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Saturday, April 6, 2013
Stem cells enable personalized treatment for bleeding disorder
Apr. 5, 2013 ? Scientists have shed light on a common bleeding disorder by growing and analysing stem cells from patients' blood to discover the cause of the disease in individual patients.
The technique may enable doctors to prescribe more effective treatments according to the defects identified in patients' cells.
In future, this approach could go much further: these same cells could be grown, manipulated, and applied as treatments for diseases of the heart, blood and circulation, including heart attacks and haemophilia.
The study focused on von Willebrand disease (vWD), which is estimated to affect 1 in 100 people and can cause excessive, sometimes life-threatening bleeding. vWD is caused by a deficiency of von Willebrand factor (vWF), a blood component involved in making blood clot. vWF is produced by endothelial cells, which line the inside of every blood vessel in our body. Unfortunately, they are difficult to study because taking biopsies from patients is invasive and unpleasant.
A group led by Dr Anna Randi at the National Heart and Lung Institute, Imperial College London used a new approach to investigate the disease. Dr Richard Starke, a British Heart Foundation Intermediate Fellow and lead author of the study, took routine blood samples from eight patients with vWD, extracted stem cells called endothelial progenitor cells, and grew them in the lab to yield large numbers of endothelial cells.
By testing these cells, they were able to analyse each patient's disease in unprecedented detail. In some patients, the scientists found new types of defect, which may enable them to recommend improved treatments. Professor Mike Laffan, a collaborator in the study and in charge of patients with VWD at Hammersmith Hospital in West London, is looking to apply these findings to reduce severe bleeding in these patients.
Dr Randi believes that endothelial progenitor cells could become an invaluable resource for testing new drugs for vWD and other diseases. "We will be able to test the effects of a range of compounds in the patients' own cells, before giving the drugs to the patients themselves," she said.
This approach could have impact far beyond vWD. Endothelial cells derived from blood could also be isolated and reinjected into someone recovering from a heart attack, to help them grow new blood vessels and repair the injured heart tissue. Dr Starke says this approach avoids the main problem with transplant therapies, in which the immune system tries to destroy the foreign material. "The patients would receive their own cells, so they wouldn't face the problems of rejection," he said.
Work is well underway towards achieving this goal, but blood-derived endothelial cells are only now being explored. "There are already many studies where patients have been injected with stem cells to see whether damage to the heart could be repaired, and there are some promising results," says Dr Randi. "The door is open to such treatments, and our studies are a step towards identifying the right cells to use."
The group's previous research has already thrown up pointers for potential new treatments. Aside from producing vWF to form clots, endothelial cells are responsible for forming new blood vessels. In their last paper, the group showed that vWF is actually needed to build healthy blood vessels. Some patients with vWD suffer severe bleeding from the gut because defects in vWF cause their blood vessels to develop abnormally. "There are drugs already being used in other diseases which target abnormal blood vessel, that could be useful to stop bleeding in some vWD patients," says Randi. "Nobody would have thought of using them to treat vWD, but by testing them on the patient's own endothelial cells , in the laboratory, we can find out if these drugs work before giving them to the patient."
Scientists are now interested in the possibility of using endothelial cells as a treatment in themselves. For instance, haemophilia, the hereditary bleeding disorder which affected Queen Victoria's family, might one day be treated by taking these cells from a patient and replacing the gene that causes the disease, then putting them back into the patient.
Funding for the study came from the British Heart Foundation, the Medical Research Council and the National Institute for Health Research Imperial Biomedical Research Centre.
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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Imperial College London. The original article was written by Eliot Barford.
Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.
Journal Reference:
- R. D. Starke, K. E. Paschalaki, C. E. F. Dyer, K. J. Harrison-Lavoie, J. A. Cutler, T. A. J. McKinnon, C. M. Millar, D. F. Cutler, M. A. Laffan, A. M. Randi. Cellular and molecular basis of von Willebrand disease: studies on blood outgrowth endothelial cells. Blood, 2013; 121 (14): 2773 DOI: 10.1182/blood-2012-06-435727
Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.
Disclaimer: This article is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.
Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/eQf7SwX_N2Q/130405094342.htm
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Why Facebook Home is a huge win for Android
At first glance, Google shouldn't be happy. But...
