North Carolina lawmakers override race-bias death-row veto

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Source: http://news.yahoo.com/north-carolina-lawmakers-override-race-bias-death-row-011700896.html

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Secrets of lung cancer drug resistance revealed

ScienceDaily (July 1, 2012) ? People with lung cancer who are treated with the drug Tarceva face a daunting uncertainty: although their tumors may initially shrink, it's not a question of whether their cancer will return -- it's a question of when. And for far too many, it happens far too soon.

Now, a team of researchers at the University of California, San Francisco's Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center has discovered that a human protein called AXL drives resistance to Tarceva, which suggests that blocking the protein may prevent resistance to the cancer drug.

The discovery, described this week in Nature Genetics, may lead to better treatments involving precision medicines that would combine Tarceva with new drugs designed to block AXL.

"If we block AXL activation in the laboratory, we can overcome resistance to Tarceva," said Trever Bivona, MD, PhD, an assistant professor of hematology and oncology. "This paves the way for novel and more effective therapies."

In the experiments, Bivona and his colleagues used an inhibitor of AXL that is not an ideal clinical drug. But now Bivona and his team are working together with Kevan Shokat, PhD, a Howard Hughes Medical Institute Investigator and chair of the UCSF Department of Cellular and Molecular Pharmacology, to develop more potent AXL inhibitors for clinical testing.

Lung Cancer is Number One Cancer Killer Lung cancer is the most common cause of cancer death worldwide. More people die from the disease each year than from breast, colon and prostate cancers combined. It claims more than 150,000 American lives annually and accounts for some 1.4 million deaths around the world. About 85 percent of Americans with all types of lung cancer die within five years of diagnosis.

Most cases result from exposure to cigarette smoke, but other causes include exposure to asbestos, chemicals, environmental factors and genetic susceptibility.

One thing that makes lung cancer so difficult is that it often goes undetected in its early stages because it usually does not cause symptoms. Only about 30 percent of patients in the United States are detected in the earliest stage of the disease, contributing to its low overall survival rate.

Even people who have their cancer detected at the earliest stages, however, face serious odds. Unlike other types of cancer, where early diagnosis has significant survival advantages, some 35 to 45 percent of people with stage I lung cancer die within five years of recurrent disease.

Though treatment varies depending on the type of lung cancer, its stage, and whether it not it has metastasized to regional lymph nodes, standard treatments usually involve surgery or some combination of surgery, radiation therapy and chemotherapy.

Tarceva is one such chemotherapy drug. Also known as erlotinib, the drug is a targeted therapy that works by blocking an enzyme known as epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR). Bivona and his colleagues discovered that AXL drives resistance to Tarceva by "rescuing" lung cancers from EGFR inhibitor treatment.

AXL, said Bivona, is the sort of molecule known as a kinase, which makes it a valuable target for drug design. Many of the existing targeted cancer drugs on the market, including Tarceva, work by blocking kinases in one form or another.

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Story Source:

The above story is reprinted from materials provided by University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), via Newswise.

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

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Journal Reference:

1. Zhenfeng Zhang, Jae Cheol Lee, Luping Lin, Victor Olivas, Valerie Au, Thomas LaFramboise, Mohamed Abdel-Rahman, Xiaoqi Wang, Alan D Levine, Jin Kyung Rho, Yun Jung Choi, Chang-Min Choi, Sang-We Kim, Se Jin Jang, Young Soo Park, Woo Sung Kim, Dae Ho Lee, Jung-Shin Lee, Vincent A Miller, Maria Arcila, Marc Ladanyi, Philicia Moonsamy, Charles Sawyers, Titus J Boggon, Patrick C Ma, Carlota Costa, Miquel Taron, Rafael Rosell, Balazs Halmos, Trever G Bivona. Activation of the AXL kinase causes resistance to EGFR-targeted therapy in lung cancer. Nature Genetics, 2012; DOI: 10.1038/ng.2330

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

Disclaimer: This article is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

Source: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/07/120701202153.htm

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Mood pessimistic on Syria peace plans

GENEVA (AP) ? A conference called by special envoy Kofi Annan to end the Syria crisis appeared on the brink of failure as it opened Saturday, with the U.S. and Russia still divided over a role for President Bashar Assad in a transition government.

Annan seemed confident of his plan a few days ago, but Russia has refused to back a provision that would call for Assad to step down to make way for a unity government, a stance that could scuttle the entire deal.

The envoy warned the permanent members of the U.N. Security Council ? Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States ? that if they fail to act at the talks hosted by the United Nations at its European headquarters in Geneva they face an international crisis of "grave severity" that could spark violence across the region and provide a new front for terrorism.

"History is a somber judge and it will judge us all harshly if we prove incapable of taking the right path today," he said.

