Monthly Archives: March 2011

Trump: Obama birth certificate "fraud and forgeries"

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Just breaking...

From Eric Dondero:

Prospective Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump is now suggesting malfeasance in the non-disclosure of Obama's original birth certificate.

from the Atlanta Journal-Constitution (via AP):

"When you look at what happens today, you look at the misconduct, the fraud and forgeries, you really want to see proof," Trump told the AP.

A few days ago, appearing on ABC News Good Morning America, Trump said that the so-called "Birther" movement had legitimate concerns. Continuing:

"The reason I have a little doubt, just a little, is because he [Obama] grew up and nobody knew him."

Endeavour’s final walk down the aisle | Bad Astronomy

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On Thursday, March 10, the Space Shuttle Endeavour began its last 5 km trek to the launch pad.

When it launches on April 19 (scheduled at 19:48 EDT), Endeavour will bring parts and supplies to the International Space Station, as usual, but it will also be carrying the 7 ton the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer-2, a scientific instrument that, among many goals, will try to detect antimatter (to solve a long-standing puzzle of why so little exists in our Universe) and look for the subatomic signature of dark matter.

This will be Endeavour’s final scheduled flight.

Image Credit: NASA/Jim Grossmann


Bearing Housing Tolerance

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can some kind person ( or an unkind but helpful one ) , please advise me on choosing the correct tolerance for a shaft and bearing housing

i have a 300 RPM shaft running on 22212E ( spherical ) and 3212 ( double row angular contact ) bearings.

what machining tolerance do i use ( H7 / N7 / M5 etc e

Libertarian Party: Damned if they do, damned if they don’t

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From Eric Dondero:

A recent court ruling out of North Carolina, suggests that ballot access restrictions for third parties in the Tarheel State are not too restrictive. The reasoning behind the ruling? The Libertarian Party managed to meet the requirements one year, so they can't possibly be too restrictive.

From the Greensboro News-Record "Editorial: Ballot access is too strict":

Voters deserve choices at the polls, but not too many, the N.C. Supreme Court said in a disappointing ruling last week.

The 5-1 decision denied the state Libertarian Party’s challenge to North Carolina’s strict ballot-access law.

Oh, but the law isn’t really so strict, the court said. After all, the Libertarian Party has surmounted the obstacles and earned a place on the ballot, the opinion, authored by Justice Patricia Timmons-Goodson, noted. Its 2008 candidate for governor, Michael Munger, won close to 3 percent of the vote. “This success indicates the party may have turned a corner in popular support, effectively graduating it from the recognition requirements of section 163-96(a)(2).”

That statute sets a 2 percent standard for political parties. If a party submits petitions signed by 2 percent of the number of people who voted in the preceding election for governor, it can earn a place on the ballot for the next election. Then, if its candidate for president or governor wins at least 2 percent of the statewide vote, the party can remain on the ballot for another four years.

Of course, the Libertarian Party is the Nation's third largest political party, and are experts on petitioning and ballot access. The ruling does not take into account, smaller parties outside of the Libertarians.

Note - Judge Timmons-Goodson is one of the longest serving judges in the NC courts. She was an appointee of former Democrat Gov. Mike Easley.

Sharia Law comes to a Florida Courtroom

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From Eric Dondero:

Judge Richard Nielsen of the 13th Judicial Circuit for Hillsborough County, has ruled that a dispute over funds from property between two competing Muslim interests, should be decided according to Sharia Law.

From the GrendelReport, "Judge orders Muslims to follow Sharia Law":

In Tampa, Florida, a dispute arose over who controls the funds a mosque received in 2008 from an eminent domain proceeding.

Former trustees of the mosque are claiming in court they have the right to the funds. Current mosque leaders are disputing that claim.

The former trustees of the mosque want the case decided according to sharia law.

The judge recently ruled “This case will proceed under Ecclesiastical Islamic law,” (sharia law), “pursuant to the Qur’an.”

(Complete trial ruling - pdf)

As the GrendelReport further points out the case is similar to a...

