No Known Hominin Is Ancestor of Neanderthals and Modern Humans

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**Photos of the researcher will be available Monday, Oct. 21 at 12 p.m. Eastern.**
**Full research paper and figures, including visuals of the teeth studied, available now under embargo, upon request.**

Newswise — WASHINGTON—The search for a common ancestor linking modern humans with the Neanderthals who lived in Europe thousands of years ago has been a compelling subject for research. But a new study suggests the quest isn’t nearly complete.

Researchers, using quantitative methods focused on the shape of dental fossils, find that none of the usual suspects fits the expected profile of an ancestor of Neanderthals and modern humans. They also present evidence that the lines that led to Neanderthals and modern humans diverged nearly 1 million years ago, much earlier than studies based on molecular evidence have suggested.

The study, which will be published on Oct. 21 at 3 p.m. Eastern by the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, was carried out by an international team of scholars from the George Washington University (GW), Konrad Lorenz Institute for Evolution and Cognition Research in Austria, Indiana University (IU) and Atapuerca Research Team in Spain.

“Our results call attention to the strong discrepancies between molecular and paleontological estimates of the divergence time between Neanderthals and modern humans," said Aida Gómez-Robles, lead author of the paper and a postdoctoral scientist at the Center for the Advanced Study of Hominid Paleobiology in the GW Columbian College of Arts and Sciences. “These discrepancies cannot be simply ignored, but they have to be somehow reconciled.”

P. David Polly, professor in the Department of Geological Sciences in the IU Bloomington College of Arts and Sciences, is a co-author of the study. Other co-authors are Spanish researchers José María Bermúdez de Castro, Juan-Luis Arsuaga and Eudald Carbonell, co-directors of the excavations at Atapuerca sites. The study resulted from a collaboration that developed when Dr. Gómez-Robles spent a semester at IU studying with Dr. Polly while she was a graduate student at the National Research Centre for Human Evolution and at the University of Granada, both in Spain. It also makes use of statistical methods developed by IU Bloomington biologist Emilia Martins.

The article, "No known hominin species matches the expected dental morphology of the last common ancestor of Neanderthals and modern humans," relies on fossils of approximately 1,200 molars and premolars from 13 species or types of hominins—humans and human relatives and ancestors. Fossils from the well-known Atapuerca sites have a crucial role in this research, accounting for more than 15 percent of the complete studied fossil collection.

The researchers use techniques of morphometric analysis and phylogenetic statistics to reconstruct the dental morphology of the last common ancestor of Neanderthals and modern humans. They conclude with high statistical confidence that none of the hominins usually proposed as a common ancestor, such as Homo heidelbergensis, H. erectus and H. antecessor, is a satisfactory match.

“None of the species that have been previously suggested as the last common ancestor of Neanderthals and modern humans has a dental morphology that is fully compatible with the expected morphology of this ancestor,” Dr. Gómez-Robles said.

The study also finds that the potential human ancestors discovered in Europe are morphologically closer to Neanderthals than to modern humans. This suggests the line leading to Neanderthals arose around 1 million years ago and the divergence of humans took place much earlier than previously thought. Other studies have placed the divergence around 350,000 years ago.

The researchers argue that quantitative and statistical methods provide a better way to settle debates about human origins than the descriptive analyses that have been used in the past. "Our primary aim," they wrote, "is to put questions about human evolution into a testable, quantitative framework and to offer an objective means to sort out apparently unsolvable debates about hominin phylogeny." They also suggest applying their methodology to study other body parts represented in the hominin fossil record.

What comes next? Answers to the ancestry question could come from studying hominin fossils from Africa, the researchers say. But the African fossil record from the era of interest is sparse.

“The study tells us that there are still new hominin finds waiting to be made,” Dr. Polly said. “Fossil finds from about 1 million years ago in Africa deserve close scrutiny as the possible ancestor of Neanderthals and modern humans.”

The Center for the Advanced Study of Hominid Paleobiology
The Center for the Advanced Study of Hominid Paleobiology is a research center at the George Washington University. CASHP’s mission is to undertake strategic research that addresses fundamental problems in human evolution that cross disciplinary boundaries, to act as a catalyst for interdisciplinary research programs involving scientists from other centers around the world and to promote interdisciplinary research through training and education.

The Columbian College of Arts and Sciences
Established in 1821 in the heart of the nation’s capital, the George Washington University Columbian College of Arts and Sciences is the largest of GW’s academic units. It encompasses the School of Media and Public Affairs, the Trachtenberg School of Public Policy and Public Administration and more than 40 departments and programs for undergraduate, graduate and professional studies. The Columbian College provides the foundation for GW’s commitment to the liberal arts and a broad education for all students. An internationally recognized faculty and active partnerships with prestigious research institutions place Columbian College at the forefront in advancing policy, enhancing culture and transforming lives through research and discovery.

The George Washington University
In the heart of the nation’s capital with additional programs in Virginia, the George Washington University was created by an Act of Congress in 1821. Today, GW is the largest institution of higher education in the District of Columbia. The university offers comprehensive programs of undergraduate and graduate liberal arts study, as well as degree programs in medicine, public health, law, engineering, education, business and international affairs. Each year, GW enrolls a diverse population of undergraduate, graduate and professional students from all 50 states, the District of Columbia and more than 130 countries.

Indiana University Bloomington
Indiana University Bloomington is the flagship residential, research-intensive campus of Indiana University. Its academic excellence is grounded in the humanities, arts and sciences and a range of highly ranked professional programs. Founded in 1820, the campus serves more than 42,000 undergraduate and graduate students pursuing degrees in more than 300 disciplines. Widely recognized for its global and international programs, outstanding technology and historic limestone campus, IU Bloomington serves as a global gateway for students and faculty members pursuing issues of worldwide significance.

- GW -

Shorter Sleep Duration and Poorer Sleep Quality Linked to Alzheimer's Disease Biomarker

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Newswise — Poor sleep quality may impact Alzheimer’s disease onset and progression. This is according to a new study led by researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health who examined the association between sleep variables and a biomarker for Alzheimer’s disease in older adults. The researchers found that reports of shorter sleep duration and poorer sleep quality were associated with a greater ß-Amyloid burden, a hallmark of the disease. The results are featured online in the October issue of JAMA Neurology.

“Our study found that among older adults, reports of shorter sleep duration and poorer sleep quality were associated with higher levels of ß-Amyloid measured by PET scans of the brain,” said Adam Spira, PhD, lead author of the study and an assistant professor with the Bloomberg School’s Department of Mental Health. “These results could have significant public health implications as Alzheimer’s disease is the most common cause of dementia, and approximately half of older adults have insomnia symptoms.”

Alzheimer’s disease is an irreversible, progressive brain disease that slowly destroys memory and thinking skills. According to the National Institutes of Health, as many as 5.1 million Americans may have the disease, with first symptoms appearing after age 60. Previous studies have linked disturbed sleep to cognitive impairment in older people.

In a cross-sectional study of adults from the neuro-imagining sub-study of the Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging with an average age of 76, the researchers examined the association between self-reported sleep variables and ß-Amyloid deposition. Study participants reported sleep that ranged from more than seven hours to no more than five hours. ß-Amyloid deposition was measured by the Pittsburgh compound B tracer and PET (positron emission tomography) scans of the brain. Reports of shorter sleep duration and lower sleep quality were both associated with greater ?ß buildup.

“These findings are important in part because sleep disturbances can be treated in older people. To the degree that poor sleep promotes the development of Alzheimer’s disease, treatments for poor sleep or efforts to maintain healthy sleep patterns may help prevent or slow the progression of Alzheimer disease,” said Spira. He added that the findings cannot demonstrate a causal link between poor sleep and Alzheimer’s disease, and that longitudinal studies with objective sleep measures are needed to further examine whether poor sleep contributes to or accelerates Alzheimer’s disease.

“Self-reported Sleep and ß-Amyloid Deposition in Community-Dwelling Older Adults,” was written by Adam P. Spira, Alyssa A. Gamaldo, Yang An, Mark N. Wu, Eleanor M. Simonsick, Murat Bilgel, Yun Zhou, Dean F. Wong, Luigi Ferrucci and Susan M. Resnick.

The research was supported in part by the National Institutes of Health and the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine Brain Science Institute. Dr. Spira is supported by Mentored Research Scientist Development Award (K01AG033195) from the National Institute on Aging.

Presidential Medal of freedom recipient Dr. William Foege talks about the "practical lessons to plan for your life"

Newswise - Alumni Dr. William H. Foege, winner of the Presidential Medal of freedom to lead the fight for the eradication of smallpox, successfully returns to PLU on November 21 for a free public lecture and book-signing.

Dr. Foege, an epidemiologist, worked on the successful campaign to eradicate smallpox in the 1970s. Introducing Dr. Foege with highest civilian honor of the nation at the ceremony in the White House Medal of freedom the year passed, President Barack Obama called it a leader in "one of the greatest successes of the medicine".

After his talk PLU November 21, Foege signed copies of his book, the burning house, which explains how the smallpox, a disease that killed, blinded and healed by millions of people, was completely eradicated in a spectacular triumph of medicine and public health. Part autobiography, part of mystery, the book describes the experiences of Dr. Foege in public health, and details the extraordinary program that people from countries around the world participating in pursuit of a single goal: eliminate smallpox forever.

About Dr. Foege
Dr. Foege served as head of the Centers for Disease Control and prevention smallpox eradication program and was named Director of CDC in 1977. He graduated from PLU in 1957 and later received his medical degree from the University of Washington and a master's degree in public health from Harvard University. It also has honorary degrees from numerous institutions and he was appointed a member of the Faculty of Tropical Medicine in London and the hygiene in 1997. He has written more than 125 professional publications and is the author of the House on fire.

