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DNA Links Inmate To Rape Of 14-Year-Old OKC Girl

Posted on May 15, 2012 by ev1

OKLAHOMA CITY -

A DNA match has linked an Oklahoma inmate with the rape and kidnapping of a 14-year-old Oklahoma City girl.

The case had grown cold for more than two years. The charges were just filed today against that 19-year-old prisoner. His DNA matched the sample taken from that young rape victim. And for now, he is the only one being linked to the disturbing crime.

The police report states it was back in November of 2009, that a 14-year-old girl was walking home from school when she was approached by two men.

It happened near N.W. 19th and Purdue. She says the men told her to get into their car, but she refused and kept walking. That's when one of the men came up behind her, wrapped his gloved hand around her nose and mouth and grabbed her.

The police report states she thought there was some type of chemical on the glove and she passed out.

When she came to she says that's when she discovered one of the men on top of her.

"She woke up being sexually assaulted inside the car, she was then forced out of the car and left," MSgt. Gary Knight said.

Though she was not able to give police a good description of her attacker, police did conduct a rape exam and were able to get a DNA sample to run through CODIS, the national database.

"In order to get a CODIS hit we need a viable sample," Knight said.

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DNA Links Inmate To Rape Of 14-Year-Old OKC Girl

DNA Replication Protein Plays Role In Cancer

Posted on May 15, 2012 by ev1

May 14, 2012

Image Credit: Photos.com

The foundation of biological inheritance is DNA replication

This is a coordinated process in which DNA is copied at hundreds of thousands of different sites across the genome at the same time. If the copying mechanism doesnt work properly, the result may be cells with missing or extra genetic material, a hallmark of the genomic instability seen in most birth defects and cancers.

Scientists at the University of North Carolina School of Medicine have discovered a protein known as Cdt1. This is required for DNA replication and has an important role in a later step of the cell cycle, mitosis. This is a possible explanation why so many cancers possess not just genomic instability, but also more or less than the usual 46 DNA-containing chromosomes.

The new research was published online ahead of print by the journal Nature Cell Biology. It is the first to definitively show such a dual role for a DNA replication protein.

This was such a surprise. We thought this proteins job was to load proteins onto the DNA in preparation for replication, said Jean Cook, PhD, associate professor of biochemistry and biophysics and pharmacology at the UNC School of Medicine and senior study author. We had no idea it also had a night job, in a completely separate part of the cell cycle.

The cell cycle is the series of events that happen in a cell leading to its growth, replication and division into two daughter cells. It has four distinct phases: G1 (Gap 1), S (DNA synthesis), M (mitosis) and G2 (Gap 2). Cooks research focuses on G1, when Cdt1 places proteins onto the genetic material to get it ready to be copied.

Cook ran a molecular screen to find other proteins that Cdt1 could be interacting with inside the cell. She expected to only find more entities that controlled replication but was surprised to discover one that was involved in mitosis. That protein, called Hec1 for highly expressed in cancer, helps to ensure that the duplicated chromosomes are divided equally into daughter cells during mitosis. Cook hypothesized that either Hec1 had a job in DNA replication that nobody knew about, or that Cdt1 was the one with the side business.

To look at these two possibilities, Cook partnered with Edward (Ted) D. Salmon, PhD, professor of biology and co-senior author who is a Hec1 expert. After letting Cdt1 do its replication job, they interfered with the proteins function to see if it adversely affected mitosis. Using a high-powered microscope that records images of live cells, they showed that cells where Cdt1 function had been blocked did not undergo mitosis properly.

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DNA Replication Protein Plays Role In Cancer

DNA replication protein also has a role in mitosis, cancer

Posted on May 15, 2012 by ev1

ScienceDaily (May 13, 2012) The foundation of biological inheritance is DNA replication -- a tightly coordinated process in which DNA is simultaneously copied at hundreds of thousands of different sites across the genome. If that copying mechanism doesn't work as it should, the result could be cells with missing or extra genetic material, a hallmark of the genomic instability seen in most birth defects and cancers.

University of North Carolina School of Medicine scientists have discovered that a protein known as Cdt1, which is required for DNA replication, also plays an important role in a later step of the cell cycle, mitosis. The finding presents a possible explanation for why so many cancers possess not just genomic instability, but also more or less than the usual 46 DNA-containing chromosomes.

The new research, which was published online ahead of print by the journal Nature Cell Biology, is the first to definitively show such a dual role for a DNA replication protein.

"It was such a surprise, because we thought we knew what this protein's job was -- to load proteins onto the DNA in preparation for replication," said Jean Cook, PhD, associate professor of biochemistry and biophysics and pharmacology at the UNC School of Medicine and senior study author. "We had no idea it also had a night job, in a completely separate part of the cell cycle."

The cell cycle is the series of events that take place in a cell leading to its growth, replication and division into two daughter cells. It consists of four distinct phases: G1 (Gap 1), S (DNA synthesis), M (mitosis) and G2 (Gap 2). Cook's research focuses on G1, when Cdt1 places proteins onto the genetic material to get it ready to be copied.

In this study, Cook ran a molecular screen to identify other proteins that Cdt1 might be interacting with inside the cell. She expected to just find more entities that controlled replication, and was surprised to discover one that was involved in mitosis. That protein, called Hec1 for "highly expressed in cancer," helps to ensure that the duplicated chromosomes are equally divided into daughter cells during mitosis, or cell division. Cook hypothesized that either Hec1 had a job in DNA replication that nobody knew about, or that Cdt1 was the one with the side business.

