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Experimental Biology 2012 Programming at a Glance

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Newswise BETHESDA, Md., March 6, 2012 Six scientific societies will hold their joint scientific sessions and annual meetings, known as Experimental Biology (EB), from April 21-25, 2012, in San Diego. This meeting, EB 2012, brings together the leading researchers from dozens of life-science disciplines. The societies represented at the meeting will be: the American Association of Anatomists (AAA), the American Physiological Society (APS), the American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (ASBMB), the American Society for Investigative Pathology (ASIP), the American Society for Nutrition (ASN) and the American Society for Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics (ASPET).

Below are some programming highlights:

Role of Pharmacogenetics in Oncology (ASPET) This symposium addresses the roles of personalized medicine and genetic polymorphisms in drug-metabolizing enzymes and other pathways that affect a patients response to drugs, in particular with respect to chemotherapeutic drugs. Having a better understanding of these pathways will lead to selection of the most effective and least toxic therapies. (Sun., 4/22)

Molecular and Cellular Basis of Disease (ASIP) Illness and disease start at the most basic biological levels when molecular genetic changes affect the development of cells and the way they interact. The Molecular and Cellular Basis of Disease sessions are designed to provide a community-within-a-community environment for researchers working on similar problems to explore their science using a variety of presentation modalities throughout the day. In the Liver Pathobiology sessions, molecular and cellular changes in liver disease (including cancer) and dysfunction will be highlighted. In a second set of sessions, the role of host-microbe interactions in inflammatory/autoimmune disease and vascular biology will be examined. (Sun., 4/22, and Tues., 4/24)

Communicating Science: The Roles of Researchers and Media (ASBMB) For researchers who wish to share their scientific stories with the public, this symposium features Nobel laureate Paul Berg, National Public Radio science correspondent Joe Palca, science communicator Megan J. Palmer and Huffington Post science correspondent Cara Santa Maria. Moderated by ASBMB President-elect Jeremy Berg, former director of the National Institute of General Medical Sciences, the panel will discuss what scientists should be doing to get through to challenging audiences and make the best case for long-term federal investments. (Mon. 4/23)

Sustainable Food Systems: An Integrated Approach for a Healthy Population and a Healthy Planet (ASN) Americans today are increasingly thinking about the environmental impact of their food choices. An integrated approach for a sustainable food system for future generations is needed. This session brings together leading experts to discuss environmental, agricultural, economic and dietary considerations. A life cycle approach that measures environmental and social impacts of foods from farm to table and helps identify innovative opportunities for improvement will be examined. A model that takes a whole diet approach to estimate regional land requirements to feed populations will be presented, and an approach for optimized food plans that meet dietary guidelines while considering human behavior in food selection will round out the session. (Sun., 4/22)

The Exquisite Little Brains of Big Insects (AAA) A long tradition of comparative research on the nervous systems of invertebrates has contributed greatly to our understanding of the functional organization, development and evolution of nervous systems and neural mechanisms underlying behavior. Insects in particular offer powerful experimental model systems. Today, the most prominent example is the fruit fly, whose genetic and genomic advantages attract many researchers, but whose small size is limiting for some kinds of studies. This session focuses on much larger insects with beautiful and experimentally tractable nervous systems that permit investigations that complement and extend those accomplished with diminutive species. (Mon., 4/23)

Bioengineering and Regenerative Medicine (APS) With a constantly aging population, regenerative medicine approaches to treating human disease are becoming increasingly more important. Currently, a number of interdisciplinary strategies involving a combination of biomaterial science, bioengineering, stem cell biology, and clinical sciences are being pursued with the common aim to apply living cells or functional tissues to repair, replace, or restore tissue or organ function loss caused by congenital defects, trauma, disease, or aging. This symposium will showcase several state-of-the-art bioengineering approaches that involve the manipulation of biochemical, biophysical and geometrical environmental signals to include cell survival, proliferation, and differentiation, and enable the creation of 3-dimensional tissue organoids for unique experimental studies and potential therapeutic applications. (Wed., 4/25)

Media Registration Free registration is available to credentialed representatives of the press, and an onsite newsroom will be available for media. Detailed instructions for individuals who wish to request press passes are available on the website.

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Experimental Biology 2012 Programming at a Glance

Research and Markets: Evolutionary Biology: Cell-Cell Communication and Complex Disease

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DUBLIN--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

Research and Markets (http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/e8a0ce/evolutionary_biolo) has announced the addition of John Wiley and Sons Ltd's new book "Evolutionary Biology: Cell-Cell Communication and Complex Disease" to their offering.

An Integrative View of the Evolution of Genetics and the Natural World:

Even in this advanced age of genomics, the evolutionary process of unicellular and multicellular organisms is continually in debate. Evolutionary Biology, Cell-Cell Communication, and Complex Disease challenges current wisdom by using physiology to present an integrative view of the nature, origins, and evolution of fundamental biological systems.

Providing a deeper understanding of the way genes relate to the traits of living organisms, this book offers useful information applying evolutionary biology, functional genomics, and cell communication studies to complex disease. Examining the 4.5 billion-year evolution process from environment adaptations to cell-cell communication to communication of genetic information for reproduction, Evolutionary Biology hones in on the "why and how" of evolution by uniquely focusing on the cell as the smallest unit of biologic structure and function.

Based on Empirically Derived Data Rather Than Association Studies, Evolutionary Biology Covers:

Ambitious and game-changing Evolutionary Biology suggests that biology began as a mechanism for reducing energy within the cell, defying the Second Law of Thermodynamics. An ideal text for those interested in forward thinking scientific study, the insights presented in Evolutionary Biology help practitioners effectively comprehend the evolutionary process.

