FILE - In this Dec. 10, 2010 file photo, B.O.B. and Bruno Mars perform at the 2010 Z100 Jingle Ball concert at Madison Square Garden in New York. B.o.B is happy that Mars is the halftime performer at Super Bowl XLVIII, especially if he gets an invite to join him onstage. Super Bowl XLVIII will take place Feb. 2 in East Rutherford, N.J. (AP Photo/Peter Kramer, File)
ATLANTA (AP) — B.o.B is happy Bruno Mars is the halftime performer at Super Bowl XLVIII, especially if he gets an invitation to join him onstage.
B.o.B says with a laugh: "I ain't got my phone call yet, but I hope I'll be on there."
Mars and the rapper collaborated on the 2010 No. 1 hit, "Nothin' on You." The song was nominated for multiple Grammy Awards and helped Mars launch his successful solo career, which includes two platinum albums and 10 Top 5 hits.
B.o.B said in an interview Wednesday that he and Mars came up the music ranks together, performing in the studio before the singer became a pop star.
Super Bowl XLVIII will take place Feb. 2 in East Rutherford, N.J.
B.o.B will release his third album, "Underground Luxury," on Dec. 17.
____
Follow Jonathan Landrum Jr. at http://twitter.com/MrLandrum31
This news feed contains stories that meet all of the following criteria: (1) Stories from the "Studio Sessions" topic. (2) Stories from the "Music Videos" topic.
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Ultrasound device combined with clot-buster safe for stroke, say UTHealth researchers
PUBLIC RELEASE DATE:
24-Oct-2013
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Contact: Deborah Lake deborah.m.lake@uth.tmc.edu 713-500-3304 University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston
HOUSTON (Oct. 24, 2013) A study led by researchers at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth) showed that a hands-free ultrasound device combined with a clot-busting drug was safe for ischemic stroke patients.
The results of the phase II pilot study were reported today in the American Heart Association journal Stroke. Lead author is Andrew D. Barreto, M.D., assistant professor of neurology in the Stroke Program at the UTHealth Medical School. Principal investigator is James C. Grotta, M.D., professor and chair of the Department of Neurology at the UTHealth Medical School, the Roy M. & Phyllis Gough Huffington Distinguished Chair and co-director of the Mischer Neuroscience Institute at Memorial Hermann-Texas Medical Center.
The device, which uses UTHealth technology licensed to Cerevast Therapeutics, Inc., is placed on the stroke patient's head and delivers ultrasound to enhance the effectiveness of the clot-busting drug tissue plasminogen activator (tPA). Unlike the traditional hand-held ultrasound probe that's aimed at a blood clot, the hands-free device used 18 separate probes and showers the deep areas of the brain where large blood clots cause severe strokes.
"Our goal is to open up more arteries in the brain and help stroke patients recover," said Barreto, an attending physician at Mischer Neuroscience Institute. "This technology would have a significant impact on patients, families and society if we could improve outcomes by another 10 percent or more by adding ultrasound to patients who've already received tPA."
In the first study of its kind, 20 moderately severe ischemic stroke patients (12 men and eight women, average age 63 years) received intravenous tPA up to 4.5 hours after symptoms occurred and two hours exposure to 2-MHz pulsed wave transcranial ultrasound.
Researchers reported that 13 (or 65 percent) patients either returned home or to rehabilitation 90 days after the combination treatment. After three months, five of the 20 patients had no disability from the stroke and one had slight disability.
Cerevast Therapeutics has recently launched an 830-patient international, randomized efficacy study of the ultrasound approach combined with the clot buster in ischemic stroke. Barreto is the North American principal investigator for that Phase III study called Combined Lysis of Thrombus with Ultrasound and Systemic Tissue Plasminogen Activator (tPA) for Emergent Revascularization in Acute Ischemic Stroke (CLOTBUST-ER). Locally, patients will be recruited from Memorial Hermann-Texas Medical Center, Memorial Hermann Southwest Hospital and Baptist Beaumont Hospital.
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The study was conducted at UTHealth and the University of Alabama-Birmingham with funding from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) including the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (P50NS044227, 1K23NS02229-01, 1P50NS044277), an NIH training grant (T32NS07412) and the National Center for Research Resources (UL1RR024148).
