Africans’ DNA holds clue to Queen of Sheba tale

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June 22, 2012 - 18:47 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net - Clues to the origins of the Queen of Sheba legend are written in the DNA of some Africans, according to scientists, BBC News said.

Genetic research suggests Ethiopians mixed with Egyptian, Israeli or Syrian populations about 3,000 years ago. This is the time the queen, mentioned in great religious works, is said to have ruled the kingdom of Sheba.

The research, published in The American Journal of Human Genetics, also sheds light on human migration out of Africa 60,000 years ago.

According to fossil evidence, human history goes back longer in Ethiopia than anywhere else in the world. But little has been known until now about the human genetics of Ethiopians.

Professor Chris Tyler-Smith of the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute in Cambridge, UK, a researcher on the study, told BBC News: "Genetics can tell us about historical events.

"By analysing the genetics of Ethiopia and several other regions we can see that there was gene flow into Ethiopia, probably from the Levant, around 3,000 years ago, and this fits perfectly with the story of the Queen of Sheba."

More than 200 individuals from 10 Ethiopian and two neighbouring African populations were analysed in the largest genetic investigation of its kind on Ethiopian populations.

About a million genetic letters in each genome were studied. Previous Ethiopian genetic studies have focused on smaller sections of the human genome and mitochondrial DNA, which passes along the maternal line.

Dr Sarah Tishcoff of the Department of Genetics and Biology at the University of Pennsylvania, said Ethiopia would be an important region to study in the future.

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Africans’ DNA holds clue to Queen of Sheba tale

Ethiopian Genetics Could Verify 'Queen of Sheba' Legend

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June 22, 2012

UK researchers studying the genomes of Ethiopian people have discovered similarities to those of populations in Israel and Syria, proving genetic evidence that may support the tale of the legendary Queen of Sheba.

Ethiopians are described by representatives of the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, one of the organizations involved in the study, as one of the most genetically diverse cultures in the world. By studying their DNA, the researchers detected mixing from some Ethiopians and non-Africans dating back to approximately 3,000 years ago.

The origin and date of this genomic admixture, along with previous linguistic studies, is consistent with the legend of the Queen of Sheba, who according to the Ethiopian Kebra Nagast book had a child with King Solomon from Israel and is mentioned in both the Bible and the Quran, the Institute said in a press release.

As part of their work, which is detailed in the American Journal of Human Genetics, the scientists studied the DNA of more than 200 subjects from 10 Ethiopian and two neighboring African populations, Helen Briggs of BBC News reported on Thursday. Approximately one million genetic letters in each genome were analyzed in what is being called the largest Ethiopian-centered genetic investigation of its kind.

We found that some Ethiopians have 40 percent to 50 percent of their genome closer to the genomes of populations outside of Africa, while the remaining half of their genome is closer to populations within the African continent, study co-author Toomas Kivisild of the University of Cambridge said, according to HealthDay News reports. We calculated genetic distances and found that these non-African regions of the genome are closest to populations in Egypt, Israel and Syria, rather than to the neighboring Yemeni and Arabs.

Likewise, Dr. Chris Tyler-Smith of the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, co-lead author of the study, told Briggs, Genetics can tell us about historical events By analyzing the genetics of Ethiopia and several other regions we can see that there was gene flow into Ethiopia, probably from the Levant, around 3,000 years ago, and this fits perfectly with the story of the Queen of Sheba.

The experts did tell BBC News that there was some doubt regarding the absolute accuracy of the dating, and that there was a possible margin of error of a couple of hundred years plus or minus the 3,000 years estimate. They added that they plan to analyze all three billion genetic letters of the DNA contained within the genomes of individual Ethiopians in order discern more about the diversity and evolution of human genetics.

Our research gives insights into important evolutionary questions, Dr. Tyler-Smith said in a statement. We see imprints of historical events on top of much more ancient prehistoric ones that together create a region of rich culture and genetic diversity. The next step for our research has to be to sequence the entire genomes, rather than read individual letters, of both Ethiopian people and others to really understand human origins and the out-of-Africa migration.

