Archive for the ‘Male Genetics’ Category

When University of Notre Dame Assistant Professor of Anthropology Cara Ocobock chooses field sites for research, she goes to extremes.

Her main research questions revolve around how the human body copes with and reacts to severe environments. Ocobock met fellow researchers in the Arctic in Finland to measure the resting metabolic rate (RMR) of reindeer herders. Their surprising results that the female herders had higher RMRs than the male herders, when usually mens rates are higher than womens were recently published in the American Journal of Human Biology.

RMR is the total number of calories burned by a human when completely at rest, which is just a part of our total energy expenditure, or total calories burned per day, known scientifically as kcal/day. RMR is closely linked to body size and, since men are generally larger than women, they typically have higher RMRs. Total energy expenditure also includes the energy expended for physical activity as well as the breakdown of food.

Several studies have demonstrated that cold-climate populations have higher-than-expectedRMRs, Ocobock said. It is thought this helps maintain body temperature despite low environmental temperatures.However, there is lots ofunexplainedvariation.

Ocobock and her fellow researchers wanted to compare reindeer herders RMRs to those in other extremely cold environments whose high RMRs had been established through other studies. In January 2019, the researchers worked with five female reindeer herders and 15 male reindeer herders who worked near Rovaniemi, Finland close to the Arctic Circle and known as the official home of Santa Claus.

A physically demanding job, reindeer herding includes protecting reindeer from predators, searching for the remains of reindeer lost to predators, repairing fences, feeding and slaughtering reindeer and administrative tasks. To measure their RMR, Ocobock used indirect calorimetry a noninvasive process in which a mask is placed over participants mouths to capture the levels of oxygen they breathe in and carbon dioxide they breathe out. Because it takes energy to digest food, subjects have to fast for 12 hours and abstain from caffeine before the test so researchers can get the true RMR measurement.

Ocobock and her colleagues then got to work trying to determine why the female herders had higher RMRs. They needed to rule things out like the possibility that their female subjects didnt adhere to the fasting restrictions, but all subjects verbally affirmed that they had and enthusiastically partook in the food and coffee offered to them after their assessments.

They then considered age, as the female herders skewed young and the male herders skewed older. Ocobock and her fellow researchers found that there was no significant difference in RMR between females and males based on age or herding district. Other factors such as genetics and division of labor were also considered and could potentially play a role.

RMR is also associated with thyroid hormone. We think higher thyroid hormone levels may increase RMR, said Ocobock. Thyroid hormone is also critically important for a successful pregnancy. Female herders, even if they use technology to stay warm, may have to maintain higher thyroid hormone levels (and thereby higher RMR) because of the role thyroid hormone plays in pregnancy.

To support a growing fetus, womens thyroid hormones increase significantly. Although other researchers have demonstrated that women who live in extreme environments produce more thyroid hormone to adapt to the cold, this is the first study to hypothesize a link with pregnancy.

In order to maintain a successful pregnancy, cold-climate women must increase TH levels 30 percent to 100 percent higher than an already elevated baseline, Ocobock and her co-authors wrote. It is possible that successful pregnancies in cold climates require an absolutely higher TH level than successful pregnancies in temperate or hot climates.

More research should be done, Ocobock emphasized, to determine an absolute link between high RMRs and pregnancies in cold climates. In future studies, she hopes to recruit more participants and expand physiological data. Taking RMR and thyroid hormone measurements in different seasons is crucial, as well as controlling for womens menstrual cycles. Importantly, climate change may also play a role.

The Arctic has experienced the effects of climate change earlier and more acutely than the rest of the world, Ocobock said. Higher RMR variability may be indicative of warmer environmental temperatures.

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Women's higher resting metabolic rates in cold environments could be thyroid requirements for pregnancy, researcher says - ND Newswire

Brad Neels in his letter (Progress Letters, July 23, 2020) claims wrongly that banning gay conversion therapy is an assault on family values and parental rights. That is as absurd a claim as saying wearing face masks or enforcing social distancing during these crazy days of the pandemic is an assault on religious freedom.

READ MORE: LETTER: Banning conversion therapy is a direct attack on parental rights

A parent has no say in their child`s sexuality as to whether that child is gay, straight, or some other combination such as trans, which is decided for that child in the womb. The sex and sexuality of that unborn child is decided by genetics.

It has nothing to do with family values except that religious people have been told the lie from the pulpit that it is a moral decision. It is no more a moral decision than a fetus deciding it wants blue eyes, not brown, or to be born with male rather then female genitalia.

The Bible is not a book on science. It asks what sin the parents have done that has caused a child to be sick. No knowledge of viruses or bacteria, no knowledge of inherited diseases, no knowledge of genetics, no knowledge of how babies are created as the belief of the ancient writers of the Bible was that a fully formed baby was shot into the womb by the man and the woman had no other role than as an incubator.

Included in Mr. Neels misinformation and erroneous conclusions is his mixing up of the issue of gay conversion therapy and gender reassignment surgery, which he makes sound like a frivolous, spur-of-the-moment decision.

Gay conversion therapy demanded by parents is child abuse. It is an attempt to rob that child of the right to be the person that they were meant to be. Worse, despite the psychological damage that it inflicts on that child, it doesnt work, which Mr. Neels would already know if he actually investigated the brainwashing that is drilling debunked religious dogma into that child.

As for gender reassignment, Mr. Neels, please supply a peer-reviewed study that suggests any person would lightly go into that life-altering therapy on a whim. Nonsense that you have heard from the pulpit or social media posts being pushed by anti-gay conspiracy theorists doesnt count as scientifically-backed peer review.

Perhaps some who have undergone that surgery do end up regretting it, but there is no reason to believe that the vast majority of those who are brave enough to align their sexuality with their bodies regret their decision made after much counselling.

The anti-gay bigotry among some letter writers in Chilliwack is only matched by ignorance against science.

Robert T. Rock

READ MORE: Chilliwack Progress Letters

Send your letter to the editor via email to editor@theprogress.com. Please include your first and last name, address, and phone number.

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LETTER: Absurd to claim banning conversion therapy is an assault on parental rights - Chilliwack Progress

Why discuss prostate cancer?

Prostate cancer is common enough among our aging men to be considered of public health concern. It is currently the most common non-skin cancer and the second leading cause of cancer deaths among men worldwide according to the World Health Organisation International Agency for Research on Cancer.

The American Cancer Society estimates that one out of every nine men will be found to have prostate cancer at some point in their lifetime. Interestingly, race/ethnicity is the second most significant risk factor for prostate cancer after age with blacks having the highest risks compared to other racial groups.

In the American population, African American men including those with West African ancestry have the highest risks of having and dying from prostate cancer (data from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results Program 2020).

These statistics are concerning for a country like Nigeria which happens to have the largest concentration of indigenous blacks in the world. Research studies done by a team of medical doctors from the University of Nigerian Teaching Hospital have shown that the number of new cases confirmed per year in Nigeria appears to be increasing and that a significant proportion of these confirmed cases die within two years of confirmation.

What are recent developments with Prostate Cancer?Consistent with the evidence that ethnicity is a major risk factor for prostate cancer, recent evidence has highlighted the large heritable component of the disease.

While some men with prostate cancer have developed the disease without any known factor accounting for it, a significant percentage of others have inherited a mutation in a gene that is associated with an increased chance of developing the disease.

These mutations can be passed down from generation to generation even when no individual in the family has previously been found to have cancer. This inheritable component is so remarkable that men with one immediate relative with prostate cancer have an increased risk of developing the disease with the risk increasing with an increasing number of affected first-degree relatives.

Inheritance of these genetic mutations (bad genes) not only determines susceptibility to prostate cancer but other cancers as well including breast, ovarian and endometrial cancer. It also predisposes to an earlier onset disease occurring at a younger age than the expected average age of onset (66years), and a more aggressive disease compared to those without a predisposing inheritable genetic mutation.

In fact, the increased mortality from prostate cancer in black men has been linked to the genetics of the disease amongst other factors including socioeconomics and lifestyle. This recent and evolving information is noteworthy for Nigerian men who not only are at risk of the disease by mere virtue of having a prostate gland but are also at increased risk as black men. The implications of these evolving knowledge might, therefore, become very beneficial in determining the trajectory of the disease course and outcome in this at-risk group.

Public health implications of these findingsGlobally, these recent findings of the role of genetic mutations in determining susceptibility have begun to influence genetic testing recommendations for prostate cancer patients, prostate cancersurvivors, and their male and female family members. These genetic tests to identify these mutations can tell you if you have an inherited mutation contributing to your prostate cancer and can also provide information about you and your relatives chances of developing cancer.

This knowledge is sharpening approaches to prostate cancer care as increasing evidence suggests that identifying men with mutations in certain cancer susceptibility genes can directly impact prostatecancer treatment and risk reduction in several ways. It provides the opportunity to facilitate the delivery of precise therapy and individualized treatment to prostate cancer patients as thesepatients have been shown to be particularly sensitive to certain specific medications

Also, knowledge about the mutation status of these patients impacts treatment decision regarding whether to closely monitor without any interventions (active surveillance) or to actively treat them as actively treating those with identified predisposing mutations is becoming a preferred alternative considering the severity of the type of prostate cancer found in these individuals.

Importantly, genetic testing for genetic mutations predisposing to prostate cancer in these individuals not only benefits the patients but also offers healthy male and female family members the opportunity to be counseled and tested to inform their cancer risks. For healthy men at increased risk for prostate cancer, this understanding has the potential to influence a more beneficial targeted prostate cancer screening approach. This is particularly important as controversies surrounding current prostate cancer screening modality lingers on.

It is obvious that the identification of inheritable mutations predisposing to prostate cancer has implications on the assessment of personal risk for men and their families. Consequently, expanding education about the role of genetics in prostate cancer and increasing access to genetic testing has the potentials to differentially benefit those at the highest risk including Nigerian men.

As prostate cancer continues to be a source of concern for men of all races with advancing age, it is pertinent to understand the evolving science that has emerged in recent times concerning the disease as increasing awareness and knowledge about susceptibility to the disease may potentially shine a glimpse of hope in informing prostate cancer risk for men of this generation and the next.

Dr. Okobi is a Nigerian trained medical doctor and an Oncology Researcher affiliated to Georgetown University, Washington D.C. United States.

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Prostate Cancer and its Impact on Families: Expanding the Discussion - THISDAY Newspapers

NASDAQ:BNGO fell on Monday, despite more news that should keep investors bullish on the healthcare company. The stock price dropped8.64% to finish the trading session at $0.8131 per share, nearly wiping out the 14% rise from Friday of last week. BioNano briefly touched a low of $0.78before finishing out strong, climbing back above $0.80 to end the day. Surprisingly, there was a higher than average volume trading throughout the day, which is another relatively positive sign for investors who have remained loyal to the company.

The micro-cap healthcare sector produced another mixed day of results, even as the Nasdaq rebounded from the mini correction to end last week. BioNano Genomics Inc. rivals Pacific Biosciences of California (NASDAQ: PACB) rose on Monday, despite a Zacks Consensus Estimate report that Wall Street is expecting a 43.8% year over year decline in revenues. Other industry companies like Progenity Inc. (NASDAQ:PROG), Predictive Oncology Inc. (NASDAQ:POAI)and Precipio (NASDAQ:PRPO) all remained relatively flat.

Earlier on Monday, a report from Oppenheimer stated that 5-Star healthcare analyst Kevin DeGeeter doubled down on his stock price upgrade, giving BioNano an 'Outperform' rating and a new price target of $1.50 per share. While this is lower from his price target earlier in the year of $1.83, investors should still feel optimistic that there is quite a bit of sentiment on Wall Street that Bionano Genomics Inc. has a bright future on coronavirus vaccine development. Along with their usual work in human genetics, BioNano has been in the news recently for its work in discovering commonalities in the genetic variants of young male patients who had severe cases of COVID-19.

