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houston weather 2012 state of the union address john kerry prince fielder
Monday, January 30, 2012
Democrats spend big in Ore. special election
FILE - In this Jan. 6, 2012, file photo, Oregon 1st Congressional District Democratic candidate Suzanne Bonamici speaks during a debate with her Republican opponent Rob Cornilles in Portland, Ore. Voters have until Tuesday to cast a ballot in the all-mail election to replace former Rep. David Wu.(AP Photo/Don Ryan, file)
FILE - In this Jan. 6, 2012, file photo, Oregon 1st Congressional District Democratic candidate Suzanne Bonamici speaks during a debate with her Republican opponent Rob Cornilles in Portland, Ore. Voters have until Tuesday to cast a ballot in the all-mail election to replace former Rep. David Wu.(AP Photo/Don Ryan, file)
FILE - In this Jan. 6, 2012, file photo, Oregon 1st Congressional District Republican candidate Rob Cornilles, right, speaks during a debate with his Democratic rival Suzanne Bonamici in Portland, Ore. Voters have until Tuesday to cast a ballot in the all-mail election to replace former Rep. David Wu.(AP Photo/Don Ryan, file)
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) ? Determined not to lose another friendly district because of a sex scandal, Democrats and their allies have pumped more than $1 million into an Oregon special election race that has turned into a vicious exchange of attacks over the airwaves.
Voters are deciding who should replace former Rep. David Wu, a seven-term Democrat who resigned last year following a string of bizarre news stories that began with photos of the congressman wearing a tiger costume and ended with a young woman's accusation that he made an unwanted sexual advance.
Voters have until 8 p.m. Tuesday to return their ballots in the all-mail election.
Republican Rob Cornilles, a sports business consultant, has tried hard to extend the scandal that brought down Wu to the Democrat who wants to take his place, former state Sen. Suzanne Bonamici. She says the race is about the future, not about Wu.
Bonamici and independent groups that support her have gone after Cornilles for missing tax payments for his business and for inconsistent statements about the number of jobs his company has created.
Oregon's 1st Congressional District is the state's economic engine, encompassing downtown Portland and the fast-growing western suburbs that are home to the Silicon Forest high-tech hub and the global headquarters for athletic-wear giants Nike Inc. and Columbia Sportswear Company. It stretches across agricultural communities to the Pacific coast. Democrats have represented the district since 1975, and its voters overwhelmingly supported President Barack Obama.
But Democrats do not want to see a repeat of what happened last year in a heavily Democratic New York district, when a Republican won a special election after Rep. Anthony Weiner acknowledged sending provocative text messages and resigned.
The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee has spent $1.3 million to boost Bonamici. Political committees for a union, abortion-rights groups and a super PAC allied with Democrats have also chipped in with their own mail or television ads.
Democrats insist they're not scared. They've likened their investment to an insurance policy to avoid any doubts about the party's strength that would inevitably follow a loss in a liberal state like Oregon. The National Republican Congressional Committee has spent just $85,000 on the race.
Cornilles, 47, is making his second bid for the seat after losing to Wu in 2010. He's centered his pitch on his experience running a sports-marketing firm, hoping to swing an upset with a relentless focus on jobs and a run toward the center. Unemployment in the Portland area dropped to 7.8 percent in November 2011, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Bonamici, 57, is mixing traditional Democratic themes of protecting Social Security and Medicare with a pledge to tackle the national debt by getting Washington's priorities in order.
Without reliable public polling it's anyone's guess how close the race will be.
