Please Note: This article is never meant to treat or diagnose any illness. It is only written for informational purposes. Please see a licensed healthcare professional If you have any health concern at all.

With so many different weight loss products available on the market today, it can be quite daunting to research and chose the right one. The problem is most of these so-called weight loss and fat burners are nothing more than a scam.

MUST SEE: Shocking New Resurge Report This May Change Your Mind

While researching Resurge reviews online we realized most reviews do not fully explain the link between deep sleep weight loss and how ground-breaking this information is. This article will go into detail about this topic because after all that is the basis of why this supplement was created.

Most people are familiar with the typical and more well-known weight loss brand names on the market but now we are seeing more and more novel brands advertised online. One such product is Resurge supplement. It is described as a supplement that when used as directed it may not only promote safe weight loss but also other benefits such as deep sleep. In fact, Resurge supplement is advertised as a deep sleep weight loss supplement. The creator of the product claims there is a direct link between sound sleep and weight loss.

Resurge Supplement Explained:

This dietary supplement is a Non-GMO and vegetarian supplement that contains 120 capsules in the bottle which are manufactured at an FDA-approved facility. Each bottle provides a full 30-day serving. It is important to note that this supplement doesnt treat any specific medical condition.

Resurge is a unique formula made of a blend of all-natural ingredients in the proper ratio that targets different aspects which may lead to weight loss and fat burning. The other benefits besides weight loss include boosting the metabolism, boosting the immune system, blood flow improvement, therapeutic deep sleep and relieving harmful stress for the individual.

MUST SEE: Resurge Reviews: What Theyll Never Tell Anyone

It is a very well wounded supplement that claims to work regardless of the individual changes their diet or exercise program. It is designed to make weight loss easy for the user.

Resurge Review Reports online are even showing that many users are having success even in the most stubborn hard to melt areas of the body.

The Truth About Deep Sleep and Weight Loss:

Resurge supplement claims to fight Shallow Sleep. Let us define what is meant by Shallow Sleep.

Shallow sleep can be explained simply by stating when individuals are sleeping too lightly they are in shallow sleep. Many individuals over the age of 40 find that they are not getting enough deep sleep. These individuals typically wake up easily from almost anything. That would include light noises, movement in the room where the individual is sleeping and even temperature changes.

Shallow sleep is responsible for many health issues and has a direct connection to weight gain.

Lets dig deeper now into Deep Sleep and Weight Loss:

Studies like the one conducted at the University of Colorado are showing that even mild lack of sleep can bring about weight gain and it happens quite rapidly.

Sleeping only 5 hours a night for just one week showed that the study participants gained an average of 2 pounds in a week.

Lack of sleep causes a change in the bodys hormones. In particular the hormones responsible for appetite and food cravings. When an individual is sleep deprived the brain does not make correct decisions about food. Individuals lacking sleep become much more impulsive regarding junk foods and unhealthy snacks.

There was also a study showing that adequate sleep led to reduced sugar cravings and consumption.

A study from the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that individuals who were lacking sleep were more prone to eat at night and typically craved high carbohydrate foods.

Yet another study from the University of Chicago showed that individuals getting less than 8 hours of sleep each night gained double the fat compared to the individuals getting the proper amount of sleep each night.

To make matters even more complex, many people who are over the age of 40 are shown to not get anywhere near the deep restful sleep needed each night.

This is why Resurge supplement was specifically formulated to target individuals over the age of 40.

This may be the answer to weight loss for individuals over 40 years old helping those people reach the necessary deep level of sleep to help control certain hormones, fight junk food cravings and finally lose weight safely.

Who Created this Supplement?

The creator of Resurge is John Barban who has a Masters degree in both nutrition and Human Biology. He is a certified kinesiologist and very well-known health coach and has certification with NSCA, ACE PT, CSEP and CSCS.

John Barban is not only the creator of Resurge Supplement, he is also the creator of some of the best-selling weight loss and health products such as Thin from Within and Flat Belly Forever along with many other popular products created. John also worked with popular brand names such as Nutraceuticals, MuscleTech, Slimquick and others.

Mr. Barbans biggest discovery was the link between deep sleep and weight loss and that was his basis of the formulation of Resurge supplement product.

Who Would Benefit From Using Resurge Supplement?

Resurge is designed for individuals 40 years of age and older with no medical condition underlying that want to lose over 10 pounds of weight.

When an individual reaches about the age of about forty years old the metabolism can slow down and the deep sleep quality can be greatly diminished. Resurge supplement is designed to combat this specifically.

Resurge Supplement Ingredients:

Ashwagandha: The berry and root of this plant is used to help with stress.

Melatonin: Can help greatly with sleep deprivation issues. It is a safe hormone.

L-Theanine: Found in certain foods such as tea and specific mushrooms. It may help with anxiety and proper heart rate.

Hydroxytryptophan: May help with mood and sleep. It is an amino acid that seems to help serotonin levels.

Arginine: Supports the immune system and hormone functions. It is said to have cardiovascular benefits as well.

Lysine: This amino acid may help burn fat.

Magnesium: Also shown to help with sleep among other benefits.

Zinc: This mineral may help with morning mind alertness.

Resurge side effect Reports:

There are no reports of any known side effects of this supplement. The ingredients in this formula are well researched and known to be safe when used as directed.

Resurge Dosage Instructions:

Individuals should take 4 capsules each day. It is best to take the supplement capsules about 30 minutes before bedtime. Each bottle should last 30 days when taken as directed.

What are the Pros of Taking Resurge?

What are the CONS of Taking Resurge?

Our Resurge Verdict:

Weight loss can require commitment each day until the desired weight is reached. Once the desired weight is finally met there is still ongoing weight management. Many people cannot follow such a stringent weight loss or exercise program.

ALSO SEE: We Found the Best Price For Resurge Here

Resurge may be the answer for all of those people who do not want to change their daily eating habits but still want to see some real weight loss benefits. This formula has so many benefits that should not be ignored.

The price is fair and the best thing is the full money-back guarantee.

Caution Should Always Be Used When Buying Resurge

According to David Kingston, a research analyst for Investigative-Reports, Consumers should only purchase Resurge supplement directly from the official website. That is the only way to guarantee your purchase is safe along with your order being backed by the full money-back guarantee

The Official Resurge Website

Photo: Shutterstock

Visit link:
Resurge Reviews: What They'll Never Tell Anyone - The Good Men Project

Recommendation and review posted by Bethany Smith

hormone, testosterone, therapy, jersey, replacement, growth, hormones, symptoms, team, sexual

You have questions about Hormone Therapy in New Jersey: Is hormone therapy safe? Is hormone therapy effective? What are the benefits of hormone therapy? Our New Jersey hormone doctors have the answers! Getting older shouldnt affect your energy, your strength, or your ability to enjoy life. Our specialists are experts in hormone therapy for men, with a special focus on growth hormone therapy and testosterone therapy.

Hormones are vital to how your body functions. They are the chemical messengers that stimulate and regulate most body processes. Hormones are responsible for:

As you age all hormone levels decline, but the loss of testosterone and human growth hormone, or HGH have the greatest impact on your vitality, health, and sexual wellness. The decline of testosterone, in particular, can negatively impact your life in many ways. Low testosterone in men, also referred to as Low-T, causes a number of symptoms we commonly attribute to aging. These include thinning hair, weight gain, fatigue, loss of muscle tone, depression, and sexual wellness issues. Bioidentical Hormone Therapy for men and growth hormone therapy can help with these symptoms and put you back on a path to being the best version of yourself!

For a free consultation, call (305) 682-1818

Hormone replacement therapy, or HRT, as the name implies, is all about renewing vitality by giving you back what time and nature take away. HealthGAINS medical team, who supervises all of our New Jersey hormone therapy providers, is a team of pioneers in the use of Bioidentical Testosterone Replacement Therapy (BHRT) for men. The team was one of the first in New Jersey to recognize that low testosterone or Low-T is a real medical condition, and how testosterone replacement can be used to treat it. In fact, one of the team members literally wrote the book, on optimal aging and turning back the clock with hormone therapy.

Free Consultation (305) 682-1818

The symptoms of low hormones or a hormone imbalance can impact your health om many ways. Typical symptoms of low levels of critical hormones such as testosterone and growth hormone include:

Our New Jersey hormone replacement providers have helped hundreds of men just like you overcome the issues of the decreased hormone with the best quality service and most competitive pricing on doctor certified Hormone Replacement (HRT) Therapy including Bioidentical Hormone Replacement (BHRT) for men, Testosterone replacement, and HGH replacement.

Click to contact our specialist today

When it comes to the production of testosterone, most men hit their peak around the age of 17. By the time you reach 80, your testosterone level will likely be about half of what it was when you were at your peak. For some men, the decrease in production has little effect. But for many men, as you hit your 50s, 60s and older, you may actually start to feel the impact of the reduced level, experiencing low testosterone or Low-T. Symptoms of Low-T include reduction of libido or sex drive, a feeling of reduced virility or vitality, changes in mood, erectile dysfunction, decreased energy, reduced muscle and bone mass, and memory issues. If you are a man over 35, and you are experiencing any of these, you may have low testosterone. However, the only way to truly determine if you have low hormones, or are suffering from a hormone imbalance is by having your hormones tested by a New Jersey hormone specialist. Contact our New Jersey HRT providers to find out if testosterone replacement, HGH treatments, or any of our other Hormone Optimization, or Hormone Replacement Therapies are right for you.

*Click a location to see the full list of addresses

Call or text (305) 682-1818 or complete a Free Consultation Form

Here is the original post:
Hormone Replacement Therapy in New Jersey | HealthGAINS

Recommendation and review posted by Bethany Smith

Ashley Dale was grateful she could end her pregnancy at home.

As her 3-year-old daughter played nearby, she spoke by video from her living room in Hawaii with Dr. Bliss Kaneshiro, an obstetrician-gynecologist, who was a 200-mile plane ride away in Honolulu. The doctor explained that two medicines that would be mailed to Ms. Dale would halt her pregnancy and cause a miscarriage.

Does it sound like what you want to do in terms of terminating the pregnancy? Dr. Kaneshiro asked gently. Ms. Dale, who said she would love to have another baby, had wrestled with the decision, but circumstances involving an estranged boyfriend had made the choice clear: It does, she replied.

Now, the coronavirus pandemic is catapulting demand for telemedicine abortion to a new level, with much of the nation under strict stay-at-home advisories and as several states, including Arkansas, Oklahoma and Texas, have sought to suspend access to surgical abortions during the crisis.

The telemedicine program that Ms. Dale participated in has been allowed to operate as a research study for several years under a special arrangement with the Food and Drug Administration. It allows women seeking abortions to have video consultations with certified doctors and then receive abortion pills by mail to take on their own.

Over the past year, the program, called TelAbortion, has expanded from serving five states to serving 13, adding two of those Illinois and Maryland as the coronavirus crisis exploded. Not including those new states, about twice as many women had abortions through the program in March and April as in January and February.

To accommodate women during the pandemic, TelAbortion is working to expand to new states as fast as possible, said Dr. Elizabeth Raymond, senior medical associate at Gynuity Health Projects, which runs the program. It is also hearing from more women in neighboring states seeking to cross state lines so TelAbortion can serve them.

As of April 22, TelAbortion had mailed a total of 841 packages containing abortion pills and confirmed 611 completed abortions, Dr. Raymond said. Another 216 participants were either still in the follow-up process or have not been in contact to confirm their results. The programs growth is significant enough that Republican senators recently introduced a bill to ban telemedicine abortion.

The F.D.A., which has allowed TelAbortion to continue operating during the Trump administration, declined to answer questions from The New York Times about the program.

The F.D.A. rules, however, do not specify that providers must see patients in person, so some clinics have begun allowing women to come in for video consultations with certified doctors based elsewhere. TelAbortion goes further, offering telemedicine consultations to women at home (or anywhere), mailing them pills and following up after women take them.

In interviews, seven women who terminated pregnancies through TelAbortion described the conflicting emotions and intricate logistics that can accompany a decision to have an abortion, and their reasons for choosing to do it through telemedicine.

Ms. Dale, a single mother, was about to start a job at a storage center when she became pregnant last year. She would have had to fly to Honolulu, incurring expenses for travel and child care.

The alternative would be to wait for a doctor to come to my island in three weeks, Ms. Dale, 35, told Dr. Kaneshiro during her consultation, which she allowed a Times reporter to observe. By then, she would be too pregnant for a medication abortion.

But many TelAbortion patients live near clinics. Shiloh Kirby, 24, of Denver, who said she had become pregnant after being raped at a party, chose TelAbortion for convenience and privacy. She conducted her video consultation while sitting in her car in the parking lot of the hardware store where she worked.

Dawn, 30, a divorced mother of two who asked to be identified only by her first name, was terrified that the debilitating postpartum depression she experienced after her childrens births would return if she continued her pregnancy. And she worried protesters at her local Planned Parenthood in Salem, Ore., might recognize her.

I just dont want to deal with that ridicule, she said.

Based on state laws governing telemedicine and abortion, Dr. Raymond estimated TelAbortion might be legal in slightly over half of the states, including some conservative ones. It now serves Colorado, Georgia, Hawaii, Illinois, Iowa, Maine, Maryland, Minnesota, Montana, New Mexico, New York, Oregon and Washington.

The doctors (and nurses or midwives in some states) who do TelAbortions video consultations must be licensed in states where medication is mailed, but do not have to practice there. Likewise, patients do not have to live in the states that TelAbortion serves; they just have to be in one of them during the videoconference and provide an address there that of a friend, relative, even a motel or post office to which pills can be shipped.

We have had patients who cross state lines in order to receive TelAbortions, Dr. Raymond said. More are expected to do so during the pandemic. This month, a woman from Texas drove 10 hours in snowy weather to New Mexico, where she stayed in a motel for her videoconference and to receive the pills.

The organization that provides TelAbortion services in Georgia, carafem, has expanded recently to Maryland and Illinois, and it is running digital ads that are expected to reach women in some nearby states like Missouri and Ohio, which have more abortion restrictions, said Melissa Grant, carafems chief operations officer.

In May, shortly after Georgias governor signed one of the countrys strictest abortion laws (which is now being challenged in court), Lee, 37, who lives near Atlanta, discovered she was seven weeks pregnant.