UTHealth co-authors are Nicole Gonzales, M.D.; Sean I. Savitz, M.D.; Andrew Bursaw, M.D.; Preeti Sahota, M.D.; Renganayaki Pandurengan, Ph.D.; Mohammad Rahbar, Ph.D.; Loren Shen, B.S.N.; Manouchehr Ardjomand- Hessabi, M.D.; Hari Indupuru, M.B.B.S.; and Hui Peng, Ph.D. Other co-authors are Andrei Alexandrov, M.D.; April Sisson, R.N.; and Kristian Barlinn, M.D.
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Ultrasound device combined with clot-buster safe for stroke, say UTHealth researchers
PUBLIC RELEASE DATE:
24-Oct-2013
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]
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Contact: Deborah Lake deborah.m.lake@uth.tmc.edu 713-500-3304 University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston
HOUSTON (Oct. 24, 2013) A study led by researchers at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth) showed that a hands-free ultrasound device combined with a clot-busting drug was safe for ischemic stroke patients.
The results of the phase II pilot study were reported today in the American Heart Association journal Stroke. Lead author is Andrew D. Barreto, M.D., assistant professor of neurology in the Stroke Program at the UTHealth Medical School. Principal investigator is James C. Grotta, M.D., professor and chair of the Department of Neurology at the UTHealth Medical School, the Roy M. & Phyllis Gough Huffington Distinguished Chair and co-director of the Mischer Neuroscience Institute at Memorial Hermann-Texas Medical Center.
The device, which uses UTHealth technology licensed to Cerevast Therapeutics, Inc., is placed on the stroke patient's head and delivers ultrasound to enhance the effectiveness of the clot-busting drug tissue plasminogen activator (tPA). Unlike the traditional hand-held ultrasound probe that's aimed at a blood clot, the hands-free device used 18 separate probes and showers the deep areas of the brain where large blood clots cause severe strokes.
"Our goal is to open up more arteries in the brain and help stroke patients recover," said Barreto, an attending physician at Mischer Neuroscience Institute. "This technology would have a significant impact on patients, families and society if we could improve outcomes by another 10 percent or more by adding ultrasound to patients who've already received tPA."
In the first study of its kind, 20 moderately severe ischemic stroke patients (12 men and eight women, average age 63 years) received intravenous tPA up to 4.5 hours after symptoms occurred and two hours exposure to 2-MHz pulsed wave transcranial ultrasound.
Researchers reported that 13 (or 65 percent) patients either returned home or to rehabilitation 90 days after the combination treatment. After three months, five of the 20 patients had no disability from the stroke and one had slight disability.
Cerevast Therapeutics has recently launched an 830-patient international, randomized efficacy study of the ultrasound approach combined with the clot buster in ischemic stroke. Barreto is the North American principal investigator for that Phase III study called Combined Lysis of Thrombus with Ultrasound and Systemic Tissue Plasminogen Activator (tPA) for Emergent Revascularization in Acute Ischemic Stroke (CLOTBUST-ER). Locally, patients will be recruited from Memorial Hermann-Texas Medical Center, Memorial Hermann Southwest Hospital and Baptist Beaumont Hospital.
###
The study was conducted at UTHealth and the University of Alabama-Birmingham with funding from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) including the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (P50NS044227, 1K23NS02229-01, 1P50NS044277), an NIH training grant (T32NS07412) and the National Center for Research Resources (UL1RR024148).
UTHealth co-authors are Nicole Gonzales, M.D.; Sean I. Savitz, M.D.; Andrew Bursaw, M.D.; Preeti Sahota, M.D.; Renganayaki Pandurengan, Ph.D.; Mohammad Rahbar, Ph.D.; Loren Shen, B.S.N.; Manouchehr Ardjomand- Hessabi, M.D.; Hari Indupuru, M.B.B.S.; and Hui Peng, Ph.D. Other co-authors are Andrei Alexandrov, M.D.; April Sisson, R.N.; and Kristian Barlinn, M.D.
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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.
AT&T won't be matching T-Mobile's offer of free wireless data for the iPad Air when the device debuts at the company's stores across the U.S. next month.
AT&T, the country's second-largest cellular carrier, said it will offer a $100 discount to customers who sign a two-year contract for tablet data service.
For customers who don't want to sign a contract, AT&T will offer recently announced plans costing between $5 for 250MB of data for one day and $50 for 5GB for one month. Those customers won't get the $100 discount.
Subscribers will also be able to add the iPad Air to an existing data plan for an additional $10 per month.
