DEAR ABBY: My husband, "Wade," and I went into a convenience store near our home that we frequent regularly. A new employee -- a pretty, much younger girl -- stared at Wade with an expression of recognition and surprise on her face. When I asked him what that was about, he laughed it off and said I was "imagining things."The next time we saw her, Wade acted nervous and started talking fast, as if trying to distract me. He seemed to be avoiding eye contact with her. She ignored me while obviously trying to lock eyes with Wade. ...
Police officers run in front of the Jackson, Miss. police station.
By Hasani Gittens, News Editor, NBC News
A deadly double shooting rocked the police headquarters in Jackson, Miss., Thursday night.
The incident began when cops brought a murder suspect to the headquarters building downtown to be interviewed Thursday afternoon, Jackson Police Chief Rebecca Coleman said.
As the suspect was being questioned in a room on the third floor, two shots rang out.
When other officers arrived, the suspect and one police officer were found shot dead, Coleman said.
Police supplied no more details late Thursday, saying the incident was still being investigated.
Local station WLBT reported that dozens of Jackson police officers could be seen crying and consoling each other around the building.
A press conference in Jackson, Mississippi confirms that both a cop and a murder suspect are dead. The incident occurred after the suspect was brought into police custody for questioning.
Apple?s (AAPL) recent decision to hire one of the leading engineers behind the Segway has some people speculating that the company is planning something big in the realm of robotics. John Morrell was set to become the director of Yale?s Center for Engineering Innovation & Design, however he promptly left the prestigious university when offered a position with Apple last year. Morrell is an expert on the interaction between humans and machines so it?s more likely than not that Apple wants his help working on a major robotics project.
[More from BGR: Anonymous threatens cyberwar on North Korea, steals 15,000 passwords]
?Since Apple discloses very little about upcoming projects, it?s anyone?s guess what Morrell is actually working on,? Ashlee Vance of Business Week explained. ?My roboticist friends think he must be working on something pretty fantastic to have quit the Yale post. My great hope is that he is indeed building a robot that transforms health care, or crafting the first mind-bending consumer 3D printer, or devising something far more spectacular.?
[More from BGR: Apple said to be giving iOS 7 a major UI overhaul]
Morrell?s hiring at Apple has reunited him with other members of the Segway team, such as former CTO Doug Field. Vance admits, however, that it?s possible Morrell may have ?become just another member of a giant consumer electronics company.? Most of his former colleagues are said to be working on Apple?s flagship devices and not some sort of Segway offshoot, while Morrell is believed to be working in the Mac software group.
With its share price plummeting in recent months and more than $130 billion in cash, Vance suggests that it may be time for Apple to begin investing more in research and development, especially with ?all-stars? such as Morrell on staff.
?A new TV could be a big win. So could a wristwatch. And since Apple is so darn secretive, it may once again surprise us all. It?s certainly possible that Apple has some top-secret skunkworks cooking up amazing things,? Vance concluded. ?It would be a shame if a company with hundreds of all-stars, such as Morrell, isn?t working on something more daring than the next gadget. Apple has so much cash on hand and imagination at the ready that it ought to be able to think up a truly bold idea worth its effort.?
NEW YORK (TheWrap.com) - Jason Clarke and Omar Sy will star in "Candy Store," an action thriller which "Traffic" scribe Stephen Gaghan co-wrote and will direct, Good Universe and Lionsgate announced on Thursday.
Gaghan's tale weaves together several different storylines all set in Brighton Beach, Brooklyn. Clarke, who just starred in "Zero Dark Thirty," will play a former secret agent who realizes a criminal syndicate he once battled has set up shop in his neighborhood. Clarke's character partners with a local cop to investigate.
Sy, who starred in French sensation "The Intouchables," will play a pimp involved in an intricate plot to harm Manhattan.
Good Universe, a finance, production and sales company founded by Mandate Pictures founders Joe Drake and Nathan Kahane, just partnered with Lionsgate on the film. Good Universe will handle international sales and start discussions at the Cannes Film Festival.
Liosngate will distribute the film in North America.
Gaghan will produce the film along with Allison Shearmur while Drake, Kahane, Nicole Brown, Allyn Stewart and Kipp Nelson will executive produce.