Details of the event
Date and time: 19:30 Thursday, November 21, 2013.
Location: Karen Hille Phillips Center for the performing arts, campus of PLU, 12180 Park Avenue S., Tacoma.
Admission: Free; reservations preferred.
Read more about the presentation of Dr. Foege 2012 Medal of freedom: http://www.plu.edu/news/2012/04/foege/home.php

Media Advisory: James C. Tyree Diabetes Education Library dedication

What: dedication of the James C. Tyree Diabetes Education Library
Who: The University of Chicago medicine Kovler Diabetes Center
When: 18:30 Wednesday, October 23, 2013
Where: Duchossois Center for advanced medicine, 5758 S. Maryland Ave., Chicago
How: RSVP by 9 Wednesday, October 23, 2013

Diabetes at the University of Chicago medicine Kovler Center will dedicate a new diabetes education library to honor the legacy of the late James C. Tyree, former President and Chief Executive Officer of Mesirow Financial Holdings, President of Sun-Times Media Group and member of the Board at the University of Chicago Medical Center.

The library which patients and their families have access to educational materials and provide space for classes and support groups. It is the last component of the program for Diabetes Care and innovation to promote clinical programs for diabetes, collaboration in research and education and outreach to patients and professional doctors James C. Tyree.

Tyree, who suffered from diabetes for about 25 years, was an advocate for patient counseling and wellness and behavioral health services. He died in March at age 53 from complications of cancer of the stomach while being treated at the medical center of the University of Chicago.

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About the medicine of the University of Chicago

Medicine of the University of Chicago, and their eating of the children's Hospital of rank among the best in the country, in particular for the treatment of cancer, according to survey by US News & World Report of the hospitals in the country. Faculty of Medicine of the University of Chicago Pritzker has been named one of the medical schools in the Top 10 in the nation, in the poll of "Best graduate schools" U.S. News. Scientists from the University of Chicago conducted the first organ transplant and the first transplant of bone marrow in animal models, donors living successful first transplant liver, first hormone therapy for cancer and the first successful application of cancer chemotherapy. The researchers discovered REM sleep and were the first to describe several of the stages of sleep. Twelve Nobel Prize winners have been affiliated with the medicine of the University of Chicago.

Visit our research blog at sciencelife.uchospitals.edu and our uchospitals.edu/news press room.

Twitter @UChicagoMed
Facebook.com/UChicagoMed

UIC Chancellor Receives $1.4 Million to Recruit Transfer Students in Sciences

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Newswise — Backed by a $1.4 million federal grant, the University of Illinois at Chicago will launch a new program to increase the number of underrepresented students who pursue degrees and research careers in the behavioral and biomedical sciences.

The five-year grant from the National Institute of General Medical Sciences, one of the National Institutes of Health, partners UIC with the City Colleges of Chicago in an effort to bolster recruitment, training, mentorship, and degree completion in health-related fields for students from underrepresented backgrounds.

Beginning in 2014, UIC’s Behavioral and Biomedical Sciences Bridges to the Baccalaureate Program will recruit 58 students, 18 in the first year and 10 in each of the remaining four years, who qualify to transfer to UIC from the City Colleges. Participants will pursue their UIC degree in one of three areas aligned with their research and career interests: nursing; public health; or liberal arts and sciences, in subject areas such as biology, chemistry, psychology or physics.

“Researchers from underrepresented populations are in high demand, given persistent societal health disparities,” said UIC Chancellor Paula Allen-Meares, the grant’s principal investigator.

“As one of the most diverse universities in the nation, UIC is well-positioned, and eager, to offer this program that will give transfer students from underrepresented backgrounds the skills to be successful not only in their academic career, but as professional health scientists,” Allen-Meares said.

The program will offer students an intensive summer research skills workshop, an assigned research mentor, access to peer-tutors, and support for science and academic skill development through group activities. A health science conference is also being planned.

Students selected for the program will begin preparation for baccalaureate studies at the conclusion of their freshman year.

The program’s public health track seeks to advance knowledge and skills not only in basic sciences, but in two disciplines — epidemiology and biostatistics — that are considered critical to understanding public health problems.

Students who bridge to the undergraduate nursing program will be trained in research methods and statistical analysis along with skills in managing the health-care needs of individuals and communities.

Students in any of the liberal arts and sciences subject areas will prepare for professional and graduate study in diverse specialties such as cancer biology, tissue engineering and neuroscience.

“This program will enhance the students’ basic research skills, such as quantitative and qualitative analysis, critical thinking and innovation,” Allen-Meares said. ”These skills, and the capacity for leadership and collaboration, will be gained by working alongside faculty members in their respective programs.”

Retention and graduation rates will be tracked during and after the funding period to gauge the success of the program’s student support system.

The participants’ educational and career paths after graduation will be followed to gauge the program’s success in elevating the number of students from underrepresented backgrounds that enter graduate programs, receive doctoral degrees and pursue research careers.
The program also aims to foster collaborations and professional development opportunities between UIC and City Colleges of Chicago faculty that will enhance the educational experience for participating students, Allen-Meares said.

Current partnerships between UIC and the City Colleges include the Guaranteed Admission Transfer program, which offers City Colleges students guaranteed undergraduate admission to UIC after successful completion of their first two years of college, and a NIH-sponsored Bridges to the Doctorate for Minority Nursing Students program in the UIC College of Nursing.

The new program is also tied to UIC’s role directing the Illinois State Board of Education’s Health Science Learning Exchange, which began in 2012 as part of a $10.3 million public-private partnership to better prepare Illinois students for careers in science, technology, engineering and math fields. Allen-Meares and Bruce C. Neimeyer, associate vice chancellor for special programs, are co-investigators for a five-year $833,090 grant from the Department of Education to coordinate the exchange’s statewide network of businesses, employer associations, education partners, and other stakeholders.

Co-investigators on the new National Institute of General Medical Sciences grant include Neimeyer, Karin Opacich, Brian Kay, and Julie Zerwic of UIC and Michael Davis of the City Colleges of Chicago.

The City Colleges of Chicago is the largest community college system in Illinois and one of the largest in the nation, with 5,800 faculty and staff serving 120,000 students annually at seven colleges city-wide.

UIC ranks among the nation’s leading research universities and is Chicago’s largest university with 27,500 students, 12,000 faculty and staff, 15 colleges and the state’s major public medical center. A hallmark of the campus is the Great Cities Commitment, through which UIC faculty, students and staff engage with community, corporate, foundation and government partners to improve the quality of life in metropolitan areas around the world.

More about UIC.

Contact Lens Discomfort: What Is It, Why Does It Occur and How Can It Be Treated?

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Newswise — BOSTON, MA, October 21, 2013 – Contact lens discomfort (CLD) may be the leading cause of patient dissatisfaction with, and discontinuation of, contact lens wear throughout the world — but there is little agreement among vision researchers and eye care professionals about how to define and manage its causes.

“Up to half of all contact lens wearers experience CLD,” explained Jason J. Nichols, OD, MPH, PhD, Professor at the University of Houston College of Optometry. “However, there is no global consensus concerning the definition, classification, epidemiology, pathophysiology, diagnosis, management and the proper design of clinical studies for CLD.”

To lay the groundwork for defining and treating this widespread issue, the Tear Film & Ocular Surface Society (TFOS; www.tearfilm.org) organized the TFOS International Workshop on Contact Lens Discomfort (CLD), which was chaired by Nichols. The findings were reported Friday in the current issue of journal Investigative Ophthalmology & Visual Science (www.iovs.org).

The CLD Workshop took 18 months to complete and involved 79 experts from around the world. “Workshop participants used an evidence-based approach and a process of open communication, dialogue, and transparency in order to achieve a global consensus concerning multiple aspects of CLD,” noted Mark Willcox, PhD, FBCLA, FAAO, MASM, Professor, School of Optometry & Vision Science, University of New South Wales, and Vice-Chair of the Workshop.

“This TFOS report will significantly increase awareness of factors that may, and may not, contribute to the generation of CLD. Ideally, this TFOS report will stimulate innovative research in this very important field,” commented David A. Sullivan, MS, PhD, FARVO,

Founder and recent past TFOS President, Senior Scientist, Schepens Eye Research Institute/Harvard Medical School and Organizer of the TFOS CLD Workshop.

The TFOS International Workshop on Contact Lens Discomfort Report is freely available to scientists and clinicians worldwide. Complete or partial translations of the report will be offered in numerous languages.

Interviews can be scheduled by emailing Amy Gallant Sullivan: Amy@TearFilm.org

About the Tear Film & Ocular Surface Society

Founded in 2000, The Tear Film & Ocular Surface Society (TFOS) is a world leader in eye health education headquartered in Boston that's dedicated to advancing the research, literacy and educational aspects of the scientific field of the eye’s surface. The TFOS network includes basic scientists, academic clinicians and industry representatives originating from more than 80 countries. The society has published The TFOS International Dry Eye Workshop (DEWS 2007), The TFOS International Report on Meibomian Gland Dysfunction (MGD 2011) and the TFOS International Workshop on Contact Lens Discomfort (CLD 2013). More information about TFOS and these reports are available at www.TearFilm.org.

Please note: TFOS received support for this Workshop from Alcon, Allergan, Bausch & Lomb, Santen, Menicon, Vistakon, Laboratoies Théa, Optima Pharmazeutische, OCULUS, CooperVision and Contact Lens Spectrum.

About IOVS
The peer-reviewed journal Investigative Ophthalmology & Visual Science (IOVS) publishes results from original hypothesis-based clinical and laboratory research studies, as well as Reviews, Perspectives, and Special Issues. IOVS 2012 Impact Factor ranks No. 5 out of 58 among ophthalmology journals. The journal is online-only and articles are published daily. IOVS is published by the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO), the largest eye and vision research organization in the world. Members include more than 12,000 eye and vision researchers from over 80 countries. ARVO advances research worldwide into understanding the visual system and preventing, treating and curing its disorders.

