A Second Take on Meeting the Press: From an up-close look at Rachel Maddow's sneakers to an in-depth look at Jon Krakauer's latest book ? it's all fair game in our "Meet the Press: Take Two" web extra. Log on Sundays to see David Gregory's post-show conversations with leading newsmakers, authors and roundtable guests. Videos are available on-demand by 12 p.m. ET on Sundays.
Before selecting your chosen model, I would recommend you make a list of features that the laptop must have, e.g. desired operating system, optical drive (DVD-RW), webcam, Wi-Fi, Blue tooth etc, which will help in your selection.
?500 will buy a fairly decent laptop, but a ?300 device might very well suffice; with the additional ?200 buying extra memory & speed and other features that you do not need.
KONNA, Mali - French forces in Mali have seized the airport and the bridge over the Niger River at the Islamist rebel-held stronghold of Gao, the French Defence Ministry said Saturday.
French and Malian forces have advanced rapidly against Islamist militant fighters holding the Saharan north of the West African state after France intervened earlier this month at the request of the Malian government.
On Friday, al-Qaida-allied fighters were forced to pull back under relentless French air strikes and the town of Hombori, about 100miles southwest of Gao, was recaptured.
French and Malian troops have been pushing forward on either side of the Niger River, securing several farming towns recaptured over the last week.
Gao, with the other Saharan desert towns of Timbuktu and Kidal, has been occupied since last year by an Islamist alliance that includes AQIM, the north African franchise of al-Qaida.
NBC's Richard Engel expects a support role for the U.S. in the current conflict in Mali with no "boots on the ground." Engel talks to MSNBC's Craig Melvin about the ongoing conflict.
Mali's national radio said Hombori's inhabitants turned out to cheer the government soldiers.
Western and African leaders say the U.N.-backed intervention in Mali is necessary to stop the country's north - a vast, lawless tract of desert and mountains that juts into the Sahara - from becoming a safe haven for radical Islamist jihadists seeking to launch international attacks.
A Malian officer and residents living in the area south of Gao reported Thursday that the militants had blown up a bridge at Tassiga, south of Ansongo, on the road following the Niger River down to Niger.
Two civilians were reported killed when their vehicle drove off the destroyed bridge, the same sources said.?
Related:
Malians praise French troops: 'If they leave, I will leave'
Jihadists leave trail of destruction, brutality
Analysis: Why France is taking on Mali extremists
Copyright 2013 Thomson Reuters. Click for restrictions.
PORT SAID, Egypt (AP) ? Tens of thousands of mourners poured into the streets of the restive Egyptian city of Port Said on Sunday for a mass funeral for most of the 37 people killed in rioting a day earlier, chanting slogans against Islamist President Mohammed Morsi.
Violence erupted briefly when some in the crowd fired guns and police responded with volleys of tear gas, witnesses said. State television reported 110 were injured.
"We are very worried about what may happen after the burial," said local youth activist Rasha Hamouda, noting the city was fraught with tension.
The violence in the city, about 140 miles northeast of Cairo, broke out on Saturday after a court on Saturday convicted and sentenced 21 defendants to death for their roles in a mass soccer riot in a Port Said stadium on Feb. 1, 2012 that left 74 people dead. Most of those sentenced to death were local soccer fans from Port Said. The 21 were convicted on murder charges and the court is to rule on the remainder of the 73 defendants in March.
The riots stemmed mostly from animosity between police and die-hard Egyptian soccer fans, known as Ultras, who have become highly politicized. The Ultras frequently confront police and were also part of the uprising that toppled Hosni Mubarak's regime two years ago.
They were also at the forefront of protests against the military rulers who took over from Mubarak and are now again on the front lines of protests against the Morsi, the country's first freely elected leader.
A prominent Islamist leader delivered a thinly veiled warning that Islamist groups would set up militia-like vigilante groups to protect public and state property against attacks.
Addressing a news conference, Tareq el-Zomr of the once-jihadist Gamaa Islamiya, said:
"If Security forces don't achieve security, it will be the right of the Egyptian people and we at the forefront to set up popular committees to protect private and public property and counter the aggression on innocent citizens."
The threat by el-Zomr was accompanied by his charge that the mostly secular and liberal opposition was responsible for the deadly violence of the past few days, setting the stage for possible bloody clashes between protesters and Islamist militiamen. The opposition denies the charge.
There was also a funeral in Cairo for two policemen killed in the Port Said violence a day earlier. Several policemen grieving for their colleagues heckled Interior Minister Mohammed Ibrahim, who is in charge of the force, when he arrived for their funeral, according to witnesses. The angry officers screamed at the minister that he was only at the funeral for the TV cameras ? a highly unusual show of dissent in Egypt, where the police force maintains military-like discipline.
Ibrahim hurriedly left and the funeral proceeded without him.
In Port Said, mourners chanted "There is no God but Allah," and "Morsi is God's enemy" as the funeral procession made its way through the city after prayers for the dead at the city's Mariam Mosque. Women clad in black led the chants, which were quickly picked up by the rest of the mourners.
There were no police or army troops in sight. But the funeral procession briefly halted after gunfire rang out. Security officials said the gunfire came from several mourners who opened fire at the Police Club next to the cemetery.
A witness said the police responded to the gunfire with volleys of tear gas. The witness and the officials spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the situation in the city on the Mediterranean at the northern tip of the Suez Canal.
Survivors and witnesses of the Port Said soccer melee blame Mubarak loyalists for the violence, saying they had a hand in instigating the killings. The troubles erupted after Port Said's home team Al-Masry beat Cairo's Al-Ahly 3-1. Some witnesses said "hired thugs" wearing green T-shirts and posing as Al-Masry fans led the attacks.
Other witnesses said at the very least, police were responsible for gross negligence in the soccer violence, which killed 74 people, most of them Al-Ahly fans.
Anger at police was evident in Port Said, home to most of the 73 men accused of involvement in the bloodshed.
The trial was in Cairo and Judge Sobhi Abdel-Maguid did not give his reasoning when he handed down the guilty verdicts and sentences for 21 defendants. Executions in Egypt are usually carried out by hanging.
Verdicts for the remaining 52 defendants, including nine security officials, are to be delivered on March 9. Some have been charged with murder and others with assisting the attackers. All the defendants ? who were not present in the courtroom Saturday for security reasons ? can appeal the verdict.
In Port Said on Sunday, army troops backed by armored vehicles staked out positions at key government facilities to protect state interests and try to restore order.
The military issued a statement urging Port Said residents to exercise restraint and protect public property, but also warning that troops would deal "firmly" with anyone who "terrorizes" citizens or infringes upon the nation's security and stability.
Rioters on Saturday attacked the prison where the defendants were being held and tried to storm police stations and government offices around the city. Health officials say at least 37 people were killed, including two policemen, in rioting on Saturday.
The clashes in Port Said were the latest in a bout of unrest across the country that has left a total of 48 people dead since Friday. That death toll includes 11 people killed in clashes between police and protesters marking the second anniversary of the uprising that overthrew Mubarak after nearly 30 years of authoritarian rule.
Clashes broke out in Cairo for the fourth straight day on Sunday, with protesters and police near central Tahrir Square, birthplace of the 2011 uprising. Police fired tear gas while protesters pelted them with rocks.
The clashes show how turmoil was deepening in Egypt nearly seven months after Morsi took office. Critics say Morsi has failed to carry out promised reforms of the judiciary and police, and claim little has improved in the two years since the uprising.
At the heart of the rising opposition toward Morsi's government is a newly adopted constitution, which was ratified in a nationwide referendum.
Opponents claim the document has an Islamist slant. It was drafted hurriedly by the president's allies without the participation of representatives of liberals and minority Christians on the panel that wrote the charter.
