Started as a Socialist political event, the holiday blended in the culture of many countries, primarily Eastern Europe, Russia, and the former Soviet block. In many regions, the day lost its political flavor, and became simply an occasion for men to express their love for women in a way somewhat similar to a mixture of Mother’s Day and St Valentine’s Day. In other regions, however, the original political and human rights theme designated by the United Nations runs strong, and political and social awareness of the struggles of women worldwide are brought out and examined in a hopeful manner.

The IWD is also celebrated as the first spring holiday in the Northern Hemisphere as the first day of March is considered the first day of the spring season.

Women’s Day 2010. NATO promotes the role of women in peace and security

World Kidney Day Events

NKF’s KEEP, Kidney Early Evaluation Program, offers free kidney health screenings around the country.

California

1. KEEP screening in Pacoima on March 21
2. Community Forum Conference on March 11

Connecticut

1. KEEP screening in New Haven, CT on March 11

Hawaii

1. KEEP screening in Honolulu, HI on March 11
2. KEEP screening in Maui on March 11

Illinois

1. Kidney health risk assessment in Oak Forest, IL on March 11 (screening includes diabetic foot checks)

Massachusetts

1. KEEP screening in Boston, MA on March 11

Michigan

1. Ongoing Personal Action Toward Health (PATH) workshop for adults with long-term health problems in various locations throughout March
2. Ongoing fitness classes in various locations throughout March
3. Grand Rapids Kidney Walk kickoff on March 11
4. Grand Rapids Bowl-a-Thon in Grandville
5. Noodles & Company fundraiser across Michigan March 25

Minnesota

1. KEEP Screening in St. Paul, MN on March 11

Missouri

1. KEEP screening in TBA on March 11
2. Kidney health risk assessment at the Capital in Jefferson City, MO (for legislatures only)
3. Jim Edmonds Steakhouse in Saint Louis will be donating 25% of their dinner revenue on March 11 to NKF in honor of World Kidney Day

New Jersey

1. KEEP screening in Clifton, NJ on March 21

New York

1. CKD “Grand Rounds for Syracuse” on March 1
2. KEEP screening at NYS Legislative Office Building in Albany on March 2
3. Nurse education program in Albany on March 10
4. Kidney Risk Assessment in Albany on March 11
5. Kidney Walk kickoff in Albany on March 11
6. KEEP screening in North Tonawanda, NY in March
7. 2 kidney-friendly cooking classes at the Tops Cooking School in Amherst and West Seneca on March 11
8. KEEP screening at local office in Syracuse on March 11
9. Kidney Walk in Syracuse, NY on March 28
10. Advocacy Day in Albany, NY on March 2
11. Interactive Public Education Classes in Rochester, NY on March 9, 10, 16, 17 & 18
12. CKD Conference for Medical Professional in Rochester, NY on March 6
13. Renal Grand Rounds at Jacobi Medical Center in Bronx, NY

Ohio

1. Pediatric Nephrology Conference at Nationwide Children’s Hospital in Columbus on March 18

Pennsylvania

1. Kidney Ball in Philadelphia, PA on March 6
2. Charity Dinner at Adobe Cafe (15% of proceeds donated) in Philadelphia, PA on March 9
3. Kidney Health Risk Assessment in Philadelphia, PA on March 10
4. Kidney Health Risk Assessment in Harrisburg, PA on March 11
5. KEEP screening in East Liberty on March 11
6. KEEP screening in Philadelphia, PA on March 13
7. Lehigh Valley Patient Program in Bethlehem, PA on March 14
8. Kidney Day at Wachovia Center in Philadelphia, PA on March 26
9. KEEP screening in Harrisburg, PA on March 27

South Carolina

1. Kidney health risk assessment in Columbia on March 13

Tennessee

1. KEEP screening in Memphis on March 11

Texas

1. Professional Symposium in Houston, TX on March 5
2. Kidney Health Risk Assessment in Houston on March 11
3. Patient Education Symposium in Houston on March 28
4. Event to raise kidney disease awareness in Houston on March 28

Washington, DC

1. KEEP screening in Washington, DC on March 11

West Virginia

1. KEEP screening in Charleston on March 29

(sources – www.kidney.org | www.worldkidneyday.org )

NIH Grants to Children’s Hospital Will Advance Novel Stem Cell Treatments for Blood Disorders

May Benefit Patients with Transplants, Hemophilia, Down Syndrome

PHILADELPHIA, Feb. 15 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — The new decade may herald an era of cell therapy — treating human diseases by delivering highly specific beneficial cells. In the wake of an NIH decision late last year permitting federally funded researchers to use new lines of human embryonic stem cells, the door has opened more widely to stem cell research.

