Monthly Archives: June 2012

DNA and Ericsson boost customer experience in Finland

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STOCKHOLM, SWEDEN--(Marketwire -06/26/12)-

-- Greatly improved end-user experience

-- Single customer care tool presents a real-time overview of the customer

-- Reduced churn and opex

Finnish operator DNA has chosen Ericsson (ERIC) to provide a Customer Experience Management (CEM) solution based on User Data Consolidation (UDC) for real-time data consolidation and exposure. This solution will enable DNA to resolve customer-care issues in a faster and more efficient way than was previously possible. As a result, the end-user experience will be greatly improved.

The DNA Customer Care center serves more than 3 million users -- a high proportion of who are mobile broadband users who demand high standards of service quality and user experience. With the new solution, DNA benefits from reduced time per call and escalations to second-line support, which significantly enhances customer satisfaction and loyalty and reduces churn and opex.

"Delivering high-quality customer care is at the heart of our business," says Tommy Olenius, Vice President, Technology, DNA. "The implementation of this solution gives us the optimal tools to monitor the customer experience and to proactively make adjustments as issues arise."

To support DNA in coping with increased demand for high-quality services and user experience, Ericsson put together a team of technical experts whose main focus has been to capture the needs of the customer-care organization.

Magnus Furustam, Head or Product Area Core and IMS, Ericsson Business Unit Networks, says: "DNA's focus on end-user satisfaction and operational efficiency and Ericsson's expertise in optimizing service have combined in this project to support a new generation of mobile broadband users who constantly pose new challenges to the customer experience management area."

After this first phase, Ericsson aims to further explore the value that can be created from the user data assets that DNA has in different parts of its networks, where the User Profile Gateway (UPG) is a key element for aggregation and exposure of user and network data. This will provide DNA with advanced solutions for proactive customer care, automated root-cause analysis and benefits beyond the mobile broadband area.

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LISD releases STAAR results

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Posted: Tuesday, June 26, 2012 4:00 am | Updated: 7:20 am, Tue Jun 26, 2012.

The Longview Independent School District students fared better than students across the state in English, reading and writing and matched their peers on biology during their first venture with the newly-implemented State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness test.

Monday, the district released results from the test.

While district eighth and ninth grade students did comparatively well in English and biology, LISD students lagged behind statewide passing rates for Algebra I and world geography.

All high school freshmen took the tests, as did eighth grade students who are taking ninth-grade level classes.

Rebecca Cooper, director of resources, planning and accountability for the district, said that the STAAR tests focus on fewer skills than the Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills but expects students to have a more in-depth knowledge of the subject matter.

Texas is phasing out the TAKS and implementing STAAR.

The focus areas are clearer, fewer and deeper, Cooper said. These tests are more linked to college readiness than TAKS tests are.

For the five STAAR tests linked to typical freshman year classes, the overall passing percentages for Longview ISD were: English I reading, 72 percent; English I writing, 58 percent; Algebra I, 80 percent; biology, 87 percent; and world geography, 75 percent.

Statewide results showed ninth-grade passing rates ranged from 87 percent on the biology test to 55 percent on the English I writing test.

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NSU Resources Inc Appoints Chief Technology Officer

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SAULT STE MARIE, Ontario, June 26, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- NSU Resources Inc (NOST) announced the full-time appointment of Dr. Robert Williams as Chief Technology Officer to oversee the commercial development and the commercial proving of the company's rare earth extraction process to target heavy rare earth elements, a group of rare earth elements for which cost-effective purification technologies are lacking.

Dr. Williams (49) is a chemist with a PhD in biochemistry with 22 years experience in the isolation of rare molecules in the industrial sector. He has authored and co-authored 1 patent and 10 papers. He has worked in various capacities in private and public companies, including Avance Pharma. Dr. Williams is a Nova Scotia native with substantive contacts in the mining and industrial sectors.

About NSU Resources Inc

NSU Resources, Inc. is a mineral exploration and carbon development company. Our mission is to become a vertically integrated provider of Rare Earth Elements. We are targeting growth from the acquisition of mineral and carbon rights worldwide.

Information: investors@nsuresources.com Phone 1-877-238-3173

Safe Harbour Statement

Sections of this press release contain forward-looking statements, which reflect management's best judgment based on factors currently known but involve significant risks and uncertainties. Actual results could differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements as a result of a number of factors, including but not limited to risks more fully described in the "Risk factors" section of the Company's Annual Report and other risks. Forward-looking information provided pursuant to the safe harbour established by recent securities legislation should be evaluated in the context of these factors.

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Loyalty cards may 'nudge' better eating

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LONDON, June 25 (UPI) -- British government officials said they are considering a program of having supermarkets use customer loyalty card data to offer tailored advice on better diets.

David Halpern, the head of the Behavioral Insights Team, part of the prime minister's team known as the "nudge unit" -- which applies behavioral science insights to policy problems -- said supermarkets have more data than doctors have on their customers, and this information should be used for healthier eating, the Daily Telegraph reported.

The program involves shoppers who buy large amounts of snack food, alcohol or unhealthy products being identified and offered advice on healthier options or changes in their diet.

Richard Thaler, of Chicago, who is credited with developing the concept, met with David Cameron, prime minister, and other ministers this month, the Telegraph said.

Andrew Lansley, the health secretary, has said he would rule out government involvement in this type of program and other officials said they are wary of "big brother" accusations.

While it appeared to be understood that supermarkets would offer the "nudges," some in the retail trade said they feared customers might not appreciate the nudging, the Telegraph added.

Cameron had already advocated for homeowners and renters to compare their energy bills with those of their neighbors to evaluate whether they were using natural gas and electricity efficiently -- a program already implemented by some utilities in the United States.

