WWE?s most powerful couple is now on Twitter. On Wednesday, Triple H announced through his own Twitter handle - @TripleH?- that his wife, WWE Executive Vice President of Creative, Stephanie McMahon, had just joined the social media service. Apparently, soon after Triple H started tweeting following his all-out brawl with Brock Lesnar on Monday Night Raw, he couldn?t help but encourage his wife into signing up.
@tripleh Thanks Honey, I needed another responsibility!
? Stephanie McMahon (@StephMcMahon) February 27, 2013
Since her first tweet went out just after 2:00 p.m. ET, McMahon?s follower count has been skyrocketing. Thousands of members of the WWE Universe are following her, with more joining by the second.
You can follow Stephanie McMahon on Twitter @StephMcMahon. While you?re at it, follow Triple H, too, @TripleH.
With the anniversary of the 22nd Amendment on Wednesday, Constitution Daily looks at two hot-button topics: Should a president be allowed to serve a third term? And should members of Congress have term limits like the president?
The 22nd Amendment brought the idea of term limits into the Constitution. When it was ratified in 1951, the amendment limited a president from effectively serving a third term, by saying that a president who won two elections can?t run a third time.
The 22nd Amendment also bars a president from serving more than 10 years in office, in a case of a president who assumed office as vice president (or in an unlikely case, as the Senate president pro tempore or secretary of state).
For example, Vice President Gerald Ford took over for President Richard Nixon in 1974 and served more than two years as president. If Ford had defeated Jimmy Carter in the 1976 presidential election, Ford could not have run for re-election.
Long before the 22nd Amendment, George Washington had set an unofficial precedent in 1796 when he decided several months before the election not to seek a third term.
The only person to break from Washington?s precedent was President Franklin D. Roosevelt, with a record-setting four election wins.
Before Roosevelt ran for re-election in 1940, most presidents didn?t try for a third term in office, let alone a third consecutive term.
Roosevelt?s distant cousin, Theodore, came the closest to breaking the precedent in 1912, when he ran for president a second time. Theodore Roosevelt succeeded President William McKinley in 1901 and had served about 7 ? years in the White House. Theodore Roosevelt passed on running for a third consecutive term as president in 1908, fully aware of the Washington precedent. But after a fallout with President William Howard Taft, Roosevelt sough a third nonconsecutive term in the 1912 presidential election. He lost the election but came in second ahead of Taft. (Woodrow Wilson and Harry Truman briefly considered seeking a third term but passed.)
After Franklin Roosevelt died in 1945, momentum built for a presidential term-limits amendment. Congress passed it in 1947, and it was ratified by the states in 1951.
Since then, several members of Congress have introduced bills to repeal the 22nd Amendment. The latest was offered by Representative Jose Serrano on January 4.
In fact, Serrano has offered the same bill since 1997?during the presidencies of Bill Clinton, George W. Bush and Barack Obama. The bills were tabled each time.
Representative Steny Hoyer offered similar bills in the past and current Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell sponsored a similar bill in 1995?during the Clinton administration. Barney Frank and Jerry Nadler also presented anti-22nd Amendment bills in the past.
There was no interest among legislators in pursuing a 22nd Amendment repeal, probably because most people are happy with term limits for the president. The odds of getting 38 states to ratify an amendment would be very, very steep.
However, the issue of term limits for Congress is a different matter. In a Gallup poll this January, about 75 percent of Americans polled favored limiting terms for Congress members.
Gallup said when the same question was asked in 1994 and 1996, between two-thirds and three-quarters of Americans favored a constitutional amendment to limiting congressional terms.
In the 2013 poll, there was more support for ending congressional term limits (75 percent) than ending the Electoral College (60 percent).
That 75 percent is important, since three-fourths of the states are needed to ratify a proposed constitutional amendment.
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It?s highly unlikely that a proposed amendment would come from Congress, since two-thirds of its members would need to agree to limit their own terms. Seniority in Congress has its rewards, such as influential committee and leadership positions.
There is a second path to a constitutional amendment, outlined in Article V of the Constitution, that mostly doesn?t involve Congress: Two-thirds of the states can call a constitutional convention. That has never happened since the original Constitutional Convention in 1787.
In the early 1990s there was a movement at a state level to pass laws that would limit terms for federal Congress members. The Supreme Court decided in U.S. Term Limits, Inc. v. Thornton that such acts were unconstitutional.
Justice John Paul Stevens wrote the majority opinion in the 5-4 decision.
?We are, however, firmly convinced that allowing the several States to adopt term limits for congressional service would effect a fundamental change in the constitutional framework. Any such change must come not by legislation adopted either by Congress or by an individual State, but rather?as have other important changes in the electoral process ?through the Amendment procedures set forth in Article V,? Stevens said.
?Nothing in the Constitution deprives the people of each State of the power to prescribe eligibility requirements for the candidates who seek to represent them in Congress. The Constitution is simply silent on this question,? said Justice Clarence Thomas in his dissent.
In all likelihood, the threat of a constitutional convention would be the one issue that could force Congress to vote for term limits on itself.
When the 17th Amendment was being considered in 1911, which involved the direct election of U.S. senators, there were nearly enough states asking for a constitutional convention to make it a reality. Congress acted quickly to get the 17th Amendment passed and sent on to the states for ratification, because once the quorum for a constitutional convention is called, its members may be able to propose as many amendments as they like.
Two other attempts to call conventions came close in 1969 and 1983 but failed to reach the successful number of two-thirds of the states petitioning Congress.
Scott Bomboy is the Editor-In-Chief of the National Constitution Center.
LOME, Togo (AP) ? A prosecutor says that Togolese authorities have ordered the provisionary release of the former chief executive officer of the French oil corporation Elf after six months of detention in the West African country.
Loik Le Floch-Prigent was arrested in Ivory Coast and extradited to Togo in September where he has been held since on charges of defrauding an Emirati businessman.
Prosecuting lawyer Essolissam Poyodi said Wednesday that Le Floch-Prigent was provisionally released for medical reasons and flew to France for treatment Tuesday. Poyodi said the Frenchman was still at the disposal of Togolese judiciary authorities.
The purported scam against Abass Al Youssef was for $48 million. Businessman Bertin Sow Agba and his cousin, former Togolese Interior Minister Pascal Bodjona, have also been implicated in the scam that has rocked Togo.
