Monthly Archives: August 2012

Restaurant’s T-shirt design contest to raise money for autism research

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Its almost time to design a T-shirt for autism research and dine at a Culvers restaurant in the East Valley.

From 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 23, the Culvers restaurant at 3155 W. Ray Road in Chandler, is hosting its inaugural Eat, Dine and T-shirt Design Contest for the 8th Annual ZooWalk for Autism Research. The restaurant will be donate 10 percent of its proceeds from

The ZooWalk for Autism and Aspergers Research, which partners with Arizona State Universitys Autism and Aspergers Research Program, is scheduled for Oct. 6 at the Phoenix Zoo in Papago Park. But Culvers is encouraging artists both adults and children to come into the eatery now with ideas for their artwork. Two categories of the artwork (child and adult), which usually is animal-themed, will be chosen to be placed on the back of a T-shirt for the walk, in which about 5,000 people participate.

This years ZooWalk, which raises nearly $300,000 annually from private and corporate donations, is dedicated to a one-year multi-treatment study at ASU for children and adults with autism. The study will involve a combination of special vitamins, minerals, essential fatty acids, carnitine (to boost energy metabolism) and special diet that could help individuals who suffer from the disorder.

Autism, which affects one in 88 children, is a disorder of neural development characterized by impaired social interaction and communication and by restricted and repetitive behavior with symptoms becoming apparent before a child is 3 years old. Similar to Aspergers syndrome, autism affects information processing in the brain by altering how nerve cells and their synapses connect and organize.

The number of children and adults who are affected by autism has greatly increased in Arizona and the Valley during the last 20 years which has risen from 600 to more than 6,000 people who receive services from the Arizona Department of Developmental Disabilities, according to Jim Adams, an engineering professor at Arizona State University. About 90 percent of people who suffer from autism cannot work and about 80 percent cannot live on their own.

Since Adams daughter was diagnosed with autism 18 years ago when she was 2 and a half years old, Adams now mostly researches and studies autism and is the director for ASUs Aspergers and Autism Research Program. Adams attributed the increase in part to better diagnosis methods and possibly increased exposure to toxic metals, changes in diet or nutritional intake.

Adams said that it is hard to gauge how many people will show up at Culvers to design a T-shirt, but so far, they have 30 applications to enter the contest, and thats from just one school Gateway Academy in Scottsdale.

The winning shirt designs will later be selected by a committee and produced on the T-shirts in time for the walk, Adams said.

The walk plays an important role in the fundraising efforts for autism and Aspergers research, Adams said. For those who have showed up and designed the T-shirts in the past, it is a great amount of fun for the kids and the families.

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Restaurant's T-shirt design contest to raise money for autism research

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Fulbright Information Session 8/28

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Are you a graduating senior, graduate student, or alumnus who would like to spend a year outside of the U.S., either serving as an English Teaching Assistant or taking courses and/or doing research? Consider applying for the Fulbright U.S. Student Program. The campus deadline for the Fulbright U.S. Student Program is less than a month away, but there's still time to put together a competitive application. The Office of Nationally Competitive Scholarships will be holding one last information session for this year's application cycle: Fulbright U.S. Student Program Information Session Tuesday, August 28 @ 2:30pm Room to be determined Please RSVP to Dr. Jeff Thibert at thibert@email.arizona.edu to receive an update on the room location. You're welcome to come even if you're not eligible to apply this year. You can also contact Dr. Thibert if you cannot attend but would like more information. Finally, if you're currently working on an application, but have not yet heard from Dr.Thibert, send him an email right away.

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Quest Diagnostics Gazelle® Mobile Health App Earns 2012 CIO 100 Award

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MADISON, N.J., Aug. 24, 2012 /PRNewswire/ – Quest Diagnostics (NYSE:DGX), the world’s leading provider of diagnostic testing, information and services, accepted a 2012 CIO 100 award from International Data Group’s (IDG) CIO magazine for itsGazelle® mobile health application. The 25th annual award program recognizes organizations around the world that exemplify the highest level of operational and strategic excellence in information technology. The Gazelle mobile application for Blackberry, iPhone and Android smartphones enables patients to take control of their health by providing their health information and the tools to manage their condition.

“For 25 years now, the CIO 100 awards have honored the innovative use of technology to deliver genuine business value,” said Maryfran Johnson, Editor in Chief of CIO magazine & events. “Our 2012 winners are an outstanding example of the transformative power of IT to drive everything from revenue growth to competitive advantage.”

“Quest Diagnostics is honored to receive a CIO 100 award in recognition of our Gazelle mobile health app,” said David Evans, Vice President of Information Technology for Quest Diagnostics, who accepted the award at the CIO 100 Symposium & Awards Ceremony. ”In today’s digital world, patients are increasingly relying on smartphones and tablets to better manage every aspect of their lives, including their health.” 

