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Tuesday, April 2, 2013
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PFT: Crabtree says QB change divided SF lockerroom
Getty ImagesThe play of Ravens OLB Terrell Suggs and Bengals CB Leon Hall after Achilles injuries gives?Dolphins CB Brett Grimes hope.
Will the Jets?add another back?in the draft?
A look at what prospects are being linked to the Bills in various mock drafts.
There are some fine candidates now eligible for the Patriots? Hall of Fame.
The Ravens? Super Bowl win doesn?t figure to hurt their ability to build their brand.
The Bengals have brought back the majority?of their unrestricted free agents.
The Browns? uniform-changing process?is a 24-month project.
Former Steelers S Will Allen reportedly made some interesting comments about the difference between the approach of the offense and defense in Pittsburgh.
Texans DE J.J. Watt will throw out the first pitch?in Sunday?s Rangers-Astros game.
The Colts have had a solid offseason, but there?s work left to be done.
One take on how Jaguars QB Blaine Gabbert improved last season.
Two plays involving the Titans ? one good, one not-so-good ? are still alive in a vote for the greatest in history.
The official website of the Chiefs took a closer look at Florida State DE Bjoern Werner.
A take on the beginning and (seeming) end?of the Carson Palmer era in Oakland.
The Chargers are pledging $250,000 in nutritional- and athletic-related grants.
What secondary players would be good fit for the Broncos?
A look at where some of the Eagles? free agents have landed.
The Cowboys were adept at scoring points near the end of halves and games last season.
Redskins QB Robert Griffin III apparently met?President Barack Obama on Saturday.
A take on the risk Giants WR Victor Cruz?could be taking if he doesn?t strike a longer-term deal this offseason.
The University of Illinois football team?will play?at Soldier Field, home of the Bears, for the first time in 19 years.
Do the Packers and Brett Favre still need more time apart before mending fences?
The Lions have an intriguing?new safety tandem.
Former Vikings defensive lineman Alan Page has written a?rather unique children?s book.
Former Falcons player Antoine Harris has been impressed with Mike Smith from the start.
Add Saints head coach Sean Payton?to the list of those amazed?by LeBron James.
Can Derek Landri supply some interior pressure?for the Buccaneers?
A WR prospect is working out?for the Panthers.
A take on how the Rams are building their roster.
The expansion Seahawks found a gem in the 1976 allocation draft.
Former Cardinals assistant Deshea Townsend is now Mississippi State?s DBs coach.
How will the 49ers use all of those draft picks?
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'G.I. Joe' commands No. 1 at box office with $41M
LOS ANGELES (AP) ? After a nine-month delay, "G.I. Joe: Retaliation" deployed to the top spot at the box office.
The action film starring Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, Bruce Willis and Channing Tatum as the gun-toting military toys brought to life marched into the No. 1 position at the weekend box office, earning $41.2 million, according to studio estimates Sunday. "Retaliation" opened Wednesday at midnight, which helped bring its domestic total to $51.7 million.
Paramount postponed the sequel to 2009's "G.I. Joe: Rise of Cobra" last May from its original June opening date to convert the film to 3-D. The last-minute switcheroo came just weeks after "Battleship," another movie based on a Hasbro toy, sank at the box office. At that time, Paramount already began its advertising campaign for "Retaliation."
"It certainly vindicates the decision," said Don Harris, the studio's head of distribution. "Any time you make those sorts of moves, people always assume the worst. The truth is I'd seen this movie a long time ago in 2-D, and the movie worked in 2-D. It's not trying to be 'Schindler's List.' This movie is intended to be enjoyed as a big, action spectacle."
Internationally, Harris said "Retaliation" earned $80.3 million, making it the biggest international opening of the year. The film opened in 53 markets outside of the U.S. and Canada, including Russia, South Korea and Mexico.
After debuting in the top spot last weekend, the 3-D animated prehistoric comedy "The Croods" from DreamWorks Animation and 20th Century Fox slipped to the No. 2 spot with $26.5 million in its second weekend. The film features the voices of Nicolas Cage, Emma Stone and Catherine Keener as a cave family on the hunt for a new home.
Among the other new films this weekend, "Tyler Perry's Temptation" starring Jurnee Smollett-Bell and Lance Gross opened above expectations at No. 3 with $22.3 million, while the sci-fi adaptation "The Host" featuring Saoirse Ronan, Max Irons, and Jake Abel as characters from the Stephenie Meyer novel landed at No. 6 in its debut weekend with a modest $11 million.