Associated Pressweather denver weather denver ambition dorothy rodham rick hendrick plane crash
Thursday, January 26, 2012
Penguins' Neal replaces Ovechkin for all-star game
Pittsburgh Penguins' James Neal (18) is congratulated by teammates Chris Kunitz (14) and Evgeni Malkin (71), of Russia after his goal against the St. Louis Blues in the second period of an NHL hockey game Tuesday, Jan. 24, 2012, in St. Louis. (AP Photo/Bill Boyce)
Pittsburgh Penguins' James Neal (18) is congratulated by teammates Chris Kunitz (14) and Evgeni Malkin (71), of Russia after his goal against the St. Louis Blues in the second period of an NHL hockey game Tuesday, Jan. 24, 2012, in St. Louis. (AP Photo/Bill Boyce)
NEW YORK (AP) ? Pittsburgh Penguins forward James Neal will replace Washington Capitals forward Alex Ovechkin in the NHL All-Star game on Sunday.
Ovechkin backed out of the game after he was issued a three-game suspension from the league for a hit on an opponent.
Neal leads the Penguins with 27 goals and is second on the team with 47 points. Neal leads the NHL with 210 shots and is tied for the league lead with 13 power-play goals. The Penguins have won nine consecutive games and are 17-3-2 overall when Neal scores a goal.
The All-Star fantasy draft will be held on Thursday in Ottawa. It will divide the All-Stars into two teams: Team Alfredsson, led by Ottawa captain Daniel Alfredsson and Team Chara, featuring Boston captain Zdeno Chara.
Associated Pressjan brewer welcome back kotter gop debate republican debate x games
Report: Major 'Desperate Housewives' death
By Anna Chan
?
Matthew Rolston / ABC
Could one of the ladies -- Renee, Lynette, Gaby, Susan or Bree -- meet her end soon?
?
"Desperate Housewives" has never been afraid to kill off characters. Mary Alice Young, Edie Britt, Rex Van De Camp, Victor Lang, Karl Mayer ... the list goes on and on.
Soon, fans of the show will have another name to add to that?long list.?EW.com is?reporting?that?a major character is about to go six feet under during the show's final season. The website reports the death will happen in a March episode, but it's not clear whether it'll be one of the wives or husbands who will be dying.
ABC had no comment.
One person who may be safe? James Denton's Mike Delfino. At the Television Critics Associations summer press tour last August, the actor told TODAY.com that creator Marc Cherry told him during the first season how things would end for his character. " 'Here's what happens to you in the last episode.' So I know!" Denton told us.
Of course, it's also possible Cherry meant "last episode for Mike," but viewers will just have to wait and see.
Who do you think is going to die? Share your prediction on our Facebook page!
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Wednesday, January 25, 2012
New CEO for BlackBerry maker Research In Motion
In this Feb. 5, 2009 photo, Research In Motion co-CEOs Jim Balsillie, left, and Mike Lazaridis talk to media after an Ontario Securities Commission hearing in Toronto. The company on Sunday, Jan. 22 2012 says Balsillie and Lazaridis are stepping down, and will be replaced by Thorsten Heins, a chief operating officer who joined RIM four years ago from Siemens AG. (AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Nathan Denette)
In this Feb. 5, 2009 photo, Research In Motion co-CEOs Jim Balsillie, left, and Mike Lazaridis talk to media after an Ontario Securities Commission hearing in Toronto. The company on Sunday, Jan. 22 2012 says Balsillie and Lazaridis are stepping down, and will be replaced by Thorsten Heins, a chief operating officer who joined RIM four years ago from Siemens AG. (AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Nathan Denette)
This undated photo provided by Research in Motion shows Thorsten Heins, who on Sunday, Jan. 22, 2012 was named President and Chief Executive Officer of Research In Motion. Heins succeeds co-CEOs Jim Balsillie and Mike Lazaridis, who announced they are stepping down. (AP Photo/Research In Motion via The Canadian Press)
TORONTO (AP) ? The new chief executive of BlackBerry maker Research in Motion said Monday drastic change is not needed after the departure of Jim Balsillie and Mike Lazaridis, who stepped down as co-CEOs and co-chairmen of the once iconic but now struggling company.
The RIM founders have been replaced by Thorsten Heins, a little-known chief operating officer who joined RIM four years ago from Siemens AG, RIM said Sunday.
