2013 Rosalind Franklin Young Investigator Awards Announced

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Newswise Bethesda, MD -- (September 6, 2012) Mary Gehring, Ph.D., of the Whitehead Institute and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), and Valerie Horsley, Ph.D., of Yale University are the 2013 recipients of the Rosalind Franklin Young Investigator Awards funded by The Gruber Foundation and administered by the Genetics Society of America (GSA) and the American Society of Human Genetics (ASHG). Dr. Gehring received the award for her research in imprinting and epigenetic regulation in Arabidopsis, and Dr. Horsley for her studies of the epithelial stem cell niche delineated by mouse genetic models. Each of the recipients will receive a $75,000 (USD) award administered over three years ($25,000 per year).

The recipients were selected from among early career female applicants from all over the world. Their work and goals reflect the spirit and dedication of British scientist Rosalind Franklin, for whom the award is named. Their originality, scientific creativity and seminal discoveries within their fields, exemplify the innovative thinking Franklin used while working to determine the structure of DNA in the early 1950s.

The Rosalind Franklin Award honors a founder of modern genetics by honoring the achievements of her academic granddaughters. For those of us with the privilege of selecting the Rosalind Franklin Award winners, this is one of our most joyful and challenging tasks. The depth and breadth of accomplishments of this year's nominees are extraordinary. We congratulate the winners and welcome them as our colleagues and sisters in science, said Mary-Claire King,President, American Society of Human Genetics, and Chair, 2013 Rosalind Franklin Award Committee.

Dr. Gehring, now a member of the Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research and an assistant professor of biology at MIT, has a bachelors degree from Williams College (Williamstown, Massachusetts) and worked with Robert L. Fischer, Ph.D., at the University of California, Berkeley, for her Ph.D. She was a postdoctoral researcher in the lab of Steven Henikoff, Ph.D., at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle. Dr. Gehring is awarded the Rosalind Franklin Young Investigator Award based on her work in Arabidopsis on epigenetic processes, on the evolution and mechanisms of imprinting, on the fidelity of epigenetics inheritance between generations, and on the comparative genetics of imprinting among species. Her work deepens our understanding of the developmental program in plants and is likely to reveal shared features of methylation across plants and animals. This demonstrates a profound impact that foundational research can have on our understanding of epigenetics.

Dr. Horsley earned her undergraduate degree from Furman University (Greenville, South Carolina), her doctoral degree from Emory University, where she worked with Grace Pavlath, Ph.D., and did her postdoctoral research at Rockefeller University with Elaine Fuchs, Ph.D., on mechanisms of stem cell lineage commitment and quiescence. She is now the Maxine F. Singer 57, Ph.D. assistant professor of molecular, cellular and development biology at Yale University. Dr. Horsley receives the Rosalind Franklin Young Investigator Award for her accomplishments in the genetic dissection of the regulation of skin stem cells, and for her elegant and groundbreaking independent work using a genetic approach to characterize the role of adipocyte cells in the skin stem cell niche.

Drs. Gehring and Horsley will be acknowledged at the 62nd ASHG Annual Meeting in San Francisco, on Friday, November 9, 2012, in conjunction with the Gruber Genetics Prize presentation.

The Rosalind Franklin Young Investigator Awards were developed by The Gruber Foundation to support and inspire the next generation of women in genetics. Two early career female scientists are selected every three years as recipients of these awards. One award is for research in genetics of humans and other mammals, and one award is for research in genetics of other model organisms. Recipients must be within their first three years of an independent research position in any area of genetics.

"All of us at The Gruber Foundation derive profound satisfaction from the announcement of the top two young women investigators who are named Rosalind Franklin awardees each three years. We take particular pleasure this year in welcoming Dr. Mary Gehring, and Dr. Valerie Horsley to a growing roster of cutting-edge women scientists. We thank the dedicated committee members at the American Society for Human Genetics, and the Genetics Society of America for their diligence and commitment, knowing that the numbers of stunningly brilliant young women doing breakthrough science make the selection challenging," said Patricia Gruber, co-founder and president emeritus of The Gruber Foundation.

Applications were reviewed by a distinguished committee that included past recipients of the Rosalind Franklin Award and members of both the GSA and ASHG. The committee, which was chaired by ASHG President Mary-Claire King, Ph.D., University of Washington, Seattle, also included Sally Camper, Ph.D., University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor; Mary Lou Guerinot, Ph.D., Dartmouth College, Hanover, New Hampshire; Ruth Lehmann, Ph.D., New York University; Trudy Mackay, Ph.D., North Carolina State University in Raleigh; and Cynthia Morton, Ph.D., Brigham & Womens Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts. Past Rosalind Franklin Award recipients on the review committee were Amy Pasquinelli (2004), Ph.D., University of California, San Diego; Molly Przeworski (2007), Ph.D., University of Chicago, Illinois; Iiris Hovatta (2010), Ph.D., University of Helsinki, Finland; and Jue D. Wang (2010) Ph.D., Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas.

