From Creighton U: Contraceptives and the law: a view from a Catholic medical institution

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23677311

JAMA. 2013 May 15;309(19):1999-2000. doi: 10.1001/jama.2013.3730.

Contraceptives and the law: a view from a Catholic medical institution.

Zimmer EA, Welie JV, Rendell MS.

Source

Creighton University School of Medicine and Creighton Center for Health Policy Ethics, Omaha, Nebraska, USA.

The Obama Administration and the Catholic Church are in conflict over the implementation of provisions of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (HR 3590) requiring that all US Food and Drug Administration–approved contraceptive agents, not including abortifacients but including so-called morning after pills and sterilization procedures, be offered free of charge by all institutional insurance health plans, with no exception for institutions having religious objections. However, the Administration has compromised its initial directives, suggesting that insurers would have to offer free contraceptive coverage to individuals otherwise covered by such objecting institutions.¹ These proposals are not of benefit to institutions that self-insure and do not exempt employers who have no clear association with religious institutions. Jost² has discussed the purely legal disagreements between the Obama Administration and the Catholic Church; however, there has been little comment from a medical standpoint. As faculty members at the Creighton University School of Medicine—one of 4 Catholic medical schools in the United States—we question whether the public health benefits of mandated contraception coverage in the United States are so substantial that individuals and institutions should be forced to take actions that violate their collective moral conscience, thereby doing unnecessary harm to the principle of religious freedom.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23676311

J Phys Act Health. 2013 May 10. [Epub ahead of print]

Exercise Throughout Pregnancy Does Not Cause Preterm Delivery. A Randomized, Controlled Trial.

Barakat R, Pelaez M, Montejo R, Refoyo I, Coteron J.

Source

Social Sciences of Physical Activity and Sports, Technical University of Madrid, Spain.

Abstract

BACKGROUND:

In spite of an extensive knowledge of the physiologic features of exercise during pregnancy, we still lack a comprehensive understanding of the effects of different types, intensities and duration of exercise throughout pregnancy on maternal and fetal well being. The aim of the present study was to examine the influence of an aerobic exercise program throughout pregnancy on gestational age at the moment of delivery.

METHODS:

This study was a randomized controlled trial. Three hundred and twenty Caucasian (Spanish) heal thy pregnant women with singleton gestation were randomly assigned to either an exercise (n=160) or a control (n=16 0) group. Gestational age (weeks) and other outcomes were measured. The exercise program included 85 sessions (general fitness class, three times/week, 55-60 min/session from weeks 8-10 to weeks 38-39 of pregnancy) .

RESULTS:

Two hundred and ninety women were analyzed (exercise group EG, n=138, control group CG, n=152). The mean gestational age did not differ between groups (EG= 39.7± 1.3 vs CG= 39.6±1.1 weeks, p=0.81). Relative to preterm deliveries in EG we found 6 (4.3%) and 11 (7.2 %) in CG, (p=0.73).

CONCLUSIONS:

A supervised program of moderate exercise performed throughout pregnancy is not a risk of preterm delivery for heal thy pregnant women.

Zombie allusions: They just keep on coming-and just getting warmed up

http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2013/05/17/zombie-climate-skeptic-theories-survive-only-in-newspapers-and-on-tv/

Zombie climate skeptic theories survive only in newspapers and on TV

By Graham Readfearn, The Guardian
Friday, May 17, 2013

So after giving up on the peer-reviewed literature, the climate science contrarians – often bolstered by support from the fossil fuel industry and free-market idealogues – took their talking points somewhere else.

That is, out into the public domain, the mainstream media and the blogosphere and far away from the less forgiving operating theatre of peer-reviewed science journals.

To this day, these dead theories hang around like slack-jawed zombies in the graveyards of global media outlets.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23647706

Ann Anat. 2013 Apr 12. pii: S0940-9602(13)00076-9. doi: 10.1016/j.aanat.2013.03.006. [Epub ahead of print]

The Munich Anatomical Institute under National Socialism. First results and prospective tasks of an ongoing research project.

Schütz M, Waschke J, Marckmann G, Steger F.

