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Saturday, December 31, 2011
93% Mission: Impossible Ghost Protocol
In the latest installment of the Mission: Impossible series, the IMF gets shut down after it's implication in the bombing of the Kremlin. Ethan Hunt and his top secret team embark on a globe trotting mission to clear up their name and capture the man behind the bombing who plans to begin a nuclear war. Let the thrill ride begin! As of now, I have not seen the other films in the series. The main reason I went to see this because there was a little treat shown before the movie that I was just dying to see. I'll get to that later. Also, the trailers sold me to the movie. They were very well put together and knew how to get action fans flocking to the theater. I thoroughly enjoyed the film. I've heard that none of the films have connected plots or story arcs so I was fine. Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol delivers some of the most fun you'll have at the movies this year. The film is fun-filled from start to finish and features what many recent action films lack these days. That is intelligence. The film is very smart, witty, and well planned out but it won't have you thinking like a psychological thriller. It's summertime entertainment for the Holidays. The story in this film isn't groundbreaking and I didn't find it very original. I also felt that there weren't enough surprises or twists. As I Look back at the movie, I don't think there were any. I enjoy those in an action movie. The premise is exciting and it was a pleasure to follow it. The action scenes are also very well done. Without giving away a whole lot, there is a scene involving Ethan Hunt and his partner, Benji, trying to sneak past a guarded area and they use very sly and funny techniques to complete the task. What I loved about this scene was the comedic value and the fact that there was no dialogue. It felt like watching an episode of Mr. Bean only with secret agents. Of all the action scenes, the main highlight involves Tom Cruise climbing up the Burj Khalifa in Dubai, the talletst building in the world. Those with weak constitution who see this film in IMAX should be warned. This scene is pretty intense and could make you queasy. My hands were sweating. This scene is well shot and thrilling. I saw the film in IMAX and was sitting in the fourth row. Those who have seen movies in that format should know how that feels. The expensive price of admission my cousin and I paid to see this in IMAX was worth it. Many of the film's action scenes are shot with the glorious IMAX cameras and perfectly displayed on the immense screen thanks to the director, Brad Bird. However, I felt that he took advantage of the camera sometimes just to film explosions that only last a few seconds. The series has gotten famous directors to helm the films such as Brian DePalma, John Woo, and JJ Abrams. Brad Bird, who directed Pixar's The Incredibles and Ratatouille and the cult animated film, The Iron Giant, makes a great live action debut. I would love to see more action films directed by him and he should give Michael Bay some lessons! The shooting stlye in the film is grand and the cinematography was amazing. Thanks to Brad Bird, I have faith in Andrew Stanton (He's the best Pixar director in my opinion.) and his live-action sci-fi film, John Carter, which is out in March. Some of the action sequences feel like the ones featured in The Incredibles all thanks to the director. The performances in this film were pretty good. I like Tom Cruise and he plays a very cool spy. I think I'd rather go on a mission with him rather than James Bond. I haven't seen The Hurt Locker yet but if you've been reading the site's Weekly Ketchup, you may notice that Jeremy Renner is being considered for quite a few action films. He is playing Hawkeye in The Avengers and is taking the spotlight away from Matt Damon in The Bourne Legacy. I think he can carry an action movie and he is pretty good in this movie. However in the trailers, I felt that he was going to be a suspicious character and he really wasn't one in the film. Paula Patton also plays a good sidekick but Simon Pegg was such a delight! He shines in every moment he's in and is practically the film's show stealer. And that guy from Batman Begins who becomes The Scarecrow's first victim was also good during his short prescense. One of my issue's with the film were the villains. They weren't intimidating to me and were a little bland. My favorite of the baddies was the French assassin, Sabine Moreau, played by Lea Seydoux. She was actually quite intimidating and also contributes to the film's eye candy. In other words, she is very hot. The film also has a solid, well written script that has nifty humor and intelligence. Now I'm going to reveal the main reason why I saw the film. I was over at my cousin's house and we were discussing comic books. We got on the subject of Batman and discussed the new trailer for The Dark Knight Rises. I also told him that I saw the bootlegged version of the prologue and he wanted to see it. So we called our local IMAX to see if they were playing it, rounded up some buddies, and headed to the theater. The prologue is the first six minutes of the upcoming film. I saw a leaked version a few days before but since it was recorded with a camcorder, I was dismayed. From what I made up of it, I thought it was cool. Until I saw it on the IMAX screen, I was blown away. I was on the edge of the seat and the audience applauded when it was finished. I will definetly see the movie in IMAX. Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol is a great action film that is smart and amusing. It never fails to entertain but I think I would appreciate the ending more if I had seen the other films. When displayed in IMAX, it is a wonder to behold. The scenes shot with IMAX cameras take up the entire screen but the ones that are not just look like a Blu-Ray disc projected onto a six story screen. The film is great and it is the best espionage film since Casino Royale. I think that film is superior. So if you're looking for tons of fun and thrills at the movies, grab a ticket for this bad boy! "Science is sad."
