Archive for the ‘Female Genetics’ Category

Although exercising and eating a nutritious diet may speed up beard growth, the main factors that determine how fully a persons beard will grow are hormones and genetics.

Males start to grow facial hair during puberty. Many of them will notice that their facial hair first begins to grow on the upper lip.

Other areas people may notice early facial hair growth include the chin or the sides of the face near the ears, which people refer to as sideburns.

Facial hair grows differently for everyone. Some individuals may be able to grow a full beard during late stage or even middle stage adolescence. Others may continue to have sparse areas of growth until their late 20s, while some may never experience significant facial hair growth.

This article will explore what factors influence a persons beard growth and whether it is possible for someone to make their beard grow faster.

Genetics and hormones are the main factors that determine how quickly and fully a persons beard will grow. Their lifestyle and habits may also affect how their beard grows.

Testosterone is a hormone that affects the growth of facial hair, and its levels can vary. Males between 19 and 38 typically have a range of 264 to 916 nanograms per deciliter. This represents the 2.5th to 97.5th percentile for testosterone.

Low testosterone can adversely affect beard growth. For males with low testosterone, taking supplements under a doctors supervision may help increase beard growth.

If a persons testosterone levels fall within typical ranges, taking supplements will most likely not affect their beard growth.

Genetics also affect the way a persons beard grows. Some genes make them more prone to growing a fuller beard, while others may only ever be able to grow a sparse or patchy beard or other facial hair.

The health and well-being of a person affect how their whole body functions, including how their beard grows. Even though it is not possible to alter someones genes, lifestyle habits they can adopt may help them achieve a fuller beard.

Exercise improves blood flow, which helps stimulate hair follicle growth. Exercises, such as weightlifting and strength training, may also help boost a persons testosterone levels.

During the day, testosterone levels naturally fluctuate in young males, with a higher level in the morning and a lower level in the afternoon.

Good nutrition from eating a balanced diet may help in growing a beard and staying healthy.

According to a 2015 study, obesity and low testosterone have a bidirectional relationship, meaning that low testosterone can lead to obesity and obesity can lead to low testosterone.

Nutrients, such as zinc, may also be beneficial for testosterone levels. A nutritious diet will not override genetics, but it may help the existing hair grow healthier and fuller. Some foods that can help include:

Some supplements can contribute toward maintaining a persons health in a way that is conducive to growing their beard as fully as their genetic makeup will allow.

A person may wish to take a multivitamin containing iron and zinc if their diet does not provide them with sufficient amounts of these nutrients.

However, there are no supplements that will enable a person to grow a beard if they do not have the genes to do so.

Maintaining a healthy skin care routine, including keeping the beard clean, can positively affect how a persons beard will grow and look.

Exfoliating the face can help remove dead skin cells and debris from around each hair follicle, allowing the hair to grow through the skin unimpeded. Exfoliating can also reduce ingrown hairs under the beard.

Leave-in conditioners for beards can nourish the hair and keep it moisturized. This helps reduce and prevent beard dandruff and makes the beard look fuller. It is best to perform a patch test to find out which products work best for the beard.

As well as being necessary for overall health, sleep can also aid beard growth.

The testosterone levels in males generally increase when they are asleep. A 2015 study found that reducing the amount of daily sleep lowered testosterone levels in healthy young males.

Keeping a beard clean and moisturized can help it appear thicker. However, there is no certain routine with scientific backing that can thicken a growing beard.

However, some anecdotal evidence suggests that olive oil and avocado oil could thicken beards.

It is possible that these may work the way leave-in conditioners do by keeping the beard nourished and moisturized.

Growing a beard depends mostly on a persons genetics.

However, testosterone plays some role in determining how fast and well someones beard will grow.

Making sure to keep testosterone levels within a stable, healthy range by regularly exercising, eating well, getting sufficient, restful sleep, and exfoliating can help a persons beard grow as thick and full as it is naturally able.

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Beard Growth: Tips to Speed Up the Process - Medical News Today

OPINION:

This past week, The New York Times published an opinion piece finally admitting that todays LGBTQ cabal of rainbow activists is little more than a misogynistic cult that reduces women to just a mix of body parts and gender stereotypes.

Writing for the Times, columnist Pamela Paul described what she called the fringe lefts misogynist agenda.

The word women, said Ms. Paul, which has, for millennia, been commonly understood by all rational thinking people to denote genetics, physiology, biology and the basic reality of human existence, is now verboten. In place of this word, we now have nonsensical terms that reduce females to their biological functions; words like pregnant people, birthing persons, menstruators and bodies with vaginas.

This logically strained nomenclature has been force-fed to the American public, bemoaned Ms. Paul, as she cited President Bidens cultural lunacy of removing biological sex from the federal register and replacing words such as mothers and women with birthing people and breastfeeders instead.

Women didnt fight this long and this hard only to be told we couldnt call ourselves women anymore. This isnt just a semantic issue; its also a question of moral harm, an affront to our very sense of ourselves, she concluded.

Amen! Welcome to the side of sanity, Ms. Paul.

I have said from the very first days of the LGBTQ movement that this broken worldview could only have one logical end: the complete degradation of what it means to be a human being and that women would be the first to suffer at the hands of this grand lie.

You cant dumb down human identity to nothing but the sum total of human inclinations and retain any modicum of human dignity. If we define ourselves by our subjective desires and not by Gods objective design, our ontology the reality of who we are becomes meaningless, and being a woman means absolutely nothing.

Think about it.

Today our schools teach our youngest girls that women arent real. Our Congress tells women they have no right to their own restrooms, sports or showers. Our corporations proudly defend the cultural appropriation of women by dysphoric men who want to act like something they are not. And todays feminists now pretend a female is a fabrication rather than a biological fact.

The question we should all be asking is this: What could possibly be more degrading than publicly supporting the blackfacing of women in a manner that is just as cartoonish and insulting as it is when white people dress up in literal blackface to mimic and mock people of color?

This is misogynistic. It diminishes the woman to little more than a delusion. It disregards who she truly is. It elevates feelings over facts. It supersedes the rational by supplanting it with the emotional. Moreover, it replaces the reality of the female with the fantasy of those who seek to use her for political gain.

All of this is little more than a placard for a culture a cult of deception and deceit. Its a snapshot of a people who have literally lost their minds.

When your definition of the person becomes little more than the cumulative effect of his or her sexual urges, you are admitting you think those with a given appetite are actually defined by that desire. With a not-so-thinly disguised bigotry, you are saying you think thats just who they are and that their personal identity is nothing more than the totality of their libidinous inclinations. Is this not the ultimate insult to your fellow man? Is this not the grandest slur of what it means to be a woman?

The biblical model is the opposite. It elevates men and women to the highest status of all worldviews. Genesis, as well as all the rest of scripture, tells us we are the imago Dei, not the imago dog. We are made in the image of God, not the image of the animal. We are not defined by our cravings but by our creator. Ultimate meaning comes from our Lord, not our libido. We have objective identity, dignity and worth. Gods reality always trumps human emotions and passions; mine, yours, and the governments.

This is the good news of the Gospel. Christ, himself makes it clear that, on this issue, Ms. Paul is right. No one is just a mix of body parts and gender stereotypes. Women are made in the image of God, and that image cannot be manipulated, coopted or changed by a bunch of delusional sexual activists bent on denying reality and acting like dogs.

Everett Piper (dreverettpiper.com, @dreverettpiper), a columnist for The Washington Times, is a former university president and radio host. He is the author of Not a Daycare: The Devastating Consequences of Abandoning Truth (Regnery).

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The canine behavior of the LGBTQ cabal - Washington Times

Youre on TikTok scrolling, as you do and have been for the past 45 minutes. Youve watched a dozen make-up tutorials, Love Island recaps and videos of cats doing very cat things when you stumble on a video of Kendall Jenner.

But its not a clip from Keeping Up With The Kardashians or even Kendall modelling on a runway. Its of her face being analysed by a surgeon. You watch as a doctor tells you what surgery she has or hasnt had. Theyll tell you that shes got fillers in her lips, botox and a secret rhinoplasty (aka nose job).

Click through to the doctors page and suddenly youve entered a world of celebrity plastic surgery videos. Theres been a surge of these videos emerging on my for you page in the past couple of months. The hashtag #plasticsurgery have 13.3 billion views, while the hashtag #celebrityface has 1.6 billion views.

When I typed, Has Kendall Jenner had plastic surgery? into my search bar, hundreds of videos came up. Some from cosmetic professionals, others from regular users, all picking apart her face. Its no surprise these videos mainly analyse women. Celebs such as Ariana Grande, Selena Gomez, Khloe Kardashian and Zendaya are also being facially examined on the daily.

Even teenagers like Stranger Things Millie Bobby Brown, 18, are scrutinised on TikTok though one in-depth blog about her face allows the changes that people are nitpicking on might be just her growing up and better makeup.

So, why are these clips so popular? It could be that celebrities dont often disclose what work theyve had done leaving their fans to guesswork.

When supermodel Bella Hadid, 25, shared that she had got a nose job at 14, few were surprised. Wed seen the before and after pictures, knew she had the money to pay for surgery, so people werent shocked to hear it confirmed.

However, speculation around a celebs face is often just that: speculation.

Earlier this year, the pop star Doja Cat publicly called out YouTuber Lorry Hillmade for making a video claiming the singer had got a nose job. Hillmade has plastic surgery herself and uses her page to dissect celebritiess faces to spot if theyve also had work done.

But Doja Cat wasnt happy about it and went on Instagram Live to say so. Im upset because theres lies about me, the singer said.

Dr Tunc Tiryaki, a consultant plastic surgeon at the Cadogan Clinic in London, doesnt think the videos are the root of the issue. Instead, he points the finger at those in the public eye who arent honest about the work theyve had done.

Id say the problem is more with celebrities who get liposuction, for example, but claim to get these results with diets, he says. Or celebrities who have had a face lift but say they had a thread lift [which is] similar to a face-lift but less invasive and cheaper.

By doing this, he says, celebrities are creating a huge false expectation, one that can make their followers compare themselves to someone with much greater means whose face is the result of thousands of pounds worth of surgery rather than more affordable tweakments, good makeup or basic genetics.

Secondly, these videos undermine the accurate results of surgery, especially surgical interventions, he says. People are coming to me expecting huge results because a celebrity has lied about what procedure theyve had.

This is dangerous, Dr Tiryaki, says, especially when it comes to filler and botox, as there isnt an age restrictions on these non-surgical procedures, nor is the industry properly regulated.

The rate of complications of fillers are rocketing, he says. This is partially because its easy to do and fillers can be done not only by dermatologists and plastic surgeons but anybody.

Group4 Studio via Getty Images

Many of these videos are made my cosmetic doctors, but even a surgeon wont be able to tell you if a celeb has had work done unless the professional did it themselves, says Dr Tiryaki, who warns against trusting these opinions. I think deep research is needed as its hard to fight against false information, he says.

And while there is an audience for these videos, people will continue churning them out. So, why do the general public enjoy these videos so much?

Many comments under the line highlight the relief some people feel when they discover their favourite celebs has had a bit of filler. So Im not ugly, Im just poor, one user writes. Given the online world and its facade of perfection, perhaps these pages do serve a purpose by highlighting why we shouldnt be comparing ourselves to celebrities.

Federica Rosso, a clinical psychologist at the mental health organisation Therapethical, believes the content is popular, because it can make people feel better about themselves even if that effect is short-lived.

People might start thinking that perfection per se does not exist. Even if they see themselves as not perfect in the mirror, they realise that one attractive celebrity did [the same] at some point and went through surgery, she says.

It creates an escape option from their awful feeling that is, in fact, a coping mechanism.

However, it can also encourage people to get work done that may not be in the best interests of their health or their finances. The problem with these videos is that theyre reinforcing a narrative that says we could achieve similar results if only we were willing to go under the knife ourselves. says Rosso.

We might start to wonder if our faces are ugly or unattractive or if there are parts of our bodies that need fixing. This can lead us down a dangerous path of body dysmorphia and eating disorders, both of which lead people down an unhealthy path toward self-harm and suicide.

These videos can be triggering for the celebrities they feature, too and, whether or not they have had any surgery, make them very self-critical of their looks.

Seeing themselves on these types of sites can be like a slap in the face, says Rosso. Theyre constantly reminded of their flaws and failures, even if theyre not real.

And this is nothing new. Dirty Dancing star Jennifer Grey, 62, has spoken openly about the nose job she had in the wake of that movies success, which not only ruined her career, but became the dominant narrative of her life.

Meanwhile, in 2016, Rene Zellwegger responded to claims shed had surgery on her eyes with an open letter in HuffPost, headlined We Can Do Better.

Its no secret a womans worth has historically been measured by her appearance, Zellwegger, now 52, wrote. The double standard used to diminish our contributions remains, and is perpetuated by the negative conversation which enters our consciousness every day as snark entertainment.

She added: The resulting message is problematic for younger generations and impressionable minds, and undoubtably triggers myriad subsequent issues regarding conformity, prejudice, equality, self acceptance, bullying and health.

So, should we continue to click on these videos? The answer surely lies in being honest with yourself about why youre watching them. Yes, they can serve as a reminder that the tweaked and filtered faces we see online every day arent real.

However, lets all remember that the people behind them very much are.

Read the original post:
Why Are We All So Obsessed With Celebrity Plastic Surgery? - HuffPost UK

Late last year, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service proposed removing 23 species from the Endangered Species List, but not for the reason you might hope.

All 23 species of birds, fish, and mussels have gone extinct, according to the USFWS, and are no longer eligible for listing under the Endangered Species Act.

Many of these species have been on the decline for decades. Some, like the Hawaiian Kauai nukupuu bird, havent been spotted since the 19th century. As the USFWS explained in its press release, ESA protections came too late to conserve habitat and protect these animals from invasive species and disease.

Some believe biobanking can save other animal populations from the same fate. Wooly mammoths probably arent on that list, but biobanking advocates say animal cells frozen in cold storage could be used to beef up the genetic diversity of captive populations and restore some species from the brink of extinction.

What is Biobanking?

Biobanking refers to the collection and storage of biological materials. There are many kinds of biobanks designed for different purposes, but conservationists are particularly interested in biobanks like San Diego Zoos Frozen Zoo.

As its name suggests, the Frozen Zoo stores living animal cells by super-freezing (the technical term) those cells at -196 degrees Celsius. Virtually all cell activity stops at this temperature, which allows scientists to store samples until they want to use them. These cells can come from anywhere on an animals body and often include reproductive cells like sperm and eggs.

The Frozen Zoo launched in 1975 and has since been able to store 1,100 species of vertebrate animals and cells from over 10,000 individual animals, according to Dr. Oliver Ryder. Dr. Ryder is the Frozen Zoos Director of Conservation Genetics, and he spoke to MeatEater about the importance of banking the cells of endangered animals.

Were seeing species decline in numbers, populations disappear from within their range due to habitat loss and fragmentation. For some species, more of their gene pool is in these freezers than is in the wild, Dr. Ryder told MeatEater.

Most of the Frozen Zoos samples come from animals at the San Diego Zoo, where biologists can collect cells during an animals regular checkups or postmortem examinations. The Frozen Zoo tries to bank a diverse collection of animals, but time and space constraints force them to select vulnerable species over less vulnerable ones.

The Frozen Zoo isnt alone. Among other biobanks related to animal conservation, the Rare Breed Survival Trust in the United Kingdom houses a gene bank of native livestock breeds, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration houses the National Marine Mammal Tissue Bank (NMMTB), and Japans National BioResource Project houses animal and plant materials to advance scientific research.

Current Successes

Freezing biological specimens might sound like something out of Mel Gibsons 1992 movie, Forever Young, but the reality is less science fiction and more science class.

Frozen zoos can help researchers investigate parentage, genetic lineage, evolutionary history, and disease susceptibility of individuals or species. However, a biobanks greatest conservation potential is its ability to beef up the genetic diversity of captive breeding programs.

Captive breeding programs are expensive, but the biggest hurdle is maintaining healthy genetic diversity. This issue is especially concerning for species that do not exist in the wild. A small captive population will eventually die out without new individuals to introduce genetic diversity.

This almost happened to the black-footed ferret. The black-footed ferret is the only ferret native to North America, but the population was so small by the late 20th century that the species was thought to be extinct.

Conservationists found the last remaining wild population in 1981, but only seven of those 18 ferrets produced kits. The captive breeding program for the black-footed ferret has successfully produced thousands of ferrets, but the entire population descended from those seven individuals.

Fortunately, biologists in the 1980s preserved a tissue sample from one of the non-breeding female ferrets and sent that sample to the San Diego Frozen Zoo. Those cells were preserved until 2020, when a group of scientists created a ferret embryo from that tissue, which was born later that year.

This cloned ferret, dubbed Elizabeth Ann, is not related to any black-footed ferret currently in existence and could provide some much-needed genetic variation to the population. She is the first clone of a native endangered species in North America.

It was like discovering a new ferret, Dr. Ryder said.

Its unclear whether Elizabeth Ann is necessary to the black-footed ferrets continued success. The Smithsonians National Zoo & Conservation Biology Institute has released thousands of black-footed ferrets in partnership with the USFWS, and they dont report a lack of genetic diversity as one of the populations primary threats.

But in a press release announcing Elizabeth Anns birth, the USFWS pointed out that the ferrets must overcome unique genetic challenges and could eventually become more susceptible to disease, infertility, and genetic abnormalities.

In any case, if Elizabeth Ann proves to be fertile (researchers will know later this year), the project will provide powerful proof of concept for how biobanking can save threatened species.

