Obesity is a serious problem that can be helped long term through gastric bypass surgery, a new study confirms. Image by Tobyotter.

Obesity comes with so many risk factors, one being heart problems. There is a connection between obesity and cardiovascular disease, but it’s not fully understood. Obese people tend to show signs of structural change to the heart. They can have the right ventricle become enlarged and excess heart muscle mass in the left ventricle. Both of these conditions are linked to heart failure.

Gastric bypass surgery seems to be helping obese people loose weight and getting their heart back to it’s normal size and shape.

A study was just published in the “Journal of American College of Cardiology.” The researchers followed over 400 obese people who had the gastric bypass surgery. The surgery is designed to reduce the size of the stomach making the individual feel fuller faster.

The first group was compared to a second group of about 300 obese people that did not have the surgery.

After 2 years the average body mass index (BMI) fell from an average 48 to about 32, with the average weight loss being about 100 pounds.

Those that lost the weight, had smaller waistlines, lowered their blood pressure, heart rate and also showed reductions in the heart mass. The heart was indicating that it was less stressed. It was no longer working as hard to pump blood through the body. The heart then began to return back to it’s normal shape.

When people do lose weight it does help them get their heart back to a health heart. Gastric bypass is not without it’s risks, but with studies like this, showing improvements like these, researchers are hoping insurance will start paying for more. Currently only about 1% of obese people have the surgery.

The researchers are going to continue to follow these participants for another 2 years to see if they can keep the weight off, plus see if they can improve their health, and have less heart trouble in the long term.

The Nasdaq OMX experienced a breach in it's servers late last year. Image by bfishadow.

Hackers successfully breached systems of the company that runs the Nasdaq stock exchange late last year. News of the breach was just released over the weekend. Nasdaq OMX handles all of the trades for the exchange, along with auxiliary supporting systems.

According to Nasdaq OMX, the breach did not occur on the system that handles trades. Frank DeMaria, a spokesman for the company, said the exchange would operate as normal on Monday with no affect on trading.

The integrity of the Nasdaq trading platform was further confirmed by federal officials.

The Nasdaq has increased in popularity and number of trades over the past decade and a half. The exchange now accounts for roughly 19 percent of trades of stock in the United States. By comparison, the New York Stock Exchange, or NYSE, handles about 27 percent of trades.

According to analysts, the systems affected by the hackers exploits were ones used by the company in new services it is offering to corporations, and not tied to the Nasdaq’s trading platforms. These expanded services are an attempt by the Nasdaq OMX to capture more revenue than is seen through trading fees.

The company will face some serious PR challenges as it works overtime to quell public worry about the safety of the exchange and the trades performed on the platform.

The Black Eyed Peas didn't bring their "A" game to the Super Bowl half time show this year. Image by Franck Mahon.

The half time show at the Super Bowl is always one highly anticipated by attendees as well as viewers from home. We’ve seen some star studded lineups over the years, and this year was no different.

The Black Eyed Peas pulled out all the stops with plenty of glitz and glamor to wow those taking it in. The band is a good fit as a Super Bowl half time act. They have plenty of showmanship, entertainment abilities and draw to captivate the audience. What’s more, their music has been played regularly at sporting events for the last few years, both small and large.

Despite the foursome kicking things off with their hit “I Gotta Feeling,” the entire performance seemed to lack some pizazz. The Black Eyed Peas, instead of being larger than life, seemed to be more pea sized during their show. They didn’t have much in the way of choreography, and seemed a bit awkward lined up on stage.

Other artists made an appearance including Slash, playing “Sweet Child O’ Mine” and Usher with a couple of his tunes.

The only wowing part of the show was the singers dropping from the sky to the stage.

Overall it was more than a disappointment with so much potential and a captive live audience of 100,000 plus, along with millions of viewers.

Weather seems to be cooperating a bit better for Super Bowl Sunday, making it easier for fans to get to the big game

It has been quite a week in Dallas, with ice storms and record snowfall, but the weather for the weekend is looking a little better with some sun. There is going to be some wet stuff that could turn into snow. The chance of rain or snow could happen on Super Bowl Sunday.

