Remember that real life wedding dance intro?  It was only a matter of time before someone put together a spoof:

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(CNN) — The same blue food dye found in M&Ms and Gatorade could be used to reduce damage caused by spine injuries, offering a better chance of recovery, according to new research.

Researchers at the University of Rochester Medical Center found that when they injected the compound Brilliant Blue G (BBG) into rats suffering spinal cord injuries, the rodents were able to walk again, albeit with a limp.

The only side effect was that the treated mice temporarily turned blue.

The results of the study, published in the “Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences,” build on research conducted by the same center five years ago.

In August 2004, scientists revealed how Adenosine triphosphate, which is known as ATP and described as the “energy currency of life,” surges to the spinal cord soon after injury occurs.

Researchers found that the sudden influx of ATP killed off healthy cells, making the initial injury far worse. But when they injected oxidized ATP into the injury, it was found to block the effect of ATP, allowing the injured rats to recover and walk again.

“While we achieved great results when oxidized ATP was injected directly into the spinal cord, this method would not be practical for use with spinal cord-injured patients,” said lead researcher Maiken Nedergaard, professor of Neurosurgery and director of the Center for Translational Neuromedicine at the University of Rochester Medical Center.

“First, no one wants to put a needle into a spinal cord that has just been severely injured, so we knew we needed to find another way to quickly deliver an agent that would stop ATP from killing healthy motor neurons. Second, the compound we initially used, oxidized ATP, cannot be injected into the bloodstream because of its dangerous side effects.”

Back in 2004, Nedergaard’s team discovered that the spinal cord was rich in a molecule called P2X7, which is also known as “the death receptor” for its ability to allow ATP to latch onto motor neurons and send the signals which eventually kill them.

Nedergaard knew that BBG could thwart the function of P2X7, and its similarity to a blue food dye approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 1982 gave her the confidence to test it intravenously.

It worked. The rats given BBG immediately after their injury could walk again with a limp. Those that didn’t receive a dose never regained their mobility.

Nedergaard told CNN that there is currently no standard treatment for patients with spinal injury when they reach the hospital emergency room.

“Right now we only treat 15 percent of the patients we receive with steroids and many hospitals question if that even works for that 15 percent; it’s a very moderate benefit to only a subset of patients. So right now 85 percent of patients are untreated,” she said.

Nedergaard said the research team isn’t claiming that BBG can cure spinal injuries, instead that it offers a potential improvement in patients’ condition.

“Even a moderate improvement in functional performance of the patient is a big, big event for these patients,” she said. “They can control their bladder. If they can just take small steps instead of sitting in a wheelchair all the time, it’s a tremendous benefit for these patients,” she added.

The dose must be administered immediately after the injury, before additional tissue dies as a result of the initial injury.

Researchers are currently pulling together an application to be lodged with the FDA to stage the first clinical trials of BBG on human patients.

“Our hope is that this work will lead to a practical, safe agent that can be given to patients shortly after injury, for the purpose of decreasing the secondary damage that we have to otherwise expect,” said Steven Goldman, Chair of the University of Rochester Department of Neurology.

BEFORE

AFTER

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Shaq shows off his wrestling skills!

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This movie’s still a year away from release, but is already generating tons of buzz!  Starring Johnny Depp, produced by Tim Burton.  Official trailer released:

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You’ve heard trick shots in billiards or basketball, but how about bowling?

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Backstreet Boys to release a new album in the fall called “This is Us.”  Their single’s called “Straight Through My Heart.”  Backstreet’s back?

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Skating down a roller coaster! Anybody wanna try?

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Jill and Kevin’s choreographed wedding dance entrance:

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Of all the products released capitalizing on Obama’s popularity, this is probably the funniest:  remember Chia Pets from the 90s?  Well now there’s Chia Obama!

http://chiaobama.com/

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Gidget, the celebrity dog known from her Taco Bell commercials, has died at 15 years of age, over 100 in human years.

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BANGKOK – Millions of people across Asia will witness the longest total solar eclipse that will happen this century, as vast swaths of India and China, the entire city of Shanghai and southern Japanese islands are plunged into darkness Wednesday for about five minutes.

Streams of amateur stargazers and scientists are traveling long distances to witness the once-in-a-lifetime event.

Astronomers hope the eclipse will unlock clues about the sun, while an astrologer in Myanmar predicts it could usher in chaos. Some in India are advising pregnant relatives to stay indoors to follow a centuries-old tradition of avoiding the sun’s invisible rays.

