Researchers identify novel therapy to treat muscular dystrophy

June 25, 2013 ? Researchers at Boston University College of Health & Rehabilitation Sciences: Sargent College have identified a combinatorial therapeutic approach that has proven effective in treating muscular dystrophy in a mouse model. The findings, published in Human Molecular Genetics, represent a paradigm shift for the treatment of muscular dystrophy as well as a host of other disabling and devastating muscle diseases.

The study was led by Mahasweta Girgenrath, PhD, assistant professor and director of the Muscle Disorders and Regenerative Biology Laboratory at BU Sargent College's Department of Health Sciences. Boston University (BU) researchers and postdoctoral fellows Jenny Yamauchi, Ajay Kumar, Lina Duarte, and Thomas Mehuron were collaborators on this study.

Muscular Dystrophy type 1A (MDC1A) is the second most common form of congenital muscular dystrophy. Patients with this disease have poor muscle tone at birth, extremely compromised neuromuscular function, and are rarely able to walk independently. Most patients with MDC1A succumb to a premature death due to either respiratory complications or failure to thrive. Although significant strides have been made towards understanding the molecular and biochemical mechanisms underlying MDC1A, there remains no effective therapy in place to combat this lethal disease.

The research team, led by Girgenrath, hypothesized that the complex pathology seen in MDC1A may be the result of dysregulation of multiple cellular functions and processes, meaning that strategies which simultaneously target several of those mechanisms might lead to a reduction of symptoms.

"Very few studies have utilized the power of combinatorial therapy in the context of muscular dystrophy." said Professor Girgenrath, the study's corresponding author. "While most MD treatments are single-target therapies, we're delving into combinations of different therapies to target multiple pathways."

The research team studied the outcome of combining the following single mode treatments: increasing regeneration, by overexpressing muscle specific insulin like growth factor-1, IGF-1 and preventing cell death, by inhibiting the expression of Bax, a pro-apoptotic protein. In addition, to test the translational potential of this combination therapy, the researchers systemically treated Bax deficient dystrophic mice with recombinant human IGF-1 (IPLEX TM, manufactured by Insmed Inc).

By combining these two therapies, researchers found that in addition to increased body and muscle weight, mice showed enhanced locomotory capacities and remarkable improvement in muscle pathology. The most impressive outcome was the significant resolution of inflammation and fibrosis, not seen with single mode therapies. The research team concluded that the use of this combination therapy is an effective treatment for MDC1A, highlighting a compelling argument that a combinatorial approach has a synergistic benefit and could have the potential of treating patients with congenital muscular dystrophy.

Research highlighted in this news release was funded in part by Cure CMD, Struggle against Muscular Dystrophy (S.A.M), and the Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA).

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/top_news/top_health/~3/Nu0umwXyfjY/130625161858.htm

paul ryan donald trump Election 2012 map Election Results Map Early voting results Dick Morris Daily Show

WikiLeaks: Snowden going to Ecuador

LONDON (AP) ? Edward Snowden, the former National Security Agency contractor wanted by the United States for revealing highly classified surveillance programs, is going to Ecuador to seek asylum, the South American country's foreign minister and the anti-secrecy group WikiLeaks said Sunday.

WikiLeaks, which says it is giving Snowden legal assistance, said in a statement his asylum request will be formally processed once he arrives in Ecuador. Ricardo Patino, the country's foreign minister, said on his Twitter account that his government has received a request for asylum from Snowden.

"He is bound for the Republic of Ecuador via a safe route for the purposes of asylum, and is being escorted by diplomats and legal advisors from WikiLeaks," the anti-secrecy group said on its website.

Snowden was believed to have landed in Russia on Sunday after being allowed to leave Hong Kong.

He was on an Aeroflot flight from Hong Kong that arrived in Moscow shortly after 5 p.m. (1300gmt) Sunday and was booked on a flight to fly to Cuba on Monday, the Russian news agencies ITAR-Tass and Interfax reported, citing unnamed airline officials.

Snowden did not leave Moscow's Sheremetyevo Airport with the other passengers and was not seen by a crowd of journalists waiting in the arrivals lounge. Interfax reported that he was spending the night in the transit zone of the airport because he did not have a visa to enter Russia and had rented a room in a capsule hotel.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/wikileaks-snowden-going-ecuador-seek-asylum-170935684.html

Gabby Douglas John Orozco Garrett Reid shawn johnson Tony Sly Lauren Perdue tagged

ECB's Asmussen calls for stronger European institutions

BERLIN (Reuters) - European Central Bank policymaker Joerg Asmussen said on Sunday that closer integration within Europe called for European Union institutions - in particular its parliament - to be strengthened to ensure democratic control and accountability.

