CryoNet #32036 - #32042

CryoNet - Wed 7 Oct 2009

    #32036: European approach to life-extension (was: Re: Larry Johnson s... [David Stodolsky]
    #32037: Bravo to this community, and an observation [Rudi Hoffman]
    #32038: Clarification and small apology [Rudi Hoffman]
    #32039: could green tea polyphenol liposomes aid organ cryopreservati... [oberon]
    #32040: Revived from the 1940s:The New Diet & Disease Paradigm [biologist501]
    #32041: Alcor Hiring Non-Cryonicists [Kitty Antonik Wakfer]
    #32042: Larry Johnson's blood libel against Dave Pizer & the Venturis... [Mark Plus]

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Message #32036
From: David Stodolsky <[email protected]>
Subject: European approach to life-extension (was: Re: Larry Johnson s...
Date: Tue, 6 Oct 2009 12:26:40 +0200
References: <[email protected]>

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David Pizer wrote:

> Now is the time for all cryoncists to remain calm. With a well  
> thought out plan we cryonicists can use this public attention to  
> explain our philosophy and goals and therefore advance cryonics to  
> those people who matter.

Please add my just updated site to any publicity:

www.cosmism.info

(get me any corrections or comments)


Direct link to the English intro:

<http://sites.google.com/a/cosmism.info/cosmism/seeking-an-unbounded-future 
 >


The "What is Cosmism" page is well referenced, and shows that our  
ideas are not new/fly-by-nite, etc. and that we have a solid  
philosophic foundation.

<http://sites.google.com/a/cosmism.info/cosmism/what-is-cosmism>

Explain this as the "European approach to life-extension."


The marketing test is proceeding as expected. I have handed out a few  
hundred folders and gotten a response. So, with a newspaper ad  
reaching a million, I can expect a few thousand responses. Even if  
half show for a public meeting and half of those commit to membership  
in a new organization, I have 750 new people. I still need funding for  
the next step, the ad.


dss


David Stodolsky
[email protected]  Skype: davidstodolsky







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Message #32037
Date: Tue, 6 Oct 2009 10:47:56 -0400
Subject: Bravo to this community, and an observation
From: Rudi Hoffman <[email protected]>

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Hello, fellow cryoneters,

I wanted to add my endorsement and respectful comments to the thoughtful
observations made by Pizer, Vyff, Plus, Perry, and others on this list,
regarding the "recent unpleasantness."  (A euphemism my wife's grandmother
utilized to describe the civil war, btw...rather more serious than that of
populist grandstanding fraud figuring out how to sell books.)

Pizer's "Remain calm, utilize this as a springboard to explain real
cryonics," seems like appropriate advice.  And Pizer's description of
actually living through, and participating in, a much more serious PR
debacle than this, and seeing how it wound up benefiting cryonics in the
long run, is perspective developing.

My observation is similar to one identified on today's cryonet regarding the
"Bodies" exhibits circulating throughout the country. (Btw, I saw the one in
Las Vegas...tremendously worthwhile, astounding and educational.)  But my
observation might be summarized thusly:

"The observation that it might even MATTER if a suspendee were "mishandled"
PRESUPPOSES that the basic premise of cryonics is at least credible.  Do we
care about the more gory and disgusting components of the body preservation
that funeral homes use?  Are people shocked that subcutaneous fat is moved
around, body "filler putty" applied, and anal plugs utilized to prevent
leakage of liquid feces?  Do these gross disgusting images become shocker
headlines and sell tabloid and unsubstantiated books?

Not really.

Why?

Can we as a society take a moment to appreciate the distinctions here?

Mishandling of patients, which is alleged, presumes that it may make a
difference to Ted's resuscitation if he were handled differently.

Actually, as I write this I realize that this is probably not hugely
compelling to the average Red Sox baseball fan who is looking for further
fodder to bewail the fate of the "beloved Ted Williams."  Logical discourse
will not sway those "whose minds are made up already, don't wish to be
confused by the facts, and only pause periodically to rearrange their
prejudices."