Overall, the weekend box office was on par with last year when "The Hunger Games" continued to dominate in its second weekend of release with $58.5 million. After a slow start, Hollywood's year-to-date revenues are still 12 percent behind last year, heading into next month when summer movie season unofficially kicks off with "Iron Man 3" on May 3.
"It's getting us back on track after many weekends of down trending box office," said Paul Dergarabedian, box office analyst for Hollywood.com. "Last weekend was a turning point with the strength of 'The Croods' and 'Olympus Has Fallen' doing better than expected. We're heading toward the summer movie season on solid footing. It's been a tough year so far."
Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Hollywood.com. Where available, latest international numbers are included. Final domestic figures will be released Monday.
1. "G.I. Joe: Retaliation," $41.2 million ($80.3 million international).
2. "The Croods," $26.5 million ($52.5 million international).
3. "Tyler Perry's Temptation," $22.3 million.
4. "Olympus Has Fallen," $14 million.
5. "Oz the Great and Powerful," $11.6 million ($22.2 million international).
6. "The Host," $11 million ($6 million international).
7. "The Call," $4.8 million.
8. "Admission," $3.2 million.
9. "Spring Breakers," $2.7 million.
10. "The Incredible Burt Wonderstone," $1.3 million.
___
Estimated weekend ticket sales at international theaters (excluding the U.S. and Canada) for films distributed overseas by Hollywood studios, according to Rentrak:
1. "G.I. Joe: Retaliation," $80.3 million.
2. "The Croods," $52.5 million.
3. "Jack the Giant Slayer," $25.2 million.
4. "Oz the Great and Powerful," $22.2 million.
5. "Dragon Ball Z: Kami to Kami," $7 million.
6. "The Host," $6 million.
7. "Identity Thief," $5.5 million.
8. "Wreck-It Ralph," $4 million.
9. "A Good Day to Die Hard," $3.6 million.
10. "Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters," $3.3 million.
___
Online:
http://www.hollywood.com
http://www.rentrak.com
___
Universal and Focus are owned by NBC Universal, a unit of Comcast Corp.; Sony, Columbia, Sony Screen Gems and Sony Pictures Classics are units of Sony Corp.; Paramount is owned by Viacom Inc.; Disney, Pixar and Marvel are owned by The Walt Disney Co.; Miramax is owned by Filmyard Holdings LLC; 20th Century Fox and Fox Searchlight are owned by News Corp.; Warner Bros. and New Line are units of Time Warner Inc.; MGM is owned by a group of former creditors including Highland Capital, Anchorage Advisors and Carl Icahn; Lionsgate is owned by Lions Gate Entertainment Corp.; IFC is owned by AMC Networks Inc.; Rogue is owned by Relativity Media LLC.
___
Follow AP Entertainment Writer Derrik J. Lang on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/derrikjlang.
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New clues about how amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) develops
Mar. 31, 2013 ? Johns Hopkins scientists say they have evidence from animal studies that a type of central nervous system cell other than motor neurons plays a fundamental role in the development of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), a fatal degenerative disease. The discovery holds promise, they say, for identifying new targets for interrupting the disease's progress.
In a study described online in Nature Neuroscience, the researchers found that, in mice bred with a gene mutation that causes human ALS, dramatic changes occurred in oligodendrocytes -- cells that create insulation for the nerves of the central nervous system -- long before the first physical symptoms of the disease appeared. Oligodendrocytes located near motor neurons -- cells that govern movement -- died off at very high rates, and new ones regenerated in their place were inferior and unhealthy.
The researchers also found, to their surprise, that suppressing an ALS-causing gene in oligodendrocytes of mice bred with the disease -- while still allowing the gene to remain in the motor neurons -- profoundly delayed the onset of ALS. It also prolonged survival of these mice by more than three months, a long time in the life span of a mouse. These observations suggest that oligodendrocytes play a very significant role in the early stage of the disease.
"The abnormalities in oligodendrocytes appear to be having a negative impact on the survival of motor neurons," says Dwight E. Bergles, Ph.D., a co-author and a professor of neuroscience at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. "The motor neurons seem to be dependent on healthy oligodendrocytes for survival, something we didn't appreciate before."
"These findings teach us that cells we never thought had a role in ALS not only are involved but also clearly contribute to the onset of the disease," says co-author Jeffrey D. Rothstein, M.D., Ph.D., a professor of neurology at Johns Hopkins and director of the Johns Hopkins Medicine Brain Science Institute.
Scientists have long believed that oligodendrocytes functioned only as structural elements of the central nervous system. They wrap around nerves, making up the myelin sheath that provides the "insulation" that allows nerve signals to be transmitted rapidly and efficiently. However, Rothstein and others recently discovered that oligodendrocytes also deliver essential nutrients to neurons, and that most neurons need this support to survive.
