Source: http://news.feedzilla.com/en_us/stories/politics/top-stories/295743277?client_source=feed&format=rss
NICOLAUS COPERNICUS kurt cobain Las Vegas shooting Jerry Buss Chris Bosh wife josh duhamel josh smith
Sunday, March 31, 2013
Algeria's southern unemployed demand oil jobs
In this photo dated March 14, 2013, protesters gestures during a demonstration by thousands of young unemployed men demanding jobs in the oil industry in Algeria?s southern city of Ouargla. Protests by the unemployed in southern Algeria are raising the specter of rising unrest in the country?s sensitive oil regions, and are increasingly attracting the attention of al-Qaida. (AP Photo/Nabil Zahani)
In this photo dated March 14, 2013, protesters gestures during a demonstration by thousands of young unemployed men demanding jobs in the oil industry in Algeria?s southern city of Ouargla. Protests by the unemployed in southern Algeria are raising the specter of rising unrest in the country?s sensitive oil regions, and are increasingly attracting the attention of al-Qaida. (AP Photo/Nabil Zahani)
In this photo dated March 14, 2013, a demonstrator holds a sign reading ?I am Algerian, where are my rights?? during a protest by thousands of young unemployed men in Algeria?s southern city of Ouargla. Protests by the unemployed in southern Algeria are raising the specter of rising unrest in the country?s sensitive oil regions, and are increasingly attracting the attention of al-Qaida. (AP Photo/Nabil Zahani)
ALGIERS, Algeria (AP) ? Protests by the unemployed in southern Algeria are raising the specter of rising unrest in the country's sensitive oil regions, and are increasingly attracting the attention of al-Qaida.
Algeria's vast, sparsely populated Sahara only holds 10 percent of the country's population but it is home to this North African country's enormous oil and gas reserves ? the basis of the entire economy and the source of the government's power. Those who live there claim they aren't benefiting from that wealth, and can't get jobs with the oil companies.
Now al-Qaida has praised the protesters, raising the possibility that it is seeking support among the disaffected groups. The government is rushing to address the protesters' demands, but hasn't yet convinced them that it's serious.
Some 10,000 people ? an enormous number for the lightly populated region ?demonstrated on March 14 in Algeria's southern oil city of Ouargla, and thousands more later protested in another southern oil town, Laghouat.
"We want access to jobs in the oil companies, and not just the low-value ones like drivers and security guards; we want to be in the administration," Tahar Belabes, the head of the National Committee for Defense of the Rights of the Unemployed, which organized the demonstration, said by telephone from Ouargla.
"We just want the same employment possibilities. It's not normal that we live in the region where the oil and gas is located but don't benefit from it."
While youth unemployment is widespread in Algeria, and the rest of North Africa, the southerners say they are particularly discriminated against. There is also a widespread distrust of government officials, who are believed corrupt and skimming off the country's vast oil receipts.
Prime Minister Abdelmalek Sellal acknowledged on March 16 that the demonstrators' demands are legitimate and the government hurriedly announced a string of measures to address the perceived geographical bias in oil jobs. Oil companies will be obliged to give priority to job candidates from the south and recruitment must occur through registered employment agencies. The government announced that job-training centers would be set up to ready candidates for jobs with oil companies and hotels.
The demonstrations, however, have not stopped, and on Monday hundreds protested in the desert towns of Ghardaia and Oued Souf.
"The demonstrations are continuing because the young unemployed don't believe in official promises and they don't trust the local government representatives or their parliamentarians ? they want to negotiate directly with the government," said Kamal Zaidi, a member of an unemployed group in Laghouat and a human rights activist.
Most worrying for the government is that, on Friday, Al-Qaida's North African branch expressed solidarity with the demonstrations, slamming what they say is the corrupt use of the country's resources.
"The events of the south and the call of the people to protest in the streets is the natural response to the policy of marginalization and nepotism used by the corrupt Algerian regime," said the message posted on extremist websites.
Al-Qaida's signature tactic around the world has been to find marginalized groups in remote areas and espouse their cause, much the way they did with the disenfranchised Tuareg tribesmen in northern Mali, setting up a foothold that later became a de facto state before they were routed by the French in February.
In January, an al-Qaida-linked group for the first time attacked one of the country's remote desert gas plants.
While the leaders of Al-Qaida's Algerian branch are predominantly from the populous north, the leader of the attack on the Ain Amenas gas complex in January that left 37 hostages dead was a southerner ? Lamine Bencheneb, part of the radical Sons of Sahara armed Islamic group.
In the attack, the multinational team of militants appeared to know the complex inside and out, sparking reports that they may have had allies among the site's local drivers who had gone on strike over low pay just weeks earlier.
Geoff Porter, a veteran Algeria analyst with the North Africa Risk Consulting firm said the "unevenness" of past government investment programs have left a legacy of distrust in the south ? a region that also lacks the educational opportunities to produce the necessary skills for oil sector jobs.
Part of the problem, he added, is that the hydrocarbon industries don't require very much employment and there is little else going in these remote communities after the desert tourism industry dried up.
In attempt to curb the recent demonstrations, the government sent local parliamentarians, mostly from the ruling party, back to their towns in the south to hold meetings, but most of these were boycotted by the committees of the unemployed.
"The Algerian state has always had a policy of national investment and a great deal of money has been invested in the south, just like the other regions," said Mohammed Dhimi, one of the members of parliament from the south. "Perhaps the investments were not well thought-out or misdirected or didn't respond to the agricultural and industrial needs of the people."
"The protesters may sense that they have built up some momentum and that they are going to continue their protests until they see meaningful steps taken to deliver on the prime minister's promises," he said.
Belabes, the head of the unemployment committee, promised a new round of demonstrations in the coming days.
__
Schemm reported from Rabat, Morocco.
Associated PressIchiro minka kelly James Holmes court Rupert Sanders bachelorette penn state Ernie Els
EPA Finds Sweet Spot to Release Contentious Gasoline Rule
After facing election-year delays, the Obama administration on Friday announced a controversial rule that requires cleaner gasoline.
The environmental regulation, which seeks to reduce toxic air pollution by requiring lower levels of sulfur in gasoline, had all but disappeared from the regulatory process for the better part of last year as President Obama was seeking reelection and didn?t want to be perceived as imposing regulations that could raise prices at the pump -- one of the most potent political risks a campaign can face.
The administration finally found a political sweet spot to release the rule. It?s the Friday before Easter weekend, a time when few people are paying attention to the news. Gasoline prices have actually fallen over the last few weeks. A month ago the average was $3.79 per gallon, according to AAA. Today it is $3.64. And perhaps most important, the administration is releasing the rule before the political silly season of the 2014 midterm elections (where 20 Democratic seats are up) gets into full motion.
Congressional Republicans and industry groups are blasting Obama for the rule nonetheless.
