A violation of one of the oldest empirical laws of physics has been observed by scientists at the University of Bristol. Their experiments on purple bronze, a metal with unique one-dimensional electronic properties, indicate that it breaks the Wiedemann-Franz Law.
Monthly Archives: July 2011
How nanotechnology will transform disease detection
Conventional diagnostic tools often cannot detect many cancers, Alzheimer's and other life-threatening diseases early enough to provide effective treatment. But nanotechnology, which is revolutionizing electronics and other fields, promises to similarly transform medicine, particularly when it comes to identifying illnesses more quickly.
Key advance toward single-molecule electronics
Scientists are reporting a key advance toward the long-awaited era of "single-molecule electronics," when common electronic circuits in computers, smart phones, audio players, and other devices may shrink to the size of a grain of sand.
Scientists take the next major step toward quantum computing
Using high-magnetic fields, Susumu Takahashi, assistant professor at the University of Southern California, and his colleagues managed to suppress decoherence, one of the key stumbling blocks in quantum computing.
Flaxseed Fails as Treatment for Hot Flashes
(HealthDay News) -- The search for a safe remedy for menopausal hot flashes has been foiled again, with flaxseed the latest in a long line of compounds that apparently don't reduce the incidence of the unpleasant symptoms.
Researchers presenting a new study Sunday at the annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology in Chicago report that a daily flaxseed bar was no more effective than a placebo in helping with hot flashes in women with or without breast cancer.
"It's unfortunate because these are such common problems, not just in breast cancer survivors but in postmenopausal women in general," said Dr. Joanne E. Mortimer, director of women's cancers programs at City of Hope Cancer Center in Duarte, Calif. "These poor women have one less option." Mortimer was not involved with the study.
Hot flashes often occur in breast cancer patients who have undergone hormonal treatment for their tumors as well as in women going through normal menopause. Read more...
Immunice for Immune Support
FDA Releases Draft Of Mobile Health App Guidelines
The Washington Post (7/19, Overly) in its Capital Business column reported that the Food and Drug Administration has "proposed its first-ever regulations of the burgeoning mobile health industry" Tuesday, concentrating on a "segment of applications that officials described as being akin to medical devices." FDA policy adviser Bakul Patel, who helped develop the guidelines, "said the agency sought to balance the potential for innovation with patient safety in the rapidly changing mobile space." The guidelines suggest "three types of applications should require the FDA's sign off: a mobile application that acts as an accessory to a regulated medical device, turns a mobile gadget into such a device or makes suggestions regarding a patient's diagnosis or treatment."
How Should Personalized Medicine & Digital Pathology Work Together?
Courtesy of the Digital Pathology Association.
I think this year's Pathology Visions program is going to be excellent with more news about the program to follow shortly. If you have attended before, I think you will find the topics for this year's speakers very engaging, current and practical. If you haven't been before, this may be one program to include among your meetings this Fall.
World-renown pathologist, Dr. Mahul B. Amin, will discuss this and more at the 2011 Pathology Visions Conference. Dr. Amin's keynote address will also focus on the role of the pathologist in contemporary health care and discuss the contributions, strengths and limitations of traditional microscopy.
(PRWEB) July 19, 2011
How does personalized medicine fit into the ever-evolving world of digital pathology? Mahul B. Amin, M.D. will share his perspective on the topic and more at the 2011 Digital Pathology Association’s Pathology Visions Conference. The 7th annual international conference will be held Oct. 30 – Nov. 2, 2011 in San Diego, CA at the Manchester Grand Hyatt.
Dr. Amin’s keynote address promises to shed light on how personalized medicine relates to the discipline of pathology. Dr. Amin currently serves as the Chairman and Professor of the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center. His talk will also review the role of the pathologist in contemporary health care and discuss the contributions, strengths and limitations of traditional microscopy. Topics many in the field of digital pathology will find intriguing.
The Pathology Visions Conference will also showcase more than 35 additional distinguished speakers who will share their breadth of digital pathology knowledge in the clinical, research and education arenas.
Additionally, the Pathology Visions Conference will feature dozens of cutting-edge industry workshops, an extensive exhibit hall filled with the latest product solutions, access to white paper sessions, round-table discussions, scientific poster sessions, and networking events.
The Digital Pathology Association’s annual meeting is the premiere conference dedicated solely to the field of digital pathology. Conference attendees travel from around the world to take part in this yearly must-attend event for anyone working with, or interested in, digital pathology. The Pathology Visions Conference supports the mission of the Digital Pathology Association to facilitate education and awareness of digital pathology applications in health care.