On Wednesday, T-Mobile said it will give tablet owners 200MB of data per month for no cost. Once that's used up, customers will have the option of paying $5 for 500MB of data for one day or $10 for 1GB of data for a week.
T-Mobile, which is the fourth-largest of the country's four major carriers, is aggressively courting customers with cheaper pricing plans. It recently said customers heading overseas would get unlimited 2G data at no additional cost.
A spokesman for AT&T declined to comment on T-Mobile's announcement.
Martyn Williams covers mobile telecoms, Silicon Valley and general technology breaking news for The IDG News Service. Follow Martyn on Twitter at @martyn_williams. Martyn's e-mail address is martyn_williams@idg.com
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. lenders will get at least six months' notice before the government reduces the limit on the size of loans that taxpayer-owned Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac can back, the firms' regulator said on Thursday.
The Federal Housing Finance Agency, which has already said it was considering lowering the cap to wean the housing finance system off its dependence on the government, said any change would be phased in to avoid economic disruptions.
"We are not making a change there in the immediate term," FHFA Acting Director Edward DeMarco told reporters. "We're not looking to disrupt the market or create some sudden dislocation. Anything we would do would have a long lead time and be gradual and measured."
The housing finance industry had expected officials to lower the limits on Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac-backed loans on January 1, 2014. While it will get more time to prepare for any changes, a decision on whether to lower the limits, and by how much, would still be made in late November, DeMarco said.
Currently, Fannie and Freddie cannot back loans of more than $417,000 in most markets, although the cap ranges as high as $625,500 in some pricier areas - including Washington, D.C., California and the New York City area - and up to $721,050 in Hawaii.
Separately, DeMarco said disputes between financial institutions and the government-run mortgage finance firms on loans made before the financial crisis are on track to be settled by the end of the year.
"We've been making progress on getting the claims resolved and settled," DeMarco said. The firms are sorting through delinquent loans for signs of any violations of representations and warranties.
LOWER LOAN LIMITS IMPACT
Lowering the caps, which were raised in 2008 to help keep the mortgage market liquid during the financial crisis, could make it harder for Americans to obtain home loans and drive up mortgage costs, unless the private market steps in to fill the void.
Investors' willingness to take on more risk once the government retreats could prove to be an early test of how well the housing market can operate without a large federal guarantee.
Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac together have drawn nearly $190 billion in taxpayer aid since they were seized by the government in September 2008, but they have paid about $146 billion to the Treasury in dividend payments in return for the support.
Republicans and Democrats agree the firms should eventually be wound down, but have yet to resolve disagreements over what should replace them and how extensive a role the government should play in supporting housing. The Obama administration also wants to reduce taxpayer backing in the housing system.
The two firms do not directly make loans. They purchase mortgages from lenders, which they either keep on their books or bundle into securities that they offer to investors with a guarantee. Those investors pay Fannie and Freddie a "guarantee fee" when they buy the securities.
The guarantee Fannie and Freddie provide makes it easier for the companies to package and sell mortgage bonds to investors.
Some housing industry leaders have said they are concerned a move to lower the loan limits could come too soon, impeding the housing recovery and shutting out home buyers. Investors might not be willing to take the risk of buying securities without a government guarantee, they caution.
"I recognize and understand that the industry is very busy right now," DeMarco said. New loan regulations that are part of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street reform law, some of which take effect in January, are often cited as restricting mortgage lending.
The industry has pushed FHFA to delay any lowering of the loan limits. The FHFA said in August it was considering reducing them and has been thinking about when any changes should take effect.
"The industry had an awful lot going on on January 1. The better course was to wait," DeMarco said.
Some in the industry and lawmakers have tried to challenge the FHFA's legal authority to reduce the loan limits. In addition, a bipartisan group of lawmakers in the House of Representatives this month called on the agency to drop its plans to change them.
