Deaths from ischemic stroke due to tobacco smoking in China, India, Russia more than for all the world's other countries combined

 

September 3, 2014

World Heart Federation

Deaths from ischemic stroke (IS) due to tobacco use in China, India, and Russia together are higher than the total for all the world's other countries combined, new research shows. The research looks at the results relating to IS in the global burden of disease (GBD) study published in 2012, but also provides additional analysis on the effects of tobacco consumption, an important modifiable risk factor for IS. In both 1990 and 2010, the top ranked countries for IS deaths that could be attributed to tobacco consumption were China, Russia, and India.

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New research published in Global Heart (the journal of the World Heart Federation) shows that deaths from ischaemic stroke (IS) due to tobacco use in China, India, and Russia together are higher than the total for all the world's other countries combined. The research is by Dr Derrick Bennett, Nuffield Department of Population Health, University of Oxford, UK, and colleagues.

The research looks at the results relating to IS in the global burden of disease (GBD) study published in 2012, but also provides additional analysis on the effects of tobacco consumption, an important modifiable risk factor for IS. In both 1990 and 2010, the top ranked countries for IS deaths that could be attributed to tobacco consumption were China, Russia, and India. Dr Bennett says: "Tobacco control policies that target both smoking initiation and smoking cessation can play an important role in the prevention of IS. In China, Russia, and India, even modest reductions in the number of current smokers could see millions of lives saved due to prevention of IS alone."

Of all the deaths from IS attributed to tobacco consumption in 187 countries included in the GBD 2010 study, in 1990, China accounted for 26%, Russia for 10%, India for 7%, the United States for 5%, and Japan for 4%. In 2010, the countries with the most IS deaths attributable to tobacco were China (29%, 155,332 deaths), Russia (12%, 62 110 deaths), India (11%, 56 670 deaths), while all other countries saw 48.5% of all IS deaths due to smoking (258 084)). Dr Bennett adds: "Worryingly, the estimated IS deaths attributable to tobacco consumption in China, Russia, and India had increased in the 20-year period. Even though the United States and Japan had improved between 1990 and 2010, they were still ranked sixth and fifth in 2010, with 2.6% and 3.4% of all IS deaths attributable to tobacco consumption." The United Kingdom was in 18th position in 2010, with an estimated 5515 deaths from IS due to tobacco smoking, while Canada in was in 41st position with 1634 deaths and Australia 56th position with 845 deaths.

Dr Bennett underlines the major importance of tobacco smoking as a risk factor for stroke, highlighting a recent study by Peters et al. showing that the risk for IS was around 50% higher in smokers (men and women ) versus non-smokers. He also noted that there is reliable large-scale evidence on the benefits of quitting available in both men and women. He concludes: "Meaningful implementation of the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) is a top priority not only for reducing IS burden but also the burden from other chronic non-communicable diseases."

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Story Source:

The above story is based on materials provided by World Heart Federation. Note: Materials may be edited for content and length.

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2 Grown-Up Beverages That Keep Your Mind Young

 

Helpful people found this helpful.

These two adult beverages -- one that wakes people up in the morning and another that relaxes them in the evening -- may help keep the mind young: coffee and red wine.

According to research, these two beverages -- if enjoyed in moderation -- might help prevent the onset of Alzheimer's disease.

Staying Sharp
The news is no reason to start a coffee or wine habit. But if they're already part of your beverage repertoire, you might be interested to know that both seem to contain ingredients that could help ward off dementia. Animal studies show that something in coffee may help trigger the release of a special growth factor -- granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (GCSF) -- that recruits cells from bone marrow to help sweep out beta-amyloid deposits. (Those are the pesky plaques that cause Alzheimer's symptoms.) And the polyphenols in red wine may have similar benefits, reducing levels of peptides that contribute to Alzheimer's plaques. (Do you forget things simply because you're distracted? Find out what the symptoms of adult ADHD are.)

Very Stimulating
The substances in coffee and wine may also help strengthen the brain, either by helping it forge new connections or protecting it from the neurotoxic effects of Alzheimer's plaques. Ready for a younger, sharper mind? Try these rules for the road if you're a coffee or red wine drinker:

• Make it fully leaded. In studies, decaf coffee didn't provide the same benefits. Of course, if you're caffeine sensitive, coffee probably isn't for you at all. (Could coffee help you dodge diabetes?)
• Enjoy responsibly. Heavy or binge drinking -- even with polyphenol-rich red wine -- is linked to worse cognitive performance. Limit yourself to one drink a day if you're a woman, or one to two drinks a day if you're a man. (Not a drinker? Try this heart-healthy wine substitute.)

Age Benefits

Enjoying coffee if you like it -- and it likes you -- can make your RealAge 0.3 years younger.

August, 2011

Researchers contribute to study of trained immunity

 

September 26, 2014

The Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth

Support for a new -- and still controversial -- understanding of the immune system has been released in a new study. Epigenetic profiling experiments identified genes involved in glucose metabolism as being critical for trained immunity. These findings have potential implications both for the prevention and treatment of inflammatory diseases and for bolstering the immune response to pathogens in situations where the immune system is not functioning properly.

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A study published in the journal Science provides support for a new -- and still controversial -- understanding of the immune system. The research was conducted by collaborators in the U.S. and Europe, including Robert Cramer, PhD, an assistant professor of microbiology and immunology at the Geisel School of Medicine and member of the Dartmouth Lung Biology Center, and Kelly Shepherdson, PhD, at the time a graduate student in Cramer's lab.

Typically, scientists divide the immune system into two categories: the innate immune response and the adaptive immune response. The adaptive immune response is familiar to most people because of its role in providing long-term protection against disease, as when a vaccine triggers the immune system to "remember" a specific threat and mount a robust response if challenged by that pathogen later in life.

The innate immune system is older in evolutionary terms and usually thought of as responding to immediate threats from pathogens or other foreign entities. But over the past few years, informed by studies in plants and invertebrates, scientists have begun to suspect that the innate response has a form of "memory" as well, complicating the division of the immune system into two neat categories. "The innate immune system is typically thought of as a quick, generally non-specific broad response to an initial infection that lacks immunological memory," says Cramer. "But studies of trained immunity suggest that maybe that's not the case, and that is not only paradigm shifting but potentially directly relevant to the treatment and prevention of many diseases."

