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DENR-IX joins the 38th National Nutrition Month (NNM) Celebration

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by H. A. Ascura/DENR-IX PR

The Department of Environment and Natural Resources Region -IX, has conducted various activities in support to the observance of the National Nutrition Month (NNM) pursuant to Presidential Proclamation No. 491 or the Nutrition Act of the Philippines with this years theme Pagkain ng gulay ugaliin, araw-araw itong ihain.

Regional Executive Director (RED) Arleigh J. Adorable led his officials and employees in attending a Nutrition Seminar which was held last July 9, 2012 at the Office of the RED Covered Court DENR, Sta. Maria, Pagadian City, Zamboanga Del Sur.

Nutrition Officer III Nimfa D. Ekong from the National Nutrition Council- Zamboanga City was the resource speaker. According to her, the month long observance aims to increase vegetable consumption; promote vegetable gardening as a source of additional food and income; and increase demand for vegetables can help local vegetable farmers.

In her power point presentation, Ms. Ekong explained the rationale of the NNM theme: 1) Filipinos are eating less and less vegetables. Based on food consumption surveys conducted by Dept. of Science & Technology (DOST) Food & Nutrition Research Institute (FNRI), Filipinos on average are eating less and less vegetables per day in the last three (3) decades. From 145 grams per day of vegetables in 1978, consumption has decreased to 110 grams per day in 2008. Based on the 2012 NNM Talking Points, the World Health Organization (WHO) recommends eating a minimum of 400 grams of vegetables and fruits per day which is equivalent to five (5) servings per day with 3 servings of vegetables per day. 2) Vegetables as part of a healthy diet can help prevent major non-communicable disease. Adequate consumption of fruits and vegetables reduces the risk for cardiovascular diseases, stomach cancer, and colorectal cancer. 3) Consumption of vegetables can help micronutrient deficiencies. Eating a variety of vegetables together with fruits ensures an adequate intake of most micronutrients, dietary fibers and a host of essential non-nutrient substances. 4) Having vegetable gardens in the household can increase supply and availability of vegetables for families. Only 67.7% or 7 out of every 10 households had vegetable gardens or fruit trees based on the 2008 National Nutrition Survey.

Ms. Ekong made mention that malunggay plant (from its roots, barks, leaves, flowers, fruits and seeds) contains more nutritional value compared to other vegetables. She also shared technique on how to cook vegetables mixed with malunggay fruits.

The display of NNM streamer, press release as well as the conduct of radio program and guesting over DXKP-RPN in Pagadian City were undertaken by DENRs public affairs office to raise public awareness and participation while the livehood training-workshop was sponsored by DENRs Gender and Development (GAD) in cooperation with Technical Education and Skills Development Administration (TESDA) -ZDS Provincial Office.

For the latest Zamboanga City and Philippine news stories and videos, visit ZamboTimes.com

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DENR-IX joins the 38th National Nutrition Month (NNM) Celebration

New School Cafeteria Guidelines Make A Healthier Back-To-School Season

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SANTA MONICA, Calif., July 30, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- When students arrive at school this fall, their cafeteria will look a lot different. School meals must meet new federal nutrition standards requiring more whole grains, fresh fruits and vegetables and less sodium and calories, as detailed in an article in the July issue of Food Nutrition & Science.

"With the ever-increasing childhood obesity rates, the government had to step in and help guide schools to provide healthier options for children," says Phil Lempert, founder of Food Nutrition & Science and CEO of The Lempert Report and SupermarketGuru.com. "I support these efforts and am confident the better foods will not only help their bodies, but their minds too."

Every school meal will come with fat free or 1percent milk to provide the calcium kids need for strong bones, and lunch entrees will meet strict limits on saturated and trans fats. Cafeterias will serve a wider variety of vegetables each week, including vitamin packed choices like broccoli, sweet potatoes and red pepper strips, and more fiber-rich beans and legumes.

Also in this month's issue results from a recent study from the Economic Research Service that shows price increases for some high-calorie foods and beverages can lead to lower children's BMI (body mass index). According to the study, a 10 percent increase in the price of sodas lowered BMI .42 percent over a year, and that same increase in the price of 100 percent juices and starchy vegetables lowered BMI .3 percent over a year.

Among other informative articles, this month also includes an interview with Deb Roussou, author of 350 Best Vegan Recipes, and Jerry Lynch, chief sustainability officer for General Mills.

About Food Nutrition & Science With more than 26,000 readers, Food Nutrition & Science is the only monthly newsletter created for all food industry players to communicate about the safest, most efficient and healthiest ways to get food to our plates. Founded by food industry analyst and CEO of The Lempert Report and SupermarketGuru.com Phil Lempert, Food Nutrition & Science provides readers analysis and offers discussions on all issues relating to the food industry. To learn more about healthy foods, trends, recipes and maneuvering the supermarket download "Smarter Shopping with Phil Lempert," a state-of the-art mobile app available at iTunes.

For more information or to subscribe to Food Nutrition & Science, please visit http://www.FoodNutritionScience.com.

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New School Cafeteria Guidelines Make A Healthier Back-To-School Season

City, school longevity pay tops $9M

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Home > News City, school longevity pay tops $9M By Thor Jourgensen / The Daily Item

LYNN Taxpayers paid $9.2 million in longevity pay extra money given to most city employees after theyve worked a certain number of years in 2012, according to city records.

That amount included $6.4 million paid in longevity to 1,254 school employees last year, according to School Business Administrator Kevin McHugh. Another $2.7 million paid to almost 600 other city workers represents a three-fold increase in longevity pay during the last 20 years.