On Thursday, Mark Zuckerberg?and a cast of Facebook engineers announced a new phone called the HTC First. It has a 4.3-inch screen, LTE compatibility, and is just $99 with a two-year contract on AT&T. By all accounts, it's a solid, nice phone most people would be perfectly fine with owning.
But the long-awaited Facebook Phone that we all thought was a silly idea wasn't even the biggest news of the day. It was merely an asterisk tacked onto something that we haven't really seen before. It's called Home.
Home isn't an app, or an operating system. Rather, it's an attractive new layering piece that takes some mighty big liberties with Android's "open" platform. As Zuckerberg said, Home is a user interface designed?to put "people first" ? with people, of course, meaning Facebook. (Take a visual tour of Home here.)
When you install Home on your Android, your lock screen is replaced with big pictures posted by your FB friends. Notifications float in and out, and arrange themselves algorithmically based on importance. Messages are re-imagined as something truly innovative called Chatheads, in which texts and FB messages fluidly converge, allowing you to communicate across different platforms without changing apps. Your pre-existing applications are hidden behind a curtain. Navigation is easy and gesture-based. It's a pretty, intuitive, and an incredibly bold new vision for mobile computing.?
At first glance, Facebook Home would appear to be a huge headache for Google, which competes with Facebook on more than a few levels. The New Yorker's Matt Buchanan says it "exploits the open architecture of Google's Android operating system." The Verge's Nilay Patel put it another way:
Facebook is stabbing Google in the back just about as gently as possible.
? nilay patel (@reckless) April 4, 2013
But surely Google saw this coming? Remember: Facebook isn't even the first big-name tech company to seize on Android's openness ? that distinction belongs to Amazon and the Kindle Fire. Openness is "central to Google's Android strategy," says Farhad Manjoo at Slate. "Google gives away Android to phone makers for free in an effort to boost worldwide adoption." And reaching a lot of people around the world is something Facebook knows a thing or two about.?
Plus, Facebook may just solve "one of Android's biggest problems," argues Manjoo: Its "fragmented" ecosystem that causes different Androids to "look and work a little differently (and usually, not very well)." Although Home will only work on the HTC First and "good" Android phones like the HTC One and Samsung's Galaxy S series, it isn't a stretch to imagine Facebook's UI becoming a baseline option for all entry-level Androids within a year or two as they continue to improve.?
In essence, Facebook has designed a beautiful new interface that (1) may snare new users into the Android ecosystem, and (2) doesn't interfere with Google's ability to sell apps and media in the Google Play store. Sure, Zuckerberg said that the plan is to eventually use Home to showcase Facebook ads. But the homescreen isn't where Android makes its money. Facebook Home is just a pretty billboard; Google Play is the actual business.
Will Home be for everybody? Probably not. But even if a modest fraction of Facebook's billion-plus users choose it as their primary portal into mobile, you can bet Mark Zuckerberg will be a very happy camper.?And, by extension, so will Google.
SEE MORE: How Target fixed its 'manatee gray' plus-size debacle
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Baseball Daily Dose: Man On Fire
Friday, April 05, 2013
He's just a boy but he's on fire.
Hotter than your fantasy (team). Lonely (at the top) like a highway.
This boy is on fire.
He's no Alicia Keys, but Chris Davis had himself an opening series in Tampa Bay. The Orioles won two of three from the Rays, and Davis ended the series 7-for-11 with three doubles, three home runs and 11 RBI. The only thing the Orioles' first baseman didn't do was hurl a complete-game shutout on the mound.
How good was Davis? Evan Longoria said it was one of the best three-game series he's ever witnessed.
"Without Chris Davis we're 3-0," Longoria told the Baltimore Sun. "I?ve seen a lot of guys hit the ball well against us in a three-game series. That?s the most locked in I?ve ever seen anybody."
He's a streaky player, but even this is extreme for the 27-year-old. And while he won't keep this up forever, Davis proved last year that he's capable of putting up big numbers over the course of a season. After several years of taunting teams and fantasy players alike with his prodigious power, Davis put up a .270/.326/.501 triple-slash line over 515 at-bats in 2012. Strikeouts will always be an issue -- Davis fanned 169 times last year -- but the power plays everywhere. Ride this wave while it lasts.
Mo Money? Or Mo Problems?
Speaking of things that won't last, Mariano Rivera began his farewell tour this week. Rivera didn't make an appearance in the first two games of the Red Sox' series with the Yankees, but Mo saw his first action of the season Thursday night.