Lee, who asked to be identified only by a shortened version of her first name, said the pregnancy had shocked her because she took birth control pills regularly. She decided to terminate the pregnancy because she had recently cut ties with her boyfriend after he was arrested on drug charges, she said.

She kept her decision from her family members, who she said were strongly against abortion. And she feared protesters would castigate her if she visited an abortion clinic.

No one goes through life saying, Im going to grow up and get an abortion, Lee said. So youre already struggling with that and then to have someone tell you that youre going to hell or that youre killing babies, its horrible.

She found carafem, and videoconferenced in her office at lunchtime with a doctor in another state.

During such consultations, doctors explain that most women do not experience discomfort from mifepristone, which blocks a hormone necessary for pregnancy to develop. Cramping and bleeding, resembling a heavy period, occur after the expulsion of fetal tissue caused by the second drug, misoprostol, which is taken up to 48 hours later. After several hours, bleeding dwindles but might continue for two weeks. In rare cases, women can develop fevers, infections or extensive bleeding requiring medical attention.

Lee received a package marked only with her name and address; it contained the pills, tea bags, peppermints, maxipads, prescription ibuprofen and nausea medication.

Just everything you could need, she said. It was so comforting.

TelAbortion reports that of the 611 completed abortions documented through April 22, most were accomplished with only the pills and without complications. In 26 cases, aspiration was performed to finish the termination.

Dr. Raymond said 46 women went to emergency rooms or urgent care centers with issues that appear just as likely to have occurred if the women had followed the common practice of visiting abortion clinics for consultations, taking the first medication there and the second at home. Two women went before receiving the pills and two before taking them, either because of morning sickness or because they thought they were miscarrying. Fifteen ended up needing no medical treatment. Some were given medicine for pain or nausea.

Three were hospitalized, all successfully treated: two women had excessive bleeding, and another had a seizure after an aspiration, Dr. Raymond said.

Eleven women decided not to have abortions and did not take the pills they were sent. Another woman continued her pregnancy after the medication failed, as did another after vomiting the mifepristone. Sixteen women have undergone two telabortions, Dr. Raymond said.

Of the women The Times interviewed, only Dawn, who said she has anxiety, called the 24-hour TelAbortion line for emotional support.

It was after I took the pills, Dawn said. I felt like my body, my hormones essentially crashed. And because I suffer from mental health issues, just everything was just kind of out of whack and I started really panicking bad. I called the nurse and she just sat on the phone with me.

TelAbortion typically charges $200 to $375 for consultations and pills. Women must also pay for an ultrasound and lab tests, obtained from any provider. During the coronavirus pandemic, TelAbortion may waive its requirement for an ultrasound to gauge the gestational age of the pregnancy if women are unable to visit a doctor to obtain one, Dr. Raymond said.

In some states, some or all of the costs are covered by private insurance or Medicaid. For women facing financial hardship, like Ms. Kirby in Denver, the program taps abortion grant networks.

Some patients said the teleconsultations helped them navigate the complex feelings that abortion can evoke.

Leigh, a 28-year-old construction inspector in Denver, who asked to be identified only by her middle name, said she considered herself totally pro-life.

But, she said, she also has depression, which became so severe after she had a baby two years ago that she sometimes felt suicidal. Doctors, she said, didnt trust me alone with my baby.

Last March, after discovering she was pregnant and consulting her fianc, she called Planned Parenthood. I said, I dont want to be this person, but I need to abort this pregnancy, Leigh said.

She chose the TelAbortion option. After taking the first medication, she attended a previously scheduled photo shoot for engagement pictures with her fianc, then took the second medication that evening.

Conducting her follow-up call from a field on a job site, Leigh told the doctor, Kristina Tocce, medical director of Planned Parenthood of the Rocky Mountains, that she felt compelled to abort no matter how much I hate myself.

When she sees a baby now, she says she still sometimes wonders, Did I make the wrong choice?

I wanted to keep my baby, but I just couldnt, she said.

During Ms. Dales videoconference in Hawaii, Dr. Kaneshiro spoke calmly.

It is pretty normal to pass some blood clots that maybe are even the size of a quarter, she said.

Im prepared because I actually had a miscarriage last year at four months along, Ms. Dale replied.

This will not be that bad I mean, at this stage of pregnancy, the actual embryo is smaller than the size of a grain of rice, Dr. Kaneshiro said. Its very unlikely to see anything thats recognizable as a pregnancy.

OK, thats good, said Ms. Dale, then eight and a half weeks pregnant.

It doesnt affect future pregnancies, so it doesnt have any long-term effects, Dr. Kaneshiro said.

OK, that was one of my questions, thank you, Ms. Dale said.

Mommy, mommy! called her daughter, Sophia, bouncing into the living room from a bedroom filled with Legos and a pop-up castle.

Shes beautiful, Dr. Kaneshiro said.

Ms. Dales consultation and lab tests were covered by Hawaii public assistance. The pills, which cost her $135, arrived by certified mail. She placed them on a table near two pregnancy ultrasound photos.

OK, this is happening, Ms. Dale said she told herself. Im doing this.

Her reasons partly involved disagreements with her estranged boyfriend, the father of Sophia, now 4. Their strained relationship made Ms. Dale believe she would have to raise their second child alone.

Ive got a beautiful daughter and Id really love to have another one, she said. But its just not feasible for my sanity, and I feel like Id basically be guaranteeing us to live in poverty.

On the back of an ultrasound picture, she wrote: Never forget why you had to make the hard decision to let this baby go. She swallowed the pill.

She had Sophia stay at her mothers house and took the other tablets, which she said felt like chalk in her mouth. To distract from seven hours of cramping and heavy bleeding, she watched back-to-back Matrix movies.

Its not like it was easy, she reflected later, but at the same time its pretty clearly the right choice.

Read the original post:
Abortion by Telemedicine: A Growing Option as Access to Clinics Wanes - The New York Times

Recommendation and review posted by Bethany Smith

The novel coronavirus tends to affect men more severely than it does women. Though nobody can yet explain the oddity, researchers are hot on the case.

It's possible that the sex hormones estrogen and testosterone play a role, according to previous research on respiratory illnesses. Or perhaps it's because the X chromosome (which women have two of, but men have only one) has a larger number of immune-related genes, giving women a more robust immune system to fight off the coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2. Or, maybe the virus is hiding in the testes, which has abundant expression of ACE2 receptors, the portal that allows SARS-CoV-2 into cells.

Uncovering the real reason is, of course, imperative because it could help improve patient "outcomes during an active public health crisis," according to an editorial published April 10 in the Western Journal of Emergency Medicine (WJEM).

Related: When will a COVID-19 vaccine be ready?

Since the first known COVID-19 case was reported in China late last year, countless studies have shown that the disease tends to be more severe and deadly in men than in women.

For instance, in an analysis of 5,700 COVID-19 patients hospitalized in New York City, just over 60% were men, according to an April 22 study published in the journal JAMA. What's more, "mortality rates were higher for male compared with female patients at every 10-year age interval older than 20 years," the researchers wrote in the study.

Furthermore, of the 373 patients who ended up in intensive care units, 66.5% were men, the JAMA study reported.

Related: 13 Coronavirus myths busted by science

Results are similar in other studies. When the WJEM editorial was published in early April, the authors noted that between 51% and 66.7% of hospitalized patients in Wuhan, China, were male; 58% in Italy were male; and 70% of all COVID-related deaths worldwide were male. In one large study of more than 44,600 people with COVID-19 in China, 2.8% of men died versus just 1.7% of women.

These COVID-19 sex differences are not unexpected. Other coronavirus outbreaks, including outbreaks of SARS in 2003 and the Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS) in 2012, had higher fatality rates in men than in women, according to the WJEM editorial. For example, a 2016 study found that men had a 40 percent higher odds of dying of MERS than women did.

Even the comically labeled "man flu" is so named because men tend to have a weaker immune response to respiratory viruses that cause flu and the common cold. As a result, men tend to get more severe symptoms from these viruses than women do, a 2017 review in BMJ found. That review pinned these results on the differences in "sex dependent hormones" in men and women.

A mouse experiment offers clues about this hormonal mystery; when scientists infected both male and female mice of different ages with SARS, the male mice were more susceptible to the infection than females of the same age, according to a 2017 study, which was published in The Journal of Immunology. However, when the female mice had their estrogen-producing ovaries removed or were treated with an estrogen-receptor blocker, they died at higher rates than those with working ovaries and normal estrogen.

"These data indicate that sex hormones produced in female [mice] may help to defend against coronaviruses like SARS and SARS-CoV-2," Akiko Iwasaki, a professor of immunobiology at Yale University School of Medicine, who was not involved in the study, told Live Science.

Related: Is 6 feet enough space for social distancing?

To learn more, scientists at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles and the Renaissance School of Medicine at Stony Brook University in New York are testing estrogen or another sex hormone called progesterone on small groups of people who have COVID-19, Live Science previously reported.

There's another way to look at the COVID-19 sex difference; perhaps the X chromosome is protective because it has more immune-related genes than the Y chromosome does. This may also explain why women are more likely than men to have autoimmune diseases, the authors of the WJEM editorial noted.

The second X chromosome is usually silenced in women, but almost 10% of those genes can be activated, Veena Taneja, who studies differences in male and female immune systems at the Mayo Clinic, told NPR. "Many of those genes are actually immune-response genes," she said. This could give women a "double-dose" of protection, Taneja said, although research is needed to see whether these genes factor into protection against COVID-19.

New research offers yet another idea; men seem to clear SARS-CoV-2 from their bodies more slowly than women do. To explain that possibility, researchers have suggested the virus may have found a hiding place in men: the testes.

In the research, published on the preprint medRxiv database, 68 people confirmed to have COVID-19 in Mumbai, India, were tested with nasal swabs until they tested negative for the virus. At the end of the experiment, scientists found that women cleared the virus from their bodies in an average of 4 days, compared with men's average of 6 days. The same test in three different Mumbai households found similar results.

Related: 13 Coronavirus myths busted by science

"Our collaborative study found that men have more difficulty clearing coronavirus following infection, which could explain their more serious problems with COVID-19 disease," study lead researcher Dr. Aditi Shastri, assistant professor of medicine at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York City and a clinical oncologist at the Montefiore Einstein Center for Cancer Care, said in a statement.

Previous research has shown that SARS-CoV-2 invades certain human cells by plugging into these cells' ACE2 receptors. So, the researchers consulted a database, and found that the testes have high levels of ACE2 expression. In contrast, ACE2 could not be detected in the ovaries, the female equivalent of the testes.

However, the research did not actually look in the testes to see if SARS-CoV-2 is hanging out there, so "it does not tell us whether the virus infects testes or whether it is a reservoir of virus," said Iwasaki, who was not involved in the research.

Other research has suggested that smoking may play a role, as smoking is related to higher expression of ACE2 receptors. But while more men than women smoke in China, that's not true in other countries, which likely puts a kibosh on smoking to explain the sex difference.

"What we saw in Wuhan [with the sex difference] has been replicated in every country around the world where we have accurate reporting," Sabra Klein, a researcher at the Johns Hopkins Center for Women's Health, Sex, and Gender Differences, told NPR. "In countries like Spain, where the percentages of males and females who report smoking is not significantly different, we still are seeing this profound male bias in severity of COVID-19."

Other explanations: Women are simply less likely to engage in health-related risks and are better at washing their hands, studies find, and perhaps that's behind the gender disparity

Sex differences aren't the only factor at play, however. Other groups more vulnerable to COVID-19 include the elderly and people with diabetes, high blood pressure and obesity, Live Science previously reported.

Originally published onLive Science.

Continued here:
Why are more men dying from COVID-19? - Livescience.com

Recommendation and review posted by Bethany Smith

The relationship between exercise and your menstrual cycle is more important than you think. Here, personal trainer Lucy Fry explains how to adapt your training to match your hormones.

Youre determined to go for a run. You really will today. Then you feel that nagging backache telling you your period is on its way. Though a brisk 30-minute walk or some gentle cycling would probably help your mood, this just isnt the time to be pushing yourself. The trainers go back under the bed. But in 10 days time it will be a different story.

As a personal trainer, Ive discovered through menstrual bleeding, hot sweats and lots of hormonal tears just how much my menstrual cycle matters. This is something I speak to every female client about; explaining how tracking and respecting their hormones is one of the most important things they can do for their overall fitness.

Exercising in a way that specifically encourages hormonal balance will improve your mood, reduce PMS, enhance bone, brain and cardiovascular health and make you fitter, agrees Dr Valeria Acampora from The Marion Gluck Clinic, a specialist hormone centre in London.

Ive gone from being totally uninterested in the relationship between hormones and fitness to becoming borderline evangelical. I know that when I exercise in a way thats mindful of my menstrual cycle, things feel good. When I dont, well there was the weightlifting class I walked out of because my PMS tears made it hard to see the barbell. I also once dropped a dumbbell on my foot because I was distracted by cramps. So, do as I say and not as I did.

As we know, everyone is individual and cycle lengths vary, but take day one of your period as the starting point and follow my guide to timing your workouts for the healthiest impact.

Day 1-5: Dont stop moving

So your period has started. This marks the start of the follicular/ pre-ovulatory phase of the menstrual cycle, which lasts all the way up to ovulation at the mid-point of your cycle. In the Middle Ages, the onset of a period was referred to as flowering. I know floral isnt exactly how many of us feel on the first day (more drained, weepy and sore), but its not so ludicrous: energy and vitality are around the corner. Your oestrogen, testosterone and progesterone may be low at this point, but oestrogen and testosterone will rise again within hours of menstruating.

A few women feel fine on day one, but many feel they want to curl up and die, says Nike global master trainer Joslyn Thompson Rule, who recommends that all her clients track their cycleswith apps such as Moody Month.

The more information about yourself that you are able to gather, the better equipped you are to make optimal decisions around your training at any given time of the month.

Even if youre feeling ropey, you should still get moving, says Dr Acampora. Im constantly fighting the notion that its best to stay in bed and take painkillers during this first couple of days, she says. In fact, doing short bursts of moderate exercise is the best thing you can do, particularly if youre suffering from cramps. Endorphins peak around 20 minutes into exercise and are natural, effective painkillers.

