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Monday, October 22, 2012
Natural process activating brain's immune cells could point way to repairing damaged brain tissue
Natural process activating brain's immune cells could point way to repairing damaged brain tissue
Monday, October 22, 2012The brain's key "breeder" cells, it turns out, do more than that. They secrete substances that boost the numbers and strength of critical brain-based immune cells believed to play a vital role in brain health. This finding adds a new dimension to our understanding of how resident stem cells and stem cell transplants may improve brain function.
Many researchers believe that these cells may be able to regenerate damaged brain tissue by integrating into circuits that have been eroded by neurodegenerative disease or destroyed by injury. But new findings by scientists at the Stanford University School of Medicine suggest that another process, which has not been fully appreciated, could be a part of the equation as well. The findings appear in a study that will be published online Oct. 21 in Nature Neuroscience.
"Transplanting neural stem cells into experimental animals' brains shows signs of being able to speed recovery from stroke and possibly neurodegenerative disease as well," said Tony Wyss-Coray, PhD, professor of neurology and neurological sciences in the medical school and senior research scientist at the Veterans Affairs Palo Alto Health Care System. "Why this technique works is far from clear, though, because actually neural stem cells don't engraft well."
Neural stem cells can endure essentially unchanged for decades in two places in the mammalian brain, replicating just enough to meet the routine needs of those regions. In most parts of the brain, they aren't found at all.
While of critical importance to maintaining healthy brain function, true neural stem cells are rare. Far more common are their immediate progeny, which are called neural progenitor cells, or NPCs. These robust, rapidly dividing cells are poised to travel down a committed path of differentiation to yield new brain cells of several different types including neurons.
It's known that treating humans with radiation or drugs that prevent NPC replication causes memory deficits ("chemo brain") and, in children, IQ losses of up to 20 points. Conversely, studies are being initiated to see whether infusing neural stem cells into brains affected by Alzheimer's disease can enhance patients' memory function.
One category of brain cells, microglia, descends not from neural stem cells but from an immune lineage and retains several features of immune cells. "Microglia are the brain's own resident immune cells," Wyss-Coray said. Unlike most other mature brain cells, microglia can proliferate throughout adulthood, especially in response to brain injury. They can, moreover, migrate toward injury sites, secrete various "chemical signaling" substances, and gobble up bits of debris, microbial invaders or entire dead or dying neurons.
Microglia normally are distributed throughout the brain ? rather small, quiescent cells sprouting long, skinny projections that meekly but efficiently survey large areas that, taken together, cover the entire brain. But if this surveillance reveals signs of a disturbance, such as injury or infection, the microglia whirl into action. They begin proliferating and their puny bodies puff up, metamorphosing from mild-mannered Clark Kent-like reporters to buffed Supermen who fly to the scene of trouble, where they secrete substances that can throttle bad actors or call in reinforcements. Within these activated cells, internal garbage disposals called lysosomes form in large numbers and start whirring, ready to make mincemeat out of pathogens or cellular debris.
In addition to their part patrol-officer, part cleanup-crew status, microglia can also secrete substances that help neurons thrive. They also contribute to the ongoing pruning of unneeded connections between neurons that occurs throughout our lives.
But like immune cells elsewhere, said Wyss-Coray, microglia can be a force for evil if they engage in too much or inappropriate activity. They might, for instance, start to remove healthy cells (as occurs in Parkinson's) or stop cleaning up garbage strewn about the brain (for example, Alzheimer's plaque).
In a series of experiments, Wyss-Coray and his colleagues have shown that NPCs secrete substances that activate microglia. First, the researchers observed that microglia were uncharacteristically abundant and activated in the two regions in the mammalian brain where NPCs reside and new neurons are formed. Wondering whether the NPCs might be causing this increased microglial activity, the investigators incubated mouse microglia in a culture medium in which NPCs had previously been steeped. Two days later, they saw that the microglia had multiplied more, expressed different amounts of various signal molecules and featured more lysosomes. "The microglia were ready for action," said Wyss-Coray.
So they injected NPCs into an area of mice's brains where these cells are normally not found. In the same area in the opposing brain hemisphere, they injected a control solution. Again they found significant differences in microglial proliferation and activity, and more microglia in the NPC-injected side had assumed a "Superman" as opposed to a "Clark Kent" body shape. When they repeated this experiment using only the NPCs' "discarded bath water" rather than NPCs themselves, they got similar results.
Clearly NPCs were secreting something, or some things, that were spurring microglia to action.
Using sophisticated lab techniques, the team monitored purified NPCs plus several other cell types found in the brain and assessed nearly 60 different substances known to have powerful cell-to-cell signaling properties. Several such substances, it turned out, were secreted in much larger amounts by NPCs than by the other cell types: most notably, vascular endothelial growth factor, or VEGF ? a well-known molecule produced by many cell types throughout the body. VEGF stimulates the formation of blood vessels and exerts a beneficial effect on neurons. Conversely, drugs that block VEGF (such as Avastin) are frequently used to combat cancer because tumors require an immense blood supply in order to grow quickly.
VEGF is also known to boost microglial proliferation. Because it is produced in such volumes by NPCs, Wyss-Coray's team wanted to see if VEGF alone could mimic any of the changes wrought by NPCs or their culture-medium-borne detritus. So they injected VEGF into mice's right brain hemisphere, and saline solution into the left ? again with the same outcomes. Taking the opposite tack, the team injected NPC-saturated medium devoid of the cells, as they had done earlier. But this time they first used various laboratory techniques to deplete the fluid of the VEGF secreted by its former inhabitants. Doing this almost completely reversed its microglia-activating effects.
"All of this strongly suggests that VEGF produced by NPCs is playing a strong role in influencing microglial behavior," said Wyss-Coray. "This is important, because in all neurodegenerative diseases we know of we see microglia out of control." The new finding may open the door to reprogramming misbehaving microglia to play better with other cells.
###
Stanford University Medical Center: http://med-www.stanford.edu/MedCenter/MedSchool
Thanks to Stanford University Medical Center for this article.
