Monthly Archives: April 2013

Relapse of endometrial hyperplasia after conservative treatment: a cohort study with long-term follow-up

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STUDY QUESTION

What is the risk of relapse for women with endometrial hyperplasia treated with levonorgestrel-releasing intrauterine system (LNG-IUS) or oral progestogens?

SUMMARY ANSWER

Relapse of complex endometrial hyperplasia after initial regression occurs often and it occurs less often in women treated with LNG-IUS than with oral progestogens.

WHAT IS KNOWN ALREADY

The LNG-IUS and oral progestogens are used to treat women with endometrial hyperplasia and achieve regression. There is uncertainty over whether further surveillance for these women is necessary as the risk for relapse is unknown.

STUDY DESIGN, SIZE, DURATION

A cohort study of 219 women with complex non-atypical or atypical endometrial hyperplasia who were treated and achieved initial regression with LNG-IUS (n = 153) or oral progestogens (n = 66) from August 1998 until December 2007 and followed up for >5 years. The mean length of follow-up was 74.7 ± SD 31.8 months for the LNG-IUS versus 87.6 ± SD 42.2 months for the oral progestogen group.

PARTICIPANTS/MATERIALS, SETTING, METHODS

We evaluated the proportion of women who relapsed or had hysterectomy after initial regression with LNG-IUS compared with oral progestogens by logistic regression and adjusting for confounding. The time from regression to relapse was explored through a survival analysis.

MAIN RESULTS AND THE ROLE OF CHANCE

Relapse of hyperplasia occurred in 13.7% (21/153) of women treated with LNG-IUS compared with 30.3% (20/66) of women treated with oral progestogens [adjusted odds ratio (OR) = 0.34, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.17–0.7, P = 0.005]. Relapse rates over long-term follow-up were lower for complex non-atypical hyperplasia compared with atypical hyperplasia for both LNG-IUS (12.7%, 18/142 versus 27.3%, 3/11, respectively; P ≤ 0.001) and oral progestogens (28.3%, 17/60 versus 50%, 3/6, respectively; P ≤ 0.001). The survival analysis indicates that relapse occurred less often with LNG-IUS at 12, 24, 36, 48, 60 and >60 months of follow-up (hazard ratio 0.37, 95% CI: 0.2–0.7, P = 0.0013). There were no events of relapse after 48 months from regression with oral progestogens, but 5 women treated with LNG-IUS relapsed after 60 months when treatment was discontinued. Hysterectomy rates were lower in the LNG-IUS than oral progestogen group during follow-up (19.6%, 30/153 versus 31.8%, 21/66, respectively, OR = 0.52, 95% CI: 0.27–1, P = 0.05). Endometrial cancer was diagnosed in 2 (11.8%) women who had hysterectomy (n = 17) because of relapse.

LIMITATIONS, REASONS FOR CAUTION

We are unable to accurately estimate the cancer risk in women who relapse during follow-up as only 17 out of 41 who relapsed underwent hysterectomy.

WIDER IMPLICATIONS OF THE FINDINGS

Relapse of endometrial hyperplasia after initial regression occurs often and long-term follow-up is advised.

STUDY FUNDING/COMPETING INTEREST(S)

Ioannis D. Gallos and this study were funded through a grant from Wellbeing of Women (ELS022). No competing interests.

Source:
http://humrep.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/content/short/28/5/1231?rss=1

The prediction of pouch of Douglas obliteration using offline analysis of the transvaginal ultrasound ‘sliding sign’ technique: inter- and intra-observer reproducibility

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STUDY QUESTION

What is the inter-/intra-observer agreement and diagnostic accuracy among gynaecological and non-gynaecological ultrasound specialists in the prediction of pouch of Douglas (POD) obliteration (secondary to endometriosis) at offline analysis of two-dimensional videos using the dynamic real-time transvaginal ultrasound (TVS) ‘sliding sign’ technique?

SUMMARY ANSWER

The inter-/intra-observer agreement and diagnostic accuracy for the interpretation of the TVS ‘sliding sign’ in the prediction of POD obliteration was found to be very acceptable, ranging from substantial to almost perfect agreement for the observers who specialized in gynaecological ultrasound.

WHAT IS KNOWN ALREADY

Women with POD obliteration at laparoscopy are at an increased risk of bowel endometriosis; therefore, the pre-operative diagnosis of POD obliteration is important in the surgical planning for these women. Previous studies have used TVS to predict POD obliteration prior to laparoscopy, with a sensitivity of 72–83% and specificity of 97–100%. However, there have not been any reproducibility studies performed to validate the use of TVS in the prediction of POD obliteration pre-operatively.

STUDY DESIGN, SIZE, DURATION

This was a reproducibility study which involved the offline viewing of pre-recorded video sets of 30 women presenting with chronic pelvic pain, in order to determine POD obliteration using the TVS ‘sliding sign’ technique. The videos were selected on real-time representative quality/quantity; they were not obtained from sequential patients. There were a total of six observers, including four gynaecological ultrasound specialists and two fetal medicine specialists. The study was conducted over a period of 1 month (March 2012–April 2012).