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BNGO Stock Price: BioNano Genomics Inc. retreats, starts week in the red - FXStreet

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In 1970, Maher Ahmad and Bill Dry founded the Gay Liberation Front Northwesterns first gay rights advocacy group. The group hosted the first gay dance on campus, held demonstrations in the city and boycotted bars that had racist policies. Just a few years later, Vince McCoy would become the first black president of the Gay Liberation Front. Fifty years later, the two men recount their time with the Gay Liberation Front in this two-part series. Part 1.

MAHER AHMAD: April 1, 1970. Dear faculty member, male and female homosexuals at Northwestern have recently organized a gay liberation movement on campus.

We wish to make the members of faculty and student body aware of the fact that there does exist a large homosexual community both at Northwestern and in society in general that is no longer willing to hide as essential part of its identity in order to enjoy the rights that a supposedly free society should grant all of its citizens. Gay Liberation intends to actively oppose the oppression of homosexuals. We hope that you will support us and do all that you can to help us. If you would like some more information about this, you can call Gay Liberation at 338-9241.

Sincerely yours, William Dry; Maher Ahmad.

ALEX CHUN: Thats Maher Ahmad (Communication 71, 74), reading a letter that he and William Dry (Weinberg 69) wrote in the spring of 1970. Maher was a junior at Northwestern and the two men had just begun the Gay Liberation Front. They were asking University staff to support the formation of their group.

MAHER AHMAD: Well, first, let me say that I had completely forgotten that we had written this letter, okay? This was a seminal kind of thing that we did. But what strikes me now, interestingly, we werent just talking about making things better at Northwestern, okay? Were talking about making things better in society at large and engaging the University to help take us there, which is certainly the kind of ambitious goals one can have when ones a 20-year-old.

ALEX CHUN: The Gay Liberation Front was Northwesterns first gay advocacy group. Fifty years later, Mahers legacy continues through what is now Rainbow Alliance.

From the Daily Northwestern, Im Alex Chun, and this is Defining Safe: a podcast about marginalized communities at Northwestern. This episode is the first part of a two-part series about two gay mens time at Northwestern in the 60s and 70s. The two men are Mr. Maher Ahmad and Mr. Vince McCoy (Bienen 75, SPS 03).

In 1970, 50 years ago, Maher Ahmad started the Gay Liberation Front with William Dry. Recently, I spoke with Maher, and he shared a part of his story with me.

MAHER AHMAD: You know, memory is a very odd thing. And I can remember some things really specifically. Like when we started the gay rights meeting at Northwestern, we asked the student government for $67. I dont know how I remember that number. Theres a lot I dont remember. And very sadly, because there have been so many men that have passed on from AIDS, I cant tell you to go to this person or that person and see what they remember.

ALEX CHUN: And in 1970, Vince McCoy would arrive to campus, eventually joining the Gay Liberation Front and becoming the first black president of the organization. Heres Vince in November 2019 at an event hosted by Northwesterns Black Professionals Network.

VINCENT MCCOY: We all have our own songs to sing, and our songs are the stories of our lives. You may not recognize my tune or understand all of my words, yet every song must be heard. So, today, Im going to sing a little bit of my song for you.

ALEX CHUN: So, lets hear a bit of their songs.

ALEX CHUN: Maher Ahmad was born in Forty Fort, Pa. in 1960. His parents had moved to the United States after being displaced from Palestine, and he had three brothers. Maher described growing up as the only Muslim family in a predominantly white Protestant neighborhood, saying that his family members were largely regarded as outsiders.

MAHER AHMAD: My parents arent religious, but we were Muslim in a WASP community that predated the American Revolution. And that was an interesting situation because early in my life, neighbors didnt treat us well. And then as I began, even before I reached adolescence, I knew I had this longing or yearning that somehow was connected to men. And then, when I reached adolescence, okay, I realized I had a same sex attraction.

ALEX CHUN: However, this was the 1960s, and homosexuality wouldnt be decriminalized nationwide until decades later following the Lawrence v. Texas Supreme Court case in 2003. Heres a clip from a CBS Reports episode aired in 1967 titled The Homosexuals, hosted by Mike Wallace.

MIKE WALLACE: Homosexuality is an enigma. It remains a subject that people find disturbing. Embarrassing. And the reluctance to discuss it. Yet there is a growing concern about homosexuals in society. About their increasing visibility. We discovered that Americans consider homosexuality more harmful to society than adultery, abortion or prostitution.

ALEX CHUN: But Maher never felt like he was at odds with his sexuality. He credits his mother for his strong sense of self.

MAHER AHMAD: Now, for some reason, that I think has to do with genetics that I inherited from my mother who has always been an extremely kind person. And a rabble rouser. She was political from the get-go. She was a feminist. She was the first female broadcast journalist in Palestine. I didnt think there was anything wrong with me.

ALEX CHUN: Rather, when Maher first heard the word homosexual from his older brother, he experienced two feelings: self-realization and curiosity.

MAHER AHMAD: He defined it for me and I thought, Oh, Im a member of a class. And, being an industrious young person, I decided that I was going to find out about myself.

ALEX CHUN: So, Maher went to the local library. He searched through the card catalog and was able to find the call numbers of the few books that the library had about homosexuality. But the books werent on the shelves. When he asked the librarian for help finding them, she told him that they were in the locked case. But despite the climate at the time, Maher never felt like he was at odds with himself being gay.

MAHER AHMAD: And I kept a journal in my senior year. I wrote things like, I dont know, I wrote down, I am special. I wrote it twice, I am special, and I was proud of this. I never pretended to be straight. I absolutely refused to go to the senior prom because I wasnt going to go and put up this false thing and find a girl to be my beard to go to the senior prom with, so I didnt attend the senior prom. I remember there was one girl that chased me. Her name was Pixie, and we were at a party and she initiated a kiss with me and I kissed her and I felt nothing. And I thought to myself, Yeah, you know what, Im never doing this again. Im not interested. And so thats basically what it was like when I was in high school.

ALEX CHUN: Maher wanted to leave Forty Fort, Pa. and ultimately went to Northwestern to study theatre and theatre design. But Maher sensed that something was different. Revolution was in the air.

MAHER AHMAD: You know, its really wonderful to be on the cusp of anything. I started as an undergraduate in 1967. Kennedy was shot in 1963, which was a major historical marker. 1964 was the beginning of the Free Speech Movement on college campuses, where students were saying you have to stop treating us in loco parentis was the phrase, as if youre our parents, you have to stop restricting our rights. We are adults, and there are certain things that you cant make us do or cant prevent us from doing. So revolution was in the atmosphere. And, you know, 1969 was Stonewall.

ALEX CHUN: And protests were even taking place on Northwesterns campus as students protested the U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War. Maher was still an undergrad at the time.

MAHER AHMAD: So this whole kind of opening up this whole progressivism, this whole desire to throw off the strictures of the system that was in place that was repressive in so many different ways was in the air, and gay rights were a part of that.

ALEX CHUN: During Mahers junior year, he saw an ad in The Daily Northwestern that ultimately led to a reshaping of queer culture on campus.

MAHER AHMAD: It was just a tiny little ad of maybe 10 or 15 words. And it said, in the title and bigger letters, it was tiny, it was like an inch by two inches or something. It said gay liberation. And then it said, anyone, any men and women interested in starting your gay liberation group at Northwestern call Bill, and it had his phone number on it. And I saw this, and I thought, Well, Im interested in doing that. And I called the number and it ended up that I knew this guy, Bill Dry. We didnt know each other were gay. So we said, Yeah, lets do this. And then we got some other people to join us and that began the birth of the group on campus.

ALEX CHUN: The group was around 20 people, but a core group of six men were the most active. They held meetings at apartments off-campus. Among their first goals was to be recognized as an official campus organization. So they drafted a letter to faculty outlining three goals of the Gay Liberation Front.

ALEX CHUN: At the time, gay culture was largely underground and discrete. Small parties were held off-campus, but there were no public gay events. Gay students would go to bars in the city to party, but they had to be wary of police. Gay men who were arrested had their names published in the local newspaper.

MAHER AHMAD: I was able to go to gay bars when I was 19 and 20. But that was it. There was nothing social going on and in that letter that I wrote with Bill to the faculty, one of the things we said is we feel we need to have some kind of social mechanism on campus to associate with ourselves.

ALEX CHUN: The Gay Liberation Front then requested money from the student government to help them print leaflets. They needed $67 but had anticipated that they may not get the full amount requested. So they asked for $670 instead. To their surprise, their request was approved, and they were given the full $670. Later, Maher learned that the head of the committee at the time was a closeted gay student. With the extra money, the members of the Gay Liberation Front wanted to plan something special: a dance.

MAHER AHMAD: It was wonderful. Its very hard, I think, for young people today, who are both gay and straight, to conceive that back in 1970, no bars allowed any dancing. In Chicago, you had to get a dance license a bar had to get a dance licence to allow dancing, and the city would issue one to gay bars to allow same sex dancing, but the bars back then were sordid kind of affairs, as I say, theyre by and large owned by the mob. They paid off the police. And they had a captive clientele. So one of the things that we wanted to be able to do is to have sociability and some notion of normality. And instead of having our entire social lives circumscribed by surreptitious meetings in private apartments, or gay bars, we wanted to have a dance.

ALEX CHUN: The Gay Liberation Front rented the Patten Gymnasium on campus to hold their dance. A member of the group, Duncan, happened to know Corky Siegel, a member of the Siegel-Schwall blues band. So, Duncan asked them to play at the dance, and they agreed to do so.

MAHER AHMAD: Instead of it being just, you know, 20 or 30 gay people that were brave enough to be public and go to a public dance because we only charged $1 a ticket, which is well below the market rate for a Siegel-Schwall concert, we packed the gym! And it turned into a concert rather than a dance, which was, you know, unfortunate. And it was more geared to like this performance rather than than the gay people, but it was great, great fun. So suddenly, were this group, we got our $67 turned into $670. And rather than losing money on this dance from our bank, we got tons more money which then we could use to do other other kinds of things. And it was just a lot of fun.

ALEX CHUN: Corky Siegel, one of the bands co-founders, was 27 at the time. He remembers playing at the Patten Gym. The band played hits such as Hey, Billie Jean, I Dont Want You to Be My Girl and Angel Food Cake.

CORKY SIEGEL: Everyone was having a good time. It was a lot of fun, and we felt really good about doing it.

ALEX CHUN: Corky says the Siegel-Schwall Band was very political and often played at benefits. Corky believes that music can be political, and the Siegel-Schwalls support for the Gay Liberation Front was exactly that.

CORKY SIEGEL: It does really bring people together. Music is a form of compassion. What it does for people, individuals and for the world, and how it uplifts people its just a form of compassion. So, in that sense, anyone who plays music is putting that into the atmosphere. More practically, just a popular band thats showing support adds a little more power to the people.

ALEX CHUN: The Gay Liberation Front also worked to make safe spaces for everyone in the city. The Normandy Bar was the largest gay bar at the time, but would occasionally turn away non-white patrons. To protest, the Gay Liberation Front compiled a list of demands. They wanted the bar to stop pushing drinks on patrons, obtain a dancing license and to let all patrons enter regardless of their race.

MAHER AHMAD: Our biggest ask, our most radical ask was that they allow black people in, because they would not allow black people or any people of color as I recall. And the way they would keep them out was one of these traditional kinda things that white racists do. They would ask them for like three forms of photo government-issued identification. Now they wouldnt ask anybody else for that. They would let 18-year-olds in against the law. But black people had to show multiple forms of identification or they couldnt get in.

