According to the US space agency, the component that was produced is a combustion chamber liner capable of operating in extreme temperatures and pressures, and the process used to make it has the potential to drastically reduce the time and money needed to manufacture rocket parts.
Steve Jurczyk, associate administrator for the Space Technology Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters in Washington, called it “a milestone for aerospace 3D printing,” adding, “additive manufacturing is one of many technologies we are embracing to help us continue our journey to Mars and even sustain explorers living on the Red Planet.”
A challenge to the additive manufacturing team
Engineers verified that the part was built as designed by using structured light scanning on a computer screen, and they noted that it will be used in a rocket combustion chamber, where the super-cold propellants used to help provide thrust are mixed and heated to extreme temperatures. It is one of many highly-complex components needed to send rockets into space.
Inside the combustion chamber, propellant burns at more than 5,000 degrees Fahrenheit. To prevent melting, hydrogen at temperatures less than 100 degrees above absolute zero circulates in more than 200 intricately carved cooling channels Cooling inlets are visible along the top rim of the chamber. (Credit: NASA/MSFC/Emmett Given)
“On the inside of the paper-edge-thin copper liner wall, temperatures soar to over 5,000 degrees Fahrenheit, and we have to keep it from melting by recirculating gases cooled to less than 100 degrees above absolute zero on the other side of the wall,” explained Chris Singer, director of the Engineering Directorate at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, where the copper rocket engine liner was manufactured.
“To circulate the gas, the combustion chamber liner has more than 200 intricate channels built between the inner and outer liner wall,” Singer added. “Making these tiny passages with complex internal geometries challenged our additive manufacturing team.”
Members of Marshall’s Materials and Processing Lab used a selective laser melting machine to fuse 8,255 layers of copper powder to create the chamber, a process which took 10 days and 18 hours to complete. Prior to making the liner, materials engineers created several other test parts, characterized the material and developed a process for 3D printing using copper.
Working to create cheaper, more affordable rocket engines
Materials engineer Zach Jones explained that copper “is extremely good at conducting heat. That’s why copper is an ideal material for lining an engine combustion chamber and for other parts as well, but this property makes the additive manufacturing of copper challenging because the laser has difficulty continuously melting the copper powder.”
Thus far, only a handful of copper rocket parts have been made using 3D printing, meaning that the agency is blazing new trails by using additive manufacturing to produce a rocket part that has to be able to withstand both extreme hot and cold temperatures, as well as have complex cooling channels built on the outside of an inner wall that is as thin as a pencil mark.
The rocket part was built using a copper alloy known as GRCo-84, which was created by NASA materials scientists at the Glenn Research Center in Cleveland, Ohio. Researchers at that facility have conducted extensive materials characterization that helped validate the 3D printing process parameters and ensure the quality of the build, the agency said, and will also develop a database that will be used to guide future 3-D printed rocket engine designs.
“Our goal is to build rocket engine parts up to 10 times faster and reduce cost by more than 50 percent,” said Marshall propulsion engineer and project leader Chris Protz. “We are not trying to just make and test one part. We are developing a repeatable process that industry can adopt to manufacture engine parts with advanced designs. The ultimate goal is to make building rocket engines more affordable for everyone.”
A team of MIT engineers and computer science experts that developed a method for thwarting cyberattacks in the cloud two years ago have adapted their technique for use in computer chips, keeping hackers from swiping your data without having to gain access to it.
The researchers, who first presented a layout of a custom-build chip that will use their technique at the Architectural Support for Programming Languages and Operating Systems conference last month, have rigged it so that the circuitry will query multiple memory addresses in order to mask the one from which it is actually attempting to retrieve data.
By disguising memory-access patterns, MIT professor Srini Devadas and his colleagues hoped to protect people from potential threats in the cloud. Now, by adapting the technology to chips used in home systems, they are looking to key prying eyes from stealing your computer’s data.
Preventing attacks by accessing more data than necessary
However, the researchers explained that querying multiple addresses requires shipping far more data between the chip and the system’s memory than would normally be required. So they came up with a way to minimize the amount of extra information needed: storing addresses in a “tree” or a data structure in which each “node” is attached only to the ones above and below it.
Each address is randomly assigned to a path through the tree – or, more specifically, a sequence of nodes that stretch from the top of the tree to its bottom and does not backtrack. When the chip requires the data stored at a specific point, it also requests all data from all of the other connected nodes that lie along the same path.
In their prior work, the members of Devadas’ group proved that pulling data from one lone path was as effective at throwing off a potential cyberattacker as if they chip had collected data from every single memory address in use. Once it reads the path, however, their chip must also write data to the whole path to further obscure which was the targeted node.
“Back in 2012, we were working on how to run real life programs using a cryptographic technique called ‘Fully Homomorphic Encryption (FHE),’” MIT graduate student Chris Fletcher, first author of the research, told redOrbit via email. “FHE is like a magic trick: it allows a cloud server to compute on your encrypted data without ever decrypting it! At no point does the cloud server learn anything about your data, giving the best possible security. The problem is FHE is very slow, and its overhead explodes further if you try to run complicated programs.”
“Our idea was to approximate the security of FHE with a processor chip to dramatically reduce the overheads,” he added. “When the program runs inside the chip, you trust the processor to keep it safe (it’s very difficult to break the processor open and see what is going on inside). When your program and data need to leave the processor – say, to read or write some external database – we use a cryptographic technique called Oblivious RAM (ORAM) to scramble the read/write. So, if you trust just the processor (as opposed to the whole cloud) you get a similar level of security as FHE. At the same time, you can now run complicated programs for just the cost of scrambling the external requests (much, much cheaper than FHE).”
Using different nodes for reading and writing data
For maximum effect, the chip does not typically write data to the same node that it read it from, they added. Also, most nodes lie on more than one path, and when the chip writes information to memory, it pushes that data as far down the tree as it can, meaning that it searches for a vacancy that occurs just before the block’s assigned path branches off from the path it had just read.
The goal, Albert Kwon, an MIT graduate student in electrical engineering and computer science and one of the researchers involved in the study, explained, is to avoid congestion at the top of the tree. In writing the data, the researchers added, the chip still needs to follow the sequence of nodes in the path to avoid hackers from inferring something about the stored data.
Prior attempts at these types of systems required sorting memory addresses based on where they were located on the tree, but the new MIT chip was outfitted with an extra memory circuit which has storage slots that can be mapped to the sequence of nodes in any path throughout the tree. As the system determined the final location of a data block, it stores it in the corresponding slot. All of the blocks are then read out in order, the researchers noted.
Fletcher told redOrbit that past versions of this technology did not “sufficiently scramble requests made outside the processor. Say you wish to read a external database. For complete privacy, you need to hide where you read and what you read.”
“Hiding what you read can be accomplished by just using standard encryption, but up until now no proposal has also been able to hide where you read,” he added. “This is a big deal. Say you are looking up an online map for directions. Prior work would just encrypt the map. But with maps you want to hide where you are, where you want to go, etc. So all that matters is that you hide where you read on the map.”
Chips featuring the system may be a decade away
Their new chip also improves efficiency in another way. Instead of writing data every time it reads data, it does so only on every fifth read. During all of the others, it discards the rest of the decoy data so that when it is time to write the data back out, it will have an average of five more blocks to store on the last series of nodes from which it read.
In most cases, there will be enough free area on the tree to accommodate the extra blocks, but in the rare instances where this is not the case, the chip’s protocols for placing data as close to the bottom of the tree will help prevent or deal with congestion at the top, the MIT team said.
Furthermore, the team is confident that their system can be added to existing chips with relative ease, and that the security features can be toggled on and off as deemed necessary. Unfortunately it may be a while before these chips hit store shelves, as Fletcher told redOrbit that is he believes it will take five to 10 years before the technology will be available to the general public.
Researchers working in China have identified a new bacterium capable of infecting and causing illness in humans, according to a new report in the journal Lancet Infectious Disease.
Carried by ticks, the newly-identified Anaplasma capra could be a “substantial health threat” to humans and animals, the study team said in a University of Maryland School of Medicine (UM SOM) press release. They added that the bacterium is most likely confined to Asia and Japan at the moment.
“This is an entirely new species of bacteria,” said Dr. J. Stephen Dumler, study author and an expert on tick-borne diseases from UM SOM. “This had never been seen in humans before. We still have a lot to learn about this species, but it may be that this bacteria is infecting humans over a wide area.”
Goats and ticks and such
In the study, researchers tested nearly 480 patients from northeastern China that had suffered a tick bite in the spring of 2014.
Six percent of volunteers were discovered to have been infected by the new species of bacteria. The researchers noted that the newly-found microbe is related to other Anaplasma bacteria that can cause disease when passed on from ticks to humans. Dumler found one such illness, human anaplasmosis, 20 years ago.
The outward symptoms of A. capra sickness include a high temperature, headache, fatigue, faintness and muscle aches. The scientists were able to treat the infection with antibiotics, notably doxycycline.
The study team emphasized that because this bacterium had been unknown until now, public health experts hadn’t thought to see how far and wide it has spread. In China, the microbe frequently appears in goats. In fact, the scientists chose to call it “capra” because the word means “goat” in Latin. However it may also infect animals other than goats.
Currently, it is hard to identify the infection as there is no blood test with which to do this.
The study researchers suspect the taiga tick as a source of transmission. A relative of the deer tick, the taiga tick’s ranges stretches from Eastern Europe, across Russia, to China and Japan. The researchers noted that about 20 percent of the world’s population lives in tick’s range.
Experts hunting for extraterrestrial life on extrasolar planets and elsewhere in the solar system are joining forces in what NASA is calling “an unprecedented initiative dedicated to the search for life on planets outside our solar system,” the US space agency announced Monday.
The new Nexus for Exoplanet System Science (NExSS) initiative will bring together scientists from a wide variety of different fields to better understand the components of exoplanets, as well as how planets, stars and neighboring worlds interact in order to support biological life.
Jim Green, NASA’s Director of Planetary Science, explained that this new “interdisciplinary endeavor connects top research teams and provides a synthesized approach in the search for planets with the greatest potential for signs of life. The hunt for exoplanets is not only a priority for astronomers, it’s of keen interest to planetary and climate scientists as well.”
Using “system science” to find life on other planets
It was only 20 years ago that the first exoplanet was discovered, and while the study of these worlds is relatively new, NASA’s Kepler space telescope has discovered more than 1,000 since launching six years ago. Scientists have been working on ways to determine if these planets are habitable, and to search for biosignatures indicative of the presence of life.
Understanding how biology interacts with a planet’s atmosphere, geology, oceans and interior, and how each of those interactions are affected by the host star, are vital to this effort, the agency explained. This “system science” approach is at the core of the NExSS effort, which will bring together earth scientists, planetary scientists, heliophysicists and astrophysicists to combine their efforts and share their research results in the hunt for alien life.
Earth scientists will develop a systems science approach by studying our home planet, while planetary scientists will apply systems science to a wide variety of worlds found within our solar system, NASA said. Heliophysicists plan to analyze how the Sun interacts with planets in orbit around it, while astrophysicists will contribute data on exoplanets and their host stars.
Dr. Paul Hertz, Director of the Astrophysics Division at NASA said that the work of the NExSS scientists will lay the groundwork for future exoplanet missions such as the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS), which is scheduled to launch in 2017; the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), which is due to launch in 2018; and the Wide-field Infrared Survey Telescope, which is currently being studied by NASA and could launch in the 2020’s.
Natalie Batalha of NASA’s Ames Research Center, Dawn Gelino with the NASA Exoplanet Science Institute (NExScI) and Anthony del Genio of NASA’s Goddard Institute for Space Studies will lead the NExSS initiative, the agency noted. Other members of the team will include representatives from 10 different universities and two research centers, including the University of Arizona, Penn State University and the Goddard Institute for Space Studies.
…or are they? That’s what a New York judge will decide after granting lawyers representing two chimpanzees from Stony Brook University to present arguments as to why their clients should be freed from captivity at the institution.
The complaint was initially filed by The Nonhuman Rights Project, and according to Time.com, officials at Stony Brook will now have to demonstrate that they have a reason to detain the duo during a hearing before New York County Supreme Court Judge Barbara Jaffe on May 27.
Chimps (briefly) granted writ of habeas corpus
Earlier this week, Judge Jaffe issued an order to show cause and writ of habeas corpus on behalf of the two chimps, Hercules and Leo, which are being used in biomedical experimentation at the Long Island-based university. It marked the first time non-human animals had been granted such a writ, and The Nonhuman Rights Project (NhRP) hailed it as a triumph.
“Under the law of New York State, only a ‘legal person’ may have an order to show cause and writ of habeas corpus issued in his or her behalf. The Court has therefore implicitly determined that Hercules and Leo are ‘persons,’” the organization said in a statement Monday.
The next day, however, Judge Jaffe amended her initial decision to strike references to the writ of habeas corpus, a doctrine used to protect humans against unlawful imprisonment. The order to show cause remains, and despite the change, the NhRP said that it was “grateful” for the chance “to litigate the issue of the freedom of the chimpanzees” at next month’s hearing.
An ongoing fight for non-human primate rights
The organization is asking that Hercules and Leo be released from the Stony Brook and sent to live out the rest of their days at an animal sanctuary in Florida. At the hearing, the university will present arguments as to why they have a legally sufficient reason to keep the creatures, according to NPR. Stony Brook decline Time’s request for comment on the case.
The lawsuit was originally filed in the Supreme Court of Suffolk County in December 2013, but a judge there declined to issue a writ of habeas corpus. An appellate court dismissed the NhRP’s appeal on the grounds that the group lacked the right to do so. Believing that both courts erred in their rulings, the NhRP and re-filed its petition last month in New York County Supreme Court.
New York courts have also previously declined to extend habeas corpus to Tommy and Kiko, a pair of privately-owned chimps also represented by the NhRP. The group has also appealed that decision, and a decision is pending in that matter.
VetriScience® Laboratories Launches Two New Animal Health Supplements
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VetriScience® Laboratories, maker of GlycoFlex®, is proud to announce two new additions to its veterinarian exclusive Pro Line of nutritional supplements for dogs and cats: GI Balance Pro and L-Lysine Pro.
Essex Junction, VT (PRWEB) April 22, 2015
VetriScience® Laboratories, maker of GlycoFlex®, is proud to announce two new additions to its veterinarian exclusive Pro Line of nutritional supplements for dogs and cats: GI Balance Pro and L-Lysine Pro.
GI Balance Pro is a unique probiotic supplement featuring a specialized, patented version of the bacterial strain Bacillus coagulans and a prebiotic fiber called FOS. The synergistic effect means this chew provides advanced digestive support for both dogs and cats.
With 1 billion CFUs per chew, GI Balance Pro delivers support for normal microbial balance in the gut, as well as immune system support. The patented probiotic, GanedenBC30™, exhibits proven stability, safety and survivability. In fact, it is the only Bacillus coagulans granted Generally Recognized As Safe (GRAS) status by the FDA – specifically for veterinary use.
The second addition to Pro Line, L-Lysine Pro, is the clinical support version of VetriScience®’s L-Lysine Plus, with higher potencies of both L-lysine and DMG to support cats’ immune system, respiratory and eye health. It’s all in a palatable fish-flavored chew cats love.
Both products are available only through veterinary recommendation at your local clinic.
At VetriScience® Laboratories, our mission is to provide veterinarians with powerful products backed by science to complement traditional therapies. We are committed to using pure and highly researched ingredients in products that are safe, effective and developed by vets for vets.
Visit our new website to learn more about our professional line at http://www.vetriproline.com, or call a VetriScience® representative at 800.882.9993
Mystery of mammalian, diapsid eardrum formation solved
Written By: Brett Smith
Christopher Pilny
Brett Smith for redOrbit.com – @ParkstBrett
Scientists have long suspected that the eardrum evolved separately in mammals and diapsids, the taxonomic group that includes reptiles and birds. However, because the eardrum cannot be fossilized, this theory could not be proved through the fossil record.
Now, a new study from a team of Japanese researchers has revealed that the mammalian eardrum is based in the formation of the lower jaw, while diapsid eardrum formation is based in the upper jaw’s formation.
Both the eardrum and the middle ear allow mammals, reptiles, and birds to hear sound waves travelling through air and all eardrums are formed when the ear canal connects with the first pharyngeal pouch. However, fossil evidence shows that the middle ears in mammals and diapsids are very different. Jawing
In the new study, published in Nature Communications, researchers started by noting that in mammals, the eardrum attaches to a lower jaw bone called the tympanic ring. They also noted that in diapsids, the eardrum connects to the upper jawbone.
Next, the team looked at eardrum growth in mice that were missing something called the Ednra receptor, an omission seen to restrict lower jaw development. They learned that these mice also didn’t develop eardrums and ear canals, which revealed that their development was determined by lower jaw formation.
The team then blocked the growth and development of the lower jaw in chickens and saw that it created two identical eardrums and ear canals, with the added set developing from upper jaw elements that had developed inside the deformed lower jaw.
To find out how the eardrum evolved separately in these two lineages and why it is linked with the jaw differently in each lineage, the scientists looked at a marker for the main jaw joint, called Bapxl, and its position in relation to the first pharyngeal pouch. They learned that in mouse embryos, Bapxl was expressed in cells just below the pouch and that in chickens it was expressed significantly lower. This distinction forces the eardrum to form below the main jaw joint in mammals and above the joint in diapsids, the team said in their report.
While researchers still don’t know how or why the main jaw junction moved upwards in mammals, the study reveals that the middle ear developed after this change and must therefore have took place separately after mammal and diapsid lineages split from their common ancestor.
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Do parents prefer biological children to adopted ones?
Contrary to both popular culture tales like Cinderella and the tenants of evolutionary theory, a parent is not likely to favor his or her biological offspring to an adopted child, according to new research published online recently in the journal Evolution and Human Behavior.
While parents did rate their adoptive children higher in negative traits such as arrogance, both biological and adopted youngsters were rated similarity in terms of positive characteristics such as conscientiousness and persistence, Science reported in an article Monday.
The findings are based on a comparative analysis of 135 pairs of “virtual twins” (or siblings that are approximately the same age and consist of either one adopted child and one biological one or two adopted children) and were led by California State University psychologist Nancy Segal.
Findings contradict Kin Selection Theory
As Segal and her colleagues explained in their study, the theory of Kin Selection suggests that a parent will act more favorably to their biological children than their unrelated children in order to ensure the reproductive success and ensure the propagation of their own genetic line.
“By extension, it may be argued that parents should also have less favorable perceptions of the intellectual, personality, and other behavioral traits of unrelated children, compared with biologically related children,” the authors wrote. They noted, “Consistent with prior research, the IQ scores of the biological children exceeded those of the adopted children.”
“A between-pair analysis revealed no difference between biological children and members of adopted–adopted pairs in ratings of favorable or unfavorable traits,” they added. “More telling within-family comparisons of adopted-biological pairs revealed higher scores for adoptees on unfavorable traits, consistent with Kin Selection Theory, but no differences between adoptive and biological children on favorable traits, consistent with the compensatory model.”
Segal’s team said that their findings refine the overall understanding of how parents deal with both genetically related and non-biological offspring. According to Science, the results are reflective of the modern-day ease of adopting children and the creation of conditions in which a person’s strong desire to parent overrides kin selection behaviors.
When you have a powerful tool like Google Street View, you could use it to virtually explore the wonders of the world or visit landmarks from the comfort of your own home. Or you could do something truly important with it – like search for the Loch Ness Monster.
Thanks to the Mountain View, California-based tech giant, monster hunters no longer need to travel to Scotland to look for the creature affectionately known as Nessie, as Google officials announced in a Monday blog post that they recently mounted street view cameras to a boat and set out (along with some divers) in search of the legendary creature.
“Wherever you stand on the Nessie debate, the legend lives on – even in the digital era,” Street View Special Collections Program Manager Sven Tresp wrote, noting that there are more Google searches for Loch Ness than there are for Buckingham Palace or other UK institutions.
Search giant goes searching for a giant
As CNET explained, several people have claimed to have found the monster over the years, and many still believe it exists, especially after imbibing “10 pints of Scottish ale.” Nonetheless, the search giant set out on a search of its own, including one particular image that has garnered a lot of attention as it depicts a tantalizingly unidentified object off in the distance.
