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Movie Man: 'Anatomy of a Murder' is top courtroom drama

Posted on March 9, 2012 by Danzig

If youre looking for courtroom drama, you dont have to look far, with thousands of hours of Court TV, Law & Order reruns and plain-old courtroom news on your television.

But if youre looking for a truly great courtroom drama, one thats complex, funny, smart and surprising, you need to watch Anatomy of a Murder. Released way back in 1959 and featuring a one-of-a-kind cast, its no kidding the greatest courtroom drama ever made.

Based on a book by a Michigan Supreme Court judge (writing under a pseudonym), Anatomy of a Murder follows a small-town Michigan lawyer (James Stewart) as he defends a young lieutenant (Ben Gazzara) on murder charges. Where things get complicated is when Stewart examines the motive: Gazzara claimed he killed the local bar owner for raping his wife. But as Stewart gets to know the wife (Lee Remick), he begins to wonder if there was a rape or if, down deep, even Gazzara believes there was a rape.

Pretty adult stuff for 1959, and Anatomy of a Murder doesnt stop there. Theres much discussion over the word panties being used in the courtroom (again, scandalous stuff for 1959), but on a deeper level, Anatomy of a Murder hints that what really happened doesnt matter what matters is what the jury thinks happened. It might not be justice, but its the law.

Masterfully directed by Otto Preminger (a guy who loved pushing the envelope, content-wise), Anatomy of a Murder is full of elements that make it a classic film. The cast also includes a young George C. Scott as the big-city prosecutor, Eve Arden as Stewarts world-weary assistant, Orson Bean and Howard McNear (Floyd the barber from Andy Griffith) as expert witnesses and lawyer Joseph Welch, the man who brought down Sen. Joe McCarthy, as the judge. Whats more, not only does jazz legend Duke Ellington supply the music, he also has a cameo as Pie Eye, who for some reason is playing piano in a tiny Michigan tavern. That Michigan atmosphere, incidentally, is one of the movies biggest stars. Preminger filmed the movie in the Upper Peninsula, and it gives the film a feeling like no other Hollywood picture. Heck, even the opening credits iconic images created by legendary Saul Bass are memorable. Its just a great, great movie.

Thankfully, Criterions new edition does it justice. Besides a remastered print of the film, it includes footage from the set; segments on Ellington, Bass and Preminger; the trailer and more.

The Town

Someone at Warner Home Video must really love Ben Affleck.

I mean, The Town is a fine film, with solid direction and acting from Affleck and a strong supporting cast. But its not a classic though you wouldnt know that from the packaging of The Town Ultimate Collectors Edition. The boxed set includes multiple versions of the movie on Blu-ray and DVD, a feature-length documentary, a map of the Charlestown area of Boston, a folder full of files about the films characters, a hardcover book of photos from the set, a letter from Affleck and, believe it not, temporary tattoos exactly like the one Jeremy Renners character sports in the movie (and that you only see on-screen for a split second).

Quite a package for a movie thats pretty good but not great. I liked a lot of The Town, including the well-staged robberies and the simmering tension between the various thieves. But I thought it was another example of a movie let down by its ending, one that does right by its star but not by its main character. I dont want to spoil anything if you havent seen it because it is worth watching but the final scenes make no sense. The idea that the FBI would just quit surveilling the one person with a connection to their fugitive, then ignore the expensive and public! gift made in the name of that fugitives mom is ridiculous.

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Movie Man: 'Anatomy of a Murder' is top courtroom drama

Nuvilex Points Toward Cell Encapsulation Technology Future to Expand Stem Cell Use for Late Stage Cancer Treatments

Posted on March 8, 2012 by ev1

SILVER SPRING, Md.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

Nuvilex, Inc. (OTCQB:NVLX), an emerging biotechnology provider of cell and gene therapy solutions, today discussed the potential use of the companys cell encapsulation technology with modified stem cells to treat late stage cancers.

Stem cell therapy is not new to physicians dealing with blood and bone cancers, with stem cell transplants being an important treatment for growing new bone marrow since the 1970s. Recent studies have indicated the potential for using stem cells across a much broader range of cancers is becoming a reality, mostly a result of advances in cell and molecular biology techniques.

Traditional chemotherapy works by targeting the fast-growing cells common to cancer tumors. Unfortunately, chemotherapeutics dont differentiate between healthy and cancerous cells. Patients suffering from metastatic cancers, where tumors have spread to multiple areas of the body, often have substantial difficulties with the chemotherapy needed to treat their disease.

In one case, researchers at City of Hope and St. Jude Children's Research Hospital may have found a way to treat cancers that have spread throughout the body more effectively. They used genetically modified stem cells to activate chemotherapeutic drugs at the tumor sites, so that normal tissue surrounding the tumor and throughout the body remain relatively unharmed. The stem cells were designed to produce a specific enzyme that converts the nontoxic prodrug into the chemotherapeutic agent. This method also targets the brain tumor treatment to remain localized within the brain, similar to the pancreatic cancer clinical trial carried out by SG Austria, providing for high dosage chemotherapy without affecting surrounding tissues and avoiding the severe side effects normally associated with cancer therapy.