2009 New Jersey case, where a Muslim woman sought a restraining order, in civil court, against her Muslim husband, who was raping her several times a day. The judge denied the restraining order because, in his opinion, the husband did not commit a crime because he was following his Islamic beliefs.

Judge Nielsen has been serving on the bench since 2000. He is a former trial lawyer. He was appointed by Florida Gov. Jeb Bush.

Disgraced Democrat Congressman re-introduces Bill for Compulsory Military Service

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Says Youth from "urban centers" share too much of the burden

From Eric Dondero:

New York Rep. Charlie Rangel, censored on ethics charges, has just re-introduced a new version of his Universal National Services Act. The Bill would require all 18 year-olds to serve two years in mandatory military service or some altnernative community or national service.

From the text of his Dear Colleague letter:

Requires all persons in the United States between the ages of 18 and 25 if called upon by the President during a declaration of war, a national emergency or a military contingency operation to perform national service for a minimum of two years with few exceptions.

According to TheState.com, one of Rangel's primary motivations is affirmative action.

[Rangel]has introduced similar legislation in the past that addresses not only the need for a more equitable military draft, but also establishes a universal requirement for National Service.

He is quoted:

"The largest segment of our fighting force comes from large urban centers with high unemployment, and from economically depressed small towns,” said Rangel. “This small portion of the population forces many soldiers to take multiple tours of duty, sometimes as many as six deployments.”

In contrast, libertarian Republican Reps. Dana Rohrabacher and Ron Paul have introduced legislation repeatedly over the years to abolish Selective Service.

In 2003, Congressman Paul compared Conscription to Slavery:

some politicians simply love the thought of mandatory service to the state. To them, the American government is America. Patriotism means working for the benefit of the state... Conscription is wrongly associated with patriotism, when it really represents Slavery and involuntary servitude.

Host change alters toxic cocktail

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Leaf beetles fascinate us because of their amazing variety of shapes and rich coloring. Their larvae, however, are dangerous plant pests. Larvae of the leaf beetle Chrysomela lapponica attack two different tree species: willow and birch. To fend off predator attacks, the beetle larvae produce toxic butyric acid esters or salicylaldehyde, whose precursors they ingest with their leafy food. Researchers of the Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology in Jena, Gera number of, now observed that a fundamental change in the genome has emerged in beetles that have specialized on birch: The activity of the salicylaldehyde producing enzyme salicyl alcohol oxidase (SAO) is missing in these populations, whereas it is present in willow feeders. For birch beetles the loss of this enzyme and hereby the loss of salicylaldehyde is advantageous: the enzyme is not needed anymore because its substrate salicyl alcohol is only present in willow leaves, but not in birch. Birch beetles can therefore save resources instead of costly producing the enzyme. First and foremost, however, the loss of salicylaldehyde also means that birch feeding populations do not betray themselves to their own enemies anymore, who can trace them because of the odorous substance. (PNAS Early Edition, DOI 10.1073/pnas.1013846108)........

Gamma-Dynacare Medical Laboratories Implements Leica Microsystems Total Digital Pathology Solution

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Leica, with its SCN400 scanner from the latest of the traditional microscope manufacturers continues to move systems and have early success.  Add to that the fact that digital pathology continues to expand in Canada among large healthcare systems and laboratories. With its scanner and software partner, SlidePath, Leica does offer a complete solution for slide scanning, image managment and image analysis with high quality.

Quorum Technologies Inc., a distributor and developer of high-end microscopy products and imaging systems
announced yesterday that Gamma-Dynacare Medical Laboratories is implementing Leica Microsystems Inc. Total Digital Pathology solution. The Leica SCN400 scanner with Digital Image Hub and Conferencing software couples high throughput digital slide scanning with enterprise level software, to provide a complete digital pathology system for Gamma-Dynacare.

The technology is being integrated at the Bomanville laboratory where cancer-screening programs
are being developed. Traditionally, pathologists have used microscopes to analyze specimens on glass slides. The
acquisition of the Leica SCN400 solution provides Gamma Dynacare new tools and flexible workflow options. The
system creates fully digitized images that can be viewed online in a secure and efficient manner from virtually any location. Gamma-Dynacare will also utilize Leica Microsystems' data management and image analysis software to further expand its commercial pathology services across Canada.

