Hormone discovered that preserves insulin production and beta cell function in diabetes

Hormone discovered that preserves insulin production and beta cell function in diabetes

Tuesday, July 3, 2012

Researchers at Duke University Medical Center have found protective, anti-diabetic functions for a hormone that, like insulin, is produced by the islet cells of the pancreas. The new hormone was found to stimulate insulin secretion from rat and human islet cells and protect islet cells in the presence of toxic, cell-killing factors used in the study.

The study, which was supported in part by JDRF, a global leader in type 1 diabetes research, appears in the July 3 issue of the journal Cell Metabolism.

The findings provide insight into the health and survival of beta cells, a type of islet cell that produces insulin to regulate sugar levels. The discovery could open pathways for further research toward prevention and treatments for type 1 diabetes and type 2 diabetes.

The researchers gave the hormone, TLQP-21 to Zucker Diabetic Fatty rats, which have a genetic propensity to develop type 2 diabetes. They saw a significant improvement in insulin and glucose (sugar) levels and less beta cell death in the treated animals.

"We think this finding is important because it is the first demonstration that TLQP-21 prevents deterioration of the beta cells and stimulates insulin secretion in the presence of glucose," said senior author Christopher B. Newgard, Ph.D., director of the Sarah W. Stedman Nutrition and Metabolism Center, and the W. David and Sarah W. Stedman Distinguished Professor. "Because diabetes starts to take hold when the number of beta cells dwindles and insulin production drops, finding the best way to produce more of this protective hormone could be valuable."

Although the researchers have so far only tested TLQP-21 in models of type 2 diabetes, they plan to test the hormone in type 1 in future studies.

Both types of diabetes are characterized by a loss of functional beta cell mass. Type 1 is an autoimmune disease characterized by selective and progressive loss of functional insulin-producing beta cells and is more severe. Type 2 is a disease characterized by beta cell dysfunction as well as peripheral insulin resistance. Most people with type 2 eventually become insulin-dependent.

"These exciting findings provide novel insight into how beta cell health and survival may be regulated in the body," said Patricia Kilian, Ph.D., director of the beta cell regeneration program at JDRF. "We are looking forward to studies that will further test how this novel hormone affects beta cell function in T1D (type 1 diabetes) models."

TLQP-21 is similar in some of its functions to another naturally occurring hormone produced in the digestive tract, glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1). Through different mechanisms, both hormones protect and promote insulin secretion. GLP-1 or drugs that stabilize it are widely used to treat type 2 diabetes, but with some side effects, including increased heart rate and reduced stomach emptying; the effect on intestinal function has caused some people to stop the therapy.

"What's exciting is that in the animal studies of TLQP-21, we didn't see these side effects," said lead author Samuel B. Stephens, Ph.D., a postdoctoral researcher in the Stedman Center. "The rats had typical appetites and ate normal amounts of food, and didn't show any changes in heart rate or digestion patterns when they were given large doses of the hormone."

The next step is to find a small molecule that could stimulate the islet cells to produce more of the TLQP-21 hormone, or to develop more potent or stable versions of injected hormone. Research toward a longer-acting drug will help accelerate its eventual testing in type 1 diabetes, said Newgard, who is also a professor of Pharmacology and Cancer Biology.

###

Duke University Medical Center: http://www.dukemednews.org

Thanks to Duke University Medical Center for this article.

This press release was posted to serve as a topic for discussion. Please comment below. We try our best to only post press releases that are associated with peer reviewed scientific literature. Critical discussions of the research are appreciated. If you need help finding a link to the original article, please contact us on twitter or via e-mail.

This press release has been viewed 15 time(s).

Source: http://www.labspaces.net/121421/Hormone_discovered_that_preserves_insulin_production_and_beta_cell_function_in_diabetes

michael bush the host trailer whitney houston cause of death marquette university marquette hilary duff michigan state

Afterlife

This topic is an Out Of Character part of the roleplay, ?Afterlife?. Anything posted here will also show up there.

Topic Tags:

Forum for completely Out of Character (OOC) discussion, based around whatever is happening In Character (IC). Discuss plans, storylines, and events; Recruit for your roleplaying game, or find a GM for your playergroup.
This is the auto-generated OOC topic for the roleplay "Afterlife"

You may edit this first post as you see fit.

T1ra

Member for 0 years

---

---

Post a reply

RolePlayGateway is a site built by a couple roleplayers who wanted to give a little something back to the roleplay community. The site has no intention of earning any profit, and is paid for out of their own pockets.

