NEW YORK (AP) ? Pianist Keith Jarrett says "only music excites me, and awards and ceremonies do not." But the pianist says he feels honored to receive the National Endowment for the ArtsJazz Masters Award, joining many past recipients who've influenced him.
The NEA announced Thursday that its 2014 Jazz Masters ? the nation's highest jazz honor ? also include avant-garde saxophonist-composer Anthony Braxton, bassist-educator Richard Davis, and educator Jamey Aebersold.
Jarrett was cited by the NEA for his work in both the jazz and classical fields. His latest release, "Somewhere," marks the 30th anniversary of his trio with bassist Gary Peacock and drummer Jack DeJohnette. His recording of J.S. Bach's "Six Sonatas for Violin and Keyboard" with violinist Michelle Makarski is due out in September.
Pluripotent stem cell-derived neurons may be a viable Parkinson's disease treatmentPublic release date: 28-Jun-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Robert Miranda cogcomm@aol.com Cell Transplantation Center of Excellence for Aging and Brain Repair
Putnam Valley, NY. (Jun. 28 2013) A team of researchers from Rush University, Yale University, the University of Colorado and the St. Kitts Biomedical Research Foundation transplanted human embryonic stem cells into primate laboratory animals modeled with Parkinson's disease and found "robust survival" of the cells after six weeks and indications that the cells were "well integrated" into the host animals. The study appears as an early e-publication for the journal Cell Transplantation, and is now freely available on-line at http://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/cog/ct/pre-prints/ct1000wakeman.
"Parkinson's disease was one of the first neurological disorders to be studied for potential replacement of lost neurons," said Dr. D. Eugene Redmond of Yale University School of Medicine. "Since the 1970s there has been significant progress with learning the required gene expression, growth factors and culture conditions for differentiating cells into apparent dopamine neurons."
However, the researchers noted that transplanted dopamine neurons have not produced "long-lasting midbrain specific neurons when transplanted into rodents or monkeys" and there have only been pilot reports of functional improvement.
According to the study authors, their study tested the long-term survival and functional benefit of apparent dopamine neurons in monkeys modeled with Parkinson's disease. As with other studies, their results found that the gene expression of the rate limiting synthetic enzyme for dopamine production, tyrosine hydroxylase (TH), was "transient" after transplantation, raising questions about the optimal cell stage and culture environment that favor graft survival and the factors that could impact cell transplantation. Once more, a more robust immunosuppression regimen than employed in other primate studies resulted in better cell survival.
"Our results demonstrate that pluripotent stem cell line-derived neurons retain the capacity to robustly survive and respond to cues in the primate brain," they wrote. "The absence of TH expression indicates that other methods may be necessary to produce and maintain the proper midbrain dopaminergic form of the cells in vivo."
While their study demonstrated robust survival of the cells, the researchers said that longer term studies are required to better understand what factors may impact long-term function replacement and whether they demonstrate significant reversal of parkinsonism, tumor formation or dyskinesias, the latter being a side effect of current treatments for Parkinson's Disease.
###
Contact:
Dr. D.E. Redmond, Jr. 300 George St., Suite 9-32 New Haven, CT 06510, USA 733
Ph: 203-785-4432 Fax: 203-785-5416
Email : eugene.redmond@yale.edu
Citation: Wakeman, D. R.; Weiss, S.; Sladek, J. R.; Elsworth, J. D.; Bauereis, B.; Leranth, C.; Hurley, P. J.; Roth, R. R.; Redmond, D. E. Survival and Integration of Neurons Derived from Human Embryonic Stem Cells in MPTP Lesioned Primates. Cell Transplantation. Appeared or available online: April 2, 2013
The Coeditors-in-chief for CELL TRANSPLANTATION are at the Diabetes Research Institute, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine and Center for Neuropsychiatry, China Medical University Hospital, TaiChung, Taiwan. Contact, Camillo Ricordi, MD at ricordi@miami.edu or Shinn-Zong Lin, MD, PhD at shinnzong@yahoo.com.tw or David Eve, PhD at celltransplantation@gmail.com.