The Johns Hopkins team of Bergles and Rothstein published a paper in 2010 that described in mice with ALS an unexpected massive proliferation of oligodendrocyte progenitor cells in the spinal cord's motor neurons, and that these progenitors were being mobilized to make new oligodendrocytes. The researchers believed that these cells were multiplying because of an injury to oligodendrocytes, but they weren't sure what was happening. Using a genetic method of tracking the fate of oligodendrocytes, in the new study, the researchers found that cells present in young mice with ALS were dying off at an increasing rate in concert with advancing disease. Moreover, the development of the newly formed oligodendrocytes was stalled and they were not able to provide motor neurons with a needed source of cell nutrients.
To determine whether the changes to the oligodendrocytes were just a side effect of the death of motor neurons, the scientists used a poison to kill motor neurons in the ALS mice and found no response from the progenitors, suggesting, says Rothstein, that it is the mutant ALS gene that is damaging oligodendrocytes directly.
Meanwhile, in separate experiments, the researchers found similar changes in samples of tissues from the brains of 35 people who died of ALS. Rothstein says it may be possible to see those changes early on in the disease and use MRI technology to follow progression.
"If our research is confirmed, perhaps we can start looking at ALS patients in a different way, looking for damage to oligodendrocytes as a marker for disease progression," Rothstein says. "This could not only lead to new treatment targets but also help us to monitor whether the treatments we offer are actually working."
ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig's disease, named for the Yankee baseball great who died from it, affects nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord that control voluntary muscle movement. The nerve cells waste away or die, and can no longer send messages to muscles, eventually leading to muscle weakening, twitching and an inability to move the arms, legs and body. Onset is typically around age 50 and death often occurs within three to five years of diagnosis. Some 10 percent of cases are hereditary.
There is no cure for ALS and there is only one FDA-approved drug treatment, which has just a small effect in slowing disease progression and increasing survival.
Even though myelin loss has not previously been thought to occur in the gray matter, a region in the brain where neurons process information, the researchers in the new study found in ALS patients a significant loss of myelin in one of every three samples of human tissue taken from the brain's gray matter, suggesting that the oligodendrocytes were abnormal. It isn't clear if the oligodendrocytes that form this myelin in the gray matter play a different role than in white matter -- the region in the brain where signals are relayed.
The findings further suggest that clues to the treatment of other diseases long believed to be focused in the brain's gray matter -- such as Alzheimer's disease, Huntington's disease and Parkinson's disease -- may be informed by studies of diseases of the white matter, such as multiple sclerosis (MS). Bergles says ALS and MS researchers never really thought their diseases had much in common before.
Oligodendrocytes have been under intense scrutiny in MS, Bergles says. In MS, the disease over time can transform from a remitting-relapsing form -- in which myelin is attacked but then is regenerated when existing progenitors create new oligodendrocytes to re-form myelin -- to a more chronic stage in which oligodendrocytes are no longer regenerated. MS researchers are working to identify new ways to induce the creation of new oligodendrocytes and improve their survival. "It's possible that we may be able to dovetail with some of the same therapeutics to slow the progression of ALS," Bergles says.
Other Johns Hopkins researchers involved in the study include Shin H. Kang, Ph.D.; Ying Li, Ph.D.; Ileana Lorenzini, M.S.; and Lyle Ostrow, M.D., Ph.D.
This research was supported by grants from the National Institutes of Health's National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NS 051509), the ALS Association, P2ALS, the Robert Packard Center for ALS Research at Johns Hopkins and the Brain Science Institute.
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Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/most_popular/~3/oRzxChOcUuo/130331165048.htm
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Successful 5k Breast Cancer Fundraiser In Belfast - WABI TV5
Belfast - Steve Lapointe has run in a lot of races, but the one he ran on Saturday was different.
"It means more than any race I've ever done," he said.
His wife Jeanne was diagnosed with breast cancer this past December.
"She's incredible. She's the strongest person I know," said Lepointe.
"My husband and I have participated in a lot of races activities in the last year and I'm finally feeling well enough that I can participate today and its really exciting," said Jeanne Lapointe.
The "Ta Ta Trot 5k" was one of the Holy Walkamoles' fundraisers.
"Each person on our team took a pledge to raise $1800 to participate in the Avon Walk in Boston, so this is one of the ways that well raise that money," said Mandie Sawyer, Race Director and Captain of the Holy Walkamoles.
"Events like this are just amazing because you see how many people really care," said Steve Lapointe.
Like the Lapointes', many runners had some connection to this disease.
