StrongerRX - Midwest Multisport Life: Endurance Sports and ...

I was lucky enough to hook up with StrongerRX recently and get some of their gear for a review. With CrossFit becoming more popular, apparel companies are recognizing the need for clothing that can support the dynamic movements, as well as the strains put on both body and gear. StrongerRX started as a vision which was to provide the athletic community with a new breed of performance apparel that provides the latest styles, comfort and reliability; its goal is to deliver superior performance wear.

The Wod Shorts (designed for CrossFit by CrossFitters) combine a cool board short design with a lightweight combination of materials, flex panels, and a secure closure system that has both Velcro and drawstrings for perfect fit. These are great shorts for Crossfit, as they move with you and not against you, seem well-made, and make you feel like a badass at the same time.

The RTG Glove (Black) are designed to follow the contours to your hand, resulting in comfort while also protecting. These CrossFit cloves prevent blisters, calluses, and bloody hands that are the plague of so many. In addition these RTG Gloves for CrossFit reduce hand fatigue, which allows you to focus on the movement at hand, be it Olympic Weightlifting or pull-ups. I certainly appreciated the gloves, especially in my garage gym, where my pull-up bar is cast iron, pretty rough on the hands, but much more comfortable with the RTG Gloves.

Disclaimer: I was sent these items for review, free of charge. All opinions are my own.

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Source: http://www.midwestmultisportlife.com/2013/05/strongerrx-power-intensity-strength.html

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Drought across the West spurs resurgence of faith

This April 19, 2013 photo shows Our Lady of Sorrows Catholic Church parishioners Albert Lucero, left, and Nick McGovern, center, leading a prayer procession for rain in Bernalillo, N.M. From the heart of New Mexico to West Texas and Oklahoma, the pressures of drought have resulted in a resurgence of faith from Christian preachers and Catholic priests encouraging prayer processions to American Indian tribes using their closely guarded traditions in an effort to coax Mother Nature to deliver some much needed rain. (AP Photo/Susan Montoya Bryan)

This April 19, 2013 photo shows Our Lady of Sorrows Catholic Church parishioners Albert Lucero, left, and Nick McGovern, center, leading a prayer procession for rain in Bernalillo, N.M. From the heart of New Mexico to West Texas and Oklahoma, the pressures of drought have resulted in a resurgence of faith from Christian preachers and Catholic priests encouraging prayer processions to American Indian tribes using their closely guarded traditions in an effort to coax Mother Nature to deliver some much needed rain. (AP Photo/Susan Montoya Bryan)

This April 19, 2013 photo shows Our Lady of Sorrows Catholic Church parishioner Orlando Lucero reciting the rosary during a prayer procession for rain in Bernalillo, N.M. From the heart of New Mexico to West Texas and Oklahoma, the pressures of drought have resulted in a resurgence of faith, from Christian preachers and Catholic priests encouraging prayer processions to American Indian tribes using their closely guarded traditions in an effort to coax Mother Nature to deliver some much needed rain. (AP Photo/Susan Montoya Bryan)

This April 19, 2013 photo shows Our Lady of Sorrows Catholic Church parishioner Nick McGovern holding a rosary during a prayer procession for rain in Bernalillo, N.M. From the heart of New Mexico to West Texas and Oklahoma, the pressures of drought have resulted in a resurgence of faith, from Christian preachers and Catholic priests encouraging prayer processions to American Indian tribes using their closely guarded traditions in an effort to coax Mother Nature to deliver some much needed rain. (AP Photo/Susan Montoya Bryan)

This April 19, 2013 photo shows Our Lady of Sorrows Catholic Church parishioners Nick McGovernor, left, and Orlando Lucero talking about the framed statue of San Ysidro, the patron saint of farmers, after a prayer procession for rain in Bernalillo, N.M. From the heart of New Mexico to West Texas and Oklahoma, the pressures of drought have resulted in a resurgence of faith, from Christian preachers and Catholic priests encouraging prayer processions to American Indian tribes using their closely guarded traditions in an effort to coax Mother Nature to deliver some much needed rain. (AP Photo/Susan Montoya Bryan)

