Monthly Archives: October 2012

Four MU professors awarded Curators’ Professorships

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Four MU professors were appointed as Curators Professors, the highest educational honor given by the UM System.

Statistics professor Nancy Flournoy, biochemistry professor Gerald Hazelbauer, fisheries and wildlife professor John Jones and geological sciences professor Mian Liu received the award after the UM Board of Curators approved the nominations at its September meeting.

The Curators Professorship is prestigious, and only outstanding scholars with established reputations are considered for appointment, according to the Office of the Provost's website.

The recipients were notified via mail by letters from Chancellor Brady Deaton, Provost Brian Foster and President Tim Wolfe about their nominations. In addition to the award, the recipients receive a raise and a stipend for scholarly activity.

Nancy Flournoy, statistics professor

Flournoy is the former statistics department chairwoman. She currently teaches one undergraduate class and one graduate class. Flournoy was the only woman of the four recognized.

It was really cool, Flournoy said. I was very pleased. Its a great honor.

Her work with statistical theory has been motivated by problems encountered while working with the Seattle bone marrow transplant team, according to her website. Flournoy received her bachelor's and master's degrees from the University of California, Los Angeles before receiving her Ph.D. from the University of Washington. Flournoy has spent 10 years at MU.

The students are a joy, Flournoy said.

Gerald Hazelbauer, biochemistry department chairman

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Four MU professors awarded Curators’ Professorships

Cannabis eases sclerosis stiffness – study

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Use of cannabis extract helps ease painful muscle stiffness among patients with multiple sclerosis (MS), according to a large trial published on Tuesday in the Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery and Psychiatry.

The "Phase III" test -- the final stage in a process to vet a new drug or medical process -- took place among 22 centres in Britain.

Over 12 weeks, 144 patients were given daily tablets of tetrahydrocannabinol, which is the active ingredient in cannabis, and 135 were given a dummy pill, also called a placebo.

Doses were gradually escalated, from 2.5 milligrams to a maximum of 25 mg for two weeks, following top-up doses for the remaining two weeks.

At the end of the study, 29.4 percent of people in the cannabis group said they had experienced relief from muscle spasms, compared to 15.7 percent in the placebo group, according to an 11-point rating.

They also reported improvement in sleep quality. Side effects were nervous system disorders and gut problems, but none was severe.

MS, a disease that affects the brain and spinal cord, occurs when the immune system attacks the fatty myelin sheaths that insulate nerve cells.

Painful stiffness in the muscles occurs among up to 90 percent of patients at some time, often leading to poor sleep and impaired mobility.

The trial, led by John Peter Zajicek of Britain's Clinical Neurology Research Group, says standardised doses of cannabis extract can be useful in easing pain and spasms in this disease.

Previous Phase III trials on cannabis and MS have thrown up conflicting results, partly because of the scale by which users report any change in their symptoms, the MUSEC researchers said.

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Cannabis eases sclerosis stiffness - study

Can eating tomatoes lower the risk of stroke?

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Public release date: 8-Oct-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Rachel Seroka rseroka@aan.com 612-928-6129 American Academy of Neurology

MINNEAPOLIS Eating tomatoes and tomato-based foods is associated with a lower risk of stroke, according to new research published in the October 9, 2012, print issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology. Tomatoes are high in the antioxidant lycopene.

The study found that people with the highest amounts of lycopene in their blood were 55 percent less likely to have a stroke than people with the lowest amounts of lycopene in their blood.

The study involved 1,031 men in Finland between the ages of 46 and 65. The level of lycopene in their blood was tested at the start of the study and they were followed for an average of 12 years. During that time, 67 men had a stroke.

Among the men with the lowest levels of lycopene, 25 of 258 men had a stroke. Among those with the highest levels of lycopene, 11 of 259 men had a stroke. When researchers looked at just strokes due to blood clots, the results were even stronger. Those with the highest levels of lycopene were 59 percent less likely to have a stroke than those with the lowest levels.

"This study adds to the evidence that a diet high in fruits and vegetables is associated with a lower risk of stroke," said study author Jouni Karppi, PhD, of the University of Eastern Finland in Kuopio. "The results support the recommendation that people get more than five servings of fruits and vegetables a day, which would likely lead to a major reduction in the number of strokes worldwide, according to previous research."

The study also looked at blood levels of the antioxidants alpha-carotene, beta-carotene, alpha-tocopherol and retinol, but found no association between the blood levels and risk of stroke.

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The study was supported by Lapland Central Hospital.

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Can eating tomatoes lower the risk of stroke?

Delivering an integral approach to emotional and mental health

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Dr. Frank Maye, DOM (NMD)

When talking about an integral approach to emotional health, the term integral is not integrative or complimentary. Integral is not a mainstream approach. Integral simply implies that a team concept is adopted, and the team agrees to use whatever strategies work best for the patient. Patients benefit from a variety of disciplines which all work with one another. I believe these techniques are the future of all medical practice. I returned to school to obtain a PhD degree in Integral Health to ensure this approach took root in Miami.

Emotional and mental health includes a spectrum of conditions, including autism, obsessive compulsive disorder, eating disorders, ADD/ADHD, addictions, depression and anxiety. Some conditions require pharmacology and others call for counseling or talk-therapy. However, there is another alternative. Are you aware that there are nutritional causes of emotional and mental discomfort? You may ask how do I determine if these factors apply to me? There are tests available to help determine bacterial, nutritional, food allergies and toxicity, which are all causative factors. Even if you are already taking an anti-depressant or anxiety-relieving drug, you can I still benefit from these tests. Many side effects are minimized when the causative factors are identified.

