Financial Literacy Program Supported by the Bridgewater Credit ...

http://www.bridgew.edu/Newslog/view_story.cfm?StoryID=1145

The Bridgewater Credit Union donated $10,000 to help fund BSU?s Financial Literacy and Giving (FLAG) program. Part of the gift will help three groups of FLAG students implement their own service projects.

The service projects, which will be implemented this fall, include a financial literacy training program for local high school students, a student art gallery aimed at educational outreach, and a resident hall recycling program at BSU to benefit various charities. Incoming FLAG students may join in on the projects or start their own.

The implementation of the projects was part of the giving component of FLAG, which encourages students to initiate social entrepreneurship projects involving community service and other good business practices, said Dr. Margaret Brooks, professor and chairperson of economics and director of the nine-week FLAG program.

?The students learn ways businesses can be sustainable and contribute in positive ways to their communities,? she said.

The donation was the product of an agreement between Mark Campanale and Theresa Heffernan of Bridgewater Credit Union, and BSU?s Dr. Brooks and Susan McCombe, director of university and community partnerships.

Dr. Brooks said the partnership helps promote improved financial literacy in the region and brings expertise and funding to support BSU students, who in turn help contribute to the town?s economy and financial institutions.

?Both institutions share a common interest in supporting the town of Bridgewater and the surrounding communities,? said Dr. Brooks. ?Helping BSU students become financially literate not only empowers students, but can also help them to become informed contributors to the local economy and banking system for many years to come.?

Since BCU and BSU partnered, FLAG has grown significantly, said Dr. Brooks. The partnership has brought to campus several BCU executives to lead sessions on banking and personal financing, such as Kevin Burns, vice president of lending at BCU, who in February taught a class on building and maintaining good credit.

The FLAG sessions help students learn teamwork, real-life financial skills, and how to make important personal finance decisions, such as with budgeting and building credit, said Dr. Brooks.

?Financial training helps students become aware of long-term implications of their decisions so they can make the best possible choices now,? she said. ?The program also seeks to provide students with an understanding of how their work and spending decisions impacts others in their families and communities. The recent recession has made this program more important than ever.?

Approximately 30 students have graduated with a certificate from the program each spring semester since its inception in 2010.

Co-teaching the FLAG program each semester are Dr. Brooks and three other BSU professors: Dr. Arnaa Alcon, associate professor and chairperson of social work; Dr. Shannon Donovan, associate professor of accounting and finance and faculty director of the university?s Center for Entrepreneurship Studies; and Dr. Jonathan White, associate professor of sociology. (Rob Matheson, ?07, G ?12, University Advancement)

from your own site.

gisele bundchen tom brady randy travis arrested dickens amber portwood cujo greg kelly karen handel

Jury sides with Costner in BP spill lawsuit

Kevin Costner, center, arrives at Federal Court on Thursday, June 14, 2012 in New Orleans. A jury is set to hear closing arguments in the trial for Stephen Baldwin's lawsuit against Costner over their multimillion dollar business dispute in the aftermath of the 2010 oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. The lawsuit accuses Costner and Smith of duping Baldwin and friend Spyridon Contogouris over their investments in an oil cleanup device that BP used after the spill. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)

Kevin Costner, center, arrives at Federal Court on Thursday, June 14, 2012 in New Orleans. A jury is set to hear closing arguments in the trial for Stephen Baldwin's lawsuit against Costner over their multimillion dollar business dispute in the aftermath of the 2010 oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. The lawsuit accuses Costner and Smith of duping Baldwin and friend Spyridon Contogouris over their investments in an oil cleanup device that BP used after the spill. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)

Stephen Baldwin arrives at Federal Court on Thursday, June 14, 2012 in New Orleans. A jury is set to hear closing arguments in the trial for Baldwin's lawsuit against Kevin Costner over their multimillion dollar business dispute in the aftermath of the 2010 oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. The lawsuit accuses Costner and Smith of duping Baldwin and friend Spyridon Contogouris over their investments in an oil cleanup device that BP used after the spill. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)