About the Authors:

John Torday, PhD, is Professor of Pediatrics and Ob/Gyn at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center where he is also Director of The Henry L. Guenther Laboratory for Cell/Molecular Research and Director of Laboratory for Evolutionary Preventive Medicine. He is the author of over 130 peer-reviewed articles, Dr. Torday specializes in pre and neo-natal lung development, particularly regarding cell-cell communication within this pathway.

V.K. Rehan, MD, is Professor of Pediatrics and Director of the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center. The recipient of numerous teaching honors, Dr. Rehan is involved both in treating patients and continuing research on neo and peri-natal respiratory issues and lung development.

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Research and Markets: Evolutionary Biology: Cell-Cell Communication and Complex Disease

Renowned Scientist receives IRL Industry and Outreach Fellow

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Renowned Scientist receives IRL Industry and Outreach Fellowship

IRL has appointed Professor Juliet Gerrard, a biochemist and leader in the industrial application of biochemistry in New Zealand as its second Industry and Outreach Fellow.

IRLs Industry and Outreach Fellowships have been established as part of IRLs drive to strengthen links between the research and high-value manufacturing organisations.

New Zealands economic success depends on our ability to get greater coordination and alignment across our research and industry sectors. One area of significant potential is through greater mobility of highly talented people, says Shaun Coffey, IRL Chief Executive.

The Industry and Outreach Fellowships attract leaders from the research sector into IRL to develop areas of scientific research and assist with their application to industry.

Professor Gerrard, who runs the Biomolecular Interaction Centre at the University of Canterbury, has held a number of significant positions in recognition of her scientific work and has recently been appointed Chair of the Marsden Council.

Professor Gerrard sees the overall strategic aim of the Industry and Outreach Fellowship programme as boosting collaboration.

"There is a lot of research being done in both universities and industry and Id like to bridge that gap between fundamental and applied work," she says. "By collaborating with IRL I believe that we will be able to achieve this."

Professor Gerards track record includes stints working for Crop and Food Research Ltd, and conducting research for the likes of Fonterra. She is also a principal investigator at the MacDiarmid Institute and Riddet Institute and has been on a number of editorial boards for scientific journals. She has written over 100 journal articles.

IRL Industry and Outreach Fellows are initially appointed for a five-year term and are mandated to resolve industry-related problems while building links between research institutions and business.

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Renowned Scientist receives IRL Industry and Outreach Fellow

Semi-automated ‘pathwalking’ to build a protein model

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In a report that appears online in the journal Structure, the BCM team describes the development of the semi-automated protocol that enables researchers to "rapidly generate an ensemble of initial models for individual proteins, which can later be optimized to produce full atomic models."

Taking the 3-D images generated through the process of electron cryo-microscopy and X-ray crystallography, the team developed this computational approach to produce these first-generation models of the proteins' structure or fold without prior knowledge of the protein's sequence or other information.

"This is important in working with big complexes made up of 10 to 30 proteins," said Dr. Matthew Baker, instructor in biochemistry and molecular biology at BCM and the paper's corresponding author. "You might know the structure of one or two proteins, but you want to know how all of those proteins interact with each other. As long as you can separate one protein from another, you can use this technique to make a model of each of the proteins in the complex."

"We borrowed from a classic computer science problem called the 'traveling salesman problem,'" said Dr. Mariah Baker, the paper's first author and a postdoctoral fellow at BCM. "It is in effect a connect-the-dots puzzle without the numbers."

In the traveling salesman problem, computer programmers are asked to figure the best route for a salesman who wants to visits all the cities where he sells just once while minimizing the distance traveled. Pathwalking solves a similar problem for proteins by looking for the optimal path through a 3-D image that connects C-alpha atoms, rather than cities, to form the protein's structure.

The tool is the answer to the dilemma presented by the near-atomic structures that are in the "middle" not of the highest resolution or the lowest resolution, said Matthew Baker.

As many as 25 percent of all structures imaged by electron cryo-microscopy and one-third of large protein complexes solved by X-ray crystallography are in the 3 to 10 angstroms range, said Matthew Baker.

Until now, the methodology used to annotate or trace the structure of protein from these density maps was usually tailored to specific cases, said Mariah Baker.

"They involved a lot of user intervention and the possibility to include bias," she said. That sparked a determination to automate the process with better routines that required less specific information.

"The question we asked was, can we trace a protein fold in a density map without a priori knowledge," she said. "The answer is that we can."

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Semi-automated 'pathwalking' to build a protein model

Ziften Announces Vice President of Research and Core Technology

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Posted March 6, 2012

Former Symantec architect holding several patents in behavioral technology joins local, venture-backed Ziften Technologies

AUSTIN, Texas--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Ziften Technologies recently announced the appointment of Luca Loiodice to the executive team. In his new role, he leads the Research and Core Technology group at the Austin-based enterprise software company.

Mr. Loiodice brings to Ziften almost two decades of experience as architect and developer of machine learning and predictive modeling applications. Throughout his career, he has delivered numerous groundbreaking products in the areas of systems management, security, and online-advertising.

"We are extremely pleased to have Luca on board," says Mark Obrecht, Ziften's President and Chief Executive. "His knowledge and skill set are among the finest I've seen, and he will be the driving force behind the research and development that drive Ziften forward."

