Wednesday, November 9, 2011

JCI online early table of contents: Nov. 7, 2011

JCI online early table of contents: Nov. 7, 2011 [ Back to EurekAlert! ] Public release date: 7-Nov-2011
[ | E-mail | Share Share ]

Contact: Karen Honey
press_releases@the-jci.org
734-546-5242
Journal of Clinical Investigation

EDITOR'S PICK: Connexins: providing protection to cells destroyed in type 1 diabetes

Type 1 diabetes is a lifelong disease characterized by high levels of sugar (glucose) in the blood. It is caused by the patient's immune system attacking and destroying the cells in their pancreas that produce the hormone insulin, which regulates blood glucose levels. Surprisingly, little is known about the mechanisms regulating the sensitivity and resistance of these cells, which are known as beta-cells, to immune system attack. However, a team of researchers led by Paola Meda, at the University of Geneva, Switzerland, has now determined that the protein connexin 36 protects mouse pancreatic beta-cells against immune molecules that are prevalent in the pancreas at the onset of type 1 diabetes. Meda and colleagues therefore suggest that promoting connexin 36 expression and/or function therapeutically might provide a way to protect beta-cells from immune system attack and thereby sustain insulin production in individuals with type 1 diabetes.

TITLE: Connexins protect mouse pancreatic beta-cells against apoptosis

AUTHOR CONTACT:
Paolo Meda
University of Geneva, Medical School, Geneva, Switzerland.
Phone: 41.22.379.52.10; Fax: 41.22.379.52.60; E-mail: paolo.meda@unige.ch.

View this article at: http://www.jci.org/articles/view/40509?key=63ae56e58268ff17ac81


ONCOLOGY: Stopping breast cancer spread

Most people who die from breast cancer do not die as a result of their breast tumor but because their cancer has spread (metastasized) to other parts of their body, often their lungs or bones. A team of researchers led by Richard Kremer, at McGill University Health Centre, Montral, has used a mouse model of human breast cancer to identify a potential new target for slowing breast tumor progression and metastasis.

The protein PTHrP is frequently found to be expressed in breast tumors, but whether it plays a role in disease progression has not been determined. Kremer and colleagues found that in one mouse model of breast cancer PTHrP promoted primary tumor initiation, tumor progression, and metastasis to other parts of the body. As neutralizing the effects of PTHrP with therapeutics known as antibodies slowed the progression and metastasis of human breast cancer cells transplanted into mice, Kremer and colleagues suggest this approach should be considered as a potential new strategy for treating people with breast cancer.

TITLE: PTHrP drives breast tumor initiation, progression, and metastasis in mice and is a potential therapy target

AUTHOR CONTACT:
Richard Kremer
Department of Medicine, McGill University Health Centre, Montral, Quebec, Canada.
Phone: 514.843.1632; Fax:
514.843.1712; E-mail: richard.kremer@mcgill.ca.

MEDIA CONTACT:
Julie Robert
Public Affairs & Strategic Planning, McGill University Health Centre, Montral, Quebec, Canada.
Phone: 514.934.1934 ext. 71381; E-mail: julie.robert@muhc.mcgill.ca.

View this article at: http://www.jci.org/articles/view/46134?key=955ea4fa37e886018bac


ONCOLOGY: Signaling pathways cooperate to promote pancreatic cancer

Pancreatic cancer is one of the most common causes of death from cancer. The majority of human pancreatic cancers are driven by activating mutations in the gene KRAS. A team of researchers led by Thorsten Hagemann, at Queen Mary University of London, United Kingdom, has now identified new molecular interactions that are important in promoting the progression of KRAS-driven pancreatic cancer in mice. Specifically, Hagemann and colleagues found that the canonical NF-kappa-B and Notch signaling pathways cooperate via the protein IKK2 to suppress the expression of PPAR-gamma, a repressor of inflammatory gene expression, thereby retaining the tumor cells in an inflammatory state that promotes tumor progression.

TITLE: Crosstalk between the canonical NF-kappa-B and Notch signaling pathways inhibits PPAR-gamma expression and promotes pancreatic cancer progression in mice

AUTHOR CONTACT:
Thorsten Hagemann
Barts Cancer Institute, Queen Mary University of London, London, United Kingdom.
Phone: 44.20.7882.3590; Fax: 44.20.7882.3885; E-mail: t.hagemann@qmul.ac.uk.

View this article at: http://www.jci.org/articles/view/45797?key=def6c2465693069d7b5b


TUMOR IMMUNOLOGY: The apparent mechanism behind a skin cancer clinical trial

Intensive research efforts are being focused on developing immune-based anticancer therapies. One approach is to therapeutically harness immune cells known as CD8+ T cells, which are key components of the natural antitumor immune response. Sid Kerkar, Nicholas Restifo, and colleagues, at the National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, recently found that engineering antitumor CD8+ T cells to secrete the proinflammatory molecule IL-12 improved their therapeutic efficacy in a mouse model of established melanoma (the most dangerous form of skin cancer). Now they have determined how the IL-12 improves the therapeutic efficacy of the antitumor CD8+ T cells. The data revealed a surprising mechanism that not only shed new light on the anticancer effects of CD8+ T cells but also provided the basis for an ongoing clinical trial in which patients with metastatic melanoma will receive T cells engineered to express IL-12 as part of their treatment.

