Monthly Archives: January 2013

UND Camera on Space Station Wraps 1 Mission, May Get Another

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The International Space Station continues to orbit 240-miles above earth and UND's Agricam has just wrapped up it's first mission aboard the Space Station.

It was a project enabled by retired astronaut, Mario Runco, who lectured at UND this past week.

Mario Runco, Astronaut: "You can have an asset to help monitor the crops in the field as they develop and get data, images to the user, the farmer, so that if there's a problem they can detect. It's like early cancer detection. You detect it early you can do something about it."

Images from the agricam aboard the Space Station were relayed to this UND control room. It's thermal pictures can be used to point out disease in crops and the need for different types of fertilizers.

Now, disaster workers around the globe are interested in refitting the UND camera already aboard the Space Station, so it can zoom in on disasters, like floods.

Doug Olson, UND Aerospace: "If you're trying to determine in a mud slide whether you have something like a buried car or a rock, you need something with a higher resolution."

Olson says they're still waiting to see if their agricam that's already aboard the Space Station, will now be refitted to become a disaster cam.

VIEW THE SPACE STATION THIS WEEK

If there are clear skies and you're an early riser you be able to see the International Space Station pass over the Valley this week.

Each pass lasts only 2 to 4 minutes. You'll need to be looking south by southeast, 30-degrees above the horizon. It will look like at bright star moving to the east.

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UND Camera on Space Station Wraps 1 Mission, May Get Another

NASA Goddard Space Flight Center's Wallops Flight Facility to Use Earth Networks’ Total Lightning Data and Weather …

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GERMANTOWN, Md.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

Earth NetworksSM, the owner of WeatherBug and operator of the largest weather, lightning detection and climate observation networks, announces it will be delivering lightning data from its total lightning detection network to NASA Goddard Space Flight Center's Wallops Flight Facility (WFF). The data will aid Wallops personnel in decision making and will help ensure range safety during aircraft operations and rocket launches, including upcoming cargo missions to support the International Space Station. Located on Virginia's Eastern Shore, Wallops is NASA's principal facility for the management and implementation of suborbital research programs.

Data from the Earth Networks Total Lightning Network will provide Wallops with detailed information on the location and intensity of both in-cloud (IC) and cloud-to-ground (CG) lightning in real time. In-cloud lightning comprises the vast majority of lightning activity in the atmosphere and oftenserves as a precursor to extreme weather conditions that include heavy rain and hail, high wind and gust fronts, dangerous cloud-to-ground lightning strikes and tornadoes. Total lightning data will be used to enhance situational awareness and provide severe weather warnings with increased lead times. The Earth Networks Total Lightning Network consists of hundreds of broadband, terrestrial weather sensors deployed worldwide and is the largest and most advanced network for monitoring in-cloud and cloud-to-ground lightning.

The ongoing integration of advanced technology within Wallops Flight Facility continues to be a priority, says Mark Lamberson, Range Operations Manager, LJT & Associates, which holds the Range Operations Contract at the facility. Having the best tools available enhances operational decision making and safeguards personnel and assets by ensuring range safety during launches and support operations. Access to total lightning data is expected to enable Wallops to deliver on its mission to support research, scientific missions and commercial launch activity.

The news marks another major contract win for Earth Networks to support the federal government. The company announced in August its selection as the primary provider of total lightning data by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administrations (NOAA) National Weather Service (NWS). NOAA and NWS are using data in operations and in research to advance severe weather forecasting and warning applications.

The contract includes the use of Earth Networks StreamerRTSM weather visualization tool for monitoring lightning and severe weather in real time. StreamerRT is used across industries and all levels of government to track conditions at local, regional, national and international levels for critical decision making, and can be configured to provide numerous customized views from nearly 100 layers of weather information and severe weather alerts.

Our agreement with LJT & Associates at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center's Wallops Flight Facility further demonstrates the importance of total lightning detection in aerospace and aviation, says Earth Networks President and CEO Bob Marshall. As a private company, we have made a considerable investment in deploying the largest and most sophisticated total lightning network on Earth today. By forming strong public-private partnerships with federal government agencies such as NOAA, NIST and now NASA, the public sector benefits from our technology and the data from our networks. We are delighted that other organizations, both in the U.S. and around the world, are choosing solutions from Earth Networks to meet their mission-critical needs.

