Monthly Archives: May 2012

Shocking Technologies Raises Additional $10.5 Million From Circuit Protection Leader Littelfuse

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SAN JOSE, CA--(Marketwire -05/21/12)- Shocking Technologies, Inc., the developer of the Voltage Switchable Dielectric (VSD) material, a breakthrough patented polymer nano-composite for protecting electronic products from electrostatic discharge (ESD), today announced it has raised $10.5 million. The lead investor is Littelfuse, Inc. (LFUS), which had also participated in a prior strategic investment round last year. To date, Shocking Technologies has raised over $60 million in investment capital, and will use the latest funding to drive and meet global demand for its innovative VSD solution.

Shocking Technologies' XStatic material is a polymer nano-composite that functions substantially as an insulator (dielectric) during normal circuit operation and becomes substantially conductive when the voltage increases beyond a predefined threshold. The XStatic material reverts back to behaving substantially as an insulator after the voltage drops back below the threshold to normal operating levels. The net result is that when the XStatic material is incorporated in a PCB or package substrate, damaging ESD voltages and currents can be routed to ground or to other predetermined locations so that elements, circuits, components and devices can be effectively protected against ESD events. The XStatic material comes with the accompanying software analysis tools.

"We continue to be very pleased with the results OEMs and PCB manufacturers are seeing with this product," said Gordon Hunter, Chief Executive Officer of Littelfuse. "We believe that the XStatic material is a potentially disruptive technology that provides some very interesting opportunities for the future of circuit protection and addressing the ESD challenge most electronics companies face."

"The company has made great strides in making our ESD solution a predictable and reliable way to offer better ESD protection faster and cheaper, making it ideal for a broad range of consumer applications and sub systems. Through the combination of the unique properties of our VSD material and our robust suite of design and analysis tools, customers are seeing the benefits we can bring from both the standpoint of reduced time-to-market and bill-of-materials," said Lex Kosowsky, President and CEO of Shocking Technologies. "We are pleased with the confidence Littelfuse, as an industry leader in this area, continues to have in us and we value their ongoing input into the strategy of the company."

About Shocking TechnologiesFounded in 2006, Shocking Technologies offers an innovative solution to protecting electronic products in the handheld, cell phone, LCD display, memory and other markets from the harmful effects of electrostatic discharge (ESD). Its patented Voltage Switchable Dielectric (VSD) polymer nano-composite material, XStatic, can be applied to PCB and package substrates, and coupled with Shocking's advanced design and simulation technologies provides the industry's only embedded solution capable of up to 100% protection against ESD. The ease of implementation and comprehensive coverage of the XStatic solution also lowers development time and costs and reduces product design size by eliminating less effective components traditionally used to protect devices against ESD effects. The company has more than 180 patents and applications worldwide and has licensed numerous additional licensed patents and applications. Shocking Technologies is a privately held company with investments from ARCH Venture Partners, ATA Ventures, Skylake Incuvest, Vista Ventures, Balch Hill Capital, Littelfuse, Inc., and a limited number of private investors. For more information, go to http://www.shockingtechnologies.com

About LittelfuseFounded in 1927, Littelfuse, Inc., the worldwide leader in circuit protection, offers the industry's broadest and deepest portfolio of circuit protection products and solutions. Littelfuse devices protect products in virtually every market that uses electrical energy, from consumer electronics to automobiles to industrial equipment. In addition to its Chicago, Illinois world headquarters, Littelfuse has more than 30 sales, distribution, manufacturing and engineering facilities in the Americas, Europe and Asia. Technologies offered by Littelfuse include Fuses; Gas Discharge Tubes (GDTs); Positive Temperature Coefficient Devices (PTCs); Protection Relays; PulseGuard ESD Suppressors; SIDACtor Devices; TVS Diode Arrays (SPA Family of Products); Switching Thyristors; TVS Diodes and Varistors. The company also offers a comprehensive line of highly reliable Electromechanical and Electronic Switch and Control Devices for commercial and specialty vehicles, as well as underground Power Distribution Centers for safe control and distribution of electricity in mining operations. For more information, please visit Littelfuse's Web site at littelfuse.com.

