Genetic mutation linked to AMD

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) has been one of the leading causes of blindness on the planet for decades, severely impacting many people's quality of life.

However, the thousands of sufferers in the UK and the rest of the world may now have a ray of hope in the form of a study which has identified one of the causes of the conditions.

Research conducted by experts at Tufts Medical Center, Tufts University School of Medicine and Brigham and Women's Hospital and published in the journal Nature Genetics suggests that a genetic mutation is responsible for AMD.

Experts had previously identified several relatively common genetic variants which together predict a person's increased risk for AMD, though a significant number of people without the disease also have these variants.

Now, however, investigators have been able to clearly show a specific rare mutation called CFH R1210C, which predicts a very high risk of disease and is extremely uncommon among those who do not have the disease.

First author, Dr Soumya Raychaudhuri, a researcher in the Divisions of Genetics and Rheumatology at Brigham and Women's Hospital, said that although it is a rare variant, it is highly related to familial disease and earlier age of onset.

"Our paper shows that there is a genetic variant that confers high risk of the development of AMD; this finding not only clearly links CFH gene dysfunction to disease, but also might help to identify people who need to be screened more closely," she explained.

Before publication, it was known that genetic variation within the CFH gene influenced people's risk of AMD in individuals, so in this study, researchers conducted sequencing and genotyping of CFH in 2,423 AMD cases and 1,122 controls.

They identified a rare, high-risk mutation resulting in an arginine to cysteine substitution in the CFH protein, which is associated with loss of function of the CFH protein.

Its discovery suggests that loss of CFH function can drive AMD risk, explained senior author Dr Johanna Seddon, professor of ophthalmology at Tufts University School of Medicine and director of the Ophthalmic Epidemiology and Genetics Service at Tufts Medical Center.

She added that it was associated with advanced AMD and visual loss, while many of the patients also had numerous drusen, which are the early hallmarks of AMD.

"The discovery of this rare but penetrant variant strongly associated with disease also points the way to developing new and effective treatments for high risk individuals," the expert added. ADNFCR-1853-ID-800775733-ADNFCR

Source http://www.contactlenses.co.uk/contactlensesnews/article56460/genetic-mutation-linked-to-amd.html?catid=4

What the White House Left on the Table

I wrote at length earlier Monday about why I think the proper characterization of the deal that President Obama struck with Republicans is “pretty bad” rather than “terrible.” (That’s from a Democratic point of view. For Republicans, I’d say the deal should be thought of as “quite good” rather than “awesome.”)

It seems as if the results of the House’s vote on Monday tend to back up that assertion. In the end, exactly half of the Democratic caucus members voted for the debt ceiling bill, which makes it hard to classify the deal as “terrible” from their point of view.

But almost three-quarters of Republicans voted in the affirmative. And even the Tea Party came around in the end. By 32-to-28, members of the Tea Party Caucus voted for the bill, despite earlier claims — which now look like a bluff — that they wouldn’t vote to raise the debt ceiling under any circumstances.

These results seem to suggest that Mr. Obama left something on the table. That is, Mr. Obama could have shifted the deal tangibly toward the left and still gotten a bill through without too much of a problem. For instance, even if all members of the Tea Party Caucus had voted against the bill, it would still have passed 237-to-193, and that’s with 95 Democrats voting against it.

Specifically, it seems likely that Mr. Obama could have gotten an extension of the payroll tax cut included in the bill, or unemployment benefits, either of which would have had a stimulative effect. Some Republicans would have complained that the new deal expanded rather than contracted the deficit in 2012, and Mr. Obama would have lost some of their votes. But this stimulus spending wouldn’t have overtly violated their highest-priority goals (no new taxes, and a dollar in spending cuts for every dollar in borrowing authority). And Mr. Obama, evidently, had a few Republican votes he could afford to lose.

With that payroll tax cut, the deal becomes a much easier sell to Democrats — and perhaps also to swing voters, particularly given that nobody spent much time during this debate talking about jobs. Plus, it would have improved growth in 2012 and, depending on how literally you take the economic models, improved Mr. Obama’s re-election chances.

No, we can’t know this for sure. Voting during roll calls can be tactical, and the results may have been skewed by the heartwarming and unexpected return of Representative Gabrielle Giffords to the House chamber. But this is at least a little bit more tangible than simply asserting that Mr. Obama did as well as he could under the circumstances.

It wouldn’t have been a great deal for Democrats — still no tax increases, still lots of spending cuts, still buying into Republicans’ premise that the debt ceiling is an appropriate vehicle for fiscal reform. But it would have been a fair one, and better than what Mr. Obama got.

