Singer/songwriter Alan O’Day passed away over the weekend. MSN Entertainment broke the news this morning on May 19 that the “Undercover Angel&rdquo... Read more on Examiner.com

by Oliver Grottke, Rolf Rossaint, Yvonne Henskens, Rene van Oerle, Hugo ten Cate, Henri M. H. Spronk

The use of PCC for the treatment of trauma-induced coagulopathy potentially increase the risk of thromboembolism and disseminated intravascular coagulation, which is addressed to an imbalance of both pro- and anticoagulants. As PCCs differ in composition, we used an in vitro dilutional approach to assess the overall thrombin generation of five different PCCs through various laboratory assays.

The vitamin K-dependent coagulation factors, heparin, and antithrombin were assessed in five commercially available PCCs. The procoagulant potential of the PCCs was assessed in plasma and whole blood from 4 healthy donors by means of classical coagulation assays, thrombin generation assay and thromboelastometry. In order to reflect coagulopathy, whole blood was diluted to 80, 60, 40, and 20% with Ringer’s lactate solution.

The five different PCCs were characterised by comparable levels of factors II, VII, IX and X (all around 20–30 IU/mL), whereas the heparin (0 to 17.6 IU/mL) and antithrombin (0.06 to 1.29 IU/mL) levels were remarkably different between manufactures. In vitro dilution of blood induced a prolongation of the PT and aPTT, and attenuation of thrombin generation and ExTem induced thromboelastometry. Overall, non- or low-heparin containing PCCs restored the in vitro dilutional coagulopathy, whereas PCCs containing heparin have an anticoagulant effect. The thrombin generation assay showed to be the most sensitive method for assessment of PCC effects.

This study shows that most available PCCs are not balanced regarding their pro- and anticoagulants. The effect of measured differences in thrombin generation among different PCCs requires further investigations to elaborate the clinical meaning of this finding in the treatment of trauma induced coagulopathy.

by David T. Elliott, James J. Pierson, Michael R. Roman

Egyptian police on Sunday blocked their Awja border with Israel in protest of the abduction of several of their colleagues by suspected Israeli militants on Thursday.

Ahmed Osman, a civil servant living in Awja spoke to AP and told them of some 40 trucks, laden with goods, being stuck at the border.

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Two people have been killed and six wounded during clashes that erupted in the northern Lebanese city of Tripoli, security sources said on Sunday.

AFP identified 22-year-old Mohammed Yussef, from the Alawite Jabal Mohsen area, and a 13-year-old boy from the neighbouring Sunni area of Bab el-Tebbaneh as the victims.

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By Allison Martell

(Reuters) - Hope is fading for a global deal to regulate the airline industry's greenhouse gas emissions ahead of a fall deadline, even though failure could push the industry back to the brink of a trade war over the European Union's emissions trading system.

Last November the EU suspended its controversial scheme to force all airlines to buy carbon credits for any flight arriving in or departing from European airspace.

The scheme had pitted European states against China, the United States, India and others, who said it violated their sovereignty. [More]

By Environment Correspondent Alister Doyle

OSLO (Reuters) - Extreme global warming is less likely in coming decades after a slowdown in the pace of temperature rises so far this century, an international team of scientists said on Sunday.

Warming is still on track, however, to breach a goal set by governments around the world of limiting the increase in temperatures to below 2 degrees Celsius (3.6 Fahrenheit) above pre-industrial times, unless tough action is taken to limit rising greenhouse gas emissions.

"The most extreme rates of warming simulated by the current generation of climate models over 50- to 100-year timescales are looking less likely," the University of Oxford wrote about the findings in the journal Nature Geoscience.

The rate of global warming has slowed after strong rises in the 1980s and 1990s, even though all the 10 warmest years since reliable records began in the 1850s have been since 1998.

The slowdown has been a puzzle because emissions of heat-trapping greenhouse gases have continued to rise, led by strong industrial growth in China.

