In Mourning

My hometown was paralyzed Friday, December 14th. I'm still feeling a bit paralyzed myself, grieving as I would someone I knew personally. This was an anonymous poem I received in an email and I feel I need to share it too.

"Twas' 11 days before Christmas, around 9:38

When 20 darling children stormed through heaven's gate,

Their smiles were contagious, their laughter filled the air,

They could hardly believe the beauty, of all that they saw there,

They were filled with such joy, they knew not what to say,

For they remembered nothing, of what happened earlier that day.

"Where are we?" asked a little girl, as quiet as a mouse,

"This is heaven." said a boy. "It's Christmas at God's house,

"When what to their wondering eyes did appear,

But Jesus, their savior, and the babes gathered near,

He looked at them and smiled, and they smiled just the same,

Then He opened forth His arms, and called them each by name,

In that very moment, was joy that heaven will bring,

Those children all flew into the arms of their gracious King,

And as they lingered in the glow of His warm embrace,

One small girl turned and looked right into Jesus' face,

Then as if He could read all the questions she had,

He gently whispered to her, "I'll take care of Mom and Dad".

Then He looked down on earth, the world so far below.

He saw and wept for all hurt, and all the deep sorrow,

He closed His eyes and He outstretched His hand,

"Let My power and presence re-enter this land!"

Then He and the children stood up without a sound.

"Come now my little children, let me show you all around".

Excitement filled the space, some skipped and some ran.

All displaying exuberant joy that only a child can.

And I heard Him proclaim as He walked out of sight,

"In the midst of this darkness, I am still the light."

A step in the right direction, if you ask me

Saw this little article floating in my AAPA news-watch this morning. I bet all you ladies are hoping this gets taken to the next level:

Study in mice raises hopes for birth control pill for men

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By Julie Steenhuysen

CHICAGO | Thu Aug 16, 2012 1:17pm EDT

(Reuters) - U.S. researchers have stumbled on a compound that may finally lead to a birth control pill for men.

In lab experiments, male mice given the pill were rendered completely infertile during treatment as they produced fewer and less mobile sperm. The drug, originally tested as part of a broader cancer research project, does not affect the hormone system or sex drive, the team said on Thursday.

"There is no effect on the mouse's mojo. The animals exhibit the normal sexual behaviors and frequency of copulation," said Dr. James Bradner of the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston, whose study appears in the journal Cell.

What's more, the effect is completely reversible. Once doctors stopped giving the drug to mice, they were able to sire healthy litters, with no apparent side effects, Bradner said.

Scientists say the research is exciting because it applies a unique approach to the problem of male contraception, which is now largely comprised of less reliable methods like condom use, or more permanent procedures like vasectomies.

Bradner's lab focuses on developing new drugs to undermine the molecular memory of cancer cells that tell them to divide. Those memory markers are distributed throughout the genome, the DNA that makes up a person's genetic code, and Bradner likens them to post-it notes that give cells instructions.

The team was experimenting with a compound developed in Bradner's lab called JQ1, which was originally synthesized at Dana-Farber to block BRD4, a cancer-causing gene.

They discovered that it appears to target a protein specific to the testes called BRDT that instructs sperm to mature. Bradner said the compound does not appear to do damage to sperm-making cells, but they forget how to create mature sperm while under the influence of the drug.

DRUG IMPEDES SPERM PRODUCTION

Bradner reached out to reproductive health expert Martin Matzuk of Baylor College of Medicine, another author of the report, and his team tested the compound in mice.

What they found is that the animals began producing fewer sperm, and the ones they did produce were poor swimmers.

"When the drug is removed, these instructions return," Bradner said.

The finding was surprising because few drugs are able to cross a protective firewall known as the blood-testes barrier that protects the testicles from substances floating around in the blood stream.

William Bremner from the University of Washington in Seattle, who was not involved in the research, said in a commentary the finding was "a breakthrough new approach," noting that there has not been a new reversible contraceptive for men since the development of the condom centuries ago.

"It's exciting basic science that provides a new approach to think about how a contraceptive for men might be designed," Bremner said in a telephone interview. "At the same time, it's a long ways from being in clinical trials in men, let alone being on pharmacy shelves."

Other teams have developed hormonal pills that are effective, but they disrupt hormone balance in men, and drug companies so far have not picked up on this approach, Bremner said.

Professor Moira O'Bryan, head of the Male Infertility and Germ Cell Biology Laboratory at Monash University in Australia, said the study was "an exciting report that could have major scientific and social impacts."

O'Bryan said the strong similarity between sperm production in mice and humans suggest that a variation of the drug may ultimately result in a human contraception for men.

Bradner said his team is working to refine the drug so that it only acts on cells in the testes, and not on cancer cells.

And while there are many more tests ahead before it can be a drug, the researchers believe the new approach can be "completely translated to men, providing a novel and efficacious strategy for a male contraceptive."

(Reporting by Julie Steenhuysen; Editing by Michele Gershberg and Vicki Allen)

Thought this was interesting....

*Note I've copied and pasted this directly from the original article on the Huffington Post's blog:

I'm the Chick Running From New York to San Francisco

written by Kelcey Harrison

I don't know if I am in denial, am extremely naive, or if I truly am confident that this is exactly what I am supposed to be doing right now, but for some reason the fact that I've started running 30 miles a day and won't stop until I reach San Francisco doesn't seem to stress or scare me. Maybe it's just that crazy people don't realize they're that crazy?

