Monthly Archives: March 2017

Biochemistry

NSF Graduate Research Fellowships | UDaily – University of Delaware – UDaily

A dozen University of Delaware students (undergraduate and graduate) and alumni have won National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowships as the prestigious competition marks its 65th year. Fourteen others received honorable mention designations.

The awards -- for which more than 13,000 applicants competed this year -- include three years of funding at $34,000 per year, plus $12,000 in cost-of-education allowances to the school for study leading to a master's or doctoral degree in science and engineering. The total of these awards is almost $1.4 million -- a significant boost for the students and their research.

"Research is incredibly important," said Dianna Kitt, a senior majoring in environmental engineering and one of UD's 12 winners. "On a large scale, research is what drives our society and allows us to create new technologies and processes that protect humans, animals and the environment. On a smaller scale, research pushes you as an individual to think outside of the book and answer problems that no one else has answered before."

The awards make a powerful statement about these students, said Donald Watson, associate professor of chemistry and biochemistry and the department's associate chair for graduate studies. That department had four winners - two undergraduates and two graduate students - including doctoral student Sarah Krause in Watson's research group.

"This includes all fields of science and engineering and these awards go to extraordinarily high-quality students," he said. "It recognizes their ability and frees students to do science. And getting multiple awards in a single year is a mark of quality for our program."

Nationally, there were 2,000 winners (about 15 percent of all applicants), representing 449 different schools, all 50 states, the District of Columbia and other U.S. territories. Winners included 1,158 women, 498 individuals from underrepresented minority groups and 726 undergraduate seniors.

"This is one of the most prestigious awards a student can get," said Julie Maresca, assistant professor of civil and environmental engineering and Kitt's faculty mentor. "These awards are highly competitive and truly a recognition of the students' potential for future success.

"The students who get these fellowships have demonstrated not only that they are among our top students, but also that they can convincingly propose a multiyear research project and are committed to broadening participation in their fields."

* Ian Berke of Albany, New York, who earned his bachelor's in biomedical engineering in 2016 and now is pursuing a doctoral degree in biomedical engineering at Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri.

"In my sophomore year at UD, I had a sports-related knee injury that required surgery (ACL tear). This got me interested in orthopedic research and I was paired with Christopher Price, assistant professor in biomedical engineering, for a summer scholar research opportunity, in imaging. During the summer and in the following year or so we imaged bone and cartilage using refractive index matching techniques. Dr. Price really sparked my interest in the field and showed me the many avenues researchers were taking to combat osteoarthritis."

* Hannah Clipp of Bel Air, Maryland, who earned two bachelor's degrees -- in wildlife and fisheries resources and multidisciplinary studies -- at West Virginia University and is pursuing a master's degree in wildlife ecology at UD.

The focus of her research is bird migration and stopover ecology and bird conservation.

* Jonathan Galarraga of Belcamp, Maryland, a du Pont Scholar who earned an honors bachelor's degree in chemical engineering in 2016 and will pursue his doctorate at the University of Pennsylvania, where he will study tissue engineering, biomaterials, 3D-printing and cartilage repair.

"Biomaterials are changing possibilities for medicine and healthcare across the world because they provide new avenues for exploring prospective therapeutics, modeling disease pathology and assessing drug toxicity.In my Ph.D. thesis, I will develop new materials approaches for tissue repair through rational material design and impact society through new product development.As a Ph.D. student in Dr. Jason Burdicks Polymeric Biomaterials Lab at the University of Pennsylvania, I am eager to establish strong relationships with leading experts in the country so that I may design and deliver clinically viable biomaterials."

At UD, Galarraga worked in the research group of Christopher Kloxin, assistant professor of chemical and biomolecular engineering.

"Throughout my time in the CJK lab, I gained a strong appreciation for collaborations in research, developed intimate knowledge of the materials science research landscape, and enjoyed the privilegeof learning from many great mentors.