In 2011, researchers in the Netherlands, including Mihai Netea, MD, PhD, the senior author on the new paper in Science, coined the term "trained immunity" to refer to immune responses that involve immunological memory deriving from cells associated with the innate immune system. Trained immunity is capable of providing non-specific protection from secondary infections. However, the mechanisms of how trained immunity is initiated and maintained remain unclear. Recent research has found that epigenetic changes occurred in innate immune cells when exposed to certain pathogens or their antigens and are an important feature of trained immunity. But the specific genes and biochemical pathways associated with trained cells were unknown.

In the Science paper, the researchers report that changes in metabolism are a critical driving force behind the trained immunity phenotype. Epigenetic profiling experiments identified genes involved in glucose metabolism as being critical for trained immunity. Cramer and Shepherdson became involved in the research because of their work on HIF1α and the innate immune response to fungi. HIF1α is a protein that acts as a transcription factor for genes involved in metabolism, among other genes.

Using mice in which the HIF1α gene was deleted from cells of the innate immune system, Cramer and Shepherdson tested the hypothesis that changes in metabolism, mediated in part through the HIF1α pathway, were critical for trained immunity. They first exposed the mice to a fungal polysaccharide antigen, beta glucan, that induces a trained immune response and then challenged the mice with a bacterial pathogen that can cause sepsis. The normal mice were protected against the pathogen by the trained immune response, but the mice without HIF1α were not protected, indicating that the lack of HIF1α prevented the trained immune response and protection against secondary infection. "This was a critical set of experiments for the research as they were conducted in vivo in a whole animal that lacked HIF1α in the key effector cells of trained immunity," Cramer says.

These findings have potential implications both for the prevention and treatment of inflammatory diseases and for bolstering the immune response to pathogens in situations where the immune system is not functioning properly. A next step in this line of research, Cramer says, is to identify genes downstream of HIF1α critical for the trained phenotype that may make viable specific targets for therapeutic development. "If we can figure out these underlying mechanisms, we might be able to enhance the efficacy of vaccines," he says. And, he adds, it might also be time to rethink the traditional understanding of the immune system.

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Story Source:

The above story is based on materials provided by The Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth. The original article was written by Amos Esty. Note: Materials may be edited for content and length.

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Journal Reference:

1. S.-C. Cheng, J. Quintin, R. A. Cramer, K. M. Shepardson, S. Saeed, V. Kumar, E. J. Giamarellos-Bourboulis, J. H. A. Martens, N. A. Rao, A. Aghajanirefah, G. R. Manjeri, Y. Li, D. C. Ifrim, R. J. W. Arts, B. M. J. W. van der Meer, P. M. T. Deen, C. Logie, L. A. O'Neill, P. Willems, F. L. van de Veerdonk, J. W. M. van der Meer, A. Ng, L. A. B. Joosten, C. Wijmenga, H. G. Stunnenberg, R. J. Xavier, M. G. Netea. mTOR- and HIF-1 -mediated aerobic glycolysis as metabolic basis for trained immunity. Science, 2014; 345 (6204): 1250684 DOI: 10.1126/science.1250684

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Unexpected clue to peripheral neuropathies found

 

September 26, 2014

Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center

Disrupting the molecular function of a tumor suppressor causes improper formation of a protective insulating sheath on peripheral nerves -- leading to neuropathy and muscle wasting in mice similar to that in human diabetes and neurodegeneration. A new study also suggests that normal molecular function of the tumor suppressor gene Lkb1 is essential to the formation process.

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New research shows that disrupting the molecular function of a tumor suppressor causes improper formation of a protective insulating sheath on peripheral nerves -- leading to neuropathy and muscle wasting in mice similar to that in human diabetes and neurodegeneration.

Scientists from Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center report their findings online Sept. 26 in Nature Communications. The study suggests that normal molecular function of the tumor suppressor gene Lkb1 is essential to an important metabolic transition in cells as peripheral nerves (called axons) are coated with the protective myelin sheath by Schwann glia cells.

"This study is just the tip of the iceberg and a fundamental discovery because of the unexpected finding that a well-known tumor suppressor gene has a novel and important role in myelinating glial cells," said Biplab Dasgupta PhD, principal investigator and a researcher at the Cincinnati Children's Cancer and Blood Diseases Institute (CBDI). "Additional study is needed, as the function of Lkb1 may have broader implications -- not only in normal development, but also in metabolic reprogramming in human pathologies. This includes functional regeneration of axons after injury and demyelinating neuropathies."

The process of myelin sheath formation (called myelination) requires extraordinarily high levels of lipid (fat) synthesis because most of myelin is composed of lipids, according to Dasgupta. Lipids are made from citric acid which is produced in the powerhouse of cells called mitochondria. Success of this sheathing process depends on the cells shifting from a glycolytic to mitochondrial oxidative metabolism that generates citric acid, the authors report.

Dasgupta's research team used Lkb1 mutant mice in the current study. Because the mice did not express Lkb1 in myelin forming glial cells, this allowed scientists to analyze its role in glial cell metabolism and formation of the myelin sheath coating.

When the function of Lkb1 was disrupted in laboratory mice, it blocked the metabolic shift from glycolytic to mitochondrial metabolism, resulting in a thinner myelin sheath (hypomyelination) of the nerves. This caused muscle atrophy, hind limb dysfunction, peripheral neuropathy and even premature death of these mice, according to the authors.

Peripheral neuropathy involves damage to the peripheral nervous system -- which transmits information from the brain and spinal cord (the central nervous system) to other parts of the body, according to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS). There are more than 100 types of peripheral neuropathy, and damage to the peripheral nervous system interferes with crucial messages from the brain to the rest of the body.

The scientists also reported that reducing Lkb1 in Schwann cells decreased the activity of critical metabolic enzyme citrate synthase that makes citric acid. Enhancing Lkb1 increased this activity.

They tested the effect of boosting citric acid levels in the Lbk1 mutant Schwann cells. This enhanced lipid production and partially reversed myelin sheath formation defects in Lbk1 mutant Schwann cells. Dasgupta said this further underscores the importance of Lbk1 and the production of citrate synthase.

Dasgupta and his colleagues are currently testing whether increasing the fat content in the Lbk1 mutant mice diet improves hypomyelination defects. The researchers emphasized the importance of additional research into the laboratory findings to extend their relevance more directly to human disease.

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Story Source:

The above story is based on materials provided by Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center. Note: Materials may be edited for content and length.

