CFPC Welcomes Health Care Innovation Report: Focus is on better care, better health, better value

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MISSISSAUGA, ON, July 26, 2012 /CNW/ - The College of Family Physicians of Canada (CFPC) commends the Health Care Innovation Working Group (HCIWG) of the Council of the Federation for its first report, From Innovation to Action,issued earlier today. We share and support its ultimate goal of providing better care, better health, and better value for Canadians.

From Innovation to Actionsignals the increasing support among Canadians and health professionals for new and enhanced team-based primary care models, where patients have access to a family doctor, primary care nurse, and an inter-professional team of providers. The report outlines advancements in health care related to clinical practice guidelines, team based models, and health human resources.

"The CFPC applauds the HCIWG'S recommendations that are centred on innovative and effective practice models," says College President, Dr Sandy Buchman. "It is consistent with our vision for the future of family practice in Canada, the Patient's Medical Homea progressive, primary care initiative that will strengthen team-based care and improve health outcomes for the people of Canada."

"For many years the CFPC has also advocated for the development of a pan-Canadian health human resource (HHR) strategy but there has been a clear lack of progress to date," continues Dr Buchman. "The College is pleased to see the HCIWG's proposed strategy to monitor and address the HHR needs across the country. We hope this will help us plan for the future and prevent the kind of HHR shortages that have created significant access to care challenges for the people of Canada."

The CFPC also supports the use of clinical practice guidelines but warns that they will not have the impact they should unless they are developed with significant input from primary care health professionals to ensure that they will be applicable to patients in primary care/family practice settings.

"I was impressed with the thoroughness of the working group's deliberations and the particular attention to the potential dissemination of models that represent patient-centred, team-based care," says CFPC Past-President Dr Rob Boulay, who served on the HCIWG Team Based Models Project Group. "It's encouraging to see the positive direction of the report's recommendations. The consistency between the new report and the Patient's Medical Home clearly suggests that Canada's family doctors and the Council of the Federation are headed in the same direction. We look forward to continuing to work together towards common goals that will enhance health care for people in all communities across Canada."

The Patient's Medical Home is a patient-centred model of care that provides timely access to appointments; care delivery by teams of family physicians, nurses, and other health professionals; and coordination of consultations and all other aspects of required care. It serves as the hub, or home base, to provide or arrange the broad spectrum of medical and health care services needed by its patients.

The College of Family Physicians of Canada (CFPC) is the voice of family medicine in Canada. Representing more than 27,000 members across the country, the CFPC is the professional organization responsible for establishing standards for the training, certification, and lifelong education of family physicians and for advocating on behalf of the specialty of family medicine and family physicians. The CFPC accredits postgraduate family medicine training in Canada's 17 medical schools.

SOURCE: College of Family Physicians of Canada

Jayne Johnston Communications Manager The College of Family Physicians of Canada 905-629-0900 +1 ext. 303 jjohnston@cfpc.ca

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Council of the Federation Points to Need for Action to Transform Health Care

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HALIFAX, July 26, 2012 /CNW/ - Canada's front-line health care providers today applauded the Council of the Federation for presenting a new process and plan to transform the health care system to put the needs of patients first. Now the challenge will be to ensure the report lives up to its name.

The Canadian Medical Association (CMA), the Canadian Nurses Association (CNA) and the Health Action Lobby (HEAL) are in Halifax to mark the release of From Innovation to Action: The First Report of the Health Care Innovation Working Group, which was developed in close consultation with the three organizations.

The report features examples of local and specific initiatives that can be used to expand the use of best practices in clinical care and collaboration among health care professionals. In accepting the report, Canada's premiers pointed to the working group model as one with promise for continuing work that will transform the health care system.

"Beyond the important recommendations, this report also shows the benefit of collaborating with front-line health care professionals to improve the health care system for all Canadians," said Dr. John Haggie, president of the Canadian Medical Association. "This represents a sea-change in thinking that could be made even more powerful if the federal government were to join in the process."

"We are committed to working with Canada's premiers and ministers of health on the development of a pan-Canadian implementation plan for the report's recommendations," said Barbara Mildon, president of the Canadian Nurses Association. "We look forward to building on this new foundation for health system transformation that advances patient-centred care."

