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In an article published in the New England Journal of Medicine today, two doctors from the University of Michigan described how they saved an infant with a life-threatening respiratory disorder using a custom-designed 3D-printed device. Printed with bio-absorbable plastic, the device is holding the child's airway open and allowing him to breathe normally. The child, Kaiba Gionfriddo, suffered from tracheobrochomalacia—a collapse of the airway to one of his lungs. The condition prevented him from breathing out carbon dioxide and getting sufficient oxygen. At six weeks old, he was out with his family at a restaurant when he started to turn blue. By the time he was two months old, he had to have a breathing tube inserted into his trachea to keep him alive. Dr. Glenn Green, MD, the associate professor of pediatric otolarygololgy at the University of Michigan, was called in by Kaiba's doctors to consult on the case. He and Dr. Scott Hollister, Ph.D., a professor of biomedical engineering at Michigan, worked together to design a tracheal splint for Kaiba, using a CT scan of his respiratory tract to create a model of the device. They obtained emergency clearance from the Food and Drug Administration to surgically implant their creation and installed the splint on the bronchus of Kaiba's left lung on February 9, 2012. Read 1 remaining paragraphs | Comments

Newly found Pearl S. Buck book is to be published via Rickey.org Publisher releasing newly discovered novel by late Nobel-winner Pearl S. Buck in October PHILADELPHIA (AP) — A newly discovered novel by the late Nobel Prize-winning author Pearl S. Buck is to be released this fall. New York-based Open Road Integrated Media says Buck wrote the novel, titled “The Eternal Wonder,” shortly before she died in 1973. The publisher says someone found the manuscript in storage in January. It will be published Oct. 22 in paperback and digital formats. The publisher announced the decision Wednesday, describing the book as the coming-of-age story of a gifted young man whose search for meaning leads him to New York, England, Paris and Korea. Buck’s novel “The Good Earth” won the Pulitzer Prize in 1932 and helped earn her the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1938. She raised seven adopted children and wrote many later works at her farm outside Philadelphia. Copyright (2013) Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Associated Press text, photo, graphic, audio and/or video material shall not be published, broadcast, rewritten for broadcast or publication or redistributed directly or indirectly in any medium. Neither these AP materials nor any portion thereof may be stored in a computer except for personal and non-commercial use. Users may not download or reproduce a substantial portion of the AP material found on this web site. AP will not be held liable for any delays, inaccuracies, errors or omissions therefrom or in the transmission or delivery of all or any part thereof or for any damages arising from any of the foregoing. The Voice • American Idol • The X Factor

Tonight marks the first of many Premier League matches on US soil this summer. Chelsea plays Manchester City in St Louis tonight with the game kicking off at 8:20pm ET on ESPN2 and ESPN3.com (for viewers in the United States). If you live in the United Kingdom, the game will be shown live on ESPN. The game will also be streamed live on Manchester City’s website at http://www.mcfc.co.uk. The match, which is sold out, will give soccer fans in the States a chance to see Gary Cahill, Ashley Cole and Frank Lampard before they head back to London tomorrow for England duty, as well as some of the top-class players on the planet. Chelsea starting XI: Cech; Ivanovic, Cahill, Christensen, Cole; Mikel, Loftus-Cheek; Azpilicueta, Mata, Benayoun; Ba Man City starting XI: Hart, Clichy, Rekik, Kompany, Zabaleta, Garcia, Silva, Y Toure, Aguero, Tevez, Rusnak Here’s video footage of the baseball field at Busch Stadium being converted to a soccer pitch: Your browser does not support iframes. Before, during or after tonight’s match, join the conversation with soccer fans around the globe in the comments section below. Note that the game is blacked out in certain regions in the US on ESPN3. More info at http://espn.go.com/watchespn/blackout?id=936990 Chelsea vs Manchester City Exhibition Game in St Louis: Open Thread is a post from EPL Talk - Independent voice of EPL soccer fans since 2005.

