts being taken by the ReCombineering industry. Recombineering is the use of a special type of bacteria (mostly E Coli) and viruses (many known Bacteriophages) to insert foreign DNA/RNA/Genes into an unsuspecting host.

Multi-stage vectors and catalysts, synthetic gene sequences and sequence tagging, are some of the terms you are unlikely to find written on any voter's ballot. But if you were to walk into a university lab that specializes in modern genetic engineering techniques, they are terms you would be likely to hear often.

Right on Wikipedia, you can see detailed information about how and why scientists are inserting foreign and synthetic genes into animals, and perhaps even human beings. Mice are a preferred model for the study of genetic changes on animals and humans.

The following text describes the process by which a human or animal gene may be disabled so that the effect on the organism may be studied:


KNOCKOUT MICE: How close to human?


A knockout mouse is a genetically engineered mouse in which researchers have inactivated, or "knocked out," an existing gene by replacing it or disrupting it with an artificial piece of DNA. The loss of gene activity often causes changes in a mouse's phenotype, which includes appearance, behavior and other observable physical and biochemical characteristics.

Knocking out a Gene


http://openwetware.org/wiki/Recombineering/Lambda_red-mediated_gene_replacement


Gene Knockout Overview


Overview

Single-gene knockouts using λ red system, adapted from Datsenko and Wanner paper. The goal of this protocol was to create an endA (endonuclease I) knockout, but obviously it can be adapted to any gene. The knocked-out gene is replaced with an antibiotic resistance gene, usually for kanamycin or chloramphenicol. In this example, the target strain was already kanamycin resistant, so the chloramphenicol resistance gene was used.

One of the genes which accounts for human speech and brain plasticity:


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FOXP2


FOXP2 -- The Gene for Speech?

In humans, mutations of FOXP2 cause a severe speech and language disorder.[1][5] Versions of FOXP2 exist in similar forms in distantly related vertebrates; functional studies of the gene in mice[6] and in songbirds[7] indicate that it is important for modulating plasticity of neural circuits.[8] Outside the brain FOXP2 has also been implicated in development of other tissues such as the lung and gut.[9] FOXP2 directly regulates a large number of downstream target genes.[10][11]

One particular target that is directly downregulated by FOXP2 in human neurons is the CNTNAP2 gene, a member of the neurexin family; variants in this target gene have been associated with common forms of language impairment.[12] Two amino-acid substitutions distinguish the human FOXP2 protein from that found in chimpanzees,[13] but only one of these two changes is unique to humans.[14] Evidence from genetically manipulated mice[15] and human neuronal cell models[16] suggests that these changes affect the neural functions of FOXP2.

Selective elimination of genes is possible; knocking out genes which are specific to families and not necessarily the global population is possible:


http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15108192

Chinese Family Provides Strange Insight into the Link Between FOXP2 and Autism

Am J Med Genet B Neuropsychiatr Genet. 2004 May 15;127B(1):113-6.
Association between the FOXP2 gene and autistic disorder in Chinese population.
Gong X, Jia M, Ruan Y, Shuang M, Liu J, Wu S, Guo Y, Yang J, Ling Y, Yang X, Zhang D.
Source
Institute of Mental Health, Peking University, Beijing, China.
Abstract

Several genomewide screens indicated that chromosome 7q was linked to autistic disorder. FOXP2, located on 7q31, is a putative transcription factor containing a polyglutamine tract and a forkhead DNA binding domain. It is one member of the forkhead family who are known to be key regulators of embryogenesis. A point mutation at a highly conserved residue within the forkhead domain co-segregated with affected status in the KE family who was a unique three generation pedigree with a severe speech and language disorder and FOXP2 was directly disrupted by a translocation in an individual who had similar deficits as those of the KE family.

Several studies have investigated the role of FOXP2 polymorphisms in autism and none of them found positive association. We performed a family-based association study of three single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of FOXP2 in 181 Chinese Han trios using the analyses of transmission/disequilibrium test (TDT) and haplotype. We found a significant association between autistic disorder and one SNP, as well as with specific haplotypes formed by this SNP with two other SNPs we investigated. Our findings suggest that the FOXP2 gene may be involved in the pathogenesis of autism in Chinese population.
Copyright 2004 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
PMID: 15108192 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

FOXP2 the Master Gene for Regulating Autism?


http://sfari.org/news-and-opinion/news/2012/scientists-link-new-deficits-to-foxp2-mutations-in-mice

Scientists link new deficits to FOXP2 mutations in mice
E-mail Print Share This Alla Katsnelson
22 March 2012

Mice with mutations in a gene tied to language impairment and to autism have trouble learning to associate sounds with motor patterns, says a study published last week in PLoS ONE1.

The work lends further support to the idea that the gene, FOXP2, plays a crucial role in language learning. It also provides a new mouse model for investigating the genetic and molecular underpinnings of tasks that mirror a type of learning that likely takes place when humans acquire the ability to speak.

The study represents “an elegant use of mouse genetics to replicate known human mutations in a speech-related gene — but to investigate deficits appropriate to a mouse,” says Stephanie White, associate professor of integrative biology and physiology at the University of California, Los Angeles, who did not participate in the research.

Scientists first made the link between FOXP2 and language more than a decade ago, when the gene was discovered to underlie the severe pervasive language impairments that affected members of a London family dubbed KE2. Since then, studies have begun to identify its function in establishing neural connections during early stages of brain development, including those involved in motor coordination, acquisition of motor skills and the ability to integrate sensory and motor information.