News release by Florida Science Communications http://www.sciencescribe.net.
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Pluripotent stem cell-derived neurons may be a viable Parkinson's disease treatmentPublic release date: 28-Jun-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Robert Miranda cogcomm@aol.com Cell Transplantation Center of Excellence for Aging and Brain Repair
Putnam Valley, NY. (Jun. 28 2013) A team of researchers from Rush University, Yale University, the University of Colorado and the St. Kitts Biomedical Research Foundation transplanted human embryonic stem cells into primate laboratory animals modeled with Parkinson's disease and found "robust survival" of the cells after six weeks and indications that the cells were "well integrated" into the host animals. The study appears as an early e-publication for the journal Cell Transplantation, and is now freely available on-line at http://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/cog/ct/pre-prints/ct1000wakeman.
"Parkinson's disease was one of the first neurological disorders to be studied for potential replacement of lost neurons," said Dr. D. Eugene Redmond of Yale University School of Medicine. "Since the 1970s there has been significant progress with learning the required gene expression, growth factors and culture conditions for differentiating cells into apparent dopamine neurons."
However, the researchers noted that transplanted dopamine neurons have not produced "long-lasting midbrain specific neurons when transplanted into rodents or monkeys" and there have only been pilot reports of functional improvement.
According to the study authors, their study tested the long-term survival and functional benefit of apparent dopamine neurons in monkeys modeled with Parkinson's disease. As with other studies, their results found that the gene expression of the rate limiting synthetic enzyme for dopamine production, tyrosine hydroxylase (TH), was "transient" after transplantation, raising questions about the optimal cell stage and culture environment that favor graft survival and the factors that could impact cell transplantation. Once more, a more robust immunosuppression regimen than employed in other primate studies resulted in better cell survival.
"Our results demonstrate that pluripotent stem cell line-derived neurons retain the capacity to robustly survive and respond to cues in the primate brain," they wrote. "The absence of TH expression indicates that other methods may be necessary to produce and maintain the proper midbrain dopaminergic form of the cells in vivo."
While their study demonstrated robust survival of the cells, the researchers said that longer term studies are required to better understand what factors may impact long-term function replacement and whether they demonstrate significant reversal of parkinsonism, tumor formation or dyskinesias, the latter being a side effect of current treatments for Parkinson's Disease.
###
Contact:
Dr. D.E. Redmond, Jr. 300 George St., Suite 9-32 New Haven, CT 06510, USA 733
Ph: 203-785-4432 Fax: 203-785-5416
Email : eugene.redmond@yale.edu
Citation: Wakeman, D. R.; Weiss, S.; Sladek, J. R.; Elsworth, J. D.; Bauereis, B.; Leranth, C.; Hurley, P. J.; Roth, R. R.; Redmond, D. E. Survival and Integration of Neurons Derived from Human Embryonic Stem Cells in MPTP Lesioned Primates. Cell Transplantation. Appeared or available online: April 2, 2013
The Coeditors-in-chief for CELL TRANSPLANTATION are at the Diabetes Research Institute, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine and Center for Neuropsychiatry, China Medical University Hospital, TaiChung, Taiwan. Contact, Camillo Ricordi, MD at ricordi@miami.edu or Shinn-Zong Lin, MD, PhD at shinnzong@yahoo.com.tw or David Eve, PhD at celltransplantation@gmail.com.
News release by Florida Science Communications http://www.sciencescribe.net.
[ | 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.
June 28, 2013 ? Ongoing studies suggest that using a mix of omega-3 fatty acid supplements and psychotherapy may be helpful for children with depression and a variation of bipolar disorder.
"These are two very promising treatments for children with mood disorders. Previous research has shown both have positive impacts and few side effects, which is an issue with many medications currently available for kids," said Dr. Mary Fristad, a clinical child psychologist at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center who is the first to examine the combined effects of psychotherapy and omega-3 in this patient population. "We think the approach will yield a reduction in irritability, improvements in self-esteem and concentration, and better eating and sleeping habits."
