Day: September 26, 2024

Japan launched an H2A rocket carrying an information-gathering satellite on Thursday after two postponements due to bad weather.

Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd. said the rocket lifted off from the Tanegashima Space Center in the southwestern prefecture of Kagoshima at 02:24 p.m. local time, and the satellite was placed into its planned orbit.

The satellite is tasked to gather information concerning national security and assess damage during disasters.

The rocket carrying the Japanese government’s eighth information-gathering radar satellite was initially planned to depart earlier this month but was postponed two times due to bad weather.

The operation of the H2A is expected to end in fiscal 2024 through next March with the launch of rocket No. 50. The next-generation H3 rocket is then set to replace it.

Source: The Namibia News Agency

Chinese scientists have realized the clinical cure of a type 1 diabetes patient by transplanting islet cells derived from chemically induced pluripotent stem cells (CiPSC-islets), according to clinical research published on Wednesday in the journal Cell.

This CiPSC-islets therapy aimed at curing type 1 diabetes, the first of its kind, was performed by medical scientists from Tianjin First Central Hospital, Peking University, Changping Laboratory and Hangzhou Reprogenix Bioscience.

Diabetes is a major disease that threatens human health — with type 1 diabetes being one of the more severe forms. It is difficult to achieve precise blood sugar control through current treatment methods, leading to various complications that severely affect patients’ quality of life.

According to Wang Shusen from Tianjin First Central Hospital, one of the corresponding authors of the paper, traditional islet transplant therapy can alleviate these problems and has shown clear progress as an alternative treatment strategy, but a
shortage of pancreas donors means its application is limited.

During the study, a female patient who had type 1 diabetes for 11 years was completely dependent on insulin treatment and suffered from poor blood sugar control. After the transplant of CiPSC-islets, she regained the capability to autonomously regulate her blood sugar.

Seventy-five days after the transplant, she became insulin independent and has remained insulin injection-free for over a year. All her diabetes-related indicators have reached the levels of a healthy person, confirming the clinical cure of this type 1 diabetes patient.

According to Deng Hongkui, director of Peking University’s Stem Cell Research Center, another corresponding author, pluripotent stem cells have unlimited proliferation capability and can differentiate into all functional cell types, making them the “seed cells” of regenerative medicine.

However, they only exist in the early stages of embryonic development, and go on to differentiate into various types of adult cel
ls that make up the organism, losing their “seed cell” capability.

If this natural process is reversed, allowing highly differentiated adult cells to regain a pluripotent state similar to that of early embryonic development, then it might be possible to use these “seed cells” to prepare human cells and tissues in vitro for treating various diseases caused by aging, pathological changes, injuries or genetic factors.

Deng led a team to reprogram human somatic cells into pluripotent stem cells through the regulation of small chemical molecules, opening up a new path for preparing human pluripotent stem cells. He was awarded the 2024 Future Science Prize in life sciences for this work.

According to Deng, CiPSC-islets provide a new source for use in transplantation therapy for diabetes, while chemical reprogramming may become a universal core technology for efficiently preparing various types of functional cells, paving the new way for the widespread application of cell therapy in treatment of major diseases.

S
ource: The Namibia News Agency

The Afghan caretaker government’s Ministry of Refugees and Repatriation has inked four memorandums of understanding (MoUs) with leading aid agencies to assist thousands of displaced and returnees in Afghanistan, the ministry said in a statement on Wednesday.

The total budget for the signed MoUs reaches 8.97 million U.S. dollars, benefiting over 2,760 families and 13,500 people, the statement added.

About 1.8 million Afghan refugees have returned to their homeland from Pakistan, Iran, and other countries over the past year, official data showed in August.

Source: The Namibia News Agency

Both China and the European Union (EU) have clearly expressed political willingness to address disputes through consultations, China’s Ministry of Commerce said Thursday.

The remarks came from ministry spokesperson He Yongqian in response to a media inquiry about recent consultations between Chinese Minister of Commerce Wang Wentao and European Commission Executive Vice President and Trade Commissioner Valdis Dombrovskis on the EU’s anti-subsidy case involving Chinese electric vehicles.

The spokesperson described the talks as “comprehensive, in-depth and constructive.”