No mutations in the gene-coding region of FOXP2 have been directly linked to autism, but the gene appears to regulate other genes, such as CNTNAP2 and MET, which have been associated with the disorder.


I will try to add to this later.
I got interrupted and lost my train of thought.

~TWTCS

p.s. It is possible to silence one or more genes simply by compromising the protein that enables their expression. I.e. stealth-muting.

_________________________________________

GMO plants and their potential effect on animal/human gene expression

Also looking at Transgenic Mammals

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Genetically_modified_organism


Transgenic plants have been engineered for scientific research, to create new colours in plants, and to create different crops.

In research, plants are engineered to help discover the functions of certain genes. One way to do this is to knock out the gene of interest and see what phenotype develops. Another strategy is to attach the gene to a strong promoter and see what happens when it is over expressed. A common technique used to find out where the gene is expressed is to attach it to GUS or a similar reporter gene that allows visualisation of the location.[8]'

Genetically modified mammals are an important category of genetically modified organisms.[32] Ralph L. Brinster and Richard Palmiter developed the techniques responsible for transgenic mice, rats, rabbits, sheep, and pigs in the early 1980s, and established many of the first transgenic models of human disease, including the first carcinoma caused by a transgene. The process of genetically engineering animals is a slow, tedious, and expensive process. However, new technologies are making genetic modifications easier and more precise.[33]

The first transgenic (genetically modified) animal was produced by injecting DNA into mouse embryos then implanting the embryos in female mice.[34]

Genetically modified animals currently being developed can be placed into six different broad classes based on the intended purpose of the genetic modification:

to research human diseases (for example, to develop animal models for these diseases);

to produce industrial or consumer products (fibres for multiple uses);

to produce products intended for human therapeutic use (pharmaceutical products or tissue for implantation);

to enrich or enhance the animals' interactions with humans (hypo-allergenic pets);

to enhance production or food quality traits (faster growing fish, pigs that digest food more efficiently);

to improve animal health (disease resistance)[35]

____________________________

Transgenic animals are used as experimental models to perform phenotypic and for testing in biomedical research.[36]

Genetically modified (genetically engineered) animals are becoming more vital to the discovery and development of cures and treatments for many serious diseases. By altering the DNA or transferring DNA to an animal, we can develop certain proteins that may be used in medical treatment. Stable expressions of human proteins have been developed in many animals, including sheep, pigs, and rats. Human-alpha-1-antitrypsin,[37] which has been tested in sheep and is used in treating humans with this deficiency and transgenic pigs with human-histo-compatibility have been studied in the hopes that the organs will be suitable for transplant with less chances of rejection.

_____________________________________________________

Prophetic Novel by AutoDidact Scientist Clay Prince:


http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/31Q77WYZYWL._SY344_BO1,204,203,200_.jpg


In a small laboratory located near downtown Dallas, a successful experiment has opened the door to a revolution in medicine. The pain of organ failure and replacement will soon be a thing of the past, as will a host of debilitating diseases. Thousands of miles away, amid the horror of war in Chechnya, a quantum leap in stem cell research has brought the promise of tissue generation therapy tantalizingly close to reality.

For many years, Doctors Clifford Roberts and Andre Baronovsky have quietly collaborated from a distance. At last, the time has come to combine their individual genius in a single, extraordinary result that will offer greater hope to mankind than anyone has ever dared to imagine.But a single germ of greed is all it takes to turn the expectation of a noble dream into the dread of a grisly nightmare. Technology has neither loyalty nor conscience. It honors no alliance and calls no one “Master.”

A dark, restive evil—perverse beyond measure—grows within the shelter and comfort of an unsuspecting womb. For many years, Patrick Donaldson has stood against the industry of human exploitation, often sacrificing his freedom in commitment to a divine ideal.

Unafraid of confrontation, he demands answers from Drs. Roberts and Baronovsky about the nature of their research. But nothing in his experience or imagination could possibly prepare him for the truth. And when it arrives, he may not be equipped to survive.In a world driven by pursuit of self-interest, history proves that murder, betrayal, and human depravity cannot be regarded as anomalous. They are tools, used like any other, as means to an end. Innocence is ultimately a victim of reality, and ignorance, sadly, is fleeting. Is there hope for humanity? Can the simple faith of Patrick Donaldson compete against the tangible power of human engineering?

It is said that all beginnings have an end. Yet pursuit of knowledge—so fundamental to the human experience—may be an exception to the rule. Who is qualified to judge between innocence and guilt in a moral quandary colored neither black nor white, but gray?

Time marches on, knowledge follows, and the victims lay silent.


The Sound of Silence


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Sound_of_Silence

"The Sound of Silence" is a song by singer-songwriter duo Simon & Garfunkel. Written in February 1964 by Paul Simon in the aftermath of the 1963 assassination of John F. Kennedy,[1] the song propelled the group to mainstream popularity.