Visit http://www.earthnetworks.com/Products/TotalLightningNetwork to learn more about the Earth Networks Total Lightning Network.

About Earth Networks - WeatherBug

For 20 years, Earth NetworksSMhas been Taking the Pulse of the Planet with the worlds largest weather observation, lightning detection, and greenhouse gas monitoring networks and is establishing a network for collecting data within the planetary boundary layer. The companys popular WeatherBugwebsite,desktop applicationandmobileapps for smartphones provide real-time neighborhood-level weather and advanced severe weather alerts to millions of consumers. Enterprise solutions from Earth Networks enable organizations and markets, including energy and utilities, agriculture, schools, sports and recreation, emergency operations and government entities, to safeguard lives, prepare for weather and climate events and improve business operations.Founded in 1993, Earth Networks (www.earthnetworks.com) is headquartered in the Washington, D.C. area with additional locations in Mountain View, Calif.; New York, NY; Milan, Italy and a local presence in 50 countries worldwide.

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NASA Goddard Space Flight Center's Wallops Flight Facility to Use Earth Networks’ Total Lightning Data and Weather ...

Alien UFOs In Official NASA Video! Aliens After Space Shuttle Atlantis Launch – Video

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Alien UFOs In Official NASA Video! Aliens After Space Shuttle Atlantis Launch
Alien UFOs Spacecraft In Official NASA Video! - Official video footage from an April 2012 Space Shuttle Atlantis NASA mission appears to clearly reveal UFO #39;s in the sky! Three flying disk shaped objects hover directly above the shuttle and move in a triangular flying formation. The NASA narrator even notes the objects, but fails to offer plausible explanation! - SUBSCRIBE to Bright Enlightenment http://www.youtube.com - JOIN the club: http://www.Facebook.com

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Alien UFOs In Official NASA Video! Aliens After Space Shuttle Atlantis Launch - Video

Galileo: The Jovian Laboratory circa 1989 NASA Galileo Jupiter Orbiter – Video

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Galileo: The Jovian Laboratory circa 1989 NASA Galileo Jupiter Orbiter
more at scitech.quickfound.net "This video presentation gives a pre-launch description of the Galileo Mission to Jupiter." Public domain film from NASA, slightly cropped to remove uneven edges, with the aspect ratio corrected, and mild video noise reduction applied. The soundtrack was also processed with volume normalization, noise reduction, clipping reduction, and/or equalization (the resulting sound, though not perfect, is far less noisy than the original). creativecommons.org en.wikipedia.org Galileo was an orbiter and entry probe for Jupiter mdash;an unmanned NASA spacecraft which studied planet Jupiter and its moons, as well as the several other solar system bodies. Named after Renaissance astronomer Galileo Galilei, it launched on October 18, 1989 carried by Space Shuttle Atlantis on STS-34. It arrived at Jupiter on December 7, 1995, after gravitational assist flybys of Venus and Earth, and became the first spacecraft to orbit Jupiter. It launched the first probe into Jupiter, directly measuring its atmosphere. Despite suffering antenna problems Galileo achieved the first asteroid flyby, of 951 Gaspra, and discovered the first asteroid moon, Dactyl, around 243 Ida. Mission cost was about US$1.4 billion. Jupiter #39;s atmospheric composition and ammonia clouds were recorded, the clouds possibly created by outflows from the lower depths of the atmosphere. Io #39;s volcanism and plasma interactions with Jupiter #39;s atmosphere was also recorded. Data it collected supported the theory ...

By: Jeff Quitney

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Galileo: The Jovian Laboratory circa 1989 NASA Galileo Jupiter Orbiter - Video

NASA Readies Addition To Fleet Of Communication Satellites | Video – Video

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NASA Readies Addition To Fleet Of Communication Satellites | Video
It has been 10 years since NASA added to its fleet of TDRS communication satellites, and the soon to launch TDRS-K will be the seventh satellite providing crucial communications between the Earth, satellites, ISS, and Hubble Space Telescope.

