Olympus Licenses Digital Pathology Patents to Zeiss

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CENTER VALLEY, Pa., July 12, 2012  - Olympus America Inc. and Carl Zeiss Microscopy GmbH, Jena, Germany, have signed a nonexclusive worldwide licensing agreement allowing Zeiss to access an extensive portfolio of patents held by Olympus in the field of digital pathology and virtual microscopy. The patents included in the licensing deal cover methods and equipment for creating, storing and delivering virtual microscopy slides. The technology enables individuals to view and share high-resolution virtual microscopy images over the Internet.

"Global adoption of digital slide scanning continues to expand into new medical and scientific applications," said Brad Burklow, Executive Director Business Development, Scientific Equipment Group, Olympus Corporation of the Americas. "Olympus is the holder of many important patents in this area, and we feel it is vital to allow broad access to these technologies in order to advance the field of pathology and medical research. We are confident that leveraging these technologies will enhance healthcare for patients around the world."

"The handling of digital data has become a major driver of the development of modern microscopy," said Dr. Bernhard Ohnesorge, Member of the Board and General Manager BioSciences Division of Carl Zeiss Microscopy. "Integrating the virtual slide functionality into our research microscope systems will enable our customers to become more efficient and to explore new scientific approaches. This will help them to better understand the root causes of the most challenging diseases."

The companies are not making specific terms and conditions of the agreement public.

About Olympus America Inc., Scientific Equipment Group

Olympus America Scientific Equipment Group provides innovative microscope imaging solutions for researchers, doctors, clinicians and educators. Olympus microscope systems offer unsurpassed optics, superior construction and system versatility to meet the ever-changing needs of microscopists, paving the way for future advances in life science.

About Olympus

Olympus is a precision technology leader, designing and delivering innovative solutions in its core business areas: Medical and Surgical Products, Life Science Imaging Systems, Industrial Measurement and Imaging Instruments and Cameras and Audio Products. Olympus works collaboratively with its customers and affiliates worldwide to leverage R&D investment in precision technology and manufacturing processes across diverse business lines. These include:

Gastrointestinal endoscopes, accessories, and minimally invasive surgical products;

Advanced research, clinical and educational microscopes and research and educational digital imaging systems;

Industrial research, engineering, test, inspection and measuring instruments; and

Digital cameras and voice recorders.

Olympus serves the healthcare field with integrated product solutions and financial, educational and consulting services that help customers to efficiently, reliably and more easily achieve exceptional results. Olympus develops breakthrough technologies with revolutionary product design and functionality for the consumer and professional photography markets, and also is the leader in gastrointestinal endoscopy and clinical and educational microscopes. For more information, visit http://www.olympusamerica.com .

About Carl Zeiss

Carl Zeiss

The Carl Zeiss Group is an international leader in the fields of optics and optoelectronics. In fiscal year 2010/11 the company's approx. 24,000 employees generated revenue of about 4.237 billion euros. In the markets for Industrial Solutions, Research Solutions, Medical Technology and Consumer Optics, Carl Zeiss has contributed to technological progress all over the world for more than 160 years. With its innovative technologies and leading-edge solutions, Carl Zeiss is successful in the fields of Semiconductor Manufacturing Technology, Industrial Metrology, Microscopy, Medical Technology, Vision Care and Consumer Optics/Optronics. Carl Zeiss AG is fully owned by the Carl Zeiss Stiftung (Carl Zeiss Foundation).

Microscopy

The Microscopy business group at Carl Zeiss is the world's only manufacturer of both light and electron microscopes. The company's extensive portfolio enables research and routine applications in the life and materials sciences. The product range includes light and laser scanning microscopes, electron and ion microscopes and spectrometer modules. Users are supported for software for system control, image capture and editing. The Microscopy business group has sales companies in 33 countries. Application and service specialists support customers around the globe in demo centers and on site. The business group is headquartered in Jena. Additional production and development sites can be found in Oberkochen, Gottingen and Munich, as well as in the UK and the USA. The company has around 2,500 employees and generates revenue of 620 million euros.

Source: Olympus America Inc.

 

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JPMorgan Chase unit to acquire M-Modal in $1.1 billion transaction

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In what is by far the biggest venture capital deal in health IT this year, One Equity Parters, the equity investment branch of JPMorgan Chase, has agreed to take M-Modal (NASDAQ:MODL) private, buying all of its shares for $1.1 billion in cash.

M-Modal, which offers a cloud-based voice recognition program that uses natural language processing (NLP), recently announced a new product that it said could convert doctors' dictation into discrete data in electronic health records. The "speech-to-text platform," called Fluency, is a refinement of its earlier NLP software.

Two EHR vendors, Allscripts and Greenway, have announced they will use M-Modal's platform to make it easier for physicians to document findings in their EHRs. Allscripts has already integrated the application into its Sunrise acute-care EHR. Another vendor, eClinicalWorks, toldInformationWeek Healthcare that it is developing a new EHR feature that does the same thing, using Nuance's NLP engine.

