Monthly Archives: July 2012

Is China attacking Hong Kong press freedom?

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Protesters tear up images of the front page of Hong Kong's South China Morning Post newspaper after claims of censorship.

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

Editor's note: Mak Yin Ting has worked as a journalist for more than 25 years. She is currently the Chairperson of the Hong Kong Journalists Association and the Hong Kong correspondent for Radio France International.

(CNN) -- "Hong Kong enjoys a far higher degree of press freedom than before the handover in 1997 and this is on par with the most developed places in the world," said Hong Kong Secretary for Home Affairs, Tsang Tak-sing, to the Legislative Council last November.

Tsang was urging council members to vote down a motion defending press freedom in the territory, put forth by the Democratic Party's Emily Lau amid growing concern about China's influence on Hong Kong's media.

In fact, he sounded like a mainland official citing instances of 'good deeds' when rebutting criticism against China's human rights record.

Such claims contrast sharply with the reality in Hong Kong, where the free flow and access to information has been gradually but steadily restricted following Hong Kong's return to Chinese sovereignty on July 1, 1997. Although freedom of the press is enshrined in Hong Kong's de facto constitution, the Basic Law, the gap has been shrinking between our city and mainland China, which does not enjoy freedom of expression.

Hong Kong Special Administrative Region- Is it still special 15 years later?

In Hong Kong, the proliferation of media outlets does not tell the whole story. The figures are robust: a city of seven million people consuming 46 daily newspapers and 642 periodicals as of 2010, according to the Hong Kong Yearbook. Nonetheless, the large number of media outlets does not ensure a diversity of voices, which is a fundamental part of press freedom.

According to an industry survey conducted by the Hong Kong Journalists Association (HKJA) in April, nearly 87% of the 663 journalists who responded said press freedom in Hong Kong has deteriorated since 2005 when Donald Tsang took office as Chief Executive. This builds upon a similar survey conducted by the HKJA in 2007, in which 58.4% of journalists felt press freedom had been eroded since the 1997 handover.

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Is China attacking Hong Kong press freedom?

Freedom on display as North Jersey celebrates Independence Day [video]

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One of the few points that can be made universally about the state of freedom on the Fourth of July is that Americans possess divergent views on the issue outlooks that are colored by worldviews, political leanings and factors as plain as age.

CHRIS PEDOTA/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

Edwin Gonzalez, 2, portraying George Washington, and his sister Giuliana, 5, playing Betsy Ross, in Ridgefield Parks Baby and Youth Parade. They won an award as most patriotic.

It can also be said that its relatively easy to find people at least in North Jersey who are willing to openly share their views on a principle that is both revered and controversial.

Freedom was on the brain at dozens of events marking 236 years of American independence across Bergen and Passaic counties, including celebrations in Teaneck, Allendale, Little Falls, Ringwood, Hackensack and Ridgefield Park.

While watching a parade in Ridgefield Park on Wednesday, village resident Chris Cajas, 31, measured the amount of liberty that he is afforded against the limited number of rights held by millions of others living under repressive regimes.

The fight for freedom and democracy thats celebrated on Independence Day has been echoed in the drumbeat of stories coming out of Syria and Egypt.

I think with the struggles in the economy and abroad, I feel more free and more appreciative of the real meaning of freedom, Cajas said.

Iram Valentin, 35, of Hackensack measures freedom in bandwidth and credits the Internet for fostering a rise in self-expression.

How you can express yourself and what you can say has increased because of social media, Valentin said. It used to be that you had to be rich to own Encyclopedia Britannica, but now anyone can get onto the Internet and get information.

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Freedom on display as North Jersey celebrates Independence Day

Cyborg Gaming Mouse

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Mad Catz menghasilkan peranti permainan PC yang telah semakin popular Amerika; dan ia mudah untuk melihat mengapa. Cyborg M.M.O.7 Gaming Mouse kelihatan seperti ia akan berubah pada bila-bila masa dan mula menembak anda, dan kami tidak akan terkejut jika ia boleh. Ia mempunyai 13 butang yang boleh disesuaikan, enam mod diprogramkan, 6400DPI sensor twin-eye dan [...]