TITLE: IL-12 triggers a programmatic change in dysfunctional myeloid-derived cells within mouse tumors

AUTHOR CONTACT:
Sid P. Kerkar
National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, USA.
Phone: 301.496.6507; Fax: 301.451.6949; E-mail: kerkars@mail.nih.gov.

Nicholas P. Restifo
National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, USA.
Phone: 301.496.6507; Fax: 301.451.6949; E-mail: restifon@nih.gov.

View this article at: http://www.jci.org/articles/view/58814?key=e0c8c50235809b056303


METABOLIC DISEASE: Mind over glucose production

The number of individuals with type 2 diabetes is reaching epidemic proportions. The hallmark of type 2 diabetes, a high level of sugar (glucose) in the blood, is a key factor in the development of the serious complications of the disease, including kidney damage, nerve damage, and vision loss. The high level of glucose in the blood of individuals with type 2 diabetes is partly a result of increased glucose production by cells in the liver. Studies in rodents have suggested that activation of protein complexes known as KATP channels in a region of the brain known as the hypothalamus suppresses glucose production. Meredith Hawkins and colleagues, at Albert Einstein College of Medicine, New York, now show that this also occurs in humans. They therefore suggest that activating this pathway could provide a new way to reduce the level of glucose in the blood of individuals with type 2 diabetes and thereby decrease risk of serious complications.

TITLE: Activation of KATP channels suppresses glucose production in humans

AUTHOR CONTACT:
Meredith Hawkins
Albert Einstein College of Medicine, New York, New York, USA.
Phone: 718.430.3186; Fax: 718.430.8557; E-mail: meredith.hawkins@einstein.yu.edu.

View this article at: http://www.jci.org/articles/view/58035?key=e74f4aea84515bd1464d


NEUROBIOLOGY: Sensing smells: a problem of nerve cell generation in multiple sclerosis

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a potentially debilitating inflammatory disease that affects the brain and spinal cord. Many patients with MS have an impaired sense of smell (i.e., they have olfactory deficits), and a team of researchers led by Anne Baron-Van Evercooren, at INSERM UMR-S 975, France, has now identified a potential reason why.

The SVZ is a region of the brain that supports, throughout adult life, the generation of new nerves that have very specific functions. One role of nerve cells arising from neural stem cells in the SVZ is an involvement in sensing smells. Baron-Van Evercooren and colleagues found that in a mouse model of MS, the process of nerve cell generation in the SVZ was dysregulated and fewer nerve cells involved in sensing smell were generated. The resulting olfactory deficits mimicked those observed in patients with MS. Moreover, nerve cell generation in the SVZ of patients was MS was found to be impaired. Baron-Van Evercooren and colleagues therefore suggest that the inflammation in the brain of patients with MS causes SVZ dysfunction and that this could underlie the impaired sense of smell reported by these patients.

TITLE: Inflammation-induced subventricular zone dysfunction leads to olfactory deficits in a targeted mouse model of multiple sclerosis

AUTHOR CONTACT:
Anne Baron-Van Evercooren
INSERM UMR-S 975, Hpital Piti-Salptrire, Paris, France.
Phone: 33.1.57174123; Fax: 33.1.57274788; E-mail: anne.baron@upmc.fr.

View this article at: http://www.jci.org/articles/view/59145?key=a3528f37012664885d28

###


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JCI online early table of contents: Nov. 7, 2011 [ Back to EurekAlert! ] Public release date: 7-Nov-2011
[ | E-mail | Share Share ]

Contact: Karen Honey
press_releases@the-jci.org
734-546-5242
Journal of Clinical Investigation

EDITOR'S PICK: Connexins: providing protection to cells destroyed in type 1 diabetes

Type 1 diabetes is a lifelong disease characterized by high levels of sugar (glucose) in the blood. It is caused by the patient's immune system attacking and destroying the cells in their pancreas that produce the hormone insulin, which regulates blood glucose levels. Surprisingly, little is known about the mechanisms regulating the sensitivity and resistance of these cells, which are known as beta-cells, to immune system attack. However, a team of researchers led by Paola Meda, at the University of Geneva, Switzerland, has now determined that the protein connexin 36 protects mouse pancreatic beta-cells against immune molecules that are prevalent in the pancreas at the onset of type 1 diabetes. Meda and colleagues therefore suggest that promoting connexin 36 expression and/or function therapeutically might provide a way to protect beta-cells from immune system attack and thereby sustain insulin production in individuals with type 1 diabetes.

TITLE: Connexins protect mouse pancreatic beta-cells against apoptosis

AUTHOR CONTACT:
Paolo Meda
University of Geneva, Medical School, Geneva, Switzerland.
Phone: 41.22.379.52.10; Fax: 41.22.379.52.60; E-mail: paolo.meda@unige.ch.