At Maye Holistic Med, I spend two hours with every new patient. I ask myself Where did this patient lose their way? ! I owe this time to you and this question helps me guide you emotionally, physically and spiritually back to starting life over. The day you give up on your passion and dreams, the emotional, physical and spiritual you become depressed. The simple tests I conduct reveal and confirm how much this has affected you. Then, I can work to get you happy to be you again.

Psychiatrists, psychologists and natural healthcare providers can work as a team. Recently I attended a conference with 120 other physicians for the Integration of Mental Healthcare Teams. We all agreed that patient-centered healthcare is integral care. We band together as a team to deliver therapies that our patients need to get healthy and happy.

Join me at Maye Holistic Med as a patient or cooperating physician. Sometimes the answer to your problems is simple and sometimes it is complex. Let me help you put a team together.

Dr. Frank Maye, DOM (NMD) is a Diplomate of Naturopathic Medicine and a Diplomate of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine. Maye graduated from Community School of Traditional Chinese Healthcare, Inc. Dr. Maye continued his studies at American Naturopathic Medical Institute where he was awarded a Doctorate in Naturopathic Medicine and a designation of (NMD). Along with his private practice, Dr. Maye currently researches for Scintilla Software Industries in the field of Bio-energetics, Resonance Homeopathy, and Nutritional Nano technology.

Dr. Maye can be reached at 305-668-9555 or email:mayeholisticmed@aol.com. Visit us at: mayeholisticmed.com

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Delivering an integral approach to emotional and mental health

SENAI/SESI of Sao Paulo Selects NanoProfessor as Foundation for "Nanomundo" Nanotechnology Education Initiative

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SKOKIE, IL--(Marketwire - Oct 8, 2012) - NanoProfessor, the global leader in hands-on undergraduate nanotechnology education, announced today that SENAI (Servio Nacional de Aprendizagem Industrial) and SESI (Servio Social da Indstria) of So Paulo, Brazil recently incorporated the NanoProfessor Nanoscience Education Program into five mobile nanotechnology classrooms in launching its Nanomundo Nanotechnology Educational Program.

SENAI is Brazil's largest organization of professional and technological education in Latin America, while SESI is Brazil's leader in promoting improved quality of life for workers and their dependents including providing high quality basic education for students from first through twelfth grade.

The mobile Nanomundo nanotechnology classrooms can accommodate up to 30 students at a time and will travel between the SENAI/SESI network of schools within So Paulo.Each Nanomundo classroom comes equipped with nano-focused instrumentation provided by the NanoProfessor Program including NanoInk's NLP 2000 Desktop NanoFabrication System, a student-friendly atomic force microscope, and a best-of-class fluorescence microscope.The Nanomundo classrooms will also use the NanoProfessor textbook, "Introduction to Nanoscale Science and Technology," and the cutting-edge lab experiments provided by the NanoProfessor Program.Both the NanoProfessor textbook and lab guide have been translated into Portuguese to further support the Nanomundo Program.The SENAI/SESI teachers will undergo an intensive two-week training program in So Paulo conducted by NanoProfessor's Scientific Education Team.

"Nanotechnology is a rapidly emerging industry that is responsible for life-changing breakthroughs in fields such as medicine, manufacturing, alternative energy, and electronics," said Professor Walter Vicioni, Diretor Regional and Superintendente Operacional of SENAI/SESI So Paulo."By using the NanoProfessor Program as the foundation of the Nanomundo Program and the five mobile nanotechnology classrooms, we are ensuring that students throughout our vast network of schools in So Paulo will have access to state-of-the-art nanotechnology education and be prepared for exciting jobs in the nanotechnology industry."

"We salute SENAI/SESI So Paulo for their ingenuity, visionary thinking, and strong commitment to nanotechnology education," said Dean Hart, Chief Commercial Officer of NanoProfessor."By integrating the NanoProfessor Nanoscience Education Program into its five Nanomundo mobile nanotechnology classrooms, SENAI/SESI is not only providing their students with the skills and education needed to succeed in nanotechnology-related careers, but also building a nano-savvy workforce to help support the strong economic growth within So Paulo and Brazil as a whole."

In just over 24 months, the NanoProfessor Nanoscience Education Program has been chosen to serve as the foundation for undergraduate hands-on nanotechnology education by over 20 institutions in five countries.The NanoProfessor Program alternates between classroom lectures and exciting, hands-on nanoscale lab work.The NanoProfessor curriculum includes a textbook authored by leading nanotechnology experts, covering the topics of Nanotechnology Instrumentation, Imaging and Nanofabrication techniques, Nanophysics, Nanochemistry, Nanobiology, and perspectives on Environmental, Health, and Safety within nanotechnology.In conducting the hands-on lab experiments, students work with state-of-the-art nano-centric instrumentation including NanoInk's NLP 2000 Desktop NanoFabrication System, the first desktop nanofabrication system allowing students to quickly and easily build custom-engineered nanoscale structures with a wide variety of materials from biomolecules to metal nanoparticles using NanoInk's proprietary Dip Pen Nanolithography (DPN).

