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The Mary S. Easton Center for Alzheimer's Disease Research (UCLA-Easton Alzheimer's Center) is committed to the "therapeutic imperative" and is devoted to finding new treatments for Alzheimer's disease (AD) and to developing technologies (biomarkers) to advance that goal. The UCLA-Easton Alzheimer's Center has a continuum of research and research-related activities including basic/foundational studies of peptide interactions; translational studies in transgenic animals and other animal models of AD; clinical research to define the phenotype of AD, characterize familial AD, develop biomarkers, and advance clinical trials; health services and outcomes research; and active education, dissemination, and recruitment activities. The UCLA-Easton Alzheimer's Center is supported by the National Institutes on Aging, the State of California, and generous donors who share our commitment to developing new therapies for AD. The naming donor (Jim Easton) provided substantial funds to endow the center and to support projects in AD drug discovery and biomarker development. The Sidell-Kagan Foundation supports the Katherine and Benjamin Kagan Alzheimer's Treatment Development Program, and the Deane F. Johnson Alzheimer's Research Foundation supports the Deane F. Johnson Center for Neurotherapeutics at UCLA. The John Douglas French Alzheimer's Research Foundation provides grants to junior investigators in critical periods of their academic development. The UCLA-Easton Alzheimer's Center partners with community organizations including the Alzheimer's Association California Southland Chapter and the Leeza Gibbons memory Foundation. Collaboration with pharmaceutical companies, biotechnology companies, and device companies is critical to developing new therapeutics for AD and these collaborations are embraced in the mission of the UCLA-Easton Alzheimer's Center. The Center supports excellent senior investigators and serves as an incubator for new scientists, agents, models, technologies and concepts that will significantly influence the future of AD treatment and AD research.
Alzheimer's disease (AD) is an impending public health disaster. Every 70 seconds someone in the United States progresses in their cognitive impairment syndrome to a point where they meet criteria for diagnosis of dementia of the Alzheimer's type (DAT) [1]. Five million U.S. citizens currently have DAT, and the aging "baby boomer" population is expected to add 10 million victims to this number. By 2050, AD will affect 11 to 16 million individuals if the disease frequency progresses unchecked [1]. Medicare costs for individuals with AD are approximately three times higher than those without a dementing disorder. This will translate into a staggering Medicare expenditure if attempts to stem the rising tide of AD victims are unsuccessful [1].
The UCLA-Easton Alzheimer's Center comprises a spectrum of research (Fig. 1) from basic science, to T1 translational activities (animal models, drug candidate discovery, biomarker method discovery, facilitative research in biotechnology), clinical research (neuroimaging and other biomarkers, neuropathology, clinical trials, clinical phenotype characterization), T2 translational research (human services research, outcomes assessments), and educational and translational activities [2]. This spectrum model organizes the research into a comprehensive enterprise addressing multiple aspects of AD and related dementias. The organization allows investigators to interact and creates a matrix of human and research resources. The organizational model is multi-disciplinary, facilitates bench-to-bedside approaches, and optimizes the opportunity for trainees and junior faculty to interact with multiple scientists [2-4].
The members of the Mary S. Easton Center for Alzheimer's Disease Research at UCLA (UCLA-Easton Alzheimer's Center) embrace the importance of advancing therapeutics for AD that will prevent the disease, delay its onset, slow its progression, improve the symptoms, or enhance the quality of life of victims and caregivers. The theme of the UCLA-Easton Alzheimer's Center is the therapeutic imperative and all basic science, clinical studies, clinical trials, biomarker investigations, educational and recruitment activities, and donor-related functions are organized around this critical translational neuroscience theme. Advancing therapeutics requires improved understanding of the basic mechanisms and pathophysiology of AD, better biomarkers for diagnosis and tracking progression of the disease, a clinical trials program addressing a diversity of disease mechanisms, and recruitment and educational activities to inform practitioners of progress in therapeutics and attract patients to clinical trials and clinical research.
The UCLA-Easton Alzheimer's Center is comprised of interactive cores that enhance the collaboration of individuals with complementary skills necessary to advancing the Center's activities and theme. The cores include an Administrative Core, Data Management and Statistics Core, Clinical Core, Neuropathology Core, Recruitment and Education Core, and Neuroimaging and Biomarkers Core (Fig. 2).
Dementia research has a long history at UCLA, beginning with early studies of familial and genetic influences on the heritability of AD by Lissy Jarvik [5] and studies of the neurobiology and cytoarchitectonics of AD by Arnold Scheibel [6]. Understanding of the clinical phenomenology was advanced by studies of language and behavioral alterations of AD by D. Frank Benson and collaborators [7,8]. Michael Phelps, David Kuhl, and colleagues performed the first studies of fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) positron emission tomography (PET) at UCLA [9-11]. Funding from the National Institute on Aging (NIA) augmented these research activities through the award of an AD Core Center (ADCC) grant in 1991. Jeffrey Cummings was Principal Investigator. The ADCC was advanced to an AD Research Center (ADRC) award in 1994. Establishment of a California Alzheimer's Disease Center (CADC; one of ten such centers funded by the State of California) occurred in 1998.
Philanthropic support has been critical to the success of the AD research programs at UCLA. In 1998, the Sidell-Kagan Foundation began support of the Katherine and Benjamin Kagan Alzheimer's Disease Treatment Development Program, the AD clinical trials organization of the UCLA-Easton Alzheimer's Center. This relationship has been sustained and has proven to be central to the success of the clinical trials program.
In 2008, Jim Easton, Chairman and President of Jas. D. Easton, Inc. and Chairman of Easton Bell Sports, Inc., made a $10 million gift to support AD research at UCLA. The Center was re-named to honor his mother who succumbed to AD. The gift provides an endowment to support the Center's efforts in perpetuity as well as research funding to advance therapeutics and biomarkers through the Jim Easton Consortium for Alzheimer's Drug Discovery and Biomarker Development.
The Kagan clinical trials group conducts clinical trials in the Deane F. Johnson Center for Neurotherapeutics at UCLA, the Department of Neurology's Clinical Trials Center, named to honor Deane F. Johnson, a prominent Los Angeles attorney and former president of the board of Time Warner, Inc. Mr. Johnson died of AD in 1999, and Mr. Johnson's widow, Kate Edelman Johnson supports the clinical trials center.
The Lincy Foundation supports basic science studies aimed at understanding the proteomic markers of AD and studying gene expression mapping in AD transgenic mouse models and human AD. Many other donors have provided critical support to AD research at UCLA and philanthropy accounts for a significant portion of the Center's budget. A board of directors, comprised primarily of philanthropists, assists the center leadership in connecting with the community and developing donor relationships.
The faculty and staff of the UCLA-Easton Alzheimer's Center assess approximately 400 new cognitively impaired and cognitively normal patients annually and approximately 150 persons are followed longitudinally. Every effort is made to align the patient flow with the research objectives of the Center.
The clinical faculty providing clinical services and conducting research include neurologists, psychiatrists, neuropsychologists, and nurses. The research agenda of the UCLA-Easton Alzheimer's Center includes studies of the neuropsychiatric manifestations of AD and other dementias; neuropsychological aspects of AD and dementia prodomal states; features of frontotemporal dementia; characteristics of familial AD (FAD); biomarkers and neuroimaging; clinical trials; and basic neuroscience. Each of these articulates with the center theme of the therapeutic imperative.