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Eating placenta, an age-old practice in China

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06/27/2012

Shanghai After Wang Lan delivered, she brought home a baby girl and her placenta, which she plans to eat in a soup adopting an age-old practice in Chinese traditional medicine.

The health-giving qualities of placenta are currently creating a buzz in Western countries, where some believe it can help ward off postnatal depression, improve breast milk supply and boost energy levels.

But placentophagy the practice of eating ones placenta after birth is relatively common in China, where it is thought to have anti-aging properties, and dates back more than 2,000 years.

It is in the refrigerator now and I am waiting for my mother to come and cook it to eat. After cleaning, it can be stewed for soup, without that fishy smell, Wang said, adding she believed it would help her recover from delivery.

Qin Shihuang, the first emperor of a unified China, is said to have designated placenta as having health properties some 2,200 years ago, and during Chinas last dynasty, the dowager empress Cixi was said to have eaten it to stay young.

A classic medical text from the Ming Dynasty (1368 to 1644) said placenta which lines the uterus and is key to the survival of the fetus was heavily nutritious and if taken for the longer term... longevity will be achieved.

Chinas state media says the practice of eating placenta has re-emerged over the past decade. One maternity hospital in the eastern city of Nanjing reported that about 10 percent of new parents took their placenta after childbirth.

Internet postings swap recipes on how to prepare placenta. One popular health Web site suggests soup, dumplings, meat balls or mixing it with other kinds of traditional Chinese medicine.

While trade in the organs has been banned since 2005, pills containing placentas ground into powder are legally available in Chinese pharmacies indicating unwanted placenta is somehow making its way to drug companies.

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Eating placenta, an age-old practice in China

Anatomy of a scam: One couple's losses and hard lessons

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RALEIGH, N.C. -- With their elderly parents seated across the octagonal oak table, Donna and Jim Parker were back in the kitchen they knew so well -- the hutch along one wall crammed with plates, bells and salt-and-pepper shakers picked up during family trips; at the table's corner, the spindly wooden high chair where a 7-year-old Jim had tearfully confessed to setting a neighbor's woods ablaze.

It was Christmastime, but this was no holiday gathering. Now, it was the parents who were in deep trouble, and this was an intervention.

For the past year, Charles and Miriam Parker, both 81, had been in the thrall of an international sweepstakes scam. The retired educators, with a half-dozen college degrees between them, had lost tens of thousands of dollars.

But money wasn't just leaving the Parker house. Strangely, large sums were now coming in, too.

Their four children were worried, but had been powerless to open their parents' eyes. Maybe, Donna thought, they'd listen to people with badges.

And so, joining them at the family table that late-December day in 2005 were Special Agent Joan Fleming of the FBI and David Evers, an investigator from the North Carolina attorney general's telemarketing fraud unit.

The home was littered with sweepstakes mailers and claim forms, the cupboards bare of just about everything but canned soup, bread and crackers. Charles Parker acknowledged that he'd lost a lot of money, but expressed confidence that

Evers and Fleming showed the couple a video of other elderly scam victims, then played a taped interview of a former con man describing how he operated. Charles was alarmed by what he was seeing and hearing, but his wife seemed to be barely paying attention.

With the couple's permission, Evers installed a mooch line on the kitchen phone so they could capture incoming calls. The Parkers pledged their cooperation.

After gathering up some of the mailings for evidence, the officers left, encouraged by what seemed a few hours well spent.

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Anatomy of a scam: One couple's losses and hard lessons

JCI early table of contents for June 25, 2012

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Public release date: 25-Jun-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Sarah Jackson press_releases@the-jci.org Journal of Clinical Investigation

METABOLISM The skinny on what makes us fat

Obesity is a disorder in which fat cells grow larger and accumulate. Certain proteins, called WNT family proteins, function to prevent fat cell formation. However, the activity of WNT proteins can be inhibited by secreted frizzled-related proteins (SFRPs), thus leading to fat cell generation. One of these SFRPs, SFRP5, is highly expressed during fat cell generation and increases during obesity. Dr. Ormond MacDougald and colleagues at the University of Michigan sought to determine the mechanism of SFRP5-mediated obesity and found that mice lacking SFRP5 were resistant to diet-induced obesity, despite having similar numbers of fat cells as control mice. The results from a transplantation experiment wherein fat tissue was transferred from SFRP5-deficient mice into obesity-prone mice demonstrated that the mechanism of SFRP5-mediated inhibition of fat cell generation is specific to the tissue itself and not dependent on the surrounding environment. The team also found that SFRP5-deficient mice showed increased metabolic activity compared to control mice. These findings, which were discussed in a commentary by Alexander Rauch and Susanne Mandrup at the University of Southern Denmark, shed light on the mechanism of SFRP5-mediated obesity and identify the WNT signaling pathway as a potential therapeutic target to counteract obesity.

TITLE:

Regulation of adipocyte mitochondrial biogenesis and metabolism by secreted frizzled-related protein 5 and WNT signaling

AUTHOR CONTACT:

Ormond MacDougald University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA Phone: (734) 647-7721; Fax: 734 232-8175; E-mail: macdouga@umich.edu

ACCOMPANYING COMMENTARY

TITLE:

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JCI early table of contents for June 25, 2012

Today on New Scientist: 25 June 2012

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Corporate money men fill the political void at Rio+20

It may have been a damp squib politically, but business leaders at the Earth Summit in Rio were on hand to commit cash for UN green initiatives

In Why Does the World Exist? Jim Holt spans physics, philosophy and literature to examine the mystery of why there is something rather than nothing

Ferrofluids - a mix of oil and nano-sized iron particles - are normally used in computer hard drives, but their weird properties can make for great liquid art

Twisting individual beams of light in different ways allows more data to be transmitted in the same signal

A swallowable ultrasound device called uPill could end the need for painful daily injections

If life arises wherever conditions are right, why haven't we heard from aliens yet? Biochemist Nick Lane thinks he might have an answer

The Atlantic coast of North America is a hotspot of sea level rise, suggesting that a major Atlantic current is slowing down

Which is more likely to derail the decades-long battle to rid the world of polio? The Taliban, or the financial crisis?