If you appreciate what they do, feel free to donate your spare change to help feed them on the weekends. After selecting the amount you want to donate from the menu, you can continue by clicking on PayPal logo.

Who is online

Registered users: 7achary*, A.C.*, Alagsandra*, Alambil, Alexa [Bot], Ang-cat*, Annaky, apocalyptic, Arabella13*, arcadegames&sodapop, ArcticFox, Arluar*, Attie*, AugustArria*, AvengerSpirit*, Azalea-Panda, AzricanRepublic*, bambi_xrave*, Beach-Born-Boy, Beaux, Billard, birdguard*, Blackbird26*, blacksky*, blackwolf, BrandedOne*, brokenxfate*, Bromander Shepard*, Calvazara, Canibelle*, Caylx Ebony Frost, Child of the Winged, Chrome Shiny, Cienpher*, claw*, Cloasse*, Coloratura, Commisar_Gaunt, CriminalMinds*, Cypher, Dante Angelico, DarknessUndying*, darkune*, Deallo*, deathrisesagain*, DemiKara*, Digital_Muse*, Doug*, DumbDora, EKRonnie*, Elrith Eldwind, Emerald.x*, Esyllia, Evita*, Exabot [Bot], FalloutRomanae, Fecine*, frazzguy*, Fredalice, Froggiepril*, Gado, gales39, Gamer_Templar*, Ghost Steps*, Gintoki Sakata, Google [Bot], Google Adsense [Bot], Google Feedfetcher, Haquihana*, Hitomi-san*, holothewisewolf*, Horseygirl, Hypnosis*, iCat*, Imagine That!, Ironman11*, jacobplm, Jadeling Hawkins*, Jagger, JewelsJade557, JimmyKnoles*, JimmyTheRat*, Johnathan Alexander, JubilousOccasion*, Kai*, Kansiov*, Kimberly*, Kiri711*, Korrye, Kuril*, Lady Inali*, Leewar, Lloyd999, Lolkatlove, lom.conor*, lostamongtrees*, LoveTheLight*, Lucian1549, Luna Delta*, LycanGod13*, Mac the Impaler, madisontaylorjb, Mariofox*, mechanimated*, missjmiles, Moonbow*, MrJuon, MSNbot Media, mummydove, Nannyhap, Nevan*, nicolbaka, Nightmare2Dream*, nightwolf, NotSoHeartless, Outlaw*, Palsied*, Patcharoo*, Penfold*, PINKanime, poeticjustice8012, Popuph8r*, Princess Awinita*, proudltd*, qbsuperstar03*, R.T.M.X.*, RawrImaPanda*, ReaperGirl4, RedRaine, Rem?us*, RhiannontheDane*, Rill, Riverstyx777*, Rulke, Saint Crash*, SaintAndSinner, Saviarre*, Saxious, Script*, SerenityMist, Shadow303*, ShadowsoftheNine*, Shi-chan, SilverAngelWings*, Slendyman*, Smokescreen, solidmatterdrive25*, Solo Wing Pixy*, Sora112112*, Starryskies*, stormwolf321, Sullenkiller*, SuperQ19, Surfergirl*, Syn_Maxwell, T1ra*, Talisman*, The Great Thundorz*, The Illusionist*, The Painkiller*, TheFinalOne*, TheFlag, TnevdaNai*, tornadofan2, Twisty*, Uncle_Iroh, Vanillasugar41*, Vestiline*, VitaminHeart*, Whispers..x*, whscorbin, Wing06Twilight, WordSail, Wraith, Wynddancer, XavierDantius32*, Xiiver*, xKyrie, XtremeVelocity*, Yahoo [Bot], yamada*, yogitheambrangyl*, Zitacamron95, zody*, ZoeyAutopsyx, zukinchanx3*

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/RolePlayGateway/~3/QfZe8T_41h8/viewtopic.php

sandra fluke g8 summit netanyahu aipac vanessa minnillo super tuesday epidemiology

Obama: Losing the Messaging War on Health Care

As the dust settles on the Supreme Court?s remarkable decision on the health care law, the Obama campaign still appears to be pursuing a "wishful thinking" strategy. They are simply wishing that the Affordable Care Act, the president's signature domestic achievement, would?go away.