McHugh said about 730 school employees do not receive longevity.

Mayor Judith Flanagan Kennedy said city employees receive the money regardless of how theyve performed.

It is a perk, a bonus paid not for any merit, said the citys chief labor contract negotiator.

School Committee member Rick Starbard agreed, saying longevity awards all city and school workers.

You can be a super teacher or a crappy teacher, come five years, youre getting longevity, he said.

Described in a statement from Police Association President William Sharpe as wage increases that are tied to the number of years an employee remains employed..., longevity has been a half century-old staple of municipal bargaining contracts, according to union officials.

I see longevity as an incentive for qualified, experienced employees to remain on the job, said Roger Ennis, the citys chief inspector and president of a city union representing about 50 municipal supervisors and school nurses.

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City, school longevity pay tops $9M

DNA damage in roofers possible cancer link

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AURORA, Colo., July 29 (UPI) -- Roofers and road workers who use asphalt are exposed to high levels of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, which may up their cancer risk, U.S. researchers say.

Dr. Berrin Serdar of the Colorado Cancer Center and the Colorado School of Public Health said roofers have higher PAH blood-levels after a shift than before and that these high levels of PAHs are linked with increased rates of DNA damage, and potentially with higher cancer risk.

"We've known for some time that roofers and road workers have higher cancer rates than the general population, but we also know roofers have a higher rates of smoking, alcohol use and higher ultraviolet radiation exposure than the general population, and so it's been difficult to pinpoint the cause of higher cancer rates -- was it due to higher PAHs or is it due to lifestyle and other risk factors?" Serdar asked.

Serdar and colleagues at the University of Miami, studied 19 roofers from four work sites in Miami-Dade County and tested their urine -- before and after a 6-hour shift.

After acute exposure to hot asphalt, PAH biomarkers were elevated and were highest among workers who didn't use protective gloves and workers who reported burns.

"We can't say with certainty that exposure to hot asphalt causes roofers' increased cancer rate," Serdar said in a statement, "but that possibility is becoming increasingly likely. Hot asphalt leads to PAH exposure, leads to higher PAH leads to higher PAH biomarkers, leads to increased DNA damage."

The study was published in the British Medical Journal Open.

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DNA damage in roofers possible cancer link

Posted in DNA

Federal DNA backlog remains clear since September 2010

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MANATEE -- DNA of Delmer Smith, whose murder trial begins with jury selection at 9 a.m. today, was not found in the Terra Ceia home of Kathleen Briles who was allegedly bludgeoned to death Aug. 3, 2009 with an antique sewing machine.

His DNA was, however, found in four Sarasota homes he allegedly robbed, attacking the women who lived there, prior to Briles' death.

The only problem was police could not identify the person behind the attacks because the DNA was not logged in the FBI's database.

Smith's DNA was taken in March 2008 while he was serving time in federal prison for a bank robbery. It was placed with thousands of other DNA samples waiting to be processed by the FBI.

When the Sarasota County Sheriff's Office sent off the DNA found at crime scenes on Feb. 22, March 7, March 14 and May 22, no matches were found.

Smith was first identified as the suspect in more than 10 home invasion robberies in Manatee and Sarasota counties after he got into a bar fight in Venice. Because he was on probation police searched his belongings, finding several items allegedly stolen in the previous home invasions.

Smith's DNA was fast-tracked into the system and matched the samples found at the Sarasota crime scenes.

DNA does not play a role in the Briles' case, but local law enforcement agencies rely on it in many instances.

"We send DNA from crime scenes off for analysis all the time. It makes cases," said Manatee County Sher

iff Brad Steube.

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Federal DNA backlog remains clear since September 2010

Posted in DNA

Fruit Flies Light the Way for A*STAR Scientists to Pinpoint Genetic Changes that Spell Cancer

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Singapore, July 30, 2012 - (ACN Newswire) - By studying fruit flies, scientists at A*STAR's Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology (IMCB) have successfully devised a fast and cost-saving way to uncover genetic changes that have a higher potential to cause cancer. With this new approach, researchers will now be able to rapidly distinguish the range of genetic changes that are causally linked to cancer (i.e. "driver" mutations) versus those with limited impact on cancer progression. This research paves the way for doctors to design more targeted treatment against the different cancer types, based on the specific cancer-linked mutations present in the patient. This study published in the prestigious journal Genes & Development could help advance the development of personalised medicinein cancer care and treatment.

The era of genomic sequencing has generated an unparalleled wealth of information on the complexity of genetic changes that occur as cancer develops and progresses. "Many genetic changes arise in cancer cells and changes continue to accumulate during the progression of disease to metastatic cancer[1]. The current challenge is to understand which of the many genetic changes are important drivers of disease progression" said Dr. Stephen Cohen, Principal Investigator at IMCB and team leader of this paper.

Though very different in many ways, fruit flies and humans share similarities in a remarkable two-thirds of their genomes. That is to say, many of the genes found in humans are also present in the flies. Similarly, various signalling pathways involved in tumour formation are also well conserved from fruit flies to humans. In fact, previous studies have shown that about 75 percent of known human disease genes have a recognisable match in the genome offruit flies[2].

Leveraging on their genetic similarities, Dr Hector Herranz, a post-doctorate from the Dr Cohen's team developed an innovative strategy to genetically screen the whole fly genome for "cooperating" cancer genes. On their own, theseare the genes that appear to be harmless and have little or no impact on cancer. But in fact, they cooperate with other cancer genes, so that the combination causes aggressive cancer, which neither would cause alone.