Prior to joining Ziften, Mr. Loiodice developed a machine-learning recommendation engine for content at Demand Media. At Microsoft, Mr. Loiodice was architect and supervisor of a machine-learning application reputation service to protect millions of end users against malware. He was previously an architect at Symantec, where he designed and implemented the industry's first anti-phishing detection product.

As a founder at i-Stilo, he developed an information security application providing policy-based scanning and filtering of e-mail. Mr. Loiodice also served as Vice President of Product Development at venture-backed Click Forensics (now Adometry), where he pioneered click fraud detection technologies.

Mr. Loiodice began his career at IBM/Tivoli, where he was responsible for the architecture of IBM's flagship systems management solution for Windows. He holds numerous patents in the behavioral detection of online threats and has a BS in Computer Science from the University of Bari, Italy.

About Ziften Technologies

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Ziften Announces Vice President of Research and Core Technology

Yale scientist tapped to serve key roles at the White House and NSF

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Yale scientist and Haskins Laboratories chief executive officer Philip Rubin has been appointed to key roles at the White House and the National Science Foundation.

Rubin has been named assistant director for social, behavioral, and economic sciences in the Executive Office of the Presidents Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP). He will also serve as a senior advisor in the National Science Foundations (NSF) Social, Behavioral, and Economic Sciences (SBE) directorate.

At OSTP, Rubin will focus primarily on a range of executive branch activities in the social, behavioral, and neurological sciences. He will have leadership responsibilities in an interagency initiative that will identify policy options for improving clinical treatments for brain injuries; applying new insights into cognition and learning to the domains of education and learning; and accelerating the development of therapies for neurological diseases.

Over the years Dr. Philip Rubin has provided outstanding leadership and vision at Haskins Laboratories, said Haskins Laboratories president and director of research Kenneth Pugh. He is a dear friend and a mentor to me and others, and I am confident that he will do extraordinary things in his important new roles at the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy and the National Science Foundation.

In addition to his role at Haskins Laboratories, which is affiliated with Yale University, Rubin serves as an adjunct professor in the Department of Surgery, Otolaryngology, in the Yale University School of Medicine, and is a research affiliate in the Department of Psychology at Yale. Rubin is the former Chair of the National Academies/National Research Council (NRC) Board on Behavioral, Cognitive, and Sensory Sciences, which focuses on the intersection of cognitive science and public policy.

He was the chair of the NRC Committee on Field Evaluation of Behavioral and Cognitive Sciences-Based Methods and Tools for Intelligence and Counter-Intelligence, and a member of the NRC Committee on Developing Metrics for Department of Homeland Security Science and Technology Research. He was also a member of the Executive Committee of the Federation of Associations in Behavioral & Brain Sciences. From 2000 through 2003 Rubin served as the director of the Division of Behavioral and Cognitive Sciences at the NSF.

Rubin is a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the Acoustical Society of America, the American Psychological Association (APA), the Association for Psychological Science, an elected member of the Psychonomic Society and Sigma Xi, and a member of a number of other professional societies. In 2010 Rubin received APAs Meritorious Research Service Commendation. He is married to Joette Katz, Connecticuts Commissioner of the Department of Children and Families. Rubin and Katz serve as fellows at Yales Trumbull College.

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Yale scientist tapped to serve key roles at the White House and NSF

GRAY MATTERS: National Nutrition Month

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March is National Nutrition Month -- a nutrition information and education campaign sponsored each year by the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.

The campaign is designed to focus attention on the importance of making informed food choices and developing sound eating and physical activity habits.

For some older adults, food choices sometimes are not an option, with low-income seniors having to make painful decisions, such as spending money on medications instead of food.

No senior citizen should go hungry in our community, however, hunger among our elderly population is a growing crisis; hunger rates have more than doubled for low-income seniors in the United States in the last few years.

In the U.S., there are over 5 million seniors who grapple with hunger issues, almost 3 million seniors who are at risk of not having enough to eat, and nearly 1 million seniors who go hungry because they cannot afford to buy food. Ongoing hunger and malnutrition can cause chronic diseases that result in expensive hospitalizations and nursing home or other long-term care placements.

Thirty eight percent of seniors dealing with inadequate food and nutrition have incomes below the federal poverty level ($10,890 in 2011).

In addition to the impact of poverty on hunger, several other factors come in to play, such as renting versus homeownership, age, living alone, and raising a grandchild. Studies reveal that households supporting a grandchild are about two-and-a-half

In these challenging economic times, it is no surprise that there are increasing numbers of older Americans who do not have enough to eat. Baby Boomers began turning 65 last year, and those between the ages of 60 to 69 have the highest risk of hunger.

Lack of proper nutrients significantly increases the chances of poor health, which not only diminishes the quality of life, but also increases utilization of health care services, early long-term care placements, and an increased risk of death.

The Area 1 Agency on Aging supports local home-delivered meals programs in Del Norte and Humboldt Counties, serving nearly 300 meals five days per week. Home-delivered meals are taken, often by volunteers, directly to an older adult's residence.

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GRAY MATTERS: National Nutrition Month

New H5N1 viruses: How to balance risk of escape with benefits of research?

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Public release date: 6-Mar-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Jim Sliwa jsliwa@asmusa.org 202-942-9297 American Society for Microbiology

In the controversy surrounding the newly developed strains of avian H5N1 flu viruses, scientists and policy makers are struggling with one question in particular: what level of biosafety is best for studying these potentially lethal strains of influenza? In a pair of commentaries, researchers from the Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York and the University of Michigan argue their different views of how to safely handle H5N1 flu viruses. The commentaries will be published in mBio, the online open-access journal of the American Society for Microbiology, on Tuesday, March 6.