"I don't think the American people want to have this debate again," White House Chief of Staff Jacob Lew said on Sunday, echoing a mantra rolled out by other Obama surrogates.

But the Republican Party clearly does?intend to have this debate, all the way into November, and Lew's tepid talking-points are a warning sign that the White House is, yet again, surrendering the message war on a central issue that even Obama partisans admit was poorly marketed the first time around, before and after act was signed into law?in 2010.

Already the law?s opponents, with their flair for the simplistic,?are aggressively portraying the Supreme Court justification of the individual mandate based on Congress' taxing powers as a furtive "middle-class tax increase"?introduced by Obama. That GOP narrative will sink in unless it is aggressively countered with a powerful marketing message.

The opportunity to resell the law exists. As Newsweek points out,?"polls consistently show that more Americans oppose the Affordable Care Act than support it--not because they've evaluated and rejected it but because they don't understand it."

In the end, Obama really has no choice but to mount a selling job extraordinaire on his health care law. A second term just might hinge on it. Read more

--Michael Hirsh

NATIONAL JOURNAL?S PRESIDENTIAL RACE REPORT

Romney Adviser: Individual Mandate is a Penalty, Not a Tax?NEW!
[National Journal, 7/2/12] Romney?s ?Etch-a-Sketch? advisor Eric Fehrnstrom seemed to go off the GOP script on Monday, saying that the individual mandate upheld in last week?s Supreme Court ruling is a ?penalty,? not a tax.

Romney?s Latest Health Care Quandary
[Real Clear Politics, 7/2/12] Romney has been disciplined in steering clear, for the most part, of issues that are not directly related to the economy.? But many supporters say the candidate should not allow the health care issue to fall into the background.

Dems, Echoing Romney, Say Mandate Is About Punishing ?Freeloaders? NEW!
[TPM, 7/2/12] In the wake of the decision to uphold the individual mandate under Congress?s taxing power, Democrats are unifying behind a message to refute the GOP contention that they raised taxes on the middle class. They say they?re simply punishing freeloaders, just as Romney once did.

Doing Double Duty at Justice
[National Review, 7/2/12] Only 46 of the 93 U.S. Attorneys have donated money to a candidate for office in the past six years: collectively, those 46 have donated $235,652 to Obama, the DNC, and Democratic candidates since Jan. 1, 2007; not one has donated to any GOP candidate.

Two Reasons Presidential Campaigns Can?t Hide Negative Ads
[National Journal, 7/2/12] Obama and Romney will have a harder time running under-the-radar negative ads on TV this cycle for two reasons: social media, and the fact that Virginia ? home of the national press corps -- is a swing state.?

Vice Presidential Hopefuls Play the Name Game
[Politico, 7/2/12] The veepstakes has morphed into an open exercise in cautious but unmistakable resume buffing. Even if a contender is not ultimately chosen, the media attention, increased fundraising, and wider following that comes with being a ?short-lister? aids future attempts at higher office.

For a Vacation Spot, It?s Not Just Another Summer
[New York Times, 7/1/12] The 30 members of the Romney clan began gathering in Wolfeboro, New Hampshire over the weekend to start their annual vacation. The Times takes a look at the town ? which bills itself as ?the oldest summer resort in America? ? the reporters, and the residents.

Romney, a Privately Devout Mormon, Worships With Family on Holiday
[Associated Press, 7/2/12] The Romney clan made up nearly a third of the congregation gathered in Wolfeboro?s branch of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints on Sunday. The family?s devotion to the Mormon faith provides a rare glimpse into Romney?s private life that could help him connect with the American public.

GOP?s New Health Law Front
[Wall Street Journal, 7/1/12] Republicans are planning to use a quirk of Senate rules that lets some tax and spending bills come to a vote under a procedure called budget reconciliation ? which only needs a 51-vote majority to pass ? to try to repeal the health care law.

Obama, Romney Camps Pull Out All Stops in Ohio
[Toledo Blade, 7/1/12] The last time Ohio voters didn?t pick the winner in a presidential election was 1960, when JFK lost the state but won the nation. Now, neither the Obama nor Romney campaign is taking a chance on the Buckeye State.

Column: Romney?s Bain Problem
[Washington Post, 7/1/12] The Supreme Court decision on health care only reinforced the importance of the economic argument Obama and Romney have been having for months. But this is where Romney?s Bain problem kicks in, as E.J. Dionne argues: Obama?s Bain ads have undermined Romney?s business experience, and served as a parable for how aspects of the current financial system hurt workers and local communities.?

