Archive for the ‘Hormone Clinic’ Category

Mayo Clinic News Network

Women with a history of high blood pressure disorders during pregnancy are more likely to experience bothersome menopausal symptoms such as hot flashes and night sweats, according to a study published in Menopause: The Journal of the North American Menopause Society.

We already know that women with high blood pressure during pregnancy or those who experience menopause symptoms such as hot flashes and night sweats have a higher risk of developing heart disease, said Dr. Stephanie Faubion, the studys lead author. Our research discovered that women who experienced high blood pressure during pregnancy were much more likely to experience bothersome menopausal symptoms, including hot flashes and night sweats during menopause.

Researchers analyzed the medical records of 2,684 women ages 40 to 65 who were seen for specialty menopause or sexual health consultations at womens health clinics at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, and Mayo Clinic in Scottsdale, Arizona, between May 2015 and September 2019. All study participants completed a questionnaire in which they self-reported their menopause symptoms and effects of these symptoms on their quality of life. Study participants also completed questionnaires that documented whether they experienced high blood pressure disorders during pregnancy, such as preeclampsia or gestational hypertension.

Faubion said more research is needed to understand why there is a link between high blood pressure disorders during pregnancy and more severe menopausal symptoms. But one thing is clear: Physicians need to do a better job monitoring women who experience high blood pressuring during pregnancy after they give birth.

Researchers discovered a significant association between women with a history of high blood pressure disorders during pregnancy who reported more bothersome menopausal symptoms. Women with this high blood pressure history using hormone therapy also reported more menopausal symptoms, compared to women with no history of high blood pressure disorders during pregnancy.

Faubion said more research is needed to understand why there is a link between high blood pressure disorders during pregnancy and more severe menopausal symptoms. But one thing is clear: Physicians need to do a better job monitoring women who experience high blood pressuring during pregnancy after they give birth.

We know medical providers have historically done a lousy job identifying and following women with histories of high blood pressure disorders during pregnancy, despite knowing that they have a higher heart disease risk, Faubion said. This study is another reminder that these women are different. It is important that they not only receive education with regard to what they may experience during menopause, but also that they undergo routine screenings and counseling on how they can reduce their risk for heart disease.

Continue reading here:
Study links high blood pressure in pregnancy and hot flashes - The Daily Herald

While Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has required people to wear face masks in public places to prevent spread of the COVID-19 virus, for some people face coverings can provoke anxiety.

Anything covering your nose and mouth sometimes can trick your body into feeling that the flow of oxygen to your brain is impeded, as if you might drown. That feeling can increase your bodys production of cortisol, the so-called fight or flight hormone, which raises your blood pressure and increases your breathing, heart rate, perspiration and anxiety level to prepare you to take action.

In a situation of real danger, this hormone response can save your life. But in chronic anxiety, it takes a toll on your health. According to the Mayo Clinic, The long-term activation of the stress-response system and the overexposure to cortisol and other stress hormones that follows can disrupt almost all your body's processes. This puts you at increased risk of many health problems, including:

Anxiety

Depression

Digestive problems

Headaches

Heart disease

Sleep problems

Weight gain

Memory and concentration impairment.

Therapists at the Birmingham Maple Clinic in Troy, who are seeing mask-related anxiety in some patients, have developed steps to help people cope with this anxiety and to feel more comfortable wearing masks. Carrie Krawiec is one of more than 30 therapists and psychiatrists who treat a variety of mental health issues at the clinic. She specializes in couples therapy, fertility and family issues.

Krawiec explains that during this coronavirus pandemic, most people feel a heightened sense of uncertainty and general anxiety, which means their bodies are a little tense, and they may be more prone to feeling panicky. The area of the face covered by masks is sensitive to heat, and those who suffer from anxiety may take a facial temperature increase as a threat.

Our bodies respond to cues like excess heat, shortness of breath or a change in heart rate as signs of possible danger, triggering the fight-or-flight response, which can cause us to hyperventilate or panic.

Dont panic!

The first step to overcoming anxiety, Krawiec suggests, is to understand that anxiety is normal right now, and theres nothing wrong with feeling anxious. Remind yourself that youre OK that theres nothing actually physically wrong with you.

Additionally, she says, predict circumstances that might make you anxious before you go out, then plan solutions for those situations before you get stressed out.

If wearing a mask in public is emotionally difficult for you, Krawiec says, try doing shorter errands to reduce the time you must spend wearing a mask. Prepare with a list and plan your trips to the grocery store so you dont have to search the aisles for things you need, further increasing anxiety.

If you're prone to panic, do errands early in the morning when its cooler, or later in the evening, so you wont feel overheated.

If youre out somewhere wearing your mask and you begin to feel uncomfortable, remember that its OK to leave the event or take a break away from other people to spend some time out of your mask.

Allow yourself permission to say, If I go and I become uncomfortable, I'm going to duck out, and have that be OK, Krawiec says.

More here:
Birmingham therapist discusses ways to overcome mask-related anxiety - The Oakland Press

Authors note: This is not MY personal story, per se, (despite the my pandemic pregnancy headline), but a story told by our readers, week by week. Todays is shared by Hillary, from The Woodlands, Texas.

You might have heard that being pregnant, trying to get pregnant, or delivering right about now is strange, in this age of coronavirus. But how? In what ways? Were going to tell you. To contribute your own experience, scroll all the way down to the bottom of this article and tap the link.

When Hillary Calhouns fertility doctor brought her in for a procedure and then a nurse called her just a few short days later, asking her to come into the office immediately, the now-36-year-old had a hunch something wasnt right.

Hillarys husband, Bobby Calhoun, was out of town for work, so he couldnt accompany her to the appointment, but Hillary headed to the Houston-area clinic anyway, holding her breath a little, so to speak. The couple had been trying to get pregnant for years. Bobby had even gone under the knife as doctors reversed his vasectomy, which happened about 3 to four years ago, Hillary said in a phone call last week.

But back to Hillarys appointment. It was April 2019, and Hillary was in the office to learn about the results from her procedure. The previous Friday, doctors had performed a hysteroscopy, which is when they take a look at the uterus. A camera, of sorts, goes up the cervix, and specialists can then examine the fallopian tubes, ovaries and womb. Hillary waited and waited for the bottom line.

(The doctor) kept using the word abnormalities -- and he went on and on without really saying it, Hillary said.

After battling infertility for years, Hillary was aching to know what it was.

Then the doctor showed her the test results on a computer, and Hillary spotted the word carcinoma. Shes had family members whove experienced cancer, so she was familiar with some of the terminology. She knew that word.

Finally, Hillary said something to the effect of, OK, so I have cancer?

The doctor confirmed: That appeared to be the case. He told Hillary he thought the cancer looked to be in its early stages, but she would have to go through some more tests. The cancer, Hillary learned, was endometrial.

It was like, within one moment, someone took my dream away to have a baby, Hillary recalls thinking.

As soon as she could, she called Bobby, who was still in North Carolina on business, and she broke the news to him over the phone. Bobby was up on a roof at the time, and he got down and sped to the airport to be by Hillarys side.

The couple has been married about seven years. Bobby is a wonderful husband, Hillary said. He was incredibly supportive through this stressful time.

Hillary then made an appointment with a gynecological oncologist, who confirmed the cancer, ordered more tests and recommended a hysterectomy. The doctor said she believed this was a serious and life-threatening situation. A hysterectomy is an operation to remove a womans uterus entirely. But Hillary wanted to pause before making any major decisions.

Now, Im not trying to be reckless with my own life, but I thought it was early, said Hillary, adding that the doctor did confirm that the cancer appeared to be stage one.

I wanted to preserve my fertility, Hillary said.

While Bobby has four children (who are now a little older) from a previous marriage, Hillary still dreamed of becoming a mother. So she examined her options and asked about the possibility of hormone therapy. Her doctor agreed -- she could give it a shot.

Six months after starting, Hillary was cancer-free. It worked.

And then in October 2019, she went straight from cancer treatment to in vitro fertilization. It was a whirlwind.

Before they knew it, January arrived, and the couple learned they were pregnant. It worked.

It was unbelievable news, Hillary said.

To rewind a bit, the Calhouns werent always sure a baby would be possible.

Between Bobbys vasectomy and Hillarys history of endometriosis, polycystic ovary syndrome and uterine fibroids, she said, she had been told by doctors over the years that pregnancy might not be in the cards for her.

Shed tried the infertility drug Clomid to no avail.

And at some point, she started to fear that the doctors might be right.

I thought Id have to kiss that (pregnancy) dream goodbye, Hillary said.

But the couple thought it was worth it to fully explore the possibility. It was Bobby, after all, who was inspired and motivated to go for it.

I just kept thinking, if Gods going to put it on my husbands heart, there has to be a reason, Hillary said.

Cancer, Hillary said, turned out to be a blessing in disguise.

She had been experiencing some unexplained health issues, and her yearly or bi-yearly exams werent showing anything out of the ordinary.

But a Pap smear only tests for cervical cancer, not uterine cancer, Hillary said.

If I hadnt had infertility, I wouldnt have known, she told us. It was better than being diagnosed later, like when I had an infant. It happened exactly how it was supposed to, and this is how it was supposed to be.

Hillary has clarity and confidence about this. You can hear it in her voice. Shes also incredibly warm, chatty, open and ready for this miracle baby.

By waking up every morning and being grateful for the small things, it keeps you from getting frustrated from not being able to do all the things were used to doing, she said.

And thats not to say the ongoing pandemic has been easy on the couple.

Hillary was a few months into her pregnancy when COVID-19 hit. She and Bobby agreed: With so many unknowns, shed essentially go on lockdown mode. It seemed to be the safest option. Luckily, Hillary was able to work from home, for the most part.

Its just one of those things where you adapt because you have to, Hillary said. You survive because you have to. You cant let the fear consume you.

Still, she didnt shy away from addressing the sad parts. It feels strange that Bobby hasnt even met her doctor. Their doula, as it stands now, wont be able to attend the birth.

The couple even went through a bit of a scare at 20 weeks -- a bad bleed, as Hillary describes it -- and she had to take an ambulance to the emergency room.

Policies at their medical facility were strict. At first, hospital officials wouldnt even let Bobby in the door. Although he was eventually permitted into labor and delivery, where doctors were treating Hillary, he was told he couldnt leave the couples room -- not even to get a Coke, Hillary said.

The baby, by the way, is a girl. She and Hillary are doing just fine these days, despite a hot Texas summer. Olivia Grace is due Oct. 2. Her name has been picked out for a while now. Its almost like shes here already, the way Hillary talks about her and refers to her so effortlessly as Olivia. This is the little girl she was destined to have.

As far as labor and delivery are concerned, the plan for now is to labor at home with the doula for as long as possible. When Hillary arrives at the hospital, shes told shell have to wear a mask throughout labor. It sounds hard, but shes been rolling with the punches.

Ive had to learn to be a lot more open, Hillary said. With coronavirus, its easy to let fear consume you. And that could affect the delivery. So I want to avoid that as much as possible. I (have to) just go with the flow.

For a couple who doubted at some point that theyd ever get to this stage of life, it sounds like theyre doing a lot of stopping, taking in their surroundings and appreciating the beauty all around them.

(This surreal time) is a lot more intentional than normal life, which can be like, go go go go! Hillary said. To slow down has been really healthy for my pregnancy. Olivia was meant to be born in this time. There was a reason for it. Ill find out someday.

Originally posted here:
My pandemic pregnancy: From infertility to cancer to IVF to a 20-week scare: It happened exactly how it was supposed to' - WSLS 10

Kelly Osbournes secret to weight loss success was a vegan diet and intermittent fasting but it turns out there is more to the story, as Osbourne revealed on a podcast. The 35-year-old entertainment personality said that she kickstarted her weight loss journey with gastric sleeve surgery two years ago.

Osbourne appeared on Dax Holts podcast, Hollywood Raw, alongside comedian Adam Glyn, where she opened up about her weight loss surgery which is less drastic than gastric bypass but is used by doctors to help patients lose stubborn weight. Osbourne said:

I dont give a f**k what anyone has to say. I did it, Im proud of it, they can suck s**t. [I did] gastric sleeve," she continues: "All it does is change the shape of your stomach. I got that almost two years ago. I will never, ever, ever lie about it ever. It is the best thing I have ever done.

Gastric sleeve surgeries are less invasive than gastric bypass procedures. Gastric sleeve surgery helps weight loss by reducing the size of the stomach, according to the Mayo Clinic, and that in turn decreases appetite and helps you feel fuller for longer. It also reduces the amount of "hunger hormone" produced by the stomach, which may contribute to weight loss after this procedure.

Osbourne doesnt regret the choice to have surgery and encourages people to think it through and make sure its right for you since after surgery you need to be committed to healthier habits to see results. Osbourne admits she had to do a total overhaul of her eating habits and workout routine. If you dont work out and you dont eat right, you gain weight, Osbourne explained. All it does is move you in the right direction. So, anyone whos thinking of doing something like this, really think about that, since the surgery is no substitute for eating healthier and working out.

Before she could even fully commit to surgery, Osbourne said that she went through therapy to ensure it wouldnt derail her sobriety. I had to do a year of stand-alone therapy to prepare myself for the surgery before I even had it, she explained. What people dont realize is it cuts out this hormone that if you have addiction issues, it stops your craving, and it makes you not emotionally eat, which is a huge problem for me."

All the work she did on herself pre and post-surgery only helped her get the weight off, 85 pounds in all, and shut down her cravings. "I was sober before, [and] it did help, I dont crave alcohol at all anymore. All [the surgery] is is a push in the right direction. It doesnt solve all your problems. Its not a quick fix.

To Kellys surprise, people started to speculate that she had used surgery to help her with her weight loss journey. In fact, the thing they remarked on was her jawline, but that was related to having another condition, called TMJ, or Temporomandibular joint dysfunction.

I had a really bad TMJ (pain and lack of movement in the jaw) ... One of the things they did to stop it was they gave me injections in my jaw. It kinda made my jaw look skinnier. Thats when people started to notice that I had really lost weight because it changed the shape of everything, Osbourne explained. ... I found out Its called buckle fat. It changed everything on my face! Why the f--k didn't I know about this sooner?"

Osbourne couldnt believe the attention she received after one Instagram that showed off her weight loss. I woke up one day and I was all over the newspapers and sites. I had literally hundreds of text messages. I got asked out seven times in one day. I said no thanks to every single one of them, she explained.