"With the direct involvement and contributions from a broad spectrum of health providers, this unique pan-Canadian process has identified some important next steps in the areas of clinical practice guidelines, team-based delivery models and health human resource planning, said. Glenn Brimacombe, co-chair of HEAL. "With strong leadership from Premiers Wall and Ghiz, and senior officials, members of HEAL look forward to continue working in partnership to transform the health system to meet the changing health needs of Canadians."

As this work develops, Canada's front-line health care professionals are urging federal and provincial governments to adopt the principles developed by the CNA and the CMA to guide their deliberations. To date, some 120 health, medical and patient organizations have endorsed these principles, which define a health care system that is patient-centred, quality, health promotion and illness prevention, equitable, sustainable and accountable.

The Canadian Medical Association (CMA) is the national voice of Canadian physicians. Founded in 1867, CMA's mission is to serve and unite the physicians of Canada and be the national advocate, in partnership with the people of Canada, for the highest standards of health and health care. The CMA is a voluntary professional organization representing over 74,000 of Canada's physicians and comprising 12 provincial and territorial medical associations and 51 national medical organizations.

CNA is the national professional voice of registered nurses in Canada. A federation of 11 provincial and territorial nursing associations and colleges representing 146,788 registered nurses, CNA advances the practice and profession of nursing to improve health outcomes and strengthen Canada's publicly funded, not-for-profit health system.

HEAL is a coalition of 36 national health and consumer associations and organizations dedicated to protecting and strengthening Canada's health system. It represents more than half a million providers and consumers of health care. HEAL was formed in 1991 out of concern over the erosion of the federal government's role in supporting a national health care system.

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Should high-dose interleukin-2 continue to be the treatment of choice for metastatic melanoma?

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Public release date: 26-Jul-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Vicki Cohn vcohn@liebertpub.com 914-740-2100 x2156 Mary Ann Liebert, Inc./Genetic Engineering News

New Rochelle, NY, July 26, 2012 Administering high-doses of interleukin-2 (IL-2) has been the preferred treatment for patients with stage IV metastatic melanoma. An article published in the current issue of Cancer Biotherapy and Radiopharmaceuticals, a peer-reviewed journal from Mary Ann Liebert, Inc. (http://www.liebertpub.com), explores whether or not this regimen is still the most effective. The article is available free online at the Cancer Biotherapy and Radiopharmaceuticals website (http://www.liebertpub.com/cbr).

In the article "Should High-Dose Interleukin-2 Still Be the Preferred Treatment for Patients with Metastatic Melanoma?" (http://online.liebertpub.com/doi/full/10.1089/cbr.2012.1220) Robert Dillman and colleagues at the Hoag Institute for Research and Education and Hoag Family Cancer Institute, Newport Beach, CA concluded that until long-term survival data for some of the newer drugs are available, patients with stage IV metastatic melanoma who are well enough to be given intensive IL-2 therapy should receive it initially, either alone or in combination with one of the newer therapeutic agents.

"This is an important article that puts into perspective the reasons why IL-2 should continue to be the initial therapy in patients with metastatic melanoma," says Editor Donald J. Buchsbaum, PhD, Division of Radiation Biology, Department of Radiation Oncology, University of Alabama at Birmingham.

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About the Journal

Cancer Biotherapy and Radiopharmaceuticals (http://www.liebertpub.com/cbr), published 10 times a year in print and online, is under the editorial leadership of Editors Donald J. Buchsbaum, PhD and Robert K. Oldham, MD, Lower Keys Cancer Center, Key West, FL. Cancer Biotherapy and Radiopharmaceuticals is the only journal with a specific focus on cancer biotherapy, including monoclonal antibodies, cytokine therapy, cancer gene therapy, cell-based therapies, and other forms of immunotherapy. The Journal includes extensive reporting on advancements in radioimmunotherapy and the use of radiopharmaceuticals and radiolabeled peptides for the development of new cancer treatments. Topics include antibody drug conjugates, fusion toxins and immunotoxins, nanoparticle therapy, vascular therapy, and inhibitors of proliferation signaling pathways.

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 Journal of Interferon & Cytokine Research, Human Gene Therapy and Human Gene Therapy Methods, and Stem Cells and Development. 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. (http://www.liebertpub.com)

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Should high-dose interleukin-2 continue to be the treatment of choice for metastatic melanoma?

Researchers Cure Mouse Deafness with Gene Therapy

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WASHINGTON Researchers have for the first time used gene therapy to restore normal hearing to mice that were born deaf. The findings could lead to a successful therapy for people with congenital hearing loss.

