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Nicotine treatment 'could control obesity

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In an article in the journal Science, Yale University researchers describe experiments on mice which found nicotine activates neurons to send signals the body has had enough to eat.

However they are not the same neurons which trigger a craving for tobacco.

As a result, the researchers say nicotine-based treatments could help control obesity.

A research team from Yale University School of Medicine and Baylor College of Medicine in Houston performed a combination of molecular, pharmacological, behavioural and genetic experiments on mice.

They found that nicotine influences a collection of central nervous system circuits, known as the body's hypothalamic melanocortin system, by activating certain receptors.

These receptors, in turn, increase the activity of pro-opiomelanocortin (POMC) neurons, known for their effects on obesity in humans and animals.

Targeting cells

When subjected to nicotine, mice lacking the POMC pathway did not lose weight, but mice with the pathway did.

The researchers also found that these receptors were of a different type to those known to trigger tobacco craving in smokers.

Continue reading the main story

Start Quote louis vuitton outlet

It could perhaps motivate smokers who are afraid to quit because of fears of putting on weight.”

End Quote

Prof Marina Piccioto

Yale University

 Marina Picciotto, senior study researcher and professor of psychiatry at Yale University, said the research could be beneficial.

"Imagine a nicotine-based medicine which could only target those cells which stop eating and not trigger the need for tobacco," she said.

"This suggests it is possible to get the effect of appetite suppression without also triggering the brain's reward centres."

Side effects

Prof Picciotto cautioned that the impact of a nicotine-based medication would be limited because smokers who are leaner when they give up smoking only gain 2.5 kilos of weight on average.

Clinical trials in humans would also be necessary to explore the side effects on blood pressure.

She said: "It could perhaps motivate smokers who are afraid to quit because of fears of putting on weight."

And it could also have an impact on other groups, she says.

"There are some groups of people who take up smoking to control their weight. It is tragic to think people would take up smoking for this reason."

Amanda Sandford, research manager for ASH, Action on Smoking and Health, said it was already known that pure nicotine could be safely used to wean smokers off their tobacco habit.

"If nicotine could also be used to tackle obesity then it could be a valuable tool in tackling two of the most critical public health problems that we face today," she said. louis vuitton outlet

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Avaya Files for $1 Billion IPO

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NEW YORK (TheStreet) -- Avaya took the first step toward a return to the public markets on Thursday as the Basking Ridge, N.J.-based provider of business communications software and equipment filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission for a new $1 billion stock offering.

The company was spun off by Lucent Technologies in 2000 and then bought out by private equity firm Silver Lake Partners and TPG Capital for more than $8 billion in 2007. Reports of its plans to go public surfaced earlier this week.

In Thursday's S-1 filing, Avaya said it plans to use the proceeds to pay down long-term debt, redeem preferred stock, and pay monies related to the termination of a management agreement with Silver and TPG. The company said its total debt as of March 31 sat at $6.18 billion.

Avaya disclosed a loss of $615 million, or $1.26 a share, for the six months ended March 31 on revenue of $2.76 billion in the filing.

The company also said Silver Lake and TPG hold warrants to purchase 100 million shares at an exercise price of $3.25 each. These warrants are subject to various lock-up agreements, but must be exercised prior to Dec. 18, 2019.

Joint bookrunners for the deal are Morgan Stanley(MS_), Goldman Sachs

--Written by Michael Baron in New York. louis vuitton outlet

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Apple bans DUI apps

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Drinking and driving? Don't look to Apple for help.

In an update of its App Store review guidelines Wednesday, the Cupertino, Calif., tech giant explicitly banned apps that warn drivers of DUI checkpoints not disclosed publicly by police.

"Apps which contain DUI checkpoints that are not published by law enforcement agencies, or encourage and enable drunk driving, will be rejected," the new guidelines now read, according to MacRumors.

The revision comes a few months after four U.S. senators -- Harry Reid of Nevada, Tom Udall of New Mexico, Charles Schumer of New York and Frank Lautenberg of New Jersey -- sent letters to Apple and rivals Google and Research in Motion asking them to stop selling apps that help drivers pinpoint police drunk driving checkpoints.

"We know that your companies share our desire to end the scourge of drunk driving, and we therefore would ask you to remove these applications from your store unless they are altered to remove the DUI/DWI checkpoint functionality," the letter said.

Blackberry-maker Research in Motion pulled the apps soon after. Google, maker of the Android operating system for smartphones and tablet computers, did not. louis vuitton outlet

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What does Apple Store 2.0 look like

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The retail experience looks nothing like the rumors, and certainly not two dot oh. But it's two dot something. The shopping experience is different, for sure. Basically, every product in Apple Store now has its own iPad bearing additional information, interactively. The paper placards are gone. I thought Apple couldn't make enough iPad 2s to sell, so why fill more than 300 stores with them? Say, won't the iPads get kind of hot under their plexiglass enclosures?

My teenage daughter and I trucked down to Fashion Valley Mall here in San Diego early this evening to shop for my wife's birthday, which gave me chance to look inside the Apple Store. After weeks of rumors, supposition and innuendo, Apple launched its new retail experience today. Several Mac sites had dubbed the retail makeover Apple Store 2.0. I saw sales associates carting around iPads, and then there were the aforementioned iPads beneath every product in the store. The iPads are responsive. Shoppers can touch them to get additional information. Retail is all about touch. People examine objects they desire as much with their hands as their eyes. Shoppers first look, and then they touch. The new iPad stations let people not only touch the products they desire but use touch to get more information. There's sense to the tactile approach.