"It's personal you know for all of us," said Sawyer.
"My aunt died of cancer," said Corey Belcher, a race participant.
"I work at the local hospital here and so of course we support any of the oncology programs that they run and breast cancer's a big one," said Kristen Murbach, another participant.
"My mom's one of the Holy Walkamoles. I think it's really awesome that she supports such a great cause," said Aaron Bowles.
While runners, joggers, babies, and walkers enjoyed this beautiful day for a good cause, the race also acted as a reminder for women to take precautions.
"I hope (the day) just raises awareness as well. The statistics are pretty scary. One in eight people, women, will be effected by it, said Sawyer.
"I hope that women realize that it can happen to them and that they need to get their mammograms and they need to be doing self breast exams. It's all about awareness, said Jeanne Lapointe.
The "Ta Ta Trot 5k" raised over $3,000 for the Holy Walkamoles' cause.
44-year-old Jennifer Quehl from Belfast was the female winner of the race with a time of 21 minutes and 12 seconds.
22-year-old Eric Mauricetter from Old Town placed first for the males with a time 16 minutes and 32 seconds.
To donate money to the Holy Walkamoles' cause, search "Holy Walkamoles" at avonwalk.org, or check them out on Facebook!
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Source: http://www.wabi.tv/news/38898/successful-5k-breast-cancer-fundraiser-in-belfast
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Syrian rebels enter strategic Aleppo neighborhood
In this Thursday March 28, 2013 image taken from video obtained from the Ugarit News, which has been authenticated based on its contents and other AP reporting, shows a building at the Syrian government checkpoint on fire, in Dael less than 15 kilometers (10 miles) from the Jordanian border in Daraa province, Syria. Thursday, March 28, 2013. Syrian rebels on Friday captured a strategic town near the border with Jordan after a day of fierce clashes that killed dozens of people, activists said, as opposition fighters expand their presence in the south, considered a gateway to Damascus. (AP Photo/Ugarit News via AP video)
In this Thursday March 28, 2013 image taken from video obtained from the Ugarit News, which has been authenticated based on its contents and other AP reporting, shows a building at the Syrian government checkpoint on fire, in Dael less than 15 kilometers (10 miles) from the Jordanian border in Daraa province, Syria. Thursday, March 28, 2013. Syrian rebels on Friday captured a strategic town near the border with Jordan after a day of fierce clashes that killed dozens of people, activists said, as opposition fighters expand their presence in the south, considered a gateway to Damascus. (AP Photo/Ugarit News via AP video)
In this Thursday March 28, 2013 image taken from video obtained from the Shaam News Network, which has been authenticated based on its contents and other AP reporting, shows Syrian Free Army fighters in Dael less than 15 kilometers (10 miles) from the Jordanian border in Daraa province, Syria. Syrian rebels on Friday captured a strategic town near the border with Jordan after a day of fierce clashes that killed at least 38 people, activists said, as opposition fighters expand their presence in the south, considered a gateway to Damascus. (AP Photo/Shaam News Network via AP video)
In this Thursday March 28, 2013 image taken from video obtained from the Shaam News Network, which has been authenticated based on its contents and other AP reporting, shows heavy clashes between Syrian Free Army fighters and the regime?s army in Dael less than 15 kilometers (10 miles) from the Jordanian border in Daraa province, Syria. Syrian rebels on Friday captured a strategic town near the border with Jordan after a day of fierce clashes that killed at least 38 people, activists said, as opposition fighters expand their presence in the south, considered a gateway to Damascus. (AP Photo/Shaam News Network via AP video)
BEIRUT (AP) ? Syrian rebels pushed into a strategic neighborhood in the northern city of Aleppo after days of heavy clashes, seizing control of at least part of the hilltop district and killing a pro-government cleric captured in the fighting, activists and state media said Saturday.
There were conflicting reports about the scale of the advance into the Sheikh Maqsoud neighborhood by rebel forces battling to topple Syrian President Bashar Assad. But the gains marked the biggest shift in the front lines in the embattled city in months.
Aleppo, Syria's largest city and a former commercial hub, has been a key battleground in the country's civil war since rebels launched an offensive there in July, seizing several districts before the fighting largely settled into a bloody stalemate.
The Aleppo Media Center opposition group and Aleppo-based activist Mohammed Saeed said rebels seized full control of Sheikh Maqsoud late Friday.
The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, however, said rebels took only the eastern part of the neighborhood, and reported heavy fighting there Saturday.
Syria's state news agency SANA said government troops "eliminated scores of terrorists" in other parts of Aleppo mainly in the neighborhoods of Sheikh Said, Masaken Hanano and Bustan al-Bacha. SANA did not mention the fighting in Sheikh Maqsoud.