By: VideoFromSpace

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NASA Readies Addition To Fleet Of Communication Satellites | Video - Video

Three Ufo’s Above Shuttle Atlantis Nasa Tries To Bullshit Them Away – Video

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Three Ufo #39;s Above Shuttle Atlantis Nasa Tries To Bullshit Them Away
Three Ufo #39;s caught flying in a triangle formation are clearly visible from shuttle Atlantis cameras The astronauts report them to mission control who bullshits an answer as fast as possible stating that it was "Metallic Cloth" and definitely not a solid craft this happened in April 2012

By: Isaac Wilee

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Three Ufo's Above Shuttle Atlantis Nasa Tries To Bullshit Them Away - Video

NASA Moving Forward As It Looks To Return Manned Space Missions Launching From US Soil

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January 28, 2013

Image Caption: The Dragon capsule illustrated in this artist's concept, is under development by Space Exploration Technologies (SpaceX) of Hawthorne, Calif. Credit: Space Exploration Technologies (SpaceX)

Lee Rannals for redOrbit.com Your Universe Online

NASA announced that it is taking the next steps in trying to get back to launching astronauts from U.S. soil. The space agency said that three companies are now conducting activities that will confirm U.S.-based commercial spacecraft are safe to carry crews to the International Space Station (ISS).

Through May 30, 2014, three companies will be working under contract with NASAs Commercial Crew Program (CCP) to develop products to implement the agencys flight safety and performance standards and requirements.

The Certification Products Contracts (CPC) will establish standards across all aspects of commercial crew systems, including design of the spacecraft, launch vehicles, and ground and mission operations.

NASA said CCP will provide the U.S. with its own transportation capabilities to the Space Station. Since the retirement of the space shuttle program in 2011, NASA has had to rely on Russias Soyuz spacecraft for transportation to the orbiting outpost.

Throughout the phases of this program, weve really been creating a capability for the nation to use for low-Earth orbit transportation, Ed Mango, CCP manager at Kennedy Space Center, said in a statement. As we create that capability, then NASA will become a customer so that we can move our flight crew to the International Space Station and continue our critical science.

Contractors working on the spacecraft include Boeing, United Launch Alliance, Sierra Nevada, and SpaceX. The vehicles the contractors are working on include the CST-100 spacecraft, Dream Chaser, and a modified version of SpaceXs Dragon capsule.

NASA hopes the new crew transportation vehicles will provide safe, reliable and cost-effective access to and from low-Earth orbit.

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NASA Moving Forward As It Looks To Return Manned Space Missions Launching From US Soil

NASA working on RASSOR robot space excavator

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Recently we've seen preliminary asteroid mining plans from Planetary Resources and Deep Space Industries, but what about NASA? The government agency would like to do some excavating on the Moon, Mars, and asteroids, too - but it isn't in it for the profit. NASA wants to clear the way for construction projects and mine materials for use by astronauts, and is developing a teleoperated robot called the Regolith Advanced Surface Systems Operations Robot (RASSOR, pronounced "razor") to get the job done.

According to NASA, it currently costs about US$4,000 to send a single pound (0.45-kg) payload into space, so keeping RASSOR's weight down is important. Unfortunately for an excavator, the lighter it is the more difficult its job becomes. Since RASSOR weighs just 100 pounds (45-kg), it relies on two opposing arms outfitted with counter-rotating bucket drums to provide the necessary counteracting force.

The drums scoop at 20 rotations per minute, trimming the top layer of soil to avoid jamming in the dense regolith at lower depths. Once it has collected about 40 pounds (18-kg) of material, the robot returns to a dump site where it can stand up on its tank treads in a Z-formation to deliver it to a production platform for processing.

"Producing water and fuel from the lunar soil would save the tremendous expense of launching the supplies from Earth, since 90 percent of a rockets mass normally consists of propellant, which can be made on the moon," said NASA.

RASSOR can also overcome rough terrain and even boulders by propping itself up on its arms. Should the robot accidentally flip over at any time, it can continue as if nothing happened thanks to its symmetrical design. During most operations, the robot would be wirelessly teleoperated by a human, who would view the robot's surroundings through its onboard camera. It could also be programmed to do certain jobs all on its own.

NASA says it is already working on the next generation of the robot, and is looking at replacing the tank treads with wheels due to problems encountered during testing. The second prototype should be completed and ready for testing next year, but it will likely be several more years before it is sent into space.

It's possible that the completed robot will be sent to Mars, where it would most likely collect ice believed to exist at the poles. However, NASA admits that it would take a single robot five years, working 16 hours a day, to generate usable amounts of resources.