A short burst of exercise is the best thing you can do, endorphins are natural, effective painkillers

Choose an exercise you enjoy. Whether you opt to power walk, cycle or lift weights, just be aware that you might feel a little shaky or weak. Its probably not the time to try one of those shouty military classes and it certainly isnt the time to get competitive. Not only are you likely to feel washed out if youre bleeding heavily, but research also suggests physical performance is impaired by menstruation, mainly because we have less energy. (Tennis star Heather Watson said recently that she had nightmares about getting her period during Wimbledon.)

You should also think about your ligaments, as exercise while youre bleeding can have a more powerful effect on this connective tissue. Its best to avoid high-impact workouts like jumping or sprinting.

And what about yoga? Some yogis, especially for the more vigorous styles like Ashtanga, say that women having their periods shouldnt be on the mat. Others say you should avoid inversions like shoulder stands, but theres little evidence to back this up. Its probably best to stick to more restorative yoga like Iyengar and Yin, rather than Bikram-style heated classes, so you can breathe easily through every pose.

Wearing a Be You Period Cramp Relief Patch, which is infused with menthol and eucalyptus oil, will relax your muscles and help reduce the pain of cramps while you work out (6.99 for five, beyouonline.co.uk).

Underwear brand Dear Kate has created knickers with a leak-resistant outer layer and a lining that holds the same amount as two tampons especially for exercising on your period (from 28, fashercise.com).

Day 6-14: Go hard and high-intensity

This is the time in your cycle when you feel like you can move mountains. Some women start to feel fabulous around day three while for others its more like day seven, but somewhere during this secondary phase youll notice increased power in your body and more clarity in your mind.

Your oestrogen levels have been rising slowly and by the end of the first week you should feel a definite shift upwards in energy, says Thompson Rule. There are practical benefits, too. This increase in oestrogen means that muscle repair happens faster, so your body is prepped hormonally to train harder at a higher intensity and with a faster recovery time, she says. This is thought to be down to an increase in collagen metabolism, a process that helps your wounds to heal, at this point in the menstrual cycle. Youll also be physically stronger a recent study in The Journal Of Physiology noted that ovulating women showed an 11% increase in strength in their handgrip as well as in their quadriceps (the front thigh muscles).

So, you feel like a superhero, strong and fast to heal. But theres more. All that testosterone your body is now producing enhances confidence, assertiveness and libido, making this the ideal time to try that scary trapeze class youve been putting off, go rock-climbing or even learn to tango. Try to book in the big challenges for this phase in your cycle a 10k race, triathlon, marathon or any ambitious mountain climbs. Heavy weightlifting should feel great now too, as should any kind of high-intensity interval training.

All the testosterone your body is producing enhances confidence, assertiveness and libido

But, sadly, youre not actually a superhero particularly around ovulation (days 12-16) when, despite all that extra handgrip ability, you might also do yourself a mischief. Women feel at their strongest and most resilient during ovulation, but are possibly more prone to injury at this point due to high oestrogen levels, says Stephanie Moore, a nutritional therapist and hormonal health expert.

Even though you wont be saving cities while wearing a cape, you are still entitled to rewards. Lots of carbohydrate-based rewards, because this is a time when your body is optimised to turn carbs into muscle energy. The oestrogen dominance in this phase translates to better insulin sensitivity, which drives glycogen stores in the muscles, says Moore. Translation? Pass the pizza after your training, of course.

Give yourself an extra boost with a turmeric and ginger-infused drink like DRGN, which is packed with vitamins, electrolytes and an amino acid to keep you energised (5.56 for three cans, drgndrink.com).

A couple of squares of 85% cacao chocolate helps with stress management and relaxes muscles after training, says Moore. Try Vivanis dark chocolate creamy and not too bitter (2.65, planetorganic.com).

Day 15-23: Keep it steady and stress-free

Now begins the second half of your cycle, otherwise known as the luteal phase, starting after ovulation and continuing right through until you get your period again.

Progesterone starts increasing now, while testosterone and oestrogen decrease, which means youre likely to feel fatigued. But wait get off the sofa and into your running shoes, says Dr Acampora. You may not feel like it, but this is the time for running or swimming or cycling and gentle yoga isnt enough, she says. You need to move intensely enough to create the physiological changes inside your body that boost your energy. Doing what we call steady-state exercise, like 30 minutes of even-paced swimming or jogging, causes the numbers of organisms called mitochondria (that live in the muscle cells) to go up, explains Dr Acampora. These organisms are the ones that give us energy, so having more can

lessen the feeling of tiredness.

Probably best to cap activity at 30 minutes, however. Firstly, body temperature tends to run higher post-ovulation (it dips just before and then goes up and stays up for

a good few days after one of your ovaries has released an egg). Science suggests that this can make it harder to sustain endurance training and high-level cardio workouts, so its best to save the more intense stuff for the week before. For you more seriousrunners or cyclists: if theres a week to avoid those super sweaty, anaerobic sessions where you maintain a tough pace for a certain uncomfortable length of time, this is it.

Body temperature tends to run higher post-ovulation, making cardio workouts harder

Another reason not to overdo it here, and the reason you shouldnt be hitting it hard every time you exercise, relates to cortisol. Cortisol is an anti-inflammatory hormone released when you are under stress, often referred to as natures built-in alarm system. Its great in a crisis as it helps fuel the all-important fight or flight response but heavy training isnt actually a crisis, is it?

While regular exercise of varied intensities can help with stress, regulating our cortisol production, if you do too much exercise you can actually increase cortisol levels and feel worse, says Dr Acampora. Id never advise pushing too hard, too often. To achieve the optimal hormonal balance you have to exercise at least three times a week, ideally four, but if you do it at high intensity 6-7 times a week youll increase cortisol too much. Unless youre an athlete, keep intense workouts to a minimum now or youll risk reduced immunity, insomnia and injury.

The Cloud performance trainers from On Running are stylish, lightweight and feel more like slippers than serious workout wear they make getting out and getting moving even easier (120, on-running.com).

Make sure you arent overdoing it, plan your workouts around your week and stay on track with the help of a beautiful Daily Greatness 12-week training journal (29.95, dailygreatness.co.uk).

Day 23 onwards: Wind down your workouts

Oh dear, its time for PMS, which can start anywhere from five to 10 days before your period is due and includes all sorts of symptoms, ranging from the uncomfortable to the downright debilitating. Youre probably familiar with many of them breast tenderness, bloating, feeling unusually irritated or upset, headaches, fatigue and skin issues.

Do yourself a favour right now and eat more good fats, says Moore. The higher progesterone levels during the luteal phase make your body better at burning fat. That said, women are more prone to a reduction in serotonin levels, which can drive carb cravings. So eat the avocado, but cut back on the toast.

And what about the exercise? Definitely do still go to the gym, but for less time, says Dr Acampora, advising not much more than 30 minutes of low intensity exercise to help with pre-menstrual symptoms. Youre aiming to produce endorphins again, which reduce pain and boost our mood.

A recent study suggested that regular exercise had similar effects to some antidepressants when it came to dealing with depression and can also make the same positive structural changes in the brain as medication.

I have had some fairly embarrassing encounters in kickboxing classes thanks to PMS

One thing that isnt so great for your mood though, is feeling like an idiot. Stay away from complicated moves at this time of the month, since lowered oestrogen and testosterone can reduce your coordination. I have had some fairly embarrassing encounters in kickboxing classes thanks to PMS (lets just say the other persons face wasnt very happy when I missed the pads) and majorly wiped out of a headstand in yoga, taking down at least three others in the process. The rest of the class found it hilarious but, quite honestly, I just felt sore and out of control.

Headstands and boxing aside, its certainly good to keep moving through PMS, even if youre feeling that rather special blend of melancholic and irate that comes upon us at this time of the month. Need some more motivation? Enter irisin. Irisin is a hormone thats produced by the skeletal muscle cells only when you exercise, and its job is to protect bone health and brain health, says Dr Acampora. Its also an incredible fat-fighter, since irisin activates some genes that transform white fat (the lazy kind) into brown fat, which continues to burn energy and therefore helps people to lose unwanted fat even after exercising. So its gentle, aerobic irisin-producing exercise that is recommended at this stage of your cycle.

Moore recommends a teaspoon of pure MCT (medium chain triglyceride) oil a day. Its full of healthy fats that boost energy and control blood sugar levels (from 18.99 for 500ml, hollandandbarrett.com).

I often tune in to The V Word podcast; when youre low on motivation and energy, listening to two badass gynaecologists talk vaginas and womanhood is empowering.

Read the original here:
Exercise and periods: How to workout according to your hormones - Stylist Magazine

Recommendation and review posted by Bethany Smith

Editor's note: Find the latest COVID-19 news and guidance in Medscape's Coronavirus Resource Center.

Routine cancer care, from screening and diagnostic tests in suspected casesto treatment of known cases with surgery and chemotherapy, has been substantially disrupted as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, warns an expert from a leading UK charity, Cancer Research UK (CRUK).

Sara Hiom, CRUK's director of cancer intelligence, early diagnosis, and clinical engagement, says this is taking its toll on patients and healthcare workers alike.

She suspects that there are thousands of cancer cases going undiagnosed or untreated because of a lack of healthcare staff, fears over infection risk, and patients with signs and symptoms not coming forward.

Writing in a blog post published by CRUK on April 21, Hiom says this is causing "huge anxiety" to patients and having a psychological impact on physicians unable to "offer the comfort and reassurance they'd like."

The issue has been building since the COVID-19 pandemic hit the UK.

Earlier this month, consultant oncologist Karol Sikora, MD, PhD, warned that patients in certain areas of the country were not receiving chemotherapy and operations were being put on hold. Sikora, who is chief medical officer at Rutherford Health, which runs several oncology centers, told The Guardian newspaper on April 4 that treatment had become "inconsistent," with some hospitals having put "blanket bans on cancer treatment."

"Not everyone needs to rush ahead with cancer treatment, but others need to continue despite this to get the best long-term cure," he said.

In her post, Hiom details how the COVID-19 pandemic has affected many aspects of cancer care in the UK right along the care pathway.

Alongside screening services being officially "paused" in Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland, she says they are "effectively paused" in England because invitations to screen are not being sent out.

This means that around 200,000 people are no longer being screened for colorectal, breast, and cervical cancer across the UK every week.

She warns that as a consequence "there will be a significant number of early cancers left undetected before these programs can be reintroduced," particularly in the early stages "when treatment is more effective."

The issue of cancer screening being halted was recently discussed on Medscape by Yale pathologist Benjamin Mazer, MD. He argues that the pandemic offers "a natural experiment like no other" and wonders if the break in screening will result in more advanced cancer being diagnosed, and whether that will affect outcomes.

In her blog, Hiom also reports that patients are not presenting with signs and symptoms indicative of cancer. The drop in numbers of people visiting their physician with symptoms affects "the whole diagnostic pathway." Urgent referrals for cancer havedropped by around 75% in England since the pandemic started.

Additionally, physicians are reluctant to send their patients to the local hospital in case they contract COVID-19, and many diagnostic tests such as endoscopy, bronchoscopy, guided biopsies, and computed tomography, are not taking place to protect patients and staff.

Hiom estimates that, as a result, 2300 cancer cases are going undiagnosed across the UK, a figure that "will be stacking up over time."

Patients already diagnosed with cancer have been hit hard by the pandemic.

Despite national guidelines saying that urgent and essential cancer treatment must continue, those waiting in particular for surgery have had, in some hospitals, their appointments canceled or delayed by 3 months or more.

"We've been hearing that patients requiring major surgery aren't able to have it as either there are no recovery beds with ventilation, no [intensive care unit] beds if surgery were to go wrong, or because the surgery is just too risky for patients and staff," Hiom writes.

"Unfortunately, these issues are heavily affecting those who might benefit from surgery the most, as many 'curative' operations are complex," she continues.

There are also cases of chemotherapy and palliative care being affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, with either fear over the risks of infection or a lack of staff preventing high-priority treatment.

Comments on the CRUK post from patients with cancer and relatives show the anxiety that has resulted.

Patricia Matthewman said her son was diagnosed with cancer on March 17 and was told he needed chemotherapy "ASAP."

However, 2 weeks later he was told his treatment was postponed "until further notice."

"How are we supposed to live with this," she writes. "He is 47 years old with a wife and 2 children. I am terrified."

Another woman, who has secondary breast cancer, said all her appointments with her oncologists have been canceled and her personal physician called her to make sure she has an advance do not resuscitate order.

She writes that she is "literally being left to die."

Some oncologists have tried to "mitigate some of this disruption," Hiom writes. For example, some are using hormone therapy or radical radiotherapy instead of surgery for some cancers.

One oncologist who has adapted his practice in response to the pandemic is Clive Peedell, MD, from the James Cook University Hospital, Middlesbrough, UK, and cofounder of the National Health Action Party. In a series of posts on Twitter, he explains that he has switched to teleconsultations for routine and treatment follow-up, but still has in-clinic visits for most of his new patients and those he is worried about.

"To be fair, this could be a good new way to do a lot of my work in future," he says.

However, Peedell acknowledged that it has been "a new tough new world for oncologists" in terms of treatment decisions.

"We lack the data to accurately guide us and we are taking a pragmatic approach based on national and international expert consensus opinion," he added.

Peedell notes that he is giving less chemotherapy and has stopped adjuvant chemotherapy for patients with lung cancer after surgery, which will reduce the cure rate "by at least 5% in these patients."

On a more positive noted, Peedell adds: "Interestingly, I'm actually giving more lung cancer radiotherapy than ever before, because the surgeons are operating much less due to #COVID19 risks, and we can use stereotactic radiotherapy to treat early stage lung cancer as a very good alternative to surgery."

No funding or conflicts of interest declared.

Cancer Research UK. How coronavirus is impacting cancer services in the UK. Published online April 21, 2020. Blog

For more from Medscape Oncology, join us on Twitter and Facebook.

Read more from the original source:
Cancer Diagnosis and Treatment Upended by COVID-19, Says CRUK - Medscape

Recommendation and review posted by Bethany Smith

Although losing weight at any age has considerable health benefits, it turns out that dropping a few pounds after age 50 might be especially good for you.

