Identifying newly diagnosed HIV-infected people using electronic medical records

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PUBLIC RELEASE DATE:

15-Jul-2014

Contact: Kathryn Ruehle kruehle@liebertpub.com 914-740-2100 Mary Ann Liebert, Inc./Genetic Engineering News

New Rochelle, NY, July 15, 2014A new, validated software-based method for identifying patients with newly diagnosed HIV using electronic medical records (EMRs) is described in AIDS Research and Human Retroviruses, a peer-reviewed journal published by Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers. The article is available free on the AIDS Research and Human Retroviruses website at http://online.liebertpub.com/doi/full/10.1089/aid.2013.0287 until August 15, 2014.

Providing medical care early on to people with newly diagnosed HIV infection is important for improving clinical outcomes. Study authors Matthew Bidwell Goetz and Tuyen Hoang, VA Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System and David Geffen School of Medicine, UCLA; Virginia Kan, Washington DC VA Medical Center and George Washington University School of Medicine; David Rimland, Atlanta VA Medical Center and Emory University School of Medicine; and Maria Rodriguez-Barradas, Michael E. DeBakey VA Medical Center and Baylor University School of Medicine, Houston, TX, developed an algorithm designed to search EMRs to identify patients with new diagnoses of HIV infection based on the sequence of HIV diagnostic testing, diagnostic code entries into the EMR, and measurements of HIV genetic material in blood samples. They tested and validated their software tool using EMRs from patients undergoing HIV testing from 2006-2012 at four large Veterans Health Administration facilities.

The authors report the sensitivity, specificity, and predictive value of the algorithm in the article "Development and Validation of an Algorithm to Identify Patients Newly Diagnosed with HIV Infection from Electronic Health Records."

"This paper describes new and valuable methodologies that will enhance the ability of public health officials to monitor increases in newly infected HIV populations," says Thomas Hope, PhD, Editor-in-Chief of AIDS Research and Human Retroviruses and Professor of Cell and Molecular Biology at the Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL. "This will help to determine where healthcare resources for HIV-positive patients and testing for highest risk patients could be utilized more effectively. This will surely aid in facilitating the fight against HIV/AIDS."

###

About the Journal

AIDS Research and Human Retroviruses is published monthly in print and online. The Journal presents papers, reviews, and case studies documenting the latest developments and research advances in the molecular biology of HIV and SIV and innovative approaches to HIV vaccine and therapeutic drug research, including the development of antiretroviral agents and immune-restorative therapies. The content also explores the molecular and cellular basis of HIV pathogenesis and HIV/HTLV epidemiology. The Journal features rapid publication of emerging sequence information and reports on clinical trials of emerging HIV therapies. Tables of content and a sample issue may be viewed on the AIDS Research and Human Retroviruses website at http://www.liebertpub.com/aid.

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Identifying newly diagnosed HIV-infected people using electronic medical records

Lend Your Ears to Citizen Science! Help Understand Whale Communication with Whale FM

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A Pilot Whale Surfaces (Image Credit: Wikimedia)

Submarines traveling in the Antarctic Ocean first recorded it in the 1960s a mysterious quacking sound that baffled observers around the world. They called it the bio-duck calls. Many theories floated around, yet the origins of the sound remained unknown. Until recently, that is. Frolicking With the Whales from in the July/August print issue of Discover Magazine describes how the mystery was finally solved and what it means for the study of the Antarctic Minke Whale. With the citizen science project WhaleFM, you can also help identify whale calls.

Vocalization and listening to auditory signals are particularly important for marine mammals such as whales and dolphins to survive. Why? Because in the depths of the ocean, neither sight nor smell is very useful. In fact, sound is a vastly more efficient medium of conversation, as sound travels four times faster in water than it does in air.Marine biologists have long used these fascinating whale songs to track whale populations and study their behavior.

Killer Whales (Orcas) and Pilot Whales employ a complex array of calls to communicate within their species. An interesting aspect of both species is that they live in very stable groups (called pods) that are centered around the mother. Often, the offspring live with the mother for their entire lifetime. During this period, they develop unique dialects that help them identify and converse with family members even if they have strayed away from each other for feeding.

A towed hydrophone array that helps record whale calls from a large area (Image Credit: Whale FM)

Biologists realized that human activity such as shipping, ocean exploration and offshore construction could affect whales, bringing about a change in their behavior (and hence their vocalizations)1. In an effort to understand these effects, a group comprising of investigators from several research institutes spanning the Atlantic including St Andrews University (UK), Woods Hole Institute (USA), The Norwegian Defense Research Establishment and TNO, an independent Dutch research organizationbegan to study the effects of sonar (used by ships) on the behavior of marine mammals. We want[ed] to connect specific call types to specific behavioral patterns (e.g. diving, social interaction, feeding behavior). Its also useful to understand the way these animals communicate on a more basic level without [the] influence of human activity. says Dr Sander von Benda-Beckman, a researcher at TNO and a part of this effort.

The team recorded the sounds made by Killer and Pilot whales using instruments known as D-Tags and hydrophone arrays. D-Tags are small devices attached to whale fins using suction cups that record sounds made by the whales and animals nearby. Not all whales can be tagged in this manner however, and the tags can also lose suction and fall off with time. So in addition to the tags they used hydrophone arrays, which are essentiallymicrophones that are optimized to pick up sounds under water. These arrays are extremely sensitive, picking up noises made by whales several miles away. Both the instruments alsorecorded sounds generated by human activities2.