Source: NASA via RedOrbit

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NASA working on RASSOR robot space excavator

NASA Solicits Ideas for International Space Station Research

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WASHINGTON -- NASA wants to know how you can improve the International Space Station as a technology test bed.

NASA's International Space Station National Laboratory and Technology Demonstration offices are asking for proposals on how the space station may be used to develop advanced or improved exploration technologies. NASA also is seeking proposals about how new approaches, technologies and capabilities could improve the unique laboratory environment of the orbiting outpost.

The NASA Research Announcement, "Soliciting Proposals for Exploration Technology Demonstration and National Lab Utilization Enhancements," may be viewed at: http://go.nasa.gov/Uqkccz

The annoucement will provide successful proposers access to the space station's microgravity environment, crew support and robotic servicing. It closes Sept. 30.

"The space station is a world-class facility and critical to NASA's plan to extend humanity's presence beyond low-Earth orbit," said Andrew Clem of the Technology Demonstration Office in the International Space Station Program at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston. "This is an opportunity for researchers, inventors and designers to demonstrate a technology needed for future human spaceflights or to improve an existing space station capability."

NASA will review submissions throughout the year as they are received. The agency will cover launch and integration costs for selected proposals. Successful submissions also may be eligible for limited additional funding.

Proposed technologies should help advance exploration and research capabilities aboard the space station. Concepts must fit within existing NASA standards for mass and volume to meet requirements for current launch vehicles. Suggested areas include in-space propulsion; space power and energy storage; components of highly reliable, closed-loop, human health, life support and habitation systems; thermal systems; robotics, telerobotics, and autonomous systems; and human exploration destination systems.

Proposals for new exploration technologies could include strategies to reduce mass, maintenance and power requirements, while also increasing efficiency, reliability and safety. The idea could be a new technology or a new, improved use of existing space hardware. Proposals also may have the potential to yield benefits for humanity, such as testing a new material or stimulating economic growth.

Alternately, proposers could address improvements to the existing capabilities of the U.S. National Laboratory, such as new uses for existing experiment tools and infrastructure aboard the orbiting outpost, or potential efficiencies like advances in data communications. Other possibilities include ground equipment for space studies, in-orbit analytical tools, three-dimensional cell and tissue culture hardware, or improvements or new uses for existing station research resources.

The enhancements sought in this announcement will further efforts by the Center for the Advancement of Science in Space to promote research aboard the station's U.S. National Laboratory.

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NASA Solicits Ideas for International Space Station Research

NASA's New Comsat: TDRS-K Spacecraft in Photos

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TDRS-K Spacecraft in Hangar

The TDRS-K spacecraft stands inside a processing hangar in Titusville, Fla., awaiting packaging for launch into orbit 22,300 miles above Earth.

An artist concept of the TDRS-K spacecraft in orbit with its assortment of antennas and a pair of solar arrays to provide electricity.

Technicians inspect the payload fairing placed over NASA's Tracking and Data Relay Satellite, TDRS-K, inside the Astrotech payload processing facility in Titusville, Fla., near NASAs Kennedy Space Center.

Technicians move the second half of the payload fairing into place over NASA's Tracking and Data Relay Satellite, TDRS-K, inside the Astrotech payload processing facility in Titusville, Fla., near NASAs Kennedy Space Center. This image was released Jan. 16, 2013.

NASA's Tracking and Data Relay Satellite, TDRS-K, stands inside one half of the payload fairing as the spacecraft is encapsulated inside the Astrotech payload processing facility in Titusville, Fla., near NASAs Kennedy Space Center. This image was released Jan. 16, 2013.

NASA's Tracking and Data Relay Satellite, TDRS-K, stands inside one half of the payload fairing as the spacecraft is encapsulated inside the Astrotech payload processing facility in Titusville, Fla., near NASAs Kennedy Space Center. This image was released Jan. 16, 2013.

Technicians move one half of the payload fairing into place over NASA's Tracking and Data Relay Satellite, TDRS-K, inside the Astrotech payload processing facility in Titusville, Fla., near NASAs Kennedy Space Center.

Inside the Astrotech payload processing facility in Titusville, Fla. near NASAs Kennedy Space Center, the Tracking and Data Relay Satellite, TDRS-K, is being checked out prior to being encapsulated in the nose faring. This image was released Jan. 16, 2013.