Protesters on the streets this past week demanded the formation of a national unity government, early presidential elections and amendments to disputed clauses in the constitution.
Morsi and the Muslim Brotherhood, the Islamist group from which he hails, counter that the opposition was seeking to overturn the results of democratic and free elections. The Brotherhood, a well-organized and established political group in Egypt for decades, has emerged as by far the most powerful force in post-Mubarak Egypt.
As the situation in Port Said spiraled out of control Saturday, police disappeared from the city's streets, residents and security officials said, staying put in their camps, police stations and the city's security headquarters.
The military then dispatched troops to the city, taking up positions at vital state facilities, including the local power and water stations, the city's main courthouse, the local government building and the city prison. Navy sailors were guarding the local offices of the Suez Canal company.
Navy vessels were escorting merchant ships sailing through the international waterway, a vital income earner for Egypt's beleaguered economy. Military helicopters were flying over the canal to ensure the safety of shipping, according to Suez Canal spokesman Tareq Hassanein.
Residents said Port Said was quiet overnight except for intermittent bursts of gunfire. The city was still on edge early Sunday ? but streets were largely deserted, stores were closed for the second successive day, and some hotels asked guests to leave, fearing more violence.
JCI early table of contents for Jan. 25, 2013Public release date: 25-Jan-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Jillian Hurst press_releases@the-jci.org Journal of Clinical Investigation
Prostate cancer cells thrive on stress
Prostate cancer patients have increased levels of stress and anxiety; however, several recent studies have found that men who take drugs that interfere with the stress hormone adrenaline have a lower incidence of prostate cancer. In this issue of the Journal of Clinical Investigation George Kulik and colleagues at Wake Forest University examined the relationship between stress and cancer progression in a mouse model of prostate cancer. Kulik and colleagues found that mice that had been subjected to stress (exposed to the scent of a predator) exhibited a significantly reduced response to a drug that induces cancer cell death compared to their unstressed counterparts. Administration of adrenaline also blocked cancer cell death. Conversely, drugs that inhibited adrenaline signaling ablated the effect of stress on prostate cancer. These findings suggest that beta-blockers, which are used for the treatment of high blood pressure and block the effects of adrenaline, could increase the efficacy of anti-cancer therapies. In a companion commentary, Anil Sood and colleagues at MD Anderson Cancer Center discuss additional studies that will be required to move these findings from bench to bedside.
TITLE: Behavioral stress accelerates prostate cancer development in mice
AUTHOR CONTACT: George Kulik Wake Forest University Health Sciences, Winston-Salem, NC, USA Phone: 336-713-6750; E-mail: gkulik@wakehealth.edu
View this article at: http://www.jci.org/articles/view/63324?key=6ae78db845f6f7d9379b
ACCOMPANYING COMMENTARY
TITLE: Why stress is BAD for cancer patients
AUTHOR CONTACT: Anil Sood M. D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA Phone: 713-745-5266; Fax: 713-792-7586; E-mail: asood@mdanderson.org
View this article at:
http://www.jci.org/articles/view/67887?key=741bcde7c39c877f58de
An important LINC in human hearing
In this issue of the Journal of Clinical Investigation, Karen Avraham and colleagues at Tel Aviv University identified a genetic mutation in two families with hereditary high frequency hearing loss. The mutated gene, which has not previously been linked to hearing loss, encodes NESP4, a protein that is expressed in the outer nuclear membrane (ONM) of the hair cells of the ear. Avraham and colleagues found that mutated NESP4 was mislocalized, disrupting a cellular complex known as the "linker of nucleoskeleton and cytoskeleton" or LINC, which maintains the position of the nucleus within the cell. Hair cells in mice lacking NESP4 or another component of the LINC complex, SUN1, developed normally, but the mice developed hearing loss as they matured. These results demonstrate that the LINC complex is essential for hearing and indicate that nuclear positioning is important for the maintenance of normal hearing. In a companion commentary, Howard Worman of Columbia University discusses the role of the LINC complex in physiology and disease.
TITLE: The LINC complex is essential for hearing
AUTHOR CONTACT: Karen B. Avraham Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, UNK, ISR Phone: 972-3-640-6642; Fax: 972-3-640-9360; E-mail: karena@post.tau.ac.il
View this article at: http://www.jci.org/articles/view/66911?key=408541c0a7d6a28c221c
ACCOMPANYING COMMENTARY
TITLE: Nucleocytoplasmic connections and deafness
AUTHOR CONTACT: Howard Worman Columbia University College of Physcians and Surgeons, New York, NY, USA Phone: 212 305-1306; Fax: 212 305-6443; E-mail: hjw14@columbia.edu
View this article at: http://www.jci.org/articles/view/67454?key=9e95d8d9835bfa8639b5
Green tea and Vardenafil: a killer chemotherapy combo
Several recent studies have demonstrated that EGCG, a major constituent of green tea, has anti-cancer properties, but the molecular mechanisms underlying its effects are unknown. In this issue of the Journal of Clinical Investigation, Hirofumi Tachibana and colleagues at Kyushu University in Fukuoka, Japan, demonstrate that EGCG activates the 67-kDa laminin receptor, which elevates intracellular levels of the molecule cGMP to induce cell death. Tachibana and colleagues combined EGCG with vardenafil, a drug used to treat erectile dysfunction, which blocks the activity of PDE5, a protein that degrades cGMP. In a mouse model of multiple myeloma, vardenafil potentiated the effects of EGCG to mediate cancer cell death. Chung Yan and Hong Wang of Rutgers University discuss these findings in a companion commentary.
TITLE: 67-kDa laminin receptor increases cGMP to induce cancer-selective apoptosis
View this article at: http://www.jci.org/articles/view/64768?key=230ac8bcfd7fc9e49bd2
ACCOMPANYING COMMENTARY
TITLE: Cancer therapy combination: Green tea and a phosphodiesterase 5 inhibitor?
AUTHOR CONTACT: Chung S Yang Ernest Mario School of Pharmacy at Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, Piscataway, , USA Phone: (732) 445 3400 x244; E-mail: csyang@pharmacy.rutgers.edu
View this article at: http://www.jci.org/articles/view/67589?key=f3fc8081773f164f2bda
Researchers explain how coal tar treats eczema
Coal tar soap is one of the oldest remedies for atopic dermatitis (aka eczema), but it is unclear exactly why this treatment is effective. In this issue of the Journal of Clinical Investigation, Ellen van den Bogaard and colleagues at Radboud University in Nijmegen, the Netherlands, identified the aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AHR) as the molecular target of coal tar. Using a skin model of atopic dermatitis, van den Bogaard and colleagues demonstrated that coal tar activates AHR to diminish cell death, expression of inflammatory proteins, and skin cell swelling (spongiosis), and restored barrier proteins that maintain skin integrity. In a companion commentary, Irwin McClean and Alan Irvine of the University of Dundee, detail the history of coal tar as a therapeutic and discuss how these findings could be used to identify new therapies for atopic dermatitis.
