MONDAY, January 30 (HealthDay News) -- Erivedge (vismodegib) has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to treat the most common form of skin cancer, basal cell carcinoma, the agency said Monday.
The drug was approved for people for whom surgery or radiation aren't options, and for people with basal cell that has spread to other parts of the body, according to an FDA news release.
Basal cell usually is a slow-growing, painless type of cancer that begins in the top layer of skin, often on areas most exposed to the sun.
Erivedge was evaluated in clinical studies involving 96 people with basal cell carcinoma. The most common side effects included muscle spasms, hair loss, weight loss, nausea, diarrhea, fatigue, distorted taste, loss of appetite and constipation.
The drug was approved with an FDA's label warning that pregnant women who take Erivedge could have babies at greater risk of severe birth defects or death. "Pregnancy status must be verified prior to the start of Erivedge treatment," the agency release advised.
Erivedge is marketed by Genentech, based in San Francisco, Calif.
New York ? Though liberals are scoffing, that's the threat from Grover Norquist, the anti-tax activist who has essentially been setting the GOP's tax policy
Grover Norquist, the head of Americans for Tax Reform, raised plenty of eyebrows on Saturday with an interview he gave to National Journal, in which he said that if President Obama is foolish enough to let all the "Bush tax cuts" expire at the end of the year, "Republicans will have enough votes in the Senate in 2014 to impeach." The anti-tax activist holds a lot of sway over the GOP, with almost all House Republicans and every GOP presidential candidate signing his no-tax pledge, but impeachment is reserved for "treason, bribery, and other high crimes and misdemeanors," notes Tanya Somanader in Think Progress. So "suggesting Republicans impeach the president over tax cuts is wildly outlandish." Right?
There's no way the GOP's that crazy: Norquist is just plain "nuts," says Nicole Belle in Crooks and Liars. And even with "idiots and clowns" running the Grand Old Party these days, "there's no way that the Republicans will go down this route." Impeaching over tax policy stretches the Constitution to the breaking point, and won't win any favors with voters, either. "You may think you rule Washington," Grover, but this idea is "just delusional." "Norquist threatens impeachment if Obama does not extend Bush tax cuts"
Norquist was only speaking figuratively: I imagine these impeachment musings are just one of those "brief bouts of hyperbole" Norquist indulges in when he strays from his laser focus on "tax sanity," says Jazz Shaw in Hot Air. If he was seriously suggesting impeachment for "allowing a legally passed set of tax cuts with a built in expiration date to lapse," somebody needs to press him on it. But either way, Norquist should probably stick to pushing lower taxes and spending. "Norquist: Impeach Obama over taxes?"
Never underestimate conservative activists: I have to admit I'm "a little less sanguine than most people when I hear that Grover Norquist is going on about" impeachment, says Charles Pierce in Esquire. Conservatives Republicans have been "thinking, and then acting on, the unthinkable" for years. And remember, they impeached Bill Clinton on almost equally dubious grounds, because they had the votes. So "if you don't think they won't try this farce again, elect them majorities in both houses and see what happens." "The Grover Norquist 'impeach Obama' fantasy"
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Twelve months after a popular uprising erupted in Egypt, captivating the world and dislodging its authoritarian President, many in the country question whether the country is on the right path and whether the revolution has delivered on its promise. The unity of last year's revolution has given way to new realities and widening differences among Egyptians.
On the one-year anniversary marking the start of the revolution, I spent the day in Tahrir Square, the symbolic heart of Egypt's struggle for change, asking people what Jan. 25 means to them. Their answers can be categorized into two groups: the anniversary was either about celebrating the revolution or trying to reinvigorate it. (See photos of police and protesters clashing in Cairo.)
The invigorators argue the revolution has not lived up to its potential. They say this Jan. 25 was all about renewing calls for sustained protests against the military to hand over power to a civilian government immediately. Last year, the people had coalesced around this once central demand: the fall of the regime embodied by the departure of the President Hosni Mubarak. The word regime was commonly used but perhaps less understood than it is now. A year later, those critics contend the regime is still very much in place and that the biggest mistake was entrusting the military with the keys to the revolution after it assumed power.
History has yet to write its final chapter on what role the military played in easing Mubarak's departure. But anecdotal evidence, key decisions throughout the year and recent statements by the military, as embodied in the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF), suggest it has embraced its newfound role as the country's paramount power over the past year. In a posting on its Facebook page on the eve of the Jan. 25 anniversary, the ruling military council wrote that the "military protected the revolution, stood with its objectives, embraced its demands and promises to fulfill it." The military is operating from a position of strength, observers say.
Political analysts say the military has managed to outmaneuver other forces in the country (Islamists, revolutionary youth, liberals, business elite and even foreign governments) by creating conditions on the ground whereby everybody discreetly feels the military should play a role in safeguarding the political process despite calls for its complete marginalization from political life. (Watch TIME's video "Why They Protest: Egypt, Libya and Syria.")
Antimilitary activists say more than 12,000 civilians have been detained by military tribunals in the past year -- more than the Mubarak era that lasted over 30 years. One year after the President's fall, not a single senior officer in any Egyptian security force has been convicted in the killing of protesters in the 18-day uprising. The trial of the former President was slow to start after the revolution. Since he left office, Mubarak has not spent time in prison, instead remaining under 24-hour medical watch at advanced medical facilities. Lawyers from his defense have been allowed to call hundreds of witnesses, a process that could delay his trial indefinitely. And while Mubarak is granted all of the protections of due process, civilians facing much lesser charges are being tried rapidly in military tribunals. Lawyers, victims and revolutionary groups have questioned the intent of the SCAF or government prosecutors to deliver true justice. Fueling their suspicion is the fact that the entire ruling military council and the country's general prosecutor are among the handful of officials appointed by Mubarak who have remained in power.
But there are signs of hope that the country is changing for the better. Many Islamist politicians and sizable part of the middle class in Egypt say while the pace of reform has been slow, certain gains have been made that are irreversible. Change is tangible. Those celebrating the revolution look at the gains achieved in the past year with optimism that the country is moving in the right direction.