Gazelle has delivered more than 220,000 laboratory results directly to patients to help in the management of their health. Where state regulations allow, patients can receive many of their laboratory test results on their smartphones. Currently, 38 states allow patients to have access to their lab data. Rhode Island and Arizona recently granted patients this access and currently the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has a proposed rule that would empower patients by allowing direct access to their laboratory test results, via proposed amendments to the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) and the Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments (CLIA), to create a uniform, national standard.

“Seven percent of patients never receive notification of abnormal results, and nine percent of lab tests are repeated because the results are not available to patients or their current physician,” said Jon R. Cohen, M.D., Quest Diagnostics Senior Vice President and Chief Medical Officer. “At Quest Diagnostics, we believe that increased transparency by providing lab results directly to patients after they have been received by the ordering physician can further help patients understand and engage in managing their healthcare. Gazelle is but one example of our commitment to patient empowerment.”

About Quest Diagnostics
Quest Diagnostics is the world’s leading provider of diagnostic testing, information and services that patients and doctors need to make better healthcare decisions. The company offers the broadest access to diagnostic testing services through its network of laboratories and patient service centers, and provides interpretive consultation through its extensive medical and scientific staff. Quest Diagnostics is a pioneer in developing innovative diagnostic tests and advanced healthcare information technology solutions that help improve patient care. Additional company information is available at QuestDiagnostics.com. Follow us atFacebook.com/QuestDiagnostics and Twitter.com/QuestDX.

About Gazelle
Launched in 2010, the secure Gazelle mobile health app helps patients to make meaningful improvements to their health. Patients can see, store and share their Quest Diagnostics laboratory test results as well as manage physician names, specialties, and contact information; hospital and pharmacy numbers; even insurance plan, group, and policy numbers. Gazelle is an easy way to capture and manage personal health information, including vital statistics, medical history and conditions, food and medication allergies, travel history and immunizations, and medication names, doses, frequency, and start/end dates. Where state regulations allow patients can receive lab test results directly from Quest Diagnostics. In states where direct delivery to patients does not exist, patients can have results sent to them from their medical practitioner that uses the Care360. To help patients understand their results, Gazelle includes a brief explanation of the normal and abnormal values for the most common lab tests. For more information about Gazelle’s features visit http://www.MyGazelleApp.com.  

About the CIO 100
The recipients of this year’s CIO 100 award were selected through a three-step process. First, companies filled out an online application form detailing their innovative IT and business initiatives. Next, a team of judges reviewed the applications in depth, looking for unique practices and substantial results. Finally,CIO editors reviewed the judges’ recommendations and voted on the final 100.

Complete coverage of the 2012 CIO 100 awards will be online at http://www.cio.com on August 1, 2012 and in the August 1st issue of CIO magazine.

Quest Diagnostics Contacts:
Media: Caitlin McHugh, 973-520-2800
Investors: Kathleen Valentine, 973-520-2900

SOURCE: Quest Diagnostics Incorporated

 

 

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Final rule on Stage 2 of EHR incentive program issued

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Courtesy of Modern Healthcare By Rich Daly (August 23, 2012)

The final requirements that hospitals and other providers must meet to receive funding under the second phase of the federal electronic health record incentive program were issued Thursday. The Stage 2 meaningful-use requirements that providers must satisfy to receive payments under the program that provides incentive payments to Medicare and Medicaid providers that adopt qualifying EHRs will go into effect in early 2014, according to a final rule (PDF) issued by the CMS and the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology. The program had previously planned for providers to satisfy Stage 2 requirements in 2013. The rule outlined the certification criteria that electronic health-record makers must satisfy for their products to meet the program's standards. The new rules modified the certification program to “cut red tape and make the certification process more efficient,” according to an agency news release. “The changes we're announcing today will lead to more coordination of patient care, reduced medical errors, elimination of duplicate screenings and tests and greater patient engagement in their own care,” HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said in a news release.


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The final rule adds two new "core objectives" to the Stage 2 reporting requirements for physicians and hospitals. The first requirement, for physicians, is to use secure electronic messaging to communicate relevant health information with patients. The second requirement, for hospitals, is to automatically track medications from order to administration using "assistive technologies in conjunction with an electronic medication administration record (eMAR)."

The final rule also adds "outpatient lab reporting" to the program's menu objectives for hospitals and "recording clinical notes" as a menu objective for both physicians and hospitals. 

The rule lowered the requirement that providers submit summaries of care from 65% of “transitions of care and referrals” to just 50%. Additionally, it eliminated the organizational and vendor limitations in the requirement that providers electronically transmit a summary of care for more than 10% of transitions of care and referrals to another provider with no organizational or vendor affiliations.

Also, the final rule modifies the definition of "hospital-based" physicians to create an application process for physicians to demonstrate that they alone fund their EHR systems and are eligible to receive the incentive payments, directly.

Since the program began in January 2011, more than 120,000 eligible healthcare professionals and more than 3,300 hospitals have qualified to participate and receive incentive payments, according to the CMS. The rates of participation include more than half of all eligible hospitals and about 20% of eligible healthcare professionals.

