Wednesday, December 19, 2012

To revert breast cancer cells, give them the squeeze


To revert breast cancer cells, give them the squeeze

BERKELEY —
Researchers at the UC Berkeley and the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory have put the squeeze — literally — on malignant mammary cells to guide them back into a normal growth pattern.
Malignant Breast Cells
Shown are fluorescence images of uncompressed (left) and compressed (right) colonies of malignant breast epithelial cells. Compressed colonies are smaller and more organized. (Images courtesy of Fletcher Lab)
The findings, presented Monday, Dec. 17 at the annual meeting of the American Society for Cell Biology in San Francisco, show for the first time that mechanical forces alone can revert and stop the out-of-control growth of cancer cells. This change happens even though the genetic mutations responsible for malignancy remain, setting up a nature-versus-nurture battle in determining a cell’s fate.
“We are showing that tissue organization is sensitive to mechanical inputs from the environment at the beginning stages of growth and development,” said principal investigator Daniel Fletcher, professor of bioengineering at Berkeley and faculty scientist at the Berkeley Lab. “An early signal, in the form of compression, appears to get these malignant cells back on the right track.”
Throughout a woman’s life, breast tissue grows, shrinks and shifts in a highly organized way in response to changes in her reproductive cycle. For instance, when forming acini, the berry-shaped structures that secrete milk during lactation, healthy breast cells will rotate as they form an organized structure. And, importantly, the cells stop growing when they are supposed to.
One of the early hallmarks of breast cancer is the breakdown of this normal growth pattern. Not only do cancer cells continue to grow irregularly when they shouldn’t, recent studies have shown that they do not rotate coherently when forming acini.
While the traditional view of cancer development focuses on the genetic mutations within the cell, Mina Bissell, Distinguished Scientist at the Berkeley Lab, conducted pioneering experiments that showed that a malignant cell is not doomed to become a tumor, but that its fate is dependent on its interaction with the surrounding microenvironment. Her experiments showed that manipulation of this environment, through the introduction of biochemical inhibitors, could tame mutated mammary cells into behaving normally.
The latest work from Fletcher’s lab, in collaboration with Bissell’s lab, takes a major step forward by introducing the concept of mechanical rather than chemical influences on cancer cell growth. Gautham Venugopalan, a member of Fletcher’s lab, conducted the new experiments as part of his recently completed Ph.D. dissertation at UC Berkeley.
“People have known for centuries that physical force can influence our bodies,” said Venugopalan. “When we lift weights, our muscles get bigger. The force of gravity is essential to keeping our bones strong. Here we show that physical force can play a role in the growth — and reversion — of cancer cells.”
Venugopalan and collaborators grew malignant breast epithelial cells in a gelatin-like substance that had been injected into flexible silicone chambers. The flexible chambers allowed the researchers to apply a compressive force in the first stages of cell development.
Over time, the compressed malignant cells grew into more organized, healthy-looking acini that resembled normal structures, compared with malignant cells that were not compressed. The researchers used time-lapse microscopy over several days to show that early compression also induced coherent rotation in the malignant cells, a characteristic feature of normal development.
Notably, those cells stopped growing once the breast tissue structure was formed, even though the compressive force had been removed.
“Malignant cells have not completely forgotten how to be healthy; they just need the right cues to guide them back into a healthy growth pattern,” said Venugopalan.
Researchers further added a drug that blocked E-cadherin, a protein that helps cells adhere to their neighbors. When they did this, the malignant cells returned to their disorganized, cancerous appearance, negating the effects of compression and demonstrating the importance of cell-to-cell communication in organized structure formation.
It should be noted that the researchers are not proposing the development of compression bras as a treatment for breast cancer. “Compression, in and of itself, is not likely to be a therapy,” said Fletcher. “But this does give us new clues to track down the molecules and structures that could eventually be targeted for therapies.”
The National Institutes of Health helped fund this research through its Physical Science-Oncology program.

Saturday, November 17, 2012

Before and After work by Mike Nguyen

A lot of people have been asking me how I do my editing. Here is a example from one of my editorials called Magnolia This is one of my more difficult edits. This photo I believe took me 4-6 hours of editing time.