Source

Institut für Geschichte und Ethik der Medizin, Martin-Luther-Universität Halle-Wittenberg, Magdeburger Str. 8, 06112 Halle (Saale), Germany. Electronic address: mathias.schuetz@medizin.uni-halle.de.

Abstract

While research into the history of German anatomy under National Socialist rule has increased during the last decade, the story of one of the most important anatomical institutes of the time, the Anatomische Anstalt Munich, has not yet been explored. This study presents the results of an ongoing, cooperative research project at the universities of Halle and Munich and focuses on the history of the institution, its personnel and organization, and its interactions with the National Socialist regime. It reveals continuity and disruption within the institute following Munich anatomists' involvement with the regime's policies and ideology as well as their becoming victims to these policies. Also documented is the manner in which the Munich anatomy benefited from the massive increase in executions, especially during the Second World War, by receiving and using the bodies of prisoners executed at the Stadelheim prison in Munich for scientific purposes. Finally, an outlook is presented regarding planned research aiming to fully understand the history of the Anatomische Anstalt during National Socialism.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23627449

Arch Pathol Lab Med. 2013 May;137(5):603-5. doi: 10.5858/arpa.2012-0301-ED.

Transformation of pathologists: responding in a volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous environment.

Hernandez JS, Allen TC.

Source

From the Division of Laboratory Medicine, Mayo Clinic, Scottsdale, Arizona (Dr Hernandez); and the Department of Pathology, University of Texas Health Science Center Tyler (Dr Allen).

‘‘[T]oday’s VUCA environment is now a permanent condition.’’12 Pathologists need to be ready to do things that chafe. ‘‘It’s going to be a zigzag path. You have to learn how to fail early, fail often, and fail cheaply, as a way of developing your strategy as you go. . . . [Be] very clear about where you’re going, but very flexible in how you get there.’’13 Forget about comfort zones. ‘‘Get used to being  uncomfortable.’’ 11 ‘‘Be curious. Uncertain times bring opportunities for bold moves. Seize the chance to innovate.’’11 ‘‘Resist the temptation to cling on to outdated, inadequate processes and behaviors. Take leaps of faith and enjoy the adventure.’’ 11 As Mark Twain famously wrote, in Eve’s Diary, ‘‘If there wasn’t anything to find out, it would be dull. Even trying to find out and not finding out is just as  interesting as trying to find out and finding out; and I don’t know but more so.’’14

From Chest: Longitudinal Trends in Health-Related Quality of Life in Adults with Cystic Fibrosis

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23670667

Chest. 2013 May 9. doi: 10.1378/chest.12-1404. [Epub ahead of print]

Longitudinal Trends in Health-Related Quality of Life in Adults with Cystic Fibrosis.

Dill EJ, Dawson R, Sellers DE, Robinson WM, Sawicki GS.

Abstract

ABSTRACT BACKGROUND:

Health-related quality of life (HRQOL) measures have been used as patient-reported outcomes in clinical trials in cystic fibrosis (CF), but there is limited data on HRQOL changes over time in adults with CF.

METHODS:

The Project on Adult Care in Cystic Fibrosis (PAC-CF), a prospective longitudinal panel study of 333 adults with CF at 10 CF centers in the US, administered a disease-specific HRQOL measure, the Cystic Fibrosis Questionnaire-Revised (CFQ-R), 7 times over 21 months. The CFQ-R assesses both physical and psychosocial domains of health. Growth curve regression models were developed for each CFQ-R domain adjusting for demographic and clinical characteristics.

RESULTS:

Between 205-303 adults (response rate 70%- 93%) completed surveys. Mean age at baseline was 33 years (range 19-64); mean FEV1% predicted was 59.8% (SD 22%). Over the 21 months of follow-up, lung function, frequency of pulmonary exacerbations, and nutritional indices were associated with physical CFQ-R domain scores. There were no significant population trends over time in physical domain scores. However, there were population time trends in 3 psychosocial domains: Treatment Burden (+8.9 points/year), Emotional Functioning (+3.2 points/year), and Social Functioning (-2.4 points/year). Individual variation was seen over 21 months in both physical and psychosocial subscales.