Cook partnered with Hec1 expert Edward (Ted) D. Salmon, PhD, professor of biology and co-senior author in this study, to explore these two possibilities. After letting Cdt1 do its replication job, the researchers interfered with the protein's function to see if it adversely affected mitosis. Using a high-powered microscope that records images of live cells, they showed that cells where Cdt1 function had been blocked did not undergo mitosis properly.

Once the researchers knew that Cdt1 was involved in mitosis, they wanted to pinpoint its role in that critical process. They further combined their genetic, microscopy and computational methods to demonstrate that without Cdt1, Hec1 fails to adopt the conformation inside the cells necessary to connect the chromosomes with the structure that pulls them apart into their separate daughter cells.

Cook says cells that make aberrant amounts of Cdt1, like that seen in cancer, can therefore experience problems in both replication and mitosis. One current clinical trial is actually trying to ramp up the amount of Cdt1 in cancer cells, in the hopes of pushing them from an already precarious position into a fatal one.

The research was funded by the National Institutes of Health. Study co-authors from UNC were Dileep Varma; Srikripa Chandrasekaran; Karen T. Reidy; and Xiaohu Wan.

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DNA replication protein also has a role in mitosis, cancer

Methylating Your Muscle DNA

Posted on May 15, 2012 by ev1

Theres more to your DNA than your DNA. We are now becoming aware of the epigenome. While DNA controls you, your epigenome may help control your DNA, or rather, it can have an extensive impact on how your DNA is expressed. The epigenome consists of changes in the structure of your DNA, how it is packaged, what parts of it are available for expression into RNA and proteins. For example, adding methyls to DNA tends to decrease the gene expression of that DNA segment, while taking away methyl groups increases it. The cool thing about epigenetics is that the methylation can vary from tissue to tissue, controlling how different genes are expressed in say, liver vs spleen.

(I cant wait til Jonathan Coulton writes a song about the epigenome)

One of the most interesting things about the epigenome is that you can pass it along in the germline. To your kids. So in theory, if you had methylation in certain parts of your genome, your kids could as well. But were starting to realize that epigenetics is more malleable than that.

Take muscle tissue for instance. Gene expression in muscle tissue can change the efficiency of glucose metabolism by muscle. And glucose metabolism has a very large effect on many bodily processes, include weight gain and problems like cardiovascular disease and type II diabetes. Muscle itself is very plastic, and responds quickly to changes in the environment (which for a muscle, means increases and decreases in exercise or how many calories are getting in). We know that exercise can change gene expression in muscle, but can it also change the epigenome? While immediate changes in gene expression can be very short, changes to the epigenome indicate much longer-term changes. Could bouts of exercise influence the methylation of muscle, and thus have long-term effects?

Barres et al. Acute Exercise Remodels Promoter Methylation in Human Skeletal Muscle Cell Metabolism, 2012.

The cool thing is that the authors of this study were able to do large sections of this study in humans. Humans, at least, who did not object to getting muscle biopsies.

They took 14 sedentary humans and had them exercise to fatigue (a pretty difficult exercise bout). They biopsied the muscles before and after the exercise, and looked to see what the methylation in the muscle looked like.

What you can see here is that the acute bout of exercise decreased the methylation in the muscle tissue. When they looked a little closer, the authors found that the methylation was particularly decreased in the promotor regions of metabolically related genes. Many of these promotor regions, which directly control the expression of a gene, show changes in methylation during type II diabetes. After exercise the methylation in these promotor regions was decreased, which could result in more gene expression of those genes, and thus result in changes in metabolism.

Further studies showed that this change in methylation depended on exercise intensity. In a group of mice exposed to low or high intensity exercise, only the high intensity produced the gene methylation changes seen in humans.

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Methylating Your Muscle DNA

Wikipedia + Journal articles

Posted on May 15, 2012 by ev1

The open access publisher PLoS recently announced an innovative type of peer reviewed journal article combining the power of expert review with the accessibility of Wikipedia. Topic Pages from the scientific journal PLoS Computational Biology will be peer reviewed articles published in the journal and subsequently added to Wikipedia and subject to the ongoing review of Wikipedians. The first in the series, Circular permutation in proteins was published in Wikipedia and PLoS Computational Biology at the end of March.

Concanavalin A vs Lectin, from the Wikipedia article "Circular permutation in proteins" based on a PLoS Computational Biology article. CC image courtesy of Andorsch at en.wikipedia

For Wikipedia, this has the advantage of increasing the amount of content in computational biology topics.

But this innovation may be a big step forward in convincing scientists to take an active role in adding content to Wikipedia.

Its all tied to how scientists are rewarded for their work.

Most scientists are employed at colleges and universities where they are expected to do original research, write and publish their findings and teach students about their disciplines. Tenure, promotion and the ability to keep doing original research (grants) are all tied to a scientists ability to publish their results as peer reviewed scientific journal article.

Any time spent editing Wikipedia would be time taken from lab work, field work, or scholarly writing.

But PLoS Computational Biology Topic Pages turn the system around by making peer reviewed articles into Wikipedia entries. And by linking from Wikipedia to the original Topic Pages, Wikipedia users (and science term paper writers) can claim the authority of peer review for the original content.