In the Astrotech payload processing facility in Titusville, Fla. near NASAs Kennedy Space Center, the payload faring for the Tracking and Data Relay Satellite, TDRS-K, has been checked out and awaits the arrival of the TDRS-K. This image was released Jan. 16, 2013.

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NASA's New Comsat: TDRS-K Spacecraft in Photos

Innovative uses of nanotechnology in food and agriculture

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Public release date: 28-Jan-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Vicki Cohn vcohn@liebertpub.com 914-740-2100 x2156 Mary Ann Liebert, Inc./Genetic Engineering News

New Rochelle, NY, January 28, 2013The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) invests nearly $10 million a year to support about 250 nanoscale science and engineering projects that could lead to revolutionary advances in agriculture and food systems. Examples of current projects in development are presented in a Special Research Section published in Industrial Biotechnology, a peer-reviewed journal from Mary Ann Liebert Inc., publishers. The articles are available on the Industrial Biotechnology website.

In their introductory article, "Overview: Nanoscale Science and Engineering for Agriculture and Food Systems," Co-Guest Editors Norman Scott, PhD, Professor, Cornell University (Ithaca, NY) and Hongda Chen, PhD, National Program Leader, National Institute of Food and Agriculture, USDA (Washington, DC), describe the promising early advances nanotechnology is enabling all along the food supply chain, from production through consumption, and especially in the area of food safety.

This special issue of IB includes the review article "Bioactivity and Biomodification of Ag, ZnO, and CuO Nanoparticles with Relevance to Plant Performance in Agriculture" by Anne Anderson and coauthors, Utah State University, Logan, in which they discuss the environmental factors that affect the biological activity and potential agricultural utility of nanoparticle. In the original research article "Effect of Silver Nanoparticles on Soil Denitrification Kinetics" Allison Rick VandeVoort and Yuji Arai, Clemson University (South Carolina), describe the effects of three different silver nanoparticles on native bacteria-mediated soil denitrification.

The short communication "Soft Lithography-Based Fabrication of Biopolymer Microparticles for Nutrient Microencapsulation" by Natalia Higuita-Castro, et al., The Ohio State University and Abbott Nutrition Products Division, Columbus, OH, describes a high-throughput microfabrication method to encapsulate nutrients that can enhance food nutritional value and appearance. Dan Luo and colleagues, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, present a promising microfluidic-based scale-up method for cell-free protein production in the methods article "Cell-Free Protein Expression from DNA-Based Hydrogel (P-Gel) Droplets for Scale-Up Production."

"The rapid expansion in nanoscale science and technology in our community with new insights and methods in biomolecular and cellular processing will spur industrial biotechnology innovation in a number of important sectors," says Larry Walker, PhD, Co-Editor-in-Chief and Professor, Biological & Environmental Engineering, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY.

###

About the Journal

Industrial Biotechnology, led by Co-Editors-in-Chief Larry Walker, PhD, and Glenn Nedwin, PhD, MBA, is an authoritative journal focused on biobased industrial and environmental products and processes, published bimonthly in print and online. The Journal reports on the science, business, and policy developments of the emerging global bioeconomy, including biobased production of energy and fuels, chemicals, materials, and consumer goods. The articles published include critically reviewed original research in all related sciences (biology, biochemistry, chemical and process engineering, agriculture), in addition to expert commentary on current policy, funding, markets, business, legal issues, and science trends. Industrial Biotechnology offers the premier forum bridging basic research and R&D with later-stage commercialization for sustainable biobased industrial and environmental applications.

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Innovative uses of nanotechnology in food and agriculture

Chiefs lose 4-3 to Medicine Hat

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by Spokane Chiefs

KREM.com

Posted on January 27, 2013 at 12:24 AM

Medicine Hat scored the go-ahead goal at 7:54 in the third and held off a furious rally from Spokane as the Tigers defeated the Chiefs 4-3 in front of 7,910 fans at the Spokane Arena Saturday night. Todd Fiddler scored two goals and added one assist as the Chiefs fell to 16-9-0-0 at home and 30-18-2-0 overall.

The first period belonged to the net minders as the two teams combined for 30 shots but just one goal. Fiddler, who now leads the W.H.L. with 35 goals, provided that score at the 17:15 mark as he beat Cam Lanigan off a great feed from Mike Aviani.

Medicine Hat piled up 16 shots for the period but couldn't light the lamp as Garret Hughson excelled between the pipes in the early going.

