According to Aristotle, only the Pentacosiomedimnoi were eligible for election to high office as archons and therefore only they gained admission into the Areopagus. A modern view affords the same privilege to the hippeis. The top three classes were eligible for a variety of lesser posts and only the Thetes were excluded from all public office.

Depending on how we interpret the historical facts known to us, Solon's constitutional reforms were either a radical anticipation of democratic government, or they merely provided a plutocratic flavour to a stubbornly aristocratic regime, or else the truth lies somewhere between these two extremes.

Solon's reforms can thus be seen to have taken place at a crucial period of economic transition, when a subsistence rural economy increasingly required the support of a nascent commercial sector. The specific economic reforms credited to Solon are these: Fathers were encouraged to find trades for their sons; if they did not, there would be no legal requirement for sons to maintain their fathers in old age. Foreign tradesmen were encouraged to settle in Athens; those who did would be granted citizenship, provided they brought their families with them. Cultivation of olives was encouraged; the export of all other produce was prohibited. Competitiveness of Athenian commerce was promoted through revision of weights and measures, possibly based on successful standards already in use elsewhere, such as Aegina or Euboia or, according to the ancient account but unsupported by modern scholarship, Argos

It is generally assumed, on the authority of ancient commentators that Solon also reformed the Athenian coinage. However, recent numismatic studies now lead to the conclusion that Athens probably had no coinage until around 560 BC, well after Solon's reforms.

Solon's economic reforms succeeded in stimulating foreign trade. Athenian black-figure pottery was exported in increasing quantities and good quality throughout the Aegean between 600 BC and 560 BC, a success story that coincided with a decline in trade in Corinthian pottery. The ban on the export of grain might be understood as a relief measure for the benefit of the poor. However, the encouragement of olive production for export could actually have led to increased hardship for many Athenians since it would have led to a reduction in the amount of land dedicated to grain. Moreover an olive produces no fruit for the first six years. The real motives behind Solon's economic reforms are therefore as questionable as his real motives for constitutional reform. Were the poor being forced to serve the needs of a changing economy, or was the economy being reformed to serve the needs of the poor?

Solon's reform of these injustices was later known and celebrated among Athenians as the Seisachtheia (shaking off of burdens). As with all his reforms, there is considerable scholarly debate about its real significance. Many scholars are content to accept the account given by the ancient sources, interpreting it as a cancellation of debts, while others interpret it as the abolition of a type of feudal relationship, and some prefer to explore new possibilities for interpretation. prohibition on a debtor's person being used as security for a loan. release of all Athenians who had been enslaved.

The removal of the horoi clearly provided immediate economic relief for the most oppressed group in Attica, and it also brought an immediate end to the enslavement of Athenians by their countrymen. Some Athenians had already been sold into slavery abroad and some had fled abroad to escape enslavement Solon proudly records in verse the return of this diaspora. It has been cynically observed, however, that few of these unfortunates were likely to have been recovered. It has been observed also that the seisachtheia not only removed slavery and accumulated debt, it also removed the ordinary farmer's only means of obtaining further credit.

The seisachtheia however was merely one set of reforms within a broader agenda of moral reformation. Other reforms included: the abolition of extravagant dowries. legislation against abuses within the system of inheritance, specifically with relation to the epikleros (i.e. a female who had no brothers to inherit her father's property and who was traditionally required to marry her nearest paternal relative in order to produce an heir to her father's estate). entitlement of any citizen to take legal action on behalf of another. the disenfranchisement of any citizen who might refuse to take up arms in times of civil strife, a measure that was intended to counteract dangerous levels of political apathy.

The personal modesty and frugality of the rich and powerful men of Athens in the city's subsequent golden age have been attested to by Demosthenes. Perhaps Solon, by both personal example and legislated reform, established a precedent for this decorum. A heroic sense of civic duty later united Athenians against the might of the Persians. Perhaps this public spirit was instilled in them by Solon and his reforms. Also see Solon and Athenian sexuality

The literary merit of Solon's verse is generally considered unexceptional. Solon the poet can be said to appear 'self-righteous' and 'pompous' at times and he once composed an elegy with moral advice for a more gifted elegiac poet, Mimnermus. Most of the extant verses show him writing in the role of a political activist determined to assert personal authority and leadership and they have been described by the German classicist Wilamowitz as a "versified harangue" (Eine Volksrede in Versen). According to Plutarch however, Solon originally wrote poetry for amusement, discussing pleasure in a popular rather than philosophical way. Solon's elegiac style is said to have been influenced by the example of Tyrtaeus. He also wrote iambic and trochaic verses which, according to one modern scholar, are more lively and direct than his elegies and possibly paved the way for the iambics of Athenian drama.

More:
Solon urges Congress to conduct cursory check on the status of stem cell therapy in the country (15966897)

Recommendation and review posted by Bethany Smith

DUBLIN--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

Research and Markets (http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/lbn9b7/cytology_and_hpv) has announced the addition of the "Cytology and HPV Testing - Global Strategic Business Report" report to their offering.

This report analyzes the worldwide markets for Cytology and HPV Testing in US$ Million. The report provides separate comprehensive analytics for the US, Europe, and Rest of World. Annual estimates and forecasts are provided for the period 2009 through 2018. The report profiles 43 companies including many key and niche players. Market data and analytics are derived from primary and secondary research. Company profiles are primarily based upon search engine sources in the public domain.

Key Topics Covered:

I. INTRODUCTION, METHODOLOGY & PRODUCT DEFINITIONS

II. Executive Summary

1. INDUSTRY OVERVIEW

2. KEY TRENDS AND RESEARCH FINDINGS

3. OVERVIEW OF CYTOLOGY AND HPV TESTING

4. COMMERCIALLY AVAILABLE HPV TESTS

See more here:
Research and Markets: Cytology and HPV Testing - 2012 Global Strategic Business Report: US Government Proposes ...

Recommendation and review posted by Bethany Smith

NISKAYUNA, N.Y.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

Similar to how independent developers create new applications and find new uses for smart phones, tablets and other intelligent devices, GE is looking to collaborate with a rapidly growing community of ultrasound researchers to research new applications using ultrasound devices and microbubbles that could lead to innovative new therapy and diagnostic solutions in health care.

Microbubbles is an emerging area of research investigating microscopic bubbles that are injected into the body to perform contrast-enhanced imaging or deliver drug treatments such as gene therapy to specified targets. After being injected into the body, ultrasound is used as the mechanism to pop the bubbles at the desired destination. GE researchers have been working in this area for some time now. Recognizing the many promising research programs emerging in this space, GE believes it can work with researchers to help accelerate the development of new applications to improve the quality of care.

Michael Idelchik, Vice President of Advanced Technology Programs at GE Global Research, said, To spur innovation in health, traditional players must act in non-traditional ways, especially by working together in new ways to improve outcomes. Innovation doesn't live within borders; it cant be controlled and confined. We need to be more open in how we collaborate. In Ultrasound, we see dozens of promising applications under development by independent researchers. Through the Ultrasound Innovation Circle, we are seeking to connect with this community and collaborate with them to enhance development of these technologies.

Ultrasound Innovation Circle

Under this new open collaboration platform, independent researchers will have access to GE technology and expertise to integrate, test and validate their ideas. This may involve:

Research partnerships with GE will be managed through Research Circle Technology, Inc. (RCT), which is part of GEs Licensing business.

About GE Licensing

GE Licensing accelerates the development of new technology and captures the value of the GE brand globally. In collaboration with GE businesses, GE Licensing invests in opportunities to build creative solutions in GE strategic platforms: healthymagination and ecomagination. Research Circle Technology (RCT) is a part of GE Licensing that combines our expertise in intellectual property and licensing partnerships with GE Global Researchs world-class research and technology. RCTs focus is to enable innovation through collaborative relationships with leading researchers. For more information on GE Licensing, visit http://www.gelicensing.com.

