Two components of red meat combined with alteration in DNA repair increase risk for bladder cancer

ScienceDaily (Oct. 17, 2012) — Two components of red meat -- dietary protein and dietary iron -- may combine to form powerful carcinogens, N-nitroso compounds, which increase risk for bladder cancer. Moreover, individuals with reduced ability to reverse the effects of N-nitroso compounds because of a genetic variation in their RAD52 gene could be at particularly high risk.

Chelsea Catsburg, a doctoral student at the Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California, Los Angeles, presented these data at the 11th Annual AACR International Conference on Frontiers in Cancer Prevention Research, held in Anaheim, Calif. Oct. 16-19, 2012.

Dietary protein is made up of amino acids, which can be naturally metabolized into biogenic amines, according to Catsburg. Research has shown that the processing and storage of meat increases amine concentrations. When these amines are in the presence of nitrites, they generate nitrosamines, which have carcinogenic properties. In addition, heme iron, found in red meat, has been shown to increase the formation of nitrosamines from amines.

"Nitrosamine formation occurs predominantly in the stomach and intestines, so these exposures have been studied extensively in relation to gastric cancer and somewhat in relation to colorectal cancer," Catsburg said. "However, there is evidence that these reactions also take place in the bladder, particularly in the presence of infection."

Catsburg and colleagues had previously found that meat groups with high heme and high amine concentrations, such as salami and liver, increased risk for bladder cancer. In this study, they examined whether genetic variation in DNA repair enzymes, available to correct the damage caused by these endogenously formed carcinogens, modified these associations.

The researchers tested 627 single-nucleotide polymorphisms in 27 genes involved in N-nitroso compound metabolism or DNA repair. They collected data from 355 bladder cancer cases and 409 controls in the Los Angeles Bladder Cancer Study.

"We found that a polymorphism in the RAD52 gene modified the effect of these exposures," Catsburg said. "This polymorphism is suspected to reduce the DNA repair activity of the RAD2 protein, and the association of these meat groups and bladder cancer risk was significantly higher in individuals with one or more copies of this polymorphism."

These results further support recommendations by the World Cancer Research Fund to limit red meat intake and to avoid processed meats to reduce risk for stomach and bowel cancer, according to the researchers.

"This study suggests that these exposures may also affect secondary organs such as the bladder," Catsburg said. "Individuals at risk for bladder cancer may wish to avoid intake of red and processed meats, especially if they have genetic polymorphisms that reduce DNA repair activity and make them more vulnerable to the effects of carcinogens."

Further replication of this study to support an association between heme and meat intake and the risk for bladder cancer is necessary, she added.

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Three Singles Players and Two Doubles Pairs Advance at Northeast Regional

DRAWS

NEW HAVEN, Conn. - The Columbia men's tennis team advanced three singles players and two doubles tandem Saturday at the ITA Northeast Regional Championships. 

In singles action, the eighth-seeded Ashok Narayana won a pair of matches Saturday. Narayana opened the day with a 6-3, 6-4 victory over Robin Lessage from Binghamton. Narayana earned a spot in the fourth round after defeating Mike Lampa from St. John's, 6-4, 6-2.

Dragos Ignat also won a pair of matches Saturday to advance to the fourth round. Cornell's Quoc-Daniel Nguyen forced Ignat to three sets, but the first-year player came away with a well-earned 6-3, 0-6, 7-6 win. Ignat's third round opponent, Nikola Kocovic from Penn proved easier to defeat, falling 6-2, 6-4 to the Columbia freshman.

Winston Lin completed the trio of Columbia players advancing to the fourth round. Lin won two straight-set matches, defeating St. John's Valentin Mihai and Buffalo's Vuso Hove. 

On the doubles side, Ignat and partner Eric Rubin downed Morth and Mladenov from St. John's, 8-1. For Narayana and Max Schnur, Dartmouth's Kipouras and Nordahl were no match as the Columbia tandem capture an 8-2 victory.

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Value of combined approach to quitting smoking confirmed

ScienceDaily (Oct. 18, 2012) — Smokers who try to quit would be more successful if they combined medication or nicotine-replacement therapy with behavioral counseling, finds a new review in The Cochrane Library. Few lifestyle changes deliver as many positive health benefits as quitting smoking, including improved circulation, lowered blood pressure and a decreased risk of cancer and heart disease.

"Since we know that both types of treatment are effective, the assumption has certainly been that offering both will be better than offering either alone," said lead researcher Lindsay Stead of the department of primary health care sciences at the University of Oxford. She and her coauthor sought to confirm this observation by measuring the effects of combining behavioral and medication therapy versus no intervention or medication therapy alone. The reviewers pooled findings from 41 studies involving more than 20,000 smokers.

The review found that providing a combination of medication and behavioral therapy improved quit rates by as much as 70 to 100 percent compared to no treatment or minimal intervention. Behavioral therapy interventions typically included four to eight sessions with smoking cessation counselors or physicians. "Health care providers have an important role in convincing smokers of the importance of attempting to quit and making pharmacotherapy and behavioral support available," the researchers stated.

"Usual care in most health care systems for smoking cessation typically consists of brief pre-quit counseling, a recommendation to use, and possible provision of cessation medication, and a follow-up visit or phone call a few weeks later," said Stevens S. Smith, Ph.D., associate professor in the department of medicine at the University of Wisconsin's Center for Tobacco Research and Intervention.

"For patients motivated to make a quit attempt, counseling and assistance with medications -- if medically appropriate -- should be provided," said Smith. "For patients not motivated to quit, the doctor should use motivational interventions. Another option is referral to tobacco quit lines, such as 1-800-QUIT-NOW, where smokers can receive free medication, counseling, and other support to quit smoking."

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Journal Reference:

Lindsay F Stead, Tim Lancaster. Combined pharmacotherapy and behavioural interventions for smoking cessation. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, 2012 DOI: 10.1002/14651858.CD008286.pub2

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Prolonged formula feeding, delay in solid foods was associated with increased risk for pediatric acute lymphoblastic leukemia

ScienceDaily (Oct. 17, 2012) — Results of one study indicate that the risk for developing pediatric acute lymphoblastic leukemia increased the longer a baby was fed formula and the longer solid foods were delayed.

"For every month that a child was fed formula, taking into account other feeding practices, we found that the risk for this type of cancer was higher," said Jeremy Schraw, a graduate student at The University of Texas at Austin, who presented the findings of an epidemiological study at the 11th Annual AACR International Conference on Frontiers in Cancer Prevention Research, held in Anaheim, Calif. Oct. 16-19, 2012. "If a baby is fed only formula, he or she will not be getting any immune factors from the mother, which could be leading to this greater risk."

Schraw and colleagues surveyed 284 controls and 142 children from the Texas Children's Cancer Center and the National Children's Study in Houston, San Antonio and Austin, Texas, who had been diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL).

Compared with controls, children diagnosed with ALL started solid foods significantly later, more of their mothers smoked during pregnancy and they had a longer duration of formula feeding.

