Liberty boy on school attack: I thought I was going to die

Posted on by

A Liberty mother said her son is fortunate to be alive after he was attacked at school.

Blake Kitchen, 12, suffered a broken jaw and fractured bones in his head from the attack last week, which his parents said happened nearly a month after they told Liberty Public Schools that Blake was being bullied.

Kitchen was released from a hospital Monday, five days after he was admitted Thursday morning. The Liberty Middle School sixth-grade student said he was attacked by an eighth-grader.

"I thought I was going to die," he said. "It felt like all my bones in my body were broken."

He was rushed to a hospital after the attack. His family said he was bleeding from his ear and had fractures in his jaw and skull.

"I'm glad he's alive, because he could have not made it and it is maddening," said Destiny Kitchen, Blake's mother.

She said it was agonizing to watch her son suffer.

"(He was) saying, 'I don't want to die, Mommy. Please.' And watching him throw up every time he moved his head, the blood coming out of his ears, them not knowing there was spinal fluid coming out."

His family said they documented the bullying that Blake has faced and even sent the district a certified letter Jan. 26 that highlighted their worries.

"We have heard instances of bullying which seem to be escalating," said Destiny Kitchen.

Read this article:

Liberty boy on school attack: I thought I was going to die

Genetic medicine under the spotlight

Posted on by

LEADING experts are hosting a special event to highlight pioneering genetic work carried out at Newcastle University, including the controversial three-parent IVF technique.

Genetic Matters will focus on a series of high-profile talks, including mitochondrial donation, the future of genetic diagnostics and life after being diagnosed with a rare illness.

Newcastle Universitys 100,000 Genome Project will also be discussed. The world-leading scheme aims to map 100,000 complete genetic codes to uncover DNA data that can be used to develop personalised diagnostic procedures and drugs.

Dr Katarzyna Pirog, from the Institute of Genetic Medicine, said: Genetics Matters is an event designed specifically for members of the public, and is an exciting opportunity to meet scientists and learn about the state-of-the-art genetic research that happens at Newcastle University.

With a series of high profile talks, presentations from patient groups and charity organisations, and hands on research tables, it is a packed day giving everyone a chance to talk to real scientists and ask them any questions to do with genetic research.

Prof Sir John Burn, head of Newcastle Universitys Institute of Human Genetics, will close the event with a talk about the future of rare disease research.

He said: There are more than 8,000 rare diseases, mostly due to faults in one or more genes and the number grows as sequencing gets cheaper and faster. One in 17 people has a rare genetic disorder and providing their care is a major health cost.

As we learn how these rare diseases are caused we gain new insights into the causes of common diseases and can use this to develop new treatments.

Genetic Matters will take place on Friday, February 27, from 10:45am until 5pm, at the Great North Museum: Hancock in Newcastle.

To book a place at the event visit: forms.ncl.ac.uk/view.php?id=7501

More:
Genetic medicine under the spotlight

Professor Robert Langer joins Nanobiotix as Scientific Advisor

Posted on by

Laurent Levy, CEO of Nanobiotix, commented: "We really appreciate that Professor Langer joined us as a Scientific Advisor. Professor Langer is a globally acknowledged nanomedicine expert and serial business innovator, and his involvement will be an asset for our technologies, our development and expansion beyond cancer".

Professor Langer presides over the largest academic biomedical engineering laboratory in the world. His laboratory is centered in the David H. Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. His team has more than 100 researchers including chemists, biologists, materials science engineers and computer scientists.

He is also a Principle Investigator at the MIT-Harvard Center for Cancer Nanotechnology Excellence, one of eight Centers of Cancer Nanotechnology Excellence awarded by The National Cancer Institute (NCI), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

Beyond his extensive involvement and leadership in MIT's scientific community, Professor Langer's research has spawned a vast array of innovative and disruptive technologies. He holds over 1,000 patents in diverse areas of biomedical technology and has been involved in the launch or acceleration of numerous biotech companies including BIND Therapeutics, Enzytech and Pervasis as examples.

Professor Langer said: "Radical and disruptive technologies are always required. An interdisciplinary approach to research and development is critical to ensure that these technologies are developed to their fullest potential. I see NanoXray technology as one of the technologies that could make a significant difference to disease treatment. Nanobiotix has very exciting and innovative projects and I look forward to working with the Team".

In September 2014, Nanobiotix opened its US affiliate in the Boston Life Science hub, in Cambridge MA. The location provides access to a critical mass of academic and medical institutions as well as biopharmaceutical industries, and will ensure access to the research community and clinical expertise in the US.