Jeffrey Cummings, M.D., Director of the UCLA-Easton Alzheimer's Center is the author of the Neuropsychiatric Inventory (NPI) [12], an instrument commonly used to characterize the behavioral aspects of AD, non-AD dementias, and AD prodomal states [13]. NPI profiles have been developed for most dementias and neurodegenerative disorders [14-19]; correlations between NPI scores and neuropathological changes identified at postmortem assessment have been established [20,21]; relationships between NPI changes and imaging have revealed anatomic regions critical to behavioral symptoms [22]; and behavioral responses to treatment with cholinesterase inhibitors and memantine have been investigated using the NPI [23-27]. Recent studies have demonstrated that behavioral changes detected by the NPI in patients with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) assist in predicting which patients will develop DAT [13].
FAD provides a unique opportunity for the study of AD since it is possible to assess through mutation carrier status determination for exactly which persons will develop the illness and which will not. Studies of the FAD cohort recruited and followed by John Ringman, M.D., at the UCLA-Easton Alzheimer's Center have shown biomarker alterations and imaging changes that precede clinical manifestations in FAD patients [28]. Of particular interest is the discovery that changes in the white matter, measured using diffusion tensor imaging (DTI), are evident very early in the course of this condition [29]. The biochemical studies support the role of oxidative stress in this form of AD and biomarker investigations are yielding insights into the status of amyloid-β(Aβ)42 measured in plasma, an important molecule in the causative chain leading to AD. The UCLA program is integrated into the Dominantly Inherited Alzheimer's Network (DIAN); J Morris, Principal Investigator).
Po Lu, Psy.D., directs the Neuropsychology Laboratory of the UCLA-Easton Alzheimer's Center. The laboratory conducts neuropsychological assessments of adult and geriatric patients with neurological disorders as part of clinical evaluations and research projects. Dr. Lu also investigates longitudinal changes in whole and regional brain volume and white matter integrity using standard structural imaging techniques and Tensor-Based Morphometry (TBM), a novel computational approach. TBM can be used to map the relationship between brain changes with clinical measures (e.g., cognition and behavioral functioning) [30]. Imaging studies show that the presence of the apolipoprotein ε4 allele is associated with increased rate of myelin breakdown and temporal lobe atrophy in healthy cognitively intact elderly individuals [31]. Other research activities include characterizing the neuropsychological and neuropsychiatric changes associated with normal aging and neurodegenerative disorders such as AD and frontotemporal lobar degeneration and identifying risk factors that can predict or modulate the progression of cognitive decline from normal aging to MCI or dementia [13].
Dr. Lu's research has shown that neuropsychiatric symptoms, particularly depression, increase the risk of progression from MCI to DAT and that donepezil treatment can modify this relationship by delaying the time to progression to DAT in depressed MCI patients [32].
The Cognitive Neuropsychology Program of the UCLA-Easton Alzheimer's Center, a Neuropsychology Laboratory component, is led by Ellen Woo, Ph.D. This program bridges basic cognitive science and clinical neuropsychology. The goal of the research is to develop new theories and examine extant models of executive and memory processes in very early AD. Dr. Woo and her colleagues are investigating those processes that are more predictive of changes in higher-order activities of daily living. In addition to utilizing standard neuropsychological measures, her team employs cognitive experimental tasks to parse the particular processes that are impaired in this population. The research is focused on novel, sensitive tests to detect the earliest levels of cognitive decline [33-37].
Mario Mendez M.D., Ph.D., is director of the Frontotemporal Dementia Clinic of the UCLA-Easton Alzheimer's Center. Dr. Mendez has contributed importantly to understanding the clinical phenomenology of the frontotemporal lobar degenerations as well as to imaging and pathological aspects of these disorders [38, 39]. Dr. Mendez has contributed to developing clinical trial methodology for frontotemporal dementia and has pioneered therapeutic concepts for the disorder [40].
The Katherine and Benjamin Kagan Alzheimer's Disease Treatment Development Program conducts the clinical trials of the UCLA-Easton Alzheimer's Center and supports AD Cooperative Study (ADCS) clinical trials, investigator-initiated trials, and industry-sponsored clinical trials. ADCS trials are particularly important as a means of studying compounds that may not be advanced by industry sponsors and for developing clinical trial methodologies. Josh Grill, Ph.D., is program Director.
Investigator-initiated trials are a means of generating preliminary information on compounds and to determine whether they should be studied in larger trials. Dr. John Ringman led a trial of curcumin demonstrating that in its current formulation the bioavailability of the compound is too low to produce a clinical benefit. New formulations are under development for further testing. Po Lu, Psy.D., led a trial of testosterone in normal aged men and men with mild AD and determined that both groups experienced a measurable and significant improvement in quality of life compared to those receiving placebo [41]. A biomarker based trial OC Axona™ funded by the John Douglas French Alzheimer's Research Foundation and led by Dr. Grill is underway.
The Kagan trials program tests a balanced portfolio of agents targeting several mechanisms of AD and addressing AD in non-overlapping populations. Therapeutic approaches being studied include immunotherapies, secretase inhibitors, inhibitors of receptors for advanced glycation end products, neuroprotective agents and latrepirdine (dimebon). Patients with AD type of dementia and pre-dementia AD are included in trials.
Identification of patients with AD or those at risk for AD at a time when they have no or minimal symptoms is increasingly important as the field of AD research moves toward development of disease-modifying therapies. Neuroimaging and biomarkers may assist in identifying those at risk or those who are minimally symptomatic. Investigators at the UCLA-Easton Alzheimer's Center are advancing studies using Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI), DTI, fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) positron emission tomography (PET), TBM, FDDNP PET amyloid imaging, and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and plasma markers of AD.
Dr. Liana Apostolova's research focuses on developing imaging biomarkers for detection of early and pre-symptomatic AD, specifically those that characterize cortical and hippocampal atrophy [42]. In collaboration with Dr. Paul Thompson and colleagues from the Laboratory of NeuroImaging (LONI) at UCLA, Dr. Apostolova works on the development and validation of cutting-edge MRI techniques that allow increased sensitivity for detecting subtle changes during the initial silent spread of AD pathology [43,44]. Dr. Apostolova and colleagues identified atrophic areas in the hippocampus that place one at risk for MCI and described the hippocampal regions that show changes up to 6 years before diagnosis of dementia and 3 years before the onset of memory loss [44,45]. This research demonstrated that subjects in the mildest stages of DAT have 10–25% greater gray matter atrophy relative to subjects with amnestic MCI (see Fig. 3) [45]. The most important short-term goal of this research is to be able to screen patients and reliably identify AD in the latent asymptomatic stage when introduction of disease-modifying therapies may have the greatest impact.
Amyloid imaging with Pittsburgh Compound B (PIB) identifies individuals in pre-symptomatic stages of AD, persons with MCI whose cognitive impairment is attributable to AD, as well as amyloidosis in patients with DAT [46]. FDDNP PET represents an alternate imaging approach with a ligand that labels both plaques and tangles. FDDNP labeling has been shown to correlate with dementia severity and to progress in intensity with clinical progression from MCI to DAT [47]. Dr. Gary Small, director of the Neuroimaging and Biomarkers Core of the UCLA-Easton Alzheimer's Center, is conducting studies of FDDNP in AD and other dementias.
