Gene Study Sheds Light on Body Clock's Link to Diabetes (HealthDay)

MONDAY, Jan. 30 (HealthDay News) -- Researchers studying the link between diabetes and a hormone that affects your so-called "body clock" have identified a genetic mutation in the receptor for the hormone, melatonin, that may to boost the risk of the disease.

The finding could help improve assessment of a person's diabetes risk and could also lead to the development of personalized treatments, according to the study published in the Jan. 29 online edition of the journal Nature Genetics.

The research team from Imperial College London found that people who have rare genetic mutations in the receptor for melatonin have a greatly increased risk for type 2 diabetes.

Melatonin controls the body's sleep-wake cycle. A previous study found that people with common variations in the gene for the melatonin receptor MT2 have a slightly increased risk for type 2 diabetes.

This new study discovered that having any of four rare mutations of the MT2 is associated with a six times increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes.

Melatonin controls the release of insulin, which regulates blood sugar levels. Mutations in the MT2 gene may disrupt the connection between the body clock and insulin release, resulting in abnormal control of blood sugar, the researchers explained.

For their study, the investigators examined the MT2 gene in more than 7,000 people. They identified 40 variants associated with type 2 diabetes, four of which are very rare and make the receptor incapable of responding to melatonin. The effect of these four variants was then confirmed in an additional group of nearly 12,000 people.

"Blood sugar control is one of the many processes regulated by the body's biological clock. This study adds to our understanding of how the gene that carries the blueprint for a key component in the clock can influence people's risk of diabetes," study leader Philippe Froguel, from the School of Public Health, said in an Imperial College London news release.

"We found very rare variants of the MT2 gene that have a much larger effect than more common variants discovered before. Although each mutation is rare, they are common in the sense that everyone has a lot of very rare mutations in their DNA. Cataloging these mutations will enable us to much more accurately assess a person's risk of disease based on their genetics," Froguel added.

While the study found a link between the mutation and diabetes risk, it did not find a cause-and-effect relationship.

More information

The American Diabetes Association offers an overview of diabetes prevention.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/biotech/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/hsn/20120130/hl_hsn/genestudyshedslightonbodyclockslinktodiabetes

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ECB's Makuch sees some recession risks: report (Reuters)

BRATISLAVA (Reuters) ? The euro zone could fall back into recession this year, an ECB Governing Council member said on Monday, adding the bank's non-standard measures were a significant funding and confidence boost.

A surprise upturn in the euro zone's service sector this month raised hopes the region may escape recession in 2012, even though the broader economy outside Germany is still struggling to gain traction.

The single currency area was likely to avoid a slip into a "deep recession," but will probably wallow in a mild recession until the second half of this year, according to a Reuters survey from January.

The European Central Bank (ECB), which pumped 489 billion euros into the financial system in December in its first-ever offering of three-year loans to help banks' funding strains amid the European sovereign debt crisis, will do so again next month.

"The banks' significant need in the first three-year operation shows that ECB's non-standard measures provide a significant contribution for financing of banks, supporting financial conditions and confidence," Jozef Makuch, who also heads the Slovak central bank, told daily Hospodarske Noviny in an interview.

Makuch warned the banks' dependency on the ECB short-term funding was rising, adding financing problems could hurt loan supply and have negative impacts on real economies.

"The market is still not functioning, we see some opening of markets with unsecured securities, but we are at the beginning of this process and hope it will continue," Makuch said.

Makuch said the ECB's bond-buying program, aimed to ease borrowing stress of debt-troubled countries like Italy, was neither automatic, nor without limit.

"Governments in the euro zone must cut excessive deficits and, in time, reach structurally balanced or surplus budgets. Countries at risk must fix slides in consolidation swiftly," Makuch said.

EU leaders will meet on Monday to sign off on a permanent rescue fund for the bloc and are expected to agree on a balanced budget rule in national legislation, with unresolved problems in Greece casting a shadow on the discussions.

(Reporting by Martin Santa; Editing by Ramya Venugopal)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/economy/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20120130/bs_nm/us_ecb_makuch

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Steam mobile app beta invites now rolling out; we go hands-on

As we reported on Thursday, Valve Software recently took the wraps off the Steam mobile app for Android (and iOS), as part of a limited beta. Steam users could register their interest by downloading the app and entering their details, and over the past day or so, the first beta invites have started to roll out.

