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UTHealth, St. Joseph Open Holistic Women's Behavioral Program

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Newswise HOUSTON (March 21, 2012) The Womens Behavioral Program at the Center for Behavioral Health, which offers specialized care for women with emotional challenges, has opened at St. Joseph Medical Center in partnership with The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth).

The program is directed by Marketa Wills, M.D., M.B.A., assistant professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at the UTHealth Medical School.

The program offers holistic care combined with cutting-edge behavioral treatment, said Wills, who specializes in the treatment of women across a broad range of diagnoses. We offer group, dance and music therapy in a spa-like setting designed to help women relax. Comfortable furnishings, signature robes and slippers, flat-screen TVs, computers and other amenities are included.

The program treats women within the broad spectrum of mental illness, including substance abuse, trauma, bipolar disorder, mild psychosis, personality disorder and depression.

According to the National Institutes of Health, more than 20 million Americans have depression and women are twice as likely to be diagnosed with it. Biological, life cycle, hormonal and psychosocial factors may be linked to the higher rates of depression in women, the NIH says. After experiencing hormonal and physical changes after giving birth, for example, women may develop postpartum depression.

But some women may also experience depression during pregnancy, Wills said. Ten to 20 percent of pregnant women may suffer from depression, Wills said. Signs include crying, tearfulness, lack of self care, lack of attention to obstetric care, concern they wont attach to the baby or they dont want the baby. The program has been developed to accept pregnant women and allow visitation by children.

Other signs of depression in women may include feelings of sadness, emptiness, irritability, guilt, hopelessness and fatigue. A woman also might be experiencing depression if she has lost interest in favorite activities, is unable to concentrate and not sleeping or sleeping too much. Thoughts of suicide or suicide attempts are important symptoms. Overeating or not wanting to eat are also signs.

Wills also has clinical expertise in treating women with eating disorders. Often people think that a person with an eating disorder such as anorexia is doing it on purpose or its just a matter of eating, she said. Whats really going on is people are restricting their food intake as a form of control and power because they feel out of control in other areas. By not eating, they see themselves doing something other people cant do.

Wills said signs of an eating disorder include a body weight less than 85 percent of ideal body weight and the cessation of the menstrual cycle. Thats where theyve reached the level of needing immediate physiological help. Once they are stable medically, they can come here to continue their treatment.

The new program is a collaboration among the employees and staff of St. Joseph Medical Center and UT Physicians, the medical practice of the UTHealth Medical School.

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UTHealth, St. Joseph Open Holistic Women's Behavioral Program

FCX-DNA – New DNA Specific Cosmetic Line Targets the Unique 1% of DNA. FCX-DNA to Announce the Forthcoming Diet …

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FCX-DNA New DNA Specific Cosmetic Line Targets the Unique 1% of DNA. FCX-DNA to Announce the Forthcoming Diet Products. Your Skin Your Body Your Genes

FCX-DNA anti aging Cosmetics and Diet Products target that 1% uniqueness of the Human DNA. Your Skin Your Body Your Genes.

FCX-DNA has the exclusive marketing rights to market and sell the products.

Creating the vision of FCX-DNA is the newly appointed CEO, Founder and President Sandra Harshman.

Ms. Harshman, one of the first female accountants in Idaho has worked as a tax accountant and comptroller for companies such as Touche Ross & Company and Pepsi Cola Corporation. Ms. Harshman was an MSP (merchant service provider) and Credit Card Issuer for 17 years. Ms. Harshman is the recipient of the National Business Women of the Year Award in 2003 as well as a publisher and author.

These DNA products offer potent nutrient blends of vitamins, minerals and other natural extracts to delay skin aging, protect skin from DNA damage caused by UV radiation and environmental pollutants, prevent premature skin aging, stimulate skin cell regeneration, and provide optimal skin nourishing and moisturizing.

FCX designed DNA testing called Anti-Aging DNA to detect gene mutations affecting skin aging, nutrient metabolism, and susceptibility to disease which affects both the appearance of skin and general health status. FCX learns about each persons genetic profile and can recommend appropriate preventive measures to delay the onset of aging and the formation of wrinkles. Genes tested are related to dermagenomics, collagen synthesis, skin anti-oxidation and replenishment, early hair loss, and skin cancers such as basal cell carcinoma and melanoma.

FCXs skin and body care is a regiment consisting of shampoo, conditioner, soaps and cleansers, as well as products for detoxifying, cell renewal and anti-aging.

The science behind these remarkable new products, developed by Burstein Ecological Laboratories - a leading research laboratory in natural cosmetics - is Bio Anti-Aging Technology. This progressive technology is the micronized process of ingredients, breaking them down to their smallest living particle for ultimate delivery allowing for the best results in skin care, hair care, and nutrition.

After years of study, research and data collection, Dr. Burstein developed a process to extract the essence from organically grown fruits and vegetables without harming its texture or genetics.

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FCX-DNA – New DNA Specific Cosmetic Line Targets the Unique 1% of DNA. FCX-DNA to Announce the Forthcoming Diet ...

VistaGen Therapeutics Enters Strategic Drug Screening Collaboration With Vala Sciences

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SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, CA--(Marketwire -03/21/12)- VistaGen Therapeutics, Inc. (OTC.BB: VSTA.OB - News) (OTCQB: VSTA.OB - News), a biotechnology company applying stem cell technology for drug rescue and cell therapy, and Vala Sciences, Inc., a biotechnology company developing and selling next-generation cell image-based instruments, reagents and analysis software tools, have entered into a strategic collaboration. Their goal is to advance drug safety screening methodologies in the most clinically relevant human in vitro bioassay systems available to researchers today.

Cardiomyocytes are the muscle cells of the heart that provide the force necessary to pump blood throughout the body, and as such are the targets of most of the drug toxicities that directly affect the heart. Many of these drug toxicities result in either arrhythmia (irregular, often fatal, beating of the heart) or reduced ability of the heart to pump the blood necessary to maintain normal health and vigor.