The results were mixed. He walked the leadoff batter, Dustin Pedroia, before getting Mike Napoli to fly out. In all, Mo threw his signature cutter 19 times, and the one four-seam fastball he threw was hit for an RBI double by Jonny Gomes. But he ended on a high note, striking out rookie phenom Jackie Bradley Jr. looking to end the game.
Damage aside, it was a reassuring outing for the veteran closer. While he's no longer an elite option at the position, the 43-year-old will still provide roughly 30 saves and a strikeout per inning. For his part, Rivera said the save wasn't any different than the 608 that preceded it.
?It just felt like another one,? Rivera told the New York Times after the game.
Bauer Play
From one of the oldest players in MLB to one of the youngest, 22-year-old Trevor Bauer is set to make his 2013 debut Saturday in place of the injured Scott Kazmir. Bauer made his MLB debut last season as a member of the Diamondbacks, registering a 6.06 ERA in four starts.
The call-up is interesting in that Bauer didn't have a terribly remarkable spring, allowing 13 runs -- 11 earned -- over 16 1/3 innings. It's more understandable when noting that Bauer is one of the game's best young pitching prospects and the Indians traded an above-average everyday player to acquire his services this winter. The Rays, his opponent on Saturday, aren't a particularly dynamic offensive team this season so he might find some success, but given everything we've seen from him at the major league level until now it's an enter-at-your-own-risk scenario.
National League Quick Hits:?Padres second baseman?Jedd Gyorko plated the first RBI of his major league career with a double Thursday. The 24-year-old finished the series 3-for-12 (.250) with two doubles and two runs scored ... Dillon Gee allowed one run in 6 1/3 innings against the Padres on Thursday afternoon. Now healthy, the 26-year-old is a candidate to have a breakout year for the Mets ... Shaun Marcum was diagnosed with nerve inflammation in his neck following an MRI. He's day-to-day but no timetable is known for when he might resume throwing ... Chris Young's deal with the Nationals will pay him a prorated $2 million if he's called up, with incentives possibly pushing the deal to $4.7 million. He'll most likely be the first man up should the Nationals need a starter ... David Freese's scheduled rehab assignment was postponed due to rain Thursday, putting his availability for the Cardinals' home opener on April 8 in question ... Cliff Lee allowed just two singles over eight innings against the Braves. He struck out eight and walked none ... Kris Medlen has already lost one more game as a starter in 2013 than he did all of 2012. He allowed two runs over five innings against the Phillies on Thursday ... Carlos Marmol almost blew his second save of the season on Thursday, putting the winning run on with no outs before escaping the jam. The high-wire act will likely give way to Kyuji Fujikawa sooner than later ... Phillies Rule 5 pick Ender Inciarte was returned to the Diamondbacks.
American League Quick Hits: Yankees right-hander?Hiroki Kuroda (finger) won't be cleared to make his next start until after he throws a bullpen session today. Kuroda injured his right middle finger trying to barehand a comebacker on Wednesday ... Jose Bautista left Thursday's game after twisting his ankle. He's considered day-to-day ... Andy Pettitte kept the Red Sox at bay on Thursday, scattering eight hits and a walk over eight innings. He allowed only one run ... Casey Janssen earned his first save of the season, striking out two. So far, so good in his return from shoulder surgery ... Vladimir Guererro is back in professional baseball. He signed with the Long Island Ducks of the independent Atlantic League on Thursday ... Brian Roberts left Thursday's game with what he described as a right hamstring injury. The guy just can't catch a break ... A's pitcher Travis Blackley was traded to the Astros in exchange for Triple-A outfielder Jake Goebbert. Blackley will pitch in long relief for the Astros in the short term ... Michael Morse hit his fourth home run of the season. He hit nine dingers during spring training.
He's just a boy but he's on fire.
Hotter than your fantasy (team). Lonely (at the top) like a highway.
This boy is on fire.
He's no Alicia Keys, but Chris Davis had himself an opening series in Tampa Bay. The Orioles won two of three from the Rays, and Davis ended the series 7-for-11 with three doubles, three home runs and 11 RBI. The only thing the Orioles' first baseman didn't do was hurl a complete-game shutout on the mound.
How good was Davis? Evan Longoria said it was one of the best three-game series he's ever witnessed.