Wednesday, November 14, 2012

Man Sues Wife for Being Ugly, Gets Awarded $120,000 in Damages | Oddity Central - Collecting Oddities


Man Sues Wife for Being Ugly, Gets Awarded $120,000 in Damages


In what may be the weirdest divorce trial in recent history, a man in China sued his wife for being ugly and actually won the right to divorce her and a substantial settlement of $120,000.
No, this is not a joke. Earlier this year, Jian Feng, a man from northern China took his spouse to court for being ugly. But you couldn’t really tell that by looking at her, in fact the unnamed woman could be considered attractive by most standards. To make things even weirder, the judge actually ruled in his favor, granting him the right to a divorce and a settlement of around $120,000. This probably makes no sense to you right now, but I’ll try to clarify things as best I can. Jian Feng’s problems began when he and his wife had their first baby. The man described his daughter as “incredibly ugly” and told the court she resembled neither of the parents. Now, most fathers would just hold their piece and love that little angel as if she were the most beautiful baby ever born, but not Feng. He started accusing his wife of cheating on him, and he kept at it until she couldn’t take no more and finally admitted she might have something to do with the baby’s appearance.

Jian Feng’s wife, before and after plastic surgery
You see, Jian Feng’s wife hadn’t always been attractive. Before she even met him, the woman spent around$100,000 on dozens of plastic surgeries to drastically improve her looks, and since the alterations weren’t passed on to the baby, she assumed she was the reason for the looks that weren’t up to the father’s standards. As soon as he heard his wife’s confession, Jian filed a lawsuit, accusing her of marrying him under false pretenses. Most judges would laugh at the claim, but not the one he found. This “model” father and husband was awarded the divorce he wanted and a settlement of around $120,000. It’s unclear who got custody of the baby, but I think it’s safe to assume she stayed with the mother.

Tuesday, October 9, 2012

Ice Moon by Doshi Levien for Häagen-Dazs



Ice Moon by Doshi Levien for Haagen-Dazs
This white cratered moon is actually a densely filled ice cream cake created by London designers Doshi Levien for Häagen-Dazs.
Ice Moon by Doshi Levien for Haagen-Dazs
Each Ice Moon is pitted with smooth craters. Nipa Doshi and Jonathan Levien say they were inspired by Georges Méliès’ 1902 silent film Le Voyage dans la Lune, Armenian surrealist Léon Tutundjian’s relief work of 1929, a childhood Bollywood song and the near-spherical shapes of early ice cream bombes. “The moon idea came from many different places and has elements of fantasy, adventure and imagination,” they say.
Ice Moon by Doshi Levien for Haagen-Dazs
The white moon consists of a pistachio biscuit base, layers of macadamia nut ice cream and meringue and a coating of raspberry ice cream. The orange moon has crunchy chocolate at the bottom, layers of nutty ice cream and salted caramel and a coating of vanilla ice cream.
Ice Moon by Doshi Levien for Haagen-Dazs
“Our concept is almost spherical, so the ice cream has to be moulded in two separate parts and then put together without seeing the join,” explain the designers. “We love the ephemeral nature of ice cream and design to be eaten; we never had a design meeting before in which we ate the prototype.”
Ice Moon by Doshi Levien for Haagen-Dazs

Adapter Turns Your iPhone 4 into a DSLR Camera


iphone slr mount
If you’re in love with your iPhone 4 and use it as your go-to camera for everyday pics, but meanwhile, your SLR lenses are gathering dust, you may want to explore a way to get the best of both worlds. If you want to expand the camera capabilities of the iPhone 4, a new lens mount that accepts SLR lenses just might be the answer to your prayers.
iphone slr mount telephoto
“This case-adapter combo lets you mount your Canon EOS or Nikon SLR lenses to your iPhone 4 giving your phone powerful depth of field and manual focus. Telephoto, wide angle, macro, or your fixed-fifty lenses all attach to this mount giving you a full range of lenses at your iPhone lovin’ fingertips.”
iphone slr mount parts
While this adapter gives you a world of different choices for phone photography, there are a few drawbacks, including the fact that because the iPhone camera is mirror-less, all photos will be upside down (which can be solved using an app), and it is necessary to manually focus so that you’re not just taking close-ups of the focus screen on the mount. But considering how much more amazing your phone photos will be, those are pretty small drawbacks.
There are two versions of the mount adapter, an F-mount adapter for Nikon, said to work with all Nikon lenses, and an EF-mount adapter for Canon EOS lenses. Made from aluminum, the iPhone SLR Mount also has two loopholes on each end of the case for a camera strap, and sells for $249 at Photojojo.

