Lee Jeans recently announced a new partnership for Lee National Denim Day, the largest single-day fundraiser supporting the fight against breast cancer. The Women's Cancer Programs of The Entertainment Industry Foundation will be the new beneficiary of Lee National Denim Day as the fundraiser enters its second decade.

"All of us at Lee Jeans are incredibly proud of what we have accomplished in creating Lee National Denim Day," said Liz Cahill, director of advertising and public relations for Lee Jeans. "We have seen firsthand what the passion and the power of a simple idea like Lee National Denim Day can achieve. We want to leverage that passion and power toward specific research projects that can help us find the cure for breast cancer."

The beneficiary for the first 10 years of Lee National Denim Day was the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation. The Komen Foundation received more than $61 million in the first decade with the bulk of the dollars going toward education and awareness programs. Last year, people at nearly 30,000 companies and organizations wore denim on Lee National Denim Day in exchange for a $5 donation to fight breast cancer.

"Lee National Denim Day may be changing beneficiaries in 2006, but the core purpose of the program remains the same," said Cahill. "We look forward to starting the second decade of Lee National Denim Day and we won't stop until we find a cure for breast cancer." For more information, visit www.denimday.com.

Author and leading cognitive researcher Pierce J. Howard, Ph.D., has mined the latest scientific findings from fields including neurobiology, psychology, and information science, and reveals how to use them to improve our lives, kids, and jobs.

As the author of the newly revised, encyclopedic best-seller, The Owner's Manual for the Brain: Everyday Applications from Mind-Brain Research (Bard Press), Dr. Howard discloses foods that improve memory and mental function; top ways to enhance sleeping, dreaming, and restfulness, and ten things you can do to get smarter.

He also reveals surprising stress reducers, such as blue rooms and lavender scents, and discusses ways to learn optimism, how to become an extrovert, and how to boost creativity.

Researchers from Tufts University reported that two compounds found in black currants - anthocyanins and polyphenolics - had a powerful protective effect in the cultured cells they studied. The protective effects of the black currant compounds are likely to be reproduced in the human body, where they may significantly delay or even prevent the onset of Alzheimer's.

The scientists indicated that they have evidence that the compounds protect against Alzheimer's by influencing the early gene expression in learning and memory, which influences cell signaling pathways that help neuronal cells communicate with each other.

"The black currant has a rich history in this country," said Greg Quinn, president and CEO of The Currant Company, makers of CurrantC Nectar. "It was brought here from Europe in the late 1700s, but was banned for most of the 20th century because of a botanical disease. The Federal ban was shifted to state jurisdiction in 1966, and we led the battle to have it overturned in New York State." The farm started growing black currants in 1999 and launched CurrantC Nectar last May to critical acclaim.

Black currants, long popular in Europe, have been called the "king of the berries" by Swedish plant researcher Pal Tamas. "Black currants contain several-fold higher concentrations of potassium, iron, vitamin C, organic acids and biologically active plant phenolic compounds (antioxidants) than other fruits. In this respect, black currants constitute a distinct group among the fruits," he said.

For more information, visit www.CurrantC.com.

PRNewswire -- With seasonal flu already packing a punch throughout the United States, Roche announced the launch of its upgraded version of the Desktop Flu Tracker, a tool that allows users to conveniently and accurately track the appearance and spread of flu in any community in the continental United States.

An important tool in influenza tracking, the Desktop Flu Tracker provides physicians and patients with up-to-date information about local and national flu levels in real-time and alerts the user when there is an increased risk in the area. The innovative tool can be downloaded at www.tamiflu.com/flutracker.

"Americans need to be prepared for seasonal influenza, which causes an average of 36,000 deaths and 200,000 hospitalizations in the U.S. each year. This includes awareness of proper preventive measures, warning signs and treatment options for influenza," said Dominick Iacuzio, PhD, Medical Director, Roche, which markets Tamiflu, a prescription antiviral for influenza. "Flu Tracker enables both consumers and healthcare professionals to identify flu outbreaks in their cities and towns, take proper precautionary measures, and seek medical treatment if the need arises."

The user-friendly programming feature on the Desktop Flu Tracker allows people to monitor for flu outbreaks in up to three geographic areas. Users can monitor flu activity where they live, as well as track the virus in areas where family and friends are located. The software includes helpful information about prevention and treatment, and helps users recognize the difference between cold and flu -- a common confusion.