The Canadian company turned the email smartphone into a ubiquitous device that many could not live without, but U.S. users have moved on to flashier touch-screen phones such as Apple's iPhone and various competing models that run Google's Android software. RIM has suffered a series of setbacks and has lost tens of billions in market value.
Heins said he didn't think significant change was needed and said the moves were not "seismic" ones. He said he was committed to the vision and new software platform favored by Lazaridis and Balsillie, who announced Sunday they would step down from the top jobs but serve in other roles.
Heins said RIM has to improve its U.S. marketing to go beyond the traditional corporate customer and attract consumers.
"In the U.S. we were very, very successful coming from the core enterprise business, and in the public opinion this is still where we're skewed to," Helms said on a conference call Monday. "We need to be more marketing-driven. We need to be more consumer-oriented because this is where a lot of our growth is coming from. That is essential in the U.S."
RIM said last month that new phones deemed critical to the company's future would be delayed until late this year. And its PlayBook tablet, RIM's answer to the Apple iPad, failed to gain consumer support, forcing the company to deeply discount it to move the devices off store shelves.
Many shareholders and analysts have said a change or sale of the company has been needed, but the sudden departure of the two founders from their top jobs wasn't expected despite their promises that they would examine the co-CEO and co-chairmen structure.
Balsillie and Lazaridis have long been celebrated as Canadian heroes, even appearing in the country's citizenship guide for new immigrants as models of success. They headed Waterloo, Ontario-based RIM together for the past two decades.
"There comes a time in the growth of every successful company when the founders recognize the need to pass the baton to new leadership. Jim and I went to the board and told them that we thought that time was now," Lazaridis said in a statement.
Lazaridis will take on a new role as vice chairman of RIM's board and chairman of the board's new innovation committee. Balsillie remains a member of the board.
The two remain two of RIM's biggest shareholders.
"I agree this is the right time to pass the baton to new leadership, and I have complete confidence in Thorsten, the management team and the company," Balsillie said in the statement. "I remain a significant shareholder and a director and, of course, they will have my full support."
Analysts have said RIM's future depends on its much-delayed new software platform as RIM has tried and failed to reinvigorate the BlackBerry. Apple co-founder Steve Jobs said in late 2010 that RIM would have a hard time catching up to Apple because RIM has been forced to move beyond its area of strength and into unfamiliar territory of trying to become a software platform company.
Heins, 54, said Lazaridis and Balsillie took RIM in the right direction and said he's committed to the new software.
"We are more confident than ever that was the right path. It is Mike and Jim's continued unwillingness to sacrifice long-term value for short-term gain which has made RIM the great company that it is today. I share that philosophy and am very excited about the company's future," Heins said.
Barbara Stymiest, a former chief operating officer of the Royal Bank of Canada who has been a member of RIM's board since 2007, has named chair of the board of directors. RIM also announced that Prem Watsa, the chief executive of Fairfax Financial Holdings, is a new board member. Watsa has become a significant shareholder.
Lazaridis said he was so confident in the future direction of the company that he intends to purchase an additional $50 million of the company's shares on the open market.
RIM was worth more than $70 billion a few years ago but now has a market value of $8.9 billion. Shares of RIM moved up almost 4 percent, 67 cents, to $17.67 in premarket trading on the Nasdaq.
Peter Misek, an analyst at Jefferies & Co. in New York, said that after missing the software transition caused by the iPhone, Balsillie and Mike Lazaridis put RIM's future in doubt.
The company still has 75 million active subscribers, but many analysts believe RIM will lose market share internationally as it has in the U.S. Market researcher NPD Group said RIM's market share of smartphones in the U.S. declined from 44 percent in 2009 to 10 percent in 2011.
Balsillie acknowledged in December that the last few quarters have been among the most challenging times in the company's history.
