Patients of Tulsa doctor line up to get tested

TULSA, Okla. (AP) ? About 150 to 200 patients of a Tulsa oral surgeon accused of unsanitary practices queued outside a health clinic Saturday, hoping to discover whether they were exposed to hepatitis or the virus that causes AIDS.

Letters began going out in stages Friday to 7,000 patients who had seen Dr. W. Scott Harrington during the past six years ? warning them that poor hygiene at his clinics created a public health hazard. The one-page letter said how and where to seek treatment but couldn't explain why Harrington's allegedly unsafe practices went on for so long.

Testing for hepatitis B, hepatitis C and the virus that causes AIDS began at 10 a.m. Saturday, but many arrived early and stood through torrential downpours.

Kari Childress, 38, showed up at the Tulsa Health Department North Regional Health and Wellness Center at 8:30 a.m., mainly because she was nervous.

"I just hope I don't have anything," said Childress, who had a tooth extracted at one of Harrington's two clinics five months ago. "You trust and believe in doctors to follow the rules, and that's the scariest part."

Inspectors found a number of problems at the oral surgeon's clinics in Tulsa and suburban Owasso, according to the state Dentistry Board, which filed a 17-count complaint against Harrington pending an April 19 license revocation hearing. According to the complaint, needles were reinserted into drug vials after being used on patients, expired drugs were found in a medicine cabinet and dental assistants administered sedatives to patients, rather than the doctor.

One patient, Orville Marshall, said he didn't meet Harrington until after he had two wisdom teeth pulled about five years ago at the Owasso clinic. A nurse inserted the IV for his anesthesia; Harrington was there when Marshall came to.

"It's just really scary, it makes you doubt the whole system, especially with how good his place looked," said Marshall, 37.

An instrument set reserved for use on patients with infectious diseases was rusty, preventing its effective sterilization, and the office autoclave ? a pressurized cleaner ? was used improperly and hadn't been certified as effective in at least six years, according to the complaint.

Dr. Matt Messina, a practicing dentist in Cleveland and a consumer adviser for the American Dental Association, said creating a safe and hygienic environment is "one of the fundamental requirements" before any dental procedure can be performed.

"It's not hard. It just takes effort," he said.

Weekly autoclave testing can be performed for less than $400 annually, according to the website of the Autoclave Testing Services of Pearl River, New York.

Autoclaves themselves typically can be purchased for $1,000 to $8,000, depending on their size and features. And an average dental practice can expect to pay more than $40,000 a year in equipment, tools and supplies alone, according to several dental organizations.

Attempts to reach Harrington have been unsuccessful. No one answered the door Thursday at his home, which property records show is worth more than $1 million. His practice a few miles away, in a tony section of the city where plastic surgeons operate and locals congregate at bistros and stores like Saks Fifth Avenue, has a fair-market value of around $851,000.

His malpractice lawyer, Jim Secrest II, did not respond to phone messages left Thursday or Friday. A message at Harrington's Tulsa office said it was closed and an answering service referred callers to the Tulsa Health Department.

State epidemiologist Kristy Bradley and Tulsa Health Department Director Bruce Dart sent letters Friday to all 7,000 patients they found in Harrington's records, urging them to be screened. More patients may be at risk, but Harrington's files go back only to 2007.

Nursing student Anisa Lewis, 22, said Harrington had a good reputation in the community, and friends recommended his practice when she had to get her wisdom teeth taken out in 2005.

"I'm a little nervous because I read the complaints filed against him, and in nursing school, we're taught how to handle and clean our instruments, she said. "It was very shocking to read some of the allegations," which she called "far beyond the pale of the precautions you're supposed to taking."

Susan Rogers, the executive director of the state Dentistry Board, said her agency has a budget of around $1 million, much of that generated from license renewal fees and dentist certification. It also has only five employees to monitor more than 2,000 dentists.

The state Dentistry Board's website revealed part of the problem.

"With three incoming telephone lines and essentially one person handling the phones, emails, snail mail, renewals, new license/permit applications, walk ins ... we will miss phones calls," the website says.

"So follow the instructions on the message," the site says. "We will respond to your request as soon as we can in the order in which it is received, but it will take time. ?We appreciate your patience."

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/patients-tulsa-doctor-line-tested-154913563.html

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Burke leads UM rally over Kansas, 87-85 in OT

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) ? Trey Burke kept alive Michigan's deepest NCAA tournament run since the Fab Five era nearly 20 years ago with a shot the Wolverines won't soon forget.

Call it the Fab 3.

The sophomore standout scored all 23 of his points in the second half and overtime, including a long, tying 3-pointer in the final moments of regulation as Michigan rallied to beat Kansas 87-85 in the South Regional semifinals Friday night.

"Great shot," said Glenn Robinson III, who made it possible with a key bucket during a 14-4 run over the final 2:52 of regulation. "It was deep, too. He always makes that in practice."

Ben McLemore had 20 points to lead the Jayhawks (31-6), who looked to be on their way to a third straight regional final before Michigan's improbable rally. Instead, they became the third No. 1 seed to fall in this tournament, joining Gonzaga and Indiana.

"Well, this will certainly go down as one of the toughest games that obviously we've been a part of and I've been a part of," Kansas coach Bill Self said. "But props to Michigan for making all the plays late."

That's for sure.

The fourth-seeded Wolverines (29-7) were down five when Tim Hardaway Jr. missed a 3-pointer with 35 seconds left, but Robinson won a scramble for the ball and hit a reverse layup to force Kansas to win the game at the free-throw line.

The Jayhawks couldn't do it. Burke's tying shot ? he pulled up from well beyond the arc just left of the key ? came with 4.2 seconds left after Elijah Johnson missed a free throw and Michigan got the rebound.

Moments earlier, with 21 seconds remaining, Johnson had hit two from the line to keep the Kansas lead at five. Burke had scored on a layup to get Michigan back to within three.

"We never had the mindset that we were going to lose the game," Burke said. "When we were down 14, we knew anything could still happen. It's March, anything can happen."

Michigan went to back-to-back championship games a generation ago with the Fab Five, led by Chris Webber, Juwan Howard and Jalen Rose. But the folks in Ann Arbor will be talking for years about the shot by Burke under the huge video board in Cowboys Stadium, just down the road from where Howard and Rose played their last game together with Ray Jackson and Jimmy King in a regional final loss to Arkansas in 1994.

The Wolverines will play Florida in the regional final Sunday. The third-seeded Gators beat 15th-seeded Florida Gulf Coast 62-50.

