Monthly Archives: April 2012

Capital BlueCross Hosts Community Health Care Forums Focused on Managing Costs While Maintaining Quality

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HARRISBURG, Pa., April 24, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --Capital BlueCross is hosting community forums in central Pennsylvania and the Lehigh Valley to help the business community better address the rising cost of health care. Nationally known author, filmmaker and reporter T.R. Reid is the keynote speaker and will discuss his latest documentary: "U.S. Health Care: The Good News," which examines how some communities around America -- from big cities to rural communities -- have found ways to manage health care costs while still providing high-quality care.

Open for registration to the public, these forums will take place 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. on May 2 at ArtsQuest Center at SteelStacks in Bethlehem, and then from 8 to 11:30 a.m. on May 3 at the Hershey Lodge in Hershey.

An enlightening health care panel discussion will follow T.R. Reid's keynote address at both locations, featuring local business leaders:

Bethlehem

Hershey

"Everyone who is interested in learning how to better manage their health care costs will want to attend one of these forums and hear how the national and local experts are already doing it," said Bill Lehr, Capital BlueCross Chairman & CEO. "We have assembled a keynote speaker and a cast of panelists who are experiencing the challenges of trending costs, yet have creatively figured out how to still successfully run a business, keep employees happy and stay financially strong."

Capital BlueCross has a long history of bringing innovative programs and resources, like these forums, to its members and the community to help reduce cost, increase quality and improve satisfaction. These two forums are part of a series that have been offered to the community for the past three years.

Anyone interested in registering for one of the forums can do so by going to http://www.tfec.org and typing "health care forum" into the search feature.

The following companies have partnered with Capital BlueCross and are forum sponsors: Central Penn Business Journal, CVS Caremark, Eastern Pennsylvania Business Journal, Ethicon Endo-Surgery, Greater Lehigh Valley Chamber of Commerce, Hershey Entertainment & Resorts, Magellan Health Services, McKesson, McNees Wallace & Nurick LLC, M&T Bank, Morgan Lewis & Bockius LLP, PinnacleHealth, Sacred Heart Hospital, Saul Ewing, WITF and WLVT.

Capital BlueCross is the leading health insurer in its region, providing health insurance coverage to residents in central Pennsylvania and the Lehigh Valley.

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Capital BlueCross Hosts Community Health Care Forums Focused on Managing Costs While Maintaining Quality

The next health care overhaul? Look to employers

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(04-24) 00:00 PDT WASHINGTON (AP) --

If the Supreme Court strikes down President Barack Obama's health care law, employers and insurance companies not the government will be the main drivers of change over the next decade and maybe even longer.

They'll borrow some ideas from Obamacare, and push harder to cut costs.

Business can't and won't take care of America's 50 million uninsured, but for the majority with coverage, here's what experts say to expect:

_ Workers will bear more of their own medical costs as job coverage shifts to plans with higher deductibles, the amount you pay out of pocket each year before insurance kicks in. Traditional workplace insurance will lose ground to high-deductible plans with tax-free accounts for routine medical expenses, to which employers can contribute.

_ Increasingly, smokers will face financial penalties if they don't at least seriously try to quit. Employees with a weight problem and high cholesterol are next. They may get tagged as health risks and nudged into diet programs.

_ Some companies will keep the health care law's most popular benefit so far, coverage for adult children until they turn 26. Others will cut it to save money.

_ Workers and family members will be steered to hospitals and doctors that can prove to insurers and employers that they deliver quality care. These networks of medical providers would earn part of their fees for keeping patients as healthy as possible, similar to the "accountable care organizations" in the health care law.

_ Some workers will pick their health plans from a private insurance exchange, another similarity to Obama's law. They'll get fixed payments from their employers to choose from four levels of coverage: platinum, gold, silver and bronze. Those who pick rich benefits would pay more. It's an approach that Rep. Paul Ryan, R-Wis., the GOP budget leader, also wants to try with Medicare.

"Employers had been the major force driving health care change in this country up until the passage of health reform," said Tom Billet, a senior benefits consultant with Towers Watson, which advises major companies. "If Obamacare disappears ... we go back to square one. We still have a major problem in this country with very expensive health care."