ALEX CHUN: The Gay Liberation Front organized a meeting with the owners of the Normandy Bar and read off the demands.

MAHER AHMAD: And we said, Okay, if you dont do that, were going to boycott your bar. And he laughed at us. And he said, Go ahead and boycott, thinking that what was this little scruffy group of college students going to do to his Normandy Bar that paid off the police, that got, I dont know how many people it held at night, it had to be at least 600 or 800, maybe as many as 1,000. And he laughed at us and told us to get the F out of his bar.

ALEX CHUN: So the Gay Liberation Front planned to hold a boycott that Friday night. There was just one issue. They only had about six men who were willing to publicly boycott the bar. But to their surprise, the International Socialist Group on campus agreed to join them in the boycott, making the group of boycotters about 20 people.

MAHER AHMAD: So we went out there early on a Friday night, and we started, you know, like marching around in a circle with our signs hoping that we could keep people from going in. People would turn around the corner two blocks down from the subway station, see this ruckus in front of the bar of people chanting slogans and carrying signs and walking around in a circle. And they would, discretion being the better part of valor, turn heel and go right back to the subway and go someplace else. Well, we killed their business that night. I think they had no business.

ALEX CHUN: The group boycotted the next week on Friday and Saturday as well, effectively killing the Normandy Bars business. Eventually, the owner of the bar gave in and agreed to meet with the Gay Liberation Front once more.

MAHER AHMAD: We signed up for a classroom in Kresge Centennial Hall in the basement, and we said meet us here and it was at night and this is an image that will ever be seared into my brain. The visual was so great. It was like six scruffy gay boys, the bright blaring fluorescent lights and us sitting around in the chairs and then these two mafioso types in ties and suits stuffed between the return arm and the back of the chair negotiating with us. And they agreed to all our demands, and they got a dancing license. It made the bar more popular than ever. And what happened because of the competition, other bars one after the other started getting dancing licenses.

ALEX CHUN: The Gay Liberation Front participated in other protests and demonstrations across the city, advocating for equality wherever they could. Some of the chants they used may sound familiar to activists today

MAHER AHMAD: And I remember one of the things this phrase was around when I was an undergraduate, so its at least that old, we would sing things like, Were here because were queer.

ALEX CHUN: Although the Gay Liberation Front had originated as an advocacy group for gay rights, Maher said he has always seen the fight against oppression as universal.

MAHER AHMAD: We can help all these other oppressed groups from all over the world because oppression is indivisible, okay? And when one tries to separate ones own oppression as being more legitimate or deserving of more attention, it diminishes the oppression of other people and diminishes the oppression of the group that considers themselves somehow raised above other oppressed groups or more worthy of attention.

ALEX CHUN: Today, Mahers support in the fight for equality hasnt diminished, and he remembers the importance of protests when he was fighting for liberation.

MAHER AHMAD: They are absolutely essential. 100 percent essential. Our Constitution, our founders these guys were your age. Our founders that wrote our Constitution, they didnt get some things right, but wow, what a system they came up with. And one of the things they realized was absolutely essential to a free society was the right to peaceably assemble because that is what will take the attention of people in power. I would hate to get stuck on a freeway in Los Angeles, because a whole bunch of gay rights activists or BLM activists sat down on the freeway and closed it up, but if these people are willing to sit in the freeway, be arrested, go to jail, fight the arrest, pay the fine, get released and do it again, more power to them. Because sometimes you gotta shout to be heard.

ALEX CHUN: From The Daily Northwestern, Im Alex Chun. Thanks for listening to another episode of Defining Safe. This episode was reported and produced by me, Alex Chun. The summer managing editors of The Daily are Sneha Dey and James Pollard. The summer editor-in-chief is Emma Edmund.

Email: [emailprotected]

Twitter: @apchun01

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Continue reading here:
Our songs are the stories of our lives: Two men remember the beginnings of gay liberation on campus - Daily Northwestern

Global Male Breast Cancer Treatment Market size was valued US$ XX Bn. in 2019 and the total revenue is expected to grow at 3.8% from 2020 to 2027, reaching nearly US$ XX Bn.

The report study has analyzed the revenue impact of COVID-19 pandemic on the sales revenue of market leaders, market followers, and market disrupters in the report, and the same is reflected in our analysis.

REQUEST FOR FREE SAMPLE REPORT: https://www.maximizemarketresearch.com/request-sample/66032

Definition:

Male breast cancer is a very rare type of cancer found among men that forms in the breast tissue of the male. It occurs when some breast cell divides rapidly forming a tumor. It can be hereditary, due to inheritance of abnormal (mutated) genes especially a gene called BRCA2. It is prevalent mostly among the elderly males, though it can occur at any age.

Market Dynamics:

According to the American Cancer Society (ACS), 1 in 833 males is at risk of developing breast cancer. It accounts for less than 1% of all types of cancer. An increase in awareness of male breast cancer has led to the diagnosis of cancer at an early stage resulting in early and effective treatment due to which the survival rate has increased. This increase in cancer cases, evolving biotechnology, innovation in new treatments are the causes that contribute to the growth of the global male breast cancer treatment market. However, lack of an all-inclusive treatment and the high costs involved in the R&D and innovations is restraining the growth of this market.

Market Segmentation:

Based on the type of breast cancer, Ductal Carcinoma is the most prominent type among males. This type of cancer develops in the lining of the ducts of the breast. Based on the treatment, surgery, radiation therapy, estrogen hormone therapy, chemotherapy, and targeted therapy are the popular treatments adopted for male breast cancer. Targeted therapy is relatively new and uses drugs to treat the abnormal or mutated genes in the individual and it has been proven effective and successful. Trastuzumab (Herceptin) is a drug that slows the progression of cancer by targeting HER2.

Region-wise Analysis:

North America is expected to be the largest male breast cancer treatment market due to the growing geriatric population and owing to its advancement in medical sciences and biotechnology. It is also diagnosed among the younger population due to increased alcohol consumption among them. Europe is anticipated to be second in the global male breast cancer treatment market attributed to factors such as the governments positive involvement with investment in R&D and an increase in health expenditure.

Competitive Landscape:

The competitive landscape section in the Male Breast Cancer Treatment market offers a deep dive into the profiles of the leading players operating in the global market landscape. It offers captivating insights on the key developments, differential strategies, and other crucial aspects about the companies having a stronghold in the Male Breast Cancer Treatment market. In April 2019, the US FDA has increased the use of Pfizers Ibrance (palbociclib) capsules in the treatment of male breast cancer.

The objective of the report is to present a comprehensive analysis of the Global Male Breast Cancer Treatment Market including all the stakeholders of the industry. The past and current status of the industry with forecasted market size and trends are presented in the report with the analysis of complicated data in simple language. The report covers all the aspects of the industry with a dedicated study of key players that includes market leaders, followers, and new entrants. PORTER, SVOR, PESTEL analysis with the potential impact of micro-economic factors of the market has been presented in the report. External as well as internal factors that are supposed to affect the business positively or negatively have been analyzed, which will give a clear futuristic view of the industry to the decision-makers.The report also helps in understanding Global Male Breast Cancer Treatment Market dynamics, structure by analyzing the market segments and projects the Global Male Breast Cancer Treatment Market size. Clear representation of competitive analysis of key players by Application, price, financial position, Product portfolio, growth, strategies, and regional presence in the Global Male Breast Cancer Treatment Market make the report investors guide.

DO INQUIRY BEFORE PURCHASING REPORT HERE: https://www.maximizemarketresearch.com/inquiry-before-buying/66032

Scope of the Global Male Breast Cancer Treatment Market

Global Male Breast Cancer Treatment Market, by Type

Ductal Carcinoma in Situ Pagets Disease of the Nipple Inflammatory Breast Cancer Infiltrating Ductal carcinomaGlobal Male Breast Cancer Treatment Market, by Treatment

Local Treatments Systemic TreatmentsGlobal Male Breast Cancer Treatment Market, by Diagnosis

Mammography Biopsy Fine Needle Aspiration Biopsy Core Biopsy Excisional Biopsy PET Scan CT Scan MRI Scan Other TestsGlobal Male Breast Cancer Treatment Market, By Region

Asia Pacific North America Europe Latin America Middle East AfricaKey players operating in Global Male Breast Cancer Treatment Market

Achieve Life Sciences Inc. Pfizer Eli Lilly and Company Bristol-Myers Squibb Company F. Hoffmann-La Roche Sanofi Novartis AG BioNumerik Pharmaceuticals Inc. Seattle Genetics Inc. GlaxoSmithKline plc. Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. Sun Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. AstraZeneca Accord Healthcare Bayer AG

MAJOR TOC OF THE REPORT

Chapter One: Male Breast Cancer Treatment Market Overview

Chapter Two: Manufacturers Profiles

Chapter Three: Global Male Breast Cancer Treatment Market Competition, by Players

Chapter Four: Global Male Breast Cancer Treatment Market Size by Regions

Chapter Five: North America Male Breast Cancer Treatment Revenue by Countries

Chapter Six: Europe Male Breast Cancer Treatment Revenue by Countries

Chapter Seven: Asia-Pacific Male Breast Cancer Treatment Revenue by Countries

Chapter Eight: South America Male Breast Cancer Treatment Revenue by Countries

Chapter Nine: Middle East and Africa Revenue Male Breast Cancer Treatment by Countries

Chapter Ten: Global Male Breast Cancer Treatment Market Segment by Type

Chapter Eleven: Global Male Breast Cancer Treatment Market Segment by Application

Chapter Twelve: Global Male Breast Cancer Treatment Market Size Forecast (2019-2026)

Browse Full Report with Facts and Figures of Male Breast Cancer Treatment Market Report at: https://www.maximizemarketresearch.com/market-report/global-male-breast-cancer-treatment-market/66032/

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Global Male Breast Cancer Treatment Market-Industry Analysis and forecast 2019 2027: By Type, Treatment, Diagnosis, and Region - WOLE TV

Much of what we know about the horrors of slavery in the Americas comes from historical records. But new research shows that evidence of the slave trades atrocities can also be found in the DNA of African Americans.

A study conducted by the consumer genetics company 23andMe, published Thursday in the American Journal of Human Genetics, offers some new insight into the consequences of the trans-Atlantic slave trade, from the scale at which enslaved Black women were raped by their White masters to the less-documented slave trade that occurred within the Americas.

Its one of the largest studies of its kind, thanks in part to the massive database of 23andMe customers that researchers were able to recruit consenting participants from.

The authors compiled genetic data from more than 50,000 people from the Americas, Western Europe and Atlantic Africa, and compared it against the historical records of where enslaved people were taken from and where they were enslaved. Together, the data and records tell a story about the complicated roots of the African diaspora in the Americas.

For the most part, the DNA was consistent with what the documents show. But, the study authors said, there were some notable differences.

Heres some of what they found, and what it reveals about the history of slavery.

The enslaved workers who were taken from Africa and brought to the Americas were disproportionately male. Yet, genetic data shows that enslaved women contributed to gene pools at a higher rate.

In the US and parts of the Caribbean colonized by the British, African women contributed to the gene pool about 1.5 to 2 times more than African men. In Latin America, that rate was even higher. Enslaved women contributed to the gene pool in Central America, the Latin Caribbean and parts of South America about 13 to 17 times more.

To the extent that people of African descent in the Americas had European ancestry, they were more likely to have White fathers in their lineage than White mothers in all regions except the Latin Caribbean and Central America.

What that suggests: The biases in the gene pool toward enslaved African women and European men signals generations of rape and sexual exploitation against enslaved women at the hands of White owners, authors Steven Micheletti and Joanna Mountain wrote in an email to CNN.