About GE Global Research

Originally posted here:
GE Launches Open Innovation Initiative to Accelerate Ultrasound Research

Recommendation and review posted by Bethany Smith

Photo by Larry Steagall

Jan Holderbach of Bremerton stands during the singing of the National Anthem before the start of the 2012 Kitsap Peninsula Walk to End Alzheimer's at Evergreen- Rotary Park on Saturday. She was their to support her dad Jim Wenzl who suffers from the disease. LARRY STEAGALL | KITSAP SUN

Photo by Larry Steagall

Doug Whitney of Port Orchard (right)possesses a rare gene mutation that causes early on-set Alzheimer's. At age 62, he hasn't shown any signs of the disease that's killed 10 of 14 family members from his mom's side. Whitney and his wife, Ione, left, walked in Saturday's Kitsap Peninsula Walk to End Alzheimer's from Evergreen- Rotary Park in Bremerton. LARRY STEAGALL | KITSAP SUN

Photo by Larry Steagall

Alejandra Gutierrez of Poulsbo signs a promise garden flower before the start of the 2012 Kitsap Peninsula Walk to End Alzheimer's at Evergreen-Rotary Park on Saturday. A blue flower signified the person has Alzheimer's, a yellow flower that the person supports or cares for someone with Alzheimer's, and purple that the person has lost someone with Alzheimer's. LARRY STEAGALL | KITSAP SUN

Photo by Larry Steagall

Leann Maxim of Bremerton (left) and her mom Susan Steelman enjoy the music before the start of the 2012 Kitsap Peninsula Walk to End Alzheimer's at Evergreen-Rotary Park on Saturday. LARRY STEAGALL / KITSAP SUN

Photo by Larry Steagall

Marge Wenzl of Bremerton pushes her husband Jim, who suffers from Alzheimer's, in the 2012 Kitsap Peninsula Walk to End Alzheimer's at Evergreen- Rotary Park on Saturday. LARRY STEAGALL / KITSAP SUN

See the original post here:
Port Orchard family battles Alzheimer's gene with optimism and openness

Recommendation and review posted by Bethany Smith

Every time a woman is tested for gene mutations linked to significantly higher rates of breast and ovarian cancer, her blood is sent to a lab in Utah.

That's because Salt Lake City-based Myriad Genetics Inc. owns the patents to the BRCA 1 and BRCA 2 mutations, giving it control over all research and testing done nationwide. The company charges thousands of dollars for each set of results.

The patents have become the subject of a legal fight that could soon head to the U.S. Supreme Court and have sparked a broader discussion about the fast-evolving field of genomics and so-called personalized medicine, in which treatments are tailored based on a patient's genetic makeup.

Scientists, lawyers and bioethicists say the outcome of the legal and ethical debate could impact research and patient care.

Civil libertarians and patent opponents object to companies claiming they have invented what nature has wrought and contend that such patents hinder life-saving research. Corporate patent owners say their scientific ingenuity is needed to isolate the genes and that research could stall without the protection of patents.

"If I want to look at the data in my genome from the computer in my basement or wherever, I should be able to or my doctor should be able to tell me," said Jeffrey Kahn, professor of bioethics and public policy at the Johns Hopkins University's Berman Institute of Bioethics. "But the standard argument is that if we don't respect patents, there will be less incentive to do research and development. There is a collision course coming."

The potential implications are staggering, given that what's at stake is control over basic biological units of heredity.

Corporations and scientists hold patents on 20 percent of the human genome and could limit what doctors study and share when it comes to protected gene sequences linked to Alzheimer's disease, Huntington's disease and colorectal cancer, among other illnesses. Patents give owners rights to the intellectual property for at least 17 to 20 years.

The BRCA 1 and BRCA 2 mutations are responsible for most hereditary ovarian and breast cancers. Many women with the mutations take extreme preventive measures, such as breast and ovary removal. While hereditary versions of the disease are a small percentage of total cases, the mutations increase breast cancer risk by 82 percent and ovarian cancer risk by 44 percent.

The American Civil Liberties Union originally brought a lawsuit against Myriad Genetics in 2009 on behalf of about 20 scientific organizations and patients, and a panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit in Washington upheld the patents earlier this month the second decision in the company's favor. The Supreme Court had asked the court to reconsider its initial ruling last year.

See the original post here:
Gene patent case could impact patients, research

Recommendation and review posted by Bethany Smith

According to Aristotle, only the Pentacosiomedimnoi were eligible for election to high office as archons and therefore only they gained admission into the Areopagus. A modern view affords the same privilege to the hippeis. The top three classes were eligible for a variety of lesser posts and only the Thetes were excluded from all public office.

Depending on how we interpret the historical facts known to us, Solon's constitutional reforms were either a radical anticipation of democratic government, or they merely provided a plutocratic flavour to a stubbornly aristocratic regime, or else the truth lies somewhere between these two extremes.

Solon's reforms can thus be seen to have taken place at a crucial period of economic transition, when a subsistence rural economy increasingly required the support of a nascent commercial sector. The specific economic reforms credited to Solon are these: Fathers were encouraged to find trades for their sons; if they did not, there would be no legal requirement for sons to maintain their fathers in old age. Foreign tradesmen were encouraged to settle in Athens; those who did would be granted citizenship, provided they brought their families with them. Cultivation of olives was encouraged; the export of all other produce was prohibited. Competitiveness of Athenian commerce was promoted through revision of weights and measures, possibly based on successful standards already in use elsewhere, such as Aegina or Euboia or, according to the ancient account but unsupported by modern scholarship, Argos

It is generally assumed, on the authority of ancient commentators that Solon also reformed the Athenian coinage. However, recent numismatic studies now lead to the conclusion that Athens probably had no coinage until around 560 BC, well after Solon's reforms.

Solon's economic reforms succeeded in stimulating foreign trade. Athenian black-figure pottery was exported in increasing quantities and good quality throughout the Aegean between 600 BC and 560 BC, a success story that coincided with a decline in trade in Corinthian pottery. The ban on the export of grain might be understood as a relief measure for the benefit of the poor. However, the encouragement of olive production for export could actually have led to increased hardship for many Athenians since it would have led to a reduction in the amount of land dedicated to grain. Moreover an olive produces no fruit for the first six years. The real motives behind Solon's economic reforms are therefore as questionable as his real motives for constitutional reform. Were the poor being forced to serve the needs of a changing economy, or was the economy being reformed to serve the needs of the poor?

Solon's reform of these injustices was later known and celebrated among Athenians as the Seisachtheia (shaking off of burdens). As with all his reforms, there is considerable scholarly debate about its real significance. Many scholars are content to accept the account given by the ancient sources, interpreting it as a cancellation of debts, while others interpret it as the abolition of a type of feudal relationship, and some prefer to explore new possibilities for interpretation. prohibition on a debtor's person being used as security for a loan. release of all Athenians who had been enslaved.

The removal of the horoi clearly provided immediate economic relief for the most oppressed group in Attica, and it also brought an immediate end to the enslavement of Athenians by their countrymen. Some Athenians had already been sold into slavery abroad and some had fled abroad to escape enslavement Solon proudly records in verse the return of this diaspora. It has been cynically observed, however, that few of these unfortunates were likely to have been recovered. It has been observed also that the seisachtheia not only removed slavery and accumulated debt, it also removed the ordinary farmer's only means of obtaining further credit.

The seisachtheia however was merely one set of reforms within a broader agenda of moral reformation. Other reforms included: the abolition of extravagant dowries. legislation against abuses within the system of inheritance, specifically with relation to the epikleros (i.e. a female who had no brothers to inherit her father's property and who was traditionally required to marry her nearest paternal relative in order to produce an heir to her father's estate). entitlement of any citizen to take legal action on behalf of another. the disenfranchisement of any citizen who might refuse to take up arms in times of civil strife, a measure that was intended to counteract dangerous levels of political apathy.