This press release was posted to serve as a topic for discussion. Please comment below. We try our best to only post press releases that are associated with peer reviewed scientific literature. Critical discussions of the research are appreciated. If you need help finding a link to the original article, please contact us on twitter or via e-mail.
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Sunday, October 21, 2012
?Devil's ?Advocate ?
Looks like some poor kid's parents sold their soul to the Devil in a deal, fresh meat for the Sin City grinder.
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Alabama Football: A.J. McCarron, No. 1 Crimson Tide Blast Tennessee 44-13 (VIDEO)
Braxton Miller
Ohio State quarterback Braxton Miller lies injured on the ground after being tackled by a Purdue player during the third quarter of an NCAA college football game on Saturday, Oct. 20, 2012, in Columbus, Ohio. Ohio State defeated Purdue 29-22 in overtime. (AP Photo/Jay LaPrete)
Rushel Shell, Adam Redden, Drek Brim
Pittsburgh's Rushel Shell (4) breaks away from Buffalo's Adam Redden (29) and Derek Brim (15) to score a touchdown during the first half of an NCAA college football game in Amherst, N.Y., Saturday, Oct. 20, 2012. (AP Photo/Bill Wippert)
Eric Ward, Kevin White
Texas Tech wide receiver Eric Ward catches a touchdown pass against TCU cornerback Kevin White (25) during the first half of an NCAA college football game, Saturday, Oct. 20, 2012, in Fort Worth, Texas. (AP Photo/LM Otero)
Ibraheim Campbell, Jamal Turner
Northwestern defensive back Ibraheim Campbell (24) breaks up a pass intended for Nebraska wide receiver Jamal Turner (10) in the end zone during the first half of an NCAA college football game on Saturday, Oct. 20, 2012, in Evanston, Ill. (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast)
Jelani Jenkins, Kenny Miles
Florida linebacker Jelani Jenkins (3) goes airborne after assisting on a tackle on South Carolina's Kenny Miles (31) during the first half of an NCAA college football game, Saturday, Oct. 20, 2012, in Gainesville, Fla. (AP Photo/John Raoux)
Perry Hills, Dontae Johnson, Brandon Pittman
Maryland quarterback Perry Hills (11) looks to pass against North Carolina State safety Dontae Johnson (25) and linebacker Brandon Pittman, back left, during the first half of an NCAA football game, Saturday, Oct. 20, 2012, in College Park, Md. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)
Andrew Maxwell, Jake Ryan
Michigan State quarterback Andrew Maxwell (10) is sacked by Michigan linebacker Jake Ryan (47) during the second quarter of an NCAA college football game, Saturday, Oct. 20, 2012, in Ann Arbor, Mich. (AP Photo/Tony Ding)
Chris Johnson, Justice Cunningham
Florida's Chris Johnson, left, runs the ball to the 1-yard line in front of South Carolina's Justice Cunningham, right, after recovering a fumble on a kickoff during the first half of an NCAA college football game, Saturday, Oct. 20, 2012, in Gainesville, Fla. (AP Photo/John Raoux)
Jeremy Reeves, Durrell Givens, Joseph Randle
Iowa State defensive back Jeremy Reeves (5) watches as teammate and and fellow back Durrell Givens (24) leaps on to the back of Oklahoma State running back Joseph Randle (1) during the second half of an NCAA college football game in Stillwater, Okla., Saturday, Oct. 20, 2012. Randle ran for two touchdowns and 150 yards in Oklahoma State's 31-10 win. (AP Photo/Brody Schmidt)
Jeff Greene, Sean Sylvia
A pass intended for Georgia Tech wide receiver Jeff Greene, right, is broken up by Boston College defensive back Sean Sylvia during the second quarter of an NCAA college football game, Saturday, Oct. 20, 2012, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/David Goldman)
Jerrell Gavins, Eric Johnson
Boise State's Jerrell Gavins (4) makes an interception in the end zone against UNLV's Eric Johnson (9) during the first half of an NCAA college football game Saturday, Oct. 20, 2012, in Boise, Idaho. (AP Photo/Matt Cilley)
Quinton Dunbar, Jimmy Legree
Florida's Quinton Dunbar (1) breaks away from South Carolina cornerback Jimmy Legree (15) on a 13-yard touchdown pass play during the first half of an NCAA college football game, Saturday, Oct. 20, 2012, in Gainesville, Fla. (AP Photo/John Raoux)
Stanford tight end Zach Ertz, center, runs in into the end zone past California defensive back Josh Hill (23) on a 20-yard touchdown catch during the first half of an NCAA college football game in Berkeley, Calif., Saturday, Oct. 20, 2012. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)
Zeke Motta, Ross Apo
Brigham Young wide receiver Ross Apo (1) is knocked out of bounds at the 2-yard line by Notre Dame safety Zeke Motta during the first half of an NCAA college football game in South Bend, Ind., Saturday, Oct. 20, 2012. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)
Trevone Boykin
TCU quarterback Trevone Boykin (2) passes during the first half of an NCAA college football game against Texas Tech, Saturday, Oct. 20, 2012, in Fort Worth, Texas. (AP Photo/LM Otero)
Seth Doege, Alfredo Morales, Chucky Hunter
Texas Tech quarterback Seth Doege (7) passes as teammate Alfredo Morales (56) blocks TCU defensive tackle Chucky Hunter (96) during the first half of an NCAA college football game, Saturday, Oct. 20, 2012, in Fort Worth, Texas. (AP Photo/LM Otero)
Darrin Moore, Kevin White
Texas Tech wide receiver Darrin Moore (14) pulls in a touchdown pass against TCU cornerback Kevin White (25) during the first half of an NCAA college football game, Saturday, Oct. 20, 2012, in Fort Worth, Texas. (AP Photo/LM Otero)
Kyle Flood, Norries Wilson
Rutgers head coach Kyle Flood, right, congratulates running backs coach Norries Wilson, left, late in the second half of an NCAA college football game against Temple, Saturday, Oct. 20, 2012, in Philadelphia. Rutgers won 35-10. (AP Photo/Mel Evans)
Taylor Martinez, Chi Chi Ariguzo
Nebraska quarterback Taylor Martinez (3) escapes a safety by Northwestern linebacker Chi Chi Ariguzo (44) with an incomplete shovel pass during the first half of an NCAA college football game on Saturday, Oct. 20, 2012, in Evanston, Ill. (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast)