That enslaved Black women were often raped by their masters is not a surprise to any Black person living in the US, says Ravi Perry, a political science professor at Howard University. Numerous historical accounts confirm this reality, as the studys authors note.

But the regional differences between the US and Latin America are whats striking.

The US and other former British colonies generally forced enslaved people to have children in order to maintain workforces which could explain why the children of an enslaved woman were more likely to have an enslaved father. Segregation in the US could also be a factor, the authors theorized.

By contrast, the researchers point to the presence of racial whitening policies in several Latin American countries, which brought in European immigrants with the aim of diluting the African race. Such policies, as well as higher mortality rates of enslaved men, could explain the disproportionate contributions to the gene pool by enslaved women, the authors wrote.

Far more people in the US and Latin America have Nigerian ancestry than expected, given what historical records show about the enslaved people that embarked from ports along present-day Nigeria into the Americas, according to the study.

What that suggests: This is most likely a reflection of the intercolonial slave trade that occurred largely from the British Caribbean to other parts of the Americas between 1619 and 1807, Micheletti and Mountain wrote.

Once enslaved Africans arrived in the Americas, many were put on new ships and transported to other regions.

Documented intra-American voyages indicate that the vast majority of enslaved people were transported from the British Caribbean to other parts of the Americas, presumably to maintain the slave economy as transatlantic slave trading was increasingly prohibited, the authors wrote in the study.

When enslaved people from Nigeria who came into the British Caribbean were traded into other areas, their ancestry spread to regions that didnt directly trade with that part of Africa.

Conversely, ancestry from the region of Senegal and the Gambia is underrepresented given the proportion of enslaved people who embarked from there, Micheletti and Mountain said.

The reasons for that are grim.

What that suggests: One possible explanation the authors gave for the low prevalence of Senegambian ancestry is that over time, more and more children from the region were forced onto ships to make the journey to the Americas.

The unsanitary conditions in the holds of the ship led to malnourishment and illness, the authors wrote, meaning that less of them survived.

Another possibility is the dangerous conditions that enslaved people from the region faced once they arrived. A significant proportion of Senegambians were taken to rice plantations in the US, which were often rampant with malaria, Micheletti and Mountain said.

The 23andMe study is significant in how it juxtaposes genetic data with historical records, as well as in the size of its dataset, experts who werent involved in the study told CNN.

Im not aware of anyone that has done such a comprehensive job of putting these things together, by a long shot, said Simon Gravel, a human genetics professor at McGill University. Its really big progress.

Still, he said, the research has its limitations.

In order to conduct their analysis, the scientists had to make a lot of simplifications, Gravel said. The researchers broke down African ancestry into four corresponding regions on the continents Atlantic Coast: Nigerian, Senegambian, Coastal West African and Congolese.

That doesnt tell you the whole story, Gravel added, though he said more data is needed in the broader field of genomics for the researchers to drill down deeper.

Jada Benn Torres, a genetic anthropologist at Vanderbilt University, also said she would have liked to see a higher proportion of people from Africa included in the study. Out of the more than 50,000 participants, about 2,000 were from Africa.

From the perspective of human evolutionary genetics, Africa is the most genetic diverse continent, she wrote in an email to CNN. In order to adequate capture existing variation, the sample sizes must be large.

But both Gravel and Benn Torres called the study an exciting start that offers more information about the descendents of enslaved Africans.

And that, the researchers, said was what they set out to do.

We hope this paper helps people in the Americas of African descent further understand where their ancestors came from and what they overcame, Micheletti wrote.

To me, this is the point, to make a personal connection with the millions of people whose ancestors were forced from Africa into the Americas and to not forget what their ancestors had to endure.

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A new DNA study offers insight into the horrific story of the trans-Atlantic slave trade - KESQ

Each cell in our bodies holds two metres of DNA that contains the six billion bits of the DNA code necessary for making a healthy human body. This is known as the human genome. It is now accepted that what makes people different, and contributes to their susceptibility to ill health, are the 6-10 million DNA differences in the human genome known to exist within the general population.

A surprising fact is that only 1.7% of these 6 billion bits of code represent the genes that make proteins. Proteins are the physical building blocks of our bodies and are essential to keep us healthy.

Though huge strides have been made in mapping the DNA differences associated with mental health conditions such as depression, schizophrenia and chronic anxiety thanks to the sequencing of the human genome, what surprised many was the discovery that over 98% of these DNA changes lay within the dark and mysterious remainder of the human genome that did not make protein.

This part of the genome had been largely dismissed as the junk genome but, because of its importance to health, is now known as the non-coding genome. Critically, we dont yet fully understand what type of information is contained in the non-coding genome that is so essential for human health and how DNA differences change this information result in ill-health.

To understand how the non-coding genome supports health it may be helpful to think of the human body as a vast and extremely complex community of different cells. Which means the identity of a cell, and its ability to communicate effectively with other cells, is essential for normal human development and health.

Based on this assumption, many scientists have suggested that although genes contain the information to make cells, the information required to allow these cells to communicate and organise into tissues resides in the non-coding genome. Incredibly, recent estimates suggest that the human non-coding genome contains over five times more information critical to health than that which is contained within genes.

We now know that much of the information in the non-coding genome is in the form of gene switch sequences (also known as promoters and enhancers) that control the levels that genes are turned on in specific cells and in response to specific signals. It is highly likely that these switches, by responding to signals travelling between cells, are responsible for coordinating the cell-to-cell interactions required to form the structure and function of organs such as the brain.

However, identifying these switches and their function in specific cells has been challenging. Being able to easily identify and understand these gene switches, and the effects of ill-health-inducing DNA differences on their activity, will be critical to fully understanding the genetic basis of mental health.

It has been known for some time that a number of genes are responsible for regulating behaviours such as alcohol intake and mood. Disappointingly, analysis of these genes in the human population has failed to identify changes in the DNA of these genes that were strongly associated with disorders such as alcohol abuse and chronic anxiety.

Working in collaboration with Andrew McIntosh at the University of Edinburgh, our research looked to determine what controlled the very specific expression of neuropeptides (chemical signals) in parts of the brain where they are essential to controlling normal mood and alcohol intake.

We noticed that the specific cell types in which many of these genes were switched on were shared by many different species. For example, the gene that produces the alcohol intake and mood-controlling galanin peptide was turned on in very specific regions of the hypothalamus and amygdala parts of the brain that control appetite and mood in mice, rats and humans.

We reasoned that the sequences of the gene switches that controlled this expression would also be very similar between these species. So we used powerful computers that lined up the DNA sequences of more than 100 vertebrate species and found that a non-protein-coding DNA sequence, next to the galanin gene, had changed very little through evolution, suggesting its importance for survival.

Using CRISPR genome editing, a process that allows us to make targeted deletions in the DNA of mice, we deleted this sequence from the mouse genome and found that the galanin gene was switched off in these mice. Surprisingly, we also found that mice lacking this switch drank less ethanol and that male mice had reduced fear. The most important observation was that the switch contained DNA differences in the human population that altered its activity.

Our research showed that one of the differences could be linked to alcohol abuse and anxiety in men in the UK Biobank human genetic cohort which mirrored our observations in mice. This study was recently published in the academic journal Molecular Psychiatry.

We believe that our ability to quickly and accurately identify the functional components of the non-coding human genome, and how they can go wrong to contribute to susceptibility to mental health conditions, is just the tip of the iceberg in terms of human health. Which means the same principles used in our studies can be applied for other diseases such as cancer, cardiovascular disease, Type 2 diabetes and susceptibility to Covid-19.

There is even evidence that the activity of these gene switches can be affected by life events such as childhood deprivation known to affect disease susceptibility through an epigenetic process known as DNA-methylation epigenetics being the study of biological mechanisms that switch genes on and off.

There has never been a more exciting time to be in genetics and it is hoped that the exploration of the dark matter of the non-coding genome will bring tremendous benefits in terms of being able to diagnose susceptibilities to mental health disorders and other conditions and help us develop new, more personalised treatments.

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Discovering how genetic 'dark matter' plays a role in mental illness is just the tip of the iceberg for human health - The Conversation UK

July 25, 2020

LUMBERTON It takes a village to raise a child.

Thats what Rhandi Cooper and Tyrell Taylor were thinking when the concept of The Village was born.

The Village is one of, if not, the newest nonprofit organization to pop up in Lumberton targeted toward helping at-risk youth in the area.

It started as an idea and turned into a movement, said Taylor, the organizations vice president. Weve got school teachers, a photographer, barbers. Theres a whole bunch of us, thats why we call ourselves The Village.

A group of us came together and just brainstormed on what we wanted to do and how we wanted to go about helping children and empowering them, Cooper said.

Cooper, 31, is president of The Village. She said that being a native of South Lumberton and being a single parent to her children gave her knowledge of what is needed for youth in the community. She is working toward a degree in Mathematics Education, with the goal of becoming a high school teacher.

I have two kids, a boy and a girl, and Ive always been inspired to help other youth, Cooper said.

Her childrens father is deceased, and she wanted to help others who are growing up in single-parent households or in poverty, Cooper said.

A lot of kids are raised in single-parent homes, and a lot of kids grow up in poverty, and I just wanted them to have something positive to do especially right now while theyre out of school and nothing is really going on, she said.

Taylor, 36, has been in Lumberton for the past 23 years. He grew up in Brooklyn, New York, and said both cities has similar struggles when it comes to youth. He grew up a troubled teen without a father and his mother worked three jobs to get them through, Taylor said.

A lot of kids are living the same lifestyle, he said. Im not going to say its all the same everywhere but every neighborhood Ive been from, Ive seen the same thing poverty, no role models, nobody to look up to and Ive realized if I can do something to help then I will.

The Village is in its beginning stages, still growing its membership of youth and volunteers. Cooper and Taylor envision the nonprofit growing into a program that offers youth role models, activities to keep them busy and opportunities in the real world.

I want them to have some positive role models, Cooper said. Theres a lot of bad stuff going on but theres also a lot of good stuff and we want to bring that to the forefront so the children can see it.

We want to show them theres more than whats out there in these streets, Taylor said. We want to give them hope, inspiration.

Operations are slow but steady in spite of COVID-19.

We got a lot of ideas for The Village that we cant do yet because of the pandemic, Taylor said. Hopefully things will turn around soon.

The Village was able to host its first event, called Steering the Wheel of Life Bike Ride, recently, which involved about 20 children and five adults biking down the trail from Fifth Street in Lumberton to Luther Britt Park. Once they reached the park, youth were provided a lunch and given educational materials.

It turned out pretty good. The kids had fun, and we had a lot of participation from kids and the adults, Cooper said. Adults just showed up to help out.

For updates or more information about The Village or events, visits the groups Facebook page The Village, or send an email to thevillagelumberton@gmail.com. Applications will be available soon for people who want to volunteer.

We welcome everyone, so come and be a part of this, Taylor said. I see it growing into something really, really big.

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Girl Scouts introduces 24 badges - The Robesonian

Al Ain Zoo launched its Arabian sand cat conservation programme to protect the sand cat in cooperation with its strategic partners through various workshops hosted by the zoo.

The workshops aimed to understand the current situation of the sand cat and combine all the knowledge we have in one document. One of the key objectives of the workshops was to conduct field research in order to study the wild population and the challenges and threats facing them. Additionally, conductstudy on the cats genetics and make recommendation on the management and breeding options.

Al Ain Zoo has contributed too many research-based and scientific publications that informs knowledge on wildlife conservation and animal management. One of the recent publications was on the analysis of the sand cat genetic to determine the validity of the subspecies of the sand cats.

Regarding genetic research, the zoo and relevant organizations have developed plans for genetic management and controlled breeding programs after examining the effects of genetic diversity and identifying the negative and reproductive challenges and opportunities. This was done by sending male kittens from the zoo to specialized research centers in France. The studies findings showed a match between the Arabian and Asian cats, though not the African ones.

