The new season of "Dancing With the Stars" is still a week away, but that doesn't mean the pressure hasn't already kicked in for the ballroom beginners. In fact, for one celebrity, the pre-show stress almost proved too much to handle.
"I had a breakdown. I just hit a wall," actor-comedian Andy Dick shared with "Entertainment Tonight." "I cried forever."
The problems mounted until Dick found himself lashing out at his pro partner, "Dancing" first-timer Sharna Burgess.
"When I'm not getting something, I just blamed her," he said. "'What are you doing wrong that I can't get it?!' But it's really me. I had to change my attitude and my concentration level because when I would get frustrated, I would shut down entirely."
And for the star who's struggled with addiction issues in the past, that's a problem.
"That's where I would hit the bottle in life in the old days," he explained. "('Dancing With the Stars') is better than rehab. This is like 13 rehabs condensed into one."
According to Dick, all is now well between him and Burgess, who he refers to as his "new therapist." And he won't let the stress get to him again, despite being "scared out of his pants."
"Nope, nope. But if I'm in the back alley with a bottle of vodka, you'll know I changed my mind," he said before adding, "No, that's not going to happen!"
See how Dick and the rest of the celebrities do in the ballroom bash when the 16th season of "Dancing With the Stars" kicks off on March 18.
Do you think Andy Dick will go far in the competition? Share your thoughts on our Facebook page.
Some bacteria may protect against disease caused by stomach infectionPublic release date: 12-Mar-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Tim Stephens stephens@ucsc.edu 831-459-2495 University of California - Santa Cruz
Other stomach microbes influence whether Helicobacter pylori infection causes inflammation leading to ulcers and cancer, study finds
Half of the world's human population is infected with the stomach bacteria called Helicobacter pylori, yet it causes disease in only about 10 percent of those infected. Other bacteria living in the stomach may be a key factor in whether or not H. pylori causes disease, according to a new study led by scientists at the University of California, Santa Cruz.
"People tend to think of the stomach as a relatively sterile environment, but it's actually populated with microbes," said Karen Ottemann, professor and chair of microbiology and environmental toxicology at UC Santa Cruz.
Researchers in Ottemann's lab were studying H. pylori infections in mice when they noticed that mice from two different suppliers had different responses to the infection, even though they were the same mouse strain and therefore genetically identical. Examining the bacteria in the stomachs of the mice (the stomach "microflora"), they found differences between the mice from different suppliers. They then used antibiotics to alter the stomach microflora in mice from a single supplier and again found changes in the response to H. pylori.
"We found that something about the preexisting microflora, before H. pylori comes into the mouse, changes the mouse's response to the infection," Ottemann said.
The findings, published in the journal Infection and Immunity, have potential implications for treating human infections. The bacteria in the stomachs of mice and humans are broadly the same--not necessarily at the species level, but the same types of bacteria are present in both, Ottemann said.
H. pylori infections can cause ulcers and stomach cancer, but most infected people don't develop any disease. Furthermore, there is evidence that H. pylori infection can protect against diseases such as esophageal cancer and asthma. For these reasons, people are only treated for the infection if they develop symptoms. With a better understanding of the effects of the stomach microflora, it might be possible to predict whether someone is likely to develop disease and should be treated for an H. pylori infection.
"It would be nice if we could predict who would get disease," Ottemann said. "The other possibility is that we might be able to identify some bacteria that could be used as a probiotic to dampen H. pylori disease."
At this point, it is not clear which bacteria are responsible for changing the response to H. pylori infection in mice. Focusing on mice from one supplier, Ottemann's team used genetic profiling techniques to identify more than 10,000 different types of bacteria present in mouse stomachs, of which about 2,000 were found in all the mice sampled.
The researchers treated some of the mice with antibiotics, which did not eliminate stomach bacteria but substantially changed the composition of the gut microflora. The altered microflora dampened the inflammatory response to H. pylori infection. When they looked for differences in the stomach microfloras of mice with and without inflammatory disease, the researchers found more than 4,000 differences--either species present in one group and not in the other, or differences in the abundances of certain species.
