Archive for the ‘Female Genetics’ Category

Written by Stphane Viville

4 Jul, 2024

2 min read

Supported by ESHRE, a new project, the Female Reproductive Genetics Initiative (FeRGI), has been launched within the Special Interest Group (SIG) Reproductive Genetics.

This initiative is driven by recent progress in the field of infertility genetics and the need to translate this research into clinical practice. Over the past 15 years, significant advancements have been made in identifying non-syndromic infertility genes for both men and women. Now, it is imperative to translate this foundational research into clinical applications, particularly in diagnosis. To support this new endeavor, it is crucial to develop the necessary tools for training clinicians and biologists in reproductive medicine, genetic counseling, and creating a comprehensive database listing all genes and variants involved in female non-syndromic infertility phenotypes.

The team behind FeRGI comprises professionals in medically assisted reproduction (MAR), including basic and clinical scientists. They recently published a systematic review and evidence assessment of single-gene Gene-Disease relationships (GDRs) in human female infertility (Van Der Kelen et al., Hum Reprod Update. 2023). As this initiative is being developed within the Reproductive Genetics SIG, the steering committee also includes members within this SIG.

To make this new knowledge accessible, ESHRE and, more specifically, the Reproductive Genetics SIG, have agreed to host the FeRGI initiative. FeRGIs primary mission is to empower reproductive medicine practitioners in female infertility genetics by providing the resources and expertise they need to support better diagnoses and to enhance their professional capabilities in this new domain. To achieve this, we are establishing an interactive website enabling clinicians and biologists to access information on all genes associated with female infertility and their links to related phenotypes (GDRs). Additionally, the database will include an online form for researchers to submit newly identified gene variants.

Beyond data compilation, FeRGI serves as a hub for global collaboration and knowledge exchange. FeRGI will also organize educational activities, including regular scientific meetings, webinars, ESHRE campus workshops, and interactive internet programs, aiming to foster collaboration among experts in the field, young specialists, scientists, PhD students, and post-docs from around the world. By connecting genetic and reproductive specialists globally, we aim to stimulate research in genetics of female infertility and encourage its clinical implementation. Our website will offer an overview of our mission, planned activities, publications, and genetic data.

Guided by ethical considerations, FeRGI will be responsible for developing a best-practice guide/recommendation document. By shedding light on the genetic landscape of female infertility, FeRGI aims to ensure that advancements in technology are met with thoughtful reflection, while enhancing diagnosis, treatment, and fertility preservation for patients and their families.

Join Us in Shaping the Future

Together with ESHRE and the SIG Reproductive Genetics, FeRGI is shaping the future of female reproductive medicine. Join us on our journey as we illuminate the path towards fertility and family-building through genomic insights.

References

Van Der Kelen et al 2023. A systematic review and evidence assessment of monogenic gene-disease relationships in human female infertility and differences in sex development. Hum Reprod Update 29:218-232. doi: 10.1093/humupd/dmac044.

Verpoest W et al 2023. Genetics of infertility: a paradigm shift for medically assisted reproduction. Hum Reprod. 2023;38(12):2289-2295. doi: 10.1093/humrep/dead199.

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The Female Reproductive Genetics Initiative: let there be light. - ESHRE

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Genetic drivers and cellular selection of female mosaic X chromosome loss - Nature.com

As some women age, their white blood cells can lose a copy of chromosome X. A new study sheds light on the potential causes and consequences of this phenomenon.

Credit: Created by Linda Wang with Biorender.com

Researchers have identified inherited genetic variants that may predict the loss of one copy of a womans two X chromosomes as she ages, a phenomenon known as mosaic loss of chromosome X, or mLOX. These genetic variants may play a role in promoting abnormal blood cells (that have only a single copy of chromosome X) to multiply, which may lead to several health conditions, including cancer. The study, co-led by researchers at the National Cancer Institute, part of the National Institutes of Health, was published June 12, 2024, in Nature.

To better understand the causes and effects of mLOX, researchers analyzed circulating white blood cells from nearly 900,000 women across eight biobanks, of whom 12% had the condition. The researchers identified 56 common genetic variantslocated near genes associated with autoimmune diseases and cancer susceptibilitythat influenced whether mLOX developed. In addition, rare variants in a gene known as FBXO10 were associated with a doubling in the risk of mLOX.

In women with mLOX, the investigators also identified a set of inherited genetic variants on the X chromosome that were more frequently observed on the retained X chromosome than on the one that was lost. These variants could one day be used to predict which copy of the X chromosome is retained when mLOX occurs. This is important because the copy of the X chromosome with these variants may have a growth advantage that could elevate the womans risk for blood cancer.

The researchers also looked for associations of mLOX with more than 1,200 diseases and confirmed previous findings of an association with increased risk of leukemia and susceptibility to infections that cause pneumonia.

The scientists suggest that future research should focus on how mLOX interacts with other types of genetic variation and age-related changes to potentially alter disease risk.

Mitchell Machiela, Sc.D., M.P.H., Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics, National Cancer Institute

Population analyses of mosaic X chromosome loss identify genetic drivers and widespread signatures of cellular selection appears June 12, 2024, in Nature.

About the National Cancer Institute (NCI):NCIleads the National Cancer Program and NIHs efforts to dramatically reduce the prevalence of cancer and improve the lives of people with cancer. NCI supports a wide range of cancer research and training extramurally through grants and contracts. NCIs intramural research program conducts innovative, transdisciplinary basic, translational, clinical, and epidemiological research on the causes of cancer, avenues for prevention, risk prediction, early detection, and treatment, including research at the NIH Clinical Centerthe worlds largest research hospital. Learn more about the intramural research done in NCIs Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics. For more information about cancer, please visit the NCI website atcancer.govor call NCIs contact center at 1-800-4-CANCER (1-800-422-6237).

About the National Institutes of Health (NIH):NIH, the nation's medical research agency, includes 27 Institutes and Centers and is a component of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. NIH is the primary federal agency conducting and supporting basic, clinical, and translational medical research, and is investigating the causes, treatments, and cures for both common and rare diseases. For more information about NIH and its programs, visitnih.gov.

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New study offers clues into genetics of X chromosome loss - National Cancer Institute (.gov)

The news cycle is consistently filled with articles about gender, sex, male, and female, in addition to a whole new dictionary of terms like nonbinary, two-spirit, cis-gender, pansexual, and so on. Our culture is obsessed with the idea of so-called sexual or gender identity. Rather than embracing Gods purposeful and unique design of male and female, they have exchanged the truth of God for a lie and worship the creature rather than the Creator (Romans 1:25). The alphabet mafia chooses to ignore Gods definitions and to redefine (or in many cases not define!) what it means to be male and female. They see the key to equality is for there to be NO differences between the sexes. In their view, we all just need to be the same.

We see examples of this in stores where clothing is no longer designated as mens OR womens and toys are no longer boys OR girls. We see it in sports where biological men are allowed to compete against biological women because the men identify as women. Courts are ruling that the male-only military draft may not be constitutional. A lawyer representing the National Coalition of Men said, Either they need to get rid of the draft registration or they need to require women to do the same thing that men do.1 At the 2023 American Anthropological Association (AAA) conference, a session about skeletal differences between males and females was canceled because it was considered transphobic. The AAA stated, There is no single biological standard by which all humans can be reliably sorted into a binary male/female sex classification.2 As a PhD geneticist, I can confidently say this is scientifically absurd, and as a Christian, I can say its biblically wrong as well.

God created males and females equalbut different. Thats not to say we dont have some sameness. We both bear the image of God (Genesis 1:2627). We both are sinners in need of salvation (Romans 3:23), and when we receive Christ as our Savior, we are one in Jesus (Galatians 3:28). But we are also different!

Women and men are both made in the image of God, but we have unique character qualities that cause us to bear that image differently. Elisabeth Elliot eloquently said, These two people [Adam and Eve] together represent the image of Godone of them in a special way the initiator, the other the responder. Neither the one nor the other was adequate alone to bear the divine image.3

Women tend to be caring and nurturing. God displays this characteristic vividly in Matthew 23:37, where Jesus speaking of the Israelites says, How often would I have gathered your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings. Men tend to be protectors and fight to protect those in their care. God displays this characteristic in Isaiah 42:13 where Isaiah says, The Lord goes out like a mighty man, like a man of war he stirs up his zeal; . . . he shows himself mighty against his foes. Women and men bear Gods image differently and that is part of Gods good design. We are equal but different. Im not saying that certain character qualities of God are exclusive to one sex or the other, but we tend to see certain characteristics more often or more clearly in one sex than the other, and that is good!

Men and women also have different functions and roles especially within marriage and the church. God created Eve as a helper to Adam (Genesis 2:18), and wives are to submit to their husbands (Ephesians 5:22). This doesnt imply an inferior/superior relationship within marriage; rather, it reflects different roles. We see this reflected in the Trinity as Jesus submits to the Father yet is equal to the Father. Husbands are to love their wives as their own bodies and as Christ loved the church by dying for her (Ephesians 5:2528). These different roles are an earthly reflection of the heavenly reality of the relationship between Christ and the church (Ephesians 5:32). Again, men and women are equal but different, and that is good!

Men and women are also biologically unique, and sometimes, we can even see directly how that biological design is related to our different character qualities and functions/roles. Gods design is truly purposeful! In this article, well explore some of the genetic and cellular differences between men and women.

Contrary to what the AAA said, there IS a single biological standard by which all humans can be reliably sorted into a binary male/female sex classification. Its called our sex chromosomes. Females have two X chromosomes, and males have one X and one Y chromosome. I have an easy saying to help people remember this: No Y, no guy! The Y chromosome has the sex-determining region Y gene (SRY for short) that inhibits female anatomical growth and induces the formation of male anatomy during embryo development. Some will argue there are sex chromosome abnormalities that make sex determination at birth or even puberty challenging. While these abnormalities are real in our fallen world (and these parents and children need compassion and support), it is never right to argue for normal from the abnormal.

Many of the genes on the Y chromosome (like SRY) are unique and dont have any match on the X chromosome. But there are some genes for basic cellular functions that exist on both the X and Y. Genes for basic cellular functions usually do not differ much within the human population because these are functions that all human cells must perform for people to live. However, scientists have discovered a gene, named RPS4, that has different versions on the X and Y chromosomes.4 This gene has the instructions for a ribosomal protein, and ribosomes assemble proteins in our cells. This means that male and female ribosomes are different. This blew my mind! The biological classification of mammals, which includes humans, dont really differ much in their ribosome makeup, yet God has seen fit to design male and female humans with different ribosomes. Why? I have no idea! Im excited to see more research that determines why this difference is important.

Although females have two X chromosomes, one of them is inactivated. Males only have one X chromosome and females in essence only have one active X chromosomeor so we thought. It turns out that 1523% of the genes on the so-called inactive X may still be active in that proteins are made from the genes.5 Many of those genes are thought to be related to the immune system, and as a result, women may have a more robust immune system. Women have higher circulating numbers of white blood cells and nearly every immune system response in females is higher.6 This relates well to a womans function/role in caring for children who often harbor a lot of germs! Also, women tend to have the character quality of being social and being in groups of people more often than men.b The gene activity on the inactive X may offer a protective mechanism against exposure to harmful bacteria and viruses often found in these social interactions. It also may mean that man flu is a real thing!

A 2017 gene activity study looked at 18,000 genes in 45 tissues to see if there were differences in activity between males and females.7 The researchers expected only a few hundred of these genes would show a difference. However, they found a whopping 6,500 genes (1/3 of those studied) have different activity levels!8 Some genes are active in men or women only, while some are much more active in one sex or the other. Much of the difference in activity levels is thought to relate to sex hormone differences. Testosterone in males and estrogen/progesterone in females likely causes genes to be read differently, resulting in different outcomes. One journalist in discussing these differences said, True equality is about respecting difference, not trying to erase it . . . . To be equal, men and women dont have to be the same. Which is just as well, because theyre not.9 Equality of the sexes should not, does not, and cannot mean sameness on a biological (or biblical) level. Thinking otherwise can have dangerous repercussions.

Differences in male/female genetics and their outcomes play a significant role in disease development, diagnosis, and treatment. For example, in males, fatty deposits in coronary arteries tend to be at specific locations, whereas in females, the deposits tend to line the artery more evenly, which makes heart disease harder to detect in females.10 Often, women are not included in clinical trials for the study and treatment of disease. This may explain why drugs that are effective at treating disease in men sometimes do not work in women. Its very likely that men and women metabolize drugs differently (because of sex chromosome and sex hormone differences), and what is an effective treatment in one sex may not be in the other.

Dr. Paula Johnson, founder and former executive director of the Connors Center for Womens Health and Gender Biology, stated, Today, we know that every cell has a sex. . . . And what it means is that men and women are different down to the cellular and molecular level. It means that were different across all of our organs, from our brains to our hearts, our lungs, our joints.11 Yes and amen! In part 1, weve learned some of many, many genetic and cellular differences between males and females. In part 2, well delve into the anatomical and physiological differences to understand more about how Gods unique biological designs of men and women relate to their character qualities and functions/roles. It truly is purposeful design!

More:
Men and Women's Different Biology Supports Their Different Roles - Answers In Genesis

By Olivia Trani

Women are twice as likely as men to develop post-traumatic stress disorder, but the factors contributing to this disparity have largely remained unsettled. A research team led by Virginia Commonwealth University and Lund University in Sweden conducted the largest twin-sibling study of PTSD to date to shed light on how genetics may play a role. Their results, published Tuesday in theAmerican Journal of Psychiatry, are the first to demonstrate that women have a higher genetic risk for the disorder compared with men.

By analyzing health data from over 16,000 twin pairs and 376,000 sibling pairs, the research team discovered that heritability for PTSD was 7 percentage points higher in women (35.4%) than in men (28.6%). They also found evidence that the genes that make up the heritable risk for PTSD vary between the two sexes.

The researchers say their findings could inform strategies for PTSD prevention and intervention following a traumatic event, as well as help address stigmas related to womens mental health.