"The implementation of Leica Microsystems' SCN400 digital pathology system is exciting for Gamma-Dynacare as it supports our commitment to offer leading technology that can positively impact the delivery of diagnoses and treatment decisions for patients," said Jeff Sumner, Vice President, Clinical Development and Quality Assurance, Gamma-Dynacare Medical Laboratories. "We have been monitoring the technology and our evaluation of Leica Microsystems' total digital pathology platform was positive. We are pleased to be able to provide our clients and patients with the benefits of this new technology."

"The Leica solution implementation at Gamma-Dynacare is an important one as it marks another milestone in Canada's adoption of the digital pathology paradigm," says John Arbuckle, President and CEO of Quorum Technologies.  "Digital pathology is rapidly evolving and the technology has advanced tremendously over the past few years. Our company has implemented and supported approximately 50 digital pathology systems in medical schools, hospitals and research laboratories across Canada. It's great to see one of the country's largest and highly esteemed medical laboratories further validate the technology and prepare to offer a variety of digital pathology services."

About Gamma-Dynacare
Gamma-Dynacare is one of Canada's largest and most respected providers of laboratory services and solutions, with more than 50 years of experience in the industry. Headquartered in Brampton, Ontario, its operations include six laboratory facilities, located in Brampton, London, Ottawa, Bowmanville, Montreal and Winnipeg. In addition, Gamma-Dynacare operates more than 175 Patient Services Centres in Ontario, Quebec, Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Alberta. Gamma-Dynacare' s 2,000 skilled and dedicated employees perform millions of tests each year, playing a key role in the prevention and diagnosis of disease and the treatment of patients. By living its mission of "Caring for People", the company positively impacts the health and wellness of people across Canada, and is a valuable contributor to the betterment of the healthcare system.

About Leica Microsystems
Leica Microsystems is a world leader in microscopes and scientific instruments. Founded as a family business in the nineteenth century, the company's history was marked by unparalleled innovation on its way to becoming a global enterprise. Its historically close cooperation with the scientific community is the key to Leica Microsystems' tradition of innovation, which draws on users' ideas and creates solutions tailored to their requirements. At the global level, Leica Microsystems is organized in four divisions, all of which are among the leaders in their respective fields: the Life Science Division, Industry Division, Biosystems Division and Medical Division. Leica Biosystems, an own operating company, offers histopathology laboratories the most extensive product range with appropriate products for each work step in histology and for a high level of productivity in the working processes of the entire laboratory.
Leica Microsystems is represented in over 100 countries with 12 manufacturing facilities in 7 countries, sales and service organizations in 19 countries and an international network of dealers. The company is headquartered in Wetzlar, Germany.

About Quorum Technologies
Quorum Technologies is a private Canadian enterprise located in Guelph, Ontario. The company develops and
integrates scientific instruments and is the largest independent provider of Microscope based imaging systems in Canada. Quorum is a leader in advanced Live Cell Imaging platforms and holds over half a dozen patents with several others in process. Through its technology transfer relationships with Canadian Universities, Quorum is helping to bring new innovative technologies to market for use in preclinical research, drug development and personalized medicine.
Quorum Technologies is a private Canadian enterprise located in Guelph, Ontario. The company develops and
integrates scientific instruments and is the largest independent provider of Microscope based imaging systems in Canada.

What drug to add to maximal metformin therapy for diabetes?

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Metformin is the recommended initial drug therapy for patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM). However, the optimal second-line drug when metformin monotherapy fails is unclear.

All noninsulin antidiabetic drugs were associated with similar HbA1c reductions but differed in their associations with weight gain and risk of hypoglycemia.

The different classes of drugs were associated with similar HbA1c reductions (range, 0.64%-0.97%) compared with placebo.

Noninsulin antidiabetic drugs and their effect on body weight:
- thiazolidinediones, sulfonylureas, and glinides were associated with weight gain (range, 1.77-2.08 kg)
- glucagon-like peptide-1 analogs, alpha-glucosidase inhibitors, and dipeptidyl peptidase-4 inhibitors were associated with weight loss or no weight change
Sulfonylureas and glinides were associated with higher rates of hypoglycemia than with placebo.
References:
Image source: Metformin. Wikipedia, public domain.