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Today on New Scientist: 25 June 2012

Medical school students oppose university merger

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TRENTON, N.J. (AP) A proposal to change higher education in New Jersey has cleared another legislative hurdle, paving the way for final passage on Thursday.

The far-reaching plan combines Rowan University and Rutgers' Camden campus in a quasi-merger and breaks up the University of Medicine and Dentistry, allocating its medical/dental school to Rutgers and its South Jersey osteopathic school to Rowan. The bill makes Rowan a research university, a designation that allows for more funding and greater autonomy in awarding contracts and soliciting bids. UMDNJ's money-losing teaching hospital, University Hospital, would continue to operate as a nonprofit. University Hospital in Newark is the state's largest charity care provider.

The proposal has rocketed through the Legislature this month despite objections from the academic community, ongoing concerns about University Hospital's viability and unanswered questions about its costs. It was advanced unanimously Monday, though several of the legislators who approved it expressed reservations about the bill as it's currently drafted.

Gov. Chris Christie proposed a version of the higher ed restructuring in January, and it has the backing of powerful South Jersey Democrat George Norcross III. Christie imposed a June 30 deadline for the framework for the overhaul to be in place, but it's unclear whether the governor supports all the changes the bill has undergone.

The 100-page proposal morphed again Monday, as 50 pages of amendments were distributed. One allows the deal to be killed if it jeopardizes the osteopathic school's accreditation. Another requires the state to adequately fund University Hospital so it continues to provide safety-net health care. An amendment added Thursday requires Rutgers to accept all of the deal, or none of it. A change added Monday shields the university from medical malpractice claims initiated before the merger.

However, no one knows how much it will cost.

Assemblyman John Wisniewski described the costs as "one of the imponderables of this legislation." He said the figures would come within the year as groundwork for the merger is being laid.

The Assembly Budget Committee heard more than two hours of testimony mostly from opponents before recessing for six hours while the latest changes were drafted. The panel returned to session about 9:30 p.m. and voted a half hour later to forward the bill to the full Assembly. Both houses are set to take final tallies on the legislation Thursday.

Dudley Rivers, vice chairman of the Rutgers Board of Trustees, said the bill poses enormous opportunity and equally onerous risks, many of which could be mitigated if the bill were tweaked further.

For example, he said a provision transferring Rutgers-Camden's property to a new joint governing board would force Rutgers to refinance $950 million in debt at a cost of $155 million. That one-time cost could be eliminated, he said, if the clause transferring Rutgers-Camden's assets is removed from the bill.

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New tools for evaluating quality of life for cats, dogs with heart disease

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Public release date: 25-Jun-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Thomas Keppeler tom.keppeler@tufts.edu 508-839-7910 Tufts University, Health Sciences Campus

Quality of life has become accepted as an important predictor of survival among human patients with heart failure. Now veterinarians at the Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University have developed two surveys that may prove to be similarly useful in evaluating the quality of life for dogs and cats with heart disease.

Known as "FETCH" (Functional Evaluation of Cardiac Health) and "CATCH" (Cats' Assessment Tool for Cardiac Health), the surveys ask owners to rank aspects of their dog's or cat's health on a scale of 0 to 5. Veterinarians are then able to assess the animal's perceived quality of life, which may inform decisions about treatment, nutrition or even euthanasia.

Researchers found that the FETCH and CATCH scores correlated well to the International Small Animal Cardiac Health Council (ISACHC) classification for disease severity.

Results of the CATCH evaluation were published in the May 15 edition of the Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association, building on the earlier publication of the FETCH study.

"Studies have indicated that pet owners value quality of life much more than longevity in their animals," said Professor of Clinical Sciences Lisa M. Freeman, board-certified by the American College of Veterinary Nutrition . "We want our dogs and cats to have happy lives, and we believe this tool is a helpful in evaluating whether our pets still do."

The survey tools were developed by Freeman and Professor of Clinical Sciences John E. Rush, board-certified cardiologist and criticalist at the veterinary school's Foster Hospital for Small Animals. Freeman and Rush set out to create and evaluate a tool for pets similar to the Minnesota Living with Heart Failure Questionnaire, one of the most widely used evaluation tools in human cardiology.

The CATCH tool was validated using studies in 75 cats at Tufts' Foster Hospital for Small Animals, the University of Pennsylvania's Medical School and the VCA Animal Care Center of Sonoma County (Rohert Park, Calif.), then tested in 200 cats at the three previous sites, as well as Oregon State University, Massachusetts Veterinary Referral Hospital (Woburn, Mass.) and Angell Animal Medical Center in Boston.

The work on the tools will continue to measure their responsiveness to medical treatment and create a clinical and research tool for clinicians, Freeman said.

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New tools for evaluating quality of life for cats, dogs with heart disease

Partnership Provides Enhanced Opportunity For MSU Medical School

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Grand Rapids Medical Mile, which includes the new Michigan State University College of Human Medicine complex. Matt Roush photo

GRAND RAPIDS The Michigan State University College of Human Medicine and Grand Valley State University have agreed to establish a cooperative program of premedical and medical education by which Grand Rapids Community College students who transfer as undergraduate premedical students to GVSU will have the opportunity to be granted an early assurance of admission to MSUs med school.

