WORCESTER, MA – Organisms employ a fascinating array of strategies to identify and restrain invasive pieces of foreign DNA, such as those introduced by viruses. For example, many viruses produce double-stranded (ds)RNA during their life cycle and the RNA interference (RNAi) mechanism is thought to recognize this structural feature to initiate a silencing response. Now, UMass Medical School researchers have identified a mechanism related to RNAi that scans for intruders not by recognizing dsRNA or some other aberrant feature of the foreign sequence, but rather by comparing ...

Seeing is believing, except when you don't believe what you see. Astronomers using NASA's Hubble Space Telescope have found a puzzling arc of light behind an extremely massive cluster of galaxies residing 10 billion light-years away. The galactic grouping, discovered by NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope, was observed when the universe was roughly a quarter of its current age of 13.7 billion years. The giant arc is the stretched shape of a more distant galaxy whose light is distorted by the monster cluster's powerful gravity, an effect called gravitational lensing. The ...

Scientists now have clues to how a gene mutation discovered in families affected with congenital heart disease leads to underdevelopment of the walls that separate the heart into four chambers. A Nationwide Children's Hospital study appearing in PLoS Genetics suggests that abnormal development of heart cells during embryogenesis may be to blame. When babies are born with a hole in their heart (either between the upper or lower chambers), they have a septal defect, the most common form of congenital heart disease. Although it's not clear what causes all septal defects, ...

Richmond, Va. (June 22, 2012) – A recent Phase I/II clinical trial has shown that a new combination of radiation therapies developed at Virginia Commonwealth University Massey Cancer Center escalates radiation doses to safely and effectively treat prostate cancer and lower the risk of recurrence with minimal radiation exposure to nearby healthy tissue and organs. Recently published in the journal Brachytherapy, a novel treatment protocol designed by Michael Hagan, M.D., Ph.D., radiation oncologist at VCU Massey Cancer Center, that combines intensity-modulated radiation ...

Chicago (June 27, 2012, 12:01 am [CDT]): Investigators at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, have reported on a new approach to treating previously inoperable complex pancreatic adenocarcinoma that has significantly increased long-term survival for some patients. Pancreatic adenocarcinoma is one of the most devastating forms of pancreatic cancer with survival rates of only 5 percent at five years. Surgical removal of these tumors offers a chance for cure, but it is estimated that only about 20 percent of patients can undergo this treatment. The ...

Chicago (June 27, 2012, 12:01 am [CDT]): Obese patients who need to have their appendixes removed fare better after a minimally invasive surgical procedure rather than an open operation, according to a new study published in the July issue of the Journal of the American College of Surgeons. While the traditional open operation (appendectomy) and minimally invasive procedure (laparoscopic appendectomy) are known to have similar outcomes for people of normal weight, surgeons at the University of Southern California's Keck School of Medicine found that obese patients had ...

In a recent Journal of Biological Chemistry "Paper of the Week," research led by Ayae Kinoshita at the Kyoto University Graduate School of Medicine in Japan reveals the benefits of exercise in combating Alzheimer's disease. The most common cause of dementia, Alzheimer's disease results in the loss of cognitive faculty. In the majority of cases, Alzheimer's disease occurs after age 65, and factors such as diet and exercise appear to play a role in its development, with high-fat diets as a risk factor. Kinoshita's research compared the effects of 1) diet control, ...

An international team led by human genetic researchers at the University of British Columbia and Vancouver Coastal Health has identified the latest gene associated with typical late-onset Lewy body Parkinson's disease (PD), with the help of a Canadian Mennonite family of Dutch-German-Russian ancestry. Twelve of the 57 members of the Saskatchewan family who participated in the study had previously been diagnosed with PD. UBC Medical Genetics Prof. Matthew Farrer, who led the research, notes that unequivocal confirmation of the gene's linkage with PD required DNA samples ...