Posted at Clinical Cases and Images. Stay updated and subscribe, follow us on Twitter and connect on Facebook.


Inside Fashion by Marla Bonner

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Anatomy studies by Marla Bonner

Inside Fasion by Marla Bonner

Inside Fasion by Marla Bonner

Aspiring medical illustrator and art director, Marla Bonner is currently a student at Minnesota State University Mankato seeking a degree in Drawing and Biology. She’s off to a good start with these clever dissections of fashion models.

Marla says of her work,

I was challenged by my painting teacher to create pieces that I normally wouldn’t. I chose these magazines from Denmark that really intrigued me. Not being fond of fashion magazines I attempted to create images that required a double take.

View more of Marla’s work in her Behance portfolio.

 

Does anyone remember the artist that did similar dissections of fashion models on magazine covers? I can’t for the life of me find the name.

 

[spotted by Diane Olivier via Sandy Yagi]

 

Oropharyngeal carcinoma increased by 22% in 6 years, related to rise in HPV

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Head and neck cancer is the sixth most common cancer. Despite an overall marginal decline in the incidence of most head and neck cancers in recent years, the incidence of oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma has increased greatly, especially in the developed world.

In the United States, the incidence of oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma increased by 22% between 1999 and 2006.

The increase in incidence of oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma seems to be accounted for by a rise in human papillomavirus (HPV) related oropharyngeal carcinoma.

References:

Oropharyngeal carcinoma related to human papillomavirus. BMJ 2010; 340:c1439 doi: 10.1136/bmj.c1439 (Published 25 March 2010).
Image source: HPV types and associated diseases, Wikipedia, public domain.
Twitter comments:
@travispew (Travis Pew): So get your kids the HPV shot.

Posted at Clinical Cases and Images. Stay updated and subscribe, follow us on Twitter and connect on Facebook.


The Insight Light

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Solovyov Design brain light

Solovyov Design brain light

Solovyov Design brain light

Belarusian designers Maria and Igor Solovyov of Solovyov Design have created this brain shaped energy efficient light bulb, “Insight.” It is a fun and smart play on the imagery of having a “bright idea.” You can see more of their work including furniture, packaging, and other lighting projects on their site, solovyovdesign.by

[via TDW Geek]

"Freaks and Monsters and Fairies, Devils, and Fantasy Tour of Florence," Fall, 2011, Dr. Kathryn Hoffman

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Friend of Morbid Anatomy Kathryn Hoffmann of the University of Hawaii, Manoa has just announced that she will be leading a "Freaks, Monsters, and Fairies, Devils, and Fantasy" tour of Florence, Italy this upcoming fall semester. The tour will take in, in Hoffman's own words, "wax anatomical models of course, as well as the devils of Florence, reliquaries, the history of court and fairground stars with corporeal anomalies, and the original dark version of Pinocchio, where he came to a sad end in Book 5. I'm going to teach and take students out of the classroom and into the museums and churches."

Applications are due on April 1; for more information, email professor Hoffman at hoffmann [at] hawaii.edu.

So wish I could make it!

Please click on the image to see a much larger version.

Topochemical distribution of lignin and hydroxycinnamic acids in sugar-cane cell walls and its correlation with the enzymatic hydrolysis of polysaccharides