Researchers found that the risk for developing ALL increased by 16 percent for every month of formula feeding. In addition, for each month the introduction of solid foods was delayed, the risk increased by 14 percent.

"One explanation for this co-risk may be that it's the same effect being picked up twice," said Schraw. "Children being given solid foods later may be receiving formula longer." Future research should address the factors influencing prolonged formula feeding and delay in solid food introduction, according to the researchers.

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Men�s Tennis to Play for Singles and Doubles Titles at ITA Northeast Regional

NEW HAVEN, Conn. - The Columbia men's tennis team will have an opportunity to capture both the singles and doubles titles at the ITA Northeast Regional Championships Tuesday.

Columbia's Winston Lin will face Princeton's Matija Pecotic in the finals after defeating St. John's Vasco Mladenov, 3-6, 7-5, 6-1. Lin and Pecotic met earlier this fall at the NTC BJK Men's Collegiate Invitational, with Pecotic winning a close three-set match.

Max Schnur and Ashok Narayana continue their impressive fall, advancing to Tuesday's doubles final. Going up against Cornell's Fleck and Nguyen, Columbia's top doubles pair came away with an 8-6 victory to earn a spot in Tuesday's final. Yale's Powers and Hoffman will be across the net from Schnur and Narayana Tuesday morning when play begins at 9 a.m.

Tuesday will mark the first time in program history that Columbia will be represented in both the singles and doubles finals at the Northeast Regional. Both matches are slated to begin at 9 a.m. Tuesday.

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Mike Waller Named John Toner Homecoming Player of the Game

NEW YORK - For his outstanding play in Columbia's homecoming game vs. Dartmouth, senior linebacker Mike Waller was named the John Toner Homecoming Player of the Game.

Waller was a force on defense, recording 12 solo tackles and nabbing an interception that helped keep Dartmouth scoreless in the first quarter.

The John Toner Columbia Homecoming Player of the Game award is presented annually to the Columbia Football player judged to be the most outstanding performer in Columbia's annual homecoming game.

A former assistant coach under Aldo "Buff" Donelli, Toner was a part of the coaching staff that guided Columbia to the Ivy League Championship in football in 1961.

Toner became head football coach at the University of Connecticut and was later the athletics director there.  He served as president of the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA) in 1980-81, and went on to serve as president of the NCAA from 1983-85. He also served as Vice Chairman of the Board of the National Football Foundation and College Hall of Fame. 

It is because of his dedication and contributions to the sport of college football as a coach, athletics director and NCAA executive that Columbia Athletics is proud to present the John Toner Columbia Football Homecoming Player of the Game award.

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Researchers study 'ACT TIL' approach to treating metastatic melanoma

ScienceDaily (Oct. 17, 2012) — Researchers at Moffitt Cancer Center have carried out a clinical trial in which patients with metastatic melanoma were given chemotherapy and an immunotherapy of adoptive cell transfer (ACT) with tumor infiltrating lymphocytes (TIL). Tumor tissues were surgically removed from patients, minced and grown in culture. The treatment combined chemotherapy, then ACT with TIL, followed by interleukin-2 (IL-2). The combination therapy drew a high response rate from some patients.

The study appears in the October issue of the Journal of Immunotherapy.

"Our purpose was to demonstrate the feasibility of performing TIL growth and the efficacy of ACT TIL therapy using techniques developed at the National Cancer Institute," said Amod Sarnaik, M.D., assistant member of the Cutaneous Oncology Department at Moffitt. "Combining chemotherapy with ACT and high dose IL-2 resulted in a 38 percent objective response rate in patients with metastatic melanoma."

"Although our clinical study successfully met its goal of demonstrating that ACT TIL therapy could be offered to advanced melanoma patients, strategies to improve on its feasibility and efficacy are under way," said Shari A. Pilon-Thomas, Ph.D., assistant member of the Immunology Program at Moffitt. "Combination therapies that enhance the proliferation and function of TIL are being explored."

A second-generation ACT TIL trial is enrolling patients at Moffitt.

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Final Debate Screening in E Building

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Two Early Goals Lead Dartmouth Past Men�s Soccer, 2-1

BOX SCORE

NEW YORK – Dartmouth scored a pair of goals in the first 13:04 of play Saturday and then held on to capture a 2-1 victory following a late second half own goal.

Dartmouth showed its speed early on in the contest, making numerous runs on the ball early. Just past the seven minute mark, Dartmouth struck with the first goal of the game in that fashion. Robin Alnas sent a nice ball down the middle of the field that Alex Adelbu chased down and then put into the bottom left corner of the net to give Dartmouth a 1-0 lead.

Just over six minutes later, the Big Green added to the lead with a tally off a corner kick. Kevin Dzierzawski sent the ball from the left corner through the box where it was batted around until Patrick Murray kicked it into the net for Dartmouth’s second goal.

Columbia regained its composure though and limited the opportunities for the remainder of the half. At the break, Dartmouth held an 8-3 advantage in shots.

The Lions came out in the second half with a renewed energy. Columbia picked up the physical intensity and was able to maintain possession and create more scoring chances in its own offensive zone.

Mike Abraham and Frederick Elliot each rocketed shots in the early portion of the half, but were off target. Columbia best chance came in the second half off a Henning Sauerbier corner kick. Sauerbier sent the cross towards the far post where Brendan O’Hearn was able to go up and head it towards the goal. The ball though struck the top of the right post and Dartmouth was able to clear it away.

Columbia’s continued attack paid off with a goal in the 81st minute, although unconventionally. The Lions threw the ball in from the far sideline to the penalty area. A Dartmouth defender raised up to clear the ball, but instead the ball went off the top of his head and sailed over his own goalie’s head, shrinking the Columbia deficit to one, 2-1.

The Lions continued the pressure and had a late chance off a free kick from midfield, but the Big Green held on for the victory.

Columbia will next be in action Saturday, Oct. 27 in New Haven, Conn. against Yale.

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Sanon, Takenaga and Vaidya Advance at Northeast Regional

TOURNAMENT CENTRAL

WEST POINT, N.Y. - The Columbia women's tennis team will be represented by two singles players in the quarterfinals and a doubles pair in the semifinals as the USTA/ITA Northeast Regional heads into Monday's action.

Going up against Brown's Sarah Kandath and Niki Uberoi, Columbia's Bianca Sanon and Tiana Takenaga blanked their Ivy League foes, 8-0.

Sanon will also be on the court in singles action Monday. Once again, going up against a rival from Brown, Sanon took down Misia Krasowski, 7-5, 6-1 to reach Monday's quarterfinals.

Kanika Vaidya will be joining Sanon in the quarterfinals following a 6-2, 6-4 downing of Yale's Hanna Yu. Harvard's Hideko Tachibana will be across the net from Vaidya in the quarterfinals. 

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Viruses act like 'self-packing suitcases'

ScienceDaily (Oct. 18, 2012) — Researchers at the University of Leeds have identified a crucial stage in the lifecycle of simple viruses like polio and the common cold that could open a new front in the war on viral disease.