Huntington's disease, also known as Huntington's chorea, is a hereditary brain disease causing movement disorders and dementia. In Germany, there are about 8,000 patients affected by Huntington's disease, with several hundred new cases arising every year. The disease usually manifests between the ages of 35 and 50. To date, it is incurable and inevitably leads to death. It is caused by a specific genetic defect: In the patient's DNA, which is the carrier of genetic information, there are multiple copies of a certain motif. "Repeats like this are also found in healthy people. However, in cases of Huntington's disease, these sequences are longer than usual," explains Dr. Sybille Krauss from the DZNE in Bonn.
The long DNA sequences in Huntington's disease lead to changes in a certain protein called "Huntingtin". The DNA is like an archive of blueprints for proteins. Errors in the DNA therefore result in defective proteins. "Huntingtin is essential for the organism's survival. It is a multi-talent which is important for many processes," emphasises Krauss. "If the protein is defective, brain cells may die."
In the spotlight: protein synthesis
In the current study, the scientists around Sybille Krauss and the Mainz-based human geneticist Susann Schweiger took a closer look at a critical stage of protein production ? translation. At this step, a copy of the DNA, the so-called messenger RNA, is processed by the cell's protein factories. In patients with Huntington's disease, the messenger RNA contains an unusually high number of consecutive CAG sequences ? CAG representing the building plan for the amino acid glutamine.
These repetitive sequences have a direct consequence: more glutamine than normal is built into Huntingtin, which is therefore defective. Sybille Krauss and her colleagues have now identified a group of three molecules, which regulate the production of this protein. "We were able to show that this complex binds to the messenger RNA and controls the synthesis of defective Huntingtin," says Krauss. When the scientists reduced the concentration of this so-called MID1 complex in the cell, production of the defective protein declined.
"If we could find a way of influencing this complex, for example with pharmaceuticals, it is quite possible that we could directly affect the production of defective Huntingtin. This kind of treatment would not just treat the symptoms but also the causes of Huntington's disease," says Krauss.
Background:
Three molecules come together
The complex consists of MID1, from which it gets its name, and the proteins PP2Ac and S6K. "Every single one of these proteins is known to be important for translation. We have discovered that in the specific case of Huntington's disease, they together bind to the CAG sequences. This was previously unknown. We also found that binding increases with repeat lengths," says Krauss. "In sequences of normal length, we found only weak binding or none at all."
The Bonn-based molecular biologist and her colleagues investigated the effect of the MID1 complex and the interaction between its components in a series of elaborate laboratory experiments. "This project took several years of research work," says Krauss. Along with biochemical procedures, the scientists used cell cultures and analysed proteins from the brains of mice. The mice's genetic code had been modified in such a way that it contained elongated CAG-repeats as it is typical for Huntington's disease.
From previous studies it was already known that the protein MID1 tends to bind messenger RNAs. The scientists were now able to show that MID1 also attaches to messenger RNAs with excessively long CAG sequences. Furthermore, experiments showed that PP2Ac and S6K also bound the RNA in the presence of MID1. However, if the MID1 was depleted, this binding did not occur. "From this, we can conclude that these three proteins form a molecular complex, which binds to the RNA. MID1 is a key component. It actually seems to keep together its binding partners," Krauss comments on the results of the experiments.
Complex controls protein production
The researchers were also able to prove that the MID1 complex controls the translation of RNA with excessively long CAG sequences. For this, they investigated various cell cultures. The cells produced either normal Huntingtin or ? due to excessively long sequences in their DNA ? a defective version of this protein. The scientists reduced the occurrence of MID1 inside the cells using a procedure known as "knock-down". The elimination of this protein, which is a major part of the MID1 complex, had direct consequences: the production of defective Huntingtin declined. "However, it did not affect the production of normal Huntingtin," emphazises Krauss. "This further proves that the MID1 complex specifically targets RNAs with excessively long CAG sequences."
Highly specific
The Bonn-based molecular biologist sees this specific influence as a chance to treat Huntington's disease: "The MID1 complex is a promising target for therapy. It indicates a possibility to suppress the production of defective Huntingtin only, while not affecting the production of normal Huntingtin. This is of particular significance, because the normal protein is also being produced in the patients' bodies and it is important for the organism."
A suitable active substance has yet to be found, says Krauss. However, the next developments are in sight: "We now want to test potential substances in the laboratory," she says.
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"Translation of HTT mRNA with expanded CAG repeats is regulated by the MID1-PP2A protein complex", Sybille Krau?, Nadine Griesche, Ewa Jastrzebska, Changwei Chen, D?siree Rutschow, Clemens Achm?ller, Stephanie Dorn, Sylvia M. Boesch, Maciej Lalowski, Erich Wanker, Rainer Schneider, Susann Schweiger, Nature Communications, DOI: 10.1038/ncomms2514.
Helmholtz Association of German Research Centres: http://www.helmholtz.de/en/index.html
Thanks to Helmholtz Association of German Research Centres for this article.
This press release was posted to serve as a topic for discussion. Please comment below. We try our best to only post press releases that are associated with peer reviewed scientific literature. Critical discussions of the research are appreciated. If you need help finding a link to the original article, please contact us on twitter or via e-mail.
Gut microbiota research: Pinpointing a moving targetPublic release date: 27-Feb-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Aimee Frank afrank@gastro.org 301-941-2620 American Gastroenterological Association
(27 February 2013) Although considerable progress has been made in determining the impact of the gut microbiota on the development of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and other gastrointestinal (GI) diseases, the detailed study and understanding of the composition and effects of this intestinal community still faces numerous methodological and empirical challenges.
"Improvement of study design and sample collection, as well as a more precise understanding of the various genetic and environmental influences, are asked for," says Professor Dirk Haller (Technical University Munich, Germany), who addressed some of the central issues that make up the agenda of future research. Further information on this issue one of many topics presented at the 2nd World Summit "Gut Microbiota For Health" in Madrid, Spain, from 24 to 26 February 2013 can be found at http://bit.ly/WED27PR.
To keep themselves up to date on the rapidly increasing advances in the field of gut microbiota research, scientists and health-care professionals came together at the 2nd Gut Microbiota For Health World Summit. This year, the event was hosted by the Gut Microbiota & Health Section of the European Society of Neurogastroenterology and Motility (ESNM) a member of United European Gastroenterology (UEG) and the American Gastroenterological Association (AGA), with the support of Danone Dairy.
A recent overview of gut microbiota research titled "Gut microbiota and gastrointestinal health: current concepts and future directions" has been published in Neurogastroenterology and Motility (Volume 25, Issue 1, pages 415, January 2013), the official journal of the ESNM and the American Neurogastroenterology and Motility Society (ANMS). The article is the first publication of ESNM's Gut Microbiota & Health Section and can be downloaded at
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/nmo.12046/full.