Stephen Baldwin adjusts his suit as he arrives at Federal Court on Thursday, June 14, 2012 in New Orleans. A jury is set to hear closing arguments in the trial for Baldwin's lawsuit against Kevin Costner over their multimillion dollar business dispute in the aftermath of the 2010 oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. The lawsuit accuses Costner and Smith of duping Baldwin and friend Spyridon Contogouris over their investments in an oil cleanup device that BP used after the spill. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)

Stephen Baldwin, right arrives with his attorney Leo Palazzo at Federal Court on Thursday, June 14, 2012 in New Orleans. A jury is set to hear closing arguments in the trial for Baldwin's lawsuit against Kevin Costner over their multimillion dollar business dispute in the aftermath of the 2010 oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. The lawsuit accuses Costner and Smith of duping Baldwin and friend Spyridon Contogouris over their investments in an oil cleanup device that BP used after the spill. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)

Kevin Costner arrives at Federal Court on Thursday, June 14, 2012 in New Orleans. A jury is set to hear closing arguments in the trial for Stephen Baldwin's lawsuit against Costner over their multimillion dollar business dispute in the aftermath of the 2010 oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. The lawsuit accuses Costner and Smith of duping Baldwin and friend Spyridon Contogouris over their investments in an oil cleanup device that BP used after the spill. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)

NEW ORLEANS (AP) ? Kevin Costner said his reputation was at stake as he defended himself against accusations that he cheated fellow actor Stephen Baldwin out of millions of dollars in a lucrative BP contract for oil-cleaning machines after the 2010 spill.

Baldwin and a friend were seeking $17 million in damages, saying they could have made at least that much in the deal. A federal jury sided with Costner and gave them nothing.

Costner smiled and shook his attorney's hand as a grim-faced Baldwin left the courtroom.

"My name means more to me than money and that's why we didn't settle," Costner said.

After a two-week trial, eight jurors deliberated for less than two hours before giving their decision in the lawsuit brought by Baldwin and his friend, Spyridon Contogouris.

Baldwin referred questions about the verdict to his attorney, James Cobb.

"We're disappointed. We thought we proved rather convincingly that these two guys, Mr. Costner and Mr. Smith, defrauded us," Cobb said. "The jury saw it a different way but we respect the jury's verdict."

Contogouris and Baldwin sold their shares in Ocean Therapy Solutions for $1.4 million and $500,000, respectively. The company was marketing the oil-separating centrifuges.

Baldwin testified he would have held out for much more if he had known BP had committed to ordering 32 of them. Soon after they sold their shares, the oil giant made an $18 million deposit on a $52 million order.

Attorneys for Costner and Smith said Baldwin and Contogouris knew BP was preparing to order the machines when they walked away from the company rather than gamble for a more lucrative payout if BP signed a binding contract. At the time they sold their shares, BP only had signed a non-binding letter of intent, the defendants' attorneys said.

Cobb questioned whether celebrity was a factor in the outcome "because I believe we proved our case and because the bigger celebrity won."

Earlier Thursday, during the trial's closing arguments, Cobb told jurors they probably see the case as a "bunch of rich people fighting over money I'll never, ever see." Cobb, however, said his clients deserved to be compensated for being lied to by Costner and business partner Patrick Smith and defrauded out of their fair share of the BP money.

"I had no idea the spider's web of deception could be so pervasive and so hard to unravel," Cobb said.

Costner's attorney Wayne Lee argued his client's fame is the only reason he was sued. The plaintiffs were mistaken when they thought Costner would "roll over and give in" under the threat of a lawsuit, Lee said.

"This lawsuit never should have been brought," Lee said. "Mr. Costner never should have been a party to these proceedings."