The iPad stations also serve a huge functional purpose. Have you been in an Apple Store recently? The shops used to be fun places to hang out and buy stuff. Now they're too busy. You have to worm your way around the bodies. And the cacophony! Surely the noise levels violate some local civil codes. I'm surprised tree huggers don't picket Apple stores for all the noise pollution. Oh, right. They're probably inside shopping.

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Now instead of monopolizing sales associates with stupid questions ("If I buy a Mac, can I still use Google Maps?"), shoppers can get more information for themselves. It's a revolution in retailing! (Yes, I am being a bit sarcastic.) Seriously, there's something to providing a means for shoppers to interactively get the information they need about a product, right there where they can see and touch it. They also can compare products, which is sensible.

None of this lets the sales associates off the hook. Shoppers can use the iPads to call for a sales assistance. The approach has three obvious benefits (surely there are others I'll think of on a work day):

Shoppers don't get aggravated hunting around the store for someone to help them.

The shopper doesn't lose his or her place with the product of interest while looking around for a sales associate.

Sales associates can maximize their time on, well, sales as they will be going to shoppers presumably more likely to buy something.

I've got to wonder. Will there some day be an Apple employee disorder -- a Pavlovian complex -- from being repeatedly summoned to the iPad stations? I didn't hang around the store to see if there was some tone or other indicator that got sales associates moving from one location to another. But what long-term effects will come from repeatedly being summoned this way? ;-)

Another question: Will the iPad stations cause congestion? It seems to me that more shoppers might spend more time with a product, as they tap away product pages on the iPad. There's not much that frustrates people more than waiting in lines. On the other hand, if the people tap, tap, tapping away tend to be more serious shoppers -- and they drive away lookers and touchers -- Apple might be better off long term, in terms of real sales and customer satisfaction.

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Have you been in an Apple Store since the changes were introduced? Please share your reaction in comments. I spent about 10 minutes in the store, which was just enough time for scant observations and to snap some photos.

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Verizon turns on 4G network in Fayetteville market

Verizon Wireless said it flipped the switch Thursday on its 4G network in Fayetteville, Lumberton and Moore County.

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The carrier is using technology called LTE, or Long Term Evolution, for its mobile broadband network, which the company says has speeds up to 10 times faster than its 3G network.

The area covered by 4G for Verizon customers includes Fort Bragg, Spring Lake, east Cumberland County, Hope Mills, St. Pauls, Raeford, Aberdeen, Pinehurst, Southern Pines, Red Springs and Lumber Bridge.

The 4G technology enables average data rates to be 5 to 12 megabits per second on the downlink, and 2 to 5 Mbps on the uplink, according to a company news release.

Higher speeds mean smoother mobile video-conferencing, multiple simultaneous video streams, faster transfers of large files and other wireless applications. Customers also should see stronger signals inside buildings.

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AT&T has rolled out 4G speeds in Charlotte, and has plans to do the same in Raleigh this year. A spokesman says AT&T doesn't have a near-term timetable for 4G in Fayetteville, though the carrier has accelerated its nationwide LTE build-out and plans to have it mostly complete by the end of 2013.

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Safe-Card ID and Their Web Presence

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Online PR News – 19-May-2011 –With more and more business taking place on the web, it is imperative that a business make its presence known on the internet. For Safe-Card ID, this was a no brainer.

With the motivating factor behind Safe-Card ID being security, it is without question that their number one priority be that customers feel secure when visiting their website. When asked whether he felt that the security measures were sufficient, Greg was quick to reply, “Absolutely! One of the first things that a visitor sees when they bring up our site is the McAfee Secure and GeoTrust buttons. The McAfee Secure button serves as a reminder to our visitors that the site is tested and certified daily to pass stringent security requirements which help protect our visitors from identity theft, viruses, spyware among other online threats. The GeoTrust button is there to certify server security and integrity.”

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Besides having their customer’s security and well being at the forefronts of the minds, they also have an ace up their sleeves when it comes to customer service. When asked what set the m apart from the competition, Greg’s answer was, “One of the things that we wanted to do with Safe-Card ID was to be as open and transparent as we could be. Toward that end we implemented the Technical Blog. I don’t know how many times we have had customers thank us because they were able to fix their Zebra Printer or they were able to determine what was wrong with their HID Card – and all because of our blog.”

In being open and transparent, Greg also believes that the more information the consumer has the better. For that reason, they also have an entire section devoted to News & Learning. If you aren’t sure what a zebra printer is, or you’d like to read up on HID card specifications, then the News & Learning section is where you want to be.

Safe-Card ID is the brain child of Greg Stephens who had a personal mission to effectively provide vital information that would ensure quick and accurate identification for his own children in the event of an emergency. As he began to share his ideas with friends in Charlotte, North Carolina, he recognized a need to provide this service to other concerned parents, and soon Safe-Card ID Services was established.

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Established in the late 80’s, Safe-Card ID has since grown to the point where they now offer a full range of card printers to satisfy all your security needs.