PARTICIPANTS/MATERIALS, SETTING, METHODS

The four gynaecological ultrasound observers performed daily gynaecological scanning, while the other two observers were primarily fetal medicine sonologists. Each sonologist viewed the TVS ‘sliding sign’ video in two anatomical locations (retro-cervix and posterior uterine fundus), i.e. 60 videos in total. The POD was deemed not obliterated, if ‘sliding sign’ was positive in both anatomical locations (i.e. anterior rectum/rectosigmoid glided smoothly across the retro-cervix/posterior fundus, respectively). If the ‘sliding sign’ was negative (i.e. anterior rectum/rectosigmoid did not glide smoothly over retro-cervix/posterior fundal region, respectively), the POD was deemed obliterated. Diagnostic accuracy and inter-observer agreement among the six sonologists was evaluated. The same sonologist was also asked to reanalyse the same videos, albeit in a different order, at least 7 days later to assess for intra-observer agreement. A separate analysis of the inter- and intra-observer correlation was also performed to determine the agreement among the four observers who specialized in gynaecological ultrasound. Cohen's coefficient <0 meant that there was poor agreement, 0.01–0.20 slight agreement, 0.21–0.40 fair agreement, 0.41–0.60 moderate agreement, 0.61–0.80 substantial agreement and 0.81–0.99 almost perfect agreement.

MAIN RESULTS AND THE ROLE OF CHANCE

Agreement (Cohen's ) between all six observers for the interpretation of the ‘sliding sign’ for both sets of videos in both regions (retro-cervix and fundus) ranged from 0.354 to 0.927 (fair agreement to almost perfect agreement) compared with 0.630–0.927 (substantial agreement to almost perfect agreement) when only the gynaecological sonologists were included. The overall multiple rater agreement for the interpretation of the ‘sliding sign’ for both video sets and both regions was Fleiss' 0.454 (P-value <0.01) for all six observers and 0.646 (P-value <0.01) for the four gynaecological ultrasound specialists. The multiple rater agreement for all six or all four observers was higher for the retro-cervical region versus the fundal region (Fleiss' 0.542 versus 0.370 and 0.732 versus 0.560, respectively). The intra-observer agreement among the six observers for the interpretation of the ‘sliding sign’ and prediction of POD obliteration ranged from Cohen's 0.60–0.95 and 0.46–1.0 (P-value <0.01), respectively. After excluding the fetal medicine specialists, the intra-observer agreement for the interpretation of the ‘sliding sign’ and the prediction of POD obliteration ranged from Cohen's 0.71–0.95 and 0.67–1.0, respectively, indicating substantial to almost perfect agreement. When comparing the four gynaecological observers for the prediction of POD obliteration using the TVS ‘sliding sign’ (after excluding cases with the POD outcome classified as ‘unsure’ by the observers), the results for accuracy, sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive value were 93.1–100, 92.9–100, 90.9–100, 77.8–100 and 97.7–100%, respectively.

LIMITATIONS, REASONS FOR CAUTION

The ‘gold standard’ for the diagnosis of POD obliteration is laparoscopy; however, laparoscopic data were available only for 24 out of 30 (80%) TVS ‘sliding sign’ cases included in this study. Although this should not affect the inter- and intra-observer agreement findings, the ability to draw conclusions regarding the diagnostic accuracy of the TVS ‘sliding sign’ in the prediction of POD obliteration is somewhat limited. In addition, the diagnostic accuracy findings should be interpreted with the caveat that the cases classified as ‘unsure’ for the prediction of POD obliteration were excluded from the analysis.

WIDER IMPLICATIONS OF THE FINDINGS

We have validated the dynamic real-time TVS ‘sliding sign’ technique for the prediction of POD obliteration, and this simple ultrasound-based test appears to have very acceptable inter-/intra-observer agreement for those who are experienced in gynaecological ultrasound. Given that women with POD obliteration at laparoscopy have an increased risk of bowel endometriosis and requirement for bowel surgery, the TVS ‘sliding sign’ test should be considered in the pre-operative imaging work-up for all women with suspected endometriosis, to allow for appropriate surgical planning. We believe the TVS ‘sliding sign’ technique may be easily learned by sonologists/sonographers who are familiar with performing gynaecological ultrasound, and that further studies are required to confirm the diagnostic accuracy of this new ultrasound technique amongst sonologists/sonographers with various levels of experience.

STUDY FUNDING/COMPETING INTEREST(S)

This study received no specific grant from any funding agency in the public, commercial or not-for-profit sectors and the authors declare no competing interests.

Source:
http://humrep.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/content/short/28/5/1237?rss=1

Fertility after ectopic pregnancy: the DEMETER randomized trial

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STUDY QUESTION

Does treatment for the resolution of ectopic pregnancy (EP) affect subsequent spontaneous fertility [occurrence of an intrauterine pregnancy (IUP)]?

SUMMARY ANSWER

There is no significant difference in 2 years subsequent fertility neither between methotrexate and conservative surgery for less active EP nor between conservative and radical surgery for the most active EP.

WHAT IS KNOWN ALREADY

No randomized trial has compared radical and conservative surgery treatments. A recent review of the Cochrane database did not conclude about fertility due to insufficient data. Prospective studies from EP registries in two regions of France (Auvergne and Greater Lille) have suggested that fertility is similar after medical treatment and conservative surgery and lower after radical surgery.