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Journal Reference:

1. Shabnam Pooya, Xiaona Liu, V.B. Sameer Kumar, Jane Anderson, Fumiyasu Imai, Wujuan Zhang, Georgianne Ciraolo, Nancy Ratner, Kenneth D.R. Setchell, Yoshida Yutaka, Michael P. Jankowski, Biplab Dasgupta. The tumour suppressor LKB1 regulates myelination through mitochondrial metabolism. Nature Communications, 2014; 5: 4993 DOI: 10.1038/ncomms5993

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Disease Without Borders: bioregional guide aims to improve human, environmental health

 

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In a paper published this week online in Global Society, researchers with University of California, San Diego School of Medicine and the Urban Studies and Planning Program, also at UC San Diego, present a bioregional guide that merges place-based (territorial) city planning and ecosystem management along the United States-Mexico border as way to improve human and environmental health.

Issues like climate change, economic crisis, natural disasters and disease outbreaks do not stop at national borders, compelling public health officials, academics and researchers to think differently about how to address wide-ranging human health challenges.

"City planners, health officials and researchers are combining knowledge and action in new ways to promote healthy placemaking," said Keith Pezzoli, PhD, UC San Diego Department of Communication and director of the Urban Studies and Planning Program. "Our health is not entirely hardwired genetically. It is also affected by environmental exposures, stress, diet, urban design and behavior. In our region, we can't think about health on just one side of the border because animals, sick people and pollutants move back and forth."

In border towns, health risks are common on both sides of the border. In the paper, Pezzoli, with co-authors Wael K. Al-Delaimy, MD, PhD, professor and chief of the Division of Global Health in the UC San Diego Department of Family and Preventive Medicine, and Catherine Wood Larsen, staff research associate in the Department of Family and Preventive Medicine, recommend supporting ecological restoration in transborder metropolitan areas where urban sprawl is taking place, such as in the canyon communities of Tijuana, Baja California.

In a related paper, published in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health on Sept. 15, Pezzoli, Al-Delaimy and Larsen looked at the impact of the environment on residents of Tijuana's rapidly urbanizing settlement called Los Laureles Canyon. This was the first large scale investigation evaluating the health of this population.

In one decade, the area grew from zero residents to 70,000, forming multiple communities called "colonias." These settlements do not typically comply with standard building codes and are without basic infrastructure, such as a sewer system, trash collection or paved roads. Many unregulated dumpsites dot the area, often containing a variety of hazardous waste from industry, construction and household garbage.

With Alter Terra (a binational non-governmental organization), the UC San Diego Superfund Research Center, the Center for U.S.-Mexican Studies and the Universidad Autonoma de Baja California, researchers interviewed residents of Los Laureles Canyon about their well-being and any symptoms of illness. The occupants of the 4.6-square-mile area, a sub-basin of the bi-national Tijuana River Basin, reported skin problems, stomach discomforts, eye irritation, confusion/difficulty concentrating and extreme fatigue, which are symptoms commonly associated with exposure to environmental toxins.

"We have people who are living in dismal situations surrounded by dump sites," said Al-Delaimy, who was the principal investigator on the study. "Their houses are made of garage doors brought from the U.S. and other materials that are mismatched. This is an environmental injustice that is impacting their health and has consequences for the San Diego region as well."

For example, the ecological health of the Tijuana River Estuary in San Diego County depends upon what happens in the Tijuana River Basin. Toxins in upstream soils can contaminate rain runoff from Los Laureles Canyon, which eventually drains north to the U.S. and into the Pacific Ocean.

"We are joined together to Mexico through the watershed," said Pezzoli. "We are in it together because of land, buildings and streets, but also from a health perspective because disease doesn't stop at the border. The failure of control measures in one country has the potential to put neighboring communities at risk."

To achieve an interconnected healthy bioregion, the scientists said public health professionals need training in global health diplomacy and cooperation. In addition, universities, through programs like the UC San Diego Superfund Research Center, must integrate community engagement and basic research translation through a cross-border approach. Creating sustainable and resilient communities, even across national borders, is possible by fostering investment in natural resources, rooted livelihoods and institutions, they said.

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Story Source:

The above story is based on materials provided by University of California, San Diego Health Sciences. Note: Materials may be edited for content and length.

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Journal References:

1. Wael Al-Delaimy, Catherine Larsen, Keith Pezzoli. Differences in Health Symptoms among Residents Living Near Illegal Dump Sites in Los Laureles Canyon, Tijuana, Mexico: A Cross Sectional Survey. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 2014; 11 (9): 9532 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph110909532
2. Keith Pezzoli, Justine Kozo, Karen Ferran, Wilma Wooten, Gudelia Rangel Gomez, Wael K. Al-Delaimy. One Bioregion/One Health: An Integrative Narrative for Transboundary Planning along the US–Mexico Border. Global Society, 2014; 28 (4): 419 DOI: 10.1080/13600826.2014.951316

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COPD patients breathe easier with lung flute, study shows

 

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The Lung Flute® allows patients to clear lung mucus simply by blowing into the hand-held respiratory device.

Patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) report improved symptoms and health status when they use a hand-held respiratory device called the Lung Flute®, according to a new study by the University at Buffalo. Usually caused by smoking, COPD, which includes chronic bronchitis and emphysema, is the third leading cause of death in the U.S.

The Lung Flute, manufactured by Medical Acoustics, (Buffalo), uses sound waves to break up mucus in the lungs. The device allows patients to clear lung mucus simply by blowing into the hand-held respiratory device, which produces a low frequency acoustic wave.

Published on Sept. 23 in Clinical and Translational Medicine, the 26-week study demonstrates that patients using the Lung Flute experience less difficulty breathing and less coughing and sputum production than a control group, which saw no change in COPD symptoms.

"This study confirms that the Lung Flute improves symptoms and health status in COPD patients, decreasing the impact of the disease on patients and improving their quality of life," says Sanjay Sethi, MD, principal author of the study and professor and chief, division of pulmonary, critical care and sleep medicine in the Department of Medicine, UB School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences.

The device is approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to treat COPD and other lung diseases characterized by retained secretions and congestion. It also is approved by FDA to obtain deep lung sputum samples for "laboratory analysis and pathologic examination."

Colleagues of Sethi's in the UB medical school are now studying the Lung Flute for use in improving symptoms in asthma. The device is also being investigated for diagnostic use in tuberculosis and lung cancer.

The study followed 69 patients with COPD for six months; it was conducted at the Veterans Affairs Western New York Healthcare System (Buffalo VA) by researchers at the UB medical school.

