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Tuesday, January 31, 2012
Welcome to Space Camp [Video]
Recap: Big Winners & Big Moments at SAG Awards (omg!)
The casts of Boardwalk Empire, Modern Family and The Help were the big winners at the 18th Annual Screen Actor's Guild Awards.
Fierce Fashions: The SAG Awards.?
My Week with Marilyn's Michelle Williams was a stunning lady in red when she introduced the night?s first award, Outstanding Male Actor in a Supporting Role. The actor went to Christopher Plummer who thanked his fellow nominees, cast and daughter Amanda Plummer.
SAG Winner Alec Baldwin Diagnosed as Pre-Diabetic
Octavia Spencer delighted the crowd when she won for Outstanding Female Actor in a Supporting Role for her role as the oh-so-sassy, cake baking Minny in The Help. Octavia thanked the women who work as domestic helpers, like her character in the film, who made it possible for be there tonight. She said, "By honoring me, you honor them." She also thanked an unsung hero in the film, slain civil rights activist Medgar Evers and his family. She dedicated the award to the down trodden, downsized and overtaxed.
Funny ones Alec Baldwin (30 Rock) and Betty White (Hot in Cleveland) also walked away with the actor for Outstanding Comedy Series. Kyra Sedgwick and Kevin Bacon took to the stage to present the award for home Outstanding Ensemble in a Comedy Series to the cast of Modern Family. The show?s young stars Nolan Gould, Rico Rodriguez and Ariel Winter proved the W.C. Field?s adage, "never work with kids or animals" untrue ? when they took turns making jokes about children and animals in the cast?s acceptance speech.
Oscar winner Kate Winslet won for Outstanding Female Actor in a TV Movie or Miniseries for Mildred Pierce but was not there to accept her award. Likewise, Paul Giamatti was unable to accept his Outstanding Male Actor in a TV Movie or Miniseries Award for Too Big to Fail, however presenter Armie Hammer joked he would now be taking the Actor home with him.
Kristen Wiig, Maya Rudolph and Melissa McCarthy lit up the stage when they presented their nominated film Bridesmaids and also introduced the audience to their drinking game called Scorsese from the Bridesmaids set ? in which one must take a drink any time someone says "Scorsese." Subsequently, the women took turns slipping the famed director?s name into their intro and forcing each other to drink, a joke which recurred throughout the show.
Presenting Mary Tyler Moore with the Screen Actor?s Guild?s Lifetime Achievement Award, Dick Van Dyke received a standing ovation when he came onstage, to which the icon retorted: ?I?m what?s left of Dick Van Dyke. Van Dyke then welcomed his former Dick Van Dyke Show costar, Mary Tyler Moore, who told a story about having to change her name from Mary Moore to Mary Tyler Moore when she joined the Screen Actor?s Guild at the age of 18.
Jessica Lange received the Actor for Outstanding Female Actor in a Drama Series for her turn in American Horror Story, and Steve Buscemi (who made it a point to up the drinking game ante by saying Martin Scorsese?s name several times in his acceptance speech) won Outstanding Male Actor in a Drama Series. The cast of Boardwalk Empire won the actor for Outstanding Ensemble in a Drama Series.
In one of the night?s big surprises, a dazzling Natalie Portman presented the award for Outstanding Male Actor in a Leading Role to French actor Jean Dujardin for his celebrated performance in the silent film The Artist. Sir Ben Kingsley took to the stage to present Outstanding Female Actor in a Leading Role to Viola Davis for her role as a domestic helper in The Help. In her emotional speech, Viola Davis thanked Cicely Tyson and Meryl Streep for inspiring her to act both as a child and in college. She also implored those watching, "To dream big and dream fierce." In the final award of the night, Money Ball?s Brad Pitt presented the Outstanding Cast in a Motion Picture award to The Help.
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Monday, January 30, 2012
Video: What the ##$%!@!
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Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21134540/vp/46180570#46180570
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There's More to That Red Plastic Cup Than You Thought
Raise your cup. | Creative Commons. Photo by John W. Iwanski. Click on image for license and link.
Who here has not enjoyed a cold, refreshing drink from a red plastic cup? Alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages alike find themselves comfortably enclosed within the confines of the bright red vessel that has become a ubiquitous American staple at barbecues, picnics, parties, in dugouts and at minor league games, in food cars and at lunch trucks, and even as a last resort at dive bars?and, of course, college students? dorms and apartments, where it also functions as a key component in Flip Cup and Beer Pong.
Your drinking vessel may indeed functionality of the red cup?so flip away, or ahem, drink out of it without fear it will slip out of your hands.
Social drinking is a ritualized act. There are certain social codes of consumption that help define the experience by setting expectations and establishing appropriate or acceptable behaviors. Anthropologist William Donner documented social rules surrounding toddy drinking in Sikaiana, a small Polynesian atoll in the Solomon Islands. (Toddy seems a generic name for drinks made from fermented palm. In this case, toddy is made by fermenting the sap of coconut shoots.) Donner found that drinking reorganized the community, allowing boundaries to be renegotiated. Part of this stems from the ways in which drink is shared. In Sikaiana, toddy distribution follows a rather specific format which helps establish the community as a place of equality:
?Participants form a circle. They distributor pours a portion and passes it to one person in the group. This person drinks the cup until its is empty, usually in one drink. Then he returns the cup to the distributor and another serving of the exact same size is poured for the next person. This continues until everyone in the group has had a turn and then the distributor starts another round. If a person arrives late, the distributor may offer him a larger portion so that the latecomer can catch up with the people who are already drinking. In larger groups, several cups are passed out simultaneously, but always in a circular fashion so that everyone is given an equal amount to drink? (1994: 250).
Among the Xhosa, beer is also consumed in accordance with a social code. At a beer-drink (a public drinking event), the beer is kept in either cast-iron pots or plastic or wooden containers, and served in tin beakers (billy cans) of various sizes:
?When beer is allocated, the host section?s mast of ceremonies points out the size of the beaker because the receivers have certain expectations in this regard based on the current state of their beer-exchange relationship with the givers. So a can of beer given to a neighboring group may be announced with carefully chosen words, such as ?This is your beaker, it is a full iqhwina [seven liters], as it should be when there is a full cask for men? ? (McAllister 2003: 197).
The drinking vessel is central to this experience. It?s an equalizing factor and a measure of consistency for attendees. It also serves as the entry-point for the temporary social community that has gathered. Drinking from the cup confirms attendance at the event and authorizes participation in subsequent event activities?conversation, singing, dancing, joking and laughing, even confrontations are mediated by drink and cup possession.
