Cycling Helmets Prevent Brain Injury HDFT

HIGH DEFINITION FIBER TRACKING

This is the study of a man who was riding his ATV without wearing a helmet. CYCLISTS…wear a helmet at all times while riding your bike! The HDFT process uses data from MRI scanners which is then processed through algorithms to show a visualization of the brain along with the breaks along the “fiber tracts” which contains millions of neuronal connections. Traditional testing like CT scans and MRI’s only showed part of the story. After 3 weeks in a coma the patient still could not move his left side. For this particular patient, only the HDFT showed a lesion on the brain connected with his left-sided weakness.

This 32-year-old man sustained a severe TBI. Computed tomography and MRI revealed an area of hemorrhage in the basal ganglia with mass effect, but no specific information on the location of axonal injury could be obtained from these studies. Examinations of the patient at Week 3 and Week 8 after TBI revealed motor weaknesses of the left extremities. Four months postinjury, 257-direction diffusion spectrum imaging and HDFT analysis was performed to evaluate the degree of axonal damage in the motor pathway and quantify asymmetries in the left and right axonal pathways. High-definition fiber tracking was used to follow corticospinal and corona radiata pathways from the cortical surface to the midbrain and quantify projections from motor areas. Axonal damage was then localized by assessing the number of descending fibers at the level of the cortex, internal capsule, and midbrain. The motor deficit apparent in the clinical examinations correlated with the axonal losses visualized using HDFT. Fiber loss estimates at 4 months postinjury accurately predicted the nature of the motor deficits (severe, focal left-hand weakness) when other standard clinical imaging modalities did not. A repeat scan at 10 months postinjury, when edema and hemorrhage had receded, replicated the fiber loss. Using HDFT, the authors accurately identified the presence and location of damage to the underlying white matter in this patient with TBI. Detailed information of injury provided by this novel technique holds future potential for precise neuroimaging assessment of TBI.

Article Journal

Rivaroxaban Tx Symptomatic Pulmonary Embolism

BACKGROUND
A fixed-dose regimen of rivaroxaban, an oral factor Xa inhibitor, has been shown to be as effective as standard anticoagulant therapy for the treatment of deep-vein thrombosis, without the need for laboratory monitoring. This approach may also simplify the treatment of pulmonary embolism.

METHODS
In a randomized, open-label, event-driven, noninferiority trial involving 4832 patients who had acute symptomatic pulmonary embolism with or without deep-vein thrombosis, we compared rivaroxaban (15 mg twice daily for 3 weeks, followed by 20 mg once daily) with standard therapy with enoxaparin followed by an adjusted-dose vitamin K antagonist for 3, 6, or 12 months. The primary efficacy outcome was symptomatic recurrent venous thromboembolism. The principal safety outcome was major or clinically relevant nonmajor bleeding.

RESULTS
Rivaroxaban was noninferior to standard therapy (noninferiority margin, 2.0; P=0.003) for the primary efficacy outcome, with 50 events in the rivaroxaban group (2.1%) versus 44 events in the standard-therapy group (1.8%) (hazard ratio, 1.12; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.75 to 1.68). The principal safety outcome occurred in 10.3% of patients in the rivaroxaban group and 11.4% of those in the standard-therapy group (hazard ratio, 0.90; 95% CI, 0.76 to 1.07; P=0.23). Major bleeding was observed in 26 patients (1.1%) in the rivaroxaban group and 52 patients (2.2%) in the standard-therapy group (hazard ratio, 0.49; 95% CI, 0.31 to 0.79; P=0.003). Rates of other adverse events were similar in the two groups.

CONCLUSIONS
A fixed-dose regimen of rivaroxaban alone was noninferior to standard therapy for the initial and long-term treatment of pulmonary embolism and had a potentially improved benefit–risk profile. (Funded by Bayer HealthCare and Janssen Pharmaceuticals; EINSTEIN-PE

From: ping.fm

Lance Armstrong Cycling Inspirational Video 2003

I am ready to go out on my bike, to sweat, puff, climb up the steep hills, feel the pain in my legs, my muscles, glorious physical pain that makes me to feel the power of cycling in my mind, my body, my spirit.

