Frequently used biologic agents might cause acute liver injury

Apr. 29, 2013 ? A commonly used class of biologic response modifying drugs can cause acute liver injury with elevated liver enzymes, according to a new study in Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology, the official clinical practice journal of the American Gastroenterological Association. Patients with inflammatory diseases such as Chron's disease or ulcerative colitis often are prescribed tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-?) antagonists, which modify the body's response to infection. Patients with inflammatory arthropathies and selected dermatological diseases are also candidates to receive such compounds.

"TNF-? antagonists are extremely beneficial as therapies for several bowel, joint and skin inflammatory conditions," said Maurizio Bonacini, MD, AGAF, study author and associate clinical professor, University of California, San Francisco. "However, gastroenterologists, internists, rheumatologists and dermatologists all need to be aware of this potential complication and know how to diagnose it. They should conduct tests for autoimmunity early upon diagnosis of abnormalities to determine the proper path of care."

Researchers searched the U.S. Drug-Induced Liver Injury Network database and identified six well-characterized cases of drug-induced liver injury (DILI) in the setting of TNF-? antagonist therapy. Additionally, they reviewed 28 additional cases identified in PubMed. The researchers found acute liver injury in all cases, most frequently autoimmunity and hepatocellular injury, but mixed non-autoimmune patterns and cholestasis (blocked flow of bile from the liver) also occurred. No deaths were attributed to the liver injury; one patient required a liver transplant, which was attributed to pre-existing cirrhosis with superimposed DILI.

Of the TNF-? antagonists, infliximab-associated liver injury has been the best documented, most likely because of its earlier approval and more wide-spread clinical use. Etanercept and adalimumab have also been linked to drug-induced liver injury. So far, there are no published cases found to be linked to natalizumab, golimumab or certolizumab.

The researchers found that liver damage was typically resolved following drug discontinuation, although some patients did benefit from a course of corticosteroids. Importantly, patients treated with an alternative TNF-? after resolution of their liver injury appeared to tolerate the drugs without recurrence.

"If patients who are taking these biologic agents experience symptoms such as abdominal pain, nausea and fatigue, physicians should check liver enzyme levels to determine if the symptoms are a result of these drugs," added Dr. Bonacini.

Share this story on Facebook, Twitter, and Google:

Other social bookmarking and sharing tools:

---

Story Source:

The above story is reprinted from materials provided by American Gastroenterological Association, via EurekAlert!, a service of AAAS.

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

---

Journal Reference:

1. Marwan Ghabril, Herbert L. Bonkovsky, Clarissa Kum, Tim Davern, Paul H. Hayashi, David E. Kleiner, Jose Serrano, Jim Rochon, Robert J. Fontana, Maurizio Bonacini. Liver Injury From Tumor Necrosis Factor-? Antagonists: Analysis of Thirty-four Cases. Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology, 2013; 11 (5): 558 DOI: 10.1016/j.cgh.2012.12.025

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://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/top_news/top_health/~3/ZXJuWf8KuwY/130429164926.htm

budweiser shootout animal house invincible jesse jackson whitney houston funeral video tyler perry whitney houston r kelly

Touchdown Scorer With Cancer Visits Obama at White House (ABC News)

Share With Friends: | | Politics - Top Stories News, RSS and RSS Feed via Feedzilla.

Source: http://news.feedzilla.com/en_us/stories/politics/top-stories/302436864?client_source=feed&format=rss

jennifer hudson jennifer garner jennifer garner daytona 500 national margarita day Ronda Rousey PS4

Researcher reveals new way to safeguard forensic dna samples against contamination

Apr. 29, 2013 ? DNA evidence is invisible and remarkably easy to transfer, making it possible for a sample to be spilled or even planted on a piece of evidence.

Boise State University professor Greg Hampikian has now developed a solution that permanently marks DNA samples to prevent contamination. Hampikian has used nullomers, the smallest DNA sequences that are absent from nature, to create the DNA bar code.

He has been working on the invention for more than a decade and recently demonstrated its results for the first time in his Boise State lab. His research will be published by The Journal of Forensic and Legal Medicine.

U.S. soldiers must give DNA samples, and Hampikian's research has been sponsored by the Department of Defense.

"The truth is that DNA contamination is a fact of life in all laboratories," Hampikian said. "This problem is compounded by techniques that make billons of copies of DNA, and new instruments that detect even just a few molecules. Unfortunately, samples taken from victims and other innocent people are still processed in the same place as samples from weapons, bodies and other evidence."

Hampikian has joint appointments in the departments of biology and criminal justice at Boise State and also is the director of the Idaho Innocence Project. In his Boise State lab, Hampikian and student and faculty collaborators work on diverse DNA projects, including developing new cancer drugs, discovering new species of single-celled organisms in Idaho, studying Basque sex chromosomes and inventing micro devices.

Several years ago, Hampikian and Boise State computer science colleague Tim Andersen identified tiny DNA and protein sequences that were absent in nature and Hampikian termed these sequences 'nullomers.' The researchers proposed that these sequences could have properties that were incompatible with life, and might serve as drugs to kill pathogens and even cancer.

The first results of nullomer-based drugs were published in October 2012 in the peer-reviewed journal Peptides and showed that these compounds killed breast and prostate cancer cells in the laboratory

In addition, Hampikian was a key member of the Amanda Knox defense team and continues to work on cases of wrongful conviction. He also was inducted as a Charter Fellow of the National Academy of Inventors this year.

Share this story on Facebook, Twitter, and Google:

Other social bookmarking and sharing tools:

---

Story Source:

The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Boise State University, via Newswise.

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

---

Journal Reference:

1. Jayita Goswami, Michael C. Davis, Tim Andersen, Abdelkrim Alileche, Greg Hampikian. Safeguarding forensic DNA reference samples with nullomer barcodes. Journal of Forensic and Legal Medicine, 2013; DOI: 10.1016/j.jflm.2013.02.003

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://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/health_medicine/genes/~3/GrSZChOjfUM/130429164716.htm

NBC Olympics NBC Olympics schedule 2012 Olympics Chad Everett London Olympics Kristen Stewart Rupert Sanders Photos 2016 Olympics

Gigabit Internet In Vermont Is Cheaper Than Google Fiber

There have been vague rumblings about ISPs stepping up to match Google Fiber's gigabit internet offering, especially since Google announced that the next Fiber city would be Austin. Now 600 residents of Vermont are actually getting those speeds at half the Fiber price. What gives?

Read more...