Voltage Switchable Dielectric, XStatic, and the Shocking Technologies name and logo are trademarks of Shocking Technologies, Inc. All other trademarks referred to are property of their respective owners.

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Shocking Technologies Raises Additional $10.5 Million From Circuit Protection Leader Littelfuse

Hydrogen Controls Chemical Structure of Graphene Oxide

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Newswise A new study shows that the availability of hydrogen plays a significant role in determining the chemical and structural makeup of graphene oxide, a material that has potential uses in nano-electronics, nano-electromechanical systems, sensing, composites, optics, catalysis and energy storage.

The study also found that after the material is produced, its structural and chemical properties continue to evolve for more than a month as a result of continuing chemical reactions with hydrogen.

Understanding the properties of graphene oxide and how to control them is important to realizing potential applications for the material. To make it useful for nano-electronics, for instance, researchers must induce both an electronic band gap and structural order in the material. Controlling the amount of hydrogen in graphene oxide may be the key to manipulating the material properties.

Graphene oxide is a very interesting material because its mechanical, optical and electronic properties can be controlled using thermal or chemical treatments to alter its structure, said Elisa Riedo, an associate professor in the School of Physics at the Georgia Institute of Technology. But before we can get the properties we want, we need to understand the factors that control the materials structure. This study provides information about the role of hydrogen in the reduction of graphene oxide at room temperature.

The research, which studied graphene oxide produced from epitaxial graphene, was reported on May 6 in the journal Nature Materials. The research was sponsored by the National Science Foundation, the Materials Research Science and Engineering Center (MRSEC) at Georgia Tech, and by the U.S. Department of Energy.

Graphene oxide is formed through the use of chemical and thermal processes that mainly add two oxygen-containing functional groups to the lattice of carbon atoms that make up graphene: epoxide and hydroxyl species. The Georgia Tech researchers began their studies with multilayer expitaxial graphene grown atop a silicon carbide wafer, a technique pioneered by Walt de Heer and his research group at Georgia Tech. Their samples included an average of ten layers of graphene.

After oxidizing the thin films of graphene using the established Hummers method, the researchers examined their samples using X-ray photo-emission spectroscopy (XPS). Over about 35 days, they noticed the number of epoxide functional groups declining while the number of hydroxyl groups increased slightly. After about three months, the ratio of the two groups finally reached equilibrium.

We found that the material changed by itself at room temperature without any external stimulation, said Suenne Kim, a postdoctoral fellow in Riedos laboratory. The degree to which it was unstable at room temperature was surprising.

Curious about what might be causing the changes, Riedo and Kim took their measurements to Angelo Bongiorno, an assistant professor who studies computational materials chemistry in Georgia Techs School of Chemistry and Biochemistry. Bongiorno and graduate student Si Zhou studied the changes using density functional theory, which suggested that hydrogen could be combining with oxygen in the functional groups to form water. That would favor a reduction in the epoxide groups, which is what Riedo and Kim were seeing experimentally.

Elisas group was doing experimental measurements, while we were doing theoretical calculations, Bongiorno said. We combined our information to come up with the idea that maybe there was hydrogen involved.

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Hydrogen Controls Chemical Structure of Graphene Oxide

Availability of hydrogen controls chemical structure of graphene oxide

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ScienceDaily (May 22, 2012) A new study shows that the availability of hydrogen plays a significant role in determining the chemical and structural makeup of graphene oxide, a material that has potential uses in nano-electronics, nano-electromechanical systems, sensing, composites, optics, catalysis and energy storage.

The study also found that after the material is produced, its structural and chemical properties continue to evolve for more than a month as a result of continuing chemical reactions with hydrogen.

