Archive for the ‘Skin Stem Cells’ Category

John T Lear,1 Axel Hauschild,2 Eggert Stockfleth,3 Nicholas Squittieri,4 Nicole Basset-Seguin,5 Reinhard Dummer6

1Manchester Royal Infirmary, Manchester, UK; 2Klinik Fr Dermatologie, Venerologie Und Allergologie Universittsklinikum Schleswig-Holstein, Kiel, Germany; 3Universittshautklinik Bochum, Bochum, Germany; 4Sun Pharmaceutical Industries, Inc., Princeton, NJ, USA; 5Department of Dermatology, Hpital Saint Louis, Paris, France; 6Skin Cancer Center University Hospital, Zrich, Switzerland

Correspondence: John T LearUniversity of Manchester, 46 Grafton Street, Manchester M13 9NT, UKTel +44 161 276 4173Fax +44 161 276 8881Email john.lear@srft.nhs.uk

Nevoid basal cell carcinoma syndrome (NBCCS), or Gorlin syndrome, is a rare hereditary disease characterized by the development of multiple cutaneous basal cell carcinomas (BCCs) from a young age.1 Loss-of-function germline mutations in the hedgehog-related patched 1 (PTCH1) tumor suppressor gene are the most common cause of NBCCS.1 The hedgehog signaling pathway plays a major role in embryonic development, and in adulthood, is involved in the renewal and maintenance of distinct tissues, including hair follicles, muscle stem cells, and gastric epithelium.2 Its abnormal activation is thought to drive the formation of both sporadic BCCs and those resulting from NBCCS.1 Patients with NBCCS inherit one inactive copy of PTCH1 and then acquire a second-hit mutation, resulting in hedgehog pathway activation and BCC formation.1 Mutations in Suppressor of fused (SUFU) or the PTCH1 homolog PTCH2 have also been found in a subset of patients meeting criteria for NBCCS.1,3

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Efficacy and Safety of Sonidegib in Adult Patients with Nevoid Basal C | CCID - Dove Medical Press

Parkinson's disease comes with slowness, rigidity, tremors, and loss of balance due to an insufficiency of the dopamine that coordinates muscle movement. This disease, of which the rate of diagnosis is rising, occurs when the neurons responsible for producing dopamine malfunction or die. About 500,000 Americans are diagnosed with Parkinson's each year.

Most of the time, Parkinson's disease is a condition of the elderly, diagnosed in people 60 and older. However, about 10% of the time, it's detected in people between 21 and 50. "Young-onset Parkinson's is especially heartbreaking because it strikes people at the prime of life," says Michele Tagliati, an author of a new study from Cedars-Sinai.

The study of brain cells from Parkinson's younger victims has found that the misbehaving neurons are present long before diagnosis typically taking some 20 or 30 years to produce detectable symptoms and may even be present prior to birth. The revelation raises hope for combatting Parkinson's because there's already an approved drug that can mitigate the damage done by the troublemaking neurons before the disease ever appears.

The research is published in the journal Nature Medicine.

Image source: Kateryna Kon/Shutterstock

The authors' investigation began with an examination of neurons based on cells from young-onset Parkinson's (YOPD) patients who had no known mutations. From the cells, induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) were generated and differentiated into dishes containing cultures of dopamine neurons. Senior study author Clive Svendsen says, "Our technique gave us a window back in time to see how well the dopamine neurons might have functioned from the very start of a patient's life."

The scientists observed lysosomes within the YOPD neurons malfunctioning. Since lysosomes are counted on as "trash cans" for unnecessary or depleted proteins, the castoff chemicals began to pile up. In particular, substantial accumulations of soluble -synuclein, a protein implicated in different types of Parkinson's, were seen.

Says Svendsen, "What we are seeing using this new model are the very first signs of young-onset Parkinson's,"revealing that, "It appears that dopamine neurons in these individuals may continue to mishandle -synuclein over a period of 20 or 30 years, causing Parkinson's symptoms to emerge."

The researchers also saw unexpectedly high levels of the enzyme protein kinase C in its active form, though what that has to do with Parkinson's, if anything, is unknown.

Image source: sruilk/Shutterstock

The researchers tested a number of drugs on the cultures to see if any might address the observed accumulations of -synuclein. (They performed parallel tests of laboratory mice.) One drug, PEP005, which is already approved by the FDA for treating skin pre-cancers, did effectively reduce the -synuclein buildup, both in the iPSCs and the mice.

Since PEP005 is currently administered in gel form for treating skin, the researchers are now exploring how the drug might be modified so it can be delivered directly to the brain. The team also plans follow-on research to see if their findings apply equally to forms of Parkinson's beyond YOPD.

Related Articles Around the Web

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Can Parkinsons be prevented as it stealthily develops? - Big Think

As amphibians go, axolotls are pretty cute. These salamanders sport a Mona Lisa half-smile and red, frilly gills that make them look dressed up for a party. You might not want them at your soiree, though: Theyre also cannibals. While rare now in the wild, axolotls used to hatch en masse, and it was a salamander-eat-salamander world. In such a harsh nursery, they evolved or maybe kept the ability to regrow severed limbs.

Their regenerative powers are just incredible, says Joshua Currie, a biologist at the Lunenfeld-Tanenbaum Research Institute in Toronto whos been studying salamander regeneration since 2011. If an axolotl loses a limb, the appendage will grow back, at just the right size and orientation. Within weeks, the seam between old and new disappears completely.

And its not just legs: Axolotls can regenerate ovary and lung tissue, even parts of the brain and spinal cord.

The salamanders exceptional comeback from injury has been known for more than a century, and scientists have unraveled some of its secrets. It seals the amputation site with a special type of skin called wound epithelium, then builds a bit of tissue called the blastema, from which sprouts the new body part. But until recently, the fine details of the cells and molecules needed to create a leg from scratch have remained elusive.

With the recentsequencingandassemblyof the axolotls giant genome, though, and thedevelopment of techniques to modify the creatures genes in the lab,regeneration researchers are now poised to discover those details. In so doing, theyll likely identify salamander tricks that could be useful in human medicine

Already, studies are illuminating the cells involved, and defining the chemical ingredients needed. Perhaps, several decades from now, people, too, might regrow organs or limbs. In the nearer future, the findings suggest possible treatments for ways to promote wound-healing and treat blindness.

The idea of human regeneration has evolved from an if to a when in recent decades, says David Gardiner, a developmental biologist at the University of California, Irvine. Everybody now is assuming that its just a matter of time, he says. But, of course, theres still much to do.

In a working limb, cells and tissues are like the instruments in an orchestra: Each contributes actions, like musical notes, to create a symphony. Amputation results in cacophony, but salamanders can rap the conductors baton and reset the remaining tissue back to order and all the way back to the symphonys first movement, when they first grew a limb in the embryo.

The basic steps are known: When a limb is removed, be it by hungry sibling or curious experimenter, within minutes the axolotls blood will clot. Within hours, skin cells divide and crawl to cover the wound with a wound epidermis.

Next, cells from nearby tissues migrate to the amputation site, forming a blob of living matter. This blob, the blastema, is where all the magic happens, said Jessica Whited, a regenerative biologist at Harvard University, in a presentation in California last year. It forms a structure much like the developing embryos limb bud, from which limbs grow.

This movie shows immune cells, labeled to glow green, moving within a regenerating axolotl fingertip. Scientists know that immune cells such as macrophages are essential for regeneration: When they are removed, the process is blocked.

Finally, cells in the blastema turn into all the tissues needed for the new limb and settle down in the right pattern, forming a tiny but perfect limb. This limb then grows to full size. When all is done, you cant even tell where the amputation occurred in the first place, Whited tellsKnowable Magazine.

Scientists know many of the molecular instruments, and some of the notes, involved in this regeneration symphony. But its taken a great deal of work.

As Currie started as a new postdoc with Elly Tanaka, a developmental biologist at the Research Institute of Molecular Pathology in Vienna, he recalls wondering, Where do the cells for regeneration come from? Consider cartilage. Does it arise from the same cells as it does in the developing embryo, called chondrocytes, that are left over in the limb stump? Or does it come from some other source?

To learn more, Currie figured out a way to watch individual cells under the microscope right as regeneration took place. First, he used a genetic trick to randomly tag the cells he was studying in a salamander with a rainbow of colors. Then, to keep things simple, he sliced off just a fingertip from his subjects. Next, he searched for cells that stuck out say, an orange cell that ended up surrounded by a sea of other cells colored green, yellow and so on. He tracked those standout cells, along with their color-matched descendants, over the weeks of limb regeneration. His observations, reported in the journalDevelopmental Cellin 2016,illuminated several secrets to the regeneration process.

Regenerative biologist Joshua Currie labeled the cells in axolotls with a rainbow of colors, so that he could follow their migration after he amputated the tip of the salamanders fingertips. In this image, three days after amputation, the skin (uncolored) has already covered the wound. (Credit: Josh Currie)

For one thing, cell travel is key. Cells are really extricating themselves from where they are and crawling to the amputation plane to form this blastema, Currie says. The distance cells will journey depends on the size of the injury. To make a new fingertip, the salamanders drew on cells within about 0.2 millimeters of the injury. But in other experiments where the salamanders had to replace a wrist and hand, cells came from as far as half a millimeter away.

More strikingly, Currie discovered that contributions to the blastema were not what hed initially expected, and varied from tissue to tissue. There were a lot of surprises, he says.

Chondrocytes, so important for making cartilage in embryos, didnt migrate to the blastema (earlier in 2016, Gardiner and colleaguesreported similar findings). And certain cells entering the blastema pericytes, cells that encircle blood vessels were able to make more of themselves, but nothing else.

The real virtuosos in regeneration were cells in skin called fibroblasts and periskeletal cells, which normally surround bone. They seemed to rewind their development so they could form all kinds of tissues in the new fingertip, morphing into new chondrocytes and other cell types, too.

To Curries surprise, these source cells didnt arrive all at once. Those first on the scene became chondrocytes. Latecomers turned into the soft connective tissues that surround the skeleton.

How do the cells do it? Currie, Tanaka and collaborators looked at connective tissues further, examining the genes turned on and off by individual cells in a regenerating limb. In a 2018Sciencepaper, the team reported thatcells reorganized their gene activation profileto one almost identical, Tanaka says, to those in the limb bud of a developing embryo.

Muscle, meanwhile, has its own variation on the regeneration theme. Mature muscle, in both salamanders and people, contains stem cells called satellite cells. These create new cells as muscles grow or require repair. In a 2017 study inPNAS, Tanaka and colleagues showed (by tracking satellite cells that were made to glow red) that most, if not all, ofmuscle in new limbs comes from satellite cells.

If Currie and Tanaka are investigating the instruments of the regeneration symphony, Catherine McCusker is decoding the melody they play, in the form of chemicals that push the process along. A regenerative biologist at the University of Massachusetts Boston, she recently published arecipe of sorts for creating an axolotl limb from a wound site. By replacing two of three key requirements with a chemical cocktail, McCusker and her colleagues could force salamanders to grow a new arm from a small wound on the side of a limb, giving them an extra arm.

Using what they know about regeneration, researchers at the University of Massachusetts tricked upper-arm tissue into growing an extra arm (green) atop the natural one (red). (Credit: Kaylee Wells/McCusker Lab)

The first requirement for limb regeneration is the presence of a wound, and formation of wound epithelium. But a second, scientists knew, was a nerve that can grow into the injured area. Either the nerve itself, or cells that it talks to, manufacture chemicals needed to make connective tissue become immature again and form a blastema. In their 2019 study inDevelopmental Biology, McCusker and colleagues guided byearlier work by a Japanese team used two growth factors, called BMP and FGF, to fulfill that step in salamanders lacking a nerve in the right place.

The third requirement was for fibroblasts from opposite sides of a wound to find and touch each other. In a hand amputation, for example, cells from the left and right sides of the wrist might meet to correctly pattern and orient the new hand. McCusckers chemical replacement for this requirement was retinoic acid, which the body makes from vitamin A. The chemical plays a role in setting up patterning in embryos and has long been known to pattern tissues during regeneration.

In their experiment, McCuskers team removed a small square of skin from the upper arm of 38 salamanders. Two days later, once the skin had healed over, the researchers made a tiny slit in the skin and slipped in a gelatin bead soaked in FGF and BMP. Thanks to that cocktail, in 25 animals the tissue created a blastema no nerve necessary.

About a week later, the group injected the animals with retinoic acid. In concert with other signals coming from the surrounding tissue, it acted as a pattern generator, and seven of the axolotls sprouted new arms out of the wound site.

The recipe is far from perfected: Some salamanders grew one new arm, some grew two, and some grew three, all out of the same wound spot. McCusker suspects that the gelatin bead got in the way of cells that control the limbs pattern. The key actions produced by the initial injury and wound epithelium also remain mysterious.

Its interesting that you can overcome some of these blocks with relatively few growth factors, comments Randal Voss, a biologist at the University of Kentucky in Lexington. We still dont completely know what happens in the very first moments.