The Fact Checker: Obama?s New Attacks on Romney and Outsourcing
[Washington Post, 7/2/12] The Obama camp has said that Romney ?made a fortune advising companies on how to outsource jobs to China and India.? But the Post article does not actually say that transfers of U.S. jobs took place while Romney ran Bain Capital; instead, it states that Bain was prescient in identifying an emerging business trend.

The 1934 Dinner Party That May Have Saved ?Obamacare?
[Daily Beast, 7/1/12] When Franklin Roosevelt created Social Security, his labor secretary feared the Supreme Court would reject it ? until Justice Harlan Fiske Stone, a Republican appointee to the court and future chief justice, told her over dinner that she could save the law by framing it as a tax.

Gains in Congressional Approval Could Undermine Obama?s Strategy
[The Hill, 7/1/12] Obama?s re-election strategy since the debate ceiling debacle last summer has been to paint Congress as unreasonably obstructionist and blocking practical legislation to increase employment. But congressional approval rating has been ticking up over the past six months.

Fact-Checking Immigration
[PolitiFact, 7/1/12] Obama claimed last year that the border fence between the U.S. and Mexico is now basically complete; but PolitiFact rated that ?mostly false.? But border crossings from Mexico to the U.S. are down, not up.?

?

Attend a?National Journal?LIVE event?|?Sign up for?National Journal?newsletters

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/obama-losing-messaging-war-health-care-085219359.html

cornucopia best buy black friday deals thanksgiving crafts matt cassel snowman playstation network down houston astros

Iran: We will 'confront' new EU sanctions

TEHRAN, Iran (AP) ? Iran has stored up imports and hard currency for a "battle" against "dastardly" EU sanctions, officials said Sunday, the day that the measures aimed at pressuring the Islamic Republic over its controversial nuclear program take effect.

Vice President Mohammad Reza Rahimi said the country has stockpiled the population's daily needs to reduce the impact of the embargo hitting the oil and banking sectors.

"Today, we are facing the heaviest of sanctions and we ask people to help officials in this battle," Rahimi was quoted by state television's website as saying at a religious conference. He said the "dastardly sanctions" might cause "occasional confusion" in the market, but that the Iranian nation would not be stopped.

Central bank governor Mahmoud Bahmani also told the semiofficial Mehr news agency that Iran has "plans" to deal with the embargo and enough hard currency to meet its import needs.

The EU said earlier this week that all contracts for importing Iranian oil will have to be terminated from Sunday. Also, European companies will no longer be involved in insuring Iranian oil.

The measures come on top of previous sanctions levied by the U.S. and the West that have already hit Iran's economy. U.S. officials say the American sanctions have cut exports of Iranian crude from about 2.5 million barrels a day last year to between 1.2 and 1.8 million barrels now.

"We have not remained passive. To confront the sanctions, we have plans in progress," said Bahmani. He did not elaborate on the plans.

On Saturday Bahmani said Iran is "easily" selling its oil despite all current and future sanctions because some countries have received waivers from the U.S. to import some Iranian oil despite the punitive measures.

The State Department has announced that China, India, Japan, Malaysia, South Korea, Singapore, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Turkey and Taiwan have been given waivers from the U.S. in exchange for "significantly reducing" oil imports.

Iran's Oil Minister Rostam Ghasemi meanwhile ordered his staff to "mobilize" against "illegal sanctions," Mehr said. It did not say what the measures were.

Late Saturday Ghasemi told state television that Iran has weathered previous rounds of sanctions. "I do not see it as a problem that enemies have imposed an embargo today," he said. "Simply, because they have imposed similar sanctions years ago, and nothing happened."

He said Iran has already stopped selling oil to many EU countries and sold to others instead. "Developing countries and countries with fast economic growth have no alternative to oil. Fortunately, because of the quality of our country's oil, all are interest in using it."

The U.S. and EU measures are intended to pressure Iran over fears that it is developing nuclear weapons.