Understanding the properties of graphene oxide -- and how to control them -- is important to realizing potential applications for the material. To make it useful for nano-electronics, for instance, researchers must induce both an electronic band gap and structural order in the material. Controlling the amount of hydrogen in graphene oxide may be the key to manipulating the material properties.

"Graphene oxide is a very interesting material because its mechanical, optical and electronic properties can be controlled using thermal or chemical treatments to alter its structure," said Elisa Riedo, an associate professor in the School of Physics at the Georgia Institute of Technology. "But before we can get the properties we want, we need to understand the factors that control the material's structure. This study provides information about the role of hydrogen in the reduction of graphene oxide at room temperature."

The research, which studied graphene oxide produced from epitaxial graphene, was reported on May 6 in the journal Nature Materials. The research was sponsored by the National Science Foundation, the Materials Research Science and Engineering Center (MRSEC) at Georgia Tech, and by the U.S. Department of Energy.

Graphene oxide is formed through the use of chemical and thermal processes that mainly add two oxygen-containing functional groups to the lattice of carbon atoms that make up graphene: epoxide and hydroxyl species. The Georgia Tech researchers began their studies with multilayer expitaxial graphene grown atop a silicon carbide wafer, a technique pioneered by Walt de Heer and his research group at Georgia Tech. Their samples included an average of ten layers of graphene.

After oxidizing the thin films of graphene using the established Hummers method, the researchers examined their samples using X-ray photo-emission spectroscopy (XPS). Over about 35 days, they noticed the number of epoxide functional groups declining while the number of hydroxyl groups increased slightly. After about three months, the ratio of the two groups finally reached equilibrium.

"We found that the material changed by itself at room temperature without any external stimulation," said Suenne Kim, a postdoctoral fellow in Riedo's laboratory. "The degree to which it was unstable at room temperature was surprising."

Curious about what might be causing the changes, Riedo and Kim took their measurements to Angelo Bongiorno, an assistant professor who studies computational materials chemistry in Georgia Tech's School of Chemistry and Biochemistry. Bongiorno and graduate student Si Zhou studied the changes using density functional theory, which suggested that hydrogen could be combining with oxygen in the functional groups to form water. That would favor a reduction in the epoxide groups, which is what Riedo and Kim were seeing experimentally.

"Elisa's group was doing experimental measurements, while we were doing theoretical calculations," Bongiorno said. "We combined our information to come up with the idea that maybe there was hydrogen involved."

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Availability of hydrogen controls chemical structure of graphene oxide

Caris Target Now™ Data to be Showcased at ASCO 2012

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IRVING, Texas, May 21, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --Caris Life Sciences, a leading biosciences company focused on enabling precise and personalized healthcare through molecular profiling and blood-based diagnostic services, today announced that eight data presentations on Caris Target Now, the foremost evidence-based molecular profiling service, will take place next month at the 2012 annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) in Chicago, Ill.

One of the most widely used and innovative theranostic (i.e., therapeutic and diagnostic) tools available to oncologists, Caris Target Now is a service that interrogates a patient's tumor in all phases of the biologic process. Through analysis with multiple, highly integrated technology platforms, Caris Target Now provides information that is potentially vital for individualizing therapeutic regimens for cancer patients. By utilizing the latest molecular profiling technologies to determine the biomarkers unique to a patient's tumor, and by performing an extensive review of clinical literature correlating biomarkers to drug response, Caris Target Now can help illuminate the potential benefit (or lack thereof) of specific agents, and may reveal appropriate treatments not previously considered.

"As more is learned about the roles of various oncogenes, hormones, and proteins in the growth and proliferation of specific tumor types, it becomes increasingly important to individualize anticancer therapy based on the genetic profile of a patient's tumor," said Sandeep Reddy, MD, clinical professor of medicine at the David Geffen School of Medicine at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). "Consequently, tumor-specific genomic sequencing and analysis is quickly becoming the standard of care in oncology, rather than a last-resort option for when all other alternatives have been exhausted. The 2012 ASCO annual meeting therefore marks an important moment in molecular profiling, as eight separate presentations will add to the growing body of data supporting the use of Caris Target Now as a tool to help oncologists make evidence-based decisions for their patients."