Another area where NLP is gaining ground is in computer-assisted coding (CAC), used in a growing number of hospitals. M-Modal recently signed a licensing agreement with 3M Health Information Systems that allows 3M to interface M-Modal's CAC solution with the 3M Coding and Reimbursement System.

Medquist, a medical transcription company based in Franklin, Tenn., purchased M-Modal last August for $130 million and assumed M-Modal's name. The company began trading its stock on NASDAQ in January.

Under terms of the agreement with One Equity Partners, that firm will make a tender offer for all shares of M-Modal no later than July 17. The M-Modal board has unanimously recommended that all shareholders accept the offer.

In a statement, the JPMorgan Chase subsidiary explained why it's buying the company. "M-Modal presents a unique opportunity to acquire a market leader in clinical documentation at a time when the company has successfully released its new generation of speech understanding solutions for healthcare," said Dick Cashin, managing partner of One Equity Partners.

To learn more:
- here's the announcement about the acquisition
- read the InformationWeek Healthcare article

Related Articles:
ICD-10 triggers computer-assisted coding adoption
3M, Nuance partner to create computer-assisted physician documentation

 

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Abbott Introduces OneLab, a Novel Integrated Web-Based Software Platform to Manage the Vast Amounts of Information Flowing Through the Lab

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New laboratory informatics solution goes beyond simple systems integration to improve laboratory operations, productivity and quality of care.

ABBOTT PARK, Ill., July 11, 2012 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ -- As health care systems around the world face challenges such as labor shortages, increased regulation and budget constraints, they rely on technology to help manage the impact. To assist in addressing these challenges, today Abbott ABT +0.09% announced OneLab, a new, Web-based, integrated laboratory informatics solution. OneLab is a highly-configurable platform that allows labs of any size to standardize processes across multiple locations and automate routine procedures such as sample management and tracking, as well as test result review and approval. This new information management capability can improve efficiency and productivity while reducing errors, which is important for patient safety.

"The essence of diagnostic testing is accurate medical information and, most importantly, the ability to provide it to clinicians when, where and how they need it," said Brian Blaser, executive vice president, Diagnostics Products, Abbott. "Our customers are processing large volumes of tests for physicians. OneLab allows labs to address these operational challenges without sacrificing quality or efficiency."

Informatics refers to the processing, management and retrieval of information, which is critical for making clinical decisions. In the laboratory, clinical decision-making requires access to timely and accurate information. OneLab unites most of a laboratory's information and decision tools into one easy-to-use system, allowing labs to manage data with a single user interface. The solution is comprised of three applications: Smart Center, Inventory Manager, and Decision Center.

Smart Center is a Web-based laboratory process management and control application and the heart of the OneLab platform. It provides robust connectivity to instruments and a single point for consolidated information. The built-in functionality enables the automation of complex clinical laboratory protocols, leading to greater productivity and standardization of best practices. Together, all these capabilities and benefits support the quality of care.

Inventory Manager is an inventory tracking and order management system that utilizes Radio Frequency Identification (RFID). Inventory Manager provides an automated solution to improve the accuracy of order entry, inventory count and usage, while reducing labor required to track supplies.

Decision Center is a business performance application that utilizes sophisticated tools to bring together data from different sources to optimize decision-making. Using advanced database technology, data can be integrated from multiple sources and quickly structured into visually accessible formats.

"No matter where they are located, laboratories around the world all share common challenges - increasing test loads, staff shortages and mounting pressure to do more with less while improving quality," said Ulf Oesinghaus, deputy pharmacy manager, laboratory director of strategic purchasing, University of Medicine Gottingen, Germany.

"To address challenges posed by cost pressures and staff shortages, labs want informatics solutions that help them expedite test result processing and transmit clinical information clearly and rapidly to physicians. A reliable and easy-to-use informatics system can achieve productivity, clear communication between the laboratory and clinicians, and cost and labor savings to improve the laboratory's efficiency and performance within any health care setting," he said.

Abbott introduced OneLab in Australia, Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Ireland, Luxembourg, The Netherlands, New Zealand, United Kingdom, and Spain. Additional launches, including the United States, are scheduled for later in 2012 and 2013.

About Abbott Diagnostics

Abbott is a global leader in in vitro diagnostics and offers a broad range of innovative instrument systems and tests for hospitals, reference labs, molecular labs, blood banks, physician offices and clinics. With more than 22,000 customers in more than 100 countries, Abbott's diagnostic products offer customers automation, convenience, bedside testing, cost effectiveness and flexibility. Abbott has helped transform the practice of medical diagnosis from an art to a science through the company's commitment to improving patient care and lowering costs.

About Abbott

Abbott is a global, broad-based health care company devoted to the discovery, development, manufacture and marketing of pharmaceuticals and medical products, including nutritionals, devices and diagnostics. The company employs approximately 91,000 people and markets its products in more than 130 countries.