I'm just your average 24-year-old who grew up in San Francisco, went to Harvard University, and moved to New York soon after college. For the last two years I worked at the New York County District Attorney's Office. Although I had the best time working there, I realized that law school was not really the route I wanted to take, and I was feeling a pull to make a change coupled with a very strong desire to contribute more to Jill's Legacy, I began thinking about some new options.

This is where I break from the normal... The idea that I came up with was to run from New York to San Francisco to raise money and awareness for lung cancer. Lots of people asked, why? Couldn't I have done something a little less risky? But for me, it made perfect sense. I am using a skill that I have been blessed with -- running long-distance -- to make a difference and to draw people's attention to a topic that deserves greater discussion, awareness, and funding. I am doing something really big and out there, which was what Jill was all about.

Jill and I first met when we attended kindergarten together. We went to school together from kindergarten through high school and remained good friends through college. While we were in school, there was a group of about five of us that was inseparable. She was a friend who was always there for me and had been in my life for so long that I always expected her to be around for life's big moments.

When she was diagnosed with lung cancer at just 21 years old, it was a huge shock. I certainly did not know how to handle it, but she did. She lived with more grace, determination, strength, and joy than most people will ever demonstrate in their lifetimes. After her diagnosis she did a lot of advocacy work with the Bonnie J. Addario Lung Cancer Foundation. In the last year of her life, Jill was named Pac-10 Women's Athlete of the Year, she graduated Cal Berkeley with a 4.0 and she led the Cal Women's crew team to a national championship. A few weeks after, Jill passed away. After her passing a group of young people with connections to Jill and/or the foundation formed Jill's Legacy, an advisory board to the foundation. Our goal is to mobilize young people to use their voices and power to raise awareness for lung cancer and to really start a movement to demand a change.

Our goal is to debunk the stigma that faces lung cancer patients. The common belief that lung cancer is a smoker's disease or one that only affects older people is wrong. The first question people always ask in response to a diagnosis is, "Oh, you were a smoker?" The underlying message that comes across with this question is the idea that lung cancer patients somehow brought the disease upon themselves and so it is the last disease to get funding for research. This has to change. Nobody deserves to get cancer for any reason and, of equal importance no one deserves to get a disease for which there simply is not enough support. The survival rate for lung cancer has not changed in 40 years and that fact simply boggles my mind. With the technology we have today, there should be better options for early detection and treatment so that fewer lives will be lost. Why aren't people talking about this! For those of us who knew Jill, it drives us nuts.

So, my journey has begun and I already have so much to share! Follow my Twitter account, as I will be Tweeting the wild adventures and characters I encounter along the way.

I can't articulate how thankful I am for all of the support I have already received. I am already overwhelmed by the responses. We have raised over $100,000 since announcing the Great Lung Run just one month ago. I would be so appreciative of any support that readers can offer, whether that be in the form of a wave, a tweet or a penny. To support, visit www.thegreatlungrun.com, follow me on Twitter, or email me at Kelceyharrison@thegreatlungrun.com.

I'm your biggest fan, I'll follow you until you love me...

... Papa-Paparazzi

Anyone not living under a rock is familiar with the famed Lady Gaga song. Its been in my head for approximately 30 minutes now after hearing it on the radio and proceeding to sing-a-long. Ironically, I signed on facebook to be confronted with this youtube video posted by my aunt:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KUloD1Z379w&feature=share

If you want to skip the video, I'll give you a synopsis: Adrian Grenier (Star of Entourage on HBO) noticed a 13 year-old kid in the mist of the overwhelming group of paparazzi trying to take pictures of him one day. He approached the kid to find out why he was in this business and decided to make a documentary following the life of this young entrepreneur as he works tirelessly to hunt down the likes of Paris Hilton and Lindsey Lohan.

I have to give the kid props... I mean... he makes $500-$1000 per picture. And he's 13 years old. When I was 13 I babysat for $5 or $6 and hour. However, aside from the money he makes doing his "job," it's actaully fascinating that this is now going to be turned into a documentary. I guess Hollywood will take anything mildly interesting and turn it into a sensation. In reality, they are already winning just by the fact that I saw this and now all of you have watched/are about to watch it. Anything can become shiny and interesting. Is that good? Is that bad? Does it speak to our cultural ingenuity, or rather does it make us seem ridiculously easy to distract? In my opinion, it's probably both, but I'd like to advocate the "cultural ingenuity" angle.

I'm sure my parents and grandparents and those general public over the age of 50 would criticize this stuff for its lameness (seriously though, isn't the 7 pm news, talk shows, and shows like Access Hollywood the precursors to all of this anyway?). But really, it works; the proof is in the fact that other countries are following suit. Yes, its easy to laugh at American culture, we can be immature, we focus on completely unimportant things, and a good majority of the young people out there care more about the Kardashians than the republican primaries. But its ingenious - people watch our "garbage tv" and like it! My friend in England has written posts about their copy cat show Geordie Shore about ridiculous Pauly D and Snookie wannabes in northern England. And what about TLCs new find, My big fat gypsy wedding? Pretty sure those accents aren't American. Despite the ridiculousness of these documentaries and reality shows about the things people do, people watch and are entertained. And the craze keeps spreading. We watch, we follow, we eat it up. I don't know about you, but I'm probably not gonna stop. I'll probably be watching TLC or E! later tonight in fact. And I won't judge you if you do too. Enjoy it!