Nuvilex believes that incorporating Cell-in-a-Box encapsulation with this type of genetically modified stem cell, along with the proprietary cancer treatment being acquired, could significantly aid and improve patient outcomes.

Dr. Robert Ryan, Chief Executive Officer of Nuvilex, commented, We are hopeful for the day when late stage cancers can be routinely and safely treated using genetically modified cells like those used in the pancreatic cancer trial, increasing the ability of clinicians to avoid inducing side effects that typically accompany aggressive chemotherapy and/or radiation. Our cell encapsulation technology will enable practitioners to target tumors while preserving the health of the surrounding tissues. We continue to look for leading stem cell and oncology researchers to partner with us as we bring this technology to market.

About Nuvilex

Nuvilex, Inc. (OTCQB:NVLX) is an emerging international biotechnology provider of clinically useful therapeutic live encapsulated cells and services for encapsulating live cells for the research and medical communities. Through our effort, all aspects of our corporate activities alone, and especially in concert with SG Austria, are rapidly moving toward completion, including closing our agreement. One of our planned offerings will include cancer treatments using the companys industry-leading live-cell encapsulation technology.

Safe Harbor Statement

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Nuvilex Points Toward Cell Encapsulation Technology Future to Expand Stem Cell Use for Late Stage Cancer Treatments

Florida suspends doctor accused of illegal stem cell therapy

Posted on March 8, 2012 by ev1

By David Fitzpatrick and Drew Griffin, Special Investigations Unit

updated 1:34 PM EST, Thu March 8, 2012

Dr. Zannos Grekos, seen here in 2009, could have his license suspended.

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

(CNN) -- A Florida cardiologist could have his medical license revoked by state authorities who have accused him of performing illegal stem cell therapy treatment on an elderly patient who died during the procedure.

Florida's Department of Health ordered the emergency suspension of Dr. Zannos Grekos' medical license Wednesday, accusing the Bonita Springs doctor of violating an emergency order against using stem cell treatments in Florida and allegedly causing the death of an unnamed elderly patient. Grekos can appeal the order.

According to the license suspension order, Grekos performed a stem cell treatment earlier this month on the patient, who was suffering from pulmonary hypertension and pulmonary fibrosis. Both diseases restrict blood flow to the heart.

"During said stem cell treatment, patient R.P. suffered a cardiac arrest and died," the suspension order said.

CNN first investigated Grekos's activities in 2009 and, at that time, he said he was using stem cell therapy for a company he called Regenocyte Therapeutic. His profile, listed on the company's website, describes Grekos as having "extensive experience in the field of stem cell therapy" and says he "was recently appointed to the Science Advisory Board of the United States' Repair Stem Cell Institute."

At the time of CNN's interview, Grekos said he extracted stem cells from patients and then sent the blood to Israel for laboratory processing. That processing, he said, resulted in "regenocytes," which he claimed would help heal crippling diseases, mostly associated with lung problems.

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Florida suspends doctor accused of illegal stem cell therapy

Pathology day to be held by Norwich hospital staff

Posted on March 8, 2012 by ev1

Pathology staff at the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital are to host a pathology day at the Forum on Saturday, March 17.

Kim Briscoe Thursday, March 8, 2012 10:42 AM

Members of the public are being invited to find out more about how staff at a city hospital diagnose illness and disease.

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The pathology department of the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital has organised a hands-on Pathology Day event at The Forum, from 10.30am to 4pm on Saturday, March 17, as part of the celebration of the 50th anniversary of the Royal College of Pathologists.

There will be a hands-on exhibition in the Millennium Library, and also talks in the Curve at the Forum, from pathologists and clinicians on various topics, including the heart, child birth and blood vessels.

Pathology plays a crucial role in the diagnosis, follow up treatment and assessment of the outcome of disease in the vast majority of patients.

Nutrition and Health Council hear of Health Infonet

Posted on March 8, 2012 by ev1

by Wayne Ruple news@cleburennews.com The Cleburne News

Photo: Special to The Cleburne News

And how does an American population in which half cannot read or write very well, even understand how to read simple directions on how to take their medicines and understand treatments within a highly complicated and very fragmented health care system?

To help guide and make recommendations, Kathy Hogan Smith, founder/director of the Health Infonet of Alabama spoke during a recent meeting of the Nutrition and Health Council of Cleburne County.

Smith recommends several questions to ask when evaluating online health information including checking out the provider of the information who is in charge of the web site? Why are they providing the site and can you contact them?

Just because a website looks authoritative does not mean that it is, she said. What is their hidden agenda and how current is their information? She recommends asking.

Also look at the funding. Where does the money to support the site come from and does the site have advertisements? Are they labeled?

Quality is a major factor, Smith said. Net surfers need to ask where does the information on the site from from? How is content selected? Do experts review the information that goes on the site? Does the site avoid unbelievable or emotional claims and is it up-to-date?