The personal modesty and frugality of the rich and powerful men of Athens in the city's subsequent golden age have been attested to by Demosthenes. Perhaps Solon, by both personal example and legislated reform, established a precedent for this decorum. A heroic sense of civic duty later united Athenians against the might of the Persians. Perhaps this public spirit was instilled in them by Solon and his reforms. Also see Solon and Athenian sexuality

The literary merit of Solon's verse is generally considered unexceptional. Solon the poet can be said to appear 'self-righteous' and 'pompous' at times and he once composed an elegy with moral advice for a more gifted elegiac poet, Mimnermus. Most of the extant verses show him writing in the role of a political activist determined to assert personal authority and leadership and they have been described by the German classicist Wilamowitz as a "versified harangue" (Eine Volksrede in Versen). According to Plutarch however, Solon originally wrote poetry for amusement, discussing pleasure in a popular rather than philosophical way. Solon's elegiac style is said to have been influenced by the example of Tyrtaeus. He also wrote iambic and trochaic verses which, according to one modern scholar, are more lively and direct than his elegies and possibly paved the way for the iambics of Athenian drama.

Read the original here:
Solon urges Congress to conduct cursory check on the status of stem cell therapy in the country (15966897)

Recommendation and review posted by simmons

By Shannon Pettypiece - 2012-09-22T04:01:00Z

Sugary soda may increase the effect of genes putting people at risk for obesity, according to one of several studies analyzing how the drinks influence weight gain.

People genetically predisposed to obesity were more likely to gain weight from the beverages than those without the traits, according to the study, published yesterday in an New England Journal of Medicine edition that focused on the issue. Other research showed that sports drinks were associated with added pounds among adolescents and that switching to a diet soda from a sugary one may help kids control their weight.

One in three U.S. adults and 17 percent of children are obese. Sugary beverages are the largest single caloric food source in the country, according to an editorial that accompanied the studies. This month, New York City limited the cup size that restaurants can use for sugary drinks and schools nationwide have banned the beverages.

It is important to begin to create publishable studies to support what everyone knows, said Steven Safyer, chief executive officer of Montefiore Medical Center in New York, who has worked to curb obesity. We are in the eighth inning of the worst public health crisis that we have encountered in decades.

Obesity costs the country about $147 billion a year in health-care expenses, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. If the U.S. stays on the current course, it could increase health costs $66 billion a year by 2030, according to a report earlier this week by the Trust for Americas Health and Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

Safyer said soda is particularly harmful when it comes to obesity because it doesnt make people feel full, eliminating the normal triggers that stop people from eating.

Parents should also be concerned about sports drinks, said Alison Field, an associate professor in epidemiology at the Harvard School of Public Health and an associate in medicine at Childrens Hospital Boston. Teenagers gained about 3.5 pounds more than their peers for each sports drink they consumed daily, according to research Field presented yesterday at the annual meeting of the Obesity Society in San Antonio, Texas.

I dont think all parents realize sports drinks are unhealthy, Field said. Im a marathon runner, even I dont consume 32 ounces of sports drinks when Im running 26 miles.

The study, funded with a grant from the National Institutes of Health, relied on self-reported surveys from about 10,000 boys and girls ages 9 to 16, taken every two years beginning in 2004. Fields findings looked at results in a smaller set of about 4,000 of the oldest teenagers from 2008 to 2011.

See the rest here:
Sugary Drinks Linked to Increased Genetic Risk of Obesity

Recommendation and review posted by Bethany Smith

Public release date: 21-Sep-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Todd Datz tdatz@hsph.harvard.edu 617-432-8413 Harvard School of Public Health

Researchers from Harvard School of Public Health have found that greater consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) is linked with a greater genetic susceptibility to high body mass index (BMI) and increased risk of obesity. The study reinforces the view that environmental and genetic factors may act together to shape obesity risk.

The study appears September 21, 2012 in an advance online edition of the New England Journal of Medicine.

"Our study for the first time provides reproducible evidence from three prospective cohorts to show genetic and dietary factorssugar-sweetened beveragesmay mutually influence their effects on body weight and obesity risk. The findings may motivate further research on interactions between genomic variation and environmental factors regarding human health," said Lu Qi, assistant professor in the Department of Nutrition at HSPH and senior author of the study.

In the past three decades, consumption of SSBs has increased dramatically worldwide. Although widespread evidence supports a link between SSBs, obesity and chronic diseases such as diabetes, there has been little research on whether environmental factors, such as drinking sugary beverages, influence genetic predisposition to obesity.

The research was based on data from three large cohorts, 121,700 women in the Nurses' Health Study, 51,529 men in the Health Professionals Follow-up Study and 25,000 in the Women's Genome Health Study. All of the participants had completed food-frequency questionnaires detailing their food and drink consumption over time.

The researchers analyzed data from 6,934 women from NHS, 4,423 men from HPFS, and 21,740 women from WGHS who were of European ancestry and for whom genotype data based on genome-wide association studies were available. Participants were divided into four groups according to how many sugary drinks they consumed: less than one serving of SSB per month, between 1-4 servings per month, between 2-6 servings per week, and one or more servings per day. To represent the overall genetic predisposition, a genetic predisposition score was calculated on the basis of the 32 single-nucleotide polymorphisms known to be associated with BMI (weight in kilograms divided by the square of the height in meters).

The results showed that the genetic effects on BMI and obesity risk among those who drank one or more SSBs per day were about twice as large as those who consumed less than one serving per month. The findings suggest that regular consumption of sugary beverages may amplify the genetic risk of obesity. In addition, individuals with greater genetic predisposition to obesity appear to be more susceptible to harmful effects of SSBs on BMI. "SSBs are one of the driving forces behind the obesity epidemic," says Frank Hu, professor of nutrition and epidemiology at HSPH and a coauthor of this study. "The implication of our study is that the genetic effects of obesity can be offset by healthier food and beverage choices."

###

View post:
Regular consumption of sugary beverages linked to increased genetic risk of obesity

Recommendation and review posted by Bethany Smith

AMES, Iowa, Sept. 21, 2012 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- NewLink Genetics (NLNK) announced today that it will begin an investigator initiated, randomized, double blind placebo controlled Phase 2 study entitled "Phase II Study of sipuleucel-T (PROVENGE(R)) plus indoximod (D-1MT/NLG8189) in the treatment of patients with asymptomatic or minimally symptomatic metastatic hormone refractory prostate cancer." This study is done in collaboration with Dendreon Corporation (DNDN) and the Masonic Cancer Center, University of Minnesota.

Dr. Gautam Jha, assistant professor of medicine at the University of Minnesota will lead this multicenter study with a planned enrollment of 50 patients. Men with hormone refractory metastatic prostate cancer, eligible for therapy with sipuleucel-T (PROVENGE) will be enrolled to evaluate the safety and efficacy of the combination of NewLink's indoximod with Dendreon's PROVENGE.

"We are excited with the opportunity to explore potential benefits of combining our indoximod immuno-modulatory product candidate with PROVENGE, the first FDA-approved active cellular immunotherapy product for cancer," said Dr. Nick Vahanian, President and Chief Medical Officer of NewLink Genetics.

About indoximod and inhibition of the IDO pathway

IDO pathway inhibitors, including indoximod, represent a potential breakthrough approach to cancer therapy using small-molecule, anti-toleragenic product candidates intended to counteract a key mechanism by which tumors evade immune-mediated destruction. IDO is an enzyme that regulates immune response by suppressing T-cell function and enabling local tumor immune escape. Recent studies have demonstrated that IDO is overexpressed in many cancers, within both tumor cells as a direct defense against T-cell attack, and also within antigen presenting cells in tumor draining lymph nodes whereby IDO promotes peripheral tolerance to tumor associated antigens (TAAs). When hijacked by developing cancers in this manner, IDO may facilitate the survival, growth, invasion, and metastasis of malignant cells expressing TAAs that might otherwise be recognized and attacked by the immune system as foreign. Indoximod is currently in multiple Phase 1B/2 studies evaluating the addition of indoximod to Taxotere in the treatment of breast cancer and the addition of indoximod to an autologous P-53 Denritic Cell vaccine, also in the treatment of breast cancer patients. In addition to its clinical indoximod product candidate, NewLink has an active program directed at synthesizing other IDO pathway inhibitors.

PROVENGE Indication and Safety

PROVENGE is an autologous cellular immunotherapy indicated for the treatment of asymptomatic or minimally symptomatic metastatic castrate resistant (hormone refractory) prostate cancer.

PROVENGE is intended solely for autologous use and is not routinely tested for transmissible infectious diseases.