The Tigers flipped the script in the second, scoring the period's only two goals despite being outshot 20-7 by the Chiefs. Boston Leier scored Medicine Hat's first goal at 3:49 and Hunter Shinkaruk gave the Tigers a 2-1 advantage as he snuck the puck past Hughson five-hole at the 8:30 mark.

The final stanza was a back-and-forth affair with the two teams trading goals at a breakneck pace to start the period. Spokane struck first just 8-seconds into the period as Todd Fiddler raced down the ice after the Chiefs won the faceoff and fired a shot past Lanigan glove-side for the score.

Fiddlers goal, assisted on by Brenden Kichton and Dylan Walchuk, tied the mark set by Tony Horacek in 1988 for the fastest goal to open a period in Chiefs history.

Medicine Hat responded with a score at 2:29 from Miles Koules only to see Blake Gal notch the equalizer 11-seconds later on assists from Fiddler and Walchuk. The Tigers Curtis Valk scored the game-winning goal on a power play at 7:54 and Lanigan kept Spokane off the board in a frenetic final minute of the game.

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Chiefs lose 4-3 to Medicine Hat

Tulane University Study Published In The American Journal of Medicine Finds Nutritional Management With Metanx® …

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NEW ORLEANS, Jan. 28, 2013 /PRNewswire/ --Pamlab L.L.C., developer and marketer of Metanx, announced today that a multicenter study, done in collaboration with Tulane University, was published in The American Journal of Medicine. The study suggests that nutritional management of diabetic peripheral neuropathy (DPN) with L-methylfolate, methylcobalamin, and pyridoxal 5'-phosphate, a prescription medical food dispensed by prescription and commercially known as Metanx, improves total symptoms and health-related quality of life. The study, conducted by Vivian A. Fonseca, M.D. Tullis-Tulane Alumni Chair in Diabetes, Professor of Medicine and Chief, Section of Endocrinology at Tulane University School of Medicine, found significant improvement in both these areas after 24 weeks.

Type 2 Diabetes patients with symptomatic neuropathy often experience total symptoms including numbness, tingling and burning pain in the feet and/or hands. It is estimated that diabetic neuropathy affects 60-70 percent of the 26 million people in the U.S. with Type 2 diabetes. Nutritional management with Metanx is believed to regulate the metabolic processes responsible for maintaining blood flow in the vessels that carry important nutrients and oxygen to the peripheral nerves.

Two hundred fourteen patients with Type 2 DPN were enrolled in the multicenter, double blind, placebo-controlled study and were randomized 1:1 to receive either Metanx or identical placebo for 6 months. The Neuropathy Disability Score with Metanx demonstrated greater improvement than placebo at 16 weeks, as was the Neuropathy Total Symptom Score-6 (NTSS-6), which showed greater improvement at 16 and 24 weeks in the Metanx group than the placebo group. Significant improvement in quality of life was also observed with Metanx in the Short Form-36 (SF-36) Mental Component subscale after 24 weeks compared to placebo.

There were no differences in total adverse events in the Metanx group compared to the placebo group. Adverse events were infrequent, with each event that was reported occurring in <2% of all subjects.

Dr. Fonseca commented on the study, "This study demonstrated that significant improvements with Metanx were observed in measures of neuropathic symptoms and health-related quality of life, factors which may have a greater impact on patients' well being. This verifies that Metanx could be a useful tool in managing patients with symptomatic diabetic neuropathy. Unlike current therapies on the market, Metanx has a unique mechanism of action that may be related to the pathophysiology of Diabetic Peripheral Neuropathy. I am delighted that Tulane University was able to work with Metanx (Pamlab, L.L.C.), a New Orleans area health care company, to conduct research that improves the lives of patients with diabetes."

The study can be found in The American Journal of Medicine and online here: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23218892

About Diabetic NeuropathyDiabetic neuropathy, or nerve damage caused by diabetes, is a chronic, progressive condition characterized by tingling, burning pain and numbness in the feet and/or hands. Numbness in the feet is the most common symptom associated with diabetic neuropathy and is the most frequent cause of ulceration and non-traumatic amputation. Additionally, burning pain occurs in 10 to 25 percent of DPN patients. Current therapies mask the painful symptoms of DPN but do not address the natural history of the disease, a challenge currently facing healthcare providers.