A towed hydrophone array that helps record whale calls from a large area (Image Credit: Whale FM)

When the team began analyzing the data they quickly realized they had a problem on their hands. During the analysis of these datasets it turned out that it was too time consuming to get through all the acoustic data collected for the pilot whales, who are a very active species, says Dr.Benda-Beckmann. Faced with a large data set and a time intensive analysis process, he turned to citizen science. My background is in astronomy and I recalled the very successful GalaxyZoo project, and suggested wed try something similar for categorizing the pilot whale calls using citizen science, he says. The choice to allow citizen scientists to analyze the data was also important because it would remove the potential of any bias that would have existed if the classification were done by a few people. When Dr.Benda-Beckmann presented the team with his idea they were enthused by it and created Whale FM, a citizen science project in collaboration with Zooniverse and Scientific American.

Instead of describing how the project works here, I decided to try my hand at it and write about my own citizen science experience. I found that the process itself to be quite straightforward. Upon visiting the site, the center of the screen contained a whale call shown as a spectrogram (a graph of the pitch changing with time). I first listened to this spectrogram, noticing the unique aspects of it. My first call for example, started at a lower pitch and increased before finishing again on a lower note. Below the central call I found were several other recorded spectrograms. I listened to each of them and picked the one that I thought most closely resembled the original call. While my first match turned out to be an easy one, the trend didnt last long. Subsequent matches presented interesting challenges that kept me trying to do more, wondering whether I would get the next one right. The calls were tricky to discern and often background noises from other animals or human activity obscured the actual calls. Some calls were more complex than others with several changes in pitch. At other times, I thought several calls among the options presented sounded similar. In such cases, I picked the one that I thought was the best match, trusting the wisdom of the crowd to correct my answer if it was wrong. After all, I realized, that was one of the purposes of crowdsourcing the analysis!

Read this article:
Lend Your Ears to Citizen Science! Help Understand Whale Communication with Whale FM

Giving the Devil his due

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In fact, the Devil has been centre stage within popular Western culture for the past 40 years. When, in the 1973 film The Exorcist, a voice inside the possessed girl, Regan, announced, And Im the Devil! Now kindly undo these straps, he was announcing, in Terminator mode, that he was back. The girl in whom the Devil had taken up residence spoke with a deep contralto voice, screamed obscenities, vomited and levitated, rotated her head 180 degrees and walked like a spider. Audiences were horrified and appalled, yet captivated and fascinated.

This modern enchanted world is one of multiple meanings, where the spiritual occupies a space between reality and unreality. It is a domain where belief is a matter of choice and disbelief willingly and happily suspended. And in this new realm of limbo, the Devil finds a new space.

As the revised Anglican baptism service suggests, belief in the Devil is now very much a matter of choice, even within the Christian Church. It was not always so. For the better part of the past 2,000 years, it was as impossible not to believe in the Devil as it was impossible not to believe in God. To be a Christian was not only to believe in the salvation that was available through Christ, but also to expect the punishments inflicted by Satan and his demons in the eternal fires of hell for those not among the chosen. The history of God in the West is also the history of the Devil, and the history of theology is also the history of demonology.

When belief wasnt a matter of choice: the 'Hell fresco (1415) by Giovanni da Modena

For some forms of modern conservative Christianity, marginalised within Western secular and liberal theological thought, the Christian story of the Devil is very much alive still. The belief remains that the Devil is active and will remain so until finally consigned to an eternity in Hell at the end of history. The existence of the Devil and his capacity to act in history, nature, and human lives, remains for many Christians, both Protestant and Catholic, a satisfactory explanation of natural misfortune and human suffering.

And the modern world often does seem at times to be so evil and human actions so wicked that only a supernatural explanation can suffice. That Satan and evil always seem to be winning the battle against God and the good has always been only partially and paradoxically mitigated by the Christian conviction that, at the end of the day, he has been carrying out Gods will. Christianity has always wrestled with the apparent contradiction between a God who is both all-powerful and all-good, and yet appears either unable to control the Devil or unwilling to do so.

Still, the story of the Devil is one that had lost its central role in Western intellectual life by the middle of the 18th century. By then, for an educated elite if not for the masses, the Devil was no longer a matter of fact but of fiction, and even occasionally a folkloric figure of fun. For some, the Devil became merely a metaphor for the evil within us. For others, he became merely a personification of an impersonal force. It was no longer a valiant struggle against sin, the world and the Devil but rather, as the new baptism service has it, a matter of standing bravely and opposing the power of evil. For others, it was a convenient excuse for men, as Daniel Defoe put it in 1727, to shift off these crimes on Him which are their own.

It was the rise of secular scepticism about the Devil that made possible his effective elimination from liberal Christian theologies. His relegation to the darker corners of the Christian mind was perhaps the most important consequence of the growth of liberal Protestantism from the beginning of the 19th century. Yet, ironically, this very marginalisation of the orthodox Christian story of the Devil in the modern West has allowed for a proliferating of lives of the Devil in modern popular culture.

The Devil still exists within the Christian story, but also beyond it, an objectification of the often incomprehensible evil that lies within us and around us, threatening to destroy us. The spell of disenchantment has been broken. The Devil now has new domains and new borders. Hedged in by the traditional Christian story on the one side, on the other by modern secular agnosticism, he prowls around, looking for someone to devour, yet again, both delectable and dangerous, fascinating and terrifying, familiar and alien, in a newly enchanted world.