###
About the Gut Microbiota For Health Experts Exchange website
The www.gutmicrobiotaforhealth.com Experts Exchange, provided by the Gut Microbiota & Health Section of ESNM, is an online platform for health-care professionals, scientists, and other people interested in the field. Thanks to being an open, independent and participatory medium, this digital service enables a scientific debate in the field of gut microbiota.
Connected to www.gutmicrobiotaforhealth.com, the Twitter account @GMFHx, animated by experts, for experts from the medical and scientific community, actively contributes to the online exchanges about the gut microbiota. Follow @GMFHx on Twitter. You can follow the Twitter coverage of the event using #GMFH2013.
About the Gut Microbiota & Health Section of ESNM
ESNM stands for the European Society of Neurogastroenterology and Motility, a member of United European Gastroenterology (UEG). The mission of the ESNM is to defend the interests of all professionals in Europe involved in the study of neurobiology and pathophysiology of gastrointestinal function. The Gut Microbiota & Health Section was set up to increase recognition of the links between the gut microbiota and human health, to spread knowledge and to raise interest in the subject. The Gut Microbiota & Health Section is open to professionals, researchers, and practitioners from all fields related to gut microbiota and health. www.esnm.eu/gut_health/gut_micro_health.php?navId=68
About the AGA
The American Gastroenterological Association is the trusted voice of the GI community. Founded in 1897, the AGA has grown to include more than 16,000 members from around the globe who are involved in all aspects of the science, practice and advancement of gastroenterology. The AGA Institute administers the practice, research and educational programmes of the organisation. www.gastro.org
About Danone Dairy and Gut Microbiota For Health
Danone's conviction is that food plays an essential role in human health namely through the impact that gut microbiota may have on health. That is why Danone Dairy supports the Gut Microbiota For Health World Summit and Experts Exchange web platform with the aim to encourage research and increase knowledge in this promising area, in line with its mission to "bring health through food to as many people as possible."
[ | 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.
Gut microbiota research: Pinpointing a moving targetPublic release date: 27-Feb-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Aimee Frank afrank@gastro.org 301-941-2620 American Gastroenterological Association
(27 February 2013) Although considerable progress has been made in determining the impact of the gut microbiota on the development of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and other gastrointestinal (GI) diseases, the detailed study and understanding of the composition and effects of this intestinal community still faces numerous methodological and empirical challenges.
"Improvement of study design and sample collection, as well as a more precise understanding of the various genetic and environmental influences, are asked for," says Professor Dirk Haller (Technical University Munich, Germany), who addressed some of the central issues that make up the agenda of future research. Further information on this issue one of many topics presented at the 2nd World Summit "Gut Microbiota For Health" in Madrid, Spain, from 24 to 26 February 2013 can be found at http://bit.ly/WED27PR.
To keep themselves up to date on the rapidly increasing advances in the field of gut microbiota research, scientists and health-care professionals came together at the 2nd Gut Microbiota For Health World Summit. This year, the event was hosted by the Gut Microbiota & Health Section of the European Society of Neurogastroenterology and Motility (ESNM) a member of United European Gastroenterology (UEG) and the American Gastroenterological Association (AGA), with the support of Danone Dairy.
A recent overview of gut microbiota research titled "Gut microbiota and gastrointestinal health: current concepts and future directions" has been published in Neurogastroenterology and Motility (Volume 25, Issue 1, pages 415, January 2013), the official journal of the ESNM and the American Neurogastroenterology and Motility Society (ANMS). The article is the first publication of ESNM's Gut Microbiota & Health Section and can be downloaded at
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/nmo.12046/full.
###
About the Gut Microbiota For Health Experts Exchange website
The www.gutmicrobiotaforhealth.com Experts Exchange, provided by the Gut Microbiota & Health Section of ESNM, is an online platform for health-care professionals, scientists, and other people interested in the field. Thanks to being an open, independent and participatory medium, this digital service enables a scientific debate in the field of gut microbiota.
Connected to www.gutmicrobiotaforhealth.com, the Twitter account @GMFHx, animated by experts, for experts from the medical and scientific community, actively contributes to the online exchanges about the gut microbiota. Follow @GMFHx on Twitter. You can follow the Twitter coverage of the event using #GMFH2013.
About the Gut Microbiota & Health Section of ESNM
ESNM stands for the European Society of Neurogastroenterology and Motility, a member of United European Gastroenterology (UEG). The mission of the ESNM is to defend the interests of all professionals in Europe involved in the study of neurobiology and pathophysiology of gastrointestinal function. The Gut Microbiota & Health Section was set up to increase recognition of the links between the gut microbiota and human health, to spread knowledge and to raise interest in the subject. The Gut Microbiota & Health Section is open to professionals, researchers, and practitioners from all fields related to gut microbiota and health. www.esnm.eu/gut_health/gut_micro_health.php?navId=68
About the AGA
The American Gastroenterological Association is the trusted voice of the GI community. Founded in 1897, the AGA has grown to include more than 16,000 members from around the globe who are involved in all aspects of the science, practice and advancement of gastroenterology. The AGA Institute administers the practice, research and educational programmes of the organisation. www.gastro.org
About Danone Dairy and Gut Microbiota For Health
Danone's conviction is that food plays an essential role in human health namely through the impact that gut microbiota may have on health. That is why Danone Dairy supports the Gut Microbiota For Health World Summit and Experts Exchange web platform with the aim to encourage research and increase knowledge in this promising area, in line with its mission to "bring health through food to as many people as possible."
[ | 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.
NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. stock index futures rose on Tuesday, indicating equities would partially rebound from a steep drop over Italian election results as investors saw opportunities to buy beaten-down shares.
Market participants speculated a coalition government would eventually emerge in Italy and ease worries about a new euro zone debt crisis.
Groups in Italy opposed to economic reforms posted a strong showing, resulting in a political deadlock with a comedian's protest party leading the poll and no group securing a clear majority in parliament.
"We've gone to an environment of political stability to instability, and until we get some type of clarity over who is in charge, which could take days, the market will have renewed concerns," said Art Hogan, managing director of Lazard Capital Markets in New York.
"Investors are taking advantage of the drop, and once some kind of coalition government is formed most of our concerns will be put to rest," Hogan said.
S&P 500 futures rose 3.9 points and were above fair value, a formula that evaluates pricing by taking into account interest rates, dividends and time to expiration on the contract. Dow Jones industrial average futures added 38 points and Nasdaq 100 futures rose 5.75 points.