More work is needed to identify which differences in bacterial composition are responsible for the differences in response to H. pylori, Ottemann said. "The results do point to some potential candidates for a protective effect, such as Clostridium species, some of which are known to influence inflammation in the intestine," she said.
###
In addition to Ottemann, the coauthors of the paper include first author Annah Rolig, a graduate student in Ottemann's lab; undergraduates Cynthia Cech and Ethan Ahler; and J. Elliott Carter, a pathologist at the University of South Alabama College of Medicine. This research was funded by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease (NIAID) at the National Institutes of Health (grant #AI050000) and the UC Cancer Research Coordinating Committee.
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AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
Some bacteria may protect against disease caused by stomach infectionPublic release date: 12-Mar-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Tim Stephens stephens@ucsc.edu 831-459-2495 University of California - Santa Cruz
Other stomach microbes influence whether Helicobacter pylori infection causes inflammation leading to ulcers and cancer, study finds
Half of the world's human population is infected with the stomach bacteria called Helicobacter pylori, yet it causes disease in only about 10 percent of those infected. Other bacteria living in the stomach may be a key factor in whether or not H. pylori causes disease, according to a new study led by scientists at the University of California, Santa Cruz.
"People tend to think of the stomach as a relatively sterile environment, but it's actually populated with microbes," said Karen Ottemann, professor and chair of microbiology and environmental toxicology at UC Santa Cruz.
Researchers in Ottemann's lab were studying H. pylori infections in mice when they noticed that mice from two different suppliers had different responses to the infection, even though they were the same mouse strain and therefore genetically identical. Examining the bacteria in the stomachs of the mice (the stomach "microflora"), they found differences between the mice from different suppliers. They then used antibiotics to alter the stomach microflora in mice from a single supplier and again found changes in the response to H. pylori.
"We found that something about the preexisting microflora, before H. pylori comes into the mouse, changes the mouse's response to the infection," Ottemann said.
The findings, published in the journal Infection and Immunity, have potential implications for treating human infections. The bacteria in the stomachs of mice and humans are broadly the same--not necessarily at the species level, but the same types of bacteria are present in both, Ottemann said.
H. pylori infections can cause ulcers and stomach cancer, but most infected people don't develop any disease. Furthermore, there is evidence that H. pylori infection can protect against diseases such as esophageal cancer and asthma. For these reasons, people are only treated for the infection if they develop symptoms. With a better understanding of the effects of the stomach microflora, it might be possible to predict whether someone is likely to develop disease and should be treated for an H. pylori infection.
"It would be nice if we could predict who would get disease," Ottemann said. "The other possibility is that we might be able to identify some bacteria that could be used as a probiotic to dampen H. pylori disease."
At this point, it is not clear which bacteria are responsible for changing the response to H. pylori infection in mice. Focusing on mice from one supplier, Ottemann's team used genetic profiling techniques to identify more than 10,000 different types of bacteria present in mouse stomachs, of which about 2,000 were found in all the mice sampled.
The researchers treated some of the mice with antibiotics, which did not eliminate stomach bacteria but substantially changed the composition of the gut microflora. The altered microflora dampened the inflammatory response to H. pylori infection. When they looked for differences in the stomach microfloras of mice with and without inflammatory disease, the researchers found more than 4,000 differences--either species present in one group and not in the other, or differences in the abundances of certain species.
More work is needed to identify which differences in bacterial composition are responsible for the differences in response to H. pylori, Ottemann said. "The results do point to some potential candidates for a protective effect, such as Clostridium species, some of which are known to influence inflammation in the intestine," she said.
###
In addition to Ottemann, the coauthors of the paper include first author Annah Rolig, a graduate student in Ottemann's lab; undergraduates Cynthia Cech and Ethan Ahler; and J. Elliott Carter, a pathologist at the University of South Alabama College of Medicine. This research was funded by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease (NIAID) at the National Institutes of Health (grant #AI050000) and the UC Cancer Research Coordinating Committee.
