Garret McNamara was towed into a rogue wave that turned out to be 90 feet tall. Garrett McNamara was back in Portugal to embark on another mission exploring the waves of Nazaré, in the ZON North Canyon Show 2011. This is the second mission of a three years project, initiated last year. The competition and demonstration is a Nazaré City Hall and ZON project to internationally promote the region as a destination for surfing, showcasing the unique aspects of the “Nazaré Canyon”.

Big wave surfing is specific type of surfing involving experienced surfers that paddle themselves or are towed onto waves which are at least 20 feet (6.2 m) high. Their surf boards are known as “guns” or “rhino chasers”. Sizes of the boards vary by the size of the wave as well as the specific technique the surfer uses to reach the wave. A larger, longer board allows a Big Wave surfer to paddle fast enough to catch the wave and has the advantage of being more stable. However, a longer surf board is limited in maneuverability and surfing speed.

One of the greatest dangers of Big Wave surfing is the risk of being held underwater by two or more consecutive waves, each of which can slam the surfer dow 20 to 50 feet underwater. Pressures can rupture eardrums and disrupt equilibrium — making it difficult for the surfer to detect which direction is up. Surfers can also be slammed into a reef or ocean floor, which can cause serious trauma to the surfer’s head or body.

Surfers have as little as 20 seconds to get back to the surface to get a breath. The next wave can slam them again.
Surviving a triple hold-down is extremely difficult and surfers must be prepared to cope with these situations.

The Nazaré Canyon is an undersea canyon just off the coast of Nazaré, Portugal, in the Eastern Atlantic Ocean, and north of Lisbon, Portugal. The Nazaré Canyon has a maximum depth of at least 16,000 ft (5,000 meters) and is about 140 miles (230 kilometres) long. The Nazaré Canyon is larger than the Grand Canyon.

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ESPN’s Steve Levy and Scott Van Pelt in Awe: “Name a surfer dude. Garrett McNamara breaks the world record for the largest wave ever surfed.

See also …
Garret McNamara’s official website: garrettmcnamara.com

Garret McNamara on Facebook …

Inhibitory avoidance learning (shocking the rat when walked into a dark area of their cage) leads to an increase in hippocampal expression of IGF-II, which requires the transcription factor CCAAT enhancer binding protein β and is essential for memory consolidation.

Furthermore, injections of recombinant IGF-II into the hippocampus after either training or memory retrieval significantly enhance memory retention and prevent forgetting. To be effective, IGF-II needs to be administered within a sensitive period of memory consolidation.

IGF-II-dependent memory enhancement requires IGF-II receptors, new protein synthesis, the function of activity-regulated cytoskeletal-associated protein and glycogen-synthase kinase 3 (GSK3). Moreover, it correlates with a significant activation of synaptic GSK3β and increased expression of GluR1 (also known as GRIA1) α-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxasolepropionic acid receptor subunits. In hippocampal slices, IGF-II promotes IGF-II receptor-dependent, persistent long-term potentiation after weak synaptic stimulation. Thus, IGF-II may represent a novel target for cognitive enhancement therapies.

There are other Insulin-Like Growth Factors …
The IGF “axis” is also commonly referred to as the Growth Hormone/IGF1 Axis. Insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1) is mainly secreted by the liver as a result of stimulation by growth hormone (GH). IGF-1 is important for both the regulation of normal physiology, as well as a number of pathological states, including cancer. The IGF axis has been shown to play roles in the promotion of cell proliferation and the inhibition of cell death (apoptosis).

Insulin-like growth factor 2 (IGF-2) is thought to be a primary growth factor required for early development while IGF-1 expression is required for achieving maximal growth. Gene knockout studies in mice have confirmed this, though other animals are likely to regulate the expression of these genes in distinct ways. While IGF-2 may be primarily fetal in action it is also essential for development and function of organs such as the brain, liver and kidney.

Anacetrapib works by inhibiting an enzyme, called CETP, that is involved in transforming particles of good cholesterol into bad cholesterol. LDL: A 39.8% reduction with anacetrapib beyond that seen with placebo. HDL: A 138.1% increase with anacetrapib beyond that seen with placebo.