TITLE: Coal tar induces AHR-dependent skin barrier repair in atopic dermatitis
AUTHOR CONTACT: Ellen H. van den Bogaard Radboud University Nijmegen Medical Centre, Nijmegen, , NLD Phone: 0031243614903; E-mail: e.vandenbogaard@derma.umcn.nl
View this article at: http://www.jci.org/articles/view/65642?key=b7cee98bcfeb630f5430
ACCOMPANYING COMMENTARY
TITLE: Old King Coal molecular mechanisms underlying an ancient treatment for atopic eczema
View this article at: http://www.jci.org/articles/view/67438?key=d82918f652b44fc17c6f
iRHOM2: the newest gadget in rheumatoid arthritis
Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is an inflammatory joint disorder that gradually destroys cartilage, causing loss of joint function and mobility. TNF is a protein that mediates inflammation in RA. TNF is generated when an enzyme known as TACE release TNF from immune cells. Therapeutic targeting of TACE could reduce TNF, but TACE is also important to other physiological processes, making it a poor drug target. In this issue of the Journal of Clinical Investigation, Carl Blobel and colleagues at Weill Cornell University demonstrated that the protein iRHOM2 in immune cells. Blobel and colleagues found that inhibition of iRHOM2 selectively blocked TACE activity in immune cells without disrupting other functions. Additionally, mice lacking iRHOM2 were protected from inflammatory arthritis. In a companion commentary, Stefan Lichtenthaler of the German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases in Munich Germany discusses iRHOM2's potential as a therapeutic target in RA.
TITLE: iRHOM2 is a critical pathogenic mediator of inflammatory arthritis
AUTHOR CONTACT: Carl Blobel Weill Medical College of Cornell University, New York, NY, USA Phone: 212-606-1429; Fax: 212-774-2560; E-mail: blobelc@hss.edu
View this article at: http://www.jci.org/articles/view/66168?key=fe267ffb4e5319ded04e
ACCOMPANYING COMMENTARY
TITLE: iRhom2 takes control of rheumatoid arthritis
AUTHOR CONTACT: Stefan Lichtenthaler German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE) & TUM, Munich, UNK, DEU Phone: +498970958416; E-mail: stefan.lichtenthaler@dzne.lmu.de
View this article at: http://www.jci.org/articles/view/67548?key=1a92eca12fdd73f8da76
Rooting out hormone refractory prostate cancer
Prostate cancer is one of the most common malignancies in men. It is highly treatable in early stages; however, once the cancer becomes metastatic, it cannot be cured. In this issue of the Journal of Clinical Investigation, Fillippo Giancotti and colleagues at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York, demonstrate that a significant fraction of advanced, hormone refractory prostate cancers express high levels of the protein ?4 integrin. Using a mouse model of prostate cancer, Giancotti and colleagues found that loss of the ?4 integrin gene significantly inhibited prostate tumor growth and progression by blocking activation of the oncogenic proteins ErbB2 and c-Met, which are responsible for sustaining prostate cancer stem cells. In a companion commentary Max Wicha of the University of Michigan discusses how targeting of these proteins could be a useful therapeutic strategy for the treatment of advanced prostate cancer.
TITLE: ?4 Integrin signaling induces expansion of prostate tumor progenitors
AUTHOR CONTACT: Filippo Giancotti MSKCC, New York, NY, USA Phone: 212-639-6998; Fax: 212-794-6236; E-mail: f-giancotti@ski.mskcc.org
View this article at: http://www.jci.org/articles/view/60720?key=5d9712f139a9b198e261
ACCOMPANYING COMMENTARY
TITLE: B4 Androgen ablation: Attacking the prostate cancer stem cell
AUTHOR CONTACT: Max S. Wicha University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA Phone: 1-734-618-7324; E-mail: mwicha@med.umich.edu
View this article at: http://www.jci.org/articles/view/67460?key=37db186328102ebb8897
Researchers identify key mediators of sepsis-induced lung injury
Sepsis is an illness in which the body has a severe reaction to a bacterial infection. Bacterial toxins activate the immune system, causing widespread inflammation and increased blood calcium levels, oxidative stress, and inflammatory factors. This increased inflammation and immune activation can cause fatal organ damage, particularly in the lungs. The molecular mechanisms underlying this damage are unknown. In this issue of the Journal of Clinical Investigation, Madesh Muniswamy and colleagues at Temple University identified a signaling pathway that mediates lung injury during sepsis. Using a mouse model of sepsis-induced lung injury, Muniswamy and colleagues demonstrated that the proteins STIM1 and NOX2 drive the body's response to bacterial toxins, as mice lacking these proteins were not susceptible to lung injury. Additionally, treatment with a calcium channel blocker known as BTP2 halted sepsis-induced lung injury. These findings identify therapeutic targets that could be used to limit sepsis-induced lung injury.
TITLE: Blockade of NOX2 and STIM1 signaling limits lipopolysaccharide-induced vascular inflammation
View this article at: http://www.jci.org/articles/view/65647?key=a0fec1e2ea29b7adbf2a
New insight into Liddle syndrome
Liddle syndrome is a form of early onset, severe hypertension that is caused by mutations in the NEDD4 gene. NEDD4 is a ubiquitin ligase, which mediates the destruction of target proteins. Liddle's syndrome is hypothesized to be caused by the inability of mutant NEDD4 to induce destruction of the kidney sodium channel ENaC, perturbing sodium homeostasis to induce hypertension. In this issue of the Journal of Clinical Investigation, Olivier Staub and colleagues at the University of Lausanne investigated the effects of mutant NEDD4 in the kidney. Staub and colleagues engineered a mouse that only expressed mutant NEDD4 in the renal tubules. Mutant mice exhibited increased ENaC but did not have higher blood sodium levels. These results demonstrate that the current model of Liddle's syndrome is incorrect. Interestingly, expression of mutant NEDD4 led to an increase in NCC, a sodium/chloride transporter, which could contribute to the elevated sodium and hypertension associated with Liddle's syndrome. These results indicate that NEDD4 could be a therapeutic target for the treatment of hypertension. In a companion commentary, David Ellison of Oregon Health and Science University discusses how these findings will affect our understanding of hypertension.
AUTHOR CONTACT: Olivier Staub University of Lausanne, Lausanne, UNK, CHE Phone: 41 21 692 54 07; Fax: +4121 692-5355; E-mail: olivier.staub@unil.ch
View this article at: http://www.jci.org/articles/view/61110?key=6546ac09cd62f90bc4b8
ACCOMPANYING COMMENTARY
TITLE: Ubiquitylation and the pathogenesis of hypertension
AUTHOR CONTACT: David H. Ellison Oregon Health Sciences University, Portland, OR, USA Phone: 5034948490; Fax: 5034945330; E-mail: ellisond@ohsu.edu
View this article at: http://www.jci.org/articles/view/66882?key=eea1260ee7700d4b31f5
Researchers identify ITAM as an important regulator of vascular integrity
Platelets survey blood vessels, searching for blood vessel damage. When damage is detected, the platelets form a clump and release factors that prevent blood loss and promote repair. Atherotrhombosis is the inappropriate clumping of platelets within blood vessels that occludes blood flow and many anti-platelet drugs are under development for the treatment of atherothrombosis. In addition to injury, inflammation caused by infection or stroke can also induce leaky blood vessels. In this issue of the Journal of Clinical Investigation, researchers led by Wolfgang Bergmeier at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill identified the protein ITAM as a critical modulator of blood vessel integrity during inflammation. Using a mouse model, Bergmeier and colleagues demonstrated that platelets that lack ITAM could not prevent inflammation-induced hemorrhages. This study highlights potential complications of anti-platelet drugs that target ITAM for the treatment of atherothrombosis.
TITLE: Platelet ITAM signaling is critical for vascular integrity in inflammation
AUTHOR CONTACT: Yacine Boulaftali The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA Phone: 9199627332; Fax: 919.966.7639; E-mail: boulafta@email.unc.edu
View this article at: http://www.jci.org/articles/view/65154?key=050725186512d9ae3bf7
###
[ | 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.