Fridays weather is making roads in the area better for commuting. It will also allow fans to get to their weekend destination, the Super Bowl. Saturday is slated to be the best day in a while, with temperatures above freezing and sunny skies. The hope is the weather will clear roads and allow flights to get fans in for the weekend.

Sunday will bring another cold front. Temps will be in the 30′s. Although not bad for the game, this is bad news for the fans that plan to watch the Super Bowl on the big outdoor screen at the Cowboys’ Stadium.

Even though it looks like the high will be 38, which will bring rain instead of snow, forecasters are worried about what will happen after the sun sets and temperatures dip again.

Nonetheless, the fans are making their way to the city and ultimately the stadium to see what they came for, the Super Bowl.

Apple is expected to release a new version of the Apple iOS, version 4.3, possibly as soon as Valentine's Day. Image courtesy of Apple.

Rumor has it that the latest version of the Apple mobile operating system, iOS version 4.3, is coming as soon as Valentine’s Day. Some sites are even reporting that the OS will arrive to users on February 14.

The new Verizon iPhone is scheduled to be released on February 10, and is to ship with the latest build of Apple’s iOS, presumably 4.3. Reason holds that Apple would release the updated iOS to all users shortly thereafter.

iOS 4.3 is to include some great features that are taking aim at rivaling what is available with Google’s Android OS. Features such as Personal Hotspot which allows other devices nearby to take advantage of the iPhone’s data connection, and AirPlay which offers the ability for the device to stream it’s content through the Apple TV, are some of the highlights.

Along with iOS 4.3, Apple fans are wondering about the next iteration of the Apple iPad, or iPad 2. The next generation of tablet device does not have a firm release date yet, but expectations are pegging an announcement sometime in April. Rumor sites are reporting it will have a new casing, made of lighter materials, almost carbon fiber like.

There is also talk of Apple working hard on accessories to go with the next generation iPad 2 such as near field communication or NFC technology. A higher resolution display is also expected.

Sugar beets engineered to stand up to Roundup have been approved for planting this season

Genetically modified sugar beets that are designed to stand up against the weed killer Roundup can be planted under new strict regulations, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Farmers had been waiting patiently to hear the decision so they could begin their spring plantings. Farmers in 10 states plant sugar beets. Idaho, Minnesota and North Dakota are the top producing states. The sugar beets that they grow provide the nation with half of it’s sugar. About 95% of that is grown with a Roundup Ready strain.

For farmers, this decision was not only timely, but it was very positive, it’s their livelihood after all.

The USDA website lists all 18 requirements for farmers that will be planting sugar beets. They were worried about other crops that were not genetically modified being contaminated, but the USDA has put in planting restrictions that include a 4-mile distance between crops.

A year ago, a California judge outlined concerns with this type of planting. Friday’s announcement does nothing to address those concerns. The group leading the case, Earthjustice, will continue to fight against the USDA on this issue.

Organic Valley, which is the nation’s largest organic farming cooperative, released this statement on Friday, “This is a clear indication the USDA is more interested in protecting the biotech industry than the health, safety, environment and property rights of U.S. farmers and consumers who choose not to grow or consume (genetically modified crops).”

American Idol judges develop favorities through the course of finding talent of the show according to a recent interview on SirusXM radio

On SirusXM radio, Jennifer Lopez was asked if she had favorites and she said that she did. She did not name any names, but she said it’s been fun to watch them go through the process. She also said that her favorites have changed some too. She is loving the talent that is in the competition this year.

Steven Tyler still has the attention of everyone. Judges and contestants never know what is going to come out of his mouth. Lopez admitted she often turns to him with a look on her face that says, “Did you just say that?”

We have seen how Tyler’s comments have gotten him in trouble. On Wednesday evening, before the show even started, we read an apology from the producers of American Idol. The apology simply stated “American Idol would like to apologize for last week’s outrageous behavior by Steven Tyler. Mr. Tyler has been warned and assures us it will never happen again.”

The apology came from an interaction that Tyler had with contestant Jake Muck. Tyler asked “if he knew what Muck rhymed with” and Muck quickly responded “that it rhymed with duck.” Tyler said “read my lips” and said a curse word.