Examining recent temperatures, the experts said that a doubling of carbon dioxide concentrations in the atmosphere above pre-industrial times - possible by mid-century on current trends - would push up temperatures by between 0.9 and 2.0 degrees Celsius (1.6 and 3.6F).

That is below estimates made by the U.N. [More]

By Chris Francescani

NEW YORK (Reuters) - A tornado half a mile wide struck near Oklahoma City on Sunday, part of a massive storm front that hammered the central United States. [More]

by Ziyun Wu, Shao Quan Liu, Dejian Huang

It's not just the planet is getting warmer and that that's an awesome thing because woo, free heat; the even more awesomer thing is that fossil fuel pollution HAS GOT WHAT PLANTS CRAVE!

This is so awesome, in fact, that we can barely stand it. Did you know that hitting the 400ppm threshold, a milestone marking the beginnings of serious climate change that could "result in an alternation of the energy flow in the goddamn earth's climate itself," changing weather patterns in unpredictable and possibly nation-shattering ways, means that we are no longer so beholden to that stupid weather? Of course you don't—but that's because you don't realize changing the atmosphere of the planet HAS GOT WHAT PLANTS CRAVE!

400pm is cause for celebration. “A world lit only by fire” is not.

Cough—excuse me. Anyway, the very serious Cato Institute, often hailed as the very pinnacle (snicker) of libertarian/conservative "thinking" (snicker), was recently the subject of an intense power struggle between the staunchly Republican Koch brothers and the more traditionally libertarian members of Cato's board. The essential battle was over Cato's continued independence or whether they would evolve, as the Koch faction desired, into a more reliably conservative, Republican, corporatist and nakedly partisan outfit. There was a lawsuit and everything.

I'd tell you which side won, but really, does it matter?

According to several reports coming out of Philadelphia, a former “hero cop” who was once rewarded for his bravery in the line of duty with a seat next First Lady Michelle Obama during a presidential speech is being held on $60 million bail (apparently one of the highest in Philadelphia history) for allegedly raping two women at gunpoint, among some other pretty terrible things.

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There are lots of embarrassing ways to get busted for a crime. You could flee police only to get attacked by an alligator, or you could accidentally lock your victim in their own gun closet to predictable results. Dumber still? Butt dialing 911 as you're in the midst of a robbery.

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PHOENIX — A police officer who was conducting a DUI stop on a vehicle in Phoenix died after another vehicle struck him and then fled the scene.

Authorities said late Sunday afternoon that police in Surprise located the SUV that struck 29-year-old Officer Daryl Raetz around 3:30 a.m. Phoenix police Sgt. Tommy Thompson said investigators are working to identify the driver.

The hit-and-run collision happened as Raetz was standing in the roadway and was wrapping up the DUI stop.

Raetz later died at a hospital.

by Yuxiao Deng, Zhongwei Yang, Yuan Gao, Huan Xu, Beijie Zheng, Min Jiang, Jin Xu, Zhengyu He, Xiangrui Wang

Acute lung injury (ALI) is considered to be the major cause of respiratory failure in critically ill patients. Clinical studies have found that in patients with sepsis and after hemorrhage, the elevated level of high mobility group box-1(HMGB-1) in their circulation is highly associated with ALI, but the underlying mechanism remains unclear. Extracellular HMGB-1 has cytokine-like properties and can bind to Toll-like Receptor-4 (TLR4), which was reported to play an important role in the pathogenesis of ALI. The aim of this study was to determine whether HMGB-1 directly contributes to ALI and whether TLR4 signaling pathway is involved in this process.