"Without Chris Davis we're 3-0," Longoria told the Baltimore Sun. "I?ve seen a lot of guys hit the ball well against us in a three-game series. That?s the most locked in I?ve ever seen anybody."
He's a streaky player, but even this is extreme for the 27-year-old. And while he won't keep this up forever, Davis proved last year that he's capable of putting up big numbers over the course of a season. After several years of taunting teams and fantasy players alike with his prodigious power, Davis put up a .270/.326/.501 triple-slash line over 515 at-bats in 2012. Strikeouts will always be an issue -- Davis fanned 169 times last year -- but the power plays everywhere. Ride this wave while it lasts.
Mo Money? Or Mo Problems?
Speaking of things that won't last, Mariano Rivera began his farewell tour this week. Rivera didn't make an appearance in the first two games of the Red Sox' series with the Yankees, but Mo saw his first action of the season Thursday night.
The results were mixed. He walked the leadoff batter, Dustin Pedroia, before getting Mike Napoli to fly out. In all, Mo threw his signature cutter 19 times, and the one four-seam fastball he threw was hit for an RBI double by Jonny Gomes. But he ended on a high note, striking out rookie phenom Jackie Bradley Jr. looking to end the game.
Damage aside, it was a reassuring outing for the veteran closer. While he's no longer an elite option at the position, the 43-year-old will still provide roughly 30 saves and a strikeout per inning. For his part, Rivera said the save wasn't any different than the 608 that preceded it.
?It just felt like another one,? Rivera told the New York Times after the game.
Bauer Play
From one of the oldest players in MLB to one of the youngest, 22-year-old Trevor Bauer is set to make his 2013 debut Saturday in place of the injured Scott Kazmir. Bauer made his MLB debut last season as a member of the Diamondbacks, registering a 6.06 ERA in four starts.
The call-up is interesting in that Bauer didn't have a terribly remarkable spring, allowing 13 runs -- 11 earned -- over 16 1/3 innings. It's more understandable when noting that Bauer is one of the game's best young pitching prospects and the Indians traded an above-average everyday player to acquire his services this winter. The Rays, his opponent on Saturday, aren't a particularly dynamic offensive team this season so he might find some success, but given everything we've seen from him at the major league level until now it's an enter-at-your-own-risk scenario.
National League Quick Hits:?Padres second baseman?Jedd Gyorko plated the first RBI of his major league career with a double Thursday. The 24-year-old finished the series 3-for-12 (.250) with two doubles and two runs scored ... Dillon Gee allowed one run in 6 1/3 innings against the Padres on Thursday afternoon. Now healthy, the 26-year-old is a candidate to have a breakout year for the Mets ... Shaun Marcum was diagnosed with nerve inflammation in his neck following an MRI. He's day-to-day but no timetable is known for when he might resume throwing ... Chris Young's deal with the Nationals will pay him a prorated $2 million if he's called up, with incentives possibly pushing the deal to $4.7 million. He'll most likely be the first man up should the Nationals need a starter ... David Freese's scheduled rehab assignment was postponed due to rain Thursday, putting his availability for the Cardinals' home opener on April 8 in question ... Cliff Lee allowed just two singles over eight innings against the Braves. He struck out eight and walked none ... Kris Medlen has already lost one more game as a starter in 2013 than he did all of 2012. He allowed two runs over five innings against the Phillies on Thursday ... Carlos Marmol almost blew his second save of the season on Thursday, putting the winning run on with no outs before escaping the jam. The high-wire act will likely give way to Kyuji Fujikawa sooner than later ... Phillies Rule 5 pick Ender Inciarte was returned to the Diamondbacks.
American League Quick Hits: Yankees right-hander?Hiroki Kuroda (finger) won't be cleared to make his next start until after he throws a bullpen session today. Kuroda injured his right middle finger trying to barehand a comebacker on Wednesday ... Jose Bautista left Thursday's game after twisting his ankle. He's considered day-to-day ... Andy Pettitte kept the Red Sox at bay on Thursday, scattering eight hits and a walk over eight innings. He allowed only one run ... Casey Janssen earned his first save of the season, striking out two. So far, so good in his return from shoulder surgery ... Vladimir Guererro is back in professional baseball. He signed with the Long Island Ducks of the independent Atlantic League on Thursday ... Brian Roberts left Thursday's game with what he described as a right hamstring injury. The guy just can't catch a break ... A's pitcher Travis Blackley was traded to the Astros in exchange for Triple-A outfielder Jake Goebbert. Blackley will pitch in long relief for the Astros in the short term ... Michael Morse hit his fourth home run of the season. He hit nine dingers during spring training.
