Monthly Archives: September 2012

Cytokines in Sarcopenia, Obesity, and Immunosenescence

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A recent open access paper points to changing cytokine levels as a candidate mechanism for a range of conditions that occur with age and are generally made either worse or more likely by the presence of excess fat tissue. The link between being overweight and a higher risk of suffering the common age-related conditions is well known; chronic inflammation is thought to be an important mechanism here due to the way in which it impacts so many different systems in our biology, but the exact details are still open to debate.

Sarcopenia, obesity, and natural killer cell immune senescence in aging: Altered cytokine levels as a common mechanism

An inevitable consequence of human and rodent aging is sarcopenia - loss of muscle mass. Some muscle loss is due to physical inactivity, but even highly trained athletes lose muscle mass and strength with age. Although exercise programs can prevent and/or ameliorate sarcopenia, the effectiveness of exercise interventions to build muscle and effect metabolic improvements is less efficient in elderly subjects than in the young, due to multiple cellular and biochemical changes. ... Adipose tissue gain also is very common in aging and is a growing health concern for all ages. Visceral (abdominal) fat is of the greatest health concern because it is associated with insulin resistance, type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, dementia, cancer, and overall mortality. ... Furthermore, obesity prevents muscle gain in response to functional overload [and] the combination of obesity and sarcopenia (so-called sarcopenic obesity) carries high health risks.

Another hallmark of aging is declining adaptive immunity, with complex alterations in innate immunity. Immune senescence is associated with mortality from all causes, including infectious diseases. Natural killer (NK) lymphocytes are innate immune cells that control intracellular infectious agents and cancers. In contrast to T and B lymphocytes, NK cell number is relatively increased in healthy aging and defects in NK cell function are subtle. However, declining NK cell number or function in aging is associated with death in the elderly. Therefore, mechanisms that preserve NK cell number and function may promote healthy aging.

To relate sarcopenia, obesity, and declining immunity in aging, we speculated that these conditions are linked processes, which are controlled by adipose tissue-derived and skeletal muscle-derived cytokines, known as adipokines and myokines, respectively

You can't really control the degree to which your immune system has been and will be hammered by various common herpesviruses, such as the near-omnipresent cytomegalovirus, but do you have a great deal of control over the fat tissue end of the relationship proposed in this paper. Letting yourself go to seed, getting fat and unfit, has consequences in the long term: a shorter, less healthy life with higher medical bills. Maybe science and those medical costs will dig you out of this hole before it kills you, but why roll those dice if you don't have to? The future of aging, health, and the biotechnologies of rejuvenation on the horizon is already uncertain enough for those of us in middle age today. Every extra year you can gain might make the difference between taking advantage of the first therapies to reverse aging and missing that boat entirely.

Source:
http://www.longevitymeme.org/newsletter/latest_rss_feed.cfm

StemCells, Inc., Gunning for Another $10 Million from California Stem Cell Agency

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Fresh from winning $40 million from the
California stem cell agency, StemCells, Inc., is shooting for
another, $10 million award from the state research effort.

The latest proposal comes as the
publicly traded firm also faces the task of raising $40 million that it
has promised the agency to match the earlier awards. That figure
could well rise to $50 million given the new application.
Martin McGlynn, CEO of the
well-connected Newark, Ca., firm, disclosed StemCells, Inc.'s,
latest proposal in an article by Catherine Shaffer in BioWorld. She
wrote,

“Already looking ahead, StemCells has
set its sights on one more CIRM initiative designed to fund early
stage clinical trials over a four-year period. StemCells has applied
for that grant, worth up to $10 million, to fund a Phase II trial in
PMD(Pelizaeus-Merzbacher disease).”

The article did not disclose the timing on the new application.
StemCells, Inc.'s lobbying efforts with the stem cell agency were vigorously aided by the former chairman of the $3 billion
California stem cell agency, Robert Klein (see here and here). And Wednesday evening, the company convinced
the state agency's board to overturn two successive reviewer rejections of a
$20 million proposal for Alzheimer's research. The vote was 7-5.
Klein's efforts came in a record-breaking round of appeals and emotional presentations by patient advocates, which triggered complaints from the board this week about "arm-twisting" and politicking. 
StemCells, Inc., was founded by the
eminent Stanford stem cell researcher Irv Weissman, who helped to
raise millions for the ballot initiative that created the stem cell
agency. He additionally appeared in in the campaign's TV advertising.
The campaign was headed by Klein, who ultimately raised $35 million
to convince voters to create the agency. Weissman is currently on the board
of the StemCells, Inc. His wife is executive vice president.
In July, the stem cell agency board
approved the first $20 million award to the firm for research involving spinal injury.
McGlynn told BioWorld,

"We're the only company that has
programs going on in all three regions of the central nervous system:
the brain, the spinal cord and the eye."