"Just to be able to get this program back to the Elite Eight, it feels good," Burke said. "But we want to go further."

The lead changed hands five times in overtime ? the first OT game of the tournament ? the last when Mitch McGary, who led Michigan with 25 points and 14 rebounds, hit a short jumper with Johnson in his face to put Michigan ahead 83-82.

The Jayhawks got a stop and had about 9 seconds to tie or win, but a jumbled possession ended with Naadir Tharpe missing a running jumper at the buzzer.

"We played like we were trying to hold onto something instead of just continuing to play," Johnson said.

Burke had eight points in the closing 14-4 run that tied the game, then gave Michigan its first lead since early with another long 3-pointer to make it 79-78 early in overtime. He hit a jumper on the next possession as well. After failing to score in the first 20 minutes, Burke ended his drought by scoring eight straight points early in the second half to momentarily cut the deficit to two.

"In the second half, Coach told me to be more aggressive, so I looked for my shot more," he said.

But Kansas restored a 10-point lead built on controlling the paint, this time with a 3-pointer and a tomahawk dunk on a breakaway by McLemore and a three-point play from Johnson.

Johnson, who picked up three fouls in just three minutes of playing time in the first half, gave Kansas its biggest lead at 68-54 with a 3-pointer from the corner with just under 7 minutes left.

Travis Releford had 16 points for the Jayhawks, while Jeff Withey had 12 points and eight rebounds.

McLemore didn't score again after going to the bench with his fourth foul with 8 minutes remaining.

"We had chance to seal the game, but we made some bonehead plays late," Releford said.

Kansas pushed out to a 10-point lead early by dominating around the basket. McLemore's first basket was the first outside the paint as the Jayhawks scored 34 of their 40 first-half points from inside while shooting 69 percent.

Withey put Kansas ahead 29-19 with a turnaround shot that had McGary shrugging at a teammate and saying, "I'm trying."

McGary wasn't having nearly as much trouble on the offensive end, leading the Wolverines with 11 points and five rebounds in the first half. He picked up where he left off in the third round against Virginia Commonwealth, when he had season highs of 21 points and 14 rebounds.

Michigan pulled within 40-34 at the half when Nik Stauskas hit a 3-pointer and had chance for a four-point play when McLemore bumped him on the shot. But he missed the free throw.

No matter. In the end, Burke was Fab-u-lous and the Wolverines are one win away from the Final Four.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/burke-leads-um-rally-over-kansas-87-85-024557238--spt.html

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Morocco's rebel rapper released from prison

CASABLANCA, Morocco (AP) ? A Moroccan rapper known for his protest songs said Friday after completing a yearlong prison sentence that he will be concentrating on his studies and improving his music and is unsure about further activism.

Mouad Belghouat's angry rap songs excoriating the gaps between rich and poor in Morocco provided the soundtrack to the North African kingdom's Arab Spring protest movement in 2011 that called for social justice and greater democracy.

But while Belghouat, known as El-Haqed or "the enraged," was in prison, the February 20 movement, as it was known, faded away as popular ire with the state was defused by a string of reforms promulgated by the king.

"I will concentrate more on my studies ? I have my high school exams to pass in June," said a pale, subdued 26-year-old Belghouat to journalists and activists, showing only occasional flashes of his trademark irreverent sense of humor. "I played around a lot before, and in prison I discovered the importance of reading more."

The rapper appeared in glasses, which supporters say he now needs because of how his health deteriorated in prison where he said he experienced harassment and even went on hunger strike at one point to protest conditions.

Belghouat was convicted in May for insulting a public official over his song "Dogs of the State," which was addressed to the police. An online video accompanying the song portrayed a police officer with a donkey's head prompting the lawsuit by authorities.

"You are paid to protect the citizens, not to steal their money," said one lyric. The song then asks the police to arrest the wealthy businessmen who have divided the country up for themselves.

Morocco, a popular tourist destination for Europeans, has one of the highest discrepancies between rich and poor in the Arab world, according to international development agencies.

"It was a huge relief when he was released," said Abdullah Abaakil, an activist with the February 20 movement that introduced the rapper at the news conference. He emphasized that Belghouat was key for the movement to reach out to young people, especially in the country's myriad slums. "He suffered for all of us... he more than did his part."

As the protests died away, dozens of activists from the February 20 movement have been arrested and imprisoned. A statement by 18 local non-governmental organizations in December said at least 58 activists were in prison.

Belghouat, who described in an Associated Press interview last year how he would go to poor neighborhoods to raise people's awareness about the injustices in the country, was noncommittal about his future as an activist.

"I am just out of prison, and I'm still tired, so I need a bit of time to answer this question about how I will assess the situation of the February 20 in the country," he said, though he didn't rule out staying involved. "And if tomorrow there was a demonstration for February 20, I might well join, why not?"

___

Associated Press reporter Smail Bellaoualli contributed to this report.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/moroccos-rebel-rapper-released-prison-184724070.html

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Phil Ramone, Grammy-winning producer, dead at 72

NEW YORK (AP) ? Phil Ramone, the masterful Grammy Award-winning engineer, arranger and producer whose platinum touch included recordings with Ray Charles, Billy Joel and Paul Simon, has died at 72, his family said Saturday.

Ramone's son, Matt Ramone, confirmed the death. The family did not immediately release details of the death, but Matt Ramone says his father was "very loving and will be missed."

Few in the recording industry enjoyed a more spectacular and diverse career. Ramone won 14 competitive Grammy Awards and one for lifetime achievement. Worldwide sales for his projects topped 100 million. He was at ease with rock, jazz, swing and pop, working with Frank Sinatra and Aretha Franklin, Stevie Wonder and Paul McCartney, Elton John and Tony Bennett, Madonna and Lou Reed.

Ramone was on hand for such classic albums as The Band's "The Band" and Bob Dylan's "Blood On the Tracks." He produced three records that went on to win Grammys for album of the year ? Simon's "Still Crazy After All These Years," Joel's "52nd Street" and Charles' "Genius Loves Company."

"I always thought of Phil Ramone as the most talented guy in my band," Joel said in a statement. "So much of my music was shaped by him and brought to fruition by him. I have lost a dear friend ? and my greatest mentor."

Ramone also was a pioneer of digital recording who produced what is regarded as the first major commercial release on compact disc, "52nd Street," which came out on CD in 1982. He was even part of political history, advising presidential administrations on how to properly record a news conference and helping to arrange the storied 1962 party for John F. Kennedy at Madison Square Garden that featured Marilyn Monroe crooning "Happy Birthday."