Philip Almond is professorial research fellow at the University of Queensland and author of 'The Devil: A New Biography (IB Tauris)

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Giving the Devil his due

Lend Your Ears for Citizen Science! Help Understand Whale Communication with Whale FM

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A Pilot Whale Surfaces (Image Credit: Wikimedia)

Submarines traveling in the Antarctic Ocean first recorded it in the 1960s a mysterious quacking sound that baffled observers around the world. They called it the bio-duck calls. Many theories floated around, yet the origins of the sound remained unknown. Until recently, that is. Frolicking With the Whales from in the July/August print issue of Discover Magazine describes how the mystery was finally solved and what it means for the study of the Antarctic Minke Whale. With the citizen science project WhaleFM, you can also help identify whale calls.

Vocalization and listening to auditory signals are particularly important for marine mammals such as whales and dolphins to survive. Why? Because in the depths of the ocean, neither sight nor smell is very useful. In fact, sound is a vastly more efficient medium of conversation, as sound travels four times faster in water than it does in air.Marine biologists have long used these fascinating whale songs to track whale populations and study their behavior.

Killer Whales (Orcas) and Pilot Whales employ a complex array of calls to communicate within their species. An interesting aspect of both species is that they live in very stable groups (called pods) that are centered around the mother. Often, the offspring live with the mother for their entire lifetime. During this period, they develop unique dialects that help them identify and converse with family members even if they have strayed away from each other for feeding.

A towed hydrophone array that helps record whale calls from a large area (Image Credit: Whale FM)

Biologists realized that human activity such as shipping, ocean exploration and offshore construction could affect whales, bringing about a change in their behavior (and hence their vocalizations)1. In an effort to understand these effects, a group comprising of investigators from several research institutes spanning the Atlantic including St Andrews University (UK), Woods Hole Institute (USA), The Norwegian Defense Research Establishment and TNO, an independent Dutch research organizationbegan to study the effects of sonar (used by ships) on the behavior of marine mammals. We want[ed] to connect specific call types to specific behavioral patterns (e.g. diving, social interaction, feeding behavior). Its also useful to understand the way these animals communicate on a more basic level without [the] influence of human activity. says Dr Sander von Benda-Beckman, a researcher at TNO and a part of this effort.

The team recorded the sounds made by Killer and Pilot whales using instruments known as D-Tags and hydrophone arrays. D-Tags are small devices attached to whale fins using suction cups that record sounds made by the whales and animals nearby. Not all whales can be tagged in this manner however, and the tags can also lose suction and fall off with time. So in addition to the tags they used hydrophone arrays, which are essentiallymicrophones that are optimized to pick up sounds under water. These arrays are extremely sensitive, picking up noises made by whales several miles away. Both the instruments alsorecorded sounds generated by human activities2.

A towed hydrophone array that helps record whale calls from a large area (Image Credit: Whale FM)

When the team began analyzing the data they quickly realized they had a problem on their hands. During the analysis of these datasets it turned out that it was too time consuming to get through all the acoustic data collected for the pilot whales, who are a very active species, says Dr.Benda-Beckmann. Faced with a large data set and a time intensive analysis process, he turned to citizen science. My background is in astronomy and I recalled the very successful GalaxyZoo project, and suggested wed try something similar for categorizing the pilot whale calls using citizen science, he says. The choice to allow citizen scientists to analyze the data was also important because it would remove the potential of any bias that would have existed if the classification were done by a few people. When Dr.Benda-Beckmann presented the team with his idea they were enthused by it and created Whale FM, a citizen science project in collaboration with Zooniverse and Scientific American.

Instead of describing how the project works here, I decided to try my hand at it and write about my own citizen science experience. I found that the process itself to be quite straightforward. Upon visiting the site, the center of the screen contained a whale call shown as a spectrogram (a graph of the pitch changing with time). I first listened to this spectrogram, noticing the unique aspects of it. My first call for example, started at a lower pitch and increased before finishing again on a lower note. Below the central call I found were several other recorded spectrograms. I listened to each of them and picked the one that I thought most closely resembled the original call. While my first match turned out to be an easy one, the trend didnt last long. Subsequent matches presented interesting challenges that kept me trying to do more, wondering whether I would get the next one right. The calls were tricky to discern and often background noises from other animals or human activity obscured the actual calls. Some calls were more complex than others with several changes in pitch. At other times, I thought several calls among the options presented sounded similar. In such cases, I picked the one that I thought was the best match, trusting the wisdom of the crowd to correct my answer if it was wrong. After all, I realized, that was one of the purposes of crowdsourcing the analysis!

Read the original post:
Lend Your Ears for Citizen Science! Help Understand Whale Communication with Whale FM

Anti-aging secret: meditation?

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Buddhist monks meditate at Borobudur temple in Indonesia.

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

Editor's note: CNN.com is showcasing the work of Mosaic, a new digital publication that explores the science of life. It's produced by the Wellcome Trust, a global charitable foundation that supports research in biology, medicine and the medical humanities, with the goal of improving human and animal health. The content is produced solely by Mosaic, and we will be posting some of its most thought-provoking work.

(CNN) -- It's seven in the morning on the beach in Santa Monica, California. The low sun glints off the waves and the clouds are still golden from the dawn. The view stretches out over thousands of miles of Pacific Ocean. In the distance, white villas of wealthy Los Angeles residents dot the Hollywood hills. Here by the shore, curlews and sandpipers cluster on the damp sand. A few meters back from the water's edge, a handful of people sit cross-legged: members of a local Buddhist center about to begin an hour-long silent meditation.

Such spiritual practices may seem a world away from biomedical research, with its focus on molecular processes and repeatable results. Yet just up the coast, at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), a team led by a Nobel Prize-winning biochemist is charging into territory where few mainstream scientists would dare to tread. Whereas Western biomedicine has traditionally shunned the study of personal experiences and emotions in relation to physical health, these scientists are placing state of mind at the center of their work. They are engaged in serious studies hinting that meditation might -- as Eastern traditions have long claimed -- slow aging and lengthen life.