Fristad has been working on the approach for nearly twenty years. During that time, she saw great progress made in understanding how medications, psychotherapy and diet impacted biological brain disorders, but relatively little about how these interventions worked in children.
"We were treating kids with effective medications, but their families did not have the coping strategies needed to deal with the child's mood disorder symptoms," recalled Fristad. "Without a supportive environment, you can't expect any pharmacologic or dietary interventions to succeed."
The disconnect prompted Fristad to embark on a series of studies to develop and validate a therapeutic model targeted at families of children with mood disorders. Called psycho-educational psychotherapy, or PEP, the method teaches parents and their children how to manage symptoms and regulate emotions. Families also are taught how to navigate the mental health system for support and learn communication skills to help cope with the disorder. PEP can be done in either a group or individual therapy setting.
Fristad, who is also a professor of psychiatry in Ohio State's College of Medicine, was awarded funding from both the Ohio Department of Mental Health and National Institute of Mental Health to further develop and test PEP.
In 2009, pilot funding from the Ohio State University Center for Clinical and Translational Science (CCTS) was given to Fristad to train the PEP method to dozens of therapists around the state. In 2011, Heather MacPherson, MA, a doctoral student supervised by Fristad, also received a T1 Research Training Fellowship from the CCTS, which allowed MacPherson to examine treatment fidelity and outcomes in the community based implementation of PEP.
Armed with evidence that PEP worked, Fristad partnered with child psychiatrists L. Eugene Arnold, MD, MEd (Ohio State) and Barbara Gracious, MD of Nationwide Children's Hospital (NCH). The team obtained funding from the National Institute of Mental Health and resource support from the CCTS to conduct studies combining PEP with omega-3 supplementation in kids with depression or bipolar-NOS (not otherwise specified).
"There are several different types of dietary omega polyunsaturated fatty acids including omega-3, 6, and 9, but the importance of their relative ratios has had very limited testing in these patient populations," said Gracious. "While all are essential to human health, there is evidence that omega-3 fatty acids in particular play a role in brain cell function and signaling."
Gracious says that epidemiological studies show that people who have a diet rich in omega-3s -- found in seafood and flaxseed -- appear to have fewer psychiatric disorders, and that over time, US intake of omega-3 has substantially decreased.
"Cultures with diets high in omega-3 versus other fatty acid types appear to have a lower incidence of depression and mood disorders," said Gracious. "At the turn of the century, the population in this country was consuming more equal amounts of omega-6 and omega-3 fatty acids. Today, that ratio is completely different, with people consuming ten to twenty times more omega-6 than omega-3."
Gracious notes that in addition to having very few side effects, omega-3 fatty acids may have other health benefits, including helping to prevent cardiovascular, inflammatory, and autoimmune diseases. During the current studies, the research team will be analyzing participants' blood to examine the relationship between inflammatory biomarkers and mood changes.
Both studies are randomized and placebo-controlled, and researchers also intend to compare results from both studies to help provide additional perspectives on the intervention types. Although improvement is expected with both interventions, researchers predict the group receiving both psychotherapy and supplementation will fare the best.
Gracious and Fristad suggest that starting children in psychotherapy at a young age may give them the coping strategies they need as an adult. According to Fristad, early therapy may also help prevent or delay kids from "converting" over to having more serious forms of mood disorders.
Both studies are still enrolling children ages 7-14. Half of the children receive therapy and all receive capsules, either omega-3 or placebo, free of charge, along with careful monitoring and the support needed to continue their treatment.
Today during Microsoft's 2013 edition of Build, Rhapsody announced that it's releasing a version of its music app designed for the Windows 8 operating system. As you might expect, the Win8 variant will bring many of the same features found on its iOS and Android counterparts, including the ability for subscribers to create playlists and stream / download songs from Rhapsody's ample library of tunes. There will be some tidbits tailored specifically for Redmond's OS, however, such as a Snap Mode for simple multitasking and an option that allows tracks to be pinned to the Metro-style home screen. The company told us the application will hit the Windows store shortly, so we'll be sure to update this post as soon as we have a link to the download.