Women are at higher risk for developing PTSD than men, even when controlling for the type of trauma, income level, social support and other environmental factors. Some of the theories as to why that is have frankly been unkind to women, such as attributing the sex difference to a weakness or lack of ability to cope, saidAnanda B. Amstadter, Ph.D., a professor in theVCU School of Medicinesdepartments ofPsychiatryandHuman and Molecular Geneticsand lead author of the study. I think this study can help move the narrative that people can have an inherited biological risk for PTSD, and that this genetic risk is greater in women.

Nearly 70% of the global population are exposed to at least one traumatic event in their lifetime, such as physical or sexual assault, a motor vehicle accident, exposure to combat or a natural disaster. About 6% of those who are exposed to trauma develop PTSD.Amstadters research focuses on understanding the conditions that might increase or decrease a persons risk of experiencing PTSD, particularly how a persons genes impact their risk.

If you think of risk for PTSD like a pie chart, were trying to better understand what factors make up the pieces of this pie, she said. Some of the risk is influenced by a persons environment, such as the experiences they have while growing up. On the other hand, some of the risk will be influenced by the genes they inherit from their parents.

Previous research has looked into how genes influence the likelihood of developing PTSD, but the study conducted by Amstadter and her colleagues is the first of its kind to investigate how genetic risk varies by sex.

For this project, the research team examined anonymized clinical data from Swedish population-based registries. Their analysis consisted of more than 400,000 pairs of twins or siblings born up to two years apart in Sweden between 1955 and 1980. Studies on twins and siblings, because of their genetic similarities, can help researchers determine how a persons genes influence their risk for mental illnesses.

Every time a person within this age group interacts with Swedens health care system, whether thats visiting their primary care doctor, filling a prescription or going to the hospital, that information is recorded in their national registries. This kind of data is a really powerful tool for addressing questions related to genetic risk for medical conditions, Amstadter said. Prior PTSD studies involving twins and siblings have typically only included a few thousand individuals. Because our sample size was so large in comparison, we were able to make calculations with a higher degree of certainty.

Through statistical modeling, the researchers calculated how much a persons genetic makeup influenced their likelihood of developing PTSD following a traumatic event. In finding that PTSD was 35.4% heritable in women but only 28.6% heritable in men, they demonstrated that women have a higher biological risk for PTSD.

Their models also revealed that the genes associated with PTSD were highly correlated (0.81) but not entirely the same between men and women. This suggests that the genetic underpinnings of sex hormones, like testosterone, estrogen and progesterone, may be involved in the development of PTSD. The research team is collaborating with the Psychiatric Genomics Consortium to identify the molecular genetic variants that may contribute to sex-specific pathways of risk.

Amstadter conducted the research at theVirginia Institute for Psychiatric and Behavioral Geneticsat VCU alongside co-authors Shannon Cusack, Ph.D., a postdoctoral scholar; and Kenneth Kendler, M.D., the institutes director, professor of psychiatry and eminent scholar. They collaborated with Lund University co-authors Sara Lnn, Ph.D.; Jan Sundquist, M.D., Ph.D.; and Kristina Sundquist, M.D., Ph.D.

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Women have a higher genetic risk for PTSD, according to study by VCU and Swedish researchers - VCU News

UK baby born with DNA from three people: What is the three-parent technique?  Firstpost

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UK baby born with DNA from three people: What is the three-parent technique? - Firstpost

Ovarian cancer can be hard to detect: What to know about prevention, symptoms  Town and Country TODAY

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Ovarian cancer can be hard to detect: What to know about prevention, symptoms - Town and Country TODAY

Female Sterilization Procedures Market: Industry, Opportunity Analysis and Forecast by Allied Market Research  EIN News

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Female Sterilization Procedures Market: Industry, Opportunity Analysis and Forecast by Allied Market Research - EIN News

On World Cancer Day, find out whats driving the rise in breast and colorectal cancers among young women  The Indian Express

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On World Cancer Day, find out whats driving the rise in breast and colorectal cancers among young women - The Indian Express

Milanova next to her award-winning microscopy image named "Making Waves: Delivery for Ageless Skin" ... [+] which was on display in 2017 at the Koch Institute Gallery celebrating extraordinary visuals at MIT

In my previous articles, I covered the wonderful female medical doctors working in longevity medicine, female reproductive longevity and inequality, skincare, and other areas. Here, we continue on this journey and look at the stellar scientist and entrepreneur, Dr. Denitsa Milanova. I heard about Dr. Milanova a few years back when she just joined Harvard, and met her for the first time in person in May 2022 when she told me about her new exciting venture - Marble Therapeutics and her quest to use genetic engineering to target aging.

Denitsa Milanova, PhD, founder and CEO of Marble Therapeutics

Denitsa was born in Bulgaria to a family of engineers. As a child, she excelled at analytical disciplines, and especially in math and physics. She learned at a young age that exceptional results can be achieved with hard work and perseverance. In school, she participated in science competitions routinely winning top places. For college, she moved to Florida, and then continued her graduate studies at Stanford University where she earned her masters and doctorate degrees in mechanical engineering and completed a business degree. Her studies were focused on microfluidics and she pursued research in single-cell sequencing using microfluidic technologies with prominent scientists including Michael Snyder. For her postdoctoral training, she moved to Harvard Medical School and Wyss Institute to work with George Church and soon focused on aging research.

Professor George Church of Harvard Medical School in Boston, MA on November 30, 2012. Church, a ... [+] professor of Genetics with the MAGE Device Multiplex automated Genome Engineering. (Photo by Rick Friedman/rickfriedman.com/Corbis via Getty Images)

Milanova tells me that this is simply the perfect time to build a rejuvenation company with new tools and large amounts of human data. We are doing great things in molecular biology, she says. But from her perspective, scientists are too focused on accumulating experimental evidence - hugely important - but when a field is starting to mature, we need to ask larger questions beyond what is there? but more how can we manipulate it? We need to shift from knowledge-based to inquiry-based frameworks, focusing on the complexities and stabilities of aging systems, and how they evolved to be a certain way.

Milanova and her team spend a lot of time on the why questions. This is the data but why does it look like that? We want to think from first principles, she explains. Drug development is expensive and betting on the wrong targets can be detrimental to companies. Identifying the right drivers amidst a sea of passengers, and spurious events is very hard. We are building algorithms that probe tipping points, thresholds and breakpoints, regime shifts. Going after those genetic perturbations that lead to the largest changes of aging states, she continues.

While Marble is still more or less in stealth mode without a public website, word had gotten around over the last year through top biotechnology and longevity investors that George Churchs lab was cooking up a secretive rejuvenation startup. Now known as Marble, led by his engineer-biotechnologist protg Dr. Milanova, the effort has garnered considerable inbound attention. Denitsa says that her team is developing methods to drive rejuvenation of skin cells with gene therapy and is working on a product that could reverse wrinkles like a genetic Botox.

The magic words in longevity biotech nowadays are platform and pipeline, where the company develops a platform for drug discovery and is using this platform to discover and develop its own therapeutic programs. And Marble is building target discovery and delivery platforms to drive its first pipeline program in the skin. To search for such powerful genes, they use computational methods taken from the study of non-linear dynamics and complex systems. The sort of things which can infer causality in other fields like ecology and finance. And they are attempting to predict the effects of changes in gene expression over time and thereby identifying key driving events and genes of aging.

The Marble team is taking an unbiased approach, agnostic to biological mechanism, and instead search the entire genome for those genes and proteins responsible for large, global shifts in the biology of cells as they transition from young to old. The aging field has leaned too heavily on hypothesis-driven approaches which insist that specific pathways must be involved in longevity and age-associated molecular mechanisms. These things do not necessarily tell us how a cell becomes old, or how to make it young, Milanova points out. The precise details of Marbles approach are being kept a secret, but Milanova has assembled an all-star team led by chairman Matt Rabinowitz (the man behind Natera) and an acclaimed scientific board that includes George Church, Michael Snyder, Carl June, Bob Langer, George Sugihara, Yoav Freund. Rabinowitz says, Aging is the king of all maladies. It remains to be seen how much we can massage our natural mortality, but usually when people place limits on science - and biotech in particular - they are wrong. The approaches Marble is working on to better understand dynamic gene signaling networks and drive those networks with gene therapy are important, would have broad application and are guided by a strong team of scientists.

NEW YORK, NY - MARCH 07: Tony Robbins attends Build series to discuss "UNSHAKEABLE: Your Financial ... [+] Freedom Playbook" at Build Studio on March 7, 2017 in New York City. (Photo by Chance Yeh/FilmMagic)

While building Marble, Milanova sought the advice of a man who would become one of her early backers, Tony Robbins. Robbins, who has coached presidents, elite athletes, and business leaders on the psychology and mechanics of building organizations, became a mentor and advised her on building the most effective team. I met Denitsa when she had just assembled an impressive team of experts prior to any funding into the company. People had signed solely based on the science and mission. What stood out to me was her ability to influence, in a very raw, authentic way. To sell the dream equally well to scientists, and business people, Robbins says. This quality is crucially important and at the core of exceptional leadership. It is truly amazing to see how much Marble has grown in a short period of time and I am excited to be part of it.

As one example of how the company is building competitive advantage, Milanova points to the future collection of proprietary human multi-omics data to fuel rejuvenation target discovery. And the company is well positioned to execute on this goal. Not only are two of its founders Church and Snyder pioneers in multi-omic technologies, they have also worked for decades to develop primary human data collection initiatives. As Church explains, Despite 20 million-fold improvement in the cost of reading human genomes, and trillion dollars per year avoidable by testing, the word is spreading slowly - in part because people feel that they are in the lucky 98% (similar to past denialism for cigarettes and seat belts.) He continues, We need to know our genome but for most of us, it is not actionable. It is different with aging and epigenetics (broadly defined as all -omes). We all age and likely care about aspects of aging (at least most of us).

Dr. Denitsa Milanova at Abundance360 with early supporter and visionary entrepreneur scientist, Dr. ... [+] Peter Diamandis.

This focus on human data is at the core of Marble. Our vision is that aging research will become more human data focused. That is, discovery will start with human data first, not hypotheses based on comparative longevity or mechanistic studies between species. We expect that targets best-suited for rejuvenation of specific cells and tissues may not be one-size-fits-all. And its hard to identify such targets if we are focused solely on highly conserved master regulators, explains Milanova.

Dr. Denitsa Milanova, founder and CEO of Marble Therapeutics

Marble is starting with skin rejuvenation, but they arent trying to be just a skin company. Think of deep-omic profiling of skin, blood, muscle, even reproductive cells with a time stamp on it, Milanova says. Our vision is to have high-quality cross-sectional and longitudinal datasets and all discoveries being data-driven rather than hypothesis-driven, she continues. If you think about those tissues, there are some unique and untapped markets to break into, if you had the right technology, says Milanova. And importantly, they may not have to follow human subjects over years to collect the right data. The cross-sectional data capability is really where our data analytics could shine. We could potentially cut through the noise of human-to-human variation to find deterministic signals, and likely with hundreds of donors. Not like with GWAS where you need tens of thousands.

Longevity Dinner in Boston, 2022. Right to left: Denitsa Milanova, PhD, Marble Therapeutics; Joe ... [+] Betts-LaCroix and Anastasia Shindyapina, PhD, Retro Biosciences; Alex Zhavoronkov, PhD, Insilico Medicine; Vadim Gladyshev, PhD, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School.

Alex: Denitsa, you have a very impressive resum with multiple graduate degrees from Stanford, postdoctoral training at one of the top labs at Harvard and consulting engagements with a variety of companies. When did you decide to go into aging research?

Denitsa: Thank you, Alex. Id say about five years ago when I started working with George Church. Being new to the field helps with bringing in a fresh perspective. George took a chance on me when I had no background in aging research and taught me how to take risks and pursue groundbreaking science. And this is the best way to tackle big problems, starting with the basic science but also being comfortable for things to take time and even failing before succeeding.

From the beginning I had a vision to do gene therapy for skin rejuvenation, and at the time, everyone thought that was a totally crazy idea. The cost of gene therapy then was as high as $2.8 million, but we have seen huge reductions in the cost of similar modalities like mRNA to as low as $2 per dose, largely driven by the market size. Clinical products in the skin have an enormous market (Botox alone is larger than all of cell and gene therapy combined), and true rejuvenation therapies could reach markets larger even than COVID vaccines.

Alex: This is your first venture. Did you think you would be able to raise funding? Do you have any notable investors in your seed round?

Denitsa: I am a big optimist and even a little bit of a dreamer by nature, but I do get anxious about fundraising. I think some fear of failure and a certain level of anxiety actually helps me, it motivates me to deliver. Yes, we were fortunate to attract prominent investors, and even more so to have them mentor and advise. Success leaves clues and learning from experience saves years. I force myself to maintain a no limitations mindset, both in science and business. What keeps me highly motivated is the certainty that rejuvenation is fundamentally possible, that we have the tools, and is worth doing it is one of the biggest problems of our time.

Alex: When are you planning to get to the preclinical proof of concept (POC) in animals and start IND-enabling studies? And if all goes well, when do you think we will be able to see Marbles products in the clinic? I understand how speculative this is but what is your vision?

Denitsa: It is early to say, we are at the preclinical stage right now. Skin is a very interesting organ clinically and an attractive entry point for newer therapies both in terms of targets and modality. You can test human organ skin grafts in mice to validate function in live human tissue physiology. Clinical trials and endpoints are more defined too because you can have multiple treatment and control locations across the skin, and the accessibility of the skin lets you assess aging phenotypes visually and mechanically to prove effectiveness of your therapy and approach in general.

Alex: What is your long-term vision for the company and for longevity biotechnology in general?

Denitsa: Over the long term we have no shortage of ambition. Skin is the start, because thats where we could get the right data. But I want all tissues. All ages made functionally young. We are starting with single-gene perturbations, but changes in complex cell states are typically polygenic processes. So we have a plan for moving into multi-gene targets using concepts analogous to those which have powered engineering and evolution of antibodies, enzymes, and protein-based drugs, but applied to whole-cell states. That is where I think the future is. We should be evolving cells in the lab to just be very good at being young. Thats not how our cells have evolved naturally, but it is how we can select them to be. Screening, genetic libraries and evolutionary approaches are central to the world of George Churchs lab, and that mindset has definitely rubbed off on me. We will need to intelligently explore genetic space to really ratchet up young-like cell behaviors.