View this article at: http://www.jci.org/articles/view/40509?key=63ae56e58268ff17ac81


ONCOLOGY: Stopping breast cancer spread

Most people who die from breast cancer do not die as a result of their breast tumor but because their cancer has spread (metastasized) to other parts of their body, often their lungs or bones. A team of researchers led by Richard Kremer, at McGill University Health Centre, Montral, has used a mouse model of human breast cancer to identify a potential new target for slowing breast tumor progression and metastasis.

The protein PTHrP is frequently found to be expressed in breast tumors, but whether it plays a role in disease progression has not been determined. Kremer and colleagues found that in one mouse model of breast cancer PTHrP promoted primary tumor initiation, tumor progression, and metastasis to other parts of the body. As neutralizing the effects of PTHrP with therapeutics known as antibodies slowed the progression and metastasis of human breast cancer cells transplanted into mice, Kremer and colleagues suggest this approach should be considered as a potential new strategy for treating people with breast cancer.

TITLE: PTHrP drives breast tumor initiation, progression, and metastasis in mice and is a potential therapy target

AUTHOR CONTACT:
Richard Kremer
Department of Medicine, McGill University Health Centre, Montral, Quebec, Canada.
Phone: 514.843.1632; Fax:
514.843.1712; E-mail: richard.kremer@mcgill.ca.

MEDIA CONTACT:
Julie Robert
Public Affairs & Strategic Planning, McGill University Health Centre, Montral, Quebec, Canada.
Phone: 514.934.1934 ext. 71381; E-mail: julie.robert@muhc.mcgill.ca.

View this article at: http://www.jci.org/articles/view/46134?key=955ea4fa37e886018bac


ONCOLOGY: Signaling pathways cooperate to promote pancreatic cancer

Pancreatic cancer is one of the most common causes of death from cancer. The majority of human pancreatic cancers are driven by activating mutations in the gene KRAS. A team of researchers led by Thorsten Hagemann, at Queen Mary University of London, United Kingdom, has now identified new molecular interactions that are important in promoting the progression of KRAS-driven pancreatic cancer in mice. Specifically, Hagemann and colleagues found that the canonical NF-kappa-B and Notch signaling pathways cooperate via the protein IKK2 to suppress the expression of PPAR-gamma, a repressor of inflammatory gene expression, thereby retaining the tumor cells in an inflammatory state that promotes tumor progression.

TITLE: Crosstalk between the canonical NF-kappa-B and Notch signaling pathways inhibits PPAR-gamma expression and promotes pancreatic cancer progression in mice

AUTHOR CONTACT:
Thorsten Hagemann
Barts Cancer Institute, Queen Mary University of London, London, United Kingdom.
Phone: 44.20.7882.3590; Fax: 44.20.7882.3885; E-mail: t.hagemann@qmul.ac.uk.

View this article at: http://www.jci.org/articles/view/45797?key=def6c2465693069d7b5b


TUMOR IMMUNOLOGY: The apparent mechanism behind a skin cancer clinical trial

Intensive research efforts are being focused on developing immune-based anticancer therapies. One approach is to therapeutically harness immune cells known as CD8+ T cells, which are key components of the natural antitumor immune response. Sid Kerkar, Nicholas Restifo, and colleagues, at the National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, recently found that engineering antitumor CD8+ T cells to secrete the proinflammatory molecule IL-12 improved their therapeutic efficacy in a mouse model of established melanoma (the most dangerous form of skin cancer). Now they have determined how the IL-12 improves the therapeutic efficacy of the antitumor CD8+ T cells. The data revealed a surprising mechanism that not only shed new light on the anticancer effects of CD8+ T cells but also provided the basis for an ongoing clinical trial in which patients with metastatic melanoma will receive T cells engineered to express IL-12 as part of their treatment.

TITLE: IL-12 triggers a programmatic change in dysfunctional myeloid-derived cells within mouse tumors

AUTHOR CONTACT:
Sid P. Kerkar
National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, USA.
Phone: 301.496.6507; Fax: 301.451.6949; E-mail: kerkars@mail.nih.gov.

Nicholas P. Restifo
National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, USA.
Phone: 301.496.6507; Fax: 301.451.6949; E-mail: restifon@nih.gov.

View this article at: http://www.jci.org/articles/view/58814?key=e0c8c50235809b056303


METABOLIC DISEASE: Mind over glucose production

The number of individuals with type 2 diabetes is reaching epidemic proportions. The hallmark of type 2 diabetes, a high level of sugar (glucose) in the blood, is a key factor in the development of the serious complications of the disease, including kidney damage, nerve damage, and vision loss. The high level of glucose in the blood of individuals with type 2 diabetes is partly a result of increased glucose production by cells in the liver. Studies in rodents have suggested that activation of protein complexes known as KATP channels in a region of the brain known as the hypothalamus suppresses glucose production. Meredith Hawkins and colleagues, at Albert Einstein College of Medicine, New York, now show that this also occurs in humans. They therefore suggest that activating this pathway could provide a new way to reduce the level of glucose in the blood of individuals with type 2 diabetes and thereby decrease risk of serious complications.