The Early Assurance Program became official at an agreement signing ceremony held Monday at GRCC.

Gilda Gely, GRCC provost; Gayle R. Davis, GVSU provost and vice president for Academic Affairs; Kim Wilcox, MSU provost; and Marsha D. Rappley, dean of the MSU College of Human Medicine, were joined by other school administrators at the signing.

The EAP will provide an enhanced opportunity for admission to medical school for GRCC students transferring to GVSU as pre-medical students who are interested in serving traditionally underserved populations. These students will receive academic advising directed at admission to MSU College of Human Medicine, and will be enrolled in a program of enriching clinical and service experiences in preparation for admission.

Under the agreement, MSU College of Human Medicine is increasing the number of EAP seats it reserves at the medical school for GVSU from five seats to six seats, in order to include an opportunity for students that have transferred from GRCC to GVSU as pre-med students. According to MSU administrators, in the fall of 2011 they received more than 6,250 applicants for the 200 seats available for first-year students. In addition to GRCC and GVSU, 11 other colleges and universities, including Michigan State University, participate with the EAP. GRCC is the first community college to be part of an Early Assurance Program agreement.

Preference for EAP admission will be given to those former GRCC students who now apply as a GVSU student and may not otherwise be familiar with what goes into preparing for premedical and medical school application processes.

These students must also meet one or more of the following criteria: are a first generation college student graduate from an underserved high school as defined by the U.S. Dept. of Education are eligible for or a recipient of an undergraduate Pell or institutional need-based grant graduate from an underserved (health professional shortage) urban or rural area demonstrate interest in a high need medical specialty area

Nick Monsma, a senior at GVSU, attended the signing. He will be the first student to enroll in the program. Monsma, a Grand Rapids native, attended GRCC then transferred to Grand Valley. He was admitted to the MSU CHM in the spring and will begin classes in the fall of 2013.

I think this is an amazing opportunity; Im looking forward to going to school at Michigan State, Monsma, a biomedical sciences major, said.

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OVER AND ABOVE RIO+20: How can we save the world ?

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About one thousand dolphins and five thousand pelicans have been found dead lately. The wetlands are disappearing. Deforestation is on the rise to produce food and shelter. The fish stock that feeds a billion mouths is decreasing. What is the cause of this change? Overpopulation? Human activity and human greed: 20% of the world population living in Europe, Japan and North America consume 80% of the worlds resources. The havoc will soon spread to the most pristine and uninhabited region of the Arctic where Oil companies will start drilling. How can we save the world - our world? The first pledge should be that the Earth has rights as the slaves had rights, animals have rights, women have rights, children have rights, the autrement capables have rights. We should focus on a green economy. We are part of the Eco-system just as are the atmosphere, the bio-sphere, the lithosphere and the hydrosphere and we are interdependent. We cannot command nature to work for us unless we obey her, thought Francis Bacon. We should stop regarding nature as a source of our resources. And we should stop being selective in dealing with crimes: why should we qualify individuals as criminals if they take human lives and not those who eradicate whole species of plant or animal lives or contaminate lakes, rivers and the oceans? By trading CO2, we are cheating nature. We are playing God by genetic engineering. Powerful voices backed by celebrities, scientists, explorers, business leaders and environmentalists are saying to world leaders at their Rio Jamboree that enough is enough. We have been continuously conned and 20 years after the first Rio gathering, we should stop generating more rendez-vous but part this time with the hope that reason will light the path of the world. Let not this get-together produce resolutions which resemble blank cheques on accounts with insufficient funds. Let us keep in mind that conferences fail for similar reasons that banks have failed in the recent past. Let us rein in the greed of the capitalists. Let the Heads of states present in Rio represent the people and not the billionaires that have supported their election campaigns. Or Rio will be a billionaires feast.

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OVER AND ABOVE RIO+20: How can we save the world ?

Veracyte Announces Study Results Published Online in New England Journal of Medicine Which Suggest that Its Afirma® …

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HOUSTON, June 25, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --Veracyte, Inc., a molecular diagnostics company that is pioneering the emerging field of molecular cytology, today announced results from a large, prospective, multicenter study, which demonstrated the potential for the Afirma Gene Expression Classifier, a gene expression test, to reduce the large number of unnecessary surgeries in thyroid cancer diagnosis by more than half.

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20120625/SF29625LOGO)

The results are being shared during a late-breaking data presentation at The Endocrine Society's ENDO 2012: The 94th Annual Meeting & Expo in Houston, Texas, and coincide with online publication by the New England Journal of Medicine. The study is scheduled to appear in the journal's August 23, 2012 print issue.

The two-year study involved 265 indeterminate thyroid FNA samples collected from 49 academic and community sites around the United States. The findings showed that the Afirma Gene Expression Classifier can reclassify as "benign" with a high degree of accuracy thyroid nodule fine needle aspirate (FNA) samples that were originally deemed inconclusive by cytopathology review using a microscope. When applied to the major categories of indeterminate samples (those with cytology labeled: "atypical of an undetermined significance" or "follicular neoplasm"), the genomic test had a negative predictive value (NPV) of 95 and 94 percent, respectively. Overall, the NPV was 93 percent, based on the study's cancer prevalence rate of 32 percent. The overall NPV increases to 95 percent when a lower cancer prevalence rate of 24 percent, which is more representative of thyroid cases across the U.S., is applied. The test had a sensitivity of 92 percent and a specificity of 52 percent.