To learn more and to register for the 2011 Pathology Vision’s Conference visit http://digitalpathologyassociation.org/pathology-visions-conference.
FDA seeks comments on proposed policy for companion diagnostics
(Submitted by Steve Potts, CEO of Flagship Biosciences, a digital pathology services company).
On July 12, 2011, the FDA released a new draft guidance on the development and review of companion diagnostics (CDx). I would encourage anyone working in anatomic pathology to review the draft, as it will have widespread impact on digital pathology companies, antibody providers, and anatomic pathologists in both private practices and large reference laboratories. The guidance was also discussed in Dr. Elizabeth Mansfield's presentation available at the Molecular Diagnostics for Cancer Drug Development June meeting in Boston.
The most important point can be summarized by one equation:
Failure/lack of test approval = no therapeutic product approval
If this doesn't make get your attention, nothing will. An approved drug can cost from $200M to $1.2B to develop (wide variability in costs is largely due to indication type, you can make your own calculations). Let's recast the equation in terms of the cost of failure for the companion diagnostic and the cost of failure for the therapeutic. A good example is HER2 IHC, which brings in $50M in total global annual sales divided across a handful of chemistry and image analysis players. Let's assume the next big companion diagnostic is almost this big -- and the firm has only four other competitors. So $10M in lost sales per year, perhaps spread over 10 years, and perhaps $10M spent on development. Total cost of failure for the CDx -- $100M.
Now let's look at the failure cost of the therapeutic due to CDx failure, continuing with the HER2 example. Herceptin had total ten-year sales from 1998 to 2008 of $7.7B, and has climbed higher the last two years. Let's assume only 10 year sales, meaning total cost of failure is lost development costs of $1B and lost ten-year sales of $7.7B.
$100M =? 7.7B Lost Sales Cost
$10M =? $1B Lost Development Costs
One can see the imbalance clearly between the diagnostics and therapeutics industry. Having worked in both diagnostics and therapeutics, the only thing the two industries have in common is biology.
Clearly every pharmaceutical executive will re-examine carefully all the risks involved in their companion diagnostics programs, as CDx competency becomes a determining factor in success or failure for pharma. Does their translational companion diagnostic team have experience launching diagnostic products? Do they have experience in regulatory filings of 510k and PMAs? Is there any part of the diagnostic technology that is not already well proven and widely used in clinical laboratory settings? Has their CDx internal pharma team or external CDx team actually worked in clinical laboratory settings?
In the next several posts, we will look at the specifics in the CDx policy, and then what impacts we might predict for IHC and FISH/CISH based anatomic pathology testing.
How Internet-Based Lab Tests Access Helps Clinical Laboratories Serve Un-Insured and Under-Insured Patients
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Internet-based companies that provide consumers with access to lab tests provide a significant and highly valued service for patients, particularly for those patients who are uninsured and underinsured.
The companies also provide services for patients who have high deductible health insurance plans and for any patients looking to keep the cost of lab tests low. Typically, patients who are fully insured do not need to the services of Internet-based companies that provide consumers with access to lab tests because their lab tests are paid in full by third-party insurance company or these patients are required to pay only a small co-pay or coinsurance at the time of service.
The Dark Report is happy to offer our readers a chance to download our recently published FREE White Paper “How Internet-Based Lab Tests Access Helps Clinical Laboratories Serve Un-Insured and Under-Insured Patients” at absolutely no charge. This free download will provide readers with a detailed explanation on how these services work and the benefits these companies provide to the uninsured, the underinsured, and those with high-deductible health insurance. This report also will outline the value of transparency in healthcare pricing and how price transparency helps physicians in Ohio provide better patient care for the uninsured and underinsured.
