Deadly effects of certain kinds of household air pollution lead to call for biomarker studies

Apr. 1, 2013 ? Almost four million people die each year from household air pollution (HAP) caused by exposure to the combustion of biomass fuels (wood, charcoal, crop residues, and dung), kerosene, or coal. These individuals are among the tens of millions who rely on such products to cook their meals, heat their rooms, and light their homes. Those in lower and middle income countries are among the hardest hit by the effects of HAP exposure, which also causes childhood respiratory infection, chronic lung disease, and cardiovascular disease. Exposure to biomass fuel is associated with low birth weight, asthma, and tuberculosis.

Given these effects, the large populations at risk, and a growing global interest in lower-cost energy sources, researchers from three continents have published a comprehensive overview of the current approaches to HAP assessments, the aims of biomarker development, and the state of development of tests which have the potential for rapid transition from the lab bench to field use. Their findings are addressed in the article, "Household air pollution: a call for studies into biomarkers of exposure and predictors of respiratory disease," which is published online by the American Journal of Physiology-Lung Cellular and Molecular Physiology.

The effort is being led by William J. Martin II, MD, Associate Director for Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The team also includes Jamie Rylance, BM BS BMedSci MRCPTM&H, and Stephen Gordon, MA MD FRCP DTM&H, Professor and Chair in Respiratory Medicine, both from the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, Liverpool, United Kingdom; Luke P. Naeher, PhD and Olorunfemi Adetona, PhD, both from the University of Georgia, College of Public Health, Department of Environmental Health Sciences, Athens, Ga.; Archana Patel, IMD, DNB, MSCEs, Professor and Head of the Department of Pediatrics, Indira Gandhi Government Medical College, Nagpur, India; John R. Balmes, MD, Professor of Medicine, Division of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, University of California, San Francisco School of Medicine, San Francisco, Ca.; and Derek K. Rogalsky, Georgetown University School of Medicine, Washington, D.C.

Current approaches to HAP assessment, challenges

The researchers found that current HAP assessment tools include direct quantitative measurement of products of incomplete combustion, as well as qualitative methods (including use of questionnaires or the categorization of HAP exposure by type). However, direct exposure assessments via personal monitoring are problematic due to the size, portability and recording capacity of equipment, and acceptability to the user.

Despite the new devices currently being field tested and scaled up for commercial use to address these concerns, specific particulate measurement alone cannot differentiate between the multiple sources of pollution such as mixtures of HAP, tobacco smoke, and outdoor pollution. "The grand challenge to the research community is to produce simple and validated tests that better identify populations that are at risk from HAP, and individual responses to exposure reduction strategies," according to Dr. Martin.

The researchers also found that current HAP exposure measurement methods are expensive, technically challenging, difficult to use with large population studies, and have substantial limitations, making an urgent case for the development of biomarkers of both exposure and health effects. These findings have led to their call for studies into biomarkers of exposure and predictors of respiratory disease.

Martin and his colleagues note that further development of biomarkers of susceptibility and effect could facilitate large scale studies examining the impact of HAP on health and disease in human populations. In the end, new biomarkers would: (a) improve epidemiological accuracy in association studies with health effect; (b) reduce the cost and complexity of monitoring intervention studies; (c) provide data for educating the public and policymakers about risk; and (d) inform clinicians and the public health community about human environmental exposures that are not well characterized.

Conclusion

China uses more coal than any other nation to meet the energy needs of its one billion citizens. In India, 55 percent of electrical power was generated by coal last year, and as austerity measures in Europe grow stronger, coal is becoming an attractive alternative to natural gas. But the more affordable option could also prove to be the more harmful, and potentially add to the illness and death tolls already linked to HAP exposure.

Martin and his colleagues have put together a comprehensive overview of the dangers posed by biomass fuels and the research gaps in assessing HAP threats. The article is a "must read" for anyone interested in public health.

Funding sources

The article was supported in part by the Intramural Research Program of the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development of the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by American Physiological Society (APS).