Labeled “Bird, log or monster?” the image caption notes that “many natural phenomenon” have contributed to Nessie sightings over the years, including boat wakes, otters, trees and even light reflections in the waters of the loch. “These visual cues, combined with the power of suggestion, contribute to the perpetuation of the Loch Ness monster myth,” it added.
Google’s sudden interest in the Loch Ness monster “coincides with the publication of a photo 81 years ago, one that startled anyone who saw it,” CNET explained. That photo “surely looked like a long-necked animal peering out of the loch,” but wound up being “a frightful hoax.”
You may not find Nessie, but check out that view!
In addition to allowing amateur monster hunters to seek out the legendary creature from the friendly confines of their living room, the Street View expedition also provides a stunning tour of Loch Ness and the areas surrounding its location in the Highlands of Scotland, near Inverness.
“Sail across the freshwater lake and take in its haunting beauty, made darker still by the peat particles found in its waters,” Tresp wrote. “Let the Loch unlock the spirit of your imagination, where the rippling water, tricks of the light, and drifting logs bring the legend of Nessie to life.”
“Although it’s neither the largest Scottish loch by surface area nor depth, it is the largest by volume… [and] at almost 800 feet deep, there’s an entire world below the surface, giving rise to the Nessie legend,” he added. “As we celebrate Loch Ness… we hope you can enjoy some of the most history-laden and breathtaking imagery the highlands have to offer.”
Chuck Bednar for redOrbit.com – @BednarChuck
Researchers from the Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine have developed tiny, 3D-printed organ-like objects that can mimic the function of the heart and lungs that they hope could be used to create an accurate model of the human body for research purposes.
According to Gizmodo, the objects are manufactured by reprogramming human skin cells into other types of cells, such as heart cells. They are then clumped together in cell cultures, formed into objects of the desired shape and size using 3D printing, and used to create structures which could speed up drug-testing and eliminate the need for laboratory animals.
Furthermore, the organs could be used to probe the effects of chemicals and pathogens, and the process could ultimately be used to develop an entire human body on a chip, New Scientist said. Video of the research shows a cluster of mini-hearts, all beating in rhythm with one another. Turning human skin cells into functional mini-organs
The heart cells or organoids are created by genetically modifying the skin cells of adult humans into induced pluripotent stem (IPS) cells, which are reprogrammed again to reproduce the mini-organs that grow and are converted to different shapes and sizes though additive manufacturing. The end result is a series of small-scale replicas of actual, working human organs.
Dr. Anthony Atala, director of the Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine, is leading the research, and a spokesperson at the Institute told redOrbit via email that the goal of his work is to engineer a total of four mini-organs: the aforementioned heart and liver, as well as a blood vessel and a lung that still have to be engineered before the system is complete.
“Miniature lab-engineered, organ-like hearts, lungs, livers and blood vessels – linked together with a circulating blood substitute – will be used both to predict the effects of chemical and biologic agents and to test the effectiveness of potential treatments,” Dr. Atala said in a recent statement. “We are fortunate to have experts from around the country join us on this effort.”
The organ-like structures will be placed on a two-inch chip, then connected to a system of fluid channels and sensors that will be used to monitor both the individual organs and the system as a whole, the researchers explained. The blood substitute will not only keep the cells alive, but can be used to introduce new chemicals, pathogens or therapies into the system for evaluation.
The substances will be carried from one tissue to another through a series of hollow channels, and the scientists will measure the temperature, oxygen levels, pH balance and other factors in real time through sensors. If successful, this technique would significantly reduce the time and cost required to develop treatments or countermeasures to biological agents, they added.
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Is NASA looking to create permanent settlements on Venus?
While the overwhelming majority of NASA’s recent R&D efforts are focused on getting humans to Mars, they aren’t ignoring other planets, as evidenced by an ongoing project that would send a piloted, helium-filled airship to explore the atmosphere of Venus.
According to a Space.com report published Monday, the project is known as HAVOC (the High Altitude Venus Operational Concept) and could entail not just investigating Earth’s sister planet, but also establishing human colonies in the clouds that fill its acid-laced skies.
Chris Jones of the Langley Research Center in Virginia told the website that doing so would be “a very big technological challenge,” but noted that it “could be possible down the road.” Does this mean that Venus is another potential target for human exploration – an alternative to Mars? Yes, Jones and his Langley colleague Dale Arney said.
Wreaking HAVOC on Venus
The key to such a mission’s success, the NASA scientists explain, would be to avoid the harsh surface conditions of a planet that reaches temperatures in excess of 850 degrees Fahrenheit and ground-level atmospheric pressure 90 times higher than that found here on Earth.
Instead, HAVOC would remain roughly 30 miles above the surface in what Space.com calls “much more manageable conditions” – atmospheric pressure closer to that of our home planet and average temperatures of a sweltering, but not unbearable, 167 degrees Fahrenheit.
Venus also has another advantage, as it is the closest planet to Earth, reducing the duration of a potential mission there. Armey explained that Venus “is no worse than the second planet” that humans would travel to after leaving Earth, and that an analysis of its orbital mechanics and its potential habitability is “sort of what kick-started” the whole HAVOC project.
Building cloud cities on Venus in five easy steps
At this point, HAVOC is only a study, and Space.com emphasizes that there are “no concrete plans” to take the mission beyond the concept stage. In its current form, it would entail a five-step plan that would prove that the mission is technologically feasible before sending astronauts to Venus and establishing cloud cities within its atmosphere.
In the first phase, an unmanned, 102-foot-long airship would be sent to explore the atmosphere of the planet, and in the second, a pair of astronauts would spend 30 days orbiting Venus. In the third and fourth phases, two crewmembers would travel through the planet’s skies in an airship for periods of 30 days and one-year, and in phase five, the colony would be established.
The project would use solar-powered airships flying at an altitude of 30 miles, where they would generate power by receiving 40-percent more of the sun’s energy than on Earth, according to Space.com said. The vehicles would be propeller-driven and outfitted with instruments to study the atmosphere, and the manned ones would have living quarters and a multistage rocket capable of launching the NASA astronauts back to Earth at the mission’s end.
Once the crew reached orbit, they would rendezvous with a spacecraft and travel back to Earth. However, for such a mission to work, the team would have to overcome a number of challenges, including creating solar panels that could function in such a harsh environment and a powerful enough rocket to escape Venus’ gravity and return the astronauts to Earth.
“There’s a lot that you’re going to have to develop, regardless of what destination you go to,” including reliable life-support systems for the airships and deep-space vehicles, Arney told the website. He and Jones have not tallied up the estimated cost of HAVOC, he added. At this time, their focus is solely on the performance and technological aspects of the mission.
With the ice that had been covering Lake Michigan gone and the waters unusually clear, a US Coast Guard helicopter crew flying a routine patrol mission discovered and captured images of several shipwrecks, some more than a century old, along the shoreline.
The helicopter crew was from the Traverse City, Michigan station, and according to Discovery News, they took several photos of the wrecks during the patrol mission on Friday, posted them on their Facebook page on Sunday, and asked for assistance in identifying them.
James McBride
As it turns out, one of the wrecks was more than 150 years old: the James McBride, a 121-foot brig that launched on April 1, 1848. It ran aground in shallow water near a location known as Sleeping Bear Point after it encountered a gale on October 19, 1857 while transporting a cargo of wood to Chicago from the Manitou Islands, the website explained.
James McBride: The 121 foot brig James McBride ran aground during a storm on October 19, 1857. Her remains lie in 5 to 15 feet of water near Sleeping Bear Point. (Credit: US Coast Guard Air Station Traverse City)
According to the Coast Guard, the James McBride had a beam of 25 feet, and in late 1848, the vessel embarked on a journey that took it to Turk Island in the Atlantic Ocean to pick up a cargo of salt, then to Nova Scotia where it added codfish, and finally to Chicago to deliver its cargo. It was believed to be the first cargo carried directly from the Atlantic to a Lake Michigan port.
When it sank following its ill-fated October 1957 journey, the ship was abandoned due to the fact that, despite only being nine years old, its condition had deteriorated and it was uninsured. Her owner, Chicago’s John Stafford, was unconcerned with the vessel’s fate, however, noting that it had more than given him a return on his $4,000 investment, they added.
The Rising Sun
Another one of the shipwrecks, according to Discovery News, was a 133-foot-long wooden steamer called the Rising Sun, which broke up on October 29, 1917 and now rests in six- to 12-foot deep waters to the north of Pyramid Point. It reportedly sank after being caught in a winter storm on a voyage to gather potatoes, rutabagas and lumber from High Island.
The crew of the Rising Sun attempted to reach the shore, but ran aground when an anchor was unable to catch hold, and was then caught in an area where it was repeatedly slammed into the bottom of the lake by crashing waves. An article by local historian George Weeks said that all 32 crewmembers were eventually saved after lifeboats were deployed and shoreline residents came to the rescue, followed later by Coast Guard personnel.
Royal Flush Havanese Announces 5 Tips for a Successful Stay in Pet-Friendly Accommodations
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Tourist season has arrived! Royal Flush Havanese shares five tips to make travel planning and staying in pet-friendly housing a breeze.
Charlestown, RI (PRWEB) April 21, 2015
Spring and summer are popular seasons to go on road trips, with many people visiting family for the holidays or simply taking vacations. Deciding what to do with household pets while planning to travel can be a difficult choice. Pet-friendly accommodations are gaining popularity, and therefore, choosing to travel with pets is becoming a more common option. Royal Flush Havanese shares 5 tips for making a stay at pet-friendly accommodations a positive experience.
1.) Firstly, it is important to make travel plans for any road trip prior to departure. Owners should make sure that their dogs feel comfortable using the bathroom in an unfamiliar place. This can be practiced by walking dogs in an area that is new to them, beginning several weeks before the start of the trip. Additionally, allow pets to experience driving in a car if they have not done so recently. This can alert owners to any carsickness that a pet may experience, and will allow for time for veterinarian consultation. In addition, it can be helpful to create a packing list of supplies needed, as well as taking time to learn about local pet transportation laws. More canine travel tips can be found here.
2.) Secondly, crate training can make a huge difference during a hotel stay. Crates can be useful by allowing canines extra security as they settle into new surroundings as well as a familiar place to sleep, filled with scents they recognize. This can help to minimize stress and to keep dogs from creating a ruckus. Many hotels require pets to be crated at all times when the owners are not in the room, although it is best to never leave a pet unattended. They may begin to bark or whine, which could disturb other guests. Every day should be planned so that pets do not have to be alone for extended amounts of time, and so they can be included in all adventures. Finally, another benefit to crate training is the ability to use the crate in the car when traveling, keeping in mind that dogs should never be left alone in a vehicle unattended.
3.) Thirdly, bring along a door-hanger notifying all hotel personnel that there is an animal in the room. This can help prevent any big surprises, for both the canine and the staff: for the dog; a stranger entering the room, and for the staff, an animal running up to greet them or worse, escaping out of the room. Although there is only a small chance of the latter happening, it is for situations such as these that it is of the upmost importance that dogs be wearing proper identification and vaccination information at all times. It could also prove helpful to carry copies of veterinarian information, recent prescriptions, health records, and a photo of all pets traveling.
4.) Fourthly, never allow a canine, no matter how well trained, to travel in and around the hotel off of a leash. Just because the hotel itself is pet-friendly does not guarantee that all guests staying there will be. Be respectful of others, and keep adequate space between where the leashed dog can walk and the immediate area of other guests. Not only is leashing a pet the respectful thing to do, but it can also keep pets from running away or generating other potentially risky situations. Bringing a variety of leashes of different lengths can help to allow for different circumstances, and longer leashes permit the dog an opportunity to stretch his/her legs. Oftentimes, pet-friendly hotels will have a fenced-in area for dogs to play with one another, giving them an area where they can safely be off leash. An opportunity for a dog to run around can also be a great stress-reliever, and will increase the chances of them sleeping soundly once back in the hotel room.
5.) Lastly, be prepared for cleaning up any messes. Check with hotel staff to see if there is a designated area for dogs to relieve themselves outside. Always pick up any messes. Stressed dogs can be prone to vomiting or having ‘accidents’ inside. Bringing along a roll of paper towels and some disinfectant can be very helpful during such an event. Failing to clean up a mess could result in a fine, depending on hotel policies. Similarly, make sure all pets are up-to-date with their flea and tick medicine, and have been groomed recently. No pests or malodorous smells should be left behind upon departure.
For more information on traveling with a canine, visit the Royal Flush Havanese Puppy Care Page. Royal Flush Havanese wishes all readers to enjoy the beautiful spring and summer weather, and anticipates these tips on animal-friendly hotel etiquette will eliminate some of the stress associated with road trips. Royal Flush Havanese is BBB accredited business specializing in breeding and raising Havanese puppies born and raised in both Rhode Island and Florida. Royal Flush Havanese has been awarded a Certificate of No Complaints from the BBB and a rating of A+ for outstanding dedication to honesty in the business place, customer satisfaction, and for ethical policies and procedures. Please join us in our quest to teach others about the loyal, gentle and lovable Havanese breed. Like us on Facebook and check out our website where you can find even more helpful articles and informative tips for dog-enthusiasts and breeders alike.
Lutronic Announces Abstracts, Podium Presentations and Seminars at Upcoming ASLMS
Written By: admin
Lutronic, a leading innovator of aesthetic laser and energy-based technology, announced today a multitude of abstracts, podium presentations, and a symposium panel featuring world-renowned physicians at the upcoming American Society for Laser Medicine & Surgery’s annual meeting in Florida from April 22-26, 2015.
Fremont, California (PRWEB) April 21, 2015
Lutronic, a leading innovator of aesthetic laser and energy-based technology, announced today a multitude of abstracts, podium presentations, and a symposium panel featuring world-renowned physicians at the upcoming American Society for Laser Medicine & Surgery’s annual meeting in Florida from April 22-26, 2015. “We are looking forward to the broad range of clinical presentations that will be given,” says Rich Cohen, Global Clinical Science Officer at Lutronic. “We maintain strong partnerships with leaders in the field of aesthetic medicine in order to further procedure and technology innovation, and are particularly excited by the presentations that will be given on Infini, our leading High Intensity Focused RF device.”
Infini Presentations
Infini will be presented in a ‘PILOT STUDY TO TREAT MILD TO MODERATE LAXITY OF LOWER FACE AND NECK WITH A BIPOLAR FRACTIONATED MICRONEEDLE RADIOFREQUENCY DEVICE’ on April 24th . The abstract discusses the study conducted by Dr. Matteo Clementoni (Istituto Dermatologico,Italy) and Dr. Girish Munavalli (Wake Forest University, USA), in which they explore the effects of RF energy delivered via Infini for the treatment of facial and neck laxity. Infini will also be featured in ‘CLINICAL AND HISTOLOGIC EFFECTS OF HIGH INTENSITY FOCUSED RF IN THE TREATMENT OF PHOTOAGING AND ACNE SCARS’ by Dr. Michael Graves, Dr. Amanda Lloyd, and Dr. E. Victor Ross, all from Scripps Clinic, USA.
Infini Symposium
On the evening of April 24th Lutronic will be sponsoring an ASLMS symposium entitled ‘On Pins & Needles: Exploring the best way to deliver RF energy’, featuring world renowned physicians who will explore the latest innovations in RF energy delivery and why this novel technology is the next ‘must have’ technology for the aesthetic community. The exclusive panel will include Dr. Victor Ross, Dr. Joel Cohen, Dr. Jeremy Green, Dr. Gilly Munavalli, and Dr. Matteo Clementoni.
Dr. Jill Waibel (Miami Dermatology and Laser Institute, USA) will present on a study that looks at ‘EARLY INTERVENTION OF FRACTIONAL ABLATIVE LASERS FOLLOWED BY 830nm LED PHOTOTHERAPY vs CONTROL FOR ACUTE BURN INJURIES’. Dr. Waibel and Ashley Rudnick summarize their clinical study exploring how using eCO2 combined with Healite II for early scar intervention can make a remarkable difference in the prevention of scar formation. Dr. Waibel will be honored for this abstract with an award at this years ASLMS.
Other Presentations
CLINICAL EVALUATION OF A LARGE SPOT SIZE 800nm DIODE LASER FOR THE TREATMENT OF HYPERTRICHOSIS – Omar Ibrahimi, Connecticut, USA, Christine Dierickx, Boom, Belgium.
Lutronic will also feature their broad array of aesthetic devices in their booth #815 including Infini, Spectra, Clarity (a new dual wavelength Alexandrite and Nd:YAG laser), & eCO2.
About LUTRONIC
Lutronic, a leading innovator in advanced aesthetic and medical laser and related technology, was established over 17 years ago to bring intuitive, robust, versatile devices that are affordable and efficacious to the worldwide medical community. Committed to improving medicine, Lutronic partners with key opinion leaders to advance science and ensure the efficacy of its systems. All systems are versatile and offer multiple setting and treatment options for customized treatments, which optimize outcomes for a wide variety of conditions and treatments including melasma, tattoo removal, soft tissue incision, vascular lesions, hair removal, wrinkle reduction, skin resurfacing, body/facial contouring, chronic pain and more.
With a focus on physician needs and patient outcomes, Lutronic dedicates time and funding toward the development of devices that offer features and improvements not found in today’s market. Devoting more than 15% of revenues to R&D, Lutronic holds more than 130 current and pending patents worldwide. With more than 250 employees worldwide, Lutronic has offices in the US, Korea, China, Japan, and Europe, a worldwide network of distributors, and is ever expanding.
Block Island Organics Debunks Skin Care Myths with New Products
Written By: admin
Block Island Organics™ is sharing a secret – skin care is actually very simple. It’s about suncare both day and night, as the sun is the leading cause of skin damage and premature aging. Combined with their non-toxic mineral sunscreens, Block Island Organics’ (http://www.blockislandorganics.com) new Purifying Facial Cleanser and Revitalizing Night Cream complete an affordable, organic and natural skin care regimen for healthy skin 24/7.
Block Island, RI (PRWEB) April 21, 2015
Let's face it; a lot of skin care marketing touts the fountain of youth through fancy products and complex routines for hundreds of dollars. Block Island Organics believes in skin care through suncare, not gimmicks, as the sun is the leading cause of skin damage and premature aging. Simply put, good suncare is more than just daily sun protection; it is also about cleansing and revitalizing skin at all hours. Block Island Organics’ new Purifying Facial Cleanser and Revitalizing Night Cream coupled with their non-toxic mineral sunscreens provide the affordable, high quality organic solution to keep skin healthy from day to night.
In addition to daily sunscreen use, it is best to cleanse the skin daily to remove build up. Block Island Organics’ new Purifying Facial Cleanser does just that. It is an antioxidant and vitamin rich (such as vitamins A, B, C and E), organic and natural formula that cleans and freshens your skin while maintaining its moisture balance with gentle botanical ingredients. Its suggested retail price is $21.99.
After the face is washed, a moisturizer is needed to nourish and replenish the skin. To address this, Block Island Organics developed a new Revitalizing Night Cream packed with antioxidants like vitamin C and E. Vitamin C is well known for its anti-aging properties, and a recent study by Yale University dermatologists suggests vitamin E protects against the after-effects of sun exposure long after sundown.* An organic and natural formula with gentle botanical ingredients, the Revitalizing Night Cream can also be used during the day for added moisture. It has a suggested retail price of $34.99.
“Good skin care doesn’t need to be complicated, overly expensive or chemically manufactured,” says co-founder Kelly Hsiao. “It’s our responsibility to educate consumers, provide quality products and simplify the skin care process.”
All Block Island Organics products do not contain parabens, sulfates, petrochemicals, phthalates, dyes or artificial fragrances. Block Island Organics products are vegan-based formulas. None are tested on animals.
Our mission is to give everyone access to safe, effective and lovable non-toxic suncare and skin care products. We believe in living outside and enjoying the sun, not hiding from it. With a little sun knowledge, the right sunscreen and healthy skin care from day to night everyone can live our mantra: “Play Smart, Play Safe.” At Block Island Organics we pledge to be consistent, honest and transparent in our marketing as we pursue our goals: educate consumers, optimize product safety and quality at an affordable price and earn your trust.
*Hannah Devlin, “Exposure to sun poses risk of skin cancer even in the dark, study finds,” The Guardian, February 19, 2015.