Costner and Baldwin were ordered by U.S. District Judge Martin Feldman to attend each day of the trial, which they heeded. The judge thanked them at the end of the trial.

"I know that being here throughout the trial has been a great challenge for them," Feldman said.

Costner testified that he never saw Baldwin contribute anything to their company's efforts to persuade BP to use the centrifuges. Baldwin testified that no one asked him to invest any capital or lobby BP but said he used his celebrity to market and promote the centrifuges while he also worked on a documentary about the nation's worst offshore oil spill.

Costner had lost $20 million in an earlier effort to market the devices to the oil and gas industry, but Cobb said Costner and Smith each made $15 million off their investments in Ocean Therapy Solutions after the BP spill.

BP deployed a few of the centrifuges on a barge in June 2010. The company capped the well the following month, and it was permanently sealed in September 2010.

Costner praised the jury for "doing their best to understand everything" in a complex case.

"They were really smart, and it was my good luck that they saw the truth of the story," he said.

Associated Press

gift card exchange tj holmes waste management two fat ladies dennys kindle fire glen davis

5 Huge Misconceptions about Aliens

[ [ [['Connery is an experienced stuntman', 2]], 'http://yhoo.it/KeQd0p', '[Slideshow: See photos taken on the way down]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['Connery is an experienced stuntman', 7]], ' http://yhoo.it/KpUoHO', '[Slideshow: Death-defying daredevils]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['know that we have confidence in', 3]], 'http://yhoo.it/LqYjAX ', '[Related: The Secret Service guide to Cartagena]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['We picked up this other dog and', 5]], 'http://yhoo.it/JUSxvi', '[Related: 8 common dog fears, how to calm them]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['accused of running a fake hepatitis B', 5]], 'http://bit.ly/JnoJYN', '[Related: Did WH share raid details with filmmakers?]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['accused of running a fake hepatitis B', 3]], 'http://bit.ly/KoKiqJ', '[Factbox: AQAP, al-Qaeda in Yemen]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['have my contacts on or glasses', 3]], 'http://abcn.ws/KTE5AZ', '[Related: Should the murder charge be dropped?]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['have made this nation great as Sarah Palin', 5]], 'http://yhoo.it/JD7nlD', '[Related: Bristol Palin reality show debuts June 19]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['have made this nation great as Sarah Palin', 1]], 'http://bit.ly/JRPFRO', '[Related: McCain adviser who vetted Palin weighs in on VP race]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['A JetBlue flight from New York to Las Vegas', 3]], 'http://yhoo.it/GV9zpj', '[Related: View photos of the JetBlue plane in Amarillo]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['the 28-year-old neighborhood watchman who shot and killed', 15]], 'http://news.yahoo.com/photos/white-house-stays-out-of-teen-s-killing-slideshow/', 'Click image to see more photos', 'http://l.yimg.com/cv/ip/ap/default/120411/martinzimmermen.jpg', '630', ' ', 'AP', ], [ [['Titanic', 7]], 'http://news.yahoo.com/titanic-anniversary/', ' ', 'http://l.yimg.com/a/p/us/news/editorial/b/4e/b4e5ad9f00b5dfeeec2226d53e173569.jpeg', '550', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['He was in shock and still strapped to his seat', 6]], 'http://news.yahoo.com/photos/navy-jet-crashes-in-virginia-slideshow/', 'Click image to see more photos', 'http://l.yimg.com/cv/ip/ap/default/120406/jet_ap.jpg', '630', ' ', 'AP', ], [ [['xxxxxxxxxxxx', 11]], 'http://news.yahoo.com/photos/russian-grannies-win-bid-to-sing-at-eurovision-1331223625-slideshow/', 'Click image to see more photos', 'http://l.yimg.com/a/p/us/news/editorial/1/56/156d92f2760dcd3e75bcd649a8b85fcf.jpeg', '500', ' ', 'AP', ] ]

