BETHESDA, Md. (AP) ? Jordan Spieth is playing with nothing to lose and giving himself another chance to win.
Spieth played bogey-free in tame conditions Friday at Congressional for a 5-under 66 that gave him a share of the lead with Roberto Castro among the early starters in the second round of the AT&T National. Castro had a 69.
Spieth is the 19-year-old from Texas who has played well enough to assure himself a PGA Tour card for next season. But he won't be considered eligible for the lucrative FedEx Cup playoffs unless he's a PGA Tour member. And he can't be a member this year unless he wins.
He says that allows him to swing away, knowing that it's no longer about earning enough money, but winning tournaments.
June 26, 2013 ? University of Alabama archaeologists are getting a glimpse of what life in Tuscaloosa might have been like more than 180 years ago. From bottles and porcelain pieces to soil and flotation samples taken from privies, or outhouses, the analysts are discovering many "stories" of Tuscaloosa's past.
For the past two months, UA's Office of Archaeological Research has been analyzing artifacts found at the former City Fest lot, located on the corner of University Boulevard and Greensboro Avenue. The University was contracted by the City of Tuscaloosa to perform an archaeological investigation per federal guidelines in preparation for construction of a new Embassy Suites hotel.
Beginning in January, project director Brandon Thompson and his team began investigating the "Bank of the State site." In February, they stripped the remaining parking lot and exposed some "incredible" features, including many foundation remains from buildings that date back to before 1820, said Matt Gage, director of the Office of Archaeological Research.
Initial occupation of the site dates to 1816 when Revolutionary War veteran John Click built a log cabin on the property. However, he never got a deed to the property and lost it to John McKee in 1823. McKee was the Cherokee, Chickasaw and Choctaw agent at the time, as well as a land surveyor, and he had helped lay out the city of Tuscaloosa, Gage said.
Over the years, the property was home to numerous businesses, including Augustin Lynch's cabinet manufactory. Known as one of the most important Antebellum furniture makers of the time, Gage said Lynch provided furniture for the Capitol building -- at the time located only a few blocks to the west -- and for some of the early University of Alabama buildings.
He also created ivory billiard balls and sold them to people in Washington, D.C. Gage said they discovered ivory on the site, as well as rusted tools such as saw blades and drills.
The Bank of the State was built on the property in 1829, and Gage said they found some beautiful decorative pieces from that building, as well as a few Spanish coins. The coins are reales minted in Brazil, Guatemala City and Mexico City. The coins were found in pits containing British gun flints and early bottles closer to where Click's log cabin had been, so Gage predicted they were either associated with traders coming through Tuscaloosa or early dealings with the Bank of the State.
"In the early 1800s, foreign currency was used as frequently as coinage minted in the country," he said. "There were so few mints in the U.S. at the time, any currency of monetary value made of gold, silver or copper was given value and could be exchanged as easily as currency minted in the U.S."
The property also housed an ice factory, numerous shanties and other dwellings, a hotel and the Drish building, which was initially used as a warehouse and then a Civil War prisoner-of-war facility. Artifacts discovered included various bottles (including those that held food, as well as drink and medicine), buttons, porcelain pieces, printing press letters, early smoking pipes, architectural elements from the buildings and more.
A gold mine for archaeologists when it comes to historical sites are wells and privies, said Gage, and they found several on this site, including some that had been used by the Union soldiers housed at the Civil War prison. Using soil and flotation samples from the privies, analysts can determine everything from what individuals were eating to how they were being treated, he added.
"It's just a wealth of information," Gage said.
"Tuscaloosa has a very rich history. When you think of the early history of Tuscaloosa, even though the state capitol was here, you still figure that it was a small little enclave, people going about their lives with a predominant lifestyle involving agriculture, but commerce is a major aspect of this block," Gage said.
"There are so many elements of this site that provide a fantastic glimpse of the past and knowing that past is incredibly important. You can never know who or what you are without knowing your history."
[unable to retrieve full-text content]President Obama proposed far-reaching regulations on power plants and energy efficiency, using executive actions that will not need Congressional approval.
One in 5 students in Grades 7-12 say they have had a traumatic brain injury in their lifetimePublic release date: 25-Jun-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Leslie Shepherd shepherdl@smh.ca 416-864-6094 St. Michael's Hospital
Sports such as ice hockey and soccer accounted for more than half the injuries
TORONTO, June 25, 2013One in five adolescents surveyed in Ontario said they have suffered a traumatic brain injury that left them unconscious for five minutes or required them to be hospitalized overnight, a statistic researchers in Toronto say is much higher than previously thought.
Sports such as ice hockey and soccer accounted for more than half the injuries, said Dr. Gabriela Ilie, lead author of the study and a post-doctoral fellow at St. Michael's Hospital.
Traumatic brain injuries, such as concussions, were reported more often by males than females, by those with lower school grades and by those who used alcohol or cannabis in the previous 12 months, she said.
The study was to be published Wednesday (June 26) in the Journal of the American Medical Association.
Dr. Ilie said this is one of the first studies of traumatic brain injury to focus only on adolescents and to include all of their self-reported TBIs. Most previous studies based their reporting only on hospital records. Concussion is the most common form of traumatic brain injury.
The data used in the study were from the 2011 Ontario Student Drug Use and Health Survey (OSDUHS) developed by the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health.
The survey, one of the longest ongoing school surveys in the world, contains responses from almost 9,000 students from Grades 7-12 in publicly funded schools across Ontario. The OSDUHS began as a drug use survey, but is now a broader study of adolescent health and well-being. For the first time in 2011, questions about traumatic brain injury were added to the survey.
"The questions about TBI were added to the OSDUHS because there were no current data on prevalence in the adolescent population," said Dr. Robert Mann, a senior scientist at CAMH and director of the OSDUHS. "Early research has indicated that there may be links between TBIs and mental health and substance use during adolescence we plan to study this in the near future."