Major indexes fell more than 1 percent on Monday, with the S&P 500 having its biggest daily drop since November as investors fretted that if Italy does not undertake reforms, that could once again destabilize the euro zone. European equities <.fteu3>, which closed before the results on Monday, fell 1.1 percent.
Investors will pay close attention to the first of two days of congressional testimony by Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke for insight into the central bank's view of the economy, as well as the outlook for its bond buying program. Last week, equities fell on concerns the program might end sooner than had been anticipated.
Bernanke appears before the Senate Banking Committee at 10 a.m. (1500 GMT).
Economic data will include the CaseShiller report on December home prices at 9 a.m. (1400 GMT). Analysts expect a 0.5 percent rise. January consumer confidence is scheduled for 10 a.m. and is seen rising to 61.0 from 58.6 in the previous month. New-home sales for January also are due at 10 a.m.
The rise in U.S. futures suggests that a recent trend of investors buying on dips will continue. Last week, concerns the Fed might roll back its stimulus policy earlier than expected prompted a sharp two-day decline, though equities recovered most of the lost ground by the end of the week.
Financial shares may be among the most volatile, as the group is closely tied to the pace of global economic growth. Morgan Stanley was one of the top percentage losers on the S&P on Monday, dropping more than 6 percent on concerns about the company's exposure to European debt. It rose 0.8 percent to $22.20 in premarket trading on Tuesday.
Dow component Home Depot Inc , the world's largest home improvement retailer, reported adjusted earnings and sales that beat expectations. Its stock rose 1.5 percent to $64.90 in premarket trading.
For the benchmark S&P 500 index, 1,500 will be watched as a key level after the index closed below it on Monday for the first time since February 4, with selling accelerating after falling below it. An inability to break back above it could portend further losses.
The S&P remains 4.3 percent higher on the year. With 83 percent of the S&P 500 having reported so far, 69 percent beat profit expectations, compared with a 62 percent average since 1994 and 65 percent over the past four quarters, according to Thomson Reuters data. Fourth-quarter S&P earnings are seen having risen 6 percent, above a 1.9 percent forecast at the start of the earnings season.
Mobile World Congress (MWC) is in full swing this week in Barcelona. Of course, most of the action is about faster phones, glitzier features and sharper displays. Another trend that is unavoidable, though perhaps a bit less dramatic, is that vendors recognize security must be dealt with as increasing amounts of valuable data ends up on mobile devices.
Two of the key services that require air-tight mobile security, and are thus best positioned to drive vendors and service providers to act, are Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) and mobile payments via near field communications (NFC).
The Ten Commandments of BYOD
News was made on both fronts in Spain.
This is an important time in the evolution of BYOD. It has grown up quickly, and IT departments and their vendors are rushing to catch up in many ways.
My feature last week, ?Smartphones Have Split Personalities ? And That?s a Good Thing,? discussed adding security and management by creating dual identities through containerization, virtualizing devices and employing ?app-wrappers.? At MWC, Samsung unveiled a containerization approach called Knox. EWEEK describes it as a means of addressing ?advanced security requirements? for Android and its use in BYOD environments. The vendor is partnering with Centrify on the platform, which will seamlessly add containerization to Samsung devices:
Through the original equipment manufacturer (OEM) software license and marketing agreement, Centrify will enable multi-application single-sign-on (SSO) for mobile and Web apps inside the Samsung Knox container, allowing customers to use their existing infrastructure?Microsoft Active Directory (AD)?to manage Knox containers, Samsung devices and role-based access to mobile applications.
It seems that Samsung is not putting all its BYOD eggs in one basket. The vendor also announced a trial of its Galaxy S III smartphone with Red Bend. CIO.com has the few specifics that are available. Unlike the Centrify project, which focuses on containerization, Samsung and Red Bend are using the virtualization approach in which discrete ?instances? of the Android OS are running on the device.
On the NFC front, Visa and Samsung announced a two-part partnership, according to PCMag. The partnership would provide financial institutions worldwide with access to the Visa Mobile Provisioning Service for secure download of customers? financial data. Visa?s payWave applet will provide NFC-enabled Samsung phones with contactless payment options.
MasterCard, it should be noted, introduced MasterPass at MWC. The platform will be rolled out before the end of March in Canada and Australia. TechCrunch said that MasterPass is an updated version of MasterCard?s PayPass Wallet Services. The press coverage did not focus on security elements of the new platform, however.
Finally, the vendor Gemalto made a number of announcements, including LinqUs Mobile Wallet:
Gemalto?s?LinqUs Mobile Wallet?solution includes a secure application framework, a dedicated mobile wallet server, and connectivity with Gemalto?s secure platforms for TSM (Trusted Service Management) and mobile payment.
There is not too much commonality between NFC and BYOD. Two things they do share, however, are fast growth and the need to have a great handle on security. Look for lots of security-related announcements to come out of both camps, just as they did in Spain.
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) ? The Arkansas House voted 53-28 Tuesday to override Gov. Mike Beebe's veto of a bill that would outlaw most abortions starting in the 20th week of pregnancy, hours after a state Senate committee approved a package of even tighter abortion restrictions.
The Republican-controlled state Senate, which overwhelmingly backed the 20-week near-ban on abortions before Beebe vetoed it, was expected to discuss whether to vote to override the veto Thursday. Like the GOP-led House, only a simple majority in the Senate is needed to override a veto.
The House-sponsored measure is based on the disputed argument that a fetus can feel pain by the 20th month of pregnancy, and thus deserves protection from abortion. Beebe vetoed the bill Tuesday, saying it contradicts the U.S. Supreme Court's 1976 Roe v. Wade decision, which legalized abortion until a fetus can viably survive outside of the womb, which is typically at 22 to 24 weeks.
"This is not just any regular bill. It's one that has an eternal impact on each of us and to those children," Republican Rep. Andy Mayberry told House members as he urged them to override.
Prior to the House vote, the Senate Public Health, Welfare and Labor Committee voted 5-2 to advance a bill that would ban most abortions starting in the 12th week of pregnancy, sending it to the full Senate. The Senate passed an earlier version of the bill that would have outlawed abortions as early as six weeks into a pregnancy, but amended it to push back the restriction and to add more exemptions.
22 to 24 weeksBeebe declined to say Wednesday whether he would also veto the Senate's proposed 12-week ban, but he said he thinks it's on even shakier legal ground than the House's 20-week version.
"I'm pretty sure I know what I'm going to do on a bill that's even more problematic than the one I already vetoed, but I won't tell you officially until that time," Beebe said Tuesday.
