Monthly Archives: October 2012

North Freedom man accused of marijuana sales

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A North Freedom man faces prison after authorities said he sold marijuana to an informant three times in Columbia County in November.

Michael A. Anderson, 26, is scheduled to appear Oct. 24 in Columbia County Circuit Court.

According to investigators with the Columbia County Sheriffs Office, Anderson sold marijuana to an informant on three separate occasions: a half an ounce for $200 on Nov. 5 in Portage; an ounce for $375 on Nov. 8 in the town of Caledonia; and 1 1/2 ounces for $550 on Nov. 17 in the town of Caledonia.

Anderson faces 4 1/2 years in prison as an initial maximum penalty on three counts of felony distribution of THC (marijuana).

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Legendary Green Man Grown into Super Hero by Eco Comics

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Mohawk Media & Eco Comics

PRESS RELEASE

For immediate release

Legendary Green Man Grown into Super Hero by Eco Comics

Publisher Eco Comics has today announced the launch of a comic book series featuring one of the most iconic and prolific characters from myth and legend, the Green Man.

For over a millennium carvings of the Green Man have spread throughout churches, abbeys and cathedrals across the UK and Europe, and can also be found in the USA and Canada.

The publisher says: "Green Man has come to represent the environmental movement and our endangered eco-system, and so has more relevance now than ever. It is therefore fitting that his comic book debut will be entirely paperless and published by Eco Comics".

Eco Comics has released the first issue exclusively on a variety of digital formats in order to have minimal negative impact on the environment and wildlife.

Green Man #1 is by the British team of writer Chris Bunting and artist John-Paul Howard.

Bunting says: "I've written a number of cultural heavyweights but the Green Man is extra special. The mystery surrounding him makes him very intriguing, while an artists sketches dating from the 1230s could make him the first comic book-style character in history.

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Seven more beaches awarded Blue Flag

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Seven more beaches awarded Blue Flag

(Wam) / 11 October 2012

The Emirates Wildlife Society in association with WWF (EWS-WWF) announced, in partnership with the Foundation for Environmental Education (FEE), that these beaches spanning Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Fujairah have been granted the international award after meeting a number of strict criteria designed to raise environmental coastal standards.

Another confirmed beach is due to be announced later this year, bringing the grand total of Blue Flag beaches and marinas in the UAE to 12. This follows a successful pilot year in 2011, in which the UAEs first four Blue Flags were awarded.

The newly awarded sites join a global list of 3,849 beaches and marinas across 46 different countries, from the tropical shores of the Caribbean islands to the rugged cliffs of New Zealand. The beaches and marinas awarded the flag include: Emirates Palace beach (Abu Dhabi), Emirates Palace marina (Abu Dhabi), Jebel Ali Golf Resort and Spa beach (Dubai), Jebel Ali Golf Resort and Spa marina (Dubai), Jumeirah Open Beach (Dubai), Al Mamzar Beach Park (Dubai) and Le Merdien Al Aqah Beach Resort (Fujairah).

Lisa Perry, Programmes Director at the EWS-WWF, stated: It is with great pleasure we are able to announce that seven more sites have been awarded the Blue Flag in the UAE with another due to be announced later in the year. The commitment of beach and marina management and operators across the country is very encouraging and (we) are proud of the success of Blue Flag in the country so far. We call upon more to apply for this prestigious award to help us raise the bar of costal excellence in the country.

Blue Flag beaches and marinas are accessible for UAE residents and tourists alike and through the Blue Flag programme, we are working, with the management of these sites, to ensure that these areas are kept clean, safe and protected for generations to come.

The Blue Flag programme is awarded on the basis of compliance of up to 32 criteria for beaches and 24 criteria for marinas covering four key areas: environmental education and information, water quality, environmental management, safety and services.