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/2d63sn3BYeg/gigabit-internet-in-vermont-is-cheaper-than-google-fiber

ncaa basketball scores brian urlacher kate upton Harry Reems ncaa basketball ncaa tournament schedule March Madness Live

New advances in the management of patients with cirrhosis

Apr. 25, 2013 ? New data from clinical studies presented for the first time at the International Liver Congress? 2013 provide new rationale for an old and established treatment option for portal hypertension. Additionally, spleen stiffness predicts the occurrence of clinical complications, which is of paramount importance in clinical practice.

In patients with cirrhosis, increasing blood pressure in the abdominal circulatory system (known as portal hypertension) leads to potentially lethal complications which might be prevented with simple medical treatment. Patients with cirrhosis and portal hypertension have increased gastrointestinal permeability which allows the movement of bacteria or bacterial components through the lining of the gut into the blood stream in a process known as bacterial translocation. Bacterial components such as lipopolysaccharide can be involved in the genesis of complications of cirrhosis.

The first study evaluated the effects of a non-selective beta-blocker (NSBB) on gastrointestinal permeability and bacterial translocation in patients with cirrhosis with high levels of portal hypertension.1 Patients with severe portal hypertension (HVPG* ?20mmHg) had increased markers of gastrointestinal permeability and bacterial translocation compared to patients with lower levels of portal hypertension (HVPG<20mmHg). Treatment with NSBB significantly reduced HVPG, improved gastrointestinal permeability and decreased bacterial translocation (LPS-binding protein (LBP) -16% p=0.018; IL-6 -41% p< 0.0001) levels.

Patients who were found to have the highest levels of gastrointestinal permeability were also found to be at most risk of bleeding from esophageal varices; a complication of cirrhosis which carries a high risk of mortality.

These findings provide a new rationale for the use of non-selective beta-blockers in patients with cirrhosis. EASL's Treasurer Prof. Mauro Bernardi commented on the data: "The movement of bacteria from the gut and into the bloodstream is extremely serious and potentially fatal in patients with cirrhosis often leading to complications or death. Beta-blockers have been successfully used in a number of conditions and as a standard treatment to control blood pressure in other disease areas. In cirrhosis, they have been used for decades for primary and secondary prophylaxis of bleeding from esophageal varices. The results of this study show that besides improving portal hypertension, as it was thought up to now, their beneficial effects are also due to their ability to reduce bacterial translocation which may widen the indications for the use of these drugs in this setting."

In the diagnostic landscape, promising data to support the validity of non-invasive techniques were also presented at the congress. HVPG, an invasive measurement technique currently considered as the best predictor to identify progression to severe scarring of the liver and disrupted essential body functions (clinical decompensation), was compared to techniques such as the evaluation of spleen stiffness (SS) combined with the MELD** score.2 ?

The study showed that in compensated (early) patients with cirrhosis both the SS (p<0.0001) and the MELD (p=0.016) score provided an accurate prediction of clinical decompensation, and their combination in a new score had a predicting power even superior to that of HVPG.

Prof. Mauro Bernardi added, "HVPG is an invasive technique, which can often be discomforting for patients, is only performed in specialised centres and needs experienced operators to be fully reliable. While further studies will be required, if non-invasive techniques continue to present accurate predictions, they would be welcomed in the overall management of compensated patients with cirrhosis."

Notes

*HVPG or hepatic venous pressure gradient is the most widely used parameter for assessing portal hypertension

**MELD is a scoring system for assessing the severity of chronic liver disease

Compensated cirrhosis, where the body still functions fairly well despite scarring of the liver, is strongly associated with the development of portal hypertension.

Share this story on Facebook, Twitter, and Google:

Other social bookmarking and sharing tools:

---

Story Source:

The above story is reprinted from materials provided by European Association for the Study of the Liver, via EurekAlert!, a service of AAAS.

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

---

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://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/top_news/~3/d1-eaT2z-v8/130425091610.htm

vince young evan longoria john edwards conocophillips capitals ryan braun may day

White House Says US May Use Military Force Against Syria | Albany ...

White House

Published: April 26, 2013

By RT

The White House says President Barack Obama may approve using military force against the Syrian government.

On Friday, White House press secretary Jay Carney said the administration has a number of options with regards to handling reports that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has used chemical weapons, and those include using military force among other possibilities.

Fielding a question from the media during the afternoon presser, Carney said he could not speculate on what action if any Pres. Obama would pursue against Assad, but said ?as a general principal the United States retains the ability to act unilaterally.?

Just one day earlier, US Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel said the US intelligence community determined ?with varying degrees of confidence that the Syrian regime has used chemical weapons.? The White House sent a letter to members of the US Senate that morning informing lawmakers that Pres. Assad is believed to have used the odorless liquid sarin on at least two occasions.

?Thus far, we believe that the Assad regime maintains custody of these weapons, and has demonstrated a willingness to escalate its horrific use of violence against the Syrian people,? the letter read in part.

Following up on Friday, Carney said, ?We still believe based on the information that we have that the stockpiles of chemical weapons in Syria are under control of the Syrian regime.?

?Because of that, Assad is responsible for the disposition of those chemical weapons and it is his responsibility first and foremost not to use them or to transport them to terrorist groups, but to secure them and make sure they aren?t used by anyone else.?

?That?s all I can really say about it. That?s our assessment at this time,? said Carney, adding that the Obama administration is working with allies and partners, including the United Nations and the Syrian opposition, to gather credible facts to corroborate earlier reports.

Source: http://www.albanytribune.com/26042013-white-house-says-us-may-use-military-force-against-syria/

Eclampsia Kendrick Lamar JJ Abrams New Orleans Pelicans chris brown hillary clinton apple stock

Sanchez fans 17, Tigers beat Braves 10-0

DETROIT (AP) ? Anibal Sanchez approached the dugout with the crowd at Comerica Park roaring its approval, then he took off his hat to acknowledge the fans.

Aware of his pitch count, he realized his night was probably done ? but what an evening it was.

Sanchez struck out 17 in eight marvelous innings for Detroit, confounding the Atlanta Braves in a dazzling performance Friday night and leading the Tigers to a 10-0 victory. Sanchez broke Mickey Lolich's team record of 16 strikeouts when he fanned three in the eighth inning.

"It's hard to get much better than that," manager Jim Leyland said.

Sanchez threw 121 pitches in those eight innings, so there would be no return for the ninth to try to match Roger Clemens and Kerry Wood with 20 strikeouts. In fact, Leyland said he was ready to take Sanchez out after the seventh before letting him pitch a bit longer.

Sanchez was asked after the game about his new place in franchise history. The Tigers have been around for over a century, and nobody has had a game quite like this.

"Amazing," Sanchez said. "I'm just going to keep working. That's not going to stop today."

Clemens and Wood are the only pitchers to strike out 20 in a nine-inning game. Since at least 1921, only Randy Johnson has struck out more than 17 while pitching eight innings or less. Johnson, who was then with Seattle, fanned 18 against Texas in a 1992 game, according to STATS.