Our red plastic cups work similarly. Cup in hand, we mingle. Liberated by the social permission granted by the red plastic cup, we catch up with old friends and make new ones. It becomes a factor that connects attendees at the event?we all have a red plastic cup, so we all belong. And we assert that these cups are ours by writing our name on them, which further making them a handy tool for socialization. This sort of possession also minimizes the burden on our hosts to have a bounty of cups available for guests. (In college and in grad school, we wrote our names on cups because we paid for them at parties and it was in our interest to keep track of our cups.) The practice also functions to manage our alcohol consumption. We get a cup at an event and we?re free to fill it with any of the available options. It holds roughly the same amount for everyone?or least it gives the illusion of equality with regard to the ratios in mixed drinks. Among the Sikaiana, the distributor/host determines how much is poured into the cup for each round and how long to wait between rounds:
?Serving large portions and not waiting between rounds will cause the participants to become drunk rapidly. On the other hand, after such a happy state of inebriation has been reached, the distributor may decide to slow the pace of drinking in order to control the level of intoxication and preserve the supply of toddy (Donner 1994: 250).
While we may not necessarily be served in the same way with our red plastic cups (that might be a downer of a party to attend), our named cups provide a way to monitor access to drinks. If you lose your cup, you might be out of luck. It can also be a signal that the cup-less should perhaps be cut-off, especially when it?s clear that the de-cupped has passed beyond happy, joyful drinking to disruptive behavior.
The red plastic cup may have a bit of a party-animal reputation. It?s hardly likely you?ll be drinking fine wine or quality spirits from a red plastic cup. Or that you?ll find a red plastic cup at a banquet or gala. The red plastic cup is a champion of the everyday and and the unpretentious. It suggests a relaxed, convival atmosphere and invites everyone to join the party. It won?t reveal the contents contained so whether it?s alcohol, tea, fruit juice, or water, everyone belongs and everyone can participate.
So whatever your preference, raise your red plastic cup.
?
References:
Bunimovitz, S., & Greenberg, R. (2004). Revealed in Their Cups: Syrian Drinking Customs in Intermediate Bronze Age Canaan Bulletin of the American Schools of Oriental Research (334) DOI: 10.2307/4150104
Donner, W. (1994). Alcohol, Community, and Modernity: The Social Organization of Toddy Drinking in a Polynesian Society Ethnology, 33 (3) DOI: 10.2307/3774009
Magennis, H. (1985). The Cup as Symbol and Metaphor in Old English Literature Speculum, 60 (3) DOI: 10.2307/2848173
McAllister, P. (2003). Culture, Practice, and the Semantics of Xhosa Beer-Drinking Ethnology, 42 (3) DOI: 10.2307/3773800
Source: http://rss.sciam.com/click.phdo?i=a83541c22971fa2d637070435866d4f8
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Sunday, January 29, 2012
Statins May Stave Off Liver Cancer in People With Hepatitis B (HealthDay)
THURSDAY, Jan. 26 (HealthDay News) -- Popular cholesterol-lowering statins may also lower risk for liver cancer among people with hepatitis B, a new study shows. Hepatitis B, an inflammation of the liver due to the hepatitis B virus, is one of the main causes of liver cancer.
This is not the first time that statins have shown promise in reducing risk for cancer. Other studies have hinted that these drugs may play a role in preventing certain types of cancer, including breast cancer.
In the new study of more than 33,000 individuals with hepatitis B followed from 1997 to 2008, those who took a statin were less likely to develop liver cancer, when compared to participants who were not prescribed statins. What's more, the longer a person took statins, the greater the liver-cancer risk reduction. Study participants were prescribed the statins to treat high cholesterol levels. Overall, 1,021 people developed liver cancer during the study period.
More research is needed to see how statins may lower liver cancer risk among people with hepatitis B, the researchers said.
"Statins have potential protective effects against cancers [and] carriers of hepatitis B virus infection have a substantial risk of [liver] carcinoma," said Dr. Pau-Chung Chen, a professor of environmental medicine and epidemiology at National Taiwan University, in Taipei. "Statin use is not only a benefit to preventing cardiovascular diseases, but also an additional, convenient and acceptable strategy for preventing hepatocellular carcinoma," or liver cancer, Chen said.
However, statins can cause a potentially dangerous rise in liver enzymes and liver damage. Regular liver function tests are required for all people who take statins.
The study appeared online Jan. 23 in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.
"This is exciting and unequivocally solid research," said Dr. Eugene Schiff, a professor of medicine and director of the Center for Liver Diseases at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine.
"One of the issues is that statins are relatively contraindicated in people with liver disease," Schiff said. But "the take-home message for people with hepatitis B or anybody with liver disease is that statins are safe. This re-emphasizes the point that if someone has chronic hepatitis B and there is an indication for statins, they should get them and they may be beneficial far beyond lowering cholesterol: They may also reduce their risk for liver cancer."
Dr. David Bernstein, chief of hepatology at North Shore University Hospital and Long Island Jewish Medical Center in Manhasset, N.Y., is more cautious. "In almost all other liver conditions, cirrhosis must be present before [liver cancer] develops," he said. During cirrhosis, scar tissue replaces healthy liver tissue. "Statins must be used with caution in patients with cirrhosis, which can limit their use in patients with liver disease at risk of developing liver cancer," he said. "Further studies are needed in this patient population to confirm these findings."
More information
For information on hepatitis B, visit the U.S. National Digestive Diseases Information Clearinghouse.
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Investing In Education | City Year New York Blog
Hannah Prescott-Eberle, corps member on the Newtown High School Microsoft team in Elmhurst, Queens, shared a story about her service: "Ruddy and I sit down in class every day to review his English and Math work to make sure everything is complete, and in the past few months his attendance and coursework have improved dramatically. "
Yesterday, at our Second Annual Investment Community Breakfast, we brought?together more than 100 professionals from the investment community for a morning of inspiration, and thanks to the investment from our?attendees and an?anonymous match, we were able to raise more that a quarter million dollars before 9am. This year?s breakfast featured two longtime friends and?industry insiders, Fred Poses, Chief Executive Officer of Ascend Performance Materials and Operating Partner of SK Capital Partners, and Louis A. Simpson, Chairman of SQ Advisors, LLC, for a discussion moderated by Gerry Fabrikant, former senior writer for the business section of the New York Times.
Charlotte Twaalfhoven, CYNY '11 Alumna, joined us for this special event. Today, she supports others in philanthropic giving.
We enjoyed their take on the state of the economy, world markets, and how the tax code is influencing growth. We also discussed education reforms and the role philanthropy can play. ?One of the big problems in the U.S., is that companies want to expand in the U.S. but they can?t find the workforce that is trained to do the jobs,? said Mr. Simpson, ?this is basically a fault of our education system in crucial areas.? Today Mr. Simpson pledged to join our Individual Team Sponsor Program and encouraged others to do the same, ?I hope all of you will join me because I think it?s [City Year] a great organization.?