GOP Sen. Jason Rapert said he hopes Beebe lets it stand but said he was confident the 12-week ban would have enough support to override a veto.
"The governor has his own conscience," Rapert, R-Conway, told reporters. "I think probably the best route would be that he just simply not sign the bill and let it become law, if that's what he decides to do. If he doesn't, then we'll override the veto and it'll become law in the state of Arkansas."
___
Associated Press writer Michael Stratford contributed to this report.
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Andrew DeMillo can be reached at www.twitter.com/ademillo
Using video for communication is becoming increasingly popular with more businesses realising the power of video to reach their target audience.
YouTube is currently the second largest search engine, after Google, with 800 million unique users per month. This means there is a large number of people watching and engaging with videos every day, which your business should be taking advantage of.?
It?s then a great idea to include video in your PR strategy to communicate a message in a different way and increase engagement with your audience.
Here are some tips on how you can make the most of video for PR.
Get more people to see your website You can put videos on your website to increase your search engine optimisation.
Research has shown that a web page with a video on it is 53 times more likely to appear on the first page of Google results. This means if you want more people to see your messages you should include a video on your website. This will help to attract more potential customers to your website and enhance the effectiveness of your communication.
Engagement Videos are a great way to increase your engagement with your target audience. Often people would rather watch a video then read through a block of text as it allows them to receive information faster. Studies have also shown people will spend more time on a website with a video on it then one with text.
You can include videos on your website, social media sites or blog to encourage people to spend more time on your site and look at your content. This is a great way to communicate in a different way and encourage your target audience to respond.
When communicating with your target audience, rather than describing something with words you can show them with a video. This can increase your target audience?s interest in your communication and make it easier for them to receive your message. This is especially beneficial if you have a complicated message to communicate.?
Speaking pitches When pitching for a speaking opportunity it?s a good idea to include a video of the speaker. This could be a link to a video on YouTube or by providing event organisers with a USB full of videos of the speaker.
Videos are a great way to showcase the presentation style of the speaker, their presence on stage and their ability to engage an audience. This can often be more effective than trying to describe their presentation style in writing.
Event organisers can also see real evidence of the speaker?s skills and may be more likely to choose them for the event.
Media pitches Many media publications and online news sites now use video to communicate. It?s then a great idea to include video in your pitches to journalists to take advantage of this medium. For example, you could include a video with a media release or with an email pitch to a journalist.
Video is great when launching a new product as you can use it to show a journalist how the product works. You can also use video to document a press conference or a major event for the business and then send this video to a journalist to use.?
Social media Using video on social media is an effective way to communicate a message in a different and engaging way.? As videos are easy to share online your social media followers may share your video with their networks. This can help to spread your message to a wider audience and increase your brand awareness.
Create a YouTube channel You can create a YouTube Channel to publish your videos. As YouTube is the second largest search engine, publishing your videos on this channel is a great way to get more people to see them. This can increase your brand awareness or improve your communication.
Once you?ve posted videos on YouTube it?s then easier to share them on other sites such as your website or social media channels.
Creating videos for your business is a great way to communicate a message, increase engagement with your target audience and improve your website?s SEO.
Eric Butera has a passion for recreational sports including the sports that allow people to enjoy time outside. For that reason, Eric Butera is a proud supporter of protecting parks and forested areas. Eric Butera encourages recreation not only for the physical well-being it brings but for the other benefits that regular exercise promotes.
"There are many sports that can be enjoyed by adults but also by entire families. By going outside and visiting parks or other areas, people stay in shape and promote individual well-being," says Eric Butera. As a former soldier of the United States Army, Eric Butera is used to maintaining a certain level of physical activity.
Eric Butera is a student at the University of Utah. He is a student of recreation and is a strong supporter of parks. "Going outside promotes a strong sense of well-being. Some of my favorite outdoor recreational sports include mountain biking and skiing," says Eric Butera. Both activities are push the body and many studies back up the benefits of a cardiovascular workout.
"My major is recreational therapy and my studies have taught me that recreation promotes functions in five critical domains for people. It promotes a person's psychological, physical, social, spiritual, and cognitive well-being," says Eric Butera. That is why Eric Butera supports recreational therapy for disabled veterans with adaptive sports designed for soldiers with missing limbs.
In addition to regularly participating in sports, Eric Butera is an active member of the National Recreation and Parks Association. "I've been a member of the NRPA for 3 years. They promote the advancement of public parks and conservation opportunities. The three areas of the associations focus are: health and wellness, conservation, and social equity," says Eric Butera; "by protecting outdoor parks people can enjoy a number of sports including camping, hiking, or other sports." Even enjoying a leisurely stroll is a healthy alternative to staying locked away indoors.
You know you should meditate?everyone from your medical doctor to the guy checking you out at Whole Foods raves about its benefits. But is daily inward reflection really worth your time? Yes! In addition to reducing anxiety and improving your overall outlook on life, "meditation has been shown in research to reduce blood pressure, increase attention span, help insomnia, and increase compassion," says Dr. Samantha Brody, a licensed naturopathic physician and acupuncturist.
And you don't just have to sit and stare at the wall to clear your mind. "There are many different ways to meditate," Brody says. "There is mantra meditation where you focus on a word or a phrase, meditation where you focus on your breath, and even moving meditation." But the real trick, she says, is to stick with it, even when you feel like you don't want to. "It's on the other side of the resistance that you'll find the biggest rewards!"
Ready to get started? Check out this beginner's guide to meditation for everything you need to know.
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A newly released international study reveals that the issue of climate change is not a priority for people in the United States and around the world.
The surveys showed that when asked to rank priority worries, people were five times more likely to point to the economy over the environment. Additionally, when asked about climate change, people identified the issue as more of a national problem than a personal concern.?
Coordinated surveys, conducted by the International Social Survey Programme (ISSP) in 33 countries from 1993 through 2010, ?are the first and only surveys that put long-term attitudes toward environmental issues in general and global climate change in particular in an international perspective,? said Tom W. Smith, director of the General Social Survey, a project of the independent research organization NORC at the University of Chicago, and author of a paper that summarizes the surveys.
In the surveys, respondents were asked the relative importance of eight issues: health care, education, crime, the environment, immigration, the economy, terrorism and poverty.
The economy ranked highest in concern in 15 countries, followed by health care in eight, education in six, poverty in two, and terrorism and crime in one country each. Immigration and the environment did not make the top of the list in any country over the 17-year period. In the United States, concern for the environment ranked sixth while the economy was No. 1.