Anyone who has ever undergone a bone marrow transplant has received a type of cell therapy, but current progress in stem cell research holds the potential of precisely controlling cell development for a broader variety of clinical treatments than ever before.

Two large federal grants recently awarded to The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia will advance the frontiers of research into cellular therapies. Both programs aim to engineer human cells into new generations of cells and tissues for patients suffering from blood diseases, cancer and, likely, a greater range of other disorders.

One grant focuses on developing human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) to improve platelet supplies for hematology and oncology patients, as well as using platelets to deliver customized proteins to injured blood vessels. The other grant concentrates on creating induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs), a type of stem cell that researchers would use to better understand a variety of diseases, and eventually channel into producing healthy replacement tissues for sick patients. Both programs exemplify 21st century cellular therapy.

“Having a larger and higher-quality supply of platelets will benefit many patients,” said Mortimer Poncz, M.D., chief of Hematology at Children’s Hospital, and co-principal investigator of the $16.8 million, seven-year grant entitled, “Embryonic Stem Cell-Derived Platelets as Cellular Therapeutics.” The National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, part of the National Institutes of Health, issued the grant under a new initiative, the NHLBI Progenitor Cell Biology Consortium.

Platelets are naturally occurring blood cells that help control bleeding and assist in wound healing. Patients receiving chemotherapy and bone marrow transplantation depend on transfusions of platelets to restore levels depleted by their treatments. However, the donor supply is limited, and after multiple transfusions, patients may develop antibodies that attack the donated platelets.

Under the platelet grant, awarded jointly to Children’s Hospital and the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center/University of Washington Cancer Consortium, researchers will pursue a novel approach–generating platelets from human embryonic stem cells (hESCs). Such cells–derived from human embryos fertilized in vitro fertilization clinics and donated for research purposes–are capable of developing into every type of tissue in the body.

In seeking to control the fate of these hESCs, the two research centers in this collaboration are pursuing complementary approaches. The Children’s Hospital group, under Poncz, will focus on generating platelets and their precursor cells from hESCs in laboratory studies. The Washington State team, under co-principal investigator Beverly Torok-Storb, Ph.D., will rely on its expertise in stem cell transplants and animal studies to develop reagents to administer to patients that will stimulate the patients’ existing precursor cells to develop into platelets.

At Children’s Hospital, two project leaders are prominent stem cell researchers recently recruited to the Hospital’s Center for Cellular and Molecular Therapeutics, directed by gene therapy pioneer Katherine A. High, M.D. Paul J. Gadue, Ph.D., and Deborah L. French, Ph.D., will lead important components of the overall program. (Another project leader in the platelet grant, Mitchell Weiss, M.D., Ph.D., also leads a second NIH-funded grant for stem cell research, described below.) Children’s Hospital has established a new core facility, the Human Embryonic Stem Cell Core, to supply cells for their studies.

In addition to boosting the supply of platelets to carry out their usual biological roles, the researchers also seek to customize them as drug delivery vehicles. In mouse studies, for instance, Poncz’s team previously treated the bleeding disorder hemophilia by loading platelets with the clotting factor that is deficient in that disease. “In addition to investigating platelets for treating hemophilia in people, we will investigate their potential role in delivering other bioactive proteins to sites of vascular injury,” said Poncz. “For instance, platelets might deliver an enzyme called urokinase to selectively disintegrate blood clots.”

Second grant will investigate induced pluripotent stem cells

A separate grant from the NHLBI also supports stem cell research, but focuses on a more recently discovered type of cell. This two-year, $997,000 grant was awarded to hematologist Mitchell Weiss, M.D., Ph.D. The Grand Opportunity (GO) Grant, funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, is part of an NHLBI program to support novel research designed to quickly advance an area of biomedicine in significant ways.