CONCLUSION:

In a longitudinal multi-center population of adults with CF, clinical variables such as FEV1, exacerbation frequency, and weight were correlated with related CFQ-R subscales. For the population as a whole, physical domains of CFQ-R such as Respiratory Symptoms were stable. In contrast, population changes in several psychosocial domains of CFQ-R suggest that differentiating the physical and psychosocial trajectories in health among adults with CF is critical in evaluating patient-reported outcomes.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23642991

Asian J Psychiatr. 2013 Jun;6(3):263-5. doi: 10.1016/j.ajp.2013.04.002. Epub 2013 Apr 18.

Psychotic disorders in ICD-11.

Gaebel W, Zielasek J, Cleveland HR.

Source

Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Medical Faculty, Heinrich-Heine University, Düsseldorf, Germany. Electronic address: wolfgang.gaebel@uni-duesseldorf.de.

Abstract

In the process of revising ICD-10, the World Health Organization (WHO) has appointed a Working Group on the Classification of Psychotic Disorders (WGPD). Several changes to the classification criteria of schizophrenia and other primary psychotic disorders have been proposed with the aim of increasing the clinical utility, reliability and validity of the diagnostic classification. These proposals will be tested in field trials and subsequently revised according to the needs of clinical practice before final publication in 2015. The main proposals include the following: change of the chapter title, the replacement of the present schizophrenia subtypes with symptom specifiers, a revision of course specifiers, the inclusion of stricter diagnostic criteria for schizoaffective disorder, and a reorganization of acute and transient psychotic disorders and delusional disorders. The proposals for ICD-11 are compared with those for the corresponding DSM-5 chapter.

From UNC-Charlotte: Cardiovascular and Affective Outcomes of Active Gaming: Using the Wii as a Cardiovascular Training Tool

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23660574

J Strength Cond Res. 2013 May 8. [Epub ahead of print]

Cardiovascular and Affective Outcomes of Active Gaming: Using the Wii as a Cardiovascular Training Tool.

Naugle K, Naugle K, Wikstrom E.

Source

*University of Florida, Gainesville FL, †University of North Carolina Charlotte.

Abstract

Active-video gaming is purported to produce similar cardiovascular responses as aerobic fitness activities. This study compared the emotional and cardiovascular effects of Wii games to traditional exercise in college-aged adults with different exercise backgrounds. Specifically, percent of heart rate reserve (%HRR), rating of perceived exertion (RPE), level of enjoyment, and Positive Affect Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS) scores were compared between subjects who reported exercising frequently at high intensities [HIE group: age=20.18years (0.87); Height=165.23cm (9.97); Mass=62.37kg (11.61)], N=11 and those who exercise more often at lower intensities [LIE group: age=20.72years (1.19); Height=164.39cm (8.05); Mass=68.04kg (10.71)], N=11. Subjects completed six 20-minute exercises sessions: treadmill walking, stationary cycling, and Wii's Tennis, Boxing, Cycling, and Step. The LIE group achieved greater % HRR 1) during traditional exercise compared to Wii boxing, 2) playing Wii boxing compared to Wii tennis and 3) playing Wii boxing compared to when the HIE group played any Wii games (p's < .05). RPE was greater for boxing and cycling compared to tennis and step (p's < .05). Ratings of enjoyment and the increase in positive emotion were greater for boxing and tennis compared to traditional exercises (p's < .05). Results suggest that Wii boxing shows the greatest potential as a cardiovascular fitness tool among the Wii games, particularly for individuals who typically exercise at lower intensities.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23668919

Hist Psychol. 2013 May;16(2):130-44. doi: 10.1037/a0029676. Epub 2012 Aug 20.

Italian psychology under protection: Agostino Gemelli between Catholicism and fascism.

Foschi R, Giannone A, Giuliani A.

Source

Department of Dynamic and Clinical Psychology, Sapienza University of Rome.