Lolich struck out 16 twice in less than three weeks in 1969.

Sanchez (3-1) allowed five hits and one walk Friday.

"I don't think too much about strikeouts and records and things like that," Sanchez said. "I prefer getting some zeros."

Paul Maholm (3-2) allowed eight runs in 3 2-3 innings after giving up only three in his first four starts. Detroit's Matt Tuiasosopo homered and drove in a career-high five runs.

Sanchez kept the Braves off balance all night, striking out at least two hitters in every inning except the fourth. Several of his strikeouts came when he got Atlanta hitters to chase balls down around the dirt. He got Dan Uggla four times and Freddie Freeman and Juan Francisco three times each.

"He was really good. I don't know even know if he missed a spot," Uggla said. "Everything was moving, cutting and sinking."

Comerica is no stranger to high strikeout totals. Max Scherzer struck out 15 for the Tigers last year in a home game against Pittsburgh. Justin Verlander's career high is 14.

"We were joking after the game that Anibal is No. 1, I'm No. 2 and Ver is just average," Scherzer said.

When told about that comment, Verlander ? a former MVP and Cy Young Award winner who has thrown two no-hitters ? paused briefly.

"That's OK," he said. "I've got a few other things."

This was Sanchez's night. His performance overshadowed Tuiasosopo's big game with the bat. Tuiasosopo entered the game with 16 RBIs in a major league career that began with Seattle in 2008. He was a somewhat surprising addition to Detroit's roster out of spring training, but he's hit well in limited action with the Tigers.

Tuiasosopo's bases-loaded single in the third drove in two runs and made it 4-0.

Detroit scored six runs the following inning. An RBI double by Victor Martinez made it 7-0 and chased Maholm, and with two on, Tuiasosopo hit a drive over the left-field fence for his first homer since 2010.

After that, it was just a question of how many hitters Sanchez could strike out. He'd already fanned 14 at the start of the eighth, matching Yu Darvish of Texas for the highest single-game total in the majors this season.

Then he left that mark behind, fanning Francisco and Reed Johnson to start the inning. After Andrelton Simmons singled, Uggla struck out, and Sanchez's work was done.

NOTES: According to STATS, Sanchez now holds the record for most strikeouts in a regular-season interleague game. The previous mark was 16, set by Philadelphia's Curt Schilling in 1997 against the New York Yankees and Boston's Pedro Martinez in 1999 against Atlanta. ... Sanchez lowered his ERA to 1.34. Maholm's went up from 1.03 to 3.30. ... Detroit's Miguel Cabrera extended his hitting streak to 10 games. ... Detroit's Rick Porcello (0-2) faces Atlanta's Kris Medlen (1-2) on Saturday.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/sanchez-fans-17-tigers-beat-braves-10-0-015423311.html

dark shadows trailer nate mcmillan clooney arrested southern miss rod blagojevich rod blagojevich uconn

Did Syria cross Obama's 'red line'?

WASHINGTON (AP) ? The White House declared Thursday that U.S. intelligence indicates Syrian President Bashar Assad has twice used deadly chemical weapons in his country's fierce civil war, a provocative action that would cross President Barack Obama's "red line" for a significant military response. But the administration said the revelation won't immediately change its stance on intervening.

The information, which has been known to the administration and some members of Congress for weeks, isn't solid enough to warrant quick U.S. involvement in the 2-year-old conflict, the White House said. Officials said the assessments were made with "varying degrees of confidence" given the difficulty of information gathering in Syria, though there appeared to be little question within the intelligence community.

As recently as Tuesday, when an Israeli general added to the growing chorus that Assad had used chemical weapons, White House spokesman Jay Carney said the administration was continuing to monitor and investigate but had "not come to the conclusion that there has been that use."

The Syrian civil war has persisted, with an estimated 70,000 dead. Obama has so far resisted pressure, both from Congress and from within his own administration, to arm the Syrian rebels or get involved militarily. He has, however, declared the use of chemical weapons a "game changer" that would have "enormous consequences."

The White House disclosed the new intelligence Thursday in letters to two senators, but had Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel announce it to reporters traveling with him in the United Arab Emirates. The letters were sent in response to questions from senators of both parties who are pressing for more U.S. involvement, and it marked the first time the administration has publicly disclosed evidence of chemical weapons use.

"Our intelligence community does assess, with varying degrees of confidence, that the Syrian regime has used chemical weapons on a small scale in Syria, specifically, the chemical agent sarin," the White House said in the letters, which were signed by Obama's legislative director, Miguel Rodriguez. He went on to write that "given the stakes involved," the U.S. was still seeking "credible and corroborated facts" before deciding how to proceed.

Two congressional officials said the administration has known for weeks ? and has briefed Congress ? that the CIA and other intelligence agencies have evidence of two incidents of sarin gas use.

A U.S. official said intelligence agencies have had indications of chemical weapons use since March and reached the conclusions made public Thursday about two weeks ago. The two incidents are believed to have occurred around March 19 in the Syrian city of Aleppo and suburbs of Damascus, the official said.

The officials commented only on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly by name.

The White House described the attacks as "small scale," but the full extent of the chemical weapons use and resulting casualties was not immediately known.

Even as Assad has ratcheted up the attacks on his own people, Obama has limited U.S. assistance to non-lethal aid, including military-style equipment such as body armor and night vision goggles. However, he has repeatedly said that the use of chemical weapons, or the transfer of the stockpiles to a terrorist organization, would change things.

"That's a red line for us," he said in August. "There would be enormous consequences if we start seeing movement on the chemical weapons front, or the use of chemical weapons. That would change my calculations significantly."

A senior defense official said the White House letters were not an "automatic trigger" for policy decisions on the use of military force. The official alluded to past instances of policy decisions that were based on what turned out to be flawed intelligence, such as the Bush administration's decision to invade Iraq after concluding that Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction, including nuclear weapons.

Lawmakers from both parties sounded less than patient.

Sen. Dick Durbin of Illinois, a member of the Democratic leadership, was asked what should be done about Assad crossing the "red line." He said, "That's up to the commander in chief, but something has to be done."

And Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., said, "I think it's pretty obvious that that red line has been crossed. Now I hope the administration will consider what we have been recommending now for over two years of this bloodletting and massacre and that is to provide a safe area for the opposition to operate, to establish a no-fly zone and provide weapons to people in the resistance who we trust."

Other lawmakers questioned whether a cautious U.S. response to the newly disclosed intelligence would only strengthen Assad's resolve to keep a grip on power.

"If Assad sees any equivocation on the red line, it will embolden his regime," said House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio.