The safety evaluation of PROVENGE was based on 601 prostate cancer patients in four randomized clinical trials who underwent at least one leukapheresis. The most common adverse events (incidence greater-than or equal to 15%) were chills, fatigue, fever, back pain, nausea, joint ache, and headache. Serious adverse events reported in the PROVENGE group included acute infusion reactions (occurring within 1 day of infusion) and cerebrovascular events. In controlled clinical trials, severe (Grade 3) acute infusion reactions were reported in 3.5% of patients in the PROVENGE group. Reactions included chills, fever, fatigue, asthenia, dyspnea, hypoxia, bronchospasm, dizziness, headache, hypertension, muscle ache, nausea, and vomiting. No Grade 4 or 5 acute infusion reactions were reported in patients in the PROVENGE group.

To fulfill a post marketing requirement and as a part of the company's ongoing commitment to patients, Dendreon will conduct a registry of approximately 1500 patients to further evaluate a small potential safety signal of cerebrovascular events. In four randomized clinical trials of PROVENGE in prostate cancer patients, cerebrovascular events were observed in 3.5% of patients in the PROVENGE group compared with 2.6% of patients in the control group.

See original here:
NewLink Announces an Investigator Initiated Phase 2 Study of Sipuleucel-T Plus Indoximod in the Treatment of Certain ...

Recommendation and review posted by Bethany Smith

Public release date: 21-Sep-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Dr. Hilary Glover hilary.glover@biomedcentral.com 44-020-319-22370 BioMed Central

Lithium is a 'gold standard' drug for treating bipolar disorder, however not everyone responds in the same way. New research published in BioMed Central's open access journal Biology of Mood & Anxiety Disorders finds that this is true at the levels of gene activation, especially in the activation or repression of genes which alter the level the apoptosis (programmed cell death). Most notably BCL2, known to be important for the therapeutic effects of lithium, did not increase in non-responders. This can be tested in the blood of patients within four weeks of treatment.

A research team from Yale University School of Medicine measured the changing levels of gene activity in the blood of twenty depressed adult subjects with bipolar disorder before treatment, and then fortnightly once treatment with lithium carbonate had begun.

Over the eight weeks of treatment there were definite differences in the levels of gene expression between those who responded to lithium (measured using the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale) and those who failed to respond. Dr Robert Beech who led this study explained, "We found 127 genes that had different patterns of activity (turned up or down) and the most affected cellular signalling pathway was that controlled programmed cell death (apoptosis)."

For people who responded to lithium the genes which protect against apoptosis, including Bcl2 and IRS2, were up regulated, while those which promote apoptosis were down regulated, including BAD and BAK1.

The protein coded by BAK1 can open an anion channel in mitochondrial walls which leads to leakage of mitochondrial contents and activation of cell death pathways. Damage similar to this has been seen within the prefrontal cortex of the brain of patients with bipolar disorder. BAD protein is thought to promote BAK1 activity, while Bcl2 binds to BAK1 and prevents its ability to bind to the channel.

Dr Beech continued, "This positive swing in regulation of apoptosis for lithium responders was measurable as early as four weeks after the start of treatment, while in non-responders there was a measureable shift in the opposite direction. It seems then, that increased expression of BCL2 and related genes is necessary for the therapeutic effects of lithium. Understanding these differences in genes expression may lead towards personalized treatment for bipolar disorder in the future."

###

Media Contact

Continued here:
Giving lithium to those who need it

Recommendation and review posted by Bethany Smith

21 September 2012 Last updated at 08:48 ET

Scientists have identified a gene flaw linked to disc problems that are a common cause of lower back pain.

The UK study, published in the Annals of Rheumatic Diseases, looked at 4,600 people and found the PARK2 gene was linked to age-related disc problems.

A third of middle-aged women have problems with at least one spinal disc - and the condition is known to be inherited in up to 80% of patients.

Experts said finding the gene could lead to new treatments being developed.

Back pain costs the UK about 7bn a year in sickness leave and treatment costs, but the causes of the condition are not fully understood.

In lumbar disc degeneration (LDD), discs become dehydrated and lose height, and the vertebrae next to them develop bony growths called osteophytes, leading to lower back pain.

The King's College London researchers carried out MRI scans of all those in the study and looked at differences in their genetic make-up.

They found variants of the PARK2 gene appeared to have an effect in people with degenerate discs and influence the speed at which their condition deteriorated.

The researchers, funded by the Wellcome Trust and Arthritis Research UK, say more research is now needed to find out how the gene influences the condition.

See original here:
Gene flaw linked to low back pain

Recommendation and review posted by Bethany Smith

April Flowers for redOrbit.com Your Universe Online

Thousands of years ago, a genetic mutation occurred which might be the answer to how early humans were able to move from central Africa and across the continent. This movement has been called the great expansion.

Three teams of researchers, from Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and University of Washington School of Medicine, have analyzed genetic sequence variation patterns in different populations around the world. Their research, published this week in the online journal PLoS One, demonstrates that about 85,000 years ago, a critical genetic variant arose in a key gene cluster on chromosome 11, known as the fatty acid desaturase cluster (FADS).

This genetic variant would have allowed humans to convert plant-based polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) to brain PUFAs. The long-chain of PUFAs found in the brain are necessary for increased brain size, complexity and function, and the FADS cluster plays a critical role in determining how effectively medium-chain PUFAs in plants are converted.

According to archeological and genetic studies, Homo sapiens appeared approximately 180,000 years ago. For almost 100,000 years, our early ancestors tended to stay in one location close to bodies of water in central Africa. Scientists have hypothesized that this location was critical because early humans needed large amounts of the long-chain PUFA docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) commonly found in fish and shellfish in order to support complex brain function.

This may have kept early humans tethered to the water in central Africa where there was a constant food source of DHA, explained Dr. Floyd Chilton, director of the Center for Botanical Lipids and Inflammatory Disease Prevention at Wake Forest Baptist.

There has been considerable debate on how early humans were able to obtain sufficient DHA necessary to maintain brain size and complexity. Its amazing to think we may have uncovered the region of genetic variation that arose about the time that early humans moved out of this central region in what has been called the great expansion.

Under the intense pressure of natural section, this new trait was able to spread rapidly throughout the entire Homo sapiens population on the African continent.

The power of genetics continually impresses me, and I find it remarkable that we can make inferences about things that happened tens of thousands of years ago by studying patterns of genetic variation that exist in contemporary populations, said Dr. Joshua M. Akey from the University of Washington.

The most important result of this conversion was that humans no longer had to rely on just one food source, fish, for brain growth and development. This was particularly important because the genetic variant arose before organized hunting and fishing could have provided more reliable sources of long-chain PUFAs.

Continue reading here:
New Studies On Genetic Variations Offer Insights Into Origins Of Man

Recommendation and review posted by Bethany Smith

Conference to Highlight Personal Genomics, Genomics in Medicine, Latest Advances in Sequencing and Diagnostic Technologies and Empowering Patients

Newswise The 4th Annual Consumer Genetics Conference, taking place October 3-5 at the Seaport Hotel in Boston, will include a keynote presentation by George Church that will provide a forthright and candid assessment of new sequencing technologies, including the emergence of nanopore DNA sequencing, current trends in personal genomics, and projections on the future path of medical genomics. A professor of genetics at the Harvard Medical School, Dr. Church will close the events first day in an address that touches on his new book which will be launched hours prior: Regenesis: How Synthetic Biology Will Reinvent Nature and Ourselves (co-authored with science writer Ed Regis).

One of the best known and most highly respected molecular geneticists in the country, George Church is a pioneer in two broad areas of molecular biology: DNA sequencing technology and synthetic biology. He is the founder of the Personal Genome Project and founder or advisor to numerous DNA sequencing and genome analysis companies, including 23andMe, Knome, NABsys and Genia major genomics, sequencing and direct-to-consumer genetics companies.

The opening day of the conference includes a number of marquee presentations, including Princeton professor Lee Silver (author of Remaking Eden), who will discuss whether the commercialization environment is currently optimized for personal genetic freedom. It will also include a featured presentation by Stan Lapidus, CEO/founder of SynapDx, who will describe successful business formation and value creation in diagnostics.