Osbournes surgery isnt the only thing that helped her get the weight off. Years of hard work and eating healthy also play a huge role, including her vegan and her daily workout routines. Osbourne says that her vegan diet has helped her remain sober and stay the course on her weight loss journey. She also uses intermittent fasting to lose weight and keep it off. Kellys newfound passion for fitness and her daily workout routine is also what helped keep her on track throughout quarantine. Osbourne says she is the healthiest and happiest shes been in a long time and her gastric surgery helped kickstart that journey

Read more:
Kelly Osbourne's Gastric Surgery Was a Push in Right Direction" - The Beet

Overview for Recombinant Protein Drug Market Helps in providing scope and definitions, Key Findings, Growth Drivers, and Various Dynamics.

The Recombinant Protein Drug market is expected to grow from USD X.X million in 2020 to USD X.X million by 2026, at a CAGR of X.X% during the forecast period. The global Recombinant Protein Drug market report is a comprehensive research that focuses on the overall consumption structure, development trends, sales models and sales of top countries in the global Recombinant Protein Drug market. The report focuses on well-known providers in the global Recombinant Protein Drug industry, market segments, competition, and the macro environment.

Under COVID-19 Outbreak, how the Recombinant Protein Drug Industry will develop is also analyzed in detail in Chapter 1.7 of the report., In Chapter 2.4, we analyzed industry trends in the context of COVID-19., In Chapter 3.5, we analyzed the impact of COVID-19 on the product industry chain based on the upstream and downstream markets., In Chapters 6 to 10 of the report, we analyze the impact of COVID-19 on various regions and major countries., In chapter 13.5, the impact of COVID-19 on the future development of the industry is pointed out.

A holistic study of the market is made by considering a variety of factors, from demographics conditions and business cycles in a particular country to market-specific microeconomic impacts. The study found the shift in market paradigms in terms of regional competitive advantage and the competitive landscape of major players.

Download PDF Sample of Recombinant Protein Drug Market report @ https://www.arcognizance.com/enquiry-sample/1241874

Key players in the global Recombinant Protein Drug market covered in Chapter 4:, Novo Nordisk, Changchun High & New Technology Industry, Merck Serono, Sanofi, Anhui Anke Biotechnology, GenSci, Roche, NCPC, Shenzhen Neptunus Interlong Bio-Technique, Heng Rui, Eli Lilly, Amgen, Pharmingen, SL PHARM, Kyowa Hakko Kirin, Ortho Biotech, Abcam, Livzon Pharmaceutical

In Chapter 11 and 13.3, on the basis of types, the Recombinant Protein Drug market from 2015 to 2026 is primarily split into:, Recombinant Insulin, Recombinant Human Interferon (rhIFN), Recombinant Human Erythropoietin (rhEPO), Recombinant Human Granulocyte Colony-stimulating Factor (rhG-CSF), Recombinant Human Growth Hormone (rhGH), Recombinant Human Follicle-stimulating Hormone (rhFSH), Others

In Chapter 12 and 13.4, on the basis of applications, the Recombinant Protein Drug market from 2015 to 2026 covers:, Hospital use, Clinic use, Household

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Geographically, the detailed analysis of consumption, revenue, market share and growth rate, historic and forecast (2015-2026) of the following regions are covered in Chapter 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 13:, North America (Covered in Chapter 6 and 13), United States, Canada, Mexico, Europe (Covered in Chapter 7 and 13), Germany, UK, France, Italy, Spain, Russia, Others, Asia-Pacific (Covered in Chapter 8 and 13), China, Japan, South Korea, Australia, India, Southeast Asia, Others, Middle East and Africa (Covered in Chapter 9 and 13), Saudi Arabia, UAE, Egypt, Nigeria, South Africa, Others, South America (Covered in Chapter 10 and 13), Brazil, Argentina, Columbia, Chile, Others

Years considered for this report:, Historical Years: 2015-2019, Base Year: 2019, Estimated Year: 2020, Forecast Period: 2020-2026

Some Point of Table of Content:

Chapter One: Report Overview

Chapter Two: Global Market Growth Trends

Chapter Three: Value Chain of Recombinant Protein Drug Market

Chapter Four: Players Profiles

Chapter Five: Global Recombinant Protein Drug Market Analysis by Regions

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Chapter Six: North America Recombinant Protein Drug Market Analysis by Countries

Chapter Seven: Europe Recombinant Protein Drug Market Analysis by Countries

Chapter Eight: Asia-Pacific Recombinant Protein Drug Market Analysis by Countries

Chapter Nine: Middle East and Africa Recombinant Protein Drug Market Analysis by Countries

Chapter Ten: South America Recombinant Protein Drug Market Analysis by Countries

Chapter Eleven: Global Recombinant Protein Drug Market Segment by Types

Chapter Twelve: Global Recombinant Protein Drug Market Segment by Applications12.1 Global Recombinant Protein Drug Sales, Revenue and Market Share by Applications (2015-2020)12.1.1 Global Recombinant Protein Drug Sales and Market Share by Applications (2015-2020)12.1.2 Global Recombinant Protein Drug Revenue and Market Share by Applications (2015-2020)12.2 Hospital use Sales, Revenue and Growth Rate (2015-2020)12.3 Clinic use Sales, Revenue and Growth Rate (2015-2020)12.4 Household Sales, Revenue and Growth Rate (2015-2020)

Chapter Thirteen: Recombinant Protein Drug Market Forecast by Regions (2020-2026) continue

List of tablesList of Tables and FiguresTable Global Recombinant Protein Drug Market Size Growth Rate by Type (2020-2026)Figure Global Recombinant Protein Drug Market Share by Type in 2019 & 2026Figure Recombinant Insulin FeaturesFigure Recombinant Human Interferon (rhIFN) FeaturesFigure Recombinant Human Erythropoietin (rhEPO) FeaturesFigure Recombinant Human Granulocyte Colony-stimulating Factor (rhG-CSF) FeaturesFigure Recombinant Human Growth Hormone (rhGH) FeaturesFigure Recombinant Human Follicle-stimulating Hormone (rhFSH) FeaturesFigure Others FeaturesTable Global Recombinant Protein Drug Market Size Growth by Application (2020-2026)Figure Global Recombinant Protein Drug Market Share by Application in 2019 & 2026Figure Hospital use DescriptionFigure Clinic use DescriptionFigure Household DescriptionFigure Global COVID-19 Status OverviewTable Influence of COVID-19 Outbreak on Recombinant Protein Drug Industry DevelopmentTable SWOT AnalysisFigure Porters Five Forces AnalysisFigure Global Recombinant Protein Drug Market Size and Growth Rate 2015-2026Table Industry NewsTable Industry PoliciesFigure Value Chain Status of Recombinant Protein DrugFigure Production Process of Recombinant Protein DrugFigure Manufacturing Cost Structure of Recombinant Protein DrugFigure Major Company Analysis (by Business Distribution Base, by Product Type)Table Downstream Major Customer Analysis (by Region)Table Novo Nordisk ProfileTable Novo Nordisk Production, Value, Price, Gross Margin 2015-2020Table Changchun High & New Technology Industry ProfileTable Changchun High & New Technology Industry Production, Value, Price, Gross Margin 2015-2020Table Merck Serono ProfileTable Merck Serono Production, Value, Price, Gross Margin 2015-2020Table Sanofi ProfileTable Sanofi Production, Value, Price, Gross Margin 2015-2020Table Anhui Anke Biotechnology ProfileTable Anhui Anke Biotechnology Production, Value, Price, Gross Margin 2015-2020Table GenSci ProfileTable GenSci Production, Value, Price, Gross Margin 2015-2020Table Roche ProfileTable Roche Production, Value, Price, Gross Margin 2015-2020Table NCPC ProfileTable NCPC Production, Value, Price, Gross Margin 2015-2020Table Shenzhen Neptunus Interlong Bio-Technique ProfileTable Shenzhen Neptunus Interlong Bio-Technique Production, Value, Price, Gross Margin 2015-2020Table Heng Rui ProfileTable Heng Rui Production, Value, Price, Gross Margin 2015-2020Table Eli Lilly ProfileTable Eli Lilly Production, Value, Price, Gross Margin 2015-2020Table Amgen ProfileTable Amgen Production, Value, Price, Gross Margin 2015-2020Table Pharmingen ProfileTable Pharmingen Production, Value, Price, Gross Margin 2015-2020Table SL PHARM ProfileTable SL PHARM Production, Value, Price, Gross Margin 2015-2020Table Kyowa Hakko Kirin ProfileTable Kyowa Hakko Kirin Production, Value, Price, Gross Margin 2015-2020Table Ortho Biotech ProfileTable Ortho Biotech Production, Value, Price, Gross Margin 2015-2020Table Abcam ProfileTable Abcam Production, Value, Price, Gross Margin 2015-2020Table Livzon Pharmaceutical ProfileTable Livzon Pharmaceutical Production, Value, Price, Gross Margin 2015-2020Figure Global Recombinant Protein Drug Sales and Growth Rate (2015-2020)Figure Global Recombinant Protein Drug Revenue ($) and Growth (2015-2020)Table Global Recombinant Protein Drug Sales by Regions (2015-2020)Table Global Recombinant Protein Drug Sales Market Share by Regions (2015-2020)Table Global Recombinant Protein Drug Revenue ($) by Regions (2015-2020)Table Global Recombinant Protein Drug Revenue Market Share by Regions (2015-2020)Table Global Recombinant Protein Drug Revenue Market Share by Regions in 2015Table Global Recombinant Protein Drug Revenue Market Share by Regions in 2019Figure North America Recombinant Protein Drug Sales and Growth Rate (2015-2020)Figure Europe Recombinant Protein Drug Sales and Growth Rate (2015-2020)Figure Asia-Pacific Recombinant Protein Drug Sales and Growth Rate (2015-2020)Figure Middle East and Africa Recombinant Protein Drug Sales and Growth Rate (2015-2020)Figure South America Recombinant Protein Drug Sales and Growth Rate (2015-2020)Figure North America Recombinant Protein Drug Revenue ($) and Growth (2015-2020)Table North America Recombinant Protein Drug Sales by Countries (2015-2020)Table North America Recombinant Protein Drug Sales Market Share by Countries (2015-2020)Figure North America Recombinant Protein Drug Sales Market Share by Countries in 2015Figure North America Recombinant Protein Drug Sales Market Share by Countries in 2019Table North America Recombinant Protein Drug Revenue ($) by Countries (2015-2020)Table North America Recombinant Protein Drug Revenue Market Share by Countries (2015-2020)Figure North America Recombinant Protein Drug Revenue Market Share by Countries in 2015Figure North America Recombinant Protein Drug Revenue Market Share by Countries in 2019Figure United States Recombinant Protein Drug Sales and Growth Rate (2015-2020)Figure Canada Recombinant Protein Drug Sales and Growth Rate (2015-2020)Figure Mexico Recombinant Protein Drug Sales and Growth (2015-2020)Figure Europe Recombinant Protein Drug Revenue ($) Growth (2015-2020)Table Europe Recombinant Protein Drug Sales by Countries (2015-2020)Table Europe Recombinant Protein Drug Sales Market Share by Countries (2015-2020)Figure Europe Recombinant Protein Drug Sales Market Share by Countries in 2015Figure Europe Recombinant Protein Drug Sales Market Share by Countries in 2019Table Europe Recombinant Protein Drug Revenue ($) by Countries (2015-2020)Table Europe Recombinant Protein Drug Revenue Market Share by Countries (2015-2020)Figure Europe Recombinant Protein Drug Revenue Market Share by Countries in 2015Figure Europe Recombinant Protein Drug Revenue Market Share by Countries in 2019Figure Germany Recombinant Protein Drug Sales and Growth Rate (2015-2020)Figure UK Recombinant Protein Drug Sales and Growth Rate (2015-2020)Figure France Recombinant Protein Drug Sales and Growth Rate (2015-2020)Figure Italy Recombinant Protein Drug Sales and Growth Rate (2015-2020)Figure Spain Recombinant Protein Drug Sales and Growth Rate (2015-2020)Figure Russia Recombinant Protein Drug Sales and Growth Rate (2015-2020)Figure Asia-Pacific Recombinant Protein Drug Revenue ($) and Growth (2015-2020)Table Asia-Pacific Recombinant Protein Drug Sales by Countries (2015-2020)Table Asia-Pacific Recombinant Protein Drug Sales Market Share by Countries (2015-2020)Figure Asia-Pacific Recombinant Protein Drug Sales Market Share by Countries in 2015Figure Asia-Pacific Recombinant Protein Drug Sales Market Share by Countries in 2019Table Asia-Pacific Recombinant Protein Drug Revenue ($) by Countries (2015-2020)Table Asia-Pacific Recombinant Protein Drug Revenue Market Share by Countries (2015-2020)Figure Asia-Pacific Recombinant Protein Drug Revenue Market Share by Countries in 2015Figure Asia-Pacific Recombinant Protein Drug Revenue Market Share by Countries in 2019Figure China Recombinant Protein Drug Sales and Growth Rate (2015-2020)Figure Japan Recombinant Protein Drug Sales and Growth Rate (2015-2020)Figure South Korea Recombinant Protein Drug Sales and Growth Rate (2015-2020)Figure Australia Recombinant Protein Drug Sales and Growth Rate (2015-2020)Figure India Recombinant Protein Drug Sales and Growth Rate (2015-2020)Figure Southeast Asia Recombinant Protein Drug Sales and Growth Rate (2015-2020)Figure Middle East and Africa Recombinant Protein Drug Revenue ($) and Growth (2015-2020)continue

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NOTE: Our report does take into account the impact of coronavirus pandemic and dedicates qualitative as well as quantitative sections of information within the report that emphasizes the impact of COVID-19.

As this pandemic is ongoing and leading to dynamic shifts in stocks and businesses worldwide, we take into account the current condition and forecast the market data taking into consideration the micro and macroeconomic factors that will be affected by the pandemic.

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Impact Of Covid-19 on Recombinant Protein Drug Market 2020 Industry Challenges, Business Overview and Forecast Research Study 2026 - Scientect

Like many of his fans, Chris McAlister hit hard times during the Great Recession.

A standout cornerback on Ravens defenses with Ed Reed and Ray Lewis, McAlister had an extremely underrated career. That alone couldnt save him in his post-football career.

Only three years after he played his final snap for the Baltimore Ravens, McAlister moved back in with his parents and depended on their money. This is his story.

RELATED: Ray LewisReveals the Most Painful Injury Hes Ever Had

The Baltimore Ravens personified what it meant to be a defense-first team.