"The aims of my career are to conduct research on biomaterials and bring clinically viable biotechnology to market while teaching as a university professor. In doing so, I will improve the quality of life for people with disabilities and diseases, increase the U.S. competitiveness in the growing biomedical device industry and improve the prospects for future biomedical research. In addition to commercially developing these technologies, I will employ my bioengineering expertise to help develop and implement policies that will ensure that future biomaterials are readily accessible and disseminated to underserved patient populations."

* Nicholas Geneva of Owings, Maryland, an honors degree candidate who is completing his bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering and will pursue a doctoral degree, continuing his work integrating state-of-the-art computer technology and engineering at UD.

"Working with Dr. Lian-Ping Wang [professor of mechanical engineering] and his graduate students is largely the reason why I decided to pursue a Ph.D. His work has shown me that the integration of state-of-the-art computer hardware and engineering is a very important challenge that is facing the scientific community today. Computing, whether through traditional CPUs or other hardware accelerators, is becoming ever more powerful, but exploiting this power effectively to solve the difficult engineering problem is by no means trivial."

* Rebekah Houser of Newark, Delaware, who earned a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering and will continue research on vehicle-to-grid technology and firmware for an infrared scene projector.

"Electric vehicles equipped with vehicle-to-grid technology can provide valuable services to electric power generation and distribution systems. These services promote adoption of electric vehicles and facilitate increased incorporation of renewable resources into the electric power grid. Infrared scene projectors enable more efficient testing of infrared imaging systems that serve as critical tools for first responders, law enforcement and military personnel."

* Dianna Kitt of Aberdeen, Maryland, a du Pont scholar who is completing her bachelor's honors degree with distinction in environmental engineering and will pursue graduate-level research in water treatment.

"I grew up near the Chesapeake Bay so I have always been passionate about clean water and the environment. When I was in high school, I was inspired by my AP biology teacher (who was actually a retired research scientist) to work in a research lab for the first time and I fell in love with research. I knew that I wanted to pursue my passion for improving the environment as my career, and I knew that a career in environmental engineering research would allow me to not only study the environment but also develop techniques and processes to protect it."

* Jodi Kraus of Monument, Colorado, who earned her bachelor's degree at Drexel University and is a second-year grad student in chemistry and biochemistry at UD.

In the laboratory of Tatyana Polenova, professor of chemistry and biochemistry, she has focused on determining the atomic-level structure and dynamics of actin-associated protein assemblies using the technique Magic Angle Spinning NMR.

"I was drawn to using solid-state NMR spectroscopy to study large protein assemblies because the scientific understanding of fundamental biological processes is rapidly expanding, and it is of utmost importance to continue developing new methodologies to study these complex systems. I believe that in order to fully understand these biological processes and identify new potential drug targets (in the case of disease), we must investigate their most basic properties. Additionally, I am interested in methods development and instrumentation because I personally find it gratifying to track the exact physical dynamics which correlate to larger functional roles within proteins."

* Sarah Krause of Harford County, Maryland, who earned her bachelor's degree in chemistry at Towson University and is pursuing her doctorate in organic chemistry at UD in Donald Watson's research group.

The focus of her research is chemical synthesis and catalysis.

* Andrew Kuznicki of Boston, Massachusetts, who is majoring in chemistry.

His research has been in the inorganic chemistry lab of Joel Rosenthal, associate professor of chemistry and biochemistry.

* Peter Sariano of Collegeville, Pennsylvania, an honors degree candidate who is majoring in biomedical engineering and plans to pursue research in tissue engineering.

"Biomedical research is the foundation for medical discovery. Research drives our understanding of disease and allows us to develop treatments to address unmet clinical needs."

* Hannah Wastyk of Palmyra, Pennsylvania, a du Pont Scholar and honors degree candidate majoring in biochemistry with a minor in biochemical engineering.