Nobel Prize

Elizabeth Blackburn has always been fascinated by how life works. Born in 1948, she grew up by the sea in a remote town in Tasmania, Australia, collecting ants from her garden and jellyfish from the beach. When she began her scientific career, she moved on to dissecting living systems molecule by molecule. She was drawn to biochemistry, she says, because it offered a thorough and precise understanding "in the form of deep knowledge of the smallest possible subunit of a process."

Yoga practitioners at the 2011 Bali Spirit Festival.

Courtesy SONNY TUMBELAKA/AFP/Getty Images.

Working with biologist Joe Gall at Yale in the 1970s, Blackburn sequenced the chromosome tips of a single-celled freshwater creature called Tetrahymena ("pond scum," as she describes it) and discovered a repeating DNA motif that acts as a protective cap. The caps, dubbed telomeres, were subsequently found on human chromosomes too. They shield the ends of our chromosomes each time our cells divide and the DNA is copied, but they wear down with each division. In the 1980s, working with graduate student Carol Greider at the University of California, Berkeley, Blackburn discovered an enzyme called telomerase that can protect and rebuild telomeres. Even so, our telomeres dwindle over time. And when they get too short, our cells start to malfunction and lose their ability to divide -- a phenomenon that is now recognized as a key process in aging. This work ultimately won Blackburn the 2009 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine.

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Anti-aging secret: meditation?

Nanobiotix revenue for the 2nd quarter of 2014

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RegulatoryNews:

NANOBIOTIX (Paris:NANO) (Euronext: NANO ISIN: FR0011341205), a clinical-stage nanomedicine company pioneering novel approaches for the local treatment of cancer, today announces its revenue for the second quarter of 2014.

Income statement

Of which :

License Services

45,847 2,749

91,190 2,749

45,847 2,722

Activity

The revenue recorded by NANOBIOTIX during the second quarter of 2014 relates to the upfront payment (pro-rata share) from the Taiwan-based PharmaEngine within the framework of the licensing contract. This licensing contract was signed in August 2012 for the development and commercialization of Nanobiotixs lead product, NBTXR3 in the Asia-Pacific region. It is distributed using the straight-line method across the period between the date the contract was signed and the scheduled marketing launch in the region. This upfront payment totaled 810,640, generating a product of 45,847 for the period and totalling 91,190 for the first semester in 2014. The invoicing of services totalled 2,749 for the second quarter of 2014. In total, revenue for the second quarter amounts 48,596. Revenue for the first half of 2014 is 93,939 which is fully in line with Company expectations.

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Nanobiotix revenue for the 2nd quarter of 2014

WorldReligionNews.com Publishes Hinduism Featured Contributor Article, Tablet App Update & Alexa Browser Extension

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San Francisco, CA (PRWEB) July 09, 2014

WorldReligionNews.com, one of a new breed of religious news sites utilizing bleeding edge technology and digital methodologies, has published its latest 'Featured Contributor' article, 'VATICAN MUSEUMS DISPLAY REPLICA OF TEMPLE TO THIS HINDU GOD,' by Rajan Zed, President of 'Universal Society Of Hinduism,' and launched an updated WRN tablet app and Alexa Firefox & IE browser extension.

This marks the 5th 'Featured Contributor' article Rajan Zed has written for WRN and covers the fact that the Vatican Library carries extensive collection of ancient Hindu scriptures and various other Hinduism related texts, including books on Vedas, Upanishads, Puranas, Mahabharata, Ramayana, Bhagavad-Gita, Panchatantra, Krishna, Brahma, yoga, Shakti, Hindu theology, Hindu pantheon, etc.

WRN also updated its IOS and Android religion news tablet app with various user enhancements specially for tablet users and also added a WRN Alexa browser extension to allow users to keep up to date with WRN news directly from their Firefox or Microsoft IE browsers.

Install the WRN browser extension here.

WorldReligionNews.com has established its Featured Contributor program to offer both writers officially affiliated with all faiths and belief systems, as well as independent writers, bloggers, journalists and authors of note, a public platform from which to publish religion focused articles that will reach not only WRN visitors but also appear via syndication partners on sites like CNN, FOX, New York Daily News and others.

If you are an officially affiliated spokesperson/writer for a particular religious organization or, a prominent writer, blogger journalist of note who would like to be considered for a Featured Contributor article placement on WRN, contact us here: http://www.worldreligionnews.com/guest-blogger-submission/.

About WorldReligionNews.com: WRN, part of the IEN network, exists to cover the news generated by all major world religions, A to Z, from Agnosticism to Wicca and all in between, in ways that will inspire, enlighten, entertain & engage within a framework wired for a connected and distracted world.

Visit: http://www.WorldReligionNews.com

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WorldReligionNews.com Publishes Hinduism Featured Contributor Article, Tablet App Update & Alexa Browser Extension

LiveLeak.com – Testing the Reflexes of Seven Kittens, Animals Insurance – Video

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LiveLeak.com - Testing the Reflexes of Seven Kittens, Animals Insurance
F14, F15, A10 Low pass : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r6CDEFO-3kQ list=UUp8MNMhTJomCtbWKqXBfZHg Testing the Reflexes of Seven Kittens Car Insurance (Talking to Animals) Prank Call, Designer...

