PUBLIC RELEASE DATE:

3-Dec-2014

Contact: Kathryn Ryan kryan@liebertpub.com 914-740-2100 Mary Ann Liebert, Inc./Genetic Engineering News @LiebertOnline

New Rochelle, NY, December 3, 2014--Are adolescents who view pornography or music videos more likely to engage in sexting, in which they share sexually explicit content via text, photo, or video using cell phones, email, or social networking sites? A study of the media consumption and sexting behavior of more than 300 teens is published in Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking, a peer-reviewed journal from Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers. The article is available free on the Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking website.

In "The Associations Between Adolescents' Consumption of Pornography and Music Videos and Their Sexting Behavior," authors Joris Van Ouytsel, MSc, Koen Ponnet, PhD, and Michel Walrave, PhD, University of Antwerp, Belgium, determined whether viewing pornography or watching music videos was predictive of sexting among adolescents, involving sending or receiving sexually explicit text messages, pictures, or videos. They found a statistically significant link between pornography and sexting for both boys and girls.

"The results found in this study may be useful to consider during both prevention and treatment," says Editor-in-Chief Brenda K. Wiederhold, PhD, MBA, BCB, BCN, Interactive Media Institute, San Diego, California and Virtual Reality Medical Institute, Brussels, Belgium.

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About the Journal

Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking is an authoritative peer-reviewed journal published monthly online with Open Access options and in print that explores the psychological and social issues surrounding the Internet and interactive technologies, plus cybertherapy and rehabilitation. Complete tables of contents and a sample issue may be viewed on the Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking website.

About the Publisher

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Sexting and pornography or music video viewing among adolescents: Is there a link?

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The Microbiome: A New Frontier in Human Health
Traditionally the medical community has viewed microbes as the cause of illness and sought to eliminate them. This notion, however, is shifting as emerging research in the field of human microbiome...

By: Center for Genetic Medicine

Originally posted here:
The Microbiome: A New Frontier in Human Health - Video

Recommendation and review posted by Bethany Smith

PUBLIC RELEASE DATE:

4-Dec-2014

Contact: Federico Santoni federico.santoni@unige.ch 022-379-5719 Universit de Genve @UNIGEnews

Cancers are due to genetic aberrations in certain cells that gain the ability to divide indefinitely. This proliferation of sick cells generates tumors, which gradually invade healthy tissue. Therefore, current therapies essentially seek to destroy cancer cells to stop their proliferation. Through high-throughput genetic sequencing of glioblastoma cells, one of the most deadly brain tumors, a team of geneticists from the University of Geneva's (UNIGE) Faculty of Medicine discovered that some of these mutations are caused by supplemental extrachromosomal DNA fragments, called double minutes, which enable cancer cells to better adapt to their environment and therefore better resist to treatments meant to destroy them. Read more in Nature Communications.

Although scientists have known for about twenty years about double minutes, little chromosomal fragments which sometimes appear during cellular division, they have just started to understand their exact function. Due to replication errors, these mini-chromosomes lack centromere, which allows them to replicate extremely rapidly and autonomously. Scientists therefore suspect that they play a role in the development of cancers, diseases that are caused by mutations in genes that control cellular metabolism and development.

Professor Stylianos Antonarakis and his team in the Genetic Medicine and Development Department of UNIGE's Faculty of Medicine, in collaboration with the Geneva University Hospitals' (HUG) Centre of Oncology, identified double minutes in glioblastoma cells with specific oncogenes. To this end, the scientists used advanced methods of bioinformatics to perform high-throughput genetic sequencing. The researchers then noticed that one of the main genetic mutations responsible for the anarchic development of cancer cells was not found on actual chromosomes, but only on these double minutes, which, given their very fast proliferation, multiplied the impact of this mutation. The researchers had therefore identified an oncogene whose malignancy was amplified by the number of its copies present on each double minute, but which was not present on the chromosomes themselves.

An Intriguing Adaptability in DNA

The Geneva team also discovered that cells can modulate the number of double minutes according to their environment, and especially in response to chemotherapy. To counter the aggression caused by these treatments and ensure its survival, the cell reduces its number of double minutes until they disappear completely. It is thus freed from the oncogenetic mutation that was present in these DNA fragments. But glioblastoma, like most cancers, depends on a combination of several genes. The tumor therefore begins to exploit a new gene in order to keep growing. Paradoxically, the cell can return to its initial chromosomal state with regards to that specific oncogene, but other oncogenic genes are then activated in the still living cell. The double minutes therefore act as adjustment variables in cancer cells and limit the effects of therapies, explains Sergei Nikolaev, joint lead author of the study.