Losing weight after 50 is doable, and it comes with some big health perks.

Image Credit: kali9/E+/GettyImages

Hormonal and metabolic changes that commonly take place after 50 make it easier to pack on weight, Kristine Gedroic, MD, medical director of the Gedroic Medical Institute, tells LIVESTRONG.com. But while weight gain after 50 might be common, it can also be dangerous: Putting on pounds at this age, Dr. Gedroic says, increases the risk of diseases like stroke and diabetes.

But while weight gain might be risky, weight loss is possible and worth it if your weight has crept into the unhealthy range. Here are a few of the most notable benefits.

Did you know that keeping a food diary is one of the most effective ways to manage your weight? Download the MyPlate app to easily track calories, stay focused and achieve your goals!

Obesity at 50 was associated with an increased risk of dementia in a study published February 2018 in the journal Alzheimer's & Dementia (although, curiously, obesity at 60 or 70 was not).

While researchers aren't clear exactly why this is, Dr. Gedroic says the gut microbiome, which can become imbalanced as we age, might be a potential link.

"Research has shown that we have a natural tendency toward an imbalanced gut, including more bad bacteria in our gut, as we grow older," she says. "An imbalance in the gut microbiome can affect brain health and has even been tied to neurodegenerative disease."

Indeed, one January 2019 study published in Scientific Reports analyzed the fecal samples of participants in a memory care clinic and found that the samples that came from patients with dementia had a higher prevalence of bad bacteria.

Eating more fruits, vegetables and high-fiber foods can contribute to weight loss, balance the gut, and lead to a healthier brain in the process, Dr. Gedroic says.

Hot flashes, which occur as a side effect of menopause and are most common in women over 50, are notoriously uncomfortable and carrying extra weight can make them even more so.

"Hormones like estrogen are stored in fat tissue, so it makes sense that the more fat a woman has, the more estrogen in her body and the more pronounced her menopausal symptoms can become," Dr. Gedroic says.

In fact, one study from the December 2017 issue of BMC Women's Health found that women with obesity were "significantly" more likely to have moderate to severe menopausal symptoms as well as have them more often, including hot flashes.

Dropping to a healthy weight can help ease joint pain.

Image Credit: dragana991/iStock/GettyImages

Osteoarthritis, or OA, is one of the most common side effects of aging, according to the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.

With OA, the cartilage that cushions and protects the bones wears down over time, causing the bones to rub together and joints to become swollen, stiff and painful. Carrying extra weight exacerbates osteoarthritis, causing more pressure on the joint and, often, more pain.

Arthritis and damaged cartilage aren't conditions that can be reversed. But, according to the Cleveland Clinic, losing weight can put less pressure on the joints and reduce symptoms, making it easier and less painful to walk around.

Cancers that are hormone-dependent can show up in women over 50 due to weight gain since hormones like estrogen are stored in fat, Dr. Gedroic says.

"The more fat you're carrying, the higher your hormone levels," she says. "This is why obesity in women has been linked to a higher risk of hormone-receptor-positive breast cancer, and why women who lose weight particularly after the age of 50 dramatically reduce their risk of the disease."

Not surprisingly, a study published December 2019 in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute found that women who lost weight in their 50s had a lower risk of breast cancer than women whose weight stayed the same even if the women who lost weight ended up gaining some of it back.

What's also important to note, Dr. Gedroic says, is that obesity is also associated with a poorly functioning liver. The liver is critical to filtering out harmful chemicals like environmental pollutants and cancer-causing toxins. With cancer rates already higher due to age, having a poorly functioning liver due to obesity "increases the risk of many diseases, including cancer," she says.

The rest is here:
4 Surprising Benefits of Losing Weight After 50 - LIVESTRONG.COM

Recommendation and review posted by Bethany Smith

Surgery, puberty blockers, and hormone replacement therapy will soon be banned for trans-identified youth under the age of 18 in the UK. The UKs Trade Minister Liz Truss offered this statement to the Times: Grown adults should be able to make decisions, to have agency to live life as they see fit. But before the age of 18, when people are still developing their decision-making capabilities, they should be protected from making decisions that are irreversible about their bodies that they could possibly regret in the future.

This development may come as no surprise to those who have paid attention to the intense scrutiny on medical transition among minors by people who view it as causing irreversible change to kids who may someday regret their choice.

In the last few years, there has been a huge statistical rise in young people identifying as transgender. According to The Childrens Gender Service at the Tavistock in Britain, there were just 77 trans children at their clinic in 2010. By 2019, there were 2,950 patients with 3,000 more on the waiting list to be treated.

We can attribute the unprecedented spike in children seeking to medicalize their gender to both the increase in acceptance and knowledge of transgenderism as well as the constantly-expanding definition of what transgender is by activists. It has continuously become an umbrella that encompasses far more than just the individuals who experience gender dysphoria, which used to be the primary factor in decisions made by psychologists and surgeons to determine if an individual should undergo transition.

As a trans woman myself, Ive always been concerned with the reality that tweens and teens were given the choice to permanently sterilize themselves through hormone replacement therapy, which is an effect male-to-female transsexuals experience. While there are many success stories from trans people who made the leap very young, such as famed pop singer Kim Petras, it seems to be that there are just as many stories of regret.

The voices of young people who have now de-transitioned are also becoming more and more available thanks to social media platforms like Youtube, where new stories are going viral on a consistent basis. It is unconscionable to disregard these stories as invalid while only signal-boosting the success stories.

One of the most fascinating interviews Ive done on my YouTube channel is with a teen de-transitioner who described every regret and trauma that critics of underage transitioning fear for them. You can check it out below.

Read the original:
UK moves to ban children transitioning Surgery, puberty blockers, and hormone replacement therapy will soon be - The Post Millennial

Recommendation and review posted by Bethany Smith

While she has been given the green light to start treatment, not everyone has been so lucky.

Loading

Associate Professor Peter Illingworth, medical director of IVF Australia, wrote to patients warning that while the fertility provider was "aiming to accommodate everyone who contacts us ... we will not compromise the care IVF Australia can offer you, by taking on too many patients at once".

Those patients whose had already had a cycle postponed due to the COVID-19 epidemic, were "short of time by being aged 40 or above, had a low ovarian egg number or had already completed three full cycles with IVF Australia" would be prioritised, the email said.

Dr Anne Clark, medical director of Sydney IVF clinic Fertility First, Sydney, said it would not be a simple case of booking a procedure when the ban lifts on Tuesday, as many clinics were operating on a skeleton staff and some patients had stopped their hormone treatment.

"Many women and couples have had to delay treatment when their time to have a child is already very limited," Dr Clark said.

Loading

"For many women, their cycles will be out of synchronisation."

Professor Luk Rombauts, vice president of the Fertility Society of Australia, said families seeking IVF treatment had "often been trying for two or three years with lots of mishaps along the way" before seeking treatment.

"They don't rock up on our doorstop with a new problem ... By the time we see them, they're new to us, but they've already had a significant journey behind them, including a couple of miscarriages, perhaps," he said.

"So for them to be told ... they would have to postpone or delay their treatment for an indefinite period of time because no one knew whether this was going to be six months or a year that was understandably very devastating and very hard for us to communicate to our patients."

Professor Rombauts said it made sense to restore IVF services early in the elective surgery restart, as patients with fertility problems were "otherwise generally healthy, and they're quite young".

"So, if some of them were to accidentally somehow get infected, the implications of that is probably less than for older people who need a colonoscopy," he said.

Fertility industry guidelines were being distributed, outlining best practice for the use of personal protective equipment and COVID-19 testing of patients deemed at risk.

"Testing patients when they come in is probably one of the best ways we can minimise the risk of infection," Professor Rombauts said.

Dana is health and industrial relations reporter for The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age.

Visit link:
Fertility patients eager to restart IVF treatment when ban lifts - Sydney Morning Herald

Recommendation and review posted by Bethany Smith

Study on the Global Endometriosis Treatment Market

The report on the global Endometriosis Treatment market reveals that the Endometriosis Treatment market is anticipated to grow at a CAGR of ~XX% during the forecast period (2019-2029). The report provides a thorough assessment of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the current and future prospects of the Endometriosis Treatment market across various geographies. Further, the report provides accurate data related to the business continuity and contingency strategies adopted by leading market players operating in the Endometriosis Treatment market.

The quantitative and qualitative assessment of the various segments of the Endometriosis Treatment market enables stakeholders, investors, upcoming and established market players to devise robust business development strategies. The report tracks the recent developments within the Endometriosis Treatment market in terms of innovation, technological progress, regulatory framework, supply chain bottlenecks, and more.

Get Free Sample PDF (including COVID19 Impact Analysis, full TOC, Tables and Figures) of Market Report @ https://www.researchmoz.com/enquiry.php?type=S&repid=2525329&source=atm

Major Doubts Pertaining to the Endometriosis Treatment Market Addressed in the Report

Segmentation Analysis of the Endometriosis Treatment Market

The growth potential of the Endometriosis Treatment market in each region is accurately depicted in the report. The market attractiveness index included in the report enables readers to identify the most lucrative pockets within the Endometriosis Treatment market and make informed business decisions.

The report throws light on the adoption pattern of different products along with a thorough analysis of the pricing and supply-demand ratio of each product.

Competitive Landscape

The competitive landscape section of the report tracks the business proceedings of the key players operating in the Endometriosis Treatment market. The pricing, marketing, sales, and promotional strategies adopted by each market player is represented in the report. The contingency strategies of different players amidst the COVID-19 pandemic are touched upon in the presented report.

The following manufacturers are covered:AbbVieEli LillyAstraZenecaBayerAstellas PharmaMeditrina PharmaceuticalsPfizerNeurocrine BiosciencesTakeda Pharmaceutical

Segment by RegionsNorth AmericaEuropeChinaJapanSoutheast AsiaIndia

Segment by TypeHormonal ContraceptivesGonadotropin-releasing Hormone (Gn-RH) AgonistsProgestin TherapyAromatase Inhibitors

Segment by ApplicationHospitalClinicOther

Do You Have Any Query Or Specific Requirement? Ask to Our Industry [emailprotected] https://www.researchmoz.com/enquiry.php?type=E&repid=2525329&source=atm

Key Findings of the Report

You can Buy This Report from Here @ https://www.researchmoz.com/checkout?rep_id=2525329&licType=S&source=atm

View post:
Weekly Update: Global Coronavirus Impact and Implications on Endometriosis Treatment Market Projection By Top key Players, Share, Size, Demand,...

Recommendation and review posted by Bethany Smith

Our hands are at the frontline of our personal battle against Covid-19.

Weve all learnt to wash them regularly, for extended periods of time, and to slather them in hand sanitiser when needed. But for many, the flip side of all this attention is flaky or dry skin, exacerbated by the fact that we are spending more time indoors, with the air conditioning on.

We are seeing more dermatitis of the hands than usual, as the alcohol in hand sanitisers as well as the act of washing hands more frequently are both drying out the skin

Dr Mariam Khalfan Al Suwaidi

With Covid-19 requiring frequent handwashing and sanitising, and with most people staying at home, as well the onset of summer and Ramadan, we should be taking more care of our skin, says Dr Mariam Khalfan Al Suwaidi, consultant dermatologist and head of Healthpoints department of dermatology.

"At Healthpoint, we are seeing more dermatitis of the hands than usual, as the alcohol in hand sanitisers as well as the act of washing hands more frequently are both drying out the skin. Some sanitisers and soaps contain chemicals and perfumes that irritate the skin, and cause contact dermatitis, she adds.

After washing your hands for the prescribed minimum of 20 seconds, ensure they are completely dry and then make a habit of applying some moisturiser. Al Suwaidi recommends a skincare, rather than cosmetics, range with as few perfumes, chemicals and potential irritants possible.

Using moisturiser will not neutralise your handwashing efforts, or leave you more vulnerable to infections, notes Dr Rutsnei Schmitz Junior, a dermatologist at Medcare Women and Children Hospital. He also recommends that you moisturise immediately after washing your hands, using a pea-sized amount of lotion that you rub into both hands.

Use moisturisers with mineral oil or petrolatum they are the ones that you squeeze out of a tube, not the ones that you pump out of a bottle. Choose fragrance-free and dye-free moisturisers, as these are less irritating to your skin.

If you suspect that you are suffering from more than your run-of-the-mill dryness, Al Suwaidi recommends consulting with a dermatologist; she is currently seeing patients through video calls to maintain social distancing. If you have a flare-up indicating dermatitis, with symptoms such as red, cracked, itchy or burning skin, it should be evaluated by a dermatologist to ensure it is not accompanied by a bacterial infection.

Heightened anxiety and stress levels, as well as disrupted sleeping patterns, may also be having an adverse affect on your skin, suggests Dr Fiona Cowie, an aesthetician at Dermalase Clinic in Dubai.

It is important for our skin that we stick to a regular sleep pattern otherwise our bodies release more cortisol which is the stress hormone. Cortisol can cause flare ups of acne, eczema and psoriasis. Exercising regularly at home will help to reduce cortisol as well as reducing stress and anxiety, leading to clearer skin.

If you are suffering from perpetually itchy skin, Cowie suggests acquiring a humidifier. Also, avoid long hot showers, which can further dehydrate your skin and take shorter, lukewarm showers instead. And do not become over-reliant on the hand sanitiser. Its alcohol content is far more likely to dry out your skin, so rely on good old fashioned soap and water instead.

Avoid washing in excessively hot water, as this can strip the natural protective oils from your skin. Make sure you use a moisturising soap, soaps that have glycerin and lanolin in them are excellent moisturisers, suggests Cowie. Try to avoid bar soaps, and use liquid soaps instead as these have a lower pH and are less drying to skin. And try to pat hands dry rather than using rough towels to avoid disrupting the natural skin barrier.

A good tip is to leave a moisturiser next to every sink and get into the habit of applying it after every hand wash. Using gloves as much as possible for household chores will also help to protect your hands. Finally, if you suffer with a skin condition that has become worse during lockdown, try to avoid foods with a high glycemic index, such as cereals, rice and white bread, and replace them with foods that are rich in antioxidants to boost your overall health.

As the weather heats up, you should also be doing your best to stay hydrated, especially if you are fasting, as this will have an impact on the skin all over your body.

