Orphaned children exhibit genetic changes that require nurturing parents, study finds

ScienceDaily (Dec. 5, 2011) ? Children who experience the stress of separation at birth from biological parents and are brought up in orphanages undergo biological consequences such as changes in their genome functioning, Yale School of Medicine researchers report in a new study.

Published online in the current issue of Development and Psychopathology, the study reports differences in DNA methylation, one of the main regulatory mechanisms of gene expression, or genome functioning. The investigators compared two cohorts: 14 children raised since birth in institutional care and 14 children raised by their biological parents.

Senior author Elena Grigorenko, associate professor at the Yale Child Study Center, and her colleagues took blood samples from children aged 7 to 10 living in orphanages and children growing up in typical families in the northwest region of the Russian Federation. They then profiled the genomes of all the children to identify which biological processes and pathways might be affected by deprivation of parental attention and care.

The team found that in the institutionalized group, there was a greater number of changes in the genetic regulation of the systems controlling immune response and inter-cellular interactions, including a number of important mechanisms in the development and function of the brain.

"Our study shows that the early stress of separation from a biological parent impacts long-term programming of genome function; this might explain why adopted children may be particularly vulnerable to harsh parenting in terms of their physical and mental health," said Grigorenko. "Parenting adopted children might require much more nurturing care to reverse these changes in genome regulation."

Other authors on the study included Oksana Naumova, Maria Lee, Roman Koposov, Moshe Szyf, and Mary Dozier.

The study was funded by the Foundation for Child Development, the USA National Institute of Mental Health, and Edna Bennett Pierce.

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Story Source:

The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Yale University. The original article was written by Karen N. Peart.

Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.

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Journal Reference:

1. Oksana Yu. Naumova, Maria Lee, Roman Koposov, Moshe Szyf, Mary Dozier, Elena L. Grigorenko. Differential patterns of whole-genome DNA methylation in institutionalized children and children raised by their biological parents. Development and Psychopathology, 2011; DOI: 10.1017/S0954579411000605

Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.

Disclaimer: This article is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

Source: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/12/111205140515.htm

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China slowdown spreading, HSBC services PMI shows (Reuters)

BEIJING (Reuters) ? China's services sector cooled in November to its weakest growth in three months, an HSBC purchasing managers' index showed on Monday, the latest data portraying an economy slowing quickly and in need of policy support.

The index fell to 52.5, a sharp decline given that October's reading was 54.1 -- the highest in four months -- though the index remains above the 50 level that separates expansion from contraction in the sector.

Expectations for new business dropped to their lowest level in three months too, but remained firmly above 50.

"With price pressures easing further, Beijing can and should use policies that are targeted on small businesses and service sectors to keep GDP growth at above 8 percent for the coming year," Qu Hongbin, HSBC's chief China economist, said in a statement.

China's official PMI for its non-manufacturing sector, released on Saturday, fell to 49.7 in November from 57.7 in October, the China Federation of Logistics and Purchasing said.

The readings mirror similar weakness in the country's giant manufacturing sector and underline expectations that Beijing will ease monetary policy further to cushion the blows of the global economy.

PMI data in the past week has shown that both domestic and export orders are weakening, helping explain the central bank's decision last week to cut bank reserve requirements for the first time in three years.

The move to free up cash was a signal that the central bank was shifting toward loosening monetary policy to support the economy, which is widely expected to grow next year at less than 9 percent for the first time in a decade, economists said.

Some economists are reluctant to read too much significance into the services indexes given their volatility, lack of seasonal adjustments, simple calculation methodology and their consequently weaker predictive power.

For instance the reading of 49.7 in China's official services PMI for November was an 8 point plunge from October, but smaller than the 9.5 point average since 2007, the starting point for this series, said Tim Condon, head of Asian economic research at ING in Singapore.

Past performance suggests that half that decline will be recovered in December, leaving the index in the mid-50s, though that is well below the near-60 level it has been at for most of the last 18 months and a clear sign of a slowing economy.

"The weakness in the manufacturing sector is spreading to the non-manufacturing economy. We think the policy fine-tuning also will spread," ING's Condon said.