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The next health care overhaul? Look to employers

Medical Centers Lead Workplace Wellness Effort

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CARY, N.C.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

The CEOs of national hospitals and health care centers are leading by example when it comes to promoting workplace wellness and encouraging healthier behavior. The CEO Roundtable on Cancer recently accredited Scottsdale Healthcare (www.shc.org) of Scottsdale, Arizona and Northern Westchester Hospital (www.nwhc.net) of Mt. Kisco, New York, as CEO Cancer Gold Standard employers, recognizing their efforts to reduce the risk of cancer for their employees and covered family members by promoting healthy lifestyle choices, encouraging early detection through cancer screenings, and ensuring access to quality treatment.

Christopher A. Viehbacher, chief executive officer of Sanofi, chairs the CEO Roundtable on Cancer, the nonprofit organization of cancer-fighting CEOs who created the CEO Cancer Gold Standard, in collaboration with the National Cancer Institute, many of its designated cancer centers, and leading health non-profit organizations and professionals. Today, more 3 million employees and family members are benefiting from the vision and leadership of the more than 120 employers who have chosen to become Gold Standard accredited.

We are pleased to recognize the efforts of these leading medical centers, said Viehbacher. Health care CEOs see firsthand the benefit that improved workplace health and wellness can have in cancer prevention and improved overall health. I hope their commitment will encourage other employers across all industries and geographies to become Gold Standard accredited.

The CEO Cancer Gold Standard calls for organizations to evaluate their health benefits and corporate culture and take extensive, concrete actions in five key areas of health and wellness to fight cancer in the workplace. To earn Gold Standard accreditation, a company must establish programs to reduce cancer risk by discouraging tobacco use; encouraging physical activity; promoting healthy diet and nutrition; detecting cancer at its earliest stages; and providing access to quality care, including participation in clinical trials.

In addition to the National Cancer Institute (NCI) and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), twelve NCI-designated cancer centers and more than 30 other hospitals and medical centers have earned Gold Standard accreditation. CEOs from across industries are keenly aware of the tremendous impact they can have in improving health, controlling health care costs and making a difference beyond their organizations walls in the fight against cancer and other chronic diseases. Other Gold Standard employers include insurers like Aetna, Cigna, State Farm and several Blue Cross affiliates; law firms, such as Hogan Lovells and Jenner + Block; technology companies such as Dell and SAS Institute; institutes of higher education and a range of leading employers including American Century Investments, Johnson & Johnson and Lowes.

About The CEO Roundtable on Cancer

The CEO Roundtable on Cancer was founded in 2001, when former President George H.W. Bush challenged a group of executives to "do something bold and venturesome about cancer within your own corporate families." The CEOs responded by creating and encouraging the widespread adoption of the CEO Cancer Gold Standard which calls for organizations to evaluate their health benefits and workplace culture and take extensive, concrete actions in five key areas of health and wellness to fight cancer in the workplace. For more information on the CEO Cancer Gold Standard and the web-based accreditation process and support, please visit http://www.CancerGoldStandard.org.

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Immigration Fight Echoes Health-Care Case at High Court

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By Greg Stohr - Wed Apr 25 04:01:00 GMT 2012

Activists opposed to Arizona's S.B. 1070 law, paint a banner at the Puenta Movement office in Phoenix, on April 24, 2012.

The U.S. Supreme Court will hear echoes of its health-care arguments as it reviews Arizonas illegal-immigrant crackdown, a law that inspired similar moves across the country and sparked a confrontation with President Barack Obama.

Like last months debate over health care, the immigration case set for argument today pits the federal government against the states over their respective spheres of power. Politics envelops the case, with Republican-controlled states backing Arizona against the Obama administration.

The case has all the ingredients of important law, important federalism principles and hot politics, said Steven Schwinn, a constitutional law professor at John Marshall Law School in Chicago.

The case will define states role on an issue some of them say has become a crisis: the presence of more than 10 million unauthorized aliens in this country. Arizonas law, the first of its kind, would require police to check the status of people they suspect are in the U.S. illegally, and to arrest those they believe are eligible to be deported. The case may affect laws in Alabama, South Carolina, Georgia, Utah and Indiana.

Unlike health care, the administration is on offense in the immigration case, challenging four provisions in the Arizona law. Government lawyers say S.B. 1070, as the law is known, encroaches on the exclusive federal right to set immigration policy.

The federal government has the ultimate authority to regulate the treatment of aliens while on American soil because it is the nation as a whole -- not any single state -- that must respond to the international consequences of such treatment, U.S. Solicitor General Donald Verrilli argued in court papers.