Source http://fivethirtyeight.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/08/01/what-the-white-house-left-on-the-table/

Obama threatens veto of FAA bill over labor provision

President Barack Obama would veto sweeping aviation legislation if Republicans in Congress succeed in gutting a rule favorable to airline and railroad union organizing, the White House said on Wednesday.

"The administration is committed to help working Americans exercise their right to organize under a fair and free process," the White House said in a statement on the multi-billion-dollar bill that lays out long term U.S. aviation priorities.

The centerpiece of the legislation would authorize funding of Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) air traffic control operations and modernization of that system.

It is under consideration in the U.S. House of Representatives.

The chamber is expected to vote this week on an amendment to remove a provision in the bill eliminating an existing rule that makes it easier for unions in the airline and railroad industries to organize.

The National Mediation Board (NMB) last year upended long-standing policy that treated non-votes in union organizing elections as 'no' votes. Victory is now awarded to a majority of only those voting.

The change aligned representation elections at freight railroads and airlines -- covered under the same federal labor law -- with balloting guidelines in most other industries.

Labor and airlines have been lobbying hard for their respective positions ahead of the vote in the Republican-led House, which is expected to be very close.

Hoping to influence the outcome, Obama's aides said they would recommended a veto if the chamber votes to change the rule.

"The fairest and most effective way to determine the outcome of a union representation election is by the majority of votes cast," the White House statement said.

Major U.S. airlines are heavily unionized. But unions have failed in recent months to organize thousands of flight attendants and other workers at mainly non-union Delta Air Lines. New attempts are anticipated.

Labor would also like to organize workers at JetBlue Airways.

FAA legislation already approved in the Senate did not include the contentious labor provision. If it passes the House, the outcome would be determined by congressional negotiators from both chambers who would craft a final bill.

Source http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/03/31/us-obama-faa-idUSTRE72T7SD20110331

In Brazil, Obama will ask what S. American economy can do for U.S.

When top American officials have visited Brazil in the past, they often have asked what the United States can do to help Brazil’s economy, which has been buffetted by periodic financial crises.

But when President Obama visits this weekend, he’ll be asking what Brazil can do for the U.S. economy.

White House officials said Tuesday that Obama’s trip this weekend — the centerpiece of which will be a series of economic talks in Brazil — would focus on ways that rapid growth in Latin America’s largest economy can pay off for U.S. businesses.

“This trip fundamentally is about the U.S. recovery, U.S. exports and the critical relationship that Latin America plays in our economic future and jobs here in the United States,” said Michael Froman, national security adviser for international economic affairs.

As options to use taxpayer spending to bolster the economy have narrowed, Obama has emphasized the importance to the economic recovery of boosting exports by U.S. companies.

Brazil’s economy grew 7.5 percent last year and is expected to continue a brisk expansion this year. The seventh-largest economy in the world, it has become an important trading partner, with exports to Brazil doubling in the past five years, many of those gains coming in 2010.

White House aides noted Tuesday that this trend has benefited states as varied as Pennsylvania, Ohio and Texas.

Aides said that the two big opportunities they are targeting for U.S. businesses in Brazil are the energy sector and infrastructure and construction. Brazil is expected to spend up to $200 billion preparing to host the 2014 World Cup and 2016 Olympics.

Obama is traveling to Brazil with a coterie of senior U.S. officials and is planning to give a major speech on U.S.-Brazil economic relations.

The trip comes at a sensitive moment, both domestically and in Brazil. The president is working to finalize and pass a trio of free-trade agreements with Colombia, Panama and South Korea.

Meanwhile, Brazil’s government is upset about U.S. tariffs on sugar and sugar-based ethanol and concerned that its economy is beginning to import too much compared with how much it exports.

Froman said he does not expect an announcement on whether the United States will lower or eliminate ethanol tariffs, but he expects the issue to come up as part of a broader discussion on alternative forms of energy.

And he pointed out that the United States is also doing business in Brazil to allay fears about the nation’s growing budget deficit.

Source http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/economy/in-brazil-obama-will-ask-what-s-american-economy-can-do-for-us/2011/03/15/AB3lSIa_story.html

Game of Death Review

On the 10th December 2010 Prison inmate No. 43355-018, aka Wesley Snipes, reported to a Pennsylvanian prison to begin a three-year incarceration for tax evasion. However, before Snipes started his ‘bird’ – one which many feel has been totally blown out of proportion because of his celebrity status – he managed to squeeze in one quick release - enter Game of Death. In it, Snipes plays Secret Ops employee agent Marcus, a hit-man sent to take out an arms dealer and the mutual fund that is financing him. However, two of his fellow CIA operatives have other plans, and Marcus eventually becomes locked in a deadly game of cat and mouse with his former associates and their now corrupt CIA operation.