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

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Journal Reference:

1. J. Rylance, S. B. Gordon, L. P. Naeher, A. Patel, J. R. Balmes, O. Adetona, D. K. Rogalsky, W. J. Martin. Household air pollution: a call for studies into biomarkers of exposure and predictors of respiratory disease. AJP: Lung Cellular and Molecular Physiology, 2013; DOI: 10.1152/ajplung.00416.2012

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/~3/FDpp4Rx-VMM/130401181321.htm

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'Transformers 4' takes shape with help from China

This undated publicity photos provided by courtesy of Paramount Pictures shows Bumblebee in a scene from the film, "Transformers: Dark of the Moon." (AP Photo/Courtesy Paramount Pictures)

This undated publicity photos provided by courtesy of Paramount Pictures shows Bumblebee in a scene from the film, "Transformers: Dark of the Moon." (AP Photo/Courtesy Paramount Pictures)

LOS ANGELES (AP) ? Michael Bay's "Transformers" robots are shaping up again with an assist from China.

Paramount Pictures announced a deal Tuesday with China Movie Channel and Jiaflix Enterprises to help on the production of "Transformers 4," the next installment in the director's blockbuster franchise.

According to the agreement, China Movie Channel, which is overseen by the Chinese government, will help select filming sites in China, and with theatrical promotion and possibly post-production work there.

It also will work with the filmmakers on casting Chinese actors in the movie, which stars Mark Wahlberg and is due out in June 2014.

Jiaflix, headed by former Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences president Sid Ganis, brokered the deal. The company exports Chinese films to overseas markets and promotes production and distribution of films in China.

Bay's 2011 smash "Transformers: Dark of the Moon" took in $1.1 billion worldwide, including $165 million in China.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/4e67281c3f754d0696fbfdee0f3f1469/Article_2013-04-02-Film-Transformers-China/id-b22b38e25d0e4acb8ef539fe5765f643

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Prosecutor asks for death in Colo. theater shooting

James Holmes sits with defense attorney Tamara Brady during his arraignment on March 12. (AP)

[Updated at 1:16 p.m. MT]

CENTENNIAL, Colo.?Arapahoe County District Attorney George Brauchler wasted little time Monday morning in announcing he will seek the death penalty against the man accused of shooting 70 people, killing 12, during a midnight attack at an Aurora, Colo., movie theater last summer.

"Justice is death," Brauchler told the court, minutes after the hearing started.

Brauchler said his office surveyed victims and hundreds of people connected to the massacre to help make the decision.

"I hope I can be in the room when he dies," said Bryan Beard, whose friend Alex Sullivan was killed in the theater. "If you cause death upon somebody, I believe the only justice is death."

Reporters in the courtroom said Holmes appeared to have no reaction to Brauchler's announcement. His parents, Robert and Arlene Holmes, reportedly clasped hands and then embraced when the DA disclosed his plan. A few people on the victims' side of the courtroom cried.

Holmes, who sat about 15 feet from his parents, made strong eye contact with them when he entered the courtroom.

Marcus Weaver, who was shot in the arm during the July 2012 attack, said he wished Holmes would admit to the killings: "Holmes has an exceptional opportunity to [tell] the world, 'Hey, I made a mistake, and I'm owning up to it.' Man up. Save us all the difficulty. Accept what you did. Accept your fate."

Weaver said he would rather see Holmes admit guilt than watch him die.

"You have an obligation ... if you're guilty to plead guilty," Weaver said.

In another development, 18th Judicial District Chief Judge William Sylvester told the court he has reassigned the Holmes case to Judge Carlos A. Samour.

Sylvester, the administrative judge for four counties, wrote that "logistical demands" and the "enormous consumption of resources" of a death penalty case necessitated the switch.

Samour took the bench after a short recess Monday morning. His first decision was to delay the start of the trial from Aug. 5, 2013, to Feb. 3, 2014. He projected the trial to last four months, despite Holmes' defense team arguing that they'll need longer.

"We will do what we need to do to defend his life," defense attorney Tamara Brady said in court. "This is not an ordinary case."

The decision to seek the death penalty follows last week?s legal theatrics in which Holmes? defense team said it would enter a guilty plea if the district attorney settled on a life-in-prison sentence.

?It is Mr. Holmes? position that this case could be resolved on April 1,? his public defenders announced last Wednesday in court filings posted online by the Denver Post. ?Mr. Holmes made an offer to the prosecution to resolve this case by pleading guilty and spending the rest of his life in prison, without any opportunity for parole.?

Not only did prosecutors decline the guilty offer?first made prior to Holmes? March 12 arraignment?but they also lambasted the defense for making it public.

