Select Page ::

Servicemembers Worried about Job Prospects for Out-of-Work Vets, First Command Reports

Posted on March 8, 2012 by ev1

FORT WORTH, Texas--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

At a time when the Pentagon is considering plans to cut the military by close to 500,000 servicemembers, men and women in uniform are worrying about employment prospects for out-of-work veterans.

Recent survey findings from the First Command Financial Behaviors Index reveal that 70 percent of middle-class military families (senior NCOs and commissioned officers in pay grades E-6 and above with household incomes of at least $50,000)are only somewhat confident or not confident in employment opportunities for veterans. Only one in four survey respondents believe there will be sufficient jobs in the civilian workforce for unemployed veterans.

Military families are not particularly encouraged by government solutions, either. Three out of five servicemembers are aware of the VOW to Hire Heroes Act, a new law that provides employers with tax credits for hiring out-of-work veterans. But of those familiar with the VOW Act, nearly half are not confident that it will increase job opportunities in the civilian workforce.

In addition to concerns for out-of-work veterans, many servicemembers are worried about their own careers in the armed forces. The Index reveals that 37 percent of respondentsare concerned about their future in the military. Top concerns include downsizing of the armed forces, cutbacks to pay and benefits and overall job security.

These anemic confidence levels underscore the high unemployment rates we have seen among veterans today as well as proposed plans for defense cutbacks and downsizing tomorrow, said Scott Spiker, CEO of First Command Financial Services, Inc. When active-duty servicemembers see highly trained and tested veterans struggling to find meaningful work, they are justifiably worried about the thousands of vets who will be entering the civilian workforce in the next few years.

About the First Command Financial Behaviors Index

Compiled by Sentient Decision Science, Inc., the First Command Financial Behaviors Index assesses trends among the American publics financial behaviors, attitudes and intentions through a monthly survey of approximately 530 U.S. consumers aged 25 to 70 with annual household incomes of at least $50,000. Results are reported quarterly. The margin of error is +/- 4.3 percent with a 95 percent level of confidence. http://www.firstcommand.com/research

About Sentient Decision Science, Inc.

Sentient Decision Science was commissioned by First Command to compile the Financial Behaviors Index. SDS is a behavioral science and consumer psychology consulting firm with special vertical expertise within the financial services industry. SDS specializes in advanced research methods and statistical analysis of behavioral and attitudinal data.

See original here:
Servicemembers Worried about Job Prospects for Out-of-Work Vets, First Command Reports

Thai-ASEAN News Network – 85-Year Old Man Says Secret to Long Life is Sex

Posted on March 8, 2012 by ev1

Chief of Amnat Charoen Industrial Federation Somporn Seehawong talks about his long time client and friend, 85 year-old Sawat Muengaew. Sawat is an Amnat Charoen native who would drive 30 kilometers from his house to "Tuen Chai" Coffee Shop every morning to have coffee with like-minded friends who are interested in politics.

Sawat says Tuen Chai Coffee Shop holds a special meaning for him. Cheerfully, Sawat recounted the history behind the coffee shop for members of the media. Fifty years ago, Sawat and his 6th wife had opened a noodles store where the coffee shop is today. The 85 year-old man said jovially that he is living a full life and enjoys discussing politics with friends, some of whom are as young as his children or nieces and nephews. He revealed he had been married 16 times and fathered as many as 25 children. His eldest child was born in 1947. All of his children either live in Bangkok or have moved to the US.

He added some of his ex-wives have already passed away.

According to Sawat's friends, Sawat is a happy and humorous man. Sawat said his secret to happiness and longevity is never to stop having sex. He said a man should never be alone and when a partner passes away, a man should try to find a new partner immediately.

Read the original here:
Thai-ASEAN News Network - 85-Year Old Man Says Secret to Long Life is Sex

DNA tests link convicted killer to 4 Denver deaths

Posted on March 8, 2012 by ev1

DENVER (AP) Authorities all along had the DNA evidence to link a convicted a triple-murderer to four additional murders, 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 in 1979.

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 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.

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.

More:
DNA tests link convicted killer to 4 Denver deaths

Gorilla DNA offers clues about humans too

Posted on March 8, 2012 by ev1

Scientists have decoded the DNA of the western lowland gorilla, a feat that could boost conservation efforts for the endangered apes as well as broaden researchers' understanding of human origins.

The complete sequence of 20,962 genes extracted from the skin cells of Kamilah, a 34-year-old gorilla who lives at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park was compiled by an international team of more than 60 researchers who worked on the project for about five years.

"The gorilla genome is important because gorillas are our second-closest living relatives," said Richard Durbin, senior author of a paper about the discovery published Wednesday in the journal Nature.

By comparing the new gorilla DNA sequence with reference genomes of humans, chimpanzees, orangutans and macaques, scientists have already made a few surprising insights into the crucial periods when we diverged into separate species.