STUDY DESIGN, SIZE, DURATION

This randomized controlled trial included all women with an ultrasound-confirmed EP. Women were divided into two arms according to the activity of the EP (defined by Fernandez's score). In arm 1 (less active ectopic pregnancies, i.e. Fernandez's score <13 and no haemodynamic failure), medical treatment was considered practicable, and women were randomly allocated to conservative surgery with a systematic post-operative i.m. methotrexate injection within 24 h or to an i.m. methotrexate injection alone. In arm 2 (active ectopic pregnancies), medical treatment was considered impracticable, and, thus, all women had to undergo surgery; they were randomly allocated to either a radical or conservative procedure, the latter including a post-operative methotrexate injection. Sample sizes (n = 210 in arm 1 and n = 230 in arm 2) were computed to provide a statistical power of 80% to detect a 20% difference in subsequent cumulative fertility rates between treatments in each arm. The total duration of the trial was 5 years.

PARTICIPANTS/MATERIALS, SETTINGS, METHODS

The trial took place in 17 centres in France from 2005 to 2009. Two hundred and seven women were included in arm 1 and 199 in arm 2. Cumulative fertility curves were drawn with the Kaplan–Meier method and compared with the log-rank test. Hazard ratios (HRs) were computed with the Cox model. Analysis was performed according to the intention-to-treat principle.

MAIN RESULTS

Arm 1: cumulative fertility curves were not significantly different between medical treatment and conservative surgery. HR was 0.85 (0.59–1.22) P = 0.37. The 2-year rates of IUP were 67% after medical treatment and 71% after conservative surgery. Arm 2: cumulative fertility curves were not significantly different between conservative and radical surgery. HR was 1.06 (0.69–1.63) P = 0.78. The 2-year rates of IUP were 70% after conservative surgery and 64% after radical surgery.

LIMITATIONS, REASONS FOR CAUTION

Inclusion in this trial was more difficult than expected, especially in arm 2 in which women were reluctant to radical surgery. In consequence, the sample size was slightly lower than planned. However, due to a lower proportion of lost to follow-up than expected (10% instead of 15%), the statistical power remained very close to 80%.

WIDER IMPLICATIONS OF THE FINDINGS

As it is a multicentre randomized trial, the results may be generalized with satisfactory confidence. The results of this trial invite gynaecologists to reconsider the management of EP and to modify balance between considerations of initial recovery and preservation of fertility.

Trial registration number

NCT00137982 on the WHO International Clinical Trials Registry Platform.

Source:
http://humrep.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/content/short/28/5/1247?rss=1

A protein isolated from human oviductal tissue in vitro secretion, identified as human lactoferrin, interacts with spermatozoa and oocytes and modulates gamete interaction

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STUDY QUESTION

Is lactoferrin (LF) (detected in oviductal secretion) able to bind to oocytes and sperm and modulate gamete interaction?

SUMMARY ANSWER

LF binds to zona pellucida (ZP) and spermatozoa (depending upon the capacitation stage and acrosome status) and inhibits gamete interaction in vitro.

WHAT IS KNOWN ALREADY

Proteins from human oviductal tissue secretion modulate gamete interaction and parameters of sperm function in vitro and some of them bind to sperm, but they remain to be isolated and identified.

STUDY DESIGN, SIZE, DURATION

Proteins were isolated from human oviductal tissue secretion using their sperm membrane binding ability. One of the isolated proteins was identified as human LF and immunolocalized in tubal tissues. LF expression was analyzed in native oviductal fluid and oviduct epithelial cells (at different phases of the menstrual cycle: proliferative, periovulatory and secretory). In addition, the LF binding sites on spermatozoa (at different capacitation and acrosome reaction stages) and on ZP and the dose-dependent effect of LF on gamete interaction were investigated. All experiments were performed at least three times.

PARTICIPANTS/MATERIALS, SETTING, METHODS

Tubal tissues obtained from premenopausal patients (scheduled for hysterectomy, n = 23) were cultured in DMEM/Ham's F12 medium and conditioned media (CM) were collected. Motile spermatozoa were obtained by swim-up from normozoospermic semen samples from healthy donors (n = 4). An affinity chromatography with sperm membrane extracts was used to isolate proteins from CM. Isolated proteins were analyzed by sodium dodecyl sulfate–polyacrylamide gel electrophresis and further identified by nano liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry peptide sequencing. The presence of LF in oviductal tissue was investigated by immunohistochemistry and immunofluorescence and was detected in native oviductal fluid and oviduct epithelial cells homogenates by western blot. LF binding sites on gametes were investigated by incubating gametes with the protein coupled to fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC). The acrosome reaction was assessed with Pisum sativum agglutinin conjugated with rhodamine. The effect of increasing concentrations of LF (0.1–100 µg/ml) on gamete interaction was evaluated by a sperm–ZP binding assay, using human oocytes donated by women undergoing IVF procedures.