This April 19, 2013 photo shows Our Lady of Sorrows Catholic Church parishioners Nick McGovern, left, and Albert Lucero holding an effigy of San Ysidro, the patron saint of farmers, during a prayer procession for rain in Bernalillo, N.M. From the heart of New Mexico to West Texas and Oklahoma, the pressures of drought have resulted in a resurgence of faith, from Christian preachers and Catholic priests encouraging prayer processions to American Indian tribes using their closely guarded traditions in an effort to coax Mother Nature to deliver some much needed rain. (AP Photo/Susan Montoya Bryan)

BERNALILLO, N.M. (AP) ? Along the irrigation canal that cuts through this centuries-old New Mexico town, a small group of churchgoers gathers to recite the rosary before tossing rose petals into the water.

Remnants of a tradition that stretches back to the days of Spanish explorers, the humble offerings are aimed at blessing this year's meager irrigation season and easing a relentless drought that continues to march across New Mexico and much of the western half of the U.S.

From the heart of New Mexico to West Texas and Oklahoma, the pressures of drought have resulted in a resurgence of faith ? from Christian preachers and Catholic priests encouraging prayer processions to American Indian tribes using their closely guarded traditions in an effort to coax Mother Nature to deliver some much needed rain.

On Sunday, congregations across eastern New Mexico and West Texas are planning a day of prayer for moisture and rain.

"We're worried, but we're maintaining our traditional ways and cultural ways. Together we pray, and individually we pray," said Peter Pino, administrator of Zia Pueblo. "We haven't lost hope in the spiritual world, that they'll be able to provide us resources throughout the year.

"We're not giving up. That's pretty much all we can do at this point."

In its wake, the drought has left farmland idle, herds of cattle have been decimated, the threat of wildfire has intensified and cities are thinking twice about the sustainability of their water supplies.

In New Mexico, the renewed interest in the divine and the tension with Mother Nature stems from nearly three years of hot, dry weather. There is no place in the country right now that has it worse than New Mexico. The latest federal drought map shows conditions are extreme or worse across nearly 82 percent of the state. There are spots that have fallen behind in rainfall by as much as 24 inches, causing rivers to run dry and reservoirs to dip to record low levels.

In neighboring Texas and Oklahoma, the story is no different.

The faithful gathered Wednesday night in Oklahoma City to recite a collection of Christian, Muslim and Jewish prayers for the year's first worship service dedicated to rain.

The Catholic bishop in Lubbock is planning a special Mass at a local farm in two weeks so that farmers can have their seeds and soil blessed. The archbishop of New Mexico's largest diocese has turned to the Internet and social media to urge parishioners to pray.

The prayer is simple: "Look to our dry hills and fields, dear God, and bless them with the living blessing of soft rain. Then the land will rejoice and rivers will sing your praises, and the hearts of all will be made glad. Amen."

In Bernalillo, the parishioners from Our Lady of Sorrows church recited the rosary as they walked a few blocks from the church to the irrigation canal on a recent Friday evening. At the front of the procession, two men carried an effigy of San Isidro, the patron saint of farmers.

"I think people need to pray for rain," said Orlando Lucero, a school teacher and county commissioner who organized the procession. "We used to do it in every community and in every parish. It was a beautiful tradition that disappeared. Now I'm hoping that we can get other parishes involved."

In Clovis, hospital administrator and active church member Hoyt Skabelund hopes thousands join Sunday's prayer day.

"I don't know that moisture comes because we pray," he said. "You're going to have ebbs and flows and not all rainfall is because someone prayed and not all droughts are because someone didn't pray. But I do believe that prayers are answered and faith in God and a higher power unlocks the powers of heaven."

After all, praying can't hurt, he said.