Hitchhiking Virus Confirms Saga of Ancient Human Migration

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Newswise — MADISON, Wis. — A study of the full genetic code of a common human virus offers a dramatic confirmation of the “out-of-Africa” pattern of human migration, which had previously been documented by anthropologists and studies of the human genome.

The virus under study, herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1), usually causes nothing more severe than cold sores around the mouth, says Curtis Brandt, a professor of medical microbiology and ophthalmology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Brandt is senior author of the study, now online in the journal PLOS ONE.

When Brandt and co-authors Aaron Kolb and Cécile Ané compared 31 strains of HSV-1 collected in North America, Europe, Africa and Asia, “the result was fairly stunning,” says Brandt.

“The viral strains sort exactly as you would predict based on sequencing of human genomes. We found that all of the African isolates cluster together, all the virus from the Far East, Korea, Japan, China clustered together, all the viruses in Europe and America, with one exception, clustered together,” he says.

“What we found follows exactly what the anthropologists have told us, and the molecular geneticists who have analyzed the human genome have told us, about where humans originated and how they spread across the planet.”

Geneticists explore how organisms are related by studying changes in the sequence of bases, or “letters” on their genes. From knowledge of how quickly a particular genome changes, they can construct a “family tree” that shows when particular variants had their last common ancestor.

Studies of human genomes have shown that our ancestors emerged from Africa roughly 150,000 to 200,000 years ago, and then spread eastward toward Asia, and westward toward Europe.

Scientists have previously studied herpes simplex virus type 1 by looking at a single gene, or a small cluster of genes, but Brandt notes that this approach can be misleading. “Scientists have come to realize that the relationships you get back from a single gene, or a small set of genes, are not very accurate.”

The PLOS ONE study used high-capacity genetic sequencing and advanced bioinformatics to analyze the massive amount of data from the 31 genomes.

The technology of simultaneously comparing the entire genomes of related viruses could also be useful in exploring why certain strains of a virus are so much more lethal than others. In a tiny percentage of cases, for example, HSV-1 can cause a deadly brain infection, Brandt notes.

“We’d like to understand why these few viruses are so dangerous, when the predominant course of herpes is so mild. We believe that a difference in the gene sequence is determining the outcome, and we are interested in sorting this out,” he says.

For studies of influenza virus in particular, Brandt says, “people are trying to come up with virulence markers that will enable us to predict what a particular strain of virus will do.”

The researchers broke the HSV-1 genome into 26 pieces, made family trees for each piece and then combined each of the trees into one network tree of the whole genome, Brandt says. “Cécile Ané did a great job in coming up with a new way to look at these trees, and identifying the most probable grouping.” It was this grouping that paralleled existing analyses of human migration.

The new analysis could even detect some intricacies of migration. Every HSV-1 sample from the United States except one matched the European strains, but one strain that was isolated in Texas looked Asian. “How did we get an Asian-related virus in Texas?” Kolb asks. Either the sample had come from someone who had travelled from the Far East, or it came from a native American whose ancestors had crossed the “land bridge” across the Bering Strait roughly 15,000 years ago.

“We found support for the land bridge hypothesis because the date of divergence from its most recent Asian ancestor was about 15,000 years ago. Brandt says. “The dates match, so we postulate that this was an Amerindian virus.”

Herpes simplex virus type 1 was an ideal virus for the study because it is easy to collect, usually not lethal, and able to form lifelong latent infections. Because HSV-1 is spread by close contact, kissing or saliva, it tends to run in families. “You can think of this as a kind of external genome,” Brandt says.

Furthermore, HSV-1 is much simpler than the human genome, which cuts the cost of sequencing, yet its genome is much larger than another virus that also has been used for this type of study. Genetics often comes down to a numbers game; larger numbers produce stronger evidence, so a larger genome produces much more detail.

But what really jumped out of the study, Brandt says, “was clear support for the out-of-Africa hypothesis. Our results clearly support the anthropological data, and other genetic data, that explain how humans came from Africa into the Middle East and started to spread from there.”

The correspondence with anthropology even extends, as before, to the details. In the virus, as in human genomes, a small human population entered the Middle East from Africa. “There is a population bottleneck between Africa and the rest of the world; very few people were involved in the initial migration from Africa,” Brandt says. “When you look at the phylogenetic tree from the virus, it’s exactly the same as what the anthropologists have told us.”

The PLOS ONE paper is available at http://www.plosone.org/article/
info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0076267. These studies were supported by grants from the National Institutes of Health: R01EY07336 and R01EY018597.

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Ravichandran Named the Irene and Robert Bozzone '55 Distinguished Chair in the Lally School of Management at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute

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Newswise — Troy, N.Y. – Information systems expert T. (Ravi) Ravichandran has been named the Irene and Robert Bozzone ’55 Distinguished Chair in the Lally School of Management at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. An endowed professorship is among the highest honors bestowed on a Rensselaer faculty member.

“Dr. Ravichandran is an internationally recognized expert in the fields of business strategy, information technology management, and supply chain management. Scholars in these fields recognize the strength and impact of his research, which positions Rensselaer and its students at the forefront of learning about and preparing for today’s global marketplace,” said Tom Begley, dean of the Lally School at Rensselaer. “We commend him on his appointment to the Irene and Robert Bozzone ’55 Distinguished Chair and look forward to his continued scholarly achievements in this new leadership role.”

The Bozzone Chair advances the management and technology program at the Lally School, and was established by colleagues of former Rensselaer Board of Trustees member Robert P. Bozzone ’55 to pay tribute to his exceptional career and accomplishments in building Allegheny Technologies Inc., into one of America’s outstanding corporations.

“Robert was a pioneer in leading his industrial company through the changes necessary to compete effectively internationally, and he has been a longtime loyal supporter of Rensselaer,” Begley said. “We are immensely pleased that we have the opportunity to honor the contributions of our Lally School faculty member through the efforts of Robert Bozzone.”

Ravichandran joined Rensselaer faculty in 1996 as an assistant professor at the Lally School. He was promoted to a full professor in 2009 and named associate dean for research at the Lally School in 2012.

“I feel honored to be awarded the Irene and Robert Bozzone ’55 Distinguished Chair, and would like to thank President Shirley Ann Jackson, Provost Prabhat Hajela, and Dean Tom Begley for the support I have received at Rensselaer,” said Ravichandran. “I look forward to continuing our efforts to build a pre-eminent business school at Rensselaer that creates and disseminates knowledge to leverage advanced management practices, analytical insights, and technology for the benefit of society.”

Ravichandran’s research focuses on the strategic implications of information technology, supply chain management, business-to-business electronic markets, innovation diffusion, and assimilation and organizational renewal/growth through innovation. This work examines how information technology creates value for firms and transforms organizations, industrial supply chains, and industries. His research has developed deep insights about how the competitive behaviors of firms are shaped by the information systems and about the mechanisms to facilitate the effective design, development, assimilation, and use of information systems within organizations and in value networks.

Ravichandran has published more than 100 research papers in leading academic journals and conference proceedings. He currently serves as a department editor for IEEE Transactions on Engineering Management. He has also served as an associate editor of Information Systems Research and an associate editor of MIS Quarterly.

Ravichandran also works closely with several large firms on IT strategy, supply chain management, and innovation management. He has had extensive business experience as a consultant to the Reliance Group, Bombay; as the assistant director of the National Productivity Council, India; and as a production manager in Flakt AB (now Asea Brown Boveri). He has also been a successful entrepreneur, starting an IT services firm.

Ravichandran received his doctoral degree in business administration with a focus on information systems from Southern Illinois University, Carbondale; a postgraduate diploma in industrial and systems engineering from the National Productivity Council in India; and a bachelor’s degree in production engineering from the University of Madras.
For more information about the Lally School of Management, visit: http://lallyschool.rpi.edu/.

For more information regarding Ravichandran and his research at Rensselaer, visit: http://lallyschool.rpi.edu/faculty/ravit.html.

Follow Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute on Twitter at: http://www.twitter.com/RPInews

For more story ideas, visit the Rensselaer research and discovery blog at: http://approach.rpi.edu

Breast Milk Protein May Be Key to Protecting Babies From HIV Infection

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Released: 10/16/2013 3:15 PM EDT
Embargo expired: 10/21/2013 3:00 PM EDT
Source Newsroom: Duke Medicine

Newswise — DURHAM, N.C. – A substance in breast milk that neutralizes HIV and may protect babies from acquiring HIV from their infected mothers has been identified for the first time by researchers at Duke Medicine.

The protein, called Tenascin-C or TNC, had previously been recognized as playing a role in wound healing, but had not been known to have antimicrobial properties. The discovery could lead to potential new HIV-prevention strategies.

Reporting in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences during the week of Oct. 21, 2013, the researchers describe how the TNC protein in breast milk binds to and neutralizes the HIV virus, potentially protecting exposed infants who might otherwise become infected from repeated exposures to the virus.

“Even though we have antiretroviral drugs that can work to prevent mother-to-child transmission, not every pregnant woman is being tested for HIV, and less than 60 percent are receiving the prevention drugs, particularly in countries with few resources,” said senior author Sallie Permar, M.D., Ph.D., assistant professor of pediatrics, immunology and molecular genetics and microbiology at Duke. “So there is still a need for alternative strategies to prevent mother-to-child transmission, which is why this work is important.”

Worldwide in 2011, an estimated 330,000 children acquired HIV from their mothers during pregnancy or birth, or through breastfeeding according to UNICEF. As international health organizations have set a goal of eliminating mother-to-child infections, researchers have worked to develop safe and affordable alternatives to antiretroviral therapy that can be used to block HIV transmission to infants.