ABOUT THE GENETICS SOCIETY OF AMERICA: Founded in 1931, the Genetics Society of America (GSA) is the professional membership organization for scientific researchers, educators, bioengineers, bioinformaticians and others interested in the field of genetics. Its nearly 5,000 members work to advance knowledge in the basic mechanisms of inheritance, from the molecular to the population level. The GSA is dedicated to promoting research in genetics and to facilitating communication among geneticists worldwide through its conferences, including the biennial conference on Model Organisms to Human Biology, an interdisciplinary meeting on current and cutting edge topics in genetics research, as well as annual and biennial meetings that focus on the genetics of particular organisms, including C. elegans, Drosophila, fungi, mice, yeast, and zebrafish. GSA publishes GENETICS, a leading journal in the field and a new online, open-access publication, G3: Genes|Genomes|Genetics. For more information about GSA, please visit http://www.genetics-gsa.org. Also follow GSA on Facebook at facebook.com/GeneticsGSA and on Twitter @GeneticsGSA.

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2013 Rosalind Franklin Young Investigator Awards Announced

Florida Retiree Carol Berman Talks Health Care Reform at DNC – Video

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06-09-2012 16:41 Florida Retiree Carol Berman of West Palm Beach, Florida, addressed the Democratic National Convention about the Affordable Care Act and how it has benefitted her after falling into the so-called "Donut Hole" with prescription medication. "I'm one of the seniors who retired to this piece of heaven on earth and I'm as happy as a clam. But it's not just the sunshine; it's Obamacare."

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Florida Retiree Carol Berman Talks Health Care Reform at DNC - Video

Caroline Kennedy Speaks to DNC on Health Care, Women’s Health, Voting – Video

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06-09-2012 19:13 "As a Catholic woman, I take reproductive health seriously," Kennedy said, "and today, it is under attack. This year alone, more than a dozen states have passed more than 40 restrictions on women's access to reproductive health care. That's not the kind of future I want for my daughters or your daughters."

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Caroline Kennedy Speaks to DNC on Health Care, Women's Health, Voting - Video

Report: US health care system wastes $750 billion a year

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By Ricardo Alonso-Zaldivar, The Associated Press

Updated: 12:01 p.m.

WASHINGTON (AP) The U.S. health care system squanders $750 billion a year roughly 30 cents of every medical dollar through unneeded care, byzantine paperwork, fraud and other waste, the influential Institute of Medicine said Thursday in a report that ties directly into the presidential campaign.

President Barack Obama and Republican Mitt Romney are accusing each other of trying to slash Medicare and put seniors at risk. But the counter-intuitive finding from the report is that deep cuts are possible without rationing, and a leaner system may even produce better quality.

"Health care in America presents a fundamental paradox," said the report from an 18-member panel of prominent experts, including doctors, business people, and public officials. "The past 50 years have seen an explosion in biomedical knowledge, dramatic innovation in therapies and surgical procedures, and management of conditions that previously were fatal ...

"Yet, American health care is falling short on basic dimensions of quality, outcomes, costs and equity," the report concluded.

If banking worked like health care, ATM transactions would take days, the report said. If home building were like health care, carpenters, electricians and plumbers would work from different blueprints and hardly talk to each other. If shopping were like health care, prices would not be posted and could vary widely within the same store, depending on who was paying.

If airline travel were like health care, individual pilots would be free to design their own preflight safety checks or not perform one at all.

How much is $750 billion? The one-year estimate of health care waste is equal to more than ten years of Medicare cuts in Obama's health care law. It's more than the Pentagon budget. It's more than enough to care for the uninsured.

Getting health care costs better controlled is one of the keys to reducing the deficit, the biggest domestic challenge facing the next president. The report did not lay out a policy prescription for Medicare and Medicaid but suggested there's plenty of room for lawmakers to find a path.

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Report: US health care system wastes $750 billion a year

Report: US health care system wastes $750B a year

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WASHINGTON

The U.S. health care system squanders $750 billion a year - roughly 30 cents of every medical dollar - through unneeded care, byzantine paperwork, fraud and other waste, the influential Institute of Medicine said Thursday in a report that ties directly into the presidential campaign.

President Barack Obama and Republican Mitt Romney are accusing each other of trying to slash Medicare and put seniors at risk. But the counter-intuitive finding from the report is that deep cuts are possible without rationing, and a leaner system may even produce better quality.