"Our collaboration with Vala directly supports the core drug rescue applications of our Human Clinical Trials in a Test Tube platform," said Shawn K. Singh, JD, VistaGen's Chief Executive Officer. "Our high quality human cardiomyocytes combined with Vala's high throughput electrophysiological assessment capabilities is yet another example of how we are applying our stem cell technology platform within a strategic ecosystem of complementary leading-edge companies and technologies. We seek to drive our drug rescue programs forward and generate a pipeline of new, cardiosafe drug candidates."

Through the collaboration, Vala will use its Kinetic Image Cytometer platform to demonstrate both the suitability and utility of VistaGen's human pluripotent stem cell derived-cardiomyocytes for screening new drug candidates for potential cardiotoxicity over conventional in vitro screening systems and animal models. VistaGen's validated human cardiomyocyte-based bioassay system, CardioSafe 3D, will permit Vala to demonstrate the quality, resolution, applicability and ease of use of its new instrumentation and analysis software to make information-rich, high throughput measurements and generate fundamentally new insights into heart cell drug responses. Accurate, sensitive and reproducible measurement of electrophysiological responses of stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes to new drug candidates is a key element of VistaGen's CardioSafe 3D drug rescue programs. VistaGen's strategic collaboration with Vala is directed towards this goal.

About VistaGen Therapeutics

VistaGen is a biotechnology company applying human pluripotent stem cell technology for drug rescue and cell therapy. VistaGen's drug rescue activities combine its human pluripotent stem cell technology platform, Human Clinical Trials in a Test Tube, with modern medicinal chemistry to generate new chemical variants (Drug Rescue Variants) of once-promising small-molecule drug candidates. These are drug candidates discontinued due to heart toxicity after substantial development by pharmaceutical companies, the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH) or university laboratories. VistaGen uses its pluripotent stem cell technology to generate early indications, or predictions, of how humans will ultimately respond to new drug candidates before they are ever tested in humans, bringing human biology to the front end of the drug development process.

Additionally, VistaGen's small molecule drug candidate, AV-101, is in Phase 1b development for treatment of neuropathic pain. Neuropathic pain, a serious and chronic condition causing pain after an injury or disease of the peripheral or central nervous system, affects approximately 1.8 million people in the U.S. alone. VistaGen is also exploring opportunities to leverage its current Phase 1 clinical program to enable additional Phase 2 clinical studies of AV-101 for epilepsy, Parkinson's disease and depression. To date, VistaGen has been awarded over $8.5 million from the NIH for development of AV-101.

About Vala Sciences

Vala Sciences is a San Diego-based biotechnology company that develops and sells cell-image-based instrumentation, reagents and analysis software tools to academic, pharmaceutical and biotechnology scientists. Vala's IC 200 class of instrumentation, and CyteSeer Automated Image Cytometry software convert labor-intensive qualitative observations of biological changes that can take from days to months, into accurate measurements delivered automatically in minutes.

Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward Looking Statements

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Nemours researchers uncover new evidence of cancer-causing agent present in gaseous phase of cigarette smoke

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Public release date: 21-Mar-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Karen Bengston kbengsto@nemours.org 302-298-7319 Nemours

Wilmington, DE A team of researchers led by A. K. Rajasekaran, PhD, Director of the Nemours Center for Childhood Cancer Research, has shown that a key protein involved in cell function and regulation is stopped by a substance present in cigarette smoke. Their work is published online in the American Journal of Physiology - Lung Cell and Molecular Physiology.

Cigarette smoke is well recognized as a cause of lung cancer and is associated with many other forms of cancer in adults. Cigarette smoke has more than 4,000 components, many of which are linked to the development and progression of lung cancer. Evidence has shown secondhand smoke to be as dangerous as primary smoke due to its impact on the cells of the body.

In the study, the authors found a cancer-causing agent called reactive oxygen species (ROS) present in the gaseous phase of cigarette smoke that has the ability to inhibit normal cell function. Exposure to the secondhand smoke produced by as little as two cigarettes was found to almost completely stop the function of a cell's sodium pump within a few hours. In normal cells, the sodium pump plays a critical role transporting potassium into the cell and sodium out of the cell. The competence of the cell's sodium pump, i.e., its inability to regulate sodium, is predictive of cell damage, disease progression and ultimately, survival.

"This is critical information with regard to secondhand smoke," said Dr. Rajasekaran. "We now know that one need not inhale the particulate matter present in secondhand smoke to suffer the consequence of smoking. Exposure to the gaseous substance alone, which you breathe while standing near a smoker, is sufficient to cause harm." Dr. Lee Goodglick, Associate Professor in the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, UCLA, and co-senior author of the study, noted, "Few reliable lung cancer biomarkers that could predict survival, treatment options or response to therapy exist today. Even fewer have been recognized where the function of the biomarker is known, yielding important information about the mechanism of action. This study really accomplishes both."

This research is the latest finding in the compendium of evidence that supports protecting children from exposure to cigarette smoke. Excessive exposure to cigarette smoke during childhood can facilitate lung cancer development as children grow into adults. While more research is needed to understand the consequences of sodium pump inhibition by cigarette smoke, this study reveals that secondhand smoke is even more dangerous than previously thought.

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About the Nemours Center for Childhood Cancer Research

The Nemours Center for Childhood Cancer Research, part of Nemours Biomedical Research at the Alfred I. duPont Hospital for Children, is located in a fully renovated laboratory space on Rockland Road in Wilmington, DE. The goal of the center is to evolve into a leader in research focusing on the discovery of new drugs and biomarkers for childhood cancers and reduced side effects arising due to cancer treatment in children. The NCCCR works closely with the University of Delaware, Christiana Care - Helen F. Graham Cancer Center, the Delaware Biotechnology Institute and Thomas Jefferson University. For more information, visit http://www.nemours.org/link/ncccr.