?With $4 dollar a gallon gas the norm in many parts of the country, we cannot afford policies that knowingly raises gas prices,? House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Fred Upton, R-Mich., said in a statement.
Industry groups such as the American Petroleum Institute have charged that the rule could increase gas prices about 25 cents per gallon. The Environmental Protection Agency maintains that the increase will be no more than one cent.
railgun jk rowling new book between two ferns statins chardon sean young juan pablo montoya
Picking apart photosynthesis: New insights could lead to better catalysts for water splitting
Mar. 28, 2013 ? Chemists at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) and the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory believe they can now explain one of the remaining mysteries of photosynthesis, the chemical process by which plants convert sunlight into usable energy and generate the oxygen that we breathe. The finding suggests a new way of approaching the design of catalysts that drive the water-splitting reactions of artificial photosynthesis.
"If we want to make systems that can do artificial photosynthesis, it's important that we understand how the system found in nature functions," says Theodor Agapie, an assistant professor of chemistry at Caltech and principal investigator on a paper in the journal Nature Chemistry that describes the new results.
One of the key pieces of biological machinery that enables photosynthesis is a conglomeration of proteins and pigments known as photosystem II. Within that system lies a small cluster of atoms, called the oxygen-evolving complex, where water molecules are split and molecular oxygen is made. Although this oxygen-producing process has been studied extensively, the role that various parts of the cluster play has remained unclear.
The oxygen-evolving complex performs a reaction that requires the transfer of electrons, making it an example of what is known as a redox, or oxidation-reduction, reaction. The cluster can be described as a "mixed-metal cluster" because in addition to oxygen, it includes two types of metals -- one that is redox active, or capable of participating in the transfer of electrons (in this case, manganese), and one that is redox inactive (calcium).
"Since calcium is redox inactive, people have long wondered what role it might play in this cluster," Agapie says.
It has been difficult to solve that mystery in large part because the oxygen-evolving complex is just a cog in the much larger machine that is photosystem II; it is hard to study the smaller piece because there is so much going on with the whole. To get around this, Agapie's graduate student Emily Tsui prepared a series of compounds that are structurally related to the oxygen-evolving complex. She built upon an organic scaffold in a stepwise fashion, first adding three manganese centers and then attaching a fourth metal. By varying that fourth metal to be calcium and then different redox-inactive metals, such as strontium, sodium, yttrium, and zinc, Tsui was able to compare the effects of the metals on the chemical properties of the compound.
"When making mixed-metal clusters, researchers usually mix simple chemical precursors and hope the metals will self-assemble in desired structures," Tsui says. "That makes it hard to control the product. By preparing these clusters in a much more methodical way, we've been able to get just the right structures."
It turns out that the redox-inactive metals affect the way electrons are transferred in such systems. To make molecular oxygen, the manganese atoms must activate the oxygen atoms connected to the metals in the complex. In order to do that, the manganese atoms must first transfer away several electrons. Redox-inactive metals that tug more strongly on the electrons of the oxygen atoms make it more difficult for manganese to do this. But calcium does not draw electrons strongly toward itself. Therefore, it allows the manganese atoms to transfer away electrons and activate the oxygen atoms that go on to make molecular oxygen.
A number of the catalysts that are currently being developed to drive artificial photosynthesis are mixed-metal oxide catalysts. It has again been unclear what role the redox-inactive metals in these mixed catalysts play. The new findings suggest that the redox-inactive metals affect the way the electrons are transferred. "If you pick the right redox-inactive metal, you can tune the reduction potential to bring the reaction to the range where it is favorable," Agapie says. "That means we now have a more rational way of thinking about how to design these sorts of catalysts because we know how much the redox-inactive metal affects the redox chemistry."
The paper in Nature Chemistry is titled "Redox-inactive metals modulate the reduction potential in heterometallic manganese-oxido clusters." Along with Agapie and Tsui, Rosalie Tran and Junko Yano of the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory are also coauthors. The work was supported by the Searle Scholars Program, an NSF CAREER award, and the NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program. X-ray spectroscopy work was supported by the NIH and the DOE Office of Basic Energy Sciences. Synchrotron facilities were provided by the Stanford Synchrotron Radiation Lightsource, operated by the DOE Office of Biological and Environmental Research.
Share this story on Facebook, Twitter, and Google:
Other social bookmarking and sharing tools:
Story Source:
The above story is reprinted from materials provided by California Institute of Technology. The original article was written by Kimm Fesenmaier.
Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.
Journal Reference:
- Emily Y. Tsui, Rosalie Tran, Junko Yano, Theodor Agapie. Redox-inactive metals modulate the reduction potential in heterometallic manganese?oxido clusters. Nature Chemistry, 2013; 5 (4): 293 DOI: 10.1038/nchem.1578
Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.
Disclaimer: Views expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.
Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/top_news/~3/zABlV4-Gj0A/130329125305.htm
water for elephants old school nick swisher jaco san jose sharks humber perfect game ufc 145 fight card
Saturday, March 30, 2013
tartan cavalryman: Self Improvement-Wealth -Attraction-Success ...
Sorry, Readability was unable to parse this page for content.
Source: http://tartan-cavalryman.blogspot.com/2013/03/self-improvement-wealth-attraction.html
jan brewer independent spirit awards 2012 oscar predictions jim jones tony stewart kurt busch kurt busch
Friday, March 29, 2013
Germany urged to grant Muslims days off for religious festivals
BERLIN (Reuters) - Muslims living in Germany should be granted two days of official holiday a year to mark important religious festivals, a leading member of the country's Muslim community said, drawing criticism from within Chancellor Angela Merkel's ruling conservatives.
Aiman Mazyek told Thursday's edition of the regional Westdeutsche Allgemeine Zeitung (WAZ) that providing German Muslims with a legal holiday in the holy fasting month of Ramadan and another during the Feast of the Sacrifice would be "an important sign of integration".
"It would underline tolerance in our society," said Mazyek, who is chairman of Germany's Central Council of Muslims, adding that Muslims in public services such as the police could stand in for colleagues over Christian holidays like Easter.
Germany has sometimes faced accusations of not doing enough to integrate its Muslim population, estimated to number around four million, mostly of Turkish origin. But some German conservatives say the onus is on Muslims to adapt to the traditions and customs of a mainly Christian-based society.
Wolfgang Bosbach, a prominent member of Merkel's traditionally Catholic Christian Democrats (CDU), rejected Mazyek's call, saying there was "no Islamic tradition in Germany" and that religious holidays here reflected the country's Christian heritage.
Another CDU lawmaker, Patrick Sensburg, urged respect among Germans for existing Christian holidays and more shopping restrictions on Sundays.
Guntram Schneider, social minister in the state of North-Rhine Westphalia for the center-left Social Democrats, expressed concern over the economic costs of giving Muslims two days off.
Friday and Monday will be public holidays in Germany marking Easter.