Despite starting middling quarterbacks like Kyle Boller and Trent Dilfer, Baltimores defense carried them to the playoffs each year. The Ravens had players like Chris McAlister, an All-American cornerback from the University of Arizona, to thank for that feat.

The 10th overall pick in the 1999 NFL draft and son of former Patriots running back James McAlister, Chris McAlister created his own no-fly zone in Baltimore. McAlister snagged nine interceptions in his first two seasons, the second of which ended in a Super Bowl trophy.

The duo of McAlister and young linebacker Ray Lewis provided the Ravens with only one losing season from 1999-2004.

McAlister played in Baltimore from 1999-2008. He played two games for the New Orleans Saints in 2009, but the team cut him that December.

Two months later, Drew Brees and the Saints won Super Bowl 44.

RELATED: Marshal Yanda Retires as Top-5 Player in Ravens History

The fact Chris McAlister only made three Pro Bowls and earned one first-team All-Pro nod in 2003 may surprise some. McAlister was among the leagues top cornerbacks but never truly earned the respect he deserved.

Football-ReferencesApproximate Valuesystem measures McAlister was worth 88 AV in a Ravens uniform. That ranks eighth in Ravens history.

For comparison, Ray Lewis (221), Terrell Suggs (150), and Ed Reed (131) lead the pack. Lewis and Ed Reed, as well as offensive lineman Jonathan Ogden (129 AV), are in the Pro Football Hall of Fame; Suggs should generate a strong case when he is eligible.

The same goes for offensive lineman Marshal Yanda (111 AV) and defensive lineman Haloti Ngata (108 AV).

Besides McAlister, the only player in the Ravens top-8 who likely wont generate any Hall of Fame buzz in the near future is quarterback Joe Flacco. Although Flacco won Super Bowl 47, he was mostly average throughout his career.

RELATED: Browns Legend Bernie Kosar Had Just $44 When He WentBankrupt

Chris McAlister had an excellent NFL career. Things havent been so great since he hung up his cleats.

TMZ Sports obtained court documents in September 2011 which showed just how bad things were for McAlister. Two years after his final NFL down, McAlister pleaded with the judge to lower his $11,000 per month obligation in child support.

I have been unemployed since 2009. I have no income. I live in my parents home. My parents provide me with my basic living expenses as I do not have the funds to do so.

According to Spotrac, Chris McAlister earned $58.4 million in the NFL. That included a seven-year, $55 millioncontractextension he signed in 2004.

According to NESN, a post on a Baltimore Ravens emerged later that month where McAlister denied talking to TMZ. In their original story, TMZ cited McAlisters comments as coming from the court documents.

The message board post was later removed.

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Chris McAlister Made Nearly $60 Million Then Moved Back in With His Parents - Sportscasting

IF YOUVE noticed more hair accumulating in your hairbrush in recent months, youre not alone. In July, when Californian dermatologist Dr Sandra Lee, better known as Dr Pimple Popper, posted a TikTok video talking about clients with sudden hair loss, it clocked up a quarter of a million views in 24 hours.

Google Trends reports that the search terms hair loss cure and is hair loss a symptom of Covid? have gone up 170 per cent and 120 per cent respectively over the last few weeks according to research performed by LOral.

And, taking a more scientific turn, the University of Nottingham has announced a study into the stress Covid-19 is doing to our physical and mental wellbeing by using strands of our hair for analysis.

Its apt, then, that August is National Hair Loss Awareness Month for women (and men) looking for reassurance right now.

There are different types and different causes of hair loss, says Anabel Kingsley, consultant trichologist at hair health specialists Philip Kingsley. One of the most common types in women is androgenetic alopecia, or hair thinning, which is slow, progressive and down to genetics, when follicles are predisposed to be sensitive to androgen male hormones.

What Anabels seen since lockdown began was such a huge increase in stress-related hair loss enquiries that the clinic began offering Zoom consultations, as did leading hair loss expert Simone Thomas, whose own experience had prompted her to open Simone Thomas Wellness in Bournemouth.

Hair is non-essential to physical survival so it will always be the first part of you to suffer when something is off-kilter, says Anabel. Stress can cause telogen effluvium (TE), a temporary, excessive, daily hair fall. One reason for this is that stress impacts nutrient absorption and may negatively affect the way you eat if you skip meals or reach for comfort foods of little nutritional value. This can result in increased hair shedding as nutritional deficiencies commonly cause hair loss.

Tellingly, this kind of hair fall after a stressful event can take three to six months to start showing. It happens when hairs are prematurely put into the shedding phase of their life cycle, a process triggered by the stress hormone cortisol. That less-than-six-months timeline takes us back to March and the beginning of lockdown. Usually, we tend to lose around 100 hairs of the 90-150,000 on our heads every day.

With TE, you can expect to see closer to 400 hairs shed daily, says Nicola Smart, consultant trichologist at the Smart Hair Clinic in Londons Vauxhall. This is a fairly significant increase that will occur diffusely across the scalp and in extreme cases, cause a temporary decline in density. For women with African hair types who are more likely to use protective styling over longer periods, it may appear as clumps of hair loss rather than diffuse or gradual shedding. But this is simply the 400 or so hairs that have accumulated over a certain period without being able to come loose.

As TE is usually temporary, for the four to nine months it will take for our hair to recover from any lockdown loss, there are ways to help encourage it to regrow healthy and strong

First, stock up on supplements that will help balance out any nutritional shortfall caused by stress or a poor diet. A firm favourite is Philip Kingsley Tricho Complex (1, below, 45 for 45 days supply, philipkingsley.co.uk) is packed with rebuilding biotin and L-lysine to support healthy growth and restore locks.

Start taking care of your scalp using potions formulated with ingredients that support new hair too. The Inkey List Caffeine Stimulating Scalp Treatment (2, 14.99, cultbeauty.co.uk) is a brilliant, budget-friendly overnight treatment to stimulate the scalps stem cells and encourage growth, while Grow Gorgeous Intense Hair Growth Serum (3, 45, growgorgeous.co.uk) stimulates the scalp with ingredients including caffeine, while also giving a noticeable thickness boost to lengths.

For an aromatic alternative, Alchemy Oils Amla Hair Remedy (4, 38, alchemyoils.co.uk) is rich in oils such as amla to strengthen follicles, coconut to protect from breakage, and shine-boosting lemon.

Carefully selecting shampoo and conditioner will help gently take care of your hair without placing any stress on it. Try Aveda Invati Advanced Exfoliating Shampoo (5, 25, aveda.co.uk) that helps prevent build-up of styling products or grime from blocking hair follicles as it detangles to prevent breakage, while the Thickening Conditioner (27) mimics hairs fibre-building blocks to create the impression and feel of more fullness.

And if youre suffering a sudden fallout, Krastase Genesis Ampoules Cure Anti-Chute Fortifiantes (6, 49, kerastase.co.uk) is formulated to tackle an intensive shed. One ampoule massaged daily on to the scalp for six weeks will help slow shedding and strengthen the link between the hair fibre and the root, aiming to return your crowning glory.

If you want to lengthen hair, use a protein-based range as this helps with strengthening. Focus on the scalp as well as the ends. Redken Extreme Length will promote hair growth from the scalp, while the sealer focuses on the ends of the hair. Strong hair also grows better. When hair is lacking nutrients, it is essential to put them back into the hair. Make sure you use a product that strengthens the hair with a natural protein, as well as ensuring full colour protection.

Ensure that you are using a product that helps to activate or stimulate the scalp as the scalp needs to be clear of any dirt/debris. Remember, when using products for thinning hair, your focus needs to be the scalp and not so much the hair. A good treatment will assist in cleansing the scalp area while stimulating the blood flow, which in turn, will assist in producing healthy hair.

Blow-drying and volumising products are great for making hair feel and look thicker and fuller. When creating volume, you need assistance and support. This can come from a volumising product. It is designed to make the hair feel physically thicker and will assist in getting volume from the root area. redken.co.uk, pureology.com

These dove-grey ultra-light track shorts by Perfect Moment tick the boxes for that 70s nostalgia trend and are perfect for park strolls or more dedicated workouts. 80, perfectmoment.com

Struggling with shine? Susanne Kaufmann has you covered, with her new face gel matte that reduces the appearance of pores and gives an instant velvety smooth appearance to the skin. Packed with plant-based hyaluron, its intensively moisturising too. 53, susannekaufmann.com

The Liberte bucket bag by Szane is a scene stealer, especially in chic French girl fave tan suede. Its produced in the EU using vegetable tanning, which is less polluting and more environmentally friendly than traditional methods. 205, sezane.com/en

If home colouring has left your hair struggling for condition, try Its A 10 Leave-In conditioning spray. Dubbed as a miracle leave-in spray, this contains sunflower seed, green tea extract and silk. 17.50, itsa10haircare.co.uk

Link:
Trends: The stress of the pandemic could be contributing to hair loss - Metro Newspaper UK

The mother of a transgender teenager is preparing to take legal action to prevent fertility doctors from destroying her dead daughters frozen sperm.

Louise Anderson, from Stirling, says she wants to honour her daughter Ellies wish to produce a grandchild, using her sperm, an egg donor and a surrogate carrier.

The 16-year-old died in Forth Valley hospital in July after falling ill. Her cause of death was described as unascertained.

Speaking to BBC Scotland, Anderson said: As a teenager she delayed hormone blockers to save her sperm to enable her to have her own biological children. She had made me promise that if anything were to happen to her, her children would be brought into the world.

I am going to do everything I can to honour her wishes not just for her but for anyone else who is caught in this position. It kind of sparked a little fire in my belly and I want to make her wishes come true.

Ellies sperm was frozen at Glasgow Royal Infirmary Fertility Clinic when she was 14 in the hope that one day she would have her own biological children. But the clinic has told her mother the sample cannot be retained.

Under UK human fertilisation rules, if Ellie was in a relationship at the time of her death, her partner would have had the right to request for her sperm to be retained. Her mother does not have that legal right.

Virgil Crawford, the solicitor acting for Anderson, said it was an unusual, interesting, important and complex legal issue.

What were trying to achieve would be to get an order from the court that Ellies mum would be entitled to make use of her sperm for the purpose that Ellie intended that being to create a genetic child of hers and a grandchild for Ms Anderson.

David Obree, a fellow in medical ethics at the University of Edinburgh, told the BBC that Ellies transgender status was irrelevant.

He said: The key question is, what did she intend the sperm to be used for? The question the court will need to look at is: did she specifically consent or request that her sperm be used by a third party?

A spokeswoman for NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde, which runs the fertility clinic, said: We are sorry to hear about this young womans death and our sympathies are with her family.

Glasgow Royal Infirmary Assisted Conception Services is licensed and regulated by the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority. The storage of gametes (sperm) is managed in line with the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act (1990) and complies with the consents provided by the donors.

Read more from the original source:
Mother in legal fight to save dead transgender daughters sperm - The Guardian

This detailed market study covers oral biologics marketgrowth potentials which can assist the stake holders to understand key trends and prospects in oral biologics marketidentifying the growth opportunities and competitive scenarios. The report also focuses on data from different primary and secondary sources, and is analyzed using various tools. It helps to gain insights into the markets growth potential, which can help investors identify scope and opportunities. The analysis also provides details of each segment in the global oral biologics market.

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According to the report, theoral biologics marketreport points out national and global business prospects and competitive conditions for oral biologics. Market size estimation and forecasts were given based on a detailed research methodology tailored to the conditions of the demand for oral biologics. The oral biologics market has been segmented by type (upper body sling, leg sling, whole body sling), by application (hospital, clinic, other). Historical background for the demand of oral biologics has been studied according to organic and inorganic innovations in order to provide accurate estimates of the market size. Primary factors influencing the growth of the demand Oral biologics have also been established with potential gravity.

Regional segmentation and analysis to understand growth patterns:

The market has been segmented in major regions to understand the global development and demand patterns of this market. North America, Europe, and Asia Pacific by region are estimated to dominate the oral biologics marketduring the forecast period. These regions have been market leaders for the overall healthcare sector in terms of technological developments and advanced medical treatments. Moreover, the government policies have been favorable for the growth of the healthcare infrastructure in these regions. North america and europe have an established healthcare infrastructure for product innovations and early adaptations. This is expected to drive the demand for oral biologics market.

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The US, Germany, France, UK, Canada, and Spain have been some the major markets in the region. Asia Pacific is estimated to register one of highest CAGR for Oral biologics marketduring the forecast period. This region has witnessed strategic investments by global companies to cater the growing demand in the recent years. China, Japan, India, South Korea, and Australia are amongst some of the key countries for oral biologics marketin the region. Other regions including middle east, are estimated to be emerging markets for oral biologics marketduring the forecast period.

This report provides:

1) An overview of the global market for oral biologics marketand related technologies.

2) Analysis of global market trends, yearly estimates and annual growth rate projections for compounds (CAGRs).

3) Identification of new market opportunities and targeted consumer marketing strategies for global Oral biologics market.

4) Analysis of R&D and demand for new technologies and new applications

5) Extensive company profiles of key players in industry.

The researchers have studied the market in depth and have developed important segments such as product type, application and region. Each and every segment and its sub-segments are analyzed based on their market share, growth prospects and CAGR. Each market segment offers in-depth, both qualitative and quantitative information on market outlook.

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Market Segmentation:

By Drug Class:

By Disease Indication:

By Distribution Channel:

By Region:

North AmericaOral Biologics Market

EuropeOral Biologics Market

Asia PacificOral Biologics Market

Middle East & AfricaOral Biologics Market

South AmericaOral Biologics Market

Major Companies:Novo Nordisk A/S, Biocon Limited, Oramed Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Rani Therapeutics, Entera Bio Ltd., Allergan plc, Emisphere Technologies, Inc., Enteris BioPharma, Inc., Chiasma, Inc., and Allena Pharmaceuticals, Inc.

Years Covered in the Study:

Historic Year:2017-2018

Base Year:2019

Estimated Year:2020

Forecast Year: 2028

Objectives of this report:

Reasons to Buy This Report:

Customization:

This study is customized to meet your specific requirements:

ABOUT US:

QMI has the most comprehensive collection of market research products and services available on the web. We deliver reports from virtually all major publications and refresh our list regularly to provide you with immediate online access to the worlds most extensive and up-to-date archive of professional insights into global markets, companies, goods, and patterns.