Recombinant human HMGB-1 (rhHMGB-1) was used to induce ALI in male Sprague-Dawley rats. Lung specimens were collected 2 h after HMGB-1 treatment. The levels of TNF-α, IL-1β, TLR4 protein, and TLR4 mRNA in lungs as well as pathological changes of lung tissue were assessed. In cell studies, the alveolar macrophage cell line, NR8383, was collected 24 h after rhHMGB-1 treatment and the levels of TNF-α and IL-1β in cultured medium as well as TLR4 protein and mRNA levels in the cell were examined. TLR4-shRNA-lentivirus was used to inhibit TLR4 expression, and a neutralizing anti-HMGB1 antibody was used to neutralize rhHMGB-1 both in vitro and in vivo.

Features of lung injury and significant elevation of IL-1β and TNF-α levels were found in lungs of rhHMGB-1-treated animals. Cultured NR8383 cells were activated by rhHMGB-1 treatment and resulted in the release of IL-1β and TNF-α. TLR4 expression was greatly up-regulated by rhHMGB-1. Inhibition of TLR4 or neutralization of HMGB1 with a specific antibody also attenuated the inflammatory response induced by HMGB-1 both in vivo and in vitro.

HMGB-1 can activate alveolar macrophages to produce proinflammatory cytokines and induce ALI through a mechanism that relies on TLR-4.

by Samuel W. Jones, Haibo Zhou, Shiara M. Ortiz-Pujols, Robert Maile, Margaret Herbst, Benny L. Joyner Jr, Hongtao Zhang, Matthew Kesic, Ilona Jaspers, Kathleen A. Short, Anthony A. Meyer, David B. Peden, Bruce A. Cairns, Terry L. Noah

Acute lung injury (ALI) is a major factor determining morbidity following burns and inhalational injury. In experimental models, factors potentially contributing to ALI risk include inhalation of toxins directly causing cell damage; inflammation; and infection. However, few studies have been done in humans.

We carried out a prospective observational study of patients admitted to the NC Jaycees Burn Center who were intubated and on mechanical ventilation for burns and suspected inhalational injury. Subjects were enrolled over an 8-month period and followed till discharge or death. Serial bronchial washings from clinically-indicated bronchoscopies were collected and analyzed for markers of cell injury and inflammation. These markers were compared with clinical markers of ALI.

Forty-three consecutive patients were studied, with a spectrum of burn and inhalation injury severity. Visible soot at initial bronchoscopy and gram negative bacteria in the lower respiratory tract were associated with ALI in univariate analyses. Subsequent multivariate analysis also controlled for % body surface area burns, infection, and inhalation severity. Elevated IL-10 and reduced IL-12p70 in bronchial washings were statistically significantly associated with ALI.

Independently of several factors including initial inhalational injury severity, infection, and extent of surface burns, high early levels of IL-10 and low levels of IL-12p70 in the central airways are associated with ALI in patients intubated after acute burn/inhalation injury. Lower airway secretions can be collected serially in critically ill burn/inhalation injury patients and may yield important clues to specific pathophysiologic pathways.

Thirty-party apps didn't exist when the iPhone first launched in 2007. At that time Apple offered its own set of built-in iOS apps and users were relegated to Web apps if they wanted tools made by someone else. Luckily things have changed since; we now have hundreds of thousands of apps to choose from for our iPhones, iPads, and iPod touches. Many of them even offer similar or better functionality than the default apps from Apple.

Users still can't delete Apple's default apps from iOS devices (grumble grumble…) but there are plenty of useful alternatives out there for people hoping to use something other than the default. Readers are always asking about which apps the Ars staff uses when they choose to ditch the Apple's camera, mapping, music, or other apps. I put out a call to our editors and writers to find out just what does the Ars staff use for the major app categories (and why)? Here's what we came up with:

I never upgraded my iPhone 4 from iOS 5 to iOS 6 so I can't say if the new Apple Maps are as bad as people claim. However, I rushed to download the new Google Maps when it hit the App Store and haven't been disappointed. The underlying map technology is the same as the one in my stock app since iOS 5's pre-installed app also relies on Google. But the spoken, turn-by-turn directions and traffic data make the new version of Google Maps far superior.

