From The Scotsman:

Concern is growing for an Edinburgh University student who has been missing for over a week.

Yulia Solodyankina, 22, a Russian national who has been studying physics in the Capital for four years, was last seen leaving The Wee Red Bar at Edinburgh College of Art just after 9pm on the night of Thursday 6th June.

On Friday at around 2pm she sent a text message to a friend and also contacted her boyfriend through Facebook messaging, but has not been heard from since.

Friends first noticed something was amiss when she did not turn up to perform at Musselburgh Children’s Gala Day on Saturday. She was scheduled to perform with dance group Anansi, of which she is a member, at around noon. When friends tried to contact her, her mobile phone was switched off. It was later discovered along with her laptop in the South Clerk Street flat she shares with two other people.

Yulia’s family is understood to have come over to Edinburgh from Russia and are aiding the police with their enquiries.

A spokesman for Police Scotland confirmed that Yulia had been reported missing and that enquiries were ongoing. Anyone with any information about Yulia is encouraged to call 0131 311 3131 immediately.

osteocentric:

Cow mandible with honeycomb network of abcesses from actinomycosis infection. Actinomyces bovis is a gram-positive bacteria that leads to granulomatous abcessing of infected areas of the head and neck in cattle which can destroy bone. A related bacterium A. israelii causes a simillar but more rare condition in humans. In cattle the condition is referred to as “lumpy jaw.” Untreated, the infection will produce copious amounts of pus which discharges from the skin. Actinomyces were one thought to be a fungus because of their branching filamentous structures.

theolduvaigorge:

Human Genes Can’t Be Patented, Supreme Court Says

• by Rachael Rettner

“Human genes cannot be patented, according to a Supreme Court Ruling released today…In a 9-0 ruling, the Supreme Court said the company Myriad Genetics Inc. could not hold patents on two genes, BRCA1 and BRCA2, which are linked with a increase in the risk of breast and ovarian cancer. Myriad had argued genes were patentable, because when researchers “discover” genes and patent them, these genes are isolated from the human genome.

But in today’s ruling, Justice Clarence Thomas was quoted as saying: “We hold that a naturally occurring DNA segment is a product of nature and not patent-eligible merely because it has been isolated.” Thomas added, “To be sure, [Myriad] found an important and useful gene, but separating that gene from its surrounding genetic material is not an act of invention.”

Thousands of genes have been patented since the mid-1990s. But some argued that gene patents hinder genetic research because researchers fear they will infringe on a patent by conducting further research on a patented gene.”

See also:

• 4 Ways the Gene Patent Ruling Affects You
• 7 Diseases You Can Learn About From a Genetic Test
• Unraveling the Human Genome: 6 Molecular Milestones

(Source: Live Science)

About damn time. The patents on BRCA1 and BRCA2 made it almost impossible to do any sort of medical test or research with these genes because the company that held the patents charged a ridiculous amount  for every individual test that that involved either gene (up to $4000 depending on how the gene was being used). So, this is a pretty important ruling for a lot of different reasons, not the least of which it means that much more effective cancer research should be able to take place without being extremely hampered by paying for ridiculous patent licenses.

There’s more info about this lawsuit and patent battle here.

(via jangojips)

drfrankscali:

Paget’s disease/possible post-radiation osteosarcoma: (secondary osteosarcoma)

tiny-librarian:

How rickets affected even the wealthy in the 17th Century: Bones from Medici children show they suffered from malnutrition

• Bones from nine Medici children have been found to have signs of rickets.

• Despite all their riches, a poor diet is blamed as one of the prime factors.

• Archaeologists make their discovery after secret entrance to tomb is discovered.

Being rich and powerful was little protection to the children of the Medicis who, to the astonishment of scientists, appear to have suffered from rickets.

The Medicis were among the most powerful families of the Renaissance, being patrons to Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo, but their children still suffered malnutrition, research has indicated.

Rickets is closely linked to malnutrition and poverty yet the bones of the remains of nine Medici children analysed by osteoarchaeologists reveal that they also fell victim to the condition.

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