Source: redOrbit Staff & Wire Reports

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Ethiopian Genetics Could Verify 'Queen of Sheba' Legend

Supreme Court Health Care Ruling – More than Insurance at Stake – Video

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21-06-2012 09:22 It isn't just large employers, medical businesses and constitutional scholars invested in the Supreme Court's decision on President Barack Obama's health overhaul, as Janet Adamy explains on The News Hub. Photo: Bryan Derballa for The Wall Street Journal. Subscribe to WSJ Live HERE: WSJ Live brings you original programming from The Wall Street Journal. Get news directly from The Wall Street Journal's 2000 reporters across the globe. With exclusive video and daily live programming, you can stay on top of the latest in news, elections, markets, tech, opinion and lifestyle.

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Viridian Health Management Launches New MAESTROTM Data Analytics Platform that Converts Worksite Wellness Data into …

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PHOENIX--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

Viridian Health Management, a national leader committed to lowering health-care costs through outcomes-based worksite health programs and services, today announced the release of its new MAESTRO modular data platform that integrates multiple data sources and applies research-support analytics to document the performance of employers worksite health programs.

MAESTRO allows employers to integrate data from multiple sources to track program performance and administer client-specific incentive programs. MAESTRO features proprietary algorithms that stratify individual and population health risks and allows for customization of risk metrics to establish a health baseline for employers worksite health programs and identify priority focus areas. With its superior performance and flexibility, MAESTRO makes ongoing comparisons to statistical averages associated with unmanaged health conditions to determine your worksite health programs performance and projected savings over time. MAESTRO can regularly track the success of your worksite health program based on criteria you select, including employer-specific biometrics, health assessments, medical conditions, program participation and completion, referrals, third-party outcomes and incentive options that are fully scalable to your organization. MAESTRO also allows Viridian to calculate a return on investment that is fully supported by industry data based on employers actual health-care costs.

Viridian is on the cutting-edge of worksite health performance management by giving employers the actionable information they need to improve employee health, lower health-care costs and improve productivity, said Brenda Schmidt, president and CEO of Viridian Health Management. Viridians sophisticated data station supports importing data from multiple sources and provides integrated client-specific reporting capabilities that can monitor and validate the effectiveness of worksite health programs and document ROI based on actual cost savings.

The MAESTRO data platform includes several integrated modules to support lifestyle and clinical care management, data integration and reporting, and incentive tracking and fulfillment. With its versatility and customization features, MAESTRO brings together multiple data sources to calculate individual risk areas and then places individuals into category stratifications based on those risks.

Currently available systems do not effectively support employer-specific health improvement and incentive strategies that integrate multiple third-party data sources, added Schmidt. By developing an enterprise system for documenting and evaluating program effectiveness, Viridian can determine which program interventions and financial incentives are the most cost-effective and can provide employers with credible, objective and meaningful evaluations.

The MAESTRO Rewards incentive module is designed to fully manage complex, participation- or outcomes-based incentive strategies based on employer-specific criteria and incentive design. With an intuitive user interface and seamless operational integration, MAESTRO allows Viridian to support multiyear incentive strategies, track the success of each employers incentive program, and provide incentive reporting based on client-specific file format and frequency. Employers can customize incentive award criteria, including biometric measurements, accumulated points, activity participation/program completion and third-party programs. MAESTRO Rewards tracks individual incentives online and provides automated reporting to each client.

The MAESTRO Coach module supports a patient-centered medical home model and provides health coaches and clinicians with the system to track employee participation in client-specific program interventions, as well as document improvements in health behaviors and reductions in chronic disease risk factors. The system is highly customizable to support multiyear worksite health improvement and incentive strategies.

Viridian Health Management will be exhibiting at the SHRM 2012 Annual Conference & Exposition at the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta, Ga., at Booth #3712 on June 2427, 2012. Viridian will showcase its extensive experience in worksite wellness and discuss how worksite health programs can help employees to adopt healthier lifestyles, lower the risk of developing costly chronic diseases, and reduce health-care costs. Viridian leaders have recently been invited to provide their expertise in worksite health at several national forums, including leading the Worksite Wellness Group at the Clinton Global Initiative and the NIOSH Total Worker Health Experts Colloquium. Schmidt will also lead an innovator workshop at the Health Enhancement Research Organization (HERO) Forum in October 2012.