"This study confirms and extends the results of a previous, 8-week study of 40 patients that was conducted in 2010 to obtain FDA approval for the Lung Flute," says Sethi, whose clinical practice is at the Buffalo VA.

He has led a series of clinical trials demonstrating the safety and efficacy of the Lung Flute, including those that played a key role in the FDA's approval of the device for diagnostic and therapeutic uses.

Improvement in the current study was demonstrated by responses reported by patients on the Chronic COPD Questionnaire, which assesses changes in COPD symptoms and the St. George's Respiratory Questionnaire, which measures quality of life. On both questionnaires, patients using the Lung Flute reported significant improvements.

In addition, the Body-Mass Index, Airflow Obstruction, Dyspnea and Exercise Capacity (BODE) score was measured repeatedly in the study. "The BODE index provides a more comprehensive assessment of COPD patients," explains Sethi. "As the disease worsens, the BODE index goes up as it did in the control group. But for patients using the Lung Flute, the BODE index stayed flat."

Sethi adds that the study points to a potential decrease in exacerbations, flare-ups of respiratory symptoms, as a result of using the Lung Flute. Researchers are planning longer-term studies that will focus specifically on how the device affects exacerbations, a key part of what makes COPD patients sicker and leads to health care utilization.

Sethi notes that while similar devices have been developed for cystic fibrosis, the Lung Flute is the only one that has undergone extensive testing specifically for COPD patients. In a previous study comparing a device developed for cystic fibrosis with the Lung Flute, the Lung Flute was superior for COPD patients.

"All therapeutic studies on using the Lung Flute for COPD have been done here in Buffalo," says Sethi. "We have the biggest database by far on using the device in COPD. The Lung Flute is the only one that has been tested and been clearly shown to benefit COPD patients."

The research is the result of a partnership between UB and Medical Acoustics.

"Medical Acoustics has worked closely with UB's medical school since the company's founding in 2002," says Frank Codella, chief executive officer at Medical Acoustics. "We are very fortunate to have had access to UB's vast resources, including medical researchers of the caliber of Sanjay Sethi and his team, to lead many of the Lung Flute's clinical trials.

"Dr. Sethi is recognized as one of the leading COPD research professionals in the United States," Codella continues. "His research has resulted in the Lung Flute receiving FDA clearances for both obtaining deep lung sputum samples for diagnostic use and for airway clearance therapy as well as a series of Phase IV studies such as the one being reported this week."

Adds Sethi: "The people at Medical Acoustics are open-minded and I was willing to help because I saw an unmet medical need. Our relationship satisfies my goal of getting therapies to patients, while it helps the company succeed, satisfying their goals of creating a viable business. That's the way academia and industry partnerships should work."

Severe periodontitis: Sixth most prevalent health condition in the world

 

September 26, 2014

International & American Associations for Dental Research

There is an enormous public health challenge posed by severe periodontitis and are a microcosm of the epidemiologic transition to non-communicable diseases occurring in many countries, experts say. In 2010, severe periodontitis was the sixth most prevalent condition in the world affecting 743 million people worldwide. Between 1990 and 2010, the global age-standardized prevalence of severe periodontitis was static at 11.2%.

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The International and American Associations for Dental Research (IADR/AADR) have published a paper titled "Global Burden of Periodontitis: A Systematic Review and Meta-Regression." The manuscript, by lead researcher Wagner Marcenes (Queen Mary University of London, Institute of Dentistry, Barts and The London School) is published in the OnlineFirst portion of the IADR/AADR Journal of Dental Research (JDR).

The purpose of this study was to consolidate all epidemiological data about severe periodontitis and subsequently to generate internally consistent prevalence and incidence estimates for all countries, 20 age groups, and both sexes for 1990 and 2010. From the systematic search, a total of 72 qualifying studies involving 291,170 individuals aged 15 years or older from 37 countries were included in the meta-regression using modeling resources of the Global Burden of Disease (GBD) 2010 Study.

In 2010, severe periodontitis was the sixth most prevalent condition in the world affecting 743 million people worldwide. Between 1990 and 2010, the global age-standardized prevalence of severe periodontitis was static at 11.2%. The age-standardized incidence of severe periodontitis in 2010 was 701 cases per 100,000 person-years, a non-significant increase from the 1990 incidence of severe periodontitis. Prevalence increased gradually with age showing a steep increase between the third and fourth decades of life that was driven by a peak in incidence at around 38 years of age. There were considerable variations in prevalence and incidence between regions and countries.

These findings underscore the enormous public health challenge posed by severe periodontitis and are a microcosm of the epidemiologic transition to non-communicable diseases occurring in many countries. "The results of this first global assessment of periodontal diseases underscore the healthcare burden of this prevalent oral disease on a major portion of the world's population," said Editor-in-Chief of the Journal William Giannobile.

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Story Source:

The above story is based on materials provided by International & American Associations for Dental Research. Note: Materials may be edited for content and length.

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Journal Reference:

1. N.J. Kassebaum et al. Global Burden of Severe Periodontitis in 1990-2010: A Systematic Review and Meta-regression. Journal of Dental Research, September 2014 DOI: 10.1177/0022034514552491

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Cardiology leaders call for global prevention of heart disease, stroke

 

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Heart disease and stroke contribute to 30 percent of global deaths, more than all infectious and parasitic diseases combined, and 11 cardiovascular organizations are calling for the United Nations to address prevention of heart disease and other non-communicable diseases.

In a statement published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology and other cardiology journals, the World Heart Federation's Global Cardiovascular Disease Taskforce -- which is comprised of cardiologists and health advocates from the World Heart Federation, African Heart Network, Asia Pacific Heart Network, Asian Pacific Society of Cardiology, American Heart Association, American College of Cardiology, European Heart Network, European Society of Cardiology, InterAmerican Heart Foundation, InterAmerican Society of Cardiology, and the Pan-African Society of Cardiology -- calls for the United Nations to support efforts to curb the world-wide rise in non-communicable diseases including heart disease and stroke.

"We must cooperate and collaborate across sectors and disciplines to advance and affirm a positive return of investment in cardiovascular health; only then will we influence countries and businesses to devote crucial resources to our collective goal, which is vital to human health and wellbeing across the world," the task force said in the statement Sustainable Development Goals and the Future of Cardiovascular Health.