Researchers can put another line on their resumes indicating the original published article, while also contributing to the public knowledge available on Wikipedia, reaching a wider audience than the original journal article. And the topic pages are not that different than a typical review article, a concept that tenure and promotion committees are already familiar with. The audience is just slightly different.

PLoS has always been at the forefront of making scientific research available to the general public. It will be interesting to see if other publishers can work with Wikipedia in similar ways, combining the reward systems of academic science with the public outreach of Wikipedia.

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Wikipedia + Journal articles

The Biology of Forgetting

Posted on May 15, 2012 by ev1

By Janice Wood Associate News Editor Reviewed by John M. Grohol, Psy.D. on May 13, 2012

While forgetting is normal, exactly how we forget the brain processes guiding the process has been, until now, poorly understood.

But now scientists from the Florida campus of The Scripps Research Institutesay they have pinpointed a mechanism that is as essential for forming memories as it is for forgetting those memories.

This study focuses on the molecular biology of active forgetting, said Ron Davis, chair of the Scripps Research Department of Neuroscience who led the project. Until now, the basic thought has been that forgetting is mostly a passive process. Our findings make clear that forgetting is an active process that is probably regulated.

Davis and his colleagues studied fruit flies, which are often used for studying memory. The flies were put in situations where they learned that certain smells were associated with either a positive reinforcement like food or a negative one, such as a mild electric shock. The scientists then observed changes in the flies brains as they remembered or forgot the new information.

The results showed that a pair of dopamine receptors actively regulate the acquisition of memories and the forgetting of these memories.

The results suggests that when a new memory is formed, there also exists an active, dopamine-based forgetting mechanism ongoing dopamine neuron activity that begins to erase those memories unless some importance is attached to them.

The scientists found that specific neurons in the brain release dopamine to two different receptors known as dDA1 and DAMB, part of a densely packed network of neurons vital for memory and learning in insects. The study found the dDA1 receptor is responsible for memory acquisition, while DAMB is required for forgetting.

When dopamine neurons begin the signaling process, the dDA1 receptor becomes overstimulated and begins to form memories. Once that memory is acquired, however, these same dopamine neurons continue signaling. Except this time, the signal goes through the DAMB receptor, which triggers forgetting of those recently acquired, but not yet consolidated, memories.

Jacob Berry, a graduate student in the Davis lab who led the experiments, showed that inhibiting the dopamine signaling after learning enhanced the flies memory. Boosting the activity of those same neurons after learning erased memory. The researchers also found that a mutation in the dDA1 receptor produced flies unable to learn, while a mutation in the other, DAMB, blocked forgetting.

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The Biology of Forgetting

Essay Competition By The Journal Development

Posted on May 15, 2012 by ev1

Attention young and early-career science writers with a recent background in developmental biology, this is an essay competition tailor-made for you. Run by the prestigious journal, Development, and its sister community website, the Node, the essay competition has as theme: developments in development.

More information from Developments online editor, Eva Amsen follows.

All the best!

The essay competition developments in development is the perfect opportunity for aspiring science writers with a recent background in developmental biology. This is your chance to show off your writing skills and take advantage of your experience in the lab!

Over the past decades, developmental biology has changed a lot. There are different tools, different types of experiments, collaborations with different disciplines, and differences in funding and publication of research. But which changes are still to come? What will the future bring?

If youd like to share your thoughts about the future of the field, please see the full contest details on the Node.

This competition is hosted by the journal Development and by the Nodethe community site for and by developmental biologists. That means that the audience will be (other) researcherskeep that in mind while writing! Submission is open to anyone who is involved in developmental biology research or related fields (such as stem cell science or genetics), or has been within the past three years. That includes lab heads, postdocs, and PhD students, but also new science writers who recently left the lab.

Initial submissions will be judged by Olivier Pourqui, who is the Editor-in-Chief of Development, and by Claire Ainsworth, a freelance science writer (formerly at New Scientist and Nature) with a developmental biology background. They will be looking for well-written essays that convey an interesting take on what the future holds for developmental biologists. Your essay can focus on the future of a particular subfield of developmental biology, emerging techniques or model organisms, changes in science policy that affect the field, or anything else that you see as affecting the future of the discipline.

A shortlist of the best few essays will then be posted on the Node, and readers of the Nodewho are mostly developmental biologists themselveswill have the final vote to decide the winner.

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Essay Competition By The Journal Development

Cell biology: How ribosomes override their blockades

Posted on May 15, 2012 by ev1

ScienceDaily (May 14, 2012) Ribosomes are "protein factories" in the cells of all living things. They produce proteins based on existing genetic codes stored on special nucleic acid molecules. These molecules, also called messenger RNA (mRNA) due to the genetic information encoded on them, are read by ribosomes in a stepwise manner. Defined start and stop signals on the mRNA direct this process. If a stop signal is missing, protein formation cannot be completed and the ribosome's mode of operation is blocked.

Until now, it was not understood in all details how a ribosome can overcome such a blockade. At the center of this repair process, called Trans-Translation, is an additional nucleic acid molecule (tmRNA) that unites characteristics of mRNA and another nucleic acid molecule, the transferRNA (tRNA). The tRNA transfers the correct amino acids to the respective gene sequence on the mRNA during protein biosynthesis. The tmRNA molecule is thus able to smuggle in the missing stop signal and lift the blockade. It was never exactly clear how this large tmRNA molecule moves through the ribosome and smuggles its information into the ribosome's mRNA channel.

