Look Again

UniquilibriuM Establishes Unilateral Control in Surprise Take-Over

2012-01-27T02:13:00Z

(Exercising Your Mind) Today, the Sentience Protection Agency & Cosmic Embassy (S.P.A.C.E.), seized creative control of the Son of Octave's assets using T.E.M.P.E.R.A.T.U.R.E.-G.U.N. and M.A.S.T.E.R. technologies. The take-over was implemented and led by the inventor of these technologies and the founder of S.P.A.C.E., Field-Commander, Hakeem Alexander. Alexander has placed his organization UniquilibriuM at the head of the new establishment.

HypnoAthletics, KappaGuerra, SIX13-RECORDS, M.E.T.A.-Physics and the entire catalogue once jointly held by Commanding-Officer, Mordekai Matthius and General Ali Bocas, have been turned over to Field-Commander, Hakeem Alexander, who has established complete and total control over the direction of these assets, concepts and organizations.

The controversial Hakeem Alexander was recruited as a Metaphysical Sciences advisor by Commander Matthius and General Bocas, after his reign ended as Supreme-Emperor of S.T.A.T.I.S.P.H.E.R.E..

S.T.A.T.I.S.P.H.E.R.E. disbanded after their retreat in the face of the Unified Coalition of World Powers in 1991.

S.T.A.T.I.S.P.H.E.R.E., as if you didn't know, was an infamous vigilante, outlaw organization that employed excessive judicial force with extreme prejudice towards child-molesters, rapists, domestic bullies and murderers. "The SPHERE", as Alexander's hordes became known, were only found to be a menace when they began interfering with political, territorial, governmental and other disputes around the world. These activities are what they were primarily notorious for.

Though The SPHERE claimed to be an "Anti-Terror Organization" who "Served public interests around the world by 'defending the disadvantaged, weak and innocent against those who would use power to enslave'", soon became synonymous with terrorism because of their brutal tactics.

When Supreme Emperor, Hakeem Alexander surrendered to authorities on Friday, June 13th 1997, he was granted full pardon and limited contractor duties. This unprecedented leniency was granted under the strictly enforced conditions that he develop and release control of his frontier advancements in non-lethal force technology known as the T.E.M.P.E.R.A.T.U.R.E.-G.U.N..

T.E.M.P.E.R.A.T.U.R.E.-G.U.N. was implemented as part of the New Secular Order project of a private research firm and government contractor wearing the face of another manifestation of Hakeem Alexander; the Strategic Harvest Asset Development Enterprizes (S.H.A.D.E.).

Fortunately, due to the highly sophisticated and light-years ahead advanced nature of T.E.M.P.E.R.A.T.U.R.E.-G.U.N. tech, no fatalities were reported in this brief and one-sided conflict ending with Alexander's new organization as the undisputed victors.

It is now rumored as part of the conditions of the take-over, that Matthius and Bocas will remain under the Sovereignty of Professor Hakeem Alexander as high ranking officers, officials and / or advisors to the newly established UniquilibriuM.

Too Much Sitting Is Killing Us (ANH-USA)

2012-01-05T00:27:18Z

FROM: Alliance for Natural Health-USA Jan. 3 2012

Studies say that even moderate to vigorous exercise doesn’t counteract the damage.

A study published in the American Heart Association’s journal Circulation showed that each extra hour of television watching (the ultimate sitting sedentary activity) per day was associated with an 18% increase in deaths from heart disease and an 11% increase in overall mortality. People who watched TV for at least four hours a day were 80% more likely to die of cardiovascular disease than those who watched two hours or less, and 46% more likely to die of any cause.

We have smart readers, and many of you will immediately ask: “Weren’t there other factors, not just sitting, that resulted in this outcome?” Yet that doesn’t seem to be the case. There are specific reasons why sitting, in itself, appears to be dangerous. The message seems to be to move around. But if you aren’t moving around, stand or lie down, which humans have done throughout their history. Avoid sitting in a chair, an activity that is relatively new for human beings and not at all good for us.

Surprising as it is, the increase in heart and mortality risk observed in the Circulation study affected people who met exercise guidelines—and were independent of eating habits as well! Studies reported significant associations between total sedentary time with blood glucose, blood lipids, and adiposity, even in people who performed moderate to vigorous exercise several times each week.

Animal studies also show that how much time we are sedentary is related to how well our bodies process fats. The studies in rats show that leg muscles only produce the lipase lipoprotein (fat-processing) molecule when they are being actively flexed—that is, when standing or, better still, walking around—and low levels of the molecule are associated with health problems, including heart disease. In short, sitting makes this important molecule slow down. In fact, actively contracting the muscles produces a whole suite of substances that have a beneficial effect on how the body uses and stores sugars and fats.

“Many people, on a daily basis, simply shift from one chair to another—from the seat in the car to the chair in the office to the chair in front of the television,” said to the lead author of the study. “Even if someone has a healthy body weight, sitting for long periods still has an unhealthy influence on blood sugar and blood fats.”

It should be noted that sitting too much is not the same as exercising too little. They do completely different things to the body. Standing recruits specialized muscles designed for low-intensity activity—muscles that are very rich in enzymes. The lipoprotein lipase enzyme grabs fat and cholesterol from the blood, burning the fat into energy while shifting the cholesterol from LDL (the bad kind) to HDL (the healthy kind). When you sit, the muscles are relaxed, and enzyme activity drops by 90% to 95%, leaving fat to camp out in the bloodstream. Within a couple hours of sitting, healthy cholesterol plummets by 20%.

A Canadian study reached a similar conclusion. After adjusting for potential compounding factors (smoking, exercise levels, etc.), the study found that the longer people sat, the higher the risk of mortality from all causes except cancer.

The good news is that inserting breaks into your sedentary periods can help. Periodically taking time out from your computer, desk, television, and driving time to walk, move around, stretch, and flex your muscles, is good for you. These spurts of activity are associated with a smaller waist circumference, lower body mass index, and lower blood lipid levels, and better glucose metabolism.

A stand up desk might be a good idea as well. Don’t have room for one? Too expensive? Then pile some books or something else on top of your existing desk and put your laptop where you can type standing up when you want to, either often or as a break.

At ANH-USA, we believe that true health comes from a combination of diet (and supplements), exercise, and lifestyle. Politically, so much is happening regarding supplements and diet that we spend most of our newsletter space focusing on those areas. But science tells us that our lifestyle choices—simple decisions made daily—can make a huge impact on our health, for good or for ill.

Johns Hopkins' Alternative to Eliminate Cancer

2010-11-11T17:04:00Z

AFTER YEARS OF TELLING PEOPLE CHEMOTHERAPY IS THE ONLY WAY TO TRY ('TRY', BEING THE KEY WORD) TO ELIMINATE CANCER, JOHNS HOPKINS IS FINALLY STARTING TO TELL YOU THERE IS AN ALTERNATIVE WAY .

Cancer Update from Johns Hopkins :

1. Every person has cancer cells in the body. These cancer
    cells do not show up in the standard tests until they have
    multiplied to a few billion. When doctors tell cancer patients
    that there are no more cancer cells in their bodies after
    treatment, it just means the tests are unable to detect the
   cancer cells because they have not reached the detectable
   size.

2. Cancer cells occur between 6 to more than 10 times in a
    person's lifetime.

3. When the person's immune system is strong the cancer
    cells will be destroyed and prevented from multiplying and
   forming tumors.

4. When a person has cancer it indicates the person has
    nutritional deficiencies. These could be due to genetic,
   but also to environmental, food and lifestyle factors.

5. To overcome the multiple nutritional deficiencies, changing
     diet to eat more adequately and healthy, 4-5 times/day
    and by including supplements will strengthen the immune system.

6. Chemotherapy involves poisoning the rapidly-growing
    cancer cells and also destroys rapidly-growing healthy cells
    in the bone marrow, gastrointestinal tract etc, and can
    cause organ damage, like liver, kidneys, heart, lungs etc.

7.. Radiation while destroying cancer cells also burns, scars
    and damages healthy cells, tissues and organs.

8. Initial treatment with chemotherapy and radiation will often
   reduce tumor size. However prolonged use of
    chemotherapy and radiation do not result in more tumor
    destruction.

9. When the body has too much toxic burden from
    chemotherapy and radiation the immune system is either
    compromised or destroyed, hence the person can succumb
    to various kinds of infections and complications.

10. Chemotherapy and radiation can cause cancer cells to
     mutate and become resistant and difficult to destroy.
     Surgery can also cause cancer cells to spread to other
      sites.

11. An effective way to battle cancer is to starve the cancer
      cells by not feeding it with the foods it needs to multiply.