Levine Toilolo, Michael Lowe
Stanford tight end Levine Toilolo, top, catches a nine-yard touchdown pass in front of California defensive back Michael Lowe during the first half of an NCAA college football game in Berkeley, Calif., Saturday, Oct. 20, 2012. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)
Stanford running back Stepfan Taylor (33) runs against California during the first half of an NCAA college football game in Berkeley, Calif., Saturday, Oct. 20, 2012. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)
Matthias Farley, Sheldon Day, Jamaal Williams
BYU running back Jamaal Williams (21) is knocked out-of-bounds after a 21-yard gain by Notre Dame safety Matthias Farley, right, and defensive end Sheldon Day during the first half of an NCAA college football game in South Bend, Ind., Saturday, Oct. 20, 2012. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)
Thomas Gordon, Bennis Fowler
Michigan State wide receiver Bennie Fowler is upended by Michigan safety Thomas Gordon (30) after a 45-yard pass reception during the second quarter of an NCAA college football game at Michigan Stadium, Saturday, Oct. 20, 2012, in Ann Arbor, Mich. (AP Photo/Carlos Osorio)
Jace Davis, Donovan Henley
Northern Colorado wide receiver Jace Davis, left, pulls in a pass for a touchdown in front of Idaho State cornerback Donovan Henley during the first quarter of an NCAA college football game on Saturday, Oct. 20, 2012, in Greeley, Colo. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)
Savon Huggins, Chris Hutton
Rutgers running back Savon Huggins (28) runs with the ball as Temple defensive back Chris Hutton (28) tries to make a tackle during the second half of an NCAA college football game Saturday, Oct. 20, 2012, in Philadelphia. Rutgers won 35-10. (AP Photo/Mel Evans)
Denard Robinson
Michigan quarterback Denard Robinson (16) throws during the second quarter of an NCAA college football game against Michigan State at Michigan Stadium, Saturday, Oct. 20, 2012, in Ann Arbor, Mich. (AP Photo/Carlos Osorio)
J.W. Walsh, Daniel Koenig
Oklahoma State quarterback J.W. Walsh, left, celebrates his touchdown with lineman Daniel Koenig, right, during the second half of an NCAA college football game against Iowa State in Stillwater, Okla., Saturday, Oct. 20, 2012. Oklahoma State won 31-10. (AP Photo/Brody Schmidt)
Clint Moseley
Auburn quarterback Clint Moseley (15) throws a pass against Vanderbilt in the third quarter of an NCAA college football game on Saturday, Oct. 20, 2012, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/Joe Howell)
James White, Montee Ball
Wisconsin's James White (20) and Montee Ball celebrate Ball's touchdown during the second half of an NCAA college football game against Minnesota Saturday, Oct. 20, 2012, in Madison, Wis. White had 3 touchdowns and Ball had 2 touchdowns in Wisconsin's 38-13 win. (AP Photo/Andy Manis)
WILLIAMS
Texas A&M running back Trey Williams (20) runs 76-yards after receiving a kickoff against LSU during the second half of an NCAA college football game, Saturday, Oct. 20, 2012, in College Station, Texas. LSU won 24-19. (AP Photo/Eric Kayne)
Ryan Groy, Kyle Costigan, James White
Wisconsin's Ryan Groy, left, and Kyle Costigan celebrate with James White after White's 34-yard touchdown run against Minnesota during the first half of an NCAA college football game Saturday, Oct. 20, 2012, in Madison, Wis. White had 3 touchdown and 175 yards rushing in Wisconsin's 38-13 win. (AP Photo/Andy Manis)
WILLIAMS
Texas A&M running back Trey Williams (20) runs 76-yards after receiving a kickoff against LSU during the second half of an NCAA college football game, Saturday, Oct. 20, 2012, in College Station, Texas. LSU won 24-19. (AP Photo/Eric Kayne)
Texas A&M quarterback Johnny Manziel (2) throws against LSU during the second half of an NCAA college football game, Saturday, Oct. 20, 2012, in College Station, Texas. LSU won 24-19. (AP Photo/Eric Kayne)
Jerry Kill
Minnesota coach Jerry Kill disputes a call during the first half of an NCAA college football game against Wisconsin, Saturday, Oct. 20, 2012, in Madison, Wis. Wisconsin won 38-13. (AP Photo/Andy Manis)
Bret Bielema
Wisconsin coach Bret Bielema embraces Montee Ball after he scored a touchdown during the second half of an NCAA college football game against Minnesota, Saturday, Oct. 20, 2012, in Madison, Wis. Wisconsin won 38-13. (AP Photo/Andy Manis)
D.C. Jefferson
Rutgers tight end D.C. Jefferson (10) catches a pass for a touchdown during the second half of an NCAA college football game against Temple, Saturday, Oct. 20, 2012, in Philadelphia. Rutgers won 35-10. (AP Photo/Mel Evans)
Jeff Heuerman
Ohio State tight end Jeff Heuerman celebrates his two-point conversion late in the fourth quarter of an NCAA college football game against Purdue, Saturday, Oct. 20, 2012, in Columbus, Ohio. Ohio State 29-22 in overtime. (AP Photo/Jay LaPrete)
Kevin Johnson, Darius Jennings
Wake Forest cornerback Kevin Johnson (9) is tackled by Virginia wide receiver Darius Jennings (6) after grabbing an interception during the second half of an NCAA college football game at Scott Stadium in Charlottesville, Va., Saturday, Oct. 20, 2012. Wake Forest won the game 16-10. (AP Photo/Steve Helber)
D.C. Jefferson
Rutgers tight end D.C. Jefferson (10) is swarmed by Temple defenders during the second half of an NCAA college football game Saturday, Oct. 20, 2012, in Philadelphia. Rutgers won 35-10. (AP Photo/Mel Evans)
James Franklin
Vanderbilt head coach James Franklin celebrates a 17-13 victory over Auburn with his daughter Shola Franklin, 5, following an NCAA college football game on Saturday, Oct. 20, 2012, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/Joe Howell)
D'Metrius Williams, John Pettigrew
Bowling Green running back John Pettigrew carries the ball as Massachusetts defensive back D'Metrius Williams (13) defends in the third quarter of an NCAA college football game in Foxborough, Mass., Saturday, Oct. 20, 2012. Bowling Green won 24-0. (AP Photo/Michael Dwyer)
Travis Howard