(Reporting by Gareth Jones; Editing by Noah Barkin)
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/germany-urged-grant-muslims-days-off-religious-festivals-131739388.html
oakland school shooting nike nfl jerseys katie couric barista university of kentucky oakland news alec baldwin
"Boardwalk Empire" taps "Killing" vet Eric Ladin to play J. Edgar Hoover
By Tim Kenneally
LOS ANGELES (TheWrap.com) - Could the feds be preparing to close in on Nucky Thompson?
Eric Ladin - aka, campaign manager Jamie Wright on the AMC drama "The Killing" - has been cast in the upcoming fourth season of HBO's period gangster drama, starring Steve Buscemi as Atlantic City kingpin Thompson.
Ladin will play FBI director J. Edgar Hoover - an addition to the show that just might prove to be problematic to Thompson as he attempts to strengthen his position in the world of organized crime.
The HBO drama has been bolstering its cast for the fourth season. "Casino Royale" actor Jeffrey Wright has been cast as Harlem kingpin Valentin Narcisse, while Ron Livingston has signed on for the season as Roy Philips, who comes to town and captures the fancy of Gillian Darmody (Gretchen Mol).
In addition to the upcoming stint on "Boardwalk Empire," Ladin also has a role in the dramedy "Highland Park," which stars Danny Glover, "Twilight" alum Billy Burke and Parker Posey.
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/boardwalk-empire-taps-killing-vet-eric-ladin-play-234939632.html
Kevin Clash Walmart Black Friday 2012 Paula Broadwell Tilted Kilt Barbara Palvin Yahoo Fantasy Football Nick Foles
Consult A Doctor If You Have These | Healthcare, Fitness, Nutrition ...
Mar 28, 2013
Over 285 million people worldwide are visually impaired. According to statistics, about 80% of cases could be prevented or treated. Therefore, regular eye exams are so important ? they can be very useful in detecting possible progressive eye diseases such as glaucoma (a condition frequently found having very few symptoms in its early stages). In other cases, people may experience symptoms such as vision changes or eye pain which require immediate medical attention.
Here are some events that may indicate the presence of an ocular disease and the need of going the doctor as soon as possible.
- Flashing lights, floaters or gray shadows in the visual field. The sudden onset of these symptoms could be a sign of retinal detachment ? the nervous layer behind the eye that sends images to the brain. Myopia, glaucoma and ocular lesions are the most common causes of detachment of the retina. If not treated quickly (usually through surgery), retinal detachment can cause blindness.
- Sudden vision quality alteration ? It is partial or complete (especially when involving only one eye). Sudden loss of vision can indicate a number of eye diseases and conditions. One of these is macular degeneration, which is a leading cause of vision loss in people over age 65. In case of macular degeneration, the vision loss occurs gradually, but sometimes can occur suddenly ? if fluid from the blood vessels in the eye reaches the retina. Another cause of sudden loss of vision is glaucoma, which affects the optic nerve.
- Eye pain ? Most eye diseases are painless. However, some conditions or injuries can cause eye pain. Pain may be caused by glaucoma, dry eye or corneal scratching.
- Eye Injury ? Any ocular lesion, regardless of its nature or degree must be evaluated by a doctor, especially if there is redness and pain that persists for 15-20 minutes.
- Persistent ocular discomfort ? Any eye discomfort should not be overlooked, either after a certain activity during which a small particle of material entered the eye, or discomfort that occurs for no apparent reason. Go to the eye doctor to make sure you do not have any foreign objects in the eye, which may cause eye infection.
- Red Eye ? You should be concerned when only one of the two eyes becomes red. Redness of both eyes can mean the presence of diseases such as conjunctivitis, which is a minor eye infection, easily treated. Instead, redness of one eye may signal deep inflammation such as scleritis or uveitis. Scleritis is inflammation of the protective outer layer of the eye and uveitis is inflammation and swelling of the middle layer of the eyeball.
- Blurred vision ? blurred vision may be a sign of several eye problems, including glaucoma, uveitis, retinal tear or macular degeneration. Loss of vision in one eye may be an early symptom of a stroke.
Posts related to Symptoms Requiring an Ophthalmological Consult
Related posts:
Were you searching for health advertising ?
Wait! Don't Leave! Don't forget to check other pages of HealthDefine.com. We have hundreds of interesting articles about Diets, Nutrition, Fitness, Beauty Secrets, etc.Source: http://healthdefine.com/medical-advice/symptoms-requiring-an-ophthalmological-consult
sarah palin cbi the shins atomic clock john mccain game changer corned beef recipe
IJASUC 2013 : International Journal of Ad hoc, Sensor & Ubiquitous ...
Scope & Topics:
International Journal of Ad hoc, sensor & Ubiquitous Computing (IJASUC) is a bi monthly open access peer-reviewed journal provides excellent international forum for sharing knowledge and results in theory, methodology and applications of Ad Hoc & Ubiquitous computing. Current information age is witnessing a dramatic use of digital and electronic devices in the workplace and beyond. Ubiquitous Computing presents a rather arduous requirement of robustness, reliability and availability to the end user. Ad hoc, Sensor & Ubiquitous computing has received a significant and sustained research interest in terms of designing and deploying large scale and high performance computational applications in real life.
Topic of Interest
Authors are solicited to contribute to this journal by submitting articles that illustrate research results, projects, surveying works and industrial experiences that describe significant advances in the following areas, but are not limited to
Ad Hoc Computing
|
|
Sensor Networks
|
|
Ubiquitous Computing
|
|
Important Dates :
| Submission Deadline | : | 30 March, 2013 |
| Authors Notification | : | 29 April, 2013 |
| Final Manuscript Due | : | 03 May, 2013 |
| Publication Date | : | Determined by Editorial Board |
Source: http://www.wikicfp.com/cfp/servlet/event.showcfp?eventid=29911©ownerid=33993
south dakota state long beach state beasley trailblazers michael beasley jermaine jones hbo luck
Thursday, March 28, 2013
Blind cavefish are hard of hearing, too
Daphne Soares
The cavefish Typhlichthys subterraneus is both blind and hard of hearing.
By Joseph Castro
LiveScience
After generations of living underground and in perpetual darkness, species typically lose their eyesight. Scientists have observed this phenomenon in a range of creatures, including moles, shrimp, flatworms and fish. But new research shows that compared with their surface-dwelling relatives, at least two species of amblyopsid cavefish are partially deaf, in addition to being blind.
"The first hypothesis we had was that these fish that lost their sight should have an increase in hearing capabilities," said lead researcher Daphne Soares, a sensory neuroscientist at the University of Maryland. "It was a big surprise when we found they were a little deaf, and it took a while to come up with an understanding of what was happening."
In humans, the loss of sight is sometimes accompanied by better hearing, at least in people who became blind early in life. But until now, research looking at blind fish species hasn't shown the same phenomenon. For example, the cave and surface forms of the Mexican tetra?(Astyanax mexicanus) hear equally well; same thing goes for the molly Poecilia mexicana.