Effectiveness of a spray that greatly improves dry mouth sensation caused by anti-depressantsPublic release date: 3-Apr-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Gerardo Gomez Moreno ggomez@ugr.es 34-958-249-025 University of Granada
Patients with dry mouth often have difficulty chewing, swallowing or even talking and their numbers have increased in recent years, due to a rise in taking medication, above all anti-depressants
Researchers from the universities of Granada and Murcia have confirmed the effectiveness of a spray containing 1% malic acid, which greatly improves xerostomy, or dry mouth, caused by anti-depressant drugs. This product, combined with xylitol and fluorides, in a spray format, stimulates saliva production in patients with this illness, thus improving their quality of life.
Xerostomy is a dry-mouth sensation that patients have, often caused by reduced salivary secretion or biochemical changes in the saliva itself. Patients with xerostomy often find difficulty in chewing, swallowing or even talking. It is a subjective sensation, whilst hyposalivation refers to an actual reduction in salivary flow, meaning that it is objective and, therefore, quantifiable.
As the main author of this study, University of Granada lecturer, Gerardo Gomez Moreno, explains, one of the main causes of dry mouth is the consumption of different medications. "There are over 500 drugs, belonging to 42 pharmacological groups, which can provoke xerostomy as a side effect. Those that are most related are anti-depressants, the prescription of which has increased over recent years, thus leading to a higher number of patients with xerostomy from taking anti-depressive drugs, above all in 45-50 year olds".
Clinical trial using 70 patients
The University of Granada research was carried out in a double-blind randomized clinical trial on 70 patients diagnosed with anti-depressant-induced xerostomy, split into two (2) groups. The first group of 35 patients took a sialogogue mouth spray (1% malic acid), while the second group also consisting of 35 patients received a placebo. Both products were applied on demand over two (2) weeks. To check the xerostomy both before and after applying both the product and the placebo, the researchers used a specific questionnaire, called the Dry Mouth Questionnaire (DMQ).
Dr. Gomez Moreno points out that are various therapeutic possibilities for treating xerostomy (sialogogues, salivary substitutes, other general treatments), "although the effectiveness of many of them are controversial. For example, some studies have described citric and malic acid as salivary stimulants, even though, for years, their use was rejected due to the possible de-mineralizing effect on tooth enamel". However, recent research has shown that there is a reduction in the potential de-mineralizing effect of malic acid when used in the correct concentration and when combined with xylitol and fluorides.
###
The University of Granada researchers, who belong to the "Pharmacological Research Group into Dentistry CTS-654", backed by the Andalusian Regional Government, have published their results in the latest edition of the Official American Journal on Depression and Anxiety.
References:
The efficacy of a topical sialogogue spray containing 1% malic acid in patients with antidepressant-induced dry mouth: A double-blind, randomized clinical trial
Gomez-Moreno, G , Aguilar-Salvatierra, A., Guardia, J., Uribe-Marioni, A., Cabrera-Ayala, M., Delgado-Ruiz, R.A., Calvo-Guirado, J.L. Depression and Anxiety
Volume 30, Issue 2, February 2013, Pages 137-142
The full article can be consulted at: http://sl.ugr.es/03zw
[ | E-mail | Share ]
?
AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
Effectiveness of a spray that greatly improves dry mouth sensation caused by anti-depressantsPublic release date: 3-Apr-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Gerardo Gomez Moreno ggomez@ugr.es 34-958-249-025 University of Granada
Patients with dry mouth often have difficulty chewing, swallowing or even talking and their numbers have increased in recent years, due to a rise in taking medication, above all anti-depressants
Researchers from the universities of Granada and Murcia have confirmed the effectiveness of a spray containing 1% malic acid, which greatly improves xerostomy, or dry mouth, caused by anti-depressant drugs. This product, combined with xylitol and fluorides, in a spray format, stimulates saliva production in patients with this illness, thus improving their quality of life.
Xerostomy is a dry-mouth sensation that patients have, often caused by reduced salivary secretion or biochemical changes in the saliva itself. Patients with xerostomy often find difficulty in chewing, swallowing or even talking. It is a subjective sensation, whilst hyposalivation refers to an actual reduction in salivary flow, meaning that it is objective and, therefore, quantifiable.
