President dedicates building

Posted on by

Written by: Nolan Lister on September 26, 2011.

Importance of SEB recognized during official ceremony

University President Neal Smatresk spoke to university administrators, faculty and staff, as well as prominent donors, community leaders and state lawmakers for the official dedication of the campus Science and Engineering Building on Sept. 22.

It is, in short, a tangible symbol of our commitment to building a strong and robust economy, Smatresk said at his State of the University Address. I believe it will become the heartbeat in this state for economic diversification.

In his address, Smatresk said that UNLV must understand how to help diversify Nevadas economy and how to support regional private partners.

The SEB accomplishes these goals by transforming UNLV into a constituent of a diversified Las Vegas economy in the future, he said during the dedication.

As it came together, this building, which was designed to foster team research to attract high quality grants to our campus in core areas of science and engineering, is really a place that celebrates the high quality faculty and students that we have here, Smatresk said.

He added that the building serves as a model for why a research university like UNLV matters because of the knowledge generated, the intellectual output, grant income, and the student training in cutting-edge technology.

One of the chief goals that the president talked about today was providing a research experience for all of our students, said Interim Executive Vice President and Provost Michael Bowers. By having this kind of research space and the faculty working in that space, we can bring students into that as well. I actually think that this is not only a good recruitment tool for faculty but also for students.

Follow this link:

President dedicates building

Molecular diagnosis helps patients avoid thyroid surgery

Posted on by

A molecular diagnosis gives doctors and patients better treatment options when suspicious lumps are found in the neck.

Genetic biopsy: A Veracyte technician tests 142 genes from patients with suspicious nodules in their thyroid glands.

Later this year, doctors in the U.S. will be able to use a gene test to guide thyroid cancer surgery. The test helps determine when patients harbor a particularly dangerous form of the disease, which can require surgeons to do a second operation on top of the initial diagnostic procedure. Knowing that a patient has this particular form of thyroid cancer could enable surgeons to instead do a single, more extensive surgery.

The company behind the test, Veracyte, already sells a unique genetic assay that helps doctors decide whether to perform surgery on thyroid cancer patients at all. Thyroids that are not cancerous are often removed, which means unnecessary surgery and lifelong hormone replacement therapy for some patients.

Both tests are part of a broader movement in recent years to bring genetic tests into medical care, with oncology leading the way. One test, from Myriad Genetics, looks for mutations linked to increased risk of cancer; others, such as one offered by Foundation Medicine, help doctors prescribe drugs tailored to a particular tumor (see "Foundation Medicine: Personalizing Cancer Drugs").

Veracyte's first test is the only one that rules out cancer. A lump, or nodule, is caused by growths of cells in the thyroid gland, which is located in the base of the neck. Most often these growths are not cancers. To figure out whether they are, doctors will first take a small needle to extract cells from the lump and then look at the cells under the microscope. And up to 30 percent of the time in U.S. clinics, that test is inconclusive. Because cancer can't be ruled out, typically the next step is to remove the thyroid. The gland normally produces important hormones that regulate metabolism and other body functions, so patients usually then have to take hormone replacement therapy for the rest of their lives.

Between 60 and 80 percent of the time, the nodule in the removed thyroid turns out to be benign. "You have unnecessarily put a patient through surgery," says Kishore Lakshman, director of a community thyroid care center in Fall River, Massachusetts. This puts patients at risk for complications such as infection, and creates dependence on hormone therapy. Since 2011, Lakshman has been using Veracyte's gene test to assess the risk of cancer in patients whose initial thyroid screen was inconclusive. "When I found out that there was a very efficient way of knowing the benign potential of a nodule without exposing a patient to surgery, I was quick to jump on it," says Lakshman.

Veracyte analyzed gene expression levels in hundreds of patients with thyroid nodules, some cancerous, some not, and identified 142 genes that can reliably separate benign from malignant samples. "Measuring every gene in the human genome, our scientific team was able to extract genomic information and interpret it with machine-learning algorithms taught to recognize patients with benign nodules," says Bonnie Anderson, CEO and cofounder of the South San Francisco-based company.

The performance of the test was evaluated and published in the New England Journal of Medicine in 2012. That trial showed that Veracyte's test can reclassify a nodule from indeterminate to benign 95 percent of the time.

Here is the original post:

Molecular diagnosis helps patients avoid thyroid surgery

Why 'Amalayer' won't use Cybercrime Law to sue bullies

Posted on by

MANILA - Remember Amalayer?

Paula Salvosa, the girl who was cyberbullied for berating a female security guard, is no longer interested in the Supreme Court decision to uphold the online libel provision of the Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012.

After all, she said she has no interest in filing cases against those who bullied her online. Asked why, she said she has already forgiven her detractors "because I myself am also forgiven."

One reason for her change of heart is that she has found peace in her newfound relationship with Christ.

"I don't want to sound too churchy but when I accepted Jesus Christ into my heart, nawala na lahat ng galit. It is really all about forgiveness. Yung law wala na siyang impact. Getting back at all those people is not on my mind," she said in an interview with ABS-CBNnews.com.