?Lou wants to give money, whether it is an investment or through philanthropy, to people and organizations that are doing good things, and doing them as effectively as they could,? said Mr. Poses, as he praised Mr. Simpson for his pledge. Mr. Poses is working with a team at CYNY helping to determine the most effective way for us to grow our impact in schools. ?Philanthropy is not only about giving, but giving of your skills and tools? he said, ?some of our most rewarding moments are working with the people in nonprofits and seeing all that they can do to make themselves better.?
After some great discussions about education reform and the importance of giving with Louis A. Simpson and Fred Poses, Gerry Fabrikant (center) opened the floor up for professionals of the investment community to ask some of their own questions.
We would not be able to host an event like this without the dedication of our Investment Community Board (ICB). ICB member, Shreyas D Gupta?from Sandell Asset Management, spoke about his first introduction to City Year and how he found himself making it a priority in his life. ?If these young adults want to give one year of their life to helping the community it is incumbent on us to rise up to support them,? said Mr. Gupta. ?They represent a vast ocean of potential and that is very important to me.?
We would like to thank Barclays Capital and?CYNY Advisory Board Member Jeff Davis?for hosting this event.
And a final thank you to our Investment Community Board (listed below) and to all of our attendees for your investment in City Year.
2012 INVESTMENT COMMUNITY BOARD
REED CARROLL Butler Capital Investments, LLC
DREW CHIN Woodson Capital Management
TOM CLARK Apax Partners
BEN FARKAS Hellman & Friedman
JUSTIN FRANKEL Wavecrest Asset Management
SHREYAS GUPTA Sandell Asset Management
WILDER HARVARD Morgan Stanley | Prime Brokerage
TYLER HENRITZE The Blackstone Group
DAVID HOBBS Tiger Eye Capital
ROB PAHLAVAN Family Equity Partners, LLC
NICK RENWICK
DOUG ROSS Normandy Hill Capital, LP
See more pictures from the event here.
Learn about last year?s breakfast here.
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Source: http://cityyearnewyork.wordpress.com/2012/01/27/investing-in-education/
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Saturday, January 28, 2012
Iolo System Mechanic 10.7
If sluggish PC performance is giving you the blues, you'd do well to invest in the $39.95 Iolo System Mechanic 10.7, a utility suite?designed to blow the virtual dust out of worn machines by repairing the registry, defragging the hard drive, and eliminating files that stymie snappy performance. Iolo System Mechanic 10.7 serves up a host of new features not present in previous builds we've reviewed, including Designated Drivers which manages drivers in an attempt to keep your PC problem free. All in all, Iolo System Mechanic remains one of the best PC tune-up utilities around, as it digs deep, cleans up PCs well, and offers informative, easy-to-understand help about the problems that plague computers.
System Requirements and Interface
Compatible with Windows 7, Vista, and XP PCs, Iolo System Mechanics 10 requires just 30MB of disk space, 256MB of RAM, and an Internet connection for activating the license.?Unlike most PC tune-up utilities such as TuneUp Utilities 2012 (4 stars, $49.95), which limit you on the number of licenses, Iolo System Mechanic 10.7 lets you install the software on any number of computers provided that it's not for business purposes?a welcome feature in the age of the multi-PC household.
The interface looks very similar to previous entries in the Iolo System Mechanic family with the familiar red-white-and-blue color scheme. Like the previous version of System Mechanic, this version has several options in the left pane (Overview, Problems, Automated Tasks, Anti-malware, Firewall, All-in-One Tools, Individual Tools) the content of which appears in the main pane when clicked.
Iolo System Mechanic 10.7 also installs a useful widget on the desktop that gives you at-a-glance PC health and security readings. From this widget, you can launch any number of Iolo System Mechanic 10.7's features to begin the clean up process.
The Clean Up Process
The Overview screen opens by default when the program is launched, and it's where the "Analyze Now" button lives. Clicking the arrow next to it opened drop-down box that presented two choices: "Perform Quick Analysis" and "Perform Deep Analysis." The former is a one- to two-minute scan that looks for the most common PC problems; the latter is a five- to seven-minute scan that checks for all problems. Considering the heavy use that our test laptop had received, I went with the second option. Approximately six minutes later finished the scan and uncovered over 2,000 problems.
Beneath the reading appeared a highlighted message: "Boost speed and stability by removing redundant programs with CRUDD Remover." CRUDD is Iolo's acronym for Commonly Redundant or Unnecessary Decelerators and Destabilizers?fancy talk for duplicate programs that clog your system. The idea behind CRUDD Remover is to eliminate those extra programs as each application install theoretically slows your PC's performance a bit. After running CRUDD Remover, 9 problems were detected on the PC, which were explained in wonderful detail on the "Problems" screen.
What I found truly cool was that Iolo System Mechanic 10 didn't just serve up a number?it provided blurbs that explained why these problems negatively impact performance. I checked off all nine problems, clicked the "Repair All" button, and performed the required reboot. Performing another deep scan revealed that all but one problem was fixed, and that straggler was one beyond Iolo System Mechanic 10.7's scope: No installed anti-malware program was detected on the system.
I also ran Iolo's patent-pending Program Accelerator, which smartly re-aligns all of a program's dependent files on the hard drive. It's touted as being better than disk defragmenters, which can blindly compact and separate files even more. Program Accelerator took approximately 15 minutes for to work its magic, and, when it was done, I discovered that it had re-aligned over 30,000 files and eliminated nearly 100 file fragments. Four further files were defragmented after a restart.
Performance Improvements
I tested Iolo System Mechanic 10.7's ability to whip a PC back into shape by performing three tests?running the Geekbench system performance tool, measuring boot times, and transferring a 1.1GB folder of mixed media to external storage?before and after running the software to compare the computer's potency. Each test was run three times and averaged. Before AVG PC Tuneup 2011 scrubbed the system, the 2-GHz Intel Core i7 X990 Style-Note notebook with 4GB of RAM, and an 80GB Intel SSD drive achieved a 5,903 Geekbench score, booted in 50.3 seconds, and transferred the 1.1GB folder in 40.5 seconds.
After using Iolo System Mechanic 10.7, the system saw the most improved performance of all the tune-up utilities tested: The GeekBench score rose to 6064 (better than TuneUp Utilities 2012's 6045); the boot time decreased to just 37.1 seconds (on a par with TuneUp Utilities 2012's 37 seconds). The file transfer speed dropped to 40.8 seconds (swifter than TuneUp Utilities 2012's 41.1 seconds).?The overall system performance was incredibly fast and snappy?windows and menus opened in a blink.