For their study, Soares and her colleagues decided to look at Amblyopsidae, a small, mostly subterranean family of freshwater fish located in the Eastern and Central regions of the United States. Cave amblyopsids are some of the most comprehensively studied cavefish in the world, because of the range of adaptations they have for living in the dark, such as sensory organs that detect water flow. [Photos: The Extraordinary Evolution of Blind Cavefish]
The team compared the hearing capabilities?of two amblyopsid cave species, Typhlichthys subterraneus and Amblyopsis spelaea, with their closest amblyopsid surface relative, Forbesichthys agassizii. They tested how the brains of fish responded to sounds of varying frequencies and loudness, resulting in hearing profiles for each species. The researchers found that the three species could hear equally well at lower frequencies; however, only the surface species could hear frequencies higher than 800 Hz, and up to 2 kHz. Moreover, the researchers discovered that the cave amblyopsids had lower densities of hair cells ? auditory receptors in the ear that are essential for hearing ? than the surface amblyopsids.
But these findings left the question: Why did the blind fish evolve to have poorer hearing than their sighted relatives? The team figured it must be something in the environment, so they measured the ambient noise?in the aquatic cave and surface habitats. They found the noise in the underground streams peaked near 1 kHz, which lines up with the frequencies the cavefish are deaf to. The cavefish's hearing threshold stops around where the noise in their habitat picks up.
"The caves are very loud with the sound bouncing off the walls and stuff," Soares said. "It would not be very adaptive for the fish to hear at a frequency where the environment is so loud."
With their blindness and difficulty hearing, the two cavefish species likely navigate their surroundings ? and find food and mates?? using their hypersensitivity to water vibrations, Soares said. The team is now interested in seeing if the cavefish found in other parts of the world have undergone similar changes. "We are trying to really understand how animals adapt to the world's diversity of extreme environments," she said.
The research was detailed Tuesday in the Journal Biology Letters.
Follow us @livescience, Facebook and Google+. Original article on LiveScience.com.
Copyright 2013 LiveScience, a TechMediaNetwork company. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
2013 Calendar chris christie sofia vergara American Horror Story Patti Page anonymous texas chainsaw massacre
Why Your Company Needs A Small Business Management ... - Oro
When starting a new business it will be important to use a small business management software program. This will help you keep all your bookkeeping and accounting in order. They are a valuable asset when you have sales receipts, invoices and payroll to keep up with. Trying to do this the old-fashioned way is confusing and will take you an incredible amount of time. Time that could be spent working on your business. There are a few things you will need to consider when? looking for the small business management software that will work for you.
Growing Business
You will want to consider how big your business will grow when you first start looking. Many programs will only handle a small amount of information and will only allow you to do a limited number of actions. You want to make sure that the small business management software you choose can grow with you and will allow you to handle things that may come up.
Benefits
The benefits of a small business management software program are greatly appreciated by anyone who uses them.
The first reason many small businesses get this software program is to help them keep all their bookkeeping in order. All you have to do is enter the numbers and the program will put it where it belongs and give you daily totals. Most programs can keep several years worth of bookkeeping in their memory so you can easily access anything you need at any time.
You can also create invoices with these programs. The software can be set to automatically create an invoice at a set time of the month. This helps to keep everything on a regular routine and since it is automatic, you do not have to worry about manually doing it.
Many small business management software programs will allow you to have a separate account for each department you have. This will let you set a certain budget or each one and alert you when they are getting close to their budget.
The best part of these programs is the bill pay feature. This means you will never be late on another payment again. The system will automatically send out any payments you have it set for when you want it to. You can control when they are sent and how much you send them.
Victoria Secret Bath And Body Works Dicks Sporting Good office max office max jcp Sports Authority
Spotify Just Revealed Its New Logo - Business Insider
Spotify is making a big marketing push to become a familiar household name across the country.
The popular music streaming service released its first national ad campaign, which appropriately aired during "The Voice," and has come up with a brand new logo.
This is what the old one looked like:
And here's the new one. Gone is the stray "O" and goofy font in this new, professional look:
Spotify |
Here's another view of the older logo:
And the new one:
What do you think?
Source: http://www.businessinsider.com/spotify-just-revealed-its-new-logo-2013-3
file taxes online tupac shakur sledge hammer tax day freebies madison bumgarner wnba draft tax day
Wednesday, March 27, 2013
Health insurance rates to double as Obamacare ... - Prison Planet.com
J. D. Heyes
Natural News
March 26, 2013
Writing on the blog of the Department of Health and Human Services on the third anniversary of the passage of the?Affordable Care Act, more popularly known as Obamacare, HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius had this to say about the impact of the law on insurance rates:
As a former state insurance commissioner, I know that for too long, too many hard-working Americans paid the price for policies that handed free rein to health insurance companies. For more than a decade before the Affordable Care Act, premiums rose rapidly, straining the budgets of American families and businesses. And insurers often raised premiums without any explanation. ? The Affordable Care Act is working to bring affordability and fairness to the marketplace by barring insurers from dropping your coverage when you get sick or placing a lifetime dollar limit on coverage.
Sebelius goes on to imply that provisions within the law (requiring more ?transparency? from insurance companies, for instance) will eventually help lower rates (though she never says so directly). In other words, she?s dodging the issue of rising premiums, and with good reason: Premiums under Obamacare are likely to?double for most Americans, according to health insurers who are being forced to comply with Obamacare?s stringent coverage requirements.
Wait ? weren?t premiums supposed to go?down?
?Health insurers are privately warning brokers that premiums for many individuals and small businesses could increase sharply next year because of the health-care overhaul law, with the nation?s biggest firm projecting that rates could more than?double for some consumers buying their own plans,??The Wall Street Journal reported March 22.
Insurers made those projections in sessions with agents and brokers; they provide some of the most damning evidence so far of just how much?Obamacare will force companies to raise rates when major provisions of the law kick in next year ? just as scores of industry experts and economists warned would happen.
Such predictions don?t jibe with the rosy ? and misleading ? rhetoric from Sebelius and her boss, President Obama, the latter of whom said in 2010:
- A d v e r t i s e m e n t
?You?ll be able to buy in, or a small business will be able to buy into (government?insurance pools). And that will lower rates, it?s estimated, by up to 14 to 20 percent over what you?re currently getting. That?s money out of pocket. ? Your employer, it?s estimated, would see premiums fall by as much as 3,000 percent, which means they could give you a raise.?
Both the president and his team don?t understand free-market economics, or they do and they have been intentionally misleading. Either way, the figures the insurance companies are projecting are the polar opposite of what Americans were promised by Obamacare advocates regarding the future cost of policies (and really, prices for such services have never really gone down).