The survey found that 20 per cent of adolescents in Ontario said they had had a traumatic brain injury in their lifetime. It found that 5.6 per cent of them had had such an injury in the past 12 months.
Dr. Ilie said this suggests the prevalence of TBI among young people is much higher than previously known, because many head injuries remain uncounted when they are not being reported to parents, teachers, sports coaches or health care workers. In Canada, 50 per cent of all injuries that kill and disable youth involve a TBI.
This new research found that 46.9 per cent of the TBIs reported by adolescent females occurred during sports (e.g., hockey, skate boarding); the figure was 63.5 per cent for males.
Students who reported drinking alcohol occasionally/frequently and those who reported using cannabis 10 or more times over the past 12 months had more than five times and more than three the odds, respectively, of acquiring a traumatic brain injury in the past 12 months than students who reported abstinence. The survey also showed that students who reported overall poor grades at school (below 60 per cent) had almost four times the odds of a lifetime acquired brain injury than students who reported grades at or above 90 per cent.
"Traumatic brain injury is preventable," said Dr. Ilie. "If we know who is more vulnerable, when and how these injuries are occurring, we can talk to students, coaches, and parents about it. We can take preventive action and find viable solutions to reduce their occurrence and long-term effects."
Brain injuries among adolescents are particularly concerning because their brains are still developing. There is growing evidence that people who have had one or more concussions are at greater risk of future concussions, and evidence that multiple brain injuries can result in lasting cognitive impairment, substance use, mental health and physical health harms.
###
This study is part of a team project grant awarded to Dr. Michael Cusimano, a neurosurgeon and concussion researcher at St. Michael's, by the Canadian Institutes for Health Research and the Ontario Neurotrauma Foundation. The work was also supported by grants to Dr. Mann from AUTO21.
About St. Michael's Hospital
St Michael's Hospital provides compassionate care to all who enter its doors. The hospital also provides outstanding medical education to future health care professionals in more than 23 academic disciplines. Critical care and trauma, heart disease, neurosurgery, diabetes, cancer care, care of the homeless and global health are among the Hospital's recognized areas of expertise. Through the Keenan Research Centre and the Li Ka Shing International Healthcare Education Centre, which make up the Li Ka Shing Knowledge Institute, research and education at St. Michael's Hospital are recognized and make an impact around the world. Founded in 1892, the hospital is fully affiliated with the University of Toronto.
For more information or to interview Dr. Ilie, contact:
Leslie Shepherd
Manager, Media Strategy
Communications and Public Affairs Department
St. Michael's Hospital
416-864-6094
shepherdl@smh.ca
Inspired Care. Inspiring Science.
About CAMH
The Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) is Canada's largest mental health and addiction teaching hospital, as well as one of the world's leading research centres in its field. CAMH combines clinical care, research, education, policy development and health promotion to help transform the lives of people affected by mental health and addiction issues. CAMH is fully affiliated with the University of Toronto, and is a Pan American Health Organization/World Health Organization Collaborating Centre. For more information, please visit http://www.camh.ca.
For more information on OSDUHS or to interview Dr. Mann, please contact:
Michael Torres
CAMH Media Relations
(416) 595 6015
or media@camh.ca
[ | E-mail | 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.
One in 5 students in Grades 7-12 say they have had a traumatic brain injury in their lifetimePublic release date: 25-Jun-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Leslie Shepherd shepherdl@smh.ca 416-864-6094 St. Michael's Hospital
Sports such as ice hockey and soccer accounted for more than half the injuries
TORONTO, June 25, 2013One in five adolescents surveyed in Ontario said they have suffered a traumatic brain injury that left them unconscious for five minutes or required them to be hospitalized overnight, a statistic researchers in Toronto say is much higher than previously thought.
Sports such as ice hockey and soccer accounted for more than half the injuries, said Dr. Gabriela Ilie, lead author of the study and a post-doctoral fellow at St. Michael's Hospital.
Traumatic brain injuries, such as concussions, were reported more often by males than females, by those with lower school grades and by those who used alcohol or cannabis in the previous 12 months, she said.
The study was to be published Wednesday (June 26) in the Journal of the American Medical Association.
Dr. Ilie said this is one of the first studies of traumatic brain injury to focus only on adolescents and to include all of their self-reported TBIs. Most previous studies based their reporting only on hospital records. Concussion is the most common form of traumatic brain injury.
The data used in the study were from the 2011 Ontario Student Drug Use and Health Survey (OSDUHS) developed by the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health.
The survey, one of the longest ongoing school surveys in the world, contains responses from almost 9,000 students from Grades 7-12 in publicly funded schools across Ontario. The OSDUHS began as a drug use survey, but is now a broader study of adolescent health and well-being. For the first time in 2011, questions about traumatic brain injury were added to the survey.
"The questions about TBI were added to the OSDUHS because there were no current data on prevalence in the adolescent population," said Dr. Robert Mann, a senior scientist at CAMH and director of the OSDUHS. "Early research has indicated that there may be links between TBIs and mental health and substance use during adolescence we plan to study this in the near future."
The survey found that 20 per cent of adolescents in Ontario said they had had a traumatic brain injury in their lifetime. It found that 5.6 per cent of them had had such an injury in the past 12 months.
Dr. Ilie said this suggests the prevalence of TBI among young people is much higher than previously known, because many head injuries remain uncounted when they are not being reported to parents, teachers, sports coaches or health care workers. In Canada, 50 per cent of all injuries that kill and disable youth involve a TBI.
This new research found that 46.9 per cent of the TBIs reported by adolescent females occurred during sports (e.g., hockey, skate boarding); the figure was 63.5 per cent for males.
Students who reported drinking alcohol occasionally/frequently and those who reported using cannabis 10 or more times over the past 12 months had more than five times and more than three the odds, respectively, of acquiring a traumatic brain injury in the past 12 months than students who reported abstinence. The survey also showed that students who reported overall poor grades at school (below 60 per cent) had almost four times the odds of a lifetime acquired brain injury than students who reported grades at or above 90 per cent.
