If you're considering a cosmetic procedure make sure you have all the facts and feel 100%?comfortable about your decision before you sign or part with any money! Check out this cosmetic surgery guide to make sure you stay safe and well informed.
The real expert on your appearance and any concerns you may have is you. The only assistance you should need is to decide what, if any, surgery you might need, and you should ensure you get unbiased information regarding what might be technically possible and any associated risks and benefits. Do not let surgeon, nurse or other person talk you into doing anything for which you had little concern before the consultation.?
2.??? Be informed:
Anyone considering any cosmetic procedure should ensure they are fully informed and accept the limitations and risks of any procedure.? The key things to remember are:
No surgeon or procedure is 100 per cent risk free.
No results are guaranteed - you may look quite different to how you imagined.
No implants last forever - all implants will require replacing in the future meaning additional cost and repeated risks.
Cosmetic surgery is often major surgery - recovery can be painful and everyone heals at a different rate.
3.??? Be comfortable:
Make sure you feel comfortable with the organization, surgeon and clinic you have chosen.?
4.??? Know your surgeon:
Many practitioners purport to be experts, but many are not even surgeons!! Practitioners may boast impressive sounding qualifications, but these can have little meaning. Organisations associated with and preferably will demonstrate acceptable standards of practice, i.e., those which you can reasonably expect of surgeons and doctors in general. Hospitals which have strong associations will also adhere to these standards and so offer some level of reassurance.?
5.??? Get the timing right:
Unless the circumstances are exceptional, avoid surgery if you have recently experienced major life events such as moving house, changing job, losing a loved one, the break-up of a relationship or the arrival of children.?
6.??? Beware of ?free? consultations and avoid booking fees or non-refundable deposits:
These are a typical feature of many commercial clinics. Nothing is free and if the surgery is right for you then there will be no need for you to be locked into going ahead by any financial cancellation penalties. A non-refundable deposit should ring alarm bells.
7.??? Location:
Do not travel a long distance or overseas for any surgery unless you are comfortable with the arrangements to follow up and the management of any problems or complications which might arise.?
8.??? Talk to your GP:
Your GP has no interest other than your welfare, so many doctors are very happy to advise patients and not be judgmental about something which many people feel very sensitive and vulnerable about.
9.??? You can change your mind:
Hopefully everything will be totally to your satisfaction, but remember you have the option to cancel right up until the time you go to sleep for surgery. The fundamental reason for the surgery is to make you feel better about yourself, and if this is compromised, surgery should not proceed. No reputable surgeon would normally impose any penalty for cancellations.?
10.??? Take your time:
Remember that undergoing surgery is a serious commitment and is often life changing. This is a decision to think long and hard about, taking into account all risks: health, financial, and emotional!
We saw a premature report out of Japan late last month, but it appears that Ichiro Suzuki will indeed be back with the Yankees next season.
ESPN?s Buster Olney reports that the Yankees are ?moving closer? to an agreement with Ichiro and that a deal is expected to be done within the next few days. Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports reported yesterday that the Yankees were ?showing strong interest? in re-signing him and quoted a source who said that a deal ?will happen.?
No word yet on the terms being discussed, but it?s a good bet he?ll see a sharp drop in salary from the $17 million he made last season. The 39-year-old outfielder batted .322/.340/.454 with five home runs, 27 RBI and a .794 OPS in 67 games after being acquired from the Mariners in July.
Assuming the deal gets done, Yankees general manager Brian Cashman will likely look for a right-handed bat to mix in with lefty bats Ichiro, Brett Gardner and Curtis Granderson. Scott Hairston, who socked a career-high 20 homers this past season with the Mets, has been mentioned as a possibility.
MOSCOW (Reuters) - President Vladimir Putin pledged on Wednesday to crack down on corruption and the flight of capital from Russia in a new campaign to tackle problems that have marred his 13-year rule and blighted the country's business scene.
Setting priorities in his first state of the nation speech since he started a six-year term in May, Putin also tried to appease Russians eager for improvement in roads, schools, hospitals and police forces.
His 80-minute speech, delivered in the St George Hall of the Grand Kremlin Palace, lacked the punch of some performances during the oil-fuelled boom years of his 2000-2008 presidency.
But he drew applause from an audience of lawmakers, government ministers and religious leaders when he said officials should be restricted by law from opening foreign bank accounts and owning securities abroad.
"Don't applaud too soon - maybe you won't like it," Putin warned, adding that the measures would apply to senior Kremlin, government and parliamentary officials.
Putin also said businesses should not evade Russia's laws by operating through offshore tax havens. Capital has been leaving Russia at a rate of $80 billion per year.
Reining in graft would be a boon for Russia's state finances and for Putin, helping to dispel deep public distrust in state authorities whom millions see as corrupt.
Putin got Russia's powerful "oligarchs" to knuckle under in his first term but critics say money flows have simply shifted to his allies and corruption has worsened under his rule.
Recent corruption scandals have cost Putin's defense minister his job and spawned criminal cases but failed to convince Russians that Putin will wage war on graft.
"My God, how many years has he been in power and kept telling us things will get better?" said Alla, an information technology specialist in Moscow who gave only her first name.
"If this country is to develop, the most important thing is to finally have an honest government, not one that keeps on stealing under the mantle of fighting corruption," she said.
Former Finance Minister Alexei Kudrin said Putin's plan to curb capital flight would not work.
"It makes no sense to stop business going offshore by compulsion. It must be done by making Russia's legal system more attractive," Kudrin tweeted.
Putin, who during his presidential campaign accused the United States of encouraging opposition protests, said foreign meddling in Russian politics was unacceptable.
But he suggested the biggest threats to Russia came from a slump in the population since the 1991 collapse of the Soviet Union and the loss of spiritual moorings.
"If the nation is not capable of preserving itself and reproducing, if it loses it vital bearings and ideals, then it doesn't need foreign enemies - it will fall apart on its own."
Russia's population fell to 142 million last year from 149 million in 1991 and experts warn it will fall further.
Putin promised to add subsidies for third children in some regions next year.
"Families with three children should be the norm," he said.
Russia also needs to strengthen its national identity and moral foundations if is to survive, he said.
"We must not lose ourselves as a nation - we must be and remain Russia," he said.
SPIRITUAL BONDS
Putin, who has been in power since 2000 and could seek another six-year term in 2018, appears to be searching for a grand idea to promote national unity.
He invited provincial legislature chiefs to his Kremlin speech for the first time, a sign he is determined to keep far-flung reaches of Russia from straying from Moscow's orbit.
Putin's years in power have been marred by an Islamist insurgency in the North Caucasus, which has led to bombings in Moscow, and attacks in mostly Muslim Tatarstan this year raised the specter of a spread of militant violence.