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Background:
Lignin and hemicelluloses are the major components limiting enzyme infiltration into cell walls. Determination of the topochemical distribution of lignin and aromatics in sugar cane might provide important data on the recalcitrance of specific cells. We used cellular ultraviolet (UV) microspectrophotometry (UMSP) to topochemically detect lignin and hydroxycinnamic acids in individual fiber, vessel and parenchyma cell walls of untreated and chlorite-treated sugar cane. Internodes, presenting typical vascular bundles and sucrose-storing parenchyma cells, were divided into rind and pith fractions.
Results:
Vascular bundles were more abundant in the rind, whereas parenchyma cells predominated in the pith region. UV measurements of untreated fiber cell walls gave absorbance spectra typical of grass lignin, with a band at 278 nm and a pronounced shoulder at 315 nm, assigned to the presence of hydroxycinnamic acids linked to lignin and/or to arabino-methylglucurono-xylans. The cell walls of vessels had the highest level of lignification, followed by those of fibers and parenchyma. Pith parenchyma cell walls were characterized by very low absorbance values at 278 nm; however, a distinct peak at 315 nm indicated that pith parenchyma cells are not extensively lignified, but contain significant amounts of hydroxycinnamic acids. Cellular UV image profiles scanned with an absorbance intensity maximum of 278 nm identified the pattern of lignin distribution in the individual cell walls, with the highest concentration occurring in the middle lamella and cell corners. Chlorite treatment caused a rapid removal of hydroxycinnamic acids from parenchyma cell walls, whereas the thicker fiber cell walls were delignified only after a long treatment duration (4 hours). Untreated pith samples were promptly hydrolyzed by cellulases, reaching 63% of cellulose conversion after 72 hours of hydrolysis, whereas untreated rind samples achieved only 20% hydrolyzation.
Conclusion:
The low recalcitrance of pith cells correlated with the low UV-absorbance values seen in parenchyma cells. Chlorite treatment of pith cells did not enhance cellulose conversion. By contrast, application of the same treatment to rind cells led to significant removal of hydroxycinnamic acids and lignin, resulting in marked enhancement of cellulose conversion by cellulases.

Management of fertility preservation in prepubertal patients: 5 years’ experience at the Catholic University of Louvain

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BACKGROUND

Since prepubertal boys cannot benefit from sperm banking, a potential alternative strategy for fertility preservation involves immature testicular tissue (ITT) banking aimed at preservation of spermatogonial stem cells. Survival of spermatogonia has been demonstrated after ITT freezing, which is considered ethically acceptable. We report the results of a pilot program set up for fertility preservation in prepubertal boys.

METHODS

All boys undergoing ITT cryobanking from May 2005 were identified from our clinical register. Data were collected from medical files.

RESULTS

Testicular tissue was retrieved from 52 prepubertal patients under 12 years of age and 10 peripubertal patients aged between 12 and 16 years, in whom no spermatozoa were identified in testicular biopsies. Malignant disease accounted for 80.6% of cases; the remaining patients suffered from benign disorders requiring gonadotoxic treatments. Mean ages, Tanner stages and occurrence rates of urogenital pathology were 6.43 ± 3.32 and 14 ± 1.23 years, I and I–IV, and 13.5 and 20% for pre- and peripubertal patients, respectively. Mean volumes of removed tissue were 20.1 ± 8.6 and 42.4 ± 15.6 mm3 for pre- and peripubertal patients, respectively. No complications occurred during or after tissue retrieval and 93.5% of referred patients accepted ITT storage. The presence of spermatogonia, and thus the potential for later tissue use, was established in all of these patients.

CONCLUSIONS

The majority of cryopreserved samples showed reproductive potential. Storage was accepted by most parents. All parents and children considered this fertility preservation strategy a positive approach.

Decidual HtrA3 negatively regulates trophoblast invasion during human placentation

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BACKGROUND

Controlled trophoblast invasion into the maternal decidua (interstitial invasion) is important for placental development. Factors secreted by the maternal decidual cells and the extravillous trophoblast can influence trophoblast invasion and abnormalities in the invasion process may lead to pregnancy complications. Serine protease HtrA3 is highly expressed in the decidual cells in the late secretory phase of the menstrual cycle and throughout pregnancy, and in most trophoblast cell types, apart from the invading interstitial trophoblast during the first trimester. HtrA3 and its family members are down-regulated in a number of cancers and are proposed as tumour suppressors. The current study aimed to investigate whether HtrA3 is secreted by decidual cells, and whether inhibiting such secretion alters trophoblast invasion.