This fall, the U.S. National Science Advisory Board for Biosecurity (NSABB) set off a debate when it asked the authors of two recent H5N1 research studies and the scientific journals that planned to publish them to withhold crucial details of the research in the interest of biosecurity. The researchers had taken H5N1, a virus that cannot easily transmit from human to human, and developed strains of the virus that can transmit easily between ferrets, which are a common model for human influenza.

These H5N1 strains and others like them that might be developed in the future could pose a grave threat to human life, but researchers and others argue that studying these H5N1 strains could help bolster preparedness efforts and vaccine development to help fend off a potential H5N1 pandemic. How can we balance the need to protect human life from the accidental escape of an H5N1 strain with the need to continue research that might prevent a naturally occurring outbreak? Which biosafety level (BSL) is right for the H5N1 virus?

In the commentaries appearing in mBio, two experts offer opposing views of the appropriate level of security for dealing with H5N1 viruses. The authors agree that, with a reported case fatality rate that could be as high as 50% or more, H5N1 could create a pandemic of disastrous proportions, but they differ in their opinions of how to strike a balance between biosecurity and potentially life-saving research.

"The existence of mammalian transmissible H5N1 immediately poses the question of whether the current biosafety level of containment is adequate," writes mBio Editor in Chief Arturo Casadevall in an accompanying editorial. "It is important to understand that the choice of BSL level has profound implications for society."

Under current U.S. guidelines H5N1 is classified as a select agent and must be worked with under BSL-3 with enhancements. The BSL-3 designation is given to pathogens that can be transmitted through the air and can cause serious or fatal disease but for which treatment exists. Most facilities in the United States with infectious disease research programs have BSL-3 laboratories. In addition, many hospitals have areas that can be operated at this level; these areas are used for isolating patients with highly contagious diseases. In contrast, BSL-4 is reserved for pathogens for which there is no known treatment and BSL-4 laboratory requirements are such that there are only four working BSL-4 laboratories in the United States.

Adolfo Garca-Sastre of the Mount Sinai School of Medicine argues that the H5N1 viruses in question may well be less pathogenic than they were before passage through ferrets, but they could still be quite dangerous, so preventing human exposure is crucial. However, he says, the ultimate level of biosecurity, BSL-4, is excessive in this case and would stifle the pace of discovery. There are both therapeutics and vaccines available for H5N1, says Garca-Sastre, so he advocates for conducting the research in enhanced BSL-3 facilities, which he says offer the necessary security measures, including interlocked rooms with negative pressure, HEPA-filtered air circulation, and appropriate decontamination and/or sterilization practices for material leaving the facility.

Michael Imperiale and Michael Hanna of the University of Michigan, on the other hand, make their case that the H5N1 viruses merit BSL-4 containment. Although H5N1 that cannot be transmitted from human to human would normally be handled in a BSL-3 facility, researchers changed the virus' biosafety profile when they enhanced its ability to transmit between mammals. According to Imperiale and Hanna, the vaccine for H5N1 is not widely available, and drug resistance and a slow distribution system for antiviral drugs mean a small outbreak could never be contained.

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New H5N1 viruses: How to balance risk of escape with benefits of research?

Quantum Biology and the Puzzle of Coherence

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One of the more exciting discoveries in biology in the last few years is the role that quantum effects seem to play in many living systems.

The two most famous examples are in bird navigation, where the quantum zeno effect seems to help determine the direction of the Earth's magnetic field, and inphotosynthesis, where the way energy passes across giant protein matrices seems to depend on long-lasting quantum coherence.

Despite the growing evidence in these cases, many physicists are uneasy, however. The problem is the issue of decoherence, how quickly quantum states can survive before they are overwhelmed by the hot, wet environment inside living things.

According to conventional quantum calculations, these states should decay in the blink of an eye, so fast that they should not be able to play any role in biology.

That's led many physicists to assume something is wrong: either the measurements are faulty in some way or there is some undiscovered mechanism that prevents decoherence.

Today, Gabor Vattay and Stuart Kauman at the University of Vermont in the US and Samuli Niiranen at the Tampere Institute of Technology in Finland say its the latter.

These guys have worked out that in certain special circumstances, quantum systems can remain coherent over much greater timescales and distances than conventional quantum thinking gives credit for. And they argue that biology exploits this process in a way that explains the recent observations from quantum biologists.

Their discussion focuses on the weird phenomenon, even by quantum standards, of quantum chaos, in which small changes to a quantum system can have a huge influence on its evolution, just as in classical chaotic systems.

When a systems changes from being merely quantum to being quantum chaotic, it passes through a kind of phase transition. The new thinking focuses on this transition.

Physicists have known for many years that when a system is finely balanced between two phases, all kinds of strange behaviour can occur. For example, water changes from a gas to a liquid to a solid at certain temperatures and pressures. These states all have well defined properties.

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Quantum Biology and the Puzzle of Coherence

University associate research scientist arrested with root beer flavored vodka in front seat (w/Documents)

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A University associate research scientist in the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology was arrested Saturday night and charged with driving under the influence of alcohol, failure to maintain lane and open container, according to an Athens-Clarke County police report.

Irina Kataeva, 55, was pulled over by an officer on West Broad Street after he noticed her vehicle cross into the left lane and go across the fog line, according to the report.

Kataeva reportedly told the officer she had difficulty seeing at night, and the officer then noticed her eyes were extremely red and watery and there was the smell of alcohol on her breath.

