Monthly Archives: September 2012

Professional Football Players Have Higher ALS And Alzheimer's Death Risks

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Editor's Choice Main Category: Sports Medicine / Fitness Also Included In: Neurology / Neuroscience;Alzheimer's / Dementia Article Date: 06 Sep 2012 - 3:00 PDT

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The scientists gathered data on 3,439 ex-professional football players, average age 57 years, who had played during at least five seasons from 1959 to 1988 for the National Football League. They searched through all the death certificates, specifically looking out for deaths caused by ALS, Parkinson's disease and Alzheimer's disease. When the study was ongoing, 10% of the ex-footballers had died.

The team discovered that professional football players:

Everett J. Lehman said:

A brain autopsy is necessary to diagnose CTE and distinguish it from Alzheimer's or ALS. While CTE is a separate diagnosis, the symptoms are often similar to those found in Alzheimer's, Parkinson's and ALS, and can occur as the result of multiple concussions."

The authors pointed out one limitation in their study; the small number of deaths they assessed.

Researchers from the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Washington, DC, found that collegiate football players have a much higher risk of sustaining head injuries and concussion than the rest of the population.

A two-year study carried out by scientists from Purdue University indicated that concussions among high school football players are probably caused by several hits over time, rather than one single blow to the head.

Written by Christian Nordqvist Copyright: Medical News Today Not to be reproduced without permission of Medical News Today

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ClassOne Equipment Donation Supports the Nanotechnology Mission at Georgia Tech

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ATLANTA, GA--(Marketwire -09/06/12)- The applications of nanotechnology are vast and have potential to revolutionize medicine, environmental protection methods, and lead to the development of new and innovative systems and devices based on nano materials and processes.

On April 24th, 2009, the Georgia Institute of Technology dedicated the new Marcus Nanotechnology Building; named after its prime sponsor, Mr. Bernie Marcus of the Marcus Foundation. The building is dedicated to exploring new fields of science, technology, and engineering for the benefit of humankind. It is also the headquarters for the Georgia Tech Institute of Electronics and Nanotechnology (IEN).

This signature facility embodies Georgia Tech's dedication to improving the human condition through advanced science and engineering.

In support of this mission, ClassOne Equipment, a leading supplier of high quality refurbished equipment to the semiconductor, MEMS, LED, wireless, and emerging technology markets, has made a significant contribution of key process equipment.

"We appreciate this significant contribution of equipment that is now contained within the Marcus Organic and Inorganic Cleanroom Laboratories," said Mark Allen, executive director of the IEN.

ClassOne has core expertise in Suss Microtec, EVG, SPTS, Oxford, Plasmatherm, Semitool, and KLA-Tencor equipment. They can provide a turn-key solution which includes full refurbishment to original specifications, 6-month warranty, and full installation and training by experienced factory trained technicians. ClassOne currently has 40 full-time employees. ClassOne engineers and technicians have worked in technical positions at Suss Microtec, EVG, Semitool, STS, and KLA-Tencor. Since its founding in 2002, ClassOne has refurbished and sold over 2,000 pieces of equipment to more than 500 satisfied customers around the world, including some of the best-known institutes and semiconductor industry labs. In addition to its headquarters in Atlanta, GA, ClassOne has offices in California, Germany, UK, and China.

The IEN is a Georgia Tech interdisciplinary research center designed to enhance support for rapidly growing research programs spanning biomedicine, materials, electronics and nanotechnology.

The IEN is comprised of multiple Electronics and Nanotechnology research units, each offering a unique intellectual focus ranging from basic discovery and innovation to systems realization for academic, industry and government sponsors. Faculty leadership within the IEN centers includes global experts, several of whom are Eminent Scholars and National Academy of Engineering members. IEN faculty and researchers are capable of providing a broad spectrum of research and development activities ranging from basic discovery to systems prototypes.