About NANOBIOTIX: http://www.nanobiotix.com

Nanobiotix (Euronext: NANO / ISIN: FR0011341205) is a late clinical-stage nanomedicine company pioneering novel approaches for the local treatment of cancer. The company's first-in-class, proprietary technology, NanoXray, enhances radiotherapy energy with a view to provide a new, more efficient treatment for cancer patients. NanoXray products are compatible with current radiotherapy treatments and are meant to treat potentially a wide variety of cancers including Soft Tissue Sarcoma, Head and Neck Cancer, Liver Cancers, Prostate Cancer, Breast Cancer, Glioblastoma, etc., via multiple routes of administration.

Nanobiotix's lead product NBTXR3, based on NanoXray, is currently under clinical development for Soft Tissue Sarcoma and locally advanced Head and Neck Cancer. The company has partnered with PharmaEngine for clinical development and commercialization of NBTXR3 in Asia.

Nanobiotix is listed on the regulated market of Euronext in Paris (ISIN: FR0011341205, Euronext ticker: NANO, Bloomberg: NANO: FP). The company, based in Paris, France, opened an affiliate office in the Boston area of the US in September, 2014.

Visit link:
Professor Robert Langer joins Nanobiotix as Scientific Advisor

Mansionair cover Future Islands ‘Seasons (Waiting On You)’ for Like A Version – Video

Posted on by


Mansionair cover Future Islands #39;Seasons (Waiting On You) #39; for Like A Version
Sydney boys Mansionair put a smooth spin on Future Islands #39; #39;Seasons (Waiting On You) #39; for triple j #39;s Like A Version. Subscribe: http://tripj.net/151BPk6 Lik...

By: triple j

View original post here:

Mansionair cover Future Islands 'Seasons (Waiting On You)' for Like A Version - Video

Construction Update: Rumored New King Kong Ride at Islands of Adventure (1/31/2015) – Video

Posted on by


Construction Update: Rumored New King Kong Ride at Islands of Adventure (1/31/2015)
The Legend returns with a quick update from Universal Orlando #39;s Islands Of Adventure on the massive construction going on for what is rumored to be a new Kin...

By: In the Loop

Read the original post:

Construction Update: Rumored New King Kong Ride at Islands of Adventure (1/31/2015) - Video

Argentina's Falkland Islands BANKNOTE to enter circulation NEXT MONTH in ANOTHER dig at UK

Posted on by

AP

The disputed archipelago will appear on the face side of the blue 50 peso note - worth POUNDS 3.70.

The reverse side will carry the image of an Argentine folk hero who led a bloody 19th century uprising against the British in the Falklands.

Antonio Rivero will be pictured riding across the islands on horseback with an Argentine flag hoisted above his head.

The timing of the new banknote, bound to anger Britain, was announced today/yesterday (TUE) by Argentinas Central Bank.

Bank president Alejandro Vanoli said: The aim of this new banknote is to incorporate the Argentine nations unwavering claim over the Falklands Islands into an element of daily use.

Riveros August 1833 uprising, eight months after the British took control of the Falkland Islands, claimed the lives of five men.

It will compel every Argentine to keep alive on a daily basis the flames of love for our islands which are and always will be ours

Spokesman

The gang he led went unpunished because a local court system had not been established - and he went on to acquire the status of a folk hero in Argentina.

Read more:

Argentina's Falkland Islands BANKNOTE to enter circulation NEXT MONTH in ANOTHER dig at UK

Human DNA gives mice bigger brains

Posted on by

Injecting mouse embryos with a human DNA sequence leads to a marked increase in brain size -- and may provide insights into Alzheimer's.

Mouse embryo injected with HARE5. Gene actvity is stained blue. Duke University/Silver Lab

The human genetic code is very similar to the genetic code of our closest living relative -- the chimpanzee -- sharing around 95 percent. Of all the differences, however, one is particularly interesting: the human brain is a lot bigger than the brain of a chimp. The brain of a chimp weighs, on average, 384 grams, whereas a human brain is more than triple that, at 1,352 grams.

Although it's not brain size alone that accounts for human intelligence, it certainly plays a pretty important role -- and now, researchers at Duke University have identified the DNA sequence that may be responsible for that particular evolutionary deviation.

How? By using mouse embryos.

The DNA sequence, called HARE5, is a gene activity regulator shown to markedly increase the size of a mouse embryo's brain when injected into the embryo. Compared to a mouse embryo injected with chimpanzee HARE5, the mouse embryo's brain grew 12 percent larger.

"I think we've just scratched the surface, in terms of what we can gain from this sort of study," said Debra Silver, an assistant professor of molecular genetics and microbiology in the Duke University Medical School. "There are some other really compelling candidates that we found that may also lead us to a better understanding of the uniqueness of the human brain."