A new parliament is being established. And people are enjoying newfound freedoms of speech, of the media and of the right to protest. There has been an explosion of political parties across the entire political spectrum, from socialists to ultraconservative Islamists. But above all, the relationship between the state and the citizens has changed. "A psychological barrier of fear has been broken," says Wael Ghonim, the young Google executive who rose from obscure activist to the global face of the Egyptian revolution after he and friends started a Facebook page that helped mobilize street protests. There is no going back to the ways of past oppression, he and others say. (See why Egyptians marked their revolution's anniversary with mixed feelings.)
But among the democratic realities that have emerged in post-revolutionary Egypt is the rise of the Muslim Brotherhood and the ultraconservative Salafist movement in mainstream politics. These two parties overwhelmingly won the majority of seats in parliament. Will their mandate from the people be seen as a direct order to challenge the military? Some argue the Islamists are content with the democratic process undertaken by the military because it has paved their way to power. Some Egyptians fear the Brotherhood and the military have cut backroom deals. One popular theory is that the military will move the democratic process at a pace and under conditions favorable to Islamist parties at the expense of the lesser and weaker secular and liberal forces and that, in return, the Islamists will not mobilize their massive street support against the military or hold it accountable for past misdoings.
So whether Egyptians are celebrating or hoping to reinvigorate the revolution, one thing is certain: a year later, the success of that revolution still remains very much in question.
Mohyeldin is a foreign correspondent for NBC News based in Cairo.
Read "How the Islamist Group Became a Force in Egypt's Power Equation."
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WASHINGTON ? NBC asked GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney on Saturday to pull a campaign advertisement made up almost entirely of a 1997 "Nightly News" report on Newt Gingrich's ethics committee reprimand.
The "History Lesson" ad started running in Florida on the weekend, when it is harder for stations to switch ad traffic even if they want to. Broadcast days before Tuesday's primary, the ad shows former NBC anchor Tom Brokaw saying that some of Gingrich's House colleagues had raised questions about the then-speaker's "future effectiveness."
Under Brokaw's image is a line that reads ? "Paid for by Romney for President, Approved by Mitt Romney."
The footage was used without permission and the extensive use of the broadcast "inaccurately suggests that NBC News and Mr. Brokaw have consented to the use of this material and agree with the political position espoused by the videos," NBC's vice president of media law, David N. Sternlicht, wrote Romney's campaign manager, Matt Rhoades.
"Aside from the obvious copyright issues, this use of the voice of Mr. Brokaw and the NBC News name exploits him and the journalistic credibility of NBC News," the letter said. The network asked for the campaign to stop running the ad immediately and revise any other videos or commercials to remove at NBC material.
"As a news organization, NBC News objects to any use of NBC News journalists and our copyrighted material that suggests to the public that we or our journalists are taking sides with any individual or organization involved in a political campaign or dispute, and we request that your organization respect that concern," the letter said.
Romney adviser Eric Fehrnstrom said the campaign isn't likely to stop running the ad.
"We just received the letter. We are reviewing it, but we believe it falls within fair use," he said. "We didn't take the entire broadcast; we just took the first 30 seconds."
NBC spokeswoman Lauren Kapp said a similar request went to other campaigns that "have inappropriately" used material from "Nightly News," "Meet the Press," "Today" and MSNBC. Kapp said she was not aware of such uses by other campaigns.
Brokaw said in a statement released by NBC that he was "extremely uncomfortable with the extended use of my personal image in this political ad. I do not want my role as a journalist compromised for political gain by any campaign."
Brokaw stepped down in 2004 after 21 years as anchor and managing editor of "Nightly News," but continues to report for the network, including on the 2012 presidential campaign.
Asked about Brokaw's concern, Fehrnstrom said only, "We respect him as a newsman who has a lot of credibility, but we believe this falls within fair use standards."
The House ethics panel investigated Gingrich's use of tax-exempt organizations. The case ended in January 1997 with a reprimand by the House and a $300,000 penalty against Gingrich for misleading the committee and prolonging its investigation.
Romney has sought the release of all records from the probe. The committee did make public its final report as well as exhibits ? which amounted to a comprehensive account of its findings. The head of the ethics committee during the Gingrich investigation, former Republican Rep. Nancy Johnson, said the committee traditionally does not publicly release investigative documents.
Tony Hawk should probably never be in the interviewer seat, but here he is, tempting fate, with probably one of the most unruly groups out there. At the Big Day Out music festival in Australia, the salt-and-peppery-haired skater stayed standing (technically not in the interviewer seat, but equally if not more awkward) to ask questions of a half-seated Tyler the Creator and the rest of his Odd Future crew on a stairwell. The hip hop collective is into skating, so there's your tenuous link -- aside from that, we're just as lost as you are as to why this is happening. The Odd Future boys put up a shop for the week of the festival to sell merchandise, and Hawk begins his line of questioning where they can find common ground -- t-shirts. The camera zooms in on a t-shirt of two gay cats, and Hawk vaguely asks where they get their inspiration from.
"Really I get inspiration from meth, and I like cats a lot, and I'm not playin'," Tyler said.
Best known for his role in ?Welcome Back, Kotter,? Heyges died Thursday at age 60. NBC?s Brian Williams reports.
>>>robert hchb egyes has died. he was best known playing the jewish
puerto rican
student juan epstein alongside
john travolta
in the '70s in "welcome back cotter." he was later a regular in "cagney and lacy." he passed away thursday morning after suffering cardiac arrest. he was 60 years old.
AUSTIN, Texas ? Texas Gov. Rick Perry's White House bid tarnished his image enough that he's about as popular in his solidly Republican home state as President Barack Obama, a poll published Thursday shows.
Perry's approval rating after his failed presidential bid has fallen to 40 percent, a 10-point drop from a year ago and slightly less than Obama's 43 percent statewide approval rating, according to the poll. More than half of the people who responded to a statewide survey don't want Perry, the longest-serving governor in Texas history, to run for another term in 2014.
Perry's campaign for president ? during which he made a series of public gaffs and debate flubs that turned him into a national punch line ? embarrassed some Texans. Forty-five percent of those polled said the campaign actually hurt the state's image.