The ASCO meeting will feature the following Caris Target Now data presentations:

Saturday, June 2, 2012

Monday, June 4, 2012

E-publications on http://www.jco.org

"The data to be presented at ASCO underscore how biomarkers can clear up much of the ambiguity oncologists face when making treatment decisions," commented Tom Spalding, group head of oncology at Caris Life Sciences. "By combining state-of-the-art molecular diagnostic and genomic sequencing technologies with a rigorous review of more than 100,000 published manuscripts, we believe Caris Target Now helps to expedite the evolution and accessibility of personalized medicine to cancer patients and their physicians."

About Caris Life Sciences

Caris Life Sciences is a leading biosciences company focused on developing and delivering innovative molecular diagnostic, prognostic, and theranostic services. The company's evidence-based molecular profiling service, Caris Target Now, matches molecular data generated from a patient's tumor with biomarker/drug associations derived from the world's leading clinical cancer literature. Caris Target Now uses the most advanced and clinically relevant technologies to provide physicians with information to aid in the selection of personalized cancer treatments more likely to work for each patient. Caris is also developing a series of blood tests based on the company's proprietary Carisome platform a proprietary, blood-based testing technology for diagnosis, prognosis, and theranosis of cancer and other complex diseases. Through the precise and personalized information provided by technologies like Caris Target Now and Carisome, the company believes that the quality of healthcare can be dramatically improved, while also significantly reducing costs. Headquartered in the Dallas metroplex, Caris Life Sciences offers services throughout the United States, Europe, and other international markets. To learn more, please visit http://www.carislifesciences.com or http://www.caristargetnow.com.

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Caris Target Now™ Data to be Showcased at ASCO 2012

Distinct molecular subtype of prostate cancer discovered

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ScienceDaily (May 20, 2012) A collaborative expedition into the deep genetics of prostate cancer has uncovered a distinct subtype of the disease, one that appears to account for up to 15 percent of all cases, say researchers at Weill Cornell Medical College, the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard and the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.

In the study, published online May 20 by the journal Nature Genetics, investigators describe how they discovered novel mutations in the SPOP ("S-pop") gene in numerous patient tumors, saying this alteration is thus far unique to prostate cancer and so represents a distinct molecular class that might assist in cancer diagnosis and treatment. Researchers suspect the mutations alter the way cells tag proteins for degradation, leading to an accumulation of dangerous molecules that drive the growth of cancer, perhaps from the beginning.

This finding adds to a string of discovery of other genes linked to prostate cancer over the years by this team of investigators, the totality of which is painting a comprehensive picture of how genetic alterations contribute to prostate cancer -- the most common cancer in men aside from skin cancer, accounting for the second leading cause of cancer deaths.

"These studies constitute a unique, meticulous and intensive look at prostate cancer to see the mechanisms driving this disease," says Dr. Mark A. Rubin, The Homer T. Hirst Professor of Oncology in Pathology and vice chair for experimental pathology at Weill Cornell Medical College. "This study, and our prior findings, tells us that prostate cancer is not just one disease. So far, we have found two main pathways for prostate cancer to develop and this opens the door to development of specialized diagnostic tools and treatments."

Mutations in SPOP constitute one major pathway, accounting for up to 15 percent of prostate cancer cases. The other is the 50 percent of prostate cancers containing the so-called "ETS" fusion genes, such as TMPRSS2-ERG.

"While there is still a need for increased discovery, it does appear that the overall genetic landscape of prostate cancer is taking shape, and better understanding of the biology and possible therapeutic avenues linked to these alterations has become a very high priority," says Dr. Levi Garraway, a senior associate member of the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, and assistant professor at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Harvard Medical School.