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ORAL BIOLOGICS MARKET TO WITNESS ROBUST EXPANSION THROUGHOUT THE FORECAST PERIOD 2016-2028 The News Brok - The News Brok

CONTESSA Achieved Primary Endpoint Tesetaxel Plus a Reduced Dose of Capecitabine Significantly Improved Progression-free Survival (PFS) Versus the Approved Dose of Capecitabine Alone (Hazard Ratio=0.716; p=0.003)

Median PFS Was 9.8 Months for Tesetaxel Plus a Reduced Dose of Capecitabine Versus 6.9 Months for the Approved Dose of Capecitabine Alone, an Improvement of 2.9 Months

Company to Host Conference Call Today at 8:30 a.m. ET

Odonate Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ: ODT), a pharmaceutical company dedicated to the development of best-in-class therapeutics that improve and extend the lives of patients with cancer, today announced positive top-line results from CONTESSA, a Phase 3 study of tesetaxel in patients with metastatic breast cancer (MBC).

CONTESSA is a multinational, multicenter, randomized, Phase 3 study of tesetaxel, an investigational, orally administered taxane, in patients with MBC. CONTESSA is comparing tesetaxel dosed orally at 27 mg/m2 on the first day of each 21-day cycle plus a reduced dose of capecitabine (1,650 mg/m2/day dosed orally for 14 days of each 21-day cycle) to the approved dose of capecitabine alone (2,500 mg/m2/day dosed orally for 14 days of each 21-day cycle) in 685 patients randomized 1:1 with human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) negative, hormone receptor (HR) positive MBC previously treated with a taxane in the neoadjuvant or adjuvant setting. Capecitabine is an oral chemotherapy agent that is considered a standard-of-care treatment in MBC. Where indicated, patients must have received endocrine therapy with or without a cyclin-dependent kinase (CDK) 4/6 inhibitor. The primary endpoint is progressionfree survival (PFS) as assessed by the Independent Radiologic Review Committee (IRC). The secondary efficacy endpoints are overall survival (OS), objective response rate (ORR) as assessed by the IRC and disease control rate (DCR) as assessed by the IRC. CONTESSA is being conducted at 180 investigational sites in 18 countries in North America, Europe and Asia.

CONTESSA met the primary endpoint of improved PFS as assessed by the IRC. Median PFS was 9.8 months for tesetaxel plus a reduced dose of capecitabine versus 6.9 months for the approved dose of capecitabine alone, an improvement of 2.9 months. The risk of disease progression or death was reduced by 28.4% [hazard ratio=0.716 (95% confidence interval: 0.573-0.895); p=0.003] for tesetaxel plus a reduced dose of capecitabine versus the approved dose of capecitabine alone.

Tesetaxel plus capecitabine was associated with a manageable side effect profile consistent with findings from previous clinical studies. Grade 3 treatment-emergent adverse events (TEAEs) that occurred in 5% of patients were: neutropenia (71.2% for tesetaxel plus capecitabine vs. 8.3% for capecitabine alone); diarrhea (13.4% for tesetaxel plus capecitabine vs. 8.9% for capecitabine alone); hand-foot syndrome (6.8% for tesetaxel plus capecitabine vs. 12.2% for capecitabine alone); febrile neutropenia (12.8% for tesetaxel plus capecitabine vs. 1.2% for capecitabine alone); fatigue (8.6% for tesetaxel plus capecitabine vs. 4.5% for capecitabine alone); hypokalemia (8.6% for tesetaxel plus capecitabine vs. 2.7% for capecitabine alone); leukopenia (10.1% for tesetaxel plus capecitabine vs. 0.9% for capecitabine alone); and anemia (8.0% for tesetaxel plus capecitabine vs. 2.1% for capecitabine alone).

Adverse events resulting in treatment discontinuation in 1% of patients were: neutropenia or febrile neutropenia (4.2% for tesetaxel plus capecitabine vs. 1.5% for capecitabine alone); neuropathy (3.6% for tesetaxel plus capecitabine vs. 0.3% for capecitabine alone); diarrhea (0.9% for tesetaxel plus capecitabine vs. 1.5% for capecitabine alone); and hand-foot syndrome (0.6% for tesetaxel plus capecitabine vs. 2.1% for capecitabine alone). Treatment discontinuation due to any adverse event occurred in 23.1% of patients treated with tesetaxel plus capecitabine versus 11.9% of patients treated with capecitabine alone.

Grade 2 alopecia (hair loss) occurred in 8.0% of patients treated with tesetaxel plus capecitabine versus 0.3% of patients treated with capecitabine alone. Grade 3 neuropathy occurred in 5.9% of patients treated with tesetaxel plus capecitabine versus 0.9% of patients treated with capecitabine alone.

Story continues

While overall survival (OS) data are not mature, a recent interim analysis indicated the absence of an adverse effect on OS. A final analysis of OS is expected to occur in 2022.

"Tesetaxel represents a potential important clinical advance for patients with metastatic breast cancer," said Joyce OShaughnessy, M.D., Celebrating Women Chair in Breast Cancer Research, Baylor University Medical Center, Texas Oncology and Chair, Breast Cancer Research, US Oncology, and Co-Principal Investigator of CONTESSA. "There remains a significant unmet medical need for novel therapies that offer quality-of-life advantages for patients with metastatic breast cancer. This need is underscored by a recent update to the National Comprehensive Cancer Network guidelines recommending oral oncolytics that can reduce the frequency of clinic visits."

"The clinically meaningful PFS improvement observed in CONTESSA, along with once-every-three-week oral dosing and low rates of clinically significant hair loss and neuropathy, could make tesetaxel an important new treatment option for patients with metastatic breast cancer," said Andrew Seidman, M.D., Attending Physician, Breast Medicine Service, Department of Medicine, Medical Director, Bobst International Center, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center and Professor of Medicine, Weill Cornell Medical College, and Co-Principal Investigator of CONTESSA.

"We would like to thank all of the investigators, study team personnel, and especially the patients and their caregivers who made CONTESSA possible," said Kevin Tang, Chief Executive Officer of Odonate. "We look forward to working closely with global regulatory authorities to make tesetaxel available to patients with metastatic breast cancer. We plan to submit a New Drug Application for tesetaxel to the FDA in mid-2021."

The Company plans to submit the results of CONTESSA for presentation at an upcoming medical meeting.

Conference Call Information

Odonate will host a conference call today, Monday, August 24, 2020, at 8:30 a.m. ET. To participate in the call, please dial (866) 300-4090 (domestic) or (636) 812-6660 (international) and use conference ID 2881009.

About Tesetaxel

Tesetaxel is an investigational, orally administered chemotherapy agent that belongs to a class of drugs known as taxanes, which are widely used in the treatment of cancer. Tesetaxel has several pharmacologic properties that make it unique among taxanes, including: oral administration with a low pill burden; a long (~8day) terminal plasma half-life in humans, enabling the maintenance of adequate drug levels with relatively infrequent dosing; no history of hypersensitivity (allergic) reactions; and significant activity against chemotherapy-resistant tumors. In patients with metastatic breast cancer, tesetaxel was shown to have significant, single-agent antitumor activity in two multicenter, Phase 2 studies. Tesetaxel currently is the subject of three studies in breast cancer, including a multinational, multicenter, randomized, Phase 3 study in patients with metastatic breast cancer, known as CONTESSA.

About CONTESSA

CONTESSA is a multinational, multicenter, randomized, Phase 3 study of tesetaxel, an investigational, orally administered taxane, in patients with metastatic breast cancer (MBC). CONTESSA is comparing tesetaxel dosed orally at 27 mg/m2 on the first day of each 21-day cycle plus a reduced dose of capecitabine (1,650 mg/m2/day dosed orally for 14 days of each 21-day cycle) to the approved dose of capecitabine alone (2,500 mg/m2/day dosed orally for 14 days of each 21-day cycle) in 685 patients randomized 1:1 with human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) negative, hormone receptor (HR) positive MBC previously treated with a taxane in the neoadjuvant or adjuvant setting. Capecitabine is an oral chemotherapy agent that is considered a standard-of-care treatment in MBC. Where indicated, patients must have received endocrine therapy with or without a cyclin-dependent kinase (CDK) 4/6 inhibitor. The primary endpoint is progression-free survival (PFS) as assessed by an Independent Radiologic Review Committee (IRC). The secondary efficacy endpoints are overall survival (OS), objective response rate (ORR) as assessed by the IRC, and disease control rate (DCR) as assessed by the IRC.

About Odonate Therapeutics, Inc.

Odonate Therapeutics, Inc. is a pharmaceutical company dedicated to the development of best-in-class therapeutics that improve and extend the lives of patients with cancer. Odonates initial focus is on the development of tesetaxel, an investigational, orally administered chemotherapy agent that belongs to a class of drugs known as taxanes, which are widely used in the treatment of cancer. Odonates goal for tesetaxel is to develop an effective chemotherapy choice for patients that provides quality-of-life advantages over current alternatives. To learn more, please visit http://www.odonate.com.

Forward-looking Statements

This press release contains "forward-looking statements" as defined by the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. We caution investors that forward-looking statements are based on managements expectations and assumptions as of the date of this press release and involve substantial risks and uncertainties that could cause the actual outcomes to differ materially from what we currently expect. These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, those associated with: expectations regarding the outcome of CONTESSA, our Phase 3 study of tesetaxel in patients with metastatic breast cancer; expectations regarding the enrollment, completion and outcome of our other clinical studies; expectations regarding the timing for our planned New Drug Application submission for tesetaxel and our ability to obtain regulatory approval of tesetaxel; the unpredictable relationship between preclinical study results and clinical study results; and other risks and uncertainties identified in our filings with the U. S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Forward-looking statements in this press release apply only as of the date made, and we undertake no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements to reflect subsequent events or circumstances.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200824005197/en/

Contacts

Odonate Therapeutics, Inc.John LemkeyChief Operating Officer(858) 731-8188jlemkey@odonate.com

Original post:
Odonate Therapeutics Announces Positive Top-line Results from CONTESSA, a Phase 3 Study of Tesetaxel in Patients with Metastatic Breast Cancer - Yahoo...

MANY people have been struggling to sleep during the coronavirus pandemic due to increased levels of stress.

Around six in 10 Brits struggle to hit the hay successfully, according to a recent study from King's College London.

6

It also found that 63 per cent of people say their sleep has gotten worse since March.

As well as this a recent report also suggested that a third of Brits have put weight on during lockdown, as gyms closed their doors due to the virus.

But could your diet be the key to a good night's sleep, and are there foods that can help you nod off and lose weight?

Speaking to The Sun experts have revealed the seven foods that can help you drift off without piling on the pounds.

Foods that help calm and relax the body and don't disturb the gut are great for people who are struggling to sleep, Karl Kristian founder and health and wellbeing expert at New Nordic told The Sun.

He said: "Nuts such as walnuts and almonds that are also a source of melatonin that is a hormone that helps regulate your sleep."

Despite the fact that nuts are high in fat and in calories, various studies have shown that they are not linked to weight gain.

One study found that people who ate two or more portions of nuts a week were 31 per cent more likely to keep the weight off than those who consumed no nuts at all.

6

Most of us are used to tucking into a hot chocolate before bed or even a chilled glass of wine in the evening, but Karl says that the best way to get a good night's sleep is to drink a herbal tea before bed.

He said: "Chamomile tea contains antioxidants that help relieve stress and anxiety by reducing inflammation and soothing your muscles which is why it is often recommended for those that struggle with insomnia."

Karl added that green tea, ginger, coffee and yerba mate are all great beverages that can help with your metabolism and therefore can help you maintain a healthy weight.

"As well as this, apple cider vinegar has been used for centuries becoming popular as a supplement to help weight management and digestion.

"Science is now reinforcing these concepts with studies showing that it may play a role in helping to maintain a healthy blood sugar balance, as well as helping you feel full more quickly", he added.

6

Nutritionist Susan Alexander, who works alongside Unbeelievable Health said a diet in magnesium rich foods can help if you're struggling to sleep.

She said: "Magnesium has been shown to help you relax, so try eatingrichsources ofmagnesiumsuch as greens, dry beans, whole grains and low-fat dairy products.

"Tryptophanis an amino acid that's believed to inducesleep, as it isa precursor to thesleep-inducing chemicals serotonin and melatonin.

"Tryptophancan be found in yoghurt, milk, oats, bananas, dates, poultry, eggs and peanuts."

Foods such as greens help you stay fuller for longer and also contribute to your five-a-day.

Low fat dairy products can also help if you're trying to lose weight as their calorie and fat count are lower than the "full fat" versions.

Nutritionist Donia Hilal added: "Foods rich in magnesium are another way to relax your muscles and mind before bed.

"You can find magnesium in leafy green vegetables such as spinach, nuts and avocado."

6

We have heard many times that the Mediterranean diet is good for your health - but it could also help you sleep, according to Dr Michael Mosely, who devised the Fast800 diet plan.

He said: "A traditional Mediterranean diet is rich in oily fish, veg, legumes and olive oil and little in the way of sugary snacks.

"Eating this way will help improve both your mood and your weight, something we will all need to consider as we become increasing sedentary during self-isolation."

Four top tips to get a good night's sleep

Nutritionist Lisa Borg said there are four things everyone can do to help them get forty winks.

He said that focusing on a diet included legumes will help you stop craving sugary snacks which is turn leads to poor sleep and high levels of sleep deprivation.

Dr Mosely added: "You should stop eating altogether at least three hours before bed.

"Experts think this helps us keep our body temperatures down. As we get to our bedtimes, our body temperature starts to drop which helps trigger sleep.

"When a late-night snack hits your stomach, your body starts breaking it down and absorbing it.

"This increases gut activity and your core temperature will stay high, so dont bother with the pre-bed hot chocolate or glass of milk. These are common myths.

Oily fish is a great source of vitamin D, protein, some B vitamins and selenium.

It's also rich in omega 3 fatty acids, which come with a whole host of health benefits.

The main benefit of oily fish is that it's been shown to reduce the risk of heart attacks, strokes and other cardiovascular diseases.

Speaking to The Sun Lisa Borg, nutritionist atPulseLight Clinic said you should aim to consume around three pieces of oily fish a day to help your weight loss efforts and said that keeping a balanced diet will also help you drift off easier each night.

"If one wakes up feeling really tired after a good nights sleep it suggests hormonal imbalances may be present.

"Follow a diet to balance blood glucose levels and make sure you exercise for at least 30 minutes everyday."

By opting for oily fishes you can reduce the sugar levels in meals as oily fish already has a lot of flavour so doesn't usually require further seasonings which some times contain added sugars.