"What excites me most about research on human disease is that the body is a system more perfect than any we could possibly engineer. Our immune system is the most complex line of defense we possess, and treating diseases through regulation of its already existing cellular processes to control aberrant signaling is a technique that holds almost unlimited possibilities.

"The concept of growth has always been a passion I continually strive for. Research, both in practice and in mindset, perfectly embodies this endless cycle of growth through the creation of knowledge starting with basic research and applying it to solve real-world problems through engineering."

* Kathryn Wheeler of Boone, North Carolina, a du Pont Scholar and honors degree candidate who is earning her bachelor's degree in environmental science and will pursue a doctoral degree at Boston University's Department of Earth and the Environment.

"I am interested in how climate change is altering forest phenology (seasonality) and how the timing of the seasons affects the forest ecosystem and global ecosystems. Specifically, at Boston University I will be working on a project that uses ecosystem forecasting to identify the holes in our understanding of phenology and seasonal variation in carbon and energy transfers between the biosphere and atmosphere. With warmer global temperatures, the growing season is expected to be lengthened in many ecosystems. A longer growing season has the possibility of increasing the amount of carbon dioxide that trees take away from the atmosphere, which consequently would likely alleviate global climate change. In order to improve the accuracy of climate change predictions, it is necessary for us to better understand forest phenology and how it affects and is affected by climate change.

Research with Delphis Levia, professor of ecohydrology and chair of UD's Department of Geography, and doctoral student Janice Hudson introduced her to phenology.

"I became fascinated by the idea that something as seemingly simple as changing the timing of the seasons can have profound impacts on ecosystems. I became particularly interested in how phenology can then affect climate change through an ecosystems ecology course I took with Dr. Rodrigo Vargas [assistant professor of plant and soil sciences] this fall."

Hunter Bachman, mechanical engineering, an honors degree candidate, now at Duke University

Rabae Bounoua, psychology

Christopher Bresette, engineering, an honors degree candidate

Kamil Charubin, chemical engineering

Patrick Cronin, electrical and computer engineering

Nathan Hamilton, chemical engineering, an honors degree candidate

Alyssa Hull, chemistry and art conservation, a double honors degree recipient, now at Duke University

Joshua Lansford, chemical engineering

Charles McCutcheon, chemical engineering, now at the University of Minnesota

Bonnie McDevitt, environmental engineering, an honors degree recipient, now at Penn State University

Alexander Mitkas, chemical engineering

Samuel Modlin, neuroscience, now at San Diego State University Foundation

Lacey Perdue, bioengineering, an honors degree candidate

Jacob Wilmot, biology and neuroscience, an honors degree recipient, now at the University of California-Davis

A complete list of those offered the fellowship for 2017 is available on FastLane. For general information about the program, visit NSF's GRFP website.

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NSF Graduate Research Fellowships | UDaily - University of Delaware - UDaily

Anatomy

The Anatomy of the Perfect Cheese Plate – Lifehacker Australia

Illustration by Sam Woolley.

A cheese plate can be many things. A party platter, a snack, even a meala cheese plate can all of these things and more. It doesnt require any cooking, but crafting a perfectly harmonious plate of delicious dairy is a delicate balancing act, and some forethought is required.

It can be easy to go overboard with both cheeses and accouterments, but having a clear vision of the type of cheese plate you want to present to the world can keep you on track. But before you can do that, you need to decide how many cheeses you want to serve.

There are two routes you can take when presenting one cheese. You can choose a crowd-pleaserlike a good sharp cheddar or an excellent wheel of brieor you can go with a slightly more divisive show-stopper like a super funky blue, or the stinky-though-tasty Taleggio. In either case, youll need at least one carby delivery system and one complementary extra. Serious Eats has a good primer on various tasty types of cheese, but here are a few of my favorite ways to let a single cheese shine:

Another good way to focus on one cheese is to bake it or marinate it. Baked brie en croute, goat cheese with tomato sauce, and marinated mozzarella or feta all make great cheesy centerpieces.