*CANCER CELLS FEED ON:

a. Sugar substitutes like NutraSweet, Equal, Spoonful, etc are made
   with Aspartame and it is harmful. A better natural substitute
     would be Manuka honey or molasses, but only in very small
     amounts. Table salt has a chemical added to make it white in
   color Better alternative is Bragg's aminos or sea salt.

B. Milk causes the body to produce mucus, especially in the
    gastro-intestinal tract. Cancer feeds on mucus. By cutting
    off milk and substituting with unsweetened soy milk cancer
    cells are being starved.

c. Cancer cells thrive in an acid environment. A meat-based
    diet is acidic and it is best to eat fish, and a little other meat,
   like chicken. Meat also contains livestock
    antibiotics, growth hormones and parasites, which are all
    harmful, especially to people with cancer.

d. A diet made of 80% fresh vegetables and juice, whole
    grains, seeds, nuts and a little fruits help put the body into
   an alkaline environment. About 20% can be from cooked
    food including beans. Fresh vegetable juices provide live
    enzymes that are easily absorbed and reach down to
    cellular levels within 15 minutes to nourish and enhance
    growth of healthy cells. To obtain live enzymes for building
   healthy cells try and drink fresh vegetable juice (most
   vegetables including bean sprouts) and eat some raw
   vegetables 2 or 3 times a day. Enzymes are destroyed at
    temperatures of 104 degrees F (40 degrees C)..

e. Avoid coffee, tea, and chocolate, which have high
    caffeine Green tea is a better alternative e and has cancer
    fighting properties. Water-best to drink purified water, or
    filtered, to avoid known toxins and heavy metals in tap
    water. Distilled water is acidic, avoid it.

12. Meat protein is difficult to digest and requires a lot of
      digestive enzymes. Undigested meat remaining in the
      intestines becomes putrefied and leads to more toxic
      buildup.

13. Cancer cell walls have a tough protein covering. By
      refraining from or eating less meat it frees more enzymes
     to attack the protein walls of cancer cells and allows the
      body's killer cells to destroy the cancer cells.

14. Some supplements build up the immune system
      (IP6, Flor-ssence, Essiac, anti-oxidants, vitamins, minerals,
     EFAs etc.) to enable the bodies own killer cells to destroy
      cancer cells.. Other supplements like vitamin E are known
     to cause apoptosis, or programmed cell death, the body's
     normal method of disposing of damaged, unwanted, or
      unneeded cells.

15. Cancer is a disease of the mind, body, and spirit.
      A proactive and positive spirit will help the cancer warrior
     be a survivor. Anger, un-forgiveness and bitterness put
     the body into a stressful and acidic environment. Learn to
     have a loving and forgiving spirit. Learn to relax and enjoy
     life.

16. Cancer cells cannot thrive in an oxygenated
      environment. Exercising daily, and deep breathing help to
     get more oxygen down to the cellular level. Oxygen
      therapy is another means employed to destroy cancer
      cells.

1. No plastic containers in micro.

2. No water bottles in freezer.

3. No plastic wrap in microwave..

Johns Hopkins has recently sent this out in its newsletters. This information is being circulated at Walter Reed Army Medical Center as well. Dioxin chemicals cause cancer, especially breast cancer. Dioxins are highly poisonous to the cells of our bodies. Don't freeze your plastic bottles with water in them as this releases dioxins from the plastic. Recently, Dr Edward Fujimoto, Wellness Program Manager at Castle Hospital , was on a TV program to explain this health hazard. He talked about dioxins and how bad they are for us. He said that we should not be heating our food in the microwave using plastic containers. This especially applies to foods that contain fat. He said that the combination of fat, high heat, and plastics releases dioxin into the food and ultimately into the cells of the body. Instead, he recommends using glass, such as Corning Ware, Pyrex or ceramic containers for heating food. You get the same results, only without the dioxin. So such things as TV dinners, instant ramen and soups, etc., should be removed from the container and heated in something else. Paper isn't bad but you don't know what is in the paper. It's just safer to use tempered glass, Corning Ware, etc. He reminded us that a while ago some of the fast food restaurants moved away from the foam containers to paper The dioxin problem is one of the reasons.
Please share this with your whole email list.........................

Also, he pointed out that plastic wrap, such as Saran, is just as dangerous when placed over foods to be cooked in the microwave. As the food is nuked, the high heat causes poisonous toxins to actually melt out of the plastic wrap and drip into the food. Cover food with a paper towel instead.

US Censors Mental Health Journalist Bob Whitaker? (Mind Freedom International)

2010-07-22T04:23:00Z

MindFreedom International News - 21 July 2010
Voice For Choice in Mental Health Care
http://www.mindfreedom.org - please forward
[to get off this public news list see bottom]

"WHAT ABOUT BOB?"

USA Mental Health Agency May Cancel Journalist Robert B. Whitaker as
Keynoter of "Alternatives 2010"

Bob Whitaker's Book "Anatomy of an Epidemic" Criticizes Psychiatric
Pharmaceutical Claims

A major annual conference funded by the US government since 1985
advertises itself as "organized by and for mental health consumers and
survivors." The goal of this popular "Alternatives Conference" is to
support empowerment, self-determination and choice by mental health
clients.

But MindFreedom International News discovered that after Alternatives
2010 organizers confirmed their choice of keynote speaker as
journalist Robert B. Whitaker, author of a new book with a scathing
critique of psychiatric pharmaceutical claims, upper-level federal
officials objected.

*BELOW* is an exclusive MindFreedom interview with Whitaker about his
possible cancellation, plus how you can take action to inform
President Obama, and join an online conversation on the controversy.

BACKGROUND: Anatomy of Psychiatric Censorship?

Since 1985, the US Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services
Administration [SAMHSA] has provided a grant to fund the Alternatives
Conference, bringing together several hundred mental health consumers
and psychiatric survivor from throughout the USA, many of whom lead
innovative mental health peer support programs.

The Alternatives Conference is organized each year by one of the
handful of federally-funded "Technical Assistance" or TA Centers,
which are staffed and advised by mental health consumers and
psychiatric survivors.

Alternatives 2010 is slated to begin 29 September in Anaheim,
California with the provocative theme, "Promoting Wellness Through
Social Justice." Conference organizers confirmed an invitation with
Robert Whitaker to keynote.

Whitaker's book is getting a lot of attention. Time Magazine's review
said, "Despite much vaunted claims to the contrary, writes Whitaker, a
medical journalist, 'there was never any evidence' in the scientific
literature showing that certain mental illnesses result from faulty
brain chemistry... Psychiatric drugs have changed the lives of
millions, but this book explores how they would have fared without
them. It's an alternative worth imagining."

On 15 July, Alternatives organizers told Whitaker his "confirmation"
was retracted, saying they had received objections from US government
higher-ups that he was a high-profile critic of federal agencies.
However, many past Alternatives keynoters -- including the heads of
federal agencies and MindFreedom director David Oaks -- have also
criticized federal agencies.

And Whitaker is no radical, he's a medical journalist. He emphasizes
that he sees value in the use of psychiatric drugs. His book is also
pro-active, describing his recent visit to Finland's vaunted "Open
Dialogue" approach that is helping young people diagnosed with
schizophrenia while minimizing psychiatric drug prescriptions.

By coincidence, the day before Whitaker's un-confirmation, on 14 July,
a number of national mental health consumer/psychiatric survivor
leaders issued a statement of "alarm" about "the conflict of interest
in the current relationship between the federal government and the
pharmaceutical industry."

So if the Alternatives conference is about alternatives... then what
about the alternatives Bob talks about?

What about Bob?

BELOW is the MindFreedom International interview with Robert B.
Whitaker. BELOW that is how to speak out to President Obama, and find
out more info.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

MINDFREEDOM INTERNATIONAL INTERVIEW WITH ROBERT B. WHITAKER:

MINDFREEDOM INTERNATIONAL [MFI] QUESTION: Why do you think you have
been disinvited from the Alternatives conference? What do you make of
this?

ROBERT B. WHITAKER ANSWER: I think the reason is obvious -- I was
going to tell a well-documented story of science about psychiatric
medications that some at SAMSH find threatening, a story that they
don't want users of the drugs to hear. But you should ask those who
nixed the invitation. I would be curious to hear their answer.

MFI: What is it that you write about in Anatomy of an Epidemic that is
so threatening?

WHITAKER: The story told to the public by the NIMH and by academic
psychiatry is that psychiatric medications have greatly improved the
lives of those diagnosed with psychiatric illnesses. Yet, even as our
society has embraced the use of psychiatric medications during the
past two decades, the number of people receiving government disability
due to mental illness has more than tripled, from 1.25 million people
to more than 4 million people.

So you can see, in that data, that something may be wrong with that
story of progress. And then, if you look at how psychiatric
medications affect the long-term course of psychiatric disorders, you
find -- in the scientific literature -- consistent evidence that they
increase the likelihood that a person will become chronically ill. I
know this is startling, particularly since we do know that some people
do well on the medications long term, but that evidence, in terms of
how the medications affect long-term outcomes in the aggregate, shows
up time and again in the scientific literature.

