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Dr. Jon Hallberg: New class of medical students underway

Posted: September 26, 2012 at 7:17 am

by Dr. Jon Hallberg, Minnesota Public Radio, Tom Crann, Minnesota Public Radio

September 25, 2012

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ST. PAUL, Minn. Another year of medical school at the University of Minnesota is underway, and physician and instructor Jon Hallberg says these new students have some advantages over his generation of aspiring doctors.

Hallberg, who teaches "Essentials of Clinical Medicine" at the University of Minnesota Medical School, spoke with MPR's Tom Crann this week. Hallberg is a physician in family medicine at the University of Minnesota and medical director of the Mill City Clinic.

Tom Crann: First, you're back for a month. How's it going?

Dr. Jon Hallberg: I love it. I forgot how much I really love teaching.

Crann: These are first-year students right now that you're teaching. What are they learning right now?

Hallberg: Well, they have their basic science courses. One of the big ones they have is gross anatomy, so they're actually in the anatomy lab dissecting cadavers with teams, but my part, the clinical medicine part, is learning how to talk to patients, learning how to examine them.

Crann: Essentials of Clinical Medicine what are you doing in that class with these students?

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Dr. Jon Hallberg: New class of medical students underway

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Do eunuchs really live longer?

Posted: September 26, 2012 at 7:17 am

A study tracking Korean eunuchs during the Chosun Dynasty shows they lived 14 to 19 years longer than their counterparts.

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

(TIME.com) -- Talk about a longevity strategy no man wants to pursue. A recent study published in the journal Current Biology finds that Korean eunuchs castrated men lived 14 to 19 years longer than other men, suggesting that male sex hormones play a role in life span.

In the study, the researchers used a genealogy record called the Yang-Se-Gye-Bo that tracked eunuchs who worked in the Korean imperial court during the Chosun Dynasty, which ruled from the 14th to early 20th centuries.

Researchers were able to identify 81 eunuchs, who were castrated as boys, and determined that they lived to an average age of 70, significantly longer than other men of similar social status. Even kings didn't typically make it to age 50.

Three of the 81 eunuchs lived to 100, a centenarian rate that's far higher than would be expected in modern society. The current incidence of centenarians is 1 per 3,500 people in Japan, and 1 per 4,400 people in the United States, for instance; thus, the incidence of centenarians among Korean eunuchs was at least 130 times higher than that of present-day developed countries, according to the paper.

TIME.com: Want to live longer? Don't try caloric restriction

"Our study supports the idea that male sex hormones decrease the lifespan of men," the authors write.

Based on earlier research, the authors argue that one explanation for this could be that male sex hormones may negatively influence the immune system and "predispose men to adverse cardiovascular attacks." They note further that the theory helps explain why females -- in many species -- live longer than males.

But while animal studies have suggested that castration (which removes the testes, the source of male hormones) results in longer lives, studies in humans have been spotty. In one study of castrati singers, there was no difference in lifespan between them and non-castrated singers; in another study of institutionalized, mentally ill men, however, those who were castrated lived some 14 years longer than those who weren't.

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Do eunuchs really live longer?

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Grandson of Nederland's Frozen Dead Guy wants to move Grandpa Bredo

Posted: September 26, 2012 at 7:16 am

Nederland's most famous frozen resident may be on his way out of the small mountain town he helped put on the map.

Trygve Bauge, grandson of the late "Grandpa" Bredo Morstoel -- Nederland's world-famous Frozen Dead Guy, namesake of the town's annual spring festival -- on Tuesday said a disagreement with the body's caretaker has led him to consider moving the frozen corpse from the Tuff Shed where it has been on ice since 1993.

If you're interested in a job hauling dry ice up to Nederland to keep "Grandpa" Bredo Morstoel frozen, e-mail Trygve Bauge at trygve.bauge@getmail.no .

"Basically I have approached Cryonic Institute in Michigan and asked them if they will take over the storage of Bredo as soon as we can afford to move him there, which might be in the spring of 2015 at the rate we are presently saving up money," Bauge wrote in an e-mail from Norway, where he has lived since being deported in 1994.

Morstoel died of a heart attack in Norway on Nov. 6, 1989, and Bauge had his body cryogenically frozen in the hopes that one day medical technology would be able to bring him back to life. After a brief stop in Oakland, Calif., Morstoel's body has been kept at 24 degrees below zero with monthly dry ice deliveries from Bo Shaffer, Morstoel's now-former caretaker.

But Shaffer -- who responded to a peculiar want ad on the Internet in 1995 and has been hauling dry ice up to Nederland ever since -- recently e-mailed Bauge, saying he'd made his final monthly ice run.

"Furthermore, he has not been adding as much dry ice as we have been paying him to add, nor has he added it timely, nor has he sent us the prompt dry ice delivery reports that we have been paying him to send us," Bauge wrote in his e-mail to the Daily Camera.

But Shaffer, a former candidate for Boulder County sheriff, said Tuesday that he

Bo Shaffer places a framed photo of Bredo Morstoel, who is being preserved on dry ice in a Tuff Shed in Nederland, on March 8, 2003. (Jon Hatch / Camera file photo)

"It was a move of desperation," Shaffer said of his decision to quit. "It's a tough job. It takes four hours and three guys."

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Grandson of Nederland's Frozen Dead Guy wants to move Grandpa Bredo

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Virginia Bio Announces New Executive Leadership

Posted: September 26, 2012 at 7:16 am

RICHMOND, Va.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

The Virginia Biotechnology Association (Virginia Bio), the premier statewide non-profit trade association for life science industries, has named its interim executive director to the full-time position of chief executive officer.