In terms of national averages, the order of concern was the economy (25 percent); health care (22.2) education (15.6); poverty (11.6); crime (8.6) environment (4.7), immigration (4.1) and terrorism (2.6), the surveys showed. Terrorism?s low ranking was notable in light of the widespread attention the issue has received since 2001, though it topped the list of concerns in Turkey.
The paper, ?Public Attitudes towards Climate Change and Other Global Environmental Issues across Time and Countries, 1993-2010,? was presented recently at the ?Policy Workshop: Public Attitudes and Environmental Policy in Canada and Europe, Canada-European Transatlantic Dialogue,? at Carleton University in Ottawa, Canada.
NORC is issuing the survey summary on behalf of the ISSP, a consortium of survey research organizations in 49 countries. The ISSP coordinates studies on topics worldwide and uses the same scientific standards to make the findings representative of the nations? populations.
A focus on the environment
In the United States, only 3.6 percent of the people surveyed selected the environment as the nation?s most pressing issue, as opposed to 15 percent of the people in Norway, which had the highest level of environmental concern.?
The surveys also asked questions about worries concerning particular kinds of environmental problems, including global climate change. One asked which problem among nine was most important for their country as a whole as opposed to the individual.?
Air pollution ranked first in 13 countries, followed by climate change, which was the top concern in 10 countries. In another question, the surveys asked people which environmental problem they considered most personally dangerous and found that in only three countries was climate change listed as the most dangerous environmental problem, trailing nuclear power plants and industrial air pollution.
?One reason for the relatively low ranking of climate change is that people often believed it did not directly affect them. Climate change is seen more as a country-level problem than as a personal problem,? Smith said. ?While 14.6 percent cited it as the most important environmental issue for their country, only 9 percent rated it first for themselves.?
The latest surveys were completed in 2010. Similar surveys have been conducted since 1993, and little change has been noted on people?s concern for climate change. Differences exist among the countries, however, suggesting that widespread public support for current action on the issue will represent a major shift in attitude.?
The surveys indicate some expectation for greater future concern about climate change. ?The greater mentioning of climate change as a problem by those under 30 versus those 70 and older probably reflects generational effects and if so, should tend to increase levels of concern in the future,? Smith said.
Environmental issues are of greatest concern in Scandinavian nations, Switzerland and Canada. They were followed by France, Austria, Finland, the former West Germany, Taiwan, Korea and New Zealand. Toward the bottom of the list are Croatia, Latvia, Chile, Turkey, Lithuania and Argentina.?
Climate change was listed as the top environmental concern in Japan, West Germany, Canada, Britain and Scandinavia, where between 19 and 26 percent of the population indicated it was their top environmental issue.
Smith is co-founder of the ISSP and on the group?s standing committee. He is also past president the World Association for Public Opinion Research.
I know I've said this before, but we? are a board game sort of family. We love board games!? But I hate storing board games. Different size boxes, lids that don't stay on, a bazillion little pieces... in a small home it's a recipe for frustration.? But then I had an epiphany...
Inexpensive headbands.? They are just the right size elastic to wrap around the average board game box so that you can stand them up in a closet without fear of lids coming loose.? Tidy, organized board games on a shelf!? Easy peasy!
If you've ever wished you had a third hand to hold your Android tablet, Octa's Monkey Kit is something you'll be interested in. Just like that ever so useful appendage hanging from the south end of a Monkey, this tail is flexible yet rigid, holds to almost any shape, and it's suction device grips your tablet even tighter than you do. It's built like a tank from quality materials, looks and feels great, and is super-easy to use.
We've had it here at chez Jerry for about a week, and have found it indispensable for both work and play. It's incredibly handy holding the Nexus 7 with a recipe app open while making a mess cooking in the kitchen, my wife uses it to display a spreadsheet while she works -- freeing up her second monitor for Facebook, and when the lights go out and I find I can't sleep, a bit of Netflix in bed while the Monkey Kit does it's hands-free magic is the ticket.
It's all done through what Octa calls the Vacuum Dock. Place it on a smooth spot on the back of your tablet and pump it a few times to create a seal -- a really, really tight seal. Using a special cam design, the "tail" locks in place into the Vacuum Dock, making for a three foot long third arm to position your tablet wherever it is you want or need it positioned. It works on almost any tablet -- as long as you have a smooth surface to "stick" it to, you're golden. Having said that, be warned that it doesn't work with the Nexus 10, and for some insane reason known only to Google, it doesn't seal on the white-backed Google I/O edition Nexus 7. The retail Nexus 7, as well as any of the Kindle Fires, Galaxy Tabs, Transformers, or Xooms hold just fine though.
You're probably asking where do I find out more about this Monkey Kit thingy? That's easy. Visit Octa's Mokney Tail product page, where you can find out everything you need to know and pre order your own Monkey Kit for $99. Hit the break and see a picture gallery of the construction and parts.
SINGAPORE (Reuters) - Fed up of playing in front of sparse crowds in Singapore's poorly attended S.League, players from Balestier Khalsa are going door-to-door to try to drum up their fan base.
"The more often the players go knocking on doors, the higher the chances of them becoming familiar with residents," Balestier chairman S Thavaneson told Monday's Today newspaper.
"Who knows, they may become curious and decide to watch a game or two."
While Singaporeans are huge football fans, they are far more interested in watching English Premier League giants Manchester United, Liverpool and Arsenal on television rather than going to see local teams like Balestier, Woodlands Wellington and Tanjong Pagar United.
Average attendances in the 12-team S.League fell to 932 last year and organisers are heavily promoting a 'Support our S.League' campaign to address the concerns.
Thavaneson was hopeful the door-to-door campaign could help Balestier sell out their small stadium in central Singapore throughout the 2013 season, which began on Wednesday.
"There are 100,000 residents in Toa Payoh, if we can bring in just 3 percent of them to our stadium, we will have a full house each time," Thavaneson said.
(Reporting by Patrick Johnston; Editing by Peter Rutherford)
If Samsung likes an open playing field, it'll not be best pleased by this latest announcement from Japanese chip maker Renesas. Uncannily named the "APE6", it directly copies the same big.LITTLE design of ARM cores found in Sammy's Exynos Octa. The are four Cortex-A15s paired with the same number of Cortex-A7s, allowing a phone or tablet to switch between the two quad-core configurations depending on its workload. Interestingly, whereas the Exynos Octa's GPU has been rumored to contain a last-gen PowerVR Series5 GPU similar to that found in the iPad and PS Vita, the APE6 will come with a more future proof Series6 "Rogue" design. We've already spent some time with this GPU and it'll be a good day when we can finally try it out in a finished device and stack it up against a rival bearing Samsung internals.