These research programs are enabled by the IEN Nano, Micro, and Bio Cleanroom Laboratories valued in excess of $400M. These open-user, fee based laboratories are available to global academic, industry, and government clientele, offering a unique and comprehensive laboratory and teaming environment. For more information about IEN please visit: http://www.ien.gatech.edu/

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Medical School becomes St Augustine Primary School

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Government has tabled a parliamentary resolution to transfer the Medical School site at Guardamangia to the Augustinian Order to use it as a primary school for 400 children.

Government is proposing to lease it to the Order for 99 years for 1,000 a year as rent. Sports and other educational facilities can be developed on the site and even the 2,177 sq m car park in front of the Medical School building can be made use of by the school.

The Augustinian Order is committing itself to spend at least 1,000,000 on the primary school project and that the work on it will start within 10 weeks of the Malta Environment and Planning Authority (MEPA) issues the necessary permits.

In exchange for the Medical School site, the Augustinian Order will transfer to government the site on which they were going to build the primary school for a lease of 99 years at 900 per year. Government will pass back this land to the Order on condition that no development is carried out on it.

After working hard for more than three years on a new primary school for St Augustines College, MEPA last February turned down the application by five votes to four and wanted the extension to have two and not three floors as planned, making the whole project too small and costly to be viable.

On 9 February 2012 the Prime Minister was given a petition signed by parents after the students of the school, parents and teachers met near the War Monument in Floriana and walked to Castille.

Neighbours of the college had objecting to the project as the new building would block their view and devalue their property.

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Changes in water chemistry leave lake critters defenseless

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Public release date: 6-Sep-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Janice Walls wallsj@yorku.ca 416-736-2100 x22101 York University

TORONTO, Sept. 6, 2012 Imagine that the players on your favourite football team were smaller than their opponents, and had to play without helmets or pads. Left defenseless, they would become easy prey for other teams. Similarly, changes in Canadian lake water chemistry have left small water organisms vulnerable to their predators, which may pose a serious environmental threat, according to a new study.

"At low calcium levels the organisms grow slower and cannot build their armour," says study lead author Howard Riessen, professor of biology, SUNY College at Buffalo. "Without suitable armour, they are vulnerable to ambush by predators," he says.

Riessen and colleagues, including York University biology Professor Norman Yan, studied the effect of changes in water chemistry on plankton prey defenses. Specifically, they examined how lower calcium concentrations affect Daphnia (water flea) exoskeleton development. These low calcium levels are caused by loss of calcium from forest soils, a consequence of decades of acid rain and multiple cycles of logging and forest growth. The results are published this week in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

"Calcium is a critical element for Daphnia and many other crustaceans," Riessen says. "Daphnia build their exoskeletons, which include some defensive spines, with calcium to protect themselves from predators. Where calcium levels are low, the Daphnia have softer, smaller, exoskeletons with fewer defensive spines, making them an easy snack."

Why do plankton matter? Yan, the study's senior author and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada, emphasizes that the tiny creatures are critical to our survival. "Without plankton, humans would be quite hungry, and perhaps even dead. Much of the world's photosynthesis, the basis of all of our food, comes from the ocean's plankton. The oxygen in every other breath we take is a product of phytoplankton photosynthesis," says Yan.

This phenomenon of reduced calcium is also playing out on a much larger scale in the world's oceans, he notes. "Increases in ocean acidity are complicating calcium acquisition by marine life, which is an under-reported effect of global carbon dioxide emissions. Thus marine plankton may also find themselves more vulnerable to predators," he says.

The public is used to stories about changes in water chemistry that lead to large-scale fish kills, says Riessen. "These changes are more insidious. Daphnia might not be a household name, but they are food for fish, and they help keep our lakes clean. Changing the balance between Daphnia and their predators marks a major change in lake systems."

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Research and Markets: Comprehensive Organometallic Chemistry III, 13-Volume Set. From Fundamentals to Applications

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DUBLIN--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

Research and Markets (http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/kbpwhf/comprehensive_orga) has announced the addition of Elsevier Science and Technology's new report "Comprehensive Organometallic Chemistry III, 13-Volume Set. From Fundamentals to Applications" to their offering.