The Stage 3 phase will add another layer of health data collection and reporting requirements for the participating providers. Medicare providers that do not successfully participate by 2015 will begin to face cuts in their overall payments from the program.

An earlier version of the story implied that the final rule dropped information-sharing requirements. They remain in place, with some adjustments.

Read more: Final rule on Stage 2 of EHR incentive program issued | Healthcare business news and research | Modern Healthcare 

 

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Thoughts on Leica Buying Aperio

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There are many angles and points to this news and one post on the matter will not do the implications for us users, consumers, clients, customers, prospects and technophlies justice.  I hope this will the first installment of many as more details emerge about the deal.

Perhaps not too surprising would be that the story on Tuesday mentioning Leica buying Aperio turned out to be only a slightly more popular post than a recent post about a 10-year old with Asperger's giving a personal medal to the Canadian Olympic team, confirming again that everyone likes a story with a happy ending (pending SEC clearance and the deal closing).


SCN400_22x250In April of last year I wrote a post entitled "Leica and Slidepath got it right" about seeing their SCN400 device along with SlidePath Digital Image Hub viewer and image analysis tools. 

Also of note was the large laboratory presence in staining, instrumentation and clinical microscopy Leica brought to the table with great optics and solid software applications. 


Aperio

 

 

 

What was missing then as it was until a few days ago was a scanner of their own, the ability to support multiple sites on a common database, a portfolio of FDA 510K cleared image analysis applications that Aperio has in its portfolio and a polished sales and marketing staff.

A perfect fit for both companies.  Leica gains a product that can network, cleared IHC algorithms, a larger sales and marketing force very familiar with clinical, educational and research markets as well as instant major market share purchasing the leader in the space with 1100 systems deployed worldwide.

2 years ago today, Roche announced it was buying BioImagene, the sale came approximately 2 years after Dr. Ajit Singh joined the company as CEO.  When he joined the company, clearly his job was to get the company sold.

Fast forward to November of last year when Aperio appointed healthcare veteran David Schlotterbeck as CEO of Aperio following an appointment on the board and replacing founder Dirk Soeksen as CEO. Clearly his job was to get Aperio sold.  Mission accomplished.  In less than a year.


87809aperiaFor the past couple of years and more recently in the past several months it was known that Aperio was having difficulty with cash flow evidenced by the number of times it raised money. Early this year Aperio shifted its focus to selling and promoting its newly branded ePathology solutions and partnered with Dell to create a cloud computing partnership and a global consultation network.  They were making advances in the market and needed capital to execute.  


Customers appeared to be choosing Aperio over Leica on most head-to-head deals based on proven experience and ability to define customer needs and match products and services. Leica did hot have as broad a product offering or enough boots on the ground to compete, particularly in North America. 

Some questions come to mind:

Did Aperio's market prowess impact Leica's ability to win new digital pathology business? Did a lack of IHC image analysis with FDA clearance hurt them considering reads of ER/PR/HER2 appear to be solid use cases for digital pathology? And if you can't beat 'em, buy 'em?

In the end, Leica combines a long history of laboratory products and manufacturing processes to go head-to-head with Roche for a combined solution for staining/scanning/analysis for cancer diagnostics and prognostics and Aperio gets a suitor.

Many questions remain I do not know the answer to:

How much?

Is there/Will there be measurable culture clash in this acquisition?

What will the new combined branding look like i.e. "Leica Biosystems ePathology Solutions Powered by Aperio" much like Roche/Ventana's "Powered by BioImagene" byline?

Here is where I think are now with market segments in the digital pathology space:

1.  IHC image analysis (Roche and Leica) - groups with in-house IHC, independent labs, reference labs, consultation capabilities across a network.

2.  PACS integration (Philips and GE) - large integrated health care delivery systems, hopspital owned groups and perhaps virtual IHC offerings or large consultation/referral combined networks through PACS integration.

3.  Small volume, low cost (DigiPath and Mikroscan) - coverage for remote frozen sections, FNAs, ad hoc intramural/extramural consults (low volume of slides and transactions), in-office laboratories, low cost solution for risk mitigation in low volume circumstances.

 


 

 

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Leica Biosystems to Acquire Aperio

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Nussloch, Germany / Vista, CA (August 21, 2012)
Leica Biosystems announced that an affiliate has entered into a definitive
agreement to acquire Aperio, a leading provider of ePathology solutions.

Aperio will be integrated into Leica Biosystems, a leader in
anatomical pathology solutions. Together, the two businesses will leverage each
other’s strengths to grow and expand digital pathology into the global Life
Science and Healthcare markets. The integrated business will provide industry
leading solutions in each step of the anatomical pathology workflow, from sample
preparation and staining, to imaging and reporting. The company will continue to
offer both the Aperio and the existing Leica portfolio of Digital Pathology
solutions, so that customers will enjoy more freedom to choose a solution that
meets their individual needs. 