Congenital hearing loss or deafness from birth is one of the most common sensory deficits. It is often the result of genetic defects that affect the proper functioning of hair cells inside the inner ear. The hair cells, which move in response to sound vibration, transmit auditory signals to the brain. Experts believe there may be as many as 100 genes whose mutation can cause some form of hearing loss. Researchers created a mouse model of congenital deafness in humans by breeding rodents that lacked the gene that makes vesicular glutamate transporter-3, or VGLUT3 for short - an essential protein that enables hair cells in the ear to receive and send auditory signals. People with a defective copy of the VGLUT-3 gene suffer diminished hearing over time. Because the experimental mice didnt have the gene at all, their deafness was profound.

Lawrence Lustig, an otolaryngologist or hearing specialist at the University of California San Francisco, says researchers used a virus that doesnt cause illness in humans to carry a corrected copy of the VGLUT3 gene into the ear canals of the deaf mice.

Then, they sealed up the tiny hole they had made in a membrane in the rodents inner ears to inject the virus, and waited. The first time I saw the results, I didnt believe it. The hearing looked essentially normal in these mice, Lustig said. Lustig says that within a week, the mice showed the first signs that they could hear. By the second week, the rodents' hearing was essentially normal, as measured by a stimulation test in which researchers played tones and then monitored the rodents brain response to the sounds.

The researchers treated both newborn and adult mice with the therapy. Hearing lasted one-and-a-half years in the grown rodents and at least nine months in the newborns. Mice typically live two years. Current methods of treating congenital deafness include hearing amplification or hearing aids and cochlear implants, which are surgically embedded in the skull. But the devices often produce audio distortion or sound levels that are too low.

If deafness is caused by a defective gene, Lustig says, gene therapy as demonstrated by the experiment with VGLUT3 has the potential to cure many forms of hearing loss. Our next steps that we are actually working on right now are to take a much more common form of genetic hearing loss [caused by a different gene] and then trying that again in mice and see if it works. And if that can work, then the next steps are see how we can implement this in kids who are born with deafnes, Lustig said.

An article by the University of Californias Lawrence Lustig and colleagues on the use of gene therapy to cure congenital hearing loss is published in the journal Cell Press.

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Pen and sword equally mighty for science fiction's Stephenson

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Futurist author Neal Stephenson regaled a bleary-eyed but enthusiastic Black Hat crowd with behind-the-scenes tales of baking science into his fiction and the struggles in creating a first-person video game sword-fighting system.

Neal Stephenson, right, discusses his fiction writing and his sword-fighting Kickstarter project with journalist Brian Krebs at Black Hat 2012.

LAS VEGAS -- It's been a double-whammy of stardom for the attendees of the 15th annual Black Hat USA conference. Many people here suffered a line more commonly associated with Comic-Con or CES to get into an exclusive performance by electronica and trance legend Paul Oakenfeld at Club PURE last night.

And then this morning, they rubbed the hangover from their eyes and the ringing from their ears to listen to an on-stage conversation with noted science fiction author Neal Stephenson in the Caesar's Palace convention center.

Stephenson spoke for almost an hour with Brian Krebs, the investigative journalist who writes about security. While they ranged from his childhood influences to his books to his non-writing projects, Stephenson's face lit up as they discussed his recent Kickstarter project, "Clang."

"The level of technical detail in [first-person] shooters is out of control," he said. "I can still remember the first shooter I played when the game actually kept track of how many rounds I had left in my magazine. I was a bit offended by that," he said, as the crowd erupted in laughter. "I didn't want to think about that! I just wanted to hold the trigger down forever."

Clang is a project that aims to take what Stephenson describes as a growing interest in historical Western martial arts, specifically different forms of sword-fighting, and gameify them. Clang beat its goal of raising more than $500,000.

When Krebs said that he was originally surprised to learn that many DefCon regulars were also gun aficionados, Stephenson said that while he likes guns, they don't hold the appeal of finely honed steel. "I don't geek out on firearms the way I do on swords. Using [guns] seems like an inordinately inefficient way to make holes in pieces of paper," he smirked to more laughter from the crowd -- some of whom were definitely the kind of DefCon regular that surprised Krebs.

Stephenson's writing also figured large into the conversation, especially his research process when preparing to write a book. "I'm almost a little ashamed to call it research," he admitted, "since it's not what real researchers do. It's this sleazy process of skimming through a book and cherry-picking things -- [then] I change all the details."