The team are the first to observe at a single-molecule level how the genetic material (genome) that forms the core of a single-strand RNA virus particle packs itself into its outer shell of proteins. Lead researcher Professor Peter Stockley said their results overturn accepted thinking about the process and could open a chink in the armour of a wide range of viruses.

"If we can target this process, it could lead to a completely new class of anti-virals that would be less likely to create resistant viruses than existing drugs, which tend to target individual proteins," Professor Stockley said.

A number of important viruses like the common cold and polio have RNA (ribonucleic acid) instead of DNA as their genetic material. The observations reveal that the viruses' RNA initially has a much greater volume than the virus particles created after they are packed inside their protein shell.

"We realised that the RNA genome must have to be intricately folded to fit into the final container, just like when you pack to go on holiday and need to fold your clothes to fit into the space in your suitcase," said co-author Dr Roman Tuma from the University of Leeds' Faculty of Biological Sciences.

When the team added proteins to the viral RNA they saw an immediate collapse in its volume.

"It seems that viral RNAs have evolved a self-folding mechanism that makes closing the 'viral suitcase' very efficient. It's as though 'the suitcase and the clothes' work together to close the lid and protect the content," Dr Tuma said.

"The viral RNAs, and only the viral RNAs, can do this trick of folding up to fit as soon as they see the 'suitcase' coming. That's the important thing. If we can interfere in that process we've got a completely novel drug target in the lifecycle of viruses," Professor Stockley said.

"At the moment there are relatively few antiviral drugs and they tend to target enzymes that the virus encodes in its genome. The problem is that the drugs target one enzyme initially and, within the year, scientists are identifying strains that have become resistant. Individual proteins are extremely susceptible to this mutation. A fundamental process like the one we're looking at opens the possibility of targeting the collective behaviour of essential molecules, which could be much less susceptible to developing resistance," explained Professor Stockley.

The same phenomenon is seen in both bacterial and plant viruses. "While we have not proved it yet, I would put money on animal viruses showing the same mechanism too," Professor Stockley added.

The team used sophisticated instrumentation custom built at the University that allowed them to make the first ever single-molecule measurements of viral assembly. This allowed researchers to observe individual viral particles one at a time. "The specific collapse, which can only be seen in such assays, was totally unexpected and overturns the current thinking about assembly," Professor Stockley said.

The team also includes PhD student Alexander Borodavka, whose Wellcome Trust studentship funded the new research. They have recently secured a grant from the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) to extend their research.

"We're now perfectly positioned to pursue questions about how this mechanism works in other viruses and we're already thinking about ways to start designing new antiviral drugs that would target this newly recognised feature of viral lifecycles," Professor Stockley said.

The research is published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS).

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Journal Reference:

A. Borodavka, R. Tuma, P. G. Stockley. Evidence that viral RNAs have evolved for efficient, two-stage packaging. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 2012; 109 (39): 15769 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1204357109

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Study evaluates treating mothers with ADHD to improve outcomes in kids

ScienceDaily (Oct. 17, 2012) — University of Illinois at Chicago researchers are conducting a study to determine if treating mothers with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder -- either with medication or parent training -- will help children at risk for ADHD.

"About 25 percent of the time, when a child has ADHD, there's a parent that has ADHD," said Mark Stein, UIC professor of pediatrics and psychiatry and principal investigator of the study. "We realize this is a weakness in our service delivery models, because often clinicians focus on just treating the child and ignore the fact that another family member has ADHD."

Two treatments are very effective for children with ADHD: behavior modification and stimulant medication. Both require "a very dedicated, organized person, which, if you have ADHD, that's going to be a challenge for you," said Stein, who noted that treatment is often administered by the mother, and that women are less likely to have their ADHD identified.

The Treating Mothers First Study will identify mothers of children between ages 4 and 8 with behavior problems who are at risk for ADHD -- and evaluate both the mother and child.

Mothers with ADHD will receive either a long-acting stimulant or behavioral training for eight weeks. Afterward, the mother, family and child will be re-evaluated and then receive treatment for another eight weeks with the same treatment or a combination of medication and parent training.

Parents with ADHD may have difficulty implementing consistent rules and consequences, and they may not respond to a child's appropriate or positive behavior, Stein said. As part of the study "we observe the parent trying to play with the child, trying to get the child to do things like homework or cleaning up their room," he said.

The goal is to determine if the need for stimulant medication in children can be delayed if the mother is treated first.

ADHD is often misdiagnosed as depression or anxiety in women, and it often contributes to marital, parenting, sleep and medical problems, Stein said. Many health care providers have not been trained in diagnosing and treating adult ADHD.

"When a mom complains about how bad her life is, she's given a prescription for Prozac versus understanding that she's always had issues with inattention, distractibility, or impulsivity, and that's why she's having problems," Stein says.

"When you think of ADHD, you think of a 7-year-old boy, not a mom who says 'I am overwhelmed, easily distracted, and just can't get things done,'" he said.

Co-investigators include Drs. Joshua Nathan, Janine Rosenberg, Evelyn Figueroa and Edwin Cook of UIC; and Dr. Andrea Chronis-Tuscano of the University of Maryland.

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Physical activity shown to help young and elderly alike with lower-leg coordination

ScienceDaily (Oct. 17, 2012) — An Indiana University study that examined the effect of age and physical activity on lower leg muscle reflexes and coordination concluded that participation in physical activity was beneficial for lower leg muscle coordination across both sides of the body in both young and older study participants. Lower limb muscle communication is essential for everyday tasks, such as walking, balancing, and climbing stairs.

"The results of this study suggest that participation in physical activity contributes to greater crossed-spinal reflex stability in both young and elderly subjects," said exercise scientist Rachel Ryder, a visiting research associate in the IU School of Public Health-Bloomington. "In other words, the two lower legs maintain stable muscular communication patterns, which could contribute to better coordination of muscles across the right and left side of the body. The lack of this coordination or stability could exacerbate fall risk in older, sedentary subjects."

Ryder's study, discussed at the Neuroscience 2012 scientific meeting in New Orleans on October 17, involved 28 healthy men and women who were sorted by age into two groups: 14 subjects in a group of people 20- to 25-years old; the rest were over 65. Based on the International Physical Activity Questionnaire, the two groups were divided further into physically active or sedentary.

The researchers tested reflexes by alternately stimulating nerves in each leg with an electrical current while study participants rested in a prone position.

"Participation in physical activity could play an important role in maintaining the muscle reflex system in the lower limbs and assist in coordination throughout life," Ryder said. "This is particularly important in older adults. While voluntary movement has a large role to play in fall-prevention, the motor system's 'first line of defense' against a slip or trip is the reflex system. The muscle reflexes are capable of generating a motor response in under 50 milliseconds, allowing the reflex system to quickly correct for a sudden change in body position, or at the least, reduce the impact of the fall."