Alex: And another very personal question. You do not need to answer it if it is too sensitive. I know what it takes to run a startup in the longevity space. It does not get intense from time to time - it is a life at full throttle when there is no time to stop and take a breath. How are you planning to maintain the work-life balance?

I have no idea what that [work-life balance] is, she smiles. But really, this isnt work to me. Its not some necessary evil to be balanced. Its a mission, its my life and I love what we are doing, she continued. Of course, I do things to keep sane. I love cryotherapy, another smile.

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This Harvard Female Scientist Wants To Use Genetics To Reverse The Age ...

Aspect of human growth

Human height or stature is the distance from the bottom of the feet to the top of the head in a human body, standing erect. It is measured using a stadiometer,[1] in centimetres when using the metric system or SI system,[2][3] or feet and inches when using United States customary units or the imperial system.[4][5]

In the early phase of anthropometric research history, questions about height techniques for measuring nutritional status often concerned genetic differences.[6]

Height is also important because it is closely correlated with other health components, such as life expectancy.[6] Studies show that there is a correlation between small stature and a longer life expectancy. Individuals of small stature are also more likely to have lower blood pressure and are less likely to acquire cancer. The University of Hawaii has found that the "longevity gene" FOXO3 that reduces the effects of aging is more commonly found in individuals of small body size.[7] Short stature decreases the risk of venous insufficiency.[8]

When populations share genetic backgrounds and environmental factors, average height is frequently characteristic within the group. Exceptional height variation (around 20% deviation from average) within such a population is sometimes due to gigantism or dwarfism, which are medical conditions caused by specific genes or endocrine abnormalities.[9]

The development of human height can serve as an indicator of two key welfare components, namely nutritional quality and health.[10] In regions of poverty or warfare, environmental factors like chronic malnutrition during childhood or adolescence may result in delayed growth and/or marked reductions in adult stature even without the presence of any of these medical conditions.

A study of 20th-century British natality trends indicated that while tall men tended to reproduce more than short men, women of below-average height had more children than taller women.[11]

The study of height is known as auxology.[12] Growth has long been recognized as a measure of the health of individuals, hence part of the reasoning for the use of growth charts. For individuals, as indicators of health problems, growth trends are tracked for significant deviations, and growth is also monitored for significant deficiency from genetic expectations. Genetics is a major factor in determining the height of individuals, though it is far less influential regarding differences among populations. Average height is relevant to the measurement of the health and wellness (standard of living and quality of life) of populations.[13]

Attributed as a significant reason for the trend of increasing height in parts of Europe are the egalitarian populations where proper medical care and adequate nutrition are relatively equally distributed.[14] The uneven distribution of nutritional resources makes it more plausible for individuals with better access to resources to grow taller, while the other population group who does not have so much of a nutritious food availability height growth is not as promising.[15] Average height in a nation is correlated with protein quality. Nations that consume more protein in the form of meat, dairy, eggs, and fish tend to be taller, while those that obtain more protein from cereals tend to be shorter.[citation needed] Therefore, populations with high cattle per capita and high consumption of dairy live longer and are taller. Historically, this can be seen in the cases of the United States, Argentina, New Zealand and Australia in the beginning of the 19th century.[16] Moreover, when the production and consumption of milk and beef is taken to consideration, it can be seen why the Germanic people who lived outside of the imperium Romanum were taller than those who lived at the heart of the Empire.[17]

Changes in diet (nutrition) and a general rise in quality of health care and standard of living are the cited factors in the Asian populations. Malnutrition including chronic undernutrition and acute malnutrition is known to have caused stunted growth in various populations.[18] This has been seen in North Korea, parts of Africa, certain historical Europe, and other populations.[19] Developing countries such as Guatemala have rates of stunting in children under 5 living as high as 82.2% in Totonicapn, and 49.8% nationwide.[20]

Height measurements are by nature subject to statistical sampling errors even for a single individual. In a clinical situation, height measurements are seldom taken more often than once per office visit, which may mean sampling taking place a week to several months apart. The smooth 50th percentile male and female growth curves illustrated above are aggregate values from thousands of individuals sampled at ages from birth to age 20. In reality, a single individual's growth curve shows large upward and downward spikes, partly due to actual differences in growth velocity, and partly due to small measurement errors.

For example, a typical measurement error of plus or minus 0.5cm (0.20in) may completely nullify 0.5 cm of actual growth resulting in either a "negative" 0.5 cm growth (due to overestimation in the previous visit combined with underestimation in the latter), up to a 1.5cm (0.6in) growth (the first visit underestimating and the second visit overestimating) in the same elapsed period between measurements. Note there is a discontinuity in the growth curves at age 2, which reflects the difference in recumbent length (with the child on his or her back), used in measuring infants and toddlers, and standing height typically measured from age 2 onwards.

Height, like other phenotypic traits, is determined by a combination of genetics and environmental factors. A child's height based on parental heights is subject to regression toward the mean, therefore extremely tall or short parents will likely have correspondingly taller or shorter offspring, but their offspring will also likely be closer to average height than the parents themselves. Genetic potential and several hormones, minus illness, is a basic determinant for height. Other factors include the genetic response to external factors such as diet, exercise, environment, and life circumstances.

Humans grow fastest (other than in the womb) as infants and toddlers, rapidly declining from a maximum at birth to roughly age 2, tapering to a slowly declining rate, and then, during the pubertal growth spurt (with an average girl starting her puberty and pubertal growth spurt at 10 years[21] and an average boy starting his puberty and pubertal growth spurt at 12 years[22][23]), a rapid rise to a second maximum (at around 1112 years for an average female, and 1314 years for an average male), followed by a steady decline to zero. The average female growth speed trails off to zero at about 15 or 16 years, whereas the average male curve continues for approximately 3 more years, going to zero at about 1819. These are also critical periods where stressors such as malnutrition (or even severe child neglect) have the greatest effect.

Moreover, the health of a mother throughout her life, especially during her critical period and pregnancy, has a role. A healthier child and adult develops a body that is better able to provide optimal prenatal conditions.[19] The pregnant mother's health is essential for herself but also the fetus as gestation is itself a critical period for an embryo/fetus, though some problems affecting height during this period are resolved by catch-up growth assuming childhood conditions are good. Thus, there is a cumulative generation effect such that nutrition and health over generations influence the height of descendants to vary degrees.

The age of the mother also has some influence on her child's height. Studies in modern times have observed a gradual increase in height with maternal age, though these early studies suggest that trend is due to various socio-economic situations that select certain demographics as being more likely to have a first birth early in the mother's life.[24][25][26] These same studies show that children born to a young mother are more likely to have below-average educational and behavioural development, again suggesting an ultimate cause of resources and family status rather than a purely biological explanation.[25][26]

It has been observed that first-born males are shorter than later-born males.[27]However, more recently the reverse observation was made.[28] The study authors suggest that the cause may be socio-economic in nature.

The precise relationship between genetics and environment is complex and uncertain. Differences in human height is 6080% heritable, according to several twin studies[29] and has been considered polygenic since the Mendelian-biometrician debate a hundred years ago. A genome-wide association (GWA) study of more than 180,000 individuals has identified hundreds of genetic variants in at least 180 loci associated with adult human height.[30] The number of individuals has since been expanded to 253,288 individuals and the number of genetic variants identified is 697 in 423 genetic loci.[31] In a separate study of body proportion using sitting-height ratio, it reports that these 697 variants can be partitioned into 3 specific classes, (1) variants that primarily determine leg length, (2) variants that primarily determine spine and head length, or (3) variants that affect overall body size. This gives insights into the biological mechanisms underlying how these 697 genetic variants affect overall height.[32] These loci do not only determine height, but other features or characteristics. As an example, 4 of the 7 loci identified for intracranial volume had previously been discovered for human height.[33]

The effect of environment on height is illustrated by studies performed by anthropologist Barry Bogin and coworkers of Guatemala Mayan children living in the United States. In the early 1970s, when Bogin first visited Guatemala, he observed that Mayan Indian men averaged 157.5 centimetres (5ft 2in) in height and the women averaged 142.2 centimetres (4ft 8in). Bogin took another series of measurements after the Guatemalan Civil War, during which up to a million Guatemalans fled to the United States. He discovered that Maya refugees, who ranged from six to twelve years old, were significantly taller than their Guatemalan counterparts.[34] By 2000, the American Maya were 10.24cm (4.03in) taller than the Guatemalan Maya of the same age, largely due to better nutrition and health care.[35] Bogin also noted that American Maya children had relatively longer legs, averaging 7.02cm (2.76in) longer than the Guatemalan Maya (a significantly lower sitting height ratio).[35][36]

The Nilotic peoples of Sudan such as the Shilluk and Dinka have been described as some of the tallest in the world. Dinka Ruweng males investigated by Roberts in 195354 were on average 181.3 centimetres (5ft 11+12in) tall, and Shilluk males averaged 182.6 centimetres (6ft 0in).[37] The Nilotic people are characterized as having long legs, narrow bodies and short trunks, an adaptation to hot weather.[38] However, male Dinka and Shilluk refugees measured in 1995 in Southwestern Ethiopia were on average only 176.4cm (5ft 9+12in) and 172.6cm (5ft 8in) tall, respectively. As the study points out, Nilotic people "may attain greater height if privileged with favourable environmental conditions during early childhood and adolescence, allowing full expression of the genetic material."[39] Before fleeing, these refugees were subject to privation as a consequence of the succession of civil wars in their country from 1955 to the present.

The tallest living married couple are ex-basketball players Yao Ming and Ye Li (both of China) who measure 228.6cm (7ft 6in) and 190.5cm (6ft 3in) respectively, giving a combined height of 419.1cm (13ft 9in). They married in Shanghai, China, on 6 August 2007.[40]

In Tibet, the Khampas are known for their great height. Khampa males are on average 180cm (5ft 11in).[41][42]

Studies show that there is a correlation between small stature and a longer life expectancy. Individuals of small stature are also more likely to have lower blood pressure and are less likely to acquire cancer. The University of Hawaii has found that the longevity gene FOXO3 that reduces the effects of aging is more commonly found in individuals of a small body size.[7] Short stature decreases the risk of venous insufficiency.[8] Certain studies have shown that height is a factor in overall health while some suggest tallness is associated with better cardiovascular health and shortness with longevity.[43] Cancer risk has also been found to grow with height.[44] Moreover, scientists have also observed a protective effect of height on risk for Alzheimer's disease, although this fact could be a result of the genetic overlap between height and intracraneal volume and there are also genetic variants influencing height that could affect biological mechanisms involved in Alzheimer's disease etiology, such as Insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1).[45]

Nonetheless, modern westernized interpretations of the relationship between height and health fail to account for the observed height variations worldwide.[46] Cavalli-Sforza and Cavalli-Sforza note that variations in height worldwide can be partly attributed to evolutionary pressures resulting from differing environments. These evolutionary pressures result in height-related health implications. While tallness is an adaptive benefit in colder climates such as those found in Europe, shortness helps dissipate body heat in warmer climatic regions.[46] Consequently, the relationships between health and height cannot be easily generalized since tallness and shortness can both provide health benefits in different environmental settings.

In the end, being excessively tall can cause various medical problems, including cardiovascular problems, because of the increased load on the heart to supply the body with blood, and problems resulting from the increased time it takes the brain to communicate with the extremities. For example, Robert Wadlow, the tallest man known to verifiable history, developed trouble walking as his height increased throughout his life. In many of the pictures of the latter portion of his life, Wadlow can be seen gripping something for support. Late in his life, although he died at age 22, he had to wear braces on his legs and walk with a cane; and he died after developing an infection in his legs because he was unable to feel the irritation and cutting caused by his leg braces.

Sources are in disagreement about the overall relationship between height and longevity. Samaras and Elrick, in the Western Journal of Medicine, demonstrate an inverse correlation between height and longevity in several mammals including humans.[43]

Women whose height is under 150cm (4ft 11in) may have a small pelvis, resulting in such complications during childbirth as shoulder dystocia.[47]

A study done in Sweden in 2005 has shown that there is a strong inverse correlation between height and suicide among Swedish men.[48]

A large body of human and animal evidence indicates that shorter, smaller bodies age more slowly, and have fewer chronic diseases and greater longevity. For example, a study found eight areas of support for the "smaller lives longer" thesis. These areas of evidence include studies involving longevity, life expectancy, centenarians, male vs. female longevity differences, mortality advantages of shorter people, survival findings, smaller body size due to calorie restriction, and within-species body size differences. They all support the conclusion that smaller individuals live longer in healthy environments and with good nutrition. However, the difference in longevity is modest. Several human studies have found a loss of 0.5 years/centimeter of increased height (1.2 yr/inch). But these findings do not mean that all tall people die young. Many live to advanced ages and some become centenarians.[49][dubious discuss]

In medicine, height is measured to monitor child development, this is a better indicator of growth than weight in the long term.[50]For older people, excessive height loss is a symptom of osteoporosis.[51] Height is also used to compute indicators like body surface area or body mass index.