Sometimes the grass is not always greener—a reality that Alex Song seems to be learning by the day at Barcelona. Perennially on the peripheries of the side, and allegedly ill at ease with some of his teammates, the time may well be right for the central midfielder to cut his losses and return to the Premier League. AGE: 25 CONTRACT SITUATION: Signed to a five-year deal last summer, Song is currently contracted to Barcelona up until the summer of 2017. CAREER STOPS: Bastia (2001-2006), Arsenal (loan 2005-2006), Arsenal (2006-2012), Charlton Athletic (loan 2007), Barcelona (2012-present) CURRENT CAMPAIGN: La Liga—19 games, one goal; Champions League—eight games; Copa del Rey—five games, one assist; Supercopa—one game. VIDEO SHOWREEL:SCOUTING GUIDE: After finally beginning to establish himself in the EPL, English fans are familiar with the many talents that Song brings to the table. A large unit, he is fairly effective as a destructive player in midfield, and perhaps perceptive enough to play the role of ‘water-carrier’ in the centre of the park (although not, perhaps, to contribute to Barcelona’s Tiki-taka). In his final season in England he demonstrated his wonderful technique and vision, setting up some glorious goals for Robin van Persie with a collection of sumptuous passes. Opportunities have been hard to come by in Catalonia since his £15 million transfer last summer, and Song may well be keen on a return to the league where he made his name. WHERE NEXT? Once again the two North London giants look set to be scrapping together—this time for a signature rather than a place in the Champions League. The Daily Mail reported this week that Tottenham could well be in line to bring the Cameroonian midfielder back to the Premier League. The move would be an understandable one for Spurs; while the player has an obvious Arsenal past, he has experience in the EPL and with Tom Huddlestone likely heading for the exit, and Scott Parker on his last legs, Song could be the answer. The player himself is said to be keener on a return to Arsenal, but it remains to be seen whether Arsene Wenger would welcome him back so readily. Pragmatically, however, the midfielder’s reacquisition would be a sensible move—with Mikel Arteta coming towards the end of his career, and Jack Wilshere and Abou Diaby permanently on the treatment table, Song could add some stability to some familiar surroundings. Earlier in May, the Standard reported that Song would be inclined to stick it out in Spain a little longer—but don’t be surprised to see him return to British shores this summer.

Hamburg defender Michael Mancienne is hoping to force his way into Roy Hodgson’s England squad. read more

Outside of the New England Patriots, the tight end position hasn't been extremely featured in offenses across the NFL. Sure other primetime targets like Jimmy Graham and Tony Gonzalez have made indelible marks on their respective teams, but—generally speaking—great production from tight end is a commodity, not a necessity around the league. For the Eagles, Brent Celek put up a modest 57 receptions and Clay Harbor chipped in 25 snags, but they combined for just three touchdowns in 2012. And while Celek was the second-most targeted pass catcher for Philadelphia last season, it seems as though new head coach Chip Kelly wants the tight end role to increase under his reign. By acquiring James Casey in free agency and stealing Zach Ertz in the NFL Draft's second round, it's obvious Kelly wants to make things happen at tight end. But how exactly will things shape out between Celek, Ertz and Casey?In Celek's case, some may believe his days in Philadelphia are numbered. After bringing in the other two aforementioned targets, it's not irrational to think that he may be an extra part. But while his production numbers are likely to dip, Celek should have solid footing in terms of playing time. He's certainly not the most athletic guy on the field, but Celek has made his money by outmuscling guys and using his large frame to seal defenders in the short passing game. It's occasional to see him stretch it down the field, and he's obviously capable of doing so. However, Kelly may want to use his husky frame (6'4'', 255 pounds) in the short, quick-hit passing game. Again, he'd shield defenders from deflecting those intermediate passes and could drag them for some yards after contact. On the other hand, Ertz is a young kid from Stanford who loves to create mismatches in the vertical passing game. Kelly, Oregon's former coach who saw Ertz rip apart the Pac-12, called the Cardinal a "mismatch nightmare."And take out of it what you will, but ESPN's Sal Paolantonio called Ertz "the next Rob Gronkowski."Ertz, who wanted to play basketball collegiately, has the natural athleticism to beat up corners and blow by safeties off the ball and in the air.While at Stanford, he was used more like a wide receiver by coach David Shaw as he hauled in 898 yards (first in NCAA among tight ends) on 69 receptions (tied for first among NCAA tight ends).Unfortunately, Ertz hasn't participated in OTAs because Stanford hasn't held its graduation ceremonies yet. But if his performances at Stanford are any indication, the projected first-round pick could be a destructive force for NFC defenses to deal with.Just like in Ertz's case, Casey's on-field presence won't be available for a little bit. It was announced recently that Casey underwent arthroscopic knee surgery that'll hold him out until the beginning of training camp.Regardless, Casey's contributions to the Houston Texans last year are on tape, but may have went under the radar. The 6'3'' fullback-tight end hybrid added versatility to the Texans passing game, chipping in 34 receptions, 330 yards and three touchdowns. Casey can do so much for an offense whether it be blocking, lining up as a tight end or coming out of the backfield. This considered, it wouldn't be surprising if Kelly had the most fun with Casey. Kelly is a schemer, so the adaptability Casey provides will likely have him itching with excitement. It makes sense considering Casey was signed less than a month after Kelly came to Philadelphia.With all this considered, to put together a depth chart for these three might be premature. Heck, situational play may not even warrant a depth chart.But for traditionalist reasons, here's a depth chart given all that was said:1. Zach Ertz2. James Casey3. Brent Celek