Globally, it is estimated that from 2011-2025, the economic burden of non-communicable diseases will be $7 trillion, with cardiovascular disease accounting for most of that expense.

"Prevention of cardiovascular disease through support of healthy diets and physical activity along with blood pressure control and anti-smoking efforts should be part of -- if not at the center of -- the U.N.'s health goals in 2015 and beyond since these factors are so closely tied to many health issues," said ACC past-President William A. Zoghbi, MD, MACC, a co-chair of the task force.

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Story Source:

The above story is based on materials provided by American College of Cardiology. Note: Materials may be edited for content and length.

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Journal Reference:

1. William A. Zoghbi, Tony Duncan, Elliott Antman, Marcia Barbosa, Beatriz Champagne, Deborah Chen, Habib Gamra, John G. Harold, Staffan Josephson, Michel Komajda, Susanne Logstrup, Bongani M. Mayosi, Jeremiah Mwangi, Johanna Ralston, Ralph L. Sacco, K.H. Sim, Sidney C. Smith, Panos E. Vardas, David A. Wood. Sustainable Development Goals and the Future of Cardiovascular Health. Journal of the American College of Cardiology, 2014; 64 (13): 1385 DOI: 10.1016/j.jacc.2014.08.018

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"Clean City" São Paulo says no to visual pollution, bans public advertising for a cleaner, more serene environment

 

 

To the undiscerning eye of a visitor, there is nothing too unusual about Florêncio de Abreu Street in downtown São Paulo. The buildings, many of them noble structures with brightly painted façades and stone balconies, reflect the city's rich history, and the constant noise of commercial bustle and angry traffic are the classic sounds of a major modern metropolis. But until 2006, much of that eye-catching architecture went unseen. São Paulo is a supremely intense city whose futuristic mix of skyscrapers, helicopters, advertising and rain has earned it comparisons with the urban imagery of the sci-fi film Blade Runner. But for the longest time, the nice bits, like the buildings along Florêncio de Abreu Street, were hidden behind billboards, electronic ads, shop signs and street banners.

That was until 3 years ago, when Mayor Gilberto Kassab decided that urgent cosmetic surgery was required. In a bold effort to rid the city of what he called "visual pollution," Kassab ordered the downsizing or removal of all public forms of advertising. Almost overnight, the billboards, gaudy shop signs and big led displays disappeared. The city was transformed. "Of all the different kinds of pollution, visual pollution is the most obvious," Kassab says. "It is also the one that allows for short-term results — immediate, even — if the legislation to combat it is good. Our law was radical and very simple. All major publicity in São Paulo was prohibited as of a predetermined date. The first thing that happened was that people felt a great sense of relief."

Visual pollution, much of it in the form of advertising, is an issue in all the world's large cities. But what is pollution to some is a vibrant part of a city's fabric to others. New York City without Times Square's huge digital billboards or Tokyo without the Ginza's commercial panorama is unthinkable. Piccadilly Circus would be just a London roundabout without its signage. Still, other cities, like Moscow, have reached their limit and have begun to crack down on over-the-top outdoor advertising.

Big, edgy and complicated, São Paulo has always been the ugly sister to the delicate, tanned and seductive Rio de Janeiro. But the success of the Clean City law has given South America's largest city (pop. 11 million) a new sense of confidence. The law not only made São Paulo a more pleasant place to live but also showed that relatively straightforward acts, when well planned and rigidly enforced, can transform the environment. "The great thing about the Clean City law is that it didn't involve much more than political will," says Regina Monteiro, the city's director of environment and urban landscaping and the woman charged with enforcement. "If you have political will and a little investment, then you can make a big difference."

The law focused on two main targets: publicity and commerce. As the industrial and business capital of Brazil, São Paulo is a major retail hub and home to some of the world's most creative ad agencies. Those agencies had eagerly bought up every available space to hawk their products, hanging huge banners on the sides of apartment buildings and erecting billboards along main streets and ring roads. Everywhere you looked, there was an ad — for underwear, for cellular phones, for cold meats, for cars. The panorama was colorful but chaotic. Under the Clean City law, those signs had to go. Advertisers estimate that they removed 15,000 billboards and that more than 1,600 signs and 1,300 towering metal panels were dismantled by authorities.

Commerce was similarly affected, since businesses with storefronts longer than 100 m were obliged to take down any offending sign and replace it with two smaller ones covering an area no greater than 10 sq m. Smaller shop fronts are permitted one sign no bigger than 4 sq m. All signs must be above the entrance and cannot extend into the street. Those contravening the laws are first warned, and if they do not take action, they face a minimum fine of about $5,000 and then possible closure. Although many Brazilian laws are applied only halfheartedly, Kassab, an assistant mayor who took power after his boss resigned to run for higher office, staked his credibility on the law and made a point of enforcing it. The upshot is that the once hidden city is visible again.

Nowhere is that more evident than along Florêncio de Abreu Street. Since about 1900, this narrow road has been one of the main routes into the city center, and coffee merchants and other rich businessmen built homes and shops there in the Art Nouveau or Art Deco style of the time.

Today it seems every second building has been refurbished or spruced up, and the façades with dates etched into the stonework, the narrow verandas with their greenery and the unmistakable Art Deco porticoes and windows are visible again. Intricate stonework, engraved and stained-glass windows and wrought-iron balconies that were destroyed or became dilapidated through years of neglect are newly resplendent. "This building is 100 years old, and we did it up so it was as it was meant to be," Adeilson Souza, the owner of a store selling gardening equipment, says of the restored Art Nouveau fronting. "You can see the details that were once covered by signs and wires and all sorts of mess. We even left the color the same as the original. This street used to be so ugly, but it is much, much nicer now. There's no comparison with before."

Many of Souza's fellow citizens still have work to do. A large number of the oversize signs — as well as the huge ads draped over buildings — were there not only to attract customers but also to hide pipes, ducts, haphazard wiring, broken windows and grubby air-conditioning units.

In a bid to stimulate renewal, the city offers exemptions from property taxes to offset the cost of renovations. Souza, for example, said he got back the $300 he spent on fixing up his place. That decision helped dampen criticisms from small-business owners who complained they had spent money on signs and could not afford to produce new ones, let alone carry out expensive renovations.

Perhaps most surprising, the measure has won — albeit belatedly — support among advertisers, the sector hit hardest by the changes. Brazilian advertisers spent more than $100 million on outdoor ads in 2006, and they fought bitterly to block the law. When the challenge failed, they set their minds to finding alternatives and quickly came up with creative new ways to get their messages across.

