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Source: http://video.today.msnbc.msn.com/today/50441238/
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Saturday, January 12, 2013
Saturday, January 5, 2013
Gene variant linked to active personality traits also linked to human longevity
Jan. 3, 2013 ? A variant of a gene associated with active personality traits in humans seems to also be involved with living a longer life, UC Irvine and other researchers have found.
This derivative of a dopamine-receptor gene -- called the DRD4 7R allele -- appears in significantly higher rates in people more than 90 years old and is linked to lifespan increases in mouse studies.
Robert Moyzis, professor of biological chemistry at UC Irvine, and Dr. Nora Volkow, a psychiatrist who conducts research at the Brookhaven National Laboratory and also directs the National Institute on Drug Abuse, led a research effort that included data from the UC Irvine-led 90+ Study in Laguna Woods, Calif. Results appear online in The Journal of Neuroscience.
The variant gene is part of the dopamine system, which facilitates the transmission of signals among neurons and plays a major role in the brain network responsible for attention and reward-driven learning. The DRD4 7R allele blunts dopamine signaling, which enhances individuals' reactivity to their environment.
People who carry this variant gene, Moyzis said, seem to be more motivated to pursue social, intellectual and physical activities. The variant is also linked to attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder and addictive and risky behaviors.
"While the genetic variant may not directly influence longevity," Moyzis said, "it is associated with personality traits that have been shown to be important for living a longer, healthier life. It's been well documented that the more you're involved with social and physical activities, the more likely you'll live longer. It could be as simple as that."
Numerous studies -- including a number from the 90+ Study -- have confirmed that being active is important for successful aging, and it may deter the advancement of neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer's.
Prior molecular evolutionary research led by Moyzis and Chuansheng Chen, UC Irvine professor of psychology & social behavior, indicated that this "longevity allele" was selected for during the nomadic out-of-Africa human exodus more than 30,000 years ago.
In the new study, the UC Irvine team analyzed genetic samples from 310 participants in the 90+ Study. This "oldest-old" population had a 66 percent increase in individuals carrying the variant relative to a control group of 2,902 people between the ages of 7 and 45. The presence of the variant also was strongly correlated with higher levels of physical activity.
Next, Volkow, neuroscientist Panayotis Thanos and their colleagues at the Brookhaven National Laboratory found that mice without the variant had a 7 percent to 9.7 percent decrease in lifespan compared with those possessing the gene, even when raised in an enriched environment.
While it's evident that the variant can contribute to longevity, Moyzis said further studies must take place to identify any immediate clinical benefits from the research. "However, it is clear that individuals with this gene variant are already more likely to be responding to the well-known medical adage to get more physical activity," he added.
First author Deborah Grady, Maria Corrada, Valentina Ciobanu, Alexandra Moyzis, Chuansheng Chen and Dr. Claudia Kawas of UC Irvine; Diana Shustarovich and Gene-Jack Wang of Brookhaven; David Grandy of Oregon Health & Science University; Marcelo Rubinstein of Argentina's National Scientific & Technical Research Council; and Qi Dong of Beijing Normal University also contributed to the study, which was supported by the U.S. Department of Energy, the National Institute on Aging, and the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse & Alcoholism intramural program.
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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by University of California - Irvine.
Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.
Journal Reference:
- D. L. Grady, P. K. Thanos, M. M. Corrada, J. C. Barnett, V. Ciobanu, D. Shustarovich, A. Napoli, A. G. Moyzis, D. Grandy, M. Rubinstein, G.-J. Wang, C. H. Kawas, C. Chen, Q. Dong, E. Wang, N. D. Volkow, R. K. Moyzis. DRD4 Genotype Predicts Longevity in Mouse and Human. Journal of Neuroscience, 2013; 33 (1): 286 DOI: 10.1523/JNEUROSCI.3515-12.2013
Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.
Disclaimer: This article is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.
Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/top_news/~3/Rj_SO25pTTI/130103151515.htm
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Friday, January 4, 2013
Doctors under Obamacare | Impact of Affordable Care Act
A lot has been written and said about the?Affordable Care Act, which is beginning to come into full force. But a much ignored effect is that on the medical profession. Reaction is mixed among doctors and it depends on where in the profession and where in the country a doctor is. This is inevitable given that affordable care is the biggest revolution to hit American public health ever. Doctors can look forward to (or even dread)?