If we did know those early steps, humans might be able to create the regeneration symphony. People already possess many of the cellular instruments, capable of playing the notes. We use essentially the same genes, in different ways, says Ken Poss, a regeneration biologist at the Duke University Medical Center in Durham who describednew advances in regeneration, thanks to genetic tools, in the 2017Annual Review of Genetics.

Regeneration may have been an ability we lost, rather than something salamanders gained. Way back in our evolutionary past, the common ancestors of people and salamanders could have been regenerators, since at least one distant relative of modern-day salamanders could do it. Paleontologists have discovered fossils of300-million-year-old amphibians with limb deformities typically created by imperfect regeneration.Other members of the animal kingdom, such as certain worms, fish and starfish, can also regenerate but its not clear if they use the same symphony score, Whited says.

These fossils suggest that amphibians calledMicromelerpetonwere regenerating limbs 300 million years ago. Thats because the fossils show deformities, such as fused bones, that usually occur when regrowth doesnt work quite right. (Credit: Nadia B Frbisch et al./Proceedings of the Royal Society B, 2014)

Somewhere in their genomes, all animals have the ability, says James Monaghan, a regeneration biologist at Northeastern University in Boston. After all, he points out, all animals grow body parts as embryos. And in fact, people arent entirely inept at regeneration. We can regrow fingertips, muscle, liver tissue and, to a certain extent, skin.

But for larger structures like limbs, our regeneration music falls apart. Human bodies take days to form skin over an injury, and without the crucial wound epithelium, our hopes for regeneration are dashed before it even starts. Instead, we scab and scar.

Its pretty far off in the future that we would be able to grow an entire limb, says McCusker. I hope Im wrong, but thats my feeling.

She thinks that other medical applications could come much sooner, though such as ways to help burn victims. When surgeons perform skin grafts, they frequently transfer the top layers of skin, or use lab-grown skin tissue. But its often an imperfect replacement for what was lost.

Thats because skin varies across the body; just compare the skin on your palm to that on your calf or armpit. The tissues that help skin to match its body position, giving it features like sweat glands and hair as appropriate, lie deeper than many grafts. The replacement skin, then, might not be just like the old skin. But if scientists could create skin with better positional information, they could make the transferred skin a better fit for its new location.

Monaghan, for his part, is thinking about regenerating retinas for people who have macular degeneration or eye trauma. Axolotls can regrow their retinas (though, surprisingly, their ability to regenerate the lens is limited to hatchlings). He is working with Northeastern University chemical engineer Rebecca Carrier, whos been developing materials for use in transplantations. Her collaborators are testing transplants in pigs and people, but find most of the transplanted cells are dying. Perhaps some additional material could create a pro-regeneration environment, and perhaps axolotls could suggest some ingredients.

Carrier and Monaghan experimented with the transplanted pig cells in lab dishes, and found they were more likely to survive and develop into retinal cells if grown together with axolotl retinas. The special ingredientseems to be a distinct set of chemicals that exist on axolotl, but not pig, retinas.Carrier hopes to use this information to create a chemical cocktail to help transplants succeed. Even partially restoring vision would be beneficial, Monaghan notes.

Thanks to genetic sequencing and modern molecular biology, researchers can continue to unlock the many remaining mysteries of regeneration: How does the wound epithelium create a regeneration-promoting environment? What determines which cells migrate into a blastema, and which stay put? How does the salamander manage to grow a new limb of exactly the right size, no larger, no smaller? These secrets and more remain hidden behind that Mona Lisa smile at least for now.

10.1146/knowable-012920-1

This article originally appeared in Knowable Magazine, an independent journalistic endeavor from Annual Reviews.

Excerpt from:
What the Axolotl's Limb-Regenerating Capabilities Have to Teach Us - Discover Magazine

The market analysis and insights included in the Cosmetic Skin Care market report presents key statistics on the market status of global and regional manufacturers and is an essential source of guidance which provides right direction to the companies and individuals interested in the industry. To prosper in this competitive market place, businesses are highly benefited if they adopt innovative solutions such as this Cosmetic Skin Care market research report. This wide-ranging market research report acts as a backbone for the success of business in any sector. The market drivers and restraints have been explained in the report with the use of SWOT analysis.

Global cosmetic skin care market is set to witness a substantial CAGR of 5.5% in the forecast period of 2019- 2026. The report contains data of the base year 2018 and historic year 2017. Increasing self-consciousness among population and rising demand for anti- aging skin care products are the factor for the market growth.

Global Cosmetic Skin Care Market By Product (Anti-Aging Cosmetic Products, Skin Whitening Cosmetic Products, Sensitive Skin Care Products, Anti-Acne Products, Dry Skin Care Products, Warts Removal Products, Infant Skin Care Products, Anti-Scars Solution Products, Mole Removal Products, Multi Utility Products), Application (Flakiness Reduction, Stem Cells Protection against UV, Rehydrate the skins surface, Minimize wrinkles, Increase the viscosity of Aqueous, Others), Gender (Men, Women), Distribution Channel (Online, Departmental Stores and Convenience Stores, Pharmacies, Supermarket, Others), Geography (North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, South America, Middle East and Africa) Industry Trends and Forecast to 2026 ;

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Cosmetic skin care is a variety of products which are used to improve the skins appearance and alleviate skin conditions. It consists different products such as anti- aging cosmetic products, sensitive skin care products, anti- scar solution products, warts removal products, infant skin care products and other. They contain various ingredients which are beneficial for the skin such as phytochemicals, vitamins, essential oils, and other. Their main function is to make the skin healthy and repair the skin damages.

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Global cosmetic skin care market is highly fragmented and the major players have used various strategies such as new product launches, expansions, agreements, joint ventures, partnerships, acquisitions, and others to increase their footprints in this market. The report includes market shares of cosmetic skin care market for Global, Europe, North America, Asia-Pacific, South America and Middle East & Africa.

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Cosmetic Skin Care Market Enhancement And Its growth prospects forecast 2019 to 2026 - Dagoretti News

Image: Nur Yucer, PhD, a project scientist, and Clive Svendsen, PhD, director of the Cedars-Sinai Board of Governors Regenerative Medicine Institute and Professor of Biomedical Sciences and Medicine at Cedars-Sinai. Photo by Cedars-Sinai.

Parkinson's disease is a neurodegenerative disorder that affects predominately dopamine-producing neurons in the brain. Nearly one million will be living with Parkinson's disease in the US this year, according to the Parkinson's Foundation. This is more than the number of people diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, muscular dystrophy and Lou Gehrig's diseasecombined.

About 60,000 Americans are diagnosed with Parkinson's disease each year, and more than 10 million people worldwide are living with it. Incidence of Parkinsons disease increases with age, but an estimated 10 percent of people with Parkinson's disease are diagnosed before age 50. This is called young-onset Parkinson's.

Researchers at Cedars-Sinai, led by Clive Svendsen, PhD, director of the Cedars-Sinai Board of Governors Regenerative Medicine Institute and Professor of Biomedical Sciences and Medicine at Cedars-Sinai, reported in a study published in Nature Medicine that they found that patients who develop young-onset Parkinsons disease may have been born with dysfunctional brain cells that go undetected for decades.

The research team generated special stem cells, known as induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs), from cells of patients suffering from young-onset Parkinsons disease. These iPSCswhich can produce any cell type of the human body, all genetically identical to the patients own cellswere used to produce dopamine neurons from each patient to analyze their functions.

Two key abnormalities were observed in these neurons:

- Dr. Clive Svendsen

After testing a number of drugs on the abnormal dopamine neurons, the researchers discovered that a drug called PEP005 (ingenol mebutate) reduced the elevated levels of alpha-synuclein in both the dopamine neurons in the dish and in laboratory mice. A gel formulation of PEP005 is marketed by LEO Pharma as Picato and is FDA-approved for the treatment of actinic keratosis, a scaly skin patch that develops from years of exposure to the sun. According to the Mayo Clinic, a small percentage of actinic keratosis lesions can eventually become skin cancer.

Michele Tagliati, PhD, Director of the Movement Disorders Program and Vice Chair and Professor in the Department of Neurology at Cedars-Sinai, said the research team next will study how PEP005 might be delivered to the brain and whether or not the abnormalities found in young-onset Parkinson's patients also exist in other forms of Parkinsons.

- Dr. Michele Tagliati.

Edward Kim is Managing Editor of Equities.com.

_____

Sources: Equities News, Cedars-Sinai

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Cedars-Sinai Study Indicates That Parkinson's Disease May Start Before Birth - Equities.com

An intriguing experiment has led researchers to conclude that people who develop early-onset Parkinsons disease between the age of 21 and 50 may have been born with abnormal brain cells that go undetected for decades.

These disordered cells allow gradual accumulation of the -synuclein protein that forms abnormal deposits in the brain, and dysregulated lysosomal proteins that ordinarily play a role in clearing abnormal proteins from cells.

The researchers from Cedars-Sinai Medical Center say they are investigating an FDA approved skin cancer drug they believe might help correct these abnormalities before they become symptomatic.

In other words, they suggest that early-onset Parkinsons the form of the disease that Michael J. Fox was diagnosed with at the age of 29 may be treatable or even prevented. Its an astonishing claim.

To perform the study, the research team generate pluripotent stem cells master cells that can potentially produce any cell or tissue the body needs to repair itself from blood cells of three patients with young-onset Parkinsons disease.

The patients were aged 30-39 and had no known familial history of the disease and no Parkinsons disease mutations.

When generated in the laboratory, these master cells called induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs). In their experiment, the Cedars-Sinai researchers described this process as taking adult blood cells back in time to a primitive embryonic state.

The team used the stem cells to produce dopamine neurons from each patient and then cultured them in a dish and analysed the neurons functions.

In Parkinsons patients, brain neurons that make dopamine a neurotransmitter that works to coordinate muscle movement become impaired or die.

Our technique gave us a window back in time to see how well the dopamine neurons might have functioned from the very start of a patients life, said Dr Clive Svendsen, PhD, director of the Cedars-Sinai Board of Governors Regenerative Medicine Institute, and the studys senior author.

According to a statement from Cedars-Sinai, the researchers detected two key abnormalities in the dopamine neurons in the dish:

Dr Svendsen said the experiment allowed the researchers to see the very first signs of young-onset Parkinsons.

It appears that dopamine neurons in these individuals may continue to mishandle alpha-synuclein over a period of 20 or 30 years, causing Parkinsons symptoms to emerge.

The investigators went further, using their iPSC to test a number of drugs that might reverse the lab-born abnormalities.

They found that that one drug, PEP005 already approved by the Food and Drug Administration for treating pre-cancers of the skin reduced the elevated levels of alpha-synuclein in both the dopamine neurons in the dish and in laboratory mice.

The drug also countered another abnormality they found in the patients dopamine neurons elevated levels of an active version of an enzyme called protein kinase C. However, the role of this enzyme version in Parkinsons is not clear.

The drug PEP005 is only available in gel form and the researchers plans to investigate how it might be delivered to the brain to potentially treat or prevent young-onset Parkinsons.

In Parkinsons disease, the symptoms including slowness of movement, rigid muscles, tremors, loss of balance and impaired mood control get worse over time. In most cases, the exact cause of neuron failure is unclear, and there is no known cure.

Just about every week, a new insight into the disease is published. Last week, The New Daily reported on new research that found living less than 50 metres from a major road or less than 150 metres from a highway has been linked to significantly higher incidence of dementia and Parkinsons disease.

In 2018, we published an exciting Australian study that suggested subject to clinical testing the inflammation of the brain that causes so much of the progressive damage in Parkinsons disease (PD) could be halted by taking a single pill each day.

Both these studies might eventually prove to be correct. But its a long wait for the more than 10 million sufferers worldwide and their families.

This latest study could be a game-changer. But it could just as easily wither on the vine. Still, better to take heart than not.

Most patients are 60 or older when they are diagnosed, about 10 per cent are between 21 and 50 years old. .

Young-onset Parkinsons is especially heartbreaking because it strikes people at the prime of life, said Dr Michele Tagliati, director of the Movement Disorders Program, vice chair and professor in the Department of Neurology at Cedars-Sinai, and co-author of the study.

This exciting new research provides hope that one day we may be able to detect and take early action to prevent this disease in at-risk individuals.

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Early onset Parkinsons might begin in the womb: Prevention a possibility - The New Daily

A handful of the buzzy products of Peter Thomas Roth are at the center of a strongly-worded lawsuit, one that accuses the New York-based skincare company which boasts about its richly nourishing and technologically advanced offerings of peddling pseudoscience and falsifying the effectiveness of its hyaluronic acid-soaked skin creams and rose stem cell-formulated face masks in an attempt to stand out in the fiercely competitive $135 billion-plus skincare market and cater to the rising demand for anti-aging products among consumers.

According to the complaint that Peter Thomas Roth, LLC (Roth) customers Kari Miller and Samantha Paulson filed in a California state court in December 2018, Roth is running afoul of the law by making false claims about the capabilities of [its] products, at least some of which are among its best-selling products on Sephoras website. The plaintiffs assert that even in an industry known for hype, Roths outrageous marketing practices stand out among those of their competitors, as Roths claims about their [products] are not just hype; rather, they are demonstrably false.