The zoo is making deliberate efforts in cooperation with partners who specialize in this field at the local and international levels by adopting basic strategies to conserve the Arabian sand cat. This would be achieved by setting objectives and action plans and developing programs that focus on genetic studies and field research.

In collaboration with its key partners, Al Ain Zoo is continuing its efforts to study the wild population and develop plans for monitoring the sand cats in their natural habitats. The zoo has positioned itself as a global leader by embracing the largest group of Arabian sand cats in the world and has succeeded in its captive management and breeding programs. It is also planning to open a Sand Cat Breeding Centre, which will be the first of its kind.

The centre is devoted to the care and reproduction of these shy animals within strict criteria that also take into account their extreme sensitivity to respiratory infections by controlling the temperature and humidity of the shelters. The breeding centre contributes to increasing the numbers of sand cats in breeding programs and improving the genetic origins of this species, locally and globally.

Originally posted here:
Al Ain Zoo efforts to protect the Arabian sand cat - Udaipur Kiran

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness.

Nothing fills me with a greater awe and sense of purpose than this ideal. It is the essence of my lifes work in teaching peace and justice. As an educator I believe that all of humanity is improved in recognizing equality in basic human rights and delivering on promises of equal opportunity. Unfortunately, however, this purpose doesnt generally register as patriotism; my country has failed to take equality seriously. Instead we promote mythology, an ongoing white liethe farcewhich asserts an America created as a model for humankind by wise and justice-minded Founding Fathers.

Early challenges to that myth by eloquent victims of the American reality include one from July 5, 1852, when former slave Frederick Douglass addressed the nation with his question, What to the Slave is the Fourth of July? at an Independence Day celebration:

Fellow-citizens! I will not enlarge further on your national inconsistencies. The existence of slavery in this country brands your republicanism as a sham, your humanity as a base pretense, and your Christianity as a lie.

Can we imagine that in 2020 minorities and persons of color are still asking for access to the American Dream, but also for permission to live?

Can we imagine that in 2020 minorities and persons of color are still asking for access to the American Dream, but also for permission to live? The nightmare of injustice is structural, systematic, intentional, and persistent, but were tolddecade after decadethat it is necessary to be patient and it is only a few bad apples.

We never acknowledge that the bad apples, just like the injustice, are produced in every city on every day.

The descendants of slaves carry the genetics raped into their family trees. Our streets are filled with signs honoring the rapists names. The farce says these ignoble criminals should be celebrated.

We do not teach that George Washingtons dentures were made from human teeth or ivory, tell the white lie that they are made out of wood instead of admitting there is a good chance they were purchased at cut-rate prices from slaves or, in the very best case, from desperately poor people.

We do not teach that while Benjamin Franklin eventually saw the moral need to abolish slavery, the equality pronounced in declaring independence did not extend to the slaves he owned until 1781. The White House was built with slave labor. Thomas Jefferson fathered children with Sally Hemings. How does a 16-year-old slave end up pregnant by her owner?

This social malady is present in the jokes about nooses and the insistence of those who tell them. Forget that there have been thousands of lynchings and that the racialized terror continues to traumatize communities of color. This buffoonery insists that it is not racist to joke, even when the jokes are about hate crimes. Some are inspired to mock the murder of George Floyd, posting photos of themselves kneeling on each others necks to mimic the murder of George Floyd, or to make jokes about not being able to breathe

The problems are not isolated. Messages of animus come from everywhere, the White House with its ongoing bigotry has no problem making clear that people of color should go back to where they came from regardless of whether or not they were born in the US. Police departments have used violent militaristic responses to peaceful Black Lives Matter gatherings, with some officers declaring they are ready for a civil war; We are just going to go out and start slaughtering them f n.

Sanctioning the history of the United States of America is always challenging. Sanction, contranym (a word with two different and contradictory meanings), is understood as both a threatened penalty and also as approval. Elaborate displays of patriotism tend toward the later, when progress demands the former. I am calling for negative sanctions on teaching American history from the point of view of white male propertied slaveowners. I would positively sanction teaching American history by equally honoring all the voices from all groups.

A gritty reality: A bunch of wealthy white slave owning capitalists got tired of paying taxes. They wrote a Constitution and created an Electoral College to protect the slave trade. It is time that we started telling the truth about the past and were honest about the present. A racist bully lost the popular vote by 3 million votes but occupies the office of the President because of an institution designed to perpetuate inequality.

We no longer have signs that say colored but we see the same outcomes in everything from life expectancy and the lethality of the coronavirus to wealth and incarcerations disparities. We have never atoned or made reparations for this past, it is time to take equality seriously.

Wim Laven

Wim Laven, Ph.D., syndicated by PeaceVoice, teaches courses in political science and conflict resolution.

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The Farce of July - LA Progressive

For the first time in the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institutes (SCBI) history, ungulate keepers celebrated the birth of a male Hartmanns mountain zebra at the Front Royal, Virginia, facility. The colt was born overnight July 2 to 6-year-old mother Mackenzie and 5-year-old father Rogan. He is the first offspring for both parents. Ungulate keepers are closely monitoring the colt, and they report that he appears to be nursing well and sticking close by Mackenzies side.

Before their arrival at SCBI, Mackenzie and Rogan received a recommendation to breed from the Association of Zoos and Aquariums Species Survival Plan (SSP). The SSP scientists determine which animals to breed by considering their genetic makeup, health, personality and temperament, among other factors. In October 2018, Mackenzie and Rogan were transferred to SCBI from the Elmwood Park Zoo in Pennsylvania and the Cleveland Zoo in Ohio, respectively. Females typically reach sexual maturity around 2 to 3 years of age, while males become sexually mature around age 4 or 5. The pair bred naturally in June and July of 2019; Hartmanns mountain zebra gestation is about one year.

Each zebra is a unique individual, and keepers are looking forward to seeing how the colts personality develops. While mother Mackenzie is feisty and a bit standoffish, father Rogan is quirky and easygoing. The colt lives with Mackenzie and an unrelated female, 7-year-old Xolani, in a herd. Since male zebras do not provide any parental care to their offspring, Rogan lives in a separate enclosure nearby. Although the colt sticks close by Mackenzies side now, keepers say they are excited to see the foal explore his surrounding and watch his curiosity grow. Over the next two months, the colt will start sampling grass and pellets.

As a public health precaution due to COVID-19, the Smithsonians National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute is temporarily closed to the public.Animal keepers and veterinary staff remain working on site at the Zoo and SCBI to provide the usual highest quality care for the animals.Additional information on the Zoos COVID-19 response is posted to theZoos website. The Zoo will share updates on the colt on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

Hartmanns mountain zebras are a subspecies of the mountain zebra, which is one of three zebra species. Considered vulnerable by the International Union for Conservation of Nature, Hartmanns mountain zebras live in dry mountain habitats of Namibia. Unlike other zebra species, Hartmann's mountain zebras live in small herds, have vertical stripes on their neck and torso and horizontal stripes on their backside, and have a small fold of skin under their chin (called a dewlap). With less than 25,000 individuals left in the wild, the biggest threat to this species survival is habitat loss and fragmentation as the result of livestock production and agriculture.

The Smithsonians National Zoos legacy of conservation work extends beyond the public Zoo in Washington, D.C., to SCBI in Front Royal, Virginia. Scientists at SCBI study and breed more than 20 species, including some that were once extinct in the wild, such as black-footed ferrets and scimitar-horned oryx. Animals thrive in specialized barns and building complexes spread over more than 3,200 acres. The sprawling environment allows for unique studies that contribute to the survival of threatened, difficult-to-breed species with distinct needs, especially those requiring large areas, natural group sizes and minimal public disturbance.

SCBI spearheads research programs at its headquarters in Virginia, the Zoo in Washington, D.C., and at field research stations and training sites worldwide. SCBI scientists tackle some of todays most complex conservation challenges by applying and sharing what they learn about animal behavior and reproduction, ecology, genetics, migration and conservation sustainability.

# # #

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Hartmann's Mountain Zebra Born at the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute - Smithsonian's National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute

Animal models, especially mice, have given scientists valuable insights into the mechanisms behind countless human diseases. They have been instrumental to the discovery of drug targets, metabolic pathways, and gene function. Theyve helped to lay bare the basic biochemistry of metabolism, hunger, cognition, and aging. Because mice are, to a certain extent, miniature facsimiles of human anatomy and genetics, science has an array of tools at its disposal to manipulate and visualize their bodily processes in real time, in highly controlled settings.

But, as the recent Covid-19 pandemic has revealed, science doesnt always have the tools to minimize loss of animal life. As the pandemic took hold and academic research labs across the U.S. shuttered indefinitely, scientists were faced with an unprecedented animal care dilemma. Without the teams of veterinary nurses and technicians who usually attend to the animals daily, many labs were forced to resort to wholesale euthanasia. Some labs sacrificed hundreds of animals, and were criticized harshly for their management of their experimental colonies. Many started to consider more durable, long-term plans for preserving and storing their mouse lines.

In the lab where I work at the University of California, San Francisco, and where for the past two years Ive been the designated rodent surgeon, we were asked to euthanize all but our most irreplaceable mice. As new animal researchers, we are trained to sacrifice our mice humanely to give them a dignified death. Returning to lab after the shutdown to find rows of empty racks that once held cages of mice we had worked with for months was a shock, and it was hard to conjure dignity in that moment.

That experience led me to reflect on how we as a research community use animal models in biomedical research, and how we might better use them in the future. And Ive become increasingly convinced that the animal model of the future will live not in a cage but in a computer chip: By simulating biological systems rather than experimenting with them, we can make drug development and biomedical research safer, more efficient, and more effective.

This is not to say that researchers treatment of animals has been haphazard. Research in animal models is highly regulated. These regulations vary in austerity from country to country and institution to institution, but they revolve around a common set of principles known as the three Rs: Replace the use of animals when possible, reduce the number of animals used per experiment, and refine methods to minimize suffering and improve welfare.

As the recent Covid-19 pandemic has revealed, science doesnt always have the tools to minimize loss of animal life.

A few years ago, when I was a new mouse surgeon, the three Rs were the guiding tenets of a week-long course I took at the Ren Remie Surgical Skills Center in Almere, Netherlands. The centers founder, Ren Remie, advocated for meticulous surgical technique, held to the same standards of sterility and post-operative care as any human surgical procedure. But he was also a proponent of the thinking that longer-term strategies can hasten recovery time from infection and surgical procedures. For instance, Remie and other researchers advocate whats called environmental enrichment, a method that helps animals cope with the inherent stress of being isolated after a surgical procedure or during an experiment. The researchers place toys, nesting material, or other inanimate objects in the cage that allow the mouse to engage with its surroundings, similar to the way it would in the wild. Studies suggest that environmental enrichment may even promote wound healing in rats.

But the success of strategies like environmental enrichment highlights an inherent weakness of the animal research model: An animals behavior is often extremely sensitive to its environment, in ways that are difficult if not impossible to control. This raises a perennial issue in biomedical research of just how reliably conclusions drawn based on studies in mice can be faithfully applied to human disease treatment. For instance, rodents are housed in groups as a rule, but certain kinds of experiments and treatments require them to be isolated, triggering a stress response that could significantly affect their immune activation. Studies have shown that mice and rats who live with companions fare better against injury, stroke, and even tumor growth than their lonely counterparts. As a result, when mice studies ask questions about human diseases, the housing status of the mouse is often a confounding factor. Even slight variation in the ambient temperature of a mouses housing room can cause stress responses that affect experimental outcomes. This variability is one reason that treatments that seem promising in mice often produce underwhelming outcomes in human clinical trials.