?an exceptional and permanent explosion in patient numbers.?Medical insurers are being compelled to take on clients with existing medical conditions, and family members under 26 years old. It means the floodgates have opened. This will bring many more patients into their clinics to consult a front line doctor. Additionally, quite a few states will be increasing their Medicaid registers.
This in turn will also add to the swelling tide of patients that has to be spread over a finite number of doctors. There will be an estimated shortfall of physicians nationwide of some 90 thousand over the next 8 years. The only alternatives in that time are extended.
?some doctors pay may well decline. Contrary to the economic law of supply and demand, the increased workload may not actually push doctors pay up. A provision under ?Obamacare? is that nearly $178 billion will but removed from medicare budgets. Most it is planned will come from smaller remuneration, preventable fraud and current waste within the overall healthcare system.
Without doubt there are many productivity improvements and cost reductions to be had from a total review of healthcare, especially in reducing duplication of expensive testing but doctors are concerned because it is the ?Independent Payment Advisory Board? that will be doing the reviewing.
?computerization of medical records. In the long-term this will mean a great step forward in standardization and productivity, but in the short-term some chaos is inevitable. To properly transition to a new record system, medical practices will need to ?cancel? patients for some time, possibly months, as they learn and become familiar with the new technology. There will be a backlog of patients. And then there is the cost, which may be significant if practices have to hire new specialist staff.
?reduced consultation times.?All of the above effects will almost certainly mean that doctors will have less time to spend on face to face consultations with patients. The current average of 7 minutes is under threat. Patients will have fewer of their concerns addressed and doctors are more likely to miss important diagnostic clues. It is foreseeable that more unnecessary tests will be done as an alternative to a time-consuming full verbal patient history.
?be more integrated with all local health providers. More than ever doctors will need to work closely with hospitals, patients and their carers. The single ?bundled? fee arrangements makes it crucial that everyone is aware of what tests and assessments are conducted before and after every individual consultation, so as to coordinate service to patients without duplication or omission.
?changing patient relationships. Medical insurers are consolidating practices and linking them to specific hospitals. Patient choices are being switched and restricted so that many may not have the doctor of their choice. The next two years will be very trying ones throughout the healthcare sector.
Source: http://www.jarretmorrow.com/doctors-under-obamacare/
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Nigeria airline in June crash resumes flights
LAGOS, Nigeria (AP) ? The Nigerian airline involved in a June crash that killed at least 163 people resumed domestic flights Thursday, even though officials acknowledge they still don't know what brought the aircraft down and that the families of the dead still haven't received insurance settlements.
Government authorities cleared Dana Air to again fly the same type of planes involved in the crash, despite public outrage over the disaster in a nation with a long history of airplane tragedies. Meanwhile, passengers still nervously board flights, even though the country's aviation industry remains mired in financial problems and is governed by lax oversight.
Smiling staffers stood Thursday at empty check-in and ticket counters at a domestic wing of Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos, as only a few passengers paid for seats on its 4:20 p.m. flight Thursday to Nigeria's capital, Abuja. The private airline planned to have a flight Friday morning carrying local celebrities, government officials and journalists to the capital and back as a sign that the carrier was again open for business, said Tony Usidamen, a Dana spokesman.
The carrier was offering tickets as cheap as 14,400 naira ($90) one-way to the capital, about half the price of its competitors, as a means of luring back passengers. However, Usidamen said the carrier planned a limited flight schedule for the coming weeks and acknowledged it would be a while before its flights were full again.
"It's going to take time to publicize the resumption of flights and to regain the public's confidence," the spokesman told The Associated Press.
On June 3, a Dana Air MD-83 twin-engine jet crashed in a crowded neighborhood on the outskirts of Lagos, killing all 153 people onboard and at least 10 on the ground, authorities have said. The pilots told air traffic controllers that the plane lost power to both engines just before the crash. The reason for the power loss remains unclear. Crash investigators in Nigeria have said the flight data recorder on the plane melted in the ensuing fire.
Dana will fly its remaining stock of five MD-83s, airplanes built by McDonnell Douglas, which was later bought by Boeing Co. The aircraft series is a mainstay of airlines around the world, with a large number still flown by American Airlines, owned by AMR Corp. Joe Obi, a spokesman for Nigeria's Aviation Minister Stella Oduah, pointed to that when asked if authorities had any concerns about Dana continuing to fly that model.