Scientists demonstrated in 2007 that they could reprogram human somatic cells (the vast majority of cells that are not sperm or egg cells) into a pluripotent state–the capacity to develop into other types of human cells. In this project, Weiss and colleagues will manipulate induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) into becoming hematopoietic, or blood-forming, cells.

“These cells represent a potentially remarkable tool for custom-fitting new tissue to an individual patient,” said Weiss. “Because they originate from an individual patient’s cells, they will not be rejected as foreign by the patient’s immune system.” But much work remains to be done in fully characterizing how iPSCs develop, and in understanding how they may differ from both hESCs and from typical blood cells.

Weiss will also investigate iPSCs as a powerful new model system for understanding how blood disorders develop. “Many blood diseases are difficult to study in patients, in terms of the exact mechanisms by which cells develop abnormally,” said Weiss. “We will investigate iPSCs in models of two pediatric disorders, with the goal of using our improved knowledge of cell biology to devise treatments.”

Weiss’s group will focus on blood diseases associated with Down syndrome. Children with Down syndrome are at higher risk for transient myeloproliferative disorder, a precursor of leukemia, as well as for acute megakaryoblastic leukemia. Using animal models, the researchers will stimulate iPSCs to mimic disease processes seen in Down syndrome, in hopes of discovering ways to prevent these forms of leukemia.

A third goal of Weiss’s project is to collect tissues from patients, then reprogram their cells into iPSCs and develop them into tissue banks for specific diseases. In this effort, his team will concentrate on a genetic blood disorder called Diamond Blackfan anemia.

Weiss’s team at Children’s Hospital will partner with scientists at two other institutions in the region: Pennsylvania State University, in State College, Pa., and the Coriell Institute for Medical Research, in Camden, N.J.

“The successful completion of these grants was in large part based on the recent establishment of the Human Embryonic Stem Cell Core at Children’s Hospital,” said Poncz. “These two grants illustrate the promising future that stem cell biology holds, not only for research purposes and for hematologic and oncologic disorders, but for a wide range of diseases that presently have suboptimal therapies. The future of stem cell therapy may be limited only by our imagination.”

About The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia: The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia was founded in 1855 as the nation’s first pediatric hospital. Through its long-standing commitment to providing exceptional patient care, training new generations of pediatric healthcare professionals and pioneering major research initiatives, Children’s Hospital has fostered many discoveries that have benefited children worldwide. Its pediatric research program is among the largest in the country, ranking second in National Institutes of Health funding. In addition, its unique family-centered care and public service programs have brought the 441-bed hospital recognition as a leading advocate for children and adolescents. For more information, visit http://www.chop.edu.

RAMBLES OF AN ARCHEOLOGIST AMONG OLD BOOKS AND IN OLD PLACES

Here is an excerpt from the book:

Ancient art–Medieval art–The Renaissance–Heraldry–Enamelling–
Mosaic–Glass-painting–Gothic metal work–Raffaelle ware–Wood
panelling–Decorative furniture–Book illumination–Engraved book
ornaments–Metal-workers–Ancient jewellery–Decorative art in the sixteenth century–The Renaissance style–Italian art–The Gothic   1-44

GROTESQUE DESIGN, AS EXHIBITED IN ORNAMENTAL AND INDUSTRIAL ART.

Origin of the term _grotesque_–Egyptian boxes and spoons–Roman knives
and lamps–Mediæval grotesque–Misereres, bosses, and capitals–Domestic
utensils–The _Ars Memorandi_–Decorative plate–The Italian, German,
and French goldsmiths–Book illustrations–Grotesque pottery       45-70

FACTS ABOUT FINGER-RINGS
_Antique rings_:–Egyptian rings–Legend concerning the ring of
Polycrates–Assyrian, Etruscan, and Greek rings–Roman rings–
Inscriptions and devices–Key rings–Gaelic, Celtic, and Saxon rings.
_Mediæval rings_:–Episcopal rings–Thumb rings–Religious
rings–Charm rings–The crapaudine, or toad-stone–The “Kings of
Cologne”–Mottoes, or “reasons”–”Tower” rings–Martin Luther’s
wedding-ring. _Modern rings_:–Signet rings–Story connected with the
ring of the Earl of Essex–Shakespere’s ring–”Gimmal” rings–
Wedding-rings and their “poesies”–Poison rings–Modern versions
of the Eastern tale of “The Fish and the Ring”–Memorial and relic
rings–Death’s-head rings–”Giardinetti” rings–Indian and Moorish
rings–”Harlequin-rings”–”Regard-rings”–”Fisherman’s ring” of the