On Wednesday, Kimberly McCarthy became the 500th person executed by the state of Texas since the death penalty was reinstated more than three decades ago. McCarthy had been convicted of killing Dorothy Booth and stealing her diamond ring.?
By Staff,?Reuters / June 26, 2013
Donna Aldred, left, and daughter, Leslie Lambert, right, listen during a news conference after the execution of Kimberly McCarthy Wednesday in Huntsville, Texas. McCarthy was convicted of killing Aldred's mother, Dorothy Booth.
AP Photo/David J. Phillip
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Texas?on Wednesday executed by lethal injection a woman convicted of stabbing her elderly neighbor to death in 1997, the first U.S. execution of a woman in nearly three years, the?Texas Department of Criminal Justice?said.
Click Here for your FREE 30 DAYS of The Christian Science Monitor Weekly Digital Edition
Kimberly McCarthy, 52, was pronounced dead at 6:37 p.m. CDT (2337 GMT) at a?Texas?state prison, the department said. She was convicted of killing?Dorothy Booth, 71, in 1997, cutting off her ring finger and stealing a diamond ring that she then pawned.
McCarthy was the eighth person executed in?Texas?this year and the 500th put to death in the state since the?United States?restored capital punishment in 1976, according to the Death Penalty Information Center.
Executions of women remain rare in the?United States. Of the 1,338 inmates executed since the death penalty's reinstatement, only 13 have been women. Before McCarthy, the last woman executed was?Teresa Lewis?by?Virginia?in September 2010.
(Reporting by Lisa Maria Garza; Editing by Dina Kyriakidou and Eric Beech)
Cheryl Martin, Deputy Director, Advanced Research Projects Agency?Energy (ARPA-E)
Jennifer Lewis, Wyss Professor, Biologically Inspired Engineering at Harvard University
Shilpa Iyer, Graduate of Comsewogue High School, Freshman at Cornell University in the fall, Winner of the Proton OnSite Scholarship and Innovation Program
Shweta Iyer, Graduate of Comsewogue High School, Freshman at Stony Brook University in the fall, Winner of the Proton OnSite Scholarship and Innovation Program:
The Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy, or ARPA-E, backs energy technologies that are too risky for investors, but offer a potentially huge payoff ? if they work. The agency has gambled on flywheels, compressed air energy storage, lithium-air batteries, even wind-energy kites.
Yesterday, the Internet Society announced this year's inductees to the Internet Hall of Fame. You'll notice popular names like Jimmy Wales, the founder of Wikipedia; Richard Stallman, the activist who launched the GNU Project and the Free Software Foundation; and Aaron Swartz, the programmer and activist who tragically killed himself this past January.
But readers of this blog may also recognize two other internet legends among the list of the Hall of Fame's 32 new people: Robert Taylor and J.C.R. Licklider. That's because Taylor and Licklider wrote an incredibly forward-thinking 1968 paper on the future of networked computing that we looked at just last month. Their paper imagined quite presciently how computers might one day allow for humans to feel more connected across great distances. And it remains one of my favorite pre-internet artifacts predicting the meteoric rise of networked machines.
Curiously, some people are wondering why Mark Zuckerberg or Peter Thiel or Myspace Tom haven't yet been admitted to the Internet Hall of Fame. Which to me feels a bit like asking why 3 Doors Down hasn't been admitted to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. I mean, sure, maybe they'll get there one day. Or maybe no one will remember who they are 10 years from now.
This year's induction ceremony will be held in Berlin on August 3rd. The ceremony was originally planned for Istanbul, but the location changed last week due to recent protests in the city and what the Internet Society described as an "unpredictable environment." You can watch a livestream of the event on August 3, 2013.
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Public release date: 28-Jun-2013
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