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Vegetable-derived compound effective in treating triple-negative breast cancer, research suggests

ScienceDaily (Oct. 17, 2012) — A new compound created from a rich source in vegetables including broccoli and brussel sprouts has been developed to combat triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC). This research is being presented at the 2012 American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists (AAPS) Annual Meeting and Exposition, the world's largest pharmaceutical sciences meeting, in Chicago, Ill., on Oct. 14 -- 18, during Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

TNBC accounts for approximately 15-20 percent of all breast cancer cases in the U.S. It is one of the most aggressive forms of breast cancer; it grows faster, spreads to other parts of the body earlier, is harder to detect on a mammogram and recurs more often.

Mandip Sachdeva, Ph.D. and Chandraiah Godugu, P.h.D. from Florida A&M University, in collaboration with Stephen Safe, Ph.D., from Texas A&M University, have evaluated the activity of novel C-substituted diindolylmethane (C-DIM) derivatives and demonstrated that they have superior anticancer activities. Sachdeva's study reveals that these synthetic compounds derived from diindolylmethane (DIM), commonly found in various types of cruciferous vegetables, can be used to treat several types of cancer, including triple-negative breast cancer. C-DIMs are also being investigated for their cancer prevention activity.

"Targeted treatment options for TNBC are limited; current treatments, such as infusions, result in poor patient compliance and increased toxicity," said Sachdeva. "We are confident that the compounds we are currently working with are an effective treatment for triple-negative breast cancer. These compounds are safer for the patient than current treatments available."

In contrast to existing anticancer drugs, the diindolylmethane compounds are orally active, so they could be available to patients in pill form and safe to take daily. When taken in combination with existing anticancer drugs, the diindolylmethane compounds can effectively decrease the number of treatments a patient receives.

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Scariest place this Halloween? The emergency room

ScienceDaily (Oct. 17, 2012) — Each year, 9.2 million babies, children, and teens are injured severely enough to need treatment in emergency departments all across America, reports the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. "Nothing is scarier than a trip to the emergency room," said Mark Cichon, DO, chair, Department of Emergency Medicine, Loyola University Health System. "In a season devoted to frights, it is our goal to keep everyone safe."

Here are Dr. Cichon's top tips to avoid going bump in the night and for a healthy, happy Halloween:

Invest in a pumpkin carving kit and avoid knives. "Manipulating a sharp knife in a rigid pumpkin rind without injury is almost impossible for an adult or child," said Dr. Cichon. "Proper tools make sure you carve the jack o' lantern and not yourself or a loved one."

Supervise anything that is burning, from scented candles to carved pumpkins to firepits. "Fires can happen in a flash and get quickly out of control," said Dr. Cichon. "The colder temperatures invite the warm glow of candles to the excitement of an end-of-season bonfire. Watch out for burning leaf piles."

Use extra precaution when climbing ladders to hang decorations inside and outside. "Falls from ladders are one of the top reasons adults come to the emergency room and they are largely avoidable," said Dr. Cichon. "Use the right-sized ladder, and one that is safe, and work with a partner to do the job right."

Make sure Halloween costumes offer visibility and ease of movement. "Masks, hats, wigs, glasses, hoods -- costumes often include headgear that can obstruct vision and lead to trips and falls," said Dr. Cichon. "And make sure it is easy to walk in the costume without tripping or catching on things."

Dress for the weather. "It is easy to get overheated or too cold in the Midwest at this time of year, without the addition of wearing a costume," said Dr. Cichon. "Check skin temperature and watch for signs such as shivering or lethargy. Don't forget to wear waterproof footgear that has treads for sure footing."

Have one adult in the trick-or-treating group wear a reflective safety vest and give each child a glow stick or flashlight to increase visibility. "You want to be able to see where you are going and also for others to see you, especially around moving vehicles," said Dr. Cichon. Stay in a group and put kids on the buddy system.

Avoid alcohol use when supervising children. "Don't drink and accompany your kids as they trick-or-treat," said Dr. Cichon. "If you choose, enjoy a beer or cocktail at the end of the night after kids are safely indoors, or better yet, in bed."

Avoid over-tiring children. "Fatigue can lower resistance, leading to illness and injury," said Dr. Cichon. Make sure a good night's sleep starts Halloween day and rest up before the night's activities. Eat healthy meals and drink plenty of water to stay hydrated. Maintain regular bedtimes.

Inspect treats when you get home. "Make sure candy and goodies are age-appropriate; avoid smaller pieces for younger children that could be a choking hazard," said Dr. Cichon.

Balance candy consumption with healthy foods. "When my four children were younger my wife and I would hide their candy and allow them each to choose two pieces after dinner to limit over-consumption," said Dr. Cichon.

Be aware of the potential for loud and scary noises. "Playful scaring antics by enthusiastic celebrants and even barking dogs can frighten children and cause them to react suddenly," said Dr. Cichon. "Falling down porch stairs, tripping over curbs and even colliding with others can result in harm."

Drive vehicles slowly and cautiously on Halloween, especially on sidestreets. "Watch for trick-or-treaters but also be aware of any flying eggs or other debris that could impede vision," said Dr. Cichon.

Since 1995, annual patient volumes in Loyola's emergency division have increased from 29,000 to 53,000 patients. The Loyola emergency medicine division is classified as a Level 1 Trauma Center, providing the highest level of surgical care to trauma patients. The division also has been recognized by groups such as The Joint Commission, the Commission on Accreditation of Medical Transport Systems, the American College of Surgeons for Trauma and the Illinois Department of Public Health for Trauma, Burns, Pediatric and Emergency departments.

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Three Men's Tennis Players Advance at Northeast Regional

DRAWS

NEW HAVEN, Conn. - As the ITA Northeast Regional heads into the final two days of competition, the Columbia men's tennis team continues to be represented by a trio of players.

In singles action, Columbia's Winston Lin defeated Brown's Michael Riechmann, 7-6, 6-4 Sunday to advance to Monday's quarterfinals.

In the doubles draw, Ashok Narayana and Max Schnur will represent Columbia in the semifinals after beating Yale's Huang and Chase, 8-1.

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Late Starting Classes

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Superb Women's Eight Paces Lion Showing in Head of the Charles Regatta