Smith also recommends asking if the site asks for personal information, do they tell you how it will be used and are the comfortable with how it will be used.?

Speaking before the council, Smith also provided a number of handouts including three pages of web resources including a number of general sites, health search engines, evaluation of health websites, websites dealing with wellness and nutrition, sites dealing with talking to your doctor, sites to help make informed health care decisions, patient safety, directories to help choose a physician and/or hospital, rating physicians, electronic medical records and personal health records information and overall health sites.

Continued here:
Nutrition and Health Council hear of Health Infonet

Research and Markets: NASPGHAN Fellows Concise Review of Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition (1st …

Posted on March 8, 2012 by ev1

DUBLIN--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

Research and Markets (http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/c7db14/the_naspghan_fell) has announced the addition of the "The NASPGHAN Fellows Concise Review of Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition (1st edition)" book to their offering.

The NASPGHAN Fellows Concise Handbook of Pediatric Gastroenterology is a product of discussions that took place in 2009 between Ulysses B Li,MD, then president of NASPGHAN, and the NASPGHAN Fellows Committee. The lack of an up-to-date and comprehensive review that would assist fellows in preparing for certifying examinations was identified as an issue of importance to Pediatric GI, Hepatology and Nutrition fellows throughout North America. With the encouragement of Dr. Li and publisher, Michael Wolf, PhD, Nestl Nutrition agreed to fund a printed version of what had originally been planned as an on-line resource.

The editors used the weighted topic list prepared by the American Board of Pediatric Gastroenterology Sub-board to guide the outline of the Handbook. Sections have been weighted as to length and emphasis to reflect the relative importance assigned to the topics by the Sub-board. To improve the Handbook's utility as a study guide, the editors have focused on factual content and have not included discussions of current controversies in diagnosis, therapy and causation - interesting as they may be.

The number of images and color pictures in the Handbook has been limited because of time. It is vital to remember that this is a visual sub-specialty. The complete pediatric gastroenterologist interprets radiographs, endoscopy images, physical findings and histology slides. Physicians preparing for exams should be sure to access other resources that fill this information void.

Key Topics Covered:

For more information visit http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/c7db14/the_naspghan_fell

For informed eaters, healthy nutrition tastes great

Posted on March 8, 2012 by ev1

Its said that Americans are overfed and undernourished and there is plenty of evidence to back this up, starting with the troubling fact that nearly two-thirds of U.S. adults are overweight.

Food is integral to the problem, of course. As a nation we eat too much of it about 500 calories more each day than we did back in the 1970s, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). Also at issue is the diminishing quality of the American diet; by some estimates nearly 30 percent of the calories consumed in the U.S. each day come from nutrient-starved junk food.

March is National Nutrition Month, a nutrition education and information campaign sponsored annually by the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics (formerly the American Dietetic Association). Efforts such as this that promote healthy diet and lifestyle appear to be cultivating a better-informed and health-conscious consumer. In 20 years of tracking public attitudes about nutrition and eating the Academy says more people today consider health benefits when choosing foods. In its latest survey, Nutrition & You: Trends 2011, the organization reports that more people are consciously incorporating vegetables, fish, chicken, and whole grain foods into their diet, while cutting back on foods high in saturated fat.

Even simple improvements in food choices and mealtime routines can make a big difference.

Eat more fiber, lose more weight

Since fiber-rich foods are naturally filling, youll tend to eat less throughout the day. A study conducted by the United States Department of Agricultures Human Nutrition Research Center found that women who doubled their fiber intake cut their calorie absorption by 90 calories daily.

For sustained energy eat fiber and protein at every meal

Fiber and protein are the two nutrients that take the longest to digest. Eating them in combination at meals and for snacks keeps your blood sugar levels steady, the secret for lasting energy throughout the day.

Dont drink your calories

Eliminate the empty calories from soda, juice, and sweetened teas, and stick to healthier alternatives such as water, unsweetened teas/coffee, and other zero-calorie beverages. A recent study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that more than one-third of calories consumed in a day may come from sugar-sweetened drinks.

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For informed eaters, healthy nutrition tastes great

NATIONAL NUTRITION MONTH: Matthew Vettese Offers Tips for Healthy Weight Loss

Posted on March 8, 2012 by ev1

NEW YORK, March 8, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --Weight loss issues cannot be solved overnight. It takes a longer period of discipline and focus to enact the necessary dietary changes. That is precisely why the Academy of Nutrition and dietetics has declared March as National Nutrition Month, encouraging doctors and nutritionists around the country to provide patients with a greater understanding of what it means to eat right. The Huffington Post reports that this year's nutrition theme is "Get Your Plate in Shape," a theme that resonates with nutrition consultant Matthew Vettese.

"This year's nutrition theme is great because it reminds lay people of just how simple and pragmatic it is to exercise proper eating habits," notes Matthew Vettese, a Florida-based nutrition expert. "It's all about reducing caloric intake while increasing nutrient consumption, meaning that anyone can improve their dietary habits just by paying attention to what they put on their plate for each given meal."