In his address, Putin reiterated warnings against extremism and calls for ethnic harmony, saying that despite the country's diversity "we are one people - Russians."
Putin, accused by opponents and Western governments of suppressing dissent and prosecuting his political foes, said: "There can be no other political choice than democracy."
But he dismissed protest leaders who failed to prevent him winning the presidency in March.
"Civilised dialogue is only possible with those who present their demands in a civilized way," Putin said.
Putin said he is taking steps to improve democracy, pointing to legislation in the works that would revive elections of half the members of the lower parliament house in district races.
Opponents say that would benefit the ruling United Russia party, which holds the levers of power in the provinces.
They dismissed Putin's address as platitudes and empty promises.
"In short, there will be no political reforms - and without political reforms, all the rest is impossible to implement," Dmitry Gudkov, an opposition lawmaker and a leader of the protests, said on Twitter.
But Olga Kalistratova, a woman selling Christmas decorations from a Moscow street stand and shivering in the cold, said Putin "is doing everything in the right way, step by step. I think he is doing fine."
(Additional reporting by Alexei Anishchuk, Alissa de Carbonnel, Gabriela Baczynska, Thomas Grove and Nastassia Astrasheuskaya; Editing by Angus MacSwanBoyle)
Automation Alley, Michigan?s largest technology business association, is pleased to co-sponsor a presentation on webcasting and webstreaming ?with Orange Dragin Group, LLC and MetroTel Communication, LLC, Thursday, Dec. 20, 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. at its Troy headquarters.
The free event, titled ?The Powerful Tool of Webcasting ? Add it to your Social Media,? will take place in Automation Alley?s Atrium and video conference room, where representatives from Orange Dragin, a full-service video production company, and MetroTel Communication, which offers video conferencing solutions, will provide interactive demonstrations.
?Our state-of-the-art video conferencing technology is a valuable tool for companies like Orange Dragin and MetroTel Communications,? said Automation Alley Executive Director Ken Rogers. ?Webcasting is important in enhancing a company?s image and social media presence.?
To demonstrate the technology, participating companies will be chosen to prepare a 30-60 second introduction of their company?s products and services to be produced as a live webcast and presented with an archived video segment for future use.
Join Automation Alley, Orange Dragin and MetroTel to experience the benefits of webcasting and Web streaming. Automation Alley Headquarters is located at 2675 Bellingham in Troy.
For more information, contact the Automation Alley Resource Center at (800) 427-5100 or info@automationalley.com, or visit automationalley.com. Contact Moe O?Shaughnessy of Orange Dragin? moe@orangedragin.tv?? to RSVP or just Click and Register Now
About Automation Alley
Automation Alley is a technology business association driving the growth and image of Southeast Michigan?s economy through a collaborative culture that focuses on workforce and business development initiatives.
Since its founding in 1999, Automation Alley has expanded to include nearly 1,000 businesses, educational institutions and government entities from the city of Detroit and the surrounding eight-county region. Automation Alley promotes regional prosperity through entrepreneurial and exporting assistance, workforce development and technology acceleration.?
About Orange Dragin
Orange Dragin is a Full Service Video Production Company Located in Troy and Specializes in Live Event Management with Multi-Camera Recording Coverage, Multiple Day Conference Planning and Design with Webcasting and Streaming capabilities. Other services include; Digital Video Editing with the Latest Editing Software and EFX, Green Screen Stage Designed for Corporate messages, Product overview, and Commercials. Quick Duplication and Transfers of all media types with custom labeling, 3D Graphics & Animation. Doing business Nationally for over 20 years. Equipment and Staffing available at a moments notice.
We've all seen our fair share of crooked gingerbread houses, daubed with frosting to the point where they look less like a building and more like a bomb site. Johan von Konow has a solution to that problem, though: design the building using CAD and manufacture it using laser cutters. More »
OLYMPIC hero Greg Rutherford poses in nothing but a pair of Union Jack underpants and his gold medal as he takes part in a charity life art class.
Greg, 26, stripped off for a group of lucky fans who got to draw him in all his glory as part of a campaign to help promote Male Cancer Awareness.
The Team GB long jumper was thrust into the spotlight after he bagged himself gold when he jumped an impressive 8.31m in the finals of the event at this summer's London Olympics.
He is now keen to put his newfound fame to good use after a close friend was diagnosed with testicular cancer aged just 33.
The event, organised by deals website Groupon, saw more than 950 people log on and bid for their chance to take part in the class, with 15 winners randomly selected to enjoy a champagne reception and the guidance of Tony Picano of the Life Drawing Society UK.
The select few were then able to pose for pictures with Greg and his gold medal and have their artwork signed by the track and field star.
Talking about the experience Greg admitted that while he didn't initially think he would feel nervous stripping off, when it came down to it the ordeal was very nerve-racking.
He said: "It was up until the moment I was sitting here and waiting to come out - that's when I got incredibly nervous. Even this morning I was really blase about it, I was like 'oh this will be fine I've had to do much bigger things in my life and then all of a sudden I was absolutely bricking it.
Jump to it ... Greg Rutherford strikes a pose in a life art class to raise cash for cancer charity
Groupon
"You're out there and everybody is looking at you and you know what's coming next as do they and you're sort of thinking 'oh ok, this is the moment...' It's really awkward but nice, you get into it, it's for a good cause so it's worth it."
Greg also admitted that he was inspired to take part in the event because of the bravery of his friend who has been battling the disease.
He said: "I've got a mate who's been suffering with testicular cancer and he's in remission now so he's come out the back end of it, he's recovered. He was a massive inspiration to me because when you see somebody who's ill like that but still training and still working hard, it's brilliant to look at them and think you're dealing with something so severe like this.
"I mean anybody can contract any form of cancer. This is 99% curable - but people still die of it. So it was amazing to see and for that reason I was very keen to get involved. It's just a great idea to raise some money and hopefully make men more aware as well.
Greg stressed the importance of regularly checking for symptoms - and acting quickly if you find something wrong.
He said: "I think all guys need to have a bit of a fiddle and feel for any irregular lumps or bumps or anything. Or if there is any unfamiliar feeling in the area - like dull aches in their stomach or scrotum - just nip in to the doctor, it's their job, go and let them have a feel and a check of you. It's their job - they don't care what it looks like. At least then if you're OK you know.
"If you leave it too long people do die of it - so forget about the embarrassment of getting bits and bobs out for a doctor. I did it in front of 40 people here so you just have to do it. If it's going to save your life who cares."
Arty ... Greg Rutherford says he was nervous about posing
Groupon
Greg recently confessed that since being plunged in to the spotlight by his Olympic success he's found it hard to cope with being called a "celebrity".
He said: "It's been interesting to say the least - being invited here there and everywhere and getting photographed all over the place.
