Friday, September 26, 2014

Israeli research links thyroid imbalance to newborn deafness

Study of mice shows mutated gene may keep vital thyroid hormone from inner ear development, causing deafness at birth
BY ANDREW TOBIN September 25, 2014, 1:43 am 1

Lack of thyroid hormone input during formation of the inner ear in fetuses may cause a form of deafness at birth, according to Israeli researchers who studied the condition in mice.
The researchers found that the culprit may be a mutated gene that prevents thyroid hormones from reaching the inner ear as it is being formed. In the study, mice with a mutation of the gene, which they share with humans, were born with abnormal thyroid glands and deaf, while mice without the mutation had no such disabilities.
The study, recently published in the journal Mammalian Genome, suggests that the same problem may be the cause of congenital deafness in people with the mutated gene. If so, they say, pregnant women could one day take a synthetic thyroid hormone, already proven safe, to ensure that their babies are born with hearing.
“Our work demonstrated that normal hearing fails to develop when thyroid hormone availability is insufficient as a result of a genetic mutation,” said Dr. Amiel Dror, a medical student with a doctorate inhuman genetics, who led the study in Prof. Karen Avraham’s lab atTel Aviv University. “The purpose of our research is to find ways to prevent human babies with the genetic mutation from losing their hearing.”
The thyroid is a gland in the neck that produces hormones that affect nearly every tissue in the body. Too little thyroid hormone, a condition called hypothyroidism, tends to slow down bodily processes. Too much, called hyperthyroidism, tends to speed them up, with symptoms like weight loss, anxiety, and hair loss. In adults, both conditions are easily treated.
People with mutations of the gene Slc26a4 are profoundly deaf from birth or early childhood, but the link with the thyroid is a bit of a mystery. Only half of people with the mutated gene have enlarged thyroids, a clear sign of dysfunction. Also, such people seem to have normal thyroid hormone levels in their blood.
To try to resolve the mystery, the researchers analyzed the inner ears and thyroids of mice bred to have a specific mutation of the gene Slc26a4. They found that mice with the mutated gene had inner ear defects similar to those of deaf people with the same mutated gene.
One defect, identified in the mice using electron microscopy, was disorganized cochlear hair cells, which sense and amplify sound and are essential to hearing. In addition, the mice had abnormal, but not enlarged, thyroids. Mice without the mutation had normal inner ears and thyroids.
The results suggest that local hypothyroidism in the inner ear may underlie congenital deafness in people with a Slc26a4 gene mutation, even when they do not have enlarged thyroid glands, the researchers say.
“The molecular and biochemical characteristics of the inner ear and thyroid mimicked what we see in people with a mutation in this gene,” said Dror. “Like half of people [with the mutated gene], the mice did not have enlarged thyroid glands, which makes us think this is not part of the mechanism causing deafness.”
The researchers suggest two possible explanations. One possibility is that the mutated gene reduces the thyroid’s production of hormones, and that a common blood test used on people and on the mice in the study is just not precise enough to detect the reduction. The most common test measures thyroid hormone levels indirectly.
The other possibility, they say, is that the mutated gene, though associated with atrophy of thyroid tissue in mice in the study, does not reduce the production of thyroid hormones. The faulty development of the inner ear, then, would be separate from but related to the atrophy of the thyroid.
The gene Slc26a4 codes for a protein called pendrin, which works as a molecule transporter in the inner ear and in the thyroid. Mutations to the gene may prevent pendrin from being expressed and doing this work. This would explain both the atrophy of the thyroid and tissue swelling in the inner ear, found in the mice with the mutated gene. The tissue swelling, independent of the anything going on in the thyroid, could block the blood supply to the inner ear, preventing thyroid hormones from getting there to help with the development of hearing.
From a clinical perspective, it does not really matter which theory is correct, the researchers say. If either theory is borne out in studies of people, deafness due to mutations in this gene could be treated with a synthetic thyroid hormone called levothyroxine. The drug is already approved by the Food and Drug Administration for use by pregnant women, who take it to make sure their hypothyroidism does not impair development of their unborn babies’ brains.
Couples could be genetically screened for the Slc26a4 gene mutation before having a baby. In cases where the father and the mother share such a mutation — giving them a 25 percent chance of having a deaf child — the mother could take levothyroxine to prevent their baby from being born deaf.
As the next step, the researchers plan to test this treatment in mice.
Source: http://www.timesofisrael.com/research-thyroid-imbalance-may-cause-deafness-in-newborns/?utm_source=The+Times+of+Israel+Daily+Edition&utm_campaign=34621ba6fa-2014_09_25&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_adb46cec92-34621ba6fa-54971309