In fact, Matthew Vettese advises that one of the easiest ways to guard against improper eating habits is for individuals to literally examine their plates. "Investing in smaller, colorful plates is a great, practical way to reduce serving sizes," he notes. "When you've cleaned your plate, you'll feel like you're full, and like you've eaten more than you really have."

Of course, the right balance of foods is also important. Matthew Vettese encourages filling half the plate with fruits and vegetables, a quarter with protein, and a quarter with whole-grain carbs.

For those seeking to lose weight and get fit, Matthew Vettese offers another, simple solution: A person shouldn't eat if he or she is not full. "It's remarkable how many of us are conditioned to keep eating long after we're full, just in the interest of cleaning our plate," notes the nutrition expert. "It's always a better to put leftovers in the fridge as opposed to eating and eating until everything is gone."

Finally, Matthew Vettese notes that National Nutrition Month can be observed without total deprivation of the sweeter things. "It's not a bad idea to treat yourself, in moderation, every now and then," he notes. "This is a good way of ensuring that you don't just break down and splurge one day because you miss your favorite sweets and treats."

ABOUT:

Matthew Vettese is a nutrition expert and dietary consultant whose passion is for helping his client find safe and natural ways to lose weight and stay trim. He is also a strong proponent of organic gardening, and offers his clients home gardening tips.

Collaboration needed to facilitate rapid response to health-care-associated infections, survey says

Posted on March 8, 2012 by ev1

Public release date: 8-Mar-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Peggy McNult pmcnult@asmusa.org 202-942-9225 American Society for Microbiology

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) estimates that about one in every 20 patients develops an infection each year related to their hospital care. The key to preventing an outbreak of potentially deadly healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) -- such as methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) or C. difficile -- is identifying them before affected individuals can pose a transmission risk.

But, according to a survey released today by the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology (APIC) and the American Society for Microbiology (ASM), the typical turnaround time for laboratory test results may not be meeting expectations. Greater collaboration between labs and infection preventionists may hold the key to addressing the gap -- and to more effective management of some HAIs.

Most (51 percent) of the infection preventionists (IPs) surveyed indicated that they need results for MRSA screening tests within 12 hours to initiate the necessary precautions; however, MRSA cultures -- a traditional method for screening -- typically take 24 to 48 hours to complete.

The survey identified two factors that could be addressed to help resolve the discrepancy and reduce HAIs: the need for increased communication between IPs and lab professionals, and the lack of tools and resources for training and educating all healthcare personnel.

"These survey results indicate that there are areas for improvement in the relationship between IPs and lab professionals to ensure the best patient outcomes," said Lance Peterson, MD, clinical advisor to ASM, director of Microbiology and Infectious Diseases Research at NorthShore University Health System (Evanston, IL), and clinical professor at the University of Chicago. "In collaboration, APIC and ASM have the ability to improve communication between the laboratory and infection prevention and facilitate a more rapid response to HAIs."

IPs and lab professionals surveyed indicated that they would value assistance in relationship building between the two groups (70 percent), hearing about other facilities' experience in creating partnerships (83 percent), more education about best practices (78 percent), and resources for educating themselves and other staff (62 percent). Only 63 percent said their facility has effective infrastructure in place for training and educating staff about HAIs.

"As governing organizations increase penalties, scrutiny and reporting of HAIs, testing for HAIs will become even more important," said Lillian Burns, MT, MPH, CIC, clinical advisor to APIC, and administrative director of Epidemiology/Infection Control, Staten Island University Hospital. "A collaborative working relationship between these two professional groups can significantly improve patient safety and care."

The survey is a first step in the collaboration between APIC and ASM to reduce infections and improve patient outcomes. As part of APIC's Building Bridges initiatives, the IP Col-lab-oration Project aims to improve patient outcomes by bridging the communication gap between IPs and lab professionals, augmenting tools and resources currently available, and educating healthcare personnel. For more information, please visit http://www.apic.org/labproject.

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Collaboration needed to facilitate rapid response to health-care-associated infections, survey says

2nd Antibody Engineering Summit 2012 to Open in Beijing This June

Posted on March 8, 2012 by ev1

SHANGHAI--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

With the launch of Chinas 12th Five-year Plan for the biomedical industry, Chinas antibody drugs development will usher in a golden era. According to prediction of askci.com, by 2015, Chinas antibody drugs industry will record a total revenue of over RMB 40 billion, among which monoclonal antibody drugs will contribute over RMB 18 billion.

Under policy supports, Chinas antibodies R&D technology is constantly improving, with cancer and immune diseases as its main subjects, while therapeutic monoclonal antibodies also gained much progress. In addition, the enterprises have attached long-term importance to improving the protein expression in pilot trial and elevating the level of industrialization.

The 2ndAntibody Engineering Summit 2012 will discuss the policies, market, and R&D technologies, as well as arrange a GMP training session to interpret the latest standards and a factory tour to learn about the current technologies.

