Monthly Archives: March 2014

NASA research could lead to predicting sinkholes

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WASHINGTON Radar images taken from planes or satellites could someday be used to predict where sinkholes might form a potential boon for Florida, the nations sinkhole capital.

The possibility of an early-warning system stems from new NASA research into a monstrous sinkhole that opened in Louisiana in 2012, forcing the evacuation of hundreds of residents.

Two NASA researchers examined radar images of the sinkhole area near Bayou Corne, La. Cathleen Jones and Ron Blom discovered that the ground near Bayou Corne began shifting at least a month before the sinkhole formed as much as 10 inches toward where the sinkhole started. Since its formation, the sinkhole has expanded to 25 acres and is still growing.

The NASA findings raise the possibility that engineers eventually could develop a way to predict the location of sinkholes. It would require the constant collection and monitoring of the Earths surface with radar data collected from planes or satellites.

Its not a magic bullet, Blom said. But it could be one more tool in a tool kit.

The radar images studied by the two NASA scientists were part of the agencys ongoing effort to monitor the Louisiana coast, which is rapidly sinking into the Gulf of Mexico. Although the Louisiana images were taken from a research jet, the scientists said a satellite with similar technology could do the same job.

And though such a system wouldnt be cheap the price of building and launching a satellite usually is in the hundreds of millions of dollars the gains could be significant. In Florida alone, sinkholes cause about that much property damage each year.

Although there are no recent state data on sinkhole damage, a 2010 report by the Florida Office of Insurance Regulation estimated that sinkholes each year cost the state $200 million to $400 million.

Thousands of claims related to sinkholes were made and closed in recent years. In 2009 alone, there were about 4,700 closed claims and 2,600 open claims, according to the report. The majority of claims tallied by state officials were from three counties Hernando, Pasco and Hillsborough along Floridas west coast though Orange and Polk were in the top 10 statewide from 2006 to 2010.

In one high-profile case last year, a sinkhole wrecked villas at Summer Bay Resort near Walt Disney World, forcing residents to evacuate.

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NASA research could lead to predicting sinkholes

PSTI to Present Poster on GvHD & Panel Discussion at BIRAX Regenerative Medicine Conference – Video

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PSTI to Present Poster on GvHD Panel Discussion at BIRAX Regenerative Medicine Conference
HAIFA, Israel, March 25, 2014 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Pluristem Therapeutics, Inc. (PSTI) (TASE:PLTR), a leading developer of placenta-based cell therapies, toda...

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PSTI to Present Poster on GvHD & Panel Discussion at BIRAX Regenerative Medicine Conference - Video

Orange Confidential: 100 students signed up for med school

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Published: 2:00 AM - 03/30/14

Construction is all done at the soon-to-be medical school in the former Horton Hospital building in Middletown.

They have also accepted 100 of the 135 students who will make up the first year's class, said Jerry Cammarata, dean of student affairs and chief operating officer for Touro College of Osteopathic Medicine's Middletown campus.

Classes will start at the end of July, and the school is planning a grand opening ceremony over Labor Day weekend.

The medical school will only take up about a quarter of the old hospital. Developer Tony Danza is looking to rent out the rest of the space, with an eye toward medically related uses.

The college has been in the works for several years, since it was announced that Horton would consolidate with Goshen's Arden Hill Hospital at Orange Regional Medical Center in the Town of Wallkill.

Touro is headquartered in New York City and has a number of campuses in the U.S. and abroad.

Nathan Brown

The Town of Wallkill is looking for 8 to 10 residents to serve on a committee to help decide how to spend the $3 million in federal storm mitigation money the town is getting.

Town Supervisor Dan Depew said they are looking for people who aren't elected officials, who live in the town and were affected by storms Irene, Lee or Sandy. It will entail eight to 10 meetings over the next six or seven months; committee members will need to review studies the town has already done and give input on what the town should do now.

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Orange Confidential: 100 students signed up for med school

Lowering Your Cholesterol May Improve Your Sex Life

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Newswise New Brunswick, N.J. -- A new study is giving hope to older men who are concerned about the effects of cholesterol-lowering medications on their sexual health. The study by researchers at Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School indicates that statin medication prescribed to lower cholesterol and decrease the chance of having a heart attack and stroke, also improves a mans erectile function. The investigators presented their findings today at the American College of Cardiologys Annual Scientific Session and simultaneously released the study in The Journal of Sexual Medicine.

Older men who have poor cardiovascular health, diabetes or metabolic syndrome often experience erectile dysfunction and the prevalence of these diseases is expected to increase, said John B. Kostis, MD, professor of medicine, director of the Cardiovascular Institute at Robert Wood Johnson Medical School and the studys principal investigator. Our research indicates that statins not only improve cardiovascular health and reduce the risk of stroke and heart attack, but also improve erectile function in the men included in our analysis.

Dr. Kostis suggested that ED may serve as a warning sign of cardiovascular disease. Similar to a canary in a coal mine, he said.

In such patients, prescribing statins following the detection of cardiovascular disease could offer early benefits in addition to improved sexual function. He cautioned, however, that until further study is conducted, statins should not be prescribed for erectile dysfunction alone or when it may be caused by psychosocial factors. Kostis added that further study is needed to determine the link between statin therapy and the improvement of erectile function.

Ultimately, a healthy lifestyle is the best method to prevent disease, including erectile dysfunction, said Kostis. But statin therapy has been proven to provide long-term benefits in reducing cardiovascular disease and the detrimental consequences associated with it. Offering statin therapy to improve erectile function may extend these benefits further.

Kostis added that he hopes this added benefit of statins on better erectile performance will encourage men to adhere to taking the medication as prescribed by their physician.

The study is a meta-analysis of 11 randomized controlled research studies on erectile dysfunction and statins that all used the International Inventory of Erectile Function a self-reporting evaluation of male sexual function that is considered the standard of measurement in clinical trials of ED. There was no relationship of the average age of trial participants and the degree of LDL cholesterol lowering of statin with the outcome of the analysis.

About Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School As one of the nation's leading comprehensive medical schools, Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, part of Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, is dedicated to the pursuit of excellence in education, research, health care delivery, and the promotion of community health. In cooperation with Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital, the medical school's principal affiliate, they comprise New Jersey's premier academic medical center. In addition, Robert Wood Johnson Medical School has 34 other hospital affiliates and ambulatory care sites throughout the region.

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Lowering Your Cholesterol May Improve Your Sex Life