One attractive complement to animal studies that may address some of these shortcomings is in silico, or on a chip medicine. In silico models apply computational modeling strategies to genomic data to predict physiological responses to drugs or other stimuli. Although they are far from being able to replicate the full complexity of a living, sentient being, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has begun consider computer modeling-based strategies to update the cumbersome and costly clinical trial pipeline. Research with in vitro models, which attempt to replicate animal physiology in test-tube style experiments, have also shown promise. These efforts have given birth to projects like the Comprehensive in Vitro Proarrhythmia Assay initiative, which integrates modeling and in vitro strategies to evaluate the potential for new drugs to cause heart rate abnormalities

Likewise, in 2013, the European Commission assembled a consortium of research groups known as the Avicenna Alliance to unify academia and industry around a set of standards for computer modeling in medicine. Based in Belgium but comprised of independent organizations around the world, the goal of the Alliance is to enable virtual clinical trials whose results can be validated by the same kinds of rigorous standards that are applied to traditional clinical trials.

As the Avicenna Alliance envisions them, virtual clinical trials would be based on unique genetic models derived from individual patients, rather than on large, genetically variable sample groups. Conceivably, this could allow a researcher to simulate a patients unique response to a treatment strategy, capturing the effects of subtle variations in baseline metabolism, bodyweight, or underlying health conditions that might influence the patients treatment outcomes. It might also significantly reduce the time and expense traditionally required to usher a new drug or medical device from the lab bench to the clinic potentially lowering the barrier to care for large swaths of the population who cant afford the often-astronomical costs of life-saving medications.

In silico clinical trials, if and when they are realized, could also address the long-standing problem of sample bias in drug development. Demographically, clinical trials tend to be disproportionately White and, until recently, overwhelmingly male. They therefore dont fully capture the therapeutic value and potential risks that drugs present to the patients who eventually rely on them. If in silico strategies become widely adopted, theyll hold potential to both increase the efficacy of new drugs and expand access to treatment.

The ethical debate around the use of animals in research has roiled for hundreds of years and will likely continue to do so. But what the Covid-19 outbreak has made clear is that there are severe weaknesses in the current animal model paradigm. As experiments have come to a halt during the coronavirus lockdowns, researchers have been given time to consider new, more sustainable approaches to discovery. Hopefully, we will look beyond the short-term technical challenges that will inevitably accompany the resumption of business as usual and gaze further afield, toward more humane, more modernized approaches to doing science.

Lindsay Gray is a lab manager at the University of California, San Francisco.

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In the Future, Lab Mice Will Live in Computer Chips, Not Cages - Undark Magazine

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness.

Nothing fills me with a greater awe and sense of purpose than this ideal. It is the essence of my lifes work in teaching peace and justice. As an educator I believe that all of humanity is improved in recognizing equality in basic human rights and delivering on promises of equal opportunity. Unfortunately, however, this purpose doesnt generally register as patriotism; my country has failed to take equality seriously. Instead we promote mythology, an ongoing white liethe farcewhich asserts an America created as a model for humankind by wise and justice-minded Founding Fathers.

Early challenges to that myth by eloquent victims of the American reality include one from July 5, 1852, when former slave Frederick Douglass addressed the nation with his question, "What to the Slave is the Fourth of July?" at an Independence Day celebration:

Fellow-citizens! I will not enlarge further on your national inconsistencies. The existence of slavery in this country brands your republicanism as a sham, your humanity as a base pretense, and your Christianity as a lie.

Can we imagine that in 2020 minorities and persons of color are still asking for access to the American Dream, but also for permission to live? The nightmare of injustice is structural, systematic, intentional, and persistent, but were tolddecade after decadethat it is necessary to be patient and it is only a few bad apples.

We never acknowledge that the bad apples, just like the injustice, are produced in every city on every day.

The descendants of slaves carry the genetics raped into their family trees. Our streets are filled with signs honoring the rapists names. The farce says these ignoble criminals should be celebrated.

We do not teach that George Washingtons dentures were made from human teeth or ivory, tell the white lie that they are made out of wood instead of admitting there is a good chance they were purchased at cut-rate prices from slaves or, in the very best case, from desperately poor people.

We do not teach that while Benjamin Franklin eventually saw the moral need to abolish slavery, the equality pronounced in declaring independence did not extend to the slaves he owned until 1781. The White House was built with slave labor. Thomas Jefferson fathered children with Sally Hemings. How does a 16-year-old slave end up pregnant by her owner?

This social malady is present in the jokes about nooses and the insistence of those who tell them. Forget that there have been thousands of lynchings and that the racialized terror continues to traumatize communities of color. This buffoonery insists that it is not racist to joke, even when the jokes are about hate crimes. Some are inspired to mock the murder of George Floyd, posting photos of themselves kneeling on each other's necks to mimic the murder of George Floyd, or to make jokes about not being able to breathe

The problems are not isolated. Messages of animus come from everywhere, the White House with its ongoing bigotry has no problem making clear that people of color should go back to where they came from regardless of whether or not they were born in the US. Police departments have used violent militaristic responses to peaceful Black Lives Matter gatherings, with some officers declaring they are ready for a civil war; We are just going to go out and start slaughtering them f------ n------.

Sanctioning the history of the United States of America is always challenging. Sanction, contranym (a word with two different and contradictory meanings), is understood as both a threatened penalty and also as approval. Elaborate displays of patriotism tend toward the later, when progress demands the former. I am calling for negative sanctions on teaching American history from the point of view of white male propertied slaveowners. I would positively sanction teaching American history by equally honoring all the voices from all groups.

A gritty reality: A bunch of wealthy white slave owning capitalists got tired of paying taxes. They wrote a Constitution and created an Electoral College to protect the slave trade. It is time that we started telling the truth about the past and were honest about the present. A racist bully lost the popular vote by 3 million votes but occupies the office of the President because of an institution designed to perpetuate inequality. We no longer have signs that say colored but we see the same outcomes in everything from life expectancy and the lethality of the coronavirus to wealth and incarcerations disparities. We have never atoned or made reparations for this past, it is time to take equality seriously.

Wim Laven, Ph.D., syndicated by PeaceVoice, teaches courses in political science and conflict resolution.

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The Farce of July | Columnists - Anchorage Press

Recent work has called into question the reality of the rare male mating advantage, pointing out that it could be a statistical artifact of marking flies for behavioral observation or of experimental bias in collecting males. We designed an experiment to test for rare male mating advantage that avoids these sources of bias. Large numbers of males of three Drosophila pseudoobscura karyotypes were allowed to mate with females of one karyotype in population cages. The females were then isolated before multiple mating occurred and their progeny used to diagnose the males that mated them. Populations were studied at five sets of male karyotypic frequencies. The mating success of the male homokaryotypes ST/ST and CH/CH, relative to that of the heterokaryotype ST/CH, was frequency dependent. Both ST/ST and CH/CH males displayed a statistically significant mating advantage at low frequency by comparision with their mating success in the midrange of karyotypic frequencies. Both male homokaryotypes also showed a significantly greater mating success at high homokaryotypic frequency than at intermediate frequencies, which is the same as saying that the heterokaryotype not only failed to show a rare male advantage but actually suffered a mating disadvantage at low frequency. We conclude that rare male mating advantage is not always an experimental or methodological artifact but does occur in laboratory populations of D. pseudoobscura. It may occur for some genotypes and not for others, however, and it may be only one of several forms of frequency-dependent mating behavior operating in a population.

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A TEST FOR RARE MALE MATING ADVANTAGE WITH ... - genetics.org

NEW HAVEN, Conn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--While infertility, or the inability to conceive after one year of trying used to be a womans problem, there is now a better understanding of the important role men play in conceiving. In at least half of all infertility cases, men are either the contributing or leading cause. To help couples better understand common fertility issues, Mary Jane Minkin, MD, OB/GYN, founder of MadameOvary.com, sheds light on male fertility factors and how men can be proactive in improving their fertility.

The well-known advice for couples trying to conceive are centered around the womans fertile window or when she should start to abstain from alcohol, says Mary Jane Minkin, MD, Clinical Professor of Obstetrics & Gynecology at Yale University. However, it takes two to tango, and couples should be aware of both female and male fertility issues to improve their odds of conceiving. As science and research continues to move forward in treating infertility, realize that there are ways to address male fertility, and that 90% of infertility cases are treatable with current medical therapies.

Dr. Minkin suggests the below tips to help men be proactive when it comes to their fertility:

The trying to conceive journey looks different for every couple, adds Minkin. Both partners should remember to be proactive about their health, modify their lifestyle accordingly, and if struggling to conceive, be supportive of one another and prioritize communication.

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Men's Health Month: Mary Jane Minkin, M.D., OB/GYN Shares 5 Proactive Fertility Tips for Men When Trying to Conceive - Business Wire

VICE does not imply that Prince William has excessive sex hormones or COVID-19. Image viaSteve Parsons / POOL / AFP (cropped)

Towards the end of May, a study published by a team of Spanish researchers and dermatologists found that out of a sample of 122 male COVID-19 patients admitted to hospitals in Madrid, 79 percent were baldabout double the standard population frequency.

Four weeks later, another paper published in the Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology found bald men were similarly overrepresented among COVID-19 hospital admissions.

Both studies were small, and neither of them definitively confirmed the correlation between male pattern hair loss and susceptibility to coronavirus. But together they launched a shockwave of articles around the world proclaiming scientists fears that follicly challenged men might be at greater risk of catching, and dying from, COVID-19.

According to Jenny Graves, Professor of Genetics and Vice Chancellor's Fellow at Melbournes La Trobe University, the science more or less checks out: there may well be a plausible biological explanation for the apparent link between baldness and vulnerability to COVID. And it's got to do with sex hormones.

In a piece published for The Conversation, Dr Graves points out that male pattern hair loss is typically linked to a family of sex hormones called androgens. Androgens are commonly referred to as male hormones for the way in which they regulate the development of male characteristics, such as the development of sexual organs, the growth of the prostate, and balding.

High levels of androgen are strongly associated with hair loss. But studies suggest that these hormones might also play an important role in mediating the entry of SARS-CoV-2 (the virus that causes COVID-19) into cellsthus increasing the risk of severe infection and death.

Hence the theory that the more male hormones present in a persons body, the easier it is for the coronavirus to get in and take hold. As Dr Graves indicates, this could be one reason why men in general appear to be at greater risk of severe infection than women.

More research is needed to firm this upand Dr Graves hastens to point out that larger samples which control for age and other conditions, for one, would go a long way towards confirming whether the link between alopecia-causing androgens and COVID-19 is as significant as it appears. If it is, though, she also suggests that it might be worth looking at anti-androgens, as well as androgen deprivation therapy (ADT), as a way to potentially treat and prevent the disease.

Anti-androgens are a class of testosterone-blocking drugs that effectively prevent androgens from carrying out their biological effects in the body. Theyre already used to treat a range of conditions, including hair loss, overly high sex drive, problematic sexual urges, and prostate cancer. The idea, essentially, is this: if the hormones that cause balding also increase COVID-19 vulnerability, maybe the medicines we have to prevent balding could be used to protect against COVID-19.

Scientists are already exploring this possibility. In a study that looked at a sample of men hospitalised with COVID-19 in Italy, researchers observed that the rate of infection was four times lower in prostate cancer patients on ADT than in untreated cancer patients.

Our data suggest that cancer patients have an increased risk of SARS-CoV-2 infections compared with non-cancer patients. However, prostate cancer patients receiving ADT appear to be partially protected from SARS-CoV-2 infections, they concluded.

Results like this give credence to the idea that similar anti-androgen regimes and therapies could be used not only as treatment, but also prevention, of COVID-19.