The simple act of digging a new post hole in eastern New Mexico tells the story of how dry it is. Moist dirt used to turn up several inches below the surface. Now, Skabelund said, someone can dig several feet and not run into any moisture.

In dry times, it's natural for farmers and others who depend on the land to turn to God, said Laura Lincoln, executive director of the Texas Conference of Churches. Still, she and others said praying doesn't take away the responsibility of people to do what they can to ease the effects of drought.

Church leaders are urging their parishioners to conserve water and use better land-management practices like rotating crops.

"We have to play our part," said The Rev. William Tabbernee, head of the Oklahoma Conference of Churches. "Prayer puts us in touch with God, but it also helps us to focus on the fact that it is a partnership that we're involved in. We need to cooperate with God and all of humanity to be responsible stewards of the gifts God has given us through nature."

___

Follow Susan Montoya Bryan on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/susanmbryanNM

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/386c25518f464186bf7a2ac026580ce7/Article_2013-05-03-US-Drought-Praying-for-Rain/id-d05d45869f2b4397b085e4374a24f940

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Intel taps COO Krzanich as chipmaker's next CEO

FILE - In this Wednesday, March 28, 2007, file photo, Intel Corp. Vice President and General Manager of Assembly and Test Brian Krzanich makes his speech at the start of construction ceremony of the Assembly and Test Facility of Intel's chipset products at Saigon High Tech Park, Ho Chi Minh city, South Vietnam. Intel said Thursday, May 2, 2013, that it has chosen Krzanich, as its new CEO to steer the world's largest chipmaker in a world where PC sales are cratering while smartphones and tablets thrive. (AP Photo/Le Quang Nhat)

FILE - In this Wednesday, March 28, 2007, file photo, Intel Corp. Vice President and General Manager of Assembly and Test Brian Krzanich makes his speech at the start of construction ceremony of the Assembly and Test Facility of Intel's chipset products at Saigon High Tech Park, Ho Chi Minh city, South Vietnam. Intel said Thursday, May 2, 2013, that it has chosen Krzanich, as its new CEO to steer the world's largest chipmaker in a world where PC sales are cratering while smartphones and tablets thrive. (AP Photo/Le Quang Nhat)

FILE - In this Tuesday, Sept. 13, 2011.Intel CEO Paul Otellini, holds up a Google Android phone running on an Intel chip during the keynote address at the Intel Developer Forum in San Francisco. Intel said Thursday, May 2, 2013, that it has chosen Brian Krzanich, as its new CEO. Krzanich, who is 52, will replace Otellini on May 16, at the company's annual meeting. Otellini had announced his decision to resign in November. Otellini, 62, will be ending a nearly 40-year career with Intel, including an eight-year stint as CEO by the time he leaves. (AP Photo/Paul Sakuma)

NEW YORK (AP) ? Intel, one of the pillars of Silicon Valley, is following its traditions and promoting an insider to the job of CEO. The world's largest chipmaker is tasking Chief Operating Officer Brian Krzanich with steering it through an industry shake-up that is seeing tablets and smartphones overshadow Intel's base in personal computers.

Intel announced Thursday that Krzanich will replace Paul Otellini on May 16. Six months ago, Otellini, 62, announced his surprise decision to resign and will end a nearly 40-year career with Intel, including eight years as CEO.

Krzanich, who is 52 and spent his entire career at the company, comes out of a manufacturing organization where meticulous attention is required to churn out processors with billions of minute details.

Intel processors are the brains behind four out of every five PCs, but the company has been scrambling as PC sales plummet and people spend money instead on smartphones and tablet computers. Those mobile devices need processors that use less battery power, a technology Intel has only just mastered.

In an interview, Krzanich said he will tackle the challenge of declining PC sales by relying on the assets that Intel is built on: its engineering prowess and enormous, billion-dollar chip factories, which feature technologies that are years ahead of its competitors.

"Those assets will be focused more and more toward the ultra-mobility space ... tablets and phones," Krzanich told The Associated Press. "These are areas that we need to build a presence in, and we have the assets to bring to bear on it. And those are the same assets that have made us so successful in the past."