This process could now be documented for the first time using cryo-electron microscopy. This method offers the opportunity to examine the spatial and chronological interaction between individual components of macromolecules. This is done by flash-freezing ribosomes in liquid ethane at -192 Celsius and several hundred-thousand two-dimensional images are projected back into a three-dimensional reconstruction. "With the help of cryo-electron microscopy a unique glimpse of a central key step of the interaction between ribosome, tmRNA, a special protein (SmbP) and the elongation factor G could be attained," explained David Ramrath, doctoral candidate at the Institute for Medical Physics and Biophysics at Charit and primary author of the study.

The mRNA channel, in which the tmRNA must smuggle the missing information, goes straight through the ribosome's middle, between the so-called head and body domains of the small ribosomal subunit. Structural analysis showed that cooperation between ribosome and tmRNA in the event of necessary repair is only possible through a change in conformation, that is a short-term and unexpectedly large swivel movement of the ribosome's head domain.

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Cell biology: How ribosomes override their blockades

Prawn peptides are ACE for blood pressure: Rat study

Posted on May 15, 2012 by ev1

Peptide extracts from the Arctic prawnPandalus Borealishave demonstrated blood pressure benefits via the,most potent Angiotensin Converting Enzyme (ACE) inhibiting peptide concentrate that is reported in scientific literature.

Those results in a small rat study, published in volume 46 of Process Biochemistry in 2011, have prompted a human clinical to be commissioned by the same Norwegian organisation - Nofima .

That hydrolysates-peptides study is due to complete by years end.

ACE inhibitors work by inhibiting the conversion of angiotensin I to the potent vasoconstrictor, angiotensin II, thereby improving blood flow and blood pressure.

Nofima senior scientist and lead author of the study, Asbjrn Gildberg, said the ACE results were significant, although not necessarily linked just to the particular type of shrimp-prawn.

These are the highest seen but hydrolysates from Chinese shrimps have indicated levels almost as good, he said.The human trial data will be very interesting.

Results

The researchers wrote: The measurements by two independent methods both revealed higherin vitroACE inhibitory activity, IC50=0.075 and 0.035mg/ml, respectively, than earlier reported in comparable hydrolysates.

An introductory feeding trial with spontaneously hypertensive rats indicated positivein vivoresults when the rats were given 60mg hydrolysate/kg body weight per day.

Although furtherin vivostudies are necessary to verify the antihypertensive potential, the very highin vitroACE inhibitory activity reveals that the shrimp protein hydrolysate is a promising candidate for nutraceutical application.

John Joseph Scocca, Hopkins biochemistry professor

Posted on May 15, 2012 by ev1

John Joseph Scocca, a retired Johns Hopkins biochemistry professor recalled for his keen critical eye, died of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease May 10 at Gilchrist Hospice Care in Towson. He was 72 and lived in Aberdeen.

Born in South Philadelphia, he came to Baltimore in 1958 as a Johns Hopkins University undergraduate and went on to spend his entire career at the school. He earned a bachelor's degree in three years and received a doctorate in biochemistry. He then became a professor at what is now the Bloomberg School of Hygiene and Public Health, where he retired four years ago.

Family members said that in his third year of graduate school, he taught laboratory technique to a group of students that included his future wife, Jane Ruble.

They moved to a home on Monterey Road in Ednor Gardens north of the old Memorial Stadium. He, his wife and children were Orioles fans and enjoyed attending games. In 1977, the family moved to Aberdeen.

Colleagues said that as a professor at the School of Public Health, he taught biochemistry to graduate students from outside the biochemistry department. He called his course "baby biochemistry," but friends said he was a thorough and demanding scientist-teacher. He also valued concise speaking and brevity.

"Perhaps John's most significant contributions involved his 30-year tenure as chief organizer of the laboratory rotations for first-year doctoral students," said a Hopkins colleague, Roger McMacken, who lives near Lake Roland. "John operated a dreaded alarm clock that so loudly, rudely and famously halted student rotation talks precisely 10 minutes after the start of any still-continuing research presentation."

Mr. McMacken said this was an "immensely effective training strategy." By the time the students returned for more oral presentations, they "were virtually all completed before the sound of the jarring alarm clock."

He recalled his favorite "Scocca moment," which involved the annual opening day meeting of the department faculty with an incoming class of doctoral students.

"John, because of his wit, keen sense of humor, candor, and unparalleled scientific integrity, routinely had the honor of describing the department's academic program for first-year students," said Mr. McMacken. "What followed was an impassioned exhortation about the do's and don'ts of laboratory research and academic life. No one, including John, knew precisely what he was going to say. But you could certainly count on 45 minutes of a hilarious, off-the-cuff soliloquy that perpetually was a highlight of academic life for us."

Family members said that his personal research work involved the study of the bacterium Haemophilus influenzae and its interactions.

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John Joseph Scocca, Hopkins biochemistry professor

Volkow, Agre Featured Speakers for Research Days

Posted on May 15, 2012 by ev1

Newswise Bethesda, MD Nora D. Volkow, M.D., and Peter Agre, M.D., are this years featured guest speakers for the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences (USU) Research Days.