"I think the term 'celebrity' is thrown around really easily, I wouldn't see myself as one at all. I just do track and field and I'm fortunate enough to do it to a very high level."
But he also admitted that being better known in the public eye since his success hasn't put his ambitions as a sportsman on hold.
He added: "I think every track and field athlete, their ultimate aim is to go out there and win at the Olympics and I had the fortunate turn of events that it happened for me in London. For me that's got to be the highlight of my career by a long, long way - just that pure feeling of every emotion I've ever had in my life rolled into one at that moment I realised I'd won. There's never been anything like it in my life and I don't think there'll be anything like it again.
"I want to go on and cement myself as one of the greatest long jumpers ever. Obviously winning in London will always be the most important, but there's the world championships next year. I want to back up the Olympic title with that, and after that we have the Commonwealth and European games - and I want to win those as well.
"I basically want to win every major title there is."
Dec. 9, 2012 ? Angiocidin, a novel tumor-inhibiting protein, has been shown to reduce acute myeloid leukemia (AML) cells in vivo by almost two-thirds in pre-clinical experiments.
George P. Tuszynski, a professor of neuroscience in Temple University's School of Medicine who discovered Angiocidin, will present the findings during the American Society of Hematology's national meeting in Atlanta on Dec. 9.
AML causes certain white blood cells to stop maturing, resulting in their uncontrolled proliferation, which can lead to suppression of the immune system and often fatal secondary problems such as infections, including pneumonia, and an increased risk for bleeding.
In earlier in vitro studies using four AML cell lines and patient AML cells, Angiocidin demonstrated the ability to stimulate maturation in the affected white cells, causing them to behave and function like normal cells.
With 50 percent success in the in vitro patient studies, the researchers next focused on how Angiocidin would perform against cells from AML patients in vivo. Samples from a patient were injected into a special mouse model developed by Martin Carroll, associate professor of medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. Over a 14 week period, the leukemia cells engrafted to the bone marrow of the mice.
The mice were then given doses of Ara-C, Angiocidin or a combination of both. The chemotherapy agent Ara-C, or cytosine arabinoside, is standard-of-care for AML and kills cancer cells by inhibiting DNA synthesis.
Mice treated only with Angiocidin saw a 63 percent reduction in AML cells, while those treated with both experienced a 79 percent reduction in AML cells. Mice treated with Ara-C alone saw a reduction of only around 40 percent.
"One question we had is whether Angiocidin would be able to get into the bone marrow," said Tuszynski. "These results clearly show that Angiocidin is able to prevent the growth of AML cells in the bone marrow." However, Tuszynski cautioned that pre-clinical data is not always predictive of activity in humans.
While Ara-C and other drugs used to treat AML are highly toxic, Angiocidin has exhibited no evidence of toxicity, making it a potentially safer alternative treatment to standard-of-care, especially for elderly patients who can't tolerate chemotherapy.
Tuszynski said that additional pre-clinical tests are being performed to gather more data and to determine an optimal dose of Angiocidin for patients. "Once we have all of our pre-clinical data together, we will be able to begin preparing for a clinical trial in humans," he said.
The pre-clinical testing of Angiocidin has been funded through a grant from Philadelphia's University City Science Center.
A start-up company, Diffregen LLC, has licensed Angiocidin from Temple. They recently submitted a small business innovation research (SBIR) grant proposal to the National Institutes of Health to support product development activities for this novel treatment for AML and potentially other cancers.
Share this story on Facebook, Twitter, and Google:
Other social bookmarking and sharing tools:
Story Source:
The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Temple University, via Newswise.
Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.
Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.
Disclaimer: This article is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.
Recipe from At the Crillon and at Home, by Jean-Fran?ois Pi?ge, Flammarion, 2008
? lb (240 g) Italian round rice for risotto, such as Carnaroli or Acquarelle
1 ? cup (300 ml) chicken stock
1 white onion
1 clove garlic
6 tablespoons (90 ml) olive oil
1 glass dry white wine
2 tablespoons (30 g) butter
3 oz (90 g) Parmigiano Reggiano, grated
?
For rocket with olive oil:
4 handfuls rocket (arugula) leaves
2 tablespoons (30 ml) olive oil
Fleur de sel and freshly ground pepper
?
To prepare the risotto and make the cake:
Bring the chicken stock to a boil. Peel the onion and slice it finely.
Peel and chop the garlic clove.
Heat half the olive oil (3 tablespoons/45 ml) in a high-sided saut? pan. Add the sliced onion and sweat over a low heat for 3 minutes. Add the rice, fry it lightly for 5 minutes, stirring constantly, and add the garlic. Deglaze with the white wine. Allow the liquid to evaporate, then just cover with the stock and simmer gently, stirring constantly. When the rice has absorbed all the liquid, add just enough broth to cover it again and continue cooking, stirring all the time. Repeat the process five or six times.
After 14 minutes of cooking, incorporate the butter, the remaining 3 tablespoons (45 ml) of olive oil, and the grated Parmesan. Stir constantly to combine the ingredients.
Lightly grease an ovenproof dish and pour in the risotto. Add half a glass of chicken stock.
Cook at 400 degrees Fahrenheit for 5 to 6 minutes, until it turns a light brown.
?
Finish and presentation:
Allow the rice to rest for a few minutes before serving it in the ovenproof dish. Accompany with the salad of rocket leaves.
SEATTLE -- People openly lit joints under the Space Needle and on Seattle's sidewalks -- then blew the smoke at TV news cameras. To those looking to "get baked," the city's police department suggested pizza and a "Lord of the Rings" movie marathon.
What, exactly, is going on in Washington state?
Marijuana possession became legal under state law Thursday, the day a measure approved by voters to regulate marijuana like alcohol took effect. It prompted midnight celebrations from pot activists who say the war on drugs has failed.
But as the dawn of legalization arrives, Washington and Colorado, where a similar law passed last month, now face some genuinely complicated dilemmas: How on Earth do you go about creating a functioning, legal weed market? How do you ensure adults the freedom to use pot responsibly, or not so responsibly, while keeping it away from teenagers?
And perhaps most pressingly, will the Justice Department just stand by while the states issue licenses to the growers, processors and sellers of a substance that, under federal law, remains very much illegal?
"We're building this from the ground all the way up," said Brian Smith, spokesman for the Washington Liquor Control Board, which is charged with regulating the drug. "The initiative didn't just wave a magic wand and make everybody here an expert on marijuana."
The measures approved Nov. 6 have two main facets. First, they OK the possession of up to an
ounce of marijuana by adults over 21. That took effect Thursday in Washington, though it remains illegal -- for now -- to sell pot, so people have to keep getting it from the marijuana fairy.
In Colorado, where pot fans will also be able to grow their own plants, the law takes effect by Jan. 5.