Specifically, Miller and Paulson state that two of Roths product lines,the influencer-endorsed Rose Stem Cell line and the Water Drench line, are at the center of their suit, as both lines have allegedly been marketed and sold in conjunction with false and deceptive representations [about their] active ingredients rose stem cells and hyaluronic acid, respectively that have enabled Roth to profit enormously while its customers are left with overpriced, ineffective skin care products.

For instance the plaintiffs assert that in connection with its Water Drench line of products Roth represents that the active ingredient, hyaluronic acid, will draw moisture from the atmosphere into the users skin, and will hold 1,000 times its weight in water for up to 72 hours. This is impossible, they claim, as hyaluronic acid is incapable of absorbing anywhere near 1,000 times its weight in water, even when it is in its anhydrous (i.e., waterless; completely dry) form.

The judge notes that Roth softened the claim with the words up to in connection with the absorption power of thehyaluronic acid, but he also claims that subtle qualifications do not overcome the thrust of the ad, which is thatthe ad was one thousand times its weight in water.

As for Roths line of Rose Stem Cell products, which the brand claims are are capable of repairing, regenerating, and rejuvenating human skin andstimulating cellular turnoveras a result of the inclusion of rose stem cells, the plaintiffs argue that there is absolutely no evidence thatrosestem cells can provide such benefits. They allege thatRothis clearly attempting to capitalize on the recent media attention that has been given to medical research of human stem cells, with the goal of confusing consumers and causing them to erroneously believe that they will receive significant health benefits by using the Rose Stem Cell Products.

Such pseudo-science has enabled Roth to sell over-priced products to a growing market for skin care products, whileenjoying an unlawful advantage over [its] competitors, the plaintiffs assert in the suit, which has since been transferred from California state court to federal court.

In a couple of recent developments in the case, Judge William Alsup of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California denied the plaintiffs bid for class action approval, a move that would enable other individuals who have purchased the allegedly misrepresented products to join in their suit and any ultimate settlement sum. According to Judge Alsups January 22 decision, The plaintiffs can obtain their requested liability determination [for their false advertising claims] and statewide injunction against Roths challenged ads without certifying a class.

Meanwhile, in a separate January 22 order, the judge decided on Roths motion for summary judgment, refusing (for the most part) to issue a final decision resolving the plaintiffs claims ahead of trial because there are still issues of fact to be determined, namely whether Roths marketing claims are deceptive.

According to Judge Alsup, it is unclear how a reasonable consumer might view the marketing claims that Roth uses in connection with its Rose Stem Cell Mask namely, the labels, rose stem cells, cutting edge bio-technology, bio-repair, regenerates, and rejuvenates. While some reasonable consumers might interpret this [language] as mere puffery, and thus, not objective, actionable statements, others could sensibly conclude that rose stem cells actually repair human skin, which the plaintiffs argue is untrue, thereby, making the marketing claims deceptive.

In terms of Roths Water Drench line of products, the judge states that the plaintiffs contend the reasonable consumer would believe that hyaluronic acidactually canattract and retain one thousand times its weight in water, and in fact, a jury could find that, based on the ad, reasonable consumers would expect that hyaluronic acid absorbs and retains about one thousand times its weight in water.As such, these issues must go before a jury, which, Judge Alsup says will look forward to an in-court demonstration in which a certain amount of hyaluronic acid is placed in a beaker, one thousand times that weight in water is placed in another beaker, and the contents are combined, all watching to see if all the water will be absorbed.

*The case is Kari Miller, et al., v. Peter Thomas Roth, LLC, et al.,3:19-cv-00698 (N.D.Cal.)

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Consumer Claims Over Peter Thomas Roth's Alleged "False Advertising" of Skincare Products to Go to Jury - The Fashion Law

Are you over tired-looking winter skin? IMAGE has teamed up with Allure Beauty and Nail Spa to give TWO lucky readers the chance to win an Image SkincareRenewal Ritual Collection to transform your skin and get you spring-ready.

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SAN FRANCISCO, Jan. 29, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The story of Alzheimer's disease is familiar and heartbreaking. As neurons degenerate and die, patients slowly lose their memories, their thinking skills, and ultimately, their ability to perform basicday-to-day tasks.

For years, clinical trials investigating potential treatments for Alzheimer's disease have come up short. That's why researchers at Gladstone Institutes are delving deeper into the question of what drives this complex disease.

Now, a team led by Senior Investigator and President EmeritusRobert Mahley, MD, PhD, has received $4.8 million from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to study a promising culprit: apoE4, a protein associated with increased risk of Alzheimer's disease.

ApoE4 is one of the forms of apolipoprotein E, a protein that aids repair processes in neurons injured by aging, stroke, or other causes. The most common form is called apoE3, but apoE4 is not rare: it is found in one-quarter of the human population and in about two-thirds of all Alzheimer's patients, which makes it the most important genetic risk factor for the disorder.

"ApoE4 dramatically rewires cellular pathways in neurons and impairs their function," Mahley said. "Our goal is to understand how this rewiring occurs and identify potential new treatment strategies to negate the detrimental effects."

ApoE3 and apoE4 differ at only a single point in the sequence of their amino acid building blocks. But that single change gives apoE4 a very different shape from apoE3, making it more susceptible to being broken down into smaller fragments within a neuron.

"Our work suggests that these apoE4 fragments are toxic to neurons and cause sweeping changes to the collection of proteins expressed within a neuron," Mahley said. "We suspect that their toxicity may underlie much of the neurodegeneration seen in Alzheimer's disease."

A Powerful Partnership

With the new NIH funding, Mahley hopes to illuminate the specifics of apoE4's toxicity in unprecedented molecular detail. Key to this work is his new partnership with Senior InvestigatorNevan Krogan, PhD, and Gladstone Mass Spectrometry Facility Director Danielle Swaney, PhD, who together have extensive expertise in studying how proteins interact with each other.

To get to the bottom of apoE4's impact, they will use a technique called affinity purification mass spectrometry (AP-MS)to first determine which proteins, out of the thousands found in a single cell, interact directly with apoE4 fragments.

"AP-MS is an important first step because it will allow us to define physical interactions between proteins that may underlie the functional deficits observed in neurons that express apoE4," Swaney said. The AP-MS work will be performed in mouse-derived neuronal cells that are similar to human neurons.

In addition to AP-MS, the collaborators will use other advanced protein analysis techniques perfected in Krogan's lab to better understand the cellular processes that are dysregulated in apoE4-expressing neurons. This additional protein work will be performed in neurons derived from human induced pluripotent stem (hiPS) cells. These stem cells are produced from human skin cells, using the procedure developed byShinya Yamanaka, MD, PhD, a Gladstone senior investigator and 2012 Nobel prize winner.

"We are quite excited to be involved in this project," Krogan said. "My lab has successfully applied AP-MS and other cutting-edge proteomic and genetic techniques to many different diseases, and we now hope to enable a much deeper understanding of apoE4."

When combined, results from the APMS work and the additional protein analyses will reveal a list of key proteins involved in processes that are specifically altered in apoE4 neurons compared to apoE3 neurons.

From that list, Mahley and Swaney will select top candidates for further investigation in neurons grown from hiPS cells. Senior InvestigatorYadong Huang, MD, PhD, who has also studied apoE4 extensively, will provide guidance on the use of the hiPS cells.

Using a gene-editing tool called CRISPR, the researchers will see if they can reverse the detrimental effects of apoE4 by activating or inhibiting genes that control their top candidate proteins in the hiPS cell-derived neurons. Finally, they will validate the findings in mice.

"By the end of the project, we hope to narrow down our list to just a few target genes or proteins that protect or restore neuronal health when we activate or inhibit them in live mice with the apoE4 gene," Swaney said. "They could then be explored as potential targets for Alzheimer's treatment in humans."

New Hope for Alzheimer's Disease

Mahley and Swaney already have some ideas about where this work may lead. Earlier this year,they publishedevidence that apoE4 broadly impacts the mitochondriaorganelles that produce the energy that powers a celland perturbs normal energy production.

"Anything could be a target at this point, but I'm particularly interested in the possibility of small-molecule drugs that could protect mitochondria from toxic apoE4 fragments," Mahley said.

Still, mitochondria are just one aspect of the bigger picture. Mahley suspects that what we call "Alzheimer's disease" is actually a collection of related conditions with different underlying causes for different patients.

"Ultimately, I think the treatment of Alzheimer's disease will be similar to the treatment of high blood pressure, in that two, three, sometimes four drugs are needed to control the disorder," he said. "So, we may need a mitochondrial protector, we may need a drug that will correctapoE4's shapeso that it is more like apoE3, and more."

Understanding the complex effects of apoE4as well as the other Alzheimer's disease-associated factorsbeing explored at Gladstonecould one day enable just such a comprehensive approach.

Media Contact:Megan McDevittmegan.mcdevitt@gladstone.ucsf.edu415.734.2019

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team-of-researchers-who-received.jpg Team of Researchers who Received the Grant Gladstone Senior Investigator and President Emeritus Bob Mahley (center) will collaborate with the director of the Gladstone Mass Spectrometry Facility, Danielle Swaney (left), and Senior Investigator Nevan Krogan (right) to uncover the mechanisms of apoE4 toxicity in Alzheimer's disease.

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Gladstone Scientists Funded by NIH to Dive Deep Into ApoE4's Role in Alzheimer's Disease - P&T Community

Robots are pathetic. You need only watch a robot soccer fail compilation to see that humans ancient quest to build synthetic replicas of ourselves out of nuts, bolts and wiring has been a bust. Every new, groundbreaking robot inevitably turns out to be an ungodly abomination, either physically inept or utterly incapable of social interaction. Our latest attempt at a full-on humanoid, Sophia, looks like a pre-loved department store mannequin and sounds like a 2007-era chatbot dialed to the VERY DEPRESSED setting. Shed be a walking repudiation of brainless techno-optimism, if she could actually walk.

Even attempts to build simpler, dog-like droids, such as Boston Dynamics Spot, have produced robots barely worthy of the name. They dont look much better than what youd expect from an adult Erector set enthusiasts weekend garage projects. Some people find these things terrifying, but I take my cues from the manufacturers, who seem incredibly proud when one of their creations performs a task as easy as opening a door.

Imitating human intelligence in software has also proven a task more difficult than expected. Despite the well-financed wet dreams of companies like Uber, the automotive industry has begun to quietly admit that truly self-driving cars are going to happen in decades, not just a few years from now. The Blue Brain project, which received a billion euros from the EU in 2013 and promised to simulate a human brain by 2019, did not succeed. Blue Brain seems to have had some success building a 3D atlas of a mouse brain, but the projects supercomputer, which takes up an entire room, is heaving and groaning under the strain of doing the same for a human mind. Valiant efforts to simulate a transparent, one millimetre nematode called C. elegans, ongoing since 2004, have yielded similarly slow progress. C. elegans has 302 neurons. The human brain has 86 billion.

These stuff-ups are endlessly amusing to me. I dont want to mock the engineers who pour thousands of hours into building novelty dogs made of bits of broken toasters, or even the vertiginously arrogant scientists who thought they could simulate the human brain inside a decade. (Inside a decade! I mean, my god!) Well, okay, maybe I do want to mock them. Is it a crime to enjoy watching our cultures systematic over-investment in digital Whiggery get written down in value time and time again?

On the other hand, maybe the people doing this stuff have just figured out that attaching the terms robot or artificial intelligence to whatever youre up to is a great way of attracting investment from rich idiots. Sometimes I feel naive for thinking anyone takes these wild claims seriously, but that is precisely the power of a good ideology. The promises of robotics and AI are so seductive that people suspend their critical faculties. Whether you are a business like Uber striving to eliminate the messy and expensive production input known as human beings, or a normal person desperate for easy transportation or someone to keep your elderly relatives company, the way we talk about robots and AI suggests these smart solutions are just around the corner. Even people with their heads screwed on properly dont seem to understand how credulously the media hypes up their coverage of AI.

What these doomed overreaches represent is a failure to grasp the limits of human knowledge. We dont have a comprehensive idea of how the brain works. There is no solid agreement on what consciousness really is. Is it divine? Is it matter? Can you smoke it? Do these questions even make sense? We dont know the purpose of sleep. We dont know what dreams are for. Sexual dimorphism in the brain remains a mystery. Are you picking up a pattern here? Even the seemingly quotidian mechanical abilities of the human body running, standing, gripping, and so on are not understood with the scientific precision that you might expect. How can you make a convincing replica of something if you dont even know what it is to begin with? We are cosmic toddlers waddling around in daddys shoes, pretending to work at the office by scribbling on the walls in crayon, and then wondering where our paychecks are.

The world is an astonishing place, and the idea that we have in our possession the basic tools needed to understand it is no more credible now than it was in Aristotles day, writes philosopher Thomas Nagel. But accepting this epistemic knuckle sandwich doesnt mean abandoning the pursuit of robotics.