MAIN RESULTS AND THE ROLE OF CHANCE

A protein isolated by the affinity column was identified as human LF. LF was immunolocalized in human oviductal tissue and detected in oviductal fluid and oviduct epithelial cell homogenates. In the latter case, LF expression was highest at the periovulatory phase of the menstrual cycle (P < 0.01). Different LF binding patterns were observed on spermatozoa depending upon capacitation stage and if the acrosome reaction had occurred. Unstained sperm were most prevalent before capacitation, but after incubation for 6 h under capacitating conditions and in acrosome-reacted sperm LF binding was observed, mainly localized in the equatorial segment and post-acrosomal region of the sperm head. LF binding studies on ZP showed homogenous staining. LF caused a dose-dependent significant inhibition of sperm–ZP interaction, and the effect was already significant (P < 0.01) with the lowest LF concentration used.

LIMITATIONS, REASONS FOR CAUTION

This study has investigated the effect of LF only on human gamete interaction in vitro and thus has some limitations. Further investigations of the potential mechanisms involved in LF action both on gamete function in vitro and in vivo in animal models are needed to confirm the role of this protein in the reproductive process.

WIDER IMPLICATIONS OF THE FINDINGS

The present data indicate that human oviductal LF expression is cycle dependent and inhibited gamete interaction in vitro. No previous data were available about potential direct effects of LF on gamete interaction. It could be thought that the protein is involved in the regulation of the reproductive process, perhaps contributing to prevent polyspermy. Thus, further research is needed to clarify the potential role of LF in the regulation of the fertilization process.

STUDY FUNDING/COMPETING INTEREST(S)

This study was supported by grants from FONCYT (PICT 01095, S.A.G., M.J.M) and SECyT UNR (PIDBIO238, S.A.G). The authors have no conflict of interest to declare.

Source:
http://humrep.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/content/short/28/5/1297?rss=1

The expression and functionality of stromal caveolin 1 in human adenomyosis

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STUDY QUESTION

What is the expression pattern and functionality of caveolin 1 (CAV1) in the endometrium of patients with adenomyosis?

SUMMARY ANSWER

The stromal CAV1 expression is down-regulated that leads to the release of a variety of molecules that either enhance the metastatic capacity of endometrial cells or contribute to adenomyosis-associated dysmenorrhea.

WHAT IS KNOWN ALREADY

Adenomyosis is characterized by invasion of endometrium into the uterine myometrium. CAV1 has been linked to tumor progression and clinical outcome in a variety of human malignancies; however, its role in adenomyosis development and adenomyosis-associated dysmenorrhea is still poorly recognized.

STUDY DESIGN, SIZE, DURATION

We retrospectively analyzed the expression levels of CAV1 and RANTES protein using immunohistochemistry in 65 patients who were pathologically diagnosed with adenomyosis and 12 control women without related pathology, who were subjected to surgery between 2009 and 2010. Endometrial tissues from six additional normal females without related pathology were collected from 2011 to 2012; these tissues were subjected to subsequent primary cell culture experiments.

PARTICIPANTS/MATERIALS, SETTING, METHODS

The expression of CAV1 and RANTES was examined by immunohistochemistry in ectopic endometrium and paired eutopic endometrium of 65 adenomyosis patients and 12 control patients. Primary endometrial stromal cells (ESCs) and endometrial epithelial cells (EECs) were isolated from 6 additional control females without related pathology. The expression of CAV1 in ESCs was either (i) inhibited by siRNA transfection and methyl-β-cyclodextrin (MβCD) treatment or (ii) increased by pcDNA3.1/CAV1 transfection. The impact of each treatment on the proliferation, migration and invasion of both ESCs and EECs was evaluated by methylthiazolydiphenyl-tetrazolium assay, colony formation assay, Transwell migration and invasion assay. Furthermore, ESC treatment with MβCD and siCAV1 was assessed for the effect on the expression of a panel of inflammatory cytokines. The levels of two pain mediators, nitric oxide (NO) and prostaglandin E2 (PGE2), were assessed in CAV-1-depleted and control ESCs, whereas immunoblotting was performed to characterize signaling pathways downstream to loss of stromal CAV1 in endometrium. The correlation between dysmenorrhea severity and stromal CAV1 and RANTES expression was further examined using ‘Pearson's’ correlation analysis.

MAIN RESULTS

Stromal CAV1 expression in ectopic endometrium of adenomyosis patients was significantly lower than that of paired eutopic endometrium or normal controls as analyzed by immunohistochemistry (P < 0.001). Although no significant difference was observed in the proliferation of CAV1-depleted ESCs when compared with control group, EECs cultured with conditioned media from CAV1-depleted ESCs demonstrated a significantly elevated proliferation rate when compared with those treated with control ESC-conditioned media. Moreover, both CAV1-depleted ESCs and EECs cultured with conditioned media from CAV1-depleted ESCs showed enhanced migration and invasion capacity when compared with control group (P < 0.05). In contrast, incubation with conditioned media of ESCs with enforced CAV1 expression led to decreased proliferation capacity of EECs. Furthermore, the expression of RANTES in ESCs treated with MβCD and siCAV1 was significantly increased. Stromal RANTES expression in the ectopic endometrium of adenomyosis patients was significantly higher than that of paired eutopic endometrium or normal controls as analyzed by immunohistochemistry (P = 0.0026). Stromal CAV1 expression in eutopic endometrium was significantly lower in women with more severe dysmenorrhea (P < 0.05) and was negatively correlated with dysmenorrhea severity in adenomyosis patients (r2 = 0.1549; P = 0.012, ‘Pearson's’ 2 test), whereas stromal RANTES expression in eutopic endometrium was significantly higher in women with more severe dysmenorrhea (P < 0.05) and was positively correlated with dysmenorrhea severity in adenomyosis patients (r2 = 0.1646; P = 0.0094, ‘Pearson's’ 2 test). Silencing of CAV1 in ESCs led to increased release of NO and PGE2 when compared with control and was associated with enhanced activity of ERK-FAK signaling pathway.