December 28, 2011Source: http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/mission_impossible_ghost_protocol/
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Friday, December 30, 2011
johnleesandiego: RT @youngandfoodish: if a new london resto did only macaroni & cheese and did it better than anyone else who amongst you would NOT go?
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if a new london resto did only macaroni & cheese and did it better than anyone else who amongst you would NOT go? 
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Ba soccer President to meet its players
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Source: http://www.fijivillage.com/?mod=story&id=30121147de6dde3d99cb5b9fd0432c
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Thursday, December 29, 2011
Disgraced ex-journalist Stephen Glass fights to get California law license
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) -- A former journalist who became the subject of a Hollywood movie after he was caught fabricating articles in the late 1990s is fighting to become a lawyer in California over the objections of a state bar committee.
Stephen Glass, whose ethical missteps at The New Republic and other magazines were recounted in the film "Shattered Glass" and an autobiographical novel, has challenged the bar committee's decision to deny him a license to practice law, the San Francisco Chronicle reported Monday.
Glass attended law school at Georgetown University and passed California's bar exam in 2007. His application for an attorney's license was turned down by the state's Committee of Bar Examiners, which judged him morally unfit for his new profession.
But an independent state bar court ruled in Glass's favor in July and the California Supreme Court has since agreed to hear the committee's appeal. No date for oral arguments has been set.
The bar association's lawyers said in written filings that even though Glass' transgressions occurred when he was in his 20s, his attempts at atonement were inadequate and in some cases coincided with the publication of his novel. They faulted him for never compensating anyone who was hurt by his falsehoods.
Law and journalism "share common core values -- trust, candor, veracity, honor, respect for others," Rachel Grunberg, a lawyer for the State Bar of California, told the Chronicle.
"He violated every one of them."The bar court that overruled the committee in July was convinced, however, that Glass was genuinely repentant and had been rehabilitated. His appeal included character references from 22 witnesses, including two judges who had employed him, two psychiatrists, and Martin Peretz, who owned The New Republic when Glass' deception occurred.
In his own statement to the bar, Glass said he was "greatly ashamed and remorseful about my lying" but "forthright and candid about my years of misconduct."
Glass tried to become a lawyer in New York after he passed that state's bar exam in 2003, but withdrew his application when his request for moral character approval from the New York bar languished.
Now 39, Glass works as a law clerk at a Beverly Hills firm. His Los Angeles-based attorney Susan Margolis declined to comment Monday evening.
Source: http://www.mercurynews.com/nation-world/ci_19624006?source=rss
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Coming Never: Flying Cars [Past Perfect]
Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/EDDA-ANKux0/coming-never-flying-cars
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Wednesday, December 28, 2011
China and Argentina ratify crossed support for Taiwan and Falklands claims
Jiang Shusheng made the statement during a meeting with the head of Argentina?s Lower House Julian Dominguez who also underlined the recent Mercosur solidarity support to Argentina?s request in the Falklands/Malvinas dispute.