Abbott's information and news releases are available on the company's Web site at http://www.abbott.com .

SOURCE Abbott

Copyright (C) 2012 PR Newswire. All rights reserved 

 

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Review of MyDermPath – First Comprehensive Mobile Dermatopathology Resource

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Mydermpath ipad screen1MyDermPath is the first comprehensive resource for dermatopathology with clinical correlation built specially for mobile devices such as the iPhone and iPad co-authored by Drs. Singh, Elston and Ferringer. The entire subject matter has been presented in a novel algorithmic format prompting the user to answer multiple questions and thus come to a final diagnosis. The final diagnosis page gives a short but complete histological and clinical description of each entity along with a histological and clinical image. A link to PubMed at the bottom of the page will take the user directly to Pubmed with a list of all references on that topic. Of the approximately 1100 entities described most also have a link to a virtual slide stored on the cloud. The user also has the ability to take is own notes on each topic by clicking on myNotes and storing them on the mobile device, thus making the app as a constantly updating tool. The app also has algorithms for immunohistochemistry, special stains and immunofluorescence.

In the immunohistochemistry section each immunostain has a brief description of where it is most useful, along with an illustration of the stain. This section also has an algorithm that suggests immunomarkers through a multitude of real-life diagnostic dilemmas. There are algorithms that address commonly asked questions such as which immunostains to use in spindle cell neoplasms, epithelioid neoplasms or round cell neoplasms.

The immunofluorescence section provides a list of the various diagnoses in which immunofluorescence has value. Each entity is discussed in detail, including histological and immunofluorescence findings and supplemented with an immunofluorescence image.  In addition, there is an algorithm of the different patterns of immunofluorescence, allowing you to arrive at a diagnosis based on the answer to patterns visualized.

Mydermpath ipad screen8 QuizThe Special stain page contains a list of the common special stains typically used in dermatopathology. Once you know what you are looking for, the app can help in deciding what stains to use and also show an image as to how the stain will look.

If the user wants to go directly to a diagnosis and not use the algorithm, the Search by Diagnosis button will enlist all the entities in the app like the index of a book. A quick click will take the user directly to the diagnosis.

For the beginner a glossary of terms provides a list of all the common terms used in dermatopathology with a concise description and image. An animated video also walks the user through the normal histology of the skin along with descriptions of the desmosomes and basement membrane structure.

Finally, a Pop Quiz randomly selected images from the data base of more than 2000 static images and presents them in a multiple choice format.                                                        Download from iTunes

This app is the first of its kind not only in dermatopathology, but also in Pathology. Future versions will have a host of additional features making it a great resource to have in your pockets and literally on your fingertips. It will be useful for all dermatologists and pathologists, especially who see skin cases in their practice. Besides plastic surgeons, podiatrists, family practitioners who see dermatology patients can also benefit from the information provided in the app. For the medical student it is a good tool to get a good overview of dermatology and learn how to approach patients with clinicopathological correlation.

Download from iTunes

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Digital pathology receives support from Vinnova (Sweden’s Innovation Agency)

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Courtesy of LiU-News:

Pathology is central to health and medical care, not least to cancer patients, yet the field today faces serious challenges due to an excessive workload. The digitalisation of microscopy images opens up new possibilities.

A consortium led by the Centre for Medical Imaging and Visualisation (CMIV) at Linköping University (LiU) has just been granted Vinnova (Sweden’s Innovation Agency) funding for research and development in image-based pathology. The aim is to create new, efficient workflows and IT tools, partly through advances in image analysis and visualisation.

In addition to CMIV, the consortium includes:

The grant of just over SEK 9 million comes from Vinnova’s call for “Challenge-driven innovation”, and the project is one of 30 granted funding in competition with projects from all over the country.

 

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Diagnostic reproducibility of tumour budding in colorectal cancer: a multicentre, multinational study using virtual microscopy

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Diagnostic reproducibility of tumour budding in colorectal cancer: a multicentre, multinational study using virtual microscopy
Aims:? Despite the established prognostic relevance of tumour budding in colorectal cancer, the reproducibility of the methods reported for its assessment has not yet been determined, limiting its use and reporting in routine pathology practice.
Methods and results:? A morphometric system within telepathology was devised to evaluate the reproducibility of the various methods published for the assessment of tumour budding in colorectal cancer. Five methods were selected to evaluate the diagnostic reproducibility among 10 investigators, using haematoxylin and eosin (H&E) and AE1-3 cytokeratin-immunostained, whole-slide digital scans from 50 pT1-pT4 colorectal cancers.The overall interobserver agreement was fair for all methods, and increased to moderate for pT1 cancers. The intraobserver agreement was also fair for all methods and moderate for pT1 cancers. Agreement was dependent on the participants' experience with tumour budding reporting and performance time. Cytokeratin immunohistochemistry detected a higher percentage of tumour budding-positive cases with all methods compared to H&E-stained slides, but did not influence agreement levels.
Conclusions:? An overall fair level of diagnostic agreement for tumour budding in colorectal cancer was demonstrated, which was significantly higher in early cancer and among experienced gastrointestinal pathologists. Cytokeratin immunostaining facilitated detection of budding cancer cells, but did not result in improved interobserver agreement.