There is a large body of research in psychology, economics, and human biology that has assessed the relationship between several physical features (e.g., body height) and occupational success.[52] The correlation between height and success was explored decades ago.[53][54] Shorter people are considered to have an advantage in certain sports (e.g., gymnastics, race car driving, etc.), whereas in many other sports taller people have a major advantage. In most occupational fields, body height is not relevant to how well people are able to perform; nonetheless several studies found that success was positively correlated with body height, although there may be other factors such as gender or socioeconomic status that are correlated with height which may account for the difference in success.[52][53][55][56]

A demonstration of the height-success association can be found in the realm of politics. In the United States presidential elections, the taller candidate won 22 out of 25 times in the 20th century.[57] Nevertheless, Ignatius Loyola, founder of the Jesuits, was 150cm (4ft 11in) and several prominent world leaders of the 20th century, such as Vladimir Lenin, Benito Mussolini, Nicolae Ceauescu and Joseph Stalin were of below-average height. These examples, however, were all before modern forms of multi-media, i.e., television, which may further height discrimination in modern society. Further, growing evidence suggests that height may be a proxy for confidence, which is likewise strongly correlated with occupational success.[58]

In the 150 years since the mid-nineteenth century, the average human height in industrialised countries has increased by up to 10 centimetres (3.9in).[59] However, these increases appear to have largely levelled off.[59][60] Before the mid-nineteenth century, there were cycles in height, with periods of increase and decrease;[61] however, apart from the decline associated with the transition to agriculture, examinations of skeletons show no significant differences in height from the neolithic revolution through the early-1800s.[62][63]

In general, there were no significant differences in regional height levels throughout the nineteenth century.[64] The only exceptions of this rather uniform height distribution were people in the Anglo-Saxon settlement regions who were taller than the average and people from Southeast Asia with below-average heights. However, at the end of the nineteenth century and in the middle of the first globalization period, heights between rich and poor countries began to diverge.[65] These differences did not disappear in the deglobalization period of the two World wars. Baten and Blum (2014) [66] find that in the nineteenth century, important determinants of height were the local availability of cattle, meat and milk as well as the local disease environment. In the late twentieth century, however, technologies and trade became more important, decreasing the impact of local availability of agricultural products.

In the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, people of European descent in North America were far taller than those in Europe and were the tallest in the world.[14] The original indigenous population of Plains Native Americans was also among the tallest populations of the world at the time.[67]

Some studies also suggest that there existed the correlation between the height and the real wage, moreover, the correlation was higher among the less developed countries. The difference in height between children from different social classes was already observed by age two.[68]

In the late nineteenth century, the Netherlands was a land renowned for its short population, but today Dutch people are among the world's tallest with young men averaging 183.8cm (6ft 0.4in) tall.[69]

According to a study by economist John Komlos and Francesco Cinnirella, in the first half of the eighteenth century, the average height of an English male was 165cm (5ft 5in), and the average height of an Irish male was 168cm (5ft 6in). The estimated mean height of English, German, and Scottish soldiers was 163.6cm (5ft 4+12in) 165.9cm (5ft 5+12in) for the period as a whole, while that of Irish was 167.9cm (5ft 6in). The average height of male slaves and convicts in North America was 171cm (5ft 7+12in).[70]

The average height of Americans and Europeans decreased during periods of rapid industrialization, possibly due to rapid population growth and broad decreases in economic status.[71] This has become known as the early-industrial growth puzzle in the U.S. context the Antebellum Puzzle. In England during the early nineteenth century, the difference between the average height of English upper-class youth (students of Sandhurst Military Academy) and English working-class youth (Marine Society boys) reached 22cm (8+12in), the highest that has been observed.[72]

Data derived from burials show that before 1850, the mean stature of males and females in Leiden, The Netherlands was respectively 167.7cm (5ft 6in) and 156.7cm (5ft 1+12in). The average height of 19-year-old Dutch orphans in 1865 was 160cm (5ft 3in).[73]

According to a study by J.W. Drukker and Vincent Tassenaar, the average height of a Dutch person decreased from 1830 to 1857, even while Dutch real GNP per capita was growing at an average rate of more than 0.5% per year. The worst decline was in urban areas that in 1847, the urban height penalty was 2.5cm (0.98in). Urban mortality was also much higher than in rural regions. In 1829, the average urban and rural Dutchman was 164cm (5ft 4+12in). By 1856, the average rural Dutchman was 162cm (5ft 4in) and urban Dutchman was 158.5cm (5ft 2+12in).[74]

A 2004 report citing a 2003 UNICEF study on the effects of malnutrition in North Korea, due to "successive famines," found young adult males to be significantly shorter.[specify] In contrast South Koreans "feasting on an increasingly Western-influenced diet," without famine, were growing taller. The height difference is minimal for Koreans over forty years old, who grew up at a time when economic conditions in the North were roughly comparable to those in the South, while height disparities are most acute for Koreans who grew up in the mid-1990s a demographic in which South Koreans are about 12cm (4.7in) taller than their North Korean counterparts as this was a period during which the North was affected by a harsh famine where hundreds of thousands, if not millions, died of hunger.[75] A study by South Korean anthropologists of North Korean children who had defected to China found that eighteen-year-old males were 13 centimetres (5in) shorter than South Koreans their age due to malnutrition.[76]

The tallest living man is Sultan Ksen of Turkey, at 251cm (8ft 3in). The tallest man in modern history was Robert Pershing Wadlow (19181940), from Illinois, United States, who was 272cm (8ft 11in) at the time of his death. The tallest woman in medical history was Trijntje Keever of Edam, Netherlands, who stood 254cm (8ft 4in) when she died at the age of seventeen. The shortest adult human on record was Chandra Bahadur Dangi of Nepal at 54.6cm (1ft 9+12in).

An anecdotal article titled "Ancient American Giants" from the 14 August 1880 edition of Scientific American notes a case from Brushcreek Township, Ohio, when Dr. J. F. Everhart supervised a team that discovered ancient clay coffins within a mound which were reported to contain skeletons of the following length: 8ft 0in (2.44m) woman with a child 3.5ft 0in (1.07m), a second coffin with a 9ft 0in (2.74m) man and 8ft 0in (2.44m) woman, a third coffin with a 9ft 4in (2.84m) man and 8ft 0in (2.44m) woman, and seven other independent skeletons measuring between 8ft 0in (2.44m) and 10ft 0in (3.05m). An image and stone tablet were found with the giants.[77]

Adult height between populations often differs significantly. For example, the average height of women from the Czech Republic is greater than that of men from Malawi. This may be caused by genetic differences, childhood lifestyle differences (nutrition, sleep patterns, physical labor), or both.

Depending on sex, genetic and environmental factors, shrinkage of stature may begin in middle age in some individuals but tends to be universal in the extremely aged. This decrease in height is due to such factors as decreased height of inter-vertebral discs because of desiccation, atrophy of soft tissues, and postural changes secondary to degenerative disease.

Working on data of Indonesia, the study by Baten, Stegl and van der Eng suggests a positive relationship of economic development and average height. In Indonesia, human height has decreased coincidentally with natural or political shocks.[78]

As with any statistical data, the accuracy of such data may be questionable for various reasons:

Crown-rump length is the measurement of the length of human embryos and fetuses from the top of the head (crown) to the bottom of the buttocks (rump). It is typically determined from ultrasound imagery and can be used to estimate gestational age.

Until two years old, recumbent length is used to measure infants.[92] Length measures the same dimension as height, but height is measured standing up while the length is measured lying down. In developed nations, the average total body length of a newborn is about 50cm (20in), although premature newborns may be much smaller.

Standing height is used to measure children over two years old[93] and adults who can stand without assistance. Measure is done with a stadiometer. In general, standing height is about 0.7cm (0.28in) less than recumbent length.[94]

Surrogate height measurements are used when standing height and recumbent length are impractical. For sample Chumlea equation use knee height as indicator of stature.[95] Other techniques include: arm span, sitting height, ulna length, etc.

Original post:
Human height - Wikipedia

Medical condition

Pattern hair loss (also known as androgenetic alopecia (AGA)[1]) is a hair loss condition that primarily affects the top and front of the scalp.[2][3] In male-pattern hair loss (MPHL), the hair loss typically presents itself as either a receding front hairline, loss of hair on the crown (vertex) of the scalp, or a combination of both. Female-pattern hair loss (FPHL) typically presents as a diffuse thinning of the hair across the entire scalp.[3]

Male pattern hair loss seems to be due to a combination of oxidative stress,[4] the microbiome of the scalp,[5][6] genetics, and circulating androgens; particularly dihydrotestosterone (DHT).[3] Men with early onset androgenic alopecia (before the age of 35) have been deemed as the male phenotypic equivalent for polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS).[7][8][9][10] As an early clinical expression of insulin resistance and metabolic syndrome, AGA is related to being an increased risk factor for cardiovascular diseases, glucose metabolism disorders,[11] type 2 diabetes,[12][13] and enlargement of the prostate.[14]

The cause in female pattern hair loss remains unclear,[3] androgenetic alopecia for women is associated with an increased risk of polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS).[15][16][17]

Management may include simply accepting the condition[3] or shaving one's head to improve the aesthetic aspect of the condition.[18] Otherwise, common medical treatments include minoxidil, finasteride, dutasteride, or hair transplant surgery.[3] Use of finasteride and dutasteride in women is not well-studied and may result in birth defects if taken during pregnancy.[3]

Pattern hair loss by the age of 50 affects about half of males and a quarter of females.[3] It is the most common cause of hair loss. Both males aged 4091 [19] and younger male patients of early onset AGA (before the age of 35), had a higher likelihood of metabolic syndrome (MetS) [20][21][22][23] and insulin resistance.[24] With younger males, studies found metabolic syndrome to be at approximately a 4x increased frequency which is clinically deemed as significant.[25][26] Abdominal obesity, hypertension and lowered high density lipoprotein were also significantly higher for younger groups.[27]

Pattern hair loss is classified as a form of non-scarring hair loss.

Male-pattern hair loss begins above the temples and at the vertex (calvaria) of the scalp. As it progresses, a rim of hair at the sides and rear of the head remains. This has been referred to as a "Hippocratic wreath", and rarely progresses to complete baldness.[28]

Female-pattern hair loss more often causes diffuse thinning without hairline recession; similar to its male counterpart, female androgenic alopecia rarely leads to total hair loss.[29] The Ludwig scale grades severity of female-pattern hair loss. These include Grades 1, 2, 3 of balding in women based on their scalp showing in the front due to thinning of hair.[citation needed]

In most cases, receding hairline is the first starting point; the hairline starts moving backwards from the front of the head and the sides.[30][citation needed]

KRT37 is the only keratin that is regulated by androgens.[31] This sensitivity to androgens was acquired by Homo sapiens and is not shared with their great ape cousins. Although Winter et al. found that KRT37 is expressed in all the hair follices of chimpanzees, it was not detected in the head hair of modern humans. As androgens are known to grow hair on the body, but decrease it on the scalp, this lack of scalp KRT37 may help explain the paradoxical nature of Androgenic alopecia as well as the fact that head hair anagen cycles are extremely long.[citation needed]

The initial programming of pilosebaceous units of hair follicles begins in utero.[32] The physiology is primarily androgenic, with dihydrotestosterone (DHT) being the major contributor at the dermal papillae. Men with premature androgenic alopecia tend to have lower than normal values of sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG), follicle stimulating hormone (FSH), testosterone, and epitestosterone when compared to men without pattern hair loss.[10] Although hair follicles were previously thought to be permanently gone in areas of complete hair loss, they are more likely dormant, as recent studies have shown the scalp contains the stem cell progenitor cells from which the follicles arose.[33][34][non-primary source needed]

Transgenic studies have shown that growth and dormancy of hair follicles are related to the activity of insulin-like growth factor (IGF) at the dermal papillae, which is affected by DHT. Androgens are important in male sexual development around birth and at puberty. They regulate sebaceous glands, apocrine hair growth, and libido. With increasing age, androgens stimulate hair growth on the face, but can suppress it at the temples and scalp vertex, a condition that has been referred to as the 'androgen paradox'.[35]

Men with androgenic alopecia typically have higher 5-reductase, higher total testosterone, higher unbound/free testosterone, and higher free androgens, including DHT.[36] 5-alpha-reductase converts free testosterone into DHT, and is highest in the scalp and prostate gland. DHT is most commonly formed at the tissue level by 5-reduction of testosterone.[37] The genetic corollary that codes for this enzyme has been discovered.[38] Prolactin has also been suggested to have different effects on the hair follicle across gender.[39]

Also, crosstalk occurs between androgens and the Wnt-beta-catenin signaling pathway that leads to hair loss. At the level of the somatic stem cell, androgens promote differentiation of facial hair dermal papillae, but inhibit it at the scalp.[35] Other research suggests the enzyme prostaglandin D2 synthase and its product prostaglandin D2 (PGD2) in hair follicles as contributive.[40]

These observations have led to study at the level of the mesenchymal dermal papillae.[41] Types 1 and 2 5 reductase enzymes are present at pilosebaceous units in papillae of individual hair follicles.[42] They catalyze formation of the androgens testosterone and DHT, which in turn regulate hair growth.[35] Androgens have different effects at different follicles: they stimulate IGF-1 at facial hair, leading to growth, but can also stimulate TGF 1, TGF 2, dickkopf1, and IL-6 at the scalp, leading to catagenic miniaturization.[35] Hair follicles in anaphase express four different caspases. Significant levels of inflammatory infiltrate have been found in transitional hair follicles.[43] Interleukin 1 is suspected to be a cytokine mediator that promotes hair loss.[44]

The fact that hair loss is cumulative with age while androgen levels fall as well as the fact that finasteride does not reverse advanced stages of androgenetic alopecia remains a mystery, but possible explanations are higher conversion of testosterone to DHT locally with age as higher levels of 5-alpha reductase are noted in balding scalp, and higher levels of DNA damage in the dermal papilla as well as senescence of the dermal papilla due to androgen receptor activation and environmental stress.[45] The mechanism by which the androgen receptor triggers dermal papilla permanent senescence is not known, but may involve IL6, TGFB-1 and oxidative stress. Senescence of the dermal papilla is measured by lack of mobility, different size and shape, lower replication and altered output of molecules and different expression of markers. The dermal papilla is the primary location of androgen action and its migration towards the hair bulge and subsequent signaling and size increase are required to maintain the hair follicle so senescence via the androgen receptor explains much of the physiology.[citation needed]

Male pattern baldness is a complex genetic condition with a "particularly strong signals on the X chromosome".[46]

Multiple cross-sectional studies have found associations between early androgenic alopecia, insulin resistance, and metabolic syndrome,[47][48] with low HDL being the component of metabolic syndrome with highest association.[49] Linolenic and linoleic acids, two major dietary sources of HDL, are 5 alpha reductase inhibitors.[50] Premature androgenic alopecia and insulin resistance may be a clinical constellation that represents the male homologue, or phenotype, of polycystic ovary syndrome.[51] Others have found a higher rate of hyperinsulinemia in family members of women with polycystic ovarian syndrome.[52] With early-onset AGA having an increased risk of metabolic syndrome, poorer metabolic profiles are noticed in those with AGA, including metrics for body mass index, waist circumference, fasting glucose, blood lipids, and blood pressure.[53]