By: Live Leak 4

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LiveLeak.com - Testing the Reflexes of Seven Kittens, Animals Insurance - Video

Man, I feel like a woman: Surprisingly simple genetic quirk in transgender algae reveals how separate sexes evolved

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Scientists in Missouri have revealed they have induced gender in cells They performed the trick by modifying a gene in multicellular algae This gene was responsible for giving the algae one of two mating types But they altered it so that it could switch between 'male' and female' Could explain origin of the sexes in plant and animal organisms

By Jonathan O'Callaghan

Published: 12:11 EST, 10 July 2014 | Updated: 12:11 EST, 10 July 2014

Throughout evolution, living things have repeatedly developed physically distinct sexes, but how does this actually happen?

Thats the question scientists were hoping to answer when they performed a genetic engineering trick on multicellular algae.

And they were surprised to find the process through which one gender produces eggs and the other sperm was more simple than expected - and the scientists could switch the gender roles of the algae.

Scientists in Missouri have revealed they could induce gender (stock image shown) in cells. They performed the trick by identifying and modifying a gene in multicellular algae. This gene was responsible for giving the algae one of two mating types, but they also made it switch gender

The study, led by Dr James Umen at the Danforth Plant Science Center in Missouri and published in Plos Biology, looked at the multicellular green algae Volvox carteri.

A neuroscientist has claimed the expression 'Men are from Mars and women are from Venus' has no scientific grounding, and that instead our brains are changed by the roles society forces us to play.

According to Gina Rippon, a professor at Aston University in Birmingham, stereotypes - such as women's supposed inability to read maps, or the idea men are bad at multitasking - have no links to science.

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Man, I feel like a woman: Surprisingly simple genetic quirk in transgender algae reveals how separate sexes evolved

Noted Authorities in Trauma and Addiction to Speak at Elements Behavioral Health Symposia

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Philadelphia, PA (PRWEB) July 10, 2014

Three international experts on trauma and addiction will explore The Relationship of Complex Trauma to Intimacy, Eating Disorders and Addiction, on July 18 at the Crowne Plaza King of Prussia Mall in Philadelphia, Penn., on July 25 at the Hyatt Regency in Columbus, Ohio and on Aug. 15 at the San Mateo Marriott in San Mateo, Calif. Produced by the Ben Franklin Institute and hosted by Elements Behavioral Health, the intermediate-to-advanced clinical training symposium for therapists and counselors features:

Dr. Courtois will present Treatment of Complex Trauma: A Sequenced Relationship Based Approach, from 9 to 10:30 a.m. The presentation will detail a meta-model for treating complex trauma that includes a three-phase approach, each with associated tasks.

The treatment of complex trauma presents a wealth of challenges: co-occurrence with other conditions, the sequence of treatment, the therapeutic relationship, and the unique spiritual issues that arise from the trauma, said Dr. Courtois. Participants will come away with a solid overview of treatment approaches for complex trauma, including those that are evidence-based, and those that address mind-body reactions to posttraumatic stress.

From 10:45 a.m. to 12:15 p.m., Dr. Peeke will present Food, Addiction and Recovery: A New Approach to Healing the Body-Mind. The workshop presents groundbreaking science in the area of nutrition and addiction recovery. NIHs National Institute of Drug Abuse has funded exciting research showing that certain drugs and specific foods have similar effects on the brains prefrontal cortex and reward center, said Dr. Peeke. We will look at how we can apply this exciting new science to addictive eating behaviors and how, as clinicians, we can use this information to develop an integrative, holistic nutrition and lifestyle plan for clients struggling with addiction and food as a whole.

Robert Weiss, who has developed the first dedicated treatment centers for womens intimacy and sexual disorders in the U.S. as well as the highly successful mirror addiction program for men at Promises Malibu, the Center for Relationship and Sexual Recovery at The Ranch and The Sexual Recovery Institute in Los Angeles, will present Sex, Tech, Intimacy & Infidelity: The Effect of Social Media on Intimacy Disorders and Sexual Addiction from 1:30 to 3 pm. Mr. Weiss will look at how digital technology affects clinical practice and real-world social engagement among individuals, couples and families.

Today there is little question that addictive online sexual activity is costing some their jobs, spouses and families. Weiss reports. Well provide an overview of the kinds of technologies that are evoking age-old problems and discuss practical solutions for men and women struggling with Internet sex and pornography addictions.

From 3:15 to 4:45 p.m., Dr. Peeke and Dr. Courtois will review complex case studies and clinical solutions in a panel moderated by Weiss.

Symposium attendees may earn up to seven continuing education credits. For an agenda or to register for the symposium, go to Elements events page.

About Robert Weiss

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Noted Authorities in Trauma and Addiction to Speak at Elements Behavioral Health Symposia

Behavioral health shake-up costs exceed $24M

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The total spent by the state of New Mexico on last years behavioral health provider shake-up now tops $24 million.

According to records obtained by The New Mexican on Thursday, nearly $600,000 in general fund money paid to the companies this spring for management of records pushed the price tag for the switch past the $24 million threshold.

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Behavioral health shake-up costs exceed $24M

Editorial: Fanning the fears on genetics issues

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Published: Tuesday, July 8, 2014 at 18:17 PM.

Genetic engineering is such a polarizing topic that it is hard to have an even-handed debate of the issue.

Some opponents of genetically modified organisms, or GMOs, spread false claims about safety while ignoring the vast amount of research to the contrary.

That frustrates University of Florida researchers who have made advances in genetic engineering that might provide benefits in fighting crop diseases and reducing the need for pesticides if they could get beyond public misconceptions.

University of Florida researchers have taken a gene found in bell peppers and transferred it to tomatoes. The process has made tomatoes that are resistant to a particularly troublesome crop disease and have a higher yield.