He thrived whether producing music for the stereo, television, film or the stage. He won an Emmy for a TV special about Duke Ellington, a Grammy for the soundtrack to the Broadway musical "Promises, Promises" and a Grammy for the soundtrack to "Flashdance."

He had uncanny instincts and made an art out of the "Duets" concept, pairing Sinatra with Bono, Luther Vandross and other younger artists, Bennett with McCartney and Barbra Streisand, and Charles with Bonnie Raitt and Van Morrison. In Ramone's memoir, "Making Records," he recalled persuading a hesitant Sinatra to re-record some of his signature songs.

"I reminded Frank that while Laurence Olivier had performed Shakespeare in his 20s, the readings he did when he was in his 60s gave them new meaning," Ramone wrote. "I spoke with conviction. 'Don't my children ? and your grandchildren ? deserve to hear the way you're interpreting your classic songs now?'"

A request from Sinatra led to another Ramone innovation: Singers performing simultaneously from separate studios.

A native of South Africa, he seemed born to make music. He had learned violin by age 3 and was trained at The Juilliard School in New York. Before age 20, he had opened his own recording studio, A&R Recording, where he served as engineer for such visiting artists as Count Basie and Sarah Vaughan. He had known Quincy Jones since he was a teenager and in his 20s became close to Streisand. By the end of the 1960s, he had worked on "Midnight Cowboy" and other movie soundtracks and would credit composer John Barry with helping him become a producer.

His credits as a producer, engineer and arranger make it hard to believe they belong to just one person: Joel's "The Stranger," Simon's "There Goes Rhymin' Simon," concert albums by Dylan and the Rolling Stones, such popular singles as Arlo Guthrie's "Alice's Restaurant," Streisand's "Evergreen," Lesley Gore's "It's My Party," Judy Collins' "Send in the Clowns" and Stan Getz's and Astrud Gilberto's "The Girl from Ipanema."

The bearded, self-effacing Ramone was among the most famous and welcome faces within the business, yet he could walk down virtually any street unnoticed. He was not a high-strung visionary in the tradition of Phil Spector, but rather a highly accomplished craftsman and diplomat who prided himself on his low-key style, on being an "objective filter" for the artist, on not being "a screamer."

"The record producer is the music world's equivalent of a film director," he wrote in his memoir. "But, unlike a director (who is visible, and often a celebrity in his own right), the record producer toils in anonymity. We ply our craft deep into the night, behind locked doors."

Ramone's friendly style was especially welcomed by Joel. The singer-songwriter was already a popular artist in the mid-1970s, but he felt he lacked a sympathetic producer, one who appreciated Joel's bandmates as much as Joel. Ramone joined on for what became one of Joel's biggest successes, "The Stranger," released in 1977. As Joel explained at the time, Ramone fit right in with the musicians and encouraged everyone to relax and play more like they did on stage, like "rock and roll animals."

"We did songs in five takes instead of 15 or 20," Joel said. "He was one of the guys. We'd throw around ideas, kick the songs around, try them different ways and get them right. Sometimes we'd throw pizza at each other."

In a statement Saturday, Bennett said it was a joy to work with Ramone.

"Phil Ramone was a lovely person and a very gifted musician and producer," Bennett said. "He had a wonderful sense of humor and a deep love of music."

Ramone's many industry honors were returned in kind. He was chairman emeritus of the board of trustees of the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (NARAS) and produced Grammy tributes for James Taylor, Brian Wilson and other artists. He was an advocate for musical education and a trustee for the National Recording Preservation Board of the Library of Congress.

His recent recordings included albums with Bennett, Simon, George Michael and Dionne Warwick.

"I still make records on the basis that three or four players and a singer, and the song, come together right there," he said recently for an interview on CBS.com. "It's a really strong way to work. I'm ready to work, musicians are ready to play. There's a feeling."

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/phil-ramone-grammy-winning-producer-dead-72-171128987.html

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Dentist's office a 'menace'; thousands possibly exposed to HIV

Dr. Scott Harrington, an oral surgeon in Tulsa, Okla., is being charged for unsafe and unsanitary practices, possibly exposing as many as 7,000 patients to hepatitis and HIV after one patient tested positive for both after a visit to his office. NBC's Dr. Nancy Snyderman reports.

By Justin Juozapavicius, The Associated Press

The crisp, stucco exterior of an Oklahoma dental clinic concealed what health inspectors say they found inside: rusty instruments used on patients with infectious diseases and a pattern of unsanitary practices that put thousands of people at risk for hepatitis and the virus that causes AIDS.

State and local health officials planned to mail notices Friday urging 7,000 patients of Dr. W. Scott Harrington to seek medical screenings for hepatitis B, hepatitis C and HIV. Inspectors allege workers at his two clinics used dirty equipment and risked cross-contamination to the point that the state Dentistry Board branded Harrington a "menace to the public health."

"The office looked clean," said Joyce Baylor, who had a tooth pulled at Harrington's Tulsa office 1? years ago. In an interview, Baylor, 69, said she'll be tested next week to determine whether she contracted any infection.

"I'm sure he's not suffering financially that he can't afford instruments," Baylor said of Harrington.

Health officials opened their investigation after a patient with no known risk factors tested positive for both hepatitis C and HIV, the virus that causes AIDS. After determining the "index patient" had a dental procedure about the likely time of exposure, investigators visited Harrington's office and found a number of unsafe practices, state epidemiologist Kristy Bailey said.

"I want to stress that this is not an outbreak. The investigation is still very much in its early stages," Bailey said.

Harrington voluntarily gave up his license, closed his offices in Tulsa and suburban Owasso, and is cooperating with investigators, said Kaitlin Snider, a spokeswoman for the Tulsa Health Department. He faces a hearing April 19, when his license could be permanently revoked.

"It's uncertain how long those practices have been in place," Snider said. "He's been practicing for 36 years."

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is consulting on the case, and agency spokeswoman Abbigail Tumpey said such situations involving dental clinics are rare. Last year a Colorado oral surgeon was accused of reusing needles and syringes, prompting letters to 8,000 patients, Tumpey said. It wasn't clear whether anyone was actually infected.

"We've only had a handful of dental facilities where we've had notifications in the last decade," Tumpey said.

The Oklahoma Dentistry Board lodged a 17-count complaint against Harrington, saying he was a "menace to the public health by reasons of practicing dentistry in an unsafe or unsanitary manner." Among the claims was one detailing the use of rusty instruments in patients known to have infectious diseases.