In support of the association, finasteride improves glucose metabolism and decreases glycated hemoglobin HbA1c, a surrogate marker for diabetes mellitus.[54] The low SHBG seen with premature androgenic alopecia is also associated with, and likely contributory to, insulin resistance,[55] and for which it still is used as an assay for pediatric diabetes mellitus.[56]

Obesity leads to upregulation of insulin production and decrease in SHBG. Further reinforcing the relationship, SHBG is downregulated by insulin in vitro, although SHBG levels do not appear to affect insulin production.[57] In vivo, insulin stimulates both testosterone production and SHBG inhibition in normal and obese men.[58] The relationship between SHBG and insulin resistance has been known for some time; decades prior, ratios of SHBG and adiponectin were used before glucose to predict insulin resistance.[59] Patients with Laron syndrome, with resultant deficient IGF, demonstrate varying degrees of alopecia and structural defects in hair follicles when examined microscopically.[60]

Because of its association with metabolic syndrome and altered glucose metabolism, both men and women with early androgenic hair loss should be screened for impaired glucose tolerance and diabetes mellitus II.[10] Measurement of subcutaneous and visceral adipose stores by MRI, demonstrated inverse association between visceral adipose tissue and testosterone/DHT, while subcutaneous adipose correlated negatively with SHBG and positively with estrogen.[61] SHBG association with fasting blood glucose is most dependent on intrahepatic fat, which can be measured by MRI in and out of phase imaging sequences. Serum indices of hepatic function and surrogate markers for diabetes, previously used, show less correlation with SHBG by comparison.[62]

Female patients with mineralocorticoid resistance present with androgenic alopecia.[63]

IGF levels have been found lower in those with metabolic syndrome.[64] Circulating serum levels of IGF-1 are increased with vertex balding, although this study did not look at mRNA expression at the follicle itself.[65] Locally, IGF is mitogenic at the dermal papillae and promotes elongation of hair follicles. The major site of production of IGF is the liver, although local mRNA expression at hair follicles correlates with increase in hair growth. IGF release is stimulated by growth hormone (GH). Methods of increasing IGF include exercise, hypoglycemia, low fatty acids, deep sleep (stage IV REM), estrogens, and consumption of amino acids such as arginine and leucine. Obesity and hyperglycemia inhibit its release. IGF also circulates in the blood bound to a large protein whose production is also dependent on GH. GH release is dependent on normal thyroid hormone. During the sixth decade of life, GH decreases in production. Because growth hormone is pulsatile and peaks during sleep, serum IGF is used as an index of overall growth hormone secretion. The surge of androgens at puberty drives an accompanying surge in growth hormone.[66]

A number of hormonal changes occur with aging:

This decrease in androgens and androgen receptors, and the increase in SHBG are opposite the increase in androgenic alopecia with aging. This is not intuitive, as testosterone and its peripheral metabolite, DHT, accelerate hair loss, and SHBG is thought to be protective. The ratio of T/SHBG, DHT/SHBG decreases by as much as 80% by age 80, in numeric parallel to hair loss, and approximates the pharmacology of antiandrogens such as finasteride.[69]

Free testosterone decreases in men by age 80 to levels double that of a woman at age 20. About 30% of normal male testosterone level, the approximate level in females, is not enough to induce alopecia; 60%, closer to the amount found in elderly men, is sufficient.[70] The testicular secretion of testosterone perhaps "sets the stage" for androgenic alopecia as a multifactorial diathesis stress model, related to hormonal predisposition, environment, and age. Supplementing eunuchs with testosterone during their second decade, for example, causes slow progression of androgenic alopecia over many years, while testosterone late in life causes rapid hair loss within a month.[71]

An example of premature age effect is Werner's syndrome, a condition of accelerated aging from low-fidelity copying of mRNA. Affected children display premature androgenic alopecia.[72]

Permanent hair-loss is a result of reduction of the number of living hair matrixes. Long-term of insufficiency of nutrition is an important cause for the death of hair matrixes. Misrepair-accumulation aging theory [73][74] suggests that dermal fibrosis is associated with the progressive hair-loss and hair-whitening in old people.[75] With age, the dermal layer of the skin has progressive deposition of collagen fibers, and this is a result of accumulation of Misrepairs of derma. Fibrosis makes the derma stiff and makes the tissue have increased resistance to the walls of blood vessels. The tissue resistance to arteries will lead to the reduction of blood supply to the local tissue including the papillas. Dermal fibrosis is progressive; thus the insufficiency of nutrition to papillas is permanent. Senile hair-loss and hair-whitening are partially a consequence of the fibrosis of the skin.

The diagnosis of androgenic alopecia can be usually established based on clinical presentation in men. In women, the diagnosis usually requires more complex diagnostic evaluation. Further evaluation of the differential requires exclusion of other causes of hair loss, and assessing for the typical progressive hair loss pattern of androgenic alopecia.[76] Trichoscopy can be used for further evaluation.[77] Biopsy may be needed to exclude other causes of hair loss,[78] and histology would demonstrate perifollicular fibrosis.[79][80] The HamiltonNorwood scale has been developed to grade androgenic alopecia in males by severity.

Finasteride is a medication of the 5-reductase inhibitors (5-ARIs) class.[81] By inhibiting type II 5-AR, finasteride prevents the conversion of testosterone to dihydrotestosterone in various tissues including the scalp.[81][82] Increased hair on the scalp can be seen within three months of starting finasteride treatment and longer-term studies have demonstrated increased hair on the scalp at 24 and 48 months with continued use.[82] Treatment with finasteride more effectively treats male-pattern hair loss at the crown than male-pattern hair loss at the front of the head and temples.[82]

Dutasteride is a medication in the same class as finasteride but inhibits both type I and type II 5-alpha reductase.[82] Dutasteride is approved for the treatment of male-pattern hair loss in Korea and Japan, but not in the United States.[82] However, it is commonly used off-label to treat male-pattern hair loss.[82]

Minoxidil dilates small blood vessels; it is not clear how this causes hair to grow.[83] Other treatments include tretinoin combined with minoxidil, ketoconazole shampoo, dermarolling (Collagen induction therapy), spironolactone,[84] alfatradiol, topilutamide (fluridil),[81] topical melatonin,[85][86][87] and intradermal and intramuscular botulinum toxin injections to the scalp.[88]

There is evidence supporting the use of minoxidil as a safe and effective treatment for female pattern hair loss, and there is no significant difference in efficiency between 2% and 5% formulations.[89] Finasteride was shown to be no more effective than placebo based on low-quality studies.[89] The effectiveness of laser-based therapies is unclear.[89] Bicalutamide, an antiandrogen, is another option for the treatment of female pattern hair loss.[90][4][91]

More advanced cases may be resistant or unresponsive to medical therapy and require hair transplantation. Naturally occurring units of one to four hairs, called follicular units, are excised and moved to areas of hair restoration.[84] These follicular units are surgically implanted in the scalp in close proximity and in large numbers. The grafts are obtained from either follicular unit transplantation (FUT) or follicular unit extraction (FUE). In the former, a strip of skin with follicular units is extracted and dissected into individual follicular unit grafts, and in the latter individual hairs are extracted manually or robotically. The surgeon then implants the grafts into small incisions, called recipient sites.[92][93] Cosmetic scalp tattoos can also mimic the appearance of a short, buzzed haircut.

Many people use unproven treatments.[94] Regarding female pattern alopecia, there is no evidence for vitamins, minerals, or other dietary supplements.[95] As of 2008, there is little evidence to support the use of lasers to treat male-pattern hair loss.[96] The same applies to special lights.[95] Dietary supplements are not typically recommended.[96] A 2015 review found a growing number of papers in which plant extracts were studied but only one randomized controlled clinical trial, namely a study in 10 people of saw palmetto extract.[97][98]

Androgenic alopecia is typically experienced as a "moderately stressful condition that diminishes body image satisfaction".[99] However, although most men regard baldness as an unwanted and distressing experience, they usually are able to cope and retain integrity of personality.[100]

Although baldness is not as common in women as in men, the psychological effects of hair loss tend to be much greater. Typically, the frontal hairline is preserved, but the density of hair is decreased on all areas of the scalp. Previously, it was believed to be caused by testosterone just as in male baldness, but most women who lose hair have normal testosterone levels.[101]

Female androgenic alopecia has become a growing problem that, according to the American Academy of Dermatology, affects around 30million women in the United States. Although hair loss in females normally occurs after the age of 50 or even later when it does not follow events like pregnancy, chronic illness, crash diets, and stress among others, it is now occurring at earlier ages with reported cases in women as young as 15 or 16.[102]

For male androgenic alopecia, by the age of 50 30-50% of men have it, hereditarily there is an 80% predisposition.[103] Notably, the link between androgenetic alopecia and metabolic syndrome is strongest in non-obese men.[104]

Studies have been inconsistent across cultures regarding how balding men rate on the attraction scale. While a 2001 South Korean study showed that most people rated balding men as less attractive,[105] a 2002 survey of Welsh women found that they rated bald and gray-haired men quite desirable.[106] One of the proposed social theories for male pattern hair loss is that men who embraced complete baldness by shaving their heads subsequently signaled dominance, high social status, and/or longevity.[18]

Biologists have hypothesized the larger sunlight-exposed area would allow more vitamin D to be synthesized, which might have been a "finely tuned mechanism to prevent prostate cancer" as the malignancy itself is also associated with higher levels of DHT.[107]

Many myths exist regarding the possible causes of baldness and its relationship with one's virility, intelligence, ethnicity, job, social class, wealth, and many other characteristics.

Because it increases testosterone levels, many Internet forums[which?] have put forward the idea that weight training and other forms of exercise increase hair loss in predisposed individuals. Although scientific studies do support a correlation between exercise and testosterone, no direct study has found a link between exercise and baldness. However, a few have found a relationship between a sedentary life and baldness, suggesting exercise is causally relevant. The type or quantity of exercise may influence hair loss.[108][109]Testosterone levels are not a good marker of baldness, and many studies actually show paradoxical low testosterone in balding persons, although research on the implications is limited.[citation needed]

Emotional stress has been shown to accelerate baldness in genetically susceptible individuals.[110]Stress due to sleep deprivation in military recruits lowered testosterone levels, but is not noted to have affected SHBG.[111] Thus, stress due to sleep deprivation in fit males is unlikely to elevate DHT, which is one cause of male pattern baldness. Whether sleep deprivation can cause hair loss by some other mechanism is not clear.

Levels of free testosterone are strongly linked to libido and DHT levels, but unless free testosterone is virtually nonexistent, levels have not been shown to affect virility. Men with androgenic alopecia are more likely to have a higher baseline of free androgens. However, sexual activity is multifactoral, and androgenic profile is not the only determining factor in baldness. Additionally, because hair loss is progressive and free testosterone declines with age, a male's hairline may be more indicative of his past than his present disposition.[112][113]

Many misconceptions exist about what can help prevent hair loss, one of these being that lack of sexual activity will automatically prevent hair loss. While a proven direct correlation exists between increased frequency of ejaculation and increased levels of DHT, as shown in a recent study by Harvard Medical School, the study suggests that ejaculation frequency may be a sign, rather than a cause, of higher DHT levels.[114] Another study shows that although sexual arousal and masturbation-induced orgasm increase testosterone concentration around orgasm, they reduce testosterone concentration on average, and because about 5% of testosterone is converted to DHT, ejaculation does not elevate DHT levels.[115]

The only published study to test correlation between ejaculation frequency and baldness was probably large enough to detect an association (1,390 subjects) and found no correlation, although persons with only vertex androgenetic alopecia had fewer female sexual partners than those of other androgenetic alopecia categories (such as frontal or both frontal and vertex). One study may not be enough, especially in baldness, where there is a complex with age.[116]

Animal models of androgenic alopecia occur naturally and have been developed in transgenic mice;[117] chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes); bald uakaris (Cacajao rubicundus); and stump-tailed macaques (Macaca speciosa and M. arctoides). Of these, macaques have demonstrated the greatest incidence and most prominent degrees of hair loss.[118][119]

Baldness is not a trait unique to human beings. One possible case study is about a maneless male lion in the Tsavo area. The Tsavo lion prides are unique in that they frequently have only a single male lion with usually seven or eight adult females, as opposed to four females in other lion prides. Male lions may have heightened levels of testosterone, which could explain their reputation for aggression and dominance, indicating that lack of mane may at one time have had an alpha correlation.[120]

Although primates do not go bald, their hairlines do undergo recession. In infancy the hairline starts at the top of the supraorbital ridge, but slowly recedes after puberty to create the appearance of a small forehead.[citation needed]

Diseases of the skin and appendages by morphology

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Pattern hair loss - Wikipedia

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All-female breast health team uplifts patients, one another - Huntington Herald Dispatch

The Girls Lifting Organization has grown quickly since becoming an official on-campus organization. Credit: Logo created by Elizabeth Thompson

At a Big Ten school like Ohio State, the opportunities for exercise and gym attendance seem endless, but a disproportionate number of female students attend these facilities to work out. The Girls Lifting Organization hopes to change that.

Within only one month of being an active and official on-campus organization, the Girls Lifting Organization has already accumulated over 250 members and made strides towards making on-campus gyms more female-populated, Linzy Malcolm, a third-year in molecular genetics, said.

The concept originated in February 2022 from Malcolm and Elizabeth Thompson, a third-year in linguistics, while reflecting on the differences in their experiences working out at home and at Ohio State, they said.

Elizabeth and I both went to the same all-girls school. So, going and working out was pretty simple, as our gyms were pretty much only females, Malcolm said. We just noticed how different going to the gym is here on campus, and we decided to make an organization to make girls feel more comfortable using the spaces here.

Co-presidents of GLO and friends since preschool, Malcolm and Thompson relate in their desire to create a safe, designated work-out space for women, Thompson said.

Thompson said women are often a minority in gyms due to societys gender roles and contrasting expectations for men and women in physical appearances.