The White House disclosure put the U.S. in line with Britain, France, Israel and Qatar, key allies who have cited evidence of chemical weapons use. The four countries have also been pressing for a more robust response to the conflict.

U.S. commanders have laid out a range of possible options for military involvement in Syria, including establishing a "no-fly zone" or secured area within Syria where citizens could be protected, launching airstrikes by drones and fighter jets or even sending in tens of thousands of ground forces to secure the chemical weapons caches. But the military has made it clear that any action would likely be either with NATO backing or with a coalition of nations similar to what was done in Libya in 2011.

Following the U.S. disclosure, NATO spokeswoman Oana Lungescu said, "There would doubtlessly be a very strong reaction from the international community if there were evidence that chemical weapons had been used."

Ahmad Ramadan, a member of the Syrian National Coalition opposition group's executive body, called the U.S. assertion an "important step," and he said that America had a "moral duty" to follow it with action.

The White House said the current intelligence assessments of sarin use are based in part on "physiological samples." U.S. officials said that could include human tissue, blood or other body materials, in addition to soil samples.

Sarin is an odorless nerve agent that can be used as a gas or a liquid, poisoning people when they breathe it, absorb it through their skin or eyes, or take it in through food or water. In large doses, sarin can cause convulsions, paralysis and death. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, people usually recover from small doses, which may cause confusion, drooling, excessive sweating, nausea and vomiting.

The Aum Shinrikyo cult used sarin in attacks in the Tokyo subway system in 1995 that killed 12 people and sickened thousands.

The White House said it was still seeking to confirm the "chain of command" that led to the chemical weapons use. But officials said they were confident attacks were initiated by the Assad government, not rebels, given that they see no evidence of Assad losing control of the stockpiles.

The U.S. said the completion of a stalled U.N. investigation would be critical in confirming the use. But it's unclear whether U.N. inspectors will ever be able to conduct a full investigation in areas where there is the most evidence of chemical weapons use.

The Syrian government has so far refused to allow the U.N. experts to go anywhere but Khan al-Assal, where Assad's government maintains the rebels used the deadly agents.

Officials said the U.S. was consulting with allies and looking for other ways to confirm the intelligence assessments.

___

AP National Security Writers Robert Burns in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates and Lara Jakes in Washington, as well as AP Intelligence Writer Kimberly Dozier, and AP writers Lolita C. Baldor and Lauran Neergaard in Washington and Zeina Karam in Beirut contributed to this report.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/crossing-red-line-us-says-syria-used-poison-221631098--politics.html

Opie modern family how i met your mother Jordan Pruitt real housewives of new jersey Kanye West sex tape emmys

Syrian troops capture key town near Damascus

BEIRUT (AP) ? After five weeks of battle, Syrian government troops captured a strategic town near Damascus, cutting an arms route for rebels trying to topple President Bashar Assad's regime, state media and activists said Thursday.

By taking the town of Otaybah, east of the capital, the army has dealt a major setback to opposition forces, who in the past months have made gains near the city they eventually hope to storm.

With fresh supplies of weapons from foreign backers, the rebels have recently seized military bases and towns south of the capital in the strategically important region between Damascus and the border with Jordan, about 160 kilometers (100 miles) away.

The regime has largely kept the rebels at bay in Damascus, although opposition fighters control several suburbs of the capital from which they have threatened the heart of the city, the seat of Assad's power. Last month government troops launched a massive campaign to repel the rebel advances near the capital, deploying elite army units to the rebellious Damascus suburbs and pounding rebel positions with airstrikes.

The director of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, Rami Abdul-Rahman, said government troops regained control of Otaybah late Wednesday.

State-run SANA news agency said Thursday that the army has "restored complete control" over Otaybah. The official news services also said Assad's troops "discovered a number of tunnels which were used by terrorists to move and transfer weapons and ammunitions."

The regime and state media refer to rebels as terrorists and accuse them of being part of a foreign plot seeking to destroy Syria.

"It's a huge victory for the regime, and a big blow to the opposition that is now in danger of losing other towns and villages around Damascus," Abdul-Rahman said of the army's campaign.

On Thursday, the army was already capitalizing on the territorial gains, pounding southern suburbs of Damascus including the long-contested Daraya with artillery and air strikes, according to the Observatory. The group relies on a network of activists on the ground that also reported fierce clashes between rebels and army troops to the east of the capital.

The army's offensive to dislodge rebel fighters from neighborhoods ringing Damascus is part of the government's broader campaign to secure central provinces of Hama and Homs, and areas along the Lebanese border. The region is of strategic value to Assad's regime because it links Damascus with the coastal enclave that is the heartland of Syria's Alawites and also home to the country's two main seaports, Latakia and Tartus.

Syria's regime is dominated by the president's minority Alawite sect ? an offshoot of Shiite Islam ? while the rebels are mostly from the country's Sunni majority. Assad's major allies, the Lebanese militant Hezbollah group and Iran, are both Shiite.

Otaybah is located on a road linking Damascus to its international airport, along which rebels have been transporting weapons and other supplies from neighboring Jordan. The capital's surrounding towns and neighborhoods have been opposition strongholds during the 2-year-old conflict.

Losing control of the town will make the defense of rebel enclaves in southern suburbs such as Douma, Harasta and others very difficult, Abdul-Rahman said. The loss of the arms supply route is a major blow to opposition forces trying to overthrow Assad.

The Syrian conflict started with largely peaceful protests against Assad's regime in March 2011 but eventually turned into a civil war.

The fighting has exacted a huge toll on the country, killing more than 70,000 people, laying waste to cities, towns and villages and forcing more than a million people to flee their homes and seek refuge abroad. Millions have also been displaced inside Syria.

International aid agencies have been pleading for funds to help refugees in neighboring countries such as Jordan and Lebanon. They have also been asking the Syrian government to allow aid convoys into the country and facilitate access to the area inside cities and towns that have been affected by fighting.

The latest damage to the country's rich cultural heritage came on Wednesday, when the minaret of the landmark 12th century Umayyad Mosque in the northern city of Aleppo was destroyed during fighting in the old walled city.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/syrian-troops-capture-key-town-near-damascus-064600068.html

Pizza Lemon phillies phillies bryce harper dodgers game of thrones

Gut bacteria byproduct predicts heart attack and stroke

Apr. 24, 2013 ? A microbial byproduct of intestinal bacteria contributes to heart disease and serves as an accurate screening tool for predicting future risks of heart attack, stroke and death in persons not otherwise identified by traditional risk factors and blood tests, according to Cleveland Clinic research published today in The New England Journal of Medicine.