Perhaps a single dose given to someone who tests positive to SARS-CoV-2, or has just been exposed, would suffice to lower the chance of the virus taking hold, Dr Graves speculates. But we need research to confirm this.

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Excessive Sex Hormones Could Be Making Bald Men More Vulnerable to COVID-19 - VICE

Which guy doesn't desire an aesthetic physique? For achieving this, a lot of dedication, discipline and will power is required. Most importantly, patience and a 'never say die' attitude is essential when you are aiming for the desired body.Let's take a look at five exercises for V-Cut absas we observe Men's Health Week 2020.Mens Health Week 2020: From Cleaning Foot to Keeping Your Armpit Fresh, Here Are Five Personal Hygiene Habits Every Male Should Follow.

V-Cut abs, also known as the adonis belt, sex lines, v cuts or v abs are the muscles on the lower sides of the abdomen that form a V-shape. V-Cut abs are aesthetically pleasing. In order to achieve this v-shape on abdominal muscles, one has to do rigorous workout and mainly concentrate on their diet. Apart from performing regular core exercises, it is also necessary to focus on deadlifts, squats, overhead press along with other compound exercises. It must also be noted that genetics play an important role in achieving V-Cut abs. Some people may easily develop this physique, however, there are some who have thicker skin around their abdomen or even have uneven abs, and might find it difficult to get that v-shape. Nevertheless, following below exercises with a good diet can help you achieve a strong core and perfectly well-defined rectus abdominis muscles.Men's Health Week 2020: From Cardiovascular Diseases to Erectile Dysfunction, Common Health Conditions Males Can Develop with Age!

Five Exercises For V-Cut Abs

1. Hanging Leg Raises

It is necessary to work on burning fat around lower abdominal muscles to get those v-cut abs. Performing three to four sets of hanging leg raises of 10-12 reps perfectly can help in removing lower belly fat.

2. Reverse Crunches

This exercise works not only on lower abdominal muscles but also on the upper and middle abs. It has to be performed smoothly without putting any stress on the neck to avoid injury. Reverse crunches should be performed in four sets of fifteen reps each.

3. Mountain Climber

This exercise is also included in high-intensity interval training. If performed with pace, it shoots the heart rate and effectively helps in fat loss.

4. Leg Flutters

This exercise might look simple,but it effectively works on lower abdominal muscles. Leg flutters should be regularly included in your core training for achieving V-shape abs.

5. Seated Leg Tucks

Seated leg tucks work on obliques, middle abs, upper abs and also on the lower abs. Stability and good balance are required while performing this exercise.

In order to achieve V-Cut abs, make sure that you include fresh green vegetables in your diet regularly and eat food cooked in very less oil. Cold drinks, desserts, bakery products and refined flour should be a strict no if you are aiming for those six-pack or eight-pack abs. Even if you don't reach V-Cut shape abs, you shouldn't get disheartened as these routines will at least help in reducing your visceral fat percentage that can significantly reduce the risk of heart diseases. For better results, it is recommended to get trained under a fitness trainer and get a proper diet plan from a dietician.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jul 01, 2020 09:36 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).

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Mens Health: From Hanging Leg Raises to Reverse Crunches; Here Are 5 Exercises to Get V-Cut Abs (Watch - LatestLY

Males, who have long been branded as the dominant gender in our species, have been undervalued since Eve turned Adam in to a hapless co-conspirator in the downfall of humanity.

We have a reputation of being driven by our animal passions and prejudices. Females get the credit for compassion and reason. With few exceptions in history, wars have not been started by women in power.

America has changed dramatically in its view of fatherhood and the responsibility the title entails. The one thing that remains constant in our society, and among our species, is that the young need direction, training, leadership and nurturing from a parent to thrive and sometimes even to survive.

Sadly, we are all products of our upbringing no matter how hard we try to remake ourselves as age and reason overtake us. My mother, God bless her, was a product of a five-sister home in the 30s. Getting out and getting a husband was vital. A man in her life was a life-long priority.

She had five husbands and a few other long-term relationships over her long life. I had three half-siblings fathered by her first husband. Then I came along with husband two after World War II. In a sense, I consider myself lucky because as I grew up, I had several choices of male role models. Some were winners, some were not. I got the genetics of being a big, garrulous hard drinker from my Irish birth father who drifted in and out of my life until he died after a drunken fall at age 47.

Sensing my needs, Mother then found a genial, well-known fellow who was the pillar of the community to take us in. It is his name, Orr, that I adopted when I came of age because it became clear to me even then that there are sperm donors and there are fathers. Do not confuse one with the other. Fathers contribute. They stay. They help. They teach and lead by example.

Ray Orr was a cop. He and his family of two older brothers were icons in Ontario for their contributions to youth sports. I was immediately accepted as a "good guy" when I entered high school simply trading on the goodwill of my new last name. It was an unimaginable gift. Acceptance, belonging and mentoring all in one fell swoop.

Ray also gave me one sage piece of advice that helped me keep on the straight and narrow through high school and college, an era of "free love" and doobies. He sat me down and said, "Pat, dont ever call me from jail because no one is coming. You are responsible for your actions."

That is fatherhood in my view.

I had another cop involved throughout my life that taught me about responsibility and hard work. My mom worked for the LAPD at the old Georgia Street Jail in the early 1950s and became friends with a sergeant named Lloyd Lindsey. He was a go-getter.

He and his wife had a third child and needed extra cash. He chose to take his vacation and work at a food stand at the Los Angeles County Fair owned by a fellow cop. Lloyd was so intrigued by the food business that he borrowed some money and opened his own food stand the following year.

To work there he recruited people he knew that could be fast and honest. He asked my mom to work weekends. She was between husbands and brought me along. I cleaned tables and Lloyd gave me a quarter a day. I worked for him on and off all the way through high school and during college breaks. I learned a great deal about customer service and marketing your product. He always gave me more responsibility when he knew I was ready.

Years later, I married his daughter and Lloyd encouraged and mentored us in our first food concession business. That turned into his helping us investigate a fast food franchise opportunity, which led us to become a multi-store operator in the High Desert.

Lloyd Lindsey taught me to work hard, to live your dream and to not to be afraid of taking a chance on yourself. That is being a father.

Right now, you are hearing a lot about "systemic racism" in America. It would be nice to have an honest conversation about the state of fatherhood in the African American community. About 70% of African American children are born out of wedlock, while married couples of color are having fewer children than ever.

Unfortunately, it seems to me that well-intentioned liberals have designed a welfare system that punishes women who choose to get married to the father to their child. The rise in illegitimate births affects all races in America, but it is particularly apparent in the African American community.

Children from two-parent families are more likely to finish high school and get some college, less likely to commit a crime or go to prison and more likely to become productive hard-working contributing members of the community in which they choose to live. Why is it so hard to redirect some of the billions we have spent over the last 60 years on social programs for the poor to family building, which is proven to break the poverty cycle?

Is it a coincidence that prior to 1965, when the "War on Poverty" swung into full gear, the social stigma against unwed mothers resulted in most pregnant couples getting married? In the 1960s and 1970s, the culture changed. Moral values changed and unwed pregnancies began to skyrocket. Benefits for dependent children were created.

There is no question that money is a major consideration to the rise of illegitimate births. It is less expensive to cohabitate than marry. The marriage commitment also binds people legally to be responsible for minor children. Commitment to anything but self has become less popular in our culture as the decades have passed. Abortion is a normal option now for unwanted pregnancy, which makes irresponsible sexual activity by men and women an accepted norm.

Why does marriage make a difference? Studies indicate that there is a 39% chance of the family breaking apart if the parents are not married. That number plummets to just 13% for married couples. Figures can be manipulated, but the clear relationship between fatherless homes, poverty, crime and poor life skills is all too evident in our major cities. The poorest city in America, Washington D.C., also has the highest rate of out-of-wedlock births. Coincidence? This cycle must be broken to achieve real racial equality.

On this day, when we celebrate fatherhood, we must ask ourselves if we have the courage to stand up and recognize that part of the reason for the disparity in the progress of minority children is the absence of two parents.

When do we return to the social and moral pressure in every community to get fathers to simply show up and be a father? How do we help that happen?

This does not mean that a white picket fence and minivan are the goals for every relationship. It means we should help young girls and women demand the self-respect of a commitment from any man with whom they partner marriage or no marriage.

Just find ways to encourage every father of every race to stand up and show up. Be a father for the future of your children, if not for yourself. That would be a great Fathers Day gift for America.

Contact Pat Orr at AVReviewOpinion@gmail.com.

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Around Town: Fathers matter - VVdailypress.com

While the attention of the American public has rightfully been focused on the COVID-19 pandemic, its associated racial disparities, and broader issues of structural racism, the US government made a serious public health decision one that could affect our health and our environment for generations to come.

Last month, the US Environmental Protection Agency approved the release of genetically modified mosquitoes. Under a 2-year Experimental Use Permit, a company called Oxitec has been granted permission to release over 1 billion genetically modified mosquitoes across 6,600 acres in Florida and Texas.

Oxitec hopes to demonstrate through field trials that their latest GM mosquito strain can reduce local populations of Aedes aegypti the mosquito species that transmits dengue fever, yellow fever, chikungunya, and the Zika virus. When males of this GM mosquito strain (OX5034) are continually released to mate in the wild, they pass on a lethal gene to their female offspring that causes female larvae to die before they can develop into biting adults. Male mosquito offspring survive, but male mosquitoes dont bite and without viable females, the population should eventually collapse.

EPA approval of the release of this new GM mosquito is just the first step toward Oxitec selling its proprietary mosquito to US mosquito-control boards, and by extension US taxpayers. Oxitec intends to deploy its GM mosquitoes in and around the Florida Keys and near Houston. If the appropriate local authorities agree, millions of GM mosquitoes could be released into the wild every week starting this summer.

With our combined scientific and policy expertise, neither of us is anti-genetically modified organisms. We eat GM foods and believe that GM technologies can have significant benefits to public health but only if they are used safely and fairly. The environmental introduction of the first GM mosquito in the United States is a landmark decision. Its public health, ecosystem, and societal risks and benefits should be carefully weighed.

In a recent press release, Oxitec claims its strategy is a safe and environmentally sustainable way to control mosquitoes that transmit disease. Yet the EPA did not convene an independent, external scientific advisory panel to review Oxitecs claim; the agencys risk assessment was only made publicly available after their approval decision and we know of no peer-reviewed articles on this particular GM mosquito strain.

Meanwhile, GM mosquitoes are being introduced into uncontained, shared environments that people live in and depend on. The EPA recently held a written public comment process that yielded over 31,000 comments where some worried the impacts of GM mosquito suppression could threaten food webs and strain already vulnerable ecosystems. Others feared GM mosquitoes, or their genetic material, could integrate into the wild; GM-wild hybrid mosquitoes could prove more difficult to control or better at spreading disease. (Several years ago, public meetings and a nonbinding referendum took place in Florida over a different Oxitec mosquito strain. Residents of Key Haven, the site of proposed trials, voted against the release.)

Oxitec has trialed their second generation GM mosquito in Brazil and succeeded in reducing local populations of Aedes aegypti. Given Brazils high mosquito-borne disease burden the country reported over 1.5 million probable cases of dengue fever in 2016 the potential benefits of GM mosquitoes may outweigh their unknown ecological risks. Yet in the United States, dengue outbreaks are relatively rare, yellow fever has been eradicated domestically, and 231 of documented Zika virus cases were caused by local mosquito transmissions, as opposed to those associated with travel. It is unclear whether the potential benefits of release in the United States (one could be chemical pesticide reductions) will outweigh the risks. These tradeoffs must be weighed in a public setting.