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Nemours researchers uncover new evidence of cancer-causing agent present in gaseous phase of cigarette smoke

Wolters Kluwer Health Releases First Medical Journal iPad(r) App in Pathology

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Newswise LONDON (March 21, 2012) Wolters Kluwer Health announced today the release of an iPad app for the medical journal, Pathology. The app provides health care professionals with full mobile accessibility to the latest research into all aspects of pathology. Pathology is published by Lippincott Williams & Wilkins (LWW), part of Wolters Kluwer Health on behalf of the Royal College of Pathologists of Australasia (RCPA).

Pathology for the iPad uses optimized digital technology to provide a fully portable and enhanced print-like reading experience. It is the first iPad app available that offers access to the very latest original scientific research and reviews into pathology.

The RCPA is delighted that the cutting edge research and review topics published in Pathology will now be available via an iPad app said Professor Brett Delahunt, Editor of Pathology. Such convenient and user-friendly access will allow pathologists to fit journal reading more easily into their busy schedules. This, in turn will help them in applying advancements in medicine into their important daily work, ensuring patients receive the best of care.

Were delighted to partner with the Royal College of Pathologists of Australasia to bring the Pathology journal iPad app to members offering a dynamic, integrated experience with their journal, added Karen Abramson, President and CEO of Wolters Kluwer Health Medical Research.

Along with full-text downloads of each issue, the new app allows the user to: Share articles via email or social media Adjust text sizing with "pinch and zoom" View multimedia videos, images, and supplements Store or delete downloaded issues Browse issues via Quick View Scroll quickly through abstract summaries Receive notifications about new issues Link to the journal website (www.rcpa-pathologyjournal.com) for additional reading and searching archives, etc.

The Pathology iPad app is available free of charge from the App StoreSM. The April 2012 issue is also free for users to experience the app. Once access controls are applied, future issues will only be available to subscribers and RCPA fellows.

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About Pathology Pathology Official Journal of the Royal College of Pathologists of Australasia (RCPA) is committed to publishing peer-reviewed, original articles related to the science of pathology in its broadest sense, including anatomical pathology, chemical pathology and biochemistry, cytopathology, experimental pathology, forensic pathology and morbid anatomy, genetics, haematology, immunology and immunopathology, microbiology and molecular pathology.

About the Royal College of Pathologists of Australasia The Royal College of Pathologists of Australasia (RCPA) has been responsible for the training and professional development of pathologists for more than fifty years. It is also responsible for the promotion of the science and practice of Pathology. The principal object of the College is: to promote the study of the science and practice of Pathology in relation to medicine; to encourage research in pathology and ancillary sciences, to bring together pathologists for their common benefit and for scientific discussions and demonstrations; and to disseminate knowledge of the principles and practice of pathology in relation to medicine by such means as may be thought fit.

About Lippincott Williams & Wilkins Lippincott Williams & Wilkins (LWW) is a leading international publisher of trusted content delivered in innovative ways to practitioners, professionals and students to learn new skills, stay current on their practice, and make important decisions to improve patient care and clinical outcomes.

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Wolters Kluwer Health Releases First Medical Journal iPad(r) App in Pathology

State pension to be simplified

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The Chancellor has pledged to combine the two state pensions into one simplified pension, as well as increasing the state pension age automatically in line with rises in longevity.

In Wedneday's Budget, as part of wider plans to simplify the UK's complicated tax system, George Osborne announced that the second state pension will be scrapped and a new single-tier pension will be launched for future pensioners.

It is estimated that it will be about 140 a week. The full basic state pension is currently 102.15 a week, rising to 107.45 next month.

In his speech, Osborne joked about the complexity of the second state pension: "Such is the complexity of this means-tested system, only someone like our pensions minister can work out exactly what someone's entitled to - and what they need to save.

"So I can confirm that we will introduce a new single-tier pension for future pensioners, set above the means test."

The new pension will be based on contributions and will cost no more than the current system. The government will publish further details in the next few months.

"A single, generous, basic state pension for those who have worked and saved hard all their lives," the Chancellor declared.

He also announced that to tackle the long-term challenges of an ageing population, there will be an automatic review of further increases to the state pension age to ensure it keeps pace with increases in longevity. Further details on this will be published this summer.

Baroness Greengross, chief executive of the International Longevity Centre-UK (ILC-UK), welcomed the automatic link: "The government is right to consider how the state pension age needs to increase in line with longevity. It is simply not sustainable for the state to adequately support us for the increasing number of years we are spending in retirement."

She added: "Whilst many of us can expect to live 15 or 20 years after state pension age, parts of the country see much lower life expectancy. Further increases in state pension age must go alongside initiatives to tackle inequalities in health and healthy life expectancy."

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DNA test determines kidnapped baby's father

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HOUSTON -

A DNA test has proved with 99 percent certainty that the man claiming to be the father of a child kidnapped eight years ago is the biological father.

The test results were revealed in court on Wednesday.

Miguel Morin, 8, was kidnapped in November 2004. He was 8 months old when he disappeared.

Miguel was found earlier this month after a woman turned in her sister, Krystle Rochelle Tanner. Tanner has been charged with felony kidnapping.

Fernando Morin has been proven to be Miguel's father, it has not been determined who Miguel's mother is. Auboni Champion-Morin has submitted her DNA for testing and results were expected to be returned on Thursday.

Champion-Morin said she left her son with Tanner, a friend whom she considered the child's godmother. When she went to pick up Miguel the next day, both Tanner and the child were gone.

According to Children's Protective Services workers, Miguel was given a new name and a new birth date and, when shown a picture of Tanner, he identified her as his mother. Officials said he thinks he is 6 years old.

A psychologist said Miguel is frightened, shy and behind emotionally and psychologically. He does not attend school, officials said.

"The child doesn't really know what's going on," Morin said. "He's been lied to his whole life."