Thursday, September 25, 2014

马云谈基督教文化

2014年9月18日



中国企业家马云,阿里巴巴集团主要创始人及现任主席和首席执行官,近日在优米网“在路上”演讲中提到,“美国发展是因为法制吗?不对。大家记住美国社会的发展它是基于基督教文化的,在基督教文化上面建立法律体系……”。

马云演讲节选:

“幸福是自己找出来的,今天中国的经济的高速发展我刚才讲了,但是我们的价值体系,我们的文化体系受到了摧毁,最早新文化 运动摧毁了旧文化没有建设新文化,文化大革命又把我们很多价值体系搞乱了,今天有的学者来讲,我并不完全同意中国不是法制社会,好像有了一套法律我们就能解决这些问题,不是那回事。”


“美国发展是因为法制吗?就是这个人漂亮是因为鼻子漂亮。不对。大家记住美国社会的发展它是基于基督教文化的,在基督教文化上面建立法律体系,在这个法 律体系建立政治体系,在这个上面建立起他们的领导人的选举体系,整个体系比你的想的复杂得多,这仅仅是简简单单的一部分,假如我们今天这个价值文化体系被摧毁的情况下,随便拿一点别人的价值体系,等于沙滩上建楼,建不起来。”

“我们需要重新找回价值体系,让年轻人明白不要怪人家富怪人家有钱,而是我要如何改变自己。我坚定不移你们会为我们,为这个国家为中国找回价值体系,而这才是中国真正腾飞的时代。”

美国的主流文化——基督教文化

考察美国的建国史和发展史,人们不难发现,基督教的触角已经延伸到美国生活的方方面面:美国民主的基石——《五月花号公约》记载着,要以上帝的名义继续清教实验,来完成上帝的事业;短短的美国独立宣言中竟有四次提到上帝,如果删去“上帝”二字,独立宣言的精神就无法理解。

基督教文化是美国的主流文化,深层次的基督教主流文化,犹如一棵大树的根系,不断地为大树枝干提供着养份,只有认识了这个根系,你才能真正了解美国社会成功的真谛。美国社会的民主、法制、自由等许多思想都根源于《圣经》的教义,具有宗教基础。

受基督教的影响,基督教主流文化的精髓在于其平等观与博爱观。基督教宣扬平等、饶恕,与博爱,爱所有人,爱人如己,以至于爱我们的敌人。这是形成西方社会民主、自由风尚的思想基础。具有普遍性的民主制度的基础,来自于基督教的根本精神:人是有限的,有罪的,人不但不完美的,而且有缺陷。人所创造的制度亦如此。因此,对权力必须加以限制和制衡。三权分立,是西方流行的政治学说,也是美国政治制度的重要原则。美国政府实行立法、行政、司法三权分立,国会、总统和最高法院地位平等、相互制约平衡,在当今西方各国,美国是实行分权制衡最典型的国家。

美国人相信《圣经》,很多人周末都去教堂接受心灵的洗礼,《圣经》中教育人们友好、行善、道德高尚,许多人便怀着这样的信仰去生活,去与 人相处。正如人们所说:多一个教堂,少一座监狱;多一个基督徒,少一个罪犯。


基督教认为神是神,人是人,只有上帝是神,上帝永远至高无上,人永远是上帝的仆人,人的权力永远不能超越上帝。因此,这从思想深处限制了人的私欲的膨胀。这就使再大的官,也要对老百姓笑脸相迎;再有名的人,也不敢在公众面前肆意妄为;再伟大的人也要检点自己的行为,不得作有违上帝意志的事情。