Comprehensive Organometallic Chemistry, 3rd Edition (COMC-III), is aimed at the specialist and non-specialist alike. It covers the major developments in the field in a carefully presented way with extensive cross-references. COMC-III provides a clear and comprehensive overview of developments since 1993 and attempts to predict trends in the field over the next ten years. Applications of organometallic chemistry continue to expand and this has been reflected by the significant increase in the number of volumes devoted to applications in COMC-III. Organic chemists have edited the volumes on organometallic chemistry towards organic synthesis - this is now organized by reaction type so as to be readily accessible to the organic community. Like its predecessors, COMC (1982) and COMC-II (1995), this new work is the essential reference text for any chemist or technologist who needs to use or apply organometallic compounds.

- Presents a comprehensive overview of the major developments in the field since 1993 providing general and significant insights.

- Highlights the expansion of applications in organometallic chemistry with a strong organic synthesis focus.

- Provides a structured first point of entry to the key literature and background material for those planning research, teaching and writing about the area.

Key Topics Covered:

Volume 1. Fundamentals (G. Parkin).

Volume 2. Compounds of Groups 1 to 2 and 11 to 12 (K. Meyer).

Volume 3. Compounds of Groups 13 to 15 (C.E. Housecroft).

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BIO Announces Presenting Companies for 11th Annual BIO Investor Forum

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WASHINGTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

The Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO) announces the initial list of presenting companies for the 11th Annual BIO Investor Forum, an international investor forum which explores investment trends and opportunities in life sciences, with a focus on venture-stage growth and emerging public companies as well as those poised to join the growth watch list in 2013. The event will take place October 9-10, 2012 at the Palace Hotel in San Francisco, Calif.

The aim of the BIO Investor Forum is to bring together a select group of private and early stage biotech companies along with leading investors in an effort to establish relationships and foster the development of new partnerships and, ultimately, new medicines. This year, we already have an exciting line-up of companies who will present their innovative products and technologies, from emerging public companies working on late-stage clinical trials, to newly-established Discovery companies developing novel biologics platforms, said Alan Eisenberg, executive vice president, Emerging Companies & Business Developmentat BIO.

Companies were chosen through a competitive screening process with input from BIO and the events advisory committee. The committee is comprised of members from top-tier firms focused on investing and banking in the life sciences industry in addition to executives from emerging and leading biotech companies.

The following companies will present at the 11th Annual BIO Investor Forum:

Private:

Public:

Now a staple at the Investor Forum, the event will once again feature a series of Discovery Track presentations. The presentations will focus on Seed and A-round companies incorporated after 2007 that have raised less than $25M total through October 2012. Companies in this track are also first-time presenters and use biotechnology or related technologies for research and development of drug products or diagnostics. The following companies are scheduled to present in the Private Discovery Track:

Check back often as new presenters are continuously being added. If you are interested in becoming a presenter, please submit an application here.

The BIO Investor Forum is a must attend event forpublic and private market investors, research analysts, investment bankers, and industry executives focused on investment and business development opportunities in the life sciences. BIO One-on-One Partnering will also provide an opportunity to arrange meetings between investors; companies; and industry business development, licensing and therapeutic franchise heads.

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Agricultural Biotechnology: Emerging Technologies and Global Markets

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NEW YORK, Sept. 6, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Reportlinker.com announces that a new market research report is available in its catalogue:

http://www.reportlinker.com/p0958100/Agricultural-Biotechnology-Emerging-Technologies-and-Global-Markets.html#utm_source=prnewswire&utm_medium=pr&utm_campaign=Genomics

INTRODUCTION

Agricultural biotechnology markets reviewed in this report include biotechnology tools, synthetic biology-enabled products and transgenic seeds.

Our key objective is to present a comprehensive analysis of the agricultural biotechnology industry, with an emphasis on products and technologies that are commercially important in the 2012 to 2017 time period. Market segments with rapid growth rates are highlighted, as well as those segments with large market potential. This analysis provides a quantitative basis and market context for companies to make strategic choices about participation in the agricultural biotechnology industry.

The study will be particularly useful to companies supplying agricultural seeds, synthetic genes, oligonucleotides, DNA sequencing instruments, cell culture media; biofuels, specialty chemicals, microfluidics and life sciences tools.