Associated PressTuesday, January 24, 2012
Patriots prevail vs. Ravens
Baltimore misses late TD, FG as N.E. wins AFC Championship 23-20
Getty ImagesThe?Patriots celebrate after Ravens kicker Billy Cundiff misses a game-tying field goal in the final seconds of Sunday's AFC Championship game.
By BARRY WILNER
updated 10:59 p.m. ET Jan. 22, 2012
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. - Tom Brady got all the help he needed to get the New England Patriots into the Super Bowl.
Thank you, Billy Cundiff.
The Baltimore Ravens kicker shanked a 32-yard field goal with 11 seconds left and the Patriots escaped with a 23-20 victory in the AFC championship game on Sunday.
Usually, vintage Brady doesn't need much assistance in championship settings, but the Patriots much-maligned defense came through, and Brady's 1-yard touchdown dive with 11:29 left proved to be the winning points.
"Well, I sucked pretty bad today, but our defense saved us," Brady said after throwing for 239 yards, with two interceptions and, for the first time in 36 games, no TD passes. "I'm going to try to go out and do a better job in a couple of weeks, but I'm proud of this team, my teammates."
Brady waited out the final tense minutes on the sideline, and then celebrated with the rest of his team when Cundiff's attempt went wide left. The Ravens looked on in stunned horror.
Cundiff had no excuse.
"It's a kick I've kicked probably a thousand times in my career," Cundiff said. "I went out there and didn't convert. That's the way things go."
Next up as the Patriots chase their fourth Super Bowl trophy in Brady and coach Bill Belichick's tenure in New England is the New York Giants, who beat the San Francisco 49ers 20-17 in overtime Sunday night.
The Patriots were installed as 3-point favorites for the Super Bowl on Feb. 5 in Indianapolis.
In their last trip to the big game, the Patriots had an 18-0 record when they were stunned by the Giants four years ago. They won the NFL championship for the 2001, 2003 and 2004 seasons. This time, they head to the Super Bowl with a 10-game winning streak.
Before Cundiff missed, the Ravens had a chance to go ahead two plays earlier, but wide receiver Lee Evans was stripped of the ball in the end zone by backup cornerback Sterling Moore, who earlier was victimized for a touchdown that gave Baltimore (13-5) the lead 17-16.
On his touchdown, Brady took a huge hit from Ravens star linebacker Ray Lewis, then emphatically spiked the ball as he walked away. Earlier, Brady showed his fire by barking at Lewis following a hard tackle on a 4-yard run.
"It's a pretty mentally tough team," said Brady, whose fifth trip to the Super Bowl will equal John Elway's achievement with Denver. "There's really some resiliency. We've shown that all season. Even in the games we've lost, the three games we lost, we fought until the end. We're always going to fight to the end. It's great to be a part of a team like this."
Baltimore had the touted defense in this matchup, but New England's unit, ranked 31st overall, was just as powerful.
"We stepped up," Pro Bowl nose tackle Vince Wilfork said. "We all stepped up big time. Being in this situation is a great moment. You have to cherish this moment."
The Patriots shut down Ray Rice, the league's total yardage leader, who was limited to 78 yards. Brandon Spikes made a fourth-quarter interception of Joe Flacco, who played well before that and threw for two touchdowns. And when the Ravens were threatening to score a late touchdown to win their first conference title in 11 years, New England clamped down.
"It's two great football teams, two gladiators, I guess, just kind of going at each other at the end, and I'm proud of our guys," Harbaugh said. "You know, we've got 53 guys, mighty men, as we like to call them ? and they fought, and we came up a little bit short, as 53. You know, 53 win and 53 lose."
With Rice a nonfactor, Baltimore had to rely on Flacco, and he delivered one of his best performances. Flacco has led the Ravens into the playoffs in all four of his pro seasons, but not to the Super Bowl. He was 22 for 36 for 306 yards and touchdowns of 6 yards to Dennis Pitta and 29 to rookie Torrey Smith.