The second day of the conference will then offer varying perspectives on the business and translation of personalized genomics. Panel discussions will explore topics such as venture capital, investment banking and the financial cycle from funding to IPO, highlighting the metrics by which VCs and bankers make their decisions. Day two will also emphasize the physicians perspective on incorporating genomic technologies into the clinic and answer questions such as: how practical is it?

Day three will be all about empowering patients and applications of genomics into personal quests for disease propensities, prenatal and neonatal diagnostics, nutrition, vitamins, cosmetics, and weight management programs. 23andMe, the first company to seek FDA approval of its DNA test, and Knome, a provider of ground-breaking informatics technologies and human genome interpretation tools, will describe developments in exome and whole genome sequencing and how their products are helping to empower patients while improving clinical care.

For more information on the 4th Annual Consumer Genetics Conference, including a full program schedule, please visit http://www.consumergeneticsconference.com.

For media, to register for the Consumer Genetics Conference, please contact Lynn Blenkhorn at email: lynn.blenkhorn@fkhealth.com or by calling: 508-851-0930. If you cannot attend but would like to speak with one of the presenters by phone or Skype, we would be pleased to organize a phone interview on the day of their presentation.

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George Church, Founder of the Personal Genome Project, Just Announced as Keynote Speaker at Consumer Genetics Conference

Recommendation and review posted by Bethany Smith

CHATSWORTH, Calif., Sept. 20, 2012 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- IRIS International, Inc. (IRIS), a leading manufacturer of automated in-vitro diagnostics systems and consumables, and a provider of high value personalized medicine solutions today announced that IRIS has received the honor of being asked to speak at two upcoming important meetings: AdvaMedDx's Hill Briefing on "The Role of Advanced Diagnostics in Cancer Care" and the Eighth Annual Summit of the Prostate Health Education Network, Inc.

Cesar M. Garcia, Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer of IRIS International will present the benefits of NADiA ProsVue, a prognostic prostate cancer test, today at a Capitol Hill briefing sponsored by AdvaMedDx. Held in conjunction with the House Medical Technology Caucus, this briefing will explore how advanced diagnostics are delivering on the promise of personalized medicine. AdvaMedDx represents the world's leading diagnostics manufacturers to advocate for the power of medical diagnostic tests to promote wellness, improve patient outcomes and advance public health in the United States and abroad.

Also today, Dr. Jason Alter, Vice President of Marketing for the Iris Personalized Medicine division will present NADiA ProsVue and advances in prostate cancer prognostic testing at the 8th Annual African American Prostate Cancer Disparity Summit sponsored by the Prostate Health Education Network, Inc. (PHEN) in Washington DC. PHEN is a non-profit organization with a primary mission to increase prostate health education and awareness. The organization focuses on men in the highest risk group for prostate cancer, including African Americans and men with family history.

"We are pleased that important organizations, such as AdvaMedDx and PHEN, are fostering education and understanding of the critical role of diagnostic advances in the management of patients with prostate cancer," said Cesar M. Garcia. "We believe that NADiA ProsVue will be extremely helpful in identifying low risk patients, thus avoiding unnecessary treatments and their resultant side effects, as well as reducing anxiety for patients and costs to the healthcare system."

NADiA ProsVue is an in-vitro diagnostic assay for determining rate of change of serum total prostate specific antigen (tPSA) over a period of time. A retrospective clinical study of 304 patients evaluated the slope of three successive ProsVue tests over a period of at least ten months after a prostatectomy to identify prostate cancer patients with no evidence of disease or clinical progression. Recurrence of disease was determined by positive imaging, biopsy results or prostate cancer related death.

The study resulted in a negative predictive value (NPV), or the proportion of patients correctly identified as stable, of 92.7% and a positive predictive value (PPV), or proportion of patients correctly identified as recurring, of 78.0%. Consequently, a ProsVue slope of equal to or less than 2.0 pg/mL per month in the first year following radical post-prostatectomy was highly associated with no evidence of disease over the long-term follow up.

NADiA ProsVue received 510(k) clearance from the FDA and CE Mark approval in the fall of 2011 and is the first assay to receive FDA clearance based on linear slope of tumor marker concentrations over time. Currently, Iris Personalized Medicine is conducting a Field Experience Trial designed to show how NADiA ProsVue impacts clinical decision-making and potentially optimizes healthcare costs while reducing patient morbidity from unnecessary adjuvant treatment post-radical prostatectomy.

NADiA ProsVue is available through Iris Personalized Medicine's high complexity CLIA-certified laboratory. For more information on NADiA ProsVue, please visit http://www.irispermed.com.

About the NADiA Technology Platform

NADiA technology, Nucleic Acid Detection Immunoassay, is a molecular diagnostics platform targeting the early detection of proteins associated with cancer and infectious diseases utilizing a novel ultra-sensitive and precise method. NADiA combines immunoassay and real-time Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) methodologies, or Immuno-PCR, with the potential to detect proteins with femtogram/milliliter sensitivity (10-15 gram/milliliter). As NADiA has the ability to effectively measure extremely low concentrations of proteins, which may be under the detection threshold of current immunoassay methods, it has the potential to provide better therapeutic outcomes for patients.

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IRIS International to Present NADiA ProsVue at Two Important Meetings in Washington DC Addressing the Role of Advanced ...

Recommendation and review posted by sam

WEST ORANGE, NJ--(Marketwire - Sep 20, 2012) - Kessler Foundation has appointed two research directors. Trevor Dyson-Hudson, M.D., has assumed the position of director of Spinal Cord Injury (SCI) & Outcomes Assessment Research. Nancy Chiaravalloti, Ph.D., has been named director of Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) Research. Drs. Dyson-Hudson and Chiaravalloti are also project directors of National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research (NIDRR)-funded model systems -- the Northern New Jersey SCI System (NNJSCIS) and the Northern New Jersey TBI System (NNJTBIS), respectively. Kessler Foundation is one of six centers with model systems in both spinal cord and brain injury. Both researchers had served as interim directors prior to their appointments.

John DeLuca, Ph.D., vice president for Research and Training, oversees the Foundation's well-known research and postdoctoral training programs. In addition to SCI and TBI, Kessler Foundation conducts research in stroke rehabilitation, human performance and engineering, outcomes assessment and neuropsychology & neuroscience.

"As accomplished researchers, Drs. Chiaravalloti and Dyson-Hudson contribute to Kessler Foundation's international leadership in rehabilitation research," said Rodger DeRose, president and chief executive officer of Kessler Foundation. "As well regarded collaborators in their fields, they extend the Foundation's work to change the lives of individuals with disabilities caused by brain and spinal cord injuries. With their leadership and dedication, I am confident that Kessler Foundation's research in mobility and cognition will improve outcomes for these individuals, including functional recovery and reintegration into the community and the workplace."

Dr. Dyson-Hudson is principal investigator/co-investigator on a number of SCI grants in addition to the NNJSCIS. He has received funding from the Veterans Administration, National Institutes of Health, the Reeve Foundation, and the Craig Neilsen Foundation. Dr. Dyson-Hudson's research interests include restoration of function and mobility after SCI and the prevention and treatment of common secondary medical complications, including pain, musculoskeletal overuse injuries, cardiovascular disease, and respiratory complications. The new NIDRR site-specific project of the NNJSCIS is investigating the effects of dalfampridine for ambulation in spinal cord injury. A new Collaboration on Mobility Training grant with the University of Pittsburgh employs web-based training and group sessions to improve the skills of wheelchair users and maximize independence.

Dr. Dyson-Hudson, a licensed physician in New Jersey and New York, is also an associate professor in the department of physical medicine & rehabilitation (PM&R) at University of Medicine & Dentistry of New Jersey (UMDNJ)-New Jersey Medical School (NJMS).