For instance, the new genetic data bolster fossil evidence that gorillas split off as a separate species about 10 million years ago and that humans and chimps parted ways about 6 million years ago. Previous genetic evidence had seemed to point to a more recent split, prompting a contentious debate between genetics experts and fossil scholars, said Durbin, who leads the genome informatics group at the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute in Hinxton, England.

"We're proposing a way to make a consistent story between the genetic evidence and the fossil evidence," Durbin said.

"That's significant," said University of Wisconsin anthropologist John Hawks, who was not involved in the research. "There's an argument about early hominids are they really our ancestors? This helps settle that. It shows it's possible."

The data also show that humans and gorillas differ in only 1.75% of their DNA, much less than previously believed. Humans and chimps, our closest living relatives, differ in only 1.37% of their genomes.

When Durbin and his colleagues matched up the DNA letters of gorillas, chimps and humans, they found that in 15% of cases, gorilla DNA was more like human DNA than was chimp DNA.

This result "tells us that there are individual genes for which, if you want to find the closest sequence to humans, you won't necessarily look at chimpanzees. In a few cases, you'll look at gorillas," said Jeffrey Rogers, a geneticist at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston and coauthor of an editorial on the research, also published in Nature.

See the original post here:
Gorilla DNA offers clues about humans too

Columbus Aesthetic and Plastic Surgery is Pleased to Welcome Dr. Christine Edwards as their Laser Skin Treatment …

Posted on March 8, 2012 by ev1

Columbus, Ohio Cosmetic Practice welcomes laser skin treatment physician Dr. Christine Edwards.

Columbus, OH (PRWEB) March 08, 2012

As the Laser Physician at Columbus Aesthetic & Plastic Surgery, Dr. Edwards will focus on providing the latest advanced non-invasive, anti-aging & rejuvenative laser skin treatment options available to correct a multitude of common skin concerns for her Columbus patients including: Pigmented Lesions, Sun Damage (freckles, age spots), Vascular Lesions (small blood vessels) Acne, Skin Firmness, Poor Skin Tone and Texture, Rosacea, Skin Redness, Facial Veins, Spider Veins, Broken Capillaries, Deep and Mild Wrinkles, Surgical & Acne Scars, Actinic Keratoses and Pigment Irregularities.

Dr. Edwards is extremely talented and her ability to treat so many common skin issues truly enhances the level of care at Columbus Aesthetic & Plastic Surgery. It is an honor to welcome her as the newest member of our team, said Dr. Robert Heck.

Dr. Edwards is highly skilled and will use the latest in laser procedures including light based laser skin rejuvenation and skin resurfacing treatments in Columbus, OH with the most advanced available laser systems. Dr. Susan Vasko commented, With our assortment of laser treatments: Broadband Light (BBL, Photofacial), YAG treatments, MicroPeels, Profractional Treatments, and now skin tightening with SkinTyte II, Dr. Edwards will be able to truly enhance the level of treatment for the patients at Columbus Aesthetic & Plastic Surgery.

Dr. Christine Edwards, a native from Columbus, OH, completed her medical degree at the West Virginia University Medical Center. While in West Virginia, she gained valuable experience on many fronts including her time practicing Emergency Medicine at Monongalia General Hospital, a Level One Trauma Unit. She spent much of her time in West Virginia in emergency medicine treating patients who presented extremely delicate and difficult situations. She also worked as a Clinical Instructor of Emergency Medicine with the West Virginia University Hospital, where she found great joy in training and mentoring new doctors in Emergency Care. Dr. John Wakelin noted, Dr. Edwardss extensive training, coupled with her love of teaching has given her an incredible ability to connect with each and every patient, making their experience here a comfortable and personal one.

Dr. Edwards always wanted to use her skills in aesthetic medicine. She spent additional time training in advanced laser therapies around the country, including training at Harvard, prior to joining Columbus Aesthetic & Plastic Surgery Group. Dr. Edwards commented, It has always been dream to pursue my love of aesthetic medicine. The team at Columbus Aesthetic & Plastic Surgery has always been associated with the highest level of patient care and advanced cosmetic and reconstructive procedures. I believe that my skills complement what the surgical staff does so well. She continues, The laser technology at CAPS is second to none. And with the addition of SkinTyte II, loose skin from aging, post weight-loss, and pregnancy, can be tightened faster, and easier than before. We offer the most advanced technology to help all our patients achieve their desired outcome.

About Columbus Aesthetic and Plastic Surgery

Columbus Aesthetic and Plastic Surgery consists of four Ohio based board-certified plastic surgeons: Dr. Timothy Treece, Dr. Susan Vasko, Dr. Robert Heck and Dr. John Wakelin, as well as four full service Columbus Medical Spa locations and a certified laser treatment physician, Dr. Christine Edwards. We are dedicated to creating an enjoyable, stress-free and thoroughly rewarding experience for you from your initial consultation to your last post-operative visit. Our job is to help you realize your aesthetic dreams and to help enhance the confident, beautiful person you already are.

At Columbus Aesthetic and Plastic Surgery our goal is to make your cosmetic dreams a reality and we work to make that happen for each and every one of our patients.