In this study, the team was specifically looking for genes that could cooperate with EGFR[3] "driver" mutation, a genetic change commonly associated with breast and lung cancers in humans. SOCS5, reported in this paper, is one of the several new "cooperating" cancer genes to beidentified through this innovative approach. Most of these new-found genes have yet to be identified as cancer genes in human or mouse models.

Said Mr Xin Hong, a PhD student and the co-first author of this paper, "We were very surprised by our finding because this it the first time that the Socs gene family is found to be linked to cancer. Previously it has only been associated with immunological disorders."

Dr. Cohen added, "Though these studies are in the early stages, they are very promising. Already, there are indications that levels of SOCS5 expression are reduced in breast cancer, and patients with low levels of SOCS5 have poor prognosis."

The IMCB team is preparing to explore the use of SOCS5 as a biomarker in diagnosis forcancer.

Said Professor Wanjin Hong, Executive Director of IMCB, "This study sheds light on the complexities of cancer genetics and paves the way to accelerate development of personalised medicine in cancer care. It is a fine examples of how powerful genetic approach using the fly model can reveal molecular mechanisms underlying human cancer. More importantly, it shows how fundamental research can have far-reaching applications for potential clinical benefits."

Notes for editor: The research findings described in this media release can be found in the 15 July 2012 issue of Genes & Developmentunder the title, "Oncogenic cooperation between SOCS family proteins and EGFR identified using a Drosophila epithelial transformation model" Hector Herranz[1,5], Xin Hong[1,2,5], Nguyen Thanh Hung[3], P. Mathijs Voorhoeve[3,4] and Stephen M. Cohen[1,2,6].

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Fruit Flies Light the Way for A*STAR Scientists to Pinpoint Genetic Changes that Spell Cancer

Dr. Mao’s Wellness Central: Cool Down With Salads This Summer Season

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Courtesy Photo

The long, hot days of summer dont offer much encouragement for cooking in the kitchen over a hot stove. Instead, why not take advantage of the bounty of local seasonal fruits and veggies and cool yourself down with a fresh salad?

Salads are not only quick and simple to make, but with the right ingredients they can also bring you some serious health benefits. Start by choosing organic, locally-grown produce, which is packed with added nutrients and picked after it has ripened naturally. Studies regularly emerge about the hazardous effects of pesticides and herbicides used on commercial crops: cancer risk, inflammation, and reproductive imbalance, among other dangers. Pick food grown close to home: its better for your health, better for the environment, supports your local farmers, and has an unbeatable taste!

One item to note: Eating raw food all the time requires more energy for digestion and tends to put out the digestive fire, so dont forgo the stove altogether. As you will see below, many of these salads require some cooking as well.

1. Classic Beet Salad

Steam beets and slice into a salad of mixed greens and sliced avocado with a handful of pine nuts and walnuts. If you want to bulk up the salad, add crumbled soft tofu or shredded chicken.

What is this salad doing for you? This is an all-in-one anti-aging salad. Beets contain powerful nutrients that help protect against heart disease, birth defects, and cancer, especially colon cancer. The avocado and pine nuts are healthy fats and walnuts have omega-3 fatty acids, which bring heart health benefits.

2. Cooling Cucumber Salad

Thinly slice cucumbers, removing the peel if you prefer, and toss with red onions. Let this sit for 30 minutes, then top with apple cider vinegar mixed with Dijon mustard.

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Dr. Mao’s Wellness Central: Cool Down With Salads This Summer Season

Nutrition council acts on malnutrition cases

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Sunday, July 29, 2012

BANGUED, Abra -- Members of the Provincial Nutrition Council (PNC) has been doubling efforts to trim down malnutrition rate in the province, the highest in the Cordillera Administrative Region.

As part of the various activities being carried out like health education, the PNC is going around the province this Nutrition Month, checking on the implementation of the nutrition programs of the municipal health units.

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Abra has the highest rate of malnutrition in the entire Cordillera region, posting 12.77 percent malnutrition rate in 2011, but down from 14.25 percent malnutrition rate in 2010.

Mary June Adriatico-Algarne, provincial nutritionist, said a total of 4,138 children out of the 32,000 children in Abra are recorded as malnourished.

Per statistical report of the Abra Integrated Provincial Health Office, the following are the top 10 malnourished municipalities in the province: Danglas 26.34 percent; Pilar 22.36 percent; Lagangilang 21.86 percent; Tineg 19.04 percent; San Quintin 18.93 percent; San Isidro 18.26 percent; Malibcong 17.25 percent; Tayum 15.45 percent; Manabo 13.70 percent; and Boliney 12.90 percent.

Most of the malnourished children are those who are underweight, which Algarne said, could be attributed to poverty as indicated by the lack of food, especially vegetables and other nutritious food that are supposed to be given to children on a daily basis.

Aside from the inadequacy of food, another reason or cause of malnutrition is the inappropriate intake or wrong choices of food, especially among children, who love to eat junk foods.

The PNC effort is backed by Nutrition Month celebration's theme, Pagkain ng Gulay ugaliin; Araw-araw itong ihain to remind parents of the importance of giving their children vegetables and other nutritious food that boost the health condition of the family members. (Maritess Beas)

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Mauritius beach volleyball pair make Olympic debut

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LONDON

Two years ago, Elodie Li Yuk Lo quit her job teaching high school biology and physical education, left her family in Toronto and moved to France to train for the Olympics. In February, partner Natacha Rigobert also walked away from teaching and began the countdown to London.