In a 13-page rebuttal to the defense, the prosecution dubbed the public announcement ?grossly improper? and ?a calculated attempt to improperly inject? the plea in front of the Aurora community and the world. The prosecution also accused the Colorado public defenders office of violating the court?s order on pretrial publicity.

Because of the defense?s public plea, the "only conclusion that [people] would reach ... is that the defendant knows that he is guilty, the defense attorneys know that he is guilty, and that both of them know that he was not criminally insane,? the prosecution?s filing said.

A mental health defense would be central to Holmes? case, his attorneys have implied repeatedly. Nearly all courtroom argument so far has revolved around his mental state, with the prosecution alleging that Holmes carefully crafted a ?detailed and complex? scheme to commit mass murder?with his sanity fully intact.

At the arraignment, King told Sylvester that Holmes wasn?t ready to enter a plea because the defense didn?t know whether the prosecution wanted to pursue the death penalty. The judge then entered a not-guilty plea on Holmes? behalf, as allowed by law.

Also at Monday?s hearing, the defense and attorneys for Jana Winter, a FoxNews.com reporter, argued whether Winter must divulge the names of two law enforcement sources who gave her information for a July 25 story about an unopened package that Holmes mailed to the University of Colorado at Denver. Winter, quoting the unnamed officials, reported that Holmes sent his former school psychiatrist a notebook containing drawings that foreshadowed the attack. Because of a court gag order, those law enforcement sources were prevented from talking to the media.

Holmes? attorneys have argued that by talking with Winter, the two anonymous sources damaged the defendant?s right to a fair trial. Winter was in court Monday morning, but Samour hasn't ruled whether she should testify.

Holmes, 25, was a former neuroscience student at CU-Denver before the massacre at the premiere of ?The Dark Knight Rises,? the latest Batman movie. Police arrested Holmes, who was wearing body armor and had weapons close by, behind the theater shortly after the shootings. Police say he also booby-trapped his nearby Aurora apartment with explosives to injure or kill anyone who entered. He faces multiple counts of murder and attempted murder.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/lookout/death-penalty-decision-expected-james-holmes-case-113742034.html

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Drones Could Replace Eager Youths On Paper Routes

Innovation in newspaper delivery techniques hasn't really seemed like a priority in awhile because of the whole death of print thing and whatever. But since drones categorically improve all situations, a local French postal service is turning paper routes into air routes. More »

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/DmviMDWdztU/drones-could-replace-eager-youths-on-paper-routes

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Kate Middleton Baby Shower: Not Happening?

Source: http://www.thehollywoodgossip.com/2013/04/kate-middleton-baby-shower-not-happening/

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Watch the premiere of new Chris Brown video

By Kurt Schlosser, TODAY

Chris Brown has dropped a brand new video for his song "Fine China" off his upcoming album "X." The singer stopped by TODAY on Monday to promote the premiere of his new music, which can be seen here:

The video offers a semi-futuristic take on the classic good-girl-hooks-up-with-bad-boy story line. It even starts with a disapproving dad (hey, that's the?Dharma Initiative guy?from "Lost"!) chastising his daughter before she's whisked away by the "outsider, thug" Brown in an orange Lamborghini.

"I'll go anywhere with you," the girl tells Brown as the music starts and they drive through a Tron-like urban setting before arriving at a back-alley club. As the music kicks into high gear and Brown demonstrates his dance moves, this is where you remember all of those Michael Jackson comparisons.

"I'm not dangerous. When you're mine, I'll be generous. You're irreplaceable, a collectible. Just like fine china."?

The R&B star started the morning by joining a flash mob of dancers on the TODAY Plaza. He later sat down with Matt Lauer to discuss his maturity as a musician and the changes he's made as a man since being convicted of assaulting girlfriend Rihanna in 2009.

As for the music, Brown said his approach to making "X" was to put a lot of writers and producers in the same place and have a "camp" aimed at generating chemistry between everybody. A tactic that he says leads to more creative energy.

Lauer asked Brown what has changed musically in the years since he released his first music at age 16. "My music is maturing so I have a lot more to talk about, whether it be personal relationships, trials and tribulations, just me as a young 23-year-old man."

Related content:

Source: http://todayentertainment.today.com/_news/2013/04/01/17518259-chris-brown-premieres-new-video-for-fine-china?lite

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Marco Rubio: Immigration Deal Reports 'Premature'

BY PHILIP ELLIOTT, ASSOCIATED PRESS

WASHINGTON ? Even with one of the largest hurdles to an immigration overhaul overcome, lawmakers on Sunday cautioned much work remains and that no final deal has been reached.