Plasma and CSF studies in FAD show that amyloid-related abnormalities are demonstrable prior to the onset of clinical symptomatology. Dr. Ringman's research has shown that symptomatic FAD mutation carriers have elevated levels of serum Aβ relative to non-carriers [28].
Further development of imaging and bio-fluid disease markers may play a role in disease diagnosis, differential diagnosis, staging, response to therapy, and drug – placebo differentiation in randomized clinical trials. Figure 4 shows the interaction of the Neuroimaging and Biomarkers Core with other cores of the UCLA-Easton Alzheimer's Center and the diversity of imaging modalities and biomarkers currently under study.
New studies funded through the UCLA-Easton Alzheimer's Center have been initiated to correlate peripheral markers of central nervous system gene expression with longitudinal studies of brain atrophy demonstrated by MRI and proteomic studies aimed at capturing the link among gene expression, proteomic changes, and neurodegeneration.
Neuropathological investigations of biopsy and autopsy material obtained from AD and non-AD dementia patients have been critical to advancing understanding of dementing disorders. Neuropathology has assumed great importance recently in documenting effects of therapeutic interventions such as the AN1792 vaccination trial [48,49] and in documenting congophilic angiopathy that may represent a vulnerability to adverse events in patients receiving immunotherapy.
Harry Vinters, M.D., leads the Neuropathology Core of the UCLA-Easton Alzheimer's Center, performing routine and molecular autopsy procedures to comprehensively characterize the post mortem findings of the patients studied in the Center as well as the post mortem features of brains referred from other sources. Dr. Vinters has described the gross and molecular alterations characteristic of congophilic angiopathy in AD and vascular changes associated with vascular cognitive impairment [50,51] (Fig. 5).
Recruitment and education represent the bi-directional activities of the Recruitment and Education Core of the UCLA-Easton Alzheimer's Center, led by Josh Grill, Ph.D. Education activities raise awareness of AD and the UCLA-Easton Alzheimer's Center mission and provide an opportunity to recruit patients and controls into clinical trials and clinical research projects. These dual activities are implemented in a variety of activities in the community and at UCLA, including joint activities with advocacy groups such as the Alzheimer's Association California Southland Chapter and the Leeza Gibbons Memory Foundation. An annual conference for community practitioners, community lectures for physicians and caregivers, seminars for UCLA faculty and outreach events for the local Hispanic and African American communities are components of the Core's activities.
The UCLA-Easton Alzheimer's Center faculty is actively engaged in recruiting ethnic minority members to participate in AD research. This effort requires an understanding of the sociocultural and educational barriers to research participation present in ethnic minority populations. Studies by Jaime Fitten, M.D., and Fred Ortiz, Ph.D., document barriers to health care and differential behavioral manifestations of Hispanic patients compared to majority population AD patients [52-54].
Advancing therapeutics depends on an improved understanding of the molecular biology and pathophysiology of AD. Target identification is a necessary step in developing new treatments. Transgenic models have been particularly informative for understanding disease pathways and signaling cascades and providing preliminary treatment target validation. The predictive validity of mouse models of AD has not been established but compounds that lack effects in these models would usually not be advanced to human testing. Investigators at UCLA have studied transgenic mouse models, transgenic rat models, and tau transgenic Drosophila [55]. The latter model is used as a bioassay to discover compounds potentially active in modifying tau pathology [56,57].
Greg Cole, Ph.D., is Associate Director of the UCLA-Easton Alzheimer's Center and Associate Director for Research at the Geriatric Research, Education and Clinical Center for the Greater Los Angeles Veterans Administration System. Dr. Cole conducts research centered on the production and role of Aβ in AD. He worked with Dr. Karen Hsiao to develop the first successful academic transgenic mouse model for AD [58]. Based in part on a series of screens in pre-clinical models from his group, four compounds – ibuprofen [59], R-flurbiprofen [60], curcumin [61], and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) [62,63] – have advanced to clinical trials for AD. Dr. Cole and colleagues investigate the potential for AD prevention with DHA and their role in preventing amyloid formation and Aβ toxicity, notably through induction of the AD protective gene, SorLA [64]. Dr. Cole is exploring the efficacy of the curry spice extract curcumin to control inflammation and oxidative damage and to act directly on insoluble amyloid fibrils in plaques and on more soluble toxic Aβ species in vitro and in vivo. Together with his colleague, Dr. Sally Frautschy, he developed a more bioavailable formulation of curcumin that is in current clinical trials for cancer [65], and has planned for trials in AD. Dr. Cole works with Bruce Teter, Ph.D. on the role of apolipoprotein E as a risk factor for AD using transgenic mouse models and with Karen Gylys, R.N., Ph.D. on synaptic Aβ analyzed by flow cytometry. They are currently evaluating agents from a variety of sources including the Easton Drug Discovery Consortium using multiple animal models for AD. Dr. Cole's primary goal is to develop safe and widely available methods for the prevention of AD and possibly other degenerative diseases of aging.
Dr. David Teplow's laboratory uses computational methods to identify structures in Aβ that could be useful targets for therapeutic drugs. In the past, target identification has been problematic because Aβ does not possess a stably folded structure. However, in silico approaches allow atomic resolution of conformer structure, and importantly, an assessment of the thermodynamics of the Aβ conformer space [66,67]. This latter achievement enables the targeting of steps in the Aβ assembly process that should be amenable to drug intervention. Using this approach, simulations have revealed important differences between the conformational spaces of the shorter Aβ40 peptide and the longer and more pathogenic Aβ42 peptide. Multiple conformers have been revealed that may be involved in peptide oligomerization, a process postulated to be the key pathogenetic event in AD [68]. The identification of these conformers provides a starting point both for subsequent simulations of Aβ oligomerization and for experimental studies of the process. Dr. Teplow also has demonstrated that polyphenols derived from grape seed extracts inhibit the oligomerization of Aβ [69] and are promising treatment candidates.
Gal Bitan, Ph.D., currently focuses on the development of aggregation inhibitors using detailed knowledge of the three dimensional structure of the Aβ peptide to develop rational pharmacotherapies that will prevent the aggregation of monomers into oligomers [70, 71].
Hong-Wei Dong, Ph.D., has contributed to mapping gene expression in the normal mouse brain [72,73] and is now using these techniques to address gene expression in transgenic AD mouse models. These findings will be compared to gene expression observations in humans to determine the fidelity with which the transgenic model recapitulates the intracellular genetic activity of human AD.
Data are the currency of scientific advance. It is through data generation and interpretation that knowledge is advanced and new discoveries made. The data generated in contemporary science is voluminous and complex. Its management is itself a scientific enterprise. Advanced data management is critical to collecting, organizing, and making data available in formats that facilitate analysis and interpretation. Data from the UCLA-Easton Alzheimer's Center are transmitted to the National Alzheimer's Coordinating Center (NACC, Bud Kukull, Principal Investigator) in Seattle, Washington, where they become widely available for study. Both clinical and pathology data are archived in this national data repository.