JCI early table of contents for Jan. 25, 2013Public release date: 25-Jan-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Jillian Hurst press_releases@the-jci.org Journal of Clinical Investigation
Prostate cancer cells thrive on stress
Prostate cancer patients have increased levels of stress and anxiety; however, several recent studies have found that men who take drugs that interfere with the stress hormone adrenaline have a lower incidence of prostate cancer. In this issue of the Journal of Clinical Investigation George Kulik and colleagues at Wake Forest University examined the relationship between stress and cancer progression in a mouse model of prostate cancer. Kulik and colleagues found that mice that had been subjected to stress (exposed to the scent of a predator) exhibited a significantly reduced response to a drug that induces cancer cell death compared to their unstressed counterparts. Administration of adrenaline also blocked cancer cell death. Conversely, drugs that inhibited adrenaline signaling ablated the effect of stress on prostate cancer. These findings suggest that beta-blockers, which are used for the treatment of high blood pressure and block the effects of adrenaline, could increase the efficacy of anti-cancer therapies. In a companion commentary, Anil Sood and colleagues at MD Anderson Cancer Center discuss additional studies that will be required to move these findings from bench to bedside.
TITLE: Behavioral stress accelerates prostate cancer development in mice
AUTHOR CONTACT: George Kulik Wake Forest University Health Sciences, Winston-Salem, NC, USA Phone: 336-713-6750; E-mail: gkulik@wakehealth.edu
View this article at: http://www.jci.org/articles/view/63324?key=6ae78db845f6f7d9379b
ACCOMPANYING COMMENTARY
TITLE: Why stress is BAD for cancer patients
AUTHOR CONTACT: Anil Sood M. D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA Phone: 713-745-5266; Fax: 713-792-7586; E-mail: asood@mdanderson.org
View this article at:
http://www.jci.org/articles/view/67887?key=741bcde7c39c877f58de
An important LINC in human hearing
In this issue of the Journal of Clinical Investigation, Karen Avraham and colleagues at Tel Aviv University identified a genetic mutation in two families with hereditary high frequency hearing loss. The mutated gene, which has not previously been linked to hearing loss, encodes NESP4, a protein that is expressed in the outer nuclear membrane (ONM) of the hair cells of the ear. Avraham and colleagues found that mutated NESP4 was mislocalized, disrupting a cellular complex known as the "linker of nucleoskeleton and cytoskeleton" or LINC, which maintains the position of the nucleus within the cell. Hair cells in mice lacking NESP4 or another component of the LINC complex, SUN1, developed normally, but the mice developed hearing loss as they matured. These results demonstrate that the LINC complex is essential for hearing and indicate that nuclear positioning is important for the maintenance of normal hearing. In a companion commentary, Howard Worman of Columbia University discusses the role of the LINC complex in physiology and disease.
TITLE: The LINC complex is essential for hearing
AUTHOR CONTACT: Karen B. Avraham Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, UNK, ISR Phone: 972-3-640-6642; Fax: 972-3-640-9360; E-mail: karena@post.tau.ac.il
View this article at: http://www.jci.org/articles/view/66911?key=408541c0a7d6a28c221c
ACCOMPANYING COMMENTARY
TITLE: Nucleocytoplasmic connections and deafness
AUTHOR CONTACT: Howard Worman Columbia University College of Physcians and Surgeons, New York, NY, USA Phone: 212 305-1306; Fax: 212 305-6443; E-mail: hjw14@columbia.edu
View this article at: http://www.jci.org/articles/view/67454?key=9e95d8d9835bfa8639b5
Green tea and Vardenafil: a killer chemotherapy combo
Several recent studies have demonstrated that EGCG, a major constituent of green tea, has anti-cancer properties, but the molecular mechanisms underlying its effects are unknown. In this issue of the Journal of Clinical Investigation, Hirofumi Tachibana and colleagues at Kyushu University in Fukuoka, Japan, demonstrate that EGCG activates the 67-kDa laminin receptor, which elevates intracellular levels of the molecule cGMP to induce cell death. Tachibana and colleagues combined EGCG with vardenafil, a drug used to treat erectile dysfunction, which blocks the activity of PDE5, a protein that degrades cGMP. In a mouse model of multiple myeloma, vardenafil potentiated the effects of EGCG to mediate cancer cell death. Chung Yan and Hong Wang of Rutgers University discuss these findings in a companion commentary.
TITLE: 67-kDa laminin receptor increases cGMP to induce cancer-selective apoptosis
View this article at: http://www.jci.org/articles/view/64768?key=230ac8bcfd7fc9e49bd2
ACCOMPANYING COMMENTARY
TITLE: Cancer therapy combination: Green tea and a phosphodiesterase 5 inhibitor?
AUTHOR CONTACT: Chung S Yang Ernest Mario School of Pharmacy at Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, Piscataway, , USA Phone: (732) 445 3400 x244; E-mail: csyang@pharmacy.rutgers.edu
View this article at: http://www.jci.org/articles/view/67589?key=f3fc8081773f164f2bda
Researchers explain how coal tar treats eczema
Coal tar soap is one of the oldest remedies for atopic dermatitis (aka eczema), but it is unclear exactly why this treatment is effective. In this issue of the Journal of Clinical Investigation, Ellen van den Bogaard and colleagues at Radboud University in Nijmegen, the Netherlands, identified the aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AHR) as the molecular target of coal tar. Using a skin model of atopic dermatitis, van den Bogaard and colleagues demonstrated that coal tar activates AHR to diminish cell death, expression of inflammatory proteins, and skin cell swelling (spongiosis), and restored barrier proteins that maintain skin integrity. In a companion commentary, Irwin McClean and Alan Irvine of the University of Dundee, detail the history of coal tar as a therapeutic and discuss how these findings could be used to identify new therapies for atopic dermatitis.
TITLE: Coal tar induces AHR-dependent skin barrier repair in atopic dermatitis
AUTHOR CONTACT: Ellen H. van den Bogaard Radboud University Nijmegen Medical Centre, Nijmegen, , NLD Phone: 0031243614903; E-mail: e.vandenbogaard@derma.umcn.nl
View this article at: http://www.jci.org/articles/view/65642?key=b7cee98bcfeb630f5430
ACCOMPANYING COMMENTARY
TITLE: Old King Coal molecular mechanisms underlying an ancient treatment for atopic eczema
View this article at: http://www.jci.org/articles/view/67438?key=d82918f652b44fc17c6f
iRHOM2: the newest gadget in rheumatoid arthritis
Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is an inflammatory joint disorder that gradually destroys cartilage, causing loss of joint function and mobility. TNF is a protein that mediates inflammation in RA. TNF is generated when an enzyme known as TACE release TNF from immune cells. Therapeutic targeting of TACE could reduce TNF, but TACE is also important to other physiological processes, making it a poor drug target. In this issue of the Journal of Clinical Investigation, Carl Blobel and colleagues at Weill Cornell University demonstrated that the protein iRHOM2 in immune cells. Blobel and colleagues found that inhibition of iRHOM2 selectively blocked TACE activity in immune cells without disrupting other functions. Additionally, mice lacking iRHOM2 were protected from inflammatory arthritis. In a companion commentary, Stefan Lichtenthaler of the German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases in Munich Germany discusses iRHOM2's potential as a therapeutic target in RA.