Researchers at the Australian Frozen Zoo are also offering a less dramatic way biobanking could theoretically introduce genetic diversity into captive breeding populations. Biobanked sperm, researchers argue, can allow captive programs to operate with fewer animals while maintaining the diversity needed for a healthy population.

Using frozen zoos could provide a 25-fold increase in the number of species that could be conserved. This would be a staggering conservation achievement, and we think it can be done, said Dr. Simon Clulow of Macquarie University in Sydney.

Clulow and his colleagues published a paper in 2020 arguing that introducing biobanked frozen sperm to an Oregon spotted frog breeding program could significantly reduce the cost of the program. They suggest that backcrossingcrossing a hybrid with one of its parents or a creature genetically similar to its parentwith frozen sperm every generation would lead to much lower costs than with traditional captive breeding.

Reducing the cost of captive breeding programs will free up resources to conserve species other than the so-called charismatic megafauna that generate the most funding and attention.

Moral Hazard

Not all conservationists are quite as excited about using biobanked material in these ways. Dr. Stuart Pimm is the Doris Duke Professor of Conservation Ecology at Duke University, and he worries that de-extinction techniques (which are still largely theoretical) can give moral cover to people and organizations that want to destroy habitat.

If you think its OK to drive species to extinction because you think we can keep their DNA going, it creates an awful moral hazard, Dr. Pimm told MeatEater.

Resurrecting ancient species like the wooly mammoth gets a lot of play in the news (not to mention Hollywood), but when asked about mammoths, Dr. Ryder sounded skeptical. Both he and Dr. Pimm argued that mammoth resurrection isnt practical. Dr. Ryder noted that no viable mammoth DNA exists with which to make a clone, and Dr. Pimm wondered how scientists would reconstruct mammoth habitat and ecosystems.

But while Dr. Ryder is still interested in using genetic technology to save declining species, Dr. Pimm has personal experience that keeps him wary of anything that rhymes with de-extinction. When he testified before Congress in the mid-1990s about the reauthorization of the Endangered Species Act, members of Congress expressed unconcern with habitat destruction because endangered species could be resurrected a la Jurassic Park.

There are people who would like to push environmental destruction to the limit, so the moral hazard of de-extinction is a real danger, Pimm said.

Instead of using time and resources to pursue the kind of genetic strategies made possible by biobanks, Dr. Pimm would like to see conservationists focus on what works: habitat restoration, legislative protections, and public education.

The amount of time people are wasting on these de-extinctions, they could get off their arses and do something useful for conservation, he said. I think theyre doing a considerable amount of harm in giving people false solutions. Thats not how were going to save biodiversity.

When asked about Dr. Pimms moral hazard, Dr. Ryder agreed that its a legitimate concern and acknowledged that solutions like Elizabeth Ann are still highly experimental. We cant bank all our conservation efforts on their success, he said.

He took issue, however, with the contention that the two approaches represent a zero-sum game.

That argument would presume that focusing effort on banking cells would detract from efforts to save species. All the evidence is to the contrary. The effort to save species is as strong as ever and is supported by international treaties and national legislation and regulation, he pointed out.

For his part, Dr. Pimm was careful to distinguish between de-extinction technologies and biobanking more generally. He does not support the former, but the latter he described as essential to conservation efforts. Storing genetic material is not a problem; what matters is how we use it.

Moving Forward

Both scientists agreed that conserving threatened and endangered species requires a collaborative, multi-pronged approach. Dr. Ryder stressed that habitat conservation should always be a top priority, and Dr. Pimm said he could support promoting genetic diversity via biobanked material if those techniques proved to be effective.

Ultimately, Dr. Ryder believes conservationists should pursue the kinds of solutions hes spearheading at the Frozen Zoo in the hopes that they wont have to use them.

My hope is that we wont need to do these kinds of things because we wont have species that are so depleted in their genetic variation or on the brink of extinction that we have to evoke these heroics, he said.

But given that were seeing a number of species in decline, it would be prudent, thoughtful, and helpful to bank cells now so that we have that option in the future, he continued. I would like to see a greatly expanded effort to do banking so that we wouldnt need to be looking at a future where were inevitably seeing the genetic diversity of wild species erode.

Continue reading here:
Can Biobanking Save the World's Rarest Wildlife? - MeatEater

Narcolepsy is a neurological condition that affects your bodys sleeping and waking cycles.

Its estimated that between 135,000 and 200,000 people in the United States have narcolepsy. If you have it, youll often feel very tired during the day and may also unexpectedly fall asleep in the middle of activities. Its also possible to experience cataplexy, which is when muscle weakness comes on suddenly.

Adrenal insufficiency is a health condition where your adrenal glands dont make enough of certain hormones. This can lead to symptoms that are similar to those of narcolepsy, such as chronic fatigue and muscle weakness.

Another related term you may have heard of is adrenal fatigue, which is used to describe a mild type of adrenal insufficiency thats supposedly brought on by chronic stress. However, adrenal fatigue isnt a proven medical condition.

Below, well explore the ins and outs of narcolepsy, adrenal insufficiency, and adrenal fatigue. Keep reading to learn more.

Adrenal fatigue is a theory that chronic stress can impact the function of the adrenal glands. The adrenal glands are found above your kidneys and make hormones like cortisol, which is important for how you respond to stress.

Supporters of the theory of adrenal fatigue believe that the buildup of stress becomes too much for your adrenal glands. Due to this, they cannot produce enough cortisol to meet the bodys demands, causing symptoms like:

While some symptoms of adrenal fatigue are similar to those of narcolepsy, it really isnt possible to compare the two. This is because adrenal fatigue isnt recognized as a legitimate medical condition.

In a 2016 article, a group of endocrinologists reviewed 58 studies mentioning adrenal fatigue. Based on their review of the studies and how they were conducted, they could find no credible evidence that adrenal fatigue is an actual medical condition.

The reported symptoms of adrenal fatigue are general and could be caused by any actual health condition that needs to be treated. According to the Endocrine Society, these may include conditions like:

Adrenal insufficiency is a medical condition in which your adrenal glands dont make enough of the hormone cortisol and, in some cases, aldosterone. There are several types of adrenal insufficiency.

Some types have to do with decreased production of hormones in the brain. These hormones eventually promote cortisol production in the adrenal glands, so when theyre in short supply, cortisol levels are lower.

Some types of narcolepsy also have to do with decreased hormone production in the brain. In this case, its the hormone hypocretin, also called orexin, which regulates sleeping and waking.

Its also possible for people with narcolepsy to have other health conditions involving hormones, such as adrenal insufficiency and hypothyroidism.

Older research has also found that low levels of hypocretin in people with narcolepsy may impact other hormone pathways, such as those involved in adrenal insufficiency.

Lastly, theres overlap in the symptoms of adrenal insufficiency and narcolepsy, such as excessive tiredness or fatigue and muscle weakness.

However, there are many important differences between adrenal insufficiency and narcolepsy as well. Lets go over the different aspects these two conditions now.

The symptoms of adrenal insufficiency typically come on slowly and can include things like:

The symptoms of narcolepsy can include:

There are different types of adrenal insufficiency and each type as its own cause:

Similar to adrenal sufficiency, there are different types of narcolepsy. What causes each type is a little different.

People with type 1 narcolepsy, or narcolepsy with cataplexy, almost always have low levels of a hormone called hypocretin in the brain. This hormone is involved in regulating aspects of sleeping and waking.

Those with type 2 narcolepsy, or narcolepsy without cataplexy, have normal levels of hypocretin. The cause of this type of narcolepsy remains unclear.

Factors that may contribute to the development of narcolepsy in general include:

The risk factors for adrenal insufficiency can include:

You may be at an increased risk for narcolepsy if someone in your family has it. About 10% of people with type 1 narcolepsy have a close relative who reports similar symptoms.

An adrenal crisis is the most serious complication of adrenal insufficiency and is life threatening. It can happen when your body needs more cortisol than it can make, typically in response to intense physical stress caused by things like:

Its also possible for adrenal insufficiency to lead to electrolyte imbalances like too little sodium or too much potassium.

The nature of its symptoms can mean that narcolepsy can have a large impact on a persons quality of life. People with narcolepsy can experience significant disruptions in their daily life, including:

Additionally, sleep attacks and cataplexy can happen suddenly. This can be dangerous if youre driving or working in a job that involves operating heavy machinery.

In addition to taking your medical history and doing a physical exam, a doctor can use the following tests to diagnose adrenal insufficiency:

After taking your medical history, performing a physical exam, and evaluating your sleep log, your doctor can use the following tests to help diagnose narcolepsy:

The treatment for adrenal insufficiency involves replacement of the hormone cortisol. This can be done through drugs like hydrocortisone, dexamethasone, or prednisone.

Taking a drug called fludrocortisone can help maintain electrolyte balance in people who also dont make enough aldosterone.

There isnt a cure for narcolepsy. Instead, symptoms are managed using a combination of medications and lifestyle changes.

Medications for narcolepsy can include:

Lifestyle changes are also important, including setting up a regular sleep schedule, taking shorter naps during the day, and relaxing before bedtime.

If you have any of the following symptoms, its a good idea to see a doctor:

A doctor can evaluate your symptoms and test to see what may be causing them. After a diagnosis is made, they can develop a treatment plan that can help you to manage your condition.

Narcolepsy is a neurological condition affecting sleeping and waking. It causes symptoms like excessive daytime sleepiness, sleep attacks, and sudden instances of muscle weakness.

While some narcolepsy symptoms like excessive tiredness and muscle weakness overlap with adrenal insufficiency, the two conditions have many other differences in symptoms, causes, diagnosis, and treatment.

You may have also heard narcolepsy symptoms be compared to those associated with something called adrenal fatigue. However, adrenal fatigue is not recognized as an actual medical condition at this time.

Regardless, see a doctor if you have excessive tiredness, muscle weakness, or disrupted sleep that significantly interferes with your daily life. Its possible that your symptoms are due to a medical condition that needs to be treated.

Read more:
Adrenal Fatigue and Narcolepsy: Comparing the Conditions and Theories - Healthline

Los Angeles Times

Heres what the James Webb Space Telescope has seen in just a week of looking

A quintet of galaxies. A nursery of infant stars. A weather report for an exoplanet. And a preview of our own suns demise.

After years of delays, a 930,000-mile trip into space and months of speculation over whatthe James Webb Space Telelescopes first pictures might reveal, NASA on Tuesday released the first complete set of images captured by its $10-billion observatory.

They show stars in their infancy and in their final gasps, along with sweeping views of the cosmos and the majestic objects in it.

Every dot of light we see here is an individual star, not unlike our sun. And many of these likely also have planets, NASA astrophysicistAmber Straughnsaid while introducing an image of theCarina Nebula, a multihued landscape of gas and nascent stars.

It just reminds me that our sun and our planets and, ultimately, us were formed out of the same kind of stuff that we see here, she said. We humans really are connected to the universe. Were made of the same stuff in this beautiful landscape.

Webb Images of Jupiter and More Now Available In Commissioning Data

On the heels of Tuesdays release of thefirst imagesfrom NASAs James Webb Space Telescope, data from the telescopes commissioning period isnow being released on the Space Telescope Science Institutes Mikulski Archive for Space Telescopes. The data includes images of Jupiter and images and spectra of several asteroids, captured to test the telescopes instruments before science operations officially began July 12. The data demonstrates Webbs to track solar system targets and produce images and spectra with unprecedented detail.

Fans of Jupiter will recognize some familiar features of our solar systems enormous planet in these images seen through Webbs infrared gaze. A view from the NIRCam instruments short-wavelength filter shows distinct bands that encircle the planet as well as the Great Red Spot, a storm big enough to swallow the Earth. The iconic spot appears white in this image because of the way Webbs infrared image was processed.

In ominous sign for global warming, feedback loop may be accelerating methane emissions

If carbon dioxide is an oven steadily roasting our planet, methane is a blast from the broiler: a more potent but shorter lived greenhouse gas thats responsible forroughly one-thirdof the 1.2C of warming since preindustrial times. Atmospheric methane levels have risen nearly 7% since 2006, and the past 2 years saw thebiggest jumps yet, even though the pandemic slowed oil and gas production, presumably reducing methane leaks. Now, researchers are homing in on the source of the mysterious surge. Two new preprints trace it to microbes in tropical wetlands. Ominously, climate change itself might be fueling the trend by driving increased rain over the regions.

If so, the wetlands emissions could end up being a runaway process beyond human control, although the magnitude of the feedback loop is uncertain. We will have handed over a bit more control of Earths climate to microorganisms, says Paul Palmer, an atmospheric chemist at the University of Edinburgh and co-author of one of the studies,posted late last monthfor review atAtmospheric Chemistry and Physics.

Study: Climate impacts to disproportionately hurt tropical fishers, farmers

Coastal communities in the tropics that rely heavily on both agriculture and fisheries are most vulnerable to the losses caused by high global carbon emissions, a new study says.

It looked at coastal communities in five countries within the Indo-Pacific region and found that most may face significant losses of agricultural and fisheries products two key food sources simultaneously in the event of the worst-case impacts of climate change. These potential losses may be coupled with other drivers of change, such as overfishing or soil erosion, which have already caused a decline in productivity, according to thestudypublished July 5 in the journalNature Communications. When looked at separately, the potential losses for the fisheries sector would be greater than for agriculture, the research showed.

But if carbon emissions can be effectively managed to a minimum, the studys authors said, fewer communities would experience losses in both the agriculture and fisheries sectors.

Pioneering climate change research reveals long-term global carbon cycle impacts

A new study in Nature Geoscience, co-authored byDr Heather Ford , uses a unique research model to illustrate how past geologic periods can help us understand future climate changes. []

In this new paper, Dr Ford used geologic data and a climate model of a time about three million years ago known as the mid-Pliocene warm period, which is often used as an analogue for future climate change, because global temperatures then were around 2.3C warmer than today but CO2 levels were similar.

Whats unique about this study is the climate model was run for 2000 years, allowing conditions in the deep ocean to balance naturally over time, and enabling much deeper insight. Dr Ford explained: Running global climate models for thousands of years is computationally expensive, but critical in thinking about long-term impacts of carbon cycling and climate change.

How climate change could drive an increase in gender-based violence

As extreme weather events occur more frequently something that climate scientists say is inevitable so, too, will violence towards women and people from gender minorities. Thats the conclusion of a review examining events in the aftermath of floods, droughts, cyclones and heatwaves, among other weather disasters, over the past two decades.

The review found that extreme weather events often catalyse episodes of gender-based violence particularly physical, sexual and domestic abuse. It is the most comprehensive and timely analysis of gender-based violence related to extreme weather and climate events that are expected to increase under anthropogenic climate change, according to lead author Kim van Daalen, who studies global public health at the University of Cambridge, UK.

Its Getting Harder for Forests to Recover from Disasters

Forests around the world are losing their resilience and becoming more vulnerable to disturbances as the planet warms. Thats especially true for ecosystems in tropical, temperate and dry parts of the world, according to a new study.

When a forest loses resilience, it means its gradually losing its ability to bounce back after fires, droughts, logging and other disruptive events, said thestudy, published on July 13 inNature. Past a certain point, some forests may approach a kind of tipping point a threshold that launches them into a rapid decline.

And beyond that, some studies suggest, a forest may not be able to fully recover at all. It may instead transform into some other ecosystem entirely, like a grassland or savanna.

Study provides new clues to killer frog disease

A new study aiming to unlock the secrets of a disease devastating frog populations has turned up some unexpected results, which may change how scientists combat the outbreak.James Cook University biologist Dr Donald McKnight said the disease chytridiomycosis has caused declines or extinctions in over 500 species of amphibians worldwide.

But not all amphibian species are susceptible to chytridiomycosis, and some species and populations that underwent initial declines are surviving or increasing, despite the continued presence of the pathogen, said Dr McKnight. []

The reasons for these differences among species and populations are not entirely clear, but variations in microbiomes - the bacteria, fungi, and other microorganisms on the frogs - may play a key role, said Dr McKnight.

Machine learning identifies crater that ejected famous Martian rock

New Curtin-led research has pinpointed the exact home of the oldest and most famous Martian meteorite for the first time ever, offering critical geological clues about the earliest origins of Mars.

Using a multidisciplinary approach involving a machine learning algorithm, the new research published today inNature Communications identified the particular crater on Mars that ejected the so-called Black Beauty meteorite, weighing 320 grams, and paired stones, which were first reported as being found in northern Africa in 2011.

The researchers have named the specific Mars crater after the Pilbara city of Karratha, located more than 1500km north of Perth in Western Australia, which is home to one of the oldest terrestrial rocks.

Zombie fly fungus lures healthy male flies to mate with female corpses

Entomophthora muscaeis a widespread, pathogenic fungus that survives by infecting common houseflies with deadly spores. Now, research shows that the fungus has a unique tactic to ensure for its survival. The fungus 'bewitches' male houseflies and drives them to necrophilia with the fungal-infected corpses of dead females.

After having infected a female fly with its spores, the fungus spreads until its host has slowly been consumed alive from within. After roughly six days, the fungus takes over the behavior of the female fly and forces it to the highest point, whether upon vegetation or a wall, where the fly then dies. When the fungus has killed the zombie female, it begins to release chemical signals known as sesquiterpenes.

"The chemical signals act as pheromones that bewitch male flies and cause an incredible urge for them to mate with lifeless female carcasses," explains Henrik H. De Fine Licht, an associate professor at the University of Copenhagens Department of Environment and Plant Sciences and one of the studys authors.