"The CDC has determined that rusted instruments are porous and cannot be properly sterilized," the board said.

Health officials are sending letters to 7,000 known patients but cautioned that they don't know who visited his clinics before 2007. The letters urge the patients to be tested for hepatitis B, hepatitis C and HIV ? viruses typically spread through intravenous drug use or unprotected sex, not occupational settings.

Harrington could not be reached for comment Thursday. A message at his Tulsa office said it was closed, and the doctor's answering service referred callers to the Tulsa Health Department. Phone numbers listed for Harrington were disconnected. A message left with Harrington's malpractice attorney in Tulsa, Jim Secrest II, was not immediately returned.

Harrington's Tulsa practice is in a thriving part of town, on a row of some of medical practices. The white-and-green stucco, two-story dental clinic has the doctor's name in letters on the facade.

NBCLatino: You may have Hep C and not know it

According to the complaint, the clinic had varying cleaning procedures for its equipment, needles were re-inserted in drug vials after their initial use and the office had no written infection-protection procedure.

Harrington told officials he left questions about sterilization and drug procedures to his employees.

"They take care of that, I don't," the dentistry board quoted him as saying.

The doctor also is accused of letting his assistants perform tasks only a licensed dentist should have done, including administering IV sedation. Also, the complaint says the doctor's staff could not produce permits for the assistants when asked.

Susan Rogers, executive director of the state Dentistry Board, said that as an oral surgeon Harrington regularly did invasive procedures involving "pulling teeth, open wounds, open blood vessels." The board's complaint also noted Harrington and his staff told investigators a "high population of known infectious disease carrier patients" received dental care from him.

Despite the high-risk clientele, a device used to sterilize instruments wasn't being properly used and hadn't been tested in six years, the board complaint said. Tests are required monthly.

Also, a drug vial found at a clinic this year had an expiration date of 1993 and one assistant's drug log said morphine had been used in the clinic last year despite its not receiving any morphine shipments since 2009.

Officials said patients will be offered free medical testing at the Tulsa Health Department's North Regional Health and Wellness Center.

Related:

Dental chain accused of hurting kids, bilking taxpayers

This story was originally published on Thu Mar 28, 2013 4:06 PM EDT

Source: http://feeds.nbcnews.com/c/35002/f/653381/s/2a213a25/l/0Lvitals0Bnbcnews0N0C0Inews0C20A130C0A30C280C1750A50A870Edentists0Eoffice0Ea0Emenace0Ethousands0Epossibly0Eexposed0Eto0Ehiv0Dlite/story01.htm

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Quick View (for Android)

Quick View (free) for Andorid is the mobile companion to DigitalQuick, a service that allows you to easily encrypt files on your computer and on the file-syncing service Dropbox. DigitalQuick also allows you to control what other people can do with your secure documents, such as edit, copy, and print.

Though still in beta, DigitalQuick and Quick View offer a solution for individuals and businesses who want to take advantage of Dropbox's low cost and utility without compromising security. However, Digital Quick is quirky and the mobile app is no different. In my testing, Quick View lived up to its name: With it, you can quickly view secure files on the go?and little else.

Finding Files
Getting files into Digital Quick is a bit of a Byzantine process, requiring you to encrypt files on your computer and then move them on to your Android device via USB. Then, you fire up a file manager on your Android device (I use the Astro File Manager) and move the files into the My Documents directory inside the Quick View folder.

Did you have Quick View running while you did this? Well, you'll have to wait a full ten minutes before the app will sync with the DigitalQuick servers and update the permissions for the files you've moved. Until then, you'll see confusing error messages. There's no way to force the app to refresh, so you'll have restart the app, or move files into the Quick View directory before launching the app.

The Fassoo.com team has told me that future versions will include real-time permissions updating.

DigitalQuick's selling point is its support for Dropbox, and accessing your secure files from that service is straightforward with Quick View. Just tap the large Dropbox icon on the app's homescreen, tap allow on the next screen, and your DigitalQuick files (along with everything else in your Dropbox account) is available.

The process for linking Dropbox to DigitalQuick and adding encrypted files is covered in our review of the Web service.

Working With Quick View
Once you have access to your files, Quick View lets you view the contents without decrypting the files. Unfortunately, the built-in document viewer will not let you copy, edit, save, or really do anything with your documents.

You can decrypt files, removing all permissions and encryption, to share with users who aren't DigitalQuick users. Doing so, of course, defeats the purpose of using a document security system. You can also view the permissions assigned to a document, such as limitations on editing and printing. Unfortunately, you cannot change the permissions from the app?to do so, you'll have to login to the DigitalQuick website.

Quick View lets you share DigitalQuick documents via email, which is useful if your files are stored locally. Dropbox has more robust sharing options, though, which don't appear to affect the encryption or permissions of DigitalQuick documents. So you may be better off just sharing your documents through Dropbox directly.

Prior to publishing this review, DigitalQuick's developers informed us that an update allows users to import files directly from Dropbox without decrypting them and for users to access their local encrypted files without an Internet connection. These are welcome additions, but did not affect the score of the review.

Not for the Faint of Heart
If you're an avid DigitalQuick user already familiar with its quirks, using Quick View is a no brainer?despite all its drawbacks. If you're not a Digital Quick user, the app serves no purpose.

Because the service is still in beta, I don't want to be overly harsh, but users should be aware that Quick View is far from a finished product. The utility of being able to view and decrypt files is overshadowed by the difficulty in opening them, and the app lacks critical features like a built-in file manager and document editor. Though the app looks well-made it badly needs an improved user interface as the current version is difficult to use and completely un-intuitive. The included documentation did little to relieve my confusion.