Aperio is a global leader in digital pathology, with the
largest installed base of systems in both Life Science and Healthcare. Aperio
ePathology Solutions include whole slide scanners, a NETWORK solution that
enables remote, real-time viewing and easy distribution of images for peer
review, collaboration and consultation. Its PRECISION solution provides
pathologists with easy-to-use quantitative image analysis to improve research
and clinical productivity, reproducibility, and consistency. Customers include
clinicians and researchers working in hospitals, reference laboratories, pharma
and research institutions.

“We are excited to acquire Aperio, because of its leadership
in digital pathology, innovative product portfolio, and its very experienced
global team. We share the commitment to advancing cancer diagnostics to improve
lives. This acquisition positions us to better address the growing demand for
personalized medicine and the increasing challenge of staff shortage in the
global pathology market. Together we offer the market an end-to-end solution
from the time that the specimen is collected to the time that the results are
delivered, to help our customers improve workflow efficiency and diagnostic
confidence,” said Arnd Kaldowski, President of Leica Biosystems.

“We believe that Aperio will benefit from the heritage, deep
pathology expertise, and strong brand recognition of Leica Biosystems”, said
David Schlotterbeck, CEO of Aperio. “The combined product offerings and improved
reach into the diagnostic market will make our ePathology Solutions more widely
available.  We see our goals as synergistic and together we can address the
regional and global imbalances of pathology expertise available for patient care
and research.”

About Leica Biosystems

Leica Biosystems offers histopathology laboratories the most
extensive product range with industry leading solutions for each workflow step,
to enable the improvement of workflow efficiency and diagnostic confidence.
Leica Biosystems is represented in over 100 countries. It has manufacturing
facilities in 7 countries, sales and service organizations in 19 countries, and
an international network of dealers. The company is headquartered in Nussloch,
Germany. Further information can be found at http://www.LeicaBiosystems.com

About Aperio

For over a decade, Aperio has advanced the technology that
enables glass slides to be digitized and securely shared with others. Aperio
products are transforming the practice of pathology in hospitals, reference
labs, and pharmaceutical and research institutions around the world. From the
moment glass slides are elevated to eSlides, Aperio ePathology Solutions equip
pathologists with the power to evaluate, engage, and excel like never before.
The NETWORK enables remote, simultaneous, real-time viewing and easy
distribution for consults and collaboration. PRECISION tools empower
pathologists with advanced analytic capabilities. An interoperable, scalable,
and secure web-based software platform facilitates integration with existing
systems. With Aperio ePathology Solutions, organizations can optimize their
pathology operations for transparency, consistency, and efficiency to support
patient care, personalized medicine, and research. For clearance updates,
specific product indications, and more information please visit http://www.aperio.com

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2012 Republican National Convention Interim Telemedicine Travel Insurance From MD 247

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Tampa Florida (PRWEB) August 20, 2012

On Monday afternoon, MD 247 announced that it was launching an exclusive “2012 Republican National Convention supplemental travel healthcare protection plan.” The 2012 Republican National Convention in Tampa Florida also happens to coincide with the peak of the 2012 hurricane season, a fact that the telemedicineprovider MD 247 reviewed and is keenly aware of.

In order to deal with the health issues that often arise during tropical storms and hurricanes, MD 247 has announced the launch of its $9.95 interim travel telemedicine healthcare protection plan. The plan grants the entire traveling party 24/7 telephone access to trained medical professionals, easy prescription refill procedures and peace of mind in case a storm strikes.

The interim travel telemedicine healthcare protection plan is meant to help visitors to Tampa Florida get beyond the minor illnesses that tropical storms tend to “kick-up.” Effectively, MD 247 looks to make the visit to Tampa for the 2012 Republican National Convention a seamless journey and easy even on the medical frontier.

Largo Florida based MD247.COM (MD247; MD/247; MD 247; M.D.247; MD-247) provides an affordable telemedicine supplement to existing healthcare services.MD247.COM telemedicine program members have unlimited telephone access to a nationwide medical support team, all with just a single phone call to theMD247.COM telemedicine Talk to a Doctor/Talk to a Nurse Hotline. MD247.COM has a virtual platoon of registered nurses; board certified physicians and a support staff available to members for all non-emergency situations. More information aboutMD247.COM is available online at http://www.md247.com.

Read the full story at http://www.prweb.com/releases/2012/8/prweb9819334.htm

 

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Aperio Technologies Receives $450,450 New Funding Round

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Venture Capital

  • Date: 7/20/2012
  • Company Name: Aperio Technologies
  • Mailing Address: 1360 Park Center Dr. Vista, CA 92081
  • Company Description: Aperio is digitizing pathology. We provide systems and services for digital pathology, a digital environment for the management and interpretation of pathology information that originates with the digitization of a glass slide.
  • Website http://www.aperio.com
  • Transaction Type: Debt
  • Transaction Amount: $450,450
  • Transaction Round: Undisclosed
  • Proceeds Purposes: Proceeds purposes were not disclosed.  SEC regulatory filing.
  • Venture Investor: Undisclosed

Related Posts

 Venture Capital

Source: http://www.xconomy.com

Read more : http://www.xconomy.com/san-diego/2012/07/20/aperio-technologies-receives-450450-new-funding-round/

 

 

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Canadian Boy Gives Medal to Olympians

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First heard this on ESPN Radio over the weekend. If you haven't heard/read the story yet -worth the read.  There is still hope for humanity...