But, to more thoughtful people who comprise our potential market, and
hopefully to more carefully thinking individuals whose behaviors could
impact cryonics, an observation something like this may be compelling.

In closing, I hope it won't dilute this main observation to provide an
additional "absolutely" and copy Arcturus's post here because the ALCOR
board needs to hear this loud and clear.  And so far they have not.

Board members, members of the CEO selection committee, please re-read this
and consider the wisdom displayed:
(Copy follows)

"In my opinion, one lesson I wish Alcor's Board would draw is never to hire
non-cryonicists.
Yet it is even now bent on looking for a new chief, none of whose minimum
qualifications include being a cryonicist.
If someone doesn't believe in cryonics enough to sign up for it when they
can, their only possible attitude toward it, whether they would confess it
to their employers or not, is disbelief, and thus their working on behalf of
it is fraud and their attitude toward cryonicists is somewhere between
amused condescension and fierce contempt. A really awful combination which
explains some of the employee turnover and betrayals."

End copying of Arcturus Gregory.  Well said.  The Pope needs to be
Catholic.  The CEO of ALCOR needs to be, first and foremost, deeply
committed to the IDEOLOGY embraced by the cryonics community.  Is it too
much to ask the board and search committee to agree with this?  Let's agree
that we need to get this CEO decision right this time...starting with a CEO
who understands and agrees with the basic premise of cryonics.  Can we agree
this is a pretty reasonable foundation for discussion?

Warmly and Sincerely,

Rudi
-cc to ALCOR board, because some don't read cryonet-

Rudi Richard Hoffman CFP CLU ChFC

World's Leading Cryonics Insuror rudihoffman.com
Former Board Member Financial Planning Association fpafla.com
Board Member Salvation Army salvationarmy.org
Member Alcor Life Extension Foundation alcor.org,
Member Cryonics Institute cryonics.org
Certified Financial Planner(TM) CFP Board of Standards
Member World Transhumanist Association http://transhumanism.org/

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Message #32038
Date: Tue, 6 Oct 2009 21:24:39 -0400
Subject: Clarification and small apology
From: Rudi Hoffman <[email protected]>

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Hi Cryoneters,

This is Rudi Hoffman from Florida again...

Given the amount of challenges most everyone deals with these days, and
especially the more responsible members of the Alcor board, it is not
helpful, especially at this particular junction, for me to compose verbiage
that may be perceived as critical or accusatory.

I apologize if my earlier email was even remotely innapropriate or ill
timed.  I re-read my earlier email, and thought I should add this addenda.

All of us are (probably) doing the best we can, given the full set of
circumstances.  And I don't want to be even remotely positioned to be
"piling on" or saying that the Alcor board is directly responsible for the
LJ situation by hiring non-cryonicists.  I do maintain the position, no
doubt also maintained by the full board and the executive search committee,
that ideology and value systems matter, and are hopefully and no doubt being
considered as a component in their executive search for the optimal
candidate.

Thanks for allowing me this small but nuanced apology/explanation.

Rudi






-- 
Rudi Richard Hoffman CFP CLU ChFC

World's Leading Cryonics Insuror rudihoffman.com
Former Board Member Financial Planning Association fpafla.com
Board Member Salvation Army salvationarmy.org
Member Alcor Life Extension Foundation alcor.org,
Member Cryonics Institute cryonics.org
Certified Financial Planner(TM) CFP Board of Standards
Member World Transhumanist Association http://transhumanism.org/

--0016364181d5ea7e5a04754e3520

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Message #32039
Date: Tue, 6 Oct 2009 20:27:24 -0700 (PDT)
From: [email protected]
Subject: could green tea polyphenol liposomes aid organ cryopreservati...

[Green tea polyphenols reduce cryopreservation related damage, but have such poor permeation characteristics that they are not suitable for use in whole organ cryopreservation. Liposome encapsulation of green tea polyphenols seemingly overcomes the permeation limitation, but it is not known whether such polyphenol loaded liposomes could offer significant protection against cryopreservation damage, over and above that provided by the liposomes themselves. Application of ultrasound can release the contents of liposomes, and so may be used to "activate" polyphenol loaded liposomes by liberating their polyphenols, which then can act to reduce cryopreservation related damage throughout whole organ systems. Thus the combination of liposome encapsulation and ultrasound may enable green tea polyph
 enols to reduce whole organ cryopreservation related damage.]