The research team was led by Stanley Hazen, M.D., Ph.D., Vice Chair of Translational Research, Chair of the Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine for the Lerner Research Institute and section head of Preventive Cardiology & Rehabilitation in the Miller Family Heart and Vascular Institute at Cleveland Clinic, and W.H. Wilson Tang, M.D., Department of Cardiovascular Medicine in the Miller Family Heart and Vascular Institute and Lerner Research Institute.

The current study is an extension of Dr. Hazen's previous work, in which he found that a chemical byproduct called trimethylamine N-oxide (TMAO) is produced when intestinal bacteria digest the nutrient phosphatidylcholine, commonly known as lecithin. The prior research showed that TMAO levels in the blood were associated with heart disease. Dr. Hazen and colleagues have now confirmed that gut flora are essential in forming TMAO in humans and demonstrated a relationship between TMAO levels and future cardiac events like heart attack, stroke, and death -- even in those with no prior evidence of cardiac disease risk.

To demonstrate the role of gut flora in forming TMAO, human subjects were asked to eat two hard-boiled eggs (a common dietary source of lecithin) and a capsule of labeled lecithin (as a tracer). After ingestion, TMAO levels in the blood increased. However, when these same subjects were given a brief course of broad-spectrum antibiotics to suppress their gut flora, their TMAO levels were suppressed, and no additional TMAO was formed, even after ingesting lecithin. These results demonstrated that the intestinal bacteria are essential for the formation of TMAO.

In the second phase of the study, the researchers measured TMAO levels in a large, independent, clinical cohort -- consisting of more than 4,000 adults undergoing cardiac evaluation at Cleveland Clinic -- over a three-year follow-up period. They found that higher TMAO blood levels were associated with higher future risks of death and nonfatal heart attack or stroke over the ensuing three-year period, independent of other risk factors and blood test results. These results complement those of another recent study of Dr. Hazen's linking gut flora metabolism of a structurally similar nutrient found in animal products, carnitine, to TMAO production and heart attack risk.

"Heart disease remains the No. 1 killer, and while we know how to reduce cholesterol, treat blood pressure, and reduce cardiac risks through diet and other interventions, a substantial residual risk still remains," Dr. Hazen said. "We need to find new pathways to attack heart disease, and these findings strongly suggest that further research into the involvement of gut microbiome in the development of cardiovascular disease could lead to new avenues of prevention and treatment of heart disease."

Dr. Hazen further suggested, "These studies show that measuring blood levels of TMAO could serve as a powerful tool for predicting future cardiovascular risk, even for those without known risk factors. More studies are needed to confirm that TMAO testing, like cholesterol, triglyceride or glucose levels, might help guide physicians in providing individualized nutritional recommendations for preventing cardiovascular disease. Our goal is not to suggest dietary restrictions of entire food groups. Eggs, meat and other animal products are an integral part of most individuals' diets. Our work shows, however, that when digesting these foods, gut flora can generate a chemical mediator, TMAO, that may contribute to cardiovascular disease."

Share this story on Facebook, Twitter, and Google:

Other social bookmarking and sharing tools:

---

Story Source:

The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Cleveland Clinic, via EurekAlert!, a service of AAAS.

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

---

Journal Reference:

1. W.H. Wilson Tang, Zeneng Wang, Bruce S. Levison, Robert A. Koeth, Earl B. Britt, Xiaoming Fu, Yuping Wu, Stanley L. Hazen. Intestinal Microbial Metabolism of Phosphatidylcholine and Cardiovascular Risk. New England Journal of Medicine, 2013; 368 (17): 1575 DOI: 10.1056/NEJMoa1109400

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://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/health_medicine/heart_disease/~3/D14BpEQC7uQ/130424185211.htm

Jennifer Aniston naomi watts Oscar Nominations 2013 Beasts of the Southern Wild 2013 Oscars academy awards Sally Field

Majority oppose 24 hour buses and trains

By Ken Y-N ( April 23, 2013 at 11:49) ? Filed under Polls, Society

A topic that has recently come to the fore is buses and/or trains running around the clock in Tokyo. It was covered on last night?s news as one of the ideas being floated to increase Japan?s attractiveness to foreign investors. However, one major negative issue is that currently the last train home is often the only excuse employees have for leaving work (labour protection laws are poorly enforced, and the pressure from societal norms means a lot of unpaid overtime is worked) or indeed obligatory after-work drinkies, so removing the final escape route could make the average employees lot much worse.

So, with that in mind, Yahoo! conducted an open news poll asking is 24 hour city buses and underground necessary? At the time of writing, seven days into an ten-day poll, 41,587 people have voted. 22% say both are needed, 5% say buses only, and 17% underground only. However, these three are outweighed by the noes to both, with 58% saying that both forms of round-the-clock public transport are not necessary.

Read more on: bus,train,yahoo!

Permalink

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/WhatJapanThinks/~3/BKJnGHxDdLc/

Boston Marathon Explosion Boston Marathon bombing irs new york times Friends Reunion Elena Delle Donne usa today

Indian Gaming > Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe sets meeting to ...

Home > Indian Gaming

Artist's rendering of proposed First Light Resort and Casino. Image from Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe. The Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe of Massachusetts is holding a special council meeting tomorrow to discuss its casino plans. The tribe has submitted a land-into-trust application for a casino in the city of Taunton. Chairman Cedric Cromwell has promised to move forward with the project even though the Massachusetts Gaming Commission voted to open the region to non-Indian bidders. "We have not wavered from our focus of preparing to build our destination resort casino in Taunton. With the support of one of the most successful gaming companies in the world, we are continuing the planning and design process toward building a first class facility," Cromwell said in an update. Cromwell noted that the tribe won't be required to share revenues with the state if another casino opens in southeastern Massachusetts. Get the Story: Mashpee tribe forges on despite potential challengers (The Cape Cod Times 4/23) Related Stories: Opinion: Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe may never see a casino (4/22)

Hot Topics

Links

ARCHIVE

News Topics

A D V E R T I S E M E N T

Source: http://www.indianz.com/IndianGaming/2013/026280.asp

obamacare Todd Akin Register To Vote Obama 2016 Who Is Winning The Election 2012 Election Coverage 2012 Linda McMahon

New York's First Passive House Would Have No Problem Hiding From the Predator

Earlier today we talked about the Living Building Challenge, a certification system that rates the sustainability of a building over the course of a year. Here's a follow-up about 23 Park Place, a Park Slope townhouse that's probably the most energy efficient home in the city, thanks to its Passive House certification. More »

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/x520CXi7XvM/check-out-an-amazing-thermal-image-of-nycs-first-passive-house

braxton miller braxton miller Whitney Heichel Tippi Hedren Big Tex Sweetest Day optimal

ARM sees 44 percent profit increase in Q1 2013, ships 2.6 billion ARM-based chips

ARM has had a great quarter -- again. This time it's seen pre-tax profits soar 44 percent, while revenues are up 26 percent (to $209.4 million) since the same period last year. The company's thanking the continued adoption of its low-power chip designs, encompassing smartphones, mobile computing and even digital TVs and wearable tech. The advanced tech within its ARMv8, Mali and big.LITTLE ranges has meant the company can command higher royalties per chip.