Enter the frogbot, a living machine synthesized by a research team at the Allen Discovery Center at Tufts University in Boston.

Frogbots (called xenobots by their creators, a stupid name I refuse to use), are tiny little artificial animals made out of stem cells from the African clawed frog. They cant do much yet move around on two stumpy legs, carry tiny objects in a pouch but to me, they are stranger and scarier than any robot weve made out of metal and plastic.

A "frogbot" developed by researchers at Tufts University.

There are three basic steps to the frogbot process. First, stem cells that will develop into frog skin and frog heart are grown in a dish. (The proto-heart cells produce rhythmic contractions, which is how the finished frogbots move around.) Second, a computer runs an algorithm that simulates thousands and thousands of different frogbot designs in a virtual environment to see which ones are capable of whatever action you want them to perform. Finally, the designs that are likely to work are physically produced from clusters of stem cells using microsurgery, then let loose in another dish to see what they actually do. So far, they do pretty much whatever we want them to do, within reason.

This is very cool. Even though frogbots are tiny and stupid at the moment, they impress me way more than the conga line of faildroids weve managed to cobble together so far. Of course it makes sense to use materials from existing animals; weve been doing this using selective breeding techniques since the dawn of time. What are pigs or cows or sheep but frogbots built over thousands of years? The key innovation here is modelling selective evolution quickly, instead of standing around like idiots for millenia, waiting for hundreds of generations of dogs to fuck.

It makes perfect sense. Why try to reinvent the wheel when you could simply hijack biological processes that already exist? This is a classically human way of solving a problem, cleverer and yet also lazier than the futile pursuit of purely artificial robotics. A big congratulations to the scientists who figured this out, using only keen wit, a positive attitude, and a gigantic pile of money from the U.S. military research agency.

Yes, naturally this exciting new field of science is being used to develop weapons of war. This, not simply the prospect of new intelligences, is the upsetting thing about groundbreaking developments in robotics and AI. Will frogbots be a military invention that simply slides into everyday life, like the internet, canned food, and microwaves? Or will they be used to administer dangerous MKULTRA hallucinogens to innocent populations America decides are in its way? In a world controlled by a small and powerful elite that can essentially do whatever it wants, were forced to be suspicious of new technologies. Will the frogbot become bigger, smarter, and stronger? Yes, probably. Will it be my comrade? Thats another question entirely.

Eleanor Robertson is a writer and editor from Sydney, Australia.

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Robots don't have to be so embarrassing - The Outline

I have often heard the saying, "You were probably too young to remember this, but . . ." I can honestly say that I can recall quite a bit from my childhood even though I can't seem to recall what I had for breakfast yesterday. I remember a lot, including some things that I wish were fuzzy.

I know this sounds strange, but I remember my dad leaving. I was barely two years old, so obviously I was at an age when I could not fully comprehend what I was experiencing at the time, but I already knew I missed my dad and I wanted him to come home. Divorce is a topic I am very familiar with, both personally and professionally. There are countless people who seek counseling in various areas of their life and to me; that is just another day at the office. However, my story hits a different type of nerve for me. It is a story that I had processed in my own therapy, but this is the first time I am sharing it with the public, so (deep breath) . . . here we go.

As I mentioned before, my dad left when I was about eighteen months old. Just as I was trying to adapt to these changes as best as a toddler could, I met my dad's new "friend" and her kids. I remember she took my hand and walked me around where she worked. I am sure a lot was going on behind the scenes between my parents, but again I was too young to put things together at the time. Fast forward to age four or five, I was introduced to a new friend: anger! Oh, and nightmares. Plenty of them. One recurring nightmare was my dad leaving me. I would wake up screaming and crying, filled with a mixture of sadness, anger, shame, and guilt. My mom would come running into my room to comfort me as I sobbed against her shoulder.

Looking back now, I realized that the word that truly defined what I was feeling was powerless. My mom decided that she needed to do everything in her power to help me. So, she went to the bookstore and found several books that were supposed to help kids deal with their parents' divorce. She would read them to me, but they often told stories of children that I could not relate to, or they were often telling me how I should feel, rather than allowing me the space to access my own feelings. It was frustrating and overwhelming.

It is fascinating how quickly we can adapt. I started to get used to going back and forth between my two homes. However, it was only for a short period of time that I felt "okay." Fast forward again to around age ten. Just as I was starting to accept all the changes including separate homes, blended families, and different sets of rules, I had to endure a long and terrifying custody battle. I felt like my parents were playing tug of war with me in the middle! The anger that I thought had disappeared came back in full force and even brought additional feelings, including shame, grief, sadness, low self-esteem, people-pleasing tendencies, just to name a few. That voice I was working so hard on developing was silenced as I decided to just say or do what I thought would please my parents as well as others. I not only lost my voice, but I lost myself.

I also learned some interesting techniques from my mom. She created "games" for us to play including what we called "give me the bad stuff," which is where I would think of all the different things that were bothering me, shout, "I don't like this," while bundling them up into an invisible ball, and then handing them to my mom who would then pretend to throw them out the door or window.

My mom would tell me that I am just a kid, so I did not need to hold on to all this "yucky stuff" inside. It was the first time in a while that I felt like I had a voice. It was wonderful! I would also scream into or hit my pillow as if it were a punching bag. Pretty creative stuff, right? As my mom always says, "It takes a village," and boy was she right! I lucked out by having such an amazing support system at my elementary school.

My guidance counselor established a support group for children of divorced or divorcing parents, and it truly helped to normalize what I was feeling. I was able to speak to peers my own age going through the same things, which was helpful as many of my close friends could not relate to what I was experiencing. I was given safe, nonjudgmental outlets to express myself, and little by little I felt better.

So why am I sharing my story? Well, today as a therapist, I listen to other children's stories. Divorce is definitely not pretty, but it does not have to be so ugly! Whether the parents decide to "stay together for the children" or go their separate ways, children are getting pulled into the chaos. Sometimes, children will pretend they don't know what is going on or act as if they don't care, but trust me when I say it all leaves an impact.

My book, My Parents Are Getting a Divorce . . . I Wonder What Will Happen to Me, is an interactive workbook that was created by my mother and me during the terrifying custody battle that took place between my parents. I felt it was imperative that I assist as many children as possible to help them explore and uncover their innermost thoughts and feelings regarding their parents' divorce. Within the pages of the book, children are encouraged to write and draw as well as ask questions to get in touch with what is inside that needs to be healed.

Continue reading here:
Divorce as Seen Through the Eyes of a Child - SWAAY

Stem Cell Therapy Market: Snapshot

Of late, there has been an increasing awareness regarding the therapeutic potential of stem cells for management of diseases which is boosting the growth of the stem cell therapy market. The development of advanced genome based cell analysis techniques, identification of new stem cell lines, increasing investments in research and development as well as infrastructure development for the processing and banking of stem cell are encouraging the growth of the global stem cell therapy market.

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One of the key factors boosting the growth of this market is the limitations of traditional organ transplantation such as the risk of infection, rejection, and immunosuppression risk. Another drawback of conventional organ transplantation is that doctors have to depend on organ donors completely. All these issues can be eliminated, by the application of stem cell therapy. Another factor which is helping the growth in this market is the growing pipeline and development of drugs for emerging applications. Increased research studies aiming to widen the scope of stem cell will also fuel the growth of the market. Scientists are constantly engaged in trying to find out novel methods for creating human stem cells in response to the growing demand for stem cell production to be used for disease management.

It is estimated that the dermatology application will contribute significantly the growth of the global stem cell therapy market. This is because stem cell therapy can help decrease the after effects of general treatments for burns such as infections, scars, and adhesion. The increasing number of patients suffering from diabetes and growing cases of trauma surgery will fuel the adoption of stem cell therapy in the dermatology segment.

Global Stem Cell Therapy Market: Overview

Also called regenerative medicine, stem cell therapy encourages the reparative response of damaged, diseased, or dysfunctional tissue via the use of stem cells and their derivatives. Replacing the practice of organ transplantations, stem cell therapies have eliminated the dependence on availability of donors. Bone marrow transplant is perhaps the most commonly employed stem cell therapy.

Osteoarthritis, cerebral palsy, heart failure, multiple sclerosis and even hearing loss could be treated using stem cell therapies. Doctors have successfully performed stem cell transplants that significantly aid patients fight cancers such as leukemia and other blood-related diseases.

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Global Stem Cell Therapy Market: Key Trends

The key factors influencing the growth of the global stem cell therapy market are increasing funds in the development of new stem lines, the advent of advanced genomic procedures used in stem cell analysis, and greater emphasis on human embryonic stem cells. As the traditional organ transplantations are associated with limitations such as infection, rejection, and immunosuppression along with high reliance on organ donors, the demand for stem cell therapy is likely to soar. The growing deployment of stem cells in the treatment of wounds and damaged skin, scarring, and grafts is another prominent catalyst of the market.

On the contrary, inadequate infrastructural facilities coupled with ethical issues related to embryonic stem cells might impede the growth of the market. However, the ongoing research for the manipulation of stem cells from cord blood cells, bone marrow, and skin for the treatment of ailments including cardiovascular and diabetes will open up new doors for the advancement of the market.

Global Stem Cell Therapy Market: Market Potential

A number of new studies, research projects, and development of novel therapies have come forth in the global market for stem cell therapy. Several of these treatments are in the pipeline, while many others have received approvals by regulatory bodies.

In March 2017, Belgian biotech company TiGenix announced that its cardiac stem cell therapy, AlloCSC-01 has successfully reached its phase I/II with positive results. Subsequently, it has been approved by the U.S. FDA. If this therapy is well- received by the market, nearly 1.9 million AMI patients could be treated through this stem cell therapy.

Another significant development is the granting of a patent to Israel-based Kadimastem Ltd. for its novel stem-cell based technology to be used in the treatment of multiple sclerosis (MS) and other similar conditions of the nervous system. The companys technology used for producing supporting cells in the central nervous system, taken from human stem cells such as myelin-producing cells is also covered in the patent.

Global Stem Cell Therapy Market: Regional Outlook

The global market for stem cell therapy can be segmented into Asia Pacific, North America, Latin America, Europe, and the Middle East and Africa. North America emerged as the leading regional market, triggered by the rising incidence of chronic health conditions and government support. Europe also displays significant growth potential, as the benefits of this therapy are increasingly acknowledged.

Asia Pacific is slated for maximum growth, thanks to the massive patient pool, bulk of investments in stem cell therapy projects, and the increasing recognition of growth opportunities in countries such as China, Japan, and India by the leading market players.

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Global Stem Cell Therapy Market: Competitive Analysis

Several firms are adopting strategies such as mergers and acquisitions, collaborations, and partnerships, apart from product development with a view to attain a strong foothold in the global market for stem cell therapy.

Some of the major companies operating in the global market for stem cell therapy are RTI Surgical, Inc., MEDIPOST Co., Ltd., Osiris Therapeutics, Inc., NuVasive, Inc., Pharmicell Co., Ltd., Anterogen Co., Ltd., JCR Pharmaceuticals Co., Ltd., and Holostem Terapie Avanzate S.r.l.

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Stem Cell Therapy Market Predicted to Accelerate the Growth by 2017-2025 - Jewish Life News

The 2019 novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) outbreak has sparked a speedy response, with scientists, physicians, and front-line healthcare professionals analyzing data in real-time in order to share findings and call out misinformation. Today, The Lancet published two new peer-reviewed studies: one which found that the new coronavirus is genetically distinct from human SARS and MERS, related viruses which caused their own outbreaks, and a second which reports clinical observations of 99 individuals with 2019-nCoV.

The first cases of the coronavirus outbreak were reported in late December 2019. In this new study, Nanshan Chen and colleagues analyzed available clinical, demographic, and laboratory data for 99 confirmed coronavirus cases at the Wuhan Jinyintan Hospital between Jan 1 to Jan 20, 2020, with clinical outcomes followed until 25th January.

Chen and colleagues reported that the average age of the 99 individuals with 2019-nCoV is around 55.5 years, where 51 have additional chronic conditions, including cardiovascular and cerebrovascular (blood flow to the brain) diseases. Clinical features of the 2019-nCoV include a fever, cough, shortness of breath, headaches, and a sore throat. 17 individuals went on to develop acute respiratory distress syndrome, resulting in death by multiple organ failure in 11 individuals. However, it is important to note here that most of the 2019-nCoV cases were treated with antivirals (75 individuals), antibiotics (70) and oxygen therapy (75), with promising prognoses, where 31 individuals were discharged as of 25th January.

Based on this sample, the study suggests that the 2019 coronavirus is more likely to affect older men already living with chronic conditions but as this study only includes 99 individuals with confirmed cases, it may not present a complete picture of the outbreak. As of right now, there are over 6,000 confirmed coronavirus cases reported, where a total of 126 individuals have recovered, and 133 have died.