"Health care in America presents a fundamental paradox," said the report from an 18-member panel of prominent experts, including doctors, business people, and public officials. "The past 50 years have seen an explosion in biomedical knowledge, dramatic innovation in therapies and surgical procedures, and management of conditions that previously were fatal ...

"Yet, American health care is falling short on basic dimensions of quality, outcomes, costs and equity," the report concluded.

If banking worked like health care, ATM transactions would take days, the report said. If home building were like health care, carpenters, electricians and plumbers would work from different blueprints and hardly talk to each other. If shopping were like health care, prices would not be posted and could vary widely within the same store, depending on who was paying.

If airline travel were like health care, individual pilots would be free to design their own preflight safety checks - or not perform one at all.

How much is $750 billion? The one-year estimate of health care waste is equal to more than ten years of Medicare cuts in Obama's health care law. It's more than the Pentagon budget. It's more than enough to care for the uninsured.

Getting health care costs better controlled is one of the keys to reducing the deficit, the biggest domestic challenge facing the next president. The report did not lay out a policy prescription for Medicare and Medicaid but suggested there's plenty of room for lawmakers to find a path.

Both Obama and Romney agree there has to be a limit to Medicare spending, but they differ on how to get that done. Obama would rely on a powerful board to cut payments to service providers, while gradually changing how hospitals and doctors are paid to reward results instead of volume. Romney would limit the amount of money future retirees can get from the government for medical insurance, relying on the private market to find an efficient solution. Each accuses of the other of jeopardizing the well-being of seniors.

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Report: US health care system wastes $750B a year

Aetna-NovaHealth Improve Healthcare

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Yesterday, Aetna Inc. (AET)announced results of the Accountable Care Organization it formed with Portland, Maine, based NovaHealth. The results reflected the collaborations success in achieving its goal of improving health care quality, while at the same time bringing down the cost of care. Aetna started working with the later by forming an Accountable Care Organizations (ACO) back in 2008.

An ACO is a collaboration of healthcare providers, who voluntarily forge alliances to provide coordinated, high-quality care to patients. An ACO is accountable for the quality, cost, and overall care offered to members. By focusing on the needs of patients and linking payments to outcomes, this model of care is intended to improve the health of individuals and communities and curb the rising healthcare costs.

Some of the main result highlights of Aetna ACO model with NovaHealth show that, patients who were a part of the program witnessed a 50% reduction in their inpatient hospital days, 45% lower hospital admissions, and 56% fewer readmissions, compared with other Medicare population, throughout the state and outside the scope of the ACO.

The results also feature that 99% of the members taking Medicare Advantage service visited their doctors in 2011 to get preventive and follow up care. The report also shows a reduction in cost of the Medicare Advantage members who were served by Aetna-NovaHealth ACO by 16.5% to 33%, as compared with those who were not included in the service.

Aetnas provider collaboration with NovaHealth successfully delivered quality care to its members. It is basically a setup where insurance companies and health care providers work together to improve care while lowering expenses relating to it.

The results also reflect that there was an increase in the percentage of Aetna Medicare Advantage members, who visited the doctors office each calendar year. The members who were suffering from serious illness, such as chronic heart failure (:CHF), chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (:COPD) or diabetes were encouraged to go through a checkup once every six month.

Those who have diabetes were instructed to take blood glucose tests each calendar year. Moreover, the members were kept under observation for follow-up visits within 30 days of being discharged from hospital stay.

Through these tight control and follow-up measures on the early stages of illness, Aetna is focused on controlling health care costs, make patients healthier and create value for the health care system.

Another important feature of Aetna-NovaHealth Collaboration is the nurse case management. With this service Aetna strives to provide a continuum of health care services for defined groups of patients.

It is a dynamic and systematic collaborative approach wherein nurse case managers actively participate with their clients to identify the best options and services for meeting individuals' health related needs. Aetnas primary objective is to decrease fragmentation and duplication of care, enhancing quality and cost-effective clinical outcomes.