Paul Simon began working on the song some time after the Kennedy assassination. He had made progress on the music but had yet to write the lyrics. On February 19, 1964, the lyrics coalesced, as Simon recalled: "The main thing about playing the guitar, though, was that I was able to sit by myself and play and dream. And I was always happy doing that. I used to go off in the bathroom, because the bathroom had tiles, so it was a slight echo chamber. I'd turn on the faucet so that water would run (I like that sound, it's very soothing to me) and I'd play. In the dark. 'Hello darkness, my old friend / I've come to talk with you again'."[5]

4zLfCnGVeL4

1HFM0-2yMQg

Tesla_WTC_Solution
21st October 2013, 23:20
GMO/Recombinant Childhood Vaccines

Recombineering and Infant Vaccines; Hepatitis B Vaccine Is a Recombinant Vaccine :

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hepatitis_B_vaccine

Hepatitis B vaccine is a vaccine developed for the prevention of hepatitis B virus infection. The vaccine contains one of the viral envelope proteins, hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg). It is produced by yeast cells, into which the genetic code for HBsAg has been inserted.[1] A course of two to three (2–3) vaccine injections are given, the second injection at least one month after the first dose and the third injection being administered six months after the first dose. The first and second dose offer complete protection. The final injection (second or third depending on number of vaccines being administered) is to prolong protection against the hepatitis B virus. [2] Afterward an immune system antibody to HBsAg is established in the bloodstream. The antibody is known as anti-HBsAg. This antibody and immune system memory then provide immunity to hepatitis B infection.[3] The first vaccine became available in 1981.

A range of vaccines is available in the market. Presently recombinant DNA vaccines are available, which means they are produced by inserting the gene for HBV into common baker's yeast where it is grown, harvested, and purified. HBV infection cannot occur from receiving hepatitis B vaccine. The common brands available are Recombivax HB (Merck), Engerix-B (GSK), Elovac B (Human Biologicals Institute, a division of Indian Immunologicals Limited), Genevac B (Serum Institute), Shanvac B, etc. These vaccines are given intramuscularly.

http://www.thehealthyhomeeconomist.com/new-study-hepatitis-b-vaccine-damages-the-liver/


New Study: Hepatitis B Vaccine Damages The Liver
HEALTHY PREGNANCY, BABY & CHILD, VACCINATION
by Sarah TheHealthyHomeEconomist March 30, 2012


When Jodi Ferris unknowingly unleashed the wrath of Social Services at Penn State Hershey Medical Center by questioning the necessity of the Hepatitis B vaccine for her newborn daughter, little did she know just how big a can of worms she was opening.

A study reported in the journal Apoptosis just weeks ago indicates that this controversial vaccine normally injected into newborns within hours of birth induces liver damage primarily due to the presence of the toxic vaccine adjuvant aluminum hydroxide.

Aluminum hydroxide, an adjuvant also present in the anthrax vaccine, has already been shown as a likely culprit for triggering the motor neuron autoimmunity issues present in Gulf War Syndrome which are indistinguishable from the autoimmune disease amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).

Vaccine adjuvants like aluminum hydroxide are the dirty little secret that the scientific community doesn’t want the public to know about. Their purpose is to stimulate and heighten the immune response to the vaccine itself.

In this new study, aluminum hydroxide induced loss of mitochondrial integrity and cell death in mouse liver cells exposed to low doses of the Hepatitis B vaccine containing the toxic adjuvant.
The mitochondria is the “powerhouse” of a cell where energy is created and cellular respiration occurs. It is not surprising that compromising the mitochondria of liver cells results in outright death of the cell itself.

This new study corroborates other research indicating liver damage from Hep B. In 1999, it was found that children less than 6 years old had a nearly 300% increase in the incidence of liver problems if they had been vaccinated with Hepatitis B versus those children that did not have the Hep B jab.

It’s not just the young developing livers of children that suffer from the toxic Hep B. The Journal Hepatogastroenterology reported in 2002 that the Hepatitis B vaccine was statistically associated with increased risk for hepatitis, gastrointestinal disease, and liver function test abnormalities in adult females.
Did you get that?

The Hepatitis B vaccine is statistically associated with increased risk for hepatitis in adults!

A more recent study in June 2011 reported by the journal Molecular Biology Reports indicates that damage from Hep B is likely caused by alteration in the expression of 144 genes in mouse livers within one day of vaccination, 7 of which are associated with inflammation and metabolism.
The Only Sane Answer is Rejection of the Hepatitis B Vaccine

To date, 50+ negative health effects from the Hepatitis B vaccine have been documented in peer-reviewed, published literature.

The thing that makes absolutely zero sense is why the controversial and very questionable Hepatitis B vaccine is still being recommended as standard for all newborns within hours of birth especially given that a newborn’s liver does not even begin functioning until several days later.

With no functioning liver to assist with detoxification, the damaging effects of the toxic Hep B ingredients would no doubt be magnified with the risk of irreparable harm to the newborn great.
If you are a parent with a baby on the way, please do your research and learn the extreme danger of the Hepatitis B vaccine to your newborn.

Even if you have been supportive of vaccination in the past, at least skip this one controversial shot that has so much documented literature about its damaging effects.

There is simply no logical reason to vaccinate all newborns against a disease that is primarily sexually transmitted or contracted via the used needles of drug addicts. Better to screen mothers preemptively rather than vaccinate all newborns with this dangerous drug cocktail that threatens their long term health.

Sarah, The Healthy Home Economist
Source: Hepatitis B Vaccine Induces Apoptotic Death in Hepa1-6 Cells, January 12, 2012

HBsAg


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HBsAg

HBsAg is the surface antigen of the hepatitis B virus (HBV). It indicates current hepatitis B infection.

It is commonly referred to as the Australia Antigen. This is because it was first isolated by the American research physician and Nobel Prize winner Baruch S. Blumberg in the serum of an Australian Aboriginal person.[2] It was discovered to be part of the virus that caused serum hepatitis by virologist Alfred Prince in 1968.