Designated Drivers and NetBooster
Designated Drivers, a new feature to version 10.7, helps you find and install safe drivers for your computer?drivers that have been tested and certified by Microsoft. I liked that this driver utility is a part of Iolo System Mechanic 10.7 and not a separate application (which is the case with SlimWare Utilities SlimCleaner and SlimWare Utilities DiverUpdate). Designated Drivers found two driver updates for my PC, but Slimware Utilities DriverUpdate found a whopping 74.
The NetBooster internet booster is designed to stabilize and speed up your internet connection by optimizing settings?Iolo states that it's beneficial to run it before playing Web-connected video games and assists in opening Web pages faster. Cracked.com loaded in 5.9 seconds before running NetBooster, which decreased slightly (after clearing the browser's Internet history, rebooting, and activating the tool) to 5.3 seconds?a marginal increase.
Should You Use Iolo System Mechanic 10.7?
The answer is a resounding yes. Iolo System Mechanic 10.7 has simple interface, easy-to-understand problem definitions, and a deep array of performance-enhancing tools that produce excellent all-around scores. Iolo System Mechanic remains the PC tune-up-utility champion.
More Utility Suites Reviews:
??? Iolo System Mechanic 10.7
??? Diskeeper 2011 Professional
??? Avanquest Fix-It Utilities 11 Professional
??? Norton Utilities
??? AVG PC Tuneup 2011
?? more
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ziffdavis/pcmag/~3/w-7L2zSR7ZE/0,2817,2371043,00.asp
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Samsung 2011 Q4 earnings official: $42 billion in sales, $4.7 billion operating profit
Well the call just finished up, and Sammy provided some prognosication for 2012. It anticipates the mobile business to continue to grow, with LTE and and new market segments (read: Galaxy Note) helping drive sales. TV sales are also expected to remain on the uptick, as Samsung anticipates demand to continue growing due in part to the London Olympics and roll-out of more Smart TVs. Feel free to check out all the numbers giving Samsung reason for its optimism at the source link below.
Samsung 2011 Q4 earnings official: $42 billion in sales, $4.7 billion operating profit originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 26 Jan 2012 19:37:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Friday, January 27, 2012
Studies: Avastin may fight early breast cancers (AP)
Surprising results from two new studies may reopen debate about the value of Avastin for breast cancer. The drug helped make tumors disappear in certain women with early-stage disease, researchers found.
Avastin recently lost approval for treating advanced breast cancer, but the new studies suggest it might help women whose disease has not spread so widely. These were the first big tests of the drug for early breast cancer, and doctors were cautiously excited that it showed potential to help.
In one study, just over one third of women given Avastin plus chemotherapy for a few months before surgery had no sign of cancer in their breasts when doctors went to operate, versus 28 percent of women given chemo alone. In the other study, more than 18 percent on Avastin plus chemo had no cancer in their breasts or lymph nodes at surgery versus 15 percent of those on chemo alone.
A big caveat, though: The true test is whether Avastin improves survival, and it's too soon to know that ? both studies are still tracking the women's health. The drug also has serious side effects.
"I don't think it's clear yet whether this is going to be a winner," Dr. Harry Bear of Virginia Commonwealth University said of Avastin. But he added, "I don't think we're done with it."
Bear led one study, in the United States. Dr. Gunter von Minckwitz of the University of Frankfurt led the other in Germany. Results are in Thursday's New England Journal of Medicine.
Avastin (uh-VAS'-tihn) is still on the market for some colon, lung, kidney and brain tumors. In 2008, it won conditional U.S. approval for advanced breast cancer because it seemed to slow the disease. Further research showed it didn't meaningfully extend life and could cause heart problems, bleeding and other problems. The government revoked its approval for breast cancer in November.
Now doctors can prescribe Avastin for breast cancer but insurers may not pay. Treatment can cost $10,000 a month. The drug is made by California-based Genentech, part of the Swiss company Roche. It is still approved for treating advanced breast cancer in Europe and Japan.
The new studies tested it in a relatively novel way ? before surgery. This is sometimes done to shrink tumors that seem inoperable, or to enable women to have just a lump removed instead of the whole breast.
The women in the studies had tumors that were large enough to warrant treatment besides surgery. Their cancers were not the type that can be treated by Herceptin, another widely used drug.
In the U.S. study, 1,200 women were given chemo or chemo plus infusions of Avastin. By the time of their surgery, no cancer could be found in the breasts of more than 34 percent of those given Avastin versus 28 percent of the others. (Surgeons still have to operate because they don't know the tumor is gone until they check tissue samples.)
The German study involved 1,900 women including some with larger tumors. It used a stricter definition of cancer-free at surgery: no sign of disease in the breast or lymph nodes rather than just the breast. No cancer was seen in 18 percent of women on Avastin versus 15 percent of those given only chemo. Different chemo drugs were used ? a factor that might change Avastin's effectiveness.
The U.S. study was paid for by the National Cancer Institute with some support from drug companies. The German study was sponsored by drug companies. Some researchers consult for Genentech or other makers of cancer drugs.
If even one of these studies shows a survival advantage for Avastin "that would be a game changer" although side effects remain a concern, said Dr. Gary Lyman. He is a Duke University researcher who was on the federal advisory panel that recommended revoking Avastin's approval.
However, von Minckwitz said side effects are more justifiable in early breast cancer patients because "the intention is cure" rather than in late-stage disease where cure isn't usually possible.
Of the more than 200,000 women in the U.S. diagnosed each year with breast cancer, about 30,000 are like those in the new studies, Lyman estimated.
But the studies' impact could be far greater: The participants' tissue samples are being analyzed for genes and biomarkers to predict which women are most likely to respond to Avastin. That could lead to a relook of using the drug for certain women with advanced disease, too.
Three other studies are under way testing Avastin in early breast cancer; one is expected to have results by the end of this year, said Dr. Sandra Horning, global development chief of cancer drugs for Roche and Genentech. The company does not plan to seek any change in Avastin's use until more results are available, she said.
___
Online:
Studies: http://www.nejm.org
Avastin: http://www.avastin.com
___
Marilynn Marchione can be followed at http://twitter.com/MMarchioneAP
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Thursday, January 26, 2012
Erectile function restored with stem cells
Damage to parts of the penis vital for proper erections has been repaired for the first time with the help of stem cells. In rats, the treatment restored full erections, improved blood flow and accelerated healing.
Ultimately, the researchers hope to treat the 3 to 9 per cent of men who have Peyronie's disease, which damages the membrane surrounding the chambers within the penis that swell with blood during arousal. This makes it difficult to achieve a straight erection.
