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Wednesday, July 3, 2013

Gene mutations caused by a father's lifestyle can be inherited by multiple generations

July 1, 2013 ? Gene mutations caused by a father's lifestyle can be inherited by his children, even if those mutations occurred before conception. What's more, these findings show that mutations in the germ-line are present in all cells of the children, including their own germ cells. This means that a father's lifestyle has the potential to affect the DNA of multiple generations and not just his immediate offspring. These findings were published in the July 2013 issue of The FASEB Journal.

"Our study should be regarded as a pilot study," said Roger Godschalk, Ph.D., a researcher involved in the work from the Department of Toxicology and the School for Nutrition, Toxicology and Metabolism at Maastricht University in the Netherlands. "We hope that our findings support the initiation of new, more elaborate studies that investigate the role of daily life exposures on germ-line mutations transmitted to offspring."

To make this discovery, Godschalk and colleagues looked at two groups of families (father, mother and child) from the Norwegian Mother and Child Cohort Study. The first group had a low yearly income, whereas the second group had a relatively high yearly income. The investigators chose income as a criterion because it generally correlates to lifestyle choices of the parents. For instance, fathers in the low income group were more often cigarette smokers than fathers in the high income group. Researchers looked for DNA mutations in the children and found that they were more frequent in the group with low income fathers than in the group of high income fathers. These results suggest that the parents living conditions before conception may directly impact the health of their children.

"We've known for a very long time that preventive care among expectant mothers is critical to the health and well-being of their children," said Gerald Weissmann, M.D., Editor-in-Chief of The FASEB Journal. "Now, we're learning that fathers don't get a free pass. How they take care of themselves -- even before conception -- affects the genetic makeup of their children, for better or worse."

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Story Source:

The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology, via EurekAlert!, a service of AAAS.

Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.

Journal Reference:

J. O. Linschooten, N. Verhofstad, K. Gutzkow, A.-K. Olsen, C. Yauk, Y. Oligschlager, G. Brunborg, F. J. van Schooten, R. W. L. Godschalk. Paternal lifestyle as a potential source of germline mutations transmitted to offspring. The FASEB Journal, 2013; DOI: 10.1096/fj.13-227694

Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/health_medicine/genes/~3/QW2GBVivMMs/130701135550.htm

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Tuesday, July 2, 2013

How We Imagined The Push-Button Kitchen Before Microwaves Existed

Through modern eyes, most American cuisine in the 1950s may not seem like the most appetizing stuff. There was an abundance of strange meats, way too much jello, and hot dogs in just about everything (and vice versa). Sometimes the combination of the three made for a fascinatingly grotesque display. But while some of the food in 1950s cookbooks may look a little weird to those of us in the year 2013, as an inverse of the old joke goes, at least there were large portions.

Using the Samsung Galaxy S4 with stock Android

Galaxy S4 stock Android

After two months with TouchWiz, what's it like to go 'stock' on Samsung's latest smartphone?

The running joke whenever we discuss the Google Play edition Galaxy S4 is that you can sum things up in just one sentence — it’s the Galaxy S4, with stock Android. Really, if you understand the vanilla “Nexus” UI, as it exists on the Nexus 4, and you understand the Galaxy S4’s hardware, as it exists on the Samsung version, then you already know everything you need to about this product. There are no real surprises lurking. What you see is what you get. It’s the Galaxy S4, with stock Android.

I’ve been using the GS4 in some form or another since I reviewed the Sprint version in New York City in April. Back then the device had some serious software issues, not least of which was the persistent, maddening lag that plagued the Samsung UI. Since picking up the European version I’ve watched things improve with successive software updates, and Samsung’s flavor of Android is now as speedy as I’d expect it to be — almost as fast as stock, in fact. So how does that compare to the vanilla, unblemished Google experience? Read on to find out.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/androidcentral/~3/7G0ijN8UJnc/story01.htm

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1 dead after drug overdoses at Wash. concert venue

SEATTLE (AP) ? One man died and dozens of people were treated after overdosing on a drug called Molly at a weekend music festival at the Gorge Amphitheatre in central Washington, authorities said.

More than 25,000 people attended the sold-out, two-day Paradiso Festival, which features dozens of electronic music performances.

An autopsy was scheduled Monday on a 21-year-old man from the Seattle suburb of Des Moines, said Chelan County Coroner Wayne Harris. The man died Sunday at Central Washington Hospital in Wenatchee. His name was not released.

He was one of seven people from the music festival who were taken to the hospital. Three remained in serious condition, said Kathy Hamilton, director of community relations.

Quincy Valley Medical Center, the closest hospital to the amphitheater, treated and released about 70 other concert-goers in its emergency room from Thursday through Sunday, spokeswoman Michele Wurl said, with at least 40 of the cases related to drugs and alcohol.

The small, rural hospital has no intensive care unit and serious cases were transferred.

"We deal with the gorge all summer long," Wurl said. "What we're seeing this year is much higher acuity ? more severe ? in the drug use,"

Molly seemed to be a generic name for a cocktail of drugs, she said.