These two are making history for Mauritius - as the first Olympic beach volleyball players from the tiny East African island nation.

They are enjoying the moment, high-fiving at every opportunity during practice and between points.

Word from supporters back home is that they're gaining popularity in the media and in ads now that the Olympics have begun. Rigobert's husband, professor of sports psychology Thierry Long, is coaching them during this special run.

Mariusz Prudel and Grzegorz Fijalek of Poland also are making their country's debut in a sport long dominated by just a few countries, like Australia, Brazil and the United States. Both the Polish team and the Mauritians will take to the sand for the second time during Monday's schedule.

While beach volleyball is a huge hit and one of the most popular and sexy Olympic competitions, it is still relatively new on the program since becoming a medal sport at the 1996 Atlanta Games. Still, the first-time Olympic athletes realize they play a part in educating those back home and elsewhere.

"It's amazing. We're just so happy to be here as the first team ever in our history from Mauritius," Rigobert said. "It's even more fantastic that it's beach volleyball because our island is surrounded by beautiful beaches. We hope this will bring the sport up in our country and in Africa."

The Mauritians are one of several new teams in the Olympic tournament at picturesque Horse Guards Parade after beach volleyball Olympic qualifying moved away from an all-rankings system.

Li Yuk Lo and Rigobert get their next chance in pool play in a Monday matchup with Lenka Hajeckova and Hana Klapalova of the Czech Republic after losing their Olympic opener Saturday to the Brazilian team of Juliana Silva and Larissa Franca, 21-5, 21-10.

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Mauritius beach volleyball pair make Olympic debut

94% of Pathologists Agree Digital Pathology Will Become Common Practice

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In the mid-1960s, a new slogan was introduced for Trident: "4 out of 5 dentists surveyed would recommend sugarless gum to their patients who chew gum." The phrase is believed to have been based on the results of a survey of practicing dentists with either D.D.S. or D.M.D. degrees, apparently conducted in the early 1960s, whose patients included frequent users of chewing gums; the percentage of respondents to the survey whose responses indicated they would make such references to their patients is believed to have been approximately 80%, rounded off to the nearest full percentage point, of the total number of respondents. It became strongly associated with the Trident brand. As of the last days of May 2010, however, Kraft Foods's Cadbury Adams group was not known to have made any public disclosures of any details about the survey, presumably citing the proprietary nature of the survey data and conclusions as its rationale.

Anyways, didn't you ever wonder who that 1 in 5 or 20% of dentists did not recommend Trident gum to their patients who chew gum?  

Now comes real data from real pathologists in a wide variety of practice settings courtesy of Laboratory Economics recent Digital Pathology Survey Summary.

A survey was e-mailed to approximately 5,000 hospital labs, independent labs and pathology groups this month.  A total of 174 surveys were judged usable, yielding a rate of 3.5%. Survey participants included 58 hospital labs, 18 academic medical centers, 52 independent labs, 14 esoteric reference labs and 32 pathology groups.

31% of respondents claim having a digital pathology system in place with another 20% claiming adding a system within 2 years.  Aperio has a 44% share with Ventana representing 29% of users and 27% claiming "Other". (Click on images to enlarge)

Usetrends
Usetrends
The main uses for digital pathology cited included HER2 scoring, education/training, second opinions/consultations, ER/PR scoring, primary clinical diagnosis, archiving specimens, clinical trials and autopsies.

Note the 20% (with multiple answers allowed by respondents) for Primary clinical diagnosis. A full 1 in 5 current users claim, among other uses, primary clinical diagnosis.  Bravo.  

Reasons respondents cited for lack of adoption and barriers to adoption included cost, microscope meets needs, data/storage concerns, speed, LIS integration (or perhaps lack thereof), reimbursement, limited test menu and time/patience to learn.  Not much new here.  Answers would have been identical 10 years ago. (Click on images to enlarge)

Usesfordp
Usesfordp

 

Last, but not least, when asked when will digital pathology become mainstream, specifically "How long before it becomes common practice for primary diagnosis of cancer?" 61% of respondents thought it would be within 10 years.  Another third thinks it will take more than 10 years.  Only 6% think Never.  

Mixed news here.  10 years ago people were saying "10 years" and nearly 2/3 of those people who responded to this survey who are using an Aperio or Ventana already or another system for HER2, ER/PR, education/training/archiving, consults or primary readers, by any account - adopters are thinking 5-10 years for "common practice" and another 33% think longer than that.

I guess I am in the minority if I chose less than 5 years as a pure percentage of repsondents.  The question did not tackle specific use cases but I think 5 years is an easily attainable number for a large number of hospitals, laboratories and groups to adopt the technology with tangible ROI for certain uses, tests or applications.  (Click on image to enlarge)

Someday I think we will wonder who these 6% of pathologists/laboratorians were...


94percentinmorethan10years

Source (and thanks to): Laboratory Economics for permission to reuse survey information and graphs/images.



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Kudos to CAP PIP Program

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For as long as I can remember I have done the quarterly performance improvement program in surgical pathology offered by CAP.

Essentially, the surgical pathology committee puts together an offering composed of 10 cases with questions, summaries and of course answers to the questions to test your knowledge.  

The slides are mailed during regular intervals, you review the slides, take the self-tests and review the write-ups and answers.

Attempts have been made over the years to convert all or parts of this highly analog experience to digital.  