Best US Hospitals List 2011-2012

Just 17 of the nearly 5,000 hospitals evaluated for the 2011-12 rankings qualified. 

Rank	Hospital	Points	Specialties
1	Johns Hopkins Hospital, Baltimore	30	15
2	Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston	29	15
3	Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn.	28	15
4	Cleveland Clinic	26	13
5	Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center, Los Angeles	25	14
6	New York-Presbyterian University Hospital of Columbia and Cornell, N.Y.	22	12
7	UCSF Medical Center, San Francisco	20	11
8	Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston	18	12
9	Duke University Medical Center, Durham, N.C.	18	10
10	Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia	17	12

The other 7 hospitals in the list

CPR Emergency Resuscitation Teachings ClassOne

ESPAÑOL ABAJO DE ESTAS DOS LINEAS EN INGLES:
We will start with the most necessary to learn: vital signs. Next post I will describe the techniques, so keep on checking the blog.


SALVA A TUS SERES QUERIDOS, AMIGOS O COLEGAS EN CASO DE EMERGENCIA:


Empezemos con lo más indispensable, signos vitales en el paciente a ayudar. En el siguiente artículo describeré más afondo las técnicas. Todo tranquilo, sencillo y sin prisas se aprende mejor. 

Signos y constantes vitales

La importancia de obtener unos elementos de contraste nos permitirá conocer el estado y valorar la evolución de los lesionados. Para ello, en el cuerpo humano existen una serie de signos significativos que debemos saber identificar y conocer cual es su valor en condiciones normales:

	Posición de defensa (1).
	Respuesta a estímulos.
	Respiración.
	Pulso.
	Sensibilidad y motricidad.
	Reacción (dilatación/contracción) de pupilas.
	Olor del aliento.
	Textura y color de la piel, labios, uñas.
	Temperatura.
	Tensión arterial.

Los más importantes, denominados constantes vitales, siempre deben ser evaluados en este orden y son:


      A. Estado de conciencia
      B. Respiracion
      C. Pulso

Cyclist Michael Albasini Wins Volta a Catalunya 1st Stage

El ciclista suizo Michael Albasini del equipo GreenEDGE se ha puesto el primer maillot de líder de la Volta a Catalunya tras ganar en solitario la 1ra etapa, un recorrido corto, pero exigente, de 139 kilómetros con salida y llegada en la localidad barcelonesa de Calella.

ENGLISH DESCRIPTION BELOW

“It’s great to get the win,” said Albasini. “The first win with a new team is always very special. I worked hard in the off season. To see this work pay off for me and the team is important.” “I realized if I could unload the other guys in the break, I had a good chance of making it to the finish,” added Albasini. “At that point, I wasn’t sure if I could hold off the bunch chasing behind. I had [Sports Director] Vittorio Algeri behind me giving me information and willing me onto the finish. I really appreciate the work of the team that put me in the position to win.” 

GENERAL CLASSIFICATION AFTER STAGE 1

1 Michael Albasini (Swi) GreenEdge Cycling Team 3:20:04
2 Anthony Delaplace (Fra) Saur – Sojasun 0:00:42
3 Nicolas Edet (Fra) Cofidis, Le Credit en Ligne 0:01:14
4 Kenny Robert Van Hummel (Ned) Vacansoleil-DCM Pro Cycling Team 0:01:32
5 Ben Gastauer (Lux) AG2R La Mondiale

My Cycling Travel Around The World

This is my virtual cycling travel around the world three of my bicycles.

http://images.travelpod.com/bin/tripwow/flash/tripwow.swf

Vídeo de mi Viaje Alrededor Del Mundo Con Mis 3 Bicletas: Dra’s trip from Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico to 7 cities Suecia (near Sweden, Sweden), Costa Rica, Dubái (near Dubai, United Arab Emirates), Rusia Central (near Central Russia, Russia), Rosarito, Hawalli and Brasilia was created by TripAdvisor. See another Mexico slideshow. Create a free slideshow with music from your travel photos.

Cancer Immunotherapy T-cell Antigen Receptor.