A 10-Year-Old Boy Sent His Medal To The Canadian Olympians Who Lost Theirs Through Disqualification

Adam Taylor | Aug. 15, 2012, 5:42 PM 

It was a sad sight to see the Canadian team get disqualified in the men's Olympic 4x100 meter relay after Jared Connaughton stepped out of his line. The team lost their bronze medal and were photographed in tears.

However, one 10-year-old fan stepped in to help, offering the team a medal he had won in a recent soccer tournament.

On Monday Justyn Warner tweeted the letter and medal Newfoundland resident Elijah Porter had sent him and his teammates. Porter's kind action will receive its own reward too — Canadian coffee chain Tim Hortens has announced they will give him a medal and a bicyle for his efforts.

Here's the letter: 

Elijah Porter Letter

https://twitter.com/justynwarner

Here's a transcription (via Reuters):

"Dear Justyn, Gavin, Jarred and Oluseyi,

"I'm Elijah Porter. I'm ten and I live in Newfoundland, Canada. When I heard what happened on Aug. 11, I knew it was wrong. The rules were not right. But, at last, I realized how good you were.

"We're Canadians. We persevere. We create better lives for each other. The cold didn't stop us from living in the North. We didn't lose the War of 1812. We adapt and survive. We earned our freedom. 

"Someday if I become a biologist, or if I get rich, and, if I remember, I will donate money to the summer and winter Olympians. I hope you like the medal!"

Read more: http://www.businessinsider.com/elijah-porter-sends-his-medal-to-the-canadian-olympians-who-lost-theirs-through-disqualification-2012-8#ixzz245u4C7wP

 

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South Jersey Skies: Following the space station

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Good evening, class.

Tonight's observing assignment for Astronomy 212A is to follow the path of the International Space Station across the sky and describe what you see. Please note: There are several opportunities to earn extra credit points!

The easiest way to start this exercise is by locating two planets. Well before 8:50 p.m. on Sunday, Aug. 26, look very low in the west-southwest. The sky will still be illuminated with evening twilight, but you should be able to spot three stars.

The brightest of these is actually the planet Saturn. Seven degrees to its left is the planet Mars, considerably fainter. You should remember from last week's lab that if you hold your fist at arm's length, the width of your fist is about five degrees, so you should be able to easily fit your fist between the two planets.

You can earn two points of extra credit for viewing Saturn through a telescope. If you don't have one, ask your friendly neighborhood amateur astronomer. Be aware that she may be in elementary school, and getting ready for bed.

To check your identifications, look for the star Spica about five degrees below Saturn. Spica is normally midway between Mars and Saturn in brightness, but its very low altitude, only five degrees above the absolute horizon, will make it dimmer than usual.

In fact, the low altitude of all three objects will make this a challenge, and may even place them behind the trees or houses for your viewing location.

8:51 p.m. The ISS may be visible as early as this, though it's not bright at the start of a pass. Look 40 degrees, or four fist-widths, to the right of Saturn, for a star rising in the west-northwest. If you need to set your clocks, go to http://www.time.gov for a precise value, or just type current time into the Google address box for time to the nearest minute.

The Space Station will look like a star moving up and to the left. At first it won't look all that bright, because we're viewing mostly the dark side of the spacecraft. It will also be moving slowly: at this point, it's over a thousand miles away from us, and most of its motion is toward us and difficult to detect, rather than to the side.

But as it approaches us, the ISS will begin to move more quickly across the sky. 8:52. The Station arcs across the bottom of the constellation Botes, the Bear Driver. It just misses the bright star Arcturus in the west.

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South Jersey Skies: Following the space station

Neil Armstrong remembered by John Glenn, NASA head

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Top NASA officials and former astronauts praised the late Neil Armstrong on Saturday, saying he made a major mark on space exploration.

"When I think of Neil, I think of someone who for our country was dedicated enough to dare greatly," John Glenn, the the first American to orbit the Earth, said in an interview with the Associated Press. "He showed a skill and dedication that was just exemplary. I'll miss him not only for that but just as a close personal friend."

NASA administrator Charles Bolden added in a statement: "As long as there are history books, Neil Armstrong will be included in them. Besides being one of America's greatest explorers, Neil carried himself with grace and humility that was an example to us all."

Armstrong became the first person to set foot on the moon, on July 20, 1969, when he said: "That's one small step for man; one giant leap for mankind."