Some of the available ad money went to the city's free newspapers. The largest portion, however, was invested in the digital out-of-home industry that puts televised and electronic ads in commercial locations and public transport. Almost overnight, investment in digital advertising soared. It is expected to exceed $40 million in 2008, says Angelo de Sá Jr., vice president of Indoormidia, one of the sector's leading firms. "The impact of the Clean City law was huge because you had few alternatives in the city other than outdoors," de Sá says. "But from crises come opportunities, and out-of-home advertising is now in bars, in airports, on the metro, on buses, and that has all happened in just 16 months. One industry died and another one was born."

Advertisers are still hoping legislation will be relaxed, and they have some grounds for optimism. The city plans to launch a tender for advertising on the digital clocks that dot many Brazilian cities and is also keen to offer temporary space on buildings to companies that pay for them to be restored.

The measures are small-scale compared with those of the past, and authorities are quick to stress that there will be no retreat. Instead, Kassab, who was re-elected in October thanks in large part to the law's success, promises that more bold measures will follow. "One of the big impacts is that it provides a stimulus for other similar measures," he says. "If success is possible fighting visual pollution, then solutions are viable for other types of pollution and for problems such as health, education, transport, sewage treatment and housing."

 

Source : WcP.Observers.blog

 

Scientists Discovered a Part of Brain that Motivates Us to Exercise

 

Posted By Recail On Friday, September 26, 2014 11:26 PM. Under Fitness Tips, Health Tips

In recent years, there have been many studies about the relationship between your neural messages and motivation for exercise. Scientists have believed that there must be a reason why some people are motivated to exercise, while others don’t feel the need. The claims made by the scientists have finally seen some positive backing.

According to a recent study, scientists discovered that a tiny region in the human brain is responsible for controlling a person’s desire to sprint and participate in some other rewarding activities. The study was conducted on mice, and noted their motivation for running.

The region of brain responsible for this motivation is called Dorsal Medial Habenula. The structure in mice is similar to the region in men. Scientists believe that this region’s ability to regulate motivation and mood should be similar across the two different species.

According to Head Researcher, Seattle Children’s Research Institute, Eric Turner, some significant changes in the physical activity and a person’s inability to enjoy pleasurable or rewarding experiences are two major causes of depression. 

He believes that the brain pathways that play an important role for exercise motivation aren’t well understood. With some new and effective ways to manipulate activity within particular brain areas, researchers plan to develop more effective and targeted treatments for depression. Researchers are positive about developing some effective ways to accomplish these goals without having any impact on the rest of brain activity.

During their research, Eric Turner and other researchers focused on genetically engineered mice. They tried to block various signals from the mice’s Dorsal Medial Habenula. As compared to regular mice who always love to sprint on wheels, genetically engineered mice ran less, and even felt lethargic. As a side note, this is not the first time in the recent past that we explored depression with the aid of mice. A study conducted in 2006 used mice to test the hypothesis that the deficiency of certain proteins, particularly p11, can also lead to depression. The researchers concluded that if the lacking protein was introduced in form of supplements, the mood of the animals significantly improved.

Recently, Turner explained in a press release that the lack of a functioning Dorsal Medial Habenula, the genetically engineered mice acted like couch potatoes. Although these mice were capable of running, they didn’t have the motivation to sprint on wheels.

Eric Turner also explained that these genetically engineered mice didn’t prefer sweetened, delicious drinking water instead of regular water. It’s important to understand that the lack of basic exercise and desire to seek pleasure led to depression in the mice. These mice didn’t care anymore about their health and well being.

The research team also conducted another experiment. In this experiment, researches precisely targeted light to the Dorsal Medial Habenula of the mice. When the mice turned one of the two wheels using their paws, they were able to voluntarily activate the specific region in the brain.

Graphite Carbon Anode Electrolytic Rust Removal Method

 

 

Overview

Here is an excellent non-abrasive and non-toxic method for electrolytic rust removal from iron and steel (graphite carbon anode electrolysis).

This is a basic electrolytic rust removal process using a DC power supply, a sacrificial electrode (anode), and a solution of water and sodium carbonate (Na2CO3) as the electrolyte. The part to be de-rusted is used as the cathode in the electrolysis circuit.

Arm & Hammer brand washing soda is the most readily available consumer source of sodium carbonate. I used two tablespoons per gallon of hot tap water and mixed thoroughly. Note: This is 'washing soda', not baking soda, and not laundry detergent. Washing Soda! Soda Ash! Sodium Carbonate!

The electrolysis of water occurs during this de-rusting process and hydrogen gas is released, so it is advisable that this be done outdoors or in a well ventilated area. Your basement next to your gas-fired hot water heater is probably not the best choice for a workshop location!

 

Carbon Electrodes

Pictured above are carbon (graphite) electrodes I use for the anode. A fresh one is on top and a used one on the bottom. Some erosion of the used carbon is visible. These carbons are 5/8 inch diameter by 8 inches long.

Some people have recommended the following link at McMaster-Carr as a good source for affordable carbon rods. Order the plain ones, not the copper coated ones.

I drilled a 4 mm hole in the end of the carbon rod and inserted a terminal end from a lab power supply jumper cable to use as the electrical connection to the carbon.

Another technique to connect electrically to the anode is to use a big steel "binder clip" from the stationary store to clip on the carbon rod, and then use conventional alligator clips from the power supply to attach to the binder clip.

Do not let any copper wires or jumpers or any clips or connectors be in the solution. Keep all your power supply connections outside the solution. Use a steel wire on the part to bring the connection point outside the solution if necessary.

 

Power Supply

This is very nice little 100 watt, regulated 12 volt DC output power supply. It is sold for use with computer/electrical equipment. Other people have used simple 12 volt automotive battery chargers as well.

I DO NOT recommend using a battery by itself as the sole power supply, nor in parallel with a battery charger or a power supply.

There is always a risk of contacting the anode and cathode momentarily in the electrolyte. This will create a direct short!

In the case of a short, a battery will do a lot of damage to the part and possibly itself. It will discharge itself uncontrollably across a short between the anode and cathode, and the battery can explode. Be careful!

On the other hand, battery chargers and regulated power supplies used alone are typically protected internally against external shorts, and can supply all the current needed by themselves. More importantly, they will cut out if the leads are shorted, protecting both the workpiece and the power supply.