In a second Lancet study, Roujian Lu and their fellow colleagues carried out DNA sequencing on samples, obtained from either a throat swab or bronchoalveolar lavage fluids, from eight individuals who had visited the Huanan seafood market in Wuhan, China, and one individual who stayed in a hotel near the market. Upon sequencing the coronaviruss genome, the researchers carried out phylogenetic analysis to narrow down the viruss likely evolutionary origin, and homology modelling to explore the virus receptor-binding properties.

Lu and their fellow colleagues found that the 2019-nCoV genome sequences obtained from the nine patients were very similar (>99.98% similarity). Upon comparing the genome to other coronaviruses (like SARS), the researchers found that the 2019-nCoV is more closely related (~87% similarity) to two bat-derived SARS-like coronaviruses, but does not have as high genetic similarity to known human-infecting coronaviruses, including the SARS-CoV (~79%) orMiddle Eastern Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) CoV (~50%).

The study also found that the 2019-nCoV has a similar receptor-binding structure like that of SARS-CoV, though there are small differences in certain areas. This suggests that like the SARS-CoV, the 2019-nCoV may use the same receptor (called ACE2) to enter cells, though confirmation is still needed.

Finally, phylogenetic analysis found that the 2019-nCoV belongs to the Betacoronavirus family the same category that bat-derived coronaviruses fall into suggesting that bats may indeed be the 2019-nCoV reservoir. However, the researchers note that most bat species are hibernating in late December, and that no bats were being sold at the Huanan seafood market, suggesting that while bats may be the initial host, there may have been a secondary animal species which transmitted the 2019-nCoV between bats and humans.

Its clear that we can expect new findings from the research community in the coming days as scientists attempt to narrow down the source of the 2019-nCoV.

Read this article:
Rapid analysis shows that the 2019-nCoV coronavirus resembles viruses from bats - Massive Science

The 2019 novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) outbreak has sparked a speedy response, with scientists, physicians, and front-line healthcare professionals analyzing data in real-time in order to share findings and call out misinformation. Today, The Lancet published two new peer-reviewed studies: one which found that the new coronavirus is genetically distinct from human SARS and MERS, related viruses which caused their own outbreaks, and a second which reports clinical observations of 99 individuals with 2019-nCoV.

The first cases of the coronavirus outbreak were reported in late December 2019. In this new study, Nanshan Chen and colleagues analyzed available clinical, demographic, and laboratory data for 99 confirmed coronavirus cases at the Wuhan Jinyintan Hospital between Jan 1 to Jan 20, 2020, with clinical outcomes followed until 25th January.

Chen and colleagues reported that the average age of the 99 individuals with 2019-nCoV is around 55.5 years, where 51 have additional chronic conditions, including cardiovascular and cerebrovascular (blood flow to the brain) diseases. Clinical features of the 2019-nCoV include a fever, cough, shortness of breath, headaches, and a sore throat. 17 individuals went on to develop acute respiratory distress syndrome, resulting in death by multiple organ failure in 11 individuals. However, it is important to note here that most of the 2019-nCoV cases were treated with antivirals (75 individuals), antibiotics (70) and oxygen therapy (75), with promising prognoses, where 31 individuals were discharged as of 25th January.

Based on this sample, the study suggests that the 2019 coronavirus is more likely to affect older men already living with chronic conditions but as this study only includes 99 individuals with confirmed cases, it may not present a complete picture of the outbreak. As of right now, there are over 6,000 confirmed coronavirus cases reported, where a total of 126 individuals have recovered, and 133 have died.

In a second Lancet study, Roujian Lu and their fellow colleagues carried out DNA sequencing on samples, obtained from either a throat swab or bronchoalveolar lavage fluids, from eight individuals who had visited the Huanan seafood market in Wuhan, China, and one individual who stayed in a hotel near the market. Upon sequencing the coronaviruss genome, the researchers carried out phylogenetic analysis to narrow down the viruss likely evolutionary origin, and homology modelling to explore the virus receptor-binding properties.

Lu and their fellow colleagues found that the 2019-nCoV genome sequences obtained from the nine patients were very similar (>99.98% similarity). Upon comparing the genome to other coronaviruses (like SARS), the researchers found that the 2019-nCoV is more closely related (~87% similarity) to two bat-derived SARS-like coronaviruses, but does not have as high genetic similarity to known human-infecting coronaviruses, including the SARS-CoV (~79%) orMiddle Eastern Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) CoV (~50%).

The study also found that the 2019-nCoV has a similar receptor-binding structure like that of SARS-CoV, though there are small differences in certain areas. This suggests that like the SARS-CoV, the 2019-nCoV may use the same receptor (called ACE2) to enter cells, though confirmation is still needed.

Finally, phylogenetic analysis found that the 2019-nCoV belongs to the Betacoronavirus family the same category that bat-derived coronaviruses fall into suggesting that bats may indeed be the 2019-nCoV reservoir. However, the researchers note that most bat species are hibernating in late December, and that no bats were being sold at the Huanan seafood market, suggesting that while bats may be the initial host, there may have been a secondary animal species which transmitted the 2019-nCoV between bats and humans.

Its clear that we can expect new findings from the research community in the coming days as scientists attempt to narrow down the source of the 2019-nCoV.

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My cat's coat is mostly white with dark tabby patches. What's going on? - Massive Science

UAB Magazine

Written by Charles Buchanan, Brett Bralley and Jay Taylor with editorial contributions from Matt Windsor and UAB Public Relations. Images from UAB Archives, Rachel Hendrix, Andrea Mabry, Sarah Parcak, Steve Wood and Getty Images. Web design by Tyler Bryant. Reprinted by permission of UAB Magazine.

UABs birth was like a ray of sunlight punching through the smog.

In 1969 the newly independent university, uniting a pioneering academic medical center and a growing extension center, brought the promise of a brighter future to a city eager for change.

Birmingham is better because of UAB. So are Alabama, America, and the world. In the following pages, discover some of the many ways that UAB has fulfilled its promiseby saving lives, solving problems, expanding knowledge, and opening doorsover 50 years.

1

Best of the best

UABs accolades shine a global spotlight on Birmingham and Alabama:

2

A way to retrain the brain

Most scientists once believed that neuroplasticitythe brains ability to grow or repair itselfended in childhood. But research by UAB neuroscientist Edward Taub, Ph.D., contributed to a shift in thinking, and in the 1990s he developed constraint-induced (CI) therapy for stroke patients with poorly functioning limbs. As the intensive training helps patients learn to accomplish tasks with their affected limbs, the brain adapts by strengthening communication with those parts of the body. And the results have been remarkable: Most patients see a clinically significant level of improvement in their ability to use their affected limbs, and brain scans have shown an increase in gray matter. Taub and UAB clinical psychologist Gitendra Uswatte, Ph.D., have used CI therapy to help thousands of stroke patientsand adapted it for patients impacted by cerebral palsy, traumatic brain injury, multiple sclerosis, and spinal cord injury. Today CI therapy is in use worldwide.

3

Discoveries on ice

UAB scientists conduct a lot of research in the fieldbut none may go as far afield as James McClintock, Ph.D.; Charles Amsler, Ph.D.; and Maggie Amsler. Their investigations take place at Palmer Station, Antarctica6,898 miles from their campus offices. For two decades, the biologists have led teams that dive into the frigid waters surrounding the icy continent to study the chemical ecology of the unique marine algae and invertebrates living there. What theyve discovered could aid the search for new drugs to help humans. The group also chronicles the dramatic impact of climate change, such as ocean acidification, on Antarctic marine life. You can see climate change happening there like no other place on earth, says McClintock.

4

A pinch of prevention

UAB endocrinologist Constance Pittman, M.D., turned her research passioniodines impact on thyroid functioninto a global mission. In the 1990s and 2000s, she teamed up with Kiwanis International and UNICEF to help eradicate iodine deficiency disorders (IDD), a prevalent cause of cognitive disabilities. Pittman traveled the world to convince companies to add iodine to table saltthe simplest solution for preventing IDD. And her work helped make a lasting impact.

5

Target: Diabetes

In 1973, UAB opened the nations first public diabetes hospitaland the first linked with an academic medical center. Today physicians on the front lines of the diabetes epidemic have an exciting new option to help their patients, thanks to breakthrough research from UABs Comprehensive Diabetes Center.

6

Sharing stories that matter

WBHM 90.3 FM radio went on the air in 1976 as the 200th National Public Radio (NPR)-affiliated station. A member-supported service of UAB, WBHM provides global news and award-winning local coverage to Birmingham and the surrounding region. The station also recently welcomed StoryCorps, an NPR-affiliated initiative, to collect stories from the Birmingham community that will be housed at the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C.

7

Book of Life

Its tough to find a physician anywhere in the world who hasnt learned a few things from Tinsley Harrison, M.D. The legendary School of Medicine cardiologist and dean created and edited Harrisons Principles of Internal Medicine, which has been reprinted 20 times, translated into 14 languages, and become arguably the most recognized book in all of medicine, according to the Journal of the American Medical Association.

8

Foresight

The School of Optometry has been a pioneer since it opened in 1969 as the nations first optometry school associated with an academic medical center. Three years later, it became the first optometry teaching program affiliated with a Veterans Administration (VA) hospital, establishing a national model. Today more than 2,500 optometry staff and students from various schools work in the VA system nationwide.

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Helping our hometown

Living and working in the heart of the city, UAB students, faculty, and staff cant help but feel a connection to Birmingham. Here are just a few ways Blazers have volunteered to support their neighbors:

10

A whole new ball game

Gene Bartow Mens basketball coach1977-1996

UAB started a winning tradition in 1977 when it hired coach Gene Bartow away from powerhouse UCLA to start a mens basketball program. He created a legendary team able to topple top rivals and reach the NCAA Tournament in just its third seasonthe first of 15 NCAA Tournament and 12 National Invitational Tournament appearances on its record. As UABs first athletic director, Bartow also helped UAB compete in other arenas. Today student-athletes in 18 sports give Birmingham reasons to cheer. Take a spin through some of the Blazers most memorable moments:

11

New views of history

Its as if Indiana Jones and Google Earth had a love child. Thats how UAB anthropology faculty member and National Geographic fellow Sarah Parcak, Ph.D., described space archaeology to Stephen Colbert on The Late Show in 2016. She has pioneered the use of high-resolution satellite imagery to search for the buried remains of lost civilizations. And her discoveries have thrilled people worldwide, including Colbert. She was even mentioned in a Jeopardy! answer earlier this year.

12

Defense team

UAB immunologists have been among the first to shed light on the mechanisms powering our bodys defenses:

13

Game changers

Future football helmets may better protect athletes thanks to mechanical engineering professor Dean Sicking, Ph.D. (Before coming to UAB, he developed the lifesaving SAFER barriers used on NASCAR and IndyCar courses.) Analyzing data from thousands of helmet-to-helmet impacts in football, Sicking has developed designs for a new helmet that could address concussionsabsorbing as much energy of the impact as possible so that the athlete has less risk of brain injury.

14

The dividends of discovery

In 2018-2019, UAB received $602 million in research grants and awardsjust one year after surpassing the $500-million milestone for the first time. We are aiming high and exceeding our goals, and it is a testament to the UAB research communitys great ideas, hard work, and will to succeed, says Christopher Brown, Ph.D., vice president for research. A rise in research funding means more opportunities to explore the frontiers of knowledgebut it also enables UAB to attract top minds from around the country in health care, engineering, the sciences, and more, plus create new jobs that boost the local economy. Want to ensure that UAB continues its upward trajectory? Philanthropic support helps position the university to attain competitive research grants.

15

Giant leaps

Space is the place for UAB people and technology:

Researcher Larry DeLucas, O.D., Ph.D., became the first optometrist in orbit with a 1992 mission aboard the shuttle Columbia. There he conducted experiments to grow protein crystals, which give scientists a 3D view of protein structuresand a greater understanding of the roles they play in disease. DeLucas also served as chief scientist for the International Space Station in 1994-1995.

Astrophysicist Thomas Wdowiak, Ph.D., passed away in 2013, but his name lives onon Mars. The Red Planets Wdowiak Ridge honors the physics faculty members role in NASAs Mars Exploration Project. Wdowiak was in charge of operating the Mossbauer spectrometers onboard the Spirit and Opportunity rovers that helped uncover firm evidence that water once existed on Mars.

16

Focus on finances

Would you like to get better at saving, budgeting, or investing? Or do you dream of launching a business? The Regions Institute for Financial Education in the Collat School of Business has been helping people throughout the community develop practical, lifelong financial management skills since 2015. Some of its programs include a Money Math Camp for middle schoolers, a College Bridge Camp to prepare high schoolers for life after graduation, and for adults, a Do-It-Yourself Credit Repair Workshop.

17

Going green

Campus expansions have reshaped Birminghams Southside, and UAB works hard to be a good steward of that spaceand set a sustainable example. In 2008, UAB brought open green space into the heart of Birmingham by converting a city street into the Campus Green. Now UAB is aiming to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by 20 percent and establish a clean energy standard of 20-percent renewable energy by 2025.