Not discussed in the BioWorld article
was a requirement, imposed by the CIRM board, that StemCells, Inc.,
show it can deliver $20 million in matching funds on the Alzheimer's
award before receiving any state funds. CIRM said no such board
requirement existed on the spinal award, but the firm has promised to
match the $20 million on that award as well.
BioWorld described the awards as
grants. In fact, they are loans. But under the terms of the loans, if
the research is not successfully commercialized, it will be
forgiven.  

Source:
http://californiastemcellreport.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default?alt=rss

Arm-twisting and Emotion: Stem Cell Directors Move to Reform Appeals on Multimillon Dollar Grants

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Frustrated with politicking,
“arm-twisting,” lobbying and “emotionally charged
presentations,” the governing board of the $3 billion California
stem cell agency today approved short-term changes in its grant
appeal process and ordered up a study to prepare long-term reforms.

The moves followed a prolonged series of appeals on grant applications that began in July and continued through today,
setting records for the number of appeals and generating hours of
sometimes tearful and emotion-laden presentations from members of the
public.
The board adopted changes in the appeal process for its next few meetings that are aimed at curbing its
free-wheeling nature and making it more understandable to the public
and applicants. The board also directed creation of a panel to make
recommendations by the end of the year for more wide-ranging reforms.
Directors of the agency were clearly
not happy with the appeal process this summer. However, it has been a
problem since 2008 when Bert Lubin, now a director of the stem cell
agency and CEO of Childrens Hospital of Oakland, Ca., was the first applicant to make a public pitch before the board to overturn
reviewer rejection of his application.
One director, UCLA medical school dean,
Gerald Levey, said at the time,

"I don't think we can run a board
this way. If we do, it would be chaos." 

Today, CIRM Director Carmen Puliafito,
dean of the USC School of Medicine, said that “lots of lobbying”
was going over the last couple of months. He predicted there will
more lobbying and “more politicking.” Puliafito said,

“On big money grants, people will be
calling their friends.”

The name of former board chairman,
Robert Klein, was not mentioned during this afternoon's discussion.
But Klein vigorously and successfully backed an appeal (see here,
here and here) by StemCells, Inc., of Newark, Ca., for a $20 million
application that had been rejected twice by reviewers. Last night the
board approved the award on a 7-5 vote. It was the first time the
board has approved an award that was rejected twice by its reviewers.
Director Jeff Sheehy, co-vice chairman
of the review group and a communications manager at UC San Francisco,
said the agency is dealing with “big money grants” that are
“incredibly complex.” He also referred to “certain arm-twisting
by certain individuals.”
Several board members made references
to appearances by persons who have diseases or conditions that might
be affected by CIRM-financed research. Director Duane Roth, head of
CONNECT, a San Diego business development organization, said the
board is making decisions in “an emotionally charged setting.”
Other issues cited by directors include
the integrity of review process, fairness, consistency, shifting
appeals procedures, transparency and board discipline on appeals.

James Harrison, outside counsel to the board, said the board's action today includes "eliminating the reference to unpublished data in the discussion of 'material new information," imposing a 3-page limit on other correspondence, explaining that applicants should have seven business days from the time the (grants review group) recommendation is made available to them to file an (extraordinary petition), and posting all of the information regarding these policies in one place on CIRM’s website."

For a list of articles and CIRM
documents dealing with the appeal process, see here.

Source:
http://californiastemcellreport.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default?alt=rss

California Stem Cell Agency Okays $38 Million for Basic Research

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Directors of the California stem cell agency today approved about $38 million for research into basic biology, including two appeals by researchers on applications initially rejected by reviewers.

The governing board turned down five appeals in the round, which attracted 357 applications in its "pre-app" process, 64 of which were invited to apply. Reviewers approved 25 applications.