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Aetna-NovaHealth Improve Healthcare

Promising new drug target for inflammatory lung diseases

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

Contact: Cathia Falvey cfalvey@liebertpub.com 914-740-2100 Mary Ann Liebert, Inc./Genetic Engineering News

New Rochelle, NY, September 6, 2012The naturally occurring cytokine interleukin-18, or IL-18, plays a key role in inflammation and has been implicated in serious inflammatory diseases for which the prognosis is poor and there are currently limited treatment options. Therapies targeting IL-18 could prove effective against inflammatory diseases of the lung including bronchial asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), as described in a review article published in Journal of Interferon & Cytokine Research (http://www.liebertpub.com/jir), a peer-reviewed publication from Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers (http://www.liebertpub.com). The article is available free online at the Journal of Interferon & Cytokine Research website. (http://www.liebertpub.com/jir)

Tomotaka Kawayama and coauthors from Kurume University School of Medicine, Fukuoka, Japan, University of Ryukyus, Okinawa, Japan, and Frederick National Laboratory for Cancer Research, Frederick, MD, review the growing evidence to support the important role IL-18 has in inflammation and how it may help to initiate and worsen inflammatory disorders such as arthritis, dermatitis and inflammatory diseases of the bowel and immune system. In the article "Interleukin-18 in Pulmonary Inflammatory Diseases" (http://online.liebertpub.com/doi/full/10.1089/jir.2012.0029) they describe the potential benefits of therapies aimed at blocking the activity of IL-18 to treat inflammatory lung disease.

"This review provides an interesting and thorough summary of the biology and potential application of IL-18 in the setting of inflammatory pulmonary disease," says Co-Editor-in-Chief Thomas A. Hamilton, PhD, Chairman, Department of Immunology, Cleveland Clinic Foundation.

###

About the Journal Journal of Interferon & Cytokine Research (http://www.liebertpub.com/jir), led by Co-Editors-in-Chief Ganes C. Sen, PhD, Chairman, Department of Molecular Genetics, Cleveland Clinic Foundation, and Thomas A. Hamilton, PhD, is an authoritative peer-reviewed journal published monthly in print and online that covers all aspects of interferons and cytokines from basic science to clinical applications. Journal of Interferon & Cytokine Research is the official journal of the International Society for Interferon and Cytokine Research. Complete tables of content and a sample issue (http://online.liebertpub.com/toc/jir/31/6) may be viewed online at the Journal of Interferon & Cytokine Research website. (http://www.liebertpub.com/jir)

About the Publisher

Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers (http://www.liebertpub.com) is a privately held, fully integrated media company known for establishing authoritative peer-reviewed journals in many promising areas of science and biomedical research, including Viral Immunology, AIDS Research and Human Retroviruses, and DNA and Cell Biology. Its biotechnology trade magazine, Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology News (GEN), was the first in its field and is today the industry's most widely read publication worldwide. A complete list of the firm's 70 journals, books, and newsmagazines is available at Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers website. (http://www.liebertpub.com).

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Promising new drug target for inflammatory lung diseases

Research and Markets: Gene Therapy – Technologies, Markets and Companies – Updated 2012 Report

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DUBLIN--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

Research and Markets (http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/96czlk/gene_therapy_tec) has announced the addition of Jain PharmaBiotech's new report "Gene Therapy - Technologies, Markets and Companies" to their offering.

Gene therapy can be broadly defined as the transfer of defined genetic material to specific target cells of a patient for the ultimate purpose of preventing or altering a particular disease state. Genes and DNA are now being introduced without the use of vectors and various techniques are being used to modify the function of genes in vivo without gene transfer. If one adds to this the cell therapy particularly with use of genetically modified cells, the scope of gene therapy becomes much broader. Gene therapy can now combined with antisense techniques such as RNA interference (RNAi), further increasing the therapeutic applications. This report takes broad overview of gene therapy and is the most up-to-date presentation from the author on this topic built-up from a series of gene therapy report written by him during the past decade including a textbook of gene therapy and a book on gene therapy companies. This report describes the setbacks of gene therapy and renewed interest in the topic

Gene therapy technologies are described in detail including viral vectors, nonviral vectors and cell therapy with genetically modified vectors. Gene therapy is an excellent method of drug delivery and various routes of administration as well as targeted gene therapy are described. There is an introduction to technologies for gene suppression as well as molecular diagnostics to detect and monitor gene expression.

Clinical applications of gene therapy are extensive and cover most systems and their disorders. Full chapters are devoted to genetic syndromes, cancer, cardiovascular diseases, neurological disorders and viral infections with emphasis on AIDS. Applications of gene therapy in veterinary medicine, particularly for treating cats and dogs, are included.

Research and development is in progress in both the academic and the industrial sectors. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) of the US is playing an important part. As of 2011, over 2030 clinical trials have been completed, are ongoing or have been approved worldwide.A breakdown of these trials is shown according to the areas of application.

Since the death of Jesse Gelsinger in the US following a gene therapy treatment, the FDA has further tightened the regulatory control on gene therapy. A further setback was the reports of leukemia following use of retroviral vectors in successful gene therapy for adenosine deaminase deficiency. Several clinical trials were put on hold and many have resumed now. The report also discusses the adverse effects of various vectors, safety regulations and ethical aspects of gene therapy including germline gene therapy.