On a macro level, I think that society places a lot of emphasis on men being strong, Thompson said. I think that women, our body ideals, are more, I dont want to say emphasized on being weak, but theres definitely a stigma around bulking up or things like that. So, I think thats just right out the gate, something that women have to overcome. But within campus, all the gyms, theyre very clearly male-dominated.

Thompson said the facilities having a majority-male makeup is not a bad thing, but it can be intimidating when there isnt a strong female presence.

With the establishment of GLO as an on-campus organization, members can receive weekly workouts and accompanying playlists both created by Malcolm and Thompson to do on their own or alongside a group once a week at the RPAC, Malcolm said.

GLO is an organization for girls on campus who are interested in fitness, but are intimidated in getting started and going to our on-campus recreation facilities, Malcolm said. Its for the type of girl who is a beginner lifter, or an experienced and advanced lifter who wants more of a community to feel safer in those spaces.

The co-presidents have many long-term goals for their organization, Thompson said, including initiating conversations about establishing a female-only workout space on-campus.

I think our general attitude towards the club is like, shoot for the moon and kind of land amongst the stars or something like that, Thompson said. Thats really cheesy, but thats kind of what were going for.

Malcolm said she is most excited to continue seeing friendships and confidence develop amongst the members.

The club doesnt have a focus on increasing your max reps or max weight, it has a focus on making sure that you feel comfortable in the skin and the space that you are in, Malcolm said.

The Girls Lifting Organization accepts members year-round. More information on joining the organization can be found on its Instagram.

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The "GLOwing" future of the Girls' Lifting Organization: Making on-campus gyms feel safer for female students - OSU - The Lantern

ABU DHABI -

A strong presence of women is marking the 19th Abu Dhabi International Hunting and Equestrian Exhibition (ADIHEX 2022), being held from September 26 to October 2.

Organised by the Emirates Falconers Club, this year's event has recorded a significant attendance by female visitors and participants, reporters told The Arab Weekly.

ADIHEX 2022, reporters said, is actually turning into a family festival, appealing to all ages and community members.

Over the past few years, the UAE has seen an increase in demand among women, when it comes to the purchase of captive-bred falcons. Moreover, during past ADIHEX shows, there has been a significant demand among girls and women to buy licensed hunting weapons.

This comes following government efforts to ease procedures for licensing hunting weapons, in accordance with current legislation in the country.

During this year's ADIHEX, the role of women is being highlighted through multiple participants, including by the Emirates Falconers Club, the Mohammed bin Zayed Falconry and Desert Physiognomy School and the European Foundation for Falconry & Conservation, the International Council for Game and Wildlife Conservation (CIC) and the European Federation for Hunting and Conservation (FACE).

Women are also taking part in the showing of prey birds at Al Ain Zoo, as well as seminars and workshops, organised on the sidelines of the exhibition.

The Japanese pavilion is also celebrating the role of women in falconry, with the participation of expert Japanese female falconers.

When it comes to equestrian sports, ADIHEX is expected to boast a strong presence of horsewomen from the UAE and various other countries.

A seminar on the Sustainability Platform: Mechanism of Horse Registration Services at the Emirates Arabian Horse Association (EAHA) will be presented by Ms Lola al-Mansouri.

Meaniwhile, researcher Sariya al-Marzouq will give a lecture on the genetics of horses and the most important qualities of Arabian horses from an economic point of view, including the standards of stamina, performance and appearance, which are related to the features and qualities of equine beauty.

Tina Al Qubaisi, a member of the Fatima Bint Mubarak Ladies Sports Academy (FBMA) and the Dhabian Equestrian Club, will deliver a workshop on the "Connect with Nature, Connect with Animals" platform entitled "Equestrian Sports Training". She will also join in special events in the live performances arena that showcases the skills needed to train horses including their jumping.

Amna al-Jasmi, the Emirati horsewoman is another prominent participant in the live performances arena.

Being an impressive model for the Emirati young woman, especially with her pioneering role in spreading the sport among younger generations, Jasmi will also present performances of archery with the traditional bow and arrow on horseback and demonstrate some types of historical martial arts (fencing with the traditional Arab sword) at this year's exhibition.

On the Outdoor Adventure platform, Emirati athlete and mountaineer Nayla Nasser al-Balushi will share her experience with the ADIHEX visitors, along with her athlete husband, Saeed Khamis al-Maamari. They are the first Emirati couple to climb Mount Everest, the world's highest mountain.

Meanwhile Dr Fatima Sajwani will deliver an important workshop entitled Motivating Arab Women to Practice Exciting Outdoor Sports Activities.

The Abu Dhabi Hunting and Equestrian Exhibition will also see the participation of so-called female heritage guardians. These Emirati women will introduce the public to traditional handicrafts, such as the Sadu, Khous and other crafts that have been passed on by Emirati women from one generation to another.

In the field of arts, women are also expected to record a significant presence. From the Fujairah Fine Arts Academy (FFAA), Fatima Alamiri will deliver a unique workshop on Thread Drawing.

Fatima al-Dhanhani, another female artist, will present a workshop on Arabic calligraphy, while Sally al-Azzawi will give a presentation on the Basics of Decoration and Illumination and Ms Shurooq Azzam on Pottery Formation.

Projects run by women are also set to dominate the current show, offering various items, including traditional handicrafts, accessories, cosmetics, perfumes, incense among many other products.

The renowned Emirati artist Azza Al Qubaisi will hold a special workshop entitled "Make your own Jewellery."

Additionally, many companies seem to be keen to offer women-specific products to attract the ADIHEX female visitors. This comes as falconry activities, organised by the UAE throughout the year, have encouraged girls and young women to learn the arts, skills and science of falconry, fishing and hunting, thus paving the way for them to participate in falconry competitions, as with the equestrian and other traditional sports.

The rest is here:
Strong female participation marks new ADIHEX show | | AW - The Arab Weekly

TFP Rep: Scott Dirk

Date of Sale: 09/19/2022

Location: Sale held at the ranch near LaGrange, Wyo.

Auctioneer: Wes Tiemann

Sales Manager: CK6 Consulting

Averages:

88 Open Heifer calves avg. $1,892

101 Bred Cows avg. $2,415

17 Spring pairs avg. $3,125

Comments:

Due to several years of drought and some lingering health issues, Ken Haas Angus opened the gates to their cow herd in the form of a cow herd reduction sale. Ken and Heather along with daughter Kendall offered a top set of females from the heart of the herd for this sale. There was over 45 years of top genetics and breeding in this sale offering calving ease, feed efficiency and excellent carcass merit.

Top selling female was lot 180, KCH Eileen 263, Feb. 2022 heifer calf sired by GB Fireball 672 selling to Express Ranches, Yukon, OK for $7,500.

Lot 179, KCH Erica 2111, Jan. 2022 heifer calf sired by GB Fireball 672 sold to Express Ranches, Yukon, OK for $5,000.

Lot 204, KCH Mandy 295, Feb. 2022 heifer calf sired by EXAR Monumental 6056B to Sydenstricker Genetics, Mexico, MO for $4,000.

There were no extreme tops to the sale, but the cattle sold steady all day long with several volume buyers adding these great genetics to their herds.

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Ken Haas Angus Cow Herd Reduction Sale - The Fence Post

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Iron status and the risk of sepsis and severe COVID-19: a two-sample Mendelian randomization study | Scientific Reports - Nature.com

Animals

Large white domestic crossbred pigs (Sus scrofa) were used in this study. An atlas focused on pig cardiovascular development was previously published using these same animals6. All animal work was humanely conducted under an approved University of Missouri IACUC protocol and according to ARRIVE guidelines. All wildtype animals studied, including both fetuses and newborns, were generated by Landrace Large White cross parent gilt with semen from Choice USA Genetics (Choice USA, West Des Moines, IA). All pigs used for this study were raised on an approved farm facility and then moved into a University of Missouri animal facility for sample collection. All facilities are approved for biomedical pigs by the University of Missouri Animal Care and Use Committee and followed the Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals and the program is AAALAC accredited. The Sap130 mutant pig used in this study was generated previously with RRID, NSRRC:00816.

Breeding and harvesting of fetal and newborn pigs was carried out as previously described6. Briefly, wild type gilts were bred by artificial insemination with wild type semen. Day 0 of gestation was classified as the first day of detectable estrus, and pregnant female pigs were humanely euthanized on day 20, 26, 30, 35, 42, 64, 90 or 115 of gestation (referred to as D20, D26, D30, D35, D42, D64, D90, D115). Specimens up to 35 GA are referred to as embryos as they are largely indistinguishable between mouse, pig, human, but those at 42days GA and beyond are referred to as fetuses, as at these stages they have craniofacial and limb features distinct for the pig. The stages selected for the present study are based on our earlier analysis of the temporal profile of cardiovascular development in the pig, with D20 corresponding to early heart development comprising the looped heart tube developmental stage6. At this stage, neither ventricular, atrial, nor outflow septation has occurred. As the heart is the first organ system to form, this provided a reasonable starting point for profiling development of the abdominal organs, which are initiated after formation of the heart. From our previous study, we had determined spacing at~56day intervals can maximize what can be learned regarding the developmental progression of organogenesis at these early stages. However, the exact day of collection varied by a day or two, determined by availability of staff for collection of the specimen. Beyond day 35, we collected and analyzed fetuses at increasingly larger intervals that spanned Day 42, Day 64, Day 90 and Day 115 (newborn). By Day 42, most abdominal organs are fully formed, except for the gonads whose development continues at Day 64, but is completed by day 90.

For the embryo/fetus collection, the uterus was opened on the antimesometrial side and fetuses were removed. The whole fetus from each stage was then drop-fixed in 4% paraformaldehyde at room temperature. For fetuses at D42, D64 and D90, a small opening on the side of each fetus was introduced to allow fixative to permeate the chest cavity. Newborn piglets were kept on ice until dissection of all organs. Collected organs were photographed and placed in fixative. Embryos/fetuses were fixed in 4% PFA or 10% buffered formalin for 25days. At minimum, three embryos/fetuses per stage were analyzed. D20 to D42 embryos/fetuses were necropsied by using a stereomicroscope with digital images captured using the Kontron Progres digital camera. MRI scans were conducted followed by histological reconstructions using episcopic confocal microscopy. Newborn pigs (D115) and 2-day old pigs were analyzed by gross dissections and individual organs were separated and further analyzed by MRI. All animal work was humanely conducted under an approved University of Missouri IACUC Protocol.

The SAP130 mutant piglet was generated by a het x het mating of male 243 and female 244. The male (243) contains a 7bp deletion and the female (244) contains a 4bp deletion in SAP130. Six piglets were born. The piglets were genotyped in the same manner as Gabriel et al.6. After the piglets were genotyped, it was identified that one of the founder pigs was mosaic and contained a second modified allele, a 6bp deletion with 2bp mutation. It is not clear, which founder pig contained the third allele. Only one SAP130 mutant piglet was born from this litter containing an allele with a 4bp deletion and an allele with a 7bp deletion which resulted in a SAP130 null genotype. The mutant piglet was identified by external phenotype and euthanized for analysis at term.

For embryos at D20, D26, D30, and D35, following necropsy and MRI, the whole fetus or only the abdominal section of the fetus was embedded in paraffin for episcopic confocal microscopy (ECM). Paraffin embedded samples were sectioned using a Leica SM2500 sledge microtome and serial confocal images of the block face were captured using a Leica LSI scanning confocal macroscope mounted above the sample block as previously described6. The 2D serial image stacks collected were visualized using the OsiriX Dicom viewer11 (https://www.osirix-viewer.com). These image stacks could be digitally re-sectioned in multiple imaging planes and 3D reconstructed for optimal viewing of the abdominal organs.

Prior to MRI scanning, embryos/fetuses were fixed and stained with a gadolinium (Gd)-based contrast agent to shorten the tissue T1. Briefly, after fixation embryos/fetuses were immersed in 1:200 MultiHance23 (gadobenate dimeglumine, 529mg/ml, Bracco Diagnostic, Inc. Monroe Twp, NJ) diluted with phosphate-buffered saline (PBS) at 40C for at least 48h. After staining, small embryos were secured on a tongue depressor (McKesson Medical-Surgical, Irving, TX) with Webglue surgical adhesive (n-butyl cyanoacrylate, Patterson Veterinary, Devens, MA). The embryos/fetuses were then immersed in Fomblin Y (perfluoropolyether, Sigma-Aldrich Millipore) to eliminate the susceptibility artifact at the tissue-air interface and to avoid dehydration during imaging.

MRI was carried out as previously described, with special emphases on abdominal structures, using a Bruker Biospec 7T/30 system (Bruker Biospin MRI, Billerica,MA) with a 35-mm or 72-mm quadrature coil for both transmission and reception6. 3D MRI was acquired with a fast spin echo sequence, the Rapid Acquisition with Refocusing Echoes (RARE), with the following parameters: effective echo time (TE) 24.69ms,RARE factor 8, repetition time (TR) 900ms. We used RARE also known as Fast Spin-Echo (FSE) or Turbo Spin-Echo (TSE) pulse sequence for high-resolution 3D imaging with T2-weighted contrast. It generates similar T2-weighted contrast as the Half-Fourier-Acquired Single-shot Turbo spin Echo (HASTE), a Turbo spin-echo technique that is used for sequential acquisition of high-resolution T2-weighted images. However, the strategy for fast spin echo is different. Our RARE condition with RARE factor 8 uses 8 echoes as 8 phase-encoded k-space lines to accelerate acquisition; whereas HASTE uses a single-shot technique or segmented multiple shorts to cover sufficient k-space from a single TR. HASTE although commonly used in human scanners, it is not available in the Bruker preclinical scanner used in this study. RARE provides flexible T2-weighting conditions by changing RARE factors depending on the tissue types of interest. We have tested various RARE factors, TE, and TR combinations to optimize the contrast, signal to noise ratio (SNR), and scan time used in this study.