The National Council for Behavioral Health Honors Felton Institute’s PREP Program Coordinator with Prestigious Peer Specialist of the Year Award
Written By: admin
Honorees to Receive the Inspiring Hope Awards Today, April 21, 2015, in Orlando, Florida
San Francisco, CA and Orlando, FL (PRWEB) April 21, 2015
The National Council for Behavioral Health (National Council) will honor Dina Tyler, Felton Institute’s Coordinator of Peer and Family Support Services for PREP (Prevention and Recovery in Early Psychosis) Program in Alameda County, California, with the National Council Award of Excellence: Peer Specialist of the Year Award at the National Council’s NatCon15 awards ceremony, known as the Oscars of behavioral health.
The Inspiring Hope Awards, supported by Eli Lilly and Company, recognize individuals who’ve shown extraordinary tenacity and courage in battling serious mental illness and are living full lives and pursuing their goals.
The conference will include renown leaders and prominent advocates in the mental health field, including General Colin Powell (retired) and former U.S. Representative Patrick Kennedy. PREP is an evidence-based program founded and operated by Felton Institute in partnership with the University of California at San Francisco (UCSF). The innovative Felton Institute, founded in 1889, has a rich tradition of being at the forefront of social service innovation and pioneering development of new approaches to meet emerging needs of under served populations with cultural sensitivity, deep respect for the consumer, and a commitment to social justice.
For Dina Tyler, receiving Peer Specialist of the Year award for the work that she considers part of her life’s vocation, is an incredible milestone in both her professional career and personal journey. For years, after her diagnosis of mental illness, Tyler feared that she would never be able to have a career. Instead, it is her lived experiences that have shaped her empowering advocacy and implementation of effective strategies, through Felton Institute’s PREP Program.
As Dina recalls, “When I read the PREP job announcement, and saw those words ‘person with lived experience of the mental health system preferred,’ it was life changing. I had no idea that all of my history, all that I had been through could be a job qualification. I provide individual peer support and facilitate a mutual peer support group. I also have mentored young adults that have graduated PREP to take on roles within our program.
We currently have graduates that have been trained to facilitate Hearing Voices Network groups, Wellness Recovery Action Plan (WRAP) groups, and the Coming Out Proud program, a disclosure program for stigma reduction of mental health. None of this would have been possible if I had not seen a job description that encouraged those of us with lived experience of the mental health system to apply.”
Felton Institute President and CEO Bob Bennett notes, “We at Felton Institute are proud of the work that Dina does to advance PREP’s vision of transforming the treatment and perception of psychosis. We celebrate this prestigious recognition of her extraordinary tenacity and courage in battling mental illness and her dedication to PREP’s practices of early intervention with culturally competent diagnosis and treatment, creation of a sense of community, and the goal of achieving sustainable remission. When we see our patients, young adults ages 16-24 in the program, managing symptoms so that they can form meaningful relationships, live full lives, and chart career courses, we see viable success.”
Serving over 300 clients each year, PREP is one of the largest outpatient treatment programs for early psychosis in the United States. PREP currently operates in community-based settings in five California counties serving over 300 clients each year. In 2015, PREP will expand to three more California counties. In 2013, Felton established the BEAM (Bipolar Early Assessment Management) program to take a similar approach to bipolar I disorder.
PREP is funded in part through a Centers for Medicaid and Medicare Services (CMS) Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation Award, through Funding Opportunity Number CMS-1C1-12-0001. The contents of this press release are solely the responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official views of HHS or any of its agencies.
For interviews in Orlando, Florida during the NATCON2015 conference, call 510-872-6510 and in San Francisco, CA, call 415-261-2199. To see a complete list of honorees, visit http://www.thenationalcouncil.org/about/awards
Felton Institute responds to human needs by providing cutting edge, evidence-based social services that transform lives. Felton Institute was founded in 1889 by Katherine “Kitty” Felton, with the mandate that children and families in crisis must have access to social services and resources in order to help them build upon their inherent strengths and develop self-sufficiency.
About Felton’s PREP Program:
Felton’s PREP program provides services in five Northern and Central California Counties: Alameda, San Francisco, San Mateo, San Joaquin, and Monterey. A rigorous, data driven program using five evidence-based practices in synergy, PREP’s comprehensive treatment approach includes care management, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Psychosis (CBTp) algorithm guided medication management, individual and family group therapy, and educational and vocational counseling to help clients and their families manage the disease over the course of a lifetime.
Key program partners include UCSF, East Bay Community Recovery Project, Sojourner Truth Foster Family Agency, the Mental Health Association of Alameda, and the behavioral health services departments of the five California counties with PREP programs The Mental Health Association of San Francisco was also a founding partner. Learn more at: PREPwellness.org and Felton.org.
The wolf population at Isle Royale National Park in Michigan has reached a historic low, with only three members of the group remaining alive – just one-third the amount that were spotted in 2014, according to wildlife experts from Michigan Technical University.
The 57th annual report on the park’s wolf and moose populations, which was released last Friday, also found that there is an estimated 1,250 moose that live on the island, and that a pair of wolves visited the area before trekking across an ice bridge to the mainland, the researchers said.
The Isle Park survey is the longest-running predator-prey study in the US, they added, and this year’s report highlights a growing chasm between the predators and the prey that Michigan Tech scientists said that they have been closely monitoring over the previous four years.
Combination of inbreeding, population decline problematic
John Vucetich, an associate professor of wildlife ecology who co-led the study with Michigan Tech research professor Rolf Peterson, explained that the main cause of concern was not just the presence of the wolves, but whether or not they are performing their ecological function.
Last April, officials from the park said that there was still a chance that the gene pool could be replenished naturally, since the creatures are able to move to and from the island across those ice bridges. However, now that there are only three wolves remaining, Vucetich said that the odds are that it is too late for scientists to perform genetic rescue on the species.
He added that one of the wolves left Isle Royale last winter, leaving two adults and one pup (possibly the offspring of the two adults) remaining in the park. The pup does not appear to be in good health: it has a constricted waistline, poor posture and what appears to be a deformed tail, the apparent result of inbreeding among Isle Royale wolf packs in recent years.
The Michigan Tech team said that it would not be a surprise if the pup was dead by this time next year, but even if it was in good health, it would not necessarily be a promising sign for the health of the population, they explained. Since 2009, the population has decreased by 88 percent, raising serious questions about whether or not the species can recover.
Is there hope for these wolves, and should experts intervene?
According to the researchers, geneticists monitoring the wolves’ situation agree that it is not likely that the wolves are doomed without new genetic material, and that even if the adults are a mating pair, their offspring would most likely not fare well. If the adults are a mating pair, they probably would not be interested in other potential mates that could be introduced.
RedOrbit contacted Peterson and asked him about the declining Isle Royale wolf population, and whether or not anything could (or should) be done to help the creatures recover. He pointed us to a 2012 case study, published in 2012 by the George Wright Forum (a thrice-annual journal of the George Wright Society, a group of professionals on behalf of parks and protected places.)
That paper, entitled “Should Isle Royale Wolves be Reintroduced? A Case Study on Wilderness Management in a Changing World”, discusses “important values to be considered when charting an administrative response to the wolf decline,” Peterson told us via email. In that paper, he and his co-authors discuss whether it is ethically appropriate to intervene to save the wolves.
“Only once in recorded history has a breeding pair of wolves capable of founding a population immigrated to Isle Royale,” they wrote, adding that “even the most optimistic scenarios include an elevated risk of extinction for at least the next several years.” Even so, as the 2012 case study indicates, there are no easy answers when it comes to the issue of intervention.
Unlike wolves, moose are thriving – which isn’t good either
In addition to the declining wolf population, the research uncovered a growing imbalance between predator and prey, as the moose population at Isle Royale has been increasing at a 22-percent rate over each of the past four years – a potentially harmful trend.
If the trend continues, moose could become as abundant as they were in 1996, when the creatures has a significant impact on forest vegetation, Vucetich and Peterson wrote. Experts are growing concerned that the increasing numbers of moose, which is due in part to the woes of the wolves (their natural predators) could cause long-term harm to the ecosystem
“[In 1996] the moose population had considerable impact on forest vegetation,” Peterson and Vucetich wrote in their new report. “Concerns remain that the upcoming increase in moose abundance will result in long-term damage to the health of Isle Royale’s vegetative community.”
Is There a Link Between Fibromyalgia and Chest Pain?
Written By: Fibromyalgia Treating
Fibromyalgia is something that afflicts people of all ages. There are millions of people across the world that are affected by it. There are pressure points in the body that cause pain when pressed. Fibromyalgia is diagnosed or first detected when pain shoots from any of these points through the body. There are about fourteen total and pains in almost all of these are telling signs that you have fibro. A lot of people don’t realize that fibromyalgia can also cause you to feel chest pains. We are taught through many different avenues that when you are experiencing chest pain, you might be having a heart attack.
Fibromyalgia and Chest Tightness
There is a correlation between fibromyalgia and chest pain. In fact, a large percentage of the pain associated with fibromyalgia is focused around the chest. Two of the pain pressure points are around the breast bone and ribcage. This explains why your chest would feel tight because of all the pressure that is happening with the inflammation in your cartilage. Tightness doesn’t hurt but it is a very uncomfortable feeling to have to deal with.
What Does Fibromyalgia Chest Pain Feel Like
Chest pain from fibromyalgia, also called costochondritis, is described as a stabbing aching pain. It can often terrify those who aren’t used to it, because it can mimic a heart attack or stroke. This is especially troubling for older sufferers of fibromyalgia. It’s no picnic for the younger sufferers either. The pain you feel around the breast bone and in your rib cage is a condition which can be treated separately from Fibromyalgia.
The inflammation in your chest can range from a mild ache to a very painful problem. This depends on the amount of inflammation of the cartilage in the area. The pain can be on the left or right side of your chest, and it can be in the front or the upper part of your chest. You might feel a burning pain in the ribs or your ribs are sore when you touch them. The pain might increase when you exert yourself and decrease with rest. Different people are affected by costochodritis differently. The pain can come and go. When you have fibromyalgia then repetitive activity can cause chest pain. When you sit at a desk and lean over it all day long then it can put stress on the muscles in your chest. This is because when you have fibromyalgia your muscles are very sensitive. Having this chronic chest pain or chest pain that comes and goes can make it difficult for you to sleep. This can certainly disrupt your overall quality of life.
Can Fibromyalgia Cause Shortness of Breath
People who have fibromyalgia experience shortness of breath and have a hard time taking deep breaths. There are a couple different theories as to why this is, but the most likely reason for dyspnea, or shortness of breath, is a lack of thyroid hormone regulation associated with fibromyalgia. This can cause the muscles in your respiratory system to be weak and cause them to not work correctly. The pain in your chest can also be the source of shortness of breath. You might find this is something that just comes on suddenly or you might have struggled with it the whole time. It’s always different for everyone.
Can Fibromyalgia Cause Breathing Problems
Breathing can be affected by fibromyalgia in several ways. It can hurt to try and take a deep breath which makes it hard to breath because of the pain. There’s a condition that is called upper airway resistant syndrome which is often associated with Fibro. This syndrome makes it difficult to breathe and easy to become short of breath quickly. If you couple these things with the pain that radiates from the normal symptoms of Fibro then it can be almost impossible to catch a breath.
Costochondritis: A Closer Look at This Painful Problem
As a sufferer from fibro, chances are pretty good you have noticed a tight feeling in your chest at one point in time or another. You may have even felt an aching or a stabbing pain in your chest. There are over 600,000 cases in the world and it can start at the young age of 12. While it is common in both sexes it affects females more often. There is no definite cause that has been identified. Costochondritis is the medical name used to describe the chest pain you feel associated with fibro. This condition is technically an inflammation of the cartilage that holds your ribs to your chest bone. When the ribs become inflamed, it causes very sharp pains inside of your chest walls. The pain very commonly mimics what is often associated with cardiac pains and problems.
Statistics show that anywhere from 60 to 70 percent of individuals who suffer from fibromyalgia also suffer from costochondritis. Costochondritis is also significantly more common in women. This is especially true for women who fall between the ages of 20 and 40. Naturally, you do not necessary have to have fibro to suffer from costochondritis. If you suffered from a chest trauma or an exercise injury, you can also get costochondritis that way too. It is, however, important to keep in mind that only 10 percent of people who have costochondritis do not have fibro. The other 90 percent also suffer from fibro.
You are going to feel costochondritis hit you right between your ribs and your chest bone. This is something people commonly refer to as their sternum. There are 7 pieces of cartilage attached to your ribs and it can cause all of the cartilage to become inflamed, which can put you in an extreme amount of pain. For most people, they feel the pain from this condition on the left side of their chest. It, however, can be felt on the right side or even both if the inflammation is severe.
People who suffer from costochondritis might find exercising difficult. When you exert yourself and start to breathe hard it can aggravate it. With your lungs expanding behind your ribs breathing in and out can become very painful.
Like fibromyalgia costochondritis does not discriminate. It can affect any one whether they are completely healthy and active. It doesn’t care that they take great care of their body and eat right. It’s just one of those things that will happen to anyone at any time.
Symptoms of Costochondritis
If you suffer from fibro, these are some of the symptoms you may experience with a combination of your condition and costochondritis:
Stabbing, sharp pain in your chest area
Sore, tender ribs
Pain in your upper chest area
Burning pain in your rib area
Pain that moves up your neck and into your shoulders
Pain when you cough and/or sneeze
Paint that goes away when you rest or stop moving
Rapid beating of the heart
Irregular beating of the heart
Shortness of breath or trouble breathing
If you experience symptoms that involve trouble breathing or heart beat abnormalities, it is important to get to a doctor as soon as possible. Your healthcare provider needs to make sure costochondritis and fibro are causing the symptoms and not something more serious or something treatable.
What Causes Costochondritis Symptoms?
As of 2015, medical experts have no idea what causes fibromyalgia or costochondritis. Research is still being done and some believe there are a number of factors that impact how fibro develops and what symptoms you experience because of it. There are some theories on what could cause it.
Repetitive Activities
There are some people who believe repetitive activities may have something to do with people who suffer from chest pain due to fibro. Sitting in front of a computer desk and leaning forward for long periods of time, for example, puts stress on the muscles in your chest area. Medical experts believe this could largely have something to do with the chest pain you feel. Naturally, the solution to this problem would be to avoid doing any activity repetitively or for long periods of time that is going to put stress on your chest muscles.
Tender Points
There are some points on the human body that are believed to be tender points for individuals who suffer from fibro. Medical experts believe these points, in the chest area, could trigger costochondritis. When you have acupuncture or even some types of massage, these pressure points are engaged to relieve tension. The pressing of these points in people with fibromyalgia is something that causes a great deal of pain.
Infection
While it is far less common, there is reason to believe a chest infection could also be to blame for costochondritis. Since it is inflammation there is a good amount of evidence that supports an infection could cause some type of inflammation and that will lead to pain and the condition.
Understanding How Costochondritis Impacts Fibromyalgia
Costochondritis has the tendency to make the symptoms of fibromyalgia much worse. Fibromyalgia is a condition that makes it very difficult for you to participate in certain activities. It can also make it difficult for you to sit for long periods of time. When you are sitting the pain can come and go, it isn’t fun because standing up after you’ve been sitting can’t help the pain, and you have to just ride the wave so to speak. You might find jobs like waiting tables or doing yard work are completely out of your element. So if you can’t sit down and work and you can’t stand up and work it leaves you with very few options.
Costochondritis can cause such an intense amount of chest pain, that a person often has trouble sleeping as well. The biggest downside to costochondritis is that it is so common in people who suffer from fibromyalgia.
The most important thing to take in from all of this information is that chest pain is never something to take lightly. You should consult a doctor the moment you start feeling chest pain in order to determine why you are feeling it and to get the necessary help. It is better for you to know what is causing the pain. While costochondritis can mimic a heart attack perfectly, it is always better to be safe and not sorry by making sure you aren’t suffering from the real thing. Once you have the tests to make sure you aren’t having a heart attack then you can move on to figuring out what’s really going on.
People Believing Unexplained Illnesses
Fibromyalgia and costochondritis are one of the many invisible ailments that people suffer from. They are called invisible because people cannot actually see the outward visibility of the disease or ailment the person suffers. You can’t show someone chronic pain and fatigue. You can explain it to someone, but they might not understand it if they aren’t going through it themselves. When you suffer from an invisible disease it can be hard to get the people you work with and even your loved ones to understand what you are going through.
It might be difficult to deal with a person who thinks you are lying about having an issue and the way that you feel. You should be ready to encounter those types of people in your life. Some people are just content on hating and putting down things they don’t understand. This is one of those times when you can’t dwell on what other people think, you just have to worry about you. There is unfortunately not enough education out there about these kinds of ailments until someone has to deal with them personally. Maybe one day that will change.
By educating yourself about this extremely painful symptom of fibromyalgia you can be more aware of what’s happening to your body. Once you know what’s going on you can find ways to try and cope with it. There is more and more research being done trying to determine how to prevent, predict, and treat fibromyalgia and costochondritis.
FM radio is about to go the way of VHS tapes and 8-tracks in Norway, where the Minister of Culture has announced plans to transition completely over to digital radio by the year 2017.
According to Gizmodo, the switchover will mark “the end of an era,” as Norway will become the first country to go fully digital with its radio broadcast. On the positive side, the switch to Digital Audio Broadcasting (DAB) will give residents more choices, as their current DAB lineup already has 22 national channels compared to just five FM stations.
The website added that a recent TNS Gallup survey indicates that more than half of the country currently listens to digital radio on a daily basis. While Norway is the first nation to set a firm termination date for FM radio broadcast, similar transitions are also reportedly in the works in both Europe and Southeast Asia.
Cheaper to operate, more options for consumers
In a statement issued last Thursday, the Norwegian government explained that the decision to go full digital within the next two years comes on the heels of a mandate issued by the Storting (the country’s parliament) back in 2011.
They also explained that it cost eight times more to transmit FM radio channels than it will to do so through the DAB network, and that the digitization of Norway’s national radio channels will save the country more than over $25 million (NOK 200 million) annually. That savings, officials explained, will allow for a greater investment in radio content.
“Radio digitization will open the door to a far greater range of radio channels, benefiting listeners across the country,” said Minister of Culture Thorhild Widvey. “Listeners will have access to more diverse and pluralistic radio content, and enjoy better sound quality and new functionality. Digitization will also greatly improve the emergency preparedness system, facilitate increased competition and offer new opportunities for innovation and development.”
She added that the DAB network has capacity for “almost 20 more” channels in addition to its existing 22. The country set a deadline for January 1 of this year to determine if the digital switchover was feasible – meaning that it had to represent added value to listeners, and that there had to be affordable, technically satisfactory available for radio reception in vehicles.
Television shows or computer games that could stimulate emotions in a person through mid-air haptic feedback? While they might sound far-fetched, they might not be so far off, thanks to new research from scientists at the University of Sussex School of Engineering and Informatics.
For instance, by sending short and sharp bursts of air to the area around the thumb, index finger and middle part of the hand, the technology can produce feeling of excitement, according to the researchers. Likewise, slow stimulation of the outer palm and pinky finger produces sadness.
Conveying messages over distances using UltraHaptics
Dr. Obrist explained that the research has “huge potential” when it comes to revolutionizing the way that humans communicate. The device, which is called the UltraHaptics system, would let a couple who had a fight before going their separate ways to reconcile from a distance, by letting a sensation conveyed through a bracelet let one partner know the other is no longer angry.
“A similar technology could be used between parent and baby, or to enrich audio-visual communication in long-distance relationships,” she added in a statement. “It also has huge potential for ‘one-to-many’ communication – for example, dancers at a club could raise their hands to receive haptic stimulation that enhances feelings of excitement and stability.”
The Ultrahaptics system, the developers explain, allows for sensations of touch to be created through the air to stimulate different parts of the hand. One group of individuals participating in a test of the device was asked to create patterns describing emotions associated by a series of images, including a white-water rafting expedition, a graveyard and a burning car.
The participants in that first group were able to manipulate the position, intensity, frequency and duration of those stimulations, while a second group selected the stimulations created by the first group that they felt best described the intended emotions. They chose the best two out of each of the images, coming up with a total of 10 images that were then experienced by a third set of men and women who rated how well the stimulation described each image’s emotions.