The other part of the measures, the regulatory schemes, are trickier. Washington's Liquor Control Board, which has been regulating alcohol for 78 years, has a year to adopt rules for the fledgling pot industry: How many growers, processors and stores should there be in each county? Should there be limits on potency? How should the pot be inspected, packaged and labeled?
To help answer those questions, officials will turn to experts in the field -- including police, public policy experts and some of the state's many purveyors of medical marijuana. Smith anticipates undercover monitoring operations to make sure the private, state-licensed stores aren't selling to minors.
With legalization, officials need to look at some of the measures that have been shown to reduce teen drinking, said Derek Franklin, president of the Washington Association for Substance Abuse and Violence Prevention. That includes public education about the risks of pot use and driving while stoned, emphasize patrols to look for stoned drivers, and encouraging cities to adopt laws that hold parents accountable if they host parties at which kids are provided marijuana.
"We're really going to need to get all hands on deck to sort through this," he said.
The marijuana will be taxed heavily, with revenues possibly reaching hundreds of millions of dollars a year for schools, health care, basic government services and substance abuse prevention.
Unless, of course, the Justice Department has something to say about it.
Few people question the states' ability to simply remove all penalties under their own laws for marijuana. The federal government would remain free to raid state-licensed growers or stores and prosecute those involved in federal court, just as they remain free to shut down medical marijuana dispensaries in states with medical marijuana laws.
Whether a state can regulate an illegal substance is another question. Many constitutional law scholars say the answer is no: Washington and Colorado's regulatory schemes obviously conflict with marijuana's prohibition in the federal Controlled Substances Act, and when state and federal laws conflict, the feds win out, they say.
So the Justice Department could likely sue to block the regulatory schemes. But will it? What's better, from the administration's perspective -- an ounce of weed legalized with regulation or an ounce of weed legalized with no oversight?
The department has given no hints about its plans.
While pot fans wait for an answer, they are partying. Though Washington's law prohibits smoking in public, about 200 gathered under the Space Needle for a New Year's Eve-style countdown to midnight. A few dozen gathered on a sidewalk outside the north Seattle headquarters of the annual Hempfest celebration and did the same, offering joints to reporters.
Officers will nevertheless advise people not to smoke in public, police spokesman Jonah Spangenthal-Lee wrote on the SPD Blotter. "The police department believes that, under state law, you may responsibly get baked, order some pizzas and enjoy a 'Lord of the Rings' marathon in the privacy of your own home, if you want to."
LOS ANGELES (TheWrap.com) - Alejandro Gonz?lez I??rritu is set to direct "Birdman" from a script he co-wrote with Nicolas Giacobone, Alexander Dinelaris and Armando Bo, a person familiar with the project told TheWrap.
Known for more dramatic pieces like "Amores Perros," "Babel" and "Biutiful," I??rritu will be tacking a comedic film for the first time.
"Birdman" tells the story of an actor who once played an iconic superhero but is now facing a crisis as he battles his ego and attempts to recover his family and career in the days leading up to the opening of a Broadway play.
Production is slated to begin in March 2013. The film will be produced by I??rritu, Robert Graf and John Lesher. I??rritu and the film are represented by CAA.
I??rritu is also moving forward on another film, "The Revenant," which was announced in 2011, a person with knowledge of that project told TheWrap.
Scientists at the Babraham Institute have gained a new understanding of when and how the DNA in developing egg and sperm cells is 'reset', in preparation for making a new embryo. It is well known that small chemical groups can be added to DNA to alter gene activity, these modifications to the DNA are acquired during development in the womb and throughout adult life and can arise from changes in environment. Most of these modifications are removed in immature egg and sperm cells to 'reset' the DNA and to erase any 'environmental memory', but some remain. Decoding this reprogramming has major implications for our understanding of development and how these modifications can be inherited from one generation to another.
All the cells in the body of one individual have the same DNA sequence (genome) and it is how the DNA sequence is interpreted that results in the formation of different cell types, for example different genes can be switched on and off. Inactive genes often have a small chemical modification, called a methyl group, added to them outside the coding sequence which promotes this regulation. This study, published today (6 December) in the journalMolecular Cell, is the first genome-wide study to look at what happens to the methyl groups during early stages of egg and sperm cell (primordial germ cell) development. This type of research, investigating modifications to the DNA which do not alter the underlying DNA sequence, is called epigenetics.
Dr Stefanie Seisenberger, lead author from the Babraham Institute, which receives strategic funding from the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC), explained, "We produced a high resolution map showing the location and timing of methyl group removal from primordial germ cell DNA. We discovered that the majority of demethylation occurred much earlier than people previously thought and this has allowed us to shed light on the process of methyl group removal in mammals, a mechanism which has remained elusive for many years. An even more exciting finding is that we have identified regions of DNA that avoid demethylation and are therefore candidates for how environmental information can be transferred from parent to offspring. Interestingly, one of these areas has a link with type 2 diabetes."
Professor Wolf Reik, senior author of the paper, a Group Leader at the Babraham Institute and an associate faculty member at the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, added, "Several recent studies in other laboratories have confirmed that environmental information can be transferred from parent to offspring in mammals, for example mice fed a high-fat diet produce offspring with altered metabolic regulation, but it is not known how this occurs. One interesting observation from our study, which backs up work performed elsewhere, is that incomplete removal of methyl groups from DNA occurs more frequently in sperm than egg forming cells, suggesting that fathers have a bigger part to play in epigenetic inheritance than previously thought. This has implications not only for understanding mechanisms of inheritance and development but also our susceptibility to obesity and diseases like diabetes."
###
Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council: http://www.bbsrc.ac.uk
Thanks to Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council for this article.
This press release was posted to serve as a topic for discussion. Please comment below. We try our best to only post press releases that are associated with peer reviewed scientific literature. Critical discussions of the research are appreciated. If you need help finding a link to the original article, please contact us on twitter or via e-mail.
Grafton Shopping World EB Games manager Brian Ryan shows seven- year-old customer Angel Marre Hawkins Ford the new W11-U console. Photo Debrah Novak
IT'S BEGINNING to look a lot like Christmas and some Clarence Valley retailers are flat out trying to keep up with demand.
EB Games Grafton store manager Brian Ryan said interest in electronic gaming was booming this season, with total sales to date already exceeding last year's results to the end of December.
"This Christmas is going to be very big," Mr Ryan said.
He said the November 30 release of the all new Nintendo Wii U had received plenty of interest from shoppers, leading to local stock virtually selling out within hours. The console also launches a range of new titles with New Super Mario Bros U, and Ubisoft's ZombiU among the hottest selling.
Mr Ryan said other titles proving popular for gamers include Activision's Call of Duty: Black Ops II, Nintendo Land, Halo 4, and Hitman.