The following appeals in the biology round were approved:

  • $1.3 million, Deborah Lieu of UC Davis. (Review summary here, appeal here.) 764
  • $1.4 million, Yanhong Shi  of the City of Hope. (See review summary here and appeal here.)

The board also approved another application that was rejected by reviewers based on a recommendation by CIRM President Alan Trounson.  It is very unusual for the board to approve rejected applications based on staff recommendations following a review. Trounson described the grant addressed a major bottleneck in stem cell science.

 The California stem cell agency is expected to post a press release shortly with the names of all recipients. The agency usually withholds names of applicants until the the board formally acts.
(An earlier version of this item reported that the board approved $37 million in grants.)

Source:
http://californiastemcellreport.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default?alt=rss

Florida Researcher Wins $6.7 Million Grant to Come to Golden State

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Dennis Steindler
UF Photo

The governing board of the California stem cell agency this morning approved a $6.7 million grant to recruit Dennis Steindler of the University of Florida to the Parkinson's Institute in Sunnyvale, Ca.

The grant was approved immediately following a 45-minute executive session with no further debate. (For more on this, see here, here and here.)

Steindler later told the California Stem Cell Report he would begin work in California as soon as possible.

Source:
http://californiastemcellreport.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default?alt=rss

Board Concludes Private Session on Recruitment Grant

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The governing board of the California stem cell agency has just concluded a 45 minute executive session on a $6.7 million grant to recruit a Florida scientist to the Parkinson's Institute in Sunnyvale, Ca.

It was the longest executive session ever on a recruitment grant, which are usually approved routinely with little serious discussion.

The board is now resuming discussion of the matter(see here and here.)

Source:
http://californiastemcellreport.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default?alt=rss

Dennis Steindler Application: Excerpt from Review Summary

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The CIRM summary of the review on the
$6.7 million grant to recruit Florida scientist Dennis Steindler to
the Parkinson's Institute in California carried a strong minority report. However, the review itself drew fire this morning from some CIRM board members.
They included patient advocate Jeff Sheehy, co-vice chair of the grant review group, who supported approval of the grant. He noted that the low score reflected two extreme opinions. He said some of the reviewers were doing their research on the Parkinson's Institute on the Internet during the actual review.  Sheehy said that was not a "good way" to perform a review and reflected a "major short-coming." 
Here is an excerpt from the review.

"In summary, this is an
application from an established leader in NSC biology to pursue
research focused on disease mechanisms in PD. Strengths of the
proposal include the quality of the PI, the focus of the project on
an interesting hypothesis, and the leadership in basic science that
the candidate would bring to the applicant institution. Weaknesses
included deficiencies in the research plan, the limited track-record
of the PI in PD research and an institutional environment lacking
adequate support for basic science investigations."

The summary continued, 

"During programmatic discussion some GWG (grant review group) members cited a need to broaden stem cell leadership not only at the
large universities but also at the smaller institutions as well. They
felt that the candidate's recruitment would strengthen the applicant
institution and provide leadership and strength in basic research.
The need for increased research focused on Parkinson's Disease was
also cited by some reviewers. A motion to recommend the application
for funding carried with a majority vote. Because more than 35% of
GWG members opposed the motion, opponents have exercised their right
to have that position reported to the ICOC. The consensus statement
from this group is as follows: 'Despite the facts that the
applicant has many excellent attributes, that Parkinson's disease is
a key area of interest, and that the applicant institution may
deserve additional consideration, our opinion is that the application
clearly falls short in several critical scientific areas that
outweigh the programmatic concerns and do not justify a
recommendation for funding. We believe that the people of California
depend upon us to make recommendations based on our scientific
expertise, for outcomes that are most likely to impact medicine and
the health and treatment of their citizens. We believe that their
money can be better spent.'"

Source:
http://californiastemcellreport.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default?alt=rss

CIRM Board Eyes Florida Researcher for $6.7 Million Grant

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The board of the California stem cell agency is discussing a proposal to award $6.7 million to recruit a Florida scientist to the Parkinson's Institute in Sunnyvale, Ca.

The scientist is Dennis Steindler of the University of Florida. The recruitment award received a score of 57, although the scores ranged from 30 to 75.  Jeff Sheehy, a member of the grant review group and CIRM board member, said the score reflected two extremely divergent positions by two reviewers.