At one time I recall getting a CD with some whole slide images for a set of cases.  I do not think this was marketable and most members did not support.  While perhaps less expensive to scan 10 slides each set than recuts dozens or hundreds and review for consistency, they did not take off back then.

Increasingly with the CAP Case of the Month I often highlight on this site as well as with their PIP program, whole slide imaging is increasingly used.

This last set offered Case 10 as a digital slide with questions/answers.  

Fantastic images, highly navigable, fast image refresh and view, zoom and focus speeds second to none.

And I got the right answer by looking at the image!

When will the entire PIP program be this good and fast?


 PIP10case

 

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Updates on ACOs from Orchard Software

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Premier_ACO_model_21

With the knowledge that major changes in healthcare are hovering just over horizon, one of the “fixes” to what is “broken” in our current system is the prospect of Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs)—organizations of providers that can potentially improve the way medicine is practiced and reduce costs.

In an effort to stay abreast of the healthcare changes, Orchard Software has put together some information to share on ACOs, including what they are and how they may impact the laboratory. There are five parts with the first three being ACOs 101, Measures and Meaningful Use, and Three Types of Accountable Care Organizations. Each part has its own focus and by the end of the series the reader will have a foundation for constructive conversation about ACOs.

201009sdp_cover_0The first part is called ACOs 101 due to its focus on the basics of ACOs. After reading this post, a reader should under- stand what an ACO is by definition and the three core principles that define all ACOs. The post also gives a history of how of the ACO movement started. Finally, ACOs 101 shares the requirements to become an ACO and what processes an ACO must define.

In the second part, Measures and Meaningful Use, the post introduces the 33 measures in the Final Rule on ACOs published by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. The post gives several examples of the four domains, which are patient experience, care coordination, preventive health, and at-risk population/chronic care. The post also shares how the ACO movement and Meaningful Use measures overlap.

AcoIn the third post regarding The Three Types of ACOs, the three models of ACOs are highlighted, which are the Medicare Shared Savings Program, Advance Payment Model, and Pioneer ACOs. Each model has its own benefits and advantages depending on a facility’s risk desire and immediate participation in the ACO movement.

This post was also released on the day that the Supreme Court upheld the Affordable Care Act. With this ruling, many of the ACO initiatives remain unchanged.

Check out the full blog at http://www.orchardsoft.com/blog and stay up to date on my issues impacting the laboratory industry.

 

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Leica SCN400 2.2 – Fast, Flexible Whole Slide Capture for Digital Pathology

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5-Channel Fluorescence Digital Pathology Scanning

    

 

 

WETZLAR, Germany, July 24, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Leica Microsystems announces the release of the SCN400 2.2 scanning platform. Batch processing in both brightfield and multi-channel fluorescence, coupled with user-friendly workflows, makes the SCN400 2.2 an all-round high performance solution for digital pathology scanning.

With up to 5 fluorescence channels per slide, the SCN400 2.2 provides a truly flexible whole slide scanning solution. The ability to capture multiple markers on a single sample, with clear focus and channel separation, ensures that researchers maximize results from precious or rare samples. Capacity for multiple filter cubes enables up to 7 distinct fluorescence channels to be utilized across a scanning batch, providing flexibility for the varied samples in research and pharmaceutical laboratories. 

The SCN400 2.2 is optimized to meet the requirements of both brightfield and fluorescence imaging in a single scanning platform. Monochrome detectors for fluorescence provide excellent separation of individual fluorophores that may be close in wavelength, while color detectors for brightfield provide excellent digital slide capture quality.

For brightfield imaging the advanced tissue finding system automatically identifies areas for capture, while Leica's patented Dynamic Focus removes the overhead of slide pre-mapping, rapidly scanning high quality whole slide images.  With the addition of the SL801 autoloader with capacity for 384 slides, the SCN400 2.2 becomes a truly automated high-throughput system.

Dr. Donal O'Shea, Head of Digital Pathology at Leica Microsystems, says "Providing a streamlined workflow for tissue-based research that facilitates quantitative analysis and flexible solutions for multi-user laboratories is a continued focus for Leica.  The advanced brightfield and fluorescence imaging capacity in this release provides an optimal single-platform scanner for the varied samples used by biomarker discovery and translational researchers."

Total Digital Pathology from Leica provides complete end-to-end solutions for scanning, management and analysis of digital pathology images. As part of this portfolio, the SCN400 2.2 provides unparalleled flexibility and performance, to make slide scanning a simple, integrated step in the pathology workflow.
To learn more about the SCN400 2.2, please visit:
http://www.leica-microsystems.com/products/digital-pathology/scan/details/product/leica-scn400-2/
http://www.leica-microsystems.com/products/digital-pathology/scan/details/product/leica-scn400-f/

Leica Microsystems is a world leader in microscopes and scientific instruments. Founded as a family business in the nineteenth century, the company's history was marked by unparalleled innovation on its way to becoming a global enterprise.

Its historically close cooperation with the scientific community is the key to Leica Microsystems' tradition of innovation, which draws on users' ideas and creates solutions tailored to their requirements. At the global level, Leica Microsystems is organized in three divisions, all of which are among the leaders in their respective fields: the Life Science Division, Industry Division and Medical Division.

The company is represented in over 100 countries with 6 manufacturing facilities in 5 countries, sales and service organizations in 20 countries, and an international network of dealers. The company is headquartered in Wetzlar, Germany.