Social support found to reduce stress levels in orphaned wild elephants

A team of researchers from Colorado State University, the Smithsonian Conservative Biology Institute and the Save the Elephants program in Kenya reports that social support by members of elephant herds in African savanna elephants reduces stress levels of orphaned youngsters. In their paper published in the journalCommunications Biology, the group describes their study of stress levels in orphaned wild elephants and their ability to rebound from a great loss.

Over the past several decades, African savanna elephants, the largest land animals in the world, have seen population declines due to increases in both poaching and droughta situation that has led to many elephants being orphaned. Because of the long maturation process (it takes 20 years for the elephants to reach their full size), the number of orphans has increased overall. Also, elephantcalvesare highly dependent on their mothers for the first decade of their lives. In this new effort, the researchers studied the stress levels of orphans as they adapted to sudden changes in their care.

To learn more aboutorphanstress levels, the researchers followed several herds for over a year, watching carefully when they defecated. They collected the samples and tested them for glucocorticoid metabolite (GCM) levelsa relatively easy way to measurestress levelsin mammals.

A woodpecker's brain takes a big hit with every peck: study

The brain of a woodpecker experiences a seemingly catastrophic impact every time beak meets wood.

"When you see these birds in action, hitting their head against a tree quite violently, then as humans we start wondering how does this bird avoid getting headaches or brain damage," saysSam Van Wassenbergh, a researcher at the University of Antwerp in Belgium.

In the past, scientists havesuggestedthe bird's brain is protected from the impacts, perhaps bya skull that acts as a cushion, or a beak that absorbs some of the force, or a tongue that wraps around the brain.But Van Wassenberg wasn't convinced.

"Nobody has ever explained it very well, in my opinion," he says.

Difficult and costly. Snake dams should be breached, says Biden administration report

Breaching one or more of the lower Snake River dams in Eastern Washington is called for in a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration draft report released Tuesday.

The draft report looks at the state of the science on restoring salmon and steelhead populations in the Columbia River Basin and the large scale actions needed to make progress toward healthy and harvestable fish stocks.

It has become overwhelmingly clear that business as usual will not restore the health and abundance of Pacific Northwest salmon, said Brenda Mallory, chairwoman of the White House Council on Environmental Quality, at a news media briefing Monday afternoon. []

The NOAA draft report, Rebuilding Interior Columbia Basin Salmon and Steelhead, said the science calls for acting, and acting now.

Inaction will result in the catastrophic loss of the majority of Columbia River Basin salmon and steelhead stocks, the draft report said.

Knots in the resonator: elegant math in humble physics

At the heart of every resonator be it a cello, a gravitational wave detector, or the antenna in your cell phone there is a beautiful bit of mathematics that has been heretofore unacknowledged. Yale physicists Jack Harris and Nicholas Read know this because they started finding knots in their data.

In a new study in the journal Nature, Harris, Read, and their co-authors describe a previously unknown characteristic of resonators. A resonator is any object that vibrates only at a specific set of frequencies. They are ubiquitous in sensors, electronics, musical instruments, and other devices, where they are used to produce, amplify, or detect vibrations at specific frequencies.

The new characteristic the Yale team found results from equations that any high school algebra student would recognize, but which physicists had not appreciated as a basic principle of resonators.

Bat Virus Studies Raise Questions About Laboratory Tinkering

In mid-2020, a team of scientistscatching bats in Laotian cavesdiscovered coronaviruses that were strikingly similar to the one that had begun wreaking havoc around the world.

In the months since, some of those researchers have been studying one of these mysterious bat viruses in a high-security laboratory in Paris, hoping to discover clues about how its cousin, SARS-CoV-2, went on to become a global threat that has killed anestimated 15 million people.

Their work has been scientifically fruitful. Last year, the scientists discovered thatthe bat virus was capable of latching onto human cells, at least in Petri dishes. Last month, the teamreportedmore reassuring news: that the virus is not particularly harmful to lab animals. The finding suggests that SARS-CoV-2 evolved its abilities to spread quickly and cause deadly disease only after the two lineages branched apart on the viral evolutionary tree.

Mysterious glow of a milky sea caught on camera for first time

Waking at 10pm, a sailor looked out from the deck of the superyacht Ganesha to see that the ocean had turned white. There is no moon, the sea is apparently full of plankton, but the bow wave is black. It gives the impression of sailing on snow, they wrote.

For centuries, mariners have described navigating unearthly night-time waters, lit up by a mysterious glow, but such milky seas have long eluded scientific inquiry owing to their remote, transient and infrequent nature.

Id say theres only a handful of people currently alive who have seen one. Theyre just not very common maybe up to one or two per year globally and theyre not typically close to shore, so you have to be in the right place at the right time, said Steven Miller, a professor of atmospheric science at Colorado State University in Fort Collins.

An Army of Turtles Is Doing Cyclone Reconnaissance

Even with good data, its hard to predict tropical cyclones, which often appear with little warning and wander drunkenly around the worlds oceans. But five years ago, Olivier Bousquet, now the research director for Frances Ministry of Ecology, Sustainable Development and Energy, was tasked with forecasting storms strengths and paths in the cyclone-infested southwest Indian Ocean. The need for better predictions was great. On average, the area gets nine or 10 cyclones a year, and the storms are getting stronger. Tropical Cyclone Idai, in 2019, killed more than 1,000 people in Mozambique, Zimbabwe, and Malawi and 2014s Gafilo killed 363 in Madagascar.

Unlike in some other parts of the oceansuch as the North Atlantic, where the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration flies weather dronesBousquet had almost no data to work with. Sure, there are satellites that spy on the oceans surface, but those are biased around coastlines and blind in clouds, which storms have in spades. Just a handful of floating oceanographic buoys collected temperature, depth, and salinity information where Bousquet needed it. So he set out to find a new source of data.

For the past few decades, scientists have been using satellite-tagged animals to collect ocean data. For instance, in the Southern Ocean off Antarcticaa famously hostile area for humans and shipssouthern elephant seals have gathered much of the basic data we have on the waters temperature and salinity.

Researchers harness algae to grow construction cement

The massive worldwide pouring of concrete as developers densify cities could be transformed, eliminating heat-trapping pollution into the atmosphere, by switching to a new kind of cement created in Colorado cement that is grown by harnessing tiny sea organisms.Urban concrete jungles also would look less gray because the new cement is lighter in color and more reflective.

The U.S. Department of Energy this month embraced University of Colorado research that developed this cement, investing $3.2 million for scaling up cultivation of an algae species called coccolithophores. CUs innovation appealed to the DOEs Advanced Research Projects Agency because cement production causes 7% of the global heat-trapping pollution that accelerates climate warming. Thats a significant share, exceeding emissions from airplane travel.

This is a carbon dioxide removal project, said CU Boulder materials scientist Wil Srubar, leader of the work and director of CUs Living Materials Laboratory, who got got the idea while snorkeling in Thailand on his honeymoon in 2017. He saw magnificent natural limestone structures in coral reefs and wondered whether humans could replicate natural processes to make enough limestone for cement instead of excavating limestone from quarries.

Y chromosome loss through aging can lead to an increased risk of heart failure and death from cardiovascular disease, new research finds

The Y chromosome can be lost through the process of aging, and this can lead to an increased risk of heart failure and cardiovascular disease, according to a recent study my colleaguesand Ipublished in the journalScience.

While most women have two X chromosomes, most men have one X and one Y. And many people with Y chromosomes start to lose them in a fraction of the cells in their body as they age.

While loss of the Y chromosome wasfirst observed in 1963, it was notuntil 2014that researchers found an association between loss of the Y chromosome and shorter life span. Y chromosome loss has since been linked to a number ofage-related diseases, such as cancer and Alzheimers disease. However, it has been unknown whether this loss is just another benign indicator of aging, like gray hair or skin wrinkles, or whether it has a direct role in promoting disease. []

We found that while loss of the Y chromosome did not have immediate effects on the young mice, they ended up aging poorly, dying at an earlier age than mice that still had Y chromosomes. They also had more buildup of scar tissue in the heart, a condition calledfibrosis, as well as a stronger decline in heart function after induced heart failure. Treating the mice with a drug that blocks heart scarring, however, was able to restore lost heart function.

Genetic testing could help match people with the right antidepressant, new VA study finds

Understanding patient genetics could help to minimize the trial-and-error approach to prescribing antidepressants, a national study led by researchers at the Crescenz VA Medical Center in Philadelphia has found.

Finding the right antidepressant can take time. Its not uncommon for patients to try a few before finding an effective medication without too many side effects. Each round can mean losing weeks while waiting for the medication to start working, a frustrating reality for patients who seek relief and prescribers who often have little to guide them toward the optimal prescription.

Often with medications you might start with one, a patient might have side effects for that or it might not work, said David Oslin, a psychiatrist at the Philadelphia-based VA Medical Center. You end up with a second or third trial before finding something thats effective.

The oldest, brightest black holes in the universe were born from violent gas attacks, new study suggests

Twinkling like cosmic lighthouses on a shore 13 billion light-years from Earth, quasars are some of the oldest, brightest relics of the early universe that astronomers can detect today.

Short for "quasi-stellar radio sources," quasars are gargantuanblack holesthat glow as brightly as galaxies and are millions to billions of times as massive asEarth's sun. Today, quasars exist at the centers of many large galaxies. But thanks to their exceptional luminosity, quasars have been tracked far acrossspace-time, with roughly 200 of them identified as forming within the first billion years of our universe's history.

How could such massive objects form so early, when galaxies were sparse and large stars were exceptionally rare? The question has bedeviled researchers for more than two decades, since the first quasars were identified and now, a new study published July 6 in the journalNature

Researchers Have Found The First Example of Another Mammal 'Farming' Its Food

It was thought that humans were unique amongst mammals when it came to farming but depending on how strict we are with definitions, it turns out we might not be alone when comes to tending the land to grow food.

Scientists have discovered thatpocket gophers(Geomys pinetis) also practice a form of agriculture.

Measurements on a field containing burrows built by the little critters suggest they don't just harvest the longleaf pine roots that grow into their homes they cultivate them. []

"Southeastern pocket gophers are the first non-human mammalian farmers,"says biologist Francis Putz, from the University of Florida. "Farming is known among species of ants, beetles, and termites, but not other mammals."

Geologists reveal trends in mineral diversity

By classifying minerals by how they were made, scientists could better study the complex chemistry on other worlds.

Geology reference texts define mineral species based on chemical composition and crystal structure. But mineral samples collected in the field often contain trace elements and structural defects that distinguish most specimens from a textbook example. If youre interested in comparing Earth with other planets, both within our solar system and beyond, then you really need to think beyond those very simple, idealized structures, saysRobert Hazen, a mineralogist and astrobiologist at the Carnegie Institution for Science. So Hazen and his colleagues devised a new way to categorize minerals using the imperfections that tell stories about each minerals geologic past.

Because minerals acquire defects as they form, the isotopic ratios and foreign inclusions trapped within their crystal lattices can help researchers understand the context in which they were made. After combing the literature, Hazen and his team identified approximately 60 processes, such as lightning and oxidation events, that contribute to the formation of the more than 5,000 minerals known on Earth.

If Youre Owned by a Cat, Scientists Want to Hear From You

Scientists in California are asking for U.S. volunteers who live with cats to participate in a new research project. The study will survey owners about their pets behaviours and their knowledge of training methods. The teams larger goal is to help cats especially kittens and humans better form healthy relationships with one another.

The work is being conducted by scientists from the Animal Welfare Epidemiology Lab at the University of California Davis. Last fall, the teamrecruitedvolunteers who owned exactly two cats to look at cat videos on the internet, as part of a project to study how well owners could read feline body language. They were especially interested in knowing whether owners could tell when cats were about to lash out at their furry roommates.

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Overnight News Digest: We humans really are connected to the universe. - Daily Kos

Researchers still haven't nailed down how to better predict who's at risk for attempting suicide, and whether or when vulnerable people will do it, said Justin Baker, clinical director of The Suicide and Trauma Reduction Initiative for Veterans at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center.

"That is extremely, extremely difficult," he said. "You can look back in time, when someone's made an attempt or has died, and go, 'Oh, look at all these things that were going on in their life.' The difficulty is that a lot of people handle or experience those types of stressors as well but never go on to (attempt suicide)."

Additionally, there isn't always a long timeframe wherein someone is considering suicide and showing signs -- and there can be as little as 5 to 15 minutes between someone deciding to attempt suicide and doing it, Baker added.

"What we collectively understand is it's an emotional dysregulation and cognitive error that occurs," Baker said. "They can't fix the situation, or they can't think their way through the situation, so suicide becomes a viable option as a way to manage the pain that they're in. So they may take action on it in that really short, brief window."

But there are some situations wherein a person who is suicidal and planning for a longer period of time will show behavioral changes, Baker added.

"If you're noticing that kind of stuff, obviously that's someone who is really close to being imminent risk -- someone who's really close to making that decision to end their life," he said. "But I would argue most people don't get that kind of warning."

Here are some of the most common behavioral, verbal and emotional signs and risk factors you should pay attention to, according to experts.

Behaviors to watch for

Some people might seem like their usual selves in the weeks or days leading up to a suicide attempt, while others might show behavioral changes that don't track with what you know about them, said Michael Roeske, a clinical psychologist and senior director of the Newport Healthcare Center for Research & Innovation.

Other potential behavioral red flags include giving away cherished belongings, sleeping too much or too little, withdrawing or isolating oneself, showing rage or desire to enact revenge, and acting anxious or agitated, according to Roeske, Baker and SAMHSA. Getting really intoxicated one night or driving recklessly could also be signs to watch out for, Roeske said.

Such behavior might be them "testing themselves to see if they can actually do it," Baker said. "A lot of times people need to kind of work up to that actual making an attempt because it's a biologic thing you have to go against, your own survival."

Concerning comments

Talking about wanting to die -- by suicide or otherwise -- is another warning sign that should always be taken seriously, Roeske said. Such comments are sometimes just expressions of discomfort, pain, boredom or desire for closeness rather than a reflection of actually wanting to die, but that doesn't mean you don't monitor the person who's making them, he added.

Some people might say they feel like they have no reason to live. "If someone is struggling to come up with a reason for living, that's a much higher-risk person than someone who's even able to identify one (reason)," Baker said.

Others talk about feeling like a burden on those close to them, Roeske said, or like they don't belong anywhere or with anyone. Such comments might include "You don't need me for this anymore" or "I feel like it'd be better if I just wasn't here." Teenagers considering suicide might not want their guardians to use their money for college, he added.

Mood and other risk factors

What to do

If any of these signs resonate with you, seek professional help and talk with someone you can trust and feel supported by, Baker said. Psychotherapy and certain psychiatric medications, such as antidepressants, can help, Roeske said.

If a loved one is showing signs they might be at risk of suicide, "it's not really your job to be able to predict the future," Baker said. But you can be supportive and intentional about asking them what's going on, Roeske and Baker said.

"You're not going to cause someone to be suicidal by asking directly about suicide," Baker said. "The worst they're going to say is 'no' and not get offended. If they are, still ask them. I'd rather have someone offended at me than dead."

When checking on someone, use what experts call a narrative, person-centered approach, Baker recommended. That might look like an open-ended question: "Hey, I've noticed life's gotten overwhelming these past couple days. Do you want to tell me about it?"

As the person responds, you can, to some extent, listen, express appreciation for them sharing their story and offer to help figure it out together, without offering advice on how to handle it, Baker said. But if your loved one seems more at risk or in the process of attempting suicide, "you no longer have time or the luxury to get their opinion," he added. Get medical care or call 911.

When Roeske first started working as a clinician, he had a young female patient who was a very accomplished equestrian, went to a prestigious school and had a lot of family resources, he said -- but she had been chronically suicidal for 10 to 15 years, since she was a teenager.

"Every time she would go to her mom and tell her that, her mom would (say things like) 'Oh, you're so beautiful. Look at how you are with the horses,'" Roeske said. "And (the patient) said, 'What it felt like was Mom was afraid of what I was saying and needed to distance herself from it.'

She said that therapists would do the same thing -- you know, 'create a positive gratitude list or correct your cognitive distortions.' Finally, there was a psychiatrist that looked at her as she said, 'I think I'm going to kill myself.' And the psychiatrist said, 'I think you might, too.' And she said it was the first time someone was willing to be in there with her."

When talking with someone who's suicidal, you might want to tell them all the wonderful reasons why they should stay alive, Roeske said -- but that can actually make them feel more lonely.

Unfortunately, "we are no better able to predict who will die by suicide than who will be in a car accident," Baker said. "This does not help to alleviate the grief or pain for those who have lost loved ones to suicide, but hopefully it helps remove some of the guilt and responsibility."

CNN's Jacqueline Howard contributed to this story.

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People considering suicide might show signs early on. Here's what to watch for - CNN

The ability to have earth-shattering orgasms is partially genetic, British researchers have uncovered meaning the capacity to climax comes down to your parents, as well as your partner.

The study which focused on female orgasms was initially published back in 2005 but is receiving renewed attention in light of the new film Good Luck to You, Leo Grande. In the flick now streaming on Hulu Emma Thompson plays a 60-something woman who hires a sex worker, played by Daryl McCormack, to help her achieve her first-ever orgasm.

The study, which was conducted by St. Thomas Hospital in London and Keele University, quizzed 683 sets of identical twins and 714 sets of nonidentical twins between the ages of 19 and 83.

The women were asked two questions: Overall, how frequently do you experience an orgasm during intercourse? and How frequently do you experience an orgasm during masturbation by yourself or a partner?

Twenty-two percent of respondents claimed they had never or rarely experienced an orgasm during sex, while 21% said they never or rarely experienced a climax during a steamy solo session.

Researchers were interested in uncovering whether there was a difference in answers between the sets of identical and nonidentical twins.