"Traumatic brain injury is preventable," said Dr. Ilie. "If we know who is more vulnerable, when and how these injuries are occurring, we can talk to students, coaches, and parents about it. We can take preventive action and find viable solutions to reduce their occurrence and long-term effects."
Brain injuries among adolescents are particularly concerning because their brains are still developing. There is growing evidence that people who have had one or more concussions are at greater risk of future concussions, and evidence that multiple brain injuries can result in lasting cognitive impairment, substance use, mental health and physical health harms.
###
This study is part of a team project grant awarded to Dr. Michael Cusimano, a neurosurgeon and concussion researcher at St. Michael's, by the Canadian Institutes for Health Research and the Ontario Neurotrauma Foundation. The work was also supported by grants to Dr. Mann from AUTO21.
About St. Michael's Hospital
St Michael's Hospital provides compassionate care to all who enter its doors. The hospital also provides outstanding medical education to future health care professionals in more than 23 academic disciplines. Critical care and trauma, heart disease, neurosurgery, diabetes, cancer care, care of the homeless and global health are among the Hospital's recognized areas of expertise. Through the Keenan Research Centre and the Li Ka Shing International Healthcare Education Centre, which make up the Li Ka Shing Knowledge Institute, research and education at St. Michael's Hospital are recognized and make an impact around the world. Founded in 1892, the hospital is fully affiliated with the University of Toronto.
For more information or to interview Dr. Ilie, contact:
Leslie Shepherd
Manager, Media Strategy
Communications and Public Affairs Department
St. Michael's Hospital
416-864-6094
shepherdl@smh.ca
Inspired Care. Inspiring Science.
About CAMH
The Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) is Canada's largest mental health and addiction teaching hospital, as well as one of the world's leading research centres in its field. CAMH combines clinical care, research, education, policy development and health promotion to help transform the lives of people affected by mental health and addiction issues. CAMH is fully affiliated with the University of Toronto, and is a Pan American Health Organization/World Health Organization Collaborating Centre. For more information, please visit http://www.camh.ca.
For more information on OSDUHS or to interview Dr. Mann, please contact:
Michael Torres
CAMH Media Relations
(416) 595 6015
or media@camh.ca
[ | E-mail | 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.
Sen. Wendy Davis, D-Fort Worth, reacts after she was called for a rules violation during her filibusters of an abortion bill, Tuesday, June 25, 2013, in Austin, Texas. Davis was given a second warning for breaking filibuster rules. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)
Sen. Wendy Davis, D-Fort Worth, reacts after she was called for a rules violation during her filibusters of an abortion bill, Tuesday, June 25, 2013, in Austin, Texas. Davis was given a second warning for breaking filibuster rules. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)
Hundreds line up to enter the Senate Chamber spills into multiple levels of the rotunda as Sen. Wendy Davis, D-Fort Worth, filibusters in an effort to kill an abortion bill, Tuesday, June 25, 2013, in Austin, Texas. The bill would ban abortion after 20 weeks of pregnancy and force many clinics that perform the procedure to upgrade their facilities and be classified as ambulatory surgical centers. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)
Sen. Wendy Davis, D-Fort Worth, left, votes against a motion to call for a rules violation during her filibusters of an abortion bill, Tuesday, June 25, 2013, in Austin, Texas. Davis was given a second warning for breaking filibuster rules by receiving help from Sen. Rodney Ellis, D-Houston, with a back brace. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)
Sen. Tommy Williams holds up a finger to vote yes for giving Sen. Wendy Davis, D-Fort Worth, a rules violation during her filibusters of an abortion bill, Tuesday, June 25, 2013, in Austin, Texas. Davis was given a second warning for breaking filibuster rules by receiving help from Sen. Rodney Ellis, D-Houston, with a back brace. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)
Sen. Wendy Davis, D-Fort Worth, filibusters in an effort to kill an abortion bill, Tuesday, June 25, 2013, in Austin, Texas. The bill would ban abortion after 20 weeks of pregnancy and force many clinics that perform the procedure to upgrade their facilities and be classified as ambulatory surgical centers. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) ? Amid the deafening roar of abortion rights supporters, Texas Republicans huddled around the Senate podium to pass new abortion restrictions, but whether the vote was cast before or after midnight is in dispute.
Hundreds of protesters cheered, clapped and shouted for the last 15 minutes of the special legislative session in an attempt to run out the clock before senators could vote on the bill that is expected to close almost every abortion clinic in the nation's second most populous state.
While Democrats as well as assembled reporters watched clocks on their mobile phones tick past midnight, Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst said the voting began just before. The bill now goes to Gov. Rick Perry, who directed that the legislation be taken up in the special session and is expected to sign it into law.
Democrats immediately predicted a legal challenge.
"It's questionable to vote when no one can hear to even know if a vote is taken," said Sen. Kirk Watson, D-Austin.
One of the state's most conservative lawmakers, Houston Republican Sen. Dan Patrick, insisted the vote was valid.
"Had that not happened, everyone would have known what was happening," he said.
Sen. Wendy Davis, D-Fort Worth, spent most of the day staging an old-fashioned filibuster, attracting wide support, including a mention from President Barack Obama's campaign Twitter account. Her Twitter following went from 1,200 in the morning to more than 20,000 by Tuesday night.
Davis' mission, however, was cut short.
Rules stipulated she remain standing, not lean on her desk or take any breaks ? even for meals or to use the bathroom. But she also was required to stay on topic, and Republicans pointed out a mistake and later protested again when another lawmaker helped her with a back brace.
Republican Sen. Donna Campbell called the third point of order because of her remarks about a previous law concerning sonograms. Under the rules, lawmakers can vote to end a filibuster after three sustained points of order.
After much back and forth, the GOP voted to end the filibuster minutes before midnight, sparking the raucous response from protesters.