Wayne Hellstrom of Tulane University in New Orleans, Louisiana, and colleagues, extracted stem cells from fat and placed them onto layers of tissue taken from the lining of pig intestine. This material, called small intestinal submucosa (SIS), is already used to replace damaged membrane in men with Peyronie's disease, but Hellstrom wanted to see whether adding stem cells would improve healing.
Two months after therapy, tissue analysis showed less scarring and higher levels of regenerative agents such as fibroblast growth factor ? which accelerate healing ? in rats treated with SIS plus stem cells compared with those treated with SIS alone. "The stem cells induced factors that enhanced blood supply, tissue restoration and erectile function," says Hellstrom.
Production of enzymes that make a blood vessel relaxant vital for erections was also higher in rats given the stem cells Hellstrom hopes to be able to offer a similar treatment to men.
"The apparent mechanisms of action are consistent with other clinical studies showing that fat-derived stem cells are particularly good at improving blood supply and reducing scarring," says Marc Hedrick of regenerative medicine firm Cytori in San Diego, California.
Read more: "Stem cells turn into breast implants"
Journal reference: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1113810109
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Wednesday, January 25, 2012
Williams, 49ers fumble away chance at Super Bowl (AP)
SAN FRANCISCO ? Kyle Williams put his hands on his helmet and dropped his head in disgust. A second big mistake by its backup punt returner did in San Francisco at the worst possible time.
Williams fumbled in overtime to set up Lawrence Tynes' 31-yard field goal, and the 49ers lost the NFC championship game to the New York Giants 20-17 on Sunday.
Williams, returning kicks in place of the injured Ted Ginn Jr., muffed one punt early in the fourth quarter to set up a go-ahead touchdown for New York, then was stripped by Jacquian Williams in overtime to give the Giants the ball at the 24.
"You hate to be the last guy that had the ball, to give it away in that fashion and to lose a game of this magnitude," Williams said. "It is what it is. We're going to move forward as a team. Everyone has come to pat me on the back and the shoulder to say it's not me."
After three runs and a kneeldown, Tynes kicked the game-winner, and Williams slowly made a dejected walk back to the locker room as the 49ers missed out on a prime chance to go to the Super Bowl.
"It will be a tough one," coach Jim Harbaugh said. "It will take a while to get over."
The fact that turnovers did in San Francisco was truly surprising. The 49ers tied an NFL record with just 10 giveaways all season ? including none on special teams ? and had a plus-28 turnover margin in the regular season. They took advantage of five New Orleans turnovers to win 36-32 last week but were on the wrong end in this game because of Williams.
Williams, the son of Chicago White Sox general manager Ken Williams, did not look smooth fielding punts after doing it just twice in the regular season.
He made a dangerous, sliding catch on one return and called a fair catch on another with room to run. He then made his first big miscue after San Francisco forced a punt early in the fourth quarter while protecting a 14-10 lead.
Steve Weatherford hit a short, bouncing punt that Williams came up to try to field. He backed away at the last minute, but the ball glanced off his right knee and was recovered by Devin Thomas at the San Francisco 29. The play was originally not ruled a fumble but was overturned by instant replay.
"I told him we're all in this together," San Francisco All Pro linebacker Patrick Willis said. "I believe in him. If I had a do-over, he'd still be my guy back there. He's a tremendous athlete."
Six plays later, Eli Manning threw a 17-yard touchdown pass to Mario Manningham, who beat backup cornerback Tramaine Brock on third-and-15. Brock was playing in place of starter Tarell Brown, who left late in the third quarter after a violent collision with teammate Dashon Goldson.
Williams helped atone for his miscue when he returned the ensuing kickoff 40 yards to help set up David Akers' tying field goal late in regulation.
But on his second return in overtime, Williams gave the ball away again. He fielded the punt at the 19 and was stripped by Jacquian Williams. Thomas once again pounced on the ball at the 24, setting up the Giants' winning kick and ending San Francisco's most successful season in years.
"It was one of those situations where I caught the ball, tried to head upfield, tried to make a play and it ended up for the worse," Williams said.
Harbaugh got the Niners to the brink of the Super Bowl in his first season, taking over a 6-10 team and going 13-3 to win the NFC West. The ability to protect the ball and cause turnovers was the biggest reason for the turnaround.
But the Niners forced no turnovers by the Giants and were ultimately done in by Williams' costly giveaways.
The Niners really did miss Ginn, who injured his right knee in last week's thrilling 36-32 win over New Orleans. San Francisco was already thin at receiver after releasing Braylon Edwards late in the regular season and was unable to get anything out of its wideouts this game.
San Francisco's wide receivers had just one catch all game ? a 3-yarder by Michael Crabtree on a third-and-5 play before Akers' tying field goal with 5:39 left in regulation.
The bulk of San Francisco's offense came on two big passes from Alex Smith to Vernon Davis. They connected on a 73-yarder to open the scoring in the first quarter and a 28-yarder to take a 14-10 lead in the third.
The 49ers converted just one of 13 third downs all game, with the only conversion coming on the final play of regulation, leaving plenty of blame to go to players besides Williams.
"We all know him," Smith said. "We know how committed he is to winning. It's not on him. I look at the 1-for-13 on third downs. I know he's going to feel bad, but he's still part of our team. We didn't lose the game there. We lost it across the board offensively. We just couldn't get it done."
So now instead of the 49ers' coach taking on his brother, John, in the "Superbaugh" in Indianapolis in two weeks, the Harbaughs will be watching the big game in part because of special teams.
John's Ravens fell earlier in the day to New England 23-20 when Billy Cundiff pushed a 32-yard field goal attempt wide left in the closing seconds of the AFC title game.
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Tuesday, January 24, 2012
Heated charges, counter-charges in Florida debate
Republican presidential candidates former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, left, and former House Speaker Newt Gingrich gesture during a Republican presidential debate Monday Jan. 23, 2012, at the University of South Florida in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)
Republican presidential candidates former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, left, and former House Speaker Newt Gingrich gesture during a Republican presidential debate Monday Jan. 23, 2012, at the University of South Florida in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)
Republican presidential candidates, from left, former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, and Rep. Ron Paul, R-Texas, stand on stage before a Republican Presidential debate Monday, Jan. 23, 2012, at the University of South Florida in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)
Republican presidential candidate former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney gestures during a Republican presidential debate Monday Jan. 23, 2012, at the University of South Florida in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)
Republican presidential candidate former House Speaker Newt Gingrich gestures during a Republican presidential debate Monday Jan. 23, 2012, at the University of South Florida in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)
Republican presidential candidate Rep. Ron Paul, R-Texas, gestures during a Republican Presidential debate Monday Jan. 23, 2012, at the University of South Florida in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)
TAMPA, Fla. (AP) ? Republican presidential contenders Mitt Romney and Newt Gingrich clashed repeatedly in heated, personal terms Monday night in a crackling campaign debate, the former Massachusetts governor tagging his rival as a Washington "influence peddler," only to be accused in turn of spreading falsehoods over many years in politics.