Nanotechnology is the understanding and control of matter at dimensions between approximately one and 100 nanometers (nm), where unique phenomena enable novel applications which are not feasible when working with bulk materials.A nanometer is one-billionth of a meter.Encompassing nanoscale science, engineering, and technology, nanotechnology involves imaging, measuring, modeling, and manipulating matter at the nanoscale.A study funded by the National Science Foundation projects that 6 million nanotechnology workers will be needed worldwide by 2020, with 2 million of those jobs in the United States.However, as of 2008, there were only 400,000 estimated workers worldwide in the field of nanotechnology, with an estimated 150,000 of those in the United States.

About the NanoProfessor Nanoscience Education Program The NanoProfessor Nanoscience Education Program aims to advance undergraduate nanotechnology education and address the growing need for a skilled, nano-savvy workforce. The NanoProfessor Program, including state-of-the-art, nano-centric instruments, an expert-driven curriculum, and student/teacher support materials, is available for high schools, community colleges, technical institutes, and universities worldwide.More information is available at http://www.NanoProfessor.net or (847)679-NANO (6266).You can also like NanoProfessor on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/NanoProfessor1 and follow on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/nanoprofessor1.

NanoInk, NanoProfessor, Dip Pen Nanolithography, DPN, and the NanoProfessor logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of NanoInk, Inc.

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SENAI/SESI of Sao Paulo Selects NanoProfessor as Foundation for "Nanomundo" Nanotechnology Education Initiative

UC Riverside celebrates medical school opening

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RIVERSIDE, Calif. -

UC Riverside officials, students and community leaders today will celebrate the UCR School of Medicine as officially open to prospective students.

The campus received word Tuesday that the Liaison Committee on Medical Education -- the national accrediting body for programs geared to medical degrees in North America -- had given preliminary approval to UCR's proposed courses.

The decision paves the way for the university to begin accepting applications for its charter enrollment of 50 students in the fall of 2013.

"This is momentous ... for Inland Southern California and for UC Riverside," said UCR Chancellor Timothy P. White.

An informal celebration in recognition of the accreditation milestone is planned for 5:30 p.m. at Rivera Plaza, adjacent to Hinderaker Hall.

The LCME withheld accreditation approval in 2011, when it became clear the state would not be making annual funding available to UCR because of California's gaping budget deficit.

However, over the last year, the university has secured tens of millions of dollars in private donations, government grants -- including $20 million from Riverside County -- and UC system appropriations, enabling it to move ahead with opening its doors next fall.

"Working together, the community and the UCR campus simply persevered because expanding access to healthcare is one of the most pressing issues for Inland Southern California," UCR Medical School Dean Dr. Richard Olds said.

"This milestone enables us to ... begin expanding and diversifying our region's physician workforce."

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$2.5M boosts scholarships for medical students

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SACRAMENTO Talented students who dream of becoming physicians but worry about the high cost of attending medical school have a new and promising opportunity at the UC Davis School of Medicine. The school has been awarded a four-year, $2.5 million grant from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) to provide scholarships to economically disadvantaged medical students.

UC Davis plans to use the new funding to provide $15,000 scholarships to more than 40 students each year who are interested in becoming primary care doctors in medically underserved communities.

"We are at a crucial time in health care," said Fred Meyers, executive associate dean, whose responsibilities include overseeing the teaching and community engagement missions for the medical school. "More than 5.5 million Californians live in medically underserved areas, places that have too few primary-care providers, higher-than-average infant mortality rates and high poverty rates. This new grant enables UC Davis to help reduce health disparities by encouraging and supporting the development of more primary-care physicians who represent diverse backgrounds."

Meyers said that UC Davis is determined to improve the quality of health care through innovations in clinical practices and a focus on the unique health needs of the communities its medical students will serve when they become physicians. He noted the school's emphasis on developing interprofessional teams to deliver patient- and family-centered care includes having physicians who can be role models of cultural inclusiveness.

"We know there are many academically qualified and talented students from diverse backgrounds who could become great physicians if they didn't have to worry about the financial challenges to getting a medical degree," said Tonya Fancher, associate professor of internal medicine who is overseeing much of the new grant program. "These scholarships address one of the major barriers to pursuing an advanced degree in medicine. The funding also allows UC Davis to expand its physician-training pipeline by increasing our student outreach and retention efforts."

The current cost of a four-year medical degree at UC Davis, including housing or food, is approximately $244,000. Students have an average debt of $139,000 after four years in school. About 100 students per year graduate from the School of Medicine.

UC Davis School of Medicine is known for graduating a high percentage of graduates who choose to practice medicine in rural and other underserved areas of the state. Many of its newly minted physicians eventually practice in Northern California. The school's curriculum features three community-oriented programs or tracks that focus on medically underserved areas of the state: rural, urban inner city and the San Joaquin Valley.

"Underserved communities are unable to provide optimal care for their residents," said Fancher. "Part of the reason is the lack of physicians. The Central Valley, for example, has some of the lowest rates of primary-care physicians in the state. Our goal is to increase that number and make sure they better reflect the populations they serve."

In addition to student scholarships, the school's retention and outreach initiatives for current and potential medical students include programs ranging from middle and high school presentations about health-care professions, to test preparation and pre-med advising for college undergraduates, to an array of educational support and counseling services that help students complete medical school and achieve success during residency and clinical practice.