Salvosa's outlook wasn't always like this. In 2012, a video of Salvosa berating a female guard at the Light Rail Transit went viral on Facebook and YouTube.

Her retort against guard Sharon Mae Casinas earned her the nickname "Amalayer" and made her the butt of online bullying in social media.

Salvosa said the cyberbullying was a nightmare for her. She lost weight, stopped going to school and felt threatened by strangers.

She also wanted to file a case against the lady guard and the person who uploaded the video but that no law tackled online libel.

"It changed my whole life drastically. I wanted to change my name, run away to a faraway place and never come back. I wanted to cut my hair. Meron akong takot sa paglabas ng bahay," she said.

Here is the original post:

Why 'Amalayer' won't use Cybercrime Law to sue bullies

What is Organic Treatment? The Benefits of Using Organic Medicine For Eczema – Video

Posted on by


What is Organic Treatment? The Benefits of Using Organic Medicine For Eczema
Learn How To Get Rid Of Eczema FOREVER | Link Here: CLICK: http://www.VanishEczema.net The need to know how to get rid of eczema often arises for those peopl...

By: Elena Cupova

Read the rest here:

What is Organic Treatment? The Benefits of Using Organic Medicine For Eczema - Video

January 5 speech to Pattaya City Expat Club about anti-aging medicine – Part 2 – Video

Posted on by


January 5 speech to Pattaya City Expat Club about anti-aging medicine - Part 2
Tired of waiting for a magic potion that will make you look and feel 20 years younger? Hang on. Scientists have discovered what causes the body to age and ar...

By: Dr Olivier Meyer

Continue reading here:

January 5 speech to Pattaya City Expat Club about anti-aging medicine - Part 2 - Video

Black History Month 2014 — Interview with John Davis, 4th-year medical student at MCW – Video

Posted on by


Black History Month 2014 -- Interview with John Davis, 4th-year medical student at MCW
John Davis, a 4th-year medical student at the Medical College of Wisconsin, briefly discusses his experiences in medical school, his interaction with a numbe...

By: Webmaster MCW

More here:

Black History Month 2014 -- Interview with John Davis, 4th-year medical student at MCW - Video

Frequent school moves can increase the risk of psychotic symptoms in early adolescence

Posted on by

PUBLIC RELEASE DATE:

18-Feb-2014

Contact: Luke Harrison luke.harrison@warwick.ac.uk University of Warwick

Researchers at Warwick Medical School have shown that frequently moving schools during childhood can increase the risk of psychotic symptoms in later years.

The study, published in the Journal of American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, found that school mobility during childhood heightens the risk of developing psychotic-like symptoms in early adolescence by up to 60%.

Suffering from psychotic-like symptoms at young age is strongly associated with mental health problems in adulthood, including psychotic disorders and suicide.

Professor Swaran Singh, who led the study, explained, "Changing schools can be very stressful for students. Our study found that the process of moving schools may itself increase the risk of psychotic symptoms independent of other factors. But additionally, being involved in bullying, sometimes as a consequence of repeated school moves, may exacerbate risk for the individual."

At the age of 12, participants in the study were interviewed to assess for the presence of psychotic-like symptoms including hallucinations, delusions and thought interference in the previous six months. Those that had moved school three or more times were found to be 60% more likely to display at least one definite psychotic symptom.

The authors suggested that moving schools often may lead to feelings of low self-esteem and a sense of social defeat. This feeling of being excluded from the majority could also render physiological consequences leading to sensitisation of the mesolimbic dopamine system, heightening the risk of psychotic-like symptoms in vulnerable individuals.

Dr Cath Winsper, Senior Research Fellow at Warwick Medical School and part of the study group said, "It's clear that we need to keep school mobility in mind when clinically assessing young people with psychotic disorders. It should be explored as a matter of course as the impact can be both serious and potentially long lasting. Schools should develop strategies to help these students to establish themselves in their new environment."

Read this article:

Frequent school moves can increase the risk of psychotic symptoms in early adolescence

Marshall medical school names department chairman

Posted on by

The dean of Marshall University's medical school has appointed a chairman of the department of family and community health.

HUNTINGTON, W.Va. -- The dean of Marshall University's medical school has appointed a chairman of the department of family and community health.

Dean Joseph I. Shapiro of the Joan C. Edwards School of Medicine announced the selection Monday of Stephen M. Petrany. He succeeds John Walden, who served as chairman for five years. Marshall said Walden is taking a new position with the school.

Petrany has been a professor in the department and a full-time faculty member since 1989. He had served in the post on an interim basis.

HUNTINGTON, W.Va. -- The dean of Marshall University's medical school has appointed a chairman of the department of family and community health.

Dean Joseph I. Shapiro of the Joan C. Edwards School of Medicine announced the selection Monday of Stephen M. Petrany. He succeeds John Walden, who served as chairman for five years. Marshall said Walden is taking a new position with the school.

Petrany has been a professor in the department and a full-time faculty member since 1989. He had served in the post on an interim basis.

More here:

Marshall medical school names department chairman