The annual two-day forum encompasses three events -- the USU Graduate School of Nursing research colloquium, graduate student colloquium, and the Faculty Senate Research Day and reflects the complementary roles that basic science, medicine, nursing, public health and behavioral science play in health promotion. Poster presentations, invited speakers and panels demonstrate USUs unique role in civilian, military and public health research initiatives across the health sciences.

On Monday, May 14, Volkow, the director of the National Institute of Drug Abuse, National Institutes of Health, since 2003, will present the Presidential Lecture, The Science of Addiction: What Do We Know? Volkow pioneered the use of brain imaging to investigate the toxic effects of drugs and their addictive properties. She has also made important contributions to the neurobiology of obesity, ADHD, and the behavioral changes that occur with aging. Volkow is a member of the Institute of Medicine. Time magazine recently named her one of the "Top 100 People Who Shape our World" and Newsweek magazine included her as one of 20 people to watch in 2007. She was listed in Washingtonian magazine's 2009 and 2011 "100 Most Powerful Women" feature, and named "Innovator of the Year" by U.S. News & World Report in 2000.

Agre will deliver the annual Bullard Lecture, named for former USU associate dean for Graduate and Continuing Education, Dr. John Bullard. Agres lecture, Aquaporin Water Channels: From Atomic Structure to Malaria, will be given on Thursday, May 15. Agre, a molecular biologist, professor of Medicine and director of the Johns Hopkins Malaria Research Institute in Baltimore, Maryland, was awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 2003 for his discovery of aquaporins, water-channel proteins that move water molecules through the cell membrane. He is now using his basic science discoveries about aquaporins to understand the role the proteins play in the parasite that causes malaria.

---- The Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences (USU) is the nations federal health sciences university. USU students are primarily active-duty uniformed officers in the Army, Navy, Air Force and Public Health Service who have received specialized training in tropical and infectious diseases, preventive medicine, the neurosciences (to include TBI and PTSD), disaster response and humanitarian assistance, and acute trauma care. A large percentage of the universitys more than 4,700 physician and 500 advanced practice nursing alumni are supporting operations in Iraq, Afghanistan and elsewhere, offering their leadership and expertise. USU also has graduate programs in biomedical sciences and public health, open to civilian and military applicants committed to excellence in research, which have awarded more than 375 doctoral and 800 masters degrees to date. For more information, visit http://www.usuhs.mil.

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Volkow, Agre Featured Speakers for Research Days

HIV prevention measures must include behavioral strategies to work, says APA

Posted on May 15, 2012 by ev1

Public release date: 14-May-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Kim Mills kmills@apa.org 202-336-6048 American Psychological Association

WASHINGTON A drug that has been shown to prevent HIV infection in a significant number of cases must be combined with behavioral approaches if the U.S. health care establishment is to succeed in reducing the spread of the virus, according to the American Psychological Association.

"Exclusive reliance on a drug to prevent HIV or any sexually transmitted disease could actually result in a worse outcome if those at risk don't understand how their own behavior affects treatment," said Perry N. Halkitis, PhD, chair of APA's Committee on Psychology and AIDS. "We know that medical intervention depends on human behavior. The fact that only 28 percent of HIV-positive Americans in care achieve full viral suppression suggests very clearly that any medical intervention depends fully on behavioral as well as social and political factors."

A Food and Drug Administration panel recommended on May 10 that the FDA approve the drug Truvada to prevent HIV infection. APA has been monitoring the use of this and other drugs to prevent and treat HIV/AIDS. While heartened by the addition of Truvada to the treatment mix, APA believes HIV prevention treatment must include both medical and behavorial approaches in order to succeed. In February, APA passed a resolution emphasizing the need for prevention research that incorporates strategies to deal with mental health, and substance abuse issues, behavior change and adherence. Entitled "Combination Biomedical and Behavioral Approaches to Optimize HIV Prevention," the resolution calls upon Congress, the executive branch and other governmental and nongovernmental agencies to increase support for further research to identify and disseminate effective strategies to prevent and treat HIV and other sexually transmitted infections.

"Truvada by itself is not a magic bullet," Halkitis said. "The research to date shows that individuals taking the drug have had challenges adhering to the need to take it every day. It's also important for anyone taking it as a preventive measure to continue to practice safe sex. These are all behaviors that need to be guided by multidisciplinary health care teams that include psychologists." APA President Suzanne Bennett Johnson, PhD, agreed, warning. "if people taking the drug are not fully adherent and then contract HIV, that could lead to drug resistance."

APA's resolution cites research that shows a combination of behavioral and biomedical approaches work best to prevent HIV and other sexually transmitted infections. It references a 2010 study that tested adherence to Truvada within a group of men at high risk for infection, which found that 91 percent of those who later tested positive for HIV showed no detectable levels of the drug in their bloodstream, meaning they were not taking the drug as prescribed.

The resolution also points out that drugs "may be out of reach for certain populations (e.g., human trafficking victims, sex workers, people living in poverty, children, etc.)." According to news reports, Truvada costs between $11,000 and $14,000 per year, making it inaccessible to many.

###

The American Psychological Association, in Washington, D.C., is the largest scientific and professional organization representing psychology in the United States and is the world's largest association of psychologists. APA's membership includes more than 137,000 researchers, educators, clinicians, consultants and students. Through its divisions in 54 subfields of psychology and affiliations with 60 state, territorial and Canadian provincial associations, APA works to advance psychology as a science, as a profession and as a means of promoting health, education and human welfare.