The Blue Flag programme in the UAE is proudly sponsored by Applied Materials. Michael Baxter, Director, Corporate Affairs of Applied Materials, commented: EWS-WWF is playing a critical role in promoting environmental information and education in the region. It is crucial to raise environmental awareness and increase good environmental practices among the tourism industry, tourists and local populations to achieve a healthy balance between biodiversity protection and sustainable tourism development. We are delighted to sponsor the Blue Flag programme in the UAE, which is playing a key role in the protection of natural habitats and the regions resources so generations to come can enjoy.

The EWS-WWF is the national coordinator of the programme and initiated a successful pilot phase at Abu Dhabi Corniche beach in 2011. The EWS-WWF team has since been working with authorities and stakeholders to raise environmental standards of beaches and marinas nationwide. Other beaches that also currently fly Blue Flag in the country are: Le Meridien Mina Seyahi in Dubai, Yas Marina and Al Bandar Marina in Abu Dhabi, all of whom were awarded in 2011.

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Alamogordo, Las Cruces astronomy events on horizon

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LAS CRUCES Area residents interested in astronomy will have several opportunities throughout October to learn more about outer space through multiple activities of the Fellowship of Las Cruces Area Rocketry Enthusiasts and Astronomical Society of Las Cruces.

The organizations will have several public outreach and education activities for the community this month, beginning with the Apollo 17 40th anniversary commemorative event Friday at the New Mexico Museum of Space History in Alamogordo.

Activities begin at 9:30 a.m. Friday and will include launch demonstrations of scale replicas of some historic White Sands rockets, a re-enactment of the Apollo 17 launch and a presentation by Dr. Harrison Schmitt and Jan Evans, widow of Apollo 17 command module pilot Ronald E. Evans, at 10:30 at the Tays Center.

Afternoon activities at the commemoration event include hands-on demonstrations, museum tours and special exhibits. Southern New Mexico Science, Engineering, Mathematics, and Aerospace Academy students will have an egg loft competition in the parking lot at the museum.

At 6:30, FLARE will present an Apollo 17 night launch re-enactment in the upper parking lot at the museum. Several rockets will be launched just before and after sunset.

FLARE and ASLC will also host Astronomy Day from 5 to 10 p.m. Oct. 20 at the Field of Dreams in Las Cruces. Telescopes will be set up to observe the sun, moon and deep space objects. ASLC members will also be giving presentations

For more information about FLARE, visit http://www.flare-rocketry.com; for information about the ASLC, visit http://www.aslc-nm.org; for information about the upcoming commemoration events, visit http://www.nmspacemuseum.org and http://www.apollo40.org.

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Huge European aerospace merger abandoned

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MERGERS Huge aerospace deal abandoned

European Aeronautic, Defence & Space Co. and BAE Systems Plc abandoned their planned merger on government resistance, leaving in tatters their aspiration to create the world's largest aerospace and defense company.

The two companies said they terminated the deal because the "interests of the parties' government stakeholders cannot be adequately reconciled with each other or with the objectives" of the merger. The deal crumbled just hours before a deadline expired to formalize the agreement or win more time.

Germany became a major stumbling block on the path to an accord. BAE Chairman Dick Olver said he would not revisit merger talks with EADS unless government positions changed significantly, and that the company will not look elsewhere for a new partner.

The breakdown blocks BAE's path to a civil aviation business in times of shrinking defense budgets, and marks the second failure in a decade for EADS to combine aerospace assets from Europe's three largest economies.

Toyota Motor Corp. began recalling about 7.43 million vehicles worldwide after the company detected a possible flaw that could lead the power-window switch to melt or catch fire.

The recall affects about 2.47 million vehicles in the United States and almost 5 million more vehicles globally, said spokesman Joichi Tachikawa.

The Corolla and Camry are among the 14 models - some produced as far back as 2007 - subject to inspection and repair, he said, adding that the company hasn't received any reports of accidents because of the issue.