"He should have never been in the race," said Traci Humphrey, a 33-year-old Republican from Dallas, who wasn't a poll respondent. "I think it made us look like idiots, how he conducted himself. His overall image is not good for Texas."
It wasn't long ago that Perry led even presidential public opinion polls. He became an almost overnight front-runner when he strode into the race for the GOP nomination in August.
But that was before a series of verbal mistakes that included forgetting the voting age; forgetting the name of Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor and then mixing up how many judges are on the court; or mistakenly saying U.S. ally Turkey was run by Islamic extremists.
Then there was his infamous "oops" debate moment, when Perry said that as president he'd eliminate three federal agencies but could remember only two of them.
"I think it's pretty clear that people even in Texas don't think that the presidential campaign went very well," said Jim Henson, director of the Texas Politics project at the University of Texas. "There aren't a lot of people who are willing to say, `Wow, he did us proud.'"
The poll was conducted Jan. 21-24 for The Dallas Morning News, the Austin American Statesman, the San Antonio Express-News, the Houston Chronicle and the Fort Worth Star Telegram. The random telephone survey of 806 Texans, including 669 registered voters, has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.5 percentage points.
Forty percent respondents said they disapprove of the job Perry is doing.
Though his approval rating may be on par with Obama's, Perry would still seem more likely to win voters in his very red native state. Henson pointed out that Perry has continued to win re-election even though his approval ratings often fluctuated between the mid to high 30s and low 40s.
He said that Perry was in the mid to high 30s in the second half of 2009 and early 2010, when he easily won the Republican gubernatorial nomination over U.S. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison and then cruised to re-election over Democrat Bill White.
Before the presidential campaign, Perry had never lost an election since 1984, when he won a Texas House seat as a Democrat. He switched parties and won his first statewide post as agricultural commissioner before being elected lieutenant governor, ascending to the governorship when George W. Bush left for the White House in December 2000 and winning election to three full, four-year terms.
Though the poll released Thursday found 53 percent of respondents don't want Perry to run for a fourth full term in two years, Perry spokesman Ray Sullivan said the governor doesn't let polling numbers dictate how he will govern.
Sullivan also said the governor hasn't ruled out running for president again in 2016, particularly if Obama wins a second term.
Asked if his poor presidential showing was embarrassing, Sullivan said, "the presidential campaign let even more Americans know about Texas' pro-job climate, great quality of life and culture of fiscal responsibility."
According to the poll, Perry's approval rating among Texas Republicans dipped from 73 percent to 60 percent, and among independents he fell from nearly half to 27 percent.
Erin Bonner, a soft-spoken Dallas businesswoman, said Perry "didn't come across well" during his presidential bid.
"I probably think of him as more redneck," Bonner said.
__
Associated Press writer Linda Stewart Ball contributed to this report from Dallas.
NEW YORK ? Apparently enough water has flowed under the bridge for Barbara Walters and Star Jones to reunite for a day.
"The View" announced on Wednesday that Jones will appear on the daytime talk show on Feb. 22 to promote an awareness campaign about heart disease among women.
Walters and Jones had a falling out in 2006 when Jones, one of the five original co-hosts of the daytime chat show, exited "The View." ABC decided not to renew her contract and Jones took Walters by surprise by announcing on June 27 that she would be leaving the show.
That exit came more quickly than expected. Walters wouldn't allow her back the next day.
Walters later said that Jones had compelled her co-hosts to lie for her by not revealing that Jones had undergone gastric bypass surgery while on "The View." Jones took her own shots, criticizing Walters for writing an autobiography that revealed details of an affair.
The women later had something serious in common. Both underwent open heart surgery to repair faulty heart valves within two months of each other in 2010.
Jones is coming back to the show to discuss her involvement in the American Heart Association's "Go Red for Women" public information campaign. Women are asked to wear red on Feb. 3 to support heart patients.
This undated photo provided by Genentech Inc. on Jan. 31, 2011 shows a vial of the drug Avastin. Surprising results from two new studies may reopen the debate about the value of Avastin for breast cancer. The drug helped make tumors disappear when given with chemotherapy before surgery to certain women with early-stage disease, doctors found. The FDA recently revoked Avastin's approval for advanced breast cancer, but the studies suggest it might help others whose cancer has not widely spread. (AP Photo/Genentech Inc., File)
This undated photo provided by Genentech Inc. on Jan. 31, 2011 shows a vial of the drug Avastin. Surprising results from two new studies may reopen the debate about the value of Avastin for breast cancer. The drug helped make tumors disappear when given with chemotherapy before surgery to certain women with early-stage disease, doctors found. The FDA recently revoked Avastin's approval for advanced breast cancer, but the studies suggest it might help others whose cancer has not widely spread. (AP Photo/Genentech Inc., File)
Surprising results from two new studies may reopen debate about the value of Avastin for breast cancer. The drug helped make tumors disappear in certain women with early-stage disease, researchers found.
Avastin recently lost approval for treating advanced breast cancer, but the new studies suggest it might help women whose disease has not spread so widely. These were the first big tests of the drug for early breast cancer, and doctors were cautiously excited that it showed potential to help.
In one study, just over one third of women given Avastin plus chemotherapy for a few months before surgery had no sign of cancer in their breasts when doctors went to operate, versus 28 percent of women given chemo alone. In the other study, more than 18 percent on Avastin plus chemo had no cancer in their breasts or lymph nodes at surgery versus 15 percent of those on chemo alone.
A big caveat, though: The true test is whether Avastin improves survival, and it's too soon to know that ? both studies are still tracking the women's health. The drug also has serious side effects.
"I don't think it's clear yet whether this is going to be a winner," Dr. Harry Bear of Virginia Commonwealth University said of Avastin. But he added, "I don't think we're done with it."
Bear led one study, in the United States. Dr. Gunter von Minckwitz of the University of Frankfurt led the other in Germany. Results are in Thursday's New England Journal of Medicine.