With an extensive background in the law and non-profit sectors as well as the life sciences, Jeffrey Gallagher brings leadership and policy expertise to his newly defined role, where he will be responsible for developing and executing the associations strategic plans, prioritizing the organizations areas of advocacy and serving as a voice for the organization and its over 200 member companies.

Virginia Bio is thrilled to have someone with Jeffs breadth of experience, leadership skills and deep understanding of the challenges and opportunities facing the life sciences industry, said Michael Grisham, chairman of the board at Virginia Bio. He will serve as an articulate and respected champion for our diverse member companies, particularly at a time when the life sciences throughout Virginia are emerging as an increasingly important growth sector.

Virginia Bio is on the vanguard of the rich life sciences industry throughout the Commonwealth. Not only does itserve its members andmaintain the pulse of this important business sector, but it helps to educate and provide context to many forward-looking issues related to Virginias future growth,innovationand competitiveness, says Gallagher. Ive admired this organization for many years and am now proud and pleased to serve as its new CEO. I look forward to servingour member companies,collaborating with others around the state,and working with policymakersat every levelto create jobs to Virginia and faster cures and better treatments to our citizens.

Gallagher was most recently with Lyotropic Therapeutics, Inc., based in Ashland, Va., where he served as Vice President & General Counsel. He helped establish and grow the small pharmaceutical company and was responsible for all legal matters, including regulatory compliance, personnel and intellectual property. Gallagher also has been involved with numerous non-profit organizations in various leadership roles.

One of the first priorities for Jeff as CEO is to lead the Virginia delegation at the Mid-Atlantic Bio Conference cohosted by Virginia Bio each year. Mid-Atlantic Bio, taking place this week in Bethesda, MD, brings together a critical mass of key industry stakeholders in a forum designed to improve the business climate and foster innovation. This years theme, New Alliances, New Opportunities reflects the addition of The North Carolina Biotechnology Center as a strategic partner, along with two special sessions, Best Practices for Working with the FDA and SBIR/STTR: Strategies, Program Changes and Opportunities. To view the complete program, please visit the conference website, http://www.midatlanticbio.org

About Virginia Bio

Virginia Bio is the premier statewide non-profit trade association for life science industries in Virginia. Celebrating its 20th year, Virginia Bio is an advocate for the biopharmaceutical and device industries among federal, state and local policy-makers. Virginia Bio is the official state affiliate of the Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO). To learn more, visit http://www.vabio.org.

About Mid-Atlantic Bio

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Virginia Bio Announces New Executive Leadership

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BIO Praises Introduction of the High Technology Small Business Research Incentives Act

Posted: September 26, 2012 at 7:16 am

WASHINGTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

The Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO) applauds Sens. Robert Menendez (D-NJ) and Olympia Snowe (R-ME) and Reps. Jim Gerlach (R-PA) and Richard Neal (D-MA) for introducing the High Technology Small Business Research Incentives Act (H.R. 6559/S.3595).

Biotech companies are working every day to solve the greatest challenges facing our society whether its finding a cure for cancer, protecting against bio-terror threats, or creating renewable energy and renewable chemicals.

Biotech R&D is a particularly high-risk undertaking because of the substantial start-up costs, lengthy experimentation period, and possibility that the technology will not prove viable. The legislation would make it more attractive to invest in biotech and other high tech industries.

Under the proposal, biotech companies would be able to enter into joint ventures with investors, who could then utilize the losses and tax credits of an R&D project. The bill would apply to entities that devote a significant percentage of their expenses to R&D, have fewer than 250 employees, and have less than $150 million in gross assets. It is important to note that this legislation does not create any new tax incentives.

BIOs President and CEO Jim Greenwood made the following statement:

Biotechnology is a leading force for innovation in America - and innovation is key for our economic health and prosperity. Today, our small companies face significant hurdles to raise early stage capital. Every step we take to increase investment could provide important capital for groundbreaking biotech R&D projects.

Through the tax code, Congress historically has provided opportunities that encourage private investment in pre-revenue, R&D-intensive companies. The early growth of the biotech industry in the 1980s was due in part to the ability of investors to support projects aimed at finding new cures and treatments through similar joint ventures. This legislation will help spur greater private investment in biotech and other R&D intensive industries.

BIO applauds the sponsors of this bill and pledges to work with the Congress to ensure this legislation is passed.

About BIO

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BIO Praises Introduction of the High Technology Small Business Research Incentives Act

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Stem cells revolutionizing veterinary medicine

Posted: September 25, 2012 at 4:12 pm

(WGBA/NBC) - It is a story that gives hope to pet owners all over the country stem cell therapy for animals suffering from problems like arthritis or hip displaysia.

Stem cells are taken out of the dog's fatty tissue are harvested then injected into problem areas leaving the dogs completely healed.

"We couldn't take him on walks, he just laid around a lot," said Keith Nosowiak, Deniro's owner.

"We'd hear whimpering overnight, she'd take a few steps and she would sit down," said Luther Kortbein, Shadow's owner.

Until two months ago, Deniro suffered from severe arthritis, Shadow from hip displaysia.

Deniro's owner thought he may even have to put his German shepherd down.

"We felt we had a decision to make with his quality of life and being in pain we didn't want him to be in pain," Noskowiak said.

Shadow's owner was willing to try anything to cure her.

"Whatever the cost needed to get this done we were willing to do," Kortbein said.

Then Packerland Veterinary Center offered them stem cell therapy by using the dogs own stem cells and then injecting them back into the bloodstream joints.

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Stem cells revolutionizing veterinary medicine

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