The scale of the recall, equivalent to 93 percent of its vehicles sold last year, comes as President Akio Toyoda pushes to rebuild the company's reputation for quality. Toyota, which recalled more than 10 million units in 2009 and 2010 for defects associated with unintended acceleration, took two years for its Lexus brand to regain the top spot on J.D. Power & Associates' new-car quality survey in 2011.

FedEx Corp.'s plan to increase profit $1.7 billion in three years relies on streamlining its Express unit, where it plans to cut jobs and replace fuel- guzzling planes, for more than 90 percent of the gains.

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LMI Aerospace expanding in St. Charles, Mo.

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ST. CHARLES, Mo. (AP) -- An aerospace manufacturer plans a $4.3 million expansion of its suburban St. Louis facilities that could add about 100 new jobs.

Gov. Jay Nixon's administration said Wednesday that LMI Aerospace is adding nearly 49,000 square feet to its headquarters and manufacturing facilities in St. Charles. The state Department of Economic Development is offering up to $1.6 million of incentives through the Quality Jobs program.

Nixon says the expansion could create 100 jobs over the next five years.

LMI Aerospace fabricates metal products for aircraft.

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Student Physician, Sequence Thyself

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Some students at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York will have the chance to sequence themselves after the school announced on Monday that it is launching a course that allows students to sequence, analyze, and interpret their own complete genome.

The elective course, called "Practical Analysis of Your Personal Genome," also gives students the option to sequence an anonymous reference genome, if the prospects of knowing the deep dark secrets hidden away in their own genes make them shudder.

There are about 20 students in the course, Mount Sinai says.

While sequencing has been heralded as a potentially groundbreaking technology that may open new diagnosis and treatment methods for physicians, many have also warned that in spite of all the data resulting from sequencing, the medical community is ill-equipped to make sense of all the information.

This course, Mount Sinai says, is designed to bridge that gulf.

"For precision medicine to become a routine in the medical clinic, we need to train the next generation of physicians to harness sequencing-driven medical genetics," says Dennis Charney, the dean of Mount Sinai School of Medicine, in a statement. "We believe that an approach tailored to each individual patient's diagnosis and treatment, informed by genomic information, will provide dramatic improvements in the quality of care."

The school will conduct a questionnaire-based study to evaluate how much more knowledge the guinea pigs uh, we mean students who analyzed their own genome demonstrated. They also will be asked about the utility of whole-genome sequencing and the impact on psychological well-being.

Mount Sinai's announcement follows one from the University of Miami a few weeks ago that it is offering a master's degree in genomic medicine. That program seeks to teach future doctors to interpret and apply genomic information in the diagnosis and treatment of patients, as Daily Scan's sister publication Pharmacogenomics Reporter recently reported. Additionally, Pharmacogenomics Reporter wrote in 2010 about a similar, genotyping-based elective course at Stanford University.

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Initiative on Future MS Treatment and Care Takes Significant Step Forward

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LYON, France, October 10, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --

The MS in the 21st Century initiative has taken a significant step forward with its publication in the Journal of Neurology, a leading journal in the area of neuroscience with a significant impact factor of 3.8.

The published article entitled Future MS care: a consensus statement of the MS in the 21st Century Steering Group [http://www.springerlink.com/content/l04084qgw2p647j5 ], details the work of a panel of European and Canadian neurologists and representatives from umbrella organisations, which came together to define how multiple scleroris (MS) treatment and standards of care should look in the 21st Century. The "MS in the 21st Century steering group" also aims to align the broader MS community to minimum standard of care as well as to challenge the current treatment paradigm.

Over the course of three meetings, the MS in the 21st Century steering group compiled a Consensus Statement, which it hopes will act as a call to action for healthcare providers and decision makers.

The Consensus Statement communicates the groups vision ie full access to personalised treatment, with reimbursement, to achieve freedom from disease, and outlines the seven key areas of development that it believes must be addressed to realise this vision. These are personalised care, patient engagement, commitment to research, regulatory body education and reimbursement issues, new endpoints for clinical trials, more therapy options and MS centres of excellence.