The board has awarded four grants in its recruitment round over the past couple of years, but this is the first extended discussion of an award recommended by reviewers. It is also the first to have a representative of the applicant institution speaking publicly for the grant.

CIRM directors have now moved into executive session to discuss matters they prefer to air in private.

Source:
http://californiastemcellreport.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default?alt=rss

Two Additional Appeals Rejected in Disease Team Round

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The governing board of the California stem cell agency last night rejected appeals by two applicants -- OncoMed Pharmaceuticals of Redwood City and Albert Wong of Stanford -- in the $200 million disease team round.

Both petitions generated little discussion. You can find more on their petitions here and here.

The board also approved changes in its intellectual property and grant administration rules. Both proposals will now enter the state's official administrative law process for more comment and possible change.

Source:
http://californiastemcellreport.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default?alt=rss

StemCells, Inc., Hails $40 Million in Awards from California Stem Cell Agency

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StemCells, Inc., was quick this morning
with a press release about winning a $20 million award last night from the
California stem cell agency.

The publicly traded, Newark, Ca., firm
also pointed out that the CIRM board in July awarded another $20
million to the business.
The news release hailed the awards as
validating its science and business. Martin McGlynn, who personally
appeared before the CIRM board last night, said,

 "CIRM's approval of two
awards to StemCells illustrates the tremendous promise of
our neural stem cell technology and the high degree of confidence in
the world class team of scientists and clinicians who will be working
to translate this technology into potential treatments and cures for
these devastating diseases." 

On the Alzheimer's award last night,
McGlynn said,

 "With the recent spate of late-stage clinical
failures in Alzheimer's disease, it is clear that the field could
benefit from alternative approaches to lessen the huge burden on
families, caregivers and our healthcare system.

He continued,

"Our recently reported preclinical
data, which showed that our neural stem cells restored memory and
enhanced synaptic function in two animal models relevant to
Alzheimer's disease, shows our approach has promise. We greatly
appreciate the support from CIRM, which should help us accelerate our
efforts to test our HuCNS-SC cells in Alzheimer's disease."

The news release did not note that the
board has required that the firm must show proof that it has access
to $20 million in matching funds prior to receiving cash from the
agency on the Alzheimer's grant. The California Stem Cell Report is
asking CIRM whether that requirement extends to the earlier grant as
well.
One of the analysts who follows the
company released a special report on the firm this morning. Stephen
Dunn of LifeTech Capital said,

 “We are reiterating our strong
speculative buy with a price target of $4.50 as StemCells Inc.
continues to distinguishing themselves as one of the most advanced
players in the stem cell space.”

At the time of this writing, the firm's
stock was trading at $2.20 up seven cents. Its 52 week high is $2.67
and its 52 week low is 59 cents.  

Source:
http://californiastemcellreport.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default?alt=rss

StemCells, Inc., Wins Another $20 Million From California Stem Cell Agency

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Following a second impassioned pitch by its former chairman, Robert Klein, the governing board of the California stem cell agency approved a $20 million award to a financially strapped biotech firm, StemCells, Inc., of Newark, Ca.

Approval came on a 7-5 vote with the condition that the company demonstrate it has access to $20 million in matching funds prior to funding.  It is the second $20 million award that the company has received in the disease team round, which now totals $214 million. Another disease team application has been tabled and will not be considered until October.

The current CIRM chairman, J.T. Thomas, a Los Angeles bond financier, asked for the financial proof because he said some concerns were expressed during an executive session that CIRM would now "account for such a large part of the assets of the company." Martin McGlynn, CEO of StemCells, Inc., also told the board that the company might have to drop its Alzheimer's research if it did not receive the CIRM award.

The StemCells, Inc., application was rejected twice by reviewers. The original rejection came before the July meeting at which Klein first appeared (see here and here). The proposal was then sent back for re-review, during which it was rejected again.

However, the 29-member board narrowly approved the application following discussion tonight and following its rejection of another Alzheimer's research proposal from USC. Both applicants produced a number of witnesses, including patients, on behalf of their appeals.

The re-review on the StemCells, Inc., application said in reference to a statement by Klein to board in July,

“The reviewers did not feel there was compelling data for neuron migration in the submitted manuscript. This is the manuscript specifically referenced at the ICOC (CIRM governing board) meeting (in July) that prompted the call for additional analysis. The manuscript is not yet accepted, it is 'potentially acceptable' but requires 'major revisions' according to the journal editor note. In addition, however, the studies in this manuscript used mouse NSCs, not the human NSCs proposed for the disease team award....”