Meanwhile, Maclean Toyworld owner Sharon Moore said she had been surprised by some of the great reinventions this year, like Furbies and Lego.
"Lego continues to be a popular choice for many age groups, particularly boys; it's constantly evolving," she said.
Ms Moore said she is grateful for the support of people who shop locally.
What's hot
?Fisher Price;
Giggle and hoot cuddle pillows and pillow pets, trikes;
Remote control cars and helicopters, Dinosaurs Lego, Bonka Zonks, Trash Pack range and Scalextric sets;
For the pool: the new Wahu rocker, paddle wheel and inflatable slide;
Games for all ages: Nintendo's New Super Mario Bros U, New Super Mario Bros 2, and Ubisoft's ZombiU
Games for older kids: Activision's Call of Duty: Black Ops II, Nintendo Land, Halo 4, Hitman.
Tip for Christmas: instead of buying 'boy' toys for boys and 'girl' toys for girls, why not see which your children would prefer without mentioning gender?
A light sculpture titled "1.26" by Janet Echelman of the U.S. hangs over Amstel river during the opening of Amsterdam Light Festival in Amsterdam December 7, 2012. Light sculptures from contemporary artists will be on display during the festival, which celebrates light and water, at the city centre of Amsterdam from December 7, 2012 to January 20, 2013. REUTERS/Michael Kooren
A light sculpture titled "1.26" by Janet Echelman of the U.S. hangs over Amstel river during the opening of Amsterdam Light Festival in Amsterdam December 7, 2012. Light sculptures from contemporary artists will be on display during the festival, which celebrates light and water, at the city centre of Amsterdam from December 7, 2012 to January 20, 2013. REUTERS/Michael Kooren
Working with a property management company can be a great resource for owners of residential, commercial, or industrial properties. Property management works the same as management in any other field by overseeing what needs to be accounted, monitored, and cared for with any type of real estate. They work to find long-term residents who pay promptly and respect your property. We will act as a mediator between the owner and the tenant easing the responsibility of busy owners. Choosing a respected property management company can make the real estate process a breeze. Our company have the experience and knowledge to make every aspect of the process simple and painless. You can take comfort in knowing that we will always treat your real estate as if we own it ourselves. Air Quality Testing St Petersburg FL
The number of Americans filing for unemployment benefits dropped much more than expected in the latest week, as the impact of Superstorm Sandy abated.
The Labor Department reported Thursday that new jobless claims fell 25,000 to a seasonally-adjusted 370,000. Economists had expected claims to decline to around 380,000.?The prior week's data was revised upward to 395,000, which is?2,000 more than initially estimated.
The drop in claims in the latest week brings them down to the 360,000-370,000 pre-Sandy range. The four-week moving average, considered a more accurate gauge of labor market trends, rose 2,250 to 408,000, which still reflected the impact of the storm.
A Labor Department official said there was nothing unusual in the state-level data, but noted claims tend to post their largest percentage increase in the last week of November, catching up from the Thanksgiving holiday.
In addition, seasonal layoffs in sectors like construction, start picking up this time of the year and remain elevated until early January. This will make claims a less useful gauge of labor market conditions in the weeks ahead.
The claims report has no bearing on Friday's employment data. Economists estimate the monster storm, which slammed the densely populated East Coast, could subtract between 25,000 and 75,000 jobs from November's nonfarm payrolls.
The closely watch employment report, which will be released on Friday, is expected to show payrolls increased only 93,000 last month after advancing 171,000 job in October, according to Reuters survey of economists. The unemployment rate is seen holding steady at 7.9 percent.
The claims report showed the number of people still receiving benefits under regular state programs after an initial week of aid dropped 100,000 to 3.21 million in the week ended November 24.
Meanwhile,?Planned layoffs at U.S. firms rose for the third month in a row in November, partly driven by the bankruptcy of Hostess Brands, a report showed on Thursday.
Employers announced 57,081 job cuts last month, the highest level since May and up nearly 20 percent from 47,724 in October, according to the report from consultants Challenger, Gray & Christmas, Inc.
November's job cuts were also up 34.4 percent from the 42,474 seen a year ago.
Still, 2012 is shaping up to be a better year than last year. With one month to go, employers have announced 490,806 cuts in 2012, lower than 2011's total of 606,082 layoffs.?
FILE - In this Sunday, Jan. 16, 2011 file photo, Beam Down Pilot project, a joint pilot project of the Masdar Institute of Science and Technology, Japan's Cosmo Oil Company and the Tokyo Institute of Technology, takes the conventional concentrated solar power design and literally turns it to on its head at Masdar City in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, Sunday Jan.16, 2011. The dean of a research institute at the core of Abu Dhabi's green-energy city said Sunday the government remains firmly committed to renewable power after recent shifts in the ambitious project's goals. Masdar City was originally conceived as a self-contained "carbon-neutral" community of 40,000 residents and even more commuters where cars would be banned and waste and water would be recycled.(AP Photo/Kamran Jebreili, File)
FILE - In this Sunday, Jan. 16, 2011 file photo, Beam Down Pilot project, a joint pilot project of the Masdar Institute of Science and Technology, Japan's Cosmo Oil Company and the Tokyo Institute of Technology, takes the conventional concentrated solar power design and literally turns it to on its head at Masdar City in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, Sunday Jan.16, 2011. The dean of a research institute at the core of Abu Dhabi's green-energy city said Sunday the government remains firmly committed to renewable power after recent shifts in the ambitious project's goals. Masdar City was originally conceived as a self-contained "carbon-neutral" community of 40,000 residents and even more commuters where cars would be banned and waste and water would be recycled.(AP Photo/Kamran Jebreili, File)
DOHA, Qatar (AP) ? A dispute over money clouded U.N. climate talks Friday, as rich and poor countries sparred over funds meant to help the developing world cover the rising costs of mitigating global warming and adapting to it.
Developing countries want firm commitments from rich nations to scale up climate aid to poor countries to $100 billion annually by 2020, a general pledge that was made three years ago.
Rich nations are unwilling to commit to specific targets now, citing world financial turmoil and pressure on their budgets.
After overnight negotiations, a draft agreement was presented Friday that does not include midterm targets, which developing countries had called for.
"There are still big differences between parties," said Swiss delegate Bruno Oberle, who helped prepare the draft, adding that the text would be revised.
The financing issue has overshadowed the talks since they started last week in Qatar, the first Middle Eastern country to host the slow-moving annual negotiations aimed at crafting a global response to climate change.
Climate activists said the talks were being held back by short-sighted financial concerns among developed countries.
"The tone of the negotiations is extremely sour now," said Greenpeace international leader Kumi Naidoo, who predicted that discussions would continue into the weekend.