Commenting on the recent article in the Journal of Neurology, the MS in the 21st steering group chair, Professor Peter Rieckmann, said: "The publication of our approach to MS care is

a significant step forward, and will support us over the coming period when engaging with various stakeholders including regulators and patients. We recognise that a strong

collaboration across the MS community is essential to ensuring that the principles underlying the statement are accomplished."

To date endorsement for the initiative has been received from various leading experts in MS treatments and organisations including the Czech Neurological Society, MS Society, UK and MS Trust UK.

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More Younger Adults Having Strokes

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Featured Article Academic Journal Main Category: Stroke Also Included In: Diabetes;Neurology / Neuroscience Article Date: 10 Oct 2012 - 15:00 PDT

Current ratings for: More Younger Adults Having Strokes

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First author Brett Kissela is from the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine in Ohio and a Fellow of the American Academy of Neurology. He told the press the reason for the trend could be an increase in risk factors like diabetes, obesity and high cholesterol.

But another reason, Kissela suggests, could be improved diagnosis, such as through increased use of MRI scans.

Nevertheless, he says "the rising trend found in our study is of great concern for public health because strokes in younger people translate to greater lifetime disability."

For the study, the researchers looked at occurrences of first ever strokes in people aged from 20 to 54 in the Greater Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky region over three separate, one-year periods. One period was between July 1993 and July 1994, and the other two were during the period 1999 to 2005.

They found that the average age of a person experiencing a first ever stroke fell from 71 in the 1993-1994 period to 69 in the year 2005.

"Regression modeling showed a significant change over time (p = 0.002), characterized as a shift to younger strokes in 2005 compared with earlier study periods," write the researchers.

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Stroke becoming more common in young people

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ScienceDaily (Oct. 10, 2012) New research reveals that stroke may be affecting people at a younger age. The study is published in the October 10, 2012, online issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

"The reasons for this trend could be a rise in risk factors such as diabetes, obesity and high cholesterol," said study author Brett Kissela, MD, MS, with the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine in Ohio and a Fellow of the American Academy of Neurology. "Other factors, such as improved diagnosis through the increased use of MRI imaging may also be contributing. Regardless, the rising trend found in our study is of great concern for public health because strokes in younger people translate to greater lifetime disability."

For the study, researchers looked at occurrences of strokes in people between the ages 20 and 54 in the Greater Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky area during three separate, one year-long periods between July of 1993 and June of 1994, and the calendar years of 1999 and 2005. Only first ever strokes were included in the analysis.

The study found that the average age of people who experienced stroke fell from 71 years in 1993 and 1994 to 69 years in 2005. In addition, the study found that strokes among people under 55 made up a greater percentage of all strokes over time, growing from about 13 percent in 1993-94 to 19 percent in 2005. The stroke rate in young people increased in both African-Americans and Caucasians, from 83 strokes per 100,000 people in 1993-94 in African-Americans to 128 per 100,000 in 2005 and in Caucasians from 26 strokes per 100,000 people in 1993-94 to 48 per 100,000 in 2005.

"The good news is that some of the possible contributing factors to these strokes can be modified with lifestyle changes, such as diet and exercise," said Kissela. "However, given the increase in stroke among those younger than 55, younger adults should see a doctor regularly to monitor their overall health and risk for stroke and heart disease."

The study was supported by the National Institutes of Health.

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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by American Academy of Neurology (AAN), via Newswise.

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Stroke becoming more common in young people

Study: Stroke becoming more common in young people

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Public release date: 10-Oct-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Rachel Seroka 612-928-6129 American Academy of Neurology

MINNEAPOLIS New research reveals that stroke may be affecting people at a younger age. The study is published in the October 10, 2012, online issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

"The reasons for this trend could be a rise in risk factors such as diabetes, obesity and high cholesterol," said study author Brett Kissela, MD, MS, with the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine in Ohio and a Fellow of the American Academy of Neurology. "Other factors, such as improved diagnosis through the increased use of MRI imaging may also be contributing. Regardless, the rising trend found in our study is of great concern for public health because strokes in younger people translate to greater lifetime disability."