Source: Leica Microsystems


 

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New robot will connect doctors, patients

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By Dan Adams Globe Correspondent/July 24, 2012
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    The 5-foot-4-inch, 140-pound “telemedicine” robot will be produced in partnership with InTouch Health of Santa Barbara, Calif., a maker of in-hospital robots, and is designed to help patients with health emergencies get more rapid treatment from specialists — especially at night, when hospital staff levels are lower, the company said.

    “Telemedicine is about getting the right expertise to the right place at the right time,” said InTouch chief executive Yulun Wang. “If a patient has a stroke and comes into the emergency room, you better get a stroke neurologist there quickly. Otherwise, through sheer delay, it can be a matter of life or death.”

    Called RP-VITA, the robot allows doctors to virtually visit patients in distant locations, carrying on conversations and even taking measurements in real time. Equipped with cameras, microphones, 3-D mapping sensors, a stethoscope, and a video screen “head” that automatically swivels to listen to voices, the robot transmits and receives video, audio, and navigation instructions over a Wi-Fi broadband connection.

    Doctors, patients, and hospital staff control the robot with a specialized terminal or via a software application that runs on Apple Inc.’s iPad tablet computer, and talk to one another using a Skype-like video chat displayed on the robot’s main screen.

    “I can get data I never had over the phone,” said Dr. Jason Knight, a pediatric emergency care physician at the Children’s Hospital of Orange County in California, who has been testing a prototype of the robot. “There’s never been one time I’ve used it and said, ‘That was a waste of time.’ I always see something I wouldn’t have otherwise.”

    In February, iRobot said it planned to widen its product range to reduce its dependence on defense contracts as the Pentagon executes plans to cut its budget by $450 billion over the next 10 years. The company, which also makes consumer products such as the Roomba vacuum robot, laid off 55 workers, or around 8 percent of its workforce, in October.

    The RP-VITA incorporates a number of design advances, according to iRobot senior vice president Glen Weinstein. The robot can interact in real-time with heart monitors, blood oxygenation sensors, ultrasound machines, and other diagnostic tools, to give doctors on the other end of the connection access to patient data. And where earlier hospital robots were steered manually, or wheeled from room to room by staffers, the RP-VITA can navigate to learned destinations on its own, avoiding obstacles along the way. It will even give a wider berth to people than it does to inanimate objects, like furnishings, as it roams the hallways.

    “The ability of our systems to work in a dynamic environment has only been mature for the last couple years,” said Weinstein. “From my perspective, this is the most sophisticated robot that’s been created. It’s really pulling together a significant amount of expertise that I don’t believe exists elsewhere in the world.”

    The RP-VITA is scheduled to be released late this year, and will cost between $4,000 and $6,000 per month to lease, according to iRobot.

    “From the patient perspective, the advantage is the rapidity. The faster you get a diagnosis and treatment, the better your outcome,” said Liz Boehm of ExperiaHealth, a patient experience consultant firm in San Francisco.

    The use of telemedicine robots is still very limited, said Boehm, who said some of the benefits can be realized simply through using the Skype video service. But either way, she said, patients can expect to see a growing use of remote communications technology in medicine.

    “For clinicians, the ability to be home more and not have calls be so onerous, that’s wonderful,” she said, “because the clinician is less likely to get burnt out by her job, and can give better care to more people.”

    Dan Adams can be reached at dadams@globe.com. Find him on Twitter at @DanielAdams86.

    © Copyright 2012 Globe Newspaper Company. 

    The 5-foot-4-inch, 140-pound telemedicine robot is designed to help patients with time-sensitive health emergencies get rapid treatment from specialists.The 5-foot-4-inch, 140-pound telemedicine robot is designed to help patients with time-sensitive health emergencies get rapid treatment from specialists.

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    UAB Division of Informatics to manage medical research data

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    Published: Monday, July 23, 2012, 9:00 AM


    BIRMINGHAM, Alabama -- Doctors and medical researchers are dealing with increasingly large sets of data. Genetic sequences, images from pathology biopsies and lab tests, and information about how patients respond to treatment, to name just a few. Along with this data are the bewildering names of new disciplines that try to make sense of this information overload -- genomics, proteomics, immunoproteomics, metabalomics, transcriptomics. And overarching all of this is an effort commonly called bioinformatics, which tries to use computing to find better ways to coordinate the data, make sense of it all and mine it for valuable discoveries.

    Which brings us to Jonas Almeida. Almeida is a recent addition to the University of Alabama at Birmingham medical center, recruited away from the prestigious University of Texas-MD Anderson Cancer Center in January 2011 to launch a newly formed Division of Informatics in the med school's pathology department.

    At MD Anderson as a professor of bioinformatics, Almeida was deeply involved in the Cancer Genome Atlas, a shared site for cancer data started with the help of National Cancer Institute funding in 2006. Its utility was seen just last week in a TCGA study of gene mutations in colon and rectal cancers.

    Researchers used the shared data to show that the patterns in colon and rectal cancers were the same, regardless of where they came from. This means the two are actually a single type of cancer. The discovery is considered an important step in understanding the foundations of that disease.

    An effort like the Atlas, Almeida said, takes advantage of "the cloud" -- a web-based set of programs and standardized data formats that allows researchers to build interactive masses of data. Almeida likened this use of the cloud to the popular pastime FarmVille, a farming simulation social network game.

    Another approach in informatics is seen in a paper Almeida and colleagues published Friday about a new app they created for image bioinformatics. This app, called ImageJS, is like one version of Angry Birds, because it operates inside a Google Chrome web browser.