And herein lies our concern: Risks should not be assessed behind closed doors between technology developers and EPA employees. As designed, the EPA risk assessment process privileges private entities over the American public.

Several recommendations could be implemented to make the regulatory process more open, rigorous, and fair.

For starters, an external independent group of experts should be convened to review the first GM mosquitoes presented for release. To address the complexity of such a decision, this group should consist of interdisciplinary experts representing diverse identities with expertise in ecology, genetics, vector biology, risk assessment, entomology, public health, ethics, and social science. External peer review is a cornerstone of good science and could ensure that all necessary risks are being addressed.

To ensure rigorous review, the EPA and other regulatory bodies must also fund independent third-party research on GM mosquitoes and their potential impact on US ecosystems and human health. Potential risks are too important to be left to corporations alone to research, and the American public needs to be assured that these decisions are made free of conflicts of interest.

Lastly, and perhaps most important, people who live in areas of release must be consulted for their specialized, on-the-ground knowledge and for their right to have input in decisions that will affect them. Last week, the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services approved the EPA permit for experimental release. Oxitec must now get approval from the Florida Keys Mosquito Control Board. An independent group should host public conversations through local community venues, and it must make sure that structurally marginalized perspectives are at the center of those gatherings. But local community input should be consulted at every stage of the regulatory process, not after permits have already been granted. And earmarked government funding should support these local deliberations, as well as measures to amplify underrepresented perspectives in environmental regulation and biotechnology.

GMOs made with even more powerful genetic technologies like CRISPR gene editing and gene-drives are being created in the laboratory and considered for open-environmental release. The public needs to know that the risks and benefits of these decisions will likely impact us all, and certain communities even more so. The COVID-19 pandemic has made it clear that robust public health depends on informed communities who participate in collective actions. Release of GM mosquitoes is no different. For the health of ourselves, the nation, our planet, and future generations, environmental regulation of GMOs must be made more rigorous and just.

Natalie Kofler is founder of Editing Nature and an adviser for the Scientific Citizenship Initiative at Harvard Medical School. Jennifer Kuzma is a professor in the School of Public and International Affairs and co-director of the Genetic Engineering and Society Center.

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Before genetically modified mosquitoes are released, we need a better EPA - The Boston Globe

A clinical trial of hydroxychloroquine for the treatment of hospitalized adults with COVID-19 has been halted after the drug was found to be ineffective, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) announced on Friday.

According to the NIH's press release, the drug poses "no harm" to those who have taken it, but has still been deemed "very unlikely to be beneficial" to those being treated for coronavirus.

The study aimed to enroll "more than 500 adults who are currently hospitalized with COVID-19," and had enrolled more than 470 patients before it was halted, according to the NIH.

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Though hydroxychloroquine is typically used to treat malaria and rheumatoid conditions like arthritis, according to the NIH, it had been tested to treat COVID-19 because "the drug had demonstrated antiviral activity, an ability to modify the activity of the immune system."

In recent months, hydroxychloroquine has been provided to a wide range of people across the US including 1,300 veterans infected with COVID-19.

"I take it," he said at the time. "I would've told you that three, four days ago, but we never had a chance because you never asked me the question."

More recently at the start of June, White House physician Sean Conley confirmed in a memo that Trump had been prescribed hydroxychloroquine, zinc, and vitamin D, for a two-week period. The note also stated that Trump "remains healthy" with "no findings of significance or changes to report" from his annual physical, as Business Insider's Grace Panetta previously reported.

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A clinical trial of hydroxychloroquine has been halted after the drug was deemed 'very unlikely to be benefici - Business Insider India

This is a Siamese fighting fish.

Betta fish opponents undergo similar brain changes that become more synchronized after longer fights.

When two betta fish are fighting for dominance, not only do their attacks mirror each other, but the gene expression in their brain cells also starts to align. The new findings, published June 17th in PLOS Genetics by Norihiro Okada of Kitasato University, Japan, may explain how the fish synchronize their fighting behavior.

The fighting fish Betta splendens is famous for its aggression, but opponents typically stop fighting after assessing the others abilities to avoid any serious injuries. The small freshwater fish is commonly used to study aggression in the lab, and it employs a handful of standard tactics like mouth-locking, bites, strikes, and swimming to the surface to gulp air. In the new study, researchers observed that during a fight, two male opponents modify their actions to match the aggressive behavior of the other, leading to tightly synchronized battles.

Furthermore, when the researchers analyzed the brains of both opponents, they observed that the fish also synchronized which genes were turned on or off in brain cells. The fighting pair had similar changes in gene activity related to learning, memory, synapse function and ion transport across cell membranes. The synchronization was specific to a fighting pair and became stronger after fighting for an hour compared to a 20-minute fight, suggesting that the degree of synchronization was driven by fighting interactions.

The new study takes a neurogenomic approach to the old question of how animals synchronize their behavior. Similar mirrored behaviors also occur during mating, foraging and cooperative hunting, and these behaviors may also trigger synchronized brain changes in the pairs of animals. One of my future plans is to elucidate what happens in the male-female interaction of fish on the molecular level, said author Norihiro Okada.

The findings suggest that even though the betta fish are fighting each other, sometimes to the death, their brains may be cooperating at the molecular level.

Reference: Behavioral and brain- transcriptomic synchronization between the two opponents of a fighting pair of the fish Betta splendens by Trieu-Duc Vu, Yuki Iwasaki, Shuji Shigenobu, Akiko Maruko, Kenshiro Oshima, Erica Iioka, Chao-Li Huang, Takashi Abe, Satoshi Tamaki, Yi-Wen Lin, Chih-Kuan Chen, Mei-Yeh Lu, Masaru Hojo, Hao-Ven Wang, Shun-Fen Tzeng, Hao-Jen Huang, Akio Kanai, Takashi Gojobori, Tzen-Yuh Chiang, H. Sunny Sun, Wen-Hsiung Li and Norihiro Okada, 17 June 2020, PLOS Genetics.DOI: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1008831

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Fighting Fish Synchronize Their Combat Moves and Gene Expression Leading to Tightly Meshed Battles - SciTechDaily

In an interaction with ETHealthworld, Preetha Reddy, Vice Chairperson, Apollo Hospitals and President, NATHEALTH, discusses the need to prioritize healthcare by collaborative approach.

As the new president of NATHEALTH, what will be your key priorities in the coming months?Over the course of the next few months, our priorities will be to continue our work towards bringing everyone in the healthcare ecosystem, to a unified platform through integration, collaboration and re-imagination. The road ahead for NATHEALTH is to be a competency centre par excellence for public-private partnerships, nurturing the innovation ecosystem in healthcare and driving new programs to bring in Government support and expanding our aperture. With this vision in mind, NATHEALTH will focus its efforts to bring together all the stakeholders and build the national health agenda.

How important is the need for Government and the private sector engagement in the present times? How is NATHEALTH going to take this forward?The path to achieve a holistic goal of universal healthcare, hinges on collaboration where all the key industry stakeholders come together, deliberate, cooperate and work in tandem to bridge the vital gaps in service delivery. An equally important task is to establish a collaborative platform to coordinate national resilience in the present times, through value based public private partnerships.

As a unified ecosystem, we will sharpen our focus on thought leadership, create new markets and tech access, robust communication, transparency in governance and forge partnerships with smaller organizations and nursing associations, to take this movement forward.

What is urgently needed to revamp Indian healthcare today, in your opinion?It is essential to rebuild trust among key stakeholders, work towards making universal health coverage a fundamental right and creating value for healthcare services. We will make continued efforts to help people understand the valuable contributions that the private health sector makes in handling critical cases and saving countless lives. We need to establish a win-win proposition by fostering partnership models which address healthcare gaps and driving a dialogue that is based on mutual respect and capabilities.

What are the recommendations from NATHEALTH towards collaborative initiatives to address the impact of COVID 19? The healthcare sector is currently tackling the twin challenges of lower productivity due to systemic shock to earnings and major cash flow challenges at a time when COVID-19 needs the entire sector to be motivated and secured as a united front. We believe that the public and private sectors will need to work in partnership to ensure existing challenges are managed better in future and universal health coverage becomes a reality.

This pandemic has made us realize that as stakeholders, the hospitals, med-tech companies, pharma, IT, the medical academia and nursing councils have to join hands, chalk out a plan and work towards it collectively. Collaboration is the way forward.

There is also a need to lay the foundation for building the infrastructure and financial capability with an immediate action plan to tackle such large public health emergencies, now and in the future.

In view of the several challenges facing the private healthcare industry, how does NATHEALTH plan on addressing these issues?Our plan is to actively engage with our four key stakeholder groups: Policymakers, Partners, People and Members to encourage a collaborative approach in addressing these issues. We will work with policymakers to shape industry policies and forge new partnerships with State Governments. We plan to expand our membership base to new markets over the upcoming months to enable smaller and medium healthcare providers to become part of the federations ecosystem, and identify new operating models, technology and knowledge through our members.

Overall, I believe, in order to work towards sustainable healthcare, we have to look at increased public-private partnerships and look at ways to bring the Government, academia and industry together. It is important for us as a nation to prioritize healthcare, bring in increased health investments, scale up medical education and leverage technology to establish much more health infrastructure.

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We need to establish a win-win proposition by fostering partnership models to address healthcare gaps : Pree.. - ETHealthworld.com

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Male Breast Cancer Treatment Market Size : Technological Advancement and Growth Analysis with Forecast to 2025 - Cole of Duty

These stories have nothing in common other than that they are fascinating examples of the way animals have evolved to suit their environments and lifestyles.

Researchers say they have discovered how Tibetan antelopes are able to run hard and fast despite living at altitude, and why Siamese fighting fish fight like they do.

In the first case, its a bit about staying young.

A study published in the journal Science Advances suggests that Pantholops hodgsonii has overcome oxygen deprivation on the high-altitude Tibetan Plateau through an unusual adaptation in which it permanently expresses a form of haemoglobin that other members of the cattle family only express as juveniles, or when under extreme oxygen deprivation.

Through a comparative genomic analysis with other bovids, Anthony Signore and Jay Storz from the University of Nebraska, US, found that the region that encodes for the adult form of haemoglobin was deleted in the antelopes ancestor, causing the juvenile form of the protein, which has a higher oxygen affinity, to take its place in adult red blood cells.

In other words, they say, a reversible response to oxygen deprivation previously documented in adult goats and sheep became a permanent genetic fixture in a mammal that is native to a region that ranges between 3600 and 5500 metres above sea level.

Through in vitro experiments, they confirmed that the antelopes haemoglobin does have a much higher oxygen affinity than that of all other bovids, perhaps explaining how it can run at 70 kilometres an hour over great distances, at altitudes where the partial pressure of oxygen is roughly half that at sea level.

In the second study, published in the journal PLOS Genetics, researchers from Japan, Taiwan, Saudi Arabia and the US reveal that when Siamese fighting fish are fighting, the gene expression in their brain cells starts to align.

Betta splendens is famous for its aggression, but male opponents modify their actions to match each others behaviour leading to tightly synchronised battles and typically stop fighting after assessing the others abilities to avoid any serious injuries, the researchers say.

When they analysed their brains, they observed that the opponents had similar changes in gene activity related to learning, memory, synapse function and ion transport across cell membranes.

This was specific to a fighting pair and became stronger after fighting for an hour, compared to 20 minutes, suggesting the degree of synchronisation is driven by fighting interactions.

Similar mirrored behaviours occur during mating, foraging and cooperative hunting, and these may also trigger synchronised brain changes in the pairs of animals.

One of my future plans is to elucidate what happens in the male-female interaction of fish on the molecular level, says lead author Norihiro Okada, from Kitasato University, Japan.

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Aerobic antelopes and synchronised fish - Cosmos