Im not a fan of the even-numbered cheese plate for some reason, but if you are only going to serve two cheeses, I would do one hard and one soft, and do them really well. Three is my favorite number to serve however, because it gives you the freedom to throw something wild and crazy into the mix. Here are some of my favorite picks for each category:

To ensure a good variety of flavors, you can try picking one from each cheese-bearing animal (cow, sheep, goat), but Ive used my hard, soft, fun template with much success. (That template seems much dirtier than it actually is, now that Ive typed it out.)

Now that we have our cheeses chosen, were free to think about fun add-ons. It can be very easy to go crazy here, so I try to limit myself to one sweet thing, one salty thing, one sweet saucy thing, and one savory saucy thing. Youll also need bread and crackers.

I know thats a lot of foodie info to take in at once, so well recap real quick: unless you are going the one cheese route we covered earlier, my platonic ideal of a cheese plate is:

1 hard cheese + 1 soft cheese + 1 fun cheese

Served on:

simple toasted toast points + a smattering of seedy or fruity crackers

Paired with:

1 sweet thing + 1 salty thing + 1 sweet saucy thing + 1 salty saucy thing

This may seem like a lot, but Ive never had much in the way of leftovers and, if the unthinkable does happen you are plagued by excess cheese, you can always make cheese crisps or fromage fort. Everyone wins.

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The Anatomy of the Perfect Cheese Plate - Lifehacker Australia

Anatomy

Grey’s Anatomy’s Chandra Wilson Opens Up About Her Daughter’s … – PEOPLE.com

As Dr. Miranda Bailey on ABCs Greys Anatomy, Chandra Wilson is used to solving medical mysteries. But when her daughter suddenly came face to face withher own rare disorder, the actress fell straight into detective mode.

After a casual outing with friendswhen she was 16 years old, Sarina McFarlane thought she was fighting a bad case of food poisoning. However, after repetitive attacks of nausea and vomiting, both daughter and motherknew it was something more serious.

She would get these terrible bouts of vomiting and stabbing abdominal pains, Wilson, 47, exclusively tells PEOPLE in this weeks issue. I thought, This was crazy. Something was wrong with my daughter, and nobody could tell me what it was.

For Wilson, watching her daughters struggle nearly got to the point ofunbearable.

I found myself tracking what foods she was eating, where we were, tracking all this information myself, she says. Each hospital visit, I would put the info into a binder. By month eight, I was walking around with this gigantic binder.

After 10frustrating months of unanswered questions and endless hospital visits due to dehydration, McFarlanewas finally diagnosed with mitochondrial dysfunction (severe depletion of the bodys cellular energy supply) andcyclic vomiting syndrome(CVS), a rare disorder that presents with random attacks of committing, nausea, and extreme exhaustion, in 2010.

Now, 23, McFarlane admits she was scared, frustrated and depressed during the months leading to her diagnosis.

People in high school thought I was throwing up because I was trying to lose weight, she says.

The episodes tend to be abrupt, coming at different frequencies, McFarlanes physician, Dr. Richard Boles, the medical director for Courtagen Life Sciences, says. Dueto the symptomslack of diversity, its extremely hard to diagnose.

Theres really no objective criteria to back it up, he says. And, though experts have not found a cure, Boles stresses that it can be controlled with the right medication, vitamins and healthy lifestyle.

As McFarlane made a transition from adolescent care (where she maintained the same group of doctors and nurses) to adult care, her troubles seemed to only get worse.

If you go to the hospital two, three or four times, they think youre a druggie, she says.

You have to go through the process of being believed again, adds Wilson.

Now McFarlane, whos studying screenwriting at Cal State Northridge, and her momtry to remain upbeat.

I could be sad about it, says McFarlane, but its going to come back anyway.

Greys Anatomy airs Thursdays (8 p.m. ET) on ABC.