    ImageJS started with a common pathology problem -- a patient has had a brain biopsy, and a slice of the brain has been put on a slide and stained with one dye to color the nuclei of cells and with another dye to create a different color in nuclei that are replicating.

    Normally a pathologist will look at an image of the stained cells and through individual skill and possible help from image processing software, figure how much replication is going on. A high amount means cancer.

    "Pathologists face two major problems that have been insoluble for many years," Almeida said in a telephone interview from Germany.

    First, they would run into difficulties about patient privacy if they had to send the images off to some other computer site to be analyzed, and any software they might want to put on their own hospital computers would create a security question.

    Second, if they wished to make any changes to the algorithms used to analyze images, they would need to get the software rewritten by its producer, and then go through the long and tedious process of getting that software cleared by the information technology folks.

    ImageJS, a simple and fast program written in JavaScript, sidesteps both of those problems.

    It lets the pathologist work at his or her own computer but avoids adding any new programming files to the computer. The ImageJS app does this by operating in a Google Chrome browser which acts as a "sandbox where code is executed without direct access to the machine's file system," Almeida, pathologist Dr. James Hackney and four other division of informatics colleagues wrote in their Journal of Pathology Informatics paper.

    Free code

    Furthermore, the code is freely available from hosting services such as GitHub and Google Code. Users will be able to write a few lines of code to slightly alter the image algorithms, something akin to an Angry Birds player being able to change the colors of the birds, Almeida said.

    While ImageJS addresses a pathology problem, it also doubles as an experiment in informatics. Almeida said he hopes to see it lead to interactions where researchers use and modify the app's simple architecture to build a collaborative computational ecosystem.

    [See Almedia's YouTube.com channel.]

    At UAB, the Portuguese-born Almeida has hired five faculty and now has about 15 researchers and staff in the informatics division.

    UAB pathology chairman Dr. Kevin Roth was the key to luring Almeida to UAB.

    "He offered me something that is special -- a strategic vision about the future," Almeida said. "He sees biostatistics and bioinformatics to be part of the tools of select medical centers."

    Almeida gave another example of the potential use of bioinformatics for clinicians -- shared cancer databases in the cloud where oncologists can find answers to questions that could improve patient care.

    Such questions, Almeida said, include, "What patients have been seen before that were like the one that I'm seeing? What happened to those patients? What drugs did they respond to?"

    Join the conversation by clicking to comment or email Hansen at jhansen@bhamnews.com.

     

     

    UAB-Jonas-Almedia.jpg
    UAB's Jonas Almedia and his
    colleagues created an app called ImageJS. (UAB.edu)

     

     

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    Morbid Anatomy Scholar in Residence and Star of TV's "Oddities" Evan Michelson on "The Midnight Archive"

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    The newest latest episode of The Midnight Archive--Ronni Thomas' fantastic documentary series centered around Brooklyn's Observatory--has just gone live! Entitled "Dealing in the Obscure," it features Morbid Anatomy Library Scholar in Residence, star of TV's "Oddities", and good friend/partner in crime Evan Michelson waxing poetic on the pleasures of time travel through material culture, why some people are drawn to darkness, and her own uncannily beautiful collection.

    To watch the episode, simply press play in the viewer above. More on the episode, in the words of director/creator Ronni Thomas:

    The Midnight Archive - Ep. 14 - Evan Michelson - It is a pleasure to have Evan Michelson, owner of the NYC epicenter of the odd 'Obscura Antiques' and star of Science Channel's "Oddities"' as a guest on our series. In what is certainly our most abstract and experimental episode, she quite eloquently puts into words why some of us are so drawn to certain objects, the dark, and the disturbing. Her house is, as she puts it, a literal library of the strange and esoteric. Each artifact houses a special story and emotion for its possessor. So enjoy a very psychedelic and surreal episode of the series and please make sure to like our facebook page for random tidbits of macabre history and events around the world! And be sure if in NYC or visiting to check our Obscura Antiques in the East Village - you will not be disappointed!

    For more on the series, to see any of the episodes, or to sign up for the mailing list and thus be alerted to future uploads, visit The Midnight Archive website by clicking here. You can also "like" it on Facebook--and be alerted in this way--by clicking here.

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    "Last Things and Other Forms," Herbert Pfostl and Jon Beacham

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    My friend Herbert Pfostl--who is also the curator of the outstanding New Museum Bookstore and author of the wonderful To Die No More--has a lovely looking exhibition with artist Jon Beacham. Entitled "Last Things and Other Forms," it will be on view until this Friday, July 27th, whence it will be ushered out by a closing party from 6:30 to 10. Looks to be a lovely show. You can find out more by clicking here.

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    Secure Your Hotel Room for Pathology Visions 2012 Today

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    2012 Register Now_HC
    Secure Your Hotel Room for Pathology Visions 2012 Today!
    Hotel Reservations Must be Received Prior to October 1, 2012

    The DPA has secured a special group rate for attendees of Pathology Visions at the Hilton Baltimore for a single and double occupancy room.

    ROOM RATE:hiltonbaltimore
    $189 Single/Double + tax

    Check-in: 3:00 PM
    Check-out: Noon
    Self Parking: $28, In/Out privilege
    Valet parking: $40, In/Out privilege

    For overnight guest room accommodations, please make reservations by clicking here
    or by contacting the Hilton Baltimore
    directly by phone at (443) 573-8700.

    Be sure to mention that you are with the group Pathology Visions in order to receive the contracted group rate.