These mini-chromosomes amplify the harmful effects of oncogenes and give a selective advantage to sick cells compared with healthy cells, as the tumor grows. In fact, their presence has been detected in most very aggressive cancers. We must absolutely continue our research in order to better understand this phenomenon of DNA adaptation, emphasizes Federico Santoni, joint lead author of this study. This will allow us to better measure its implications, and perhaps to find more effective therapeutic strategies against the deadliest cancers, he concludes.

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Read more here:
Mini chromosomes that strengthen tumors

Recommendation and review posted by Bethany Smith

The Sims 3 - Perfect Genetics Challenge Ep.60 Family Craziness
Come join me on my latest journey into the complex world of sims 3 genetics, as I try to get perfect foals and perfect children. Will I succeed in getting pe...

By: GamerGirlsNetwork

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The Sims 3 - Perfect Genetics Challenge Ep.60 Family Craziness - Video

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The Ride With Cord McCoy Segment -Ross Coleman Talks Genetics
Back Seat Buckers provides our stock contractors with some of the best genetics in the industry.

By: BackSeatBuckers

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The Ride With Cord McCoy Segment -Ross Coleman Talks Genetics - Video

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New Seeds! Sincity Seeds, OceanGrown Genetics, Shoutouts and Bong Rips
Adults Only! 18 and up! This is a medicinal marijuana channel for entertainment and medicating purposes. I am a medical marijuana patient legal under RCW. 69.51a of Washington State. I502 is...

By: Daniel TheDank

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New Seeds! Sincity Seeds, OceanGrown Genetics, Shoutouts and Bong Rips - Video

Recommendation and review posted by Bethany Smith

Perfect Genetics Challenge - Part 31 - All our pets are infested with FLEAS
Open for info links -- Thumbs up if you enjoyed this part and Subscribe for more! Somehow, Misty gave birth to a blonde headed baby? Here #39;s the link for the Perfect Genetics Challenge...

By: Apanda

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Perfect Genetics Challenge - Part 31 - All our pets are infested with FLEAS - Video

Recommendation and review posted by Bethany Smith

Stamford, CT (PRWEB) December 03, 2014

Alliance for Cancer Gene Therapy, Inc. (ACGT) the nations only nonprofit dedicated exclusively to cell and gene therapies for cancer today launched its #NotImmune campaign, which aims to put a spotlight on the need for funding research, so cancer can become a more manageable disease and patients can receive quality treatment with fewer painful side effects.

Cancer is an aggressive disease for which the treatments often come with devastating side effects, Margaret Cianci, Executive Director, Alliance for Cancer Gene Therapy (ACGT), said. Cell and gene therapies, such as immunotherapy treatments for cancer, attack the cancer, not the patient. Its a powerful message and a game changer for those undergoing cancer treatments. We want to fund research that will bring these types of treatments to all patients.

By rallying the community in support of cancer research, ACGT aims to prove that no one is immune to the cause. In support of the campaign, ACGT has launched an online store (http://www.acgtfoundation.com/notimmune) where supporters can purchase t-shirts, wristbands, cinch sacs and key chains or make a tax free donation with 100% of the funds going directly to cancer gene and cell therapy research. Visitors to the site can also view an educational video on the power of immunotherapy, featuring clinical trial success story, Bob Levis, who two years ago received a terminal diagnosis and, after participating in a clinical trial at the University of Pennsylvania led by Dr. Carl June, an ACGT grantee, is today cancer free.

Were fortunate to have funded researchers early on, selected by our esteemed Scientific Advisory Council, who are now considered pioneers in the fields of cell and gene therapy, and to have an active and engaged community of supporters, Barbara Netter, President and Co-Founder ofACGT, said. Cancer is something that impacts patients, their families and the community and we invite everyone to join us in showing theyre not immune to the cause just as we were when we lost our young daughter-in-law to breast cancer.