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Cyborg Gaming Mouse

Huntington Beach Beaches Named Cleanest in United States

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The Natural Resources Defense Council’s annual assessment of cleanest and dirtiest beaches and lakes in the United States was released last week. The Huntington Beach Marketing and Visitors Bureau is proud that two of Surf City’s three beaches were included in the top three cleanest beaches in California and claimed two of the twelve spaces for cleanest beaches in the nation.Huntington Beach, CA ...

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Huntington Beach Beaches Named Cleanest in United States

Americans Celebrate National Clean Beaches Week; 2012 List of Blue Wave Beaches Released

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Today America celebrates its independence from dirty beaches. More than 50 events are occurring throughout the country in celebration of National Clean Beaches Week, from beach cleanups, to art fairs, to seafood festivals and recreational activities, all focused on appreciating and respecting our Nation’s beaches. The annual list of Blue Wave certified beaches is officially released.Washington ...

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Americans Celebrate National Clean Beaches Week; 2012 List of Blue Wave Beaches Released

SD Group Plans Cleanup After Thousands Hit The Beaches

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Beaches along the San Diego County coastline are bound to be a mess today following Independence Day celebrations, so the San Diego chapter of the Surfrider Foundation has cleanups scheduled at four locations.

Volunteers are scheduled to meet at 9 a.m. at the Ocean Beach Pier, Belmont Park and the foot of Pacific Beach Drive -- all in San Diego -- and the South Harbor Jetty in Oceanside.

"Cities and state parks generally do a great job keeping the beaches clean during the July 4th holiday, but nothing can replace or duplicate the efforts of our volunteers after big weekends like this,'' said Chapter Coordinator Haley Jain Haggerstone. "Sometimes the beaches may not look so bad, but nearby streets and sidewalks can be a mess.''

Last year, the cleanup effort resulted in 1,025 pounds of trash and 255 pounds of recyclable items being collected.

Environmental groups say carelessly discarded cigarette butts and plastic products make up the bulk of the debris found on beaches. Last year's haul included nearly 7,000 cigarette butts and 270 plastic bags, which are harmful to marine life.

For those who want to volunteer, there is no need to pre-register, according to Surfrider, but those under 18 need the consent of a parent or guardian.

Volunteers are urged to bring work gloves and a reusable bag or bucket -- although those items can be provided by the foundation to those who come without them.

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SD Group Plans Cleanup After Thousands Hit The Beaches

Sykipot malware variation targets aerospace industry with email attack

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A new variation of the Sykipot information stealing malware is being distributed in new email-based attacks targeting the aerospace industry, according to researchers at security firm AlienVault.

"We have detected a new wave of Sykipot campaigns that has been running during the past weeks," AlienVault Labs manager Jaime Blasco, said. "There are several changes between the new Sykipot campaigns and the older ones."

There are clues suggesting that these attacks originated in China, although this cannot be confirmed with 100% certainty, Blasco said.

The rogue emails sent in the new attacks no longer distribute malicious attachments that exploit vulnerabilities in Adobe Reader, Microsoft Excel or Internet Explorer to install Sykipot.

Instead, they contain links to compromised websites that exploit a 2011 Flash Player vulnerability or a yet-to-be-patched vulnerability in the Microsoft XML Core Services (MSXML) to install the malware.

The MSXML vulnerability is believed to have been exploited in June attacks that prompted Google to warn its Gmail users about state-sponsored attacks. Microsoft released a manual fix for this vulnerability on June 12.

However, the company should provide a proper automatic security patch as soon as possible because the number of attacks that exploit it are increasing, Blasco said.

