KETV granted exclusive look at Nebraska Medicine's biocontainment unit

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Nebraska Medicine provided KETV NewsWatch 7 an exclusive trip inside the biocontainment unit where a team of well-trained volunteers has treated or observed four people in the last year.

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KETV NewsWatch 7's Jeremy Maskel suited up with the hospital's team. During his trip, he followed the same strict checklist used by staff to treat patients with Ebola.

Skin is covered at all times in the unit and additional layers of gloves are changed with each trip into a biologically-isolated patient room. Boots, gowns, masks and shields are all a part of the process at a minimum, as well.

"We try to anticipate the most need that we would have when we go in there," Nebraska Medicine Respiratory Therapy Coordinator Frank Freihaut said.

Doctors and nurses always team up to put on and take off protective equipment, ensuring that no details are overlooked.

Chris Dahl, a radiology technician at Nebraska Medicine, takes x-rays of everyday patients. However, early in Nebraska Medicines work to treat patients with Ebola, doctors and nurses in the unit realized that x-rays could really help plan treatment for their patients.

"(They're helpful) if we see fluid, if we really need to encourage the deep breathing and coughing, if we need to get them up moving on the bike," nurse Morgan Shradar said.

On that unique, and high pressure call, rdiology technicians suit up to take a portable x-ray machine into the unit, directing unit staff on how to correctly set everything in place. Radiology techs do not actually touch the patient, but are in the room. The machine is thoroughly protected when it's in the unit, and disinfected after its use.

"It is kind of exciting, I think, just because we're having the opportunity to teach people to help save the patients from the disease that's supposedly fatal," Dahl said.

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KETV granted exclusive look at Nebraska Medicine's biocontainment unit

AMSSM and FIFA hold second summit on ECG interpretation in athletes

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In a continued effort to help physicians more accurately interpret ECG results to improve cardiac safety in athletes and impact sudden cardiac death, the American Medical Society for Sports Medicine and the FIFA Medical Assessment and Research Center (FMARC) are bringing together top sports cardiology and sport medicine physicians from around the world for a second summit on ECG interpretation in athletes in Seattle on 26-27 February.

The Summit will focus on reaching agreement upon scientifically driven ECG interpretation standards, defining clear steps in the evaluation of ECG abnormalities and making updates to free online ECG learning modules that were designed as a result of the first ECG Summit. The 2012 Summit yielded four consensus papers and the launch of the educational modules available on the AMSSM and British Medical Journal learning site. To date, more than 13,000 modules have been completed by physicians from over 117 countries.

"The Seattle summit offers an educational package for all sports physicians looking after the health of athletes for free, said FIFAs Chief Medical Officer Professor Jiri Dvorak. FIFA is fully committed to take all measures necessary to reduce the risks of sudden cardiac death among footballers and athletes in general. The Seattle Summit translate the scientific evidence for the use of sport physicians and general practitioners dealing with athletes.

More than 30 of the worlds foremost authorities in sports cardiology and sports medicine will be part of the Summit, which is also being supported by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and includes representatives from the American College of Cardiology (ACC) Sports & Exercise Council, the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) Sports Cardiology Section and the Pediatric & CongenitalElectrophysiology Society (PACES). The expert panel includes participants fromten countries Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Italy, Qatar, Sweden, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, and the United States.

Whether an ECG is performed for screening or diagnostic purposes, physicians responsible for the cardiovascular care of athletes must be guided by ECG interpretation standards that distinguish normal ECG findings in athletes from ECG abnormalities requiring additional evaluation for conditions associated with sudden cardiac death, said past AMSSM President Jonathan Drezner, MD, who is chair of the meeting. Ideally, these standards, combined with greater physician education, will improve disease detection and limit falsepositive results.

The 2012 meeting helped establish athletespecific ECG interpretation standards dubbed the Seattle Criteria. The 2015 Summit will update these standards based on new and emerging research to produce an international consensus to guide ECG interpretation in athletes. Dr. Drezner, who is also director of the UW Medicine Center for Sports Cardiology and a team physician for the University of Washington Huskies and Seattle Seahawks, added, We all want athletes to be safe during sports participation. The summit represents a true scientific collaboration and commitment from the sports medicine and cardiology communities to protect the cardiovascular health and safety in athletes.