One example he gave of this was how he applied the case of the infamous I Love You virus to a modern massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) in his most recent novel, "Reamde." Other times, he said, he envisions scenarios that we all dream of, such as the character Ivanov in "Reamde" who has enough money to seek revenge on the virus writers who hurt his business.

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Pen and sword equally mighty for science fiction's Stephenson

Freedom Summer: Art, Food and Performance at Raices Taller

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Tucson Freedom Summer, in collaboration with Raices Taller 222 Art Gallery and Workshop presents HUITZILOPOCHLI the will to act, on Saturday, July 28, from 5 to 9 p.m. at 218 E. 6th St.

The fundraising event brings together performers and artists, and includes the work of Tucson artists David Tineo, Tanya Alvarez, Paco Velez, and others. Expect raffles, food, music and interactive art-making for the whole family, including a buffet courtesy of Las Cazuelitas. The event benefits the Save Ethnic Studies Raza Defense Fund.

From the press release:

This convergence has been sparked by the national acknowledgement of the far reaching implications of this attack. Tucson Freedom Summer has manifested itself in a series of events to both educate the community and raise funds for the legal costs associated with the lawsuit. Events include community forums, educational Encuentros, Sunday Freedom School, demonstrations, political canvassing, poetry, and many artistic expressions of support. On July 28th, Tucson Freedom Summer, in collaboration with Raices Taller 222 Art Gallery and Workshop, will be hosting an event that will highlight the epic historic struggle for Chicano civil rights in Tucson.

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Freedom Summer: Art, Food and Performance at Raices Taller

Captain Cyborg accepts another degree from puny humans

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The nation's favourite would-be cyborg overlord and media strumpet, Professor Kevin Warwick, has been rewarded with another academic bauble.

The post-human Brummie was given a Doctorate from the University of Portsmouth last week for his work as Professor of Cybernetics at the University of Reading.

It adds to a growing collection. Warwick has already picked up honorary PhDs from Aston University, Coventry University and Bradford University.

Portsmouth credits Warwick with inventing "an intelligent deep brain stimulator to counteract the effects of Parkinsons disease tremors". This is bit of a generous interpretation of his work, as evidenced by this academic paper. The project involves using a neural network to predict Parkinson's tremors. But the actual invention, the "intelligent stimulator" has to our knowledge - has yet to be invented.

But then as Warwick likes to say: "There can be no absolute reality, there can be no absolute truth" - an invaluable approach for any post-modern scientist. Or Wikipedian.

Last year we noted how Wikipedia's entry for Britain's Greatest Living Scientist had been miraculously cleansed of any controversy or criticism of Warwick's work or public statements. The following passage, the last remnant of any disquiet amongst Warwick's scientific peers, was subsequently removed:

It has not been reinstated.

On his home page Warwick states that, "The Institute of Physics selected Kevin as one of only 7 eminent scientists to illustrate the ethical impact their scientific work can have: the others being Galileo, Einstein, Curie, Nobel, Oppenheimer and Rotblat" - a link to this schools project.

At this rate, Professor Warwick will soon be gracing the back of a 10 pound note. Move over Darwin - the cyborgs are coming.

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4 people stuck by needles on NYC beaches

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NEW YORK, July 26 (UPI) -- Four people have been pricked by needles on New York City beaches in the past three weeks, police say.

Most recently, an on-duty lifeguard stepped on a needle at Rockaway Beach in Queens Tuesday, WNBC-TV, New York, reported.

All the other incidents happened at Staten Island beaches. A 63-year-old woman stepped on a hypodermic needle on Cedar Grove Beach on July 16. On July 14, a 37-year-old man placed his hand on a needle while sitting on South Beach. And on July 4, a 40-year-old man was pricked a needle also at South Beach.

"You don't know where these needles come from," said Crystal Matis of Elm Park, who was at the beach Wednesday. "It's very scary."

The Parks Department said Wednesday it conducts daily beach cleanings, but tight budgets only allow for so much sand maintenance.

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4 people stuck by needles on NYC beaches

Beaches Jazz Festival finds prominent place for Samba Squad’s leader

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Latin music in Toronto once meant Herb Alperts annual visit to town in the 60s, playing Lonely Bull with his Tijuana Brass.

The distance travelled since then can be found in the Latin Boardwalk Stage at the Beaches International Jazz Festival, Thursday to Sunday, with its wide range of salsa, mambo, Cubano jazz, all-round rhythmic madness and butt waggling.