LIMITATIONS, REASONS FOR CAUTION

This study assessed the functional role of stromal CAV1 and RANTES in a small number of human adenomyosis samples by immunohistochemistry and in primary human ESCs by functional studies. In future investigations, a larger sample size should be adopted and the functional role of stromal CAV1 should be further characterized in animal models.

WIDER IMPLICATIONS OF THE FINDINGS

Loss of stromal CAV1 expression may play a critical role in the pathogenesis of adenomyosis and is correlated with adenomyosis-related dysmenorrhea.

STUDY FUNDING

National Basic Research Program of China and Ph.D. Programs Foundation of Ministry of Education of China.

COMPETING INTEREST

None.

Source:
http://humrep.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/content/short/28/5/1324?rss=1

Scratch and sniff detectives wanted to hunt down cannabis farms

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The game is afoot! UK charity Crimestoppers is enlisting the help of the Great British public to sniff out cannabis farms. To aid the public in their undercover work they’ve been handing out scratch and sniff panels. These give people an idea of what living, growing cannabis smells like – Crimestoppers describes it as a sickly, sweet smell as opposed to the more acrid aroma when it’s smoked (we at Chemistry World are relying on testimony from local a Cambridge councillor here!).

Tests indicate that fresh cannabis has an aroma like freshly cut vegetation and grass with a slightly sickly sweet undertone!

Crimestoppers is warning that cannabis cultivation is a growing trend in the UK with the number of farms uncovered in 2012 up 15% on the previous year. The charity is working with the police to try to tackle the increase in residential farms, where people often grow the plants hydroponically in attics using heat lamps and high intensity lighting. The police has said that cannabis cultivation is fuelling organised crime, while the UK’s energy regulator says that the cost of electricity stolen by these farms may be costing the economy as much as £400 million each year.

Lucy Reid, campaign manager at Crimestoppers, says the idea came from the Dutch police. They ran a similar campaign and as a result there was a 45% rise in cannabis farms sniffed out in Amsterdam. She points out that the scratch and sniff panel doesn’t contain any tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) – the psychoactive compound in cannabis and also the inspiration for a number of pharmaceutical drugs to treat illnesses such as multiple sclerosis.

The scratch and sniff card set us at CW Towers to thinking about how they were able to recreate the smell of fresh cannabis. To try to find out I spoke with JanCees Neef at the Edge Factory in the Netherlands, whose company produce the scratch and sniff cannabis panels. Unfortunately, he’s not able to tell us that much about the production process as it’s a company secret. However, he did tell us that the Dutch police deliver cannabis plants to them and that they quickly process them, to extract an oil from the plants – Neef says that this needs to be done as fast as possible because oil made from wilted plants smells like rotten eggs, giving people a nasty surprise when they scratch and sniff. This cannabis oil is then microencapsulated – Neef won’t say more about the process – and printed onto cards. Neef does say, however, that the microencapsulation technology preserves the smell for a couple of years.

Microencapsulation has its roots in carbonless copy paper, developed back in the 1960s to put an end to the messy carbon papers that turned your hands black. In this case microencapsulated inks were stored in the paper and burst open when the typewriter’s typebars hit the paper. While Edge won’t tell us how they encapsulate their oil, it’s possible to take an educated guess at the type of process used.

There are numerous ways of microencapsulating compounds and most have been developed by the cosmetics industry to deliver their latest wrinkle defying elixir. Scratch and sniff panels often use polymers like polyoxymethylene urea. The oil and polymer are mixed together at high speed to produce droplets of oil 15–20µm in size, suspended in the polymer solution. A catalyst is then added to  crosslink the polymers, sealing the oil inside the microcapsules. The microencapsulated oil droplets are then washed to remove leftover polymer and oil, and then processed to form a slurry for printing. Once printed onto a panel, scratching the card bursts some of these microcapsules, releasing whatever smelly compound the manufacturer desires – in Crimestoppers’ case the scent of cannabis plants.

In the office we were also intrigued by which volatiles give fresh cannabis its distinctive smell. Again, this is something Neef couldn’t tell us unfortunately, but there is some information out there. Apparently, cannabis’ smell is the product of more than 100 terpenoids, including eucalyptol, linalool and pinene. What’s also interesting is Reid’s insistence that the scratch and sniff panels don’t contain any THC, but obviously still contain enough of the smelly terpenoids to provide a rough approximation of the odour of growing cannabis. Given that many of the terpenoids volatilise at the same temperatures as THC and that they’re both fat-soluble it’s difficult to immediately see a simple way of processing the oil to exclude THC, while keeping in those aromatic, smelly terpenoids. And my internet searches on the question of THC extraction have been throwing up all the wrong results!