The grainy black-and-white television images of him taking his first lunar stroll were watched by an estimated 600 million people worldwide and firmly established him as one of the great heroes of the 20th century.

Armstrong, who had heart surgery in early August, died Saturday in Cincinnati at 82, said NASA spokesman Bob Jacobs. The cause was complications from cardiovascular procedures, his family announced.

PHOTOS: Neil Armstrong | 1930-2012

He was never comfortable with celebrity he saw as an accident of fate, for stepping on the moon ahead of fellow astronaut Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin. The reticent, self-effacing Armstrong would shun the spotlight for much of the rest of his life.

In a rare public appearance, in 2000, Armstrong cast himself in another light: "I am, and ever will be, a white-sock, pocket-protector, nerdy engineer."

See more here:

Neil Armstrong remembered by John Glenn, NASA head

NASA's pioneering astronauts: Where are they now?

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As space exploration has become more common and the number of astronauts has risen past 300, many names have faded into the background. But some will forever be associated with the golden age of space exploration. Some examples:

From 1969's Apollo 11, the first manned moon landing mission:

Buzz Aldrin: Lunar module pilot for Apollo 11. Second man on the moon after commander Neil Armstrong. Left NASA in in 1971 and returned to Air Force. Wrote several books including "Return to Earth" and "Men from Earth." Advocate for future U.S. space exploration and frequent lecturer. Age: 82.

Neil Armstrong: Commander of Apollo 11 mission and first human to set foot on the moon. Left NASA in 1971, taught engineering at the University of Cincinnati, and later became chairman of electronic systems companies. Died Aug. 25 at age 82.

Michael Collins: Command module pilot on Apollo 11 and circled the moon while colleagues Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin landed. Left NASA in 1970 and became first director of the Smithsonian Institution's National Air and Space Museum in Washington. Wrote "Carrying the Fire," considered one of the best insider space books. Age: 81.

Some other notable astronauts:

Scott Carpenter: Second American to orbit the Earth in 1962. With John Glenn, surviving member of NASA's original Mercury 7 astronauts. Gave the famous send off "Godspeed, John Glenn." Involved in Navy's SeaLab program, and spent 30 days under the ocean in 1965. Left the Navy in 1969. Age: 87.

Eugene Cernan: Commander of Apollo 17 in 1972; last astronaut to walk on the moon. Second person to walk in space in 1966 as a pilot on Gemini 9. Retired from the Navy in 1976 and later started an aerospace consulting company in Houston. Age: 78

John Glenn: First American to orbit the Earth in 1962, circling three times in five hours. Left NASA in 1965 and retired from the Marine Corps the next year. Became a Democratic U.S. senator from Ohio and ran briefly for president in 1984. Return to space in 1998 for a nine-day mission aboard space shuttle Discovery, becoming at age 77 the oldest person in space. Turned 91 in July.

Jim Lovell: Commander of Apollo 13 in 1970, his fourth space flight. Oxygen tank in the spaceship exploded and the moon mission was aborted. Left NASA in 1973 and became a business executive. Age: 84.

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NASA's pioneering astronauts: Where are they now?

Sparks blow past Liberty

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LOS ANGELES It turned out the Liberty were no match for the red-hot Sparks. Kristi Toliver scored 26 points and Candace Parker added 12 points, five rebounds and four blocks to help the Los Angeles win its ninth straight game with an 87-62 victory over the Liberty on Saturday night.

The Sparks (19-6) led wire-to-wire and got another excellent game from Toliver, who scored 14 points in the fourth quarter. Toliver, coming off a career-high tying 29-point game, made back-to-back 3-pointers to push the lead to 77-58 and another to make it 82-60.

L.A.s last nine-game win streak was in 2003, when it started the season 9-0.

Parker scored 10 points in the second half after she missed seven of her first eight shots of the game and DeLisha Milton-Jones added 12 points.

Nneka Ogwumike, the WNBAs leading scorer and rebounder, briefly left the game in the third quarter with an apparent knee injury but returned and finished with 10 points, seven rebounds and five assists.

Cappie Pondexter led the Liberty (9-14) with 20 points. Plenette Pierson added 16 points and 10 rebounds for the Liberty, which did not get any closer than 56-54 in the third quarter. The Liberty, which made 13 3-pointers on Thursday, went 4 for 17 from 3-point range and shot 37 percent from the field.

Pondexter sank three jumpers during a 14-4 run in the third quarter that brought the Liberty to 56-54 on Alex Montgomerys layup off a Sparks turnover. But L.A. pulled ahead to 65-57 on a corner 3-pointer by Alana Beard and a left hand layup by Parker after Marissa Coleman saved it from going out of bounds.

The Sparks took a 45-38 lead into halftime despite giving up 22 points in the paint with Parker on the bench for most of the second quarter. The Liberty outrebounded the Sparks, 21-15, in the first half and recorded 12 assists on 15 field goals.