Tapping into the sexy machismo drive of the HeavyMambo band and the sophisticated charts of The Latin Jazz Ensemble, festival artistic director Bill King brings to the 24th edition of the annual festival an attitude of physicality. Jazz is getting back its dance groove. Funk, soul, R&B, reggae and a variety of Afro-beats are to be found throughout the festival stretching some two kilometres along Queen St. E.

Rick Lazar didnt start this although his band, Samba Squad, occupies a prominent position at the fest, playing nightly at 7 p.m. and 11 p.m. at the southeast corner of Woodbine Ave. and Queen St. E. But without the 64-year-old percussionists presence in the city over the years, this festival wouldnt likely have the breadth of resources it draws on to shape its Latin identity.

After studying percussion at the powerhouse Indiana School of Music, Lazar did what any serious, classically trained artist would do: he hooked up with Barry White to tour with the singers Love Unlimited Orchestra. Lazars arrival back in Toronto in the 70s coincided with the early blossoming of a local Latin presence with heavily political videos from Central America being shown in art spaces, and art from South America and from Cuban refugees appearing in galleries.

Lazar grew ever closer to the citys Latin heart while performing with the Toronto jazz-fusion band Manteca in the early 80s.

Its all about the drum, he said. Im a Canadian with a Middle Eastern background. But as a kid I got into James Brown and when you get into that you get into Afro-music, then the Brazilian thing. It is very addictive.

Following Manteca, Lazar founded Coconut Groove, prominent in the citys dance scene in the late 80s. Samba Squad itself appears in more than just one iteration around town. The more percussion-centre version is the street version of the thing, says Lazar. Theres also a club version.

Purists arent happy with the squads Brazilian credentials; some places wont book the band, and Lazar understands. I dont sell Samba Squad as a Brazilian thing, he explains. My dream was never to copy Brazilian music. . . . But if you want to have a show, if you want to dance and lots of rhythm, well be OK then.

More information at beachesjazz.com

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E. coli forces closure of 2 Vermont beaches

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BURLINGTON, Vt.Two beaches on Lake Champlain have been closed to swimming after testing turned up high levels of E. coli bacteria.

North Beach and Leddy Park Beach in Burlington were closed to swimmers on Tuesday and Wednesday because of high bacteria levels.

Officials told WPTZ-TV ( http://bit.ly/QJwLP0) that the beaches will remain closed until the E. coli drops to normal levels. New test results were expected Thursday.

Even though the beaches were closed to swimming, a number of people still went to the beaches Wednesday to lounge in the sand, have a cookout and take walks.

Copyright 2012 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

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E. coli forces closure of 2 Vermont beaches

Seven beaches in Quincy, two in Hingham closed

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Seven beaches in Quincy and two in Hingham have been closed to swimming because of bacteria contamination.

Mound Beach was 11 times over the maximum considered safe, Merrymount Beach was eight times over and Delano (Back) was three times over. Broady (Baker) and Germantown Fire Station beaches were slightly over the limit.

The Channing Street and Sachem Street sections of Wollaston Beach were also closed as a precaution, although the water tested within safe limits.

Kimball Beach is Hingham was more than 20 times the limit and Wompatuck Beach was almost three times the limit.

Health officials in both communities attribute the high readings to the heavy rain on Tuesday. The water has been retested.

With heavy rains expected on Thursday, contamination levels are likely to spike at other beaches in the coming days.

All other beaches on the South Shore are open.

See water quality test results for each community and for Cape Cod, the South Coast and North Shore.

For more on Quincy beaches, call 617-376-1288, or visit tinyurl.com/ledger-quincy-beaches. For more on Wollaston Beach, call 617-626-4972.

Seventy-five salt water beaches on the South Shore are tested for enterococci, intestinal bacteria found in humans and animals. High levels of enterococci indicate the waters may also contain other disease-causing microbes that are present in sewage but are more difficult to detect. Bacterial colonies are filtered from three ounces of water and placed on a gel infused with nutrients and chemicals designed to promote growth. Left in an incubator, the single cells isolated on the filter grow explosively, forming colonies visible to the naked eye.After one day, the colonies are counted and if they exceed 104 colonies, the beach is closed to swimming.