In total, 2.6 billion ARM-based chips have made their way into the gadgets this quarter, an increase of 35 percent year-on-year, with embedded hardware up a hefty 50 percent since Q1 2012. It's seen even better performance from its Mali graphics processor shipments, which are up five times since the same period last year. As outgoing CEO Warren East notes: "Even low cost smart devices can contain multiple ARM-based chips and be based on ARM's advanced Cortex-A series technology and Mali graphics processors." With new friends on board for the near-future, the good times are likely to continue.

Filed under: Cellphones, Desktops

Comments

Source: ARM

Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/oS2PkE7VMW0/

dave matthews ambien wwdc madden 13 cover dalai lama tamera mowry slow jam the news

Nine examples of small businesses using social media for branding ...

Investing time and money on social media is necessary for all types of businesses nowadays.

Here are nine examples of small businesses using social media for branding.

Social media is the new way for the word to spread: from product recommendations to advice on what to do, where to go, and what to do. From little conversations that mean nothing to meaningful revelations that could change lives, from stupid pictures to inspiring profiles ? social media has it all.

Customers have the final word now. News gets out faster. Other users and buyers are now the trusted sources. Social conversations are now the holy grail of business reputation management.

Social media is social proof that materializes quickly. Small businesses are indeed tapping into the power of social media.

Here?s how some businesses do it:

Recruit Military

Simplicity, minimalism, and purpose, that?s what comes to mind when you look at Recruit Military?s Page.

Recruit Military is a military-to-civilian recruitment site that helps veterans and transitioning military personnel find jobs. Its mission is also to help ex-military professionals set up businesses or improve their skill sets.

What stands out with its?Facebook page is the minimalistic design, use of images and quotes, the way it uses Facebook events, and their content mix that includes military facts, images, and quotes.

Hostel World

Hostel World is a leading hostel booking portal that caters to worldwide wanderlust. It?s for scores of travelers looking for affordable accommodation when they travel. It caters to travel addicts, backpackers, and travels who want to escape ? both long and short term.

Its?Facebook page is loaded with pictures. It?s not a continuously updated picture gallery though. Hostel World?s Fan Page is a great engagement engine.

It asks questions, post teaser pictures often tantalizing fans with questions such as ?Where to next??, ?If you had to choose one place to go to this weekend, which one would it be?, or even a picture followed by, ?Where on earth is this??.

Engagement without fancy apps, too much content, and plenty of interaction? Visit HostelWorld?s Facebook fan page to see it all.

Coconut Bliss

What can an Ice cream company do on social media? How could a relatively commonplace business achieve tremendous social proof, engagement, and sales?

Coconut Bliss ? an Ice cream company achieves just that with its social media efforts. The company uses images of its products as primary content along with promotions, awards, contests, and giveaways. It?s also one of the few small businesses that uses the strategic power of partnerships to its advantage.

Ice cream with social proof ? it?s all in the pudding.

Kim Garst social media branding

Kim Garst is a social media expert and her influence is testimony to that fact. While she?s active on both Twitter and Facebook, there are few things worth noting about her social media interactions.

She?s busy but she responds to everyone on her Twitter account and on her Facebook page. She constantly Tweets and posts updates on little nuggets of advice. She has a way to use hashtags and catch up with the trends so that she can include them into her updates.

Her social media accounts are great sources for business motivation while her Facebook page is a good example of visual branding done well.

Legendary WhiteTails

What can a great cover photo, fantastic use of apps, an effective reveal tab, and great use of content do for a small business Facebook fan page?

Legendary whitetails is a family-owned business that sells casual apparel, gifts, and related products. It?s a small business with Facebook presence that?d shame some large businesses.

Here?s another insight about Legendary Whitetails: the content receives a lot of shares just because they ask for it ? a good case for ?ask and you shall get??

SEOmoz

Search engine optimization is a dicey topic and is as fickle as Google?s algorithms. Yet, SEOmoz,?led by Rand Fishkin, manages to create an authoritative presence with one of the most trusted blogs on the topic of SEO while creating some of the best SEO toolkits for search professionals ever.

It uses ?gaming mechanics? to ramp up social engagement, use high degree of interactivity, and extensive engagement efforts to make sure that it?builds a community that?s built to last. Its implementation of social proof is also one of the best on the internet today.

OraBrush

If you?ve ever wondered whether social media really has any real benefits ? as in cash or business profits ? OraBrush is a good example to draw inspiration from.

Dr. Bob Wagstaff, the founder of OraBrush, gave YouTube a spin and his first video?attracted?that witnessed more than 16m views and generated more than 1m unit sales in the course of three years.

Apart from YouTube, the video is also embedded on Orabrush?s home page. It?s a video that addresses an aspect that many people want answers to while it?s still short and succinct. The video grabs attention in less than five seconds and does offer something for free at the end of it.

YEC

Entrepreneurship is a lonely journey, and that much we know. It then feels good to have a community that understands, appreciates, and encourages entrepreneurs and start-ups.

YEC's?(Young Entrepreneur?s Council) Facebook page has it all ? inspiring quotes, custom-made graphic posters, intriguing questions that lead to discussions, videos, photos, entrepreneur interviews, featured posts, and so much more.

It truly is a community to belong to. Given the way entrepreneurs work and consume information, it?s another example of using what social media has to offer.

WebpageFX

Web Design and development is a rapidly changing Industry and an authoritative Facebook page really helps fans (clients and web enthusiasts) keep themselves abreast of what?s latest in the web design industry.

WebpageFX's page makes a judicious use of mixed content in the form of improvised comments, related posts shared from elsewhere on the web, videos, photos, and separated tabs for an in-Facebook website (complete with quotes and portfolio), Facebook events, RSS feeds, social media connection tabs, etc.

It also has a ?Top Fans? tab to celebrate the best fans along with a review tab.

Social media has a lot to offer small businesses that embrace the channel and use it to push content and possibly even bring in sales. We hope that the small businesses mentioned here can inspire you to get serious about your social media strategy and help you take engagement to the next level.

What small businesses do you know that have been using social media to their advantage? Please share them with us below.

Source: http://econsultancy.com/us/blog/62576-nine-examples-of-small-businesses-using-social-media-for-branding

school shooting ohio billy crystal oscar winners 2012 billy crystal oscars 2012 angelina jolie oscars chardon high school christopher plummer

Indian girl's rape highlights police apathy

NEW DELHI (AP) ? A child disappears. Police are called. Nothing happens.