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TMJ: Stem cell biology and engineering toward clinical translation

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Public release date: 21-Mar-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Ingrid L. Thomas ithomas@aadronline.org 703-299-8084 International & American Associations for Dental Research

Tampa, Fla., USA On March 23, during the 41st Annual Meeting & Exhibition of the American Association for Dental Research (AADR), held in conjunction with the 36th Annual Meeting of the Canadian Association for Dental Research, a symposium titled "TMJ: Stem Cell Biology and Engineering toward Clinical Translation" will provide a rare forum for multidisciplinary discussion of the biology, engineering and clinical translation of fundamental discoveries towards novel clinical therapy. The symposium is co-sponsored by the Craniofacial Biology, Mineralized Tissue and Neuroscience Scientific Research Groups of the International Association for Dental Research. The presentations in this multidisciplinary symposium will represent broad and yet comprehensive approaches toward the understanding of the origin, homeostasis, differentiation, hormonal regulation and bioengineering of temporomandibular joint (TMJ) tissues.

TMJ disorders are a poorly understood cluster of diseases, ranging from neuromuscular pain to severe forms of arthritis. Recently, stem/progenitor cells have been identified in TMJ disc and condyle, with potential origin from neural crest cells in development. Putative TMJ stem/progenitor cells are subjected to local, hormonal and other systemic factors in homeostasis in multiple processes that warrant better elucidation. In parallel, there is an acute demand in the clinical community for the regeneration of various TMJ components, including the disc, condyle, synovium and the mandible.

This symposium will not only provide new aspects of a timely and under-studied subject of TMJ biology and therapeutics, but also use TMJ as a model for the study of other dental and craniofacial structures and diseases.

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This is a summary of sequence #87 titled "TMJ: Stem Cell Biology and Engineering toward Clinical Translation" which will feature abstracts to be presented by M. Embree, M. Detamore, A. Le and S. Kapila at the Annual Meeting of the American Association for Dental Research. This symposium will take place at 8 a.m. on Friday, March 23, 2012, in room 10 of the Tampa Convention Center.

About the American Association for Dental Research

The American Association for Dental Research (AADR), headquartered in Alexandria, Va., is a nonprofit organization with nearly 4,000 members in the United States. Its mission is: (1) to advance research and increase knowledge for the improvement of oral health; (2) to support and represent the oral health research community; and (3) to facilitate the communication and application of research findings. AADR is the largest Division of the International Association for Dental Research (IADR).

To learn more about the AADR, visit http://www.aadronline.org.

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TMJ: Stem cell biology and engineering toward clinical translation

Thomas Jessell Receives 2012 Gairdner Award for Groundbreaking Insights on Nervous System

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Published: March 21, 2012

The Gairdner Foundation has announced the recipients of the 2012 Canada Gairdner Awards. Recognized for some of the most significant medical discoveries from around the world, this years winners showcase a broad range of new medical insights, from pioneering new ways to tackle childhood illness in developing countries to identifying how our biological clocks guide our everyday lives.

Among the worlds most esteemed medical research prizes, the awards distinguish Canada as a leader in science and provide a $100,000 prize to scientists whose work holds important potential. The 2012 winners are as follows:

Thomas M. Jessell, Ph.D.

Thomas M. Jessell, Ph.D., Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Kavli Institute for Brain Science, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, NY

The challenge: Through communication between the sensory neuron and the motor neuron in our bodies nervous system, we acquire the ability to move and react to the world around us. But little was known about how these neurons communicate with each other.

The work: Dr. Jessells work reveals the basic principles of nervous system communication. By studying the assembly and organization of the circuit that controls movement in the spinal cord nervous system, Dr. Jessell identified the direct connection between the sensory neuron, which is responsible for allowing us to process what is happening in the world around us, and the motor neuron, which allows us to control how our muscles move to react to what we sense in that world.

Why it matters: As a result of this discovery, we have the potential to create interventional strategies to treat and cure neurodegenerative diseases such as Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) and Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA), where a problem with the circuit connection between the sensory neuron and the motor neuron prevents our minds and bodies from reacting properly to what we sense around us. Similarly, we now have the potential to restore movement in patients with spinal cord injury or paralysis.

(To learn more about Dr. Jessell and his work, read The Promise of the Brain.)

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Thomas Jessell Receives 2012 Gairdner Award for Groundbreaking Insights on Nervous System

Medical school exams to include broader range of subjects

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Medical schools are seeking longer Medical College Admission Tests to better prepare future medical doctors.

The Association of American Medical Colleges decided to add content to the current exams. These changes will take place starting in 2015. The new content includes more behavioral science questions from classes such as psychology, sociology and philosophy. The changes to the content will increase the test time from five-and-a-half hours to seven hours.

Mollie Semmer, a senior in the College of Health and Human Sciences, took the MCATs during the summer and said she thinks the changes are good because they encourage students to take a wide range of courses, and a lot of medical schools require the additional courses anyway.

"It's a tough test to prepare for because it's a content-based test, so you have to know certain concepts from class that are on the test," Semmer said.

Semmer said to be better prepared for the test, students should stick to a schedule while doing the practice tests and pace themselves because the exam is rushed.

Amy Terstriep, a health professions adviser in the College of Science, said this has been the second change in the last 10 years. The current change is a bigger overhaul than the last one.

"The changes in the test that they are thinking of now will better reflect what medical schools are looking for and what they need students to be able to do," Terstriep said. "It's going to be different, not necessarily harder."

Robert Walkup, an adviser in the School of Health Sciences, wrote in an email the changes to the MCATs are not worrisome for Purdue students and that the changes might benefit students not involved in science-based curriculum.

"I don't see it as being harder but with a broader-based focus," Walkup wrote. "Most students enrolled in pre-med programs at Purdue complete these courses currently."

Terstriep said longer does not necessarily mean harder, but it can be tiring. Her advice to future test takers is to thoroughly learn the material presented in class and not just study for the next exam because students are going to need the concepts for the MCATs.