Identical twins share a DNA code with each other, meaning the differences in their answers were likely a result of the different environments in which they were induced into orgasm.

Nonidentical twins, on the other hand, only share 50% of their DNA, meaning differences in their answers come down to genetics as well as the different environments in which they might come to orgasm.

Sure enough, the researchers found that genetic factors played an important role, accounting for up to 60% of a womans ability to reach the big O.

Despite the research revealing its not always a partner whos responsible for a persons pleasure, women are still faking orgasms.

Research published earlier this year in the journal ofSocial Psychological and Personality Sciencecollected data from over 600 women, many of whom admitted to forsaking their own erotic pleasure in order to placate men.

Women are prioritizing what they think their partners need over their own sexual needs and satisfaction, lead study author Jessica Jordan, a doctoral student at the University of South Florida, said in a statement.

Meanwhile, Thompson, 63, said last week that Good Luck to You, Leo Grande examines the orgasm gap between men and women.

Ive always been interested in the sort of ostracization really of sexual sort of matters. We dont talk about it nearly enough, she stated. And female sexual pleasure is not on the top of anybodys list.

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Great orgasms are inherited from your parents: DNA experts - New York Post

WASHINGTON, D.C.Today, on the 50th anniversary of Title IX being signed into law, House Republican Whip Steve Scalise (R-La.) and Congresswoman Debbie Lesko (R-Ariz.) co-authored anop-edforFoxNews.comcriticizing Democratsfor dismantling Title IX protections and failing to protect womens sports. Whip Scalise and Congresswoman Lesko highlight how Democrats misguided efforts to allow biological males to compete against biological females promotes inequality and is unfair to women athletes. Whip Scalise and Congresswoman Lesko emphasize that women and girls should be allowed a fair playing field in competitive sports by ensuring that school athletics comply with the Title IX recognition of a persons reproductive biology and genetics at birth.

Fifty years after Title IX, we must protect women's sports

Fifty years ago today, President Richard Nixon signed Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 into law. Title IX mandated parity for men and women at educational institutions that received funding from the federal government. Sadly, Democrats are turning the original intent of Title IX on its head and are advocating for biological males to compete against biological females effectively destroying womens sports.

The purpose of Title IX was to update the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which, at the time, did not ban discrimination against women at educational institutions. A byproduct of the Education Amendments of 1972, which sought to give women an equal playing field in education, led to womens sports teams at the K-12 and collegiate levels receiving the same funding as mens sports teams.

Thanks to this, the number of female athletes has grown exponentially.

According to the National Library of Medicine, from 1973 to 2018, the percentage of high school sports played by girls increased from 24.2 percent to 42.9 percent. The authors note, "Girls participation in high school sports continues to grow not only in numbers but in the types of sports played."

During the 1971-1972 school year, less than 300,000 girls participated in their high schools athletic programs while there were over 3.5 million boys participating during the same time period. Fast-forward to the 2018-2019 school year, and there are more than 3.4 million girls participating in their high schools athletic programs.

This expansion wasnt just limited to high school sports.

In 1972, less than 30,000 female athletes competed in intercollegiate sports. In 2020, a record number of students competed in National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) sports with over 280,000 men and 220,000 women participating in their colleges professional sports teams.

Every American has the right to freely express himself or herself, as long as their actions do not infringe upon the rights of others, but that is exactly what is happening in womens sports. Allowing men to compete in womens sports ignores hundreds of years of science, biology, and reality. It tosses out specific rules designed to keep athletic competition fair.

We have heard the heartbreaking stories of young women and girls from across the country who are losing competitions and even scholarships to biological males who choose to identify as women and girls. Unfortunately, many of these young women who try to speak out have been threatened and silenced.

In an open letter, 16 athletes on the University of Pennsylvania womens swimming and diving team wrote, "It has often felt like Penn, our school, our league, and the NCAA did not support us," and said that they were told that they would be removed from the team or "we would never get a job offer" if they spoke out publicly against Lia Thomas inclusion in womens competition.

Lia Thomas went on to win the NCAA womens 500 freestyle, beating out an Olympic silver medalist. This is a deep distortion of Title IX and takes successes away from the women who have earned them in the name of gender identity politics.

While the world governing body for swimming has banned many transgender athletes from competing in womens events, this measure comes too late for the women who have already lost opportunities and medals because they had to race against biological men.

In order to help protect the future of women and girls sports, Democrats should remember the bedrock of Title IX equality for women.

Womens sports should be reserved for the women and girls who work hard and train for them, not men. Biological males should not be allowed to participate in womens sports. Sports that are designated for girls should only include girls.

This should not be a partisan issue.

As President Biden and Speaker Pelosi perpetuate the lefts radical gender ideology, women deserve better from their elected leaders. It is shameful that Democrats divisive politics and radical gender ideology ignore basic science and are destroying womens sports that Title IX was created to protect.

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Scalise and Lesko: Fifty Years After Title IX, We Must Protect Women's Sports - Congressman Steve Scalise

House Republicans on Thursday marked the 50th anniversary of Title IX by calling for expanded protections of womens sports against transgender athletes.

GOP leader Kevin McCarthy and members of the conservative Republican Study Committee held a round table with female athletes, who talked about the impact of competing with male-born athletes in girls sports.

Fifty years after we made Title IX the law of the land, womens sports are facing an existential threat, Mr. McCarthy said. There are so many things that are unfair about this new system. It erases womens sports. It attacks American values like fair competition and it creates a world where female athletes who speak out are actually bullied by their peers.

The lawmakers at the roundtable included Rep. Jim Banks of Indiana, who chairs the Republican Study Committee, as well as Reps. Greg Steube of Florida, Kat Cammack of Florida, Burgess Owens of Utah and Debbie Lesko of Arizona.

Title IX was passed in 1972 to prohibit sex-based discrimination in any school or education program that had received federal funding.

Several former and current high school female athletes discussed the issue, including Riley Gaines, who spoke out after University of Pennsylvania swimmer Lia Thomas became the first transgender athlete to win an NCAA Division I national championship.

SEE ALSO: Senate Democrats block vote on Tuberville bill to ban males from womens sports

Ms. Gaines, who swims for the University of Kentucky, tied Ms. Thomas in the 200-yard freestyle for fifth place.

Several athletes criticized the Biden administrations push for the inclusion of transgender athletes, arguing that it threatened and damaged the independence of womens sports.

We are the ones who these policies are impacting. We are the victims of this ideology, said Macy Petty, who plays volleyball at Lee University in Tennessee.

Members also pledged to take swift action to pass bills to protect womens sports if Republicans take the House majority in November.

I think America needs to know where every member of Congress stands on this issue whether yourea Democrat or a Republican, said Mr. Steube, who introduced the Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act.

Mr. Steubes bill highlights that the language of sex in Title IX could be recognized solely on a persons reproductive biology and genetics at birth.

The White House announced that it would make sweeping changes to Title IX to expand the rights of transgender individuals and roll back a Trump-era policy of due process protections in campus-assault cases.

Education Secretary Miguel Cardona said the changes would add sexual orientation, gender identity, and sex characteristics to Title IX discrimination.

Ill continue to fight for the promise of Title IX that every woman and girl can pursue her education and dreams free from discrimination, and every LGBTQI+ student is protected, President Biden tweeted.

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McCarthy, House GOP call for protections of women's sports on Title IX 50th anniversary - Washington Times

If you didnt already know, there are tiny parasitic mites living in our skin.

They live in the pores on our face (and nipples!) and come out only at night moving between hair follicles in their quest to find a mate. Horrific.

Now, the first-ever full genome sequencing study of these mites (Demodex folliculorum) has revealed the genetics behind why they have such bizarre mating habits and body features, and how they might just be heading towards living within our tissues instead.

The new research has been published in the journal Molecular Biology and Evolution.

We found these mites have a different arrangement of body part genes to other similar species due to them adapting to a sheltered life inside pores, says co-lead author Dr Alejandra Perotti, associate professor of Invertebrate Biology at the University of Reading, UK.

These changes to their DNA have resulted in some unusual body features and behaviours.

For instance, males have a penis that protrudes upwards from the front of their body, so they must position themselves beneath the female as they both cling on to a human hair follicle to mate.

Best not to think about the party happening on your face every night as you sleep.

The microscopic eight-legged mites are carried by almost every human. Passed on to us during birth, their numbers peak in adulthood as our pores grow larger.

Inside the pores they eat sebum, an oily, waxy substance that coats, moisturises, and protects your skin that is released by the sebaceous glands there.

Thankfully, since theyre only 0.3 millimetres long theyre too small to be seen with the naked eye; this is very fortunate for us, since living in and on hair follicles apparently also includes our eyelashes.

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The mites isolated existence inside our pores has resulted in a lack of exposure to any external threats, zero competition to infest hosts, and no encounters with other mites containing different genes.

This has meant theyve become extremely simple organisms. And according to the authors, the lack of exposure to genetically diverse mates may have set the mites on course for an evolutionary dead end, and potential extinction.

This has been observed in bacteria living inside cells before, but never in an animal.

The researchers say an indication of a first step towards becoming symbionts is that the mites have many more cells at a young age compared with their adult stage. This contradicts a previous assumption that parasitic animals instead reduce their cell numbers early in development.

A shrinking genome also explains why the mites only become active at night: theyve lost the genes that make it possible to protect against ultraviolet (UV) radiation and to be awakened by daylight.

Not only that, but theyre unable to produce melatonin. While melatonin usually makes small invertebrates (animals without a spine) active at night, the mites fuel their all-night mating sessions using the melatonin secreted by human skin at night.

Some researchers had previously assumed the mites didnt even have an anus and must accumulate their faeces throughout their lifetimes before releasing it all when they die, causing skin inflammation.

But this new study has confirmed they do in fact have anuses and have been unfairly blamed for many skin conditions. Somehow, Im not that sympathetic.

Mites have been blamed for a lot of things. The long association with humans might suggest that they also could have simple but important beneficial roles, for example, in keeping the pores in our face unplugged, says co-lead author Dr Henk Braig, a researcher from the school of Natural Sciences at Bangor University in the UK and the National University of San Juan in Argentina.

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Sorry! Parasitic mites live in the pores on your face - Cosmos

By guest contributors Dyann Wirth, Rose Leke and Michelle A. Williams

Malaria elimination is possible. Ten countries have been certified malaria-free in the past five years, including China, which eliminated the disease from 30 million cases to zero cases. However, progress toward elimination has been uneven. Today, Africa bears 90% of the malaria burden and progress has stalled. In 2020, there were 240 million cases of malaria and 637,000 deaths worldwide. This is the same level of human suffering as was the case in 2015. Now is the time, we must act.

COVID-19 mobilized the world, proving that it is possible tomeet public health challenges quickly and effectively through international cooperation on health research and innovation, multisectoral coalitions, and collective action. This level of global action is exactly what is needed to end malaria.

Malaria, a threat to the most vulnerable in populations with long-term societal impact, must be approached as asocietal problem of health and economic development, not just as a medical problem. Malaria elimination efforts must beled by endemic countriesin partnership with multiple stakeholders within each country. Leadership must come from all levels of government, from community advocates to national leaders. In countries recently certified malaria free, the common feature is effective governmental leadership coupled with technical expertise and a strong community health workforce.

TheCOVID-19 pandemic has laid bare the limitations and inequities of our global health systems, most particularly in challenges related to the global health workforce. Investing in the health workforce is essential. Empowering health workers througheducation, training, and creating sustainable career paths that include fair wages for community health workers, are fundamental to progress. To end malaria, we need a workforce that takes a problem-solving approach and includes players from multiple sectors. Experts in diverse disciplinesbehavioral and social science, communications, finance, data sciencemust come together with community leaders to focus on resolving the barriers to malaria elimination. Universities and educational institutions can enable the training of this workforce at all levels.

Malaria data should be valued, visible, timely and employed by the public and policymakers in the same way COVID-19 data has been used for decision-making. Real-time data has been critical in other disease elimination programs such as smallpox and polio. Why not create Malaria Dashboards at the community level and national level to track progress and inform policy? Malaria has a toolbox of interventions, including the newly recommended vaccine, and the best mix of these tools will be defined by the locally derived data.

Malaria elimination policy and practices must be integrated into the broader health system without losing the focus on reduction of disease burden. Accelerating innovation for new tools and new ways of using existing tools is critical. Endemic countries have a great potential for entrepreneurship, research, and development. The malaria community should harness that potential.

Now is the time to imagine and keep working towards a malaria-free worldwe know it can be achieved.

Read more from the Rethinking Malaria collection on PLOS Global Public Health:

About the authors:

Professor Dyann F. Wirth (Richard Pearson Strong Professor of Infectious Diseases, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Chair, WHO Malaria Advisory Group, co-Chair, Rethinking Malaria in the Context of COVID19) has been a major leader in malaria research for more than 30 years. Recognizing the importance of bringing cutting-edge genomic science to the study of infectious diseases, she joined the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard shortly after its establishment to lead its infectious diseases initiative. two-term Using a multidisciplinary approach, her group explores challenges related to mosquito biology and the malaria parasite.

Leveraging the genomic tools of the human genomic project, the group has applied state-of-the-art technologies and novel approaches to better understand the fundamental biology of the malaria parasite, evolution, and mechanisms of drug and insecticide resistance. This work has provided completely new insight into how the malaria parasite has evolved, specifically in the areas of population biology, drug resistance, and antigenicity. The groups current efforts seek to determine both the number and identity of genes expressed by the parasite in response to drug treatment and to evaluate the role of these genes for parasite survival. This work aims to understand basic molecular mechanisms in protozoan parasites. Current findings have made significant contributions to advancing our understanding of malaria vaccine efficacy with long-term R&D goals to discover and apply preventive and therapeutic interventions against malaria infection. The groups research activities are made possible through collaborative research partnerships with investigators, universities, and clinical centers in Africa, Asia, and the Americas.

In addition to her research and teaching efforts, Professor Wirth directs Harvards Defeating Malaria: From the Genes to the Globe Initiative, a university-wide effort to produce, transmit, and translate knowledge to support the control and eradication of malaria. Wirth is past chair of the Department of Immunology and Infectious Diseases at the Harvard Chan (20062018). She is a member and current Chair of the World Health Organizations Malaria Policy Advisory Group (MPAG), fellow and past president of the American Society of Tropical Medicine & Hygiene (ASTMH), a fellow of the American Academy of Microbiology and American Association for the Advancement of Science, and member of the National Academy of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences. Professor Wirth is the first female recipient of the ASTMHs Walter Reed Medal, a recipient of ASTMHs Joseph Augustine LePrince Medal, was honored with BioMalPars Lifetime Achievement Award, and earned the USF Presidents Global Leadership Award. She is a past board member of the Burroughs Wellcome Fund and the Marine Biological Laboratory.

Rose Gana Fomban Leke (Emeritus Professor of Immunology and Parasitology, University of Yaound I, co-Chair, Rethinking Malaria in the Context of COVID-19)is Emeritus Professor of Immunology and Parasitology at the University of Yaound I. Her primary research interests center on the immunology of parasitic infections, in particular, malaria. Professor Leke has a keen interest in global health issues and has been involved in the worldwide Polio Eradication Initiative, global malaria elimination activities, and health systems strengthening efforts. She has been very effective in the training of the next generation of scientists, namely the empowerment of the young female scientists and women overall. Higher Women Cameroon, a high-impact mentoring program, is one of her primary initiatives.

In March 2013, she stepped down as Head of the Department of Immunology and Parasitology at the Faculty of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences and Director of the Biotechnology Centre at the University of Yaound I. Professor Leke is Executive Director of the Cameroon Coalition against malaria, Chair of the Multilateral Initiative on Malaria (MIM) Secretariat, member of the Canada Gairdner Foundation Global Health Award Advisory Committee, President of the Federation of African Immunological Societies, a fellow of the Cameroon Academy of Sciences CAS, a fellow of the African Academy of Science AAS, a fellow of the World Academy of Science, and two-term Council member of the International Union of Immunological Societies.

Professor Leke is co-Chair of Harvards Defeating Malaria: From the Genes to the Globe Initiative Executive Board (alongside Michelle Williams, Dean of the Faculty at the Harvard Chan) and Chair of the Board of Directors of the National Medical Research Institute. She serves as Vice President of the Scientific Committee of Cameroon First Ladys Research Centre. She is a member and Chair of the African Advisory Committee for Health Research (ACHR) and Global ACHR; a Board member of the Global Forum for Health Research; and served as Vice-Chair of the Technical Evaluation Reference Group (TERG) of the Global Fund to Fight HIV, TB, and Malaria. She was awarded a Plaque of Honor in recognition of her outstanding Services and dedication in leading the TERG in 2009.

She has served as a consultant on several past/current committees of the WHO, including the Malaria Policy Advisory Group, Malaria Elimination Oversight Committee, Global Certification Commission, Emergency Committee for Polio Eradication, and the Chair of the African Regional Commission for the Certification of the Eradication of Poliomyelitis. She also served as Chair of the Data Management Committee for a trial on Azithromycin-chloroquine, and was a member of the Scientific Advisory Group for Ebola vaccine trials in Guinea. In 2011, she was one of six women who received the African Union Kwame Nkrumah Scientific Award for Women and received the 2012 award for Excellence in Science from the Cameroon Professional Society. In 2014, she served as the Aggrey-Fraser-Guggisberg Memorial Lecturer at the University of Ghana and was awarded a Doctor Honoris Causa (DSc). In 2015, she was elected International Honorary Fellow of the American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene.