"You've been walking around the state saying things that are untrue," Gingrich told his rival in a two-hour debate marked by occasional interruptions and finger-pointing.
The event marked the first encounter among the four remaining GOP contenders ? former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum and Texas Rep. Ron Paul shared the stage ? since Gingrich won the South Carolina primary in an upset last weekend.
His double-digit victory reset the race to pick a rival to challenge Democratic President Barack Obama this fall, and the next contest is the Jan. 31 Florida primary.
With a week of campaigning ahead, Romney is expected to release his income tax return for 2010 as well as an estimate for 2011 on Tuesday. He said it will show he paid all the taxes he was obligated to pay, adding, "I don't think the voters want a president who pays more than he owes."
Following his defeat in South Carolina, Romney can ill afford to lose in Florida, and he was the aggressor from the opening moments Monday night. He said Gingrich had "resigned in disgrace" from Congress after four years as speaker and then had spent the next 15 years "working as an influence peddler."
In particular, he referred to the contract Gingrich's consulting firm had with Freddie Mac, a government-backed mortgage giant that he said "did a lot of bad for a lot of people and you were working there."
Romney also said Gingrich had lobbied lawmakers to approve legislation creating a new prescription drug benefit under Medicare.
"I have never, ever gone and done any lobbying," Gingrich retorted emphatically, adding that his firm had hired an expert to explain to employees "the bright line between what you can do as a citizen and what you do as a lobbyist."
Romney counterpunched, referring to the $300,000 that Gingrich's consulting firm received in 2006 from Freddie Mac, the government-backed mortgage giant.
And when Gingrich sought to turn the tables by inquiring about the private equity firm that Romney founded, the former Massachusetts governor replied: "We didn't do any work with the government. ...I wasn't a lobbyist."
As for the Medicare prescription drug benefit, Gingrich expressed pride in having supported it. "It has saved lives. It's run on a free enterprise model," he said in a state that is home to millions of seniors.
Whatever the stated subject, the debate's subtext was character ? and electability, the quality that Republican voters say consistently matters most to them in the race.
Gingrich said voters don't want a president who will "manage the decay," but change the country. "That requires sending somebody who's prepared to be controversial when necessary."
Romney pointed to his career in business, his turn as head of the Salt Lake City Olympics and a term as governor of Massachusetts.
Obama took his lumps, as customary in a Republican debate.
Romney said the president lacks a vision for NASA, and said, "There are people on the Space Coast that are suffering and Florida itself is suffering as a result."
He proposed that "a collection" of academics and private investors consult with the president on a new mission for the space agency and have the program funded jointly by the government and private industry.
Gingrich called that answer "building a bigger bureaucracy" and instead proposed handing out prizes to people who come up with ways to "make the Space Coast literally hum with activity." Going back to the moon permanently, putting a man on mars and building space stations should be priorities, he said.
When the debate turned to immigration, one moderator noted that Romney and Santorum have said they would veto the "Dream Act," which would create conditions under which illegal immigrant minors might achieve U.S. citizenship, and asked if Gingrich agreed.
"No, I would work to get a signable version," he said. "I think any young person brought here by their parents when they were young should have the same opportunity to join the American military and earn citizenship."
Romney said that was the same as his position.
Moments later, he was asked to reconcile two other statements he has made about immigration, that while he doesn't want to deport millions of illegal immigrants, he wants them to return to their home countries and apply for citizenship. "The answer is self-deportation, which is people decide they can do better by going home," he said.
At times, the other two contenders on stage were reduced to supporting roles.
Asked if he could envision a path to the nomination for himself, Santorum said the race has so far been defined by its unpredictability.
He jumped at the chance to criticize both Romney and Gingrich for having supported the big federal bailouts of Wall Street in 2008.
He also said both men had abandoned conservative principles by supporting elements of "cap and trade" legislation to curb pollution emissions from industrial sites. "When push came to shove, they were pushed," he said.
Paul sidestepped when moderator Brian Williams of NBC asked if he would run as a third-party candidate in the fall if he doesn't win the nomination. "I have no intention," he said, but he didn't rule it out.
Paul has said he will largely bypass Florida to concentrate on states that are holding caucuses.
Hit at the outset with Romney' charge that he had resigned Congress in disgrace and went on to a career peddling his own influence, Gingrich said two men who had run against the former governor in the 2008 campaign, John McCain and Mike Huckabee, had said he couldn't tell the truth.
The polls post-South Carolina show Gingrich and Romney leading in the Florida primary. That and the former speaker's weekend victory explained why the two were squabbling even before the debate began, and why they tangled almost instantly once it had begun.
Romney began airing a harshly critical new campaign ad and said the former House speaker had engaged in "potentially wrongful activity" with the consulting work he did after leaving Congress in the late 1990s.
Gingrich retorted that Romney was a candidate who was campaigning on openness yet "has released none of his business records."
He followed up two hours before the debate by arranging the release of a contract his former consulting firm had with the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corp. for a retainer of $25,000 per month in 2006, or a total for the year of $300,000. The agreement called for "consulting and related services."
Despite Romney's attempts to call Gingrich a lobbyist, the contract makes no mention of lobbying.
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Marine accepts plea deal in Iraqi civilian deaths (AP)
CAMP PENDLETON, Calif. ? A Marine sergeant who told his troops to "shoot first, ask questions later" in a raid that killed unarmed Iraqi women, children and elderly pleaded guilty Monday in a deal that will carry no more than three months confinement and end the largest and longest-running criminal case against U.S. troops from the Iraq War.
The agreement marked a stunning and muted end to the case once described as the Iraq War's version of the My Lai massacre in Vietnam. The government failed to get one manslaughter conviction in the case that implicated eight Marines in the deaths of 24 Iraqis in the town of Haditha in 2005.
Staff Sgt. Frank Wuterich, 31, of Meriden, Conn., who was originally accused of unpremeditated murder, pleaded guilty to negligent dereliction of duty for leading his troops to disregard rules of combat when they raided homes after a roadside bomb exploded near their convoy, killing one Marine and wounding two others.
The Haditha incident is considered among the war's defining moments, further tainting America's reputation when it was already at a low point after the release of photos of prisoner abuse by U.S. soldiers at Abu Ghraib prison.