MEDICAL RESEARCH CANCER REPORT

Corresponding Author:
Daniel J. Powell Jr., Dept of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, 421 Curie Blvd Room 1313 BRB II/III, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, United States

Abstract

Adoptive immunotherapies composed of T cells engineered to express a chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) offer an attractive strategy for treatment of human cancer. However, CARs have a fixed antigen specificity such that only one tumor-associated antigen (TAA) can be targeted, limiting the efficacy that can be achieved due to heterogeneous TAA expression. For this reason, a more generalized and effective application of CAR therapy would benefit from the capability to produce large panels of CARs against many known TAAs. In this study, we demonstrate a novel strategy to extend the recognition specificity potential of a bioengineered lymphocyte population, allowing flexible approaches to redirect T cells against various TAAs. Our strategy employs a biotin-binding immune receptor (BBIR) composed of an extracellular-modified avidin linked to an intracellular T cell signaling domain. BBIR T cells recognized and bound exclusively to cancer cells pre-targeted with specific biotinylated molecules. The versatility afforded by BBIRs permitted sequential or simultaneous targeting of a combination of distinct antigens. Together, our findings demonstrate that a platform of universal T cell specificity can significantly extend conventional CAR approaches, permitting the tailored generation of T cells of unlimited antigen specificity for improving the effectiveness of adoptive T cell immunotherapies for cancer.

Received December 2, 2011.
Revision received January 18, 2012.
Accepted February 3, 2012.

From: http://ping.fm/Q6TxV

Multiple Sclerosis Scientific Molecular Map

The molecular structure, described in the February 17, 2012 issue of the journal Science, is unique as the first-ever-to-be-determined lipid G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR). Molecules of this type play important roles in everything from cancer to metabolism, and this recent success should pave the way for researchers to establish the structures of other family members.
“There’s something special about the S1P1 receptor,” said Hugh Rosen, MD, PhD, a Scripps Research chemical biologist who co-led the work with Raymond Stevens, PhD, a structural biologist also from The Scripps Research Institute. “The biological consequences of even small changes with this receptor are profound. Understanding its structure provides clues about fundamental processes important in both health and disease.”
“Being able to finally look at a lipid GPCR and the occluded cell surface binding pocket was a surprise but explains many of the issues we wondered about,” said Stevens. “It is likely that other members of this subfamily will have a similar protein architecture.”
The study is a result of decades of research by the Stevens lab to develop methods to determine the structure of GPCRs, much work in the Rosen lab on the receptor biology and chemical tools to stabilize such molecules, and a multi-disciplinary collaboration between the two labs, which Rosen notes is one of the hallmarks of research at The Scripps Research Institute. The scientists acknowledge the support of the National Institutes of Health Common Fund as making the new findings possible.
“This work promises to underscore the importance of research collaboration to accelerate scientific discovery and development of new drug therapies,” said James M. Anderson, MD, PhD, director of the Division of Program Coordination, Planning, and Strategic Initiatives that guides the NIH Common Fund. “Combining structure-based analysis with small molecule screening serves as a model for effective drug design.”
Controlling Multiple Sclerosis

The new work reveals the structure of the S1P1 receptor, a protein embedded in the membranes of various cell types. When natural ligands such as the signaling lipid sphingosine 1-phosphate or potential drugs make specific interactions deep in receptor, portions of the receptor change shape to trigger cascades of chemical reactions inside the cell important to the maintenance of health.
Researchers have long known that S1P1 receptors play critical roles in controlling multiple sclerosis and other diseases. One way these receptors do this is by regulating the flow of certain white blood cells, or lymphocytes, out of lymph nodes.