In 2018, she was elected one of nine women as Heroine of Health and was celebrated at a special event in Geneva in the presence of the Director-General World Health Organization (WHO), the Regional Director of the WHO/African Regional Office, and the Cameroon Minister of Health. On November 23, 2018, she was crowned by the Cameroon Medical Council as Queen Mother of the Cameroonian Medical Community.

Dean Michelle A. Williams is Dean of the Faculty, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, and Angelopoulos Professor in Public Health and International Development, a joint faculty appointment at the Harvard Chan School and Harvard Kennedy School. She is an internationally renowned epidemiologist and public health scientist, an award-winning educator, and a widely recognized academic leader. Prior to becoming Dean of the Faculty at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health in July 2016, she was professor and chair of the Department of Epidemiology and program leader of Harvards Clinical and Translational Sciences Center (Harvard Catalyst) Population Health and Health Disparities Research Program.

Dean Williams joined the Harvard Chan faculty after a distinguished career at the University of Washington (UW) School of Public Health. While at UW, she served as co-director of the Center for Perinatal Studies at the Swedish Medical Center in Seattle, WA. She developed and directed the Reproductive Pediatric and Perinatal Training Program at the UW, held a joint appointment in Global Health from 20082011, and was an affiliate investigator at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center 19922010.

As an acclaimed researcher, Dean Williamss scientific workplaces special emphasis on the areas of reproductive, perinatal, pediatric, and molecular epidemiology. She has extensive experience in carrying out large-scale, multidisciplinary research involving the collection and analysis of epidemiological data (e.g., sleep characteristics, physical activity, dietary intake, and environmental exposures) and biological specimens (e.g., blood-based biochemistry/biomarkers, flow cytometry, genetic variants, whole-genome expression of mRNA and miRNA), both domestically and internationally.

Dean Williams has published more than 425 peer-reviewed research papers ranging from studies of modifiable behavioral and environmental determinants of adverse health outcomes to genetic and genomic studies of common complications of pregnancy and chronic disorders among children and adults. She has successfully administered large-scale, clinical epidemiology studies that seek to understand genetic and environmental causes of adverse pregnancy outcomes and other non-communicable disorders along the life course. Dean Williams also developed and directed (for more than seven years) the Reproductive Pediatric and Perinatal Training Program at the UW. In 1994, Dean Williams developed and is currently directing, the NIH-funded multidisciplinary international research training (MIRT) program that allows for the development and operations of undergraduate and graduate student training in global health, biostatistics, and epidemiology in over 14 foreign research sites in South America, South East Asia, Africa, and Europe. She was appointed Board Co-Chair of Defeating Malaria: From the Genes to the Globe Initiative at Harvard University in 2016.

Dean Williams has been recognized for her excellence in teaching, as the recipient of the Harvard Chan Schools Outstanding Mentor Award (2015), the White Houses Presidential Award for Excellence in Science, Mathematics, and Engineering Mentoring (2012), the UWs Brotman Award for excellence in teaching (2007), and the American Public Health Associations Abraham Lilienfeld Award for education in epidemiology (2007). She earned undergraduate degrees in Biology and Genetics from Princeton University in 1984. She earned a masters degree in Civil Engineering from Tufts University, and a masters and doctoral degree in Epidemiology from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and Harvard University

Disclaimer: Views expressed by contributors are solely those of individual contributors, and not necessarily those of PLOS.

Read more:
Rethinking Malaria Why Now - Speaking of Medicine and Health - PLOS

About Flinders

Our bold vision, captured in our Strategic Plan: making a Difference: The 2025 Agenda, is to be internationally recognised as a world leader in research, an innovator in contemporary education, and the source of Australias most enterprising graduates.

To realise this ambition, we recently made a significant organisation change to a six College structure with a professional staff and services alignment.

We recognise the key to our success is exceptional people and were seeking an outstanding individual to join the team of our transformed university.

Employment Type:

Fixed Term (Fixed Term)

Position Summary

Availability:Fixed-Term for 2 Years | Full-Time

Compensation Grade:Research Academic Level A

Salary Range:$78,340 - $94,938 p.a.

Reporting to:ProfessorFlinders Health and Medical Research Institute

Under general direction of the Professor the Research Associate will work independently on a research project funded by the Australia Research Council (ARC) on nutrient control of cancer development.

The project will examine a key nutrient sensing enzyme and its role in driving cell proliferation within the Environmental Control of Cell Growth and Cell Division laboratory at the Flinders Centre for Innovation in Cancer (FCIC)/Flinders Health and Medical Research Institute (FHMRI) Cancer Research.

Key Position Responsibilities

The Research Associate is accountable for:

Key Position Capabilities

Prescribed Conditions for Employment

Flinders University has introduced aCOVID-19 Vaccination Policythat requires all new staff members to be up to date with their COVID-19 vaccinations, subject to medical exemptions and limited exemptions.

Information for Applicants:

You are required to provide a suitability statement of no more than three pages, addressing the key capabilities of the position as outlined above. In addition, you are required to upload your CV.

A valid National Police Certificate which is satisfactory to the University will also be required before the successful applicant can commence in this position.

We are seeking to increase the diversity to improve equal opportunity outcomes for employees, and therefore we encourage female applicants, people with a disability and/or from Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islanders descent to apply.

Please note, late applications and applications sent via agencies will not be accepted.

Applications Close 11:59 pm:

06 Jul 2022

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Research Associate in Cancer Development job with FLINDERS UNIVERSITY | 298210 - Times Higher Education

According to the American Academy of Dermatology Association, it's normal to shed between 50 to 100 hairs daily. However, if you're experiencing more hair loss on a regularly, other factors could be the cause. Hair loss can result of genetics, medical conditions, stress and vitamin deficiencies.

Diet plays a crucial role in developing healthy hair. If you severely lack essential nutrients such as vitamin A, C, D, E, zinc, protein, fatty acids and Biotin, it can lead to hair loss.

With a proper diet, you could have thicker, healthier hair. Keep reading to find out what vitamins are the best for hair growth.

Read more:Best Vitamins for Hair Growth

Vitamins do many amazing things for hair: They can aid in cell growth, prevent free radicals from damaging it, keep it from graying prematurely and nourish the follicles that stimulate growth.

Here are the best vitamins for hair growth and thickness.

Biotin, also known as vitamin B7, stimulates the production of keratin to increase follicle growth. Biotin deficiencies tend to be rare, with those diagnosed with Biotinidase Deficiency being the most common. You can find this vitamin in many foods, including eggs, meat, fish, nuts, eggs, sweet potatoes and seeds.

The recommended intake is 30 micrograms for adults daily.

Hair cells are the fastest-growing part of the body. It makes sense, then, that vitamin A is the perfect fuel for that growth. When your body absorbs vitamin A, it produces sebum. That's an oily substance that moisturizes your scalp, keeping it and your hair follicles healthy. Having a vitamin A deficiency could result in you experiencing hair loss.

If you're looking to consume more vitamin A, you'll want to consume foods high in beta-carotene, which turns into vitamin A. Foods high in beta-carotene include sweet potatoes, pumpkin, carrots, spinach and kale. You can also find it in cod liver oil, eggs, yogurt and milk.

The recommended daily intake for vitamin A is up to 900 mcg for men and 700 mcg for women.

Oxidative stress is one of the main factors contributing to hair loss. This occurs when we have an imbalance of free radicals and antioxidants in our bodies which can lead to an electron imbalance that could result in hair loss.

The solution is to consume foods with vitamin C. Your body possesses antioxidants that curtail free radicals' hair damage by balancing their electrons when you do. Along with balancing the scales, Vitamin C aids your body in producing collagen (prevents hair from graying prematurely) and absorbing iron which can help hair grow. Smoking, drinking alcohol and having a poor diet can lead to a vitamin C deficiency.

You'll find vitamin C in citrus fruits, peppers, strawberries, tomatoes and guavas. Since your body doesn't produce it, you'll need to include these in your diet or have a supplement with vitamin C.

Daily intake for vitamin C is up to 90 milligrams per day for adult men and 75 milligrams for adult women. Taking too much Vitamin C could result in heartburn, muscle cramps, fatigue, skin flushing and possible kidney stones.

Read more: Best Multivitamins

Vitamin D deficiencies can lead to hair loss conditions like alopecia, female pattern hair loss and excessive shedding. You'll find these depletions more in people aged 65 and over.

To get more vitamin D intake, you can incorporate fatty fish, cod liver oil, fortified foods (cereal, eggs, bread, yogurt) and mushrooms into your diet. Alternatively, you can catch some midday sun rays.

600 IU of vitamin D is the recommended dosage for adults. Taking too much vitamin D could result in nausea, weight loss, disorientation, and heart rhythm issues.

Vitamin E contains the same antioxidant prowess as its vitamin C counterpart possesses. It means it can curb oxidative stress by balancing out the electron level in free radicals. People more susceptible to vitamin E deficiencies include those with health conditions such as Crohn's or cystic fibrosis.

Vitamin E is an effective method for treating hair loss. A small study revealed that people taking vitamin E supplements for eight months experienced a 34.5% increase in hair growth. You can also find vitamin E in sunflower seeds, spinach, avocados, and almonds.

If you plan to go the supplemental route, the recommended dietary allowance is 15 milligrams daily.

Read more: Best Food Sources of Every Vitamin and Mineral You Need

Iron fuels the production of hemoglobin, a protein found in your body's red blood cells. These cells distribute oxygen to cells throughout your body, aiding in their repair and growth. An iron deficiency can lead to hair loss, with women being the most susceptible.

You'll find iron in foods like eggs, red meat, lentils, spinach, oysters and clams. If your doctor recommends it, you can take an iron supplement.

The recommended daily iron intake is 45 mg. Keep in mind that taking too much iron could result in constipation, stomach pain, and vomiting.

Zinc promotes hair growth and keeps the oil glands surrounding the follicles working well. If you have a Zinc deficiency, you could experience hair loss. Those most susceptible to zinc deficiencies are those who drink alcohol excessively, people with Crohn's, pregnant or breastfeeding women and those with chronic kidney ailments.

You can find zinc in many common foods like beef, spinach, wheat germ, pumpkin seeds, oysters and lentils. The recommended daily dosage of iron is 11 mg for men and 8 mg for women. Taking too much could result in loss of appetite, cramps and headaches. It can also lower your good cholesterol.

Read more: Best Vitamins for Hair, Skin and Nails

Hair supplements are not overnight solutions. It may take months before you'll notice small improvements. Remember that the success rate depends on the cause of the hair loss, your diet, genetics and other factors.

Vitamins can restore damaged hair, prevent it from aging prematurely, reduce hair loss, and improve growth and volume. However, they're not a one-size-fits-all solution. You'll want to consult your doctor if your hair loss stems from stressful environments, underlying medical conditions or genetics, as they can create a targeted treatment plan that might include vitamins.

The information contained in this article is for educational and informational purposes only and is not intended as health or medical advice. Always consult a physician or other qualified health provider regarding any questions you may have about a medical condition or health objectives.

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Take These 7 Vitamins if You Want Longer, Thicker Hair - CNET

Should there be laws in place to protect people with obesity from being denied a job or housing opportunities on the basis of their weight status? Whether or not you answer yes to that question may be influenced by your gender, race, or your own weight, according to a study that examined how these factors impact perceptions of obesity, weight bias, and weight-based discrimination laws.

About half of Americans would support laws against weight-based discrimination, with those who have personally experienced weight bias being about twice as likely to support the policy as people who have not, according to thefindings, which were presented June 7 at the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery Annual Meeting (ASMBS)in Dallas.

Weight bias is defined as negative attitudes, beliefs, judgments, stereotypes, and discriminatory acts aimed at people simply because of their weight, according to Obesity Action Coalition (OAC). This can be obvious or subtle, and can happen in any setting work, healthcare, school, and even personal relationships.

What exactly does weight bias look like in practice? Take the case of Taylor v. Burlington Northern Railroad Holdings, Inc. Casey Taylor was an ex-Marine who sued after the railway company made a conditional job offer but then revoked it when a medical exam found his BMI (body mass index) to be in the severely obese range. Taylor was 5 feet 6 inches tall and 256 pounds, which translates to a 41.3 BMI.

A person with a BMI of 25 to 29.9 is considered overweight, and a person with a BMI of over 30 is considered obese. According to the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute,BMI is calculated on the basis of a persons weight and height, and the same formula is used for both men and women.

The railway company informed Taylor that it was their policy to not hire anyone who had a BMI over 35; to be able to start work for the railroad, he would need to provide proof of satisfactory health by undergoing several tests (that he would have to pay for out of his own pocket) including a sleep study and an exercise tolerance test, or lose 10 percent of his body weight and keep it off for six months.

Taylor claimed this was a violation of Washington state's Law Against Discrimination. The case made it all the way to the Washington Supreme Court, where the court ruled in favor of Taylor. The court held that obesity is an impairment, and therefore a protected disability.

But statutes like the one in Washington are few and far between, says the senior author of the research,Fatima Cody Stanford, MD, MPH, an associate professor andobesity medicine physician scientist at Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School in Boston. There are no universal laws in the U.S. for weight discrimination. With the exception of Washington and Michigan and a few cities, it is legal to discriminate on the basis of weight, she says.

To find out more about peoples perceptions about obesity bias, researchers had a diverse group of 1,888 adults complete a 26-item online questionnaire; the participant makeup was as follows: 328 Asian or Pacific Islander, 404 Hispanic or Latinx, 395 Black, and 761 white. Questions explored issues such as whether or not obesity is a disease, what most Americans think about obesity, awareness of obesity advocacy organizations, and whether or not the participant supported laws against weight discrimination.

About half of Americans overall would back such legislation, and the researchers found there were several major predictors of support or lack thereof. Controlling for other variables, if you personally experienced weight bias, you were twice as likely to support this policy. If you considered obesity to be a disease, you were 1.8 times as likely, says Matt Townsend, MD, the lead author and a resident internal medicine doctor at Duke Health in Durham, North Carolina.

Interestingly, Black race and female gender were each associated with being 1.4 times as likely to support antidiscrimination laws. We can only conjecture that lived experience of stigma is a powerful motivator to make things more equitable, he says.

It makes sense that individuals who have had to navigate race and gender bias are more likely to support laws around weight bias, says Dr. Stanford. These individuals probably face more weight-based discrimination just because of their intersectional identities of being part of a racial/ethnic group, being female, and then having the disease of obesity compounding that, she says.

The American Medical Association (AMA) designated obesity a disease in 2013. Although it is influenced by behavioral factors, experts now recognize that genetics, environment, social determinants of health, and biological factors influenced by medications, illnesses, and hormones all play a role.

Having too much body weight for your height is associated with an increased risk of heart disease, high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, and even certain cancers. Its estimated that more than two in three U.S. adults have overweight or obesity, according to theU.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

When people have excess weight, other people make many assumptions. They may assume those individuals are lazy, passive, lack self-control, or make poor decisions, says Stanford. We know these biases are not true, but they are widely held beliefs in our society, she says.

Dr. Townsend believes that a problem as culturally ingrained as weight bias needs to be addressed on multiple fronts individual, institutional, and through societal or policy means. At a personal level, it's more awareness on the issue how it creates disparities in attainment, socioeconomic status, and psychological harms, he says.

At the institutional level, organizations can take steps to root out the most common sources of weight stigma, says Townsend. Our study found that the media was the most frequent source of weight bias, but high rates were also experienced in the employment and healthcare sectors, he says. Townsend uses the entertainment industry as an example of how a bias could be recognized and corrected by avoiding the fat-lazy stereotype in movie characters.

Action is also needed at the policy level, he says. The Civil Rights Act of 1964 does not identify weight as a protected condition, and as Stanford notes, laws that prevent weight-based discrimination are the exception, not the rule.

Legislation has the potential to create more equitable protection for people with obesity, and our study showed about half of Americans were supportive of the idea of laws against weight discrimination, says Townsend. These findings could be used to build public support in these natural allies for antidiscrimination legislation, he adds.

Wondering if you have negative assumptions around weight and may be part of the problem? One way to find out is to take the free Harvard implicit association test about weight bias, says Stanford. This can help you discern where you are on the spectrum; if you have biases in this area, then you can begin work on improving that."

Educating yourself can be a good start, she says. The Obesity Action Coalition offers information and resources to help people understand the issue, as well as ways that people can take action to foster positive change.

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Half of Americans Support Laws Against Weight-Based Discrimination - Everyday Health

California (United States) The Female Technology (Femtech) Market research report provides all the information related to the industry. It gives the outlook of the market by giving authentic data to its client which helps to make essential decisions. It gives an overview of the market which includes its definition, applications and developments and manufacturing technology. This Female Technology (Femtech) market research report tracks all the recent developments and innovations in the market. It gives the data regarding the obstacles while establishing the business and guides to overcome the upcoming challenges and obstacles.

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Chapter 1 Female Technology (Femtech) Market Overview

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Chapter 7 Global Market Analysis by Application

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Female Technology (Femtech) Market to Witness Huge Growth by 2029 |Abcam plc, Active Motif, Inc. Indian Defence News - Indian Defence News

WASHINGTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The Womens Brain Project, an international non-profit organization studying gender and sex determinants to brain and mental health and Altoida, a precision neurology company pioneering non-invasive brain health diagnostics using AI and augmented reality (AR), today announced results from a study showing sex-based differences using digital biomarker data collected from Altoidas digital cognitive assessment platform.

Published in EPMA Journal, the study explored sex differences in Altoidas digital cognitive assessment platform in a sample of 568 subjects consisting of a clinical dataset (mild cognitive impairment and dementia due to Alzheimers Disease) and a healthy population. The study results found that a biological sex classifier built on digital biomarker features, captured using Altoidas application, achieved a 75% performance rate in predicting biological sex in healthy individuals, indicating significant differences in neurocognitive performance signatures between males and females.