Heptavax, a "first-generation" hepatitis B vaccine in the 1980s, was made from HBsAg extracted from the blood plasma of hepatitis patients. Current vaccines are made from recombinant HBsAg grown in yeast.

Mechanism of Hepatitis Infection and Vaccine Safety Unknown as of 2007


http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18046710

Hepatology. 2007 Dec;46(6):1759-68.
Hepatitis B virus infection initiates with a large surface protein-dependent binding to heparan sulfate proteoglycans.
Schulze A, Gripon P, Urban S.
Source: Department of Molecular Virology, Otto-Meyerhof-Zentrum (OMZ), University of Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany.
Abstract

Contrary to many other viruses, the initial steps of the hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection, including attachment to hepatocytes, specific receptor interactions, and membrane fusion, are unsolved. Using HepaRG cells as an in vitro cell culture system, we here report that HBV entry into hepatocytes depends on the interaction with the glycosaminoglycan (GAG) side chains of cell-surface-associated heparan sulfate proteoglycans. Binding to GAGs requires the integrity of the pre-S domain as a part of the large (L-) viral envelope protein. HBV infection was abrogated by incubation of virions with heparin, but not the structurally related GAGs chondroitin sulfate A, B, and C. Infection was also abolished by suramin, a known inhibitor of duck hepatitis B virus infection or highly sulfated dextran sulfate. Polycationic substances such as poly-L-lysine, polybrene, and protamine also prevented infection, however, by addressing cellular components. Enzymatic removal of defined acidic carbohydrate structures from the cell surface using heparinase I/III or the obstruction of GAG synthesis by sodium chlorate inhibited HBV infection of HepaRG cells and, moreover, led to a reduction of HBV cell surface binding sites. The biochemical analysis showed selective binding of L-protein-enriched viral particles (virions or filaments) to heparin. GAG-dependent binding of HBV was improved by polyethylene glycol, a substance that specifically enhances HBV infection. Conclusion: HBV infection requires the initial attachment to the carbohydrate side chains of hepatocyte-associated heparan sulfate proteoglycans as attachment receptors. This interaction initializes the multistep entry process of HBV and cannot be bypassed by alternative routes.


Mr. Illegal ENtry: The Hep B Vaccine!


http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18086046

Cell Microbiol. 2008 Jan;10(1):122-33.
Role of glycosaminoglycans for binding and infection of hepatitis B virus.
Leistner CM, Gruen-Bernhard S, Glebe D.
Source: Institute of Medical Virology, Justus Liebig University, Frankfurter Str. 107, 35392 Giessen, Germany.
Abstract

Many parts of the life cycle of hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection of hepatocytes have been unravelled, but the attachment and entry process leading to infection is largely unknown. Using primary Tupaia hepatocyte cultures as an in vitro infection system, we determined that HBV uses cell-surface heparan sulfate proteoglycans as low-affinity receptor, because HBV infection was inhibited by heparin (IC50: 5 microg ml(-1)) or other higher-sulfated polymers, but not by lower-sulfated glycosaminoglycans, such as chondroitin sulfate. Pretreatment of primary hepatocytes with heparinase decreased viral binding and inhibited HBV infection completely. Interestingly, after preS1-dependent viral binding at 16 degrees C to the cell surface, subsequent infection could still be inhibited by HBV preS1-lipopeptides, but not by heparin any more, suggesting a shift of the virus to a high-affinity receptor. In summary, we suggest following multistep attachment process: in vivo, HBV is initially trapped within the liver in the space of Dissé by heparan sulfate proteoglycans. Thereafter, HBV binds via its preS1 attachment site and the N-terminal myristic acid to a yet unknown, high-affinity receptor that confers uptake in a yet unknown compartment.
PMID: 18086046 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

Suspicion cast on relationship between AIDS and Hepatitis Vaccine Invention; Vaccine Mechanics Based on Theory, not Principle; Vaccine Manufactured with Blood from Homosexual Men and Intravenous Drug Users


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hepatitis_B_vaccine

The invention

The invention of the vaccine began with the realization (by virologist Alfred Prince, in 1968) that the Australia antigen was part of a virus that caused hepatitis B.[4] Maurice Hilleman at Merck used three treatments (pepsin, urea and formaldehyde) of blood serum together with rigorous filtration to yield a product that could be used as a safe vaccine. Hilleman hypothesized that he could make an HBV vaccine by injecting patients with hepatitis B surface protein. In theory, this would be very safe, as these excess surface proteins lacked infectious viral DNA. The immune system, recognizing the surface proteins as foreign, would manufacture specially shaped antibodies, custom-made to bind to, and destroy, these proteins. Then, in the future, if the patient were infected with hepatitis B virus, the immune system could promptly deploy protective antibodies, destroying the viruses before they could do any harm.[5]

Hilleman collected blood from gay men and intravenous drug users—groups known to be at risk for HBV infections. This was in the late 1970s, when HIV was yet unknown to medicine. In addition to the sought-after hepatitis B surface proteins, the blood samples likely contained HIV. Hilleman devised a multistep process to purify this blood so that only the hepatitis B surface proteins remained. Every known virus was killed by this process, and Hilleman was confident that the vaccine was safe.[5]

The first large-scale trials for the blood-derived vaccine were performed on gay men, considered to be an at-risk group. Later, Hilleman’s vaccine was falsely blamed for igniting the AIDS epidemic. But, although the purified blood vaccine seemed questionable, it was determined to have indeed been free of HIV. The purification process had destroyed all viruses—including HIV.[5] The vaccine was approved in 1981.