Steam is a big deal in the world of PC and Mac gaming, which makes the launch of an official mobile app a big deal for Android. As such, we decided to take this initial beta version of the Steam Android app for a spin. We've got more words and pictures for you after the break.

read more

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/androidcentral/~3/BkaSmJ-EfNc/story01.htm

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Bud? Coors? No, Yuengling is the No. 1 US brewer

By Rob Neill

A beer maker many drinkers haven?t heard of has become the top American brewer. Depending on how you define ?American brewer.?

G.G. Yuengling and Son didn?t as much dethrone Budweiser, Miller and Coors as it had to wait for them to get acquired by foreign companies. Although December sales figures are preliminary, the maker of Juengling Lager passed Boston Beer, brewer of Sam Adams, to take the crown for 2011,?according?to trade journal Beer Marketer?s Insights. The ranking is for beers brewed in the U.S. with American ownership.

?It?s a little ironic" that Yeungling is the No. 1 brewer, given its lack of a?national profile,?said Eric Sheppard, editor of Beer Marketer's Insights.??There are a lot of caveats.?

?It?s not that long ago Yuengling being the largest in the U.S. would have caused people to go, ?Wha??,? he said.

Despite its lack of recognition, Yuengling is no upstart. A family owned brewer founded in 1829 and based in Pottsville, Pa., the company?sells seven brands and distributes its product in 14 mostly southeastern states. The company's signature brand is its flagship traditional lager.

?By default we?ve slowly climbed our way to the top after 183 years,? chief financial officer?David Casinelli said.

He downplays any No. 1 talk, saying the Buds and Millers of the world, even if foreign-owned,??are brewed in American breweries with American jobs."

"Those rankings are more important to industry gurus," Casinelli told msnbc.com. "What?s important to us is we?re growing in an industry that?s declining.?

Anheuser-Busch, brewer of the iconic Budweiser brand, was bought by Belgian conglomerate InBev in 2008. Miller and Coors are owned by a multinational that is based in Britain?and Canada.

According to figures supplied by Insight, with preliminary December numbers, Anheuser-Busch InBev has 47 percent of the American market and brewed 99 million barrels in 2011. MillerCoors is second at 28 percent with 60 million barrels.

Yuengling?s numbers that make them dominant? Two-and-a-half million barrels brewed, for a 1 percent market share. Boston is less than a hundred thousand barrels behind.

?Casinelli credits a push this year into the Ohio market that was ?far more successful than we planned? for pushing them over the top. But if you live in, say, Texas or California, don?t plan on ordering one any time soon. The company has no more expansion plans at this time.

?We are a regional brewery," Casinelli said. ?We will grow as we feel we can handle it. But we?re not going to run across the U.S. and become a national brand.?

But they don?t plan on going away either.

?We?re a fifth-generation business. Most don?t make it past, what do they say, two.?

?

Source: http://bottomline.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/01/17/10175670-brewer-youve-never-heard-of-is-no-1-in-us-depending-how-you-count

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Homemade Mother?s Circus Animal Cookies Recipe

Do you remember eating iced animal crackers as a kid? I certainly do. The nostalgic taste of an animal cracker covered in pink or white icing and topped with just the right amount of confetti sprinkles brings back the tastiest of childhood memories. If you can relate to the fun of eating Mother?s Circus Animal Cookies as a kid then you will be happy to see this recipe for Vanilla Sugar Animal Cookies with Royal Icing from Dessert First. While nothing will quite take the place of that special taste from the past, these cookies are as close as you might get. A simple sugar cookie dough will get you started. A few cookie cutters, some royal icing and some colored sprinkles later and you will be having flashbacks of your younger days. And if you haven?t had the pleasure of enjoying these fun little cookies as a kid it?s never too late to start! This is definitely a tradition worth sharing!

Photo Credit: Dessert First

About Leslie Reese

Leslie Reese writes about dessert trends & recipes here. She is currently publishing her first dessert recipe book.

Source: http://bestfriendsforfrosting.com/2012/01/homemade-mothers-circus-animal-cookies-recipe/

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Algeria says kidnapped governor freed on Libyan soil (Reuters)

ALGIERS (Reuters) ? A kidnapped Algerian regional governor has been freed after his captors were intercepted inside Libya, officials said on Tuesday, an incident that will raise new concerns about instability spilling over from Libya to its neighbors.