TITLE: iRHOM2 is a critical pathogenic mediator of inflammatory arthritis
AUTHOR CONTACT: Carl Blobel Weill Medical College of Cornell University, New York, NY, USA Phone: 212-606-1429; Fax: 212-774-2560; E-mail: blobelc@hss.edu
View this article at: http://www.jci.org/articles/view/66168?key=fe267ffb4e5319ded04e
ACCOMPANYING COMMENTARY
TITLE: iRhom2 takes control of rheumatoid arthritis
AUTHOR CONTACT: Stefan Lichtenthaler German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE) & TUM, Munich, UNK, DEU Phone: +498970958416; E-mail: stefan.lichtenthaler@dzne.lmu.de
View this article at: http://www.jci.org/articles/view/67548?key=1a92eca12fdd73f8da76
Rooting out hormone refractory prostate cancer
Prostate cancer is one of the most common malignancies in men. It is highly treatable in early stages; however, once the cancer becomes metastatic, it cannot be cured. In this issue of the Journal of Clinical Investigation, Fillippo Giancotti and colleagues at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York, demonstrate that a significant fraction of advanced, hormone refractory prostate cancers express high levels of the protein ?4 integrin. Using a mouse model of prostate cancer, Giancotti and colleagues found that loss of the ?4 integrin gene significantly inhibited prostate tumor growth and progression by blocking activation of the oncogenic proteins ErbB2 and c-Met, which are responsible for sustaining prostate cancer stem cells. In a companion commentary Max Wicha of the University of Michigan discusses how targeting of these proteins could be a useful therapeutic strategy for the treatment of advanced prostate cancer.
TITLE: ?4 Integrin signaling induces expansion of prostate tumor progenitors
AUTHOR CONTACT: Filippo Giancotti MSKCC, New York, NY, USA Phone: 212-639-6998; Fax: 212-794-6236; E-mail: f-giancotti@ski.mskcc.org
View this article at: http://www.jci.org/articles/view/60720?key=5d9712f139a9b198e261
ACCOMPANYING COMMENTARY
TITLE: B4 Androgen ablation: Attacking the prostate cancer stem cell
AUTHOR CONTACT: Max S. Wicha University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA Phone: 1-734-618-7324; E-mail: mwicha@med.umich.edu
View this article at: http://www.jci.org/articles/view/67460?key=37db186328102ebb8897
Researchers identify key mediators of sepsis-induced lung injury
Sepsis is an illness in which the body has a severe reaction to a bacterial infection. Bacterial toxins activate the immune system, causing widespread inflammation and increased blood calcium levels, oxidative stress, and inflammatory factors. This increased inflammation and immune activation can cause fatal organ damage, particularly in the lungs. The molecular mechanisms underlying this damage are unknown. In this issue of the Journal of Clinical Investigation, Madesh Muniswamy and colleagues at Temple University identified a signaling pathway that mediates lung injury during sepsis. Using a mouse model of sepsis-induced lung injury, Muniswamy and colleagues demonstrated that the proteins STIM1 and NOX2 drive the body's response to bacterial toxins, as mice lacking these proteins were not susceptible to lung injury. Additionally, treatment with a calcium channel blocker known as BTP2 halted sepsis-induced lung injury. These findings identify therapeutic targets that could be used to limit sepsis-induced lung injury.
TITLE: Blockade of NOX2 and STIM1 signaling limits lipopolysaccharide-induced vascular inflammation
View this article at: http://www.jci.org/articles/view/65647?key=a0fec1e2ea29b7adbf2a
New insight into Liddle syndrome
Liddle syndrome is a form of early onset, severe hypertension that is caused by mutations in the NEDD4 gene. NEDD4 is a ubiquitin ligase, which mediates the destruction of target proteins. Liddle's syndrome is hypothesized to be caused by the inability of mutant NEDD4 to induce destruction of the kidney sodium channel ENaC, perturbing sodium homeostasis to induce hypertension. In this issue of the Journal of Clinical Investigation, Olivier Staub and colleagues at the University of Lausanne investigated the effects of mutant NEDD4 in the kidney. Staub and colleagues engineered a mouse that only expressed mutant NEDD4 in the renal tubules. Mutant mice exhibited increased ENaC but did not have higher blood sodium levels. These results demonstrate that the current model of Liddle's syndrome is incorrect. Interestingly, expression of mutant NEDD4 led to an increase in NCC, a sodium/chloride transporter, which could contribute to the elevated sodium and hypertension associated with Liddle's syndrome. These results indicate that NEDD4 could be a therapeutic target for the treatment of hypertension. In a companion commentary, David Ellison of Oregon Health and Science University discusses how these findings will affect our understanding of hypertension.
AUTHOR CONTACT: Olivier Staub University of Lausanne, Lausanne, UNK, CHE Phone: 41 21 692 54 07; Fax: +4121 692-5355; E-mail: olivier.staub@unil.ch
View this article at: http://www.jci.org/articles/view/61110?key=6546ac09cd62f90bc4b8
ACCOMPANYING COMMENTARY
TITLE: Ubiquitylation and the pathogenesis of hypertension
AUTHOR CONTACT: David H. Ellison Oregon Health Sciences University, Portland, OR, USA Phone: 5034948490; Fax: 5034945330; E-mail: ellisond@ohsu.edu
View this article at: http://www.jci.org/articles/view/66882?key=eea1260ee7700d4b31f5
Researchers identify ITAM as an important regulator of vascular integrity
Platelets survey blood vessels, searching for blood vessel damage. When damage is detected, the platelets form a clump and release factors that prevent blood loss and promote repair. Atherotrhombosis is the inappropriate clumping of platelets within blood vessels that occludes blood flow and many anti-platelet drugs are under development for the treatment of atherothrombosis. In addition to injury, inflammation caused by infection or stroke can also induce leaky blood vessels. In this issue of the Journal of Clinical Investigation, researchers led by Wolfgang Bergmeier at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill identified the protein ITAM as a critical modulator of blood vessel integrity during inflammation. Using a mouse model, Bergmeier and colleagues demonstrated that platelets that lack ITAM could not prevent inflammation-induced hemorrhages. This study highlights potential complications of anti-platelet drugs that target ITAM for the treatment of atherothrombosis.
TITLE: Platelet ITAM signaling is critical for vascular integrity in inflammation
AUTHOR CONTACT: Yacine Boulaftali The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA Phone: 9199627332; Fax: 919.966.7639; E-mail: boulafta@email.unc.edu
View this article at: http://www.jci.org/articles/view/65154?key=050725186512d9ae3bf7
###
[ | 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.
Jan. 26, 2013 ? To help develop the nation's future heavy lift rocket, NASA resurrected the world's most powerful rocket engine ever flown -- the mighty F-1 that powered the Saturn V rocket-- and test fired its gas generator today at the Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala.
NASA engineers ran the gas generator at the Marshall Center's Test Stand 116. The test is part of a series that will push the gas generator to limits beyond prior Apollo-era tests. Modern instruments on the test stand measured performance and combustion properties to allow engineers a starting point for creating a new, more affordable, advanced propulsion system.
"Our young engineers are getting their hands dirty by working with one of NASA's most famous engines," said Tom Williams, Director of the Propulsion Systems Department in Marshall Engineering Directorate. "These tests are only the beginning. As SLS research activities progress, these young NASA engineers will continue work with our industry partners to test and evaluate the benefits of using a powerful propulsion system fueled by liquid oxygen and rocket grade kerosene, a propellant we haven't tested with in some time."
The gas generator tested at Marshall today is a key F-1 rocket component that burns liquid oxygen and kerosene and is the part of the engine responsible for supplying power to drive the giant turbopump. The gas generator is often one of the first pieces designed on a new engine because it is a key part for determining the engine's size, which is a factor in the engine's power and ability to lift heavy payloads and send them to space.
A video of the test is available at: http://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/videogallery/index.html?media_id=158899711
NASA's Space Launch System will provide an entirely new capability for human exploration beyond low Earth orbit. The initial 77-ton (70-metric-ton) SLS configuration will use two 5-segment solid rocket boosters similar to the boosters that helped power the space shuttle to orbit. The evolved 143-ton (130-metric-ton) SLS vehicle will require an advanced booster with more thrust than any existing U.S. liquid- or solid-fueled boosters. Last year, NASA awarded three contracts aimed at improving the affordability, reliability and performance of the rocket's advanced booster, including one focused on the F-1 engine.