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2nd Lee Co. doctor’s license restricted in stem cell case

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2nd Lee Co. doctor's license restricted in stem cell case

FORT MYERS, Fla.- Another Lee County doctor is caught in the center of a stem cell controversy. The State Department of Health has issued an emergency license restriction to Dr. Konstantine Yankopolus, a general practitioner.

Dr. Yankopolus is still allowed to practice general medicine and is treating patients. The license restriction mandates he can't do anything involving stem cell treatment.

It's business as usual at his office on Colonial Blvd.

The doctor is still treating patients, but an emergency order issued from the Florida Department of Health, Monday prevents him from doing anything with stem cells.

The order says Dr. Yankopolus' license "is hereby immediately restricted from providing, collaborating, facilitating, procuring, referring or advising on any stem cell treatment."

The action comes after the state suspended the license of his colleague, Dr. Zannos Grekos' earlier this month.

The emergency order says Dr. Yankopolus helped Dr. Grekos perform stem cell therapy on the late Richard Polling despite knowing the Bonita Springs cardiologist was not allowed to do such a procedure.

The state Surgeon General alleges, Dr. Yankopolus falsified Polling's records.

He writes, "Subsequent to the death of patient R.P., Dr. Yankopolus entered a false medical progress note in R.P.'s chart falsely indicating that no stem cell preparation was infused."

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Entest BioMedical Excited With Progress on 10 Dog Pilot Study of “Universal Donor” Stem Cell Treatment for Canine …

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SAN DIEGO, CA--(Marketwire -03/21/12)- Entest BioMedical Inc. (OTCQB: ENTB.PK - News) (Pinksheets: ENTB.PK - News)

Entest BioMedical Inc. (OTCQB: ENTB.PK - News) (Pinksheets: ENTB.PK - News) and RenovoCyte LLC announced they have treated 8 canine patients of a 10 dog pilot study utilizing Canine Endometrial Regenerative Cells (CERC) licensed from Medistem Inc. (Pinksheets: MEDS.PK - News) in the treatment of canine osteoarthritis.

Previously, Entest announced the treatment of the first canine patient on November 18, 2011. Since that time Entest's McDonald Animal Hospital has treated 8 dogs in its 10 Dog Pilot Study with RenovoCyte. To date, all of the dogs participating in this study have shown dramatic improvement in their mobility and apparent reduction of pain.

Dr. Greg McDonald, Chief Veterinarian at McDonald Animal Hospital, said, "50 million CERC stem cells have been injected intravenously into eight dogs. Each dog selected for this study showed signs of arthritis. Follow-up blood tests, urinalysis and physical exams are now being scheduled for the patients that have already been treated. So far, all these canine patients have shown improvement."

Entest BioMedical Chairman David Koos stated, "Osteoarthritis is considered one of the most common causes of lameness in dogs, occurring in up to 30% of all dogs. It is caused by a deterioration of joint cartilage, followed by pain and loss of range of motion of the joint. We expect this treatment to relieve these animals from the pain associated with arthritis. This has extraordinary possibilities for dogs and may lead the way for human treatment of arthritic pain."

The CERC is a "universal donor" stem cell product that does not require matching with the recipient allowing for the generation of standardized products that can be delivered to the office of the veterinarian ready for injection. This is in stark contrast to current stem cell therapies utilized in veterinary applications which require the extraction, manipulation, and subsequent implantation of tissue from the animal being treated. CERC is the canine equivalent of Medistem's Endometrial Regenerative Cell (ERC). Medistem was recently granted approval from the FDA to initiate a clinical trial in human patients using its ERCs.

"We are extremely pleased with our research relationship with Entest BioMedical. This study of canine pets suffering from naturally occurring osteoarthritis is a better test model than laboratory induced disease because it will give us the opportunity for long term follow up of these patients. RenovoCyte sees this study as part of the supporting documentation that will be needed to obtain FDA approval for widespread usage of this therapy," said Shelly Zacharias, DVM, Director of Veterinary Operations, RenovoCyte, LLC.

A spokesperson for Entest noted the Company is also currently conducting a 10 dog safety study on its immune-therapeutic cancer vaccine for dogs, having treated 3 dogs so far.

About Entest BioMedical Inc.:Entest BioMedical Inc. (http://www.entestbio.com) is a veterinary biotechnology company focused on developing therapies that harness the animal's own reparative / immunological mechanisms. The Company's products include an immuno-therapeutic cancer vaccine for canines (ImenVax). ImenVax is less invasive and less traumatic in treating cancer. Additionally, the Company serves as the contract research organization conducting a pilot study on a stem cell based canine osteoarthritis treatment (developed by RenovoCyte LLC) utilizing a 'universal donor' stem cell. Entest is also building a network of veterinary hospitals (with its initial location in Santa Barbara, CA and anticipates acquiring other veterinary hospitals in California) -- which serve as distribution channels for its products.

DisclaimerThis news release may contain forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are inherently subject to risks and uncertainties, some of which cannot be predicted or quantified. Future events and actual results could differ materially from those set forth in, contemplated by, or underlying the forward-looking statements. The risks and uncertainties to which forward-looking statements are subject include, but are not limited to, the effect of government regulation, competition and other material risks.

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Entest BioMedical Excited With Progress on 10 Dog Pilot Study of "Universal Donor" Stem Cell Treatment for Canine ...

Stem Cell Therapy Could Boost Kidney Transplant Success: Study

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TUESDAY, March 20 (HealthDay News) -- A novel technique that uses a kidney transplant recipient's own stem cells may someday replace or reduce the initial use of anti-rejection medications, new research suggests.

Six months after receiving a kidney transplant, only about 8 percent of people given their own mesenchymal stem cells experienced rejection compared with almost 22 percent of people on the standard anti-rejection drugs, according to the study.

"Mesenchymal stem cells are stem cells that can be differentiated into a variety of cells," explained Dr. Camillo Ricordi, study senior author and director of the Cell Transplant Center and Diabetes Research Institute at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine.