Ann Biomed Eng. 2009 Sep 3. [Epub ahead of print]
A Mathematical Model of Drug Release from Liposomes by Low Frequency Ultrasound.
    Enden G, Schroeder A. Department of Biomedical Engineering, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, P.O. Box 653, Beer Sheva, 84105, Israel
    Administration of drugs using small (<100 nm) unilamellar liposomes enables effective targeting of tumors and inflamed tissue. Therapeutic efficacy may be enhanced by triggering liposomal drug release in the desired organ in a controlled manner using a noninvasive external signal. Previous studies have demonstrated that low frequency ultrasound (LFUS) can be used to control the release of drugs from liposomes. LFUS irradiation has a twofold effect: (1) it causes the impermeable liposome membrane to become permeable and (2) it induces liposome disintegration. Immediately upon cessation of LFUS irradiation the membrane resumes its impermeable state and liposome disintegration stops. The mathematical model presented here is aimed at providing a better quantitative and qualitative understa
 nding of LFUS-induced liposomal drug release, which is essential for safe and effective implementation of this technique. The time-dependent release patterns are determined by the liposome disintegration patterns and by two key parameters: (a) the average permeability of the membrane to the drug and (b) the ratio between the volume of the entire dispersion and the initial volume of all the liposomes in the dispersion. The present model implies that LFUS irradiation triggers two liposomal drug-release mechanisms: the predominant one is diffusion through the LFUS-compromised liposome membrane, and the less significant one is liposome disintegration.
PMID: 19731036

Cell Transplant. 2009;18(5):513-9.
Long-term preservation of rat skin tissue by epigallocatechin-3-o-gallate.
    Kim H, Kawazoe T, Matsumura K, Suzuki S, Hyon SH. Department of Medical Simulation Engineering, Research Center for Nano Medical Engineering, Institute for Frontier Medical Sciences, Kyoto University, Kyoto 606-8507, Japan.
    Skin grafts can be preserved by cryopreservation and refrigerated storage at 4 degrees C. Epigallocatechin-3-O-gallate (EGCG) enhances the viability of stored skin grafts and also extends the storage time up to 7 weeks at 4 degrees C. EGCG, the major polyphenolic constituent present in green tea, has potent antioxidant, antimicrobial, antiproliferative, and free radical scavenging effects. This study examined the effects of EGCG on skin cryopreservation. Skin sample biopsy specimens from GFP rats were previously treated with/without EGCG then moved to -196 degrees C. Skin samples were transplanted to nude mice after 2, 8, and 24 weeks of preservation. Glucose consumption was measured after thawing to assess the metabolic activity. Two weeks later the transplanted skin grafts were excis
 ed and histologically analyzed. Histological examinations revealed the degeneration of the epidermal and dermal layers in all groups. In the EGCG groups, the grafts showed higher integrity in the epidermal layer and dermal matrix. The present findings suggest the future clinical usefulness of EGCG for skin preservation; however, the mechanism by which EGCG promotes skin preservation still remains unclear.
PMID: 19775511

Snip: " increased drug deposition by 20-fold"