Further positioning Viridian as an industry leader in worksite health, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) awarded Viridian a national implementation contract in September 2011 to establish comprehensive worksite health programs based on Viridians proven ability to deliver evidence-based programs that enhance employee health, reduce chronic disease and lower health-care costs. The National Healthy Worksite Program (NHWP) will focus on employer and employee outcomes in the areas of implementing evidence-based interventions, improving nutritional status, increasing physical activity and reducing tobacco use through individual health coaching, environmental supports and workplace policies. As the NHWPs implementation contractor, Viridian will provide operational management of the program, conduct individual and organizational assessments, provide implementation support and data collection, and provide training to program participants.

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A Recovering Lawyer on Health Care, the Supreme Court, and 2 Great Stocks

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Next week, the Supreme Court will issue its opinion on the Affordable Health Care Act (forgive me for forgoing the silly and uneducated "Obamacare"). Those of us who practiced law but don't today -- we "recovering lawyers" -- watch the Court as ex-athletes watch their sports; somehow feeling we're still in the game. We're not. But that doesn't mean we're humble. We Monday morning quarterback with the best and worst! So here's a lawyer and analyst quarterbacking for investors, with two great stocks to name.

One: It's impossible to predict next week's result. Two: The result may well be more muddy than clear. And three, big deal. The uncertainty has given us marvelous investment opportunities -- two in particular -- with margins of safety, just as all decisions face an inherently uncertain future.

Prediction is fun but impossibleWe ex-athlete lawyers love to opine from the seats, but it's absolutely impossible to predict any decision of the court from oral arguments. From 76-year-old Justice Scalia's just-plain-nuts belittling of the case volume, to the media debate over the solicitor general's performance on behalf of the administration, it's mostly theater.

The oral arguments rarely mean anything about the decision. The judges and their clerks had long before dissected the written briefs and governing law and the justices knew where they were going long before the formality of oral arguments. Oral arguments are holdovers from the 19th century when the briefs were shorter and law less developed. The judges issued opinions orally, sometimes one after the other, and often on the spot. But they do offer the public a fig leaf.

Five fingers -- and not the new running shoesI like to think that the University of Chicago Law School exposed me and my peers to the best of both sides that will consider this case. At the time, my professors included now-legendary progressive thinkers such as Cass Sunstein, whose books have influenced not only the course of legal thought but policymakers; he is now the administration's administrator of the Office of Regulatory Affairs. And on the other side, the conservative law and economics school of judges Posner and Easterbrook, the former and current chief judges of the Seven Circuit Court of Appeals.

If I learned anything about what these sides agreed on, it was that Justice Brennan's rule prevails. He held up five fingers as the rule of the Court. It's all about getting five votes out of nine. Politics, law, economics, theory, whatever. Five fingers.

(My favorite Easterbrook story from law school days: A favorite student in our class, we'll call him Mr. Jones, arrives haggard. When called upon Paper Chase style, Jones declares that he's unprepared. Easterbrook, fond of striking fear into the hearts of students, bellows, "And why is that?" Jones replies, "My wife had a baby last night." No beat missed, ol' Frank rejoins, "Well, Mr. Jones, that would be an excuse if you had had the baby!")

And then those five fingers are fuzzyThe Court also muddies the waters left and right when it can't reach a clear consensus. Take, for example, affirmative action. It's OK to take race into account, but you can't have quotas. Oh, wow, that is easy for a school to figure out in the real world. Is it about playing a game, doing one thing and saying another?

Uncertainty equals inefficient pricing and stock dealsYet the view that the court's decision -- coming next week for sure -- makes a difference, is, to use an investing cliche, overblown. I'll leave the debates over whether the Court will strike down the mandate and leave the rest intact, the so-called severability argument. If you cut off the arm (the individual mandate), does the patient (health reform) live? What if the mandate is actually the head? Does the court have the authority to do so? Who knows?

In terms of stocks, the valuations discount negative effects at a range of health-care companies such as UnitedHealth Group (NYSE: UNH) , WellPoint (NYSE: WLP) , WellCare Health Plans (NYSE: WCG) , Humana (NYSE: HUM) , and Coventry Health Care (NYSE: CVH) . The astute investor can invest with a margin of safety, especially in UnitedHealth Group and WellPoint, not cheapest but with the bets businesses and fundamentals. I consider all numbers below super cheap, unless noted.