The premise of the film is this – Agent Marcus (Snipes) is a loyal, cold-blooded hitman for the CIA who has spent his life taking orders and killing as instructed. However, what sets him apart from his fellow agents is his underlying hint of conscious, one that ensures his total devotion and loyalty to whoever he is working for. So, despite working as a double-agent for the CIA when assigned as the bodyguard of arms dealer Frank Smith, Marcus still works on a premise of loyalty towards his weapon-dealing associate; and it is this devotion that makes him oblivious to the betrayal going on around him. When Frank has a heart attack, Marcus drives him – under gun fire from his former allies – to the hospital, the setting of the following siege and subsequent location of much of the film. Unfortunately, there are only so many necks Marcus can break and the substantial outnumbering soon leaves him unconscious and client-less. From here, Marcus sets off as a one man killing machine, determined to collect both his client and retribution for the betrayal he has suffered.

While the Game of Death may not live up to the standard of some of Wesley’s most memorable performances (see the Blade trilogy and Demolition Man), it does have a number of endearing qualities to it. First off is the presentation of the story from the film’s main protagonist, Marcus himself. Instead of simply running through, the story reveals itself within a confessional, after Marcus seeks the sanctuary of a catholic church. Struggling to come to terms with his now fugitive status, our lead is invited to seek repentance from the Lord. The interaction between Marcus and his priest of choice – played by Ernie Hudson – is sincere, if not a little far-fetched. I understand that there is little a priest will not have heard, but to sit through a confession that starts with “I am...a killer. I remember the first time I killed someone ...” and remain void of even the slightest amount of fear or judgement is somewhat hard to believe.

The film also benefits from more than a handful of impressive action montages, with Snipes successfully snapping, dislocating and wounding his way through his characters fairly frequent confrontations. While lacking the sort of budget required for the expensive explosions and CGI-based fight scenes that we - the consumers - have come to expect, Game of Death is littered with beautifully choreographed action scenes and does the basics as well as any other title from the action genre. I for one never knew there were some many different ways to break a man’s neck and, should this film find itself in financial turmoil, it may have great success as a Dummies guide to neck breaking.

Unfortunately, while harbouring a numbering of positives, the Game of Death repeatedly shoots itself in the foot, many of which could so easily have been avoided. For example, in a film that lasts a total of 122 minutes - with five of those minutes constituting to a full, 14-15 bullet shoot-out on a stairwell - Marcus reloads just once. Regardless of special effects or CGI, an action film must get the basics right, and it doesn’t come much more basic than knowing to reload a weapon when out of ammo. It’s frustrating more than anything because in scenes such as the stairwell shoot-out, you find yourself engrossed in the issue of unlimited ammo rather than the scene itself.

Secondly, the Game of Death regularly fails to explain its flashbacks. For instance, Marcus regularly appears to be suffering from a lack of concentration – occasionally becoming dizzy and disorientated - but, despite the suggestions of diabetes, the true diagnosis is never revealed. As if this wasn’t bad enough, we are left totally in the dark as to how the betrayal came to be. How was it organised? Who was involved? Why did the police never show up to arrest an unconscious Marcus, despite its corrupt chief sending all available squads to the hospital? – So many questions, all of which remain unanswered.

However, while these are certainly frustrating, it is the anticlimactic nature of this straight-to-DVD adventure that most irritates. Take the start of the film – we are thrown straight into a carefully coordinated, CIA assassination with a promising twist, all of which sets up an exciting opening. However, the next five minutes – as I noted when watching – is pointless crap, adding nothing to the opening minutes and condemning this film to mediocrity. Unfortunately, the film saves the worst till last – Marcus’ final stand off against his backstabbing protégé, Zander (Gary Daniels). For over an hour and a half, the film has been building up to this moment, the traditional battle of good versus evil; and yet the fight that follows is just five minutes long, most of which is dialect. They circle, they talk, and they throw a couple of big hits, all of which is leading up to a big finish...yes? Wrong. Instead, Marcus lands a handful of knocks before resorting to his beloved neck break...and that’s it. Disappointing is an understatement.

Like many before it, the Game of Death will inevitably become a bargain-bucket favourite, nestling amongst the likes of Zonad and 2010: Moby Dick, before fading into obscurity. However, this should not have been the case. Everything was there – a well-known cast, impressively choreographed stunts and more than a pinch of originality – but Game of Death stumbled at the most basic of requests. As a one-off watch, the film provides more than enough to warrant a suitably priced rental. However, do stick to renting this title, because Game of Death lacks the depth needed to justify a full purchase.

Source http://www.shadowlocked.com/201102201512/reviews/game-of-death-review.html

Is CSC losing money on NHS IT?

On 31 March 2010 the FT reported that "failing NHS supplier faces dismissal".

The FT's Nicholas Timmins said: "The biggest single supplier to the £12bn NHS IT programme [CSC] is on the brink of being fired from a key part of its contract after failing to meet a deadline to install systems at hospitals in the north-west."