In the final regular podcast for a while, Neil Sherwin is joined by Ger McCarthy, Willie Gannon and Michael Orr to talk Premier League, the Champions League Final, NYCFC and Ireland’s friendly against England next week. Click the button in the top right hand corner of the player to download | Subscribe in iTunes To kick off there’s a look back at the final round of Premier League action with Ger and Willie disappointed at Spurs’ failure to qualify for the Champions League, before the lads pick out some of their personal highlights from the season that was. The Champions League Final is this weekend, and there’s an even split in terms of support with two firmly behind Dortmund and two rooting for Bayern. Michael then gives us his expert opinion on the news that NYCFC will be the 20th Major League Soccer team from 2015 thanks to a partnership between Manchester City and the New York Yankees. To finish with there’s a preview of next week’s big friendly at Wembley between England and Ireland, the first meeting of the two sides since the ill fated affair in 1995. Don’t forget, you can subscribe to the podcast via iTunes or RSS, and be sure to follow the podcast on Twitter! Also if there is anything you would like to hear on the show in future simply drop us an email, tweet or comment on Facebook.

Rauf Mauf has been dropped by the ICC because he is being investigated over spot fixing. Dave Warner? "Bit rich CHAMP!!" ICC cuts Pakistani umpire from tournament Pakistani umpire Asad Rauf has been withdrawn from next month's Champions Trophy tournament in England amid media reports he is under Indian police investigation for spot-fixing, the ICC said on Thursday. The ICC said the decision was made after media reports on Wednesday ''that the Mumbai police are conducting an investigation'' into Rauf's activities. ''... we feel that it is in Asad's best interests as well as those of the sport and the event itself, that he is withdrawn from participating in the Champions Trophy.''

New archaeological analysis shows that King Richard’s remains were buried in an awkward position, leaning against the wall of a grave that wasn’t dug large enough. Image via University of Leicester Last September, a team of archaeologists in the UK made a remarkable find: under a city council parking lot in Leicester, they found the remains of King Richard III. The king ruled England for just two years (from 1483 until 1485) before his violent war-time death. In February, after comparing DNA taken from the skeleton to surviving descendants of the king and testing its age, the group officially confirmed the identity of the body. Since then, forensic analysis indicated that the king was killed by traumatic sword blows to the head—perhaps with enough force to drive his crown into his skull. Now, the first academic paper to be published on the discovery provides more unnerving details on the circumstances of Richard III’s death. In a study to be published tomorrow in the journal Antiquity, the University of Leicester team writes that the king’s body looks like it was buried in a hurry, crammed into a hastily-prepared grave that was too small for him. Further, he was left in a strange, slightly folded position, perhaps even with its hands tied together. Instead of a carefully-dug grave with straight walls, as was customary during the era, Richard III’s has sloping walls, with a larger size at the surface than at the bottom, as the team determined by comparing the layered patterns in the dirt abutting the grave with the unordered soil filling it and surrounding the king’s remains.  What’s more, the king’s head was left leaning against one corner of the grave, indicating that a gravedigger stood in the hole to receive his body and didn’t bother rearranging him at the center after putting him down on the ground, and there’s no evidence that a coffin or even a death shroud was used. Given the historical context of Richard III’s death, none of this is a huge surprise, although the apparent lack of care surrounding the burial of this king might exceed even what historians had previously expected. A facial reconstruction of King Richard III based on his skull and other forensic details. Image via Leicester Arts & Museums Richard III was killed at age 32 during the Battle of Bosworth Field, close to the end of the infamously violent War of the Roses period—a 30-plus year battle for power between supporters of competing branches of the royal family for control of the throne. After he was defeated and killed in battle by the forces of rival Henry Tudor (who would become King Henry VII), the new king reportedly kept the burial location intentionally secret—he feared it would otherwise become a rallying location for his enemies—and knowledge of Richard III’s grave was lost over time. Now we know that Richard III’s body was brought to the nearby city of Leicester, passed along to Franciscan friars and buried at what was then Grey Friars church “without any pomp or solemn funeral,” according to the contemporary historian Polydore Vergil. (Legend holds that his body was stripped naked, transported on the back of a horse and mocked by passers-by during the entire journey.) Eventually, the church was dismantled, and the site was paved over. Apart from analyzing the unusual characteristics of the king’s grave, the new paper also provides the first peer-reviewed forensic details about his remains. As the archaeologists had previously mentioned in public statements, the body matches the physical details of Richard III as described in historical sources: a curved spine, due to childhood scoliosis, and slim features. In addition to the fierce blows to his head, there were a total of 10 wounds discovered on his body, including stabs in his buttocks and back that the researchers believe were probably made after he’d already been killed, because of their l