In July, Klein said, “....(W)e have brand-new data that demonstrates and totally contradicts the key weakness on which it was downgraded.” 

A footnote: The CIRM staff said that as a result of two StemCells application, a proposal is being prepared to limit applications to one per entity in later rounds.

Source:
http://californiastemcellreport.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default?alt=rss

Thyrotoxicosis – Lancet 2012 review

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Thyrotoxicosis is a common disorder, especially in women. Thyroid disease affects 7 times more women than men.

Etiology

There are 3 main causes of thyrotoxicosis: Graves' disease, toxic nodular hyperthyroidism, and thyroiditis.

Here are some more details about them:

- Graves' disease (autoimmune hyperthyroidism) is the most frequent cause of thyrotoxicosis
- toxic nodular hyperthyroidism, due to the presence of one or more autonomously functioning thyroid nodules
- thyroiditis caused by inflammation, which results in release of stored hormones

Treatment

The available treatments for thyrotoxicosis have been unchanged for 60 years.

Antithyroid drugs are the usual initial treatment. Thionamides such as carbimazole or its active metabolite methimazole are the drugs of choice.

A prolonged course leads to remission of Graves' hyperthyroidism in only 30% of cases.

Because of this low remission rate in Graves' disease (only 30%) and the inability to cure toxic nodular hyperthyroidism with antithyroid drugs alone, radioiodine is increasingly used as first line therapy. It is the preferred choice for relapsed Graves' hyperthyroidism.

Surgery with total thyroidectomy is an option in selected cases. .

References:

Thyrotoxicosis. The Lancet, Volume 379, Issue 9821, Pages 1155 - 1166, 24 March 2012.

Thyroid disease—more research needed. The Lancet, Volume 379, Issue 9821, Page 1076, 24 March 2012.

Image source: Wikipedia, public domain.

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Martin Fleischmann

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With Martin Fleischmann’s passing on the 3 August, obituaries around the world have revived memories of his notorious association with the cold fusion debacle in the early 1990s. In a letter to Chemistry World, David Williams, a former colleague of Fleischmann’s, attempts to redress the balance, painting an affectionate picture of a brilliant electrochemist, and is careful to convey the importance of Fleischmann’s contributions to science, and his charismatic genius. Williams’ personal account of the episode that led to Fleischmann and Stanley Pons’ Utah press conference and their subsequent pillorying is enlightening.

Science is ruled by the laws of systematic, empirical investigation, where incremental advances and the gradual acquisition of knowledge are the status quo. Truly groundbreaking discoveries are few and far between (but there are just enough to keep our hopes alive). So when such announcements are made, they are of course greeted with the healthy and necessary corrective moderation of scepticism.

And mistakes do happen. Recent examples include the reconstruction of the oxo wall and the withdrawal of record proton conductivity claims. And the retraction watch blog is steadily ticking away, silently intoning its litany of errata.

But once its trust has been betrayed, the science community can be unforgiving, and a reputation damaged is hard to regain, long after the press has emptied the carcass and moved on. Undoubtedly, Fleischmann and Pons tragically mishandled their situation. But where science is ideal, objective and dispassionate, its practitioners are only human and – believer and sceptic alike – they are emotionally responsive. Witness Peter Higgs’ tears at CERN earlier this year. Or the attacks on Felisa Wolfe-Simon’s (now largely discredited) announcement of arsenic life. Or the hostility that followed Fleischmann back to England and sent Pons into isolation.

In his letter, Williams wonders if it was just a single piece of evidence that swayed Fleischmann’s decision to go public. How volatile is temperance in the heat of excitement. One can only imagine how unbearable the tension must have been; how irresistible the lure of proclaiming one’s success; and how crushing the defeat.

Those treacherous imposters triumph and disaster are courted at one’s peril. But it’s often too much for mere mortals to resist.

Philip Robinson

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Earth to Mars – Live chat with the driver of Curiosity

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In November last year, ahead of Curiosity’s launch, we wrote: ‘This rover – officially named the Mars Science Laboratory, but better known as Curiosity – will carry out the most comprehensive look at Earth’s neighbour to date when it lands on the planet in August 2012.’