Tuesday, September 25, 2012

Publication by LA Canvas of Lady Luck



Editorial Lady Luck Published by LA Canvas Fashion Issue 2012! 

http://issuu.com/lacanvas/docs/volume2issue6?mode=window&pageNumber=1

Thursday, September 20, 2012

Botched Fresco Artist Wants to Get Paid


Annie Colbert

The Spanish woman whose botched restoration turned a church’s fresco of Jesus into what a BBC reporter described as “a crayon sketch of a very hairy monkey in an ill-fitting tunic” wants to get paid for her blunder.
Cecilia Giménez has hired lawyers to fight for a cut of the approximately $2,600 brought in by the church from tourists coming to view the painting. The church has also reportedly lawyered up in anticipation of an ugly — like, really ugly — art battle.

Wednesday, September 12, 2012

Instant Photos


The Impossible Instant Lab Turns Your Digital Pictures into Instant Photos

It’s no secret that we’re kind of obsessed with the retro camera aesthetic. Can you blame us? And while you know we love our smartphones, checking out a picture on Instagram or Path doesn’t give quite the same satisfaction as watching an instant photo develop. Well, Impossible Instant Lab is on it!
The newest undertaking by the Impossible Project, the company that purchased an old Polaroid factory to keep instant film available, the Instant Lab is currently a Kickstarter project. This incredible product turns your iPhone pictures into real instant photographs.
It’s super easy to use. You take your pictures, open the app, and attach your phone to the lab. Slide open the shutter and wait until the exposure is finished. Close the shutter, take out the photo, and watch the picture develop right in front of your eyes. It’s also incredibly portable, so you can have cool instant photos anywhere you can take your iPhone… which is basically everywhere.
Early Kickstarter supporters can snag the instant lab for $149 or, if you’re really feeling supportive, go for one of ten gold editions for a whopping $2,000!
While there are obviously other ways to turn your digital photos into analog beauty (chocolate Polaroids, anyone?), this one is particularly awesome and definitely taps into our love of nostalgia. If you want your own, be sure to pledge to the project over on Kickstarter.
How do you get your instant photo on? What’s your favorite retro tech product? Talk to us in the comments below or over on Twitter.

Thursday, September 6, 2012

Did Steven Klein Steal This Concept?


Did Steven Klein Steal This Concept? 
The post below shows the original artist and his post about how Steven Klein copied his original concept. What do you think, is this a stolen concept and does he have a case?

Steven’s photo below, original concept above.  
the fact that famed photographer Steven Klein COMPELETLY ripped off and STOLE my photoshoot concept I did in 2006 (and was one of Myspace’s most viewed photos in history!) makes me WANNA PUKE.
even down to the fucking BOWL color and placement of a spoon.

how is this OK? because I’m not as big as Britney Spears, it’s ok to steal MY idea and put it in a big magazine and pretend it was your idea? PATHETIC.

Tuesday, August 28, 2012

Busy Phillips Cover for Annex Magazine 2012

Celebrity Busy Phillips Cover Editorial Shot by Mike Nguyen Published by Annex Magazine 2012

Tuesday, August 14, 2012

Wonderlust Published by Devono Magazine August 2012

Wonderlust Published by Devono Magazine August 2012
Photography by Mike Nguyen©
Wardrobe Stylist Kristen M Stuart
Makeup Artist Barbara Yniguez
Hair Stylist Andrea Pezzillo @ Salon Sessions Studio
Model Alannah @ Photogenics
Retouched by Mike Nguyen















Thursday, August 2, 2012

Great New Media Fashion Site


Support Kristen M Stuart and follow her on Socialbliss! Thank You!
http://www.socialbliss.com/kristenmstuart

Wednesday, August 1, 2012

Tuesday, July 24, 2012

Photographers Forum Magazine

I am a finalist in Photographer's Forum Magazine! I was entered in the 32nd Annual Spring 2012 Photography Contest Over 12,000 photographs were submitted worldwide. They selected over 13% of the entered photos to be in the Finalist group. My will will be published in the Best of Photography 2012! Wish me luck that I may place in the top 4, If I do they will exhibit my work in the Brooks Institute Gallery. Thank you for all your support!

Saturday, July 21, 2012

Thursday, July 19, 2012

Tuesday, July 17, 2012

It's My Birthday!