"The increasing level of integration within Europe calls for a new institutional design to ensure legitimization, accountability and democratic control," the German ECB Executive Board member said at an event organized by the Kiel institute for the World Economy.

Asmussen said governments should ensure national parliaments were appropriately informed and involved in European decision procedures. But often, decisions with the European Union's common interest could only be made at a supranational level.

"Therefore European institutions should be strengthened, in particular the European Parliament which could maybe also convene in a euro area format," he said.

Germany's weekly Der Spiegel wrote on Sunday that German Chancellor Angela Merkel was sounding increasingly skeptical about more power being accrued in Brussels.

In an article entitled "The Turnaround", Der Spiegel wrote that, at a summit of the European People's Party in Vienna this week, Merkel gave the impression that she felt there was already too much Europe. In the past, she has said that there is a need for "more Europe, not less".

Der Spiegel wrote that while Merkel's Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble would like to see the head of the European Commission directly elected, Merkel was not so sure.

"I am hesitant about this," she was quoted as saying. The magazine said Merkel felt it would be good for balance within the institutions for state and government heads to also be involved in this decision.

Asmussen said in his speech on Sunday that Europe needed to "complete with great urgency the banking union".

According to a copy of his speech, Asmussen said Europe needed to make a strong commitment towards a single resolution mechanism, to enable a smooth winding down of banks, especially those with large cross-border activities.

Banking union would also need to entail a strong Single Resolution Authority as well as a Single Resolution Fund.

(Reporting by Sarah Marsh; Editing by Robin Pomeroy)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/ecbs-asmussen-calls-stronger-european-institutions-114712586.html

New pope 2013 good morning america earthquake california earthquake california douglas adams brandon knight brandon knight

Paula Deen re-scheduled for 'Today' on Wednesday

NEW YORK (AP) ? Paula Deen will appear on NBC's "Today" show on Wednesday, according to host Matt Lauer.

Lauer's announcement came Monday, three days after the celebrity cook abruptly canceled on the morning show, where she was scheduled to answer questions about her past use of racial slurs.

Lauer said Deen "told us she will be here this time."

While questioned last month in a discrimination lawsuit, the 66-year-old Food Network star admitted to using the N-word in the past, but she insisted she and her family do not tolerate prejudice.

Deen issued videotaped apologies Friday afternoon seeking forgiveness from fans and critics.

But hours later, the Food Network announced it wouldn't renew her contract when it ends this month.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/paula-deen-scheduled-today-wednesday-144355008.html

madmen james cameron liam hemsworth miss canada justin bieber boyfriend marianas trench camille grammer

Judge: No audio testimony in Zimmerman trial

SANFORD, Fla. (AP) ? The judge in the murder trial of George Zimmerman said Saturday that prosecution audio experts who point to Trayvon Martin as screaming on a 911 calls moments before he was killed won't be allowed to testify at trial.

Judge Debra Nelson's written ruling was released Saturday. She had heard argument during a multiday hearing on whether to allow testimony from two prosecution experts. One expert ruled out Zimmerman as the screamer and another said it was Martin. A defense expert argued there was not enough audio to determine who the screams are coming from. Zimmerman's attorneys also argued that the state experts' analysis is flawed.

Opening statements are set for Monday in the second-degree murder trial for the former neighborhood watch volunteer who says he fired on the unarmed black teenager in self-defense last year. Zimmerman is pleading not guilty.

The screams are crucial pieces of evidence because they could determine who the aggressor was in the confrontation. Martin's family contends it was the teen screaming, while Zimmerman's father has said it was his son.

Audio experts from both sides testified at different times since the admissibility hearing started last month. Voice experts were hired by lawyers and news organizations to analyze the calls, which were made during the confrontation between the two. The experts arrived at mixed conclusions.

In deciding whether to admit the voice-recognition technology used by prosecution audio expert Tom Owen, Nelson had to determine whether it is too novel or whether it has been accepted by the scientific community at-large.

"There is no evidence to establish that their scientific techniques have been tested and found reliable," the judge said in her ruling.

Owen was hired by the Orlando Sentinel last year to compare a voice sample of Zimmerman with screams for help captured on 911 calls made by neighbors. He said Zimmerman's voice doesn't match the screams. He only compared Zimmerman's voice to the 911 calls because he didn't have a voice sample for Martin at the time.

"The screams don't match at all," Owen testified during the hearing. "That's what tells me the screams aren't George Zimmerman."

Owen also testified that remarks Zimmerman made in a conversation with a police dispatcher aren't a racial slur. He testified Zimmerman said, "These f------ punks."

Expert Alan Reich testified in a report for prosecutors that the screams on the 911 tapes were from Martin and the defense does not want him to testify at trial.