In 1475 Renaissance favorite Sandro Botticelli took a break from painting goddesses and muses to capture a particularly chiseled youth and his bling medal.
"Portrait of a Youth with a Medal" depicts haughty looking youth bearing a Cosimo de' Medici medal and some Renaissance swagger. While his identity remains unknown, one thing is for certain: this youth is a badass with a bob.
If the anonymous youth was able to post his glamour shot on Facebook, what do you think would be his snarky comment? Go on readers, caption it!
By:
Associated Press | CountOn2.com
Published: February 23, 2013
Updated: February 23, 2013 - 8:35 PM
A fire in a cart shed at a Bluffton golf course has destroyed as many as 75 carts, and authorities say it's the second such blaze in Beaufort County since last November.
The Beaufort Gazette reports?the fire ripped through the shed at Eagle's Pointe Golf Course Friday around 7:30 p.m.
Although the fire was under control by 8:15, firefighters had to continue spraying the ruins with flame-retardant foam because of battery acid from the carts No injuries were reported.
General manager Brent Carlson declined to comment because he hadn't spoken with authorities at Textron Financial Corp., which owns Eagle's Pointe.
Authorities said a fire in a cart shed at Bear Creek Golf Club in Hilton Head Plantation on Nov. 26 was intentionally set and destroyed 52 golf carts.
HAVANA (Reuters) - Cuban President Raul Castro announced on Sunday he will step down from power after his second term ends in 2018, and the new parliament named a 52-year-old rising star to become his first vice president and most visible successor.
"This will be my last term," Castro, 81, said shortly after the National Assembly elected him to a second five-year tenure.
In a surprise move, the new parliament also named Miguel Diaz-Canel as first vice president, meaning he would take over if Castro cannot serve his full term.
Diaz-Canel is a member of the political bureau who rose through the Communist Party ranks in the provinces to become the most visible possible successor to Castro.
Raul Castro starts his second term immediately, leaving him free to retire in 2018, aged 86.
Former President Fidel Castro joined the National Assembly meeting on Sunday, in a rare public appearance. Since falling ill in 2006 and ceding the presidency to his brother, the elder Castro, 86, has given up official positions except as a deputy in the National Assembly.
The new government will almost certainly be the last headed up by the Castro brothers and their generation of leaders who have ruled Cuba since they swept down from the mountains in the 1959 revolution.
Cubans and foreign governments were keenly watching whether any new, younger faces appeared among the Council of State members, in particular its first vice president and five vice presidents.
Their hopes were partially fulfilled with Diaz-Canel's ascension. He replaces former first vice president, Jose Machado Ventura, 82, who will continue as one of five vice presidents.
Commander of the Revolution Ramiro Valdes, 80, and Gladys Bejerano, 66, the comptroller general, were also re-elected as vice presidents.
Two other newcomers, Mercedes Lopez Acea, 48, first secretary of the Havana communist party, and Salvador Valdes Mesa, 64, head of the official labor federation, also earned vice presidential slots.
Esteban Lazo, a 68-year-old former vice president and member of the political bureau of the Communist Party, left his post upon being named president of the National Assembly on Sunday. He replaced Ricardo Alarcon, who served in the job for 20 years.
Six of the Council's top seven members sit on the party's political bureau which is also lead by Castro.
Castro's announcement came as little surprise to Cuban exiles in Miami.
"It's no big news. It would have been big news if he resigned today and called for democratic elections," said Alfredo Duran, a Cuban-American lawyer and moderate exile leader in Miami who supports lifting the U.S. trade embargo against Cuba. "I wasn't worried about him being around after 2018," he added.
The National Assembly meets for just a few weeks each year and delegates its legislative powers between sessions to the 31-member Council of State, which also functions as the executive through the Council of Ministers it appoints.
Eighty percent of the 612 deputies, who were elected in an uncontested vote February 3, were born after the revolution.
EFFORT TO PROMOTE YOUNGER GENERATION
Raul Castro, who officially replaced his ailing brother as president in 2008, has repeatedly said senior leaders should hold office for no more than two five-year terms.
"Although we kept on trying to promote young people to senior positions, life proved that we did not always make the best choice," Castro said at a Communist Party Congress in 2011.
"Today, we are faced with the consequences of not having a reserve of well-trained replacements ... It's really embarrassing that we have not solved this problem in more than half a century."
Speaking on Sunday, Castro hailed the composition of the new Council of State as an example of what he had said needed to be accomplished.
"Of the 31 members, 41.9 percent are women and 38.6 percent are black or of mixed race. The average age is 57 years and 61.3 percent were born after the triumph of the revolution," he said.
The 2011 party summit adopted a more than 300-point plan aimed at updating Cuba's Soviet-style economic system, designed to transform it from one based on collective production and consumption to one where individual effort and reward play a far more important role.
Across-the-board subsidies are being replaced by a comprehensive tax code and targeted welfare.
Raul Castro has encouraged small businesses and cooperatives in retail services, farming, minor manufacturing and retail, and given more autonomy to state companies which still dominate the economy.
The party plan also includes an opening to more foreign investment.
At the same time, Cuba continues to face a U.S. administration bent on restoring democracy and capitalism to the island and questions about the future largess of oil rich Venezuela with strategic ally Hugo Chavez battling cancer.
ANAHEIM, Calif. -- Lyoto Machida took a split decision over Dan Henderson in the co-main event at UFC 157 on Saturday. The judges saw it 29-28, 28-29, 29-28 for Machida.
Machida was elusive as usual in the first round, but Henderson was able to sneak in and land a few kicks and punches. At the end of the round, Machida took Henderson down with a leg trip and landed strikes.
The second round showed Machida still being elusive and keeping his distance from Henderson. Machida tried for a front kick several times, but couldn't land it. Meanwhile, Henderson couldn't land much.
Henderson is known for his big, overhand punches. Most of the time, when he throws it, it can mean the end of a fight. However, he had trouble getting close enough to Machida for the overhand to work.
In the third round, Machida moved in for a takedown but ended up with Henderson on top. Henderson used elbows from the top, but Machida was able to get out with less than two minutes left in the fight.
Before the fight, UFC president Dana White said that the winner of this bout will get the next title shot. UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones will put the title up against Chael Sonnen in April, but the next fight will likely go to Machida.
Machida was once the UFC light heavyweight champion, but lost the title to Rua in 2010. Since then, he has wins over Randy Couture and Ryan Bader, but losses to current champion Jon Jones and Quinton Jackson. It will be his third chance at the light heavyweight title. He won it with a knockout of Rashad Evans in 2009, but lost to Jones in 2011.