The markets for gene therapy are difficult to estimate as there is only one approved gene therapy product and it is marketed in China since 2004. Gene therapy markets are estimated for the years 2011-2021. The estimates are based on epidemiology of diseases to be treated with gene therapy, the portion of those who will be eligible for these treatments, competing technologies and the technical developments anticipated in the next decades. In spite of some setbacks, the future for gene therapy is bright.The markets for DNA vaccines are calculated separately as only genetically modified vaccines and those using viral vectors are included in the gene therapy markets

The voluminous literature on gene therapy was reviewed and selected 700 references are appended in the bibliography.The references are constantly updated. The text is supplemented with 72 tables and 14 figures.

Profiles of 187 companies involved in developing gene therapy are presented along with 208 collaborations. There were only 44 companies involved in this area in 1995. In spite of some failures and mergers, the number of companies has increased more than 4-fold within a decade. These companies have been followed up since they were the topic of a book on gene therapy companies by the author of this report. John Wiley & Sons published the book in 2000 and from 2001 to 2003, updated versions of these companies (approximately 160 at mid-2003) were available on Wiley's web site. Since that free service was discontinued and the rights reverted to the author, this report remains the only authorized continuously updated version on gene therapy companies.

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Research and Markets: Gene Therapy - Technologies, Markets and Companies - Updated 2012 Report

Freedom Defeat Grizzlies to Even Divisional Series

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September 6, 2012 - Frontier League (FL) Gateway Grizzlies SAUGET, IL - Freedom starting pitcher Brad Allen shutout the Gateway Grizzlies over eight innings and Florence held on for a 4-1 win Thursday night at GCS Ballpark in game two of the Frontier League Divisional Series.

The win tied the series at one with game three scheduled for Saturday night in Florence, KY at the Home of the Freedom. Right-hander Chris Enourato will get the start for the Grizzlies. First pitch is set for 5:05 CT.

Allen (1-0) allowed only two hits while striking out a career-high nine batters. A Richie Jimenez Jr. double in the third and an infield single by John Shelby in the fifth inning were the only Grizzlies hits against Allen.

Grizzlies starter Alex Kaminsky (0-1) matched Allen pitch for pitch until allowing a Peter Fatse RBI double in the seventh inning for the game's first run.

Kaminsky surrendered only one run on two hits in six and a third innings. He walked three and struck out four.

Florence added two runs in the eighth on a Grizzlies error and a David Harris RBI single. The Freedom got one more run on two hits and a Pierre LePage hit by pitch RBI in the ninth to take a 4-0 lead.

Jon Myers hit a solo home run in the ninth inning off of Freedom closer Jorge Marban to give the Grizzlies their only run in the game.

Playoff tickets are on sale through the Grizzlies Ticket Office. To get tickets, call 618.337.3000 or go online to gatewaygrizzlies.com.

Discuss this story on the Frontier League message board... Digg this story Add to Del.icio.us

The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

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Freedom Defeat Grizzlies to Even Divisional Series

Tests confirm oil on beaches came from BP spill

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Laboratory tests show that globs of oil found on two Louisiana beaches after Hurricane Isaac came from the 2010 BP spill.

Tests run by Louisiana State University for state wildlife officials confirmed that oil found on Elmer's Island and Grand Isle matched the biological fingerprint of the hundreds of millions of gallons of oil that spewed from BP's Macondo well.

On Wednesday, BP PLC said oil from its spill had been exposed by Isaac's waves and that the company would work to clean it up.

Ed Overton, the LSU chemist who did the state tests, said the oil found on Elmer's Island had not degraded much while oil at Grand Isle had.

"Both were good solid matches on Macondo oil," Overton said.

Two other samples collected from another barrier island did not match the signature of oil from the BP well.

Experts expected that hurricane waves would stir up oil buried along the Gulf Coast and that Isaac, which made landfall on Aug. 28 and soaked the region in the days afterward, apparently did just that. Reports of tar balls washing up on beaches after the storm were reported in Alabama and Louisiana, two states that got hit hard by BP's massive offshore oil spill.

On Tuesday, scouts found what they described as a large tar mat on the beaches of Elmer's Island, prompting state officials to close a 13-mile stretch of beach and restrict fishing along that shoreline.

Still, Overton said the discovery of the buried oil does not mean that the Gulf is seeing a repeat of the summer of 2010, when oil was spewing from an out-of-control well about 55 miles off the Louisiana coast.

"This is not oil everywhere," Overton said. He said the difference between the amounts of oil being exposed now by Isaac and what the Gulf saw in 2010 is "night and day."