HRSA's Scholarships for Disadvantaged Students program was established through the Disadvantaged Minority Health Improvement Act of 1990. Participating academic institutions are responsible for selecting scholarship recipients based on reasonable determinations of need. For more information about the UC Davis School of Medicine, visit http://www.ucdmc.ucdavis.edu/medschool/.

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$2.5M boosts scholarships for medical students

Doctors' group opposes Auburn medical school

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Alabamas professional organization representing the states osteopathic doctors said it cannot support the creation of a new medical college in Auburn.

Members of the Alabama Osteopathic Medical Association (ALOMA) said construction of a new medical college in 2015 on the heels of another one slated to admit students in Dothan beginning next year could dilute the quality of medical school applicants in the state and create a glut of students looking to complete medical school requirements at locations throughout Alabama.

ALOMA President-Elect Dr. Brent Boyett said the organizations concerns were expressed in a letter sent to Gov. Robert Bentley, Auburn University President Jay Gogue and the Commission on Osteopathic College Accreditation.

Basically, we wanted them to know our concerns and that we could not support an additional school in the state of Alabama at this time, said Boyett, whose practice is located in Hamilton.

Dothans Alabama College of Osteopathic Medicine is scheduled to admit its first class next year. Meanwhile in August, the Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine in Virginia announced plans to construct a branch in Auburn. If the college is accredited, it should begin admitting students in 2015.

The final two years of a four-year Osteopathic Medicine track consists of residency in a hospital or other medical facility. Assuming classes of 150 per year, the Auburn school would mean doubling the number of students seeking residency from 300 to 600 by 2017.

We just wouldnt have enough rotation sites to accommodate these physicians and the real limiting factor in osteopathic medicine is real good clinical rotation sites, Boyett said.

A lot of this is just inexplicable to me. We were absolutely shocked when we heard of the announcement. Either they know a lot more than we do or we know a lot more than they do, Boyett said.

ALOMA is not the only organization to oppose the branch.

Dr. Neal Canup, State Director of Medical Education for the Alabama Medical Education Consortium, expressed opposition in a letter to state newspapers recently.

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Doctors' group opposes Auburn medical school

World's first network on integrative mental health to improve patient outcomes

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The first network of its kind, endorsing an integrative approach to the treatment of mental health has launched a new website in coordination with World Mental Health Week.

RED BANK, N.J., Oct. 8, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The International Network of Integrative Mental Health (INIMH) brings together mental health experts including medical doctors, psychologists, allied health clinicians, and academics who are passionate about improving mental health outcomes for patients by combining complementary and mainstream medicine. It was established to be a resource to mental health professionals, researchers and the general public on the practice of integrated mental healthcare.

Founded in 2010, by 16 mental health pioneers from across the globe, the INIMH now has a board of approximately 24 healthcare professionals with experience in integrative mental healthcare.

A statement provided by INIMH President, Dr. James Lake, and Vice President, Dr. Jerome Sarris reveals that "There is a growing body of statistical and anecdotal evidence indicating that many people are using non-conventional approaches (often in combination with mainstream medicine) to treat mental health conditions."

"Despite this, there has been a deficit in the availability of high-quality information for people to improve their mental health using an integrated approach that combines the 'best of both worlds.'"

"INIMH fills a need for quality, evidence-based information about integrative and complementary medicine approaches in current mental healthcare."

The practice of "integrative mental healthcare" adopts a model that uses an integrated approach to addressing biological, psychological, and sociological determinants of mental illness.

A combination of mainstream interventions such as pharmacological treatments and psychosocial interventions with evidence-based non-conventional therapeutics (such as nutritional medicine, dietary and exercise modification, acupuncture, select herbal medicines, and mindfulness meditation), are often prescribed.

The INIMH announcement incorporates the official launch of its innovative website for clinicians and the public (http://www.inimh.org).The interactive website provides links to resources on integrative mental healthcare; expert-hosted forums; a comprehensive searchable mental healthcare library; and offers networking between clinicians, researchers and the public.

In addition, a White Paper co-authored by Dr. Lake and Dr. Sarris outlines strategic recommendations for advancing integrative mental healthcare, including increasing research in key areas, improving clinician training and education, and promoting a public health agenda.

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World's first network on integrative mental health to improve patient outcomes

US team aim to make human sperm

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8 October 2012 Last updated at 22:25 ET By Regan Morris BBC News, Los Angeles

US researchers say they will redouble their efforts to create human sperm from stem cells following the success of a Japanese study involving mice.

A Kyoto University team used mice stem cells to create eggs, which were fertilised to produce baby mice.

Dr Renee Pera, of Stanford University in California, aims to create human sperm to use for reproduction within two years, and eggs within five years.

Infertility affects up to 15% of reproductive-aged couples worldwide.

"I know people think it's Frankenstein medicine, but I think it's not an imagined or lessened health problem - infertility affects your whole life," Dr Pera says.

"To have sex and have a baby would be a super simple decision, but not everybody can do it."

But using embryonic stem cells for research - as Dr Pera's lab at the Institute for Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine does - is controversial because the embryos are destroyed in order to use them.

Dr Pera's lab uses embryos left over from IVF treatments.

Stem cells have the potential to grow into any cell in the body. Creating eggs in a lab could become mainstream, much like IVF is viewed today.

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Nobel Prize awarded for work on stem cells

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A Japanese and a British scientist were awarded the 2012 Nobel Prize in physiology or medicine Monday for their groundbreaking work in turning adult cells into immature ones that might be tweaked further to treat a wide spectrum of diseases. Such research is being aggressively pursued at scientific institutions across San Diego County.