Dr. Rubin and Dr. Garraway are co-senior investigators for this study and for others that have preceded it in this unique examination of prostate cancer genes.

In February 2011, the collaborative groups published a study in Nature in which they used whole genome sequencing to discern global changes and patterns of abnormality in seven prostate tumors and compared them to normal tissue samples. They found that areas of the genome had been unexpectedly rearranged -- just as Dr. Rubin and his collaborators at the University of Michigan had in 2005 with the discovery of the common recurrent TMPRSS2-ERG gene rearrangement, created by the fusion of two different genes.

This current study looked at different drivers of cancer, which are mutations in specific genes. It focused on the 1-2 percent of DNA in the genome that codes for proteins, and, as such, is one of the largest "whole exome" sequencing studies published on prostate cancer to date, according to Dr. Garraway.

The impetus to search for genes in this way came about because of the observation that SPOP appeared to be mutated in some cases of prostate cancer, says Dr. Christopher Barbieri, a fifth year urology resident at Weill Cornell who spent a research year in Dr. Rubin's laboratory in the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine.

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Distinct molecular subtype of prostate cancer discovered

Ivan Gough

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21-05-2012 12:58 Ivan Gough & Feenixpawl feat. Georgi Kay - In My Mind (Axwell Mix)...Support the artists!! H&E Music on facebook: H&E Music on Mixcloud: H&E Music on youtube: I do not, in any way, claim to be the owner of the songs. The rights of the songs are held by the respective artist(s), producer(s) and/or record label(s). Credit should be given to the respective owners and creators. If you have a problem with me uploading any of your content please send me a message and I will remove the video.

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Ivan Gough

FaZe PryZee’s "Opacity" Episode 21 | Funnies And Fails – Video

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21-05-2012 13:11 Thumbs up & Favorite for FaZe PryZee! (Open Description for Info!) FaZe PryZee: "Haven't uploaded one of these in a while. My first hitmarker episode is almost done, so be hyped for that, got some sick hitmarkers. My episode's in editing and it'll be really sick. Enjoy guys!" FaZe PryZee's Channel: FaZe PryZee's 2nd Channel: FaZe PryZee's Twitter: Like him on Facebook! Note: Please keep in Mind that this is NOT MY Video, i got the Permission to Upload this. If you're the owner of this Video, and don't want it uploaded anymore, contact me and I'll remove it as soon as Possible. Thanks. Follow us on Twitter:

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Minecraft LP – EEPower Episode #40 – Mobius Destruction – Video

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21-05-2012 17:22 EEPower is set in a land on infinite possibilities, where what you do is only governed by your mind. Edit: Since youtube uploading has failed yet again, I'll ask you guys a question: how should season 1 of EEPower end? I am really itching to try out Thaumcraft (haven't touched it at all, to maintain my "innocence" with it), but the only thing stopping me from playing it is continuing my EEPower world for you guys. Should I continue the series, forgoing adding TC2 to my list of mods, or shall I bring the season to a close and bring even more people into the mysterious lands of EEPower? The choice is yours! Sorry for the issues earlier. It looks like it was a problem with Youtube when uploading. Going to force me to monitor my computer for an hour (see what I did there?) All music heard is either my own creation or is found in the Camtasia music library. All copy-righted material is the sole property of its respective owner. Any use of copy-righted material that is not listed below (such as singing) is purely accidental, and will be dealt with if the need arises. Camtasia liscence agreement:

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Minecraft LP - EEPower Episode #40 - Mobius Destruction - Video

Zelda: 3xHearts/No Rings Part 1-01 – Video

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22-05-2012 00:33 Welcome everyone, welcome. There were a few videos I had in mind to upload next, but I couldn't move on without giving due respekt to the legendary, Legend of Zelda. This is another groundbreaking game that I grew up with, I'm sure many can relate. Still remember that juicy gold cartridge. When I was little, I thought the intro theme was the most godly thing I've ever heard, hehe. There's only one way to make this more interesting and that's by starting a 3xHearts with No Rings quest.. sword-less version isn't all that fun. I won't be using Save State inside dungeons (like some people), so it should be pretty difficult, especially "Gannon." I expect the Second Quest will be more of a challenge, so, I'll be uploading both. It would be cowardly to only upload the first. Alright, well, thanks for watching.. stay tuned for more content in the future!!