The loss hardly could be blamed on Flacco.
"I don't know if I ever will prove anything," he said. "I just play the same way. We lost; someone has to. But we laid it all out on the field."
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More newsPatriots prevail vs. Ravens
??The Patriots beat the stunned Ravens 23-20 in the AFC championship game Sunday after Baltimore's Billy Cundiff missed a 32-yard field goal attempt with 11 seconds remaining that would have tied the score.
Getty ImagesGiants kick 49ers for trip to Super Bowl XLVI
??Lawrence Tynes kicked a winning 31-yard field goal in sudden-death overtime and New York beat the San Francisco 49ers 20-17 in the NFC championship game Sunday night to reach its second Super Bowl in five seasons.
Source: http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/46093503/ns/sports-nfl/
[OOC] Mythical Hunt
Forum rules
This forum is for OOC discussion about existing roleplays.
This is the auto-generated OOC topic for the roleplay "Mythical Hunt"
This forum is for OOC discussion about existing roleplays.
Please post all "Players Wanted" threads in the Roleplayers Wanted forum!
This topic is an Out Of Character part of the roleplay, ?Mythical Hunt?. Anything posted here will also show up there.Topic Tags:
Forum for completely Out of Character (OOC) discussion, based around whatever is happening In Character (IC). Discuss plans, storylines, and events; Recruit for your roleplaying game, or find a GM for your playergroup.This is the auto-generated OOC topic for the roleplay "Mythical Hunt"
You may edit this first post as you see fit.
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Zenia - Member for 1 years
This will begin next week.
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Zenia - Member for 1 years
Okay let me check the spots left. If needed I will make two more.
EDIT: I'd rather not though.
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Zenia - Member for 1 years
Okay I have two spots left. One though is the traitor.
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Zenia - Member for 1 years
So glad to be back.
You said you would always be there for me...I guess you lied
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Nowfaleena - Member for 1 years
Good to have you back Meraradus.
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Zenia - Member for 1 years
Okay since two people want to be beings Tonks, and Vampire Mistress.
Are either of you okay with being the traitor?
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Zenia - Member for 1 years
Got it sorted. ^-^
Forgot to put this in rules so I will put it here first. As I said this will start next week. Also wait until I make the world post and my charries posts.
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Zenia - Member for 1 years
Also these posts are probably gonna be in the 100 to 200 words. Everyone can handle that right? My post may be longer, like my intro posts. Also because I am controlling so far three characters.
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Zenia - Member for 1 years
Of course. Hunters are human, you know that correct?
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Zenia - Member for 1 years
Post a reply
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Monday, January 23, 2012
DIY Cake Release Paste [Video]
Cake and candy supply store SweetWise recommends mixing equal parts shortening, vegetable oil, and all purpose flour until it forms a consistency similar to cake batter. This paste keeps for up to six months in a covered container and can easily be applied to bakeware with a pastry brush.
This paste will especially save time when you must bake several cakes, perhaps for a multi-layer birthday cake or for several batches of cupcakes.
Releasing Your Cake From the Pan | SweetWise
Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/lifehacker/full/~3/nSjcJZqPFTs/diy-cake-release-paste
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Friday, January 20, 2012
Non-invasive measurements of tricuspid valve anatomy can predict severity of valve leakage
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Public release date: 18-Jan-2012[ | E-mail |
Share ] Contact: Abby Robinson
abby@innovate.gatech.edu
404-385-3364
Georgia Institute of Technology Research News
An estimated 1.6 million Americans suffer moderate to severe leakage through their tricuspid valves, which are complex structures that allow blood to flow from the heart's upper right chamber to the ventricle. If left untreated, severe leakage can affect an individual's quality of life and can even lead to death.