Shinya Yamanaka of Japan and John Gurdon of Great Britain showed that it is possible to alter adult cells to the point where they are very similar to human embryonic stem cells. But the process does not involved the destruction of embryos.

In essence, scientists can now take cells from, say, a person's skin and turn back the clock, making the cell essentially act as though it were new.

The Nobel Assembly at the Karolinska Institute issued a statement today saying, "These groundbreaking discoveries have completely changed our view of the development and cellular specialisation. We now understand that the mature cell does not have to be confined forever to its specialised state. Textbooks have been rewritten and new research fields have been established. By reprogramming human cells, scientists have created new opportunities to study diseases and develop methods for diagnosis and therapy.

"The discoveries of Gurdon and Yamanaka have shown that specialised cells can turn back the developmental clock under certain circumstances. Although their genome undergoes modifications during development, these modifications are not irreversible. We have obtained a new view of the development of cells and organisms.

"Research during recent years has shown that iPS cells can give rise to all the different cell types of the body. These discoveries have also provided new tools for scientists around the world and led to remarkable progress in many areas of medicine. iPS cells can also be prepared from human cells.

"For instance, skin cells can be obtained from patients with various diseases, reprogrammed, and examined in the laboratory to determine how they differ from cells of healthy individuals. Such cells constitute invaluable tools for understanding disease mechanisms and so provide new opportunities to develop medical therapies."

Gurdon -- who was working in his lab today when he learned that he'd won a Nobel -- made the initial breakthrough about 50 years ago, and Yamanaka built on that work, accelerating the process through genetic engineering.

The Sanford-Burnham Medical Research Institute was created in La Jolla, in part, to probe exactly this area of research.

Will La Jolla scientists win this year's Nobel Prizes?

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Nobel Prize awarded for work on stem cells

Needle-less technology partners with Merck

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Eds: Not for use before 0700 AEDT Tuesday October 9

By Michelle Henderson, AAP National Medical Writer

MELBOURNE, Oct 9 AAP - Vaccines given with a painless skin patch rather than needles are a step closer after Australian innovators secured a deal with international vaccine manufacturer Merck.

The Nanopatch, developed by University of Queensland Professor Mark Kendall and his bioengineering and nanotechnology team, uses 100 times less vaccine than a syringe and is smaller than a postage stamp.

The technology is being commercialised by an investor-backed company, Vaxxas, formed in August 2011, but the partnership with Merck has injected extra research funds and potentially opens up a suite of vaccines to eventually be used with the patch.

Merck, the international distributor of the Gardasil HPV vaccine pioneered by Australia's Professor Ian Frazer, will initially fund Vaxxas to evaluate the Nanopatch for use with one of its vaccines.

"This is an essential step for Vaxxas because for the first time we have a partnership with one of the world's largest vaccine manufacturers," Prof Kendall told AAP on Monday.

He said the deal validated the development of the Nanopatch, which was selected by Merck from a field of about 40 other international technologies.

Vaxxas raised about $15 million last year to commercialise the Nanopatch technology.

This process will involve several rigorous testing phases to ensure the patch is effective and safe.

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Needle-less technology partners with Merck

Be younger now

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Today is the moment. And now is the time to take action. The population of the world is aging at a rapid rate. And according to a 2011 research paper from the Harvard School of Public Health, there will be close to a billion people over the age of 60 by 2020, doubling to nearly two billion by 2050.

This staggering number represents 22 percent of the worlds population. And it can only translate to one realitythat the business of anti-aging (or aging, for that matter) is a serious one.

A report by the MIT Age Lab reveals that the 50 and above age group represents the fastest-growing segment worldwide.

This new phenomenon has catapulted the wellness industry to a booming global business. In a report by the Global Spa Summit, it was stated that the beauty and anti-aging segment of the wellness industry was valued at $679.1 billion in 2012. And its still growing.

Nothing instant

With the growing demand for treatments to delay aging, there has been an unprecedented spike in the clamor for the quick fix. Instant is the operative word. And suddenly mushrooming are spas, beauty centers, and even beauty parlors offering procedures that may be questionable and often risky.

We have known of many instances where patients have been disfigured or lost their lives due to excessive treatments promising quick transformations. Apart from the risks, all anti-aging treatments are expensive and not within the reach of the average individual.

Truth be told, recapturing ones youth isnt a matter of popping super pills, sophisticated regimens, injections or surgery. The most effective anti-aging regimen is good health. While this is not meant to disparage conventional medicine which can offer effective ways to address health and beauty challenges, it has long been observed by health experts that the quality of ones life offers a longer-lasting effect on ones overall well-being and personal good looks.

Working with nature

This scenario seems all too familiar.

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Be younger now

Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 2012 awarded for discovery that mature cells can be reprogrammed to become …

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ScienceDaily (Oct. 8, 2012) The Nobel Assembly at Karolinska Institutet has decided to award The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 2012 jointly to John B. Gurdon and Shinya Yamanaka for the discovery that mature cells can be reprogrammed to become pluripotent.

The Nobel Prize recognizes two scientists who discovered that mature, specialised cells can be reprogrammed to become immature cells capable of developing into all tissues of the body. Their findings have revolutionised our understanding of how cells and organisms develop.