Histopathology. 2012 Jul 5. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2559.2012.04270.x. [Epub ahead of print]

Puppa G, Senore C, Sheahan K, Vieth M, Lugli A, Zlobec I, Pecori S, Wang LM, Langner C, Mitomi H, Nakamura T, Watanabe M,Ueno H, Chasle J, Conley SA, Herlin P, Lauwers GY, Risio M.

© 2012 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

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Phase Focus raises £3.2 million for new imaging and microscopy technology

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Sheffield, United Kingdom -- Phase Focus Limited has announced that it has raised £3 million from the Ombu Group and £220k from Fusion IP plc in an equity based funding round to accelerate revenue generation of its revolutionaryimaging and microscopy technology – the Phase Focus Virtual Lens.

The Phase Focus Virtual Lens aims to eliminate the limitations and imperfections of conventional lenses, and reveals with high fidelity and accuracy an additional dimension of information about the specimen that is otherwise usually hidden. The Virtual Lens technology transfers the task of image-creation from a lens to a sophisticated computer program. It can be integrated inside existing microscopes, and can also be used as the basis for next-generation microscopy products. Currently being used for the analysis of specimens that are conventionally difficult to measure, such as transparent soft contact lenses and unstained living cells, the Virtual Lens is expected to revolutionize the viewing of atomic-scale features.

This new investment will allow Phase Focus to accelerate the commercialization of its technology across its existing application areas as well as invest in R&D to develop new tools and applications.

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Major technological advance (Telepathology) improves cancer treatment at Kuwait Cancer Control Center

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The University Health Network (UHN) in partnership with the Kuwait Cancer Control Center (KCCC) and the support of the Ministry of Health, have installed cutting-edge telepathology equipment in the KCCC laboratories

This story illustrates in a nutshell, make more significant by the transatlantic referral, the value proposition for telepathology.  The right diagnosis on the right patient and the right time without delays in slide handling while protecting patient health information between those who need it. Another win for Pathology 2.0.

Telepathology is defined as the "practice of pathology at a distance using telecommunications technology to make it possible to transfer image-rich pathology data between distant locations for the purposes of diagnosis, education, and research." UHN is a leader in the field of telepathology. 

The Chief Pathologist at the Kuwait Cancer Control Centre (KCCC), Dr Salah Al-Waheeb, was asked by a colleague from a nearby hospital to look at microscope slides of a tissue specimen from a Kuwait citizen that he thought had a rare type of cancer. 

Usually, when this type of situation arises; a biopsy is done to get a specimen from a mass found in the body. This specimen is then placed on microscope slides to be reviewed by a pathologist to confirm the type of cancer and its changes of malignancy. Specialists would then be able to prescribe the correct treatment for the diagnosed cancer. 

Dr Salah Al-Waheeb looked at the microscope slides and requested that they be sent for review by his Canadian colleague, a specialist pathologist located at UHN in Toronto, Canada. 

Ordinarily referring a case like this would mean that the microscope slides would have to be shipped by priority courier, a process that can take at least 3-4 days for travelling only. 

This time, all Dr Salah Al-Waheeb had to do was press a button on his computer, and high-quality digital images were transmitted to University Health Network in Toronto using a process that has advanced security features designed to protect patient privacy. 

In Toronto, Dr Danny Ghazarian examined the digital images on his computer, and on Friday, in less than 24 hours after Dr Salah Al-Waheeb had first received a request for consultation, he had the answer. This state-of-the-art technology brought highly specialized pathological expertise to KCCC within 24 hours.

Dr Salah Al-Waheeb reports that this is an excellent example of how KCCC is greatly improving the quality and timeliness of service to their patients. Adil Khalfan, Regional Director, UHN Kuwait agrees, saying that with the introduction of this new technology, "KCCC has rapid access to expert opinion without the time delays and risks associated with shipping glass microscope slides."

Khalfan further stated "Activation of this system is a huge step forward in the provision of accurate diagnosis and treatment of patients at KCCC. The Ministry of Health should be applauded for their efforts in providing state-of-the art care, equipment, and systems of treatment to the people in Kuwait." 

The introduction of telepathology is just one of many benefits of the UHN and KCCC Partnership, enhancing joint learning between Kuwait pathologists and UHN Pathologists. It provides those living in Kuwait with access to world class pathology services without having to leave their family and friends. In addition, this technology reduces the wait time for results to be viewed. In the treatment of cancer, timely and accurate diagnosis is key to successful treatment and management of the disease.

