Moderately Reduced Carbohydrate Diet Keeps People Feeling Full Longer

A modest reduction in the amount of carbohydrates eaten, without calorie restriction and weight loss, appears to increase a sense of fullness, which may help people eat less, a preliminary study found.

In a standard American diet, according to Gower, 55 percent of daily calories consumed come from carbohydrates: sugars, starches and fiber. The control diet used in their study contained 55 percent of daily calories from carbohydrates, in contrast to their “moderate-carb diet” which was 43 percent of calories from carbohydrates. The moderate-carb diet had more fat than their control diet—39 percent versus 27 percent of calories—so that protein intake could be the same percentage. The researchers matched the protein intake of both diets studied (18 percent of calories) because protein may influence both satiety (“fullness”) and insulin secretion. The authors assigned the moderate-carb diet to 16 adults and the standard diet to 14 adults for a month. Subjects received enough calories to maintain their weight at what it was before the study.

During the study they were weighed each weekday, and if a participant gained or lost weight, the amount of food was modified individually so weight could stay the same. After the subjects adjusted to their diet for 4 weeks, they ate a test meal, a breakfast that was specific to their diet.

When carbs are eaten and digested, they change into sugar. Before and after the meal, the researchers measured the subjects’ levels of insulin and circulating glucose (nonfasting blood sugar) and asked them to rate their hunger or fullness. They evaluated insulin response to a meal and blood sugar levels, because lower insulin and stable blood sugar levels may contribute to increased feelings of fullness, Gower explained.

Their research showed that, even in the absence of weight loss, a modest reduction in dietary carbohydrates was sufficient to lower insulin and stabilize blood sugar after a meal. Ratings of fullness were higher in the group on the moderate-carb diet before eating breakfast and stayed higher for a longer time after the meal, compared with those eating the standard diet

Scientists advance safety of nanotechnology

Nanotechnology, the science of the extremely tiny (one nanometre is one-billionth of a metre), is an important emerging industry with a projected annual market of around one trillion US dollars by 2015. It involves the control of atoms and molecules to create new materials with a variety of useful functions, including many that could be exceptionally beneficial in medicine. However, concerns are growing that it may have toxic effects, particularly damage to the lungs. Although nanoparticles have been linked to lung damage, it has not been clear how they cause it.

In a study published online today in the newly launched Journal of Molecular Cell Biology Chinese researchers discovered that a class of nanoparticles being widely developed in medicine - ployamidoamine dendrimers (PAMAMs) - cause lung damage by triggering a type of programmed cell death known as autophagic cell death. They also showed that using an autophagy inhibitor prevented the cell death and counteracted nanoparticle-induced lung damage in mice.

"This provides us with a promising lead for developing strategies to prevent lung damage caused by nanoparticles. Nanomedicine holds extraordinary promise, particularly for diseases such as cancer and viral infections, but safety concerns have recently attracted great attention and with the technology evolving rapidly, we need to start finding ways now to protect workers and consumers from any toxic effects that might come with it," said the study's leader, Dr. Chengyu Jiang, a molecular biologist at the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences in Beijing, China.

The first nanomaterial was developed by German scientists in 1984. Nanomaterials are now used in a variety of products, including sporting goods, cosmetics and electronics. The fact that unusual physical, chemical, and biological properties can emerge in materials at the nanoscale makes them particularly appealing for medicine.

Scientists hope nanoparticles will be able to improve the effectiveness of drugs and gene therapy by carrying them to the right place in the body and by targeting specific tissues, regulating the release of drugs and reducing damage to healthy tissues. They also envision the possibility of implantable nano devices that would detect disease, treat it and report to the doctor automatically from inside the body.

The US Food and Drug Administration has approved some first generation nanodrugs. One example is Abraxane, a nanoformulation of the anti-cancer chemotherapy paclitaxel.

iPhone still holds lead Latest upgrades underwhelm

For a company whose iPhone products have set the agenda for the mobile phone industry for the past two years, Apple's announcements this week at its Worldwide Developers Conference in San Francisco were underwhelming.