Ohio State cornerback Travis Howard celebrates their 29-22 overtime win over Purdue in an NCAA college football game Saturday, Oct. 20, 2012, in Columbus, Ohio. (AP Photo/Jay LaPrete)
Paul Freedman
Virginia tight end Paul Freedman (88) hangs his head during the final moments of his teams 16-10 loss to Wake Forest in an NCAA college football game at Scott Stadium in Charlottesville, Va., Saturday, Oct. 20, 2012. (AP Photo/Steve Helber)
J.W. Walsh, Jansen Watson
Oklahoma State quarterback J.W. Walsh, left, escapes from Iowa State defensive back, Jansen Watson, right, during the first half of an NCAA college football game in Stillwater, Okla. Saturday, Oct. 20, 2012. Walsh accounted for 46 yards rushing and one of the Oklahoma State touchdowns in the 31-10 win over Iowa State. (AP Photo/Brody Schmidt)
Durrell Givens, Jeremiah George, Jacques Washington, Josh Stewart
Iowa State defenders Durrell Givens (24), Jeremiah George (52), and Jacques Washington (10), pressure Oklahoma State receiver, Josh Stewart (5), as he leaps out-of-bounds while attempting to score during the first half of an NCAA college football game in Stillwater, Okla. Saturday, Oct. 20, 2012. Oklahoma State won 31-10. (AP Photo/Brody Schmidt)
J.C. Coleman, Jonathan Meeks
Clemson's Jonathan Meeks (5) scores a touchdown after making an interception as Virginia Tech's J.C. Coleman defends during the second quarter of an NCAA college football game on Saturday, Oct. 20, 2012, in Clemson, S.C. (AP Photo/Rainier Ehrhardt)
Florida fans with body paint spell out the name of Florida head coach Will Muschamp as they cheer during the first half of an NCAA college football game against South Carolina, Saturday, Oct. 20, 2012, in Gainesville, Fla. (AP Photo/John Raoux)
Marken Michel, BooBoo Gates
Bowling Green defensive back BooBoo Gates (24) intercepts a pass intended for Massachusetts wide receiver Marken Michel (4) during the third quarter of an NCAA college football game in Foxborough, Mass., Saturday, Oct. 20, 2012. Bowling Green won 24-0. (AP Photo/Michael Dwyer)
Tajh Boyd
Clemson quarterback Tajh Boyd, top, jumps over the line trying to score a touchdown against Virginia Tech during the second half of an NCAA college football game on Saturday, Oct. 20, 2012, in Clemson, S.C. Boyd did not score on the play. (AP Photo/Rainier Ehrhardt)
Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/10/20/alabama-football-crimson-tide-tennessee_n_1994980.html
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All About Eve - Vaginoplasty And Labiaplasty | Healthy Lifestyle
A vagina that has slackened or loosened up due to aging and childbirth can qualify for a vaginoplasty, a tightening procedure. It is often done along with labiaplasty, a surgical procedure on the labia or ?lips? of the vagina. Labiaplasty alters the form and size of the labia, usually shrinking them or rectifying asymmetrical issues between them.
America?s leading obstetricians and gynecologists, however, seek to challenge the notion that such procedures can enhance sensitivity as some surgeons declare. Tightening the vaginal tissue by surgery is no assurance of improved sexual response, since arousal, desire and orgasm are complicated and profoundly personal situations. Sexual responses are rather arbitrary because they depend on as much physical factors as non-physical ones. Besides, a more sensitive vagina is no guarantee of augmented pleasure.
A package of vaginoplasty and labiaplasty typically sets back customers anywhere between $3,500 and $12,000. Since these procedures are more discretionary than compulsory, they are not usually covered by health insurance policies.
Cosmetic Surgery vs?Reconstructive Surgery
To choose between vaginoplasty and labiaplasty, you first need to differentiate between cosmetic surgery and reconstructive surgery. The former alters the physical attributes of an otherwise normal body part, while the latter enhances the function of that part.
Take, for example, rhinoplasty. It is cosmetic if its purpose is to reshape the nose for beauty, reconstructive if it facilitates easier breathing.
Obstetricians and gynecologists are still debating the merits of vaginal surgery, whether for reconstructive or cosmetic purposes. Some kinds of vaginoplasty were initially designed to reconstruct congenitally defective vaginas, i.e. those malformed, overly short, or entirely absent. On occasion, labiaplasty is needed to correct labia overgrowth. Such procedures truly make a difference in the way patients urinate, menstruate, or have sex.
Vaginoplasty and Labiaplasty ? Related Surgeries
In recent years, vaginoplasty has expanded to include cosmetic procedures. Known commonly as ?designer vagina procedures? or ?vaginal rejuvenation,? these surgeries have been promoted by intrepid plastic surgeons and gynecologists as ways to increase beauty and self-confidence. Yet this kind of marketing is misleading because the female genitals do not have a solely correct appearance. Even plastic surgeons are divided over the practice of vaginal rejuvenation. Not a few are contending the outcomes of these procedures.
There are many forms of vaginal rejuvenation and designer vagina procedures, each wanting of acceptance by professional organizations of gynecologists and obstetricians.
One of the most divisive is called hymenoplasty or ?revirgination.? As its name suggests, it supposedly returns the untouched look of the hymen, the thin tissue fronting the vagina, which ruptures or ?pops? after a woman?s first coitus. In some countries, this procedure has somewhat become an imperative due to the importance placed on virginity by conservative faiths.
Another much-talked about kind of cosmetic vagina surgery is G-spot amplification. It entails a collagen injection into the vagina?s front wall, speculated to be the site of the very sensitive and thereby immensely pleasurable G-spot. By amplifying the sensitiveness of this area, the surgery purportedly makes a woman more easily stimulated and aroused. For the same objectives, some surgeons are marketing a procedure involving the removal or ?unhooding? of the tissue covering the clitoris.