HARE5 is what is known as an "enhancer", belonging to a group called "human-accelerated regulatory enhancers", including HARE1 through to HARE6. Enhancers are short pieces of DNA inside every genome that control the activity of genes.

To locate the DNA that might influence brain development, the team screened databases of genomic data from humans and chimps, looking for enhancers expressed primarily in the brain tissue early in development, but that also differed between the two species. Of the 106 candidates, the HARE group were near to genes believed to be involved in brain development.

HARE5 was the strongest candidate -- it's located chromosomally near Frizzled8, a molecular pathway indicated in brain development and disease. The team also found that Frizzled8 and HARE5 make physical contact in brain tissue.

See more here:

Human DNA gives mice bigger brains

Milbank: Scott Walkers insidious agnosticism

Posted on by

I dont know.

Thus proclaimed Scott Walker, the Wisconsin governor and Republican presidential hopeful, when asked by The Posts Dan Balz and Robert Costa on Saturday whether President Obama is a Christian.

This is not a matter of conjecture. The correct answer is yes: Obama is Christian, and he frequently speaks about it in public. Balz and Costa presented Walker with this information to give him a second chance to answer.

But even when prompted with the facts, Walker in Washington for the National Governors Association meeting persisted, saying, Ive actually never talked about it or I havent read about that, and, Ive never asked him that, and, Youve asked me to make statements about people that I havent had a conversation with about that.

This is an intriguing standard. Ive never had a conversation with Walker about whether hes a cannibal, a eunuch, a sleeper cell for the Islamic State, a sufferer of irritable bowel syndrome or a grand wizard of the Ku Klux Klan. By Walkers logic, it would be fair for me to let stand the possibility that he just might be any of those simply because I have no personal and direct refutation from him.

Walker justifies his agnosticism on grounds that he is avoiding gotcha questions. He caused a furor when he used the same logic last week to avoid saying whether Obama loves his country after Rudy Giuliani, at a dinner with Walker, volunteered his view that Obama does not. To me, this is a classic example of why people hate Washington and, increasingly, they dislike the press, he told my colleagues Balz and Costa, two of the best in the business.

This is insidious, and goes beyond last weeks questioning of Obamas patriotism, because it allows Walker to wink and nod at the far-right fringe where people really believe that Obama is a Muslim from Kenya who hates America. The governor is flirting with a significant segment of the Republican primary electorate: those who have peddled the notion (accepted by 17percent of Americans at the end of Obamas first term) that Obama is a Muslim.

Beyond that, Walkers technique shuts down all debate, because theres no way to have a constructive argument once youve disqualified your opponent as unpatriotic, un-Christian and anti-American. On the Internet, Godwins Law indicates that any reasonable discussion ceases when the Nazi accusations come out; Walker is essentially doing the same by refusing to grant his opponent legitimacy as an American and a Christian.

But if this is Walkers standard, it seems only fair that it should be applied to him, as well. Here is what one of those meet-the-candidate Q&As might look like if the answers were drawn from actual demurrals Walker has used in other contexts in recent weeks:

Why does Scott Walker hate America?

See the original post here:
Milbank: Scott Walkers insidious agnosticism

Virginia LeBaron on How Cancer Outpatients and Health Care Providers Discuss Pain – Video

Posted on by


Virginia LeBaron on How Cancer Outpatients and Health Care Providers Discuss Pain
Virginia LeBaron, APRN, PhD, FAAN, post-doctoral research fellow, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, discusses a study that looked at how cancer outpatients and health care providers talk about pain.

By: OncLiveTV

Read more:

Virginia LeBaron on How Cancer Outpatients and Health Care Providers Discuss Pain - Video

Health Care Updates You Won’t Want To Miss – Forbes

Posted on by

The Obama administration took credit for the slowdown in health care spending, even though it started a decade ago. Will they now accept blame for the reversal? What about increasingly narrow networks? Are they ready to admit this is not healthy competition? Or that Healthcare.gov still doesnt work? Or that health insurance coops a favorite idea on the left have been a financial disaster? And oops. Everything the government has been telling you about healthy living is wrong. Read on.

Healthcare spending on the rise again

From John Tozzi, BloombergBusiness:

Government data, shows health spending increasing by 5 percent last year, compared to 3.6 percent in 2013. If confirmed by the final tally, health-care spending during 2014 would mark the biggest jump since before the recession.

More on health insurance being ruined by Obamacare

Networks are getting narrower:

in spite of having insurance, a consumer involved in a car wreck and taken to a non-network hospital might receive additional bills, not just from the hospital, but from the radiologist who read his X-rays, the surgeon who repaired his broken leg and the laboratory that processed his blood tests.