TOPICS:

PAST CHAIRMAN:

Ya-Jun Guo, Director of PLA General Hospital Cancer Center, Director of Cancer Research Institute of the Second Military Medical University and Chairman of National Engineering Research Center of Antibody Medicine and National Key Laboratory of Antibody Therapeutics.

PAST SPEAKERS/ATTENDEES:

ABOUT CBI

The medical conference team at CBI has long been committed to tracking the development and trend of medical industry, by adhering to the CBI principle of conducting in-depth study into the industry and keeping in close contact with industry players. The team takes a third-party perspective and regularly organizes summits on industrial hot issues. The ultimate goal is to serve professionals in the medical community by enhancing mutual understanding among domestic and overseas players, and by facilitating communication among research institutes, manufacturing enterprises and government institutions.

Denver: DNA tests link convicted killer to other murders

Posted on March 8, 2012 by ev1

DENVER -- Authorities all along had the DNA evidence to link a convicted triple-murderer to three additional murders from 1979, and they say he could have been responsible for as many as 20 slayings.

But the process of developing an identifying DNA '' fingerprint" was still five years away when authorities say Vincent Groves killed a prostitute, a banker, and a store clerk.

By the time Groves had been let out of prison in 1987 and went on a suspected killing spree that left police discovering a body a month in and around Denver for about a year, authorities were still struggling with how to handle DNA. Colorado was the first state to require DNA but only from sex offenders in 1988 and the FBI's national database was a decade away from becoming fully operational.

On Wednesday, Denver District Attorney Mitch Morrissey announced that through federal grants for a cold case unit in the Denver Police Department and his office, four slayings had been solved though DNA matches.

Groves, who died in prison in 1996 at age 42, was tied by DNA to the 1979 killings of women found strangled and partially nude in an alley, an industrial park and a bathtub in Denver. Police used a DNA profile of Groves they recently found from an old murder investigation and linked it to the four separate crime scenes, authorities said.

"So often times, a serial offender can fly below the DNA radar screen, maybe leaving DNA, but because their criminal

The 1979 slayings of Emma Jenefor, 25; a store clerk in a tony area of Denver; Joyce Ramey, 23, a suspected prostitute, and Peggy Cuff, 20, a banker, bore strong resemblances to Groves' past killings and the disappearance of a woman that Groves was suspected in, authorities said. Police also linked Groves to the 1988 strangulation death of Pamela Montgomery, 35, a suspected prostitute found dead in an alley.

Groves would target women he knew who were addicted to cocaine or prostitutes he picked up on Colfax Avenue, a street in Denver historically known for prostitution, said Morrissey and Mylous Yearling, cold-case investigator for Denver's police department.

Groves strangled most of his victims; many were found nude or partially clothed, left in the mountains west of Denver, alleys and fields outside the city, police said.

When he died, Groves was serving a life sentence for the 1980s strangling of two young women. He had been released on parole in 1987 after serving five years in prison for killing a third woman in suburban Denver.

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Denver: DNA tests link convicted killer to other murders

Police link woman's DNA to remains of long-missing brother

Posted on March 8, 2012 by ev1

Every day for the past 27 years, Becky Sager Guess prayed about the whereabouts of her 30-year-old brother, who vanished after making a withdrawal from a northwest Harris County bank on June 7, 1984.

She feared for her brother, George "Bud" Sager Jr., but says police refused to investigate his disappearance as a missing persons case. Sager's pickup was discovered abandoned at a Conroe shopping center on July 3, but no clues were found in the truck, Guess said.

"It was devastating to me," said Guess, of Warren, Ark. "I didn't know what to do or where to go."

So she and other family members waited.

Guess finally got some answers in November after Thomas Duroy, a Montgomery County cold case squad detective, learned through DNA tests that a skull discovered in Walker County in 1989 was that of her brother, a former Harris County employee.

Guess had contacted Duroy after seeing a cable news program about cold case investigations.

"I just couldn't give up," said Guess, 60. "He was my little brother. I loved him."

Duroy said he was intrigued by the unique circumstances of the case.

Someone collecting cans discovered the skull along Interstate 45 on Dec. 18, 1989, and reported it, he said.

Inside the skull was a note. It said the skull was found in the woods but that the author could not get involved. Police have a scanned copy of the note, but haven't determined who wrote it.

New Type of DNA Discovered?

Posted on March 8, 2012 by ev1

Small circles of extrachromosomal DNA appear to be widespread in mammals, and may be byproducts of small deletions in the nuclear DNA of somatic cells.

A newly identified form of DNAsmall circles of non-repetitive sequencesmay be widespread in somatic cells of mice and humans, according to a study in this weeks issue of Science. These extrachromosomal bits of DNA, dubbed microDNA, may be the byproducts of microdeletions in chromosomes, meaning that cells all over the body may have their own constellation of missing pieces of DNA.

