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Ultragenyx Initiates Phase 2 Study of UX001 in Hereditary Inclusion Body Myopathy, a Rare Neuromuscular Disease

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NOVATO, Calif., July 5, 2012 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Ultragenyx Pharmaceutical Inc., a biotechnology company focused on developing treatments for rare and ultra-rare genetic disorders, today announced the dosing of the first two patients in a Phase 2 study of UX001 for hereditary inclusion body myopathy (HIBM). HIBM is a rare, severe, neuromuscular disease caused by sialic acid deficiency. UX001 is an extended-release oral tablet formulation of sialic acid (SA-ER) intended as a substrate replacement therapy for HIBM.

The Phase 2 clinical trial is an international, multi-center, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, parallel group study of UX001 in HIBM patients. The study plans to enroll up to 45 patients between 18 and 65 years of age with a previously demonstrated mutation in the GNE gene causing HIBM. The subjects will receive either of two dose levels of SA-ER or placebo over 24 weeks, with all patients continuing on active treatment after 24 weeks. The study's primary objectives are evaluating safety, and improvements in sialylation biochemistry of muscle (pharmacodynamic endpoint). Clinical and patient-reported outcomes will also be evaluated, though the study is not powered for these endpoints. Study sites are located in the US and Israel. The total duration of the Phase 2 study is up to 48 weeks, with data expected in 2013.

Emil D. Kakkis, MD, PhD, Chief Executive Officer of Ultragenyx commented: "The initiation of this Phase 2 study is a critical milestone for our team in developing a therapeutic for HIBM patients who currently lack treatment options for this devastating disease. It follows quickly upon the positive results from our Phase 1 trial. This Phase 2 study should help us determine if UX001 is improving the biochemistry of the muscle in these patients and help us learn more about the disease. We look forward to seeing top line results next year."

About HIBM

HIBM is also known as GNE myopathy, Quadriceps Sparing Myopathy (QSM), Inclusion Body Myopathy type 2, Distal Myopathy with Rimmed Vacuoles (DMRV) and Nonaka myopathy. HIBM is a severe, adult-onset, progressive, genetic neuromuscular disease caused by a deficiency of an enzyme in the first step of sialic acid biosynthesis needed for the modification of proteins and fats. Patients with HIBM typically begin to have weakness and abnormal walking at 18 to 30 years of age. Over the ensuing 10 to 20 years, many patients progressively lose significant functional ability and become wheelchair-bound. There are no current treatments for this disease.

About Ultragenyx

Ultragenyx is a privately held, developmental stage biotechnology company committed to bringing life-enhancing therapeutics for patients with rare and ultra-rare genetic diseases, also known as orphan and ultra-orphan diseases, to market. The company focuses on rare metabolic diseases that affect small numbers of patients, but for which the unmet medical need is high and there are no effective treatments. Ultragenyx intends to build a sustainable pipeline of safe and effective therapies to address these underserved diseases. Ultragenyx' lead program, UX001, is being evaluated as a potential treatment for hereditary inclusion body myopathy (HIBM), also known as GNE myopathy. The UX001 program has been granted orphan drug designation in the US and the EU.

The company is led by an experienced management team in rare disease therapeutics. Ultragenyx is striving toward an improved model for successful rare disease drug development, which has the potential to increase efficiency while maintaining appropriate safety and efficacy standards. The company believes that it can deliver significant value to patients by building a high-quality pipeline of rare disease therapeutics and efficiently transforming good science into great medicine.

For more information on Ultragenyx, please visit the company's website at http://www.ultragenyx.com.

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Ultragenyx Initiates Phase 2 Study of UX001 in Hereditary Inclusion Body Myopathy, a Rare Neuromuscular Disease

Why Does A Diet High In DHA Improve Memory?

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Editor's Choice Academic Journal Main Category: Nutrition / Diet Also Included In: Neurology / Neuroscience;Psychology / Psychiatry Article Date: 05 Jul 2012 - 0:00 PDT

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In an animal study, lead researcher Yves Sauve and colleagues discovered mice that consumed a diet high in DHA had 30% higher levels of DHA in the hippocampus region of the brain, compared with mice fed on a regular, healthy diet.

Sauve, a researcher in the Faculty of Medicine & Dentistry, who works in the department of physiology, the department of ophthalmology and the Center of Neuroscience, explained:

The researchers confirmed that when DHA is added to a diet, additional stores of DHA are deposited in the brain. Sauve explains that consuming more fish or taking supplements could prevent DHA levels decreasing in the brain as we age.

In an earlier study, Sauve found that consuming DHA stops a toxic molecule at the back of the eye that causes age-related vision loss from accumulating.

Cold-water oceanic fish oils are rich in DHA. DHA can also be manufactured commercially from microalgae.

The following foods are rich in DHA:

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Why Does A Diet High In DHA Improve Memory?

LONGEVITY STICKWELD 140 – 140 AMP STICK WELDER 110V/220V 60% DUTY CYCLE SETUP REVIEW 2012 MODEL – Video

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04-07-2012 00:03 The LONGEVITY STICKWELD 140 features an impressive power ratio and unbelievable value. The STICKWELD 140 features a 60% duty cycle at 140amp and is super portable. Weighing about 13lbs, with a convenient easy carry handle, you can stick weld anywhere with 110v or 220v power. Please check out the model on our website:

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LONGEVITY STICKWELD 140 - 140 AMP STICK WELDER 110V/220V 60% DUTY CYCLE SETUP REVIEW 2012 MODEL - Video

Rider University, NYU professors link Tony Awards and shows' longevity on Broadway

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LAWRENCE -- Two professors from New York University and Rider have proved beyond speculation that winning a Tony Award increases the life of a Broadway show, and they have the numbers to show just how much such recognition can help.