[ [ [['did not go as far his colleague', 8]], '29438204', '0' ], [ [[' the 28-year-old neighborhood watchman who shot and killed', 4]], '28924649', '0' ], [ [['because I know God protects me', 14], ['Brian Snow was at a nearby credit union', 5]], '28811216', '0' ], [ [['The state news agency RIA-Novosti quoted Rosaviatsiya', 6]], '28805461', '0' ], [ [['measure all but certain to fail in the face of bipartisan', 4]], '28771014', '0' ], [ [['matter what you do in this case', 5]], '28759848', '0' ], [ [['presume laws are constitutional', 7]], '28747556', '0' ], [ [['has destroyed 15 to 25 houses', 7]], '28744868', '0' ], [ [['short answer is yes', 7]], '28746030', '0' ], [ [['opportunity to tell the real story', 7]], '28731764', '0' ], [ [['entirely respectable way to put off the searing constitutional controversy', 7]], '28723797', '0' ], [ [['point of my campaign is that big ideas matter', 9]], '28712293', '0' ], [ [['As the standoff dragged into a second day', 7]], '28687424', '0' ], [ [['French police stepped up the search', 17]], '28667224', '0' ], [ [['Seeking to elevate his candidacy back to a general', 8]], '28660934', '0' ], [ [['The tragic story of Trayvon Martin', 4]], '28647343', '0' ], [ [['Karzai will get a chance soon to express', 8]], '28630306', '0' ], [ [['powerful storms stretching', 8]], '28493546', '0' ], [ [['basic norm that death is private', 6]], '28413590', '0' ], [ [['songwriter also saw a surge in sales for her debut album', 6]], '28413590', '1', 'Watch music videos from Whitney Houston ', 'on Yahoo! Music', 'http://music.yahoo.com' ], [ [['keyword', 99999999999999999999999]], 'videoID', '1', 'overwrite-pre-description', 'overwrite-link-string', 'overwrite-link-url' ] ]

ann romney tupac hologram tupac back tax deadline death race buffet rule carlos santana

Neutrons escaping to a parallel world?

Public release date: 15-Jun-2012
[ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Joan Robinson
joan.robinson@springer.com
49-622-148-78130
Springer

An anomaly in the behavior of ordinary particles may point to the existence of mirror particles that could be candidates for dark matter responsible for the missing mass of the universe

In a paper recently published in EPJ C, researchers hypothesised the existence of mirror particles to explain the anomalous loss of neutrons observed experimentally. The existence of such mirror matter had been suggested in various scientific contexts some time ago, including the search for suitable dark matter candidates.

Theoretical physicists Zurab Berezhiani and Fabrizio Nesti from the University of l'Aquila, Italy, reanalysed the experimental data obtained by the research group of Anatoly Serebrov at the Institut Laue-Langevin, France. It showed that the loss rate of very slow free neutrons appeared to depend on the direction and strength of the magnetic field applied. This anomaly could not be explained by known physics.

Berezhiani believes it could be interpreted in the light of a hypothetical parallel world consisting of mirror particles. Each neutron would have the ability to transition into its invisible mirror twin, and back, oscillating from one world to the other. The probability of such a transition happening was predicted to be sensitive to the presence of magnetic fields, and could therefore be detected experimentally.

This neutron-mirror-neutron oscillation could occur within a timescale of a few seconds, according to the paper. The possibility of such a fast disappearance of neutronsmuch faster than the ten-minute long neutron decayalbeit surprising, could not be excluded by existing experimental and astrophysical limits.

This interpretation is subject to the condition that the earth possesses a mirror magnetic field on the order of 0.1 Gauss. Such a field could be induced by mirror particles floating around in the galaxy as dark matter. Hypothetically, the earth could capture the mirror matter via some feeble interactions between ordinary particles and those from parallel worlds.