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HIV prevention measures must include behavioral strategies to work, says APA

Pollogen’s Cutting-Edge TriPollar RF Technology Device Featured at American Academy of Anti-Aging Medicine (A4M)

Posted on May 15, 2012 by ev1

(PRWEB) May 14, 2012

Pollogen, a global leader in the medical aesthetics market, and Lumiere Medical, a premier U.S. distributor of cutting-edge, clinically-validated technologies, will feature TriPollarthe world's most advanced radiofrequency (RF) technologyat this years American Academy of Anti-Aging Medicine (A4M) Annual World Congress on Anti-Aging and Aesthetic Medicine at the Marriott World Center in Orlando, FL. The technology is now available in the U.S. via a device called Apollo through an exclusive partnership between the two companies.

Pollogen and Lumiere will be located at booth #210 from Thursday, May 17 through Saturday, May 19, where they will feature live demonstrations of TriPollar RF treatments. As the procedure is administered, a cutting-edge thermographic imaging device called the LumiCam will offer visual representation of the Apollos efficient heating of the treatment area with its dense and focused energy field. The LumiCam will show skin temperature reaching and maintaining the ideal temperature window for optimal resultsbetween 40 C and 42 C for facial skin tightening and between 42 C and 44 C for body treatments.

The Apollo powered by TriPollar is FDA-cleared for the non-invasive treatment of mild to moderate facial wrinkles. The 30-minute, no-downtime procedure has been globally embraced for its off-label use on the body with great success in treating cellulite and circumferential reduction. Unlike its competitors, the Apollo is completely pain-free. TriPollar also differs from other technologies because it allows patients of all skin types to achieve measurable anti-aging results.

Patients benefit from both visible immediate and long-term results. The immediate effects include a smoother, tightened appearance and texture. Most clients realize the optimal outcome at the conclusion of the full treatment coursea recommended six to eight sessionswith a noticeable reduction in wrinkles and fine lines, body contouring and lifting of the treatment area, in addition to improved skin tone and texture.

The safety and efficacy of TriPollar treatments have been proven in multiple clinical studies and published in eight peer reviewed articles. A recent U.S. clinical study showed a 97% improvement following a full series of treatments, and 100% of the patients reported that they were satisfied with their results.

For more information, please visit http://www.pollogen.com/Tripollar-RF-Technology/Tripollar-RF-Technology.html or http://www.lumieremed.com.

About Pollogen Pollogen Ltd. is a global leader in the medical aesthetic market providing innovative, safe and effective solutions that enhance and expand the practices of medical aesthetic professionals. The company offers products to address a range of skin treatments under the industrys three premier brands: TriPollar, TriLipo and TriFractional. Pollogen offers a full line of clinically-proven, non-invasive anti-aging facial and body contouring treatment platforms for circumference reduction, cellulite reduction and skin tightening. The companys medical aesthetic devices, Maximus, Apollo, and Regen XL offer customers clinically-proven, safe and effective anti-aging lunchtime beauty treatments that deliver immediate and long-lasting results. With a distribution network in over 60 countries, Pollogen is providing innovative solutions to medical professionals globally.

About Lumiere Medical Lumiere Medical, the premier U.S. distributor of innovative, science-based, clinically validated technologies, presents new revenue opportunities for its customers while providing results which consistently deliver high patient satisfaction. The exclusive U.S. distributor for Pollogen Ltd., Lumiere has recently added the Apollo TriPollar RF device to its distribution network, offering safe and effective anti-aging treatments with both immediate and long-lasting results.

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Pollogen’s Cutting-Edge TriPollar RF Technology Device Featured at American Academy of Anti-Aging Medicine (A4M)

Spoiler Chat Daily: Grey's Anatomy and Gossip Girl Finale Scoop! Plus, The Walking Dead and More

Posted on May 15, 2012 by Danzig

MORE: Get the Latest Scoop on Vampire Diaries, Glee, Once Upon a Time and More Courtesy of Our Daily Spoiler Chat!

Chanel in Houston: I'm seriously going to DIE this summer without New Girl scoop to obsess over!! Any suggestions to help save me from a Jess-free three months? Whoa! Well our first suggestion would be that you enroll in some acting classes because it seems like the dramatics come very naturally to you. With that said, we think that you should perfect the art of the slow chicken dance. (Remember that facial expressions are also a key part of the dance.) Then we say you gather all the youths you know and clearly lay out the drinking rules of the "True American" game. Bonus points if you can get your landlord to play too!Lastly we think that every morning you should take at look at this ridiculously cute first-look picture for season two and try to absorb as much of their awesomeness as possible. And this has been Team WWK's guide to the ultimate New Girl summer. You areverywelcome.

MORE: Renewed or Canceled? Your TV Cheat Sheet on the Fate of Your Favorite Shows!

Gretchen: Anything on the Glee season finale would be perfect.We don't want to give too much away, but we will say that we are very excited for Santana's storyline in the final episode of the season.

DevonCarruthers: True Blood, please? Get ready to meet a whole slew of new monsters later in the HBO hit's fifth season as the show is introducing several new fairies(some who bring Jason to their special fairy club!), a few new vamps (including the Minister of the European Vampire League!) a new werewolf with a warning: there's a new breed of vampires in town!