Analysis and interpretation of large data sets obtained from neuroimaging, microarray studies, genomics, and proteomics require sophisticated understanding and advanced expertise. This skill set is provided by the Data Management and Statistics Core. David Elashoff, Ph.D., leads the core and provides informatics expert guidance. He is assisted in data management by colleagues devoted to data integrity including Cathy Lee, Ph.D., Jenny Kotlerman, and Sun Huang.
The UCLA-Easton Alzheimer's Center has many trainees and scholars. A 2 year fellowship program in dementia research is available for US Citizens and permanent residents. There have been over 40 fellows trained in this program and many are now leaders of AD research centers.
International Scholars observe clinical assessments and participate in AD-related research. The UCLA-Easton Alzheimer's Center has an international scholars program and accepts up to two individuals at a time for study periods of 1 month to 2 years. International scholars now comprise a global fraternity of AD clinician-scientists.
There has been a gradual shift in the type of AD research conducted at academic medical centers from single site investigator-centered unique projects to multiple site large-scale studies. This evolution is necessary to generate data sets of sufficient size to allow both negative and positive conclusions to be adequately powered, to facilitate studies of the natural history of AD (critical to designing clinical trials), and to generate a sufficient number of biological samples to allow complex informatics analyses to be implemented (such as genome wide association studies (GWAS)). In this context academic medical centers are shifting towards local incubator functions including culturing new investigators, novel concepts, preliminary data and promising technologies that may be advanced to more large-scale multi-site applications.
Among the multicenter investigations engaged in by UCLA-Easton Alzheimer's Center investigators are the ADCS, NACC, Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI) [74], DIAN, Late Onset Alzheimer's Disease (LOAD) study, and the AD GWAS.
Dissemination of information and raising awareness of AD are important functions of the Easton Alzheimer's Center. This is accomplished through a variety of internal and external partnerships. A principal partner to the UCLA-Easton Alzheimer's Center is the Alzheimer's Association California Southland Chapter. This is the largest chapter of the Alzheimer's Association in the United States from both a population and geographic point of view. The Alzheimer's Association has been an important supporter of AD research at UCLA. Collaborative projects include annual conferences, participation of faculty in the medical and scientific advisory committee, participation of UCLA-Easton Alzheimer's Center faculty in guidelines development and dissemination projects, and collaboration on an annual award to a junior faculty member (Turken Family Award).
The John Douglas French Alzheimer's Foundation is also a long time collaborator and supporter of the UCLA-Easton Alzheimer's Center. Funding projects and supporting academic chairs for junior faculty, the Foundation, led by Michael Minchen, has provided funding to faculty at a particularly vulnerable time in their career.
The Leeza Gibbons Memory Foundation has placed its signature activity, Leeza's Place, in many cities nationally and internationally to meet the needs of families of individuals with memory impairment. These family-friendly facilities provide a variety of patient and family services and counseling to individuals that can in turn be educated about research and clinical trial activities at the UCLA-Easton Alzheimer's Center.
The Alzheimer's Foundation organizes dementia screening and provides services to caregivers. Its activities are supported by the UCLA-Easton Alzheimer's Center.
The UCLA-Easton Alzheimer's Center collaborates actively with pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies. New drugs for AD will be developed by biotechnology or pharmaceutical companies and will need to be commercialized by major pharmaceutical companies if they are to reach large segments of the world's population [75,76]. The NIH has articulated a policy of private/public partnerships to enhance the commercial application of academic discoveries and advancements [77]. The ADNI project is an example of combined public and private financing of a research program critically important to understanding AD and to advancing pharmocotherapeutic development. Exchanges of compounds, assays and information enhance the enthusiasm of both academic investigators and industry scientists for their work. Both the Deane F. Johnson Center for Neurotherapeutics at UCLA and the Jim Easton Consortium for Alzheimer's Drug Discovery and Biomarker Development have articulated within their mission collaboration with pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies. The UCLA-Easton Alzheimer's Center faculty provide training to pharmaceutical personnel and meet regularly with pharmaceutical scientists to advise on scientific issues related to AD drug development.
The UCLA-Easton Alzheimer's Center thrives in part because it is imbedded in the rich neuroscience environment of UCLA. The UCLA Department of Neurology receives the largest amount of NIH funding of any department of Neurology in the world. LONI is among the most advanced imaging venues in the nation and is the archiving and informatics site for images obtained for ADNI [74]. Atlases of AD brains have been constructed by LONI faculty scientists for studies of AD, MCI, or normal aging. Other resources at UCLA with which the UCLA-Easton Alzheimer's Center interacts include the Morris Udall Center of Excellence for Parkinson's Disease Research, The Claude Pepper Older Americans' Center, the Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior, the Brain Research Institute, and the Ahmanson Brain Mapping Center. The Department of Veterans Affairs of the Greater Los Angeles Area houses the laboratories of Drs. Cole, Frautschy, and Teter and provides services for maintenance of transgenic animal colonies.
The Mary S. Easton Center for Alzheimer's Disease Research at UCLA is an integrated multi-component collaboration of excellent faculty and staff serving the Center's theme of the therapeutic imperative and striving to advance understanding and treatments for AD and related disorders. Center investigators are developing new knowledge regarding the basic mechanisms of AD, tg models of AD, clinical manifestations of AD and non-AD dementias, features of prodomal dementia states, and neuroimaging and biomarker manifestations of AD. An active clinical trials program tests a variety of therapeutic agents. Education and recruitment increases awareness of AD and encourages patients to participate in AD-related research and clinical trials of AD therapeutics. Community partners collaborate to advance AD research objectives. Investigators of the UCLA-Easton Alzheimer's Center have national and international collaborations to promote the growth of research that will lead to optimal treatment. The UCLA-Easton Alzheimer's Center encourages the intellectual growth of junior faculty, supports identification of promising trialists who might be advanced to lead trials testing therapeutic agents, encourages the development of novel technologies, and promotes creativity and new conceptual approaches that may mature to influence the national research agenda
AD is poised to overcome the resources our society can devote to the care of its elderly citizens. The costs of AD could soar to 1 trillion dollars annually by 2050 [78] if successful interventions are not developed. The investment in AD research must increase commensurate with the magnitude of the threat it poses to the US and the world. Research into the many pathways by which AD produces its effects in the brain and how best to address these in human therapeutics must be expanded and enhanced. The UCLA-Easton Alzheimer's Center plans to expand its resources, increase its collaborations, and enhance its productivity to meet the scientific and social challenges posed by AD.
The authors are supported by a National Institute on Aging Alzheimer's Disease Research Center grant (P50 AG16570), a California Alzheimer's Disease Center grant, the Sidell-Kagan Foundation and the Jim Easton Gift.
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"The way the Arsenal fans behaved towards me was not nice at all" – Emmanuel Adebayor
Comment & analysis round-up