RestaurantFreebie
Abuelo's Free dessert.
AcapulcoFree entree.
Amato's Sandwich Shop Free large Amato's original 9" cheese pizza or a cheese pazzo bread.
Applebee's New signup form claims a free dessert. I've never received anything though...
Arby'sFree 12oz. milkshake with any purchase.
Atlanta Bread CompanyFree cookie.
Au Bon PainFree sandwich or salad.
Auntie Anne's PretzelsFree BOGO coupon for any pretzel item.
Bakers Square Free slice of pie with any adult entree purchase.
Baskin RobbinsFree 2.5 oz scoop of ice cream or a swirl of soft serve.
Beef 'O' Brady'sFree dessert with the purchase of any entree.
Ben & Jerry's Ice CreamYou become a Chunk Spelunker and get a free scoop of ice cream plus$3 off an ice cream cake!
Benihana's Japanese Restaurant$30 gift certificate.
bd's Mongolian GrillFree stir-fry meal.
Biggby Coffee A snail mailed coupon for a free grande beverage.
BJ's RestaurantsFree Pizookie dessert (otherwise known as a delicious dessert).
Black Angus SteakhouseFree BOGO steak dinner, up to $19.99.
Black Dear DinerFree dessert with any food purchase.
Boston MarketFree individual dessert with purchase of any create your plate meal.
Boston's The Gourmet PizzaFree flatbread.
Bonanza SteakhouseBOGO coupon for one free steak or buffet.
Brio Tuscan Grille Free filet and crab shrimp cake.
Bruegger'sFree cookie and an e-mail with a goofy looking mascot.
Bruster'sFree BOGO coupon for a waffle cone.
Buca di BeppoFree small appetizer for groups up to 5. Free large appetizer for groups of 6 or more.
Buffalo Wild WingsFree dessert.
Captain D'sYour choice of a 2 piece fish dinner, fish & shrimp dinner, or season tilapia dinner.
Caribou CoffeeFree medium drink.
Carrabba’s Italian Grill Free dessert with purchase of an entree.
Carrows Free dessert.
ChevysFree entree.
Chick-fil-A 
Chili'sFree brownie sundae.
Coldstone Creamery 
Country Buffet$3 off a regular adult dinner.
Country Kitchen Free dinner entree up to $8 in value with valid ID.
Culver'sFree one-scoop sundae.
Dairy QueenOne BOGO coupon for a free mini, small, or medium blizzard.
Daphne's Greek CafeFree entree. They also promise the meal will be delicious.
Del TacoFree premium milkshake.
Denny'sFree Grand Slam breakfast.
Dickey's Barbecue PitBOGO coupon for one free BBQ sandwich.
Dippin' DotsFree small cup of Dippin' Dots.
Don Pablos $10 gift certificate.
Einstein Bros BagelsFree breakfast sandwich when you buy any drink.
El ChicosFree fried ice cream.
El Torito Free entree.
Famous Dave's BarbequeFree dessert with the purchase of an entree.
Fazoli'sFree dessert.
Firehouse Subs Free medium celebratory sub with valid ID.
Flat Top GrillFree stir fry, however they're planning on changing this to a $5 off coupon.
Fox and Hound Free BOGO coupon for any entree.
Friendly'sFree single cone with any Friendly's purchase.
FuddruckersFree 1/3 lb. burger with the purchase of another Fudd’s entree.
Genghis GrillFree birthday bowl.
Glory Days GrillFree Oreo sliders.
Gold Star Chili Free meal.
Gordon BierschFree BOGO coupon for an entree.
Great American CookiesFree cookie cake slice with the purchase of a regular soda. Because nothing goes with a cookie like sugar water.
Hometown Buffet Free BOGO adult dinner buffet.
Hooters10 free wings.
Houlihan'sFree menu item up to $15.
HuHot Mongolian Grill(What the heck is with all these Mongolian grills?) Free grill meal.
IHOPFree Rooty Tooty Fresh 'N Fruity breakfast. In English, that means two eggs, 2 bacon strips, 2 sausage links, and two pancakes.
Jack in the BoxFree dessert with a valid ID and the printable coupon.
Jason's Deli$5 off any item.
Jersey Mike'sFree regular sub and 22 oz. fountain drink.
Joe's Crab ShackFree appetizer.
Johnny Rockets Free hamburger with the purchase of any entree and drink. So basically a BOGO.
Juice It Up Free BOGO 24 oz. smoothie.
Keg Steakhouse and Bar Free 10 oz. Prime Rib classic dinner and caesar salad for US visitors only and you must sign up a month in advance.
Keva Juice Free 24 oz. regular blend smoothie.
Krispy Kreme Good question.
la MadeleineFree pastry.
Logan's RoadhouseFree Nutter Butter Fudgeslide with any entree purchase. I have no idea what this is but it sounds spectacular.
LongHorn SteakhouseA delicious free dessert.
Maggianos Coupon for $10 off any check of $30 or more.
Maggie Moo'sFree ice cream cone.
Marble Slab CreameryFree ice cream cone.
Marie Callenders$5 coupon and a free slice of pie.
McAlister's Deli$5 coupon. I'm starting to see a pattern here.
Memphis BBQ Free entree up to $20.
Mimis CafeFree entree up to $10 value with any $20 check.
Moe's Southwest GrillOne free entree (excluding fajitas) as well as free chips and salsa.
Ninety NineFree dessert
Noodles & CompanyFree bowl of soup.
Not Your Average Joe's Free entree and dessert.
O'Charley's$5 coupon with any $20 food purchase.
Old Country Buffet Free BOGO adult dinner buffet.
Olive Garden Nwonknu
On The BorderFree dip trio or brownie sundae.
Orange JuliusFree BOGO 20 oz. Julius or premium fruit smoothie.
Papa Murphy'sFree cookie dough with the purchase of any pizza.
Planet SmoothieFree small smoothie.
PonderosaFree steak dinner
Qdoba Mexican Grill BOGO free entree coupon.
Red Lobster$5 off two adult entrees.
Red RobinFree Gourmet Burger if you pick up a Red Royalty Card  at your local restaurant and then register it online.
Rita's Italian IceFree regular Italian Ice.
Romanos Macaroni GrillFree slice of chocolate cake.
Ruby TuesdayFree handcrafted burger of your choice.
Ryan's Free BOGO adult dinner buffet.
Schlotzsky'sFree small sandwich.
Sharis Restaurant Free slice of pie.
Smokey BonesFree slice of cake.
Smoothie KingBOGO coupon for a free 20 oz. smoothie.
SonicFree regular creamslush, medium tator tots, or medium drink!
Souper SaladFree lunch or dinner buffet.
Spaghetti WarehouseFree spaghetti entree and spumoni sundae.
Spicy PickleFree entree.
Starbucks Currently unknown.
Steak 'n ShakeFree Double Steakburger with Cheese 'n Fries.
Sticky FingersThis might be my favorite offer yet. You get a free half-slab of ribs or any other menu item priced up to $13.99.
Taco Bueno Free cheesecake chimichangas with the purchase of any entree.
Taco CabanaFree flauta plate, which includes 3 chicken flautas with rice, beans, pico de gallo, sour cream, guacamole and 2 fresh flour tortillas.
Taco Del Mar Make a guess! We can't get confirmation on this.
Taco John'sFree cini-sopapilla bites. I've never had these before, but if they’re as delicious as they are hard to spell, I’m excited.
TCBYFree small cup of frozen yogurt and $3 off a cake or pie.
Ted's Montana GrillFree cookie and ice cream dessert.
Texas De Brazil Free BOGO coupon for a dinner.
Texas RoadhouseFree appetizer or sidekick of ribs.
T.G.I. Friday'sFree dessert with the purchase of an entree.
Tony Roma'sFree entree up to $15.99.
Tropical Smoothie Cafe Free smoothie.
Waffle HouseFree waffle.
Wendy's$1 off any premium combo.
Which WichFree regular Wich (AKA sandwich).
WienerschnitzelOne free corndog.
WingstopFree large fresh cut seasoned fries.
Zaxby'sFree nibbler and free meal deal.
Zoes KitchenFree BOGO coupon for an entree.
Z' Tejas $10 coupon.