Patrick Walter

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Source:
http://prospect.rsc.org/blogs/cw/2013/04/16/scratch-and-sniff-cannabis-marajuana-farms-thc-extraction/

Well-known rabbi to speak on mystic spirituality in Ashland

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Rabbi Zalman Schachter-Shalomi was in the Jewish Renewal movement

Rabbi Zalman Schachter-Shalomi is a founder of the Jewish Renewal movement and is leading a series of teachings this weekend at the Havurah in Ashland.

By John Darling

Posted:2:00 AMApril 12, 2013

A prime mover in the founding of the liberal Jewish Renewal movement in the early 1970s, Rabbi Zalman Schachter-Shalomi, 88, will host prayers and teachings today through Sunday at the Havurah Shir Hadash, focusing on a mystic spirituality that is founded in peace, environmentalism and the divine feminine.

The famed author and spiritual leader is now 88 and living in Boulder, Colo., so his trips are few these days, said Havurah Rabbi David Zaslow.

"Reb Zalman blends mystic, Hasidic thought with a modern progressive vision that includes the divine feminine, the living planet and a faith that can touch all religions," Zaslow said.

Schachter-Shalomi has ordained eight rabbis in Oregon, including Zaslow and three others in the Rogue Valley, and has had a big impact on Judaism in the state, Zaslow said.

"Oregon is a place that honors the sea and earth and rivers," Schachter-Shalomi said in a phone interview. "I have a feel for it and they have a feeling for Jewish Renewal. What is it with Oregon and me that so many have felt they should study with me?"

Ashland Rabbi Jacqueline Brodsky, who was ordained by Schachter-Shalomi, said the synergy dates back to the 1960s, when many of young Jews migrated to Ashland and other parts of Oregon.

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Well-known rabbi to speak on mystic spirituality in Ashland

The Earth From Orbit – Satellite and Space Station Views Our Planet | Science Video – Video

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The Earth From Orbit - Satellite and Space Station Views Our Planet | Science Video
Visit my website at http://www.junglejoel.com - some nice views of Earth from space. Please rate and comment, thanks! Credit: NASA.

By: CoconutScienceLab

See the rest here:

The Earth From Orbit - Satellite and Space Station Views Our Planet | Science Video - Video

Russian cargo craft departs International Space Station

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An unpiloted Russian Progress cargo ship departed the International Space Station (ISS) early Monday, clearing the way for Moscow's next space freighter.

The ISS Progress 49 resupply ship undocked from the rear port of the stations Zvezda service module at 8:02 a.m. EDT after more than five months at the orbiting complex.

From a window in the Russian segment of the station, Russian crew members photographed the automated departure as the cargo craft fired its thrusters to move a safe distance away from the complex.

After several days of thruster firings to help calibrate Russian radar systems on the ground, Progress 49 will re-enter Earth's atmosphere on Sunday, April 21 and will burn up over the Pacific Ocean. Progress resupply ships are not designed to be recovered, so, like its predecessors, Progress 49 was filled with trash and station discards after its cargo was unloaded.

Progress 49 delivered nearly three tons of supplies for the station crew when it docked to the station a little less than six hours after launch on Oct. 31. It should be noted that this was the second of three Progress launches in a row that used an abbreviated launch-to-rendezvous schedule instead of following the typical two-day flight profile to reach the station.

Progress 49's departure clears the way for the arrival of the ISS Progress 51 cargo craft. Loaded with more than 3 tons of food, fuel, supplies and experiment hardware for the six crew members aboard the orbital laboratory, Progress 51 is scheduled to launch from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan at 6:12 a.m. (4:12 p.m. Kazakh time) Wednesday, April 24, and dock to the station two days later.

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Russian cargo craft departs International Space Station

Mayor Vincent Gray plans space station simulator for D.C. students

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NASA has stopped sending shuttles into space, but D.C. students soon may get their chance to experience life among the stars.

D.C. Mayor Vincent Gray plans to open a space education center, featuring a space station simulator, in the DC Public Schools system, he revealed in his fiscal 2014 budget. Though the so-called Challenger Center for Space Education does not have a designated location, it is expected to include "a two-room simulator that consists of a space station, complete with communications, medical, life and computer science equipment, and a mission control room patterned after NASA's Johnson Space Center and a space lab ready for exploration," according to the budget proposal.

It is expected to cost $1.5 million to design, $1 million of which has already been approved in a previous year's budget. Gray's fiscal 2014 budget proposal includes the remaining $500,000.

The facility would be part of the national Challenger Center for Space Science Education, which oversees a network of centers offering programs in science, technology, engineering and math, or STEM. There are 41 centers across the United States, as well as one each in Canada, South Korea and Britain.

Prince George's County Public Schools has operated one of the centers since 1989. The simulator, located at the Howard B. Owens Science Center in Lanham, caters largely to sixth-grade students.

Following the instructions of the teacher -- or "lead flight commander" -- students enter the S.S. Friendship through an airlock door. The students spend two hours performing a variety of experiments -- studying magnetism in rocks, for example, and body weight in zero gravity. While half the class spends an hour in the mock space station, the other half is in mission control, watching the action on Mars via two cameras.

"This is a very good simulation of what it would be like in real life, if they were really in space and really in mission control, which in this case happens to be on Mars," said Russell Waugh, the program's outreach teacher. "This is based on a futuristic style of spacecraft that we're imagining in the year 2076."