The officer then asked her how much she had to drink, and she said she had one beer, according to the report.

While the officer was speaking to Kataeva, another officer noticed an open container of alcohol in the passenger seat.

When she exited the car, the officer noticed she was swaying when she walked and asked her if she had any alcohol in the car.

Kataeva reportedly said she did not have any alcohol in the vehicle. But when the officer asked to search her car, she said she did mind and had a bottle of liquor in the front seat.

An officer recovered an opened bottle of root beer flavored vodka from the car, according to the report.

Kataeva declined to perform field sobriety tests, and she reportedly asked the officer to just let her go and told him she was not far away from her house.

Her breath tested positive for alcohol, and she was placed under arrest and taken to the ACC Police Substation on Baxter Street, according to the report.

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University associate research scientist arrested with root beer flavored vodka in front seat (w/Documents)

The Alliance for Regenerative Medicine Statement on Use of Cell Therapies Not Approved by the Federal Drug …

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WASHINGTON, DC--(Marketwire -03/05/12)- The Alliance for Regenerative Medicine issued the following statement today: "An article about stem cell treatments taking place in Texas published by Nature last week is extremely troubling. The article suggests that patients are being administered stem cell treatments that have not been systematically demonstrated to be safe and effective therapies through the established FDA regulatory process.

"Cell therapy treatments, including those using adult stem cells, hold the promise of providing patients with treatments and cures for numerous diseases and disabilities. However, FDA regulation is key to ensuring that the treatments available to patients are safe and effective.

"The Alliance for Regenerative Medicine (ARM), a non-profit organization whose mission is to promote increased funding and development of regenerative medicine products, believes cell therapy and regenerative medicine products, including autologous cell therapy products, must go through the rigorous safety testing that is part of the FDA regulatory process before they can be marketed to the public. These regulations are designed to promote safe collection, manufacture, storage, and use of human cells, and cellular and tissue based products. ARM members comply with these rules because they know that FDA oversight helps to prevent patients from exposure to potentially unsafe products.

"We urge all companies developing stem cell treatments to follow FDA rules governing research and product development. ARM remains committed to working with all stakeholders to ensure that safe and effective products reach patients as soon as possible."

About The Alliance for Regenerative Medicine (ARM) The Alliance for Regenerative Medicine (ARM) is a Washington, DC-based non-profit organization that promotes legislative, regulatory, reimbursement, and financing initiatives necessary to facilitate access to life-giving advances in regenerative medicine. ARM also works to increase public understanding of the field and its potential to transform human healthcare, and provides services to support the growth of its member companies and organizations. To learn more about ARM or to become a member, visit http://www.alliancerm.org.

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The Alliance for Regenerative Medicine Statement on Use of Cell Therapies Not Approved by the Federal Drug ...

Nutrition Night gives Belding students insights to health

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Students and parents in Belding will be able to become aware of just how important healthy habits are at this years Nutrition Night, which is scheduled for 5 p.m. Thursday.

The free event, geared toward middle school and high school students, will take place at Belding High School and feature a variety of activities, including speakers, vendors and informational seminars.

One of the speakers includes Mike Church, who is a musician, food columnist and chef at Calvin College. He said he will be promoting healthier eating habits, teaching attendees how to properly read food labels and know serving sizes, and discussing organic and natural food products.

Church said he decided to present at Nutrition Night because he wanted to spread awareness about healthy eating and because it will also be something he is not used to doing.

Im always looking for a challenge, and its a good way to give some great information to students, said Church. Im going to try to just make it fun and simple.

He said he will be demonstrating quick and easy ways to make smoothies that are not only pleasing to the palette, but provide a good source of protein.

Church added he realizes how tough it can be for students to get good sources of nutrition for personal brain fuel, and will give them a few new options to try in the morning besides sugary cereal.

It can make a world of difference, Church said.

Bodybuilders Dave Doolittle and Todd Davis will also be in attendance, speaking about how important nutrition is in terms of learning, brain function and physical activity. Both have been in the body building world for more than 15 years and have won multiple championships.

Doolittle said he will also discuss his drug free bodybuilding career, emphasizing that some, more unhealthy ways for achieving dreams can be harmful.

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Nutrition Night gives Belding students insights to health

Tips from the journal mBio

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Public release date: 5-Mar-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Jim Sliwa jsliwa@asmusa.org 202-942-9297 American Society for Microbiology

Life on a Dead Deep-Sea Vent

When a deep-sea thermal vent goes cold and dormant the microbial life around it does not just stop. Instead, it adjusts and picks up the slack according to researchers from University of Southern California (USC) in the current issue of mBio, the online open-access journal of the American Society for Microbiology.

A hydrothermal vent is a fissure in a planet's surface from which geothermally heated water issues. The area around deep-sea hydrothermal vents is relatively more biologically active than other areas on the ocean floor and scientists have been studying the microbial diversity around these vents since the 1970s. Katrina Edwards and her colleagues from USC and the University of Minnesota chose to study the microbial communities surrounding inactive vents and found some striking differences.

They found that the microbes that thrive on hot fluid methane and sulfur spewed by active hydrothermal vents are supplanted, once the vents go cold, by microbes that feed on the solid iron and sulfur that make up the vents themselves. Scientists have long known that active vents provided the heat and nutrients necessary to maintain microbes, but dormant vents were once thought to be devoid of life.

http://mbio.asm.org/content/3/1/e00279-11

New Genomic Data Could Aid Rapid Detection of Hospital Infections

Enterococci bacteria, and in particular vancomycin-resistant enterococci, have emerged as a leading cause of multidrug-resistant hospital-acquired infections. Key to treating and controlling these infections is rapid identification of the pathogen and treatment with the appropriate antibiotics to be effective.