Permar and colleagues focused on breast milk, which has long been recognized as having some protective quality that inhibits mother-to-child transmission despite multiple daily exposures over months and even years of nursing. Earlier studies had identified some antiviral properties in breast milk, but the majority of the HIV-neutralizing activity of breast milk remained unexplained. More recent studies pointed to a large protein that had yet to be identified.

In their study, the Duke team screened mature milk samples from uninfected women for neutralizing activity against a panel of HIV strains, confirming that all of the detectable HIV-neutralization activity was contained in the high molecular weight portion. Using a multi-step protein separation process, the researchers narrowed the detectable HIV-neutralization activity to a single protein, and identified it as TNC.

“TNC is a component of the extracellular matrix that is integral to how tissues hold themselves together,” Permar said, noting that co-author Harold Erickson, Ph.D., professor of cell biology at Duke, was among the first to identify and describe TNC in the 1980s. “This is a protein involved during wound healing, playing a role in tissue repair. It is also known to be important in fetal development, but its reason for being a component of breast milk or its antiviral properties had never been described.”

Further analysis described how TNC works against HIV by blocking virus entry. The protein is uniquely effective in capturing virus particles and neutralizes the virus, specifically binding to the HIV envelope. These properties provide widespread protection against infection.

“It’s likely that TNC is acting in concert with other anti-HIV factors in breast milk, and further research should explore this,” Permar said. “But given TNC’s broad-spectrum HIV-1-binding and neutralizing activity, it could be developed as an HIV-prevention therapy, given orally to infants prior to breastfeeding, similar to the way oral rehydration salts are routinely administered to infants in developing regions.”

Permar said TNC would also appear to be inherently safe, since it is a naturally occurring component of breast milk, and it may avoid the problem of HIV resistance to antiretroviral regimens that complicate maternal/infant applications.

“The discovery of the HIV inhibiting effect of this common protein in breast milk provides a potential explanation for why nursing infants born to HIV-infected mothers do not become infected more often than they do,” said Barton F. Haynes, M.D., director of the Duke Human Vaccine Institute. “It also provides support for inducing inhibitory factors in breast milk that might be even more protective, such as antibodies, that would completely protect babies from HIV infection in this setting.”

In addition to Permar, co-senior author was S. Munir Alam. Other authors include Genevieve G. Fouda, Frederick H. Jaeger, Joshua D. Amos, Carrie Ho, Erika L. Kunz, Kara Anasti, Lisa W. Stamper, Brooke E. Liebl; Kimberly H. Barbas, Tomoo Ohashi, M. Arthur Moseley, Hua-Xin Liao and Harold P. Erickson.

The study was funded by the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation Clinical Scientist Development Award; Duke University School of Medicine; Center for HIV/AIDS Vaccine Immunology; and the National Institute of Allergic and Immunologic Diseases (U19 AI067854) (K08AI087992) (CA047056).

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Lifestyle factors could put college-age women at increased risk of breast cancer

Newswise - Breast cancer prevention must become a conversation shared among women of all ages, as you can attack at any age and is usually more aggressive when diagnosed in women younger than 50 years. In the hope of awakening that discussion, Isabelle Mercier, PhD, Assistant Professor of research at the University of Sciences, compiled some tips of the awareness of key prevention for young women.

"Unfortunately, college-age women generally are not considered at risk for breast cancer," said Dr. Mercier. "However, there are several risk factors that contribute to the development of breast cancer that must understand early in life to prevent the development of the breast cancer in the road."

At the end of 2013, expected more than 230,000 new cases of invasive breast cancer being diagnosed in the United States of those cases, not survive approximately 40,000 people, said Dr. Mercier. Women in their 20s should be early be aware of some key risk factors associated with breast cancer:

(1) See its family tree. A family history of breast cancer, particularly in a mother or sister, may increase the likelihood of developing breast cancer. Genetic tests are recommended for young women with prevalence of breast cancer in their families.

(2) Care for their weight. Obesity is responsible for up to 20 percent of the deaths associated with cancer in women. Being overweight or obese increases the risk of breast cancer through the creation of an environment conducive to cancer through the fat cells.

(3) Exercising regularly. Women striving for at least 2.5 hours of moderate, such as walking-intensity activity - reduce your risk of cancer of breast by 18 percent.

(4) Limit the consumption of alcohol. According to new research from the Washington University School of Medicine, if a woman an average of one drink a day increases your risk of breast cancer by 11 percent. Studies show that alcohol has estrogenic activity, thus promoting the growth of breast cancer cells.

(5) Visit yearly doc. Although mammograms are not recommended for women under 40 years of age, young women should still see their primary care physicians each year for the clinical breast exams. You are also encouraged to perform breast self-exam throughout the year.

(6) Limit the use of tobacco. Women who smoke have an increased risk of developing breast cancer, especially if they become smoking early in life. Smokers have increased levels of estrogen and testosterone that could disrupt the endocrine system of signalling in women and contribute to the development of these tumors.

An important part of the research of Dr. Mercier focuses on cancer prevention. The role of the intake of vitamin C in the development of breast cancer, progression, repetition and response to cancer therapy remains unclear. That is why Dr. Mercier and his research team are currently studying the role of dietary supplements in cancer risk, as well as assess new biomarkers for the early detection of breast cancer. He received his Ph.d. in Physiology and BS in Biochemistry from the University of Montreal. For assistance in making arrangements to interview Dr. Mercier, please contact Lauren Whetzel or Brian Kirschner.

At the University of Sciences, students embark on a challenging learning experience in a testing ground for successful professionals in science and health-related fields. A private institution dedicated to education, research and service, and distinguished as the first University in the nation's pharmacy, the University has produced leaders in science and health markets since its founding in 1821. Five universities in USciences students learn to Excel in scientific analysis and to apply their skills to improve health care in the lives of people around the world through such disciplines such as pharmacy, biology, chemistry, psychology, physics, physical therapy, business and political health of health. For more information, visit usciences.edu or Twitter @USciences.

Patients Report Doctors Not Telling Them of Overdiagnosis Risk in Screenings

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Newswise — A survey finds that most patients are not being told about the possibility of overdiagnosis and overtreatment as a result of cancer screenings, according to report in a research letter by Odette Wegwarth, Ph.D., and Gerd Gigerenzer, Ph.D., of the Max Planck Institute for Human Development, Berlin, Germany.

Cancer screenings can find treatable disease at an earlier stage but they can also detect cancers that will never progress to cause symptoms. Detection of these early, slow-growing cancers can lead to unnecessary surgery, chemotherapy and radiation, the authors write in the study background.

Researchers conducted an online survey of 317 U.S. men and women ages 50 to 69 years to find out how many patients had been informed of overdiagnosis and overtreatment by their physicians and how much overdiagnosis they would tolerate when deciding whether to start or continue screening.

Of the group, 9.5 percent of the study participants (n=30) reported their physicians had told them about the possibility of overdiagnosis and overtreatment. About half (51 percent) of the participants reported that they were unprepared to start a screening that results in more than one overtreated person per one life saved from cancer death. However, nearly 59 percent reported they would continue the cancer screening they receive regularly even if they learned that the test results in 10 overtreated people per one life saved from cancer death.

“The results of the present study indicate that physicians’ counseling on screening does not meet patients’ standards,” the study concludes.
(JAMA Intern Med. Published online October 21, 2013. doi:10.1001/jamainternmed.2013.10363. Available pre-embargo to the media at http://media.jamanetwork.com.)

Editor’s Note: This study was funded by the Harding Center for Risk Literacy at the Max Planck Institute for Human Development, a nonprofit research site. Please see article for additional information, including other authors, author contributions and affiliations, financial disclosures, funding and support, etc.

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Bottle Feeding Associated with Increased Risk of Stomach Obstruction in Infants

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Newswise — Bottle feeding appears to increase the risk infants will develop hypertrophic pyloric stenosis (HPS), a form of stomach obstruction, and that risk seems to be magnified when mothers are older and have had more than one child, according to a study published by JAMA Pediatrics, a JAMA Network publication.

HPS typically occurs during an infant’s first two months of life and surgery is needed to correct the obstruction, which occurs because of a thickening of the smooth muscle layer of the pylorus (the passage between the stomach and small intestines). Despite how frequently the condition occurs (about 2 cases per 1,000 births), its cause remains unknown, the authors write in the study background.

Jarod P. McAteer, M.D., M.P.H., of the Seattle Children’s Hospital, and colleagues used Washington state birth certificates and discharge data to examine births between 2003 and 2009. The study included 714 infants admitted with HPS who had a procedure code for HPS surgery (pyloromyotomy). Study controls were infants without HPS. Breastfeeding status was recorded on Washington state birth certificates for all infants during the study period.

The findings indicate that that the incidence of HPS decreased from 14 per 10,000 births in 2003 to 9 per 10,000 births in 2009. Breastfeeding prevalence increased during that time from 80 percent in 2003 to 94 percent in 2009. Infants who developed HPS were more likely to be bottle fed compared with controls (19.5 percent vs. 9.1 percent). The odds of an infant developing HPS also increased when mothers were 35 years and older and multiparous (having given birth more than once).

“These data suggest that bottle feeding may play a role in HPS etiology, and further investigations may help to elucidate the mechanisms underlying the observed effect modification by age and parity,” the study concludes.
(JAMA Pediatr. Published online October 21, 2013. doi:10.1001/jamapediatrics.2013.2857. Available pre-embargo to the media at http://media.jamanetwork.com.)

Editor’s Note: Please see the articles for additional information, including other authors, author contributions and affiliations, financial disclosures, funding and support, etc.