Abstract

Between the 1930s and 1940s, Agostino Gemelli (1878-1959) was the main Italian psychologist; he accepted and promoted an empirical conception of psychology influenced by neo-Thomism. The views of Gemelli were a landmark for many psychologists and psychological models in Catholic universities. Gemelli, moreover, throughout his scientific activity, continued ongoing work of expertise in matters concerning science, morality, and psychology. He was a Franciscan monk but also an officer of the Italian air force, a psychologist, and a rector. During the period of fascist rule in Italy, Gemelli sought compromise solutions to foster the survival of psychological institutions. Around his story, contrasting interpretations have emerged. The aim of this article is to look at Agostino Gemelli as an important historical subject to understand the ways in which scientific enterprises and institutions are likely to be influenced by political regimes and by the dogmatic and intolerant milieu. 

Agent McConnell and the Dominican Father

https://www.nationalreview.com/nrd/articles/348506/agent-mcconnell

JUNE 3, 2013, ISSUE

Agent McConnell 
The Senate minority leader has infiltrated the bureaucracy 

By Daniel Foster

Mitch McConnell had a problem. He needed to give President Obama, the man he had publicly vowed to make a one-term president, a nominee for the Legal Services Corporation. By law, the LSC, a Nixon-era 501(c)(3) tasked with providing legal aid to low-income Americans, had to be bipartisan; no more than six of its eleven members could belong to one party. By tradition, it fell on McConnell, as the senior member of the opposition in the Senate, to provide the president with a list of Republican names.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23677179

Eur J Hum Genet. 2013 Jun;21 Suppl 1:S6-S26. doi: 10.1038/ejhg.2013.73.

The 'thousand-dollar genome': an ethical exploration.

Dondorp WJ, de Wert GM.

Source

Department of Health, Ethics and Society, Research Institutes CAPHRI and GROW, Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands.

Abstract

Sequencing an individual's complete genome is expected to be possible for a relatively low sum 'one thousand dollars' within a few years. Sequencing refers to determining the order of base pairs that make up the genome. The result is a library of three billion letter combinations. Cheap whole-genome sequencing is of greatest importance to medical scientific research. Comparing individual complete genomes will lead to a better understanding of the contribution genetic variation makes to health and disease. As knowledge increases, the 'thousand-dollar genome' will also become increasingly important to healthcare. The applications that come within reach raise a number of ethical questions. This monitoring report addresses the issue.

http://www.texastribune.org/politics/special-interests/

Montford on Prosecutors and Enforcing Ethics Laws

• by Evan Smith
• May 16, 2013

At Thursday's TribLive conversation, former Assistant Travis County District Attorney Mindy Montford talked about ethics investigations and the deterrent effect of prosecution.

 

Bill Mandating Drug Tests for Texas Legislators Advances: "a failed test would result in no consequences"

http://www.texastribune.org/2013/05/16/mandatory-drug-tests-legislators-passes-committee/

Bill Mandating Drug Tests for Legislators Advances

• by Chris Hooks
• May 16, 2013

A bill that would require Texas legislators to submit to drug tests and pass the results to the State Ethics Commission was voted out of the Senate Committee on State Affairs on Thursday.

Senate Bill 612, by state Sen. Eddie Lucio, Jr., D-Brownsville, would require state legislators to be tested for drugs the day they take office. The results would be made public only if permission is given by the legislator, and a failed test would result in no consequences.

Lucio says his bill is intended to complement two other initiatives in the Legislature this session that would require drug testing among certain populations.

"This session, we've had at least a couple bills move through the Legislature related to drug testing individuals who accept either welfare or state unemployment dollars,” he said in a statement.

http://www.texastribune.org/education/higher-education/

Amended South Texas University Bill Passes Senate

• by Reeve Hamilton
• May 16, 2013

The Texas Senate on Thursday unanimously passed a controversial committee substitute to House Bill 1000, which creates a new university and medical school in the Rio Grande Valley.

CPRIT: "a chance to reboot"

http://www.dallasnews.com/opinion/editorials/20130516-editorial-for-embattled-cancer-agency-a-chance-to-reboot.ece

For embattled cancer agency, a chance to reboot

Disgraced and embarrassed, the state’s cancer fighting agency has been taken apart by state investigators and lawmakers with a level of scrutiny that was richly deserved.

Now it’s time to put the agency back together. The Texas House has a solid blueprint for doing that on its calendar for Friday. The bill (SB 149) merits passage, since the fight against cancer is a righteous one but is far from over.