Verrilli will be making his first appearance before the justices since he argued the health-care case in March. He again will square off against Paul Clement, a Washington lawyer who represented 26 states challenging the health-care law and will be defending the Arizona immigration measure today.

Arizonas law would require police officers to check immigration status when they arrest or stop someone and have reasonable suspicion that the person is in the U.S. illegally. It would authorize officers to arrest anyone they have probable cause to believe is eligible to be deported.

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Immigration Fight Echoes Health-Care Case at High Court

Global Managed Health Care Services Industry

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NEW YORK, April 24, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Reportlinker.com announces that a new market research report is available in its catalogue:

Global Managed Health Care Services Industry

http://www.reportlinker.com/p0155035/Global-Managed-Health-Care-Services-Industry.html#utm_source=prnewswire&utm_medium=pr&utm_campaign=Managed_c

The global outlook series on Managed Health Care Services provides anecdotes, market briefs, and concise summaries of research findings. The report analyzes the growth drivers and market challenges, and reviews the noteworthy strategic corporate activity of the recent past. The report also discusses various types of managed care organizations and programs. A detailed review of the United States market is provided in the report, along with brief discussions on European, Australian and Hong Kong markets among others. Also included is an indexed, easy-to-refer, fact-finder directory listing the addresses, and contact details of 262 companies worldwide.

1. INDUSTRY OVERVIEW 1

Market Overview 1

Quick Facts 1

Managed Care Market Recovers from Recession 2

Factors Impacting Managed Care Market 2

Managed Care Organizations - Impediments and Drivers 2

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Global Managed Health Care Services Industry

Dan Morain: Nurses union puts politics ahead of health

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State Sen. Lois Wolk wants to encourage not require that health care workers get annual flu vaccinations if they come into contact with patients in hospitals and nursing homes.

No right-thinking person could possibly oppose her legislation. But in our dysfunctional Capitol, public health has become a contested issue. Too often, lobbyists place the interests of the organizations they represent ahead of what's best for the rest of us.

Wolk's main opposition doesn't come from conservatives who want nothing to do with government. It comes from unions, specifically those that represent nurses and health care workers.

Bonnie Castillo, the California Nurses Association's chief lobbyist, made a point of telling me that the union "highly recommends that all nurses receive vaccinations."

But Castillo says Wolk's bill steps on workers' rights, or at least bargaining rights, by requiring that health care workers wear surgical masks if they refuse to get flu shots.

In her view, there are many reasons not to wear masks. They're uncomfortable to wear. They might scare patients who might why the nurse is wearing one. Being required to wear a mask is like a "Scarlet Letter," Castillo said.

"What's really problematic is if you're punitive and require nurses to wear a Scarlet Letter, which divulges private health information," Castillo said. To which Wolk replied that Nathaniel Hawthorne would be insulted that the title of his great 19th-century novel had been so badly mangled and misused.

"They should be embarrassed," the Davis Democrat said.

In a concession to labor, California public health authorities already offer health care workers a form in which they can check off reasons why they are refusing vaccination.

They can check a box that says they have a religious objection. OK.

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Dan Morain: Nurses union puts politics ahead of health

Genetic test for left-sided displacement of the abomasum (LDA)

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23.04.2012 - (idw) Stiftung Tierrztliche Hochschule Hannover

Hannover Veterinary University Scientists sequenced the complete motilin gene in German Holstein cows Left-sided displacement of the abomasum (LDA) is an economically important disease in Holstein dairy cattle populations all over the world. The bovine abomasum is the equivalent to the stomach in monogastric species and its pathologic displacement is usually preceded by bloating due to reduced gastrointestinal contractions. Over the past 50 years, the incidence of LDA has considerably increased. Despite surgical veterinary treatments, LDA affected cows show a long convalescence.

Scientists of the Institute for Animal Breeding and Genetics at the University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover Foundation in cooperation with the clinic for cattle of Hannover and the Clinic for Ruminants and Swine, Faculty for Veterinary Medicine at the Justus-Liebig-University Giessen, sequenced the complete motilin gene in German Holstein cows. They identified a single nucleotide polymorphism showing significant association with LDA and affecting a transcription factor binding site. An expression study gave evidence of a significantly decreased motilin expression in cows carrying the mutant allele. The study indicates motilin to be involved in the etiopathogenesis of LDA in German Holstein cattle. It provides a first step towards the understanding of the genetics of LDA and may be of use for investigating gastric motility disorders in other species.