The Sykipot Trojan program has been used during the past year in targeted attacks against US federal agencies, defence contractors and other organisations that store sensitive data on their computer systems.

One of the new Sykipot attack campaigns targeted potential attendees to the 2013 IEEE Aerospace Conference, a conference intended for aerospace experts, academics, military personnel and industry leaders.

Each Sykipot variant is tailored for a particular group of targets, Blasco said. For example, in January, AlienVault researchers found a version designed to bypass two-factor authentication based on PC/SC x509 smart cards, which commonly used for access management in the defence sector.

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Sykipot malware variation targets aerospace industry with email attack

Aerospace Supply Chain Faces Harsh Reality of Having to Deliver Huge Backlog of Orders Following a Boom in Commercial …

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NEW YORK, July 5, 2012 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Following a boom in commercial aircraft orders in 2011, a year which saw the successful launch of the Airbus A320 NEO and the Boeing 737 MAX, the aerospace industry is now faced with having to deliver a huge backlog. According to a study of the aerospace and defense industry released today by global business advisory firm, AlixPartners, the industry must increase production rates by 45% in volume by 2015 if it is to meet demand, representing the industry's biggest challenge in the coming years.

Looking at the aerospace and defense industry as a whole, the study finds that it is in better shape than last year. The commercial aircraft sector has rebounded, driven by approximately 5% growth in airline and cargo traffic globally and the acceleration of old-aircraft replacement with fuel-efficient alternatives.

However, the future profitability of the airline industry remains uncertain, says the AlixPartners study, with fuel price instability (despite some stabilization of late) and degrading economic drivers weighing on outlook. The study found that net profits for the airline industry globally have been squeezed to an all-time industry average low of 0.5% of revenues -- due to fierce competition, overcapacity-related revenue pressures and rising operating costs.

The study also shows a real contrast in the growth rates globally between OEMs and suppliers, with the former lagging by nearly five percentage points on average -- and this gap looks set to widen. In 2011, suppliers globally saw average sales growth of 10.4%, compared to just 1.0% on average for OEMs.

In the business jet market, while there is no significant upturn as yet, China remains an untapped opportunity with significant under-representation, says the study. In the defense sector, while sovereign spending cuts have received significant attention this year, AlixPartners predicts continued impacts going forward on the industry in the U.S. and Europe, mitigated somewhat by growth in the BRIC countries and other emerging markets.

Eric Bernardini, managing director at AlixPartners and head of the firm's global Aerospace & Defense Practice, said: "Right now, beneath the surface, every level of the aerospace & defense supply chain is scrambling to accelerate in terms of performance, on-time delivery and service levels. The success of more fuel-efficient commercial aircraft by Airbus and Boeing will eventually drive increased financial performance. In the meantime, however, supply chain pressures may drive a period of further consolidation amongst Tier 2 and Tier 3 suppliers, especially in segments where fragmentation is still high, such as aerostructures components. The other side of the coin is that some "super-Tier 1" suppliers may have become so big that they represent a risk which needs to be addressed by the OEMs by getting "under the hood" of all their suppliers, and their suppliers' suppliers. Companies need to ask a lot of questions in order to make sure they are in total control of the ramp-up and have the insight to anticipate any issues."

Commercial supply chain: Ramp-up under heavy stress

Airline leadership teams have so far addressed operating cost pressures by ramping up orders for new, more advanced, aircraft, notes the study, as companies shoot for a 20% improvement in fuel efficiency to help them remain competitive. However, the challenge with these new aircraft is that they incorporate new technologies -- for instance in engines -- that add further strain to the supply chain. According to the study, a 45% increase in production is expected by 2015 although taking into account the greater complexity of the new models, the increase could be upwards of 70%.