Expanding the research to include taste and smell
That third group rated stimulations presented together with the intended image significantly higher when they were presented together, indicating that the emotional meaning was passed along from the first group to the third group successfully. Dr. Obrist has now been awarded a nearly $1.5 million (£1 million) grant to expand her research into taste and smell.
“Relatively soon, we may be able to realise truly compelling and multi-faceted media experiences, such as 9-dimensional TV, or computer games that evoke emotions through taste,” she said. “Longer term, we will be exploring how multi-sensory experiences can benefit people with sensory impairments, including those that are widely neglected in Human-Computer Interaction research, such as a taste disorder.”
A new blood test capable of detecting cancer DNA in a patient could allow oncologists to make sure that a treatment is and continues to be effective, without the need for a traditional biopsy or a CT scan, according to new research published in the journal The Lancet Oncology.
The technique, known as a liquid biopsy, would allow doctors to find evidence of cancer DNA in a patient’s bloodstream, and quickly allow them to abandon find alternatives to failing treatments (potentially reducing harmful side effects), the New York Times reported on Sunday.
“This could change forever the way we follow up not only response to treatments but also the emergence of resistance, and down the line could even be used for really early diagnosis,” Dr. José Baselga, physician in chief and chief medical officer at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center who was not involved in the research, told the newspaper.
Studies have shown the technique can be successful
In the study, researchers from the National Cancer Institute and their colleagues used the method on 126 patients suffering from diffuse large-B-cell lymphoma, and found that the test was able to correctly predict recurrences three-to-five months earlier than possible using a CT scan. Also, the study found that liquid biopsies could identify patients unlikely to respond to treatments.
Similarly, the Los Angeles Times reported on another study, presented by an international team of scientists at the American Association for Cancer Research meeting in Philadelphia this week, found that the liquid biopsy blood test provided doctors with a non-invasive way to determine if some types of lung cancer would respond to treatment with the drug crizotinib.
The method used a simple to see if non-small cell lung cancer would respond to the medication, and the study authors analyzed blood samples from 77 patients with well known mutations. They were able to identify nearly two-thirds of the patients that had what is known as an EML4-ALK fusion gene rearrangement, and their findings appear to support the theory that in some cases, the liquid biopsy method is as effective at detecting cancer biomarkers as traditional biopsies.
Searching for the “bar codes” of cancer DNA
Dr. Levi Garraway of the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute told the New York Times that his lab does not currently use the technique, but said that it was “exciting,” that he and his colleagues were “very interested” in it and that it was “a top priority.”
Sloan Kettering oncologist Dr. David Hyman added that “every cancer has a mutation” that can be tracked using the technique, which he said was “like bar coding the cancer in the blood.” The concept for the test, the newspaper explained, was born out of the discovery that fetuses give off little pieces of DNA into the bloodstreams of their mothers.
As it turned out, all growing cells (even tumor cells) shed these genetic fragments, the Times said, but it is not easy to find them. Attempt to detect them only became truly effective when researchers turned to advanced DNA sequencing techniques and found hundreds of mutations that could act like bar codes for cancer, then developed the technology to find them.
Currently, liquid biopsies allow tumors to be monitored more frequently than is possible with traditional biopsies, and it could potentially be used to find and treat cancer earlier, or to help doctors determine which types of cancer patients require which types of treatments (i.e., which Stage 2 colon cancer patients require chemotherapy along with surgery).
A recent Australian stud showed that only six to eight percent of cancer patients whose blood did not have detectable cancer DNA suffered a recurrence of tumors, the New York Times noted. A new study involving some of those scientists are now investigating further with a random trial of 450 patients, with those who the blood test find have cancer DNA receiving chemotherapy while those who do not receive the liquid biopsy will receive regularly prescribed care.
While its scientific fact that baboons like big butts (and they cannot lie), a new study appearing in the advanced online edition of the journal Animal Behaviour indicates that a sizable posterior is not quite as important to the Old World monkeys as previously believed.
While biologists have long believed that baboon males viewed females with larger rear ends as better potential mothers, a new study of the primates indicates that female fertility may actually play a greater role when it comes to choosing a potential mate, the authors report.
Tracking baboon mating habits
Courtney Fitzpatrick, a researcher at the Duke University Department of Biology in Durham, North Carolina, and her colleagues used a camera technique originally developed to measure elephants and other large animals from a distance to monitor baboon mating habits.
The primates typically breed throughout the year, and mating takes place when the female’s backside is swollen – an indication that she could be ovulating, the researchers explained. Her hindquarters are typically swollen for 10 to 20 days per month, and reaches peak size when she is at her most fertile before shrinking back to normal size, they added.
Fitzpatrick’s team used a digital caliper attached to a telephoto zoom lens to measure how far a female baboon was from her location, then use that information to monitor the size and variation of her swellings. Measurements were collected from 34 female baboons, with their posterior sizes increasing by anywhere from 4.0 to 6.5 inches as they approached ovulation.
Bigger isn’t necessarily better
They combined those size measurements with long-term data on the offspring of each female, and after controlling for factors such as age and rank, they would that those baboons with bigger backsides are not necessarily better mothers. That conclusion was based in part on the fact that females with larger keisters did not necessarily produce more surviving offspring.
Furthermore, Fitzpatrick and her associates also recorded male courtship behaviors when females were swollen, and found that those males were no more likely to be attracted to larger-bottomed females than smaller-bottomed ones. Instead of instinctively going for the larger posteriors, male baboons actually preferred females that had more cycles since last becoming pregnant.
Female baboons, like humans, do not immediately resume ovulation right after giving birth, and until they do, they are less likely to become pregnant. The observations appear to suggest that the male baboons are deeper than biologists initially gave them credit for, and that they aren’t merely attracted to the size of a potential mate’s posterior.
“It’s almost as if the males are counting. Our study suggests that, at least in part, males follow a rule along the lines of ‘later is better’ rather than ‘bigger is better,’” Fitzpatrick said. She and her colleagues now plant to see if females mate with more males after they’ve had a higher number of postpartum menstrual cycles, and if that increases their offspring’s survival rates.
Pregnant women who deal with extreme bouts of morning sickness are three times more likely to give birth to babies that have attention-related, speech or other neurological conditions, scientists from UCLA’s David Geffen School of Medicine report in a new study.
Writing in the online early edition of the European Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology and Reproductive Biology, first author Marlena Fejzo, a research faculty member in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, and her colleagues found a link between in utero exposure to an extreme form of morning and neurologic developmental outcomes throughout childhood.
The study, which is the first to specifically look at the condition called Hyperemesis Gravidarum and neurologic outcomes in youngsters, established that the link was the strongest in women who started experiencing symptoms prior to five weeks gestation, UCLA said in a statement.
Investigating the effects of HG on unborn children
The cause of HG is unknown, but the researchers describe its symptoms as “intense.” Among those symptoms, the authors explained, are continuous nausea and vomiting so violent that they can cause an expectant mother’s retinas to become detached, her eardrums to become blown, her ribs to crack and her esophagus to tear. Those symptoms often last for several months.
In their study, Fejzo and her colleagues looked at 312 children from 203 mothers who reported experiencing HG between 2007 and 2011, and compared them to 169 kids who were born to 89 mothers that did not suffer from the condition. They found that the HG children were more likely to suffer from attention and sensory disorders, as well as learning, speech and linguistic delays.
The women in the study experienced nausea and vomiting so severe that they had lost at least five pounds, and became dehydrated to the point where they needed to be administered fluids via IV, the researchers said. Children exposed in utero to severe morning sickness had a 3.28-fold increased risk of neurodevelopmental delays, Fejzo said, but the mechanism for exposure to HG and the resulting neurological development problems have not yet been identified.
Fejzo noted that the findings illustrate that it is important for expectant mothers and their doctors to take the condition seriously so that they can get the proper nutritional support. On the positive side, no link between the medications typically used to treat HG and neurodevelopmental delays was discovered, meaning that the likely cause is nutrient deficiency during early pregnancy.
Should pregnant women with morning sickness be worried?
One thing that Fejzo emphasized is that there is a big difference between regular morning sickness and HG, and that most mothers shouldn’t be concerned. The women featured in the study were losing weight and required IV fluids for dehydration, she told redOrbit via email, while women with normal morning sickness that do not require treatment such as medication or intravenous fluids do not have an increased risk to their unborn children.
“Women with HG have a high recurrence risk (around 80 percent), so women who have had HG should have a plan in place in their next pregnancy to be sure to get adequate fluids and vitamins, especially if symptoms start very early,” she explained. “Babies born to moms with HG should be tested early for neurodevelopmental delay because early intervention may help.”
“The biggest risk factor for HG besides having a previous pregnancy with HG, is having a sibling with HG,” which increases the risk by 17 times, the professor told redOrbit. “Therefore it is likely that there are genes that predispose to HG. We have collected saliva samples and are analyzing the genes of women and families with HG and comparing them to genes from women with normal nausea/vomiting in pregnancy.”
“We have performed exome sequencing on 10 families with HG,” Fejzo concluded. “So far we have found some evidence that mutations in genes involved in kidney and liver health may be linked to HG, but we have more work to do to show that HG may be caused by problems in filtering out the high levels of toxic hormone byproducts in early pregnancy.”
Georgia Regents Medical Center COO Steven Scott joins Hospital 100 Advisory Board
Written By: admin
Georgia Regents Medical Center COO Steven Scott joins Hospital 100 Advisory Board
Norwalk, CT (PRWEB) April 19, 2015
The Hospital 100 Leadership & Strategy Conference announced today that Steven M. Scott, COO of Georgia Regents Medical Center, a 478-bed acute care adult not-for-profit hospital center and a 154-bed Children's Hospital, has been named to its Advisory Board, effective immediately.
Scott is the latest senior executive to join the fifteen-person Board. The mission of the Advisory Board is to guide the education program at Hospital 100 to ensure that it addresses the most relevant issues facing today's hospital and health system leadership.
"I'm very honored to be on the board of an organization that truly understands what it takes to move healthcare forward," said Scott. "To be most effective, hospital leaders must get in front of the issues that are changing healthcare, and Hospital 100 creates the perfect platform to help them accomplish this."
Scott begins his role as advisor for the annual Hospital 100 Leadership and Strategy Conference, which is scheduled for this fall (October 19 to 21, 2015, at the Ritz Carlton Key Biscayne, Miami).
The ACHE-accredited Hospital 100 conference is the annual gathering of C-level leaders at hospitals and health systems from across the nation. During three days of education, networking and meetings, Hospital 100 provides insights and solutions to the most critical strategic issues influencing hospitals and health systems today. Attendance at Hospital 100 is invitation only and is limited to 100 provider organizations. http://www.Hospital100.com
A new study from the University of Pittsburgh has found that a broccoli sprout extract can actually protect against deadly oral cancers in mice and could be a therapeutic remedy for human patients.
Presented at the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) meeting in Philadelphia this week, the new study will form the basis of clinical trials to be conducted later this year.
Speaking with redOrbit, study author Dr. Julie Bauman said that the study focused on caused by smoking and other ‘environmental’ factors.
“We are looking at a model of environmental carcinogenesis,” said Bauman, co-director of the UPMC Head and Neck Cancer Center of Excellence. “So this is related to cancers that are driven by tobacco, alcohol and there’s overlap with other environmental carcinogens, such as air pollution.”
“People who are cured of head and neck cancer are still at very high risk for a second cancer in their mouth or throat, and, unfortunately, these second cancers are commonly fatal,” Bauman also noted in a press release. “So we’re developing a safe, natural molecule found in cruciferous vegetables to protect the oral lining where these cancers form.”
All hail sulforaphane
In the study, researchers provided mice genetically-predisposed to cancer with a high concentration of sulforaphane – a compound found in broccoli and other vegetable that past studies have shown can have a positive effect against cancer. The team found that it markedly lowered the incidence and numbers of tumors in mice.
The team also gave 10 healthy volunteers fruit juice mixed with sulforaphane-rich extract and saw that volunteers had no negative effects from the extract. They also saw that the extract was absorbed and sent to at-risk oral tissues.
The upcoming clinical trial is expected to include 40 participants who have been successfully treated for head and neck cancer. The volunteers will routinely take capsules containing broccoli seed powder to figure out if they can accept the regimen and if it has enough of an effect on their oral lining to protect against cancer. After that, larger clinical trials might be warranted.
Bauman told redOrbit that the research is part of the effort toward “green chemoprevention”, where seed preparations or plant extracts are used to prevent disease.
“There’s this move toward green chemoprevention in the spirit preventing cancer and there is an increasing interest in food-based products, such as sulforophane, in higher doses to therapeutically treat cancer,” she said. “Although that’s very in its development.”
Hold your horses
For those of you thinking about running out and grabbing some sulforaphane supplements, Bauman noted that her research involved a highly-refined form of the compound, which isn’t the same as products available on store shelves.
“Because it’s a clinical trial and it’s subject to very high quality assurance and quality control criteria, and we need to know exactly what we’re giving – it’s not available for commercial use,” she said.
She added that the extract is known for its unpleasant taste and proclivity for causing flatulence.
Sleepwalking. It is a term we hear often but don’t understand very much about. A lot of commentators have said that we might be sleepwalking towards a new Cold War with Russia, but clearly they didn’t realize that that could also involve having sleep sex, eating without knowing it and ending up in a river with our PJs on. It would make for a hell of a UN summit.
He told us that: “Sleepwalking emerges from what is called non-REM, or slow-wave sleep, when electrical rhythms are slowest in the brain. This is why sleepwalkers have no recall of the sleepwalking event. We see the same lack of recall in children who experience sleep terrors, even though they appear to be wide awake when the terrors are taking place.”
Sleepwalking is common, but most common in children
In fact, Dr. Wickwire explains, “Sleepwalking is common, occurring in up to 17 percent of children and 4 percent of adults. It’s important to realize that most people grow out of sleepwalking before they reach adulthood.”
In September 2014, the BBC reported that a four-year-old Norwegian girl sleepwalked over 3 miles (5km) to a nearby town on a stormy night, wearing just her underwear and a pair of thin boots. Fortunately, she was unharmed.
Interestingly, Dr. Wickwire also told us that sleepwalking tends to run in families.
So what causes it? “Genetics, insufficient sleep, and stress all appear to predict parasomnia events,” Dr. Wickwire says. “Sleepwalking is considered a parasomnia, a specific kind of sleep disorder that involves movement or acting out behaviors during sleep. Different parts of the brain can be more or less awake or asleep at any time, and parasomnias occur when a part of the brain that should be asleep is actually awake.”
I dreamed I was drowning, and I was
Unconscious activity while sleeping may only affect 4 percent of adults, but when it does it can have some serious consequences.
In 2012, ABC News reported that Alyson Bair of Idaho was having a nightmare that she was drowning, but that when she woke up, she was actually drowning. She was in a river near to her home.
“I thought I was dreaming, but then I realized I wasn’t and I was scared,” Bair said. “It was deep and I couldn’t touch anywhere and I was getting tired. I had to keep turning around and floating on my back.” She suffered a similar episode just two weeks later.
Sleep sex
According to Wikipedia, “In 1907, Sigmund Freud spoke about sleepwalking to the Vienna Psychoanalytic Society (Nunberg and Federn). He believed that sleepwalking was connected to fulfilling sexual wishes.” What a surprise.
But although Fraud appears to blame sex for everything and all sleepwalking is not related to it, there can occasionally be a sexual element.
Michael Mangan, PhD, an adjunct professor of psychology at the University of New Hampshire in Durham and author of the e-published book, Sleepsex: Uncovered, writes on his site sleepsex.org that:
Sleepsex, “sleep sex” or “sexsomnia” or “SBS” is sexual behavior that occurs during sleep. Some people seem to enjoy it and view it with a sense of humor. However, it can be disturbing, annoying, embarrassing and is a potentially serious problem for some couples and individuals.
He estimates that sleep sex could affect 1 percent of the population.
Sleep eating
WebMD says that although it is not as common as sleepwalking, nocturnal sleep-related eating disorder (NS-RED) can occur during sleepwalking. People with this disorder eat while they are asleep. They often walk into the kitchen and prepare food without a recollection for having done so, and if this happens often enough they put themselves at risk of weight gain and other health consequences.
Sleep driving
Some people who sleep-eat even cook the food that they are preparing. This is not the only complex task that sleepwalkers perform, and it is worth bearing in mind that having the eyes open is a common feature.
In 2013, the BBC reported that: “New Zealand police are seeking an order to stop a woman from driving, amid concerns that she had driven hundreds of miles while asleep, even sending text messages along the way.”
She was found slumped at the wheel at a house she once lived in, and told police she had no memory of her trip. Police said most of the text messages she had sent were incoherent.
A sleep expert told the BBC that although her story stretched credulity to the limits, it was not impossible, and that while there had been cases of “sleep driving”, “sleep texting” is not so common.
Fortunately, most sleepwalkers do not get beyond the bedroom, and Dr. Wickwire told us that: “To protect the sleeper, the most important thing to do is ensure a safe bedroom environment.”
There are also treatments available for those who feel that the kinds of nocturnal behavior described above are problematic, and lifestyle changes can help. Finally, the consensus is that sleepwalkers should be guided back to bed, but not woken.
During a session with the US House Committee on Science, Space and Technology on Thursday, NASA administrator Charles Bolden said that he expected the agency will not only be the first to land a person on Mars, but that no other organization could do so without their help.
When asked about the possibilities of SpaceX, Mars One, or another entity beating NASA to the punch, Bolden bluntly responded that “no commercial company” would be able to make it to the Red Planet “without the support of NASA” and the US government, according to reports.
Reliance on third parties would compromise the mission
NASA is currently on pace to send its first manned mission to Mars in 2030, while Forbes noted that SpaceX has announced that it is hoping to land a human there as early as the mid-2020s, and Tech Times pointed out that the Mars One project intends to have a colony set up by 2027.
SpaceX CEO Elon Musk stated last June that he was “hopeful” that people would take their first step on Mars in 10 to 12 years, and that it was essential to create “a self-sustaining city” there. It is a goal shared by Bas Landsorp, who founded Mars One in 2012 with the goal of setting up the first permanent human colony, though some have called those plans unfeasible.
In his comments, Bolden unequivocally stated that neither project would be successful without the support and resources of the space agency and the federal government. Furthermore, he said that relying on a third party would delay the mission’s progress, The Guardian added.
Ultimate focus is journey to Mars
During the meeting, the NASA administrator also answered questions about projects such as NASA’s climate-related research, the upcoming James Webb Space Telescope, plans to send a probe to Jupiter’s moon Europa, and the Asteroid Relocation Mission (ARM) – all of which will play a role in the ultimate goal of sending a manned mission to the Red Planet.
“Our ultimate focus is the journey to Mars and everything comes back to that,” Bolden told lawmakers. “We need to understand Mars and what happened to it to understand what might happen to Earth,” citing the notion that the planet may have once been home to a large ocean of liquid water, and could have even been habitable in the past before losing its atmosphere.
He told representatives that the agency’s work in recent years has been about developing the technology that will be needed to allow humans to make a round-trip journey to Mars, and that ARM (which involves taking a piece of an asteroid and place it in orbit around the moon) will serve as a proving ground for some of the advances that will play key roles in the voyage.
The administrator also pointed out that NASA wasn’t investing so much time and money in the trip to Mars out of mere curiosity. He emphasized that humanity has a need to “get away from being Earth-reliant” and become “Earth-independent,” Forbes added, and since Mars is “the planet that is most like Earth,” it will be able to “sustain life when humans get there.”
Chuck Bednar for redOrbit.com – @BednarChuck
Forget age-defying creams or botox injections – the key to becoming more beautiful and looking younger can apparently found in a new type of beer currently being marketed in Japan.
According to Discovery News, this alcoholic fountain of youth is known as Precious and is made by Suntory, an Osaka-based brewing and distilling company group originally founded in 1899. It is currently only available in Japan’s northern island of Hokkaido.
Sorry, Smaegol, not that Precious.
So how is beer supposed to make you look younger?
As the website explains, each can of Precious (which is being marketed primarily to women) contains two grams of collagen, a protein that is found in collective tissues. As a person grows older, his or her supply of the substance is reduced, which can cause wrinkles to appear.