"Until we are sure what caused the crash, we can't make a decision on the MD-83," Obi told the AP.
Federal officials have given Dana Air a two-month window to complete insurance payments to the bereaved, Obi said. That could prove difficult, as Usidamen said the airline's insurers have made full payments to only five families of victims so far. Usidamen blamed the delays on families not getting needed documents from probate courts.
Nigeria has suffered a series of plane crashes over the last decades, with authorities never offering clear explanations for why the disasters happened. Obi said Nigeria's government planned to immediately publicize the cause of the Dana crash as soon as it knew, but the government has previously declined to publish the causes of other crashes.
Other airlines in Nigeria, Africa's most populous nation, have collapsed or faced dire financial straits over the last year.
Air Nigeria, the nation's second-largest carrier, collapsed in September amid allegations of financial mismanagement. Arik Air Ltd., the country's largest and perceived safest carrier, recently halted domestic flights after its management alleged Oduah had a financial interest in seeing the airline fail. The carrier later resumed its flights, but raised its prices as authorities halted other smaller carriers from flying due to financial and safety issues.
Air travel, despite its perils, represents the quickest way for those who can afford it to travel across Nigeria, a nation twice the size of California and with decrepit and dangerous roads. However, experts say Nigerian aviation authorities remain overworked and safety regulations are laxly enforced in a nation where bribery is an epidemic.
The Dana Air crash represented the worst airline disaster in the country since Sept. 27, 1992, when a military transport plane crashed into a swamp shortly after takeoff from Lagos and killed all 163 people onboard. The worst air disaster in Nigeria happened in 1973, when a Jordanian Boeing 707 crashed at Nigeria's Kano international airport and killed 176 people.
___
Online:
Dana Air: www.flydanaair.com
___
Jon Gambrell can be reached at www.twitter.com/jongambrellAP .
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/nigeria-airline-june-crash-resumes-flights-142934820.html
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Hobby Lobby and the Morning-After Pill ? Center for Christian ...
The Article: Attorney: Hobby Lobby to defy morning-after pill insurance requirement while lawsuit?s pending
The Source: foxnews.com
The Date: December 27, 2012
WASHINGTON ? An attorney for Hobby Lobby Stores said Thursday that the arts and crafts chain plans to defy a federal mandate requiring it to offer employees health coverage that includes access to the morning-after pill, despite risking potential fines of up to $1.3 million per day.
Hobby Lobby and religious book-seller Mardel Inc., which are owned by the same conservative Christian family, are suing to block part of the federal health care law that requires employee health-care plans to provide insurance coverage for the morning-after pill and similar emergency contraception pills.
The companies claim the mandate violates the religious beliefs of their owners. They say the morning-after pill is tantamount to abortion because it can prevent a fertilized egg from becoming implanted in a woman?s womb.
On Wednesday, Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor denied the companies? request for an injunction while their lawsuit is pending, saying the stores failed to satisfy the demanding legal standard for blocking the requirement on an emergency basis. She said the companies may still challenge the regulations in the lower courts.
Kyle Duncan, who is representing Hobby Lobby on behalf of the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty, said in a statement posted on the group?s website Thursday that Hobby Lobby doesn?t intend to offer its employees insurance that would cover the drug while its lawsuit is pending.
?The company will continue to provide health insurance to all qualified employees,? Duncan said. ?To remain true to their faith, it is not their intention, as a company, to pay for abortion-inducing drugs.?
In ruling against the companies last month, U.S. District Judge Joe Heaton said churches and other religious organizations have been granted constitutional protection from the birth-control provisions but that ?Hobby Lobby and Mardel are not religious organizations.?
On January 1, religious business owners whose employee health plans renew at the beginning of the year will face the impossible decision to either violate their deeply held beliefs by complying with the mandate or jump over Obamacare?s conscience cliff and face ruinous fines.
heritage.org
Are you a business owner? We would love to hear your thoughts on this issue.
What are you doing to address the challenges of the new healthcare legislation?
What are the implications of this decision for business owners in the future?
Source: http://www.cfcbe.com/2013/01/02/hobby-lobby-and-the-morning-after-pill/
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Thursday, January 3, 2013
Eric Chua : Life, Business and Real Estate in Singapore ? Real ...
Industrial property and other commercial properties are going up on the market all the time, but this type of property does not get preferential listings like regular homes. Read on to learn the best ways to find commercial properties for sale or lease.