Manufacturing dominates the Chinese economy and made up some 58 percent of activity in 2010. Services accounted for around 38 percent in 2010, losing some share in recent years to manufacturing which benefited from government stimulus programs to help the economy through the global financial crisis.

Factories elsewhere are also feeling the force of the global economic slowdown. A global PMI released last Thursday by JPMorgan, with research and supply management organizations, fell to 49.6, suggesting a contraction in global manufacturing.

Chinese officials have expressed growing alarm at the slide in the global economy as Europe struggles to produce a decisive solution to its debt crisis. China's economic growth has eased for three straight quarters to 9.1 percent in the July-September period.

Vice Finance Minister Zhu Guangyao said last week that the world economy faced a worse crisis now than during 2008 and that stimulating growth should be a priority.

Vice Premier Wang Qishan in November said a chronic global recession was certain.

Most analysts say the central bank has room for further cuts in banks' reserve requirements to release cash into the economy given than inflation is less of a concern. Consumer inflation fell back in October to 5.5 percent from a three-year high in July of 6.5 percent.

Before last week's 50 basis point cut in the ratio from a record 21.5 percent for big banks to 21 percent, a Reuters survey had shown analysts expected 200 basis points of cuts in 2012.

Some analysts have now increased their expectations. Kevin Lai, a senior economist at Daiwa Capital Markets in Hong Kong, said he expects 200 basis points of cuts in addition to last week's reduction.

Few analysts expect the central bank to start cutting interest rates anytime soon though. Rates are already below inflation levels, so a cut could encourage savers to pull money out of the banking system in search of higher returns elsewhere and so crimp bank lending.

(Editing by Ken Wills and Neil Fullick)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/china/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20111205/bs_nm/us_china_economy

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Officers punished for supporting eased drug laws (San Jose Mercury News)

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Patch 4.3 pets, mounts and collectibles

Blizzard has just posted a comprehensive list of the new pets, mounts, and collectibles available in patch 4.3. Everything from raiding to the new Darkmoon Faire Island is included, as well as the new holiday mounts that will be purchased with holiday currency. The holiday mounts are a departure from the luck-based rolls and one-a-day bags from holiday bosses, which will most likely be well received by the playerbase.

Check out the full list of patch 4.3 pets, mounts, and collectibles on the WoW community website.

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Brace yourselves for what could be some of most exciting updates to the game recently with patch 4.3. Review the official patch notes, and then dig into what's ahead: new item storage options, cross-realm raiding, cosmetic armor skinning and your chance to battle the mighty Deathwing -- from astride his back!

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Tags: collectables, darkmoon-faire, mounts, new-darkmoon-faire, new-mounts, patch-4.3, world-of-warcraft-patch-4.3, wow-patch, wow-patch-4.3, wow-patch-4.3-news, wow-patch-news

Filed under: Cataclysm

Source: http://wow.joystiq.com/2011/12/01/patch-4-3-pets-mounts-and-collectables/

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Summary Box: Asia pilot gap grows with jet orders (AP)

MORE PLANES, MORE PILOTS: Fast-growing Asian and Middle Eastern airlines that have signed orders for hundreds of new airplanes now must find enough pilots to fly them.

SAFETY IN THE SKY: Asia is forecast to account for the bulk of global aircraft deliveries over the next two decades. It's also forecast to need the largest number of new pilots and the widening shortage of experienced staff is raising safety concerns.

COMING UP SHORT: the International Civil Aviation Organization forecasts Asia will need 229,676 pilots over the next two decades. In the most likely scenario, Asia will need about 14,000 pilots but has the capacity to train only about 5,000.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/asia/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111201/ap_on_bi_ge/as_asia_pilot_shortage_summary_box

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GOP bill would force action on Canada oil pipeline (AP)

WASHINGTON ? Angered by President Barack Obama's delay of a proposed oil pipeline from Canada, Senate Republicans are moving to force him to act.