As the main author of this study, University of Granada lecturer, Gerardo Gomez Moreno, explains, one of the main causes of dry mouth is the consumption of different medications. "There are over 500 drugs, belonging to 42 pharmacological groups, which can provoke xerostomy as a side effect. Those that are most related are anti-depressants, the prescription of which has increased over recent years, thus leading to a higher number of patients with xerostomy from taking anti-depressive drugs, above all in 45-50 year olds".
Clinical trial using 70 patients
The University of Granada research was carried out in a double-blind randomized clinical trial on 70 patients diagnosed with anti-depressant-induced xerostomy, split into two (2) groups. The first group of 35 patients took a sialogogue mouth spray (1% malic acid), while the second group also consisting of 35 patients received a placebo. Both products were applied on demand over two (2) weeks. To check the xerostomy both before and after applying both the product and the placebo, the researchers used a specific questionnaire, called the Dry Mouth Questionnaire (DMQ).
Dr. Gomez Moreno points out that are various therapeutic possibilities for treating xerostomy (sialogogues, salivary substitutes, other general treatments), "although the effectiveness of many of them are controversial. For example, some studies have described citric and malic acid as salivary stimulants, even though, for years, their use was rejected due to the possible de-mineralizing effect on tooth enamel". However, recent research has shown that there is a reduction in the potential de-mineralizing effect of malic acid when used in the correct concentration and when combined with xylitol and fluorides.
###
The University of Granada researchers, who belong to the "Pharmacological Research Group into Dentistry CTS-654", backed by the Andalusian Regional Government, have published their results in the latest edition of the Official American Journal on Depression and Anxiety.
References:
The efficacy of a topical sialogogue spray containing 1% malic acid in patients with antidepressant-induced dry mouth: A double-blind, randomized clinical trial
Gomez-Moreno, G , Aguilar-Salvatierra, A., Guardia, J., Uribe-Marioni, A., Cabrera-Ayala, M., Delgado-Ruiz, R.A., Calvo-Guirado, J.L. Depression and Anxiety
Volume 30, Issue 2, February 2013, Pages 137-142
The full article can be consulted at: http://sl.ugr.es/03zw
[ | E-mail | Share ]
?
AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
President Barack Obama speaks about the BRAIN (Brain Research through Advancing Innovative Neurotechnologies) Initiative, Tuesday, April 2, 2013, in the East Room at the White House in Washington. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)
President Barack Obama speaks about the BRAIN (Brain Research through Advancing Innovative Neurotechnologies) Initiative, Tuesday, April 2, 2013, in the East Room at the White House in Washington. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)
President Barack Obama listens as National Institutes of Health (NIH) Director Francis S. Collins speaks about the BRAIN (Brain Research through Advancing Innovative Neurotechnologies) Initiative, Tuesday, April 2, 2013, in the East Room at the White House in Washington. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)
President Barack Obama leaves the stage in the East Room of the White House in Washington, Tuesday, April 2, 2013, after he spoke about the BRAIN (Brain Research through Advancing Innovative Neurotechnologies) Initiative. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)
President Barack Obama announces the BRIAN, Brain Research through Advancing Innovative Neurotechnologies proposal, Tuesday, April 2, 2013, East Room of the White House in Washington. The president is asking Congress to spend $100 million next year to start a new project to map the human brain in hopes of eventually finding cures for diseases like Alzheimer's. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)
WASHINGTON (AP) ? President Barack Obama on Tuesday proposed an effort to map the brain's activity in unprecedented detail, as a step toward finding better ways to treat such conditions as Alzheimer's, autism, stroke and traumatic brain injuries.
He asked Congress to spend $100 million next year to start a project that will explore details of the brain, which contains 100 billion cells and trillions of connections.
That's a relatively small investment for the federal government ? less than a fifth of what NASA spends every year just to study the sun ? but it's too early to determine how Congress will react.
Obama said the so-called BRAIN Initiative could create jobs, and told scientists gathered in the White House's East Room that the research has the potential to improve the lives of billions of people worldwide.
"As humans we can identify galaxies light-years away," Obama said. "We can study particles smaller than an atom, but we still haven't unlocked the mystery of the three pounds of matter that sits between our ears."
Scientists unconnected to the project praised the idea.