Krzanich's appointment was not surprising. The chief operating officer job is the traditional stepping-stone to the CEO post at Intel. Both Otellini and his predecessor, Craig Barrett, held that job before becoming CEO.

Krzanich isn't inheriting Otellini's title of president. It will go instead to software chief Renee James, 48, creating a two-person "executive office" at the head of the company. James had been another candidate for the CEO post, along with Stacy Smith, chief financial officer and director of corporate strategy.

Krzanich said the division of labor was his choice. He said he and James put together a strategy for getting into mobile chips, and when the board picked him as CEO, he requested that James become his second-in-command.

"The best way to go implement (the strategy) quickly is to have two people in the leadership team going forward so you can work twice as fast," Krzanich said.

Krzanich didn't elaborate on the strategy he and James developed. Analyst Doug Freedman at RBC Capital Markets said that even though Krzanich is an insider and the expected CEO pick, he could still be preparing to steer the company in new direction, one where Intel is less focused on being a technology driver and more focused on helping its customers develop their products.

"Our view is Krzanich's appointment was awarded as a result of changes in the future direction of the company, with these changes expected to become visible over the next few quarters," Freedman said.

Patrick Moorhead, an analyst with Moor Insights & Strategy, said James' promotion is a reflection of the importance of software at Intel today. Of the employees needed to create a new smartphone chip, 60 percent to 70 percent will be working on the software the chip needs to work and communicate with the rest of the phone, he said.

Krzanich started at Intel Corp. in 1982 as a process engineer in New Mexico after graduating from college with a chemistry degree. He worked his way up through the manufacturing side of the business to become COO in January 2012.

Krzanich will be Intel's sixth CEO since its founding 45 years ago. The relatively slow turnover reflects Intel's success and its foundation as an operator of billion-dollar factories that take years to pay off.

Intel started out mainly as a maker of memory chips, but vaulted into the global limelight with the launch of IBM Corp.'s first PC in 1981. Intel supplied the central processor for that PC and has managed to maintain its position as the dominant supplier in the market, despite many challengers.

Now, however, PCs are losing their appeal, and the company is scrambling get into the market for chips for smartphones and tablet computers. That market has no equivalent of Intel as a dominant supplier. Instead, a bevy of companies create chip designs based on underlying blueprints supplied by ARM Holdings PLC of Britain, then contract with Asian chip factories to have them made.

ARM's blueprints were created with battery-powered devices in mind and have had a big advantage over Intel chips when it comes to prolonging battery life. Intel's chips were originally designed for machines that were plugged into a wall. Only recently have they matched the low power consumption of ARM chips.

But ARM chips are entrenched as the choice for iPhones, iPads and Android phones and are already undercutting Intel's financial performance and standing among investors. Last year, both Intel's earnings and stock price fell by 15 percent from 2011.

Intel still expects its sales to grow this year, propped up by the production of chips for business PCs and servers. It's also counting on a new generation of power-sipping processors to boost Intel's presence in tablets.

Moorhead said phone makers won't be able to ignore Intel once it introduces a new chip manufacturing process next year, which should give it a substantial advantage in the power and price of its chips. That could mean that phone makers would start buying Intel's chips, or have chips of their own designs made to order by Intel.

Otellini joined the Santa Clara, Calif., company after graduating from nearby University of California at Berkeley. He worked his way up the ranks before succeeding Barrett as CEO in May 2005.

Intel's board wasn't entirely satisfied with Otellini's performance last year. To reflect its disappointment, the board's compensation committee trimmed the cash portion of Otellini's incentive pay by 19 percent from the previous year to $5.23 million. But his overall pay package, including stock awards, grew 10 percent to $18.9 billion, and the board said it wanted to keep him when he revealed his decision to retire. The board had expected him to remain CEO until he turns 65 in 2015.