Reich's analysis also picked up words that other experts couldn't find. They include the words, "This shall be" from Zimmerman and "I'm begging you" from Martin.

In contrast, a British audio expert testified for the defense that it would be extremely difficult to analyze voices by comparing screaming to a normal voice.

"I've never come across a case in my 13 years where anybody's tried to compare screaming to a normal voice," said audio expert Peter French.

A second audio expert for the defense, George Doddington, also criticized prosecution experts who said Friday that screams and pleas on a 911 recording likely belonged to Martin.

"It's all ridiculous," Doddington said.

___

Follow Kyle Hightower on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/khightower.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/386c25518f464186bf7a2ac026580ce7/Article_2013-06-22-Neighborhood%20Watch-Audio/id-dac5f5996fb8493f981c3e57db43d5a5

Seth Meyers mothers day Mothers Day Cards Players Championship 2013 rod stewart derrick rose nate robinson

91% We Steal Secrets: The Story Of Wikileaks

All Critics (46) | Top Critics (23) | Fresh (42) | Rotten (4)

Sometimes it takes a feature-length documentary to stitch together a story we think we already know.

A real-life cyber-thriller with real-life consequences, Alex Gibney's We Steal Secrets: The Story of WikiLeaks is a riveting and revelatory documentary ...

Gibney builds a remarkable level of suspense, given how exhaustively WikiLeaks has been covered in the media.

Engaging, kinetic, revelatory and unexpected.

At once an awkward mingling of two complex life stories and a gripping, necessary look at how information is gathered, shared and, yes, stolen.

Who is "We" in the title We Steal Secrets? There's no need for a spoiler alert, but it's neither Gibney nor Assange.

Which is the real Assange? This movie cannot say. It's as if Gibney threw up his hands, put the whole mess in the audience's lap and said, "Here, YOU figure this guy out."

A psychological suspense film with an open ending that's more haunting than the tricky climaxes of most post-Hitchcock thrillers.

With an approach that feels like a thriller, Gibney looks at both sides of the debate over the site's purpose and effectiveness.

Smart and opinionated, it's a great introduction to this ongoing story.

Gibney continues his run as the premier nonfiction filmmaker working today.

Arguably furthers WikiLeaks' stated purpose, but with a necessary whiff of the investigative filmmaker's instinctive skepticism.

The film is fascinating and provocative, deftly navigating complex personalities and shifting allegiances.

Who decides what stays secret? This brilliant documentary explores that question, itself a meta-narrative as the documentarian exposes the secrets of the secret-sharers.

Works...as a saga of self-destructive behavior by capable people whose judgment was perverted by smugness about their own oprinciples.

A fascinating account of a man who loved stirring the pot until he was the one sitting in it.

Gibney has created one of the signature discussions on the signature debate of the post-9/11 information-security age, namely: Who needs to know?

No quotes approved yet for We Steal Secrets: The Story Of Wikileaks. Logged in users can submit quotes.

Source: http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/we_steal_secrets_the_story_of_wikileaks_2013/

dallas mavericks washington capitals delmon young amare stoudemire tallest building in the world the pitch brandon inge

Malaysia declares emergency as Indonesia smoke pollution thickens

KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters) - Malaysia declared a state of emergency in two parts of the southern state of Johor on Sunday as smoke from land-clearing fires in Indonesia pushed air pollution above the level considered hazardous.

The illegal burning of forests and other land on Indonesia's Sumatra island, to the west of peninsular Malaysia and Singapore, to clear space for palm oil plantations is a chronic problem during the June-September dry season.

The "haze" caused by fires in Riau province on Sumatra has also shrouded neighboring Singapore but air quality in the city state improved over the weekend after reaching hazardous levels there.

"Prime Minister Najib Razak has agreed to declare emergency status in Muar and Ledang with immediate effect," Malaysian Natural Resources and Environment Minister G. Palanivel said in a Facebook post.

Palanivel said the air pollution index in the two districts had exceeded 750. A reading above 300 indicates that air pollution is hazardous.

Neither Palanivel nor the prime minister's office could be reached for comment.

A spokesman at the Johor state operations center told Reuters that it was awaiting orders from the National Security Council and that residents in the affected areas should stay indoors.

Indonesian officials have deflected blame by suggesting companies based in Malaysia and Singapore may be partly responsible. Malaysia-listed Sime Darby and Singapore's Wilmar Group both deny the charge.

(Reporting by Siva Sithraputhran; Editing by Nick Macfie)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/malaysia-declares-emergency-indonesia-smoke-pollution-thickens-044717109.html

josh hutcherson google april fools office space shell houston open mega millions winners anthony davis toure