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A Recovering Lawyer on Health Care, the Supreme Court, and 2 Great Stocks

Health care, abortion among topics at candidate forum in Toccoa

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TOCCOA, Ga. Health care and abortion were among the topics at a meeting of Republican candidates for the new 9th Congressional District seat in northeast Georgia.

Doug Collins, Roger Fitzpatrick and Martha Zoller all appeared at the forum this week at the Historic Stephens County Courthouse in downtown Toccoa.

The winner of the Republican primary for the seat in July will face Democratic candidate Jody Cooley in November.

The three Republicans covered a number of topics such as taxes, spending, and health care.

On health care, all the candidates agreed that repealing the federal Affordable Care Act is a priority.

In terms of replacing it, Collins said he supported market-based reforms.

Zoller and Fitzpatrick both cited their support for the health-care reform plan submitted by U.S. Rep. Paul Broun, a Georgia Republican. Fitzpatrick added that tort reform also is an issue that Congress needs to review.

We need to look at revising tort reform and make sure that exorbitant sums of money are not awarded, he said. Malpractice insurance is driving the cost of health care up, and that needs to be dealt with. We need to get the health-care system back to the private sector, so that it becomes more productive, more efficient and more cost-effective.

All three candidates also called for the elimination of numerous government agencies and for a move to a more consumption-based tax, or fair tax.

On another issue, Zoller challenged Collins on a vote Collins made while a state representative to extend a hotel and motel tax in Atlanta.

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Health care, abortion among topics at candidate forum in Toccoa

How stocks will fare in court ruling on health law

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By BERNARD CONDON AP Business Writer

NEW YORK (AP) - Insurers and other health care companies are facing costly new restrictions and fees under the new law. The Republicans, the party most associated big business, hate it. So if President Obama's health care overhaul is repealed by the Supreme Court this month, companies would rejoice, right?

Well, not all of them.

For many companies, overturning the law could mean less profit, not more. Certain health care insurers and hospitals could no longer expect to get payments from millions of newly insured patients.

What's more, health care experts say many big companies want to see the law upheld because they've worked hard to adapt to it, and fear legislation replacing it might prove more costly to them.

"There's no guarantee that Washington wouldn't come up with something more disruptive," says Matthew Coffina, a health care analyst at Morningstar, a research firm. "You have to worry about what comes next."

The Supreme Court is expected to rule on the law, called the Affordable Care Act, by the end of the month. The justices will decide whether Congress went beyond its authority in the Constitution in passing it. They could throw out all of the convoluted law, part of it or decide to keep it intact.

Opponents have focused on the so-called individual mandate. This requires virtually every U.S. resident to carry health insurance. Most of the estimated 50 million currently uninsured will be able to obtain taxpayer-subsidized coverage, either through an expansion of Medicaid eligibility or new markets for private insurance called exchanges. Some people are exempt from the mandate, illegal immigrants, for example.

Here is how some companies will win or lose under four possible rulings by the high court.

THE COURT THROWS OUT THE INDIVIDUAL MANDATE BUT KEEPS THE REST OF LAW

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How stocks will fare in court ruling on health law

Health-care apps for smartphones pit FDA against tech industry

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Three tries. More than two years. And roughly $150,000.

Thats what it took for MIM Software to get the Food and Drug Administrations clearance for a smartphone application that physicians can use to view MRIs and other medical images.

Video

Ron Gutman is the CEO and founder of HealthTap, which creates mobile and Web applications with the goal of connecting individuals with medical professionals. Gutman spoke with the Washington Posts Emi Kolawole about the power of turning doctors into health care information curators for the Web and on mobile.

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Health-care apps for smartphones pit FDA against tech industry

Health-Care Ruling: Who Wins, Who Loses

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Its not just the Obama Administration that has so much at stake over the Supreme Courts looming decision over the constitutionality of health-care reform.

Don't forget the rest of America.

Pretty much every industry has been in a holding pattern, waiting to see what the court rules, says Joel Ario, managing director of Manatt Health Solutions. The legislation touches every significant part of the health-care world; health care is 20% of the economy, and how the court rules can significantly alter each part for better or worse.

Americans spend close to $2.7 trillion on medical treatments each year, and The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act significantly alters the health-care landscape. The law mandates nearly everyone have insurance by 2014 or face a fine, expands Medicaid eligibility and reforms the insurance industry.