The discernible differences seem to decline in subjects with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) or overt Alzheimers Disease (AD), independent of age. In the healthy population, the primary differentiating features are micro hand gestures detectable on a wearable, that measured accelerometric data. In this assessment domain, the accuracy reached 80 percent versus the overall neurocognitive Altoida performance. The study found that sex differences can be observed via digital biomarkers, which has the potential to impact diagnosis and treatment of AD.

Our research shows how digital biomarkers can detect sex-based differences which are often overlooked when using standardized cognitive neuropsychological assessment, said Antonella Santuccione Chadha, M.D., CEO and Co-Founder Women's Brain Project and Chief Medical Officer at Altoida. These findings support the need for researchers and drug developers to account for sex-based characteristics in investigating prospective treatments for Alzheimers Disease.

Our ultimate goal is to build an integrated framework for sex-based cognitive assessment to predict, monitor and provide precision treatment of neurodegenerative disease, said Travis Bond, CEO, Altoida. Such a framework could be used for early detection of the disease, and enables both targeted prevention strategies and personalized Alzheimers treatment for patients. By integrating sex with risk stratification based on genetics and individual risk factors with the use of digital biomarker monitoring applications, this will enable the early detection and treatment of symptoms, when a patient has MCI, before development into Alzheimers.

Study results highlight sex-based differences

An MCI diagnosis is determined often later in females, compared to males. This study suggests that using sex-adjusted tools for diagnosis (or sex-adjusted cut-offs) may be needed to improve diagnostic precision. Predictive diagnostics using AD biomarkers in the pre-symptomatic or oligosymptomatic (MCI) stage, followed by targeted preventions and treatment personalized to those individuals considered high risk, are increasingly considered to represent the best chance at successful AD management.

The performance dropped when this classifier was applied to more advanced stages on the AD continuum, including MCI and dementia, suggesting that sex differences might be disease-stage dependent. The results indicate that neurocognitive performance signatures built on data from digital biomarker features are different between men and women. These results stress the need to integrate traditional approaches to dementia research with digital biomarker technologies and personalized medicine perspectives to achieve more precise predictive diagnostics, targeted prevention, and customized treatment of cognitive decline.

The results may also enable researchers to better understand the pathophysiological mechanisms of the disease, which might differ between sexes, with opportunities for personalized treatment. From a predictive medicine perspective, including sex differences might make predictions more precise, especially with algorithms that incorporate multiple variables. In particular, considering sex differences may improve the ability to predict fast decliners in MCI patients, which is a key element for planning therapy and care options. From a precision medicine perspective, whether a patient is a male or female makes a difference, based on the study data. More data on sex differences could guide future clinical practice, informing choices for ad-hoc prevention, diagnosis and treatment options.

These findings should be integrated with the most powerful recent developments in digital medicine to build models of disease development that can fully integrate the effect of sex, digital biomarker technology being one of the most promising tools when developing drugs or digital therapeutics in AD. The study was conducted to show the research community that there are potential sex differences in cognitive testing in Alzheimers, in order to implement measures to mitigate potential biases in clinical application.

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Women's Brain Project and Altoida Announce Results Highlighting Sex-Based Differences Using Predictive Digital Biomarker in Alzheimer's Disease -...

Several months ago, a lab technologist at Barnes-Jewish Hospital mixed the blood components of two people: Alphonso Harried, who needed a kidney, and Pat Holterman-Hommes, who hoped to give him one.

The goal was to see whether Harrieds body would instantly see Holterman-Hommes organ as a major threat and attack it before surgeons could finish a transplant. To do that, the technologist mixed in fluorescent tags that would glow if Harrieds immune defense forces would latch onto the donors cells in preparation for an attack. If, after a few hours, the machine found lots of glowing, it meant the kidney transplant would be doomed. It stayed dark: They were a match.

I was floored, said Harried.

Both recipient and donor were a little surprised. Harried is Black. Holterman-Hommes is white.

Could a white person donate a kidney to a Black person? Would race get in the way of their plans? Both families admitted those kinds of questions were flitting around in their heads, even though they know, deep down, that its more about your blood type and all of our blood is red, as Holterman-Hommes put it.

Scientists widely agree that race is a social construct, yet it is often conflated with biology, leaving the impression that a persons race governs how the body functions.

Its not just laypeople its in the medical field as well. People often conflate race with biology, said Dr. Marva Moxey-Mims, chief of pediatric nephrology at Childrens National Hospital in Washington, D.C.

Shes not talking just about kidney medicine. Race has been used as a shorthand for how peoples bodies work for years across many fields not out of malice but because it was based on what was considered the best science available at the time. The science was not immune to the racialized culture it sprung from, which is now being seen in a new light. For example, U.S. pediatricians recently ditched a calculation that assumed Black children were less likely to get a urinary tract infection after new research found the risk had to do with a childs history of fevers and past infections not race. And obstetricians removed race and ethnicity from a calculation meant to gauge a patients ability to have a vaginal birth after a previous cesarean section, once they determined it was based on flawed science. Still, researchers say those race-based guidelines are just a slice of those being used to assess patients, and are largely based on the assumption that how a person looks or identifies reflects their genetic makeup.

Race does have its place during a doctors visit, however. Medical providers who give patients culturally competent care the act of acknowledging a patients heritage, beliefs, and values during treatment often see improved patient outcomes. Culturally competent doctors understand that overt racism and microaggressions can not only cause mental distress but also that racial trauma can make a person physically sick. Race is a useful tool for identifying population-level disparities, but experts now say it is not very useful in making decisions about how to treat an individual patient.

Because using race as a medical shorthand is at best imprecise and at worst harmful, a conversation is unfolding nationally among lawmakers, scientists, and doctors who say one of the best things patients can do is ask if and how their race is factored into their care.

Doctors and researchers in kidney care have been active recently in reevaluating their use of race-based medical guidance.

History is being written right now that this is not the right thing to do and that the path forward is to use race responsibly and not to do it in the way that weve been doing in the past, says Dr. Nwamaka Eneanya, a nephrologist with Fresenius Medical Care, who in a previous position with the University of Pennsylvania traced in the journal Nature the history of how race a social construct became embedded in medicine.

The perception that there is such a thing as a Black or white kidney quietly followed patient and donor as Harried and Holterman-Hommes were on the path to the transplant in their medical records and in the screening tests recommended.

Medical records described Harried as a 47-year-old Black or African American male and Holterman-Hommes as a 58-year-old, married Caucasian female. Harried does not recall ever providing his race or speaking with his physicians about the influence of race on his care, but for two years or more his classification as Black or African American was a factor in the equations doctors used to estimate how well his kidneys were working. As previous KHN reporting lays out, that practice distinguishing between Black and non-Black bodies was the norm. In fall 2021, a national committee determined race has no place in estimating kidney function, a small but significant step in revising how race is considered.

Dr. Lisa McElroy, a surgeon who performs kidney transplants at Duke University, said the constant consideration of race is the rule, not the exception, in medicine.

Medicine or health care is a little bit like art. It reflects the culture, she said. Race is a part of our culture, and it shows up all through it and health care is no different.

McElroy no longer mentions race in her patients notes, because it really has no bearing on the clinical care plan or biology of disease.

Still, such assumptions extend throughout health care. Some primary care doctors, for example, continue to hew to an assumption that Black patients cannot handle certain kinds of blood pressure medications, even while researchers have concluded those assumptions dont make sense, distract doctors from considering factors more important than race like whether the patient has access to nutritious food and stable housing and could prevent patients from achieving better health by limiting their options.

Studying population-level patterns is important for identifying where disparities exist, but that doesnt mean peoples bodies innately function differently just as population-level disparities in pay do not indicate one gender is fundamentally more capable of hard work.

If you see group differences theyre usually driven by what we do to groups, said Dr. Keith Norris, not by innate differences in those groups. Still, medicine often continues to use race as a crude catchall, said Norris, a UCLA nephrologist, as if every Black person in America experiences the same amount and the same quantity of structural racism, individualized racism, internalized racism, and gene polymorphisms.

In Harried and Holterman-Hommes case, one striking example of race being used as shorthand for determining how peoples bodies work was an informational guide given to Holterman-Hommes that said African Americans with high blood pressure could not donate an organ, but Caucasians with high blood pressure might still qualify.

I cant believe they actually wrote that down, said Dr. Vanessa Grubbs, a nephrologist at the University of California-San Francisco. That worries Grubbs because using race as a reason to exclude donors can create a situation in which Black transplant recipients have to work harder to find a living donor than others would.

I do think that criteria such as these become barriers for transplantation, said Dr. Rajnish Mehrotra, head of nephrology at the University of Washington. He said that type of hypertension distinction could exclude potential donors like the 56% of Black adults with high blood pressure in the U.S. when more of them are sorely needed.

The inclusion of race did not necessarily affect Harrieds ability to receive a kidney, nor Holterman-Hommes ability to give him one. But following their case offers a glimpse into the ways race and biology are often cemented together.

The St. Louis Case

Harried and Holterman-Hommes met 20 years ago when they worked together at a nonprofit that serves youth experiencing homelessness in St. Louis. Harried was the guy who pulled kids out of their ruts and into a creative mindset, from which they would write poems and songs and do artwork. Holterman-Hommes said he was the calm in their storm. Harried calls Holterman-Hommes big stuff because she is the nonprofits CEO who keeps the lights on and the donations coming in. You never knew that she was the president of the company, said Harried. There wasnt an air about her.

Harried resigned in 2018 as his health declined. Then in 2021, Holterman-Hommes saw a KHN article about Harried and decided to see if she could help her former colleague. Although Holterman-Hommes mother was born with one kidney, she had lived a long and healthy life, so Holterman-Hommes figured she could spare one of her own.

As Holterman-Hommes explored becoming a donor candidate, initial tests showed high blood pressure readings, in addition to lower-than-ideal kidney function. But I like to get an A on a test, she said, so she redid both sets of tests, repeating the kidney function test after staying better hydrated and the blood pressure test after a big work deadline had passed. She moved on in the screening process after her results improved.

Grubbs wonders whether, if Holterman-Hommes had been Black, they would have just dismissed her. Grubbs shared an instance in which she suspects thats exactly what happened to the wife of a patient of hers in California who needed a kidney transplant.

The wife, who is Black and was in her 50s at the time, wasnt allowed to give the patient a kidney because of her hypertension.

There are people in this country that will tell you that, Oh, white people donate kidneys, Black people dont donate kidneys, and thats not true, said Mehrotra. You hear that racist trope. But [there are] all of these barriers to kidney donation.

Barnes-Jewish Hospital later said it had given Holterman-Hommes an outdated guide, an unfortunate circumstance that is being corrected, and provided a new one that does not say Black people with hypertension cannot donate. Instead, it says that people cannot donate if they have hypertension that was either diagnosed before age 40 or requires more than one medication to manage.

But at some point, it was a policy, said Harried, whose kidneys have been failing for several years. And its unclear how many years that outdated guidance shaped perceptions among those seeking care at Barnes-Jewish, which performs more living-donor kidney transplants per year than any other location in Missouri, according to the Scientific Registry of Transplant Recipients.

There is little transparency into how medical centers incorporate race into their decision-making and care. Guidelines from the United Network for Organ Sharing, the national organization in charge of the transplant system, leave the door open for hospitals to exclude a donor with any condition that, in the hospitals medical judgment, causes the donor to be unsuitable for organ donation.

Tanjala Purnell, an epidemiologist at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health studying disparities in kidney transplantation, said she knows of several centers that used race-based criteria, though some have relaxed those rules, instead deciding case by case. Theres not a standard set to say, Well, no, you can absolutely not have different rules for different people, she said. We dont have those safeguards. Dr. Tarek Alhamad, medical director of the kidney program at the Washington University and Barnes-Jewish Transplant Center, said race-based criteria for kidney donations arent created to exclude Black people it was born of a desire to avoid harming them.

African Americans are more likely to have end-stage renal disease, they are more likely to have end-stage renal disease related to hypertension. And they are more likely to have genetic factors that would lead to kidney dysfunction, said Alhamad.

Compared with white and Hispanic donors, non-Hispanic Black donors are known to be at higher risk for developing kidney failure because of their donation, though its still very rare.

He said it feels unethical to take a kidney from someone who may really need it down the line. This is our role as physicians not to do harm.

The Science

Researchers are studying a possible way to clarify who is really at risk in donating a kidney, by identifying specific risk factors rather than pinning odds on the vague concept of race.

Specifically, a gene called APOL1 could influence a persons likelihood of developing kidney disease. All humans have two copies of this gene, but there are different versions, or variants, of it. Having two risk variants increases the chance of kidney injury.

The risk variants are most prevalent in people with recent African ancestry, a group that crosses racial and ethnic boundaries. About 13% of African Americans have the double whammy of two risk variants, said Dr. Barry Freedman, chief of nephrology at the Wake Forest School of Medicine. Even then, he said, their fate isnt sealed most people in that group wont get kidney failure. We think they need a second hit, like HIV infection, or lupus, or covid-19.

Freedman is leading a study that looks, in part, at how kidney donors with those risk variants fare in the long term.

This is really important because the hope is that kidneys wont be discarded or turned down as frequently, said Moxey-Mims, who is also involved in the research.

Researchers who are focused on health equity say that while APOL1 testing could help separate race from genetics, it could be a double-edged sword. Purnell pointed out that if APOL1 is misused for example, if a transplant center makes a blanket rule that no one with two risk variants can donate, rather than using it as a starting point for shared decision-making, or if doctors offer the test based only on a patients looks it could merely add another criterion to the list by which certain people are excluded.

We have to do our due diligence, said Purnell, to ensure that any effort to be protective doesnt end up making the pool of available donors for certain groups smaller and smaller and smaller. Purnell, McElroy, and others steeped in transplant inequities say that as long as race which is a cultural concept defining how someone identifies, or how they are perceived is used as a stand-in for someones ancestry or genetics, the line between protecting and excluding people will remain fuzzy.

Thats the heart of the matter here, said McElroy.

So where does race belong in kidney transplant medicine? Many of the physicians interviewed for this article many of them people of color said it primarily serves as a potential indicator of hurdles patients may face, rather than as a marker of how their bodies function.

For example, McElroy said she might spend more time with Black patients building trust with them and their families, or talking about how important living donations can be, similar to the ways she might spend more time with a Spanish-speaking patient making sure they know how to access a translator, or with an elderly patient emphasizing how important physical activity is.

The purpose is not to ignore the social determinants of health of which race is one, she said. Its to try to help them overcome the race-specific or ethnicity-specific barriers to receiving excellent care.

While all the science gets sorted out, Eneanya is trying to get the message out to patients: Just ask the question: Is my race being used in my clinical care? And if it is, first of all, what race is in the chart? Is it affecting my care? And what are my options?

Just keep your eyes open, ask questions, said Harried.

In late April, a kidney from Holterman-Hommes body was successfully placed into Harrieds. Both are home now and say they are doing well.

Rae Ellen Bichell: rbichell@kff.org,@raelnb

Cara Anthony: canthony@kff.org,@CaraRAnthony

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Race Is Often Used as Medical Shorthand for How Bodies Work. Some Doctors Want to Change That. - Kaiser Health News

(CNN) After age and genetics, being a woman is the single most important risk factor for developing Alzheimers disease, experts say.

Two out of every three brains affected by Alzheimers disease are womens brains, said Dr. Richard Isaacson, director of the Alzheimers Prevention Clinic in the Center for Brain Health at Florida Atlantic Universitys Schmidt College of Medicine.

Now, a new study has good news when it comes to giving women a chance to reduce their increased risk. Personalized lifestyle interventions such as diet, exercise, stress reduction and sleep hygiene were able to reduce Alzheimers risk factors in both sexes, but they worked even better in women.

Our individually tailored interventions led to greater improvements in women compared to men across risk scales for Alzheimers and cardiovascular disease, said Isaacson, who coauthored the paper.

Women also showed greater improvements than men in biomarkers such as lower blood sugar and lower LDL, or low-density lipoprotein, which is the bad cholesterol.

This study clearly reinforces the need for additional larger studies to be able to better predict the baseline cognitive trajectory in aging females versus males, said Rudy Tanzi, a professor of neurology at Harvard Medical School. He is director of the genetics and aging research unit at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston.

As we aim to find ways to nip this disease in the bud stage, we will need to know if prevention and treatment strategies will work equivalently on both men and women. This new study clearly brings us a big step closer to that goal, said Tanzi, who was not involved in the study.

Impact of personalized interventionsThe new study followed a subset of people participating in a 10-year study designed to test the impact of personalized recommendations on cognitive function and risk factors for dementia. The Comparative Effectiveness Dementia and Alzheimers Registry trial, which began in 2018, is being conducted at NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center in New York City.

After full blood, physical, cognitive and genetic workups, patients were provided with individualized genetic counseling and education. Medications, vitamins and supplements were tailored to each persons unique results as well. In addition, all participants received personalized lifestyle interventions, such as counseling on exercise, diet, blood pressure control, sleep hygiene and stress reduction.

Everyone in the CEDAR trial has a family history of Alzheimers, but the majority had no signs of cognitive decline when the study began, Isaacson said. Of the 154 men and women participating in the research, 35 were diagnosed with mild cognitive impairment, or MCI, due to Alzheimers, but it was not severe enough to impact their daily lives, he said.

The original studys main findings were published in 2019. People with MCI saw their performance on cognitive tests for memory and thinking skills improve by nearly 5 points when they followed at least 60% of their lifestyle recommendations (on average, at least 12 of the 21 different recommendations) for 18 months.