Contrary to scare stories about so-called Frankenfoods, these methods represent a more technologically advanced way of doing the kind of crop breeding that has been happening for millennia.

But tomato growers worry they wouldnt be able to sell a GMO product, hampering the ability of researchers to attract investors.

People are afraid, they dont understand why, they are just told they should be, said Sam Hutton, a UF plant scientist involved in the research. The anti-GMO crowd screams really loud, and there is a lot of fearmongering. It sounds bad to people who dont understand the science.

Other GMOs being developed at the University of Florida include a strawberry that can be grown without fungicides. A researcher involved in that effort observed that the crop likely wont go beyond the lab without a change in public attitudes.

You have solutions that can help the environment, help farmers and help people in the developing world, and you cant use it, said Ken Folta, professor and chairman of the universitys Horticultural Sciences Department.

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Editorial: Fanning the fears on genetics issues

GM food scare stories tough to swallow

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Wednesday, July 09, 2014

Since the end of 2013, US exports of corn to China have dropped 85 percent after Beijing blocked shipments containing a specific strain of modified gene. So far the Chinese government has approved only 15 genetically modified corn strains for import.

However, a recent episode reveals perhaps the ban is nothing but a form of protectionism.

Mo Yun, wife of Beijing Dabeinong Technology Group's chairman, was arrested in the United States for stealing corn seeds from fields owned by Monsanto and DuPont. She was charged with stealing trade secrets.

The stolen seeds, currently available only in the United States, are genetically pure and uniform. These pure breeds are used by the seed companies to create high- yield hybrid seeds to be sold to farmers.

The hybrids sold in the market, despite favorable traits - such as resistance to drought and diseases, and super high yield - often come with a technology called terminator genes making the second-generation seeds sterile.

Sterile super seeds are good, but farmers must rely on a handful of companies for their supply. Governments and NGOs representing the developing nations often fear that the one-sided relationship threatens their food security.

The Chinese government welcomes super seeds, but prefers them to be homegrown. Weak intellectual property rights protection, however, has discouraged private investment in R&D in the area. Funding to public institutions has also crowded out private initiatives.

The vested interests in the public sector have perversely created a regime to limit research partnership, hence stifling innovation.

In fact a subsidiary of DuPont partnered with a Chinese company to develop seeds for the mainland market. However the government limited its marketing out of fear that it threatens the nation's food independence. At the end of the day it is not only science, but also politics and economics that determine what and how well we eat. Simon Lee is a business consultant

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Growing old with HIV: Age-related diseases are bigger problem for African American women

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PUBLIC RELEASE DATE:

8-Jul-2014

Contact: Kathryn Ruehle kruehle@liebertpub.com 914-740-2100 Mary Ann Liebert, Inc./Genetic Engineering News

New Rochelle, NY, July 8, 2014For African American women in their 50's and 60's, self-managing their HIV as they age is proving to be less of a challenge than dealing with age-related diseases such as diabetes or hypertension and socioeconomic and emotional aspects of aging, as described in a study published in AIDS Patient Care and STDs, a peer-reviewed journal from Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers. The article is available free on the AIDS Patient Care and STDs website at http://online.liebertpub.com/doi/full/10.1089/apc.2014.0024 until August 8, 2014.

In the article "Taking It One Day at a Time: African American Women Aging with HIV and Co-Morbidities," Lari Warren-Jeanpiere, PhD, Pilar Hamilton, Mary Young, MD, and Lakshmi Goparaju, PhD, Georgetown University (Washington, DC), and Heather Dillaway, PhD, Wayne State University (Detroit, MI), examined how well older women who acquired HIV at a young age are able to manage HIV as they also now cope with the co-morbidities and social responsibilities of aging, changes in their work and medical insurance status, and desires for companionship and romantic relationships.

"Studies indicate that by 2015 half of the people living with HIV in the U.S. will be more than 50 years old, and the face of AIDS is changing, with an increasing prevalence among women of color," says journal Editor-in-Chief Jeffrey Laurence, MD, Director of the Laboratory for AIDS Virus Research at Weill Medical College of Cornell University, New York, NY.

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About the Journal

AIDS Patient Care and STDs is the leading journal for clinicians, enabling them to keep pace with the latest developments in this evolving field. Published monthly in print and online, the Journal spans the full spectrum of adult and pediatric HIV disease, diagnosis, treatment, prevention, and education. Tables of content and a sample issue may be viewed on the AIDS Patient Care and STDs website at http://www.liebertpub.com/apc.

About the Publisher

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Growing old with HIV: Age-related diseases are bigger problem for African American women

Does cycling increase risk for erectile dysfunction, infertility, or prostate cancer?

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PUBLIC RELEASE DATE:

7-Jul-2014

Contact: Kathryn Ruehle kruehle@liebertpub.com 914-740-2100 Mary Ann Liebert, Inc./Genetic Engineering News

New Rochelle, NY, July 7, 2014Cycling is a popular activity that offers clear health benefits, but there is an ongoing controversy about whether men who ride have a higher risk of urogenital disorders such as erectile dysfunction, infertility, or prostate cancer. The results of a study of nearly 5,300 male cyclists who participated in the Cycling for Health UK Study are presented in an article in Journal of Men's Health, a peer-reviewed publication from Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers. The article is available free on the Journal of Men's Health website at http://online.liebertpub.com/doi/full/10.1089/jomh.2014.0012 until August 7, 2014.