Rich nations pledged in 2009 to deliver long-term financing to help poor nations switch to clean energy and adapt to rising sea levels and other impacts of global warming. They offered $10 billion a year in 2010-2012 in "fast-start" financing, pledging that the amount would be increased to $100 billion in 2020. But they didn't say how.
The latest text on the table urges developed countries "to make firm commitments to provide scaled up climate finance beyond 2012" but didn't include any midterm targets.
Negotiators were also trying to finalize an agreement to formally extend the Kyoto Protocol, an emissions reduction pact for rich countries that expires at the end of this year.
The U.S. never joined Kyoto while Japan, New Zealand, Canada and Russia don't want to be part of the extension, meaning it would only cover about 15 percent of the world's emissions of greenhouse gases.
Governments have set a deadline of 2015 to agree on a wider deal that would include both developed and developing countries, which now produce a majority of the world's emissions.
___
AP Environment Writer Michael Casey contributed to this report.
___
Follow Karl Ritter on www.twitter.com/karl_ritter or Michael Casey on www.twitter.com/mcasey1
President Sargsyan, who is in Turkmenistan on a working visit, participated today at the Council of the Heads of the CIS member states in Ashgabat.
At the sessions conducted first in the closed and later in the extended formats, the Heads of the CIS member states delegations discussed and adopted over two dozens of documents pertinent to the deepening of cooperation in the economic and humanitarian areas, security and some other areas. It was decided to hold the next meeting of the Heads of the CIS member states in October 2013, in Minsk. Chairmanship of the CIS was passed on to Belarus.
In the framework of the Summit held in Ashgabat, today President Serzh Sargsyan had a brief meeting with the President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin. The Presidents of the two countries discussed a number of issues of the Armenian-Russian strategic partnership agenda.
NBC's Brian Williams and NBC's Andrea Mitchell report on the resignation of well-regarded former General David Petraeus from the CIA after he admitted an affair.
By Andrea Mitchell and Robert Windrem, NBC News
WASHINGTON -- CIA Director David Petraeus resigned Friday, citing an extramarital affair and "extremely poor judgment."
As first reported by NBC News, Petraeus disclosed the affair in a letter released to the CIA work force on Friday afternoon, writing: "Such behavior is unacceptable, both as a husband and as the leader of an organization such as ours."
Petraeus told President Barack Obama of his affair and offered his resignation during a meeting Thursday, a senior official told NBC News.?
In a statement, Obama said he accepted Petraeus?s resignation on Friday.
"By any measure, through his lifetime of service, David Petraeus has made our country safer and stronger," Obama said of the four-star general, who led American forces in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Petraeus'?biographer,?Paula Broadwell, is under FBI investigation for improperly trying to access his email and possibly gaining access to classified information, law enforcement officials told NBC News on Friday. She is the author of Petraeus' biography, "All In." Broadwell?had extensive access to Petraeus in Afghanistan and has given numerous television interviews speaking about him.
Broadwell could not be reached by NBC News for comment.?
David Petraeus a battlefield 'hero' and savvy Washington insider
Petraeus himself is not under investigation.
A U.S. military official and long-time aide to?Petraeus told NBC News?the director?resigned "because he screwed up."
"In his mind, in his views, with his code of ethics and morals, he did a very dishonorable thing," the official said. "This had nothing to do with Benghazi, nothing to do with his relationship with the White House."
Petraeus was appointed CIA director in April 2011, replacing Leon Panetta, who moved to the Pentagon to become defense secretary.
Petraeus served as commander of the war in Afghanistan in 2010-2011. Before that, he served as commander of the U.S. Central Command and as the commanding general of U.S. forces in Iraq.?Because of those roles, he was seen as?bringing a ?customer?s eye? to the intelligence job.?
Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee, told NBC News that Petraeus?s personal mistake should not have led to his departure.
"I would have stood up for him," Feinstein said in response to his indiscretion. "I wanted him to continue. He was good, he loved the work, and he had a command of intelligence issues second to none."
Mandel Ngan / AFP - Getty Images file
General David Petraeus, center, takes the oath of office as the next director of the CIA from Vice President Joe Biden, right, as Petraeus's wife, Holly, watches on Sept. 6, 2011 during a ceremony at the Roosevelt Room of the White House in Washington, D.C.
Feinstein said she respects Obama?s decision to accept the Petraeus resignation, but wishes he hadn't.
She also said Petraeus will not need to testify at hearings she is chairing next week into the attack on the U.S. consulate in Benghazi, Libya. Ambassador Christopher Stevens and three other Americans were killed in the attack.
Rep. Peter King, R-NY, chairman of the House Committee on Homeland Security, said he regrets Petraeus's resignation. "General Petraeus is one of America's most outstanding and distinguished military leaders and a true American patriot," King said in a statement.
Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., said it was Petraus's "genius" that was responsible "for the success of the surge in Iraq."
"General David Petraeus will stand in the ranks of America's greatest military heroes," McCain said in a statement.
Multiple sources tell NBC News that Mike Morrell, the deputy CIA director and a longtime CIA officer, would likely be offered the job as acting director, with the understanding that he may be elevated to the job permanently.
That's how George Tenet got the job, first as deputy director in July 1995, then acting director following the resignation of John Deutch in December 1996 and finally as director in July 1997, staying on in the Bush administration.
Morrell is a longtime CIA analyst and was an eyewitness to two of the most momentous events in recent U.S. history. He was traveling with President George W. Bush on Sept. 11, 2001, as the president's briefer, and was in the Situation Room on May 1, 2011, as deputy CIA Director, when Navy SEALs killed Osama bin Laden.
Morell began his agency career as an analyst tracking international energy issues and subsequently worked for 14 years as an analyst and manager on East Asia. In 1999, he was appointed director of the Office of Asian Pacific and Latin American Analysis. He also has served as a presidential briefer, as chief of the staff that produces the president's daily briefing, and as an executive assistant to CIA Director George J. Tenet.
From 2003 until 2006, he served overseas. Upon his return, he was briefly deputy director for intelligence at the National Counterterrorism Center before being asked to become associate deputy director at the CIA.
?
NBC's Andrea Mitchell reports on the resignation of CIA Director David Petraeus after citing an extra-marital affair and apologizing for poor judgment.
Here is the full text of Petraeus' letter:
HEADQUARTERS Central Intelligence Agency
9 November 2012 Yesterday afternoon, I went to the White House and asked the President to be allowed, for personal reasons, to resign from my position as D/CIA. ?After being married for over 37 years, I showed extremely poor judgment by engaging in an extramarital affair. ?Such behavior is unacceptable, both as a husband and as the leader of an organization such as ours. ?This afternoon, the President graciously accepted my resignation.
As I depart Langley, I want you to know that it has been the greatest of privileges to have served with you, the officers of our Nation's Silent Service, a work force that is truly exceptional in every regard. ?Indeed, you did extraordinary work on a host of critical missions during my time as director, and I am deeply grateful to you for that.