Its an intriguing finding, said James Lupski, a geneticist at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston who did not participate in the research. Most DNA studies use cells drawn from blood, but that snapshot of a persons genome may not be giving a complete picture, Lupski explained, if cells in other organs have their own set of chromosomal snippets missing.

But the findings do not surprise Sabine Mai, who studies genomic instability at the University of Manitoba. Extrachromosomal DNA is a well-studied phenomenon in cells ranging from plants to humans, she says. This research is just renaming an old phenomenon, previously referred to small polydispersed DNA. Small circles of DNA have been identified before, Mai says, though new deep sequencing techniques will allow for a deeper characterization of these extrachromosomal snippets.

Anindya Dutta, who studies DNA replication at the University of Virginia, and his colleagues were aiming to investigate intrachromosomal shuffling of genes in mouse brain tissuewhere recombination at homologous sequences could create extra loops of DNAbut the widespread nature, size, and sequences of the DNA they turned up surprised them.

After purifying the nuclear DNA from mouse brain tissue samples, the researchers targeted and digested the linear DNA, leaving only circular pieces behind. After enriching and sequencing the circular DNA, the scientists saw that they the circles tended to be small, most 200-400 base pair long, and non-repetitive. Dutta argues that this distinguishes them from previously characterized extrachromosomal circles, like small polydispersed DNA, which are often enriched for repeated sequences. They repeated the experiment with other mouse tissues and human cell lines.

Going back to the linear DNA they had originally discarded, Duttas group was able to correlate microDNAs with specific locations where microdeletions had occurred, suggesting that bits of DNA were being excised from the genome and forming independent circles. If true, that would mean that somatic tissues are subject to a higher and more widespread degree of mosaicism than previously thought, said Dutta, meaning that the genomic DNA in the cells of a given tissue dont all match.

Such a phenomenon could explain certain difficulties in identifying disease-causing alleles, Dutta said. If a microdeletion in some brain cells has disrupted a gene and contributed to cognitive decline, for example, thoroughly sequencing all the cells in your blood wont identify the genetic culprit.

Its unclear what processes underlie microDNA formation, but its most likely they occur during DNA replication or repair. Beyond that, the researchers determined that microDNAs are rich in cytosines and guanines, and tend to cluster at the 5 untranslated areas, exons, and CpG islands. To Dutta, this information suggests the possibility that nucleosomes important for gene regulation may be involved. These tend to be fall in the 5 end of genes, and DNA wrapping could explain microDNA size, which roughly corresponds to the length of DNA entwined on a nucleosome. What DNA repair processes are being used to produce microDNA is ripe for investigating, said Dutta.

Lupski would also like to see data surveying how microDNAs vary across the population, which could lend clues to the potential consequences of widespread microdeletions in somatic tissues. Though this will be a difficult undertaking in human populations, the apparent ubiquity of microdeletions has serious implications for DNA replication and repair, Dutta agreed. Its not as perfect as we tend to believe; its sloppy.

Originally posted here:
New Type of DNA Discovered?

DNA links deceased Colo. serial killer to 3 other murders

Posted on March 8, 2012 by ev1

Authorities all along had the DNA evidence to link a convicted triple-murderer to three additional murders from 1979, and they say he could have been responsible for as many as 20 slayings.

But the process of developing an identifying DNA fingerprint was still five years away when authorities say Vincent Groves killed a prostitute, a banker, and a store clerk.

By the time Groves had been let out of prison in 1987 and went on a suspected killing spree that left police discovering a body a month in and around Denver for about a year, authorities were still struggling with how to handle DNA. Colorado was the first state to require DNA but only from sex offenders in 1988 and the FBIs national database was a decade away from becoming fully operational.

So often times, a serial offender can fly below the DNA radar screen, maybe leaving DNA, but because their criminal history occurred at a time when they werent eligible to go into the database or there was no database, they stay at large continuing to commit their crimes, Morrissey said.

The 1979 slayings of Emma Jenefor, 25; a store clerk in a tony area of Denver; Joyce Ramey, 23, a suspected prostitute, and Peggy Cuff, 20, a banker, bore strong resemblances to Groves past killings and the disappearance of a woman that Groves was suspected in, authorities said. Police also linked Groves to the 1988 strangulation death of Pamela Montgomery, 35, a suspected prostitute found dead in an alley.

Groves strangled most of his victims; many were found nude or partially clothed, left in the mountains west of Denver, alleys and fields outside the city, police said.

The rest is here:
DNA links deceased Colo. serial killer to 3 other murders

DNA evidence links convicted killer to more murders

Posted on March 8, 2012 by ev1

DENVER Authorities all along had the DNA evidence to link a convicted triple-murderer to three additional murders from 1979, and they said he could have been responsible for as many as 20 slayings. But the process of developing an identifying DNA `' fingerprint" was still five years away when authorities said Vincent Groves killed a prostitute, a banker, and a store clerk.

"So often times, a serial offender can fly below the DNA radar screen, maybe leaving DNA, but because their criminal history occurred at a time when they weren't eligible to go into the database or there was no database, they stay at large continuing to commit their crimes," Morrissey said.