Global Web FX Inc. announced today that they have released a new version of their website using the latest in Web Design Technology. "It is essential to keep our website up to date with modern browsers and web standards. While our last site version was very sleek, it has been over four years since we created a fresh looking website" said Matthew Shuey, CEO of Global Web FX Inc. The new website now offers more information about their web design and internet marketing services such as Custom Web Design, SEO, and WordPress Theme Design.About GlobalWebFX Founded ...

Faustson Tool (www.faustson.com), a worldwide leader in five-axis manufacturing technology, has hired Thomas de Miniac as its new European sales manager. In this role, he will support Faustson's ongoing expansion in the European market. "It's clear that the industry and the business world is becoming a global marketplace. To honor our existing working relationships abroad and to support the creation of new opportunities, we undertook an international search and found Thomas," notes Faustson Director of Operations Heidi Hostetter. "Given his fluency in ...

VCF Medical, a provider of medical bracing for spine conditions and sports related injuries, has partnered with AEONSurgical, a Global Distributor Network in the Musculoskeletal Industry. Elliott Sampley, CEO, VCF Medical, commented, "AEONSurgical brings a vast network of polished, professional sales representatives and distributors to our company, which is a key component to our growth and success." Oscar Obledo, President, AEONSurgical, said, "We welcome the partnership with VCF Medical so as to provide physicians across the country with the necessary bracing ...

"JAWSFEST Summer for the Sharks," has chosen the country's leading mobile fundraising provider, Give by Cell and its Mobile Donate solution to collect donations during this summer for shark conservation. Soon, donors may text JAWS to 56512 to receive a link to a secure mobile webpage where they can input their credit card information. With Mobile Donate, shark enthusiasts can contribute to shark conservation organizations dedicated to educating the public and raising funds for sharks. There are no restrictions on the size of the donation, and the event organizers ...

This past weekend, the Volunteer Ministers of the Church of Scientology held a successful blood drive in Clearwater, bringing in 56 donations, which can save up to 168 lives over the summer holidays. Summer is a critical time for Florida Blood Services, as due to family vacations and school being out, the number of donations drop, but the demand increases. As an example, out of all the holidays celebrated in the United States, there are more auto accidents and fatalities on the Fourth of July than any other holiday. "The donations collected at this weekend's ...

New England contemporary impressionist painter Bruce Wood is a winner in the landscape painting competition sponsored by the Lyman Allyn Art Museum, The Lyme Art Association, and the Lyme Land Conservation Trust. Two of his oil paintings were selected for inclusion in the exhibition Celebrating Lyme's Beauty, which will show at the Lyman Allyn Art Museum in New London, Connecticut June 1-30 and continue at the Lyme Art Association in Old Lyme, Connecticut, from July 7 - September 3, 2012. Celebrating Lyme's Beauty is an exhibition of paintings of lovely Clucas Field ...

Someone Cares Soup Kitchen, a Costa Mesa based non-profit, announced today that their 26th annual gala and auction raised more than $60,000 to support the Someone Cares Hunger Relief and Tutoring Programs. The sold out "Volunteerism" themed gala honored the dedication and service of more than 7,500 volunteers who assist the soup kitchen daily in their efforts to eliminate hunger in Orange County. Recognized for its remarkable achievements, OneOC was honored with the Someone Cares Soup Kitchen Ladle Award and a proclamation from Orange County Supervisor, John Moorlach ...

Dr. Steven Yuan, Bloomingdale dentist, asks patients to support his dental team on their quest to win a small business grant through Chase and LivingSocial's "Mission: Small Business" program. Patients can show support by voting for "Steven Yuan DDS" on the "Mission: Small Business" website. The grant will be used to help Aesthetic Dental LLC better serve the community through volunteer dental work. "With around 50 million Americans lacking dental insurance, I feel it is our duty to do something to help our community members. We already ...

GammaTech Computer Corp., a major international manufacturer and supplier of innovative notebook and tablet computers, is set to introduce its first All-In-One PC for the healthcare market. With low-power consumption, advanced performance and slim versatile design, the GammaTech A22i was specifically designed and engineered for the medical industry. It is available for ordering now. "GammaTech is proud to bring its award-winning technology and know-how to the all-in-one market," remarked Jen Chen, GammaTech president. "Among the many advanced features ...