Iran denies the charges, saying its nuclear program is aimed at peaceful purposes like power generation and cancer treatment.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/cae69a7523db45408eeb2b3a98c0c9c5/Article_2012-07-01-ML-Iran-Oil/id-c9708d425ce945409908370537bb9712

go daddy nsx chad ochocinco roman numerals new england patriots patriots nbc

Ivanovic, Schiavone reach 4th round at Wimbledon

[ [ [['Connery is an experienced stuntman', 2]], 'http://yhoo.it/KeQd0p', '[Slideshow: See photos taken on the way down]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['Connery is an experienced stuntman', 7]], ' http://yhoo.it/KpUoHO', '[Slideshow: Death-defying daredevils]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['know that we have confidence in', 3]], 'http://yhoo.it/LqYjAX ', '[Related: The Secret Service guide to Cartagena]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['We picked up this other dog and', 5]], 'http://yhoo.it/JUSxvi', '[Related: 8 common dog fears, how to calm them]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['accused of running a fake hepatitis B', 5]], 'http://bit.ly/JnoJYN', '[Related: Did WH share raid details with filmmakers?]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['accused of running a fake hepatitis B', 3]], 'http://bit.ly/KoKiqJ', '[Factbox: AQAP, al-Qaeda in Yemen]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['have my contacts on or glasses', 3]], 'http://abcn.ws/KTE5AZ', '[Related: Should the murder charge be dropped?]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['have made this nation great as Sarah Palin', 5]], 'http://yhoo.it/JD7nlD', '[Related: Bristol Palin reality show debuts June 19]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['have made this nation great as Sarah Palin', 1]], 'http://bit.ly/JRPFRO', '[Related: McCain adviser who vetted Palin weighs in on VP race]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['A JetBlue flight from New York to Las Vegas', 3]], 'http://yhoo.it/GV9zpj', '[Related: View photos of the JetBlue plane in Amarillo]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['the 28-year-old neighborhood watchman who shot and killed', 15]], 'http://news.yahoo.com/photos/white-house-stays-out-of-teen-s-killing-slideshow/', 'Click image to see more photos', 'http://l.yimg.com/cv/ip/ap/default/120411/martinzimmermen.jpg', '630', ' ', 'AP', ], [ [['He was in shock and still strapped to his seat', 6]], 'http://news.yahoo.com/photos/navy-jet-crashes-in-virginia-slideshow/', 'Click image to see more photos', 'http://l.yimg.com/cv/ip/ap/default/120406/jet_ap.jpg', '630', ' ', 'AP', ], [ [['xxxxxxxxxxxx', 11]], 'http://news.yahoo.com/photos/russian-grannies-win-bid-to-sing-at-eurovision-1331223625-slideshow/', 'Click image to see more photos', 'http://l.yimg.com/a/p/us/news/editorial/1/56/156d92f2760dcd3e75bcd649a8b85fcf.jpeg', '500', ' ', 'AP', ] ]

[ [ [['did not go as far his colleague', 8]], '29438204', '0' ], [ [[' the 28-year-old neighborhood watchman who shot and killed', 4]], '28924649', '0' ], [ [['because I know God protects me', 14], ['Brian Snow was at a nearby credit union', 5]], '28811216', '0' ], [ [['The state news agency RIA-Novosti quoted Rosaviatsiya', 6]], '28805461', '0' ], [ [['measure all but certain to fail in the face of bipartisan', 4]], '28771014', '0' ], [ [['matter what you do in this case', 5]], '28759848', '0' ], [ [['presume laws are constitutional', 7]], '28747556', '0' ], [ [['has destroyed 15 to 25 houses', 7]], '28744868', '0' ], [ [['short answer is yes', 7]], '28746030', '0' ], [ [['opportunity to tell the real story', 7]], '28731764', '0' ], [ [['entirely respectable way to put off the searing constitutional controversy', 7]], '28723797', '0' ], [ [['point of my campaign is that big ideas matter', 9]], '28712293', '0' ], [ [['As the standoff dragged into a second day', 7]], '28687424', '0' ], [ [['French police stepped up the search', 17]], '28667224', '0' ], [ [['Seeking to elevate his candidacy back to a general', 8]], '28660934', '0' ], [ [['The tragic story of Trayvon Martin', 4]], '28647343', '0' ], [ [['Karzai will get a chance soon to express', 8]], '28630306', '0' ], [ [['powerful storms stretching', 8]], '28493546', '0' ], [ [['basic norm that death is private', 6]], '28413590', '0' ], [ [['songwriter also saw a surge in sales for her debut album', 6]], '28413590', '1', 'Watch music videos from Whitney Houston ', 'on Yahoo! Music', 'http://music.yahoo.com' ], [ [['keyword', 99999999999999999999999]], 'videoID', '1', 'overwrite-pre-description', 'overwrite-link-string', 'overwrite-link-url' ] ]

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/ivanovic-schiavone-reach-4th-round-wimbledon-125201278--spt.html

lucid 2012 ncaa tournament bracket matterhorn chris harrison girl scouts printable bracket army wives

Temporary visits home allowed after Colorado wildfires

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (AP) ? People who fled the most destructive fire in Colorado's history are being allowed temporary visits to the most devastated neighborhoods, and many will find that their homes were among the nearly 350 burned to the ground.