The Project Gutenberg EBook of Rambles of an Archaeologist Among Old Books and in Old Places, by Frederick William Fairholt

This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
almost no restrictions whatsoever.  You may copy it, give it away or
re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.net

P.E.A.C.E Parental Encouragement for Autistic Children Everywhere Our mission is to educate, empower & provide a positive support environment to Families with children on the Autism Spectrum. 863-686-1221 ext. 228 Lakeland 1st Tue 6p-8p, 1021 Lakeland Hills Blvd. 33805, Nicole Torres link email

Autism Society of the Panhandle’s Evening Meetings – The Autism Society of the Panhandle meets the 3rd Tue of each month at 6:30 p.m. in the Pollak Training Center of the ARC Gateway on 10th Avenue in Pensacola. Sitters available with reservation 3 days prior to event. Pensacola 3rd Tues. 6:30p, no cost Corner of 10th Avenue & Fairfield Drive – Susan Byram link email 850-450-0656

1 – 31 Cervical Health Awareness Month
National Cervical Cancer Coalition (NCCC) 6520 Platt Avenue, #693West Hills, CA 91307-3218 (818) 909-3849 www.nccconline.org

1 – 31 Glaucoma Awareness Month Prevent Blindness America211 West Wacker Drive, Suite 1700 Chicago, IL 60606 (800) 331-2020 (312) 363-6001 (847) 843-8458  www.preventblindness.org

1 – 31 National Birth Defects Prevention Month
National Birth Defects Prevention Network14781 Memorial Drive, #1561Houston, TX 77079  www.nbdpn.org

1 – 31 National Radon Action Month Office of Radiation and Indoor AirIndoor Environments DivisionU.S. Environmental Protection Agency1310 L Street NW, 4th FloorWashington, DC 20005 (202) 343-9370 (202) 343-2394

1 – 31 Thyroid Awareness Month
American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists 245 Riverside Avenue, Suite 200 Jacksonville, FL 32202 (904) 353-7878 x147 (904) 353-8185  www.aace.com

4 – 10 National Folic Acid Awareness Week National Council on Folic Acidc/o Spina Bifida Association 4590 MacArthur Boulevard NW, Suite 250Washington, DC 20007 (800) 621-3141 x13 (202) 944-3285 x13 (202) 944-3295  www.folicacidinfo.org

Other January Health Observances

Alzheimer’s Awareness Month Canada Alzheimer Society of Canada
Glaucoma Awareness Month United States The Glaucoma Research Foundation
National Blood Donor Month United States AABB – American Association of Blood Banks
National Non-Smoking Week 17th Jan – 23rd Jan Canada Canadian Cancer Society
World Braille Day 4th Jan Worldwide WBU
World Leprosy Week 21st Jan – 27th Jan Worldwide LEPRA | World Leprosy Day 25th Jan Worldwide The Leprosy Mission
Weedless Wednesday 21st Jan Canada Canadian Council for Tobacco Control

Comes in a custom designed cotton filled gift box with a lifetime warranty against defects.  Purchase

Red Ribbon Causes include: AIDS and HIV Awareness, DARE (Drug Abuse Resistance Education) and Red Ribbon Week Awareness DUI (Driving Under the Influence) Awareness, Epidermolysis Bullosa, Heart Disease, Lymphoma Awareness, MADD (Mothers Against Drunk Driving) Awareness, and Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy Syndrome

Glucose level in blood is very meticulously maintained within a normal range (fasting below 110, post Prandial below 140 mg). This is achieved by the action of the hormone insulin, produced in the body by the pancreas. When the pancreas is destroyed either completely or partially, the blood sugar levels are not maintained within the range leading to glucose accumulation in the blood and its various side-effects. This is known as diabetes mellitus. Diabetes is classified into Type I, Type II and gestational diabetes (diabetes due to pregnancy). Type I diabetes results from complete destruction of the pancreas (Beta-Cells) causing no insulin production. Type I diabetics more commonly develop acute complications like (diabetic ketoacidosis). They are always insulin dependant. Type II diabetes occurs usually in middle aged to older age group. It is characterized by inadequate insulin production and/or insulin resistance. Heredity plays a role in acquiring the disease.

