An interview with Alexandra Samuel, vice president of social media at Vision Critical. She also blogs for hbr.org. Her new book is Work Smarter With Evernote.
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Author of the Pollard Report Nick Pollard, speaks during a press conference in response to The Pollard Report at New Broadcasting House, Portland Place, London Wednesday Dec. 19, 2012. Institutional chaos and confusion, but not a cover-up, were to blame for the BBC's disastrous handling of pedophilia allegations involving one of its best-known children's television personalities, an internal review found Wednesday. The review, carried out by former Sky News boss Nick Pollard, absolved BBC executives of trying to bury a potentially embarrassing story, saying that weak management and poor leadership were to blame for the fact that a planned expose about the late TV star, Jimmy Savile, never aired on the flagship "Newsnight" program. (AP Photo/Chris Radburn/Pool)
Author of the Pollard Report Nick Pollard, speaks during a press conference in response to The Pollard Report at New Broadcasting House, Portland Place, London Wednesday Dec. 19, 2012. Institutional chaos and confusion, but not a cover-up, were to blame for the BBC's disastrous handling of pedophilia allegations involving one of its best-known children's television personalities, an internal review found Wednesday. The review, carried out by former Sky News boss Nick Pollard, absolved BBC executives of trying to bury a potentially embarrassing story, saying that weak management and poor leadership were to blame for the fact that a planned expose about the late TV star, Jimmy Savile, never aired on the flagship "Newsnight" program. (AP Photo/Chris Radburn/Pool)
BBC Trust Chairman Lord Pattern speaks during a press conference in response to The Pollard Report at New Broadcasting House, Portland Place, London Wednesday Dec. 19, 2012. Institutional chaos and confusion, but not a cover-up, were to blame for the BBC's disastrous handling of pedophilia allegations involving one of its best-known children's television personalities, an internal review found Wednesday. The review, carried out by former Sky News boss Nick Pollard, absolved BBC executives of trying to bury a potentially embarrassing story, saying that weak management and poor leadership were to blame for the fact that a planned expose about the late TV star, Jimmy Savile, never aired on the flagship "Newsnight" program. (AP Photo/Chris Radburn/Pool)
LONDON (AP) ? A BBC review has absolved senior executives of trying to bury an explosive story about one of its best-known children's television stars, saying management errors were to blame for the fact that a planned expose on pedophilia allegations against the late Jimmy Savile was canceled.
Institutional chaos and confusion ? but not a cover-up ? were to blame for the BBC's disastrous decision to scupper the "Newsnight" program, the review found Wednesday.
"The 'Newsnight' investigators got the story right," Pollard told journalists following the review's publication. "They had found clear and compelling evidence that Jimmy Savile was a pedophile."
When the rival ITV network broadcast a similar expose in October about Savile, who died in 2011 at age 84, the BBC came under fire for both harboring an alleged serial sex abuser for decades and for killing its own story about him.
The scandal quickly metastasized, tainting the reputation of the BBC ? the publicly-funded British broadcaster known worldwide for its news and entertainment divisions. It also prompted the resignation of the BBC's brand new director-general, George Entwistle, and raised questions about its former leader, Mark Thompson, who has since become chief executive at The New York Times.
The BBC's decision to cancel its initial investigation was particularly embarrassing, since it preceded a glowing tribute program honoring Savile's career. A host of misleading and contradictory statements about the investigation in the weeks that followed only deepened suspicion that senior executives had tried to bury the story to protect the corporation's reputation.
Pollard cleared the executives of that ? the most serious ? charge, saying that although the decision to scrap the program "was clearly flawed ... I believe it was taken in good faith."
Pollard had a harsh verdict on the BBC's behavior in the aftermath of the scandal, saying the corporation took more than a month to get its story straight in the midst of what he called "a complete breakdown of communication."
"There was a critical lack of leadership and coordination," he said, describing an atmosphere of recrimination, mistrust, and mismanagement. Pollard even quoted James Hardy, the then-BBC communications chief, as promising to "drip poison" about one of the "Newsnight" reporters he suspected of leaking stories to the press.
The review ? which cost the BBC about 2 million pounds (roughly $3.3 million) ? had harsh words for several executives in particular. One of those criticized, the BBC's Deputy Director of News Steve Mitchell, announced his resignation as the report was made public.
The BBC said that other members of staff still faced disciplinary action or were being moved to new jobs.
Pollard's report does not appear to challenge Thompson's account of his role in the scandal, which has disquieted some at The New York Times. Chris Patten, head of the BBC Trust, said after the review was published that he has "no reason at all for disbelieving" the former director general.