REASONS FOR DOING THE STUDY

Agricultural biotechnology contains a wide range of products, and is of interest to a wide audience. There are a significant number of near-term opportunities, as well as longer-term potential. Applications include agriculture-themed microarrays and lab-on-chip devices, RNA interference assays, agriculture-derived biofuels and chemicals, and transgenic seeds.

This report examines these product applications and markets, helping companies to prioritize product opportunities and strategic opportunities. Agricultural technologies are an important part of the global economy, and biotechnology is enabling science in this industry. Therefore, it is important for both technology providers and traditional agricultural companies to understand the changes occurring in the industry.

Rapid changes in highly technical fields such as DNA sequencing and synthetic biology are driving new products in agriculture. These developments create unique market opportunities. This report analyzes these trends and their impact on future markets for agricultural products.

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Agricultural Biotechnology: Emerging Technologies and Global Markets

Clemson bioengineering team wins undergraduate design competition

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Public release date: 6-Sep-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Brian Mullen mullen2@clemson.edu 864-656-2063 Clemson University

CLEMSON Clemson University's bioengineering senior design team won the annual National Collegiate Inventors and Innovators Alliance (NCIIA) BMEStart undergraduate design competition for its project AssureFit, a novel chest tube anchoring device.

Under the direction of professor John DesJardins, the biomedical device was developed by a team of undergraduate bioengineering students as part of their senior design project. Team leader Breanne T. Przestrzelski of Swannanoa, N.C., and teammates Carlyn M. Atwood of Greenville, Lauren E. Eskew of Mount Pleasant and Brennen C. Jenkins of Liberty partnered with Greenville Hospital System pediatric surgeons Dr. John Chandler and Dr. Robert Gates to develop the innovative device.

The AssureFit chest tube stabilization device is used to prevent surgical drains from dislodging following procedures, saving time and medical expense. The device also allows for greater patient mobility and comfort.

"The device solves a costly and critical health care issue that can currently lead to serious surgical complications. We are very impressed with what the students have produced in their design work, and are excited to see the device eventually introduced into clinical practice," said Gates.

The team has filed a provisional patent through the Clemson University Office of Technology Transfer, and hopes to have the device licensed for manufacture by a biomedical device company.

"Our team put in a tremendous amount of hard work this past year, but nothing would have been accomplished if it wasn't for the help and support of the bioengineering department," said senior design team member Eskew.

The design partnership between the Clemson bioengineering department and the Greenville Hospital System was initiated in 2011.

"This collaboration will accelerate the development of novel surgical tools that can make a significant impact on the care and treatment of our patients," said Dr. Eugene Michael Langan III, chairman of the department of surgery at the hospital.

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Reports: 'Grey's Anatomy's' Kim Raver joins NBC's 'Revolution'

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WILMINGTON, NC (WECT) TVLine is reporting Grey's Anatomy and 24 actress Kim Raver will join NBC's new drama Revolution in a recurring role.

The site doesn't give much insight into Raver's character but does describe her role as "juicy."

According to NBC, Revolution takes 15 years in the future and shows the aftermath of a global blackout where the entire world lost power. The post-apocalyptic drama is filming in the Port City.

A special VIP screening of the pilot episode will be shown Thursday night at Thalian Hall. The event is free, but you need to have a ticket to get in. Make sure to get there early, because seating is first come, first serve.

If you didn't get a ticket to the screening, you can still watch the pilot episode before its television premiere on NBC September 17 at 10:00 p.m. Click here to watch the pilot episode now.

Raver, 43, most recently played Dr. Teddy Altman on Grey's Anatomy for three seasons before leaving the show in May.

Copyright 2012 WECT. All rights reserved.

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Body Maps: See All Your Parts, Skin Removal Not Required

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The interactive anatomy tool that facilitates patient-doctor communication and is "social media ready"

Phones won't ever replace doctors. An app for medical diagnosis can't put a gentle hand on your shoulder. It can't calm you with whispers and a warming embrace. Its fingertips aren't soft, smooth, inquisitive. It doesn't have the robust intuition, the seasoned experience, the authority to which you can surrender control...