ACGT is based in Stamford, CT and funds top physicians and researchers at medical institutions in the US and Canada. The foundation supports a number of gene therapy treatments including immunotherapy, which activates patients own immune systems to battle cancerous cells. Recently, the FDA granted fast-track status to an immunotherapy treatment for leukemia for which ACGT provided early funding. ACGT has granted nearly $25 million to researchers since its founding in 2001 by Barbara Netter and her late husband, Edward.

Show you are not immune to the cause! Help fund the next cancer research breakthrough: http://www.acgtfoundation.org/give-to-acgt/donate Purchase great items: http://www.acgtfoundation.com/notimmune Promote on Twitter and Facebook: #notimmune

About Alliance for Cancer Gene Therapy (ACGT) Established in 2001, ACGT (http://www.acgtfoundation.org) is the nations only not-for-profit exclusively dedicated to cell and gene therapy treatments for all types of cancer. One-hundred percent of contributions go directly to research. ACGT has funded 44 grants in the U.S. and Canada since its founding in 2001 by Barbara Netter and her late husband, Edward, to conduct and accelerate critically needed innovative research. ACGTs Scientific Advisory Council, comprised of 16 of the nations most distinguished physicians and researchers in cell and gene therapy, thoroughly review all grants. Since its inception, ACGT has awarded 29 grants to Young Investigators and 15 grants to Clinical Investigators, totaling $24.7 million in funding. Barbara Netter, as President, together with other members of the Board of Directors, are fully committed to ACGTs continued support of this research. ACGT is located at 96 Cummings Point Road, Stamford, CT 06902.

ACGT on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/ACGTfoundation ACGT on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/ACGTfoundation ACGT on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/user/ACGTfoundation

Link:
Alliance for Cancer Gene Therapy Launches #NotImmune Campaign to Reinforce Importance of Cancer Research

Recommendation and review posted by Bethany Smith

Actual Surgical Footage of the BMAC for Knee Osteoarthritis Procedure - Mayo Clinic (GRAPHIC video)
Shane Shapiro, M.D., orthopedic physician at Mayo Clinic in Florida, performS a bone marrow aspiration and concentration for BMAC/stem cell injection into arthritic knees. This procedure is...

By: Mayo Clinic

View original post here:
Actual Surgical Footage of the BMAC for Knee Osteoarthritis Procedure - Mayo Clinic (GRAPHIC video) - Video

Recommendation and review posted by Bethany Smith

10 Regenerative Medicine and Applications of Stem Cell Research June 1, 2010)

By: tawkaw OpenCourseWare

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10 Regenerative Medicine and Applications of Stem Cell Research June 1, 2010) - Video

Recommendation and review posted by sam

ORLANDO, Fla. -

If you think your dog is suffering from arthritis, researchers at the University of Floridas Health Science Center want you.

[WEB EXTRA: See if your pet meets study criteria | More info on stem cell process ]

Well, actually your pet.

Your dog may be eligible for a blind study being conducted by the University of Floridas College of Veterinary Medicine.

UF veterinarians are looking for 30 dogs, ages 2 to 10 years old, to participate in the next phase of a stem cell therapy project.

The dogs must be healthy, 10 to 120 pounds, and should have been diagnosed with elbow arthritis or dysplasia by their local vet.

Doctors are injecting stem cells directly into the elbows (front leg joints) of the animals to determine if the treatment will decrease the inflammation and pain associated with elbow dysplasia.

Dr. Stanley Kim, a specialist in small animal surgery, says some pets are given a placebo and not even the owner will know if saline or stem cells have been injected into the pets joints until the 6 month study is completed.

The dogs are evaluated at one month, three months and then again at six months but no dog will be left without the stem cell therapy.

Original post:
UF researchers recruiting local pets for arthritis study

Recommendation and review posted by simmons

Garrett Robinson T7-8-9 Paraplegic Exercises at C.O.R.E.
Follow Garrett Robinson who has a T7-8-9 Paraplegic Spinal Cord Injury through his workout at the Center of Restorative Exercise (C.O.R.E.). Centerofrestorativeexercise.com.

By: Center of Restorative Exercise

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Garrett Robinson T7-8-9 Paraplegic Exercises at C.O.R.E. - Video

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CEO Karen Zaderej of Axogen, Inc. - Clear Channel Interview - 1800pr
AxoGen (NASDAQ: AXGN) is a leading regenerative medicine company dedicated to advancing the science and commercialization of peripheral nerve repair solutions. The Company #39;s innovative ...