If signed into law, the measures would close almost every abortion clinic in Texas, a state 773 miles wide and 790 miles long with 26 million people. A woman living along the Mexico border or in West Texas would have to drive hundreds of miles to obtain an abortion if the law passes. The law's provision that abortions be performed at surgical centers means only five of Texas' 42 abortion clinics are currently designated to remain in operation.
In her opening remarks, Davis said she was "rising on the floor today to humbly give voice to thousands of Texans" and called Republican efforts to pass the bill a "raw abuse of power."
Democrats chose Davis, of Fort Worth, to lead the effort because of her background as a woman who had her first child as a teenager and went on to graduate from Harvard Law School.
In the hallway outside the Senate chamber, hundreds of women stood in line, waiting for someone to relinquish a gallery seat. Women's rights supporters wore orange T-shirts to show their support for Davis.
The filibuster took down other measures. A proposal to fund major transportation projects as well as a bill to have Texas more closely conform with a recent U.S. Supreme Court decision banning mandatory sentences of life in prison without parole for offenders younger than 18 did not get votes. Current state law only allows a life sentence without parole for 17-year-olds convicted of capital murder.
Twice in the first six hours, anti-abortion lawmakers questioned Davis about the bill, presenting their arguments that it would protect women or that abortions were wrong. Davis answered their questions but did not give up control of the floor.
"This is really about women's health," said Sen. Bob Deuell, who introduced a requirement that all abortions take place in surgical centers. "Sometimes bad things can happen."
Davis questioned then why vasectomies and colonoscopies aren't also required to take place in such clinics. "Because I've been unable to have a simple question answered to help me understand how this would lead to better care for women, I must question the underlying motive for doing so," she said.
Davis read testimony from women and doctors who would be impacted by the changes, but who were denied the opportunity to speak in a Republican-controlled committee. During one heart-wrenching story describing a woman's difficult pregnancy, Davis choked up several times and wiped away tears.
The bill would ban abortion after 20 weeks of pregnancy and force many clinics that perform the procedure to upgrade their facilities and be classified as ambulatory surgical centers. Also, doctors would be required to have admitting privileges at a hospital within 30 miles ? a tall order in rural communities.
"If this passes, abortion would be virtually banned in the state of Texas, and many women could be forced to resort to dangerous and unsafe measures," said Cecile Richards, president of Planned Parenthood Action Fund and daughter of the late former Texas governor Ann Richards.
___
Senate Bill 5: http://www.legis.state.tx.us/BillLookup/history.aspx?LegSess=831&Bill=SB5
___
Follow Chris Tomlinson on Twitter: http://twitter.com/cltomlinson
BEIJING (AP) ? Chinese workers keeping an American executive confined in his Beijing medical supply plant said Tuesday that they had not been paid in two months in a compensation dispute that highlights tensions in China's labor market.
The executive, Chip Starnes of Specialty Medical Supplies, denied the workers' allegations of unpaid wages as he endured a fifth day of captivity at the plant in the capital's northeastern suburbs, peering out from behind the bars of his office window.
About 100 workers are demanding generous severance packages identical to those offered 30 workers being laid off from the Coral Springs, Florida-based company's plastics division. The demands followed rumors that the entire plant was being closed, despite Starnes' assertion that the company doesn't plan to fire the others.
A worker, Gao Ping, told reporters inside an administrative office in the plant that she wanted to quit because she hadn't been paid for two months.
Dressed in blue overalls and sitting at a desk, Gao said that her division ? which makes alcohol prep pads, used for cleaning skin before injections ? had not been doing well and that she wanted her salary and compensation.
Workers in other divisions saw how badly her division was doing, thought the whole company was faring poorly and also wanted to quit and get compensation, said Gao, who had been working for the company for six years.
Starnes denied that they were owed unpaid salary.
"They are demanding full severance pay, but they still have a job. That's the problem," he said, still in the clothes he wore when he went to work Friday morning.
Chu Lixiang, a local union official representing the workers in talks with Starnes, said the workers were demanding the portion of their salaries yet to be paid and a "reasonable" level of compensation before leaving their jobs. Neither gave details on the amounts demanded.
Chu said Starnes hadn't paid the workers for two months. She said they feared the plant was closing and that he would run away without paying severance.
Starnes' attorney arrived Tuesday afternoon. Chu later told reporters that there would be no negotiations for the rest of the day.
Starnes said that since Saturday morning, about 80 workers had been blocking every exit around the clock and depriving him of sleep by shining bright lights and banging on windows of his office.
The standoff points to long-ingrained habits among Chinese workers who are sometimes left unprotected when factories close without severance or wages owed.
Such incidents have been rarer as labor protections improve, although disputes still occur and local governments have at times barred foreign executives from leaving until they are resolved.
Starnes, 42, previously said he'd been coerced into agreeing to meet workers' demands by Tuesday.
Starnes said the company had gradually been winding down its plastics division, planning to move it to Mumbai, India. He arrived in Beijing a week ago to lay off the last 30 people. Some had been working there for up to nine years, so their compensation packages were "pretty nice," he said.
Some of the workers in the other divisions got wind of this, and, coupled with rumors that the whole plant was moving to India, started demanding similar severance packages on Friday, Starnes said.
Diabetics who use meters to monitor their glucose have better control over diseasePublic release date: 17-Jun-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Renatt Brodsky Renatt.Brodsky@mountsinai.org 212-241-9200 The Mount Sinai Hospital / Mount Sinai School of Medicine
Mount Sinai researchers present new data at ENDO 2013, The Endocrine Society's Annual Meeting & Expo June 15-18 in San Francisco
New York Researchers from the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai will present several new studies at ENDO 2013, The Endocrine Society's Annual Meeting & Expo (ENDO) from June 15-18 in San Francisco.
Mount Sinai researchers will demonstrate new data on diabetes self-management, as well as the role of prostastic acid phosphatase (PAP) in Prostate Cancer (PCa) bone metastases; identify new molecules that can stimulate the thyroid gland; reveal the prevalence of primary aldosteronism (PA) in an urban population; and show how thyroid autoimmunity may be triggered by endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress.