Teddy Roosevelt once observed that life's greatest gift is the opportunity to work hard at work worth doing. ?I will always treasure my opportunity to have done that with you and I will always regret the circumstances that brought that work with you to an end. Thank you for your extraordinary service to our country, and best wishes for continued success in the important endeavors that lie ahead for our country and our Agency.
With admiration and appreciation, David H. Petraeus
Andrea Mitchell is NBC News? chief foreign affairs correspondent. Robert Windrem is NBC News? senior investigative producer. NBC News Chief White House Correspondent Chuck Todd contributed to this report.
More content from NBCNews.com:
Follow US news from NBCNews.com on Twitter and Facebook
Preschoolers' counting abilities relate to future math performance, researcher says
Friday, November 9, 2012
Along with reciting the days of the week and the alphabet, adults often practice reciting numbers with young children. Now, new research from the University of Missouri suggests reciting numbers is not enough to prepare children for math success in elementary school. The research indicates that counting, which requires assigning numerical values to objects in chronological order, is more important for helping preschoolers acquire math skills.
"Reciting means saying the numbers from memory in chronological order, whereas counting involves understanding that each item in the set is counted once and that the last number stated is the amount for the entire set," said Louis Manfra, an assistant professor in MU's Department of Human Development and Family Studies. "When children are just reciting, they're basically repeating what seems like a memorized sentence. When they're counting, they're performing a more cognitive activity in which they're associating a one-to-one correspondence with the object and the number to represent a quantity."
Manfra analyzed data from more than 3,000 children from low-income households in order to determine if the children's reciting and counting abilities in preschool affected their first-grade math scores. He found that students who could recite and count to 20 in preschool had the highest math scores in first grade; however, less than 10 percent of the children in the study could count and recite to 20.
"Counting gives children stronger foundations when they start school," Manfra said. "The skills children have when they start kindergarten affect their trajectories through early elementary school; therefore, it's important that children start with as many skills as possible."
Previous research has shown that, in low-income families, parents often think children's educations are the responsibility of teachers, while teachers expect parents to teach some essential skills at home, Manfra said.
"These low-income children aren't learning math skills anywhere because parents think the children are learning them at school, and teachers think they're learning them at home," Manfra said. "This is a problem because it gives parents and teachers the idea that it's not their responsibility to educate the children, when it's everyone's responsibility. This is problematic because, when the children enter kindergarten and are at lower math levels, they don't have the foundational skills needed to set them on paths for future success."
Parents and teachers should integrate counting into all aspects of children's daily activities so they can master the skill, Manfra said.
"You can learn anything anywhere, and this is very true for counting," Manfra said. "When adults read books with children, they can count the ducks on the page. They might count the leaves that fall to the ground outside or the number of carrots at lunchtime."
###
University of Missouri-Columbia: http://www.missouri.edu
Thanks to University of Missouri-Columbia for this article.
This press release was posted to serve as a topic for discussion. Please comment below. We try our best to only post press releases that are associated with peer reviewed scientific literature. Critical discussions of the research are appreciated. If you need help finding a link to the original article, please contact us on twitter or via e-mail.
BARBOURVILLE, Ky. (WKYT) - Beverly Foley has so many fond memories of November 9th. It was the day she was born?and the day 27 years ago she gave birth to her son?.Jonathan.
?I miss him terribly. I got this morning..each day gets worse..instead of better,? said the missing man?s mother Friday.
Since the national guardsman was serving his country in Iraq last year?.and involved in other activties before?this would have been the first birthday in several years that the two would have spent together.
?I?m hoping something today?with it being his birthday..will bring it to closure,? said Foley.
Foley was last seen Tuesday heading to Lee?s Food Mart in Barbourville. His truck was found covered in mud several miles away?near a factory close by Knox County Hospital.
His family says what was found inside that truck was very unusual.
?The seat was kind of scooted up. The driver?s seat. He?s a very tall person,? said Foley.
The Foleys say police told them they were planning to search the truck and gather evidence on Friday. Police were also said to be gathering surveillance video from the area where the truck was found. His family meanwhile is hoping for the best but fearing the worst.
?I?m feeling lost without him. I?m afraid he won?t be coming home. I hope he will,? said Charles Foley, Jr., the missing man?s father.
ScienceDaily (Nov. 9, 2012) ? A new way to make glass has been discovered by a collaboration of researchers at the Universities of D?sseldorf and Bristol using a method that controls how the atoms within a substance are arranged around each other.
The research is published November 9 in Physical Review Letters.
When cooling a liquid below its melting temperature it either crystallizes or transforms into a glass. Glass is a peculiar state of matter: it has the mechanical properties of a solid but an amorphous structure like a liquid.
As long ago as 1952, Sir Charles Frank at the University of Bristol argued that the structure of glasses should not be entirely disordered like a liquid but rather that it should be filled with structural motifs like the bicapped square antiprism [inset pictured].
Although such motifs have very recently been found in experiments and computer simulations on glassy materials, it has not been clear what role these play in how a liquid becomes a (glassy) solid.
The D?sseldorf and Bristol researchers created a new type of glass in a computer through encouraging atoms in a nickel-phosphorus alloy to form the pictured polyhedron. When these polyhedra formed, the liquid no longer flowed -- it had become a solid. In other words, they found that instead of cooling, a liquid can turn into a glass by changing its structure.
Dr Paddy Royall of the University of Bristol said: "The method we developed employed computer simulations of liquids, performed on the University of Bristol's BlueCrystal supercomputer, where the atoms were driven to form more polyhedra.
"Although many more polyhedra were formed, the atomic arrangements were still disordered rather than a periodic arrangement as seen in crystals. This means that the solid that was formed had to be a glass."
Dr Thomas Speck of Heinrich-Heine-Universit?t, D?sseldorf said: "These results mean that structure can control whether a material is liquid or solid and thus open the way to design new glasses: for example metallic glasses whose great lightness and strength promise exciting applications and chalcogenide glasses which are used in memory applications and phase switch memory, a possible future technology for data storage."
Share this story on Facebook, Twitter, and Google:
Other social bookmarking and sharing tools:
Story Source:
The above story is reprinted from materials provided by University of Bristol.
Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.
Journal Reference:
thomas Speck, Alex Malins, and C. Patrick Royall. First-Order Phase Transition in a Model Glass Former: Coupling of Local Structure and Dynamics. Phys. Rev. Lett., 109, 195703 (2012) DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.109.195703
Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.
Disclaimer: Views expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.
Study documents eating of soil, raw starch in MadagascarPublic release date: 9-Nov-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Syl Kacapyr vpk6@cornell.edu 607-255-7701 Cornell University
Pica -- craving and intentionally consuming nonfood substances, such as earth -- and amylophagy, eating raw starches -- are widespread among people around the world, including the U.S. Some 180 species of animals are also known to engage in pica, possibly to rid themselves of toxins.
