Drug Trial Gives Hope to Alzheimer's Sufferers

Scientists in the United Kingdom have tested a drug, called Rember, which shows tremendous promise for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease.

The illness, as many know, causes a slow deterioration of memory and cognitive function. Nicknamed "the long goodbye" by many physicians, Alzheimer's is often the hardest on those close to the patient, who are confronted with the bit-by-bit loss of the person they know and love. However, the patient must also suffer the embarrassment and pain of knowing the effects of the incurable condition, and many fear becoming a burden to their families.

That's why the promise of this new drug is so uplifting. In medical trials among 321 patients, there was an 81% difference in the rate of mental decline between those who took Rember and those who were given a placebo. According to researchers, after a 19-month period, those who took the new drug had no significant decline in mental function.

The Goose has previously reported on research pertaining to excess protein, or plaque, which builds up in the brains of Alzheimer's sufferers, and treatment focused on this plaque. Rember, technically known as methylthioninium chloride, treats instead a protein called Tau, which builds up inside the cells of the brain responsible for memory. This different angle of treatment may be responsible for Rember's apparent success.

Further trials are planned, however Rember may be available as early as 2012.

To read more about this remarkable drug, visit http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/7525115.stm

By Banning Toy Toxin, Playtime Safer Across America

USA

A group of harmful, yet widespread chemicals found in many children’s toys have finally been banned from use after long debate in Congress. The ban is the result of hard-won campaigning on the part of parents and health experts going up against the heretofore unchallenged chemical industry. The act is good news for two reasons: first because it means safer toys and healthier families. Secondly, because the act may represent a shift away from government favoring of industry and towards consumer rights.

The chemicals, known as phthalates, are found in many children’s toys. Phthalates studies show, however, that when ingested into the body over the course of time these chemicals become toxins, damaging the reproductive system especially in males. They are also thought to contribute to cancer of the liver and kidney. The added danger is that if mothers are exposed to phthalates, the toxins can be passed to their infants through breastfeeding. The toxins have been illegal in the European Union since 2007.

The bill is part of a wider reform of the Consumer Product Safety Commission. The legislation also provides for the creation of a new database consumers can use to log complaints or accidents about the goods they use. In addition, new laws will strengthen regulation enforcement and violations of these laws will be met with harsher punishments.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/07/28/AR2008072802586.html?hpid=topnews

First Virginian Job Training Facility Helps ex-Inmates Stay Out

For the first time in Virginia, the Fairfax County jail will be teaming up next week with the non-profit SkillSource Group to help released offenders get on the right track, and stay on it, after release. The newly expanded center gives those serving time but who have shown good behavior while serving their sentence the chance to have employment and job training. The opportunity is open to inmates who have demonstrated good behavior while incarcerated and who are currently living in the center's pre-release center. They are given job training, advice on how to find and keep jobs, and other career counseling, including applying for a driver's licence. If employment is found, they may begin working during the last portion of their sentence. Any income earned by inmates is then given back to pay rent and maintain the facilities. When the nearby George Mason University in Fairfax, VA, began following up on what happened to inmates after release, they found 40% were rearrested within the year, citing the added difficulty of finding a job with jail time on their record. After monitoring the released inmates who completed SkillSource's program, they reported far fewer re-releases. The jobs that agree to take on this type of employee also benefits: tax credits for hiring them, insurance/reimbursement for workplace damage if there is a problem. Local officials said the program is geared toward reducing recidivism rates, which in turn means keeping our communities free from crime.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/07/22/AR2008072203345.html

Small-town Artist Awarded Micro-fund, Gets Sculpture to Beijing Just in Time

Athletes aren't the only ones competing for a shot at making it to Beijing this August. When 38 year old Kentucky artist Brad White was chosen to have his sculpture "Salixtension" exhibited in the Chinese Biennial art exposition, he knew it was like winning a gold medal. The the curators of the first exposition of its kind were looking for spacial representations of character art... that is to say pieces that evoke the spirit of Chinese character writing. Described as an "elegantly sinuous anthropomorphic" piece, White's was one of just thirty artists chosen world wide for the event. Great news! The problem was, White's piece could also be described as "heavy" and the costs of shipping his large sculpture to China were over $1,000, which the artists simply couldn't afford. Fundraising might have not been fast enough, as Brad had to get Salixtension to Beijing by July 15th! Faced with the prospect of not being able to have his art displayed, he suggested that perhaps a fund could be established so that local artists who were invited to participate in such important exhibitions would be able to, without worrying about the high side-costs.