Excerpt from:
Grey's Anatomy's Chandra Wilson Opens Up About Her Daughter's ... - PEOPLE.com

Anatomy

Grey’s Anatomy’s Jessica Capshaw on Arizona/Eliza’s First Big Challenge, Plus: a ‘Great Chance’ of a Callie Return – TVLine

As weird as it sounds, Greys Anatomy docs Arizona and Eliza may soon miss the bygone days when they had to keep their romance on the D.L. Now that their colleagues have begun to find out about the new couple, they have to see what happens when they actually have a relationship the sex and the commitment versus no commitment, Jessica Capshaw, who plays Robbins, told TVLine earlier this month at PaleyFest. The question becomes, What are they now?

RELATEDGreys Anatomys Ellen Pompeo on Merediths Next Act (With Nathan?): Im Constantly Fighting for Her

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Whats more, theres the little matter of uh, very few Grey Sloan attendings can standArizonas new girlfriend. But shes not a villain, Capshaw is quick to note. Shes just representing a threat to Dr. Webber, who everyone loves. So itll probably become a little more apparent who Eliza is in the scheme of things and what shes about.

RELATEDGreys Anatomys Ellen Pompeo Teases the Ep That Will Make Everybody Cry

Though Sara Ramirezs recent beef with ABC would seem to suggest that well never get to see how Arizonas ex Callie reacts to her successor, Capshaw hasnt given up hope. I feel like nothing is impossible, she says. Theres a great chance that she would come back for something.

What do you think? Would you like to see what Torres makes of Minnick? Hit the comments. (With reporting by Vlada Gelman)

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Grey's Anatomy's Jessica Capshaw on Arizona/Eliza's First Big Challenge, Plus: a 'Great Chance' of a Callie Return - TVLine

Anatomy

Grey’s Anatomy Stars Name Their Favorite TV Doctors – Today’s … – TV Guide (blog)

Now Playing The Stars of Grey's Anatomy Reveal Their (Other) Favorite TV Doctors

The staff members at Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital on Grey's Anatomy are part of a long history of fictional doctors on television, from Hawkeye to House. But which of their onscreen predecessors provided "career inspiration" for the stars of Grey's?

We asked the cast, who were on hand at PaleyFest in Los Angeles, to name their favorite TV docs -- and while a few of the usual suspects (ahem, George Clooney's ER pediatrician, Dr. Doug Ross) made the cut, a few of their other choices may surprise you.

And don't be fooled -- while these guys may not be performing actual surgeries, they still have to learn all that real-life medical jargon, which is not an easy task.

Check out the video to see which (fake) MDs Chandra Wilson, Jerrika Hinton, Jason George and more cast members from Grey's Anatomy admire the most -- aside from their own colleagues, of course.

Grey's Anatomy airs Thursdays at 8/7c on ABC.

Link:
Grey's Anatomy Stars Name Their Favorite TV Doctors - Today's ... - TV Guide (blog)

Anatomy

The anatomy of a bodyboard – SurferToday

29 March 2017 | Bodyboarding

Modern bodyboards are advanced wave riding crafts. They are designed and shaped to deliver optimal performances in all types of ocean conditions. All attributes of a bodyboard have been fine-tuned so that each model serves a precise requirement.

Today, a bodyboard is way more than a simple waterproof foam board. There's science, knowledge, and experimentation in it. The most popular bodyboard manufacturers take all variables into consideration before releasing their portfolio.

Understanding how a bodyboard works will help you choose the right model for your weight and height, and level of experience. If you still have doubts, consult the bodyboard size chart.

Bodyboards have several fundamental properties. They are as follows:

The Core

It's the bodyboard's constituent foam material. There are two main types of core: Polyethylene (PE), Polypropylene (PP), and Extruded Polystyrene (EPS). The core gives the overall shape of the board, and play a critical role in wave riding performance.

The Deck

It's the bodyboard's top skin and the material that will cushion the impact of the sport's radical maneuvers. The high-end models come with PE decks, but some manufacturers also use crosslink formula.