Much of what Apple Senior Vice President Scott Forstall had to say about the update to the iPhone's underlying software, for example, was merely a rehash of what the company unveiled in March. Turn-by-turn direction, background notifications for third-party software, the ability to make purchases of updates or add-ons within applications; Apple had announced all of it before.

Other news from the event, particularly having to do with the new iPhone 3G S, had been widely bandied about by rumor sites or Wall Street analysts for weeks or even months. The higher-resolution camera with video recording and editing capabilities, the built-in digital compass, the support for AT&T's new higher-speed data network, the drop in price for the iPhone 3G to $99 and even the "3G S" moniker of the new model had all been floating out there for awhile.

And much of what hadn't been widely discussed was fairly obvious. Given that the iPhone 3G had the same basic innards as the original iPhone, you'd expect Apple to revamp the new model and make it run faster. Allowing it to support the Nike Plus software gives the iPhone the same capability already built into the iPod Touch. Better battery life - at least outside of actual talk time - is a welcome advance, but an expected one, given how quickly the previous two iPhone models burn through their batteries.

Indeed, considering how much was already known or speculated about what Apple would announce, what was more surprising was what the company didn't talk about.

Despite persistent rumors that Apple has some kind of touch-screen netbook in the works, the device didn't make an appearance. While the company dropped the price for the entry-level iPhone by $100, it didn't announce any corresponding cut in the price of AT&T's data service, which is still too pricey for many pocketbooks.

power skinny laptops New Intel

Now, Intel Corp. is pushing slightly more powerful chips for slightly larger computers that still have key netbook qualities such as a light weight and long battery life. Could this be a Goldilocks moment for laptops - when we get machines that are just right?

I tested two new models with the new processors, Acer's Timeline 3810T and MSI's X-Slim X340. Acer's model achieves a great balance of weight, features and power. The second ... well, Goldilocks would have moved on after trying that bowl of porridge.

The disappointing thing about both models is that they list at $900, twice the price of a netbook, and 50 percent more than a low-end laptop. The good news is that just a few years ago, capable laptops in same weight class - around 3 pounds - cost at least twice as much.

Both computers have 13.3-inch screens that match the proportions of an HDTV screen and run Windows Vista Home Premium. Neither has a DVD drive. Otherwise, they're quite different.

The X-Slim is an eye-catching, sleek design that, to be blunt, copies a lot from Apple Inc.'s ultra-slim MacBook Air. The X-Slim is just as thick as the thickest point on the Air, though the Air tapers off from a bulge under the hinge while the X-Slim keeps an even thickness. At 2.9 pounds, it's a hair lighter than the Air and lighter than some netbooks.

How does MSI do it? Plastic. The Air's chassis is machined out of a big piece of aluminum, giving it rigidity. The X-Slim is all plastic, and its wrist rest and keyboard flex under your fingers in a way that doesn't inspire confidence.

Acer's Timeline has a more conventional design that wouldn't look out of place in a boardroom. It has a brushed-metal cover that resists fingerprints and has a pleasant keyboard. It weighs 3.5 pounds - heavier than the X-Slim but about 2 pounds lighter than a typical 14-inch laptop.

Inside, these computers sport Intel's ultra-low voltage processors, or ULVs. Similar processors have been on the market for some time at high prices, but Intel is now bringing them down so they could go into a $600-$700 laptop, positioning them as a step up from the Atom processors that run netbooks.

schoolbooks going digital in California

California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has announced plans to phase out school textbooks in favor of digital learning aids as the state looks to plug its massive budget hole.

he measure -- dubbed the Digital Textbook Initiative -- will see California schoolchildren ditch "outdated" traditional maths and science textbooks for digital versions later this year, Schwarzenegger said.

"Kids, as you all know, today are very familiar with listening to their music digitally and online and to watch TV online, to watch movies online, to be on Twitter and participate in that and on Facebook," Schwarzenegger said.

"So this is why I think it is so important that we move on from the textbooks," the Republican Governor told schoolchildren in Sacramento on Monday according to remarks released by his office.

"The textbooks are outdated, as far as I'm concerned, and there's no reason why our schools should have our students lug around these antiquated and heavy and expensive textbooks.

"California is the home of Silicon Valley. We are the world leader in technology and innovation, so we can do better than that."