If you are new to investing in real estate, spend some time surfing online resources that house information that seasoned investors use. It?s not possible to be too knowledgeable, so keep researching new investing strategies.
If you put the commercial property up for sale, have it inspected. If there is anything wrong with your property, have it fixed right away.
TIP! There are a lot of ways you can spend less when repairing cleaning efforts. If you hold an ownership interest you are responsible for the cleanup of a property.
When selecting a real estate broker to work with, you should ask about their negotiation strategies. Much like you would interview a prospective employee, question their experience and training. You can also double check that their methods are ethical, and that they have success in finding and negotiating the optimum deals. Ask for examples of successful and unsuccessful past negotiations.
You should be aware of any environmental concerns. For example, hazardous waste materials are a major red flag for any property. If you are having issues with environmental wastes it is your ultimate responsibility to have them take care of in the right way.
Find out how any firm you have under consideration defines success. You will need to know how they select property criteria, what methods are used when negotiating and how they calculate how much square footage you will need. Being aware of all of this before committing to them actually works to your advantage.
TIP! Do not hire a broker without finding out more about their past experience within commercial property. Make sure that the agent has the proper expertise with the type of real estate purchase or sale you are looking for.
Make sure that you explicitly welcome both local and non-local buyers when you sell a piece of commercial property. Too many sellers assume that their property is likely to only sell to someone local. This is a way of thinking you should avoid. There are many private investors who prefer to purchase reasonably-priced real estate that is not local to where they reside.
Each property has a certain lifetime. Ignoring a property or deciding to wait too long can cause this lifetime to come to an unexpected end, especially if you aren?t willing to pay the fees for proper upkeep over the period of time. It could need a brand new electrical system or an updated roof. All buildings go through these kinds of phases; some more than others. It is important to build these expenses into your long term budget.
You will need to have all of your financial information if you want to procure a commercial real estate loan. You need financial statements as proof of your financial responsibility as well as of your income. Most banks won?t approve a loan to a borrower who doesn?t provide financial statements; without these statements, it?s difficult for the bank to determine whether you?re likely to pay back the loan.
TIP! In order to learn more about the commercial real estate market, find a website that caters to investors of different skill levels. Learning more about real estate will always benefit you, and you can never learn enough.
Commercial property investors need to be conscious of drastic inflation in upcoming years. Just a few years ago, most contracts protected you from inflation by locking you in at a certain interest rate. However, most leases today don?t contain mandatory adjustment clauses, so if there?s mass inflation, you may lose money.
Before you buy commercial real estate, make sure you have a firm vision of your goal for the property. Is it your intention to put your own personal business within the property, or is leasing it out in your plans? If you plan out your goals in advance, you can look only at properties that correlate with those goals.
If you?re new to investing, don?t focus on more than one kind of investment at the same time. Pick out a single property type that you would enjoy starting with and only pay attention to it. It is far better to dominate one area of the commercial real estate market than to spread your investing order many different types of commercial buildings.
TIP! When you?re writing letters of intent, try to keep it brief by agreeing with the bigger issues initially and let the lesser issues be resolved at a later time. This will make the negotiations faster and less tense, and it will also cause the lesser issues to be completed easier.
Property Owners
Create or purchase an inspection checklist before starting to evaluate properties. Tour each potential property, and check how well it meets the requirements on the list. Accept the proposal responses during the first round, but before going further, notify all the property owners involved. Letting the property owners know that you are looking at other properties can help, too. This may help you by creating a sense of urgency on the seller?s part.
As you look for opportunities on the commercial real estate market, you should always be patient and rational. Don?t jump into any investment without doing your research. Without due consideration, you might find that the real estate purchase does not meet your criteria for successful financial gain. Plan to keep your eye on your market for as long as a year if you want to find the right investment.
TIP! You?ll have to pay more upfront for a commercial loan than for a residential loan, and there are other differences between the two types of loans. The ideal way in qualifying for this type of loan is by finding the best lenders in addition to asking around for potential investment opportunities.
Before initiating a purchase, be sure that you are negotiating with a customer-focused company. If you don?t do your research and end up in bed with wolves, you will be the one to suffer.
Be certain the commercial property you are considering has good utilities access. You will need access to electricity, water, sewer and maybe gas in addition to any unique need that your business has.