For the study, researchers looked at occurrences of strokes in people between the ages 20 and 54 in the Greater Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky area during three separate, one year-long periods between July of 1993 and June of 1994, and the calendar years of 1999 and 2005. Only first ever strokes were included in the analysis.

The study found that the average age of people who experienced stroke fell from 71 years in 1993 and 1994 to 69 years in 2005. In addition, the study found that strokes among people under 55 made up a greater percentage of all strokes over time, growing from about 13 percent in 1993-94 to 19 percent in 2005. The stroke rate in young people increased in both African-Americans and Caucasians, from 83 strokes per 100,000 people in 1993-94 in African-Americans to 128 per 100,000 in 2005 and in Caucasians from 26 strokes per 100,000 people in 1993-94 to 48 per 100,000 in 2005.

"The good news is that some of the possible contributing factors to these strokes can be modified with lifestyle changes, such as diet and exercise," said Kissela. "However, given the increase in stroke among those younger than 55, younger adults should see a doctor regularly to monitor their overall health and risk for stroke and heart disease."

###

The study was supported by the National Institutes of Health.

To learn more about stroke, visit http://www.aan.com/patients.

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Study: Stroke becoming more common in young people

'Nanotechnology Revolution' Drives Big Growth to a Small Industry

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A conversation with the Pixelligent Technologies CEO about what is behind the latest nanotech boom and what it means to the industry.

Since moving its operations to Baltimore in 2011, nanocrystal additive manufacturer, Pixelligent Technologies, has seen the kind of explosive growth and market success that seems only possible in business school fantasies and start-up legends.

In these past 17 months, the company has seen its customer pipeline increase tenfold and has grown to include some of the world's largest chemical-polymer manufacturing companies, prompting a 150% increase in its workforce and an expansion to a 13,000-square-foot facility.

According to CEO Craig Bandes, though this success appears to have struck fast, it has been long in coming for the industry.

"For ten years, people have been saying nanotechnology is going to hit next year," he joked. "Well, now it is actually happening and these companies are finally seeing that nanotechnology is real -- that it is having real, significant impacts in a number of different technologies and products."

"There is a convergence going on between a receptive market that is out there looking for nano-enabled solutions and companies like Pixelligent that have cracked the code on the technology." - Craig Bandes, CEO, Pixelligent Technologies

Of course, this newly realized and matured technology wouldn't mean much without a receptive market. Luckily, today's manufacturers seem very much in the mood for progress.

"In the industrial world, there is a real focus now on how to incorporate next-generation materials into what they are doing today," he explained. "There is a convergence going on between a receptive market that is out there looking for nano-enabled solutions and companies like Pixelligent that have cracked the code on the technology."

This convergence is translating into what many are calling a "nanotech revolution," as the long-awaited mainstream adoption of the technology finally takes hold.

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Supporters of tax increase for medical school in Austin raising far more money than opponents

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Foes of a tax increase for a proposed medical school, teaching hospital and other health-related projects in Austin are far behind supporters in raising money to get their message out to Travis County voters.

Political action committee reports filed this week show that the Travis County Taxpayers Union PAC has raised just $2,343 to fight Proposition 1 the property tax increase proposed by Central Health for the Nov. 6 ballot compared with $293,088 from supporters of the Keep Austin Healthy PAC.

Medical school supporters, led by state Sen. Kirk Watson, D-Austin, have backing from a variety of groups, including businesses, physicians and Democratic Party organizations. One of the largest donors to the PAC was Watsons campaign committee, which donated $36,725, most of it for polling data.

A broad cross section of the community is supporting this, said Clarke Heidrick, a member of the Central Health board. He added that he donated $1,000 to pro-Proposition 1 campaign, which will show up on a future PAC report. His law firm, Graves, Dougherty, Hearon & Moody donated $5,000 during the five-week fundraising period that ended Sept. 27.