But a new app from the good people at General Electricand Healthline can help doctors and patients get on the same page about anatomy -- what's hurting whom, and who's doing what where to help it. Among other things, it's designed to help physicians communicate as a visual aid in discussing diagnoses and treatment plans.That's something an app can do very well. It's called BodyMaps, and it involves this spinning apparition:

She does not grant wishes or respond to emotional cues. You can, though, make her spin around quickly (or slowly, slowly), so the app scores satisfactorily in the rubric for "imparts sense of omnipotence."

Beyond detailed anatomy, it also has 200 concise tutorials like "Why do I sneeze?"

Hint: It's related to the sneezing center.

The real highlight of BodyMaps, though, is the feature where you can annotate the images by drawing with your finger -- to illustrate your point. Because not all doctors are good with words, and not all words are good with doctors. You can only write in blue, black, or green. (Not red!)

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Aperio ePathology NETWORK to Improve Communication among Pathologists, Pathology Sub-Specialists and Other Physicians

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VISTA, Calif. & OXFORD, England--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

Aperio, the global leader in ePathology solutions, bringing digital pathology into standard practice, is showcasing their intuitive, easy-to-use solution that connects pathologists across geographical boundaries and enables enhanced communication across the patient care team. Whether at the office or on the go, the Aperio ePathology NETWORK provides the access pathologists need to stay connected and supports applications for intraoperative consultation, as well as internal and external consultation. The unveiling of the Aperio ePathology NETWORK, is taking place at the European Congress of Pathology on September 8-11 in Prague, and at CAP 12The Pathologists Meetingin San Diego, September 9-12, 2012. Aperio expects to begin shipment of the new software to customers before the end of October.

Healthcare organizations are embracing ePathology, taking digital images into clinical use, said Jared N. Schwartz, M.D., Ph.D., F.C.A.P., Aperios chief medical officer. The Aperio ePathology NETWORK delivers a software solution that makes it easy to adopt ePathology into routine patient care by effectively connecting the care team across disparate hospital locations.

The Aperio ePathology NETWORK raises the bar in patient care by enabling very quick access to sub-specialty expertise for difficult cases. The patient has access to the right sub-specialist and the pathologist has peace of mind, said Dr. Olga Ioffe, professor of pathology at the University of Maryland, School of Medicine. An additional benefit of the NETWORK is that those pathologists covering surgery centers can interpret intraoperative consultations remotely, reducing or eliminating travel.

Aperio will also launch its newest ePathViewer, an easy-to-use application for viewing eSlide images anywhere, at any time, via an iPAD or iPhone. The Aperio ePathViewer will connect to the NETWORK and also supports several pre-configured websites including the Rosai Collection, Aperio eSlide Hosting and Aperio eSlideShare. The Aperio ePathViewer will be available in mid-September for download at the App Store.

We invite you to view the new Aperio ePathology NETWORK at ECP 12 booth #39 and CAP 12 booth #211.

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. Aperio products are FDA cleared for specific clinical applications, and are intended for research and educational use for other applications. They are not approved by the FDA for primary diagnosis. The Aperio IOC solution should not be used when permanent sections on glass slides are not going to be available for a primary diagnosis. For clearance updates, specific product indications, and more information, please visit http://www.aperio.com.

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After-school program highlights cooking, nutrition

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Tuesday August 28, 2012

PITTSFIELD

Dr. Jacqueline Jones of Berkshire Pediatric Associates is partnering with The Nutrition Center to launch a new after-school kids cooking and nutrition education program in Pittsfield this school year.

The partners are acting under a $12,000 pediatric grant it received from CATCH (Community Access to Child Health), a national program of the American Academy of Pediatrics.

According to the Massachusetts Department of Public Health's Body Mass Index (BMI) screening data, 34 percent, or 2,559 children in the Pittsfield public school district are considered overweight or obese.

BMI is calculated by using a formula that compares a person's height and weight with a set of BMI standards by gender. If a person's BMI number is above the 85 percentile, they are considered to be at risk of obesity; a BMI above the 95th percentile is an indicator of obesity.