Editorial: Epidemiology to Enlighten the Pathogenesis of Hypertrophic Pyloric Stenosis

In a related editorial, Douglas C. Barnhart, M.D., M.S.P.H., of the Primary Children’s Hospital, Salt Lake City, writes: “One thing that one could hope for is to understand the cause of a disease that is among the most common causes for operation in infants. The fact that pyloric stenosis is still described as idiopathic despite its incidence of 2 per 1,000 is disappointing. In this issue of JAMA Pediatrics, McAteer and colleagues bring us a step closer to being able to drop idiopathic from hypertrophic pyloric stenosis.”

“While the data seem convincing that bottle feeding increases the risk, the reason is not clear,” he continues.

“Further understanding of the pathogenesis of hypertrophic pyloric stenosis will come from both basic research and more detailed epidemiologic studies,” Barnhart concludes.
(JAMA Pediatr. Published online October 21, 2013. doi:10.1001/jamapediatrics.2013.3899. Available pre-embargo to the media at http://media.jamanetwork.com.)

Editor’s Note: Please see the articles for additional information, including other authors, author contributions and affiliations, financial disclosures, funding and support, etc.

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New Offering: Essentials of Management Leadership Program (EMLP)

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Newswise — The newest addition to the Tuck Executive Education portfolio, Essentials of Management Leadership Program (EMLP), is designed to develop effective leaders in general management. The immersive five-day program provides successful functional managers and new middle managers with an integrated view of the fundamentals of business, strategy and leadership.

In explaining the rationale for creating this new program, faculty director William Joyce explains, “There is no shortage of leadership programs available today. But we discovered that offerings at other schools and corporate in-house programs often fail to address what rising middle managers really need to be successful at the next level—namely the integration of ‘soft’ leadership skills combined with a broad understanding of the ‘hard’ fundamentals of business. That’s what participants will get by working with Tuck MBA faculty in EMLP.”

Participant Profile?

The program is specifically designed for successful functional managers with 5-10 years management experience. Participants have just taken on or are about to assume broader middle management responsibilities.

EMLP is also appropriate for technical professionals with scientific, engineering, technology, R&D, project management, healthcare management and other technical backgrounds who are transferring to broader management.

Program Takeaways

Learn the hard skills of business, strategy and finance combined with the softer skills of leadership, including how to influence others in the organization without direct authority
Become a more effective leader by moving beyond functional expertise towards executing on the broader objectives of the organization to make a bigger impact.

Who are the faculty teaching in EMLP?

The same faculty who have made Tuck’s MBA program among the world’s highest ranked also teach in the Essentials of Management Leadership Program. They are highly accessible during the program and care deeply about helping participants develop their business acumen and self-awareness as a leader.

William “Bill” Joyce is the program’s faculty director. An expert on strategy and organizational design, Bill is joined by Tuck’s top faculty in the areas of leadership, influence, finance, operations, marketing and strategy.

See the full faculty list.
See program details.
Dates and Location

EMLP will be held November 17-22 at the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth, in Hanover, NH. For more information, please visit the program website or contact us.

Founded in 1900, Tuck is the first graduate school of management in the country and consistently ranks among the top business schools worldwide. Tuck remains distinctive among the world's great business schools by combining human scale with global reach, rigorous coursework with experiences requiring teamwork, and valued traditions with innovation.

New Study Indicates Risk of Amazon Rainforest Dieback Due to Global Warming is Higher than Previously Projected

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Newswise — (BOSTON) A new study co-authored by Boston University Professor of Earth & Environment Ranga Myneni suggests the southern portion of the Amazon rainforest is at a much higher risk of dieback due to climate change than projections made in the latest report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). If severe enough, the loss of rainforest could cause the release of large volumes of the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. It could also disrupt plant and animal communities in one of the regions of highest biodiversity in the world.

Using ground-based rainfall measurements from the last three decades, the researchers found that since 1979, the dry season in southern Amazonia has lasted about a week longer per decade. At the same time, the annual fire season has become longer. According to the study, the most likely explanation for the lengthening dry season is global warming.

“The dry season over the southern Amazon is already marginal for maintaining rainforest,” says Rong Fu, co-author and professor at The University of Texas at Austin’s Jackson School of Geosciences Fu. “At some point, if it becomes too long, the rainforest will reach a tipping point.”

The new results are in stark contrast to forecasts made by climate models used by the IPCC. Even under future scenarios in which atmospheric greenhouse gases rise dramatically, the models project the dry season in the southern Amazon to be only a few to ten days longer by the end of the century and therefore the risk of climate change-induced rainforest dieback should be relatively low.

The report appears this week in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

“The length of the dry season in the southern Amazon is the most important climate condition controlling the rainforest,” says Fu. “If the dry season is too long, the rainforest will not survive.”

To see why the length of dry season is such a limiting factor, imagine there is heavier than usual rainfall during the wet season. The soil can only hold so much water and the rest runs off. The water stored in the soil at the end of the wet season is all that the rainforest trees have to last them through the dry season. The longer the dry season lasts, regardless of how wet the wet season was, the more stressed the trees become and the more susceptible they are to fire.

The researchers say the most likely explanation for the lengthening dry season in the southern Amazon in recent decades is human-caused greenhouse warming which inhibits rainfall in two ways: First, it makes it harder for warm, dry air near the surface to rise up and freely mix with cool, moist air above. And second, it blocks cold front incursions from outside the tropics that could trigger rainfall. The climate models used by the IPCC do a poor job representing these processes, which might explain why they project only a slightly longer Amazonian dry season, says Fu.

The Amazon rainforest normally removes the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, but during a severe drought in 2005, it released 1 petagram of carbon (about one tenth of annual human emissions) to the atmosphere.

“The more severe 2010 drought impacted twice the forested area than the 2005 drought and could have likely resulted in substantial carbon loss from the forests,” says Myneni, who has previously studied these droughts with NASA satellite sensor data.

Myneni and his colleagues estimate that if dry seasons continue to lengthen at just half the rate of recent decades, the Amazon drought of 2005 could become the norm, rather than the exception, by the end of this century.

Some scientists have speculated that the combination of longer dry seasons, higher surface temperatures and more fragmented forests due to ongoing human-caused deforestation could eventually convert much of southern Amazonia from rainforest to savanna.

Earlier studies have shown that human-caused deforestation in the Amazon can alter rainfall patterns. But the researchers didn’t see a strong signal of deforestation in the pattern of increasing dry season length. The dry season length increase was most pronounced in the southwestern Amazon while the most intense deforestation occurred in the southeastern Amazon.

Because the northwestern Amazon has much higher rainfall and a shorter dry season than the southern Amazon, the researchers think it is much less vulnerable to climate change.

The co-authors of this study include Rong Fu, Lei Yin, Robert Dickinson, Lei Huang and Sudip Chakraborty at The University of Texas at Austin’s Jackson School of Geosciences; Wenhong Li at Duke University; Paola A. Arias at Universidad de Antioquia in Colombia; Katia Fernandes at Columbia University’s Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory; Brant Liebmann at the National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration (NOAA); Rosie Fisher at the National Center for Atmospheric Research; and Ranga Myneni at Boston University.

This work is supported by the National Science Foundation (AGS 0937400) and NOAA Climate Program Office Modeling, Analysis, Prediction and Projection Program (NA10OAAR4310157) and the NASA Earth Science Division.

Note to Reporters: A preprint of the article is available to journalists on the following secure reporters-only web site: http://www.eurekalert.org/pio/pnas.php

About Boston University—Founded in 1839, Boston University is an internationally recognized private research university with more than 30,000 students participating in undergraduate, graduate, and professional programs. As Boston University’s largest academic division, the College and Graduate School of Arts & Sciences is the heart of the BU experience with a global reach that enhances the University’s reputation for teaching and research. In 2012, BU joined the Association of American Universities (AAU), a consortium of 62 leading research universities in the United States and Canada.

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Geographic Location May Help Explain Why Hispanics Face Disparities in Kidney Transplantation

 

• Hispanics were just as likely as non-Hispanic whites to be put on the kidney transplant waitlist.
• Once waitlisted, Hispanics were less likely to receive a transplant from a deceased donor. This disparity was largely explained by differences in patient blood type and regional variability of organ supply among organ procurement organizations across the country.

More than 70,000 Americans are placed on the waitlist for a kidney transplant, but fewer than 18,000 receive a transplant per year.

Newswise — Washington, DC (October 10, 2013) — In the United States, Hispanics with kidney failure are less likely than non-Hispanic whites to receive a kidney transplant largely due to their blood type and because of where they live, according to a study appearing in an upcoming issue of the Clinical Journal of the American Society of Nephrology (CJASN). The findings highlight the need to implement new deceased donor organ allocation policies that distribute organs over wider geographic areas to help reduce barriers to transplantation for Hispanics.

Hispanics represent the largest minority group in the United States and have an increased risk for developing kidney failure compared with non-Hispanic whites. Prior studies have shown that Hispanics were less likely to be placed on the transplant waiting list, experienced longer waiting times, or were less likely to receive a kidney transplant compared with non-Hispanic whites. Cristina Maria Arce, MD (now at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center) and her former colleagues at Stanford University School of Medicine sought to study these issues further by analyzing data from the US Renal Data System, the national registry of individuals with kidney failure. The investigators identified 417,801 Caucasians who initiated dialysis from 1995 to 2007 and were followed through 2008.

Among the major findings:
• Hispanics were just as likely as non-Hispanic whites to be put on the kidney transplant waitlist.
• Once waitlisted, Hispanics were 21% less likely to receive a transplant from a deceased donor. But this disparity was largely explained by differences in patient blood type and regional variability of organ supply among organ procurement organizations across the country.