About 10,000 people remain evacuated, down from more than 30,000 at the peak of the Waldo Canyon fire in Colorado Springs.

On Sunday people whose homes were burned will be allowed to tour the affected areas. Authorities said some residences would be cordoned off with police tape, and people would not be allowed beyond that point.

The home of Janine Herbertson and her 15-year-old daughter, Tessa Konik, remained unburned amid 150 others that were destroyed, said Herbertson as they ate lunch Saturday outside a Red Cross shelter.

Even so, "I'm afraid to go on the tour tomorrow and see our neighborhood in ruins," she said.

The 26-square-mile fire was 45 percent contained late Saturday night. It was one of many burning across the West, including eight in Utah and a fast-growing blaze in Montana that forced residents in several small communities to leave.

On Saturday, firefighting crews were keeping a wary eye on weather that was becoming warmer and drier.

"The weather is making progress in a bad direction. Hotter, drier, with a chance of thunderstorms in the afternoon. Winds will shift from one direction to another," said Incident Commander Rich Harvey.

About 1,200 personnel and six helicopters were fighting the Waldo Canyon fire, and authorities said they were confident they had built good fire lines in many areas to stop flames from spreading.

"Crews made progress all around the fire,'" said Harvey, who was cautiously optimistic. "The fire potential is still very, very high. It's extreme and explosive."

Two bodies were found in the ruins of one house, one of almost 350 destroyed in this city 60 miles south of Denver. The victims' names haven't been released. Police Chief Pete Carey said Saturday afternoon the approximately 10 people who had been unaccounted for had now been located.

Police did not expect to discover other victims in the rubble.

More than 150 National Guard soldiers and airmen helped Colorado Springs police staff roadblocks and patrol streets. Carey said Saturday the presence of military personnel will allow his department to resume normal police work in the rest of the city.

Evacuees Saturday filtered back into an unscathed neighborhood of winding streets and split-level homes within an easy walk of the burned area.

High school counselor Pat Allen and her husband, Vic Miller, were all smiles less than five minutes after returning to their tri-level home on a quiet cul-de-sac.

"I'm just wanting to kiss the house, dance with the neighbors", Allen said.

Their house didn't smell of smoke. Their electricity was out for two or three days but the popsicles in their freezer didn't melt, she said.

Around the corner, retiree Nina Apsey wandered in search of eight small, solar-powered lights that somebody had taken from her yard during the evacuation.

"I'm assuming it was vandalism," she said.

Prized possessions still piled into the Hyundai sport-utility vehicle in her garage included caribou antlers and antelope and deer head mounts. As flames bore down, she'd also taken a small ceramic cowboy statue. Her late husband taught her how to hunt. He resembled the cowboy, she said.

She wasn't too perturbed about her missing lights because nothing else was touched.

"If that's the worst that happened to me, I'm blessed," she said.

Investigators are still trying to determine the cause of the fire that broke out on June 23, and which so far has cost $8.8 million to battle. Dangerous conditions had kept them from beginning their inquiry.

Among the fires elsewhere in the West:

? Utah: Residents were sifting through the ashes of more than 50 houses destroyed by a central Utah wildfire. Homeowners were allowed to return Saturday to Indianola along Utah's scenic Route 89. In all, eight wildfires are burning across Utah.

? Montana: Authorities in eastern Montana ordered the evacuation of several communities Saturday as the Ash Creek Complex fires, which has burned more than 70 homes this week, consumed another 72 square miles. The blaze grew to 244 square miles overnight.

? Wyoming: A wind-driven wildfire in a sparsely populated area of southeastern Wyoming exploded from eight square miles to nearly 58 square miles in a single day, and an unknown number of structures have burned. About 200 structures were considered threatened.

? Idaho: A fast-moving 1,000-acre wildfire in eastern Idaho that destroyed 66 homes and 29 outbuildings was expected to be contained Saturday. Some 1,000 residents were evacuated; it was unclear when they would be allowed back.