"It's important that our workforce get hands on experience on systems like the F-1 gas generator as it helps make them smart buyers, and good stewards of what we procure from industry," said Chris Crumbly, manager of the SLS Advanced Development Office at the Marshall Center. "As we look to the future advanced boosters for SLS we are eager to see what our partners in industry can provide as far as a more powerful and affordable solution."
For more information on SLS, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/exploration/systems/sls/
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 NASA.
Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.
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.
From Jim Bowden, another call for people to rally to the World Baseball Classic: MLB Commissioner?s Office and the Major League Players Association need to address the major problem of players declining invitations to WBC ? JIM BOWDEN (@JimBowdenESPNxm) January 25, 2013 Bowden?s ESPN colleague Buster Olney, however, passes along an anecdote which shows that,?
Next time you hear someone in Washington come up with a long-term plan to balance the federal budget, take it with a Capitol Building-sized grain of salt.
As the tax and spending battle rages on in the nation?s capital, Democrats and Republicans are vowing to replace temporary, stop-gap budget measures with a long-term plan to narrow the gap between how much the government raises in taxes and how much Congress agrees to spend.
Though bitterly divided over how to pull it off, both sides agree that a gradual, long-term, budget-balancing plan would do less damage to the economy than the steep, short-term spending cuts set to take effect in a few weeks.?Earlier this week, House Republicans set a 10-year timetable for bringing revenues and spending into line.
"Balancing the budget over the next 10 years means that we save the future for our kids and our grandkids," House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, said when the deal was announced.
Even if every member of Congress agreed with that goal, it?s a promise none of them can keep.
Any long term budget is subject to a long list of unknowns ? from disasters and wars, to recessions and financial crises - that can quickly knock it off course.?The list includes a future Congress that decides to tear up the plan and replace it with a new one.
?You can talk about a budget as a establishing a sense of direction but you can?t talk about a long term budget as a precise point of arrival,? said William Galston, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution and a policy advisor in the Clinton administration. ?All sorts of things can alter the assumptions that underlie any long-term planning.?
Congress hit the pause button in the ongoing budget battle this week) by delaying a looming deadline to prevent the government from borrowing to pay its bills. The deal lets the Treasury Department continue to sell bonds to make up the gap between the taxes it collects and the spending Congress has authorized.
That measure effectively postponed the debt ceiling crunch until mid-May. The exact date is difficult to predict because the Treasury is able to juggle its bills for a few weeks as it approaches the borrowing cap.
The next hard deadline comes with automatic budget cuts ? the spending side of the so-called ?fiscal cliff? ? that were delayed until March 1 and pared down by $24 billion in the last-minute, year-end deal that raised taxes on the wealthiest households.
Those cuts, the so-called ?sequester,? were enacted in July 2011 after the last debt-ceiling standoff.
The hope was that the impact of the cuts would be so dire that the deadline would force a compromise in the long-standing budget deadlock. Republicans and the White House remain on a collision course over a long-term plan to replace the sequester?s meat clever approach to spending cuts.
Both sides agreed to come up with a long-term budget plan ? or forego their paychecks. (That?s another promise easier made than kept. The 27th Amendment requires that any change in elected representatives? salaries apply only to the next session of Congress. So the move is largely for show.)
Replacing the short-term budget measures with a 10-year plan begins with a series of guesses about future spending that are all but impossible to make. Will the U.S. fight a war in the next decade? How many natural disasters like Superstorm Sandy will prompt emergency relief spending? Will the cost of health care continue rising faster than the rate of inflation?
There are even bigger wild guesses embedded in the economic projections used to estimate how much money the government will take in through taxes. Will there be a recession in the next 10 years? If so, will it be mild or severe? Short or long?
Like any long-term plan, a relatively small miss on that estimate can have a big impact down the road. If the current $16 trillion U.S. economy grows at the 50-year historical average pace of about 3 percent, for example, in 10 years gross domestic product ? a rough measure of the nation?s income - will hit $21.5 trillion. If that growth rate continues at the current, roughly 2 percent pace, GDP will hit only $19.5 trillion ? generating less tax revenue from businesses and households even if tax rates remain steady.
?You can solve a lot of problems if you simply build in the kind of economic performance that we saw in the last six years of Reagan or the last five of Bill Clinton,? said Galston. ?It?s possible to do anything on paper if you don?t care what you?re doing.?
HAVANA (AP) ? Cuba's state telecom monopoly confirmed Thursday that the island's first hard-wired Internet connection to the outside world has been activated, but said it won't lead to an immediate increase in access.
In a statement published in Communist Party newspaper Granma and other official media, ETECSA broke its long silence on the ALBA-1 fiber-optic cable, which island officials once boasted would increase capacity 3,000-fold.
Until now Cuba's Internet has been strictly via ponderous satellite links, and out of reach for the great majority of islanders. ETECSA said the new cable has been operational since August, initially carrying international voice calls, and the company has been conducting data traffic tests on the cable since Jan. 10.
"When the testing process concludes, the submarine cable being put into operation will not mean that possibilities for access will automatically multiply," ETECSA said.
"It will be necessary to invest in internal telecommunications infrastructure," the company said, adding that even then the goal is "gradual growth of a service that we offer mostly for free and with social aims in mind."
The $70 million ALBA-1 arrived on the island from Venezuela in February 2011 to great hoopla, but officials soon stopped mentioning the cable amid rumors of mismanagement and corruption involving the project.
Its status was unknown until this week, when U.S. Internet analysis firm Renesys documented evidence of faster data traffic to Cuba and concluded that the cable had been switched on.
Dissident blogger Yoani Sanchez, an advocate for wider Internet dissemination, questioned whether the government would have said anything about the cable if Renesys and foreign media had not reported about it.
"(Hashtag) Granma says now it's necessary to build infrastructure for the (hashtag) FiberOpticCable to provide service!" she tweeted. "And what were they doing the past two years?"
Cuba has the second-worst Internet connectivity rate in the world, according to one study.
According to government statistics, about 16 percent of islanders have some online access, usually through their school or workplace and often just to an Intranet that also has email capability.
Just 2.9 percent of Cubans report having full access to the World Wide Web. However outside observers say the true number is more like 5 to 10 percent accounting for underreporting of dial-up minutes resold on the black market.
DAVOS, Switzerland (Reuters) - Prime Minister David Cameron warned European leaders on Thursday that any attempt to shoehorn countries into ever deeper political union was a mistake that Britain would not be a part of.
"Countries in Europe have their histories, their traditions, their institutions, want their own sovereignty, their ability to make their own choices, and to try and shoehorn countries into a centralised political union would be a great mistake for Europe, and Britain wouldn't be part of it," Cameron told CEOs and investors in a speech at the World Economic Forum in Davos.
Cameron's speech at Davos comes a day after he promised Britons a vote on quitting the European Union, saying the country would have a referendum by the end of 2017.
"Britain is a major European player on all of the issues where Europe needs to act - being more competitive, fighting terrorism, combating climate change - we are right out there leading the arguments, making the arguments."
"And that is the sort of political action that we need. But a centralised political union? Not for me, not for Britain," Cameron said.
(Writing by Guy Faulconbridge and Tim Castle; editing by Kate Holton)
WASHINGTON (AP) ? President Barack Obama is thanking White House aides and his re-election campaign staffers at the final celebration of his inauguration.
Obama told thousands of guests at his staff ball Tuesday night that they represent, in his words, his "deepest hopes for America." He said he knows the nation's future is in good hands.
First lady Michelle Obama, wearing a silver and black ensemble, echoed the president's campaign-year chant of "fired up, ready to go."
Pop icon Lady Gaga and singer Tony Bennett were providing the entertainment.