###

References

1. Z. Berezhiani, F. Nesti, Magnetic anomaly in UCN trapping: signal for neutron oscillations to parallel world? (2012), European Physical Journal C 72: 1974, DOI 10.1140/epjc/s10052-012-1974-5

---

[ | E-mail | Share ]

?

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.

Public release date: 15-Jun-2012
[ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Joan Robinson
joan.robinson@springer.com
49-622-148-78130
Springer

An anomaly in the behavior of ordinary particles may point to the existence of mirror particles that could be candidates for dark matter responsible for the missing mass of the universe

In a paper recently published in EPJ C, researchers hypothesised the existence of mirror particles to explain the anomalous loss of neutrons observed experimentally. The existence of such mirror matter had been suggested in various scientific contexts some time ago, including the search for suitable dark matter candidates.

Theoretical physicists Zurab Berezhiani and Fabrizio Nesti from the University of l'Aquila, Italy, reanalysed the experimental data obtained by the research group of Anatoly Serebrov at the Institut Laue-Langevin, France. It showed that the loss rate of very slow free neutrons appeared to depend on the direction and strength of the magnetic field applied. This anomaly could not be explained by known physics.

Berezhiani believes it could be interpreted in the light of a hypothetical parallel world consisting of mirror particles. Each neutron would have the ability to transition into its invisible mirror twin, and back, oscillating from one world to the other. The probability of such a transition happening was predicted to be sensitive to the presence of magnetic fields, and could therefore be detected experimentally.

This neutron-mirror-neutron oscillation could occur within a timescale of a few seconds, according to the paper. The possibility of such a fast disappearance of neutronsmuch faster than the ten-minute long neutron decayalbeit surprising, could not be excluded by existing experimental and astrophysical limits.

This interpretation is subject to the condition that the earth possesses a mirror magnetic field on the order of 0.1 Gauss. Such a field could be induced by mirror particles floating around in the galaxy as dark matter. Hypothetically, the earth could capture the mirror matter via some feeble interactions between ordinary particles and those from parallel worlds.

###

References

1. Z. Berezhiani, F. Nesti, Magnetic anomaly in UCN trapping: signal for neutron oscillations to parallel world? (2012), European Physical Journal C 72: 1974, DOI 10.1140/epjc/s10052-012-1974-5

---

[ | E-mail | Share ]

?

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.

san francisco 49ers san francisco 49ers giants vs 49ers sf 49ers joe paterno died 49ers game ravens

Hurricane Carlotta strengthens off Mexico Pacific coast

[ [ [['Connery is an experienced stuntman', 2]], 'http://yhoo.it/KeQd0p', '[Slideshow: See photos taken on the way down]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['Connery is an experienced stuntman', 7]], ' http://yhoo.it/KpUoHO', '[Slideshow: Death-defying daredevils]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['know that we have confidence in', 3]], 'http://yhoo.it/LqYjAX ', '[Related: The Secret Service guide to Cartagena]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['We picked up this other dog and', 5]], 'http://yhoo.it/JUSxvi', '[Related: 8 common dog fears, how to calm them]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['accused of running a fake hepatitis B', 5]], 'http://bit.ly/JnoJYN', '[Related: Did WH share raid details with filmmakers?]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['accused of running a fake hepatitis B', 3]], 'http://bit.ly/KoKiqJ', '[Factbox: AQAP, al-Qaeda in Yemen]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['have my contacts on or glasses', 3]], 'http://abcn.ws/KTE5AZ', '[Related: Should the murder charge be dropped?]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['have made this nation great as Sarah Palin', 5]], 'http://yhoo.it/JD7nlD', '[Related: Bristol Palin reality show debuts June 19]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['have made this nation great as Sarah Palin', 1]], 'http://bit.ly/JRPFRO', '[Related: McCain adviser who vetted Palin weighs in on VP race]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['A JetBlue flight from New York to Las Vegas', 3]], 'http://yhoo.it/GV9zpj', '[Related: View photos of the JetBlue plane in Amarillo]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['the 28-year-old neighborhood watchman who shot and killed', 15]], 'http://news.yahoo.com/photos/white-house-stays-out-of-teen-s-killing-slideshow/', 'Click image to see more photos', 'http://l.yimg.com/cv/ip/ap/default/120411/martinzimmermen.jpg', '630', ' ', 'AP', ], [ [['Titanic', 7]], 'http://news.yahoo.com/titanic-anniversary/', ' ', 'http://l.yimg.com/a/p/us/news/editorial/b/4e/b4e5ad9f00b5dfeeec2226d53e173569.jpeg', '550', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['He was in shock and still strapped to his seat', 6]], 'http://news.yahoo.com/photos/navy-jet-crashes-in-virginia-slideshow/', 'Click image to see more photos', 'http://l.yimg.com/cv/ip/ap/default/120406/jet_ap.jpg', '630', ' ', 'AP', ], [ [['xxxxxxxxxxxx', 11]], 'http://news.yahoo.com/photos/russian-grannies-win-bid-to-sing-at-eurovision-1331223625-slideshow/', 'Click image to see more photos', 'http://l.yimg.com/a/p/us/news/editorial/1/56/156d92f2760dcd3e75bcd649a8b85fcf.jpeg', '500', ' ', 'AP', ] ]