Scientific Contact:

Prof. Dr. Ottmar Distl Dr. Stefanie Mmke University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover Institute for Animal Breeding and Genetics Tel.: +49 511 953-8876 ottmar.distl@tiho-hannover.de stefanie.moemke@tiho-hannover.de jQuery(document).ready(function($) { $("fb_share").attr("share_url") = encodeURIComponent(window.location); });

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Pathway Genomics Adds Prominent Bioinformatics Experts to Scientific Advisory Board

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SAN DIEGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

Pathway Genomics Corporation, a genetic testing laboratory specializing in nutrition and exercise response, inherited disease, prescription drug response and health condition risks, has established a world-leading scientific advisory board. Among the board members are James Fowler, Ph.D., professor of medical genetics at UCSD School of Medicine, Christoph Lange, Ph.D., associate professor of biostatistics at Harvard University School of Public Health, and Nicholas Schork, Ph.D., director of bioinformatics and biostatistics at the Scripps Translational Science Institute.

Additionally, the companys internal computational and bioinformatics team is led by Lixin Zhou, Ph.D., former senior scientist at Illumina and former collaborative bioinformatics investigator at The Institute for Genomic Research, an organization of The J. Craig Venter Institute.

Working with innovators in specific and technical fields helps Pathway bring highly accurate, useful and actionable information to physicians and their patients, said Michael Nova, M.D., Pathway Genomics chief medical officer. Were committed to seeking out this actionable genetic information through computational biology methods, and cloud-based bioinformatics.

An acclaimed behavioral geneticist, James Fowler, Ph.D., is currently a professor of medical genetics at UCSD School of Medicine, and is world-renowned for his breakthrough discoveries in genetics and social networking, behavioral economics, cooperation, and political behavior.

Christoph Lange, Ph.D., is an assistant professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School and an associate professor of biostatistics at Harvard School of Public Health. Langes current research interests fall into the broad areas of statistical genetics and generalized linear models.

Nicholas J. Schork, Ph.D., is a professor at The Scripps Research Institute in the department of molecular and experimental medicine and director of bioinformatics and biostatistics at the Scripps Translational Science Institute. Schorks research focuses are in quantitative human genetics and integrated approaches to complex biological and medical problems. He has published over 350 scientific articles and book chapters analyzing complex, multifactorial traits and diseases.

Pathways scientific advisory board consists of 10 leaders in various fields including behavioral genetics, bioinformatics, biostatistics, endocrinology, human epigenetics, metabolism, nutrigenomics, nutrition, obesity and exercise genetics, oncology, and weight management. To view the companys full scientific advisory board, visit http://www.pathway.com/sab.

About Pathway Genomics

Pathway Genomics owns and operates an on-site genetic testing laboratory that is accredited by the College of American Pathologists (CAP), accredited in accordance with the U.S. Health and Human Services Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments (CLIA) of 1988, and licensed by the state of California. Using only a saliva sample, the company incorporates customized and scientifically validated technologies to generate personalized reports, which address a variety of medical issues, including an individuals carrier status for recessive genetic conditions, food metabolism and exercise response, prescription drug response, and propensity to develop certain diseases such as heart disease, type 2 diabetes and cancer. For more information about Pathway Genomics, visit http://www.pathway.com.

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Genetic Associations with Concussions Discussed by AMSSM Researcher

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Newswise ATLANTA, Ga. Thomas R. Terrell, MD presented Prospective Cohort Study of the Association of Genetic Polymorphisms and Concussion Risk and Postconcussion Neurocognitive Deficits in College Athletes at the 21st American Medical Society for Sports Medicine Annual Meeting in Atlanta, Ga. on April 23, 2012.

A multi-center prospective cohort study of over 3,200 college and high school athletes was designed to look at the association of genetic polymorphisms with risk of acute concussion and for an associative link with longer duration of symptoms. Following analysis trying to link certain genetic polymorpisms, those evaluated did not show an association with prospective concussions, although some association was found in a pooled analysis of self-reported and prospective concussions.

Dr. Terrell, a two-time AMSSM Foundation Research Award winner, commented, Although we did not find an association of these genetic factors in association prospectively with concussions, the next segment of our research is to evaluate other genetic factors, particularly for associations with severe or recurrent concussions. He was optimistic about possible associations and said, As we look at further data and expand our numbers of concussions included in the study, part of the Tau gene and other genetic polymorphisms have a link in explaining neurocognitive recovery

The AMSSM annual conference features lectures and research addressing the most challenging topics in sports medicine today including prevention of sudden death, cardiovascular issues in athletes, concussion, biologic therapies, and other controversies facing the field of sports medicine.