As a special treat, why not try a DIY hand mask, says Galina Antoniuk, director of Anantara Dubai Spa. Hand masks are a skin conditioning, nourishing treatment, improving the appearance of the skin and are usually used after exfoliation, which removes dead skin and improves circulation.

"Note that hand masks can be prepared at home. Add 2/3 cup of sugar to a jar or container of your choice (whatever sugar you have in the pantry is fine). Add 1/4 cup of either coconut oil or olive oil. Apply to hands and rub together. Rinse and apply hand cream.

Updated: April 27, 2020 08:39 AM

Read the original:
Dry hands from constant washing? Here are some tips on how to counter the flaky problem - The National

Recommendation and review posted by Bethany Smith

Even in times of the COVID-19 crisis, life-saving blood stem cells are brought to patients - by committed people like Maria

Originally published by DKMS

Maria Schmiing is a DKMS employee and has also been a volunteer stem cell courier for about two years. A few days ago, she took a transplant from Germany to the US - a particularly difficult challenge in times of the COVID-19 crisis. Currently, entry to the US is only possible because DKMS, with the support of the US Stem Cell Donor Register: National Marrow Donor Program (NMDP/Be the Match), has obtained a special permit for stem cell couriers to enter the country - so that patients can receive urgently needed transplants.

"It was through an acquaintance of mine that I became aware of it several years ago. She is a teacher and carries out stem cell transports during the school holidays - I was immediately enthusiastic about it and signed up for it," says Maria Schmiing from Cologne. She applied to Ontime Onboard Courier GmbH, one of the transport companies that DKMS works with to bring life-saving blood stem cells to the recipients.

Maria's first assignment took her to Leiden in the Netherlands - an important place in the fight against blood cancer, as the World Marrow Donor Association (WMDA) has its headquarters there. "I was really excited before I even started the journey," she recalls.

Afterwards many further assignments followed, and it was because of this job as a courier that her desire to work at DKMS was born. "For me, the circle is complete; I'm doing something meaningful with my life. I am very aware of what I am doing this for: for the patients who need our help. What I think is great is that I am also really supported by my team and my managers, especially in the current situation."

Blood stem cell couriers like Maria Schmiing are currently in great demand to ensure that blood stem cell donations reach their recipients all over the world safely, even during the COVID-19 crisis. A few days ago the latest task for the 34-year-old was to travel to the US. "The procedure for a courier mission is actually always the same," she explains, "During the briefing the day before, we go through all documents together and the entire itinerary is discussed. Everything important detail is marked and addressed." But something is different at the moment: the couriers must carry a special permit that allows them to enter the US. "This must be presented upon entry and exit."

The next stop for Maria was the collection centre the next morning. There she received the life-saving blood stem cells from specially trained staff. These had previously been collected from a DKMS donor and prepared for transport. All documents and data were double checked based on the 4 eye principle before the transplant was handed over. "We especially look at the donor number and compare it, because we have to make sure that the patient receives the right transplant".

Afterwards Maria could start her journey. Stem cell couriers are allowed one additional piece of hand luggage only to be able to stay flexible on the way. "Most important are the blood stem cells or the bone marrow. We must not lose sight of the transplant during the entire journey. I look after this suitcase like my own personal treasure, like a mother who looks after her children. I am aware of the responsibility I carry and this stays with me until I have delivered the blood stem cells safely to the patient's clinic."

Before the departure to the US, she made sure that at the Frankfurt Airport the suitcase with the stem cells was not X-rayed. "I always explain that this is harmful to the transplant something most people know. Only after an officer has brought the suitcase through the security area, do I then follow. This is the only time we hand the suitcase over to somebody else. Fortunately, there were no problems either at the security check or at customs.

Once on the plane she informed the crew - an important and regular task for her - and did not let the suitcase out of her sight during the flight. "Sleep, of course, is out of the question. We are not allowed to drink alcohol 24 hours before and during the flight and we of course have to take the suitcase everywhere with us."

Upon arrival in the US, Maria noticed two differences "After landing, several security officers entered the plane and talked to the crew - only then were we allowed to disembark. In addition to this, they took the temperature of all passengers.

She then continued her journey by taxi to the transplant clinic. "Everything went really well, and I was met at the clinic by a member of staff. Again there, we double checked everything and went through the documents according to the four eye principle. Once we get back to Germany, there is also a debriefing and I then return the suitcase."

After handing a transplant over, there is always a moment of great relief for Maria: "The tension disappears. Afterwards she has a ritual, which is very important for her. "I go to the hotel, have a shower and then go out and raise a glass of beer for the patient. I think about how they are doing and what is still ahead of them. I then tell myself that from my side I've done everything I can to help them and I wish them all the best."

Going out and having a beer was not possible this time, as neither shops nor bars were open in the American city - even the hotel restaurant was closed. "I changed my ritual and toasted the unknown patient with a glass of tap water in my room!"

The next day she went back to Germany and soon the next flight will be scheduled for her - couriers are rare in this COVID-19crisis-ridden time. "My learning from this journey: I will take an emergency ration of trail mix with me, you never know," she says with a wink. She reflects on her commitment to patients. "I am still available when my help is needed. I am aware of the risk and take the best possible care and comply with all safety precautions. It is also clear that patients cannot wait - and despite everything with the current situation they should still be given a chance at life.

Learn more about how you can help deleteblood cancer atDKMS.org

See the original post:
On the Road As a Stem Cell Courier - CSRwire.com

Recommendation and review posted by Bethany Smith

The novel coronavirus might not have a cure right now, but its still worth acknowledging the massive research effort that goes into discovering treatments that can limit COVID-19 complications and prevent death. Doctors have observed the positive effects of a garden variety of drugs that are supposed to treat other illnesses, and some of these medicines are included in massive trials around the world. Scientists are also working on over 70 vaccine candidates for COVID-19, with some of them already showing promising results. On top of that, theres plasma from survivors thats rich in antibodies that can help people with weaker immune systems. And doctors think theyve discovered another promising treatment for COVID-19: Stem cells.

You often hear about stem cells and those reports are often miraculous in nature. Stem cells are human cells that have the superpower to transform into almost any cell of the body and they can be used to treat some medical conditions. Stem cells could regenerate lung tissue, fight inflammation, and help severe COVID-19 patients breathe on their own again. The problem with this line of thinking is that we just dont know.

Doctors at Mount Sinai treated 12 patients with stem cell therapy, and 10 of them came off their ventilators soon after, CBSNews reports. The doctors themselves have no idea what helped the patients improve, and cant definitively say that its the stem cells that saved their patients.

What we saw in the very first patient was that within four hours of getting the cells, a lot of her parameters started to get better, Dr. Karen Osman told CBS. The doctor made it clear that they cant claim the stem cell treatments are what saved the patients. We dont know, she said. And we would never dare to claim that it was related to the cells.

The doctor explained that only a randomized controlled trial would be able to tell them whether the stem cells can help with the recovery of COVID-19 patients. Thankfully, one such study is about to get underway. Mesoblast will trial stem cell treatments on 300 patients suffering from severe lung inflammation.

Osman and her team believe that stem cells extracted from bone marrow could suppress the inflammation in COVID-19 patients, and thats why they attempted the therapy. One such patient was 60-year-old Luis Naranjo who spent 14 days unconscious on a ventilator and lost 25 pounds while hospitalized of COVID-19. Naranjo has completely recovered following stem cell therapy, and hes at home working on regaining his strength.

If it works, stem therapy would still not be a miracle treatment, Osman says. The miracle treatment will be a vaccine. While we wait for any sort of efficient COVID-19 treatment, heres a simple explainer for stem cells:

Image Source: Darko Vojinovic/AP/Shutterstock

Chris Smith started writing about gadgets as a hobby, and before he knew it he was sharing his views on tech stuff with readers around the world. Whenever he's not writing about gadgets he miserably fails to stay away from them, although he desperately tries. But that's not necessarily a bad thing.

The rest is here:
Doctors think theyve discovered another potential coronavirus cure - BGR

Recommendation and review posted by Bethany Smith

Home Departments Men's Health Update

Mesoblast announced data from a phase 2/3 trial evaluating remestemcel-L, an allogeneic mesenchymal stem cell product candidate, in ventilator-dependent COVID-19 patients with moderate to severe acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS).

Remestemcel-L consists of culture-expanded mesenchymal stem cells derived from the bone marrow of an unrelated donor. It is believed to work by down-regulating the production of proinflammatory cytokines, increasing production of anti-inflammatory cytokines, and enabling recruitment of naturally occurring anti-inflammatory cells to involved tissues.

The randomized, placebo-controlled trial is being conducted at Mount Sinai hospital in New York City. Patients were treated with a variety of experimental agents prior to receiving remestemcel-L. Findings from the study showed 83% survival in ventilator-dependent COVID-19 patients with moderate/severe ARDS (n=10/12) following 2 intravenous infusions of remestemcel-L within the first 5 days; 75% of patients (n=9/12) were able to successfully come off ventilator support at a median of 10 days. There have been 7 patients discharged from the hospital as of now.

Mesoblast Chief Executive Dr Silviu Itescu stated: The remarkable clinical outcomes in these critically ill patients continue to underscore the potential benefits of remestemcel-L as an anti-inflammatory agent in cytokine release syndromes associated with high mortality, including acute graft versus host disease and COVID-19 ARDS. We intend to rapidly complete the randomized, placebo-controlled phase 2/3 trial in COVID-19 ARDS patients to rigorously confirm that remestemcel-L improves survival in these critically ill patients.

Additionally, the Food and Drug Administration recently accepted for Priority Review the Biologics License Application of remestemcel-L for the treatment of steroid-refractory acute graft vs host disease. The Company expects to launch remestemcel-L in 2020 if approved.

For more information mesoblast.com.

This article originally appeared on MPR

Please login or register first to view this content.

LoginRegister

Next post in Men's Health UpdateClose

More:
Remestemcel-L Looks Promising in COVID-19 Patients With Moderate to Severe ARDS - Renal and Urology News

Recommendation and review posted by Bethany Smith

Capping decades of research, a new study may offer a breakthrough in treatingdyskeratosis congenitaand other so-called telomere diseases, in which cells age prematurely.

Using cells donated by patients with the disease, researchers at theDana-Farber/Boston Childrens Cancer and Blood Disorders Centeridentified several small molecules that appear to reverse this cellular aging process.Suneet Agarwal, the studys senior investigator, hopes at least one of these compounds will advance toward clinical trials. Findings werepublished Tuesday in the journal Cell Stem Cell.

If so, it could be the first treatment for dyskeratosis congenita, or DC, that could reverse all of the diseases varying effects on the body. The current treatment, bone marrow transplant, is high-risk, and only helps restore the blood system, whereas DC affects multiple organs.

The compounds identified in the study restore telomeres, protective caps on the tips of our chromosomes that regulate how our cells age. Telomeres consist of repeating sequences of DNA that get shorter each time a cell divides.

The bodys stem cells, which retain their youthful qualities, normally make an enzyme called telomerase that builds telomeres back up again. But when telomeres cant be maintained, tissues age before their time. A spectrum of diseases can result not just DC, but also aplastic anemia, liver cirrhosis, and pulmonary fibrosis.

The discovery of telomerase 35 years ago, earninga Nobel Prize in 2009, galvanized the scientific world. Subsequent studies suggested the enzyme could be a key to reversing aging, as well as treating cancer, in which malignant cells become immortal and divide indefinitely.

For years, researchers have tried to find a simple and safe way to manipulate telomerase, preserve telomeres, and create cures for telomere diseases.

Once human telomerase was identified, there were lots of biotech startups, lots of investment, says Agarwal, who has researched the biology of telomerase for the past decade. But it didnt pan out. There are no drugs on the market, and companies have come and gone.

DC can be caused by mutations in any of multiple genes. Most of these mutations disrupt telomerase formation or function in particular, by disrupting two molecules called TERT and TERC that join together to form telomerase. TERT is an enzyme made in stem cells, and TERC is a so-called non-coding RNA that acts as a template to create telomeres repeating DNA sequences. Both TERT and TERC are affected by a web of other genes that tune telomerases action.

One of these genes is PARN. In 2015, Agarwal and colleagues showed inNatureGeneticsthat PARN is important for processing and stabilizing TERC. Mutations in PARN mean less TERC, less telomerase, and prematurely shortened telomeres.

Thenew study, led by Harvard Medical School postdoctoral fellow Neha Nagpal, delved further, focusing on an enzyme that opposes PARN and destabilizes TERC, called PAPD5.

We thought if we targeted PAPD5, we could protect TERC and restore the proper balance of telomerase, says Nagpal, first author on the paper.

Nagpal and her colleagues first conducted large-scale screening studies to identify PAPD5 inhibitors, testing more than 100,000 known chemicals. They got 480 initial hits, which they ultimately narrowed to a small handful.

They then tested the inhibitors in stem cells made from the Martins cells and those of other patients with DC. To the teams delight, the compounds boosted TERC levels in the cells and restored telomeres to their normal length.

But the real challenge was to see if the treatment would be safe and specific, affecting only the stem cells bearing TERT. To test this, the team introduced DC-causing PARN mutations into human blood stem cells, transplanted those cells into mice, then treated the mice with oral PAPD5 inhibitors. The compounds boosted TERC and restored telomere length in the transplanted stem cells, with no adverse effect on the mice or on the ability to form different kinds of blood cells.

This provided the hope that this could become a clinical treatment, says Nagpal.

In the future, Agarwal, Nagpal, and colleagues hope to validate PAPD5 inhibition for other diseases involving faulty maintenance of telomeres and perhaps even aging itself. They are most excited about two compounds, known as BCH001 and RG7834 that are under further development.

We envision these to be a new class of oral medicines that target stem cells throughout the body, Agarwal says. We expect restoring telomeres in stem cells will increase tissue regenerative capacity in the blood, lungs, and other organs affected in DC and other diseases.

One email, each morning, with our latest posts. From medical research to space news. Environment to energy. Technology to physics.

Thank you for subscribing.

Something went wrong.

View post:
Breakthrough to halt premature aging of cells - ScienceBlog.com

Recommendation and review posted by Bethany Smith

A Co Armagh cancer survivor is inspiring people to Race for Life at Home and carry on the fight against the disease in these unprecedented times.