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Tests confirm oil on beaches came from BP spill

Tests: Oil on La. beaches after Isaac came from BP spill

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NEW ORLEANS (AP) Laboratory tests show that globs of oil found on two Louisiana beaches after Hurricane Isaac came from the 2010 BP spill.

Tests run by Louisiana State University for state wildlife officials confirmed that oil found on Elmers Island and Grand Isle matched the biological fingerprint of the hundreds of millions of gallons of oil that spewed from BPs Macondo well.

On Wednesday, BP PLC said that oil from its spill had been exposed by Isaacs waves and that the company would work to clean it up.

Ed Overton, the LSU chemist who did the state tests, said the oil found on Elmers Island had not degraded much, while oil at Grand Isle had.

Both were good, solid matches on Macondo oil, Mr. Overton said.

Two other samples collected from another barrier island did not match the signature of oil from the BP well.

Experts expected that hurricane waves would stir up oil buried along the Gulf Coast and that Isaac, which made landfall on Aug. 28 and soaked the region in the days afterward, apparently did just that. Reports of tar balls washing up on beaches after the storm were reported in Alabama and Louisiana, two states that got hit hard by BPs massive offshore oil spill.

On Tuesday, scouts found what they described as a large tar mat on the beaches of Elmers Island, prompting state officials to close a 13-mile stretch of beach and restrict fishing along that shoreline.

Still, Mr. Overton said, the discovery of the buried oil does not mean that the Gulf is seeing a repeat of the summer of 2010, when oil was spewing from an out-of-control well about 55 miles off the Louisiana coast.

This is not oil everywhere, Mr. Overton said. He said the difference between the amounts of oil being exposed now by Isaac and what the Gulf saw in 2010 is night and day.

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Tests: Oil on La. beaches after Isaac came from BP spill

Tests confirm oil found on Louisiana beaches came from 2010 BP spill

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NEW ORLEANS Laboratory tests show that globs of oil found on two Louisiana beaches after Hurricane Isaac came from the 2010 BP spill.

Tests run by Louisiana State University for state wildlife officials confirmed that oil found on Elmer's Island and Grand Isle matched the biological fingerprint of the hundreds of millions of gallons of oil that spewed from BP's Macondo well.

On Wednesday, BP PLC said oil from its spill had been exposed by Isaac's waves and that the company would work to clean it up.

Ed Overton, the LSU chemist who did the state tests, said the oil found on Elmer's Island had not degraded much while oil at Grand Isle had.

"Both were good solid matches on Macondo oil," Overton said.

Two other samples collected from another barrier island did not match the signature of oil from the BP well.

Experts expected that hurricane waves would stir up oil buried along the Gulf Coast and that Isaac, which made landfall on Aug. 28 and soaked the region in the days afterward, apparently did just that. Reports of tar balls washing up on beaches after the storm were reported in Alabama and Louisiana, two states that got hit hard by BP's massive offshore oil spill.

On Tuesday, scouts found what they described as a large tar mat on the beaches of Elmer's Island, prompting state officials to close a 13-mile stretch of beach and restrict fishing along that shoreline.

Still, Overton said the discovery of the buried oil does not mean that the Gulf is seeing a repeat of the summer of 2010, when oil was spewing from an out-of-control well about 55 miles off the Louisiana coast.

"This is not oil everywhere," Overton said. He said the difference between the amounts of oil being exposed now by Isaac and what the Gulf saw in 2010 is "night and day."

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Tests confirm oil found on Louisiana beaches came from 2010 BP spill

Houdini gives Hammond-Oliver students hands-on experience

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AP photoHammond-Oliver High School veterinary tech students (from left) Rachel Miller and Gretchen Vilas try to entice Houdini into eating some feed at the school on Wednesday. The calf recently underwent emergency surgery and is being cared for by the students.

A group of Bryan seniors spent Wednesday morning caring and tending to a 150-pound calf named Houdini while learning about the physiology of cattle.

Whenever we take his bottle away after hes finished he gets a little cranky, said 17-year-old Johanna Krauter with a smile, after helping feed the four-week-old.

The Hammond-Oliver High School for Human Sciences students began transitioning the calf from its bottle to solid food as another student took its temperature 101.2 degrees and the rest examined its recent 10 inches of sutures to ensure there was no infection.

The veterinary medical assisting class covers large animal topics, including the anatomy and physiology of different livestock, and offers the students time to take internships. Teacher Sue Elliott, whos overseeing the care of Houdini, said the school encourages the students to put in 500 hours at a veterinary clinic or animal shelter to work toward becoming a certified veterinary assistant.