More than 1,200 sports medicine physicians from across the United States and 12 countries around the world are attending the meeting.

Dr. Terrell is an Associate Professor at the University of Tennessee Graduate School of Medicine and holds a Certificate of Added Qualification in Sports Medicine.

The AMSSM is a multi-disciplinary organization of sports medicine physicians whose members are dedicated to education, research, advocacy, and the care of athletes of all ages. Founded in 1991, the AMSSM is now comprised of more than 2,000 sports medicine physicians whose goal is to provide a link between the rapidly expanding core of knowledge related to sports medicine and its application to patients in a clinical setting.

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CAM therapy combined with conventional medical care may improve treatment of lower back pain

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Public release date: 24-Apr-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Vicki Cohn vcohn@liebertpub.com 914-740-2100 Mary Ann Liebert, Inc./Genetic Engineering News

New Rochelle, NY, April 23, 2012 Nearly 8 of 10 Americans will experience lower back pain at some time in their lives. Persistent low back pain is a common, incapacitating, costly, and difficult to treat condition. Many patients might benefit significantly from an individualized, multidisciplinary, team-based model of care that includes access to licensed complementary care practitioners (e.g., chiropractors, massage therapists, and acupuncturists) in addition to conventional care providers, as demonstrated in a study published in The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine, a peer-reviewed journal from Mary Ann Liebert, Inc. The article, "A Model of Integrative Care for Low-Back Pain," is available free on The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine website at http://www.liebertpub.com.acm.

David M. Eisenberg, MD, and colleagues from Harvard Medical School and Brigham and Women's Hospital (Boston, MA), Group Health Research Institute (Seattle, WA), and Brown University (Providence, RI), compared conventional therapy alonedefined as "usual care"to the combination of an integrated program of complementary and alternative medical (CAM) therapies plus usual care. They report significant differences between the two randomized patient groups in outcomes which included pain, functional status, and difficulty performing routine, self-identified challenging activities.

CAM therapies were provided by a trained team of healthcare practitioners and included acupuncture, chiropractic, massage therapy, occupational therapy, physical therapy, mind-body techniques, and nutritional counseling. Usual care consisted of treatments provided by subjects' primary care physicians and typically included non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDS), physical therapy and bed rest as needed, education, and changes in activity levels.

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About the Journal

The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine is a monthly peer-reviewed journal publishing observational, clinical, and scientific reports and commentary intended to help healthcare professionals and scientists evaluate and integrate therapies into patient care protocols and research strategies. Complete tables of content and a sample issue may be viewed on The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine website at http://www.liebertpub.com.acm.

About the Company

Mary Ann Liebert, Inc. is a privately held, fully integrated media company known for establishing authoritative peer-reviewed journals in many promising areas of science and biomedical research, including Alternative and Complementary Therapies, Medical Acupuncture, and Journal of Medicinal Food. Its biotechnology trade magazine, Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology News (GEN), was the first in its field and is today the industry's most widely read publication worldwide. A complete list of the firm's 70 journals, books, and newsmagazines is available on the Mary Ann Liebert, Inc. website at http://www.liebertpub.com.

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CAM therapy combined with conventional medical care may improve treatment of lower back pain

Can video games promote healthier aging?

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Public release date: 23-Apr-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Vicki Cohn vcohn@liebertpub.com 914-740-2100 x2156 Mary Ann Liebert, Inc./Genetic Engineering News

New Rochelle, NY, April 23, 2012-- Videogame technology is proving to be a valuable tool for helping people of all ages improve lifestyle and health habits and manage disease. New research is showing that exergames have significant benefits for older adults by providing cognitive stimulation and a source of social interaction, exercise, and fun. Thus, the games help them to lead fuller, more independent lives for a longer time, according to two articles in Games for Health Journal, a new bimonthly peer-reviewed publication from Mary Ann Liebert, Inc. The articles are available free on the Games for Health Journal website.

"The elderly often forsake their lifelong activities in exchange for the safety, security, and care of institutional living," says Editor-in-Chief Bill Ferguson, PhD. "This trade-off need not require the sacrifice of physical activity and fitness. Furthermore, videogames offer an escape from routine. All of these benefits can improve the well-being of elderly adults."