John B. Gurdon discovered in 1962 that the specialisation of cells is reversible. In a classic experiment, he replaced the immature cell nucleus in an egg cell of a frog with the nucleus from a mature intestinal cell. This modified egg cell developed into a normal tadpole. The DNA of the mature cell still had all the information needed to develop all cells in the frog.

Shinya Yamanaka discovered more than 40 years later, in 2006, how intact mature cells in mice could be reprogrammed to become immature stem cells. Surprisingly, by introducing only a few genes, he could reprogram mature cells to become pluripotent stem cells, i.e. immature cells that are able to develop into all types of cells in the body.

These groundbreaking discoveries have completely changed our view of the development and cellular specialisation. We now understand that the mature cell does not have to be confined forever to its specialised state. Textbooks have been rewritten and new research fields have been established. By reprogramming human cells, scientists have created new opportunities to study diseases and develop methods for diagnosis and therapy.

Life -- a journey towards increasing specialisation

All of us developed from fertilized egg cells. During the first days after conception, the embryo consists of immature cells, each of which is capable of developing into all the cell types that form the adult organism. Such cells are called pluripotent stem cells. With further development of the embryo, these cells give rise to nerve cells, muscle cells, liver cells and all other cell types -- each of them specialised to carry out a specific task in the adult body. This journey from immature to specialised cell was previously considered to be unidirectional. It was thought that the cell changes in such a way during maturation that it would no longer be possible for it to return to an immature, pluripotent stage.

Frogs jump backwards in development

John B. Gurdon challenged the dogma that the specialised cell is irreversibly committed to its fate. He hypothesised that its genome might still contain all the information needed to drive its development into all the different cell types of an organism. In 1962, he tested this hypothesis by replacing the cell nucleus of a frog's egg cell with a nucleus from a mature, specialised cell derived from the intestine of a tadpole. The egg developed into a fully functional, cloned tadpole and subsequent repeats of the experiment yielded adult frogs. The nucleus of the mature cell had not lost its capacity to drive development to a fully functional organism.

Gurdon's landmark discovery was initially met with scepticism but became accepted when it had been confirmed by other scientists. It initiated intense research and the technique was further developed, leading eventually to the cloning of mammals. Gurdon's research taught us that the nucleus of a mature, specialized cell can be returned to an immature, pluripotent state. But his experiment involved the removal of cell nuclei with pipettes followed by their introduction into other cells. Would it ever be possible to turn an intact cell back into a pluripotent stem cell?

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Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 2012 awarded for discovery that mature cells can be reprogrammed to become ...

Prize for medicine first to be announced

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(CNN) -

The 2012 Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine was awarded Monday to Sir John B. Gurdon and Shinya Yamanaka for work that revolutionized the understanding of how cells and organisms develop.

The Nobel Assembly's announcement at the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm is the first for what will be a series of prizes announced this week. The Norwegian Nobel committee will announce the most anticipated of the annual honors -- the Nobel Peace Prize -- on Friday in Oslo.

Gurdon, 79, of Dippenhall, England, and Yamanaka, 50, of Osaka, Japan, share the prize jointly "for the discovery that mature cells can be reprogrammed to become pluripotent" -- the ability of a cell to differentiate into another cell type, according to the Nobel committee.

Gurdon discovered in 1962 that the cells are reversible in an experiment with an egg cell of a frog. Yamanaka discovered 40 years later that mature cells in mice could be reprogrammed as immature cells, the committee said.

"These groundbreaking discoveries have completely changed our view of the development and cellular specialisation. We now understand that the mature cell does not have to be confined forever to its specialised state," the Nobel Assembly said in a statement following the announcement.

"Textbooks have been rewritten and new research fields have been established. By reprogramming human cells, scientists have created new opportunities to study diseases and develop methods for diagnosis and therapy.

The prizes created in 1895 by Swedish industrialist Alfred Nobel honor work in physics, chemistry, literature and peace. Economics was added as a category in 1968, and the first prize awarded for economic sciences was in 1969.

The monetary award that accompanies the Nobel Prize was lowered by the foundation this year by 20% from 10 million Swedish kronor ($1.5 million) to 8 million kronor ($1.2 million) because of turbulence that hit the financial markets.

On Tuesday, the committee will announce its award for achievement in physics. The next day, the winner of the Nobel Prize in chemistry will be announced.

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Prize for medicine first to be announced

UCSF Nobel Prize Winners

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Shinya Yamanaka

Shinya Yamanaka, MD, PhD, is the fifth UCSF scientist to win the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine.

Yamanaka is a busy man. He is a senior investigator and the L.K. Whittier Foundation Investigator in Stem Cell Biology at the Gladstone Institute of Cardiovascular Disease, a professor of anatomy at UCSF, director of the Center for iPS Cell Research and Application (CiRA) and a principal investigator at the Institute for Integrated Cell-Material Sciences (iCeMS), both at Kyoto University, Japan.

Other UCSF Nobel Prize winners include:

Elizabeth Blackburn

Elizabeth H. Blackburn, PhD, received the 2009 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine. She shared the award with Carol W. Greider of Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and Jack W. Szostak of Harvard Medical School. The scientists discovered an enzyme that plays a key role in normal cell function, as well as in cell aging and most cancers. The enzyme is called telomerase and it produces tiny units of DNA that seal off the ends of chromosomes, which contain the bodys genes. These DNA units named telomeres protect the integrity of the genes and maintain chromosomal stability and accurate cell division. They also determine the number of times a cell divides and thus determine the lifespan of cells.