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AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
BEIRUT (AP) ? Syrian government airstrikes have killed at least 14 people in the northern province of Raqqa less than a week after rebels seized the area's provincial capital, activists said Sunday, while the U.N.'s top official for refugee affairs said the number of people fleeing Syria could triple this year if the war continues.
The city of Raqqa, home to a half million people before Syria's uprising, could prove a test case for how rebels administer areas they capture. The rebel groups that led the battle for the city are strongly Islamist, some of them extremists, and videos released over the weekend indicate some fighters have summarily executed prisoners.
Recent government airstrikes, meanwhile, show the limits of rebel control. Even if they hold the ground, they can do little about the government's air force, which often bombards areas recently captured by the rebels, killing fighters and civilians alike.
Two airstrikes in Raqqa province killed at least 14 people on Saturday, the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.
A video posted online from Raqqa city showed the dead bodies of seven people scattered in a street with destroyed buildings nearby. An off-camera narrator says they were killed in an airstrike.
The Observatory said at least seven others were killed in a separate air attack near the province's eastern border.
Over the last year, Syria's rebels have greatly expanded the territory they hold in northern Syria, mostly in the provinces of Idlib and Aleppo that abut the Turkish border. In February, they extended their control into Raqqa province, seizing a hydroelectric dam on the Euphrates river. After storming a central prison, they seized most of Raqqa city on March 4, solidifying their control over the next two days.
Raqqa is the first of Syria's provincial capital cities to fall completely under rebel control.
Rebel actions since taking the city have raised concerns about how they will administer the area.
A number of videos have surfaced in recent days that show dead government soldiers and security officials lying on the ground, their heads bearing gunshot wounds.
One video showed rebels driving the dead body of a military intelligence official around in the back of a pickup truck to show it off. At one point, they lay out his body in a street next to another body. Both have large holes in their heads.
"No one hurt me more than this man!" a voice off-camera yells.
Rights groups have reported summary executions of regime officials and troops following the capture of other areas, especially of pro-government militiamen known as "shabiha" whom rebels say are guilty of atrocities. Rebels groups in some area have set up courts to try prisoners, though it is unclear whether they live up to international standards of due process.
Another video from Raqqa posted on Saturday shows three bodies in a street in pools of blood.
"These are the dogs of military intelligence and they were executed in Clock Square," a voice says, referring to a city landmark.
Other captured regime officials appear to have been kept alive.
Another video posted Saturday showed the provincial governor, Hassan Jalalil, along with the head of President Bashar Assad's ruling Baath party sitting in front of the black flag of Jabhat al-Nusra, an extremist rebel group the U.S. has designated a terror group.
The two were captured by rebels when they stormed the governor's palace on March 4.
In the videos, the second man, Suleiman al-Suleiman, says that before his capture he was scared that rebels were extremists.
"But my view has changed, and I have seen that Jabat al-Nusra has a religious program that follows Allah and his prophet," he said.
There was no way to establish if he was speaking under duress.
All videos appeared authentic and corresponded with other reporting by The Associated Press.
Syria's crisis began with anti-regime protests in March 2011 and has since spiraled into a civil war pitting government forces against hundreds of rebels groups.
The Syrian government portrays the war as fueled by an international conspiracy carried out by terrorists that seeks to weaken the country.
Also Sunday, the U.N. chief for refugees says the number of people fleeing Syria could increase by "two or three times" by the end of the year if the country's conflict doesn't end.
U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees Antonio Guterres told reporters in the Turkish capital that the international community should work toward ending the conflict.
"If the Syrian conflict will go on and on and on, there is an effective risk of an explosion into the Middle East," he said, adding that it was in "the interest of everybody to stop this conflict before it is too late. "
On March 6, the U.N. said the number of registered Syrian refugees had reached one million. Guterres also renewed a call for nations to support Turkey, Lebanon, Jordan and other countries sheltering refugees.