6

She added: "Sleep is essential in controlling appetite and food choices. The tired individual will crave sugary foods for a quick energy fix.

"Insufficient sleep results in a higher production of the hunger hormone Ghrelin and subsequently an excess intake of calories.

"Balance meals and snacks ensuring they provide a carbohydrate, a protein and a healthy fat. This helps to slow down the release of glucose and therefore reduces insulin release and keeps one satisfied for longer."

If you have become dependent on a sweet treat in the evening opting for products with no added sugars are a good alternative.

Yogurts won't upset the stomach and products such as Perfect World Ice Cream and Halo which are under 400 calories a tub are great if you want to have a treat without piling on the pounds.

Supermarkets such as Asda, Sainsbury's and Waitrose also do their own low calorie ice creams.

Some of these products - many of which contain nuts, are also high in fibre which Lisa recommends.

Donia Hilal, nutritionist atpersonalised.co said while Turkey may not be at the top of everyone's shopping list - it's a great food for sleep and weight loss.

Speaking to The Sun she said: "It is rich in an amino acid called tryptophan which is used by the body to increase melatonin levels - our sleep hormone.

"You can incorporate turkey breast into your dinner to help naturally boost melatonin levels in the body."

Turkey is also high in protein and is great to add to salads and pastas.

6

Emily Rollason, nutritionist for Holland & Barrett added: "Protein is whats known as a macronutrient, meaning the body requires a lot of it to stay healthy.Protein is a not-so-secret weapon when it comes to weight loss.

"The main reason for this is protein is satiating which means it makes you fuller for longer.

"For adults, the general daily requirement is 0.6g of protein per kilogram bodyweight."

For people who aren't big fans of turkey and for those who are vegetarian or vegan she suggested a protein shake with almond or other nut milk.

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While Donia said there are no specific foods that will help with weight loss - the most important thing is to make sure that you are consuming less calories than you are burning throughout the day.

She did however say that cherries could be a great addition to your diet.

"Cherries are naturally rich in melatonin, the hormone which helps regulate your sleep.

"Try opting for overnight oats with cherries before bed to help you doze of naturally", she added.

Emily added: "Cherry-tart cherries such as Montmorency Cherries have naturally high levels of a hormone that regulate the bodys circadian rhythm (the sleep/ wake cycle) and induces sleep - melatonin.

"Some studies have shown that those taking cherry juice had improved sleep and slept for longer that those not taking this."

Read more here:
The 7 best foods to help you sleep AND lose weight at the same time - The Sun

STARTING the day with a tea or coffee is part of most people's morning ritual.

When it comes to tea and coffee, Brits drink around 195 million cups of these caffeine-filled infusions every day.

The UK Tea & Infusions Association states that Brits gulp 100 million cups of tea and 95 million cups of coffee.

Earlier this week experts revealed that drinking two cups of coffee a day could slash your risk of dying from liver cancer by 46 per cent.

For those of us who can't get through the day without a caffeinated beverage this is good news.

Despite this a separate study published this week also found that drinking any coffee or tea during pregnancy puts your unborn baby at risk.

Many experts were quick to slam the study and claimed that pregnant women do not have to eliminate coffee from their diet completely.

While most of us enjoy a brew in the morning, what do caffeinated drinks actually do to us?

Experts have explained the journey these drinks take through the body with a timetable as a guide as to when caffeinated drinks take effect.

The alarm goes off and you're ready for another day - but not until you've had your first drink of the day.

Whether it's coffee or tea, your chosen beverage can often help you face the day with a sense of renewal.

Speaking to The Telegraph, Thomas Sanders, a professor of nutrition and dietetics at Kings College London said coffee usually sticks around in the system for around five to six hours.

He stressed that there is quite a lot of variation in the individual response to coffee, and said that this will impact how that first cup is broken down in the body.

3

While most of us think we need a caffeinated drink to get through the morning rush, Prof Sanders said that this is actually just a placebo effect.

He said if your usual routine involves putting on the kettle first thing then it's likely you've tricked your mind into thinking that you need the drink to conquer the day.

He said: "To feel the effects of coffee, youve got to let it absorb into the bloodstream.

"What youre feeling at this stage is only likely to be a psychological effect."

3

Now you're feeling pumped as the caffeine has been absorbed into your blood stream.

You're heart rate will be up and you will feel a alert as the drink causes adrenaline to be released.

When we consume caffeine it tells our hormone control centre - the pituitary gland that there's an emergency.

This triggers the "fight or flight" mode. Previous studies found that this excited state can often make us feel more emotionally charged than we usually would - and could help us power through those morning emails.

Researchers at Carnegie Mellon University found that caffeine can stimulate the heart and cause adrenaline spikes.

You've had your coffee and now you need to go the loo.

Coffee and tea is known to have a diuretic effect of the body.

While drinking just one cup won't leave you rushing to find the nearest toilet - more than one could cause an increase in urine production.

Despite this - these drinks don't increase levels of dehydration, the Mayo Clinic states.

Coffee, whether it's decaf or not, has an impact on your bowels.

Around an hour and a half after your first cup it's likely you'll need to go the loo.

Some people who have sensitive bowels might want to avoid black coffee as this could cause irritation.

Research has previously shown that caffeine makes the colon 60 per cent more active than water and 23 per cent more active than decaf coffee.

Speaking to The Sun, one expert said that if your stomach struggles with hot coffee, then drinking it cold might be the way ahead.

Theo Garcia, co-founder ofSolo Coffee said a cold brew is 60 per cent less acidic than hot coffee - meaning it's easier on the stomach, especially for people who have irritable bowel syndrome (IBS).

3

He said: "Due to the lower acidity, the coffee is a lot smoother and tastes naturally sweet, meaning consumers can avoid adding milk and sugar to boost flavour.

"Another benefit is that cold brew has a higher level of caffeine due to the longer brewing process, and has proven to be beneficial to exercise performance, mental and physical health."

The big meetings are out of the way, the kids are washed and fed and now you're feeling a bit low.

This is because the effects of caffeine are starting to wear off and your body is ready for its next fix.

You might start to feel tired or irritable and you could even suffer from headaches.

You can avoid a caffeine slump by not drinking on an empty stomach, staying hydrated and spreading out your caffeine consumption.

That run to the tea room has started to look even more appealing.

Several hours after drinking caffeine your body will start to crave more.

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Prof Sanders said that if these drinks are part of your normal routine then it's likely your body will be expecting more of it.

But experts have warned us to avoid reaching for these drinks in the afternoon, and instead suggest opting for herbal teas or decaf options.

This is because consuming caffeine later on in the day means some of us might struggle to sleep.

Being that a lack of sleep is why most of us reach for the coffee in the first place it's probably best to avoid coffee in the afternoons and evenings.

More:
This is what happens to your body when you take a sip of caffeine - The Sun

The three keys to a genuine weight loss (fat loss ) plan are diet, exercise, and metabolism correction. All three keys interconnect one will not work without the other. Your metabolism is the most powerful of all the three keys it is the switch that controls everything else. In most people this switch is off.

Metabolism problems such as slow thyroid, type 2 diabetes, sluggish liver, hormone imbalances, PCOS, endometriosis, infertility, and digestive problems such as constipation, IBS, and diverticulitis will limit or stop your weight loss, no matter how much dieting or exercise you do.

System 10 scientifically combines food and exercise to fix your metabolism for amazing weight loss and toning. You also get great energy, better sleep, and other health benefits all connected to metabolism problems.

This is a total plan of normal food, exercise, superb information, and motivation. It includes:

A metabolism analysis to identify the weak areas within your system.

Seven-day food plans that tell you exactly what to have for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks, all nutritionally balanced and portion specific to each individual.

The system uses normal, everyday, foods. Eating well has never been so easy.

You get treat calories every day and a weekly alcohol allowance.

Simple weekly exercise covering cardio and toning.

Choose from a 10-week or six-week in-clinic one-to-one programme, or the very successful four-week home plan which includes twice weekly weigh-ins plus a weekly private phone consultation.

Contact Grace on 087 1727882 for all information and starting dates.

The System 10 plan includes:

An analysis of your metabolism.

Dietician designed highly balanced food plans of normal, natural foods no pills, bars, or shakes.

An exercise plan [home walk, jog, or bike] or gym plan including toning.

Nutritional supplement recommendations to rapidly repair your system.

Private weigh-ins, motivational tips, and support throughout the programme.

System 10 guarantees that every pound you lose is a pound of fat [you do not lose water or muscle like most plans]. You will lose 2-3lb every week and, because the programme is designed to speed up your metabolism, you will keep the weight off when you finish your plan. Programmes are available for men and women.

Contact Grace on 087 1727882 for an appointment. Clinics are located in Salthill, Oranmore, and Clifden.

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Lose up to two stone in ten weeks - Galway Advertiser

In this series, we dig into our strange phobias, fixations, and neuroses, and ask ourselves Is This Normal?

I cannot fall asleep without a blanket even on hot summer afternoons. To not have even a sheet covering my sleeping torso feels bizarre outlandish, even. But besides making me comfortable, blankets also make me feel invincible: by shielding me against the demons under my bed, who would otherwise absolutely mutilate me in my sleep; to safeguarding me from murderers, who would most certainly slit my throat, or stab me all over, if it werent for my mighty blanket.

Is this normal? Turns out, it kind of is.

The requirement for blankets takes on two components to it. Theres a behavioral component and a physiological component, Dr. Alice Hoagland, the director of an insomnia clinic at the Unity Sleep Disorder Center in New York, told Atlas Obscura.

As humans, we are accustomed to sleeping under blankets from the time we are born: from being swaddled as babies, to being tucked into our beds as children. Its part of your routine, and without it, your brain feels that something is missing and may find it difficult to relax, Ellen Wermter, a board-certified family nurse practitioner from Virginia, told Huffington Post. Dr. Hoagland refers to this as pure conditioning, and sort of a Pavlovian response. Moreover, as children, blankets served as the magical getaway that we believed would protect us from the darkness, or maybe, even ghosts. While we may have out-grown those fears now, sub-consciously, we continue to relate a sense of security with blankets.

Related on The Swaddle:

Is This Normal?: I Hate Sleeping On a Pillow

Another reason why we may find blankets indispensable to our sleep routine has to do with the production of serotonin, which is commonly understood as the happy hormone. Serotonin also helps modulate sleep regulation to the extent that lower levels of serotonin are often linked to insomnia in people undergoing depression. But, during the rapid eye movement (REM)-cycle of sleep, our serotonin levels decrease. Thegentle pressure that blankets provide also stimulates serotonin production, and help us sleep peacefully through REM-cycles.

In addition, our body temperature continues to fall throughout the night while were asleep, as a means of conserving energy, and redirecting it to digestion. Experts also believe that our body loses its ability to regulate itstemperature once we reach the REM-cycle. Blankets keep us warm, and by covering ourselves with blankets, in essence, we are preventing our slumber from being interrupted by cold shivers in the middle of the night.

A blanket creates a microclimate around the skin that is usually warmer than the surrounding environment. It traps heat that escapes from the body at night, keeping the body warm.And since most people sleep with a blanket, the physical sensation of the blanket itself gets paired with sleep. This means that simply being under a blanket can cause the brain and body to be primed for sleep. It can actually trigger a sleep response, Dr.Michael Grandner, director of the Sleep and Health Research Program at the University of Arizona in Tucson, told The Healthy, explaining how the physiological component of sleeping under a blanket has become interlinked with the way we perceive blankets.

So, unlike the brave souls whose invincibility isnt tied to a piece of covering, I will continue to rely on my blanket to protect me from goons and murderers, and since its 2020, maybe even from the apocalypse. Sleep tight, fellow blanket-lovers.

See the article here:
Is This Normal?: "I Can Only Sleep If I'm Covered With A Blanket" - The Swaddle

Chrissy Teigen made the surprising revelation that she used to take a pregnancy test every month while struggling with infertility.

Chrissy Teigen and John Legend recently confirmed that they are expecting their third child. Since revealing her baby bump in the music video for Legends new song, Wild, the model and cookbook author took to Instagram to show off her new bump. She turned to Twitter to share the details on how she found out she was pregnant.

A curious fan Tweeted: "Question... @chrissyteigen just announced she's pregnant. Before my breast reduction last year, they did a pregnancy test. Was she pregnant when she had her surgery in June? I feel like with her bump she had to be pregnant before that, but I could be wrong. I'm confused."

RELATED: Chrissy Teigen Shows Off Baby Bump in Funny Video

Teigen was quick to respond, saying, Oh, its quite a story. She explained that she did take in fact take the required pregnancy test before her breast implant removal surgery, but that it came back negative. It turned out to be a false negative.

How does that happen? There are a few ways you could get a negative result on a pregnancy test when you are actually pregnant. If you take the test too early, the test may not be able to pick up the pregnancy hormone HCG. There is also a possibility of receiving a false negative result if the urine sample used for the test is diluted. For the most accurate results, its best to take the test one week after a missed period, and to take the test first thing in the morning, when your urine is the most concentrated.

Teigen, who didnt think she could conceive naturally, was shocked to see a positive result after taking another pregnancy test at home a few weeks after her surgery. She admitted to another Twitter follower that she took multiple tests afterwards to confirm her pregnancy. She went on to explain that for many years, she would take a pregnancy test every month in the hopes of finally seeing a positive result. After struggling with infertility for so long, Teigen and Legend opted to try in vitro fertilization. After multiple IVF attempts, Teigen gave birth to daughter Luna in 2016 and son Miles in 2018.

The positive result came on the morning of John Legend's album release. Teigen explained that she woke up early as Legend prepared to go on Good Morning America. She decided to take her usual monthly pregnancy test, fully expecting to be disappointed by yet another negative result. Teigen Tweeted that she didnt think that she and Legend would be one of the couples that would conceive a Corona baby but it turns out theyre going to! All joking aside, Teigen hopes that her story will give couples who are trying to get pregnant some hope, pointing to a common belief that life can surprise you, and that when you give up on or take a break from trying to conceive, it may just happen naturally after all.

READ NEXT:Celebrities Who Announced Pregnancies During Lockdown

Sources: Insider, Mayo Clinic, Twitter, iHeart

Questions Parents Should Ask Themselves Before Choosing A Baby Name

Jessica Goodwin is a freelance writer, author, naptime hustler, silver lining seeker, and wannabe world traveler. Her work has appeared on Scary Mommy, Modern Mom, Mamalode, Mother Hustle, and more.