Two Algerian security sources earlier told Reuters the governor was being held by al Qaeda. Security experts have warned the group is exploiting turmoil in Libya after the fall of Muammar Gaddafi to carve out a safe haven.

Algeria's state news agency, citing a source close to the Interior Ministry, said the governor, Mohamed Laid Khelfi, was freed by the Libyan authorities when they stopped his kidnappers about 150 km inside Libyan territory.

The agency said the governor would soon be handed over to the Algerian authorities at a nearby border crossing.

An Algerian security official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told Reuters: "The governor is safe and well. He was freed. That is all I can say for now."

The kidnapping, deep in the Sahara desert, was the most audacious attack on a senior official for years in Algeria, which has been fighting a two-decade battle against Islamist insurgents.

There was no immediate comment from officials in Libya's interim government on the incident.

Khelfi, governor of the Illizi region about 1,700 km (1,000 miles) southeast of the Algerian capital, was driving away from a meeting on the Libyan border on Monday afternoon when three armed men stopped his convoy, the Interior Ministry said.

The attackers released his driver and an aide, but took the governor in the direction of the Libyan border, a ministry statement said. He later made telephone contact with his family.

The ministry did not identify the kidnappers, saying only they were young Algerian men who were known to the authorities.

Two Algerian security officials, who spoke to Reuters on condition of anonymity, said the governor had been held by al Qaeda's north African branch, al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM).

The group carries out kidnappings, ambushes and suicide bombings, mainly in Algeria but also in neighboring states which straddle the Sahara desert.

With backing from Western states, which are concerned the group could spread its activities further afield, Algerian security forces have been able to reduce the insurgency to a small rump of fighters hiding out in remote areas.

"DANGEROUS ESCALATION"

But the instability in Libya could give AQIM a new lease of life by providing the insurgents with a source of weapons and a safe haven in vast desert tracts which the new Libyan authorities lack the capacity to police.

"This (kidnapping) is a very dangerous escalation which shows that the group is feeling secure and strong because of the chaos in Libya," said Samer Riad, a security expert who runs Algeria's numidianews.com news portal.

Western diplomats say Algeria is under serious threat from al Qaeda and is an important ally in helping fight the spread of the insurgency. Some security experts say the al Qaeda threat also helps Algeria garner international support.

The kidnapping was unusual because in Algeria, governors and all other senior government officials almost always travel with heavy security details, making them a "hard" target, which the insurgents tend to avoid.

One of the security officials who spoke to Reuters said the governor had on Monday been at Debdeb, a border crossing with Libya, trying to calm down local protesters angry at unemployment and poor living conditions.

Among the protesters were relatives of Abdelhamid Abu Zeid, one of AQIM's leading field commanders in the Sahara desert, the official said.

Abu Zeid is believed by many security experts to have ordered the killings of two foreigners kidnapped by his group, Frenchman Michel Germaneau and Briton Edwin Dyer.

The security official said that the Illizi governor was kidnapped by local people who had been involved in the protest, and was subsequently handed over to insurgents under the command of Abu Zeid.

(Additional reporting by Mahmoud Habboush in Tripoli)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/world/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20120117/wl_nm/us_algeria_libya_kidnap

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A tamer Gervais leads predictable Golden Globes

In this image released by NBC, George Clooney accepts the award for best actor for his role in "The Descendants" during the 69th Annual Golden Globe Awards on Sunday, Jan. 15, 2012 in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/NBC, Paul Drinkwater)

In this image released by NBC, George Clooney accepts the award for best actor for his role in "The Descendants" during the 69th Annual Golden Globe Awards on Sunday, Jan. 15, 2012 in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/NBC, Paul Drinkwater)

In this image released by NBC, Meryl Streep accepts the award for Best Actress in a Motion Picture, Drama for "The Iron Lady" during the 69th Annual Golden Globe Awards on Sunday, Jan. 15, 2012 in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/NBC, Paul Drinkwater)

In this image released by NBC, host Ricky Gervais speaks during the 69th Annual Golden Globe Awards, Sunday, Jan. 15, 2012 in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/NBC, Paul Drinkwater)

BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. (AP) ? The Hollywood Foreign Press Association dared to let Ricky Gervais come back and host the Golden Globe Awards, a year after he insulted the organization and nearly everyone in the star-studded room with his lacerating wit.