18

Ingenuity vs. Infection

Virus vanguards

Antiviral therapies are essential for treating everything from influenza to HIV. In 1977, UAB pediatrics experts Richard Whitley, M.D., and Charles Alford, M.D., helped spark the antiviral revolution by developing vidarabine, the first drug to treat encephalitis caused by the herpes simplex virus. In the 1990s, Whitley and his team transformed the herpes virus into a genetically engineered weapon against tumors.

Vaccines for everyone

The laboratory of Moon Nahm, M.D., is a national treasure, notes the National Institutes of Health. But its discoveries could help protect millions of children worldwide threatened by S. pneumoniae infections, the leading cause of pneumonia. (Nahms lab also is designated a World Health Organization Pneumococcal Reference Laboratory.) His mission is to make pneumonia vaccines more affordable for use in developing countries.

Global guardian

GeoSentinel is a worldwide network of clinics watching for potential pandemics in an increasingly interconnected world, ready to relay information quickly about new disease outbreaks and effective treatments. And it has Alabama roots. UAB travel medicine expert David Freedman, M.D., cofounded GeoSentinel, a collaboration between the International Society for Travel Medicine and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, in the 1990s. He also directed the network for 20 years.

19

Staying safe on the road

In 2002, UAB public health researchers unveiled the Digital Childa pioneering computer model evaluating the physical consequences of car crashes on young passengers at various stages of developmentto generate data that could lead to improved child safety devices. Shift gears to today, and researchers in UABs TRIP (Translational Research for Injury Prevention) Lab use virtual realitya first-of-its-kind SUV simulator built with Honda Manufacturing of Alabamato study distracted driving in an effort to save lives. The TRIP Lab also has a portable simulator for schools and community events to help educate students and others on the dangers of distracted driving.

20

A home for Birmingham history

Odessa WoolfolkEducator and civic leader

When Birmingham first dreamed of developing a civil rights museum and research center, UABs Odessa Woolfolk, then special assistant to the president and director of community relations, and Horace Huntley, Ph.D., a historian and first director of the African American studies program, helped lead efforts to turn that idea into a reality. The Birmingham Civil Rights Institute opened in 1992, with Woolfolk as president of its board of directors. Huntley also directed the institutes Oral History Project, which preserves the accounts of foot soldiers and other witnesses to the Birmingham campaign. Today the BCRI attracts visitors from around the world and is a key component of the Birmingham Civil Rights National Monument.

21

Invention in action

Faculty, staff, and students are designing the future for the rest of us. Preview some of their ingenious solutions:

Each year, biomedical engineering and business students develop technologies to help people overcome physical limitations. Examples include a joystick-controlled wheelchair for toddlerswhich won an international awardbuilt for the Bell Center for Early Intervention Programs, and a special scale to help wheelchair users monitor their weight, used by the Lakeshore Foundation. Another design, a mechanical umbrella to protect power wheelchair users from rainy weather, scored second place at the 2018 World Congress on Biomechanics.

Graphic design students in UABs Bloom Studio unleash their talents to support local nonprofits and underserved communities. You can spot their work on license plates and signs that promote and protect the Cahaba Riverpart of a collaboration with the Cahaba River Society.

Solution Studios pairs Honors College, engineering, and nursing students with UAB health professionals to tackle everyday problems affecting patient care. One team has designed a device prototype that could improve quality of life for patients wearing ostomy bags to expel waste. Another has focused on new, more comfortable methods of applying wires to the skin in settings such as intensive care units.

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Spreading the word

Low literacy levels translate into increased high school dropout rates, a lower-performing workforce, and higher rates of social problems, say UAB School of Education experts. For years UABs Maryann Manning, Ed.D., led the charge to improve literacy across Alabama, launching programs such as a conference that attracted thousands of local schoolchildren to share their writing with authors and illustrators. Today the Maryann Manning Family Literacy Center continues her legacy, providing enrichment activities in reading, writing, math, arts, and science for children and helping teachers across Alabama learn innovative strategies to foster literacy skills in their classrooms.

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The heart of innovation

John Kirklin, M.D.Surgery superstar

John Kirklin, M.D., helped put Birmingham on the medical map when he was recruited in 1966 to chair the Department of Surgery. He already was a superstar at the Mayo Clinic, where he had revolutionized cardiovascular surgery by improving the heart-lung machine and performing the first operations for a variety of congenital heart malformations. At UAB he continued to pursue new methods and techniques, such as the development of a computerized intensive care unit with continuous monitoring of vital functions, which became a model for ICUs worldwide.

When Kirklin passed away in 2004, colleagues estimated his medical innovations had saved millions of lives. And his legacy thrives in other ways: UAB is a world-class medical center in part because of Kirklins work behind the scenes, where he championed the combination of public and private investments to foster growth. His textbook, Cardiac Surgery, remains a must-read for anyone in the field. His name lives on in The Kirklin Clinic of UAB Hospital, which opened in 1992. And his son, cardiothoracic surgeon James Kirklin, M.D., directs UABs James and John Kirklin Institute for Research in Surgical Outcomes.

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Birthplace of new businesses

UABs ideas and energy are an engine for entrepreneurship. The university was a founder of Birminghams Innovation Depot, where start-up companiessome born from UAB research breakthroughsfind the resources they need to grow. Today Innovation Depot is the Southeasts largest high-tech business incubator, home to more than 100 companies.

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University of opportunity

In the fall of 2019, underrepresented students made up nearly 42 percent of UABs enrollment, and 20.5 percent of undergraduates were first-generation students. UAB has a long history of widening access to higher educationand potential careers in science and health careamong diverse students. Back in 1978, the Minority High School Research Apprentice Program began matching local students with faculty members for summer research experiences. Today, initiatives such as the Department of Surgerys Pre-College Internship for Students from Minority Backgrounds and the Neuroscience Roadmap Scholars program offer similar opportunities for students along their educational journeys.

26

Successful careers begin here

More than 135,000 alumni call UAB their alma mater. Today youll find them across the United States and around the world, working as leaders in health care, science, business, art, engineering, government, education, and other fields. Many stay connected with UAB through the National Alumni Society, which was established in 1979 and has 63 chapters in locations ranging from Washington, D.C., to Taiwan.

27

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UAB: 50 years of Improving Birmingham, Alabama and the World - Birmingham Times

On Monday, researchers from Japan's Osaka University announced the successful completion of a first-of-its-kind heart transplant.

Rather than replacing their patient's entire heart with a new organ, these researchers placed degradable sheets containing heart muscle cells onto the heart's damaged areas - and if the procedure has the desired effect, it could eventually eliminate the need for some entire heart transplants.

To grow the heart muscle cells, the team started with induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells. These are stem cells that researchers create by taking an adult's cells - often from their skin or blood - and reprogramming them back into their embryonic-like pluripotent state.

At that point, researchers can coax the iSP cells into becoming whatever kind of cell they'd like. In the case of this Japanese study, the researchers created heart muscle cells from the iSP cells before placing them on small sheets.

The patient who received the transplant suffers from ischemic cardiomyopathy, a condition in which a person's heart has trouble pumping because its muscles don't receive enough blood.

In severe cases, the condition can require a heart transplant, but the team from Osaka University hopes that the muscle cells on the sheet will secrete a protein that helps regenerate blood vessels, thereby improving the patient's heart function.

The researchers plan to monitor the patient for the next year, and they hope to conduct the same procedure on nine other people suffering from the same condition within the next three years.

If all goes well, the procedure could become a much-needed alternative to heart transplants - not only is sourcing iPS cells far easier than finding a suitable donor heart, but a recipient's immune system is more likely to tolerate the cells than a new organ.

"I hope that (the transplant) will become a medical technology that will save as many people as possible, as I've seen many lives that I couldn't save," researcher Yoshiki Sawa said at a news conference, according to The Japan Times.

This article was originally published by Futurism. Read the original article.

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Lab-Grown Heart Muscles Have Been Transplanted Into a Human For The First Time - ScienceAlert

In our regular feature #TheBrand, Bazaars beauty team look into an exciting and efficacious brand taking the beauty industry by storm. This time, its a doctor-backed skincare line combining luxury with lasting results.

In the past, weve happily soaked up skincare advice from celebrities, supermodels and self-appointed influencers. (In fact, weve even bought into brands created by them.) But now, those of us looking to settle down with a serious skincare regime one that promises a healthy, resilient complexion for good are rightfully turning to doctors for direction.

As we become increasingly invested in our skincare, favouring proven formulations over zeitgeisty trends, the door has been opened for a host of dermatologists, surgeons and doctors to launch their own brands. Armed with the best qualifications in the business, these experts combine ingredients knowledge with confidence, ensuring maximum potency with minimal contraindications.

The latest brand in this formidable category is MZ Skin, founded by Dr. Maryam Zamani. Not only is she a leading oculoplastic surgeon (aka eye doctor), but she's also one of London's most in-demand aesthetic doctors, working out of the Cadogan Clinic in Chelsea.

With a background in medical science, Zamani is perfectly positioned to create clinically proven products that speak to womens needs, providing a direct path to the balanced and healthy skin were all hoping to obtain. Truly understanding the actives, how they interact with the skin and what they can achieve is imperative in formulating powerful results, she says.

While most dermatologist and doctor-led brands tend to sit on the cold, clinical side of the skincare fence, MZ Skin is a visibly luxurious affair. Most of the doctor ranges now are made by men for women, which often means we lose an important aspect of skincare and wellness, explains Zamani, who treasures the sense of ritual in her own routine, seeing it as a powerful self-care tool. Taking a few moments to do something that is good for you and feels good to do has compounded positive impact.

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Expect familiar ingredients in optimum levels of potency, and always stabilised for longevity. Vitamin C, peptides, acids, ceramides, stem cells and most recently retinol form the basis. Everything is free from mineral oil, (a harmless yet useless filler ingredient), and controversial paraben preservatives.

Naturally, Zamanis Soothe & Smooth eye cream is a stand-out. Hyaluronic acid provides moisture while ceramides strengthen the skin barrier, but its the unusual addition of albazia bark extract that proves her skincare nous. Also known as Persian silk tree extract, it is said to encourage the skin to produce collagen and elastin, leading to less surface lines.

If youre looking for a quick fix, the Radiance & Renewal mask is worth a try, but the savviest shoppers will head instead for the Cleanse & Clarify cleanser. Ticking off two steps in one, it can be used nightly as a deep cleanser, or left to linger as a pre-event mask. The hefty dose of alpha-hydroxy acids sloughs away dead skin cells, leaving skin looking brighter immediately after use.

Several brands are investing in at-home LED technology now, but MZ Skins Light Therapy Golden Facial Device is one of the most advanced available outside of a professional setting, thanks to the impressive five shades of LED it emits.

Light emitting diodes send out specific wavelengths that are then absorbed by the skin," explains Zamani. Red and yellow light helps boost collagen production, while blue light kills bacteria that can lead to acne. Green LED can be absorbed by melanin in the skin to help improve the appearance of pigmentation.

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People living with Type 1 diabetes are certainly faced with some daily hassles, such as finger-prick blood-glucose tests and insulin injections. An Israeli biomedical firm is now stating that such tasks may soon no longer be necessary, however, thanks to its prototype implant.

Developed by Beta-O2 Technologies, the titanium-bodied device is known as the Bio-artificial Pancreas, or the Air for short.

Measuring about 2.5 by 2.5 inches (64 mm), it incorporates a macrocapsule containing live pancreatic cells (aka islets), along with an oxygen tank. The cells can be obtained from a human donor, from the pancreas of a pig, or they can be grown from the patient's own stem cells in a lab. An external port on the oxygen tank allows the patient to refill it with oxygen on a weekly basis.

Once implanted under the skin, the Air is claimed to continuously monitor blood glucose levels, utilizing the oxygen-fed pancreatic cells to produce and deliver insulin whenever necessary. According to the company, the oxygen supply is the key to the device's success other experimental islet-equipped artificial pancreases, which rely on the limited amount of oxygen within the patient's bloodstream, reportedly have difficulty keeping the cells viable.

Additionally, no immunosuppressive treatments are required in order to keep the new implant from being rejected by the body. That said, the company states that it can easily be removed if necessary.

The device has already been trialled on four patients in Sweden, who experienced no side effects after carrying the implant for 10 months the cells remained viable throughout that period. A second-generation version is now being tested on diabetic rats, which have so far maintained normal glucose levels. A larger human trial should begin later this year.

Source: Beta-O2 Technologies

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Artificial pancreas uses oxygen tank to better-produce insulin - New Atlas

LOS ANGELES Extending everyones life in a healthy fashion is one of many goals held by Peter Diamandis, a space, technology, aeronautics and medicine pioneer. But the new field known as longevity is of interest to everyone.

One hundred will be the new 60, he told his Abundance360 conference recently. The average human health span will increase by 10+ years this decade.

He, like others in Silicon Valley, believe that aging is a disease and the result of planned obsolescence, or the wearing down of, or damage to, certain critical mechanisms, sensors and functions within our bodies. Longevity research is about identifying the core problems to mitigate or reverse them.