Some believe that collagen can counter those effects and make an individual’s skin smoother and younger in appearance. This belief is especially popular in Japan, where women frequently use collagen-rich powders and supplements in order to appear more attractive, explained Discovery News. Suntory is obviously looking to capitalize on that market with Precious.
While these claims may be met with some skepticism, the website explained that a clinical study published last year in the journal Skin Pharmacology and Physiology found that women who had used 2.5 grams of a bioactive collagen peptide product (known by the brand name Verisol) once per day reported a decrease in skin wrinkles around the eyes after an eight-week period. We asked experts: would something like this actually work? Dr. Tory Hagen, a professor in the Oregon State University Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics as well as principal investigator as well as the Helen P. Rumbel Professor for Healthy Aging Research at the Linus Pauling Institute, said that he was unfamiliar with Precious and does not specialize in skin aging, but that it depended on the type of collagen being used.
“With age, collagen tends to break and aggregate, which has led to the concept of using collagen supplements, especially as a cosmetic for wrinkles,” he told redOrbit via email. However, since it is a protein that is usually broken down into its constituent amino acids inside the gastrointestinal tract, “the effectiveness of collagen supplements has been called into question.”
“Therefore, the bioavailability of collagen from the diet is a real concern,” Dr. Hagen added, noting that this is why dermatologists tend to use it in wrinkle creams. “Moreover, as collagen is normally synthesized where needed, even if collagen were to remain intact, it is… questionable whether collagen from supplements are effectively routed to target areas.”
In the Verisol trial, the collagen peptide was found to have improved bioavailability and slightly improved the appearance of wrinkling, he said. If those findings can be confirmed by larger and more definitive studies, they may prove that collagen has some benefits for skin elasticity. For now, however, he said it is “premature” to gauge “the long term efficacy” of the product.
As for Precious itself, since he lacked a working knowledge of the product itself, the professor explained that he was “not sure whether providing 2g of ‘collagen’ in beer will be any more than just a marketing gimmick at this point. It depends on the type of ‘collagen’ being supplied, and its effectiveness for being taken up into the body and routed to target areas.” Judi Bonilla, a gerontologist affiliated with the group Advocates for Aging, told redOrbit that she believed the odds of collagen beer working were “a moonshot… With products like this, I want to see the research.” Instead, she recommends that people “drink plenty of water, walk 30 minutes a day, and surround [themselves] with friends who see [their] beauty.” For more on beer and collagen, check out our recent article with Dr. Charles Price: “Drinking beer is good for your bones“.
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Whatever happened to ‘The World’s Loneliest Whale?’
It’s calls were first detected by US Navy hydrophones in the Pacific Ocean in 1989, and experts are unclear whether or not it’s a new species or even if it’s a male or a female. So what happened to the mysterious creature dubbed “the loneliest whale in the world?”
The creature, which has a significantly higher-pitched song that blue whales or fin whales, hasn’t been heard from since 2004. In fact, it might not even still be alive, according to BBC Earth. But that’s not keeping filmmakers, whale researchers, and others from continuing the search.
Discovering and tracking the mysterious creature
When the Navy’s SOSUS hydrophone array first picked up the whale songs, they were described as being similar in nature to blue whales, which sing between 10Hz and 40Hz. However, some of the song’s notes were at a frequency of 52Hz, equivalent to a low bass note to human ears but far higher in pitch than both blue whales and fin whales (which sing as 20Hz).
One of the experts most involved in trying to track down the creature was William Watkins, a marine mammal researcher at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution in Massachusetts. Watkins passed away at the age of 78 in 2004, but prior to his death, he published his findings in the journal Deep Sea Research Part I: Oceanographic Research Papers.
“A unique whale call with 50-52 Hz emphasis from a single source has been tracked over 12 years in the central and eastern North Pacific,” Watkins wrote in his paper. “No other calls with similar characteristics have been identified in the acoustic data from any hydrophone system in the North Pacific basin. Only one series of these 52-Hz calls has been recorded at a time, with no call overlap, suggesting that a single whale produced the calls.”
“The species producing these calls is unknown,” he added. The creature’s tracks varied from one year to another, varied in length from 708km to 11,062km and ranged in speed from 0.7 km/h to 3.8 km/h. It “consistently appeared to be unrelated to the presence or movement of other whale species (blue, fin and humpback) monitored year-round with the same hydrophones.”
Filmmaker’s search for the elusive “lonely whale”
Based largely on Watkins’ description of the creature as a unique whale species, the mass media began portraying the creature as a lonely animal, BBC Earth said. But was it, really? That’s what US filmmaker Josh Zeman and actor Adrian Grenier are apparently trying to find out, as the duo is planning to produce a new crowd sourced documentary about the whale.
According to the project’s Kickstarter page, Zeman and Grenier are planning to team up with a team of scientists to track down the creature during an expedition this fall in which they can find and film the mysterious creature. They have successfully raised over $400,000 towards a goal of just $300,000, thanks to the support of environmental groups and actor Leonardo DiCaprio.
The filmmakers said that they are hoping to study the creature, which they call a hybrid whale, and others like it by tagging them with high-tech, non-invasive sound technologies to collect data on the whale they’re calling ‘52 Hz.’ To accomplish this, they and a team of oceanographers and bio-acousticians plan to launch on a 20-day expedition 400 miles off the California coast.
However, some, including Christopher W. Clark. Director of the Cornell University Bioacoustics Research Program (BRP), are criticizing the filmmakers’ approach. Clark, who recorded the 52 Hz whale in 1993, explained that previous studies have uncovered dialects in some groups of whales, and that the creature is “not completely mind-bogglingly unique,” and rejects the notion that it’s call cannot be heard or understood by regular blue whales.
Whales are going through puberty
In addition, John Hildebrand of the Scripps Institution of Oceanography in California told BBC Earth that the whale no longer actually calls at 52 Hz, and in fact has not for several years. The creature’s song has grown deeper gradually, and while it has been a few years since it has been caught on tape, it is believed to be closer to 47 Hz today, the website explained.
In 2009, Hildebrand published a study that indicates that other whales have also been part of this growing trend. Since the 1960s, the pitches of blue whale songs have been growing increasingly deeper. While experts aren’t certain why the whales are changing their calls, it does indicate that there is a possible link between the 52Hz whale and blue whales, and that the “world’s loneliest whale” could be a hybrid species – meaning it might not be so lonely after all.
In addition to Zeman and Grenier, researchers at WHOI are also picking up where Watkins left off, trying to track down the 52 Hz whale for the first time in more than a decade. Until then, we are left to wonder exactly what type of creature it is, whether or not it is actually a hybrid, if it’s even still alive, and whether or not it really is “the world’s loneliest whale.”
At least 18 people have died and several others have fallen ill with a mysterious illness that first started sweeping through southwestern Nigeria last week, and both local medical experts and the World Health Organization are now scrambling to try to identify the ailment.
The disease, which was first reported in the the Ondo state of the country, is reportedly marked by blurred vision, weight loss, headache and a loss of consciousness. All of the victims died less than 24 hours after first reporting symptoms, and laboratory tests conducted thus far eliminated Ebola as a possible cause of the illness, according to BBC News.
Officials have reported that the outbreak started in the Ondo state’s Ode-Irele town, and WHO spokesman Gregory Hartl has told reporters that those affected first started showing symptoms between April 13 and April 15. The disease appears to be attacking the central nervous system, state health commissioner Dayo Adeyanju told Nigeria’s Premium Times.
Alcoholic beverages, herbicides may be to blame
CNN.com reported that some are suspecting that locally brewed alcohol may be the cause of the illness, but that the WHO had send blood, urine and spinal fluid samples to a university in Lagos for tests. Those tests have ruled out infections resulting from viruses or bacteria, the website said, and doctors now plan to conduct toxicological tests on one of the victims.
Sky News quotes Adeyanju as stating that the mysterious ailment is “’neither contagious nor epidemic,” and that his team’s investigations “revealed that the victims, who are commercial motorcyclists, gathered at some local joints to (drink) alcoholic substances mixed with roots and some other local herbs on the evening of the outbreak of the disease.”
Another possible cause is herbicides, WHO spokesman Gregory Hartl said via social media, the International Business Times noted. Nigeria’s government banned the sale of 30 commonly-used agricultural chemicals in 2008 after learning that they could cause fatal food poisoning. At that time, the country’s food and drug agency recommended only using chemicals that had been specifically approved by the government, the media outlet added.
In addition to the 18 people who died as a result of the condition, five others survived but have gone blind, Adeyanju added. Ondo State officials have created an emergency response task team aimed at investigating the cause of the illness, and are working along with the WHO and the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to confirm the cause.
A scientific expedition carrying out research in the Gulf of Mexico last Tuesday got a very big surprise (both literally and figuratively) when their robotic submarine captured rare footage of a typically reclusive sperm whale swimming laps around its cameras.
According to BBC News, the submarine was travelling approximately 600 meters (nearly 2,000 feet) below the surface when the curious creature got so close to its cameras that scars on its nose believed to be caused by a boat’s propeller were clearly visible in the footage.
An amazing encounter caught on videotape
The encounter took place off of the coast of Louisiana, where National Geographic Explorer-in-Residence Robert Ballard and the crew of his research vessel, the E/V Nautilus, were conducting research. During the expedition, one member of the crew first spotted the whale on the surface.
“I walked out on deck just in time to see a spout and a tail breach…my first whale! And then, moments later, he was 2,000 feet down,” E/V Nautilus media consultant Susan Poulton said to National Geographic. At that point, the large male sperm whale was recorded circling the ship’s remote operating vehicle known as Hercules, the website noted.
“It was probably one of the most amazing moments we’ve ever had on this ship,” she added. “It happened in the middle of a lightning storm, with communication internally down, but the entire ship was jumping, cheering, and gathering around the monitors.”
Male sperm whales: solitary predators, vulnerable prey
Male sperm whales are among the fiercest predators in the seas, and while females and their young typically live in pods of up to 20, the adult males often lead solitary lives, according to Nat Geo. They consume nearly one ton of fish and squid per day and travel through large areas of ocean in search of more prey.
Sperm whales which can hold their breath for up to 90 minutes at a time, are hunted for an oily substance known as spermaceti. They are considered vulnerable by conservationists, the website added, and often become caught in fishing nets or injured in collisions with boats. At this point, the sperm whale population is estimated to be in the hundreds of thousands.
Humans may not be the only primates that are sometimes involved in the “world’s oldest profession,” as some experts believe that chimpanzees also participate in a form of prostitution – though instead of money changing hands, food is the currency featured in those transactions.
According to National Geographic, female chimps typically go five to six years between giving birth, one of the longest spans in any mammal species. Rather than sex, their minds are focused more on food, which can lead males to try and bribe them using capture prey or stolen crops.
Male chimp pick-up lines work better with papaya
As University of New Mexico primatologist Melissa Emery Thompson told the website, female chimps will mate with “most or all of the males she knows” in order to increase the odds that she will reproduce. Males, conversely, will try to fight or compete with other potential sires.
A 2007 study published in the journal PLOS One found that female West African chimps were more likely to have relations with a male that gave her stolen papayas, prompting lead author and Oxford Brookes University postdoctoral student Kimberley Hockings to suggest that the male was giving the fruit to “reproductively cycling females” in exchange for “other currencies.”
In the absence of long-term data linking food sharing to male reproductive success, Hockings and her colleagues said that their observations revealed that the food-for-sex trade was likely as a male that shared fruit with a reproductive-age female “engaged in more consortships with her and received more grooming from her than the other adult males, even the alpha male.”
But could the males be doing more harm than good?
However, other researchers, including Emery Thompson, aren’t buying the food-for-sex theory. She told Nat Geo that people like to latch onto the theory because it is somewhat scandalous, but that her research has uncovered a vastly different link between food and reproductive behavior.
In a December 2014 Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology paper, Emery Thompson and her co-authors assert that the presence of males wanting to mate with her reduces the ability of a female East African chimpanzee to forage and feed, reducing her fertility and the chances of producing new members of her endangered species.
They studied chimps in the Kibale National Park in Uganda for more than a decade, and found that the availability of sexually receptive females played a key role in how many males were in the parties, and that those females “experienced significantly lower C-peptide of insulin levels, indicative of reduced energy balance, during periods when they associated with more males.”
“C-peptide levels positively and significantly predicted female ovarian steroid production, indicating that the costs of associating with males can lead to downstream reproductive costs,” the authors continued, concluding that “large groupings that allow males to compete for mating opportunities” inflict “energetic and reproductive costs on females.”
Later this week, stargazers will be able to view the annual Lyrid meteor shower at its peak, as experts are predicting that the oldest-known meteor shower in the universe will offer viewers 10 to 20 meteors per hour on Wednesday and/or Thursday mornings.
The Lyrids, which are typically the first meteor shower of the year to provide good opportunities for viewing, are active from about April 16 through April 25 each year. In 2015, the shower will peak on the morning of either April 22 or April 23 and last less than one full day.
Here’s what you need to know about the Lyrids
The Slooh Community Observatory, which will host a live stream of the event on Wednesday, explained that this is a promising year for the Lyrids, because the moon will be a slender waxing crescent and will not obscure the view, according to the International Business Times.
The Lyrids have been observed for the past 2,600 years, and in previous years, outbursts of over 100 meteors per hour have been observed (most recently in the US in 1982). No such outburst is expected this year, but according to EarthSky. since meteor showers are “notorious” for defying even “the most careful predictions… an outburst of Lyrid meteors is always a possibility.”
The strongest annual meteor shower created from the debris of a long-period comet, the Lyrids have a relatively short orbital period of approximately 415 years and are created from the debris of Comet Thatcher (C/1861 G1). Those dust and rock fragments hit the upper atmosphere of the Earth at speeds of over 100,000 mph, becoming vaporized and turning into fireballs.
And here’s where you can go to watch the meteor shower
According to EarthSky, no special equipment is needed to view the Lyrids (or any other meteor shower, for that matter). You just need to find a spot that has little pollution from artificial light where you can see the dark, open sky, then sit back and enjoy the show!
Alternatively, several places in the US and UK are also offering viewing events, according to the International Business Times. In the States, those venues include Cherry Springs State Park in Pennsylvania; the Carl Schurz Park in New York; Death Valley National Park in California; Kitt Peak National Observatory near Tucson, Arizona; Bryce Canyon in Utah; the Hickory Knolls Discovery Center in Illinois; and Big Bend National Park in Texas.
UK locations listed by the website include the WaterWorks Nature Reserve in London; Heaton Park in Manchester; Warley Woods in Birmingham; Northumberland National Park in Newcastle; Brecon Beacons in Cardiff; Oxford Island National Nature Reserve in Belfast; and the Royal Observatory in the Hermitage of Braid in Edinburgh.
The bacterial flora of a remote tribe of Yanomami Amerindians discovered in 2009 after being isolated from other people for over 11,000 years have antibiotic resistant genes, according to a new study published Friday in the journal Scientific Advances.
Resistance to antibiotics despite lack of exposure
The Yanomami Amerindian tribe was found in a remote mountainous regions located in southern Venezuela six years ago, and since they had been isolated from other civilizations for such a long period of time, they possessed one of the most diverse bacterial floras ever seen in humans.
The microbial populations found in those people were said to be far more diverse than residents of the US and Europe, a team of researchers from the New York University School of Medicine and other universities reported in the study.
“This was an ideal opportunity to study how the connections between microbes and humans evolve when free of modern society’s influences,” Dr. Gautam Dantas, one of the study’s authors and an associate professor of pathology and immunology at Washington University, explained in a statement. “Such influences include international travel and exposure to antibiotics.”
While analyzing those tribespeople, Erica Pehrsson, a graduate student in Dr. Dantas’ lab, found genes that conveyed antibiotic resistance in bacteria found on their skin, and in their mouths and intestines as well – even though they had been long isolated from other cultures.
“These people had no exposure to modern antibiotics; their only potential intake of antibiotics could be through the accidental ingestion of soil bacteria that make naturally occurring versions of these drugs,” said Pehrsson. “Yet we were able to identify several genes in bacteria from their fecal and oral samples that deactivate natural, semi-synthetic, and synthetic drugs.”
Did the microbes gain a natural resistance to antibiotics?
Dr. Dantas, Pehrsson explained that bacterial resistances to antibiotics began thousands of years before people started using the antimicrobial to combat infections. This was when soil bacteria started producing natural antibiotics to kill off competition, and targeted microbes began developing genetic defenses through a process known as horizontal gene transfer.
While the process of gaining antibiotic resistance has accelerated over the years due to the heavy, widespread prescription of the medicine, making it harder to treat, it is not a recent phenomenon. The authors also added that the microbiomes of people in industrialized countries are roughly 40 percent less diverse than those found in the Yanomami Amerindians.
“Our results bolster a growing body of data suggesting a link between, on one hand, decreased bacterial diversity, industrialized diets, and modern antibiotics, and on the other, immunological and metabolic diseases – such as obesity, asthma, allergies and diabetes, which have dramatically increased since the 1970s,” senior author Dr. Maria Dominguez-Bello explained.
“We believe there is something occurring in the environment during the past 30 years that has been driving these diseases, and we think the microbiome could be involved,” Dr. Dominguez-Bello, an associate professor of medicine at the NYU Langone Medical Center, noted. Their research suggests that there may be a link between modern antibiotics, diets in industrialized parts of the world, and a reduced diversity in the human microbiome, she added.
The discovery of a genetic mutation that can cause pulmonary hypertension in cattle grazed at high altitudes could shed new light on lung diseases affecting humans, according to new research published earlier this week in the journal Nature Communications.
The newly discovered genetic variants in cattle could help explain why some people struggle at sea level and higher altitudes, John Newman, Elsa S. Hanigan Professor of Pulmonary Medicine at VU and first author of the study, explained Wednesday in a statement.
When the lung experiences the phenomenon known as hypoxia, or deprivation of oxygen supply, the blood vessels of the lung constrict. Over an extended period of time in these conditions, those blood vessels become muscularized, causing high blood pressure or hypertension in the lung.
Lowland cattle can develop pulmonary hypertension after being at high altitude over the course of six to 12 months, they added, and brisket disease (right heart failure) develops when the heart fails to pump against the high pulmonary blood pressure. The condition is fatal unless the cows are moved to lower altitudes, and this causes millions of dollars worth of cattle to die each year.
“About 20 percent of cattle moved from lowland herds to high plains pastures develop high altitude pulmonary hypertension – they get short of breath, and eventually have right heart failure if it’s not caught and the cattle returned to low altitude,” Dr. James West, an associate professor of medicine at Vanderbilt co-author of the study, told redOrbit via email. “It’s called brisket disease because the heart failure leads to edema and swelling in the brisket region.”
Discovering the genetic causes of brisket disease in cattle
Dr. Newman was part of a VU team that first identified mutations in a gene called BMPR2 that act as the genetic basis for familiar pulmonary hypertension in humans 15 years ago. Shortly after that discovery, he said that he predicted that they would be able to use the same approach to find the gene responsible for causing brisket disease in cattle.
He and his Vanderbilt colleagues joined forces with Timothy Holt of Colorado State University, an expert on brisket disease, to seek out the genetic causes of the disorder. Hold evaluated herds of cattle for pulmonary hypertension and sent blood samples to VU, where DNA was extracted and analyzed.
The researchers found that the majority of the cattle with high-altitude pulmonary hypertension had a double mutation in the gene HIF2alpha, which expresses hypoxia inducible factor. At low altitudes, this protein is constantly degraded and has no effect on the cattle. However, it activates in a hypoxic environment in order to help battle the physiological effects of low oxygen.
Brisket disease “has been a problem throughout the history of high plains cattle ranching, and has been studied intensively for more than fifty years,” Dr. West told redOrbit. “This study shows that the problem is mostly, but not entirely, linked to a variant in an oxygen sensing gene, which causes the animals to have excessive reaction to the lower oxygen levels at high altitude.”
“Since it’s a simple variant, it can be easily added to the battery of variants many cattle producers already use to test for genetically known traits in their herds – it will cost cattlemen essentially nothing to add this to the list of traits they know about their cattle, and can potentially save them money by keeping their cattle healthy,” he added.
Raising the ‘steaks’: Benefits for all
The mutation discovered in the cattle makes the protein resistant to degradation, the researchers discovered, leading to excessive pulmonary hypertension. The VU group is now developing a new test that will help ranchers determine which cows have this mutation so that they can keep those cattle from being transported to higher altitudes.