A bill introduced Wednesday by 37 GOP senators, including Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, would require the administration to approve the Keystone XL pipeline within 60 days, unless the president declares the project is not in the national interest.

The State Department decided on Nov. 10 to delay the project until 2013, after the presidential election, to allow the project's developer to figure out a way around Nebraska's Sandhills, an ecologically sensitive region that supplies water to eight nearby states.

McConnell, R-Ky., called the $7 billion pipeline the ultimate "shovel-ready" project and said it could create as many as 20,000 jobs.

He and other Republicans called Obama's decision to delay the project transparently political and said Obama had put his reelection above job creation.

"This is politics, pure and simple," said Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska.

The GOP bill has little chance of approval in the Democratic-controlled Senate. But the measure illustrates Republicans' frustration over the pipeline delay and their belief that Obama is vulnerable on the jobs issue.

House Republicans are expected to highlight the jobs issue again on Friday, during a hearing before the Energy and Commerce Committee on the pipeline project. Several labor union leaders are among those scheduled to testify.

The pipeline project has divided labor groups eager for the jobs it would create from environmentalists and other traditional Democratic allies who oppose the pipeline as an ecological disaster waiting to happen.

The 1,700-mile pipeline proposed by Calgary-based TransCanada would carry as much as 700,000 barrels of oil a day from tar sands in Alberta, Canada, to refineries in Texas, passing through Montana, South Dakota, Kansas, Nebraska and Oklahoma.

Supporters say it could significantly reduce U.S. dependence on Middle Eastern oil while providing thousands of jobs. Opponents say the pipeline would bring "dirty oil" that requires huge amounts of energy to extract. They also worry about possible spills, noting that a current pipeline operated by TransCanada has had several spills in the past year.

The Senate bill's chief sponsor, Richard Lugar of Indiana, said Keystone XL presented a dramatic opportunity to boost U.S. national security and North American energy production by providing oil from the nation's closest ally and largest trading partner, Canada.

"President Obama has the opportunity to help create 20,000 jobs now. Incredibly he has delayed a decision... apparently in fear of offending a part of his political base," Lugar said.

White House spokesman Josh Earnest called that criticism off-base.

"I recognize that there are people in Washington, D.C., who want to apply a political label to every single thing that the president or other members of this administration do, but at the end of the day this is a decision that falls cleanly in line with the priorities that the president laid out" in a recent interview, Earnest said.

Obama told a Nebraska TV station that he needed to balance job creation and energy security with public health and the safety of communities along the pipeline route.

The bill's supporters include Sen. Mike Johanns, R-Neb., who had opposed an earlier plan that would have routed the pipeline through the Nebraska Sandhills, a region of porous hills that includes a high concentration of wetlands and a key aquifer.

The State Department cited the Sandhills as a key reason to delay the project. The State Department has authority over the project because it crosses a U.S. border. After the delay was announced, TransCanada agreed to divert the pipeline around the Sandhills, although an exact route has not been determined.

Last week, Nebraska Gov. Dave Heineman signed two laws aimed at oil pipelines, including one that requires state officials to conduct an environmental review of Keystone XL.

Johanns said the Senate bill would allow construction of the pipeline to begin in all states except Nebraska, where construction would be put off until an acceptable route is found and all required reviews are completed.

"The issues in Nebraska have been resolved," Johanns said, adding that the White House should not hide behind concern over the Sandhills as a reason to delay the project further.

Nebraska's other senator, Democrat Ben Nelson, called the GOP bill "well intentioned" but unnecessary. He said state officials have worked out a "good compromise" with TransCanada and the State Department that should be allowed to continue.

"If something goes awry, I can look at legislation at that time," he told reporters Wednesday.

Lugar, the senior Republican on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said he hopes to have a public hearing on the bill by the end of the year.

A spokeswoman for Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., the panel's chairman, said Kerry was in contact with Lugar and "evaluating how best to move forward."

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Matthew Daly can be followed at http://twitter.com/MatthewDalyWDC

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/obama/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111130/ap_on_re_us/us_oil_pipeline

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Legacy money flows through conflicts, contradictions (Star Tribune)

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