---

 

Pictured above is my first victim, a mildly rusted iron carburetor casting.

 

The pic above shows the basic electrolysis setup for rust removal starting to work, with the positive (red) power supply lead applied to the carbon anode, and the negative (black) power supply lead attached to the carburetor casting.

It may not be evident in this photo, but the part and the carbon electrode are electrically isolated, so all current must transfer through the electrolyte solution.

Hydrogen gas bubbles are emanating from around the cathode (the carburetor). Oxygen gas bubbles are emanating from around the carbon rod (anode).

 

Here is the solution after half a day 'cooking'. The water is mostly just black carbon stained, with very little evidence of "rust" or other scum accumulating. The residuals have all settled to the bottom of the bucket.

This is due to the fact that the casting actually had very little red rust (Fe2O3), and had no rust scale buildup before the process. Using carbon rather than steel as the sacrificial anode is also cleaner. If you use a piece of steel (like a piece of re-bar) for the anode, it makes the solution much messier as the steel anode is decomposed (sacrificed) in the process.

Carbon Anode Recommendation

One major advantage of using carbon (graphite) material for the anode is that no iron is deposited on the part. Instead, the part gets a loose 'plating' of carbon, which is pretty easily washed and brushed off, and does not promote subsequent re-rusting.

Additionally, the carbon anode does not decompose into any hazardous compounds in solution, unlike many metals such as stainless steels.

When using a mild steel anode like concrete re-bar, the red Fe2O3 (ferric oxide) surface rust is converted to a layer of black Fe3O4 (magnetite). The magnetite is a porous iron 'plating' on the casting which then promotes re-rerusting after rinsing, and must be removed with a wire brush.

I do not recommend using a stainless steel anode due to the decomposition and toxicity of the Chrome released in the solution.

I do not recommend using a steel anode due to the unnecessary messiness of the solution and easy re-rusting of the part.

I only recommend using a non-metallic (graphite carbon) anode.

 

After washing in warm water and air drying, the part looks pretty good. I have read that it is recommended to rinse the part in alcohol to help it dry without re-forming new orange surface rust, but I do not do it. Re-rusting is not an issue when using carbon anodes.

 

Obviously my first test was no challenge! No worry, I have a rusted original RH tail lamp bracket from New Zealand which might be a little tougher.

 

This is a rare (in the US) original RH tail lamp bracket for a 1930-31 Model A Ford. It has original paint and two later layers of enamel on top, and rust on the inside.

 

Line-of-Sight

Line-of-site between the carbon anode and the part surface to be cleaned is desirable and may speed the process somewhat, but is not required.

Line-of-site is much more critical in plating operations, where there is metal migration and the objective is to lay down uniform layers of the metals. With electrolytic rust removal, there is not a goal or desire to deposit a uniform layer of anything on the part. Carbon is deposited on the part in the process, but this is not the objective. The varying amounts of loose carbon deposited on the part over time during this process are easily washed off.

Also, the 'rust' does not attract or 'attach' to the carbon anode. The process dissociates the bond between the part and the rust (and dirt and paint). All of the residuals are in solution and sink to the bottom of the bucket and do not deposit on the carbon anode. The carbon anode is also slowly broken down, eroded, and consumed in this process.

All that is required for this process to work well is that the surfaces are charged with sufficient power (current density) and are in the electrolyte solution.

 

Pictured above is the bracket after two hours. The water is mostly just dirty with some 'rust' and dirt scum floating on top.

The paint is mostly softened and beginning to slough off, and the rust is being converted and dissociated.

 

The pic above shows the bracket after about 10 hours. The water is mostly just black carbon stained now. The residuals have all settled to the bottom of the bucket.

Most of the paint and rust are gone, with just some small tenacious paint remaining.

 

After 24 hours the rust and dirt and paint is all gone, and the part is covered with a layer of carbon which has been loosely 'plated' on.

 

The pic above shows the bracket after cleaning in warm water with a nylon brush to remove the loose carbon.

 

Here is what it looks like after rinsing with warm water and a light scour with a stainless steel bristle brush.

I have now used this process with excellent results for a few years on dozens and dozens of iron carburetors, as well as all manner of other rusted iron and steel chassis and sheet metal parts. Try it for yourself!

Vince Falter
October 2008

 

Inexpensive, easy to build, peristaltic pump

 

Why Peristaltic Pumps? Peristaltic pumps are great! They require no priming, they can pump uphill, they can pump viscous liquids or fluids that have 'chunks', require no special materials, and can be cleaned/sanitized very easily. In short, they may be the perfect pump for the home brewer!
Learn more here http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peristaltic_pump
How Peristaltic Pumps Work? Peristaltic pumps work by squeezing a tube like you might squeeze a tube of toothpaste - except in this case the tube is a 5-foot-long silicone hose, with as much "toothpaste" as can fit in your bucket. This squeezing action is called 'occlusion'. Usually, you get this squeezing force by pressing the tube against the wall of the housing with a roller. The number of rollers in a pump determines how much fluid gets pumped for each pulse, the more rollers, the more pulses per revolution, the less fluid per pulse. All things being equal you get less fluid per revolution with more rollers, but smoother output. More rollers can also reduce the hose life.
Why build your own? As mentioned previously, peristaltic pumps don't require special materials, but there's a serious dearth of manufacturers building for the home market. You can buy little peri pumps for lab use or giant ones for industrial use, but not much in between. So, if you need to pump some wort around, want to water cool your laptop or just want to make a pump you can take with you and power with a drill, then a peristaltic pump may be the answer.

 

http://www.instructables.com/id/Inexpensive-easy-to-build-peristaltic-pump/

Review: Sonos Play:1 Wireless Sound System

 

Sonos Play 1.  Sonos

About.com Rating

The relatively tiny Santa Barbara-based company Sonos pretty much rules wireless multiroom audio, but the Sonos Play:1 wireless sound system it's launching today faces serious competition. Bose and Samsung both launched WiFi music systems last week.

Based on the prices alone, I'd say Sonos is in a good position. Bose and Samsung introduced products starting at $399. The Play:1 is $199.

Sonos built the Play:1 to compete with larger Bluetooth speakers like the Jawbone Big Jambox. But Sonos' wireless system is a lot different. It needs a WiFi network to operate, and it can work with multiple devices throughout a home. Bluetooth doesn't need WiFi but it works with only one device over a short range. (For a complete explanation of wireless audio standards, see "Which of These Wireless Audio Technologies is Right for You?")