Researchers from Harvard Medical School and The Broad Institute report new genomic sequencing data that can help aid in the advance detection of pathogenic enterococci. They report their findings in the current issue of mBio, the online open-access journal of the American Society for Microbiology.

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Tips from the journal mBio

VCU study: Bad environment augments genetic risk for drug abuse

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Public release date: 5-Mar-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Sathya Achia Abraham sbachia@vcu.edu 804-827-0890 Virginia Commonwealth University

RICHMOND, Va. (March 5, 2012) The risk of abusing drugs is greater even for adopted children if the family environment in which they are raised is dysfunctional, according to a new study conducted by a collaborative team from Virginia Commonwealth University and Lund University in Sweden.

Previous research suggests that drug abuse is strongly influenced by a mix of genetic factors and the environment, including influences of family and peers. That research is primarily based on twin studies and typically involves families that are intact. Relatives that share genes and environment make it difficult to determine if the family dysfunction is linked to the drug abuse or if it is genetics at play. There have been no large-scale adoption studies performed to verify the findings, until now.

In the study, published online March 5 in the journal Archives of General Psychiatry, researchers examined how genetic and environmental factors contribute to the risk for drug abuse in adoptees. Using a large and representative adoption sample from Sweden, they demonstrate that genetic factors played a moderate role in the liability to drug abuse.

"For an adoptee, having a biological parent with drug abuse who did not raise you doubles your risk for drug abuse," said first author Kenneth Kendler, M.D., director of the VCU Virginia Institute for Psychiatric and Behavioral Genetics.

"But we also found an important role for environmental factors. If you have an adoptive sibling - with whom you have no genetic relationship - develop drug abuse, that also doubles your risk for drug abuse,"

More importantly, according to Kendler, the team showed that the impact of your genes on risk for drug abuse is much stronger if you are raised in a high-risk rather than a low-risk environment.

"A bad environment can augment the effect of genetic risk on drug abuse," he said.

Kendler, professor of psychiatry, and human and molecular genetics in the VCU School of Medicine, and a team of researchers from Lund University led by Jan Sundquist, M.D., Ph.D., professor and director of the Center for Primary Health Care Research, and Kristina Sundquist, M.D., Ph.D., professor of family medicine at the Center for Primary Health Care Research, analyzed nine public registry data sets compiled between 1961 and 2009 of adoptees and their biological and adoptive relatives from Sweden.

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VCU study: Bad environment augments genetic risk for drug abuse

DNA found on shotgun belonged to murder victims

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Posted at: 03/05/2012 5:51 PM By: Mark Mulholland

FORT EDWARD -Testimony in the Matthew Slocum murder trial onMonday revolved mostly around blood and DNA recovered from evidence.

State Police DNA expert Daniel Myers testified about the presence of DNA on Loretta Colegrove's blood spattered tank top. Myers told the jury that the blood belonged to murder victim, Lisa Harrington.

Myers was also asked about the presence of DNA on the suspected murder weapon, a 12-gauge shotgun. He testified that it had Lisa and Dan Harrington's DNA, and someone else's, but tests couldn't determine whose it was.

According to Myers, only one piece of evidence had Slocum's genetic material: a cellphone that belonged to murder victim Josh O'Brien.

The phone was found under the porch in New Hampshire where Slocum was allegedly hiding out after the July 13th murders and arson.

A New Hampshire state trooper testified to finding the phone and other items, including several knives, prosecutors say were taken from the Turnpike Road home by Slocum.

A New York State Police investigator testified about the location along Massachusetts State Route 2 where some of Dan and Lisa Harrington's guns were found.

Inv. Tim Northrup identified nine weapons that were recovered from the woods in the Town of Florida, allegedly dumped there by Slocum and Colegrove.

Testimony ended when a CPS caseworker told the jury that Slocum told her Colegrove had nothing to do with the murders.

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DNA found on shotgun belonged to murder victims

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Biology Lab Project: Dissecting Maestro Roger Federer's Forehand

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Roger Federer's game can be described in many ways, but one word comes to my mind: classy.

I've been a Federita since I started tennis and have been so fortunate to see pretty much every single one of his matches.

Every part of his game is so technically sound that it is unreal.

First, and foremost, let us uncover the Federer forehand to see what secrets it holds.

We will see the old and new class of tennis within just a single one of his strokes.

The grip

Roger plays with a modified version of the Eastern grip.

Everyone these days is taught to play with a semi-Western grip: I was taught it by my third year of playing.

It was a shock at first, but now I absolutely love it because I can easily flatten it out or put even more spin on the ball whenever I like.

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Biology Lab Project: Dissecting Maestro Roger Federer's Forehand

Penn Biochemist Receives Hodgkin Award from The Protein Society

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PHILADELPHIA Mark A. Lemmon, PhD, chair of the Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics at the Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, is the 2012 recipient of the Dorothy Crowfoot Hodgkin Award by The Protein Society. The award will be presented at the 26th Annual Symposium of The Protein Society in August, during the Plenary Awards Session.