Retail Freebies

American EagleCoupon for 15% off.
Aveda Free gift up to $24 in value.
Barnes & Noble Children get a free cupcake or cookie at their cafe. Children at heart get nothing.
Columbia SportswearCoupon for 20% off.
Cost Plus World Market 10% coupon on gourmet food & non-alcoholic beverages.
CVS I'm told it's a $3 off coupon, but I have yet to confirm this.
Hallmark 
Hot Topic $5 off coupon on a purchase of $30.
Kmart Children get $5.00 Birthday Bucks, a crown, happy birthday certificate, and Fun Pack with surprise goodies!
Old Navy$10 off coupon on a purchase of $50.
Proctor & Gamble 
Sephora Free Fresh Sugar Kisses Mini Lip Duo. Whatever the hell that is.
The Children's PlaceCoupon for 15% off.
Toys R Us They claim you'll get coupons, but I never received anything.

Entertainment Freebies

AMF Bowling 
Baltimore Orioles 
Brunswick BowlingTwo free games of bowling.
Chuck E. Cheese's20 free tokens.
Dave & Buster's 
Disney Movie Rewards 100 bonus Disney Movie Reward points.
Harkins Movie Theaters Present your ID at the box office and get a free medium sized popcorn on your birthday.
Medieval TimesFree BOGO admission coupon.
Swagbucks50 free Swagbucks.
Various Strip ClubsFree lap dances (Don't ask me how I know this!)