Christopher P. Cannon, M.D., Sukrut Shah, Ph.D., R.Ph., Hayes M. Dansky, M.D., Michael Davidson, M.D., Eliot A. Brinton, M.D., Antonio M. Gotto, Jr., M.D., D.Phil., Michael Stepanavage, M.S., Sherry Xueyu Liu, M.S., Patrice Gibbons, M.S., Tanya B. Ashraf, B.A., Jennifer Zafarino, M.S., Yale Mitchel, M.D., and Philip Barter, M.D., Ph.D. Safety of Anacetrapib in Patients with or at High Risk for Coronary Heart Disease. New England Journal of Medicine November 17, 2010

[PubMed.gov reference developing ...]

See also …
Exercisereports.com 54th Guiness Book World Records: Pingping, World’s Smallet Man and Svetlana Pankratova, Woman with Longest Legs

About 48 percent of black women are infected with genital herpes. The increased rate of infection in blacks is not due to increased risky behavior but likely due to biological factors that make women more susceptible. There is a higher rate of infection within black communities. The CDC estimates that more than 80 percent of people with genital herpes do not know they are infected.

The statistics make genital herpes the most common sexually transmitted disease (STD)There is no cure for genital herpes, or herpes simplex virus type 2 (HSV-2), which can cause recurrent and painful genital sores and also increases the likelihood of acquiring and transmitting the AIDS virus. It is related to herpes simplex virus 1, or oral herpes, which causes cold sores.

Several drugs are available to treat herpes symptoms and outbreaks. Acyclovir, which is available generically or under the Zovirax brand name, and valacyclovir, known generically as Valtrex, are both made by GlaxoSmithKline PLC. Ganciclovir, sold as Zirgan, is made by privately-held Sirion Therapeutics, Inc.

CENTERS FOR DISEASE CONTROL — CDC.GOV

Bacteria that helps digest food can cause obesity if the bacteria becomes unregulated and certain bacteria overpopulate and cause a low-leval inflammation that leads to a pre-diabetic condition and elevated appetite.

Scientist discovered that mice genetically deficient in Toll-like receptor 5 (TLR5), a component of the innate immune system that is expressed in the gut mucosa and that helps defend against infection, exhibit hyperphagia (excessive appetite) and develop hallmark features of metabolic syndrome, including hyperlipidemia, hypertension, insulin resistance, and increased adiposity.

The metabolic changes correlated with changes in the composition of the bacteria present in the gut. Also transfer of the gut bacteria from TLR5-deficient mice to wild-type germ-free mice caused many features of metabolic syndrome to the germ-free mice.

Food restriction prevented obesity, but not insulin resistance, in the TLR5-deficient mice.

The scientists concluded that the results support the emerging view that the gut microbiota (composition of bacteria in the intestines) contributes to metabolic disease and suggest that malfunction of the innate immune system may promote the development of metabolic syndrome.

SOURCE: Vijay-Kumar M, Aitken JD, Carvalho FA, Cullender TC, Mwangi S, Srinivasan S, Sitaraman SV, Knight R, Ley RE, Gewirtz AT. Metabolic Syndrome and Altered Gut Microbiota in Mice Lacking Toll-Like Receptor 5. Science. 2010 Mar 4.

See also …
Wikipedia: Metabolic Syndrome

On a Sunday night, August 16, 2009 in Berlin, with a tailwind of 1 mile per hour, the 6′ 4″ 168-pound Jamaican put his 100-meters world record to an amazing level.

International Association of Athletics Federations — iaaf.org

13th FINA World Championships Men’s 4x 200 meter Freestyle — WR
Name R.T. 50m 100m 150m 200m Time
PHELPS Michael 0.73 24.73 51.26 1:17.97 1:44.49 (2) 1:44.49
BERENS Ricky 0.26 24.30 50.84 1:17.80 1:44.13 (1) 3:28.62
WALTERS David 0.28 23.35 49.22 1:16.65 1:45.47 (1) 5:14.09
LOCHTE Ryan 0.32 24.15 50.65 1:18.00 1:44.46 (1) 6:58.55

R.T. = Reaction Time

Reaction time was 0.69 seconds.