(Reporting by Margaret Chadbourn; Editing by James Dalgleish and Dan Grebler)
This undated image released Sunday Oct. 13, 2013, by the London Metropolitan Police, shows missing British girl Madeleine McCann before she went missing from a Portuguese holiday complex on Thursday, May 3, 2007. British police are making a fresh appeal Monday Oct. 14, 2013, with new information about their investigation, with e-fit computer images of men allegedly seen in the Portuguese town of Praia da Luz around the time of Madeleine McCann's disappearance. (AP Photo/London Metropolitan Police)
This undated image released Sunday Oct. 13, 2013, by the London Metropolitan Police, shows missing British girl Madeleine McCann before she went missing from a Portuguese holiday complex on Thursday, May 3, 2007. British police are making a fresh appeal Monday Oct. 14, 2013, with new information about their investigation, with e-fit computer images of men allegedly seen in the Portuguese town of Praia da Luz around the time of Madeleine McCann's disappearance. (AP Photo/London Metropolitan Police)
LISBON, Portugal (AP) — More than six years after British girl Madeleine McCann vanished from her bedroom during a family vacation in Portugal and five years after Portuguese police gave up trying to find her, authorities reopened the case Thursday, citing new evidence.
Madeleine's parents, Kate and Gerry McCann, had long campaigned from their home in central England for the Portuguese investigation to resume. In a statement Thursday, they said they were "very pleased" at the development.
"We hope that this will finally lead to (Madeleine) being found and to the discovery of whoever is responsible for this crime," Kate and Gerry McCann said. The couple, both doctors, continue to care for Madeleine's younger siblings, twins Sean and Amelie.
Madeleine went missing shortly before her fourth birthday. Her disappearance sparked global interest as pictures of her and her grieving parents beamed around the world. Her parents briefly met with Pope Benedict XVI in St. Peter's Square in June 2007, a month after Madeleine disappeared, and the pontiff held a picture of their daughter.
Then, in a stunning twist, Portuguese police briefly considered the parents suspects before they were cleared and returned home.
Portuguese police closed the case in 2008 because authorities had detected no crime. However, a team of detectives from Porto, in northern Portugal, began reviewing the evidence in March 2011. They had not been involved in the original investigation.
The public prosecutor's office in Lisbon said it decided to reopen the investigation after new leads emerged during the case review. It did not elaborate. The case is subject to Portugal's judicial secrecy law, which forbids the release of information about investigations.
British police, meanwhile, launched Operation Grange in 2011 to try to find out what happened to Madeleine. British detectives have been sifting through the case files in Portugal and say they also have identified new avenues of investigation. They say both the timeline and the version of events surrounding the girl's disappearance have changed significantly as new information has emerged.
Madeleine disappeared from her family's resort apartment in Praia da Luz, a coastal town 200 kilometers (120 miles) south of Lisbon, while her parents and their friends were eating dinner nearby.
British detectives say it's possible that Madeleine is still alive.
Ten days ago, British police released a computer-generated image of a person they were interested in questioning about the girl's disappearance. Police asked the public for help and worked with the BBC on a "Crimewatch" TV show, which drew more than 2,000 calls offering possible new leads.
Police said the images were based on information from witnesses who spotted a man in the Portuguese resort the day Madeleine was last seen.
In London, Scotland Yard said the reopened Portuguese investigation will run parallel to the British police's efforts, and British police will be traveling regularly to Portugal.
"Both sides of the investigation are at relatively early stages, with much work remaining to be done," Scotland Yard said in a statement. "This new momentum is encouraging, but we still have a way to go."
Experts say all those efforts are worthwhile.
Even after so many years, officials should "do whatever it takes" to ensure that grieving parents get closure, said Delphine Moralis of Missing Children Europe, an umbrella group of 28 non-governmental organizations in 19 European Union countries and Switzerland.
"It's essential to keep the ball rolling" on efforts to find missing children, Moralis said by telephone from Brussels.
She cited as examples the cathartic resolution provided in the cases involving Natascha Kampusch, who was found eight years after being kidnapped in 1998 in Austria, and three women rescued in May after being held captive in a Cleveland house for about a decade.
____
Gregory Katz in London contributed to this report.
You might have heard: I wrote a piece asking liberal critics of the ACA’s Web problems to take a larger perspective, and not rush to join the clusterf*ck of conservatives declaring the entire program a failure. I mentioned two writers I admire, Ezra Klein and Ryan Lizza. Both had offered smart and sober criticism of the Web troubles; both also took to Twitter to get a little bit silly. Lizza suggested the ACA’s Web glitches might be a bigger disaster for Democrats than their default-hostage crisis was for Republicans. That seemed to me to be a pretty clear example of “false equivalence” that erodes media credibility. One party brought us to the brink of a constitutional crisis and almost precipitated a global economic collapse. The other party rolled out a complicated and apparently poorly designed Web site with insufficient testing and a screwed up procurement process. Those seem about equal, right? Of course not. There’s no comparison.
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