Superb Women's Eight Paces Lion Showing in Head of the Charles Regatta - GoColumbiaLions.com?Official Web Site of Columbia University Athletics searchsubmit .ad-rotation {position: relative;}.ad-rotation .adspace {display: none;position: absolute;top: 0px;left: 0px;}.ad-rotation .adspace.active {display: block;}window.onload = function() {jQuery(".ad-rotation .adspace").each(function() {adheight = jQuery(this).height();adwidth = jQuery(this).width();if (jQuery(this).parent().height() 0)) {jQuery(this).find('.ad-count').val(0);currenttimer = 'adtimer_'+jQuery(this).attr('id').substr(3);currentTimerName = window[currenttimer];adRotate(jQuery(this).attr('id'));jQuery(this).mouseenter(function() {clearTimeout(currentTimerName);}).mouseleave(function() {adRotate(jQuery(this).attr('id'));});}});}function adRotate(adgroupid) {var currentAdGroup = window[adgroupid];//console.log(currentAdGroup);//console.log(jQuery("#"+adgroupid+" .ad-count"));currentAdIndex = parseInt( jQuery.trim(jQuery("#"+adgroupid+" .ad-count").val()) );//console.log('currentAdIndex: '+currentAdIndex);nextAdIndex = currentAdIndex+1;if (jQuery("#"+adgroupid+" .adspace:eq("+nextAdIndex+")").length var ad_grp1 = new Array();var adtimer_grp1 = null;var adspace = null;adspace = new Object;adspace.id = 640127;adspace.time = 5 * 1000; //set the rotation time for this ad in miliseconds (db stores as seconds)adspace.timer = null;adspace.order = new Array(0,1);ad_grp1[0] = adspace;adspace = new Object;adspace.id = 648075;adspace.time = 5 * 1000; //set the rotation time for this ad in miliseconds (db stores as seconds)adspace.timer = null;adspace.order = new Array(0,1);ad_grp1[1] = adspace;SportsMen's SportsBaseballBasketballCross CountryFencingFootballGolfHeavyweight RowingLightweight RowingSoccerSquashSwimming & DivingTennisTrack & FieldWrestlingWomen's SportsArcheryBasketballCross CountryFencingField HockeyGolfLacrosseRowingSoccerSoftballSquashSwimming & DivingTennisTrack & FieldVolleyballInside AthleticsCOACHES DIRECTORYADMINISTRATION/STAFF DIRECTORYCOMPLIANCESPORTS INFORMATION/MEDIA RELATIONSATHLETIC TRAINING/SPORTS MEDICINESTRENGTH & CONDITIONINGFOOTBALL GAME DAY INFORMATIONMISSION STATEMENTATHLETICS TECHNOLOGY HELPDESKBAKER ATHLETICS COMPLEXTHE CAMPBELL SPORTS CENTERFRANCIS LEVIEN GYMNASIUMUNIVERSITY (BLUE) GYMURIS POOLLAWRENCE A. WIEN STADIUMROBERTSON FIELD AT SATOW STADIUMCOLUMBIA SOCCER STADIUMDICK SAVITT TENNIS CENTERORCHARD BEACH LAGOONFacilitiesTicketsBUY YOUR TICKETS ONLINE!GROUP TICKETSGiveMAKE A GIFT ONLINEVARSITY CLIONS DEN NEWSLETTERWOMEN'S LEADERSHIP COUNCILTHE CAMPBELL SPORTS CENTERFOOTBALL DONOR BENEFIT INFORMATION - FY2013Fan ZoneEVENTS CALENDARGAME DAY AT BAKER ATHLETICS COMPLEXTHE CAMPBELL SPORTS CENTERCOLUMBIA ATHLETICS HALL OF FAMECOLUMBIA-BARNARD ATHLETIC CONSORTIUMOFFICIAL SPONSORSCHEERLEADERSDANCE TEAMSTUDENT REWARDS PROGRAMROAR-EEROAR-EE'S CUBS CLUBVARSITY CYOUTH CLINICSMISSION STATEMENTMultimediaLIVE VIDEO/AUDIOINSIDE COLUMBIA ATHLETICSON DEMANDLIVE STATSTHE ROARMOBILEDodge Fitness CenterShopTICKETSOFFICIAL COLUMBIA LIONS MERCHANDISEPHOTO STORERSScolumbia.eduWomen's RowingNewsCoachesRosterSchedulesOrchard BeachRecruitingBoathousesMORE >Rowing in NYCLion StoreArchives#GlobalArticleContainer ul{list-style-position:inside;}Superb Women's Eight Paces Lion Showing in Head of the Charles RegattaCourtesy: Columbia University Athletics
         Release: 10/21/2012
Courtesy: Columbia University Athletics/Gene Boyars
.ArticleOtherHeadlines{ width: 300px; height: auto; float: right; clear: right; margin: 0px 0px 8px 8px; } .AOHArticleContainer { padding-left: 5px; } RELATED LINKS#articleRelated {display: none;} BOSTON, Mass. -- It was a great day for the Head of the Charles Regatta. The sun shone brightly, and the Charles River surface was flat and fast. The day sparkled -- and so did the Columbia women's eight, which turned in a superb showing, rivaling the event itself in its brilliance.
   
Columbia's three rowing programs -- the men's heavyweights and lightweights, and the women's crew -- all entered eight-oared shells in the 44th running of the world's largest regatta. The women turned in the best performance; in fact, as head coach Scott Ramsey noted, the finest ever for a Columbia Women's eight at the regatta.
   
Although starting the Women's Championship Eights race 22nd of 40 entrants, Columbia made up 11 places to finish 11th, in a time of 17:15.24. The Lions' time was sixth-best among all university entries, and third-fastest among Ivy League schools, behind only Princeton and Radcliffe.
   
"We had a great piece today," Ramsey said. "We rowed an excellent race."
   
Columbia attacked the river and the other boats from the start.
   
"They were aggressive," Ramsey recalled. "They rowed a very good race from the first stroke through the entire course."
   
That they navigated the often-challenging Charles River course so well was a tribute to first-year coxswain Aneesha Baliga.
   
Appearing in her first collegiate race ever, and possibly her first on the Charles, Baliga took charge of her boat of veterans and piloted them through crowded waters.
   
"She's just a 17-year old coxswain, in a boat of upperclassmen," Ramsey said. "She steered an excellent course."
   
Although starting 22nd, Columbia passed two boats early at the Powerhouse, giving her room to steer a wider course. Baliga, a Californian, took full advantage. "She steered well and called a great race," the coach noted. "She performed at a high level in a high pressure situation. She stepped up."
   
While Baliga and her teammates were elated at their fine showing, they hardly were satisfied.
   
"The team was excited about today," Ramsey said, "but this team wants to win. They're already looking forward to the Princeton Chase next week. They want to do even better there."
   
Unlike Ramsey's crew, men's lightweight coach Scott Alwin had an experienced coxswain in Stone Cao for Columbia's entry in the Men's Lightweight Eights. Cao, a junior, represented just one-third of the Lions' Head of the Charles experience, though.
   
"We had to replace seven of the nine people who rowed for us in last year's regatta," Alwin said. "Only three had ever competed in this event -- John O'Mara and Stone Cao from last year, and John Hold from two years ago."
   
Normally, Alwin said, the lightweights aspire to be up with the best finishers. "With this team, however, 11th place is okay. When I included two freshmen and a sophomore in the stern four, I knew that this race would be more for experience than for a top finish."
   
The freshmen, stroke Colin Ross and Jacob Buczek in the fifth seat, occupied key roles in the craft. True, Ross had stroked the varsity eight at his high school, St. Albans School in Washington, D.C., but since the crew there only had a spring season, Ross never had the opportunity to row in the Head of the Charles. In fact, Columbia's appearance in the Head of the Passaic in New Jersey last week was Ross's first head race ever!
   
"We asked a lot of Colin," the coach noted. "He did a very good job."
   
In fact, the Lion eight turned in a credible showing despite its inexperience. Columbia placed 11th of 18, in a time of 15:28.22.
   