The AMSSM is a multidisciplinary organization of sports medicine physicians whose members are dedicated to education, research, advocacy, and the care of athletes of all ages. Founded in 1991, the AMSSM is now comprised of more than 2,700 sports medicine physicians whose goal is to provide a link between the rapidly expanding core of knowledge related to sports medicine and its application to patients in a clinical setting.

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How much do college degrees matter in the 2016 election?

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Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker was 34 credits away from graduating when he dropped out of Marquette University. Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul, while a medical doctor, never finished his undergraduate biology degree at Baylor University before he headed to Duke's medical school. And while Walker's and Paul's higher education credentials--or lack thereof--have drawn intense media scrutiny as November 2016 approaches, these Republican politicians' college education reflects the reality for nearly three-quarters of voting Americans.

But unlike the rest of the general electorate, these men are also top contenders for the nation's highest executive office. According to a recent CBS news poll, 30 percent of Republicans would support Walker, and another third would consider voting for Rand Paul.

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Controversial remarks made last week by former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani have shaken up the race for the Republican presidential nominati...

Examining Walker's chances of winning a GOP primary, CBS News' John Dickerson points out that the lack of a college degree "clearly hasn't slowed his career."

In fact, certain stories from Walker's life position the governor to campaign on the national stage as a political average Joe. "Running against the elites who all have post-graduate degrees is always a safe place to be as a politician," Dickerson said.

When allegations came out that Walker might have been "forced out" of college, the Journal-Sentinel conducted a thorough investigation that came out in favor of the governor's early years.

"I can say unequivocally that isn't true," Walker said in response to the Milwaukee newspaper's questions, and since then, the unsavory rumors have largely been put to rest. Walker has cited a job opportunity as the reason for his incomplete degree, and his senior year at the school also conflicted with his very first state political race, when he ran for a seat in a heavily Democratic district against state Rep. Gwen Moore in 1990.

Even more than a political boon, Walker's distance from educational institutions could serve as a policy advantage.

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Apostle Islands ice caves to open Saturday

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The ice caves along Wisconsin's Apostle Islands National Lakeshore will open to the public on Saturday assuming conditions don't change, the National Park Service said Wednesday afternoon.

But they also urged caution for people who make the trek on Lake Superior ice.

"Rangers checked the ice today and found the walk to the ice caves very treacherous. Large areas of bare ice create extremely slippery conditions. Near the caves, piles of fractured ice sheets make footing rough and unsteady," the Park Service said in a Facebook post.

Rangers also said people should avoid recently formed cracks in the ice near the base of the cliffs and do not stand under large icicles.

The National Park Service's Julie Van Stappen warns the ice is very slippery.

"Unlike last year, when it was more like walking on a hard packed road, it's almost glare ice for a good chunk of the way," Stappen said. "So people really need to use some sort of crampons, and recommend that they bring ski poles, because it's just very slick."

The ice caves drew more than 138,000 tourists last year as the deep freeze made the caves accessible to pedestrians for the first time in nearly five years. In 2009, 12,700 visitors trekked to view the ice formations.

The crush of visitors in 2014 led the park system to plan a $5 fee this year for visitors age 16 and older.

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Apostle Islands ice caves to open Saturday

Apostle Islands ice caves set to open Saturday

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BAYFIELD, Wis. (AP) Apostle Islands National Lakeshore officials say the popular ice caves are set to open to the public Saturday if conditions don't change.

The National Park Service made the announcement Wednesday. But officials urge caution for people who make the trek on Lake Superior ice.

Minnesota Public Radio News reports lakeshore planning chief Julie Van Stappen warns the ice is slippery.

Van Stappen says unlike last year, "it's almost glare ice for a good chunk of the way." Officials recommend people use crampons and use ski poles.

The ice caves drew more than 138,000 tourists last year as the deep freeze made the caves accessible to pedestrians for the first time in nearly five years. The park system plans a $5 fee this year for visitors age 16 and older.

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Apostle Islands ice caves set to open Saturday

Health Care Sector Update for 02/25/2015: IMPR,CTRV,VVUS

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Top Health Care Stocks

JNJ -0.26%

PZE +0.67%

MRK +0.36%

ABT +0.83%

AMGN +0.53%

Health care stocks were narrowly higher, with the NYSE Health Care Sector Index climbing less than 0.1% and shares of health care companies in the S&P 500 rising 0.2% as a group.

