Breakthrough in hunt for HIV vaccine

WASHINGTON (AFP) – US scientists seeking to unravel the mysteries of HIV have made an important breakthrough after capturing the clearest image yet of a protein which allows the deadly virus to attack human immune cells, new research showed Tuesday.

Scientists at The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI) and Weill Cornell Medical College have managed to obtain a detailed view of the atomic structure of the protein which envelops HIV, the virus which causes AIDS.

The development could potentially pave the way for a vaccine, according to the findings published in the US journal Science.

“In order to develop a vaccine, you have to understand what bits on that very important trimeric protein can be recognizes by broadly neutralizing antibodies,” said Scripps Institute cell biologist Bridget Carragher.

“And in order to understand that, you need to understand what the structure of the thing looks like.

“Then once you do, you can start designing a vaccine that will mimic that thing and elicit an antibody response and get the human being to fight the real virus when it comes along.”

Although sophisticated antiviral drugs have been used to manage HIV infections in many developed countries, a vaccine against infection has proved elusive.

The failure to find a vaccine is often attributed to the complex nature of HIV’s envelope protein, known as Env.

The delicate structure of Env has hampered efforts to obtain the protein in a form that allows for the atomic-resolution imaging necessary to fully understand it.

“It tends to fall apart, for example, even when it’s on the surface of the virus, so to study it we have to engineer it to be more stable,” said TSRI biologist Andrew Ward.

However the researchers were able to engineer a version of the Env trimer, or three-component structure, that has the stability required for atomic-resolution imaging.

The scientists were then able to study the Env trimer using cutting-edge imaging and electron microscopy.

The use of X-ray crystallography allowed researchers to examine the Env trimer in more detail than previous attempts.

The data also shed light on the process by which Env assembles and later shifts shape during infection, and also allowed researchers to make comparisons with protein envelopes from other deadly viruses such as flu and Ebola.
culled from Vanguard

53, What Next?

Even though the Nation and its Government haven't been living up to standards and expectations that shouldn't stop us from wishing our dear country a Happy Independence Anniversary.
After that, what next?
What's the way forward for our country Nigeria?
    At 53, we are still rocked by the Canker-worm "corruption" that has eaten so deep into the fabric of almost every Nigerian.
Even the Government agencies are not left out. What is the way forward for a country that's rocked with terrorist Activities in the far north, kidnappings in the Niger Delta, Armed Robbery, Murder and others.
What is the way forward for a country whose educational sector is in shambles. It is a shame that we are experiencing blackout in some part of the country in an historic day such as this.
We are all celebrating but in the real sense, what's there to celebrate. Its time for every well meaning Nigerian to stand up and say enough is enough.
We are celebrating and the Nation's tertiary institutions have been on an industrial action due to insincerity on the part of Government and also on the part of the Educational unions.
We are celebrating and unity is far from us. When will an Hausa man see an Ibo man and call him "Brother". It starts with you and I. I was amazed few days ago to see an Hausa man speak "Edo", I was overwhelmed. If we all see one another as  brothers and sisters, I bet unity, peace and progress is realizable. It starts with you and I .
May the labor of our heroes past not be in vain and may God continue to be with us. God bless the good people of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. Long Live the Federal Republic of Nigeria.



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Happy Independence Anniversary to our great Nation.

Happy 53rd Independence anniversary to our beloved country Nigeria. May we continue to live together in peace and harmony. God bless the us all. Long Live the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

Apple overtakes Cocacola as world's number 1 most valuable brand

For thirteen years, Cocacola was the world's number one most valuable brand...but not anymore. In 2013, two brands took over - Apple and Google, leaving Cocacola at number three.

From New York Times

Apple is the new most valuable brand in the world, according to a closely followed annual report. The report, to be released next Monday, is from Interbrand, a corporate identity and brand consulting company owned by the Omnicom Group that has been compiling what it calls the Best Global Brands report since 2000. The previous No. 1 brand, Coca-Cola, fell to No. 3.

Not only has Apple replaced Coca-Cola as first among the 100 most valuable brands based on criteria that include financial performance, this is the first time that the soft drink known for slogans like “It’s the real thing” has not been No. 1.

Apple’s arrival in the top spot was perhaps “a matter of time,” Jez Frampton, global chief executive at Interbrand, said in a recent interview. Apple was No. 2 last year, climbing from No. 8 in the 2011 report.