Jeff Simonoff, a statistics professor at NYU, teamed up with his former student and now associate professor at Rider, Lan Ma Nygren, to re-evaluate and elaborate on research that the two published in the Journal of Business in 2003.

Their research incorporates the effect that winning a Tony Award has on the longevity of a Broadway show, Simonoff said. This type of research can give the business end of Broadway an idea how well their shows will perform in a week or six months, he said.

Simonoff and Nygren are looking at data such as the shows opening date, weekly attendance rates, the genre of the show, and the Tony Award bump in attendance rates a direct effect of a shows publicity at the awards ceremony.

According to our study, each Tony win in one of the major categories is associated with a 50 percent longer expected run, while a nomination without the win is associated with a 30 percent longer expected lifespan, Nygren said via e-mail. The major categories refer to musical, tuner revival, play, play revival, director and lead actor and actress.

To some, winning a Tony award may be an obvious indication that a shows popularity could increase. Nygren does not disagree.

Its quite obvious that a big Tony winner should expect to run longer than it would have otherwise, but how much longer? she said.

One genre of play the musical trumps the rest, Simonoff said.

People in the business know that musicals last longer. These arent things that are really shocking, he said. But the statistics modeling can confirm that common wisdom. It also allows you to attach a number to a (shows success).

The research shows that winning a Tony Award increases the lifespan of a show by 50 percent while nominations get 30 percent longevity. Musicals have a 50 percent longer run than nonmusicals while revivals are less successful, with 20 percent shorter runs that nonrevivals.

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Rider University, NYU professors link Tony Awards and shows' longevity on Broadway

DNA test helps hospital choose right medication

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A new DNA test offered at Thomas Memorial Hospital is helping psychiatrists more quickly determine which drugs work best for their patients.

Thomas Memorial started offering the DNA tests in January at its South Charleston imaging center.

"You walk to the laboratory, the representative takes a giant cotton swab, swabs the inside of your cheek and you leave. It could not be much more simple," Dr. Tara F. Ray said.

The hospital then ships the swabs to a company called AssureRX, where lab technicians run DNA tests on the samples.

"Based on certain kinetic DNA types, you can determine what medication a patient may not tolerate well or what drug might work well," Ray said.

In a few days, doctors get the test results back with medication suggestions. Ray said the information is separated into three columns: medications that should work, medications that might work but should be monitored closely and medications that patients should avoid.

"It really helps narrow the focus of where to start," she said.

Doctors receive several bits of information from the DNA results, including how fast their patients' bodies break down certain enzymes. People with quick metabolisms need a higher dosage, because their bodies break down medications faster.

A person with a slower metabolism, however, needs a lower dosage because their body doesn't break down drugs as quickly. That leads to higher concentrations of medication in their bloodstream, creating greater potential for side effects.

Ray said the medication list is limited at this time, but AssureRX is always adding more to the list. She said even with the short list, the DNA testing has helped limit the amount of experimentation she has to do when prescribing new drugs.

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DNA test helps hospital choose right medication

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State to get Skinner evidence for DNA testing

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LIVINGSTON - Henry Skinner is a small man with a crooked nose, acid tongue and keen mind. Convicted of fatally pummeling his lover with an ax handle and stabbing her adult sons in a 1993 New Year's Eve Texas Panhandle rampage, he has used his 17 years on death row to assail Texas' criminal justice system as "cunning and deceptive."

In a case that has become an international anti-death penalty cause clbre, Skinner since 2001 has battled to obtain DNA testing of items he believes will clear him of the Pampa killings of Twila Busby and her sons, Randy and Elwin.

Skinner's campaign for more testing twice has prompted courts to stay his scheduled executions. His quest has been complicated by his first lawyer's decision to abandon DNA testing after examination of clothing worn by Skinner on the night of the killings revealed traces of the victims' blood.

Despite prosecutor-sanctioned testing of a few items in 2000 and a 2011 U.S. Supreme Court ruling that opened a new avenue to such testing, rape kit specimens, knives, fingernail scrapings and an apparently bloodstained windbreaker found near Busby's body still have not been examined.

All that changed last month when the Texas Attorney General's Office dropped its opposition to testing and, in tandem with Skinner's lawyers, compiled a list of more than 40 items for high-tech examination.

The items are to be turned over to Texas Department of Public Safety lab technicians on Thursday.

"This nightmare is almost over," Skinner said in a recent death-row interview. "I'm looking forward to the day I can leave. I'll either leave with a few boxes under my arm or in a box. I've already spent 18 years in hell."

Key evidence lost

The state's seeming capitulation appeared a breakthrough for Skinner, who has orchestrated a "Free Skinner" campaign through frequent prison cell pronouncements and postings on his website, "Hell Hole News."

Even as Skinner's lawyers and supporters breathed a sigh of relief, though, it once again appeared the victory may only be partial. State lawyers admit that, after a thorough search, they cannot find the windbreaker, which Skinner attorney Rob Owen called a key piece of evidence.

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State to get Skinner evidence for DNA testing

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Mindray Medical to Present at AACC Clinical Lab Expo 2012

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SHENZHEN, China, July5, 2012 /PRNewswire-Asia-FirstCall/ -- Mindray Medical International Limited (MR), a leading developer, manufacturer and marketer of medical devices worldwide, announced today that it will present at the American Association for Clinical Chemistry's 2012 Clinical Lab Expo in Los Angeles, California from July 17 to July 19, 2012.

Mindray will exhibit its full range of in-vitro diagnostic products and new products including the BS-2000 Auto Biochemistry Analyzer and EH-2050B Plus Automatic Urine Sediment Analyzer.