Groves strangled most of his victims; many were found nude or partially clothed, left in the mountains west of Denver, alleys and fields outside the city, police said.

Authorities launched a task force in the late 1980s to investigate a string of slayings after authorities began finding an average of a body a month, all possibly killed by the same person, Morrissey said. At that time, Groves was suspected of up to 20 killings between 1979 and 1988, he said. In one case from 1980, investigators had seminal fluid, but could only develop a blood type from the sample.

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DNA evidence links convicted killer to more murders

DNA tests link convicted killer to other murders

Posted on March 8, 2012 by ev1

DENVER (AP) Authorities all along had the DNA evidence to link a convicted triple-murderer to three additional murders from 1979, and they say he could have been responsible for as many as 20 slayings.

But the process of developing an identifying DNA " fingerprint" was still five years away when authorities say Vincent Groves killed a prostitute, a banker, and a store clerk.

Groves strangled most of his victims; many were found nude or partially clothed, left in the mountains west of Denver, alleys and fields outside the city, police said.

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DNA tests link convicted killer to other murders

DNA Tests Link Killer to 4 Denver Deaths

Posted on March 8, 2012 by ev1

Authorities all along had the DNA evidence to link a convicted triple-murderer to three additional murders from 1979, and they say he could have been responsible for as many as 20 slayings.

But the process of developing an identifying DNA " fingerprint" was still five years away when authorities say Vincent Groves killed a prostitute, a banker, and a store clerk.

Groves strangled most of his victims; many were found nude or partially clothed, left in the mountains west of Denver, alleys and fields outside the city, police said.

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The effect of catch-up growth by various diets and resveratrol intervention on bone status

Posted on March 8, 2012 by ev1

Public release date: 7-Mar-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Dr. Lu-Lu Chen cheria_chen@126.com Society for Experimental Biology and Medicine

Although many current studies focused on catch up growth (CUG) have described its high susceptibility to insulin resistance-related diseases very few have focused on the effect of CUG on bone metabolism, especially in adulthood. As diet is a controllable factor, the inuence of re-feeding with different dietary patterns on bone parameters is important to study. Resveratrol has been attributed a number of beneficial effects in mammals including osteotrophic properties. In the March 2012 issue of Experimental Biology and Medicine Wang and colleagues describe the first study to describe the effects of CUG, with different diets, on bone status and the role of resveratrol in CUG models.

CUG can lead to insulin resistance and low-grade systemic inflammation occurs in insulin resistance syndrome. Tumor necrosis factor (TNF)- is an important inammatory cytokine, and Lange and Seriolo et al. indicated that anti-TNF alpha therapy may exert beneficial effects on bone metabolism, prevent structural bone damage and increase bone mineral density.

Dr. Wang said "Our results showed that food restriction induced a significant decrease in bone parameters. Eight-week CUG by normal chow demonstrated a greater degree of improvement in mineral density than a high-fat diet, and even returned to normal level." Dr. Wang also said, "In contrast, Mika C found that re-feeding for two years normalized bone formation activity in adolescent anorexia nervosa patients, but bone mineral density was still significantly lower than that of controls. Compared with neural anorexia, we found in this study the degree of impairment by four-week diet restriction on bone metabolism was relatively weaker, so that bone mineral density returned to normal level after re-feeding."

To better distinguish the effects of CUG by high-fat diet on bone status, these investigators set up a high-fat diet group. Their results showed that bone parameters in the high-fat diet group were markedly higher than either the normal control or the re-feeding with high-fat diet group. The higher serum TNF- level in the CUG by high-fat diet group along with a lower body weight may partially explain the decline in bone parameters compared with the high-fat diet group.

In the resveratrol intervention groups, bone parameters significantly increased. Furthermore, bone parameters were inversely related with serum TNF- concentrations, but showed positive correlation with body weight. In conclusion, the study shows that CUG can partially reverse the deleterious effects of caloric restriction on bone health, especially in re-feeding with normal chow group. Moreover, resveratrol has protective effect on bone status during the period of CUG, but the exertion of this protective role depends on sufficient nutrition supply. Serum TNF- levels and body weight also seem to play an important role in regulating bone parameters. Resveratrol has anti-inammatory effects, increases bone formation but inhibits excessive weight gain. This can be used as a template for synthesizing new drugs, providing a large potential for treatment of overweight and osteoporosis groups.

Steven R. Goodman PhD, Editor in Chief of Experimental Biology and Medicine said "Wang and colleagues have demonstrated that re-feeding with a normal diet showed a larger improvement in bone mineral density than a high-fat diet. Resveratrol has also been demonstrated to have a protective effect on bone status during the period of catch up growth. As serum TNF- levels and body weight also appear to play a role in regulating bone parameters this study may have important implications for the treatment of obesity and osteoporosis".

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Experimental Biology and Medicine is a journal dedicated to the publication of multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary research in the biomedical sciences. The journal was first established in 1903.