Quote of the day: "I am certainly mistaken in thinking he was coming towards me to throw punches at me. Now I know, obviously, he had been struck, reacted and thought the strike was by me and he came into me and that's when I reacted. I am sorry about the whole incident… It was very difficult at the time to explain to police why I did throw that first punch. We were arguing and I told the police I felt that Marcus came towards me and that's why I raised my arms. I firmly believed Marcus came towards me to hit me. I grabbed the back of his jumper as he moved forward to me. When I had hold of Marcus, I remember swinging my right hand two or three times." – Steven Gerrard.
Runner-up: "At the end of the day, I play my game, whether I get booed or not doesn't matter to me… It is not about whether I can move on. To be honest, all I'm going to do is play my football, and as long as it's good enough for myself and the team nothing else matters. I don't like my family seeing that and hearing that (abuse), from an organised group of fans. I think it was disrespectful, some of the things that were being said and also some of the banners, but it is what it is." – David Beckham.
Today's overview: There is no shortage of big talk and transfer gossip today. Emmanuel Adebayor leads the way but the likes of David Gill, Fernando Torres, Deco and Lee Bowyer all attempt to liven up the pre-season with some fighting talk.
Emmanuel Adebayor could probably have expected a hot reception when he returns to the Emirates, the Togo striker is now guaranteed one after his comments in The Sun this morning. Adebayor: "The way the fans behaved towards me was not nice at all. I can't understand why they were after me. I did my best for them and I was very happy there. I scored 30 goals in a season – it's not my fault that Milan, Barcelona or Real Madrid wanted to sign me… In any summer, Barcelona try to sign Cesc Fabregas. But the fans never turned on him."
Ian Herbert analyses Adebayor's comments in South Africa yesterday. "The words always tend to tumble out, pell-mell, when Emmanuel Adebayor is holding court and there is often a sparkle in the eyes but he has even more reason to talk for Togo last night after bowling into the team hotel where Manchester City have taken up residence here on the outskirts of town… The depth of the frustration Adebayor evidently feels towards Arsenal's fans suggests the move north is for the best and when it comes to hurdles – this one is his highest, he says – he has always prevailed in the past."
Another ex-Arsenal striker has advice for Arsene Wenger this morning, Thierry Henry said of Fabregas' future: "it is vital [Cesc stays]. He's the Arsenal captain, he's young, and I am sure he wants to give something back to the club. Knowing Cesc, that's really important."
Patrick Barclay has been following Manchester City on their tour of South Africa, The Times scribe wrote of the team's meeting with Nelson Mandela. "The players sang "happy birthday†to the great man, who was 91 on Saturday, and gave him a signed shirt. Several were close to tears, caused less by any deterioration in his condition than his sheer presence. He was said to be in fine form, cracking jokes at the expense of some players, saying that the baby-faced Robinho was too young to be a footballer and warning them that they would find it tough in the final at Loftus Versfeld in Pretoria."
The main story in The Times today is how "David Gill, the Manchester United chief executive, launched an impassioned defence of the club's transfer policy last night, suggesting that other clubs' fortunes depend on the whims of their fabulously wealthy owners." Gill: "I don't know if obscene is the right word to describe the current spending, but it has gone to very high levels, if people have paid it, then they obviously don't think it's obscene. We have our own models and targets and we are operating within those. We are not at the whim of someone pulling out and being disinterested. That is the issue, clearly, but you'd have to speak to those clubs about their plans."
Ian Herbert in The Independent questions whether Manchester United can rest on their laurels for too long. "For a sense of the clubs and individuals who keep Ferguson awake at night, observe those for whom he reserves his venom. Rafael Benitez was last season's target, increasingly so as the season went on and Liverpool loomed over his shoulder like some plague. Expect some serious vitriol from him for Manchester City in the days and weeks to come."
The Times also feature another title contender, with Fernando Torres confident Liverpool can win the Premier League. El Nino: "Maybe this season will be more important because we have a fantastic squad and we can play better than last season. I came to Liverpool to win trophies and I am sure that this time we can win the Premier League or the Champions League."
Deco continues the theme of big talking today: "It was the right decision to come to Chelsea, I will be here, I have a contract and I will do my best. I hope this season I don't have the injuries and can play the way I know. I hope to show fans what I can do. I am happy to be here. The club is good, the atmosphere around it is good. I like being here. I just need to play and be fit. To play and do my best for Chelsea.â€
As ever, there is no shortage of transfer gossip/rumours and lies.
Arsenal fans can console themselves with the loss of Adebayor as Dutch hitman Klaas-Jan Huntelaar could be on his way to the Emirates, according to The Sun (who clearly just pulled the story from Marca yesterday). "The Dutchman, 26, has turned down Stuttgart in favour of a move to the Premier League. And the Gunners are confident they can outbid Tottenham with an offer of £16.5million." The Sun also claim "Arsenal are poised to make a move for Lorik Cana."
The Sun also suggest that Steve Finnan will return to the Premier League, Mark Viduka is on his way to Hull, Birmingham have targeted Elliot Grandin, Pompey are eyeing Christian Poulsen and West Ham are tracking Lyon defender John Mensah. The Mail also make claims over the Juventus midfielder, with West Ham and Tottenham believed to be interested.
The Daily Mail toot how "German champions Wolfsburg are weighing up a move for Newcastle striker Obafemi Martins and that Cardiff striker Ross McCormack "has handed in a transfer request to push through a move to the Premier League."
The Times crow that "Andriy Shevchenko has been offered an escape route from Stamford Bridge by Fenerbahce" and "West Ham United are confident of signing Fabio Daprela, the Switzerland Under-19 left back, from Grasshopper Zurich."
Further transfer lies suggest Liverpool could be re-signing Peter Crouch (Daily Star) and will finally land David Silva from Valencia (The Independent).
Sven Goran Eriksson's cushy number is chewed over by Barry Fry in The Sun: "Anything's possible in football, so they tell me. But the Premier League is getting so far away – they'll be playing on Mars soon. The Championship is the best Sven can hope for in my opinion."
The Guardian make "Small Talk" with Terry Venables. "Might be a touchy question this, but what's going on with that goatee beard? [Laughs] Well, it's for the wife. She quite likes it actually. She's been banging on at me to have one for years. It's not a big deal, I'm alright. I haven't got to have an operation to get it removed or anything. I can shave it off."
The Daily Mail have a frank interview with Lee Bowyer. The Birmingham midfielder says: "It does gripe. I've made mistakes. I've never denied that. If I've been sent-off, I'll take my punishment. Everyone makes mistakes. But I see others doing the same and they aren't as harshly treated as me. I'm not talking about Joey because I don't know him, but he's been to prison twice, hasn't he? That's nothing like me."
Sachin Nakrani looks ahead to this weekend's Wembley Cup. "At the national stadium from this evening Tottenham, Celtic, Barcelona and the champions of Egypt, Al Ahly, will begin competing for a trophy nobody has won before and which may never be won again after the tournament ends on Sunday. The inaugural Wembley Cup, it is safe to say, lacks prestige but that is of little concern to the four clubs involved considering the other rewards. Each is receiving a cut of one of the most lucrative close-season tournaments ever, with one analyst valuing it at £8m-£9m. A large chunk of that comes from broadcast deals that will see the four-match event (Spurs play Barcelona in the marquee fixture this evening), televised in more than 90 countries. At a time when clubs are travelling further to boost their global profile in pre-season, the guaranteed TV coverage was a huge attraction."