By: 1800PublicRelations.com

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CEO Karen Zaderej of Axogen, Inc. - Clear Channel Interview - 1800pr - Video

Recommendation and review posted by sam

Skip Navigation Henry, transplant recipient

Marrow transplant patients are at the heart of our mission.

Be The Match is proud to partner with Faribault Woolen Mill, ILLUME and Kindly Coffee to spread warmth and joy this holiday season. A portion of the proceeds from your purchase will go toward supporting patients in need of a marrow match.

Shop now

Join us on December 3 from 12-1:15 p.m. CT. for a free telephone education workshop. Learn about the basics of stem cell transplant, HLA matching, how a doctor searches for a donor, caregiver and survivor experiences and resources available to patients.

Register today

Your little miracle could be someone elses cure. Your babys umbilical cord is a lifeline. After your baby is born, that lifeline can give hope to patients with blood cancers. Learn more about donating cord blood and how cord blood saves lives.

Learn more

Be The Match Community: The power of one. The power of many. Mission advocates for patients with blood cancers. Visit us on Facebook.

Go here to read the rest:
marrow

Recommendation and review posted by Bethany Smith

MIAMI (PRWEB) December 01, 2014

MIAMI, Dec. 1, 2014Stem Cell Training, Inc., a division of Global Stem Cells Group, Inc., has announced plans to launch a post graduate studies program in stem cell therapies and regenerative medicine in 2015.

The program will include five days of intensive, interactive training coursework with classroom instruction and laboratory practice through didactic lectures, hands-on practical experience in laboratory protocols and relevant lessons in regulatory practices. Global Stem Cells Group Advisory Board member Dr. David B. Harrell, PhD will teach the coursework and perform laboratory instruction, accompanied by a series of guest lecturers from the Global Stem Cells Group faculty of scientists.

Attendees will receive hands-on training in techniques for a variety of laboratory processes, and gain insight into the inner workings of a cGMP laboratory and FDA registered tissue bank. Regenerative medicine experts with more 15 years of experience in the field will train attendees and provide the necessary tools to implement regulatory and clinical guidelines in a cGMP laboratory setting

The graduate course is to be held four times in Miami in 2015.

Course details, objectives and instruction include:

Didactic Lectures will include:

For additional information, visit the Stem Cell Training, Inc. website, email info(at)stemcelltraining(dot)net, or call 305-224-1858.

About Global Stem Cells Group:

Global Stem Cells Group, Inc. is the parent company of six wholly owned operating companies dedicated entirely to stem cell research, training, products and solutions. Founded in 2012, the company combines dedicated researchers, physician and patient educators and solution providers with the shared goal of meeting the growing worldwide need for leading edge stem cell treatments and solutions. With a singular focus on this exciting new area of medical research, Global Stem Cells Group and its subsidiaries are uniquely positioned to become global leaders in cellular medicine.

See the article here:
Global Stem Cell Groups Stem Cell Training to Launch Post-graduate Studies Program in Stem Cell Therapies and ...

Recommendation and review posted by Bethany Smith

NEWS

1200+ scientists, patient advocates from 40 countries in town for summit

Posted TODAY, 6:04 PM Updated TODAY, 6:33 PM

SAN ANTONIO - More than a thousand scientists, industry leaders and patient advocates from 40 countries are headed to San Antonio for the World Stem Cell Summit.

Organizers are calling it the center of the universe when it comes to stem cells and regenerative medicine.

On Tuesday the summit kicked off with Public Education Day, where some of the smartest scientists in the field broke the topic down into bite-sized pieces.

"To be able to replenish our cells that die within a tissue on a daily basis, in order for us to be able to heal wounds, we have to have stem cells," said Elaine Fuchs, an investigator for the Howard Hughes Medical Institute.

She started her research in the field in the 1970s with work on skin stem cells, and said she was fascinated with creating skin in a petri dish that could then be used for burn therapy.

Fuchs spoke at Public Education Day about the most basic biology of stem cells and said that knowledge is leading to a new world in medicine.

"The biology of stem cells is gong to be and is being extremely valuable in terms of developing new therapies and coming up with new drugs to treat various different devastating diseases," Fuchs said.