Central Health is asking voters to raise the tax rate from 7.89 cents per $100 of assessed value to 12.9 cents, a 63 percent rate increase. The increase would bring in an estimated $54 million and cost the average Travis County homeowner an additional $107.40 in 2014, for a total average tax bill of $276.79 for health services.

Don Zimmerman, treasurer of the anti-Proposition 1 campaign, said he was disappointed in his groups showing, even though he knew fundraising would be tough.

I was hoping to have least $5,000 and we didnt even make half that, said Zimmerman, a former Republican candidate for state and county offices.

He loaned the campaign $1,000, which is not counted as a donation. Zimmerman also paid his company, ZimWin Communications, $1,000 to distribute about 50 campaign signs against the tax.

Keep Austin Healthy reported spending $84,619 on advertising, yard signs and contract labor.

Other large donations came from the Real Estate Council of Austin, which gave $50,000; the Downtown Austin Alliance and Luminex Corp., which gave $25,000 each; and Wells Fargo Bank, BuildASign LLC and Daniel Graham (owner of BuildASign), which gave $10,000 apiece.

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Mental health group shares herbal treatment strategies

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A group of mental health professionals has launched a website to share integrative treatment strategies, which includes advice on the use of herbal products, the group announced Tuesday.

The International Network of Integrative Mental Health (INIMH) counts among its membership medical doctors, psychologists, allied health clinicians, and academics who are interested in incorporating alternative therapies with mainstream medicine.

Our whole mission is about figuring out the ways to combine the best of Western medicine with alternative and integrative therapies, Carol Viezer, a founding member of the INIMH, told NutraIngredients-USA.

Key among these strategies is to look at a patients nutritional status, an item often given only cursory attention in mainstream psychological workups. That includes a careful look at what herbal supplements a patient might be taking or might be recommended and how they might interact with or be contraindicated by their prescription medications.

If you believe that herbal products can help patients with mental difficulties as part of an integrated approach, you need to treat them with respect, said Veizer, who is a practicing psychologist.

Herbals are very serious medicine, she said. It is important to look a patient from a whole person perspective, and understand everything they put into their bodies.

Group shares integration strategies

The INIMH was founded in 2010 by 16 mental health practitioners located around the globe. The group has since expanded to 24 professionals.

According to the group, 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.

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World first network on integrative mental health to improve treatments

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Public release date: 9-Oct-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Rebecca Scott rebeccas@unimelb.edu.au 61-383-440-181 University of Melbourne

The first network of its kind endorsing an integrative approach to the treatment of mental health has been launched as part of World Mental Health Week

The International Network of Integrative Mental Health (INIMH) is a network of mental health experts including medical doctors, allied health clinicians, and academics who are passionate about improving mental health outcomes for patients by combining complementary and mainstream medicine.

Vice Chair of INIMH and NHMRC Clinical Research Fellow at the University of Melbourne, Dr Jerome Sarris said the network would be a resource to doctors, researchers and the general public on the practice of integrated mental health care.

"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," he said.

"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 would address the absence of quality, evidence-based information about integrative and complementary medicine approaches in current mental healthcare," he said.

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

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Zinc fingers: A new tool in the fight against Huntington's disease

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ScienceDaily (Oct. 10, 2012) Huntington's disease (HD) is an inherited genetic disorder caused by the multiple repetition of a DNA sequence (the nucleotides CAG) in the gene encoding a protein called "Huntingtin". People who do not suffer from the disease have this sequence repeated 10 to 29 times. But in an affected person, the triplet is present more than 35 times.

Huntingtin protein can be found in various tissues of the human body and is essential for the development and survival of neurons in adults. When the mutant gene is present, an aberrant form of the Hungtingtin protein is produced, causing the symptoms of the disease: involuntary movements, changes in behavior and dementia, among others. Although there are several promising studies, there is currently no cure for HD. There are only palliative treatments of symptoms, and Huntington's patients die about 15 years after the symptoms onset.