A study appearing Oct. 17 in the online journal Public Library of Science One provides the first population-level data of pica in Madagascar. It is one of only a few studies to assess the consumption of earths, raw starches, chalk, ash and other nonfoods across men, women and children.
Study: http://bit.ly/RIhM4L
Pica has been documented throughout history; it was first referenced by Hippocrates in 400 B.C. Since then, there have been hundreds of ethnographic descriptions of pica and dozens of epidemiologic studies, mostly among pregnant women, with a few studies among children.
In contrast to prior studies, this one in northeastern Madagascar found a high prevalence of pica and amylophagy among men, with some 63 percent of adult males engaging in the behavior among the 760 participants from the Makira Protected Area. Also contrary to other findings, this survey, made in 2009, found no peak in pica and amylophagy among pregnant women, though only four pregnant women were sampled. Local taboos against talking about pregnancy prior to birth may have led to underreporting, according to the authors.
The findings for men and pregnant women in Madagascar "fly against much of what I know in terms of distribution" among members of a population, said Sera Young, a research scientist in Cornell University's Division of Nutritional Sciences and the paper's senior author. Young is also the author of the book, "Craving Earth: Understanding Pica -- the Urge to Eat Clay, Starch, Ice and Chalk" (2011).
Across the entire sample in the prior year, 53.4 percent engaged in geophagy, eating specific types of earth, including a fine white clay subsoil, fine sand and red river sediment; 85.2 percent ate such raw starches as raw cassava, raw sweet potato, uncooked rice and another local wild root; and 19 percent ate other items considered locally to be nonfood, including rock salt, used coffee grounds, charcoal, rice chaff, blackboard chalk and ash.
Pica has positive and negative consequences, making it an important public health concern, said Young.
On the positive side, clay-based pica may be protective, by coating the intestines or binding directly to toxins and pathogens, thereby preventing them from entering the blood, Young added. Clay also acts as an anti-diarrheal. Such protections may be especially beneficial to vulnerable populations like pregnant women and children. Another potential benefit is that earth-based pica may act like a multivitamin, adding micronutrients like iron or calcium to the diet, which may help explain why men consume it. However, the bioavailability of these micronutrients has been shown to be very low.
On the negative side, earth, starch or other pica substances could bind to iron in the diet, leading to or worsening anemia. Also, some raw starches are high in calories but are not nutritious. And some substances may contain pathogens or harmful chemicals.
"It could be a really harmful behavior, which causes anemia, for example, or it could be a low-tech protective behavior," said Young.
###
Future research will analyze nutrients and chemical properties of pica and amylophagy substances, examine which toxins occur in local diets, and distinguish between nonfood items that are craved versus items that are locally considered food or are used as medicines, Young said.
[ | E-mail | Share ]
?
AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
Study documents eating of soil, raw starch in MadagascarPublic release date: 9-Nov-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Syl Kacapyr vpk6@cornell.edu 607-255-7701 Cornell University
Pica -- craving and intentionally consuming nonfood substances, such as earth -- and amylophagy, eating raw starches -- are widespread among people around the world, including the U.S. Some 180 species of animals are also known to engage in pica, possibly to rid themselves of toxins.
A study appearing Oct. 17 in the online journal Public Library of Science One provides the first population-level data of pica in Madagascar. It is one of only a few studies to assess the consumption of earths, raw starches, chalk, ash and other nonfoods across men, women and children.
Study: http://bit.ly/RIhM4L
Pica has been documented throughout history; it was first referenced by Hippocrates in 400 B.C. Since then, there have been hundreds of ethnographic descriptions of pica and dozens of epidemiologic studies, mostly among pregnant women, with a few studies among children.
In contrast to prior studies, this one in northeastern Madagascar found a high prevalence of pica and amylophagy among men, with some 63 percent of adult males engaging in the behavior among the 760 participants from the Makira Protected Area. Also contrary to other findings, this survey, made in 2009, found no peak in pica and amylophagy among pregnant women, though only four pregnant women were sampled. Local taboos against talking about pregnancy prior to birth may have led to underreporting, according to the authors.
The findings for men and pregnant women in Madagascar "fly against much of what I know in terms of distribution" among members of a population, said Sera Young, a research scientist in Cornell University's Division of Nutritional Sciences and the paper's senior author. Young is also the author of the book, "Craving Earth: Understanding Pica -- the Urge to Eat Clay, Starch, Ice and Chalk" (2011).
Across the entire sample in the prior year, 53.4 percent engaged in geophagy, eating specific types of earth, including a fine white clay subsoil, fine sand and red river sediment; 85.2 percent ate such raw starches as raw cassava, raw sweet potato, uncooked rice and another local wild root; and 19 percent ate other items considered locally to be nonfood, including rock salt, used coffee grounds, charcoal, rice chaff, blackboard chalk and ash.
Pica has positive and negative consequences, making it an important public health concern, said Young.
On the positive side, clay-based pica may be protective, by coating the intestines or binding directly to toxins and pathogens, thereby preventing them from entering the blood, Young added. Clay also acts as an anti-diarrheal. Such protections may be especially beneficial to vulnerable populations like pregnant women and children. Another potential benefit is that earth-based pica may act like a multivitamin, adding micronutrients like iron or calcium to the diet, which may help explain why men consume it. However, the bioavailability of these micronutrients has been shown to be very low.
On the negative side, earth, starch or other pica substances could bind to iron in the diet, leading to or worsening anemia. Also, some raw starches are high in calories but are not nutritious. And some substances may contain pathogens or harmful chemicals.
"It could be a really harmful behavior, which causes anemia, for example, or it could be a low-tech protective behavior," said Young.
###
Future research will analyze nutrients and chemical properties of pica and amylophagy substances, examine which toxins occur in local diets, and distinguish between nonfood items that are craved versus items that are locally considered food or are used as medicines, Young said.
[ | E-mail | Share ]
?
AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
Automation Alley, Michigan?s largest technology business association, is pleased to co-sponsor a presentation on webcasting and webstreaming ?with Orange Dragin Group, LLC and MetroTel Communication, LLC, Thursday, Dec. 20, 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. at its Troy headquarters.
Family of missing man fears the worst2![[ Back to EurekAlert! ]](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/blogger_img_proxy/AEn0k_v9foJ75vco4gfdM85bHirZB0yeNkn5kOX2FROCj4dphd_Qx_qYy7-064-jNLcPRZNM1BXI1J2C64eQfU4CLQUcV2UWoQ70a-oRN5C3-nU=s0-d){kind=small}
Public release date: 9-Nov-2012
Share ]