Milo Hollingworth, MBBS and Alice Harper, MBBS, University College London Medical School, and Mark Hamer, PhD, University College London, analyzed the risk for these three disorders in relation to the amount of weekly cycling time, ranging from <3.75 hours up to >8.5 hours per week. They report their findings in the article "An Observational Study of Erectile Dysfunction, Infertility and Prostate Cancer in Regular Cyclists: Cycling for Health UK Study."

"Physicians should discuss the potential risks and health benefits of cycling with their patients, and how it may impact their overall health," says Ajay Nehra, MD, Editor-in-Chief of Journal of Men's Health and Chair, Department of Urology, Director, Men's Health, Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, IL.

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About the Journal

Journal of Men's Health is the premier peer-reviewed journal published quarterly in print and online that covers all aspects of men's health across the lifespan. The Journal publishes cutting-edge advances in a wide range of diseases and conditions, including diagnostic procedures, therapeutic management strategies, and innovative clinical research in gender-based biology to ensure optimal patient care. The Journal addresses disparities in health and life expectancy between men and women; increased risk factors such as smoking, alcohol abuse, and obesity; higher prevalence of diseases such as heart disease and cancer; and health care in underserved and minority populations. Journal of Men's Health meets the critical imperative for improving the health of men around the globe and ensuring better patient outcomes. Tables of content and a sample issue can be viewed on the Journal of Men's Health website at http://www.liebertpub.com/jmh.

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Does cycling increase risk for erectile dysfunction, infertility, or prostate cancer?

Titusville native marries fellow graduate of Air Force Academy

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Titusville native marries fellow graduate of Air Force Academy

Monday, July 7, 2014 4:07 AM EDT

A Titusville native achieved two milestones in her life this spring. Kaylon Markman, formely Kaylon Smith, graduated from the Air Force Academy, in Colorado Springs, Colo., with a bachelors degree in behavioral science, in May, and married Matt Markman, an Amarillo, Texas, native, on June 7.

The Markmans are in Titusville, on leave, until July 9.

Matt also graduated from the Air Force Academy in May, with a bachelors degree in management.

Both are lieutenants in the Air Force.

The couples first duty station will be in Clovis, N.M. Kaylon will be a force support officer, a personnel-related job. Matt will be working in finance.

The couple wed on June 7, at First United Methodist Church, in Titusville. A reception was held at Bromleys Hillhurst Bed and Breakfast.

Kaylon is a 2009 graduate of Titusville High School. She is a daughter of James and Tammie Smith, of Titusville.

Would you like to comment about this story? We would love to know what you think. In order to comment about any story that appears on The Heralds web site, you must be registered with us. Why? We consider comments about articles the same as a Letter To The Editor. We need to be able to verify the source of the comment. Your comment will be published at the end of the article with your name and city of residence. We do not publish phone numbers or addresses. This information is for verification purposes only. So, go ahead and tell us ... What Do You Think?

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Titusville native marries fellow graduate of Air Force Academy

Skinspirations Hosts Reopening, Donating Proceeds to Professional Development of Disadvantaged Women in Tampa Bay

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Tampa Bay, FL (PRWEB) July 07, 2014

Skinspirations, a center for cosmetic enhancement devoted to non-surgical aesthetics, will be hosting a reopening event on July 10th, from 5-7:30pm, during which they will be accepting donations in exchange for raffle prizes which include aesthetic services and products. These donations will benefit the local Dress for Success of Tampa Bay. Skinspirations recent expansion has warranted the reopening event, and all participants will have the opportunity to support Dress for Success by donating an item from the organizations Wish list or purchasing raffle tickets. Dress for Success Tampa Bay works to promote the economic independence of disadvantaged women by providing professional attire, a network of support and career development tools.

A representative from Dress for Success Tampa Bay will be attending the event to provide more information on the organization. In addition to the charitable undertone, the event will also have the following:

Event-only pricing for all product & treatment demonstrations; Giveaway of a free SkinPen treatment; Obagi product education; Summer makeup tutorial by a glo minerals makeup artist; and Spin-the-wheel for beauty prizes, including Botox, Juvderm, Voluma, Latisse Lash Kits and glo minerals makeup.

Skinspirations has added two highly-skilled employees to their team of skin care experts in addition to new services and treatments to their menu, as well as moved into a newer, more spacious venue. At their reopening event, all attendees will be encouraged to celebrate these recent successes by learning more about skin care, makeup and beauty regimens for the summer. They will also be giving away discounted services and products, as well as $25 Skinspirations gift cards to all attendees.

This event will take place on July 10th from 5:00-7:30 p.m. As space is limited, please call (727) 571 1923 to reserve your spot.

For more information about Skinspirations, visit http://www.skinspirations.com.

About Dr. Cynthia Elliott and Skinspirations:

Cynthia Elliott, M.D., is the board-certified owner of Skinspirations, located in Clearwater, Florida. Dr. Elliott obtained her M.D. from the University of Illinois College of Medicine, and then completed her residency in Emergency Medicine at Denver General Hospital and the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center. She has been on staff at Bayfront Medical Center, St. Josephs Hospital, University Community Hospital and Mease Countryside Hospital, and has served on the faculty of the USF School of Medicine. Dr. Elliott currently serves as an expert witness in Cosmetic Medicine for the Florida Board of Medicine. Her company, ExpertEsthetics, provides online video training in advanced injection techniques, as well as hands-on technique training for other practitioners. Dr. Elliott is also a national and international trainer for Cutera Lasers, training other physicians in the use of aesthetic lasers with skin of all colors. Skinspirations specializes exclusively in rejuvenation, enhancement and anti-aging treatments for the face and body. With her staff of aesthetic experts, you know youll get the best results obtainable. Dr. Elliott has been in practice for over 20 years, and has the experience and reputation to have been chosen by the makers of Botox Cosmetic and Juvderm to train other physicians and practitioners in her techniques. For more information, visit http://www.skinspirations.com.