Elliott, who has been teaching the course for four years and has 36 years of classroom experience, said the timing of Houdinis birth couldnt have been more perfect. The calf was born right before school returned to session from the summer months, and Elliott has been able to load up and bring Houdini with her to work each day from Wellborn and take him home again after school.

I love animals so if I can just pass that on a little bit then thats good enough for me, she said. A lot of kids dont realize where their food comes from, so we can talk about how this is what hes raised for and compare that to dairy cattle and the different characteristics theyre bred for.

The students take turns haltering the calf and unloading him from the trailer to bring into a pin that was retrofitted for him behind the campus. Elliott said theres a lot of science in agriculture and shes able to cover a vast array of topics with the students just by having the Brahman available to the class.

When a Brahman is not happy or doesnt want to do anything, they are worse than a spoiled child, she said with a laugh.

Hes had an already challenging life, she said. When he was born, the veterinarian and technicians believed him dead until he wrinkled up his nose, she said.

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Houdini gives Hammond-Oliver students hands-on experience

Research and Markets: Fish Physiology: Zebrafish, Vol 29 Part No. 29

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DUBLIN--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

Research and Markets (http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/3mmw2x/fish_physiology_z) has announced the addition of Elsevier Science and Technology's new report "Fish Physiology: Zebrafish, Vol 29 Part No. 29" to their offering.

This cutting-edge resource includes up-to-date information on zebrafish physiology and the tools used to study it, not only as a model species for studies of other vertebrates but with application for studies of human disease and aquatic toxicology.

The utility of zebrafish for physiological research is based on several key features including:

i) a "fully" sequenced genome

ii) rapid (-3 month) generation times)

iii) their capacity to produce large numbers of externally fertilized eggs

iv) optical transparency of embryos and larvae

v) the applicability of reverse and forward genetics to assess gene function.

Gene knockdown in embryos and the production of transgenic strains are now standard techniques being used to assess physiology. This book will be of keen interest not only to the typical readers of Fish Physiology but also to biomedical researchers, toxicologists and developmental biologists.

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Research and Markets: Fish Physiology: Zebrafish, Vol 29 Part No. 29

No apology over surgery botch-up

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At least one woman who was wrongly operated on after a botch-up in reporting pathology results has not received an apology, and others were told of the mistake over the phone "quite some time" later, a panel of experts looking into the mix-ups has found.

In June the Ministry of Health convened a panel of experts to look into five cases where woman had unnecessary surgery because of mistakes in reporting pathology results.

One of the cases involved a woman having part of her jaw cut away after being wrongly diagnosed with cancer of the mouth.

Another woman had a mastectomy by mistake after her breast biopsy was swapped with another.

A Herald on Sunday investigation found six woman had been affected by errors made in pathology laboratories.

The panel of experts yesterday reported back that there was five incidents over a two-year period.

Four incidents involved breast biopsy tissue and the fifth involved oral tissue.

Four of the errors resulted from transposition of specimens with those of other patients during the laboratory process. The fifth error resulted from a misinterpretation of the specimen, it reported.

In compiling the report panel representatives met with four of the woman who reported on their experiences during and after the case.

The response from health providers once the mix-up was realised "generally was short in duration and largely unsatisfactory", it said.

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No apology over surgery botch-up

Inc. Magazine Names Complete Nutrition Fastest-Growing Private Nebraska Company

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Omaha, Neb., Sept. 6, 2012 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Inc. magazine recently ranked Complete Nutrition No. 332 on its 31st annual Inc. 500|5000, an exclusive ranking of the nation's fastest-growing private companies. The high-end nutritional supplement retailer is the fastest-growing private company from Nebraska on the list.

"Being named to the Inc. 500 list is a great honor," said Ryan Zink, president of Complete Nutrition. "It validates the hard work of our entire staff and reaffirms our commitment to helping people make positive life changes with best-in-class products combined with a consultative approach to health and fitness."

The 2012 Inc. 500, unveiled in the September issue of the magazine, is the most competitive crop in the list's history. To make the cut, companies had to have achieved a staggering minimum of 770 percent in sales growth. Complete Nutrition's three-year sales growth was 1,145 percent.

"Now, more than ever, we depend on Inc. 500/5000 companies to spur innovation, provide jobs, and drive the economy forward. Growth companies, not large corporations, are where the action is," says Inc. magazine Editor Eric Schurenberg.

Complete Nutrition currently has 160 stores throughout the country and plans to add approximately 150 locations throughout the next three years through franchising.

Complete Nutrition offers more than 200 exclusive general health, sports nutrition and weight-loss supplements. Employing certified personal trainers, former strength coaches and others experienced in health and fitness, Complete Nutrition differentiates itself from competitors through its consultative approach to nutritional supplements.