Link:
Columbus Aesthetic and Plastic Surgery is Pleased to Welcome Dr. Christine Edwards as their Laser Skin Treatment ...

Stem cell repair kit for glaucoma could mean a treatment for the most common cause of blindness

Posted on March 8, 2012 by ev1

By Fiona Macrae

Last updated at 1:55 AM on 8th March 2012

Important breakthrough: One in ten glaucoma sufferers go blind, due to late diagnosis, drugs not working or the disease being particularly severe (file picture)

A treatment for one of the most common causes of blindness could soon be available.

British researchers have used stem cells to heal the damage caused by glaucoma.

The treatment has only been tested on rats, but scientists say it could be tested on humans by 2015 and in widespread use four years later.

At present one in ten glaucoma sufferers go blind, due to late diagnosis, drugs not working or the disease being particularly severe.

Researchers at University College London took healthy stem cells master cells capable of turning into other types of cell and widely seen as a repair kit for the body from human eyes.

They used a cocktail of chemicals to turn them into retinal ganglion cells those that die in glaucoma. They then injected these into the eyes of rats with glaucoma-like damage.

After just four weeks, the cells had connected with existing nerve cells, and the animals eyes worked 50 per cent better, the journal Stem Cells Translational Medicine reports.

Fourteenth Patient Dosed in Neuralstem ALS Stem Cell Trial

Posted on March 8, 2012 by ev1

ROCKVILLE, Md., March 7, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Neuralstem, Inc. (NYSE Amex: CUR) announced that the second patient to receive stem cells in the cervical (upper back) region of the spine was dosed on February 29th in the ongoing Phase I trial of its spinal cord neural stem cells in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS or Lou Gehrig's disease). Patient 14 is also the first woman to be treated in the trial. Stem cell transplantation into the cervical region of the spinal cord couldsupport breathing, a key function that is lost as ALS progresses. The first twelve patients in the trial received stem cell transplants in the lumbar (lower back) region of the spinal cord only.

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20061221/DCTH007LOGO )

"This cohort of patients represents another first for our trial, as we transplant cells directly into the gray matter of the spinal cord in the cervical region," said Karl Johe, PhD, Neuralstem's Chairman and Chief Scientific Officer. "We are delighted that the surgeries are progressing in a region that could have a significant impact on the quality of life for ALS patients. With the safe transplantation of our 14th patient, we are well are on our way to demonstrating the safety of our novel procedure."

About the Trial The Phase I trial to assess the safety of Neuralstem's spinal cord neural stem cells and intraspinal transplantation method in ALS patients has been underway since January 2010. The trial is designed to enroll up to 18 patients. The first 12 patients were each transplanted in the lumbar (lower back) region of the spine, beginning with non-ambulatory and advancing to ambulatory cohorts. The trial has now progressed to the final six patients. Each is in the cervical (upper back) region of the spine. The entire 18-patient trial concludes six months after the final surgery.

About Neuralstem Neuralstem's patented technology enables the ability to produce neural stem cells of the human brain and spinal cord in commercial quantities, and the ability to control the differentiation of these cells constitutively into mature, physiologically relevant human neurons and glia. Neuralstem is in an FDA-approved Phase I safety clinical trial for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), often referred to as Lou Gehrig's disease, and has been awarded orphan status designation by the FDA.

In addition to ALS, the company is also targeting major central nervous system conditions with its cell therapy platform, including spinal cord injury, ischemic spastic paraplegia and chronic stroke. The company has submitted an IND (Investigational New Drug) application to the FDA for a Phase I safety trial in chronic spinal cord injury.

Neuralstem also has the ability to generate stable human neural stem cell lines suitable for the systematic screening of large chemical libraries. Through this proprietary screening technology, Neuralstem has discovered and patented compounds that may stimulate the brain's capacity to generate new neurons, possibly reversing the pathologies of some central nervous system conditions. The company has received approval from the FDA to conduct a Phase Ib safety trial evaluating NSI-189, its first small molecule compound, for the treatment of major depressive disorder (MDD). Additional indications could include schizophrenia, Alzheimer's disease and bipolar disorder.

For more information, please visit http://www.neuralstem.com and connect with us on Twitter and Facebook.

Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward Looking Information This news release may contain forward-looking statements made pursuant to the "safe harbor" provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Investors are cautioned that such forward-looking statements in this press release regarding potential applications of Neuralstem's technologies constitute forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties, including, without limitation, risks inherent in the development and commercialization of potential products, uncertainty of clinical trial results or regulatory approvals or clearances, need for future capital, dependence upon collaborators and maintenance of our intellectual property rights. Actual results may differ materially from the results anticipated in these forward-looking statements. Additional information on potential factors that could affect our results and other risks and uncertainties are detailed from time to time in Neuralstem's periodic reports, including the annual report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2010 and the quarterly report on Form 10-Q for the period ended September 30, 2011.

See the original post here:
Fourteenth Patient Dosed in Neuralstem ALS Stem Cell Trial

Transplant without lifetime of drugs?