Unlike other neurodegenerative diseases (such as Alzheimer or Parkinson), only a single gene is responsible for HD (i.e. the disorders is monogenic), and a therapy based on the inhibition of the gene, will open new perspectives of research for the development of a treatment.

A recently developed tool by scientists around the world is based on the modification of proteins that are found naturally in all living beings. These proteins are called Zinc Finger proteins, and can recognize and bind to specific DNA sequences. This enables the regulation of those genes to which they are attached.

A study conducted by researchers of the Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG) in Barcelona provides positive results reducing the chromosomal expression of the mutant gene, which would prevent the development of disease. The research is published in Early Edition by the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS).

"We designed specific ZFP that recognize and specifically bind to more than 35 repetitions of CAG triplet, preventing the expression of the gene containing these repeats and reducing the production of the mutant Huntingtin protein. When applying this treatment to a transgenic mouse model carrying the human mutant Huntingtin gene, we observed a delayed onset of the symptoms, "says Mireia Garriga-Canut, first author of the study and researcher at the Gene Network Engineering group at the CRG. Another co-author of the study, Carmen Agustn Pavn, adds that "the next step is to optimize the design for an effective and durable treatment for patients. This would pave the way to find a therapy for Huntington's disease".

The research was funded by the FP7 program of the European Commission and the Ministry of Science and Innovation of Spain.

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High Levels of Blood-Based Protein Specific to Mesothelioma

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Fibulin-3 Represents a Sensitive and Specific Marker for the Diagnosis of Mesothelioma, Offering a Potential Tool for Early Diagnosis, Monitoring

Newswise NEW YORK, October 11, 2012 Researchers at NYU School of Medicine have discovered the protein product of a little-known gene may one day prove useful in identifying and monitoring the development of mesothelioma in early stages, when aggressive treatment can have an impact on the progression of disease and patient prognosis.

This gene produces a protein, fibulin-3, that is present in levels four to five times higher in the plasma of patients with mesothelioma compared to levels in asbestos-exposed patients or patients with several other conditions that cause tumors in the chest, said lead investigator Harvey I. Pass, MD, the Stephen E. Banner Professor of Thoracic Oncology, vice chair of research for the Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery and division chief of General Thoracic Surgery at NYU Langone Medical Center. We didnt know anything about this proteins role in mesothelioma before this study, but it may be an extremely useful tool for monitoring patients under treatment and possibly even diagnosing the development of mesothelioma at early stages. This marker is as exciting as any biomarker in mesothelioma today and warrants further research and validation by the scientific community.

The study appears in the October 11 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.

Malignant mesothelioma is a rare but aggressive thoracic cancer that can develop several decades after exposure to asbestos. Diagnosis is often delayed until patients begin to show symptoms, including shortness of breath, cough, chest pain and, in advanced stages, weight loss and night sweats.

Often, patients with mesothelioma seek treatment when the shortness of breath becomes a noticeable problem. At that point, an x-ray typically reveals fluid in the chest, but many doctors fail to inquire about asbestos exposure upon receiving this report. Rather, doctors initially associate fluid in the chest with pneumonia or other inflammatory conditions, further delaying diagnosis, Dr. Pass explained.

Despite advances in chemotherapy, radiation therapy, and surgical management for malignant mesothelioma, the median survival for patients diagnosed with mesothelioma remains 12 months.

There is a great need for something some marker or test that will heighten the alarm that a patient presenting with new onset chest fluid could have mesothelioma, Dr. Pass said. Our findings indicate that a simple blood test may lead physicians to ask questions about asbestos exposure and consider whether the medical history and symptoms are compatible with mesothelioma.

Dr. Pass and his team are dedicated to finding diagnostic biomarkers genes, proteins or other molecules that are not only different in people with mesothelioma compared with cancerfree individuals who have been exposed to asbestos, but also different when compared to individuals with a variety of conditions that could cause fluid in the chest other than mesothelioma.