Source: AMEinfo.com

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Fella, can you spare 5 bucks?

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The Association of Pathology Informatics (API) sponsors an annual travel award to pathology trainees on a competitive basis which provides funding for the recipients to attend the annual Pathology Informatics meeting (http://www.pathinformatics.pitt.edu/).

This year, API has received 38 applications for the award.  Last year, there were 16…an over 200% increase.  This is VERY exciting news.  Unfortunately, the API currently has funding for only 20 applicants despite efforts to attain additional funding from other resources.

Therefore, API has started the API Five ($5) Drive.  If you can spare $5, consider giving it to the API Travel Award Fund.  The API is a non-profit charitable organization as approved by the Internal Revenue Service as a 501(c)(3) entity.  All donations to the travel award fund are tax-deductible.

Donating is fast, easy and convenient via the API website at http://www.pathologyinformatics.org/content/api-travel-award-fund (click “To Make a Donation” at the bottom of the page).

Here are some more reasons to donate:
·                     Pathology informaticists are critically important to the long-term success of information technology deployment in the laboratory.
·                     There are currently too few pathology informaticists.  Award recipients gain additional (or sometimes their only) exposure to pathology informatics.
·                     A significant percentage of previous award recipients have become full-time pathology informaticists.
·                     Donors will be recognized on the API website, and donors who attend the upcoming Pathology Informatics 2012 meeting will be recognized at the meeting itself.
More information about the travel award can be found at http://www.pathinformatics.pitt.edu/content/travel-awards.

Courtesy of: Pathology Informatics from the Trenches

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This Friday the Thirteenth: A Highly Illustrated Virtual Tour of Medical Museums of the Western World by Morbid Anatomy at Observatory!

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Just a friendly reminder: if you are looking for a way to celebrate this upcoming Friday the 13th--and who isn't, really?--why not come down to Observatory for a special event: a highly illustrated and subjective tour of medical museums of the Western World by Morbid Anatomy's Joanna Ebenstein, followed by music and delicious artisanal cocktails compliments of Friese Undine?
Why not, indeed!
Full details follow; hope very much to see you there!

Anatomical Venuses, The Slashed Beauty, and Fetuses Dancing a Jig
A heavily illustrated lecture by Morbid Anatomy founder Joanna Ebenstein, followed by afterparty featuring thematic music and specialty cocktails by Friese Undine
Date: Friday, July 13
Time: 8:00
Admission: $10
Presented by Morbid Anatomy 

Since 2005, artist, independent scholar and Morbid Anatomist Joanna Ebenstein has travelled the world seeking out--and photographing whenever possible--the most fascinating, curious, and overlooked medical collections and wunderkammern, backstage and front, private and public. In the process, she has amassed not only an astounding collection of images but also a great deal of knowledge about the history and cultural context of these fascinating and uncanny artifacts.  

This Friday the Thirteenth, please join us for a heavily illustrated lecture based on this research, followed by a thematic afterparty. In her lecture "?Anatomical Venuses, The Slashed Beauty, and Fetuses Dancing a Jig," Ebenstein will lead you on a highly-illustrated tour of medical museums and introduce you to many of their most curious and enigmatic denizens, including the Anatomical Venus, the Slashed Beauty, the allegorical fetal skeleton tableau (as seen above), the flayed horseman of the apocalypse, and three fetuses dancing a jig. Ebenstein will contextualize these artifacts via a discussion of the history of medical museums and modeling, a survey of great artists of the genre, and an examination of other death-related arts and amusements which made up the cultural landscape at the time that these objects were originally created, collected, and exhibited. Following, please stick around for an afterparty featuring thematic tunes and inventive artisanal cocktails complements of the omni-talented Friese Undine.  

Joanna Ebenstein is a multi-disciplinary artist with an academic background in intellectual history. She runs the Morbid Anatomy blog and related open-to-the-public Brooklyn-based Morbid Anatomy Library. She is also the founding member of Observatory, a Brooklyn based arts and events space devoted to the revival of the 18th century notions of the dilettante and rational amusements. Her recent work—which includes photography, curation, installation, blogging, museum consulting, lecturing and writing—centers on anatomical museums and their artifacts, collectors and collecting, curiosities and marvels, 18th and 19th Century natural history and, as the subtitle of her blog states, “surveying the interstices of art and medicine, death and culture.” She has lectured at a variety of popular and academic venues, and her work has been shown and published internationally; she is the current Coney Island Musuem artist in resident, and recent solo exhibitions include The Secret Museum and Anatomical Theatre. You can find out more at her at her website astropop.com and her blog Morbid Anatomy; you can view much of her photography work by clicking here. She can be reached at morbidanatomy [at] gmail.com.