It was withdrawn from the marketplace when Pablo DT Valenzuela, Research Director of Chiron Corporation succeeded in 1986 in making the antigen in yeast and invented the first recombinant vaccine.[6] The recombinant vaccine was developed by inserting the HBV gene that codes for the surface protein into a species of yeast called Saccharomyces cerevisiae. This allows the yeast to produce only the noninfectious surface protein, without any danger of introducing actual viral DNA into the final product.[5] This is the vaccine still in use today.

Tesla_WTC_Solution
26th December 2013, 08:33
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/12/26/world/asia/china-investigates-vaccine-maker-after-infant-deaths.html?_r=0

China Investigates Vaccine Maker After Deaths of Infants
By DAVID BARBOZA
Published: December 25, 2013

SHANGHAI — Health authorities in China are investigating one of the nation’s biggest vaccine makers after eight infants died in the past two months following injections that were meant to immunize them against hepatitis B.

The government said this week that it had suspended the use of millions of doses of a hepatitis B vaccine produced by the manufacturer, Shenzhen Kangtai Biological Products. Government inspectors have been sent to examine the company’s facilities.

Six of the deaths have been linked to vaccines produced by Shenzhen Kangtai; the two other infant deaths occurred recently after the use of a hepatitis B vaccine produced by another drug maker, Beijing Tiantan Biological Products. The government did not say whether any action had been taken against Beijing Tiantan or its vaccines. Investigators have not determined the cause of the deaths or linked them directly to the injections, but the cases come at a time of growing public concern in China about food and drug safety problems.

In recent years, China has been troubled by a series of scandals, including tainted rice and milk and the mysterious appearance of thousands of dead pigs floating in the Huangpu River in Shanghai. China has vowed repeatedly to crack down on food and drug safety violations and has moved to strengthen the powers of health officials.

In the vaccine cases, the government is focusing on the role of Shenzhen Kangtai, a privately run drug maker formed in 1992 with government support and the cooperation of the American pharmaceutical company Merck.

Merck helped the company build its drug-manufacturing facility in the city of Shenzhen in the 1990s, and it gave the company the biological technology to produce a hepatitis B vaccine royalty free as part of an unusual joint venture aimed at improving health standards in China. At the time, up to two million Chinese children were being infected annually with hepatitis B.

Since then, China has made great strides in early vaccinations under a national program subsidized by the government. And Shenzhen Kangtai has become the country’s biggest producer of hepatitis B vaccines, with a 60 percent market share, according to China’s state-run news media. The company has also announced plans to build a $140 million research and development and drug manufacturing center in Shenzhen.

A representative for Shenzhen Kangtai could not be reached Wednesday, although the company denied last week that its vaccines were at fault in the recent infant deaths.

Although the authorities have banned the use of Shenzhen Kangtai’s hepatitis B vaccines at medical facilities, health experts say there are enough vaccines produced by five other Chinese drug makers to meet the demands of the national immunization program. In China, most hepatitis B vaccines are provided free to newborns.

Hepatitis B, which attacks the liver and can lead to death, is the most virulent form of hepatitis, according to the World Health Organization. Chronic forms of hepatitis affect about 500 million people a year worldwide.

A version of this article appears in print on December 26, 2013, on page A15 of the New York edition with the headline: China Investigates Vaccine Maker After Deaths of Infants.

Tesla_WTC_Solution
26th December 2013, 08:40
http://www.thelibertybeacon.com/2013/03/11/7457/

The Dangers of a Hepatitis B Vaccination for Your Baby
Posted by: TLB Staff
Published March 11, 2013, filed under HEALTH

...Common reactions to the hepatitis B vaccine among those who can communicate include headache, nausea, fever and fatigue oddly the same symptoms as the hard to catch disease. As for more serious side effects, the Hepatitis B vaccine has also been reported to cause a variety of immune and neurological health problems. There have been persistent reports of the vaccine being related to sudden infant death syndrome which is most likely to occur at 2 months, 4 month and 6 months exactly the same time as the hepatitis B vaccine series is often given. Other reports indicate such adverse reactions such as Guillain-Barre Syndrome (GBS), transverse myelitis, optic neuritis, and multiple sclerosis as well as immune system dysfunction including chronic arthritis. Some speculations have also come about insisting on a connecting with Autism and the hepatitis B vaccine as well as several more on the recommended immunization schedule...

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/david-kirby/new-study-hepatitis-b-vac_b_289288.html

New Study: Hepatitis B Vaccine Triples the Risk of Autism in Infant Boys
Posted: 09/17/09 03:24 PM ET

...Now, a new study has shown that giving Hepatitis B vaccine to newborn baby boys may triple the risk of developing an autism spectrum disorder.

An abstract of the study was published in the September, 2009 issue of the respected journal Annals of Epidemiology. In it, Carolyn Gallagher and Melody Goodman of the Graduate Program in Public Health at Stony Brook University Medical Center, NY, wrote that, "Boys who received the hepatitis B vaccine during the first month of life had 2.94 greater odds for ASD compared to later- or unvaccinated boys."