"Presently, patients with cytologically indeterminate thyroid nodules are usually referred for thyroid surgery to ensure that thyroid cancer is not present," said co-principal study investigator Erik K. Alexander, M.D., of Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School. "The gene expression test, when benign, should now enable physicians to consider recommending against surgery and confidently monitor patients in a more conservative fashion. Approximately half of all patients with indeterminate thyroid nodule cytology will have a benign gene expression test. This means that tens of thousands of thyroid nodule patients in the U.S. each year can potentially be spared a thyroid surgery they do not need."

Indeterminate thyroid nodule cytology results are a significant problem in thyroid cancer diagnosis. Thyroid nodules are common and, while most are benign, 5-15 percent prove malignant, prompting diagnostic evaluation, typically via FNA sampling. Approximately 450,000 thyroid nodule FNAs a minimally invasive procedure to extract cells for examination under a microscope are performed in the U.S. each year. Such cytology samples, however, produce indeterminate results in 15-30 percent of cases, or approximately 100,000 patients each year in the U.S. Current medical guidelines recommend that most of these patients have all or part of their thyroids removed for final diagnosis. However, the majority (70-80 percent) prove to have benign conditions. These surgeries are invasive, costly and typically result in lifelong hormone therapy for the patient. Additionally, these patients are unnecessarily exposed to a 2-10 percent risk of surgical complications.

"Our results showed that the gene expression test can substantially reclassify otherwise inconclusive thyroid nodule cytology results," said co-principal study investigator Bryan R. Haugen, M.D., professor of medicine and pathology head, Division of Endocrinology, Metabolism & Diabetes at the University of Colorado. "When the gene expression test is benign, this conveys the same level of predictive accuracy comparable to patients who had a benign cytopathology result."

An accompanying New England Journal of Medicine editorial concludes, "In this era of focusing on high-quality outcomes at lower cost, this new gene-expression classifier test is a welcome addition to the tools available for informed decision making about the management of thyroid nodules."

The two-year study enrolled 3,789 patients and prospectively collected 4,812 thyroid FNA samples from nodules larger than or equal to 1.0 cm. Samples were simultaneously collected for local cytopathology analysis, as well as for the study. If the local cytopathology result was indeterminate, the study sample was then analyzed using the gene expression test. Thyroid surgery was performed based on the judgment of the treating physician who was blinded to the genomic test results. At completion of the study, the gene expression test results were compared to gold-standard histopathology diagnosis provided by two blinded experts following review of surgically removed tissue samples.

"This rigorous study is the largest of its kind ever conducted to assess thyroid diagnosis and further confirms the strength and utility of our Afirma Gene Expression Classifier to help prevent avoidable surgeries," said Bonnie Anderson, Veracyte's cofounder and chief executive officer. "Ultimately, these results should underscore the potential of the genomic test to help physicians make more informed treatment decisions early, thus improving patient care and helping to take significant costs out of the healthcare system."

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Veracyte Announces Study Results Published Online in New England Journal of Medicine Which Suggest that Its Afirma® ...

Gene expression test identifies low-risk thyroid nodules

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Public release date: 25-Jun-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Kim Menard kim.menard@uphs.upenn.edu 215-662-6183 University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine

PHILADELPHIA - A new test can be used to identify low-risk thyroid nodules, reducing unnecessary surgeries for people with thyroid nodules that have indeterminate results after biopsy. The results of the multi-center trial, which includes researchers from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, appear online in the New England Journal of Medicine.

Ultrasound-guided fine-needle aspiration biopsies (FNA) accurately identify 62-85 percent of thyroid nodules as benign. For those deemed malignant or unclassifiable, surgery is currently required. However, about 20-35 percent of nodules have inconclusive results after FNA. This novel test classifies genes from the thyroid nodule tissue obtained through FNA.

"This test, currently available at Penn Medicine, can help us determine whether these nodules with indeterminate biopsy results are likely to be benign," said Susan Mandel, MD, MPH, professor of Medicine in Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism in the Perelman School of Medicine at Penn."If so, patients may be able to avoid unnecessary surgeries and lifelong thyroid hormone replacement treatment."

In an accompanying NEJM editorial, J. Larry Jameson, MD, PhD, Dean of the Perelman School of Medicine and Executive Vice President for the Health System at the University of Pennsylvania, notes that the gene expression test is able to identify nodules at low risk of malignancy, making it possible to avoid approximately 25,000 thyroid surgeries per year. "In this era of focusing on high-quality outcomes at lower cost, this new gene expression classifier test is a welcome addition to the tools available for informed decision making about the management of thyroid nodules," writes Jameson.

The gene expression classifier was tested on 265 indeterminate thyroid nodules, and was able to correctly identify 92 percent of cases as suspicious. The test demonstrated a 85 - 95 percent negative predictive value, effectively ruling out a malignancy.

The Penn research team included Dr. Mandel, Zubair Baloch, MD, PhD, and Virginia A. LiVolsi, MD, both professors of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine. The investigation was funded by a research grant provided by Veracyte, Inc., the maker of the gene expression classifier.

###

Penn Medicine is one of the world's leading academic medical centers, dedicated to the related missions of medical education, biomedical research, and excellence in patient care. Penn Medicine consists of the Raymond and Ruth Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania (founded in 1765 as the nation's first medical school) and the University of Pennsylvania Health System, which together form a $4.3 billion enterprise.

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Gene expression test identifies low-risk thyroid nodules

Veracyte Gene Test May Limit Thyroid Cancer Surgeries

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By Ryan Flinn - 2012-06-25T14:30:00Z

A gene test made by closely held Veracyte Inc. may determine whether cancer exists in thyroid tumor samples that were inconclusive after biopsies, a study found, potentially ending thousands of unnecessary surgeries.