The time has come for a service like DigitalQuick, but it and Quick View need to mature before they'll be ready to fill that niche.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ziffdavis/pcmag/~3/fFoNMA6KU00/0,2817,2417151,00.asp

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Singer India.Arie laughs off skin-lightening talk

FILE - In this Jan. 30, 2010 file photo, India.Arie arrives at the annual Pre-GRAMMY Gala presented by The Recording Academy and Clive Davis at The Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly, Hills, Calif. The R&B songstress is known for singing about being authentic and celebrating one's true self. But some accused India.Arie of lightening her skin when a publicity photo for her song "Cocoa Butter" released this week made it look as though she were several shades lighter than her dark brown complexion. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello, File)

FILE - In this Jan. 30, 2010 file photo, India.Arie arrives at the annual Pre-GRAMMY Gala presented by The Recording Academy and Clive Davis at The Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly, Hills, Calif. The R&B songstress is known for singing about being authentic and celebrating one's true self. But some accused India.Arie of lightening her skin when a publicity photo for her song "Cocoa Butter" released this week made it look as though she were several shades lighter than her dark brown complexion. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello, File)

This publicity photo provided by SoulBird/Motown shows the cover artwork for singer India.Arie's single, "Cocoa Butter." The R&B songstress is known for singing about being authentic and celebrating one's true self. But some accused India.Arie of lightening her skin when a publicity photo for her song "Cocoa Butter" released this week made it look as though she were several shades lighter than her dark brown complexion. (AP Photo/SoulBird/Motown, Randee St. Nicholas)

NEW YORK (AP) ? India.Arie is laughing off talk that she may have lightened her skin.

The R&B songstress is known for singing about being authentic and celebrating one's true self. But some accused India.Arie of lightening her skin when a publicity photo for her song "Cocoa Butter" released this week made it look as though she were several shades lighter than her dark brown complexion.

But India.Arie took to Twitter on Friday to deny the accusations, saying she has no desire to bleach her skin because she loves herself and her brown skin "more than ever." She also said that "magnificent lighting" is the cause for her "glow."

She added that she'd like to keep the conversation going, though, on the issue of racism and colorism in the black community.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/4e67281c3f754d0696fbfdee0f3f1469/Article_2013-03-29-People-IndiaArie/id-4ddec6edebf04f4bbc423bb680cfe62d

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Pest Control Tricks For Ridding Your Home Of - Professur ...

Do you have annoying pests in and around your home? Are you being driven crazy by these critters? Pests can be really problematic to your life as a whole. Some pests pose serious health risks. Continue reading to find out how to address your pest issues.

If you?re having a major pest problem, try switching out all of your small appliances. Ask your loved ones for extra toasters and coffee pots, and dispose of the ones in your house. Some bugs will settle in every crack and hole they can find, including the inside of appliances.

Nobody likes the idea that there are microscopic bugs in their bedding and other areas of their environment. Many have dust-mite allergies, but even if you are not allergic, it is always a great idea to keep them under control. Make sure to wash your bedding in very hot water every week and utilize pillow cases that are non-permeable.

Solutions to pest and bug problems are just around the corner. Go to a local store that specializes in home improvement and see if the professionals can help you eliminate pests. They are trained to know which remedies work effectively for all the different types of pests.

Start from where the starting line is. You have to cut off the pests food source to stop them from coming into your home. Pests may be drawn to your house because water, food and shelter can be found there. Leaks, entry points, and food scraps need to all be eliminated.

Outdoor lighting is awesome for keeping away strangers, but it?s not so great at keeping away pests. Choose bulbs in colors of pink, orange or yellow if you want pests to be less attracted.

If you are hiring a pest-control company, always check with the BBB to make sure they have no complaints filed against them. Also make sure they have the proper licenses to spray pesticides. They must be insured and bonded, as well. This documentation must meet your eyes before letting them step food in your home.

Make sure the exterior of your house is clean. Keep your grass trimmed and sweep your drive, walkways and porches. Cleanliness is a powerful weapon against pest infestation.

If a professional has installed stations for baiting mice, learn where they?re placed. You must keep your pets away from these baited traps. If your pet or child was to accidentally ingest some of the poison, it could kill them.

Reduce the amount of clutter that you have in your home or basement to eliminate bugs. There are many areas in the home that are clutter magnets, like bookshelves counters, and tables. Invest some time in reducing the clutter in your home to eliminate places where rodents and bugs like to nest.

Don?t try to deal with a bee infestation yourself. Hire a professional for this task. It can be difficult to know whether your bee problem is due to Africanized bees; it can be the difference between life and death and important to know for sure.

After reading this article, you should know that pests are a problem that every homeowner must face eventually. To make sure you don?t have pests, apply the tips in this article to your life. Do not procrastinate. Put these tips to use today, and permanently get rid of pests. internet building and pest inspection sunshine coast

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Source: http://www.damm-net.org/blog/2013/03/pest-control-tricks-for-ridding-your-home-of-those-annoying-critters/

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North Korea says enters "state of war" against South

By Jack Kim

SEOUL (Reuters) - North Korea said on Saturday it was entering a "state of war" with South Korea, but Seoul and its ally the United States played down the statement as tough talk.

Pyongyang also threatened to close a border industrial zone, the last remaining example of inter-Korean cooperation which gives the impoverished North access to $2 billion in trade a year.

The United States said it took Pyongyang's threats seriously but cautioned that the North had a history of bellicose rhetoric. Russia, another a permanent U.N. Security Council member, urged all sides to show restraint.

Tensions have been high since the North's new young leader Kim Jong-un ordered a third nuclear weapons test in February, breaching U.N. sanctions and ignoring warnings from North Korea's sole major ally, China, not to do so.

"From this time on, the North-South relations will be entering the state of war and all issues raised between the North and the South will be handled accordingly," a statement carried by the North's official KCNA news agency said.

KCNA said the statement was issued jointly by the North's government, ruling party and other organizations.

The Seoul government said there was nothing in the North's latest statement to cause particular alarm.

"North Korea's statement today ... is not a new threat but is the continuation of provocative threats," the South's Unification Ministry, which handles political ties with the North, said in a statement.

On Friday, Kim signed an order putting the North's missile units on standby to attack U.S. military bases in South Korea and the Pacific, after the United States flew two nuclear-capable stealth bombers over the Korean peninsula in a rare show of force.

U.S. officials described the flight as a diplomatic sortie aimed at reassuring allies South Korea and Japan, and at trying to nudge Pyongyang back to nuclear talks, though there was no guarantee Kim Jong-un would get the message as intended.

The two Koreas have been technically in a state of war since a truce that ended their 1950-53 conflict. Despite its threats, few people see any indication Pyongyang will risk a near-certain defeat by re-starting full-scale war.

There was no sign of unusual activity in the North's military to suggest an imminent aggression, a South Korean defense ministry official said.

CALLS FOR RESTRAINT

White House National Security Council spokeswoman Caitlin Hayden said North Korea's announcement followed a "familiar pattern" of rhetoric [ID:nL2N0CM05W].

Russia, which has often balanced criticism of North Korea, a Soviet-era client state, with calls on the United States and South Korea to refrain from belligerent actions, said a recurrence of war was unacceptable.