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The effect of catch-up growth by various diets and resveratrol intervention on bone status

Scientist surveys cutting-edge of biology in new textbook

Posted on March 8, 2012 by ev1

(PR NewsChannel) / March 8, 2012 / BEIJING

"The Third Synthesis for Biology: Deep Structure Studies I" by Winpen Hann

In The Third Synthesis of Biology: Deep Structure Studies I (ISBN 1466442255), scientist Winpen Hann summarizes the latest developments in evolutionary biology. More than 150 years after Charles Darwin wrote On the Origin of Species, research into evolutionary biology has stagnated as molecular and cell biology, with its focus on recombinant DNA, has captured widespread attention. This new book, however, summarizes a new approach to evolutionary biology that may reinvigorate the field.

Much of evolutionary biology is built on the back of Darwin who described natural selection as survival of the fittest, a competition between animal species over who would be best suited for a particular environment and eventually survive. This new method of research outlined in The Third Synthesis of Biology moves away from the gene-centered view of evolution to focus on the adaptive features of an organisms phenotype. It looks at adaptations within species, from seed size to offspring variation to reproductive timing to symbiotic gut micro-organisms.

This book will appeal to professors, researchers and graduate students who are interested in the latest developments in the life sciences. Hann is the director of the Brain and Ecology Deep Structure Lab and The Third Synthesis of Biology is the fruit of more than 20 years of interdisciplinary research into the burgeoning field of adaptation biology.

Now that the entire human genome has been sequenced, scientists have latched on to the fact that the same genes express themselves differently in different environments. This evolutionary biology textbook expands on this new insight to survey the diversity of physical adaptations within a species as an expression of that genetic diversity. This timely book captures the latest trends in the field at a time when evolutionary biology is coming to an important turning point.

The Third Synthesis of Biology: Deep Structure Studies I is available for sale online at Amazon.com and other channels.

About the Author: Winpen Hann is director of the Brain and Ecology Deep Structure Lab and Deep Structure Bio-science Research Co., Ltd. He is also the director of the original Brain and Ecology Comparative Group. His interests are ecology, evolutionary biology and economics. Hanns other books include New Experimental Biology and The Deep Structure of Life, which he authored in his native language, Chinese.

MEDIA CONTACT Winpen Hann E-mail: Winpen@brainecology.net Phone: 0086 + 13 + 02003-9389 Website:www.brainecology.net

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Scientist surveys cutting-edge of biology in new textbook

Clever Apes: Cooking up a dino-chicken

Posted on March 8, 2012 by ev1

We bring you a guest post today from Faraz Hussain, who studies biochemistry at Illinois Institute of Technology. Faraz is a student of Joseph Orgel, the biologist researching preserved dinosaur tissue whom we profiled in the latest episode of Clever Apes. Here, Faraz introduces us to a completely different way of bridging the eons to bring dinosaurs into the present day. Gabriel Spitzer

Dinosaurs 180 million-odd year reign may be considered a lively old romp by most, but some clever apes would prefer to study these fossils in the flesh. One particular suborder, the theropods, never really went extinct at all. The birds that descended from them are the nearest living relatives today of both raptors and tyrannosaursperhaps none more so than the humble hen. Paleontologist Jack Horner, one of the most vocal exponents of avian dinosaurs being all around us, would rather that hens' more imposing ancestors had not evolutionarily "chickened out" in the first place.

Instead of messing about with amber-encased mosquitoes gorged on dino-DNA and playing fill-in-the-blanks with frog and bird genomes la Jurassic Park, Horner has been rallying his paleontologist pals and evolutionary developmental biologists to try a fresh tack on resurrecting a dinosaur: He wants to reverse-engineer a chickenosaurus. Hey, why start from scratch when you already have a fully-formed dinosaur in need of just a few minor genetic modifications? What follows is not your grandma's stuffed chicken recipe:

Chicken fingers:

While birds may have opted for wings instead of claws, both the T. rex and the chicken have only three digits at the end of each. In birds, however, these fingers have fused together. Hans Larsson at McGill University's Redpath Museum is looking for ways to short-circuit the genetic pathway responsible for this process in the chicken's embryonic stage and allowing the digits to separate so that, instead of those delicious wings, it ends up with far deadlier talons instead.

Rump:

A chicken has only a handful of vertebrae at the end of its spine that fuse to form what passes for its tail. In 2007, Larsson observed a tail in a developing chick embryo that had 16, although by the time it hatched these had dwindled to five. Turn off the genetic mechanism that triggers the breakdown and absorption of the tail, and voilyou're well on your way to the 40 or so vertebrae found in some of the heftiest hindquarters ever: the T. rex tail.

Teeth:

Matthew Harris discovered the rudiments of teeth on a frankenchicken embryo called the talpid2 usually known for its polydactyl fingers. While a far cry from the toothy old tyrannosaur grin that we know and lovethe genome of a chicken doesnt contain genes coding for enamel, nor can they produce dentin, which made up the bulk of those formidable fangsits finally a fighting chance for poultry to bite back!

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