Excerpt from:
World Stem Cell Summit kicks off in SA with Public Education Day

Recommendation and review posted by Bethany Smith

PBR Staff Writer Published 02 December 2014

US-based Unum Therapeutics has started a Phase I trial designed to evaluate the feasibility, safety and potential efficacy of infusing the ATTCK20 combination therapy in patients with B-cell malignancies and persistent disease following standard therapy.

Antibody-Targeted Tumor Cell Killing 20 (ATTCK20) is a combination of a patient's antibody-coupled T-cell receptor (ACTR) T-cells administered with rituximab, a monoclonal antibody targeting CD20.

ACTR is a chimeric protein that combines components from receptors normally found on two different human immune cell types natural killer (NK) cells and T-cells in order to create new cancer cell killing activity.

ATTCK occurs when T-cells expressing an ACTR engage a tumor-targeting antibody on the surface of a cancer cell.

The first Phase I dose escalation trial for ATTCK20 is being conducted at National University Hospital (NUH) and Singapore General Hospital (SGH) in Singapore.

Unum Therapeutics president and CEO Chuck Wilson said: "Despite recent advances in cancer treatments, there are still far too many individuals with B-cell malignancies who die from their disease.

"With these unmet medical needs fueling our efforts, we are excited to see the start of clinical testing for ATTCK20."

The company said that T-cells from patients in the trial are processed at the Tissue Engineering & Cell Therapy (TECT) Laboratory at NUH.

The National University Cancer Institute's Hematology-Oncology Research Group Trial Unit manages and supports all aspects of the clinical trial.

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Unum Therapeutics begins Phase I trial of ATTCK20 combination therapy

Recommendation and review posted by Bethany Smith

PUBLIC RELEASE DATE:

1-Dec-2014

Contact: Elspeth Houlding e.houlding@wellcome.ac.uk 44-020-611-8898 Wellcome Trust @wellcometrust

The rapid evolution of HIV, which has allowed the virus to develop resistance to patients' natural immunity, is at the same time slowing the virus's ability to cause AIDS, according to new research funded by the Wellcome Trust.

The study also indicates that people infected by HIV are likely to progress to AIDS more slowly - in other words the virus becomes less 'virulent' - because of widespread access to antiretroviral therapy (ART).

Both processes make an important contribution to the overall goal of the control and eradication of the HIV epidemic. In 2013, there were a total of 35 million people living with HIV worldwide according to the World Health Organisation.

The study, published today in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), was led by researchers at the University of Oxford, along with scientists from South Africa, Canada, Tokyo, Harvard University and Microsoft Research.

The research was carried out in Botswana and South Africa, two countries that have been worst affected by the HIV epidemic. Across those countries, researchers enrolled over 2000 women with chronic HIV infection to take part in the study.

The first part of the study looked at whether the interaction between the body's natural immune response and HIV leads to the virus becoming less virulent.

Central to this investigation are proteins in our blood called the human leukocyte antigens (HLA), which enable the immune system to differentiate between the human body's proteins and the proteins of pathogens. People with a gene that expresses a particular HLA protein called HLA-B*57, are known to benefit from a 'protective effect' to HIV. Infected patients with the HLA-B*57 gene progress more slowly than usual to AIDS.

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Research suggests ability of HIV to cause AIDS is slowing

Recommendation and review posted by Bethany Smith

Cyrus Co. Genetic Engineering Episode 1(E.G.C.)
This facility was funded by Coronia Corp. No hate mail.

By: E.G.C. Cyrus and Friends

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Cyrus Co. Genetic Engineering Episode 1(E.G.C.) - Video

Recommendation and review posted by Bethany Smith

Yes. We understand the potential benefits of the technology, and support continued advances in molecular biology, the underlying science. But we are critics of the business models and regulatory systems that have characterized early deployment of these technologies. GE has proved valuable in some areas (as in the contained use of engineered bacteria in pharmaceutical development), and some GE applications could turn out to play a useful role in food production.

Thus far, however, GE applications in agriculture have only made the problems of industrial monocropping worse. Rather than supporting a more sustainable agriculture and food system with broad societal benefits, the technology has been employed in ways that reinforce problematic industrial approaches to agriculture. Policy decisions about the use of GE have too often been driven by biotech industry public relations campaigns, rather than by what science tells us about the most cost-effective ways to produce abundant food and preserve the health of our farmland.

These are a few things policy makers should do to best serve the public interest:

Excerpt from:
Genetic Engineering in Agriculture | Union of Concerned ...