But Gervais and the show seemed tamer and more predictable this year, not quite living up to outrageous reputations. Even the winners themselves, including "The Descendants" and its star, George Clooney, were predictable.

The victory for "The Descendants" in the best drama category sets it up in an expected battle at the Academy Awards with "The Artist," which won the award for best musical or comedy. Both had been frontrunners all along among people who are the business of prognosticating these things; Oscar nominations will be announced Jan. 24, with the ceremony itself coming Feb. 26.

Clooney won for his portrayal of a middle-aged husband struggling to raise his two daughters while their mother is in a coma. Jean Dujardin won the same award in the musical or comedy category for "The Artist" as a silent film actor whose career derails with the arrival of sound. ("The Artist" won the most film awards with three total, including one for Ludovic Bource's original score.)

It took the presenters and winners themselves to liven up the program ? and that includes Uggie, Dujardin's scene-stealing Jack Russell terrier in "The Artist," who performed some of his signature tricks on stage toward the end of the night.

While Gervais dropped an F-bomb a couple hours into the broadcast ? likely an accident after some imbibing on and offstage ? he also took aim at easy targets like Kim Kardashian. Later, wine glass in hand, he emerged from the wings to express delight in having "a job where you can get drunk and say what you want, and they still pay you."

After he introduced Madonna with a series of hackneyed puns about her song titles, including "Like a Virgin," the pop star shot back.

"If I'm still just like a virgin, Ricky, then why don't you come over here and do something about it?" she deadpanned. "I haven't kissed a girl in a few years ? on TV."

Male genitalia was a frequent theme. Tina Fey and Jane Lynch teamed up to make a penis pun inspired by "Hung" star Thomas Jane. Seth Rogen, taking the stage with the gorgeous Kate Beckinsale, cracked: "Hello, I'm Seth Rogen, and I'm currently trying to conceal a massive erection." And Clooney, in accepting his best-actor award, made a joke about fellow nominee Michael Fassbender, who plays a sex addict in "Shame."

"I'd like to thank Michael Fassbender for taking over the full-frontal nudity responsibility that I had," and Clooney then went on to suggest Fassbender could play golf with his hands behind his back.

Even Meryl Streep ? the grand dame of them all who won for best actress in a drama for her portrayal of former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher in "The Iron Lady" ? let an expletive slip during her acceptance speech. Streep got flustered when she realized she forgot her glasses at her table; instead she winged it, giving a rambling (but gracious) speech praising other actresses' performances, including some who hadn't even been nominated that night.

Two of Hollywood's most veteran and esteemed directors also were winners Sunday night, both of whom were venturing into 3-D for the first time: Martin Scorsese for best director for the family fantasy "Hugo" and Steven Spielberg for best animated film for "The Adventures of Tintin." Meanwhile, Woody Allen won for his screenplay for "Midnight in Paris" ? but naturally, he wasn't there to accept the statue in person. The comedy is his biggest hit in decades but he's typically reluctant to attend awards shows.

Things were much more fresh and inspired on the television side of the ceremony, with daring shows earning honors and longtime stars going home with statues for new roles.

"Homeland" on Showtime, which explores terrorism and an Iraq war veteran, earned awards for best drama and best actress in a drama for star Claire Danes. It was Danes' third Globe; she won her first when she was just 15 for "My So-Called Life."

Former "Frasier" star Kelsey Grammer won best actor in a drama for Starz's "Boss," while former "Friends" star Matt LeBlanc won best actor in a musical or comedy for Showtime's "Episodes."

ABC's "Modern Family" was the big winner among commercial broadcast networks, following up its Emmy for best television comedy by winning the Golden Globe. Creator Steve Levitan and actress Sofia Vergara accepted the award with a comic riff in which she spoke in Spanish and Levitan "translated."

Let's hope the after-parties got wilder.

___

AP Television Writer David Bauder contributed to this report.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/386c25518f464186bf7a2ac026580ce7/Article_2012-01-16-Golden%20Globes/id-46a67adf80954e1f9ac66667359513d9

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