Henderson had a long layoff between fights. His last bout was one of the best in MMA history. In November of 2011, Henderson defeated Mauricio Rua in a five-round decision. Since then, Henderson had a fight lined up with Jones in September, but had to pull out at the last minute because of a knee injury. His record falls to 29-9. He's 42 years old, and against Machida, looked slow and old for the first time in his career.
LONDON The BBC is citing a Miami auction house as saying it has withdrawn from sale an artwork by secretive graffiti artist Banksy that was removed from the side of a north London store.
The stencil of a young boy sewing Union Jack bunting vanished earlier this month, upsetting art lovers in the gritty Turnpike Lane area. It reappeared on the website of the Miami auction house, Fine Art Auctions, due to be sold Saturday with an estimated price of between $500,000 and $700,000.
But the BBC reported that the auction house confirmed the piece had been withdrawn from sale. It reported the auction house would not give a reason.
Poundland, the store that occupies the building, had said it had nothing to do with the removal.
Video: Researchers develop protein 'passport' that help nanoparticles get past immune system
Friday, February 22, 2013
The body's immune system exists to identify and destroy foreign objects, whether they are bacteria, viruses, flecks of dirt or splinters. Unfortunately, nanoparticles designed to deliver drugs, and implanted devices like pacemakers or artificial joints, are just as foreign and subject to the same response.
Now, researchers at the University of Pennsylvania School of Engineering and Applied Science and Penn's Institute for Translational Medicine and Therapeutics have figured out a way to provide a "passport" for such therapeutic devices, enabling them to get past the body's security system.
The research was conducted by professor Dennis Discher, graduate students Pia Rodriguez, Takamasa Harada, David Christian and Richard K. Tsai and postdoctoral fellow Diego Pantano of the Molecular and Cell Biophysics Lab in Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at Penn.
It was published in the journalScience.
"From your body's perspective," Rodriguez said, "an arrowhead a thousand years ago and a pacemaker today are treated the same ? as a foreign invader.
"We'd really like things like pacemakers, sutures and drug-delivery vehicles to not cause an inflammatory response from the innate immune system."
The innate immune system attacks foreign bodies in a general way. Unlike the learned response of the adaptive immune system, which includes the targeted antibodies that are formed after a vaccination, the innate immune system tries to destroy everything it doesn't recognize as being part of the body.
This response has many cellular components, including macrophages ? literally "big eaters" ? that find, engulf and destroy invaders. Proteins in blood serum work in tandem with macrophages; they adhere to objects in the blood stream and draw macrophages' attention. If the macrophage determines these proteins are stuck to a foreign invader, they will eat it or signal other macrophages to form a barrier around it.
Drug-delivery nanoparticles naturally trigger this response, so researchers' earlier attempts to circumvent it involved coating the particles with polymer "brushes." These brushes stick out from the nanoparticle and attempt to physically block various blood serum proteins from sticking to its surface.
However, these brushes only slow down the macrophage-signaling proteins, so Discher and colleagues tried a different approach: Convincing the macrophages that the nanoparticles were part of the body and shouldn't be cleared.
In 2008, Discher's group showed that the human protein CD47, found on almost all mammalian cell membranes, binds to a macrophage receptor known as SIRPa in humans. Like a patrolling border guard inspecting a passport, if a macrophage's SIRPa binds to a cell's CD47, it tells the macrophage that the cell isn't an invader and should be allowed to proceed on.
Penn's Dennis Discher explains how his lab designed a protein that acts a "passport" for the body's immune system. Nanoparticles equipped with this passport last longer in the bloodstream than equivalent particles without it.Credit: Kurtis Sensenig, University of Pennsylvania
"There may be other molecules that help quell the macrophage response," Discher said. "But human CD47 is clearly one that says, 'Don't eat me'."
Since the publication of that study, other researchers determined the combined structure of CD47 and SIRPa together. Using this information, Discher's group was able to computationally design the smallest sequence of amino acids that would act like CD47. This "minimal peptide" would have to fold and fit well enough into the receptor of SIRPa to serve as a valid passport.
After chemically synthesizing this minimal peptide, Discher's team attached it to conventional nanoparticles that could be used in a variety of experiments.
"Now, anyone can make the peptide and put it on whatever they want," Rodriguez said
The research team's experiments used a mouse model to demonstrate better imaging of tumors and as well as improved efficacy of an anti-cancer drug-delivery particle.
As this minimal peptide might one day be attached to a wide range of drug-delivery vehicles, the researchers also attached antibodies of the type that could be used in targeting cancer cells or other kinds of diseased tissue. Beyond a proof of concept for therapeutics, these antibodies also served to attract the macrophages' attention and ensure the minimal peptide's passport was being checked and approved.
"We're showing that the peptide actually does inhibit the macrophage's response," Discher said. "We force the interaction and then overwhelm it."
The test of this minimal peptide's efficacy was in mice that were genetically modified so their macophages had SIRPa receptors similar to human. The researchers injected two kinds of nanoparticles ? ones carrying the peptide passport and ones without ? and then measured how fast the mice's immune system cleared them.
"We used different fluorescent dyes on the two kinds of nanoparticles, so we could take blood samples every 10 minutes and measure how many particles of each kind were left using flow cytometry," Rodriguez said. "We injected the two particles in a 1-to-1 ratio and 20-30 minutes later, there were up to four times as many particles with the peptide left."
Even giving therapeutic nanoparticles an additional half-hour before they are eaten by macrophages could be a major boon for treatments. Such nanoparticles might need to make a few trips through the macrophage-heavy spleen and liver to find their targets, but they shouldn't stay in the body indefinitely. Other combinations of exterior proteins might be appropriate for more permanent devices, such as pacemaker leads, enabling them to hide from the immune system for longer periods of time.
While more research is necessary before such applications become a reality, reducing the peptide down to a sequence of only a few amino acids was a critical step. The relative simplicity of this passport molecule to be more easily synthesized makes it a more attractive component for future therapeutics.
"It can be made cleanly in a machine," Discher said, "and easily modified during synthesis in order to attach to all sorts of implanted and injected things, with the goal of fooling the body into accepting these things as 'self.'"
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University of Pennsylvania: http://www.upenn.edu/pennnews
Thanks to University of Pennsylvania for this article.
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Public release date: 27-Feb-2013
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ANAHEIM, Calif. -- Lyoto Machida took a split decision over Dan Henderson in the co-main event at UFC 157 on Saturday. The judges saw it 29-28, 28-29, 29-28 for Machida.