Highlights of Mount Sinai research at ENDO 2013:
Availability of Reliable Home Blood Glucose Data at Diabetes Appointments and Correlation with Hemoglobin A1C (Under embargo until 1:45 pm PDT on Sunday, June 16, 2013)
Medicaid and Medicare patients with uncontrolled diabetes, who brought their glucose meters to appointments, and monitored levels at home, lowered their Hemoglobin A1c by 1.2 percent, whereas all other patients saw no change in their A1c. The research highlighting diabetes self-management was conducted by Ronald Tamler, MD, PhD, CDE, Clinical Director of the Mount Sinai Diabetes Center and Associate Professor of Medicine at The Mount Sinai Medical Center and his team, and presented in an ENDO 2013 poster session. "These results show that there is still much work to be done in educating patients about the benefits of glucose monitoring," said Dr. Tamler. "We also need to focus our resources on the population most likely to benefit from this kind of monitoring. After all, the effect seen in Medicare and Medicaid patients rivals that of adding another medication."
The team reviewed data on 500 adult patients at the Mount Sinai Diabetes Center and determined that 30 percent of the patients (almost all insulin-treated) brought glucose meters to their visits. "Hand-written glucose logs can be misleading," said Gillian Boyd-Woschinko, MD, Chief Endocrine Fellow at Mount Sinai and lead author of the study. "Past research has shown then when comparing hand written logs to meter data, it can be inaccurate due to under-reporting and over-reporting. Both occur as a result of human error, the desire to please the physician, and lack of understanding of the utility of accurate data. We encourage all patients to bring their blood glucose meters to their appointments, so we can download them."
Prostatic Acid Phosphatase in Prostate Cancer Bone Metastases: Rank Ligand as a Mediator (Under embargo until 10:45 am PDT on Sunday, June 16, 2013)
Levels of prostatic acid phosphatase (PAP), the oldest tumor marker, are elevated in men with prostate cancer (PCa) bone metastases, according to research presented by Alice C. Levine, MD, Professor of Medicine in the Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Bone Diseases at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and her team in a highlighted poster session. According to Dr. Levine, PCa has a tendency to spread to the bone where it becomes incurable and blood PAP levels are higher in men with PCa bone metastases.
"Currently, there are no curative therapies for this stage of the disease," said Dr. Levine. "Our study could have wide-ranging clinical applications for men with advanced PCa that has spread to bone."
Researchers studied two PCa cell lines and a mouse preosteoblast (OB) line. All three cell lines expressed measurable amounts of two proteins, RANK Ligand (RANKL) and Osteoprotegerin (OPG) mRNA/protein that are known to be essential regulators of bone formation and breakdown. The results suggested that PAP secreted by PCa cells in bone metastases modulates RANKL/OPG expression in both PCa and OB cells and therefore inhibitors of PAP may effectively target the RANKL/OPG system and treat bone metastases.
The study took place from February 2012 until April 2013 and was funded through an Exploration Hypothesis Award from the Department of Defense Prostate Cancer Research Program.
Pathways to Thyroid Stimulation: Identification of New Potent and Selective Small Molecular Agonists to the TSH Receptor (Under embargo until 11:15 am PDT on Sunday, June 16, 2013)
Mount Sinai researchers have identified two novel and potent small molecular compounds proven to be effective in stimulating the thyroid gland and producing more thyroid hormone.
For this study, Terry F. Davies, MD, the Florence and Theodore Baumritter Professor of Medicine at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and his research team screened 50,000 molecules, narrowed them down to 20 molecules which had activity and then identified two molecules with high potency and specificity.
"One of the two molecules identified has a very impressive potency and the potential to be used as a diagnostic tool and therapeutic agent in individuals," said Dr. Davies, who is giving an oral presentation at ENDO 2013. "This newly- identified molecule could lead to the pharmaceutical development of a very effective form of human thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH), similar to Thyrogen. This drug works by binding to TSH receptors on normal thyroid cells or on thyroid cancer tissue and helps to determine if there are any thyroid cells or thyroid cancer cells remaining after removal of the thyroid gland. Our identification of such novel and potent molecules could have the potential to develop new treatments for thyroid dysfunction, including thyroid cancer, in the future."
Prevalence of Primary Aldosteronism in an Urban Hypertensive Population (Under embargo until 1:45 am PDT on Monday, June 17, 2013)
With 65 million people in the U.S. diagnosed with hypertension, Dr. Levine and her research team at Mount Sinai will present data showing that primary aldosteronism (PA) is under diagnosed and undertreated in patients. PA is a disorder where the adrenal glands make too much of the hormone aldosterone, which was once thought of as a very rare cause of high blood pressure in patients with hypertension, with or without low blood potassium levels,
The data from this study shows that 4.7 percent of patients tested in the study had blood aldosterone and renin levels indicating they may have PA. Those patients are currently undergoing further testing for the diagnosis. "It is important to ascertain whether PA is a common cause of high blood pressure in our urban population since many of the drugs we currently employ would not be effective if this is the underlying cause," said Dr. Levine. "Medical and surgical therapies are now available that could properly target this disease."
According to Dr. Levine, physicians do not generally screen hypertensive patients for this disorder unless they have very severe high blood pressure and also have low blood potassium levels.
"Testing for PA involves a very simple blood screening test which can be done in almost all hypertensive patients without even discontinuing their drugs," said Dr. Levine. "As a result of our research, many more screening tests have been done by physicians at Mount Sinai, and previously unsuspected cases have been confirmed and patients have been properly treated."
For the study, the first of a large urban population in the United States, researchers screened 260 individuals for PA who had previously been diagnosed with hypertension. Researchers measured the levels of aldosterone and renin through two separate blood tests. The study was conducted with patients in New York City from August 2012 until May 2013.