METHODS AND RESULTS

Human endometrial stromal cells (HESCs) were decidualized with estradiol, medroxyprogesterone acetate and cyclic adenosine monophosphate. Real-time RT–PCR, western blotting and immunocytochemistry confirmed that HtrA3 mRNA and protein expression increased during decidualization. HtrA3 was also detected in the conditioned media (CM) of the decidualized HESCs, confirming its secretion. For functional studies, a protease-inactive mutant form of HtrA3 which was previously confirmed to be a dominant-negative inhibitor was produced using wheat germ cell-free technology. CM from decidualized HESCs significantly suppressed invasion of trophoblast HTR-8 cells (P < 0.01), whereas inhibition of HtrA3 in this CM by exogenous HtrA3 mutant resulted in increased trophoblast HTR-8 cell invasion (P < 0.001).

CONCLUSIONS

These results strongly support the hypothesis that decidual HtrA3 negatively regulates trophoblast invasion.

Association of polymorphisms/haplotypes of the genes encoding vascular endothelial growth factor and its KDR receptor with recurrent pregnancy loss

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BACKGROUND

Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and its kinase insert domain receptor (KDR) play an important role in angiogenesis, and their gene expression patterns also suggest a close relationship with early pregnancy. However, limited information is available regarding the role of the VEGF system, especially its KDR receptor, in recurrent pregnancy loss (RPL). This study was conducted to investigate a genetic association between VEGF and its receptor gene (KDR) with idiopathic RPL.

METHODS

In this case–control study, 115 women who had experienced at least two consecutive spontaneous miscarriages (n= 62 women with two miscarriages, n= 53 with three or more) and 170 controls were included. A total of 14 tag single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of VEGF and KDR were selected from the HapMap Web site and three functional SNPs [rs1570360 (–1154G/A) of VEGF; rs2305948 (V297I) and rs1870377 (Q472H) of the KDR gene] were genotyped using primer extension analysis. We further used multifactor dimensionality reduction analysis to evaluate gene–gene interactions.

RESULTS

One tag SNP (rs6838752) and the functional SNP (Q472H) of the KDR gene were in complete linkage and showed significant differences between patients and controls (P< 0.05). The frequencies of haplotypes of VEGF (A-T-G haplotype) and KDR (A-C-A-T-G haplotype) showed significant differences in patients versus controls (P< 0.05). All comparisons with controls remained significant when the subgroup of women with three or more miscarriages was analyzed.

CONCLUSIONS

VEGF and its receptor gene (KDR) are associated with idiopathic RPL. The VEGF/KDR system jointly contributes to recurrent miscarriage in Taiwanese Han women.

Novel alleles of HLA-DQ and -DR loci show association with recurrent miscarriages among South Indian women

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BACKGROUND

In this study, recurrent miscarriages (RMs) are defined as loss of two or more clinically detectable pregnancies before 20 weeks of gestation. HLA has been thought to play a role in RM. However, the results of earlier studies on the role of different human leucocyte antigen (HLA) genes were conflicting and inconclusive. In the present study, we investigate HLA genes (HLA-DRA, HLA-DRB1, HLA-DQA1 and HLA-DQB1) in RM couples with unknown etiology and normal couples.

METHODS

Blood samples from 143 RM couples and 150 control couples were analyzed, firstly to validate previously reported association studies and secondly to explore whether any novel alleles or haplotypes specific to Indian populations can be observed to be associated with RM. HLA typing was carried out by DNA sequencing.

RESULTS

Results suggest an association of the DQB1*03:03:02 allele with RM (odd ratio = 2.66; pc = 0.02; confidence interval = 1.47–4.84). Haplotypes of the DQA1 and DQB1 risk alleles also showed a significant association with RM, albeit not after Bonferroni correction for multiple comparisons.

CONCLUSIONS

HLA-DQB1 appears to have a strong involvement in the manifestation of RM in this population from South India. The current genetic analysis of RM and control couples not only highlights the genes exhibiting a strong etiological role but also reflects the protective nature of some HLA genes against RM. Nevertheless, most of these alleles/haplotypes were not those that are implicated in RM in other ethnic backgrounds, and hence require further validation in other populations of India, from different ethnic and/or geographic backgrounds.