Now, nearly a year later, the threat to CSC has apparently re-emerged. Techmarketview reports this week:

NHS considers terminating CSC ‘black hole’ contract

Techmarketview says that while most eyes were transfixed by CSC’s Q3 ‘miss’ and profit warning, "we were more concerned about the news that the implementation of Lorenzo Release 1.9 at Pennine Care NHS Foundation Trust has slipped and now won’t happen until mid-2011".

The article adds that the NHS has formally notified CSC that it considers it has breached its contract by missing a key milestone last month and is considering whether to terminate the contract - in part or indeed the lot.

CSC's NPfIT contracts are worth about £3.2bn. The Department of Health has been negotiating with CSC to sign a memorandum of understanding that reduces the total worth of the contracts by about £500m to £2.7bn.

Meanwhile, says Techmarketview, CSC continues to "pour money into the NHS programme with miniscule returns". The company is said to have invested a further $69m in the contract in Q3 for which it achieved the return of only $18m in revenue.

"As bad as this looks, it is at least better than the prior quarter when it invested $120m for $23m return...At what point, you might reasonably ask, might management take heed of the maxim, ‘if you are in a hole, stop digging’?

Could CSC quit the NPfIT and sue?

Christine Connelly, the DH CIO, may be worried that CSC, if pushed into a corner, will join Fujitsu in a joint legal action against the Department.

Fujitsu has been in legal discussions with the DH since it quit the NPfIT in 2008. In any legal action were to involve CSC, it is likely that CSC would have better records of what has happened to influence the contracts than the DH and Connecting for Health, especially given the many changes of staff and executives at DH and CfH.

The DH is at a further disadvantage in any legal action with CSC because government has a history of not taking major IT suppliers to court - largely because ministers don't like putting civil servants in the witness box, especially if they have moved onto different jobs. Or they may be former civil servants, having left government altogether.

It's noticeable that a legal dispute between Fujitsu and the DH has continued for nearly three years without any sign of court action.

On the other hand, Connelly is under pressure not to sign a deal with CSC merely to keep the supplier from quitting the NPfIT.

Last month Richard Bacon MP, a Conservative member of the House of Commons' Public Accounts Committee, warned Connelly, in writing, not to sign NHS IT deals with CSC or BT for now.

Bacon said that signing a deal now could breach civil service responsibilities.

Source http://blogs.computerworlduk.com/the-tony-collins-blog/2011/02/is-csc-losing-money-on-nhs-it/

Kid Rock keeps birthday party going in Saginaw

Kid Rock's birthday may be over, but the celebration rolls on.

At the sold-out Dow Event Center in Saginaw Friday night, Rock properly kicked off his "Born Free" tour with a two-hour, 15-minute show that featured many of the elements from last weekend's epic Ford Field 40th birthday bash, and a few new touches as well.

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The show began with the same video package that introduced the Ford Field concert but unfolded on an entirely new stage, a Jim Beam-sponsored, multi-tiered set built to resemble a country western bar. A smoke belching, laser shooting longhorn skull was the centerpiece of the set, and there appeared to be a working bar set up behind Rock's DJ, Paradime. Rock emerged on stage from behind two swinging saloon doors and launched into "American Bad Ass," following it with "God Bless Saturday," from his latest, "Born Free." Mid-show, Rock addressed the crowd and talked about the Ford Field shindig.

"I had this little 'over the hill' birthday party last weekend in Detroit," Rock said, to huge cheers from the audience of 6,500. "How 'bout we just keep the birthday party going all year long?" He threw to clips of Conan O'Brien, Jon Stewart and Jimmy Kimmel wishing him a happy 40th, although curiously, Jay Leno's bit was left out of the mix.

"Rock On," which was not performed at Ford Field, came during the middle of the concert, and was performed under a rustic chandelier. And on the show-closing "Born Free," Rock sat at a rotating piano that was raised from the beneath the stage, and he sang the song's chorus from atop the piano as it was lifted 10 feet in the air.

Rock is test-driving the show before taking it on the road for two months, and it could benefit from a few nips and tucks. A late-show "Rock N Roll Jesus" — complete with full-band costume change — felt superfluous, and a mid-section run-through of "Devil Without a Cause"-era tracks could afford to be toned.

But this is a mean rock and roll machine, and Rock's circus is as musically robust as ever. Even though Rock is now 40, he's not ready to slow his roll anytime soon.

The tour continues tonight in Saginaw, hitting Grand Rapids on Tuesday and Toledo on Wednesday.

agraham@detnews.com

Source http://www.detnews.com/article/20110122/ENT04/101220377/Kid-Rock-keeps-birthday-party-going-in-Saginaw--