MFI: Can you give an example?

WHITAKER: Sure. I'll give two quick examples.

First, outcomes for bipolar disorder today are much worse than they
were 40 years ago. Today, people so diagnosed are much more constantly
symptomatic than they used to be; their employment rates have declined
from around 85% to around 33%; many struggle with drug-related
physical problems, such as obesity; and today they show signs of long-
term cognitive decline, whereas that didn't used to be the case.
Leading bipolar experts have written about this deterioration in
modern outcomes, and they point to the prescribing of antidepressants
and antipsychotics to this patient group as a likely reason for the
decline.

Second, our society of believes that all people diagnosed with
schizophrenia need to be on medication all their lives. Yet, the NIMH
has funded a long-term study of schizophrenia outcomes by a researcher
named Martin Harrow, and in 2007 he reported that at the end of 15
years, the recovery rate for those off medication was 40%, versus 5%
for those on medication. At the very least, Harrow's study shows that
some people diagnosed with schizophrenia do better long-term off
medication, but that is the type of information that is never conveyed
to the public. The NIMH didn't publicize the results of Harrow's
study, and certainly it hasn't publicized the astonishing
deterioration in modern bipolar outcomes, even though it is recognized
by experts in the field.

MFI: Why is this information so important? What is at stake here?

WHITAKER: I think we can all agree that the honest communication of
scientific results is essential to good medicine, and essential to
helping people make informed choices about what is best for them. And
if our society is going to stem this epidemic of disabling mental
illness has erupted in our society, then it needs to know this
information and think about alternative programs of mental health care
that might be funded. Mindfreedom held a hunger strike in 2003 to push
for this very thing--honesty in what psychiatry and the powers that be
tell about psychiatric disorders and psychiatric medications.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

ASK: WHAT ABOUT BOB? *** ACTIONS *** ACTIONS *** ACTIONS ***

Please keep all communication civil and strong:

(1) ASK PRESIDENT OBAMA: WHAT ABOUT BOB?

Please use the White House web site to encourage President Barack
Obama to ask SAMHSA to encourage empowered community organizing and
choice by and for mental health consumers and psychiatric survivors,
here:

http://www.whitehouse.gov/contact/

Sample message -- your own words are best:

"Dear President Obama: You are a community organizer. Did you know
that mental health consumers and psychiatric survivors have also done
community organizing for decades? Please ask your agency SAMHSA to
support their choice of journalist Robert Whitaker to be keynote
speaker at the annual Alternatives 2010 conference. The Alternatives
conference is about alternatives, so... WHAT ABOUT BOB? Bob's book
Anatomy of an Epidemic is an important warning about problems with the
psychiatric pharmaceutical industry."

If possible, please copy your message by e-mail to SAMHSA director Pam
Hyde at Pam.Hyde@SAMHSA.hhs.gov, and to MFI for public use at news@mindfreedom.org

(2) TALK ABOUT IT!

You can use the MindFreedom Facebook page to speak out about your
opinion. Should Bob be allowed to speak? What do we do if he's censored?

Go to MindFreedom's Facebook page here:

http://www.facebook.com/pages/MindFreedom-International/33579368821
or click here: http://3.ly/FacebookMFI

(3) USE THE WEB TO GET AROUND ANY CENSORSHIP!

Please *forward* this alert with a few words of your support to all
interested people on and off Internet.

Forward MindFreedom's Twitter feed and add your own.

Use your "creative maladjustment" and get out the word!

~~~~~~~~~~~~

MORE INFO on WHAT ABOUT BOB CONTROVERSY:

** TIME Magazine's review of "Anatomy of an Epidemic":
http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1983897,00.html

** Read OTHER reviews of "Anatomy of an Epidemic":
http://3.ly/WhitakerAnatomy

** ORDER Whitaker's book "Anatomy of an Epidemic" at discount from
MindFreedom's MAD MARKET, and benefit MFI's human rights work:
http://www.madmarket.org

** HEAR a MindFreedom Radio interview with Whitaker:
http://www.mindfreedom.org/radio/whitaker-andre

** MORE about Bob's book at MFI web site:
http://www.mindfreedom.org/kb/psychiatric-drugs/whitaker-epidemic

** READ Rockville Bastille Day 2010 Statement about "Undue Influence
of Psychiatric Pharmaceutical Industry":
http://www.mindfreedom.org/kb/psychiatric-drugs/bastille-2010

** INFO about Alternatives 2010:
http://www.power2u.org/alternatives2010/

** SAMHSA web site:
http://www.samhsa.gov/

~~~~~~~~~~~~

SUPPORT *INDEPENDENT* ACTIVISM TO CHANGE THE MENTAL HEALTH SYSTEM.

MindFreedom International is one of the few totally independent groups
in mental health advocacy.

That means NO funding from mental health industry, drug companies,
government and religions.

That means MindFreedom International counts on YOUR donations.

There are plenty of system-funded groups doing good work. But when it
comes to speaking out about drug company abuse, you can see how
important INDEPENDENCE can be.

Please join or renew your MindFreedom International membership here
with a tax-deductible gift of any size:

http://www.mindfreedom.org/join-donate

Support an independent united voice by and for survivors of human
rights violations in the mental health system!

Everyone is welcome to join now and be part of MindFreedom's 25th
Silver Anniversary celebration next year:

Join or renew your membership in MindFreedom International today, here:

http://www.mindfreedom.org/join-donate

For a limited time, all donors of $50 or more can ask for a free
"thank you gift" premium jewelry pin, including a pin of MFI's logo.
See the pins at:

http://www.madmarket.org

Specify type and color of your pin when you join or renew by e-mailing
to office@mindfreedom.org.

Florida Senators PUSH to Curb Medicating Foster Kids (CBS-4)

2010-04-14T20:15:00Z

Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=17iqUsACRZM Florida Senators criticize child drugging

http://cbs4.com/local/florida.legislators.legislation.2.1629212.html

CBS4

Bill Looks to Curb Medicating State Foster Kids

Bill Is Named For 7-Year-Old Gabriel Myers

By Lisa Cilli

Apr 13, 2010

TALLAHASSEE (CBS4) ― Florida lawmakers are scheduled to discuss a measure Tuesday designed to curb the prescription of mental-health drugs to children in state care. Senate Bill 2718, also known as the Gabriel Myers Bill, would allow officials to more closely monitor the powerful psychiatric drugs dispensed to Florida foster care children.

The proposal is largely based on the findings of a task force formed after Gabriel locked himself in a bathroom and hung himself with a shower cord last April in his Margate foster home. Gabriel was on Seroquel, used to treat bipolar disorder, and other psychiatric drugs linked by federal regulators to potentially dangerous side effects, including suicide, but the risks may not have been adequately communicated to his foster parents. The drugs are not approved for use by young children. But doctors often prescribe them 'off-label,' for purposes for which the drugs have not been approved.

Sen. Ronda Storms (R)-Brandon, who filed the bill, said prescribed drugs have replaced talk therapy and are over-prescribed to subdue unruly children.

The proposed law would require the state Department of Children and Families to assign volunteer guardians to oversee each child's mental health care. It prohibits foster children from being the subject of clinical drug trials and raises the age at which children are allowed to take these drugs from 6 to 11 in many cases.

It would also give children some say in the drugs they take because it would require foster children to agree to the use of the psychiatric drugs and would require caseworkers to explain to children, in a manner they can understand, why the drugs are necessary and what risks they carry.

The measure would also require an independent review before psychiatric drugs can be administered to children 10 or younger. The bill also requires children to have a mental health treatment plan that includes counseling for children prescribed such drugs.

The state's growing use of adult medication on emotionally and mentally troubled children has sparked debate for years. Florida has approximately 19,000 children in state care and of those about 3,200 are in Miami-Dade County, according to DCF spokeswoman Flora Beal.

Gabriel's death prompted a statewide investigation that found 13 percent, or 2,699, of all foster children are on such drugs, according to a DCF study. That compares with only an estimated 4 percent to 5 percent of children in the general population.

A state appointed panel recently reviewed all cases and released a report that found that the policies requiring parental consent or a second opinion were not uniformly followed. Gabriel Myers was on psychotropic medications without the required consent, the panel concluded.