TITLE: Activation of KATP channels suppresses glucose production in humans

AUTHOR CONTACT:
Meredith Hawkins
Albert Einstein College of Medicine, New York, New York, USA.
Phone: 718.430.3186; Fax: 718.430.8557; E-mail: meredith.hawkins@einstein.yu.edu.

View this article at: http://www.jci.org/articles/view/58035?key=e74f4aea84515bd1464d


NEUROBIOLOGY: Sensing smells: a problem of nerve cell generation in multiple sclerosis

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a potentially debilitating inflammatory disease that affects the brain and spinal cord. Many patients with MS have an impaired sense of smell (i.e., they have olfactory deficits), and a team of researchers led by Anne Baron-Van Evercooren, at INSERM UMR-S 975, France, has now identified a potential reason why.

The SVZ is a region of the brain that supports, throughout adult life, the generation of new nerves that have very specific functions. One role of nerve cells arising from neural stem cells in the SVZ is an involvement in sensing smells. Baron-Van Evercooren and colleagues found that in a mouse model of MS, the process of nerve cell generation in the SVZ was dysregulated and fewer nerve cells involved in sensing smell were generated. The resulting olfactory deficits mimicked those observed in patients with MS. Moreover, nerve cell generation in the SVZ of patients was MS was found to be impaired. Baron-Van Evercooren and colleagues therefore suggest that the inflammation in the brain of patients with MS causes SVZ dysfunction and that this could underlie the impaired sense of smell reported by these patients.

TITLE: Inflammation-induced subventricular zone dysfunction leads to olfactory deficits in a targeted mouse model of multiple sclerosis

AUTHOR CONTACT:
Anne Baron-Van Evercooren
INSERM UMR-S 975, Hpital Piti-Salptrire, Paris, France.
Phone: 33.1.57174123; Fax: 33.1.57274788; E-mail: anne.baron@upmc.fr.

View this article at: http://www.jci.org/articles/view/59145?key=a3528f37012664885d28

###


[ Back to EurekAlert! ] [ | E-mail | Share Share ]

?


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


Source: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2011-11/joci-joe110311.php

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Tuesday, November 8, 2011

Sprint announces Ice Cream Sandwich update for HTC devices

Sprint Ice Cream Sandwich Update

Word has arrived from Sprint regarding the future availability of Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich for their smartphones, with an announcement having been made today about their HTC line of devices. From the Sprint Community portal blog:

"Sprint will begin to rollout Google's latest version of Android, Ice Cream Sandwich, to our customers in early 2012. Ice Cream Sandwich will be available via an over-the-air update to a variety of devices including HTC EVO 3D, HTC EVO Design 4G and other key products in our line-up."

These HTC phones join the short list of other existing Android devices to receive the Ice Cream Sandwich OTA update. We'll be looking for the update to arrive early next year, but it definitely couldn't arrive soon enough.

Source: Sprint Community Blog; Thanks for the tip, leerage!



Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/androidcentral/~3/RW-uDY0VyKU/story01.htm

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First day of deliberations ends in Jackson case

Dr. Conrad Murray listens as defense attorney Ed Chernoff, not pictured, gives the defense's closing arguments during the final stage of Conrad Murray's defense in his involuntary manslaughter trial in the death of singer Michael Jackson at the Los Angeles Superior Court on Thursday, Nov. 3, 2011 in Los Angeles, California. Murray has pleaded not guilty and faces four years in prison and the loss of his medical licenses if convicted of involuntary manslaughter in Jackson's death. (AP Photo/Kevork Djansezian, Pool)

Dr. Conrad Murray listens as defense attorney Ed Chernoff, not pictured, gives the defense's closing arguments during the final stage of Conrad Murray's defense in his involuntary manslaughter trial in the death of singer Michael Jackson at the Los Angeles Superior Court on Thursday, Nov. 3, 2011 in Los Angeles, California. Murray has pleaded not guilty and faces four years in prison and the loss of his medical licenses if convicted of involuntary manslaughter in Jackson's death. (AP Photo/Kevork Djansezian, Pool)

Los Angeles Deputy District Attorney David Walgren delivers his closing arguments during the final stage of Conrad Murray's involuntary manslaughter trial in the death of singer Michael Jackson at the Los Angeles Superior Court on Thursday, Nov. 3, 2011 in Los Angeles. Murray has pleaded not guilty and faces four years in prison and the loss of his medical licenses if convicted of involuntary manslaughter in Jackson's death. (AP Photo/ Kevork Djansezian, Pool)

Defense Attorney Ed Chernoff addresses the jury during the defense's closing arguments during the final stage of Conrad Murray's defense in his involuntary manslaughter trial in the death of singer Michael Jackson at the Los Angeles Superior Court on Thursday, Nov. 3, 2011 in Los Angeles. Murray has pleaded not guilty and faces four years in prison and the loss of his medical licenses if convicted of involuntary manslaughter in Jackson's death. (AP Photo/Kevork Djansezian, Pool)