According to the study, while order books look healthy and Tier-1 equipment suppliers are expected to do well, OEMs should be worried about whether their supply chains will be able to keep up. OEMs, such as Boeing and Airbus, and engine suppliers such as GE/Safran, Rolls and Pratt & Whitney, will need to considerably ramp-up their supply chains. To mitigate their risk, AlixPartners says OEMs should be driving greater integration of their "operational environments" -- working far more closely with suppliers, putting in place early-warning systems to improve response time to issues and getting ready to provide operational and financial support to suppliers -- even for acquisitions as a last resort.

MRO Market: Growth ahead - but winners and losers

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Aerospace Supply Chain Faces Harsh Reality of Having to Deliver Huge Backlog of Orders Following a Boom in Commercial ...

Why Does A Diet High In DHA Improve Memory?

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Editor's Choice Academic Journal Main Category: Nutrition / Diet Also Included In: Neurology / Neuroscience;Psychology / Psychiatry Article Date: 05 Jul 2012 - 0:00 PDT

Current ratings for: Why Does A Diet High In DHA Improve Memory?

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In an animal study, lead researcher Yves Sauve and colleagues discovered mice that consumed a diet high in DHA had 30% higher levels of DHA in the hippocampus region of the brain, compared with mice fed on a regular, healthy diet.

Sauve, a researcher in the Faculty of Medicine & Dentistry, who works in the department of physiology, the department of ophthalmology and the Center of Neuroscience, explained:

The researchers confirmed that when DHA is added to a diet, additional stores of DHA are deposited in the brain. Sauve explains that consuming more fish or taking supplements could prevent DHA levels decreasing in the brain as we age.

In an earlier study, Sauve found that consuming DHA stops a toxic molecule at the back of the eye that causes age-related vision loss from accumulating.

Cold-water oceanic fish oils are rich in DHA. DHA can also be manufactured commercially from microalgae.

The following foods are rich in DHA:

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Why Does A Diet High In DHA Improve Memory?

LONGEVITY STICKWELD 140 – 140 AMP STICK WELDER 110V/220V 60% DUTY CYCLE SETUP REVIEW 2012 MODEL – Video

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04-07-2012 00:03 The LONGEVITY STICKWELD 140 features an impressive power ratio and unbelievable value. The STICKWELD 140 features a 60% duty cycle at 140amp and is super portable. Weighing about 13lbs, with a convenient easy carry handle, you can stick weld anywhere with 110v or 220v power. Please check out the model on our website:

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LONGEVITY STICKWELD 140 - 140 AMP STICK WELDER 110V/220V 60% DUTY CYCLE SETUP REVIEW 2012 MODEL - Video

Rider University, NYU professors link Tony Awards and shows' longevity on Broadway

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LAWRENCE -- Two professors from New York University and Rider have proved beyond speculation that winning a Tony Award increases the life of a Broadway show, and they have the numbers to show just how much such recognition can help.

Jeff Simonoff, a statistics professor at NYU, teamed up with his former student and now associate professor at Rider, Lan Ma Nygren, to re-evaluate and elaborate on research that the two published in the Journal of Business in 2003.

Their research incorporates the effect that winning a Tony Award has on the longevity of a Broadway show, Simonoff said. This type of research can give the business end of Broadway an idea how well their shows will perform in a week or six months, he said.

Simonoff and Nygren are looking at data such as the shows opening date, weekly attendance rates, the genre of the show, and the Tony Award bump in attendance rates a direct effect of a shows publicity at the awards ceremony.

According to our study, each Tony win in one of the major categories is associated with a 50 percent longer expected run, while a nomination without the win is associated with a 30 percent longer expected lifespan, Nygren said via e-mail. The major categories refer to musical, tuner revival, play, play revival, director and lead actor and actress.

To some, winning a Tony award may be an obvious indication that a shows popularity could increase. Nygren does not disagree.

Its quite obvious that a big Tony winner should expect to run longer than it would have otherwise, but how much longer? she said.

One genre of play the musical trumps the rest, Simonoff said.

People in the business know that musicals last longer. These arent things that are really shocking, he said. But the statistics modeling can confirm that common wisdom. It also allows you to attach a number to a (shows success).