Recommendation and review posted by Bethany Smith

By Isaac Fletcher, contributing writer, Food Online

J.R. Simplots Innate potato may provide potential health benefits through genetic engineering, but uncertainty over long-term risks and degree of benefits raise some concerns

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has recently approved for commercial planting a potato that has been genetically engineered to reduce the amounts of a potentially harmful ingredient that appear in French fries and potato chips. When potatoes are fried, a chemical called acrylamide, which is suspected of causing cancer, is produced. The genetic engineering involves altering the potatos DNA so that when the potato is fried, the amount of acrylamide that appears is reduced. Additionally, the genetically-engineered potato is resistant to bruising. This will help potato growers and processors lower the instances of damage during shipping and storage, leading to fewer occurrences of lost value and unusable product. The potatoes have been developed by the J.R. Simplot Company of Boise, Idaho, a major supplier of McDonalds frozen French fries.

Rather than solely providing benefit to farmers and producers, the potato is among a new wave of genetically-engineered crops designed to provide benefits to consumers. However, with many consumers calling into question the safety of genetically-modified foods, the new potato may face some challenges in winning over consumer approval. Such consumer concerns raise questions about whether the potatoes will be used by various food companies and restaurant chains.

In the 1990s, genetically-modified potatoes were introduced by Monsanto in an effort to provide resistance against the Colorado potato beetle. However, the market crumbled when major buyers of potatoes instructed suppliers to not grow them due to fears over consumer resistance. However, the new potato from Simplot has some advantages that may help it weather the tide of consumer uncertainty.

First of all, the potato aims to provide potential health benefits to consumers rather than just providing cost-savings to suppliers and producers. Furthermore, Simplot is a well-established power in the potato industry and has likely been laying the foundation for product acceptance among its customers. The other strength of Simplots potato is that, unlike many other genetically-engineered crops, the potatoes do not contain genes from any other species, instead, the potato contains fragments of potato DNA that serve to mute four of the potatoes own genes involved in the production of particular enzymes. For this reason, Simplot has chosen to call its product the Innate potato, an innocuous name that may help win over consumer acceptance. Haven Baker, head of potato development at Simplot, explains, We are trying to use genes from the potato plant back into the potato plant. We believe theres some more comfort in that.

However, that is not to say that the Innate potato will not face roadblocks along the way. There are some questions over the long-term effects of this kind of engineering and, according to Doug Gurian-Sherman, a plant pathologist and senior scientist at the Center for Food Safety, much about RNA interference the technique used to mute the genes is not fully understood. Gurian-Sherman argues, We think this is a really premature approval of a technology that is not being adequately regulated. Additionally, the benefits of reducing acrylamide levels by 50 to 75 percent are still unclear.

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USDA Gives Genetically-Engineered Potatoes The Thumbs Up

Recommendation and review posted by Bethany Smith

New research from North Carolina State University and the University of Minnesota shows that the majority of consumers will accept the presence of nanotechnology or genetic modification (GM) technology in foods -- but only if the technology enhances the nutrition or improves the safety of the food.

"In general, people are willing to pay more to avoid GM or nanotech in foods, and people were more averse to GM tech than to nanotech," says Dr. Jennifer Kuzma, senior author of a paper on the research and co-director of the Genetic Engineering in Society Center at NC State. "However, it's not really that simple. There were some qualifiers, indicating that many people would be willing to buy GM or nanotech in foods if there were health or safety benefits."

The researchers conducted a nationally representative survey of 1,117 U.S. consumers. Participants were asked to answer an array of questions that explored their willingness to purchase foods that contained GM tech and foods that contained nanotech. The questions also explored the price of the various foods and whether participants would buy foods that contained nanotech or GM tech if the foods had enhanced nutrition, improved taste, improved food safety, or if the production of the food had environmental benefits.

The researchers found that survey participants could be broken into four groups.

Eighteen percent of participants belonged to a group labeled the "new technology rejecters," which would not by GM or nanotech foods under any circumstances. Nineteen percent of participants belonged to a group labeled the "technology averse," which would buy GM or nanotech foods only if those products conveyed food safety benefits. Twenty-three percent of participants were "price oriented," basing their shopping decisions primarily on the cost of the food -- regardless of the presence of GM or nanotech. And 40 percent of participants were "benefit oriented," meaning they would buy GM or nanotech foods if the foods had enhanced nutrition or food safety.