A new study finds that the anatomy of the heart's tricuspid valve can be used to predict the severity of leakage in the valve, which is a condition called tricuspid regurgitation. The study, conducted by researchers from the Georgia Institute of Technology and Emory University, found that pulmonary arterial pressure, the size of the valve opening and papillary muscle position measurements could be used to predict the severity of an individual's tricuspid regurgitation.
"By being able to identify and measure an individual's particular tricuspid valve anatomical features that we have shown are correlated with increased leakage, clinicians should be able to better target their repair efforts and create more durable repairs," said Ajit Yoganathan, Regents' professor in the Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering at Georgia Tech and Emory University.
The study was published in the January issue of the journal Circulation: Cardiovascular Imaging. Funding for this work was provided by the American Heart Association and a donation from Tom and Shirley Gurley.
Yoganathan and recent Coulter Department doctoral graduate Erin Spinner teamed with Stamatios Lerakis, a professor of medicine (cardiology), radiology and imaging sciences at Emory University, to non-invasively collect 3-D echocardiograms from 64 individuals who exhibited assorted grades of tricuspid leakage. Subjects included 20 individuals with "trace," 13 with "mild," 17 with "moderate" and 14 with "severe" tricuspid regurgitation. The subjects with "mild" to "severe" leakage exhibited a mix of isolated right, isolated left, and both right and left ventricle dilation.
From the 3-D echocardiography images of the heart they collected, the researchers measured (1) the area of the annulus, which is the fibrous ring that surrounds the tricuspid valve opening; (2) the distance between the annulus and the three right ventricle papillary muscles, which keep the valve shut when the ventricle contracts; and (3) the position of the papillary muscles with respect to the center of the annulus. The clinicians also measured pulmonary arterial pressure using standard clinical methods and assessed the grade of tricuspid regurgitation from "trace" to "severe" with color Doppler imaging.
In collaboration with Emir Veledar, an assistant professor and statistician in the Rollins School of Public Health at Emory University, the researchers found statistical differences between individuals with ventricular dilation and the control subjects in the parameters of pulmonary arterial pressure, annulus area and papillary muscle displacement. They also found that all three factors were correlated with the grade of tricuspid regurgitation.
"This study's use of advanced cardiovascular imaging, and more specifically 3-D echocardiography, provided new insight into the pathophysiology of tricuspid regurgitation and a good understanding as to why current surgical treatments for tricuspid regurgitation are not good enough," explained Lerakis. "I believe this study will change the focus and direction of future surgical therapies for tricuspid regurgitation only to make them better and more durable."
Based on the findings of this study, said Lerakis, future surgical therapies should not only be focused on the tricuspid annulus, but on the entire tricuspid valve apparatus, including the tricuspid valve papillary muscles and their three-dimensional location within the apparatus.
Individuals in the study with left ventricle dilation exhibited significant displacement of one of the papillary muscles and patients with both ventricles dilated had significant displacement of two papillary muscles. Subjects with right ventricle dilation showed significant displacement of all three papillary muscles.
The researchers also found that patients with a dilated right ventricle were more likely to have a dilated annulus and exhibited the highest pulmonary arterial pressures and highest levels of tricuspid regurgitation. However, not all patients with a dilated right ventricle had significant increases in annulus area, providing evidence that the right ventricle may become dilated without the annulus being affected.
"We think an increase in pulmonary arterial pressure caused geometric changes in the ventricle, which resulted in alterations to the annulus and papillary muscles," explained Yoganathan. "The combination of displacement of all three papillary muscles and annular dilatation may account for the patients with isolated right ventricle dilatation having the largest percentage of severe tricuspid regurgitation."
Knowing which parameters are responsible for significant tricuspid regurgitation and having a non-invasive imaging technique to measure these parameters should help clinicians target repairs to the specific cause of an individual's tricuspid leakage, according to Yoganathan.
In future studies, the researchers plan to study papillary muscle displacements in individuals with specific diseases to see if different disease manifestations exhibit different characteristics.