You can find out more about this event here.
Images top to bottom, as drawn from my recent photo exhibitions The Secret Museum and Anatomical Theatre:
  1. "Fetal Skeleton Tableau, 17th Century, University Backroom, Paris; © Joanna Ebenstein, 2010
  2. Skeleton and hand models for "la médecine opératoire" Musée Orfila, Paris. Courtesy Université Paris Descartes; © Joanna Ebenstein, 2010
  3. Plaster Models in Pathological Cabinet, The Museum of the Faculty of Medicine at the Jagiellonian University, Krakow; © Joanna Ebenstein, 2010
  4. Wax Anatomical Models in Rosewood and Venetian Glass Boxes, The Josephinum, Workshop of Clemente Susini of Florence circa 1780s, Vienna, Austria; © Joanna Ebenstein, 2007
  5. "Slashed Beauties" in Rosewood and Venetian Glass Boxes, The Josephinum, Workshop of Clemente Susini of Florence circa 1780s, Vienna, Austria; © Joanna Ebenstein, 2007

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"Morbid Anatomy: Exploring the Art of Death" OR New Morbid Anatomy Episode of "The Midnight Archive"

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Episode 2, Season 2 of The Midnight Archive--that wonderful web-based documentary series centered around Brooklyn's Observatory--has just gone live! Entitled "Morbid Anatomy: Exploring the Art of Death," it features my work with Morbid Anatomy, The Morbid Anatomy Library and the Morbid Anatomy Presents series at Observatory, as well as my work photographing curious collections--public and private, front stage and back--around the world.

To watch the episode, simply press play in the viewer above. More on the episode, in the words of director/creator Ronni Thomas:

It is an honor to present in this episode my friend and a huge inspiration to me - Joanna Ebenstein whose Morbid Anatomy blog (morbidanatomy.blogspot.com) is sort of the online Bible of the macabre and the sublime (making Mademoiselle Ebenstein - as i call her - the Patron Saint of Odd).  Here she discusses the thinking behind her research, her views on death and beauty and the institution she has created.  If you are not already a huge fan - make sure to visit morbidanatomy.blogspot.com AND check out more amazing photography from our girl at astropop.com/secretmuseum and astropop.com/anatomical

For more on the series, to see any of the episodes, or to sign up for the mailing list and thus be alerted to future uploads, visit The Midnight Archive website by clicking here. You can also "like" it on Facebook--and be alerted in this way--by clicking here. If you are interested in medical museums and their curious denezins, be sure to stop by Friday night to grab a drink and see my lecture "Anatomical Venuses, The Slashed Beauty, and Fetuses Dancing a Jig" at Observatory this Friday; more on that can be found here.

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PMI Nutrition International Initiates Voluntary Recall of AquaMax Products; Expands Voluntary Recall of Mazuri and …

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FDA posts press releases and other notices of recalls and market withdrawals from the firms involved as a service to consumers, the media, and other interested parties. FDA does not endorse either the product or the company.

Contact Media Trish Scorpio, PMI Nutrition International, 651-375-1814

Consumer 1-855-863-0421, x 224

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE -July 13, 2012 PMI Nutrition International is initiating a voluntary recall of certain varieties of the AquaMax feed products with specific lot codes listed below, due to the potential for elevated vitamin D levels. Although no customer complaints have been received to date, the products are being recalled due to analytical test results that indicate a potential for elevated levels of vitamin D.

The company is also expanding its previously announced voluntary recalls to include additional varieties of the Mazuri and LabDiet feed products with specific lot codes listed below due to analytical test results on additional lots of retained samples that indicate a potential for elevated levels of vitamin D. Elevated vitamin D levels may cause death, or otherwise be harmful to animals and fish if fed for extended periods potentially resulting in lack of interest in eating, weight loss and possible joint stiffness. These products are being added to those from earlier recalls announced on July 3, 2012 and July 6, 2012* which were initiated after receiving a small number of customer complaints which involved animal illness and small bird and guinea pig mortality.

All products included in these recalls were manufactured at the Richmond, IN feed plant and were distributed nationwide and to Canada, Puerto Rico, Guam, Bahamas, Cayman Islands, Curaao, Mexico, Cambodia, Japan, China, Taiwan, South Korea, Singapore, Chile, and the United Kingdom, starting April 2, 2012 through May 8, 2012. Dealers have been contacted and asked to hold these products and to notify and retrieve the product from customers. The affected product should not be used, and where applicable, be returned to the retail dealer.

Lot numbers are laser printed on the back of each paper bag, near the top. Lot numbers are formatted as follows: APR= Month / 17=Day of Month / 12 =Year / 2 =Plant Code.

See the rest here:
PMI Nutrition International Initiates Voluntary Recall of AquaMax Products; Expands Voluntary Recall of Mazuri and ...

Biology professor scores at senior olympics

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Dr. David Easterla, distinguished professor of biology at Northwest Missouri State University, recently had what was probably his last foray in the U.S. Masters Swimming competition in Omaha.