“What is it they say, ‘Long live the king’?” Mr. Frampton asked. “This year, the king is Apple.”

The 2013 report begins: “Every so often, a company changes our lives, not just with its products, but with its ethos. This is why, following Coca-Cola’s 13-year run at the top of Best Global Brands, Interbrand has a new No. 1 — Apple.”

The report estimates the value of the Apple brand at $98.3 billion, up 28 percent from the 2012 report. The value of the Coca-Cola brand also rose, by 2 percent to $79.2 billion, but that was not sufficient to give Coca-Cola a 14th year as Interbrand’s most valuable brand.

Although “Coca-Cola is an efficient, outstanding brand marketer, no doubt about it,” Mr. Frampton said, Apple and other leading technology brands have become “very much the poster child of the marketing community.”

That is underscored by the brand in second place in the new report: Google, which rose from fourth place last year. In fact, of the top 10 Best Global Brands for 2013, five are in technology: Apple; Google; Microsoft, No. 5, unchanged from last year; Samsung, 8, compared with 9 last year; and Intel, 9, compared with 8 last year.

Samsung’s ascent followed the company’s adoption of a new brand strategy called the Brand Ideal, which includes “a greater focus on social purpose,” Sue Shim, executive vice president and chief marketing officer at Samsung, said by e-mail. That reflected research indicating American consumers would switch brands to “one that was associated with improving people’s lives,” she added.

I.B.M. — No. 4 in 2013, down a notch from 2012 — is ranked as a business services brand. Otherwise, technology would account for six of the top 10.

“Brands like Apple and Google and Samsung are changing our behavior: how we buy, how we communicate with each other, even whether we speak with each other,” Mr. Frampton said. “They have literally changed the way we live our lives.”

Among other transformative technology brands that performed well in the new report was Facebook, which climbed to 52 from 69 last year, its first year on the list.

However, not all technology brands fared well. BlackBerry, which tumbled last year to 93 from 56 in 2011, has disappeared from the list. And Nokia, which dropped to 19 from 14 in 2011, finished this year in 57th place — “the biggest faller” among the 100, Mr. Frampton said.

Among nontechnology brands, a notable addition to the list was Chevrolet, at 89, the first General Motors brand to rank among the Best Global Brands.

“It feels good to hit the list for the first time,” Alan Batey, global head of Chevrolet at G.M., said in a telephone interview. “It’s a great first step, but we’ve got a long way to go. There are a lot of big brands in front of us.”

The milestone reflects how General Motors has been “making a conscious effort to globalize Chevrolet,” Mr. Batey said, selling the brand in 140 countries in ads that play up attributes like “value for money and designs that move hearts and minds.”

Commonwealth, the creative agency for Chevrolet, “played a key role” in helping the brand make the list, he added. Commonwealth is part of the McCann Worldgroup division of the Interpublic Group of Companies.

Last year, when Coca-Cola finished atop the Best Global Brands list for the 13th consecutive time, an executive at the Coca-Cola Company acknowledged the streak but noted that “nothing lasts forever.”

A year later, the executive, Joseph V. Tripodi, executive vice president and chief marketing and commercial leadership officer, had this reaction: “Of course, we would like to remain on top of the list forever. That said, we are honored to continue to be included among such an esteemed group of global brands, and we congratulate Apple and Google, both valued partners of ours.”

“We’ve seen the value of technology brands rise as they create new ways for people to stay connected virtually,” Mr. Tripodi said by e-mail. “We understand this, as the lasting power of our brand is built on the social moment of sharing a Coca-Cola with friends and family.”

“Creating these simple moments and delivering on our brand promise each and every day remains our focus,” he added, “as we continue to grow the value of brand Coca-Cola for decades to come.”

If it is consolation, Coca-Cola remains far ahead of Apple and Google in likes on Facebook fan pages. Coca-Cola has 73.2 million, compared with 9.8 million for Apple and 15.1 million for Google.

It's finally happened. Khloe Kardashian drops Odom from her name

Khloe has removed her husband's name from her instagram page and now from her Twitter page. 5...4...3...2.. before they announce the divorce...

Meanwhile friends of Lamar insist he didn't send the Tweet that bashed his father for calling out the Kardashians. Sources told TMZ that Lamar Odom is holed up without Internet (by choice) and has no idea his father even gave an interview. So someone else must have sent that Tweet from his account