When Curiosity safely touched down on Mars in August with its suite of scientific equipment, including a mass spectrometer, a gas chromatograph and a tuneable laser spectrometer, there were still questions as to the ability of the probe to detect signs of habitability. And so we wondered: will Curiosity be searching in vain?

Curiosity is still up there collecting data and what we all want to know is: how is the search going? It occurred to us that the best way to learn  how the rover is getting on is by talking to the guys who control it. As it happens, one of our colleagues, Chiara Ceci, got in touch with an old friend and fellow Italian, Paolo Bellutta, who she knew worked at JPL, Nasa’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, in Pasadena, US. And guess what? He has been handling the Mars rovers Spirit and Opportunity since 2003 and now spends his time driving Curiosity on the surface of Mars. How cool is that!

So she is going to ask him all about it and the interview will be broadcast live on the RSC YouTube channel on Friday 7 September at 1600 BST. Can you ask questions? Of course you can. In fact, we positively encourage it. Send them via the usual channels (see below) or let us know by replying to this post and we’ll pass the questions on.

By the way, before anybody asks: No, we are not allowed to have a go.

Bibiana Campos-Seijo

-Twitter: Questions to @RSC_Comms and follow the live chat using #RSCmars

-Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/royalsocietyofchemistry

-Google+:  http://rsc.li/rsc-google-plus

-Email:  cecic@rsc.org

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Chemistry World Entrepreneur of the Year 2013

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Do you know an enterprising individual? Do you know anybody who has contributed to the growth of a start-up company that successfully commercialises chemistry-related research? If so, please read on: with your help, that person could become the next winner of the Chemistry World Entrepreneur of the Year award.

This annual award recognises commercial innovation and success and is open to those working in a chemical sciences spin-off or SME anywhere in the world. The award winner receives £4000, a trophy and a certificate plus he or she will be featured in Chemistry World, which is, without a doubt, a great promotional opportunity.

Previous winners include (to name a few): Paul Workman from The Institute of Cancer Research who received the 2012 award and has been profiled in this month’s issue of Chemistry World; Karl Coleman from Durham Graphene Science who became the 2011 winner; and Hagan Bayley from the University of Oxford for his founding role in Oxford Nanopore Technologies.

So how can you help? Well, as candidates are not permitted to nominate themselves we need you to do it. More information and ‘how to apply’ notes are available at http://www.rsc.org/ScienceAndTechnology/Awards/EntrepreneuroftheYear/Index.asp. We are already taking nominations for 2013, but the closing date is 15 January 2013 so there is plenty of time to go… Good luck to all!

Bibiana Campos-Seijo

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Sweden’s 400-year old warship gets a checkup

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The remains of the warship Vasa, which is around 400-years old – one of Sweden’s most popular tourist attractions with over 1 million visitors a year – could be significantly weaker than previously thought. But if you’re planning a trip to Stockholm in the near future, don’t worry: the ship isn’t in immediate danger.

The Vasa was built in 1628 during Sweden’s golden age for King Gustavus Adolphus and sank on its maiden voyage, just 2km from its dock. For the time, it was an enormous ship, capable of carrying 300 soldiers and firing a broadside of almost 600 pounds. But its construction seems to have been dogged by too many political considerations meaning it was built top-heavy. When the wind blew above a light breeze as it was manoeuvring in Stockholm harbour, that was it.

The Vasa was sprayed with polyethylene glycol to preserve the oak timbers. Credit: Ingela Bjurhager

For more than 300 years, the Vasa lay under the cool waters of the Baltic, until she was raised in 1961 to widespread media interest. Those cool waters are believed to have helped keep the oak timbers intact. Since then, the Vasa has been dried out, sprayed with polyethylene glycol (PEG) and housed in a museum.

PEG replaces water in the cells of the wood, strengthening it and stopping the shrinkage that would occur while it was drying. Now, a team of researchers from institutions in Stockholm and Uppsala have measured the tensile strength of portions of the wood taken from different parts of the ship. They found that the strength is roughly proportional to the molecular weight of PEG – the longer the polymer chains the better preserved that portion of the ship is likely to be. But the molecular weight of the polymer – and thus strength – is inversely proportional to the amount of iron present in the wood. The iron, in case you were wondering, comes from the iron nails and rivets that held the ship together.