Avastin (uh-VAS'-tihn) is still on the market for some colon, lung, kidney and brain tumors. In 2008, it won conditional U.S. approval for advanced breast cancer because it seemed to slow the disease. Further research showed it didn't meaningfully extend life and could cause heart problems, bleeding and other problems. The government revoked its approval for breast cancer in November.
Now doctors can prescribe Avastin for breast cancer but insurers may not pay. Treatment can cost $10,000 a month. The drug is made by California-based Genentech, part of the Swiss company Roche. It is still approved for treating advanced breast cancer in Europe and Japan.
The new studies tested it in a relatively novel way ? before surgery. This is sometimes done to shrink tumors that seem inoperable, or to enable women to have just a lump removed instead of the whole breast.
The women in the studies had tumors that were large enough to warrant treatment besides surgery. Their cancers were not the type that can be treated by Herceptin, another widely used drug.
In the U.S. study, 1,200 women were given chemo or chemo plus infusions of Avastin. By the time of their surgery, no cancer could be found in the breasts of more than 34 percent of those given Avastin versus 28 percent of the others. (Surgeons still have to operate because they don't know the tumor is gone until they check tissue samples.)
The German study involved 1,900 women including some with larger tumors. It used a stricter definition of cancer-free at surgery: no sign of disease in the breast or lymph nodes rather than just the breast. No cancer was seen in 18 percent of women on Avastin versus 15 percent of those given only chemo. Different chemo drugs were used ? a factor that might change Avastin's effectiveness.
The U.S. study was paid for by the National Cancer Institute with some support from drug companies. The German study was sponsored by drug companies. Some researchers consult for Genentech or other makers of cancer drugs.
If even one of these studies shows a survival advantage for Avastin "that would be a game changer" although side effects remain a concern, said Dr. Gary Lyman. He is a Duke University researcher who was on the federal advisory panel that recommended revoking Avastin's approval.
However, von Minckwitz said side effects are more justifiable in early breast cancer patients because "the intention is cure" rather than in late-stage disease where cure isn't usually possible.
Of the more than 200,000 women in the U.S. diagnosed each year with breast cancer, about 30,000 are like those in the new studies, Lyman estimated.
But the studies' impact could be far greater: The participants' tissue samples are being analyzed for genes and biomarkers to predict which women are most likely to respond to Avastin. That could lead to a relook of using the drug for certain women with advanced disease, too.
Three other studies are under way testing Avastin in early breast cancer; one is expected to have results by the end of this year, said Dr. Sandra Horning, global development chief of cancer drugs for Roche and Genentech. The company does not plan to seek any change in Avastin's use until more results are available, she said.
___
Online:
Studies: http://www.nejm.org
Avastin: http://www.avastin.com
___
Marilynn Marchione can be followed at http://twitter.com/MMarchioneAP
Well, we finally know who will be competing for Oscar gold come Feburary 26, and with everyone everywhere talking about this year's nominees, a lot of people are ticked off. So much of the post-nomination Oscar conversation gets swallowed up by the angry cries of snubs and shutouts. While we're just as mad about some of [...]
Contact: Amaia Portugal a.portugal@elhuyar.com 34-943-363-040 Elhuyar Fundazioa
The concentration of CO2 is on the rise, which could make these plants more resistant when facing future droughts, according to Anabel Robredo of the University of the Basque Country
This release is available in Spanish.
The upsurge in droughts is one of the main consequences of climate change, and affects crops in particular. However, Anabel Robredo, a biologist at the University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU), has confirmed that in the case of barley at least, climate change itself is providing it with self-defence mechanisms to tackle a lack of water. Climate change is in fact also responsible for a considerable increase in the concentration of CO2, a gas that, paradoxically, is providing this plant with certain characteristics enabling it to offset the effects of drought. Her thesis is entitled Mecanismos fisiolgicos de respuesta de la cebada al impacto de la sequia y el elevado CO2: adaptacin al cambio climtico (Physiological Response Mechanisms of Barley to the impact of drought and elevated CO2: adaptation to climate change). Various international publications have also echoed this research, the most recent being Environmental and Experimental Botany.
Basically, Robredo has analysed the effect that takes place in the barley as a result of the combination of two of the main consequences brought to us by climate change: the enriching of CO2 and drought. As the researcher explains, "the atmospheric concentration of this gas has increased considerably within the last few decades, and it is expected to increase much more. So we compared barley plants that grow in a CO2 concentration equal to the current (ambient) one with others cultivated in double the concentration, which is what we are expected to reach by the end of this century." The study was carried out through a progressive imposition of drought so it also determined the capacity of these plants to recover following the lack of irrigation, in an ambient CO2 concentration as well as in the one expected for the future.
More efficient use of water
When discussing plants in general, the effects of an elevated concentration of CO2 were already known. The bibliographical references quoted by Robredo show that this is in fact so, since among other things, this elevated concentration increases biomass, root growth and total leaf area, and alters net photosynthesis rates and efficiency in water use. The so-called stomatal conductance is one of the keys, explains the researcher: "Stomata are pores that plants have in their leaves, and it is through them that they carry out the water and air exchange. When a plant is subjected to a high level of CO2, it closes its stomata to a certain degree. This causes the water to escape less, which is translated into greater efficiency in its use."
So a greater concentration of CO2 would appear to put the plants in an advantageous situation to address droughts. "If they use the water more slowly, they use it more efficiently and can grow over a longer period of time," explains Robredo. At least this is what she has been able to confirm in the case of barley. The results show that even though drought is harmful, its effect on barley is less when combined with an elevated concentration of CO2. In comparison with a situation in which an ambient level of this gas exists, its increase causes leaf and soil water content to fall less, the rates of photosynthesis to be maintained for longer, growth to be greater and the assimilation of nitrogen and carbon to be less affected. The researcher does in fact explain the importance of maintaining the balance between the nitrogen and the carbon: "Both the take-up of carbon and the assimilation of nitrogen have increased in a balanced way."
On the other hand, when irrigation is re-established in barley plants that have been through a drought, its effect has been seen to revert more rapidly to its original state under elevated CO2 conditions, in most of the parameters analysed.