?There?s no question premiums are still going to keep going up,? Larry Levitt of the Kaiser Family Foundation, a research clearinghouse on the?health care system, told?CBS News shortly before Obamacare became law. ?There are pieces of reform that will hopefully keep them from going up as fast. But it would be miraculous if premiums actually went down relative to where they are today.?
Yet another Obamacare lie
The one ace in the hold the government retains; however, is regulatory power over the insurance companies in terms of price increases. Under Obamacare, insurers have to request rate hikes and they must be approved by government bureaucrats, the vast majority of whom have a) never run a business; b) never had to meet a payroll; and c) have never had to cover employees?health insurance and other benefits.
So in this sense, the government very well could keep rates artificially lower than they normally would be, but while requiring insurers to cover more people for less, they won?t be in business long.
And that could well be the administration?s goal.
?Carriers will be filing proposed price increases with regulators over the next few months,??WSJ reported. Time will tell how that goes, but the word is out: What Americans were told about lower premiums under Obamacare, like most of what they were told about the law, was a lie.
Sources:
http://online.wsj.com
http://www.healthcare.gov
http://www.cbsnews.com/2100-250_162-6306991.html
This article was posted: Tuesday, March 26, 2013 at 10:12 am
Source: http://www.prisonplanet.com/health-insurance-rates-to-double-as-obamacare-fully-kicks-in.html
Hunter Hayes Movember USC shooting halloween chipotle lsu football lsu football
The military has restricted access to the Bradley Manning trial. So much so that...
The military has restricted access to the Bradley Manning trial. So much so that no recording devices were allowed into the court room, and many journalists have been forced to take notes by hand! Further no transcripts were released.
Thankfully audio of Bradley Manning's recent testimony at a pre-trial hearing was released by unknown persons and it has since been published by the Freedom of the Press Foundation. In the testimony Bradley Manning expresses in his own words the importance of his actions, and he has shown that he is indeed a heroic whistle-blower.
https://
boxing news Coptic Christian saturday night live julio cesar chavez jr Topless Kate university of texas UT Austin
Supreme Court justices signal uncertainty on drug settlements
By Lawrence Hurley
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Supreme Court justices on Monday signaled uncertainty over how they would rule on whether brand-name drug companies can settle patent litigation with generic rivals by making deals to keep cheaper products off the market.
Eight justices, lacking the recused Justice Samuel Alito, asked questions that indicated concerns about such deals, but several seemed unsure how courts should approach the matter.
In the deals in question, brand name manufacturers settle litigation by paying generic manufacturers to stay out of the market for a specified period.
U.S. and state regulators say the practice costs consumers, insurers and government billions of dollars annually.
The Federal Trade Commission, which has called the deals "pay for delay," has fought them in court for more than a decade.
A number of justices on Monday appeared skeptical of the Justice Department's argument that the deals should be viewed as presumptively unlawful.
Justice Sonia Sotomayor said she had "difficulty understanding" Justice Department lawyer Malcolm Stewart's argument that "the mere existence" of a payment should change the way courts view a settlement.
But several justices asked questions raising concerns that the deals could be anticompetitive.
Justice Elena Kagan said that in some cases, companies could share monopoly profits "to the detriment of consumers."
The problem the court appears to face is how to tell lower courts to determine which agreements were lawful and which were not.
Justice Stephen Breyer suggested that the justices should simply tell lower court judges to "keep in mind" that the deals could be anticompetitive.
"In other words, it's up to the district court," he said.
It is unclear how many of the justices would support that approach. Justice Antonin Scalia was openly critical, saying it would not tackle "the elephant in the room," which is the relative strength of the patent being challenged in the case. Justice Anthony Kennedy voiced similar sentiments.
In the case before the court, Solvay Pharmaceuticals Inc, which is now owned by AbbVie, sued generic drugmakers in 2003 to stop cheaper versions of AndroGel, a gel used to treat men with low testosterone.
Solvay paid as much as $30 million annually to Actavis Inc predecessor Watson Pharmaceuticals, Paddock Laboratories Inc and Par Pharmaceutical Cos to help preserve annual profits estimated at $125 million from AndroGel.
Under the deal, the three would stay off the market until 2015. The patent expires in 2020.
The Supreme Court is expected to issue a decision by the end of June.
The case is Federal Trade Commission v. Watson Pharmaceuticals Inc et al, U.S. Supreme Court, No. 12-416.
(Reporting by Lawrence Hurley; Additional reporting by Diane Bartz; Editing by Howard Goller and Lisa Von Ahn)
supreme court summer solstice Summer Solstice 2012 Waldo Canyon fire nba finals K Michelle roger clemens
Tuesday, March 26, 2013
Money Monday: Are You Being Cheated at the Supermarket? | Black ...
Photo Credit: 401(K) 2013 via Flickr
Everyone is trying to take our money, from credit card companies to cable providers. But did you know your local grocery store could be cheating you every time you pay for groceries?
According to a report by ABC?s Good Morning America, consumers lose up to $2.5 billion dollars every year as a result of scanner errors. The most common problems involve scanners that are not programmed with the correct sales price information, scales that weigh and charge for the packaging in addition to the food, and stores that charge tax on non-taxable items.
In California, the state even took the unusual step of suing Safeway and its Vons stores for frequently overcharging customers. Similarly, in Los Angeles, Ralph?s Grocery Co. agreed to pay more than $1.1 million in civil penalties, costs and restitution to settle allegations that it overcharged customers on deli and other weighed food products.
In New York City, inspectors visiting 2000 city stores found price overcharges on one third of the products they tested. The problem was so bad that New York City Consumer Affairs commissioner Jonathan Mintz considered proposing legislation which would require grocery stores to pay customers 10 times the amount of the overcharged item.
Unfortunately, supermarket overcharges aren?t always insignificant. I, for instance, once purchased frozen dinners at a major Chicago grocery chain. The sale price was 5 for $10. Instead, I was charged full price on all five frozen meals, creating an overcharge of nearly $11 dollars.
With scanner errors being relatively common, there are a few ways to protect yourself. Keep a mental running account of your grocery tab as you shop. Better yet, bring along a calculator or smartphone to tally your total. If your tab doesn?t come close to the cashier?s result then you know you have a problem.
Alternatively, watch the checkout register like a hawk as your items are checked out. When in doubt, always check your receipt before you leave the store. Remember, many stores offer a ?right at the register or it?s free? policy. If you catch an overcharge you get the item for free.
BMWK ? Do you take the time to check your supermarket receipts? If you catch an error do you challenge it or let it slide?