基督教文化还宣扬天赋人权,珍惜生命,尊重人权。受基督教思想的影响,美国人视民主、平 等、自由为生命,永远都选择民主政体,自由经济,专制、独裁与特权在美国人的思想深处就没有其存在的余地。
基督教文化不排斥经济,甚至鼓励人们通过自我奋斗获得财富。新教伦理不仅不把追求财富和金钱的活动视为罪恶,而是把它和荣耀上帝联在一起,正确的使用管理财富荣耀上帝。勤奋工作、节俭和奉献是美德和道德义务,是基督徒的天职。最有名的便是著名的牧师约翰•卫斯理所说:“拼命地赚钱,拼命地省钱,拼命地捐钱”。

來源:http://mp.weixin.qq.com/s?__biz=MjM5ODI5OTM3Nw%3D%3D&mid=2008
22268&idx=2&sn=9a84a8aca174a191ac26
eb5cb7649944&scene=4#rd

Monday, September 15, 2014

Breadfruit, the Tree of Life for a Hungry Planet

Br



Posted by David Braun of National Geographic on September 12, 2014




By Diane Ragone, Director of the Breadfruit InstituteNational Tropical Botanical Garden

Everyone is looking for the next superfood that will improve health and nutrition and alleviate world hunger. Well it is here and it has been here for a long time. Breadfruit has been grown in Oceania for more than 3,000 years, and on many islands the trees form the heart of complex, multispecies agroforests. These food forests are a model for sustainable food production systems and could help us unlock the food security challenges that many parts of the tropical world are facing.
Why breadfruit? Breadfruit is a long-lived perennial tree and is easy to grow in a wide range of ecological conditions with minimal care. Trees begin bearing in 3-4 years, producing a starchy, carbohydrate fruit equivalent to annual staple field crops such as rice, maize, potatoes, and sweet potatoes. It reduces the amount of labor needed to grow crops that require harvesting and replanting, it reduces top soil loss, and it stores carbon. For Pacific island people this became their tree of life. 
In the 1970s, the National Tropical Botanical Garden (NTBG) recognized the need to conserve breadfruit diversity. I became involved with NTBG in the mid-1980s and traveled to over 50 Pacific Islands collecting hundreds of varieties and documenting traditional practices and knowledge associated with this important crop. Botanic gardens are ideally positioned to do this kind of work because understanding plants and their uses is core to what we do.
We now manage the world’s largest breadfruit repository and thanks to extensive research on this collection it is now possible to grow and distribute breadfruit trees in large numbers to help alleviate hunger. Why is this important? Nearly one billion people worldwide do not have enough to eat. An additional two billion are impacted by “hidden hunger,” the lack of adequate micronutrients. 
In 2009, with the help of our partner Cultivaris LLC, (www.globalbreadfruit.com), we launched a Global Hunger Initiative with the goal to distribute breadfruit globally. We are truly inspired by the response and today there are 30 countries, including Ghana, Haiti, Kenya, Jamaica, Nicaragua, and Pakistan, that have received more than 40,000 trees. This work is accomplished through collaboration with myriad individuals and grassroots organizations. It is exciting to see how much global interest there is in this heritage crop.
At our  international symposium in Washington, D.C., entitled: “Agents of Change — Botanic Gardens in the 21st Century,” on Tuesday, October 7, 2014, I am delighted to be joined by Danielle Nierenberg, Food Tank; Dr. Eija Pehu, The World Bank; and Dennis Dimick, National Geographic Magazine, on the “Feast or Famine: How we can and will feed 9 Billion People” panel, to discuss strategies, challenges, and opportunities to providing a more food-secure planet.
Source: http://newswatch.nationalgeographic.com/2014/09/12/breadfruit-could-be-vital-food-source-in-extreme-climate/?utm_source=Facebook&utm_medium=Social&utm_content=link_fb20140914ngnw-breadfruit&utm_campaign=Content&sf4625612=1

Sunday, September 14, 2014

Cindy Jacobs' Prophecy on Malaysia



Date: September 12, 2014
Venue: Glad Tidings A/G, Section 13, Petaling Jaya, Malaysia

There is a Great Awakening coming to Malaysia. My glory is going to wash Malaysia from the north, to the south, from the east to the west. The Lord God said “I am going to pour out My Spirit, the former and the latter rain; together I am going to raise up a generation of miracle workers. This anointing is going to hit schools, it’s going to hit primary schools, it’s going to hit, particular, look to the coast line of Malaysia.” “I am coming,” says the Lord “to visit the coast. And it’s not going to stay because I am coming like a mighty tsunami of glory,” says the Lord. “And I am coming in such a way as you cannot imagine,” says the Lord.