It cannot be extrapolated
So, under future CO2 conditions, the negative repercussions of drought driven by climate change would be delayed further in comparison with the current concentration of this gas. In the case of barley this is so. However, can these results be extrapolated to other crops? As this researcher points out, it is not that simple: "You have to be very careful because plant species often respond very differently, even displaying the opposite. But what we can say is that most plant species tend to use water more efficiently in conditions of elevated CO2 and drought, and that they grow more."
###
About the author
Anabel Robredo-Ruiz de Azua (Bilbao, 1976) is a graduate in Biological Sciences. She wrote up her thesis under the supervision of Dr. Alberto Muoz Rueda (Professor of Plant Physiology) and Dr. Amaia Mena-Petite (Associate Professor), both from the Department of Plant Biology and Ecology of the Faculty of Science and Technology of the UPV/EHU. Today, Robredo belongs to PhD Research Personnel at the laboratory of Plant Physiology of this same department and faculty.
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AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
Contact: Amaia Portugal a.portugal@elhuyar.com 34-943-363-040 Elhuyar Fundazioa
The concentration of CO2 is on the rise, which could make these plants more resistant when facing future droughts, according to Anabel Robredo of the University of the Basque Country
This release is available in Spanish.
The upsurge in droughts is one of the main consequences of climate change, and affects crops in particular. However, Anabel Robredo, a biologist at the University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU), has confirmed that in the case of barley at least, climate change itself is providing it with self-defence mechanisms to tackle a lack of water. Climate change is in fact also responsible for a considerable increase in the concentration of CO2, a gas that, paradoxically, is providing this plant with certain characteristics enabling it to offset the effects of drought. Her thesis is entitled Mecanismos fisiolgicos de respuesta de la cebada al impacto de la sequia y el elevado CO2: adaptacin al cambio climtico (Physiological Response Mechanisms of Barley to the impact of drought and elevated CO2: adaptation to climate change). Various international publications have also echoed this research, the most recent being Environmental and Experimental Botany.
Basically, Robredo has analysed the effect that takes place in the barley as a result of the combination of two of the main consequences brought to us by climate change: the enriching of CO2 and drought. As the researcher explains, "the atmospheric concentration of this gas has increased considerably within the last few decades, and it is expected to increase much more. So we compared barley plants that grow in a CO2 concentration equal to the current (ambient) one with others cultivated in double the concentration, which is what we are expected to reach by the end of this century." The study was carried out through a progressive imposition of drought so it also determined the capacity of these plants to recover following the lack of irrigation, in an ambient CO2 concentration as well as in the one expected for the future.
More efficient use of water
When discussing plants in general, the effects of an elevated concentration of CO2 were already known. The bibliographical references quoted by Robredo show that this is in fact so, since among other things, this elevated concentration increases biomass, root growth and total leaf area, and alters net photosynthesis rates and efficiency in water use. The so-called stomatal conductance is one of the keys, explains the researcher: "Stomata are pores that plants have in their leaves, and it is through them that they carry out the water and air exchange. When a plant is subjected to a high level of CO2, it closes its stomata to a certain degree. This causes the water to escape less, which is translated into greater efficiency in its use."
So a greater concentration of CO2 would appear to put the plants in an advantageous situation to address droughts. "If they use the water more slowly, they use it more efficiently and can grow over a longer period of time," explains Robredo. At least this is what she has been able to confirm in the case of barley. The results show that even though drought is harmful, its effect on barley is less when combined with an elevated concentration of CO2. In comparison with a situation in which an ambient level of this gas exists, its increase causes leaf and soil water content to fall less, the rates of photosynthesis to be maintained for longer, growth to be greater and the assimilation of nitrogen and carbon to be less affected. The researcher does in fact explain the importance of maintaining the balance between the nitrogen and the carbon: "Both the take-up of carbon and the assimilation of nitrogen have increased in a balanced way."
On the other hand, when irrigation is re-established in barley plants that have been through a drought, its effect has been seen to revert more rapidly to its original state under elevated CO2 conditions, in most of the parameters analysed.
It cannot be extrapolated
So, under future CO2 conditions, the negative repercussions of drought driven by climate change would be delayed further in comparison with the current concentration of this gas. In the case of barley this is so. However, can these results be extrapolated to other crops? As this researcher points out, it is not that simple: "You have to be very careful because plant species often respond very differently, even displaying the opposite. But what we can say is that most plant species tend to use water more efficiently in conditions of elevated CO2 and drought, and that they grow more."
###
About the author
Anabel Robredo-Ruiz de Azua (Bilbao, 1976) is a graduate in Biological Sciences. She wrote up her thesis under the supervision of Dr. Alberto Muoz Rueda (Professor of Plant Physiology) and Dr. Amaia Mena-Petite (Associate Professor), both from the Department of Plant Biology and Ecology of the Faculty of Science and Technology of the UPV/EHU. Today, Robredo belongs to PhD Research Personnel at the laboratory of Plant Physiology of this same department and faculty.
[ | E-mail | Share ]
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VANCOUVER, British Columbia - Heather Mitts remembers the feeling walking off the field in Cancun, having been a part of the first and only loss the U.S. women's soccer team has ever suffered in a qualifying match for the World Cup or Olympics.
"It was awful," Mitts said. "It was obviously for us a real wakeup call. We definitely weren't prepared. We weren't prepared, and they came out and they played great against us."
Final score: Mexico 2, United States 1. It was Nov. 5, 2010. Mexico had punched its ticket to the World Cup. The Americans would have to play three more games to get there.
The opportunity for payback has arrived. The U.S. plays Mexico on Tuesday for first place in their group in the CONCACAF qualifying tournament for the London Olympics.
"That's obviously the game that's been marked on our calendars this entire tournament," forward Abby Wambach said.
And, yes, the teams have met once since the game that many consider to be among the biggest upsets in soccer history, but it was an exhibition in New Jersey last June, a warmup for the World Cup won 1-0 by the U.S.
That hardly counted as revenge.
"No. Absolutely not," Mitts said. "That was a friendly. This is Olympic qualifying. It doesn't matter if we're playing Mexico or not; we still have to win these games to get to the next step. I think it does add to it that we are playing Mexico ? and the revenge factor does help."