Meanwhile, the scandal over Savile continues to draw more arrests. So far eight suspects have been questioned, the latest on Wednesday when police said that a man in his 70s had been detained in connection with the investigation. Police say Savile is a suspect in 199 crimes recorded so far, including dozens of cases of rape.
Other suspects arrested include former pop star Gary Glitter, whose real name is Paul Gadd, singer Freddie Starr, and high-profile publicist Max Clifford. Starr and Clifford deny any wrongdoing; Gadd, who has previously been convicted of child sex offenses, has yet to speak publicly about his arrest.
A separate report also published Wednesday found the BBC had committed a "grave breach" of its editorial guidelines when it aired a "Newsnight" broadcast last month wrongly linking a politician to child sex abuse allegations.
Two additional internal inquiries are still in the works. One, led by former Appeal Court judge Janet Smith, is investigating the culture and practices of the BBC during Savile's tenure there. Another, led by lawyer Dinah Rose, is examining how the corporation has handled complaints of sexual harassment.
Other inquiries spawned by the scandal include a Department of Health investigation into decision to involve Savile in the management of Britain's Broadmoor psychiatric hospital in the 1980s, and an inquiry into prosecutors' decision not to prosecute Savile in 2009.
NYSCF and CUMC scientists develop scientific technique to help prevent inherited disorders in humansPublic release date: 19-Dec-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: David McKeon dmckeon@nyscf.org 212-365-7440 New York Stem Cell Foundation
A new study published in Nature shows how mitochondrial disease may be prevented
NEW YORK, NY (December 19, 2012) A joint team of scientists from The New York Stem Cell Foundation (NYSCF) Laboratory and Columbia University Medical Center (CUMC) has developed a technique that may prevent the inheritance of mitochondrial diseases in children. The study is published online today in Nature.
Dieter Egli, PhD, and Daniel Paull, PhD, of the NYSCF Laboratory with Mark Sauer, MD, and Michio Hirano, MD, of CUMC demonstrated how the nucleus of a cell can be successfully transferred between human egg cells. This landmark achievement carries significant implications for those children who have the potential to inherit mitochondrial diseases.
Mitochondria are cellular organelles responsible for the maintenance and growth of a cell. They contain their own set of genes, passed from mother to child, and are inherited independently from the cell's nucleus. Although mitochondrial DNA accounts for only 37 out of more than 20,000 genes in an individual, mutations to mitochondrial genes carry harmful effects.
Mitochondrial disorders, due to mutations in mitochondrial DNA, affect approximately 1 in 10,000 people, while nearly 1 in 200 individuals carries mutant mitochondrial DNA. Symptoms, manifesting most often in childhood, may lead to stunted growth, kidney disease, muscle weakness, neurological disorders, loss of vision and hearing, and respiratory problems, among others. Worldwide, a child is born with a mitochondrial disease approximately every 30 minutes, and there are currently no cures for these devastating diseases.
"Through this study, we have shown that it should be possible to prevent the inheritance of mitochondrial disorders," said Egli, PhD, co-author of the study and an Senior Researcher in the NYSCF Laboratory. "We hope that this technique can be advanced quickly toward the clinic where studies in humans can show how the use of this process could help to prevent mitochondrial disease."
In this study, the researchers removed the nucleus of an unfertilized egg cell and replaced it with the nucleus of another donor's egg cell. The resultant egg cell contained the genome of the donor but not her mitochondrial DNA. The researchers demonstrated that the transfer did not have detectable adverse effects on the egg cell, a prerequisite for clinical translation. They achieved this by lowering the temperature of the egg before nuclear transfer, a novel technique. Previous studies report adverse consequences in approximately 50% of the egg cells.
The researchers then artificially activated the egg cell through a technique called parthenogenesis and derived stem cell lines from the blastocyst that developed. These cell lines were grown for more than a year and generated adult cell types such as neurons, heart cells and pancreatic beta cells that are affected by mutant mitochondrial DNA. They found the levels of the donated genome's original mitochondria to be undetectable, demonstrating that this would permanently eliminate the mitochondrial DNA and prevent a family's future generations from developing these diseases.
Current treatment options to prevent mitochondrial disease are limited. A woman with a family history of mitochondrial disease may abstain from having children. She may alternatively elect to undergo in vitro fertilization (IVF) with donor eggs; however, this means the child will be genetically unrelated to her. As another option, patients can undergo IVF treatment and, through prenatal screening, to allow clinicians to select from a mother's eggs those that have the least likelihood of carrying mitochondrial DNA defects. This is not, however, a fully effective screening process, and her children may still be affected by mitochondrial disorders.