The research shows that winning a Tony Award increases the lifespan of a show by 50 percent while nominations get 30 percent longevity. Musicals have a 50 percent longer run than nonmusicals while revivals are less successful, with 20 percent shorter runs that nonrevivals.

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Rider University, NYU professors link Tony Awards and shows' longevity on Broadway

DNA test helps hospital choose right medication

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A new DNA test offered at Thomas Memorial Hospital is helping psychiatrists more quickly determine which drugs work best for their patients.

Thomas Memorial started offering the DNA tests in January at its South Charleston imaging center.

"You walk to the laboratory, the representative takes a giant cotton swab, swabs the inside of your cheek and you leave. It could not be much more simple," Dr. Tara F. Ray said.

The hospital then ships the swabs to a company called AssureRX, where lab technicians run DNA tests on the samples.

"Based on certain kinetic DNA types, you can determine what medication a patient may not tolerate well or what drug might work well," Ray said.

In a few days, doctors get the test results back with medication suggestions. Ray said the information is separated into three columns: medications that should work, medications that might work but should be monitored closely and medications that patients should avoid.

"It really helps narrow the focus of where to start," she said.

Doctors receive several bits of information from the DNA results, including how fast their patients' bodies break down certain enzymes. People with quick metabolisms need a higher dosage, because their bodies break down medications faster.

A person with a slower metabolism, however, needs a lower dosage because their body doesn't break down drugs as quickly. That leads to higher concentrations of medication in their bloodstream, creating greater potential for side effects.

Ray said the medication list is limited at this time, but AssureRX is always adding more to the list. She said even with the short list, the DNA testing has helped limit the amount of experimentation she has to do when prescribing new drugs.

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DNA test helps hospital choose right medication

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State to get Skinner evidence for DNA testing

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LIVINGSTON - Henry Skinner is a small man with a crooked nose, acid tongue and keen mind. Convicted of fatally pummeling his lover with an ax handle and stabbing her adult sons in a 1993 New Year's Eve Texas Panhandle rampage, he has used his 17 years on death row to assail Texas' criminal justice system as "cunning and deceptive."

In a case that has become an international anti-death penalty cause clbre, Skinner since 2001 has battled to obtain DNA testing of items he believes will clear him of the Pampa killings of Twila Busby and her sons, Randy and Elwin.

Skinner's campaign for more testing twice has prompted courts to stay his scheduled executions. His quest has been complicated by his first lawyer's decision to abandon DNA testing after examination of clothing worn by Skinner on the night of the killings revealed traces of the victims' blood.

Despite prosecutor-sanctioned testing of a few items in 2000 and a 2011 U.S. Supreme Court ruling that opened a new avenue to such testing, rape kit specimens, knives, fingernail scrapings and an apparently bloodstained windbreaker found near Busby's body still have not been examined.

All that changed last month when the Texas Attorney General's Office dropped its opposition to testing and, in tandem with Skinner's lawyers, compiled a list of more than 40 items for high-tech examination.

The items are to be turned over to Texas Department of Public Safety lab technicians on Thursday.

"This nightmare is almost over," Skinner said in a recent death-row interview. "I'm looking forward to the day I can leave. I'll either leave with a few boxes under my arm or in a box. I've already spent 18 years in hell."

Key evidence lost

The state's seeming capitulation appeared a breakthrough for Skinner, who has orchestrated a "Free Skinner" campaign through frequent prison cell pronouncements and postings on his website, "Hell Hole News."

Even as Skinner's lawyers and supporters breathed a sigh of relief, though, it once again appeared the victory may only be partial. State lawyers admit that, after a thorough search, they cannot find the windbreaker, which Skinner attorney Rob Owen called a key piece of evidence.