"The case doesn't end with a bang, it ends with a whimper and a pretty weak whimper at that," said Gary Solis, a former Marine Corps prosecutor and judge. "When you have 24 dead bodies and you get dereliction of duty, that's pretty good defense work."
Wuterich, his family and his attorneys declined to comment after he entered the plea that halted his manslaughter trial at Camp Pendleton before a jury of combat Marines who served in Iraq.
Prosecutors also declined to comment on the plea deal. Marine Corps spokesman Lt. Col. Joseph Kloppel said the deal was not a reflection or in any way connected to how the prosecution felt their case was going in the trial.
Wuterich, the father of three children, had faced the possibility of life behind bars when he was charged with nine counts of manslaughter, among other charges.
The prosecution implicated him in 19 of the 24 deaths.
The manslaughter charges will be dropped now that Wuterich has pleaded guilty to the minor dereliction of duty charge. As a result, he faces a maximum of three months in confinement, two-thirds forfeiture of pay and a rank demotion to private when he's sentenced.
Both sides will present arguments Tuesday during a sentencing hearing. Seven other Marines were acquitted or had charges dismissed in the case.
The killings still fuel anger in Iraq after becoming the primary reason behind demands that U.S. troops not be given immunity from their court system.
Kamil al-Dulaimi, a Sunni lawmaker from the Anbar provincial capital of Ramadi, called the plea deal a travesty of justice for the victims and their families.
"It's just another barbaric act of Americans against Iraqis," al-Dulaimi told The Associated Press. "They spill the blood of Iraqis and get this worthless sentence for the savage crime against innocent civilians."
News of the plea agreement came late in the evening in Iraq, just hours before curfew most cities still impose, producing no noticeable public reaction. Government officials didn't immediately respond to requests for comment.
The issue at the court martial was whether Wuterich reacted appropriately as a Marine squad leader in protecting his troops in the midst of a chaotic war or disregarded combat rules and ordered his men to shoot and blast indiscriminately at Iraqi civilians.
Prosecutors said he lost control after seeing the body of his friend blown apart by the bomb and led his men on a rampage in which they stormed two nearby homes, blasting their way in with gunfire and grenades. Among the dead was a man in a wheelchair.
Wuterich has said he regretted the loss of civilian lives but believed he was operating within military combat rules.
During Monday's hearing, he acknowledged he told the squad before the raids to shoot without hesitation, leading them to believe they could ignore the rules of combat. He told the judge that caused "tragic events."
"I think we all understood what we were doing so I probably just should have said nothing," Wuterich told the judge, Lt. Col. David Jones.
He admitted he did not positively identify his targets, as he had been trained to do. He also said he ordered his troops to assault the homes based on the guidance of his platoon commander at the time.
Wuterich also acknowledged in his plea that the squad did not take any gunfire during the 45-minute raid on the homes or find any weapons.
After Haditha, Marine commanders ordered troops to try and distinguish between civilians and combatants.
The prosecution had several squad members testify, but many said they do not believe to this day that they did anything wrong because they feared insurgents were inside hiding. Several also acknowledged lying to investigators in the past, leaving doubt about their credibility.
The prosecution was further hurt by the testimony of former Lt. William T. Kallop, Wuterich's former platoon commander, who said the squad was justified in its actions because the house was declared hostile. From what was understood of the rules of combat at the time, that meant Marines could attack without hesitation, Kallop said.
Legal experts say the prosecution had an uphill battle because of the delay caused by six years of pre-trial wrangling between the defense and prosecution, including over whether the military could use unaired outtakes from an interview Wuterich gave in 2007 to the CBS newsmagazine "60 Minutes."
Prosecutors eventually won that right but overestimated its value, analysts say.
Solis, the former military prosecutor, said the military should have pushed for an earlier trial to ensure witnesses' memories were fresh.
"Six years for a trial is unacceptable," said Solis, who teaches law of war at Georgetown University Law Center. "Delay is always to the benefit of the accused."
He said prosecutors may have been cowed by the Army's missteps in its handling of the death of former NFL star and Ranger Pat Tillman from friendly fire in Afghanistan in 2004.
___
Associated Press writers Barbara Surk and Mazin Yahya in Baghdad, and Elliot Spagat in San Diego contributed to this report.
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Monday, January 23, 2012
AP IMPACT: Meth fills hospitals with burn patients
ST. LOUIS (AP) ? A crude new method of making methamphetamine poses a risk even to Americans who never get anywhere near the drug: It is filling hospitals with thousands of uninsured burn patients requiring millions of dollars in advanced treatment ? a burden so costly that it's contributing to the closure of some burn units.
So-called shake-and-bake meth is produced by combining unstable ingredients in a 2-liter soda bottle. The slightest error can cause an explosion resulting in disfigurement, blindness, even death.
An Associated Press survey of key hospitals in the nation's most active meth states showed that up to a third of patients in some burn units were hurt while making meth, and most were uninsured. One study found that the average meth patient runs up medical bills of $130,000.
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Sunday, January 22, 2012
iVoices On the Issues: Gay Marriage
iVoice Stephanie Stearns Dulli gets fired up about the subject of gay rights and longs for the day when Democrats and Republicans agree to give gay people the same rights as straight men and women.
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Fiery debate tops bizarre GOP campaign day in SC (AP)
NORTH CHARLESTON, S.C. ? The race for the Republican presidential nomination took a turn toward the South Carolina surreal Thursday as Rick Perry dropped out, Newt Gingrich faced stunning allegations from an ex-wife and Mitt Romney struggled to maintain a shaky front-runner's standing.
An aggressive evening debate capped the bewildering day.
Former Sen. Rick Santorum played aggressor for much of the night, trying to inject himself into what seemed increasingly like a two-way race with little more than a day remaining until the South Carolina polls open on Saturday. He accused Gingrich and Romney of "playing footsies with the left" when it came to health care. Both men rejected the allegations.
The debate began a few hours after first word that Romney had been stripped of his Iowa caucus victory, only to be stung a few hours later by Perry's withdrawal and endorsement of Gingrich.
Gingrich, in turn, was accused by an ex-wife of seeking an open marriage so he could keep his mistress.
"Newt's not perfect, but who among us is," said Perry, abruptly quitting the race just before the first-in-the-South primary.
His decision to end a once-promising candidacy left Romney, Gingrich, Santorum and Texas Rep. Ron Paul the remaining contenders in the race to pick a Republican to challenge Democratic President Barack Obama this fall.
Nine hours after Perry exited one stage, the four remaining contenders walked onto another for a final pre-primary debate.
Gingrich angrily denounced the news media for putting his ex-wife front and center in the final days of the race. "Let me be clear, the story is false," he said. Santorum, Romney and Paul steered well clear of the controversy. "Let's get onto the real issues, that's all I've got to say," said Romney, although he pointed out that he and his wife, Ann, have been married for 42 years.