Rude Awakening, Monsanto & Action Alerts (Spilling the Beans Newsletter)

2010-02-09T23:43:00Z

Rude Awakening

A wise customer wanted to find out if the corn nuts she was eating were from genetically modified corn. She emailed the company and got quite a shock. It began:

"Thank you for your contact. We are not aware of any GMO-free corn in the US. We feel it is a ridiculous concern based on very poor science." Read the Blog

SOURCE LINK
http://www.responsibletechnology.org/utility/showArticle/index.cfm?objectID=4491

Monsanto: The World's Poster Child for Corporate Manipulation and Deceit

When Forbes magazine declared Monsanto as the Company of the Year for 2009, millions of surprised people were forced to reevaluate their opinions about a major corporation. Now they no longer trust Forbes. Read Part 1

Follow the whole series—Subscribe to Jeffrey Smith's RSS feed on The Huffington Post

Don't Buy It: Keep Cloned Meat off Grocery Shelves

The FDA has lifted a voluntary ban on allowing cloned animal products from entering the human food supply. Based upon flawed studies, the FDA has claimed that eating meat and dairy from cloned animals or their offspring is harmless to human health. Join Friends of the Earth in keeping it off the shelves.

Send a Letter to Congress › | Sign a Petition to Stores ›

MORE
http://www.responsibletechnology.org/utility/showArticle/index.cfm?objectID=4491

Omega-3s beat depression (Naural News)

2010-02-09T23:30:00Z

Tuesday, October 20, 2009
by Mike Adams, the Health Ranger
Editor of NaturalNews.com

(NaturalNews) You're probably already aware of the benefits of omega-3 fatty acids on cardiovascular health, but did you know that omega-3s are also extremely beneficial for moods and cognitive function? In fact, there's a tremendous amount of good evidence demonstrating that omega-3 fatty acids can help enhance brain function and prevent depression.

Below, we present a collection of supporting quotes and testimonials from authors and researchers in the natural health field. You'll find more of these quotes on NaturalPedia, the free online encyclopedia of natural health knowledge: www.NaturalPedia.com

Source Link
http://www.naturalnews.com/027285_omega-3_depression_fatty_acids.html

Omega-3s and depression

Can eating more omega-3s really boost our moods? The answer, based on the available scientific and clinical evidence, seems to be a cautious yes. There are four lines of evidence supporting the role of omega-3 essential fatty acids in depression. First, there are compelling population studies linking the eating of large amounts of fish (omega-3 fatty acids) to low rates of major depression. The second line of evidence includes neurochemical studies in animals (looking at brain chemistry).
- The Omega-3 Connection: The Groundbreaking Anti-depression Diet and Brain Program by Andrew L. Stoll

The omega-3 fatty acids are important not just for health; they're important for happiness, too. The omega-3 fatty acids EPA and DHA are found in high concentrations in fatty, carnivorous fish such as herring, mackerel, tuna, and salmon. (Smaller amounts are found in other fish.) In countries where more fish is consumed, there is a lower rate of depression. Omega-3 fish oils can elevate your mood. Besides their use for depression, studies have shown that fish oil is helpful for bipolar disorder, as well.
- Supplement Your Prescription: What Your Doctor Doesn't Know About Nutrition by Hyla Cass, M.D.

Jonathan Zeuss, who has no doubt that depression is "to a very large degree, a nutritionally caused disease," touts the benefits of omega-3 fatty acids. "They are absolutely crucial," he says. "There is a huge amount of evidence now linking omega-3 deficiency and depression. Around a quarter of the dry weight of our brains is made up of omega-3s and if you are deficient in them, the cells in your brain malfunction and you are much more likely to become depressed." Omega-3s are known as essential fatty acids.
- The Food-Mood Connection: Nutrition-based and Environmental Approaches to Mental Health and Physical Wellbeing by Gary Null and Amy McDonald

Dietary advice to lower cholesterol levels tends to increase the ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 and decreases the level of the essential omega-3 fatty acid, docosahexanoic acid. Population-based studies in various countries and the United States have indicated that decreased consumption of omega-3 fatty acids correlates with increased rates of depression. There is a consistent association between depression and coronary artery disease. Food Allergies Depression and fatigue have been linked with food allergies for over sixty-five years.
- Encyclopedia of Natural Medicine, Revised Second Edition by Michael T. Murray, N.D., Joseph E. Pizzorno, N.D.

Donald Rudin and other authorities believe a deficiency of the Omega-3 fat is a main cause of depression and other mental disorders. Omega-3 fats work to keep us mentally and emotionally healthy and strong in three ways: 1. Omega-3 fats act as precursors for the body's production of key prostaglandins. 2. Omega-3 fats provide the substrate for B vitamins and co-enzymes to produce compounds that regulate many vital functions. 3. Omega-3 fats provide energy and nourishment to our nerve and brain cells.
- The Facts about Fats: A Consumer's Guide to Good Oils by John Finnegan

The implications of omega-3 deficiency on the brain are profound and span the entire human life cycle. Beginning in pregnancy, premature birth and its potential neurologic complications may result from omega-3 deficiency. Babies who are bottle-fed or born from omega-3-deficient mothers will lack the omega-3 fatty acids necessary for optimal cognitive and visual development. Children deprived of omega-3s may have less ability to pay attention and control impulsive behavior and may be at higher risk for depression.
- The Omega-3 Connection: The Groundbreaking Anti-depression Diet and Brain Program by Andrew L. Stoll

But the importance of omega-3s for the brain hardly stops after infancy. Too little omega-3s have been linked to both attention deficit disorder (ADD) and depression. Research at Harvard has shown significant improvement in bipolar depression with large doses of omega-3supplements. And studies have strongly suggested that increased fish oil intake could reduce anger and hostility in alcoholics, troubled teenagers, and violence-prone prisoners. "Clearly omega-3 fatty acids are essential to good brain health," says my friend Daniel Amen, M.D.
- The Most Effective Natural Cures on Earth: The Surprising, Unbiased Truth about What Treatments Work and Why by Jonny Bowden, Ph.D., C.N.S.

In his excellent book The Omega-3 Connection, Harvard Medical School professor Andrew Stoller, M.D., answers his own question, "Can eating more omega-3s really boost our mood?" with the statement: "The answer, based on the available scientific and clinical evidence, seems to be a cautious yes." There are compelling population studies linking the consumption of large amounts of fish (omega-3 fatty acids) to low rates of depression. Controlled clinical trials of omega-3s in depression are under way at any number of research centers.
- The 150 Healthiest Foods on Earth: The Surprising, Unbiased Truth About What You Should Eat and Why by Jonny Bowden, Ph.D., C.N.S.

Depressed people have been reported to have lower omega-3 fatty acid levels (e.g., DHA) than people who are not depressed. Low levels of the other omega-3 fatty acid from fish, EPA, have correlated with increased severity of depression. In a double-blind trial, people with manic depression were given a very high intake of supplemental omega-3 fatty acids (enough fish oil to contain 9.6 grams of omega-3 fatty acids per day) for four months.
- The Natural Pharmacy: Complete A-Z Reference to Natural Treatments for Common Health Conditions by Alan R. Gaby, M.D., Jonathan V. Wright, M.D., Forrest Batz, Pharm.D. Rick Chester, RPh., N.D., DipLAc. George Constantine, R.Ph., Ph.D. Linnea D. Thompson, Pharm.D., N.D.

As Omega-3 fatty acid levels fall, rates of depression increase. In countries where fish is consumed frequently, Omega-3 fatty acid levels are high and rates of depression are low, even in areas of the world that don't get much sunlight. Note these "fat facts" as they relate to the brain: Depression has been linked to low levels of a fatty acid called phos-phatidylserine. A number of studies have made the correlation between depression and low levels of cholesterol.
- The Crazy Makers: How the Food Industry Is Destroying Our Brains and Harming Our Children by Carol Simontacchi

The high prevalence of depression in patients with coronary artery disease, alcoholism, multiple sclerosis, and postpartum depression might be linked by low concentrations of omega-3 fatty acids in nerve membranes," explains Dr. Hibbeln. "We're suggesting that deficient levels of the omega-3s in the nervous system may increase the vulnerability to depression, just as a deficient level in the circulation may increase vulnerability to heart disease." It's also possible that fat affects mood by regulating serotonin.
- Food & Mood: The Complete Guide to Eating Well and Feeling Your Best, Second Edition by Elizabeth Somer, M.A., R.D.

According to an article in Preventative Medicine, "Growing evidence likewise suggests a role for omega-3 fatty acids in helping to relieve disabling depression. Fatty acids may provide relief for people of all ages and genders who are afflicted by depression" (2006 January, pp. 4-13). In fact, one specific study reported in the American Journal of Psychiatry (June 1, 2006, pp. 1098-1100), reported that "children with depression benefit from omega-3supplementation."
- Antidepressants, Antipsychotics, And Stimulants - Dangerous Drugs on Trial by Dr David W Tanton, Ph.D.