Beyond having a score to settle, the game is a vital one. The region only gets to send two teams to London, and four remain in the hunt. The winner of the U.S.-Mexico game will draw an easier match against Costa Rica in the do-or-die semifinals, while the loser has to play the more formidable Canada.
Coach Pia Sundhage and her players spent much time contemplating what went wrong in Cancun 14 months ago. Sure, the Mexicans had home-field advantage ? the rowdy crowd spent the game chanting and throwing cans, bottles, paper and other objects toward the field ? but it's a brutal fact that the Americans were so used to winning that complacency had settled in.
"I definitely think taking a team for granted ? and maybe thinking we were better than what we were ? had a lot to do with it," forward Lauren Cheney said.
Cheney also said many of her a teammates were simply exhausted. The Cancun tournament, and the camp that preceded it, had come at the end of the long Women's Professional Soccer league season.
Sundhage takes the blame for that. She said the team wasn't sharp during the entire tournament.
"When I think back, I made a mistake having them together too long," Sundhage said. "I learned my lesson."
For the Olympic qualifying, the team had a shorter camp in California before arriving in Vancouver. It's hard to judge the results thus far: The Americans have won by scores of 14-0 and 13-0, but their opponents were so overmatched it wouldn't have mattered much how the U.S. prepared. The most helpful result of the blowouts is an overwhelming goal differential that means a draw against Mexico will be enough to win the group.
Mexico also has been cruising through the tournament, winning 5-0 and 7-0 against the same teams the Americans have played. The lopsided scores have allowed both teams to rest key players to keep them fresh for Tuesday's showdown.
While the Americans cite the loss in Cancun as more evidence of a growing parity in women's soccer, Mexico coach Leonardo Cuellar said his country has far to go to catch up with its counterparts to the north.
"They're obviously the best in the world," Cuellar said. "You see the U.S. and Canada, they basically have national teams that if they're not living together, they are dedicated to a national team. For us we still have players that go to school, go to work. We're at a different level, so it's a big challenge for us."
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Joseph White can be reached at http://twitter.com/JGWhite
Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
A Pennsylvania widow is on a mission to find her husband's cremated remains after she says his urn disappeared from her checked luggage. WCAU-TV's Byron Scott reports.
By Teresa Masterson and Dan Stamm, WCAU
Angeline O?Grady?s husband, Brian, died from cancer last October.
"He was a great guy -- he doesn't deserve this," O'Grady said.?
On Nov. 1 she was on her way to England to scatter Brian's ashes in his hometown of Hull when the airline lost her husband?s remains, she says.?
O'Grady says Transportation Security Administration officials who told her that she could not take her husband?s ashes, which were in a box, through airport security. Directed to go back to the US Airways counter, O?Grady put the ashes into her checked luggage and had a "Fragile" sticker put on the suitcase, she told NBC Philadelphia.?
She got off the plane and drove to her sister-in-law's home in her husband's hometown.?
"When I opened the baggage and everything the ashes weren't there," O'Grady said.?
Related: Tips for flying with cremated remains
The Trumbauersville, Pa. woman says she contacted US Air and her son sent e-mails, but to no avail.?
"We're no further along than the day I discovered they were missing on the second of November," O'Grady said.?
According to e-mails provided by O'Grady's son, the airline received the correspondence and assigned the incident a case number. But the remains were still missing nearly three months after the family says they were lost and they were looking for closure.?
"My kids, everybody's upset and yet US Air just blows us off," said O'Grady.?
US Air told NBC10 they are continuing to investigate the matter and were working with the TSA to figure out what happened. They apologized to the O'Grady's.?
This story originally appeared on nbcphiladelphia.com, the website of Philadelphia's NBC News affiliate, WCAU.
On Saturday, January 21 Playboy and Bombay Sapphire presented the Imaginative Filmmakers Spotlight during the Sundance Film Festival. The cocktail reception, dinner and short film presentation honored Andy Nguyen as the Playboy Bombay Sapphire Short Series winner. The event was hosted by Anthony Mackie, and attended by guests including: Nia Vardalos, Scott Wolf, David Burtka, [...]
Aretha Franklin, who announced January 3 that she was engaged to Willie Wilkerson and would wed this summer, released a statement Monday with a change of plans.
"Regretfully, To Our Friends and Supporters: Will and I have decided we were moving a little too fast," said the Queen of Soul and her her "forever friend" William.
"There were a number of things that had not been thought through thoroughly," the 69-year-old Franklin added. "There will be no wedding at this time."
"We will not comment on it any further because of the very personal and sensitive nature of it. We appreciate all of the many well wishes from friends."
The statement was signed "Aretha and Will."
Franklin is famously private about her personal life. In an interview with PEOPLE last year, she politely declined to discuss whether she was even in a relationship.
Presumably, the longtime friends will remain that way. "Will and I are very close," Franklin told Jet in 2007. "We stayed close and he escorts me on occasion and we're just cool. We're real cool."
Pittsburgh's Tray Woodall (1) fouls Louisville's Kyle Kuric (14) as he shoots in the first half of the NCAA college basketball game on Saturday, Jan. 21, 2012, in Pittsburgh. (AP Photo/Keith Srakocic)
Pittsburgh's Tray Woodall (1) fouls Louisville's Kyle Kuric (14) as he shoots in the first half of the NCAA college basketball game on Saturday, Jan. 21, 2012, in Pittsburgh. (AP Photo/Keith Srakocic)
Pittsburgh's Ashton Gibbs (12) hits a three-point shot over Louisville's Peyton Siva in the first half of the NCAA college basketball game on Saturday, Jan. 21, 2012, in Pittsburgh. (AP Photo/Keith Srakocic)
Louisville's Kyle Kuric (14) hits a three-point shot over Pittsburgh's Tray Woodall (1) in the first half of the NCAA college basketball game on Saturday, Jan. 21, 2012, in Pittsburgh. (AP Photo/Keith Srakocic)
Louisville's Russ Smith (2) looks to shot around Pittsburgh's Nasir Robinson in the first half of the NCAA college basketball game on Saturday, Jan. 21, 2012, in Pittsburgh. (AP Photo/Keith Srakocic)
Pittsburgh's Nasir Robinson (35) and Louisville's Russ Smith chase after a loose ball in the first half of the NCAA college basketball game on Saturday, Jan. 21, 2012, in Pittsburgh. (AP Photo/Keith Srakocic)
PITTSBURGH (AP) ? Kyle Kuric scored 21 points in his return from an ankle injury to lead No. 23 Louisville to a 73-62 victory over struggling Pittsburgh on Saturday night.
