Rice-based vaccine soon to treat allergy

A rice-based vaccine may one day replace anti-allergy injections, saysa study that promises new possibilities for treating allergy. Hidenori Takagi and other researchers at the University of Tokyo andShimane University developed and tested the vaccine on mice and foundit more easily assimilated, BBC News reported. The oral vaccine, which uses genetically modified rice to build up theimmune system, contains only part of the allergen in comparison totraditional injections and therefore carries less risk of a badreaction, the study said. One in four people are estimated to suffer from allergies, rangingfrom reactions to food to respiratory and skin allergies. Most can be controlled by regulating diet and the immediateenvironment, or drugs can be taken to limit the symptoms. But for severe hay fever and cat allergies, as well as for people withparticularly bad reactions to bee and wasp stings, courses ofanti-allergy injections can be given. "Plant-based vaccines have several potential advantages overtraditional whole-allergen injected vaccines since they are simpler toadminister and cheaper to produce," Takagi said. Although researchers believe it can sometimes trigger dangerousreactions, in the tests on mice allergic to cedar pollen, those takingthe rice vaccine for four weeks showed fewer allergic responses andsneezed less. The researchers said more research was needed before a human vaccinecould be produced. www.newindpress.com

Crude Oil, Heating Oil Fall as Mild U.S. Weather Curbs Fuel Use

Crude oil and heating oil fell as higher-than-normal temperatures inthe northern U.S. reduced demand for heating fuels.

"It all comes down to the weather,'' said Bill O'Grady, an analystwith A.G. Edwards & Sons in St. Louis. ``Mild weather is keeping a lidon prices. When we finally get cold weather we may see things turnaround.''

Home-heating demand in the U.S. Northeast, where 80 percent of thenation's heating oil is consumed, will be 22 percent below normalthrough Nov. 14, said Weather Derivatives, a forecaster in Belton,Missouri. Consumption in the north-central U.S. will be 36 percentbelow normal.

Crude oil for December delivery fell 67 cents, or 1.1 percent, to$59.91 a barrel at 10:01 a.m. on the New York Mercantile Exchange.Futures have dropped 15 percent since reaching a record $70.85 on Aug.30. Prices are up 21 percent from a year ago.

Heating oil for December delivery declined 3.02 cents, or 1.7 percent,to $1.766 a gallon in New York. Futures reached a record $2.21 onSept. 1. Prices are up 29 percent from a year earlier.
``We're seeing range trading in all of the energy contracts,'' saidJason Schenker, an economist at Wachovia Corp. in Charlotte. ``The bigquestion is whether this is the bottom or if we will go lower. In theshort-term the inventory numbers and the weather will determine whatwe do.''

U.S. InventoriesU.S. crude-oil and gasoline inventories rose in the week ended Oct.28, according to the Energy Department. Supplies of distillate fuels,which include heating oil and diesel, were little changed.

The reportcovering last week is scheduled for release on Nov. 9.
Gasoline for December delivery fell 2.29 cents, or 1.4 percent, to$1.5851 a gallon in New York. Prices are down 46 percent from a record$2.92 touched on Aug. 31. Gasoline is up 24 percent from a year ago.

Regular gasoline at the pump, averaged nationwide, fell 1.5 cents to$2.383 a gallon on Nov. 4. Prices are down 22 percent from the record$3.057 a gallon on Sept. 2, according to the AAA, the nation's largestmotoring organization. Pump prices are 19 percent higher than a yearago.
Oil demand will grow about 1.4 percent a year for the next quartercentury, according to the International Energy Agency, adviser toindustrialized nations on energy policy.

To meet energy demand through 2030, investments of about $17 trillionare needed, including $3 trillion in each the oil and gas industriesand more than $10 trillion in power plants and transmission lines, theIEA said in its 2005 World Energy Outlook, published today. TheParis-based agency represents 26 oil-consuming countries.

Brent crude for December fell 65 cents, or 1.1 percent, to $58.60 abarrel on the London-based ICE Futures exchange, formerly theInternational Petroleum Exchange. Prices are down 15 percent from arecord $68.89 Aug. 30.


www.quote.bloomberg.com

Google launches downloadable mobile application

Google Inc. on Monday began offering a downloadable application that
extends its Google Local service to some mobile phone users.

Called Google Local for mobile, the application lets users search for
locations and then view them on a map. Users can also view the
location as a satellite image and get driving directions.

Also, when users find a listing through the service, they can click on
the phone number and automatically place a call to the number.

Users can shift their view of the map or zoom, just like they can drag
and zoom in on maps in Google Local on computers.

Users of mobile phones that can download Java applications can use the
service, which is now only available in the U.S.

That means Cingular Wireless LLC, Sprint Nextel Corp. and T-Mobile USA
Inc. customers with certain phones can download the application but
Verizon Communications Inc., Alltel Corp. and U.S. Cellular customers
won't be able to use it. Nextel, BlackBerry and Palm devices are not
supported.

The application is free to download, but customers will be charged
data access fees by their operators to use it.

Google has already offered other mobile services. For example, mobile
phone users can send text messages to Google asking for the location
of a business or for driving directions.

Mobile users with Web-enabled phones can also search the Internet
using a mobile version of Google.

Yahoo also has a number of services optimized for mobile users, such
as search, downloadable games and photo-sharing services.

www.macworld.com