The BS-2000 modular system is the fastest biochemistry analyzer designed by the company, with a throughput range from 2,000 photometric tests per hour for a single module to up to 4,400 tests per hour for dual modules with electrolyte tests. Hospitals and clinical laboratories with high sample volumes will benefit the most from its fast speed. The BS-2000 also has a complete line of original reagents and calibrators with methodological traceability and controls, making it a versatile option for customers seeking a high level of efficiency, automation and scalability. This model will integrate easily with future Mindray products.

The EH-2050B Plus fully automatic urine sediment analyzer performs comprehensive urinalysis for patients. The equipment can automatically track and analyze different elements, such as red blood cells, in urine samples. It can connect with different urine dry-chemistry analyzers and use their data to form an integrated urinalysis report.

"We are excited to showcase our products to the clinical laboratory professionals at this high-profile and reputable conference," said Mr. Jie Liu, Mindray's Chief Operating Officer. "We will continue to create innovative, high-quality and high-performance products in order to meet the needs of our customers worldwide."

Exhibition Details:

Date:July 17-19, 2012 Location: Los Angeles Convention Center, Los Angeles, California, USA Booth:#2235, South Hall

About AACC

The AACC is an international society comprising medical professionals with an interest in clinical chemistry, clinical laboratory science and laboratory medicine.

About Mindray

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Mindray Medical to Present at AACC Clinical Lab Expo 2012

Do honeybees hold the key to longevity?

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PHOENIX, AZ. -Do honeybees hold the key to longevity?

Scientists at Arizona State University have discovered that older honey bees effectively reverse brain aging when they take care of baby bees,a phenomenon that could have implications for humans.

While current research on human age-related dementia focuses on potential new drug treatments, researchers say these findings suggest that social interventions may be used to slow or treat age-related dementia.

In a study published in the scientific journal Experimental Gerontology, a team of scientists from ASU and the Norwegian University of Life Sciences, led by Gro Amdam, an associate professor in ASU's School of Life Sciences, presented findings that show that tricking older, foraging bees into doing social tasks inside the nest causes changes in the molecular structure of their brains.

"We knew from previous research that when bees stay in the nest and take care of larvae -- the bee babies -- they remain mentally competent for as long as we observe them," said Amdam. "However, after a period of nursing, bees fly out gathering food and begin aging very quickly. After just two weeks, foraging bees have worn wings, hairless bodies, and more importantly, lose brain function -- basically measured as the ability to learn new things. We wanted to find out if there was plasticity in this aging pattern so we asked the question, 'What would happen if we asked the foraging bees to take care of larval babies again?"

During experiments, scientists removed all of the younger nurse bees from the nest -- leaving only the queen and babies. When the older, foraging bees returned to the nest, activity diminished for several days. Then, some of the old bees returned to searching for food, while others cared for the nest and larvae. Researchers discovered that after 10 days, about 50 percent of the older bees caring for the nest and larvae had significantly improved their ability to learn new things.

Amdam's international team not only saw a recovery in the bees' ability to learn, they discovered a change in proteins in the bees' brains. When comparing the brains of the bees that improved relative to those that did not, two proteins noticeably changed. They found Prx6, a protein also found in humans that can help protect against dementia -- including diseases such as Alzheimer's -- and they discovered a second and documented "chaperone" protein that protects other proteins from being damaged when brain or other tissues are exposed to cell-level stress.

In general, researchers are interested in creating a drug that could help people maintain brain function, yet they may be facing up to 30 years of basic research and trials.

"Maybe social interventions -- changing how you deal with your surroundings -- is something we can do today to help our brains stay younger," said Amdam. "Since the proteins being researched in people are the same proteins bees have, these proteins may be able to spontaneously respond to specific social experiences."

Amdam suggests further studies are needed on mammals such as rats in order investigate whether the same molecular changes that the bees experience might be socially inducible in people.

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Do honeybees hold the key to longevity?

DNA of unborn baby mapped from just mother's blood paving way for new genetic disease screening

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Scientists can now test a baby for genetic disease if the paternity is not known

By Daily Mail Reporter

PUBLISHED: 13:00 EST, 4 July 2012 | UPDATED: 13:00 EST, 4 July 2012

Scientists have mapped the complete DNA of an unborn baby - using just the mother's blood.

The breakthrough could allow doctors to test for a range of genetic diseases in future such as cystic fibrosis and Down's syndrome without the need of the father.

It follows a similar study reported last month which required which successfully sequenced a foetus' genome from the mother's blood, along with a sample of saliva from the father.

Routine? Scientists say the discovery brings foetal genetic testing closer to becoming an every day procedure

This time researchers at the University of Stanford in California managed the task using material only found circulating in the mother's blood.

Current techniques used to pick up genetic diseases in unborn babies require invasive sampling, which carries certain risks to the health of the mother and child.

But early diagnosis of such problems can allow doctors to pre-empt whether treatments are needed immediately after a baby is born.

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DNA of unborn baby mapped from just mother's blood paving way for new genetic disease screening

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Cancer Therapeutics Reveals Proof of Concept for Second Development Drug

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MELBOURNE, Australia--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

Cancer Therapeutics, a company focused on translating cancer biology research into novel treatments for cancer, today announced the validation and performance of a new targeted drug, CTx-294886, in combination with Avastin (bevacizumab Genentech/Roche) in a preclinical model of breast cancer. At the same time the Company announced that it has developed a new High Throughput Screening (HTS) platform for the identification of small molecule inhibitors of protein ubiquitination, a key element in the essential cellular process of protein homeostasis, which is an exciting new target pathway for cancer treatment. Both scientific developments will be presented as posters at the EACR conference in Barcelona Spain on July 7-10 2012.