Dr. Conrad Murray prepares to leave for lunch recess after the prosecution had delivered its closing arguments during the final stage of Murray's involuntary manslaughter trial in the death of singer Michael Jackson at the Los Angeles Superior Court on Thursday, Nov. 3, 2011 in Los Angeles. Murray has pleaded not guilty and faces four years in prison and the loss of his medical licenses if convicted of involuntary manslaughter in Jackson's death. (AP Photo/ Kevork Djansezian, Pool)

Los Angeles Deputy District Attorney David Walgren projects a calendar on screen to chronicle events for the jury during his closing arguments during the final stage of Conrad Murray's involuntary manslaughter trial in the death of singer Michael Jackson at the Los Angeles Superior Court on Thursday, Nov. 3, 2011 in Los Angeles. Murray has pleaded not guilty and faces four years in prison and the loss of his medical licenses if convicted of involuntary manslaughter in Jackson's death. (AP Photo/ Kevork Djansezian, Pool)

(AP) ? Jurors considering the case against Michael Jackson's doctor ended their first day of deliberations Friday without reaching a verdict or asking any questions indicating how far along they have gotten in their discussions.

The seven-man, five-woman panel was given highlighters and blank forms to request evidence after starting deliberations around 8:30 a.m.

They recessed around 4 p.m. and were set to resume discussions Monday.

The jury must reach a unanimous verdict to either convict or acquit Dr. Conrad Murray of involuntary manslaughter in Jackson's June 2009 death.

Jackson died from a fatal dose of the anesthetic propofol; Murray has acknowledged giving Jackson propofol to help him sleep.

The jury is not sequestered and will deliberate during the court's regular hours. A verdict will be read the same day it is reached.

During closing arguments of the six-week trial, attorneys for the Houston-based cardiologist attacked prosecutors and their witnesses, saying they had over time developed stories and theories that placed the blame for Jackson's death squarely on Murray.

Prosecutors countered that Murray was an opportunistic and inept doctor who left Jackson's three children without a father. They said that Murray giving Jackson propofol as a sleep aid violated standards of care and amounted to a secret experiment in which the doctor kept no records.

Media were stationed Friday outside the courthouse and in the courtroom where the jury's decision will eventually be read.

Attorneys handling the case will receive a two-hour notice when a verdict is reached. Murray waived the need for his presence if the panel asks any questions, but he must be present when a verdict is announced.

Jurors heard from 49 witnesses and have more than 300 pieces of evidence to consider. They were given lengthy instructions by the judge about how to deliberate.

If Murray is convicted, he faces a sentence ranging from probation to four years behind bars, and he would lose his medical license. The sentence will be decided by Superior Court Judge Michael Pastor after receiving input from attorneys for both sides and probation officials, if necessary.

A recent change in California law means that Murray, 58, might serve any possible incarceration in a county jail rather than a state prison. A prison term could be shortened by overcrowding.

If acquitted, Murray could still be pursued by medical licensing authorities in the states of California, Nevada and Texas.

___

AP Special Correspondent Linda Deutsch contributed to this report.

___

McCartney can be reached at http://twitter.com/mccartneyAP

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/4e67281c3f754d0696fbfdee0f3f1469/Article_2011-11-04-Michael%20Jackson-Doctor/id-b13c9cda0bd8442194746f2a84bda8bb

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Monday, November 7, 2011

Joe Peyronnin: LSU-Alabama: A Classic

Saturday night's clash between the #1 Louisiana State University Tigers and the #2 Alabama Crimson Tide was among the most memorable games in college football history. In the end, LSU won in Bama's house in overtime, 9-6, securing for another week its position atop the BCS standings.

No doubt about it, these are the most athletic teams in college football. Both teams are flush with huge size, brute strength and blistering speed at most every position. Each team has several first round NFL picks on their roster.

Going into the game Alabama had the nation's top ranked defense and LSU was close behind. Therefore, it was no surprise that their showdown, in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, would be a bruising slugfest.

Alabama failed to cash in on several opportunities. Three missed field goals topped the list. Alabama's field goal kicking was awful, and Bama coach Nick Saban had to alternate kickers. But their kick receiving squad also came up short, literally. LSU was pinned deep in their own territory late in the game when their punter, Australian Brad Wing, boomed a 72-yard punt over the head of a hapless Tide returnman.

The play of the game came on a promising Alabama drive into LSU territory. After building some momentum running the ball against LSU's defense, Alabama tried a bit of trickery. While under pressure their star receiver, Marquis Maze, attempted a long pass toward the LSU endzone. As his off-balance throw floated toward Bama receiver Michael Williams, LSU safety Eric Reid quickly got into position.

Reid made an amazing interception that saved the day for LSU. Here's how the Alabama "Rollbamaroll" website describes it, "Michael Williams went up for the football like an 80-year old sales clerk going up to get something off the top shelf of a department store. A 6'7, 265 pound tight end simply cannot lose a jump ball to a 6'2, 210 pound safety. Period. Terrible decision, terrible execution, disastrous result."