"Although it has long been accepted that pulmonary hypertension may result in tricuspid regurgitation, this study is one of the first to provide a clinical correlation between the two," said Yoganathan, who is also the Wallace H. Coulter Distinguished Faculty Chair in Biomedical Engineering. "We want to know whether treating an individual's pulmonary hypertension, and thus decreasing one's pulmonary arterial pressure, can reverse the geometric changes that are causing tricuspid regurgitation and return the annulus and papillary muscles to their original positions."
###
Emory University sonographers Jason Higginson, Maria Pernetz and Sharon Howell also contributed to the study.
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Public release date: 18-Jan-2012[ | E-mail |
Share ] Contact: Abby Robinson
abby@innovate.gatech.edu
404-385-3364
Georgia Institute of Technology Research News
An estimated 1.6 million Americans suffer moderate to severe leakage through their tricuspid valves, which are complex structures that allow blood to flow from the heart's upper right chamber to the ventricle. If left untreated, severe leakage can affect an individual's quality of life and can even lead to death.
A new study finds that the anatomy of the heart's tricuspid valve can be used to predict the severity of leakage in the valve, which is a condition called tricuspid regurgitation. The study, conducted by researchers from the Georgia Institute of Technology and Emory University, found that pulmonary arterial pressure, the size of the valve opening and papillary muscle position measurements could be used to predict the severity of an individual's tricuspid regurgitation.
"By being able to identify and measure an individual's particular tricuspid valve anatomical features that we have shown are correlated with increased leakage, clinicians should be able to better target their repair efforts and create more durable repairs," said Ajit Yoganathan, Regents' professor in the Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering at Georgia Tech and Emory University.
The study was published in the January issue of the journal Circulation: Cardiovascular Imaging. Funding for this work was provided by the American Heart Association and a donation from Tom and Shirley Gurley.
Yoganathan and recent Coulter Department doctoral graduate Erin Spinner teamed with Stamatios Lerakis, a professor of medicine (cardiology), radiology and imaging sciences at Emory University, to non-invasively collect 3-D echocardiograms from 64 individuals who exhibited assorted grades of tricuspid leakage. Subjects included 20 individuals with "trace," 13 with "mild," 17 with "moderate" and 14 with "severe" tricuspid regurgitation. The subjects with "mild" to "severe" leakage exhibited a mix of isolated right, isolated left, and both right and left ventricle dilation.
From the 3-D echocardiography images of the heart they collected, the researchers measured (1) the area of the annulus, which is the fibrous ring that surrounds the tricuspid valve opening; (2) the distance between the annulus and the three right ventricle papillary muscles, which keep the valve shut when the ventricle contracts; and (3) the position of the papillary muscles with respect to the center of the annulus. The clinicians also measured pulmonary arterial pressure using standard clinical methods and assessed the grade of tricuspid regurgitation from "trace" to "severe" with color Doppler imaging.
In collaboration with Emir Veledar, an assistant professor and statistician in the Rollins School of Public Health at Emory University, the researchers found statistical differences between individuals with ventricular dilation and the control subjects in the parameters of pulmonary arterial pressure, annulus area and papillary muscle displacement. They also found that all three factors were correlated with the grade of tricuspid regurgitation.
"This study's use of advanced cardiovascular imaging, and more specifically 3-D echocardiography, provided new insight into the pathophysiology of tricuspid regurgitation and a good understanding as to why current surgical treatments for tricuspid regurgitation are not good enough," explained Lerakis. "I believe this study will change the focus and direction of future surgical therapies for tricuspid regurgitation only to make them better and more durable."
Based on the findings of this study, said Lerakis, future surgical therapies should not only be focused on the tricuspid annulus, but on the entire tricuspid valve apparatus, including the tricuspid valve papillary muscles and their three-dimensional location within the apparatus.
Individuals in the study with left ventricle dilation exhibited significant displacement of one of the papillary muscles and patients with both ventricles dilated had significant displacement of two papillary muscles. Subjects with right ventricle dilation showed significant displacement of all three papillary muscles.