Proceeds will support a memorial fund for Alex Okrent, a campaign worker who collapsed and died at Obama's campaign headquarters in July.
BERLIN (Reuters) - The leaders of Germany and France promised to put forward common proposals to deepen Europe's economic and monetary union by May, as they put on a show of unity on the 50th anniversary of the pact that sealed their post-war reconciliation.
Angela Merkel, a conservative, and Francois Hollande, a socialist, have had an uneasy relationship since the French president swept into office eight months ago vowing to reverse German-backed austerity policies aimed at shoring up the euro.
But the two leaders, born less than a month apart in the summer of 1954, rejected the suggestion that ties between Berlin and Paris were difficult, highlighting the steps they have taken together to shore up the single currency bloc.
"It may be our best-kept secret that the chemistry actually works," said Merkel, who refused to meet with Hollande during last year's French election campaign while openly supporting his conservative opponent Nicolas Sarkozy.
Hollande pointed to the fiscal compact on budget discipline, a December deal on banking supervision and the agreement to keep Greece in the euro zone as fruits of the strong relationship between him and Merkel.
"It has not escaped you that we do not belong to the same political family. Despite that, if you look back at the past eight months, I'm very happy with what France and Germany have been able to accomplish to get the euro zone out of its crisis," he said. "If you look at the results, it's clear we're on the same wavelength."
On one of the most divisive issues between the two countries -- deeper economic and fiscal integration -- the two promised to come up with joint proposals before a summit of EU leaders scheduled for June.
Berlin and Paris have a different vision of a closer union, with Merkel favoring tighter central controls over budgets and Hollande seeking more solidarity and risk-sharing, in the form of a big euro zone budget to deal with economic shocks.
"It is about a deeper cooperation in economic policy with the goal of social security, employment, growth and financial stability," Merkel told reporters gathered in the chancellery in Berlin for a joint news conference.
Festivities were being held in Berlin fifty years after Konrad Adenauer and Charles de Gaulle signed the Elysee Treaty that sealed the post-war friendship between the former foes.
On Monday evening Merkel and Hollande answered questions from French and German students for over an hour. On Tuesday evening, they will attend a concert at the Berlin Philharmonic.
After their news conference, the two leaders were to speak in the Reichstag building where Adolf Hitler once presided as part of a joint session of parliament.
In a joint declaration, they said they would encourage unions, employers and workers in their countries to establish joint working groups to make proposals on competitiveness.
They also vowed to examine closer cooperation in specific industrial areas, including renewable energy, raw materials and transport, but did not provide any details.
(Reporting by Noah Barkin, Stephen Brown, Andreas Rinks, Emmanuel Jarry, Catherine Bremer)
Posted on: 5:55 pm, January 20, 2013, by Mark Green, updated on: 10:10pm, January 20, 2013
The Humane Society of Utah presented a man with an award and a check for $1,000 in recognition of his actions to save his dog?s life during a fire.
Tyler Broberg raced into a burning home on December 22, 2012 to save his young dog, Cash, from the flames.
?When I went in, I went in on my hands and knees because my house was a complete fireball,? he said.
During the rescue Broberg was severely injured and suffered third-degree burns on 30 percent of his body, according to a press release from the Humane Society. The $1,000 check is intended to help Broberg with medical costs.
The Humane Society salutes Tyler and hopes his example will inspire others to promote humane treatment of animals everywhere.
Broberg said with or without the award, he?d do the same thing all over again.
Funds have been set up to help Broberg with his medical bills. Donations may go to either the Tyke & Ashley Fund at Wells Fargo, the account ending with #1596, or to an account in Tyler Broberg?s name at Mountain America Credit Union, the account ending with #6637
Posted by James K. Watts on Jan 20, 2013 in Internet Marketing |
There?s two sides to the network marketing coin (and I assure you it is nothing like Harvey Dent?s coin): one is for the IBOs who are enjoying positive results within their MLM business efforts and the other is for those looking into home business network marketing industry as a means of acquiring a second income source. Either way, each side are quite promising and you are thinking about entering into a world of business that is much more interesting and fascinating than considering exactly the same office day in and day out. It?s quite possible that you?ve developed worn out of the malaise surrounding your cubicle and it?s time you had been confronted with some new faces and merchandise by way of a new endeavor in a home-based business according to multi-level marketing.
If you are an IBO, you?re on the side that?s distributing a very popular network marketing product. By your success, you represent whether your franchise is the kind of company into which new prospects would like to try investing their time and expense. You may have a downline, small or big, also it attracts income opportunity seekers who wants to transition from doing work for another person to working for themselves.
Whenever they get to know you through your downline, you?d like them to find out that you?re a reliable business and you and your group are adhering to the highest standards of business integrity and customer satisfaction.
The other side of the coin is where you find yourself if you are searching for a network marketing business opportunity. On this side you?re responsible for making the correct decision by what kind of MLM business you wish to join. You have to be thinking about the product you need to distribute as if you don?t want it, why would anybody else? You also want to make an informed choice. Therefore, the different options are a bit of time looking up the company online and discovering whether or not it?s a high network marketing business or maybe it?s a lesser-known effort. The more popular it is, the greater your chances are to acquire prospects faster than if no one includes a clue what your merchandise is.
What side with the coin are you betting on? Either way, there doesn?t appear to be a losing chance at all.
Want to uncover the secret of a successful home business network marketing? Find out more by visiting our website. Read more here.
PARK CITY, Utah (AP) ? Everyone's favorite Internet meme ? the cat video ? has hit the big time.
Behold the Catdance Film Festival, a one-night celebration of camera-worthy cats that was held Saturday at the Sundance Film Festival.
The five short films that were featured went beyond the typical surprised-kitty or cat-threatens-dog fare popular on YouTube. The Catdance films, culled from submissions by cat lovers across the country, told creative, feline-focused tales. There was the story of an aging Internet cat who can't cope with the loss of fame and "A Cat's Guide to Caring for a Human."
"Humans are inherently lazy," reported the latter film in a '50s-inspired instructional style. "Left to their own devices, they will sleep well past the break of dawn."
Other films included "Catalogue," where a couple orders a bedspread from a catalog and is surprised to see that the cat shown in the photo was shipped with the comforter. "Rocky" tells a heartfelt story of a man's 17-year relationship with his cat. In "A Change of Heart," a photo of a cat on a cellphone saves a failing relationship.
Each of the five finalists was awarded a golden cat-litter scoop.
Actress AnnaLynne McCord hosted the event, which was sponsored by the Fresh Step litter brand. The 25-year-old "90210" star is a lifelong cat lover who proudly displayed photos and videos of her cat, Christopher Buni, on her own cell Saturday.
"What's not to love about a cat?" she asked. "Cats have so much personality. They're very highly intelligent creatures, and if you're a highly intelligent creature, you respond to that."
McCord is known for taking her cat to work on set, and once dashed out of her house naked to chase away a coyote who was threatening her kitty companion.
The Catdance Film Festival was accompanied by a festive, feline-themed party on Park City's Main Street. Spoofs of famous movie posters dotted the walls, with cats replacing the stars of films such as "Top Gun," ''Pulp Fiction," ''The Big Lebowski" and "Clueless." Drinks such as the Feline Fresh and Kitten Kaboodle were served, along with tuna appetizers.
Catdance continues online: Fans can watch the feline films beginning Sunday and vote for their favorite until Feb. 28. The winning filmmaker will collect $10,000. Also available are limited-edition knit hats with cat ears, with all proceeds benefiting the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.