"The idea, he explained, is to try to figure things out for yourself."

http://www.aeonmagazine.com/world-views/steven-poole-can-algorithms-ever-take-over-from-humans/

Slaves to the algorithm

Computers could take some tough choices out of our hands, if we let them. Is there still a place for human judgement?

by Steven Poole

"But in chess, at least, the algorithm has not displaced human judgment. The imperfectly human players who contested the last round of the Candidates’ Tournament — in a thrilling finish that, thanks to unusual tiebreak rules, confirmed the 22-year-old Norwegian Magnus Carlsen as the winner, ahead of former world champion Vladimir Kramnik — were watched by an online audience of 100,000 people. In fact, the host of the streamed coverage, the chatty and personable international master Lawrence Trent, pointedly refused to use a computer engine (which he called ‘the beast’) for his own analyses and predictions. The idea, he explained, is to try to figure things out for yourself." 

The Best Shots Fired in the Oxford Comma Wars

http://mentalfloss.com/article/33637/best-shots-fired-oxford-comma-wars

The Best Shots Fired in the Oxford Comma Wars

Pro: "She took a photograph of her parents, the president, and the vice president."

This example from the Chicago Manual of Style shows how the comma is necessary for clarity. Without it, she is taking a picture of two people, her mother and father, who are the president and vice president. With it, she is taking a picture of four people.

Read the full text here: http://mentalfloss.com/article/33637/best-shots-fired-oxford-comma-wars#ixzz2TUQ8dffH 
--brought to you by mental_floss!

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21377997

BMJ Qual Saf. 2011 May;20(5):465-8. doi: 10.1136/bmjqs.2010.050872. Epub 2011 Mar 3.

Did a cowboy rodeo champion create the best theory of quality improvement? Malcolm Baldrige and his award.

Best M, Neuhauser D.

Source

Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine, Bradenton, Florida 34211, USA. markbest20@hotmail.com

"Malcolm Baldrige was born in Omaha, Nebraska in 1922. His father was H Malcolm Baldrige, a Nebraska lawyer and congressman. He was educated at Yale University, and received a bachelor's degree in 1944. In 1945, he fought in World War II at the battle of Okinawa. He married Margaret T Murrary in 1951, and they went on to have two daughters.

As a boy, he worked as a ranch hand and became very skilled at roping. He went on to become a member of the Rodeo Cowboys Association, was Professional Rodeo Man of the Year in 1980 and was elected into the National Cowboy Hall of Fame in 1984. He went to work at a Connecticut factory as a labourer and became its president and a successful businessman.

President Ronald Reagan nominated Baldrige to be the 26th Secretary of Commerce on 11 December 1980. During his tenure, he reduced his Commerce Department budget by over 30% and was noted for his managerial excellence. He played a major role in reforming antitrust laws, and in forming US trade policy with China, India and the Soviet Union."

From Nature: Stem cells in Texas: Cowboy culture

http://www.nature.com/news/stem-cells-in-texas-cowboy-culture-1.12404

Stem cells in Texas: Cowboy culture

By offering unproven therapies, a Texas biotechnology firm has sparked a bitter debate about how stem cells should be regulated.

• David Cyranoski

13 February 2013

Operating in a state that has historically bristled under big government, Celltex appealed not only to desperate patients but also to the ideals of the political and religious right and their opposition to big government and embryonic stem-cell research. It campaigned for its cause at intimate 'educational forums' at the Houstonian, arguing that it could already provide ethically acceptable treatments with adult stem cells. Patients spread the word at churches, and bloggers praised the company for asserting patients' rights. When prospective clients showed up in his office, Jones would tell them of his experience; at times, he reportedly wept. By October 2012, 233 people had been treated with Celltex stem cells.

From Stony Brook U: The behavioural and genetic mating system of the sand tiger shark, Carcharias taurus, an intrauterine cannibal

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23637391

Biol Lett. 2013 May 1;9(3):20130003. doi: 10.1098/rsbl.2013.0003. Print 2013.

The behavioural and genetic mating system of the sand tiger shark, Carcharias taurus, an intrauterine cannibal.

Chapman DD, Wintner SP, Abercrombie DL, Ashe J, Bernard AM, Shivji MS, Feldheim KA.