The study, which was supported in part by grants from the National Institutes of Health, could reduce the prevalence of brisket disease and prevent costly losses of stock. In addition, it might be beneficial in treating ailments caused by a similar variant in humans, the authors noted.
“We’ve actually done a little preliminary looking for whether or not variants in this gene is an issue in human pulmonary hypertension,” Dr. West explained to redOrbit via email. “It looks like it may be an issue in humans extremely rarely, and so in a personalized medicine sense it could be important for those specific patients, but more broadly understanding that this is part of how lungs adapt to lowered oxygen will be important to preserving health in humans with lung diseases like COPD.”
An in-depth search for advanced extraterrestrial civilizations has come up empty, as a team of astronomers searched 100,000 galaxies and found no evidence that there are any alien societies belonging to Wookies, Klingons, or Sontarans out there in outer space. No Wookies?! We are trying to hold back our tears.
The researchers, led by Penn State University assistant professor of astronomy and astrophysics Jason T. Wright, studied data from NASA’s Wide-Field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE) space telescope in search of unexpectedly high levels of mid-infrared radiation.
Out of 100,000 galaxies imaged, only 50 of them had levels that appeared to be too high. Further investigation, however, found no obvious signs of activity that could be attributed to advanced civilizations, they wrote in The Astrophysical Journal Supplement Series.
No signs of intelligent life anywhere
The idea behind the research, Wright explained, “is that, if an entire galaxy had been colonized by an advanced spacefaring civilization, the energy produced by that civilization’s technologies would be detectable in mid-infrared wavelengths – exactly the radiation that the WISE satellite was designed to detect for other astronomical purposes.”
Wright, who conceived of and initiated the research, and his colleagues, based their work on a hypothesis proposed in the 1960s. This claimed that advanced extraterrestrial civilizations could be located by tracking their mid-infrared emissions. However, before WISE, there was no way to make the sensitive measurements of this radiation required to do so.
Roger Griffith, a postgraduate researcher at Penn State and the lead author of the paper, reviewed nearly the entire catalog of the satellite’s detections for objects consistent with galaxies that were emitting too much mid-infrared radiation. Griffith selected 100,000 promising candidates, and of those, 50 had unusually high levels of mid-infrared radiation, but no obvious signs of aliens.
Don’t give up hope just yet, however
Wright explained that follow-up studies of those galaxies could reveal if that radiation is the result of natural astronomical processes or some other cause, adding that the non-detection of any obvious alien-inhabited galaxies is in and of itself an interesting finding.
“Our results mean that, out of the 100,000 galaxies that WISE could see in sufficient detail, none of them is widely populated by an alien civilization using most of the starlight in its galaxy for its own purposes,” he said. “That’s interesting because these galaxies are billions of years old, which should have been plenty of time for them to have been filled with alien civilizations, if they exist. Either they don’t exist, or they don’t yet use enough energy for us to recognize them.”
While some may be disappointed by the apparent absence of advanced alien civilizations in the universe, CNET points out that there could still be primitive settlements out there that don’t have the ability to generate mid-infrared emissions, and that 100,000 galaxies is a rather small sample size in a universe that is home to at least 100 billion known galaxies.
“As we look more carefully at the light from these galaxies,” Wright said, “we should be able to push our sensitivity to alien technology down to much lower levels, and to better distinguish heat resulting from natural astronomical sources from heat produced by advanced technologies. This pilot study is just the beginning.”
Understanding Fibromyalgia Symptoms: Is it to Blame for my Vertigo?
Written By: Fibromyalgia Treating
Fibromyalgia is not easy to live with and it can make it hard to go about your daily life like a normal person. When you can’t walk to the mailbox without fear of falling on the sidewalk then you understand how this can be troubling. It makes it difficult to drive down the street and doing everyday activities can make you very tired.
Dizziness is one of the symptoms of Fibromyalgia and can lead to a lot of different problems. People who have fibromyalgia may find they can’t enjoy things like they used to, a walk in the park can turn into a dangerous experience. There are things people do to cope with their symptoms, but dizziness is one of the harder ones to control.
It can be horrible to feel completely out of control of your body. The fear that you could have a dizzy spell at any point can make it hard to focus on anything else. When you are dizzy it feels like you might fall any moment, you might be lightheaded, or even unsteady on your feet. These things can be troubling and even make it hard for you to walk from the house to your car on some occasions. Spin around in a circle really fast and stand up straight – is the room shifting? Imagine that feeling doesn’t go away after a few seconds and that’s what being dizzy from Fibromyalgia can feel like. That constant feeling that you’ve been spinning around with your head on a baseball bat can make it hard for you to even walk.
The unfortunate truth is that the symptoms that come attached to suffering from fibromyalgia can make life especially difficult. It can be hard to do simple things other people take for granted such as going to work, finishing household chores, and some days even getting out of bed. In addition to all of the chronic migraines and headaches, rough time concentrating, memory loss, and muscle pain, individuals with this condition frequently suffer from vertigo as well.
Understanding Fibromyalgia and Dizziness Symptoms
Vertigo, more commonly known as dizziness, is something you feel after riding in a car, airplane, or even a boat. Motion sickness and dizziness are caused because your brain is receiving mixed information about the equilibrium of your body. When your eyes, skin, ears, and muscles all receive different messages, it confuses your brain and causes you to be dizzy. While your eyes may be focused on a single spot, the rest of your body is bouncing all over. When this happens, your brain has no idea where your body is and it causes the dizziness, which can also make you sick to your stomach. You can think of it like when you get off a roller coaster that has a lot of upside down loops, your brain is attempting to catch up to your body being away from the ride.
Understanding What Vertigo Actually Is
Everyone is going to experience some degree of vertigo at some point in time during their life. Maybe you had the flu, maybe you were pregnant, or maybe you had a little too much to drink? Either way, you know what it feels like to struggle to keep your footing strong and stable. The difference between your experience and those who suffer from Fibromyalgia is that they can’t escape that feeling after the baby comes or once they’ve had a good night’s rest.
Vertigo is something people frequently describe as feeling lightheaded and unsteady. The truth is that the word “dizzy” is a pretty open word that can used to be described feeling “off” in anyway. Feeling like you are going to pass out or that you have low blood pressure are too common situations where someone would say they feel dizzy.
There Are Different Kinds of Dizziness
Did you know there are actually several different types of dizziness? The symptoms you suffer from actually depend on what kind of dizziness you are experiencing. As always, you should talk to a doctor if any of your symptoms last for a long period of time. Below you will learn to recognize the difference and some tips that can help you cope with it a little better.
Type 1 – Vertigo
Vertigo is that sensation you get when it feels like your body is spinning and swirling around even when you are standing perfectly still. It may feel like you are floating in the air or tilted off balanced. It is normal for someone to feel sick to their stomach when they experience vertigo. A person can experience this sensation for as much as a few minutes to as long as a few days. If you’ve ever had too much to drink and put one foot on the floor from your bed to stop the room from spinning then you know what it feels like.
In some cases, it can cause your eyes to slightly swing back and forth inside of your head. This is what is known as nystagmus. Inner ear dizziness is one of the more common causes of vertigo. While it does sound like something that only happens in cartoons it is a real issue.
Your vision gives your brain information about where you are in relation to where the rest of the world is. Your vision plays an important role in your ability to be balanced. If there is something wrong with your vision, it can send the wrong information to your brain, which can make you unbalanced. This in turn can make you experience vertigo. Black spots can show up in your vision and black out parts of what you are looking at or floaters can make it difficult to see.
This is why you can also experience vertigo when the world around you is moving while you are not. The information your vision is sending your brain in that situation conflicts with what your body is doing, which is why your brain becomes confused.
Type 2 – Unsteadiness
Unsteadiness is the feeling you get when you just cannot stay balanced. You may feel like you are drunk or high because you are just having a hard time standing on two feet. Poor vision and arthritis tend to come with the package. Younger individuals often refer to this type of dizziness as having a problem with their equilibrium. When your equilibrium is off you can’t walk in a straight line and it becomes difficult to simply carry something across the room. Learn to gage when these spells are coming on and try to find somewhere to sit or at the very least lean against the wall.
Type 3 – Lightheadness
Lightheadness, just as the name suggests, is the feeling as though your head is lighter than it really should be. With this type of dizziness, comes nausea and lots of feelings of being unbalanced. It feels kind of light you feel when you take too much cold medication, loopy and out of space.
Understanding Fibromyalgia and Dizziness Treatment
As you dig deeper into the symptoms of this condition, you are going to learn something – it impacts pretty much every aspect of your body (both physically and emotionally) in some way. As with most symptoms of this condition, there is not really a clear reason why fibromyalgia causes you to experience vertigo. There are, however, times where it happens more commonly:
After you have been standing for a lengthy period of time
When you go from sitting to standing
Climbing up the stairs
When you are in a warm environment
After you have been exercising
After you have eaten a heavy meal
After you experienced a lot of emotional stress
While there are not any studies to show there is a direct connection between these activities, fibromyalgia, and vertigo – they are situations where individuals more commonly experience it.
Is Your Medication Causing It?
Individuals who suffer from this condition tend to take a significant amount of medication to deal with pain and other symptoms. It is a good idea to talk to your doctor when you start to experience dizziness. There is a chance the dizziness is being caused by your medication. If it is, you can talk to your doctor about lowering the dose or switching to a different medication. The only way you will figure this information out is if you talk to your doctor. Most of the time people just accept that it is a symptom of the Fibromyalgia so they never examine other things that could be causing it. Learn to know your body and when it is trying to tell you what’s going into it is making things worse.
Complications of Suffering From Dizziness
There are a lot of reasons why developing dizziness as a symptom of fibromyalgia can be very bad for you. For starts, it increases your chances of falling down and getting hurt.
Imagine driving a vehicle or operating machinery while you experience a spout of dizziness. Suddenly, you are going to find yourself in a very dangerous situation. There can also be a lot of long term consequences if you do not get a handle on being dizzy. While you cannot treat fibro, you can do something about the dizziness.
Managing Your Vertigo: Adapting and Protecting Yourself
The unfortunate truth is there really is not a pill you can pop every time you start to feel dizzy that is going to make all of your problems go away. There are, however, other things you can do to manage your suffering and keep yourself safe. If you find ways to try and control it you can greatly improve your quality of life.
First, you need to make your home (as well as your place of employment) safe for someone who suffers from dizzy spells. Do not make it easy for you to get hurt if you fall or for you to trip over something. Think of it as dizzy proofing the house and look around for ways you might be injured even if they are really silly. It helps to have a good sense of humor about everything.
Next, you should learn to squat instead of bending. You should also gradually stand up instead of trying to do so quickly. Train your brain to associate bending with pain, it doesn’t hurt, but if you train yourself to think it will you’ll find you don’t bend down as much.
Exercise in the form of yoga, Tai Chi, Pilates, and dance can be great ways to improve both strength and balance. In general, any type of exercise is going to help with your balance. It will also help you feel better overall. If you suffer from fatigue when you do too much yoga can be a gentle alternative.
Unfortunately, there is no way around accepting the fact that living with fibromyalgia is never going to be a walk in the park. Fortunately, there are ways you can adapt and things you can do to adjust your life and make living a little more comfortable.
Doctors and Treatments
Your doctor is going to base your treatment for the dizzy spells based on exactly what is causing them. Here are some of the options your doctor may consider:
BPPV: This treatment involves repositioning your head through physical therapy. After two or three treatments, a person tends to do a lot better.
Inner Ear Condition: Medication bay be prescribed if your inner ear is causing the dizziness problem. Your doctor may also refer you to a physical therapist who can walk you through therapies and exercises that can make the condition easier to deal with.
When you have a problem that is hard to deal with like the pain and constant interruptions that come from having Fibromyalgia, it’s easy to become very frustrated. If you learn everything you can about the ailment then it gives you a little bit more control and can help you cope with it better. Learning why you’re dizzy and what you can do to help change it can be life changing.
While continuing its trek through a series of shallow valleys between destinations, the NASA Curiosity rover surpassed the 10k mark on Thursday, and has now traveled more than six miles since it first arrived on Mars three years ago, the US space agency has announced.
The view from Curiosity right as he crossed the 'finish line'. (Credit: NASA)
This month alone, Curiosity has traveled 310 meters (about one-fifth of a mile), but it isn’t just out there joyriding: it is continuing science observations while relocating from the “Pahrump Hills” outcrop where it spend the past six months to its next research destination, “Logan Pass,” which is still approximately 200 meters away in a southwesterly direction.
“We’ve not only been making tracks, but also making important observations to characterize rocks we’re passing, and some farther to the south at selected viewpoints,” explained John Grant of the National Air and Space Museum in Washington, a member of the Curiosity science team who is currently serving as the team’s long-term mission planner.
Analyzing geological features known as the Washboard unit
The rover is currently examining the lower slopes of a layered mountain known as Mount Sharp in order to investigate how the region’s ancient environment might have evolved from lakes and rivers into much drier conditions. Some of the sites at Pahrump Hills exposed the basal geological layer of the mountain (also known as the Murray formation).
The trough that Curiosity is driving through is bounded by exposures of nearby, high-standing buttes known that is an example of what is known as the Washboard unit terrain, Grant said. At Logan Pass, he said that the team hopes to investigate the relationship between the two features and to learn more about how environmental conditions were changing.
“The observations we’re making now help establish the context for what we’ll see there,” he said. “The rover’s mobility has been crucial, because that’s what allows us to get to the best sites to investigate. The ability to get to different sections of the rock record builds more confidence in your interpretation of each section.”
Based on observations made by the NASA Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, topographically ridged terrain that has been categorized as the Washboard unit can be found at several locations around Mount Sharp, including on the mountains northern and southern flanks. Better understanding the Washboard unit and the processes responsible for forming it could add new context to what they have been studying.
The US Navy’s unmanned X-47B aircraft became the first drone to demonstrate aerial refueling capabilities earlier this week when it successfully plugged its in-flight refueling (IFR) probe into the hose of an Omega Air tanker off the coast of Maryland.
According to various media reports, one of the two Northrop Grumman-made unmanned carrier air vehicles (UCAS-D) in the X-47B program paired with an Omega Air KC-707 air tanker and successfully demonstrated aerial refueling capabilities for the first time.
Meeting the final X-47B mission objective
The “Salty Dog 502” UAV used optical sensors and a camera to monitor its approach to the air tanker to 20 feet, then plugged its refueling probe into the Omega Air KC-707’s hose, according to the Daily Mail. It marked the first-ever midair refueling of an unmanned aircraft.
Salty Dog 502 is one of two Unmanned Carrier Air Vehicle demonstrators (UCAS-D) on the X-47B program, the UK news organization added. The drones are roughly the same size as an F/A-18 Super Hornet, have a 62-foot wingspan, and weigh approximately 44,000 pounds. The goal of the refueling demonstration was to transfer 3,000 pounds of fuel in just five minutes.
Captain Beau Duarte, program manager of the Navy’s Unmanned Carrier Aviation, explained that in-flight refueling was the last hurdle for the UCAS-D drones to overcome. He added that, on the heels of this successful test, they had “met all of the program’s mission objectives.”
Using the technology to develop future Navy drones
Unfortunately, as Engadget points out, the successful test will also likely spell the end of the X-47B program, which to date has only completed 20 percent of its potential flight hours. Both the Salty Dog 502 and its sister aircraft are likely on their way to museums, the website noted.
The good news is that the technology they tested will live on as part of the Navy’s Unmanned Carrier-Launched Airborne Surveillance and Strike (UCLASS) program, including autonomous carrier landings completed two years ago. The Daily Mail reports that the Navy hopes that the X-47B’s successors, the UCLASS drones, will be capable of performing 24-7 patrols.
A critically endangered northern white rhinoceros, the last surviving male member of his species, has been placed under 24-hour production by armed guards at the Ol Pejeta game conservancy in Kenya, various media outlets reported earlier this week.
The rhino, a 42-year-old that is one of the last five remaining northern white rhinos on Earth, has around-the-clock protection from rangers using high-tech equipment such as night vision goggles and GPS tracking units in order to protect him from poachers, the New York Daily News said.
Protecting the last male of a dying species
The male rhino, who lives at the Ol Pejeta Conservancy with two of the four surviving females (the other two live in San Diego and the Czech Republic), has already had his horn removed to make him a less attractive target for poachers, according to The Dodo. Attempts to have the male breed with his female neighbors have been unsuccessful, the website added.
Named Sudan, the rhino arrived at the conservancy from a zoo in the Czech Republic in 2009 with three other rhinos. The hope was that it would be willing and able to breed in surroundings that were more natural to them, but as of five years later, no baby northern whites had been born and the other male, a 34-year-old named Suni, died last October.
A GoFundMe page has been set up to help people support the rangers’ cause.
Northern white rhinos faring worse than their southern cousins
According to the World Wide Fund for Nature, the northern white rhino is one of two subspecies of the white rhinoceros. The other, the southern white rhino, had been considered extinct during the 19th century before a small herd was found in South Africa in 1895. They were able to bring back the species, and there are currently 20,000 southern white rhinos alive today.
White rhinos primarily inhabit grassy savanna and woodlands interspersed with grassy clearings, the WWF added, and are believed to have the most complex social structure of all rhino species. The creatures can live up to 40 years and can reach 150-185 cm in height. Females weigh 1,400-1,700 kg, while males weigh 2,000-3,600 kg, the conservation group added.
Despite evolutionary adaptations that have allowed female members of some fish, reptile, and amphibian species to reproduce by cloning themselves, a new study published online recently in The Science of Nature shows that males still play an important role in reproduction.
Researchers from the Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University (OIST) discovered that even in species capable of perpetuate offspring through cloning, fertilization is still very much required to ensure the survival of the maximum number of healthy offspring, thus indicating that males have not become obsolete just yet.
The mystery of the Little Fire Ant
In harsh environments, some species are able to increase their numbers more quickly when females don’t have to take the time to find a suitable mate. Experts believe that this ability may have first arisen independently in creatures either due to conflict between the species or to keep the species alive when worthy males are difficult to find.
Many of these species are now almost exclusively female, and the researchers from the OIST Ecology and Evolution Unit set out to analyze how the transition from sexual reproduction to asexual, clonal reproduction evolved by studying a species known as the Little Fire Ant.
The Little Fire Ant is a creature in which some populations reproduce sexually and others do so clonally, yet there are still male members in both types of populations. As in other types of ants, male Little Fire Ants fertilize queens to produce a worker class that is sterile and accepts genetic contributions from both parents.
The offspring of the reproductive classes differ, however. As the study authors explain, fertile males hatch with no genetic contribution from the queen laying the egg, while new queens hatch without any genetic contributions from the father. What remained unclear was why male Little Fire Ants continued to exist when queens can clonally produce both workers and queens.
Reproductive systems enhanced by sexual stimulus
To solve the mystery, the OIST team studied colonies from that reproduced both sexually and clonally, and found that inseminated queens had close to a 100 percent success rate in terms of how many of their eggs hatched. However, in queens that reproduced clonally, most of the eggs did not make it beyond the early stages of embryo development.
Furthermore, mating was found to stimulate queens to lay eggs faster than not mating. The results suggest that in the case of this species, the battle of the sexes theory is unlikely, as mating with males allows queens to produce a greater number of healthy offspring that is possible through cloning. Furthermore, having sex made the queens more fit, as evidenced by the higher success rates of egg laying and hatching, and is beneficial to the colony.
While the mechanisms through which evolution keeps sex from being eliminated completely is still unknown, the study authors said that it is clear that even in species that can bypass the need to have sex to reproduce, there seems to be some evolutionary constraint causing the females to anticipate the sexual stimulus. Their reproductive systems do not perform as well without it, the OIST researchers concluded.
In Star Wars, the Death Star was a massive spaceship capable of destroying a planet with just one shot of its laser, but a recently-discovered white dwarf star may have ripped apart a planet at its core by coming too close to it, making it a real-life Death Star.
It probably looked something like this…
Earlier this week, NASA reported that its Chandra X-ray Observatory along with several other telescopes had discovered evidence that the white dwarf may have been a planet-killer, with the dense core of a sun-like star that had run out of nuclear fuel once destroyed an entire world.