The Slick

It's the bodyboard's bottom skin, and it should reduce the drag when the board is in contact with the surface of the water, and provide flexibility. The main types of materials used in the deck are Surlyn and HDPE.

The Channel

Channels are canals located near the tail on the bodyboard's slick. The provide extra grip on the face of the wave.

The Rail

It's the bodyboard's steering wheel and has an impact in control and speed. The two main types of rails are the 60/40 and the 50/50.

The Nose

It's the bodyboard's top and has an impact on the wave riding experience. Narrow noses mean a loose control and higher speed, while a wider nose performs better in big wave conditions.

The Rocker

It's the bodyboard's natural curve. A nearly flat rocker makes the board go faster and is harder to control; a board with too much rocker has a lot of drag, but it can be easier to navigate.

The Wide Point

The area of the bodyboard where the contours change their direction. It defines the overall template and the width distribution of the board. For a loose feel, get a board with a lower wide point; for control and speed pick a model with a higher wide point.

The Thickness

Thinner bodyboards are agile and have increased maneuverability, but they are also less buoyant and fast than thicker models with their extra volume.

The Tail

It's the bodyboard's wheel and provides more or less control and speed depending on their shape. The most common tail designs are the bat tail and the crescent tail.

The Stringer

It's the bodyboard's skeleton and provides control, strength, and stiffness. The tube is generally made of fiberglass and is inserted into the core of the board.

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The anatomy of a bodyboard - SurferToday

Neuroscience

ProMIS Neurosciences announces presentation and expert panel participation at the Neuroscience Biopartnering and … – Yahoo Finance

TSX: PMN

TORONTO, March 28, 2017 /CNW/ - ProMIS Neurosciences ("ProMIS" or the "Company"), a company focused on the discovery and development of precision treatments for neurodegenerative diseases, today announced its participation in the 2nd Annual Neuroscience Biopartnering and Investment Forum conference organized by Sachs Associates and held at the New York Academy of Sciences on March 27, 2017.

ProMIS Executive Chairman, Eugene Williams, presented an update and overview on the company's rapid progress and future outlook, and also contributed as a member of the expert panel entitled "Advances in Alzheimer's Disease".

"Following on from the Company's successful fund raise announced in February of this year, ProMIS will focus on progressing the development of its antibody program targeting toxic, prion-like forms of Amyloid beta, a root cause of Alzheimer's. Our lead development product, PMN310, is on track for IND submission at the end of 2018", stated Williams. "Furthermore, there is a substantial body of evidence from prior clinical trials in AD that targeting specifically the toxic, prion-like strains of Amyloid beta, while avoiding targeting of Amyloid beta monomer and plaque, will lead to best in class disease modifying therapy".

The Company overview presented at the meeting is available on the ProMIS Neurosciences website at: http://bit.ly/2na9QPl

About ProMIS Neurosciences, Inc.

The mission of ProMIS Neurosciences is to discover and develop precision medicine therapeutics for effective treatment of neurodegenerative diseases, in particular Alzheimer's disease and ALS.

ProMIS Neurosciences' proprietary target discovery engine is based on the use of two, complementary techniques. The Company applies its thermodynamic, computational discovery platformsProMIS and Collective Coordinates to predict novel targets known as Disease Specific Epitopes (DSEs) on the molecular surface of misfolded proteins. Using this unique "precision medicine" approach, ProMIS Neurosciences is developing novel antibody therapeutics and specific companion diagnostics for Alzheimer's disease and ALS. The company has also developed two proprietary technologies to specifically identify very low levels of misfolded proteins in a biological sample. In addition, ProMIS Neurosciences owns a portfolio of therapeutic and diagnostic patents relating to misfolded SOD1 in ALS, and currently has three preclinical monoclonal antibody therapeutics against this target.