The anti-tumour response to CTx-0294886, a potent small molecule inhibitor of Focal Adhesion Kinase (FAK) and Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor Receptor 3 (VEGFR3), was compared with that of the Companys first product CTx-0294945, a potent selective FAK inhibitor. CTx-0294886 in combination with Avastin, showed additional benefits to those previously demonstrated by CTx-294945 (previously presented at the AACR conference in Chicago on the 3rd of April this year). In both cases the small molecules in combination with Avastin inhibited angiogenesis, and increased the duration of tumour response in a model of basal breast cancer. In addition CTx-294886 in combination with Avastin also provided a highly statistically significant increase in the median survival time compared to the Avastin only group.

The new Ubiquitin HTS platform closely replicates cellular ubiquitination pathways, and provides a mechanism for HTS of multiple targets. Ubiquitins are small regulatory proteins that attach to other target proteins allowing their destruction and recycling. This process requires a family of dedicated enzymes, such as ligases, for completion. E6AP, an E3 ligase, was selected to validate the platform. E6AP ubiquitinates p53 and PML in human papilloma virus (HPV) related and other cancers. Both p53 and PML are well known suppressors of tumour growth so substances that inhibit E6AP would be expected to retard tumour growth in cancers such as cervical and head and neck cancers. The platform was able to identify several small molecules that are now undergoing further investigation.

Dr Warwick Tong, CEO of Cancer Therapeutics, commented:

Having achieved preclinical validation for our first product candidate in conjunction with Avastin, we are delighted to be announcing that our second candidate is even more potent at prolonging and strengthening the effects of Avastin. We are excited to have two targeted molecules that will allow rational combinations with other therapies in the fight against cancer. We are now starting to reap the benefits of our highly collaborative approach to drug discovery, working hand in hand with some of the top research institutes in Australia and our international partner, Cancer Research Technology UK.

Dr Ian Street, Chief Scientific Officer of Cancer Therapeutics, added:

The launch of our new Ubiquitin HTS platform opens up the potential to collaborate with industry by screening chemical libraries to address multiple targets in this new and exciting area of cancer biology. We are ready to begin discussions with other companies who would like to work with us to include their targets of interest and screen their chemical libraries using this platform.

The titles of the posters being presented throughout the conference are:

Poster 846: Inhibition of Focal Adhesion Kinase in Combination With Bevacizumab Reduces the Rate of Tumour Revascularization and Increases Survival in a Pre-clinical Model of Basal Breast Cancer by I. Street et al.

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Cancer Therapeutics Reveals Proof of Concept for Second Development Drug

Korle-Bu DNA Centre to help unravel crime

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General News of Tuesday, 3 July 2012

Source: Daily Graphic

The DNA Centre at the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital says it has the facilities to assist the law enforcement agencies in the detection of crime.

It said its machines could determine the identity of criminals by extracting DNA from saliva, hair, blood, semen or any other bodily fluid left at a crime scene or on the victims by the perpetrators.

The Director of the centre, Dr Bartholomew Dzudzor, told the Daily Graphic that unfortunately, however, officials at the centre had not been trained in the collection of forensic samples from crimes, adding that the centre would be willing to partner the police if the police could perform that task.

He explained that during the commission of violent crimes, such as murder, kidnapping, rape and robbery, minute traces of blood and other bodily fluids, as well as hair, were left at the crime scene.

He said what was needed was well-trained forensic experts to carefully collect those samples, adding that extreme caution was essential to ensure that the samples were not contaminated.

According to him, DNA extracted from the samples would then be compared to the DNA of suspects and if they matched, the suspects could then be charged with the crime.

"DNA may point at an individual and yet he or she may not be the perpetrator of the crime only if he or she was a homozygous (identical) twin," he said, adding that homozygous twins were formed from the same egg and, therefore, had similar DNA. "Even if he or she is a twin, the police could easily establish where they were at the time the crime was committed and, thereby, establish which of them committed the crime," he noted.

Dr Dzudzor said it would have been easier if the country had a DNA database or if the police had DNA profiles of people who lived close to crime scenes.

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Korle-Bu DNA Centre to help unravel crime

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5 Questions: Dr. John Bell

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Dr. John Bell has a Ph. D in Physiology and Pharmacology from the University of California, San Diego. He is the Dean of Undergraduate Education and a professor in the Department of Physiology and Developmental Biology.

Q: What made you pursue physiology and pharmacology all the way to a Ph. D?

I wanted to be a scientist from the time I was a child. I discovered as an undergraduate student that I really liked a mixture of chemistry, physics and biology. Those disciplines offered that opportunity, as well as being disciplines in the life sciences, that are a bit more practical in terms of employment than some others that also interested me. There are both industrial as well as academic opportunities there. Academic opportunities in institutions like BYU that are predominately undergraduate as well as places that have professional schools, such as medical school, dental school and things like that. It offered me an opportunity to pursue my interests as well as provide a wide range of potential employment.

Q: Are you currently involved in any research or academic projects?

Thats all I do. I have administrative responsibilities for General Education, Honors and Freshman Year. The director of our Honors Program and I were just discussing some of the ideas of where the Honors Program might go. So, Im constantly involved in projects. In my research lab I study cell membranes and the physics of some of the molecules that are embedded in the cell membrane and how that impacts certain pathological situations involved with cancers and involved with inflammatory diseases. I would say the work I do is more basic than applied. That means its more in terms of identifying an understanding of what exists in nature. Other researchers, whose interest are more in the direction of application, take that information and apply it in ways to generate treatment.

Q: How has student-teacher interaction changed for you since becoming the Dean of Undergraduate Education?

