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Spider Venom Reveals New Secret

By Guest PostAugust 31, 2013Natureaffect, brown recluse spider, cell membranes, chemical product, clark college, cyclic molecule, cyclical chemical product, daniel lajoie, genus loxosceles, greta binford, humans, loxosceles laeta, matthew cordes, north, phospholipid molecules, plastic surgeon, portland, protein, south america, species of loxosceles, spider bite, spider venom, syndrome, tissue damage, tissue suicide, toxin, united states, university of arizona, vahe bandarian

Venom of the brown recluse spider causes a reaction in the body that is different from what researchers previously thought, a discovery that could lead to development of new treatments for spider bites.

University of Arizona researchers led a team that has discovered that venom of spiders in the genus Loxosceles, which contains about 100 spider species including the brown recluse, produces a different chemical product in the human body than scientists believed.

The finding has implications for understanding how these spider bites affect humans and for the development of possible treatments for the bites. (more…)

Chromosome Painting: Discovering beauty in DNA

By Guest PostJuly 1, 2012Culture, Sciencearno motulsky, art professor, chromosome, chromosome 17, chromosome light boxes, chromosome painting, disease, DNA, dna microarray, dna sequence, ethnic identity, genetic anomaly, genetic banking, genetic data, genetic history, genetic portraits, genetic story, genetic test, genetic visibility, genevieve gaiser tremblay, geraldine ondrizek, human cellular tissue, human chromosome maps, kirkland arts center, medical history, molecular genetics, peter byers, portland, probe, reed college, robin bennett, synteny map

Everyone has a genetic story.

For artist Geraldine Ondrizek, an art professor at Portland’s Reed College, her story begins with the tragic loss of her child to a condition caused by a genetic anomaly. It’s a story that starts with her efforts to piece together her family’s genetic history and that has brought her, in the years since, to a beautiful intersection of science and art that today defines the very essence of her work.

Since 2001, Ondrizek has worked with geneticists and biologists to gather images of human cellular tissue and genetic tests relating to disease, ethnic identity, and the depiction of genetically inherited conditions. (more…)

Stun Guns Not Safe for Citizens, But Benefit Police, Study Finds

By Guest PostMay 2, 2012Generalbroken bones, citizen injury, columbus, controversial weapon, criminologist, eugene paoline, jason ingram, knoxville, michigan state university, ohio, panacea, police, police quarterly, portland, stun guns, taser gun, taser international, use, william terrill

EAST LANSING, Mich. — The use of stun guns by police significantly increases the chances of citizen injury, yet also protects the officers more than other restraint methods, according to the most comprehensive research to date into the safety of stun guns in a law enforcement setting.

William Terrill, lead researcher on the project and Michigan State University criminologist, said the federally funded research presents a dilemma for police agencies weighing use of the controversial weapon. Nationally, some 260,000 electronic control devices, or stun guns, are in use in 11,500 law enforcement agencies. (more…)

Lecture or Listen: When Patients Waver on Meds

By Guest PostFebruary 5, 2012Healthadherence, aids and behavior, antiretroviral therapy, arv drugs, arv medication, Baltimore, brown university, detroit, hiv-positive, m barton laws, mary catherine beach, new york city, patient, portland, william rogers, yoojin lee

*According to a new analysis of hundreds of recorded office visits, doctors and nurse practitioners typically issued orders and asked closed or leading questions when talking to their HIV-positive patients about adherence to antiretroviral therapy. Attempts at problem-solving with patients who had lapsed occurred in less than a quarter of visits.*

PROVIDENCE, R.I. [Brown University] — Take your medicine, Doctor’s orders. It’s a simple idea that may seem especially obvious when the pills are the antiretroviral (ARV) drugs that add decades to the lives of HIV-positive patients. But despite the reality that keeping up with drug regimens is not easy for many patients, a new analysis of hundreds of recorded doctor’s office visits finds that physicians and nurse practitioners often still rely on lecturing, ordering, and scolding rather than listening and problem solving with their patients. (more…)

The Cloud Makes a Big Difference to Small Businesses

By Guest PostSeptember 30, 2011Technologyalbert baxter, business owner, chaundra smith, danville, durham, imagination yoga, independence on wheels, jamie hopkins, jessica mcclintic, jon hopkins, london, microsoft office 365, nashville, naturally me, peter smith, peterborough, portland, ready for work contest, scott brooks, sharepoint online, showcase magazine, small businesses, takeshi numoto, tri med group, uk, yoga class for kids

REDMOND, Wash. — What do a customized wheelchair, an all-natural bar of soap, a calming yoga class for kids, an engaging community magazine and international relief supplies organization have in common? These products and services are all delivered by small businesses to a growing customer base.

Each business also happens to be among the winners in the Microsoft Office 365: Ready for Work Contest. The business owners have several traits in common, including a passion for their work, a strong desire to help people, and a deep resolve to approach challenges with unique products and services. (more…)

RJI Researcher Identifies Promising Online News Sites, Seeks to Make Them Stronger

By Guest PostAugust 23, 2010Mediablogs, harvard university, journalists, michele mclellan, news sites, nieman fellow, oregonian, portland, reynolds journalism institute, rji

COLUMBIA, Mo. – As local online news services become more numerous, discussions regarding their quality and stability have increased as well. Michele McLellan, who served as a 2009-2010 Reynolds Journalism Institute (RJI) Fellow at the University of Missouri, has found dozens of online news sites that are gaining traction. She says it is vital for the future of the news industry to identify these promising sites.

(more…)

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