The Chinese top official originally arrived in Buenos Aires as a special envoy from President Hu Jintao to President Cristina Fernandez swearing in ceremony last December 10.
?China will continue to support the Argentine claim of sovereignty over the Islas Malvinas?, said Jiang Shusheng who added that ?solidarity with Argentina on the Malvinas issue is an invariable position of China?s foreign policy?.
Jiang Shusheng also praised Argentina for its role as the rotating president of the Group of 77 of non aligned countries saying ?Argentina worked for world integration and peace?.
The Chinese official called for the governments of Argentina and UK to resume ?Malvinas negotiations? thus complying with the principles and objectives of the UN Charter and the General Assembly resolutions, with the purpose of finding a peaceful solution to the sovereignty dispute?.
China has long supported Argentina?s claim over the Malvinas Islands, the same way that Buenos Aires acknowledges the principle of one China regarding the dispute with the island of Taiwan identified as the Republic of China.
Lawmaker (and former Agriculture minister) Dom?nguez said that the Argentine government ?has complied with all the dialogue requests regarding the Malvinas issue as mandated by the UN resolutions because that is the essence of the democratic system?.
?In response to the prudent and intelligent request from our President (Cristina Fernandez), during the last as well as in previous Mercosur meetings, for solidarity in support of our sovereignty rights over the Malvinas and other South Atlantic Islands, there has been an immediate and positive reply to that request from member countries?, said Dominguez.
?We will continue upholding firmly our dialogue vocation with Great Britain before international bodies, hoping this happens as soon as possible? pointed out the Argentine lawmaker who concluded stating Argentina wants the sovereignty dispute to be acknowledged.
?We categorically reject the standing political, diplomatic and an even military pressure UK has being doing with its representatives through the media, which are in the fringe of aggression, repudiated by all countries living in democracy?.
Jiang Shusheng at the Argentine Congress
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Source: http://c.moreover.com/click/here.pl?r5664717326
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CUPP's PunkThis graduates to tablets, earns a degree in security (hands-on video)
The tablet we tested was running Windows 7 Home Premium and Android 2.3.4 simultaneously, and was equipped with an additional button for switching between x86 and ARM modes. Since the Asus EP121 already uses a mini-PCIe SSD instead of 2.5-inch SATA storage, a prototype PunkThis board was designed to fit alongside a modified battery. Gingerbread didn't break a sweat supporting both the 1280x800-pixel capacitive touchscreen and pen-based Wacom digitizer thanks to some additional hardware and software tweaks. Beyond the ability to switch between Windows for heavy lifting and Android for improved battery life, it's possible to use both x86 and ARM side-by-side. Imagine antivirus and firewall software running on the PunkThis board in mission-critical security applications for enterprise, and it's easy to see where CUPP Computing is going with this. Check out the gallery below and our hands-on video after the break.
Continue reading CUPP's PunkThis graduates to tablets, earns a degree in security (hands-on video)
CUPP's PunkThis graduates to tablets, earns a degree in security (hands-on video) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 26 Dec 2011 07:21:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/4F4aHTja46c/
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Tuesday, December 27, 2011
Putin says he wants clean presidential vote (AP)
MOSCOW ? Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin said Tuesday that the March election, in which he will seek to reclaim presidency, should be transparent and fair, but rejected demands from swelling numbers of protesters for a rerun of the fraud-tainted parliamentary election.
Putin's United Russia party barely retained its majority in the Dec. 4 election despite alleged vote-rigging in its favor. Tens of thousands have protested since, urging an end to Putin's rule, including a Moscow rally last weekend that was the largest show of discontent since the Soviet collapse 20 years ago.
Putin, who served as president in 2000-2008 and remained the country's most powerful figure after switching to the premier's seat due to a term limit, has responded to the protests by offering to ease his rigid controls over the political field. At the same time, he has sought to cast protesters as Western stooges working to weaken Russia.