About the author
Source: http://blackandmarriedwithkids.com/2013/03/money-monday-are-you-being-cheated-at-the-supermarket/
evan mathis staff sgt. robert bales jason russell norfolk state st patrick s day parade duke invisible children
New study identifies unique mechanisms of antibiotic resistance
![[ Back to EurekAlert! ]](http://www.eurekalert.org/images/back2e.gif){kind=small}
Public release date: 26-Mar-2013[ | E-mail |
Share ] Contact: Jennifer Kritz
Jennifer.Kritz@tufts.edu
617-636-3707
Tufts University, Health Sciences Campus
BOSTON (March 26, 2013) As public health authorities across the globe grapple with the growing problem of antibiotic resistance, Tufts University School of Medicine microbiologists and colleagues have identified the unique resistance mechanisms of a clinical isolate of E. coli resistant to carbapenems. Carbapenems are a class of antibiotics used as a last resort for the treatment of disease-causing bacteria, including E. coli and Klebsiella pneumonia, which can cause serious illness and even death. Infections involving resistant strains fail to respond to antibiotic treatments, which can lead to prolonged illness and greater risk of death, as well as significant public health challenges due to increased transmission of infection. The study, published in the April issue of Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy, demonstrates the lengths to which bacteria will go to become resistant to antibiotics.
Resistance to carbapenems usually emerges through the acquisition of an enzyme, carbapenemase, which destroys the antibiotic intended to treat infection. Resistance may also block entry of the drug into the E-coli bacteria. The current research, led by corresponding author Stuart Levy, M.D., Professor of Molecular Biology & Microbiology and of Medicine and Director of the Center for Adaptation Genetics & Drug Resistance at Tufts University School of Medicine, sought to determine what made this particular clinical isolate of E. coli resistant to carbapenem in the absence of carbapenemase.
"The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has documented a significant increase in Carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae (CRE) so-called 'super bugs' that have been found to fight off even the most potent treatments," Levy said. "We knew that bacteria could resist carbapenems, but we had never before seen E. coli adapt so extensively to defeat an antibiotic. Our research shows just how far bacteria will go with mutations in order to survive."
Levy and his colleagues determined that the E. coli genetically mutated four separate times in order to resist carbapenems. Specifically, the isolate removed two membrane proteins in order to prevent antibiotics from getting into the cell. The bacteria also carried a mutation of the regulatory protein marR, which controls how bacteria react in the presence of antibiotics. The isolate further achieved resistance by increasing expression of a multidrug efflux pump. Moreover, the researchers discovered that the E. coli was expressing a new protein, called yedS, which helped the drug enter the cell, but whose expression was curtailed by the marR mutation. yedS is a normally inactive protein acquired by some E. coli that affects how the drug enters the bacterial cell. It is generally expressed in bacteria through a mutation.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, CRE germs have increased from 1% to 4% in the United States over the last decade. Forty-two states report having identified at least one patient with one type of CRE. Approximately 18% of long-term acute care hospitals in the United States and 4% of short-stay hospitals reported at least one CRE infection in the first half of 2012.
The clinical isolate of E. coli studied by Levy and his colleagues came from the sputum of a patient at Peking Union Medical College Hospital in Beijing, China, where three of the study authors are on the faculty. Drug resistance is a particularly serious public health concern in China, antibiotics are overprescribed and used widely in the livestock and farming industries.
"The first quinolone-resistant strains of bacteria came out of China, where we see that the drugs of last resort begin being used, because the other drugs don't work after so much overuse," Levy said.
###
Additional authors of the paper are Doug Warner, Director of Undergraduate Laboratories, Boston College; Qiwen Yang, Section Director of Clinical Microbiology, Department of Clinical Laboratory, Peking Union Medical College Hospital; Valerie Duval, Research Assistant at Tufts University Center for Adaptation Genetics and Drug Resistance; Minjun Chen, Professor of Clinical Microbiology, Peking Union Medical College Hospital; and Yingchun Xu, Chair, Department of Laboratory Medicine, Peking Union Medical College Hospital.
Research reported in this publication was supported by the National Institute of Allergies and Infectious Diseases of the National Institutes of Health under award number R01AI56021.
Warner, D.M., Yang, Q., Duval, V., Chen, M., Xu, Y., Levy, S.B. (2013). Involvement of MarR and YedS in Carbapenem Resistance in a Clinical Isolate of Escherichia coli from China. Antimicrob. Agents Chemother., 57(4), 1935-1937. doi: 10.1128/AAC.02445-12.
About Tufts University School of Medicine and the Sackler School of Graduate Biomedical Sciences
Tufts University School of Medicine and the Sackler School of Graduate Biomedical Sciences at Tufts University are international leaders in innovative medical education and advanced research. The School of Medicine and the Sackler School are renowned for excellence in education in general medicine, biomedical sciences, special combined degree programs in business, health management, public health, bioengineering and international relations, as well as basic and clinical research at the cellular and molecular level. Ranked among the top in the nation, the School of Medicine is affiliated with six major teaching hospitals and more than 30 health care facilities. Tufts University School of Medicine and the Sackler School undertake research that is consistently rated among the highest in the nation for its effect on the advancement of medical science.
If you are a member of the media interested in learning more about this topic, or speaking with a faculty member at the Tufts University School of Medicine or another Tufts health sciences researcher, please contact Jennifer Kritz at 617-636-3707 or Siobhan Gallagher at 617-636-6586.
[ | 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.
Public release date: 26-Mar-2013[ | E-mail |
Share ] Contact: Jennifer Kritz
Jennifer.Kritz@tufts.edu
617-636-3707
Tufts University, Health Sciences Campus
BOSTON (March 26, 2013) As public health authorities across the globe grapple with the growing problem of antibiotic resistance, Tufts University School of Medicine microbiologists and colleagues have identified the unique resistance mechanisms of a clinical isolate of E. coli resistant to carbapenems. Carbapenems are a class of antibiotics used as a last resort for the treatment of disease-causing bacteria, including E. coli and Klebsiella pneumonia, which can cause serious illness and even death. Infections involving resistant strains fail to respond to antibiotic treatments, which can lead to prolonged illness and greater risk of death, as well as significant public health challenges due to increased transmission of infection. The study, published in the April issue of Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy, demonstrates the lengths to which bacteria will go to become resistant to antibiotics.
Resistance to carbapenems usually emerges through the acquisition of an enzyme, carbapenemase, which destroys the antibiotic intended to treat infection. Resistance may also block entry of the drug into the E-coli bacteria. The current research, led by corresponding author Stuart Levy, M.D., Professor of Molecular Biology & Microbiology and of Medicine and Director of the Center for Adaptation Genetics & Drug Resistance at Tufts University School of Medicine, sought to determine what made this particular clinical isolate of E. coli resistant to carbapenem in the absence of carbapenemase.
"The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has documented a significant increase in Carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae (CRE) so-called 'super bugs' that have been found to fight off even the most potent treatments," Levy said. "We knew that bacteria could resist carbapenems, but we had never before seen E. coli adapt so extensively to defeat an antibiotic. Our research shows just how far bacteria will go with mutations in order to survive."