? Colorado: The last evacuees from the High Park Fire in northern Colorado have been allowed to return home as crews get closer to full containment. The 136-square-mile fire killed one resident and destroyed 259 houses, a state record until the fire near Colorado Springs destroyed 346 homes. In western Colorado, the 18-square-mile Pine Ridge Fire was 10 percent contained.

___

Associated Press writers Paul Foy in Salt Lake City, Keith Ridler in Boise, Idaho, and Dan Elliott in Denver contributed to this report.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/residents-tour-areas-devastated-colo-blaze-080210255.html

tony nominations 2012 facebook organ donor jessica simpson gives birth carrie underwood blown away chk carrie underwood jessica simpson

Some GOP states want to abandon Medicaid expansion

---

Read the Tulsa World continuing coverage of the health care law.

---

The high court upheld most of Obama's law, but the justices said the federal government could not take away states' existing federal Medicaid dollars if they refused to widen eligibility to include adults who are only slightly above the poverty line. Some Republican governors and lawmakers quickly declared that they would not carry out the expansion.

The states considering whether to withdraw from the expansion include presidential battlegrounds Florida, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Colorado.

"One thing is clear, state legislatures will play a big role in the future of Obamacare," said Republican state Rep. Todd Richardson of Missouri.

For elected officials, the high court decision presented a stark choice: agree to accept an ambitious expansion of Medicaid or leave behind a vast pile of federal money that could provide health care to millions of poor constituents.

The law signed by Obama in 2010 was projected to provide coverage to more than 30 million Americans, reducing by more than half the number of uninsured people. Of those, about 17 million were supposed to be added to Medicaid, the joint federal and state health care program for the poor. The rest were to be covered by a strengthened and subsidized private insurance market.

The federal government agreed to pay the full tab for the Medicaid expansion when it begins in 2014. But after three years, states must pay a gradually increasing share that tops out at 10 percent of the cost. That may not sound like much, but it translates to a commitment of billions of dollars at a time when many local officials are still anxious about the slow economic recovery.

In Texas alone, where one quarter of the population is uninsured, the Medicaid expansion is projected to provide coverage to 2 million people in the first two years alone. Over a decade, the Texas Health and Human Services Commission estimates the expansion would cost the state an estimated $27 billion. Lawmakers will weigh their options when they return to work in 2013.

But other states aren't waiting to announce their intentions. Mississippi, which is one of the poorest states in the nation and has more than 640,000 people on Medicaid, could cover an additional 400,000 people if it chose to expand Medicaid. But doing so would cost about $1.7 billion over 10 years and force deep cuts to education and transportation, state officials said.

"Mississippi taxpayers simply cannot afford that cost, so our state is not inclined to drastically expand Medicaid," Republican Lt. Gov. Tate Reeves said.

Republican Nebraska Gov. Dave Heineman promised to block any effort to expand Medicaid, which he said would require tax increases or education cuts. And Indiana Senate President Pro Tem David Long, also a Republican, asserted that his state "will certainly" opt out of the Medicaid expansion.

The expansion was also quickly nixed by GOP legislative leaders in Missouri, where 255,000 of the state's roughly 835,000 uninsured residents stood to be added to the program. In 2005, Missouri slashed its Medicaid eligibility for parents to the lowest levels allowed by the federal government in order to help balance the budget.

The expansion in Obama's health care law would restore coverage to those people and add many more. The cost: $2 billion annually, of which Missouri would pay about $100 million beginning in 2017, with its share rising above $150 million by 2019.

"The federal government always does this - they put something out there that looks good on the front end, but on the back end the states have to figure out how to pay for this," said Missouri House Majority Leader Tim Jones, a Republican. "In this current economic time, we're not going to consider going down that path."

In states that reject the Medicaid expansion, some lower-income residents who work could find themselves in a coverage gap between the extremely poor and the middle class.

The health care law offers tax breaks to offset the cost of private insurance purchased through new online marketplaces for those whose incomes are above the poverty level. But there are no breaks for many others who earn below the poverty level but still aren't considered poor enough to receive Medicaid. The law assumed they would be covered by an expanded Medicaid program.

Source: http://www.tulsaworld.com/site/articlepath.aspx?articleid=20120630_12_A9_CUTLIN847606&rss_lnk=12

billy the kid neville neville george lucas numerology the game new hampshire primary