The TSX has not reviewed and does not accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. This information release may contain certain forward-looking information. Such information involves known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from those implied by statements herein, and therefore these statements should not be read as guarantees of future performance or results. All forward-looking statements are based on the Company's current beliefs as well as assumptions made by and information currently available to it as well as other factors. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date of this press release. Due to risks and uncertainties, including the risks and uncertainties identified by the Company in its public securities filings, actual events may differ materially from current expectations. The Company disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

For further information please consult the Company's website at:www.promisneurosciences.com

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ProMIS Neurosciences announces presentation and expert panel participation at the Neuroscience Biopartnering and ... - Yahoo Finance

Immunology

New England Allergy, Asthma & Immunology PC Hosts 23-Nation Delegation of Top Healthcare Officials – PR Newswire (press release)

The delegation was comprised of Secretaries and Assistant Secretaries of Health, Program Directors, CEOs, Program Officers, Medical Officers, and many professors and researchers from:

"We are honored and equally humbled to host a delegation of this caliber at our home institution," said Dr. Thomas F. Johnson, Founder, Owner, and Chief Medical Officer of New England Allergy. "This speaks volumes to our commitment to promote the best health standards and to our full endorsement of a borderless world where every nation serves as a building block in global health initiatives to help prevent and combat disease."

"New England Allergy, Asthma & Immunology is pioneering a global system of collaboration across geographies and across medical disciplines to facilitate knowledge transfer, preventative screening, treatment, and efficient healthcare delivery systems," said George Kassas, CEO of Bireme Systems LLC, the Business Managing firm of New England Allergy. "This distinguished delegation's visit reaffirms New England Allergy's mission to welcome patients from all over the world to receive the very best care from many different medical subspecialties centered from our growing, premier facility."

New England Allergy, Asthma & Immunology P.C. http://www.newenglandallergy.com is located in North Andover, M.A. with offices in Lowell, M.A., Newburyport, M.A., Salem, N.H., Hampstead, N.H., and Hooksett, N.H. To learn more about the services offered by the practice, please visit http://www.newenglandallergy.com.

Media Contact:George Kassas+1508-523-4432George.kassas@newenglandallergy.com

To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/new-england-allergy-asthma--immunology-pc-hosts-23-nation-delegation-of-top-healthcare-officials-300429806.html

SOURCE New England Allergy, Asthma & Immunology P.C.

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New England Allergy, Asthma & Immunology PC Hosts 23-Nation Delegation of Top Healthcare Officials - PR Newswire (press release)

Human Behavior

The new S-Town podcast, from the Serial team, is a real-life Southern gothic – Vox

You are now entering Shit Town.

Thats what the S in S-Town stands for, as we learn in the opening moments of one of the years eeriest new podcasts. The just-launched project is the highly anticipated follow-up to 2014s smash hit Serial, and all seven episodes are available to listen to now.

The details of S-Towns premise have been shrouded in mystery for months. The show was first announced in November, but apart from a few tantalizing hints about murders and treasure hunts, its story was kept largely under wraps.

So the podcasts opening revelation that the S-Town title is a smokescreen for a something much blunter is a perfect setup for the various bluffs, double bluffs, and unexpected U-turns to come. Hosted by This American Life producer Brian Reed, S-Town is about the real life of one man whose attempt to make a difference in his small Alabama community has sweeping, unexpectedly far-reaching repercussions.

Reed spent several years investigating the story, which began with an email from a This American Life fan and evolved into a mystery within a mystery. The story ultimately takes many unique turns that are best left unspoiled, but in the opening act, a man named John convinces Reed to travel to Alabama to help him investigate a murder. From there, Reed gets caught up in the somewhat baffling idiosyncrasies of Shit Town and its residents and above all, in the idiosyncrasies of John himself.

S-Town is the work of podcast royalty: The first podcast to launch under Serials spinoff production company Serial Productions, it is executive-produced by Serial co-creator Julie Snyder, and its editorial team includes longtime This American Life host Ira Glass, Serial host Sarah Koenig, and Starlee Kine, creator of the cult podcast hit Mystery Show.