Chane Behanan added a career-high 19 points for the Cardinals (15-5, 3-4 Big East), who took control during an 11-2 run midway through the second half to send the Panthers (11-9, 0-7) to their eighth straight loss.
Ashton Gibbs and Lamar Patterson led Pitt with 14 points each but the defending Big East champions remained the only winless team in conference play.
The Panthers hoped the return of point guard Tray Woodall, who missed 11 of the last 12 games with groin and abdominal injuries, would end the program's longest losing streak in more than a decade. Instead, Woodall went scoreless in 21 minutes and Pitt's miserable stretch continued.
Kuric joined a long list of Cardinals players who have missed significant playing time due to injury when he turned his left ankle in practice a week ago, missing a win over DePaul and a loss to Marquette.
The senior swingman wasted little time making an impact upon his return early in the first half. He took a charge on his first offensive defensive possession then hit a layup at the other end of the floor.
It was the kind of leadership the Cardinals have lacked at times over the last month, when they lost five of seven to drop from No. 4 in the polls to the bottom half of the Big East.
They righted themselves in front of a national television audience at a place that used to be formidable. Pitt lost just 12 times in its first nine seasons at the Petersen Events Center. The Panthers have now dropped four straight on their home floor.
Pitt never led over the game's final 26 minutes, with its best chance of making a game of it coming when Dante Taylor's dunk drew the Panthers within 45-41 with 13:04 to play.
Then, the turnover problems that have plagued the Panthers all season returned. Louisville scored 11 of the game's next 13 points, six coming off Pitt giveaways. By the time Russ Smith buried a 3-pointer from the corner to put the Cardinals up 56-43, the packed house at the Pete started to thin out.
Not exactly the kind of performance the Panthers ? the Big East's winningest program over the last decade ? were looking for in the midst of the toughest season in coach Jamie Dixon's tenure.
The Panthers have spent the last two months searching for an identity after Woodall went down in a win over Duquesne on Nov. 30. His absence forced Gibbs to take over most of the ballhandling duties, with mixed results ? at best.
The Panthers looked more comfortable with Woodall running the show at the outset, racing to a quick 13-7 lead. But maybe Woodall was too anxious. He picked up two fouls before the game was 6 minutes old, and Pitt's rhythm disappeared.
Louisville turned an early six-point deficit into a 31-28 halftime lead, with Kuric displaying the kind of clutch shotmaking that make him arguably the Big East's most improved player as a junior.
Thrust into a true leadership role this season, Kuric hasn't quite been able to muster the same magic. Yet he looked like his old self at times, calmly drilling 3-pointers from the corner and mixing it up as Louisville turned a typically tight series ? three of the last four meetings had been decided in overtime ? into a relative laugher.
Republican presidential candidate and former House Speaker Newt Gingrich reacts during a?South Carolina Republican presidential primary night rally, Saturday, Jan. 21, 2012, in Columbia, S.C. Callista Gingrich looks on at right. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)
Republican presidential candidate and former House Speaker Newt Gingrich reacts during a?South Carolina Republican presidential primary night rally, Saturday, Jan. 21, 2012, in Columbia, S.C. Callista Gingrich looks on at right. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)
Republican presidential candidate former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, left, embraces son Matt during his South Carolina primary election night rally Saturday, Jan. 21, 2012, in Columbia, S.C. (AP Photo/David Goldman)
Occupy protesters are escorted out of the room after throwing glitter on Republican presidential candidate, former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum during a South Carolina Republican presidential primary night rally at the Citadel, Saturday, Jan. 21, 2012, in Charleston, S.C. (AP Photo/Rainier Ehrhardt)
Republican presidential candidate, former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum, left, speaks as his wife, Karen, looks on during a South Carolina Republican presidential primary night rally at the Citadel, Saturday, Jan. 21, 2012, in Charleston, S.C. Santorum says it's a "wide open race" for the GOP nomination, even after finishing a distant third in Saturday's primary. He'd hoped to build momentum from a late victory in the Iowa caucuses. (AP Photo/Rainier Ehrhardt)
WASHINGTON (AP) ? Some notable moments from Saturday's South Carolina presidential primary:
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Fixing for a fight:
Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney told supporters Saturday to get ready for a long battle ahead.
Romney took sharp aim at President Barack Obama, as well as his GOP rivals' criticism of his time at Bain Capital, the private equity firm he founded.
"If Republican leaders want to join this president in demonizing success and disparaging conservative values, then they're not going to be fit to be our nominee," he said.
Romney finished No. 2 behind Gingrich, having placed first in the New Hampshire primary.
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Haley's short coattails:
South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley is riding a wave of popularity. But that wasn't enough to help Romney, whom she endorsed in the primary.
Exit polls found two-thirds of Saturday's voters approved the way Haley is handling her job as governor, including nearly three-quarters of tea party supporters. But Romney won over only about 3 in 10 of those who approved of her job performance.
Gingrich, for his part, won support from about 4 in 10 Haley supporters.
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'Occupy' Santorum:
Even the "Occupy Wall Street" movement had its moment Saturday.
During Rick Santorum's speech, the former Pennsylvania senator pledged to work to help Americans achieve their potential. But one Occupy protester interrupted him with a jeer: "Unless you're gay. Occupy!" Santorum has long been criticized by gay-rights groups for his opposition to same-sex marriage.
Other Occupy protesters tried to draw focus as Santorum shook hands with supporters after his speech. Santorum's aides and volunteers grabbed the protesters and hauled them from the ballroom at the Citadel.
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Internet devilry:
Some of South Carolina's notorious 11th-hour shenanigans emerged in a race known at times for its nastiness.