Levy and his colleagues determined that the E. coli genetically mutated four separate times in order to resist carbapenems. Specifically, the isolate removed two membrane proteins in order to prevent antibiotics from getting into the cell. The bacteria also carried a mutation of the regulatory protein marR, which controls how bacteria react in the presence of antibiotics. The isolate further achieved resistance by increasing expression of a multidrug efflux pump. Moreover, the researchers discovered that the E. coli was expressing a new protein, called yedS, which helped the drug enter the cell, but whose expression was curtailed by the marR mutation. yedS is a normally inactive protein acquired by some E. coli that affects how the drug enters the bacterial cell. It is generally expressed in bacteria through a mutation.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, CRE germs have increased from 1% to 4% in the United States over the last decade. Forty-two states report having identified at least one patient with one type of CRE. Approximately 18% of long-term acute care hospitals in the United States and 4% of short-stay hospitals reported at least one CRE infection in the first half of 2012.
The clinical isolate of E. coli studied by Levy and his colleagues came from the sputum of a patient at Peking Union Medical College Hospital in Beijing, China, where three of the study authors are on the faculty. Drug resistance is a particularly serious public health concern in China, antibiotics are overprescribed and used widely in the livestock and farming industries.
"The first quinolone-resistant strains of bacteria came out of China, where we see that the drugs of last resort begin being used, because the other drugs don't work after so much overuse," Levy said.
###
Additional authors of the paper are Doug Warner, Director of Undergraduate Laboratories, Boston College; Qiwen Yang, Section Director of Clinical Microbiology, Department of Clinical Laboratory, Peking Union Medical College Hospital; Valerie Duval, Research Assistant at Tufts University Center for Adaptation Genetics and Drug Resistance; Minjun Chen, Professor of Clinical Microbiology, Peking Union Medical College Hospital; and Yingchun Xu, Chair, Department of Laboratory Medicine, Peking Union Medical College Hospital.
Research reported in this publication was supported by the National Institute of Allergies and Infectious Diseases of the National Institutes of Health under award number R01AI56021.
Warner, D.M., Yang, Q., Duval, V., Chen, M., Xu, Y., Levy, S.B. (2013). Involvement of MarR and YedS in Carbapenem Resistance in a Clinical Isolate of Escherichia coli from China. Antimicrob. Agents Chemother., 57(4), 1935-1937. doi: 10.1128/AAC.02445-12.
About Tufts University School of Medicine and the Sackler School of Graduate Biomedical Sciences
Tufts University School of Medicine and the Sackler School of Graduate Biomedical Sciences at Tufts University are international leaders in innovative medical education and advanced research. The School of Medicine and the Sackler School are renowned for excellence in education in general medicine, biomedical sciences, special combined degree programs in business, health management, public health, bioengineering and international relations, as well as basic and clinical research at the cellular and molecular level. Ranked among the top in the nation, the School of Medicine is affiliated with six major teaching hospitals and more than 30 health care facilities. Tufts University School of Medicine and the Sackler School undertake research that is consistently rated among the highest in the nation for its effect on the advancement of medical science.
If you are a member of the media interested in learning more about this topic, or speaking with a faculty member at the Tufts University School of Medicine or another Tufts health sciences researcher, please contact Jennifer Kritz at 617-636-3707 or Siobhan Gallagher at 617-636-6586.
[ | 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.
Source: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2013-03/tuhs-nsi032613.php
aretha franklin whitney houston paul williams paul babeu kevin costner budweiser shootout animal house invincible
Dell board considers 2 new buyout offers
ROUND ROCK, Texas (AP) ? Dell plans to negotiate with Blackstone Group and investor Carl Icahn over new acquisition bids for the computer maker that rival an offer of more than $24 billion from investors led by founder Michael Dell.
Dell Inc. says a special committee of board members has determined the bids from buyout specialist Blackstone and Icahn could be superior to a proposal from Dell and Silver Lake Partners to buy the Round Rock, Texas, company for $13.65 per share.
The company says Michael Dell is willing to work with third parties on alternate acquisition proposals.
Blackstone is proposing to buy the company for $14.25 per share. Icahn wants to buy up to 58 percent of Dell's shares for $15 each.
Icahn and other investors have criticized Michael Dell's bid as too low.
Associated PressHector Camacho Jill Kelly McKayla Maroney gronkowski jeremy renner best buy black friday deals breaking dawn part 2
Higher soy intake prior to lung cancer diagnosis linked to longer survival in women
Public release date: 25-Mar-2013[ | E-mail |
Share ] Contact: Nicole Racadag
nicole.racadag@asco.org
571-483-1354
American Society of Clinical Oncology
In this News Digest:
- Summary of a study being published online March 25, 2013 in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, reports that Chinese women who consumed more soy before being diagnosed with lung cancer lived longer compared with those who consumed less soy.
- Quote for attribution to Jyoti Patel, MD, American Society of Clinical Oncology Cancer Communications Committee member and lung cancer expert
- Links to additional information on Cancer.Net, ASCO's cancer information Website
New results from a large observational follow-up study conducted in Shanghai, China, indicate that women with lung cancer who consumed more soy food prior to their cancer diagnosis lived longer than those who consumed less soy. The study, published March 25 in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, provides the first scientific evidence that soy intake has a favorable effect on lung cancer survival.
"To our knowledge, this is the first study to suggest an association between high soy consumption before a lung cancer diagnosis and better overall survival," said lead study author Gong Yang, MD, MPH, a research associate professor at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. "Although the findings are very promising, it's too early to give any dietary recommendations for the general public on the basis of this single study."
Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related death among women worldwide, with only one in seven patients surviving for 5 years after diagnosis. Emerging evidence suggests that female hormones, particularly estrogens, may affect lung cancer outcomes. Soy contains isoflavones, estrogen-like substances that are also known to affect molecular pathways involved in tumor development and growth.
A recent study by the same research team showed that high intake of soy food was associated with a 40 percent decrease in lung cancer risk.
This new study assessed the impact of soy intake on lung cancer survival among participants of the Shanghai Women's Health Study, which tracked cancer incidence in 74,941 Shanghai women. Information on usual dietary intake of soy food (soy milk, tofu, fresh and dry soybeans, soy sprouts, and other soy products) was collected in-person at study enrollment and again two years later. Soy food and isoflavone content of various food products was calculated based on the Chinese Food Composition tables. During the course of the study, 444 women were diagnosed with lung cancer. The median time between the first dietary assessment and cancer diagnosis was 5.8 years.
In this analysis, patients were divided into three groups according to soy food intake prior to lung cancer diagnosis. The highest and lowest intake levels were equivalent to approximately 4 oz or more and 2 oz or less tofu per day, respectively. Patients with the highest soy food intake had markedly better overall survival compared with those with the lowest intake ? 60 percent of patients in the highest intake group and 50 percent in the lowest intake group were alive at twelve months after diagnosis.
The risk of death decreased with increasing soy intake until the intake reached a level equivalent to about 4 oz of tofu per day. Researchers found no additional survival benefit from consuming higher amounts of soy. Similar trends were observed when dietary isoflavone intake was evaluated.