California is the first state in the United States to introduce such an initiative, Schwarzenegger said. The move comes as Schwarzenegger looks to slash spending across a range of sectors in a bid to narrow California's projected 24 billion dollar budget deficit.

With the average price of a school textbook coming in it around 100 dollars, Schwarzenegger said initial savings from the plan would be between 300-400 million dollars. If the scheme was widened to cover more subjects, hundreds of millions more would be trimmed from the annual budget, he said.

"I know this is, of course, a dramatic shift from the status quo and there is some resistance in some cases," Schwarzenegger said.

"But I feel that this is the wrong time now to hold onto the status quo, because this is one of the worst economic and financial crises that the state has been in since the Great Depression.

"The state has a tremendous lack of money; therefore we had to make severe cuts to schools, billions of dollars of cuts, so we have to find every possible way to think outside the box."

U.S. high court asked to block Chrysler sale

NEW YORK - Three Indiana state pension and construction funds want the Supreme Court to block Chrysler’s sale to Fiat so they can pursue an appeal in hopes of getting a better deal.

Also filing emergency papers at the high court Sunday were lawyers representing consumer groups and individuals with product-related lawsuits.

An appeals court in New York approved the sale Friday, but gave objectors until Monday afternoon to try to get the Supreme Court to intervene. Chrysler LLC wants to sell the bulk of its assets to a group led by Italy’s Fiat Group SpA as part of its plan to emerge from bankruptcy protection.

The emergency requests went first to Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, who handles such matters from New York. She can act on her own or refer it to the entire court.

The Indiana State Police Pension Fund, the Indiana Teacher’s Retirement Fund and the state’s Major Moves Construction Fund claim the deal unfairly favors the interests of Chrysler’s unsecured stakeholders ahead of those of secured debt holders such as the funds.

The funds also challenged the constitutionality of the Treasury Department’s use of money from the Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP) to supply Chrysler’s bankruptcy protection financing. They say the government did so without congressional authority.

Sony Electronics updates tunes for Walkman ads

Sony Electronics Inc will invite music lovers to walk its way for music players, part of a new advertising push that will double its US ad spending for the fiscal year, executives said on Thursday.

Sony Electronics, the North American sales arm of Japan's Sony Corp, has focused its advertising on four key product lines, including its spruced up Walkman digital music player which aims to take a bite out of Apple Computer's market-leading iPod.

"It is the largest single campaign that Sony's ever put together in the United States," Mark Viken, senior vice president of corporate marketing, told Reuters.

"We're doubling spending from last year in total, and we are integrating our activities so they look and feel as if they are coming from one Sony," he said, without providing dollar figures.

For years, Sony marketed its consumer gadget, PC and media businesses separately. The company's lead advertising agency is WPP Group Plc's Young & Rubicam.

Sony gave consumers a hint of what's to come in May this year with ads featuring Aerosmith rock star Steve Tyler.

Tyler's "Walk This Way" song will get a new feel with a recording by soulful performer Macy Gray, along with three additional tracks sharing a "walk" theme redubbed by three other artists in commercials. The Walkman-centered campaign is expected to debut within the month, with commercials running through January.

Cover songs will be available exclusively at Sony's http://www.connect.com music download site, part of the campaign's reach across many media outlets.

Under its "Like No Other" theme, Sony is also building new marketing for its VAIO computers and laptops, WEGA home entertainment systems and Cybershot digital cameras.

First brought to market in 1979, the Walkman is now available in a range of technologies from compact disc players to the new hard-disk based device touted as having more room for storing songs -- 13,000 songs versus iPod's 10,000 limit.

The "Like No Other" strategy is designed to distinguish Sony from low-cost competitors, Sony Electronics Chief Operating Officer Dick Komiyama told reporters.

Sony believes that to avoid the commoditization trap, they must reassure consumers that they are buying more than just an individual piece of hardware, he said.

"Consumers are looking for more than that. They are looking for how they can be entertained, not just the hardware and software, but quality and service," he said.

Sony has been struggling to fend off low-cost competition from dozens of once no-name Asian competitors, who now sell directly into Europe and the United States, as well as top computer makers like Dell Inc. who have moved into digital music and other areas.