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Seven beaches in Quincy, two in Hingham closed

East Tennessee teachers have fun learning in UT aerospace workshop

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By HAYLEY HARMON 6 News Reporter

KNOXVILLE (WATE) - A group of teachers from across East Tennessee is going back to school hoping to make their own teaching skills a little bit better.

The Aerospace Excellence in Education Program at the University of Tennessee is about making learning fun again.

The aerospace workshop for teachers put nearly a dozen area educators back on the other side of the desks so they could better learn how to teach their own students this fall.

Jim Snyder is a substitute teacher for Knox County Schools, but on Thursday he was the one doing the learning as he tried to prevent a falling egg from cracking.

He was one of 13 Tennessee teachers in the workshop, learning some interactive ways to teach.

Thursday was the group's final test. Would their eggs survive a fall from the top of the physics building?

It didn't go exactly as Snyder planned, but he says trial and error is how his own students will learn. "It's done in a fun environment. The end result is they learn the principles, but they had a good time in the process," he said.

That was the goal of Lt. Col. Dave Garner, who founded the UT Aerospace Workshop for teachers 17 years ago.

"Kids already have an inherent interest in aerospace education so all we have to do is teach the teachers how to teach it," said Garner, who's the director of aerospace education at UT.

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Gallery: Armadillo Aerospace Builds Rockets in Texas

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John Carmack of Armadillo Aerospace

Video game developer John Carmack and his firm Armadillo Aerospace are developing vertical launch vehicles.

Armadillo Aerospace, a leading developer of reusable rocket-powered vehicles, plans to build suborbital rocketships for space tourists that launch vertically.

Test shot of Dalek, under development by Armadillo Aerospace of Rockwall, Texas, lifting off from New Mexicos Spaceport America.

An Armadillo Aerospace rocket launches skyward in a Jan. 28, 2012 test flight from New Mexicos Spaceport America.

A balloon-parachute recovery system was deployed during a Jan. 28, 2012 flight of an Armadillo Aerospace rocket.

View of the Rio Grande River valley from 239,000 ft (~50 mi) aboard Armadillo Aerospaces STIG-A 3 rocket launched from Spaceport America, taken January 28, 2012.

An artist's depiction of a suborbital spaceflight offered by Space Adventures aboard an Armadillo Aerospace Vehicle. Seattle's Space Needle is offering a free trip on the spaceship as part of its Space Race 2012 contest.

The STIG A rocket built by Armadillo Aerospace roars skyward from New Mexicos Spaceport America on Dec. 4, 2011.

View of Earth above Spaceport America from Armadillo Aerospace's STIG A rocket flight at apogee (highest point) on Dec. 4, 2011.

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Gallery: Armadillo Aerospace Builds Rockets in Texas

Aerospace Futures Alliance endorses McKenna

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Washington Attorney General Rob McKenna has earned the endorsement of one of the state's most influential aerospace groups.

On Thursday, the Aerospace Futures Alliance announced its first-ever endorsement of a political candidate, embracing Republican McKenna's bid for governor. An industry interest group, AFA lobbies on behalf of the state's 720 aerospace-related companies. Its board consists of representatives from Boeing, state community colleges, Mukilteo aerospace supplier Electroimpact, Everett maintenance company Aviation Technical Services and other government and commerce groups.

The success of AFA's member companies has meant tens of thousands of family wage jobs for our state," McKenna said in a statement. "I will help this industry remain globally competitive long into the future.

AFA previously has contributed to at least two candidates' campaigns: $900 to House Speaker Frank Chopp and $1,600 to Gov. Chris Gregoire's 2008 campaign.

Another influential group in the industry, the local District 751 of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers, already has given its endorsement to McKenna's opponent, Democrat Jay Inslee. The local IAM represents nearly 30,000 Machinists who work for Boeing in the Puget Sound region.

In interviews with the Herald published in March, both candidates identified the need to maintain a steady pipeline of aerospace workers as the main challenge facing the industry in the state.

Boeing and its suppliers are increasing jet production rates. The company also faces a many retirements in the coming years, both Machinists and engineers. As a result, Boeing has upped hiring in Washington, adding 2,850 workers through the end of June. Company officials have said employment will level out this year but hiring to replace workers who retire still will require Boeing to hire thousands of workers.