Digital games offer a home-based method to support behavior modification, motivating patients to take better care of themselves and to self-mange chronic conditions. Recommendations for how to use and integrate videogame technology in the rehabilitation and training of older adults are presented in the review article "Interactive Videogame Technologies to Support Independence in the Elderly." Videogames offer a good alternative to traditional forms of aerobic exercise, according to the authors, Hannah Marston, PhD, German Sport University Cologne, Germany, and Stuart Smith, PhD, Neuroscience Research, Randwick, New South Wales, Australia.

Another article in the issue describes a study performed in three European countries that defined and compared the specific features of videogames that would most interest older adults. Unai Diaz-Orueta, PhD, Matia Gerontological Institute Foundation-INGEMA (Donostia-San Sebastian, Spain), and colleagues from Spain, The Netherlands, and Greece identified several main factors that motivate interest in gaming: the social aspect of the experience; the challenge it presents; the combination of cognitive and physical activity; and the ability to gain specific skills as a result of gaming. They present their findings in the article entitled "What is the Key for Older People to Show Interest in Playing Digital Learning Games? Initial Qualitative Findings from the LEAGE Project on a Multicultural European Sample."

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About the Journal

Games for Health Journal breaks new ground as the first to address this emerging and increasingly important area of health care. The Journal provides a bimonthly forum in print and online for academic and clinical researchers, game designers and developers, health care providers, insurers, and information technology leaders. Articles in the Journal explore the use of game technology in a wide variety of clinical applications in disease prevention, promotion, and monitoring, including nutrition, weight management, medication adherence, diabetes monitoring, post-traumatic stress disorder, Alzheimer's, and cognitive, mental, emotional, and behavioral health.

About the Publisher

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James A. Shapiro: Natural Genetic Engineering and Natural Selection: Perplexing Delusions of Certain Neo-Darwinist …

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In my last blog, I received repeated accusations of being "anti-evolution" from John Kwok and Keith Roragen. These accusations puzzled me, and I tried to explain why I was puzzled in my online answers to them. But they continued to insist.

My basic argument on the blog (and in my book) was the following: We need to pay far more attention to non-random cell-mediated genome change ("natural genetic engineering") in evolution.

Here's what John Kwok said:

And here's what Keith Roragen said:

Both John and Keith invoked natural selection and population genetics in a way that makes no logical sense. They seemed to believe that incanting "natural selection" would somehow invalidate what I said about the importance of natural genetic engineering. (Readers are invited to dig out the full exchanges and judge for themselves.)

The Jerry Coyne statement that John quoted does not even make sense within the context of the neo-Darwinian Modern Synthesis. Population geneticists recognize the need to use "mutation rates" and recombination events (i.e., genome changes) to generate new allelic variants and combinations as the raw material for selection. There is no way that natural selection can substitute for natural genetic engineering; by definition, it can only work after heritable change has occurred.

Keith simply sticks his head in the sand and introduces stubborn ignorance in place of explanation.

It is difficult to imagine how evolution could occur without genome change according to virtually any theory. Perhaps a purely neo-Lamarckian process, depending exclusively on epigenetic modifications, might conceivably generate heritable (and hence selectable) organism change without alterations to DNA sequences. But I do not think this is what my antagonists had in mind.

The curious responses to my position exposed a fundamental difference in understanding of biological functions between molecular geneticists and these particular proponents of population genetics. Because I can only speak for the molecular side, let me elaborate. I will leave it to John, Keith, and Jerry to explain their assertions.

Molecular geneticists recognize the essential roles of genome structures and multi-molecular networks for cell activities and for morphogenesis.

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Fish Glow Green After Genetic Engineering

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A genetically engineered fish that glows green from the inside out is helping illuminate what pollutants do inside the body.

Endocrine disruptors aresubstances found in a wide range of industrial products, including plastics, as well as in many femalecontraceptives.

The chemicals mimic the actions of sexual hormones, resulting in various reproductive problems in both people and animals. Previous research has shown the chemicals cause fish to change gender, and in people, endocrine disruptors have been associated with lower sperm counts and breast and testicular cancers.

Yet scientists have had difficulty tracking what endocrine disruptors do inside a person or an animal's body. So a team genetically engineered zebrafish to glow in places where an endocrine-disrupting chemical is presentand thus show where it may be harming the body.