The audience gave Gingrich a standing ovation when he assailed the media, a reaction he can only hope is reflected in voter sentiment on Saturday.
All four remaining GOP candidates lustily attacked Obama, while Santorum in particular sought to raise his own profile.
Introduced to the audience at the outset, he mentioned his change of fortunes in Iowa, where an evident eight-vote defeat in caucuses on Jan 3 was belated transformed into a 34-vote advantage ? though the Iowa Republican Party did not declare a winner.
Santorum jabbed at both Gingrich and Romney, but seemed to focus more attention on the former. If Gingrich is the party nominee, he said, "you sort of have that worrisome moment that something's going to pop. And we can't afford that in a nominee."
In a reflection of the complex political dynamics of the race, first Gingrich and then Santorum challenged Romney over his well-documented switch of position on abortion. Once a supporter of a woman's life to choose, he now says he is "pro-life."
Gingrich didn't exactly question Romney's change in position, but he didn't embrace it, either, saying, "He had an experience in a lab and became pro-life."
Romney bristled. "I'm not questioned on character or integrity very often. I don't feel like standing here for that."
Recent polls, coupled with Perry's endorsement, suggested Gingrich was the candidate with the momentum and Romney the one struggling to validate his standing as front-runner. Whatever else the impact, the day's events reduced the number of contenders vying to emerge as Romney's principal conservative alternative.
The former Massachusetts governor had other challenges in a state where unemployment approaches 10 percent. He adamantly refused to explain why some of his millions were invested in the Cayman Islands, how much was there or whether any other funds were held offshore.
Under pressure from his rivals to release his income tax returns before the weekend ? a demand first made by Perry in a debate on Monday ? he told reporters it wouldn't happen. "You'll hear more about that. April," he said, a position he renewed during the debate to jeers from the audience.
Gingrich pursued an approach Perry used in the earlier debate.
"If there's anything that's in there that's going to help us lose the election, we should know before the election. If there's not, why not release it?" he said.
Gingrich released his own tax return during the day, reporting that he paid the IRS $613,517 in taxes on more than $3.1 million in income. He also donated about 2 percent of his income to charity.
His effective tax rate, roughly 31.6 percent of his adjusted income, was about double what Romney told reporters earlier this week he had paid.
Gingrich grappled with problems of a different, possibly even more crippling sort in a state where more than half the Republican electorate is evangelical.
In an interview scheduled to air on ABC News, Marianne Gingrich said her ex-husband had wanted an "open marriage" so he could have both a wife and a mistress. She said Gingrich conducted an affair with Callista Bistek ? his current wife ? "in my bedroom in our apartment in Washington" while she was elsewhere.
"He was asking to have an open marriage and I refused. That is not a marriage," she said in excerpts released by the network in advance of the program.
He said his two daughters from the first of his three marriages ? the ex-wife making the accusations was the second of three ? had sent a letter to ABC "complaining about this as tawdry and inappropriate."
In fact, the letter made no such accusations. Instead, Kathy Lubbers and Jackie Cushman wrote ABC that anyone who has endured a failed marriage "understands it is a personal tragedy filled with regrets, and sometimes differing memories of events."
Those weren't the only political events in the run-up to the Saturday primary. Television commercials for the remaining candidates and their allies ran virtually without letup, generally designed to diminish each other's support.
According to information made available to The Associated Press, targeted viewers in most regions of the state were watching an average of about six commercials a day paid for by Romney's campaign and Restore Our Future, a group supporting him. Gingrich, Paul, Santorum and their backers raised the total higher.
Santorum ran commercials likening Romney to Obama; Gingrich's cast the former speaker as the only candidate who could defeat the president this fall. In a sign of the shifting campaign, Restore Our Future stopped attacking Santorum so it could concentrate its fire on Gingrich.
Santorum, whose fortunes have ebbed since what appeared to be a narrow loss in Iowa, pronounced himself the winner there after all when state party officials in Des Moines announced he had finished 34 votes ahead of Romney instead of eight behind.
"There have been two contests. We won one," he said, and he proceeded to ridicule Romney and Gingrich as weak challengers to Obama. "How can you differentiate ourselves on the major issues of the day if we nominate tweedledum and tweedledee instead of someone who stood up and said, `No'?" he said to one audience, referring to his opposition to a requirement to purchase health care coverage.
Iowa Republican chairman Matt Strawn said the party would not name an official winner because the results were so close and some votes couldn't be counted. Results from eight of the state's 1,774 precincts were not certified to the state party by Wednesday's 5 p.m. deadline.
It was Strawn who had stepped before a microphone shortly before 2 a.m. in Des Moines on Jan. 4 to declare Romney the victor.
That announcement propelled the former Massachusetts governor into New Hampshire, where he breezed to victory in the opening primary of the campaign a week later.
He arrived in South Carolina the following day, front-runner then for sure, now more shakily so.
Perry's withdrawal mimicked one earlier in the week by former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman in that they both quit a few hours before a debate.
The similarities ended there, though. Huntsman endorsed Romney.
Perry had other thoughts, calling Gingrich a "conservative visionary who can transform our country."
Echoing words Huntsman said of Romney, Perry said he and Gingrich had their differences.
And in saying the former speaker was not perfect, he sought to provide political cover of a type that might reassure South Carolina voters for whom religious values are important.
"The fact is, there is forgiveness for those who seek God and I believe in the power of redemption, for it is a central tenet of my own Christian faith," Perry said.
His decision to withdraw set off a scramble among the remaining contenders for the allegiance of his supporters and donors, both in the state and nationally.
State Rep. Chip Limehouse of Charleston said he was expecting to speak by phone with both Romney and Gingrich later in the day before making up his mind.
"I'm looking and I really do think tonight's debate will determine the next president of the United States. That's how important it is," Peeler said.
Perry's exit marked the end of a campaign that began with soaring expectations but quickly faded. He shot to the head of the public opinion polls when he announced his candidacy last summer, but a string of poor debate performances soon led to a decline in support.
His defining moment came at one debate when he unaccountably could not recall the third of three federal agencies he has promised to abolish. He joked about it afterward but never recovered from the fumble.
In his farewell appearance as a candidate, he said he was bowing out of the 2012 campaign, seemingly a hint he would run again in four years if Republicans fail to win the White House this time.
An aide, Ray Sullivan was more explicit, telling reporters Perry hasn't ruled out running for governor again or for the White House in 2016 if Obama is re-elected.
___
Associated Press writers Thomas Beaumont, Beth Fouhy, Philip Elliott, Kasie Hunt and Shannon McCaffrey in South Carolina contributed to this story.
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