"They don't even know what they're taking," Wurl said. "They take a hit and 30 to 45 minutes later they take a second. So they get them maxing out one after another. ... We're not talking about too much drinking or smoking a little marijuana."

Deputies handled 62 calls for service at the Paradiso Festival and arrested 23 people for various charges, including possession or delivery of controlled substances, trespassing, obstructing a public servant, assault and disorderly conduct, the Grant County sheriff's office said in a statement. The concert promoter contracts with the sheriff's office to supplement security.

The number of arrests is not unusual for a concert at the Gorge, said Undersheriff Dave Ponozzo. Some people seen by medical personnel were using Molly or MDMA, he said. MDMA is also known as ecstasy.

The sheriff's office said a 20-year-old Seattle man had been found disoriented but OK on Monday after wandering lost for hours after taking the drug.

"Most in attendance were very respectful people to us and to one another," Ponozzo said in an email. "I found them to be very social people, many of who went out of their way to thank us for being there."

Most of the audience stays at a campground on the site overlooking the Columbia River about 120 miles east of Seattle.

Concerts at the Gorge put pressure on the Quincy Valley Medical Center emergency room, which typically sees about nine people a day. The Paradiso Festival was the third concert this year at the Gorge.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/1-dead-drug-overdoses-wash-concert-venue-185312323.html

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'For now, we mourn': Few answers after 19 killed in Arizona wildfire

Governor Jan Brewer says her heart is breaking over the unimaginable loss of the firefighters, and for their families, friends and community.

By Erin McClam and Ian Johnston, NBC News

Arizona authorities struggled for answers Monday after 19 highly trained firefighters were trapped and killed by a windblown wildfire ? a blaze the governor vowed to stop ?before it causes any more heartache.?

One day after the worst loss of life for an American fire department since Sept. 11, investigators said they had not figured out why the men were unable to retreat to a safe zone or otherwise survive the inferno.

?For now, we mourn,? Gov. Jan Brewer said.

The fire, sparked by lightning on Friday, raged uncontrolled for a fourth day. By afternoon it had destroyed more than 200 buildings in Yarnell, a town of about 700 people northwest of Phoenix. It was described as at least 13 square miles and ?zero percent? contained, though more than 400 firefighters were trying.

The wildfire claimed all but one member of the Granite Mountain Hotshots, a team of elite firefighters known for extensive training and a demanding fitness regimen. Officials said only that the survivor might have been repositioning equipment.

Wade Ward, the public information officer for the Prescott Fire Department in Arizona, talks about the tragic loss of 19 firefighters in a massive wildfire, saying "it had to be the perfect storm in order for this to happen."

?We can honor their service with our gratitude and prayers,? Brewer said, ?and through our steadfast dedication to do whatever is necessary to bring this fire under control before it causes any more heartache.?

Mary Rasmussen, a spokeswoman for Prescott National Forest, said it appeared the 19 were engaged in a ?direct attack? ? getting close to the fire and trying to create a break to starve it of fuel.

She described the maneuver as ?one foot in the black and one foot in the green,? and said it was only done when the flames were 5 feet high or less: ?They?re right up against it.?

The conditions Sunday were extreme, with unusual wind, she said, and authorities were checking what other factors might have contributed.

Temperatures soared into the 110s in Arizona over the weekend, and National Weather Service meteorologist Brian Klimowski told The Associated Press that there was a sudden increase and shift in the wind at about the time the men were lost Sunday afternoon.

Art Morrison, a state forestry spokesman, told The Associated Press that the men had been forced to deploy emergency fire shelters ? individual, portable cocoons meant to protect breathable air and shield them from the heat.

Tom Harbour, national fire director for the U.S. Forest Service, said the shelters had saved hundreds of lives over the years. But he said some fires are strong enough, and move quickly enough, to overwhelm them. The fire was the deadliest wildfire in the United States in 80 years.

From the few known details, he said it was not clear that anyone did anything wrong.

?It?s way, way too early to be drawing any conclusions,? said Harbour, who said he had not seen anything like this fire in his 44-year career. ?The only conclusion right now is that souls are dead and half the town of Yarnell is gone.?

David Kadlubowski / The Arizona Republic via AP

Nineteen firefighters - all members of an elite response team - were killed Sunday battling a fast-moving wildfire in Arizona, marking the deadliest single incident for firefighters since the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, officials said.

Hotshot fire crews often hike into the wilderness lugging 40 or 50 pounds of equipment, including chain saws and other heavy gear, to clear brush and trees and anything else that might feed the flames.

The Granite Mountain crew had battled blazes in New Mexico and elsewhere in Arizona in recent weeks.

?If you ever met them, you would meet the finest, most dedicated people,? Prescott Fire Chief Dan Fraijo said. ?They?ll sleep out there as they try to develop fire lines and put protection between homes and natural resources and still try to remain safe.?

President Barack Obama, in a statement, described the fallen men as ?heroes,? and Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer said it was ?as dark a day as I can remember.? Arizona Sen. John McCain said the men?s sacrifice would not be forgotten.