Intel said Krzanich will have an annual salary of $1 million and could get a $2.5 million cash bonus. In addition, he's getting stock and options worth $6.5 million, for a total possible 2013 compensation of $10 million.

James is a 25-year veteran of Intel and has led the company's expansion into providing software for a variety of applications, including smartphones. She was also in charge of dealing with software companies like Microsoft Corp.

Intel's stock rose 12 cents, or less than 1 percent, to close Thursday at $24.11.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/apdefault/495d344a0d10421e9baa8ee77029cfbd/Article_2013-05-02-Intel-CEO/id-9b3aa9ea2a8f4cc19fc25fc962b2b4be

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Seahorse's armor gives engineers insight into robotics designs

Thursday, May 2, 2013

The tail of a seahorse can be compressed to about half its size before permanent damage occurs, engineers at the University of California, San Diego, have found. The tail's exceptional flexibility is due to its structure, made up of bony, armored plates, which slide past each other. Researchers are hoping to use a similar structure to create a flexible robotic arm equipped with muscles made out of polymer, which could be used in medical devices, underwater exploration and unmanned bomb detection and detonation. Researchers, led by UC San Diego materials science professors Joanna McKittrick and Marc Meyers, detailed their findings in the March 2013 issue of the journal Acta Biomaterialia.

"The study of natural materials can lead to the creation of new and unique materials and structures inspired by nature that are stronger, tougher, lighter and more flexible," said McKittrick, a professor of materials science at the Jacobs School of Engineering at UC San Diego.

McKittrick and Meyers had sought bioinsipiration by examining the armor of many other animals, including armadillo, alligators and the scales of various fish. This time, they were specifically looking for an animal that was flexible enough to develop a design for a robotic arm.

"The tail is the seahorse's lifeline," because it allows the animal to anchor itself to corals or seaweed and hide from predators, said Michael Porter, a Ph.D. student in materials science at the Jacobs School of Engineering. "But no one has looked at the seahorse's tail and bones as a source of armor."

Most of the seahorse's predators, including sea turtles, crabs and birds, capture the animals by crushing them. Engineers wanted to see if the plates in the tail act as an armor. Researchers took segments from seahorses' tails and compressed them from different angles. They found that the tail could be compressed by nearly 50 percent of its original width before permanent damage occurred. That's because the connective tissue between the tail's bony plates and the tail muscles bore most of the load from the displacement. Even when the tail was compressed by as much as 60 percent, the seahorse's spinal column was protected from permanent damage.

McKittrick and Meyers' research group uses a unique technique that applies a series of chemicals to materials to strip them of either their protein components or their mineral components. That allows them to better study materials' structures and properties. After treating the bony plates in the seahorse's tail with the chemicals, they discovered that the percentage of minerals in the plates was relatively low?40 percent, compared to 65 percent in cow bone. The plates also contained 27 percent organic compounds?mostly proteins?and 33 percent water. The hardness of the plates varied. The ridges were hardest, likely for impact protection?about 40 percent harder than the plate's grooves, which are porous and absorb energy from impacts.

The seahorse's tail is typically made up of 36 square-like segments, each composed of four L-shaped corner plates that progressively decrease in size along the length of the tail. Plates are free to glide or pivot. Gliding joints allow the bony plates to glide past one another. Pivoting joints are similar to a ball-and-socket joint, with three degrees of rotational freedom. The plates are connected to the vertebrae by thick collagen layers of connective tissue. The joints between plates and vertebrae are extremely flexible with nearly six degrees of freedom (See picture).

"Everything in biology comes down to structures," Porter said.

The next step is to use 3D printing to create artificial bony plates, which would then be equipped with polymers that would act as muscles. The final goal is to build a robotic arm that would be a unique hybrid between hard and soft robotic devices. A flexible, yet robust robotic gripper could be used for medical devices, underwater exploration and unmanned bomb detection and detonation. The protected, flexible arm would be able to grasp a variety of objects of different shapes and sizes.