However, despite its blatant positioning as the heir to the Serial throne, S-Town is not quite the true crime podcast you might be expecting. Instead, its an engrossing narrative about the complexities of human behavior. But there are definitely similarities to Serial and other podcasts that deal in real-life intrigue, like the recent controversial Missing Richard Simmons.

Perhaps inevitably, what seems to be a foray into one mystery abruptly veers into a much larger, more somber, and unexpected tale about how the personal is always political, and how change on an individual level can become change on a universal level.

But it really does include a treasure hunt.

S-Town is now streaming on iTunes, apps like Stitcher, and the S-Town website.

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The new S-Town podcast, from the Serial team, is a real-life Southern gothic - Vox

Genetics

Large-scale study finds genetic errors associated with brain cancer – Medical News Today

Hundreds of thousands of people in the United States are living with a brain tumor. Gliomas are a particular category of malignant brain tumor that includes glioblastoma - a tumor with a low survival rate. New research uncovers genetic variants associated with an increased risk of glioma.

A new genetic study carried out by a team of international researchers from the United Kingdom, Europe, and the U.S. identifies 13 new genetic errors that correlate with a high risk of glioma. The findings were published in the journal Nature Genetics.

The National Brain Tumor Society estimate that 688,096 U.S. individuals have a brain tumor, and nearly 140,000 of these are malignant.

Brain tumors are quite aggressive and difficult to treat, with an average of only 34.4 percent of the patients surviving 5 years after their initial diagnosis.

Of the different types of brain tumor, glioma is the most common. It describes a type of tumor that grows from the brain's glial cells, which can be found around the neurons, supporting the nerve cells.

Across all brain tumors, gliomas account for approximately 27 percent and are estimated to cause 13,000 yearly cancer deaths in the U.S., according to research quoted in the new study. Gliomas are usually divided into glioblastomas (GBMs) and non-GBM tumors. Patients diagnosed with GBMs have a survival rate as low as 5 percent.

The authors of the new study note that little is known about the environmental factors that contribute to the risk of being diagnosed with glioma. The researchers set out to examine the genetic background for glioma risk.

The team conducted two new genomic studies and added their findings to that of previously existing studies. The result was a meta-analysis of almost 12,500 people with glioma and more than 18,000 healthy, glioma-free controls.

Overall, the scientists identified 13 new genetic variants that raised the risk of glioma: five new loci were identified for GBM, and eight for non-GBM tumors. The study shows that these genetic errors impact various cell functions, including the genesis and division of neurons, cell cycle regulation, DNA repair, and the production of some proteins.

Additionally, the scientists examined how different genetic strands affect a person's chances of developing GBM and non-GBM tumors.

For instance, they found that the expression of the HEATR3 gene increases the risk of GBM by 18 percent, but it has a much lower impact on non-GBM risk.

Study co-leader Richard Houlston, professor of molecular and population genetics at the Institute of Cancer Research in London in the U.K., comments on the significance of these findings:

"The changes in the way we think about glioma could be quite fundamental," Prof. Houston explains. "So for example, what we thought of as two related subtypes of the disease turn out to have quite different genetic causes which may require different approaches to treatment."

Apart from the newly discovered genetic errors, the study also confirmed the role of other genes that have been previously identified and correlated with the risk of brain and other types of cancer.

Before the new study, the total number of genetic variants linked to glioma risk was 13. The new research doubles this number.

"It has been exciting to have been involved in such a gigantic study including cases of brain cancer from all over the world. We have uncovered a treasure trove of new information about the genetic causes of glioma brain cancers.

Understanding the genetics of glioma in such detail allows us to start thinking about ways of identifying people at high inherited risk, and will open up a search for new treatments that exploit our new knowledge of the biology of the disease."

Prof. Richard Houlston

Learn how scientists inhibit brain tumor cell growth and how it could pave the way for new treatment.

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Large-scale study finds genetic errors associated with brain cancer - Medical News Today