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State to get Skinner evidence for DNA testing

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Mindray Medical to Present at AACC Clinical Lab Expo 2012

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SHENZHEN, China, July5, 2012 /PRNewswire-Asia-FirstCall/ -- Mindray Medical International Limited (MR), a leading developer, manufacturer and marketer of medical devices worldwide, announced today that it will present at the American Association for Clinical Chemistry's 2012 Clinical Lab Expo in Los Angeles, California from July 17 to July 19, 2012.

Mindray will exhibit its full range of in-vitro diagnostic products and new products including the BS-2000 Auto Biochemistry Analyzer and EH-2050B Plus Automatic Urine Sediment Analyzer.

The BS-2000 modular system is the fastest biochemistry analyzer designed by the company, with a throughput range from 2,000 photometric tests per hour for a single module to up to 4,400 tests per hour for dual modules with electrolyte tests. Hospitals and clinical laboratories with high sample volumes will benefit the most from its fast speed. The BS-2000 also has a complete line of original reagents and calibrators with methodological traceability and controls, making it a versatile option for customers seeking a high level of efficiency, automation and scalability. This model will integrate easily with future Mindray products.

The EH-2050B Plus fully automatic urine sediment analyzer performs comprehensive urinalysis for patients. The equipment can automatically track and analyze different elements, such as red blood cells, in urine samples. It can connect with different urine dry-chemistry analyzers and use their data to form an integrated urinalysis report.

"We are excited to showcase our products to the clinical laboratory professionals at this high-profile and reputable conference," said Mr. Jie Liu, Mindray's Chief Operating Officer. "We will continue to create innovative, high-quality and high-performance products in order to meet the needs of our customers worldwide."

Exhibition Details:

Date:July 17-19, 2012 Location: Los Angeles Convention Center, Los Angeles, California, USA Booth:#2235, South Hall

About AACC

The AACC is an international society comprising medical professionals with an interest in clinical chemistry, clinical laboratory science and laboratory medicine.

About Mindray

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Mindray Medical to Present at AACC Clinical Lab Expo 2012

:: 05, Jul 2012 :: NANO TODAY LEAPS IN IMPACT FACTOR RANKING

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Consolidates Standing as the Second Most Influential Nanoscience and Nanotechnology Journal Globally

In addition, the journal ranked #4 out of 231 journals in Materials Science (Multidisciplinary), and #5 out of 152 journals in Chemistry (Multidisciplinary), consolidating its position as a leading journal that serves a broad readership. Nano Today is also the only Asia-based journal among the top 5 journals in each list.

We are both excited and happy about the new impact factor of Nano Today. I would like to thank the readers, authors, referees, editorial advisory board, as well as our Managing Editor, Noreena AbuBakar, for all their contributions and support.Nanotechnology is a rapidly advancing field that holds great potential to benefit society through the creation of new materials or devices. The journal will continue to publish the latest and most exciting developments in this multidisciplinary field, shared Professor Jackie Y. Ying, Editor-in-Chief of Nano Today, who is also the Executive Director of the Institute of Bioengineering and Nanotechnology, Singapore, the worlds first bioengineering and nanotechnology research institute.

The Journal Citation Reports are the recognized authority for evaluating journals, presenting quantitative data that supports a systematic and objective review of the worlds leading journals, as well as measures their impact and influence in the global research community.

Nano Today is an international, peer-reviewed journal for researchers with interests across the whole spectrum of nanoscience and nanotechnology. Through review articles, rapid communications, news and opinions, it features the latest breakthroughs in nanoscience, and the impacts of nanotechnology on biomedical, electronic, chemical and energy applications.

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:: 05, Jul 2012 :: NANO TODAY LEAPS IN IMPACT FACTOR RANKING

Postoperative delirium in cardiac surgery patients associated with prolonged cognitive impairment

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Public release date: 4-Jul-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Jim Fessenden james.fessenden@umassmed.edu 508-856-2600 University of Massachusetts Medical School

WORCESTER, MA Older patients undergoing cardiac surgery often experience changes in cognitive function, such as memory problems or an inability to focus, in the days immediately following their operations. While these changes are usually temporary, for unknown reasons, a significant number of cardiac patients will encounter long-term cognitive problems, lasting as long as a year after their surgeries.