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Zelda: 3xHearts/No Rings Part 1-01 - Video

Sherlock’s Mind Palace – Video

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22-05-2012 12:04 I am on a fanvid ROLL! I actually finished this yesterday, but since I uploaded three videos the day before, I figured I would wait an extra day to upload it. I wanted to make something that sort of captured what went on in Sherlock's brain all the time, so this is what happened. I'm not entirely happy with it, but whatever. Song: Ants by EdIT

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Sherlock's Mind Palace - Video

Why I Wouldn't Touch Facebook With A Barge Pole

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Facebook finally floated and promptly dropped 18% from its $38 IPO price. So hyped was the new issue that, priced at the top of its valuation range, there was insufficient demand to support the stock once trading commenced.

But the short-term gyrations of the share price are only of interest to traders. Longer-term holders of Facebook stock will receive a positive return on their investment if and when the company succeeds in monetising its 900m global user base.

The company is creating new business models to capture revenues from its free-to-use service. The debate on valuation is about how quickly and successfully it can accomplish this.

Hype

That truly massive captive customer base is the reason behind the hype.

Even the Financial Times' authoritative Lex column had an online Facebook IPO calculator. Apparently, if revenue growth tails off gradually from 2011's 88% to a modest 10% by 2018, EBITDA margin remains steady at 50%, capex to sales drops steadily from 30% to 5% over the period and the terminal growth rate from 2019 is 3% pa then, with a few assumptions about risk free rate and equity risk premium thrown in, Facebook's shares are worth $43.

To be fair to the FT, its purpose was to illustrate what heroic assumptions are required to get to a $100bn-plus valuation. But that very methodology of plugging growth assumptions into a DCF model highlights the widespread mis-pricing of the business risk.

If Facebook takes a bath, it will be down to the kind of disruptive change that it has itself created. It's in the nature of such change that it's not readily predictable, but there are plenty of precedents that demonstrate the fickleness of consumer tastes in the social network and technological spaces.

Fickleness versus stickiness

The closest precedent is, of course, Rupert Murdoch's ill-fated acquisition of MySpace. A $580m investment was sold for $35m six years later, as the social network lost out to the then-smaller Facebook. Before that, ITV (Other OTC: ITVPF.PK - news) lost 150m of its 175m investment in Friends Reunited.

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Why I Wouldn't Touch Facebook With A Barge Pole

Data Guzzling Apps, Get Educated

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BOSTON, MA--(Marketwire -05/22/12)- Telestial.com -- We think we'll change our data-hogging habits when we travel abroad with our smartphones, but "they're called habits for a reason," says Ken Grunski of Telestial.com, an international SIM card provider. "About 70% of our customers use more data than they anticipate when traveling in another country."

Some apps use a 'store and forward' process that bypasses the exorbitant costs of using data overseas, but not necessarily the ones you might think. We asked Ken to give us typical data use and costs for some of the most popular apps among smartphone users today:

Click to see the biggest Data Guzzlers compared side-by-side

Photo Sharing: Instagram

"With smartphone cameras so high in resolution these days, it's going to cost you to send a picture, no matter what. Rising megapixels have outpaced falling data costs," says Grunski. Considering how easy Instagram makes it to share beautiful snapshots of your stay in Bora Bora, chances are you won't stop at just one photo upload.