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University of California - San Diego: http://www.ucsd.edu

Thanks to University of California - San Diego for this article.

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Source: http://www.labspaces.net/128099/Seahorse_s_armor_gives_engineers_insight_into_robotics_designs

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Weight loss surgery safe and effective for an expanded group of patients

Public release date: 2-May-2013
[ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Amy Molnar
sciencenewsroom@wiley.com
Wiley

The LAP-BAND weight loss procedure is safe and effective in an expanded group of patients, not just in people who are morbidly obese. This conclusion is reported in a new study published in the scientific journal Obesity. The findings indicate that the procedure may help to intervene before obesity becomes life threatening to patients.

In 2001 the LAP-BAND adjustable gastric banding system (LAGB) was approved by the FDA as weight loss procedure for patients with a body mass index (BMI) of 40 kg/m2 or higher and for patients with a BMI of at least 35 with an obesity-related condition, such as diabetes or hypertension. (A person with a BMI of 30 or higher is considered obese.) During the procedure, a surgeon makes small incisions in the patient's abdomen and places an adjustable band around the upper part of the stomach. The newly created upper pouch allows the patient to eat only small amounts of food at a time, and it provides prolonged appetite suppression.

To assess the safety and effectiveness of LAGB in an expanded group of patients, Robert Michaelson, MD, PhD, FACS, of Northwest Weight Loss Surgery in Everett, Washington, and his colleagues recruited 149 individuals with a BMI of 35 to 39.9 without an additional condition, or a BMI of 30 to 34.9 with at least one obesity-related condition.

"Patients in our study had been obese for an average of 17 years," said Dr. Michaelson. "They tried numerous other weight loss methods and finally reached out for surgical treatment when they were weary of the repetitive failures at maintaining weight loss."

One year after undergoing the procedure, 84.6% of patients achieved at least a 30 percent loss in excess body weight, with an average excess weight loss of 65 percent. A total of 66.4 percent of patients were no longer obese. Obesity-related conditions that were present at the time of surgery improved for many patients, including 64.4 percent of patients who had high cholesterol, 59.6 percent of patients who had hypertension, and 85.7 percent of patients who had diabetes. Patients' quality of life also improved. Most side effects were mild to moderate and resolved within one month.

The researchers also found that the one year results were maintained or improved at two years, and that each additional 10 percent weight loss at year two was linked with a decrease in triglycerides by 13.7mg/dL, blood sugar levels by 3.5mg/dL, and systolic blood pressure by 3.3mmHg.

"The results of this study convinced the FDA that early intervention in the continuum of obesity is the right thing to do: treat before people go on to develop serious comorbid conditions of obesity," said Dr. Michaelson. He added that this and similar studies prompted the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery to issue a position statement endorsing weight loss surgery for patients with moderate obesity who have failed non- surgical methods of weight loss. "The next step is to get the private insurers and Medicare, who continue to rely on guidelines established in 1991, to review the incontrovertible literature, take down the barriers to the necessary treatment for this disease, and offer the hope of a cure to 27 million Americans," said Dr. Michaelson.

However, in an accompanying editorial, David Arterburn, MD, MPH, of the Group Health Research Institute in Seattle, and Melinda Maggard, MD, MSH, of the University of California Los Angeles, cautioned that the long-term benefits and risks of LAGB in lower weight individuals still need to be determined, and that studies in higher weight individuals show weight regain starting at two years. "There are also concerns that serious adverse events are common; including reports of removal rates as high as 50 percent. As the prevalence of severe comorbidities is less in this patient population, the benefits of preventing comorbidities is not known, which will require larger sample sizes to determine," they wrote. "Until longer-term data on the benefits and harms are available, the use of LAGB in patients with BMI of 30 to 35 kg/m2 should be primarily reserved for clinical research studies."

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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.

Public release date: 2-May-2013
[ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Amy Molnar
sciencenewsroom@wiley.com
Wiley

The LAP-BAND weight loss procedure is safe and effective in an expanded group of patients, not just in people who are morbidly obese. This conclusion is reported in a new study published in the scientific journal Obesity. The findings indicate that the procedure may help to intervene before obesity becomes life threatening to patients.