"If you infuse mesenchymal stem cells at the time of the transplant, you could replace the use of powerful anti-rejection drugs, and maybe replace immunosuppressants altogether," he said. This technique could be used in the transplantation of islet cells (in the pancreas) for people with type 1 diabetes, and for other organ transplants, such as the liver, he added.

The people given their own stem cells also had improved kidney function earlier after transplant, Ricordi said.

Results of the study appear in the March 21 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.

One of the biggest remaining hurdles in organ transplantation remains the need for powerful anti-rejection and immune-suppressing medications after the transplant.

"Basically, the way we prevent kidney rejections is by putting you on very powerful anti-rejection drugs and immunosuppressive agents to prevent your cells from attacking the foreign organ," said Dr. Robert Provenzano, chair of the department of nephrology, hypertension and transplantation at St. John Providence Health System in Detroit. "But, the current standard has some problems, like an increased risk of infections and the possibility of creating a cancer."

The body's immune system sends out surveillance cells to protect the body against foreign invaders, such as a bacteria, virus or, in this case, a new organ, Provenzano said. The current method of preventing these cells from attacking the new organ is essentially to destroy the surveillance cells. But mesenchymal cells can naturally suppress those surveillance cells so they don't attack, he said.

To see if this suppression would be enough to prevent rejection, Ricordi and his colleagues, including researchers from Xiamen University in China, recruited 159 people with serious kidney disease who were on dialysis. They ranged in age from 18 to 61.

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Evaluating Sex Differences in Medical Device Clinical Trials: Time for Action [Viewpoint]

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Sanket S. Dhruva, MD; Rita F. Redberg, MD, MSc Author Affiliations: Department of Medicine (Dr Dhruva), and Women's Cardiovascular Services, School of Medicine, Division of Cardiology (Dr Redberg), University of California, San Francisco. Dr Redberg is also Editor, Archives of Internal Medicine.

The safety and effectiveness of medical treatments can differ in men and women for many reasons related to different epidemiologic characteristics, physiology, and body size. In general, women have higher bleeding rates and procedural morbidity and mortality than men, which means that their risk/benefit ratios for many implanted medical devices can differ from men. Therefore, sex-specific safety and effectiveness data are necessary for informed patient decision making. In 2008, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) convened 2 workshops on this topic that included multiple stakeholderspatient groups, medical device industry representatives, academia, and government officials. In December 2011, the FDA released a draft guidance informed by these workshops, entitled Evaluation of Sex Differences in Medical Device Clinical Studies.1 This document discusses the underrepresentation of women in medical device clinical trials and provides recommendations for increasing enrollment of women and performing sex-specific analyses. A 90-day public comment period began on

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Evaluating Sex Differences in Medical Device Clinical Trials: Time for Action [Viewpoint]

Aurora Joins Hitachi Data Systems Technology Alliance Program to Offer Best- In-Breed Data Management and Digital …

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MONTREAL, QUEBEC--(Marketwire -03/20/12)- Aurora Interactive announced today that it has joined the Hitachi Data Systems Technology Alliance Program. This will allow Aurora to deliver data management and digital pathology solutions to their clients, giving clients timely control of their data and medical choices.

"Aurora is proud to join the Hitachi Data Systems Technology Alliance Program. Hitachi Data Systems is a globally respected leader in the IT industry, and one of the premier technology and services providers to the medical field. Joining this program will allow us to seamlessly fulfill the needs of our clients who have taken the next step in digital pathology adoption and require universal and vendor neutral mass data management solutions. Our participation in the Hitachi Data Systems Technology Alliance Program is fully aligned with our strategy of universality and interoperability and our commitment to giving our clients control over their data and medical choices. As HDS believes that data drives our world and information is the new currency, Aurora believes that timely and efficient data and information access is the key to better patient care and outcomes," stated Pierre Le Fevre, President and Chief Executive Officer, Aurora Interactive.

"Hitachi Data Systems would like to welcome Aurora Interactive to our Technology Alliance Program. We strongly believe in partnering with best-in-breed providers to bring our clients leading technologies to pair with our data management systems. Aurora Interactive is an ideal digital pathology partner for us," said Dave Wilson, senior director, Global Health Solutions,, Hitachi Data Systems.

About Aurora Interactive Ltd.

Aurora Interactive has developed the leading web based software platform (mScope) for simplification, productivity and ease of communications. mScope's Universal Web Viewer has collaborative tools to view medical slides and images anytime, anywhere, regardless of file format. The software has four applications to aid digital pathology web based communications needs: mScope Education, mScope Clinical, mScope Research and mScope Universal Viewer.

Aurora's mission is to improve patient outcomes and help members of the medical community achieve their full potential by eliminating the learning, diagnostic and collaborative restrictions imposed by time and space.

http://www.aurorainteractive.com

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Good nutrition essential to protect health of elderly people

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WATERLOO Malnutrition is a big problem among older adults that can lead to serious health problems and steady decline in ability if they dont adopt a healthier diet, a University of Waterloo researcher says.

Older adults need more nutrients than we think and catching it early is key, said Heather Keller, a registered dietitian and Schlegel research chair in nutrition and aging at the Schlegel-UW Research Institute for Aging.

Keller will share her expertise in senior nutrition at a free public lecture on Wednesday at the Kitchener Market from 4 to 5:30 p.m. She will provide information on nutrient needs and useful strategies and resources.

Keller works with older adults in the community as well as families and practitioners to share her knowledge on the importance of a healthy diet and how to ensure elderly people are getting enough essential nutrients. She developed a simple questionnaire to identify where older adults are doing well and where improvement is needed ( http://www.eatrightontario.ca/escreen).

Older adults think theyre doing fine, Keller said.

Yet often theyve slipped into bad habits, such as skipping meals. Snacking, and weight loss can follow. Thats a problem because older adults primarily lose muscle and not fat, increasing the risk of balance problems and falls.