Now, new research published in the July 5 issue of The New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM), establishes a link between postoperative delirium and prolonged loss of cognitive function in cardiac surgery patients. Led by investigators at the University of Massachusetts Medical School, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and the Aging Brain Center at Hebrew SeniorLife, the findings suggest that interventions to prevent delirium in advance of surgery could help cardiac patients avoid long-term cognitive consequences.

A state of confusion that can develop following illness, infection or surgery, delirium is one of the most common complications in hospitalized patients over age 65. "Our findings now suggest that postoperative delirium, once thought of as an acute, transient cognitive disorder, may have longer-term effects on cognitive function in patients undergoing cardiac surgery," said co-lead author Jane Saczynski, PhD, assistant professor of medicine at the University of Massachusetts Medical School.

While delirium has been studied quite extensively in other patient populations, including general medical and surgical patients and orthopedic surgery patients, few studies of delirium have targeted cardiac surgery patients. "With the aging of the patient population undergoing cardiac surgery and increases in survival after surgery, clinicians and patients are increasingly concerned with factors associated with quality of life, including cognitive status, as major outcomes of surgery," the authors write. "Whether postoperative delirium is associated with prolonged cognitive dysfunction has been unclear."

The researchers followed 225 patients, aged 60 to 90, who underwent either coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) or heart valve replacement surgery at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC), UMass Memorial Medical Center or the Boston VA Medical Center, for one year after their surgeries, assessing them for both delirium and cognitive impairment.

"One of the real strengths of our study is that we assessed patients' cognitive function preoperatively and an average of five times during the year after surgery," said co-lead author Edward Marcantonio, MD, section chief for research in BIDMC's Division of General Medicine and Primary Care and professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School. "Previous research had shown an association between postoperative delirium and functional decline in activities of daily living [such as grooming and dressing, driving, shopping, preparing meals and managing medications and finances.] But, believe it or not, the one thing that's been most uncertain is the association between delirium and long-term cognitive difficulties. This study allowed us to accurately model the course of cognitive function and to compare the rate of recovery among patients with and without postoperative delirium."

The results showed that compared with patients who did not experience delirium, the 103 patients who developed delirium after cardiac surgery 46 percent of the total experienced a more significant drop in cognitive performance immediately following surgery, as determined by the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE). They also took significantly longer to recover back to their pre-surgical level of function than did patients who did not develop delirium. For example, five days after surgery, nearly half of those who did not develop delirium had returned to pre-operative levels of function while less than 20 percent of those who did develop delirium had returned to pre-operative level of function; six months after surgery, more than three-quarters of those without delirium had recovered cognitively compared to only 60 percent of those with delirium.

Although patients who developed delirium took longer to recover to their pre-operative levels of cognitive performance, they continued to improve in the weeks and months after surgery. Cognitive performance reached preoperative levels and stabilized one month after surgery in patients who did not develop delirium but continued to improve until six months after surgery in those with delirium.

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Postoperative delirium in cardiac surgery patients associated with prolonged cognitive impairment

MU med school, Cabell Huntington Hospital to be on TV

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CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- Marshall University's medical school and Cabell Huntington Hospital will be featured in Thursday's episode of NBC's Rock Center, the hospital announced Tuesday.

The newsmagazine will feature the Maternal Addiction and Recovery Center at MU's Joan C. Edwards School of Medicine and the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at Cabell Huntington.

NBC will air the newsmagazine at 10 p.m. Thursday on WSAZ-TV.

An NBC news crew spent time at the hospital in early April and interviewed Dr. David Chaffin, a maternal fetal specialist and Dr. Sean Loudin, a neontologist, about the medical school and hospital's work to address the issue of opiate drug addiction by pregnant women and its effect on newborns.