The scientists research sparked a whole field of inquiry into the possibility that telomerase could be reactivated to treat such age-related diseases as blindness, cardiovascular disease and neurodegenerative diseases, and deactivated to treat cancer, in which it generally is overactive. Read more.

Stanley Prusiner

Stanley B. Prusiner, MD, received the 1997 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for his discovery of a novel disease-causing agent a protein he named prion (PREE-on). The prion causes rare neurodegenerative diseases, such as Creutzfeldt Jakob disease in humans, and mad cow disease in cattle. The discovery has informed research into the role of misprocessed proteins in more common brain diseases, including Alzheimers disease and Parkinsons disease.

J. Michael Bishop

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UCSF Nobel Prize Winners

The 2012 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine

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Showcasing more than fifty of the most provocative, original, and significant online essays from 2011, The Best Science Writing Online 2012 will change the way...

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The Press Release from the Nobel Assembly at Karolinska Institute

The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 2012 goes jointly to John B. Gurdon and Shinya Yamanaka for the discovery that mature cells can be reprogrammed to become pluripotent

Summary

The Nobel Prize recognizes two scientists who discovered that mature, specialised cells can be reprogrammed to become immature cells capable of developing into all tissues of the body. Their findings have revolutionised our understanding of how cells and organisms develop.

John B. Gurdon discovered in 1962 that the specialisation of cells is reversible. In a classic experiment, he replaced the immature cell nucleus in an egg cell of a frog with the nucleus from a mature intestinal cell. This modified egg cell developed into a normal tadpole. The DNA of the mature cell still had all the information needed to develop all cells in the frog.

Shinya Yamanaka discovered more than 40 years later, in 2006, how intact mature cells in mice could be reprogrammed to become immature stem cells. Surprisingly, by introducing only a few genes, he could reprogram mature cells to become pluripotent stem cells, i.e. immature cells that are able to develop into all types of cells in the body.

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The 2012 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine

Research and Markets: Digital Pathology Market – Slide Scanners, Analytics, Delivery Modes and Whole Slide Image …

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DUBLIN--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

Research and Markets (http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/4d2gld/digital_pathology) has announced the addition of the "Digital Pathology Market - Slide Scanners (Whole Slide Imaging), Analytics (Image Analysis Software), Delivery Modes (Web Based/ Cloud Based) and Whole Slide Image Storage - Global Trends & Forecast till 2017" report to their offering.

The life science industry is now witnessing the second decade of Biologic Revolution. The adoption and up gradation of technology is increasing rapidly. Conventional practices are being replaced by advanced technologies. The perception of pathological laboratories needs to be improved as the consumer expectations and government regulations towards improved patient safety, accurate diagnosis, Electronic Medical Records (EMR) as well as personalized medicines are growing. Pathology plays a significant role in patient care. Digital pathology serves this purpose by providing a facility for digital transformation of pathology and laboratory medicine.

Digital pathology is currently gaining momentum as pathologists are seeking to achieve workflow efficiency and cost cutting in the pathological process. It provides ready access to premium quality slide images, enabling better and fast diagnosis, as well as preservation of these digital slides for future reference. The digital pathology market is driven by the factors such as reduction in laboratory expenses, improvement in operational efficiency, and treatment decisions and patient care. The rising prevalence of cancer, increasing trends in drug development, companion diagnostics, and ease of consultation are the major drivers that are slated to propel this market. However, a few pivotal factors restraining the growth of this market are FDA regulations in some regions, high cost of Digital Pathology Systems (DPS), technological problems, and conservative outlook of pathologists. There are a few well-established firms and several small ones operating in this industry. The major players in the market are Aperio Technologies, Inc. (U.S.), Ventana Medical Systems (U.S.), Leica Microsystems GmbH (Germany), Digipath (U.S.), and Hamamatsu Photonics (Japan).

The global digital pathology market is broadly segmented into two categories based on its products and application. The product category includes scanners, analytics (visualization software, information management systems and image analysis platforms), storage and communication (sharing services, software), while the application category comprises human pathology and animal pathology. Both these markets are dominated by North America in 2012, followed by Europe, Asia, and Rest of the World (RoW). The global digital pathology market is estimated to be $191.00 million in 2012, and is poised to grow at a CAGR of 12% to reach $336.61 million by 2017.

Key Topics Covered:

1 Introduction

2 Executive Summary

3 Market Overview

4 Digital Pathology: Rationale For Adoption

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Research and Markets: Digital Pathology Market - Slide Scanners, Analytics, Delivery Modes and Whole Slide Image ...

DNA Sequencing Market Growth Driven by Top 10 Companies and Technologies

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ReportsnReports.com adds new market research report Top Ten Companies in DNA Sequencing to its store. Global sequencing products market is forecast to reach $6.6 billion by 2016.

Dallas, Texas (PRWEB) October 08, 2012

The goal of this report is to provide a more in-depth look at the top tier DNA sequencing companies as well as some of the second tier companies to look for in the near future, and to note the technological changes within the DNA sequencing industry that are sure to play a role in the years to come.

More specifically, the objectives include identifying companies that are considered the leaders in their field and the technological means these companies are using to exploit their markets and dominate their field.

