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Molecular Typesetting -- Proofreading Without A Proofreader
Researchers at the Universities of Leeds and Bristol (UK) have developed a model of how errors are corrected whilst proteins are being built.

Young Scots From Deprived Backgrounds More Likely To Die From Heart Disease
In Scotland, young men and women (ages 35-44) from socially deprived groups are around six times more likely to die from heart disease than the most affluent individuals in the same age range, according to research published on bmj.com today.
News of the day
Obama Issues Directive To Enact New Embryonic Stem Cell Research Rules
President Obama on Thursday issued a directive to federal agencies to begin following new NIH guidelines on federally funded embryonic stem cell research, Reuters/New York Times reports (Reuters/New York Times, 7/30). NIH announced the final guidelines earlier this month. The guidelines assess whether newly created embryonic stem cell lines can be used for federally funded research, as well as clarify how old lines will be evaluated (Daily Women"s Health Policy Report, 7/7).In March, Obama overturned President George W. Bush"s policy limiting federal funding of embryonic stem cell research. In a statement Thursday, Obama said, "I hereby direct the heads of executive departments and agencies that support and conduct stem cell research to adopt these guidelines, to the fullest extent practicable in light of legal authorities and obligations" (Reuters/New York Times, 7/30).
Oncology

Economist Articles Examine Use Of Mobile Phones For Global Health

The Economist examines how mobile phones could be used to detect the spread of diseases worldwide. According to the Economist, "[t]he world"s 4 billion mobile phones could be turned into sensors on a global data-collection network" and aid workers, engineers and several other professionals "are now building systems that use handsets to sense, monitor and even predict population movements, environmental hazards and public-health threats." One of the innovations profiled in the article is a "suite of open- software to share, aggregate and analyse data from mobile phones," which was launched by the nonprofit group Innovative Support to Emergencies, Diseases and Disasters (InSTEDD), the Economist reports. InSTEDD focuses on using mobile phones to improve disaster response in developing countries. In Cambodia, it is testing a system where health workers can send text messages, containing observations and diagnoses, to a central number. According to InSTEDD, the service enables "geospatial ground-truthing, as your mobile team works to confirm, refute, or update data." The group is trying to "stitch together a global network, tentatively dubbed Archangel, to combine all manner of data s, from satellite imagery and seismic sensors to field-workers texting from refugee camps," according to the Economist. The magazine writes, "Some computer scientists look forward to the day when mobile phones and sensors can provide a central nervous system for the entire planet." This could allow scientists to build more realistic models, and when it comes to "tracking and predicting the spread of diseaseṣ€¦ scientists can never get enough data," and it could also provide a way to "broaden public involvement in scientific activities," according to the Economist (Economist, 6/4). A second Economist article describes how MIT researchers are using a system called XoutTB to give people an incentive to stick with tuberculosis treatment, which takes six months. The system uses "stamp-sized patcheṣ€¦ that change colour when exposed to the urine of people with traces of medicine in their systems," according to the magazine. The color change "reveals a code that a patient can send by text-message to a number which rewards him with free airtime minutes on his mobile phone," the Economist reports. A first trial including 30 people living with TB in Nicaragua was a "success," and a second trial in Pakistan is planned, according to the Economist (Economist [2], 6/4). This information was reprinted from globalhealth.kff.org with kind permission from the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation. You can view the entire Kaiser Daily Global Health Policy Report, search the archives and sign up for email delivery at globalhealth.kff.org. © Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation. All rights reserved.


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