Dr. Chiaravalloti is the director of Neuropsychology & Neuroscience Research and Traumatic Brain Injury Research at Kessler Foundation. Her research has been funded by the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, the National Institutes of Health, NIDRR and the National Stroke Association. She conducts cognitive rehabilitation research in TBI and multiple sclerosis (MS), particularly in new learning, memory and processing speed. A second major interest is the use of functional neuroimaging to identify the cerebral substrates underlying cognitive dysfunction. Functional MRI offers an objective method of documenting changes in cerebral activation with TBI and MS, and the effects of behavioral interventions. Recent innovations in research include the application of virtual reality to behavioral therapy and plans to open a neuroimaging center dedicated to research in 2013.

Dr. Chiaravalloti, a licensed psychologist in New Jersey and New York, is an associate professor in the department of PM&R at UMDNJ-NJMS.

About Kessler Foundation Kessler Foundation, a large public charity in the field of disability, conducts rehabilitation research and training in mobility and cognition that advances the care of people with multiple sclerosis, brain injury, stroke and spinal cord injury. Kessler Foundation is one of six centers in the U.S. to have NIDRR-funded model systems for traumatic brain injury and spinal cord injury. Through its program center, Kessler Foundation fosters new approaches to the persistently high rates of unemployment among people disabled by injury or disease. Targeted grant making funds promising programs across the nation. Veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan, people recovering from catastrophic injuries and stroke, and young adults striving for independence are among the thousands of people finding jobs and training for careers as a result of the commitment of Kessler Foundation.

Find us at KesslerFoundation.org and on Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube.

Link:
Directors of Brain and Spinal Cord Injury Research Appointed at Kessler Foundation

Recommendation and review posted by sam

12:00 AM

The Associated Press

NEW YORK - How does a tabby cat earn its stripes? With the right DNA.

click image to enlarge

Researchers say theyve found the gene that determines the coat of the common tabby, either the so-called mackerel pattern with narrow stripes, top row, or the blotchy classic pattern, bottom row.

The Associated Press

Scientists say they've found the gene that sets the common tabby pattern -- stripes or blotches.

It's one of several genes that collaborate to create the distinctive design of a cat's coat, and it's the first of the pattern genes to be identified.

Cats with narrow stripes, the so-called "mackerel" pattern, have a working copy of the gene. But if a mutation turns the gene off, the cat ends up with the blotchy "classic" pattern, researchers reported online Thursday in the journal Science.

It's called "classic" because "cat lovers really like the blotched pattern," said one of the authors, Greg Barsh. He works at both Stanford University and the HudsonAlpha Institute of Biotechnology in Huntsville, Ala.

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Scientists find gene behind the tabby coat

Recommendation and review posted by Bethany Smith

From where does a tabby cat get its stripes? The same place cheetahs get their spots.

A new study finds the same gene that is responsible for the cheetah's color patterns causes a tabby's stripes. Mutations in this newly identified gene transform a tabby's typical striped pattern into a less familiar "blotched" look. In cheetahs, similar mutations smear spots into thick stripes.

"What this is, is the first connection of a gene involved in pattern formation in cats to their molecular status," said study researcher Stephen O'Brien of the National Laboratory for Cancer Research.

Now "we know where the mutation is in this particular gene" to cause the pattern changes, O'Brien told LiveScience.

Stripes or spots? O'Brien and his colleagues contributed to the original sequencing of the domestic cat genome, which was completed in 2007. Besides being interesting from a basic science standpoint, O'Brien said, cat genetics may help researchers understand human disease and genetic development. [ The 10 Coolest Genomes Ever Sequenced ]

One mystery of cat development is how cats have come to have such varied coats, from solid colors to "mackerel" tabby patterns of thin vertical stripes. The researchers were particularly interested in what turns the mackerel pattern into a "blotched" tabby pattern, seen more often in European cats than American ones.

A map of kitty pedigrees allowed the researchers to narrow down the genetic culprit to one region of the chromosome containing three large genes.

They then sequenced the genomes of two batches of tabbies, one with blotched coats and the other striped ones, and narrowed the culprit further to a gene called Taqpep.

Three separate mutations of the Taqpep gene in the domestic cat and another mutation in the same gene in the king cheetah can cause the tabby pattern to go from striped to splotchy, and, in the cheetah, from spotty to striped, the researchers found.

This means the gene has mutated multiple times across kitties' evolutionary history.

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Found: Gene that gave tabby its stripes

Recommendation and review posted by Bethany Smith

Public release date: 20-Sep-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: B. Rose Huber rhuber@pitt.edu 412-624-4356 University of Pittsburgh

PITTSBURGHAlthough polyploids, which are plants with more than two sets of chromosomes, are common, how they contribute to the biodiversity has remained a mysteryuntil now. With the help of a $2 million grant from the National Science Foundation, researchers at the University of Pittsburgh and Oregon State University will use wild strawberry plants (Fragaria) to identify what role genetic diversity plays in polyploids, which make up 30-80% of all living plants. This will help scientists predict the ecological responses plants may have to environmental change.

"This deeply integrated comparative study of the wild relatives of the cultivated strawberrya species of world-wide economic importancewill provide foundational knowledge and contribute unparalleled resources that may be harnessed in efforts to ensure the sustainability of the strawberry and related crops such as the cherry, peach or apple, in the face of stress from non-living factors," said Tia-Lynn Ashman, principal investigator of the study and professor and associate chair of Pitt's Department of Biological Sciences.

The strawberry, a plant with 20 species (nearly half of which are polyploids), has centers of diversity in China and America and possesses numerous features that make it the perfect plant to examine. For example, Fragaria is susceptible to climate change, due to its early spring flowering and northern latitude or high-elevation distribution. Ashman says the wild strawberry will be the key to helping biologists resolve uncertainties about polyploidization's impact on the biodiversity.

"We will use common garden studies of natural and synthetic polyploids in the greenhouse and at climatically diverse sites to quickly identify the factors that underlie its functional traits and gene expression diversity," said Ashman.

This will allow her team to forge links between gene expression and functional variation, says Ashman, allowing them to determine where in the lineage the majority of genetic/functional diversity resides.

In addition to solving the unknown mysteries of multi-chromosome plants, the project also facilitates training by broad participation and international collaboration, including middle school science curriculum, involvement of high school teachers, next-generation sequencing workshops, cross-cutting training, and communication of research through academic journals.

Ashman's project falls under "Dimensions of Biodiversity" in NSF's investment in Science, Engineering, and Education for Sustainability program (SEES). The goal of the Dimensions of Biodiversity campaign is to transform, by 2020, how we describe and understand the scope and role of life on Earth. The SEES program addresses challenges in climate and energy research and education using a systems-based approach to understanding, predicting, and reacting to change in the natural, social, and built environments. Initial SEES efforts focused on coordination of a suite of research and education programs at the intersection of climate and environment, including specific attention to incorporating human dimensions.

###

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Pitt biologist receives $2 million to study genetic diversity of plants worldwide

Recommendation and review posted by Bethany Smith

The New Zealand Government needs to follow the lead of Austria and France who are taking action around their approval processes for genetic engineering (GE), the Green Party said today.

In response to a study finding that rats grew tumours and died after being fed GE Roundup ready corn, Austrias Minister for agriculture and the environment has asked the European Commission to review its approval processes. Frances Government have also ordered an investigation into the findings and are signalling that they may suspend imports of the corn.

"New Zealand needs to do the same but successive Governments seem too closely tied with the GE industry to be trusted to do so," Green Party genetic engineering spokesperson Steffan Browning said today.

"The National Government funded the recent biotech conference to the tune of $100,000 from the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment plus additional significant contributions from other departments; these are not the actions of a Government with their eyes open about GE.

"The New Zealand public want to know that the food approved for sale in this country is safe.

"Without changing the GE approval process and actually enforcing our labelling laws we cant be confident in that.

"We fought hard for proper labelling laws but they are not enforced, so New Zealanders cant actually show their opposition to GE through their purchasing.

"The fact is that this study shows we are right to be concerned and we need better approval processes that prove safety over the long term, instead of the short term feeding studies that decisions have been made on to date.

"This study has already started a strong discussion because people are really worried about the effects of these foods that have been approved to be in our stores now for a decade or longer.

"Of course this research is being described by some as controversial because there is big, big money involved in GE.