However, the 2019 study found that people with mild cognitive impairment who followed less than 60% of the suggestions showed no cognitive improvement in fact, they continued to decline by 6 points on average.

The cognitively normal patients with a family history of Alzheimers disease, called the prevention group, were able to get an equally impressive cognitive boost of an average of 4.5 points by following at least some of the lifestyle recommendations. It didnt seem to matter if they followed less than 60% of them, Isaacson said.

The good news from our study is that there were actually cognitive improvements at 18 months in both women and men when compared to the control populations, Isaacson said. A lot of the drugs that have been studied aim to delay cognitive decline, but it is harder to show improved cognition over time.

Approximately half of the participants in CEDAR carry at least one APOE gene, which may increase the risk of developing Alzheimers disease. However, the study found no difference in the interventions cognitive benefits for those with one or two copies of APOE compared with those without the gene, so that was also reassuring, Isaacson said.

Impact on women versus menThe new study, published Tuesday in the journal of the Prevention of Alzheimers Disease, took the original 2019 study a step further by analyzing a subset of participants to see whether there was any difference between men and women when it came to how well the lifestyle interventions work.

Women have very different and unique risk factors than men for dementia, Isaacson said. Women have a 39% higher risk of dementia if they have fat accumulating around their midsection.

And the rapid decline in estrogen during the perimenopause transition can actually be one of the most impactful risk factors for developing Alzheimers pathology in the brain, he said.

In the new analysis, women in the prevention group, who started the trial with no cognitive issues, demonstrated greater improvements than men in two areas: one of two cardiovascular risk scales and in levels of the good cholesterol, HDL, or high-density lipoprotein, which is protective against heart disease.

Women with mild cognitive decline, called the early treatment group, showed greater improvements than men when it came to average blood sugar levels and two cardiovascular risk scales. This female cohort also had more significant improvements in several important cholesterol (or lipid) biomarkers than men in the early treatment group.

For all participants, complying with an additional 10% of the personalized recommendations resulted in an additional 0.9 point improvement for women and 0.41 points of improvement for men on tests of cognition.

How does reducing cardiovascular risk impact future cognition? Because whats good for the heart is good for the brain, experts say.

Vascular risk factors such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol, high blood sugar or diabetes may not be the cause of Alzheimers disease, but it can fast-forward Alzheimers pathology, Isaacson said. I would prefer to slam on the brakes rather than rev the engine on the path to cognitive decline.

Finding that women were able to reduce their risk even more than men is welcome news, Isaacson said, as it provides a promising area for future study and gives hope that women can tip the battle against Alzheimers in their favor.

By treating people in an evidence-based yet safe way, using multiple lifestyle and medical interventions, weve shown that you can really make an impact on brain health, he said.

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Peter and Sandra Krause and daughter Robyn, Sunnyside Wagyu, Inverell, right, with Troy Stephens and the Yulong Investments team and Peter Brazier from GDL after the $400,000 heifer sale.

AN incredible new benchmark has been set for the Australian seedstock industry, when last nights Elite Wagyu Sale held as part of the industrys 2022 Wagyu Edge Conference in Melbourne lit up with a series of blistering new records.

Heifers sold to an incredible $400,000, setting a new all-breeds record for any seedstock animal. The figure easily eclipsed the previous bull record held by a Brahman of $325,000, and the registered female record of $280,000 set by a Wagyu heifer (see Beef Centrals comprehensive list of record prices for bulls and females).

The depth of relentless bidding support last night from across Australia, plus North America, Europe and Asia saw 16 registered females average an incredible $67,406. Ten bulls offered and sold averaged $72,950 another all-breeds record hitting a new breed record high of $240,000. Eighty four individual embryos averaged $2632, while semen straws averaged $3178 each.

The sale can easily lay claim to being the strongest result ever seen in the beef seedstock industry, worldwide. Morew than 100 bidders were logged-on from across the globe, together with 300 live in the conference room last night.

Opening the sale and setting the new $400,000 all-breeds record was a 13-month-old unjoined female from Peter and Sandra Krause and familys Sunnyside Wagyu, Inverell. With all four $Indexes in the top one percent for the breed, and the highest marbling EBV in the catalogue at +3, the heifer drew bidding interest from all over the globe. The eventual buyer was Yulong Investments from Nagambie VIC, which was also a prominent buyer at the recent Mayura Wagyu genetics sale.

The top price bull, Sahara Park Yasufuku R153, a 16 month old son of high marbling performer World K Yasufuku Jr, offered by Dean and Sam Pollard of Sahara Park, Rockhampton QLD, was purchased by Que Hornery from Bar H Grazing, Moranbah. Mr Hornery said the bull, with a marbling EBV of +2.1 and an F1 Index of $175, would be the star in taking his business to another level.

Next best among the bulls at $220,000 was an unusual pick one of three offering from prominent Victorian Wagyu breeder David Blackmore all carrying rare combinations of elite Wagyu genetics.

The buyer was Hewitt Pastoral Enterprises, which has been an active participant in securing elite Wagyu genetics this year.

Post-auction approaches could see deals done in coming days on the remaining two bulls from the offering, Mr Blackmore told Beef Central.

Australian Wagyu Association president Charlie Perry said it was incredible to see the optimism being expressed by bidders and buyers throughout last nights sale.

It was a coming-of-age for this particular sale, which features only animals within the top five percent of Wagyu EBVs. Every single lot offered was of extremely high quality, and buyers clearly recognised that.

Mr Perry said the result was a testament to the confidence evident across the entire Australian beef industry at present, and the Wagyu sector in particular.

Buyers are recognising the contribution of the genetic tools that are now contributing to increasing the accuracy of animal performance figures. All entries were very proven animals, at least one generation back in their pedigrees.

GDL selling team fielding bids at last nights Elite Wagyu auction

Mr Perry agreed that the sale also flagged the value that the industry now placed in high performing females. For the first time in history, a female stands as the highest priced animal ever in the Australian seedstock industry.

Whats changing that is the contribution not only of embryo transfer work, but IVF, he said.

Suddenly, these elite females contain a whole lot more value than what they once did.

A similar trend was seen in the sales semen offering, selling to $37,500 for three straws of Macquarie Wagyus Coates Itoshigenami G113, and grossing almost $500,000 for 156 straws.

With IVF technology, one straw of semen can now yield 40 calves, instead of one or two in the past. Each straw has greater inherent value.

Underpinning all this is the current state of the cattle market, and the continued strong seasonal prospects in many parts of Australia. Its a great time to be in beef, Mr Perry said.

The current mood for securing elite quality Wagyu genetics was clearly set earlier this month at the annual Mayura Wagyu genetics sale, where principal Scott de Bruin sold a collection of 45 lots covering 22 heifers, 13 bulls, nine semen straw lots and a single offering of four embryos averaged $55,011/lot an all-time record for any single-vendor seedstock sale of any breed in Australia, and potentially, the world.

To have the best genetics on offer from 39 leading Wagyu breeders from around the world, in one place at one time last night, created an astounding event and spectacle, AWA chief executive Matt McDonagh said.

The AWA Elite Wagyu Sale has become the hallmark Wagyu genetics event for the global Wagyu sector. The result consolidates Wagyus position in the global beef industry at the cutting edge of progress.

Agents for the simultaneous live and online sale were Grant Daniel & Long and Elders.

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Elite Wagyu sale lights-up, with all-breeds record prices and averages - Beef Central

A recent portrait of Rosalind Morris. (Photo: Courtesy)

Rosalind Morris, a celebrated wheat cytogeneticist and professor, peacefully passed away on March 26, 2022, just a few weeks shy of her 102nd birthday. Morris fought a long battle with cancer in her 90s and, most recently, an infection of COVID-19, which proved fatal to her health.

According to her wishes, there was no funeral or memorial service. Morriss body was cremated, and her ashes deposited in her familys plot in Ontario, Canada.

Born in Ruthin, United Kingdom, in 1920 to schoolteacher parents, Morris pursued studies in agricultural sciences at the University of Guelph and earned a bachelors degree in horticulture. Morris would later earn a Ph.D. from Cornell Universitys department of plant breeding, becoming one of the first two women to accomplish this feat, along with Leona Schnell.

A pioneer in agricultural science and one of the first women scientists of her time, Morris dedicated her life and career to understanding and developing wheat genes. Her contributions include the development of wheat genetic stocks, or wheat populations generated for genetic studies, with far-reaching impact globally in explaining wheat genetics. The work of Morris provided a premier resource base for the emerging field of functional genomics, which explores how DNA is translated into complex information in a cell.

During World War II, Morriss deep concern over the effects of atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki led her to study and experiment with the effects of X-rays and thermal neutrons on crop plants. In 1979, Morris became the first woman honored as a fellow of the American Society of Agronomy.

While being an acclaimed scientist internationally, Morris was also known for her passion for teaching. In the same year Morris earned her doctoral degree from Cornell University, she was hired as the first female faculty member in the agronomy department at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln (UNL) in 1947. This career would last 43 years: first as an assistant professor in 1947, becoming a professor in 1958 and remaining in that role until 1990, when she gained the title of emeritus professor of plant cytogenetics.

Morris was a trailblazer for women in agronomy during a point in history when few women were given the opportunity to pursue a career in the sciences. Morris is remembered by her peers not only for her lifelong contribution to agricultural sciences but also her immense kindness and patience.

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Celebrating the life of Rosalind Morris, trailblazer for women in agriculture - CIMMYT

By Brendan Foster

The pandemic makes daily life a struggle for many Pennslyvanians. Rather than help their constituents, opportunists in the legislature aim to make life even harder for some of the most vulnerable citizens of the Commonwealth.

Last year, Representative Barbara Gleim of Cumberland county introduced HB 972, which successfully passed committee last month. The bill bans public schools and colleges from allowing transgender women and girls to compete in sports designated for women.

As the name implies, the ostensible purpose of the bill is to protect cisgender women from competing against trans athletes, whom Gleim claims have an unfair advantage against their cis peers. However, like similar bills introduced nationwide, it actually uses trans women as pawns to ride a wave of backlash against advances in trans rights.

This bill is only one of a record-shattering 238 anti-LGBTQ bills proposed in state assemblies nationwide. While many restrict or ban vital treatment for transgender youth against the recommendations of medical and psychiatric experts, 25, including HB 972 restrict or ban trans women from womens sports.

Supporters of these bans often claim they are only recognizing the reality of biology, and Rep. Gleim is no different. At the same Education Committee meeting, she gave several examples of advantages trans women have over their cis peers, such as muscle mass and lung size. While this might make it seem like the science is settled, actual scientific studies show that things are not so clear.

A 2021 paper from the International Federation of Sports Medicine (FIMS) and the European Federation of Sports Medicine Associations (EFSMA) states that, while testosterone levels do give athletes an advantage, regulations for trans women must be written on a sport-by-sport basis. Nowhere do the authors recommend a total ban on trans women in womens sports like HB 972 proposes.

Another 2021 statement from FIMS argues that, while there is consensus on regulations for testosterone levels, there is a distinct lack of sports performance data to inform and update sports policy for transgender athletes. In other words, there is currently no scientific consensus supporting HB 972 or any regulations on trans women athletes beyond testosterone levels.

Clearly, the existence of trans athletes in Pennsylvania must be an urgent crisis for lawmakers to so blatantly ignore the scientific consensus. Which begs the question: where are the trans women dominating womens sports?

Gleim could not answer that at last months committee meeting, likely because trans people represent a tiny section of the population: A 2016 survey found 1.4 million American adults are trans, while more recent experimental data found around 2 million, a little more than 1% of the adult population. That means there are approximately 96,000 trans adults in the commonwealth.

In addition, intersexed people, people born with sex characteristics or genetics that do not fit into the male-female sex binary Gleim assumes, make up 1.7% of the population about the same number of red-haired people. The bill does not say where they go, despite being just as big a population as the trans people Gleim finds so threatening.

If this is purely an issue of preserving fairness in sports, which it is not, this might be the most inefficient way of going about it possible.

There is also the question of how Gleim wants to enforce the ban in the first place. Her ignorance of the available scientific data is once again demonstrated by the fact that the bill offers no guidelines regarding testosterone levels for trans women, as experts recommend; it simply states that sex is determined by the reproductive anatomy and genes. This language potentially subjects trans as well as cis students, including minors, to invasive sex tests to prove they fit a pre-determined definition of feminity.

As Lancaster high school student Olivia Heim stated in a speech for the Pennsylvania Youth Congress, the femininity of girls that are simply naturally taller and stronger might be challenged, subjecting them to sex tests to prove their bodies fit a narrow definition of what a female body should look like. Ironically, instead of protecting women and girls, HB 972 reinforces a system that takes a purely fictional idea of what a woman is, and uses it to crush and suppress any woman, cis or trans, that does not fit into it.

There is serious doubt that, even if passed by the General Assembly, the bill would last very long. Not only did Gove. Wolf state that he would veto it, similar bills have been struck down or blocked in federal courts. If attempting to pass the bill is so pointless, it is unclear why Gleim would propose it.

The simple answer is that Gleim, like other Republicans and conservative politicians nationwide, is attempting to ride a trend in the culture war by attacking one of the most vulnerable and maligned groups in Pennsylvania.

Trans people attempt suicide at a rate of 40%, and sports can create a sense of camaraderie and belonging for people who feel like outsiders. Defeating this bill is not just a fight for the right to belong, it is a fight for life itself.

Brendan Foster is a journalist based in Harrisburg, Pa.

See the article here:
Where are the trans women dominating womens sports? | Opinion - PennLive

SEATTLE If it werent for squirrels, Bagel probably wouldnt be here today at Washington State Universitys College of Veterinary Medicine. The yellow Labrador was destined to be a guide dog for the blind but flunked out because she was distracted by small animals. Now, this otherwise very good girl has a second chance to be of service by participating in the most comprehensive study ever conducted of health and aging in dogs.

Bagels owner, Brenda Voght, volunteered her to join a research pack that already includes more than 37,000 pet dogs across the country and is expected to swell to 100,000. Called the Dog Aging Project, the ambitious undertaking seeks to answer many of the questions dog owners ask and often anguish over: Why do some breeds live longer than others? How do genetics, environment and lifestyle affect longevity and the risk of disease? And, above all: How can we ensure our beloved companions stay healthy, happy and active for as long as possible?

I would like to know if there is something we can do as humans, as their partners, to extend their lives a little longer, says Voght. After her last dog died, it was a year before she was able to open her heart to another puppy.

She fostered Bagel for about a year, then adopted her after the canines career change the gentle euphemism used when guide dogs dont make the cut.

On average, yellow Labs live 10 to 12 years.

Bagel is 9.

The project welcomes dogs of all types and ages and plans to track them for at least 10 years, says Daniel Promislow, an evolutionary geneticist at UW Medicine who co-founded the initiative and helped assemble a national team of more than 80 researchers, veterinarians and data scientists to coordinate the massive undertaking.

No one has ever investigated such a large number of dogs over such a long period of time, especially at the level of detail Promislow and his colleagues envision. One branch of the study is sequencing the genomes of at least 10,000 dogs. Another zeros in on the oldest dogs in the pack the supercentenarians to look for keys to their longevity.

All of us are really excited about what will come out of it, says Elaine Ostrander, who pioneered genetic analysis of dogs more than two decades ago in Seattle at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center. She now works at the National Human Genome Research Institute.

Its long been clear that big dogs have shorter lifespans than small dogs, and that different breeds are predisposed to different ailments, says Ostrander, who is not involved in the project. Golden retrievers are prone to cancers. German shepherds often develop hip dysplasia. Doberman pinschers have a high prevalence of heart disease. The Dog Aging Project will help reveal more about the mechanisms behind those links, she says.

Theyre going to be able to make those connections pretty tightly because their data set is the biggest one out there.

The researchers also hope to gain insights into normal aging, along with the entire spectrum of ailments that plague older dogs, from arthritis and hearing loss to cataracts and cognitive decline. Discovering ways to help dogs live longer would be wonderful, says Promislow. But the primary goal is to prolong health span that golden period of well-being when dogs can leap and dive and fetch and snuggle free from pain or disability.

We want to help each dog live the longest, healthiest lifespan that it can, he says.

The findings could be relevant to human health as well.

Dogs suffer from many of the same diseases we do. And unlike mice and other animals used in laboratory studies, dogs are genetically diverse. They live in our homes, breathe the same air and experience the same conditions.

The sad fact that dogs lives are shorter than ours means its possible to gain that knowledge more quickly by focusing on humanitys best friends.

Most of the animals enrolled in the Dog Aging Project never have to leave their home turf. Owners fill out an annual, 116-page questionnaire that covers everything from diet and mobility to temperament, favorite types of toys, bowel habits, pesticide exposure, health status and sleeping arrangements. Environmental data, like air and water quality, is correlated to each dogs geographic location. Participants also can upload their dogs veterinary records, and more than 15,000 already have done so.

Dog owners are integral to the project, which keeps them in the loop with blog posts and a dedicated social media platform called the Dog Park. Its the kind of science that cuts across politics, demographics and geography because so many Americans are crazy about dogs, Promislow says.

Im really excited about the ability to bring science to the lives of people in a way thats fun and informative and educational.

A small subset of canines are candidates for more intensive study, which is why Voght made the drive from her home in Bothell to the other side of the state. Bagel is being evaluated for the most high-profile arm of the project: a clinical trial of a potential anti-aging drug.

Called rapamycin, the medication is used in human transplant patients to prevent organ rejection. But studies in yeast, worms and mice show that low doses can extend lifespan by up to 25%. Rapamycin also delays age-related maladies such as cognitive decline and cancer, and boosts heart health in mice.