"Women who carry mutant mitochondrial DNA may no longer have to worry that their children will become sick. This technique may allow us to provide women with a therapeutic option that will prevent these disorders," said Sauer, MD, a co-author on the paper and Vice Chairman of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology and Chief of Reproductive Endocrinology at Columbia University Medical Center. Sauer is also Program Director of Assisted Reproduction at the Center for Women's Reproductive Care.
"These findings epitomize the goals and aspirations of The New York Stem Cell Foundation to accelerate and find cures, and prevent diseases," said Susan L. Solomon, CEO of The New York Stem Cell Foundation. "This research underscores the importance of interdisciplinary collaborations in which close partnerships between researchers and clinicians allow for tremendous advances that previously were not possible."
"We often know too late that a patient runs the risk of passing on defective mitochondria to her children. It is absolutely devastating to a patient and her family," said Hirano, MD, Professor of Neurology and Co-Director of the Adult Muscular Dystrophy Association clinic at Columbia University Medical Center, where he sees patients with mitochondrial disease. "This new technique offers an effective solution by ensuring only healthy mitochondria are present in the egg cells."
The scientists plan to move toward clinical application using this technique. Next steps include the production of more mitochondrial disease-free egg cells and the generation of healthy progeny in an animal model.
###
The research was conducted in the New York Stem Cell Foundation Laboratory in Manhattan and in collaboration with Columbia University Medical Center clinicians and researchers.
Funding for this research was provided by private sources and New York State. The oocyte donations required for the research adhered to ethical guidelines of the American Society for Reproductive Medicine and the International Society for Stem Cell Research as well as protocols reviewed and approved by the institutional review board and stem cell committees of Columbia University Medical Center. Additionally, the Nuffield Council on Bioethics, a British organization, has endorsed this line of research to prevent mitochondrial disease.
The New York Stem Cell Foundation (NYSCF) conducts advanced stem cell research in its own laboratory and supports research by stem cell scientists at other institutions around the world. More information is available at www.nyscf.org.
Columbia University Medical Center (CUMC) provides international leadership in basic, pre-clinical and clinical research, in medical and health sciences education, and in patient care. More information is available at www.cumc.columbia.edu.
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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.
NYSCF and CUMC scientists develop scientific technique to help prevent inherited disorders in humansPublic release date: 19-Dec-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: David McKeon dmckeon@nyscf.org 212-365-7440 New York Stem Cell Foundation
A new study published in Nature shows how mitochondrial disease may be prevented
NEW YORK, NY (December 19, 2012) A joint team of scientists from The New York Stem Cell Foundation (NYSCF) Laboratory and Columbia University Medical Center (CUMC) has developed a technique that may prevent the inheritance of mitochondrial diseases in children. The study is published online today in Nature.
Dieter Egli, PhD, and Daniel Paull, PhD, of the NYSCF Laboratory with Mark Sauer, MD, and Michio Hirano, MD, of CUMC demonstrated how the nucleus of a cell can be successfully transferred between human egg cells. This landmark achievement carries significant implications for those children who have the potential to inherit mitochondrial diseases.
Mitochondria are cellular organelles responsible for the maintenance and growth of a cell. They contain their own set of genes, passed from mother to child, and are inherited independently from the cell's nucleus. Although mitochondrial DNA accounts for only 37 out of more than 20,000 genes in an individual, mutations to mitochondrial genes carry harmful effects.
Mitochondrial disorders, due to mutations in mitochondrial DNA, affect approximately 1 in 10,000 people, while nearly 1 in 200 individuals carries mutant mitochondrial DNA. Symptoms, manifesting most often in childhood, may lead to stunted growth, kidney disease, muscle weakness, neurological disorders, loss of vision and hearing, and respiratory problems, among others. Worldwide, a child is born with a mitochondrial disease approximately every 30 minutes, and there are currently no cures for these devastating diseases.
"Through this study, we have shown that it should be possible to prevent the inheritance of mitochondrial disorders," said Egli, PhD, co-author of the study and an Senior Researcher in the NYSCF Laboratory. "We hope that this technique can be advanced quickly toward the clinic where studies in humans can show how the use of this process could help to prevent mitochondrial disease."
In this study, the researchers removed the nucleus of an unfertilized egg cell and replaced it with the nucleus of another donor's egg cell. The resultant egg cell contained the genome of the donor but not her mitochondrial DNA. The researchers demonstrated that the transfer did not have detectable adverse effects on the egg cell, a prerequisite for clinical translation. They achieved this by lowering the temperature of the egg before nuclear transfer, a novel technique. Previous studies report adverse consequences in approximately 50% of the egg cells.