This relative deficiency of omega-3 fats has potentially serious implications. Also, the consumption of too much omega-6 fat leads to high levels of arachidonic acid (AA). Higher levels of arachidonic acid can promote inflammation. When we have insufficient omega-3 fat, we do not produce enough DHA, a long-chain omega-3 fat with anti-inflammatory effects. High levels of arachidonic acid and low levels of omega-3 fats can be a contributory cause of heart disease, stroke, autoimmune diseases, skin diseases, depression, and possibly increased cancer incidence.
- Eat to Live: The Revolutionary Formula for Fast and Sustained Weight Loss by Dr. Joel Fuhrman

In fact, there is a sixty-fold difference in depression rates across countries from the highest (Japan and Taiwan) to the lowest (North America, Europe, and New Zealand) omega-3 fat consumption. Even postpartum depression decreases as women increase their consumption of fish. Many people also report a drop in mood when they switch too quickly to a low-fat diet. In addition, serious depression is seen in up to 70 percent of alcoholics. Studies on animals demonstrate that long-term alcohol consumption depletes omega-3 fatty acids in nerve tissue, but this is reversed after prolonged abstinence.
- Food & Mood: The Complete Guide to Eating Well and Feeling Your Best, Second Edition by Elizabeth Somer, M.A., R.D.

A low dietary intake of omega-3 fatty acids may contribute to or worsen asthma symptoms, most likely due to increased inflammation. The ratio of omega-3 to omega-6 fatty acids has been shown to be low in asthma sufferers. Supplements may be useful in relieving symptoms in some asthmatics, although not all studies have shown beneficial effects. Recent research suggests that omega-3 fatty acid deficiency may also be linked to depression and aggression.
- The New Encyclopedia of Vitamins, Minerals, Supplements and Herbs by Nicola Reavley

Omega-3 fatty acids, powerful weapons in the fight against heart disease, may also help you win the battle against depression. Research shows that in countries where people eat a lot of fish, a good source of omega-3s, the incidence of depression is low. In one study, Japanese students who took a daily fish oil supplement for three months were less hostile and aggressive than their peers. Some experts warn that there are too many other cultural differences to be absolutely sure fish are helping to ward off depression. In the meantime, eating more fish can't hurt.
- Natural Cures and Gentle Medicines: That Work Better Than Dangerous Drugs or Risky Surgery by Frank K. Wood

One hundred grams of fresh purslane leaves (about 1 cup) can contain up to 300 to 400 mg of alpha-linolenic acid, the same omega-3 found in flaxseed. Purslane also contains small amounts of the longer-chain omega-3s (DHA and EPA), which are rarely found in anything but fish and fish oil. Omega-3 fatty acids are anti-inflammatory, heart-healthy fats that have been found beneficial in hypertension, type 2 diabetes, coronary heart disease, and depression. The more omega-3s we eat, the better!
- The 150 Healthiest Foods on Earth: The Surprising, Unbiased Truth About What You Should Eat and Why by Jonny Bowden, Ph.D., C.N.S.

Scientists don't know exactly how omega-3's protect against depression, but they do know that the fats are important to health of neurons, or brain cells. To get sufficient omega-3's to battle depression, Dr. Zuess recommends taking approximately 10 grams a day of DHA and EPA, which usually amounts to about 30 fish-oil capsules daily. Take them in divided doses with meals. This remedy is safe for long-term use.
- Alternative Cures: The Most Effective Natural Home Remedies for 160 Health Problems by Bill Gottlieb

Omega-3 fatty acids also aid in the prevention of emotional disorders, and a deficiency can contribute to severe depression. The brain is the top source of fatty acids in the body, and it requires the omega-3s for optimal functioning. Add one or two tablespoons of flaxseed oil to green leafy vegetable salads to get the full complement of daily omega-3 fatty acids.
- Food Swings: Make the Life-Changing Connection Between the Foods You Eat and Your Emotional Health and Well-Being by Barnet Meltzer, M.D.

Stoll suggests the omega-3 fatty acid in fish oil may slow down neurons in your brain, much like the drug Lithium, which is used to treat manic depression. Another research group from England noticed depressed people had less omega-3 fatty acids in their red blood cells than healthy people. The more severe the depression, the less omega-3. There is even evidence that EPA can help treat people with schizophrenia, a serious mental illness that can cause delusions, hallucinations, and disorganized behavior.
- Eat and Heal (Foods That Can Prevent or Cure Many Common Ailments) by the Editors of FC&A Medical Publishing

The part of the brain that Omega-3 effects is the learning ability, anxiety/ depression, and auditory and visual perception. The Omega-3 fats also aid in balancing the autoimmune system, and there seem to be a growing number of children with allergies, colic, and skin problems. There are also indications that Omega-3 fats play an ongoing role in brain function, healthy immune system function, and general growth throughout childhood and adolescence. One study revealed that Omega-3supplementation induced catch-up growth in a deficient, underdeveloped seven-year-old.
- The Facts about Fats: A Consumer's Guide to Good Oils by John Finnegan

Omega 3 Fails Depressed Heart Patients (Nutraceuticals World)

2010-02-09T23:25:00Z

Clinical study results termed disappointing.

By Joanna Cosgrove

http://www.nutraceuticalsworld.com/contents/view/17622

Heart disease continues to reign as the number one cause of death in the U.S. and for heart disease patients also suffering from depression, the chances for death are even greater. Researchers have documented that one characteristic both conditions share is low levels of omega 3 fatty acids. It would stand to reason then that the addition of an omega 3 supplement to the existing depression medicine regimen of these patients might yield a benefit—not so, according to a recently published study.

The randomized, placebo-controlled study, which was published in the October 21 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA October, 21 2009;302(15):1651-1657), set out to determine whether omega 3s could improve the response to sertraline (Zoloft) in 122 patients with both major depression and coronary heart disease.

Following a two-week run-in period during which all patients were given 50 mg/d of sertraline, 62 (59 by the time the study concluded) randomly selected patients received 2 g/d of omega 3 fatty acid ethyl esters (930 mg of eicosapentaenoic acid [EPA] and 750 mg of docosahexaenoic acid [DHA]). The 60 (56) remaining patients received corn oil placebo capsules. This dosing lasted 10 weeks.

At the conclusion of the trial, patients were evaluated using the Beck Depression Inventory and the Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression. Researchers were surprised to find no difference between the two groups when it came to the regression of their depression.

Lead study author Robert Carney, PhD, professor of psychiatry and director of the Behavioral Medicine Center at Washington University School of Medicine’s Department of Psychiatry in St. Louis, MO, said he was “very surprised” that the results of the study were so disappointing. “Omega 3 blood levels and dietary intake are low in depressed patients,” he explained. “Smaller studies showed big effect on depression when added to standard antidepressant treatment. We thought omega 3 may help explain the relationship between depression and heart disease (depression is a risk factor for cardiac events).”

He added that in hindsight the results could have been attributed to several factors. “Possibly [the] dose was too low or the DHA/EPA ratio may not have been optimal,” he said. “[It’s] hard to judge based on this and other published studies.”

He and his colleagues also conjectured whether higher doses of sertraline, or a different ratio of EPA to DHA, longer treatment, or omega 3 monotherapy could improve depression in patients with coronary heart disease, but that remains to be determined.

“We have much to learn about the relationship between omega 3 and depression and heart disease,” he said. “More clinical trials should be undertaken, but it is also important to understand the mechanisms that may explain how omega 3 is related to depression.”

Despite this study’s less than favorable outcome, Dr. Carney and his colleagues continue to be intrigued with this area. “We are currently exploring our data more carefully to decide our next step,” he said, when asked what their next step might be.

For now though, he said, there isn’t enough evidence to warrant this type of treatment recommendation to people with or without heart disease.

Traditional Herbal Medicines: Coriander (Coriandrum Sativum) [Global College of Natural Medicine]

2010-02-09T23:21:00Z

By: By Moira Khouri NC, MH, HHP, CCP
Faculty Member of GCNM

Ancient Roots
Coriander is in the Apiaceae family (formerly umbelliferous), and is an herb that has been cultivated over thousands of years throughout the ancient world. Common names include Cilantro, Chinese parsley and Japanese Parsley. Coriander is native to Southern Europe and the Middle East. It is mentioned in the Bible, and was a favorite of the ancient Greeks, Romans and Hebrews. It is called Yan Shi in Traditional Chinese Medicine, the leaves are also called Wuh Seui or Yuen Sui and the seeds are also called Heung Seui and Hu Sui in China. The plant is called Dhanyaka in Sanscrit, the language of the ancient Ayurvedic Tradition of India, and Kuzhbare in modern Arabic. Its many medicinal uses have been documented by the Egyptians, Romans, and Greeks, Chinese and Indian healing traditions.