“The main barriers after placement on the waitlist include the tendency for Hispanics to reside in regions with organ procurement organizations characterized by longer median waiting times as well as the higher likelihood for Hispanics to have blood type O, which further complicates organ allocations due to fewer ABO-compatible deceased donors,” explained Dr. Arce. “To overcome the geographic disparities that Hispanics encounter in the path to transplantation, organ allocation policy revisions are needed to improve donor organ equity.”

Study co-authors include Benjamin A. Goldstein, PhD, Aya A. Mitani, Colin R. Lenihan, and Wolfgang C. Winkelmayer, MD, ScD.

Disclosures: Wolfgang Winkelmayer reports having served as a scientific advisor or consultant to Affymax, Amgen, Bayer, Fibrogen, and GlaxoSmithKline.

The article, entitled “Differences in Access to Kidney Transplantation between Hispanic and non-Hispanic Whites by Geographic Location in the United States,” will appear online at http://cjasn.asnjournals.org/ on October 10, 2013, doi: 10.2215/CJN01560213.

The content of this article does not reflect the views or opinions of The American Society of Nephrology (ASN). Responsibility for the information and views expressed therein lies entirely with the author(s). ASN does not offer medical advice. All content in ASN publications is for informational purposes only, and is not intended to cover all possible uses, directions, precautions, drug interactions, or adverse effects. This content should not be used during a medical emergency or for the diagnosis or treatment of any medical condition. Please consult your doctor or other qualified health care provider if you have any questions about a medical condition, or before taking any drug, changing your diet or commencing or discontinuing any course of treatment. Do not ignore or delay obtaining professional medical advice because of information accessed through ASN. Call 911 or your doctor for all medical emergencies.

Founded in 1966, and with more than 14,000 members, the American Society of Nephrology (ASN) leads the fight against kidney disease by educating health professionals, sharing new knowledge, advancing research, and advocating the highest quality care for patients.

Teaching and learning as Professor H

 

 with 8.7 million views and counting - was produced by a group of students who wanted to have fun with Hafensteiner general chemistry class. Prof. H, as it is called Hafensteiner, agreed to give students five minutes (15 didn't) at the beginning of the first class of the year. Someone posing as Hafensteiner established in the law (non-cellular and not portable) and warned them of the high failure rate, at the same time destroy their hopes of entering medical school. Once the fear had set, the real Prof. H appeared, demanded to know who was the charlatan and assumed control of the intruder, to the relieved applause of his students.

Prof. H uses that moment to emphasize the difference between the stereotyped concept of the experience of the University Science and his class.

"Introducing and taunts from some very common at the beginning of the class fears, I was able to clarify things," said Hafensteiner. "My class is structured so that they can have success."

Even before the start of the first Conference, it is immediately apparent to newcomers Hafensteiner general chemistry class is different to everything they had in high school. For starters, instead of the typical students from 20 to 30 in a high school classroom, Prof. H class has ten times as many.

Hafensteiner is that their students are making a massive transition from high school aware - where there may be a lot of hand through their courses - to the University of Rochester, where they hope to identify the resources needed to tackle the problems alone.

And Hafensteiner perfectly understands that many of his students have a chemical good experience in high school, even with lots of hand in a smaller class.

"Ninety -nine percent of students who say that they hated secondary chemistry actually admit that you liked the teacher, that has nothing to do with the material," Hafensteiner said. "The challenge is to give students the opportunity to appreciate the science."

Prof. H uses many tools and strategies adopted by other teachers. Works hard to learn the names of the students, applies the material life for every day of course, cool in their classes each semester and employs > clickers to obtain immediate feedback from the students in class discussions and problems. But in the end, success of Hafensteiner as a teacher can reduce access.

"It is the type of teacher that is very accessible," said Sharath Koorathota, a former Professor of Hafensteiner and one of the producers of deception video Student Assistant. "He designed his lectures in a way that supports those who take chemistry for the first time, while it continues to defy everyone in the class."

Hafensteiner holds office three hours each week with anywhere from five to 15 students. Non-office hours as much as they are mini-clases that allow to see it approaching if students are grasping the material.

Prof. H is clearly making a difference. The University of Rochester last spring named Hafensteiner students association teacher of the year in the natural sciences, citing their support for the students and their "ability to feel young any kind".

"Yes, I can concentrate on making the three best students scientific fantastic," said Hafensteiner. "But if that's all what I did, chemical, as a discipline, he would die. One of the most valuable things I can do is make sure that all my students have an appreciation for the field".

Physical Attractiveness Impacts One's Memory

 — A study at Texas Christian University in Fort Worth has found that the attractiveness of others can have an impact on how much we lie or misrepresent and to the extent that we believe those lies/misrepresentations.

For example, Harry gets a call from a political polling organization and is asked for his opinion of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. He gives it the lowest possible rating. A few weeks later, Harry meets an attractive woman named Sally online. During their conversation, Sally mentions that she answered the same question by the same polling organization and expressed high approval of Obamacare. She then asks “What approval rating did you give Obamacare when they asked you?”

This question poses a dilemma for Harry. Should he tell the truth or should he shade the truth? To the extent that Harry finds Sally very attractive and is motivated to create a positive impression, he might shade the truth about his past behavior by claiming to have expressed at least moderate approval of Obamacare. What, if any, effect would this misrepresentation have on Harry’s memory for how he actually answered on the day he was contacted by the polling organization?

“What we know is that people will embellish or distort facts when telling stories, which causes them to oftentimes remember the lies more so than the truth,” said Charles Lord, professor of psychology at Texas Christian University in Fort Worth. “Research has also showed us that people tell others what they want to hear. In this case, Harry will lie to impress Sally, and he is also more likely to fool himself into believing the lie.”

Researchers asked single individuals if they agreed or disagreed with instituting “comprehensive mandatory exams” for graduating seniors using a 1-10 scale. A total of 44 individuals did not want to institute mandatory exams. Those respondents were then led to believe they would be meeting a member of the opposite sex who wanted to institute mandatory exams by scoring those a nine on the survey. They also were shown a photo of this person and asked to report on a 1-7 scale if they found their partner “physically attractive and wanted to get along with and make a good impression on this partner.”

Participants were then asked to complete a profile to be sent to their partner before an in-person meeting answering the same question about “comprehensive mandatory exams.” Researchers found there was a correlation between the attractiveness of the partner and those warming to the idea of “comprehensive mandatory exams.”

Researchers then retested students with some of the same questions they had taken two weeks earlier by asking respondents to remember what they had said in the initial survey.

“Participants with relatively attractive potential partners remembered giving more positive initial survey responses than participants with relatively unattractive potential partners,” said Lord.

Researchers then tested 117 additional undergraduate students letting them see profile pictures and foreknowledge of how those students responded. They were told they would be partnered with these individuals later in the course. Findings showed that people with perceived “attractive partners” aligned their views more closely with the partner than those with unattractive partners.

“In both experiments we found that knowing the other person’s positive evaluation in advance led participants to misrepresent their own previous evaluations, and this misrepresentation, in turn, altered memories for participants’ own actual past actions,” said Lord.

Sara E. Brady, assistant professor at Charleston Southern University in Charleston, SC is also a lead author on the paper.

These findings appear in the forthcoming edition of the Journal of Social Cognition.

University of Utah Awarded $20.4 Million From NIH to Advance Translational Research in Medicine

 

Newswise — For parents whose infants have been diagnosed with spinal muscular atrophy, comprehending what the rare condition means for their child’s life can be devastating. SMA is a progressive, debilitating and potentially fatal disease of the motor neurons caused by the absence of the survival motor neuron gene, or SMN1. It’s a condition that occurs in one in every 6,000 live births.

But researchers at the University of Utah Center for Clinical and Translational Science are giving parents dealing with the heartbreak of seeing a child diagnosed with the condition something important: Hope for a cure. Researchers have made strides in understanding SMA, everyday coming steps closer to finding an effective treatment for the genetic condition. Their work is only one example of potentially life-changing research taking place daily at the Center.

The Center taps into the University of Utah’s strengths in genetics and bioinformatics to translate promising bench science into practices that improve health. It serves as an academic home for clinical and translational research, developing innovative health services for the community and health researchers, and training a new generation of clinical and translational investigators.

The Center’s track record of success this month has earned it a $20.4 million grant from the National Institutes of Health that will allow it to provide support for all aspects of translational research over the next five years. The University of Utah is just one of 15 institutions in the U.S. selected this month to receive an NIH Clinical and Translational Science Award or CTSA.

“This award is important to continue our work in translational science. This funding will help scientists and physicians train those who may be responsible for tomorrow’s medical breakthroughs,” said Vivian S. Lee, M.D., Ph.D., MBA and University of Utah senior vice president for health sciences.

“We’ve already made a number of important research discoveries in our Center for Clinical and Translational Science, and the NIH’s continued support of our facility shows their confidence in our commitment to keep making strides in several research areas,” said Lee, also dean of the School of Medicine and CEO of University of Utah Health Care.

Donald McClain, M.D. Ph.D., and Carrie Byington, M.D., —the Center’s directors —said the new NIH funding will help the University of Utah to continue to be an important voice in the broader discussion of improving the quality of health care while reducing costs.

"The importance of this Center to the State of Utah is that it brings resources together that support the full range of clinical research, from basic discovery science to how research findings are best implemented into the practices of our community physicians. The Center facilitates the communication among all of our stakeholders, so that investigators making basic discoveries can speak with experts in turning those discoveries into new cures or diagnostics, and they in turn can speak to experts in partnering with industry to get the products to market,” said McClain, who besides overseeing the Center, serves as Associate Vice President for Clinical and Translational Science, the Bettilyon Chair in Diabetes Research and a Professor of Internal Medicine and Biochemistry at the University of Utah.

“In this partnership among Intermountain Healthcare, the Veterans Administration, the Utah Department of Health, and the University of Utah, we can ensure that advances made across the entire nation are brought to the entire population of Utah rapidly and safely,” he added.