Read the rest here:
Chrissy Teigen Reveals She Used To Take A Pregnancy Test Every Month - BabyGaga

Pregnancy is a time for many healthcare visits. While its tempting to skip the dentist, thats one appointment you shouldnt put off.

Cleveland Clinic is a non-profit academic medical center. Advertising on our site helps support our mission. We do not endorse non-Cleveland Clinic products or services.Policy

Why? Pregnancy puts you at risk for dental problems, so its important to continue getting oral care, says Ob/Gyn Julian Peskin, MD.

In this Q&A, he answers some common questions about pregnancy and oral health.

A. As most pregnant women realize, pregnancy ramps up hormones. And that increased hormone load can cause your gums to swell. Swollen gums can trap food and result in gum disease or infection.

The other hormone-driven concern is morning sickness. When you vomit, the acid that comes up from the stomach can eat away at tooth enamel. Morning sickness can also make you less likely to brush your teeth, because the gag reflex and nausea are so strong. Without proper dental hygiene, your oral health is in jeopardy.

A. Severe periodontal disease can result in potential complications to your pregnancy. Many studies link periodontal disease to:

We believe that gum disease results in bacteria getting into your bloodstream and causing an inflammatory response in the body. Proper dental care can stop this process from starting.

A. The benefits of seeing a dentist far outweigh the risks. If you need:

A. Some procedures cant wait, like treatment for an abscess. And the good news is, you dont have to wait. Its perfectly fine to have gum surgery or other major dental work performed during pregnancy.

Just alert your dentist so they can choose an antibiotic that is safe during pregnancy. Dentists will avoid prescribing tetracycline, which can stain your fetuss teeth.

A. The keys to good oral health are the same whether or not youre pregnant. Brush twice a day with fluoridated toothpaste and continue to floss. You can also use a fluoridated mouthwash that doesnt contain alcohol.

If you experience vomiting during pregnancy, protect your teeth by rinsing with a solution of water plus one teaspoon of baking soda. And if morning sickness makes you want to retch when brushing, ask your dentist for a bland-tasting toothpaste.

A. Continue to see your dentist for routine care every six months. Plus, eat a healthy, balanced diet that includes these vitamins and minerals:

Start your babys oral hygiene now! A babys first teeth begin to develop about three months into your pregnancy. Diets containing dairy products, such as cheese and yogurt, provide essential minerals and are good for your babys developing teeth, gums and bones.

See the article here:
Is It Safe to Go to the Dentist While Pregnant? - Health Essentials from Cleveland Clinic

Study participants

We used data from the mothers of the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC) birth cohort. Full details of the study have been previously reported [17, 18]. ALSPAC enrolled 14,541 pregnancies in the South West of England (around the city of Bristol) with an expected delivery date between 1st April 1991 and 31st December 1992. The participating families have been followed up through to the current day [17]. Please note that the study website (http://www.bristol.ac.uk/alspac/researchers/our-data/) contains details of all the data and interview guides that are available through a fully searchable data dictionary and variable search tool.

In 20092011, all mothers still engaged with the study (N=11,264) were invited to a follow up assessment clinic, with 4834 (43%) of invited women attending. The participating women were older and more educated than the original sample recruited in pregnancy [18]. A further three follow-up assessment clinics, each successively 1 to 2years apart, were undertaken focusing on women who were pre-menopausal in the initial clinic and therefore likely to go through the menopausal transition during the subsequent three assessments, reflecting the aim to explore social, lifestyle, health and biological changes as women go through the menopausal transition [19]. This study is restricted to these three later clinics in which cognitive function tests were administered. Figure1 describes the participant flow into the analyses. Women were included irrespective of whether they changed through one or all three of the menopausal stages of pre-, peri- and post-menopause as our primary exposures were not these categories but reproductive age and hormones. Women who had undergone surgical menopause at baseline or follow up were excluded, as were women reporting using hormone replacement therapy (HRT) or hormonal contraception at baseline, so that the focus was on changes occurring across a natural menopause. Observations for women who reported using HRT or hormonal contraception in follow up were also censored at the last point before reported use. The analysis sample consisted of 2411 women with 1386 women participating in all three assessment clinics. A majority of the participants (97%) were White British.

Participant flow into eligible and analysis groups, 20112015

Women were asked a detailed set of questions about the date of their last menstrual period and the regularity of their menses by interview at each assessment clinic. These questions were designed to be able to categorise participants into Stages of Reproductive Aging Workshop (STRAW) categories [15]. FMP could be identified when at least 1year of amenorrhea had occurred since the date of the last menstrual period. Using this information, reproductive age was calculated retrospectively using years since FMP and coded as zero when women were pre-FMP. Reproductive age could not be measured before FMP due to the relatively small number of women having their FMP during the study follow up. A binary variable on whether the woman had reached their FMP was also determined for each assessment clinic.

Levels of FSH, LH, and AMH were assessed from fasting samples in women at the three assessment clinics without restrictions on which day in the menstrual cycle the participants were at the time of blood sampling. Women were instructed to fast overnight or for at least 8h before the clinic visit, and the blood samples were processed within 4h and stored at 80C until thawed for hormonal analyses (with no previous thaw-freeze cycles). Serum FSH, LH and AMH were measured with a Roche Elecsys modular analytics Cobas e411 using an electrochemiluminescence immunoassay. The AMH assay used was the fully automated Elecsys AMH Plus immunoassay from Roche Diagnostics [20].

STRAW criteria [15], using the date of the last menstrual period and the regularity of menses, were used to categorise women into menopausal stages [19]. In this study, we condensed the more detailed categories into (i) pre-menopausal (reproductive, STRAW categories 5 to -3a), (ii) peri-menopausal (menopause transition and first year post-menopause, STRAW 2, 1 and+1a) and (iii) post-menopausal (from second year post-menopause, STRAW +1b to +2).

Six different cognitive tests were administered at each of the three assessment clinics according to a standardised protocol to assess specific domains of cognitive function (see Table1). Higher scores on each test reflect better cognitive function.

We adjusted for (1) educational attainment, as defined by the highest attained qualification (i) Certificate of Secondary Education (CSE), ordinary- (O-) level or vocational certificate (qualifications usually obtained at age 16, the UK minimum school leaving age when these women were at school), (ii) Advanced A-level (usually taken at 18years) or (iii) university degree, and (2) age at first pregnancy. Information on both were obtained by questionnaire when the women were first recruited.

As the period between each of the assessments was 1 to 2years, practice effects may have occurred in cognitive test performance. That is, performance may have improved, or an age-related decline be somewhat masked, as a result of familiarity with the test. We accounted for this in our analyses with a (3) time-varying continuous variable detailing the number of previous testing occasions. In addition, we adjusted for (4) the fieldworker who had administered the test to reduce any potential variation in performance related to how the tests were administered.

Descriptive statistics were calculated and cognitive test scores at the first assessment clinic were examined by menopausal stage using analysis of variance.

Full details of the strategy for the main analyses, including details of all multilevel models, are provided in Supplementary Text (Additionalfile1). Briefly, we used multilevel linear regression models to examine: (i) change in cognitive function domains by reproductive age (years since FMP) and chronological age and compare the contributions of each of these and (ii) the association of standardised LH, FSH and AMH levels (using mean and standard deviation (SD) from first assessment clinic, having replaced undetectable LH and AMH levels with 0.1 mIU/ml and 0.01ng/ml respectively) with cognitive function. Multilevel models allow all women with at least one cognitive function assessment to be included in analyses under a missing-at-random (MAR) assumption and take account of the correlation between repeated measurements. As we only had up to three measurements in each woman, we had to assume any change with reproductive or chronological age or association with hormones were linear. We modelled each cognitive function domain in SD units, using the mean from the first assessment clinic and the estimated between-individual SD derived from the fully adjusted model.

The Bayesian Information Criteria (BIC) was used to assess and compare how reproductive and chronological age explained variation in cognitive function. The main models were adjusted for fieldworker effects, practice effects, chronological age, education and age at first pregnancy. To assess associations of reproductive hormones (FSH, LH and AMH) with cognitive function, each was included as a time-varying exposure in separate models, with the results reflecting the difference in cognitive function between women with one SD difference in hormone level at any given age.

Lastly, we studied differences in the extent of improvement in cognitive function by practice at pre-, peri- and post-menopause. We tested whether the interaction between practice effects (with a random slope) and menopausal stage improved model fit in a model including chronological age, education and age at first pregnancy using log likelihood tests.

We compared baseline cognitive function scores by the duration of follow-up time available to examine whether results may have been biased by loss to follow-up. We also repeated the main analyses in a sample restricted to women who participated in all three clinics. All analyses were conducted in Stata 15.1 (StataCorp, Texas, US) and MLwIN version 3.01 using command runmlwin [21].

Ethical approval for the data collection was obtained from the ALSPAC Ethics and Law Committee and the Local National Health Service Research Ethics Committees. Informed written consent for the use of data collected via questionnaires and clinics was obtained from participants. Consent for biological samples has been collected in accordance with the Human Tissue Act (2004).

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Changes in six domains of cognitive function with reproductive and chronological ageing and sex hormones: a longitudinal study in 2411 UK mid-life...

A sexual health clinic in Truro, N.S., that offers health care to transgender people will continue to operate and might one day see an expansion of services.

The Truro Sexual Health Centre operates one evening a week out of office space provided by the Nova Scotia Health Authority's local collaborative health centre.

"It was a huge relief," said patient Katie Freeman, who accesses the clinic for transgender health care and hormone replacement therapy.

"On top of my own access to basic health services, I have local friends that were forced to put their transitions on hold because of the closure, so knowing that they can finally get the support that they need to start the transition just means a lot to me."

Transgender health care is a large part of the clinic's services, and it also offers services like sexually transmitted disease testing and treatments, birth control, pregnancy counselling and pap smears.

Although the health centreis not officially operated by the health authority, NSHA employees do the centre's administrative and nursing support duties, in addition to their regular work, as a partnership with the community.

Last month, people who work at and use the clinic became concerned the NSHA was reviewing that partnership and might withdraw its support.

But at a meeting on Aug. 5, NSHA offiicals told clinic founder Dr. Hali Bauldthe arrangement would continue.

"They indicated that we would receive the same amount of nursing hours as we had had previously, so that would be three hours a week," Bauld said.

The NSHA staff will also continue to give administrative support for booking and checking patients in to theWednesday evening clinic, and the NSHA will seek more funding to increase nursing support outside clinic hours.

"They also acknowledged that those hours and that level of support is probably not enough," Bauld said. She estimates there are more than 100 patients who need to be rescheduled.

"So I would say three hours a week would just be a drop in the bucket in terms of demand, and I think we would have to operate at least double that capacity to meet the current demand that there is for our service," she said.

In an email to CBCNews, Graeme Kohler, the director of primary health care for the northern zone, wrote that the centre is "an excellent example of passionate physicians working in partnership with Nova Scotia Health to meet the needs of community members."

Kohler said the NSHA is pleased with the arrangement and had "no intention of ever withdrawing support."

"We will continue to partner with the physicians to support this clinic and will explore future opportunities to ensure proper staffing and support is in place," he wrote.

Freeman welcomed that news and said many in the LGBTQ community feel the same way.

"It's such good news, especially the fact they're going to seek additional funding because it's a sign that we're moving in the right direction," she said.

The clinic is scheduled to reopen on the first Wednesday in September.

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After fears it would close, Truro Sexual Health Centre to remain open - CBC.ca

Mindfulness is a meditation practice that involves intentionally paying attention to the present moment. Researchers studying the science behind mindfulness meditation have demonstrated that it can actually change the way our brains work. As more and more Americans report depression and anxiety, there has been increased public interest and scientific attention to mindfulness in recent years. Could something as simple as meditating be a realistic alternative to pharmaceutical solutions?

The science is new on this subject, but its deeply embedded in the religious practices, especially in south Asian countries like India and Nepal, said Muhammad Aadil, M.D., resident physician in psychiatry at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School.

He reviewed the latest research on mindfulness in the journal Cureus and as a physician, he educates his patients about mindfulness. We spoke with Dr. Aadil to learn whether mindfulness is a fad or the real deal, and to understand what happens to the brain during meditation.

Our mind is always wandering and always thinking about different things and not staying in the present moment,said Aadil. So, if you can train your mind to stick in the present time, it can truly change your life.

Scientific studies have demonstrated that mindfulness can help focus our thoughts. According to the University of California, Berkeleys Greater Good Magazine, consistent meditation can improve your compassion, ability to solve problems, attention span and resiliency to stress. Mindfulness helps the mind and body recover from stressful situations. For example, researchers have found that mindfulness makes breakups and divorce easier.

In general, according to Greater Good, mindfulness is a positive influence on relationships with loved ones. For example, studies have shown that when couples discussed a conflict, the stress hormone cortisol spiked during these difficult conversations, as expected. But after the conflict was over, the more mindful participants calmed down faster and quickly returned to normal cortisol levels.

Mindfulness can be a helpful tool for parents. It has been linked to lower stress, depression, and anxiety among parents of preschoolers and children with disabilities, and mindful parenting practices can help parents be more empathetic with their children.

Scientific American reports that evidence-backed benefits of mindfulness include memory improvement, stress reduction, healthier diet and sleep improvement. One study found undergraduate students who took a two-week mindfulness class performed better on the reading comprehension portion of the Graduate Record Examinations (GRE) test used for graduate school admissions by 16 percentile points.

Mindfulness programs have widely been shown to help people cope with mental health such as anxiety and stress, and they can also improve physical health by helping people improve their eating and sleeping habits. For example, people who meditate with their eyes closed fall asleep faster, Aadil said.

Mindfulness can be part of psychological treatment called cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), to help people with post-traumatic stress disorder, substance abuse, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and eating disorders. In those situations, meditation can supplement, though not replace standard treatment.

The gold standard treatment is medication, says Aadil. He adds, Maybe in the future, with better techniques for mindful CBT, we might be able to reduce the dosage of the medication, but I dont see that it will completely replace medication.

But for mild depression and mild anxiety, mindfulness practices can be very effective without medication, according to Aadil.

If I see a patient thats in the emergency or in the outpatient clinic, said Aadil, I ask if they have heard of any mindfulness techniques. And if they say no, then I just educate them on the basics of mindfulness.

When Aadil has more time with patients, he does a guided two- to five-minute mindfulness therapy. The idea is to have the patient close their eyes, focus on breathing slowly and being only in the present moment. Depending on how technically savvy his patients are, he may also suggest meditation apps to help them continue to practice mindfulness at home.