Fibulin-3 is a protein that floats around outside cells, coating the cells and free floating in blood plasma and extracellular fluid. For the current study, the research team compared levels of fibulin-3 in two separate cohorts of patients who were exposed to asbestos through their jobs: a group of iron workers and other asbestos-exposed individuals in Detroit, and a group of insulators in New York. Both cohorts included individuals who had been exposed to asbestos but did not develop mesothelioma, as well as individuals with a confirmed mesothelioma diagnosis. The researchers found that fibulin-3 expression was markedly elevated in the plasma of the patients with mesothelioma compared with the plasma of patients without mesothelioma. But the researchers wondered if maybe the elevated fibulin-3 levels were associated with other conditions, in addition to mesothelioma, that are associated with the development of chest tumors.

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Researchers Discover Gene Signature that Predicts Prostate Cancer Survival

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Newswise Researchers from Mount Sinai School of Medicine have identified a six-gene signature that can be used in a test to predict survival in men with aggressive prostate cancer, according to new research published in the October issue of The Lancet Oncology. This is the first study to demonstrate how prognostic markers may be useful in a clinical setting.

Using blood from 202 men with treatment-resistant prostate cancer, researchers found six genes characteristic of treatment-resistant prostate cancer. Men with the six-gene signature were high-risk, with a survival time of 7.8 months, and men without it were low-risk, with a survival time of approximately 34.9 months. A replication study of 140 additional patients validated these findings. William K. Oh, MD, Chief of the Division of Hematology and Medical Oncology of The Tisch Cancer Institute at The Mount Sinai Medical Center, led the research team.

"There is an urgent need for predictive models that help assess how aggressive the disease is in prostate cancer patients, as survival can vary greatly," said Dr. Oh. "Our six-gene model, delivered in a simple blood test, will allow clinicians to better determine the course of action for their patients, determine clinical trial eligibility, and lead to more targeted studies in late-stage disease."

Until now, disease prognosis in advanced prostate cancer could only be determined through clinical predictors or, occasionally, tumor biopsies with only moderately predictive results. This study shows the efficacy of the six-gene model blood test in determining length of survival.

The genes noted in the model suggest possible changes in the immune system related to late-stage disease that warrant further study as a target for immune-based therapies, said Dr. Oh.

Dr. Ohs team is conducting additional studies exploring the feasibility of the six-gene signature in other types of prostate cancer, the stability of the signature during the course of a patients illness, and the predictive ability of this signature in patients with prostate cancer treated with immune-based therapies.

This work was done in collaboration with colleagues at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston and Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York City.

About The Mount Sinai Medical Center The Mount Sinai Medical Center encompasses both The Mount Sinai Hospital and Mount Sinai School of Medicine. Established in 1968, Mount Sinai School of Medicine is one of the leading medical schools in the United States. The Medical School is noted for innovation in education, biomedical research, clinical care delivery, and local and global community service. It has more than 3,400 faculty in 32 departments and 14 research institutes, and ranks among the top 20 medical schools both in National Institutes of Health (NIH) funding and by US News and World Report.

The Mount Sinai Hospital, founded in 1852, is a 1,171-bed tertiary- and quaternary-care teaching facility and one of the nations oldest, largest and most-respected voluntary hospitals. In 2011, US News and World Report ranked The Mount Sinai Hospital 14th on its elite Honor Roll of the nations top hospitals based on reputation, safety, and other patient-care factors. Mount Sinai is one of 12 integrated academic medical centers whose medical school ranks among the top 20 in NIH funding and US News and World Report and whose hospital is on the US News and World Report Honor Roll. Nearly 60,000 people were treated at Mount Sinai as inpatients last year, and approximately 560,000 outpatient visits took place. For more information, visit http://www.mountsinai.org/.

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Researchers Discover Gene Signature that Predicts Prostate Cancer Survival