"We hope that all parties will exercise maximum responsibility and restraint and no-one will cross the point of no return," Grigory Logvinov, a senior Russian Foreign Ministry official, told Interfax news agency.

France said it was deeply worried about the situation on the Korean peninsula while NATO Deputy Secretary General Alexander Vershbow said the alliance hoped "that this is more posturing than a prelude to any armed hostilities."

China has repeatedly called for restraint on the peninsula.

The North has been threatening to attack the South and U.S. military bases almost on a daily basis since the beginning of March, when U.S. and South Korean militaries started routine drills that have been conducted for decades without incident.

Many in the South have regarded the North's willingness to keep open the Kaesong industrial zone, located just a few miles (km) north of the heavily-militarized border, as a sign that Pyongyang will not risk losing a lucrative source of foreign currency by mounting a real act of aggression.

The Kaesong zone is a vital source of hard currency for the North and hundreds of South Korean workers and vehicles enter daily after crossing the armed border.

"If the puppet traitor group continues to mention the Kaesong industrial zone is being kept operating and damages our dignity, it will be mercilessly shut off and shut down," KCNA quoted an agency that operates Kaesong as saying in a statement.

Closure could also trap hundreds of South Korean workers and managers of the more than 100 firms that have factories there.

The North has previously suspended operations at the factory zone at the height of political tensions with the South, only to let it resume operations later.

North Korea has canceled an armistice agreement with the United States that ended the Korean War and cut all hotlines with U.S. forces, the United Nations and South Korea.

(Additional reporting by Sung-won Shim and Jane Chung; Editing Rosalind Russell and Jon Boyle)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/north-korea-says-enter-state-war-against-south-001304441.html

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The Hail Mary Products of Desperate Companies

When the chips are down and it looks like a company is on a one-way trip to shutdown town, you often see a Hail Mary product. It's the long shot, the one thing that could save the company. Sometimes it ...

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Beautiful Collapsable Cubicles Are an Office Rat's Dream Come True

The cubicle is a horrid monster of office design. While they might be functional, it's never pretty to section off your office into endless false walls, resigning workers into their own little pockets of a giant ice cube tray. The designers at Taylor and Miller Architecture and Urban Design have a beautiful solution that even packs in some extra features. More »

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Same-sex marriage is not the last frontier (Powerlineblog)

Share With Friends: | | Politics - Top Stories Stories, RSS Feeds and Widgets via Feedzilla.

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Singer Michelle Shocked sits in at canceled show

Alternative folk singer Michelle Shocked sits outside Moe?s Alley nightclub in Santa Cruz Calif., and strums her guitar on Thursday, March 28, 2013. After her show was canceled when she made an anti-gay slur earlier this month. Shocked had her face covered and her mouth taped shut. She dressed in a white disposable safety suit and invited people to write on it. (AP Photo

Alternative folk singer Michelle Shocked sits outside Moe?s Alley nightclub in Santa Cruz Calif., and strums her guitar on Thursday, March 28, 2013. After her show was canceled when she made an anti-gay slur earlier this month. Shocked had her face covered and her mouth taped shut. She dressed in a white disposable safety suit and invited people to write on it. (AP Photo

Alternative folk singer Michelle Shocked sits outside Moe?s Alley nightclub in Santa Cruz Calif., and strums her guitar on Thursday, March 28, 2013. After her show was canceled when she made an anti-gay slur earlier this month. Shocked had her face covered and her mouth taped shut. She dressed in a white disposable safety suit and invited people to write on it. (AP Photo

Alternative folk singer Michelle Shocked stands reading the signs outside Moe?s Alley nightclub in Santa Cruz Calif., on Thursday, March 28, 2013. After her show was canceled following making an anti-gay slur earlier this month. Shocked had her face covered and her mouth taped shut. She dressed in a white disposable safety suit and invited people to write on it. (AP Photo/Thomas Mendoza)

SANTA CRUZ, Calif. (AP) ? Her show had been cancelled, but that didn't stop alternative folk and rock singer Michelle Shocked from showing up at a Santa Cruz nightclub where she staged a sit-in with tape across her mouth that read "Silenced By Fear."

Moe's Alley was one of several nightclubs that cancelled Shocked's gigs after she made what were considered anti-gay comments during a rambling outburst at a show earlier this month.

On Thursday evening, Moe's Alley owner Bill Welch had replaced her with two local bands that support gay rights, Beaver Fever and Frootie Flavors.

"We will not be bashing Michelle Shocked," he said. "Rather, we will celebrate music, diversity and send some healing Santa Cruz energy her way."

Sitting on the ground outside the venue and strumming her guitar, Shocked was largely ignored and refused to speak. She pointed to a sign inviting people to pick up a Sharpie marker and write on the white disposable safety suit she was wearing.

Earlier this week in an email to The Associated Press and other media, Shocked apologized and said her comments during the San Francisco show were misinterpreted.

"Of course the fault for that is completely my own, and I cannot and do not blame anyone for defending the gay community," she wrote.

On Thursday night, she posted signs that read "Does speech scare you that much?" and on her back she had scrawled "Gimme Wit, Not Spit."

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/4e67281c3f754d0696fbfdee0f3f1469/Article_2013-03-29-US-People-Michelle-Shocked/id-a961389b64b8424fa6fe2132244c6ae5

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Ten years and 10,000 fewer premature deaths later

By Jonathan Allen

NEW YORK (Reuters) - New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg marked the tenth anniversary on Wednesday of his ban on smoking in bars and restaurants with a report saying the ban and subsequent anti-smoking measures had prevented 10,000 premature deaths.

"Ten years ago when New York City prohibited smoking in restaurants and bars, many predicted the end of the hospitality, restaurant and tourism industries," Bloomberg said in a statement.

"Yet ten years later, fewer New Yorkers are smoking, we are living longer, our industries are thriving and nobody longs for a return to smoke-filled bars and restaurants."

Critics of the move feared banning smoking would hurt the restaurant and bar business, but the Health Department report said there are now some 6,000 more restaurants and bars in the city than there were a decade ago.

The city's Smoke-Free Air Act came into effect a little over a year into Bloomberg's first term as mayor in 2003 and prohibited smoking inside bars, restaurants and most workplaces.

The following year, the city began providing free nicotine replacement therapy to smokers trying to quit and in 2011 expanded the smoking ban to the city's parks and beaches.