On Tuesday, during a meeting with supporters he dismissed the opposition as lacking a goal beyond fomenting turmoil, accused its leaders of trying to delegitimize elections and said they haven't proven their worth.
"The problem is they lack a consolidated program, as well as clear and comprensible ways of achieving their goals, which aren't clear either," said Putin, who became prime minister after term limits forced him to leave the presidency. "They also lack people who are capable of doing something concrete."
Putin again flatly rejected the demands for a rerun of the parliamentary vote, saying that "there can't be any talk about reviewing it."
At the same time, he urged his supporters to ensure fairness of the presidential vote to prevent any possible criticism, and discussed details of his proposal to put web cameras at all polling stations. He also suggested that all ballot boxes be made transparent.
"As a candidate, I don't need any vote-rigging," Putin said. "I want the election to be maximally transparent. I want to rely on people's will, on people's trust, and it makes no sense to work if it's missing."
Putin and his protege Dmitry Medvedev, who succeeded him in the presidency and is expected to switch to the premiership after March, earlier rolled out a set of proposed political reforms intended to assuage public anger.
They include relaxing registration rules for political parties and restoring direct elections of provincial governors abolished by Putin.
But opposition leaders have rejected the government proposals as window-dressing, pointing out that they would only affect the next election cycle years away and vowing to continue street protests.
Alexei Navalny, an anti-corruption lawyer and popular blogger who has been a key driving force behind the latest protests, vowed that up to a million demonstrators would take to the streets before the presidential election.
In a surprise move reflecting the government's search for a strategy to respond to the protests, former finance minister Alexei Kudrin, who remains close to Putin, attended the weekend opposition rally and joined calls for the ouster of the Central Election Commission chief.
Kudrin also proposed setting up a discussion panel where protesters and government authorities can exchange views, saying it would pave a path for reforms while lowering the risk of violence. He even suggested holding a repeat parliamentary election next fall.
Kudrin told the business daily Vedomosti in remarks published Tuesday that he met with Putin prior to the rally to propose serving as a mediator between the protesters and the government. Kudrin insisted his proposals were his own initiative, and that the meeting with Putin showed that a "dialogue is possible."
Some observers saw Kudrin's speech at the rally as part of Putin's efforts to soothe public anger.
"The Kremlin isn't going to surrender, it simply has turned from a brutal crackdown to a sly flirting with the active part of the population," said Stanislav Belkovsky, a Moscow-based independent analyst.
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'Games Of Thrones' Director Alan Taylor To Helm 'Thor 2' (omg!)
"Thor 2" has found its director.
Alan Taylor will replace Patty Jenkins at the helm of the superhero sequel, according to Deadline, which was first to report the news.
PLAY IT NOW: Trailer: ?The Avengers?
Taylor, an accomplished TV director, is best known for his work on HBO's "Game of Thrones," as well as credits on small screen hits including "Boardwalk Empire," "Mad Men" and "Nurse Jackie."
Jenkins, director of 2003's crime drama "Monster," was originally slated to direct the film, but was removed from the project earlier this month following rumored creative differences with Marvel.
VIEW THE PHOTOS: Superhero Star Chris Evans
The highly anticipated sequel, featuring returning star Chris Hemsworth as the hammer-wielding Norse god, is slated for theatrical release on November 13, 2013.
Copyright 2011 by NBC Universal, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
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Thursday, December 22, 2011
Bluetooth SIG, NFC Forum come together, right now, over pairing
Personally, we wish the NFC Forum and Bluetooth SIG behaved like the elder robots of Chapek 9, controlling the world from an underground bunker. Instead, the two industry bodies ensure interoperability and standards of their respective technologies. Now they've gotten 'round the table and hammered out the dryly titled "Bluetooth secure simple pairing using NFC," a guide for developers to ensure hassle-free hook-ups 'twixt smartphone and device. The paper includes breakdowns on ensuring the kit will team up pedometers, headsets, car dashboards and push content from your phone to your TV -- something we've been told we watch too much of, given our Futurama fantasies.