About Medical Foods and MetanxMedical foods are specially formulated to manage a specific disease or condition for which medical evaluation, based on recognized scientific principles, has established distinct nutritional requirements. All components of a medical food must have GRAS status (Generally Recognized as Safe) or be an approved food additive.

Metanx is a medical food dispensed by prescription and indicated for the distinct nutritional requirements of patients with endothelial dysfunction who present with loss of protective sensation and neuropathic pain associated with diabetic neuropathy. Metanx offers a nutritional benefit by improving endothelial function and maintaining blood flow in the vessels that carry important nutrients and oxygen to the peripheral nerves.

About Pamlab, L.L.C.Pamlab, L.L.C., founded in 1957, is a fully integrated pharmaceutical company specializing in medical foods indicated for the nutritional support of specific disease states including diabetic neuropathy, depression and mild cognitive impairment.

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Tulane University Study Published In The American Journal of Medicine Finds Nutritional Management With Metanx® ...

Did This 15-Year-Old Kid Just Change the Course of Medicine?

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When you were 15, chances are, revolutionizing medicine wasn't among your after-school activities. But for 15-year-old Jack Andraka, it's par for the course. The high school sophomore recently developed a revolutionary new test for early-stage pancreatic cancer. This, before he could legally drive a car.

This past December, Andraka won Intels prestigious Gordon E. Moore Award along with other top honors at the corporations annual Science and Engineering Fair, the worlds largest high school research and science competition. Jack Andraka created a simple dip-stick sensor to test for levels of mesothelin, which is a biomarker for early-stage pancreatic cancer thats found in blood and urine. The method is similar to diabetic testing strips, utilizing just a pinprick of blood and costing all of three cents to make.

Jack Andraka was moved by the frustrating realities of pancreatic cancer, a particularly lethal form of the disease, after a family friend passed away from it. But it wasn't until he was sitting in class sometime later that a solution struck him. Andraka tells TakePart, I came up with the idea when I was in science class. I was supposed to be paying attention, but then I had this epiphany.

Whats so revolutionary about Andraka's epiphany, aside from possibly being the most inexpensive medical test ever devised, is that current methods for pancreatic cancer detection are woefully ineffectivefor the most part, they're unable to uncover the presence of the disease until its in its final stages, long after it could respond to treatment. That's why the American Cancer Society reports that on average, the one-year survival rate for a patient is just 20 percent, and the five-year rate is a dismal four percent.

However, Andrakas prize-winning invention means patients could be armed with a simple method to detect the disease in its earliest incarnations, before it becomes invasive and when it still has a chance to respond to medical care. Early detection could bump up survival rates dramatically, edging them "close to 100 percent" according to Andraka. And for a disease that takes the lives of approximately 40,000 people each year, that's saying a lot.

But this is about more than pancreatic cancer. Andraka explains his strips can be altered to detect biomarkers for other conditions as well. Whats so cool about that is its applicability to other diseasesfor example other forms of cancer, tuberculosis, HIV, environmental contaminants like E Coli, salmonella, he says. All for three cents for a test that takes five minutes to run.

He has big plans to turn the medical community on its ear by mass marketing his work, making it widely available. He says, Essentially what Im envisioning here is that this could be on your shelf at your Walgreens, your Kmart. Lets say you suspect you have a conditionyou buy the test for that. And you can see immediately if you have it. Instead of your doctor being the doctor, youre the doctor. The teenager reports that hes already in talks with major corporations like LabCorp and QuestDiagnostics to bring his kits to store shelves as soon as possible, though how long that may actually take isnt yet known.

But if it seems like everything comes easily to the Maryland student, don't be fooled. While in the process of soliciting area labs for research space, he was rejected by 197 scientists, some of whom told him quite plainly his theory couldn't possibly work. Only one person said yes, but it turned out to be the right personDr. Anirban Maitra, a professor of pathology and oncology at Johns Hopkins University, who also became Jack's mentor.

It's easy to chalk up Jack Andraka's success to the luck that comes with being brillianthe is ridiculously smart. But there's more to him than that. His innate sense of social justice tells him that in a country as developed as ours, the fact that we have so many people dying every day of what could be a treatable disease is a wrong he intends to make right. "What motivates me is that 100 people die every day from pancreatic cancer. And so when I'm working I think those 100 people are who I'm working for today."