According to the report released on Wednesday, the proportion of adult smokers dropped by about a third to 15 percent in 2011 from 21.5 percent in 2002. The report, released by the city's Health Department, also said the proportion of youths under age 18 who smoke dropped by about half to 8.5 percent.

Bloomberg's tenure, which will end this year, has been marked by his efforts to improve New Yorkers' health by trying to induce them to eat less salt, trans fats and calories in general, among other measures.

Bloomberg has been criticized by some as paternalistic but his efforts have coincided with an increase in New Yorkers' life expectancy, including a decline in tobacco-related deaths.

Bloomberg's attempt to limit the size of sugary drinks sold in the city was derailed this month only hours before the new rules were to take effect when a judge ruled that they were "arbitrary and capricious". The city is appealing that decision.

A week later, Bloomberg announced his plan to require shops to hide cigarettes and tobacco products from public view, arguing that would shield young people from marketing efforts.

Some shop owners and cigarette manufacturers have criticized the plan as unnecessary extra regulation that would infringe the free speech provision of the U.S. Constitution.

Bloomberg also proposed a minimum price of $10.50 for a pack of cigarettes, in the hope that some smokers would find the habit too expensive to maintain. The two bills are now before the city council.

Smoking remains the leading preventable cause of premature death in the city, according to the Health Department.

Ronald Bayer, a professor of public health at Columbia University, called Bloomberg's health initiatives a "major achievement" and said his efforts to make smoking less socially acceptable were an effective and legitimate use of his office.

He said it remains an open question how much further government could go to discourage smokers to quit.

(Editing by Ellen Wulfhorst)

(In next-to-last paragraph, this story corrects spelling of professor's name to Bayer, not Beyer)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/york-city-marks-tenth-anniversary-smoking-ban-192916192.html

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Bankruptcy Alternatives 03/28 by Guide to Financial Peace | Blog ...

MashUp Radio with Peter Biddle celebrates National Reading Month by exploring tablet apps that are encouraging children to explore their world through reading.

Jay Ackroyd evolutionary biologist and sociobiologist Robert L. Trivers, discuss The Folly of Fools, lying and self deception.

Kate Hennessy welcomes guest Neil Crone, well known actor and author, with his latest book "Who Farted"!

Join Where Is My Guru as we welcome author of Dharma Punx and Against The Stream, is a Buddhist teacher, author and counselor Noah Levine.

Fan Junkies Radio takes a look at the best sports movies ever made. Does Rocky take the title as being the most inspirational?

Join host Richard Diaz and longtime friend, Johnny G as they speak about fitness, motivation, and training concepts.

?The Small Biz Lady? Melinda Emerson joins Smart Companies Radio to talk to us about how she built a national reputation using social media.

In The Global Snowstorm on SnowbizNow, Nicholas Snow facilitates a discussion about the dramatic progress sweeping the USA for full Marriage Equality.

Spring-loaded DIY with guests Anthony Carrino and John Colaneri from HGTV's Kitchen Cousins and Cousins on Call join My Fix It Up Life.

Radio PFO tiene lo ?ltimo en informaci?n sobre viajes y camping en Baja California, el Sur de California y otros lugares.

Dawin Is a young artist that just released his new R&B song Never Be You. Take 2 Radio Music chats with Dawin to discuss his career & upcoming projects.

Screaming at the Radio welcomes you to join the interview with Financial Expert and Author L. Todd Wood on the current banking Crisis in Cyprus.

EZ Way Broadcasting's EZ Talk Show produced and hosted by @ericzuley brings you Kenton Duty actor on Disney channels show "Shake It Up".

Director P.J. Hogan joins host Robin Milling to discuss his film Mental. Laughter is the best medicine when you come from crazy.

Robin Mattson is known for her role of Heather Webber on the ABC Daytime drama, General Hospital. She chats with Behind the Mic Radio about her character.

Author of The Secret Life of Bees, Sue Monk Kidd and Ann Kidd Taylor join World Footprints to talk about their new book, Traveling with Pomegranates.

Sherry Fiester discussing her book "Enemy of the Truth" which debunks the prevailing myths surrounding the assassination of JFK, with forensic truths.

This week on the BIG show, host Tim Gordon visits with the talented cast from the upcoming action thriller, Olympus Has Fallen.

H.P. Mallory, NY Times and USA Today bestselling author of the Jolie Wilkins and Dulcie O'Neil series, will be discussing her new Lily Harper series.

VividLife Radio?s Edie Weinstein welcomes new generation leaders Ryan and Riley, to discuss Living The Life You Love.

Demetry Cagle, a 17 year old a Hip-Hop rapper chats with Jammin Jukebox Radio Show about his newfound success & upcoming music.

Join the Paranormal Research Society as they talk to psychic medium Kristy Robinett about psychic detectives. Find out how law enforcement works with psychics.

English writer and historian Albert Jack became a publishing phenomenon in 2004 when his first book Red Herrings and White Elephants.

Dr. Ramani,a clinical psychologist and Professor is masterful at taking all things psychological and making them fun and easy for a variety of audiences.

Robin Hibbard, originally on Real World San Diego, will discuss everything from her challenge experience, to the very last challenge, Battle of the Seasons.

Source: http://www.blogtalkradio.com/guide-to-financial-peace/2013/03/28/bankruptcy-alternatives

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HIV antibodies that are worth the wait

Friday, March 29, 2013

An effective vaccine against HIV-1 remains elusive, but one promising strategy focuses on designer antibodies that have much broader potency than most normal, exquisitely specific antibodies. These broadly neutralizing antibodies (bNAbs) can handle the high mutation rate of HIV particles that makes normal, very specific antibodies useless within a short space of time. A study published by Cell Press on March 28th in the journal Cell reveals surprising mutations in these antibodies that are crucial for strong protection against HIV-1. The findings could guide efforts to design better HIV-1 vaccines.

"This study demonstrates a fundamental aspect of antibodies' function and development that was not fully appreciated before," says study author Ron Diskin of the Weizmann Institute of Science. "We show that it will be important to pay more attention to previously ignored regions of antibodies to design effective vaccines."

Scientists have recently found that some HIV-1-infected individuals produce bNAbs naturally several years after infection. Animal studies have shown that these antibodies are very effective at protecting against and controlling HIV-1 infection, but what makes them so effective was unknown. Antibodies are Y-shaped molecules, and most variation is found at the two tips of the Y, called the complementarity determining regions, where antibodies make direct contact with the virus. On the other hand, relatively few mutations have been found in framework regions (the bottom half of the Y), which maintain the structural integrity of the antibody. Until now, the role of framework region mutations had been unclear.