J Dermatol Sci. 2006 May;42(2):101-9. Epub 2006 Jan 19.
Effect of liposome encapsulation of tea catechins on their accumulation in basal cell carcinomas.
    Fang JY, Lee WR, Shen SC, Huang YL. Pharmaceutics Laboratory, Graduate Institute of Natural Products, Chang Gung University, Kweishan, Taoyuan, and Department of Dermatology, Taipei Medical Unversity Hospital, Taiwan.
    BACKGROUND: (-)-Epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), the main active polyphenol in green tea, is associated with antioxidant and anticancer activities. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to evaluate the feasibility of using liposomes for intratumor distribution of EGCG and its derivative, (+)-catechin. METHOD: Liposomes containing egg phosphatidylcholine, cholesterol, or anionic surfactant in the presence of 15% ethanol were prepared. The physicochemical characteristics including vesicle size, zeta potential, drug entrapment, and drug release of liposomal formulations were determined. The liposomes containing EGCG were injected into basal cell carcinomas (BCCs), melanomas, and colon tumors to examine the tumor uptake of the drug. Liposomes were also incubated with a given number of BCC c
 ells, and the cell viability was estimated. RESULT: Almost no drug molecules were observed when free EGCG was administered to BCCs. EGCG encapsulated in liposomes with deoxycholic acid (DA) and ethanol increased drug deposition by 20-fold as compared to the free form. The larger vesicle size of this formulation was suggested to be the predominant factor governing this enhancement. The liposomes without ethanol showed low or negligible enhancement on EGCG uptake in BCCs. Liposomes protected EGCG from degradation, resulting in the induction of greater BCC death compared to that by free EGCG at lower concentrations. CONCLUSION: These results suggest that the intratumor injection of liposomes containing EGCG with moderate modification is an effective approach for increasing EGCG deposition i
 n BCCs.
PMID: 16423506

Snip: >" infiltration limit for polyphenol solution into neural tissue is inferred to be 500-700 microm."

J Neurosci Methods. 2005 Jun 30;145(1-2):255-66.
Optimal conditions for peripheral nerve storage in green tea polyphenol: an experimental study in animals.
  Matsumoto T, Kakinoki R, Ikeguchi R, Hyon SH, Nakamura T. Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto University, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto 606-8507, Japan.
  Our previous study demonstrated successful peripheral nerve storage for 1 month using polyphenol solution. We here report two studies to solve residual problems in using polyphenols as a storage solution for peripheral nerves. Study 1 was designed to determine the optimal concentration of the polyphenol solution and the optimal immersion period for nerve storage. Rat sciatic nerve segments were immersed in polyphenol solution at three different concentrations (2.5, 1.0, and 0.5 mg/ml) for three different periods (1, 7, and 26 days). Electrophysiological and morphological studies demonstrated that nerve regeneration from nerve segments that had been immersed in 1mg/ml polyphenol solution for 1 week and in Dulbecco's modified Eagle's medium (DMEM) for the subsequent 3 weeks was superior to
  the regeneration in other treatment groups. In study 2, the permeability of nerve tissue to polyphenol solution was investigated using canine sciatic nerve segments stored in 1.0mg/ml polyphenol solution for 1 week and in DMEM for the subsequent 3 weeks. Electron microscopy revealed that the Schwann cell structure within 500-700 microm of the perineurium was preserved, but cells deeper than 500-700 microm were badly damaged or had disappeared. The infiltration limit for polyphenol solution into neural tissue is inferred to be 500-700 microm.
PMID: 15922041

Biotechnol Lett. 2005 May;27(9):655-60.
Protection of osteoblastic cells from freeze/thaw cycle-induced oxidative stress by green tea polyphenol.
  Han DW, Kim HH, Lee MH, Baek HS, Lee KY, Hyon SH, Park JC. Department of Medical Engineering, Yonsei University College of Medicine, 134 Shinchon-dong, Seodaemun-gu, Seoul, 120-752, Korea.
  Green tea polyphenol (GTP) together with dimethylsulphoxide (DMSO) were added to a freezing solution of osteoblastic cells (rat calvarial osteoblasts and human osteosarcoma cells) exposed to repeated freeze/thaw cycles (FTC) to induce oxidative stress. When cells were subjected to 3 FTCs, freezing medium containing 10% (v/v) DMSO and 500 mug GTP ml(-1) significantly (p<0.05) suppressed cell detachment and growth inhibition by over 63% and protected cell morphology. Furthermore, the alkaline phosphatase activity of osteoblastic cells was appreciably maintained after
2 and 3 FTCs in this mixture. Polyphenols may thus be of use as a cell cryopreservant and be advantageous in such fields as cell transplantation and tissue engineering.
PMID: 15977073

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Message #32040
Subject:  Revived from the 1940s:The New Diet & Disease Paradigm
Date: Wed, 07 Oct 2009 00:07:58 -0400
From: [email protected]

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This may be one?of the?most important videos on the Web.? It is Gary Taubes speaking about obesity and disease based on his book "Good Calories, Bad Calories."? The audience are all physicians apparently. It's about 45 minutes.? I think he's nailed it.