    Learn more

    Exhibitor Deadline is Approaching

     All Exhibitor & Supporter Applications are due August 1, 2012

    The Pathology Visions exhibit program furthers the education of attendees by providing an opportunity for on-site discussions and exchanges on the newest available technologies, as well as an area for exhibitors to present information on products or services pertinent to the attendees’ professional interests.

    There are three levels of exhibit support opportunities available which include Gold Supporter ($10,000), Silver Supporter ($5,000), and Exhibit Booth Only ($4,000). The deadline to reserve an exhibitor spot is August 1, 2012.

    Once participation as an exhibitor has been confirmed, the company’s logo and a link to the company’s website will be featured on the 2012 Exhibitor & Supporter page. All booth assignments will be finalized August 3, 2012.

    Learn more

     

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    Decoding The Secrets Of Balance

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    Editor's Choice Main Category: Neurology / Neuroscience Article Date: 28 Jul 2012 - 3:00 PDT

    Current ratings for: Decoding The Secrets Of Balance

    Over 70 million people in North America suffer from this condition. People with vestibular loss have a difficult time performing necessary daily living activities (like eating, dressing, getting in and out of bed, moving around the house and moving outside) because even turning their head slightly can make them dizzy and give them a risk of falling.

    It has been known that a sensory system in the inner ear, known as the vestibular system, helps us keep our balance by keeping the visual field stable as we move around. Scientists have already developed basic knowledge of how the brain forms our perceptions of ourselves in motion. But until now no one has understood the most important step by which the neurons in the brain select the information needed to keep us balanced.

    The information taken in and decoded by the brain, sent by neurons in the inner ear, is done so in a complex way. The peripheral vestibular sensory neurons in the inner ear take in the time varying velocity and acceleration stimuli caused by our movement in the outside world (for example, riding in a car that changes from a stationary position to 50 km per hour). Detailed information about these stimuli (information that helps reconstruct how stimuli change over time), in the form of nerve impulses, is transmitted by these neurons.

    It was previously believed that the brain decoded this information linearly, attempting to reconstruct the time sequence of acceleration and velocity stimuli. However, two professors in McGill University's Department of Physiology, Kathleen Cullen and Maurice Chacron, combined electrophysiological and computational approaches and were able to show that neurons, in the vestibular nuclei in the brain, decode incoming information nonlinearly as they respond to sudden and unpredicted changes in stimuli.

    At each stage in this sensory pathway, our representations in the outside world change. For example, neurons found in the visual system closer to the periphery of the sensory system (such as ganglion cells in the retina) usually respond to a wide variety of sensory stimuli (a "dense" code), unlike central neurons (primary visual cortex at the back of the head) that usually respond much more selectively (a "sparse" code). The selective transmission of vestibular information, which Chacron and Cullen documented for the first time, happens as early as the first synapse in the brain.

    Cullen said:

    Since this kind of selectivity in response enhances the brain's perception of unexpected changes in body posture, it is important for everyday life. For example, if you step off a curb you didn't see, within milliseconds, your brain is able to receive the necessary information and perform the sophisticated computation essential to helping you readjust your position.

    The researchers hope this discovery will apply to other sensory systems and eventually to the development of better treatments for patients suffering from dizziness, vertigo, and disorientation during their everyday activities. This finding also has the potential to lead to treatments that will help reduce the symptoms that come with motion and/or space sickness that take place in more challenging environments.

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    Decoding The Secrets Of Balance

    Controlling monkey brains and behavior with light

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    Researchers reporting online on July 26 in Current Biology have for the first time shown that they can control the behavior of monkeys by using pulses of blue light to very specifically activate particular brain cells. The findings represent a key advance for optogenetics, a state-of-the-art method for making causal connections between brain activity and behavior. Based on the discovery, the researchers say that similar light-based mind control could likely also be made to work in humans for therapeutic ends.

    "We are the first to show that optogenetics can alter the behavior of monkeys," says Wim Vanduffel of Massachusetts General Hospital and KU Leuven Medical School. "This opens the door to use of optogenetics at a large scale in primate research and to start developing optogenetic-based therapies for humans."

    In optogenetics, neurons are made to respond to light through the insertion of light-sensitive genes derived from particular microbial organisms. Earlier studies had primarily validated this method for use in invertebrates and rodents, with only a few studies showing that optogenetics can alter activity in monkey brains on a fine scale.

    In the new study, the researchers focused on neurons that control particular eye movements. Using optogenetics together with functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), they showed that they could use light to activate these neurons, generating brain activity and subtle changes in eye-movement behavior.

    The researchers also found that optogenetic stimulation of their focal brain region produced changes in the activity of specific neural networks located at some distance from the primary site of light activation.

    The findings not only pave the way for a much more detailed understanding of how different parts of the brain control behavior, but they may also have important clinical applications in treating Parkinson's disease, addiction, depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and other neurological conditions.

    "Several neurological disorders can be attributed to the malfunctioning of specific cell types in very specific brain regions," Vanduffel says. "As already suggested by one of the leading researchers in optogenetics, Karl Deisseroth from Stanford University, it is important to identify the underlying neuronal circuits and the precise nature of the aberrations that lead to the neurological disorders and potentially to manipulate those malfunctioning circuits with high precision to restore them. The beauty of optogenetics is that, unlike any other method, one can affect the activity of very specific cell types, leaving others untouched."

    More information: Gerits et al.: "Optogenetically-induced behavioral and functional network changes in primates." DOI:10.1016/j.cub.2012.07.023

    Journal reference: Current Biology

    Provided by Cell Press

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    Controlling monkey brains and behavior with light