The study, led by Michel Nussenzweig of Rockefeller University and Pamela Bjorkman of the California Institute of Technology, has revealed that HIV-1-fighting bNAbs accumulate mutations in framework regions, in contrast to most antibodies. Surprisingly, these mutations strengthened the antibodies' antiviral activity while conserving key structural features. The researchers suggest that several years are required for infected individuals to produce these potent antibodies because it takes time for the right combination of various mutations to accumulate.

"Our study shows that the immune system has a variety of ways to make effective antibodies and that mutations in antibody framework regions, which are usually not changed when antibodies mutate to increase their efficacy, are required for anti-HIV antibodies," Bjorkman says. "This has clear implications for efforts to raise effective antibodies for the next generation of HIV vaccines."

###

Cell Press: http://www.cellpress.com

Thanks to Cell Press 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.

This press release has been viewed 10 time(s).

Source: http://www.labspaces.net/127512/HIV_antibodies_that_are_worth_the_wait

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Riding the exosome shuttle from neuron to muscle

Thursday, March 28, 2013

Important new research from UMass Medical School demonstrates how exosomes shuttle proteins from neurons to muscle cells where they take part in critical signaling mechanisms, an exciting discovery that means these tiny vehicles could one day be loaded with therapeutic agents, such as RNA interference (RNAi), and directly target disease-carrying cells. The study, published this month in the journal Neuron, is the first evidence that exosomes can transfer membrane proteins that play an important role in cell-to-cell signaling in the nervous system.

"There has been a long-held belief that certain cellular materials, such as integral membrane proteins, are unable to pass from one cell to another, essentially trapping them in the cell where they are made," said Vivian Budnik, PhD, professor of neurobiology and lead author of the study. "What we've shown in this study is that these cellular materials can actually move between different cell types by riding in the membrane of exosomes.

"What is so exciting about this discovery is that these exosomes can deliver materials from one cell, over a distance, to a very specific and different cell," said Dr. Budnik. "Once inside the recipient cell, the materials contained in the exosome can influence or perform processes in the new cell. This raises the enticing possibility that exosomes can be packed with gene therapies, such as RNAi, and delivered to diseased cells where they could have a therapeutic effect for people."

Discovered in the mid-80s, exosomes have only recently attracted the attention of scientists at large, according to Budnik. Exosomes are small vesicles containing cellular materials such as microRNA, messenger RNAs (mRNAs) and proteins, packaged inside larger, membrane-bound bodies called multivesicular bodies (MVBs) inside cells. When MVBs containing exosomes fuse with the cell plasma membrane, they release these exosome vesicles into the extracellular space. Once outside the cell, exosomes can then travel to other cells, where they are taken up. The recipient cells can then use the materials contained within exosomes, influencing cellular function and allowing the recipient cell to carry out certain processes that it might not be able to complete otherwise.

Budnik and colleagues made this startling discovery while investigating how the synapses at the end of neurons and nearby muscle cells communicate in the developing Drosophila fruit fly to form the neuromuscular junction (NMJ). The NMJ is essential for transmitting electrical signals between neurons and muscles, allowing the organism to move and control important physiological processes. Alterations of the NMJ can lead to devastating diseases, such as muscular dystrophy and Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Understanding how the NMJ develops and is maintained is important for human health.

As organisms develop, the synapse and muscle cell need to grow in concert. If one or the other grows too quickly or not quickly enough, it could have dire consequences for the ability of the organism to move and survive. To coordinate development, signals are sent from the neuron to the muscle cell (anterograde signals) and from the muscle cell to the neuron (retrograde signals). However, the identity of these signals and how their release is coordinated is poorly understood.

Normally, the vesicle protein Synaptotagmin 4 (Syt4) is found in both the synapse and the muscle cells. Previous knockout experiments eliminating the Syt4 protein from Drosophila have resulted in stunted NMJs. Suspecting that Syt4 played an important role in retrograde signaling at the developing NMJ, Budnik and colleagues used knockdown experiments to decrease Syt4 protein levels in either the neurons or the muscle cells. Surprisingly, when RNAi was used to knockdown Syt4 in the neurons alone, Syt4 protein was eliminated in both neurons and muscles. The opposite was not the case. When Syt4 was knocked down in muscle cells only, there was no change in the levels of Syt4 in either muscles or neurons.

To confirm this, Budnik and colleagues inserted a Syt4 gene into the neurons of a Drosophila mutant completely lacking the normal protein. This restored Syt4 in both neurons and muscle cells. Further experiments suggested that the only source of Syt4 is the neuron. These observations were consistent with the model that Syt4 is actually transferred from neurons to muscle cells. As a transmembrane protein, however, Syt4 was thought to be unable to move from one cell to another through traditional avenues. How the Syt4 protein was moving from neuron to muscle cell was unclear.

Knowing that exosomes had been observed to carry transmembrane proteins in other systems and from their own work on the Drosophila NMJ, Budnik and colleagues began testing to see if exosomes could be the vehicle responsible for carrying Syt4 form neurons to muscles. "We had previously observed that it was possible to transfer transmembrane proteins across the NMJ through exosomes, a process also observed in the immune system," said Budnik. "We suspect this was how Syt4 was making its way from the neuron to the muscle."

When exosomes were purified from cultured cells containing Syt4, they found that exosomes indeed contained Syt4. In addition, when these purified exosomes were applied to cultured muscle cells from fly embryos, these cells were able to take up the purified Syt4 exosomes. Taken together, these findings indicate that Syt4 plays a critical role in the signaling process between synapse and muscle cell that allows for coordinated development of the NMJ. While Syt4 is required to release a retrograde signal from muscle to neuron, a component of this retrograde signal must be supplied from the neuron to the muscle. This establishes a positive feedback loop that ensures coordinated growth of the NMJ. Equally important is the finding that this feedback mechanism is enabled by the use of exosomes, which can shuttle transmembrane proteins across cells.

"While this discovery greatly enhances our understanding of how the neural muscular junction develops and works, it also has tremendous promise as a potential vector for targeted genetic therapies," said Budnik. "More work needs to be done, but this study significantly supports the possibility that exosomes could be loaded with therapeutic agents and delivered to specific cells in patients."

###

University of Massachusetts Medical School: http://www.umassmed.edu

Thanks to University of Massachusetts Medical School 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.

This press release has been viewed 43 time(s).

Source: http://www.labspaces.net/127499/Riding_the_exosome_shuttle_from_neuron_to_muscle

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