However, there is an increase number of younger age group developing Type II Diabetes Mellitus. The rise is seen in overweight children with little or insufficient physical activity.

Traditionally, all patients with Type II diabetes, who develop complications, (like diabetic retinopathy, nephropathy), need to be treated with insulin. Insulin is the best drug for diabetes mellitus; however, many side-effects are encountered during the insulin treatment. Insulin and weight gain are often closely related. In a diabetic, glucose is not properly utilized and accumulates in the body as fat leading to weight gain. Here are some tips to minimise weight gain during insulin therapy. Eat healthy: Include fibres (vegetables, fruits, oats, whole grains, etc) in the diet. Cut down on extra calories; skip second helpings; drink water instead of carbonated and high calorie drinks. Be physically active: Doing physical activity/ exercise in daily routine can help prevent unwanted weight gain. The more active you are the lower your blood sugar level — and the more calories you’ll burn. Meals: Do not skip breakfast. When you skip meals, your metabolism slows down, which promotes weight gain.  Regular monitoring: Visit your doctor regularly; undergo regular medical checkups. Proper medication: Take your insulin only as directed. Resist the temptation to skip or shortchange your insulin to ward off weight gain. Without enough insulin, your blood sugar level will rise — and so will your risk of diabetes complications. (indiatimes.com)

World Diabetes Day (WDD) is celebrated every year on November 14. The World Diabetes Day campaign is led by the International Diabetes Federation (IDF) and its member associations. It engages millions of people worldwide in diabetes advocacy and awareness. World Diabetes Day was created in 1991 by the International Diabetes Federation and the World Health Organization in response to growing concerns about the escalating health threat that diabetes now poses. World Diabetes Day became an official United Nations Day in 2007 with the passage of United Nation Resolution 61/225. The campaign draws attention to issues of paramount importance to the diabetes world and keeps diabetes firmly in the public spotlight. This year sees the first of a five-year campaign that will address the growing need for diabetes education and prevention programmes. (www.worlddiabetesday.org)

RocknBauble Logo

This months awareness causes include (but are not limited to): Adoption, Alzheimer’s Disease, Aviation History, Diabetes, Diabetic Eye Disease, Epilepsy, Family Caregivers, Family Stories, Gluten-Free Diets, Indian Heritage, Inspirational Role Models, Life-Writing, Long-Term Care, Lung Cancer, The Military Family, Peanut Butter, Pecans, Pet Cancer, Pomegranates, Prematurity, Roasting,  Scholarship, and Vegans.

Here at RocknBauble, Jewelry Artist Andi offers handmade awareness jewelry for most causes, and will also create a special piece for you from your idea or suggestion. RocknBauble Jewelry is worn worldwide and has been showcased at several major awareness events. This is fashion jewelry that will compliment your casual or semi-formal wear. Select an anklet, bracelet, book-thong, necklace or earrings to support your cause or just for fashions sake. View and Purchase Andi’s Ever Changing Sensational Jewelry   Selections Here

An excerpt from their home page:
Welcome to Pink Fashionista. Our site is dedicated to being a resource to the fashion industry, fashion students and supporting organizations that help fight or assist cancer victims.

Please join our organization and shop from the designers we feature here. Your membership is free and we will provide you with many direct discounts  available only here. Your purchases done via Pink Fashionista, gives business  owners reason to continue if not increase their advertising on our site. We donate 5% to a fashion fund for up and coming designers, 5% for scholarships/paid internships for fashion students and 5% to various fight cancer organizations.

Designers meet new sources for distribution, if you are just starting, ask to be introduced to buyers, investors and lenders.

Students, mingle and get introduced to fashion designers, brands, retail establishments or other fashion related companies. Before you intern, meet the players, who knows it may turn into a better paid internship leading to employment.

Non-Profits, let us know who you are. While fighting cancer is our primary agenda, we are seeking to work with non-profits for heart disease and diabetes. Visit Pink Fashionista

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