BRAIN stands for Brain Research through Advancing Innovative Neurotechnologies. The idea, which Obama first proposed in his State of the Union address, would require the development of new technology that can record the electrical activity of individual cells and complex neural circuits in the brain "at the speed of thought," the White House said.
Obama wants the initial $100 million investment to support research at the National Institutes of Health, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency and the National Science Foundation. He also wants private companies, universities and philanthropists to partner with the federal agencies in support of the research. And he wants a study of the ethical, legal and societal implications of the research.
The goals of the work are unclear at this point. A working group at NIH, co-chaired by Cornelia "Cori" Bargmann of The Rockefeller University and William Newsome of Stanford University, would work on defining the goals and develop a multi-year plan to achieve them that included cost estimates.
The $100 million request is "a pretty good start for getting this project off the ground," Dr. Francis Collins, director of the National Institutes of Health told reporters in a conference call. While the ultimate goal applies to the human brain, some work will be done in simpler systems of the brains of animals like worms, flies and mice, he said.
Collins said new understandings about how the brain works may also provide leads for developing better computers.
Brain scientists unconnected with the project were enthusiastic.
"This is spectacular," said David Fitzpatrick, scientific director and CEO of the Max Planck Florida Institute for Neuroscience in Jupiter, Fla., which focuses on studying neural circuits and structures.
While current brain-scanning technologies can reveal the average activity of large populations of brain cells, the new project is aimed at tracking activity down to the individual cell and the tiny details of cell connections, he said. It's "an entirely different scale," he said, and one that can pay off someday in treatments for a long list of neurological and psychiatric disorders including schizophrenia, Parkinson's, depression, epilepsy and autism.
"Ultimately, you can't fix it if you don't know how it works," he said. "We need this fundamental understanding of neuronal circuits, their structure, their function and their development in order to make progress on these disorders."
"This investment in fundamental brain science is going to pay off immensely in the future," Fitzpatrick said.
Richard Frackowiak, a co-director of Europe's Human Brain Project, which is funded by the European Commission, said he was delighted by the announcement.
"From our point of view as scientists we can only applaud and say we will collaborate as much as possible," he said. "The opportunities for a massive worldwide collaborative effort to solve the problem of neurodegeneration and psychiatric disease will ... really become absolutely feasible," he said. "We need that."
Ocean acidification, which occurs as CO2 is absorbed by the world's oceans, is a source of concern for marine scientists worldwide. Studies on coral, mollusks, and other ocean denizens are helping to paint a picture of what the future might entail for specific species, should carbon emissions continue to increase.
In a new study published in Global Change Biology, University of Miami (UM) Rosenstiel School of Marine & Atmospheric Science researchers Sean Bignami, Su Sponaugle, and Robert Cowen are the first to study the effects of acidification on the larvae of cobia (Rachycentron canandum). Cobia are large tropical fish that spawn in pelagic waters, highly mobile as they mature, and a popular species among recreational anglers.
The team reared cobia in tanks with different levels of CO2 saturation looking for effects on growth, development, otolith (ear stone) formation, swimming ability, and activity level during the vulnerable larval stage of these fish. They found that cobia showed remarkable resistance to end-of-century acidification scenarios in terms of growth, development, and activity. However, more extreme acidification scenarios caused reduced larval size and a 2-3 day delay in their development. The study also reports a significant increase in otolith size at the most mild acidification conditions reported to date.
"The larval period is a critical stage in the marine fish lifecycle and the ability of cobia larvae to withstand 'business-as-usual' scenarios of ocean acidification provides an optimistic outlook for this species. However, research on this topic is still limited and if our findings on otolith formation are any indicator, then these fish are not entirely resistant to acidification," said Bignami, a Marine Biology and Fisheries PhD candidate at UM.
The study is the first to report impacts of ocean acidification on a large, pelagic tropical fish species. "We need additional studies on study how fish, especially those that are ecologically and economically important, react to these environmental changes if we want to find ways to potentially mitigate the effects," Bignami added.
Cobia larvae used in this study were produced from broodstock raised at the UM Experimental Hatchery.
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University of Miami Rosenstiel School of Marine & Atmospheric Science: http://www.rsmas.miami.edu
Thanks to University of Miami Rosenstiel School of Marine & Atmospheric Science for this article.
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Public release date: 3-Apr-2013
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