subset: commoncrawl


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Full CV // Download a PDF Portfolio here
Various works included in the collection of the MoMA Library (NY),
Henry Art Museum (Seattle), Haverford College (PA), and other private collections.
Clients & Branded Content: The New Yorker, The Creators Project, W Magazine,
Bloomberg Businessweek, Cultured magazine, Sweet (Hearst Magazines),
Peroni, Viacom, Vice and the Judd Foundation.
Founder, Neighboring Walls
Co-Founder/Editor Yo-NEWYORK!
Selected Writings/Press:
Sweet magazine feature by Rebecca Bates
Touch ID; Rubin's Tactile Images by Jeremy Haik - (Baxter St, Camera Club of NY)
Great Photograph? Who Cares, Charlie Makes Great Art by Jon Feinstein (Humble Arts Foundation)
Interview with Jorg Colberg in FOAM magazine
Interview with Christian Storm (theworldsbestever.com)
BRIC Arts Media, The Short List Curated by Joseph Wolin
Dazed Digital
Personal Links:
Yo New York! Collaborative Zine
Neighboring Walls (Open Call Art Shows)
Print Shop (Open-Studio NYC)
Artist Shop
© Charlie Rubin 2017, New York City, USA


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EPICS2ACNET. October 28, 2008. Present Status. Map devices by EPICS PV name and field to ACNET device and property Using MOOC front end to interface Duane has provided a prototype implementation dbxxx interface for local node access (10 usec)
Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author.While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server.
October 28, 2008


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When Mark Wright announced his exit from The Only Way Is Essex last October, he left us with a load of memories of his time as one of the new breed of reality stars.
To celebrate the DVD release of TOWIE on January 30, the people at the show have put together this montage of Mark's best bits.
There's hairspray, natter about "birds", and of course, plenty of shots of Mark with his top off.
Since then, Mark has prolonged his stay in the public eye with spells in the I'm a Celebrity... jungle, a Take Me Out spinoff and rumours of a Kardashian-style show of his own.
But wherever the TV winds take him, we'll always remember Mark as one of the original Essex boys.
The Only Way Is Essex is released on DVD on January 30.


text:
If you're in the process of customizing your ride, RealTruck.com is your one stop shop for all your black tail light needs. We have 5+ styles to choose from, all of which are highly affordable and made to get the head turning attention you crave. Whether you're seeking Euro or LED black tail lights, we've got what you need.
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Whether you're customizing your ride or you simply need a replacement, black tail lights are a great addition to any vehicle. They give off a brilliant glow which tells the following traffic that you are in the process of slowing down or stopping, keeping you and your family safe.
These bad boys are sold in pairs and can be mounted in mere minutes. Generally, all you need to do is take out existing tail lights, plug in your new lights to the factory plug, fasten the tail light down and you're off with the look you desire.
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Black tail lights from RealTruck will not only meet, but they will exceed your expectations. So buy your set today and rest assure, your getting the biggest bang for your buck.


text:
Pokemon X
This is a split board - You can return to the Split List for other boards.
How long will it take to release the "full game"?
- Topic Archived
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You're browsing the GameFAQs Message Boards as a guest. Sign Up for free (or Log In if you already have an account) to be able to post messages, change how messages are displayed, and view media in posts.


text: Decided to go check out one of the better stores that deal in marine tanks. They have octos, which is great news. I asked the lady what breed they were and she said "reef octopus" They had three in store, all looked the same breed. Fairly dark blue/blackish looking. Poor little buggers were floating around in plastic jars with holes in them :( One I saw had a clutch of eggs in the jar with it. I don't know how long it had been there, but I felt very sorry for the poor girl. Dunno how long they let them float around in the tanks whilst cooped up in the jars, but it didn't look like a happy life. I've noticed a lot of journals where egg laying seems to happen fairly quickly after getting octos home. Any thought on whether stress may play a part in this?