Findings the source of X-rays in the NHC 6388 cluster
Using the ESA’s INTErnational Gamma-Ray Astrophysics Laboratory (INTEGRAL), scientists found a new X-ray source near the center of the globular cluster NGC 6388. Observations had hinted that this cluster had an intermediate-mass black hole at its center, and the X-ray detection suggested that they were produced by hot gas swirling towards the black hole.
They conducted follow-up observations using Chandra and determined that the X-rays were not actually coming from a black hole at the center of NGC 6388, but instead from a region located somewhat off to the side. Since the central black hole was eliminated as a potential source of the X-rays, the hunt continued to find out what was actually causing them, and the team turned to the X-ray telescope on board NASA’s Swift Gamma Ray Burst mission for assistance.
During the course of those observations, the source became dimmer, and the rate at which the X-ray brightness decreased correlated with theoretical models of a disruption of a planet caused by the gravitational tidal forces of a white dwarf.
So, could a white dwarf actually destroy a planet?
Given that a white dwarf stars is usually only about the same size as the Earth, how could it have caused an entire planet to be destroyed? The answer is – no, not aliens – gravity. Once a star hits its white dwarf stage, its material becomes tightly packed in a radius just one-percent as big as it once was. As a result, its gravitational pull and other forces become far more powerful.
In the aforementioned theoretical models, a planet is first pulled away from its parent star by the gravity of the passing white dwarf, and when it gets too close, it can be ripped to shreds due to the intense tidal forces of the dense star remnant. The planetary debris is then heated and glows in X-rays as it falls onto the white dwarf, NASA explained, with the observed amount of X-rays emitted at different energies agreeing with expectations for a tidal disruption event.
In this case, the researchers estimate that the destroyed planet would have contained about a third of the mass of Earth, while the white dwarf had about 1.4 times the Sun’s mass. While it cannot be said for certain that this is what happened, the agency explained that the argument in favor of it was bolstered by the use of data from multiple telescopes to eliminate other possibilities.
Researchers have created a detailed kinematic analysis of how an octopus coordinates its arms while crawling, demonstrating for the first time how these cephalopods use a unique method of motor control to move in any direction relative to its body orientation.
Their findings, published Thursday in the journal Current Biology, indicate that octopuses use locomotion strategies that are unlike those found in other animals, and that this is probably due to the soft, bilaterally symmetrical bodies that required efficient control without a skeleton.
The research, which was led by scientists at The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, builds upon previous work at the institution focusing on goal-directed arm movements such as reaching for a target or fetching food to the mouth. It is the first study to examine the larger, overall question of how an octopus manages to coordinate their eight long, flexible arms while moving.
How the creature of the depths evolved those slimy legs
The cephalopods likely evolved from animals more similar in nature to clams, with a protective outer shell and nearly no discernible movement, the authors said. As it evolved, the octopus lost their heavy protective shells, becoming both more maneuverable and more vulnerable. They had to move faster than other mollusks in order to compensate for the lack of a shell.
As they evolved long, slender arms, octopuses also gained improved vision, a brain that was both large and well developed, and the ability to use color to camouflage themselves. While this made them successful predators, the mechanisms they used to control their bodies remained unclear.
The Hebrew University of Jerusalem team reviewed videos of the creatures, frame-by-frame, as they moved and make several new discoveries. For one thing, even though an octopus has a body that is bilaterally symmetrical, it can actually crawl in any direction relative to its orientation. Its body orientation and crawling direction are controlled independent of each other.
Furthermore, they found that the octopus’s crawling appears to lack rhythmical patterns in limb coordination. They also demonstrate that this unusual maneuverability is derived from the radial symmetry of their arms around the body, that the arms create crawling thrust through a push-by-elongation mechanism, and that it chooses which arms to activate to move in a specific direction.
The findings provide evidence supporting what is known as the Embodied Organization concept, the researchers explained. In the traditional view, motor-control strategies are devised in order to fit the body. Under Embodied Organization, however, the control and the body evolve together in the context of their environment, indicating that a creature’s optimal behavior is achieved as a result of the optimization of interactions between body, brain, and environment.
AOMA Hosts Ground Breaking Integrative Medical Education Conference in Austin, Texas
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The Symposium, hosted by AOMA and TXAND, brings together acupuncturists, naturopathic doctors, nurses and licensed massage therapists to experience hands-on, interactive, continuing education that focuses on emerging innovations and insights applied to traditional practices.
Austin, Texas (PRWEB) April 17, 2015
AOMA Graduate School of Integrative Medicine, in conjunction with Texas Association of Naturopathic Doctors (TXAND), is hosting the Southwest Symposium, which takes place May 7-11, 2015 in Austin, TX at the Omni Southpark. This is the second year the two organizations have been in partnership. Together, the partners are working to expand healthcare choices for people in Texas.
AOMA’s support for TXAND extends to helping the group advocate for licensing naturopathic doctors in the state. “TXAND supports the rich history of natural medicine in Texas,” says Dr. John Finnell, President of TXAND. “We are experts in natural approaches to healthcare, blending the best of biomedicine, prevention and wellness. Naturopathic Doctors (NDs) bring a holistic approach to primary care. NDs are good medicine for Texans!”
The Symposium, hosted by AOMA and TXAND, brings together acupuncturists, naturopathic doctors, nurses and licensed massage therapists to experience hands-on, interactive, continuing education that focuses on emerging innovations and insights applied to traditional practices. This event is the largest integrative medicine conference of its kind in Texas, focusing on building a community of highly skilled clinicians dedicated to holistic healthcare.
“We created the Symposium to build community among different kinds of practitioners in ‘non-siloed’ learning,” said Cara Edmond, Director of Continuing Education and Institutional Effectiveness at AOMA. “Our hope is that by having acupuncturists, nurses, naturopaths, and other healthcare practitioners learning side-by-side we are able to foster more teamwork and understanding among different provider types, ultimately improving patient care and clinical outcomes."
The Symposium grows the clinical skill set of integrative health professionals through continuing education courses which include a variety of workshops, luncheons and talks led by over 15 integrative health experts over the course of 5 days. There will also be over 40 health-focused exhibitors on site.
Mary Bove, ND, AHG will speak on the Neuroendocrine Digestive Connection: Exploring the Impact of Stress on Digestive Health. A true pillar in the fields of botanical medicine and functional medicine, Mary will discuss the impact of stress on digestive function and botanical approaches for digestive and neuroendocrine health. The Symposium is proud to bring this internationally in-demand speaker and teacher to Austin.
Other topics covered at this year’s Symposium include, among others:
Facial Diagnosis
Epigenetics
A Japanese Approach to Structural Alignment
Esoteric Acupuncture
Full list of Speakers:
Paul Anderson, ND
Jason Blalack, MS, LAc
Mary Bove, ND, AHG
Lillian Bridges
Jeffrey Dann, PhD, LAc
John Finnell, ND, MPH, LAc
Holly Guzman, LAc
Peter D. Lichtenstein, D.C., LAc
Edward Neal, MD
Stanley Reiser, MD, MPA, PhD
Mikio Sankey, PhD, LAc
Constance Scharff, PhD
David Twicken, DOM, LAc
Qianzhi ("Jamie") Wu, PhD, LAc
Janet Zand, OMD, LAc
The Southwest Symposium is open to registered guests only. To register for the Symposium, please visit: http://www.aoma.edu/sws
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AOMA prepares students for careers in acupuncture and Oriental medicine by providing regionally accredited programs culminating in a masters or doctoral degree. The internationally recognized faculty and award-winning clinical internships contribute to the quality of the herbal and acupuncture programs. AOMA’s collaborations with healthcare institutions, such as the Seton Healthcare Family, People’s Community Clinic, Austin Recovery Center, the Health Alliance for Austin Musicians, and Austin Pain Associates, situates the organization as the cornerstone for integrative and preventative care in the Central Texas Area. Through the provision of free and reduced-price treatments to people in need, AOMA is transforming the lives and communities of the patients it serves. AOMA provides education, clinical, and herbal dispensary services at two locations in Austin. For more information see http://www.aoma.edu or call 512-492-3034.
Consulting Magazine Honors Aspen Advisors’ Vince D’Itri at the Rising Stars Awards
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D’Itri’s work aims to revolutionize clinical and translational research in the U.S.
Chicago, IL (PRWEB) April 17, 2015
Vince D’Itri of Aspen Advisors, part of The Chartis Group, was recognized with a Rising Star of the Profession award by Consulting magazine last night in Chicago, IL. The award honors 35 consultants under the age of 35 whose work is redefining the consulting profession. D’Itri was honored as the healthcare industry category award winner for his career of making a meaningful impact for clients including recent work.
Over the past two years, D’Itri has been leading an effort to network academic medical centers and other notable institutions across the U.S. to identify and engage local patients for clinical trials and research studies through their electronic health records (EHRs). His team is tasked with creating the informatics tools and regulatory infrastructure that are required to leverage the EHR across participating sites, thereby across the nation. By increasing participants of clinical trials, making them more effective, new treatment options can come to market sooner.
“Vince was one of the first five consultants to join Aspen Advisors. It has been great to see what he’s accomplished since then, the growth in his career and the impacts he’s made for clients. He is skilled at understanding the client’s vision and managing each assignment to deliver meaningful results,” said Daniel Herman, Director and Informatics and Technology Practice Leader at The Chartis Group. “He also gives back to the profession by mentoring new consultants.”
“Consulting magazine’s Rising Stars of the Profession winners feature an impressive array of movers, shakers, and wunderkinds — leaders all who tend to deflect praise and prefer to credit those around them,” said Joe Kornik, Consulting magazine editor-in-chief. “In simplest terms, they want to change the world – or at least leave it in much better shape than they found it. They are, in a word, redefining the consulting profession. With so many outstanding nominations for just 35 awards, Vince is indeed in rare company.”
“It is an extraordinary honor and a much unexpected one at that,” said D’Itri. “To have been nominated by your colleagues means that not only are you providing value and making a difference for your clients, but your colleagues also care and are taking notice. That is a very special feeling that I will never forget.”
About Aspen Advisors
Aspen Advisors, part of The Chartis Group, is a top-ranked IT advisory services firm that that works with leading healthcare organizations across the country to enhance care delivery, improve community health status, and achieve market distinction through the strategic and effective use of technology. In 2014, Aspen joined The Chartis Group to bring clients leading-edge thought leadership and capabilities in strategic planning, accountable care solutions, clinical transformation and information technology. The firm has earned accolades for its culture, service delivery and growth. Aspen Advisors was named among the top 20 in Modern Healthcare’s “Best Places to Work in Healthcare” in 2011, 2012, 2013 and 2014 and earned several honors from Consulting Magazine, including being named one of its “Best Firms to Work For” in 2012 and 2014 and one of the “2014 Seven Small Jewels.” Aspen has consistently ranked highly in KLAS’ “Best in KLAS Awards.” In 2012, 2013 and 2014, Aspen was among the top three firms in KLAS’ “Overall IT Services Firms Ranking.” Learn more at http://www.aspenadvisors.net.
About The Chartis Group
The Chartis Group is a national advisory services firm dedicated to the healthcare industry. Chartis provides strategic planning, accountable care, clinical transformation and information technology management consulting services to the country’s leading healthcare providers. Chartis has been privileged to work with over two-thirds of the academic medical centers on the U.S. News and World Report “Honor Roll of Best Hospitals,” seven of the 10 largest healthcare systems, four of the five largest not-for-profit health systems, nine of the top 10 children’s hospitals and many of the nation’s emerging accountable care organizations. The firm is comprised of uniquely experienced senior healthcare professionals and consultants who apply a distinctive knowledge of healthcare economics, markets, clinical models and technology to help clients achieve unequaled results. The Chartis Group has offices in Boston, Chicago, New York and San Francisco. For more information, visit http://www.chartis.com.
Platelet-Rich Plasma, Stem Cell Therapy Now Offered By Dr. Meier At MOSM in Beverly Hills, California
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Beverly Hills Surgeon Now Brings Expertise To Leading-Edge Regenerative Medicines
Beverly Hills, California (PRWEB) April 17, 2015
As a board-certified orthopedic surgeon, Dr. Steven W. Meier stands above in his new offering of platelet-rich plasma (PRP) and stem cell therapy. Meier Orthopedic Sports Medicine (MOSM) is known for its world-class care of injury-caused and chronic joint ailments, and Dr. Meier brings extensive surgical experience lacking in many other physicians offering regenerative medicines.
Most PRP and stem cell treatments are utilized for pain management and rehabilitation. Dr. Meier and MOSM can now tailor treatment to focus on a patient’s specific orthopedic condition, using materials from the human body to rejuvenate healthy tissue proliferation.
PRP and stem cell therapy can help the following issues: chronic neck and back pain, shoulder tendinopathy, degenerative and rheumatoid arthritis, elbow epicondylitis and more.
Dr. Meier is well-versed in the application and tailoring of stem cell therapy to each individual patient’s condition and particular requirements. Usually, mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are utilized. Derived from fat or bone marrow within a patient, the MSCs are adept at specializing into tendons, cartilage, ligaments, and muscle. Patients undergo bone marrow aspiration or liposuction to gather cells—while seemingly scary on paper, these procedures are generally quite comfortable.
PRP involves the drawing and centrifuge of a patient’s blood. The concentrated plasma, including platelets and growth factors, is re-injected into the patient’s injured joint, tendon, or ligament. The body’s self-healing capabilities are supercharged, allowing Dr. Meier to help the most with the least traumatic effect.
Regenerative medicines like PRP and stem cell therapy, while separate, can be used together and in conjunction with surgery. Invasive procedures may be inevitable for certain issues, but Dr. Meier and MOSM carefully attend to every step from diagnosis to surgery to avoid unnecessary treatment.
PRP and stem cell therapy are just two ways MOSM can give patients leading-edge care. Dr. Meier is constantly teaching and learning more about new advances in orthopedic medicine. 15 years in practice cement his expertise; physicians and their families trust Dr. Meier and MOSM for treatment.
Offering a wide range of options for high-performance lifestyles is just another way Meier Orthopedic Sports Medicine is #KeepingYouActive.
To learn more about PRP, stem cell therapy, or any of the regenerative treatments offered by Dr. Meier, call Meier Orthopedic Sports Medicine at 310.736.2793 or use the online contact form at http://mosm.com/contact-orthopedic-surgeon/.
John Evans Supportive Living Community Prepares for Party on the Patio
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John Evans, a Gardant affordable assisted living community, will host a luau on April 24. The community in Pekin, Illinois, serves seniors of all incomes, including those on Medicaid.
Bradley, Illinois (PRWEB) April 17, 2015
John Evans, a Gardant affordable assisted living community, will host a Party on the Patio from 2 p.m. to 3 p.m. on April 24.
The community, which is located at 1320 Executive Ct. in Pekin, Illinois, serves older adults of all incomes, including those on Medicaid, who need some help to maintain their independence.
Becky Baker will entertain guests on the steel drums, and tropical treats will be served during the luau.
For more information, call 309-477-8800.
The John Evans affordable assisted living community combines residential apartment-home living with the availability of personal assistance, help with medications, and a variety of convenience and support services.
"We provide older adults with a wonderful alternative to the nursing home or struggling alone at home," says Director of Marketing Bridget Rumler.
Residents live in private apartments that they furnish and decorate to their taste. Each of the studio and one-bedroom apartments includes a kitchenette, spacious bathroom with shower and grab bars, individually-controlled heating and air conditioning, and an emergency alert system.
Certified nursing assistants are on-duty 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Meals, housekeeping and laundry are among the included services.
"Residents also benefit from all of the opportunities that are available to socialize with friends and neighbors and to participate in activities and special programs," says Rumler.
The community is certified to operate through the Illinois Supportive Living program.
"Our focus is on providing John Evans residents with the love, compassion and dignity they deserve and the help and assistance they need," says Rod Burkett, President of CEO of Gardant Management Solutions, the largest provider of assisted living in Illinois. "Our emphasis is on helping each resident achieve and maintain as much independence as possible for as long as possible."
Other communities managed by Gardant, formerly BMA Management, include the Grand Prairie affordable assisted living community in Macomb and the Heritage Woods affordable assisted living communities in DeKalb, Dwight, Freeport, Moline, Ottawa and Sterling, Illinois.
For more information about Gardant Management Solutions, the assisted living, senior living and memory care communities Gardant operates, and the company's management, development and consulting services, visit http://www.bma-mgmt.com or call 1-877-882-1495 toll-free.
There are a number of diseases that work to harm people and that can cause immense pain. Because there are so many, it’s difficult to try and determine the differences between them. How are you going to be able to figure out what disorder you have? One disorder that you could be dealing with is known as fibromyalgia. In this article, we’re going to take a look at what fibromyalgia is and get an idea about how it affects the person and what you can do about it. Let’s jump in and take a look.
What is Fibromyalgia?
Fibromyalgia is, in short, a muscular/skeletal condition that millions of people deal with every single year. It is the most widely recognized musculoskeletal condition, after the very common osteoarthritis, which has a lot of the same symptoms associated with it. Still, it is frequently misdiagnosed and misconstrued. Its symptoms incorporate far reaching muscle and joint torment and exhaustion, and also a variety of different manifestations. Fibromyalgia can result in a number of mental health problems, including anxiety and depression, and it can also be a main cause for social separation and reclusiveness.
With fibromyalgia, some or all of these symptoms can happen together:
Anxiety or depression, among other mental health issues.
Decreased pain threshold and the inability to deal with physically painful situations.
Incapacitating exhaustion coupled with an inability to sleep through the night.
Widespread torment and pain throughout the joints and other parts of the body.
More than 12 million Americans are diagnosed with fibromyalgia. The vast majority of them are actually female, and a majority of them are between the ages of 30 and 60. Ladies are 10 times more inclined to get this malady than men are.
What Causes Fibromyalgia?
Fibromyalgia is a mysterious disease, and researchers have not yet been able to determine exactly what causes it. There are lots of different theories that have been brought forward in order to explain the disease, but there still is not a lot of solid proof that indicates exactly what the root cause(s) of the disease are. In this section, we’re going to take a quick look at some of the most common theories that are associated with the symptoms and the diagnosis that is fibromyalgia.
Hereditary Qualities
Fibromyalgia can run in families. It’s possible that there is an unidentified hereditary irregularity that makes certain individuals more likely than others to develop fibromyalgia. The National Institute of Arthritis, Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS) states that certain qualities may manage the way that the body deals with the moments of pain that we sometimes face. Researchers guess that individuals with fibromyalgia may convey one or more qualities that cause them to respond unequivocally to jolts and other types of pain that someone else may not see as painful or traumatizing. Because this may be engrained in the DNA, researchers are hoping that, someday in the future, they will discover that a specific genetic code causes fibromyalgia.
Triggers
For some patients, the symptoms of fibromyalgia start after a serious physical injury or a session with a severe illness. These don’t likely cause fibromyalgia on their own, however, these events and injuries may trigger the onset in individuals who are now at risk for having it in the first place. It’s one of those things where, if you’ve already got it going on somewhere in your system, you’re going to be a lot more likely to deal with it when an injury or some sort of trauma occurs to certain areas of your body that may be more sensitive to it. This is important to keep an eye on and to recognize if you start to notice pain and weakness after you’ve recovered from an injury.
Rest Disturbances
Issues with insufficient sleep, or problems resting during the most important phases of slumber, are basic with fibromyalgia. Then again, specialists are not certain if this is an indication or a reason for the issue. If you’re not getting enough sleep during the night, it can influence the levels of a percentage of the brain chemicals that had been produced in the brain previously. Your brain needs a certain amount of these chemicals to be able to function properly, and so the lack of sleep that inhibits the development of these chemicals makes it that much more difficult for you to function. This can cause you to feel confused, get dizzy, or be unable to concentrate while you’re trying to go through your tasks of daily living. It can also cause pain to get worse, and you’ll start to notice that you’re getting the symptoms of fibromyalgia.
Gender
As indicated by the NIAMS, women are eight to nine times more probable than men to have fibromyalgia. Researchers accept that female reproductive hormones may play a part in the disorder, but there still isn’t a lot of research associated with it yet. Researchers are currently looking into the link between female hormones and the pain associated with fibromyalgia, and should have some information about the relationship within a few years’ time.