Lately, some surgeons have begun to use laser in lieu of the scalpel to facilitate vaginal surgeries and make them a tad less invasive.
Vaginoplasty and Labiaplasty ? The Risks
No study, let alone a peer-reviewed medical journal, has documented the success rates of labiaplasty or vaginoplasty in the long term. Furthermore, most obstetricians and gynecologists label them as lacking empirical data to prove their effectiveness.
Meanwhile, scores of women risk infection, pain, scars, and discomfort in the quest for a more pleasurable or beautiful-looking vagina.
Women who are mulling the possibility of vaginal surgery should freely discuss their anxieties over their private parts with their doctors. If you are thinking of having one, you should ask your doctor about the permanent complications and adverse effects of surgery. In the same way, you should understand its real benefits. Ask your doctor too about the ability of surgery to affect orgasm and stimulation; talk about surgery?s effects on pregnancy and delivery. Also ask about its contraindications on napkins, tampons, and other feminine sanitary products.
Having assessed your motivations for such vaginal surgery, a doctor may lead you to non-surgical alternatives and healthy lifestyle measures. Instead of surgery, you may try exercises for toning the vagina?s muscles, improving sexual response. Talking to a therapist can address your concerns about self-worth and confidence.
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- Intivar ? unique female renewal gel that has been proven to help?moisturize?and tighten the vagina for health and pleasure
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Saturday, October 20, 2012
After lawsuit threat, Twitter to pull racist posts
PARIS (AP) ? Twitter agreed to pull racist and anti-Semitic tweets under a pair of French hash tags after a Jewish group threatened to sue the social network for running afoul of national laws against hate speech, the organization said. The decision came a day after Twitter bowed to German law and blocked an account of a banned neo-Nazi group there.
The freewheeling social network is increasingly running up against European anti-discrimination laws, many of which date to the aftermath of the Holocaust by governments that acknowledged the contribution of years of hate speech to the Nazi attempt to annihilate the Jews. Friday's action, which was not carried out immediately, would mark a dramatic new stage for the company that has famously refused efforts to police its millions of users.
"Twitter does not mediate content," the company said in a statement. "If we are alerted to content that may be in violation of our terms of service, we will investigate each report and respond according to the policies and procedures outlined in our support pages."
The company's policies require international users to comply with local laws regarding online conduct and acceptable content.
The French Union of Jewish Students, which planned to supply Twitter with a list of the offensive tweets to be pulled, said it would still file a formal complaint against the social network to bring the tweeters to justice. The union held a conference call Thursday night with Twitter executives in California.
The anti-Semitic tweets in French, which started Oct. 10, included slurs and photos evoking the Holocaust, including one of a pile of ash and another of an emaciated Holocaust victim. They were followed by offensive, anti-Muslim tweets.
On Thursday, Twitter blocked the neo-Nazi's account in Germany, although its tweets were still visible to any user whose settings include a different location. The French-language tweets came from hundreds of users, not all of them necessarily in France.
Almost immediately after the French group announced its agreement with Twitter, tweets went up against what some users saw as an attack on freedom of expression ? all using the hash tag that started the wave of racist posts on Oct. 10.
Elie Petit, vice president of the group, dismissed the criticism: "I don't think a call for murder is freedom of expression," he said.
French law forbids all discrimination based on ethnicity, nationality, race or religion.
German law is more specific. Because of its Nazi past, the country has strict laws prohibiting the use of related symbols and slogans ? like the display of the swastika, or saying "heil Hitler."
After the decision in Germany on Thursday, Twitter's general counsel Alex Macgillivray said in a tweet that the site's administrators "never want to withhold content, good to have tools to do it narrowly and transparently."
In a statement, Jonathan Hayoun, the French group's president, said the group wasn't trying to be the "garbage collectors of the Internet."
But, he added, "Twitter can't be a place of illegal expression."
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Are man online looking for a serious relationship?
One thing about a lot of men, especially a man such as the one you've described, don't normally go into a dating scenario with the intent of having a relationship. You said you want a relationship with him. Just allow things to flow naturally and if he likes you then the intimacy for him will grow over time. I'm talking intimacy not sex. Sex is a way that men bond intimately, but this guy does not know you yet...so that won't be the case for a few dates okay. But the chance for a relationship is there, of course. Just don't rush it, allow it to flow on its own natural pace and enjoy the moment, don't talk about your expectations. I'm just talking about with this guy and this kind of guy. It would be a different story if he was a bit more eager to meet up and didn't start off by sending sexy pics. He's not thinking "relationship" (right now). I'm just saying....it's true. Hey, good luck okay.
- Response by mmveil93, A Creative, Female, 29-35, Teaching Rating Received: 
Community Rating: Click to Award This Response The Star
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fishing dangerously - Sport & Recreation Photos - life through a lens
tataze from France
Oh Oh, yes very dangerous this fishing
19 Oct 2012 5:15am
Curly from South Shields, United Kingdom
Terrific black and white Stu, feels like a clever illusion. This must be a mix of concrete and wet sand surely?
19 Oct 2012 8:22am
@Curly: Hi Curly No, it is actually a metal fence in the water. I was most impressed by his committment.
Olivier Paillet from toulouse, France
What a catch !!!Great shot ! well done!
19 Oct 2012 10:47am
Florence from Paris, France
Utterly graphic ! Powerful shot.
19 Oct 2012 3:40pm
ordinaryimages from Kentucky Bluegrass, United States
His private spot. best?jf
19 Oct 2012 4:43pm
Anna.C from LA ROCHELLE, France
great graphic composition !
19 Oct 2012 5:41pm
Steve Rice from Olympia, United States
19 Oct 2012 9:14pm
Canon EOS 5D Mark II
1/400 second
F/6.3
ISO 100
300 mm
mono
fishing
lake
biwa
??????
Source: http://stuartgibson.aminus3.com/image/2012-10-19.html
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Friday, October 19, 2012
Timing of First Sex Has Far-Reaching Relationship Effects | Psych ...