The name is thought to derive from the Greek koros for insect or bug, probably due to the appearance of the small light brown seeds. The Ebers Papyrus from 1550 BC references Coriander, and Hippocrates writes of it in 400 BC. Coriander was introduced to Britain by the Roman legions that carried the seeds with them. Pliny The Elder, the Roman who authored Naturalis Historia circa 77-79 AD praised Egyptian Coriander as the best and an antidote for the poison of the snake amphisbaena, and for healing sores, burns, carbuncles, sore ears, fluxes of the eye, cholera and intestinal parasites. It is believed to have been grown in the hanging gardens of Babylon. Charlemagne had it grown on the imperials farms in central Europe and it was used for love potions in the middle ages. It is even mentioned in the One Thousand and One Nights as an aphrodisiac.

Properties, Actions and Uses

In the Ayurvedic tradition, Coriander has a bitter, pungent taste with an astringent quality, and a cooling energy. It is tridoshic, being beneficial for balancing Pitta dosha (fire & water), Kapha dosha (water & earth), and Vata dosha (air & ether). The essential oil consists of the linalol called coriandrol (60 to 70%), geraniol, borneol and terpenes.

Coriander works on the digestive, respiratory and urinary systems. It is strengthening for the urinary tract and enhances digestion without aggravating Pitta. It strengthens liver function as a detoxifying herb. Coriander is antimicrobial and antibacterial, alterative, diaphoretic, carminative, diuretic, and stimulant, with a detoxifying and chelating effect, helping to remove heavy metals such as mercury and lead. Coriander seeds appear in herbal tea remedies for stomach ailments. The leaves known as Cilantro are juiced and taken internally for allergies, hay fever, and applied externally for itch, inflammation and skin rashes.

Cilantro may be prepared as a puree (like a raw Pesto sauce) by blending the Cilantro leaves, olive oil, ground almonds, fresh lemon juice and garlic in a blender. Take at three teaspoons a day to stimulate and cleanse the digestive system. It makes an aromatic addition to salads and is good added fresh to hot spicy dishes such as in Peruvian, Mexican, Asian, North African and Indian cooking and is one of the basic ingredients in Indian curry dishes. The ground seed balances the sweet and pungent spices in blends. This herb grows well in the temperate zones of the world. It is best used as finely ground dried seeds or fresh leaves, as the aromatic properties are reduced by drying. The leaves and stems may be chopped and frozen in ice cube trays or small containers for future use.

Nutrients

Coriander contains Vitamin C, and small amounts of Vitamin E, Calcium, Iron and Niacin (B3).

Sources:

The Yoga of Herbs, by Dr. David Frawley and Dr. Vasant Lad

Planetary Herbology, by Michael Tierra, CA, ND

An Ancient Egyptian Herbal, by Lise Manniche

The Spice and Herb Bible, 2nd Edition, by Ian Hemphill

Bikram Yoga: It’s Hot! (Global College of Natural Medicine)

2010-02-09T23:18:00Z

By Jackie Christensen, BS, HHP, NC, MH
Faculty Member of GCNM

A man named Bikram Choudhury developed Bikram Yoga over 30 years ago. At the age of 13 Bikram won the National India Yoga Contest. He then went on to pursue an athletic career as a marathon runner and a champion weightlifter. Then at the age of twenty Bikram experienced a serious knee injury while weight lifting. European doctors told Bikram he would not walk again. In disbelieve he made his way back to India and his yoga guru, Bishnu Ghosh. After six months of yoga therapy his knee had totally recovered and through his own healing regime Bikram Choudhury created Bikram Yoga.

Bikram Yoga is a series of 26 postures conducted over 90 minutes; it begins with one warm up breathing exercise, then progresses through 24 asanas or postures and finishes with one toxin eliminating breathing posture. The series of postures has been systematically formulated to work through the entire body. Each posture is completed twice and prepares the body for the next pose. The asanas and sequencing are designed to warm up and stretch every joint, muscle, ligament, tendon, vertebrae and organ of the body down to the cellular level. By moving fresh blood and oxygen to all areas of the body, all of the systems of the body are restored.

Bikram Yoga is also known as "Hot Yoga" because one of the requirements is for the room to be heated to be between 95 and 105 degrees Fahrenheit. The idea is that the higher temperatures will help the muscles to loosen more quickly therefore it making for a "deeper" practice with greater flexibility. Bikram yoga teaches you to control your thoughts and emotions in times of high pressure. The hot temperatures also cause students to sweat profusely during practice. All the sweating can help with weight loss and will increase metabolic rate. It also boosts the immune system, by indirectly purifying the blood and circulating the lymph system. Along with the recommended eight-to-ten glasses of water daily, yogis practicing this form should be mindful to consume enough water to replenish the body. Practitioners are advised to drink up to 16 ounces of water two hours before a Bikram yoga session and up to 40 additional ounces during and after the session. The room in which Bikram is practiced is mirrored to allow for greater body awareness and to refine and deepen our postures with easy self-correction. Students are encouraged to look at themselves in the mirror while practicing so they can see if any posture adjustments need to be made.

Bikram started opening yoga schools, firstly in India and then around the world. In Japan, Bikram researched with doctors at the Tokyo University Hospital and was able to prove the medical benefits of his yoga system. These findings were presented in 1972 at the International Medical Conference in Kyoto.

Within reason, anyone at any age can perform the poses, but this style of yoga does require the practitioner to be in better physical condition and have a high tolerance for heat. While the practice is somewhat controversial due to a number of injuries sustained by class patrons, it’s still a popular and beneficial exercise choice.

First brain cancer cell line sequenced (BioTechniques)

2010-02-09T23:14:00Z

02/08/2010

Erin Podolak

Researchers have sequenced the popular research glioblastoma cell line U87.

Researchers from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center have completed the first genetic sequence of a brain cancer cell line. The line, U87, is a popular research model that is in use at UCLA and various other research institutions. According to UCLA, the sequence brings researchers one step closer toward personalized treatments based on specific molecular targets affecting this line.

FULL ARTICLE
http://biotechniques.com/news/First-brain-cancer-cell-line-sequenced/biotechniques-187734.html?utm_source=BioTechniques+Newsletters+%26+e-Alerts&utm_campaign=1b1588d5be-BioTechniques_Daily&utm_medium=email

Turning back time: Old stem cells rejuvenate in the presence of younger ones BioTechniques)

2010-02-09T23:08:00Z

02/08/2010

Erin Podolak

The researchers, led by HHMI early career scientist Amy J. Wagers of Harvard Medical School, studied the hematopoietic stem cells in the blood of old mice that had been exposed for several weeks to the blood of young mice. The bone marrow stem cells in the old mice were reduced in number but became more effective at replenishing the blood system, which is characteristic of young stem cells.

FULL ARTICLE
http://biotechniques.com/news/Turning-back-time-Old-stem-cells-rejuvenate-in-the-presence-of-younger-ones/biotechniques-187821.html?utm_source=BioTechniques+Newsletters+%26+e-Alerts&utm_campaign=1b1588d5be-BioTechniques_Daily&utm_medium=email

Scientists map epigenome of human stem cells (BioTechniques)

2010-02-09T05:24:00Z

02/05/2010

Natalie Goode

DNA methylation causes precise subunits of DNA to be chemically changed, which directs which areas of the genome are active and which ones are inactive. This process is critical to embryonic cells transformation from pluripotent stem cells to differentiated ones.

FULL ARTICLE
http://biotechniques.com/news/Scientists-map-epigenome-of-human-stem-cells/biotechniques-187722.html?utm_source=BioTechniques+Newsletters+%26+e-Alerts&utm_campaign=936fa8a769-BioTechniques_Daily&utm_medium=email

Cellular communication pathways caught in the act (BioTechniques)

2010-02-09T05:19:00Z

02/05/2010

Erin Podolak

The ability to view the 3-D structure of these proteins could lead researchers to the development of drugs for conditions such as neurodegeneration, cancer, and cardiovascular disease based on the interactions of these proteins.

FULL ARTICLE AT THIS LINK
http://biotechniques.com/news/Cellular-communication-pathways-caught-in-the-act/biotechniques-187727.html?utm_source=BioTechniques+Newsletters+%26+e-Alerts&utm_campaign=936fa8a769-BioTechniques_Daily&utm_medium=email

Math as Mass Hypnosis: On Mortgage-Backed Securities, Maritime Warfare, and Medical Research (MedScape Today)

2010-01-27T19:59:00Z

Andrew J. Vickers, PhD

The origins of our recent economic troubles are complex, but there is widespread agreement that people like me -- a statistician -- bear a large share of the responsibility. In brief, math types built statistical models to predict whether homeowners would default on their mortgages, which worked absolutely great until lots of homes started getting foreclosed. Then the models didn't work so well anymore. Banks had sold securities backed by mortgages, and the value of those securities depended on the probability that the mortgages would be repaid. The statistical models predicted a high probability of repayment, making the securities extremely valuable. When the models turned out to be wrong, a whole lot of investments suddenly became worth very little indeed.