[ [ [['did not go as far his colleague', 8]], '29438204', '0' ], [ [[' the 28-year-old neighborhood watchman who shot and killed', 4]], '28924649', '0' ], [ [['because I know God protects me', 14], ['Brian Snow was at a nearby credit union', 5]], '28811216', '0' ], [ [['The state news agency RIA-Novosti quoted Rosaviatsiya', 6]], '28805461', '0' ], [ [['measure all but certain to fail in the face of bipartisan', 4]], '28771014', '0' ], [ [['matter what you do in this case', 5]], '28759848', '0' ], [ [['presume laws are constitutional', 7]], '28747556', '0' ], [ [['has destroyed 15 to 25 houses', 7]], '28744868', '0' ], [ [['short answer is yes', 7]], '28746030', '0' ], [ [['opportunity to tell the real story', 7]], '28731764', '0' ], [ [['entirely respectable way to put off the searing constitutional controversy', 7]], '28723797', '0' ], [ [['point of my campaign is that big ideas matter', 9]], '28712293', '0' ], [ [['As the standoff dragged into a second day', 7]], '28687424', '0' ], [ [['French police stepped up the search', 17]], '28667224', '0' ], [ [['Seeking to elevate his candidacy back to a general', 8]], '28660934', '0' ], [ [['The tragic story of Trayvon Martin', 4]], '28647343', '0' ], [ [['Karzai will get a chance soon to express', 8]], '28630306', '0' ], [ [['powerful storms stretching', 8]], '28493546', '0' ], [ [['basic norm that death is private', 6]], '28413590', '0' ], [ [['songwriter also saw a surge in sales for her debut album', 6]], '28413590', '1', 'Watch music videos from Whitney Houston ', 'on Yahoo! Music', 'http://music.yahoo.com' ], [ [['keyword', 99999999999999999999999]], 'videoID', '1', 'overwrite-pre-description', 'overwrite-link-string', 'overwrite-link-url' ] ]

louisiana primary syracuse basketball chipper jones chipper jones dancing with the stars cast mickael pietrus heart transplant

Foxconn employee jumps to death from company-rented apartment building in southwest China

BEIJING ? ?A Foxconn Technology Group employee jumped to his death Wednesday from a company-rented apartment building in southwest China's Sichuan province, local police said.

At least a dozen Foxconn employees have jumped to their deaths or tried to do so since 2010, casting spotlight on the world's largest contract maker of electronics. The Taiwan-based company has been besieged with reports of poor working and living conditions for its workers at factories and dorms. The company installed nets in 2010 to prevent such deaths after the spate of suicides.