Happily, the town of Murray, Kentucky came to the aid of their native artist! The Louisville Visual Art Association (LVAA) has created a program of granting micro-loans to deserving artists without any of the long time-delays that other loan programs involve. White is the first loanee to benefit from the LVAA's support of artists and had his money in two hours, was able to ship his piece to China for the show.

"We loaned Brad $1,000, which enabled him to pay the import broker/expeditors in China, who in turn will obtain full release of his work, thereby getting it delivered to the museum in Beijing. The poor guy was trying to figure all of this out for seven days, while his work was held hostage and costing him a daily holding fee," said Shannon Westerman, leader of the LVAA.

The exhibit will be running the entire length of the 2008 Summer Olympics. For more information on Brad White and the LVAA, check out the original link:
http://www.courier-journal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080629/SCENE05/806290332

Girls Catch the Boys in High School Math

For the past several decades, it's been common knowledge in America that high school boys were just plain better at math than high school girls. There's been an awful lot of research into the question "Why is it that high school girls aren't good at math?"A new study provides a thoroughly satisfying answer: They are.

Janet Hyde, a researcher from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, lead a study of 7 million standardized math test cores reported by gender. The scores were provided from ten different states, all having administered the same test as a result of the No Child Left Behind Act. The results? Girls are performing equally to boys after all.

So take it from a girl who refused to take Calculus in high school and went on to become a mechanical engineer: There is something for girls in math. And there's something for math in girls, too.

To read more about the study, visit http://www.cnn.com/2008/TECH/science/07/24/girls.math.ap/index.html

And in case you've ever felt like high school math was the most boring subject ever, check this out: http://www.maa.org/devlin/LockhartsLament.pdf

Pilots and Passengers Survive Explosive Decompression on Plane

Manila, Philippines

About an hour into their flight from London to Austrailia, passengers aboard the Quantas airliner heard the sound of an explosion. According to Michael Rahill, one of the passengers, it sounded "like a tire exploding, but more violently." A 2.5-3 yard hole had been ripped in the side of the plane, for reasons yet to be determined. The hole lead directly to the baggage compartment, and some of the cabin was exposed as well. Oxygen masks appeared for the passengers, and the plane began to descend. Amazingly, those on board managed to stay calm. "No one was very hysterical," said passenger Marina Scaffidi, "The plane kept going down not too fast, but it was descending."

The plane diverted to Manila, where the pilots managed to land it safely. There were no injuries among the 345 passengers. They have been put up temporarily in hotels as they wait for other available flights. What could have been a major disaster has instead become an inconvenience.

Authorities are investigating the cause of the explosion, and it's certain that the airline will have some explaining to do in the coming weeks. However, I think it's safe to say that this time they have a decent excuse for losing people's luggage.

To read more and view pictures, visit http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,391024,00.html

Thanks to the Gander for that last one liner ;-)

Corrupt Guatemalan Adoption Program Halted, Stolen Child Reunited with Mother

Guatemala City, Guatemala

Ana Escobar's baby, Esther, was kidnapped when she was just 6 months old. Ana was locked in a storage closet by armed men who stole her baby. "When I got out, my daughter was gone," she said in an interview.

Guatemalan authorities have long suspected that the country's 100$ million a year adoption program is corrupt, relying on kidnapped children like Esther to populate their baby banks. The system is so efficient that, after China, Guatemala is the most common source for American parents to search for adoptable children. In May, however, thousands of pending adoptions were halted to provide a change for investigation. No irrefutable evidence has been found to prove that kidnapped babies have been supplying the adoption program, until now.

When Ana Escobar heard the news about the adoption stoppage in May, she rushed to the National Adoption Council's office. She hoped to be allowed to see pictures of the children whose cases were being reviewed. Though Esther had been gone for over a year, Ana immediately recognized her in an image of the baby being carried away by an official. More photographs of the same toddler only strengthened Ana's resolve, and she insisted that the little girl was her own.

By that time, Esther had DNA records indicating that her mother was someone other than Ana. However, Ms. Escobar convinced officials to run a final test to confirm. The results proved that Esther was her daughter, as Ana knew they would. Mother and child are now reunited at last, in what is hopefully to be the first in a growing trend of righted wrongs in the Guatemalan adoption system.

To read more about this extraordinary reunion, visit http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,390044,00.html