Child rights activists say the rape last week of a 5-year-old girl is just the latest case in which Indian police failed to take urgent action on a report of a missing child. Three days after the attack, the girl was found alone in locked room in the same New Delhi building where her family lives.

More than 90,000 children go missing in India each year; more than 34,000 are never found. Some parents say they lost crucial time because police wrongly dismissed their missing children as runaways, refused to file reports or treated the cases as nuisances.

The parents of the 5-year-old said that after their daughter disappeared, they repeatedly begged police to register a complaint and begin a search, but they were rejected.

Three days later, neighbors heard the sound of a child crying from a locked room in the tenement. They broke down the door and rushed the brutalized girl to the police station.

The parents said the police response was to offer the couple 2,000 rupees ($37) to keep quiet about what had happened.

"They just wanted us to go away. They didn't want to register a case even after they saw how badly our daughter was injured," said the girl's father, who cannot be identified because Indian law requires a rape victim's identity be kept secret.

Delhi's Police Commissioner Neeraj Kumar admitted Monday that local police had erred in handling the case.

"There have been shortfalls, so the station house officer and his deputy have been suspended," Kumar told reporters.

Other poor parents of missing children say they also have found police reluctant to help them.

In 2010, police took 15 days to register a missing-persons case for 14-year-old Pankaj Singh. His mother is still waiting for him to come home.

"Every day my husband and my father would go wait at the police station, but they would shoo them away," Pravesh Kumari Singh said as she sat on her son's bed, surrounded by his pictures and books.

One morning in March 2010, she fed her son a breakfast of fried pancakes and spicy potatoes, then left for a community health training program.

"He told me he would have a bath and settle down to study for his exams," said Singh, clutching the boy's photograph to her heart.

When she returned, he was gone. "The neighbors said some boys had called him out. We searched everywhere, went to the police, but they refused to believe that something had happened to our son."

The police insisted he had run off with friends and would return, she said.

"They said we must have scolded him or beaten him, which is why he had run away from home," she said.

Formal police complaints were registered in only one-sixth of missing child cases in 2011, said Bhuwan Ribhu, a lawyer with Bachpan Bachao Andolan, or the Save the Childhood Movement. He said police resist registering cases because they want to keep crime figures low, and that parents are often too poor to bribe them to reconsider.

Ribhu said the first few hours after a child goes missing are the most crucial. "The police can cordon off nearby areas, issue alerts at railway and bus stations, and step up vigilance to catch the kidnappers," he said.

Activists say delays let traffickers move children to neighboring states, where the police don't have jurisdiction. There is no national database of missing children that state police can reference.

Police have insisted that most of missing children are runways fleeing grinding poverty.

"It's easy enough to blame the police for not finding the children. Some of the parents do not even possess a photograph of the child. Or they will come up with a years-old picture. It becomes difficult when there's not even a photograph to work with," Delhi police spokesman Rajan Bhagat said last month when asked about complaints on police inaction in investigating case of missing children.

Many cases involved poor migrant construction workers who move from site to site around the city, Bhagat said.

"The children are unfamiliar with the place and once they lose their way, they wouldn't know how to return," he said.

India's Women and Child Development Minister Krishna Tirath told Parliament last month that the problem of missing children had assumed "alarming" proportions. The National Crime Records Bureau reported that 34,406 missing children were never found in 2011, up from 18,166 in 2009.

Activists say some children are trafficked and forced to beg on the streets. Some work on farms or factories as forced labor and others have their organs harvested and sold. The activists say young girls are pushed into the sex trade or sold for marriage.

"The government is just not ready to confront the issue of trafficking or missing children. And this gets reflected in the apathy of the police in dealing with cases of missing children," said Ribhu, the lawyer.

In 2006, the Central Bureau of Investigation said at least 815 criminal gangs were kidnapping children for begging, prostitution or ransom.

The Save the Childhood Movement said police have not cracked a single one of those syndicates.

"Despite our providing the police with all the details of where a child was picked up from, where he was taken, the police are simply not willing to act," said Ribhu.

Two streets away from Singh, in a tiny windowless room crammed with clothes, bedding and a stove, Pinky Devi keeps a prized possession locked away in a drawer: a faded color photograph of her son Ravi Shankar.

One afternoon in November 2011, she says, the 11-year-old went off with other children to a neighborhood fair. He never returned.

Devi said the police visited her home a couple of times and spoke to her neighbors, but their interest soon wore out.

"I'm sure if we had money to spend on them, the police would have been more active in tracing my son," said Devi, her two younger sons and infant daughter clinging to her sari in their one-room tenement in southeast Delhi.

Shantha Sinha, who heads the government's National Commission for Protection of Child Rights, acknowledged that much remained to be done to make police take cases of missing children seriously.

"There has to be a strong message that in every incident of a missing child, a criminal case has to be registered and the case is properly investigated," Sinha said.

Kunwar Pal, a construction worker, fears police indifference crushed his efforts to find his son Ravi Kumar.

Since the 12-year-old disappeared three years ago, the distraught father has cycled across India's sprawling capital, visiting police and railway stations, children's homes and hospitals, handing out posters and photographs of his missing son. Every time he hears of a child found anywhere in the city, he cycles to the police station, hoping it's Ravi.

Pal, a lean 45-year-old with haunted eyes, refuses to think the worst. He believes Ravi was taken by a childless couple who wanted a child of their own.

"If they were to let me know somehow that my son is alive, I would be happy," said Pal, his spare frame wracked by dry heaves. "They can keep him. Just let me see his shadow. Just let me know he's safe."

He also believes police would have worked harder if he had not been poor.

"If I were rich, my son would have been found by now. If I had money, the police would have taken the case more seriously," he said.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/indian-girls-rape-highlights-police-apathy-103156990.html

uganda the parent trap invisible children kony 2012 space weather sunspots pac 12 tournament sun storm

Interrogators wait to query wounded bomb suspect

BOSTON (AP) ? As the lone surviving suspect in the Boston Marathon bombing lay hospitalized under heavy guard, the American Civil Liberties Union and a federal public defender raised concerns about investigators' plan to question 19-year-old Dzhokhar Tsarnaev without reading him his Miranda rights.

What Tsarnaev will say and when are unclear ? he remained in serious condition and apparently in no shape for interrogation after being pulled bloody and wounded from a tarp-covered boat in a Watertown backyard. The capture came at the end of a tense Friday that began with his 26-year-old brother, Tamerlan, dying in a gunbattle with police.

U.S. officials said an elite interrogation team would question the Massachusetts college student without reading him his Miranda rights, something that is allowed on a limited basis when the public may be in immediate danger, such as instances in which bombs are planted and ready to go off.