There has been a change in what courses I teach because I felt an increased need to teach courses in the Honors Program or General Education. For many years Ive taught somewhat in those arenas, now I certainly think more about what happens in a course that I teach in General Education as well as for majors. I think in terms of General Education more than I used to. I have the opportunity of teaching in some situations that I would not have predicted. For example, I teach a course in mathematical modeling and a course in statistics for students that have specific kinds of backgrounds. While Ive had expertise in those areas in terms of my research and training, Ive never imagined myself teaching those things because Im not a member of those faculties. My interactions with Honors and General Education have offered me the opportunity to participate in those things where it would have otherwise not have happened.

Q: What is your personal teaching philosophy?

It is to focus on student learning, what the student is doing, whats happening in the students head and focus on helping students be empowered so that they have a very deep and thorough understanding. The goal is expertise, really. Students come as novices and the goal is that by the end of the course theyre experts. Not about everything, but what is in the course; they have expertise in those areas. My job is to help them make the transition from being a novice to being an expert. That means I need to understand what the characteristics of an expert are, and make those transparent to the student. Then I help the student learn whether they are acquiring those characteristics, whether those are things in their possession or are not yet acquired. That refocuses the students attention away from the study guide idea that if they memorize the words and say something intelligent about these concepts theyll be fine to saying, Am I an expert or not? Can I apply these? Can I solve problems? Can I think, talk and write about these? Do I thoroughly understand them? Do I own them? That means there needs to be effort in reflection. Its what we call metacognitive skills, where the student learns to evaluate their own understanding and assess whether they do or dont own them. It helps them to identify misconceptions and ways to resolve them, as well as identify resources that would be helpful. Its whole different strategy than simply reviewing notes, which is a potential challenge in a discipline that is information-rich. My philosophy is to help them develop their true understanding and expertise.

Q: How has your experience been at BYU?

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New Recommendations Released in Diagnosis of HPV-Associated Squamous Lesions

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Newswise NORTHFIELD, ILL. The College of American Pathologists (CAP) and the American Society for Colposcopy and Cervical Pathology (ASCCP) jointly issued The Lower Anogenital Squamous Terminology (LAST) Standardization Project for HPV-Associated Lesions: Background and Consensus Recommendations.

The CAP/ASCCP LAST Project consensus recommendations were released on June 28, 2012, in the online editions of Archives of Pathology & Laboratory Medicine (Archives) and in the Journal of Lower Genital Tract Disease (JLGTD), the official journals of the CAP and the ASCCP, respectively.

The new recommendations provide standardization of diagnostic terminology of lesions associated with the human papillomavirus (HPV) across lower anogenital tract body sites, including the appropriate use of biomarkers to distinguish these lesions. Through implementation of the recommendations, the two organizations aim to enhance communication between pathologists and clinicians leading to more effective patient management of HPV-associated disease and, ultimately, improved patient outcomes.

The CAP/ASCCP LAST Project consensus recommendations were developed based on the availability of new science, allowing pathologists to better classify HPV-associated lesions, said Teresa M. Darragh, MD, FCAP, the lead author of and steering committee co-chair for the LAST Project consensus recommendations and a professor of clinical pathology and obstetrics, gynecology & reproductive sciences at the University of California San Francisco (UCSF) and an attending physician in the UCSF/Mt. Zion Dysplasia Clinic in San Francisco, Calif. With this information, patients along with their physicians will be able to better weigh the benefits and risks of management options associated with HPV infections, allowing them to make more informed decisions about their health.

The recommendations were developed based on an extensive literature review of the terminology used historically, how terminology influences management of HPV-associated lesions by body sites, and the role of biomarkers in their diagnosis.

The CAP Pathology & Laboratory Quality Center, the Center, a forum for developing evidence-based guidelines and consensus recommendations, led the joint development of the LAST Projects consensus recommendations. Thirty-five professional organizations collaborated and participated in the review and final approval of the recommendations, which will be published in the July issue of JLGTD and in the October issue of Archives.

###

About the College of American Pathologists The College of American Pathologists (CAP) celebrating 50 years as the gold standard in laboratory accreditation, is a medical society serving more than 18,000 physician members and the global laboratory community. It is the world's largest association composed exclusively of board-certified pathologists and is the worldwide leader in laboratory quality assurance. The College advocates accountable, high-quality, and cost-effective patient care.

About the American Society for Colposcopy and Cervical Pathology (ASCCP) The ASCCP is a non-profit professional organization of 3,300 members whose primary mission is the education of healthcare providers about the diagnosis and management of diseases of the lower female reproductive system, especially cervical cancer and its precursors.The Journal of Lower Genital Tract Disease, the official journal of the ASCCP, is the leading source for the latest science in its field.

In September 2001 at the National Institutes of Health, ASCCPproduced the first Consensus Guidelines for the Management of Women with CervicalCytological Abnormalities and the Management of Women with Cervical Intraepithelial Neoplasia. Draft guidelines with supporting evidence were presented, discussed, revised as needed and then voted upon by the appointed delegates representing 29 major medical organizations and federal agencies.The resulting cytology guidelines were published in JAMA (Wright TC, et al. 2002 Apr 24;287(16):2120-9.) and the histology guidelines in AJOG (Wright TC Jr, et al.2003 Jul;189(1):295-304.)In 2006, ASCCP conducted a second Consensus Conference, using the same 29 partner groups and the multistep, evidence-based review process, to revise the 2001 guidelines. The 2006 guidelines were published in AJOG and the JLGTD.

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New Recommendations Released in Diagnosis of HPV-Associated Squamous Lesions

Prospective Comparison of Oncotype DX and Central Pathology Assessment Shows HER2 Discordance

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Douglas Kell has been reappointed as chief executive and deputy chair of the UK Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council, the Minister for Universities and Science David Willetts said this week.