Reviewed by John M. Grohol, Psy.D. on October 18, 2012
Research looking at how the timing of sexual initiation in adolescence impacts adult romantic ties finds that having sex later may lead to better relationships.
In a new study, Dr. Paige Harden, a psychological scientist, investigated how the timing of sexual initiation in adolescence influences romantic outcomes ? such as whether people get married or live with their partners, how many romantic partners they?ve had, and whether they?re satisfied with their relationship ? later in adulthood.
To answer this question, Harden and colleagues from the University of Texas at Austin used data from the National Longitudinal Study on Adolescent Health to look at 1659 same-sex sibling pairs who were followed from adolescence (around 16) to young adulthood (around 29).
Each sibling was classified as having an Early (younger than 15), On-Time (age 15-19), or Late (older than 19) first experience with sexual intercourse.
Harden?s findings are reported in a new research article published in Psychological Science, a journal of the Association for Psychological Science.
As expected, later timing of first sexual experience was associated with higher educational attainment and higher household income in adulthood when compared with the Early and On-Time groups.
Individuals who had a later first sexual experience were also less likely to be married and they had fewer romantic partners in adulthood.
Among the participants who were married or living with a partner, later sexual initiation was associated with significantly lower levels of relationship dissatisfaction in adulthood.
Researchers found that these associations with a later sex experience were not changed when genetic and environmental factors were taken into account. Furthermore, the associations could not be explained by differences in adult educational attainment, income, or religiousness, or by adolescent differences in dating involvement, body mass index, or attractiveness.
Experts believe the results suggest that the timing of first experience with sexual intercourse predicts the quality and stability of romantic relationships in young adulthood.
Although investigators have often focused on the consequences of early sexual activity, the Early and On-Time participants in this study were largely indistinguishable.
Researchers say the data suggests early initiation is not a ?risk? factor so much as late initiation is a ?protective? factor in shaping romantic outcomes.
According to Harden, there are several possible mechanisms that might explain this relationship.
It?s possible, for example, that people who have their first sexual encounter later also have certain characteristics (e.g., secure attachment style) that have downstream effects on both sexual delay and on relationship quality.
They could be pickier in choosing romantic and sexual partners, resulting in a reluctance to enter into intimate relationships unless they are very satisfying.
It?s also possible, however, that people who have their first sexual encounter later have different experiences, avoiding early encounters with relational aggression or victimization that would otherwise have detrimental effects on later romantic outcomes.
Finally, Harden said that it?s possible that ?individuals who first navigate intimate relationships in young adulthood, after they have accrued cognitive and emotional maturity, may learn more effective relationship skills than individuals who first learn scripts for intimate relationships while they are still teenagers.?
Experts say that additional research is needed to help to tease apart which of these mechanisms may actually be at work in driving the association between timing of first sexual intercourse and later romantic outcomes.
Prior studies by Harden and her colleagues have provided evidence that earlier sexual intercourse isn?t always associated with negative outcomes.
For example, using the same sample from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health, she found that teenagers who experienced their first sexual intercourse earlier, particularly those who had sex in a romantic dating relationship, had lower levels of delinquent behavior problems.
She said, ?We are just beginning to understand how adolescents? sexual experiences influence their future development and relationships.?
Source: Association for Psychological Science
Intimate teenagers photo by shutterstock.
APA Reference
Nauert PhD, R. (2012). Timing of First Sex Has Far-Reaching Relationship Effects. Psych Central. Retrieved on October 18, 2012, from http://psychcentral.com/news/2012/10/18/timing-of-first-sex-has-far-reaching-relationship-effects/46256.html
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Verizon 3Q profit rises, bolstered by wireless
NEW YORK (AP) ? Verizon's Share Everything plan looks like it's good for the company's shares, too.
The parent of the nations' largest cellphone company on Thursday reported a blow-out number of new devices on its network, boosted by the revolutionary plan, introduced four months ago. The plan made it cheaper for households to add wireless service to non-phone devices like tablets and laptops.
Verizon Wireless added a net 1.5 million devices to contract-based plans in the third quarter, more than it has in many years. Analysts were expecting it to add about 900,000. Including non-contract devices, overall additions were the strongest in four years.
Verizon said 13 percent of its customers with contract-based plans were already on Share Everything, signaling that the plan has caught on, helped by aggressive advertising.
The average household with a contract-based plan paid $145.42 per month in the quarter for wireless service, up 6.5 percent from a year ago.
The end of the quarter saw the launch of the iPhone 5, which also helped Verizon's numbers.
For the three months ended Sept. 30, New York-based Verizon reported earnings of $1.59 billion, or 56 cents per share. That's up from $1.38 billion, or 49 cents per share, a year ago.
Removing 8 cents per share in charges related to patent lawsuit settlements, earnings were 64 cents per share. That matched analysts' expectations.
Revenue increased 4 percent to $29.01 billion from $27.91 billion. That also matched analysts' expectations.
Verizon's stock added 1 cent to $44.73 in premarket trading on Thursday.
Verizon Communications owns 55 percent of Verizon Wireless. The rest of the wireless division is owned by Vodafone Group PLC of Britain.
The company also said it's still on pace to meet its 2012 financial goals.
Verizon's report marks the debut for telecommunications companies this earnings season. Rival AT&T Inc. reports on Wednesday.
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/verizon-3q-profit-rises-bolstered-wireless-104648403--finance.html
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Movie review: Alex Cross | canada.com
Featuring: Tyler Perry, Edward Burns, Matthew Fox
Directed by: Rob Cohen
Running time: 102 minutes
Parental guidance: Violence, sexually suggestive scenesEveryone is allowed to reinvent herself. Even Tyler Perry.
Two and a half stars out of five
Ditching the oversized drag for a great big gun, the man who made Madea a household name, merely through repetition, explores his manly side in this new Rob Cohen (The Fast and the Furious) movie based on a novel by James Patterson.
Taking the screen as titular character Alex Cross, a classic detective comics hero who can tell what you ate for breakfast just by looking at your socks, Perry recreates himself in the twin spirits of James Bond and Shaft ? with a little Sherlock Holmes in there for good measure.