From 15 percent to 30 percent of thyroid nodules evaluated by fine-needle biopsies cant clearly be defined as malignant or benign, leading most doctors to recommend removing part or all of the gland as a precaution, said Erik Alexander, the lead study author and a doctor with the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Brigham and Womans Hospital in Boston.

Nobody wants surgery if they dont need it, Alexander said in a telephone interview. This test, when it returns with a benign result, implies there is a very small risk of any cancer.

The test from South San Francisco, California-based Veracyte screens for genes expressed by thyroid tumors. Researchers used the test on 265 indeterminate nodules, finding it correctly identified 78 out of 85 of malignant samples, and predicted benign results accurately in 95 percent of samples that were atypical of an undetermined significance and 94 percent with follicular neoplasm, according to the study funded by the company and published today by the New England Journal of Medicine.

About 56,500 new cases of thyroid cancer will be diagnosed in the U.S. this year and about 1,780 patients will die of the disease, according to the National Cancer Institute.

Widespread use of the gene test may eliminate one-third of the 75,000 surgeries performed in the U.S. on indeterminate thyroid nodules, J. Larry Jameson, professor at the University of Pennsylvanias Perelman School of Medicine, wrote in an editorial accompanying the study.

Veracytes test, which costs about $3,500, is covered by Medicare and is being promoted globally by Paris-based Sanofi (SAN)s Genzyme unit.

This is a key step forward for us, Bonnie Anderson, Veracytes co-founder and chief executive officer, said in an interview. The strength of this study underscores the real value of the test.

To contact the reporter on this story: Ryan Flinn in San Francisco at rflinn@bloomberg.net

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Veracyte Gene Test May Limit Thyroid Cancer Surgeries

Brandon Marshall Talks About Chemistry With Jay Cutler

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Jay Cutler #6 of the Chicago Bears talks to Brandon Marshall #15 during a minicamp practice.

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Brandon Marshall was the subject of a lengthy profile in the Chicago Tribune. The reporter who spent four days with the Bears newest receiver found out Marshall's views on many subjects.

For one, Marshall knew he had chemistry with Jay Cutler from day one. There's a reason Cutler and Marshall wanted to be on the same team again, and Marshall appreciates their chemistry so much he has a painting of the pair from a game in Denver.

"A lot of guys don't have that feel for the game. Jay has that feel for the game. I have a feel for the game," Marshall said.

He also talked about the kind of game plan quarterbacks coach Jeremy Bates allowed in Denver, possibly giving a sign of the sort of playcalling Bears fans can expect this fall.

"He wouldn't even give us a play. We'll just go out there with no play, and Jay would give me a signal, I would give Jay a signal ... We just had that feel for the game where we'll come out with a game plan -- like, OK, 'They want to do this, we want to do this. This is our counter to that. This is our plan A, B and C."

The trust Bates gave Marshall and Cutler worked, as both put up their best numbers when playing together in Denver. Now, all three are in Chicago, and Cutler and Marshall have grown and matured as players. If Bates sees the same connection, a game plan of trust could be fun for Bears fans to watch.

Buy this book! Ward Room blogger Edward McClelland's book, Young Mr. Obama: Chicago and the Making of a Black President , is available Amazon. Young Mr. Obama includes reporting on President Obama's earliest days in the Windy City, covering how a presumptuous young man transformed himself into presidential material. Buy it now!

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Brandon Marshall Talks About Chemistry With Jay Cutler

Emeryville Pharmaceutical Services Launches Analytical Chemistry and Microbiological Service Offerings

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State-of-the-Art Analytical and Microbiological Services Offered to Pharmaceutical and Biotechnology Industries Worldwide

Same Day NMR Services to San Francisco Bay Area

EMERYVILLE, Calif., June 25, 2012 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Emeryville Pharmaceutical Services (EPS), an analytical laboratory offering global solutions to its peers in the biotechnology and pharmaceutical industry, today announced the official launch of its service offerings in analytical chemistry and microbiology. EPS is offering state-of-the-art analytical services, including nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (NMR) and liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS), with same day service available for the San Francisco Bay Area. EPS also offers innovative microbiological testing such as comprehensive drug resistance profiling and biofilm modeling.

Dr. Timothy Shiau, Director of Chemistry for Emeryville Pharmaceutical Services, said, "We are pleased to begin offering our chemical expertise to pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies worldwide. Our team of experts and our cutting-edge equipment will enable scientists to obtain results from complex experiments they may not otherwise have the ability to conduct. The EPS team is looking forward to serving our colleagues in the Bay Area as well as the international research community."

Dr. Dmitri Debabov, Director for Biology for Emeryville Pharmaceutical Services, added, "Our expertise in biofilms and biofilm modeling sets us apart from other laboratories and allows us to offer other researchers innovative tools to develop their technologies. With our ability to provide full antibiotic resistance profiling, we expect to be an important resource for companies interested in, or already conducting, antibiotic research."

Chemistry services include:

Microbiology services include:

A full list of services is available at http://www.emerypharmaservices.com.

About Emeryville Pharmaceutical Services

Emeryville Pharmaceutical Services (EPS) provides quality analytical chemistry and microbiology services to companies worldwide. With its state-of-the-art laboratory equipment and facilities, EPS is committed to the highest quality science, customer service, as well as exceptional professionalism. For examples of the complex experiments capable of being run at EPS, as well as discussions on current scientific methodology and understanding, visit the EPS blog, as well as the EPS website. Or feel free to contact Dr. Timothy Shiau or Dr. Dmitri Debabov.