In company news, Imprivata ( IMPR ) rose Wednesday after the health care IT security company reported a smaller-than-expected Q4 net loss as well as improved revenue compared with year-ago levels, also exceeding Wall Street expectations.

Net loss during the three months ended Dec. 31 was $1.7 million, or $0.07 per share, trimming a $3.3 million net loss during the same quarter last year. Excluding one-time items, the adjusted net loss was $0.04 per share, coming in $0.05 per share narrower than the Capital IQ consensus.

Revenue rose 34% over year-ago levels to $29 million, topping analyst estimates by $2.39 million.

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Health Care Sector Update for 02/25/2015: IMPR,CTRV,VVUS

Culture Clash: How Stem Cells Are Grown Affects Their Genetic Stability

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Newswise The therapeutic promise of human stem cells is indisputably huge, but the process of translating their potential into effective, real-world treatments involves deciphering and resolving a host of daunting complexities.

Writing in the February 25 online issue of the journal PLOS ONE, researchers at University of California, San Diego School of Medicine, with collaborators from The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI), have definitively shown for the first time that the culture conditions in which stem cells are grown and mass-produced can affect their genetic stability.

Since genetic and epigenetic instability are associated with cancers, we worry that similar alterations in stem cells may affect their safety in therapeutic transplants. Certain mutations might make transplanted stem cells more likely to form tumors, introducing the risk of cancer where it didnt exist before, said co-corresponding author Louise Laurent, MD, PhD, assistant professor and director of perinatal research in the Department of Reproductive Medicine at UC San Diego School of Medicine.

This study shows the importance of quality control, added Jeanne F. Loring, PhD, professor and director of the Center for Regenerative Medicine at TSRI, and adjunct professor in the UC San Diego Department of Reproductive Medicine and the studys other co-corresponding author. Its almost certain these cells are safe, but we want to make sure they are free from any abnormalities.

To exploit the transformative powers of human pluripotent stem cells, which include embryonic stem cells and induced pluripotent stem cells, requires producing them in large numbers for transplantation into patients.

During this culturing process, mutations can occur, and mutations that increase cell survival or proliferation may be favored, such that the cells carrying such mutations could take over the culture, said Laurent.

Human pluripotent stem cells are cultured in several different ways. Key variables are the surfaces upon which the cells are cultured, called the substrate, and the methods used to transfer cells from one culture dish into another as they grow, called the passage method.

Originally, scientists determined that stem cells grew best when cultured atop of a feeder layer that included other types of cells, such as irradiated mouse embryonic fibroblasts. For reasons not fully understood, these cells provide stem cells with factors that support their growth. However, concerns about the feeder cells also introducing undesirable materials into stem cells has prompted development of feeder-free cultures.

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Culture Clash: How Stem Cells Are Grown Affects Their Genetic Stability

Business buzz: Futurist seminars; entrepreneur school for students

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Published: Thursday, February 26, 2015 at 1:00 a.m. Last Modified: Wednesday, February 25, 2015 at 7:57 p.m.

Futurist to hold two seminars

Two seminars will be held by futurist, author and Sarasota resident David Houle at the Longboat Key Center for the Arts.

The first of these Futurshift events, set for 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Friday, is entitled "Brand shift: the future of brands and marketing."

It will discuss the current and future forces and technologies that are shaping and disrupting the marketing of brands and give people "a solid foundation for marketing your brand over the next five to 10 years," Houle said.

The next event will be 8:30 to 3:30 p.m. March 24. It is titled "The new health age: the future of health care and medicine."

It will discuss the trends reshaping the health care landscape, identify strategies to keep personal and company health care costs down and "some of the medical miracles just ahead that may impact your life."

Each seminar costs $500, which includes a continental breakfast, a networking lunch and a copy of a book by Houle. A maximum of 20 people will take part in each event, Houle said.

The Longboat Key Center for the Arts, a division of the Ringling College of Art and Design, is at 6860 Longboat Drive S., Longboat Key.

Register by calling 383-2345 or at lbkca@ringling.edu.

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Business buzz: Futurist seminars; entrepreneur school for students