The average human health span will increase by 10+ years this decade

Peter Diamandis

The exponential technologies of artificial intelligence, machine learning and computational heft have been harnessed, and have resulted in breakthroughs and clinical trials that are just a handful of years away from deployment on human patients. The main areas of research include: Stem cell supply restoration, regenerative medicine to regrow damaged cartilage, ligaments, tendons, bone, spinal cords and neural nerves; vaccine research against chronic diseases such as Alzheimers; and United Therapeutics that is developing technology to tackle the organ shortage for humans by genetically engineering organs grown in pigs.

New tools are accelerating the development of new, tailor-made medicines at a fraction of todays costs. Alex Zhavoronkov of Insilico Medicine told the conference that drugs take 10 years and cost $3 billion to research and 90 per cent fail. But his company can test in 46 days using human tissue, then model, design and produce in weeks with the help of advanced computing.

In regenerative medicine, advances appear to be arriving relatively soon. For instance, Diamandis asked the audience if anyone was awaiting a knee replacement operation and suggested that they might be better off postponing these until 2021 when regenerative medicine innovator, Samumed LLC in San Diego, is expected to complete phase three clinical trials of cartilage regeneration.

Samumeds founder, Osman Kibar, said his company has successfully injected a protein that activates nearby stem cells into producing new cartilage in a knee or a new disc in a spine. Preliminary success has also occurred to regenerate muscle and neural cells, retinal cells, skin and hair. Not surprisingly, the private company just raised US$15.5 billion to continue research and product development.

Another hot area of early stage research is called epigenetic reprogramming or identifying how to reverse deficiencies in proteins, stem cells, chromosomes, genes that repair DNA and damaged cells. A leader in this field is David Sinclair, professor of genetics at the Harvard Medical School, whose new book Lifespan: Why We Age and Why We Dont Have To explains the science and offers advice.

Aging is a disease, and that disease is treatable, he said. As research progresses toward actual corrections or cures, there are also lifestyle habits that can slow down the aging process, or avert damage. For instance, he said humans should replicate some behaviour that their bodies were designed for. Obviously, exercising and sleep are necessary but so is eating less often. You should feel hungry regularly, he said.

Another condition that is useful to emulate is hormesis, a scientific term for what Neitzsche posited which was that that which does not kill us makes us stronger. Sinclair recommends stressing our bodies with temperature changes such as going from a hot sauna to rolling in the snow. This invigorates the bodys processes and cells.

Theres also xenohormesis or gaining benefits from eating plants that have been environmentally stressed, therefore contain more beneficial nutrients. For instance, drought-stressed or wild strawberries have better flavour but they also are enhanced with additional antioxidant capacity and phenol content.

The age of 100 is easily in sight now, said Diamandis. And kids born today can expect to live to 105.

Financial Post

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Diane Francis: Treating aging like a disease is the next big thing for science - Financial Post

Early Clinical Data Support ex vivo Hematopoietic Stem Cell Gene Therapy as a Potentially Promising Treatment Option for X-CGD

BOSTON and LONDON, Jan. 29, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Orchard Therapeutics (ORTX), a global gene therapy leader, today announced that it has received orphan drug designation from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for OTL-102, the companys ex vivo autologous hematopoietic stem cell (HSC) gene therapy being investigated for the treatment of X-linked chronic granulomatous disease (X-CGD). The FDA may grant orphan designation to drugs and biologics intended to treat a rare disease or condition affecting fewer than 200,000 persons in the U.S.

We are pleased to have received this orphan drug designation from the FDA, which recognizes the potential of OTL-102 to address a rare population of patients with X-CGD, a life-threatening disease with a critical unmet need, said Anne Dupraz-Poiseau, Ph.D., chief regulatory officer at Orchard. We are encouraged by the clinical data published to date and are eager to advance OTL-102 development as quickly as possible for patients with X-CGD.

Orphan designation qualifies a company for certain benefits, including financial incentives to support clinical development and the potential for seven years of market exclusivity in the U.S. upon regulatory approval.

Early academic clinical trial data for OTL-102 that was recently published in Nature Medicine demonstrates that ex vivo autologous HSC gene therapy may be a promising approach for the treatment of X-CGD. The letter, which wasled by researchers at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA)including Donald B. Kohn, M.D., one of the study's lead investigators and professor of microbiology, immunology and molecular genetics at UCLA and Great Ormond Street Hospital (UK), provides an analysis of safety and efficacy outcomes in nine severely affected patients with X-CGD. At 12 months post-treatment, six of seven surviving patients, all of whom were adults or late adolescents, exceeded the minimum threshold hypothesized in published literature to demonstrate potential clinical benefit, defined as 10% functioning, oxidase-positive neutrophils in circulation and have discontinued preventive antibiotics.1

As previously reported, two pediatric patients died within three months of treatment from complications deemed by the investigators and independent data and safety monitoring board to be related to pre-existing comorbidities due to advanced disease progression and unrelated to OTL-102. Investigators are planning to enroll additional pediatric patients in 2020 to assess outcomes in this patient population. In addition, there is work underway to improve the efficiency of the drug product manufacturing process prior to initiating a registrational study.

Patients with X-CGD experience significantly reduced quality and length of life, and currently must take daily medications that do not eliminate the risk of fatal infections, said Adrian Thrasher, Ph.D., M.D., one of the studys lead investigators and professor of pediatric immunology and Wellcome Trust Principal Research Fellow at UCL Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health in London. These data demonstrate that OTL-102 has the potential to become a transformative new treatment option for patients with X-CGD with the evaluation of longer follow up and more patients.

About X-CGDX-linked chronic granulomatous disease (X-CGD) is a rare, life-threatening, inherited disease of the immune system caused by mutations in the cytochrome B-245 beta chain (CYBB) gene encoding the gp91phox subunit of phagocytic NADPH oxidase. Because of this genetic defect, phagocytes, or white blood cells, of X-CGD patients are unable to kill bacteria and fungi, leading to chronic, severe infections. The main clinical manifestations of X-CGD are pyoderma, a type of skin infection; pneumonia; colitis; lymphadenitis, an infection of the lymph nodes; brain, lung and liver abscesses; and osteomyelitis, an infection of the bone. Patients with X-CGD typically start to develop infections in the first decade of life, and an estimated 40 percent of patients die by the age of 35.2 The incidence of X-CGD is currently estimated at between 1 in 100,000 and 1 in 400,000 male births.

Story continues

About OTL-102OTL-102 is an ex vivo autologous hematopoietic stem cell gene therapy being studied for the treatment of X-CGD. The studies are supported by multiple institutions including the California Institute of Regenerative Medicine, the Gene Therapy Resource Program from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Intramural Program, the Wellcome Trust and the National Institute for Health Research Biomedical Research Centres at Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children NHS Foundation Trust, University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and University College London. Preclinical and clinical development of OTL-102 had originally been initiated by Genethon (Evry, France) and funded by an EU framework 7 funded consortium, NET4CGD, before being licensed to Orchard.

About OrchardOrchard Therapeutics is a global gene therapy leader dedicated to transforming the lives of people affected by rare diseases through the development of innovative, potentially curative gene therapies. Our ex vivo autologous gene therapy approach harnesses the power of genetically-modified blood stem cells and seeks to correct the underlying cause of disease in a single administration. The company has one of the deepest gene therapy product candidate pipelines in the industry and is advancing seven clinical-stage programs across multiple therapeutic areas, including inherited neurometabolic disorders, primary immune deficiencies and blood disorders, where the disease burden on children, families and caregivers is immense and current treatment options are limited or do not exist.

Orchard has its global headquarters in London and U.S. headquarters in Boston. For more information, please visit http://www.orchard-tx.com, and follow us on Twitter and LinkedIn.

Forward-Looking StatementsThis press release contains certain forward-looking statements about Orchards strategy, future plans and prospects, which are made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such forward-looking statements may be identified by words such as anticipates, believes, expects, plans, intends, projects, and future or similar expressions that are intended to identify forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements include express or implied statements relating to, among other things, the therapeutic potential of Orchards product candidates, including the product candidate or candidates referred to in this release, Orchards expectations regarding the timing of regulatory submissions for approval of its product candidates, including the product candidate or candidates referred to in this release, the timing of interactions with regulators and regulatory submissions related to ongoing and new clinical trials for its product candidates, the timing of announcement of clinical data for its product candidates and the likelihood that such data will be positive and support further clinical development and regulatory approval of these product candidates, and the likelihood of approval of such product candidates by the applicable regulatory authorities. These statements are neither promises nor guarantees and are subject to a variety of risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond Orchards control, which could cause actual results to differ materially from those contemplated in these forward-looking statements. In particular, the risks and uncertainties include, without limitation: the risk that any one or more of Orchards product candidates, including the product candidate or candidates referred to in this release, will not be successfully developed or commercialized, the risk of cessation or delay of any of Orchards ongoing or planned clinical trials, the risk that prior results, such as signals of safety, activity or durability of effect, observed from preclinical studies or clinical trials will not be replicated or will not continue in ongoing or future studies or trials involving Orchards product candidates,the delay of any of Orchards regulatory submissions, the failure to obtain marketing approval from the applicable regulatory authorities for any of Orchards product candidates, the receipt of restricted marketing approvals, and the risk of delays in Orchards ability to commercialize its product candidates, if approved. Given these uncertainties, the reader is advised not to place any undue reliance on such forward-looking statements.

Other risks and uncertainties faced by Orchard include those identified under the heading "Risk Factors" in Orchards annual report on Form 20-F for the year ended December 31, 2018, as filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) on March 22, 2019, as well as subsequent filings and reports filed with the SEC. The forward-looking statements contained in this press release reflect Orchards views as of the date hereof, and Orchard does not assume and specifically disclaims any obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as may be required by law.

References1Kang et al. Blood. 2010;115(4):783-912van den Berget al. PLoS One. 2009;4(4):e5234

Contacts

InvestorsRenee LeckDirector, Investor Relations+1 862-242-0764Renee.Leck@orchard-tx.com

MediaMolly CameronManager, Corporate Communications+1 978-339-3378media@orchard-tx.com

Original post:
Orchard Therapeutics Announces FDA Granted Orphan Drug Designation for OTL-102 for the Treatment of X-linked Chronic Granulomatous Disease (X-CGD) -...

It is common for patients to suggest that their wound needs to breathe in order to heal. These thoughts often come from older family members citing that, for example, a childs scabbed knee healed up without concern. But it is essential for the treating clinician to explain the importance of creating the right environment for wound healing for acute and chronic wounds based on the concept of moist wound healing established more than 50 years ago.1

Wound care in the UK carries a significant cost pressure for the NHS. The prevalence of wounds, inconsistencies in assessment of the wounds and the number of wounds contribute significantly to the burden on already overstretched health services.2

In 1962,1 Winter demonstrated that superficial acute skin wounds in pigs healed more quickly when covered with a film to create a moist environment, compared with wounds left exposed to air. This study evidenced that a moist environment encourages faster replication of epithelial cells and therefore faster wound healing. These epithelial cells migrate across a moist wound surface with ease, but a dry scab acts as a barrier to new cells trying to travel across the wound bed. This work has been widely cited in academic literature since it was first published. It is considered by wound care clinicians to be a seminal publication and will no doubt continue to be referenced.

There are of course some caveats for clinicians and moist wound healing may not always be the most appropriate plan of care for a patient. Clinicians should complete a holistic patient and wound assessment and then deliver the most appropriate option.

The concept and delivery of moist wound healing may not be appropriate in the following instances.3 This is not an exhaustive list but provides examples to consider and explore further:

Since Winters original work was published,1 there has been a significant number of experimental and clinical studies providing further evidence that this method provides advantages for the patient. These studies were compiled into a table and published by Rippon, Ousey, Rogers and Atkin in 20164- you can view the full table and the breakdown of the evidence here. Some of the benefits of moist wound treatment listed include:

Day-to-day practice

A small scab may initially develop at the site of a wounded area of skin as a natural result of the haemostasis phase of the healing process. Initially this may be of benefit to stem blood flow, but if left, this scab can become detrimental to wound healing, as discussed. Similarly, a focus on ensuring moisture is present at the wound bed can lead clinicians to make a wound too wet. This can also have a detrimental effect on the healingprocess, causing maceration on the wound edges and damaging the surrounding healthy tissue.4

A full patient and wound assessment allows for a plan of care based on the evidence and helps to prevent complications.

There is a wealth of products available in the UK via FP10 prescription and supply chain routes that support the concept of moist wound healing and allow a wound to be maintained in optimum conditions.

Final word

As a tissue viability nurse specialist, I teach clinicians that if a wound is wet, they should dry it up. If it is dry, they should add some moisture. Tissue viability nurse specialists across the UK have developed formularies in clinical areas to assist clinicians in making an informed decision on wound care products that support the right healing environment, as well as adjunct therapies such as compression hosiery and bandaging, emollients, skin barrier film and cream protectors, debridement products. I encourage clinicians to familiarise themselves with the local formulary, so they are fully informed of the availability and use of all products. These productshave been developed to facilitate faster wound healing, reduce pain, improve scar formation and improve quality of life for patients. It is important to choose them carefully and use them correctly.