Bama also committed too many silly penalties, like "twelve men on the field" and "blocking in the back." But when the game entered overtime Alabama seemed to lose focus and drive. A missed pass, a penalty and a disastrous sack left the Tide with a 52-yard field goal attempt, which fell short.

The Tigers got the ball on the 25-yard line, needing only a field goal to win. LSU coach Les Miles, "The Mad Hatter", called for an option play to the left that almost resulted in a touchdown. Two plays later the Tigers scored a game winning field goal that immediately quieted the disheartened Alabama home crowd.

LSU found a way to win. They were able to pull off several truly outstanding plays during the game. Their energy and enthusiasm was palpable throughout the contest. They consistently played with swagger. Inevitably, this is what separates a winner from the rest.

About 20 million viewers watched LSU's victory over Alabama, the highest rated regular season college football game in a quarter century. 101,000 fans packed the Alabama stadium while tens of thousands tailgated outside. It was the season's most highly anticipated college football match up. An enormous amount was at stake; pride, rivalry and a national title game in New Orleans this coming January. As a result of the game LSU maintained its #1 ranking but Alabama slipped to #4 in the AP poll. This means a rematch between these two titans is unlikely in the BCS championship game.

Nonetheless, the LSU-Alabama showdown will long be remembered one of the great college football games of all time.

?

Follow Joe Peyronnin on Twitter: www.twitter.com/joepeyronnin

Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/joe-peyronnin/lsu-alabama-a-classic_b_1078696.html

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Sunday, November 6, 2011

10 Ways to Destroy Your Portfolio ? Investing Caffeine

November 5, 2011

With the rise and frequency of heightened volatility in recent years, investing has never been as difficult as it is today. However, the importance of investing has never been more crucial either, thanks to the rising, corrosive effects of inflation, and the uncertainty surrounding the sustainability of Social Security, pensions, and other retirement accounts.

If you are not losing enough money from our structurally flawed and loosely regulated financial industry that is inundated with conflicts of interest, here are 10 additional ways to destroy your investment portfolio:

#1. Watch and React to Sensationalist News Stories: Typically, strategists and pundits do a wonderful job of parroting the consensus du jour. With the advent of the internet, and 24/7 news cycles, it is difficult to not get caught up in the daily vicissitudes. However, the accuracy of the so-called media experts is no better than weather forecasters? accuracy in predicting the weather three Saturdays from now at 10:23 a.m. Investors would be better served by listening to and learning from successful, seasoned veterans (see Investing Caffeine Profiles).

#2. Invest for the Short-Term and Attempt Market Timing: Investing is a marathon, and not a sprint, yet countless investors have the arrogance to believe they can time the market. A few get lucky and time the proper entry point, but the same investors often fail to time the appropriate exit point. The process works similarly in reverse, which hammers home the idea that you can be 200% wrong when you are constantly switching your portfolio positions.

#3. Blindly Invest Without Knowing Fees: Like a dripping faucet, fees, transaction costs, taxes, and other charges may not be noticeable in the short-run, but combined, these portfolio expenses can be devastating in the long-run. Whether you or your broker/advisor knowingly or unknowingly is churning your account, the practice should be immediately halted. Passive investment products and strategies like ETFs (Exchange Traded Funds), index funds, and low turnover (long time horizon / tax-efficient) investing strategies are the way to go for investors.

#4. Use Technical Analysis as a Primary Strategy: Warren Buffett openly recognizes the problem with technical analysis as evidenced by his statement, ?I realized technical analysis didn?t work when I turned the charts upside down and didn?t get a different answer.? Legendary fund manager Peter Lynch adds, ?Charts are great for predicting the past.? Most indicators are about as helpful as astrology, but in rare instances some facets can serve as a useful device (like a Lob Wedge in golf).

#5. Panic-Sell out of Fear & Panic-Buy out of Greed: Emotions can devastate portfolio returns?when investors? trading activity follows the herd in good times and bad. As the old saying goes, ?The herd is lead to the slaughterhouse.? Gary Helms rightly identifies the role that overconfidence plays when ininvesting when he states,?If you have a great thought and write it down, it will look stupid 10 hours later.? The best investment returns are earned by traveling down the less followed path. Or as Rob Arnott describes, ?In investing, what is comfortable is rarely profitable.? Get a broad range of opinions and continually test your investment thesis to make sure peer pressure is not driving key investment decisions.

#6. Ignore Valuation and Yield: Valuation is like good pitching in baseball?very important. Successful investors think about valuation similarly to skilled sports handicappers. Steven Crist summed it up beautifully when he said, ?There are no ?good? or ?bad? horses, just correctly or incorrectly priced ones.? The same principle applies to investments. Dividends and yields should not be overlooked ? these elements are an essential part of an investor?s long-run total return.