Source

School of Marine and Atmospheric Science, Institute for Ocean Conservation Science, Stony Brook University, , Stony Brook, NY 11794, USA.

Abstract

Sand tiger sharks (Carcharias taurus) have an unusual mode of reproduction, whereby the first embryos in each of the paired uteri to reach a certain size ('hatchlings') consume all of their smaller siblings during gestation ('embryonic cannibalism' or EC). If females commonly mate with multiple males ('behavioural polyandry') then litters could initially have multiple sires. It is possible, however, that EC could exclude of all but one of these sires from producing offspring thus influencing the species genetic mating system ('genetic monogamy'). Here, we use microsatellite DNA profiling of mothers and their litters (n = 15, from two to nine embryos per litter) to quantify the frequency of behavioural and genetic polyandry in this system. We conservatively estimate that nine of the females we examined (60%) were behaviourally polyandrous. The genetic mating system was characterized by assessing sibling relationships between hatchlings and revealed only 40 per cent genetic polyandry (i.e. hatchlings were full siblings in 60% of litters). The discrepancy stemmed from three females that were initially fertilized by multiple males but only produced hatchlings with one of them. This reveals that males can be excluded even after fertilizing ova and that some instances of genetic monogamy in this population arise from the reduction in litter size by EC. More research is needed on how cryptic post-copulatory and post-zygotic processes contribute to determining paternity and bridging the behavioural and genetic mating systems of viviparous species.

http://www.bizjournals.com/austin/blog/abj-at-the-capitol/2013/05/cprit-funding-almost-back-on-track.html

May 14, 2013, 12:12pm CDT

CPRIT funding almost back on track

James Jeffrey

Contributing Writer-Austin Business Journal

“With today’s decision by budget conferees to restore CPRIT funding and the progress of the CPRIT restructuring bill, our coalition is optimistic that a reformed CPRIT soon will be moving forward as a national leader to fight cancer and save lives,” said Gary Thompson with the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, a member of a coalition of cancer advocacy organizations supporting reform that enables CPRIT to get back to business.

Despite the criticism leveled at CPRIT during the session, it is still supported by organizations such as Thompson's, which depend on CPRIT to fund cancer research.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23291145

Mol Immunol. 2013 Jun;54(2):227-32. doi: 10.1016/j.molimm.2012.12.007. Epub 2013 Jan 4.

Characteristics of antibody responses in Pigeon Fanciers' Lung.

Nademi Z, Todryk S, Baldwin C.

Source

Department of Biomedical Sciences, Northumbria University, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE1 8ST, United Kingdom. zohreh.nademi@nuth.nhs.uk

Abstract

The aetiology of Pigeon Fanciers' Lung (PFL) is believed to include immune complex formation between inhaled pigeon antigens and antibodies generated against them. However it is unclear why some fanciers are asymptomatic despite the presence of high levels of anti-avian antigen antibodies in their serum. In this study we investigated whether qualitative differences in specific antibodies might contribute to disease. IgG responses among pigeon fanciers were determined by ELISA and the functional affinity of IgG1 and IgG2 against a range of pigeon antigens was determined by inhibition ELISA and Isothermal Titration Calorimetry (ITC). The median titres of IgG1 and IgG2 against all the pigeon antigens tested was higher in asymptomatic than symptomatic fanciers and these differences were significant for anti-pigeon serum IgG1 (P=0.04), anti-fresh pigeon droppings (PDF) IgG2 (P=0.028), anti-old pigeon droppings (PDO) IgG2 (P=0.04) and anti-pigeon intestinal scrapings IgG2 (P=0.03). The functional affinity of IgG1 and IgG2 against PDO was higher in symptomatic individuals (P=0.006 and P=0.002, respectively) whilst the functional affinity of anti-PDF IgG2 was also significantly higher in these patients (P≤0.001). Symptomatic fanciers were also significantly more likely to have a high reaction enthalphy (ΔH) as measured by ITC and thus had higher affinity antibodies against PDO (P=0.044). This data confirms previous studies showing that the magnitude alone of the antibody response to pigeon antigens cannot determine the presence of PFL, but that antibody affinity may be important. ITC is a rapid method of measuring antibody affinity and has diagnostic potential in PFL, and may be of use in other situations where antibody affinity is important.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23667571

PLoS One. 2013 May 7;8(5):e63052. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0063052. Print 2013.