"It is our hope that the national media exposure will give pregnant women who are addicted the courage to seek care in treatment programs like our center," said Dr. David C. Jude, chairman of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at MUSOM. "Receiving prenatal care early in the pregnancy significantly reduces the likelihood of complications of pregnancy, and we hope that increasing awareness of both the problem and places where help is available will inspire women to seek care sooner in their pregnancy.

"Our experience so far has shown us that a little more than half of these women can either use significantly less or come off the medications completely and by doing so significantly reduces the severity of neonatal withdrawal and may prevent some babies from having withdrawal symptoms," Jude said.

The newsmagazine will feature the Maternal Addiction and Recovery Center at MU's Joan C. Edwards School of Medicine and the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at Cabell Huntington.

NBC will air the newsmagazine at 10 p.m. Thursday on WSAZ-TV.

An NBC news crew spent time at the hospital in early April and interviewed Dr. David Chaffin, a maternal fetal specialist and Dr. Sean Loudin, a neontologist, about the medical school and hospital's work to address the issue of opiate drug addiction by pregnant women and its effect on newborns.

"It is our hope that the national media exposure will give pregnant women who are addicted the courage to seek care in treatment programs like our center," said Dr. David C. Jude, chairman of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at MUSOM. "Receiving prenatal care early in the pregnancy significantly reduces the likelihood of complications of pregnancy, and we hope that increasing awareness of both the problem and places where help is available will inspire women to seek care sooner in their pregnancy.

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MU med school, Cabell Huntington Hospital to be on TV

Cellular reprogramming: a real tool of regenerative medicine? – Video

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04-07-2012 05:11 Conference by Maria Pia Cosma, ICREA Research Professor, leader of the laboratory Reprogramming and Regeneration, within the Gene Regulation, Stem Cells and Cancer research programme, at the Centre for Genomic Regulation, in Barcelona, Spain. Her research group is dedicated to studying the mechanisms that control the reprogramming of adult cells in order to determine whether this reprogramming contributes to tissue regeneration in higher vertebrates (fish, amphibians, birds and mammals). In recent years, there have been numerous studies of how adult cells of our body can be turn back into stem cells (ie those that have the potential to become any type of adult cell). A skin cell, for example, can be "induced" (converted) into a stem cell again, and then be transformed into a cell of another tissue (muscle, nerve, blood, etc.). This has generated great interest in the field of regenerative medicine. For example, this type of cells called "induced pluripotent stem cells" (IPS) can be used in the treatment of many diseases. But is this really possible? What should we keep in mind according to this approach? Scientists have also discovered that the reprogramming of adult cells can occur naturally in the body, but still do not understand why this happens and, more importantly for the purposes of regenerative medicine, how it happens.

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Cellular reprogramming: a real tool of regenerative medicine? - Video

A gem of a computer boosts research base

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A gem of a computer boosts research base

11:00am Wednesday 4th July 2012 in News

A SUPER COMPUTER capable of helping combat swine flu and finding new planets was unveiled in Oxfordshire yesterday.

The million-pound machine called Emerald will be used by researchers to crunch medical research data on Tamiflu, create software for the worlds most powerful radio telescope and see how human action is likely to affect the climate.

It will also be able to look at swine flu as well as finding better ways to process medical images.

The Government has provided 3.7m to fund two computers, Emerald and Iridis, and their running costs.

Emerald will be based at the Rutherford Appleton Laboratory (RAL), Harwell, while Iridis is at Southampton University. Prof Anne Trefellen, of Oxford University, said Harwell was chosen because it also houses the Diamond Light Source and the Isis neutron source.

Emeralds super-fast processing is combined with high energy efficiency.

Prof Trefellen said: Scientists there are creating a lot of data and it makes sense to avoid moving it large distances.

We are also hoping that as Harwell expands, more businesses will be able to use these facilities.

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A gem of a computer boosts research base