#7. Buy and Forget: ?Buy-and-hold? is good for stocks that go up in price, and bad for stocks that go flat or decline in value. Wow, how deeply profound. As I have written in the past, there are always reasons of why you should not invest for the long-term and instead sell your position, such as: 1) new competition; 2) cost pressures; 3) slowing growth; 4) management change; 5) excessive valuation; 6) change in industry regulation; 7) slowing economy; 8 ) loss of market share; 9) product obsolescence; 10) etc, etc, etc. You get the idea.

#8. Over-Concentrate Your Portfolio: If you own a top-heavy portfolio with large weightings, sleeping at night can be challenging, and also force average investors to make bad decisions at the wrong times (i.e., buy high and sell low). While over-concentration can be risky, over-diversification can eat away at performance as well ? owning a 100 different mutual funds is costly and inefficient.

#9. Stuff Money Under Your Mattress: With interest rates at the lowest levels in more than half a century, stuffing money under the mattress in the form of CDs (Certificates of Deposit), money market accounts, and low-yielding Treasuries that are earning next to nothing is counter-productive for many investors. Compounding this problem is inflation, a silent killer that will quietly disintegrate your hard earned investment portfolio. In other words, a penny saved inefficiently will depreciate rapidly.

#10. Forget Your Mistakes: Investing is a very challenging game, and it is not getting any easier. As Albert Einstein said, ?Insanity is doing the same thing, over and over again, but expecting different results.? Mistakes will be made and it behooves?investors to document them and learn from them. Brushing your mistakes under the carpet may make you temporarily feel better emotionally, but does nothing to help your returns.

As the year?approaches a close, do yourself a favor and evaluate whether you are committing any of these damaging habits. Investing is tough enough already, without adding further ways of destroying your portfolio.

Wade W. Slome, CFA, CFP?

Plan. Invest. Prosper.

www.Sidoxia.com

DISCLOSURE: Sidoxia Capital Management (SCM) and some of its clients own certain exchange traded funds, but at the time of publishing SCM had no direct position in any other security referenced in this article. No information accessed through the Investing Caffeine (IC) website constitutes investment, financial, legal, tax or other advice nor is to be relied on in making an investment or other decision. Please read disclosure language on IC ?Contact? page.

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Entry filed under: Education. Tags: buy and hold, Einstein, ETFs, fees, index funds, market timing, media investing, Peter Lynch, Rob Arnott, transaction costs, valuation, Warren Buffett.

Source: http://investingcaffeine.com/2011/11/05/10-ways-to-destroy-your-portfolio/

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Gene therapy shows promise as hemophilia treatment in animal studies

ScienceDaily (Nov. 3, 2011) ? For the first time, researchers have combined gene therapy and stem cell transplantation to successfully reverse the severe, crippling bleeding disorder hemophilia A in large animals, opening the door to the development of new therapies for human patients.

Researchers at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center's Institute for Regenerative Medicine, collaborating with other institutions, report in Experimental Hematology that a single injection of genetically-modified adult stem cells in two sheep converted the severe disorder to a milder form. The journal is a publication of the Society for Hematology and Stem Cells

"A new approach to treating severe hemophilia is desperately needed," said lead author Christopher D. Porada, Ph.D., associate professor of regenerative medicine at Wake Forest Baptist. "About 75 percent of the world doesn't have access to the current treatment -- therapy to replace missing clotting factors. This puts patients in most of the world at risk of severe and permanent disabilities."

Porada cautioned that challenges will need to be overcome before the treatment can be applied to humans, including that the sheep developed an immune response to the therapy that could decrease its effectiveness and duration.

There is currently no cure for the rare bleeding disorder hemophilia. People with this genetic disorder lack a protein, known as a clotting factor, needed for normal blood clotting. As a result, they may bleed for a longer time than others after an injury, as well as bleed internally, especially in joints such as the knees, ankles, and elbows. This bleeding can damage the organs and tissues and be life threatening. Even when life-threatening bleeds are prevented with replacement therapy, it doesn't prevent smaller bleeds within the joints that can cause pain and decreased mobility.

People with hemophilia A, the most common type, are missing clotting factor VIII. For the study, the researchers used a combined stem cell/gene therapy approach to increase levels of factor VIII produced by the animals.

The scientists first inserted a gene for factor VIII into engineered mesenchymal stem cells, a type of adult stem cell. The cells -- acting as a carrier for the gene -- were then injected into the abdominal cavity of the sheep. The scientists selected mesenchymal stem cells to carry the gene because they have the ability to migrate to sites of injury or inflammation.

In the treated animals, the cells migrated to the joints and stopped ongoing bleeding.In addition, all spontaneous bleeding events ceased, and the existing joint damage was completely reversed, restoring normal posture and gait to these crippled animals, and enabling them to resume a normal activity level.

However, a paradox of the treatment was that while the symptoms were eliminated, the sheep developed an immune response to factor VIII, suggesting that the treatment's effects would be reduced or shorter in duration. The scientists are currently working to learn why the immune response occurred and to develop strategies to prevent it.