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DNA evidence shown in murder trial

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Home News Courts Samuel Williams, 24, views phone records during his death penalty case. He is charged with two counts of aggravated murder and kidnapping and one count of aggravated burglary in the 2011 deaths. THE BLADE/ANDY MORRISON Enlarge Loading

Published: 7/26/2012

BY ERICA BLAKE AND JENNIFER FEEHAN BLADE STAFF WRITERS

Black duct tape wrapped around the necks of Lisa Straub and Johnny Clarke to hold plastic bags in place was so tight, it cut off the blood to their heads, and eventually their air, a deputy Lucas County coroner testified in Common Pleas Court.

Maneesha Pandey was the final state witness in the aggravated murder trial of Samuel Williams, who faces the death penalty if convicted. The 26th witness in the case, Dr. Pandey told a jury of nine women and three men on Wednesday that Ms. Straub and Clarke died of asphyxiation from suffocation and strangulation caused by a bag over their faces and tape around their necks.

Williams, 24, and co-defendant Cameo Pettaway, 23, are both charged with two counts of aggravated murder and kidnapping and one count of aggravated burglary in the Jan. 30, 2011, deaths of Ms. Straub, 20, and Clarke, 21.

The two were found in the home of Ms. Straub's parents with their hands bound behind their backs and plastic bags secured tightly around their necks. Clarke's ankles also were bound withduct tape.

Jurors in Williams' case are expected to hear closing arguments today, then proceed to deliberations. Dr. Pandey is expected to testify today during the trial of Mr. Pettaway, whose case is being heard by a jury of nine women and three men in a different courtroom.

During the third day of testimony at both trials, investigators and analysts spoke of the evidence collected at the Longacre Lane home in Springfield Township where the bodies were found.

Of all the evidence collected, a discarded cigarette butt -- and only that cigarette butt -- contained the DNA of both Williams and Mr. Pettaway, a DNA analyst said Wednesday in both courtrooms.

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DNA evidence shown in murder trial

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USD To Offer New Degree In Medical Biology

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VERMILLION For over a year, faculty at the University of South Dakota have been preparing a way for students to take advantage of the Department of Biology in the College of Arts and Sciences and the Sanford School of Medicine.

The solution is a new major in Medical Biology, which is a joint undergraduate degree between the two departments, and will be offered this fall.

Executive dean of the school of medicine Ron Lindahl said the intent is to provide students who know they have a strong interest in either the medical profession the undergraduate knowledge to be most successful in a graduate program in health affairs at the medical school.

Its an official major, which will result in a Bachelor of Science degree, Lindahl said. It's targeted at students who would normally get a biology or chemistry major, who think they have a likelihood of getting into medical school. We think this major will best prepare them for medical school.

Lindahl said he and Matthew Moen, Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, created a committee to develop the major.

One major advantage of the new major, is that it will focus on what the Howard Hughes program states premedical curriculum should look like going forward in the future, Moen said.

The Howard Hughes Medical Institute and the American Association of Medical Colleges both issued reports designed to redirect premedical education across the country in the years ahead. It's a formula that is a little bit more competency-based, Moen said.

Lindahl is hoping the new program will encourage students to stay in South Dakota after graduation, he said.

(Moen) and I have always found it ironic that other schools in the region have a program they target towards students that want to go to medical school, but the university in the state that is home to the school of medicine and is the biggest liberal arts college didn't have a program that was targeted towards that group of students, he said. It was a gap that Matt and I decided we needed to fill. Hopefully, with a different undergraduate preparation, we can keep some of them in the state.

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USD To Offer New Degree In Medical Biology

Ruling frees FDA to crack down on stem cell clinics

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Peter Aldhous, San Francisco bureau chief

It's official: stem cells are drugs. At least, that's the opinion of the US District Court in Washington DC, which has ruled that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has the authority to regulate clinics offering controversial stem cell therapies.

Treatments in which stem cells are harvested from bone marrow and injected straight back into the same patient are deemed part of routine medical practice - not regulated by the US government. But if the cells are subjected to more than "minimal manipulation", the FDA maintains that the therapy becomes a "drug", which must be specifically approved for use.

Christopher Centeno, medical director of Regenerative Sciences, vows to appeal. "This is really round one," he says. "Our position remains that a patient's cells are not drugs."

Scott hopes that the FDA will now step up its efforts to regulate other clinics offering unproven stem cell therapies. These include Celltex of Sugar Land, Texas, which rose to prominence after Texas governor Rick Perry was injected with stem cells supplied by the company to aid his recovery from back surgery.

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Ruling frees FDA to crack down on stem cell clinics