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Emeryville Pharmaceutical Services Launches Analytical Chemistry and Microbiological Service Offerings

Vesagas: The cultural anatomy of RH bill

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Monday, June 25, 2012

SINCE its conception as House Bill 4224 or an Act providing for a Comprehensive Policy on Responsible Parenthood, Reproductive Health and Population and Development during the 15thcongress, the so-called RH Bill has been a topic among Filipinos that is approached with much controversy. It was so polemical that it has divided the nation at proximate proportions into Pro and Anti - RH bill.

Anthropologically speaking, the nature of the topic itself or the RH bill has so many implications as far as culture is concerned. And this may explain among the many reasons why the resolution on the said bill is tardy. According to social scientists, culture is the expression or subtotal of mans behavior. They maintain that it is a design for living that guides the behaviors of members of the society. Furthermore, culture, experts claim, has both tangible and intangible components. Tangible components are those that are palpable or that are material in nature like the acceptable manner of clothing, the gadgets, computers and technology people of a society use, the architecture of homes, buildings, among others. On the other hand, intangible components are those that are non-material in nature that include the words people use, the habits they follow, the ideas, customs, values and behaviors that they strive to conform in the society where they live in. In sum, culture defines the social norms that serve as ideal models of behaviors that tell an individual what is appropriate or inappropriate. It is the total way of life. It works as a regulatory mechanism that sets the societys standards of propriety, morality, ethics and legality. Any violations of the norms will result in a strong disapproval and severe punishments. The Philippines, being the only predominantly Catholic country in Asia, has a long established conservative culture to the extent that any topic relating to sexuality is considered taboo. This may explain, at least in my personal assumption, why there are people who oppose the enactment into law of the RH bill no matter how scientific the advantages of such a would-be law has been presented. Anthropologists share that there are at least five theories about culture. I suggest that lawmakers may want to consider them in their understanding the division between the pros and antis RH bill. First, culture is learned. The habits, behaviors, belief systems of a person are learned primarily through the parents or primary caregiver. A person born and raised in a conservative family will learn the ways of living a conservative life by their parents and ancestors. Another example would be an Anti-RH bill parent of a child would naturally teach or influence his child of the negativity of the said bill. Second, culture is shared by and transmitted among the members of a social group. In this process, the common culture that is shared by the members of a society will prevail as the dominant culture representative of such a society. Let us say for example in the Philippines where majority of the citizenry are still conservative in thinking. Naturally, the larger proportion of people sharing this culture will mirror the kind of society they live in and thus, our country becomes or is identified as a conservative one. Third, culture is adaptive. By this, anthropologists mean that culture is dynamic and adjusts to the needs of the society in terms of the physical environment and bio-social environment. Customs that derive benefits for the society are generally adapted. Else, the culture is said to be maladaptive. For example, if RH bill, when enacted into law, will solve issues pertaining to poverty, economic crises and population, then generally it will be adapted easily by the people. On the contrary, if there are no actual benefits derived from the said would-be law, yet it has been acculturated by the society, then such a culture is said to be maladaptive. Conversely when there is an actual benefit that can be derived yet no changes has been made for the realization of the gains, then such a culture is also said to be maladaptive. Fourth, culture is integrated. Anthropologists claim that culture and its elements are consistent and are not mutually exclusive and thus it affects all institutions of the society at once. Going back to RH bill, such an issue does not just concern the polity or religion but rather it also involves other social institutions like the family, the economy and health sector. If lawmakers want to approve or disapprove the RH bill, they must understand that either way, their decision will affect these other social institutions or sectors as they are all integrated together, creating a domino-like effect. Fifth, culture is always changing. If one may notice, the belief systems in the past, especially superstitions, are no longer common in the present. Some may have been modified, while others have been completely eradicated. Social scientists claim that since culture is a mental abstraction of man, the latter creates, discovers, and invents new ways of doing things that if proven to be beneficial, will replace the old familiar ways creating a new culture. Example, in the 80s and earlier on, most, if not all, Filipino parents do not discuss matters relating to sex to their children as it had been very effective as a social regulation in keeping their children from engaging into premarital sex and experimentation that would lead teen and unwanted pregnancies at that time. If such custom of conservatism is no longer effective in regulating the behaviors of our teens today, then by this theory or assumption, such a culture will have to be modified to answer to the emerging needs of the present time. If lawmakers want to make grand changes -- including the passing of the RH bill -- that involves the society, they should not forget to deal with the culture first above anything else. (Comments may be sent to polo.journalist@gmail.comor follow me on twitter @ polo_socio)

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Published in the Sun.Star Cagayan de Oro newspaper on June 26, 2012.

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Vesagas: The cultural anatomy of RH bill

Emmys 2012: 'Grey's Anatomy's' Sandra Oh on Cristina's Emotional Season

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"Grey's Anatomy's" Sandra Oh

Sandra Oh has five Emmy nominations under her belt for her role as Grey's Anatomy's meticulous Dr. Cristina Yang, but it's the ABC medical drama's recently concluded eighth season that the actress feels has provided her best material yet.

This past season on the Shonda Rhimes-created show, Cristina faced the emotional fallout from an abortion when her marriage to Owen (Kevin McKidd) crumbled after the couple swept their baggage under the rug for too long. The story arc, which slowly progressed over the season's 24 episodes, culminated with an emotional scene in which the stoic doc threw a bowl of cereal in her husband's face before they were able to address his infidelity and begin moving on.

As if that weren't already enough, the drama also concluded its year with a plane crash that left claimed the life of one of Seattle Grace's own and left Cristina, Meredith, Derek, Mark and Arizona stranded and facing injuries both big and small. The Hollywood Reporter caught up with Oh to discuss Cristina's challenging moments of the season, saying farewell to two castmembers and the benefits of filming on location.