Neuroscientists have studied mindfulness and discovered that meditation actually changes the physical structure of the brain. The Observer reports that when Harvard Medical School scientist Sara Lazar was skeptical about her yoga teachers claims about the benefits of meditation, she used MRI technology to find proof. Surprisingly, she observed that meditation can help us stay sharper as we age. The frontal cortex, which is the part of the brain associated with memories, typically thins out as we age. The brain scans revealed that older meditators had the same amount of gray matter in their cortex as their younger counterparts.

In another study, the Harvard neuroscientists observed people who had never meditated before as they went through an eight-week mindfulness training program. The results demonstrated that mindfulness activates the parts of the brain related to memory storage, empathy and emotional regulation, as evidenced by an increase in brain volume in the hippocampus and temporoparietal junction. At the same time, meditation reduces activity in the fight or flight survival instinct part of the brain (amygdala), which triggers stress hormones.

According to Greater Good Magazine, long-term, consistent meditation makes people more resilient because it reduces the inflammatory response in people when they are exposed to stressors.

There are certain inflammatory markers for depression and anxiety that you can measure in the blood, Aadil explained. For individuals who are meditating for a long time, meaning for more than a year or two years, those inflammation markers go down in the blood.

While there is science behind mindfulness meditation, some studies have shown mixed results. For example, according to Greater Good, a study showed that a mindfulness program for adults had no impact on depression or anxiety in teens. Many other studies were inconclusive about the benefits of mindfulness practices.

One big issue is that not everyone is motivated to do brain training exercises. For many people, its difficult to sit still for several minutes.

One thing we can do is start teaching kids or children at a very early age, at least some basic mindfulness techniques, says Aadil.

Even a mindfulness expert such as Aadil admitted that he sees low success rates with his patients. Most of his patients are homeless, dealing with severe financial stress and addiction problems, so its difficult for them to prioritize meditation when they have more urgent issues to address.

After extensively studying mindfulness practices and learning the proven benefits, Aadil still finds it difficult.

I have read so much about meditation, Aadil says. I know how effective it is, I know how beneficial it is, I have multiple apps, I have a reminder for every day. But Im still not able to practice daily.

Mindfulness is an exercise for training the brain. Its not only about carving out a few moments of peace in your day. Just like the benefits of physical exercise extend beyond your sweat session, mindfulness has lasting benefits. Like many other skills, meditation is easy for some people and challenging for others. But like any other skill, it takes practice and dedication.

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Study participants

This cross-sectional study enrolled participants who visited the Menopause Clinic in the Shanghai Sixth Peoples Hospital. Han-Chinese woman aged 4067years passing through the menopause were recruited. Exclusion criteria were (1) with rhinitis; (2) having severe internal illnesses and/or diseases such as myocardial infarction, stroke, and cancer; (3) current smoking (at least once per week for the previous 6months); (4) excessive alcohol drinking (at least one pack per month for the previous 6months); (5) suffering from thyroid disease; (6) having tubercle and cachexy; (7) missing data. Ultimately,715 participants were recruited in this study.

Baseline sociodemographic information was collected from a questionnaire through face-to-face interview, which has been previously employed [8] (seen in supplementary file1); Variables included age, marital status, employment status, education level, income per month, menopausal age, menopausal status, history of chronic disease (i.e., hypertension, diabetes mellitus, rhinitis, other diseases), besides, lifestyle (i.e., smoke, alcohol consumption) were recorded. Guiding by the Stages of Reproductive Aging Workshop (STRAW +10) [15],participants were divided into three different menopausal subgroups, namely menopausal transition group (consecutive irregularities for over 7days of menstrual cycle), early postmenopausal group (absence of menstrual periods for 12months 5years) and late postmenopausal group (absence of menstrual periods for 5years). Hypertension was defined by any prior diagnosis from the questionnaire or by the criteria recommended by the seventh report of the Joint National Committee on Prevention, Detection, Evaluation, and Treatment of High Blood Pressure (JNC7, [16]). While diabetes mellitus was identified by FPG7mmol/L or received any treatment for diabetes according to the WHO criteria [17].

Participants were asked by the question to assess the sleep snoring frequency, which was applied previously [18, 19]. Over the past 4 weeks, did you snore? And if did, how many times per week? and the options for responses were never, rarely, occasionally, and regularly, corresponding to never, <1 night per week, 12 nights per week, and 3 nights per week, respectively (seen in supplementary file1).

We measured and recorded participants weight, height. Body mass index (BMI) was computed by dividing weight in kilograms by the square of their height in meters. We took the blood pressure for all participants on the right arm three consecutive times after 5-min sitting (systolic blood pressure (SBP), diastolic blood pressure (DBP)). Blood samples were collected for the detection of serum concentration of triglyceride (TG), cholesterol (TC), high-density lipoprotein (HDL), low-density lipoprotein (LDL), and fasting blood glucose (FBG) after an overnight fast.

We measured the body composition by BIA (TBF-418B analyzer; TANITA) of lean mass (LM), fat mass (FM), and fat-free mass (FFM), and each segment included upper /lower limbs, and trunk. We also recorded basal metabolic rate (BMR) concurrently [20]. The well-trained staff guided the participants to take off heavy clothes, socks and shoes, and hold the hand electrodes, standing barefoot in contact with footpad electrodes [21]. Fat mass (total and each segment) and lean mass (total and each segment) were stated in the dichotomized form, with a cutoff of the highest quartile as the higher one (comparing the highest to the lower two tertiles). We defined 17.11kg, 1.41kg and9.11kg as higher total fat mass, higher fat mass of upper limbs and higher fat mass of trunk respectively.

All statistical analyses were taken by SPSS 22.0 (IBM Corporation, Armonk, NY, USA). Data were tested for normal distribution by the Kruskal WallisH-test. Levenes test of homogeneity of variance was also performed. Variables were presented as meanstandard deviation (SD) when they showed normal distributions, whereas medians (inter quartile range) or values (%). One-way ANOVA (normal distributions), the Kruskal Wallis H-test (skewed continuous variables) and 2 test (categorical variables) were carried out to compare the differences among the four groups. Snoring was analyzed as a categorical variable with never as the reference group. Relationship between body composition and snoring frequency was computed by multiple logistic regression analysis. Covariates included TG, TC, HDL, LDL, FBG, SBP, DBP, age, marital status, employment status, education level, income per month, menopausal age, menopausal status, hypertension, diabetes mellitus. Two-sided p<0.05 was considered significant.

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Association of snoring and body composition in (peri-post) menopausal women - BMC Blogs Network

Hair loss causes can be roughly divided into two categories - genetic and lifestyle, although the two may interact in complex ways. Hereditary-pattern baldness, for example, is a natural condition caused by some combination of genetics, hormone levels and the ageing process, according to Harvard Health. On the lifestyle end of the spectrum is a response to extreme stress, a medical condition or treatment.

It then enters the 10-day catagen phase where hair follicles shrink and growth stops.

The third stage is the telogen phase where hair rests for up to three months while new hair grows underneath.

During the final exogen phase the old hair will fall out to make way for the new one.

"In the case of low carb diets, during the bodys transitional stage of adapting to a new diet more hair follicles will enter the telogen stage, hence an increased hair loss," explained Dr May.

However, as Dr May pointed out, you should watch what carbohydrates you are in taking as a diet that is rich in processed foods and refined carbs with high levels of simple sugars could stimulate the body to produce more androgens, which are male hormones.

"Too many of these hormones can cause hair thinning and the balding process," he warned.

Refined (simple carbohydrates) are those that include sugars and refined grains.

They are stripped of all bran, fibre, and nutrients needed to boost your health.

Common examples are white bread, pasta, pastries, white flour, and white rice.

"Complex carbohydrates are higher in fibre, and are digested more slowly, these create less of a sugar spike and should form the foundations of our carbohydrate diets," advised Dr May.

While you try to establish the underlying cause of your hair loss, you may benefit from some psychological support.

As the NHS explains, there are groups around the country where you can meet and socialise with other people with alopecia.

Read more:
Hair loss warning: The food you eat every day could be accelerating hair loss - Express

For a world crippled by the coronavirus, salvation hinges on a vaccine.

But in the United States, where more than 5 million people have been infected and more than 161,000 have died, the promise of that vaccine is hampered by a vexing epidemic that long preceded COVID-19: obesity.

Scientists know that vaccines engineered to protect the public from influenza, hepatitis B, tetanus and rabies can be less effective in obese adults than in the general population, leaving them more vulnerable to infection and illness. There is little reason to believe, obesity researchers say, that COVID-19 vaccines will be any different.

"Will we have a COVID vaccine next year tailored to the obese? No way," said Raz Shaikh, an associate professor of nutrition at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill.

"Will it still work in the obese? Our prediction is no."

More than 107 million American adults are obese, and their ability to return safely to work, care for their families and resume daily life could be curtailed if the coronavirus vaccine delivers weak immunity for them.

In March, still early in the global pandemic, a little-noticed study from China found that heavier Chinese patients afflicted with COVID-19 were more likely to die than leaner ones, suggesting a perilous future awaited the U.S., whose population is among the heaviest in the world.

And then that future arrived.

As intensive care units in New York, New Jersey and elsewhere filled with patients, the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warned that obese people with a body mass index of 40 or more _ known as morbid obesity or about 100 pounds overweight _ were among the groups at highest risk of becoming severely ill with COVID-19. About 9% of American adults are in that category.

As weeks passed and a clearer picture of who was being hospitalized came into focus, federal health officials expanded their warning to include people with a body mass index of 30 or more. That vastly expanded the ranks of those considered vulnerable to the most severe cases of infection, to 42.4% of American adults.

Obesity has long been known to be a significant risk factor for death from cardiovascular disease and cancer. But scientists in the emerging field of immunometabolism are finding obesity also interferes with the body's immune response, putting obese people at greater risk of infection from pathogens such as influenza and the novel coronavirus. In the case of influenza, obesity has emerged as a factor making it more difficult to vaccinate adults against infection. The question is whether that will hold true for COVID-19.

A healthy immune system turns inflammation on and off as needed, calling on white blood cells and sending out proteins to fight infection. Vaccines harness that inflammatory response. But blood tests show that obese people and people with related metabolic risk factors such as high blood pressure and elevated blood sugar levels experience a state of chronic mild inflammation; the inflammation turns on and stays on.

Adipose tissue _ or fat _ in the belly, the liver and other organs is not inert; it contains specialized cells that send out molecules, like the hormone leptin, that scientists suspect induces this chronic state of inflammation. While the exact biological mechanisms are still being investigated, chronic inflammation seems to interfere with the immune response to vaccines, possibly subjecting obese people to preventable illnesses even after vaccination.

An effective vaccine fuels a controlled burn inside the body, searing into cellular memory a mock invasion that never truly happened.

Evidence that obese people have a blunted response to common vaccines was first observed in 1985 when obese hospital employees who received the hepatitis B vaccine showed a significant decline in protection 11 months later that was not observed in non-obese employees. The finding was replicated in a follow-up study that used longer needles to ensure the vaccine was injected into muscle and not fat.

Researchers found similar problems with the hepatitis A vaccine, and other studies have found significant declines in the antibody protection induced by tetanus and rabies vaccines in obese people.

"Obesity is a serious global problem, and the suboptimal vaccine-induced immune responses observed in the obese population cannot be ignored," pleaded researchers from the Mayo Clinic's Vaccine Research Group in a 2015 study published in the journal Vaccine.

Vaccines also are known to be less effective in older adults, which is why those 65 and older receive a supercharged annual influenza vaccine that contains far more flu virus antigens to help juice up their immune response.

By contrast, the diminished protection of the obese population both adults and children has been largely ignored.

"I'm not entirely sure why vaccine efficacy in this population hasn't been more well reported," said Catherine Andersen, an assistant professor of biology at Fairfield University who studies obesity and metabolic diseases. "It's a missed opportunity for greater public health intervention."

In 2017, scientists at UNC-Chapel Hill provided a critical clue about the limitations of the influenza vaccine. In a paper published in the International Journal of Obesity, they showed for the first time that vaccinated obese adults were twice as likely as adults of a healthy weight to develop influenza or flu-like illness.

Curiously, they found that adults with obesity did produce a protective level of antibodies to the influenza vaccine, but they still responded poorly.

"That was the mystery," said Chad Petit, an influenza virologist at the University of Alabama.

One hypothesis, Petit said, is that obesity may trigger a metabolic dysregulation of T cells, white blood cells critical to the immune response. "It's not insurmountable," said Petit, who is researching COVID-19 in obese patients. "We can design better vaccines that might overcome this discrepancy."

Historically, people with high BMIs often have been excluded from drug trials because they frequently have related chronic conditions that might mask the results. The clinical trials underway to test the safety and efficacy of a coronavirus vaccine do not have a BMI exclusion and will include people with obesity, said Dr. Larry Corey, of the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, who is overseeing the phase 3 trials sponsored by the National Institutes of Health.

Although trial coordinators are not specifically focused on obesity as a potential complication, Corey said, participants' BMI will be documented and results evaluated.

Dr. Timothy Garvey, an endocrinologist and director of diabetes research at the University of Alabama, was among those who stressed that, despite the lingering questions, it is still safer for obese people to get vaccinated than not.

"The influenza vaccine still works in patients with obesity, but just not as well," Garvey said. "We still want them to get vaccinated."

___

(Kaiser Health News (KHN) is a national health policy news service. It is an editorially independent program of the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation which is not affiliated with Kaiser Permanente.)

___

Sarah Varney of Kaiser Health News (TNS) wrote this story.

(c)2020 Kaiser Health News

Visit Kaiser Health News at http://www.khn.org

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

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Americas obesity epidemic threatens effectiveness of any COVID-19 vaccine - PennLive

For a world crippled by the coronavirus, salvation hinges on a vaccine.

But in the United States, where more than 5 million people have been infected and more than 161,000 have died, the promise of that vaccine is hampered by a vexing epidemic that long preceded COVID-19: obesity.

Scientists know that vaccines engineered to protect the public from influenza, hepatitis B, tetanus and rabies can be less effective in obese adults than in the general population, leaving them more vulnerable to infection and illness. There is little reason to believe, obesity researchers say, that COVID-19 vaccines will be any different.

"Will we have a COVID vaccine next year tailored to the obese? No way," said Raz Shaikh, an associate professor of nutrition at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill.

"Will it still work in the obese? Our prediction is no."