"The time is pretty good," Alwin said. "It's not that far off the times of the other Ivy League schools." Actually, Columbia placed better than Penn, Dartmouth and a highly-regarded Georgetown eight.
   
The men's heavyweight eight, rowing in the Men's Championship race, did not have a good day. Although the Lions beat several crews in placing 21st of 28, their time was a disappointing 15:33.54.
   
"This was not a good row," head coach Mike Zimmer said. "This was an erg boat, we based our lineup on the results of an ergometer test. They did not row a bad race, but it was a slow one."
   
Zimmer and his staff will use this week to reconstruct their lineup.
   
"We'll re-do our lineup for next week's Princeton Chase," he explained. "There are a lot of competitive guys on our team. We'll do better next week with a different lineup."
   
All three programs will compete next Sunday in the Princeton Chase, also a head-style race, on Princeton's Lake Carnegie.
----
More than a score of Columbia and Barnard alumni competed in various club and Masters events at the Head of the Charles, mostly on Saturday. An article on their efforts will be posted later this week.
   
Today's results:

The Head of the Charles Regatta (three-mile head races)
Saturday/Sunday, October 20-21, 2012
Charles River, Boston, Mass.

Sunday

Heavyweights
Event 48 - Men's Championship Eights
Columbia, 21st of 28, 15:33.54

Lightweights
Event 54 - Men's Eights
Columbia, 11th of 18, 15:28.22

Women
Event 49 - Women's Championship Eights
Columbia, 11th of 40, 17:15.24

Today's Boatings:

Heavyweights
Andrew Lake, cox; Sam Collins, stroke; Connor Jones, 7; Charles Wu, 6; Clemens Auersperg, 5; Matt Ridgeway, 4; Mike Donohue, 3; Noah Whitehead, 2; Josh Fram, bow

Lightweights
Stone Cao, cox; Colin Ross, stroke; Travis Simon, 7; John O'Mara, 6; Jacob Buczek, 5; John Hold, 4; John Zucchi, 3; Matt Bellesheim, 2; Roger Stone, bow

Women
Aneesha Baliga, cox; Rebecca Randall, stroke; Fiona Duffy, 7; Samantha Warren, 6; Alexandra Delaney, 5; Karli McMenamin, 4; Hilary Going, 3; Nikki Bourassa, 2; Lottie Galliano, bow
#articleFooter {padding: 0px 10px;} Rowing Set for Head of the CharlesUVa Coxswain Sidney Thorsten Named AssistantWomen's Rowing Welcomes Class of 2016Five to Row at U23 World ChampionshipsSamantha Warren: Second Team All-AmericaBourassa, Warren Named First Team All-RegionE-NewsView News ArchivesadvertisementExclusive Live & On-Demand Video What's Sidelion Pass?Live Events ScheduleUPCOMING LIVE EVENTSSaturday , October 27Football Columbia Football vs. Yale (audio only)
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Reprogrammed amniotic fluid cells could treat vascular diseases

ScienceDaily (Oct. 18, 2012) — A research team at Weill Cornell Medical College has discovered a way to utilize diagnostic prenatal amniocentesis cells, reprogramming them into abundant and stable endothelial cells capable of regenerating damaged blood vessels and repairing injured organs.

Their study, published online October 18  in Cell, paints a picture of a future therapy where amniotic fluid collected from thousands of amniocentesis procedures yearly, during mid-pregnancy to examine fetal chromosomes, would be collected with the permission of women undergoing the test. These cells, which are not embryonic, would then be treated with a trio of genes that reprogram them quickly into billions of endothelial cells -- the cells that line the entire circulatory system. The new endothelial cells could be frozen and banked the same way blood is, and patients in need of blood vessel repair would be able to receive the cells through a simple injection.

If proven in future studies, this novel therapy could dramatically improve treatment for disorders linked to a damaged vascular system, including heart disease, stroke, lung diseases such as emphysema, diabetes, and trauma, says the study's senior investigator, Dr. Shahin Rafii, the Arthur B. Belfer Professor in Genetic Medicine at Weill Cornell Medical College and co-director of its Ansary Stem Cell Institute.

"Currently, there is no curative treatment available for patients with vascular diseases, and the common denominator to all these disorders is dysfunction of blood vessels, specifically endothelial cells that are the building blocks of the vessels," says Dr. Rafii, who is also a Howard Hughes Medical Institute investigator.

But these cells do much more than just provide the plumbing to move blood. Dr. Rafii has recently led a series of transformative studies that show endothelial cells in blood vessels produce growth factors that actively participate in organ maintenance, repair and regeneration. So while damaged vessels cannot repair the organs they nurture with blood, he says an infusion of new endothelial cells could.

"Replacement of the dysfunctional endothelial cells with transplantation of normal, properly engineered cultured endothelial cells could potentially provide for a novel therapy for many patients," says study co-author Dr. Sina Rabbany, adjunct associate professor of bioengineering in genetic medicine at Weill Cornell. "In order to engineer tissues with clinically relevant dimensions, endothelial cells can be assembled into porous three-dimensional scaffolds that, once introduced into a patient's injured organ, could form true blood vessels."

Dr. Rafii says that this study will potentially create a new field of translational vascular medicine. He estimates that as few as four years are needed for the preclinical work to seek FDA approval to start human clinical trials to advance the potential of reprogrammed endothelial cells for treatment of vascular disorders.

As part of their study, the research team proved, in mice, that endothelial cells reprogrammed from human amniotic cells could engraft into an injured liver to form stable, normal and functional blood vessels. "We have shown that these engrafted endothelial cells have the capacity to produce unique growth factors to promote regeneration of the liver cells," says the study's lead investigator, Dr. Michael Ginsberg, a senior postdoctoral associate in Dr. Rafii's laboratory.

"The novelty of this technique is that, from 100,000 amniotic cells -- a small amount -- we grew more than six billion new authentic endothelial cells within a matter of weeks," Dr. Ginsberg says. "And when we injected these cells into mice, a substantial amount of them engrafted into regenerating vessels. It was remarkable to see that these cells went right to work building new blood vessels in the liver as well as producing the right growth factors that could potentially regenerate and repair injured organs."

The Goldilocks of Cellular Reprogramming

To date, there have been many failed attempts to clinically produce endothelial cells that can be used to treat patients. Isolation of endothelial cells from adult organs so they can be grown in the laboratory is not efficient, according to Dr. Daylon James, study co-author and an assistant professor of stem cell biology in reproductive medicine at Weill Cornell Medical College. Attempts to produce the cells from the body's master pluripotent stem cells have also not worked out. Experiments have shown that prototypical pluripotent stem cells, such as embryonic stem cells, which have the potential to become any cell in the body, produce endothelial cells but often grow poorly, and if not fully differentiated could potentially cause cancer. "Coaxing adult cells to revert to a stem-like state so they can then be pushed to form endothelial cells is, at this point, not clinically feasible, and ongoing studies in my lab are focused on achieving this goal," says Dr. James, who is also assistant professor of stem cell biology in obstetrics and gynecology and genetic medicine at Weill Cornell.