Posted on March 8, 2012 by ev1

Lindsay Porter's kidneys weighed 16 pounds before her transplant.

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

(CNN) -- By the time Lindsay Porter had her kidneys removed two years ago, they were bulging -- covered in cysts -- and together weighed 16 pounds.

Her abdominal area was so distended, "I looked nine months pregnant, and people regularly asked when I was due," Porter said.

As she prepared for a transplant to address her polycystic kidney disease, Porter, 47, had mixed feelings -- relief to have found a donor, tinged with resignation. She was looking forward to both a new kidney, and a lifetime on immune system-suppressing drugs.

"You get this brand new shiny kidney, and then they give you drugs that eventually destroy it," said Porter.

But that scenario may eventually change, if results of a new pilot study are replicated in a larger group of patients. The study, published Wednesday in the journal Science Translational Medicine, describes eight kidney transplant patients, including Porter, who received a stem cell therapy that allowed donor and recipient immune cells to coexist in the same body.

The effect, in a handful of those patients, was to trick the recipient's immune system into recognizing the donated kidney as its own.

When it works, patients become a sort of medical rarity called a chimera.

"Chimerism is a condition wherein two different genetic cell populations are present in the body, and both cell types are tolerated," said Dr. Anthony Atala, director of the Institute for Regenerative Medicine at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center, who was not involved in the study, via e-mail.

Read the original post:
Transplant without lifetime of drugs?

Iranian scientist creates gas-filled aspirin to fight cancer

Posted on March 8, 2012 by ev1

Source: ISNA

Iranian-American Khosrow Kashfi, Associate Medical Professor and Chemistry, Physiology and Pharmacology Coordinator at the City College of New York, has developed gas-filled aspirin drug which can boost its cancer-fighting ability.

Khosrow Kashfi

Read full article by New Scientist: Gas-filled aspirin is a potent anti-cancer drug

The new aspirin is dubbed "NOSH" which stands for Nitric Oxide and Hydrogen Sulphide.

Loading aspirin with gas boosts its cancer-fighting ability and might even reduce the harmful side effects of taking aspirin every day.

Aspirin is known to damage cancer cells, which is thought to be behind its preventative effect. To test the new drug, Kashfi's team added it to cells from 11 types of human tumour, including colon, pancreas, breast, lung and prostate cancer.

"It turned out to be significantly more potent than aspirin alone," Kashfi said.

"We could be looking at a human trial within two years," Kashfi added.

... Payvand News - 03/07/12 ... --

Follow this link:
Iranian scientist creates gas-filled aspirin to fight cancer

Postdoctoral student awarded physiology prize

Posted on March 8, 2012 by ev1

SACRAMENTO Fan Yang, a doctoral student in the molecular, cellular and integrative physiology program (MCIP), received the 2011-12 Loren D. Carlson Prize in Physiology for his work on the molecular mechanisms underlying temperature-dependent activation of thermo-TRP channels. Yang will be recognized at the graduate studies commencement in June 2012.

The Prize in Physiology is awarded each year by the MCIP Support Committee to a doctoral student whose research expands understanding of the fundamental principles of physiology.

Yang has focused on studies that better define how the body senses and controls body temperature, a function that can affect many organ systems. He has published numerous papers, including first-author research studies in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences and the Journal of Biological Chemistry two high-impact, peer-reviewed journals.

"Yang's work is improving our understanding of how neurons encode temperature information and is receiving favorable reviews by researchers in the field," said Catherine VandeVoort, MCIP graduate group chair. "He and his faculty mentor, Jie Zheng, exemplify our university's commitment to educating the next generation of leaders in the field who will guide, define and create change within the global community."

The Loren D. Carlson Prize in Physiology is named after the late Loren Daniel Carlson, a former assistant dean and chair of the Division of Sciences Basic to Medicine and chair of the Department of Human Physiology. Carlson directed the physiology graduate group and served as a catalyst in the development of a creative interdepartmental and scientifically productive graduate program.

The Graduate Group in Molecular, Cellular and Integrative Physiology is one of 90 graduate-degree programs offered at UC Davis. The program emphasizes collaborative and interdisciplinary training in the fundamental principles of molecular, cellular and integrative physiology across a wide range of subdisciplines, including cardiorespiratory, cellular, comparative, endocrine, reproductive, exercise, metabolic and neurophysiology.

The UC Davis School of Medicine is among the nation's leading medical schools, recognized for its research and primary-care programs. The school offers fully accredited master's degree programs in public health and in informatics, and its combined M.D.-Ph.D. program is training the next generation of physician-scientists to conduct high-impact research and translate discoveries into better clinical care. Along with being a recognized leader in medical research, the school is committed to serving underserved communities and advancing rural health. For more information, visit UC Davis School of Medicine at medschool.ucdavis.edu.

Here is the original post:
Postdoctoral student awarded physiology prize

Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Gateshead to create centre for excellence

Posted on March 8, 2012 by ev1

A NEW pathology centre for excellence will be developed at a North East hospital following a 12m grant from the Government.