Forecasting whether a homeowner will pay back a mortgage is, in theory, a relatively straightforward prediction problem. If you gave me 2 sets of historical data from US homeowners, one with details -- such as their size of mortgage, value of house, age, income, and assets -- and the other set showing whether the homeowner defaulted, I could run a logistic regression and build a pretty good statistical model to predict someone's chance of foreclosure. This would be particularly robust, given the millions of homeowners in the United States and the large data set.

The problems with the mathematical models started when banks started offering mortgages without knowing a borrower's assets or income. (These were called "NINjA" loans, as in "No Income? No Assets? Here is a loan anyway.") Models don't generally run very well unless you have good data to plug into the model; therefore, analysts were forced to make what amounted to an educated guess as to the chance that a NINjA loan would end in default. What really kicked the models into a tailspin was that housing prices then began to fall, dramatically increasing foreclosure rates. One theory as to what happened is that first banks made it easier to get a cheap mortgage, and this drove up house prices. Statistical models therefore predicted low rates of default, which encouraged more lending and higher house prices. When reality eventually kicked in and the bubble burst, house prices fell; borrowers went into foreclosure; banks lost money on mortgage loans; and the economy went pear-shaped.

All of this was pretty avoidable. Anyone on Main Street can tell you that something is going badly wrong when a housecleaner can borrow $700,000 to flip an apartment or when a mediocre condo is priced at 12 times the median income of the county in which it's located. The math types sitting on Wall Street were stuck with their data that they had input into models that said everything was going to be fine: The housecleaner's $700,000 was just a line on a spreadsheet, with a probability of default given by a nice neat formula.

Where Was That Very Loud Bang?

During the Second World War, convoys of supply ships would cross the Atlantic from the United States to the United Kingdom carrying soldiers, weapons, and other supplies. German U-boats would try to sink the convoys, and battleships protecting the convoys would attempt to sink the U-boats. The British Navy wanted to know how best to set exploding depth charges to have the best chance of hitting submarines, and therefore sent data to a couple of statisticians working at the War Office in London. The data consisted of the direction in which the depth charge had been fired relative to the direction of the ship and then whether the submarine had been hit. After a couple of months, the statisticians had gotten precisely nowhere in working out how best to target depth charges.

One of them, bravely enough, volunteered to go out on a battleship and observe a sea battle. He saw a bunch of depth charges fired off, the ship going in one direction and the wind in another, and then massive explosions. The data that the statisticians had been working with -- eg, "depth charge at 35° to starboard" -- were totally unreliable: Pretty much the only thing one could tell for sure was whether the depth charge went to the left or right. When the statistician got back to London and reanalyzed the problem, ignoring most of the data that he'd been sent, he solved it pretty quickly. This is one of the reasons I am writing this in English, rather than German.

My Formula Looks Great, So What's the Problem?

I was once asked to help design a phase 1 trial looking at the effects of a drug on immune function. The basic idea was to give patients different doses and see which had the best effect. As far as I could make out, there were 3 endpoints -- cytokines, T cells, and neutrophils -- so I essentially wrote a statistics section stating that we'd work out the best dose for each of the 3 endpoints and then compare them. When the trial was completed, I was sent a spreadsheet with over 600 data points per patient. It turns out that there are a number of different ways of measuring cytokines, T cells, and neutrophils, and the laboratory had done them all. As a result, I had to develop a different way of analyzing data on the fly, without reference to the protocol.

My problem was that I didn't understand the scientific content of the study because it included complex immune assays, such as "IFN-gamma production from CD45RO+ CD4+ cells, unstimulated." Therefore, I was no different from the Wall Street "quants" who had no insight into the securities that they were valuing --including $500,000 loans to semiemployed laborers-- or from the statisticians in the War Office who thought that huge explosions at sea could be pinpointed to within 5°.

Why Statisticians Prefer to Stick to Math

A common mathematical problem is figuring out when to leave home to catch a plane. You might figure that it takes 5 minutes to load the car, and that the 10 miles to the airport would be driven at 55 mph. Here is the formula:

Total time = Loading time + distance ÷ average speed × 60

This gives 5 + 10 ÷ 55 × 60 = 15.9 minutes. There is nothing wrong with the math here; it is 100% correct. However, if I used this formula to get my family to the airport, I'd miss my flight. It takes more than 5 minutes to load a bunch of children plus booster seats into a taxi, and you can't drive to John F. Kennedy International Airport through Brooklyn at 55 mph.

If you read statistics journals, you'll find a lot of papers that are the equivalent of tinkering with Total time = Loading time + distance ÷ average speed × 60. For example, an academic statistician might point out that the formula makes the assumption that variations in speed are logarithmically distributed, and develop new formulas for Gaussian, uniform, and Weibull distributions. However, unless the statistician running the formula knows me, my family, and my neighborhood, we're still going to be late.

You wouldn't have to spend much time in the statistician's department to understand why knowledge of Gauss is favored over knowledge of the scientific background of study, such as Brooklyn traffic patterns. The study that I analyzed looking at the immune drug was published in a specialist chemotherapy journal, and I was the seventh author out of 10. I don't think any statisticians read it. A paper published in The Journal of the Royal Statistical Society on extending the travel time formula for alternative parameterizations of the velocity distribution would have the statistician who wrote it as first author. Of course, plenty of statisticians read statistical journals. Authors of statistical papers become well known in the statistical community, and they get promotions and invitations to lecture because of their contributions to mathematical theory -- not their knowledge of the immune system. Making a fuss about data hardly endears statisticians to their scientific collaborators; there is often huge pressure to "just give us the P value."

I am all for advancing the science of statistics. Indeed, I've written papers proposing new statistical methods. However, at some point, theory has to link up with reality. Compare the statistician who went out to watch the naval battle, got a feel for the data, and helped to win the war, with the Wall Street statisticians who sat programming in their cubicles, never daring to set foot in a mortgage broker's office (let alone a battleship), and who brought much of the world economy to its knees.

If you liked this article, you'll love Andrew Vickers' collection of stories on statistics: "What is a p-value anyway?"

Disclosures

Assistant Attending Research Methodologist, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY

Disclosure: Andrew J. Vickers, PhD, has disclosed no relevant financial relationships.

"Sleeping Beauty" named Molecule of the Year (BioTechniques)

2010-01-27T19:45:00Z

01/26/2010

Tracy Vence

The transposon was chosen by the International Society for Molecular and Cell Biology and Biotechnology Protocols and Research for enabling stable gene transfer in vertebrates.

The International Society for Molecular and Cell Biology and Biotechnology Protocols and Research (ISMCBBPR) has named “Sleeping Beauty” (S/transposase SB100X as Molecule of the Year 2009 as part of its annual competition.

According to the ISMCBBPR, Sleeping Beauty was chosen by voters because researchers have demonstrated its ability to enable robust, stable gene transfer in vertebrates. The synthetic transposon received the top honor over 14 other nominees, including runners-up sarcosine, human occludin protein, and mina. Each nominated molecule was featured during the past year in a peer-reviewed research paper that described the protocol used to decipher its role.

Diagram outlining the life cycle of the "Sleeping Beauty" (S transposon. Source: WikiMedia Commons.

SB, when combined with a transposase, mediates the stable integration and long-term expression of a gene of interest. A team of researchers—from the Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine in Berlin-Buch and the Catholic University of Leuven, Belgium—demonstrated that SB/SB100X efficiently mediated gene transfer in human CD34+ cells enriched in hematopoietic stem or progenitor cells. The novel transposase was described in the June 2009 Nature Genetics paper, “Molecular evolution of a novel hyperactive Sleeping Beauty transposase enables robust stable gene transfer in vertebrates.”According to the researchers, SB/SB100X has the potential to improve current transfection methods used in functional genomics and gene therapy.

“The synthetic transposon ‘Sleeping Beauty’ and the corresponding hyperactive transposase SB100X bring about a revolutionary technology platform for genetic engineering in vertebrates,” the ISMCBBPR web site reads. “This molecule holds great promise for gene therapy as it addresses a major hurdle in gene therapeutic applications, especially those revealed by viral transduction approaches [and] site-specific integration.”

Seven presidents of international molecular and cellular biology and biotechnology organizations judged the competition. The judges considered each molecule’s potential for future contribution to biology or medical research.

Past awardees include anti-SAG 421-433 catalytic IgA, protein 4E1 , and the ligand Imidazoleacetic acid-ribotide.

Individual Interventions May Be More Effective Than Family-Based Therapy in Reducing Teen Alcohol Abuse (MedScape CME)

2010-01-27T19:36:00Z

News Author: Deborah Brauser
CME Author: Charles P. Vega, MD

January 13, 2010 — Individual-only interventions have larger effect sizes than those that are family based in reducing adolescent alcohol abuse, according to results from a new meta-analysis.