Increased mammogram-induced DNA damage in mammary epithelial cells aged in vitro.

Hernández L, Terradas M, Martín M, Feijoo P, Soler D, Tusell L, Genescà A.

Source

Department of Cell Biology, Physiology, and Immunology, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Bellaterra, Spain.

Abstract

Concerned about the risks of mammography screening in the adult population, we analyzed the ability of human mammary epithelial cells to cope with mammogram-induced DNA damage. Our study shows that an X-ray dose of 20 mGy, which is the standard dose received by the breast surface per two-view mammogram X-ray exploration, induces increased frequencies of DNA double-strand breaks to in vitro aged-but not to young-human mammary epithelial cells. We provide evidence that aged epithelial breast cells are more radiosensitive than younger ones. Our studies point to an inefficient damage response of aged cells to low-dose radiation, this being due to both delayed and incomplete mobilization of repair proteins to DNA strand breaks. This inefficient damage response is translated into an important delay in double-strand break disappearance and consequent accumulation of unrepaired DNA breaks. The result of this is a significant increase in micronuclei frequency in the in vitro aged mammary epithelial cells exposed to doses equivalent to a single mammogram X-ray exploration. Since our experiments were carried out in primary epithelial cell cultures in which cells age at the same time as they undergo replication-dependent telomere shortening, we needed to determine the contribution of these two factors to their phenotype. In this paper, we report that the exogenous expression of human telomerase retrotranscriptase in late population doubling epithelial cells does not rescue its delayed repair phenotype. Therefore, retarded DNA break repair is a direct consequence of cellular aging itself, rather than a consequence of the presence of dysfunctional telomeres. Our findings of long-lasting double strand breaks and incomplete DNA break repair in the in vitro aged epithelial cells are in line with the increased carcinogenic risks of radiation exposures at older ages revealed by epidemiologic studies.

From U Toronto: Participation in Church or Religious Groups and its Association with Health

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23674243

J Relig Health. 2013 May 15. [Epub ahead of print]

Participation in Church or Religious Groups and its Association with Health: A National Study of Young Canadians.

Michaelson V, Robinson P, Pickett W.

Source

Toronto School of Theology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada, vmichaelson@sympatico.ca.

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to determine how participation of young Canadians in a church or religious group correlated with holistic health indicators. Health was viewed in terms of risk and protective behaviors, outward looking prosocial behaviors, and measures of internal feelings, with the composite picture of health connecting to the Hebrew concept of shalom. A separate analysis of sports-involved children was used as a comparator. Children involved in religious groups reported lower participation in risk behaviors, higher prosocial behaviors, but poorer levels of the more holistic measures of health. Sports-connected youth reported more positive holistic measures of health and some increases in overt risk-taking. Our findings raise theological and practical issues regarding how the church understands itself and lives out its mission. They suggest an emphasis on teaching about behaviors and morality rather than an understanding of shalom that is grounded in the Incarnation and in the deeply integrative nature of the Christian life.

Male Breast Disease

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23674773

Radiographics. 2013 May;33(3):763-779.

Male Breast Disease: Pictorial Review with Radiologic-Pathologic Correlation.

Nguyen C, Kettler MD, Swirsky ME, Miller VI, Scott C, Krause R, Hadro JA.

Source

Department of Radiology, Baystate Medical Center, 759 Chestnut St, Springfield, MA 01199.