The new facility at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Gateshead is expected to open next year.

It will serve around 700,000 patients from across the south of Tyne and Wear.

Doctors say it improve patient care, as well as quality and efficiency, by giving them more timely, precise and relevant information.

The money is coming from a 330m pot of funding to upgrade NHS facilities in England and is paid for with cost savings from other areas of the Department of Healths budget.

Prime Minister David Cameron and Health Secretary Andrew Lansley yesterday announced the cash to develop the new centre for excellence.

Gateshead Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust will be given the cash under a joint project with City Hospitals Sunderland NHS Foundation Trust and South Tyneside NHS Foundation Trust.

The new centre will be supported by facilities in each of those trusts.

Mr Lansley said: I want NHS patients across the North East to get the best care and treatment. We have saved money in central capital budgets this year, which means we can spend more money on improving NHS facilities. This will mean that more patients in the North East will benefit from the latest world-class equipment.

Mr Cameron said: This Government is investing in the NHS to ensure the very best care is available, thats why I can announce over 330m of new medical equipment, from CT scanners to cancer therapy and neo-natal care facilities.

View post:
Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Gateshead to create centre for excellence

Pathology Service Associates prepares for move to new regional headquarters in Florence

Posted on March 8, 2012 by ev1

REBECCA J. DUCKER/MORNING NEWS Sean McDonnell, Vice President of KDC Real Estate and Development greets visitors as Pathology Service Associates, a MED 3000 company, held a ribbon cutting for the opening of their brand new 32,000 square foot facility located on Celebration Boulevard in Florence on March 7, 2012.

Pathology Service Associates (PSA) is ready to move into its new 32,000-square-foot, $5.5 million regional headquarters at 1362 Celebration Blvd.

A ribbon-cutting ceremony was held Wednesday at the facility, a MED3000 Inc. company that is a national leader in health care management and technology products and services.

KDC, one of Americas leading commercial real estate and investment firms, announced the completion of the building.

In 2007, PSA was acquired as a wholly owned subsidiary of Pittsburgh-based MED3OOO, a leader in providing health care management, operations andinformation technology services across the United States.MED3OOO provides a complete platform of clinical and business performance solutions.

Pathology Service Associates(PSA) was founded by Dr. Louis Wright of Florence in 1995 and has become widely recognized as the leading provider of comprehensive business solutions for clinical laboratories and pathology practices nationwide.

Wright, who now lives in Charleston, was present Wednesday. He was impressed with the companys new digs.

Its mind boggling to look at this building, its just incredible, he said during the dedication ceremony. I thank everybody. This is one of the great benefits of joining MED3000.

Wright lauded the loyalty of the Florence employees and PSAs clients.

PSA has great leadership and very little turnover in clients, he said. This is a great day to celebrate what the company has done.

Excerpt from:
Pathology Service Associates prepares for move to new regional headquarters in Florence

Nutrition vs. your food budget

Posted on March 8, 2012 by ev1

I might change up my food shopping list thanks to new nutritional scoring systemspopping up in grocery stores.

In celebration of National Nutrition Month 2012, NuVal nutritional rating scores appear for many foods in supermarkets such as Kroger, Meijer and Big Y World Foods Inc. Wal-Mart has developed its own nutrition program called Great For You.

The NuVal ratings system gives foods a score from 1 to 100, which are based on the Overall Nutritional Quality Index.Participating grocery stores add the scores to thelabels next to the food item's price. What I like is that it'sa rating independent from any other commercial interests. The scoring accounts for more than 30 food factors and ingredients, including sugar, sodium and fiber levels.

At Wal-Mart, shoppers will simply see the Great For You banner in the produce department and an icon on private-label shelf tags or packaging. The icons will indicate the food is indeed "great for you." The food items meet guidance from the 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans, U.S. government health agencies and organizations, andfood and nutrition experts from the public and private sectors.

While grocery shopping, you should also read beyond the nutrition panel and search for natural, unprocessed items in the ingredients list, says Katherine Tallmadge in a recent Washington Post article titled "5 so-called health foods you should avoid." In doing so, you can find products with the most nutritional value for yourself.

Now, you can compare similar foods and brands based on nutrition and your budget.

There are many ways to save on healthy choices, including the following tips.

You can visit NuVal's website for a full list of grocery stores participating in the score program. Would nutrition ratings sway you, or would you still buy the less-nutritious items if you had a coupon or they were on sale?

Here is the original post:
Nutrition vs. your food budget

Bone Up This National Nutrition Month® with Tips from Nutritionist Heather Bauer

Posted on March 8, 2012 by ev1

MERIDEN, Conn., March 7, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --Nutritionist Heather Bauer, RD, CDN, author of the newly released book "Bread is the Devil" from St. Martin's Press, offers tips for people who are trying to change their eating routines to drop the pounds in celebration of National Nutrition Month this March. If bread is not your personal devil, Bauer's book offers advice on how to build sensible, healthy meals, high in protein with complex carbs and avoid other demons from ice cream and chips to that big slab of buttercream-frosted birthday cake. It's important, however, not to skimp on the calcium when watching what you eat. Females fall short on calcium by at least 20%, getting only 500-700 mg per day that's significantly less than the recommended amountputting them at risk of osteoporosis.