Natafree1994: What's happening with CSI: NY?? Feel free to pop the champagne (or apple cider if you're under 21!) as sources tell us CSI: NY has been picked up for another season. If you don't want to jinx it, keep the champagne on ice until Wednesday, which is when CBS is set to unveil their fall lineup.

Additional reporting by Tierney Bricker, Jenna Mullins, Christina Dowling & Leanne Aguilera

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Spoiler Chat Daily: Grey's Anatomy and Gossip Girl Finale Scoop! Plus, The Walking Dead and More

Anatomy of hack on Google leads Plaxo to up API security

Posted on May 15, 2012 by Danzig

Summary: A malicious attack aimed at Google but routed through Plaxo highlights the growing importance of API security using the forthcoming OAuth 2.0 protocol, which protects the users credential information.

Address book service Plaxo is moving to shore up its API security after being sucked in as a back-door, silent victim in an attack on Google.

Last week, a spammer armed with stolen credentials for a number of Google accounts routed their attack through Plaxos servers by taking advantage of connections the two maintain and an aging Plaxo authentication mechanism called Address Book (AB) Widget, which enables Plaxo users to import Gmail contacts.

Given the avenue of the attack, it was hard for Google to detect the malicious traffic being proxied through Plaxos IP address.

The two worked together to dissect the hack and Plaxo has since retired its AB Widget and will update its Plaxo-Google Sync in a few weeks to support OAuth 2.0 and take advantage of its secure authentication capabilities.

The moral of the story is that security should be of paramount concern for APIs as they become a preferred point of integration within the concepts of cloud computing.

To wit, over the past two years, companies such as Twitter, Facebook, Google, Netflix, eBay and NPR have each been processing billions of API calls per day.

OAuth 2.0 is a forthcoming Internet Engineering Task Force specification that uses tokens for authenticating API end-points, which eliminates the need to share credential information among providers.

End-users wont know the technology they are using is OAuth, said Preston Smalley, general manager and head of product for Plaxo. But over time users are becoming more and more sensitive to sharing their user names and passwords with anyone other than their account provider.

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Anatomy of hack on Google leads Plaxo to up API security

Anatomy of an iTV rumor

Posted on May 15, 2012 by ev1

Via Techmeme

FORTUNE -- It is perhaps a measure of how badly broken today's commercial TV viewing experience is -- the cookie-cutter sitcoms, the ridiculous reality shows,the ever-shifting channel line-ups, the relentless, merciless commercial breaks -- that the tech press is so desperate to believe even the slimmest rumor that Apple (AAPL) is getting ready to solve all that by building its own television set.

Take, for example, last week's report that Hon Hai chairman Terry Gou announced at a press conference in Shanghai that his Foxconn subsidiary was "making preparations for iTV."

By Friday the report had spawned dozens of headlines. A sample:

What none of these reporters mentioned (or apparently bothered to consider) is that Gou -- whose factories assemble 40% of the world's electronic devices -- is one of the industry's most secretive executives. He is privy to the future product plans of the most valuable electronics brands -- not just Apple, but also Sony (SNE), Microsoft (MSFT), Hewlett-Packard (HPQ) and the rest. He is trusted by his business partners because he never leaks their secrets.

Terry Gou. Photo via M.I.C. Gadget

Given how jealously Apple guards its own secrets, and how relentlessly it pursues those who spill them, what are the chances that Gou would say anything -- ever -- about an unannounced Apple product, real or imagined?

I'd say, nil.

So what was the source for this latest iTV story?

It was single item in China Daily -- an English-language newspaper based in Beijing. The dateline is Shanghai. The byline isGao Changxin. The headline reads: "Foxconn plans renewed shift into distribution."

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Anatomy of an iTV rumor

Doctor-Patient Talk May Help Blacks With Hypertension

Posted on May 13, 2012 by ev1

(HealthDay News) -- Black patients with high blood pressure often seem to struggle to communicate with their doctors, potentially leading to worse disease outcomes, a North Carolina study suggests.

"It seems that in general, blacks talk less overall to their physicians than white patients," study author Dr. Crystal Wiley Cene, an assistant professor at the University of North Carolina School of Medicine in Chapel Hill, said in a university news release. "As a result, communication about specific topics occurs less often."

Cene noted that there may be several reasons for the poor communication. Black patients might not trust their physicians or somehow feel disconnected from them. Physicians, perhaps reacting to their quiet patients, may feel less inclined to talk to them.

In the study, researchers analyzed data from 226 high blood pressure patients and 39 physicians at 15 primary-care practices in Baltimore. Specifically, they listened to audio recordings of patients' visits to their doctors. The study authors noted the length of the visits, the number of medically focused statements made and the overall banter between doctors and patients. Read more…

Cardiofy Heart Care Supplement

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Definiens Expands Functionality of Its Leading Solution for Quantitative Digital Pathology with Gene Probe Analysis

Posted on May 13, 2012 by ev1

Definiens Tissue Studio Now Supports the Detection of Spot-like Signals from In Situ Hybridization Assays

Munich, Germany, May 10, 2012 — Definiens®, the leading provider of image analysis and data mining solutions for quantitative digital pathology, today announced that Definiens Tissue Studio® 3.5 now supports the automated analysis of in situ hybridization assays, including SISH, CISH, FISH and dual-ISH. The unique combination of flexibility and ease-of-use that characterizes Definiens Tissue Studio® significantly facilitates the detection of spot-like signals originating from gene probes (or any other stain with spot-like appearance) on a cell-by-cell basis. Definiens Tissue Studio® supports the detection of gene probe signals in both brightfield and immunofluorescene imaging.