Kell has held the top post at BBSRC since 2008, and before that he was director of the Manchester Centre for Integrative Systems Biology. He also has served as director of research at the Institute of Biological Sciences at the University of Aberystwyth, and he was a founding director of Aber Instruments. His research has included a range of topics including systems biology, analytical chemistry, and biochemical and data modeling.

The Institute for Systems Biology has appointed Robert Lipshutz to be chief business officer and senior VP for strategic partnerships. Lipshutz spent nearly two decades at Affymetrix in various roles focusing on business development, licensing, diagnostics, and emerging markets, and most recently as senior VP for corporate development.

Verinata Health CEO Caren Mason has resigned but will continue to provide the company with consultative services. Mason joined Verinata in November 2010. She was previously the president and CEO of Quidel, president and CEO of MiraMedica, CEO of eMed Technologies, and general manager of GE Healthcare. The firm plans to recruit a new CEO.

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Prospective Comparison of Oncotype DX and Central Pathology Assessment Shows HER2 Discordance

The Unappreciated Awesomeness at Schiff Nutrition International

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It takes money to make money. Most investors know that, but with business media so focused on the "how much," very few investors bother to ask, "How fast?"

When judging a company's prospects, how quickly it turns cash outflows into cash inflows can be just as important as how much profit it's booking in the accounting fantasy world we call "earnings." This is one of the first metrics I check when I'm hunting for the market's best stocks. Today, we'll see how it applies to Schiff Nutrition International (NYSE: SHF) .

Let's break this downIn this series, we measure how swiftly a company turns cash into goods or services and back into cash. We'll use a quick, relatively foolproof tool known as the cash conversion cycle, or CCC for short.

Why does the CCC matter? The less time it takes a firm to convert outgoing cash into incoming cash, the more powerful and flexible its profit engine is. The less money tied up in inventory and accounts receivable, the more available to grow the company, pay investors, or both.

To calculate the cash conversion cycle, add days inventory outstanding to days sales outstanding, then subtract days payable outstanding. Like golf, the lower your score here, the better. The CCC figure for Schiff Nutrition International for the trailing 12 months is 91.4.

For younger, fast-growth companies, the CCC can give you valuable insight into the sustainability of that growth. A company that's taking longer to make cash may need to tap financing to keep its momentum. For older, mature companies, the CCC can tell you how well the company is managed. Firms that begin to lose control of the CCC may be losing their clout with their suppliers (who might be demanding stricter payment terms) and customers (who might be demanding more generous terms). This can sometimes be an important signal of future distress -- one most investors are likely to miss.

In this series, I'm most interested in comparing a company's CCC to its prior performance. Here's where I believe all investors need to become trend-watchers. Sure, there may be legitimate reasons for an increase in the CCC, but all things being equal, I want to see this number stay steady or move downward over time.

Source: S&P Capital IQ. Dollar amounts in millions. FY = fiscal year. TTM = trailing 12 months.

Because of the seasonality in some businesses, the CCC for the TTM period may not be strictly comparable to the fiscal-year periods shown in the chart. Even the steadiest-looking businesses on an annual basis will experience some quarterly fluctuations in the CCC. To get an understanding of the usual ebb and flow at Schiff Nutrition International, consult the quarterly-period chart below.

Source: S&P Capital IQ. Dollar amounts in millions. FQ = fiscal quarter.

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The Unappreciated Awesomeness at Schiff Nutrition International

Nutrition and Culinary Duo Team Up with Avocados from Mexico to Share their Kitchen Expertise

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FALLSTON, Md., July 3, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- The Mexican Hass Avocado Importers Association (MHAIA) teamed up with Cheryl Forberg, RD, nutritionist for NBC's Biggest Loser Seasons 1-12, and chef Suvir Saran, contestant on Bravo's Top Chef MastersSeason 3and author to develop nutrition and culinary tips as part of the "Pantry Pointers and Prep With Cheryl and Suvir" Sweepstakes.

Avocado fans were able to enter the sweepstakes February 17th through May 7th at http://www.facebook.com/theamazingavocado or register at any of the 12 "Taste the WOW!" Mobile Tour stops around the country. Laurie Lichtenstein of Benbrook, Texas won a private nutrition consultation, cooking lesson, and food shopping instruction in her own home with Cheryl and Suvir. By utilizing the USDA's web tools that support the MyPlate initiative like SuperTracker, Cheryl helped Laurie set a path to healthier eating by incorporating whole grains, fruits and vegetables, healthy fats and lean proteins in a delicious and simple way. As a MyPlate Partner, MHAIA helps communicate key messages of the 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans, such as encouraging half of our plates to be fruits and vegetables.

And while Laurie was chosen as the winner, everyone can benefit from learning from Cheryl and Suvir how avocados can fit into a healthy and flavorful lifestyle.

Play Kitchen Favorites "In addition to a knife, two of my go-to tools in the kitchen are an immersion blender, and a food processor," said Suvir. "You can make soups in a cinch or use the processor to make prep work a breeze. I organize my countertop around my most commonly used tools to help stay neat and save time."

Don't Go it Alone Many supermarkets now carry pre-prepped ingredients, like chopped garlic or julienned vegetables. "Take advantage of someone else doing the busy work," explained Cheryl. "Some time-consuming tasks, like mincing onion, can discourage people from making healthy decisions. So if you're short on time, using the pre-prepped ingredients is a great option!"

Swap Smart "One of the things I love most about cooking is that it allows me to be creative," shared Cheryl. "Start with something you make well and make small changes to slightly alter the texture, color, or main ingredient. For example, instead of pasta with a cream sauce, mix in a very ripe avocado and then season with salt, pepper and a dash of Parmesan cheese. You'll still have the familiar creaminess from the avocado, and you'll also have added nearly 20 vitamins and nutrients and the 'good' fats."