"We've essentially put genetic elements within the fish, over time, that are specifically designed to identify where the chemicals penetrate and act within the body," said study leader Charles Tyler at the U.K.'s University of Exeter.

"This genetic machinery produces proteins which don't interfere with the way these chemicals act in the body, but they fluoresce green under a fluorescent microscope, providing a reporting system to identify which body tissues are being affected.

"This, in turn provides a more 'intelligent' way of identifying where the [pollutants'] potential health impacts might be" in people.

(See "Glowing Animals: Beasts Shining for Science.")

Glowing Fish Confirm Past Findings

Tyler and team exposed the zebrafish to varying levels of chemicals known to affect the hormone estrogen, including ethinyloestradiol, found in contraceptive pills; nonylphenol, present in paints and industrial detergents; and bisphenol A (BPA), a component of many plastics.

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Fish Glow Green After Genetic Engineering

Research and Markets: Recent Advances in Cancer Research and Therapy – Increased Research on one of the Major Causes …

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DUBLIN--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

Research and Markets (http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/msjp88/recent_advances_in) has announced the addition of Elsevier Science and Technology's new report "Recent Advances in Cancer Research and Therapy" to their offering.

Cancer continues to be one of the major causes of death throughout the developed world, which has led to increased research on effective treatments. Because of this, in the past decade, rapid progress in the field of cancer treatment has been seen. Recent Advances in Cancer Research and Therapy reviews in specific details some of the most effective and promising treatments developed in research centers worldwide. While referencing advances in traditional therapies and treatments such as chemotherapy, this book also highlights advances in biotherapy including research using Interferon and Super Interferon, HecI based and liposome based therapy, gene therapy, and p53 based cancer therapy. There is also a discussion of current cancer research in China including traditional Chinese medicine. Written by leading scientists in the field, this book provides an essential insight into the current state of cancer therapy and treatment.

Key Topics Covered:

1. Biotherapy of Cancer: Progress in China

2. Cancer Targeting Gene-Viro-Therapy (CTGVT) and Its Promising Future

3. Relationship Between Antiproliferative Activities and Class I MHC Surface Expression of Mouse Interferon Proteins on B16-F10 Melanoma Cells

4. Mitotic Regulator Hec1 as a Potential Target for Developing Breast Cancer Therapeutics

5. Advances in Liposome-based Targeted Gene Therapy of Cancer

6. Re-wiring the Intracellular Signaling Network in Cancer

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Research and Markets: Recent Advances in Cancer Research and Therapy - Increased Research on one of the Major Causes ...

Healthcare Futurist Jack Uldrich to Address Four Hospital Associations

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Acclaimed healthcare futurist and best-selling author, Jack Uldrich has been selected to deliver four keynote presentations to the Utah, Maryland, Maine and Mississippi Hospital Association's in the coming months. Uldrich will focus on future trends in healthcare as well as discuss the need for "unlearning."Minneapolis, MN (PRWEB) April 24, 2012 Popular keynote speaker, healthcare futurist, and ...

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Healthcare Futurist Jack Uldrich to Address Four Hospital Associations

Ten Years Before the Blog: 2003-2004 [Uncertain Principles]

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The schedule called for this to appear last Friday, but as I was just back from a funeral, yeah, not so much. I had already gone through and bookmarked a whole slew of old posts, though, so here's a recap of the 2003-2004 blogademic year (starting and ending in late June).

This year saw a few milestones, though not quite as many as the previous year. I got a grant, passed my third-year reappointment review (the first big hurdle on the way to tenure), and we had a visiting speaker from Yale one week who mentioned in passing an idea that became central to my research program.

Probably the most significant milestone, though it didn't necessarily seem that way at the time, was when we adopted Emmy. If you've read How to Teach Physics to Your Dog, the Introduction includes a dog dialogue sitting on a bench at the Mohawk-Hudson Humane Society, which is, in fact, where I made the decision to take her home. Which has paid off far more literally than I ever would've guessed. As a bonus, this year also includes the very first conversation with Emmy on the blog, though it took a different form than the conversations that would eventually become (nerd) famous.

Other notable posts from the year include:

PHYSICS:

It's interesting to me that already, only a year into the blog's existence, there's a dramatic drop-off in the number of meaty physics posts, particularly during the academic year. I had thought that I was a little more consistent back in the day, and only started to feel a major crunch more recently. That's not the case, though-- I was posting apologetic notes about not having time to do physics posts all the way back in 2003.