In 2001 the LAP-BAND adjustable gastric banding system (LAGB) was approved by the FDA as weight loss procedure for patients with a body mass index (BMI) of 40 kg/m2 or higher and for patients with a BMI of at least 35 with an obesity-related condition, such as diabetes or hypertension. (A person with a BMI of 30 or higher is considered obese.) During the procedure, a surgeon makes small incisions in the patient's abdomen and places an adjustable band around the upper part of the stomach. The newly created upper pouch allows the patient to eat only small amounts of food at a time, and it provides prolonged appetite suppression.

To assess the safety and effectiveness of LAGB in an expanded group of patients, Robert Michaelson, MD, PhD, FACS, of Northwest Weight Loss Surgery in Everett, Washington, and his colleagues recruited 149 individuals with a BMI of 35 to 39.9 without an additional condition, or a BMI of 30 to 34.9 with at least one obesity-related condition.

"Patients in our study had been obese for an average of 17 years," said Dr. Michaelson. "They tried numerous other weight loss methods and finally reached out for surgical treatment when they were weary of the repetitive failures at maintaining weight loss."

One year after undergoing the procedure, 84.6% of patients achieved at least a 30 percent loss in excess body weight, with an average excess weight loss of 65 percent. A total of 66.4 percent of patients were no longer obese. Obesity-related conditions that were present at the time of surgery improved for many patients, including 64.4 percent of patients who had high cholesterol, 59.6 percent of patients who had hypertension, and 85.7 percent of patients who had diabetes. Patients' quality of life also improved. Most side effects were mild to moderate and resolved within one month.

The researchers also found that the one year results were maintained or improved at two years, and that each additional 10 percent weight loss at year two was linked with a decrease in triglycerides by 13.7mg/dL, blood sugar levels by 3.5mg/dL, and systolic blood pressure by 3.3mmHg.

"The results of this study convinced the FDA that early intervention in the continuum of obesity is the right thing to do: treat before people go on to develop serious comorbid conditions of obesity," said Dr. Michaelson. He added that this and similar studies prompted the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery to issue a position statement endorsing weight loss surgery for patients with moderate obesity who have failed non- surgical methods of weight loss. "The next step is to get the private insurers and Medicare, who continue to rely on guidelines established in 1991, to review the incontrovertible literature, take down the barriers to the necessary treatment for this disease, and offer the hope of a cure to 27 million Americans," said Dr. Michaelson.

However, in an accompanying editorial, David Arterburn, MD, MPH, of the Group Health Research Institute in Seattle, and Melinda Maggard, MD, MSH, of the University of California Los Angeles, cautioned that the long-term benefits and risks of LAGB in lower weight individuals still need to be determined, and that studies in higher weight individuals show weight regain starting at two years. "There are also concerns that serious adverse events are common; including reports of removal rates as high as 50 percent. As the prevalence of severe comorbidities is less in this patient population, the benefits of preventing comorbidities is not known, which will require larger sample sizes to determine," they wrote. "Until longer-term data on the benefits and harms are available, the use of LAGB in patients with BMI of 30 to 35 kg/m2 should be primarily reserved for clinical research studies."

###

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[ | 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.

Source: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2013-05/w-wls042913.php

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Scott signs ethics, campaign finance bills (tbo)

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Studying meteorites may reveal Mars' secrets of life

Public release date: 1-May-2013
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Contact: Tom Oswald
tom.oswald@cabs.msu.edu
517-432-0920
Michigan State University

In an effort to determine if conditions were ever right on Mars to sustain life, a team of scientists, including a Michigan State University professor, has examined a meteorite that formed on the red planet more than a billion years ago.

And although this team's work is not specifically solving the mystery, it is laying the groundwork for future researchers to answer this age-old question.