Slice, Twist, Pop "Avocados aren't as tricky to work with as they may appear," said Suvir. "Simply remember "Slice, Twist, Pop" and you're in! Slice the avocado lengthwise, using the pit to pivot your knife around. Twist the avocado halves in opposite directions to pull them apart. Pop the pit out using the tip of a knife. You can also slice an avocado in the skin (just don't go through the skin) to avoid mashing it with your knife while slicing. Finally, to store an unused avocado half, take the side with the pit and place plastic wrap directly onto the skin, wrap completely, and store in the refrigerator."

All in the Family "Get everyone in the family involved in the cooking process," advised Suvir. "Young children can help rinse vegetables, tweens can stir sauces, and older children can chop ingredients. Not only will your family appreciate the meal more, but you'll instill important lessons about healthy eating habits at a young age."

During her 12 seasons as the nutritionist for the Biggest Loser, Cheryl helped transform the lives of more than 250 contestants and reached thousands more online. Cheryl is not only a registered dietitian, but also a James Beard award winning chef, and is passionate about cooking with both nutrition and flavor in mind. She is the author of several books, including her newest cookbook, Flavor First. Cheryl can be found on Twitter: http://twitter.com/CherylForbergRD and Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/cherylforbergrd.

Suvir Saran is a peerless chef, teacher and public speaker. His restaurant, Devi, in New York was the first Indian restaurant in North America to earn a Michelin star. As chairman of the World Cuisines Council, Asian Studies Center for the Culinary Institute of America, Saran furthers his goal to bring mindful living and eating to those craving change or contemplating it. He wowed judges with his skill and integrity while on Bravo's Top Chef Masters Season 3 and is the author of three cookbooks. Suvir can be found on Twitter: https://twitter.com/suvirsaran and Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/suvirsaran.

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Nutrition and Culinary Duo Team Up with Avocados from Mexico to Share their Kitchen Expertise

Food Bars in the US: Cereal/Granola Bar and Energy/Nutrition Bar Trends

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NEW YORK, July 3, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --Reportlinker.com announces that a new market research report is available in its catalogue:

http://www.reportlinker.com/p0833399/Food-Bars-in-the-US-Cereal/Granola-Bar-and-Energy/Nutrition-Bar-Trends.html#utm_source=prnewswire&utm_medium=pr&utm_campaign=Snack_and_Sweet

This Packaged Facts report examines the $5.7 billion U.S. retail market for food bars, classified into two categories: cereal/granola bars and energy/nutrition bars.

Food bars have been making noise in the marketplace recently, posting double-digit growth rates for successful product types. Reasons for this surge include a wave of new product launches, increased sophistication in marketing bars to different consumer sets, and continued innovation in delivery formats. Eating trends such as the blurring of meals and snacks and increasingly informal, spur-of-the-moment, and customized eating all favor the food bar market.This report is based on information gathered from primary, secondary, and syndicated sources. Primary research involved consultation with industry sources and a Packaged Facts online consumer survey conducted in February-March 2012. Secondary research involved the evaluation and comparison of data and information found in financial, trade, and government sources, as well as company media. Analysis also draws on mass-market sales-tracking data from SymphonyIRI and national consumer survey data from Experian Simmons.

Chapter 1: Executive Summary

Scope and Methodology

Food Bar Market Overview

Cereal Bars

Granola Bars

Energy/Nutrition Bars

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Food Bars in the US: Cereal/Granola Bar and Energy/Nutrition Bar Trends

Could The Naked Mole Rat Hold The Secret Of Longevity?

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July 3, 2012

redOrbit Staff & Wire Reports Your Universe Online

The naked mole rat is well-known for its longer lifespan, living on average for 30 years. The East African native, when compared to humans, shows little sign of decline due to aging, maintaining high activity, bone health, reproductive capacity, and cognitive ability throughout its lifetime. Now a collaborative of researchers in Israel and the United States is working to uncover the secret to the small mammals long and very busy lifespan.

Dr. Dorothee Huchon of Tel Aviv Universitys Department of Zoology, Prof. Rochelle Buffenstein of the University of Texas Health Science Center in San Antonio, and Dr. Yael Edrey of the City College of New York are working together to determine whether the naked mole rats unusually high levels of NRG-1, a neuroprotecting protein, is behind the rodents three-decade life span. Because rodents have an 85 percent genetic similarity to humans, it may hold the key to a longer and healthier life for humans as well.

Genetic analysis comparing the mole rat with several other rodent species revealed that high levels NRG-1 in adults were linked to a longer life span. Of all the species the researchers studied, the naked mole rat had the most plentiful and enduring supply of the protein, maintaining a consistent level throughout its lifetime. It is concentrated in the part of the brain important to motor control.

Dr. Huchon, an evolutionary biologist, joined the project to lend her expertise on rodent genetics. She studied seven species of rodents, including guinea pigs, mice, and mole rats, to determine the genetic relationships between them. Her analysis revealed that the correlation between life span and NRG-1 levels was independent of evolutionary lineage meaning that it was unique to the naked mole rat, not a common trait of these rodent species.

Prof. Buffenstein and Edrey monitored NRG-1 levels in a population of naked mole rats ranging in age from one day to 26 years. They found that throughout their lives, levels of NRG-1, essential for normal brain functioning, were sustained. The protein is a neuroprotector, safeguarding the integrity of neurons, which may explain why naked mole rats are able to live so healthy and well for such a long of time.

This discovery is an important first step towards understanding how aging and the NRG-1 protein in particular functions in these interesting animals, says Dr. Huchon. Future research could reveal how NRG-1 helps to maintain neuron integrity and lead to discoveries about human aging as well.

The naked mole rat, a burrowing rodent that lives in colonies much like those of ants, has already proven to be an excellent tool for aging and biomedical research because it is resistant to cancer and maintains protein integrity in the brain despite being exposed to oxidative damage, Dr. Huchon says.