The U.N. says more than 70,000 people have been killed in the violence.
____
Associated Press writer Suzan Fraser contributed reporting from Ankara, Turkey.
The garage doors could be an interesting challenge when it comes to avoiding sag (obviously dependent on style).
I've been pondering a less grand build or buy project myself ... unique issues for me are size and weight. I have both dominos, so construction offers no challenge. I'm still undecided?
Taiwanese officials let in US beef this summer after years of wrangling over health concerns. Now, Taiwan is getting what it wants: trade talks.
By Ralph Jennings,?Correspondent / March 11, 2013
Deputy US Trade Representative Demetrio Marantis is seen before the seventh round of US- Taiwan talks under the Trade and Investment Framework Agreement (TIFA) begin at the Ministry of Economic Affairs in Taipei Sunday.
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After years of asking Taiwan that question, the United States finally has an answer.?
The island that was long shy about eating American beef ? nervous about cow bones ground up in hot dogs or imports bearing an agent that some suggested may cause human health problems ? ?allows all of that in now.??And this week it got what it wanted in return: talks on trade liberalization. Those talks resumed behind closed doors on Sunday and Monday in Taipei.
Why the change?
?I think the United States has more leverage and Taiwan doesn?t have much,? says Alex Chiang, professor of diplomacy at National Chengchi University in Taipei. ?Eventually, it has to give into the US demand. We really need free trade agreements with other countries, especially as the US is one of the big trading partners.?
There had been several bans on US beef imports to Taiwan over the years. Imports of US beef with bones were completely shut down, to the chagrin of the US in 2003. Then, partly because of changing science and partly because of the political muscle beef has for the US, bans have been lifted since 2010 little by little. ?
Within months after Taiwan agreed to let in the last critical batch of contested beef in 2012, that with the feed additive ractopamine, US officials agreed to resume talks that could get Taiwan into a regional trade liberalization pact and start negotiations for a two-way free-trade deal.
Those talks, dubbed Trade and Investment Framework Agreement negotiations, were shelved in 2007 as Washington started pointing to where the beef wasn?t.?
The United States is Taiwan?s second-biggest export destination after China while Taiwan is the 11th-largest American trade partner. Taiwan had already imported about $128 million of US beef per year before the most recent ban was lifted this summer.
In mid-2012 an official with Washington?s de facto embassy in Taipei said resolving the beef bans represented Taiwan?s general willingness to seek freer trade with the United States.
?When determining with which markets to move forward, I think Washington wants to first eradicate as many unscientific trade barriers as possible before taking the next step,? says Sean King, senior vice president with the political consulting firm Park Strategies in New York.
US officials had said the once banned beef would not cause health problems in humans ? for Washington, a matter of science.
The talks between Deputy US Trade Representative Demetrio Marantis and Taiwan?s Vice Economics Minister Cho Shih-chao won?t hand any deals to Taiwan this week. But eventually their closed-door talks could lead Taiwan toward a hard-to-get FTA and admission to the Trans-Pacific Partnership, an 11-member free trade agreement being formulated with heavy US influence.
Either breakthrough would keep Taiwan in the same herd as Japan, South Korea, and the rest of Southeast Asia as they all push their exports on the world?s top economy.
Taiwan is a latecomer because political rival and economic bull China asked other countries to avoid talks with the island until Beijing and Taipei signed their own trade pact in 2010.
South Korea signed a free trade agreement with the United States last year, and Japan is in discussion with the United States about joining the Trans-Pacific Partnership. Where else is the beef? In Japan and South Korea.
?I don't think the US requires trading partners to import US beef,? says Wai Ho Leong, regional economist with Barclays Capital in Singapore. ?It however will demand fair treatment of its beef relative to other [meat] producers.?
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Public release date: 12-Mar-2013
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