Pinpointing Interpheron-alpha in Thyroid Autoimmunity: The Role of Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress (Under embargo until 11:15 AM PDT on Sunday, June 16, 2013)
Thyroid autoimmunity might be triggered by a process called Endoplasmic Reticulum (ER) stress, which can even occur following a viral infection, according to Angela Lombardi, PhD, a post-doctoral fellow at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai who is making an oral presentation. Dr. Lombardi was mentored by Yaron Tomer, MD, FACP, Chief of the Hilda & J. Lester Gabrilove Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Bone Disease at The Mount Sinai Medical Center.
ER stress is a process in which cell production and packaging of newly-synthesized proteins is perturbed. This can trigger an autoimmune response which can lead to inflammation and cause cell death. In this study, a human thyroid cell line and human primary thyroid cells were exposed to interferon-alpha (IFN-a), a protein which is secreted during infections. The cells were then tested for markers of ER stress. As a result, both the cell line and the primary thyroid cell cultures showed high levels of ER stress.
"This study showed that one of the main proteins produced by cells in response to infection can also cause ER stress in thyroid cells which can trigger thyroid autoimmunity," said Dr. Tomer. "This discovery will enable us to test ER stress blockers for their effectiveness to treat and prevent thyroid immunity in the future."
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About the Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Bone Disease at Mount Sinai
The mission of the Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes & Bone Disease is excellence in the delivery of patient care, research, and education. Researchers in the division are expanding understanding of disease and identifying new treatments. The next generation of physicians, scientists and physician-scientists are being trained to take the latest advances in the laboratory and apply them at the bedside. All of the division's efforts are targeted to bring the highest quality care to patients. For more information, visit http://www.mssm.edu/endo.
About The Mount Sinai Medical Center
The Mount Sinai Medical Center encompasses both The Mount Sinai Hospital and Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. Established in 1968, the Icahn School of Medicine is one of the leading medical schools in the United States, and is noted for innovation in education, biomedical research, clinical care delivery, and local and global community service. It has more than 3,400 faculty in 32 departments and 14 research institutes, and ranks among the top 20 medical schools both in National Institutes of Health (NIH) funding and by U.S. News & World Report.
The Mount Sinai Hospital, founded in 1852, is a 1,171-bed tertiary- and quaternary-care teaching facility and one of the nation's oldest, largest and most-respected voluntary hospitals. In 2012, U.S. News & World Report ranked The Mount Sinai Hospital 14th on its elite Honor Roll of the nation's top hospitals based on reputation, safety, and other patient-care factors. Mount Sinai is one of 12 integrated academic medical centers whose medical school ranks among the top 20 in NIH funding and by U.S. News & World Report and whose hospital is on the U.S. News & World Report Honor Roll. Nearly 60,000 people were treated at Mount Sinai as inpatients last year, and approximately 560,000 outpatient visits took place.
For more information, visit http://www.mountsinai.org/.
AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
Diabetics who use meters to monitor their glucose have better control over diseasePublic release date: 17-Jun-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Renatt Brodsky Renatt.Brodsky@mountsinai.org 212-241-9200 The Mount Sinai Hospital / Mount Sinai School of Medicine
Mount Sinai researchers present new data at ENDO 2013, The Endocrine Society's Annual Meeting & Expo June 15-18 in San Francisco
New York Researchers from the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai will present several new studies at ENDO 2013, The Endocrine Society's Annual Meeting & Expo (ENDO) from June 15-18 in San Francisco.
Mount Sinai researchers will demonstrate new data on diabetes self-management, as well as the role of prostastic acid phosphatase (PAP) in Prostate Cancer (PCa) bone metastases; identify new molecules that can stimulate the thyroid gland; reveal the prevalence of primary aldosteronism (PA) in an urban population; and show how thyroid autoimmunity may be triggered by endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress.
Highlights of Mount Sinai research at ENDO 2013:
Availability of Reliable Home Blood Glucose Data at Diabetes Appointments and Correlation with Hemoglobin A1C (Under embargo until 1:45 pm PDT on Sunday, June 16, 2013)
Medicaid and Medicare patients with uncontrolled diabetes, who brought their glucose meters to appointments, and monitored levels at home, lowered their Hemoglobin A1c by 1.2 percent, whereas all other patients saw no change in their A1c. The research highlighting diabetes self-management was conducted by Ronald Tamler, MD, PhD, CDE, Clinical Director of the Mount Sinai Diabetes Center and Associate Professor of Medicine at The Mount Sinai Medical Center and his team, and presented in an ENDO 2013 poster session. "These results show that there is still much work to be done in educating patients about the benefits of glucose monitoring," said Dr. Tamler. "We also need to focus our resources on the population most likely to benefit from this kind of monitoring. After all, the effect seen in Medicare and Medicaid patients rivals that of adding another medication."
The team reviewed data on 500 adult patients at the Mount Sinai Diabetes Center and determined that 30 percent of the patients (almost all insulin-treated) brought glucose meters to their visits. "Hand-written glucose logs can be misleading," said Gillian Boyd-Woschinko, MD, Chief Endocrine Fellow at Mount Sinai and lead author of the study. "Past research has shown then when comparing hand written logs to meter data, it can be inaccurate due to under-reporting and over-reporting. Both occur as a result of human error, the desire to please the physician, and lack of understanding of the utility of accurate data. We encourage all patients to bring their blood glucose meters to their appointments, so we can download them."
Prostatic Acid Phosphatase in Prostate Cancer Bone Metastases: Rank Ligand as a Mediator (Under embargo until 10:45 am PDT on Sunday, June 16, 2013)
Levels of prostatic acid phosphatase (PAP), the oldest tumor marker, are elevated in men with prostate cancer (PCa) bone metastases, according to research presented by Alice C. Levine, MD, Professor of Medicine in the Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Bone Diseases at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and her team in a highlighted poster session. According to Dr. Levine, PCa has a tendency to spread to the bone where it becomes incurable and blood PAP levels are higher in men with PCa bone metastases.