The 74-year-old, who is the oldest professor on campus, competed in the U.S. Masters Swimming Nationals in Omaha, placing in nine of the events, including a third-place finish in the 200 meter individual medley.

Ive never felt better in my life, said Dr. Easterla, who weighs the same, 177 pounds, as he did when he wrestled at the University of Missouri Columbia in 1959. This is it. This is my last hurrah.

Dr. Easterla regularly trained for his swimming events at the university pool, which was closed in April due to budget constraints. The closest lap pool to Maryville is in Clarinda, Iowa, he said. Commuting back and forth was taking too much out of the day.

Youve got to train, he said of competing in the events, which include multiple races per day, including a 500 yard race. If youre not in shape, you will die.

He qualified for Nationals after winning nine gold, two silver and three bronze medals at the Missouri Senior Games in Columbia last month. He competed in the Iowa Senior Games a week later and took 11 gold, four silver and two bronze medals.

Unless things change, he said of the budget situation in public higher education funding, I suppose this will be my last hurrah.

In his 48 years of teaching at Northwest, Dr. Easterla has published 229 scientific articles. He has published a book on the birds of Missouri, and is spending the summer researching vertebrate paleontology, archeology and birds.

Jimmy Myers can be reached at jimmy.myers@newspressnow.com. Follow him on Twitter: @SJNPMyers.

Follow this link:
Biology professor scores at senior olympics

Putnam City North biology teacher wins national award

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Bethany Lorenz, a biology teacher at Putnam City North High School, is the 2012 recipient of the Outstanding Biology Teacher Award for Oklahoma.

Bethany Lorenz, a biology teacher at Putnam City North High School, is the 2012 recipient of the Outstanding Biology Teacher Award for Oklahoma. The award is given each year by the National Association of Biology Teachers to a life science teacher in each state who demonstrates exemplary practice in the teaching of life science. Photo provided

Although I oversee a great deal, the students are responsible for the design of their own experiment. Not only does this provide ownership for the students in their learning, but I find that students retain more information for longer period of time because their interest is piqued.

Bethany Lorenz

Putnam City North High School biology teacher

The award is given each year by the National Association of Biology Teachers to a life science teacher in each state who demonstrates exemplary practice in the teaching of life science.

Lorenz has been a biology teacher at Putnam City North since 2001 and will be teaching biology, anatomy and physiology in the coming school year.

A nationally board-certified teacher, she was named in March as teacher of the year for all Putnam City schools.

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Putnam City North biology teacher wins national award

Sunita Williams all set for second sojourn to space

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Indian-American Sunita Williams [ Images ], a record-setting astronaut who lived and worked aboard the International Space Station [ Images ] for six months in 2006, is all set for her second space odyssey.

Williams, 46, is scheduled to take off from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan at 8.40 am on Sunday (8.10 am Indian Standard Time) with Flight Engineers Yuri Malenchenko of the Russian Federal Space Agency and Akihiko Hoshide of the Japan [ Images ] Aerospace Exploration Agency, National Aeronautics and Space Administration said.

The three crew members will join the Expedition 32 crew aboard the International Space Station when their Soyuz TMA-05M spacecraft docks to the orbiting complex on Tuesday.

According to NASA [ Images ], Williams, a flight engineer, and her colleagues will be aboard the station during an exceptionally busy period that includes two spacewalks, the arrival of Japanese, American and Russian re-supply vehicles, and an increasingly faster pace of scientific research.

Williams, whose father hailed from Gujarat, was selected as an astronaut candidate by NASA in 1998. She was assigned to the International Space Station as a member of Expedition 14 and then joined Expedition 15. She holds the record of the longest spaceflight (195 days) for woman space travellers.

She received a master's degree from the Florida [ Images ] Institute of Technology in 1995.

In space, Williams, who will become commander of Expedition 33, and her team of astronauts plan an orbital sporting event to mark the Summer Olympics [ Images ] in London [ Images ].

"I'm just looking forward to seeing the full capability of the space station. It's an experiment, not only the things that we are doing inside but also all the engineering that has gone into allowing us to dock new vehicles, do space walks, Russian and US. So, it's a pretty complicated vehicle now and I'm looking forward to being part of it," Williams said recently.

Meanwhile, in orbit high above the Earth, Expedition 32 Flight Engineer Joe Acaba focused on cleaning the exhaust and intake ducts of the Starboard Crew Quarters on Friday to prepare them for the arrival of new crewmates, NASA said.

Acaba also swapped out batteries on the Earth Knowledge Acquired by Middle School Students camera in the Window Observational Research Facility inside the Destiny laboratory.

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Sunita Williams all set for second sojourn to space

Soyuz TMA-05M set for crew launch to space station

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Engineers are making final preparations for launch of a Russian Soyuz spacecraft this weekend to ferry an all-veteran U.S.-Russian-Japanese crew to the International Space Station to boost the lab's crew complement back to six. The launch will kick off a "fantastically busy" timeline, with nine space station "visiting vehicle" operations and two spacewalks over the next six weeks.