The legislation was signed into law in March 2010, and the Supreme Court has been mulling its decision since mid-March, but companies have been steadily implementing provisions to come into compliance.

Every state except Utah has taken millions of dollars to modernize Medicaid and build exchanges. No state isnt actively moving forward with this reform, its just been happening quietly, says Ario.

The sweeping reform has dominated the political landscape and campaign trail, but in reality, these players arent the major stakeholders. Experts expect the days following the decision to be dominated by political rhetoric, but the real action and telling signs of what happens next will come from within the industry. So, with the high court's ruling imminent, here are a handful of scenarios:

If the court rules the Patient Affordability Act constitutional:

Winners:

Health Insurance Companies: In the long term, this industry will see an influx of new, healthy patients and a steady revenue stream to help balance the cost of the mandate.

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Health-Care Ruling: Who Wins, Who Loses

National leader in personalized medicine heads new institute at USF Health

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TAMPA Imagine being able to use a person's unique genetic code to find the right treatment for heart failure, asthma or even the dreaded common cold.

That's the focus of Dr. Stephen Liggett, one of the newest additions to the University of South Florida's Morsani College of Medicine.

Liggett, 57, began work earlier this month as director of the USF Health Personalized Medicine Institute. He is a national leader in the emerging field, and has attracted millions in research dollars from the National Institutes of Health.

One of his first orders of business will be to collaborate with Dr. Leslie Miller, head of the USF Health Heart Institute, which this spring received $8.9 million in state and county funding to begin developing genomics-based personalized approaches to cardiovascular care.

Liggett comes to USF from the University of Maryland, where he was a professor of medicine and physiology and director of its cardiopulmonary genomics program.

We caught up with Liggett during his first week on the job:

What is personalized medicine?

It's the use of information obtained from an individual's genetic code, or genome, to tailor their medical care. There are three areas where genomic information is particularly useful:

The prediction of whether a person is at risk for developing a disease.

The ability to predict the course, or degree of severity, of a disease in patients.

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National leader in personalized medicine heads new institute at USF Health

Freedom Lost: Boca woman speaks out after terrorizing armed robbery

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BOCA RATON, Fla. -- A man accused of terrorizing two women at gunpoint in a shopping center parking lot is behind bars tonight.

Police say he went on a crime spree in Boca Raton and Delray Beach. One of the women he victimized has been living in fear the past two months, and tonight she is talking exclusively to CBS 12's Lynn Gordon about the arrest.

RAW: Watch the full interview with burglary victim

Three separate crimes in the parking lot of the Kmart on Palmetto Park Road. Now the armed robber accused of holding up two women at gunpoint is behind bars.

Carmen Rowe: I'm glad they caught him, especially if he did it to me and other victims.

It's been nearly two months since the attack that left Carmen Rowe fearing for her safety.

Carmen Rowe: It's taken a bit of the freedom I used to feel when I would go out shopping in the middle of the day. I get very nervous to walk back to my car.

That's because the Boca Raton woman had her purse stolen at gunpoint in the parking lot of the Palmetto Park Square Plaza May 2, while putting her shopping bags in the trunk of her car.

Carmen Rowe: The freedom, that I used to go out and not think anything was going to happen to me.

Now the man police say robbed Rowe is behind bars. 30-year-old Derrick Ivery of Delray Beach was arrested Tuesday after police set up surveillance to catch a suspect who had broken into a car in the same Kmart plaza June 1.

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Freedom Lost: Boca woman speaks out after terrorizing armed robbery

HOPE Week brings 'Freedom' from barriers

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ByAaron Carter/Special to MLB.com|06/22/12 6:06 PM ET

Imagine relying on a wheelchair to navigate your environment, living in a world customized in most communities to fit the needs of everyone else, a world where looking up a flight of stairs might seem like looking up a mountain.

"It's difficult, because a stair is a barrier for a person like me," said Jennifer Doherty, 38, who was born with cerebral palsy and is a resident of Project Freedom's Lawrenceville Township location.

Project Freedom is a non-profit organization that provides barrier-free housing, which enables individuals with disabilities to live independently.

As part of the New York Yankees HOPE week initiative (Helping Others Persevere and Excel), players and personnel from the Double-A affiliate Trenton Thunder visited residents and staff in Lawrenceville, N.J.