"Currently, there are no curative therapies for this stage of the disease," said Dr. Levine. "Our study could have wide-ranging clinical applications for men with advanced PCa that has spread to bone."
Researchers studied two PCa cell lines and a mouse preosteoblast (OB) line. All three cell lines expressed measurable amounts of two proteins, RANK Ligand (RANKL) and Osteoprotegerin (OPG) mRNA/protein that are known to be essential regulators of bone formation and breakdown. The results suggested that PAP secreted by PCa cells in bone metastases modulates RANKL/OPG expression in both PCa and OB cells and therefore inhibitors of PAP may effectively target the RANKL/OPG system and treat bone metastases.
The study took place from February 2012 until April 2013 and was funded through an Exploration Hypothesis Award from the Department of Defense Prostate Cancer Research Program.
Pathways to Thyroid Stimulation: Identification of New Potent and Selective Small Molecular Agonists to the TSH Receptor (Under embargo until 11:15 am PDT on Sunday, June 16, 2013)
Mount Sinai researchers have identified two novel and potent small molecular compounds proven to be effective in stimulating the thyroid gland and producing more thyroid hormone.
For this study, Terry F. Davies, MD, the Florence and Theodore Baumritter Professor of Medicine at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and his research team screened 50,000 molecules, narrowed them down to 20 molecules which had activity and then identified two molecules with high potency and specificity.
"One of the two molecules identified has a very impressive potency and the potential to be used as a diagnostic tool and therapeutic agent in individuals," said Dr. Davies, who is giving an oral presentation at ENDO 2013. "This newly- identified molecule could lead to the pharmaceutical development of a very effective form of human thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH), similar to Thyrogen. This drug works by binding to TSH receptors on normal thyroid cells or on thyroid cancer tissue and helps to determine if there are any thyroid cells or thyroid cancer cells remaining after removal of the thyroid gland. Our identification of such novel and potent molecules could have the potential to develop new treatments for thyroid dysfunction, including thyroid cancer, in the future."
Prevalence of Primary Aldosteronism in an Urban Hypertensive Population (Under embargo until 1:45 am PDT on Monday, June 17, 2013)
With 65 million people in the U.S. diagnosed with hypertension, Dr. Levine and her research team at Mount Sinai will present data showing that primary aldosteronism (PA) is under diagnosed and undertreated in patients. PA is a disorder where the adrenal glands make too much of the hormone aldosterone, which was once thought of as a very rare cause of high blood pressure in patients with hypertension, with or without low blood potassium levels,
The data from this study shows that 4.7 percent of patients tested in the study had blood aldosterone and renin levels indicating they may have PA. Those patients are currently undergoing further testing for the diagnosis. "It is important to ascertain whether PA is a common cause of high blood pressure in our urban population since many of the drugs we currently employ would not be effective if this is the underlying cause," said Dr. Levine. "Medical and surgical therapies are now available that could properly target this disease."
According to Dr. Levine, physicians do not generally screen hypertensive patients for this disorder unless they have very severe high blood pressure and also have low blood potassium levels.
"Testing for PA involves a very simple blood screening test which can be done in almost all hypertensive patients without even discontinuing their drugs," said Dr. Levine. "As a result of our research, many more screening tests have been done by physicians at Mount Sinai, and previously unsuspected cases have been confirmed and patients have been properly treated."
For the study, the first of a large urban population in the United States, researchers screened 260 individuals for PA who had previously been diagnosed with hypertension. Researchers measured the levels of aldosterone and renin through two separate blood tests. The study was conducted with patients in New York City from August 2012 until May 2013.
Pinpointing Interpheron-alpha in Thyroid Autoimmunity: The Role of Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress (Under embargo until 11:15 AM PDT on Sunday, June 16, 2013)
Thyroid autoimmunity might be triggered by a process called Endoplasmic Reticulum (ER) stress, which can even occur following a viral infection, according to Angela Lombardi, PhD, a post-doctoral fellow at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai who is making an oral presentation. Dr. Lombardi was mentored by Yaron Tomer, MD, FACP, Chief of the Hilda & J. Lester Gabrilove Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Bone Disease at The Mount Sinai Medical Center.
ER stress is a process in which cell production and packaging of newly-synthesized proteins is perturbed. This can trigger an autoimmune response which can lead to inflammation and cause cell death. In this study, a human thyroid cell line and human primary thyroid cells were exposed to interferon-alpha (IFN-a), a protein which is secreted during infections. The cells were then tested for markers of ER stress. As a result, both the cell line and the primary thyroid cell cultures showed high levels of ER stress.
"This study showed that one of the main proteins produced by cells in response to infection can also cause ER stress in thyroid cells which can trigger thyroid autoimmunity," said Dr. Tomer. "This discovery will enable us to test ER stress blockers for their effectiveness to treat and prevent thyroid immunity in the future."
###
About the Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Bone Disease at Mount Sinai
The mission of the Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes & Bone Disease is excellence in the delivery of patient care, research, and education. Researchers in the division are expanding understanding of disease and identifying new treatments. The next generation of physicians, scientists and physician-scientists are being trained to take the latest advances in the laboratory and apply them at the bedside. All of the division's efforts are targeted to bring the highest quality care to patients. For more information, visit http://www.mssm.edu/endo.
About The Mount Sinai Medical Center
The Mount Sinai Medical Center encompasses both The Mount Sinai Hospital and Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. Established in 1968, the Icahn School of Medicine is one of the leading medical schools in the United States, and is noted for innovation in education, biomedical research, clinical care delivery, and local and global community service. It has more than 3,400 faculty in 32 departments and 14 research institutes, and ranks among the top 20 medical schools both in National Institutes of Health (NIH) funding and by U.S. News & World Report.