Clare Crossey (33), a care worker from Lurgan who was diagnosed with leukaemia in February 2018, had hoped to take part in Cancer Research UK's Race for Life in Belfast on Sunday, May 24.

Unfortunately the Belfast Race for Life is among events which organisers Cancer Research UK have postponed this spring and summer to protect the country's health during the coronavirus outbreak.

But as the nation's lockdown continues, undeterred women and men are already vowing to carry on and complete a Race for Life at Home challenge in their garden or their nearest green space.

Clare is unable to take up the challenge right now, as she is recovering from a bone marrow transplant, but is determined to lend her support and has recruited her sister Alison and daughters Meabh (8) and Lily (11) - who are limbering up with Joe Wicks on YouTube every morning.

The mum-of-two's life changed very suddenly in February 2018 when she was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukaemia, a cancer that starts inside bone marrow, the soft tissue inside bones that helps form blood cells.

She has faced a tough battle for survival over the past two years and this time last year was in isolation receiving treatment and a stem cell transplant.

As she now faces isolation again to protect herself from coronavirus, Clare is remaining upbeat.

She says: "I now have a brand new immune system, almost like I have been reborn, so I need to have all the injections a new baby has.

"This places me at especially high risk from the coronavirus. It is frightening, but with the help of family, I am being very careful.

"We're all going to be spending a lot of time indoors this spring, so it feels good to take back some control and plan something positive to help me and to help people who are going through cancer right now.

"That's why I am happy to ask people to please join in the fun and still feel part of the Race for Life community."

Clare recalls how her life changed virtually overnight two years ago.

She had just finished night duty as a domiciliary care assistant when she started to feel very tired and unwell.

She then developed a rash on her chest and bruising on her legs.

Concerned, she looked up her symptoms and was alarmed to discover she could have leukaemia and immediately made an appointment with at the local health centre. A doctor felt that she was being over-anxious and she was sent home with details of the Samaritans helpline but within two days she was being told in hospital she was lucky to be alive.

Clare recalls: "I had a feeling in the back of my head that things weren't right.

"The doctor obviously did not agree with my suspicions as they gave me the number for the Samaritans, a prescription for beta blockers and told me to make an appointment for the following Tuesday for blood tests. This was on a Friday and Tuesday seemed so far away.

"As I left the surgery in tears, my younger daughter Meabh's school called me to say she had fallen and hit her head. That was the last thing I needed, but thankfully she was okay.

"I described my symptoms to my boss and we thought perhaps I just needed a week off work as I was over-tired.

"My mother was helping with the girls, who were just five and nine at the time, and she was completely dumbfounded to find me having a bath at 2.30am on the Saturday morning. I had thought perhaps the heat would help with the pains I was having."

After her bath Clare did fall asleep but was stunned when she woke to discover she had lost a whole day, sleeping for 24 hours straight.

She was further alarmed on waking to discover she had blood round her mouth as her gums were bleeding and she also found a huge bruise on her thigh, which was swollen.

She rang Craigavon hospital and was advised to come to A&E where blood tests were taken.

She recalls: "A short time after arriving at the hospital I was called to the yellow area and I knew from my job that was the admissions area. My bloods came back very quickly and when both a doctor and nurse came to talk to me, I just knew it was serious."

Clare was advised to go to the City Hospital right away and on arrival was met by a consultant and nurse who admitted her immediately and broke the news that she might have leukaemia.

Clare recalls: "I cried and the first stupid question I asked was, 'Am I going to lose my hair?' My thinking was that if I lost my hair the girls would know I was really ill, so I would have to tell them the truth."

Chemotherapy treatment started immediately and Clare was told that had she waited until the following Tuesday for blood tests, she may not have been alive. The cancer was 85% through her body and she was given around 16 hours to live.

She was offered a place on a Cancer Research UK trial called AML 19, which involved 10 days of chemo, day and night, from February 4 until the end of March.

She says: "I was in hospital for six to eight weeks at a time and sometimes didn't even see the kids. That was really difficult as they were so young, but my parents Margaret and Pat were a great help."

From February to September 2018, Clare had intense chemotherapy and tests showed her bone marrow was clear.

However, there was another blow in December when further tests revealed the leukaemia was back.

"I was devastated," said Clare. "I was readmitted to hospital on January 5 last year and remained there until March 7. I was allowed out for my daughter Lily's confirmation and we had a party before I went back into hospital that night."

Clare was forced to remain in quarantine in a stem cell room while receiving full body radiation and chemotherapy injections.

She needed a stem cell transplant to save her life. Her brother Darren and sister Alison - both musicians living in America at the time - had already been tested for stem cell transplant and Alison was relieved to be a 100% match.

On April 15 of last year, Clare went through her stem cell transplant.

Two weeks later she suffered a severe reaction and her body went into toxic shock.

She recalls: "I was told it was rare to have side effects but I had them all.

"My oesophagus was burned with the radiation and I couldn't walk or talk.

"I couldn't breathe and began vomiting blood. I woke up with an ICU team at my bedside that had to literally cut my clothes off due to swelling. I apparently had put on 4st in fluid due to the toxic shock. I remember asking, 'Am I going to die?'"

It was at this point an unusual encounter in the hospital changed things. A man visiting another patient with a religious relic from the saint Padre Pio enclosed in a frame asked if he could leave it with Clare, believing it might be something that would give her strength.

She decided that if she was to survive she had to be positive.

She says: "That was on May 2 and as I held the frame I was in tears, but next morning I got up and began physio, although I wasn't able to wear either shoes or slippers after gaining 4st in fluid due to toxic shock.

"I started to eat shortly after and nobody could believe it. I was discharged on May 15."

Today she feels indebted to her family and the staff at 10 North in Belfast City Hospital for their amazing care.

"I would also like to say a special thank-you to all my cousins and close friends for their love and support throughout my journey," she says. "My sister flew home from the US to be with me for the second round of treatment but my close friends, cousins and aunt Bernadette were with me the whole time."

And after everything she has been through, she is hoping to give something back by calling on people to support Cancer Research UK's Race for Life at Home event.

Last year Race for Life participants in Northern Ireland raised 98,646 to support vital research to develop gentler and more effective treatments for cancer.

Many of the scientists and researchers funded by Cancer Research UK are currently being redeployed to help in the fight against Covid-19, including assisting with testing.

By helping to beat coronavirus, the charity can lessen the impact it is having on the care of cancer patients.

Jean Walsh, Cancer Research UK's spokesperson for Northern Ireland, said: "At a time when it feels like everything is at a standstill, there is one thing that hasn't stopped - cancer.

"Our priority as a charity is ensuring that people affected by cancer are getting the support they need right now.

"But we are already getting people asking about doing Race for Life at Home because they don't want to see the charity lose out on vital funding. It's truly humbling to see the response.

"So, from their homes, we'd love for supporters to join us and Race for Life at Home in these challenging times. From a run or 5K walk around the garden to limbo in the living room, there is no wrong way to Race for Life at Home.

"With no entry fee, people might choose to twerk, limbo, star jump, squat, skip, dance, or come up with their own novel way of taking part and share it with friends. The message is very much that 'while we might be apart, we're doing this together'. There is no wrong way to get involved and join our community."

You can visit raceforlife.org and sign up free for ideas on how to create your own Race for Life at Home challenge.

And the Cancer Research UK Race for Life Facebook page will help people feel energised with weekly live workout sessions.

Organisers are also inviting participants to join the Race for Life at Home community by sharing photos and videos on social media using the hashtag #RaceForLifeAtHome.

Cancer Research UK was able to spend over 2m last year in Belfast on some of the UK's leading scientific and clinical research.

A new date for Race for Life Belfast has been set for Wednesday, October 7.

Participants who have already signed up for a Race for Life event which is now postponed will be contacted directly by the charity. Participants will be transferred to the new date but if they can't make it there is the option to request a refund or donate the entry fee to help fund cancer research.

Visit raceforlife.org or call 0300 123 0770. Join in and share with #RaceForLifeAtHome

Belfast Telegraph

Go here to read the rest:
Co Armagh mum diagnosed with leukaemia and told that she had just 16 hours to live now inspiring people to sign up and do the Race for Life at Home in...

Recommendation and review posted by Bethany Smith

GlobalStem Cell Therapy Market, delivering a must-read report for industry stakeholders wanting to understand the strategic landscape of this burgeoning sector. Readers will find an in-depth analysis of the market and how it will impact existing traditional markets, as well as insights into future development and opportunities across the globe.

MarketInsightsReports has announced the addition of the Global Stem Cell Therapy Market Research Report 2020 The report focuses on global major leading players with information such as company profiles, product picture and specification.

Get Sample Copy of Stem Cell Therapy Market Report

https://www.marketinsightsreports.com/reports/04252004873/covid-19-impact-on-global-stem-cell-therapy-market-size-status-and-forecast-2020-2026/inquiry?Mode=10

Key Players:

Osiris Therapeutics, NuVasive, Chiesi Pharmaceuticals, JCR Pharmaceutical, Pharmicell, Medi-post, Anterogen, Molmed, Takeda (TiGenix), request free sample for complete list of companies.

The leading players of industry, their market share, product portfolio, company profiles are covered in this report. The competitive market scenario among players will help the industry aspirants in planning their strategies.

Summary

Stem-cell therapy is the use of stem cells to treat or prevent a disease or condition. Bone marrow transplant is the most widely used stem-cell therapy, but some therapies derived from umbilical cord blood are also in use.

In the last several years, global stem cell therapy market developed fast at a average growth rate of 46.81%.

Since the COVID-19 virus outbreak in December 2019, the disease has spread to almost 100 countries around the globe with the World Health Organization declaring it a public health emergency. The global impacts of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) are already starting to be felt, and will significantly affect the Stem Cell Therapy market in 2020.

COVID-19 can affect the global economy in three main ways: by directly affecting production and demand, by creating supply chain and market disruption, and by its financial impact on firms and financial markets.

The outbreak of COVID-19 has brought effects on many aspects, like flight cancellations; travel bans and quarantines; restaurants closed; all indoor events restricted; over forty countries state of emergency declared; massive slowing of the supply chain; stock market volatility; falling business confidence, growing panic among the population, and uncertainty about future.This report also analyses the impact of Coronavirus COVID-19 on the Stem Cell Therapy industry.

Stem Cell Therapy Market Segmentation by types, Applications and regions:

Market Segment by Type covers:

Autologous

Allogeneic

Market Segmented by Applications:

Musculoskeletal Disorder

Wounds & Injuries

Cornea

Cardiovascular Diseases

Others

Market Segment by Regions:

North America (the United States, Canada, and Mexico)Europe (Germany, France, UK, Russia, and Italy)Asia-Pacific (China, Japan, Korea, India, and Southeast Asia)South America (Brazil, Argentina, Colombia, etc.)

Available [emailprotected] (Exclusive new year offer Flat 20%- Use code MIR 20):

https://www.marketinsightsreports.com/reports/04252004873/covid-19-impact-on-global-stem-cell-therapy-market-size-status-and-forecast-2020-2026/discount?Mode=10

These segments are thoroughly evaluated on an individual basis and a team of analysts has ensured to give a crystal clear idea about various lucrative segments of the industry. This detailed analysis using segmentation by providing precise results on industry-related markets.

The report also analyzed the evolution of industry trends. Several macroeconomic factors such as Gross domestic product (GDP) and the increasing inflation rate is expected to affect directly or indirectly in the development of the industry.

Frequently Asked Questions about global market:

Customization of the Report:This report can be customized as per your needs for additional data up to 3 companies or 3 countries or nearly 40 analyst hours.

Note:

All the reports that we list have been tracking the impact of COVID-19 the market. Both upstream and downstream of the entire supplychain has been accounted for while doing this. Also, where possible, we will provide an additional COVID-19 update supplement/report to the report in Q3, please check for with the sales team.

Visit complete report@

https://www.marketinsightsreports.com/reports/04252004873/covid-19-impact-on-global-stem-cell-therapy-market-size-status-and-forecast-2020-2026?Mode=10

About Us:

MarketInsightsReports provides syndicated market research on industry verticals including Healthcare, Information and Communication Technology (ICT), Technology and Media, Chemicals, Materials, Energy, Heavy Industry, etc. MarketInsightsReports provides global and Chinese and regional market intelligence coverage, a 360-degree market view which includes statistical forecasts, competitive landscape, detailed segmentation, key trends, and strategic recommendations.

Contact Us:

Irfan Tamboli (Sales)

Phone: + 1704 266 3234 | +91-750-707-8687

[emailprotected] | [emailprotected]

Read this article:
Stem Cell Therapy Market Revenue, Demands and Gross Margin, Forecasts to 2026 (Based on 2020 COVID-19 Worldwide Spread) - Jewish Life News

Recommendation and review posted by Bethany Smith

The American Academy of Arts & Sciences has announced the election of University of Vermont Professor of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics Emerita Susan Wallace to its membership in recognition of her status as a world leader in the sciences. Wallace joins 275 new members elected on April 23, 2020.

Academy members represent innovative thinkers in every field and profession, including more than 250 Nobel and Pulitzer Prize winners.

Wallace, who served as chair of UVMs Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics for 30 years before her retirement in 2018, played a significant role in providing a much greater understanding of the fundamental DNA repair mechanisms involved in the development of cancer, as well as the effects of radiation damage to the genome. More recently, her research, which was supported by more than 47 years of consistent National Institutes of Health funding, explored a potential link between certain DNA repair protein variants in the human population and an increase in the risk for some types of cancer. She is the author of more than 200 biomedical journal articles and trained many successful graduate students and postdoctoral fellows during her career at UVM.

It is both an honor and a privilege for me to be chosen as a member of this distinguished group, said Wallace. I am looking forward to working together with Academy members to keep basic science research at the forefront of our Nations goals.