To decrease your chance of osteoporosis, Heather Bauer suggests:

According to the National Osteoporosis Foundation, 10 million Americans are estimated to have osteoporosis and almost 34 million more are estimated to have low bone density, increasing their risk of osteoporosis and broken bones. National Nutrition Month is a nutrition education and information campaign sponsored annually by the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. National Nutrition Month focuses on the importance of developing healthy eating and physical activity habits, including meeting daily calcium requirements and performing various exercises to build strong bones, which is imperative in the fight against osteoporosis.

Adora Calcium Supplements are available in creamy milk and rich dark chocolate, and can be found nationally at Whole Foods, The Vitamin Shoppe, and other fine retailers. For more information about Adora Calcium Supplements, visit http://www.adoracalcium.com, http://www.facebook.com/craveyourcalcium, or http://www.twitter.com/adoracalcium.

About Adora Adora Calcium Supplement in rich, premium, all-natural chocolate is produced by Thompson Brands, a chocolate company that has been renowned for great tasting quality chocolates since 1879. While other calcium supplements are produced by pharmaceutical companies specializing in everything from bandages to baby powder, Thompson's specialty is great taste plus something more. Thompson's process for manufacturing Adora Calcium Supplements meets the utmost quality control and standards and is regulated by the U.S. Federal Drug Administration (FDA). The high quality calcium carbonate, vitamin D3, and magnesium all meet United States Pharmacopeia (USP) standards. Adora is a trademark of Thompson Brands. Visit http://www.adoracalcium.com for more information.

DaVita Nutrition Services: Creating a Wave of Healthy Choices

Posted on March 8, 2012 by ev1

DENVER--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

DaVita Inc. (NYSE: DVA - News), a leading provider of kidney care services that is committed to improving the quality of life for those diagnosed with chronic kidney disease (CKD), announced today that DaVitas Nutrition Services team, made up of 1,500 registered dietitians (RDs) across the United States, is kicking off a health initiative during National Nutrition Month in March.

DaVita dietitians work year-round to improve the diet and health of DaVitas 142,000 patients with kidney failure. During the month of March they plan to use their knowledge and passion for nutrition to help their DaVita citizens (employees) and local communities make healthier food choices. By educating others they hope to create a wave of healthy choices that will ripple out beyond National Nutrition Month.

The two core components of the DaVita Nutrition Services initiative are educating DaVita citizens across the country and educating our community members by offering programs and activities that teach healthy eating, said Debbie Benner, RD, vice president of clinical support at DaVita. We have designed content to meet the specific needs for various groups, from young children to teens, up to seniors.

DaVita dietitians will be going out into communities across the 38 DaVita divisions throughout the United States and teaching healthy eating in a fun, interactive way they hope is contagious. The RDs will be working to improve DaVita citizens health by sharing a daily heath tip, planned group activities and games to encourage healthy food practices.

I will be visiting both elementary classes and a senior independent living facility to talk about good nutrition, said Cathy Walker, RD, facility administrator at DaVita. No one is ever too young or too old to improve their health.

Some of the topics and activities the DaVita dietitians will be giving include: Fear Factor Trying New Healthy Foods, to introduce school age children to new, unfamiliar fruits and vegetables; Healthy Eating on a Budget, to teach adults how to plan ahead for better budgeting and better food choices; and Getting Your Plate in Shape, utilizing ChooseMyPlate.gov to give food demonstrations of appropriate food portions.

To learn more about National Nutrition Month, the nutrition education and information campaign created by the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, and their 2012 campaign Get Your Plate in Shape visit http://www.eatright.org/. To find more information on healthy eating tips and 700-plus kidney friendly recipes visit http://www.davita.com/recipes/.

DaVita is a registered trademark of DaVita Inc. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

About DaVita

Continued here:
DaVita Nutrition Services: Creating a Wave of Healthy Choices

Wash your mouth out with silver

Posted on March 8, 2012 by ev1

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

Contact: Clare Doggett clare@sfam.org.uk 44-123-432-6661 Wiley-Blackwell

Yeasts which cause hard-to-treat mouth infections are killed using silver nanoparticles in the laboratory, scientists have found. These yeast infections, caused by Candida albicans and Candida glabrata target the young, old and immuno-compromised. Professor Mariana Henriques, University of Minho, and her colleagues hope to test silver nanoparticles in mouthwash and dentures as a potential preventative measure against these infections.

Professor Henriques and her team, who published their research in the Society for Applied Microbiology's journal Letters in Applied Microbiology today, looked at the use of different sizes of silver nanoparticles to determine their anti-fungal properties against Candida albicans and Candida glabrata. These two yeasts cause infections including oral thrush and dental stomatitis, a painful infection affecting around seven out of ten denture wearers1. Infections like these are particularly difficult to treat because the microorganisms involved form biofilms2.