Her ride -- the Soyuz TMA-05M spacecraft -- is scheduled for liftoff from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan at 10:40:03 p.m. EDT Saturday (GMT-4; 8:40 a.m. Sunday local time), the 37th anniversary of the Apollo-Soyuz Test Project that opened the door to U.S.-Russian space cooperation.

"They've got a fantastically busy mission ahead of them, they are looking toward nine visiting vehicles during the time they're up on board the space station, which is really a lot of coming and going," said NASA chief astronaut Peggy Whitson, a veteran space station commander. "It's going to take a lot of choreography by the ground teams and the crews on orbit to make this all happen. It'll be a very challenging and exciting time for them."

At the controls in the cramped Soyuz command module's center seat will be Soyuz commander Yuri Malenchenko, veteran of a stay aboard the Mir space station, two long-duration expeditions aboard the International Space Station and a space shuttle station assembly flight. He has logged a combined total of 515 days in space.

Williams, strapped in to Malenchenko's left, spent 195 days in space during a space station expedition in 2006 and 2007, riding to and from the lab complex aboard a space shuttle. Japanese astronaut Akihiko Hoshide, who helped activate the station's Japanese research module during a 14-day 2008 shuttle flight, will be seated in the Soyuz command module's right seat.

If all goes well, Malenchenko will oversee an automated approach to the space station, docking at the Earth-facing Rassvet module around 12:52 a.m. EDT Tuesday. Standing by to welcome them aboard will be Expedition 32 commander Gennady Padalka, cosmonaut Sergei Revin and NASA astronaut Joseph Acaba, who were launched to the lab on May 15.

A veteran Navy helicopter pilot, Williams is the 13th NASA astronaut trained to fly as a left-seat "board engineer" -- effectively the co-pilot -- aboard a Soyuz spacecraft. As such, she is trained to carry out a rendezvous or fly the craft back to Earth if illness or some other mishap prevented Malenchenko from carrying out his duties.

"It's been a little bit of a long road, it's been about a two-and-a-half-year training flow and as a left seater, you're here in Russia probably almost 50 percent of the time learning about the spacecraft, learning not only about it, but how to operate it, how to fly it, rendezvous, manual descents, and so it's pretty intense," Williams said.

"But the training program is awesome, the folks at Star City (near Moscow) are really great and they really get you prepared. I really feel pretty confident, particularly after being a backup, about the possibility, if anything happened to Yuri, that I'd be able to dock the spacecraft and manually bring it back home. I think that's pretty huge when you think about it."

During her first spaceflight, Williams made the climb into space strapped in on the space shuttle's lower deck with no major responsibilities for getting the ship to its destination. Going into her first station mission, Williams was focused on upcoming spacewalks and normal work aboard the lab complex. This time around, she will serve as a space station flight engineer until Padalka's crew departs in mid September. At that point, Williams will become commander of Expedition 33, the second woman to take on that responsibility.

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Soyuz TMA-05M set for crew launch to space station

Veteran space station crew to launch into orbit

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Three veteran space travelers from three different countries are gearing up to launch toward the International Space Station Saturday night to begin a months-long mission to the orbiting laboratory.

NASA astronaut Sunita Williams, Russian cosmonaut Yuri Malenchenko, and Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency spaceflyer Akihiko Hoshide will lift off on the Russian Soyuz TMA-05M spacecraft at 10:40 p.m. EDT (0240 July 15 GMT) from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.

The three-person team will become part of the space station's Expedition 32 mission, and is due to stay for about four months.

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"We're really excited to be getting closer and closer to our launch in July," Williams said during a press conference in March. "It's going to be a great mission, really exciting, lots of things to do. We're sort of like a family and we've got a couple other great crew members up onboard."

Williams and her crewmates will join the three spaceflyers already living on the space station: commander Gennady Padalka of Russia, his cosmonaut colleague Sergei Revin, and NASA astronaut Joe Acaba, who have all been in space since May.

In a cosmic coincidence, the Soyuz TMA-05M rocket carrying the new Expedition 32 crew will launch on July 15 local time at Baikonur Cosmodrome, marking the 37th anniversary of the world's first international crewed space mission in 1975: the Apollo-Soyuz Test Project. That historic mission marked the first space docking between a Soviet and U.S. spacecraft, paving the way for the international cooperation needed to build the International Space Station. [ Apollo-Soyuz Test Project in Pictures ]

Today, the $100 billion space station is the product of five space agencies and 15 different countries working together to build the orbiting lab piece-by-piece since the first component launched in 1998.

Like the Apollo-Soyuz Test Project, the Soyuz TMA-05 mission will take two days to arrive at its destination, with docking at the station planned for early July 17. The Expedition 32 crew will divide its time between space station maintenance and a hefty allocation of science research.

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Veteran space station crew to launch into orbit