Continue reading Bluetooth SIG, NFC Forum come together, right now, over pairing
Bluetooth SIG, NFC Forum come together, right now, over pairing originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 20 Dec 2011 09:24:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Monday, December 19, 2011
Greens call out Keystone XL deal (Politico)
Senate Democrats accepted a provision Friday forcing a decision in two months on the Keystone XL oil pipeline as part of the must-pass payroll tax cut package, leaving the White House on the brink of a meltdown with environmental groups.
"It's bulls?-," said Sierra Club President Michael Brune. "This is no way to run a government. We've got Republicans in Congress who are willing to hold the entire government hostage simply to give a Christmas present to industry."
Continue ReadingGOP and Democratic sources told POLITICO that the White House swallowed the House Republican-written pipeline rider in order to get a deal to extend the tax holiday, jobless benefits and the Medicare reimbursement rate into February.
For greens, the fact that the Keystone pipeline was back on the table five weeks after Obama had seemingly punted it until 2013 is causing considerable heartburn with an administration that hasn't been as green as they once wished.
Their initial win looked even better because it came just days after thousands circled the White House at a weekend protest that drew celebrity faces like actor Mark Ruffalo. But now Obama's environmental allies again face the question of whether to withhold support for his reelection campaign.
?I think everyone will try to take a breath and see what the language is and what the State Department can do,? said Bill McKibben, the organizer of the November anti-Keystone protest. ?But I think everyone will also feel really upset. Profoundly upset.?
?People literally put their bodies on the line and they thanked the president when they took him seriously,? McKibben added. ?And the president said he was acting on principle and that it was important and if that resolve lasts five weeks and that?s it, if all it takes is Newt Gingrich getting up and expostulating San Francisco and environmental extremists for him to turn around, that?s really sad.?
Jabe Blumenthal, a 2008 Obama donor and former Microsoft executive, said Republicans may end up giving the president the "perfect opportunity" to reject the pipeline if it ends up in the final payroll tax bill.
But Blumenthal, the Seattle-based co-president of Climate Solutions, also had a warning. "If he caves and supports the pipeline, it?s game over for both the climate and my support of the president," he said.
Earlier this week, Blumenthal and Betsy Taylor, a philanthropic adviser to several climate donors and foundations, helped organize a letter to the White House and Obama's Chicago campaign headquarters from more than 85 donors and volunteers from the 2008 campaign urging the president to lead on climate change. Taylor said Obama has a chance to prove his chops.
"If the president waffles on this or fails to act decisively, it will send a huge chill through the community," she said. "Will people vote for him? Yes. Will they work for him, raise money for him and activate their networks for him? Not likely."
While environmentalists applauded the White House for twice rolling out tough new fuel economy limits, it also let them down by embracing offshore drilling just weeks before the BP oil spill. Failing to get a global warming bill through Congress in 2009 has effectively put on ice a idea that had successfully been building momentum for more than a decade. And it didn't help when Obama bailed this summer on long-promised ozone standards.
Brune said earlier this fall before Obama's decision that his group could shift resources to congressional races rather than the White House contest if it didn't approve of the Keystone decision. In an interview Friday, Brune wasn't ready to talk about the political fallout of the payroll tax debate.
Obama has "shown strong leadership" on Keystone over the last month culminating with a recent pledge to reject the House GOP bill if it had the pipeline language, Brune said earlier Friday, before the deal was announced, adding, "We expect him to keep his word."?
A senior Obama official noted Friday after the Senate deal was announced that the Keystone pipeline permit likely won't be approved because it forces the State Department to conduct its review at a faster pace than is possible. The official added the Senate deal does not mandate construction of the pipeline.