Unlike most of the existing centers, the District's "will not only serve D.C. students and teachers, but will also be a national flagship STEM education facility," said Challenger Center spokeswoman Lisa Vernal. "The center will include the next-generation Challenger Learning Center, a model for all of our centers around the globe, and an environment to support workforce development; a state-of-the-art STEM-focused research and development laboratory; and a professional development facility for educators."

Once implemented, DCPS will work to align the program's offerings with science curricula, said DCPS spokeswoman Melissa Salmanowitz, though she said Gray's office is leading the project.

Gray spokesman Pedro Ribeiro said the mayor is excited about the program and directed additional questions to the national program office.

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Mayor Vincent Gray plans space station simulator for D.C. students

Gallery: Behind the scenes at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center

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Ars spent the better part of a week at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC)in Huntsville, Alabama, gathering material for our pieces on the Saturn V's F-1 resurrection and testing and the new F-1B rocket engine that's being developed right now. In the process, we got to peek into a number of different areas of MSFC not open to the general public, including manufacturing, training, and operations areas. I took over a thousand photographs over the time I was there, and couldn't resist showing them off. Below are the 40 best images from our tour of Marshall, the birthplace of the Saturn V rocket and the place where NASA's latest launch vehicle is being designed.

A late-afternoon moon peeking over the edge of the engine interface panel on one of Marshall Space Flight Center's outdoor F-1 rockets.

Lee Hutchinson

A late-afternoon moon peeking over the edge of the engine interface panel on one of Marshall Space Flight Center's outdoor F-1 rockets.

Lee Hutchinson

Detail of F-1 engine F-6049. The gas generator from this engine was pulled, reconditioned, and test-fired more than 20 times by the team at MSFC and Dynetics.

Lee Hutchinson

More detail on F-6049. The missing gas generator fits on the upper portion of the rocket. Its cloth-covered attachment points are visible.

Lee Hutchinson

Close detail of the upper nozzle of one of the F-1 engines in storage at MSFC. This portion of the nozzle is constructed of steel tubes brazed together and bound with hoops like a barrel. RP-1 fuel was circulated through the tubes to cool the nozzle.

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Gallery: Behind the scenes at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center

NASA provides update on Orion spacecraft

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CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -

Three years after President Barack Obama directed NASA to send astronauts to an asteroid by 2025, NASA is making phenomenal progress toward that goal, agency officials said on Monday. Whats more, NASA is thrilled with the prospect of moving up that goal by four years as proposed in the 2014 budget delivered to Congress by the White House last week, officials said.

We have lots of work ahead of us on that challenging and complex mission, said Dan Dumbacher, NASAs deputy associate administrator for exploration system development. But NASA is up to the challenge and the team you see here is ready to take it on.

Local 6 News partner Florida Today reports that Dumbacher and other NASA officials gathered at Kennedy Space Center in the same building where Obama issued the 2025 asteroid challenge three years ago Monday.

KSC Director Robert Cabana, a former astronaut, noted that the building, an empty high bay in April 2010, is now a fully operations production facility for NASAs Orion crew exploration vehicle. Built by Lockheed Martin, the Orion spacecraft will ferry astronauts on missions to asteroids and other destinations beyond Earth orbit.

Obamas 2014 budget includes a proposal to lasso an asteroid with a robotic spacecraft and tow it back to an orbit on the far side of the moon. Astronauts on the first piloted Orion spaceflight in 2021 then would rendezvous with the ancient space rock and return samples to Earth.

The first test flight of an Orion spacecraft is scheduled to launch in September 2014 on a United Launch Alliance Delta IV Heavy rocket at Launch Complex 37 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station.

The spacecraft, which is being assembled in the production facility, will fly loops around Earth at an altitude of 3,600 miles and then reenter the atmosphere at a velocity that will simulate a return from an asteroid, the moon or Mars.

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NASA provides update on Orion spacecraft

NASA's Wallops Island facility in Va. prepares for the spotlight with Antares rocket launch

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WALLOPS ISLAND, Va. - On one of Virginia's small barrier islands, a NASA facility that operates in relative obscurity outside scientific circles is preparing to be thrust into the spotlight.

On Wednesday, Orbital Sciences Corp. plans to conduct the first test launch of its Antares rocket under a NASA program in which private companies deliver supplies to the International Space Station. If all goes as planned, the unmanned rocket's practice payload will be vaulted into orbit from Wallops Island before burning up in the atmosphere on its return to Earth several months later.

The goal of the launch isn't to connect with the space station, but to make sure the rocket works and that a simulated version of a cargo ship that will dock with space station on future launches separates into orbit. Orbital officials say that should occur about 10 minutes after liftoff.

In that short period of time, Wallops Island will transition from a little-known launch pad for small research rockets to a major player in the U.S. space program.

The Wallops Flight Facility on Virginia's rural Eastern Shore is small in comparison to major NASA centres like those in Florida, California and Texas. The site is near Maryland and just south of Chincoteague Island, which attracts thousands of tourists each summer for an annual wild pony swim made famous by the 1947 novel "Misty of Chincoteague." The Eastern Shore is dominated by forests and farmland, and Wallops Island's isolated nature, with marshland to its west and the Atlantic Ocean to its east, has also made it home to a Navy surface warfare combat centre.