The conclusion states that: "Findings suggest that U.S. male neonates vaccinated with hepatitis B vaccine had a 3-fold greater risk of ASD; risk was greatest for non-white boys." The authors used U.S. probability samples obtained from National Health Interview Survey 1997-2002 datasets....

http://www.ageofautism.com/2009/10/hepatitis-b-vaccine-an-unmitigated-disaster-.html

Hepatitis B Vaccine: An Unmitigated Disaster
Vaccine face By J.B. Handley

...My 5-week old daughter, Lyla Rose, died within 16 hours of her hepatitis B vaccination, which she received because of the universal vaccination policy this Committee instituted in 1991. At her death, Lyla had four of the eight highest-reported symptoms in the VAERS hepatitis B vaccine adverse reaction data. The NY Medical Examiner observed brain swelling at the autopsy but refused to record that or mention the hepatitis B vaccine Lyla received in the autopsy report...

Tesla_WTC_Solution
28th December 2013, 01:39
I want to talk about these links later but here they are so I don't forget:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TLR1
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Guineafowl
https://www.google.com/#q=autism+tlr1
https://www.google.com/#q=hepatitis+tlr1
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20667457

Tesla_WTC_Solution
8th January 2014, 03:18
http://www.infowars.com/girl-falls-asleep-30-times-a-day-since-taking-the-flu-vaccine/

Girl falls asleep 30 times a day since taking the flu vaccine

news.com.au
January 7, 2014

Flu vaccines have been linked to a deluge of dangerous health conditions. Credit: ZaldyImg via Flickr
Flu vaccines have been linked to a deluge of dangerous health conditions. Credit: ZaldyImg via Flickr

It was supposed to be a simple vaccine against swine flu, but since she had it, Chloe Glasson’s life has been like a bad dream.
Just four months after being given the Pandemrix injection, the 15-year-old schoolgirl developed the sleeping disorder narcolepsy.
Now, without warning, she falls asleep up to 30 times a day wherever she is.


This article was posted: Tuesday, January 7, 2014 at 11:03 am

_______________________________________________

How is Pandremix Narcolepsy different from African Nodding Disease?
No parasite required: shot now able to direct body to destroy itself without outside help.





http://planet.infowars.com/worldnews/north-america/canadas-war-on-the-family-alberta-moves-on-your-children

Also in regard to what “they” consider appropriate healthcare, could make it a violation to deny unethical medical treatments (like vaccines, or invasive therapy), or delay treatment while parents seek secondary opinions and/or alternative natural treatments not officially recognized by Alberta Health Services.

Tesla_WTC_Solution
16th January 2014, 04:40
https://imfar.confex.com/imfar/2013/webprogram/Paper13280.html

Note: Most Internet Explorer 8 users encounter issues playing the presentation videos. Please update your browser or use a different one if available.

Abnormal Oxytocin Pathway in the Cntnap2 Mouse Model of ASD

Friday, 3 May 2013: 15:00
Chamber Hall (Kursaal Centre)
14:00
O. Penagarikano1, M. T. Lazaro1, H. Dong1, N. P. Murphy2, N. T. Maidment2, P. Golshani1 and D. H. Geschwind3, (1)Neurology, University of California at Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, (2)Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, University of California at Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, (3)Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior; Department of Neurology; Program in Neurogenetics; Center for Autism Research and Treatment and Center for Neurobehavioral Genetics, University of California at Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA
Background:
Genetic, neurobiological and imaging data provide convergent evidence for the contactin associated protein-like 2 (CNTNAP2) gene as a risk factor for Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and other neurodevelopmental disorders. The CNTNAP2 gene encodes for a neuronal transmembrane protein, member of the neurexin superfamily (Poliak et al., 1999), which loss of function has been associated to a syndromic form of ASD called cortical dysplasia-focal epilepsy syndrome (CDFE), a rare disorder resulting in epileptic seizures, language delay, intellectual disability, hyperactivity and, in nearly two-thirds of the patients, autism (Strauss et al., 2006). Mouse models based on human disease-causing mutations provide the potential for understanding gene function and novel treatment development. We have previously demonstrated the construct, face and predictive validity of a mouse knockout for the Cntnap2gene (Penagarikano et al., 2011), providing an excellent tool for further studies to unravel ASD pathophysiology and for therapeutic research.

Objectives:

To perform an in vivo drug screening in Cntnap2mutant mice targeting affected social behaviors.

Methods:

Ten Cntnap2knockout mice and wildtype littermates were pharmacologically treated and tested for improvements in social interactions as in Silverman et al. (2010). Immunohistochemistry and receptor binding analysis were performed in four mice per genotype using conventional methods.

Results:

We found that intranasal administration of the neuropeptide oxytocin (OXT) dramatically improves social deficits in this mouse model. Interestingly, the same treatment in wild-type (WT) littermates did not show any behavioral response, suggesting a hyper-reactivity to OXT in Cntnap2 mice. OXT is synthesized in magnocellular neurons in the paraventricular (PVN) and supraoptic (SON) nuclei of the hypothalamus. It is released both peripherally, where it is involved in diverse physiological functions, and centrally, where it acts as a neuromodulator. Analysis of the expression of Cntnap2 by in situ hybridization shows that it is enriched in the PVN, supporting a role for this gene in the development and/or functioning of these neurons. Interestingly, quantitative PCR from dissected hypothalamus showed that Oxt RNA levels are reduced in Cntnap2 mutant mice compared to WT and decreased OXT immunoreactivity was found in the PVN of mutant mice. Furthermore, analysis of the distribution of OXT receptors by receptor binding auutoradiography shows an abnormal distribution of these receptors in mutant mice comparing to WT littermates.