Cross is a family man who works for the Detroit Police Department and he?s one of the best. He and his buddy Tommy Kane (Edward Burns) have taken down some of the city?s worst criminals, so when the chief finds himself with a sticky murder on his hands, he calls in his top guns.
We?ve seen what happened at the now-blood-stained luxury condo. We watched how a beautiful Asian woman and her girlfriends flirted with an unknown mixed martial arts fighter who bought his way into a cage match.
The contender doesn?t talk much, but he really wants to get on the bill. When he warns his opponent not to hit him in the face, the crowd laughs because he?s half the size of the other man in the ring.
Yet, the scrawny fella with the tattoos has that crazy look in his eye. We know he?s a feral animal. He thrashes his opponent and ruins his career with one twist of the arm. Then, he seduces the rich spectator, leads her on with sexual promises and promptly tortures her to death.
The next sequence shows Cross and Tommy snapping on their latex gloves to poke around the crime scene, joking about who has to pick up the amputated thumb to activate the fingerprint scanner.
The whole thing feels so cold and professional, but the killer soon brings an intimacy to the proceedings when he targets Tommy and Cross.
We?re not quite sure why the killer decides to do this, other than he?s a madman with an ability to draw with charcoal in the style of Picasso, but it certainly ramps up the drama in a hurry ? and shakes off a certain amount of predictability by sacrificing central characters at the top of the reel.
Before long, Cross has gone rogue and he?s on a vigilante mission to avenge his family.
The chalk mark outline looks like any other detective thriller, and Alex Cross looks a lot like any other superhero, but this movie feels different and it?s in large part the result of the alchemy between Cohen?s slickness and Tyler?s folksy quality.
Even with a suit and tie, Perry escapes the generic screen presence of most cop characters. A hulking man with a baby face, Perry can pull off the alpha male physicality required for the part. He can also make us believe he?s been raised by Nana Mama (Cicely Tyson), a no-nonsense matriarch who flaps her tea towel to make a point but never loses the sparkle of love in her eye.
Aw.
If it weren?t for the grotesque violence, ambient misogyny, references to sexual torture and the complete absence of any believable motive, this could have been a pretty decent round of action cinema because the bad guy is truly creepy.
Thanks to Matthew Fox (Lost), ?Picasso? emerges as a formidable force of evil because he loves pain, and he enjoys watching others suffer.
When he?s on screen plotting nasty things or hastily killing some curious onlooker for asking the wrong question, the movie has a good anchor bolt because we?re not sure what he?s going to do next.
Alex isn?t as lucky, because good guys have to work within the rules ? even when they go rogue ? and they are bound to a moral framework.
Against the backdrop of a crumbling Detroit, however, internal steel is allowed to rust because society feels that much closer to the abyss, and life seems that much more meaningless.
This movie captures that emptiness, but almost by accident, because when it kills off important people, it?s barely noted. One female cop is sacrificed, and we barely get another mention of the tragedy, even though she had a rich backstory. It?s as though she didn?t really matter to anyone.
Violence loses all of its cinematic power if we do not care about the victims. It?s just gore porn. Cohen certainly tends in this direction, but Perry does not. After wearing floral prints and offering lectures in Mama Madea?s morality to a generation of Americans, Perry embodies a latent conscience that he carries into Alex Cross ? albeit in a holster.
The resulting clash of mood and feeling brings an edge to this otherwise formulaic exercise, but it also scrambles its brains. The movie never answers the questions it raises and leaves core emotional issues unresolved, or completely unaddressed.
As a test of Perry?s masculine star power, Alex Cross does what it has to do ? from showing the actor in tank tops to lovemaking with the ladies. Yet, the scenes he shares with ?Nana Mama? have the most credibility ? even with bad dialogue ? because they play to Perry?s real potency, which unlike most male actors has nothing to do with guns or muscles, but a moral spine.
Without this inherent goodness, Alex Cross would have been entirely unwatchable because it?s simply too dark, and too cavalier with horror. As it is, it?s a bit like Madea playing Rambo: Weird, but compelling enough for the duration.
Source: http://o.canada.com/2012/10/19/alex-cross/
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Sunday, October 14, 2012
Pussy Riot members face tough life in penal colony
In this photo taken Aug. 22, 2012 imprisoned women stand during a morning inspection at a women's prison in a town of Sarapul, central Russia. Two members of the punk band Pussy Riot will serve their sentence in a penal colony far from Moscow that is like what a former inmate describes as a "nasty Girl Scout camp.? Although Russia?s prison system is a far cry from Stalin?s gulag, the principle remains the same: to isolate people from their families and wear them down through ?corrective labor,? which for women usually means hunching over a sewing machine. Maria Alyokhina and Nadezhda Tolokonnikova will have to quickly learn the inner laws of prison life, survive the dire food and medical care, and risk reprisal from inmates either offended by their "punk prayer" against President Vladimir Putin or ordered to pressure them by higher authorities. (AP Photo/Yuri Tutov)
In this photo taken Aug. 22, 2012 imprisoned women stand during a morning inspection at a women's prison in a town of Sarapul, central Russia. Two members of the punk band Pussy Riot will serve their sentence in a penal colony far from Moscow that is like what a former inmate describes as a "nasty Girl Scout camp.? Although Russia?s prison system is a far cry from Stalin?s gulag, the principle remains the same: to isolate people from their families and wear them down through ?corrective labor,? which for women usually means hunching over a sewing machine. Maria Alyokhina and Nadezhda Tolokonnikova will have to quickly learn the inner laws of prison life, survive the dire food and medical care, and risk reprisal from inmates either offended by their "punk prayer" against President Vladimir Putin or ordered to pressure them by higher authorities. (AP Photo/Yuri Tutov)
In this photo taken Nov. 30, 2011, imprisoned women wait to be escorted for work at a women's prison outside the city of Orel, central Russia. Two members of the punk band Pussy Riot will serve their sentence in a penal colony far from Moscow that is like what a former inmate describes as a "nasty Girl Scout camp.? Although Russia?s prison system is a far cry from Stalin?s gulag, the principle remains the same: to isolate people from their families and wear them down through ?corrective labor,? which for women usually means hunching over a sewing machine. Maria Alyokhina and Nadezhda Tolokonnikova will have to quickly learn the inner laws of prison life, survive the dire food and medical care, and risk reprisal from inmates either offended by their "punk prayer" against President Vladimir Putin or ordered to pressure them by higher authorities. (AP Photo/Yuri Tutov)
MOSCOW (AP) ? It's a far cry from Stalin's gulag, but the guiding principle of the Russian penal colony -- the destination of two members of punk band Pussy Riot -- remains the same: isolate inmates and wear them down through "corrective labor."