More than 107 million American adults are obese, and their ability to return safely to work, care for their families and resume daily life could be curtailed if the coronavirus vaccine delivers weak immunity for them.

In March, still early in the global pandemic, a little-noticed study from China found that heavier Chinese patients afflicted with COVID-19 were more likely to die than leaner ones, suggesting a perilous future awaited the U.S., whose population is among the heaviest in the world.

And then that future arrived.

As intensive care units in New York, New Jersey and elsewhere filled with patients, the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warned that obese people with a body mass index of 40 or more known as morbid obesity or about 100 pounds overweight were among the groups at highest risk of becoming severely ill with COVID-19. About 9% of American adults are in that category.

As weeks passed and a clearer picture of who was being hospitalized came into focus, federal health officials expanded their warning to include people with a body mass index of 30 or more. That vastly expanded the ranks of those considered vulnerable to the most severe cases of infection, to 42.4% of American adults.

Obesity has long been known to be a significant risk factor for death from cardiovascular disease and cancer. But scientists in the emerging field of immunometabolism are finding obesity also interferes with the bodys immune response, putting obese people at greater risk of infection from pathogens such as influenza and the novel coronavirus. In the case of influenza, obesity has emerged as a factor making it more difficult to vaccinate adults against infection. The question is whether that will hold true for COVID-19.

A healthy immune system turns inflammation on and off as needed, calling on white blood cells and sending out proteins to fight infection. Vaccines harness that inflammatory response. But blood tests show that obese people and people with related metabolic risk factors such as high blood pressure and elevated blood sugar levels experience a state of chronic mild inflammation; the inflammation turns on and stays on.

Adipose tissue or fat in the belly, the liver and other organs is not inert; it contains specialized cells that send out molecules, like the hormone leptin, that scientists suspect induces this chronic state of inflammation. While the exact biological mechanisms are still being investigated, chronic inflammation seems to interfere with the immune response to vaccines, possibly subjecting obese people to preventable illnesses even after vaccination.

An effective vaccine fuels a controlled burn inside the body, searing into cellular memory a mock invasion that never truly happened.

Evidence that obese people have a blunted response to common vaccines was first observed in 1985 when obese hospital employees who received the hepatitis B vaccine showed a significant decline in protection 11 months later that was not observed in non-obese employees. The finding was replicated in a follow-up study that used longer needles to ensure the vaccine was injected into muscle and not fat.

Researchers found similar problems with the hepatitis A vaccine, and other studies have found significant declines in the antibody protection induced by tetanus and rabies vaccines in obese people.

"Obesity is a serious global problem, and the suboptimal vaccine-induced immune responses observed in the obese population cannot be ignored," pleaded researchers from the Mayo Clinics Vaccine Research Group in a 2015 study published in the journal Vaccine.

Vaccines also are known to be less effective in older adults, which is why those 65 and older receive a supercharged annual influenza vaccine that contains far more flu virus antigens to help juice up their immune response.

By contrast, the diminished protection of the obese population both adults and children has been largely ignored.

"Im not entirely sure why vaccine efficacy in this population hasnt been more well reported," said Catherine Andersen, an assistant professor of biology at Fairfield University who studies obesity and metabolic diseases. "Its a missed opportunity for greater public health intervention."

In 2017, scientists at UNC-Chapel Hill provided a critical clue about the limitations of the influenza vaccine. In a paper published in the International Journal of Obesity, they showed for the first time that vaccinated obese adults were twice as likely as adults of a healthy weight to develop influenza or flu-like illness.

Curiously, they found that adults with obesity did produce a protective level of antibodies to the influenza vaccine, but they still responded poorly.

"That was the mystery," said Chad Petit, an influenza virologist at the University of Alabama.

One hypothesis, Petit said, is that obesity may trigger a metabolic dysregulation of T cells, white blood cells critical to the immune response. "Its not insurmountable," said Petit, who is researching COVID-19 in obese patients. "We can design better vaccines that might overcome this discrepancy."

Historically, people with high BMIs often have been excluded from drug trials because they frequently have related chronic conditions that might mask the results. The clinical trials underway to test the safety and efficacy of a coronavirus vaccine do not have a BMI exclusion and will include people with obesity, said Dr. Larry Corey, of the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, who is overseeing the phase 3 trials sponsored by the National Institutes of Health.

Although trial coordinators are not specifically focused on obesity as a potential complication, Corey said, participants BMI will be documented and results evaluated.

Dr. Timothy Garvey, an endocrinologist and director of diabetes research at the University of Alabama, was among those who stressed that, despite the lingering questions, it is still safer for obese people to get vaccinated than not.

"The influenza vaccine still works in patients with obesity, but just not as well," Garvey said. "We still want them to get vaccinated."

Kaiser Health News (KHN) is a national health policy news service. It is an editorially independent program of the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation which is not affiliated with Kaiser Permanente.

See more here:
US obesity epidemic threat to COVID vaccines effectiveness - Gadsden Times

Rita and Andrew were at their lowest in their relationship when I met them at the Sexology Clinic. She felt there was nothing that would save her marriage. It was three months after she delivered and Andrew was pushing her to have sex yet she did not feel like.

"Last night he said that he had confirmed what he had been suspecting all along," Rita said, "that I had been unfaithful and got pregnant from an extramarital affair and that the baby was not his."

Andrew had incidentally found a cultural explanation for their debacle. According to their culture if a woman is impregnated by someone else other than her husband they have to wait until breastfeeding stops before resuming sex with the husband otherwise the baby dies mysteriously.

"Look here doctor," Andrew butted in, "we were told by the gynecologist that Rita will be well enough to have sex six weeks after delivery, it is now twelve weeks and she wouldn't allow me to touch her."

The couple had been married for only two years. This was Rita's first delivery. The pregnancy had gone well but there were a few problems at delivery and the doctor had to cut her vaginal opening and pull out the baby using a vacuum. Healing after this traumatic process does take time.

Previous research studies have shown that women who get cuts and bruises in the vaginal area at delivery and those who undergo cesarean section do take time to get comfortable with sex again. In one study it was found that up to 30 percent of first-time mothers had not resumed sex eight months after delivery and because of the traumatic events at delivery and the after pains.

Hormonal changes following delivery also do not favour resumption of sex. Female hormones fall drastically after delivery. As a result, the woman goes into a state that resembles menopause where vaginal dryness and thinning occur. Under such circumstances, penetration can be painful.

Prolactin, a hormone that enhances milk production, also rises to high levels after delivery. Prolactin inhibits sex desire and sex responsiveness. As such the woman has low libido.

The body changes following delivery do not make the situation any better. The colour of the skin, the shape of the tummy, and new-look breasts make some women feel that they have lost their beauty. Negative body image does not only make self-esteem and self-confidence crush but also interferes with interest in sex, making affected women keep off.

In all these difficult circumstances there is also a demanding baby. Babies can be stubborn in their early days. They wake up when everyone goes to sleep. They want to breastfeed at the weirdest hours of the night. The cries from colic can keep everyone awake and no medicine causes relief.

"Do you know I struggle with the baby alone all night as Andrew enjoys his sleep?" Rita reveals.

"But I have to go to work so I cannot keep awake," Andrew defends.

The result of all these changes is that sex sometimes becomes impossible. Sex desire is at its lowest even six months after delivery for some women. Some women feel pain. Most describe their sexual experience as unsatisfactory. Most relationships are troubled because of poor sexual experience. Some women feel guilty and inadequate because they are unable to live up to the expectations of their men.

While all women are affected, the situation is worse for first-time mothers. Many women feel that they need professional help to resume sex after delivery. Unfortunately, little or no help is forthcoming from their health provider.

"They talk to us a lot about contraceptives and the need to plan the next pregnancy but that is just how far it goes," Rita says, "they seem to imply that a woman will soon be all over the place enjoying sex again and will instantly conceive."

I booked Rita and Andrew for sex coaching lessons and slowly they got back into their sex routines. Andrew apologised for implying that Rita had conceived from an extramarital affair.

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What to do if your sex drive goes off after birth - Daily Nation

A tranquil break in sunny Marbella with his girlfriend probably seemed like a good idea to Hugh Grant but the 55-year-old has paid dearly for his fun. He attracted a vicious onslaught of body-shaming after being snapped splashing in the Med.

The reason? Grants once buff physique had deteriorated into what some called a 'dad bod'. Commentators sneered that the former heart-throbs chest muscles had melted into moobs. However, while Grant could very reasonably cite an ageing body for the decline of his renowned physique, man boobs or gynecomastia can be the cause of great distress for younger men.

Putting it simply, gynecomastia is defined as an enlargement of the male breast, which although usually benign, can cause significant embarrassment and psychological distress.

Gynecomastia, which appears during puberty, usually resolves naturally. Most cases of gynecomastia are believed to result from an imbalance between estrogens and androgens. However, pseudo-gynecomastia, or fatty breasts, is a condition commonly seen in obese men and differs from gynecomastia in that the resultant breast enlargement is due to increased fat deposition.

Not surprisingly, in a world saturated by images of the perfect male body, having either condition is increasingly problematic, particularly for young, image-conscious men research shows that exposure to media images of lean or very buff male bodies has a noticeably negative impact on mens mood and body satisfaction.

A study published in the Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology in 2004 concluded that viewing ideal male images contributed to a significant increase in depression in men, after researchers at the University of Central Florida found that appearance-related media exposure has a significantly negative effect on a males body image.

Societys increasing shift towards a culture saturated by social media, including visual platforms such as Instagram and Snapchat, is, therefore, bringing an ever more intense attitude towards body image. So, surrounded by images of the 'ideal', muscular, wide-shouldered, lean-waisted male body, young men can fall prey to societal pressure to look buff' and feel self-conscious and distressed if they cannot match up to this physical ideal.

In such an environment, having man-boobs, or gynecomastia, is at best an embarrassment, at worst, as in the case of Grant, an invitation to severe body-shaming.

Expert in aesthetic medicine says pseudo-gynecomastia accounts for 90% of surgery cases he's handled

There is more pressure on young men today. There is a level of narcissism that never existed in previous generations and a lot of it is to do with image, says Dr Patrick Treacy, an expert in aesthetic medicine and medical director of the Ailesbury Clinic. He is multi-award-winning and author of a number of books, the latest of which, The Living History of Aesthetic Medicine, is due for publication shortly.

Exercise and losing weight will not reduce gynecomastia, which is usually related to the presence of excess female hormones in a man and not to overweight. However pseudo-gynecomastia is linked to weight, so exercise and diet can help to an extent, he says.

Treacy adds that gynecomastia caused by hormone changes during puberty is relatively common and often resolves itself. In most cases, the swollen breast tissue will go away without treatment within six months to two years," he says.

Pseudo-gynecomastia is the most common and would account for up to 90% of the cases I see, says Treacy, who has treated men aged 19 and upwards, using a variety of techniques.

These include surgery, which costs about 7,500, or another treatment, Vaser. This is a form of ultrasonic liposuction which takes about half an hour, is carried out under local anaesthetic and costs about 3,000, he says. However, he adds that afterwards, people who are very overweight and have fat removed may sometimes find that they are left with flaps of loose skin.

Sometimes people need surgery for that loose skin. You can also use a radiofrequency technique to tighten up the skin.

Another technique. cryolipolysis, freezes the fat, which then disappears after about three months, he says. This process costs 1,500. Meanwhile, radiofrequency treatment, which costs around 1,500, breaks down fat and tightens the skin.

Not surprisingly, young men are increasingly seeking treatment for the condition figures show that between 2017 and 2019, the HSE spent around 235,000 on gynecomastia treatments for just under 50 patients.

Man diagnosed with the condition says surgery "changed his life"

However, many young men, like Conor seek treatment privately.

Now in his mid-20s, he recalls the distress he experienced with the onset of gynecomastia during puberty. It started when I had hit puberty. I was about 12 when it began. I was quite athletic and played a lot of sports so I wasnt overweight," he says.

Conor adds that one of the doctors he consulted explained that the condition usually happens with children who are slightly overweight. When I was in sixth class, my nipples got very inflamed. At the same time, there was a lot of hard tissue underneath the nipple. It looked like I had a pair of hard little bumps. My nipples were large. I was severely embarrassed by it, he says.

Conor never took his top off in public and in situations where going bare-chested was unavoidable, such as while swimming, he would worry about it for days in advance.

This went on for about two years, or so. When I was nearly 15, I had to get a check-up with my GP, and, as part of the physical exam, he spotted it and told me I had gynecomastia. He explained there was a procedure you could have for it and referred me to a consultant. However, she thought I was too young for the operation. She felt that I might grow out of it and that it would probably go away of its own accord.

But Conor was having none of it.

I had quite a severe case and I wasnt taking no for an answer. The sheer thought of living with this for another two or three years was definitely not for me.

In the end, he was referred to a plastic surgeon who is experienced in the procedure, although he had normally operated on older males.

Conor underwent surgery at the age of 15.

I was in hospital for a few days and the most traumatic part of it was that I had to have drains put in under my nipples to prevent fluid build-up. That was very uncomfortable because you had to lie flat on your back most of the time. After I came out of hospital, I had to wear compression bandages for several weeks to prevent fluid building up in the cavities which had been created by the removal of the breast tissue."

I was able to go to playing sports after about two months and I never looked back. It changed my life if I hadnt been able to have the operation it would have affected me because I had become very self-conscious about my body."

If I hadnt been able to have that operation I think my confidence would have been destroyed by my mid-teens because I had been confident in primary school and second-level. It may not have been extremely obvious to other people but it was the biggest thing in the world for me. The procedure was covered by my parents health insurance so we were lucky that way.

However there are issues to think about before having treatment. Dr Treacy cautions that men thinking about undergoing treatment for gynecomastia need to check for issues such as hormonal disturbances, systemic diseases such as kidney or liver failure, genetic conditions that may be problematic, or drugs which can interfere with the normal hormonal balance of the body.

This includes many cardiac medications, some antibiotics, tricyclic antidepressants. Withdrawal of causative drugs can result in resolution of gynecomastia in 60% of cases, he points out.

Dr Treacy adds that the best candidates for gynecomastia surgery are men who are physically and mentally healthy, have realistic expectations and are willing to accept the scars associated with surgery.

They should also have already lost the weight they want to lose (if this applies) and have maintained a stable weight for at least six and ideally 12 months.

Gynecomastia surgery may not be suitable for certain candidates:

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Gynecomastia: The causes, the problems and some treatments - Irish Examiner