Pondexter brought the Liberty to 33-32 on a 3-pointer before L.A. ended the first half on a 12-6 run. Jantel Lavender scored six of those 12, including a bank shot in the paint and a baseline jumper.

Toliver scored 10 of the Sparks 25 first quarter points. The Liberty pulled to 19-18 on Leilani Mitchells 3-pointer, but Milton-Jones came back with a 3-pointer. Alana Beard forced a turnover on New Yorks next possession and Toliver sank a 3-pointer for a 25-18 lead.

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Toxicology unit at St Thomas’ Hospital threatened with closure

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Vital organ donation procedures could be hit by the proposed closure of the specialist toxicology service at St Thomas' Hospital, trade union representatives have warned.

A private sector pathology company, GSTS recently formed by Serco with two NHS foundation trusts is set to close a specialist toxicology service which is the sole provider of vital tests in the South East.

The Unite union claims that the nearest alternative laboratories for some procedures would be Birmingham, Cardiff and Sheffield.

The St Thomas' Hospital unit now employs seven specialist toxicology scientists with more than 120 years of experience between them and staff have been given 30 days notice that the centre is to close.

Unite's head of health Rachael Maskell said: "We believe that the closure of this internationally-renowned toxicology service is a result of the government's privatisation policy. Private companies are only interested in services that will make them profit, not in their life-saving clinical value.

"We now face the terrible prospect that vital organ life-saving procedures could be jeopardised by the closure of this specialist centre the only one in the South East. The claim made by David Cameron that the NHS is safe in Tory hands is in tatters."

"Health Secretary, Andrew Lansley should step in immediately to block this closure as it threatens patient welfare."

Rachael Maskell pointed out that the service has not been allowed to review its costs since 2006 and that many of its money-making services, such as the advisory service have been separated off from the main business.

Rachael Maskell added: "It's insane that a vital service is being shut and that staff are being made redundant at a cost of over 680,000 because this does not fit in with the business aims of the private sector."

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Toxicology unit at St Thomas' Hospital threatened with closure

Ohio Prisoner Hopes DNA Test Proves Innocence

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A former Ohio police captain who has spent 14 years in prison, largely because of a bite mark found on his ex-wife's blood-soaked body, now has new DNA test results that his attorneys say prove his innocence.

If a judge agrees, Doug Prade could become the latest of more than a dozen prisoners across the country to be set free after comparisons between their teeth and bite marks found on victims turned out to be wrong.

An Akron judge, in a ruling that could come as early as October, could exonerate Prade, order a new trial or find that the DNA test isn't strong enough for either.

"'I told you I was innocent. Now there's proof,'" the 66-year-old Prade said after getting the test results back, according to his attorney, Carrie Wood with the Cincinnati-based Ohio Innocence Project.

Once considered cutting-edge science, bite-mark comparisons have been under fire for more than a decade. Across the country, at least 11 prisoners convicted of rape or murder based largely on bite mark-comparisons were exonerated eight of them with DNA evidence. At least five other men more were proved innocent as they sat in prison awaiting trials.

Some forensic dentists have renounced the practice altogether, while many say it's still a useful tool if applied properly.

In Prade's case, a new test has found that male DNA taken from around a bite mark on a lab coat that his ex-wife was wearing when she was killed is not his.

The test conducted for free by the private DNA Diagnostics Center in Fairfield, Ohio, wasn't widely available at the time of Prade's trial.

Prade said Thursday that he hopes the results are enough to free him, although he'd be happy with a new trial.

"For them to find what I had known all that time was no surprise to me," he told The Associated Press in a phone interview from a central Ohio prison. "I guess it was an epiphany to everyone else 'Hey, this guy was telling the truth.'"

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UCDs' Simon Chan made plant breakthroughs

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Simon Chan, shown in his UC Davis plant biology lab, led the discovery of how to breed plants with genes from only one parent. (Steve Yeater/Associated Press)

Chan had been suffering from primary sclerosing cholangitis, an autoimmune disorder, and developed complications while awaiting a liver transplant.

"Simon was an incredible scientist, superb mentor and a great friend," said James Hildreth, dean of the College of Biological Sciences at UCD. "His brilliant work could fundamentally change how new crop plants are generated and may shed light on how new plant species are formed."

Professor Bill Lucas, chair of the Department of Plant Biology, described Chan as "one of a kind."

"His enthusiasm for his science was contagious and his passion for teaching and mentoring his students served as a true role model for us all. Words cannot express our deep sorrow at losing such a talented and wonderful human being," Lucas said.

Working with the model plant Arabidopsis, Chan's laboratory discovered a way to breed plants with genes from only one parent, making it possible to "breed true" without generations of inbreeding.

In June 2011, Chan was one of two UC Davis scientists selected for the first-ever class of HHMI-GBMF Investigators, funded jointly by the Howard Hughes Medical Institute and the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation to support promising research in plant sciences. (The other awardee was Jorge Dubcovsky, professor of plant

Chan planned to use the HHMI-GBMF award to expand his work to crop plants such as tomatoes and Chinese cabbage.

