Signal Boost: TechWomen is Seeking Mentors

TechWomen, a new initiative sponsored by the US State Department, is looking for Mentors. Here's an excerpt from the Anita Borg Institute press release:

Palo Alto, CA, March 1, 2011 — The U.S. Department of State’s TechWomen initiative is now accepting cultural and technical mentors for its cutting-edge international exchange program that will bring the power of global business, technology, and education together to empower women and girls. TechWomen will pair female mentors from Silicon Valley with 38 women from communities with predominantly Muslim populations. These “TechWomen” will participate in a professional mentorship and exchange program at leading technology companies beginning in June 2011. Mentor applications are open until March 25, 2011; access the application for both technical and cultural mentors here. TechWomen is a public-private partnership in conjunction with the Anita Borg Institute for Women and Technology and the Institute of International Education.

If you're interested in participating, you can learn more about the program here. It sounds like it could be a lot of fun!

Gluten-Free January Raffle Winners Selected!

Raffle winners have been selected and shirts are on their way. You know who you are. Thanks to everyone who participated and filled out the survey! For those who didn't, there's always next year.

Janine Jagger, Matt Lentzner and I are busy crunching the mountain of data we collected from the GFJ survey. We got 279 responses, which is remarkable for a survey of this nature.

Stay tuned for data!

that first picture makes me want to go to a thrift store and buy a plaid shirt...i've never bought a shirt at a thrift store....maybe i should start.  i think i should start wearing orange toe nail polish too....and that shoe "room", well come on...what's not to love?!

*images courtesy of apt #34, design sponge, KML design

Kit Heath follow Mario Testino’s lead by shooting its Spring 2011 campaign at the iconic Hartland Abbey

The UK’s leading sterling silver jewellery brand Kit Heath’s beautiful Spring 2011 campaign uses the luxury surroundings of Hartland Abbey to perfectly capture the essence of the brand. The Abbey, which was used by Mario Testino for one of his iconic Vogue shoots, dates back to the 12th Century and epitomises quintessential British heritage.

The stunning environs of the Abbey perfectly complement the jewellery brand’s ethereal yet classic product offering; sterling silver jewellery at its most desirable.

Spring 2011 jewellery highlights include the introduction of a new range of semi-precious stones in statement cocktail rings, pendant necklacesand drop earrings, all accented with flashes of colour in rose quartz, turquoise, midnight black and opaque white.

Intricate cut out detailing is updated in stunning 3D drop earrings, cluster pendant necklaces and nature inspired charms, highlighted with pearl and gold plating detailing.            Kit Heath is also delighted to announce the launch of its first gold plated accent designs. With the ongoing popularity of gold and Kit Heath’s expertise in jewellery design, the new range is as classic as it is desirable, a delicate statement, perfect for the season of garden parties and fabulous Summer occasions. View the new look 2011 sterling silver Spring collection

Oltipraz

Oltipraz is a drug that was originally used to treat intestinal worms. It was later found to prevent a broad variety of cancers (1). This was attributed to its ability to upregulate cellular detoxification and repair mechanisms.

Researchers eventually discovered that oltipraz acts by activating Nrf2, the same transcription factor activated by ionizing radiation and polyphenols (2, 3, 4). Nrf2 activation mounts a broad cellular protective response that appears to reduce the risk of multiple health problems.

A recent paper in Diabetologia illustrates this (5). Investigators put mice on a long-term refined high-fat diet, with or without oltipraz. These carefully crafted diets are very unhealthy indeed, and when fed to rodents they rapidly induce fat gain and something that looks similar to human metabolic syndrome (insulin resistance, abdominal adiposity, blood lipid disturbances). Adding oltipraz to the diet prevented the fat gain, insulin resistance and inflammatory changes that occurred in the refined high-fat diet group.

The difference in fasting insulin was remarkable. The mice taking oltipraz had 1/7 the fasting insulin of the refined high-fat diet comparison group, and 1/3 the fasting insulin of the low-fat comparison group! Yet their glucose tolerance was normal, indicating that they were not low on insulin due to pancreatic damage. The low-fat diet they used in this study was also refined, which is why the two control groups (high-fat and low-fat) didn't diverge more in body fatness and other parameters. If they had used a group fed unrefined rodent chow as the comparator, the differences between groups would have been larger.

This shows that in addition to preventing cancer, Nrf2 activation can attenuate the metabolic damage caused by an unhealthy diet in rodents. Oltipraz illustrates the power of the cellular hormesis response. We can exploit this pathway naturally using polyphenols and other chemicals found in whole plant foods.