He appeared to specifically aim his words at Russia, Syria's most important ally, protector and arms supplier, which insists that outsiders cannot order a political solution for Syria. The U.S. is adamant that Assad should not be allowed to remain in power at the top of the transitional government and there is little chance that the fragmented Syrian opposition would go along with any plan that does not explicitly say Bashar must go.

"While many spoke of united support for one ... some simultaneously took national or collective initiatives of their own, undermining the process. This has fueled uncertainty in Syria, in turn fueling the flames of violence," Annan said. "By being here today, you suggest the intention to show that leadership. But can you, can we follow through?"

He said that "the way things have been going thus far ? we are not helping anyone. Let us break this trend and start being of some use."

Foreign ministers were rushed from luxury sedans into the elegant and sprawling Palais des Nations along with their legions of diplomats and aides and envoys from Europe, Turkey and three Arab countries representing groups within the Arab League.

A senior U.S. official ? speaking on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the ongoing negotiations ? said the "discussions remain challenging. We're continuing to work this today, but we need a plan that is strong and credible. We may get there, we may not."

The question is still whether Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton can rescue Annan's plan.

Russia and China, which has followed Russia's lead on Syria, have twice used their council veto to shield Syria from U.N. sanctions.

Major regional players Iran and Saudi Arabia were not invited. The Russians objected to the Saudis, who support the Syrian opposition. The U.S. objected to Iran, which supports Assad's regime. Lavrov predicted the meeting had a "good chance" of finding a way forward, despite the grim conditions on the ground.

Syria, verging on a full-blown civil war, has endured a particularly bloody week, with up to 125 people reported killed nationwide on Thursday alone. Since March of last year, the uprising in in one of the world's most unstable regions has killed some 14,000 people.

International tensions also heightened last week after Syria shot down a Turkish warplane, leading to Turkey setting up anti-aircraft guns on its border with its neighbor.

Without agreement among the major powers on how to form a transitional government for the country, Assad's regime ? Iran's closest ally ? would be emboldened to try to remain in power indefinitely, and that would also complicate the U.S. aim of halting Iran's nuclear goals.

At talks Friday night, top U.S. and Russian diplomats remained deadlocked over the negotiating text to agree on guidelines and principles for "a Syria-led transition."

British Foreign Secretary William Hague urged Russia and China, which is following the Russian lead, to join Western nations in speaking with one voice on Syria, though he acknowledged that will be a stiff challenge.

"We haven't reached agreement in advance with Russia and China ? that remains very difficult. I don't know if it will be possible to do so. In the interest of saving thousands of lives of our international responsibilities, we will try to do so," Hague told reporters. "It's been always been our view, of course, that a stable future for Syria, a real political process, means Assad leaving power."

He tweeted that "President Assad and his closest associates cannot credibly lead the process of transition in Syria.

The negotiating text for the multinational conference calls for establishing a transitional government of national unity, with full executive powers, that could include members of Assad's government and the opposition and other groups. It would oversee the drafting of a new constitution and elections.

But the text that would serve as the framework for Annan's peace efforts also would "exclude from government those whose continued presence and participation would undermine the credibility of the transition and jeopardize stability and reconciliation."

"Ultimately, we want to stop the bloodshed in Syria. If that comes through political dialogue, we are willing to do that," said Khalid Saleh, a spokesman for the Syrian National Council, a coalition of Syrian opposition groups based in Istanbul, Turkey. "We are not willing to negotiate (with) Mr. Assad and those who have murdered Syrians. We are not going to negotiate unless they leave Syria."

Clinton said Thursday in Riga, Latvia, that all participants in the Geneva meeting, including Russia, were on board with the transition plan. She told reporters that the invitations made clear that representatives "were coming on the basis of (Annan's) transition plan."

The United Nations says violence in the country has worsened since a cease-fire deal in April, and the bloodshed appears to be taking on dangerous sectarian overtones, with growing numbers of Syrians targeted on account of their religion. The increasing militarization of both sides in the conflict has Syria heading toward civil war.

______

Matthew Lee contributed to this report.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/mood-pessimistic-syria-peace-plans-125158520.html

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U.N. publishes report on Iran arms trade with Syria

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Source: http://news.yahoo.com/u-n-publishes-report-iran-arms-trade-syria-034811870.html

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Stolen Salvador Dali drawing mysteriously returned by mail

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Source: http://news.yahoo.com/stolen-salvador-dali-drawing-mysteriously-returned-mail-193512556--abc-news-topstories.html

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Foster Parents Anywhere?: Birth Kids vs Foster Kids

Fostering children is a common way to build a family. ?Many couples have one or two biological children but experience secondary infertility. ?That lovely phrase means that for some reason, sometimes unexplainable, a couple is unable to become pregnant even though they have already had a child. ?This is what happened to me. ?I gave birth to three children and all I wanted was one more, but for whatever reason it never happened. ?I did try several fertillity treatments but stopped when it became obvious that this path was going nowhere. ?I wanted to foster and I wanted to adopt. ?So I did and I am content and happy with my choices and so is my husband. ?But are my birth kids as happy as I am?