Nutrition needs change as a person ages because their body doesnt process nutrients in the same way, making healthy eating essential to prevent and manage health conditions but also more complicated.

Older adults dont realize they need more nutrition in less calories, said Keller, who is now studying how to improve nutrition in long-term care homes.

Although its commonly known elderly people need more calcium, other nutrients need to be boosted to protect health. Vitamin D, for instance, is often lacking in older adults because skin changes affect the ability to make the vitamin through sun exposure. Substantially more protein is needed to maintain muscle mass.

Older adults soon show the effects of poor nutrition because they dont have the same reserves as young adults, who can quickly recover from a bout of bad eating. Possible health effects include osteoporosis, loss of function, cognition issues, including early onset dementia, delirium and balance problems.

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Good nutrition essential to protect health of elderly people

Practical Nutrition: Websites can help you track food intake and exercise

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By: MARY-JO SAWYER | SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT Published: March 21, 2012 Updated: March 21, 2012 - 12:00 AM

So how are those New Year's resolutions coming along? Since it's already March and National Nutrition Month, it's a good time to check in.

If you're like some people, resolutions have been long forgotten.

That's the problem with resolutions. We make vague goals but fail to back them with a plan.

That missed weight-loss goal might be a cause of stress right now, especially with swimsuits already showing up in the stores. A healthy goal is losing 1 to 2 pounds per week. Start executing a plan now, and you'll see some weight loss before summer.

First, visit ChooseMyPlate.gov to learn how many calories you need to lose weight. Make your profile, and then click on "My Plan" to determine calories. The site also shows the recommended servings of each food group to consume each day. From there you can track your meals and snacks in the site's new "SuperTracker," searching the "Food-A-Pedia" database of more than 8,000 foods.

Two other popular websites include myfitnesspal.com and sparkpeople.com. They also calculate calorie needs and allow you to track your daily food intake. But they have larger food databases, including brand name and restaurant foods. The duo offers other tracking tools, too, plus interaction among site members.

Both websites have free smartphone apps, making it even easier to track your progress. There are plenty of other nutrition apps available, although some may charge a fee. Try them out to see which one you find easiest to use.

If you're more old school, pick up a calorie-count book and write down what you eat. There are many good books available to meet your specific needs.

Books such as "The Complete Book of Food Counts, 9th Edition: The Book That Counts It All," by Corinne T. Netzer, show calorie, protein, carbohydrate, fat, cholesterol, sodium, and fiber content of foods.

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Shadow Beverages Selects Closure Systems International Closures for New GNC Advanced Nutrition Drinks

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INDIANAPOLIS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

Closure Systems International is pleased to announce that its Extra-Lok V 38mm OD cap has been selected for use on a new line of GNC Advanced Nutrition Beverages. GNC, one of the world's largest specialty retailers of nutritional products, has been helping people Live Well for more than 75 years by offering a variety of health and wellness supplements, ranging from vitamins to diet and sports nutrition products. With its licensee partner, Shadow Beverages LLC, GNC has now entered the ready-to-drink beverage category in new markets with an extensive range of Nutritional Waters, Sport Nutrition, and Protein Nutrition Beverages. The range meets the targeted needs of all levels of active consumers.

The GNC beverage line includes XP / Extreme Performance drinks, targeted towards intense performance athletes that push themselves above and beyond, and Active drinks, formulated to meet the hydration and metabolic needs of more mainstream active consumers. The GNC Nutritional Waters, Sport Nutrition, and Protein Nutrition Beverages are packaged in 20 oz. and 14oz PET bottles by Graham Packaging. The XP beverage lines have black labels and black closures, while the Active bottles have white labels and clear closures.

CSIs versatile, light-weight Extra-Lok V 38mm OD cap was chosen over alternative closure options due to its premium look, consumer safety features, and optimal sealing and application performance. Equally important were the technical expertise and customer services CSI provided, according to Allen Warner, Director of Supply Chain for Shadow Beverages. "At each step, CSI provided unmatched technical service and on-time delivery. For us, the decision was easy, said Warner. CSI is the worldwide leader in beverage closures and exceeded our expectations by meeting extremely tight project timelines, he added. With CSIs expert guidance, we enjoyed a smooth, trouble free bottling start-up.

The new line of GNC beverages delivers everything active consumers have come to expect from the leader in healthy innovation significantly superior nutrition. Extending the GNC brand portfolio to include nutritionally enhanced ready-to-drink beverages makes perfect sense, and Shadow Beverages has done an excellent job developing just the right product and packaging, said CSI Sales Manager, Sussy Goff. CSI is thrilled to be a part of such an exciting launch.

Distribution of the new line of GNC beverages, currently consisting of 14 SKUs, has begun through various channels in the United States. To learn more go to http://www.drinkGNC.com.

For further closure information, please contact:

Rodolfo Haenni, Global Marketing Manager Closure Systems International 7702 Woodland Dr, Suite 200 Indianapolis, Indiana 46278 USA Rodolfo.Haenni@csiclosures.com 317-390-5073

For further product information, please contact:

Eric Fling, VP of Field Marketing Shadow Beverages & Snacks LLC 4650 E. Cotton Center Blvd, Suite 240 Phoenix, AZ 85040 ericf@shadowbev.com 480-371-1100

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Shadow Beverages Selects Closure Systems International Closures for New GNC Advanced Nutrition Drinks

Reality check on ‘Hunger Games’ tech

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Murray Close / Lionsgate / Everett Collection

Peacekeepers escort Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence) in a scene from "The Hunger Games."

By Alan Boyle

The technological divide between the rulers and the ruled is at the heart of "The Hunger Games": While the good guys struggle to survive, the bad guys employ fictional gee-whiz technologies inspired by real-life frontiers. And just as in real life, technology gets tripped up by unintended consequences.