"Learning basic cooking skills during childhood has been shown to lead to life-long behavior changes for better health," said Peter Stanton, director of The Nutrition Center. He holds a master of science degree as a registered dietitian and is a state-licensed dietitian/nutritionist.

The nonprofit Nutrition Center provides community-based-nutrition education, cooking classes and clinical nutrition counseling for better health and disease prevention. This summer, it opened a new office and moved its administrative headquarters from Great Barrington to Pittsfield.

The

"[Obesity is] such a huge problem in our population. We want to give parents and kids tools to be healthy," said Jones.

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Mt. Lebanon district recognized for student nutrition

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A top Agriculture Department official will visit Mt. Lebanon on Friday to honor the school district for its commitment to student nutrition.

Janey Thornton, USDA deputy undersecretary, will meet with parents and school officials, dine with students and present the HealthierUS Schools Challenge award, a program started in 2004 to promote improved nutrition and healthier school environments.

The honor, shared with about 4,000 schools nationwide, covers a variety of criteria, Ms. Thornton said. Schools must show that a certain percentage of their students participate in school meals; that they've established a wellness policy with food guidelines; and that they offer nutrition education.

"It is more of a comprehensive approach to good nutrition and wellness throughout the school as opposed to just what's on the school menu that particular day," she said.

Mt. Lebanon has offered elementary students unlimited fruits and vegetables since the lunch program's inception. Before it started three years ago, elementary students either went home for lunch or brought food to school.

The district established the program to ensure students eligible for free or reduced-price meals were eating lunch, said Tazeen Chowdhury, district food service director.

Much of the produce served at the elementary schools is grown on local farms and arrives via a distributor. The district started a "farm of the month" program last year, and this month features fruits and vegetables from Laurel Vista Farms in Somerset.

The HealthierUS Schools Challenge application took about six months to compile. And in July, new national regulations took effect, requiring more fruits and vegetables for student lunches, among other changes.

The district's foresight, Ms. Chowdhury said, made the transition easier.

"We knew we were already on the ball with it," she said. "We were way ahead of the curve knowing that this is the direction we want to go."

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Obesity, nutrition may up kidney stones

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Published: Sept. 5, 2012 at 9:50 PM

SANTA MONICA, Calif., Sept. 5 (UPI) -- Increased obesity and poor nutrition may be fueling the increase in kidney stones in U.S. adults, a food expert says.

"It is possible that better reporting and treatment options for kidney stones may have contributed to the numbers, there are other factors that might lend themselves to the development of kidney stones in children and adults -- the increase in obesity and poor nutrition," Phil Lempert, a food industry analyst, trend watcher and creator of supermarketguru.com, said in a statement. "Low fluid intake and high intakes of sodium as well as animal fat and proteins can contribute to kidney stones as well."

A study by researchers at the University of California, Los Angeles, and the Rand Corp. found the number of U.S. adults getting kidney stones nearly doubled since 1994.

"Hydration and a proper diet are the best ways to prevent stone formation. Drinking fresh lemon in water may help reduce the risk of kidney stone formation," Lempert said in a statement. "Lemon juice increases the level of citrate in the urine, which in turn may prevent the formation of kidney stones."

For some, avoiding certain high-oxalate foods may aid in preventing kidney stones including: Swiss chard, rhubarb, spinach, beets, wheat germ, soybean crackers, peanuts, okra, chocolate and sweet potatoes. Medium-oxalate foods include grits, grapes, celery, green pepper, red raspberries, fruitcake, strawberries, marmalade and liver, the Oxalosis and Hyperoxaluria Foundation said.

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Q&A: U of Cambridge’s Sharon Peacock on Next-Gen Sequencing for Public Health Surveillance

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Name: Sharon Peacock Title: Professor of clinical microbiology, Departments of Medicine and Pathology at the University of Cambridge; Honorary consultant microbiologist at the Health Protection Agency and Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Trust; Honorary faculty at the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute Education: BS in medicine, University of Southampton; MRCP, Royal College of Physicians, London; MS in medical microbiology, University of London; PhD, Oxford University and Open University Whole-genome sequencing has recently made strides as a tool that can be used in public health surveillance. Most recently, the National Institutes of Health published a study in which they used sequencing in real time during an outbreak to track transmission and make decisions about how to manage the outbreak (CSN 8/20/2012).