The researchers also found that patients with a dilated right ventricle were more likely to have a dilated annulus and exhibited the highest pulmonary arterial pressures and highest levels of tricuspid regurgitation. However, not all patients with a dilated right ventricle had significant increases in annulus area, providing evidence that the right ventricle may become dilated without the annulus being affected.
"We think an increase in pulmonary arterial pressure caused geometric changes in the ventricle, which resulted in alterations to the annulus and papillary muscles," explained Yoganathan. "The combination of displacement of all three papillary muscles and annular dilatation may account for the patients with isolated right ventricle dilatation having the largest percentage of severe tricuspid regurgitation."
Knowing which parameters are responsible for significant tricuspid regurgitation and having a non-invasive imaging technique to measure these parameters should help clinicians target repairs to the specific cause of an individual's tricuspid leakage, according to Yoganathan.
In future studies, the researchers plan to study papillary muscle displacements in individuals with specific diseases to see if different disease manifestations exhibit different characteristics.
"Although it has long been accepted that pulmonary hypertension may result in tricuspid regurgitation, this study is one of the first to provide a clinical correlation between the two," said Yoganathan, who is also the Wallace H. Coulter Distinguished Faculty Chair in Biomedical Engineering. "We want to know whether treating an individual's pulmonary hypertension, and thus decreasing one's pulmonary arterial pressure, can reverse the geometric changes that are causing tricuspid regurgitation and return the annulus and papillary muscles to their original positions."
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Emory University sonographers Jason Higginson, Maria Pernetz and Sharon Howell also contributed to the study.
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Source: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2012-01/giot-nmo011812.php
Review: Verizon Galaxy Nexus Seidio Innocell 3800mAh Super Extended Battery
For all you heavy Verizon Galaxy Nexus users out there, your days of rapidly depleting battery life thanks to that power-hungry 4G LTE radio are finally over thanks to the new Seidio Innocell 3800mAh Super Extended Battery -- and, yeah -- this thing's a beast. Check past the break for the full hands-on review.
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Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/androidcentral/~3/4ccS9DvqhjU/story01.htm
Thursday, January 19, 2012
HP appoints Bill Veghte as chief strategy officer, will lead 'cloud and webOS open source initiatives'
Bill Veghte was already having his checks cut by HP (after cutting ties with Microsoft), but now he'll be filling a slightly different corner office. The company today announced that he has been appointed chief strategy officer, but somehow, he'll also have enough time to hold onto his current role as executive vice president of HP Software. We're told that he'll be working with HP's senior business and technology brass in order to innovate in ways that perhaps it hasn't lately, with newly-appointed CEO Meg Whitman saying the following: "Every 10 to 15 years, fundamental shifts occur in the IT industry that redefine how technology is delivered. From mainframes to client/server to the internet, companies that identified the opportunity first and developed the right strategy came out on top. As we move forward, HP intends to stay on top, and I believe Bill has the knowledge and vision to keep us there." Strangely, the release (embedded in full after the break) mentions that Bill will be leading HP's "cloud and webOS open source initiatives," but it fails to elaborate on what exactly those "initiatives" may be.HP appoints Bill Veghte as chief strategy officer, will lead 'cloud and webOS open source initiatives' originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 17 Jan 2012 16:48:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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HP | Email this | CommentsSource: http://www.engadget.com/2012/01/17/hp-bill-veghte-chief-strategy-officer-webos-cloud/
Wednesday, January 18, 2012
Pink Samsung Galaxy S II makes UK bow on cupid's bow, is the new Godiva
Continue reading Pink Samsung Galaxy S II makes UK bow on cupid's bow, is the new Godiva
Pink Samsung Galaxy S II makes UK bow on cupid's bow, is the new Godiva originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 17 Jan 2012 15:39:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/MJAmc0pw0V0/
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