On Saturday, fake email reports ? later denounced by Gingrich and his campaign ? spread on the Internet about Gingrich and his ex-wife Marianne.
State Attorney Gen. Alan Wilson ordered a preliminary review of the phony messages to see if any laws had been broken.
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Late to the party:
Few things could stop Gingrich Saturday night ? except for a traffic accident.
Campaigning up to the very end, Gingrich ran through five campaign stops on primary day. That included his last at a burger restaurant in Laurens, about an hour northwest of Columbia, where his victory celebration was to take place.
But an accident on the highway delayed Gingrich's bus, making him late to greet supporters.
CHARLESTON, S.C. ? If Herman Cain could attract the crowd that came to see Stephen Colbert here, he might still be running for president.
But the former pizza executive didn?t seem to mind playing second fiddle before the hundreds of students and onlookers that packed into a college courtyard to watch the Comedy Central star turned faux presidential candidate lampoon the political process.
Continue Reading
Scenes ahead of Colbert rally
Even if the joke appeared to be on Cain.
The event had all the trappings of a real political rally: A peppy marching band, a large ?Vote Cain? banner as the backdrop and a stirring rendition of the ?Star-Spangled Banner.?
Yet it was clear the man at Colbert?s side was not the star attraction.
?Before I introduce the man, we?re all gathered here to see introduce me,? Colbert said to laughs during his seven-minute introduction of Cain, which was not surprisingly peppered with jokes about the ex-candidate. ?Herman Cain is an outsider. In fact, he is such an outsider he?s not even running for president anymore.?
?I want you to vote for Herman Cain, because Herman Cain is me,? Colbert said to hoots and hollers. ?We both flout convention when it comes to things like taxes and debt and how many Ubekis there are in Ubeki-beki-beki-stan-stan.?
With Colbert?s urging, Cain received a rousing welcome to the stage, where a gospel choir stood to greet him.
?Mr. Colbert could not get on the ballot. I could not get off the ballot,? he said, explaining how the two personalities came together for the event.
But it was apparent that the further Cain dove into his message ? that Washington is broken and only people from the outside can steer it back on track ? the more he lost the electricity in an audience that came primarily for Colbert.
When he leveled his common charge that ?Washington is broken,? a smattering of students shouted back ?occupy.?
As Cain meandered through his decision to endorse ?the people? rather than a particular candidate and plugged his website, someone yelled, ?bring back Colbert!?
A final gratuitous reference to his 9-9-9 plan prompted a student to chide, ?stop it.?
It may be the job of Jennifer Lopez to give her opinions on season 11 of American Idol - which kicks off tonight - but the singer's boyfriend has comforting news for all that don't receive Golden Tickets:
It doesn't matter what anyone else thinks!
"Age, status, n opinions of others are irrelevant," Casper Smart Tweeted this morning. "Our hearts are endless and our souls infinite. Our ages are mere reminders of the hours logged on this earth and the precious time remaining."
The 24-year old dancer added: "We should all honor our time here by indulging our passion and dreams. So, close your ears and open your hearts; Love and be happy!"
J. Lo proceeded to reTweet the messages, meaning... we have no idea actually. But, hey, as long as these two are enjoying themselves!
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After being pressed by Rick Perry during Monday night's debate in Myrtle Beach, S.C., Mitt Romney said he would "probably" release his tax returns in April if he becomes the presidential nominee of the Republican Party.
Romney acknowledged on Tuesday that the tax returns will indicate that he pays an effective tax rate of "closer to 15 percent."
"If I become our nominee, and what's happened in history is people have released them in about April of the coming year, and that's probably what I would do," Romney said Monday.
Candidates are not legally required to release their income tax records, but recent history mostly--but? not always--supports Romney's claim.
Four years ago as a presidential candidate, Barack Obama released his tax returns for the years 2000 to 2006 in late March, when he was in the middle of a competitive race for the Democratic nomination.
Facing pressure from Obama, Hillary Clinton followed on April 4. Later that month on April 18, John McCain released his records. By that time, McCain had already locked up the nomination.
Romney did not release his tax records during his 2008 campaign.
In 2004, John Kerry, by then the presumptive nominee of the Democratic Party, released his 2003 tax records in April, as did President George W. Bush, who released his information every year while in office.
Before becoming president, George W. Bush released his tax information while serving as governor of Texas, including his complete income tax statement from 1996, well before he was a candidate for higher office.
In short, Romney would not be all that unusual if he chose to wait until April to release his tax records. So why is he facing so much criticism?
1. Romney has never stated with certainty that he will release his records--and has said that he does not intend to. Romney's statements Monday night were the closest he has come to saying he would release his tax records. And they fell far short of a clear, "Yes, of course I will release them."
In December, Romney said he had no plans to release his returns. "Never say never, but I don't intend to do so," he told NBC News.
2. His opponents are ponying up. Perry has made his tax records public for years as the sitting governor of Texas, and Newt Gingrich said he plans to make his records public on Thursday.
3. Details on Romney's taxes could be highly interesting or controversial. Romney's wealth and extensive business ties?something he is running on?make his tax return an object of larger curiosity than an ordinary politician's 1040.
Democrats and some of his Republican opponents have painted Romney as out-of-touch, in part because of his personal wealth. His tax returns could offer these critics more fodder. The same goes for his tax rate. Like Warren Buffet, Romney is paying lower tax rates than many middle-class Americans.
And Romney's record at Bain Capital, a Massachusetts private-equity firm, has come under scrutiny. If tax records show that Romney continues to substantially profit from the company--as is almost certainly the case--critics will likely attempt to link Romney to decisions made at Bain after he was no longer leading the company.
4. Transparency: All recent presidential nominees have released their tax returns voluntarily. It would be very difficult for Romney to argue why the American people can trust him were he to stand alone as the candidate who would not disclose his tax records.
Other popular Yahoo! News stories:
? Romney does the math on his tax rate ('closer to 15 percent') and his jobs record at Bain
? Romney makes new overtures to social conservatives in South Carolina
? Candidates pile on Romney in South Carolina debate
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Public release date: 25-Jan-2012
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