If a wound is not infected, leaving a dressing in place is better than changing it frequently. Minimise dressing changes by assessing the wound carefully and choosing a wound care product that can effectively manage the exudate.

Clinicians should also familiarise themselves with the products that are not recommended for wound care as they will not facilitate a moist environment and support wound healing products such as tulle dressings, gauze and cotton wool.

Build your knowledge so you can share the wealth of evidence when you need to discuss wound management with patients and also if you need to challenge outdated practices if they are suggested by other clinicians.

Amy Verdon is a clinical nurse specialist in tissue viability at University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire NHS Trust

References

Read the original:
Mythbuster: 'I need to let the air get to this wound' - Nursing in Practice

UCLA Broad Stem Cell Research Center/Nature Medicine

At left, image shows white blood cells (red) from one of the X-CGD clinical trial participants before gene therapy. At right, after gene therapy, white blood cells from the same patient show the presence of the chemicals (blue) needed to attack and destroy bacteria and fungus.

UCLA researchers are part of an international team that reported the use of a stem cell gene therapy to treat nine people with the rare, inherited blood disease known as X-linked chronic granulomatous disease, or X-CGD. Six of those patients are now in remission and have stopped other treatments. Before now, people with X-CGD which causes recurrent infections, prolonged hospitalizations for treatment, and a shortened lifespan had to rely on bone marrow donations for a chance at remission.

With this gene therapy, you can use a patients own stem cells instead of donor cells for a transplant, said Dr. Donald Kohn, a member of the Eli and Edythe Broad Center of Regenerative Medicine and Stem Cell Research at UCLA and a senior author of the new paper, published today in the journal Nature Medicine. This means the cells are perfectly matched to the patient and it should be a much safer transplant, without the risks of rejection.

People with chronic granulomatous disease, or CGD, have a genetic mutation in one of five genes that help white blood cells attack and destroy bacteria and fungus using a burst of chemicals. Without this defensive chemical burst, patients with the disease are much more susceptible to infections than most people. The infections can be severe to life-threatening, including infections of the skin or bone and abscesses in organs such as lungs, liver or brain. The most common form of CGD is a subtype called X-CGD, which affects only males and is caused by a mutation in a gene found on the X-chromosome.

Other than treating infections as they occur and taking rotating courses of preventive antibiotics, the only treatment option for people with CGD is to receive a bone marrow transplant from a healthy matched donor. Bone marrow contains stem cells called hematopoietic, or blood-forming, stem cells, which produce white blood cells. Bone marrow from a healthy donor can produce functioning white blood cells that effectively ward off infection. But it can be difficult to identify a healthy matched bone marrow donor and the recovery from the transplant can have complications such as graft versus host disease, and risks of infection and transplant rejection.

Patients can certainly get better with these bone marrow transplants, but it requires finding a matched donor and even with a match, there are risks, Kohn said. Patients must take anti-rejection drugs for six to 12 months so that their bodies dont attack the foreign bone marrow.

In the new approach, Kohn teamed up with collaborators at the United Kingdoms National Health Service, France-based Genethon, the U.S. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases at the National Institutes of Health, and Boston Childrens Hospital. The researchers removed hematopoietic stem cells from X-CGD patients and modified the cells in the laboratory to correct the genetic mutation. Then, the patients own genetically modified stem cells now healthy and able to produce white blood cells that can make the immune-boosting burst of chemicals were transplanted back into their own bodies. While the approach is new in X-CGD, Kohn previously pioneered a similar stem cell gene therapy to effectively cure a form of severe combined immune deficiency (also known as bubble baby disease) in more than 50 babies.

The viral delivery system for the X-CGD gene therapy was developed and fine-tuned by Professor Adrian Thrashers team at Great Ormond Street Hospital, or GOSH, in London, who collaborated with Kohn. The patients ranged in age from 2 to 27 years old; four were treated at GOSH and five were treated in the U.S., including one patient at UCLA Health.

Two people in the new study died within three months of receiving the treatment due to severe infections that they had already been battling before gene therapy. The seven surviving patients were followed for 12 to 36 months after receiving the stem cell gene therapy. All remained free of new CGD-related infections, and six of the seven have been able to discontinue their usual preventive antibiotics.

None of the patients had complications that you might normally see from donor cells and the results were as good as youd get from a donor transplant or better, Kohn said.

An additional four patients have been treated since the new paper was written; all are currently free of new CGD-related infections and no complications have arisen.

Orchard Therapeutics, a biotechnology company of which Kohn is a scientific co-founder, acquired the rights to the X-CGD investigational gene therapy from Genethon. Orchard will work with regulators in the U.S. and Europe to carry out a larger clinical trial to further study this innovative treatment. The aim is to apply for regulatory approval to make the treatment commercially available, Kohn said.

Kohn and his colleagues plan to develop similar treatments for the other forms of CGD caused by four other genetic mutations that affect the same immune function as X-CGD.

Beyond CGD, there are also other diseases caused by proteins missing in white blood cells that could be treated in similar ways, Kohn said.

The research was supported by grants from the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine; the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute and the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, both at the National Institutes of Health; the Wellcome Trust; Boston Childrens Hospital; the National Institute for Health Research Great Ormond Street Hospital Biomedical Research Centre; the Institute for Health Research Biomedical Research Centre at University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and University College London; the Great Ormond Street Hospital Childrens Charity; the AFM-Tlthon, French Muscular Dystrophy Association; and the European Commission through the Net4CGDconsortium.

Read the original here:
Six patients with rare blood disease are doing well after gene therapy clinical trial - Mirage News

Parkinsons disease is an illness that most often affects older people, but new research suggests it may actually be present in the brain right from birth and even earlier. Scientists from Cedars-Sinai have now found that in the brains of young-onset Parkinsons patients, malfunctioning neurons are always there but it takes 20 to 30 years for the symptoms to accumulate. Thankfully, a drug thats already on the market could help prevent the disease from taking hold if caught early enough.

Parkinsons disease primarily affects neurons in the brain that produce dopamine, eventually causing muscle weakness and stiffness, tremors, and balance problems. Most of the time, the disease is diagnosed in older people over the age of 60, but around 10 percent of cases occur in those aged between 21 and 50.

In a new study, scientists from Cedars-Sinai set out to investigate whether there were any early warning signs in the neurons of patients whod been diagnosed with Parkinsons before they turned 50. To do so, they created induced pluripotent stem cells (IPSCs) from young-onset Parkinsons patients, which can then be turned into almost any other cells in the body.

The researchers used the IPSCs to grow dopamine neurons in lab dishes. As they watched them develop, the team noticed that cell structures called lysosomes were malfunctioning. These structures are responsible for breaking down unneeded or worn-out proteins so when they dont work as well as they should, proteins begin to pile up. And one such protein that the team spotted in higher amounts is called alpha-synuclein, which is implicated in many forms of Parkinsons.

"Our technique gave us a window back in time to see how well the dopamine neurons might have functioned from the very start of a patients life, says Clive Svendsen, senior author of the study. "What we are seeing using this new model are the very first signs of young-onset Parkinsons. It appears that dopamine neurons in these individuals may continue to mishandle alpha-synuclein over a period of 20 or 30 years, causing Parkinsons symptoms to emerge.

Next up, the team investigated whether the condition could potentially be treated or even prevented. After testing a series of drugs, they found one that looked promising PEP005, which has already been approved by the FDA for use against skin precancers. The researchers found that PEP005 works to reduce the levels of alpha-synuclein, as well as another abnormally-abundant enzyme called protein kinase C, whose role in Parkinson's remains unclear.

The treatment looks promising, but for now its only been shown to work in mice and lab-grown cells, so it wont necessarily translate to human trials. The team plans to continue working on this, as well as figuring out how to adapt PEP005 for use in the brain at the moment, its only available as a topical gel, since it's for treating skin cancer.

The research was published in the journal Nature Medicine.

Source: Cedars-Sinai

Read the original here:
Study suggests Parkinson's present from birth and may be preventable - New Atlas

Sorry Mom and Dad: It turns out you might not have been exaggerating when you told us your children made your hair turn gray.

Stress may play a key role in just how quickly hair goes from colored to ashen, a study published this past week in the journal Nature suggests.

Scientists have long understood some link is possible between stress and gray hair, but this new research from Harvard University in Massachusetts more deeply probes the exact mechanisms at play.

The researchers initial tests looked closely at cortisol, the stress hormone that surges in the body when a person experiences a fight or flight response.

Its an important bodily function, but the long-term presence of heightened cortisol is linked to a host of negative health outcomes.

But the culprit ended up being a different part of the bodys fight or flight response the sympathetic nervous system.

These nerves are all over the body, including making inroads to each hair follicle, the researchers reported.

Chemicals released during the stress response specifically norepinephrine causes pigment producing stem cells to activate prematurely, depleting the hairs reserves of color.

The detrimental impact of stress that we discovered was beyond what I imagined, Ya-Chieh Hsu, PhD, a lead study author and an associate professor of stem cell and regenerative biology at Harvard, said in a press release. After just a few days, all of the pigment-regenerating stem cells were lost. Once theyre gone, you cant regenerate pigments anymore. The damage is permanent.

But stress isnt the only or even the primary reason that most people get gray hair.

In most cases, its simple genetics.

Gray hair is caused by loss of melanocytes (pigment cells) in the hair follicle. This happens as we age and, unfortunately, there is no treatment that can restore these cells and the pigment they produce, melanin, Dr. Lindsey A. Bordone, a dermatologist at ColumbiaDoctors and an assistant professor of dermatology at Columbia University Medical Center in New York, told Healthline. Genetic factors determine when you go gray. There is nothing that can be done medically to prevent this from happening when it is genetically predetermined to happen.

That doesnt mean environmental factors such as stress dont play a role.

Smoking, for instance, is a known risk factor for premature graying, according to a 2013 study. So kick the habit if you want to keep that color a little longer.

Other contributing factors to premature graying include deficiencies in protein, vitamin B-12, copper, and iron as well as aging due in part to an accumulation of oxidative stress.

That stress is prompted by an imbalance between free radicals and antioxidants in your body that can damage tissue, proteins, and DNA, Kasey Nichols, NMD, an Arizona physician and a health expert at Rave Reviews, told Healthline.

And some degree of oxidative stress is a natural part of life.

We would expect increasing gray hair as we advance in age, and we see about a 10 percent increase in the chance of developing gray hair for every decade after age 30, Nichols said.

Changes you can pursue to delay premature grays include eating a diet high in omega-3 fatty acids such as walnuts and fatty fish, not spending too much time in the skin-damaging and hair-damaging ultraviolet light of the sun, and taking vitamin B-12 and vitamin B-6 supplements.

That said, if you are going gray prematurely, it wouldnt hurt to go have a checkup just in case natural genetic factors arent the sole culprit.

The new Harvard research is only a mouse study, so replicating the same results in a human study would be necessary to strengthen the findings.

But the Harvard research has implications far beyond graying hair, with the hair color change merely one obvious sign of other internal changes as a result of prolonged stress.

By understanding precisely how stress affects stem cells that regenerate pigment, weve laid the groundwork for understanding how stress affects other tissues and organs in the body, said Hsu. Understanding how our tissues change under stress is the first critical step towards eventual treatment that can halt or revert the detrimental impact of stress.

Might that also mean someday halting and reverting the march of premature gray hair? Its too soon to tell.

We still have a lot to learn in this area, Hsu said.

See original here:
Scientists Think They Know How Stress Causes Gray Hair - Healthline

Scientists now say they may have discovered that stress makes your hair go grey.

Science really is just catching up on things we already knew.

I bet theres a team following bears around with a bucket and a map (spoiler alert, you might want to head to the woods).

The researchers from American and Brazil teamed up to do experiments on mice.

They found stem cells that control skin and hair colour became damaged after intense stress.

Firstly, did they realise that some mice are white already? I hope so.

Secondly, how much stress does a mouse go through?

I thought this would explain why, if you have faced redundancy or are moving house, you might start to notice the odd grey strand.

Do mice worry about job losses?

Does Mr Mouse go home and tell his wife that Bagpuss has announced cutbacks and they all have to reapply for their positions?

How can this research help humans?

If you want to keep your glowing, coloured hair avoid the stress of going near cats?

The stem cells that create hair colour are used up doing times of stress.

Does this mean the more hair cells you have the better you will be at dealing with stress?

That is more bad news for balding people like myself, although if you include back hair I might be the most resilient person alive.

As ever, I think this piece of science news can help me get to my first million.

Im going to make money selling grey hair dye.

Not hair dye for grey hair, dye to turn your hair grey.

Everyone loves to claim that theyre really busy and stressed these days. If you ask how someone has been they will tell you how much of a challenge theyre up against in a bid to get some sympathy from you.

With Steve N Allens new improved Greycian 2000 you can look like youre so stressed your stem cells ran out years ago.

Steve N Allen is a comedian and broadcaster who was raised in Sutton-in-Ashfield.

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Take the stress out of going grey by just going grey before you start - Mansfield and Ashfield Chad