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Among other topics, this FREE White Paper specifically addresses:
- Current State of Uninsured Patients in US
- The Pros and Cons for Health Insurers
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For more about internet-based laboratory test access for un-insured, please CLICK HERE
Table of Contents
Introduction — Page 3
Chapter 1. Current State of Uninsured/Under-Insured Patients in the US. — Page 5
Chapter 2. Transparency in Medical/Medicare Laboratory Test Pricing — Page 7
Chapter 3. Pros and Cons for Health Insurers — Page 11
Chapter 4. Case Study: Creating Transparency in Today’s Laboratory Test Pricing — Page 14
Chapter 5. Why Internet Lab Test Firms are Important for Improving Patient Care — Page 17
Chapter 6. Conclusion — Page 19
Appendices
A-1 About Joseph Burns — Page 22
A-2 About PrePaidLab.com — Page 23
A-3 About DARK DAILY— Page 24
A-4 About The Dark Intelligence Group, Inc., and The Dark Report— Page 25
A-5 About Executive War College on Laboratory and Pathology Management— Page 26
A-6 About Robert Michel — Page 28
Terms of Use — Page 32
The 51 Preserved Dogs of Castle Bitov, Czech Republic
They can sit and stay – and are excellent at playing dead – but this room full of obedient dogs will never go walkies again. The odd-ball collection of 51 stuffed dogs is the star attraction at the picturesque Castle Bitov in the Czech Republic.
The castle’s last owner, the ever-so-slightly eccentric Baron Georg Haas, was an animal lover – to say the least. He was the proud owner of thousands of animals – including a lioness called Mietzi-Mausi, with whom it is said he enjoyed sharing lunch every day.
But his favourite style of four-legged friend was the humble canine, and he eventually had more than 200 in the castle grounds. It means the castle might well have been the hardest building to sneak into in the 1940s – certainly the hardest to walk around without looking down.
When the playful pets passed away, the baron buried the majority of them – their final resting places can still be seen in several cemeteries in the castle grounds, each with a wooden cross and small metal plate bearing their name.
But, for a select few, the baron had loftier plans – and the handiwork of the local taxidermist is still being enjoyed today. It’s clear that the baron did not play favourites. Spaniels, terriers, poodles, boxers – hounds of every shape and size – are included in the collection...
Georg Haas was as eccentric an aristocrat as they come. But he was also ahead of his time, designing a magnificent zoo for his animals, with terrariums, bird cages, and various paddocks that he filled with exotic creatures from around the world.
--"The perfectly preserved pooches of Castle Bitov," The Daily Mail, July 19th 2011
You can read the whole entire story--from which the above images were drawn--by clicking here. Click on images to see much larger, more detailed version.
Thanks to Eleanor Crook for bringing this to my attention!
Zoe Beloff at The Great Coney Island Spectacularium, Opening Reception, This Friday, July 22
Opening reception for Zoe Beloff's "Four Hysterical Dramas" at The Great Coney Island Spectacularium
Date: This Friday, July 22nd
Time: 7-10 PM
Where: The Coney Island Museum, 1208 Surf Avenue
Admission: Free
This Friday, Morbid Anatomy and The Great Coney Island Spectacularium cordially invite you to an opening reception to celebrate the launch of our short-term exhibition of Zoe Beloff's installation "Four Hysterical Dramas" This exhibition will be on view at The Spectacularium from July 22nd until August 20th.
More on the exhibition following; hope to see you there!
Four Hysterical Dramas
Beloff will present four miniature theaters housing depictions of actual hysterics filmed by doctors in Belgium, Romania, and the United States. Updating a Victorian stage trick called "Pepper's Ghost", Beloff has transformed these patients into ghostly figures performing an endless loop of madness within the space of each diorama. Beloff was inspired by several remarkable developments at the end of the 19th century: the discovery of the unconscious by psychotherapists, doctors' emerging practice of filming their hysterical patients with motion picture cameras, and the public's fascination with madness which manifested itself in the emotive, hysterical behavior of actors in Parisian cabarets.
You can find out more about the event here and more about Zoe and her work here.
Atlantis Over Cancun
Click here to view the embedded video.
Never gave this much thought but then I was never in the re-entry flight path while it was dark. Must have been a sight in person.
And the landing (of course)
IntelliWheels AGS Shifts the Wheelchair Into a Higher Gear [Design]
Scott Daigle, a graduate engineering student at the University of Illinois, looked at the wheelchair, then at the bicycle, and then back at the wheelchair and asked "Why not a gear system on a wheelchair?" Then he built one. More »
Tattoo Body Modification Gets Futuristically Functional [Tattoos]
One day, in the not so distant future because it's actually being used in a testing environment today, people will use invisible nano-tattoos to give doctors an instant snapshot of their body's inner workings. More »
Apo Island – The Model for Community Driven Marine Conservation
We hear about the destruction of ocean life and the impact our lifestyles have on the environment in general. What we don’t get to see that often is the positive impact that sustainability efforts have on ocean life. Then there is Apo Island in the Philippines where local firshermen were convinced by mrine scientist, Dr. Angel Alcala, to create a marine sanctuary instead of overfishing the area which would have led to the destruction of their reef system. The island itself is a 12 hectare volcanic island hosting only two resorts complete with dive centers.