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Sunday, December 18, 2011
NATO closes up training mission in Iraq (Reuters)
BAGHDAD (Reuters) ? NATO closed its seven-year training mission in Iraq on Saturday, at the same time as U.S. troops withdraw from the country after the 2003 invasion that toppled Saddam Hussein.
The alliance said on Monday it would end its mission after talks with Iraqi officials to extend the programme failed, due to disagreements over legal framework covering NATO forces in Iraq.
"We respect the decisions of a sovereign Iraq and salute the fact that Iraqi is fully responsible for directing its own path," NATO training mission commander Lieutenant General Robert Caslen said at the closing ceremony.
The decision followed U.S. President Barack Obama's announcement in October that U.S. troops would go home at year-end after talks to keep thousands in Iraq as trainers fell apart over Washington's demand for legal immunity for troops.
American forces signed over their last military base to Iraqi officials on Friday following a formal ceremony to end nearly nine years of war in Iraq.
NATO started its training mission in Iraq in 2004, although unlike in Afghanistan, its Iraq operation has been small and largely under the radar.
The alliance has provided expertise in areas like logistics and policing for Iraqi security forces, with around 100 troops training more than 5,000 military and 10,000 police in Iraq.
(Writing by Rania El Gamal)
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Science Diction: The Origin Of The Petri Dish
In 1887, Julius Petri invented a simple pair of nesting glass dishes, ideal for keeping specimens of growing bacteria sterile?the 'Petri dish.' Science historian Howard Markel recounts the history of this ubiquitous lab supply, and the serendipitous discovery of the stuff in it, agar.
Source: http://www.npr.org/2011/12/16/143847287/science-diction-the-origin-of-the-petri-dish?ft=1&f=1007
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Saturday, December 17, 2011
Microsoft Makes Keyboard for iPad
Who needs to make a successful tablet, or even a successful tablet OS when you can just make a tablet-compatible keyboard? That seems to be the thinking over at Microsoft these days–the company has just announced a portable Bluetooth keyboard called the Mobile Keyboard 5000.
As is usually the case with Microsoft peripherals, the 5000 looks [...]
As is usually the case with Microsoft peripherals, the 5000 looks [...]
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/GearFactor/~3/M8Ty2IonH48/
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Reprogramming brain cells important first step for new Parkinson's therapy
Wednesday, December 14, 2011
In efforts to find new treatments for Parkinson's Disease (PD), researchers from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania have directly reprogrammed astrocytes, the most plentiful cell type in the central nervous system, into dopamine-producing neurons. PD is marked by the degeneration of dopaminergic neurons in the midbrain. Dopamine is a brain chemical important in behavior and cognition, voluntary movement, sleep, mood, attention, and memory and learning.
"These cells are potentially useful in cell-replacement therapies for Parkinson's or in modeling the disease in the lab," says senior author John Gearhart, PhD, director of the Institute for Regenerative Medicine (IRM) at Penn. The team reports their findings in PLoS One.
"Our study is the first to demonstrate conversion of astrocytes to midbrain dopaminergic neurons, opening the door for novel reprogramming strategies to treat Parkinson's disease," says first author Russell C. Addis, PhD, a senior research investigator with IRM.
A Different Approach
Parkinson's affects different areas of the brain but primarily attacks the dopamine-producing section called the substantial nigra. Cells in this region send dopamine to another region called the striatum, where it is used to regulate movement. The chemical or genetic triggers that kill dopamine neurons over time is at the heart of understanding the progressive loss of these specialized cells.
As many as one million people in the US live with PD, according to the Parkinson's Disease Foundation. Symptoms include tremors, slowness of movements, limb stiffness, and difficulties with gait and balance.
Limited success in clinical trials over the last 15 years in transplanting fetal stem cells into the brains of Parkinson's disease patients has spurred researchers to look for new treatments. Using PET scans, investigators have been able to see that transplanted neurons grow and make connections, reducing symptoms for a time. Ethical issues about the source of embryonic stem cells; the interaction of cells with host cells; the efficiency of stems cells to reproduce, and their long-term viability and stability are all still concerns about trials using dopaminergic cell transplants to treat Parkinson's.