Dr. Kate Creevy, chief veterinary officer for the project, is optimistic it might do the same for dogs. In one small trial, dogs who got the drug showed improved heart function. In another, owners said their dogs seemed more active.

Now, the team is recruiting 500 senior dogs for a year of treatment and two years of follow-up. Half the dogs will get rapamycin, and half will get a placebo. Neither owners nor scientists will know which until the end.

Even if we dont actually change lifespan, if we improve the experience of aging, that will be really, really valuable to dogs and the people who love them, says Creevy, of Texas A&M University.

The dogs in the study need to be healthy, so Bagel is getting the type of checkup available only in a veterinary teaching hospital such as WSUs. Staff leads her into an exam room, where she obligingly hops on the table and rolls onto her side.

Technicians shave a small patch of fur for analysis, draw blood, measure blood pressure and attach electrodes to monitor her heartbeat. Dr. Ryan Baumwart, a veterinary cardiologist, checks Bagels eyes and probes her heart with ultrasound, displaying the image of the beating organ on a wall-mounted computer screen.

The study is just getting started, and, so far, only about half of dogs examined have qualified. Bagels scans look promising, Baumwart says. Now, its a matter of waiting on the blood tests.

The dog aging project reflects a new approach to the most common causes of death in canines and people, says co-director and UW Medicine pathologist Matt Kaeberlein, who studies the basic biology of aging. Most research focuses on specific diseases, such as cancer or Alzheimers. But nearly all of the major killers are strongly linked with age, so Kaeberlein argues that it makes sense to focus on the aging process itself.

If we can understand aging biology and what it is at a cellular, molecular, mechanistic level, then maybe it will be feasible to target that biology with interventions, he says. Those might be nutritional strategies, drugs or gene therapy, with the goal of lowering the risk of all age-related diseases.

For example, rapamycin seems to work at least in part by reducing inflammation, which increases with age and impairs immune function. Older animals also accumulate more cellular debris, and rapamycin revs up the process of clearing it away.

Another arm of the project, called the Precision Cohort, will delve in unprecedented detail into biochemical changes and shifts in gene expression over time in 1,000 dogs.

We will know more about the biology and physiology of those dogs than probably anybody has ever known about dogs before, Kaeberlein says. We will be collecting very high-resolution data to try to understand the relationship between their unique genetic makeup and their unique environment thats influencing the aging process.

One of those dogs is Hana, a 3-year-old Cavalier King Charles spaniel with long, silky ears who lives on Bainbridge Island. Her owner, Masami Shimizu-Albergine, is a researcher herself and was eager to help.

Once a year, Hanas vet collects blood, urine, feces and hair samples for analysis at specialized labs. Its a level of medical monitoring few humans receive, and it will help pin down the role of gut microbes, metabolic function, toxin exposure and a host of other factors.

Theres really no end to what we can discover, Promislow says.

Analyzing the genomes of 10,000 dogs will uncover the genetic basis for a large swath of canine diseases, says Joshua Akey, a geneticist who started working on the dog project at the University of Washington and is now at Princeton Universitys Lewis-Sigler Institute for Integrative Genomics.

As in humans, though, its not likely to be simple. Most diseases result from multiple genes and environmental factors. But Akey says it should be possible to develop risk scores to alert owners to their dogs genetic predispositions. One UW researcher is focused on dogs with lymphoma, looking for a genetic biomarker for early diagnosis.

The link between a dogs size and lifespan appears to have a strong genetic basis. Big breeds have higher levels of a protein called IGF-1 (insulin-like growth factor), which is involved in regulating growth. In mouse studies, dialing down that protein can extend life and improve health.

So even though it might be possible to improve health for all dogs, a 150-pound Great Dane likely will never match the longevity of a 15-pound Chihuahua, Creevy says.

Distinct breeds were developed only in the past few centuries, and the trove of genetic information compiled for the project will help retrace that process. It could even settle the debate over when wolves were first domesticated and morphed from Canis lupus to Canis familiaris.

Some people say it was 10,000 years ago, and others have argued it was much longer, Akey says. I think well have a data set that can definitively answer some of these evolutionary questions.

Promislow, Creevy and Kaeberlein started kicking around the idea of a major dog study more than a decade ago. It took years to lay the groundwork and convince federal funders of its worth. Their first major grant $25 million from the National Institutes of Aging was awarded in 2018. The team also has funding from foundations, tech entrepreneurs and small donors such as the Irish wolfhound Association of New England.

All of the data will be freely shared online. The first batch, from about 25,000 dogs, was recently posted and already is showing some intriguing correlations. For example, dogs fed once a day appear to have higher cognitive scores and fewer health problems than dogs who eat multiple times a day.

That doesnt prove cause and effect, Kaeberlein cautions, but its a place to start digging deeper.

The project also has the potential to provide some of the best comparisons of dog diets, which now come in a dizzying array, from dry kibble to small-batch artisan concoctions. Promislow, who never imagined he would be cooking for a dog, started preparing a mix of sweet potatoes, oats, ground chicken and kibble for Frisbee, his 16-year-old mixed-breed female, after she was stricken with severe diarrhea.

We can do the careful science to evaluate the effects of raw-food diets, home-cooked diets, et cetera, he says. We will soon have more data than any other study on the consequences of a grain-free diet.

The project is nonprofit, but entrepreneurs are keen to apply the information it generates. Americans spent almost $104 billion on pet care in 2020, and the trendline points up, according to the American Pet Products Association.

Startups already are chasing more sophisticated genetic testing and anti-aging drugs for dogs. But they cant generate the massive amounts of data or conduct large-scale clinical trials like the Dog Aging Project does, says Celine Halioua, founder and CEO of Loyal. Kaeberlein is a scientific adviser to the Bay Area biotech, which is testing two drugs to increase health span in dogs.

The dog-aging database will be an invaluable resource, Halioua says.

Its a gift to the aging field for them to be doing this.

A week after the visit to WSU, Voght got the news: Bagel qualified for the rapamycin trial. Shell get a once-a-week dose, either real or placebo, for the next year, and physical exams every six months through 2025. Voght wont know until then whether Bagels pills are real. Either way, shes willing to keep making the trip to Pullman in hopes that the project will benefit Bagel, other dogs or even people.

Shes not expecting miracles, though.

Bagel is already slowing down a bit, and her face is frosted with white. If Labs can make it into the double digits, youre lucky, Voght says.

So she recently adopted what she calls her transition dog a 2-year-old black Lab named Delray.

Its nice to have another dog in the house to help you a little bit, she says. For when that time comes.

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The Dog Aging Project digs deeper than ever to help our best friends live better longer and the findings could help us, too - The Spokesman Review

Echoes from the Loafers Club Meeting

Do you have a toothpick?

What do you want with a toothpick? We havent eaten anything.

I feel lucky.

Driving by Bruces drive

I have a wonderful neighbor named Bruce. Whenever I pass his drive, thoughts occur to me. It was so windy I wanted to hide behind the toaster. A hood ornament blew past. It was a Dodge Ram blown from the hood of a truck. I wonder why a Dodge doesnt win every demolition derby?

The weather report had been: wind, snow, wind, cold, wind, rain, wind, repeat. The weather hadnt been all sunshine and rainbows. It never has been. We are overly optimistic about spring and spring things. We try to tease out bits of spring before they want to provide us company. The pessimists among us maintain Minnesota has only two seasonswinter and road construction. I want the National Weather Service to issue a nice weather warning. Perhaps they will offer a calm advisory on days that arent windy?

Life is good. An oncologist hugged me, which meant it was terrible news or marvelous news. It was marvelous. According to a poll conducted on behalf of Ancestry, only 47% of respondents could name all their grandparents. Only 4% could name all eight of their great-grandparents. I thanked all eight or nine (there is disagreement on one great-grandparent) for providing the genetics to make it possible for me to continue to exist.

A plentitude of photos

Do you ever get the feeling youre the only one who has too many photos? Cheer up, there are at least two of us. You and I are in this together and Im happy to have your company. I have thousands of bird, mammal, insect and wildflower photos for use in magazines and newspapers, but Im fixing to delete most of them. Im like your brother who replies to every emaileventually. Fixing to means Ill get around to it sometimemaybe, but first, I need to take a few more photos of those bald eagles on those two nests that look like upside-down Volkswagen Beetles in king trees.

Ive learned

If the police were here to protect us, wed all be under arrest.

Playing Scrabble is fun until someone loses an I.

If they want to speed up baseball games, MLB umpires should call a batter out anytime a fan in the stands catches a ball.

If youre being chased by an angry mob of taxidermists, dont play dead.

If I were a spy, tying me up in front of a TV showing any of the 24-hour news channels would quickly cause me to spill the beans.

Bad joke department

I dont trust stairs. Theyre always up to something.

A sock puppet is wanted in connection with a robbery. Police suspect someone else had a hand in it.

Exercise and extra fries sound too much alike.

How many conspiracy theorists does it take to change a light bulb? Do your own research.

What has four legs and if it fell out of a tree, it could break your leg? A pool table.

Does anyone else forget the abbreviation for Maine or is it just ME?

Nature notes

Whats all the yellowing about? Its about American goldfinches. They are turning a brilliant yellow. Dandelions are spring to some folks. The yellowing of spring. Is a group of dandelions called a pride? Mark Twain said, In the spring, I have counted 136 different kinds of weather inside of 24 hours.

Turkey vultures are checking the expiration dates of roadkill. Ive seen bald eagles in a few nests. The similar-sized golden eagle doesnt nest in Minnesota.

Im in awe of the birds in the April snow. I make it a cardinal rule to look at every cardinal. A red-tailed hawk soaring high caused me to think of the line from Oklahoma, We sit alone and talk and watch a hawk making lazy circles in the sky.

European starlings were introduced into this country by Shakespeare enthusiasts in 1890. Starling population is declining in the UK and North America. The Harriss sparrow is named after Edward Harris, Audubons pal and a horse breeder. The breeding range of this sparrow is all in Canada.

The crow-sized peregrine falcons returned in February to nest on the roof of the Mayo Building in Rochester. In early April, the female lays 3-4 eggs that hatch 35 days later in early to mid-May. Patients, staff and visitors name the nestlings.

My nature blog is at http://www.albatt.com/blogs

Meeting adjourned

Be the author of a great day written in kind words.

Read more from the original source:
Al Batt: A demonstration of dodging - Austin Daily Herald - Austin Herald

NFT horse racing is currently trending as one of the most popular NFT projects in the crypto industry

Horse racing is an unparalleled thrill for many. Like all mainstream sports, it has made its way to the digital world too. The GameFi movement powered by cryptocurrencies and NFTs further revives horse racing, blurring the line that separates entertainment and income.

There are many NFT projects that bet big on the booming gaming and horse-racing industries. They are characterized by transparency, fairness, and real ownership of assets. In this article, we take a look at the best of them.

These are the top three horse racing crypto games of this year.

1. Silks First Derivative Thoroughbred Horse Racing Game

2. Zed Run Pioneering Horse Racing Crypto Project

3. DeRace Horse Racing NFT Game with RNG technology

Youd be surprised to learn how each of these horse racing NFT projects marks themselves off with unique themes, gaming mechanisms, and play-to-earn features. Here is a detailed analysis of all three to help you find one that best suits your style.

Our pick as the best horse racing NFT game of this year is Silks.

Silks are the worlds first derivative thoroughbred horse racing game in the metaverse. It reimagines and democratizes thoroughbred racehorse ownership for the masses using mixed-reality technology, Web 3.0 gamification, and an immersive metaverse experience.

Every year, Silks will offer a new crop of Silks Horse NFTs, each of which represents a top one-year-old thoroughbred racehorse registered in the U.S. Decentralized data sets will then be used to ensure that the derivative NFT tracks the bloodlines, training progress, and racing performance of its real-world counterpart, and earns rewards for holders based on its racing and breeding success. Silk miners will verify the data on the blockchain in exchange for $SLK, the governance token of the ecosystem.

But this is only one of the many income-generating opportunities on the Silks platform. Lets take a detailed look at the dynamic play-to-earn mechanics.

The Silks ecosystem consists of a variety of in-game NFTs including Silks Avatars, Silks Horses, Land, and Stables. Silks Avatars will represent the unique identity of each player and the ownership of their affiliated digital assets within the Silks metaverse. The Silks Genesis Avatar Mint, the first NFT offering of Silks, will take place this Wednesday, April 27th. Silks Avatars are a crucial component of the platform as theyre required to obtain a Silks Horse in the inaugural Silks Horse Mint in mid-2022. If you cant afford to buy one dont fret, Silks allows for fractional horse ownership through syndication and even lets you join horse ownership pools to diversify your ownership and help mitigate risk.

Silks offer a vast infrastructure to help you take care of your Silks Horse just like a real thoroughbred. Users can purchase plots of Land (structured as NFTs) in the Silks metaverse which can be developed into horse farms. Users can also stake their Silks Horses to private community horse farms, where they will be housed and maintained in exchange for a small fee and a share of rewards.

You are rewarded in $STT, the in-game transaction token, every time the real-world counterpart of your Silks Horse wins a race or breeds offspring that is sold in the real world. As noted in the Silks whitepaper, the platform intends to launch new structures, businesses, roles, and sub-economies over time to support the play-to-earn system.

As previously mentioned, Silks first NFT offering will be its Silks Avatars which are set to go live on April 27th. For Early Access to the Silks Genesis Avatar Mint, visit the Silks website, silks.io.

Zed Run is an NFT metaverse dedicated to digital horse racing. Launched in early 2019, it is one of the earliest projects that allowed users to buy, breed, and race digital racehorses.

To get started on the platform, you need a racehorse NFT. You can buy them from OpenSea. The current floor price is 0.004 ETH. You can also get them for free by participating in community giveaways on social media platforms. Zed Run records and tracks racehorse ownership using the Ethereum blockchain, including comprehensive data like bloodline, genotype, gender, color, number of offspring, and race statistics. It uses the Polygon network to offer faster, cheaper transactions.

Zed Run has a carefully laid out horse breeding mechanism. A colt or stallion (a male racehorse) has to be bred with a filly or mare (a female racehorse) to create offspring. However, there are limits on how many times the male and female racehorses can breed every month and year. The offspring, once generated, will be sent to your wallet. If you dont own the male horse, you have to pay a stud fee to the colt or stallion owner. The charge is not predetermined. As a male horse owner, you can charge a breeding price you find apt. However, the game guides you in setting it up with minimum price suggestions.

Each Zed Run racehorse is suitable for a particular distance. However, you cant purchase a horse based on this criterion. Being a game of discovery, Zed Run requires you to test your horse and figure out the distance that best suits it over time. The platform hosts races of different distances and prize pools throughout the day. The prize pool will be divided between players who come first, second, and third.

Zed Run hosts tournaments with bigger prize pools to feature a better gaming experience for more stable owners. The team keeps the buzz around the game alive through live event streaming, Twitter talks, AMAs, and partnerships.

DeRace is a play-to-earn NFT horse racing metaverse that offers a personalized gaming experience to users. Leveraging the principles of blockchain technology, it guarantees transparent and fair gaming to all participants. One of the key features that helped DeRace make our list of top Horse Racing NFT Games is its unique gaming mechanics combining genetic algorithms and RNG technology.

DeRace horses are tokenized to feature unique sets of traits. They widely vary in rarity, performance, cool-down time, and value. You must own a DeRace Horse before you can sign up for races on the platform. While traits like sex, color, shape, breed, and racing cool-down are visible, speed and stamina are invisible. However, the invisible traits play a crucial role in determining the performance of the horse. You can gain an understanding of these invisible traits from its appearance, parent genetics, and historical statistics.

DeRace NFTs are available for purchase from primary and secondary marketplaces. Or, you can breed one from an existing pair. Apart from traits, you can judge a horse by its level. It is determined by the number of races participated, victories, and activities. As the level goes up, so does the value of the NFT.

DeRace has an interesting breeding system in place where any two (one male and the other female) NFTs create the third NFT. The offspring will feature a unique set of traits passed down by its parents. For this, both NFT horses are sent to GA (Genetic Algorithm) on the Ethereum smart contract. The genes from the parent horses are combined to create a third one, with a +- 5% deviation. After this, all three horses are sent back to the wallet.

DERC (DeRace Coin) fuels the gaming ecosystem by facilitating payments for races, winnings, horses, and trades. It is an ERC20-compliant cryptographic token. You can earn DERC by breeding two DeRace Horses, trading them, participating in races, hosting races in hippodromes, selling your analysis and predictions, reporting bugs, and even watching advertisements. You can also participate in the DeRace referral programs for wallet users, influencers, social media accounts, blogs, or news outlets among other reward programs to generate passive income from the platform.

The play-to-earn economies put forward by these NFT projects unlock the multi-billion-dollar video gaming and horse racing markets to the masses. They have great potential for growth in the coming years as the GameFi revolution picks up steam.

While most horse racing crypto games launch digital horses, Silks takes the idea a notch up by using derivatives or real-world racehorses. Here, the income opportunities are not limited to racing or breeding. You can also join horse ownership pools, develop Land, run a horse farm, or mine $SLK tokens to increase your earning potential. Besides, you are rewarded for the performance of the underlying real-world thoroughbred horse. The P2E mechanisms will expand as the project grows, nurturing a sustainable metaverse economy.

For the latest news and updates from Silks, join the community on Twitter and Discord.

VISIT SILKS

Disclaimer: The information posted in the article is for educational purpose only. By using this, you agree that the information does not constitute any investment or financial advice. Do conduct your own research and reach out to financial advisors before making any investment decisions.

Continued here:
NFT Horse Racing - The Best 3 NFT Projects for 2022 - Analytics Insight