The AFL-CIO and the pro-business U.S. Chamber of Commerce reached a deal late Friday that would allow tens of thousands of low-skill workers into the country to fill jobs in construction, restaurants and hotels. Yet despite the unusual agreement between the two powerful lobbying groups, lawmakers from both parties tried to curb expectations that the negotiations were finished and an immigration bill was heading for a vote.

"Reports that the bipartisan group of eight senators have agreed on a legislative proposal are premature," said Sen. Marco Rubio, a Florida Republican who is among the lawmakers working on legislation.

Rubio, a Cuban-American who is weighing a presidential bid in 2016, is a leading figure inside his party. Lawmakers will be closely watching any deal for his approval and his skepticism about the process did little to encourage optimism.

"Eight senators from seven states have worked on this bill to serve as a starting point for discussion about fixing our broken immigration system," Rubio said. "But arriving at a final product will require it to be properly submitted for the American people's consideration, through the other 92 senators from 43 states that weren't part of this initial drafting process."

Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., helped negotiate the deal between AFL-CIO president Richard Trumka and Chamber of Commerce head Tom Donohue during a late-Friday phone call. Under the compromise, the government would create a new "W" visa for low-skill workers who would earn wages paid to Americans or the prevailing wages for the industry they're working in, whichever is higher. The Labor Department would determine prevailing wage based on customary rates in specific localities, so that it would vary from city to city.

The detente between the nation's leading labor federation and the powerful business lobbying group still needs senators' approval, including a nod from Sen. John McCain, the Arizona Republican whose previous efforts came up short.

The measure also under serious discussion would secure the border, crack down on employers, improve legal immigration and create a 13-year pathway to citizenship for the millions of undocumented immigrants already here.

Schumer acknowledged on Sunday that the lawmakers themselves had not settled on a final deal and said the senators have not yet finished writing a bill to address the 11 million undocumented immigrants already in the United States.

"Business and labor have an agreement," Schumer said. "This is a major, major obstacle that is overcome."

Sen. Jeff Flake, R-Ariz., also warned the negotiations were not complete despite the truce between labor and business.

"That doesn't mean we've crossed every `i' or dotted every `t,' or vice versa," Flake said.

Big labor and big business were at a standoff over wages for low-skill workers and which industries would be included. Those disputes had led talks to break down a week ago, throwing into doubt whether Schumer and seven other senators crafting a comprehensive immigration bill would be able to complete their work as planned.

It's a major second-term priority of President Barack Obama's and would usher in the most dramatic changes to the faltering U.S. immigration system in more than two decades.

"This is a legacy item for him. There is no doubt in my mind that he wants to pass comprehensive immigration reform," said David Axelrod, a longtime political confidant of Obama.

During the last week, an immigration deal seemed doomed. But the breakthrough late Friday restarted the talks.

Ultimately the new "W Visa" program would be capped at 200,000 workers a year, but the number of visas would fluctuate, depending on unemployment rates, job openings, employer demand and data collected by a new federal bureau being pushed by the labor movement as an objective monitor of the market, according to an official involved with the talks who also spoke on condition of anonymity ahead of a formal announcement.

A "safety valve" would allow employers to exceed the cap, the official said, if they could show need and pay premium wages, but any additional workers brought in would be subtracted from the following year's cap.

The workers could move from employer to employer and would be able to petition for permanent residency and ultimately seek U.S. citizenship. Neither is possible for temporary workers now.

The new program would fill needs employers say they have that are not currently met by U.S. immigration programs. Most industries don't have a good way to hire a steady supply of foreign workers because there's one temporary visa program for low-wage nonagricultural workers but it's capped at 66,000 visas per year and is only supposed to be used for seasonal or temporary jobs.

Separately, the new immigration bill also is expected to offer many more visas for high-tech workers, new visas for agriculture workers, and provisions allowing some agriculture workers already in the U.S. a speedier path to citizenship than that provided to other undocumented immigrants, in an effort to create a stable agricultural workforce.

Schumer, Flake and Axelrod appeared on NBC's "Meet the Press."

___

Associated Press writer Erica Werner contributed to this report.

Also on HuffPost:

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Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/03/31/marco-rubio-immigration_n_2988692.html

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