Conclusions: Several lines of evidence suggest an association of the OXT pathway and ASD, and clinical trials with OXT agonists are underway. Here, we report that the Cntnap2 mouse model of autism responds to OXT and provide initial evidence that the OXT-OXT receptor pathway is dysregulated in the knockout. Additional work is needed to clarify the neurobiological basis for this deficit and to study the mechanism whereby OXT exerts its behavioral effects.

Tesla_WTC_Solution
16th January 2014, 04:45
Does this look familiar to anyone??

http://blogs.plos.org/dnascience/2013/12/19/autism-seizures-and-the-amish/

Autism, Seizures, and the Amish
By Ricki Lewis, PhD
Posted: December 19, 2013

On December 4, I visited the Clinic for Special Children in the heart of Pennsylvania Dutch country, where a tiny staff cares for 2000+ patients with a variety of inherited illnesses. Last week’s post described a family in which 5 of 6 children have a seizure disorder that includes autistic features. Investigation of this syndrome over the past 15 years beautifully illustrates the evolution of gene discovery methods before sequencing catapulted us into a new technological age. (Warning: jargon ahead.)

CONNECTING PHENOTYPE TO GENOTYPE
Today, to identify the gene behind an undiagnosed condition in a child, researchers compare the exome (protein-encoding part of a genome) sequences of parents and possibly siblings to identify causative gene variants (alleles). It’s fast.

In the pre-genome era, researchers followed an indirect trajectory to get from phenotype to genotype:

• Noting that symptoms “run in families.”
• Finding the condition to be more common among identical twins than fraternal twins, and among siblings of patients than in the general population.
• Identifying abnormal chromosomes in people with the condition.
• Using genome-wide association studies (GWAS) to identify patterns of genetic variation (at sets of single-base sites called single nucleotide polymorphisms, or SNPs) that might flag a disease-causing variant.
• Identifying the gene and making a mouse model to test treatments.

When the Amish left Switzerland in the early 1700s to escape religious persecution and settled in Pennsylvania, they brought a sampling of the European gene pool. Reproducing among themselves amplified mutations and resulted in “runs of autozygosity” in their genomes – sections of chromosomes that have the same DNA sequences on both copies. Runs of autozygosity indicate that two relatives inherited sets of gene variants from a shared ancestor, such as second cousins from a great-grandparent. These alleles, dubbed “identical by descent” (IDB), make a powerful tool for gene discovery if they show up exclusively in people who have the same disease.

THE AMISH CONNECTION
The boy I met at the Clinic and 4 of his 5 siblings have cortical dysplasia-focal epilepsy (CDFE) syndrome. It arises from a single missing DNA base in a gene called CNTNAP2.

Like many tales of gene discovery, the finding that mutations in CNTNAP2 lie behind a variety of brain conditions – autism, seizures, schizophrenia, Tourette syndrome, and language disorders – began with different threads. Let’s focus on the autism connection.

Autism_awareness_ribbon-20051114Even the oldest genetic techniques demonstrate an inherited component to autism. Identical twins are much more likely to both have it than fraternal twins; siblings of a child with autism have a risk 75 times that of the general population.

In 1998, the International Molecular Genetic Study of Autism Consortium used GWAS to identify 6 regions in the genome that tracked with people who have autism – the top contender was on the long arm of the seventh largest chromosome, or “7q.”

Disturbed communication between neurexins and neuroligins may underlie autism. (Rachelbash1 from Wikimedia Commons)
Disturbed communication between neurexins and neuroligins may underlie autism. (Rachelbash1 from Wikimedia Commons)
In 1999, researchers implicated CASPR2, a type of protein called a neurexin that, when abnormal, disrupts sending of a nerve impulse. Neurexins align with other proteins called neuroligins to create the synapses that form as a young child begins to explore the world, consolidating memory into learning.

In 2003 came reports of rearranged chromosomes that disrupt the gene that encodes CASPR2, CNTNAP2, in people with Tourette syndrome and in 2007 with people who have intellectual disability, developmental delay, impaired speech, and hyperactivity, but not Tourette’s. These different conditions aren’t surprising – effects vary depending on where in the brain neurexin levels are imbalanced.

In 2006, researchers at the Clinic For Special Children and the Translational Genomics Research Institute matched a mutation in CNTNAP2 to CDFE syndrome in closely-related Amish kids. Seizures begin at about the age that autistic features tend to emerge — 14 to 20 months.

Before seizures begin, symptoms of CDFE are subtle: minor motor delays, poor deep tendon reflexes, and slightly-large heads. Children have difficulty concentrating, imitating people, and planning movements, such as crawling, cruising, and walking. The seizures are frequent and severe, and their onset heralds the ebbing of skills – language, cognitive, and social. After several years the seizures cease, but intellect remains stalls in childhood and the individual requires lifelong care.

Amish_-_On_the_way_to_school_by_Gadjoboy-cropKevin Strauss, MD, Erik Puffenberger, PhD, and Holmes Morton, MD, from the Clinic and their colleagues used 100,000-SNP microarray devices to analyze the DNA of four children with CDFE syndrome from three Amish families. They found an autozygous region 7.1 million bases long on the suspected area on 7q. (Today algorithms quickly spot autozygosity in exome sequences.)

The 7.1 million bases include 83 genes, but only a few made sense. The team first sequenced a gene called CENTG3 known to cause other brain disorders. But the sick kids didn’t have mutations in it.