Source: http://rotoworld.com/articles/mlb/42959/13/man-on-fire
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Thursday, April 4, 2013
Israel, Gaza launch heaviest strikes since truce
Israeli Border Police take position during clashes in Jerusalem's Old City, Tuesday, April 2, 2013. Clashes erupted during a protest in support of Maysara Abu Hamdiyeh, 64, who was serving a life sentence for his role in a foiled attempt to bomb a busy cafe in Jerusalem in 2002, and died Tuesday of cancer in an Israeli jail. Tensions are high in Israeli lockups where thousands of Palestinian security prisoners are being held. (AP Photo/Bernat Armangue)
Israeli Border Police take position during clashes in Jerusalem's Old City, Tuesday, April 2, 2013. Clashes erupted during a protest in support of Maysara Abu Hamdiyeh, 64, who was serving a life sentence for his role in a foiled attempt to bomb a busy cafe in Jerusalem in 2002, and died Tuesday of cancer in an Israeli jail. Tensions are high in Israeli lockups where thousands of Palestinian security prisoners are being held. (AP Photo/Bernat Armangue)
JERUSALEM (AP) ? Palestinian militants launched several rockets into southern Israel, as Israeli aircraft struck targets in the Gaza Strip early Wednesday in the heaviest exchange of fire between the sides since they agreed to an internationally brokered cease-fire in November.
There were no casualties reported, but the violence nonetheless threatened to shatter the calm that has prevailed for more than four months and prompted Israel's new defense minister to warn that the Jewish state will not sit back if militants attack the south of the country.
"We will not allow shooting of any sort (even sporadic) toward our citizens and our forces," Moshe Yaalon, a former military chief of staff, said in a statement.
Although there was no claim of responsibility for the rockets fired from Gaza early Wednesday, Yaalon said he holds the Islamic militant group Hamas, which has ruled Gaza since 2007, responsible for all such attacks from the seaside strip.
Israel launched an offensive against Hamas last November in response to an increase in rocket fire out of Gaza. During eight days of fighting, Israel carried out hundreds of airstrikes in Gaza, while Gaza militants fired hundreds of rockets into Israel. More than 160 Palestinians, including dozens of civilians, and six Israelis were killed in the fighting before Egypt brokered a truce.
In recent weeks, there have been a handful of rocket attacks, including one that took place as President Barack Obama was visiting Israel two weeks ago. Overnight Wednesday, Israel responded for the first time by striking a pair of empty fields in northern and eastern Gaza.
But just around the time Yaalon was speaking on Wednesday morning, two more rockets exploded in the Israeli border town of Sderot, according to police. Air raid sirens sounded throughout the town, forcing people on their way to work and school to take cover. No injuries were reported.
The Israeli military said a total of five rockets had been fired in the past 24 hours, including two that exploded prematurely inside Gaza.
Under the cease-fire, Israel pledged to halt its policy of attacking militant leaders and to ease a blockade it has imposed on Gaza since the Hamas takeover in 2007. Hamas pledged to halt rocket attacks on Israel. A number of smaller militant groups also operate in Gaza, including groups that draw inspiration from the al-Qaida global terror network.
U.N. Mideast envoy Robert Serry appealed for calm in a statement, saying he is "worried" tensions could threaten the informal truce. "It is of paramount importance to refrain from violence in this tense atmosphere and for parties to work constructively in addressing the underlying issues," he said.
Ihab Ghussein, the Hamas government spokesman, accused Israel of using the airstrikes to "divert the attention" from unrest in Israeli prisons. "They think that through escalation on Gaza front they can hide the truth," he said, and urged Egypt, the guarantor of the cease-fire, to intervene.
Palestinian prisoners have been rioting and hunger striking since a 64-year-old prisoner died of throat cancer on Tuesday. The Palestinians have blamed Israel for the man's death, saying he was not given proper medical care. The prisoner, Maysara Abu Hamdiyeh, had been serving a life sentence for his role in a foiled attempt to bomb a busy cafe in Jerusalem in 2002.