The Mount Sinai Hospital, founded in 1852, is a 1,171-bed tertiary- and quaternary-care teaching facility and one of the nation's oldest, largest and most-respected voluntary hospitals. In 2012, U.S. News & World Report ranked The Mount Sinai Hospital 14th on its elite Honor Roll of the nation's top hospitals based on reputation, safety, and other patient-care factors. Mount Sinai is one of 12 integrated academic medical centers whose medical school ranks among the top 20 in NIH funding and by U.S. News & World Report and whose hospital is on the U.S. News & World Report Honor Roll. Nearly 60,000 people were treated at Mount Sinai as inpatients last year, and approximately 560,000 outpatient visits took place.
For more information, visit http://www.mountsinai.org/.
AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
Console manufacturer aiming to satisfy publishers, consumers and retailers with Xbox One
The future of console gaming lies in the digital world, Microsoft?s chief marketing and strategy officer Yusuf Mehdi.
Speaking to Arstechnica, Mehdi discussed the company?s controversial stance on internet connection requirements and used games, and said the company needed to educate consumers to make sure they understood what Microsoft was doing and get them ready for change.
He said the firm was making big changes in trying to move the console industry forward, but that consumers were sometimes reticent to try something new.
"This is a big change, consumers don't always love change, and there's a lot of education we have to provide to make sure that people understand,? said Mehdi.
He added: "We're trying to do something pretty big in terms of moving the industry forward for console gaming into the digital world. We believe the digital world is the future, and we believe digital is better."
Mehdi went on to say that Microsoft was attempting to create a balance across all sides of the business, from consumers to publishers to retailers, and to do this tradeoffs needed to be made.
He said that although he believed consumers should come first, it was important for publishers to generate money from their games, and also for retailers to make a profit.?
"Within that, we've tried to optimise, and I think we've found a great balance across all of those dimensions," said Mehdi.
"But there are tradeoffs. We do want to support everyone in that system, beginning with the consumer. But we want publishers to get paid for the great IP they work on. We want retailers to be able to drive and sell our products and make a profit. So we are trying to balance across all those."
When it comes to lending money to family or friends, you?ve heard the warning:?Don?t do it!
Nevertheless, many of us will be at one end or the other of these loans at some point.
Even financial planners, who have seen how these loans can go well or go terribly wrong for their clients, have lent money to their loved ones and a couple of them offered to share their rules for making these loans work.
Make it official.
You can ask the borrower to sign a promissory note spelling out the terms of the loan.
This will serve a couple of purposes. For one, it clarifies that you are making a loan, not a gift. Additionally, if the borrower doesn?t repay the loan, you always have the option of taking them to court to collect.
(Whether you?d want to go to those lengths is another matter we?ll discuss in a moment.)
?Create a written agreement with fixed payments at least monthly (i.e., don?t ?pay whenever you can?),? recommends Cheryl Krueger, a financial planner at?Growing Fortunes Financial Partners?in Schaumburg, Ill.
?Even if the start date is a year down the road, there needs to be some structure,? she says.
And don?t feel badly about charging interest: you should. ?To stay on the right side of the IRS you must charge a minimum rate,? says Tom Roberts, a?financial planner in Sarasota Florida.
Otherwise, the loan could be construed as a gift and may fall under gift tax rules.
[Related Article:?Can You Really Get Your Credit Score for Free?]
One father I know took his daughter to the local courthouse where they recorded a lien against his daughter?s vehicle.
If she fails to pay him back the money he lent her to buy her car, he can repossess the vehicle. She?s definitely taking it seriously.
Have a plan.
Roberts suggests lenders set up?a repayment plan?that matches the terms of the loan to the borrower?s circumstances.
For example, in a loan to a family member that he was involved with, ?we put in a grace period to let her get on her feet and then made the payment schedule match her pay period ? 2 weeks ? to make it more likely to be paid.?
His story had a happy ending, with the loan paid off early.
Don?t forget to consider what you will do if a borrower starts having trouble making payments.
Will you consider modifying the terms of the loan? Charging a late fee??And most importantly, will it create a financial hardship for you if they can?t make payments?
If so, you?re better off saying no.
[Related Article: How to Pay Off a Mountain of Credit Card Debt]
Look beyond the loan.
Does the borrower eat out more often than you do? Visit a salon for a mani/pedi every week? Scoop up the latest iPhone or hot tech gadget?
Those spending decisions may not bother you now, but if you see them spending money frivolously when they owe you money, it may drive you nuts.
?If you can?t make the loan without judging the spending choices, don?t make the loan,? warns Krueger.
Get everyone on board.
Your spouse or partner should be on board before you hand over any money, suggests Brooke Salvini, a?financial planner in Avila Beach, California.
Similarly, if the borrower has a spouse or partner, they should understand the terms of the loan and agree as well. The way partners or spouses react to or handle the loan could?create long-term hard feelings?for everyone involved.
One of my relatives still harbors ill feelings over a loan among family members that went bad many years ago. Even though she wasn?t directly involved, it really upset her that the borrower defaulted, claiming the loan was a gift and not a loan.
What made her even more angry, however, was that the wife of the person who took the money took her husband?s side and refused to make it right.
[Related Article: 7 Money Habits That Can Make or Break You]
Be ready (and willing) to forgive.
Despite your best efforts, there?s always a chance some or all of the loan will go unpaid. After all, your borrower is probably what lenders would call ?high risk;? or they wouldn?t be turning to you?instead of borrowing through traditional channels.
?Decide when to ?let it go,? and once you?ve passed that point, tell the borrower that you?ve forgiven the debt. Don?t let the money get between you and the borrower,? says Krueger.
Salvini agrees: ?If you can?t embrace the idea that personal loans all too often become gifts then don?t lend the money to begin with, unless you are OK with losing a friendship or?carrying anger toward a family member.?
She adds that she?s still waiting to be repaid for a ?$10,000 loan/business investment (gift) and these rules have kept me sane.?
?5 Rules to Follow When Lending Money to Family or Friends? was provided by Credit.com.?
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Public release date: 25-Jun-2013
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