It’s hard to tell who Tyler might choose as a favorite since he comments on all the girls. Let’s hope he can stay focused long enough to find some great talent.

Uncooperative weather is making it challenging to get to this year's Super Bowl

Or at least that’s the hope. Weather across the East is causing all kinds of travel problems. Not just with airlines, but on the ground as well.

As of Tuesday, there were storms stretched from Dallas to Chicago, and on East to Boston. More than 7,000 flights had to be canceled. Many of those canceled flights were headed to Dallas-Ft. Worth International, which was also closed down.

Those that were bumped from the flight due to weather were able reschedule with a fee. The only problem is for the fans trying to get into Dallas-Ft Worth International, all flights are already full with those coming in at a later time.

American, Delta Air Lines, US Airways and Southwest are trying to help out by adding flights from Milwaukee, which is the closest city to the Green Bay Packers.

On Monday, Dallas-Ft. Worth is expecting some 200,000 people to pass through the airport. On average, they see 160,000 passengers a day.

Once you finally make your way to Dallas, be prepared to pay a hefty price for your stay. Hotel rates are running about 200% higher, that number according to Priceline.com. That makes the median price about $180 per night. For 2.5 star hotels, fans will be paying $210 a night, up 280%.

That doesn’t seem all that high considering that ticket prices for the game are averaging $4,683. That price is nearly twice as much as last year’s price.

Significant progress has been made on tissue engineered vascular grafts making them nearly ready to test on human patients. Image courtesy of Humacyte, Inc.

Medical device and science related businesses may be getting into the blood vessel supply field before long. Scientists have successfully grown blood vessels from human tissue that are tolerant of being stored. This new method of creating tissue engineered vascular grafts enables surgeons to grab what’s needed, “off the shelf” at the time of patient need.

The co-founder of one company creating such a product, Humacyte, Inc., and also the lead author of a study involving the engineered tissue, Shannon Dahl, had this to say, “Not only are bioengineered veins available at the time of patient need, but the ability to generate a significant number of grafts from a cell bank will allow for a reduction in the final production costs, as compared to other regenerative medicine strategies.”

Not only are the grafts capable of being stored, the growth process is more efficient yielding more blood vessels per donor or cell bank than previous attempts.

So far, tests done on baboons and dogs have produced excellent results. The vessels remained open and strong for up to 6 months in the arms of 8 baboons, and up to a year in 5 dogs.

Tests on humans in the clinic are next up. They are currently laying the ground work for how to safely approach these tests.

Researchers are taking issue with the claims VitaminWater is making about prevening the flu. Image courtesy of VitaminWater.

Vitamin Water can keep you from getting the flu. That’s the claim anyways, and the National Consumers League has taken the complaint to the Federal Trade Commission.

ScienceLine had this to say about VitaminWater some time ago; “A vitamin-fortified drink may sound like a swell idea, but there are two caveats to keep in mind. First, most Americans aren’t vitamin-deficient, according to Marion Nestle, a nutrition professor at New York University. A government survey in 1999 showed that the median American adult man or woman already consumes more than the Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) of vitamins thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, B6 and B12, and three-quarters of the RDA of vitamins C, B9 and A (including carotenes). In fact, vitamin E is the only surveyed vitamin Americans consume at less than half of the RDA — but it’s found in only a third of VitaminWater drinks. If you want to drink your additional vitamin E, there’s a second caveat: your body may not absorb it.”

Even though VitaminWater does contain many vitamins, it should never be used in place of a flu shot as advertised. Also, along with all those vitamins comes calories, and plenty of them. The bottle says just 50 calories per serving. It also says there are 2.5 servings per container, bringing the calorie count up to 125 calories. That’s pretty high for a bottle of water. It doesn’t stop there, the drink also contains 30 grams of sugar. By comparison, a Hershey’s chocolate bar only has 24 grams of sugar.

According to Dr. Richard Besser, who is ABC New’s chief health and medical editor said that the best way to get your vitamins is through diet and supplement. He also said the flu shot is the best way to guard against getting the flu. Besser also believes that sports drink companies make big health benefits, when the truth is you can get what you need from tap water.