Those who work at Wallops Island joke that even people living on the Eastern Shore are surprised to learn about rocket launches there.

In fact, more than 16,000 rockets have been launched from Wallops Island since 1945, but none has drawn the attention of Antares. Most of the launches are suborbital and focus on educational and research programs.

"The real transformation here at Wallops is we've always been kind of a research facility," said William Wrobel, the facility's director. "So this transition is really kind of into an operational phase, where we're going to be doing kind of regular flights out of here to the space station."

A successful launch would pave the way for Dulles-based Orbital to demonstrate that it can connect its unmanned Cygnus cargo ship with the space station this summer. If that's successful, Orbital would launch the first of eight resupply missions from the island in the fall under a $1.9 billion NASA contract.

Orbital has been in the commercial space business for more than 30 years, producing small satellites and rockets for NASA and the military. Antares marks the company's first venture in medium-size rockets, which can carry twice as much of a payload as other rockets it produces.

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NASA's Wallops Island facility in Va. prepares for the spotlight with Antares rocket launch

NASA hopes to make water on the moon

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NASA

Not so parched? The dry-looking lunar landscape as seen by the Apollo astronauts.

By Irene KlotzDiscovery News

NASA is developing a lunar rover to find and analyze water and other materials trapped in deep freezes at the moons poles and to demonstrate how water can be made on site.

Slated to fly in November 2017, the mission, called Regolith and Environment Science and Oxygen and Lunar Volatile Extraction (RESOLVE), will have a week to accomplish its goals.

To stay within a tight $250 million budget cap -- including the rocket ride to the moon -- project managers are planning to use solar energy to power the rovers systems and science instruments. However, sunlight on the places where water and other volatiles may be trapped only occurs for a few days at a time.

NEWS: Probe Finds Moon's Shackleton Crater Pretty Dry

To do a mission of any significance (at the lunar poles) it would take nuclear power, but we dont have that kind of money, said William Larson, a recently retired project manager at NASAs Kennedy Space Center.

Solar-powered missions are more affordable and thats the way were going to try to go, Larson said.

That leaves scientists with along to-do list and a very tight timeline.

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NASA hopes to make water on the moon

NASA Marks Third Anniversary of Obama Support of Space at Kennedy

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CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- NASA marked the third anniversary Monday of President Obama's speech at the agency's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, where he laid out a plan to ensure the United States will remain the world's leader in space exploration.

Obama's plan includes reaching new destinations, such as an asteroid by 2025 and Mars in the 2030s, using NASA's Space Launch System (SLS) rocket and the Orion spacecraft. During an anniversary event at Kennedy's Operations and Checkout Building, where Orion spacecraft is being processed for a 2014 flight test, Kennedy Space Center Director Robert Cabana and human spaceflight officials showcased Orion's crew module.

"Three years ago today, the president was here in an empty high bay challenging us to go to an asteroid by 2025, said Cabana. "Today, this is a world-class production facility with a flight article, a flight vehicle, Orion, getting ready to fly next year. We've made tremendous progress in our transition to the future. And now with the announcement from the budget rollout last week about our plans to retrieve an asteroid and send a crew to it, we're moving forward to meet the president's challenge."

Following the president's 2010 visit to Kennedy, Congress passed the bipartisan NASA Authorization Act of 2010. The agency continues to implement the ambitious national space exploration plan outlined in the act. It will enable scientific discovery and technological developments for years to come and make critical advances in aerospace and aeronautics to benefit the American people.

"I am very proud of the progress the NASA team has made over the past three years to meet the President's challenge, aligning our capabilities in human spaceflight, technology and science to capture an asteroid, relocate it and send astronauts to explore it," said NASA Administrator Charles Bolden in a statement. "The president's budget for next year advances a strategic plan for the future that builds on U.S. preeminence in science and technology, improves life on Earth and protects our home planet, while creating well-paying jobs and strengthening the American economy."

The 2014 flight test will be the first launch of Orion. NASA also is progressing toward a launch of Orion on top of the SLS rocket during a 2017 flight test.

SLS is essential to America's future in human spaceflight and scientific exploration of deep space. It will take humans beyond Earth orbit to an asteroid and Mars. Ground systems development and operations to support launches of SLS and Orion from Kennedy also are well into development. The SLS Program is on track to complete the rocket's preliminary design review this summer. The tools needed to build SLS's massive structure and fuel tanks are being installed at NASA's Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans. The process will include one of the largest welding tools ever built.

In addition, the agency is working with the private sector to develop a strong commercial capability to deliver cargo and crew to low-Earth orbit. The Boeing Co. of Houston plans to use a former space shuttle hangar at Kennedy to process its CST-100 vehicle, one of several spacecraft in development for commercial providers to take astronauts to low-Earth orbit from American soil in the next four years.

The agency continues to develop technologies for traveling farther into space, such as solar electric propulsion, which will power a mission to capture an asteroid and return it to an orbit nearer to Earth. Then astronauts will launch from Kennedy aboard an SLS rocket and fly to the asteroid to study it in an Orion spacecraft by as early as 2021.

For more information about NASA's ongoing work in human spaceflight, visit:

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NASA Marks Third Anniversary of Obama Support of Space at Kennedy