The latest addition to the Enfora Mobile Tracker family, the Spider MT 2500, is now offered by Richardson Wireless with support from Gentrifi's real-time web-based tracking application. This innovative GPS tracking device comes with all of the advanced features you would expect from an Enfora MT device; superior GPS performance, internal GPS and GSM/GPRS antennas, 3-axis accelerometer, internal SIM card holder, and multiple I/O capability. Above all, the device adheres to Enfora's principles of incorporating maximum functionality while maintaining a low price-point. So ...

Financial Affidavits Are Key to a Fair Divorce Settlement For couples going through a divorce in Arizona, financial affidavits are an easily overlooked but extremely important part of the settlement process. A financial affidavit is an official document filled out individually by both spouses, laying out the details of their respective financial circumstances. The financial affidavits provide a detailed inventory of each spouse's income and expenses, as well as his or her debts and assets. The process of completing a financial affidavit, formally referred to in Arizona ...

California May Pass Law Permitting Driverless Car Testing The California Senate approved a bill that would approve road testing of driverless vehicles. In doing so, California joins Nevada, which currently allows testing of remote-controlled cars. Other states may soon follow suit, including Arizona, Hawaii, Florida and Oklahoma. California Senator Alex Padilla sponsored the bill to allow "autonomous vehicles" on California's busiest roadways. The increasing use and testing of driverless vehicles raises questions about whether these vehicles would make roads ...

Studies Show More Young Drivers Are Texting While Driving A study by the California Office of Traffic Safety found that cellphone use by teenagers and young adults behind the wheel has doubled in the past year. Overall, cellphone use while driving increased from 7.3 percent to nearly 11 percent of drivers from 2011 to 2012. But for drivers age 16 to 25, the rate exploded from 9 to 18 percent, or nearly one in five drivers. Clearly, with at least three in four American teenagers owning a cellphone, a growing number are choosing to text while driving. Other studies ...

Students and staff from Stanbridge College, a technical college that offers training in Healthcare and Information Technology, recently volunteered at the Special Olympics Southern California 2012 Summer Games on June 9th and 10th. In addition to cheering on the athletes, over 20 volunteers from Stanbridge College assisted in several areas including medical response, score keeping, athlete staging and meal assistance. According to Sarah Clark, Vocational Nursing student scheduled to graduate in July, "I volunteered at Special Olympics and it was amazing! I spent ...

On Saturday, June 9th, Sea Shepherd celebrated its 35th anniversary with an event at Sea Shepherd supporter, John Paul DeJoria's Serra Retreat estate in Malibu, CA. The event was a benefit to support the freeing of Captain Paul Watson, who is currently under house arrest in Frankfurt, Germany, and faces extradition to Costa Rica for an incident that occurred over a decade ago when he apprehended an illegal shark finning operation off the coast of Guatemala. Sea Shepherd is best-known for its reality TV show, Whale Wars, which airs on the Animal Planet network. The ...

Critical Environment Technologies Canada Inc. (CETCI) is proud to announce phase one launch of the Low Power Transmitter (LPT) available in single sensor carbon monoxide (CO) or nitrogen dioxide (NO2) electrochemical sensor. The LPT features 3-in-1 wiring: two-wire "loop", three-wire VDC or four-wire VAC power, 4 - 20 mA linear output signal, automatic thermal resetting fuse, RoHS compliant circuit boards, temperature compensation, and visual LED indication for power and fault conditions, and is all enclosed in a standard water / dust tight (drip proof) ABS ...

Duncan McCellan is in the process of adding a fully functional Art school to teach Art and working with Glass located next to his Emerson Street Art Warehouse Gallery. Lance Rodgers curator of the St. Pete Sculpture Walk is continually working on his paintings and helping the local Artist community. Lance is excited about and is looking to relocate to the warehouse district after 20 years at the Saltcreek Artworks location. ArtSpotGallery.com has volunteered to assist in the promotion of the St Petersburg Artist Community. They have created a FREE Internet Portal ...