The problem, said MSU geological sciences professor Michael Velbel, is that most meteorites that originated on Mars arrived on Earth so long ago that now they have characteristics that tell of their life on Earth, obscuring any clues it might offer about their time on Mars.

"These meteorites contain water-related mineral and chemical signatures that can signify habitable conditions," he said. "The trouble is by the time most of these meteorites have been lying around on Earth they pick up signatures that look just like habitable environments, because they are. Earth, obviously, is habitable.

"If we could somehow prove the signature on the meteorite was from before it came to Earth, that would be telling us about Mars."

Specifically, the team found mineral and chemical signatures on the rocks that indicated terrestrial weathering changes that took place on Earth. The identification of these types of changes will provide valuable clues as scientists continue to examine the meteorites.

"Our contribution is to provide additional depth and a little broader view than some work has done before in sorting out those two kinds of water-related alterations the ones that happened on Earth and the ones that happened on Mars," Velbel said.

The meteorite that Velbel and his colleagues examined known as a nakhlite meteorite was recovered in 2003 in the Miller Range of Antarctica. About the size of a tennis ball and weighing in at one-and-a-half pounds, the meteorite was one of hundreds recovered from that area.

Velbel said past examinations of meteorites that originated on Mars, as well as satellite and Rover data, prove water once existed on Mars, which is the fourth planet from the sun and Earth's nearest Solar System neighbor.

"However," he said, "until a Mars mission successfully returns samples from Mars, mineralogical studies of geochemical processes on Mars will continue to depend heavily on data from meteorites."

Velbel is currently serving as a senior fellow at the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of Natural History in Washington D.C.

The research is published in Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta, a bi-weekly journal co-sponsored by two professional societies, the Geochemical Society and the Meteoritical Society.

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Public release date: 1-May-2013
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Contact: Tom Oswald
tom.oswald@cabs.msu.edu
517-432-0920
Michigan State University

In an effort to determine if conditions were ever right on Mars to sustain life, a team of scientists, including a Michigan State University professor, has examined a meteorite that formed on the red planet more than a billion years ago.

And although this team's work is not specifically solving the mystery, it is laying the groundwork for future researchers to answer this age-old question.

The problem, said MSU geological sciences professor Michael Velbel, is that most meteorites that originated on Mars arrived on Earth so long ago that now they have characteristics that tell of their life on Earth, obscuring any clues it might offer about their time on Mars.

"These meteorites contain water-related mineral and chemical signatures that can signify habitable conditions," he said. "The trouble is by the time most of these meteorites have been lying around on Earth they pick up signatures that look just like habitable environments, because they are. Earth, obviously, is habitable.

"If we could somehow prove the signature on the meteorite was from before it came to Earth, that would be telling us about Mars."

Specifically, the team found mineral and chemical signatures on the rocks that indicated terrestrial weathering changes that took place on Earth. The identification of these types of changes will provide valuable clues as scientists continue to examine the meteorites.

"Our contribution is to provide additional depth and a little broader view than some work has done before in sorting out those two kinds of water-related alterations the ones that happened on Earth and the ones that happened on Mars," Velbel said.

The meteorite that Velbel and his colleagues examined known as a nakhlite meteorite was recovered in 2003 in the Miller Range of Antarctica. About the size of a tennis ball and weighing in at one-and-a-half pounds, the meteorite was one of hundreds recovered from that area.

Velbel said past examinations of meteorites that originated on Mars, as well as satellite and Rover data, prove water once existed on Mars, which is the fourth planet from the sun and Earth's nearest Solar System neighbor.

"However," he said, "until a Mars mission successfully returns samples from Mars, mineralogical studies of geochemical processes on Mars will continue to depend heavily on data from meteorites."

Velbel is currently serving as a senior fellow at the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of Natural History in Washington D.C.

The research is published in Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta, a bi-weekly journal co-sponsored by two professional societies, the Geochemical Society and the Meteoritical Society.

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Source: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2013-05/msu-smm050113.php

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