The scientists used artificial biofilms in conditions which mimic those of saliva as closely as possible. They then added different sizes and concentrations of silver nanoparticles and found that different sizes of nanoparticles were equally effective at killing the yeasts. Due to the diversity of the sizes of nanoparticles demonstrating anti-fungal properties the researchers hope this will enable the nanoparticles to be used in many different applications.

Some researchers have expressed concerns around the safety of nanoparticle use but the authors stress this research is at an early stage and extensive safety trials will be carried out before any product reaches the market.

Professor Henriques comments: With the emergence of Candida infections which are frequently resistant to the traditional antifungal therapies, there is an increasing need for alternative approaches. So, silver nanoparticles appear to be a new potential strategy to combat these infections. As the nanoparticles are relatively stable in liquid medium they could be developed into a mouthwash solution in the near future.

Moving forward Professor Henriques hopes to integrate silver nanoparticles into dentures which could prevent infections from taking hold.

###

Original post:
Wash your mouth out with silver

Is an annuity in your future?

Posted on March 8, 2012 by ev1

By Mark Miller

CHICAGO (Reuters) - You've done a good job building your 401(k), and retirement is not far off. The question now: how to make sure that nest egg generates sufficient income to sustain you through a retirement that might last two or three decades.

For years, retirement income has been something of a holy grail for retirement experts who worry about longevity - the risk that you will outlive your money. One solution is the income annuity.

An income annuity offers a simple proposition: turn over a chunk of cash to an insurance company, which then sends you a monthly check for as long as you live.

Income annuities don't play a big role on the stage of retirement solutions - but they have been in the spotlight lately. The U.S. Treasury Department has proposed policies that would make it easier to use income annuities within 401(k) retirement plans or Individual Retirement Accounts (IRAs).

And income annuity sales rose 6.6 percent in 2011 to a record $8.1 billion, according to LIMRA, an insurance industry research and consulting group. That's still a very small fraction of the overall retirement market, which had $17 trillion invested at the end of the third quarter last year, according to the Investment Company Institute. But it is movement just the same.

Savers may be drawn to the higher immediate rates of return that income annuities provide when compared with traditional fixed-income investments, like bonds and bank certificates of deposit. For example, a 65-year-old man who bought a $100,000 immediate annuity would receive $562 per month for life, according to Vanguard. That is an initial annual payout of 6.7 percent; far higher than any safe bond yields right now.

That's made possible by the "mortality credit" baked into annuities - a term that refers to the money paid in by customers who die earlier than their life expectancy; that money goes into the overall pool and can be paid out to other annuitants.

"With expectations of low market returns for the next decade and longer, immediate annuities may be one of the few investment silver linings for investors looking to make their nest egg last their life time," said Harold Evensky, president of Evensky & Katz Wealth Management.

But income annuities have not taken off. Many retirement investors do not like the idea of handing over their money to insurance companies. And most immediate fixed annuities keep the same monthly payouts forever; they do not rise with inflation. So if the man in the above example lived to be 84, he would still be getting $562 a month, and his rate of return would have dropped to 2.74 percent, according to Vanguard. His rate would fall over the long term because the monthly amount would never increase with inflation or growth of principal.

Here is the original post:
Is an annuity in your future?

Ho-Ho-Kus PBA contract includes raises; no longevity for new hires

Posted on March 8, 2012 by ev1

The Mayor of Ho-Ho-Kus, Tom Randall, has officially signed the newest contract with the Policemen's Benevolent Association (PBA) that will provide raises for each year, increase the uniform allowance and get rid of longevity for new hires.

The new contract "covers 2011-2013 and will provide a 2-percent raise for each year" to three sergeants and nine full-time police officers employed in the borough, Borough Administrator Don Cirulli said in an interview last week.

The members of the PBA will also "get a $25 increase in uniform allowance," Cirulli said.

Only full-time sergeants and police officers are part of the PBA, the police chief and lieutenant have individual contracts with the borough, which were settled last year.

Ho-Ho-Kus police officers get a minimum salary of $33,000 and a maximum of $92,332. The three police sergeants get a minimum salary of $97,872 and a maximum of $112,000, according to an ordinance to fix the compensation of certain officers and employees in the borough, passed at the Mayor & Council's Feb. 28 meeting.

Another element of the newest PBA contract is not making longevity available to officers hired after Jan. 1, 2011.

"[Longevity] is old-fashioned, most towns are looking to get rid of it," Cirulli said.

The three sergeants and nine police officers will still get longevity, which "will be grandfathered into their contracts," he said.

A 10th police officer is expected to be added to the department in the spring after he completes training at the Bergen County Police and Fire Academy in Mahwah. The soon-to-be officer has worked as a dispatcher in the borough but "will not receive longevity," once he becomes an active Ho-Ho-Kus police officer, the borough administrator said.