Key technology points explored include:

Other major factors used to determine top companies in the field include:

INTENDED AUDIENCE

This study will be of particular interest to life-science research tools suppliers, pharmaceutical, diagnostics, nanotechnology, bioinformatics, semiconductor, and biotechnology companies. It will also be valuable to companies involved in genome sequencing projects, sequencing centers, manufacturers of microarrays, suppliers of molecular diagnostics assays, bioinformatics companies, and cancer researchers and clinicians. As this report is a profiling of top companies in the DNA sequencing field, the main audience should also include executive management personnel and marketing and financial analysts.

SCOPE

The scope of this report is focused on a select 10 companies in DNA sequencing, and the key areas in the field that are driving industry growth allowing these companies to succeed. These areas include Sanger, next-generation, and emerging sequencing technologies; the markets for sample preparation products, sequencing instruments and consumables; and bioinformatics and sequencing services. A key area BCC also explores is industry structure, noting strategic alliances and acquisitions along with pertinent patent information.

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DNA Sequencing Market Growth Driven by Top 10 Companies and Technologies

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Forensic Anthropologist Uses DNA to Solve Real-Life Murder Mysteries in Latin America

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"Seora, go and search for yourself." With those words, Mexican authorities sent away the grieving mother seeking clues about her daughter's killer. The year was 2001, after those authorities had discovered the bodies of eight young women in a cotton field near Ciudad Jurez on the Texas-Mexico border, across the Rio Grande from the U.S. city of El Paso. Police were unlikely to solve their cases, just like those of the hundreds of women who had been sexually abused, mutilated and killed in this lawless town, where this year alone another 60 women and girls have been murdered. The government's handling of the "Campo Algodonero" murders stood out as an egregious violation of human rights for the way the authorities botched the case and mishandled the women's remains.

The victims' mothers even came to doubt that the remains authorities had given them were their own children. In December 2003 they began working with Mercedes Doretti, a New York-based forensic anthropologist and co-founder of the Argentine Forensic Anthropology Team to get help in identifying the bodies.

Doretti's work in Ciudad Jurez revealed that law enforcement had misidentified three of the eight remains furnished, and her report to the Inter-American Court of Human Rights led in 2009 to an order for reparations to all the families and a condemnation of the Mexican justice system. That small victory cemented Doretti's resolve to probe deeper. She now knew that dozens of other bodies had no possible matches to local families. Where had these other victims come from?

Doretti, a stylish woman in her 50s, has spent her life supporting human rights. She studied anthropology in Buenos Aires, during the height of Argentina's "Dirty War," when the right-wing regime kidnapped, tortured and murdered some 20,000 students, activists, journalists and guerrillas. Her team's work identifying remains of the Desaparecidosthe disappeared onescontinues today, and evidence she personally collected in the 1980s is still making its way through the country's legal system. In 2007 the MacArthur Foundation awarded her a "genius grant" for her work investigating human rights abuses around the world, and she serves as a Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the United Nations Voluntary Fund for Victims of Torture.

Doretti suspected that some of the unidentified bodies in Mexico may have been migrants journeying north from Central America, and in 2009 she established the Missing Migrants project. The full scope of the problem is hard to pin down, but some 200 migrants die of exposure each summer in southern Arizona alone. Mexico's criminal gangs have kidnapped many more for extortion or murdered and buried these victims in mass graves. Doretti has created a network of forensic DNA banks in El Salvador, Honduras and Chiapas, Mexico and recently announced her first positive identifications from remains recovered in Texas and Arizona. "It's amazing what she's doing," says Bruce Anderson, forensic anthropologist with the medical examiner's office in Pima County, Arizona.

Scientific American met Doretti at her organization's spartan one-room office in Brooklyn's DUMBO neighborhood. Edited excerpts follow.

When the Argentinean dictatorship collapsed in 1982, you still thought that you might follow an academic anthropology path. How did you get introduced to forensics? I was at a demonstration against the International Monetary Fund in January 1984, and one of my friends came and said: "There's a gringo who wants to exhume disappeared people." As it happened, the American Association for the Advancement of Science had sent a scientist named Clyde Snow down to train people in forensics, but the Argentinean Anthropology Association initially did not want to get involved directly. Snow didn't have anybody to work with. Frankly, it sounded very strange to me. But after meeting him the next day, I realized everything he was saying made total senseto apply the techniques of traditional archaeology and biological anthropology into the forensic field so that we will be able to recover and identify the remains of Los Desaparecidos in the proper way.

Were you afraid of the consequences of working on a politically charged project like this? I was very scared. If you look at the history of Argentina, there had been a coup of every democratic government since the 1930s. If there was another coup we knew we would probably have to leave the country. Also, none of us knew how we were going to react personally when entering a cemetery. It's very different to dig up remains 10,000 years old than to dig up recent remains. We would also be working surrounded by the police, who brought back terrible memories from the dictatorship.

Was your family affected by the dictatorship? Yes, though not in the way in which other families were affected. We didn't lose any members of our family, but because my mother worked as a journalist and was talking about these things on her daily radio show, she was constantly receiving death threats. We thought about leaving the country.

Several days after meeting Snow, you began your work at a cemetery as part of a judicial investigation. What was the condition of the first remains you uncovered? They were fully skeletonized and, to my surprise, I was able to cope. I was very concentrated on the details of digging and cleaning the skull and making sure that the teeth didn't fall out and things like that.

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Forensic Anthropologist Uses DNA to Solve Real-Life Murder Mysteries in Latin America

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