The rest is here:
NZ out of step on GE

Recommendation and review posted by Bethany Smith

After years of studying how cats get their color, researchers have pinpointed an elusive gene underlying spots on cheetahs, stripes in house cats and patterns across the feline world.

Called Taqpep, it and two other genes produce proteins central to a cascade of cell-level events that ultimately generate your kitty's distinctive coat.

"It's something we've been curious about for a long time," said geneticist Stephen O'Brien of the National Cancer Institute. "We've known just three genes were involved, but nobody knew what the genes were."

On the following pages, Wired talks to O'Brien about the findings, which were announced Sept. 20 in Science.

Feline coat patterns fall into two categories: stripes and spots. Though spots on a house cat may seem unusual to North American eyes, they're more common in Europe, where breeders have historically had different preferences, said O'Brien.

Earlier work by O'Brien and colleagues had pinpointed two other genes, called Agouti and Mc1r, as producing proteins that respectively control whether a coat is banded or solid, light or dark. Add Taqpep, and patterns start getting complicated.

Images: Helmi Flick

Citation: Specifying and Sustaining Pigmentation Patterns in Domestic and Wild Cats. By Christopher B. Kaelin, Xiao Xu, Lewis Z. Hong, Victor A. David, Kelly A. McGowan, Anne Schmidt-Kntzel, Melody E. Roelke, Javier Pino, Joan Pontius, Gregory M. Cooper, Hermogenes Manuel, William F. Swanson, Laurie Marker, Cindy K. Harper, Ann van Dyk,0 Bisong Yue, James C. Mullikin, Wesley C. Warren, Eduardo Eizirik, Lidia Kos, Stephen J. OBrien, Gregory S. Barsh, Marilyn Menotti-Raymond. Science, Vol. 337 No. 6101, Sept. 19, 2012

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From Cheetah Spots to Kitty's Stripes: The Genetics of Cat Coats

Recommendation and review posted by Bethany Smith

Public release date: 20-Sep-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Emily Boynton emily_boynton@urmc.rochester.edu 585-273-1757 University of Rochester Medical Center

Just as women are advised to get plenty of folic acid around the time of conception and throughout early pregnancy, new research suggests another very similar nutrient may one day deserve a spot on the obstetrician's list of recommendations.

Consuming greater amounts of choline a nutrient found in eggs and meat during pregnancy may lower an infant's vulnerability to stress-related illnesses, such as mental health disturbances, and chronic conditions, like hypertension, later in life.

In an early study in The FASEB Journal, nutrition scientists and obstetricians at Cornell University and the University of Rochester Medical Center found that higher-than-normal amounts of choline in the diet during pregnancy changed epigenetic markers modifications on our DNA that tell our genes to switch on or off, to go gangbusters or keep a low profile in the fetus. While epigenetic markers don't change our genes, they make a permanent imprint by dictating their fate: If a gene is not expressed turned on it's as if it didn't exist.

The finding became particularly exciting when researchers discovered that the affected markers were those that regulated the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal or HPA axis, which controls virtually all hormone activity in the body, including the production of the hormone cortisol that reflects our response to stress and regulates our metabolism, among other things.

More choline in the mother's diet led to a more stable HPA axis and consequently less cortisol in the fetus. As with many aspects of our health, stability is a very good thing: Past research has shown that early exposure to high levels of cortisol, often a result of a mother's anxiety or depression, can increase a baby's lifelong risk of stress-related and metabolic disorders.

"The study is important because it shows that a relatively simple nutrient can have significant effects in prenatal life, and that these effects likely continue to have a long-lasting influence on adult life," said Eva K. Pressman, M.D., study author and director of the high-risk pregnancy program at the University of Rochester Medical Center. "While our results won't change practice at this point, the idea that maternal choline intake could essentially change fetal genetic expression into adulthood is quite novel."

Pressman, who advises pregnant women every day, says choline isn't something people think a lot about because it is already present in many things we eat and there is usually no concern of choline deficiency. Though much more research has focused on folate functionally very similar to choline and used to decrease the risk of neural tube defects like spina bifida a few very compelling studies sparked her interest, including animal studies on the role of choline in mitigating fetal alcohol syndrome and changing outcomes in Down syndrome.

A long-time collaborator with researchers at Cornell, Pressman joined a team led by Marie Caudill, Ph.D., R.D., professor in the Division of Nutritional Sciences at Cornell, in studying 26 pregnant women in their third trimester who were assigned to take 480 mg per day, an amount slightly above the standard recommendation of 450 mg per day, or about double that amount, 930 mg per day. The choline was derived from the diet and from supplements and was consumed up until delivery.

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Nutrient in eggs and meat may influence gene expression from infancy to adulthood

Recommendation and review posted by Bethany Smith

Assistant professor of physics Meni Wanunu uses nanopores to read a gene sequence one strand of DNA at a time.

(Phys.org)In the last five years, next-generation gene sequencing has brought down the cost of unlocking a single genome from $10 million to $10,000. While the savings is unprecedented, more can still be done to reduce the cost even further, an effort that would enable a host of applications in medical research and healthcare.

Meni Wanunu, an assistant professor of physics at Northeastern University, says his work in nanopore sequencing represents one such effort. Traditionally, Wanunu has used nanopores as a DNA readout device, wherein a single strand of DNA passes through the pore causing minute changes to the surrounding electrical signal that reports on its structure.

But now he's doing the opposite: "We'll use the nanopore to hold a molecule fixed in space," Wanunu explains.

Backed by a recent $825,000 grant from the National Institutes of Health, Wanunu will apply nanopores to another sequencing technology that reads exactly one strand of DNA at atime.

Pacific Biosciences, Wanunu's grant partner, has designed a sequencing device called a SMRT Cell for single-molecule, real-time analysis. SMRT cells have the potential to bring gene-sequencing costs down to $100 per genome, but they must first overcome some significanthurdles.

Each aluminum SMRT cell contains 150,000 holes. Each hole is 100 nanometers wide and should contain one "polymerase," a molecule whose native responsibility in a living cell is to replicate a DNA sequence, one nucleotide base at a time. Polymerases are nature's best DNA sequencers and SMRT cells take advantage of a molecule with millions of years of evolution behindit.

But according to Wanunu, only about 37 percent of the holes in a SMRT cell can theoretically contain exactly one polymerase, because there's no technology to put exactly one polymerase in each hole. While 100 nanometers may seem small, one of Wanunu's nanopores is 100 timessmaller.

The goal of the research backed by the new grant is to match each SMRT cell hole with a single nanopore. Sitting above the nanopore, each polymerase will be attached to an anchor below it, thus preventing the former from floating away.

By ensuring that there is a single polymerase in each hole, the nanopore approach will increase the number of gene sequences that can be read at once, improving the overall yield of the SMRT cell. Additionally, since nanopores are so small, it's possible to create a voltage gradient across them, driving charged DNA strands toward the holes, and thus increasing the sensitivity of the sequencer to DNA molecules.

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Nanopores promise cost savings in gene sequencing

Recommendation and review posted by Bethany Smith

April Flowers for redOrbit.com Your Universe Online

A research team from the Allen Institute for Brain Science reports that human brains share a consistent genetic blueprint and possess enormous biochemical complexity. The findings, published in Nature, stem from the first in-depth and large-scale analysis of the vast data set publicly available in the Allen Human Brain Atlas.

The Allen Human Brain Atlas fully integrates different kinds of data across different scales of brain exploration in an open, public online resource. It details genes at work throughout the human brain with data incorporated from magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) as well as histology and gene expression data derived from both microarray and in situ hybridization approaches.

The results of this new study are based on extensive analysis of the Allen Human Brain Atlas, specifically the detailed all-genes, all-structures survey of genes at work throughout the human brain. This enormous dataset profiles 400 to 500 distinct brain areas per hemisphere using microarray technology. It comprises more than 100 million gene expression measurements covering three individual human brains to date, including two clinically unremarkable brains donated by a 24-year-old and 39-year-old man, and half a brain from a third man.

Among other findings, these data show that 84% of all genes are expressed somewhere in the human brain and in patterns that are largely similar from one brain to the next.