Age
As indicated by the NIAMS, the most widely recognized age to be diagnosed with fibromyalgia is usually in the midst of what is referred to as “middle adulthood,” between the ages of 25 and 60 years old. With men, this gap is a little bit smaller; most men are at least 35 or older when they are diagnosed with the disease. This may be because it doesn’t develop as quickly as it does
Other Rheumatic Diseases
Rheumatic maladies influence the joints, muscles, and bones. Individuals who have another rheumatic infection are more prone to have fibromyalgia also. These ailments can include, but are not limited to the following disorders:
ankylosing spondylitis
lupus
osteoarthritis
rheumatoid arthritis
There, of course, may be other triggers and causes as well. As time goes on and we learn more about this mysterious disorder, we hope to get a lot more information so that we can figure out the root cause of it. By determining what the main cause of the disorder is, it puts researchers in a much better place where they can determine how to deal with therapy and other needs more effectively. It will be interesting to see where it goes when we determine what the root causes of the disorder are. Even though we’re not at a point where we know or understand where fibromyalgia comes from, researchers have been able to identify a number of different risk factors that may make you more likely to develop fibromyalgia in your adulthood.
What Are Some of the Major Symptoms of Fibromyalgia?
Fibromyalgia isn’t anything but difficult to diagnose, as no research facility tests exist to affirm the condition. Rather, specialists depend upon the disorder’s wide array of symptoms. Here is a look at some of the symptoms that you may be dealing with if you have fibromyalgia.
Pain
Fibromyalgia makes you hurt and swell everywhere on your body. The Mayo Clinic says broad pain that is found all through the body is a criteria for a diagnosis. The pain should, likewise, be a problem for at least three months, influencing both sides of the body, and also above and beneath the waist. Specialists may test different parts of the body in order to see if they are weakened or if they are sensitive to the sensation of touch.
The pain is mostly in your joints, but you may also notice it in some of your muscles as well. You may have more pain with any injuries that you get, even if you are recovering from the injury. Particular weak spots on the body may be difficult to touch, and you may have to avoid touching them in order to prevent painful experiences. You may experience swelling, aggravations while trying to sleep through the night, and mental illnesses including anxiety and depression.
Exhaustion
General feelings of fatigue can meddle with life and cause you to feel regretful about postponing obligations. Likewise, a few individuals may not perceive this exhaustion and weariness as a part of their fibromyalgia. Women may accidentally assume that they’re encountering hormonal responses connected with their menstrual cycle; a few individuals think that it may be chronic fatigue system, and fibromyalgia is often mistaken for this disorder, mainly because of its comparative symptoms.
Muscle Use
Your muscles may feel like they have been exhausted or pulled. They’ll feel that way on a regular basis, even without activity or another reason. Some of the time, your muscles may jerk, have cutting pain, or you may feel like you have a burning sensation going through your muscles. In the worst cases, your range of motion is going to be limited at best; in some cases, people with fibro may need some assistance walking with a walker or a cane. Wheelchair use is uncommon, but there have been cases where they have happened before, so it’s definitely not out of the picture for those who have very severe muscle limitations. This may get worse if it’s going to rain outside, or if you’re doing a lot of physical activity related to your joints and muscles. A few patients with fibromyalgia have torment and achiness around the joints in the neck, shoulder, back, and hips. This makes it troublesome for them to rest or enjoy daily activities.
Perpetual Headaches
A few individuals with fibromyalgia experience perpetual headaches, and may be fighting them away on a daily basis. The headaches that they experience may be serious (usually referred to as migraines – these are often accompanied by vision problems and vomiting). Despite the fact that these headaches are normal, particularly among ladies, you may want to make sure that you aren’t having them for an extended period of time. If the headaches are occurring alongside of the other fibromyalgia symptoms here, your doctor or other medical professional will likely take the time to do tests and see if fibromyalgia is the cause for your health issues. If it doesn’t seem to be caused by other possible problems, the chances of it being because of your fibromyalgia is quite high.
Sleep Issues
We talked about how sleeping issues may be part of the reason that people end up with fibromyalgia. It is also a very common problem that happens to people who already have been diagnosed with the disorder. Individuals with fibromyalgia may experience difficulty sleeping through the night. If you’ve been diagnosed with fibromyalgia, chances are that you will need to take some sort of sleeping pill in order to ensure that you’re getting a full night’s rest. Many times, the pills that are prescribed for the patient to take will also help with a variety of other symptoms, so make sure that you talk to your doctor to see how they plan on dealing with this problem in an effective manner.
Other Common Fibromyalgia Symptoms
As with any disorder, there are plenty of common symptoms, and then there are others that you don’t see too often. Some of the other fibromyalgia symptoms may include, but are not limited to, the following problems.
Abdominal pain, diarrhea, constipation, and irritable bowel syndrome. Acid reflux and GERD may also develop over time.
Chronic pains in the head and neck, which may result in an inability to move and function.
Dryness in mouth, eyes, and nose; skin may also be dry around the joints.
Fibro haze, which is referring to a person’s inability to focus while dealing with fibromyalgia symptoms. You may also have difficult paying attention a
Hypersensitivity to warm or cold resulting in discomfort or pain.
Incontinence and an inability to hold waste within the body.
Numbness in your extremities, sometimes accompanied by trembling and shaking.
Stiffness and inflexibility.
Fibromyalgia can end up causing you to develop other disorders, like osteoarthritis, bursitis, and tendinitis. A few specialists include it in their analysis of arthritis and other related issues. On the other hand, while the torment of bursitis or tendinitis is confined to a particular area of the body, people who are dealing with the pains and aches related to fibromyalgia are experiencing them all over their body. This is, usually, the biggest indication that something else is going on. You’re looking for pain that is all over the body and that, even with medication and such, doesn’t seem to be going away otherwise. This makes it a unique disorder that has to be approached a lot differently than the other diseases that we’ve discussed here.
What Tests Are Used to Diagnose Fibromyalgia?
Fibromyalgia has a ton of tests connected with it, and it’s really truly hard to diagnose fibromyalgia. Here are just some of the factors that are taken into account when a doctor is trying to determine whether or not you have fibromyalgia. To make a precise analysis, your specialist will depend on an exhaustive physical exam and your therapeutic history. There is a blood test to help diagnose fibromyalgia. The test – called FM/a – distinguishes markers created by your immune system and white blood cells in individuals with fibromyalgia. Inquire as to whether the FM/a test is a good fit for you and make sure that you talk with your doctor in order to figure out the best way to move forward with your diagnosis.
To eliminate the presence of other ailments, your specialist may run some particular blood tests. For instance, your specialist may request a complete blood check (CBC). The specialist might likewise request tests for chemicals, for example, glucose, that can cause diseases that have the same symptoms that are brought about by fibromyalgia. A thyroid test may additionally be finished. An underactive thyroid (hypothyroidism) can bring about issues like fibromyalgia. That includes fatigue, muscle pains, inability to focus, anxiety, and depression.
Other research center tests used to discount other related illnesses may incorporate Lyme tests, erythrocyte (red platelet) sedimentation rate (ESR), rheumatoid variable tests (RF), calcium level, prolactin level, antinuclear antibodies (ANA), and vitamin D level. These are relatively easy tests to have done on you, and they can all be done at the same time, so you don’t have to worry about going in to outpatient services multiple times in order to get bloodwork and such. Your doctor can prescribe it all, you can do it in one trip, and then you can go back to consult with him or her later on. .
The specialist will assess the seriousness of related manifestations such as fatigue, sleep disturbances and influences, and mental health issues. This will help measure the effect FMS has on your physical and emotional capacity and also on your general wellbeing. Sleeping tests (which are done in specialized sleep labs that you stay in overnight) are very useful in helping to determine exactly what is going on with your sleeping patterns. This will let you figure out how severe your case is and how involved you have to be when it comes to your treatment plan. You may have to change some of your lifestyle habits in order to adapt appropriately, but your doctor can help you to do that in a way that isn’t incredibly disruptive to the rest of your life.
As you can see, there are a lot of different tests and criteria that have to be explored and met when your doctor is trying to figure out whether or not you’re suffering from fibromyalgia. Since this disorder is, in fact, so mysterious, it has taken a lot to time to figure out how to do it. Basically, because the cause is unknown, your doctors have to do a lot of tests that rule out other issues, instead of testing directly for fibromyalgia itself.
What Treatments Are Out There For Fibromyalgia?
Now that we’ve taken a look at what the symptoms are, and we’ve given you a better idea as to how doctors determine whether or not a person is actually suffering from fibromyalgia, it’s time for us to have a discussion about the types of treatments that are available if you are suffering from fibromyalgia. It’s important for you to know and understand that there is no fibromyalgia cure. Furthermore, there is no treatment that will address the majority of the fibromyalgia manifestations. Rather, a wide array of custom and optional medicines have been indicated to be viable in treating this troublesome disorder. A treatment project may incorporate a blend of prescriptions, activities and behavior therapy.
It’s important to make sure that you’re working with a doctor that you trust and that will be able to help you with your symptoms. Even though medications will, likely, be necessary to help keep the disorder under control, you may also have to have physical therapy in order to encourage movement and to help you feel more comfortable and flexible as you’re going through your day. We have plenty of other articles that discuss specific treatments, from physical therapy, to changes in your diet, to anything else that you can possibly think of, so you’re going to want to check those out and learn more about the options that are available to you.
Fibromyalgia is a very complicated disorder and there’s still a lot that we need to learn about how it works and how it affects people. As time goes on and research gets better, doctors will be in a place where they can help people with fibromyalgia deal with their pain a lot more effectively. There are lots of resources out there for people with fibromyalgia, so make sure that you use them to their fullest ability so that you’re able to continue living the life that you want to live.
Patients who are treated with a new clot-removal device after suffering an acute ischemic stroke have significantly reduced disability levels after the event, according to new research led by Dr. Jeffery Saver of the UCLA Stroke Center and the David Geffen School of Medicine.
Dr. Saver, a professor of neurology at the California-based university, and his colleagues report in Friday’s edition of the New England Journal of Medicine that combining use of a clot-busting drug with that of a stent retriever device significantly increased the number of patients who were capable of independent daily function after three months.
Ushering in a “new era” of stroke care
According to the study authors, the findings represent the first new treatment of acute ischemic strokes since the development of the clot-busting drug tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) some 20 years ago, and could lead to a new era in the care of a condition characterized by the sudden loss of blood circulation to a part of the brain caused by the blockage of a blood vessel.
“These findings are a paradigm shift, a new era in stroke care and we are ecstatic. We will be able to treat many more patients, who will have much better outcomes,” Dr. Saver explained in an emailed statement Thursday. “This is a once-in-a-generation advance in acute stroke care.”
“While these findings won’t help all stroke patients, it will help those who have the most disabling strokes,” added Dr. Sidney Starkman, co-director of the UCLA Stroke Center and a professor of emergency medicine and neurology at the university. “Right now, they get tPA and it helps a third of them, but the other two thirds end up disabled or don’t survive the stroke.”
Trial shows effectiveness of clot-removal device
The research was conducted at 39 hospitals throughout the US, Canada and Europe and involved 196 patients, though it was originally scheduled to involve 833 before being halted early due to the early positive results, according to Dr. Saver. The study was examining a second-generation stent clot retrieval device known as Solitaire, which is manufactured by Medtronic.
Dr. Saver said that the first-generation devices had been tested previously and showed no benefit over medical therapy alone, which he called disappointing. The new device was used on patients within six hours of the first symptoms, and participants were divided into two groups of 98, each randomly receiving either tPA alone or tPA with stent retrieval of the clot.
Three months after experiencing their strokes, 60 percent of the patients that received tPA along with clot retrieval were said to be functionally independent and free from disability, compared to just 35 percent of the patients receiving only tPA. While tPA is effective, it only reopens blood vessels approximately 30 percent of the time, Dr. Saver said, while the stent retriever device used in the trial was able to open the arteries 88 percent of the time.
Preclinical research used to help develop the Solitaire device was performed at the university by UCLA radiology professor Dr. Reza Jahan, who explained in a statement that the device was able to reopen the arteries far more frequently than tPA, and with less injury to the blood vessel, less bleeding and less difficulty engaging and entangling clots.
Attempting to improve upon tPA’s success rate
To put the significance of this finding into perspective, Dr. Starkman described what it was like to be an emergency physician and a neurologist (one of the few doctors to be trained and board-certified in both specialties) two decades ago and having to treat a person with stroke symptoms.
“Despite stroke being labeled a neurological emergency, there was essentially nothing that could be done to help the patient other than supportive care,” he explained to redOrbit via email. “A severe stroke patient would typically be admitted to the hospital then eventually die or be discharged disabled for the remaining years. Then, because of the new understanding of the biology of stroke… the very first therapy for stroke was approved by the FDA.”
That therapy was tPA, a clot-buster drug that had been approved to treat heart attacks 10 years before hand. The belief was that, since most ischemic strokes were caused by a blood clot that suddenly occluded a cerebral blood vessel resulting in stroke symptoms, administering this drug within three hours would improve a patient’s opportunity for recovery.
“However, tPA was not a cure-all, it was not perfect,” Dr. Starkman said, noting that when a clot could be visualized using neuroimaging, the blood vessel would only be open one-third of the time after tPA had been administered intravenously. Two-third of the time, he explained, the tPA did “nothing… the blood vessel did not open before there was irreversible brain injury caused by the offending blood clot, and the patient was not helped.”
The invention and evolution of clot-removing devices
He and his colleagues continued to be frustrated with the lack of progress until one of the team member “invented a device which specifically was navigated from the groin artery to the blocked blood vessel, engaged the clot with a corkscrew coil, and retrieved the clot from the brain and out of the body,” Dr. Starkman told redOrbit.
The instrument, the MERCI (mechanical embolus retrieval in cerebral ischemia) device, was the first device approved by the FDA for ischemic stroke, which happened 15 years ago. However, it too was imperfect – patients in which the clot was retrieved in time were saved, but other died or were disabled for the remainder of their life. A more sophisticated device was needed.
“The stent devices were developed for opening coronary blood vessels in patients who were having a heart attack,” the UCLA research explained. “When stents were placed into clots in the brain blood vessels, it was clearly determined that the architecture of the stents permitted the clot to be readily engaged. Thus the stent was seen to be far superior to all other prior devices and means utilized for opening the cerebral blood vessels.”
Fighting for a “paradigm shift” in stroke care
The success of the new Solitaire device is clearly something that Dr. Starkman and his UCLA colleagues are very passionate about. He explains that the stent retriever had been used at the university’s facilities for more than a decade, and that he hopes that there will be a “paradigm shift” that seems them available at stroke centers all over the country.
“It was unequivocally demonstrated that the device resulted in a far better recovery for the stroke patients who received the device compared with those who were randomized for the purpose of the study to not receive the device,” the professor told redOrbit.
“This subject has become very important to me and to us at UCLA,” he added. “It’s exhilarating when all’s in place, all goes smoothly, the clot is retrieved, and the patient is immediately ‘on the table” made normal, [saved] from the hands of death or disability. It’s a Lazarus effect. We look forward to have many more care providers and patients have such an experience.”
Fibromyalgia, or FMS is a disorder that is known for causing widespread pain and tender points on the body. These tender points hurt when pressure is applied to them. Individuals suffering from fibromyalgia also suffer from cognitive and sleep issues, IBS (irritable bowel syndrome), and major stiffness upon waking.
However, since a diagnosis of fibromyalgia cannot be confirmed by lab tests, physicians will typically diagnose this ailment based upon other symptoms that could also be indicative of various other conditions. Some individuals believe that their diet can either exacerbate or improve their symptoms and therefore want to know more about a diet that could possibly help them.
There are No Dietary Cures
As mentioned, individuals with fibromyalgia are often under the misguided belief that if they follow a specific diet plan or if they eliminate certain foods and add others, it will at least minimize if not eliminate their symptoms. However, the scientific evidence is still lacking on this front.
There are no universally accepted diet rules that have been established. On the other hand, there are some that claim they reaped benefits from adding or eliminating specific foods from their diet.
Dietary Guidelines for Fibromyalgia
You should know that the Arthritis Foundation does recommend that you consume a balanced diet in order to manage or control your symptoms of fibromyalgia and also improve your overall health. You should make sure you consume a variety of foods, including more whole grains, fruits, and veggies.
You should reduce your intake of fat to no more than thirty percent of your calories. In addition, you should reduce your consumption of sugar and salt to a minimal amount. You should only consume a moderate amount of alcohol- if any.
In fact, 42 percent of individuals suffering from fibromyalgia have reported that their symptoms became worse after eating certain foods and that they improved after eating others. However, as mentioned, research is still being done on this- and there is a little evidence that says some simple changes in your diet can help with your fibromyalgia symptoms.
Following are five rules for individuals with fibromyalgia. However, before making any drastic changes to your diet, you should make sure you speak with your physician.
Make sure to get plenty of Vitamin D
The truth is that most adults are deficient in Vitamin D on a normal basis. However, this wonderful little vitamin that we get from the sunlight can be essential for those suffering from fibromyalgia. You should know that a deficiency in vitamin D can disguise itself as fibromyalgia. You should make sure that your physician screens you for a vitamin D deficiency.
Studies have shown that a deficiency in vitamin D can also result in muscle and bone pain, therefore, if you increase the levels of this vitamin in your body, you decrease your chances of developing fibromyalgia. One study showed that those individuals who suffer from fibromyalgia and have a lowered vitamin D level need double the dose of painkillers than those that have adequate levels of this vitamin. If you’re not getting enough Vitamin D, consider taking a supplement- especially during the winter.
Avoid food additives
Common food additives, such as MSG- or monosodium glutamate- and aspartame act as an excitotoxin, which is a chemical that activates neurons that work to increase your sensitivity to pain. Research has shown that if you ease off of these additives, it can provide some benefit.
In fact, one small study showed that eliminating these two additives actually did reduce fibromyalgia symptoms. Of course, this research is not definitive but if you notice that your symptoms seem to flare up after drinking too many diet drinks and eating Chinese takeout- you may want to consider giving it a try.
Add Fish to Your Diet
We know that omega-3 fatty acids, such as those found in walnuts, flaxseed, and salmon reduce inflammation and work to prevent cardiovascular disease. Additionally, they could possibly also offer benefits to those suffering from fibromyalgia. One study showed that after only three months of omega-3 fatty acid supplements, symptoms such as tender, painful joints and morning stiffness greatly decreased.
However, this study didn’t include individuals with fibromyalgia, but individuals with IBS, RA, and dysmenorrhea. Individuals with fibromyalgia typically have very similar symptoms to those as IBD and RA, so it is assumed that omega-3 can help them. Consider adding salmon to your diet. If you’re not a fan of fish, consider adding flaxseeds to your oatmeal or cereal- or, have a few walnuts for an afternoon snack.
Stop (Or At Least Reduce) Your Caffeine Intake
Since sleeplessness is one of the common symptoms of fibromyalgia, you may feel the need to drink lots of coffee to get through the day. However, this could be a mistake. Some individuals with fibromyalgia will use caffeine to get them through the day, which leads to a cycle of using caffeine to stay awake during the day and then not be able to sleep at night. Caffeine can cause an energy crash- and if you drink it late in the day, could have an impact on your sleep. Consider green tea as a heathy alternative to coffee and sodas.
Eat More Veggies
Some researchers have thought that oxidative stress could be a trigger for the symptoms of fibromyalgia. This type of stress occurs when your body isn’t producing enough antioxidants to fight off the free radicals in the body that cause damage to the cells.
Most fruits and veggies are full of antioxidants such as Vitamins A, C, and even E. These vitamins fight of these free radicals to keep your body balanced. There have been some studies that show a raw, vegan diet can actually improve symptoms- but this can be quite difficult for most to follow. If you do feel you must have meat, choose a small serving of grass-fed beef.
Fibromyalgia Treating is now part of the RedOrbit.com community!
We are excited to announce that FibromyalgiaTreating.com is now part of RedOrbit.com. All of the same great people, writers and editors but now with more firepower. We now have access to an enormous amount of additional research information
from doctors and scientists. We can now extend to other conditions that may be part of your everyday lives and help you on a broad level if that is what you need. We are here for you and now, better than ever so sit back and enjoy
the new Fibromyalgia Treating by RedOrbit!