Named a UVM University Distinguished Professor in 2011, Wallace was one of only a few scholars who chaired a department across two colleges the Larner College of Medicine and the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. Her many honors include election as a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science; the Harvard School of Public Healths John B. Little Award for Outstanding Contributions to Molecular Radiobiology; the Environmental Mutagenesis and Genomics Society Award for Fundamental Studies on Repair of DNA Damage Caused by Environmental Agents and for her Exemplary Leadership; and the Failla Award from the Radiation Research Society. Her leadership roles at UVM included service as the director of the Department of Energy Vermont EPSCoR Program, director of the Vermont Cancer Center (now UVM Cancer Center) Genome Stability and Expression Program, director of the Cancer Biology Training Program, and associate director for basic and translational science in the Cancer Center.

The members of the class of 2020 have excelled in laboratories and lecture halls, they have amazed on concert stages and in surgical suites, and they have led in board rooms and courtrooms, said Academy President David W. Oxtoby in the organizations announcement. With todays election announcement, these new members are united by a place in history and by an opportunity to shape the future through the Academys work to advance the public good.

Election to the American Academy of Arts & Sciences is a signal accomplishment for a scholar, said Suresh Garimella, president of the University of Vermont. It is a fitting tribute to Dr. Wallace who, through a long and distinguished career, has made significant contributions to our understanding of how cancer develops and factors that increase its risk. We are very proud of her at UVM and offer our heartiest congratulations.

Over her long career here in Burlington, Dr. Wallace distinguished herself as an exceptional leader, mentor and scientist, noted Richard Page, dean of the Larner College of Medicine. Her fundamental discoveries have advanced our understanding of the role DNA repair plays in development of cancer and the effect of radiation on the genome. Our entire Larner community congratulates Dr. Wallace, and we celebrate this well-deserved honor with her.

This recognition is a testament to Dr. Wallace's contributions to science and leadership as a female pioneer in the field of genetics, said Jean Harvey, dean of the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences.It has been a pleasure and privilege to have had the opportunity to work with Dr. Wallace over the years. On behalf of the College of Agriculture & Life Sciences, we join in congratulating Dr. Wallace on this significant achievement.

Other UVM faculty with membership in the American Academy of Arts & Sciences include Professor of Biology Emeritus Bernd Heinrich, Marsh Professor-at-Large Madeleine M. Kunin, and Professor of Molecular Physiology and Biophysics Emerita Susan Lowey. In addition, UVM has among its ranks two members of the National Academies, including UVM Distinguished Professor and Chair of Pharmacology Mark Nelson, a member of the National Academy of Sciences, and University Distinguished Professor and Professor of Engineering George Pinder, a member of the National Academy of Engineering.

The American Academy was founded in 1780, during the American Revolution, by John Adams, John Hancock, and 60 other scholar-patriots who understood that a new republic would require institutions able to gather knowledge and advance learning in service to the public good. The Academy is both an honorary society that recognizes and celebrates the excellence of its members and an independent research center, convening leaders from across disciplines, professions, and perspectives to address significant challenges.

The rest is here:
American Academy of Arts & Sciences Elects UVM's Wallace to Its Membership - UVM News

Recommendation and review posted by Bethany Smith

Just a few years ago, it was impossible to buy hemp flower online, and now there are dozens of different top-shelf strains begging for your attention.

With the legalization of hemp in 2018, the market is now flooded with hemp flower, and the number of different options can be overwhelming. With names like Papaya Nights, Frosted Kush and Blood Diamond, it can feel impossible to know what youre really buying.

Instead of trying to understand each strain that you come across without any context, we suggest you break things down by a few basic categories. In this guide, well help you figure out how to sort through all the different strains, moods, and other qualities of CBD hemp flower available on the market.

Hemp flower contains hundreds of different kinds of oils. Some of these oils are aromatic, meaning they have a distinct scent. In addition to smelling nice, certain aromatic cannabis oils called terpenes have their own unique effects that augment the way hemp affects you.

Lots of other plants aside from hemp create their own terpenes, which is why they might smell familiar. The terpene linalool, for instance, is what makes lavender so attractive to the nose, and pinene smells just like pine sap when isolated. Heres some basic info on three of the most common hemp terpenes:

Myrcene is the most abundant terpene in hemp, and it has spicy attributes that are somewhat reminiscent of hops.

Present in lots of other plant species as well, caryophyllene has an herbal aroma and flavor.

Also found in the peels of citrus fruits, limonene has a zesty, sour flavor and a very citrusy aroma.

Hemp doesnt get you high. The effects of smoking hemp change, however, based on the terpene profile that a particular strain contains. Most hemp flower strains are either Sativa-dominant or Indica-dominant. Some strains, called hybrids, are roughly balanced between these traits.

Sativa-dominant hemp strains provide an energetic, creative mood thats great for getting work done or going outside. Most hemp smokers choose to use sativa strains during the day, and hemp strains with sativa characteristics are usually lighter-colored and fruitier-smelling.

Indica-dominant strains, on the other hand, provide a relaxing effect thats great for sleep. Hemp strains with indica genetics are often darker-colored, and they often have sweeter and richer flavor profiles. Hybrid strains take the best of both worlds to offer hemp buds that hit the spot no matter what mood youre aiming for.

Hemp has exploded in popularity recently, pushing the green rush to even greater heights. As a result, lots of aspiring entrepreneurs have gotten into the hemp industry, and some hemp flower companies are better than others.

Unlike lots of other crops, hemp is a bio-accumulator, which means it absorbs and stores toxins from soil or other substrates. Therefore, its necessary to grow hemp very carefully in controlled environments. Its just as important to process hemp safely, but some companies dont follow generally accepted hemp production standards.

Thoroughly independent, third-party lab testing is the best tool at your disposal if you want to make sure the hemp flower youre purchasing is safe and high-quality. Here are some of the testing criteria that good hemp lab reports might contain:

Every hemp lab report should show the total percentage of cannabinoids present in the tested flower.

CBD is the dominant cannabinoid in most hemp flower strains, so the total concentration of CBD is an important value to represent in hemp lab tests.

By providing the percentage of each terpene present in a hemp flower sample, thorough hemp lab tests tell you what to expect from the strains flavor and aroma profile.

As the most prevalent contaminants in hemp, chemical pesticides are one of the most-tested toxin categories.

If applicable, lab tests may also provide information on other potential contaminants.

Have you ever been around a hemp plant in full bloom? Grown correctly, mature hemp is a sight to behold. To the trained eye, however, problems with hemp are easy to recognize from appearance alone.

There are natural variations in appearance between different strains of hemp flower, but here are some of the visual cues you should watch for that indicate your flower is high-quality:

Can you see straight through the nug in the featured picture for a strain youre considering? Chances are that it didnt receive enough care during its life cycle, reducing potency.

Female hemp plants dont have pistils, but they do have the female equivalent: stigmas. These red-orange hairs are hallmarks of healthy hemp plants.

Does your hemp flower look like it was just dusted by a blizzard? Those shimmering crystals on the surface of your non-intoxicating buds are actually tiny oil sacs called trichomes. The more trichomes your hemp has, the more potent it is.

Theres nothing that entrepreneurs wont do to make money. As a result, you cant trust the marketing that hemp companies use to attract customers. No matter how amazing a CBD company says its flower is, youll need to rely on customer reviews to get to the bottom of the matter.

Customer reviews tell you what its like to use the products youre considering. If a hemp flower product provides the results that are advertised, reviews from customers who have tried that product will back it up.

In some cases, you might learn more from customer reviews of a hemp product than you can from what its producer has to say. Little details, like the packaging, shipping time, and overall usability of a hemp flower product truly shine when customers who have actually used the product take center stage.

Using customer reviews, lab reports, product pictures, and product descriptions together provides you all the information you need to pick the perfect hemp flower for your purposes.

Do you research and make careful choices. There are new hemp flower vendors appearing every week. Some of the brands are just looking to make a quick buck, while others are taking the time to create quality products. By following our guidance above, youll be able to pick out the top-shelf hemp flower of your dreams.

Remember that hemp renaissance has truly arrived, bringing a veritable cornucopia of amazing hemp flower options with it. Have fun, and enjoy experimenting with different strains until you find the ones that suit your needs.

Post Views: 63

See the original post:
Buying Hemp Flower: 5 Things To Look For In A Hemp Strain - Ministry of Hemp

Recommendation and review posted by Bethany Smith

The research study presented in this report offers complete and intelligent analysis of the competition, segmentation, dynamics, and geographical advancement of the Global Cryonics Technology Market. The research study has been prepared with the use of in-depth qualitative and quantitative analyses of the global Cryonics Technology market. We have also provided absolute dollar opportunity and other types of market analysis on the global Cryonics Technology market.

It takes into account the CAGR, value, volume, revenue, production, consumption, sales, manufacturing cost, prices, and other key factors related to the global Cryonics Technology market. All findings and data on the global Cryonics Technology market provided in the report are calculated, gathered, and verified using advanced and reliable primary and secondary research sources. The regional analysis offered in the report will help you to identify key opportunities of the global Cryonics Technology market available in different regions and countries.

The report on the Cryonics Technology market provides a birds eye view of the current proceeding within the Cryonics Technology market. Further, the report also takes into account the impact of the novel COVID-19 pandemic on the Cryonics Technology market and offers a clear assessment of the projected market fluctuations during the forecast period.

Get Free Sample PDF (including COVID19 Impact Analysis, full TOC, Tables and Figures) of Market Report @ https://www.marketresearchhub.com/enquiry.php?type=S&repid=2637235&source=atm

The authors of the report have segmented the global Cryonics Technology market as per product, application, and region. Segments of the global Cryonics Technology market are analyzed on the basis of market share, production, consumption, revenue, CAGR, market size, and more factors. The analysts have profiled leading players of the global Cryonics Technology market, keeping in view their recent developments, market share, sales, revenue, areas covered, product portfolios, and other aspects.

The key players covered in this studyPraxairCellulisCryologicsCryothermKrioRusVWRThermo Fisher ScientificCustom Biogenic SystemsOregon CryonicsAlcor Life Extension FoundationOsiris CryonicsSigma-AldrichSouthern Cryonics

Market segment by Type, the product can be split intoSlow freezingVitrificationUltra-rapidMarket segment by Application, split intoAnimal husbandryFishery scienceMedical sciencePreservation of microbiology cultureConserving plant biodiversity

Market segment by Regions/Countries, this report coversNorth AmericaEuropeChinaJapanSoutheast AsiaIndiaCentral & South America

The study objectives of this report are:To analyze global Cryonics Technology status, future forecast, growth opportunity, key market and key players.To present the Cryonics Technology development in North America, Europe, China, Japan, Southeast Asia, India and Central & South America.To strategically profile the key players and comprehensively analyze their development plan and strategies.To define, describe and forecast the market by type, market and key regions.

In this study, the years considered to estimate the market size of Cryonics Technology are as follows:History Year: 2015-2019Base Year: 2019Estimated Year: 2020Forecast Year 2020 to 2026For the data information by region, company, type and application, 2019 is considered as the base year. Whenever data information was unavailable for the base year, the prior year has been considered.

Do You Have Any Query Or Specific Requirement? Ask to Our Industry [emailprotected] https://www.marketresearchhub.com/enquiry.php?type=E&repid=2637235&source=atm

Cryonics Technology Market Size and Forecast

In terms of region, this research report covers almost all the major regions across the globe such as North America, Europe, South America, the Middle East, and Africa and the Asia Pacific. Europe and North America regions are anticipated to show an upward growth in the years to come. While Cryonics Technology Market in Asia Pacific regions is likely to show remarkable growth during the forecasted period. Cutting edge technology and innovations are the most important traits of the North America region and thats the reason most of the time the US dominates the global markets. Cryonics Technology Market in South, America region is also expected to grow in near future.

The Cryonics Technology Market report highlights is as follows:

This Cryonics Technology market report provides complete market overview which offers the competitive market scenario among major players of the industry, proper understanding of the growth opportunities, and advanced business strategies used by the market in the current and forecast period.

This Cryonics Technology Market report will help a business or an individual to take appropriate business decision and sound actions to be taken after understanding the growth restraining factors, market risks, market situation, market estimation of the competitors.

The expected Cryonics Technology Market growth and development status can be understood in a better way through this five-year forecast information presented in this report

This Cryonics Technology Market research report aids as a broad guideline which provides in-depth insights and detailed analysis of several trade verticals.

You can Buy This Report from Here @ https://www.marketresearchhub.com/checkout?rep_id=2637235&licType=S&source=atm

Go here to see the original:
Global trade impact of the Coronavirus Cryonics Technology Market Applications and Company's Active in the Industry Aminet Market Reports -...

Recommendation and review posted by Bethany Smith

As the tab for security incidents in 2020 remains open, cybercriminals are diligently looking for new ways to attack and capitalize on valuable healthcare information. More than 143 security incidents have been added to the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) Breach Reporting Tool since the beginning of the year, and bad actors are not showing signs of halting their disruptive actions any time soon.

Last months showstopper is Ambry Genetics, a California-based genetic testing laboratory that revealed a security incident potentially exposing the personal health information (PHI) of 233,000 customers, including:

Customer names Medical information Information related to customers use of the genetic laboratorys services Limited amount of Social Security numbers

In accordance with HIPPA Breach Notification Rule, the company has published a notice on its official page, detailing the events. Between 22 and 24 January, Ambrys security team noticed unauthorized access to one of their employee accounts and started investigating the incident. Although the company found no clear signs of misuse, it does not rule out the exposure of customer personal information.

The investigation was unable to determine whether there was unauthorized access to, or acquisition of, any particular information from the email account, and we are not aware of any misuse of any personal information. Nevertheless, we are notifying our customers because customer personal information may have been impacted, reads the Substitute Notice.

As a preventive measure, Ambry Genetics is now offering customers free identity monitoring services to affected individuals and reassures customers that they have taken the necessary steps to avoid any future incidents.

The high number of potentially exposed medical records put customers at risk of falling victim to medical identity theft and fraud. Using the stolen information, cyber thieves can make fake medical claims and steal a victims insurance, and even send out extortion emails that demand payment for not revealing any sensitive information.

Its important for potential victims to be wary of any unsolicited emails they might find in the Inbox, keep an eye on their medical bills, and review their medical records for any suspicious entries.