The researchers then artificially activated the egg cell through a technique called parthenogenesis and derived stem cell lines from the blastocyst that developed. These cell lines were grown for more than a year and generated adult cell types such as neurons, heart cells and pancreatic beta cells that are affected by mutant mitochondrial DNA. They found the levels of the donated genome's original mitochondria to be undetectable, demonstrating that this would permanently eliminate the mitochondrial DNA and prevent a family's future generations from developing these diseases.
Current treatment options to prevent mitochondrial disease are limited. A woman with a family history of mitochondrial disease may abstain from having children. She may alternatively elect to undergo in vitro fertilization (IVF) with donor eggs; however, this means the child will be genetically unrelated to her. As another option, patients can undergo IVF treatment and, through prenatal screening, to allow clinicians to select from a mother's eggs those that have the least likelihood of carrying mitochondrial DNA defects. This is not, however, a fully effective screening process, and her children may still be affected by mitochondrial disorders.
"Women who carry mutant mitochondrial DNA may no longer have to worry that their children will become sick. This technique may allow us to provide women with a therapeutic option that will prevent these disorders," said Sauer, MD, a co-author on the paper and Vice Chairman of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology and Chief of Reproductive Endocrinology at Columbia University Medical Center. Sauer is also Program Director of Assisted Reproduction at the Center for Women's Reproductive Care.
"These findings epitomize the goals and aspirations of The New York Stem Cell Foundation to accelerate and find cures, and prevent diseases," said Susan L. Solomon, CEO of The New York Stem Cell Foundation. "This research underscores the importance of interdisciplinary collaborations in which close partnerships between researchers and clinicians allow for tremendous advances that previously were not possible."
"We often know too late that a patient runs the risk of passing on defective mitochondria to her children. It is absolutely devastating to a patient and her family," said Hirano, MD, Professor of Neurology and Co-Director of the Adult Muscular Dystrophy Association clinic at Columbia University Medical Center, where he sees patients with mitochondrial disease. "This new technique offers an effective solution by ensuring only healthy mitochondria are present in the egg cells."
The scientists plan to move toward clinical application using this technique. Next steps include the production of more mitochondrial disease-free egg cells and the generation of healthy progeny in an animal model.
###
The research was conducted in the New York Stem Cell Foundation Laboratory in Manhattan and in collaboration with Columbia University Medical Center clinicians and researchers.
Funding for this research was provided by private sources and New York State. The oocyte donations required for the research adhered to ethical guidelines of the American Society for Reproductive Medicine and the International Society for Stem Cell Research as well as protocols reviewed and approved by the institutional review board and stem cell committees of Columbia University Medical Center. Additionally, the Nuffield Council on Bioethics, a British organization, has endorsed this line of research to prevent mitochondrial disease.
The New York Stem Cell Foundation (NYSCF) conducts advanced stem cell research in its own laboratory and supports research by stem cell scientists at other institutions around the world. More information is available at www.nyscf.org.
Columbia University Medical Center (CUMC) provides international leadership in basic, pre-clinical and clinical research, in medical and health sciences education, and in patient care. More information is available at www.cumc.columbia.edu.
[ | E-mail | Share ]
?
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.
Inside a room packed with proud families and jubilant teachers, the Sacramento County Office of Education (SCOE) held a touching ceremony on December 18 for three exceptional graduates who received certificates of completion through the program for high school students and young adults with severe disabilities.
The students were honored for making the transition to other educational or job-training programs in their local communities. The ceremony was held at the County Office?s David P. Meaney Education Center.
The students represent SCOE programs in the Sacramento City Unified School District, the Galt Joint Union High School District, and Sacramento State University. The students have received special education and other services from SCOE since they were young children.
As part of the SCOE Special Education Department, the SH (severely handicapped) program provides special education services to students with severe disabilities and students with emotional disturbances, from ages 3-22 years, throughout Sacramento County. SCOE SH programs are located on more than 25 sites/schools located in eight school districts within the county.
The Special Education Department provides special day classes for students with severe challenges (severely handicapped) or with emotional disturbances (emotionally disturbed). Other students served include district students with visual impairments, mobility needs, or speech and language disorders. Special education services are also provided at local schools operated for youth through Sacramento County Probation. SCOE?s Infant Development Program provides individualized, home-based instruction and family support for infants and toddlers having special needs.
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Disclosure: Tim Herrera is Communications Director for the Sacramento County Office of Education.
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Public release date: 19-Dec-2012
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