First Steps
In the first step towards a direct cell replacement therapy for Parkinson's, the team reprogrammed astrocytes to dopaminergic neurons using three transcription factors ? ASCL1, LMX1B, and NURR1 ? delivered with a lentiviral vector.
The process is efficient, with about 18 percent of cells expressing markers of dopaminergic neurons after two weeks. The next closest conversion efficiency is approximately 9 percent, which was reported in another study.
The dopamine-producing neurons derived from astrocytes showed gene expression patterns and electrophysiolgical properties of midbrain dopaminergic neurons, and released dopamine when their cell membranes were depolarized.
The Penn team is now working to see if the same reprogramming process that converts astrocytes to dopamine-producing neurons in a dish can also work within a living brain ? experiments will soon be underway using gene therapy vectors to deliver the reprogramming factors directly to astrocytes in a monkey model of PD.
###
University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine: http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/news/
Thanks to University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine for this article.
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Friday, December 16, 2011
Using powerful MRI to track iron levels in brain could be new way to monitor progression of MS
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Public release date: 15-Dec-2011[ | E-mail |
Share ] Contact: Raquel Maurier
raquel.maurier@ualberta.ca
780-492-5986
University of Alberta Faculty of Medicine & Dentistry
Medical researchers at the University of Alberta have discovered a new way to track the progression of multiple sclerosis (MS) in those living with the disease, by using a powerful, triple strength MRI to track increasing levels of iron found in brain tissue.
The researchers discovered that iron levels in MS patients are increasing in grey matter areas of the brain that are responsible for relaying messages. High iron levels in a specific "relay area" were noted in patients who had physical disabilities associated with MS. Iron is very important for normal function of the brain and the amount of iron is a tightly controlled system by the brain tissue. The discovery suggests there is a problem with the control system. Too much iron can be toxic to brain cells and high levels of iron in the brain have been associated with various neurodegenerative diseases. But to date, no tests have been able to quantify or measure iron in living brain.
Alan Wilman and Gregg Blevins, co-principal investigators from the Faculty of Medicine & Dentistry, used a new MRI method to quantitatively measure iron in the brain to gain a better understanding of what the disease is doing in the brains of those who were recently diagnosed with MS. Twenty-two people with MS took part in the study, along with 22 people who did not have the condition.
"In MS, there is a real desire and need to get a good idea of the state and progression of the disease," says Blevins, who is both a practising neurologist and a researcher from the Division of Neurology.
"When patients with MS currently get an MRI, the typical measures we look at may not give us a good idea of the nature and state of MS. Using this new MRI method would give physicians a new way to measure the effectiveness of new treatments for patients with MS by watching the impact on iron levels. This opens up the idea of having a new biomarker, a new way of looking at the disease over time, watching the disease, seeing the progression or lack of progression of the disease, a new way to track it."
Wilman, a researcher and physicist in the Department of Biomedical Engineering, says the new MRI method may be a better gauge for disease progression than strictly looking at number and frequency of relapses.
"This is a new quantitative marker that gives us more insight into MS. We can get a better handle on where patients are at. In terms of clinical symptoms, they may be fine for quite awhile, then they have a relapse, then they're fine for quite awhile. Well, the time when they are actually fine, they may not actually be alright.
"The disease may be progressing, but there is just no marker right now that shows that. We think the biomarker we have discovered could be an answer. People in the medical research community are very excited about this discovery, because it could be a new way of looking at the disease."
The new MRI method, which uses a machine that is 90,000 times the strength of the earth's magnetic field, will give physicians more detail and information about the impact of MS on the brain, insight that doctors and researchers didn't have before.
"This could be a very early marker of MS. We'd like to see this new method used with all patients who have MS. Ultimately, this discovery is a great example of translational research."