Chan was also working with plant breeders in Colombia, Tanzania and Kenya to find new ways to breed bananas, plantain and cassava, staple foods for millions of the world's poorest people. That project was supported by a grant from the NSF-BREAD (Basic Research to Enable Agricultural Development) program, a joint initiative of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the National Science Foundation.

Chan was born in 1974 in Auckland, New Zealand, and earned his bachelor's degree in biochemistry from the University of Auckland in 1996. From there he went to UCSF, where he worked with Professor Elizabeth Blackburn, winner of the 2009 Nobel Prize in physiology or medicine, and was awarded his doctoral degree in cell biology in 2006.

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UCDs' Simon Chan made plant breakthroughs

Synthetic Biology Turns Cells Into Chemists Producing Treatments For Diabetes And Cancer — And Easing Journeys To Mars

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Imagine a diabetic with specially engineered cells that detect the rise and fall of his or her blood sugar and administer insulin if needed. Imagine cancer patients intentionally infected with a "smart virus" that can determine if cells are cancerous and then destroy the dangerous cell from the inside. And imagine cells engineered to excrete biofuels or pharmaceutical products.

These are the visions of synthetic biology. A relatively new breed of researchers, synthetic biologists view the future through a lens in which specially designed DNA sequences, proteins and cells do the work of creating compounds, elements and biological materials that help us treat diseases, produce new kinds of medicines and even establish colonies on other planets.

"The big breakthrough 100 years ago was organic chemistry, when people figured out how to make synthetic materials," says Harvard University biologist Pamela Silver. But "a cell is probably an even better chemist."

The concepts behind synthetic biology have since at the least the 1970s, when scientists inserted the genes to make human insulin into E. coli bacteria, but the outcomes of experiments were notably hit and miss. That's changing quickly.

"Now we're coming to a point where, when I say this part does something, other designers can trust it," said Adam Arkin, a professor of engineering and the director of the University of California at Berkeley's synthetic biology institute.

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One project Silver and her colleagues at Harvard are working on is building human and other mammalian cells that can record and remember past events and also be able to "count" forward in time. Such clocked cells would be useful as sensors and could also be part of a new wave of intelligent therapeutics, remembering how a patient's body reacted to previous treatments.

Another project, backed by the U.S. Department of Energy, is a genetically engineered bacteria named Shewanella.Silver and her team are trying to rejigger the bacteria's photosynthetic pathways so it will accept electricity instead of light as an energy source, an advance that would allow biofuel-excreting microorganisms to be plugged into the grid. The Harvard team is also trying to engineer Shewanella to generate fuel that's similar to diesel fuel or gasoline and which requires no additional chemical processing after being pumped out of the bacteria-filled tank.

"It's a very 'blue sky'-type project," Silver says, meaning that Shewanella's success is uncertain.

Synthetic biology's arrival on the scene coincided with the first International Genetically Engineered Machine competition in 2004, in which five teams worked on building their own biological systems. In that initial competition, a team from the University of Texas at Austin created a bacterial photographic "film" using color-changing bacteria that responded to light input. One image captured on this film was two lines of text: "Hello World."

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Synthetic Biology Turns Cells Into Chemists Producing Treatments For Diabetes And Cancer -- And Easing Journeys To Mars

Neil Armstrong: modest man, large footprint in time and space

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Neil Armstrong's walk on the moon on July 20, 1969, marked the high point of US manned space flight, but the commander of the Apollo 11 mission was wary of the celebrity that came with it.

Neil Armstrong, who died today following heart surgery, never wanted to be remembered simply as the first man on the moon.

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Once credited with the most recognized name in the world, Armstrong avoided the outsized celebrity of the early NASA astronauts, whose storied missions not only advanced a US profile in space but also helped define the Cold War struggle with Soviet Union, whose 1957 Sputnik launch stunned the world.

The images of the first moon walk with Buzz Aldrin on July 20, 1969, marked the high point of the US manned space program. His signature, and often misquoted, line "That's one small step for [a] man, one giant leap for mankind" soared to iconic status.

But Armstrong, who also flew combat missions in Korea, brushed aside all talk of hero status, at least for himself.

"We all like to be recognized not for one piece of fireworks but for the ledger of our daily work," he said in a 2007 interview with "60 Minutes." As for all the celebrity: "I don't deserve it," he said.

After commanding the Apollo 11 mission, Armstrong took a desk job at NASA, then taught engineering at the University of Cincinnati, served on several corporate boards, and worked out of his farm in southwest Ohio. He said he regretted not spending the time he wanted to with his family.

"I am, and ever will be, a white socks, pocket protector, nerdy engineer," he said in a rare public appearance in February 2000, cited by the Associated Press. "And I take a substantial amount of pride in the accomplishments of my profession."

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Neil Armstrong: modest man, large footprint in time and space