"This tells us that GM or nanotech food products have greater potential to be viable in the marketplace if companies focus on developing products that have safety and nutrition benefits -- because a majority of consumers would be willing to buy those products," Kuzma says.

"From a policy standpoint, it also argues that GM and nanotech foods should be labeled, so that the technology rejecters can avoid them," Kuzma adds.

The paper, "Heterogeneous Consumer Preferences for Nanotechnology and Genetic-modification Technology in Food Products," is published online in the Journal of Agricultural Economics. Lead author of the paper is Dr. Chengyuan Yue of the University of Minnesota. The paper was co-authored by Shuoli Zhao, a graduate student at UM. The research was supported by a grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Story Source:

The above story is based on materials provided by North Carolina State University. Note: Materials may be edited for content and length.

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Nutrition, safety key to consumer acceptance of nanotech, genetic modification in foods

Recommendation and review posted by Bethany Smith

PORTLAND, Ore. -- Genetic engineering takes cells and alters their genes so they perform functions different from what nature originally intended. A new trend uses circuitry to re-engineer the cell. These biological circuits "wire" naturally occurring cells into a circuit that performs a new function, such as filling in for the dopamine-generating cells destroyed by Parkinson's disease.

"Our ultimate goal, many years from now, is complex medical applications, such as injection of a circuit into the bloodstream that looks for cancer cells and, when it finds one, injects a drug," Domitilla Del Vecchio, a professor at MIT, told EE Times. "Such a circuit would need a sensor, a computer, and an actuation component to inject the drug, and those are the kinds of components we are working on today."

Yeast cells (middle) are wired together like electronic components, but they communicate, not with electrical wires, but with chemicals that only plug into cells with the proper receptor. (Image: MIT)

Other possible applications include synthetic biological circuits that measure glucose levels constantly for diabetic patients and then automatically release insulin when it is needed.

The design process for such biocircuitry is slow and arduous compared with designing electronic circuits. For one thing, the researchers are not using nerves for communication. Instead, they use the normal communication method inside a natural cell, with the "output" secreting a chemical that only affects the "input" cells that have receptors tailored to be activated by that particular chemical.

The second big slowdown is the mathematics used to model the desired circuits. The researchers cannot use simple R-L-C equations like Ohm's Law. They must use the tedious mathematics of differential equations. "Biological circuits are very nonlinear, so we have to use differential equations to model them," Del Vecchio said.

Nevertheless, the payoff will make the effort worth it, since many maladies seem immune to solution by a simple symptom-treating drug. They require a complex cure that actively senses, computes, and responds. The best way to do that, according to MIT researchers, is to create cells that perform those functions internally, rather than trying to wire together an artificial neural network, as so many others have attempted.

Left to right: Ron Weiss, professor of biological engineering; Domitilla Del Vecchio, associate professor of mechanical engineering; and Deepak Mishra, MIT graduate student in biological engineering. (Image: MIT/Brian Teague)

"Besides nerve cells, there are many types of circuitry in biological systems, such as genetic circuitry that controls the expression of genes and the cells that controls the time keeping of the organism, such as when to get up in the morning," Del Vecchio said.

So far, most of the research group's circuits have been designed to sense something, using either yeast cells (in the illustration above) or bacteria cells. "Bacteria cells are much easier to work with, because they don't have a nucleus to deal with."

See the article here:
Biologists Grow Living Circuits

Recommendation and review posted by Bethany Smith

PUBLIC RELEASE DATE:

2-Dec-2014

Contact: Kathryn Ryan kryan@liebertpub.com 914-740-2100 Mary Ann Liebert, Inc./Genetic Engineering News @LiebertOnline

New Rochelle, NY, December 2, 2014--A study of active duty U.S. Marines who suffered a recent or previous concussion(s) examined whether persistent post-concussive symptoms (PPCS) and lingering effects on cognitive function are due to concussion-related brain trauma or emotional distress. The results are different for a recent concussion compared to a history of multiple concussions, according to the study published in Journal of Neurotrauma, a peer-reviewed journal from Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers. The article is available Open Access on the Journal of Neurotrauma website at http://online.liebertpub.com/doi/full/10.1089/neu.2014.3363.