In addition, although effect sizes decreased as length of follow-up increased, "behavior-oriented treatments demonstrated promise in attaining long-term effects," write Stephen J. Tripodi, PhD, assistant professor in the College of Social Work at Florida State University in Tallahassee, and colleagues.

"To our knowledge, this is the first known meta-analysis to examine interventions aimed at reducing alcohol consumption in adolescents," they add.

"One of our aims as scholars is to bridge the divide between research and practice," Dr. Tripodi told Medscape Psychiatry. "There is a lot of valuable information here for clinicians who work in alcohol treatment centers for adolescents and for clinicians who have adolescent clients with alcohol problems. While we clearly understand the inherent flaws in the concept of evidence-based interventions, we support the steps included in the process of evidence-based practice."

The study is published in the January issue of Archives of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine.

High Rates of Teen Alcohol Abuse

According to the study, alcohol is the most frequently used substance among adolescents. Previous research shows that less than 50% of 8th graders have used alcohol, whereas 50% of 12th graders reported ever being drunk, 30% reported participating in binge drinking, and 3% drank daily.

Furthermore, the study authors also note that adolescent alcohol use disorders are associated with serious psychosocial problems, including increased rates of comorbid mental health disorders and neurocognitive deficits, reduced motivation, and increased risk for subsequent adult alcohol abuse.

Currently, alcohol-decreasing interventions are divided into 2 primary formats — treatment provided directly to the adolescent or to the family.

Individual treatments commonly use behavioral interventions, cognitively oriented therapies, and/or motivational interviewing.

Although past trials have shown reductions in adolescent alcohol use across individual treatment approaches, most research has evaluated family-based interventions — with several trials demonstrating effectiveness, report the study authors.

"With multiple studies evaluating the effects of [these] interventions, synthesis across the studies is necessary to gain a clear picture of overall effects," they write.

Paucity of Research

Dr. Tripodi reported that before getting his PhD degree, he worked at several agencies that provided both individual and family treatment for substance-abusing juvenile delinquents.

"I noticed at the time that all interventions offered were based on either the administrators’ opinions or past experiences but not on their current clients’ personal experiences and not based on the literature.

"Furthermore, the association between alcohol abuse and [psychosocial problems] is troublesome, so we thought systematically evaluating the literature on interventions aimed at lowering alcohol use would be beneficial for clinicians," he said.

For the study, the investigators assessed and compared the effectiveness of individual- vs family-based interventions. They evaluated 16 studies (10 individual-based, 5 family-based, 1 using both) from 1994 to 2008. The studies included patients between the ages of 12 and 19 years who completed a substance abuse intervention aimed at reducing or eliminating alcohol consumption.

The primary outcome measure was abstinence, frequency of alcohol use, and quantity of alcohol use measured between 1 month and 1 year on treatment completion.

Overall results showed that the interventions significantly reduced the adolescents' alcohol use (Hedges g = −0.61; 95% confidence interval [CI], −0.83 to −0.40; P < .001).

In addition, stratified analyses showed larger effects for individual treatment (Hedges g = −0.75; 95% CI, −1.05 to −0.40) vs those that were family based (Hedges g = −0.46; 95% CI, −0.66 to −0.26).

The range of standardized effects for reducing alcohol use for individual treatments ranged from −0.09 (95% CI, −0.45 to 0.27) for brief motivational interviewing to −1.991 (95% CI, −2.37 to −1.61) "for cognitive-behavioral therapy integrated with the 12-step approach," report the study authors.

Other effective treatments showing large effect sizes (>0.80) included multidimensional family therapy, brief interventions with the adolescent, and brief interventions with the adolescent and a parent.

Surprise Finding

"Surprisingly, individual-only interventions had larger effect sizes, [which] contrast previous work that finds family-based interventions to be the ideal mode of treatment for adolescents with alcohol use disorders," the investigators write.

"Unequivocal claims that individual-based treatment is more effective are not, however, warranted, as potentially confounding factors were not controlled for in stratified analyses. Furthermore, both types of treatment were statistically significant, and many of the specific interventions for both modalities contained large effect sizes," they add.

Although investigators found an overall "increased chance that treatment participants returned to preintervention levels of drinking when there was a longer follow-up period," both behavior treatment and multidimensional family therapy showed significant reductions in alcohol use at 12 months after treatment.

"Considering that these interventions focus on altering maladaptive behaviors, it appears that behavior-based treatment, whether individual or family based, is beneficial in attaining long-term change," the study authors write.

Limitations of the study included differing follow-up lengths and inclusion criteria that were purposely narrow. In addition, the investigators did not stratify results based on different types of control groups, which prevented them from comparing effect sizes for standard treatment vs waiting list control groups.

"Because of some of the limitations of the study, we don't want readers to generalize the results beyond the 16 studies included in this analysis," added Dr. Tripodi.

The research team is now working on a similar project looking at the effects of interventions that aim to lower marijuana use. "Broadly speaking, more experimental designs need to be implemented when evaluating the effects of interventions for substance-abusing adolescents," said Dr. Tripodi. "This will allow further meta-analyses to pool studies for specific interventions and identical outcomes."

A Valuable Contribution

"This is the first meta-analytic review that I am aware of that looked at experimental and quasi-experimental studies on the effect of individually based and family-based interventions in this age group. I think it's promising that [the investigators] saw that there were 5 different types of interventions that showed some type of reduction in alcohol use," said Ralph Hingson, ScD, MPH, director of the Division of Epidemiology and Prevention Research at the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, Bethesda, Maryland. "This review is a valuable contribution to the literature."

However, Dr. Hingson, who was not involved with this study, cautioned that there are several questions that still need to be answered and pointed out that even the longest-term follow-up studies in this analysis did not go much beyond a year.

"Going forward, we need to ask: after one intervenes to try to reduce alcohol misuse among young people, in addition to short-term benefits, can this pattern of heavy drinking early on being associated with alcohol problems later in life be broken? I think that's the next research question that emerges from this particular study.

"Overall, I'd say this analysis is a positive step, and we hope it will continue to make progress," concluded Dr. Hingson.

The study was supported by a grant from the Donald D. Hammill Foundation. The study authors and Dr. Hingson have disclosed no relevant financial relationships.

Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med. 2010;164:85-91.

Clinical Context

Alcohol use is very common among adolescents and is associated with multiple negative health and social consequences. The authors of the current study provide an overview of the epidemiology of teenage alcohol use. Many adolescents begin drinking alcohol early: 16% of eighth graders report having a drink in the previous 30 days. The comparative percentage among 12th graders is 44%, and 30% of 12th graders also report binge drinking; 3% of 12th graders describe daily alcohol consumption.

Alcohol use disorders in adolescents are associated with higher rates of mental health disorders and neurocognitive deficits, as well as an increased risk for alcohol abuse during adulthood. The current review and meta-analysis examines interventions that might reduce alcohol use among adolescents and prevent long-term consequences of alcohol misuse.

Study Highlights

Researchers examined controlled studies that focused on treatment to reduce alcohol use among patients between the ages of 12 and 19 years. Research published between 1960 and 2008 was considered.
Each included study was measured for methodological quality. The main study outcome was the relative efficacy of different types of intervention for alcohol use in adolescents, and these interventions were divided into individual and family-based treatments.
64 potentially relevant studies were identified, and 16 were included in the final review. Nearly all included research had been published after 2000, and 62% of studies were conducted in the United States.
69% of studies used objective verification of alcohol consumption outcomes, and 69% reported using collateral verification. Most research had a follow-up time of 6 to 11 months.
Dropout rates in the included research were generally high. There was minimal evidence of publication bias.
A pooled effects model demonstrated that treatment to reduce alcohol consumption among adolescents was generally effective to a moderate degree.
All individual measured interventions were significantly effective at reducing alcohol use.
Cognitive behavioral therapy integrated with a 12-step approach was associated with the greatest numerical effect in reducing alcohol consumption, and other interventions with a large effect size included brief motivational interviewing, active aftercare, multidimensional family therapy, and brief intervention with both adolescent and parent.
Integrated family and cognitive behavioral therapy, behavioral treatment, triple-modality social learning, multidimensional family therapy, and brief interventions involving only the adolescent had a medium effect on reducing alcohol consumption.
There were somewhat larger effects for individual vs family interventions in reducing alcohol consumption.
Interventions appeared less effective in studies with a follow-up period that exceeded 6 months.

Clinical Implications

Sixteen percent of eighth graders report consuming an alcoholic drink in the previous 30 days. The comparative percentage among 12th graders is 44%, and 30% of 12th graders also report binge drinking. Alcohol use disorders in adolescents are associated with an increased risk for alcohol abuse during adulthood.

The current meta-analysis suggests that all measured interventions reduced alcohol consumption by adolescents, including brief interventions. Individual-based treatment had a larger effect size compared with family-based interventions, and the treatment effect of interventions appeared to wane over time.