The findings may not necessarily apply beyond this study's population, which has a very low prevalence of cigarette smoking, a known risk factor for the development of lung cancer, and postmenopausal hormone replacement therapy use, a factor that may negatively affect lung cancer prognosis. In addition, the overall soy food intake is higher in Chinese women than in Western women.
"But given the increasing popularity of soy food in the U.S. and elsewhere, and a sizable number of women who don't smoke, the results of this study could have wider relevance," said Yang.
Future research will explore whether consumption of soy food after diagnosis of lung cancer affects survival, particularly among patients with early-stage disease, who may benefit most from a nutritional intervention.
This research was supported by the U.S. National Cancer Institute and conducted by investigators at Vanderbilt University in collaboration with those from the Shanghai Cancer Institute and NCI.
ASCO Perspective
Jyoti Patel, MD, ASCO Cancer Communications Committee member and lung cancer expert
"This study provides some early evidence that consuming large amounts of soy food may help women, particularly never smokers, live longer if they should develop lung cancer."
###
Helpful Links from Cancer.Net, ASCO's cancer information website:
Plant-Based Foods - http://www.cancer.net/all-about-cancer/risk-factors-and-prevention/diet-and-nutrition/plant-based-foods
General Nutrition Recommendations - http://www.cancer.net/all-about-cancer/risk-factors-and-prevention/diet-and-nutrition/general-nutrition-recommendations
The Role of Major Nutrients in Cancer Prevention - http://www.cancer.net/all-about-cancer/risk-factors-and-prevention/diet-and-nutrition/role-major-nutrients-cancer-prevention
Guide to Lung Cancer - http://www.cancer.net/cancer-types/lung-cancer
The Journal of Clinical Oncology is the tri-monthly peer-reviewed journal of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO), the world's leading professional society representing physicians who treat people with cancer.
ATTRIBUTION TO THE JOURNAL OF CLINICAL ONCOLOGY IS REQUESTED IN ALL NEWS COVERAGE.
[ | 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.
Public release date: 25-Mar-2013[ | E-mail |
Share ] Contact: Nicole Racadag
nicole.racadag@asco.org
571-483-1354
American Society of Clinical Oncology
In this News Digest:
- Summary of a study being published online March 25, 2013 in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, reports that Chinese women who consumed more soy before being diagnosed with lung cancer lived longer compared with those who consumed less soy.
- Quote for attribution to Jyoti Patel, MD, American Society of Clinical Oncology Cancer Communications Committee member and lung cancer expert
- Links to additional information on Cancer.Net, ASCO's cancer information Website
New results from a large observational follow-up study conducted in Shanghai, China, indicate that women with lung cancer who consumed more soy food prior to their cancer diagnosis lived longer than those who consumed less soy. The study, published March 25 in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, provides the first scientific evidence that soy intake has a favorable effect on lung cancer survival.
"To our knowledge, this is the first study to suggest an association between high soy consumption before a lung cancer diagnosis and better overall survival," said lead study author Gong Yang, MD, MPH, a research associate professor at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. "Although the findings are very promising, it's too early to give any dietary recommendations for the general public on the basis of this single study."
Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related death among women worldwide, with only one in seven patients surviving for 5 years after diagnosis. Emerging evidence suggests that female hormones, particularly estrogens, may affect lung cancer outcomes. Soy contains isoflavones, estrogen-like substances that are also known to affect molecular pathways involved in tumor development and growth.
A recent study by the same research team showed that high intake of soy food was associated with a 40 percent decrease in lung cancer risk.
This new study assessed the impact of soy intake on lung cancer survival among participants of the Shanghai Women's Health Study, which tracked cancer incidence in 74,941 Shanghai women. Information on usual dietary intake of soy food (soy milk, tofu, fresh and dry soybeans, soy sprouts, and other soy products) was collected in-person at study enrollment and again two years later. Soy food and isoflavone content of various food products was calculated based on the Chinese Food Composition tables. During the course of the study, 444 women were diagnosed with lung cancer. The median time between the first dietary assessment and cancer diagnosis was 5.8 years.
In this analysis, patients were divided into three groups according to soy food intake prior to lung cancer diagnosis. The highest and lowest intake levels were equivalent to approximately 4 oz or more and 2 oz or less tofu per day, respectively. Patients with the highest soy food intake had markedly better overall survival compared with those with the lowest intake ? 60 percent of patients in the highest intake group and 50 percent in the lowest intake group were alive at twelve months after diagnosis.
The risk of death decreased with increasing soy intake until the intake reached a level equivalent to about 4 oz of tofu per day. Researchers found no additional survival benefit from consuming higher amounts of soy. Similar trends were observed when dietary isoflavone intake was evaluated.
The findings may not necessarily apply beyond this study's population, which has a very low prevalence of cigarette smoking, a known risk factor for the development of lung cancer, and postmenopausal hormone replacement therapy use, a factor that may negatively affect lung cancer prognosis. In addition, the overall soy food intake is higher in Chinese women than in Western women.
"But given the increasing popularity of soy food in the U.S. and elsewhere, and a sizable number of women who don't smoke, the results of this study could have wider relevance," said Yang.
Future research will explore whether consumption of soy food after diagnosis of lung cancer affects survival, particularly among patients with early-stage disease, who may benefit most from a nutritional intervention.
This research was supported by the U.S. National Cancer Institute and conducted by investigators at Vanderbilt University in collaboration with those from the Shanghai Cancer Institute and NCI.
ASCO Perspective
Jyoti Patel, MD, ASCO Cancer Communications Committee member and lung cancer expert
"This study provides some early evidence that consuming large amounts of soy food may help women, particularly never smokers, live longer if they should develop lung cancer."
###
Helpful Links from Cancer.Net, ASCO's cancer information website:
Plant-Based Foods - http://www.cancer.net/all-about-cancer/risk-factors-and-prevention/diet-and-nutrition/plant-based-foods
General Nutrition Recommendations - http://www.cancer.net/all-about-cancer/risk-factors-and-prevention/diet-and-nutrition/general-nutrition-recommendations
The Role of Major Nutrients in Cancer Prevention - http://www.cancer.net/all-about-cancer/risk-factors-and-prevention/diet-and-nutrition/role-major-nutrients-cancer-prevention
Guide to Lung Cancer - http://www.cancer.net/cancer-types/lung-cancer
The Journal of Clinical Oncology is the tri-monthly peer-reviewed journal of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO), the world's leading professional society representing physicians who treat people with cancer.
ATTRIBUTION TO THE JOURNAL OF CLINICAL ONCOLOGY IS REQUESTED IN ALL NEWS COVERAGE.
[ | 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.
Source: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2013-03/asoc-hsi032513.php
nyc marathon nyc marathon willie nelson khloe kardashian Wreck It Ralph Hunter Hayes Movember
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)