If a stranger was looking in my front window, he would see siblings playing together, or fighting, or tattling on each other. ?He would see normal family interactions and probably would not question what he sees until someone whispers, "the little ones are adopted!" ?All of a sudden, there is an elephant in the room. ?Do the older children resent the younger adopted kids? ?Then the stranger finds out there is a foster child in there too. ?Oh my! ?Do the older kids hate sharing their house and their parents with a foster child? ?It sounds absolutely ridiculous when I describe it that way. ?However, I have had people ask me these questions. ?Sometimes the questions come from extended family members and sometimes from strangers. ?People who are considering fostering often ask these kinds of questions.

For everyone involved (except the nosy stranger) these are important questions to consider. ? Bringing a foster child into your home changes your whole family dynamic and if you address these questions ahead of time you will be better prepared for some trouble spots ahead. ?The first piece of advice that I share with people is that this is just like having a baby. ?The family changes and stretches to accomadate this new small person. ?In fostering, the child may be 12 years old but the family still grows and changes to fit the new dynamic. ?My oldest son was 4 years old when his brother was born. ?Michael thought that this new brother was the best thing in the whole world. ?Until I brought him home from the hospital and I was too busy feeding the baby to read him a story. ?The excitement was immediately gone and the power struggle began for mom's attention. ?That power struggle still pops up once in awhile even though Michael is 20 and Jason is 16! ?The story repeats itself when I fostered a four year old boy. ?My daughter thought he was fabulous to play with and enjoyed taking care of him until one of his visits with his birth parents happened during one of her softball games. ?Dad was able to attend the softball game while I took the little guy to the visit. ?But jealousy reared its ugly head and Brynna was pretty mad for awhile. ? The moral of the story is that no child really wants to share their parents with a sibling or a foster child. ?Kids just aren't built that way. ?It is part of life's lessons to learn to share and grow up with a sibling. ?It does not matter how the sibling arrives from my point of view.

The new child, of any age, will be loved and will be hated at some point in the journey. ?Just as new parents prepare a child for the birth of a sibling, so should they prepare the biological kids for a new placement. ?Let the kids participate in the process. ?Ask them if they would like a baby or an older child to play with. ?Ask them if they are comfortable sharing a room. ?Let them have possessions that do not have to be shared to help them maintain their own identity. ?You may not be able to meet all of their requests but allowing your child to talk about things they like and things they don't like helps them feel important and part of the process. ? ? ?If a biological child is having a hard time adjusting to a new placement, spend some alone time with the child and allow them to talk about their frustrations. ?Remind them how much you love them and explain that your love will never change. ?Many problems can be solved with a simple reminder of love. ?Most importantly, keep yourself strong by reminding yourself that you would not send a newborn baby back to the hospital if big brother didn't like him. ?


By building my family through foster care, I have chosen a unique path that many people don't understand. ?The path I have chosen is different from from giving birth to biological children, but I know many of the potholes are the same. ?I also know that my biological children are more compassionate and more loving because of their journey down this path with me. ? ? ? ?

Source: http://fosterparentsanywhere.blogspot.com/2012/06/birth-kids-vs-foster-kids.html

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Downers Grove South graduate Staisiunaite to compete at London Olympics

According to the University of Wisconsin athetic site, 2007 Downers Grove South alum Egle Staisiunaite qualified this week for the 2012 London Games.

She posted her personal best time of 56.58 in the prelims of the 400-meter hurdles at the 2012 European Athletics Championships in Helsinki and came in under the Olympics 'B' qualifying mark in the process.

Staisiunaite will represent Lithuania at the Games.

"Egle was probably the most focused and driven athlete I've ever coached," said Downers Grove South girls track coach Doug Plunkett, "one of those once in a lifetime athletes that coaches dream about coaching.

"I'm so proud of her for staying with her dream and continuing to work hard over the past year. Reaching the Olympic B standard this week was incredible, but I can't wait to see what she does in London."

Her best time in college, again according to the University of Wisconsin, was 58.37 which came at the NCAA outdoor championships last year.

At Downers Grove South, she was a two-event state champion as a senior, winning both the 100- and 300-hurdles as a senior.

"In high school," Plunkett added, "she always came up with big performances at the biggest moments. Her winning 300m hurdle race at state her senior year was amazing. She was seeded third going into the final and just blew away the competition, upsetting race favorite Shakia Pinnick. We knew that with her 400m speed that the 400m hurdles would be her best race after HS."

Source: http://www.mysuburbanlife.com/berwyn/sports/x2102590143/Downers-Grove-South-graduate-Staisiunaite-to-compete-at-London-Olympics

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