This is critical because in patients with multiple sclerosis, auto-reactive lymphocytes attack the protective sheaths of nerve cells in the brain, causing malfunctions in the way the central nervous system transmits signals through the body. The S1P1 receptors are also involved in the progressions of harmful scarring and swelling in response to lymphocyte damages in the brain.
Gilenya, the first oral drug approved to treat multiple sclerosis, reduces this lymphocyte flow out of the lymph nodes in ways first identified by Rosen’s lab about 10 years ago. Based on a screening lead from the National Institutes of Health Molecular Libraries Small Molecule Repository, Rosen and Scripps Research Chemistry Professor Ed Roberts discovered and optimized other modulators of S1P1 receptors. This led to RPC-1063, a compound in clinical trials for multiple sclerosis by Receptos, a company co-founded by Rosen and Stevens.
Rosen’s lab has also shown that modulating S1P1 receptors can protect mice from a pandemic flu virus. This shows that the receptors may also be good drug development targets for other conditions tied to immune responses.
A Shifting Binding Pocket
The new study used the technique of x-ray crystallography to reveal the high-resolution three-dimensional image of the S1P1 receptor. The results provide scientists with important new details about the receptor’s mechanism of action.
One aspect of the receptor structure that is of particular interest is the binding pocket for the natural ligand or potential drugs that activate the receptor responses. The structure revealed how the binding pocket shifts to activate signaling. Understanding how that occurs makes it easier to identify additional compounds that might have effects in controlling the receptors.
With this structural information in hand, the scientists can now advance efforts to understand the specific chemical transformations that drive the cellular responses tied to multiple sclerosis and other diseases. “Better understanding always allows you to think about applications in a variety of ways that you might not have thought about before,” said Rosen. “This is an area that will keep us busy for many years to come.”
The S1P1 receptor structure has already yielded benefits, according to Michael Hanson, a scientist and director at Receptos, and lead author of the new paper. “The structure has helped us understand the details regarding receptor-ligand interactions for this receptor and structural data can be used more routinely for drug discovery projects of other GPCRs,” he said.

From: http://ping.fm/dGq3z

Researchers Gather for Shared Resources Fair and Drug Discovery Forum | Miller School of Medicine | University of Miami

The Miller Office of Research hosted two events this month at the Miller School for the research community – a Shared Resources Fair on the morning of February 17, and a Collaborative Research Exchange Forum (CREF) on drug discovery in the afternoon.

More than 200 researchers attended the third Shared Resources Fair, which featured nearly 50 posters with information about the varied core laboratories, facilities, and shared resources supporting discovery science, translational, and clinical research. Later, more than 50 faculty, staff, and students gathered at the Lois Pope LIFE Center for the forum to share information on drug discovery.

Led by Norma Sue Kenyon, Ph.D., the Martin Kleiman Professor of Surgery, Microbiology and Immunology, and Biomedical Engineering and senior associate dean for translational science, and Andrew Vinard, manager of biotechnology resources, the Core and Shared Facilities Office within the Miller Office of Research supports research excellence at the University. The fair was co-hosted by the Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center and the Wallace H. Coulter Center for Translational Research. Kenyon said events such as the Shared Resources Fair and the CREF reflect the University’s continuing support of its research community.

“The Miller School is committed to developing state-of-the art facilities, encouraging their use, and advancing scientific collaboration in areas of key importance to biomedical research,” said Kenyon, who is also director of the Coulter Center.

Claes Wahlestedt, M.D., Ph.D., professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences and associate dean for therapeutic innovation, who led the drug discovery forum, added that topics like drug discovery especially benefit from an interdisciplinary team science approach.

“The Miller School has the expertise and laboratory resources needed to identify compounds that can be developed into the next generation of therapeutics,” Wahlestedt said

The CREF began with presentations and a panel discussion on:

• Chemoinformatics and drug discovery by Stephan Schürer, Ph.D., research assistant professor of molecular and cellular pharmacology and the Center for Computational Science’s lead scientist for chemoinformatics;

• Molecular oncology and drug discovery by Anthony Capobianco, Ph.D., professor of surgery and director of the Molecular Oncology Research Program, Division of Surgical Oncology;

• Cell biology and drug discovery by Glen Barber, Ph.D., chair of cell biology and anatomy, professor of medicine, and associate director of basic research at Sylvester.

Additional presentations and another panel discussion followed on these projects:

• Drug discovery at The Miami Project to Cure Paralysis by Vance Lemmon, Ph.D., the Walter G. Ross Distinguished Chair in Developmental Neuroscience and professor of neurological surgery;

• Peggy and Harold Katz Family Drug Discovery Center by Vineet Gupta, Ph.D., assistant professor of medicine, biochemistry and molecular biology, and the founding co-director of the Katz Center;

• Center for Therapeutic Innovation by Nagi Ayad, Ph.D., associate professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences; and Shaun Brothers, Ph.D., research assistant professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences.

From: http://ping.fm/TfYiU