The field of view (FOV), acquisition matrix and voxel sizes varied based on the sample size. The typical spatial resolution for D26, D30, and D35 embryos ranged from 39m to 46m, that of D42, D64 and D90 fetuses ranged from 45m to 62m. The FOV, matrix, resolution, echo time, RARE factor, and other MR parameters used for imaging at the different GAs are provided in Supplemental Spread Sheet 1. The 3D MRI imaging stacks were exported with DICOM format and could be re-oriented to any viewing angle with Horos Dicom Viewer (Horosproject.org).

Necropsies were performed as previously described on D42, D64, D90, D105, D115 and 2-day old wildtype normal pigs which showed no external malformations6. Briefly the thoracic, abdominal, and pelvic viscera were examined in situ for malformations, the heart, great vessels, and lungs were removed as a block and examined using the sequential segmental analytical method24,25. Following examination of thoracic organs, the abdominal-pelvic visceral blocks were removed as a block and dissected and examined from behind (dorsal in the pig). Because pigs are quadrupeds, structures, which in bipedal mammals are described as inferior in pigs are described as posterior or caudal, for example the inferior caval vein can be referred to as the posterior or caudal caval vein in the pig. However, to better align the pig to the bipedal mammal, we have chosen, like others, to describe the abdominal organs of pigs as in bipedal mammals26. The abdominal organs in mammals obtain their basic gross appearance before term but continue to develop after birth by increasing in size or length as well as at the cellular and biochemical levels. In addition, in the very early embryo the organs begin by cell differentiation, and they lack the expected configuration that is seen in the fetus. In this study we focus on the assessment of the basic gross appearance of the organs before term.

See the rest here:
Profiling development of abdominal organs in the pig | Scientific Reports - Nature.com

Maya, the worlds first cloned arctic wolf, was born in a lab in China(Picture: Twitter/China Science)

A Beijing-based genetics company has successfully cloned an Arctic wolf, in a ground-breaking move which could help preserve endangered species.

26 years after the birth of Dolly the Sheep, Sinogene Biotechnology unveiled the new wolf pup, named Maya to the world.

She had been born back in June, but the firm wanted to wait until she was 100 days old before they announced her to ensure the clone was in good health, Global Times reports.

Scientists created the pup by taking a donor cell from a wild female Arctic wolf which had been introduced from Canada and combining it with an embryo grown inside a beagle, which shares genetic ancestry with ancient wolves.

The process, called somatic cell nuclear transfer, is the same process which birthed Dolly the Sheep back in 1996.

Arctic wolves, also known as white or polar wolves, are not endangered like other wolf breeds because they live in isolation, although Singogen hopes this process can be used in future to save other species at risk of extinction.

The newly born wolf has the same genome as the original wolf, but the cloned wolf hasnt lived with other wolves, but with a dog, Zhao Jianping, the deputy general manager of Sinogene, told EuroNews.

In fact, for cloned pet dogs and cats, there is also a problem of early socialisation. The earlier the socialisation, the more beneficial for its future development, he added.

Some concern has been raised by activists over the suffering of animals required to go through surgery in order to be implanted with cloned donor cells and embryos.

Others says there is a moral imperative against playing God by creating life from artificial sources without fertilisation.

Regardless, Mayas birth is regarded as a landmark in the application of cloning technology, and Mr Jianping is confident that refining the process could be the only way to help save some species of animals from extinction.

Well continue to work in this field, he added to EuroNews.

In the next step, we may clone rare wild animals other than canines or cats and it will be more difficult.

Although Dolly had to be euthanised at six years old after she was found to have a lung tumour, Maya is currently exhibiting all the signs of a normal, healthy arctic pup.

Unfortunately Maya will likely have to spend her life in captivity due to her lack of socialisation, although she has been kept in good company by the beagle who birthed her who acts as her surrogate mother and playmate.

Mayas birth continues the life of a wild female arctic wolf also named Maya, who was introduced from Canada in 2006 and died of old age in 2021.

Another male cloned arctic wolf is expected to be delivered on Thursday.

Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.

For more stories like this, check our news page.

See original here:
World's first cloned Arctic wolf born 26 years after Dolly the sheep - Metro.co.uk

Beef + Lamb New Zealand award winners. Photo / Supplied

The winners in the inaugural Beef + Lamb New Zealand (B+LNZ) Awards were announced at a gala dinner at the Napier War Memorial Centre last night.

The awards aim to celebrate the people, innovation, technologies and management systems of New Zealand's grass-based red meat industry.

Andrew Morrison, chairman of B+LNZ reflected on the achievements of the sector over the last couple of years and its resilience in maintaining strong exports in light of Covid-19.

"Environmentally, our sheep and beef production systems are amongst the most sustainable in the world with around 24 per cent of New Zealand's native vegetation flourishing on our sheep and beef farms, and one of the world's lowest carbon footprints."

Throughout the evening, the finalists of the eight award categories were introduced and winners announced. The ceremony concluded with the presentation of the Regional Leadership Award.

Science and Research Award

Lincoln University's Dryland Pastures Research Group won the Ballance Agri-Nutrients Science and Research Award.

For the past 20 years, the Dryland Pastures Research Group has supplied the science that underpins the agronomic guidance it provides to transform sheep and beef farms on hill country throughout New Zealand.

The group's work has transformed thousands of hectares of east coast hill country from Central Otago to Gisborne; while its message has been to use legume dominance to address low nitrogen the main impediment to production in farm systems.

In selecting the winner of this category, the judges commented that the Dryland Pastures Research Group had produced "a huge and important body of work," tackling multiple soil types and farming environments with positive outcomes for productivity, resilience and environmental sustainability.

Livestock Technology Award

The Datamars Livestock Technology Award was won by software decision support-tool Farmax.

Widely used by New Zealand's pastoral farmers to help balance financial, environmental and production goals, Farmax encourages a holistic approach to farm planning.

Judges remarked that this decision support tool had evolved over 30 years and continued to innovate to drive farm profitability, productivity and sustainability.

They noted that as science-based software, Farmax generated a good return on investment and was a leader in what it provided farmers and the industry, in terms of exploring future scenarios.

Innovative Farming Award

Canterbury-based calf rearing business Maatua Hou won the Gallagher Innovative Farming Award.

Creating a viable business on a small land holding, while demonstrating an alternative calf rearing model that reduces bobby calf wastage, is at the heart of the Maatua Hou business.

Set up by four couples who saw an opportunity to think outside of the square, Maatua Hou owns a 34ha drystock block at Burnham, around 40kms outside of Christchurch.

They established what they described as "an alternative calf-rearing model" - one where the supplier cashflows calf-rearing costs and profits are shared.

Judges commented that Maatua Hou provided an innovative and scaleable solution to the bobby calf problem and they believed that, as a business model, it demonstrated an opportunity to build a dairy support industry.

They said Maatua Hou was an interesting innovation which had its strengths in the partnership between producers and finishers and the sharing of benefits and returns.

Market Leader Award

The Silver Fern Farms Market Leader Award was won by Coastal Lamb Ltd.

Richard and Suze Redmayne launched the Coastal Spring Lamb brand in 2010 as a way to better understand their lambs' end-consumer.

Having a background in commerce and marketing before going farming, Richard wanted to build a connection between his family and the consumer through their brand, initially targeting New Zealand's domestic market.

Today Coastal Lamb Ltd involves 17 family-owned supply farms throughout the country.

Critical to Coastal Lambs' success is connecting the producers with the consumers (including chefs), many of whom had never had the opportunity to meet a farmer before.

The judges described Coastal Lamb Ltd as "a true and innovative example of market leadership".

Having forged a new path to market, Coastal Lamb Ltd had demonstrated a clear understanding of the market and in-depth communication with its customers, judges said.

Emerging Achiever Award

The AgResearch Emerging Achiever Award was won by Cambridge-based Estee Browne.

Browne is the breeding programme manager for Browne Pastoral Enterprise's sheep milking unit.

She oversees the selection of genetics and replacement ewes for the company's 1400 ewe dairy unit and rears 2400-plus lambs to weaning, after which they are either finished or retained as replacements.

Judges said Browne had "broken stereotypes" by achieving in a male-dominated area of the agricultural industry.

She had created "good, workable systems" within the sheep milking industry and had clear goals while maintaining a work-life balance, they said.

People and Development Award

The Rabobank People and Development Award was won by the Agri-Women's Development Trust (AWDT).

AWDT aims to empower women to accelerate progress and change in both the primary sector and rural communities.

Over the past 11 years, the charitable trust has helped almost 5000 people with confidence, purpose, leadership and influence from the farm to the boardroom.

The judges commented on AWDT's proven track record of successfully developing people.

They said the organisation had identified a gap in the market and developed programmes targeting female partners in farming businesses.

This had helped to build confidence and resilience in the whole red meat sector, they said.

Rural Champion Award

The FMG Rural Champion Award was won by Tairwhiti-based agribusiness professional Sandra Matthews.

Matthews was instrumental in setting up Farming Women Tairwhiti (FWT) which now has a membership of over 850 primary industry women.

Matthews believed the success of FWT was partially due to the region's isolation, with no other organisation offering farming women the support, connectivity and educational opportunities they were craving.

Since stepping back from FWT last year, Matthews took on several national governance and consulting roles and gained more time to focus on her own business coaching enterprise.

Judges said Matthews' work in establishing, leading and growing Farming Women Tairwhiti was "immeasurable".

As well as setting up FWT, Matthews has been involved in establishing a number of industry initiatives and played an often-understated role in championing the industry.

Alliance Significant Contribution Award

AgResearch scientist David Stevens, based at the Invermay research institute near Mosgiel, won the Alliance Significant Contribution Award.

Stevens' 37-year career has spanned one of the more tumultuous periods in New Zealand's agricultural history.

He has seen the removal of subsidies and the rapid shift from a focus on stocking rates and wool production to meat and productivity.

The farm system's scientist, who has a background in agronomy, was initially involved in plant breeding but this changed in the early 1990s when farmers found that what they were producing was no longer fit for market.

They needed forages that would deliver in terms of animal performance - so Stevens and his colleagues began doing animal production trials alongside agronomic trials - and this morphed into farm systems work.

He said the most rewarding part of his work was having the opportunity to work one on one with farmers through a huge range of projects.

Judges said Stevens was instrumental in creating the foundation of modern sheep and beef farming systems which delivered prosperity to many farmers.

Stevens had a long involvement with the sector and had contributed to the development of a number of resources which had significantly benefited farmers throughout the country, judges said.

Regional Leadership Award

The winner of the B+LNZ Regional Leadership Award, which recognised an outstanding individual, organisation or business in the sheep, beef and dairy beef sector, went to the East Coast Rural Support Trust.

The Trust was represented by Hawke's Bay farmers Mark Barham and Jane Tylee and Wairarapa-based former farmer and Anglican priest Steven Thomson.

The winner of this award was identified by the farmer council in the award's host region.

The judges commented that these three Rural Support Trust members in particular had carried out "outstanding work in the region," particularly during and after the drought.

Much of their work was confidential, and often went unrecognised, but judges said the Regional Leadership Award was an acknowledgement of everything they do to support rural communities and the people within them.

The rest is here:
Winners announced in inaugural Beef + Lamb New Zealand Awards - New Zealand Herald

At Casa Cattle Company in Corinna, there are plenty of cows and calves making up a successful belted Galloway breeding program but not many bulls to be seen.

Instead, there are two cryogenic tanks in the grain room, each containing 150 vials of bull semen and 30 fertilized embryos containing genetic material from around the country.

Rather than deal with the expense and work required to maintain enough bulls to ensure the genetic diversity Ashton Caron is looking for in his herd, he has opted to instead purchase or save semen from his own prized stock to do the job.

For Caron, saving the semen means big savings and a high-tech way to weather the current economic crisis. Swapping out a bull for artificial insemination technology allows Caron to keep producing high-quality calves that can be sold at a profit while minimizing costs.

It has become very essential, Caron said. With rising grain and hay costs due to COVID, we need to be able to maximize profits and minimize expenses.

It may not be the romantic Hollywood image of the cows and bulls doing what comes naturally out on the range. But for Caron it just makes good economic sense to dip into a vial, often referred to as a straw, of semen rather than deal with an old fashioned cattle roundup when it comes time to breed a cow.

Most people who do this us included can drastically increase the value of their cattle in a short time, Caron said. I can take a bull from the other side of the world and breed it to my cow and have those genetics without having to bring them together, which would not really be feasible.

A healthy breeding bull can cost thousands even tens of thousands of dollars. Then there are the expenses of feeding, housing and keeping the animal healthy. Over the course of a year Caron said that it can run upward of $2,000 for just one animal.

A vial of semen, on the other hand, from a bull of the same quality costs Caron between $25 and $30.

Caron and his family raise Belted Gallowaycattle, a traditional Scottish breed that has adapted to living on poor upland pastures and the windswept moors of southwest Scotland. They are distinctive with their jet black front and hind ends and white middle. The coloration has earned them the nickname Oreo cows.

Selective breeding using artificial insemination is more common when it comes to dairy livestock, according to Caron. Farmers are able to selectively breed for cows that are able to produce more milk than previous generations.

It costs maybe $300 a year to keep the tanks full of liquid nitrogen, said Caron, who began saving semen and embryos eight years ago. We run around 100 cows here, and its easy to breed without a bull, so why would we have one?

Carons cattle have won numerous awards at fairs and livestock shows, something that represents years of breeding on the farm. Thanks to using purchased or saved semen and embryos, the breeding program has shown these champion results at a fraction of what it would have cost to purchase and raise the bulls needed to keep the herd going.

Currently tucked safely away in liquid nitrogen keeping them at a steady minus 300-degrees Fahrenheit in the two tanks each insured for $25,000 theres semen from 50 different bulls, Caron said.

High-quality semen means high demand and that influences the price, he said. We do have some semen worth $600 a straw, but that is from a prize bull that is now deceased, so it is a very limited quantity.

The semen can be planted directly into a female or it can be combined with the egg of a cow in a laboratory as in vitro fertilization.

Most of the breeding cows on the farm serve as surrogate mothers. But a few of those cows are of such high quality that, once they are impregnated, their embryos are harvested to use for in vitro fertilization.

This Simmental cow is a surrogate pregnant with a calf from Knockouts embryo and Loverboys semen, as marked on her ear tag. Credit: Linda Coan OKresik / BDN

Among those special cows there is one that stands above the rest with genetic material with connections to old Maine money.