Israel's chief military spokesman, Brig. Gen. Yoav Mordechai, said the army was on alert for "riots" in the West Bank ahead of an autopsy planned later in the day. He accused the Palestinian Authority, which governs in the West Bank, of exploiting the death to "resume popular protests."
At protests across the West Bank Wednesday afternoon, hundreds of Palestinians threw rocks and rolled burning tires at soldiers, prompting a response with tear gas, the Israeli military said.
In Ramallah, protesters waved pictures of the man that succumbed to cancer and chanted "with our souls and blood we will redeem the prisoner."
Prisons Authority spokeswoman Sivan Weizman said Abu Hamdiyeh was treated by Israeli specialists and died in a hospital in Beersheba. She said the prison service asked the parole board to release Abu Hamdiyeh last week after his cancer was diagnosed as terminal last, but the appeal was still being processed at the time of his death.
Weizman said almost all of the 4,600 Palestinian prisoners detained by Israel refused their breakfasts Wednesday morning in a symbolic act of protest.
As news of Abu Hamdiyeh's death spread Tuesday, Palestinian prisoners in several jails began banging on their cell doors and hurling objects. Later, protests spread to Jerusalem and parts of the West Bank where protesters hurled fire bombs and rocks at soldiers.
Tensions are high in Israeli lockups, where thousands of Palestinian security prisoners are being held. Some have staged hunger strikes and Palestinians have held large protests demanding their release.
After decades of conflict with Israel, the issue of prisoners is emotionally charged in Palestinian society. The Palestinians revere the prisoners as standing up to Israeli occupation. In Israel, the prisoners, who are serving time for crimes ranging from stone throwing to mass murder, are seen as terrorists.
In a separate development, Israel's defense minister issued a tough warning to battling forces in Syria, saying Israel would respond to any cross-border provocations.
On Tuesday, the Israeli military said a mortar shell exploded on its side of the frontier in the Golan Heights. The military said its soldiers returned the fire and said it scored a direct hit. Mortar shells and machine gun fire have sporadically hit Israeli territory in the Israeli-controlled Golan Heights since Syria descended into civil war following its March 2011 uprising.
"Israel has no intention of ignoring fire from Syria toward Israeli territory, incidental or not, and will respond with a firm hand," Yaalon said. "As far as we are concerned, the Syrian regime is to be held responsible for everything happening in its territory."
Israel, which has warily watched the fighting in Syria raging close to its frontier, is concerned that some of the al-Qaida affiliated groups fighting alongside the rebels against the Syrian government forces could set their sights on Israel when the civil war ends.
Syria has kept its frontier with Israel quiet for most of the past 40 years, even while providing support and refugee for Israel's bitterest enemies, including the Iranian-backed Hezbollah.
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Syrian rebels set their sights on strategic south
This image taken from video obtained from Ugarit News, which has been authenticated based on its contents and other AP reporting, shows a man holding a scarf in the colors of the Syrian revolutionary flag after rebels seized a military base in Daraa, Syria, on Wednesday, April 3, 2013. Syrian rebels captured a military base in the country's south on Wednesday after days of heavy fighting, activists said, in the latest advance by opposition fighters near the strategic border area with Jordan. (AP Photo/Ugarit News via AP video)
This image taken from video obtained from Ugarit News, which has been authenticated based on its contents and other AP reporting, shows a man holding a scarf in the colors of the Syrian revolutionary flag after rebels seized a military base in Daraa, Syria, on Wednesday, April 3, 2013. Syrian rebels captured a military base in the country's south on Wednesday after days of heavy fighting, activists said, in the latest advance by opposition fighters near the strategic border area with Jordan. (AP Photo/Ugarit News via AP video)
FILE - In this Monday March 18, 2013 file image taken from video obtained from the Shaam News Network, which has been authenticated based on its contents and other AP reporting, shows free Syrian Army fighters fire at Syrian army soldiers during a fierce firefight in Daraa al-Balad, Syria. Syrian rebels captured a military base in the south and may be poised to seize control a strategically important region along the border with Jordan, something that would give them a critical gateway to attempt an attack on the capital Damascus. With foreign aid and training of rebels in Jordan ramping up, the opposition fighters have recaptured momentum and may also soon control Syria's side of the Golan Heights along a sensitive border with Israel. (AP Photo/Shaam News Network via AP video, File)