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Skinspirations Hosts Reopening, Donating Proceeds to Professional Development of Disadvantaged Women in Tampa Bay

Johns Hopkins Researchers Locate Genetic Variant Associated With Schizophrenia

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July 5, 2014

redOrbit Staff & Wire Reports Your Universe Online

According to a new study appearing in the July 3 edition of the journal Cell Stem Cell, researchers from the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine have uncovered a new genetic variant that could result in certain people having a predisposition to schizophrenia.

While there are many genetic variants that could increase the risk of developing a psychiatric disorder, they are insufficient to cause these diseases, the researchers explained. Now, however, the Johns Hopkins researchers have described a new strategy that could reveal how these so-called subthreshold genetic risks could impact the development of a persons nervous system by interacting with other risk factors.

This is an important step toward understanding what physically happens in the developing brain that puts people at risk of schizophrenia, senior author Dr. Guo-li Ming explained in a statement Thursday. Dr. Ming is a professor of neurology and neuroscience in the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicines Institute for Cell Engineering who worked on the study along with her husband, Dr. Hongjun Song.

In their study, Dr. Ming, Dr. Song and their colleagues explained that they used a multifaceted approach to find out why copy number variants in an area of the genome labeled 15q11.2 are prominent risk factors not just for schizophrenia, but for autism as well. Deletion of this part of a genome is associated with an increased risk of schizophrenia, but possessing extra copies results in an elevated risk of autism.

Their research focused on using a method which allows a patients skin cell to be reprogrammed into induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs), which can in turn be coaxed into creating any other type of cell. Using this technology, the study authors obtained stem cells from people with schizophrenia who were missing part of 15q11.2 on one of their chromosomes, ultimately coaxing them into neural progenitor cells, which are found in the developing brain.

By observing the process, the researchers found deficiencies during nerve development that could be linked to the gene CYFIP1, which maintains the structure of a nerve cell. By blocking the expression of this gene in developing mouse embryos, they found defects in the formation of the brains cerebral cortex, which plays a key role in consciousness.

The next step was to determine how this gene could interact with other factors, and they discovered that mutations in a pair of genes within a particular cellular pathway linked to CYFIP1 resulted in a significant increase in schizophrenia risk. According to the study authors, their research supports the belief that multiple factors in a single pathway could interact with one another to impact a patients potential risk for psychiatric disorders.

The reason, the team found, is that CYFIP1 plays a role in building the skeleton that gives shape to each cell, and its loss affects spots called adherens junctions where the skeletons of two neighboring cells connect, the university explained. A lack of CYFIP1 protein also caused some of the mice neurons to wind up in the brains wrong layer.

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Global Nanomedicine Market Projected to be Worth USD 177.60 billion by 2019

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Albany, New York (PRWEB) July 04, 2014

The new title on Nanomedicine Market (Neurology, Cardiovascular, Anti-inflammatory, Anti-infective, and Oncology Applications) - Global Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends and Forecast, 2013 - 2019," predicts that the total nanomedicine market globally will be worth USD 177.60 billion by 2019, growing considerably from its 2012 value of USD 78.54 billion. This market is expected to achieve a compounded annual growth rate of 12.3% between 2013 and 2019.

Browse Nanomedicine Market Research Report with full TOC: http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/nanomedicine-market.html.

The report talks about the major growth areas of within the nanomedicine market over the period of forecast. The introduction of new technologies and applications in this sector will propel growth to a significant degree at the global level. Further, the initiatives taken by various governments as well as privately-funded institutions towards promoting the commercialization of new nanomedicine products will boost this market. The report also dwells on the role played by the rising geriatric population base, the prevalence of medical needs that are in need of treatment, as well as the rising incidence of chronic diseases globally.

Make and inquiry: http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=S&rep_id=1753.

According to the report, the leading application segment within the nanomedicine market was that of oncology, holding a 38% share of the overall market in 2012, as a vast number of commercially available products prevail in this sector. The development of nanomedicine-based treatments and products that are able to directly target tumors in the brain and other bodily sites is poised to be a significant factor affecting growth in this market.

Though the largest market segment within the nanomedicine market is that of oncology, the fastest growing segment is the cardiovascular market. According to the Transparency Market Research report, growth in this segment has been fuelled by the presence of a sizeable patient population, and a simultaneous growth in the demand for device and drugs that are based on nanomedicine. These factors are collectively anticipated to further fuel the growth of the cardiovascular segment within the nanomedicine market.

Request for customization for this report: http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=S&rep_id=1753.

The report also carries out an in-depth analysis of the regional market share based on the applications, revenue, and products. According to the report, the nanomedicine market was largely dominated by North America in 2012. It is expected that this regional market will continue to hold its leading position in the way over the forecast period until 2019. Though the larger market share will be held by North America, it is anticipated that the fastest growing market, by region, will be Asia-Pacific. The report states that the CAGR recorded by the Asia-Pacific market will be 14.6% between 2013 and 2019.

Furthermore, the analysis of the regional markets also concludes that the Europe region is predicted to show a growth rate thats relatively higher than that of North America. Factors that are likely to cause this increased growth rate include: an improvement in the regulatory framework as well as the presence of a wide-ranging product portfolio in the pipeline, set to be introduced by leading market players.

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Global Nanomedicine Market Projected to be Worth USD 177.60 billion by 2019