Cats have even clawed their way into the actual Sundance festival. They had their own official entry with the short film "Catnip: Egress to Oblivion?", director Jason Willis' spoof of educational movies exploring social ills. The seven-minute film, which ran in Sundance's midnight-movie program, has commentary from the "Catnip Crisis Center" and other supposed scientific groups about the effects and hazards felines face when partaking of catnip.
Willis called it "mostly a home movie about my cats" and said the film's entire budget came to $25 ? to buy catnip.
___
AP Entertainment Writer Sandy Cohen is tweeting from Sundance at www.twitter.com/APSandy.
___
AP Movie Writer David Germain contributed to this report.
Police officers secure the street in front of a mall following a blast in Athens, Sunday, Jan. 20 2013. A bomb exploded Sunday at a shopping mall in Athens, slightly wounding two security guards, police said. (AP Photo/Kostas Tsironis)
Police officers secure the street in front of a mall following a blast in Athens, Sunday, Jan. 20 2013. A bomb exploded Sunday at a shopping mall in Athens, slightly wounding two security guards, police said. (AP Photo/Kostas Tsironis)
Security officers stand outside a mall following a blast in Athens, Sunday, Jan. 20 2013. A bomb exploded Sunday at a shopping mall in Athens, slightly wounding two security guards, police said. (AP Photo/Kostas Tsironis)
Security officers and firefighters stand outside a mall following a blast in Athens, Sunday, Jan. 20 2013. A bomb exploded Sunday at a shopping mall in Athens, slightly wounding two security guards, police said. (AP Photo/Kostas Tsironis)
Police officers secure the street in front of a mall following a blast in Athens, Sunday, Jan. 20 2013. A bomb exploded Sunday at a shopping mall in Athens, slightly wounding two security guards, police said. (AP Photo/Kostas Tsironis)
A police officer secures the street in front of a mall following a blast in Athens, Sunday, Jan. 20 2013. A bomb exploded Sunday at a shopping mall in Athens, slightly wounding two security guards, police said. (AP Photo/Kostas Tsironis)
ATHENS, Greece (AP) ? A bomb exploded at a shopping mall in Athens on Sunday, slightly wounding two security guards and forcing the evacuation of about 200 people.
There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the bombing, the latest in a string of violent attacks.
Two warning calls were made to local media about 50 minutes before the blast, leading authorities to evacuate people from the four-story mall in the Maroussi suburb, a police official told the Associated Press. He spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media.
Shops are closed at the mall on Sundays but restaurants and movie theaters are open. The device exploded about 20 minutes before some movies were to start, mainly children's films.
"Today's bomb attack at The Mall, an area that many mainly young people chose for their Sunday outing, shows that we are faced with a new kind of terrorism that not only choses symbolic targets, but wants death and blood," said the socialist PASOK party, which is part of the three-party governing coalition.
The device was a small bomb believed to have been planted in a trash bin. The blast caused minor damages to nearby stores, the official said.
The bomb comes after a string of apparently politically-motivated attacks, as Greece struggles through a financial crisis that has led successive governments to impose deeply resented salary and pension cuts and tax hikes.
In recent days, small explosive devices were planted outside the homes of journalists and of the government spokesman's brother, while others targeted bank ATM machines.
Small armed groups have been active in Greece for decades, often planting bombs at night at company offices, but daytime attacks in public places are rare.
Last Monday, gunmen opened fire with an assault rifle on the headquarters of the conservative party, which heads the governing coalition. No injuries were caused, and there has been no claim of responsibility.
ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates (AP) ? Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy missed the cut at the Abu Dhabi Championship on Friday, a woeful start to the season for the world's top two golfers.
Woods missed it after he was penalized two shots for wrongly taking a free drop, while top-ranked McIlroy was frustrated trying to adjust to his new Nike clubs, even though he used his old Titleist putter in the second round. Both finished with 3-over 75s.
"When you don't hit fairways on this golf course, you can't score," McIlroy said.
Justin Rose played solid, mistake-free golf. Away from the large galleries, the Englishman shot a 69 for a 136 total and a one-shot lead at the halfway point over Jamie Donaldson (70) of Wales , Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano (67) of Spain and Thorbjorn Olesen (69) of Denmark .
Woods and McIlroy were expected to contend for the lead but often looked like weekend golfers. Their struggles captivated the crowds and their departure means it is the first time the world's top two players missed a cut in the same tournament since McIlroy and Luke Donald at the 2012 U.S. Open. The last time in a regular tournament came in 2005 by Woods and Vijay Singh at Disney World.
"I didn't hit it particularly well. I putted great but just didn't hit it very good. I was struggling with that," Woods said. "I have some work to do, and next week I'm playing at Torrey (in San Diego), and obviously it will be different weather there, so going to go back and get ready."
Woods thought he was safe in finishing his second round at 73. But he was advised by the European Tour chief referee Andy McFee of the penalty, giving him a 75 and 3-over total of 147. The cut for the top 60 plus ties was 2 over.
McFee said he warned Woods on the 11th tee of the penalty, which was a result of his taking a free drop when his ball was embedded in sand. It's not allowed.
"I called Martin (Kaymer) over to verify the ball was embedded. We both agreed it was embedded and evidently it was in sand," Woods said of the infraction that happened when his drive on 5 landed in a bed of vines. "Andy ruled I broke an infraction, consequently got a two-shot penalty. Andy feels the way he feels about it and I broke the rules."
Kaymer said he thought the ball was embedded and was surprised to hear of the ruling.
"I didn't know about it and he obviously didn't know about it, otherwise he wouldn't have done it. It's an unfortunate thing," Kaymer said. "Obviously he was fighting back a lot, and he was 3 or 4 over par, and trying to make the cut. He was playing very well coming in. He was making nice putts in the end."
McFee said Woods didn't challenge him on the ruling. It came to light when a spectator alerted the European Tour to the infraction, he said. After the drop, a reporter heard some spectators questioning whether the drop was appropriate.
"An embedded ball relief is through the green but in ground other than sand," McFee said. "I talked to him when he came off the 11th tee because I couldn't be sure about a two-stroke penalty until we got into the recording area."
Woods said it was frustrating to bow out of a tournament in this way, especially after he recovered from four bogeys on his first five holes ? the fifth subsequently becoming a triple. He birdied five of the last 11 holes including three in a row in the back nine.
"It's tough because I didn't get off to a very good start. I fought and got it back," Woods said. "I was right there and felt if I could post even par I had the chance to go into the weekend only eight back. Evidently it wasn't enough."
McIlroy posted a second straight 75 for a 6-over total of 150. Even a switch to his old putter for the second round didn't help. He putted poorly, flubbed several chips and drove erratically.
McIlroy carded three bogeys on his first seven holes to all but eliminate himself from the weekend. He had a string of birdies at the turn ? including a chip-in on 9 ? but wasted that with a bogey on 10 and another on 14.
"I didn't putt well again, so they were the two areas of the game; nothing was really on today," he said. "One of those things. I've got a few weeks off to work at it and try and get my game in decent shape for the U.S."
"It's very disappointing. You really want to get off to a nice start at the start of the season, but I've got to realize that it is only the start of the season and there's a lot of golf left. I said to the guys yesterday on the way back, as long as I feel like my game is in good shape heading into Augusta, that's all I'm worried about."
Rose started slowly but finished with a flurry. He had three of his four birdies on the back nine including on his 18th when his approach shot came within a few feet of the pin. Second at the Dubai World Championship last month, Rose said he was confident.
"There's a difference in how I feel about my game and how I trust my game, absolutely. I believe that any tournament I tee up in, I can win," Rose said.
Robert Rock, the defending champion from England, withdrew before the round because of illness.
![[ Back to EurekAlert! ]](http://www.eurekalert.org/images/back2e.gif){kind=small}
Public release date: 25-Jan-2013
Share ] 