Earlier this summer, groups from the UK published studies in the New England Journal of Medicine and BMJ Open, demonstrating the ability of sequencing retrospectively to track MRSA outbreaks in hospitals (CSN 6/20/2012).

Sharon Peacock, an author of the NEJM study, has been making significant gains in bringing whole-genome sequencing into a public health setting.

Under grants from the UK Clinical Research Collaboration and the UK's Health Protection Agency she has been working alongside collaborators, such as Julian Parkhill's team at the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute and David Aanensen at Imperial College, to develop tools that will enable public health organizations to adopt sequencing for surveillance and diagnostics.

Peacock also published an editorial recently in PLoS Pathogens on the use of sequencing in public health microbiology.

She is currently working within the Cambridge UKCRC consortium to develop databases of pathogen genomes and create interpretation tools for public health organizations, diagnostic laboratories, and health care workers.

Recently, Peacock spoke with Clinical Sequencing News about her work in bringing whole-genome sequencing into clinical microbiology for public health surveillance.

What is the goal of the Cambridge UKCRC consortium?

Our objective is to try and translate whole-genome sequencing into diagnostic and public health microbiology where it's been shown to make a difference either to individual patient care or public health surveillance. At the moment, we're working particularly on [methicillin-resistant Streptococcus aureus], but we're just in the process of expanding this out to a range of other pathogens that are important for human infection.

Can you describe the work that you're doing with MRSA?

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Q&A: U of Cambridge's Sharon Peacock on Next-Gen Sequencing for Public Health Surveillance

UF to offer STEM degrees in Miami

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Community college students in Miami have a chance to earn microbiology degrees from UF without the six-hour drive.

The National Science Foundations undergraduate education division awarded to UF and Miami Dade College last month a $1.7 million grant to increase the number of students graduating with degrees in science, technology, engineering and math.

The foundation is looking for innovative ways to bring community college students, particularly minorities, to bigger universities for life science degrees, said grant writer Eric Triplett, chairman of the UF College of Agricultural and Life Sciences microbiology and cell science department.

[The foundation is] willing for people to take risks, he said.

The grant will expand the distance-learning program UF and Miami Dade faculty launched last Fall. Miami Dade is a full partner in the program, Triplett said.

Miami Dade students who earn an associate of arts degree there and get minimum grades in certain prerequisite courses are eligible for the program.

Almost all the microbiology courses are available online, Triplett said. Miami Dade students can also attend shortened lab sessions on UFs campus.

The five-year grant will fund 20 $1,250 scholarships each semester for students at Miami Dade, Triplett said. About 10 research stipends at UF labs throughout South Florida will also be available.

The grant will also provide career workshops to educate students about job options after graduating with a microbiology degree.

Theres more to life than medical school, Triplett said.

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Lost decades — Longevity gains decline for Blacks, Latinos and less educated

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5th September 2012 0 Comments

By Paul Kleyman Contributing Writer

CHICAGO (Special from New America Media) The longevity gap between two Americas has widened since 1990, says a new study. One America is mostly white and well educated, and the other is ethnic or undereducated and dying about decade sooner than their more affluent counterparts.

The gap between college-educated whites and African Americans who did not complete high school is simply unbelievable, stated S. Jay Olshansky, lead author of the extensive new analysis published in the August issue of the prestigious health policy journal Health Affairs.

Former nurse Ollie Burton, shown last year at age 103 at the Kissito Healthcare's nursing home in Midland, Tex., represents the longevity exception.

The researchers, who crunched mortality numbers in key databases from 1990-2008, found that white men in the United States with 16 years or more of schooling had life expectancy at birth 14.2 years longer than African American males with fewer than 12 years of education. The gulf between well-educated white women and black women with low educational levels was 10.3 years.