"While preliminary, these findings could pave the way for a new therapy for hemophilia patients who experience debilitating bleeding in their joints," Porada said.

The research was supported by the National Institutes of Health.

Co-authors were Gra?a Almeida-Porada (senior author) and Chung-Jung Kuo , both with Wake Forest Baptist; Chad Sanada, Evan Colletti, Esmail D. Zanjani, Walter Mandeville and John Hasenau, all with the University of Nevada at Reno; Robert Moot, Aflac Cancer Center and Blood Disorders Service; Christopher Doering, Emory Children's Center Pediatrics; and H. Trent Spencer, Emory University School of Medicine.

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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center.

Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.


Journal Reference:

  1. Christopher D. Porada, Chad Sanada, Chung-Jung Kuo, Evan Colletti, Walter Mandeville, John Hasenau, Esmail D. Zanjani, Robert Moot, Christopher Doering, H. Trent Spencer, Gra?a Almeida-Porada. Phenotypic correction of hemophilia A in sheep by postnatal intraperitoneal transplantation of FVIII-expressing MSC. Experimental Hematology, 2011; DOI: 10.1016/j.exphem.2011.09.001

Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.

Disclaimer: This article is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/Huk4a46k1Jk/111103081434.htm

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Saturday, November 5, 2011

U.S. blames China, Russia for cyber espionage (Reuters)

WASHINGTON (Reuters) ? China and Russia are using cyber espionage to steal U.S. trade and technology secrets to bolster their own economic development, which poses a threat to U.S. prosperity and security, a U.S. intelligence report said on Thursday.

So much sensitive information and research is on computer networks that foreign intruders can collect massive amounts of data quickly and with little risk because they are difficult to detect, according to the report to Congress titled "Foreign Spies Stealing US Economic Secrets in Cyberspace."

Foreign intelligence services, corporations and individuals increased their efforts to steal U.S. technologies which cost millions of dollars to develop, according to a report by the Office of the National Counterintelligence Executive, a U.S. government agency. The report covers 2009-2011.

"The nations of China and Russia, through their intelligence services and through their corporations, are attacking our research and development," National Counterintelligence Executive Robert Bryant said.

"That's a serious issue because if we fuel their economies on our information, I don't think that's right," he said at a news conference.

Intelligence services, private companies, academic institutions and citizens of dozens of countries target the United States, the report said. But it only named China and Russia.

"Chinese actors are the world's most active and persistent perpetrators of economic espionage," the report said.

Russia was also singled out. "Russia's intelligence services are conducting a range of activities to collect economic information and technology from US targets," the report said.

It acknowledged the difficulty of determining who exactly is behind a cyber attack. U.S. companies have reported intrusions into their computer networks that originated in China, but U.S. intelligence agencies cannot confirm who specifically is behind them.

"To a certain degree that's determined by the sophistication of the attack," Bryant said. "If it's a very sophisticated attack we basically assume that either a foreign intelligence service or a government sponsor is somewhere involved."

'QUIET MENACE'

Information and communications technology, military technologies such as unmanned aerial vehicles, and civilian technologies such as clean energy, and healthcare and pharmaceuticals are areas that may be of interest as foreign cyber espionage targets, the report said.

The National Science Foundation said research and development spending by U.S. government, industry and universities was $398 billion in 2008. But there are no reliable gauges for how much is stolen through cyber spying.

"This is a quiet menace to our economy with notably big results," Bryant said. "Trade secrets developed over thousands of working hours by our brightest minds are stolen in a split second and transferred to our competitors."

Intelligence officials say it is part of the national policy of China and Russia to try to acquire sensitive technology which they need for their own economic development, while the United States does not do economic espionage as part of its national policy.

The State Department in June said it had asked Beijing to investigate Google's allegation of a major hacking attack that the Internet giant said originated in China.

China is often blamed for cyber attacks, but Beijing's response has been that it is unfairly accused by countries unhappy with its economic rise and that it has also been a victim of cyber attacks.

House intelligence committee Chairman Mike Rogers, a Republican, said the report confirmed what he is constantly hearing. "This once again underscores the need for America's allies across Asia and Europe to join forces to pressure Beijing to end this illegal behavior."

The intelligence report said some U.S. allies and partners use their access to U.S. institutions to acquire sensitive economic and technology information, mainly through human spying tactics. But they were not named in the report, which included input from intelligence agencies, the private sector, and academia.

The pace of foreign economic and industrial espionage against the United States is accelerating, the report said.

"We judge that the governments of China and Russia will remain aggressive and capable collectors of sensitive US economic information and technologies, particularly in cyberspace."

China and Russia are "motivated by the desire to achieve economic, strategic, and military parity with the United States," the report said.

The intelligence report was released publicly to raise awareness of the issue in the hopes that public, private and academic partnerships can find solutions, officials said.

"This is a national long-term strategic threat to the United States of America," Bryant said. This is an issue where "failure is not an option."

(Editing by Mohammad Zargham and Doina Chiacu)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/security/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20111103/wr_nm/us_usa_cyber_china

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