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Cardio Krav is a modern and proven reality-based defensive tactics system for men and women mixed with a well-rounded cardio & strength training workout. Based on simple principles and instinctive, natural movements of the human body, it is designed to teach practical self-defense for the real world. You will learn effective techniques against common attacks as well as the thinking behind protecting yourself. With its unique and logical approach, our Cardio Krav is easy to learn and retain; allowing it to be performed naturally, intuitively and practically be used under stressful conditions. Originally developed for the Israeli Defense Forces, Krav Maga is now used by various special police and military and intelligence forces, such as American CIA, FBI, US Marshals, USAF, DEA, Federal Air Marshals, various police departments, SWAT teams, etc.
Cardio Krav teaches multiple opponent defense as part of its training, places emphasis on scenario based training, and contains many exercises and drills to put students under physical and psychological stress in order to acclimatize the student to the stresses of reality based self-defense.


text:
ProductsRiders Shop Contact About Vibrocore™
Adaptors, Service Parts, Accessories Hub Adapters Tubeless Tape Tubeless Ready Valves Pedal Kits Headset Spacer Kits
Clicking "Buy Now" will re-direct you to the USA online store. For other regions click "Shop"
Competition quality wheels for kids, priced for moms and dads! SPANK now offers a first of its kind, high quality kids wheelset upgrade. The SPOON 28-20 is the perfect upgrade for 20" kids MTB frames and forks. Bombproof 6-series alloy rims are laced to lightweight hybrid SPIKE hubs with alloy freehub and internals to minimize weight, making the SPOON 28-20 not only safe and durable on the downhills, but also light enough for your little shredder to pedal uphill with ease. With SPANK's new SPOON 28-20, spanking your kids doesn't have to be a punishment.
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Ice Cream Lasagna - Epic Meal Time
EpicMealTimePublished: June 21, 2016Updated: June 29, 20165 views
Published: June 21, 2016Updated: June 29, 2016
Some people might call this a cake, but they would be wrong.
Thanks to Hormel for bringing the bacon!
LIKE/FAVORITE and SHARE for new meals every week!
And order the COOKBOOK from any of these links:
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/


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Borders Trailer (1984)
02 January 1984
A traveler between two countries metaphorically named "Easternstan" and "Westernstan" loses his passport and identity papers. Stuck between the two countries he can neither cross the frontiers nor get back to where he came from. He's forced to camp in the neutral area between the two countries, facing a lot of funny situations while there. The movie satirizes the ideology of Arab unity and cooperation at the state level.
Watch the official Borders 1984 trailer in HD below or find more Borders videos on Vidimovie.


text: We have been working with a few realtors and been happy with there performances, 1 big gain is we maintain homes on a big lake and new home buyers dont wont to mow these lawns so they ask the realtor and our name is given, 2nd some of the realtors have a property manager which runs there home when they are away we also get accounts from them. Best of all our business card go out with almost every sale and at some point we are contacted to do landscape construction and make the most money in that area. Some companies we contacted sounded shaddy but if you find one stay with them they have UNLIMITED resources and can boost your business. You really have to know what your doing when you do work for them, inexperience is where the problems start .


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- 22
- 5 years ago
Beyoncé, Dwight Yoakam, The rolling stones, Chris Isaak, The Books and more.
On Money Matters today we tell you what happened to the former Prime Minister of Iceland when he was taken before the courts on charges relating to the country's economic collapse. We bring you up to date on the battle at Independent News Media between Denis O'Brien and the O'Reilly family and we report on a new tool to track house price changes.
Also weekly investment report.


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Hey, you!
Recent Posts
Disclaimer.I am not a registered dietician. My blog merely contains nutritional information that I have obtained through credible sources (such as my Nutrition class textbook :)). The information found within ciaotochow is simply a reflection of my life and experiences. You should consult your doctor before undergoing any changes to your diet. With that being said...be healthy, be happy :)
Author Archives: ciaotochow
Ciao to Ciao to Chow
Hey, y'all! (Yes, six months later I am still talking in a Southern accent even though I live in the Midwest.) I just wanted to let you know that I'm going to be saying goodbye to ciao to chow. Well, … Continue reading
Posted in Uncategorized 9 Comments
Wednesday Lunch Date
This morning, after a quick bowl of Special K fruit & yogurt (with a sliced 'naner on top), I headed out for a run on my usual 5-mile route. Besides the occasional "misting," the workout went well. Thanks, Rascal Flatts … Continue reading
Posted in Uncategorized 1 Comment
Like Jared.
After baking over 80 cupcakes and cooking dinner two nights in a row, Layne and I were ready to let someone else do the dinner-makin' on Monday night. (source) Well, Jared didn't really handle the dinner prep, but he did … Continue reading
My new best friends are J. Biebs & 8th graders
The way to a middle schooler's heart is through his or her stomach — guaranteed. My sister Layne is a middle school science teacher, and after visiting her students last year and totally charming them with my sparkling personality and … Continue reading
Posted in Uncategorized 10 Comments
What Screams America
I don't care what anyone says… Homemade burgers on the grill, baked beans, and a beautiful fresh fruit salad are the (food) definition of America. And when a meal looks and tastes like this, I'm so alright with that 😉 … Continue reading
Mother's Day & OIAJ
Now that I'm back in the states, I'm hoping my blogging can become more regular again. But with a crazy-busy summer packed with a full-time internship in Manhattan and a family trip to Greece, this could prove rather difficult…. While … Continue reading
Posted in Uncategorized 3 Comments
Family = Craziness, Family = Love
There are few things I like more in life than weddings. I have been to a ton of weddings about 3 weddings in my entire life, but those 3 were pretty darn good — and this one was no exception! There's … Continue reading


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If the 84th All-Star Game were played tonight, the Orioles would have four starters in the American League lineup.
Nick Markakis has moved into third place among AL outfielders with 1,463,392 votes. Teammate Adam Jones is first with 2,740,505 votes, followed by Mike Trout with 2,710,115.
Chris Davis continues to lead all first basemen with 2,999,094 votes - the second-highest total in the league - to extend the margin over Prince Fielder (1,980,129), and J.J. Hardy leads shortstops with 1,871,010 to stay ahead of Elvis Andrus (1,358,412).
Nate McLouth is seventh among AL outfielders with 1,300,158 votes. Torii Hunter (1,425,571) is fourth, followed by Jose Bautista (1,379,251) and Nelson Cruz (1,310,079).
Third baseman Miguel Cabrera continues to lead all A.L. players with 3,277,890 votes, and Manny Machado is second at the position with 1,626,209.
Joe Mauer leads AL catchers with 2,127,175 votes, followed by Matt Wieters with 1,615,625.
The in-stadium phase of balloting concludes on Friday, June 28th, but fans will have the opportunity to cast their ballots exclusively online at MLB.com, the 30 club websites and their mobile devices until Thursday, July 4th at 11:59 p.m. (EDT).
The All-Star Game will be played on July 16th at Citi Field in New York.