Tuesday, September 9, 2014

Report confirms MAS flight MH17 pierced by many ‘high-energy objects’

Published: 9 September 2014

The wreckage of MAS flight MH17 at the crash site in eastern Ukraine. The plane had broken into many pieces  after being hit in the air according to the preliminary investigations report released today. - Reuters pic, September 9, 2014.The wreckage of MAS flight MH17 at the crash site in eastern Ukraine. The plane had broken into many pieces after being hit in the air according to the preliminary investigations report released today. - Reuters pic, September 9, 2014.






















Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 broke up in the air as the result of structural damage caused by high-energy objects which penetrated the aircraft from the outside, the Dutch Safety Board (DSB) said today.

The DSB today published the preliminary report on the investigation into the crash of MH17, which was carrying 15 crew members and 283 passengers on July 17

"There are no indications that the MH17 crash was caused by a technical fault or by the actions of the crew," DSB chairman.

"The cockpit voice recorder, the flight data recorder and data obtained from air traffic control all suggest that MH17 proceeded as normal until 13:20:03, after which it ended abruptly."
"Communication between the crew members in the cockpit recorded on the cockpit voice recorder revealed no signs of any technical faults or an emergency situation," Joustra said.
"There were also no warning tones heard in the cockpit which might have pointed to any technical problems," he added in a statement on the DSB website.
"The flight data recorder registered no aircraft system warnings, and aircraft engine parameters were consistent with normal operation during the flight.
"The radio communications with Ukrainian air traffic control confirm that no emergency call was made by the cockpit crew.
"The final calls by Ukrainian air traffic control made between 13.20:00 and 13.22:02 (UTC) remained unanswered," Joustra said.
Joustra said the pattern of wreckage on the ground at the MH17 crash site suggested that the aircraft split into pieces during the flight or an in-flight break-up.
"Based on the available maintenance history the airplane was airworthy when it took off from Amsterdam and there were no known technical problems.
"The aircraft was manned by a qualified and experienced crew," Joustra said.
Although it has not been possible to conduct a detailed study of the wreckage, Joustra said the available images show that the pieces of wreckage were pierced in numerous places.
The pattern of damage to the aircraft fuselage and the cockpit is consistent with that which may be expected from a large number of high-energy objects that penetrated the aircraft from outside.
It is likely that this damage resulted in a loss of structural integrity of the aircraft, leading to an in-flight break up.
This also explains the abrupt end to the data registration on the recorders, the simultaneous loss of contact with air traffic control and the aircraft's disappearance from radar.
Joustra said additional research would be necessary to determine more precisely what caused the crash and how the airplane disintegrated.
The DSB believed that additional evidence will become available in the period ahead.
From this point on, the research team will start working towards producing the definitive investigation report, which is expected to be published by July 17 next year.
Joustra revealed that copies of the preliminary report had been sent to Malaysia, Ukraine, the Russian Federation, the United Kingdom, the United States of America and Australia for review.
“The initial results of the investigation point towards an external cause of the MH17 crash but more research will be necessary to determine the cause with greater precision."
"The Dutch Safety Board believes that additional evidence will become available for investigation in the period ahead.”
Meanwhile, in Putrajaya, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak welcomed the release of the preliminary report today, calling it a "collaborative effort".
He said: “The report confirms that MH17 was flying in unrestricted airspace under the control of local air traffic controllers, and following a route and altitude cleared by air traffic control. The aircraft was fully airworthy with no reported faults, and the crew acted properly.
“The preliminary report suggests that high energy objects penetrated the aircraft, which leads to the strong suspicion that a surface to air missile brought MH17 down, but further investigative work is needed before we can be certain.
“Hence, it is of the utmost importance that the investigation teams gain full and unfettered access to the crash site, in order to recover all human remains, complete their investigation and establish the truth.”
Flight MH17 departed from Amsterdam bound for Kuala Lumpur on July 17, and was flying at an altitude of 10km over Ukrainian airspace when it was said to have been shot down by a surface-to-air missile which was fired from an area around eastern Ukraine. – September 9,2014.
Source: http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/malaysia/article/report-confirms-mas-flight-mh17-pierced-by-many-high-speed-objects