Longevity is given on top of a salary after an officer or sergeant in Ho-Ho-Kus has reached the top of the salary level. The salary guide in the borough has three steps, Cirulli said.

The rest is here:
Ho-Ho-Kus PBA contract includes raises; no longevity for new hires

From ‘Refrigerator Mothers’ to untangling the genetic roots of autism

Posted on March 8, 2012 by ev1

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

Contact: Michael Bernstein m_bernstein@acs.org 202-872-6042 American Chemical Society

With the "Refrigerator Mother" notion about the cause of autism a distant and discredited memory, scientists are making remarkable progress in untangling the genetic roots of the condition, which affects millions of children and adults, according to an article in the current edition of Chemical & Engineering News. C&EN is the weekly newsmagazine of the American Chemical Society, the world's largest scientific society.

In the story, C&EN Associate Editor Lauren K. Wolf points out that most people in the 1960s believed autism resulted from a lack of maternal warmth and emotional attachment. It was a hypothesis popularized by Austrian-born American child psychologist and writer Bruno Bettelheim. Now scientists around the globe are focusing on genes that have been implicated in autism and related conditions, collectively termed "autism spectrum disorders." That research may solve mysteries about autism, which affects 1 in 110 children in the U.S. Among them: what causes autism, why does it affect more boys than girls and what can be done to prevent and treat it?

C&EN explains that scientists now have solidly implicated certain genes as being involved in autism. Most of those genes play a role in the transmission of signals through the junctions or "synapses" between nerve cells. Synapses are the territory where one nerve releases a chemical signal that hands off messages to an adjoining nerve. The human brain has an estimated 1,000 trillion synapses, and they are hot spots for miscommunications that underpin neurological disorders like autism. Scientists now are gleaning information on what those genes do, what brain circuits they affect and how the proteins they produce function. In doing so, they are paving the way for future medications for autism spectrum disorders.

###

The American Chemical Society is a nonprofit organization chartered by the U.S. Congress. With more than 164,000 members, ACS is the world's largest scientific society and a global leader in providing access to chemistry-related research through its multiple databases, peer-reviewed journals and scientific conferences. Its main offices are in Washington, D.C., and Columbus, Ohio.

To automatically receive news releases from the American Chemical Society contact newsroom@acs.org.

AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.

Go here to read the rest:
From 'Refrigerator Mothers' to untangling the genetic roots of autism

More effective treatments urgently needed for adolescent depression

Posted on March 8, 2012 by ev1

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

Contact: Cathia Falvey cfalvey@liebertpub.com 914-740-2100 Mary Ann Liebert, Inc./Genetic Engineering News

New Rochelle, NY, Mar 07, 2012--More than 2 million teenagers suffer from depression in the U.S. Recent drug warnings and study results have led to increased controversy surrounding the treatment of adolescent depression. A state-of-the-art issue reporting on the latest research findings on antidepressant medications combined with appropriate therapeutic strategies has been published by Journal of Child and Adolescent Psychopharmacology, a peer-reviewed journal from Mary Ann Liebert, Inc. The special issue on psychopharmacology of adolescent depression is available free on the Journal of Child and Adolescent Psychopharmacology website.

"There are no radically new treatments on the horizon for the treatment of depression, and so we have to do better with the treatments we have available," says Graham J. Emslie, MD, Guest Editor of the issue and Director of Child Psychiatry at University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas. "Few youths with depression receive adequate treatment."

The issue focuses on the controversy, the data, and the challenges and opportunities in the care of adolescents with major depressive illness. The articles cover a wide range of issues that all contribute to the goal of improving outcomes. Included in the issue, Greg Clarke, PhD et al., Kaiser Permanente Center for Health Research (Portland, OR), present an evaluation of new and refill antidepressant prescribing practices among physicians before and after warnings related to teen suicide risk were issued. Kenneth Wells, MD, MPH and colleagues from University of California, Los Angeles, and Stony Brook University (NY), explore the effectiveness of appropriate care delivered in a primary care setting. Dr. Emslie and colleagues from UT Southwestern Medical Center examine the common problem of insomnia in youths with depression and its impact on treatment.

"Depression is a major public health concern among young people, particularly teens, but many people have a hard time talking about it," says Harold S. Koplewicz, MD, Editor-in-Chief of Journal of Child and Adolescent Psychopharmacology, and President, Child Mind Institute, New York, NY. "Advancing research is one way we can work to change a culture of denial that too often stands in the way of effective and sometimes life-saving treatment."

###

About the Journal

Journal of Child and Adolescent Psychopharmacology is an authoritative peer-reviewed journal published bimonthly in print and online. The journal is dedicated to child and adolescent psychiatry and behavioral pediatrics, covering clinical and biological aspects of child and adolescent psychopharmacology and developmental neurobiology. Complete tables of content and a sample issue may be viewed online at the Journal of Child and Adolescent Psychopharmacology website.

About the Company

View post:
More effective treatments urgently needed for adolescent depression

Select Page ::