Byington noted one of the research initiatives linked to the Center is a planning grant to develop a National Research Mentoring Network for those under-represented in medicine. The mentoring network represents a novel approach to increase the national capacity for biomedical science through the recruitment and training of the best and brightest candidates from all backgrounds. Byington serves as principal investigator of the planning award given to support the development of the network through the entire CTSA consortium of 60 sites.

“Participation in the CTSA consortium allows Utah to address some of the most important issues in biomedical science and to collaborate with some of the best academic health centers in the U.S.,” said Byington, the H.A. and Edna Benning Presidential Professor of Pediatrics, Vice Dean for Academic Affairs and Faculty Development and Vice Chair for the Research Enterprise, Department of Pediatrics at the University of Utah.

The NIH started the CTSA program in 2006 as a tool in the health care reform movement to provide higher quality and more affordable health care to people. The University of Utah receiving its first round of CTSA funding in 2008, when it joined other institutions across the country in trying to find research breakthroughs that could change outcomes in patient care more rapidly move breakthroughs in basic research to breakthroughs in patient care.

The University of Utah Center for Clinical and Translational Science consists of eight core areas including biomedical informatics; clinical services; community outreach and collaboration; patient-centered outcomes research methods; recruitment, retention and safety; research education, training and career development; study design and biostatistics and translational technologies and resources.

Besides researching conditions like SMA, the Center for Clinical and Translational Science has worked on literally hundreds of protocols, including studies related to obesity and cancer, said McClain.
By 2018, the Center has a number of goals it wants to meet, including:
• Increasing the quality, quantity, safety, efficiency and impact of translational research for all conditions.
• Providing resources and services to support and speed clinical and translational research of all kinds.
• Training, mentoring and supporting the next generation of translational investigators to become principal investigators and productive faculty members.
• Creating a leadership structure that represents all aspects of translational science.
• Engaging in a process of continuous evaluation, improvement and innovation in all of these areas.
• Proving special expertise to a CTSA consortium in the areas of human genetics, genotype/phenotype correlation, health services research including comparative effectiveness, medical device innovation, and the development of electronic health records as tools for medical care and research.

 

 

Scientists Identify Protein Linking Exercise to Brain Health

Newswise — BOSTON — A protein that is increased by endurance exercise has been isolated and given to non-exercising mice, in which it turned on genes that promote brain health and encourage the growth of new nerves involved in learning and memory, report scientists from Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Harvard Medical School.

The findings, reported in the journal Cell Metabolism, help explain the well-known capacity of endurance exercise to improve cognitive function, particularly in older people. If the protein can be made in a stable form and developed into a drug, it might lead to improved therapies for cognitive decline in older people and slow the toll of neurodegenerative diseases such Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s, according to the investigators.

“What is exciting is that a natural substance can be given in the bloodstream that can mimic some of the effects of endurance exercise on the brain,” said Bruce Spiegelman, PhD, of Dana-Farber and HMS. He is co-senior author of the publication with Michael E. Greenberg, PhD, chair of neurobiology at HMS.

The Spiegelman group previously reported that the protein, called FNDC5, is produced by muscular exertion and is released into the bloodstream as a variant called irisin. In the new research, endurance exercise – mice voluntarily running on a wheel for 30 days – increased the activity of a metabolic regulatory molecule, PGC-1a, in muscles, which spurred a rise in FNDC5 protein. The increase of FNDC5 in turn boosted the expression of a brain-health protein, BDNF (brain-derived neurotrophic protein) in the dentate gyrus of the hippocampus, a part of the brain involved in learning and memory.

It has been found that exercise stimulates BDNF in the hippocampus, one of only two areas of the adult brain that can generate new nerve cells. BDNF promotes development of new nerves and synapses – connections between nerves that allow learning and memory to be stored – and helps preserve the survival of brain cells.

How exercise raises BDNF activity in the brain wasn’t known; the new findings linking exercise, PGC-1a, FNDC5 and BDNF provide a molecular pathway for the effect, although Spiegelman and his colleagues suggest there are probably others.

Having shown that FNDC5 is a molecular link between exercise and increased BDNF in the brain, the scientists asked whether artificially increasing FNDC5 in the absence of exercise would have the same effect. They used a harmless virus to deliver the protein to mice through the bloodstream, in hopes the FNDC5 could reach the brain and raise BDNF activity. Seven days later, they examined the mouse brains and observed a significant increase in BDNF in the hippocampus.

“Perhaps the most exciting result overall is that peripheral deliver of FNDC5 with adenoviral vectors is sufficient to induce central expression of Bdnf and other genes with potential neuroprotective functions or those involved in learning and memory,” the authors said. Spiegelman cautioned that further research is needed to determine whether giving FNDC5 actually improves cognitive function in the animals. The scientists also aren’t sure whether the protein that got into the brain is FNDC5 itself, or irisin, or perhaps another variant of the protein.

Spiegelman said that development of irisin as a drug will require creating a more stable form of the protein.

The first author of the report is Christiane Wrann, PhD, in the Spiegelman lab.
The research was supported by the JPB Foundation and National Institutes of Health (DK31405 and DK90861).

About Dana-Farber Cancer Institute
Dana-Farber Cancer Institute (www.dana-farber.org) is a principal teaching affiliate of the Harvard Medical School and is among the leading cancer research and care centers in the United States. It is a founding member of the Dana-Farber/Harvard Cancer Center, designated a comprehensive cancer center by the National Cancer Institute. It provides adult cancer care with Brigham and Women’s Hospital as Dana-Farber/Brigham and Women’s Cancer Center and it provides pediatric care with Boston Children’s Hospital as Dana-Farber/Boston Children’s Cancer and Blood Disorders Center. Dana-Farber is the top ranked cancer center in New England, according to U.S. News & World Report, and one of the largest recipients among independent hospitals of National Cancer Institute and National Institutes of Health grant funding. Follow Dana-Farber on Facebook and on Twitter.

 

UTHealth Researchers Study Device for Atrial Fibrillation at Memorial Hermann Heart & Vascular Institute

Newswise — HOUSTON – (Oct. 10, 2013) – A clinical trial evaluating a cardiac plug for the prevention of stroke in patients with atrial fibrillation has been launched by cardiology researchers at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth) Medical School.

In September, UTHealth cardiologists implanted the state’s first AMPLATZER™ Cardiac Plug (ACP) in a patient at the Memorial Hermann Heart & Vascular Institute-Texas Medical Center (HVI). The study will determine if the transcatheter device is safe and effective in preventing blood clots from migrating out of the left atrial appendage in patients with non-valvular atrial fibrillation who are at high risk for stroke.

“Atrial fibrillation is a common problem and patients need blood thinners to help prevent stroke,” said Pranav Loyalka, M.D., co-principal investigator of the Houston study, associate professor in the Program of Advanced Heart Failure at the UTHealth Medical School and associate chief of the medical division at the Center for Advanced Heart Failure at HVI. “AMPLATZER™ is one of the devices being studied that could give patients the ability to not take blood thinners.”

Atrial fibrillation is the most common type of arrhythmia, a problem with the rate or rhythm of the heartbeat caused by dysfunctional electrical activity. The heart can beat too fast, too slow or irregularly. It causes blood to pool in the atria, the heart’s upper two chambers, causing an inadequate supply of blood to pump into the ventricles, the lower chambers.

“When the blood pools in the atria, blood clots can form in the left atrial appendage, the site of 90 percent of blood clots associated with atrial fibrillation,” said Ramesh Hariharan, M.D., co-principal investigator and professor and medical director of the Complex Arrhythmia Center at the UTHealth Medical School and HVI.

An estimated 2.7 million Americans suffer from atrial fibrillation, which causes 20 percent of all ischemic strokes, the most common form of stroke. A person with atrial fibrillation is five times more likely to have a stroke.

“Symptoms of atrial fibrillation can include a racing heart and shortness of breath,” said Biswajit Kar, M.D., co-investigator, professor in the Program of Advanced Heart Failure at UTHealth and chief of the medical division at the Center for Advanced Heart Failure at HVI. “Over time, it can lead to heart failure.”

The most common blood thinners prescribed for atrial fibrillation are warfarin and dabigatran.

“The biggest drawback of warfarin is that patients need regular blood tests to check levels of the drug, which typically keep changing, causing cardiologists to adjust the dosage to prevent dangerous bleeding,” said Richard Smalling, M.D., co-investigator, professor and the Jay Brent Sterling Professor of Cardiovascular Medicine and James D. Woods Distinguished Chair of Cardiovascular Medicine at the UTHealth Medical School and interventional cardiologist at HVI.

“Dabigatran remains at more consistent levels in the body but there is no reversal agent for it, so if a person is in an automobile or other accident, there is a risk for excessive bleeding,” said Saumya Sharma, M.D., co-investigator, assistant professor in the Complex Arrhythmia Center at UTHealth and cardiologist at HVI.

The AMPLATZER™ plug is a self-expanding device made from nitinol mesh to seal the left atrial appendage, minimizing the chance of blood clots migrating into bloodstream. Patients usually have a one-night hospital stay.

“It’s like a windsock,” Loyalka said. “It plugs it so that nothing can get through and we believe this can help prevent stroke.”

The multiple-site study will enroll between 400 and 3,000 patients. It is randomized with two patients receiving the device and one patient receiving traditional medical treatment using long-term, blood-thinning medication. For more information, call the Center for Advanced Heart Failure at Memorial Hermann Heart & Vascular Institute-Texas Medical Center at (713) 704-4300.