Then Dr. Puffenberger, the geneticist on the team, found a shortcut: he noticed one SNP in the middle of CENTG3 that was heterozygous in two kids (two different variants), rather than homozygous (the same variant in both chromosome copies), marking an end to the identical-by-descent region. “A recombination event in the middle of the gene allowed Eric to get rid of a lot of it to find the mutation. It’s a perfect example of ‘chance favors the prepared mind’,” Dr. Morton told me. That discovery cut the region of interest on 7q to 3.8 million bases.

The second candidate gene, CNTNAP2, straddles the region of interest. Each child was missing a single base from both copies of chromosome 7 there, and each parent had the same mutation, but in only one copy. They’re carriers. It was Mendel’s first law at work.

The team had found their gene. They then looked further in the community, and among 105 healthy Amish people, four were carriers. Nine of 18 patients who had partial seizures but no specific diagnosis, from 7 families, had CDFE syndrome.

The seizures were puzzling. “One mutation can cause different types of seizures. Four kids in one family respond differently. Some are very disabled, some not very affected,” Dr. Morton said. Three kids had surgery to relieve the seizures, but relief didn’t last. However, the surgeries supplied samples of brain tissue that enabled the researchers to better describe what was going wrong.

Connectivity in the seizure-prone brains is a mess. Gray matter and white matter boundaries blur, and some parts of the cerebral cortex are thickened. The neurons themselves aren’t quite right. They’re too round, too tightly packed, with deranged dendritic trees. Dots on the neurons hint at too many nuclei from glia, the supportive cells that comprise most of the nervous system. The 2006 research report waxed poetic, describing the amygdala, the seat of emotions, in the epileptic brains as “eccentric microscopic islands of partially matured neuronal precursors in tight clusters” cloaked in glia run amok.

The portrait of the Amish epileptic brain made sense in light of the work on the neurexin protein CASPR2 (which stands for contactin-associated protein-like 2). The neurexin forms a scaffolding at the nodes of Ranvier. The nodes are the exposed sites on an axon between pillows of myelin, the insulating material that is actually the cell membranes of glia wrapped around the neuron like a bandaid around a finger. Nerve impulses hurdle the nodes, sending messages fast enough to sustain life.

The CASPR2 proteins in the Amish kids are stunted. They do not traverse the neuron cell membranes and dip into the cytoplasm as they should, and as a result nearby potassium channels collapse. These channels normally allow potassium ions to rush out of the nerve cells as an impulse passes, resetting it. So without the neurexin scaffolding, the neuron can’t reset itself. Transmission halts. And, somehow, seizures begin. I don’t think it’s known whether the seizures induce the autistic features or they arise directly – further genetic studies should indicate that.

A MOUSE MODEL
Daniel Geschwind, MD, PhD and professor of neurology at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, was working on autism genes, and read the 2006 paper in the New England Journal of Medicine. “He called and said, ‘you found my gene!’ A nice collaboration began, and he made a mouse with the Amish mutation,” said Dr. Morton. The mice have the CNTNAP2 gene knocked out, and like people, they have seizures and autistic features.

“A mouse usually runs the around cage, normally social and chattering. These mice were neither,” Dr. Morton explained. The mice also displayed repetitive behaviors and had seizures.

The brains of the mutant mice showed an abnormal connectivity pattern reminiscent of the earlier histology work. “The front of the brain talks mostly with itself. It doesn’t communicate as much with other parts of the brain and lacks long-range connections to the back of the brain,” Dr. Geschwind said. The group had shown similar abnormalities in the brains of children with autism.

Functional MRI shows distinct and consistent connectivity patterns in the brains of children with autism and the CNTNAP2 risk variant. (Geschwind lab)
Functional MRI shows distinct and consistent connectivity patterns in the brains of children with autism and the CNTNAP2 risk variant. (Geschwind lab)
The striking similarity between the Amish children and the mice provides a testing ground for drugs. Risperidone, prescribed to treat repetitive behaviors in children, had the same effect on the mice, while also improving their nest-building ability. But the drug doesn’t help children socialize.

An obvious candidate drug to improve social skills is the “love hormone” oxytocin. It’s abundant in the same brain neurons that are rich in CASPR2 protein. Could too little oxytocin cause autistic features? Results of supplementing oxytocin are promising, both in mice and children.

Dr. Geschwind and co-workers found that a nasal spray of oxytocin “dramatically improves social deficits” in the mice. Because non-autistic mice didn’t respond, the hormone indeed seems to compensate for a deficit.

Amish farmers already give oxytocin to cows to contract their uterine muscles, and I recall getting it to rev up a stalled labor. But don’t try this at home. Several clinical trials are underway for oxytocin or drugs that boost its activity in the brain to improve socialization in children with autism.

Autism Speaks funded the first clinical trial of oxytocin in 2010, and NIH is sponsoring a larger ongoing trial of oxytocin nasal spray. But as far as I can tell, patients were enrolled based on clinical diagnoses according to the DSM-IV – not the more specific criterion of genotype.

Although the idea to try oxytocin to improve social symptoms in autism didn’t require knowing the underlying mutation, such information can add precision to any conclusions by considering mechanism – which can lead to developing other treatments. In another post I’ll look at how genetic precision enabled Dr. Morton to develop cures for certain inborn errors of metabolism that are much more common among the Amish, but still show up on newborn screens of everyone.