Maria Alekhina and Nadezhda Tolokonnikova will have to quickly learn the inner laws of prison life, survive the dire food and medical care, and risk bullying from inmates either offended by their "punk prayer" against President Vladimir Putin or under orders to pressure them.
"Everyone knows the rule: Trust no one, never fear and never forgive," said Svetlana Bakhmina, a lawyer who spent three years in a penal colony. "You are in no-man's land. Nobody will help you. You have to think about everything you say and do to remain a person."
Alekhina, 24, Tolokonnikova, 22, and Yekaterina Samutsevich, 30, were convicted of hooliganism motivated by religious hatred for an impromptu performance in Moscow's main cathedral as Putin headed into an election that handed him a third term as Russia's president. The women insisted their protest was political. But many believers said they were deeply offended by the sight of the band members dancing on the altar in balaclavas.
An appeals court released Samutsevich on Wednesday, but upheld the two-year prison terms of the others. The presiding judge said that "their correction is possible only in isolation from society."
In colonies for women, inmates live in barracks with 30 to 40 to a room. They begin the day by shuffling outside for compulsory exercises at daybreak, in temperatures as low as minus 30 degrees Celsius in winter. After roll call and a breakfast of gruel, they spend seven to eight hours a day at work, usually hunched over sewing machines working on uniforms and other clothing.
Since there is only one women's penal colony near Moscow, female prisoners from the capital are commonly sent to Mordovia, a swampy, mosquito-infested province on the Volga River. Defense lawyers said Alekhina and Tolokonnikova would be transported to a penal colony within two weeks, after receiving copies of their sentences. The location was not yet known.
Despite the harsh conditions, many prisoners nonetheless prefer the colonies to the pre-trial detention centers, where they are kept in cramped, sometimes spectacularly unhygienic cells and only allowed out for an hour a day. The three Pussy Riot members were held in such a center since their February arrest.
Russian inmates are kept in a system that Russia's own justice minister has described as "monstrously archaic" and whose purpose has changed little for hundreds of years. Czarist Russia sent prisoners to remote Siberian colonies where labor was in short supply; the system was inherited and expanded by the Soviet Union, which worked millions of prisoners to death in the gulag. Russia incarcerates more people than any country in the world bar the United States and China, according to the International Centre for Prison Studies.
There have been other high-profile penal colony inmates in Putin's Russia.
Mikhail Khodorkovsky, the imprisoned head of the Yukos oil company, served part of his 14-year sentence in an Eastern Siberian colony. Once Russia's richest man, he served his time making mittens. Arrested in 2003, Khodorkovsky was convicted in two cases seen as punishment for challenging Putin's power.
Bakhmina, who once worked for Khodorkovsky, said you have little free time to yourself in the prison colony, where guards often compel prisoners to attend classes or participate in cultural activities. In a U.S. diplomatic cable released by WikiLeaks in 2010, former Ambassador William Burns recalled visiting a women's prison where inmates put on a "bizarre fashion and talent show" for American officials.
"Boredom doesn't exist in the colony. It's too good a concept for it. You just regret the time you spend," Bakhmina said. "A normal person can't even imagine that environment ? you have to get used to it and people have to get used to you. It takes several months, maybe half a year. It's all about how you behave ? you have to not be conceited and respect other people."
Prisoners are typically paid the equivalent of about $10 a day, which they can use to buy food, cigarettes, and toiletries. Those whose families don't send them supplies scrape through on the unofficial labor market, cleaning up the facilities or doing work for wealthier inmates. Cigarette packs are the colony's internal currency.
Alekhina and Tolokonnikova, both university graduates, are unlikely to have much in common with their fellow inmates. "I didn't think there even were people like 90 percent of the people I met," Bakhmina recalled. "I never had any idea there were so many drug addicts, or so many people with speech impediments."
Spouses are allowed three-day conjugal visits four times a year. Prisoners who show especially good behavior can even be given two weeks' leave outside the camp. Bakhmina became pregnant while serving her term and was released several months after giving birth to a daughter. She saw her two older sons only twice during her three years in the penal colony, afraid it would be too traumatic for them to see their mother imprisoned.
Mothers with children under the age of 3 can keep them in centers on penal colony grounds, or in the case of one colony in Mordovia in their barracks. Alekhina's 5-year-old son and Tolokonnikova's 4-year-old daughter will live with relatives.
The two punk band members can be punished with up to 15 days in solitary confinement for minor infractions such as failing to make their beds or to put their hands behind their backs at roll call or to greet guards quickly enough.
Perhaps the greatest danger for the band members, however, will be posed by their fellow inmates. Physical violence, while a danger, is relatively rare in comparison to men's colonies. But the psychological pressure can be greater, said Vitaly Borshchyov, head of the Public Monitoring Commission, a human rights organization that works with the government to improve prison conditions.
"Colonies are all-consuming for women," he said. "Having a large group of women together in a single space is a recipe for tension and conflicts. You might get beaten up, sexually humiliated or forced to be someone's lover, especially if you're a young woman."
The Pussy Riot members' lawyers and supporters also fear that Orthodox believers may attack them, either inspired by the extremely negative coverage of their protest on state television or egged on by state officials.
"When things get worse on the outside, it gets transferred into the colonies," said Lev Ponomarev, a Soviet dissident who runs the Defending Prisoners' Rights foundation. "Scoundrels think they can get away with more. The authorities are totally indifferent."
The band members have vowed to remain defiant.
"We will not be silent," Alekhina told the appeals court Wednesday. "And even if we are in Mordovia or Siberia we will not be silent ... however zealously you try to smear us."
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