I was a freshman in high school in 2017 when the Hudson Pines herd owned by David Rockerfeller on Mount Desert Island was sold, Caron said. Me and a friend bought her for $4,000 and shes the best cow on the farm.

The best part of all of this, Caron said, is you do not need a high quality cow to produce a high quality calf. All you need is the embryo from two prize parents.

There is currently not a huge market for selling his bulls semen or any embryos, but Caron said the demand is slowly growing.

In terms of the semen, we had a bull that was born and raised here and before we got rid of him in 2019 we got 300 straws of semen from him, Caron said. Now we are down to less than 50 straws and the cool thing is 90 percent of those customers came were west of Idaho [and] its cool to see our [bulls] progeny on these farms out west.

More articles from the BDN

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Artificial insemination is keeping this Maine farm in business - Bangor Daily News

Press Release

So, you want to grow some sweet cannabis seeds but you have no clue where to start?

Or worse, youve tried growing your own but you got 90% male cannabis plants and 10% (dead) females?

Well, Im supposed to help you with that

But since you may be doing something illegal, Im not sure if I will.

First, tell me where you live and then Ill give you a hand (maybe).

(Im listening)

Hum, okay, thats fine.

Thats a pretty terrible place to live in, so you do deserve a hand (just kidding).

Ive spent weeks comparing the 10 best seed banks that ship to the USA from germination guarantees to pricing to potency to genetics and tons of boring stuff

All this so that you dear newbie wouldnt have the same **** (less-than-ideal) experience I had my first time around.

(And the second time)

(And the third but lets not dwell on the past!)

So, weed on! (Sorry, I couldnt resist)

Thailand Disclaimer: As of June 9th 2022, cannabis will be removed from the Category 5 Narcotics list. Despite this, to import cannabis and hemp seeds into Thailand, you will need to seek permission according to the 1964 Plant Quarantine Act and the 1975 Plants Act.

Pros

Cons

Accepted Payment Methods

Robert Bergman founded I Love Growing Marijuana in 2012 as a small blog sharing growing tips. When the blog became a hit, readers began asking where they could buy seeds.

But since most pre-legalization seed banks were credit card scams

Bergman decided to partner with breeders and start the ILGM seed bank. Fast forward 10 years and ILGM is one of the most reputable seed banks in the world.

As such, it offers a 100% germination guarantee. If a seed doesnt sprout, contact the support and they will send you new ones for free.

Speaking about free stuff

ILGM offers free shipping to the USA as well as frequent Buy 10 Get 10 Free deals on popular strains such as White Widow and Super Skunk. If youre serious about growing cannabis, we recommend checking those out first.

By the way, how do you find the right seeds?

Well, ILGM has pretty good categories and search filters. As such, you can filter cannabis seeds by THC levels, price, climate, height, yield, difficulty, flowering period, and more. You can also check customer reviews on most strains to see if the description matches real-life experiences.

And since were talking about customer reviews, its also worth mentioning that I Love Growing Marijuana has received over 27,000 of them, with a good 8.9 overall rating

>> Check ILGMs Buy 10 Get 10 deals on the official site (free US shipping) <<

Cons

Accepted Payment Methods

Crop King wont die and neither will its marijuana seeds.

Crop King Seeds is a Canadian seed bank founded in the early 2000s. It had to shut down its operations in 2005 and re-established itself in the United States due to murky cannabis legality.

The company grew its operations due to the legalization of cannabis in some US states and finally returned to Calgary in 2013 making it one of the longest-running seed banks in North America.

But what male and female seeds does it stock today?

Well, the seed bank has over 500 cannabis strains, including high-THC and high-yielding seeds like Gorilla Glue and Alaskan Thunder Fuck, respectively.

Like ILGM, Crop King Seeds provides a germination guarantee, although it only covers an 80% rate instead of 100%. That said, its still much better than most cannabis seed banks online that provide zero guarantees.

Speaking about guarantees

Crop King has very helpful customer support that you can reach 24/7 via its live chat feature. If you have any problems with your seeds or even if you just want a recommendation, theyre quite knowledgeable and care about their customers.

>> Check out Crop Kind Seeds 500+ strains on the official website <<

Pros

Cons

Accepted Payment Methods

Seedsman is one of the oldest seed banks to buy from, being in business since 2002.

But perhaps more importantly, the company stocks over 4,000 cannabis strains, including everything you can think of high-CBD, high-THC, high-yielding, pest-resistant, and compact plants, just to name a few.

Besides, Seedsman is actively campaigning for the legalization of marijuana, not just within the UK but all over the world.

Good to know: Although other websites also contain guides and instructional materials, Seedsman takes their website to another level with detailed histories of their famous strains. This might be interesting to cannabis enthusiasts who want to learn about the strains they are growing.

But as to what you really care about

Seedsman has several promotions to make buying cannabis seeds online affordable. Besides a few BOGO deals, you can also get a 10% discount when you buy over $200 worth of seeds, as well as up to 6 free cannabis seeds.

>>Check out Seedsmans BOGO deals and get 10% off bulk orders (official site) <<

Pros

Cons

Accepted Payment Methods

Rocket Seeds is a seed bank that is also a partner with other cannabis seed banks and breeders. They carry high-quality seeds from the likes of Crop King Seeds and Beaver Seeds.

Its basically a one-stop shop for comparing the best seed banks online.

This means that growers might be able to shop for popular strains from different cannabis seed banks and breeders in just one site. This can help them save time when looking for a new strain to grow.

During our research, one of the common compliments that Rocket Seeds received is how fast and reliable their shipping is.

>> Check out the best seed banks on Rocket Seeds official website <<

Pros

Cons

Accepted Payment Methods

Quebec Cannabis Seeds has been in operation for more than 15 years. The company tries to come up with strains that are less vulnerable to pests and diseases.

Although QCS doesnt produce as many new strains as other online cannabis seed banks, they make up for it by introducing new strains resistant to diseases and pests.

If you are a grower whose plants are always getting damaged, Quebec Cannabis Seeds strains might be the ones you are looking for particularly their auto-flowering cannabis seeds.

Aside from the usual phone number, Quebec Cannabis Seeds customer service is also available via email so you can send them a detailed inquiry if you have one.

Its website also has a live chat that customers can use although it is only available from Mondays through Fridays from 10:00 AM to 6:00 PM.

>> Check out current deals on Quebec Cannabis Seeds official website <<

Pros

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Accepted Payment Methods

Beaver Seeds started in 2009 and is one of the best cannabis seed banks to buy from in Canada. The company claims that they consciously limited the number of strains they sell to avoid selling inferior strains.

This Canada-based seed bank only carries popular strains to limit its selection.

The company has what they call a seed library. It has detailed descriptions of high-quality weed seeds (including feminized seeds) and information on the proper care for each strain. This might help growers since they can have as they talk a lot about the best water levels, climate, and fertilizer.

Beaver Seeds provides customer support 24/7 which might help growers who need assistance, especially those who are just starting. This can be a good sign for buyers located in other countries since they dont have to wait for Canadian business hours to get assistance.

>> Try Beaver Seeds amazing customer support on the official website <<

Pros

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Accepted Payment Methods

Like other best seed banks, Sun West Genetics has been in operation for over a decade. They sell auto-flowering, medical, and feminized seeds to customers.

Sun West Genetics can be a great source of premium marijuana seeds with over 500 different strains in its roster of high-quality cannabis seeds online.

The wide variety of strains can also be appealing to those who want to open their dispensary since they can offer more strains to their end-users.

Sun West Genetics has a breeding program that continuously tries to discover new breeds for customers. This can be great for customers looking for new breeds that might be more suited to growing in their location.

>> Check out the amazing seed genetics on Sun West Genetics official website <<

Pros

Cons

Accepted Payment Methods

Sonoma Seeds is one of the best marijuana seed banks based on the US West Coast. It sells strains sourced from all over the world. The company also ships weed seeds to customers globally.

Sonoma Seeds customers have a wide array of payment options that they can choose from. Customers can benefit from this since they wont encounter any difficulties looking for a payment option that will work best.

Sonoma Seeds also provides free shipping for orders exceeding $200. However, to maintain accurate shipping, the company charges a nominal $30 International Shipping with a Tracking fee. This fee can benefit customers since theyll track their shipping as it makes its way to the customers country.

The seed bank ships seeds worldwide which might make them a favourite among buyers outside of the United States.

>> Get worldwide shipping on Sonoma Seeds official website <<

Pros

Cons

Accepted Payment Methods

Marijuana Seeds Canada is a seed bank that started operations in 2009. It holds offices in Vancouver and promises to deliver weed seeds with high germination rates.

This company offers affordable medical marijuana seeds on its website. Based on our research, their medicinal seeds are cheaper by around $5 than most seed banks online, and you get free seeds on bulk orders.

MJ Seeds Canada provides customers with an 80% Germination Guarantee. Growers may find this attractive since the marijuana seed bank guarantees that at least 8 out of 10 seeds will sprout and be ready for planting.

While doing our research, one of the most common customer comments we came across is how responsive MJ Seeds Canadas customer service is. You might find this useful since it means that the seed bank values its customers time and tries to attend to their inquiries promptly.

>> Get high-quality auto-flowering seeds on MJ Seeds official website <<

Pros

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Follow this link:
10 Best Seed Banks that Ship Cannabis Seeds Discreetly to You (Free US Shipping) - Thaiger

Breast cancerSurgical

Bilateral risk-reducing mastectomy reduces cancer risk by at least 90%rr(depending on the operation performed). Statistically significant survival benefit associated with bilateral risk-reducing mastectomy compared with surveillance is yet to be demonstrated.

While RRSOhad been reported to reducebreast cancer risk by 53% in BRCA1 and BRCA2pathogenic variant carriers,rthis protective effect has been questioned, with a prospective study showing no reduction in breast cancer risk in BRCA1pathogenic variant carriers with RRSO.rRecent data indicates the benefit for BRCA2 pathogenic variant carriers is restricted to the risk of breast cancer diagnosed before the age of 50.r

MRIis the preferred screening technique due to its high sensitivity compared with MMG or US. The addition of MMG is limited, and does not lead to a significant increase in sensitivity compared with MRIalone.rThere is no added value of ultrasound in women undergoing MRI for screening. MRI detects tumours which are smaller and more likely to be node-negative than MMG. MRI has a recall rate (requiring further investigation and/or biopsy) of 15% for initial screening, which decreases with subsequent rounds of screening to <10%.

Mammography screening is not recommended before age 40 years in BRCA1 and BRCA2 pathogenic variant carriers. The sensitivity of MRI is not influenced by age or breast density, being similar in women aged >50 yearsto those aged <50 years.On current evidence, it may be reasonable to offer breast MRI to women with BRCA1 and BRCA2 pathogenic variants beyond age 50 years.r

The rate of cancers occurring between annual screening (interval cancers) is higher in BRCA1 pathogenic variant carriers than other high risk populations.

Tamoxifen and raloxifene have been shown to reduce the risk of breast cancer in high risk women. To date studies have not included enough BRCA1 or BRCA2 pathogenic variant carriers to determine if it is effective for primary prevention in this population. Tamoxifen use is associated with a reduction in contralateral breast cancer risk in BRCA1 and BRCA2 pathogenic variant carriers with breast cancer; such benefit is stronger if ovaries are still intact.r In view of the potential side effects associated with tamoxifen/raloxifene, risk-reducing medications should be discussed with an experienced medical professional to determine the relevant risks and benefits in an individual pathogenic variant carrier. See COSA - Medications to lower the risk of breast cancer: clinician guide.

Bilateral risk-reducing salpingo-oophorectomy (RRSO) significantly reduces the risk of ovarian and fallopian tube cancer in BRCA1 and BRCA2 pathogenic variant carriers.rThe residual risk of primary peritoneal cancer after RRSO is <2%.r

The effectiveness and safety of risk-reducing bilateral salpingectomy followed by delayed bilateral oophorectomy has not been established, and is not recommended for ovarian cancer risk management.

The decision to perform hysterectomy at the time of RRSO should be individualised. There is no evidence of an increased risk of endometrial cancer in Australian BRCA1 and BRCA2 pathogenic variant carriers, although there is some evidence that serous histology may be more common in BRCA1 pathogenic variant carriers.rrHysterectomy may simplify subsequent menopausal hormone therapy, or the use of tamoxifen for breast cancer risk or as adjuvant treatment of breast cancer, but it is not justified for endometrial cancer prevention alone.

For asymptomatic women annual transvaginal ultrasound (TVU) and serum CA125 levels have poor sensitivity and specificity for ovarian cancer. They do not reliably detect ovarian cancers at an early stage, nor do they affect outcomes. This is true of women in the general population and women at high risk of hereditary ovarian cancer. Effective ovarian cancer risk management relies on RRSO.

Although there is evidence that the combined oral contraceptive pill can reduce the ovarian cancer risk, it is significantly less effective than RRSO and it is not recommended for cancer prevention.

There is currently no effective surveillance that detects early pancreatic cancer.

Follow this link:
3814-BRCA1 or BRCA2 risk management (female) | eviQ

All this is, of course, assuming that the father is the same. However, there have been more than one instance when the assumed father of the twins turns out to be the father of only one child. The scientific terminology for such an event is heteroparental superfecundation (HS).

Before we get into how HS occurs, a quick biology class.

During sexual intercourse, the human male deposits millions of sperm in the female reproductive tract. Inside the harsh environment of the female vagina, most sperm perish while whipping their tails to move up the female reproductive tract.

With the energy supplied by the mitochondria inside them, the sperm navigate the arduous path of the cervix and uterus and then up one of the fallopian tubes with the hope that they will meet the egg. Only a few hundred or perhaps even lesser reach this point.

To fertilize the egg, sperm needs to beat the odds of being in the correct fallopian tube, where the ovulated egg will be available. Further, it must defeat other sperm who have also beaten the previous odds and are now fighting to fertilize the egg. An egg is usually available for a brief period of 12-24 hours, so the sperm must be present at the correct time for pregnancy.

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Twins with different fathers: Case in Portugal highlights rare copulation event - Interesting Engineering