Therefore, Dr. Rafii's team searched for a new source of cells that they could turn into a vast supply of stable endothelial cells. They probed human amniotic fluid-derived cells, which some studies had suggested have the potential to become differentiated cell types, if stimulated in the right way -- which no one had yet identified.

In their first experiments with these cells three years ago, Dr. Ginsberg used cells taken from an amniocentesis given at 16 weeks of gestation. Researchers found that amniotic cells are the "Goldilocks" of cellular programming. "They are not as plastic and unstable as endothelial cells derived from embryonic cells or as stubborn as those produced from reprogramming differentiated adult cells," Dr. Ginsberg says. Instead, he says amniotic cells provide conditions that are just right -- the so-called "Goldilocks Principle" -- for producing endothelial cells.

But in order to make that discovery, the researchers had to know how to reprogram the amniotic cells. To this end, they looked for the genes that embryonic stem cells use to differentiate into endothelial cells. Dr. Rafii's group identified three genes that are expressed during vascular development, all of which are members of the E-twenty six (ETS) family of transcription factors known to regulate cellular differentiation, especially blood vessel formation.

Next, they used gene transfer technology to insert the three genes into mature amniotic cells, and then shut one of them off after a brief and critical period of activity by using a special molecular inhibitor. Remarkably, 20 percent of the amniotic cells could efficiently be reprogrammed into endothelial cells. "This is quite an achievement since current strategies to reprogram adult cells result less than one percent of the time in successful reprogramming into endothelial cells," says Dr. Rafii.

"These transcription factors do not cause cancer, and the endothelial cells reprogrammed from human amniotic cells are not tumorigenic and could in the future be infused into patients with a large margin of safety," Dr. Ginsberg says.

The findings suggest that other transcription factors could be used to reprogram the amniotic cells into many other tissue-specific cells, such as those that make up muscles, the brain, pancreatic islet cells and other parts of the body.

"While our work focused primarily on the reprogramming of amniotic cells into endothelial cells, we surmise that through the use of other transcription factors and growth conditions, our group and others will be able to reprogram mouse and human amniotic cells virtually into every organ cell type, such as hepatocytes in the liver, cardiomyocytes in heart muscle, neurons in the brain and even chondrocytes in cartilage, just to name a few," Dr. Ginsberg says.

"Obviously, the implications of these findings would be enormous in the field of translational regenerative medicine," emphasizes study co-author Dr. Zev Rosenwaks, the Revlon Distinguished Professor of Reproductive Medicine in Obstetrics and Gynecology at Weill Cornell Medical College and director and physician-in-chief of the Ronald O. Perelman and Claudia Cohen Center for Reproductive Medicine at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center. "The greatest obstacle to overcome in the pursuit to regenerate specific tissues and organs is the requirement for substantial levels of cells -- in the billions -- that are stable, safe and durable. Our approach will bring us closer to this milestone."

"Most importantly, these endothelial cells could be reprogrammed from amniotic cells from genetically diverse individuals," says co-author Dr. Venkat R. Pulijaal, director of the Cytogenetic Laboratory, associate professor of clinical pathology and laboratory medicine at Weill Cornell. What endothelial cells a patient receives would depend on their human leukocyte antigen (HLA) type, which is a set of self-recognition molecules that enable doctors to match a patient with potential donors of blood or tissue.

"Selecting the proper immunologically matched endothelial cells for each patient would be akin to blood typing. There are only so many varieties, which are well represented across the amniotic fluid cells that could be obtained, frozen and banked from wide variety of ethnic groups around the world," Dr. Rafii says.

A patent has been filed on the discovery.

Other study co-authors from Weill Cornell Medical College include: Dr. Bi-Sen Ding, Dr. Daniel Nolan, Dr. Fuqiang Geng, Dr. Jason M. Butler, Dr. William Schachterle, Dr. Susan Mathew, Dr. Stephen T. Chasen, Dr. Jenny Xiang, Dr. Koji Shido and Dr. Olivier Elemento.

Dr. Rafii's research is funded by the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, the Ansary Stem Cell Institute at Weill Cornell Medical College, the Empire State Stem Cell Board and New York State Department of Health grants, and the Qatar National Priorities Research Foundation.

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Journal Reference:

Michael Ginsberg, Daylon James, Bi-Sen Ding, Daniel Nolan, Fuqiang Geng, Jason M. Butler, William Schachterle, Venkat R. Pulijaal, Susan Mathew, Stephen T. Chasen, Jenny Xiang, Zev Rosenwaks, Koji Shido, Olivier Elemento, Sina Y. Rabbany, Shahin Rafii. Efficient Direct Reprogramming of Mature Amniotic Cells into Endothelial Cells by ETS Factors and TGFß Suppression. Cell, 2012; DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2012.09.032

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Pathology of Huntington's disease identified

ScienceDaily (Oct. 17, 2012) — A study led by researchers at Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM) provides novel insight into the impact that Huntington's disease has on the brain. The findings, published online in Neurology, pinpoint areas of the brain most affected by the disease and opens the door to examine why some people experience milder forms of the disease than others.

Richard Myers, PhD, professor of neurology at BUSM, is the study's lead/corresponding author. This study, which is the largest to date of brains specific to Huntington's disease, is the product of nearly 30 years of collaboration between the lead investigators at BUSM and their colleagues at the McLean Brain Tissue Resource Center, Massachusetts General Hospital and Columbia University.

Huntington's disease (HD) is an inherited and fatal neurological disorder that typically is diagnosed when a person is approximately 40 years old. The gene responsible for the disease was identified in 1993, but the reason why certain neurons or brain cells die remains unknown.

The investigators examined 664 autopsy brain samples with HD that were donated to the McLean Brain Bank. They evaluated and scored more than 50 areas of the brain for the effects of HD on neurons and other brain cell types. This information was combined with a genetic study to characterize variations in the Huntington gene. They also gathered the clinical neurological information on the patients' age when HD symptoms presented and how long the patient survived with the disease.

Based on this analysis, the investigators discovered that HD primarily damages the brain in two areas. The striatum, which is located deep within the brain and is involved in motor control and involuntary movement, was the area most severely impacted by HD. The outer cortical regions, which are involved in cognitive function and thought processing, also showed damage from HD, but it was less severe than in the striatum.

The investigators identified extraordinary variation in the extent of cell death in different brain regions. For example, some individuals had extremely severe outer cortical degeneration while others appeared virtually normal. Also, the extent of involvement for these two regions was remarkably unrelated, where some people demonstrated heavy involvement in the striatum but very little involvement in the cortex, and vice versa.

"There are tremendous differences in how people with Huntington's disease are affected," Myers said. "Some people with the disease have more difficulty with motor control than with their cognitive function while others suffer more from cognitive disability than motor control issues."

When studying these differences, the investigators noted that the cell death in the striatum is heavily driven by the effects of variations in the Huntington gene itself, while effects on the cortex were minimally affected by the HD gene and are thus likely to be a consequence of other unidentified causes. Importantly, the study showed that some people with HD experienced remarkably less neuronal cell death than others.