There were a couple of notable spurts of physics activity, the first surrounding a now discredited claim to have detected a "pentaquark" particle at Jefferson Lab. Our newly hired department chair was part of one of the JLab collaborations, so we talked about it a bit, and I wrote up the experiment over a series of posts spanning a month. The specific result is no longer valid, but I think the description of how things work in particle physics experiments is still pretty decent.

The other protracted series of posts was a long discussion of space flight issues, which shades toward politics in a bunch of places. Again, while some of the details are no longer relevant, I still broadly agree with the general ideas.

The other particularly notable physics item that I had nearly forgotten about was the Afshar experiment, which claimed to be able to detect both which slit a photon went through and the double-slit interference pattern produced in the process. This generated a good deal of discussion at the time, but has since sunk with little trace. It did eventually lead to a research article, but its bolder claims haven't really held up.

Other odds and ends about physics: some thoughts about inertial frames, some stuff about quantum interpretations, some quantum misconceptions, and some thoughts about narrative. It's interesting to see that these contain bits and pieces that I would end up using in my two books, without consciously remembering that I had written about this stuff before. It's a little easier to understand some of the high-profile academics caught self-plagiarizing their own books, now...

The rest is here:

Ten Years Before the Blog: 2003-2004 [Uncertain Principles]

Wonkbook: Obama and Romney agree on student loans. But where's Congress?

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Here's a lede I don't get to write every day: President Obama and Mitt Romney actually agree on something. Something fairly big. And yet, it still may not happen.

In file picture, students attend graduation ceremonies at the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa, Ala. (Butch Dill - AP) In 2007, Congress passed the College Cost Reduction and Access Act, which lowered the interest rate on federal student loans from 6.8 percent to 3.4 percent. But the law was temporary: It expires this July. Obama wants to extend it. The difference for a student using the loans is about $1,000. On Monday, Romney said he would like to extend it, too. The question is, will Congress cooperate?

I asked Boehner spokesman Michael Steel whether House Republicans thought they could get this done. The rising cost of tuition is a serious problem for students and their families, so its unfortunate that Washington Democrats put in place a law that would double student loan rates," he e-mailed back. "Thats why Republicans and Democrats on both sides of Capitol Hill will be working on this issue in the coming months.

I'll take that as a "maybe" on the question I asked, and a "definitely not" on the question I didn't ask ("Do Republicans think House Democrats did a good job in 2007?").

The issues, as with most anything in Washington, is offsets. Extending the program for one year would cost $6 billion. Greg Sargent notes that you could cover the whole thing by passing the Buffett Rule, but I think it's fair to say House Republicans wouldn't find that a satisfying answer. The question is whether they've got any ideas the Democrats can accept. Remember that this is one of those situations in which a simple failure to agree creates a legislative outcome: The law expires and federal student loan rates double overnight.

And this would be a very strange time to cut back on efforts to make college affordable. Over the ;ast few years, states have jacked up tuition in order to make it through the recession. That's made it tougher for students to afford college even as it's becoming more important for them to go there. "In the last 30 years, the typical college tuition has tripled," writes Derek Thompson. "But over the exact same period, the earnings gap between college-educated adults and high school graduates has also tripled. In 1979, the wage difference was 75%. In 2003, it was 230%."

We've got a lot of questionable priorities in this country. But helping kids afford higher education really isn't one of them. That's why this is, as far as I can tell, the first legislative issue of the campaign in which Obama and Romney have actually agreed. The question is whether that'll be enough.

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Top stories

1) Romney and Obama actually agree on something. "Obama is making a full-court press this week to extend low rates on government-subsidized student loans through next year, with stops at universities in North Carolina, Colorado and Iowa over the next several days. On Monday, Romney announced that he also supported the measure even though some Republican lawmakers have opposed it -- marking one of the first significant policies on which the two can agree...The debate over what to do about the nations $1 trillion in student loan debt speaks directly to all of those concerns. Many graduates have struggled to find jobs in the tight labor market -- and have fallen behind on their college loans in the process. Another study by Pew found that those debts have made it harder for many young people to buy a home and have affected their career choices. That has prompted rallies at college campuses across the country calling for an extension of low interest rates on federally subsidized Stafford loans." Ylan Mui and Felicia Sonmez in The Washington Post.

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Wonkbook: Obama and Romney agree on student loans. But where's Congress?