FILE - In this Thursday March 28, 2013 file image taken from video obtained from the Shaam News Network, which has been authenticated based on its contents and other AP reporting, shows fighters from the Syrian Free Army preparing to fire on the regime?s army in Deal less than 15 kilometers (10 miles) from the Jordanian border in Daraa province, Syria. Syrian rebels captured a military base in the south and may be poised to seize control a strategically important region along the border with Jordan, something that would give them a critical gateway to attempt an attack on the capital Damascus. With foreign aid and training of rebels in Jordan ramping up, the opposition fighters have recaptured momentum and may also soon control Syria's side of the Golan Heights along a sensitive border with Israel. (AP Photo/Shaam News Network via AP video, File)
FILE - In this Thursday March 28, 2013 file image taken from video obtained from the Shaam News Network, which has been authenticated based on its contents and other AP reporting, shows heavy clashes between Syrian Free Army fighters and the regime?s army in Deal less than 15 kilometers (10 miles) from the Jordanian border in Daraa province, Syria. Syrian rebels captured a military base in the south and may be poised to seize control a strategically important region along the border with Jordan, something that would give them a critical gateway to attempt an attack on the capital Damascus. With foreign aid and training of rebels in Jordan ramping up, the opposition fighters have recaptured momentum and may also soon control Syria's side of the Golan Heights along a sensitive border with Israel. (AP Photo/Shaam News Network via AP video, File)
FILE - In this Thursday March 28, 2013 file image taken from video obtained from the Ugarit News, which has been authenticated based on its contents and other AP reporting, shows fighters from the Syrian Free Army fire on a Syrian army position in Deal less than 15 kilometers (10 miles) from the Jordanian border in Daraa province, Syria. Syrian rebels captured a military base in the south and may be poised to seize control a strategically important region along the border with Jordan, something that would give them a critical gateway to attempt an attack on the capital Damascus. With foreign aid and training of rebels in Jordan ramping up, the opposition fighters have recaptured momentum and may also soon control Syria's side of the Golan Heights along a sensitive border with Israel. (AP Photo/Ugarit News via AP video, File)
BEIRUT (AP) ? Syrian rebels captured a military base in the south on Wednesday and set their sights on seizing control of a strategically important region along the border with Jordan that would give them a critical gateway to attempt an attack on the capital, Damascus.
With foreign aid and training of rebels in Jordan ramping up, the opposition fighters have regained momentum in their fight to topple President Bashar Assad.
But while the fall of southern Syria would facilitate the rebel push for Damascus, it might also create dangerous complications, potentially drawing Syria's neighbors into the 2-year-old civil war. Besides abutting Jordan, the region includes territory that borders Syria's side of the Golan Heights, along a sensitive frontier with Israel.
"This is a very sensitive triangle we are talking about," said Hisham Jaber, a retired Lebanese army general who heads the Middle East Center for Studies and Political Research in Beirut. "The fall of Daraa, if it happens, may usher in strategic changes in the area."
For the rebels, control of the south is key to their advance toward Damascus. Dozens of fighting brigades have carved up footholds in areas to the east and south of the capital, where they fire off mortar shells on the heavily guarded city.
The significance of their gains in the south was on display Wednesday when the rebels stormed a military base after a five-day siege.
"Damascus will be liberated from here, from Daraa, from the south," declared an armed fighter, a rifle slung over his shoulder and a kaffiyeh tied around his face. Videos posted online by activists showed him and other unidentified rebels celebrating inside the Syrian army's 49th battalion in the village of Alma, on the outskirts of Daraa.
"We will march to the presidential palace from here," said another fighter, amid bursts of Allahu Akbar, or God is great. The videos showed rebels from the Suqour Houran, or Eagles of Houran brigade, driving a Russian-made armored personnel carrier inside the base. "These missiles are now under our control," said a fighter, standing before a missile loaded on a truck.
Another video, posted by the Fajr al-Islam brigade, showed the rebels walking around the base as the heavy thud of incoming artillery rounds fired by nearby regime forces was heard in the background. A destroyed rocket, army trucks and radars were seen on the ground.
The videos appeared consistent with Associated Press reporting from the area.
The capture of the base is the latest advance by opposition fighters near the strategic border with Jordan. Last month, opposition fighters seized Dael, one of the province's bigger towns, and overran another air defense base in the region.