Streaming Music: Spotify

Grunski warns, "Just don't stream. Load up your music library before you leave. It's free and won't drain your battery as quickly." But if you must stream, he suggests Spotify over other apps like Pandora and IHeartRadio because the music plays live so there's no need to wait for downloads, hence no big dent in your hard drive.

Gaming: Words With Friends

"Generally, one-person games are the best way to go," says Grunski. Games like Fruit Ninja and Solitaire usually don't require data to work, but games Angry Birds (which run ads) can burn significant data. However, if you must maintain your high-score status while abroad, keep in mind what a few rounds of Words With Friends will cost you.

News: Google Currents

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Data Guzzling Apps, Get Educated

'House' adviser: Why we didn't dumb down the medicine

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By Dr. John Sotos, Special to CNN

updated 8:08 AM EDT, Mon May 21, 2012

The TV show "House M.D." showed many ways the human body can malfunction.

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

Editor's note: Dr. John Sotos, medical technical adviser for the television series "House M.D.," is a cardiologist and computer scientist based in Silicon Valley. He is the author of three books: "Zebra Cards: An Aid to Obscure Diagnosis," "The Physical Lincoln" and "The Physical Lincoln Sourcebook."

(CNN) -- I'm proud of the medical work we did on "House." Each week (for a total of 177), we showed millions of people a different, insidious way the human body can malfunction and how physicians might figure out the problem.

And the ratings prove that we made it interesting.

We paid a lot of attention to accuracy. But rather than creating an onscreen textbook of medicine, the writers constructed and inhabited a modified universe in which probabilities and time were severely stretched but not broken.

Dramatists have been doing this since Aeschylus, 2,500 years ago, so I don't feel the need to apologize for it.

I'm especially proud that we did not dumb down the medicine. In fact, we often made it extraordinarily complicated, bending Occam's razor in every possible manner.

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'House' adviser: Why we didn't dumb down the medicine

Recommendation against prostate screening shakes medicine

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The task force acknowledged that "some men will continue to request screening," but said doctors "should not offer or order" it unless they first "engage in shared decision-making that enables an informed choice by the patients."

Urologists and advocacy groups immediately decried the advice - as they did when a draft version was released last October - and worried that insurers may stop paying for PSA testing.

But other experts applauded the unflinching recommendation, pointing out that screening dilemmas have already led the medical community to turn away from automatic PSA testing. Even the American Urological Association recommends that testing be "individualized" and that men be informed about the risks of over-detection and overtreatment.

The association nonetheless on Monday condemned the blanket rejection of screening as "inappropriate and irresponsible."

One of the most vocal critics of routine testing - Richard J. Ablin, 72, who discovered the prostate-specific antigen in 1970 - was jubilant. For decades, he has said that using the blood protein to try to flag cancer in the reproductive gland is "hardly more effective than a coin toss." He says the test should be reserved for monitoring prostate cancer patients for recurrence after treatment.

"I'm thrilled that I lived to see this," said Ablin, an immunobiologist at the University of Arizona College of Medicine. "For 38 years I was called a wacko" for saying the PSA test was being misused.

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Recommendation against prostate screening shakes medicine

Lerner College of Medicine Celebrates 10th Anniversary

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Newswise This year marks the 10th anniversary of the founding of the Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine of Case Western Reserve University, an innovative medical school designed to train future physician-researchers. Cleveland Clinic and Case Western Reserve celebrated the milestone May 19 and 20, as members of the fourth graduating class received their diplomas at commencement ceremonies on both campuses.

The Lerner College of Medicine was established with a $100 million gift from local philanthropists Al and Norma Lerner with the goal of encouraging more doctors who could not only care for patients, but also understand basic science and conduct research. Since its founding in 2002, the college has challenged conventional medical school norms by eliminating class rankings and documented grades, accepting only 32 highly selected students in each class, eliminating lecture-based classes in favor of group seminars, encouraging student interactions with patients in the first year, and focusing on empathy and the human side of medicine.