James Spira, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and University of Hawaii (Honolulu, HI), Corinna Lathan, AnthroTronix, Inc. (Silver Spring, MD), Joseph Bleiberg, Walter Reed National Military Medical Center (Bethesda, MD), and Jack Tsao, U.S. Navy Bureau of Medicine and Surgery (Falls Church, VA), assessed the effects of concussion on persistent symptoms, independent of deployment history, combat exposure, and symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder and depression. They describe the results for persons with a recent concussion or who had ever had a concussion to those who had more than one lifetime concussion in the article "The Impact of Multiple Concussions on Emotional Distress, Post-Concussive Symptoms, and Neurocognitive Functioning in Active Duty United States Marines Independent of Combat Exposure or Emotional Distress".

John T. Povlishock, PhD, Editor-in-Chief of Journal of Neurotrauma and Professor, Medical College of Virginia Campus of Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, notes that "This study by Spira and colleagues represents an important contribution to our understanding of the negative impact of multiple concussions in a relatively large military population sustaining both deployment and non-deployment related trauma. The consistent observation that multiple concussive injuries are associated with worse emotional and post-concussive symptoms is an extremely important finding that must guide our evaluation of individuals, in both the military and civilian settings, who have sustained multiple concussive injuries. While the authors acknowledge some limitations of the current work and the need for future research to follow a similar cohort in terms of the time course and causality of the symptoms associated with concussion, overall this well done study adds significantly to our increased understanding of the adverse consequences of repetitive concussive/mild traumatic brain injury."

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About the Journal

Journal of Neurotrauma is an authoritative peer-reviewed journal published 24 times per year in print and online that focuses on the latest advances in the clinical and laboratory investigation of traumatic brain and spinal cord injury. Emphasis is on the basic pathobiology of injury to the nervous system, and the papers and reviews evaluate preclinical and clinical trials targeted at improving the early management and long-term care and recovery of patients with traumatic brain injury. Journal of Neurotrauma is the official journal of the National Neurotrauma Society and the International Neurotrauma Society. Complete tables of content and a sample issue may be viewed on the Journal of Neurotrauma website at http://www.liebertpub.com/neu.

About the Publisher

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Do concussions have lingering cognitive, physical, and emotional effects?

Recommendation and review posted by Bethany Smith

PUBLIC RELEASE DATE:

2-Dec-2014

Contact: Kathryn Ryan kryan@liebertpub.com 914-740-2100 Mary Ann Liebert, Inc./Genetic Engineering News @LiebertOnline

New Rochelle, NY, December 2, 2014--The challenges in providing psychotherapy to individuals with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) who also are struggling with their gender identity are explored in two case studies of high-functioning persons with diagnoses of ASD and gender dysphoria (GD). The authors describe the unique complexities presented by these two diagnoses and offer suggested techniques for helping these individuals explore their gender identities in an article in LGBT Health, a peer-reviewed journal from Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers. The article is available free on the LGBT Health website until January 2, 2015.

New York, NY-based psychotherapist Laura A. Jacobs, LCSW, and coauthors from New York University and private practice explain why characteristics of ASD, such as the limited ability to express feelings, difficulty with social interaction and impaired theory of mind, as well as the intolerance of ambiguity, may present special difficulties for gender identity formation in persons with GD. However, in the article "Gender Dysphoria and Co-Occurring Autism Spectrum Disorders: Review, Case Examples, and Treatment Considerations," the authors suggest that high-functioning individuals with ASDs and GD can be good candidates for gender transition and can benefit from it.

"While much has been written recently on the co-occurrence of GD and ASDs, few case histories or papers discussing treatment have been published to date, gaps that this article addresses," says Editor-in-Chief William Byne, MD, PhD, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY. "The article also underscores that while the presence of an autism spectrum disorder poses particular issues that must be addressed, it does not preclude gender transition."

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About the Journal

Spanning a broad array of disciplines LGBT Health, published quarterly online with Open Access options and in print, brings together the LGBT research, health care, and advocacy communities to address current challenges and improve the health, well-being, and clinical outcomes of LGBT persons. The Journal publishes original research, review articles, clinical reports, case studies, legal and policy perspectives, and much more. Complete tables of content and a sample issue may be viewed on the LGBT Health website.

About the Publisher

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Combination of autism spectrum disorder and gender nonconformity presents unique challenges

Recommendation and review posted by Bethany Smith