The eclipse will appear first at dawn in India’s Gulf of Khambhat just north of the metropolis of Mumbai.

It will move east across India, Nepal, Myanmar, Bangladesh, Bhutan and China before hitting the Pacific. The eclipse will cross some southern Japanese islands and be last visible from land at Nikumaroro Island in the South Pacific nation of Kiribati. Elsewhere, a partial eclipse will be visible in much of Asia.

For astronomers, it will be a chance for a prolonged view of the sun’s corona, a white ring 600,000 miles (1 million kilometers) from the sun’s surface. The previous total eclipse, in August 2008, was two minutes and 27 seconds. This one will last 6 minutes and 39 seconds at its maximum point.

Solar scientist Lucie Green is aboard an American cruise ship heading for that point near the Japanese island of Iwo Jima, where the axis of the moon’s shadow will pass closest to earth.

Passengers paid $2,599 to $3,643 for the cruise run by Mayhugh Travel Inc., a California company that specializes in astronomy vacations, according to the company’s Web site.

“The corona has a temperature of 2 million degrees but we don’t know why it is so hot,” said Green of University College London. “What we are going to look for are waves in the corona. … The waves might be producing the energy that heats the corona. That would mean we understand another piece of the science of the sun.”

Scientists are hoping data from the eclipse will help explain solar flares and other structures of the sun and why they erupt, said Alphonse C. Sterling, a NASA astrophysicist who will be following the eclipse in China.

“We’ll have to wait a few hundred years for another opportunity to observe a solar eclipse that lasts this long, so it’s a very special opportunity,” said Shao Zhenyi, an astronomer at the Shanghai Astronomical Observatory.

Man has been recording solar eclipses for 4,000 years, and even today they inspire a combination of fear, fascination and wonder.

One astrologer in Myanmar, also known as Burma, predicted in a magazine that the eclipse would trigger wars, instability and natural disasters for the next several months.

Liang Wei is among more than 40 members of a Chinese solar eclipse fan club traveling to Shanghai to see the event.

“Even though I’m not a scientist, it’s an experience I’ve waited all my life for,” said the 29-year-old Guangzhou native, who works at a lighting company and operates an online fan site for eclipse enthusiasts.

In India, hundreds of scientists are gathering in the village of Taregna in Bihar state. One team, led by Dr R.K. Sinha of Patna University, will study bird behavior.

“The researchers will observe whether they suddenly move back to their nests, sound differently and behave in an unusual manner due to sudden darkness,” he said.

A travel agency in India is running a charter flight to watch the eclipse by air.

Some families have advised pregnant relatives to confine themselves to curtained rooms, following long-held fears that the invisible rays would harm the fetus and the baby born with disfigurations, birthmarks or a congenital defect.

“I’ve been told to lie straight on the bed with my eyes open and to chant prayers and verses from the Hindu holy texts during the eclipse,” said Sonya Chadha, a New Delhi accountant who is seven months pregnant and plans to take the day off. “If even a tiny sliver of light falls on me, it could harm my child.”

In Japan, where the last total eclipse happened in 1963, people are flocking to the small southern island of Yakushima, which is holding a a two-day festival with fireworks, dancing, grilled squid and cotton candy. The island’s 180 hotels are fully booked. A partial eclipse will be visible in Tokyo.

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July 20, 1969: man walked on the moon, 40 years ago today!   Over 500 MILLION people tuned in witness history.  Imagine the possibilities in the future.

“One small step for man.  One giant leap for mankind”

Interestingly, there are still a handful of conspiracy theorists who believe the moon landing was a hoax.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moon_landing_hoax

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2009 Baskin-Robbins TV Commercial for Ice Cream Cakes. Cute cake toppers dance to “Ice Cream and Cake” by the Buckwheat Boyz.

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Based on the best selling novel by Audrey Niffenegger, the film version is schedule to be released August 14, 2009.

Clare has been in love with Henry her entire life. She believes they are destined to be together, even though she never knows when they will be separated: Henry is a time traveler–cursed with a rare genetic anomaly that causes him to live his life on a shifting timeline, skipping back and forth through his lifespan with no control. Despite the fact that Henry’s travels force them apart with no warning, Clare desperately tries to build a life with her one true love.

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My favorite riddle:

“What is greater than God, More evil than the devil, The poor have it, The rich need it, And if you eat it, you’ll die?”

Answer:  NOTHING!

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