That's not to say the post-apocalyptic North America of the book series and the much-anticipated movie, opening Friday, is anything close to real life. On one level, the technologies used by the villainous government of the nation known as Panem, ranging from force fields to extreme genetic engineering, serve as science-fiction plot devices and special effects. But on another level, the contrast between bows and arrows on one side, and death-dealing hovercraft on the other, accentuates the saga's David vs. Goliath angle or, in this case, Katniss vs. the Capitol.

Here are a few of the technological trends that provide the twists in "The Hunger Games," along with real-world analogs:

What? No cellphones? Much has been made of the fact that the starving, downtrodden residents of Panem's districts don't seem to have access to cellphones or the Internet. Instead, they have to huddle around giant television sets to find out what their overlords in the Capitol want them to see. But if you think of Panem as a fictional tweak of modern-day North Korea, "The Hunger Games" might not be that far off the mark: You've got a leadership capable of long-range missile launches, exercising virtually total control over what its impoverished populace sees and hears. Cellphones were outlawed until 2008, and even today they're confiscated from international visitors upon arrival. Internet access and international calling are limited to the elite.

The outlook for change is mixed: Today, a million North Koreans are said to be using mobile phones, but the State Department's Alec Ross told the Korea Times during a recent visit to Seoul that "it will be very difficult for technology to drive change in North Korea, given the extreme measures that North Korea has taken to create a media blackout." That's life in Panem ... er, Pyongyang.

Genetic engineering The most vivid special effects are connected to genetic engineering of various organisms, including humanized animals. To minimize the plot-spoiler effect, the only "muttation" I'll mention in detail is the mockingjay, which figures so prominently in the advance publicity and provides the title for the third book in Suzanne Collins' "Hunger Games" trilogy. The geniuses at the Panem high command created genetically modified birds known as jabberjays that were able to listen in on rebel conversations and report them back to the authorities. When the rebels caught onto this, they started feeding the jays false information. And when the Capitol figured this out, they left the jabberjays to fend for themselves. Male jabberjays mated with female mockingbirds, resulting in birds that could learn and repeat musical notes but not human speech.

The twist illustrates a time-honored movie maxim about genetic engineering, enunciated in the first "Jurassic Park" film: "Life will not be contained." That may be putting it too simply, but the field has certainly raised a lot of questions about how to keep genetic genies in the bottle. This month, more than 100 groups issued a call to hold back on synthetic biology until new guidelines are drawn up.

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'Nanoslinky': A novel nanofluidic technology for DNA manipulation and measurement

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In the first of two recent papers*, Samuel Stavis, Elizabeth Strychalski and colleagues demonstrated that a nanoscale fluidic channel shaped like a staircase with many steps (developed previously at NIST and Cornell University) can be used to control the otherwise random drift of a DNA molecule through a fluid. Squeezed into the shallowest step at the top of the staircase, a strand of DNA diffuses randomly across that step. The DNA molecule seeks to increase its entropythe universal tendency towards disorder in a systemby relieving its confinement, and therefore, walks down onto the next deeper step when it reaches the edge. The motion of the molecule down the staircase, which the researchers termed entropophoresis (entropy-driven transport), ends when it becomes trapped on the deepest step at the bottom. Because this motion resembles that of a Slinky, the researchers nicknamed their system the nanoslinky. The researchers found that DNA molecules of different sizes and shapes descended the staircase at different rateswhich suggests the structure could be used to separate, concentrate and organize mixtures of nanoscale objects.

Stavis says that this novel technology provides advantages over traditional nanofluidic methods for manipulating and measuring DNA. Control over the behavior of a DNA molecule is built into the staircase structure. After placing the molecule on the top step [by driving the DNA strand up the staircase with an electric field], no external forces are needed to make it move, Stavis says. The staircase is a passive nanofluidic technology that automates complex manipulations and measurements of DNA.

This NIST advance in nanofluidic technology dovetails nicely with a NIST innovation in measurement sciencespecifically, determining the size of a DNA molecule in nanofluidic slitlike confinement imposed by the narrow gap between the floor of each step and the ceiling of the channel. In the nanoslinky system, Strychalski explains, the coiled and foldedDNAstrandcontracts progressively as it moves down the steps. Because there are many steps, we can make more detailed measurements than previous studies, she says.

Getting the most from those measurements was the goal of the research reported in the NIST teams second paper.** The challenge was to make our measurements of DNA size more quantitative, Strychalski says.

Previous measurements of DNA dimensions in nanofluidic systems, Strychalski says, have been limited by imaging errorsfrom the optical microscopes used to measure the dimensions of DNA molecules labeled with a fluorescent dye. The first problem is the diffraction limit, or the optical resolution, of the fluorescence microscope, she says. The second problem is the pixel resolution of the camera. Because a DNA molecule is not much larger than the wavelength of light and the effective pixel size, images of fluorescent DNA molecules are blurred and pixilated, and this increases the apparent size of the molecule.

To improve their measurements of DNA molecules during their descent, the NIST researchers used models to approximate the effects of diffraction and pixilation. Applying these numerical simulations to the images of DNA molecules confined by the staircase made the final measurements of DNA size the most quantitative to date. These measurements also showed that more work is needed to fully understand this complicated system.

According to Stavis and Strychalski, the staircase is a simple prototype of a new class of engineered nanofluidic structures with complex three-dimensional surfaces. With further refinements, the technology may someday be mass produced for measuring and manipulating not just DNA molecules, but other types of biopolymers and nanoscale materials for health care and nanomanufacturing.

More information: *S.M. Stavis, et al. DNA molecules descending a nanofluidic staircase by entropophoresis. Lab on a Chip (2012). DOI: 10.1039/c21c21152a

**E.A. Strychalski, et al. Quantitative measurements of the size scaling of linear and circular DNA in nanofluidic slitlike confinement. Macromolecules (2012). DOI: 10.1021/ma202559k

Provided by National Institute of Standards and Technology (news : web)

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'Nanoslinky': A novel nanofluidic technology for DNA manipulation and measurement

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