So what’s going on between the iron and PEG? Ingela Bjurhager and colleagues suggest that, while the ship was drying out, iron and oxygen reacted with cellulose and lignin in the wood to produce an acid. The acid, they think, is responsible for the degradation of the polymer and the weakening of the wood – by up to 80% in some areas. Although the Vasa isn’t about to fall apart, the researchers do caution that the ‘risk of failure cannot be disregarded’.

UK readers may be thinking about our own salvaged historical wooden museum ship, the Mary Rose. She sank during the Battle of the Solent in 1545 after over 30 years’ service as Henry VIII’s favourite, only to rise again in 1982 – another televised salvage (which I remember watching as a child!). PEG was also used in treating the timbers, but from what Wikipedia tells me, they were not allowed to dry out beforehand, so it may retain such strength as it now has for longer. Neatly, I see that the Mary Rose will be unveiled in a new museum later this year – I’ll report back after a visit! (Full disclosure: my father-in-law is involved in the Mary Rose Trust.) Hopefully, my adult self will be more impressed seeing it than I was during a previous visit as a child seeing the hull being showered with water or PEG…

Neil Withers

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The OBJECTIFICATION of Female Surface Anatomy

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Anatomical Basis of Medical Practice Becker, Wilson, Gehweiler pin up girl anatomy OBJECTIFY THIS Street Anatomy exhibition
The Anatomical Basis of Medical Practice will be on view at the OBJECTIFY THIS opening Friday, Sept. 7th in Chicago

Anatomical Basis of Medical Practice p528 Becker, Wilson, Gehweiler pin up girl anatomy OBJECTIFY THIS Street Anatomy exhibition

Anatomical Basis of Medical Practice p192 Becker, Wilson, Gehweiler pin up girl anatomy OBJECTIFY THIS Street Anatomy exhibition

Anatomical Basis of Medical Practice p132 Becker, Wilson, Gehweiler pin up girl anatomy OBJECTIFY THIS Street Anatomy exhibition

In researching the use of female anatomy in medical textbooks for our upcoming OBJECTIFY THIS: Female Anatomy Dissected and Displayed exhibition, I came across The Anatomical Basis of Medical Practice, and could not believe what I saw.  I’ll give you a little background…

In 1971, at a time when anatomy hours were being drastically cut, a trio of Duke professors set out to write an anatomy textbook that was different from the rest.  One of the professors, Dr. R. Fredrick Becker had an affinity for hanging female Playboy centerfolds up in his office to teach surface anatomy.  This would inspire one of the most unique and somewhat scandalous anatomy textbook of our time.

The professors, Becker, James S. W. Wilson, and John A. Gehweiler, set out to write a textbook in an “easy-going, literary style so that any student could read ahead on his own without difficulty.” Furthermore, they go on to state their inspiration to use seductive female nudes to display surface anatomy,

“In our own student days we discovered that studying surface anatomy with a wife or girl friend proved to be not only instructive, but highly entertaining. Since the majority of medical students still tend to be males, we have liberalized this text by making use of the female form. But, more to the point, we have done so because a large portion of your future patients will be women and few texts have pointed out surface landmarks on the female.”

They were quite liberal in their use of female nudes of the pin-up girl variety as you can see in the images above.  And the “easy-going, literary style,” often lent itself to cheeky comments about women.  In the discussion about the effects of UV light on skin, the authors state, “the contrast between exposed and unexposed parts of the epidermis is quite stark when the bathing suit is removed.”

In the preface of the textbook, the authors justify their use of gorgeous females to show surface anatomy,

“Perhaps we should have included photographs of garden-variety, American males and females who have let their physiques go to pot.  Instead, we used female models as model females.  The student will see the ordinary specimen every day.  Only on rare occasions will the attractive, well-turned specimen appear before him for consultation.  He should be prepared for this pleasant shock. For the growing ranks of female medics, we inlcuded the body beautiful of a robust, healthy male.  We are sorry that we cannot make available the addresses of the young ladies who grace our pages. Our wives burned our little address books at our last barbecue get-together.”

Needless to say, the book was eventually banned from publication at a time when the feminist movement was on everyone’s radar.  It has now become a bit of a collectors item and many university libraries have listed it as “missing” from their collection.  I know because I tried borrowing a copy with absolutely no luck.  Thankfully a Street Anatomy fan reached out and allowed us to borrow the book for our exhibition!