Recent Articles By Author

*** This is a Security Bloggers Network syndicated blog from HOTforSecurity authored by Alina Bizga. Read the original post at: https://hotforsecurity.bitdefender.com/blog/medical-information-of-233000-individuals-exposed-after-genetic-testing-lab-hack-23097.html

More here:
Medical Information of 233,000 Individuals Exposed after Genetic Testing Lab Hack - Security Boulevard

Recommendation and review posted by Bethany Smith

What happened

Shares of genetic-testing companyInvitae (NYSE:NVTA) rose over 13% today on an upbeat day for the stock market. The S&P 500 rose over 1.5% as investors cheered plans by some countries and U.S. states to soon begin reopening parts of their economies.

While the broad economic damage caused by the coronavirus pandemic might take quarters or years to repair, the genetic testing industry might experience a faster recovery. That's because strict stay-at-home orders are negatively impacting the number of genetic tests and diagnostics ordered by doctors. But if restrictions are loosened in the coming weeks or months, then doctors should be able to resume certain types of essential services, such as hereditary tests for pregnant women or oncology testing for cancer patients.

As of 3:15 p.m. EDT, the growth stock had settled to a 8.4% gain.

Image source: Getty Images.

Invitae hasn't publicly commented on how the coronavirus pandemic has impacted operations, but investors can likely expect at least a short-term drop. Peer NeoGenomics reported a 20% decline in test volumes in the final two weeks of March and in early April, compared with the year-ago period.

NeoGenomics focuses exclusively on cancer diagnostics, whereas Invitae offers tests for a wide variety of health conditions. If stay-at-home decrees caused more-significant declines in orders for nonessential genetic tests (such as for rare diseases and hereditary risks) than for essential genetic tests (such as cancer monitoring), then investors might expect Invitae to have suffered a greater decline in test volumes and revenue than NeoGenomics.

Invitae is scheduled to report first-quarter 2020 earnings and update its outlook on May 5. A temporary slowdown in growth might not matter much in the long run, but a growth-at-all-costs business model doesn't leave the company well positioned to endure a prolonged economic rut. Investors will need to await further details before lazily assuming the business will be spared.

Here is the original post:
Here's Why Invitae Stock Popped as Much as 13.2% Today - The Motley Fool

Recommendation and review posted by Bethany Smith

BOSTON, April 28, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- In their brand new report "COVID-19 Diagnostics", global market research firm IDTechEx benchmarked more than 100 commercial devices across various technologies, providing a deep insight into the technology trends and biotech innovations surrounding the COVID-19 global response. For more information on this report, please visit http://www.IDTechEx.com/COVID.

Fighting the COVID-19 fire with molecular diagnostics innovations, technologies benchmarked in the new report from IDTechEx COVID-19 Diagnostics (www.IDTechEx.com/COVID)

"You cannot fight a fire blindfolded. And we cannot stop this pandemic if we don't know who is infected. We have a simple message for all countries: test, test, test. Test every suspected case" - Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General, World Health Organization (WHO).

Viruses were once known as "contagious living fluids", strange infectious substances capable of slipping through the finest of filters unnoticed. SARS-CoV-2, the coronavirus responsible for the COVID-19 pandemic is indeed slipping through every layer of society, leaving behind severe public health and economic crises. Unlike in the influenza pandemic in 1918, today we are better equipped to identify the elusive bug.

Since the full genome sequencing of the SARS-CoV-2, many national laboratories have identified the regions of the genome amenable for genetic testing. The golden standard adopted by national laboratories around the world following the WHO protocol to detect the virus in individuals, is based on detecting genetic material specific to SARS-CoV-2 viruses in a person's nasopharyngeal secretions. The main tool for such genetic tests is the Reverse Transcription Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-PCR). Primer strands that hybridise specifically to the SARS-CoV-2 genome, together with fluorescent probes, help amplify and detect the viral load present in a patient. RT-PCR, normally performed in a real-time quantitative qRT-PCR machine for live fluorescent read-out, constitutes the core element of the testing effort being deployed at the moment across the globe. Clinical laboratories with the necessary equipment and technical know-how to perform RT-PCR are leading this diagnosis effort.

However, not all countries are prepared, neither logistically or with enough equipment and capacity. An important bottleneck is the short supply of certain ancillary reagents, such as RNA extraction kits. The shortage of such supplies and long processing time, has led to many laboratories to try to circumvent some steps in the protocol and to come up with new approaches to reach the testing targets that have been set by policymakers and healthcare officials.

The need for universal and massive testing across the population has led to a race for technology innovations for COVID-19 diagnostics. Point-of-care molecular diagnostics (POC MDx) are portable devices that perform molecular diagnosis away from central labs. Microfluidics is the key technology behind POC MDx, which controls the motion of small amounts of fluids in microchannels. Microfluidic cartridges enable the miniaturisation of devices and introduces automation in the sample handling and detection processes. Some POC MDx devices use isothermal amplification of nucleic acid as an alternative to PCR devices. Isothermal amplifaction bypasses the need of thermal cycling and reduces the detection time to just 5 min. Various isothermal amplifaction methods have been adopted for COVID-19 diagnostics. Complex design and unspecific amplification hinder the widespread use of this method. "COVID-19 Diagnostics" provides a deep insight and comparison into the technologies, innovations and current progress on POC MDx and isothermal amplification.

Story continues

Apart from the time consuming thermal cycling, real-time fluorescent detection is another limitation for low-cost and portable diagnosis tools. Lateral flow assays, electrochemical detection and microbead-based arrays are integrated with PCR to detect the amplified genetic products. These hybrid systems enable faster, cheaper and palm-size devices at the expense of sensitivity and specificity. More recently, CRISPR-Cas (gene-editing tool based on speficifc gene recognition) and DNA sequencing techniques show the potential for highly sensitive and selective hybrid systems, as highlighted in "COVID-19 Diagnostics". For more information on this report, please visit http://www.IDTechEx.com/COVID or for the full portfolio of medical technology research available from IDTechEx please visit http://www.IDTechEx.com/LifeSci.

Resonating with the message of the WHO director general: "test, test and test", these innovations offer the tools to stop the current outbreak, as well as to prevent future outbreaks, by effective diagnostics and surveillance testing.

IDTechEx guides your strategic business decisions through its Research, Consultancy and Event products, helping you profit from emerging technologies. For more information on IDTechEx Research and Consultancy, contact research@IDTechEx.com or visit http://www.IDTechEx.com.

Media Contact:Jessica AbineriMarketing Coordinator press@IDTechEx.com+44(0)1223-812300

View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/fighting-the-covid-19-fire-with-molecular-diagnostics-new-idtechex-report-on-innovations-301048428.html

SOURCE IDTechEx

Read the rest here:
Fighting The COVID-19 Fire With Molecular Diagnostics, New IDTechEx Report on Innovations - Yahoo Finance

Recommendation and review posted by Bethany Smith

Mastermind Genomic Search Engine Identifies Approved and Off-Label Treatments Found Across the Medical Literature

ANN ARBOR, Mich. (PRWEB) April 28, 2020

Genomenon announced today that the latest release of the Mastermind Genomic Search Engine includes the ability to search by therapy. Mastermind users can now query the comprehensive database of genomic evidence for over 180,000 drugs, therapies, and other interventions.

This new offering furthers Genomenon's ability to catalogue a complete dataset of all "Genomic Associations" supported by medical evidence. These associations help clinical labs more accurately and rapidly diagnose patients, and pharmaceutical companies make ground-breaking discoveries in the effective treatment cancer and other genetic diseases. Mastermind was launched in 2017 with the ability to uncover associations between diseases, genes, and variants, and has since added ACMG/AMP classification, phenotypes, and now therapies. Each new component of association data increases the power of Mastermind to allow users to find genetic evidence, test or generate hypotheses, and draw clinical conclusions with confidence.

Searching by therapy provides significant value for oncologists making decisions on third-line therapies, where approved drugs or clinical trials are no longer effective for a cancer patient. Finding a comprehensive list of all therapies in the medical research tied to a cancer patient's genetic make-up is invaluable for treating these late-stage cancer patients.

The new search capability is also highly useful for clinicians making diagnostic and treatment decisions for patients with rare diseases. There are currently less than 800 FDA approved therapies for over 7,000 rare diseases, leaving many patients without an approved treatment option. In these cases, clinicians are required to scour the medical literature to find therapies associated with the patient's genetic profile; a time-consuming and often fruitless task.

About Genomenon

Genomenon is a genomic health IT company that connects patient DNA with the billions of dollars spent on research to help doctors diagnose and cure cancer patients and babies with rare diseases.

The Mastermind Genomic Search Engine is used by hundreds of genetic labs worldwide to accelerate diagnosis, increase diagnostic yield, and assure repeatability in reporting genetic testing results.

Mastermind Genomic Landscapes inform pharmaceutical and bio-pharma companies on precision medicine development, deliver genomic biomarkers for clinical trial target selection, and support CDx regulatory submissions with empirical evidence.

Genomenon was named 2020 Global Company of the Year in Clinical Genomics Interpretation by Frost & Sullivan.

For more information, visit Genomenon.com.

For the original version on PRWeb visit: https://www.prweb.com/releases/genomenons_mastermind_now_finds_therapies_associated_with_genetic_drivers/prweb17078524.htm

Continued here:
Genomenon's Mastermind Now Finds Therapies Associated with Genetic Drivers - Benzinga

Recommendation and review posted by Bethany Smith

Seeking ways to uncover new customer applications in the biomedical field led Japanese multinational imaging and electronics company, Ricoh, to develop a proprietary bioprinting technology that is now being used to control DNA molecule-by-molecule to accurately detect trace amounts of virus in genetic testing. More particularly, this is being done in polymerase chain reaction (PCR) testing, a tool used for medical testing which has become a familiar household name around the world ever since the COVID-19 pandemic began.

Ricoh will now be marketing their newly developed Ricoh Standard DNA Series as reference material for genetic testing applications where PCR is used, to overcome challenges in PCR testing. The Standard DNA Series enables a specific number of DNA molecules, in units of one, to be injected into containers used for genetic testing applications, which according to the company, means that the accuracy of detection in PCR tests can be assured even in low concentrations of under 100 molecules.

The PCR high-performance genetic testing method invented in 1985 by Kary B. Mullis can detect all types of bacteria, parasites, viruses, and fungi, starting with DNA or RNA by selectively amplifying trace amounts of genetic material, identifying specific parts of the DNA. It can potentially detect DNA even at the level of a single molecule by amplifying it. However, Ricoh indicated that, in reality, extremely small amounts of DNA cannot be detected in some tests because of inadequate precision control in the apparatus or imperfect performance and quality of reagents, leading to false negatives, where viruses cannot be detected even though the person is infected, and this makes accurate diagnosis of viral diseases challenging.

In fact, scientists in the US have warned that there is a growing concern from the over-reliance of COVID-19 testing since the majority of the tests around the world use PCR technology to detect traces of the coronavirus in mucus samples, and these are not 100 percent reliable.

Evaluation of reference DNA plate for the novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 by real-time PCR*3 (Credit: Ricoh)

By leveraging its bioprinting technology, Ricoh has created new value through innovation. In fact, the company has now expanded the use of this product by developing reference DNA plates for specific types of viruses, including the novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2, instead of just supplying reference DNA plates for noroviruses one of most common viral causes of gastroenteritis. For now, these plates are only available in Japan.

Ricoh suggested that the accuracy of PCR tests is determined by their sensitivity and specificity. Sensitivity refers to the proportion of cases in which people infected with the virus (true positives) are correctly identified as positive. Specificity refers to the proportion of cases in which people who are not infected with the virus (true negatives) are correctly identified as negative. They claim that one of the reasons for inaccurate detection may be insufficient verification of the sensitivity and specificity of the PCR test. In addition, there are detection limits with PCR testing when trace amounts of a virus below a certain limit cannot be detected. In the event a sample has a viral level below the detection limit at the time of the test, the result of the PCR test will be negative, even if the virus is present in the sample, and consequently, the result will be a false negative and can lead to new infections because patients carry out daily activities without realizing they are infected. Reducing false negatives can contribute to reducing the risk of infection spreading.

To verify the detection limit and the sensitivity of PCR testing, and to accurately measure and control the performance and quality of test instruments and reagents, it is necessary to use reference material where the number of DNA molecules is specified accurately as a standard in the test. Reference materials for genetic tests have already been supplied by several companies and research institutes, but they are highly concentrated materials and even though high-concentrations are ok, it has been difficult with low-concentrations of less than 100 molecules to judge whether or not the measurement is accurate.

Solving this problem in PCR testing has been achieved by Ricoh. They claim that their product uses bioprinting technology with a unique inkjet method to dispense DNA molecules into the wells of plates or tubes for genetic testing in units. This means that there is no variation in the number of DNA molecules, even at low concentrations, and it makes it possible to exercise strict precision control and quality control over genetic testing methods, testing devices, and reagents. The number of DNA molecules injected per well can also be increased incrementally as required.

According to Ricoh, in order to precisely verify genetic tests, devices, and reagents, researchers need a scale or benchmark in which the number of DNA molecules is determined. Through joint research, Ricoh has developed a technology to manufacture a container of a prescribed number of DNA molecules, called a reference DNA plate. And because the number of DNA molecules is accurately controlled molecule-by-molecule, the technology will enable stricter quality control of genetic testers, reagents, and genetic testing methods as well as increase the reliability of genetic tests.

Headquartered in Tokyo, where the company operates its proprietary 3D bioprinter technology, Ricoh will begin marketing its newly developed Ricoh Standard DNA Series as reference material for genetic testing applications where PCR is used.

In the future, Ricoh hopes to expand the applications of the Ricoh Standard DNA Series to precision control of genetic testing methods and reagents, to handle unknown infectious diseases and contribute to virus-free tests (tests that certify the absence of viruses) used in the manufacture of regenerative medicines and biopharmaceuticals.

As more companies begin to flood the biomedical field, aiding with research, leveraging bioprinting technology, and creating new venues for institutes and laboratories to expand their innovation, new and dedicated applications and discoveries help the industry advance quicker than ever before. Hopefully, widely recognized changes, like Ricohs new development and move into the bioprinting realm, will engage more companies to transform their technology and invest in bioengineering, life sciences, and other industries of the future, which are elemental to our survival.

The rest is here:
Ricohs Bioprinting Technology Could Help Improve PCR Testing - 3DPrint.com

Recommendation and review posted by Bethany Smith