Sheikh Maqsoud, which is predominantly inhabited by minority Kurds, is located on a hill on the northern edge of the city. The neighborhood used to be known as "Our Lady's Mountain" and is considered one of the most strategic locations in the city because it overlooks much of Aleppo.
Activists predicted that regime forces would launch counterattacks to try to retake the area because if rebels keep holding Sheikh Maqsoud it will be easy for them to target regime-held areas with mortar shells.
The media center and the Observatory both reported that residents were fleeing the neighborhood to safer areas. The media center said regime tanks around the neighborhood were shelling the area.
An amateur video showed about two dozen gunmen standing in front of a building owned by the Syrian government. In the video, one of the gunmen claims that rebels and their "Kurdish brothers liberated Sheikh Maqsoud of Assad's criminal gangs and shabiha" or pro-government militiamen.
The video appeared genuine and corresponded to other reporting that The Associated Press did on events depicted in the footage.
Saeed, the Aleppo-based activist, said several rebel groups, including Kurdish gunmen, took control of the neighborhood after launching an attack, titled "Kurdish Fraternity," on Thursday. He said that on Saturday fighting intensified on the eastern edge of the area around an army post known as Awamid.
The Observatory said rebels captured a pro-government Sunni Muslim cleric in the fighting, killed him and then paraded his body through the neighborhood.
State-run Al-Ikhbariya TV identified the cleric as Hassan Seifeddine. It said he was beheaded and his head was placed on the minaret of Al-Hassan Mosque where he used to lead the prayers.
The SANA state news said Seifeddine's body was "mutilated" after the "assassination."
The reports of the mutilation of the cleric's body could not be independently confirmed.
The killing of Seifeddine comes nearly 10 days after a suicide bomber blew himself up inside a mosque in the heart of the Syrian capital, Damascus, killing top Sunni preacher Sheik Mohammad Said Ramadan al-Buti as he was giving a sermon. The March 21 blast killed 48 others and wounded dozens.
Al-Buti, like Seifeddine, was a strong supporter of the Assad regime, which is dominated by members of the president's minority Alawite sect, an off-shoot of Shiite Islam. The opposition is made up of mostly Sunnis, who are the majority among Syrians.
Extremists have been playing a larger role among the rebel groups. They include the Islamic Jabhat al-Nusra, a powerful offshoot of al-Qaida in Iraq, which has claimed responsibility for most of the deadliest suicide bombings against regime and military facilities and, as a result, has gained popularity among some rebels.
A photograph recently posted online by activists showed Seifeddine, who was in his late 50s and had a white beard. A banner posted over the picture said: "A wanted agent." Another referred to him as wanted by the rebels and read: "An agent of Syria's ruling gang and wanted by the Free Syrian Army."
Aleppo-based Sunni cleric Abdul-Qadir Shehabi told state-run TV that Seifeddine's son was kidnapped months ago. Shehabi also lashed out at the rebels, saying they "mutilated" Seifeddine's body.
"Is this the freedom that they talk about? This is the freedom of Satan," Shehabi said, referring to rebels who say they are fighting Assad's regime because it is authoritarian.
Rami Abdul-Rahman, who heads the Observatory, said Seifeddine's name had been put on an opposition "death list."
"He was the imam of a mosque. He was not armed when he was killed," Abdul-Rahman said. "We cannot close our eyes when the opposition violates human rights."
Abdul-Rahman said that although Sheikh Maqsoud is predominantly Kurdish, the eastern areas where much of the fighting occurred are inhabited by pro-regime Sunni Muslims known as the "Mardilis." Many of them came to Aleppo decades ago from Turkey's southeastern province of Mardin. He said Seifeddine was one of them.
Elsewhere in Syria, activists reported violence in areas of the southern province of Daraa, the suburbs of Damascus and the northern regions of Idlib and Raqqa. The Observatory said the heaviest clashes were in Raqqa and Sheikh Maqsoud.
Abdul-Rahman said the fighting in Sheikh Maqsoud killed 14 pro-government gunmen, seven rebels, 10 civilians and Seifeddine.
The Observatory said rebels were fighting a fierce battle around an army post known as the Camp in the oil-rich eastern province of Deir el-Zour, which borders Iraq.
In Damascus, residents said power was cut on Saturday in some neighborhoods. Al-Ikhbariya TV quoted Minister of Electricity Imad Khamis as saying the network suffered a technical problem that would be fixed in 24 hours. Damascus has witnessed repeated cuts in recent months.
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