Authorities said they would release names of the dead later. Juliann Ashcraft told the website of The Arizona Republic and NBC affiliate KPNX that she and her four children were watching the news when they learned her husband, Andrew, was among the dead.

?They died heroes,? she said through tears. ?And we?ll miss them. We love them.?

Related:

This story was originally published on Mon Jul 1, 2013 12:08 AM EDT

Source: http://feeds.nbcnews.com/c/35002/f/663306/s/2e0eb428/l/0Lusnews0Bnbcnews0N0C0Inews0C20A130C0A70C0A10C192242790Efor0Enow0Ewe0Emourn0Efew0Eanswers0Eafter0E190Ekilled0Ein0Earizona0Ewildfire0Dlite/story01.htm

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Monday, July 1, 2013

Changes urged after 5 near airline collisions

WASHINGTON (AP) ? Five near collisions ? four of them last year ? involving airliners that aborted landings prompted the National Transportation Safety Board to call Monday for changes in air traffic control procedures.

In a letter to the Federal Aviation Administration, the board said aborted landings are placing planes on converging flight paths, forcing pilots to execute evasive maneuvers at a low altitude to avoid a potential collision.

The board cited four such near collisions last year: two in Las Vegas, and one each in New York and Charlotte, N.C. There was also a similar near collision in Las Vegas in 2006. In each case, the pilot of at least one of the planes swiftly changed course to avoid a possible midair collision.

The FAA regulates safety and operates the national air traffic control system, while the board investigates accidents and safety incidents.

Aborted landings are not uncommon and can occur for many reasons, but such sudden changes in course can create the danger one plane will fly into the path of another plane that's taking off or landing.

McCarran International Airport in Las Vegas is especially at risk for such incidents because of runways that are angled so that the flights paths of planes taking off simultaneously can cross. In one of the incidents at McCarran on July 30, 2012, a Spirit Airlines Airbus A319 and a Cessna Citation 510 came within 100 feet vertically and about 1,000 feet laterally before the pilot of the smaller Cessna four-seater changed course to avoid the airliner. The airliner executed the aborted landing.

In another incident on the same day at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York, an American Airlines Boeing 737 aborted a landing at the same time as a Pinnacle Airlines regional jet was taking off. The two planes were being handled by different air traffic controllers using different radio frequencies. The two planes came within about 1,600 feet laterally and 300 feet vertically.

In a third incident the same month in Charlotte, N.C., an Expressjet regional jet was executing an aborted landing at the same time an Air Wisconsin regional jet was taking off. The two planes were being guided by different controllers. The controller handling the Air Wisconsin flight alerted the pilot to the conflict with the other plane, but gave no instructions on how to avoid the potential collision. The two planes passed within less than 800 feet laterally and 400 feet vertically of each other.

A fourth incident occurred when a JetBlue Airbus A320 aborted a landing at McCarran on April 26, 2012, at the same time a Mexican-registered Learjet 60 was taking off. The JetBlue pilot turned sharply to avoid the Learjet, while the Learjet pilot initiated a rapid climb to avoid the airliner. Radar data showed the climb rate at 6,000 feet per minute immediately after departure. In radio transmissions from the pilot, the airplane's stick-shaker, a cockpit safety system, can be heard in the background warning the pilot of an imminent stall.

The only warning from the controller to the Learjet pilot was to "go low," but by the time the instruction was issued, the plane was climbing at a high rate and the pilot was unable to comply. The planes came within less than 1,600 feet laterally and 100 feet vertically of each other.

Another McCarran incident cited by the board occurred on Jan. 27, 2006, between a United Airlines Airbus A320 that was instructed by controllers to abort a landing because of a potential conflict with a Beechcraft BE200, a twin-engine turboprop. While attempting to circle around, the United plane nearly collided with an American Airlines Boeing 757 that was taking off.

The United pilot made "made an evasive turn to the right to avoid a potential collision, reportedly banking as much as 40 degrees to avoid crossing" the flight path of the American plane, the board said. The American plane also made a slight left turn away from the other plane.

Afterward, the United flight crew told investigators that "the tower controllers did not seem to have clear procedures for separating aircraft in the event of a go-around (aborted landing) and may not have had the same perception of an impending collision that they (the crew) did," the board's letter said.

The FAA said in a statement that the agency has "thoroughly investigated the incidents and took aggressive steps to address the causes."

"The FAA takes NTSB recommendations very seriously and will respond to the board within 90 days," the statement said.

Among the actions the agency has taken at McCarran is placing more air traffic managers on duty whose aim is to focus on conflicting flight paths, according to an FAA official who wasn't authorized to speak publicly and asked not to be named. The agency also is testing several new technologies aimed at alerting controllers to the potential for such collisions, the official said.

___

Follow Joan Lowy on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/AP_Joan

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/89ae8247abe8493fae24405546e9a1aa/Article_2013-07-01-US-NTSB-Aborted-Landings/id-e6674ae5cc3d4fff8c603e1e7c331ab7

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