ACLU Executive Director Anthony Romero said the legal exception applies only when there is a continued threat to public safety and is "not an open-ended exception" to the Miranda rule, which guarantees the right to remain silent and the right to an attorney.

The federal public defender's office in Massachusetts said it has agreed to represent Tsarnaev once he is charged. Miriam Conrad, public defender for Massachusetts, said he should have a lawyer appointed as soon as possible because there are "serious issues regarding possible interrogation."

There was no immediate word on when Tsarnaev might be charged and what those charges would be. The twin bombings killed three people and wounded more than 180.

The most serious charge available to federal prosecutors would be the use of a weapon of mass destruction to kill people, which carries a possible death sentence. Massachusetts does not have the death penalty.

President Barack Obama said there are many unanswered questions about the bombing, including whether the Tsarnaev brothers ? ethnic Chechens from southern Russia who had been in the U.S. for about a decade and lived in the Boston area ? had help from others. The president urged people not to rush judgment about their motivations.

Gov. Deval Patrick said Saturday afternoon that Tsarnaev was in serious but stable condition and was probably unable to communicate. Tsarnaev was at Boston's Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, where 11 victims of the bombing were still being treated.

"I, and I think all of the law enforcement officials, are hoping for a host of reasons the suspect survives," the governor said after a ceremony at Fenway Park to honor the victims and survivors of the attack. "We have a million questions, and those questions need to be answered."

The all-day manhunt Friday brought the Boston area to a near standstill and put people on edge across the metropolitan area.

The break came around nightfall when a homeowner in Watertown saw blood on his boat, pulled back the tarp and saw a bloody Tsarnaev hiding inside, police said. After an exchange of gunfire, he was seized and taken away in an ambulance.

Raucous celebrations erupted in and around Boston, with chants of "USA! USA!" Residents flooded the streets in relief four days after the two pressure-cooker bombs packed with nails and other shrapnel went off.

Michael Spellman said he bought tickets to Saturday's Red Sox game at Fenway Park to help send a message to the bombers.

"They're not going to stop us from doing things we love to do," he said, sitting a few rows behind home plate. "We're not going to live in fear."

During the long night of violence leading up to the capture, the Tsarnaev brothers killed an MIT police officer, severely wounded another lawman and took part in a furious shootout and car chase in which they hurled explosives at police from a large homemade arsenal, authorities said.

Watertown Police Chief Edward Deveau said one of the explosives was the same type used during the Boston Marathon attack, and authorities later recovered a pressure cooker lid that had embedded in a car down the street. He said the suspects also tossed two grenades before Tamerlan ran out of ammunition and police tackled him.

But while handcuffing him, officers had to dive out of the way as Dzhokhar drove the carjacked Mercedes at them, Deveau said. The SUV dragged Tamerlan's body down the block, he said. Police initially tracked the escaped suspect by a blood trail he left behind a house after abandoning the Mercedes, negotiating his surrender hours later in the boat.

Chechnya, where the Tsarnaev family has roots, has been the scene of two wars between Russian forces and separatists since 1994. That spawned an Islamic insurgency that has carried out deadly bombings in Russia and the region, although not in the West.

Investigators have not offered a motive for the Boston attack. But in interviews with officials and those who knew the Tsarnaevs, a picture has emerged of the older one as someone embittered toward the U.S., increasingly vehement in his Muslim faith and influential over his younger brother.

The Russian FSB intelligence service told the FBI in 2011 about information that Tamerlan Tsarnaev was a follower of radical Islam, two law enforcement officials said Saturday.

According to an FBI news release, a foreign government said that Tamerlan Tsarnaev appeared to be strong believer and that he had changed drastically since 2010 as he prepared to leave the U.S. for travel to the Russian region to join unspecified underground groups.

The FBI did not name the foreign government, but the two officials said it was Russia. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to talk about the matter publicly.

The FBI said that in response, it interviewed Tamerlan Tsarnaev and relatives, and did not find any domestic or foreign terrorism activity. The bureau said it looked into such things as his telephone and online activity, his travels and his associations with others.

An uncle of the Tsarnaev brothers said he had a falling-out with Tamerlan over the man's increased commitment to Islam.

Ruslan Tsarni of Montgomery Village, Md., said Tamerlan told him in a 2009 phone conversation that he had chosen "God's business" over work or school. Tsarni said he then contacted a family friend who told him Tsarnaev had been influenced by a recent convert to Islam.

Tsarni said his relationship with his nephew basically ended after that call.

As for Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, "he's been absolutely wasted by his older brother. I mean, he used him. He used him for whatever he's done," Tsarni said.

Albrecht Ammon, a downstairs-apartment neighbor of Tamerlan Tsarnaev in Cambridge, said in an interview that the older brother had strong political views about the U.S. Ammon quoted Tsarnaev as saying that the U.S. uses the Bible as "an excuse for invading other countries."

Tamerlan Tsarnaev studied accounting as a part-time student at Bunker Hill Community College in Boston for three semesters from 2006 to 2008, the school said. He was married with a young daughter. Dzhokhar Tsarnaev was a student at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth.

As of Saturday, more than 50 victims of the bombing remained hospitalized, three in critical condition.

___

Associated Press writers Denise Lavoie and Steve Peoples in Boston; Michael Hill in Watertown, Mass.; Colleen Long in New York; Pete Yost in Washington; Eric Tucker in Montgomery Village, Md.; and AP Sports Writer Jimmy Golen in Boston contributed to this report.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/interrogators-wait-query-wounded-bomb-suspect-112840023.html

cujo karen handel hangout todd haley kareem abdul jabbar miramonte elementary school mark jenkins

Yahoo axing six more apps and services as part of streamlining effort

Get ready to say goodbye to another another batch of Yahoo products at the end of this month. As the company continues to streamline and focus its services, March 31st will be the last day of stand-alone existence for Upcoming, Yahoo Deals, Yahoo Kids, Yahoo SMS Alerts, Yahoo Mail and Messages for feature phones. Noting an aim to slim down to roughly 15 offerings from 75, as The Register points out, this follows a few weeks after the company nixed other services like its BlackBerry app. Additionally, if you've been hanging onto the old version of Yahoo! mail, you'll have no choice but to switch to the new version by June 3rd. Yahoo! There's not word on what we can expect next, although EVP of Platforms Jay Rossiter notes that cuts like these are needed so it can focus on the likes of its new Mail and Weather apps. You'll find the details for each cut at the source link.

Update: The total number of offerings being killed is six, not seven as initially reported.

Filed under: Internet

Comments

Via: The Register

Source: Yahoo

Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/RMg8EElxw9Q/

texas rangers steve jobs meningitis bobby valentine bobby valentine miguel cabrera Karrueche Tran