The researchers hope to see this new MRI method used in clinical trials for patients with MS within the next one to two years, then to be regularly used by physicians within five years.
Blevins and Wilman both credit the MS patients who took part in the study. "If patients weren't so willing to help, we couldn't do any of this," said Wilman.
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*This discovery is not a confirmation of CCSVI because this discovery looks at iron existing in brain tissue, not iron from the blood.
The research study was funded by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, the Natural Sciences and the Engineering Research Council of Canada, the Multiple Sclerosis Society of Canada and the University of Alberta Hospital Foundation.
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Public release date: 15-Dec-2011[ | E-mail |
Share ] Contact: Raquel Maurier
raquel.maurier@ualberta.ca
780-492-5986
University of Alberta Faculty of Medicine & Dentistry
Medical researchers at the University of Alberta have discovered a new way to track the progression of multiple sclerosis (MS) in those living with the disease, by using a powerful, triple strength MRI to track increasing levels of iron found in brain tissue.
The researchers discovered that iron levels in MS patients are increasing in grey matter areas of the brain that are responsible for relaying messages. High iron levels in a specific "relay area" were noted in patients who had physical disabilities associated with MS. Iron is very important for normal function of the brain and the amount of iron is a tightly controlled system by the brain tissue. The discovery suggests there is a problem with the control system. Too much iron can be toxic to brain cells and high levels of iron in the brain have been associated with various neurodegenerative diseases. But to date, no tests have been able to quantify or measure iron in living brain.
Alan Wilman and Gregg Blevins, co-principal investigators from the Faculty of Medicine & Dentistry, used a new MRI method to quantitatively measure iron in the brain to gain a better understanding of what the disease is doing in the brains of those who were recently diagnosed with MS. Twenty-two people with MS took part in the study, along with 22 people who did not have the condition.
"In MS, there is a real desire and need to get a good idea of the state and progression of the disease," says Blevins, who is both a practising neurologist and a researcher from the Division of Neurology.
"When patients with MS currently get an MRI, the typical measures we look at may not give us a good idea of the nature and state of MS. Using this new MRI method would give physicians a new way to measure the effectiveness of new treatments for patients with MS by watching the impact on iron levels. This opens up the idea of having a new biomarker, a new way of looking at the disease over time, watching the disease, seeing the progression or lack of progression of the disease, a new way to track it."
Wilman, a researcher and physicist in the Department of Biomedical Engineering, says the new MRI method may be a better gauge for disease progression than strictly looking at number and frequency of relapses.
"This is a new quantitative marker that gives us more insight into MS. We can get a better handle on where patients are at. In terms of clinical symptoms, they may be fine for quite awhile, then they have a relapse, then they're fine for quite awhile. Well, the time when they are actually fine, they may not actually be alright.
"The disease may be progressing, but there is just no marker right now that shows that. We think the biomarker we have discovered could be an answer. People in the medical research community are very excited about this discovery, because it could be a new way of looking at the disease."
The new MRI method, which uses a machine that is 90,000 times the strength of the earth's magnetic field, will give physicians more detail and information about the impact of MS on the brain, insight that doctors and researchers didn't have before.
"This could be a very early marker of MS. We'd like to see this new method used with all patients who have MS. Ultimately, this discovery is a great example of translational research."
The researchers hope to see this new MRI method used in clinical trials for patients with MS within the next one to two years, then to be regularly used by physicians within five years.
Blevins and Wilman both credit the MS patients who took part in the study. "If patients weren't so willing to help, we couldn't do any of this," said Wilman.
###
*This discovery is not a confirmation of CCSVI because this discovery looks at iron existing in brain tissue, not iron from the blood.
The research study was funded by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, the Natural Sciences and the Engineering Research Council of Canada, the Multiple Sclerosis Society of Canada and the University of Alberta Hospital Foundation.
[ | 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/2011-12/uoaf-upm121311.php
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