Project Freedom co-founder Norman Smith and executive director Tim Doherty -- Jennifer Doherty's father -- will be honored for their service to the community before Friday night's Thunder game.

"Project Freedom is freedom for people with disabilities," said Jennifer Doherty.

Doherty is able to live alone because her apartment has amenities like lowered countertops, accessible cabinets and roll-in showers, although she sometimes utilizes aides from outside agencies for anything she can't do on her own.

That independence is exactly why Smith co-founded the organization in 1984, along with his friend Frieda Applegate. Smith also uses a wheelchair because of cerebral palsy that affects his speech and motor skills. He responded to MLB.com's interview questions via email.

"Project Freedom started in my bedroom," Smith wrote. "I returned from graduating from Long Island University to my elderly parents' home facing a life of depending on parents. My options in the '80s were going into a nursing home, where I couldn't go to work, or to a group home."

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HOPE Week brings 'Freedom' from barriers

Eugenics verification program suspended

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Published 11:14am Friday, June 22, 2012

RALEIGH Without funding the process cannot continue.

Due to the joint budget agreement to exclude funding for compensation for victims of the states former Eugenics Board program, as well as continuation funding for operation of the N.C. Justice for Sterilization Victims Foundation, the Foundation has suspended intake of new victim verification requests.

The House approved legislation earlier this month that reflected Gov. Bev Perdues call to pay $50,000 lump sum compensation to living victims, as well as funding for the Foundations continued operation and expanded outreach. House Speaker Thom Tillis restated his personal support for House Bill 947, but added: There is a very strong message from the Senate that they are not prepared to take it up this year.

Foundation Executive Director Charmaine Fuller Cooper said the Foundation must curtail intake requests because its current operational funding is scheduled to expire on June 30, the end of the fiscal year. Other operational matters will be addressed soon.

The Foundation confirmed an increase in the number of verified victims, which counts 161 individuals in 57 counties, including 146 living victims. Fuller Cooper said the increase reflects cases of multiple siblings and entire families being sterilized. One of those victims resides in Hertford County, where 106 sterilization procedures (the 10th highest in the state) were performed during the peak years of the program (1946-1968).

Cooper noted that time is not on the side of aging victims. An updated estimate from the N.C. State Center for Health Statistics this month revised down the number of likely living victims from about 1,500 to 2,000 to about 1,350 to 1,800.

As of June 20, Lenoir County continues to have the highest number of verifications with 24 matches to N.C. Eugenics Board records. Mecklenburg, which had the highest number of procedures of any North Carolina county, follows with 13 verifications, then Wake with 11.

The N.C. Eugenics Board implemented a program of involuntary sterilization that took place in all 100 counties between 1929 and 1974. By the end of the program, nearly 7,600 documented people were sterilized.

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Eco-café celebrates successful first year

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Photo by Beth Perdue/SCBB Center Cafe owner, Carol Fisher, gets ready for the cafe's one-year birthday celebration. Designed with eco-friendly principles, the cafe has become a neighborhood favorite in New Bedford's South End.

By Beth Perdue

June 22, 2012 1:56 PM

NEW BEDFORD A sustainably-focused eco-caf in the city's South End celebrated its first full year in business in mid-June, holding a neighborhood party on a tree-top patio above the caf.

Owned and designed by Carol Fisher, the Center Caf is a small coffeehouse offering coffee, ice cream, breakfast and lunch items in a mixed residential and small business neighborhood close to New Bedford's beaches.

Fisher is also the owner of Effortless Design, a Charlestown-based design/build business that offers architectural, engineering, and construction management services. She tapped her design skills and interest in creating sustainable businesses when designing the New Bedford caf.

"A lot of (our sustainability work) comes from having a neighborhood focus, of having a place in the neighborhood, that people can walk to as an alternative to fast food," said Fisher.

Many customers typically come from within a four-to-five-block radius of the caf, Fisher said, allowing them to walk there. Being in a city neighborhood helps her business flourish while the cafe's presence also benefits the neighborhood, by adding a desirable amenity.

"People are glad that there's a little neighborhood caf when they move in or when they're looking at buying," said Fisher. "It really says something about the neighborhood."

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Eco-café celebrates successful first year