STORY: 'Grey's Anatomy' Recap: Who Met Their Maker in the Deadly Season Finale?

The Hollywood Reporter: This season has been particularly grueling for Cristina: an abortion, a broken marriage and infidelity, all topped off by a plane crash. Which scene did you grapple with the most? Sandra Oh: It has been an extremely challenging year that has had a lot of ups and downs, both challenging and exhilarating. A lot of the scenes that Kevin McKidd and I did of Owen and Cristina arguing in their apartment was like its own story line. We would shoot all our scenes for a day or two straight, and that was extremely challenging because emotionally and physically it becomes really exhausting. Our finale was extremely challenging physically and emotionally. So, I'd say two things -- our finale and those apartment scenes where Cristina and Owen lock themselves in and just go at it.

Cristina tosses a bowl of cereal on him, which isn't a reaction that Cristina is typically prone to. Wasn't that good? Kevin had to have cereal thrown on him eight, 10 times for that one because we did a bunch of angles. There is that one shot -- and we only did it once -- which was his close-up, which was also my best and most direct hit. He was a great sport about that. Mark Jackson directed that episode, so we had special effects make a soft bowl because I'm not actually throwing an actual ceramic bowl at him. But that was real milk and Grape Nuts. I really liked that scene because that's her first actual moment of connection with him after he tells her the truth. Even though it's physical and it's violent, it's also a connecting moment between them where she looks at him and connects again.

PHOTOS: Spoiler Alert! From 'Game of Thrones' to 'Mad Men' -- TV's Most Shocking Deaths

Cristina rarely expresses so much emotion, which she did a lot of this season. It was a slow burn that started with the season premiere and carried throughout the season, which is different that the Grey's we've seen in the past. You see her express her emotions with only two people: her best friend Meredith and her husband Owen. To see someone being pulled apart so intensely, which honestly most everyone goes through in their life in some ways, if you're lucky you're completely pulled apart and then you have to pull yourself together, which hopefully will be the exploration within hopefully the next season. It's not like we played this in a couple of episodes; we've played this throughout the entire year, and the reality of the resentments building and things not being dealt with building and betrayals happening is closer to real time in the way that we played it. Being on a show for this long, you don't have to do things boom-boom-boom because you have eight years of history and developing the character. So you can take your time with things and let it soak in, in a different and deeper way. I'm super-proud of this year. Having been on a show eight years, for me to have the richest storyline now, I'm extremely grateful.

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Emmys 2012: 'Grey's Anatomy's' Sandra Oh on Cristina's Emotional Season

Bioheart’s Chief Science Officer Kristin Comella Presents at 10th Annual Meeting of International Society for Stem …

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SUNRISE, Fla., June 25, 2012 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Bioheart, Inc. (BHRT.OB) announced today that Kristin Comella, the company's Chief Science Officer presented at the 10th Annual Meeting of the International Society for Stem Cell Research (ISSCR) in Yokohama, Japan June 13 - 16, 2012. One of the world's premier stem cell research events, the ISSCR format includes international research and poster presentations from invited speakers, exceptional peer-to-peer learning and unparalleled networking opportunities.

Comella presented a poster on clinical applications of adipose or fat derived stem cells (ADSCs).

The ISSCR annual meeting serves as the largest forum for stem cell and regenerative medicine professionals from around the world. Through lectures, symposia, workshops, and events attendees experience innovative stem cell and regenerative medicine research, advances and what's on the horizon. The meeting features more than 1,000 abstracts, nearly 150 speakers and provides numerous networking and professional development opportunities and social events. For additional information, visit http://www.isscr.org.

Kristin Comella has over 14 years experience in corporate entities with expertise in regenerative medicine, training and education, research, product development and senior management including more than 10 years of cell culturing experience. She has made a significant contribution to Bioheart's product development, manufacturing and quality systems since she joined the company in September 2004.

About Bioheart, Inc.

Bioheart is committed to maintaining its leading position within the cardiovascular sector of the cell technology industry delivering cell therapies and biologics that help address congestive heart failure, lower limb ischemia, chronic heart ischemia, acute myocardial infarctions and other issues. Bioheart's goals are to cause damaged tissue to be regenerated, when possible, and to improve a patient's quality of life and reduce health care costs and hospitalizations.

Specific to biotechnology, Bioheart is focused on the discovery, development and, subject to regulatory approval, commercialization of autologous cell therapies for the treatment of chronic and acute heart damage and peripheral vascular disease. Its leading product, MyoCell, is a clinical muscle-derived cell therapy designed to populate regions of scar tissue within a patient's heart with new living cells for the purpose of improving cardiac function in chronic heart failure patients. For more information on Bioheart, visit http://www.bioheartinc.com, or visit us on Facebook: Bioheart and Twitter @BioheartInc.

Forward-Looking Statements: Except for historical matters contained herein, statements made in this press release are forward-looking statements. Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, words such as "may," "will," "to," "plan," "expect," "believe," "anticipate," "intend," "could," "would," "estimate," or "continue" or the negative other variations thereof or comparable terminology are intended to identify forward-looking statements.

Forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause our actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. Also, forward-looking statements represent our management's beliefs and assumptions only as of the date hereof. Except as required by law, we assume no obligation to update these forward-looking statements publicly, or to update the reasons actual results could differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements, even if new information becomes available in the future.

The Company is subject to the risks and uncertainties described in its filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including the section entitled "Risk Factors" in its Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2011, and its Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended March 30, 2012.

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Bioheart's Chief Science Officer Kristin Comella Presents at 10th Annual Meeting of International Society for Stem ...