The Dorothy Crowfoot Hodgkin Award, is given in recognition of exceptional contributions in protein science, which profoundly influence our understanding of biology. Dr. Lemmon is being recognized for major contributions to the field of signal transduction and transmembrane signaling mechanisms of receptor tyrosine kinases. Crystallographic, biochemical, and genetic studies from his laboratory have provided sophisticated understanding of EGFR cell signaling. His discoveries of the mechanisms for the epidermal growth factor receptor family offer new ideas for developing therapies targeting cancer and other human diseases.

"Of course, it's not really my work that this award honors, but really that of several fantastic Penn postdocs and students," says Lemmon. "First, I'd particularly like to single out Diego Alvarado, Daryl Klein, Sung Hee Choi, Jeannine Mendrola and Fumin Shi for the EGF receptor work that the award cites. They are all great examples of the superb scientists that Penn Medicine attracts and reasons why it's so great to be here.

"Second, Dorothy Crowfoot Hodgkin has always been a hero of mine. She did much of her secondary education in the part of England where I grew up and was already a legend at Oxford when I went there. Her crystallographic studies of insulin -- well after her 1964 Nobel Prize -- inspired much of our structural work in EGF signaling. I always found it interesting too given her politics - that Margaret Thatcher was one of Professor Hodgkin's most famous students."

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Penn Medicine is one of the world's leading academic medical centers, dedicated to the related missions of medical education, biomedical research, and excellence in patient care. Penn Medicine consists of the Raymond and Ruth Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania (founded in 1765 as the nation's first medical school) and the University of Pennsylvania Health System, which together form a $4 billion enterprise.

Penn's Perelman School of Medicine is currently ranked #2 in U.S. News & World Report's survey of research-oriented medical schools and among the top 10 schools for primary care. The School is consistently among the nation's top recipients of funding from the National Institutes of Health, with $507.6 million awarded in the 2010 fiscal year.

The University of Pennsylvania Health System's patient care facilities include: The Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania -- recognized as one of the nation's top 10 hospitals by U.S. News & World Report; Penn Presbyterian Medical Center; and Pennsylvania Hospital the nation's first hospital, founded in 1751. Penn Medicine also includes additional patient care facilities and services throughout the Philadelphia region.

Penn Medicine is committed to improving lives and health through a variety of community-based programs and activities. In fiscal year 2010, Penn Medicine provided $788 million to benefit our community.

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Penn Biochemist Receives Hodgkin Award from The Protein Society

New Stem Cell Research Shows Promising Results — Advanced Cell Tech and NeoStem Poised to Benefit

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NEW YORK, NY--(Marketwire -03/05/12)- February was a challenging month for stem cell stocks. TickerSpy's Stem Cell Stocks Index (RXSTM) has slipped nearly 13 percent over the last month -- underperforming the S&P 500 by close to 17 percent over that time frame. Despite the drop in investor optimism, new research continues to propel the industry forward. Five Star Equities examines the outlook for companies in the Biotechnology industry and provides equity research on Advanced Cell Technology, Inc. (OTC.BB: ACTC.OB - News) and NeoStem, Inc. (AMEX: NBS - News). Access to the full company reports can be found at:

http://www.fivestarequities.com/ACTC

http://www.fivestarequities.com/NBS

A new study at Johns Hopkins University has shown that stem cells from patients' own cardiac tissue can be used to heal scarred tissue after a heart attack. "This has never been accomplished before, despite a decade of cell therapy trials for patients with heart attacks. Now we have done it," Eduardo Marban, director of the Cedars-Sinai Heart Institute and one of the study's co-authors, said in a statement. "The effects are substantial."

In another study, researchers led by Jonathan Tilly, director of the Vincent Center for Reproductive Biology at Massachusetts General Hospital, argue they've discovered the ovaries of young women harbor very rare stem cells capable of producing new eggs.

Five Star Equities releases regular market updates on the biotechnology industry so investors can stay ahead of the crowd and make the best investment decisions to maximize their returns. Take a few minutes to register with us free at http://www.fivestarequities.com and get exclusive access to our numerous stock reports and industry newsletters.

Advanced Cell Technology, Inc., a biotechnology company, focuses on the development and commercialization of human embryonic and adult stem cell technology in the field of regenerative medicine. The Company recently issued a press release stating that it utilized $13.6 million in cash for operations during 2011, compared to $8.8 million in the year-earlier period. The increase in cash utilization resulted primarily from ACT's ongoing clinical activities in the US and Europe.

NeoStem, Inc., a biopharmaceutical company, engages in the development and manufacture of cellular therapies for oncology, immunology, and regenerative medicines in the United States and China. In January, Amorcyte, LLC, a NeoStem, Inc. company, announced the enrollment of the first patient in the Amorcyte PreSERVE Phase 2 trial for acute myocardial infarction.

Five Star Equities provides Market Research focused on equities that offer growth opportunities, value, and strong potential return. We strive to provide the most up-to-date market activities. We constantly create research reports and newsletters for our members. Five Star Equities has not been compensated by any of the above-mentioned companies. We act as an independent research portal and are aware that all investment entails inherent risks. Please view the full disclaimer at: http://www.fivestarequities.com/disclaimer

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New Stem Cell Research Shows Promising Results -- Advanced Cell Tech and NeoStem Poised to Benefit

BioTime and Aastrom Biosciences — Stem Cell Research Making Breakthroughs

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NEW YORK, NY--(Marketwire -03/05/12)- February was a challenging month for stem cell stocks. TickerSpy's Stem Cell Stocks Index (RXSTM) has slipped nearly 13 percent over the last month -- underperforming the S&P 500 by close to 17 percent over that time frame. Despite the drop in investor optimism, new and promising research continues to propel the industry forward. Five Star Equities examines the outlook for companies in the Biotechnology industry and provides equity research on BioTime, Inc. (AMEX: BTX - News) and Aastrom Biosciences, Inc. (NASDAQ: ASTM - News). Access to the full company reports can be found at:

http://www.fivestarequities.com/BTX

http://www.fivestarequities.com/ASTM

A new study at Johns Hopkins University has shown that stem cells from patients' own cardiac tissue can be used to heal scarred tissue after a heart attack. "This has never been accomplished before, despite a decade of cell therapy trials for patients with heart attacks. Now we have done it," Eduardo Marban, director of the Cedars-Sinai Heart Institute and one of the study's co-authors, said in a statement. "The effects are substantial."