?

http://www.dhslides.org/mgr/mgr060509f/f.htm 



Biologist501





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Message #32041
Date: Wed, 07 Oct 2009 00:14:21 -0400
From: Kitty Antonik Wakfer <[email protected]>
Subject: Alcor Hiring Non-Cryonicists
References: <[email protected]>

On 10/06/2009 05:00 AM, CryoNet wrote:
>
> Message #32034
> References: <[email protected]>
> Date: Mon, 5 Oct 2009 14:57:41 -0700 (PDT)
> From: 2Arcturus <[email protected]>
> Subject: Re: Larry Johnson story publicity
>
> --0-217062602-1254779861=:11075
>
> In my opinion, one lesson I wish Alcor's Board would draw is never to hire non-cryonicists.
> Yet it is even now bent on looking for a new chief, none of whose minimum qualifications include being a cryonicist.
> If someone doesn't believe in cryonics enough to sign up for it when they can, their only possible attitude toward it, whether they would confess it to their employers or not, is disbelief, and thus their working on behalf of it is fraud and their attitude toward cryonicists is somewhere between amused condescension and fierce contempt. A really awful combination which explains some of the employee turnover and betrayals.
>
>   

I and Paul agree completely with this message in its entirety. It is 
straight to the point and right-on with the assessment that Alcor would 
eliminate major problems for itself by *not* hiring non-cryonicists - 
especially for the position of CEO. The only thing that would have made 
the message better would be the full identification of the poster 
standing behind his/her words.

**Kitty Antonik Wakfer

MoreLife for the rational - http://morelife.org 
Reality based tools for more life in quantity and quality
Self-Sovereign Individual Project - http://selfsip.org 
Self-sovereignty, rational pursuit of optimal lifetime happiness,
individual responsibility, social preferencing & social contracting

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Message #32042
From: Mark Plus <[email protected]>
Subject: Larry Johnson's blood libel against Dave Pizer & the Venturis...
Date: Tue, 6 Oct 2009 23:38:54 -0700

From "Frozen," pp. 332-333:
 
[Johnson hooked up with Alan Kunzman, the former Riverside Counter Coroner's deputy who wrote "MotherMelters."]
 
While Alan Kunzman was working the Dora Kent case, his informant told him of a cryonicist "fortress" owned by David Pizer. This apparently wasn't the Creekside Preserve location near Prescott I had visited; in some postings online I gathered there had been an earlier version of Ventureville in the Phoenix area. The informant claimed thre were stores of survivalist gear buried out there. Guns, bombs, medical supplies, cryonics equipment, everything they'd need to hole up prior to Armageddon and prepare for its aftermath. There were underground bunkers, he said, surrounded by barbed wire and claymore mines.
 
Alan read documents that corroborated his informant's claim, describing how buses had been purchased and modified and then joined together underground. These were filled with water and supplies, and the entire area was mined.
 
Alan's informant also talked about desert locations where he believed bodies could be found. Teenage runaways and homeless people. Alan's informant suspected Alcorians and David Pizer's Venturists had kidnapped "people who wouldn't be missed" and then experimented on them until they died.
 
That was a very serious and shocking allegation. However, after having spent time with Pizer and his followers, I believed it could be true.
 
In fact, I had hear rumors of the exact same thing while I was at Alcor in Scottsdale, almost twenty years after Alan's informant came forward. That was one of the reasons I had wanted to stay even longer at Alcor, bugging my colleagues, to get proof of those rumored kidnappings and alleged murders. Hearing that Alan's informant had the same suspicions was extremely frightening.
 
 
 		 	   		  
_________________________________________________________________
Hotmail: Powerful Free email with security by Microsoft.
http://clk.atdmt.com/GBL/go/171222986/direct/01/

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