The research study is published with the stark title, Differences in Life Expectancy Due to Race and Educational Differences Are Widening, and Many May Not Catch Up. It is the latest publication by a the MacArthur Foundation Research Network on an Aging Society, a roster of 15 leading academic experts in aging and longevity.

Low Education Shortens Life for All Groups

The report shows that lower educational levels marked declining life expectancy within every demographic group examined.

The gap between black women of high versus low educational levels was 6.5 years, and for Latinas the difference was 2.9 years. For males the longevity gaps were 12.9 years among whites, 9.7 years among blacks and 5.5 years for Hispanics.

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Scientists decode "junk" DNA to show complex inner workings of genes

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The 46 human chromosomes is where DNA resides. On Wednesday, scientists from around the world reported their findings on a nine-year project to study the 97 percent of the genome that's not, strictly speaking, made up of genes. (National Cancer Institute)

A colossal international effort has yielded the first comprehensive look at how our DNA works, an encyclopedia of information that will rewrite the textbooks and offer new insights into the biology of disease.

For one thing, the effort might help explain why complex diseases such as diabetes, high blood pressure and psychiatric disorders are so difficult to predict and, often, to treat.

The findings, reported Wednesday, reveal that the human genome is packed with at least 4 million on-off switches that tell our genes what to do and when. The switches reside in bits of DNA that once were dismissed as "junk" but turn out to play critical roles in controlling how cells, organs and other tissues behave.

The discovery, considered a major medical and scientific breakthrough, has enormous implications for human health because many complex diseases appear to be caused by tiny changes in hundreds of gene switches.

The findings are the fruit of an immense federal project, involving 440 scientists from 32 labs around the world. As they delved into the "junk" parts of the DNA that are not actual genes containing instructions for proteins they discovered it is not junk. At least 80 percent of it is active and needed.

The result is an annotated road map of much of this DNA, noting what it is doing and how. It includes the system of switches that, acting like dimmer switches for lights, control which genes are used in a cell and when they are used, and determine, for instance, whether a cell becomes a liver cell or a neuron.

The findings have applications for understanding how alterations in the non-gene parts of DNA contribute to disease, which might lead to new drugs.

They can also help explain how the environment can affect disease risk. In the case of identical twins, small changes in environmental exposure can slightly alter gene switches, with the result that one twin gets a disease and the other does not.

"It's Google maps," said Eric Lander, president and founding director of the Broad Institute of Harvard and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

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Scientists decode "junk" DNA to show complex inner workings of genes

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DNA data unlocks map to genetic disease

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A massive DNA database has generated a map of the genetic switches which impact everything from hair loss to cancer and opened the door to revolutionary treatments for a host of deadly diseases, researchers say.

'This is a major step toward understanding the wiring diagram of a human being,' said lead researcher Michael Snyder of Stanford University.

The Encyclopedia of DNA Elements - or ENCODE - has enabled scientists to assign specific biological functions for 80 per cent of the human genome and has helped explain how genetic variants affect a person's susceptibility to disease.

It also exposed previously hidden connections between seemingly unrelated diseases such as asthma, lupus and multiple sclerosis which were found to be linked to specific genetic regulatory codes for proteins that regulate the immune system.

A key insight revealed in a host of papers published in the journals Nature, Science and Cell is that many diseases result from changes in when, where and how a gene switches on or off rather than a change to the gene itself.

'Genes occupy only a tiny fraction of the genome, and most efforts to map the genetic causes of disease were frustrated by signals that pointed away from genes,' said co-author John Stamatoyannoupoulos, a researcher at the University of Washington.

'Now we know that these efforts were not in vain, and that the signals were in fact pointing to the genome's 'operating system.''

Another significant finding is that this blueprint of genetic switches can be used to pinpoint cell types that play a role in specific diseases without needing to understand how the disease actually works.

For instance, it took researchers decades to link a set of immune cells with the inflammatory bowel disease Crohn's. The ENCODE data was able to swiftly identify that the genetic variants associated with Crohn's were concentrated in that subset of cells.

This in-depth map of the human genetic code has also altered scientific understanding of how DNA works.

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DNA data unlocks map to genetic disease

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