The novel functionality complements the robust detection of regions of interest and the comprehensive quantification of cellular parameters and biomarker expression profiles. Definiens Tissue Studio® can be used to analyze images from any solid tissue with any stain, acquired by any scanner or microscope, and in any common file format. With these technological advances, pathologists and researchers can adapt preconfigured solutions to their specific assays with just a few clicks in no more than 30 minutes.

Straightforward workflow, intuitive configuration, as well as flexibility and robustness, have established Definiens Tissue Studio as the leading image analysis solution for quantitative digital pathology. Definiens Tissue Studio opens new dimensions in quantification by significantly reducing study times in translational research, preclinical safety, tissue-based biomarker development and clinical trials around the world. The new version includes a range of improvements that make it easier to use and more powerful than ever.

“Definiens has developed significant experience in the analysis of in situ hybridization assays in recent years,” said Thomas Heydler, CEO of Definiens. “In Definiens Tissue Studio® 3.5, we now make this available to our customers in a very easy-to-use workflow that supports virtually any type of 2D ISH assay. This further strengthens Definiens Tissue Studio’s position as the most comprehensive software package for quantitative digital pathology.”

With just a single configuration, Definiens Tissue Studio® automates the detection of regions of interest and has the capacity to distinguish individual cells and subcellular structures even in heterogeneous tissues samples. The software provides quantitative readouts on morphological characteristics and molecular expression profiles of nuclear, cytoplasmic and membrane biomarkers. In addition, Definiens Tissue Studio® supports robust detection of vessels for automated angiogenesis assays as well as extensive multiplexing for the quantification of numerous parameters from the same tissue sample in immunofluorescence assays.

Visit tissuestudio.definiens.com to learn more or watch the recordings of an introductory webinar series on Definiens’ YouTube channel.

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More animals found in biopsies

Posted on May 13, 2012 by ev1

Every once inawhile there is an image on Facebook worth saving and sharing. Here is one with thanks to JP for the upload. Duodenal biopsy resembling T. Rex. Almost as good as the duck in the prostate biopsy.

When you start seeing animals in your biopsies, its time to put the slides down for another day.

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Sermo Reveals Results from its Real-Time Medicine™ Mobile App for Physicians

Posted on May 13, 2012 by ev1

Another clear example of the power of 2.0 technologies, mobile computing, hand-held communications, ability to harness collective intelligence rapidly and accurately for best decision making. When will we in Pathology be included on the list of providers and studies included in this powerful collaboration on a broad scale?

Data Shows App Speeds Treatment and Saves Lives in Urgent Care Situations

Cambridge, MA - May 9, 2012 - Sermo, Inc., the largest online community in the United States exclusive to physicians, today announced results from the mobile app it launched ten months ago. Sermo Mobile, which allows physicians to access the country's greatest concentration of medical knowledge in real-time, builds on Sermo's current web platform, where 125,000 U.S. physicians in 68 specialties discuss and consult with each other to provide the highest quality care to their patients.

Perhaps the most valuable feature of the app, iConsult, allows physicians to take or add a photograph at a patient’s bedside, choose a suitable question from the available list (e.g. How would you treat this?) and then immediately send it to relevant specialists on Sermo. Members can view and respond instantly, offering unparalleled access to shared medical expertise.

The app's many successes to date include:

Physicians across more than 30 specialties have used iConsult to crowdsource opinions on dermatological conditions, EKG readings, findings from MRIs, X-rays and other imaging tests, and lab results.
77% of iConsults are answered within an hour with response times often as quick as 1 minute.
iConsults average 12 responses, often by physicians across multiple specialties, demonstrating the complexity and multidisciplinary nature of many medical conditions.
iConsults are usually resolved in less than 2 hours and as quickly as 2 minutes.
The youngest patient helped by an iConsult was 5 weeks old.
Sermo physicians use the mobile app in addition to and not instead of the website, illustrating the added benefit of online collaboration tools at the point of care.
After only 10 months, Sermo Mobile accounts for 45% of total traffic on the Sermo platform.

"Every minute counts in an emergency medical situation, and Sermo Mobile immediately reaches physicians who are in the best position to help," said Jon Michaeli, VP of Marketing and Membership for Sermo. "The variety of cases and speed with which they are being resolved is remarkable, and a true testament to the power of crowdsourcing in a vibrant, professional community like Sermo. We've observed hundreds of iConsults where Sermo members have ensured patients immediately receive the proper care, speeding their recovery, and in some cases, saving their lives."

One cardiologist on Sermo commented, "A few weeks ago I used iConsult to post a brief cardiology case of a young patient with congestive heart failure. His echocardiogram showed a rare condition called non impaction of the left ventricle. Several colleagues immediately posted responses. iConsult is a very valuable tool due to the large number of accessible Sermo members, which ensures instant feedback."

Sermo Mobile is available for Apple iOS devices, including iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad. Physicians can download Sermo Mobile for free at http://www.sermo.com/mobile.

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