To skip to my full lab measurements of the Play:1, click here.

Features

• Controllable through computers, smartphones, and tablets running Sonos app
• Can be used singly or in stereo pairs, or as surround speakers for the Playbar
• 1-inch tweeter
• 3.5-inch midrange/woofer
• Available in white/silver or charcoal/gray finish
• 1/4-20 threaded socket on rear for wall-mounting
• Dimensions: 6.4 x 4.7 x 4.7 in / 163 x 119 x 119 mm
• Weight: 5.5 lb / 0.45 kg

Setup / Ergonomics

One of the coolest things about the Play:1 -- and the larger, $299 Play:3 -- is that they're like audio Legos. You can start with one Play:1, add a second to form a stereo pair, then add the $699 Sonos Sub for more bottom end. You can put more Sonos units around your house and control them all from any networked computer, smartphone or tablet. Sonos offers free PC, Mac, iOS and Android apps that control volume, bass, and treble for each Sonos product, and also select what's playing.

The "what's playing" part is where Sonos enjoys an edge over every competitor to date. All Sonos devices can access more than 30 different streaming services at last count (see the list here). Of course, there's the expected stuff like Pandora and Spotify, but also exotic services targeted more toward specific tastes, such as Wolfgang's Vault and Batanga.

And then there's all the stuff you own: Sonos will also access all the music on all the computers and hard drives on your network. It can play 11 different formats, including not just MP3, WMA and AAC but also FLAC and Apple Lossless.

If it seems like this might be complicated to set up and use, it's not. When this review initially published, one Sonos product had to be connected directly to your WiFi router with an Ethernet cable, or you had to use the $49 Bridge to connect to your router. As of September 2014, Sonos has announced that all of the products can go wireless with no direct router connection and no Bridge. Adding more Sonos components demands only that you go through a couple of simple steps on the computer, phone or tablet.

Performance

Sonos sent me two Play:1s to try. Fortunately, I had a Play:3 on hand to compare it with. I also had a Connect, a box that lets you use other companies' amps and speakers and also route signals from other devices into the Sonos system. Using the Connect, I was able to perform lab measurements on the Play:1.

The Play:1 is the product I always hoped Sonos would make. The company's other products are built like soundbars or dock-type products, with multiple drivers in various configurations. They all sound good, but none, in my opinion, sound amazing. The Play:1 sounds amazing. That's because it's built like a normal minispeaker, with one tweeter placed directly above one woofer. This arrangement gives it broad, even dispersion in every direction, which you hear as a natural, ambient sound -- even though you're listening to just one speaker. (If, of course, you're listening to just one.)

Although I think anybody would be impressed with the clarity and natural tonal balance of the Play:1, the bass is what blows me away. I can't recall hearing another box of this size produce so much boom. Even the deep, deep bass notes that start Holly Cole's recording of Tom Waits' "Train Song" come through loud and clear, with desktop-shaking power.

But it's not boom, really. I expected that Sonos would have had to employ a highly resonant, one-notey, "high-Q" tuning to get so much bass from this little thing. No: It's nice, tight, well-defined bass. It's a little bit boosted, but not much, and the overall tonal balance is so natural and even that it's hard to imagine a better bass tuning for a device like this.

I'd say the Play:1 sounds ever-so-slightly on the warm side -- just a tad tame in the treble -- much like one of my favorite minispeakers, the $379/pair Monitor Audio Bronze BX1. Still, I found the treble detail remarkable for a $199 product, and far superior in this regard to most of the AirPlay and Bluetooth speakers I've heard (many of which use full-range drivers instead of separate woofers and tweeters).

The Play:1 absolutely nailed my favorite -- and toughest -- midrange test, the live version of "Shower the People" from James Taylor's Live at the Beacon Theatre. Taylor's voice and guitar sounded exceptionally clear, with no bloat in the lower range of the voice and guitar, and no "cupped hands" coloration (a nasty tendency many lesser speakers have to make singers sound like they have their hands cupped around their mouths). This is the same kind of top-notch tonal neutrality I heard in Paradigm's best-in-the-business MilleniaOne satellite/subwoofer system.

Flaws? Well, jeez, it's a speaker with a 3.5-inch woofer, so of course it has some flaws. It plays nice and loud, and in fact it sounds a lot more like a large wireless speaker like the B&W Z2 than it does like a Jawbone Big Jambox. But it doesn't have much in the way of dynamics -- i.e., kick -- especially in the midrange. I noticed this especially on snare drum. On my all-time-fave pop test track, Toto's "Rosanna," the snare sounded more like a toy drum than whatever high-end, perfectly tuned snare drummer Jeff Porcaro used on the recording. But I can't think of a product anything like this that would perform better in this instance.

I liked the Play:1 better than the Play:3. It doesn't play quite as loud, but its midrange and, especially, treble sound smoother and more natural.

So what did it sound like in stereo? The same. But in stereo. And I must say, the soundstaging was pretty spectacular, with a really, really deep ambience on the classic Chesky recording of the acoustic guitar group The Coryells.

Measurements

As I usually do in my reviews, I performed full lab measurements on the Play:1. (Real measurements, not "stick a mic in front of the speaker and play some pink noise" measurements.) You can see a tiny version of the frequency response chart here. To see the full-size chart, along with a more in-depth explanation of the measurement techniques and results, click here.

To sum up, the Play:1 measures extremely flat, comparable to what I might usually measure from a very good $3,000/pair tower speaker: ±2.7 dB on-axis, ±2.8 dB averaged across a listening window. To put that in perspective, any speaker with a deviation of ±3.0 dB or less would be considered a pretty well-engineered product.

Final Take

The Play:1 is my favorite Sonos product to date, and one of my favorite wireless speakers to date. It sounds much more like one of the better large wireless speakers (the B&W Z2 or the JBL OnBeat Rumble) than like other products in its size and price range. And it looks simple and sleek -- perfect for an office or den, or anywhere, really.

I'm sure my friend Steve Guttenberg over at CNet will dutifully inform you that you can get better sound for less from two separate stereo speakers and a small amplifier. He has a point. But my guess is that if you're considering a Play:1, you're not considering a traditional stereo system. And of course, a traditional stereo system doesn't give you multiroom capabilities. And then there's those wires to run. And, possibly, complaints from cohabitants about your ugly stereo system. Small wonder Target's gonna sell the Play:1 and not the Pioneer SP-BS22-LR.