Opposition fighters battling Assad's troops have been chipping away at the regime's hold on the southern part of the country in recent weeks with the help of an influx of foreign-funded weapons.
Their aim is to secure a corridor from the Jordanian border to Damascus in preparation for an eventual assault on the capital. And they have made major progress along the way. Activists say several towns and villages along the Daraa-Damascus route are now in rebel hands.
A Western diplomat who monitors Syria from his base in Jordan said the fall of Daraa appeared imminent, possibly in the next few days or weeks. His assessment was based on classified intelligence information, he said, speaking on condition of anonymity in order not to hamper his intelligence-gathering efforts.
Daraa's fall could unleash lawlessness on Jordan's northern border and send jitters across the kingdom, a key U.S. ally which fears Islamic extremist groups on its doorstep.
Also of grave concern are rebel advances in areas near the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights.
"If Daraa falls, the rebels will come face-to-face with the Israeli army in the Golan," said Hilal Khashan, a political science professor at the American University of Beirut.
Daraa province separates Damascus from the Golan Heights, which Israel captured in 1967 and annexed in 1981. In recent weeks, Israel has seen Syrian mortar rounds and bullets land in Israeli territory and tanks enter a demilitarized zone in the Golan Heights. Israeli security officials believe the incidents have been inadvertent but have threatened to retaliate.
In addition to complications arising from rebels controlling the frontiers with Israel and Jordan, the fall of Daraa may drag in members of Syria's minority Druse community who live in the southern province of Sweida, Khashan said.
Like other minorities in Syria, they have so far remained largely on the sidelines of the uprising, but that could change if they feel threatened by the Islamic rebels.
The series of rebel gains coincided with what regional officials and military experts say is a sharp increase in weapons shipments to opposition fighters by Arab governments, in coordination with the U.S., in the hopes of readying a push into Damascus.
Thousands of fighters have entered Daraa in recent weeks, said Jaber, adding that rebels capitalizing on new weapons aim to use Daraa as a launch pad for reaching Damascus. Still, he and other analysts said the fall of Daraa would not change the balance of power unless the rebels acquire more advanced weapons.
More importantly, the rebels would also need to cut off the roads linking Damascus to the central province of Homs and from there to the Syrian coast.
Many observers believe Assad, as a last resort, would carve out a breakaway enclave for himself and his fellow Alawites in their historic heartland in towns and villages of Syria's mountainous coast, from which they would fight for survival against the Sunni majority battling to topple him.
The Syrian revolt started with peaceful protests but turned into a bloody conflict after some Syrians took up arms to fight a brutal government crackdown on dissent. The fighting has taken increasingly sectarian overtones, with Sunni Muslims dominating the rebel ranks. The Assad regime is dominated by Alawites, an offshoot Shiite group to which the president and his family belong.
The uprising began from Daraa, a largely agricultural region predominantly populated by Sunnis, in March 2011. Although long considered a regime stronghold, small protests began calling for the release of teenagers after they were arrested for scrawling anti-regime graffiti on the walls.
The conflict has turned into a civil war that the U.N. says has killed more than 70,000 people.
The rebels control vast portions of northern Syria bordering Turkey. They've also captured areas in the east along the border with Iraq recently, but the strategic region between the southern outskirts of Damascus and Jordan ? known as the Houran plains ? is seen as a crucial gateway to the capital.
Both sides consider Damascus, about 60 miles (100 kilometers) from the Jordanian border, the ultimate prize.
Millions of Syrians have fled the conflict, seeking refuge in neighboring Jordan, Lebanon, Iraq and Turkey, raising fears the civil war could spread across the region as the fighting occasionally spills over Syria's volatile borders.
In Lebanon, a Syrian jet fired a missile that slammed into a house on the outskirts of the border town of Arsal, causing material damage but no casualties, according to Lebanese state media. The Sunni Muslim town has backed opposition fighters in Syria, and arms smuggling is widespread in the area.
Lebanese gunmen supporting opposing sides of the conflict have frequently clashed, raising concerns the fighting could re-ignite Lebanon's explosive sectarian mix.
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Associated Press writers Jamal Halaby in Amman, Bassem Mroue and Barbara Surk in Beirut and Suzan Fraser in Ankara, Turkey, contributed to this report.
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