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Green the Vaccine March
Well I missed the interview in the summer chaos that is our home but found a write up on it on the Good Morning America/ABC News website. Jenny McCarthy and Jim Carrey were interviewed on Wednesday's show before they took to the streets of Washington DC to March on Washington with several thousand supporters to ask for support in both "greening" vaccines as well as reviewing the current vaccine schedule for children.
Let me make it very clear from the outset, popular or not, I am vehemently opposed to those who feel that the potential for autism is justification for withholding any and all vaccines from their children. I feel it is irresponsible parenting and irresponsible citizenship. I'd rather have my child here and autistic than dead from pertussis or measles or mumps or any of the other things vaccines protect our children and the population as a whole from. I am sure at this point some of you are saying but you just don't understand what having an autistic child is like!!! You'd be right. I don't know the full weight of it. I do know the behavioral aspect of it pretty sufficiently even if Katherine isn't autistic. I wouldn't wish autism or it's devastating effects on any child or their family. I do not believe however that the scientific evidence currently shows conclusively that vaccines are the cause of autism. I do however believe that there are certain correlations that need far more investigation than they have gotten. I also believe that you can't have the group that says to you "vaccines are good, and important" (CDC) being the ones responsible for investigating if maybe they were wrong….maybe something was missed….obviously the problem is not global but SOME kids may very well be having reactions to the vaccines. What makes those kids different from the ones that do? It's sure as heck worth investigating further.
The argument that I felt particularly compelling from this march was the schedule of vaccinations. The basics of the proposal seem to be that rather than skipping immunizations that in addition to removing the remaining thimerosal from the vaccines and extending the vaccination schedule so children and their small bodies are given additional time in between vaccinations to recover and regain strength so that their immune system is ready to fight with the next vaccination. Maybe it won't do any good – and I am not a doctor – but the benefits of investigating this as a possible method to understanding if the vaccination schedule has some relationship to the increase in autism certainly seems reasonable and responsible.
My son is 2 3/4 years old. Our family is blessed. My son is in the 149 out of 150 who has not developed autism. I know that when he was an infant though I prayed after every vaccination. I know that Katherine had seizures a couple of times when the vaccination spiked a fever. I can't imagine what it would be to give a vaccine and to "lose" the child you had once known to something like autism. I couldn't imagine that any more than someone could imagine what it is like to have someone tell you that your child has had a massive stroke and may never walk or talk. You just can't know unless you've experienced it first hand. He had the same vaccines. What is the difference between him and my friend's son who was diagnosed with Aspergers? Who knows?? Certainly not the medical profession.
I can't help but feel that for a condition which everyone seems to agree affects approximately 1 in 150 children that more people in the medical community aren't alarmed and aggressively pursuing answers, treatments and better yet, cures? It certainly seems that none of the suggestions I've heard or read about from this Green the Vaccine March would be irresponsible.
I am surprised at how little coverage this March seems to have gotten. There has been speculation that there has been pressure brought to bear on the networks and other news outlets to overlook covering this event because of some fear that it would lead to widespread vaccination moratoriums by panic stricken parents. I hope to heavens sake that I am just naive in thinking that we still enjoy freedom of the press. It seems to me that anyone who actually thinks that withholding information in that manner or being unwilling to engage in debate and discussion would think that a parent wouldn't view that with the very real suspicion it deserves. I never met a topic that couldn't benefit from healthy, respectful debate. Respectful of course being the operative word. You don't have to like a persons position to be respectful that there is someone who has an opinion other than your own
The reality is we have far too many children suffering and there must be a reason. It's imperative that the debate keeps autism in front of people so that we can continue to push for research and answers. Unfortunately, children are not voters. We need to remind those in power that for every child with autism there is a mother, a father, a grandmother, a grandfather, an aunt, an uncle, a cousin and on and on who will vote on their behalf. We are our children's best advocates. Whether you subscribe to one side of the debate or the other everyone can agree that answers need to be found and found now.
Thanks to TACA (Talk About Curing Autism), The Huffington Post, and Barbara Fischkin at the Huffington Post
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Currently there are "5 comments" on this Article:
Thank you …Thank you !!! Well written—
When my son started to have issues (In my opinion)
at about 9 months old I was convinced it was Autism— then I did a bunch of research– and now I know it isn't/wasn't Autism–
That being said, I think that we do need to change and investigate how,and when we give these kids their vaccinations–
The CDC is not always about protecting EACH child– more often then not they want to protect all kids… —
There has got to be another way?
Let's learn to value our kids, for who they are– and be cautious about everything!
sorry for my ~ rant
As an adult on the spectrum, I must respectfully disagree with you. Millions of children the world over are suffering from lack of clean drinking water, food, and access to health care, and many of those children are in the US. Part of living in a democracy means that we give up things personally in order so that the entire population can benefit. When you look at the big picture, vaccines are a tremendously successful scientific breakthrough, and I've known people with polio and plenty of people with ASD's, and I'd much, much rather have the ASD than polio or smallpox or measles (which is on the rise due to parents who are afraid of their kids getting autism if they vaccinate them.) Also, we don't actually have evidence that the incidence of autism is any less in less-economically-developed countries – it's just that autism-like behaviors may be more accepted (or ignored) in some cultures, and also that, y'know, when you're trying to not starve to death you don't have time to sign your kid up for Floortime.
I'm open for debate. I just wish that during the debate, people would stop telling me and my friends how much we're suffering. I've got food in my stomach, a roof over my head, access to doctors…….who am I to complain when so much of the world is dying of natural disasters/evil dictators/our own misguided foreign policy? I wish that people would think about things in the global schema.
(Sorry if this offended you or anyone else. I hope it did not. I really didn't mean to. Please email me if you'd like to continue this discussion.)
A open forum here as long as the debate is respectful. I just don't want bashing and name calling of which I don't feel you did either. I truly appreciate input from others, especially someone like you who would have a opinion framed by your individual experience. Thank you so much for putting a different perspective on the debate! Welcome and I hope you'll continue to contribute from a perspective we can all learn from.
I didn't get to read all comments so if I repeat someones ideas – sorry. just wanted to say that my daughter showed no problem until 4 months aft mmr vac given in1995- which i found out years later used a binding agent of mercury to allow the cost saving of using one shot vs 3 safe but seperate shots. i wish i had known i had a choice,,,i am not a dr but i know mercury is bad for the brain. the cost of that shortcut we will never know! she is 18 now and they stole her childhood and teen years -what a waste – and thats only one life…..it is epedemic no doubt
I am around more of the teenagers with autistic syndromes. My city has only one very nice, but small place for them to gather and socialize. It would be nice to see more places where they can still be teens, not adult daycare forums, but they need funding from all the moneys coming in to help in all aspects of these issues. The ones that help these kids feel that they have a place to go. check out the website BensPlaceJacksonville fl.


text: Let's try this again! For Sale, assembled and painted w/spray on bed liner, Ikea Gorm board (19.5x13.5x3.5). Turned out really nice, but I have moved to a Nano set up. This comes with a PT Jr. soft case that is in excellent condition. Selling for $50 + actual shipping. Would trade for a PT Nano in great shape! PM with questions. {} {} Johno!