This research has been published in the journal Aging Cell.

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Could The Naked Mole Rat Hold The Secret Of Longevity?

Genetic 911: Study examines how cells exploit gene sequences to cope with toxic stress

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Toxic chemicals wreak havoc on cells, damaging DNA and other critical molecules. A new study from researchers at MIT and the University at Albany reveals how a molecular emergency-response system shifts the cell into damage-control mode and helps it survive such attacks by rapidly producing proteins that counteract the harm.

Peter Dedon, a professor of biological engineering at MIT, and colleagues had previously shown that cells treated with poisons such as arsenic alter their chemical modification of molecules known as transfer RNA (tRNA), which deliver protein building blocks within a cell. In their new paper, appearing in the July 3 issue of Nature Communications, the research team delved into how these modifications help cells survive.

The researchers found that toxic stresses reprogram the tRNA modifications to turn on a system that diverts the cell's protein-building machinery away from its routine activities to emergency action. "In the end, a stepwise mechanism leads to selective expression of proteins that you need to survive," says Dedon, senior author of the Nature Communications paper.

The findings offer insight into not only cells' response to toxins, but also their reactions to all kinds of stimuli, such as nutrients or hormones, Dedon says. "We're proposing that any time there's a stimulus, you're going to have a reprogramming [of tRNA] that causes selective translation of proteins you need for the next step in whatever you're going to do," he says.

Lead author of the paper is recent MIT PhD recipient Clement Chan. Other MIT authors are postdocs Yan Ling Joy Pang and Wenjun Deng and research scientist Ramesh Indrakanti. Authors from the University at Albany are Thomas Begley, an associate professor of nanobioscience, and research scientist Madhu Dyavaiah.

A new role for RNA

Transfer RNA is made of 70 to 90 ribonucleotide building blocks. After synthesis, the ribonucleotides usually undergo dozens of chemical modifications that alter their structure and function. The primary job of tRNA is to bring amino acids to the ribosomes, which string them together to make proteins.

In a 2010 paper, Dedon and colleagues exposed yeast cells to different toxic chemicals, including hydrogen peroxide, bleach and arsenic. In each case, the cells responded by uniquely reprogramming the location and amount of each tRNA modification. If the cells lost the ability to reprogram the modifications, they were much less likely to survive the toxic attack.

In the new study, the researchers focused on a particular tRNA modification, known as m5C, which occurs when cells encounter hydrogen peroxide, a chemical produced by white blood cells.

They first discovered that this modification occurs predominantly in one of the tRNAs that carry the amino acid leucine. Every amino acid is encoded by three-letter sequences in the genome called codons. Each tRNA corresponds to one amino acid, but most amino acids can be coded by several tRNA sequences. For example, leucine can be coded by six different genome sequences: TTA, TTG, CTT, CTC, CTA and CTG.

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Genetic 911: Study examines how cells exploit gene sequences to cope with toxic stress

Genetic 911: Cells’ emergency systems revealed

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ScienceDaily (July 3, 2012) oxic chemicals wreak havoc on cells, damaging DNA and other critical molecules. A new study from researchers at MIT and the University at Albany reveals how a molecular emergency-response system shifts the cell into damage-control mode and helps it survive such attacks by rapidly producing proteins that counteract the harm.

Peter Dedon, a professor of biological engineering at MIT, and colleagues had previously shown that cells treated with poisons such as arsenic alter their chemical modification of molecules known as transfer RNA (tRNA), which deliver protein building blocks within a cell. In their new paper, appearing in the July 3 issue of Nature Communications, the research team delved into how these modifications help cells survive.

The researchers found that toxic stresses reprogram the tRNA modifications to turn on a system that diverts the cell's protein-building machinery away from its routine activities to emergency action. "In the end, a stepwise mechanism leads to selective expression of proteins that you need to survive," says Dedon, senior author of the Nature Communications paper.

The findings offer insight into not only cells' response to toxins, but also their reactions to all kinds of stimuli, such as nutrients or hormones, Dedon says. "We're proposing that any time there's a stimulus, you're going to have a reprogramming [of tRNA] that causes selective translation of proteins you need for the next step in whatever you're going to do," he says.

Lead author of the paper is recent MIT PhD recipient Clement Chan. Other MIT authors are postdocs Yan Ling Joy Pang and Wenjun Deng and research scientist Ramesh Indrakanti. Authors from the University at Albany are Thomas Begley, an associate professor of nanobioscience, and research scientist Madhu Dyavaiah.

A new role for RNA

Transfer RNA is made of 70 to 90 ribonucleotide building blocks. After synthesis, the ribonucleotides usually undergo dozens of chemical modifications that alter their structure and function. The primary job of tRNA is to bring amino acids to the ribosomes, which string them together to make proteins.

In a 2010 paper, Dedon and colleagues exposed yeast cells to different toxic chemicals, including hydrogen peroxide, bleach and arsenic. In each case, the cells responded by uniquely reprogramming the location and amount of each tRNA modification. If the cells lost the ability to reprogram the modifications, they were much less likely to survive the toxic attack.

In the new study, the researchers focused on a particular tRNA modification, known as m5C, which occurs when cells encounter hydrogen peroxide, a chemical produced by white blood cells.

They first discovered that this modification occurs predominantly in one of the tRNAs that carry the amino acid leucine. Every amino acid is encoded by three-letter sequences in the genome called codons. Each tRNA corresponds to one amino acid, but most amino acids can be coded by several tRNA sequences. For example, leucine can be coded by six different genome sequences: TTA, TTG, CTT, CTC, CTA and CTG.

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Genetic 911: Cells' emergency systems revealed