Abstract

The male breast is susceptible to many of the same pathologic processes as the female breast. Many of these conditions have mammographic, ultrasonographic (US), and magnetic resonance imaging findings that allow differentiation between clearly benign conditions and those that require biopsy. Gynecomastia is the most common abnormality of the male breast and has characteristic imaging features that usually allow differentiation from malignancy. Mammography is the initial imaging modality for a clinically suspicious mass. A palpable mass that is occult or incompletely imaged at mammography mandates targeted US. Suspicious or indeterminate masses require biopsy, which can usually be performed with US guidance. Approximately 0.7% of breast cancers occur in men. Men with breast cancer often present at a more advanced stage than do women owing to a delay in diagnosis. Benign breast neoplasms that may occur in men include angiolipoma, schwannoma, intraductal papilloma, and lipoma. Benign nonneoplastic entities that may occur in the male breast include intramammary lymph node, sebaceous cyst, diabetic mastopathy, hematoma, fat necrosis, subareolar abscess, breast augmentation, venous malformation, secondary syphilis, and nodular fasciitis. Familiarity with the salient features of the classic benign male breast conditions will allow accurate imaging interpretation and avoid unnecessary and often invasive treatment. 

From U Penn: Circulating Melanoma Cells as a Predictive Biomarker

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23673501

J Invest Dermatol. 2013 Jun;133(6):1460-1462. doi: 10.1038/jid.2013.34.

Circulating Melanoma Cells as a Predictive Biomarker.

Karakousis G, Yang R, Xu X.

Source

Department of Surgery, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA.

Abstract

The prognosis of patients with metastatic melanoma has improved significantly with targeted therapeutic agents and immunotherapies. Detection of early melanoma recurrence after treatment will be beneficial to switch patients who fail on one therapy to different modalities. Circulating tumor cells (CTCs) are cancer cells released by a tumor into the peripheral blood. These cells hold potential as prognostic, predictive, and pharmacodynamic biomarkers for treatment. In this issue, Khoja et al. report that melanoma CTCs can be detected using Melcam and high molecular weight melanoma-associated antibody. They found that in 101 stage IV melanoma patients, CTC numbers ranged between 0 and 36/7.5 ml blood; 26% of the patients had 2 CTCs at baseline. The CTC number (2 CTCs) at baseline was significantly prognostic for median overall survival (OS) in univariate and multivariate analysis. Patients receiving treatment where CTC numbers remained 2 CTCs during their treatment had shorter median OS than those who maintained <2 CTCs (7 vs. 10 months, hazard ratio 0.34, 95% confidence interval 0.14-0.81, log-rank test P=0.015). The implications of this work are substantial in counseling patients about their prognosis and in helping to assess responses to systemic therapies.

From Georgetown U: What can we learn about emotion by studying psychopathy?

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23675335

Front Hum Neurosci. 2013 May 10;7:181. Print 2013.

What can we learn about emotion by studying psychopathy?

Marsh AA.

Source

Department of Psychology, Georgetown University Washington, DC, USA.

Abstract

Psychopathy is a developmental disorder associated with core affective traits, such as low empathy, guilt, and remorse, and with antisocial and aggressive behaviors. Recent neurocognitive and neuroimaging studies of psychopathy in both institutionalized and community samples have begun to illuminate the basis of this condition, in particular the ways that psychopathy affects the experience and recognition of fear. In this review, I will consider how understanding emotional processes in psychopathy can shed light on the three questions central to the study of emotion: (1) Are emotions discrete, qualitatively distinct phenomena, or quantitatively varying phenomena best described in terms of dimensions like arousal and valence? (2) What are the brain structures involved in generating specific emotions like fear, if any? And (3) how do our own experiences of emotion pertain to our perceptions of and responses to others' emotion? I conclude that insights afforded by the study of psychopathy may provide better understanding of not only fundamental social phenomena like empathy and aggression, but of the basic emotional processes that motivate these behaviors.

Paul Bloom: The case against empathy

http://www.newyorker.com/arts/critics/atlarge/2013/05/20/130520crat_atlarge_bloom?currentPage=allTHE 


BABY IN THE WELL

The case against empathy.

BY PAUL BLOOM
MAY 20, 2013

In the broader context of humanitarianism, as critics like Linda Polman have pointed out, the empathetic reflex can lead us astray. When the perpetrators of violence profit from aid—as in the “taxes” that warlords often demand from international relief agencies—they are actually given an incentive to commit further atrocities. It is similar to the practice of some parents in India who mutilate their children at birth in order to make them more effective beggars. The children’s debilities tug at our hearts, but a more dispassionate analysis of the situation is necessary if we are going to do anything meaningful to prevent them.