This study demonstrates the value of a global analysis of gene expression throughout the entire brain and has implications for understanding brain function, development, evolution and disease, said Ed Lein, Ph.D., Associate Investigator at the Allen Institute for Brain Science and co-lead author on the paper.

These results only scratch the surface of what can be learned from this immense data set. We look forward to seeing what others will discover.

The team expects their work to serve as a baseline against which others can compare the genetic activity of diseased brains, and so shed light on factors that underlie neurological and psychiatric conditions.

The human brain is the most complex structure known to mankind and one of the greatest challenges in modern biology is to understand how it is built and organized, said Seth Grant, a professor of molecular neuroscience at Edinburgh University who worked on the brain map.

This allows us for the first time to overlay the human genome on to the human brain. It gives us essentially the Rosetta stone for understanding the link between the genome and the brain, and gives us a path forward to decoding how genetic disorders impact and produce brain disease, he said.

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Researchers Track Gene Expression To Create Atlas of Human Brain

Recommendation and review posted by Bethany Smith

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

Cannabis Science (CBIS), a pioneering U.S. Biotech Company developing pharmaceutical products for global public health challenges, reports on a recent press release by the San Francisco NBC news, with new studies by Scientists at California Pacific Medical Center, which have shown that cannabidiol, (CBD), has the ability to "turn off" a gene that causes breast and other types of cancers to metastasize, according to the San Francisco Chronicle newspaper.

NBC News reports, The drug "has been shown to reduce pain and nausea" in cancer patients. AIDS patients also use cannabis to eat, sleep and otherwise be more functional. Turns out that cannabidiol has none of the psychotropic effects of marijuana as a whole. The researchers hope to move to clinical trials on humans soon to test the cannabidiol inhibition of metastasis, reported in the San Francisco Chronicle. What they found is that the cannabinoid turns off the overexpression of ID-1, which makes the cells lose their ability to travel to distant tissues. In other words, it keeps the cells more local and blocks their ability to metastasize. (spread to a new location) The researchers stressed cannabidiol works only on cancer cells that have these high levels of ID-1 and these do not include all cancerous tumors but, rather, aggressive, metastatic cells. But they've found such high levels in leukemia, colorectal, pancreatic, lung, ovarian, brain and othercancers.

Cannabis Science appreciates this additional scientific support that this report provides for our two target drug development programs as the Company moves forward with CS-TATI-1, and based on the success of previous skin cancer patients who self-administered cannabis-based treatments, the Company is focusing on the use of CS-S/BCC-1 topical cannabis-based preparations for the treatment of basal and squamous cell carcinomas.

Dr. Robert Melamede states, Cannabis Science is excited for the increasing scientific support for our projects. In the near future, we will share new developments, as well a the progress we have made with our earlier defined initiatives. Our professional expansion and development, as detailed in our latest news releases,was driven by the science of how cannabinoids can benefit both HIV/AIDS and Cancer Patients.

NBC News: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/49094732#.UFsvfY7nuZY

San Francisco Chronicle: http://www.sfgate.com/health/article/Pot-compound-seen-as-tool-against-cancer-3875562.php#page-1

About CS-S/BCC-1

Cannabis Science is currently working with CBR International to develop a Pre-IND Application to the FDA that focuses on the use of CS-S/BCC-1 topical cannabis-based preparations for the treatment of basal and squamous cell carcinomas. Cannabis Science has already seen success with 4 self-medicated skin cancer patients. These patients have been self-administering using cannabis-based extracts applied topically to their carcinomas and tumors. These patients have experienced shrinking and apparent eradication of their skin cancer, backed by positive reports from their doctors, which is why the Company is confident about the eminent success of this new drug to be developed.

About CS-TATI-1

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NBC News Reports that Cannabidiol (CBD) "Turns Off" the Cancer Gene Involved in Metastasis Findings by Scientists at ...

Recommendation and review posted by Bethany Smith

SAN FRANCISCO & BOSTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

Third Rock Ventures, LLC today announced the formation of MyoKardia, Inc. with a $38 million Series A financing of the company. MyoKardia is developing a pipeline of novel small molecule therapeutics that address key clinical needs for patients with genetic heart disease. The companys first programs include hypertrophic and dilated cardiomyopathy, which together afflict approximately 1 million people in the United States, and for which no novel therapeutics have been brought to market in over a decade. MyoKardias proprietary drug discovery platform brings together advances from the fields of cardiovascular genomics and heart muscle biology to enable its scientists to target certain heart disease at its source. This genetically targeted approach has the potential to revolutionize the treatment of cardiomyopathies, and ultimately a broader spectrum of cardiovascular disease, including heart failure. The company is founded by world leaders in the fields of muscle biology and cardiovascular genetics: James Spudich, Ph.D., Professor of Biochemistry, Stanford University, Leslie Leinwand, Ph.D., Professor of Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology, University of Colorado, Christine Seidman, M.D., Professor of Medicine and Genetics, Harvard Medical School and Director of the Cardiovascular Genetics Center at Brigham and Womens Hospital, and Jonathan Seidman, Ph.D., Professor of Genetics, Harvard Medical School.

The last decade has been challenging for those pursuing novel therapeutics in the cardiovascular space, in part because most treatments target symptoms far downstream of the root cause, said Dr.Leinwand. MyoKardias approach addresses this challenge head on by employing genetics to more precisely define the disease and who we want to treat, and by employing cutting-edge muscle biochemistry and a novel platform to determine how we want to treat. Our initial targets are genetic cardiomyopathies, but this could very well be a novel and tractable therapeutic discovery approach to even larger diseases like heart failure.

Abnormalities in the basic unit of heart muscle, called the sarcomere, have been identified as the driving cause for a variety of heart disease, and the most common cause of hypertrophic and dilated cardiomyopathy. Mutations in the proteins of the sarcomere cause disease by rendering the muscle either hyper or hypo contractile. MyoKardias platform brings together recent assay and protein expression advances pioneered by its founders with genetic insights to enable a personalized medicine approach. This allows for the rapid development of mutation-specific sarcomeric allosteric modulators that rebalance contractility, therefore stopping and potentially reversing the course of disease. MyoKardias approach will leverage resident expertise in sarcomere genetics, in-vivo and in-vitro disease models, next-generation biochemical and biophysical assay development, and medicinal chemistry. Together, these capabilities will provide for the efficient progression of multiple programs in DCM, HCM, and other genetic cardiomyopathies and heart disease related to sarcomere dysfunction.

With MyoKardias platform, we have the ability to exquisitely characterize the biochemistry and biophysics of the human mutated sarcomere, said Dr. Spudich. This not only allows us to better understand what drives pathophysiology, it also points us toward potential mutant specific solutions.

Our goal is to provide treatments for patients with genetic diseases for whom the options to date have been profoundly limited, said Charles Homcy, M.D., interim chief executive officer of MyoKardia and venture partner at Third Rock Ventures. With this Series A financing, we can meet our goals. We now have the resources and capabilities to effectively translate the insights of our founders and employees into multiple clinical products that positively impact patient lives.

Hypertrophic and dilated cardiomyopathies, MyoKardias first two focus disease areas, are the most common forms of heart muscle disease and the most common diagnosis leading to cardiac transplantation. More than 60 million people worldwide have cardiomyopathy or carry a cardiomyopathy gene mutation, including approximately 1 million patients in the United States. Despite this large patient population and the persisting unmet clinical need, there is a lack of novel therapeutics being developed that directly target these diseases.

About Genetic Cardiomyopathy

Genetic cardiomyopathies are conditions that arise from mutation in a critical heart muscle protein. Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) produces thickening of the heart walls and is best known as a leading cause of sudden cardiac death in young athletes. Dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) produces weakening of the heart walls and enlargement of the heart chambers. Cardiomyopathy can occur at any age, and more than 30,000 children, from newborns to 18-year-olds, suffer from some form of cardiomyopathy in the United States a patient population comparable to the number of people living with cystic fibrosis.

About MyoKardia, Inc.

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Third Rock Ventures Launches MyoKardia with $38 Million to Address Genetic Heart Disease

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