"While there is just one genetic defect that causes Huntington's disease, the disease affects different parts of the brain in very different ways in different people," said Myers. "For the first time, we can measure these differences with a very fine level of detail and hopefully identify what is preventing brain cell death in some individuals with HD."

The investigators have initiated extensive studies into what genes and other factors are associated with the protection of neurons in HD, and they hope these protective factors will point to possible novel treatments.

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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Boston University Medical Center.

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T. C. Hadzi, A. E. Hendricks, J. C. Latourelle, K. L. Lunetta, L. A. Cupples, T. Gillis, J. S. Mysore, J. F. Gusella, M. E. MacDonald, R. H. Myers, J.-P. Vonsattel. Assessment of cortical and striatal involvement in 523 Huntington disease brains. Neurology, 2012; 79 (16): 1708 DOI: 10.1212/WNL.0b013e31826e9a5d

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LBCC Astronomy looks at the Big Bang Theory & Formation of the Universe

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Women's Tennis Seeks Singles and Doubles Title at ITA Northeast Regional Championship

TOURNAMENT CENTRAL

WEST POINT, N.Y. - First-year women's tennis player Kanika Vaidya will play for the ITA Northeast Regional Championship Tuesday after winning her quarterfinal and semifinal match Monday. Columbia's doubles team of Bianca Sanon and Tiana Takenaga will also play for the doubles title Tuesday.

In her quarterfinal matchup, Vaidya defeated Harvard's Hideko Tachibana, 6-2, 6-4. The win set up a showdown with teammate Bianca Sanon who had also won her quarterfinal match.

Sanon took down the second-seeded Elizabeth Epstein from Yale in three sets, 7-6(1), 4-6, 6-4. In the all-Columbia semifinal match, Vaidya was able to come out on top, 6-0, 6-3.

Vaidya will meet Princeton's Amanda Mulliawan in Tuesday's championship match. The winner of the match will earn a coveted spot at the ITA National Indoor Tournament that begins Nov. 1 in Flushing Meadows, N.Y.

Mulliawan, also a freshman, entered the Northeast Regional with a 5-2 mark this fall, while Vaidya has posted an 11-2 mark in her first fall at Columbia.

In the doubles semifinals, Sanon and Takenaga downed Boston College's Olga Khmylev and Jessica Wacnik, 8-6, to earn a spot in the finals. 

This marks the first time in program history that Columbia is represented in both the singles and doubles finals of the Northeast Regional.

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Plant-based diets can remedy chronic diseases

ScienceDaily (Oct. 17, 2012) — According to the World Health Organization (WHO), 63 percent of the deaths that occurred in 2008 were attributed to non-communicable chronic diseases such as cardiovascular disease, certain cancers, Type 2 diabetes and obesity -- for which poor diets are contributing factors. Yet people that live in societies that eat healthy, plant-based diets rarely fall victim to these ailments. Research studies have long indicated that a high consumption of plant foods is associated with lower incidents of chronic disease. In the October issue of Food Technology magazine, Senior Writer/Editor Toni Tarver discusses recent discoveries in nutritional genomics that explain how plant-based diets are effective at warding off disease.

The article indicates that bioactive compounds in plant foods play a role in controlling genetic and other biological factors that lead to chronic disease. For example, antioxidants in plant foods counter free radicals that can cause chronic inflammation and damage cells. And other plant compounds help control a gene linked to cardiovascular disease and plaque buildup in arteries and the genes and other cellular components responsible for forming and sustaining tumors.

William W. Li, M.D., President and Medical Director of the Angiogenesis Foundation in Cambridge, Mass., says that all consumers should look at their diets as if food is the medicine necessary to maintain healthy, disease-free lives. "Prevention is always better than a cure," said Li. Foods that may help prevent cancer and other chronic diseases include artichokes, black pepper, cinnamon, garlic, lentils, olives, pumpkin, rosemary, thyme, watercress, and more. For a more comprehensive list of medicinal foods, read "The Chronic Disease Food Remedy" in the October 2012 issue of Food Technology.

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Use of anti-psychotic drugs by people with dementia 'under reported'

ScienceDaily (Oct. 17, 2012) — The scale of the challenge to reduce the use of anti-psychotic drugs by people with dementia may be under-estimated, according to researchers from Aston University and the University of East Anglia, working with NHS Kent and Medway. There is a key public health challenge to reduce the prescribing of anti-psychotic drugs to people with dementia as they are thought to be associated with up to 1,800 deaths a year.

Ian Maidment, corresponding author and a Senior Lecturer in Clinical Pharmacy from Aston University has worked in medication management in dementia for 20 years states: 'The true scale of anti-psychotic usage in dementia may be under-estimated. Usage may be up to 46% greater than official figures suggest.'

The researchers compared the results of the government's National Dementia and Anti-Psychotic Prescribing Audit with research, led by Anne Child, an experienced senior clinical pharmacist for NHS Kent and Medway cluster of primary care trusts (PCTs). They found that 15.3% of people with dementia received an anti-psychotic, compared to the national audit, which found 10.5%. However, only 48.9 per cent of GP practices across the country participated in the national audit compared with 98.3 per cent of practices in Medway which took part in the detailed local study.

The Medway project, carried out from January to December 2011, and analysed by researchers from Aston University and the University of East Anglia, identified that

·People with dementia living in care homes were nearly 3.5 times more likely to receive a low-dose anti-psychotic than people living at home (25.5 per cent compared to 7.3 per cent)

· It was possible to reduce or withdraw low-dose anti-psychotics for more than 60 per cent of patients with dementia (43 out of 70) whose medication was initiated by their GP.

· Clinical trials need to be commissioned as a matter of urgency to confirm the effectiveness of pharmacist medication reviews.

The paper, which appears in the BioMed Central's open access journal BMC Psychiatry, also sets out the detailed process undertaken before and during withdrawal of anti-psychotics from patients.

Anne Child, primary author, who is now Head of Pharmaceutical Care at Avante Care and Support said: 'We have demonstrated that a multi-disciplinary approach to dementia care, involving a pharmacy-led medication review, GPs, and care homes, can produce a positive outcome for patients, in one region of the country. More work is now needed.'

Dr Chris Fox, co-author, from UEA's Norwich Medical School said: 'Another issue with the national audit is it fails to report the usage of the drug lorazepam, which is sometimes used instead of anti-psychotics. It is potentially equally dangerous. Until we capture the true level of usage of all these drugs we cannot truly understand the issue.'

Ian Maidment added: 'Whilst the national audit is an important first step, it presents a partial picture. If we rely on it, exclusively we are doing a disservice to people with dementia, their carers and their families.'

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Anne Child, Amy Clarke, Chris Fox, Ian Maidment. A pharmacy led program to review anti-psychotic prescribing for people with dementia. BMC Psychiatry, 2012; 12 (1): 155 DOI: 10.1186/1471-244X-12-155

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