Apo has come to be known as one of the best examples of community-organized marine sanctuaries. It took three years of communicating with the local fishermen but Dr. Alcala was successful and with the help of the Silliman University Marine Laboratory and the locals, an area 450 meters along the shoreline and 500 meters out from shore was selected in 1982. This conservation effort led the way for the creation of hundreds of marine sanctuaries in the Philippines and is proof that community driven conservation efforts really does have an impact and even though it takes some time to see that impact, it is nonetheless worth it every time.
The video above by Vimeo user Steve De Neef shows us what we could have lost in the world had Dr. Alcala’s efforts not been put in place.
Description of the video by the creator:
A short impression of the underwater world of Apo Island. Apo is one of the most successful sanctuaries in Asia, in the 80′s the reef was almost destroyed by destructive and unsustainable fishing practices. With the help of the local community, the reef has completely recovered, turtles are plentiful and the resident school of jacks has returned. Apo is a perfect example of what a marine sanctuary that’s run properly can achieve.
You can watch the original video here.
Music of the spheres | Bad Astronomy
Alex Parker is an astronomy PhD student at the University of Victoria, and had a neat idea: create music based on 241 supernovae found in a three-year-long survey of the sky. The data were from the Canada-France-Hawaii-Telescope, and he made a video of the effort:
Each note represents one of the supernovae. The volume is based on the star’s distance, and the pitch based on how long it took the supernova to rise to maximum brightness and fade away — that’s tied to the exploding star’s total energy released, and was the key factor used to discover dark energy — together, they are combined into this "Supernova Sonata". Clever, and cool.
Speaking of which, I also got an email from Mike Lemmon of Neue Music. For a website called Experience the Planets, he created music I’d characterize as "atmospheric" — more tonal and ethereal than most synth music. I happen to like this kind of stuff, and I find myself listening to his "Planets" as I’m working. It’s not for everybody, I know, but if you like that kind of thing as I do you should give it a shot.
For NJ same-sex couples, freedom to marry just a half-mile away – The Star-Ledger – NJ.com (blog)
 The Star-Ledger - NJ.com (blog) | For NJ same-sex couples, freedom to marry just a half-mile away The Star-Ledger - NJ.com (blog) Today, a number of hospitals across New Jersey deny civil union couples visitation and medical decision rights because they are not married. And a number of employers in New Jersey refuse to provide equal health benefits to their employees who are part ... |
Going back to school not so simple for some Phoenix area kids with medical … – The Republic
Going back to school not so simple for some Phoenix area kids with medical ... The Republic 1, 2010 photo provided by Cardon Children's Medical Center, Cardon Children's asthma educator Kim Reiners, right, a registered nurse, administers a breathing treatment to Kymbrea Valrey, 12, who has chronic asthma, in Mesa, Ariz. Going to school for ... |
The decline of political terrorism & the rise of religious terrorism | Gene Expression
The media has been reporting a lot about Anders Breivik. I’m curious about the tendency of some to label Breivik a “Christian Extremist”. Additionally, there is widespread repetition of the Norwegian official deeming him a “Christian fundamentalist.” I think this is wrong on the specifics, but it also goes toward the general problem of our age where we attempt to fit everything into black-white religious dichotomies. For example, “moderate Muslims” vs. “Islamists.” “Islamic extremists” vs. “Christian extremists.” Because of the salience of notionally religiously motivated Islamic militant movements there has been a shift toward reinterpreting secular nationalist terrorist movements as religious ones. For example, the attempt to frame the Irish Republican Army as Catholic terrorists, or the Tamil Tigers as Hindu terrorists (in reality, both these are nationalist movements, often with a Leftist slant). Or consider the refashioning of Tim McVeigh into a Christian terrorist when he was a lapsed Catholic at best and probably irreligious by the time of his terrorist act. This religionization of all radical movements means that people have a really hard time today digesting the fact that 19th and early 20th century anarchists who committed what seem to be patently suicidal acts were ...
Harvard Medical School Adviser: Save me from this sweaty life – Detroit Free Press
Harvard Medical School Adviser: Save me from this sweaty life Detroit Free Press QUESTION: While I don't live in a particularly hot climate, I sweat constantly. My clothes are often soaked by the end of the day. Going to a job interview or out on a date is a struggle because I'm afraid people will be put off by my sweaty palms. ... |