Is Jack Andraka an example of why we need more science in schools? Let us know what you think in the Comments.

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Did This 15-Year-Old Kid Just Change the Course of Medicine?

CardioDx’s Leadership to Speak at the 5th Annual Personalized Medicine World Conference

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PALO ALTO, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

CardioDx, Inc. announced today that President and CEO, David Levison, and Chief Medical Officer, Mark Monane, M.D., will present at the 5th Annual Personalized Medicine World Conference (PMWC) on Tuesday, January 29, 2013 in Mountain View, CA. Mr. Levison will provide a company perspective on the reimbursement pathway for molecular diagnostic tests, and Dr. Monane will present an overview of Corus CAD, the only clinically validated gene expression test for obstructive coronary artery disease.

Corus CAD is a decision-making tool that can help primary care clinicians and cardiologists exclude obstructive coronary artery disease (CAD) as the cause of a stable non-diabetic patient's symptoms. The test involves a routine blood draw conveniently administered in the clinicians office, and does not expose patients to radiation or imaging agent intolerance. It is the only sex-specific test for obstructive CAD, accounting for critical biological differences between men and women. Corus CAD has now been used to assess more than 35,000 U.S. patients.

We are living in one of the most exciting times in the evolution of medicine, and 2013 promises to be a pivotal year in the clinical adoption of personalized diagnostics and treatments, said Levison. By applying genomics to healthcare decision making, a healthcare practitioner can act on information that provides real-time insights on a patients disease state and prescribe the most suitable course of treatment for that patient. Unlike genetic tests which can only try to predict a persons predisposition to specific diseases, the Corus CAD gene expression test can help primary care clinicians and cardiologists exclude the diagnosis of obstructive CAD early in the diagnostic pathway, thus helping clinicians make better patient management decisions that may lead to improved quality of patient care, while lowering overall costs to the healthcare system.

Mr. Levison will present A Company Perspective on Reimbursement, discussing the opportunities and challenges in obtaining reimbursement coverage for molecular diagnostics and personalized medicine. Levison will share knowledge gained from the CardioDx experience in obtaining Medicare coverage for more than 40 million Medicare enrollees in the U.S. for the Corus CAD test. He will also review successful clinical strategies for working with payers to achieve positive coverage decisions and examine the role of Palmetto GBAs MolDx Program in clarifying the process and requirements for coverage. The presentation will take place on January 29 at 11:00 AM PT as part of Track 1, Session 4: Economics of PM.

Dr. Monane will provide an overview of CardioDx and Corus CAD, the only clinically validated cardiovascular genomic test designed to help clinicians safely, accurately, and conveniently determine from a blood sample whether their patients symptoms are due to blockages in the heart arteries. Corus CAD is a gene expression test that integrates the expression levels of 23 genes involved in the development of and/or response to atherosclerosis into a single score, which has been proven to accurately identify patients without obstructive CAD. Gene expression tests enable clinicians to act on genomic information and provide patients a more tailored management plan. The presentation is titled, Noninvasive Testing for Coronary Artery Disease and will take place on January 29 at 9:30 AM PT as part of Track 2, Session 7: Diagnostics and Healthcare Treatment.

About Corus CAD

Corus CAD is the first and only clinically validated blood-based test for the assessment of obstructive coronary artery disease. The test involves a routine blood draw conveniently administered in the clinicians office and does not expose patients to risks of radiation or imaging agent intolerance. It is the first sex-specific test for obstructive coronary artery disease, accounting for critical biological differences between men and women. The test has been honored as a winner of The Wall Street Journal's prestigious Technology Innovation Awards and one of TIME's Top Ten Medical Breakthroughs and is a finalist for the 2012 Edison Awards. Findings from the PREDICT validation study of the Corus CAD gene expression test were published in 2010 in the Annals of Internal Medicine, the journal of the American College of Physicians.

The Corus CAD test measures the RNA levels of 23 genes from a whole blood sample. Because these RNA levels are increased or decreased when obstructive coronary artery disease is present, the Corus CAD score indicates the likelihood that an individual patient does not have obstructive coronary artery disease.

Corus CAD is commercially available through an innovative patient sample kit that includes everything needed for blood collection and express delivery to the companys CLIA-certified Palo Alto, Calif. laboratory. Test results are delivered promptly to the clinicians office. Corus CAD is currently available in the United States.

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