Study Finds Racial and Social Disparities in Kidney Allocation Among Young Transplant Recipients

 

• Among kidney transplant recipients younger than 40 years of age, African Americans and individuals with less education were more likely to receive lower-quality organs than Caucasians and those with college degrees.
• African Americans with higher education levels were not more likely to receive a lower-quality kidney than Caucasians with college degrees.

Newswise — Washington, — Among younger kidney transplant recipients, a disproportionate number of African Americans and individuals with less education receive organs that are of lower quality or are considered marginal, according to a study appearing in an upcoming issue of the Clinical Journal of the American Society of Nephrology (CJASN). The findings suggest that there are racial and social disparities in the allocation of transplanted organs that need to be addressed.

Older kidney disease patients who have a high risk of dying while on dialysis may benefit from accepting a so-called extended criteria donor (ECD) kidney—which is more likely to fail than a standard criteria donor kidney—rather than remaining on a transplant wait list. But younger patients and those with short wait times are usually better off holding out for a standard criteria donor kidney. Despite this, some young patients still end up receiving ECD kidneys.

Rajesh Mohandas MD, MPH, Mark Segal MD, PhD (University of Florida), and their colleagues looked to see if demographic factors play a role in whether younger patients accept ECD kidneys. They analyzed all first single-kidney transplants documented in the United States from 2000 to 2009 in patients 18 to 40 years of age and waitlisted less than three years.

Among the major findings:
• Of 13,615 ECD transplants, 591 (4.3%) kidneys went to recipients between 18 and 40 years of age who were waitlisted less than three years.
• African Americans were 1.7 times more likely to receive an ECD kidney than Caucasians.
• Individuals with less education were 2.3 times more likely to receive an ECD kidney than those with a college degree; however, African Americans with higher education levels were not more likely to receive such a lower-quality kidney than Caucasians with college degrees.

“To our knowledge, this is the first report showing that there are racial and social disparities in the quality of allocated transplanted organs. Understanding that such disparities exist is the essential first step to addressing inequalities in health care and to attempt to improve patient outcomes,” said Dr. Mohandas. He added that it is important to ensure that kidney transplant candidates are not just informed, but also educated about their choices.

Study co-authors include Michael Casey, MD, Robert Cook, MD, MPH, Kenneth Lamb, PhD, and Xuerong Wen, MS.

Disclosures: The authors reported no financial disclosures.

The article, entitled “Racial and Socioeconomic Disparities in the Allocation of Extended Criteria Donor Kidneys,” will appear online at http://cjasn.asnjournals.org/ on October 10, 2013, doi: 10.2215/CJN01430213.

The content of this article does not reflect the views or opinions of The American Society of Nephrology (ASN). Responsibility for the information and views expressed therein lies entirely with the author(s). ASN does not offer medical advice. All content in ASN publications is for informational purposes only, and is not intended to cover all possible uses, directions, precautions, drug interactions, or adverse effects. This content should not be used during a medical emergency or for the diagnosis or treatment of any medical condition. Please consult your doctor or other qualified health care provider if you have any questions about a medical condition, or before taking any drug, changing your diet or commencing or discontinuing any course of treatment. Do not ignore or delay obtaining professional medical advice because of information accessed through ASN. Call 911 or your doctor for all medical emergencies.

Founded in 1966, and with more than 14,000 members, the American Society of Nephrology (ASN) leads the fight against kidney disease by educating health professionals, sharing new knowledge, advancing research, and advocating the highest quality care for patients.

Recently published research by the founder of ClinMet and UC San Diego team demonstrates value of metabolomics based on urine to translational medicine

 

SAN DIEGO, Oct.11, 2013 - ClinMet announced today that researchers of the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine have published new research of metabolomics that uncovers a novel, feature and very consistent biochemical signature in urine associated with diabetic kidney disease. The results, which form a basis of the proprietary clinical metabolomics of ClinMet platform, have implications for the identification of biomarkers clinically useful for kidney function and to sharpen the development of drugs and clinical trials related to chronic kidney disease, as well as diabetes, obesity and cardiovascular disease.

The new research, authored by U.C. San Diego Professor and founder scientific ClinMet, Kumar Sharma, M.D., F.A.H.A (Director of the Center for translational medicine Renal Division of Nefrologia-hipertension and the Institute of Medicine of the metabolomics) and his colleagues, appears online in the journal of the American Society of Nephrology. ClinMet has an exclusive license to use this set of metabolites in the development of drugs and other applications, based on patents requested by UC San Diego.

The researchers quantified 94 metabolites in the urine in patients with diabetes (type 1 or type 2) and chronic kidney disease (CKD), subjects with diabetes but no kidney disease and healthy controls. They found that 13 of the metabolites were significantly different in people with disease compared with healthy controls (p-values between 10-3 to 10-18), and 12 of 13 was still highly significant in comparison with patients with type 1 or type 2 and not CKD. In addition, 12 of the 13 metabolites were linked to Mitochondrial Metabolism and suggested global suppression of mitochondrial activity in subjects with chronic kidney diseases in relation to healthy individuals. This conclusion is in sharp contrast to prevailing beliefs about excess activity mitochondrial having a causal relationship with diabetic complications. The conclusions based on urine metabolomics studies were independently validated based on protein and DNA analysis, indicating reduced mitochondrial contents in the kidneys of patients with diabetic nephropathy.

"It is evident from this study that urine and plasma-based metabolomics can be a rich source of biomarkers to understand and treat kidney disease diabetes and possibly related to cardiovascular complications," said Dr. Sharma. "This approach also offers direct insights into the biochemical pathways associated with kidney dysfunction".

Power of clinical metabolomics

"Genomics can help to predict the overall risk of disease or potential response of a patient to a drug, but you can not capture the effects that changes in diet, environmental factors or other diseases in the progression of the disease or improvement," said Yesh Subramanian, President, CEO and co-founder of ClinMet. "Clinical metabolomics, by contrast, allows us to quickly see biochemically what happens in the specific pathways of the disease over time and in the context of other factors that affect the health of the patient, including drug therapy. This makes clinical metabolomics a highly useful platform for research and translational drug development".

"We see clinical metabolomics allowing pharmaceutical and biotech clients to effectively apply the medicine precision today", said Mr. Subramanian. "The ability to predict which patients are likely to respond better to specific treatments holds immense promise for sharpening of phase 2 and 3 clinical trials now and improve the clinical medicine in the future".

About ClinMet (clinical metabolomics Inc.)

ClinMet, founded in 2011, is a privately held company headquartered in San Diego, CA that provides pharmaceutical companies with clinically relevant insights and useful data on the effectiveness of the medication, safety and mechanism of action using its proprietary platform urine biomarker metabolomics for diabetes, kidney disease, obesity, and cardiovascular disease. ClinMet applies its unique combination of clinical expertise, in-depth proprietary metabolomics experience and computer skills to improve the rate of speed and the success of drug development. The company helps drug developers efficiently transform compounds promising safe and effective medicines and to effectively develop and implement its strategy of companion Diagnostics.

ClinMet technology and clinical experience is based on the legacy of research of William Nyhan, M.D., Ph.d., founder of head of the biochemical genetics and laboratory of metabolomics and founding Chair of the Department of Pediatrics at UC San Diego. Dr. Nyhan, one of the founders of the field of metabolic diseases human and his team have developed many methods of diagnosis standard of gold of the mass spectrometry and analysis metabolomic which are used by the centres of excellence in human genetics and metabolism around the world. On the other hand, cientifico-fundador ClinMet, Kumar Sharma, is an expert recognized worldwide in diabetic nephropathy and translational research. He has conducted several studies milestone in diabetic nephropathy in a level of translational research and has dedicated his career to develop new therapies for patients with chronic kidney disease.

 

Boomboxes Amplify Predatory Bird Sounds and Are Used as Cues

 Using boomboxes to amplify predator bird sounds in the wild, University of Florida researchers have found that smaller birds listen to vocal cues to avoid areas populated by predators.

In her study, doctoral student Fangyuan Hua set up above-ground boomboxes mounted in camouflaged boxes on half-acre plots at the Ordway-Swisher Biological Station near Melrose.

Powered by car batteries, these boomboxes were programmed for four months to broadcast predator sounds according to a schedule that simulated when and how predators would normally call.

“Such broadcasting was to create the perception for forest birds that there was increased abundance of predators in the forest,” Hua said. “We were very interested in knowing whether forest birds that are prey to these predators would use such cues and respond by altering their decision about where to breed.”

The study looked at three types of predators and compared how their cues affected forest birds. It turned out that forest birds recognized vocal cues of the Eastern screech-owl, blue jay or Cooper’s hawk as indications of different threats: While different predator cues altered bird community make-up, their effects were distinctive.

Researchers determined that while some bird species clearly avoided plots with feared predators, other species seemed to alter their behavior to make themselves less conspicuous.

The study was published in the June issue of the Proceedings of the Royal Society B. It was co-authored by Kathryn Sieving, a professor in UF’s Department of Wildlife Ecology and Conservation and a co-chair of Hua’s dissertation committee. Robert Fletcher, an associate professor in the department of wildlife ecology and conservation, also co-chaired the dissertation panel. Robert Dorazio, a statistician with the U.S. Geological Survey’s Southeast Ecological Science Center in Gainesville, also helped write the paper.

“Results from this study are exciting because they support growing understanding that animals are using acoustic cues to make important survival decisions,” Sieving said. “Species actually listen to each other and predators’ calls to detect whether a predator is lurking nearby.”

While the findings apply to fear-based behaviors of birds, the study also reflects important trends in the science of human-environment interactions, she said.

This reflects an emerging field called “soundscape ecology,” which is focused on understanding how animals rely on natural sounds, Sieving said.

“So, we are learning that we can’t just protect natural habitat for wildlife, we have to protect natural soundscapes, too, which is difficult for us noisy humans with all of our planes and trucks and oil rigs and fracking machines,” she said.