A public security bureau in Chengdu city announced the death Wednesday on the Sina Weibo microblogging site. The post identifies the employee only by the surname Xie and says the cause remains under investigation.

The official Xinhua News Agency said the man was 23.

In February, Foxconn ? which employs about 1 million workers at its massive plants in China ? said it had raised wages by up to 25 percent and that it was taking measures to limit workers' total work hours.

The plants that turn out iPhones, iPads, Xbox video game consoles, Dell and Hewlett-Packard computers, are run with military-like discipline.

patrice o neal patrice o neal wayne gretzky wayne gretzky occupy los angeles occupy los angeles comedian patrice o neal

The BEST NEW (Breast, Colon, Prostate) Cancer Treatment | Patrick ...

In the May 27 edition of the Opinionator from the New York Times is a piece entitled, ?In Medicine, Falling for Fake Innovation.? Regardless of your political persuasion, I would urge readers who are interested in the future of healthcare (or more specifically, cancer care) in the U.S. to read this article by Ezekiel Emanuel:? http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/05/27/in-medicine-falling-for-fake-innovation/?ref=health. When it comes to innovation in cancer care, there is marketing (the hype) and there are results or data (the reality). Quite often, the gap is wide. Unfortunately, more often than not, the public can?t easily access information to find the difference.

A few shining examples of hardware and software come to mind as technological advances in modern society. Taking mobile phones to the next level, so called ?smartphones? (Blackberry, Android, iPhone, etc) improved the efficiency with which millions of people send and receive information. Facebook, Twitter, and other social media sites link people to friends, family, and the rest of PC-connected (or smartphone-connected) humanity in a way that was never before possible. Where are these types of technological innovations in the field of cancer care?

The standard options for cancer treatment include surgery, radiation therapy, and systemic therapy (the most well known of which is chemotherapy). Many oncologists would argue that cancer care has been dramatically improved by technological advances in all three fields over the past 20 years. Examples from the three disciplines include:

1. Laparoscopy for colon cancer surgery: Randomized trials show that laparoscopic removal of colon cancer is at least as effective as previous ?open? surgery from an ?anti-cancer? standpoint (if not more so), but with less side effects: ?http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19071061 , http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12103285. While proponents of robotic surgery make similar claims, we await actual data in this regard (see Emanuel article above or prior blog post at thecancermd.com).
2. Stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) for early stage lung cancer: Patients who are medically unfit to undergo lung cancer surgery to remove small lung cancers can be treated with a technologically advanced form of radiation therapy delivery that uses multiple high dose beams focused on a small area over 3 treatments with a >90% chance of complete tumor control: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20233825
3. Herceptin for breast cancer: This systemic anti-cancer treatment (generic name trastuzumab) is targeted against breast cancers that overexpress the her2 gene/protein. Randomized clinical trials have shown that patients with these type of breast cancers who are treated with Herceptin have improved survival and quality of life over those treated with standard chemotherapy alone: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11248153, http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12118024

These three examples represent major technological advances in cancer care. There are other treatments with clear survival or quality of life benefits for patients that have been proven in randomized controlled clinical trials. Differentiating these innovative ?breakthrough? treatments from other new treatments that do not have clear benefits over the current standard is the challenge.

Dozens of new anti-cancer treatments come to market each year. Virtually every one is touted to oncologists by manufacturers and marketers as ?practice-changing,? with promises of dramatic improvements for patients? lives. However, technological advances in medicine must be held to a higher standard than smartphones and social media sites. We can?t afford to let market forces play out unbounded by scientific rigor and constraints.

New medicines or technologies that work in unique and potentially helpful ways are interesting. It?s when they?re proven to be better than the current standard of care via rigorous clinical trials that they become truly innovative!

- Patrick Maguire MD

slab city super bowl snacks appleton super bowl recipes denver weather planned parenthood what time does the superbowl start