The Lerner College of Medicine continues Cleveland Clinics legacy of innovation through research and education, and the Lerners gift has made all of this possible, Cleveland Clinic CEO and President Delos M. Toby Cosgrove, M.D., said. We take great pride in our students and faculty, and are grateful for our collaboration with Case Western Reserve University. Our partnership in education has helped attract some of the best and brightest minds in science and medicine to the college and to the region.

After two years of preparations, the college welcomed its first class of students in July 2004. The five-year program, which includes an extra year for students to perform biomedical research, graduated its first class in May 2009. After this weekends commencement ceremony, the college has graduated 120 physician-researchers.

One of the key components of the Lerner College of Medicine is the close relationship between students and professors, said James Young, M.D., Executive Dean of the Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine of Case Western Reserve University. This unique aspect is critical to their career development, and allows our students a guide to navigate and master the curriculum throughout all five years.

We are pleased to recognize Al and Norma Lerner and celebrate their commitment to advancing medical education, said Pamela B. Davis, MD, PhD, Dean, School of Medicine, and Vice President of Medical Affairs, Case Western Reserve University. This anniversary commemorates their benevolent vision to cultivate clinical research physicians who embody compassionate care and research prowess.

Thanks to the colleges innovative structure and a focus on fostering a group-practice environment, Lerner College students are well equipped to excel in the changing healthcare environment. They also graduate from medical school without tuition debt, thanks to full-tuition scholarships for all Lerner College students. Without the normal financial burden of medical school, students are free to choose any specialty, including research, for their long-term career, and are not pressured to choose a higher-paying career to pay off school loans.

With its unique structure and format, the college has become a sought-after medical school for top-tier students. Students admitted to Lerner College have a higher average Medical College Admission Test (MCAT) score than the national average (11.5 vs. 10.25), and graduates have landed positions at such prestigious medical organizations as Johns Hopkins Hospital; New York-Presbyterian Hospital; and Yale-New Haven Hospital. Cleveland Clinic has retained several Lerner College graduates.

Commencement ceremonies were held in coordination with Case Western Reserve University, including a ceremony on the evening of May 19 at the Intercontinental Hotel on the campus of Cleveland Clinic and a graduation ceremony May 20 at Case Western Reserve University.

For more information about the Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine of Case Western Reserve University, please visit clevelandclinic.org/lcm.

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Lerner College of Medicine Celebrates 10th Anniversary

Is it time to move beyond conventional ‘vs’ natural medicine?

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While many doctors remain suspicious of natural medicine, a growing number now accept that there are compelling alternatives to leading drugs that are supported by just as much scientific evidence, without the nasty side effects, says one leading player in integrative medicine.

Dr Tieraona Low Dog is a clinical associate professor of medicine at the Arizona Center for Integrative Medicine and has a doctor of medicine degree from the University of New Mexico School of Medicine.

Speaking at an event in Salt Lake Cityorganized by the United Natural Products Alliance (UNPA) to celebrate its 20-year anniversary, she admitted that many of her colleagues in the medical profession are still dismissive of alternative or even integrative medicine.

She also acknowledged that unscrupulous firms peddling snake oil to fight cancer have not helped the dietary supplements industry tackle negative perceptions.

The bottom line: Does it work?

However, a growing number of doctors now recognized that pitting conventional versus natural/traditional medicine is unhelpful, she said.

It is also illogical given that many conventional drugs are sourced from plants, or are synthetic analogs of compounds found in plants, she said.

Patients, meanwhile, just want products that work, that have strong science behind them, and don't come with costs - in the form of unwelcome side effects - that outweigh the benefits, she said.

If there is evidence behind it and it is safe, I dont care if it comes from Pfizer, a supplement manufacturer or the end of an acupuncturists needle.

Its not a case of either or. Conventional medicine can work alongside traditional medicine and dietary supplements.

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Is it time to move beyond conventional ‘vs’ natural medicine?