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The World Bank has approved a $30 million soft loan aimed at supporting a government initiative to improve access to basic services in impoverishedparts of the country.

“The Social Protection and Promotion Project approved by the World Bank Board of Directors will expand the coverage of Lebanon’s National Poverty Targeting Program from 93,900 to 160,700 people over the next five years,” the World Bank said in a statement over the weekend.

The $30 million loan will mature in 30 years and will have an 18-year grace period, according the World Bank’s website.

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by Jung Yeon Heo, Soung Hoon Chang, Min Jung Go, Young Mee Kim, Sun Hye Gu, Byung Chul Chun

This study was carried out to estimate the vaccination coverage, public perception, and preventive behaviors against pandemic influenza A (H1N1) and to understand the motivation and barriers to vaccination between high-risk and non–high-risk groups during the outbreak of pandemic influenza A (H1N1).

A cross-sectional nationwide telephone survey of 1,650 community-dwelling Korean adults aged 19 years and older was conducted in the later stage of the 2009–2010 pandemic influenza A (H1N1) outbreak. The questionnaire identified the demographics, vaccination status of participants and all household members, barriers to non-vaccination, perceived threat, and preventive behaviors. In Korea, the overall rate of pandemic influenza vaccination coverage in the surveyed population was 15.5%; vaccination coverage in the high-risk group and non–high-risk group was 47.3% and 8.0%, respectively. In the high-risk group, the most important triggering event for vaccination was receiving a notice from a public health organization. In the non–high-risk group, vaccination was more strongly influenced by previous experience with influenza or mass media campaigns. In both groups, the most common reasons for not receiving vaccination was that their health was sufficient to forgo the vaccination, and lack of time. There was no significant difference in how either group perceived the threat or adopted preventive behavior. The predictive factors for pandemic influenza vaccination were being elderly (age ≥65 years), prior seasonal influenza vaccination, and chronic medical disease.

With the exception of vaccination coverage, the preventive behaviors of the high-risk group were not different from those of the non–high-risk group during the 2009–2010 pandemic. For future pandemic preparedness planning, it is crucial to reinforce preventive behaviors to avoid illness before vaccination and to increase vaccination coverage in the high-risk group.

by Miguel de Vega

by Rongjun Yu, Sai Sun

A relationship that began over beer and pizza culminated in a once-in-a lifetime experience in La Ville De L’amour, otherwise known as Paris.

Andy Warren was new to online dating when he sent Kimberly Ellis a message on Match.com in 2009.

“We exchanged a couple of emails and she asked me for a picture and then she emailed back and said, ‘Let’s meet up and see if there’s any chemistry,’ ” Andy, 47, said.

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The body of a 64-year-old man was found inside a Yulee mobile home after an explosion early Sunday morning.

Nassau County Sheriff Bill Leeper said the call came in at 1:19 a.m. Sunday when a neighbor heard the explosion at 85185 Tinya Road, east of U.S. 17. The mobile home caught on fire after the explosion.

The man’s body was later found inside. He has not been identified.

Leeper said that there were multiple propane tanks around home and that some had exploded. He said his office and the State Fire Marshal are investigating.

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Mary Lee, the 16-foot, 3,500-pound great white shark is heading back to Jacksonville.

A GPS tracker ping at 7:15 p.m. Saturday showed that Mary Lee was approximately 150 miles off of Big Talbot Island, according to the website of Ocearch, a shark research group.

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Associated Press

NEW YORK — The police officer who accidentally killed a Long Island college student along with an armed intruder faced the most harrowing decision of a law enforcement career: choosing the split-second moment when the risk is so high that you must act to save a life, says an expert in the field.

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VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — Two FBI special agents on the agency's elite Hostage Rescue Team have been killed in a training accident in Virginia, officials said Sunday.

The accident happened off the coast of Virginia Beach on Friday, the FBI's national press office announced in a statement Sunday. No other details were given and the cause is under investigation.