Real Estate
TIP! Create and maintain an online reputation by first, starting a blog. This is helpful in finding people that want what you have looking at your properties.
To find a trustworthy real estate firm, inquire about their methods on how they make a lot of their money. They should be able to discuss the question openly and tell you that their best interest differs from yours. You need to know if their money-making priorities are going to trump your real estate needs.
You have to remember that your investment depends on rent considerations when you negotiate for a lease. Figure out what you will charge for rent before speaking with potential tenants. This will give you a foundation for meeting the goals that you set for yourself and your investment.
If you think finding the perfect property is the main hurdle to surmount, you?re wrong. Arming yourself with some good information makes the whole real estate process so much easier.
TIP! When considering commercial real estate, you should think about the importance of honing relationships with private investors. Often, commercial real estate is sold before ever being listed as being for sale.
Source: http://www.maynaseric.com/real-estate-advice-that-takes-the-guess-work-out-of-commercial-property-3
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No need for routine repeated CT scans after mild head trauma, study suggests
Jan. 3, 2013 ? When initial computed tomography (CT) scans show bleeding within the brain after mild head injury, decisions about repeated CT scans should be based on the patient's neurological condition, according to a report in the January issue of Neurosurgery, official journal of the Congress of Neurological Surgeons.
The study questions the need for routinely obtaining repeated CT scans in patients with mild head trauma. "The available evidence indicates that it is unnecessary to schedule a repeat CT scan after mild head injury when patients are unchanged or improving neurologically," according to the study by Dr. Saleh Almenawer and colleagues of McMaster University, Hamilton, Ont., Canada.
Are Repeated Scans Necessary after Mild Head Trauma? In a review of their hospital's trauma database, the researchers identified 445 adult patients with mild head injury who had evidence of intracranial hemorrhage (ICH) -- bleeding within the brain -- on an initial CT scan. In many trauma centers, it's standard practice to schedule a second CT scan within 24 hours after ICH is detected, to make sure that the bleeding has not progressed.
To evaluate the need for routine repeated scans, Dr. Almenawer and colleagues looked at how many patients needed surgery or other additional treatments, and whether the change in treatment was triggered by changes in the patients' neurological condition or based on the routine CT scan alone. (For patients whose neurological condition worsened, CT was performed immediately.)
Overall, 5.6 percent of the patients required a change in treatment after the second CT scan. Most of these patients underwent surgery (craniectomy) to relieve pressure on the brain. Nearly all patients who underwent further treatment developed neurological changes leading to immediate CT scanning.
Just two patients had a change in treatment based solely on routine repeated CT scans. Both of these patients received a drug (mannitol) to reduce intracranial pressure, rather than surgery
Decisions on CT Scans Can Be Based on Neurological Status Dr. Almenawer and colleagues extended the same method to patients reported in 15 previous studies of CT scanning after mild head injury. Including the 445 new patients, the analysis included a total of 2,693 patients. Overall, 2.7 percent of patients had a change in management based on neurological changes. In contrast, just 0.6 percent had treatment changes based on CT scans only.
Bleeding within the brain is a potentially life-threatening condition, prompting routine repeated CT scans after even mild head injury. The researchers write, "Although CT scanners are very useful tools, in an era of diminishing resources and a need to justify medical costs, this practice needs to be evaluated." Each scan also exposes the patient to radiation, contributing to increased cancer risk.
The new study questions the need for routine repeated CT scans, as long as the patient's neurological condition is improving or stable. "In the absence of supporting data, we question the value of routine follow-up imaging given the associated accumulative increase in cost and risks," Dr. Almenawer and coauthors conclude.
Neurological examination is the "simple yet important" predictive factor leading to changes in treatment and guiding the need for repeat CT scanning after mild head injury, the researchers add. They emphasize that their findings don't necessarily apply to patients with more severe head injury.
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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Wolters Kluwer Health: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, via Newswise.
Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.
Journal Reference:
- Saleh A. Almenawer, Iulia Bogza, Blake Yarascavitch, Niv Sne, Forough Farrokhyar, Naresh Murty, Kesava Reddy. The Value of Scheduled Repeat Cranial Computed Tomography After Mild Head Injury. Neurosurgery, 2013; 72 (1): 56 DOI: 10.1227/NEU.0b013e318276f899
Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.
Disclaimer: This article is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.
Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/uc0mJ-MwAQg/130103113848.htm
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