During the talks, the two sides agreed to push forward negotiations on a price commitment agreement and fully commit to achieving a mutually acceptable solution through amicable dialogue and consultations, according to the spokesperson.

Currently, technical teams from both sides are actively discussing a flexible price commitment solution, following the direction set during the talks. They are striving to reach a consensus on a solution fr
amework before the final ruling, the spokesperson said.

The spokesperson emphasized that China has the “utmost sincerity” to appropriately resolve disputes through dialogue and consultations. “At the same time, we are fully determined to safeguard the legitimate interests of Chinese companies.”

Source: The Namibia News Agency

A pair of giant pandas gifted by the central government to the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) of China arrived at the Hong Kong International Airport on Thursday morning.

The pair’s arrival is among the most anticipated celebratory events leading up to the 75th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China, which falls on Oct. 1.

“We are more than happy to welcome the pair of the energetic giant pandas at this joyful time,” said Chan Kwok-ki, chief secretary for administration of the HKSAR government, at a welcome ceremony at the Hong Kong International Airport.

At around 13:00 p.m., the pandas were driven to Ocean Park Hong Kong witnessed by dozens of local fans waving panda-shaped balloons and cardboard cutouts. They will spend time in quarantine and adapt to the new environment before their scheduled public debut in December.

The two pandas, named An An and Ke Ke, were both born in June 2019. Ocean Park Hong Kong has added climbing frames for the lively pair, among oth
er upgrades to their residence.

They are the third pair of giant pandas the HKSAR has received as gifts from the central government. Together with the previous pair gifted to the HKSAR in 2007 and their twin cubs born on Aug. 15, the city now has six giant pandas.

Source: The Namibia News Agency

The United Nations Children Funds (UNICEF) says immunisation is an essential right of every Nigerian child in preventing life threatening diseases and infection.

Celine Lafoucriere, Chief UNICEF Field Officer, South-West, Nigeria, said this at a two-day media dialogue on routine immunisation on Wednesday in Lagos.

Lafoucriere said that 2.3 million children had yet to receive vaccines in Nigeria.

‘We still have a very pressing challenge in Nigeria where 2.3 million children still have received no vaccines at all.

‘These are called the zero doze children and are mostly in marginalised areas, hard to reach areas and vaccines remain essential to their health.

‘Vaccine is an essential fundamental right to every child and they remain fundamental to improving health outcomes and reducing inequalities,’ she said.

Lafoucriere, however, said that to address this challenge, UNICEF in partnership with government and other partners had prioritised areas with the highest concentration of zero dose children.

She sai
d that the idea was to increase the rate of vaccinated children by 50 per cent each year and 30 per cent by 2025.

‘To achieve this in Nigeria, UNICEF together with the government and other partners, we have prioritised 100 local government areas across 18 states with the highest concentration of those zero dose children that need us.

‘They need us right now and we need you, the media, to join hands to accelerate the rate of immunisation in Nigeria to ensure that by each year we increase the rate of vaccinated children by 50 per cent.

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‘This cannot be done without you, please join hands with us today to ensure that we can leverage your influence,’ Lafoucriere stated.

She also appealed to the media to assist UNICEF in the sensitisation of Nigerians on the importance of vaccines.

‘Your own influence is very important. You can catalyse actions, help dispel rumours and misinformation about vaccines.

‘By working collectively, we can build a resilience health system t
hat is capable of reaching each and every child leaving no one behind.

‘No matter where they live, we must ensure that no child in Nigeria suffers from preventable diseases,’ Lafoucriere disclosed.

Also speaking, Dr Adeniyi Adebayo, Assistant Immunisation Programme Officer, Lagos State Primary Healthcare Board (LSPHCB), emphasised on the need for every child to be fully immunised.

Adebayo, who noted that vaccines formed the bedrock of economy development, said that zero dose children were those who were not immunised from birth.

He said that children in that category were prone to diseases and infections.

Adebayo also said that under-immunised children were the ones whose immunisation were not completed.

He said that all vaccines, immunisation in the country were free, urging parents to make best use of the opportunity to get their children immunised from birth.

Adebayo, however, identified infrastructural deficit as part of challenges confronting immunisation coverage in some parts of country.

Sourc
e: News Agency of Nigeria