About Complete Nutrition

Complete Nutrition is a network of high quality nutritional supplement retail stores whose mission is to create a safe and effective weight management, sports nutrition, and healthy aging program to help customers look better, feel better, and perform better. Since 2005, Complete Nutrition has been helping people achieve their health and wellness goals by offering exclusive supplements at affordable prices. Staff members are athletes, certified personal trainers, nutritionists, and other people with experience in the health and fitness supplement retail industry. Founder Cory Wiedel and President Ryan Zink were named finalists of the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year(R) 2012 Central Midwest award. Complete Nutrition recently earned the following top honors from Entrepreneur Magazine in 2012: Franchise 500 award recipient, No. 2 Top New Franchise, No. 36 Fastest-Growing Franchise. Additionally, Complete Nutrition was named to the 2011 Allbusiness.com AllStar Franchises Top 300 list and ranked No. 332 on the 2012 Inc. 500 list of fastest-growing companies. For more information about Complete Nutrition, call 866-366-5766 or visit http://www.CompleteNutrition.com

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Inc. Magazine Names Complete Nutrition Fastest-Growing Private Nebraska Company

BioMed’s InTray™ GC Diagnostic Device Helps Health Providers Comply With New Federal Guidelines to Slow Rise of Drug …

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WHITE CITY, Ore., Sept. 6, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --BioMed Diagnostics, Inc., an innovative manufacturer of microbiology devices that facilitate and enhance infectious disease diagnosis, today reported that the unique design of its InTray GC device can help healthcare providers implement new federal guidelines for the treatment of gonorrhea, one of the most common sexually transmitted diseases (STDs.)

The changes announced last month by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) were prompted by evidence that the bacterium that causes gonorrhea is developing resistance to currently-used oral antibiotics. The new guidelines recommend therapy with a more powerful injectible antibiotic and a second antibiotic, along with culture-based retesting to monitor antimicrobial resistance and ensure that the gonorrhea has been cured. Patients whose infections are not fully eradicated are at risk of serious complications and they can continue to spread the disease to others. They may also contribute to development of drug resistance.

BioMed's InTray GC uniquely combines sample collection, transport and culture in a single read-out ready platform, enabling simultaneous detection and observation of the bacterium responsible for gonorrhea. InTray GC reduces handling, increases productivity, improves throughput and reduces the risk of sample exposure and contamination.

The InTray GC system is equipped with an integrated carbon dioxide tablet contained in a sealed inner chamber to prevent degradation during storage. Once the chamber is punctured and the InTray device sealed, the tablet generates the anaerobic atmosphere needed to detect gonorrhea, eliminating the need for costly carbon dioxide incubators.

"The CDC's new guidelines reflect the urgency of ensuring that we track resistance trends so that we continue to have effective treatments for gonorrhea, and infected patients are actually cured," said Jim Self, Chief Executive Officer of BioMed Diagnostics. "Our one-step InTray GC device has demonstrated its utility in everyday clinical use, making it easier and more economical to detect whether a patient is infected and whether the bacterial strain shows resistance. We look forward to working with healthcare providers to demonstrate how InTray GC can help them implement the new diagnostic guidelines efficiently and cost effectively."

Gonorrhea is among the most common STDs, with the CDC estimating that more than 700,000 people in the US acquire new infections each year. If left untreated, gonorrhea can lead to long-term health consequences, including chronic pelvic pain, ectopic pregnancy and infertility. It can also increase the risk of contracting and transmitting HIV.

BioMed devices are listed with the US Food and Drug Administration for in vitro diagnostic use in human clinical laboratories. For more information on InTray GC, visit http://www.biomeddiagnostics.com/ivd-intray-gc/

For information on BioMed Diagnostics' other InTray and InPouch infectious disease devices, visit http://www.biomeddiagnostics.com/clinical.

About BioMed Diagnostics BioMed Diagnostics, Inc. is a manufacturer of in vitro clinical diagnostic, veterinary, environmental and research-only microbiology testing devices that save time and money, improve workflow and throughput, and reduce sample exposure and contamination. By combining sample collection, transport and culture in a single read-out ready platform, BioMed's InPouch and InTray devices help medical professionals, veterinarians, researchers and environmental and industry scientists accurately detect and enumerate a variety of bacterial and fungal pathogens. The devices' unique sealed design reduces the risk of pathogen exposure, and they have a long shelf life. InTray products featuring Colorex technology enable easy-to-interpret visual results from a simple color change. To learn more about BioMed Diagnostics products and services, visit:www.biomeddiagnostics.com.

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BioMed's InTray™ GC Diagnostic Device Helps Health Providers Comply With New Federal Guidelines to Slow Rise of Drug ...