Feminism aside, I do have to say that after going through the book myself, it is rather fun and entertaining.  The writing style is conversational and the “pin-up girl” photographs make learning surface anatomy quite engaging.  The women in the photographs are not the stick thin models that we are used to seeing today, but curvy healthy women that happen to be in very feminine and oftentimes seductive poses.  While not everyone will agree with me, I do applaud the authors for trying to create a different experience in anatomy education and overall for having fun with it.

Is it objectification of women or is it simply appreciation of the beauty that is the female form?  You can decide by seeing the book in person at the OBJECTIFY THIS exhibition opening this Friday September 7th at Design Cloud Gallery in Chicago!

 

RSVP for OBJECTIFY THIS via Facebook!

OBJECTIFY THIS Female Anatomy Dissected and Displayed September 7-29 Design Cloud Gallery Chicago curated by Vanessa Ruiz, Street Anatomy

 

To read more about the Anatomical Basis of Medical Practice, view the journal article “The pornographic anatomy book? The curious tale of the Anatomical Basis of Medical Practice.” [Halperin EC. The pornographic anatomy book? The curious tale of the AnatomicalBasis of Medical Practice. Acad Med. 2009 Feb;84(2):278-83. PubMed PMID:19174685.]

 

[A huge thank you to Charlotte W. for lending the textbook for the OBJECTIFY THIS exhibition!]

 

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Morbid Anatomy Library Open Hours This Weekend, September 8th and 9th, 11-7, As Part of the Brooklyn Museum’s "Go" Open Studio Project

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This weekend--Saturday September 8th and Sunday September 9th--the Morbid Anatomy Library (seen above) will be open from 11-7 as part of the Brooklyn Museum's Go Open Studio Project. So please stop by for a perusal of the stacks, a turn through the drawers, and a conversation with the lovely and very clever Morbid Anatomy Library interns Kelsey Kephart and Dru Munsell.
The Morbid Anatomy Library is located at 543 Union Street at Nevins, Brooklyn, buzzer 1E. To view a map, click here. To For more about the Morbid Anatomy Library and for directions and other such information, click here. For more about the Go Open Studio Project--and to see a full list of participating artists--click here.
Photo of The Library by Shannon Taggart

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Congress for Curious Peoples One-Day Symposium: London Edition, Last Tuesday Society, This Saturday, September 8

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 This Saturday, September 8, you are cordially invited to join myself and a host of distinguished scholars, makers, and museum folk as we investigate, via a one day symposium termed "The Congress for Curious Peoples," some of the provocative intersections explored in the exhibition "Ecstatic Raptures and Immaculate Corpses: Visions of Death Made Beautiful in Italy," on view at the London-based Last Tuesday Society until the end of the month.

This first ever UK edition of The Congress for Curious Peoples will feature participants from The Wellcome Collection, The Wellcome Library, and The Gordon Museum of Pathology, as well as some of my very favorite artists, thinkers and scholars, and will take on such heady topics as enchantment and enlightenment, or the sublimation of the magical into the rational world; the secret life of objects, or the non-rational allure of objects and the psychology of collecting; and beautiful death and incorruptible bodies, or the shared drive to immortalize the human body and aestheticize death in both medicine and Catholicism, and will

Full info follows; hope very very much to see you there!

Congress for Curious Peoples: London Edition
Date: Saturday September 8
Time: 11am - 5:30 pm
Admission: £15.00 (Tickets here)
Location: The Last Tuesday Society
Address: 11 Mare Street, London, E8 4RP
Produced by Morbid Anatomy

11-12: Introduction by Morbid Anatomy's Joanna EbensteinKeynote panel: Enchantment and Enlightenment (20 minute presentations followed by moderated discussion)

12-1: Lunch

1-2:30 The Secret Life of Objects: The Allure of Objects and the Psychology of Collecting (20 minute presentations followed by moderated discussion)

2:30-3:00 Break

3:00-5:30 Beautiful Death and Incorruptible Bodies: Eternal Life and Aestheticized Death in Medicine and Catholicism (15 minute presentations followed by moderated discussion)

You can find out more by clicking here, and purchase tickets by clicking here.

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