In another study, researchers led by Jonathan Tilly, director of the Vincent Center for Reproductive Biology at Massachusetts General Hospital, argue they've discovered the ovaries of young women harbor very rare stem cells capable of producing new eggs.

Five Star Equities releases regular market updates on the biotechnology industry so investors can stay ahead of the crowd and make the best investment decisions to maximize their returns. Take a few minutes to register with us free at http://www.fivestarequities.com and get exclusive access to our numerous stock reports and industry newsletters.

Aastrom Biosciences, Inc., a regenerative medicine company, engages in developing autologous cell therapies for the treatment of severe and chronic cardiovascular diseases.

BioTime, Inc. primarily focuses on regenerative medicine, which refers to therapies based on human embryonic stem (hES) cell and induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cell technology designed to rebuild cell and tissue function lost due to degenerative disease or injury. The company recently elected to market progenitors of muscle stem cells bearing hereditary diseases. BioTime will produce the products from five human embryonic stem (hES) cell lines from Reproductive Genetics Institute (RGI) of Chicago, Illinois.

Five Star Equities provides Market Research focused on equities that offer growth opportunities, value, and strong potential return. We strive to provide the most up-to-date market activities. We constantly create research reports and newsletters for our members. Five Star Equities has not been compensated by any of the above-mentioned companies. We act as an independent research portal and are aware that all investment entails inherent risks. Please view the full disclaimer at: http://www.fivestarequities.com/disclaimer

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BioTime and Aastrom Biosciences -- Stem Cell Research Making Breakthroughs

Nuvilex Announces Major Breakthrough in Stem Cell Research

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SILVER SPRING, Md.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

Nuvilex, Inc. (OTCQB:NVLX), an emerging biotechnology provider of cell and gene therapy solutions, released information today about the companys cell encapsulation technology and the breakthrough in stem cell research which overcomes specific fundamental challenges faced in stem cell therapyhost rejection and migration of implanted cells away from the target site.

Stem cell therapy is believed by many medical researchers as holding a key to treating cancer, Type 1 diabetes mellitus, Parkinson's disease, Huntington's disease, Celiac Disease, cardiac failure, muscle damage, neurological disorders, and other chronic, debilitating diseases. There are presently >1,400 registered trials using stem cells that are recruiting patients (ClinicalTrials.gov). The encapsulation technology being advanced allows live stem cells to be implanted into robust, flexible and permeable capsules where they can replicate inside the capsules at the target site free from attack by the bodys immune system and free to undergo natural changes to become the appropriate cell type needed.

The Goldman Small Cap Research report, issued February 29, 2012, noted some inherent difficulties encountered in stem cell treatments, such as keeping stem cells alive for significant periods of time, potential rejection of the cells and subsequent destruction by the recipients immune system, and the migration of the stem cells away from the critical treatment site, while making a distinction that the Companys cell encapsulation technology overcomes these concerns.

The report also accurately recognized, Cells encapsulated in SG Austrias porous beads remain alive for long periods of time in humans, surviving intact for at least two years. Once encapsulated, cells are protected from the bodys immune system. Furthermore, encapsulated cells remain within the beads and do not migrate out of the beads to other sites in the body.

In assessing the overall importance of this technology to Nuvilexs overall business model, Goldman pointed out, The Companys acquisition of the Cell-in-a-Box approach along with the expertise of SG Austria could significantly advance the implementation and utilization of stem cells for a host of debilitating diseases and conditions, in addition to being used to target cancer cells, thus making it a uniquely valuable commodity. We believe that by partnering with leading players in the field, Nuvilex could find that companies with deep pockets would be happy to collaborate or license the delivery system and engage in further research which could result in meaningful development and licensing revenue.

Dr. Robert Ryan, Chief Executive Officer of Nuvilex, added, There is a broad range of expanding research supporting the use of stem cells to treat a variety of human diseases and conditions. Our technology allows for precise maintenance and localization of stem cells, preventing their loss from the critical area of need, that will enable us to potentially create miniature organs at specific sites and as a result we believe greater utilization of those stem cells at the site for their intended purpose, once implanted. As stem cell treatments advance, we expect Nuvilex to be at the forefront of developing new, significant, life changing therapies.

For a detailed review of the research report and valuation methodology, investors are directed to the Goldman Research Report.

About Nuvilex

Nuvilex, Inc. (OTCQB:NVLX) is an emerging international biotechnology provider of clinically useful therapeutic live encapsulated cells and services for encapsulating live cells for the research and medical communities. Through our effort, all aspects of our corporate activities alone, and especially in concert with SG Austria, are rapidly moving toward completion, including closing our agreement. One of our planned offerings will include cancer treatments using the companys industry-leading live-cell encapsulation technology.

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Nuvilex Announces Major Breakthrough in Stem Cell Research