For example, there were no in-network emergency room physicians or anesthesiologists in some of the hospitals participating in plans offered by three large insurers in Texas in 2013 and 2014, according to a survey of state data by the Center for Public Policy Priorities, a Texas advocacy group. Kaiser Health News

The back end of HealthCare.gov is still a mess

Subsidy payments arent automated, so the insurers get payments based on estimates. And adding information like a marriage or the birth of a child is a convoluted, multi-step process

Continued here:

Health Care Updates You Won't Want To Miss - Forbes

Administration Bars Health Plans That Won’t Cover Hospital …

Posted on by

Is health insurance that doesn't cover hospital care worth having? iStockphoto hide caption

Is health insurance that doesn't cover hospital care worth having?

The Obama administration has blocked health plans without hospital benefits that many large employers argued fulfilled their obligations under the Affordable Care Act.

Companies with millions of workers, mainly in lower-wage industries such as staffing, retailing, restaurants and hotels that hadn't offered health coverage previously, had been flocking toward such insurance for 2015.

Plans lacking substantial coverage of hospital and physician services don't qualify as "minimum value" coverage under the law and so do not shield employers from fines of $3,000 or more per worker, the Department of Health and Human Services said late Friday.

The move closes what many saw as a surprising loophole, first reported by Kaiser Health News in September, that let companies bypass the health law's strictest standard for large-employer coverage while at the same time stranding workers in sub-par insurance. Employees offered such plans would have been ineligible for tax credits to buy more comprehensive coverage in the law's online marketplaces.

The agency did decide to allow such plans for this year only if employers had signed contracts by Nov. 4.

However, it also granted relief to workers offered such coverage, saying they may receive tax credits according to their income to buy more comprehensive insurance in the online exchanges. Ordinarily, employees offered coverage qualifying as minimum value aren't eligible for the subsidies.

Despite what Washington and Lee University law professor Timothy Jost called "a lot of pushback" from employers, HHS has now followed through on earlier guidance that it intended to disallow such coverage.

A plan without hospital benefits "is not a health plan in any meaningful sense," the agency said in a large batch of regulations issued Friday. Scoring such a plan as minimum value "would adversely affect employees (particularly those with significant health risks) who understandably would find this coverage unacceptable. ..."

Excerpt from:

Administration Bars Health Plans That Won't Cover Hospital ...

15th Annual Employee Health Care Conference

Posted on by

12 - 13 March, 2015

This program has been submitted to the HR Certification Institute for review.

The high-performance health care challenge still holds a top slot on business agendas nationwide. All aspects of health care are in flux. Rising costs pose a significant business risk now and the excise tax is imminent. Investments in health care must have demonstrable value, fulfill varying roles in total rewards for different workforce groups and, ultimately, support both business performance and a consumer grade employee experience.

In its 15th year, the Employee Health Care Conference will convene top employers and industry leaders to share case studies, best practices and practical next steps to help you define, achieve and sustain a high-performance health care program now and in the years ahead.

Top Reasons to Attend:

Additional highlights:

Interested in the San Diego Employee Health Care Conference?Click here

For SPEAKING OPPORTUNITIES or for SPONSORSHIPOPPORTUNITIES,please contactgregg.mauro@conference-board.org.

Start networking now!Join theEmployee Health Care Experts LinkedIn Groupto discuss the dramatic changes facing the industry with your fellow employee health care professionals before, during and after the conference.

More here:

15th Annual Employee Health Care Conference

Health Care Sector Update for 02/23/2015: CLDX,RIGL,SPPI

Posted on by

Top Health Care Stocks

JNJ -0.12%

PZE -0.72%

MRK -0.38%

ABT -0.07%

AMGN +0.33%

Health care stocks were broadly higher today with the NYSE Health Care Sector Index adding about 0.5% and shares of health care companies in the S&P 500 climbing 0.3% as a group.

In company news, Celldex Therapeutics ( CLDX ) rallied Monday after U.S regulators designated the company's rindopepimut drug candidate as a Breakthrough Therapy for adult patients with a specific type of brain tumor.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administrations uses breakthrough-therapy designation to expedite the development and review of drugs for serious or life-threatening conditions. Typically, the agency makes its decision based on data from at least clinical trial demonstrating the drug may offer substantial improvement over other currently available therapies.

The company rindopepimut drug candidate targets EGFRvIII-positive glioblastoma, a particularly aggressive form of brain cancer and whose patients often have a worse prognosis than the general glioblastoma population, including shorter long-term survivals.

More:

Health Care Sector Update for 02/23/2015: CLDX,RIGL,SPPI